Photo / John Alexander

Drs. Christi and Pete Ghaleb / Family Medicine of Pooler

Family Medicine of Pooler was established in 2010 and became the first direct primary care (DPC) medical practice in Savannah, Ga., in 2017. For Christi Ghaleb, M.D. and Pete Ghaleb, M.D., that ultimately means they get to spend more time with their patients without letting insurance companies get in the way. They love it, their patients love it, and they believe you will love it too!

TELL US OF YOUR JOURNEY INTO MEDICINE

We met during our first semester of medical school. We were very reluctant to get into a serious relationship because of our strenuous workloads, so we developed a mantra: ‘One day at a time,’ meaning we would enjoy each other’s company for that day without any expectations for tomorrow. It made every day that much more special, not knowing if it was our last. Aside from spending all day in class, we would study together every night and on weekends, which made our medical school experience more enjoyable.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT PRACTICING MEDICINE?

What we truly like the most about medicine is that we get to help people and make them feel better. We get to know them and their family dynamics. Medicine is constantly changing, which keeps things interesting. We are nerds at heart and we do like keeping up with the constant changes in medicine. Things sure have changed in the past 20 years!

DEFINING MOMENTS

Since we started our own practice in 2010, we have had the opportunity to work side by side, which makes our work experience much more enjoyable. Although it all started with the simple concept of enjoying each day as if it was our last, those days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, and years into decades. And every one of those days that we got to help our patients together has been affirmation that we made the right decision.

“WE ARE THE KIND OF DOCTORS WHO ALWAYS…”

…listen. Listening to our patients is so important because they know their own body better than anyone else. So we always try to listen to our patient’s concerns, thoughts and ideas, then we can provide them with our input, and together, we can find the best solution that is going to better their health.

HOW HAS YOUR FIELD OF PRACTICE CHANGED SINCE COVID?

Many medical practices were forced to change as a result of Covid, but that is mostly because of the limited means of communications inherent in the insurance-based healthcare system. Since we offered open lines of communication pre-Covid—including telemedicine—our patients already had direct access to us, even at the peak of the pandemic.

WHERE DO YOU TURN WHEN YOU’RE SICK YOURSELF?

We are fortunate enough to have each other to turn to if we have minor medical issues. With that said, it’s hard to be objective when treating your own family members, so we mostly rely on other direct primary care physicians in the area for our medical care.

Learn more about Drs. Christi and Pete Ghaleb and Family Medicine of Pooler:
Pooler, GA • 912.748.1100 / familymedicineofpooler.com

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