From Shopper News
The importance of service and helping others was instilled in Jose Luis Mejia, MD, FACS, at an early age. As the son of a politician and owner of a newspaper in the South American country of Ecuador, Dr. Mejia saw how his father served the community.
But it was his uncle, who was a surgeon, who inspired him to serve through medicine.
“When I was young, my uncle took me to the clinic where he operated. I loved cleaning wounds, removing sutures, and I especially loved the operating room. It came naturally to me,” says Dr. Mejia.
While in medical school at the prestigious Central University of Ecuador, Dr. Mejia trained with one of the pioneers of laparoscopic surgery techniques.
Dr. Mejia is an avid runner and is pictured in the 2013 Boston Marathon. He completed the race 40 minutes before the fatal bombing. He says the tragedy is a reminder of the importance of life and family.
“Surgeons were transitioning to minimally invasive surgeries. It was an advantage that I trained in a time when we did a lot of both open and laparoscopic procedures,” explains Dr. Mejia.
Drawn by the medical technology available, Dr. Mejia moved to the United States in 1999 and completed his residency in General Surgery at East Tennessee State University. He worked at Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Johnson City for eight years, serving as Clinical Associate Professor and Chief of Surgery. Most recently, Dr. Mejia was on staff at Masssena Memorial Hospital in upstate New York, providing surgical and wound care to a variety of pediatric and adult patients.
Dr. Mejia and his family missed East Tennessee, so he recently joined Premier Surgical Associates in Knoxville as a general surgeon at the group’s Tennova North and Physicians Regional locations in June.
“We love it here! The mountains, the people – everyone says ‘Hello’,” says Dr. Mejia. “Premier Surgical has a great reputation and I’m excited to be a part of this group.”
Dr. Mejia, who speaks both English and Spanish, has found already his native language to be an advantage in communicating with patients.
“Communicating and always being honest with my patients is very important to me,” explains Dr. Mejia.”
Dr. Mejia, whose special interests include minimally invasive procedures for benign and malignant problems of the abdomen and breast cancer surgery, is currently accepting new patients at the Premier Surgical offices at Tennova North and Physicians Regional.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Mejia, call 865-938-8121.
About Premier Surgical Associates
Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Premier Surgical Associates has 27 surgeons who perform general, vascular, endovascular, vein, bariatric, breast, laparoscopic (minimally invasive) and oncologic procedures. Premier has offices in Knoxville, Crossville, Dandridge, Lenoir City, and Sevierville.