Dr. Samuel Deem begins seeing Greenbrier Valley patients with CAMC
By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV
Dr. Samuel Deem has deep roots in the Greenbrier Valley. He grew up in Ronceverte, before graduating from Greenbrier East High School in 1993 and then from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in 2004.
Now, he’s returning to the valley, for one day per month, leading the urology clinic for Charleston Area Medical Centers. We sat down with him last week to learn about how it will impact local residents.
REAL WV: What services will the clinic provide? Why is it important to offer those services locally, so that folks don’t have to travel long distances to receive them?
DR. DEEM: I will be seeing patients in the Greenbrier Urology clinic across from Greenbrier Valley Medical Center. I will be seeing urologic oncology cases (prostate cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, testes cancer, etc) as a fellowship trained GU Oncologist. I see a ton of people from the area in Charleston and we want to ease the travel burden for these folks and provide expert care close to home.
REAL WV: Where exactly is it located, & how often will you be there seeing patients?
DR. DEEM: Greenbrier Valley Urology is located at 1521 Maplewood Ave. I will only be there once a month on Fridays initially to assess the needs. The practice has lost 2 providers in the last couple years and the current providers (Dr. Kowalkowski, Dr. Moshy, Dr. Hughart, and Willie Smith PA-C) are overwhelmed. We hope this will ease the burden on them.
REAL WV: Who is a typical patient for you?
DR. DEEM: At this time, I will see anyone with genitourinary cancer or need for a specific robotic surgery that currently is not available in the area.
REAL WV: What are the benefits of robotic surgery versus traditional surgery?
DR. DEEM: Less pain, quicker recovery, and less blood loss.
REAL WV: How many robotic surgeries do you perform annually?
DR. DEEM: I have performed over 2,000 robotic surgeries and probably do approximately 200 per year.
REAL WV: Where have you practiced previously? How does it feel to be back home practicing medicine?
DR. DEEM: I have been at CAMC in Charleston since finishing my fellowship in Urologic Oncology in 2011. I’m excited to be back in the area and see some familiar faces as well as to have an excuse to make it over to see my mom!
REAL WV: Thanks so much for your time. Is there anything else you want to share with folks as you return?
DR. DEEM: Vandalia Health hired one of the best administrators I have ever worked with to come to the Greenbrier Valley and improve things. Becky Harless will work tirelessly to make healthcare better for residents of the Greenbrier Valley, I guarantee it. Her leadership and the vision of my mentor and our director of urology services for Vandalia south, Dr. JP Tierney, have brought me to the valley and we hope to expand and improve cancer services tremendously over the next few years.
For more information, visit https://www.camc.org/gvmc.
