For some, "family practice physician" might just be a title, but it is a calling for Dr. Samir Abdelshaheed and his associates at Family Medicine Healthcare.  

"We know and understand our patients on a personal level, and this is one of our greatest strengths," Dr. Abdelshaheed says. "That allows us to provide the best possible care to our patients and their families."

"Our hands-on approach is similar to old-fashioned medicine," Graisse Addelshaeed adds. Graisse is Family Medicine Healthcare's manager and Dr. Abdelshaheed's wife. "We're a practice that knows the patient and the patient's whole family. It's not uncommon for us to see children, their parents, and even their grandparents. Dr. Abdelshaheed and our team are committed to providing a friendly environment and personalized medical care for the entire family."

The Abdelshaheeds' philosophy toward family medicine is shared by everyone at Family Medicine Healthcare, including the newest physician to join the practice-Dr. Billy Strong. In fact, it was because of his family that Dr. Strong decided to pursue a career in family medicine.

"My dad was in the military, serving as an anesthesiologist in the army," Dr. Strong explains. "I was born in Texas while he was stationed there, but while I was still a little kid, my parents moved back to their native Utah. I come from a big family-five brothers, so I grew up in a house full of boys. Because our dad was a doctor, we grew up around medicine. But only one other brother pursued it as a career: he's now a nurse practitioner in an ER and family medicine clinic. I always enjoyed the science of medicine, but when I was younger, I considered other career options. I knew I wanted a job in which I could help people."

Growing up in Utah meant living minutes away from some of the best ski slopes in the world. "I started skiing as a seven-year-old," Dr. Strong recalls, smiling. "Like a lot of kids who love skiing, I briefly entertained the idea of pursuing it professionally. Sports medicine also interested me, but then I thought a career as a ski patrol-providing emergency medical and rescue services to injured skiers-might be a good fit. While single, I earned my Emergency Medical Technician certification."
Raised in a family that valued service to others, at age 19, Billy stepped away from college for two years to serve as a missionary in Mexico City. Besides gaining fluency in Spanish, he loved living and working with people in a place brimming with cultural diversity. After two life-changing years of missionary work in Mexico, Billy returned to Utah, where he resumed college, graduating from Utah Valley University.  

He was still contemplating ski patrol as a possible career option when he met his future wife, Tori, a native of Virginia. Once they married, Billy decided to pursue a career in medicine. Two years of medical school in Granada were followed by a residency in San Bernadino, California, and clinical rotations in Chicago and Baltimore. Though his father had been an anesthesiologist, the young doctor decided to practice family medicine.

"One experience I had as a medical student really stands out," Dr. Strong says. "I met a lady with breast cancer in the surgery clinic. I was with her when she was diagnosed; it was a very emotional experience. A few weeks before leaving that hospital, I saw her again in the cafeteria, and we talked. Before leaving, she gave me a hug, and it was then I realized the importance of the doctor-patient relationship. You don't experience those kinds of patient relationships working in radiology or in an ER. In family medicine, you work with patients of all ages, from infants to geriatrics, so relationships are the most important thing."

In looking for a place to practice, Dr. Strong turned his sights to Virginia so that he, Tori, and their two young sons, Emmette (age five) and Charlie (age two), could be close to Tori's family.
"While looking in Virginia, I met Dr. Abdelshaheed and Graisse," Dr. Strong says. "They're wonderful people with a great approach to medicine. When Dr. Abdelshaheed shared his philosophy of family medicine, I found myself in total agreement with him.

"One of the reasons I was drawn to family practice medicine is because I didn't want to be in the position of an emergency room physician who treats patients, then never sees them again," Dr. Abdalshaheed explains. "In family medicine, you see patients throughout the year and build relationships with them. That's what I like the most about practicing medicine."

"Patients come first," Dr. Abdelshaheed continues. "That's what good medicine is all about-especially when it comes to preventative care. It's so important to us that patients know that we will work with them to help them obtain the highest standards of care available. That's why we offer a broad array of services not typically found in many primary care practices. We want to spare our patients the anxiety of entrusting their medical care to someone else, so we perform our own in-house ultrasound exams and sleep studies. The latest state-of-the-art medical practices and equipment allow us to perform these diagnostic tests in-house, eliminating the cost associated with having the procedures performed in a hospital."

One of the things that most impressed Dr. Strong was Dr. Abdelshaheed's commitment to providing his patients continuity of care, should they be hospitalized or enter a nursing home. He follows them and coordinates their care with that facility's doctors and staff. It is a personalized approach that harkens back to the old-fashioned practices of bygone years-an approach that Dr. Strong embraces.

"I like to take time with my patients and get to know them," Dr. Strong concludes. "Because we can do so many things on-site at Family Medicine Healthcare, we can manage everything for our patients. We're not there just to refer them to specialists; we stay involved in our patients' care, even if they're hospitalized. Developing a relationship with patients is the hallmark of family medicine."