Charles Whang, MD, Gastroenterology

As a gastroenterologist and hepatologist I see patients with a wide spectrum of digestive diseases from mild issues such as acid reflux to more severe disorders including liver disease, pancreatic and biliary disorders and intestinal cancers.

I think the key to being a good doctor is to be a good listener. I had a mentor early on in my training who told me the three most important qualities in a physician are affability, availability and ability. I always try to manifest those three qualities by being friendly and caring, available to answer questions and having the knowledge and ability to make my patients feel better.

I have been a patient, so I understand what it’s like to be on the other side of that hospital bed or doctor’s desk. I’ve come to appreciate what qualities I want to see in a doctor and I try to manifest that in my practice by actively listening and keeping an open mind as far as questions and concerns my patients might have. Sometimes physicians can fall into a trap of just listening to one or two sentences and coming up with diagnosis. That can lead to misdiagnosis, so I try to listen to all that my patients have to say and to keep open mind of what the problem may be.

I like to spend time getting to know my patients and establishing the physician-patient relationship that is so important to providing good care. I also enjoy the procedural aspect of my specialty. I take pride in my technical skills which I have honed over many years of practice.

In addition to my experience and education, I think it is also important to have a group of colleagues with whom I can collaborate. That’s one of the reasons I chose NorthBay because there are excellent specialists that I get to work with here. I was at Travis Air Force Base for many years and I had a lot of colleagues that I respect greatly who have joined NorthBay as well.