Lookout Mountain Primary Care Welcomes Dr. Greg May
This month Lookout Mountain Primary Care welcomes a new full-time doctor to their staff, Dr. Greg May. As a Doctor of Osteopathy (DO), May brings the full resources of an MD with a fresh approach to patient care. We sat down with him to learn more about the Mississippi native.
What brought you to Chattanooga?
I’ve lived my whole life in Mississippi. I grew up in Hattiesburg, attended Mississippi State for undergrad and William Carey Medical School. Even so, I did my residency with University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and fell in love with the town and the people here. Lookout Mountain is particularly unique. I love how tight the community is up here – people really “do life together.” There aren’t many communities like that anymore.
How did you come to Lookout Mountain Primary Care?
I did a rotation with Erlanger my fourth year of medical school and ended up interviewing for my residency while on rotation. I love being with Erlanger; the faculty is really welcoming and it’s such a great learning environment. I met Dr. Bill Moore Smith in residency and have a lot of respect for what he’s built. He has a genuine passion for keeping Erlanger-trained family medicine doctors in the system. We spoke several times, and they had a need for a full-time doctor at this location. I came up to the clinic and the staff was awesome. I felt comfortable from the start and it seemed like a good fit.
What are you most excited about in this new role?
I look forward to integrating with the Lookout Mountain community. I’d love to give talks at the elementary schools about being healthy, and reach out to Covenant students to let them know we are a resource. I’m also really excited to start rotations at Thrive. One of my passions is working with the older population. Growing up my dad was a family medicine doctor and did a lot of nursing home care. I remember he would drag us into the place and have us talk to the patients. Looking back it was really kind of special – sometimes all they needed was for someone to sit there and talk to them. Eventually I hope to see patients at Thrive every Wednesday, but I’ll be seeing all ages at the office.
What exactly is the distinction between MD and DO?
It’s the same training and the same residencies, but Doctors of Osteopathy focus on musculoskeletal diseases. Our philosophy is that all parts of the body work together and influence each other. So rather than seeking out sickness, we consider how things like daily environment, diet, medicines or other factors play a role. We’re trying to find health rather than finding disease. We like to focus on preventative care, and often try to take medicines away rather than prescribe. That being said there are definitely times it’s required. I like to think if you listen long enough, the patient will tell you what’s wrong whether they realize it or not.
You’re a family medicine doctor…what about your family?
My wife Lori is a speech pathologist at Siskin. We live in the North Chattanooga area and have twin boys, Luke and Truman. They’re pretty wild. We just try to keep up!
