Patients need to feel heard, new doctor says
When it comes to the study, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, Emilie Hill, MD, calls herself a geek.
She loves studying the ins and outs of treating infectious diseases, and she's enthusiastic about helping people feel better.
Dr. Hill brings that enthusiasm to Medical Group of the Carolinas — Internal Medicine — Westside, as one of Spartanburg Regional's newest physicians.
For Dr. Hill, the move to Spartanburg is a welcome change after living in Dallas, a city of 1.3 million people crammed into 386 square miles.
“I thought I wanted to work at a big university and rule the world of infectious disease,” Dr. Hill said.
She developed her love of studying infectious disease during medical school and through travels in several countries, including Haiti and India.
The MacLean, Va., native earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences at Clemson University. She earned a master's in public health and a doctor of medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.
She lived in Dallas for a year during her second fellowship and didn't like “the big city life.” She would visit the Upstate with her husband, who is from Spartanburg.
“Our stress level went down 10 points every time we came to Spartanburg,” Dr. Hill said. “The air was easier to breathe.”
Dr. Hill sees internal medicine as a way to join a team that treats a variety of adult patients.
“I look forward to being part of a collaborative environment where I can share my expertise and I can learn from the experienced doctors there,” Dr. Hill said.
She expects her work at Internal Medicine — Westside to be an ongoing conversation – one that begins and ends with the patient.
“One of the biggest ways a doctor can be helpful is in making sure a patient feels heard,” Dr. Hill said. “That goes a long way in making a patient feel better.”
When she's not studying infectious diseases, Dr. Hill runs marathons and half-Ironman triathlons with her husband. The two have three children – 6-year-old twins and a 20-month-old.
“I tell my 6-year-old son about a bacteria every night,” Dr. Hill said. “He loves it.”
