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LCHS Announces Lewis County Native to Bring Surgical
Expertise to Hometown Hospital
Published: June 15, 2023 at
01:15 p.m.
By: Press Release from Lewis County Health System
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
June 15, 2023
Lewis County
Native to Bring Surgical Expertise to Hometown Hospital
LOWVILLE, NY - Lewis
County Health System (LCHS) and Lewis County Surgical Associates look
forward to welcoming General Surgeon and Lewis County native Rachel B. Zehr, M.D., to the medical staff in September
2023. She will join General Surgeons
Jon Baker, M.D., Steve Kwon, M.D., and David Vivas,
M.D.
"We are
thrilled to welcome Dr. Zehr back home to Lewis
County," stated Gerald R. Cayer, LCHS Chief
Executive Officer. "Patients
have enjoyed the personalized, quality care they receive at Lewis County
Surgical Associates, and Dr. Zehr will further
enhance local access to surgical services for the communities we serve."
Mr. Cayer states, "The timing is wonderful as we are
scheduled to start providing care in the new surgical pavilion in August
2023. With the support and encouragement of the Board of Legislators and
the Board of Managers, the health system invested significantly in its
surgical services infrastructure, doubling the current surgical capacity
with three operating rooms and one procedure room. Modernizing our facilities ensures LCHS
can provide local access to quality surgical care for future generations."
Dr. Zehr graduated in 2002 from Lowville Academy Central
School and completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Eastern
Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, VA.
She then completed a Mennonite Voluntary Service assignment in San
Antonio, TX, before beginning medical school at SUNY Upstate Medical
University. Dr. Zehr
earned her M.D. degree in May of 2012 at SUNY Upstate Medical University,
Syracuse, NY, and her General Surgery Residency at Bassett Medical Center,
Cooperstown, NY. She is Board Certified
by the American Board of Surgery and an Associate Fellow of the American
College of Surgeons.
"Dr. Zehr’s compassion, work ethic, and commitment to Lewis
County make me hopeful that the surgical needs of our neighbors will be met
with excellence for another generation," stated Sean Harney, MD, Chief
Medical Officer for Employed Practices.
Dr. Zehr spent time at Lewis County Health System during
her third year in medical school through the Rural Medical Scholars Program
at Upstate in 2011-2012. RMED places
third-year medical students in rural or small communities to work and learn
under the supervision of family physicians and other specialists. Students are matched to teaching sites
based on their preferences and academic interests. Knowing she wanted to practice medicine
in a rural area, Rachel chose Lewis County Health System as her training
site, spending five months with doctors Dan and M. Lynn Pisaniello
as her primary preceptors. Following
her time at LCHS, she pursued surgery as her specialty and continued her
education and training.
"The RMED
program is a great opportunity for medical students to work, learn, and
engage directly with rural communities and see the key challenges in rural
health that prepare them to serve as future rural health leaders," stated
Dr. M. Lynn Pisaniello. "Rachel was able to
see the depth of the patient and physician relationship in a smaller area,
which is a key factor for those of us who love practicing rural
medicine."
Dr. Rachel Zehr was born and raised in Lowville and is the
daughter of Evan and Amy Zehr of Lowville.
She is currently
practicing in Oneonta and Cooperstown, NY, and has over 11 years of
experience providing a broad range of surgical care, including minimally
invasive Laparoscopic Surgery.
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