The front line of medicine: Dr. Griffin Enjoys the Complexity of Internal Medicine

Learning medicine from the experienced and compassionate community at OSU is inspiring and instills a sense of family in new physicians like me. Every step of the way – from medical school at the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa through the advanced training in the OSU internal medicine residency program – I’ve been constantly motivated by faculty and other students to bring that sense of camaraderie and caring into my medical education experience and now into the professional phase of my career as an internal medicine specialist.

I’ve always been interested in the sciences and began my career education by earning a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of Oklahoma. Though I’m not originally from Oklahoma, I’ve lived most of my life here and consider myself an Okie and a Sooner fan! Despite my undergraduate work in Norman, I chose OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa when it came time to make the next important step, maintaining a 4.0 in medical school and graduating in the top five of my medical school class.

OSU encourages its medical students to go into primary care – the front line of medicine – and that certainly worked for me. Internal medicine provides the opportunity to care for a wide variety of adult patients with a range of complexity which offers challenges, a deep sense of satisfaction and a lifetime of learning. I just completed my medical residency and am now entering the medical field as a specialist in adult clinical medicine where I will diagnose and treat common ailments such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, anxiety/depression and severe breathing problems such as asthma.

Obesity is probably the most common condition affecting patients today. Treatment in this field is rapidly changing and advancing with new medications now on the market and others on the horizon. Improving health by decreasing complications related to obesity is more possible now than ever before.

As a physician, I encourage my patients to ask questions! It’s important for them to take ownership of their own health and it starts by having the courage to trust your doctor and ask those difficult questions.

As for me personally, I spend my free time golfing, cycling, watching sports, gardening and cooking. I love traveling and ultimately want to visit every state.
As I consider a lifetime of learning in medicine, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words come to mind: “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.”