HARBIN CLINIC FAMILY MEDICINE CARTERSVILLE WELCOMES DR. CHRISTEN PIRKLE
Cartersville, GA—Dr. Christen Pirkle is joining Harbin Clinic Family Medicine Cartersville as an Internist and will begin taking patients on February 28th.
Dr. Pirkle learned early on just how important good doctors can be, and it made her want to become one herself. As the oldest of four children, Pirkle was very involved when her youngest brother was born with a very rare and scary genetic condition.
“His condition was so rare that no one really knew how to treat it,” she recalls. “We spent the first 5-7 years of his life trying to navigate the health field and figure things out. We were doing tons of research and visiting lots of different doctors, hospitals and trying various surgeries.”
Throughout the process, their family doctor was instrumental in doing all that he could to help them, getting them all the resources and information he could find.
“That experience is what inspired me to want to do that for other people,” Pirkle says. “Hopefully, people will never need the same kind of help that we did, but in any shape or form, I want to be there to help.”
“Medicine is a language and having been on the other side for so long helped me understand how scary and confusing it can be when you don’t know that language,” she points out. “Now that I know the lingo, I am able to help people get through that confusion.”
She cares completely for the complete person
Dr. Pirkle chose to go into Internal Medicine because she likes the relationships she is able to build with her patients when she is looking at their whole picture, rather than just a part.
“To me, it is important to look at someone in their entirety and to make a plan about the best way to make them the healthiest and happiest version of themselves,” she observes. “I like being able to get to know the people that I am caring for every day. I like being a part of their lives and being able to really get in there and fight for them, whatever that may mean.”
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Pirkle joining our team,” says Dr. Jayson Fields of Harbin Clinic Family Medicine Cartersville. “Her perspective of caring completely for the whole patient fits perfectly into our philosophy.”
Start early and take small steps
One thing that Pirkle’s patients quickly learn about her is that she believes in moderation, choosing simple solutions over extreme measures. “I love that medicine is shifting away from being focused on treating the sick, and more towards preventing people from getting sick through lifestyle choices and learning to manage their lives in a way that keeps them as healthy and joyful as they can be,” she observes. “I look forward to building an integrative approach to healthcare, incorporating alternative treatments.”
Coming back to her roots
Dr. Pirkle grew up going to Harbin Clinic with her grandparents and found the doctors to be highly-skilled, kind and always willing to take the time to ensure a thorough understanding of their health. Given the opportunity, she was so glad to become a part of such a caring healthcare community.
She and her husband, Dr. Rajeeve Subbiah, a Cardiologist at Cardiology Cartersville are thrilled to bring their two young children to settle into small town life.
“We love the trees and the mountains of the Northwest Georgia area. We are big outdoors people and the air up here is so much better,” she says. “We spend so much of our time outside. Whether we are gardening, running or hiking, the kids and I are dirty all summer long.”
Dr. Pirkle received her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Ga. and completed her residency at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa.
