Delaura Patel, M.D., may be the newest doctor at the obstetrics and gynecology practice of Generations OB/GYN, a division of Women’s Care Florida, but she says she’s already been present for the birth of 600 babies, including many she has personally delivered since joining the practice in September.
She now sees patients at all three Generations OB/GYN locations, including Wesley Chapel (at the Cypress Ridge Professional Center located off S.R. 56), Carrollwood and on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. south of New Tampa, near the University of South Florida (USF).
Dr. Patel is a Tampa Bay-area native who went to medical school at USF, completing a seven-year combined B.S./M.D. (Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine) degree program, graduating in 2012. She then completed an OB/GYN residency at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, working at hospitals in New Orleans, where she completed the program this past summer.
Generations OB/GYN is one of many Women’s Care Florida offices that are located throughout the Tampa Bay area and the state of Florida. Generations OB/GYN traces its roots to 1995, when Richard Dillon, M.D., and Brian McNulty, M.D., joined together after about 10 years of each doctor practicing on his own, in an office near their current BBD location. Soon after, Dr. Vicar Qureshi, M.D., joined the office. Over the years, more doctors have joined the growing practice to better serve patients, including Kristen Segall, M.D., Gem Ashby M.D., and Tiffany Patrick, M.D. With Dr. Patel, that brings the total number of doctors in the practice to seven.
“It’s great because we rotate so that there are always two doctors at each of our three offices, plus one doctor at the hospital for any pregnant moms who are in labor,” says Dr. Patel. She says this is unique because many doctors don’t arrive at the hospital until a patient is ready to deliver her baby, but that timing can be unpredictable.
“With us, the doctor who is working in the office doesn’t also have to see patients at the hospital, so your appointment is not going to be rescheduled because a baby is being born,” she says. “It also means that the doctor at the hospital is not trying to rush back to the office to do a pap smear.”
This arrangement isn’t new. Dr. Patel says Generations OB/GYN has always done it that way, but that when she joined the practice, it allowed the other offices to be more fully staffed on more days of the week.
“All seven doctors go to all three locations,” she explains, “so you can see whatever doctor you want at whatever location is most convenient for you.”
All of the practice’s doctors are Board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology, except Dr. Patel, who is Board-eligible, meaning she has passed the written portion of the certification but must practice for several years before receiving her certification. Dr. Patel also is a Junior Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ACOG), while the other doctors are all ACOG Fellows.
Services Available
Dr. Patel says that most women visit Generations OB/GYN for well-woman exams, contraception, STD testing, urinary issues, menstrual issues and pelvic pain.
The doctors serve these women, plus provide extensive gynecological and obstetric services, including infertility evaluations, counseling and treatment; prenatal and preconception care and services, in-office three-dimensional (3D) and 4D ultrasounds, plus all aspects of labor and delivery; as well as general women’s health care, such as cancer testing and screening, sterilization, hormone therapy and more.
Many surgical procedures are available, including tubal sterilization, a permanent birth control method that does not require incisions or a local anesthetic. The practice also offers an alternative to the traditional hysterectomy called an endometrial ablation, which helps to treat painful menstrual cycles and requires no incisions, along with less than 48 hours of recovery time for most women.
Other minimally invasive alternatives to hysterectomy also are available, which Dr. Patel says are called hysteroscopic myomectomy, and laparoscopic and robotic surgeries.
“These are really fantastic options,” says Dr. Patel. “The techniques have really expanded in recent years. While it’s still a major surgery on the inside, on the outside there’s really not much evidence of it. Women have less pain and less need for pain management, and much faster recovery, making for a much better experience than with a traditional hysterectomy.”
Generations OB/GYN also offers a weight-loss program and aesthetic services, such as Botox.
“Our weight-loss clinic was established as an adjunct to our other services,” explains Dr. Patel. “We refer patients from all of our offices to the Wesley Chapel office, where we have the weight-loss program.”
Dr. Patel says obesity and smoking are the biggest health issues in this country. As doctors who already have relationships with women who say they want to lose weight and are struggling to do so, they decided to bring a program into the Wesley Chapel office to be able to meet the needs of those women without having to refer them to outside sources.
“Patients can choose to use medications or do the program without appetite suppressants,” says Dr. Patel, who explains that the program also includes counseling on healthy diet and exercise.
Dr. Patel’s Perspective
Dr. Patel says she first became interested in the OB/GYN field in high school, when she had the opportunity to shadow several physicians in the operating room. She got to see several procedures, including a hysterectomy, and said it was so different than her concept of what “work” would be.
“This isn’t work,” she remembers thinking. “This is helping people.”
She says it’s important to her to help women who are facing health issues, including problems like fibroids and abnormal bleeding.
“Your period should not take over your life,” she says. “It is truly satisfying to be able to help someone who has been having problems that interfere with their ability to work and enjoy life.”
Dr. Patel adds that she feels that all the doctors at Generations OB/GYN practice in a similar way. “We build relationships with each of our patients as an individual,” she says. “For complex situations, we lean on each other and work together to decide what’s best for the individual patient.”
She says this is essential because, “When you’re talking about pregnancy, there are a lot of things that can happen that aren’t by the book,” says Dr. Patel. “I believe our approach leads to better outcomes for moms and babies.”
Dr. Patel also says that working at Generations OB/GYN is, “like a dream come true. Here, we grow with the field. We follow all of the latest guidelines to ensure that we’re doing what’s best, according to evidence-based medicine. So, we are willing to change and say to our patients, ‘We used to do this, but now we do this.’”
For more info, see the ad on pg. 12, visit GenerationsOBG.com, or call the office of your choice. The practice has locations at 26823 Tanic Dr. in Wesley Chapel (929-7377); 13601 BBD, a mile south of Tampa Palms (972-9300); and at 3321 W. Bearss Ave. in Carrollwood (269-2528).
