Physician Profile:
Riaz Rassekh, M.D. of CPC-South
Riaz Rassekh’s choice of
family practice as a medical specialty is no surprise when you take into
account his love of people and his tendency to look at the big picture.
“I chose family practice mostly to feel closer to people and to be able to
deal with as many aspects of their care as possible,” he explains. “I would
rather look at people as a whole.” Dr. Rassekh believes his big-picture
approach to patient care enables him to serve patients’ needs better than if
he focused on only one area.
A patient’s complaint or symptom may appear on the surface to be related to
only one aspect of their health, he explains, even though the root of the
problem may lie elsewhere. He believes that caring for the whole person
gives him the ability not only to identify the medical cause of the problem
more accurately but also to address the many ways it can impact the
patient’s life. Dr. Rassekh finds this to be especially true in caring for
patients with chronic diseases.
Diabetes, for example, can result in health problems such as blindness,
stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and nerve damage. It can also be
emotionally devastating because of its effect on the patient’s quality of
life. “Family practice deals with all of these problems,” Dr. Rassekh
explains, which, in turn, helps him provide the best and most comprehensive
care possible for his patients.
Dr. Rassekh’s personal philosophy is likewise focused on wholeness and unity
rather than fragmentation. Being of the Baha’i faith, he views all people as
one. Like other followers of his faith, he is oriented toward helping people
and does not see others as different or in any way less than himself. “My
beliefs are very inclusive of others,” he says, “regardless of race,
religion, or nationality.”
Dr. Rassekh’s philosophy of love and inclusiveness naturally extend to his
family. He
and his wife, Bahieh, whom he met at a Baha’i meeting near Charlotte, N.C.,
have been married since
1998 and have two sons, Annis Alexander and Abbas
Andrew.
Since family is his priority, Dr. Rassekh has little time to pursue his
other interests – chess, gardening, and nature – but this is a circumstance
of choice: he prefers spending free time with his wife and children and in
the religious activities they enjoy together. Not surprisingly, he finds his
children’s personalities irresistible. Just the mention of them brings a
broad smile to his face.
Dr. Rassekh was born in Iran, but he is no newcomer to the United States.
Educational opportunities brought him and his older sister, Roza, here in
the mid-1970s. His first American home was with his uncle, a long-time
resident of New Jersey. When young Riaz finished high school in 1977, he
headed west to attend the University of San Francisco, where he received his
undergraduate degree.
He had originally planned to return to his homeland after school, but
political turmoil, revolution, and the certainty of religious persecution
were enough to dissuade him. In the late 1970s, his parents and younger
sister, Roya, were visiting Riaz in the United States. Just prior to their
return home, a relative in Iran warned the senior Rassekh that he was being
publicly sought for surrender to the Iranian government. The family decided
to stay and make their home in the United States.
After finishing undergraduate school at USF, Riaz left California for Santo
Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He completed his medical education at the
Technology University of Santiago, and then ventured back to the United
States to be a family practice resident at the Medical College of Georgia.
At MCG, Dr. Rassekh met and worked with Dr. Paul Fischer.
When Dr. Rassekh completed his residency in 1994, Dr. Fischer was in the
process of moving from his teaching role at MCG into private practice.
Mutual respect, a compatible working relationship, and perfect timing put
Dr. Rassekh in the enviable position of becoming the first physician Dr.
Fischer invited to join the new practice that is now the Center for Primary
Care.
Asked about what strengths he brings to CPC, Dr. Rassekh first points out
that everyone in the practice makes a valuable contribution. Among the
assets he brings to CPC are his experience and skill in diagnostic and minor
surgical procedures, such as colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, cryotherapy, and
mole and skin tumor excision.
For the time being, his personal goals are practical. He wants to have time
to enjoy his family and their new home. Professionally, Dr. Rassekh has
enjoyed watching CPC grow. He is as proud of the expansions at the Evans and
Central offices as he is of his own office in South Augusta, and he firmly
believes that this progress has come about only through the support and
unity of all 14 CPC physicians.
Continued growth is always a goal at CPC, but it is not the only one. “We
are already the largest family practice group in Augusta but we also want to
stay the best,” he explains. “We all want to continue to professionally
exceed ourselves and to serve the areas where we are as well as possible.”
Based on the continued growth of all three offices, Dr. Rassekh believes CPC
is doing a good job of medically serving the community.
Dr. Rassekh derives a great deal of pleasure from the camaraderie shared by
the CPC physicians. “We all get along so well, despite having diverse
backgrounds and religious beliefs. There is no doubt, however, about what
makes him most proud: his wife, Bahieh, his children, and his parents, who
helped him get where he is today. He also credits his faith for providing a
framework for service to others.
Dr. Rassekh brings more than medical skills to CPC. His warmth, genuine
concern, and gentle manner are surely not only assets to CPC but also
qualities that inspire his patients’ affection and their confidence in his
ability to give them the best possible medical care.
Contact Dr. Rassekh via email at
rrassekh@cpcfp.com.
