UH Gastroenterologist Prioritizes Listening to Patients, Especially Amid Uncomfortable Procedures

UH Clinical Update | August 2024

Sapna Thomas, MD

When Sapna Thomas, MD, graduated from medical school in 1998, she “matched” at UH Cleveland Medical Center for residency training in internal medicine. More than a quarter century later, she’s still here – now as an acclaimed gastroenterologist and Medical Director for the West Region for UH Digestive Health Institute. In fact, UH CEO Cliff A. Megerian, MD, FACS, Jane and Henry Meyer Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair, recently recognized Dr. Thomas with a “Dinner with the Doc” honor. He specifically noted her role in creating an improved call schedule for gastroenterologist coverage at UH Elyria, UH Parma and UH St. John medical centers.

After 26 years at UH, to what does Dr. Thomas attribute her notable career longevity? She says it’s the options and flexibility available to her here as a physician that she values the most – and that have kept her engaged.

“I’ve always appreciated the ability to work with different physicians in different models, and it's not one size fits all,” Dr. Thomas says.  Over the course of her UH career, she says, she got early administrative experience as a chief resident, has been part of UHMG and UHMP at different times, and now has the chance to perform a leadership position with the UH Digestive Health Institute.

“This all allowed me to have the job I wanted,” she says.

Dr. Thomas grew up in Kansas City in a family full of aunts, uncles, cousins and godparents who were physicians. But she says it was accompanying her father, a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist, on rounds with spine and head injury patients, that really lit her career spark.

“It always impacted me to see what a difference he made in their life, and how appreciative they were,” she says. “Of course, it’s your dad. But it was nice to see that side of him, too. He's always been the person I think I admire the most.”

At UH, Dr. Thomas works primarily out of UH North Ridgeville Health Center, also seeing patients at UH Elyria, UH Parma and UH St. John medical centers. Most of her practice is general GI, she says, with some inflammatory bowel disease and some irritable bowel syndrome as well.

The combination of office visits and procedures that initially drew her to the gastroenterology specialty characterize her practice today. Colonoscopies are a significant part of it – and come with their own issues and challenges for ensuring a good patient experience, Dr. Thomas says.

“Endoscopy or colonoscopy is not a procedure that patients really want to have done,” she says. “With colonoscopy, the prep that they take is not always easy. They come in tired, they're hungry, they're uncomfortable. They have a lot of misconceptions about it. Trying to make that a little bit better is important.”

“I think the most important thing we as physicians can do is listen,” she adds. “Giving patients privacy, explaining things to them, spending the time to talk to them and answer their questions and not letting them feel rushed, not looking at a computer, makes the whole process a little better.”

And when one colonoscopy goes a little better than expected, it can lead to others among the patient’s family and friends.

“Our goal is to have them go out and tell people to get their colonoscopy done,” Dr. Thomas says.

To nominate a physician for this honor, please click here. The next deadline is September 27.