7 minute read
MAKING THE RIGHT CALLS
Making theRight CALLS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT CONNECTS WITH HOMETOWN PATIENTS
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BY JO ANN KIRBY
From his office at Sutter Gould in Stockton, Dr. Peter Garbeff, M.D., can look out and spot his elementary school in the Parkwoods neighborhood where he grew up after moving here with his family from the Midwest as a young boy.
Some of those Midwestern traits of altruism, a strong work ethic and modest integrity stuck with him and are evident in the way the urologist cares for his patients. “I think his best quality is his sense of patient care,” Dr. Kurt Roemer, who has been in practice with Dr. Garbeff for more than several decades. “He’s the only person I know who still takes two or three hours a day to make patient calls. Because of that, of course, his patients love him. I think he’s a very compassionate, giving person and that really that speaks volumes in his relationships with all his patients.”
Growing up in Stockton, Dr. Garbeff attended Lincoln High School where he excelled in academics. Dr. Roemer recalls being at a Lincoln High basketball function for the team his son coaches and seeing an old yearbook photo of Dr. Garbeff on display. “I took a picture and shared it with him. >>
When my son orders Lincoln swag I make sure I get something for Peter,” Dr. Roemer said.
His roots here give him an advantage with many of his patients who feel like they know him. But his devotion to them is what really wins them over.
In nominating Dr. Garbeff for the San Joaquin Medical Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Joseph Serra noted that the urologist is dedicated to his patients, taking the time to report lab results the same day. Not only is he popular with patients but he is always available to assist colleagues with projects and concerns, Dr. Serra said.
The doctor truly enjoys his work, calling urology an innovative field that is changing by leaps and bounds. He didn’t set out with his sights on the medical field. Attending University of California at Davis, he was initially bent on majoring in economics. “Well, I was bored to death and everyone else in my dorm was going to be a doctor, so I said, ‘why not,’’’ he recalls. A family friend sealed his fate in the best possible way. When he was contemplating his path, Dr. Fred Wilcox, a Stockton OB/GYN who he considers a mentor, asked him what he was going to do and advised him to consider urology because he had a friend who was head of urology at the famed Mayo Clinic. “When someone opens a door, you walk through it,” Dr. Garbeff said of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “That’s something I always tell my kids.”
After graduating from UC Davis in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences, he went on to finish medical school at University of Southern California. He then took advantage of that connection that Dr. Wilcox presented him, going on to serve both his internship and residency at the Mayo Clinic. He then worked as a chief resident in urology there before coming home to California to begin his practice.
Dr. Roemer said Garbeff’s solid character and compassion stand out. “He was very helpful to me when my first year of practice with a partner didn’t work out so well,” Dr. Roemer said. “He let me work in his office without even charging me rent. I’ve always been so impressed by his generosity.”
He also is a proud father. He has three children of his own and two stepchildren with his wife Loretta along with multiple grandchildren and a great grandchild. His lifetime achievement award will give his daughter a great excuse to come out from Chicago for the party to join her younger brothers in attendance, something that brought tears to his eyes when it was announced. “It came as a big surprise,” he said, of the moment Lisa Richmond, executive director of SJMS, and her colleague came by his office to announce the award. “I had tears in my eyes,” he said with a chuckle. “And they said, ‘oh you have tears in eyes’, and I said yeah it’s another party and I don’t like parties.”
That’s no surprise, given his calm demeanor and dedication to his work.
As he reflects on his career, he says it’s been hectic at times. Taking care of patients day in and day out doesn’t leave much time for contemplation but one thing does stick out. “The thank yous I get back from people really mean a lot,” he said. And the San Joaquin Medical Society’s big thank you in acknowledging his commitment to the medical community means a lot, as well.
Nominated in 2020, the celebration has been put off due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But it is finally time for the humble doctor to shine in the spotlight for a moment. But then, it will be back to the office.
The pandemic presented a few obstacles to practicing medicine but he was able to navigate it so that his patients weren’t impacted beyond some surgeries being put on the back burner. As the pandemic dragged on Dr. Garbeff learned he wasn’t a huge fan of
telehealth practices. He prefers to communicate with patients the old-fashioned way, by picking up the phone or checking in with his patients in person. And he doesn’t plan on retiring any time soon. He’s as busy as ever, mentally triaging who is sickest and needs to see him first on any given day. “I’ll keep on working,” he said. Even on the weekends, an ideal day off has him arriving at the office around 6 a.m. and working until 10 a.m. It’s not much different from a regular weekday when he is the first person in the office. “I have no plans to retire, as long my brain keeps working and I have the motivation, I’ll be here,” he said.
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