Georges Jabaly, MD
Board-Certified Family Physician & Weight Loss Provider located in Toledo, OH
Hello,
Thank you for taking Your time to view my website. I hope you found the Patient testimonials interesting to say the least.
I would like to give you some insight as to who I am and how I came to be a Family Doctor in the Toledo area.
Medical Experience:
Throughout my 35 year medical career I have practiced family medicine, occupational medicine, emergency medicine, addiction medicine, and health-based weight management. My patients range in age from newborn babies to adults who are over 100 years old.
Family Life:
I was born and raised in the Middle East. Specifically, the small Syrian town of Yabrood. I had an older brother and sister. My Father had his own business as a painter and my Mother was a home maker.
My Father was a very hard worker. In Syria then there was no paint store or hardware store to buy the needed paint. My Dad actually cooked the paint on our kitchen stove. My Father’s painting work was sought after by many people, when someone wanted the best, most meticulous painting job on their home or business, they called my Dad. While Dad was amazing at his craft of painting, the business side of things was not his strong suite. His hired help took advantage of him. Many of the people and businesses Dad did work for took advantage of him.
As a result of that, we were very poor financially. My Mother always told me,
“Don’t be ashamed of being poor, raise your head high. While we may be poor in money, we are rich in spirit. Your circumstances do not define you, only you have the power to change your life.”
My Father worked very hard, barely making ends meet for his family until the day he died at 73 years of age. Dad used to always say, “Be humble, serve others, do your very best if you are being paid $1.00 or $10,000 because your work represents who you are.”
Coming from humble beginnings it would have been impossible for my parents to pay for me to attend college. Thankfully Syria had a program where all high school seniors were eligible for Syria to pay for their college education as long as the student scored high enough on the national standardized test. I studied, I worked hard and I did test high enough that Syria paid for my medical education. I earned my medical degree from the University of Aleppo School of Medicine in Syria.
In addition to making our home, my Mother was also known in our village to provide alternative medications to those who needed it. We would say here in the US, alternative medicine. Naturally then, when Mom was sick, we never knew it. She took care of herself.
Why America:
During my last year of medical training, I came home to visit my parents and my mother told me she had been sick with a sore throat. Usually Mom would not go to the Doctor for herself. Her throat was bothering her so much, she allowed me to take her to the Doctor. This turned out to be throat cancer.
The ear, nose, and throat Doctor near my home town who treated my mom’s throat said that Mom could be treated there near home, but that if I wanted my Mom to have the best possible prognosis I should take Mom to see a Doctor who had been Board Certified in America because American Board Certified Doctors had the most medical knowledge and my Mom would have the best possible chance of recovery.
This then became the gold standard for me. I thought if Specialists Doctors in my own country held American Board Certified Doctors in such high professional regard, I would accept nothing less than that for myself. I wanted to treat my Family Medicine Patients with the latest and greatest treatments so from that day forward, I set my sites on becoming an American Board Certified Doctor.
I did take my Mother to see that American Board Certified Doctor and he did prolong her life by at least 10 years. When my Mom finally passed away, 10 years after her throat cancer, her cause of death was not related to her Cancer.
I had my own medical practice in Syria for 7 years. Then in 1992, pursuing the dream of American Board Certification, I left Syria and flew to Detroit, Michigan. This began my journey to become an American Board Certified Family Doctor.
A noteworthy fact, although I was a Doctor in Syria for 7 years performing minor surgical procedures, baby deliveries and other illnesses – injuries commonly treated in small emergency rooms here in America, I was required, as are other foreign medical doctors, to start all over again with taking exams, applying for Residency and completing it. So, I graduated from medical school in Syria in 1985 and practiced there for 7 years. I then came to America in 1992 after which I completed my Residency at Mercy Health Physician Partners Family Practice in Toledo, Ohio. I received my Ohio MD in 2001.
From 1992–2001 while pursuing my Medical License in Ohio, I was a waiter at a restaurant and I lived at a Catholic Church working for them for room and board because I did not have enough money for my own apartment. It was quite a change from being a Doctor in Syria. Thankfully my humble beginnings made my adjustment a little bit easier.
I thought to share with you a glimpse of my beginnings because so many people talk about Doctors leading a wealthy and-or privileged life. Doctors often make a good living but work very long hours with few days off to achieve that living.
Other things I have participated in since 1992 include:
Since coming to America, I have volunteered with a few different charitable organizations. I have also served as an instructor for physician assistant students, nurse practitioner students, as well as students from other professional medical programs.
While in America, in addition to caring for Patients, I have contributed to orthopedic medical publications, and because of a scholarship opportunity I completed my Masters’ Degree in Biomedical science with a major in orthopedic science at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences.