Frank Farrell, MD: SFMS July 2015 Member of the Month August 4, 2015 Member of the Month, SFMS Member Frank Farrell, member of the month, SFMS member 0 Dr. Frank Farrell has been in gastroenterology private practice in San Francisco since 1994. He grew up on the island of Guam and attended college at Seattle University before attending UCSF Medical School. He then went on to complete his residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Zion Medical Center under the directorship of Ken Woeber, M.D, and completed his fellowship at CPMC under the directorship of Martin Brotman, M.D. and Emmet Keeffe, M.D. He has received all of his medical training in San Francisco. Dr. Farrell is the medical director of San Francisco Gastroenterology and is in practice with Cathy Cabansag, M.D. In 2000, he was involved in opening the first free-standing endoscopy center in San Francisco. In 2011, he started a company, SynerGI, that is focused on providing over-the-counter products that benefit patients with GI disorders. He is married to Isabelle Ryan, M.D. who is a reproductive endocrinologist at Pacific Fertility Center, and has three daughters whom they have raised in Noe Valley. He enjoys birding, running, cycling, snowboarding, and traveling. Click here to view Dr. Frank Farrell's practice information. Why are you a SFMS member? I joined SFMS in 1995 during my first year of private practice. A colleague and mentor of mine, Dr. Robert Margolin, encouraged me to join after explaining the mission of SFMS and its benefits. It was a great decision to join and I have been a member ever since. I think it is very important for all physicians in San Francisco to be unified and represented by a strong organization to help physicians succeed in private practice. I also enjoy the benefits and the camaraderie amongst colleagues that the Society fosters. Which SFMS member resource is most helpful to you? I find the membership directory to be very useful. Putting a face to a colleague’s name is valuable. What do you like to do when you’re not at work? I like to run and ride my bike. I love exercising in the elements. During the winter, I enjoy snowboarding. What is the most important thing you learned in medical school or residency? The importance of a patient’s history and physical examination. I was trained by many brilliant clinicians, most trained before the advent of sophisticated lab testing or imaging. They had the ability to make diagnoses just from the history and physical. This art is unfortunately fading in medicine as our time with patients is squeezed and technology surrounds us. I enjoy the challenge of making a diagnosis from the history and physical examination. What are some of the biggest opportunities or challenges you see in health care within the next five year? I think the biggest opportunity and challenge for health care is for the survival of the private practice model. I believe that patients prefer the private practice office model and this represents an opportunity for the innovative physician. The forces that exist are working against this model but I believe it is possible to survive. This approach will likely involve smart marketing including an up-to-date website, the use of social media, savvy marketing, and of course proper management of the office business. These are not easy tasks to tackle but if one does, then opportunities exist for private practices to survive and even thrive. I believe that SFMS will continue to help physicians with this ongoing challenge. What do you love most about practicing gastroenterology? I enjoy the breadth of gastroenterology that includes treating diseases of the luminal GI tract along with liver and pancreas. I enjoy doing procedures that allows for a varied week split between seeing patients in the office and doing procedures at the endoscopy center or hospital. I can’t imagine practicing anything other than gastroenterology. I am fortunate to practice gastroenterology in a private practice setting in our great city. What is your favorite restaurant in San Francisco? This is a tough question. I would have to say Zuni’s. It’s a classic fixture on Market Street with a nice bar and the food and ambience never disappoint. Boulevard’s and Absinthe are honorable mentions. If you weren't a physician, what profession would you like to try? An astrophysicist. I enjoy stargazing and find the wonders of space to be intriguing. Physics is fascinating and it’s only a matter of time before the observed and unobserved world will be understood into one unified theory. Comments are closed.
