Making connections to solve complex health issues
“Being at Seavey Clinic, I see so much variety, and I have so many resources. I get to treat my patients, not just their diseases.”
Experts often have skills that make a complex task appear simple to solve. Dr. Thomas Jarrett is that type of physician, and his approach to connecting with a patient can start with a single question: “How can we help you?”
The answer begins the person’s story that illuminates how to best care and treat them. Listening to patients is a core skill for this Rollins Senior Distinguished Clinician who is consistently recognized for patient satisfaction. He is known for his ability to connect, which comes from the high value he places on long-term relationships with patients.
He honed his people skills during mission trips to China, Central America, and Haiti. During a trip to Honduras, he treated child after child complaining of a cough. He was puzzled. As an internal medicine specialist, he is like a conductor for a symphony, in charge of seeing how all parts of the body are working together. He would need to do some sleuthing to determine the cause of this rash of children complaining of coughs.
By talking to local residents, Dr. Jarrett learned that parents were instructing their children to tell him they had a cough even though they didn’t; the parents wanted him to give them cough syrup for later use. “We are so blessed in the United States to have the healthcare that we do,” he says.
Sometimes the digging and connecting must go much deeper. Patients bring problems that have often plagued them for years to Emory Special Diagnostic Services, which is part of the Seavey Clinic. Dr. Jarrett helps these patients get to the root cause. He pulls together details from years of charts and films, as well as conversations with the patient, to solve their health puzzle. He likes to follow a patient’s progress, watch their treatment, and “celebrate their healthcare with them.”
Dr. Jarrett also loves research, and he is excited to be working with Georgia Tech on a phone app that will capture a hemoglobin reading, a technology that will benefit people with anemia, sickle cell and leukemia.
As he works, residents and medical students are at his side, learning how to practice with uncommon passion. The two-way transfer of knowledge that Dr. Jarrett finds so meaningful. “With students, as with patients,” he says, “the key is making a connection.”
Specialties
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Internal Medicine (Board certified since 2003)
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Primary Care
Education and Training
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Medical School: Mercer University School of Medicine, 2000
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Internship: Emory University Hospital, 2001
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Residency: Emory University Hospital, 2003
Professional Memberships
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American College of Physicians, Fellow
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Society of General Internal Medicine
Major Publications
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Christina Howell, Orotonlewa Soyinka, Monica Parker, Thomas L. Jarrett, David Roberts, James Lah, Alan Levey, William T. Hu. Knowledge and attitudes in Alzheimer's disease among older adults in Atlanta, American Journal of Alzheimer's disease & Other Dementias, December 8, 2015, doi: 10.1177/1533317515619037
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Courtney C. Moreno, Paul S. Weiss, Thomas L. Jarrett¸ David L. Roberts, Pardeep K. Mittal, John N Oshinski, John R Votaw. Patient Preferences Regarding Colorectal Cancer Screening Test Features and willingness to Pay Out-of-Pocket, Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology, December 15, 2015, doi: 10.1067/j.cpradiol.2015.12.002
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Jarrett TL, Masud T, Brady D. The Kidney: A Source of Seizure? JGIM (Journal of General Internal Medicine) 2003; 18(suppl 1);61.
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Jarrett TL, Ghazzale A, Brady D, Sam C. A Minute Organ Causing Massive Cardiac Changes. JGIM (Journal of General Internal Medicine) 2002;17(Suppl1);48.
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The Kidney: A Source of Seizure?. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2003,61.