With over 30 years’ experience researching, reviewing, and selecting Top Doctors, Castle Connolly is a trusted and credible healthcare research and information company. Our mission is to help people find the best healthcare by connecting patients with best-in-class healthcare providers.
Castle Connolly’s physician-led team of researchers follows a rigorous screening process to select top doctors on both the national and regional levels. Its online nomination process is open to all licensed physicians in America who are able to nominate physicians in any medical specialty and in any part of the country, as well as indicate whether the nominated physician(s) is, in their opinion, among the best in their region in their medical specialty or among the best in the nation in their medical specialty. Then, Castle Connolly’s research team thoroughly vets each physician’s professional qualifications, education, hospital and faculty appointments, research leadership, professional reputation, disciplinary history, and, if available, outcomes data. Additionally, a physician’s interpersonal skills such as listening and communicating effectively, demonstrating empathy, and instilling trust and confidence, are also considered in the review process. The Castle Connolly Doctor Directory is the largest network of peer-nominated physicians in the nation.
Through the nomination process, Castle Connolly also identifies female physicians for their annual Exceptional Women in Medicine award. This award was created by Castle Connolly in order to recognize female physicians who are often underrepresented among award recipients in the medical community. Physicians selected to be recognized for this honor are a subset of the female Top Doctors on their website who are the best in their specialties, in their communities, and throughout the nation, delivering exceptional patient care. This award not only recognizes physicians who have greatly contributed to healthcare through clinical care, research, community service, education, and leadership, but they have also improved healthcare outcomes for issues specific to women. Physicians do not pay and cannot pay to be selected and profiled for Exceptional Women in Medicine award.
When an apple a day doesn’t cut it, a professional medical opinion is likely in order. Luckily, Memphis and the Mid-South contain an abundance of clinics and hospitals that strive to keep everyone in tip-top shape and stay on the cutting edge of medical research.
Within these hallowed medical halls are women who have dedicated their lives’ work to improving healthcare conditions for their patients, no matter the ailment or stage of life.
Let this year’s list of Exceptional Women in Medicine be your primary resource while seeking a doctor, whether it’s for a stomach ache or a sprained ankle. Every specialist on this list has been chosen by their peers as one of the best in their field. Whether it’s allergies, dermatology, pediatric cardiology, or nephrology, the doctors on the list are prepared to help.
Dr. Heather Pearson Chauhan
Whether it was an embarrassing film shown in middle school health class or the notorious The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls from American Girl, many women can target some sort of “how-to” guide as their formal introduction to puberty. However, Dr. Heather Pearson Chauhan began talking to women who were in their late 30s to early- and mid-50s and felt like there wasn’t the same amount of resources for how their bodies change during that period of their life.
“The only two things that happen to you, if you are born with female anatomy, are puberty and menopause,” says Chauhan. “There’s not, like, a video that everybody gets at age 40 that says, ‘Here’s what might happen over the next decade of your life.’ So we don’t get a lot of great educational resources or information about what’s coming.”
According to Chauhan, there has recently been a lot more attention toward women in menopause and perimenopause, and on recognizing this as an area that’s lacking in research. Chauhan also says there is a lack of data, which, if available, could help women age well.
“Historically, we [women] haven’t been designed to live to be 90. And now we are living to 90. Menopause, in many women, is at least a third of your life. In some women it’s more than that. It’s a big chunk of time that we haven’t spent a great deal of effort and energy trying to maximize the quality of it for women and addressing what their specific concerns are … all these things that go into what makes you be a feeling, thinking, functioning human, and it’s not fair to a woman to say, ‘You’re just getting older.’ Many women have been told that for decades.”
When Chauhan first started to open her practice, Exceed Hormone Specialists, located at 7512 Second Street in Germantown, she admits she didn’t know if there was enough demand for what she was aiming to do, but she knew she was passionate about the work. However, she says seeing the number of women with different types of concerns, looking for different resources and education about their bodies, has been rewarding.
“Each one of us, as an individual, when we have something going on with our health, it’s like a puzzle,” says Chauhan. “As the patient, you have all the pieces, but frequently you need someone to help get you organized into the right framework to put the pieces together.”
Chauhan says meeting new patients, feeling honored to hear their stories and experiences, and figuring out what help she can offer in order to help the patient function better and have a better quality of life has made her work worthwhile. — Kailynn Johnson
Dr. Courtney B. Shires
Her patients inspire her, and surely she inspires them.
Dr. Courtney Shires is an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) oncology surgeon at West Cancer Center & Research Institute. Patients present to the head and neck oncology team at West with cancers of the tongue, lips, throat, jaw, thyroid, voice box, skin, and neck.
These types of cancers cannot be hidden, Shires said, as the patients have trouble swallowing, talking, and breathing. It’s their willingness to fight back that so inspires her.
Shires’ journey to medicine — and such specialized medicine — began years earlier in car rides from her childhood home in Jackson, Mississippi, to Memphis. She had several serious ear infections growing up, was hospitalized on multiple occasions with mastoiditis, and had several ear surgeries. So, even as a small child, “I wanted to be an otolaryngologist to help people like myself.”
With a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi College, Shires earned her doctor of medicine from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. Her turn to otolaryngology came as a resident, intrigued by the surgeries and treatment options available for head and neck cancers.
That draw took her even deeper. An interest in robotic surgery for head and neck cancer took Shires to the University of Pennsylvania. There, Dr. Gregory Weinstein and Dr. Bert O’Malley were pioneering the field and she was “blessed” to train with them, especially learning techniques for skull base surgeries.
Shires has been succeeding in her field in a time when the number of female otolaryngologists has lagged far behind that of male counterparts. Studies and surveys show that women comprise around 15 percent of the nearly 9,500 otolaryngologists practicing in the U.S. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery seeks to close the gap with its Women in Otolaryngology program.
Professionally, Shires continues to look to the future. She hopes the work with her colleagues at Emory University will produce immunotherapies that can slow the number of deforming, radical surgeries for cancer patients.
Her future, she said, is also at West Clinic, working with those patients that continue to inspire her. — Toby Sells
ALLERGY & IMMUNOLOGY
Nora Daher
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Daher Asthma and Allergy Clinic
2136 Exeter Road
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 203-6055
Christie F. Michael
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Jennifer S. Morrow
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Stern Cardiovascular
8060 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 271-1000
Maureen A. Smithers
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Saint Francis Hospital Bartlett
Sutherland Cardiology Clinic
7460 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 763-0200
Neeraja Yedlapati
Methodist University Hospital – Memphis
UT Methodist Physicians Cardiology
Stern Cardiovascular
8060 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 271-1000
CHILD NEUROLOGY
Tanjala T. Gipson
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
848 Adams Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(866) 870-5570
Amy L. McGregor
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
848 Adams Avenue, Suite L400
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
Robin L. Morgan
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Le Bonheur Outpatient Center
848 Adams Avenue, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
Namrata S. Shah
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
Neurology Clinic
848 Adams Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
CLINICAL GENETICS
Jewell C. Ward
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Methodist University Hospital – Memphis
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
DERMATOLOGY
F. Gwen Beard
Memphis Dermatology Clinic
1455 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6655
Luella G. Churchwell
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Dermatology East
1335 Cordova Cove
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 753-2794
Robin H. Friedman-Musicante
Memphis Dermatology Clinic
1455 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6655
Frances K. Lawhead
Memphis Dermatology Clinic
1455 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6655
Purvisha J. Patel
Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Associates
7658 Poplar Pike
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 759-2322
Malika Tuli
Mid-South Dermatology
6644 Summer Knoll Circle
Bartlett, TN 38134
(901) 372-4545
DEVELOPMENTAL-BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS
Toni M. Whitaker
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Methodist University Hospital – Memphis
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY
Sue C. Kaste
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Department of Diagnostic Imaging
262 Danny Thomas Place, Mail Stop 220
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 595-3347
ENDOCRINOLOGY, DIABETES, & METABOLISM
Lisa M. Myers
Endocrinology and Diabetes Specialists
1920 Kirby Parkway, Suite 102
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 334-5464
FAMILY MEDICINE
Ericka L. Gunn-Hill
Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis
Jackson-Randle Family Healthcare
5142 Stage Road, Suite 100
Memphis, TN 38134
(901) 382-2040
Aparna K. Murti
Methodist University Hospital – Memphis
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Methodist Medical Group
2589 Appling Road, Suite 101
Bartlett, TN 38133
(901) 752-2300
GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY
Linda M. Smiley
Methodist University Hospital – Memphis
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
West Cancer Center
7945 Wolf River Boulevard
Memphis, TN 38138
(901) 683-0055
HEMATOLOGY
Marquita N. Nelson
Regional One Health
Sickle Cell Center
880 Madison Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 545-8535
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Shirin Mazumder
Methodist University Hospital – Memphis
Methodist Medical Group – Infectious Disease
1325 Eastmoreland Avenue, Suite 370
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 758-7888
INTERNAL MEDICINE
Joan Michelle Allmon
Aim Allmon Internal Medicine
526 Halle Park Drive
Collierville, TN 38017
(901) 910-3246
Martha N. Taylor
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Methodist Medical Group
7690 Wolf River Circle
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 756-1231
Natascha S. Thompson
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
University of Tennessee Medical Center
Baptist Medical Group – Internal Medicine
8040 Wolf River Boulevard, Suite 102
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 227-7900
Catherine R. Womack
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
UT Internal Medicine BMG
8040 Wolf River Boulevard, Suite 102
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 227-7900
MEDICAL ONCOLOGY
Sylvia S. Richey
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist University Hospital – Memphis
West Cancer Center
7945 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 683-0055
Carmel S. Verrier
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis
West Cancer Center
7945 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 683-0055
NEPHROLOGY
Lynn Ebaugh
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Collierville
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Union City
Memphis Kidney and Hypertension
7640 Wolf River Circle, Floor 2
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 755-0208
NEUROLOGY
Violiza Inoa Acosta
Methodist University Hospital – Memphis
Regional One Health
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Semmes Murphey Clinic
6325 Humphreys Boulevard
Memphis, TN 38120
(901) 522-7700
Barbara Cape O’Brien
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Collierville
Neurology Clinic
8000 Centerview Parkway, Suite 500
Cordova, TN 38018
(901) 747-1111
OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY
Lanetta Anderson
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women
Women’s Physicians Group
681 South White Station Road, Suite 111
Memphis, TN 38117
(901) 273-1190
Heather Pearson Chauhan
Exceed Hormone Specialists
7512 Second Street
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 312-7899
Claudette J. Shephard
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Regional One Health
Outpatient Center
880 Madison Avenue, Suite 3E01
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 515-3800
OPHTHALMOLOGY
Lauren C. Ditta
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
University Clinical Health
Hamilton Eye Institute
930 Madison Avenue, Suite 200
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
Mary E. Hoehn
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
University Clinical Health
Hamilton Eye Institute
930 Madison Avenue, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
Natalie C. Kerr
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
University Clinical Health
Hamilton Eye Institute
930 Madison Avenue, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
OTOLARYNGOLOGY
Victoria L. Lim
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Collierville
Shea Clinic
6133 Poplar Pike
Memphis, TN 38119
(901) 761-9720
Courtney B. Shires
West Cancer Center
7945 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 683-0055
PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY
Karine Guerrier
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Le Bonheur Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street, 2nd Floor
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
Nithya Swaminathan
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Le Bonheur Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street, 2nd Floor
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
PEDIATRIC DERMATOLOGY
Teresa S. Wright
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Methodist University Hospital – Memphis
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGY
Alicia M. Diaz-Thomas
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
PEDIATRIC NEPHROLOGY
Margaret C. Hastings
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
Rima Zahr
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Le Bonheur Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
PEDIATRIC OTOLARYNGOLOGY
Rosemary Stocks
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Le Bonheur Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street, 1st floor
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY
Patricia J. Dubin
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
Tonia E. Gardner
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Floor 4
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
PEDIATRIC RHEUMATOLOGY
Linda K. Myers
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Rheumatology + Dermatology Associates, P.C.
8143 Walnut Grove Road
Cordova, TN 38018
(901) 7530168
Terri H. Finkel
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Pediatric Rheumatology
50 North Dunlap Street
Memphis, TN 38103
(866) 870-5570
PEDIATRIC UROLOGY
Dana W. Giel
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 100
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
PEDIATRICS
Michelle Bowden
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Le Bonheur Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street, 3rd Floor
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
Janet D. Geiger
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
River City Pediatrics
6401 Poplar Avenue, Suite 610
Memphis, TN 38119
(901) 761-1280
Elisha M. McCoy
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
Dawn H. Scott
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Pediatric Consultants
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 310
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 523-2945
Ellen J. Stecker
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
River City Pediatrics
6401 Poplar Avenue, Suite 610
Memphis, TN 38119
(901) 761-1280
PLASTIC SURGERY
Patricia L. Eby
Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis
Cosmetic Surgery Specialists of Memphis
6401 Poplar Avenue, Suite 360
Memphis, TN 38119
(901) 752-1412
RADIATION ONCOLOGY
Jenny Tibbs
Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis
Department of Radiation Oncology
5959 Park Avenue
Memphis, TN 38119
(901) 765-2050
REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY/INFERTILITY
Amelia Bailey
Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Fertility Associates of Memphis
80 Humphreys Center, Suite 307
Memphis, TN 38120
(901) 747-2229
SURGERY
Alyssa D. Throckmorton
Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Baptist Medical Group
Memphis Breast Care
6215 Humphreys Boulevard, Suite 208
Memphis, TN 38120
(901) 227-8950
Lindi Hanna Vanderwalde
Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Baptist Medical Group
Memphis Breast Care
6215 Humphreys Boulevard, Suite 208
Memphis, TN 38120
(901) 227-8950
Virginia Weaver
Methodist University Hospital – Memphis
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
UTMP Weight Management and Wellness Center
57 Germantown Court, Suite 204
Cordova, TN 38018
(901) 758-7840
UROGYNECOLOGY/FEMALE PELVIC MEDICINE & RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
Val Y. Vogt
Methodist University Hospital – Memphis
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
The Conrad Pearson Clinic
1325 Wolf Park Drive, Suite 102
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 252-3400
