Health care is one of those industries everybody eventually needs, but how do you choose who is right for you? Certainly, most of the health care professionals working in the Glass City are great, but if you need a recommend, here are our: Top Docs.
Wade Banker, M.D.
Luxe Laser Vein and Body Center
1500 Holland Rd., Maumee
419-893-2775 | luxe-laser.com
What medical advancement has made the biggest
impact in your field?
The newest laser technology is extremely advanced, and patient results are better than ever before. We are at the forefront of advancement in this field, and we love what the new technology can do.
How do you deal with stress?
We put a gym upstairs for the staff to help us deal with stress in a positive way.
Never, ever… be embarrassed to tell us something. We’ve seen it all. We’re here for YOU, and we’re happy to help you reach your goals.
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever
heard from a patient?
Because we do cosmetic and lifestyle medicine, we are often credited with changing a patient’s life for the better. While flattering, we’d like to point out that the patient is responsible for that, and we’re just happy to help in whatever way we can.
Dr. Ashvin Felix
The Toledo Clinic
6819 Spring Valley Dr., Holland
419-930-5700 | toledoclinic.com
What’s your philosophy for practicing medicine/healing?
My goal is to provide quality healthcare to the community that is easily accessible and also cost effective. I also recognize the need for services that can be utilized by patients outside of normal doctor’s office hours and on the weekends. I feel that in 2017 all of us should have access to health care when we need it the most and should not have to struggle to pay for such services.
How did you select your specialty?
I wanted to give my patients options that are more practical than waiting in the ER for hours to be seen.
What medical advancement has made the biggest
impact in your field?
The use of telemedicine and being able to address a patient’s need in a timely and convenient manner through the use of technology will improve the cost formula AND provide a high level of quality care.
What do you wish your patients would do differently?
I do hope that patients choose more cost effective options like urgent cares rather than using the ER.
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever
heard from a patient?
‘Thank you.” Medicine is not about rewards; it is about people doing things for other people.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
Training and education at the highest level. Also, caring for the whole patient and not just the reason for the office visit. By this I mean being aware of the patient’s work, family and environmental factors. That would help the physician see the patient not as a disease or injury but as an individual who requires compassion and understanding.
Glenn Whitted, MD
Toledo Clinic Orthopaedics
4235 Secor Rd. | 419-479-5820
glennwhittedmd.com
What’s your philosophy for practicing medicine/healing?
Always sit down and listen to the patient; they’ll tell you what the problem is.
How did you select your speciality?
I had fun as a medical student working with the orthopedists – they loved their work!
What medical advancement has made, or will make, the biggest impact in your field?
The arrival of new stem cell technology for multiple orthopedic conditions.
What summer fruits and vegetables are you most excited for?
Tomatoes! Blueberries!
How do you deal with stress?
Talk out my problems with friends.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
Compassion and understanding.
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever
heard from a patient?
“Thank you for my hip replacement! You gave me my life back again.”
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
Be kind to everyone. You have no idea what troubles they live with.
Arrowhead Plastic Surgeons
1360 Arrowhead Rd., Maumee
419-855-2955 | arrowheadsurgeons.com
Dr. Dalagiannis (left)
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
That the physician is Board Certified in their own field.
The world would be a better place if…
Everyone followed the golden rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
Hard work, family is everything and treat people from all walks of life with respect.
Never, ever…
Be unkind.
Dr. Baibak (center)
What’s your philosophy for practicing medicine/healing?
I treat all my patients as if they are family.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
That they pay attention to me and what I say.
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever heard from a patient?
“Thanks for changing my life.”
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
Honesty and hard work.
Dr. Kesler (right)
How did you select your speciality?
It was an easy choice. It offered the largest array of
exciting procedures and the widest range of patient care.
How do you deal with stress?
I deal with stress by doing everything I can do in advance
to avoid it. It is an effective way to reduce it.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
I look for a confident physician who can calmly and clearly discuss the procedure.
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever heard from a patient?
Four simple words: “You’ve changed my life.”
Dr. “Bob” Esplin
Sylvania VET
4801 N. Holland-Sylvania Rd.
419 885-4421 | sylvaniavet.com
What’s your philosophy for practicing medicine/healing?
Practice patient and customer care at high levels. We are a diagnostically based practice. “Do it right, not just get it done.” We don’t cut corners. Meeting and exceeding the highest standards of the American Animal Hospital Association is our daily mission.
What medical advancement has made the biggest impact in your field?
Advanced in-office lab equipment. Digital x-rays, especially in dental. Therapeutic and surgical lasers.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
I look for a provider that listens and gives the necessary time and attention to my concerns.
What summer fruits and vegetables are you most excited for?Corn, melons of all kinds, peaches and raspberries.
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever heard from a patient?
“No vet has ever taken the time and given the attention that you have.”
How do you deal with stress?
Exercise, small short bursts of anger, then move on. List solutions and work the problem, count to ten.
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
How to be independent and work toward a goal with passion and effort.
The world would be a better place if…
If everyone had a pet. Pets are not our whole life, but they make our life whole.
Tamara D Willingham L.Ac., MSAOM,
Dipl. O.M.
Tamara TCM Acupuncture & Herbs
Until June 1
27068 Oakmead Dr. | Perrysburg
After: 120 W. Dudley | Maumee
419-345-4996 | TamaraTCM.com
What’s your philosophy for practicing medicine/healing?
Open heart, open hand… cause no harm— and I don’t take credit for a body healing. I have built my practice asking for integrity, gratitude and grace.
How did you select your speciality?
It was a long road of injuries and healing crisis. After multiple majors with many different jobs, I was led to ultimately learn Traditional Chinese Medicine.
What do you wish your patients would do differently?
My patients are wonderful— I wish them all love and wellness! if I wanted them to do something different I would just ask them too. Fundamentally, the real answer to this question would be that I would need to change if I wasn’t seeing my patients complaint.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
Education, reputation and ability to care. Do they care who I am or why I am there? Are they polite, or do they blow me off when I ask a question? Do they make me wait an hour for a 10 minute appointment and charge too much?
What summer fruits and vegetables are you most excited for?
Cucumbers, strawberries and squash from the garden!
How do you deal with stress?
Meditation, acupuncture, cranial sacral, Pilates, biking, massage, reading….
Never, ever… eat yellow snow.
Laughter is medicine. What’s your favorite health care provider joke?
Rectum— damn near killed em!
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever heard from a patient?
“This is the best I have felt in years. Thank you.”
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
Family and your health is a priority. Love work, be grateful for what you have and for what you don’t.
When do you feel invincible?
After 8 hours of sleep and meditation.
Andre Haerian DDS, MS, FRCD, PhD
Drs. Haerian, Ludwig & Simon Orthodontics
Sylvania: 6407 Monroe St. | 419-882-1017
Fallen Timbers: 4359 Keystone Dr. | Maumee
419-887-1247
Lambertville: 7928 Secor Rd. | 734-854-6621
perfectbraces.com
What medical advancement will make a big impact in your field?
The field of biomedics is exploring the possibility of growing teeth.
What do you wish your patients would do differently?
Wear elastics and brush their teeth.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
Their educational background.
What summer fruits and vegetables are you most excited for?
Homegrown tomatoes and peppers.
How do you deal with stress?
Listen to audio books.
Laughter is medicine. What’s your favorite health care provider joke?
“Want to hear a funny joke?”
“Hold on, let me BRACE myself!
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever heard from a patient?
“You have changed my life, because now I’m not embarrassed to smile.”
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
“Education is the key to bettering your own life and helping others in the process.”
Jonathan Frankel, D.D.S.
Frankel Dentistry
5012 Talmadge Rd. | 419-474-9611
4358 Keystone Dr. | Maumee
419-893-0221 | jonfrankeldentistry.com
What’s your philosophy for practicing medicine/healing?
I continue to build on the foundation set by my father, Sheldon Frankel by setting the standard for dental care.
How did you select your specialty?
My father, uncle and cousins are general dentists. It may be genetic. I love what I do.
What medical advancement have made, or will make, the biggest impact in your field?
There are so many in the 71 years Frankel Dentistry has been caring for Toledo area patients. I think same day dental crowns, dental implants and porcelain veneers are incredible advances in dentistry.
What do you wish your patients would do differently?
Brush and floss twice daily and come for regular dental visits. Then we can take care of small issues before they become big problems. Also, call in advance to reschedule.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
I need a time-conscious provider. My patients don’t wait. I respect their time.
What summer fruits and vegetables are you most excited for?
Great question, I eat apples year round but I enjoy grapes in the summer. My Dad used to grow grapes.
How do you deal with stress?
I work out and practice yoga.
Never, ever… Skip a dental appointment. A healthy mouth promotes a healthy body.
Laughter is medicine. What’s your favorite health care provider joke?
It is an old standard but my Dad used to say, “Only floss the teeth you want to keep.”
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever heard from a patient?
I often hear a patient say they wish they had completed their treatment sooner or they can smile for the first time. It just doesn’t get better than that.
The world would be a better place if…
We treated each other like family.
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
Never boast or complain. Do your best.
No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get the knack of…
Car repair.
When do you feel invincible?
When I have the love of my family.
Dr. Christy Lorton Dermatology Associates/Ada Aesthetics
12780 Roachton Rd. | Perrysburg
7640 W. Sylvania Rd. | 419-872-0777
daohio.com
What’s your philosophy for practicing medicine/healing?
Always listen to the patient.
How did you select your speciality?
Sometimes being a dermatologist is like NCIS. I have to be part doctor, part detective. Dermatology is fast paced; the cases are so interesting and challenging.
What medical advancement has made the biggest impact in your field? Or, what medical advancement will make a big impact in your field?
Innovations in non-surgical face lifts and body contouring are changing the field of Aesthetic Dermatology, making treatments more affordable with less social downtime.
What do you wish your patients would do differently?
Never, ever…Get BOTOX from a kiosk at the Mall!
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever heard from a patient?
“Your free skin cancer screening saved my life.”
The world would be a better place if…
Sunscreen grew on trees!
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
My parents taught me to serve others first.
How do you deal with stress?
Persevere. As a woman business owner, I was not able to get a loan without my husbands co signature. So, I found a local bank that would give me a $20,000 loan— without my husband cosigning— to open my practice. Because of that I have stayed with that bank for 26 years now.
3D Wellness
4035 W. Central Ave. | 419-367-1417
3dwtoledo.com
Joani Donovan, LMT, CKTP
What’s your philosophy for practicing medicine/healing?
Changing the way individuals view pain and movement.
How did you select your speciality?
Knowing I could help individuals move better through life.
What do you wish your patients would do differently?
Nothing ….they’re all rock stars.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
Listening skills and if they are open to communication.
What summer fruits and vegetables are you most excited for?
All of them! Melons, especially.
How do you deal with stress?
Use the iChill app.
Laughter is medicine. What’s your favorite health care provider joke?
“Are you finally going to rub me the right way?”
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever heard from a patient?
“I was ready for surgery until I was referred to you… now my pain is gone.”
The world would be a better place if…
We all treated each other with love and respect.
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
Work hard, stay humble.
No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get the knack of…
Being domestic!
Dr. Alisha Bruhl PT, DPT, CSCS
What’s your philosophy for practicing medicine/healing?
Move Well, Move Often.
How did you select your specialty?
If you can help people move, you totally transform their life.
What medical advancement has made, or will make, the biggest impact in your field?
Modern pain science. Understanding the brain is powerful.
What do you wish your patients would do differently?
My patients are perfect.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
They are open-minded, continuously learning, staying up to date on the latest research.
What summer fruits and vegetables are you most excited for?Watermelon.
How do you deal with stress?
Spend time with my husband and three-month-old little guy.
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever heard from a patient?
“Of all the people, with all the degrees on the wall, you were the first one that has been able to help me.”
The world would be a better place if…
We loved others as we do ourselves.
No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get the knack of…
Gardening. My poor plants…
Dr. Marlene Welch
AM Skin Health & Plastic Surgery
6525 Secor Rd.| Lambertville, MI
734-568-6100 | amskinhealth.com
What’s your philosophy for practicing medicine/healing?
To treat patients how I would want to be treated… with respect and kindness. And to continuously improve my knowledge and skills so that I can always provide the highest quality of care.
How did you select your speciality?
I was watching plastic surgeons on TV who were on a mission trip and reconstructing the mouths of children with cleft lips in the Philippines. I knew immediately that that was what I was meant to do.
What medical advancement has made the biggest impact in your field?
Regenerative medicine. We are now able to use products from our own bodies, including stem cells and growth factors, to regenerate collagen, fat and even hair for both cosmetic and reconstructive purposes. This field is quickly expanding and we will see many more innovative applications for regeneration of human tissues.
What summer fruits and vegetables are you most excited for?
There is nothing like a home-grown tomato from my garden!
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
That, with patience, hard work and delayed gratification will always pay off.
No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get the knack of…
Hip-hop dancing.
Alexandra Schmucker OD
Van Optical
5307 Monroe St. | 419-841-8550
vanoptical.com
How did you select your specialty?
I chose to become an optometrist because of my experience as a patient. It was never a doctor’s visit that I dreaded. I absolutely loved getting new glasses each year.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
Communication is key. I value someone that can take the time to listen to my questions and concerns.
The world would be a better place if…
Everyone was more mindful and respectful of one another.
No matter how hard I try I just can’t get the knack of…
Knitting.
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
I was taught how important education is at an early age. Learning is something that’s never complete!
What summer fruits and vegetables are you most excited for?
I love sweet corn from the local farm stands.
Laughter is medicine. What’s your favorite health care provider joke:
Why did the phone wear glasses? It lost all of its contacts.
How do you deal with stress?
I play with my Boston Terriers: Miss Piggy and Emmy.
What medical advancement has made the biggest impact in your field?
The OCT (optical coherence tomography). This machine enables us to see individual layers of the retina! It has helped immensely in managing patients, especially those with macular degeneration and glaucoma.
Never, ever…
Sleep in your contacts! Even though some are approved for extended overnight wear it is always best to take them out at night.
Jodi L. Kessinger, O.D.
Midwest Eye Consultants
5733 Lewis Ave. | Toledo
2740 Navarre Ave. | Orego
485 W. Dussel Dr. | Maumee
800-642-2261 | midwesteyeconsultants.com
What’s your philosophy for practicing medicine/healing?
I practice optometry with a very simple philosophy: EMPATHY. I think it’s especially important as a healthcare provider to come to your patients with a capacity to understand we are all a product of our past experiences. If you genuinely care for the whole person, judgement is taken out of the equation. Empathy frees me to listen, understand, communicate, and form a plan that works with my patient. As an eyecare provider, I always remind my patients that their eyes are not separate from the rest of their body. We have to treat the whole person to help them visually. Patience is huge in Optometry. Everyone knows how frustrating a vision test can be and most people are very fearful of eye problems. So it’s especially important to educate, educate, educate. Most people will do the right thing for their eyes if they truly understand the consequences.
How did you select your speciality?
I knew I wanted to be an eye doctor from a young age. I loved going to my eye doctor as a child and leaving with new glasses. Everyone who wears glasses remembers that first pair. The world around you came alive the minute you walked out the door. Trees had leaves. Faces had details. Who wouldn’t want to provide that to others? As an adult, I was committed to a healthcare career but also wanted to be a mom. Optometry allows me a fairly normal schedule, no hospital hours, and I’m only on call a couple weeks every few months. It makes family time a little easier.
What medical advancement has made, or will make, the biggest impact in your field?
Optometry has had some great technological advances in the 22 years I’ve been practicing. LASIK has added an exciting twist to my practice. Contact lenses are healthier and easier to care for. Eyeglasses are providing better quality vision with new lens designs and technology. I can’t imagine practicing now without an Optical Coherence Tomographer. This instrument gives me detailed assessments of ocular structures that allows me to diagnose glaucoma and retinal disease that in the past may have gone undetected until a later stage. Optometry itself has expanded its scope into a more medical model, so your optometrist not only can give you clearer vision with glasses, contact lenses and vision therapy, but also treat your glaucoma, eye infections, macular degeneration, and cataracts.
What do you wish your patients would do differently?
I wish they would stop thinking of their eyes as separate from their body. The way we treat our body directly impacts our eye health. Eating fresh, colorful fruits and veggies, exercising, and managing systemic health issues all goes a very long way to maintaining eye health. Patients of mine are often very shocked to hear that smoking can contribute to one of the leading causes of blindness. They know it can cause lung cancer, but can’t imagine that it can contribute to macular degeneration.
When you’re the patient, what’s the most important thing you look for in another health care provider?
Listening. I know healthcare is fast-paced, and sometimes we are tempted to rush through and get to the meat of the exam, but I want a doctor who will stop looking at their laptop long enough to take a seat, look me in the eye and truly listen to what I’m saying.
What summer fruits and vegetables are you most excited for?
Our eyes love when we eat the rainbow, so we all need to enjoy the fresh summer produce. My Grandma Dora always grew sweet corn, so corn on the cob just tastes like summer to me. I love fresh strawberries, cold watermelon, crisp yellow and orange peppers. I’m also a sucker for a cucumber salad with tomatoes and fresh basil.
How do you deal with stress?
I unwind by reading, taking family bike rides, playing the piano, and laughing with (or at) my three kiddos. My husband is also my greatest source of strength, so just talking it out with him renews my soul. He’s the most optimistic person I know.
Never, ever…
Stop letting those you love know how important they are to you. The recent passing of an old friend reminded me to not let a single day go by without reaching out to those we love.
Laughter is medicine. What’s your favorite health care provider joke?
A Russian gentleman went for an eye exam. The eye doctor showed him a row of letters on an eye chart: CZWXNQSTAZKY.
Doctor: Can you read that?
Patient: Read it? I know the guy.
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve ever heard from a patient?
“You saved my life.” It’s not something you expect to hear routinely in eyecare, but every now and again, it happens. Eye doctors are often the first to detect MS, melanoma, diabetes, brain tumors, hypertension or other cardiovascular disease. One memorable patient had struggled with declining health over a year. I suspected Lyme Disease based on an inflammatory eye condition and referred her to an infectious disease specialist. She is so grateful for renewed health after diagnosis and treatment. Her family thanks me for giving her her life back when I see them. What a joy that is to hear!
The world would be a better place if…
Everyone could acknowledge we humans are far more alike than different. Mothers around the world all love their children like I love mine. That doesn’t change because they live in a war-torn country. Be kind. One random act of kindness toward a stranger will be the pebble in the pond. It will ripple across humanity one individual at a time. You can change the world one good deed at a time.
What life lesson did you learn from your parents?
Don’t allow someone else to take care of you until you can take care of yourself. This advice motivated me to work hard, make solid choices for my future, be independent, and think for myself.
No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get the knack of…
Euchre. I believe I’m missing a gene for card games in general. My husband loves euchre. Cannot. Understand. At. All.
When do you feel invincible?
When my children are all around me, laughing and being silly. The love of family makes me feel like I can change the world.
