Julie Mincey is a certified medical assistant who works in the procedure room at GIA. Her work covers a spectrum of care, including charting, pathology, biopsies and more, for patients who are in for screenings and consults. When she started at GIA in May 2000, she worked in the recovery room. She loves being there for the patients – especially … Read More

Vicki Vaughn is a licensed practical nurse (LPN) who started working as a team, or floating, nurse in the fall of 1999. She quickly moved to work exclusively for Dr. Sarkis Chobanian and has been his nurse for more than 20 years. She says, “I love to take care of my patients. It’s my passion. I want to help them … Read More

As a nurse for more than 43 years, Kathy Karnes has spent the last 34 years in gastroenterology. She serves in two director roles in quality and clinical trials. “The best thing about my job is that every day is different – offering new challenges and rewards.” She oversees clinical trials for medications and devices related to GI diseases. “There … Read More

“I’m not near old enough to have been here 22 years,” jokes Amy Walker, business office manager at GIA. A professional coder, her biggest function is to make sure the work of the physicians and nurse practitioners gets billed and paid for correctly. The best thing about her profession is that “it never stays the same,” she explained. “You don’t … Read More

“I love talking to people! Love it,” shares Linda Shamieh. It’s a good thing since, as the central operator for GIA, she fields calls for all three locations to get callers where they need to go. She’s been the operator for more than two decades, recently celebrating 23 years with GIA. “GIA is a wonderful place to be,” Linda says. … Read More

After almost 21 years with Gastrointestinal Associates, Nurse Practitioner Janet Samples is approaching retirement, but won’t commit just yet to an exact date. “I was supposed to retire in January,” she says with a laugh, “but I’m here full-time overseeing and training staff to take over at the infusion center. Maybe I’ll retire in August?” The infusion center at Dowell … Read More

This August, Sandy Woods will celebrate her 24th anniversary with GIA. She started working in the medical records department pulling patient charts for nurses for that day’s appointments. “I miss paper charts!” Now, she works with a team of five in the Dowell Springs office, still working in a now-revamped system of medical records, sending letters of test results to … Read More

This December, Jennifer Adams will celebrate 25 years with GIA. She has served as an LPN with Dr. John Haydek for most of her career. She sees patients, coordinates schedules and triages patient phone calls. Since Dr. Haydek is a specialist in Barrett’s esophagus, which is caused when stomach acid damages the esophagus, she is an advocate for esophagus health … Read More

“Education is the most important part of my job. I want our patients to understand how their insurance works and discuss all charges ahead of time so there are no surprises,” says Kathi Lonas, front office supervisor for GIA. “After 32 years with GIA, I’m the resident expert for patient insurance education.” Kathi started at GIA working with Dr. Kent … Read More