Prominent gastroenterologist Dr. S. Murthy Badiga currently serves as the President of Mid Valley Gastroenterology and RGV Gastro, a medical practice specializing in digestive diseases. In addition to clinical duties at RGV Gastro, Dr. S. Badiga supervises patient care and instruction and provides executive leadership management. Diseases treated at RGV Gastro include, but are not limited to, colon cancer, jaundice, pancreatitis, and Crohn’s disease.
Moreover, Dr. S. Murthy Badiga acts as a Consulting Gastroenterologist for the Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg, Texas, and he teaches medical students at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio as a Clinical Associate Professor. In addition to his current positions, Dr. S. Badiga has held numerous prestigious roles throughout his successful career, including Chief of Internal Medicine at Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco, Texas. He has also served in several prominent board positions over the years, including Chairman of the Utilization Review Committee at Knapp Medical Center, and two roles at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, Chairman of the Gastrointestinal (GI) Endoscopy Committee and Member of the Governing Board.
Dr. S. Badiga received his Bachelor of Science from Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada, and his Doctor of Medicine from Guntur Medical College in Andhra Pradesh, both in India. As part of his medical degree training, Dr. Badiga completed an internship at the Government General Hospital in Guntur. Extensively trained beyond his doctoral education, Dr. S. Badiga has received post-doctoral training in Jamaica, the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States. Highlights include a position as a Casualty Medical Officer in the Emergency Room of Spanish Town Hospital in Jamaica; a fellowship in gastrointestinal medicine and clinical nutrition at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center in the Bronx; and an advanced therapeutic biliary endoscopy fellowship at the University of Amsterdam’s Academic Medical Center.
A fervent supporter of The American National Red Cross and the Hope Clinic, Dr. S. Badiga belongs to the North America Telugu Society. He lives and works in the Texas Mid-Valley region.
Dr. S. Murthy Badiga is a successful Consulting Gastroenterologist and Clinical Associate Professor with two decades of experience in the field. He has agreed to answer a few questions about his past experience and training.
Q: Can you talk about the education and training you received before becoming a physician?
SMB: I performed my undergraduate education in the state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India, completing my pre-med requirements at C.S.R. Sarma College in Ongole and earning a Bachelor of Science from Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada. In 1975, I enrolled in medical school at Guntur Medical College in Guntur. After completing my Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in 1980, I performed a compulsory rotating internship at Government General Hospital in Guntur.
In 1981, I left India to earn my postgraduate experience in Jamaica. For six months in 1981, I worked as a House Officer in internal medicine at Kingston Public Hospital in Jamaica. In January 1982, I accepted an offer to become a Resident Medical Officer with the primary care division of Lionel Town Public Hospital in Jamaica. Two years later, I transferred to Spanish Town, Jamaica to become a Casualty Medical Officer in the emergency room at Spanish Town Regional Hospital.
Q: Where did you perform your residency?
SMB: In 1985, I began working as a resident in radiology at Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla, New York. Two years later, I relocated to Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center in New York City, where I completed my internship and residency in internal medicine. In 1990, I began a three-year fellowship in gastrointestinal medicine and clinical nutrition at the same hospital. After fulfilling my fellowship, I embarked on a six-month training program in advanced therapeutic biliary endoscopy at the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam.
Founded almost three decades ago by Dr. Dan Heffernan, the Hope Clinic provides medical and dental care to the uninsured, in addition to offering a variety of social services. At its inception, the clinic was open only on Saturday mornings. Today, the program facilitates more than 6,300 medical visits and 2,300 dental visits each year, while giving away in excess of 10,800 hot meals and 6,700 bags of groceries.
With a volunteer staff of more than 80 medical and dental professionals, the Hope Clinic makes an immeasurable difference in thousands of lives each year, giving families the resources and care needed to get back on their feet. After Dr. Dan Heffernan conceived of the idea for the Hope Clinic, he established a medical facility that granted access to free health care for uninsured children and adults. Many of the office’s volunteers began collecting food for patients and, realizing that they were making a significant impact, created a food bank that operated out of volunteer households. In 1987, the Hope Clinic was officially named and incorporated, led by a new board of directors that pushed for program expansion.
The Hope Dental Clinic began treating patients in 1994, when the Hope Medical Clinic moved to a new building. During this time, the Hope Clinic established its Wash With Care program, which allows low-income families to do their laundry free of charge. Other social programs that commenced shortly thereafter include Emergency Financial Assistance and Care, and Share Closet, which stocks grocery items not available to those living off food stamps.
Today, the Hope Medical Clinic functions with the help of hundreds of volunteers and more than 100 doctors. Patients receive free lab and radiology tests through the St. Joseph Mercy Health System, and a network of more than 60 volunteer specialists accept referrals for free treatment from the clinic. Donations and kind pharmaceutical firms make it possible to fill more than 11,000 crucial prescriptions each year. For an in-depth look at the Hope Clinic, watch the following video:
