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Submitted by: PeaceHealth

PeaceHealth Medical Group (PHMG) has welcomed six new providers to the Bellingham community.

Sujit Kumar Kotapati, MD, joined PHMG’s Cordata Clinic Family Medicine team of providers. Dr. Kotapati earned his Doctor of Medicine at Windsor University School of Medicine in Saint Kitts and Nevis and completed his residency in family medicine at University of Alabama Huntsville in Huntsville, Alabama. He is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. He has special medical interests in chronic disease management, depression associated with chronic diseases, behavior health and office procedures.

Rajalakshmi Cheerla, MD, joined PHMG’s Cordata Clinic Family Medicine team of providers. Dr. Cheerla earned her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in Andhra Pradesh, India, and completed her residency in family and preventative medicine at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas. She is the recipient of the American Academy of Family Physicians Degree of Fellow distinction, an honor recognizing her service to family medicine in the areas of medical care, education and research. She has a special medical interest in chronic disease management with an emphasis on preventative care and health literacy, diabetes, preventative cardiology and geriatrics.

Lauren Schreffler, ARNP, joined PHMG’s Fairhaven Plaza Clinic Family Medicine team of providers. Lauren earned a Master of Science in Nursing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She is board-certified through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She has special medical interests in reproductive health, health promotion and disease prevention. She enjoys caring for people of all ages and backgrounds, including adolescents and young adults and the LGBTQ+ community.

Alexander Gelou, MD, joined PHMG’s Fairhaven Plaza Clinic Family Medicine team of providers. Dr. Gelou earned his Doctor of Medicine at Ross University in Portsmouth, Dominica, and completed his residency in family medicine at Duke University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Medical education has been a theme of Dr. Gelou’s career. He was chief resident of his training program and presented at conferences on various health-related subjects, included wilderness medicine, radiology and electrocardiograms (EKGs). He also taught family medicine to medical students and doctors in training. He has special medical interests in preventative care, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

Sandhya Gelou, MD, joined PHMG’s Fairhaven Plaza Clinic Family Medicine team of providers. Dr. Gelou earned her Doctor of Medicine at Ross University in Portsmouth, Dominica, and completed her residency in family medicine at Duke University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Prior to joining PeaceHealth, Dr. Gelou practiced as a primary care physician, diabetologist and obesity medicine specialist at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, California. In 2015, she was recognized with an Above and Beyond Shining Star Family Medicine Award.

Mervat Saleh, MD, joined the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center team of providers. Dr. Saleh earned her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Jordan University of Science and Technology in Ar-Ramtha, Jordan. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and completed her hematology/oncology fellowship at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Saleh sees herself as a collaborative partner with her patients. She has special medical interests in genitourinary malignancies, melanoma and breast cancers.

More information about each of these providers can be found using the “Find a Doc” tool at www.peacehealth.org.

All photos courtesy of PeaceHealth

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