Dr. Sarah is a native of East Tennessee and graduate of Christian Academy of Knoxville. She has always had an interest in exercise and nutrition resulting in a choice to study Sports Medicine and Chemistry at Samford University and begin personal training. The concepts learned here are still foundational in her everyday practice - she learned how to construct her own meal replacement bars, provide personal training and analyze body composition. She loved learning and always wanted to dive further into discovery of God’s design. For this reason, Dr. Sarah chose to pursue medical school. To remain close to her East Tennessee family and be a part of early patient care, she chose to attend the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and be a part of their community outreach.
She was involved in starting a philanthropic medical clinic and serving in a houseless shelter during this time. These experiences shaped her passion for the patient-doctor relationship. Because of her roots in these organizations, she stayed in Lexington for 3 more years for Internal Medicine Residency. Desiring to treat the whole person, chronic and lifestyle disease, she then pursued a fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Wake Forest University. It was here that she gained rich experience in lifestyle medicine and metabolic disease under world experts.
Dr. Sarah chose to bring her experience home to East Tennessee. She was the founding physician for the section of Endocrinology at Blount Memorial and has been serving the greater East Tennessee area since 2015, including Blount County, Alcoa, Sevier County, Loudon County, Knox County, and the greater Knoxville area. Dr. Sarah is committed to the needs of her friends and family in East Tennessee.
She has also been serving as a clinical professor for Lincoln Memorial University, DeBusk College of Medicine since 2016. Teaching patients, students and her community is her passion.
When asked about her “philosophy” of medicine, Dr. Sarah explains, “God is the Creator. I humbly admit that I cannot re-create His perfection in a fallen world, this side of heaven. My role is as an investigator with my patient to search for the root causes of what is creating symptoms - or silent laboratory disease. Then, experience and knowledge come together to restore the Creator’s natural, original function. This can come through medications, natural supplements and application of lifestyle medicine. My goal is to restore each patient back to the way God intended them to be- And for this reason, each patient’s care must be personalized.”
Dr. Sarah has many other names here in Knoxville including: Wife, Mom to three, Daughter, Sister, Cousin, gardener, hiking and biking enthusiast.
Education, Experience & Accreditations
Undergraduate
Samford University
Birmingham, AL
Major: Sports Medicine, Minor: Chemistry
Medical school
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Lexington, KY
Internship & Residency in Internal Medicine
University of Kentucky
Chandler Medical Center
Lexington, KY
Fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Winston-Salem, NC
Board Certifications
American Board of Internal Medicine
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
ISSA Personal Trainer
Affiliations and Awards
LMU DeBusk College of Medicine, Endocrinology clinical professor
Top Doctor 2022: Top Endocrinologist, Diabetes & Metabolism Specialist
DeBusk College of Medicine Faculty Award, nominated and voted on by students, 2021
Professional Associations
Endocrine Society
American Association of Clinical Endocrinology
Obesity Medical Association
North American Menopause Society
International Sports Science Association
The Obesity Society