Several doctors retiring from RGA this year.

Rockford Gastroenterology Associates (RGA) recently celebrated the retirements of Drs. Brad Bowyer, John DeGuide, Michael Manley, and Joseph Vicari, who will be finishing their careers at RGA at the end of June. Thank you for providing over 75 years combined of exceptional care and caring to our patients and our region.

Brad Bowyer, M.D.

Since he was five years old, Dr. Brad Bowyer knew he wanted to be a doctor. And now he will be celebrating his retirement after spending 13 years at Rockford Gastroenterology Associates (RGA) caring for patients with a broad range of digestive health conditions.

Dr. Bowyer joined the RGA team in 2009 and was familiar with the practice, having trained with retired RGA physicians Dr. Mark Shiels and Dr. Chris Moore at Mayo. He also was attracted to RGA because of the balance between cutting-edge techniques and academic outreach.

At RGA, he spent his time performing advanced procedures such as ERCP and specialized in caring for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

During his career, Dr. Bowyer has been very passionate about involving his patients in their care and feels that was his greatest impact at the clinic. He listened carefully to each patient to understand their concerns and worked with them to develop an individualized treatment plan to meet their needs.

Additionally, it was important to him to always offer the patient a referral to an academic center for second opinion should there be any concerns regarding management options.

Outside of the clinic, Dr. Bowyer also served as a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford and spent considerable time serving as a mentor to the students. He plans to remain involved with the college in his retirement. He also was published in peer reviewed journals on his clinical and pharmaceutical research throughout his career.

In his retirement, you will be able to find Dr. Bowyer spending more time with his family and more time outdoors, whether that’s taking a walk with his dog in the woods, archery, hunting, or gardening.

John DeGuide, M.D.

Dr. John DeGuide loves building relationships and this attribute became a strong factor in the impact he made on his patients and the GI industry during his career. After spending nearly 20 years at RGA, Dr. DeGuide will be retiring at the end of June.

Before moving to Rockford in 1999, Dr. DeGuide worked as Chief of Gastroenterology at Wright-Patterson Medical Center, an Air Force health care facility near Dayton, Ohio. He joined RGA in 2003 after moving back to Illinois to be closer to family.

At RGA, Dr. DeGuide had a special interest in caring for patients with liver disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). He was very passionate about treating and curing patients with Hepatitis C, a disease in which the cure rate has drastically increased since his career started at RGA.

He was also a long-time board member of the Illinois State Medical Society and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). In those roles he helped get legislation passed that allowed for adequacy of patient networks (having a trained physician for each medical specialty) so patients could get adequate care at a reasonable cost.

During his retirement, he plans to travel and spend winters in Southern California near where he grew up. He will also be spending quite a bit of time on the golf course and possibly even volunteering to teach children the sport. He also plans stay active on the board of directors of Illinois State Medical Society Insurance Exchange (ISMIE).

Michael Manley, M.D.

Growing up next door to a family doctor in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, Dr. Michael Manley discovered an early interest in the medical field. Now, after recently celebrating 20 years at Rockford Gastroenterology Associates, delving into complex digestive health conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), he will be retiring this month.

After completing his medical training, Dr. Manley began his GI career at Rockford Clinic. He joined the RGA team in 2001 and brought many of his patients with him, some of which were still his patients up to retirement.

He was attracted to RGA being an independent practice with high-quality physicians who are so good at what they do and work so well together.

At RGA, Dr. Manley cared for patients with a variety of digestive disorders and had a special interest in IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. He enjoyed delving into the complex cases and taking the time to listen and communicate with his patients to determine the best treatment plan.

During his retirement, he plans spend more time with his two high school-aged sons who are still living at home, take some online classes, and participate in volunteer activities.

Joseph Vicari, M.D.

Dr. Joseph Vicari has worked for the past 20 years to help improve the digestive health of patients at Rockford Gastroenterology Associates. He will be retiring at the end of June.

Back in 1996, Dr. Vicari heard Dr. Jim Frakes, one of the original partners of RGA, speak about the practice at a gastrointestinal (GI) meeting. They had mutual friends at the Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Vicari said at the time that RGA sounded like a great place to work.

Dr. Vicari specializes in treating liver disease, including fatty liver (buildup of fat in the liver cells). In addition to his focused practice on liver diseases, Dr. Vicari’s favorite daily routine is endoscopy, such as removing polyps and lesions from the colon.

He feels his biggest impact during his career was having conversations with patients about what they could do to become healthier. Dr. Vicari was dedicated to leading by example and living a healthy lifestyle himself which involves diet and exercise.

During his career, Dr. Vicari served on the Practice Management Committee of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and was a journal reviewer for the American Journal of Gastroenterology and GIE.

In retirement, you will be able to find Dr. Vicari traveling with his wife and family and also participating in one of his favorite pastimes, fishing.

Thank you for providing over 75 years combined of exceptional care and caring to our patients and our region. You will be missed. We wish you the very best in your retirements.