RGA Doctor Develops Bond with Patients

For Dr. Talha Qureshi, patients are more than a list of symptoms or a medical mystery to solve.

They have families, hobbies, and backstories. Each of those things can play a part in a patient's gastrointestinal troubles, so Dr. Qureshi makes a point of spending time getting to know his patients while he gets to the bottom of their issues.

"Each patient is different, and everyone has their own background," he said. "I want to learn what's going on with their families, or what they have gong on socially. Learning what was going on in their life at the time the symptoms began can really offer insights into their physical ailments."

That approach to patient care is the very reason that Dr. Qureshi first went into medicine. As a child, his cousin had cancer and Dr. Qureshi remembers going with him to visit the doctor.

"I could see how families develop a close bond with their doctors, and that made me interested in it as a career," he said. "I liked having the ability to impact someone's life."

So, after graduating from high school in Munster, Indiana, Dr. Qureshi studied biochemistry at Illinois Institute of Technology. He then attended Rush Medical College, before doing a residency in internal medicine and fellowship in gastroenterology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

He joined Rockford Gastroenterology Associates earlier this year, attracted both by the chance to relocate to the Midwest and to practice at a group highly recommended by his mentor at Baylor, who also trained with Dr. Sumeet Tewani at Harvard.

"I experienced a very broad and diverse training at Baylor," he said. "There, I worked everywhere from a veteran's association and a county hospital to a private setting. It gave me the chance to see patients from a wide range of backgrounds."

Dr. Qureshi has published numerous studies and presented at national meetings. He has received awards including the Golden Scope Award from the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the EndoTitan Award from the American College of Gastroenterology. His compassion for patients earned him inclusion in the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

At Rockford Gastroenterology Associates, Dr. Qureshi is helping patients with a range of issues, from Barrett's esophagus and GERD to irritable bowel disease and cirrhosis of the liver. What he really enjoys about working in gastroenterology is the fact that he plays an active role in catching problems before they become dangerous or deadly.

"You are screening patients and really taking an initiative to detect things early," he said. "For example, removing polyps during a colonoscopy potentially saves the patient from developing cancer and undergoing major surgery."

Dr. Qureshi is a member of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American College of Gastroenterology, and the American Gastroenterological Association. He is on the medical staff at both UW Health UW Health Hospital in Rockford and OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center.

Away from work, Dr. Qureshi loves playing tennis and basketball, or going to sporting events. But with both a newborn and five-year-old son, his best memories these days are being made at home.