Hepatologist Relocates from NYC to Palm Beach County to Join TGH Gastro Group of the Palm Beaches

Sonja K. Olsen, MD, brings world-renowned experience to Tampa General Hospital's gastroenterological practice on Florida's East Coast.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Dec. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A board-certified internist, gastroenterologist, and transplant hepatologist has left New York University (NYU) Langone Health to join the Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Gastro Group of the Palm Beaches. Sonja K. Olsen, MD, will serve Palm Beach County patients as the area's only transplant hepatologist, bringing more than a decade of experience in providing world-class digestive and liver care.

Dr. Olsen is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. She was the chief resident at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell, and previously served as an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU. Olsen has also served as an associate with Gotham Medical Associates, co-director of the Medicine Sub-Internship clerkship at Weill Cornell, and as the program director for Advanced Fellowship in Transplant Hepatology at NYU.

"It's very inspiring to join Tampa General Hospital's expanding presence in Palm Beach County, and to help enhance the cutting-edge treatment its providers and staff offer," said Olsen, who will see patients at TGH Gastro Group of the Palm Beaches' West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens locations. "As a lifelong New Yorker, I am eager to explore and learn about this community, and to support it through my practice."

Nearly two years ago, Gastro Group of the Palm Beaches joined forces with TGH to advance treatment for its patients and to ensure the group was delivering the highest quality care in the region. TGH Gastro Group of the Palm Beaches uses the most advanced technology available to diagnose and treat a variety of gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, including those affecting the esophagus, stomach, liver, and pancreas, as well as intestinal and colorectal conditions. Patients who need complex, specialized surgeries benefit from a convenient, streamlined process to have surgeries performed in Tampa with pre- and post-surgery care provided in Palm Beach County.

Tampa General Hospital was recognized as one of the top 50 hospitals in the nation for gastroenterology and gastrointestinal (GI) surgery by U.S. News & World Report for 2022-23, and its benign esophageal disorders and pancreatic/hepatic/biliary cancer programs have received disease-specific certification from The Joint Commission.

Olsen joins a staff of Palm Beach County's top gastrointestinal specialists, including Steven Krumholz, MD, Jeffrey H. Garelick, MD, Robert S. Raymond, MD, Glenn H. Englander, MD, and Maria Cristina Hatara, MD. The TGH Gastro Group team of physicians trained at some of the world's most respected institutions and have a broad spectrum of experience in the field.

"Adding a stellar respected physician like Dr. Olsen is a major step in our efforts to continue providing next-level service to our patients in Palm Beach County and beyond," said Krumholz of TGH Gastro Group of the Palm Beaches. "She brings not only experience and expertise from a discerning and high-intensity health care market, but also extraordinary compassion and care for her patients."

Tampa General Hospital is creating a framework of state-of-the-art services for patients in the Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast areas, with the expertise and innovation of a preeminent academic medical center. The Florida East Coast initiative began with an alliance with the Cancer Center of South Florida, now the TGH Cancer Institute. Since then, Tampa General has also established TGH Gastro Group of the Palm Beaches, TGH General Surgeons of the Palm Beaches, TGH Advanced Kidney Care, and TGH Imaging.

Tampa General Hospital, which is the primary teaching affiliate of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, is one of the highest-ranked hospitals in Florida by U.S. News & World Report for 2022-23 and has been one of Florida's leading academic medical centers for more than 50 years. Palm Beach County patients who need a higher level of care have a direct connection to Tampa General's academic medicine and resources, including research breakthroughs, a wider variety of clinical trials and options for advanced immunotherapy procedures, enhanced personal treatment plans, and a convenient path to complex surgeries.

Tampa General Hospital has been affiliated with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine since the school was created in the early 1970s. Today, more than 700 medical school residents and fellows receive specialty training at TGH in areas ranging from general internal medicine to neurosurgery. In addition, USF medical, nursing, pharmacy, and physical therapy students all receive part of their training at Tampa General. Faculty of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine admit and care for patients at Tampa General, as do private practice physicians, many of whom also serve as adjunct clinical faculty at USF. 

To learn more, please visit tgh.org or gastrogrouppb.com.

Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – first nationally in the 2022 America's Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

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SOURCE Tampa General Hospital