Jefferson Watson, MD

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I was born and raised in Florence, South Carolina. I started becoming interested in a career in medicine in middle school as I watched my mother struggle with an autoimmune disease that took several years to be accurately diagnosed. I was very interested in the life sciences, and I loved the idea of a career focused on helping others. \n As a physician, my goal is to treat every patient as I would want my own family to be treated - something that stems from my devout Christian faith. I work to develop trusting relationships with patients, to meet them where they are and to provide the best possible solutions to their digestive health needs. Patient buy-in to a treatment plan is critical. Without that, no plan will succeed. \n I graduated magna cum laude from Clemson University's Calhoun Honors College with a degree in chemistry and health sciences. I then attended the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston on an Army scholarship and graduated in 2004. I completed internal medicine residency at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2007, then I completed a gastroenterology and hepatology fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, in 2011. \n I was honored to serve my country in the U.S. Army. I was on active duty for 11 years at which time I served in Iraq (2007-08) and Afghanistan (2013), where I received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service as a battalion surgeon while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. As a member of the Army Reserves, I deployed again to Kuwait in 2018 before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2020. \n Before going into private practice in 2015, I was chief of the gastroenterology clinic at Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, from 2011 to 2015. I'm board-certified in gastroenterology/hepatology and internal medicine. My clinical interests include colon cancer prevention, esophageal cancer screening, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett's esophagus, inflammatory bowel disease, hepatitis C treatment, hemorrhoid treatment and nutrition. \n I married my medical school sweetheart, Theresa, and we have four beautiful children. In my free time, I enjoy running, cycling, reading, studying the Bible and, along with my wife, leading a marriage enrichment course at our church.