Melissa Teitelman, MD, MS

I am a general gastroenterologist who serves as medical director of Duke gastroenterology at Brier Creek. I see many patients with celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, reflux disease and diarrheal disease. Even though I work mostly in the outpatient setting, I do many procedures, including upper endoscopies and colonoscopies. There’s nothing I find more rewarding than telling a patient they won’t get cancer, because we’ve found and removed a troubling polyp. I encourage dialogue so patients feel involved in the decisions about their own care. I believe that a lot of medicine is an art, not a science. There’s often no perfectly “right” answer. Involving patients empowers them to take care of their own bodies and make decisions that are right for them. I started as a nutritionist, but wanted to focus on taking care of the entire body, so I switched to medicine. I also have an interest in women’s health.