Meredith A. Niess, MD, MPH

Years of providing primary care have taught me that my patients are the experts on their health and their bodies. Starting from this point, I bring my medical knowledge to the conversation to help my patients set and achieve their health goals. I'm lucky to practice at the Duke Outpatient Clinic where we have a multidisciplinary team all working to that purpose.

I also specialize in substance use and addiction medicine. I came to this focus because of encountering so many people, in and out of clinic, suffering from addiction and its consequences. Many of these people don't seek care because of fear of, and experience being, judged, and because they don't believe there is anything that will help them. As in the rest of my care, I start with each patient's story and goals, meet them without judgement, and offer them real tools and support to help make their life and health better. It's the most satisfying part of my job.

I chose primary care because I believe, for most people, for most of their lives, it is the most important medical care they will receive.