Dr. Thomas Jaquith-Houston always had the sense that he wanted to help people. “When I entered high school, I took an anatomy and physiology class and I really found it fascinating. That’s when I kind of cemented the idea that I didn’t just want to help people, I wanted to heal people by becoming a doctor.”

Working in Family Practice, Dr. Jaquith-Houston enjoys the chance to take care of large, multigenerational families. “That’s one of my favorite parts of being a primary care doctor,” he explains. “I like having a grandmother come in and not only talk to me about her concerns, but those of her grandchildren too. That’s how you get to know the family dynamics so well. It basically helps you care for them better, because you know the backstory.”

Some of the patient problems that Dr. Jaquith-Houston treats include hypertension, diabetes, asthma, COPD, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, depression and other ailments. He enjoys getting to know his patients and involving them in their care. “I really try to just listen to my patients, because I want to partner with them in their care. That’s my philosophy – to partner with them. I think that’s really important in helping patients achieve their health goals.”

One of the biggest problems that Dr. Jaquith-Houston helps his patients with is obesity. “They call it the first disease, because it leads to many other problems,” he explains. “Some people recognize the fact that if they are able to reduce their weight it will help them in the long run. Others are hard to convince. It’s only when the other co-morbid conditions start being a problem that they usually understand. But when they work with you to make the changes and then they see the conditions improve, they realize it’s worth it. One of the best parts of my job is when someone comes in who I haven’t seen in a while and tells me they lost 20 pounds and feel great. There’s nothing more rewarding than that.”

When he is not busy with his patients, Dr. Jaquith-Houston enjoys performing in musical theatre and also likes to garden and crochet. He also enjoys being around his family and traveling.