Georgia Urology Welcomes Dr. Joseph Song

It’s homecoming season in Gwinnett. From the smoke of cookouts to the crowds at the home game, this is my favorite time of year in Georgia. And, after 14 years away, it’s the perfect time to return.

I grew up in Duluth in the ’90s, where I spent my childhood playing basketball with the neighborhood boys, catching second-run movies for $0.99 at Venture Cinema, and listening to STAR 94 play Britney and Backstreet Boys on repeat. In many ways, Duluth is still that same place. From the sleepy public libraries where I developed my love for reading to the delicious ethnic restaurants on Pleasant Hill where I became an ardent foodie, driving around this city is a constant trip down memory lane.

At the same time, this place has also completely transformed. Gone are the farms that stretched down 141. New neighborhoods have sprung up around Suwanee Dam Rd where I used to go fishing in what felt like the middle of nowhere. Even completely new communities have come up (John’s Creek ranked 3rd for the best place to live?! It didn’t even exist when I was growing up here!).

When I left for college at Emory, I wasn’t sure I’d be back. When I moved for medical school at WashU in St Louis, I thought I’d said goodbye to Georgia for good. But then I married my crush from high school and both of our families canceled plans to relocate out of state— suddenly, the stars seemed to be lining up for us to come home.

In 2017, I approached Urology groups in the metro Atlanta area and was surprised by the number of practices there were. From hospital-based groups to smaller practices, there were so many choices for patients looking for a Urologist. After doing my research, though, I felt convinced that Georgia Urology was by far the best choice. They had been serving Georgians for decades and were one of the largest groups in the country, meaning they had the resources and expertise to provide world-class care to their patients. What’s more, they were active in Gwinnett, meaning I could help care for the very same community that raised and shaped me.

Most importantly, the partners at Georgia Urology held the same goals as me. To them, Urology wasn’t just a business or a job—it was a way to help people, whether that came in the form of curing cancer, alleviating the pain of a stone, allowing a patient to sit through a movie without having to pee halfway through, or just being present to listen to and understand a person’s problems. These were the reasons I went into Urology in the first place, and Georgia Urology was a place where I could practice medicine in a responsible, compassionate, and patient-centered way.

For all these reasons, I’m excited to be at Georgia Urology. More so, I’m excited to be part of the dynamic community of Gwinnett again. It’s homecoming season– and I’m glad to be home.