Board-certified surgeon Elizabeth G. Bond, MD, will join the General Surgery Department of Northern Regional Hospital on August 1. Dr. Bond served previously as General Surgeon and Vice Chief of the Medical Staff at Vidant North Hospital in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Elizabeth Bond to our General Surgery team,” said Jason W. Edsall, MD, FACEP, Chief Medical Officer of Northern Regional Hospital. “Her demonstrated surgical strengths, familiarity with advanced techniques and procedures, and passion for patient-care excellence are perfectly aligned with the mission of Northern Regional Hospital.” Dr. Edsall added that Dr. Bond will be joining Northern General Surgery colleagues R. Scott Corbin, MD, and David D. Jackson, MD.
Dr. Bond, a 33-year-old New Jersey native, is excited about meeting and treating new patients as well as tackling multiple opportunities that await her in her new hospital home. “For me, establishing trust with my patients is a top priority,” she says. “Most patients are anxious about surgery, so I start by listening very carefully to what they say. Sometimes patients come to me with one diagnosis; but, after listening to them, I may realize they have an additional problem or even a different one that needs to be treated, as well.”
She insists on taking the time needed to develop a fruitful two-way dialogue with her patients and their family members. “I explain things in terms that they understand and take time to build realistic expectations of what they can expect after surgery,” she says. “I always encourage my patients to ask any questions they may have or let me know of any concerns.”
Dr. Bond will use her sophisticated surgical skills to treat patients who present with a wide range of cancers and benign abnormalities – including breast cancer, breast lesions, colon cancer, intestinal ulcers, skin cancer, skin lesions and lumps, gallbladder complications, hernia repair, and many other conditions requiring surgical intervention.
Growing up in south Jersey, Dr. Bond’s interest in becoming a physician was ignited during her teen years – when she decided she wanted to emulate the career path of her friend’s father, an infectious diseases specialist. “I was impressed by his knowledge and ability to help patients, and I also liked microbiology – so I thought that was what I wanted to do,” she recalls. After earning her Bachelor’s Degree in 2010 from La Salle University, in Philadelphia; she enrolled in the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in New Brunswick New Jersey, to pursue her chosen path in the healing arts.
During her very first surgical rotation, the young medical student was paired with a well-known breast cancer surgeon in Princeton. “After observing her with her patients and also seeing her in the Operating Room, my interest in surgery was really piqued,” remembers Dr. Bond. As her exposure to more medical specialties was enhanced through additional clinical rotations, she realized that the other specialties did not fulfill her professional expectations as much as the surgical precision, team dynamics, and energetic environment of an Operating Room. At that point, surgery became her specialty of choice.
After earning her Medical Degree in 2014, the newly-graduated doctor began an intensive, five-year General Surgery residency program at Christiana Care Health System, a major medical center in Newark, Delaware. While refining her surgical skills and enhancing her leadership abilities, Dr. Bond came to fully appreciate the importance of mutual respect and collaboration in the operating theatre. “Every surgery is very much a team effort,” she says. “As the leader in the O.R., I have to trust every member of my team – whether it’s the anesthesiologist, the nurses, surgical techs, etc. If they know something’s wrong or even think something’s wrong, they can’t be afraid to speak up. We’re all there to care for the patient and we need to trust each other to ensure the best outcome for our patient.”
Dr. Bond is a member of several professional societies and organizations, including the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the American Medical Association, and the Association of Women Surgeons. Three years ago, as part of the American College of Surgeons’ Leadership and Advocacy Summit, Dr. Bond and several physician colleagues were instrumental in speaking to elected officials about the importance of continued funding for programs designed to increase breast-cancer screenings and reduce/eliminate such nationwide ‘health epidemics’ as gun violence and opioid addiction.
Dr. Bond is eager to merge her clinical knowledge, talents and interests with those of her healthcare colleagues at Northern Regional Hospital. “Northern is just what I was looking for – a state-of-the-art hospital where everyone knows everyone,” she said. “I was impressed with the sophisticated vision of the senior-administrative team and the patient-focused approach used by all the caregivers I’ve met so far.”
Outside the O.R. and hospital, Dr. Bond and her husband Jeremy, a corporate litigation attorney, are settling into the friendly, small-town lifestyle of Mount Airy. “It was important to us to be part of a community where we could see ourselves getting involved,” said Dr. Bond. For their initial community-based project, the husband-and-wife team occasionally replace their surgical scalpels and legal briefs with screwdrivers and hammers as they work side-by-side with the contractors they’ve hired to renovate the beautiful, 156-year-old historic home they purchased recently in downtown ‘Mayberry.’ At other times, the young professionals – outdoors enthusiasts, both – enjoy “going on little adventures” with their three adopted ‘fur babies’ — Gronk, an elegant Weimaraner; Belle, a Miniature Schnauzer; and Lexi, an American Foxhound.
For more information about Northern Regional Hospital and the Department of General Surgery, please visit the hospital’s website at www.choosenorthern.org.
