Meet Dr. G, a doctor who stayed in Modesto and made it her mission to help desperate diabetics

Many Modesto residents are familiar with “Dr. V,” former Stanislaus County public health officer Julie Vaishampayan. But lesser known is “Dr. G,” who is making a difference for people diagnosed with diabetes.

Dr. Gopika Gangupantula caught a piece of the spotlight recently when her practice, Valley Diabetes & Obesity, was named Small Business of the Year by the Modesto Chamber of Commerce.

Instead of being recognized for running a profitable business or an exciting new restaurant, Valley Diabetes was chosen for its patient-centered approach to managing the diabetes and obesity epidemics that “disproportionately impact underserved communities.”

Gangupantula is one of only about 100 diabetologists in the nation, a medical specialty focused exclusively on care for diabetes.

People with diabetic complications often are sent for specialty care to endocrinologists, who treat disorders of the endocrine glands. A diabetologist specializes in all types of diabetes.

According to a Stanislaus County community health assessment in 2020, the county had a higher percentage of adults with diabetes than the rest of the state, reaching 14.2% in the past decade.

Lower-income adults from 2015-17 were 86% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than those with higher incomes.

Dr. G was a primary care doctor for Kaiser Permanente when she arrived in Modesto in 2003. She discovered there “was so much diabetes” in the community, while health care access was limited, especially for Medi-Cal patients and the uninsured.

Patients were sent outside Modesto to see specialists and had issues with transportation. Illiteracy was a barrier in trying to educate patients about the chronic disease, the physician said.

“Going outside Modesto was hard on them,” Gangupantula said, adding that some patients suffered the worst complications. “In San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, you have a high number of amputations and high rates of end-stage kidney disease.”

The doctor said she had not planned to stay long in Modesto, but seeing all the patients who needed care, it became her home.

Gangupantula attended a one-year diabetology fellowship in North Carolina in 2010-11 for intensive training in treating diabetes.

She was interested in diabetes while growing up in southern India. Both of her parents had the disease and she wondered why other family members did not.

Dr. G put her fellowship training to work as clinical director of diabetes care for the safety-net clinics of Golden Valley Health Centers in Stanislaus and Merced counties.

She and her husband, Sachin Gangupantula, launched Valley Diabetes in Modesto as a hybrid practice six years ago, with Sachin serving as director of operations.

Forty percent to 50% of the patients have Medi-Cal coverage or are seniors with a combination of Medicare and Medi-Cal benefits. People from as far as Merced and Sonora travel to the College Avenue clinic.

Dr. G is able to speak with patients in English, Spanish, Hindi and Marathi, a regional language in India.

Tim Toste, who’s had Type 1 diabetes since he was 8, said Dr. G is attentive and researches all aspects of diabetes. She even came to check on him when he was in the hospital, he said.

The specialist set him up with an insulin pump and blood sugar monitor so he doesn’t have to poke his finger as much.

“She is one of the best doctors I ever came across,” Toste said. “She has a lot of tools to utilize for people with diabetes, and that is what I really appreciate about her.”

As a diabetologist, Gangupantula said she’s able to customize care for patients. On days for educating patients about insulin and proper diet, she may spend up to 90 minutes with a patient who finds it hard to understand.

“These patients have so much stress and other things going on,” she said. “The stress of diabetes makes them feel depressed.”

Thinking outside the box

Some of her patients complain about the steep price of healthy food, compared to cheaper packaged foods not recommended for diabetics. When she does her own grocery shopping, the doctor reads labels and looks for more affordable food choices for her patients.

Gangupantula said the Stanford University endocrine department asked her to participate in Project ECHO, which provides patients with cards for buying gas and food to make it easier to afford treatment costs.

Gangupantula also sees diabetic patients at the county Health Services Agency specialty clinic once a week. Sometimes, she is shadowed by a doctor-in-training from the Valley Family Medicine Residency to learn about diabetes care.

The husband-and-wife team running Valley Diabetes has a vision for building a Center of Excellence for Diabetes Care in Modesto, which the doctor describes as a network including optometrists, kidney specialists and other providers to educate patients and coordinate care.

Stanislaus County’s Public Health Report for 2022, which showed a drop in life expectancy, said the adult obesity rate was 31% in the county, much higher than the 26% statewide.

The California Health Interview Survey has revealed an elevated prevalence of diabetes at 11.5% in the county, above the 10% in the state. Physical inactivity, a contributor to diabetes, is a health issue for almost a third of residents.

Fewer than 1,000 endocrinologists are practicing in California, and health clinics serving Medi-Cal patients in the San Joaquin Valley have a history of difficulty making referrals to those specialists, according to studies.

Gangupantula said diabetology may be an answer for bringing treatment and disease management to more diabetics in the Valley. She said there are eight fellowship programs for training primary care doctors in the country and a desire to open more.

Margo Souza of Modesto said she was glad to find Dr. G online six years ago.

“As you have it longer, you may have to add medication to keep your blood sugars down,” said Souza, who is 84. “I was not managing my diabetes. She is very committed. She really pays attention. She tries to help you with whatever you need and has a very pleasant personality.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2023 at 11:08 AM.