Top honor goes to Modesto doctor caring for diabetic patients. It’s an epidemic, she says
A Modesto physician has received a prestigious award from the California Medical Association for exemplifying the ethics and dedication of a rural doctor.
Dr. Gopika Gangupantula has gained attention for her culturally competent care for patients with diabetes. Most patients referred to “Dr. G” have uncontrolled diabetes and come from Modesto and other Stanislaus cities, San Joaquin County, Merced, Los Banos, Madera and towns in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
“She relates to patients very well,” said Brande Carney, a patient from Modesto. “She treats them as if they are family. You just have to be open and tell her how you’re feeling and your pain levels. With diabetes, you need to have a doctor who cares.”
The medical association gave Gangupantula the Frederick K.M. Plessner Memorial Award at an annual meeting in October in recognition of her efforts to expand access to care for underserved patients in the region.
Gangupantula’s practice is a testament to the emerging field of diabetology, which is made up of doctors trained specifically to care for diabetic patients. She has been a physician in Modesto for 22 years, first working for Kaiser Permanente and Golden Valley Health Centers, and found her calling amid an epidemic of diabetes in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
Partly driven by her father’s struggles with diabetes, Dr. G completed a one-year diabetology fellowship at East Carolina University in 2011 and returned to Modesto.
She was clinical director of advanced diabetes management for the Golden Valley centers, starting five diabetes specialty clinics for the Merced-based organization.
Patients had been sent outside Modesto and other Valley cities to see specialists but ran into transportation issues. The diabetologist said the worst complications of diabetes are seen too often in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, including amputations and high rates of end-stage kidney disease.
Dr. G and her husband, Sachin Gangupantula — a board-certified healthcare manager — launched Valley Diabetes & Obesity as an independent practice in 2017. It is at 1213 Coffee Road in Modesto.
The doctor also was asked to see diabetic patients at the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency specialty clinic on McHenry Avenue and saw as many patients as she could on a part-time basis.
Dr. G is originally from southern India, where her mother, grandfather and great-grandfather were doctors. “My mother taught me how to be compassionate and how to listen to patients,” Gangupantula said. “She would really listen to her patients and then come up with a plan. … My father taught me to work hard, face challenges and never stop attaining knowledge.”
The doctor said she specializes in evaluating the patient as a whole and customizing a treatment plan for the individual. Education is an important part of managing the patients, who will need to make lifestyle changes in terms of diet, exercise and watching their blood sugar levels.
Dr. G speaks English, Spanish, Punjabi and three other Indian languages, which equips her for medical practice in the diverse Central Valley.
In a 2020 study, primary care doctors in California and Florida reported little confidence in providing care for patients with Type 1 diabetes. Because of a national shortage of endocrinologists, the concentration of those specialists who care for diabetic patients varies widely by geographic area in the United States.
According to a community health assessment in 2020, Stanislaus County has a higher percentage of adults with diabetes than the rest of the state, reaching as high as 14.2% in the past decade.
Kyle Sires Jr., 20, of Oakdale, discovered Dr. G’s practice within a few months of learning he had diabetes and that the metabolic disorder was now part of his daily life. He said the doctor made him comfortable about wearing a glucose monitor and insulin pump.
“She is super nice,” Sires said. “If there is ever a concern, she is there to break it down for you. She is patient and you can tell she cares about what she does.”
Patient’s blood sugar was out of control
Carney said he was seeing a doctor with a large healthcare corporation and enduring glucose readings in the 200s or higher, even though he was on medication. Another doctor referred him to Valley Diabetes.
“When I was out of control, my blood sugar would drop and I was sweating and had swollen limbs from fluid retention,” Carney said. “My numbers now range from 120 to 150. That is the normal range for me now.”
The Plessner Award winner said she believes Central Valley diabetes rates are escalating because there’s less education about the disease, there are barriers to accessing health care and a shortage of healthcare providers.
Gangupantula said she and her husband have no immediate plans to change the Modesto practice or branch out. They are hoping to add a physician assistant to help with the primary care side of the practice. Medical students are sent to the office for clinical rotations.
Earlier this year, the county Health Services Agency turned over its specialty clinic on McHenry Avenue to the nonprofit Golden Valley Health Centers. Gangupantula said the last she heard, the county has not decided whether to continue the diabetes clinic at another site and is managing those patients with current staff.
“This is something huge for me,” Gangupantula said of the CMA award. “It is acknowledging the care I provide daily and the commitment to my patients. It is a profound honor to be recognized among so many physicians.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 10:49 AM.
