General surgeon F. Augustus Gus Dozier, MD, of Atlanta, Ga., and Highlands, N.C., has joined Dr. Jim Holleman of Holleman Surgical to provide expanded services to Polk County and the surrounding area. Dr. Dozier brings 36 years of experience to Holleman Surgical and St. Lukes Hospital where he will provide emergency and acute surgical care. He will be available to see new patients on Jan. 17, 2011.

Dr. Dozier joined the St. Lukes Physician Network and the medical staff of St. Lukes Hospital after serving patients at Highlands Cashiers Hospital (HCH), where he met and worked with Ken Shull, former CEO of HCH. Shull is now president/chief executive officer of St. Lukes.

I am fortunate to work in such a caring atmosphere where patients are first and quality care is foremost, Dr. Dozier said. Jim Holleman has provided exceptional surgical services to this community, and I am pleased to join him and devote my abilities to help patients seek care closer to home, friends and family.

At St. Lukes, Dr. Dozier will practice a full range of general and laparoscopic surgery with a focus on breast care for women.

Dr. Dozier remains on the staff of Emory Midtown Hospital (formerly Crawford Long) in Atlanta. He completed his general surgery residency at Georgia Baptist Medical Center (now Atlanta Medical Center) and is assistant clinical professor of surgery at the Medical College of Georgia. While teaching surgical residents at Georgia Baptist, he was named Surgical Attending of the Year.

Dr. Dozier is certified by the American Board of Surgery with additional certification in advanced trauma and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. In addition he served as a commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve for 10 years.

Shull said he is pleased Dr. Dozier is joining Dr. Holleman.

For years, Jim has been our communitys only local, full-time general surgeon, and he deserves some assistance with after hours and emergency calls, Shull said. Gus will truly be an asset to our community, not only for his skills and experience, but also for his rapport with patients and staff. He will truly add value to St. Lukes Hospital.

Dr. Dozier and Shull worked together for three years to advance accessibility and quality at HCH, and Dr. Dozier said he looks forward to working with Shull again in another small community.

I have high admiration for Ken as a person and particularly as a hospital administrator, Dr. Dozier said. He is largely why I considered resettling in Polk County. And after meeting Dr. Holleman, I am very confident that we share the same philosophy in caring for our patients.

Determined from a young age to become a doctor, Dr. Dozier received his undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1967 and graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in 1974. While in medical school, he held seven jobs to support his young family and fulfill his dreams of practicing medicine. Dr. Dozier completed his residency in 1979 and practiced and taught in Atlanta until moving to practice in North Carolina.

After 30 years in the bustling city of Atlanta, Dr. Dozier still prefers the open countryside and looks forward to moving to a small plot of land in Polk County with his two dogs, Jerry and BJ, both mutts he rescued from shelters. When hes not in the OR or seeing patients in the office, Dr. Dozier enjoys time with his children and grandchildren, snow skiing out west, golf and reading, particularly philosophical and spiritual books.

Beginning Jan. 17, Dr. Dozier will be seeing patients at Holleman Surgical, 44 Hospital Drive, Building 1A, in the medical office park on the campus of St. Lukes Hospital. For more information, call 828-894-3300.