Name
Sonia E. Richards, MD
Residency Program
Family Medicine
Program Year
Alumni
Medical School
St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine
Home
Lawrenceville, GA
About
Why did you choose a career in family medicine?
Family physicians from the beginning of time, play a vital role in our society. There is a place for specialists, however there is always the need for Family physicians who know, understand and care for the full range of the human lifespan. Sometimes we care for an entire family and that has been my experience. I think that being a family physician allows you to do better care across the spectrum and attend to the unique needs of the family.
What are some of your fondest memories of medical school?
I went to medical school in Grand Cayman, and while there, I was able to import a car from Japan. This car had a TV in the dashboard! The awesome thing was, I was able to drive my car onto the beach, study in my car, or on the sands and then relax while watching TV. Better still, the programs were from the states and so I could keep up with happenings stateside and watch usual familiar programming.
What drew you to pursue the Family Medicine residency program at NGMC?
I was already acquainted with NGMC since 1997, when I taught nursing at Brenau and precepted those students here. Just prior to residency, I also did three of my medical school elective rotations with NGMC and one of my rotations was with Dr. Mannepalli in Infectious Disease. I had the opportunity while working with her, to sit in on meetings as the hospital made plans for Covid -19 – and so, I was well acquainted with the program in its initial stages.
What were your favorite clubs/activities in high school?
When I was in high school in Jamaica, I was a member of the Red Cross. I remember those high school years dressed in the white blouse and white skirts and red caps with a black neck tie. I remember that we would meet after school to learn first aid and general health topics. We would all leave together to go to The Princess Margaret Hospital in our school town and volunteer our services there. I had no aspirations at that time to be a physician. It was just something that I loved to do.
What are your hobbies?
Gardening, gardening, gardening. I love the spring, and I can’t wait to start revamping my gardens. This year my husband and I plan to plant a variety of vegetables, so stay tuned!
Do you have a special interest in the field of family medicine (psychiatric patients, heart disease, management, etc.)?
At this moment, my special interest is in congenital heart disease. Currently our family is getting acquainted with advocacy with Egleston’s Children’s Hospital in Atlanta. We hope to be more involved with the issues of congenital heart disease with children and their families.
What is the strangest diagnosis you ever encountered?
Many years ago, I had a patient who presented with swelling of the lips and eyelids and no one at the time could figure out why this was happening to her. She had no previous allergies or any other issues of concern known to her and had no respiratory distress. However, with careful digging and going through her medication list I realized that she was on lisinopril. And so, with further searching and testing I found that she had C1 esterase deficiency, ACEi induced angioedema. At that time 20 years ago, I did not have in-depth knowledge about this autoimmune adverse response with ace inhibitors.