Douglas Gresham, M.D.

Biography:

Dr. Douglas Gresham has been a cornerstone of the Savannah healthcare landscape since 1984. Board certified in internal medicine and endocrinology, Dr. Gresham operated his own private practice for 37 years before joining forces with SouthCoast Health. With business responsibilities no longer an issue, Dr. Gresham has the opportunity to focus on his passion: improving the lives of patients.

Patient care, along with a love for science and problem solving, led Dr. Gresham to begin his medical career in the late 1970s. It was during medical school when he first became attracted to endocrinology, which focuses on diagnosing, treating, and managing endocrine disorders or those affecting the body's secretion of hormones such as thyroid problems or diabetes.

“I just love to sit down with patients and discuss their problems, teach them what I can about the problems, and outline a treatment plan that will help them the most,” Dr. Gresham says. “Making a plan and seeing it come to fruition is still an incredible part of my job.” 

Dr. Gresham enhances and builds upon decades of knowledge and experience by reading medical journals, brainstorming with colleagues, and periodically attending national meetings. A fellow of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, Dr. Gresham has co-authored approximately a dozen papers in the field of organic chemistry and endocrinology.   

Helping patients with thyroid disease return to normalcy with minimal problems remains a satisfying aspect of his work. However, treating pregnant diabetic women arguably has the biggest impact on him as a physician.

“For pregnant women, Type 1 diabetes can be particularly challenging,” he explains, “and the baby’s safety can be in jeopardy. That’s when I come in, work with the patient every week, and get their diabetes under control. And before you know it, they give birth to a normal, healthy baby. I’ve had many of those experiences through the years, and it’s probably the greatest reward I see.”

In his spare time, Dr. Gresham enjoys tinkering with vintage cars. He and his wife Elise, a registered nurse, have three grown children. One child is a neurology nurse practitioner, another works in the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and their third is a computer software engineer.