Find Your Way: Illness, Doctors, and Healthcare

Gibson, Maria V.: - Maria Gibson, MD, PhD is a Board-certified family physician in Phoenix, Arizona, a Certified Physician Executive and a Clinical Professor at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Phoenix. Dr. Gibson grew up in Siberia and earned her MD and PhD degrees at the Siberian State Medical University, where the science of Western medicine merges with Eastern medicine practices. Her research in Siberia was dedicated to the study of alternative and balneological treatments of acute and chronic pelvic pain. Upon moving to the United States in 1996, Dr. Gibson completed a family medicine residency at Duke University and a fellowship in integrative medicine at Andrew Weil Center of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. As faculty at the Siberian State Medical University, Medical University of South Carolina and Emory University, she trained and mentored hundreds of medical students, family medicine physicians and physician-executives. Over three decades, her holistic approach, expertise in medical science and integrative medicine knowledge have helped thousands of patients return to health. In her book, Dr. Gibson reveals her struggles of going through her own illness as a patient, experiencing the vulnerability and uncertainty of a life-changing diagnosis. Through her personal and patients' journeys, Dr. Gibson tells stories of recovery and healing and brings practical lessons on how to take charge of your health, become your clinician's partner and use healthcare services in accordance with your personal goals, culture, and budget.