Each year, Cary Magazine honors young people who are making a lasting impact in Western Wake, whether they are entrepreneurs or educators, artists or advocates. These three honorees hold the health and well-being of the community (and its pets!) in their hands.
Dr. Christopher McGowan
Founder and Medical Director, True You Weight Loss
Dr. McGowan knows better than most that while both diet and exercise are critical to good health, they don’t do much to move the scale. Research shows that the average weight loss achieved through diet and exercise is just 1-4% of total body weight. “So for anyone who feels like a failure when dieting hasn’t worked,” McGowan says, “you shouldn’t.” Our bodies are skilled at maintaining weight and will, in fact, fight our efforts, according to McGowan. “That’s why we sometimes need weight loss tools to disrupt those innate mechanisms so that the work can finally work,” he says.
After he completed medical school and finished his gastroenterology subspecialty training at UNC, McGowan saw many patients battling obesity-related problems such as gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulosis, fatty liver disease, and even cancer. Treatment options for obesity were almost nonexistent, except for bariatric surgery, which most people didn’t want. As a result, for a GI such as McGowan, there were few options to help his patients lose weight.
Then came the advent of endoscopic tools that can help patients lose weight without incisions or prolonged downtime, and an entire world of options became available for McGowan’s patients. “As an early pioneer in the field of endoscopic bariatrics,” he shares, “I immediately experienced the impact these procedures could offer — not just for weight but for health, confidence, and quality of life — and I was hooked.”
For someone who derives motivation from his patients, McGowan acknowledges that helping people achieve sustainable success is a “joy and privilege to witness.”
In 2020, McGowan founded the first dedicated endoscopic bariatric practice in the country. He continues to focus his energy on improving his patients’ health and advancing and innovating in his field.
Dr. Dwijesh (DJ) B. Patel
Interventional Cardiologist, Rex Hospital
Described by his employer, UNC Health Rex Heart and Vascular, as “highly respected among his peers and equally loved by his patients and coworkers alike,” Dr. Patel has been profoundly inspired by mentor physicians throughout his journey as a cardiologist. But it is his sister and mother who were what Patel describes as “instrumental mentors in my early life.” Their support provided “the foundation upon which I built my aspirations and pursued my dreams,” he says.
Indeed, when Patel emigrated to the US from India when he was in high school, it was with his mother and sister and thanks to the support of his uncle and “wonderful family.” After completing his undergraduate studies at UNC-Chapel Hill and then earning his medical degree and solidifying his passion for cardiology throughout his residency and specialized training in general cardiology, Patel further honed his skills by completing advanced training in interventional cardiology. He is currently a member of the North Carolina Heart and Vascular at UNC Rex Hospital and has the additional privilege of caring for patients at Wayne Memorial Hospital in Goldsboro as the director of the catheterization lab.
It’s perhaps not surprising — owing to the mentorship he has cherished throughout his life — that Patel’s leadership style “defies firm categorization” and instead draws elements from servant and identity leadership. “I believe in serving others with empathy and humility, prioritizing their needs and growth,” Patel says. “I empower individuals to embrace their identities and strengths, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment.”
Dr. Brad Waffa
Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Truss Vet – Veterinary Urgent Care
For Dr. Waffa, staking his family’s future wholly on Truss Vet means that an outlet for the pressure is important. Thankfully, Waffa benefits from interests that range from photographing the various “random things” he likes to collect to maintaining a collection of bonsai trees. A self-described “dinosaur kid who never grew up,” Waffa has spent much of his life keeping and breeding a large collection of rare reptiles; he later served on the board of the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians. Waffa also co-founded the Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to empowering veterinarians who keep honeybees and support bee health. Oh, and he also once biked continuously from Paris to the western coast of France.
When it comes to starting a business, Waffa explains: “Entrepreneurs are inspired by a desire to solve problems, and then operating a business is the slow, painful exercise through which you learn you’re wrong about most things.” The lesson in humility has resulted in a mindset shift. “I’m increasingly convinced that the most successful people in business are not necessarily brilliant or even that smart,” Waffa says, “but simply adaptable and willing to listen to those closer to the problems than they are.”
Since starting a family and launching a new business almost simultaneously, one of Waffa’s greatest challenges has been finding balance. Although his interests offer diversion, Waffa “battles a constant tendency toward overcommitment.” But something else he has discovered is that “Your life will not make time for you. Your greatest regrets in life will be for the opportunities you chose to forego because you thought there would be enough time.”
