2/1/07

Dazzling duo? Husband and wife surgeons join CMH staff
By Cathy Gilbert

CATHY GILBERT/Manning Times
Clarendon Memorial Hospital has welcomed husband and wife surgeons, Dr. Aleksandr Sokolovsky and Dr. Dawn Holman to the Clarendon Surgical Specialists practice in Manning. The pair joins Dr. Raymond Dominici as general surgeons.

Husband and wife teams are nothing new in this world. Hollywood had Bogie and Bacall; science had Pierre and Marie Curie.

And now, Clarendon Memorial Hospital has their own husband and wife team of surgeons and that makes their patients and our community doubly blessed.

Drs. Dawn Holman and Aleksandr Sokolovsky have joined Dr. Ray Dominici, himself a 15-year CMH veteran, at Clarendon Surgical Specialists, to form a triumvirate of general surgeons serving the citizens of Clarendon County.

Dr. Dawn is a native of Fayetteville, N.C., but being a “classic military brat,” as she termed it, has lived everywhere.

“I went to three high schools in three years,” she said.

She went to Houston Baptist University in Texas for her undergraduate work and medical school was at the Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Alek is a native of Moscow, Russia but immigrated to the U.S. when he was nine years old. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Missouri in St. Louis and is a graduate of the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.

It was their post-graduate work that caused the two future surgeons’ lives to collide.

“I was a resident at the Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago,” Dr. Dawn said.

“I was a medical student there,” Dr. Alek added.

In short, she was the boss, though it is obvious the two are purely peers today.

The pair sought positions where they could work together in one practice and Clarendon Surgical Specialists and at CMH was the ticket.

“We like the small setting because we can get to know our patients,” Dr. Dawn explained.

“A big city is saturated with specialists,” Dr. Alek added. “It becomes very competitive and there is no time to form a personal relationship with your patients. It’s more like assembly line work in a larger place. Here, it is all about the patient. We like that. It’s important to us.”

Dr. Alek specializes in laparoscopic surgery, or as Dr. Dawn calls it, “boys and their toys.”

Laparoscopic surgery or minimally invasive surgery, according to Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, is a modern surgical technique in which operations in the abdomen are performed through small incisions (usually 0.5 - 1.5 cm) as compared to larger incisions needed in traditional surgical procedures. Laparoscopic surgery utilizes a laparoscope, a telescopic rod lens system that is usually connected to a video camera.

Also attached is a fiber optic cable system connected to a “cold” light source (halogen or xenon), to illuminate the operative field. Thin instruments can be introduced by the surgeon through hollow sheaths. Rather than a 20 cm incision as in traditional gall bladder removal, four incisions of 0.5-1.5 cm will be sufficient to perform the procedure laparoscopically.

Even for the math challenged that is a lot less incision to deal with.

Dr. Dawn has a special interest in women’s medical issues, especially breast health.

“It is great to be able to form relationships with women, especially those who might be reluctant about talking about breast issues with a male doctor,” she said.

In fact, Dr. Dawn is the only female general surgeon in the region, according to CMH officials.

Even with their areas of special interest, both Dr. Dawn and Dr. Alek are general surgeons, meaning they can address any surgical need other than cardio-vascular, neurological or orthopaedic.

The pair came on board on Jan. 1 and has already found a full caseload.

“We really do love it here,” Dr. Dawn said. “The people, from the staff here at the hospital to the patients and their families are just so friendly.”

“We like the small hospital setting,” Dr. Alek added. “The lack of a huge amount of red tape makes it wonderful.”

While the two surgeons can be found in the OR on Wednesdays and Thursdays, they see patients in their office every day.

“We don’t believe in long waiting lists,” Dr. Alek said. “What might take three weeks to get scheduled in a larger city, we can usually address within a week.”

When they are not working Dr. Dawn likes to read, cook and shop. Dr. Alek is a major sci-fi fan (Babylon 5 is his current fascination) and plays ice hockey in the Florence-Pee Dee League for the MedStar Ice Medics.

“Clarendon Health System’s surgical capabilities continue to grow,” said Chief Operating Officer Sue Shugart. “In 2005 we adddeed our first orthopaedic surgeon in Dr. David Woodbury, and with the addition of Drs. Holman and Sokolovsky, we have more general surgeons on staff than ever before in CMH history. With these two doctors having completed their residencies in the last five years, patients can find the most up-to-date surgical techniques in this team. They are expanding the procedures offered at CMH already, and we know they will be an excellent addition to our medical staff.”

Either Dr. Dawn Holman or Dr. Aleksandr Sokolovksy can be reached through Clarendon Surgical Specialist at 435-2822.