Dr. Ramanujan “Ram” Samavedy recently joined The University of Tennessee Medical Center as a gastroenterologist. Dr. Samavedy becomes the region’s first fellowship trained physician in endoscopic ultrasound, a high-tech procedure that screens for various types of cancers and tumors in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Samavedy will practice with University Gastroenterology, P.C.

“Dr. Samavedy is an outstanding physician with excellent training,” said Renee Hawk, vice president of the Cancer Institute at UT Medical Center. “In fact, only 16 physicians nationwide are fellowship trained in endoscopic ultrasound each year. We know Dr. Samavedy’s expertise will begin immediately benefitting patients throughout our region.”

Before coming to Tennessee, Dr. Samavedy practiced medicine with GI Associates in Milwaukee, Wis. He also previously worked as a staff physician at Indianapolis V.A. Medical Center in Indianapolis.

Dr. Samavedy’s Therapeutic Endoscopy Fellowship at St. Luke’s Pancreato-biliary Center in Milwaukee is the latest in his extensive list of medical training accomplishments. He completed his residency and a fellowship at Indiana University, and an internship at State University of New York in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Samavedy completed medical school at Pondicherry University in Puducherry, India. He received numerous honors of distinction for his work in surgery, pathology, microbiology, anatomy, biochemistry, physiology and radiology.

“The contributions of UT Medical Center and its dedicated centers of excellence are invaluable to Knoxville and East Tennessee,” said Dr. Samavedy. “I realize that as I bring new skills to the medical center, it appears to be a perfect fit with UT Medical Center’s continued mission of excellence in patient care and providing the most advanced treatment options possible. In addition, the opportunity to be involved in the development of future doctors at the region’s only academic medical center gives me immense satisfaction.”

Dr. Samavedy’s interests include providing comprehensive care for digestive disorders with specific focus on the screening and staging of colon, esophageal and pancreatic cancer. In addition to endoscopic ultrasound, Dr. Samavedy specializes in pancreato-biliary endoscopy. One of his primary tenets of practicing medicine is to listen carefully to his patients and individualize care for their specific digestive disorders.

In an endoscopic ultrasound, a long flexible tube is inserted through the mouth and down the esophagus to examine the digestive tract. Simultaneously, a small ultrasound transducer attached to the end of that tube obtains high quality ultrasound images of the organs inside the body. The proximity of the transducer to the body’s organs results in images that are often better detailed than those typically obtained by a traditional ultrasound.

Dr. Samavedy lives in West Knoxville with his wife, Nalini, and their daughter, Aditi. In his off-time, Dr. Samavedy enjoys backpacking, tennis and spending time with his family.