At Northside Family Medicine of Johns Creek, two providers bring different journeys — and a shared belief in listening — to the practice of caring for families.
For some patients, the most important part of a doctor’s appointment happens before a prescription is written or a test is ordered.
It is the moment someone listens.
Dr. Lata Parvathaneni sees it particularly with older patients. They may arrive with questions about medication or a chronic condition, but sometimes the conversation reveals another need: someone willing to hear what is happening in their lives.
“Some of them, they just come to us to talk,” she said. “And you just have to have someone to listen to them.”
That understanding helps shape the approach at Northside Family Medicine of Johns Creek, where Parvathaneni and certified physician assistant Dawn Itzie care for patients from age 10 through adulthood. The practice combines ongoing primary care with access to Northside’s broader network of specialists, offering a place where a school physical, a new diagnosis and the challenges of aging can all become part of a continuing relationship.
For both women, getting to know the person behind the appointment is among the most rewarding parts of the work.
Two different roads to medicine
Itzie always wanted a medical career. Getting there, however, required a second start.
Originally from New Jersey, she completed her undergraduate studies in Pennsylvania and initially went into sales. The work never displaced her interest in medicine.
At 35, she decided to return to school.
She enrolled in the physician assistant program at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, trading an established career for an intensive course of study. The beach occasionally served as a study spot, but the workload left little room for the vacation atmosphere people might associate with South Florida.
Her Northside biography identifies her undergraduate institution as Muhlenberg College and notes that she has practiced in the Gwinnett County area since 1999. Her experience includes family medicine, diabetes management and general health maintenance.
Over those years, some patients have followed her from one office to another. A number of those relationships now span two decades.
“You know what’s going on in their life,” she said. “They’re willing to open up with you, and they feel comfortable.”
Parvathaneni’s path crossed countries and languages.
Growing up in India, she wanted opportunities beyond the expectations she felt surrounded young women. Her parents supported her ambition, with her father encouraging her to pursue the future she wanted.
That future took her to Moscow, where she said she learned Russian in six months before studying medicine and graduating with honors.
After returning to India, marrying and moving to the United States, she took time away from training to care for her children. She later completed her family medicine residency at Wright State University and worked in Ohio before moving to metro Atlanta in 2017.
Her family’s relocation had an unexpected catalyst: tennis. Her two daughters competed in international junior tournaments, and Atlanta offered more opportunities for outdoor play and coaching.
Today, she said, both daughters are in medical school.
Caring for the family, understanding the context
For Parvathaneni, family medicine’s appeal lies in its breadth.
A patient’s concern may involve one symptom, but understanding it can require looking across several aspects of health — and considering what is happening at home.
“We treat the whole family; it’s not just one person,” she said.
Family responsibilities, support systems and daily routines can influence whether a treatment plan is manageable. That is especially relevant when caring for older adults, whose needs may involve relatives helping with appointments, medications or transportation.
Parvathaneni said those circumstances belong in the conversation alongside medical concerns.
The practice’s services reflect that broad scope. Its website lists preventive examinations, school and sports physicals, immunizations, women’s health services and care for chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension, asthma and thyroid disorders.
Itzie describes primary care as a patient’s home base for medical care. Her schedule may include someone with a sore throat followed by someone working to manage blood pressure or blood sugar.
As a physician assistant, she evaluates patients, diagnoses and treats conditions, prescribes medication and follows laboratory results, working with the physician as part of the practice’s care team.
The continuity matters. A follow-up visit offers an opportunity to see whether a plan is working — and what might need to change.
Prevention starts with a conversation
Both providers want patients to think about primary care before an illness demands their attention.
Itzie said a person may feel well while remaining unaware of a developing health concern. Preventive appointments create time to review medical and family histories, discuss appropriate screenings and identify issues that warrant further evaluation.
The conversation also helps establish a relationship before something urgent happens.
For Parvathaneni, education is central to that process.
“My role is to educate them first and foremost,” she said.
That means explaining a condition, asking what the patient already understands and discussing how treatment fits into daily life. Lifestyle changes and medication may both have a role, she said, but patients need to understand the reasoning behind a recommendation.
She also encourages people to bring questions about medications to their provider rather than making decisions based only on something they have read online.
The goal is participation: helping patients understand their health well enough to take an active role in caring for it.
Itzie finds particular satisfaction in watching that understanding translate into progress.
“I love seeing a new diabetic get their sugars under control,” she said.
A local relationship with a larger team
Primary care also involves recognizing when another specialist’s expertise is needed.
Itzie said she manages conditions within the scope of primary care and refers patients when their needs call for additional evaluation or treatment. Consultation notes help the practice follow what happens next, while more pressing concerns may prompt a direct call to another office.
Both providers said their Northside connections support that coordination.
“We know who our specialists are, and our specialists know who we are,” Parvathaneni said.
Those relationships can help a patient move from an initial concern toward the next appropriate step while maintaining a connection with the primary care office.
For Parvathaneni, advocating for patients also includes navigating obstacles involving insurance approval. She described that work as another part of keeping the patient’s needs at the center of care.
Making room for real life
Access matters alongside familiarity.
Itzie said the growing practice often has same-day or next-day appointments available. Online scheduling and telehealth provide additional ways to connect, depending on the reason for the visit.
Parvathaneni sees particular value in virtual appointments for certain follow-ups and concerns that can be addressed remotely. A teacher may have difficulty leaving school, while an older adult may need a family member’s help to travel to an office.
For suitable visits, connecting from home can ease those logistics.
The patient portal offers access to records and results, although Parvathaneni cautions that a flagged laboratory value needs context. She encourages patients to discuss results with their provider rather than drawing conclusions from a number alone.
Technology can make contact easier. The relationship still gives that contact meaning.
For Itzie, that relationship remains the reason she changed careers all those years ago.
“I love what I do,” she said.
For Parvathaneni, it can begin with something as straightforward — and sometimes as overlooked — as giving a patient room to speak.
Northside Family Medicine of Johns Creek is located at 4385 Johns Creek Parkway, Suite 250, Suwanee. For more information or to make an appointment, call 770-476-6130 or visit familymedicinejc.com.
