RANDOLPH, Vt., July 3, 2023—Dr. Andrea Mendelssohn has joined Gifford Health Care, providing care as part of the Obstetrics, Gynecology, Midwifery team at Gifford Medical Center.
As a general obstetrician-gynecologist, Mendelssohn sees women of all ages, from teenagers to women experiencing menopause. She provides a wide range of services, routine to emergency, delivers babies and supports Gifford midwives, and performs surgery.
Mendelssohn takes a holistic approach to patient care.
“I’m very aware of how all parts of the body are wired and speak to other parts,” she said. “The body is very wise, and the best kind of medicine is to support the body healing and to know that the body knows what to do best. That applies to illness, or delivering babies.”
Mendelssohn was drawn to Gifford in part by the reputation of its midwives.
“I love and appreciate midwifery, and I feel really privileged to be here supporting all these great midwives,” she said.
A California native, Mendelssohn brings to her role over 20 years of experience as a physician, including most recently at a clinic in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. She decided to join the team at Gifford for personal reasons.
“Like everybody, COVID threw my life up in the air,” said Mendelssohn, who during the pandemic was working as a locum tenens, or substitute provider. “Also, my father recently passed away, and the focus of my life changed. I realized I could go somewhere else if I wanted. I began thinking of beautiful places, and a Gifford recruiter called a few days later.”
“I came here and thought, this place is so special,” she said. “I am really happy to be here, and I never want to leave.”
Mendelssohn, a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and former member of the San Francisco Gynecologic Society, is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology. She has received several professional honors, including being named Best Physician 2003, Reader’s Choice, by The Daily Review; the William P. Devereux Award for Resident Research; and several patient-nominated Excellence in Patient Service awards. She writes and presents on a variety of topics, including her current work-in-progress on “Preserving Women’s Worth and Wealth During Divorce and Custody.” Her previous experience includes positions at Marshall Medical OB/Gyn Clinic, Placerville, Calif.; OB Hospitalist Group, Berkeley, Calif.; East Bay Women’s Health, Oakland, Calif.; Castro Valley Women’s Health, Castro Valley, Calif.; Bay Valley Medical Group, Hayward, Calif.; and Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, Texas. She completed her residency at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas; earned her medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, N.H.; and her bachelor’s degree from Brown University in Providence, R.I.
When not at work, she enjoys spending time in nature, being active, and caring for her two new puppies.
For more information about the Obstetrics, Gynecology, Midwifery team at Gifford, visit giffordhealthcare.org.
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Gifford is a community hospital in Randolph, Vt., with family health centers in Berlin, Bethel, Chelsea, Randolph, and Rochester, and specialty services throughout central Vermont. A Federally Qualified Health Center and a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the country, Gifford is a full-service hospital with a 24-hour emergency department and inpatient unit; many surgical services; an adult day program; 49-unit independent living facility, and a nursing home. The hospital’s mission is to improve individual and community health by providing and assuring access to affordable, high-quality health care in Gifford’s service area.
