Contributed photo ETSU Health welcomes the former Medical Specialists of Johnson City to ETSU Health Rheumatology in Johnson City. Pictured from left are Dr. Gerald Falasca, Dr. Rania Al Asmar, nurse practitioners Amanda Ledford, Ashley Stewart, Summer Hopson and Melissa Parrish, and Dr. James Baker.

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ETSU Health is pleased to welcome seven rheumatology providers to our clinic in Johnson City.

The former Medical Specialists of Johnson City practice joined ETSU Health Rheumatology effective June 30, 2025.

This transition ensures that these dedicated providers will continue to deliver attentive, high-quality care, now with the added benefit of the support and resources within ETSU Health’s academic medicine network.

“We are pleased to welcome these providers who have long served our community with excellence,” said Dr. William Block, chief executive officer for ETSU Health and dean of ETSU’s Quillen College of Medicine. “By joining ETSU Health’s network of primary care physicians and specialists, these providers and their patients will benefit from the best in care coordination and team-based, multidisciplinary care.”

Joining ETSU Health are:
Dr. Rania Al Asmar
Dr. James Baker
Dr. Gerald Falasca
Summer Hopson, NP
Amanda Ledford, NP
Melissa Parrish, NP
Ashley Stewart, NP

Drs. Baker, Al Asmar and Falasca will join Quillen’s faculty, training the next generation of physicians to serve in underserved areas with quality, affordable care. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked ETSU Health’s Quillen College of Medicine as No. 2 in the nation for graduates who serve in medically needy areas.

“Together, these physicians and nurse practitioners will strengthen our mission and advance our vision to be the practice of choice, meeting all the health care needs of our community,” said Dr. Deidre Pierce, chair for ETSU’s Department of Internal Medicine.

ETSU Health Rheumatology is located at 329 N. State of Franklin Road in Johnson City. For more information, call (423) 979-4100 or visit ETSUHealth.org.

With 30 clinical sites and more than 300 health care providers, ETSU Health is on the front lines of efforts to improve the health of Northeast Tennessee by offering leading-edge health care in dozens of specialties.