When news first came out that Dr. Sima Ovais had joined the Jefferson City Medical Group as an internist, many friends, former work colleagues and other acquaintances from her 25 years in Jefferson City came to the office to see her.

“There are lots of people I know from years ago. I am so happy to come back to settle in this community,” says Dr. Ovais (pronounced o-vase).

She grew up in Iran, but became a U.S. citizen after coming to Jefferson City, where she raised two children while working and attending school. She received a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics.

Since completing her training, she is happy to be part of the community she considers home and to be back at JCMG, which she considers family.

“JCMG is a wonderful place. Because I know everybody, it feels like family,” she says.

Her earlier experience as a nurse, she believes, has enhanced her skills as a doctor. Being able to connect easily with patients helps her deliver patient-centered care, which is the hallmark of the JCMG practice.

As an internist, Dr. Ovais provides comprehensive care of common and complex adult illnesses. She promotes disease prevention and health maintenance and diagnoses and treats acute and chronic medical problems. She has a special interest in the areas of anemia and other blood disorders. She particularly likes the challenge of diagnosing illnesses.

Out of the office, much of her time is spent reading. “In the medical field, every second there is something new,” she notes. “You always have to be on top of new research and new treatments.”

She enjoys visiting her daughter, a PhD graduate of Harvard University, who is now living in New York City and working as an assistant professor at Columbia University. Her son is a junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia.