Meet The Surgeons
of Bristol Surgical Associates
Providing Compassionate Care
Our group of surgeons are dedicated to the finest technical, compassionate, and personalized multi-specialty surgical care for the people of the Appalachian Highlands.
Meet Our Surgeons
D. Nelson Gwaltney | M.D., F.A.C.S.
General & Vascular Surgery
- Medical School: University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR 1978
- Internship: Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta GA 1978-1979
- Residency: Emory University Affiliated Program 1978-1983
- Fellowship: Emory University, Atlanta, GA 1983-84
- Certification: American Board of Surgery, 1984; Recertification 1994, 2004, 2015 | Vascular Surgery, 1989; Recertification 1998, 2008, 2019, 2020 | Critical Care 1992; Recertification 2012
Benjamin S. Scharfstein, Jr. | M.D., F.A.C.S.
General & Vascular Surgery
- Undergraduate: Vanderbilt University; Bachelor’s of Science 1990-1994
- Medical School: University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, TN 1994-1998
- Internship: East Tennessee State University, James H. Quillen College of Medicine, Johnson City, TN 1998-1999
- Residency: East Tennessee State University , James H. Quillen College of Medicine , Johnson City TN 1999-2003
- Certification: American Board of Surgery, 2004; Recertification, 2015
- Medical Director of Trauma Services at Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center
- Chief of Staff Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center—2017
- Certified Advanced Trained on da Vinci Surgical System and Single Site Platform, Intuitive Approved Proctor for General Surgery Robotics; 1 of top 4 proctors in the state of Tennessee.
Sidney W. Collins, Jr. | M.D., F.A.C.S.
General & Vascular Surgery
- Medical School: University of Arkansas College of Medicine Little Rock, AR 2002
- Residency: East Tennessee State University Department of Surgery, Johnson City, TN 2007
- Certification: American Board of Surgery, 2007; Recertification 2018, 2020
- Certified Advanced Trained on da Vinci Surgical System and Single Site Platform
Paige C. Furrow | M.D., F.A.C.S.
General & Vascular Surgery
- Medical School: University of Virginia School of Medicine-Charlottesville, VA 2004
- Residency: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center-Winston-Salem, NC 2009
- Certification: American Board of Surgery, 2011
- Certified Advanced Trained da Vinci Surgical System and Single Site Platform
Eugene C. McClintic | M.D., F.A.C.S.
General Surgery
- Medical School: University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 1984-1988
- Residency in General Surgery: Memorial Medical Center, Savannah, GA 1988-1993
- Certification: American Board of Surgery, 1994; Recertification 2003, 2013
- Private Practice, General Surgery at Surgical Associates, PC 1993-2015
- Certified Advanced Trained on da Vinci Surgical System and Single Site Platform
John F. Vance | D.O., F.A.C.S.
General Surgery
- Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA
- Internship: East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
- Residency: East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
- Certification: American Board of Surgery, 2020
- Certified Advanced Trained on da Vinci Surgical System and Single Site Platform
Jessica N. McCracken | D.O.
General Surgery
- Medical School: Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN 2013
- Residency: Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, Wyandotte, MI 2013-2018
- Certification: American Osteopathic Board of Surgery, 2018
- Certified Advanced Trained on da Vinci Surgical System and Single Site Platform
Jake F. Sides | M.D.
GENERAL & VASCULAR SURGERY
- Medical School: University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
- Residency: Christiana Care Health System, Newark, Delaware
- Certification: American Board of Surgery, 2021
- Certified Advanced Trained on da Vinci Surgical System and Single Site Platform
Emeritus
Charles Harkrader, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Talmadge Buchanan, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Frank Blanton, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S.
L. Dow Strader, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S.
Kermit Lowry, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S.
Thomas C. Greene, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Glenn H. Birkitt, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S.
Michael D. Rowell, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Robert H. Blanton, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S.
Our Team
Dedicated to Your Well-Being
From medical assistants, to billing and insurance specialists, and front office team members, Bristol Surgical has a robust support system to provide you with the care and attention you need.
