Chester native returns home to provide compassionate care

Born and raised in Chester, South Carolina, Courtney Wright, M.D., always dreamed of becoming a doctor. Through years of medical school and completing her residency in Columbia, she decided to come home and give back to the community that shaped her. Now, Wright has become the newest primary care provider joining the team at MUSC Health Lowrys Primary Care in Chester. 

“My heart is near and dear to medicine. I always knew that I wanted to help others, but I just felt a strong desire to come back and give to my community,” said Wright. “I feel like my community has sewn so much into my life and helped me to become the physician that I am today.”

Wright brings a thoughtful, evidence-based approach to Lowrys Primary Care, focusing on patient-centered care, a quality that she’s found her patients to love, too. When discussing a diagnosis or treatment plan, Wright said she likes to use a more personalized approach by sharing recent research or articles she has read to give the patient more confidence and information on their treatments. 

In addition to her general practice, she has a passion for addressing the need for women’s health services in rural areas, like pap smears and contraceptive management. She also shared details on a new, innovative tool called a point-of-care ultrasound that she describes as a “really cool” advancement for rural clinics. This kind of technology helps her to make quicker and more accurate diagnoses for things like detecting a thyroid nodule or a knee effusion. 

“Patient-centered care, to me, means sitting down and actually listening to the patient's concerns, not only with what they're saying verbally but paying attention to body language and to those needs that may be unspoken,” explained Wright. “I think that a good physician is able to pick up on all of those things in order to determine what that patient may need.”

After 11 years of being away from home while studying medicine, Wright is excited to reengage with the town she loves. She hopes to give back in meaningful ways and become an active part of the community she has missed and cherishes. Now, Wright is excited to be able to call Chester home once again – finally. 

“I just sat and thought about the opportunity and how cool it is to come back to my hometown and to give back to that community,” said Wright. “Chester is like a diamond in the rough.”