New WHS OB/GYN Dr. Joseph Meyn Is Glad to Be Back in Western Pennsylvania

By Andrew Wilson

After spending the past couple years working in the western United States, Joseph Meyn, M.D., a western Pennsylvania native, is excited to bring his obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) practice to Washington Health System (WHS).

“It’s good to be home,” says Dr. Meyn, who grew up in Grove City, PA and earned two undergraduate degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. “My parents are getting older, so it’s good to be close to them in case they need help.”

Family is important to Dr. Meyn, a fifth-generation physician who understandably credits his family as the biggest influence on him pursuing a career in medicine. His family has a distinguished legacy, too, as his great, great grandfather was a physician in a rural part of Missouri and had such an impact on his patients’ lives that the county was named after him. This type of dedication to patients has also been passed down to him.

“I’ve found that the most important responsibility is to listen to your patients and be timely,” he said.

As an OB/GYN, he believes good prenatal care is the key to achieving the ultimate goal which is having a healthy baby. This can be especially true when dealing with a woman’s first pregnancy.

“First time mothers don’t know what to expect,” he said. “They have a lot more questions than a mother who has been through it before, but that’s absolutely okay. I always say that I like to deal with small snowballs instead of an avalanche.”

Dr. Meyn describes himself as a “lifetime learner” and a “voracious reader” and not just medical journals. He says he enjoys reading technical journals and history, particularly Greek and Roman history.

“I have had a very good liberal arts education. I have a very curious mind and like to learn new things,” he said, before adding with a laugh, “You can’t get me out of a Barnes and Noble store in under an hour.”

When he’s not reading, he enjoys being outdoors and lists hiking, biking, hunting and fishing. “Being active outdoors has good mental health benefits,” he said.

Being a voracious reader is important not just for learning or enjoyment, but because medical science is growing at a rate rarely seen if ever.

“The volume of medical information doubles every few years,” said Dr. Meyn. “There is always something new being researched and developed.”

Dr. Meyn credits having worked outside of western Pennsylvania as giving him a great perspective on providing care to his patients.

“I’ve worked in a number of different systems both in Pennsylvania and out west,” he said. “Every place has its challenges.”

He says that one of the challenges that exists in the western US is access to healthcare. While he enjoys working in more rural settings, the greatest problems can involve patients’ access to quality health care.

“People out west may live a hundred miles or more from the nearest hospital, and from the physician’s perspective, you need to have a good peer group to interact with,” he said. “Western Pennsylvania doesn’t have any problems with access or quality.”

One of the things he appreciates about WHS is the collegiality of the medical staff.

“WHS has a very good group of physicians, and we like each other and work together well,” he said. “That benefits our patients. I’ve studied all my life to make sick people better, and I’m looking forward to having a positive impact and helping people.”

WHS OB/GYN Care has a longstanding commitment to provide care to the women of Washington, Greene, and Allegheny counties and has been serving the tri-county area for more than 50 years. They provide a full range of comprehensive obstetrical and gynecological care to the community while still providing personalized attention to each patient.

For more information, please visit WHS on the web at whs.org/obgyn or call (724) 225-3640.