Meet the Team

All professionals at Digestive Disease Associates of York County maintain the highest levels of accreditation and pursue ongoing education to stay abreast of the latest trends in the medical field. Read on to learn more about our staff's experience and training.

Physicians

Dr. Bret M. Garretson

Dr. Bret M. Garretson has been with the practice since 2004. His undergraduate studies were done at La. Tech University. He went to medical school at LSU Medical Center in Shreveport. His internal medicine residency was performed at the University of TN in Knoxville. His gastroenterology fellowship was performed at Ochsner Medical Foundation in New Orleans where he served as Chief Fellow. He is a member of the South Carolina Medical Society, American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

 

Dr. Nirav N. Patel

Dr. Nirav N. Patel has been with the practice since 2006. After completing his undergraduate studies at Boston University, he did graduate studies at Boston University School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from St. George's School of Medicine. His internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship were done at New Jersey Medical School, where he also served as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine. He is a member of American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

 

Dr. Larry H. Pennington

Dr. Larry H. Pennington has joined the practice in August 1998. His undergraduate studies were done at Clemson University.  While there he studied electrical engineering and graduating with honors in 1987.  Afterwards he attended medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina with graduation completed in 1991. Subsequently he completed his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest Universityin 1998. He is a member of the South Carolina Medical Society, American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

 

Dr. Scott C. Richardson

Dr. Scott C. Richardson has been with the practice since 2002. He finished his undergraduate degree at University of Michigan College of LSA. He then completed medical school at University of Michigan Medical School. His internal medicine residency was done at University of TN Medical Center in Knoxville, and his gastroenterology fellowship was done at University Hospitals of Cleveland. He is a member of the South Carolina Medical Society

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Dr. Birju D. Shah

Dr. Birju D. Shah joined the practice in 2018. He graduated with a degree in Microbiology from the University of Texas, and subsequently earned his medical degree at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York, NY. Dr. Shah then moved to Cleveland, OH for his internal medicine residency at Case Western Reserve University (Metrohealth), where he also served as Chief Resident. He also completed his fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the same institution. He is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

 

Dr. Amir N. Rezk

Dr. Amir N. Rezk joined the practice in 2018. He did his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA, where he also served as Chief Fellow. Dr. Rezk is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

 

Dr. Chiemeziem G. Eke

Dr. Chiemeziem G. Eke joined the practice in August 2023. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch. He completed his internal medicine residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX then completed gastroenterology and hepatology fellowship at Methodist Health System in Dallas, TX. Dr. Eke is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

 

Nurse Practitioners

Our nurse practitioners help with seeing new patients, consults and return visits. They also help monitor our patients on Hepatitis C treatment.

Amanda M. Lanthier, APRN, ACNP-BC

She completed her Associate Degree studies in Nursing at Palm Beach Community College where she was on the Dean's list and earned a certificate of appreciation for time donated to service. She then earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Florida Atlantic University where she graduates Summa Cum Laude. After this, she went to the University of South Alabama where she earned her MSN/Adult Acute Care Nursing Practioner degree.

 

Lauren Jarrett, NP-C

She completed her Bachelors of Nursing at Milligan College. She worked as a nurse intern at Johnson City Medical Center in the Neonatal ICU. She then worked as a registered nurse at Johnson City Medical Center in the Pediatric ICU and ER. She earned her Masters of Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner degree at East Tennessee State University. She is licensed as an advanced practice nurse and is AANP certified.

 

 

Jennifer Cooper, AG-ACNP-BC

Jennifer completed her Associates of Science in Nursing in 2010 at York Technical College in Rock Hill, SC. She went on to work as a Registered Nurse on a Progressive Care Unit at Piedmont Medical Center where she later transitioned to the Emergency Department. She earned her Master’s in Science of Nursing in 2016 at Walden University where she was a member of the Golden Key Honor Society and completed clinical rotation in Emergency, Pulmonary, Internal and Gastrointestinal Medicine. She holds certification with the American Nurses Credentialing Center as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and is Board Certified and Licensed with the South Carolina Board of Nursing.

   


Practice Manager

Marnee Jordan

Marnee Jordan has been practice manager for the group since 1993. She earned her Associates Degree in Arts at York Technical College and earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Administration at Coastal Carolina University. Her duties are to help the office run efficiently as well as help address any problems that arise in the office. She coordinates the daily functions of our group.

 

Our Staff

We have very devoted and helpful staff members at our clinic.

The front desk staff at our Rock Hill Office will help you with your check-in process and fill out your paperwork.  They arrange appointments for both of our offices.  They also answer phone calls and take messages from our patients.

Our billing and insurance staff is responsible for insurance claims, posting of payments to your account, and can also help answer questions about your account, co-pays, and deductibles related to your medical insurance.

Our scheduling staff at the Rock Hill office are responsible for arranging all procedure scheduling and instructions, including our open access colonoscopies. They also assist in answering questions about procedures and rescheduling of procedures if necessary.

We provide ultrasound services at our office and have a very helpful and friendly ultrasound tech that will help instruct you on the ultrasound procedure.

Contact Us

Please allow up to 48 hrs for a response. If you have an urgent matter please call our office 803-324-7607