Meet John Sorboro, MD, ABPN, head addiction medicine services physician at Mercy Health Youngstown’s New Start chemical dependency program. His specialty is addiction psychiatry. He also serves as the fellowship program director and is a fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
Dr. Sorboro has been practicing medicine for nearly 30 years and first started at Mercy Health – St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital back in 1994. Then in 2007, he started his own clinic in Kent, Ohio, which he later sold in 2018 when he moved to Arizona.
Last year, he and his wife returned to northeast Ohio to be closer to their children and run a small farm. He is grateful to Jim Kravec, MD, FACP, chief clinical officer for Mercy Health – Youngstown, for asking him to return to the area and continue to care for the people of the Mahoning Valley.
“My father worked running the radiology department at the VA hospital and wanted his sons to be doctors,” Dr. Sorboro shares. “He was a tremendous influence on me and so I followed the path he set out for me. He was wise, it was the right decision for me.”
Dr. Sorboro takes pride in helping his patients, not just as a doctor, but as a human trying to help each person make informed choices about their health. This includes those who have lost trust in institutions and even the people around them.
“My favorite things about being a physician are talking with patients in a way that surprises them, as well as helping individuals overcome their struggle with addiction,” he says. “People do not trust many institutions, including medicine. All of this has eroded many people’s trust in the medical profession. Our responsibility is to advocate for our patients and take care of them. It is about them, not us.”
Outside of work, Dr. Sorboro enjoys playing jazz, cooking and exercising. If he wasn’t a provider, he says you’d be able to find him working as a late-night jazz pianist at a bar outside Yellowstone Park.
Help us celebrate National Doctors’ Day by sharing a heartfelt message of appreciation for your Mercy Health provider! Please visit mercy.com/doctorsday before March 30 to submit your message of thanks.
