Dr. Craig Cole has joined the medical staff of Troy Regional Medical Center as its newest general surgeon.

Cole comes to Troy from practices in Jackson and, previously, Jackson, Miss., which is his home.

“My father was a pediatric allergist and I was interested in medicine but my undergraduate degree at Ole Miss was in engineering,” Cole said.

When he followed in his father’s footsteps, Cole veered from the path of pediatrics.

“I’m not the kind of person who wants to give pills and then wait to see what happens,” he said, with a smile. “I like to see immediate results. That’s why I chose surgery.”

Cole refers to himself as a “do-er.”

“Almost all surgeons are ‘go and do’ kind of people,” he said.

Cole’s first interest was orthopedic surgery but, at the University of Virginia Medical School, he was drawn to general surgery.

As a go-do kind of guy, Cole liked the hurry up lifestyle of the big city hospitals in Jackson, Miss.,. However, in recent years, his leanings were more toward smaller hospitals with family-style care. When his former “boss” at Jackson, Teresa Grimes, Troy Regional Medical Center’s CEO, offered him the opportunity to work one weekend a month at the TRMC emergency room, he quickly accepted.

“I came in February and really liked TRMC,” he said. “So, when I had the opportunity to join the staff as a general surgeon, I again accepted. I liked the facility; the surgical coverage was good and I was most impressed by the city’s commitment to the hospital.

“The city leaders obviously want a quality product in its hospital and, when I saw that the mayor was on board, I knew that the city cares about what happens to the hospital. TRMC has a lot of potential.”

Cole has an office with Dr. Reza Seirafi in the Doctor’s Center and has office hours on Mondays and Wednesdays.

His wife is a nurse and will soon join the TRMC staff. They are making their home on Murphree Street in Troy.

“When we have time, we’d like to redo some things about the house,” Cole said. “But we have six children and four grandchildren and we like to spend time with them. When we’re not working, that’s where we’ll be if time permits.”

The Coles are committed to their church and to the community and plan to be actively involved in both.

He enjoys sports, especially football and bravely and openly admits to being an Ole Miss fan – even a season ticket holder.

In fact, Cole was invited to “walk on” at Ole Miss after a rather impressive high school career.

“I was a place kicker and played guard and linebacker,” he said. “I decided I was too small to play college ball and that was a good decision. If I’d walked on, I might never have become a general surgeon.”

Cole said he is looking forward to a longtime commitment to TRMC.

“Everything that I’ve heard about Dr. (John) Crosby is positive,” Cole said. “When I’m in surgery, I’ve been told that I do things a lot like him. That’s what I’d like to do and be.”