"My Childhood Dream Has Become a Reality:" OhioHealth Marion Doctor Caring for Her Hometown
What did you want to be when you grew up? For Heather Columber, DO her first choice didn’t work out, but she found her passion.
“When I realized becoming Wonder Woman was not a viable career path,” she told the Marion Star. “Medicine became my calling. In first grade, I told my parents I wanted to become a physician after listening to a high school senior share her aspirations to attend college and medical school. Her story inspired me because I was fascinated by the idea a woman could become a doctor — at that time, all the physicians I knew were men. I wanted to follow in her footsteps and join the ranks of female physicians. From that moment on, I never looked back and never considered another career.”
And for this talented physician, her passion lined up with what her family saw in her at young age.
“My mother would describe me as a child with a generous heart and a gift for caring for others,” Columber said to the paper. “Whether it was caring to my family, supporting my friends or mothering my dolls, I was always drawn to giving attention to others.”
Today, Dr. Columber is a primary care physician with OhioHealth.
“My childhood dream has become my reality,” she said. “I live each day with a full and grateful heart. I am deeply grateful to the many people who supported me along the way as I worked to achieve that dream.”
Columber grew up in Marion, graduated from Marion Harding High School in 1994, Capital University with a degree in biology and chemistry in 1998, then after attending medical school at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, she completed her family medicine residency at Doctor's Hospital of Stark County in Massillon in 2005.
“I was raised in an environment deeply rooted in the medical field,” she told the Marion Star. “My grandmother and mother were nurses, and my father served as a hospital administrator. Family meals often revolved around medical stories and lessons, and I loved listening to them. But my decision to pursue family medicine was shaped by the relationship I had with my childhood physicians, Dr. Victor Lenzo and Dr. Arshad Chaudhry. They were exceptional mentors and role models who never hesitated to answer my questions. Their love for teaching matched my eagerness to learn. I aspired to build the same kind of meaningful relationships with my future patients that these physicians cultivated with me and my family.”
Her co-workers marvel and her talent and ability to connect.
“Dr. Columber has the unique ability to care for patients of all ages,” Mya Campbell, her director said to the reporter. “She has a collaborative, patient-centered approach that makes her stand out. And her commitment to the Marion community goes beyond the walls of her clinic. Dr. Columber actively volunteers her time in the community, such as offering free sports physicals to local students. She also stepped up during several recent community emergencies, such as performing CPR at a Pleasant High School basketball game. Dr. Columber's dedication to clinical excellence and her service to the community truly make her an asset to the Marion community.”
“I was honored at a Columbus Crew game this summer as a hometown hero,” Columber said, “after being part of a lifesaving event when a basketball referee suffered cardiac arrest at a Pleasant High School men’s basketball game. Our efforts, CPR and the AED saved his life. Both events were humbling.”
And taking care of her friends, neighbors and other community members shows her, this is right where she is supposed to be.
“Living and working in the same community,” she said, “allows me to celebrate my patients’ medical and personal milestones. We worship together, cheer from the stands together, raise our children together, grieve together, and volunteer side by side. Providing medical care in my hometown is truly a gift. Oftentimes, patients thank me for helping them, but the truth is my patients inspire me every day to be a better person and physician.”
