We are pleased to present the next in our weekly series introducing you to Internal Medicine’s Advanced Practice Providers. In addition to sharing information about where they work in the department, we asked them each to tell us a little bit about their “Why” (the sustaining pull for their work) and what relaxes them. (Read previous weeks’ installments.)

Susan Kaliszewski, MS, MPAS, PA-C
General Internal Medicine

Services: General Internal Medicine clinic (IRL) and LGBTQ Clinic

Years with Internal Medicine: 5 years

One of my favorite moments in this job: I really love having my trans-folk come back for their first visit after beginning hormones; they are often very excited and happy about their progress, as their bodies are finally beginning to match their brains.

What restores me for the work: Time outside. I bike commute all year long, and it clears my head of externalities both before and after work. I also enjoy family trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, where there are no cars, no motors, no phones or computers, just amazing natural beauty.

In her role at IRL internal medicine, Susan is a role model in compassion, curiosity and work/life balance. She excels at working with the health care team, advocating for the benefit of all. She shares her life experience to enhance patient care, especially among the LGBTQ population, making our clinic a welcoming space for patients and employees alike.

– – Christina Charis-Donelson, MD

Read what patients say about her:

• Excellent provider. Would recommend to everyone!
• Susan is always a very attentive listener and even jots down notes about any non-medical life changes I’ve had since the last visit, like moving or changing jobs. Always takes care to listen to my concerns and make sure all my health issues are being managed well.
• Susan is everything you would hope to find in a health care provider. Exemplary!
• Every time I go to the LGBTQ+ clinic I feel heard and cared for
• Susan is an extremely supportive and professional care provider. She is a very good listener and her caring nature is very apparent as she works with me. She goes over tests and procedures recommended and follows up expediently with the results. She is open to hearing my thoughts on recommendations and asks for input from me. She is extremely good with communication on My Chart and answers questions and gives feedback promptly. I cannot say enough about how happy I am to have found Susan and am proud to say she is my provider.
• Susan is wonderful. I feel my concerns are heard. She is very supportive, knowledgeable and kind.
• Susan was beyond excellent in both her mastery of my problem, and her ‘bedside manner’. She displayed real empathy, and treated me with great care and respect. She definitely made my urgent plight easier to tolerate. Her follow-through was also excellent. When she saw the CAT-scan results, she found me in the pharmacy and proposed a new course of action. Susan truly made a difference in my medical outcome.
• She is the best.
• Dr. Kaliszewski was a joy to talk to. She was extremely supportive and validating throughout our visit. I had a lot of questions, and she seemed eager to talk through everything with me.
• Very good experience. My visit was excellent. Dr Susan is wonderful!
• Susan was very friendly and welcoming, I felt incredibly validated and listened to. She put the effort into making sure I felt safe and taken care of. I’ve been giving her high praise for the past few days to my friends and family. Truly a remarkable soul.
• Susan is absolutely amazing. I am very happy she is my provider!
• Susan Kaliszewski is a wonderful practitioner. She listens, helps me problem solve, and guides me to appropriate decisions regarding my healthcare.
• Susan provided absolutely top notch care. She’s a great listener, and a skilled diagnostician. I have never felt better cared for.
• Susan is the best primary provider I’ve ever had, and I’ve had some great ones before! She always listens to my concerns and helps me understand what options I have to move forward. She is truly an ally and supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and deserves every accolade she receives.