Dr. Claude Tolbert and Dr. Ardra Davis-Tolbert
Marriage and Medicine
story by NAKEISHA DAWSON-THOMPSON photos by PAUL NURNBERG
Dr. Claude Tolbert and Dr. Ardra Davis-Tolbert have been faithfully serving the Beaufort community through obstetrics and surgical precision for many years. The dynamic duo met in college in 1992, and moved to Beaufort, SC in 2001 after completing their residency. The two are proud parents of Collin (24), born in Virginia, and Braxton (21), born in Beaufort.
Dr. Ardra Davis-Tolbert, affectionately known as Dr. DT by her patients and community, was born and raised in Macon, Georgia. Dr. DT received her education at Hampton University and then on to medical school at Boston University School of Medicine. She was accepted to the same residency program as Dr. Claude Tolbert at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
The Tolberts were married in 1996 during Dr. DT’s last year of medical school. Initially, she was interested in pediatric medicine. However, after completing her last third year rotation, she fell in love with OB/GYN. This rotation changed the course of her medical career. Following medical school, Dr. DT accepted a position at the Beaufort Naval Hospital where she served from 2001 through 2005. In 2005, she received her Lt. Commander commission as an OB/GYN physician.
Dr. Claude Tolbert was born and raised in Greenwood, SC. Dr. Tolbert attended Hampton University, where the two initially met. He obtained his medical degree at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN in 1996. He completed his residency at Eastern VA Medical School from 1996-2000. Dr. Tolbert knew from the early age of 13 that he wanted to be an OB/GYN. He recalls never seeing an African American physician as a child, which sparked the need to ensure he was instrumental in helping to produce more African American physicians, especially male physicians.
Dr. Tolbert accepted a position at Beaufort-Jasper Comprehensive Health Services (BJHCHS) as an OB/GYN. He greatly attributes his transfer to Beaufort to Roland Gardner and Mary Mack, who were influential in the process for him and his family. Dr. DT continued her last year of residency while Dr. Tolbert transitioned from Virginia to Beaufort, SC. The couple both recall their first evening in Beaufort, arriving at night, in this new city with no streetlights. This time in their marriage and career proved to be trying as the couple navigated living in two separate cities with an infant. Nonetheless, they were able to find their village early and with the support of their new village/family, the move became smoother and more tolerable. They were intentional about making time to ensure the other was supported. Once Dr. DT completed her residency, she joined her family in Beaufort. Four years after their move to Beaufort, the Tolberts decided to make Beaufort their home. Dr. Tolbert states he “had a crazy idea to start their own practice.”
Coastal OB/GYN was formed in 2004, with Dr. Tolbert as the sole physician for a year, after which he was joined by Dr. DT, which presented issues for their family with the two alternating on-call rotations. For seven years, the couple provided care and services to the community on their own, with much personal sacrifice. Their company brand and reputation were built from scratch with much integrity, consistency, and focus on the mission the two set out from the beginning. The two recall how hard they worked to build their reputation in this new, small, close-knit town. Nothing was handed to them, everything they decided to accomplish within their practice was allowed with help from each other — a true team, in the workplace and at home. This teamwork is what has helped to sustain their careers and their marriage. Everything that has happened to and for them has been by design.
After seven years of operating with only the two, Dr. Claude went back to BJCHS to chair their OB/GYN department, and the practice brought in a midwife to their team. During this time, “the whole look of medicine began to change, private practice began to change as well.” Concierge medicine began to rise, and hospitals and bigger corporations began to employ physicians. The couple began looking into selling their practice and merging under a hospital practice. At that time, Beaufort Memorial Hospital was not interested in the offer, however, Coastal Carolina Hospital, under Tenet Healthcare, offered and allowed them to venture into a new look of the practice. This new venture offered a better quality of life without sacrificing their quality of standards. Both parties benefited greatly from this new venture. Coastal Carolina Hospital gained new 24-hour OB/GYN coverage in the hospital, and the Tolberts gained some much-needed ability to navigate more family time for themselves. Under Tenet Healthcare, the practice grew, broadening their ability to manage the patient load that increased once the merger took place. Their name changed to Riverside Women’s Care.
In 2019, Hilton Head Hospital, under Tenet Healthcare, added Riverside Women’s Care to their hospital services. This merger gave the practice access to all of Beaufort County. Both Coastal Carolina Hospital and Hilton Head Hospital are now under the Novant Healthcare Systems. They have allowed the couple to continue to provide the type of safe, consistent services they have provided over the years.
Dr. Tolbert enjoys delivering babies and believes every time a delivery happens, it’s a miracle before his eyes. His interests have evolved and expanded into robotic surgery. He is the leading OB/GYN robotic surgeon in Beaufort County. In 2007, robotics was introduced in Beaufort to only certain practices, which did not include the pair. This did not deter them from obtaining the training required to become certified. Combined, the couple has the highest volume of robotic surgeries as gynecologists. Some of the services their practice provides robotically include hysterectomies, myomectomies, prolapse surgeries, endometrioses, and more. Benefits of robotic surgery include a decreased recovery time, decreased blood loss, and an ability to perform larger/complicated surgeries precisely via a hand/foot-controlled robot. Riverside Women’s Care is located at 13 Marshellen Drive in Beaufort. They have been in this initial location for 20 years, and with the expansion they’ve encountered, they have outgrown that building and will be moving into a new and larger space soon. They currently have three locations (Beaufort, Bluffton, and Hilton Head).
Working together as a couple in the same specialty has presented noted benefits including a trusting sounding board, a second set of eyes, and an unbiased and nonprejudicial opinion. Navigating this journey together has been a blessing to their relationships, both personally and professionally. The couple insists that their sustainability is enhanced by their similar likes and interests, as well as their openness and understanding.
When asked if they had any advice to future physicians, the nuggets they’d like to share are heartwarming and calls to action. Dr. Claude Tolbert has a heart to mentor young African Americans who are interested in medicine. His desire is to continue to impact their field of medicine and the community that has become home. He would like to expand their robotics program and continue to provide internship/shadowing experiences to those who have been called to medicine. Dr. DT has the goal of continuing her administrative role in the medical profession. She is the Chief of Staff at Coastal Carolina Hospital, where she is critically involved in establishing policies and procedures to ensure patients and staff have access to the best medical care. Dr. DT states that she loves establishing relationships with patients the most, but as she continues to grow in tenure, she is looking forward to completely transitioning to the administrative side. But not yet!
Dr. Claude Tolbert states, “Go into medicine with an open mind and sit comfortably at the table. This is no easy task. It requires commitment and sacrifice. But the reward is great.” Success is not measured by the degrees they hold, but who they are as people. “Be good people, be decent human beings, and be kind to people,” Dr. DT stated. They take pride in knowing their character is not defined by medicine, but the way they practice medicine is defined by their character.
