Tanner News


Mind, Body, Spirit



Alcha Strane, MD, is only 5 feet, 4 inches tall. 

But she knew that if she wanted to earn a full scholarship to college, she had to play a Division I sport. So, the petite powerhouse got it done playing collegiate basketball.

“Yes, I know,” she said with a laugh. “If I have a goal, I’m going to get it done. It’s not an ‘if,’ it’s a ‘when.’ I’m an unrealistic optimist.”

Dr. Strane credits her determination and drive to a work ethic instilled in her by her parents, Cheryl and Albert, and a strong faith in God.

That determination and drive are also what make Dr. Strane a great physician to her patients.

A board-certified obstetrics and gynecology specialist at Tanner Healthcare for Women in Villa Rica, Dr. Strane is building a holistic practice that cares for girls and women ages 7 to 97, at all stages of life, offering not only medicine but also health and wellness.

Educating her patients and encouraging them to be their own best advocate are her main goals.

Her favorite moments are when patients say, “thank you so much for listening and taking in what I had to say and planning for me. I’ve seen so many doctors; no one ever taught me that. No one has ever said it that way, and I really get it now.”

“That’s the best feeling for me,” she said.

Home grown

In deciding to pursue medicine, “my mom was a big influence,” said Dr. Strane, “and the other women in my family.”

On the one hand, her mother specializes in women’s health and holistic medicine and has been Dr. Strane’s role model on caring for the entire woman, not just her medical needs. On the other hand, Dr. Strane watched her aunts and a grandmother struggle with obesity and diabetes.

Despite briefly considering orthopedic surgery, she realized during medical school at Morehouse School of Medicine that what she really cared about most was helping women with their health needs.

Dr. Strane came to Morehouse after putting herself through college playing Division I basketball for Oregon State University and the University of San Diego.

Being a scholar-athlete had a price: Her science grades weren’t where they needed to be.

Morehouse’s post-baccalaureate program gave her a way to take intensive science courses and demonstrate that she had the focus and drive to succeed in medical school. For most students, it’s a two-year program; Dr. Strane got it done in one.

That she was meant to be an OB/GYN was confirmed during her third year of medical school.

“I did my first delivery, and it was just amazing,” said Dr. Strane. “I delivered the baby because all the residents in training were off taking an exam and it was just me and the attending physician. That’s unheard of as a medical student, so that was a huge blessing for me.”

Another sign was the fact that she could stay cool and give direction under that kind of pressure, which an OB/GYN she worked with pointed out.

Alcha-Strane-MD-Outside

“They said, ‘I think you’re more OB/GYN than you realize,’” said Dr. Strane. “It turns out they were right.”

More than a buzzword

After finishing her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, where she served as chief resident, Dr. Strane said she was looking for a place that felt like “family.”

She found that at Tanner.

In her practice at Tanner Healthcare for Women in Villa Rica, Dr. Strane treats vaginal issues and abnormal bleeding, counsels girls when they begin their periods, supports infertility and pregnancy care, handles incontinence, prolapse and fibroids, and supports women experiencing menopause.

She also provides coverage in Tanner’s emergency departments and is a primary care doctor offering annual physicals.

But her practice doesn’t focus only on medicine.

“It’s more looking at the person as a whole — mind, body, spirit — and making sure that the decisions we’re making for your health aren’t just medicine,” said Dr. Strane. “I’m not just going to prescribe antidepressants; I’m going to suggest we talk to a counselor or see if there are any other strategies if you’re having mental health issues. Or physically, it’s not just about weight loss medications but what dietary changes should we make and how can we teach you to shop healthier and cook healthier.”

Being pregnant during her residency only added to her training as OB/GYN.

While she’s not saying that you must carry a child to be a successful OB doctor, “I never would have known a lot of things my pregnant people are going through if I hadn’t gone through it,” said Dr. Strane, who with her wife, Tori Lewis, is mom to 17-month-old son Kai. 

Dr. Strane made deliberate choices when it came time for the delivery so she would know what her patients were going through. She experienced having her water broken and had Pitocin to induce contractions, both without pain relief; she chose IV medication; and she had an epidural.

“I wanted to know what each of them felt like and what worked for me and how it made me feel,” she said. “I did it so I would know which ones I could speak to.”

Days in clinic are busy for Dr. Strane’s growing practice, and every patient gets the benefit of her focus and her time. For her, it’s all about education, advocacy and a holistic view of the patient.

“I believe in education for my patients,” she said. “It’s a buzzword, but shared decision-making? I’ve always been into that. I want to give you the options, I want to give you the education behind why I’m telling you these options and I want you to make the choice. The reason I’m like that is because the outcomes are better when you make your own decision and you know why, instead of me just telling you.”

The advocacy piece goes back to her family. She still has family members call and put her on speakerphone while they’re at their physician’s office, so Dr. Strane can ask questions that might be overlooked and offer clarification when it’s difficult to quickly process information.

Dr. Strane conducted research into Black maternal mortality for about a decade during medical school and residency, educating patients to learn to advocate for themselves and creating an app to teach residents about unconscious bias and how to listen.

“I want to be that family member for my patients and give them questions they might not have thought about or give them the space to ask those questions and feel safe doing it,” said Dr. Strane. “This is not easy stuff. Each patient has a story that we want to listen to so we can understand them as a whole.”

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