Say the name Dr. Paul Berger to anyone who knows him and they’re likely to respond, “He’s such a nice man.”

A urologist and surgeon with St. Luke’s Center for Urology, Paul Berger, MD, has provided advanced urologic procedures and medical treatments in Tamaqua for five years. In January, he started seeing patients in the Palmerton office.

Dr. Berger began working in Tamaqua when a large Allentown private urology practice joined St. Luke’s University Health Network. And, he said he couldn’t be happier with the switch. Previously, he was in private practice in North Carolina.

With a love of the outdoors, a friendly, down-to-earth demeanor, and a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps work ethic, he was a perfect fit for the rural community in Pennsylvania’s coal region.

“I love the mountains and the culture up here,” he said. “I like Carbon County, Schuylkill County, the ‘Skooters.’ People are so friendly. I always joke that if you fell and hit your head in the street here, people would help you get to the hospital. They help each other out like crazy, even those who have some real big problems themselves.”

While he adores Tamaqua, he also likes Palmerton, which he describes as a pretty town with great restaurants. An outdoor enthusiast, he also appreciates its access to the Appalachian Trail, with overlooks offering picturesque views of the valleys below.

As a urologist, Dr. Berger specializes in the care of the urinary system, including the bladders and kidneys of both men and women and the male reproductive system. He diagnoses and treats urologic cancers and common conditions like kidney and bladder stones, urinary incontinence and in men, enlarged prostates.

Another reason Dr. Berger enjoys working in the area is the quality of St. Luke’s Miners and St. Luke’s Carbon Campuses.

“These hospital campuses are excellent facilities,” he said. “I mostly operate at Miners, but the same is true of Carbon. The pre-op, inter-op and post-op services are fantastic. The nurses know their patients and care about them. You get very personalized care. The anesthesiology is top-notch. You get the best of everything close to home. That’s very important because transportation is huge here. It’s difficult for some people to go far distances.”

Dr. Berger works with a team of urologists, expanding patients’ access to surgical options and highly specialized treatments. To reduce the need for travel, when he works with a colleague, he provides 90% of the pre-surgery work-up and post-surgery follow-up.

Dr. Berger’s route to becoming a urologist was a circuitous one. With an uncle who was a pediatrician, he became interested in medicine as a child and often read medical textbooks. After graduating from high school, he joined the army as an infantryman to earn money for college. He was stationed in Louisiana and at the Giebelstadt Army Airfield in Germany, which he said was like Pennsylvania with its rolling farmland and climate. He enlisted in the Army Reserves and received medic training.

With tuition assistance through the G.I. Bill, he earned a degree in biochemistry from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. To pay other expenses, he was a nurse’s aide, and received his first exposure to urology. He worked alongside urologists and liked the specialty because it offered a mix of surgery and taking care of medical issues dealing with several systems of the body. He earned his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Next, he completed a six-year residency at Penn State University Hershey Medical Center, consisting of two years in general surgery and four years in urology.

Whether it’s the drive to the office from his Macungie home – or his lifelong path to treating urological patients in Carbon and Schuylkill counties, Dr. Berger always enjoys the journey. He cherishes the patients he has met along the way. For example, he recently saw a patient who he had treated aggressively for advanced bladder cancer.

“I wasn’t sure he was going to make it, but here we are 10 years later,” he said. “He’s 88 years old and doing great with a good quality of life. That makes me feel good. It makes it all worth it.”

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Berger, call 484-526-2598.