Sandhills Native Joins Southern Pines Women’s Health Center Staff

Christopher Richberg, M.D.

PINEHURST – Christopher Richberg, M.D., entered medical school fully intending to become a pediatrician.

His plans began to change when he delivered a baby on the very first night of his OB/GYN rotation. By the time he had completed the rotation, which also included OB/GYN-related surgeries, he was sold on a career as an obstetrician and gynecologist.

“It all kind of caught me off guard,” says Dr. Richberg, who recently joined the medical staff of FirstHealth Southern Pines Women’s Health Center (FH-SPWHC), a FirstHealth clinic.

John Byron, M.D., sees Dr. Richberg as a welcome addition to the FH-SPWHC staff. “He is an exceptional addition to our team,” Dr. Byron says. “In addition to the completion of his OB/GYN training, he has a master’s degree in public health with an emphasis on high-risk obstetrics from UNC-Chapel Hill.  This, combined with his compassionate and empathetic demeanor, further extends the FH-SPWHC mission to provide only the highest quality of care to the women in our community.  As a physician with local roots, he appreciates the opportunity that FH-SPWHC and the FirstHealth organization provide to their patients and looks forward to being part of it.”

Dr. Richberg attributes much of his decision to join FH-SPWHC to Lee Lowery, M.D., another member of the practice’s medical staff. Dr. Lowery was one of five senior residents during the first year of Dr. Richberg’s OB/GYN residency and has since become one of his best friends.

“I was always looking to stay in this area,” Dr. Richberg says, “and he suggested that I come (to FH-SPWHC) to interview. I fell in love.  The staff and the doctors, everyone was so welcoming. Everything that I’ve read and heard (about the practice) has been fantastic, and I was honored to think they would have me.”

Dr. Richberg grew up in Cumberland County, and his parents still live in Fayetteville. A graduate of Jack Britt High School, he earned a B.S. degree in biology and then the Master of Public Health and his medical degree from UNC-CH. He completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at East Carolina University.

He met his wife, Erica, while both were freshmen at UNC-CH, where she is currently completing her Ph.D. in cellular biology.

At FH-SPWHC, Dr. Richberg hopes to have a “well-rounded practice overall” with an eventual focus on minimally invasive surgery.

But, he says, “I love it all.”