NYDLA Members can get Dr. Joseph D. Pianka’s New Book – “IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD” for FREE

About Dr. Joseph D. Pianka

Joseph D. Pianka, MD, FACP, FACG, has been a board-certified practicing gastroenterologist in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, for over twenty years. A devout husband and father of three, he is also an avid surfer, snowboarder, fly-fisherman, and outdoor enthusiast with an interest in bodybuilding and a zest for life. Combining his expertise pertaining to fitness and nutrition, his unique perspectives regarding psychology, faith, and self-motivation, and his love of athletics and pop culture, Pianka’s ultimate goal is to help as many people as possible who struggle to find motivation in regards to health and fitness.

Medical providers are prone to dark moments, and life can be incredibly overwhelming. Pianka has personally always found ways to rise above his dark moments through his athletic hobbies and focus on family, but early in the COVID-19 pandemic, he fell into a spiral at the the prospect of being unable to care for those who depended on him. With a television announcing early statistics about pandemic mortality playing in the background while he learned that a significant portion of his practice—and ability to care for patients—was being restricted, he had an emotional breakdown. Facing physician burnout and depression, Pianka decided to sit down and write an outline about staying fit and healthy in a seemingly chaotic existence, and he kept writing until the sun came out (literally and metaphorically). What began as a simple reference guide for his patients, conceptualized prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, evolved into an unexpected second career as an inspirational writer.