Chester T. Royals, MD

Education:

PRE-MEDICAL EDUCATION

A.S. at South Georgia College, Douglas, Georgia (1999-2001) 

B.S. at Augusta State University, Augusta, Georgia (2001-2003)

MEDICAL EDUCATION

M.D. at Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia (2004-2008)

Certifications/Training:

General Surgery Residency:

Atlanta Medical Center, Atlanta Georgia 

PGY 1 (Prelim) (2008-2009)

University of Florida College of Medicine - Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL

PGY 2 (Prelim) (2009-2010)

PGY2-PGY 4 (Cat) (2010-2013)

PGY 5 (Chief Resident) (2013-present)

Committees:
American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma:
       Instructor, Advanced Trauma Life Support (2010-present)
Patient Safety Committee, UF Health (2009-present)

Office Location:
100 Doctors Drive
Suite 204
Douglas, GA 31533

Contact Info: 912-384-5832

Full Bio:
When Dr. Royals joined CRMC in fall 2014, he was coming home.  Growing up in Douglas, he had watched his mother and grandmother drive outside the area to get medical care they needed.   He wanted to help change that.  Practicing surgery in CRMC’s new, growing hospital facility seemed the perfect way to do so.  

In addition to general surgery, Dr. Royals’ specialties are minimally invasive procedures.  These are performed using very small incisions, miniature cameras attached to scopes that send detailed images to monitors in the operating room, and special instrumentation.  With smaller incisions, patients often recover faster with less discomfort. Dr. Royals performs thoracoscopic surgery (such as lung resection or pleural biopsies) and laparoscopic surgeries (usually of the belly and for hernia repair).

Dr. Royals attended South Georgia College and Augusta State University.  After completing his medical degree at Mercer University School of Medicine in 2008, he did a general surgery residency at the University of Florida College of Medicine where he earned certification in laparoscopic surgery and received additional training in trauma and critical care.  He was chief resident in surgery and served on the patient safety committee. 

At CRMC, he has served on the surgery and quality assurance committees.  He is a member of the American Medical Association and American College of Surgeons.  Since 2010, he has been an instructor and course director in advanced trauma life support for the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma.  He also has written or made videos about surgical procedures, including surgical placement of flexible feeding tubes and hiatal hernia repair.

Dr. Royals is married and has a young daughter.  He enjoys golf, hunting and fishing, but his biggest joy, he says, is “being back around people I know and helping take care of them.”