513 Warrenville Road
Warren, NJ
732-828-9988
By Greg Waxberg
“It is so difficult to find primary care doctors. Unlike a specialty, it can be tedious and difficult to make a good living. At the same time, after COVID, a lot of primary care doctors have retired,” says Dr. Jenny Liu. Her company, UniMed Center of East Brunswick and Warren has jumped in to fill this void. It offers primary care as a starting point.
Board-certified in Internal Medicine and a licensed dietitian, Dr. Liu practiced medicine in China before coming to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in health and nutrition at Brooklyn College. As her career progressed, she directed clinical studies, practiced urgent care medicine, worked for New Jersey’s Veterans Health Administration (serving on committees for alternative and integrative medicine), and then founded UniMed Center in 2007.
“I had been practicing for over 20 years and was looking for a challenge. I felt I could use my skills in nutrition and have more flexibility to do what I’m good at. I wanted to be able to practice medicine using all my acquired skills and experience.”
From the beginning, she wanted UniMed to be convenient and efficient, including offering evening and weekend hours. The staff is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Spanish. “We are very dedicated to patient care. Often, you can see us the same day for urgent medical issues. Over the years, we have built trust with our patients and now have over 10,000 active patients in our East Brunswick location. We love what we do and are so gratified when we can change patients’ lives for the better through improved health.”
At UniMed, primary care is just a starting point. Dr. Liu and her team oversee what she calls a “combination approach.” Along with primary care, UniMed offers a multi-faceted weight loss program that has a proven record of success. “Typically,” Dr. Liu says, “we help women lose about 40 to 50 pounds in four months, and men about 60 to 70 pounds in four months.” Diet, medication, consultation, reinforcement, and encouragement are all part of the plan.
Honesty is also an integral part of the plan. “Traditionally, when people don’t do the right thing [in a weight loss program], you still pamper them. For long-term success, patients must be honest with and accountable to themselves. The program will work if followed. If a patient is not making progress after some time, we will encourage them to take a break and come back when they are ready to commit more fully. This saves patients time and money and increases trust and integrity with our patients.”
Eighty percent of those who follow the program are very successful, getting down to a BMI [Body Mass Index] of 25. Dr. Liu says, “We tell people ‘You have eating and lifestyle habits that you’ve built over decades. . . it’s not going to work with just diet and exercise.’” Initially, they may prescribe liquid meal replacements that will change the patient’s relationship with food, along with supplements, medication, and consultation. They guide them through the process and tell them exactly what they need to do to achieve their goals.
UniMed also utilizes alternative medicine practices such as diet/nutrition, exercise, psychological well-being, stability, and stress management to attain whole-body health. Beautification procedures, such as aqua facials to revitalize the skin, Botox, and Cool Sculpting Body Fat Reduction, are also available to patients.
“We want our patients to be physically and mentally healthy,” Dr. Liu says, “to look good and feel good.”