Dr. Joseph Ferguson

In 1986 Dr. Joseph Ferguson graduated from The University of Virginia, where he was an Echols Scholar. Typical of Dr. Ferguson, and because of his lifelong desire to help the less fortunate, he joined the Peace Corps and left for Africa as soon as he graduated from college. As a Peace Corps volunteer, he worked tirelessly for two years, teaching high school science in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Upon returning to the United States, he attended The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, which is considered to be one of the great medical schools of the world, graduating in 1994. His further medical training was at Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia, where he completed his internal medicine residency in 1998. At VCU, less than 10% of internal medicine residents are chosen to be Chief Resident, and Dr. Ferguson was chosen to be a chief resident.

In 2004, Dr. Ferguson opened his first office, Fredericksburg Primary Care, PC, on Charles Street, in Fredericksburg, VA. That clinic has seen a steady growth in patients over the years. Dr. Ferguson has been a frequent winner of the Patient's Choice Award, which is given to those doctors who score in the top 5% in online patient ratings. He has also been a recipient of the Compassionate Doctor Award, which is given to those physicians who score in the top 3% in online compassion scores. When Dr. Ferguson's performance as a physician has been evaluated by either his patients or his colleagues, he is consistently selected as one of the best.

When asked why he is now placing naltrexone implants, Dr. Ferguson says "I've seen way too many people die that didn't have to die. I think we've all seen enough overdose deaths. I'm trying to save people's lives." For this reason he opened the non-profit New Freedom Clinic, providing free naltrexone implants to those suffering from opiate abuse disorder.