CEO
SYNERGY LONGEVITY CENTERS, NOVI
EMPLOYEES: 2
REVENUE: NA
COLLEGE: MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE OF HUMAN MEDICINE
Dr. Anthony Oraha was working as an emergency room physician at Corewell Health when he noticed a pattern that bothered him.
“The ER is a reactive health care space,” Oraha says. “Something happens, and then you treat them in the ER. I was seeing so many of these chronic conditions that could have been prevented.”
That was especially true when it came to cancer, which Oraha says is diagnosed an astonishing 50 percent of the time in the ER. That number hit home with him because his uncle was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in 2021 — prompting him to wonder, “How did I miss this?”
Recognizing that normal screenings only detect 14 percent of cancer types, Oraha decided in 2021 to change the game by establishing Synergy Longevity Centers in Novi.
Equipped with a proprietary whole-body MRI protocol, Synergy can do an in-depth deep dive into a person’s health and detect a variety of issues that might be missed by normal exams and screenings.
The practice does a lot more than just screen for conditions. It’s a full-scale primary care practice that works with patients on improving their lifestyle and diet, even as it utilizes anything that can help patients remain healthier.
“We look at a variety of things to create a lifestyle-first approach,” Oraha says, “but I don’t want to ignore what else is in the toolbox we have to get people as healthy as possible, whether that’s pharmaceuticals or other things.
The focus is health span, not just lifespan. We want to not just add years to your life; we want to add health years to people’s lives.”
Many of the patients who come to Oraha are executives sent by their companies, but he also has had a large influx of entrepreneurs who have exited their companies and have decided to prioritize their health, often after years of making it a low priority.
“They haven’t seen a physician,” Oraha says. “They feel OK, their labs are great, but they want to lift the hood up, look inside, and get as detailed an analysis as is currently available.”
A third major group, he said, is called the “optimizers,” because they’re looking for guidance on diet, nutrition, and any factor that will help them be as healthy as possible.
“One of the things I value is the relationship, so I can create a plan that’s specialized to someone,” Oraha says. “If I have a patient and I know he travels four days a week, the plan I create is wrapped around his lifestyle.
“I know he goes out to eat, so what can we focus on when he goes out to eat? How can he work out? Does his hotel have a gym? If not, what can he do in his room?”
Soon, Synergy is getting ready to add another physician and will be expanding into the realm of regenerative medicine, including stem cell injections and “dipping our toes into” the peptide realm.
“There’s a lot of foo-foo medicine with peptides right now, especially in the longevity space,” Oraha says. “I want to be very diligent about it, because it’s a fast-moving space.”
— Dan Calabrese
