Celebrity Scoop: Dr. Jennifer Ashton

With all the medical news that's been breaking lately, Dr. Jennifer Ashton has had her hands full.

And that's not just with her own practice but also as a CBS News correspondent who just marked her first year with the network. Seen frequently on "The Early Show" and "CBS Evening News," Ashton has covered topics ranging from the H1N1 (or "swine flu") virus to colonoscopies ... including the one "Early Show" co-host Harry Smith recently had.

"I consider myself very lucky," Ashton says, "because I like to be busy -- which I am -- and I like a challenge. I find both of my careers to be equally challenging and equally rewarding."

In addition to her Hygeia Gynecology LLC practice, Ashton is an attending physician at New Jersey's Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. "It seems that my practicing medical world and my TV world are largely separate," she says. "I get very few patients because they've seen me on TV. Most of them come from word of mouth, referrals from other physicians and patients.

"They realize (the CBS job) provides an added dimension to my work as a doctor," Ashton notes. "It forces me to stay current in things that, ordinarily, a women's health specialist might not stay current in."

Ashton isn't CBS' only medical correspondent, since Dr. Jon LaPook also has that job. Generally, she covers the day shift while he handles nights.

"We collaborate to some degree," Ashton explains. "The world of medicine is so small: I went to Columbia Medical School, and he's in practice at Columbia, so we know a lot of the same people."