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Dear Partnership Health Center Patient,
You are receiving this notification because your doctor is leaving Partnership Health Center and we want you to have information about why and what comes next.
Partnership Health Center is home to the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana (FMRWM). This residency program trains doctors in the specialty of Family Medicine over the course of 3 years. Each year, a new class of resident doctors joins our team and another class graduates. A resident doctor is a physician (who has completed medical school) and practices medicine in a hospital or clinic under the supervision of a senior doctor who is registered in that specialty. Residency training is a requirement for physicians to obtain an unrestricted license to practice medicine.
Dr. Ben Merbler, Dr. Stephen Reale, Dr. Jonathan Rhea, Dr. Rachel Schmidt and Dr. Melanie Scott will be graduating from residency and leaving Partnership Health Center on June 30, 2023. Dr. Emily Balon, Dr. Mckenzie Keeling-Garcia and Dr. Connor Rogan will also be leaving Partnership Health Center on June 23, 2023 to continue their final two years of Family Medicine residency training in Kalispell.
We want to make sure you know that we have a plan in place for your continued care at Partnership Health Center. For convenience, we have assigned a different doctor to take over your medical care. The name of that doctor was in the initial text message you received from us and you can look through the list of residents below to get some more information about them.
Your choice of health care provider is an individual and personal decision. If you have a preference for a specific Partnership Health Center provider to take over your care (such as someone you have seen previously, or with whom you have connected), please let us know by calling the main line (406-258-4789) and we will be able to let you know about their availability for seeing new patients. Visit our providers page for more information on our full-time and faculty providers.
Thank you for choosing Partnership to be your medical home. We recognize that having a change in your doctor can be stressful. Please know that you have played a crucial role in training future doctors, many of whom go on to provide care for rural and underserved Montanans.
Sincerely,
Partnership Health Center is home to the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana (FMRWM). This residency program trains doctors in the specialty of Family Medicine over the course of 3 years. Each year, a new class of resident doctors joins our team and another class graduates. A resident doctor is a physician (who has completed medical school) and practices medicine in a hospital or clinic under the supervision of a senior doctor who is registered in that specialty. Residency training is a requirement for physicians to obtain an unrestricted license to practice medicine.
Dr. Ben Merbler, Dr. Stephen Reale, Dr. Jonathan Rhea, Dr. Rachel Schmidt and Dr. Melanie Scott will be graduating from residency and leaving Partnership Health Center on June 30, 2023. Dr. Emily Balon, Dr. Mckenzie Keeling-Garcia and Dr. Connor Rogan will also be leaving Partnership Health Center on June 23, 2023 to continue their final two years of Family Medicine residency training in Kalispell.
We want to make sure you know that we have a plan in place for your continued care at Partnership Health Center. For convenience, we have assigned a different doctor to take over your medical care. The name of that doctor was in the initial text message you received from us and you can look through the list of residents below to get some more information about them.
Your choice of health care provider is an individual and personal decision. If you have a preference for a specific Partnership Health Center provider to take over your care (such as someone you have seen previously, or with whom you have connected), please let us know by calling the main line (406-258-4789) and we will be able to let you know about their availability for seeing new patients. Visit our providers page for more information on our full-time and faculty providers.
Thank you for choosing Partnership to be your medical home. We recognize that having a change in your doctor can be stressful. Please know that you have played a crucial role in training future doctors, many of whom go on to provide care for rural and underserved Montanans.
Sincerely,
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Dr. Jim Quirk, MD
Chief Medical officer Partnership Health Center |
Dr. Rob Stenger, MD
Program Director Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana |
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Dr. Sienna Foxton
Pacific NW University College of Osteopathic Medicine I was born in Bozeman, Montana but I grew up mostly in Alaska. My dad was a tour bus driver in Denali National Park so we spent the summers in Denali (in a cabin without electricity or running water) and the winters in Anchorage. I attended college at Wellesley College outside of Boston, but after four years in the east I missed the mountains too much and moved back to the Pacific Northwest. I landed in Yakima, Washington where I served as an AmeriCorps volunteer working with foster kids on the Yakama Reservation and as a ParaEducator at an elementary school. I also was a Peace Corps volunteer teaching 8th grade math in a small town in Mozambique. After the Peace Corps I returned to Yakima to start medical school at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences. During medical school I was consistently drawn to family medicine for its emphasis on preventative care, opportunity to treat the whole family, and focus on social determinants of health. My interests within family medicine include women’s health, underserved medicine, and osteopathic manual medicine. I was drawn to FMRWM because of the program’s emphasis on rural and underserved medicine, the strength of the OMM curriculum, and the wonderful people that make the program what it is. In my free time my wife Emmy and I enjoy backpacking, biking, hiking, gardening, and cooking new recipes. |
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Dr. Kara Francis
University of Washington I was born and raised in Livingston, MT. After receiving my undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Oregon, I returned to Montana to work at a health center in Hardin, MT. My upbringing in a small community, work in Hardin, and love of the outdoors led me to desire a career and life in rural Montana. Thus, I decided to pursue family medicine with specific interest in work with rural and underserved populations, social justice, and social determinants of health. I attended medical school at the University of Washington, where I completed much of my training in Montana communities, further encouraging my passion for rural family medicine. Outside of medicine, I love to spend time outdoors with my dogs and partner, trail running, skiing, hiking, and more recently learning to fly fish. I am thrilled to continue my training in my home state and to explore the incredible areas around Missoula. |
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Dr. Alec Kerins
University of Colorado I was born and raised in Helena, Montana where I spent my childhood exploring the woods, raising livestock, and running up and down the soccer field. After earning my B.A. in Biology from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, I joined Teach for America and taught high school science in the San Francisco Bay Area. Seeing first-hand the systemic inequities and barriers that prevented my students from accessing the high-quality education they deserved, I spent the better part of the next decade working to change that. After repeatedly facing the tight connection between health and educational outcomes, I decided to make the transition to medicine. I earned my medical degree from the University of Colorado, and was fortunate to have great mentors that provided experiences allowing me to explore my passion for rural communities, population health, advocacy and healthcare access. My wife, two sons, and our two pups are really looking forward to joining the FMRWM family and calling Western Montana home again. When not thinking about medicine, I can be found trail running, skiing, fly fishing, camping, working on home improvement projects, and exploring the back-roads of Montana. |
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Dr. Travis Kinane
Pacific NW University College of Osteopathic Medicine Born in the middle of the Willamette Valley in Beaverton, Oregon, I attended Linfield University near the Oregon coast, where I played basketball and ran track. At the start of my junior year, I accepted a two-year internship working with underprivileged, overweight children in the community that changed my career trajectory towards medicine. I then worked as a medical assistant and surgical scrub at an orthopedic clinic for several years after finishing college. I matriculated into medical school at Pacific Northwest University in Central Washington and spent my clinical years in Fairbanks, Alaska. I chose to pursue family medicine to provide preventative medicine and full-spectrum care to my patients. During my free time, I love exploring the outdoors with my family and friends, biking, playing basketball, or skijoring with my hound-dog Huckleberry. |
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Dr. Jennifer Selland
University of Massachusetts I grew up in Needham, MA, a suburban town about 10 miles west of Boston, and spent most of my teenage years horseback riding and skiing. I attended University of Rochester for college, and that’s where my desire to reach vulnerable populations strengthened after working for the Preventive Care Program for Urban Children with Asthma. During a gap year post college, I was fortunate to work at a summer camp for children with high-cognitive autism spectrum disorder and then as a medical assistant in a Radiation Oncology department. Through both of those jobs, I realized just how important forming relationships with the patients and families I was working with on a daily basis was to me, and that’s when I knew I wanted to enter a field where I could have strong continuity of care in my practice. After starting medical school at UMass, I was drawn to Family Medicine because of the mission of the specialty to address health inequities and act as community advocates for patients, as well as the compassionate personalities of others in the field. My passions outside of medicine include running, skiing, hiking, dog walks, working on my vegetarian culinary skills, and convincing anyone I’m with to play a game of Catan. It has been my dream to move to a mountain town like Missoula, where the opportunities for outdoor activities are endless. I am so excited to explore Montana, learn, and grow alongside the FMRWM team! |
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Dr. Rebecca Sharar
University of Washington I grew up on an island outside of Seattle and have been traversing the water and mountains ever since. I set off to be an architect at the University of Washington only to discover that design was not, in fact, my strongest asset. Traveling through Ecuadorian rain forests in college led me to ultimately study biology and Spanish. After a brief stint as a high school basketball coach in California I moved to Michigan to get my MPH at the University of Michigan and work for a county health department. The Great Lakes sure were great, but I realized the mountains were where I was home. My interests in preventative health, longitudinal patient relationships, and working with people of all ages and experiences led me back west to medical school at the University of Washington to become a future family medicine doctor. I participated in the WWAMI program which took me throughout Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana for my clinical training. It was in Montana (my dad’s homeland) that I fell in love with rural family medicine practice and living. I plan to return to a small community in the Montana mountains after residency. If I’m not inside a classroom, clinic, or hospital, I am probably skiing in the backcountry, flying a paraglider off Mt Jumbo, trail running through the Bitterroots, or losing a well-fought game of Settlers of Catan in the living room. |
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Dr. Cecilia Weeks
Johns Hopkins University Born in a small town in upstate New York, my three sisters and I spent our early childhood playing in creeks and cornfields. After moving around quite a bit, I settled down in Austin, TX for my formative years, which I now call my hometown. I attended the University of Texas at Austin, studying biology with a public health focus. As a healthy policy intern, I advocated to close the coverage gap in Texas. After graduating, I spent my gap year as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer teaching reproductive health to high schoolers in Austin. I returned to the East Coast to attend Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where I was able to help develop and lead a trauma-informed care elective for my fellow students. I’m passionate about breaking the cycle of generational trauma by addressing not only children’s health needs, but by improving the health of parents, grandparents, and mothers-to-be. This is why family medicine has always made sense to me. I’ve been an outdoor enthusiast since my childhood but picked up running and cycling along the way. My husband, Ryan, and I are thrilled to move to Missoula with our cat, Pluto. |
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Dr. Sarah Tucker
Pacific NW University College of Osteopathic Medicine I was born and raised in a small, rural town in Northern California. After high school, I began college at Cal Poly, and decided after two years to transfer to Montana State University. At MSU I completed my Bachelor’s in Cell Biology and Neuroscience and Master’s in Health Sciences, and completely fell in love with the beauty and culture of the state of Montana. During my time in Bozeman, I worked several jobs including caregiving for a young boy with special needs and teaching anatomy in various settings. These experiences affirmed that I longed to serve and teach others through medicine, and that I was on the right path by pursuing a career in primary care. I have a deep passion for caring for those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and have devoted much of my extracurricular time to serving this population. I plan to continue to do so in my future practice by working to improve access to quality, full-spectrum primary care for these individuals and other underserved populations in Montana. Outside of medicine, you’ll catch me spending time with loved ones and furry friends. We enjoy anything outdoors, and often go hiking or backpacking, and also enjoy any indoor crafts and projects. I am honored and could not be more excited to join the FMRWM team. |
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Dr. Emily Balon
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Born into a working-class family in Middletown, OH (the backdrop of the #1 NY Times Bestseller Hillbilly Elegy), I was the first in my family to attend college. I was able to do so thanks to a full-tuition scholarship to Wright State University where I earned my degree in Anthropology, along with a minor in Spanish. I entered medical school at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine with an open mind, but was immediately set on family medicine after my third year rotation in small town of 4,000 in Indiana. I loved the comprehensive nature of the specialty: I loved the prenatal and pediatric visits, the geriatric patients, the ability to practice obstetrics, the in-office procedures, and most of all, the longitudinal relationships formed over generations. Furthermore, I felt practicing family medicine was the best way to position myself to address social determinants of health and population health. I was drawn to the FMRWM due to its comprehensive curriculum and rural training opportunities. My long term goal is to practice in a small town setting where I can help fill a needed role in a close-knit community. Outside of medicine, I enjoy trying new recipes, listening to audiobooks, tending to my house plants, hiking, cuddling with my cat, playing board games, supporting local ice cream shops, going on casual outings with friends, and FaceTiming with my grandparents. |
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Dr. Nicholas Booker
Des Moines College of Osteopathic Medicine I grew up in Andover, Minnesota, which is about 30 minutes north of the Twin Cities. I got my first taste of Montana when I visited in my senior year of high school to tour MSU in Bozeman and spent a week at Big Sky. I spent my freshman year at Bozeman and then transferred to Minnesota State University, Mankato, where I studied Biomedical Science and Biochemistry. I attended Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine where I found a passion for Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, and it’s uses in a primary care setting. During my fourth year, I spent four weeks working in a Family Medicine clinic in Missoula and fell in love with the town, the culture, and the people. I am thrilled to be returning to Missoula and to be a part of such a wonderful community. I’m interested in broad spectrum rural medicine, preventative medicine, cardiology, behavioral health, and addiction medicine. I want build long lasting relationships with my patients and truly understand their psychosocial situations, goals and needs and implement those into an individualized healthcare plan to help them live their lives to their fullest potential. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my wife, Megan, and our cats. I like snowboarding, golfing, kayaking, drumming, documentaries, and board games. I am excited to continue these hobbies and to adopt some new one’s during my time in Missoula! |
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Dr. Ilana Buffenstein
University of Hawaii, John A Burns School of Medicine Aloha! I was born and raised in beautiful Honolulu, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, where I grew up surfing, hiking, and generally appreciating the great outdoors. I attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, where I explored some of my more non-medical interests, as both an English/Film studies major and a college radio DJ. As a medical student at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, I volunteered with our Homeless Outreach Medical Education (H.O.M.E.) project in a mobile RV clinic, providing medical care to unhoused individuals around the island of Oʻahu. I had the opportunity to work in rural settings on Oʻahu and the Big Island, where I witnessed numerous healthcare disparities – particularly within our own Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. As a student, I pursued research avenues that let me continue my activism work, including projects in both abortion access via telemedicine and clinical trial representation of women and minorities. Wanting to receive more family planning training, I eventually became an abortion doula for people undergoing medication abortion. My interests in medicine include women’s health, mental illness and substance use disorders in pregnancy, global health, and trauma-informed care. I was drawn to FMRWM because of the opportunity to practice full-spectrum rural FM, their RHEDI curriculum, and addiction medicine opportunities. I look forward to moving to Missoula and joining the lovely FMRWM mishpochah! |
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Dr. Julie Eggleton
California Northstate University College of Medicine Growing up in the sunny city of Tucson, Arizona, I spent mild winters adventuring outdoors and sweltering summers in air-conditioned museums. I happily attended the University of California, Davis where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in Spanish. After enjoying work at various jobs across the state of California, I was determined to answer my true calling of medicine and was pleased to obtain my medical degree from California Northstate University. I am drawn to family medicine because of the diversity of practice, the emphasis on preventative care, and the longitudinal relationships with patients and families. I am passionate about advocacy work, reproductive health, and providing care to under-resourced communities. I am thrilled to join the FMRWM family and aim to work in full-spectrum family practice with obstetrics. In my free time, you can find me with my spouse, Micah, and our dog, Tucker. I love photography, baking, traveling, and all outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, snowboarding, or kayaking. We are so excited about living in and exploring the beautiful state of Montana. |
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Dr. Mckenzie Keeling-Garcia
Pacific Northwest University College of Osteopathic Medicine Mckenzie was born in the northwest and grew up working on her family’s commercial fishing boat in rural Alaska. She fell in love with Montana when she came here for college and always hoped to return one day. Mckenzie attended medical school at Pacific Northwest University in Washington and chose family medicine because she loved being able to combine her many interests, getting to know her patients, and care for their whole family. She is especially interested women’s health, obesity medicine, and addiction medicine. In her spare time, Mckenzie enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and friends, hiking, snowboarding, wakeboarding, river floating, and always taking the back roads. Her fiancé Cody and their cat Nessa are also excited to explore all that Montana has to offer. After residency she hopes to practice full spectrum frontier medicine. |
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Dr. Neha Malhotra
University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Columbia I was born and raised in Irmo, a suburb just outside of Columbia, South Carolina. I spent my childhood running around with my two siblings (both of whom are doctors now!), flitting in and out of orchestra rehearsals, and enjoying many lazy afternoons at the Public Library. I went to college at the University of South Carolina and completed a BARSC-MD degree with focuses on Biology, Music, and Spanish. After undergrad, I matriculated to the University of South Carolina School of Medicine- Columbia. What really drew me to primary care is the opportunity to serve my community in so many different capacities. My professional interests include Women’s health, LGBTQ+ healthcare, and behavioral health. Growing up and going to medical school in the South gave me the opportunity to work with many rural and underserved populations, something that played a huge factor in my decision to train at FMRWM. Not to mention, I was very partial to the beautiful landscape in Montana! In my free time I enjoy cooking, reading, knitting, dancing, playing with my cat Pippin, and taking care of my many houseplants. I love music and anything related to Star Wars. I’ve never lived outside of South Carolina, but Pippin and I are looking forward to embracing the lovely city of Missoula as our new home! |
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Dr. Moriah Murray
Toura University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine I was born in Germany and raised in more than half a dozen places in the US, being an Army brat. My family comes from the rural South and West, and where I consider home for now is Boise, Idaho, where my mother put down roots 11 years ago (even if I kept moving). I graduated from Boise State and strongly considered working for the Forest Service with my biology degrees if med school didn't work out, so coming to Western Montana wasn't a hard decision to make. Before medical school I worked as a CNA in long term care/home care, and as a sterile processing technician. I pursued surgery (still aiming rural/underserved) for most of medical school, but my experiences with chronic disease and disability, along with my existing passion for those patient populations, led to a path shift. I am fully committed to becoming the full-spectrum family physician that I wish I had. My interests are broad, but primarily include wound care, reproductive/sexual and gender-affirming care, and multispecialty management of complex and rare diseases. Hospice/palliative care and geriatrics hold special places in my heart as well. I look forward to providing compassionate, trauma-informed care to the queer and disabled communities in particular. Outside of medicine, I am excited to finally settle down and hopefully build a greenhouse that the wind can't blow away. Maybe even a chicken coop! I am filling up a National Parks passport and will happily give and receive tips about which parts are most accessible. I love camping, craft cocktails, and video games. |
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Dr. Connor Rogan
University of Washington School of Medicine I was born and raised in the rural island community of Kodiak, Alaska. After high school, I played sprint football for Mansfield University in Pennsylvania for a year before attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks and earning a degree in Biology. After college, I returned to my hometown of Kodiak and had a career as a structural welder and commercial diver. My interest in medicine began while accompanying my wife to see specialists for her chronic disease and experiencing the limitations of healthcare in our community. I wanted to serve my community in a higher capacity which eventually led me to pursue medical school. I completed my medical degree at the University of Washington, participated in the WWAMI Rural Integrated Training Experience (WRITE), and was part of the Targeted Rural and Underserved Track (TRUST). I have always known I wanted to be a rural physician, and I plan to return to Kodiak after residency. I like the breadth of scope that family medicine provides and the variability in your day-to-day practice. I am married to my high-school sweetheart, Amy. We have two children, a dog, and a rabbit. My interests include scuba diving, hiking with my family, baking macarons, and backpacking. My family and I are excited to experience Montana! |
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Dr. Emily Young
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth I grew up in a Navy family moving every couple of years; the most interesting place we lived was Moscow, Russia, and the nicest was Honolulu, Hawaii. At Harvard University, I studied Evolutionary Biology, and spent summers working at Camp Cheerio Adventures, where I met my now-husband, Bill. After college I moved to rural, Appalachian North Carolina with Bill and worked as an EMT for Wilkes County and did several other part-time jobs including driving school buses and substitute teaching for our K-8 school! We moved to Vermont in 2018 when I was accepted to Dartmouth’s medical school. The best parts of medical school were my FM clerkship in Valdez, AK at a tiny hospital run by the 3-4 Family Docs, who showed me how invigorating it is to learn to provide all emergent and routine services for your rural community, as well as completing a year-long “Schweitzer Fellowship” community service project in which I became a DONA-certified birth doula to offer free prenatal, birth, and postpartum services to under-resourced women. Additionally, several Palliative rotations and volunteering with Bayada Hospice have made me passionate about palliative and hospice care. March of M4 year was fantastic, between Matching to FMRWM and the birth of our son, Theodore! In addition to pursuing training at FMRWM to be a full-spectrum, rural Family Doc, Bill and I are thrilled to spend 3+ years in Missoula, surrounded by incredible outdoor opportunities to pursue our interests in rock climbing, whitewater rafting, downhill skiing, and mountain biking, along with Theo and our 1yo lab-mix, Bec! |
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Dr. Christine Belluomini
I grew up on a cattle ranch south of Geyser, MT – a blip on the highway east of Great Falls. Upon graduating from Montana State University with degrees in Biochemistry and Exercise Science, I attended the WWAMI program through the University of Washington. During my four years of medical school, I had the privilege of being a TRUST scholar, where I was able to complete many of my clinical rotations in rural Montana. This program, as well as my upbringing, fueled my passion for rural medicine and providing healthcare in the great state of Montana. Family medicine quickly drew me in as I love the wide spectrum of care I am able to provide - from obstetrics to geriatrics. Plus, there is the added bonus of being able to work and live in a rural community.
When I am not in a medical setting, you can find me outside with my fiancé, Pierce, and our two dogs – Bobber and Brook. We love taking full advantage of the beautiful state we live in. Some of our favorite activities include hiking, fly fishing, cattle ranching, and cross-country skiing. I am ecstatic to be able to continue my education while exploring a new part of the state and having the ability to stay close to home! |
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Dr. Samantha Clark
I was born and raised in Missoula, Montana before moving to Bozeman for college. As a student at Montana State, I worked as an intern for the Office of Health Advancement and discovered a passion for preventative care and health education. I lived in Portland, Oregon during medical school and learned that while I loved the fauna, moody weather, and proximity to the coast, I am not a big-city person and was ready to come home to Montana and be closer to my family and the mountains I love.
Family medicine became the obvious choice for me when I realized that I love seeing patients of every age and with a variety of conditions. I am particularly interested in reproductive healthcare, pregnancy care, sports medicine, end of life care, and health advocacy. I am passionate about making healthcare feel approachable for patients of all backgrounds, and making sure that my patients feel heard, seen, and valued. Outside of work, I am an avid reader and baker, and love trying out new recipes. I enjoy spending time outside, gardening, and exploring new places. |
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Dr. Nicole Green
I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and majored in Kinesiology and Global Health at the University of Wisconsin. After graduating college, I moved to southwest Montana, where I spent the winter working at a ski shop and volunteering as a ski patroller. After three months in Montana, I knew I wanted to stick around so I started a more permanent job at a critical access hospital working as pharmacy technician. This was where I fell in love with rural family medicine. The hospital that I worked at was fully staffed by family doctors, and I loved watching them care for patients in the emergency room and manage chronic conditions in the clinic. For medical school, I attended the University of Pikeville because of its emphasis on training rural primary care doctors. In Eastern Kentucky, I continued to fall in love with rural medicine. Within family medicine, my interests include emergency medicine, women’s health, and addiction medicine. I am ecstatic to complete my residency training with FMRWM – Kalispell where I will be able to grow as a physician in each of these fields. Outside of medicine, my hobbies include backcountry skiing, mountain biking, running, and talking to my grandma on the phone. My partner, Dominic, and I are excited to explore Northwest Montana with our two goofy dogs, Shadow and Lyric.
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Dr. Cecilia Heck
Hello! My name is Ceely Heck and I am beyond thrilled to be starting residency with FMRWM.
Growing up, my days were spent on our small sheep farm on the Bozeman Pass. After high school in Bozeman, I continued onto Carroll College where I received a bachelor’s degree in biology. Shortly after college I was able to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon, Central Africa. For two and a half years I worked in a small village developing projects focused on maternal health in areas such as malnutrition and malaria prevention. This is where my love of medicine grew into a calling, and I was able to return after my service to attend medical school at the University of Washington. I have a passion for working in rural communities and am a graduate of the Targeted Rural Underserved Track (TRUST) at UW. In my free time I love to trail run and cross-country ski with my dog. It is a privilege to return to Montana to practice medicine in the same communities I grew up in. |
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Dr. Chiara Lawrence
I grew up in Denver, CO, escaping to the mountains with my family to ski, bike, and ramble on ridgelines whenever I wasn’t on a soccer field or in a classroom. I moved to Vermont for college, where I studied neuroscience, took lots of art classes, and was spoiled with a backyard full of trails. In high school and college, I volunteered as a ski patroller and discovered my love of medicine. During my junior year I studied abroad in Argentina through a program focused on public health, which affirmed my interest in public health. After finishing college, I worked as an EMT in Colorado before moving to Albany, NY for medical school. I soon discovered my love of primary care, obstetrical and abortion care, sexual health, climate health justice, and end of life care. I am dedicated to providing holistic care for each patient in the context of their life, alongside their families and communities, and through all of life's stages. I cannot imagine choosing anything other than full-spectrum family medicine and I feel so lucky to be moving to Missoula to continue my training with FMRWM.
In my free time I love trail running, skiing, goofing around with my friends and partner, cooking spicy foods, dancing to live music or just around my kitchen, reading (currently rereading The Locked Tomb series and On Freedom by Maggie Nelson), and taking my road bike on trails it was definitely not built for. |
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Dr. Annalise Mann
I was born and raised in the mountains and rivers of central Colorado. I completed a degree in Environmental Health at Colorado State University where I fell in love with public health and interned with the Honduras Cookstove Project. After college, I traveled and worked as a medical scribe in Ferndale, WA where I grew to love the community involvement, varied nature and widespread applicability of family medicine. I attended medical school at A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) where I spent three years working with underserved and rural populations of Northern Arizona. I helped found and lead the ATSU-SOMA Wilderness Medicine Club and enjoyed introducing my peers to camping, climbing, mountain biking, and skiing. My medical interests include rural full spectrum medicine, women’s health, wilderness and travel medicine, advocacy, public health and the list goes on. My husband Scott and I enjoy backcountry and Nordic skiing, whitewater kayaking, and mountain biking together. When not outside, I watercolor paint, bake sweet treats and snuggle our two kitties. We look forward to exploring Montana and joining the community in Missoula.
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Dr. George Pope
Born and Raised out of the Pacific Northwest just outside of Portland, Oregon I had the pleasure of growing up exploring nature with my family. This inevitably brought us to Montana several times to take in the raw beauty of Glacier National Park and I haven’t been able to stop visiting since. I attended medical school at Pacific Northwest University in Yakima, Washington because it gave me the opportunity to learn while serving a rural and underserved population. I am ecstatic to be joining the FMRWM team as it will provide me the opportunity to explore all my medical interests while also letting me continue to try and hone my skills as a hiker, fly fisherman, skier, and want to be chef. After residency, I hope to practice full spectrum family medicine for a rural and underserved community.
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Dr. Cassandra Wammen
I was born in England and raised in Mesa, Arizona. I attended Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Arizona State University where I studied genetics, cell, and developmental biology. During undergrad, I gained great fulfillment in empowering others through education by serving disadvantaged youth in Title I schools, teaching for the Arizona Department of Corrections in
Florence, and serving the housing insecure population in Phoenix as a volunteer and crisis responder. After college, I was a Gilman scholar to Morocco and Fulbright grantee to Belgium where I met my now husband, Tal, who is also a former Fulbright grantee and engineer with NASA. Through Tal and many adventures at his family’s fifth generation cattle ranch in Harding County, South Dakota, I fell in love with rural life and the power of community. I am humbled to have the privilege of being a physician and received my M.D. from the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson. My life experiences have cultivated my desire to practice full-scope family medicine and to be the “Jack of all trades” that my patients can count on. In the rich realm of family medicine, I am especially passionate about reproductive health, obstetrics, dermatology, and psychiatry. I was a competitive figure skater for seven years and greatly enjoy running, cycling, hiking and swimming when outside the classroom, clinic, and hospital. I am incredibly excited to join the FMRWM and look forward to forming close bonds with my colleagues and patients. I cannot wait to explore the beautiful Montana mountains, new restaurants, and national parks with my husband and free-roaming house bunny, Chester. |
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Dr. Talia Sopp
I grew up in a hockey family in Fairbanks, Alaska. After getting a degree in physics at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, I realized I didn't actually want to be a physicist and spent a few years trying a variety of jobs, ranging from working at an addiction treatment center for teens to raft guiding. I particularly loved my job as a health insurance navigator at a neighborhood health center, and the family physicians there inspired me to go to medical school.
I traded mountains for cornfields when I started medical school at the University of Iowa. Though I enjoyed almost every specialty I rotated in, the family medicine clinic always felt like home to me. I spent 2 months in rural towns in northwest Iowa where family docs did everything from C-sections to hospice care. This fostered in me a particular passion for full-spectrum, rural family medicine. Throughout medical school, I also developed a passion for working with people who use drugs. I volunteered regularly with our local harm reduction coalition and started a student harm reduction group to get medical students more involved. This group has now distributed thousands of doses of naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal agent, saving the lives of many Iowans. I am thrilled to continue my medical training in Missoula. As a rock climber, cyclist, and whitewater enthusiast, I am excited to explore the Last Best Place! |
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Dr. Alexis Ziebelman
Shalom! I was born and raised in the tiny town of New York, NY, “the greatest city in the world.” I was fortunate to grow up in a tight-knit neighborhood and Jewish community that made the big city feel cozy
and small. I became acutely aware at a young age that the world was not a fair or just place, and that I had an obligation to help be part of the solution. As one who continuously seeks to learn and explore, I lived in Yafo, Israel after high school and found a home as the only American in an all Israeli gap year. I returned stateside to study history and mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania for my undergraduate degree, in the birthplace of our young nation. After graduating, I worked for a few years seasonally outdoors spending summer/fall in the intense White Mountains in New Hampshire and winters in rural Idaho. It was in these years that I fell in love with small places and cemented my desire to return to work in a rural community. I spent a triumphant and challenging 3 months hiking 1717.17 miles of the PCT before starting medical school in Tel Aviv, Israel. Throughout medical school, I enjoyed every clinical rotation too much to choose just one specialty, which naturally led me to family medicine. I enjoy hiking, snowboarding, climbing, and generally exploring all mother nature has to offer! I am thrilled to join the FMRWM mishpochah and I cannot wait to explore the amazing mountains, rivers, and community Missoula and Montana have to offer and continue my medical training in such a unique and special environment! |
