Current Residents
Here is a random sampling of residents from each class. If you want to see more residents from a particular class, click on the appropriate link. The year indicated is the year the resident will finish residency.
2009 Residents | 2010 Residents | 2011 Residents | 2012 Residents | Fellows
Joshua Brueggemann - 2009 Resident
Welcome to Via Christi! I am a native Kansan and am proud to be part of such a strong training program in my home state. Not only is Via Christi an excellent residency program, but it is also the the source of some of my most valued friendships and mentoring relationships. Via Christi has been the perfect residency home for me and my family. My wife, Sammie, and I have very much enjoyed our time with the Via Christi family and will deeply miss it when we move on next year. Sammie and I have two children, Nicholas and Natalie, and are expecting little Naomi Grace in September. Wichita has been the perfect place to raise our family the last two years, and we are thankful for all it has to offer. We have found a church we love and many opportunities for fun and entertainment in a city that surprised us. We love it here. We have become involved in the community with various projects including sexual responsibility education for youth, our church's vacation Bible schools, and the residency social group. When we get a chance, we like to travel, entertain guests, and play with our kids.
Why Via Christi? I chose Via Christi for multiple reasons. First, it provides opportunities for a robust and thorough training that is easily accessible. As a father and husband, I want to maximize my training opportunities without needing to take extra time away from my family. At Via Christi, I know I am getting the training I need just by showing up to do my job and doing it well. The work is sometimes intense, but the learning is tremendous. Most importantly, I don't need to go searching for opportunities when I should be spending time with my family. Second, the people at Via Christi are wonderful individuals of values and character. They lift me up morally, ethically, professionally, and academically. I can't imagine working with a better group of people. Third, Via Christi Family Medicine works in an environment where family physicians are valued and given autonomy. We have excellent cooperative relationships with specialists in our community and are an integral force in the success and daily operations of the hospital system. Finally, Via Christi embraces my family and welcomes us into the community. The program has been very interested in helping me become the best physician I can be while still fulfilling my primary commitments as husband and father.
Passions: Working outdoors, playing with my kids, church activities, fishing, traveling, eating chocolate, teaching young people about building character and being sexually responsible, following politics, and eating more chocolate.
Favorite Books: I don't read nearly enough books, but I do like movies. Some of my favorites are Cars, The Shawshank Redemption, Meet Joe Black, and It's a Wonderful Life. One of my recent favorite books is Horton Hears a Who.
Favorite Quotes: "A person's a person, no matter how small..." - Horton, Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss
After residency plan: I am currently looking for jobs in rural or semi-rural Kansas. I have a Kansas Medical Student Loan I need to pay back by working in an underserved county in Kansas. I plan to practice somewhere where I can do full spectrum Family Medicine including operative obstetrics.
Home town: Shawnee, Kansas
For more 2009 Residents click here.
Drew Miller - 2010 Resident
My wife and I have been married for 6 years. We have a 2 month old daughter. We are both initially from rural Kansas (Ford and Leoti). Undergrad: Sterling College. Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine.
Why Via Christi? Two reasons: 1. The full-scope experience - including an exceptional OB experience and plenty of procedures (especially scopes). 2. The residents - I found a program where I enjoyed who I worked with.
Passions: My #1 priority is serving my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My wife and I enjoy spending time together and with our daughter, Emma. I enjoy playing basketball (noon-ball especially) and also enjoy playing the piano.
After residency plan: I plan on practicing full scope family medicine in rural KS (more specific location to be determined...)
Home town: Leoti, KS
For more 2010 Residents click here.
Tobi Dawodu - 2011 Resident
Tobi is from Nigeria, although you would never know it from his cosmopolitan accent. He loves extreme skiing as he spent some years in St. Catharines, Ontario.
For more 2011 Residents click here.
McGarrett Groth - 2012 Resident
Well, if you really want to know about me and are spending time looking at my profile you must really be bored! Ok, now that we have that cleared up, on to the good stuff. I was born and raised in a small town in northeast Kansas called Hiawatha. Well not actually born there, but for sake of the arguement I won\'t claim being born in Nebraska! Sorry Fagot! ;) For those of you that don\'t know where that it, look at a map! Just kidding! It is about 18 miles from the Nebraska border and 45 miles from Missouri. As for my true birth story just ask me as it is a good one! A true miracle for sure! Well some poeple might think of it as a punishment because I survived and know they have to put up with me! I went to college at KSU and will always be a Wildcat! After that I went to medical school Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. (That\'s not a mouthful at all...) For my third and fourth year rotations I came down to Via Christi here in Wichita and liked it enough to stay.
Why Via Christi? I chose Via Christi for many reasons. As I mentioned above, I did my third and fourth year rotations down here and had nothing but great things to say about my experiences here. For one, I enjoyed the hands on experience we get especially when it comes to OB. We are primaries on c-sections on day one and I guess I was a glutten for punishment and like getting thrown into the fire! Also, I really have to say that we have a great group of residents, faculty, and community attendings that we rotate with. Everyone is easy to get along with and are eager to teach and help each other out. I felt as though I \"fit in\" here and that is what I think the right residency program is all about. When you know it is the right place for you, you know. I like the promotion of the full spectrum training for family physicians that is emphasized at Via Christi. My ultimate goal is to stay in the rural midwest and practace full scope primary care. Another draw to the program is the Sports Medicine fellowship as my other interest in medicine has always been orthopedics. Oh yeah, study group helped too! (If you have questions what this entails, just ask.)
Passions: Outside of the obvious passion of medicine, at the top of my list is friends and family. I believe that is what truly makes my life great is the wonderful supportive friends and my caring family. I especially love to spend time with my niece and nephew which are the most amazing little kiddos you will ever meet! Yeah, that\'s a challenge! (Ok, I may be just a bit biased, but they are pretty awesome!) When I am not working, I like to play sports. Basketball is the one I play most of the time now and I suppose some may say I am a bit wild and out of control on the court. I suppose that that isn\'t too far of a stretch! (Ask Dr GM Stephens for details.) I also like to play baseball, softball and football. I also enjoy riding my motorcycle when the weather is nice out. There is just something relaxing about hitting the open road without any particular destination and taking in all the sights and sounds along the way all while basking in the open breeze. Unfrotunately I am not cool enough to join the scooter gang... uh-hum... (Not to mention any names or anything, Gilbert, Fagot, M Penny....) I also like to tool on cars and motorcycles when I get the chance. I guess that stems from being raised on a farm when I was younger. I love to listen to music and watch movies when I get the chance. I am also trying to learn the guitar, but just not quite talented enough to make the resident band.. But I am trying! :P
Favorite Quotes: Git \'R Dun! Ok, I couldn\'t think of anything else, but isn\'t that an appropriate quote coming from a rural KS boy?! Who doesn\'t like Larry the Cable Guy?!
After residency plan: After residency I would like to do the Sports Medicine Fellowship. I have always been interested in orthopedics and this way I will get my ortho fix all while still being a part of my other passion of family medicine. Ideally I would like to go back to a small to medium sized town that has a small college and do full spectrum medicine and be the team doctor for the college on the side.
Home town: Hiawatha, KS
Residency stats: 30 SVD 1 Vacuum 8 C/S *one month of OB
For more 2012 Residents click here.
Kevin Raymer - International Fellow
Undergraduate studies: The University of Kansas, Medical School: The University of Kansas School of Medicine, Married: April 19, 2008 to the beautiful Katie Gee.
Why Via Christi? After visiting quite a few residency programs, I strongly felt the Via Christi would best prepare me to practice as a family medicine physician in an abroad setting. The additional training offered in the International Family Medicine Fellowship will also be invaluable when I serve overseas. In addition to the unparalleled training, the character of the staff and residents is second to none.
Passions: To serve others with what I've been blessed. Spending time with my wife and our family; wilbur, rosko (labradors), scrubs, and amaya (felines). Trailriding, water skiing, camping, hunting, "autoharping," reading, gardening, hop growin', lawn mowin', and the like. Re-watching the 2008 Orange Bowl and the 2008 National Basketball Championship games in the "Rock Chalk Man Cave" (my basement).
Favorite Books: Current fav: John Eldredge's "Walking with God"
Favorite Quotes: "It's our opinions that make us stupid." - Oswald Chambers
After residency plan: I will spend my first post-residency year as a fellow in the Intenational Family Medicine Fellowship. I will then find work in Wichita area until Katie is done with surgery residency. I will be looking to fulfill my loan commitment in an underserved community during that time. We will then likely move to Arizona to fulfill Katie's loan commitment in an underserved community. Once we get through all of that, we plan to overseas to serve as full-time missionaries as soon as our loan commitments are fulfilled. {The above is subject to much change as we learn to follow the will of God.}
Home town: Russell, KS
Residency stats: C-Sections: 77, vaginal deliveries: 132, forcep deliveries: about 6-8, vacuum deliveries: quite a few, colonoscopies: 31, EGDs: 20.