Fellows
We have two Sports Fellows this year and our new International Fellowship started in July with one Fellow.
Back to Random Residents
Meggan Grant - Sports Fellow
I am from Colorado originally. I went to The Colorado College and attended medical school at KCUMB in Kansas City, MO. Nearing the end of this 3 year residency adventure and will be starting a sports medicine fellowship here at Via Christi in July.
Why Via Christi?
Favorite Quotes: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us, it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." ~Marianne Williamson from "A Return To Love"
After residency plan: I would like to practice somewhere in rural Colorado.
Home town: Flagler, CO
Marc Carrigan - International Fellow
I am originally from Normal, IL, and attended undergrad at Illinois Wesleyan University and medical school at Southern Illinois University. I am married to the beautiful Stephanie June who graciously supported me through medical school. I chose family medicine because I loved every rotation during my 3rd year and wanted to do it all. Still do! I enjoy any type of outdoor/sporting activity: football, basketball, hockey, running, biking, fishing…. I also enjoy reading, but have had a tough time fitting it in as an intern.
Why Via Christi? The Experience: Not many programs in the country will allow you to do 50-70 C-sections, 150-200 vaginal deliveries, manage pediatric and medicine patients in the ICU, work side by side with sports medicine fellows, and participate in a one of a kind international medicine fellowship. The Residents: I have not met a single person out of 54 residents that I wouldn’t want to hang out with on a Friday night. Everyone is a pleasure to be around… even at 6 AM. There is also such a team attitude here with people willing to help me out during rounds if I get behind, trade call nights, and pitch in a hand whenever needed. The Faculty: Second to none. Great to work with and learn from. Family medicine faculty that are up to date on medicine, peds, and OB. A pediatrician, nephrologist, and ENT on staff. OB/GYN’s, surgeons, and peds intensivists that truly want to teach us how to do what they do. The City: Surprise! Wichita is pretty cool. I was skeptical myself, but came to find that there are tons of restaurants, hang outs, semi-pro sports, outdoor activities, and shopping for my wife. And housing is very affordable.
Favorite Books: "Soul Survivor" by Philip Yancey
Favorite Quotes: "It's strange - those of us who involve ourselves in places where there is the most suffering, look back in surprise to find that it was there that we discovered the reality of joy." - Paul Brand
After residency plan: I love the poor and medically underserved. My wife is a family nurse practitioner and we want to work in a developing country when I finish residency. Our plan is to do a 4-year term and then re-evaluate our future. We are open to career overseas service or moving back to the states to work with the urban poor
Dana Brewington - Sports Fellow
I grew up in rural Missouri and graduated from Lone Jack High School in 2000. I attended undergraduate and medical school at the University of Missouri in Kansas City before matching to the Family Medicine Program at Via Christi in 2006. My "high school sweetheart" Scott and I got married on January 27, 2007, during my first year of residency and he moved his Remodeling and Handyman business to Wichita. We live on the West side of town with my "pony" and our two dogs, Strider (my super-social chocolate lab mix) and Tuff (Scott's timid and spastic border collie).
Why Via Christi? Via Christi offered the most comprehensive Family Medicine training of anywhere else I looked. Also, the people were great and made Scott and me feel right at home!
Passions: I'm an American girl!! I was in cheerleading for 11 years; the last 4 as a UMKC Kangaroo! Go Roos! I come from a musical family and also play the piano and tenor saxophone. I enjoy jogging with my pet dog, Strider, and riding my "pony" (my 2006 Ford Mustang GT).
Favorite Books: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings series
Home town: Lone Jack, Missouri
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.
John Birky - International Fellow
I am married to a wonderful woman named Lisa and we just recently had a son (Jude) in July 2009. I grew up in rural Kansas about one hour north of Wichita near Goessel, KS, and Lisa grew up in western KS near Colby. College: Grace University (Omaha) & K-State. Med School: University of Kansas School of Medicine. My life has been shaped by many forces, including growing up in rural Kansas, but I am grateful for many others as well, including spending time overseas in a few developing countries, learning more of what it means to be a follower of Jesus while attending K-State, but I think most of all my parents and the key truth they instilled in me at a young age- that following Jesus above all else will bring a satisfaction far greater than I'll find pursuing the temporary things of this world. That has made all the difference.
Why Via Christi? The residents, the faculty, the opportunities... I could go on. You can come away from this residency ready to do clinic, be a hospitalist, do OB with C-Sections, endoscopy, International Medicine, Sports Medicine, you name it- the opportunities are there for you to pursue. Looking back as a third year resident, I see faculty who have become mentors and residents who have become close friends - more priceless than MasterCard.
Passions: Developing a heart like Jesus (it's a long road...), developing great friendships, playing and listening to great music, reading and discussing truth, watching people come alive when they discover the "openly hidden" treasure of God who became a man. My wife and I also love to travel, and living in a developing country may be in our future...
Favorite Books: So many...but currently I am reading The Jesus I Never Knew, Understand My Muslim People, and "Health The Bible and The Church" by Dan Fountain. I especially enjoy novels set in developing countries, and haven't yet found one quite as good as The Kite Runner.
After residency plan: After graduating, I plan to participate in the newly formed International Family Medicine Fellowship. After that, we will likely practice full-scope family medicine in rural Kansas. The physical and spiritual needs in the developing world tug at my heart however, and we're watching for God's leading, waiting to see what he wants to do with our lives.
Home town: Goessel, KS
Residency stats: All approximations... Vaginal deliveries: about 100. C-Sections: recently passed 50 primary. Forceps: 3-4. Vaccuum: 6-7. Colonscopy: 20-30, EGD: 5-6. LEEP: 3. Stress Treadmill: 1 OB ultrasound: 5-6.
Lisa Gilbert - International Fellow
I was born at a young age in Springfield, Missouri and was raised in Kenya and Togo. Then I moved back to Springfield for college at Missouri State. I took a wonderful year off to volunteer at an AIDS orphanage in South Africa and decided after this experience on a career in medicine. I finished up college then went to Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.
Why Via Christi? I felt a sense of belonging and "homeness" at Via Christi. The program provided a diverse practical experience base with a strong education. The things I value are shared by so many of the attendings and other residents, a sense of mission to the underserved, a desire to develop solid medical skills and to continue in spiritual growth. I love that we are encouraged to moonlight to continue gaining experience in rural environments and how accessible our faculty are.
Passions: I like hiking/backpacking, writing, making music, making tea, making friends, and any combination of hiking, writing, music, tea and friends. I love learning about the history of the Church and of my faith.
Favorite Books: Children's books, fantasy/sci-fi, writings of the Church Fathers, uber girly classics like Little Women, Anne of Green Gables...
After residency plan: "It's a dangerous business, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." I am open to wherever the Lord and the four winds take me, but I plan to do the International Fellowship, then hope to do medical missions work overseas, write a children's novel called the "Eight Former Lives of Sir Thomas S Bronx" (about a stingy snooty old cat who gets ousted from his master's inheritance by a jealous buttler, then put on a rickety boat against his will, forced to suffer countless meals of mice and rats, until he amends his former ways and becomes a kind generous kitty), take a month long pilgrimage, hike the Appalachian trail, visit the Holy Land, oh and Greece, Italy, Egypt, China, Thailand, all of South America, ok so everywhere, study for a year at Augustine College, and make a slight difference in the lives of others, if the Lord wills.
Home town: Springfield, MO?
Residency stats: As of Sept 2011: 100 vaginal deliveries (9 vaccum or forceps), 41 C-sections, 18 circs, 1 D&C, 3 LPs, 1 chest tube, 4 thoracentesis, 5 art lines, 2 central lines, 35 intubations/LMA placements, many vent managements, 1 paracentesis, many abcess I&Ds, stiches etc. Oh, and 1112 clinic patients...on my way to 1650!
Sarah Mandigo - International Fellow
I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but raised in other less populated parts of Wisconsin, most recently in a village of 400 people. College and medical school years at the University of Wisconsin - Madison brought a drastic broadening of my horizons and included the study of Spanish, 7.5 months in the Dominican Republic, and 6 weeks in rural Bangladesh.
Why Via Christi? Via Christi was THE program that stood head and shoulders above all of the other programs that I encountered in the pre-interview season and on the interview trail. It's tremendous attraction for me was its strength in obstetrics, including C-section training, international family medicine fellowship opportunity, and the large number of kindred spirits that I encountered in Via Christi's residents and faculty.
Passions: the Trinity, loving God and loving people, a job well-done, reading, hiking, biking, and canoeing
After residency plan: To work full-time in overseas medical missions, caring for the underserved and teaching nationals
Home town: Alma Center, WI
Residency stats: As of 10/1/2011, C-sections 48, normal spontaneous vaginal deliveries 107, continuity OB deliveries 27, vacuum-assisted deliveries 9, forceps-assisted delivery 1, perineal repairs 39, circumcisions 13, OB ultrasounds 12, colposcopy 8, LEEP 4, lumbar puncture 2, intubations/LMA placement 21, paracentesis 2, thoracentesis 5, EGD 14, colonoscopy 12, D&C 7, arterial line 1, central line 1, ICU patient encounters on medicine - approximately 150, hospital continuity visits 68.
Dean Kubacz - International Fellow
I was born and raised in South Carolina and am the 2nd oldest of five children (4 boys and 1 girl). I studied forestry at Clemson University and spent several years working with the US Forest Service in Colorado. While finishing my masters in Forestry/Fire Management, God began to redirect my path toward medicine. I attended medical school in Charleston, SC, with my wife Dianna before heading to Kansas for residency training in family medicine. Dianna and I completed residency in 2011 and were blessed with a daughter during our second year. Gracie is a ball of energy and the source of many smiles. We are now completing the International Family Medicine Fellowship with the Carrigan family. In January, we head to Galmi Hospital in Niger, West Africa. Please pray for us!
Why Via Christi? Great combination of full-spectrum training with solid procedural numbers and dedicated faculty/residents who are a joy to work with.
Passions: I enjoy being outdoors, I love my wonderful wife and beautiful daughter, and I am learning more and more about how much God loves me.
Favorite Books: Holy Bible Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Eternity in Their Hearts The Hobbit
Favorite Quotes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Jesus Christ "No, no I'm not." The main guy in Pride and Prejudice to the main girl in the same movie when she tells him she thought he was in London but the two of them are standing there, together in some place that is definitely not London.
After residency plan: First, a year of the International Fellowship with our great friends the Carrigans. Then, practice medicine in a rural setting -- either small town USA or international medicine -- wherever God leads us.
Home town: Greenville, SC
Residency stats: ICU admits - lots and lots Vaginal deliveries - 120+ C-Sections - 65+ Colonoscopy - 65+ EGD - 25+
Rick Moberly - International Fellow
I grew up in Colorado and moved to Kansas to go to College (WSU) and Medical School(KU). I enjoy traveling and experiencing other cultures.
Why Via Christi? I wanted a residency that gave me the opportunity to practice operative obstetrics, EGDs, colonoscopies, and had international opportunities.
Passions: I enjoy traveling, skiing, multimedia production, golf.
Favorite Books: LOTR, WOT, SOT, HGTTG
Favorite Quotes: "Health care is an essential safeguard of human life and dignity and there is an obligation for society to ensure that every person be able to realize this right." - Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Chicago Archdiocese
After residency plan: I plan on going to the VCFM International Fellowship after I graduate. I hope that some part of my future practice is in a developing nation.
Home town: Grand Junction, CO
Residency stats: Colonoscopies - 90; EGD - 30; Colposcopies - 15; Vaginal Deliveries - 175; Forceps - 20; Cesarean Sections - 70... as of July 28, 2008
Alexis Carmer - International Fellow
Born in California and raised in Oklahoma, I came to Wichita after spending 8 years in Texas at Baylor University and Baylor College of Medicine. In my spare time I watch movies, read (fun) books, water my plants, play board games, hang out with international students, and visit my mom in Oklahoma.
Why Via Christi? Fun people, broad spectrum training, the friendly Midwest atmosphere, and the international emphasis. Also I was really impressed with the Via Christi graduates with whom I had worked during medical school.
Passions: Languages: I'm not fluent in anything else (yet), but I've dabbled in Spanish, German, ancient Greek, and Swahili. Anything creative: photography, construction, etc.
Favorite Books: The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Redeeming Love, Bruchko
Favorite Quotes: "If you've never done it before, don't do it" - Mom "Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." - Paul
After residency plan: I plan to live somewhere in Africa and train others in medicine and public health.
Home town: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Residency stats: Vaginal deliveries: 115 (forceps 10, vacuum 5); C-sections: 40; Amniocentesis : 1; Colonoscopies: 15; Arterial Lines: 3; Central lines: 3 (as of July 25, 2008)
Jack Kline - International Fellow
Single male from back-woods Tennessee. Raised on the farm, in the coal mines, and with medicine.
Why Via Christi? I simply felt that Via Christi had the best combination of opportunities for training and community.
Passions: Serving Christ. Being with friends. Playing sports.
After residency plan: Full-Scope Rural and International Medicine
Home town: Helenwood, TN
Marta Hantke - International Fellow
Born and raised in Newberg, Oregon (near Portland), volunteered at a free medical clinic for a year in Milwaukee, WI, moved back to Portland to check out health care for veterans before meeting patients who would make the commitment to medicine worthwhile! I got my Masters in Public Health, started medical school, and then got to come to the centerfold city for residency! (That is an affectionate term because every map I have places Wichita buried in the spine of the map!)
Why Via Christi? So many reasons! The opportunity to do international rotations during residency, the opportunity to do the International Medicine Fellowship, the opportunity to be involved in a program where so many residents are Christians and value God's presence in their lives, the tremendous amount of OB training, the opportunity to do so many procedures, and the opportunity to be treated as competent from day one!
Passions: Hanging out with friends, watching movies, Thursday Women's Prayer Nights.
Favorite Books: Jesus, M.D.; Miracle at Tenweck: The Life of Dr. Ernie Steury
Favorite Quotes: "Anything you can conceive, and in that you believe, you can achieve!"
After residency plan: I would love to do the International Medicine Fellowship offered here - 2 months of tropical medicine, 5 months in Africa, and 5 months in Wichita as junior faculty and doing rotations in Ortho, Burn, Anesthesiology, Dental, Trauma...
Home town: Newberg, Ore.
John Epperly - International Fellow
My wife Shea an I both graduated from medical school at the University of Arizona. My wife is also an FP resident here at Via-Christi. We both love the outdoors! Skiing, Hiking, backpacking, climbing, and water sports. We just had our first child.. Beau Isaac. He's been a tremendous blessing and joy to watch grow up the first 5 months. (oh yeah and I'm a die-hard OU sooner fan, and so is my son.....as if he had a choice)
Why Via Christi? Great Full-spectrum FP training, spiritual mentorship, great community and good medical climate for training residents.
Passions: I love getting people(namely students) to get fired about full-spectrum FP. I love sports of all kinds especially football. Hanging out with friends, and I'm actually a closet magician. My wife and I are also very passionate about rural and international medicine. We hope to use both to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Favorite Books: Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis, although I prefer watching movies, since it takes less time( I can't sit still more then 1 hr)
Favorite Quotes: FREEEEEEEDOOOOOM! William Wallace in Braveheart. If you can call that a quote.
After residency plan: My wife and I both plan on doing the international fellowship. We then hope to have a rural practice with several other fellow residents. We hope to set up our practice where we each practice 2 months overseas on a yearly basis.
Home town: Wichita, Ks
Residency stats: C-sections- 65 Vaginal Deliveries 200-250 Forceps- 23 Vacuum- 12 Colonoscopy- 80 EGD- 35