"Before choosing a specialty or a residency, determine your priorities in life. Know what matters most to you, then choose a residency whose people, culture and training philosophy align with those priorities. Medicine is a wonderful career, but it is only one part of a well-lived life. Choose a program that will prepare you not only to become an excellent physician, but also to become the person you hope to be for your family, your patients, your community and yourself."
About Me
When Phelps Health offered me the opportunity to build a family medicine residency from the ground up, I couldn’t say no.
I spent 8 years practicing full-spectrum rural family medicine in Lyons, Kansas, a community of about 3,500 people, where I cared for patients of all ages and practiced the broad scope of family medicine, including obstetrics, inpatient medicine, procedures, emergency care and outpatient continuity care.
I later joined the faculty of the Via Christi Family Medicine Residency in Wichita, Kansas (now the KU Wichita/Ascension Via Christi Family Medicine Residency), where I served as associate program director. During that time, I helped develop resident education in point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), obstetric ultrasound, global health initiatives in Africa, physician wellness, and integrating personal faith and purpose into the practice of medicine.
Following my time in residency education, I worked with Adventist Health in Northern California on physician workforce development and residency redesign before joining the faculty at Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine. There, I led the integration of POCUS throughout the medical school curriculum and developed continuing medical education programs that trained practicing physicians in ultrasound.
Why Phelps Health?
Opportunities to build a residency from a blank canvas only come once in a career.
Our program's vision is simple: Graduate advanced family physicians who can practice anywhere, care for anyone, continue learning throughout their careers and become leaders in their communities. We have intentionally designed this residency around the full scope of family medicine while creating a culture where residents are known personally, challenged professionally, and supported throughout their journey.
Clinical Interests
- Full-spectrum family medicine
- Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS)
- Obstetric ultrasound
- Rural medicine
- Maternal and newborn care
- Global health
- Physician wellness and resilience
- Helping physicians build healthy, balanced, purpose-driven lives
- Caring for vulnerable and underserved populations
Passions
Outside of medicine, I enjoy spending time with my wife, children, their spouses and seven grandchildren. I am passionate about mentoring future physicians, discipleship and spiritual growth for younger men, advocating for the unborn, and supporting families through perinatal hospice following the diagnosis of life-limiting fetal conditions.
Favorite Quotes
"The good is often the enemy of the best." — Charles Hummel
"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." — Jim Elliot
"Real success is when the people who know you the best love you the most." — John Maxwell
"Begin with the end in mind." — Stephen R. Covey
Favorite Books
• The Bible (Legacy Standard Bible)
• Margin by Richard Swenson, MD
• A Life Well Spent by Russ Crosson
Personal Reminders
The following personal reminders continue to shape my life:
• We make no decisions in a vacuum.
• Recognize the value of not winning every argument.
• Some of life's greatest lessons come through losses.
• The world may see you as a commodity; never forget the people who truly care about you.