Archive

Dorothy Buening, MD

Boise Program

Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Dr. Dorothy Buening was born and raised in the Mitten state, Michigan (yes, she will use her hand as a map to show you where she’s from)!  She grew up playing competitive volleyball which led her to continue playing throughout her undergrad studies at Alma College.  While at Alma, she took advantage of the many service-learning opportunities with Alternative Breaks around the country and internationally to Rwanda and Zambia.

After a year of scribing in an Emergency Department and coaching youth volleyball, she headed to Providence, RI to attend Brown Medical School.  While at Brown, she fell in love with the breadth and depth of Family Medicine.  If she had to narrow it down, her specific interests within Family Medicine include comprehensive reproductive healthcare, underserved medicine, and addiction medicine.  Outside of medicine, Dorothy enjoys crafting/DIY projects, hiking, and cooking and sharing meals with friends.

Dorothy is moving West with her partner, Nick.  They are excited to explore the thrift shops and outdoor scenes of Boise and the nearby areas (hopefully after adopting a furry friend to accompany them).

Miranda Crouch, MD, PhD

Boise Program

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Dr. Miranda Crouch was born and raised in Jamestown, TN, a small town nestled within the beautiful Cumberland Plateau. She completed her undergraduate studies in Microbiology at the University of Tennessee (GO VOLS!). After her undergraduate studies, she completed a 6 month internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory where she worked with microbial ecologists to further understand the influence of microorganisms on biogeochemical cycles in soils and sediments. Given her enjoyment of research and discovery, she moved to Greenville, NC where she completed her PhD in Biochemistry at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Her thesis work focused on improving the humoral immune response in obesity through modulation of omega-3 fatty acid lipid mediators.

While she enjoyed research, she continued to actively work with vulnerable and underserved populations throughout her time in graduate school, which further revealed the impact of social determinants on the overall health and well-being of individuals and the community. This led her to attend medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was a clinic leader for a student-led rural clinic in Eastern NC. This experience along with her rural upbringing solidified her desire to serve underserved, rural communities as a family physician.

Miranda is super excited to join the Full Circle Health family as a resident physician. Her interests within medicine include rural medicine, addiction medicine, nutrition, women’s health, sports medicine, and preventative medicine (to name a few). She also looks forward to exploring the beautiful state of Idaho! Outside of medicine, Miranda enjoys landscape photography, hiking, travel, trying out new cooking recipes, spending time with loved ones, and wearing TN orange most days of the year while she cheers on her VOLS.

Matthew Finley, MD

Boise Program

University of Kansas School of Medicine

Hey, I’m Matt! I grew up in O’Neill, NE (The Irish capitol of Nebraska) which also happens to be the home of the world’s largest shamrock. However, I went to fact check this as I was writing it, and it seems like we have some competition in New York so we’ll see how that unfolds! After a move to Kansas, I finished up high school in Emporia, KS and did my undergraduate at Sterling College where I studied Human and Molecular Biology. I became more interested in medical school after working with various global health organizations throughout high school and college in Mexico, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic.

I completed my medical training at the University of Kansas School of Medicine where I am grateful to have had opportunities to stay involved in global health and international medicine, and broaden my interests within medicine in general. During med school I participated in clinical rotations in Ireland and Guatemala and continued partnering with health organizations in Mexico working at the US/Mexico border and in addiction rehabilitation centers. My desire to incorporate global health in my future practice was really solidified through courses I took to receive my professional certificate in international medicine and public health through the Institute for International Medicine. These experiences, my med school clinical rotations, and the incredible FM providers I have met along the way have opened my eyes to how incredible Family Medicine is, and how I can tailor my practice to the needs of whatever community I find myself in.

My current clinical interests include global health, sports medicine, emergency/urgent care, and addiction medicine. I am excited to be a part of this awesome program where I know I will be supported and encouraged! I’m also looking forward to adding a lot more snowboarding into my routine!

Jillian Gerrity, MD

Boise Program

University of California San Diego

Hello! I’m Jill. I grew up in Sunnyvale, CA, where I spent most of my childhood playing sports and serving as the perfect practice dummy for my three older brothers’ WWF wrestling moves. Despite my teenage angst telling me to flee, I stuck around the bay area to attend Santa Clara University, where I received a BS in Biology and Public Health Science.

After graduating, I spent a year as a research lab manager and two years volunteering and living at a children’s home in rural Honduras. The kids there taught me Spanish, beat me countless times in marbles, and, as the health care coordinator, reaffirmed my passion for underserved medicine.

I eventually returned to the US to attend medical school at the University of California, San Diego, where I was involved in research and the student-run free clinic. After loving every clinical rotation and realizing my favorite part of medicine is building relationships with patients, it was clear that Family Medicine was the perfect fit. Some of my clinical interests include underserved medicine, procedures, and LGBTQIA+, reproductive, and global health. I am overjoyed to explore these interests and receive excellent full-spectrum training at Full Circle Health in Boise!

Outside of medicine, I enjoy teaching myself new skills and am currently an aspiring amateur home project starter, sewer, and pianist. More than anything, I love spending time with my wonderful partner, Amanda, and our senior (but young at heart!) dogs. We’re ecstatic to be trading in the beach and desert for mountains and seasons and can’t wait to explore all the beautiful outdoors that Idaho offers!

Justin Han, MD

Boise Program

Northeast Ohio Medical University

Hi there! My name is Justin Han, and I immigrated with my family to the Midwest from China at a young age. I grew up mostly in a suburb near Columbus, OH. As a child, I always told my parents and teachers I wanted to be a doctor. I continued down this road and studied Biomedical Engineering at The Ohio State University during undergrad. GO BUCKS!  The summer after college, I was inspired to work as a medical in Haiti after reading Mountains Beyond Mountains. For three months, Haiti imprinted me with a desire to provide healthcare to communities without access. I must have really enjoyed experiences like going off-roading and enduring endless potholes to deliver Keppra to a 10-year-old at the “village watering hole.”

Soon after, I found myself packing up my Honda CR-V. I drove across the country from Ohio to Portland, Oregon to begin my AmeriCorps service year. I worked for College Possible to support high achieving, low-income high school students apply to college. In Portland, I was also introduced to a variety of new outdoor hobbies including backcountry skiing, rock climbing, backpacking, and trail running. 

After my year of service, I packed up my CR-V again to head back to Ohio and attend medical school at Northeast Ohio Medical University. During my clinical rotations, I became interested in becoming a full-spectrum family medicine physician. My clinical interests include obstetrics, addiction medicine, global health, and health care policy. I am beyond excited to have matched at Full Circle Health-Boise and to be moving to Idaho with my wife, Emily, who also enjoys playing in the mountains! As a physician, I hope to help address the lack of healthcare access rural communities face in Idaho and beyond.

Louis Hey, MD

Boise Program

University of Minnesota

Hello! I’m Louis and I was born and raised in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. Growing up, I developed a love of the outdoors, and this is where you can still find me in my free time. I enjoy just about any outdoor activity but particularly love fishing and hiking with my dog, Roger.

My path to medicine was a non-traditional one, via nursing school while living in England. I returned to Minnesota and completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota. Before medical school, I worked as a researcher in structural biology and later in a virology lab. During medical school, I did a 9-month longitudinal clerkship in Rural Minnesota, where I fell in love with full-spectrum family medicine. I enjoy the variety of opportunities available to family physicians and the ability to form meaningful, life-long relationships with patients.

When I was looking for a residency program, I wanted a place where I could get robust training in all aspects of family medicine and live somewhere with plenty of outdoor activities to recharge outside of work. Full Circle Health in Boise seemed like a great fit for both of those goals, and I was very impressed during my interview here. I could instantly feel the warm and welcoming atmosphere among the residents, faculty, and staff that I met in Boise. I am so excited to join the residency program and continue my journey towards rural, full-spectrum family medicine with the amazing people at Full Circle Health. 

Amy Nguyen, MD

Boise Program

University of Texas at San Antonio

Hi, I’m Amy! My childhood home is in the central plains of Texas, where I grew up in a small town called Marlin. An interesting fact about the town is that it used to be much more popular during the late 19th to mid-20th century with tourists due to having naturally occurring hot mineral water! Several bath houses were built touting its medicinal properties. The popularity of using hot mineral water as a therapy declined with the advent of penicillin and antibiotics after WWII, but there are three remaining active wells at Marlin and the local hospital in the town is still heated via the mineral waters!

I went to high school at Marlin, and attended the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor where I earned a dual degree in Biology and Chemistry. There, I was lucky to be accepted into the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP) and, eventually, into the University of Texas at San Antonio for my medical education.

My clinical interests are in rural medicine, broad-spectrum family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, addiction medicine, and more recently, wilderness medicine! Retrospectively, I think I’m just about interested in most fields of medicine, and I’m excited to start my training at Full Circle Health. I loved the rural area I grew up in and the tight knit community there- it’s my goal to be able to come back to a community similar to where I grew up with robust training that allows me to meet their needs.

Outside of medicine, I love to hike, ice-skate, rollerblade, bike, skateboard, draw and read! Having never lived so far north, Leon (my cat) and I look forward to exploring Boise!

Oleksandra Pashchenko, MD

Boise Program

Hello! I’m Sasha. I was born in Ukraine and moved to small town Kansas with my mom and brother when I was 7 years old.  During undergrad at Pittsburg State University, I spent a few years working as a scribe, CMA at a nursing home, and learning about global health through international travel to Honduras, Peru, and Kenya.

Medical school took me north to New Hampshire where I fell in love with maple syrup, cheese, pick-your-own farms, and shoveling snow off my car! During medical school I completed my family medicine rotations in Valdez, Alaska and rural Vermont which inspired me to pursue rural full-spectrum family medicine. I’m most excited about POCUS, wilderness medicine, and global health (hoping to go back to Ukraine to help).

I’m very excited to be a part of the Boise family medicine program with my husband/co-resident Tyler Shelby. We both have way too many hobbies, but some of my favorite things to do with my free time are gardening, camping, knitting, sewing, boardgames (and video games!), photography, painting/drawing, and attending renaissance festivals. I also love getting cozy on the couch with a good Netflix show, a fantasy/sci-fi novel, or crossword! My non-medical goal is to one day have a little homestead with some sheep/alpacas so I can make my own yarn. Why buy a sweater when you can spend months and months making yarn and knitting one instead?

Cathleen Rueckeis, MD

Boise Program

University of North Carolina School of Medicine

Cath is from Berlin, Germany, where she lived until age 18. She then made a leap across the pond to study in her mother’s home state, North Carolina. There, she completed a degree in quantitative biology and spent many years delving into the molecular underpinnings of trauma in a captivating research lab. Afterwards, she stayed on at UNC for medical school.

Growing up at the intersection of German and American cultures, Cath is fascinated by global diversity. She loves to travel, and spent a semester abroad in Singapore during her undergraduate, exploring around Southeast Asia. During medical school, her curiosity expanded into foreign health care systems and global health needs. She participated in medical work in Honduras and Bolivia, developing a growing passion for low-resource medicine in rural settings.

Outside of medicine, Cath loves to be outdoors, whether trail running, biking, rock climbing, backpacking, kayaking, or playing in the snow with her partner, Patrick. She will never say no to an activity outside! At Boise, she is excited to explore low-resource medicine in rural and wilderness settings, as well as get to know the beauty and people of Idaho and the Northwestern US.

Tyler Shelby, MD, DrPH

Boise Program

Hey folks! My name’s Tyler and I was born and raised in Kansas (plus a few childhood years in Colorado). I went to undergrad at Pittsburg State University where I met my wife Sasha and later moved to New England for medical school. Along the way I became very interested in global health, and spent time working and volunteering in Belize, Paraguay, Kenya, the Dominican Republic and Uganda. I also obtained a PhD in public health during my time in New Haven which got me involved in both international and local work, most of which was centered on contact tracing.

Towards the end of medical school, a few rotations in Kansas and Wyoming convinced me that full-spectrum family medicine was the right direction for me. I’m super excited to train in Boise where I know I’ll be surrounded by the beautiful outdoors and wonderful people and will have plenty of opportunities to pursue my interests in rural and global health.

Outside of medicine, I write/play music (drums, guitar, midi) and dabble a bit in sourdough baking (but frequently forget to feed my starter). I also love to enjoy nature by hiking, biking, camping, fishing, hunting, gardening, and sometimes just sitting on the roof! All that said, I’m also half couch-potato and get a kick out of video games, knitting, writing/reading and making renaissance faire costumes.