PRIMO Professionals

This Month's PRIMO Professional is Dr. Tisha Anyanike, MD

Interview: Dr. Tisha Anyanike, a family practice physician in Riverside, on her experience with PRIMO.

PRIMO Pros: What benefits do you feel the PRIMO program provides to communities in Missouri.

Dr. Anyanike: I definitely feel that the PRIMO program is important in providing basic primary care to areas where it would otherwise not be available to those who need it. I am currently working at an FQHC within the city but I have patients who drive for miles from surrounding small towns because they do not have access to basic care due to having either no insurance or Medicaid.  The number of patients I am seeing in this sitauation is rapidly increasing which is concerning.

PP: How did your participation in PRIMO play a role in where you’re practicing today?  

Dr. Anyanike: Again, I am practicing at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Kansas City so it definitely fit under the areas of need available for repayment of my PRIMO loans. It was important to me to be able to still practice within the city if possible so it worked out fine.
 
PP: What personal value do you get from working with an underserved population?

Dr. Anyanike: It can be difficult and challenging at times, but it makes you feel good when you get good feedback and when patients are grateful for the care they receive.

PP: What kind of relationship do you have with your patients, that you may not get in other settings?

Dr. Anyanike: The patients I see are some of the most complicated and those that are in the most need. Many of them are frustrated because they haven't had a consistent provider to see. I have built some long term relationships with my patients in my time here and they are grateful for that.

PP: What long-term impact do you think programs like PRIMO can have for the underserved population? 

Dr. Anyanike: I hope that programs like PRIMO can continue to have a long term impact on both patients and providers.  It has already shown that it can provide patients with basic primary care where it otherwise is not available. It would be nice if it could expand as the need is increasing greatly. The money provided through the program definitely allowed me to get to where I am today. I am sure this is the case for many other participants.

This Month's PRIMO Professional is Dr. Vicky Gulley, DO

Interview: Dr. Vicky Gulley, a family practice physician in Waynesville, on her experience with PRIMO.

PRIMO Pros: How did you discover PRIMO?

Dr. Gulley: In my undergraduate time one of my friends mentioned it and I started making applications in my undergraduate years.  I applied every year, but wasn’t accepted until my senior year in medical school.

PP: Where did you grow up and how did that impact your decision to go the PRIMO route?

Dr. Gulley: I grew up in a very rural area and went to a D.O. all my younger years.  I knew I wanted a small, rural practice where I would be able to develop deeper relationships with my patients.

PP: How do you think your relationship with your patients differs from what it might if you were working in an urban area?

Dr. Gulley: People don’t move around as much, so I’m seeing patients for years and watching children grow up.  I think pts in a rural area are more inclined to share personal details – which I truly do enjoy.

PP: What kind of impact do you think the PRIMO program has on rural communities?

Dr. Gulley: I think it makes it possible to consider working rural areas if you have less to worry about in student loan repayment.  You can tolerate the smaller financial reward and have the kind of practice you hope for.

PP: What do you find rewarding about working where you do?  Will you continue working in an underserved area?

Dr. Gulley: I really like my patients – they are down-to-earth, good hearted people.  They share their lives with me, and we are able to develop a real relationship.  It makes them much more likely to listen to me when we talk about health needs, lifestyle changes, treatment plans.  I can’t see myself working anywhere else but this kind of community.

This Month's PRIMO Professional is Dr. Yolanda Chen, MD

Interview: Dr. Yolanda Chen, pediatritian with St. John's Mercy Healthcare, on her experience with PRIMO. 

PRIMO Pros: How has your participation in PRIMO influenced your career path?

Dr. Chen: Becoming involved with PRIMO is what brought me to the town of Washington, Missouri, where I am working currently. Being a pediatrician at the McAuley Clinic is my first full time job out of residency. When I signed up with PRIMO, I knew that I wanted to do primary care in a rural area, helping take care of a population of patients who are underserved and in much need of health care. After finishing residency in California, I was able to find a perfect job opportunity back home in Missouri, where I could do exactly what I have always wanted to do since medical school. PRIMO is what helped me launch my career as a pediatrician in a rural community.

PP: What would you say to someone who is looking for help paying for school, who comes across PRIMO as an option?

Dr. Chen: It is the perfect opportunity if you know that working in an underserved area is what you want to do with your career. They financially support you through years of medical school and even residency, if desired. And there really isn't much restriction with this program - you have to practice in an area that meets their qualifications, but that's all. There are so many options and many different opportunities for jobs in Missouri. It's amazing how much need is out there.

PP: What kind of feedback do you get from rural citizens who count on community health centers for their care?

Dr. Chen: In the clinic I practice in, we take care of patients from many different rural communities around the city of Washington. Some even drive hours because they simply have no other option. Some patients have recently lost their jobs, others are homeless and living out of their cars - regardless of the severity of their financial struggles, finding health care for their children should be the last thing they have to worry about. We take that burden off of their backs and provide their children with medical care, vaccines, medications, or whatever else they may need. I see the gratitude in the smiles of the families I take care of everyday. They don't have to say anything, and I know that I am making a difference in their lives.

PP: In your opinion, how does PRIMO benefit smaller communities?

Dr. Chen: The smaller the community, the harder it is to find medical care and dental care. The more indigent the population is, the harder it is for them to have the financial capability to drive hours to see a doctor. The PRIMO program does everything it can to help fill these gaps and place physicians in areas that are in such great need for medical care.

PP: Has your work through the PRIMO program impacted where you see your career continuing years from now? 

Dr. Chen: Definitely. If it was not for PRIMO, I may have just stayed out in California after I completed residency out there - because it is more convenient and it would have been easy to just find a job in the hospital I trained at. However, Thanks to PRIMO, I knew that I had this obligation waiting for me back in Missouri. I was reminded of why I signed up for the program in the first place. I love working in Washington and I love taking care of the families in this area. I would not have it any other way. I can definitely see myself working here or another rural community for the rest of my career.

This Month's PRIMO Professional is Dr. Patrick Trauernicht, DDS

Dr. Trauernicht grew up in Kearney, Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City and currently practices dentistry with Northwest Family Dental in St. Joseph. Dr. Trauernicht says he always knew he wanted to work in a rural or underserved area, which is why PRIMO was a perfect fit.

Download/Listen to interview with Dr. Trauernicht

This Month's PRIMO Professional is Dr. Rendi Pfannenstiel, DDS

Dr. Pfannenstiel grew up in Lockwood, Missouri. She attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She now practices general dentistry for Jordan Valley Community Health Center in Springfield's mobile unit. Dr. Pfannenstiel says she enjoys being able to provide a positive dental experience to children who often times come in, in pain and scared. She says seeing them walk out smiling and happy is very rewarding.  

Download/Listen to interview with Dr. Pfannenstiel

This Month's PRIMO Professional is Dr. Kim Hartel, MD

Dr. Hartel grew up in Potosi, Missouri.  She credits her high school counselor with helping her take the path toward a career in medicine with PRIMO. Dr. Hartel now works for Ladies First OB/GYN in Farmington. She says PRIMO helped her make important connections, leading her to where she is now.

Download/Listen to interview with Dr. Hartel

This Month's PRIMO Professional is Dr. Justin Garner, Dentist.

Dr. Garner grew up in St. Louis but has moved across the state to work for the dental department at Kansas City's Swope Health Center. He says he enjoys working in public health and "treating individuals that really need help." 

Download/Listen to interview with Dr. Garner

This Month's PRIMO Professional is Dr. Katy Friedebach, MD

 
Dr. Friedebach began her medical career in Morgan county and says she greatly enjoyed working with the citizens there. She is now a physician with the Community Health Center of Central Missouri, out of Jefferson City.

Download/Listen to interview with Dr. Friedebach