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UPHS Family Medicine Residency Program: The right experience

MARQUETTE — Dr. Brian Waite isn’t just the program director of UP Health System – Marquette’s Family Medicine Residency Program — he’s a living, breathing endorsement of it because he is product of the program, which is known by the acronym MFMRP.

Originally from Washington State, Waite attended undergraduate and medical school work there, then began looking for a residency program.

“I wanted unopposed and rural,” Waite said. “That’s what I was looking for and this was the best program I found.”

Unopposed means there aren’t other medical residents occupying the educational opportunity, which gives the MFMRP residents a chance to gain experience in all areas, from the intensive care unit to the emergency room to pediatrics to family medicine.

“It’s just us.”

Dr. Waite enjoyed his experience at MFMRP.

“I came here in 1996 and finished in 1999, then went back to Washington State where I was part of a private practice rural clinic,” Waite said. “Then in 2008, a faculty position opened up here. My wife, Danielle, and I love it here, for the four seasons but also for the community. We missed the people we had met when we were here previously.”

“We had two very small children who were able to grow up in Marquette,” he said. “So for job and for family reasons, I was thrilled to come back to the area.”

All of which make Dr. Waite a living testimony to the motto of the program: Educational Excellence in an Exceptional Environment. And he is an advocate for the program and the community.

“The schools are good here and there’s a university nearby,” Dr. Waite said. “There’s lots to do, but it’s not crowded. It’s not a big city.”

Out of all the rural unopposed programs when Waite was searching for one, MFMRP was “the biggest hospital and the biggest catchment area. And it was one of the best.”

Dr. Waite explained rural is defined as a population of 25,000 residents or less and 2,500 is defined as really rural.

“Generally to find this size service area, you would be in a city with a couple hundred thousand people,” he said.

Waite said he is happy with the decision to return to Marquette.

“My wife and I are glad we moved back,” he said. “We are happy with the life we have been able to give our children.” Those “very small children” from 2008 will be a sophomore and a senior in high school this year.

Dr. Katie Brang, an assistant director of the program, grew up in Traverse City and has great things to say about the program, as she is an alumnae, too.

“I was looking at medical schools and saw that Michigan State had a rural program here for the third and fourth years of medical school,” she said.  “That made the decision of where to go for medical school easy. Once here, I loved living in Marquette, and once I made the commitment to become a family practice physician, the MFMRP was a natural fit for me. My husband (Dr. Ryan Brang) and I met here and we were married at the Marquette Regional History Center in 2011.” 

The Brangs first went to Ashland, Wisconsin, to work for several years, but then decided to come back to Marquette when faculty positions became available. Dr. Brang’s husband is also an assistant director of the MFMRP.

“We have been back for three years and it has been great,” she said. The couple has two children, a 3-year-old and a 9-month-old.

“It’s important to have a strong local hospital,” Dr. Brang said. “If you have a medical problem, you need to be able to get it taken care of here. You can’t just have emergency care, it has to be used for other things. This is a program that prepares you for providing care in a rural setting. If you’re looking to provide care to the underserved in a beautiful place with wonderful people, this program is for you.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This feature is part of a paid advertising package. Businesses interested in being featured on the In Business page may call Larry Doyle at 228-2500, extension 258.

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