by Mollie Rushmeyer
news@thenewsleaders.com
Moving from the wide-open wilderness of Alaska to the relatively tame forests and plains of the Midwest may sound a little subdued to some, but Katrina and Sean Wherry, family medicine physicians, are eager to make Central Minnesota their long-term home.
The married couple, set to join the medical team at CentraCare Clinic in St. Joseph on Monday, July 18, recently moved to St. Augusta along with their children – Ferguson, 5; Charlie, 3; and Julia Mae, 20 months – after a three-year stint at a military-based clinic in Anchorage, Alaska.
As long-time St. Joseph physician Dr. Thomas Newton begins his retirement, Drs. Katrina and Sean Wherry prepare to step into their new roles. To celebrate both occasions, there will be a Retirement/Welcome Open House at the CentraCare Clinic in St. Joseph from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 26.
Having what Sean calls a transient lifestyle was part of the norm during the last decade practicing medicine with his wife. They started out by graduating from the Uniformed Services University of Health Services together in Bethesda, Md., in 2006, the nation’s military medical school. They moved to Washington, D.C., for their residency, and after seven years in our nation’s capital, they lived and worked in Sean’s hometown, Omaha, Neb., for four years, before making the big move to Anchorage.
“Alaska still seems exotic even though we lived there for three years,” Katrina said.
The abundance of outdoor activities, beautiful landscape and the availability of nature just outside their windows — including twin moose calves and their mother who confused their wood porch for a snack, and the grizzly bears who were frequent nighttime visitors — will be missed.
“We won’t miss having to worry about the danger of wild animals outside or them destroying our yard,” Katrina said with a laugh.
Sean said, “At first, moving to Alaska seemed intimidating, but it quickly became just the environment in which we lived. The military base becomes a community in itself.”
But both Sean and Katrina said they disliked having to say goodbye to their patients in Alaska, which is the nature of working in a military-based clinic. The couple craved a place to put down roots and call home. As they began their search, they knew they wanted to come back to the Midwest where Sean grew up.
Their list of qualifications for their desired destination included somewhere family-oriented, closer to their family (as Sean has family in the Twin Cities and his mother owns a cabin in Annandale), potential for outdoor activities and an opportunity to continue what they love — practicing family medicine. When the search was over, they found themselves enamored with Central Minnesota.
What they are looking forward to most in Minnesota, Katrina said, is “lots of family time,” referring to now being in the contiguous United States and the ability to visit their relatives on a regular basis.
When finding a new place to practice, they knew the Midwest tends to agree with the philosophy of full-spectrum care or caring for individuals from the cradle to the grave, which is another reason they chose the St. Joseph clinic.
“We love being in family medicine,” Katrina said. “We want to see people at all stages of their lives.”
Sean, a collector of hobbies, says he enjoys building rapport with clients and does so in part by conversing about the many topics on which he reads and finds interesting.
“This is not assembly-line medicine,” he said. “Our focus is on the patients as people and their care.”
While Katrina said of her hobbies, “I just want to spend as much time as I can with my children. I didn’t know this until I became a mom, but being a mom is just as satisfying to me as being a family medicine doctor.”
The unique situation of having both spouses as physicians has been a positive for the couple, as they said they always have someone to bounce professional ideas and questions off of. Plus, they can be understanding of their spouse’s career and what kind of energy it takes. Sean said he and Katrina have always tried to have the same schedule in order to maximize their family time.
“We want to be a part of it. So, if people see us out at the grocery store, we want them to come say hi,” Sean said of the St. Joseph community.
Katrina said, “We just feel so lucky to pick up where Dr. Newton left off, stepping in and continuing with his patients, building on those relationships. We’re really excited to be here and hope we can be valuable to the community.”
Both said they plan to call Minnesota home for a long time to come.
The Wherry family soaks in the evening sun with a walk at Millstream Park in St. Joseph on July 6 during a welcome reprieve from unpacking and settling into their new home in St. Augusta. Left to right are Julia Mae, 20 months; Dr. Sean Wherry; Charlie, 3; Dr. Katrina Wherry; and Ferguson, 5.
Exploring their new home is one thing the Wherrys look forward to most, as they start with a stroll in the park in St. Joseph where they will soon practice family medicine at CentraCare Clinic of St. Joseph starting July 18.
Dr. Katrina Wherry and daughter Ferguson, 5, enjoy a hot Minnesota evening and have some fun with bubbles.
Dr. Sean Wherry of St. Augusta, swings Julia Mae, his 20-month-old daughter, July 6 at Millstream Park in St. Joseph, where he will soon practice medicine with his wife, who is also a doctor. They will work at CentraCare Clinic in St. Joseph.
