Medical

Ryan Austin’s passion for medicine began early in life. As a young athlete, frequent injuries led him to spend countless hours in his father’s physical therapy clinic, where he witnessed firsthand the impact of compassionate care. Inspired by his father’s ability to help others, Ryan knew he wanted a career that allowed him to serve his community and make a difference in people’s lives.

Ryan grew up in Utah County and moved with his family to Cache County in 2022. He earned a nursing degree from Salt Lake Community College (SLCC), a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Utah Tech University (previously Dixie State University), and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from Western Governors University (WGU). Credentialed through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Ryan has received multiple DAISY Awards for exceptional patient care and several Excellence Awards for academic and clinical achievement.

Fluent in English and Spanish, he specializes in family medicine but brings experience in emergency, surgical, and pediatric care. He enjoys interacting with people from various backgrounds and getting to know them and their stories. In his free time, Ryan enjoys boating, swimming, vacationing, horseback riding, camping, and hiking with his family in the summer and snowmobiling and snowboarding in the winter.

Paul Bieniasz has been practicing medicine for 35 years. He received his education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He started his career with Health West in the Lava Hot Springs location. Since then, he has practiced in Oregon, Montana, and Washington; he returned to Health West in 2010.

In his spare time, Bieniasz enjoys the beautiful outdoor activities that Southeast Idaho has to offer, from skiing to camping and fishing. Bieniasz is bilingual and speaks English and Spanish.

Ryan Carr, PA-C, grew up in West Jordan, UT, before attending UVSC for his undergraduate degree. Later on, he studied at the University of Utah and Baylor College of Medicine in Texas for his physician assistant degree. Before joining Health West, Ryan worked at an urgent care facility in Page, AZ. He still enjoys the urgent care portion of family medicine and assists patients with their psychiatric needs. The main focus of his practice is preventative care and treatment of hypertension, diabetes, and other health concerns.

In his free time, Ryan enjoys a wide variety of activities. One of his favorite things to do is spend time outdoors, hiking, kayaking, and snowshoeing, with his wife and four daughters.

Ryan’s specialties include:

• Primary medical care
• Large joint injections
• DOT/CDL physicals
• Psychiatric care
• STD testing

Spencer is a native of Southeastern Idaho and grew up in Firth. His family camps every year in the mountains near Montpelier and the area has grown to be one of his favorite places on Earth. Spencer attended BYU-Idaho as an undergrad and Idaho State University for PA school. He learned Spanish while serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he enjoys using Spanish in his clinical practice. He has previous experience in Orthopedics. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his growing family hiking, camping, fishing, biking, and spending time on the water.  Spencer is excited to be in the Bear Lake area and serve such a great community.

Language: English and Spanish

Zuzana’s scope of practice encompasses health promotion, disease prevention, and diagnosis and management of common as well as complex healthcare problems spanning from childhood through senior life.

Zuzana earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Idaho State University in Pocatello, ID and is certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Before becoming a nurse practitioner, she spent three years as a hospital-based registered nurse in various departments which included medical, surgical, and cardiovascular. Prior to joining Health West in February 2014, Zuzana worked part-time in the Pocatello Free Clinic as a volunteer nurse practitioner.

Among Zuzana’s greatest healthcare interests is guidance and treatment of patients with diabetes. She understands the complexity of the disease requires not only focus on treatment, but even more importantly, prevention. She is passionate about educating diabetics on how they can manage their condition. She is a member of the American Association of Diabetics Educators and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners

Zuzana was born and raised in Slovakia and has traveled extensively throughout Europe and the U.S. She moved to Pocatello, ID in 2007. She and her husband enjoy spending time playing golf, skiing, traveling, and enjoying outdoors in beautiful Idaho.

Dr. Gubler values tailoring healthcare to individual patients. He is passionate about evidence-based medicine and seeks to empower patients to make informed decisions, within the framework of individual needs and values.

Dr. Gubler earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Utah.  He completed a residency in family medicine at Mike O’Callaghan Military Medical Center at Nellis Air Force Base, after which he spent an additional six years in active-duty service.

He particularly values perpetual learning and time with family. In his spare time, Dr. Gubler enjoys reading, history, language, music, cooking, turning wrenches, and woodwork.

Tina Guedes chose a career in medicine because she loves to help people and interact with them every day. She is a board-certified family nurse practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She earned her undergraduate degree from Advent Health University and her master’s degree from Frontier Nursing University. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, Tina spent 20 years working as a registered nurse. She has diverse experience working in the ICU, ICU step down, the emergency room, the heart catheter recovery unit, and clinic nursing.

Tina grew up in Massachusetts, then moved to Florida with her family as a teenager. She moved to Idaho in 2013. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, hiking, and traveling. Tina is proud to work at Health West as she considers it a wonderful organization with many resources to offer patients.

Throughout her study of medicine, Brookelle Gunn has been amazed at what a miracle the human body is. She believes it can overcome a lot with its natural ability to heal, especially when health is a priority in someone’s life. Brookelle enjoys working with patients to make a plan to improve their health or treat conditions. There are times that medication is necessary, but overall, Brookelle believes our health can see magnificent changes when we put work into improving it.

Brookelle graduated from Weber State University with a bachelor’s degree in athletic therapy and from Northern Arizona University with a master’s degree in physician assistant studies. She is originally from Woods Cross, UT, but lived in the Philippines, Washington, and Arizona before moving to Pocatello. She enjoys spending time with her family, camping, hunting, fishing, and boating. She also enjoys playing sports, cooking, crocheting, and amateur photography.

Logan Higbee, PA, was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho. He received his education from Alderson Broaddus College in West Virginia before moving back to the area. He has been practicing medicine since 2010

Logan enjoys working with Health West patients to improve their health and make an impact on their lives. Logan enjoys spending time with his family, football, ultimate frisbee, disc golf and the outdoors.

Dr. Melissa Kjos serves as medical director for Health West and sees patients at Health West Pocatello. She attended Oregon State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with minors in history and chemistry. She completed medical school at Oregon Health and Science University and her medical residency at Health West ISU in Pocatello.

Dr. Kjos married her husband, Chris, in 2004 while he was serving as a military police officer. During his second deployment to Iraq, Dr. Kjos completed a three-month medical internship in South Africa. She worked in various day hospitals and with EMS services in Cape Town’s numerous townships.

The light of her and her husband’s lives is their daughter, a miracle preemie born at 24 weeks. Dr. Kjos says her daughter is the best teacher she’s ever had. Dr. Kjos enjoys traveling, camping, jogging, reading, and spending time with her family.

Dr. Paul Lacey is a family practice physician with an emphasis in obstetrics (OB). He loves OB and finds it central to family medicine.

Dr. Lacey was one of five boys raised on a farm in eastern South Dakota. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry with minors in biology, math, and physics from the University of South Dakota. He earned his MD at Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa before completing a family medicine residency at Idaho State University. He practiced family medicine and surgical OB for 13 years before returning to Pocatello to practice at Health West ISU.

Dr. Lacey met his wife while working for Habitat for Humanity via the AmeriCorps Program building homes in East Bay, California. They have three children and enjoy the outdoors and Pocatello’s opportunities for play. In his free time, Dr. Lacey enjoys going for walks with his wife, riding bikes and skiing with his kids, and spending time woodturning.

When Myrna Lee was a child, she had to translate for her mother when they went to the doctor. Her family is Puerto Rican and Myrna’s first language was Spanish. She knows firsthand that it is a privilege and an honor to be able to help people with illnesses and break through the language barrier that many have when dealing with providers. She is grateful to be of service to others and feels fortunate to be working for Health West.

Originally from Ohio, Myrna graduated from Idaho State University with her degree in physician assistant studies. She has a son who lives in Utah, and she enjoys spending as much time with him as possible. She also enjoys exercising, outdoor activities, reading, and hanging out with friends.

Dr. Jon Malan has been providing primary care to underserved populations for 20 years in rural Northern California and now in Idaho. He believes in a team approach to making care decisions and that patients who are educated about their medications and conditions can make better choices about their health. Jon resides in the Pocatello area with his wife and four kids and enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and reading about new discoveries in science.

Laurie Nate is a Southeast Idaho native having grown up in Bear Lake County. She earned her nursing degree from Idaho State University and worked as a registered nurse for 17 years. She later graduated from Graceland University with her family nurse practitioner license. After practicing in Kemmerer, WY for seven years, Laurie moved back to Idaho with her husband. She has experience in several healthcare settings including, clinics, emergency rooms, hospitals, home visits, and education. She enjoys living and working in rural communities and currently lives in Dayton, ID with her husband, dog, horses, cows, and chickens. During the winter she spends her free time inside doing handwork or studying, and in the summer she loves being in the great outdoors.

Jenna grew up in the small town of Midland, SD. She graduated from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion and commissioned into the US Army the same day. She began schooling with the Interservice Physician Assistant Program after being deferred for a year. She completed her course at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX and Fort Stewart in Hinesville, GA before eventually receiving her MPAS from the University of Nebraska Medical Center at the end of 2010.

Jenna worked as a medical service officer until enrollment in the IPAP program. After receiving her MPAS, she transitioned into a battalion provider at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX. She deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom for eight months in late 2012. Leaving the military in the summer of 2014, she began working as a medical contractor with Luke & Associates at the Soldier Readiness and Resiliency Center.

Jenna has three children and is excited to work with the great people of Evanston, WY.

Jenna’s specialties include:

• Joint injections
• STD testing
• Diabetic care
• Primary medical care

Jacob Rodriguez, PA-C has a keen interest in primary care. He believes that the best patient outcomes stem from empowering patients through compassion and understanding; active listening and communication; and optimal treatment, education, and resources rooted in evidence-based medicine. His goal as a provider is to ensure every patient believes they are being truly heard and met where they are in hopes of treating the whole person and not just the symptoms. He views people as people and not as mere numbers or statistics.

Jacob majored in biology at Utah State University and attended PA school at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Mass. While in PA school he was awarded the National Health Service Corps Scholarship, a highly competitive scholarship awarded to only 10% of applicants.

Jacob hails from Salt Lake City, UT and currently resides in Northern Utah with his wife and two children. In his free time, he enjoys being with family and friends, reading, running, weightlifting, and being outdoors. He’s also an avid guitar player, having played for 20+ years, and is a coffee enthusiast! He looks forward to working collaboratively with his patients.

Heather Schaper is a physician associate who graduated from Idaho State University in 2009 and has practiced family medicine in rural communities with Health West for her entire career.

Heather has a master’s degree in medical anthropology, and speaks Spanish fluently, as a result of 25 years working within the binational Hispanic communities of Southeast Idaho. Since 2017, Heather has also focused on expanding access to treatment for a variety of mental health conditions, drug and alcohol addiction, as well as Hepatitis C in the primary care context.

Heather enjoys working as part of a strong healthcare team, with the patient at its center.  Health West and Heather share a commitment to the patient-centered medical home model, where a patients’ pharmacy, dental, and behavioral healthcare needs can be met in one place, at as close to one time as possible.

Dr. Ty Smith, DO earned an undergraduate degree from Idaho State University and his medical degree from the Kirksville College of Osteopathic medicine in Missouri. Dr. Smith did his residency training at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver, Colorado.

Ty was born and raised in Inkom, Idaho. He has been married to his high school sweetheart for 39 years, and, together, they have raised four children. He is also the proud grandfather of 10!

Dr. Smith went into healthcare because he wanted to be able to travel and help people. He came to work at Health West because he wanted to be back home in the area he loved. He loves to help his patients and sees value in treating complicated patients in the South Bannock Area. When Ty is not working in the clinics, you can find him working on his farm and with his horses.

Dr. Sterner, DO grew up in Pocatello and has always loved the American Falls area. As a kid he often went with his family to the reservoir, the fish hatchery, the river and the sand dunes. It is a beautiful place, and he loves it. He spent years in Paraguay and has traveled to multiple Spanish-speaking countries. He decided to go into healthcare because he loves solving hard problems but learned at ISU that he hated being in labs because there is not enough social interaction.

Dr. Sterner liked medicine because it combines hard problems with spending time with people. He got his bachelor’s degree at ISU and then decided to try something new and went to Las Vegas for medical school. He loved it there but was very happy to return to Idaho to complete residency. He is now a board-certified doctor in family medicine and is excited to also provide obstetrical care. He is very excited to become part of the American Falls community, and he hopes to be a part of it for many years to come.

Brianne is passionate about rural healthcare. She strives for high quality, compassionate care for patients of all ages. She enjoys caring for patients from pediatrics to older adults and encouraging a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention!

Brianne is a Missouri native who relocated to Wyoming in the summer of 2022. She graduated with her BSN from Central Methodist University in 2015, and obtained her MSN, family nurse practitioner, from Purdue University Global in 2021. She has more than seven years of bedside nursing experience, with a background in labor and delivery.

Brianne loves to spend time with her family outdoors. She enjoys camping, hiking, traveling, and staying active. She enjoys serving the Rock Springs area as a family practice healthcare provider.

Mark Taylor, FNP-C, has always been a nerd for learning about how the human body works and how to fix problems when things go wrong. He loves getting to know people and see them get excited when their health improves. Overall, he just loves helping people live happier, healthier lives.

Mark’s personal medical philosophy is to help people address the underlying cause of their condition whether that be through diet, exercise, stress reduction, or lifestyle. He believes any kind of medication or other treatment is really an adjunct to lifestyle factors. His clinical interests include addiction medicine, diabetes management, and holistic healthcare.

Originally from Ogden, UT, Mark attended Brigham Young University-Idaho for his bachelor’s degree in nursing and Chamberlain University for his master’s degree in nursing. He received the Daisy Award for excellence in patient service and care while working as a registered nurse. He enjoys playing the piano, running 5ks and half marathons, spending time outdoors, and hanging out with his wife and kids.

Languages: English and Spanish

Mitchel earned his undergraduate degree from Utah State University and completed his physician assistant training at the top-rated University of Utah program. Fluent in Spanish after living in Ecuador for a time, he enjoys connecting with patients from diverse backgrounds. Mitchel has been actively involved in free clinics and large community health events, where he developed a passion for empowering patients to take an active role in their healthcare decisions. He values building trust and taking the time to truly listen to those he serves.

Outside of medicine, Mitchel enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters, camping, hiking, weightlifting, golfing, disc golfing, and perfecting his collection of witty dad jokes.

Dr. Zachary Warnock is a family medicine provider specializing in obstetrics. He completed his medical degree at Albany Medical College in Albany, NY, and his residency at the Idaho State Family Medicine Residency where he is now an associate professor. This position allows him to contribute to the education of future family medicine providers while continuing to practice in his field of expertise. Dr. Warnock is married to a wonderful woman and has seven children. He loves being involved in the community and enjoys almost any outdoor activity.

Dr. Weinhold grew up in Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; graduating in 2008. She came west for her residency in family medicine at Idaho State University and has kept in close proximity to mountains ever since. After graduation, she practiced full-spectrum, rural family medicine (including surgical obstetrics) in northern California for more than five years, before returning to Idaho to teach in the Idaho State University Department of Family Medicine. She continues to have a wide scope of practice — outpatient, inpatient, pediatrics, and obstetrics — with additional special interests in clinical procedures, point-of-care ultrasound, and wilderness medicine.

Within ISU DFM, Dr. Weinhold is the director of rural programs, serving as program director for the two rural training programs in Rexburg and Rupert, Idaho; as well as associate program director for the core residency program in Pocatello, Idaho. She directs two specialized training tracks for residents: the Advanced Surgical Obstetrics Training Track and the Wilderness Medicine Area of Concentration, which she also developed. Recently she has created a Wilderness and Austere Medicine Fellowship, approved by the Wilderness Medical Society, and serves as fellowship director.

When she is not caring for patients or teaching residents, you can often find her outside hiking, kayaking, or alpine skiing — and often that is also in an official capacity as a volunteer ski patroller and medical advisor for the Pebble Creek Ski Patrol.