Medical

Dr. Andrew Baker is a native of Pocatello, ID, where he grew up in a family of 10. He attended Pocatello High School and was involved in scouting, tennis, and choir. After high school, he served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Argentina, where he learned to speak Spanish and grew to love the Latino culture.

Following his mission, he attended Brigham Young University-Idaho, where he studied exercise physiology. He then received a master’s degree in medical health sciences from Touro University – Nevada. After a year of working in between school, he and his family moved to West Virginia to attend the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. They loved their time in the Appalachian Mountains but are excited to return to Pocatello to be close to family and friends. Dr. Baker loves helping others and is excited to assist patients in understanding and navigating their health concerns.

In his free time, he loves to spend time with his wife and four children. They love their pizza and movie nights, bike rides, hiking, reading/listening to books together, playing games, dance parties in the living room, and just spending time together. Dr. Baker will be training in Pocatello and Rexburg and feels excited and blessed to stay in Southeastern Idaho to practice family medicine.

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

Dr. Cody Cunningham was born and raised in Southeast Idaho. He went to Brigham Young University-Idaho for his undergraduate education and completed his medical education at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Washington. He and his wife have three children and enjoy camping, ATV riding, paddle boarding, movie nights, board games, and just spending time together. He is also an avid hunter, snowmobiler, weightlifter, and enjoys getting his hands dirty with some hammer, nails, and a big project every once in a while. Dr. Cunningham and his family are excited to join the Pocatello community. He is passionate about family medicine and plans to practice in a small Mountain West town. He speaks English and Spanish.

Dr. Marie Elwood knew she wanted to be a physician from the age of 14. Before medical school, she enjoyed working as an editor, a chocolatier, a CNA, a medical researcher and a stay-at-home mom for her 7 awesome kids! She was raised in Elko, Nevada, in a huge family, and she has lived most of her adult life in Billings, Montana. She attended the University Of Washington School Of Medicine where she completed the Targeted Rural and Underserved Health Track and the Native American Health Track. Her Bachelor’s Degree is in Psychology from the University of Southern California. She also earned a Master’s Degree in Entomology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Elwood is passionate about Women’s Health, Intimate Partner Violence Prevention, Rural Health Care, Suicide Prevention, Geriatrics, and Ethnobotany/ Traditional healing. She also has a special place in her heart for children and adults with autism and is an advocate for persons with disabilities. She enjoys spending time with her kids, reading, dining out, and clobbering her husband at Ping-Pong.

Speaks English and Spanish

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.

Cory Gunn enjoys primary care because it gives him the opportunity to build relationships and help people make lasting beneficial health improvements. He focuses on providing evidence-based care and believes that a healthy body facilitates a healthy mind and that a healthy and balanced lifestyle is key to positive long term health outcomes.

Cory graduated with a bachelor’s degree in athletic therapy from Weber State University and a master’s of physician assistant studies from Northern Arizona University. His bachelor’s degree in athletic therapy offers patients additional perspective in orthopedic care. Cory can help with the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. He is also competent in doing therapeutic knee injections. During his training, Cory did an elective rotation in dermatology and enjoys doing basic skin procedures such as cryotherapy or biopsies for concerning moles and skin lesions.

Cory grew up in the south end of the Salt Lake Valley in Utah, and has lived in Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. He loves the outdoors, including camping, fishing, hiking, and hunting with his dogs. He is also an amateur musician and plays the bass, acoustic guitar, and ukulele.

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.

Adam Hunsaker, FNP, has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Utah, a Master’s of Science in Nursing Education from the University of Utah, and a Master’s of Science from Georgetown University.

He grew up in West Layton on a produce farm where he worked 10 years – his favorite memories involve watermelons, corn and onions. He started learning Spanish working in the potato fields and learned more Spanish in Argentina. He has a wife (who loves to bake cakes) and five mostly normal kids. When he has spare time, he works in his small apple orchard, smokes meats, and raises sheep. He has worked for 10 years as a registered nurse in various areas, mostly in emergency medicine, also in neurology, home health and wound care. He taught nursing students for four years at Utah State University. He is a rabid Chicago Cubs fan.

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. Tyler Kunz was born and raised in St. Anthony, Idaho. His adolescent years were spent moving pipe, playing team sports in school, and making memories with his family. He served a two-year proselytizing mission to New York City where he learned Spanish and ultimately decided that he wanted to return to small town life and practice medicine. Tyler went to BYU-Idaho for his undergraduate degree, completed a master’s degree in Washington State, and attended medical school at Rocky Vista University in Ivins, Utah. Outside of the clinic or hospital, Tyler can be found with his three boys and wife in the mountains either hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding. Tyler also enjoys smoking meat, dirt biking, skiing and golfing. He plans to practice full-spectrum family medicine in a rural mountain community with an emphasis on lifestyle and preventative medicine.

Speaks: English and Spanish

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.

Naomi graduated with her MPAS from Elon University in North Carolina in 2020. Previously, she received a bachelor’s degree in community health education. She has a passion for preventative medicine and believes in integrating patients fully into their healthcare. Naomi strives to be a comprehensive general practitioner, treating her patients in every stage of life. She is excited to serve with the team at Health West as a physician associate.

Naomi’s specialties include:

• Suboxone
• IUD insertion and removal
• Nexplanon insertion and removal
• Large joint injections
• Pap smears
• Postpartum care
• Primary medical care
• STD testing

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. Andrew Lewis approaches medicine with lifestyle modifications — nutrition, healthy relationships, sleep, and exercise — as the pillars of health and disease prevention. He has a passion for continued education in obesity related diseases, food system difficulties, weight loss strategies, and fitness, strength and nutrition training. He also has a passion for mental health and wellbeing management through sleep hygiene, counseling/psychotherapy, and other mindfulness/meditation practices.

Dr. Lewis was born and raised in rural Utah. He attended Utah Valley University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in emergency services administration with a minor in biology. While attending UVU he also gained national certification as a firefighter and EMT-paramedic. During his training he was inspired by an emergency room physician to pursue further education and ultimately completed his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine through Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona in 2017. He completed his Family Medicine Residency in 2020 from Idaho State University where he emphasized alternative medicine electives and preventative medicine. He has a wife and children and has grown to love life in the Pocatello area. He is an avid endurance athlete, zealous home cook, baker, sustainable gardener, and homesteader. He enjoys snowboarding, rock-climbing and mountain biking in the beautiful areas surrounding Pocatello.

Speaks: English and Russian

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.

Born and raised in a small town in Tennessee, Dr. Jesse Noe has a deep fondness and passion for rural medicine. He graduated from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN. He loves family medicine because he enjoys helping patients from all walks of life, from children to pregnant mothers to the elderly. In his free time, Jesse loves playing Mario Kart with his wife and kids, trying to get his 3D printer to work, and fighting MI6 secret agents as the Bond villain Dr. No.

Dr. Colton Phippen started life in California but spent most of his time in Salt Lake City. He attended the University of Utah where he completed his undergraduate degree in comparative literary and cultural studies. During and after college, he worked as a psych tech and case manager at U of U’s Neuropsychiatric Institute. He went to medical school at Michigan State University and enjoyed engaging in neurodevelopmental research as well as providing healthcare to people experiencing homelessness in the area. He did his clinical rotations in Detroit, and after being in the Midwest for four years, is excited to be back in the Mountain West. He has a strong interest in mental health in the primary care setting as well as hospice and palliative care, wilderness medicine, and is passionate about serving underserved populations. He loves to rock climb, ski, fly fish, go canyoneering, skateboard, read a variety of books, listen to and play music, watch films (especially Swedish cinema), learn more about cultures and languages, and travel as much as possible. He speaks English and Spanish.

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. Darya Skrenes comes to Health West ISU from St. George’s University School of Medicine. Darya grew up in remote British Columbia and has lived in various countries including South Africa, Ghana, Grenada, and Australia. With her love for full-spectrum medicine and a passion for travel, Darya hopes to work in underserved communities and work intermittently with Doctors Without Borders in Africa. She enjoys almost any sport, the outdoors, spending time with friends and family, and is an avid doubles beach volleyball player.

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

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.

Dr. Wernick was born and raised in the open spaces and mountains of Wyoming. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with work in physiology. Life’s plan initially led him down the path of law enforcement. Over the span of five years, work as a peace officer provided him with skills he uses every day as a physician. Dr. Wernick transitioned into medicine with a perspective well suited to serve a primary care role. He set sail for the Caribbean and graduated medical school from St. George’s University. After much time away from the Mountain West, he is back home and thrilled to train and eventually practice broad-spectrum family medicine in outpatient clinic and emergency room settings along with engaging special interests in sports medicine. Outside of work, his pursuits and passions include snowmobiling, fly fishing, physical fitness, and plans for raising a family in the mountains.