Providers

Dr. Melissa Kjos grew up in various small towns all over Oregon, with a short stent in Colorado, before she moved to Corvallis, Oregon to receive her undergraduate degree in Biology with minors in History and Chemistry at Oregon State University. She completed a 3-month medical internship in South Africa, working in various day hospitals and with EMS services in Cape Town’s numerous townships, prior to entering medical school at Oregon Health and Science University. She married her husband, Chris, in 2004 while he was a Military Police Officer. It was during his second deployment to Iraq that she went to Africa.

Melissa and her husband have a 3-year-old daughter, a miracle ex-24-week-old, who is the light of their lives, and the best teacher Melissa has ever had. Melissa enjoys traveling, camping, jogging, reading, and spending time with her family. She is excited to explore the beautiful outdoors surrounding Pocatello during her residency and experiencing a new area of the country.

Lyn earned a double major in Psychology and English Literature at Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia. She then moved to Pocatello and attended Idaho State University, earning her M.S. in Psychology in 2007 and then her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 2010. She practiced therapy and completed psychological testing in the area before joining the Health West team in 2013.

Lyn practices general clinical psychology, seeing clients a variety of mental health concerns including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, panic, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, PTSD and trauma-related disorders, personality disorders, relationship issues, and so on. She is skilled in several forms of evidence-based practice including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, exposure-based therapies, interpersonal therapy, and emotion-focused therapy. While she primarily sees adults, she will occasionally see children recommended to her, particularly for anxiety and mood-based difficulties.

Lyn has a passion for connecting with others and assisting them in changing the ways they view themselves and their hopes for the future. While she treats many psychological diagnoses, she finds great satisfaction in helping individuals recover from traumatic experiences and anxiety.

Lyn was born and raised in rural Kentucky. She has lived in the area since 2003. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, reading, hiking, camping, and spending time outdoors.

Dr. Kendra Westerhaus, earned her doctorate in clinical psychology in 2012 from Idaho State University and was licensed the following year. She specializes in providing therapy and assessments for children and adolescents. Prior to working for Health West, Kendra spent six years in private practice at a local mental health clinic.

Dr. Westerhaus chose the field of psychology because she enjoys helping people become the best versions of themselves that they can be. Because children are still malleable, that is where Kendra believes she can make the biggest difference. Dr. Westerhaus is a past president of the Idaho Psychological Association and is an active member of the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Westerhaus was born in State College, Pennsylvania, and attended undergraduate school in Cleveland before moving to Pocatello in 2005 to work on a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at ISU. She has traveled extensively, including throughout the United States and Europe. She also visited Thailand a few years ago, where she took classes on Thai cooking. In her spare time, Dr. Westerhaus enjoys spending time with her family, singing in a community choir, crafts, and enjoying Idaho’s great outdoors

Dr. Angela Teige, was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She completed her undergraduate degree in Bellingham, Washington. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she completed medical school in Kansas City, Missouri. During her medical training, she fell in love with obstetrics and gynecology and dedicated herself to pursue this speciality. She loves the continuity of care in healthcare and has a passion for women’s health. After medical school, she completed her residency training in Dayton, Ohio. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, being outdoors, riding horses, and spending time with her family.

Meet Dr. Taylor Augustine! She is part of our OB/GYN team! Dr. Augustine is originally from Pennsylvania and completed medical school at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and residency in Buffalo, NY. Taylor loves the OB/GYN specialty, as she is provided with the opportunity to work with women of all ages, through wellness visits, surgery, pregnancy, and menopause. She enjoys spending most of her free time outside hiking, camping, kayaking, and visiting local art and antique shops. She is now accepting new patients so call and schedule an appointment today!

Dr. Greg Kostur, Pediatrician was born in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in Florence, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina with a B.S. in Biology in 1995. He then attended the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland and graduated with his M.D. in 1999. He completed a Pediatrics Residency at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi in 2002.

He served in the United States Air Force until 2009 as a Pediatrician at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and Keesler Air Force Base. He has been a PALS and NRP instructor. He received the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal and was also awarded Medical Student Teacher of the Year for Pediatrics in 2006. He worked as a pediatrician in La Grange, Texas and San Antonio, Texas until 2019 before moving to Pocatello, Idaho in March of 2019. He left San Antonio because it was “too hot.”

Dr. Kostur has several hobbies but is always looking for new activities to experience. Currently, hiking, snowshoeing, backpacking, alpine and cross-country skiing are his favorite activities. He is also planning on embarking on a long-distance backpacking trip of over a hundred miles within the next couple of years. He enjoys classical music and is endeavoring to become a cellist in the Idaho State Civic Symphony in Pocatello. He enjoys cold weather, especially if it makes his “nose hairs freeze!” With that in mind, he also plans to try ice fishing, snowmobiling, ice climbing, and winter camping.

His outlook on children is holistic, encompassing the social, psychological, genetic, and physical components of their health. He aims to treat the “whole” child. As such, he is pleased to be part of Health West because it offers integrated behavioral health in its clinics. The Health West Pediatrics clinic includes a child psychologist and other behavioral health providers in the same clinic. His interest in early literacy led to the Health West Pediatrics clinic starting a “Reach Out and Read” clinical site, where all children under 6 years of age get a free book at every well child check.

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 love it. He had 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.

Caroline Sassetti came to Pocatello with her children from Georgia, where she lived and worked in rural primary care. She grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago and attended DePaul University’s School of Nursing. In Atlanta, she attended Emory University’s Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program. She also did additional training in Emory’s Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program. Caroline has experience in labor and delivery, infectious disease, pediatric intensive care, pediatric hematology and oncology, and pediatric primary care. She has a special interest in zoonotic infectious disease and worked in both animal and human medicine simultaneously. She is currently working towards a Pediatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner board certification and Doctor of Nurse Practitioner. Outside of work, she has three teenage children and two dogs. Together they are usually hiking, skiing, hunting, fishing, or a combination of these activities.

Dr. Emily Davis comes to us from Washington University – St. Louis. She hails from Van Nuys, California but has a heart for rural Family Medicine, with special interest in public health and disease prevention, having earned a Master’s Degree in public health to learn more about health policy and become a better advocate for her community. In her free time, Emily enjoys music and dancing, spending as much time outdoors hiking, and on rainy days curled up with a good book.

Dr. Nicholas “Nick” Henrie was born and raised in Lewiston, Idaho.  He graduated from BYU-Idaho with a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and attended medical school at the University of Utah. He married a farm girl from the Magic Valley and together they are raising two boys. They all share a passion for the state of Idaho and plan on settling in a rural part of the state where she can coach basketball and he can practice broad-spectrum family medicine with inpatient, outpatient, acute care, and obstetrics. He is an avid dry fly fisherman, but also enjoys hunting, camping, and playing and watching football, basketball, and baseball.

Barbara has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Excelsior College in Albany New York, a Master of Social work from Eastern Washington University, and holds the advanced licensure of Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She continues to study the field of psychology to better assist her patients who are in distress or simply want to improve their quality of life.

Barbara is very curious about human thought processes. She has worked in a variety of areas and jobs which provide her a rich level of life experience to draw from. Empathy and trust are important when working with patients who come to her for help. She enjoys working in small rural areas where she can help people get a better understanding of how our minds work.

Zuzana earned her undergraduate and her master’s degree at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. She 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 also worked part-time in the Pocatello Free Clinic as a volunteer NP.

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

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

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

New LMSW providing therapy at Health West Chubbuck and integrative wellness care at Health West ISU. I’m a recent Master of Social Work graduate from ISU and I have lived in Southeast Idaho my whole life. My hobbies include spending time with my dogs, all things outdoors, gaming, and spending time with my sisters. I have a variety of experience working with those in crisis. I was drawn to Health West for their mission to help the underserved and their emphasis on teamwork for patient care. I love working with a wide range of people and needs.

Dr. Brian Vause comes to us from A.T. Still University – Kirksville. He hails from Eden, Utah and has a heart for rural Family Medicine, including hospital medicine, especially for underserved populations. He is interested in the challenges and options that a Family Physician can have in providing a breadth of care in differing circumstances. In his free time, you’ll find Brian doing all sorts of outdoorsy things, like mountain biking, trail running, flying an airplane, gardening, camping and visiting national parks, road trips, and skiing.

Verena Roberts, PhD, is the Director of Behavioral Sciences at the Idaho State University Family Medicine Residency in Pocatello, Idaho since May 2015. Dr. Roberts also sees patients as part of the behavioral health team at Health West ISU, and she is the ISU Site Director for the Idaho Psychology Internship Consortium.

Dr. Roberts attended ISU as an undergraduate and graduate and earned her doctorate from ISU. She then completed her internship at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan in Denver. She subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Integrated Primary Care Psychology at the Colorado Health Foundation in Denver and later a second fellowship in Behavioral Science Education. During her time in Colorado, Dr. Roberts worked for Denver Health and Kaiser Permanente in integrated primary care but missed Idaho and hence moved back in 2015.

Dr. Roberts strives to provide a welcoming and accepting environment working with individuals from all backgrounds including the LGBTQIA population but mainly focuses on adults to geriatrics. She will occasionally see teens for anxiety and depression related issues only. She addresses a variety of mental health concerns including but not limited to depression, anxiety disorders such as general and social anxiety, OCD, panic attacks, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, interpersonal and relationship issues, etc. as well as behavioral health concerns around binge/overeating, and behavioral management of other health issues including weight loss, sleep issues, etc. Dr. Roberts also supervises formal psychological assessments.

Dr. Roberts is well versed in a variety of therapeutic evidence-based techniques such as brief and solution-focused therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, exposure-based therapies, interpersonal therapy, and emotion-focused therapy.

When working with patients, Dr. Roberts enjoys getting to know each person and helping them grow and achieve their goals in a non-judgmental, supportive environment and ultimately help each patient live a fulfilled life. She recognizes that each person has the potential to grow and values the trust that is put into the therapeutic relationship. She focuses on developing specific goals and tools for each patient’s needs.

Dr. Roberts originally grew up in Berlin, Germany. She enjoys travel with her family and has traveled in Europe and the US extensively. She also enjoys good food, spending time with her horses and generally loves the great outdoors in Idaho.

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. Tyshae Jaggi comes to us from Pacific NW University. She hails from the Idaho Falls area. She aims to work in a rural area after residency, stating “I like the doctor-patient relationships in family medicine, the medical variety of cases, and the ability to work with all ages, entire families, and different ways of life”. In her free time you’ll find Tyshae outside running, hunting, fishing, hiking, playing soccer, or watching a movie at home.

Dr. Brandon Comish comes to us from University of Washington. As a student who has shown commitment to rural and underserved community engagement, he was chosen to participate in the TRUST Program (Targeted Rural Underserved Track) in Idaho. He has a special interest in global health, obstetrics, and pediatrics. Brandon has no trouble filling his off-time, where you may find him practicing Judo (black belt), traveling, learning new languages, playing his guitar or piano, engaged in art, flying drones, or reading fantasy fiction.

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

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 friends, reading, hiking, and traveling. Health West is a wonderful organization that has so many resources to offer patients. Tina is proud to work here.

Jon Malan, D.O. 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 4 kids, and enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and reading about new discoveries in science

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. Cody Patterson, DO was born and raised in Saint George, Utah. He received an undergraduate degree from Southern Utah University in Human Nutrition, after which he attended Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine as one of the inaugural class members of the Southern Utah campus. He is excited to dive right into Idaho life where he can continue enjoying some of his passions such as hiking, backpacking, camping, and riding his mountain bike. In fact, he loves the outdoors so much that he fills his home with as many houseplants as possible to make him feel closer to nature. He looks forward to practicing outpatient Family Medicine after completing his residency training.

“Laurie Nate is a native of Southeast Idaho, and grew up in Bear Lake County. She earned her nursing degree from Idaho State University and worked as an RN for 17 years; after which, she graduated from Graceland University with her Family Nurse Practitioner license. The rural community is her favorite area to work. After practicing in Kemmerer Wyoming for 7 years, Laurie moved back to Idaho with her husband. She has experienced various opportunities including: clinic setting, ER, hospital, home visits and education. Currently she is living in Dayton, Idaho 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 to be in the great outdoors.

Dr. Sye Speth comes to us from University of Pikeville. He is drawn to Family Medicine because of the wide scope of practice, the personal, long-term relationships built, and the opportunity to be a teacher of medicine. In his free time, you’ll find Sye woodworking, camping, or playing baseball, bowling, and football.

Alex Brewster was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. She completed an Associate Degree at Yakima Valley Community College where she played basketball for two years. She continued undergraduate studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Utah. She later obtained her Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy. Near the end of her pharmacy education, Alex was honored as a finalist for the Elizabeth Fuhriman Gardner Prize, which recognizes outstanding women in the health sciences. Alex’s professional interests include substance use disorder prevention and treatment, Transgender healthcare, and primary care. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Alex is passionate about serving marginalized groups and advocating for access to equitable health care. Alex, her partner, and their two dogs love to adventure in the outdoors – they enjoy hiking, camping, backpacking, snowshoeing, and traveling.

Daniel Park is a 2007 graduate of Boise State University with a bachelor’s in social work. He graduated with his Master’s Degree in Social Work from Boise State University in 2013.

Shannon attended ISU for an undergraduate degree in Social Work, and received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Boise State University. He has professional experience in development and implementation of behavioral strategies at school and home for children with disabilities. His experience in teaming up with families to resolve struggles they may have is the most rewarding part of his job. Since joining Health West, he has enjoyed helping individuals and families to find hope and identify solutions together. solutions

Joseph Neil Ragan, M.D. is a board-certified family physician who graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and completed internship and residency training at Naval Regional Medical Center San Diego, CA, and Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, CA, respectively. After doing full-spectrum family medicine for 26 years in the U.S. Navy, Ragan returned to his small hometown in northeast Arkansas where he did emergency medicine and hospital inpatient work for a few years before relocating for family reasons to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. Dr. Ragan is Medical Director at the Health West Pocatello Family Medicine residency clinic where he sees patients and teaches in the residency program. He has a special interest in under-served populations, including ensuring comprehensive and sensitive care for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people.

Dr. Katrina Spangenberg was born and raised in the Texas Hill Country. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, earning a B.A. Honors in International Relations and Global Studies. This naturally led her to study medicine at the Medical School for International Health in Israel. She has a heart for caring for underserved communities and intends to take the expertise gained through the broad-scope family medicine training at ISU to work towards increasing healthcare access to underserved people groups and to provide quality, comprehensive, culturally sensitive care, domestically and abroad. Outside of medicine, she enjoys exploring the beauty of Idaho and being outside. You may find her running on a trail, swimming in the Portneuf river, skiing Pebble Creek, or hanging out with family in Utah. She is excited and grateful to be a part of the ISU Family Medicine community.

Paul 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 our Lava Hot Springs location. Since, 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

Dr. Jokke Kokkonen comes to us from AT Still University, Kirksville. He is interested in working in an underserved area after residency and to have a positive influence in communities far from the epicenters of health care. Family Medicine will equip him with the tools to serve his future community. In his free time, you’ll find him on the prowl for new hikes, gardening (cherry tomatoes for his children is a must), camping, traveling, and training for 5Ks and half-marathons.

Mustafa “Taffa” Tekarli is from Sandy, Utah. He completed his undergraduate education and pharmacy school at the University of Utah. Taffa particularly enjoys practicing in the primary care setting because this allows him to establish long and meaningful relationships with his patients. Taffa’s professional interests include diabetes management, cardiology, psychiatry, infectious disease, oncology, academia, and clinical research. Taffa was the lead author of a research article titled “Association between Flash Glucose Monitors and A1C: A Retrospective Pre-Post Analysis” that was recently published in Innovations in Pharmacy. Outside of his work life, Taffa enjoys spending time with his wife, Hannah, and their three cats: Ophelia, Melo, and Kevin. Taffa also enjoys playing basketball, watching football, and rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Brooke Buffat PharmD, BCPS is currently employed as Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the Idaho State University College of Pharmacy, providing oversight of admissions, recruitment, and student support on all campuses.

Dr. Buffat is a also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Sciences and the Director of Continuing Education for the College. She earned her PharmD degree from Idaho State University in 2004 and completed an ambulatory care residency at the Southeast Idaho VA Outpatient Clinic in Pocatello in 2005, followed by a primary care pharmacotherapy residency at Idaho State University Department of Family Medicine in 2006. She joined the Idaho State University Faculty in 2006.

Michael Ludwig graduated from Idaho State University in 2004 with an undergraduate degree in social work. He received his Master’s Degree in social work from Walla Walla University in 2007.

Dr. Jessica Rolynn graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine as a TRUST Scholar in the Targeted Rural and Underserved Track. She is an Idaho native who attended Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology, minoring in Chemistry and Theatre. Her experience growing up in rural Idaho, as well as becoming a young mother, military spouse, and first generation college student, gave her a unique perspective as she pursued her degrees. She developed a strong passion for teaching while volunteering and working with at-risk students in various settings, and found that passion continued as she developed relationships with her patients in underserved populations. Dr. Rolynn and her family are excited to join the Pocatello Community; they plan to spend lots of time exploring the hills, local arts, and theatre troupes. She has a strong interest in Broad Spectrum Family Medicine, including advocacy, community health, and LGBT+ medicine. She looks forward to a long career in Rural Medicine.

Dr. Logan Anderson attended medical school at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho. He studied at Utah State University where he received a Bachelor’s of Science in human biology and met his wife, Francesca. Prior to completing his undergraduate studies, Dr. Anderson spent two years living in Southern Chile where he learned Spanish and an appreciation of foreign cultures. He plans on practicing full-scope family medicine in a rural community where they can enjoy easy access to the great outdoors and all of its recreational opportunities. He and his wife love the outdoors and during their free time can often be found camping, hiking, swimming, or white-water rafting.

Doty has worked in different areas of the social work field since 2006. She has experience working with substance abuse and addictions, dual diagnosis, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. She was more recently been trained in alternative and complimentary chronic pain treatments, as well as brief therapy techniques. Doty works with children, couples, families, and groups.

Currently, she is working alongside primary care providers to ensure that Health West patients are getting comprehensive, holistic treatment. When not at work, she loves the mountains and being outdoors, traveling, creative crafting, and spending time with family and friends.

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. Jack John comes to us from Liberty University. He hails from Layton, Utah. He has a heart for Family Medicine because “it is the only specialty where a physician is not limited by patient population or specialty. They can see all patients, any time, regardless of the ailment.” In his free time, you’ll find him backpacking, horseback riding, golfing, listening to music, or reading.

Dr. Trevor Miller was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska and can’t help but love Husker football. He completed a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Concordia University, Nebraska before attending medical school at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine in New Mexico. It is here he found enjoyment for many different areas of medicine naturally making family medicine a natural choice. After residency he plans on practicing rural broad-spectrum family medicine with an emphasis on obstetrics. In his free time, he enjoys being outdoors doing various activities such as fishing and golfing.

Jacob Comstock is a 2005 graduate of Idaho State University with an undergraduate degree in social work. He graduated from Walla Walla University with a master’s degree in social work in 2008.

Dr. Jordan Hammon graduated from Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences. He was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho with two brothers and one sister. After high school, he studied microbiology at the undergraduate and graduate level with Idaho State University. Teaching undergraduate students in microbiology is where his love to educate others was fostered. He is the lead author of six journal articles in immunology on his research with the covertly infectious fungal organism Blastomyces Dermatitidis. He then attended medical school at Pacific Northwest University in Yakima, Washington. He intends to remain close to family and practice full-spectrum family medicine in Idaho. He enjoys weight training, hiking, camping, kayaking, and spending time with family.

Brandi Karroum, Family Nurse Practitioner, moved to Pocatello 9 years ago with only one visit to this area. Like all locals, after she discovered the mountains, the rivers, and the great people here, Brandi knew it was the perfect place to raise her family.

Brandi grew up in the inner-city of Seattle. She is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants; and, she and her 4 siblings were raised by their single mom. Brandi grew up “in the system” with public assistance, including WIC, welfare and free lunches. Because of her sparse upbringing and the challenges related to reduced opportunities of childhood, Brandi has always had the desire to give back to those who may need extra help. This is what led her to our Community Healthcare – Health West, Inc.

Health West stands for what Brandi believes in—Healthcare that is available to all despite a patient’s ability to pay – so she is thankful to be a part of Health West’s provider team. Brandi has been a Registered Nurse for 5 years, and a Nurse Practitioner for 2 years. She earned both her Baccalaureate and master’s degrees at Idaho State University. Brandi’s favorite part about being a Family Nurse Practitioner is getting to know her patients along with their children, parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and on occasion, their animals! However, Brandi only sees human patients from newborns to geriatrics.