Third Year

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Brad  Dempsey, MD

Brad, also known as "Professor D", has a B.S. in biology, a B.A. in foreign languages, a M.D., and an honorary degree in snowboarding. All of his degrees are from the University of New Mexico. He is from Albuquerque, famous for its green chile and hot air balloons, and speaks fluent Spanish. He likes the Lincoln Family Medicine Program because he has "freedom to make decisions on my own, and the ability to think through a problem before being told the answer." He better think fast though because his wife, who is also a Lincoln Family Medicine resident, may tell him the answer first! He likes Lincoln because of its bike trails and friendly neighbors. When he is done with residency, he is looking forward to paying off his loans, probably so can use the extra money to climb mountains and get season tickets to the Denver Broncos games. His best advice to his patients is "Call me back if anything changes," and his favorite saying is "Education is cheaper than ignorance."
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Leslie  Dempsey, MD

Leslie grew up on a dude ranch in Red River, New Mexico. She worked on the ranch, and her jobs included cleaning cabins and guiding horseback rides. She is an outgoing country gal who has a B.S. in animal science from Texas Tech University, a paramedic degree, and a M.D. from the New Mexico School of Medicine. If she weren’t a doctor, she’d be a horse trainer, and she is known for jumping her horse over a 5 ½ foot fence! She wanted to become a family physician because she can “care for whole families across generations regardless of age or health problems.” She and her husband, Brad, went through the couples match and chose Lincoln. She likes living here because it’s green, has friendly people, and she is a new Husker volleyball fan. She is impressed with the Lincoln Family Medicine Program because it is community based, unopposed, and prepares residents well for rural medicine. Her favorite part of family medicine is delivering babies because “it’s a miracle every time.” When she is not working, she enjoys volleyball, basketball, riding bikes, taking her two black labs to the park, and spending time with her husband.
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Cameron  Grange, MD

Cameron wanted to become a family physician because he “wanted to take care of people, not just part of them.” After residency, he wants to settle down in a rural town, and he chose the Lincoln Family Medicine Program because it prepares family physicians for rural medicine. He also appreciates the independence offered by the program and the closeness of the residents. He is originally from Utah, and he has a B.S. in biology and chemistry from Westminster College in Salt Lake City and a Master’s degree in public health. The craziest thing he has ever done was to move his family to Grenada so he could attend Saint George’s University Medical School. He had a great tan and vitamin D level though! His wife and children are his priorities, and his interests include fencing, blacksmithing, and science fiction. If he weren’t a doctor, he’d be the next host of MythBusters or a roadie for Pat Benatar. His pearl of wisdom for his patients is “physical exercise fixes most problems.”
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Sarah  Moran, DO

Sarah joins the Lincoln Family Medicine Program from the Sunflower State. This introspective, chocolate-loving D.O. grew up in Olathe and received a B.S. in cellular biology from the University of Kansas. She earned her medical degree from the founding school of osteopathy, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. She wanted to become a family physician because she gets to develop lasting bonds with her patients and help them live happier and healthier lives. She chose the Lincoln program because “The people here are simply the best – most knowledgeable, most compassionate.” She is looking forward to her ER rotations during residency because Lincoln is the founding city for ATLS. The smartest thing she ever did was to give her husband, Rory, her phone number nine years ago. When she is not on duty, you will find her walking her dogs, Cayman and Beau, while listening to Bruce Springsteen on her iPod. She proclaims to make the best Italian ribbon cookies in the States, and her hidden talent is untangling jewelry. Her best advice to her patients is “trust your instincts – you know your own body best.”
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Sara  O'Connell, MD

Sara is from a small town in big sky country. She grew up in the coal mining town of Stockett, Montana. She would like to practice family medicine in an underserved area someday because she saw first hand the difficulty with access to care and physicians. She chose family medicine as a specialty because she loves pediatrics and obstetrics, and she didn’t want to pick between the two. She has a B.A. in biology from Carroll College in Helena, Montana and a M.D. from Creighton University in Omaha. She wanted to train at the Lincoln Family Medicine Program because of the excellent OB experience offered, the family-oriented atmosphere, the home call, and the program’s great reputation. She likes the fact that the residents are treated as equals by the physicians of the community, and the program is supported by a tremendous group of volunteer faculty. When Sara is not in clinic or on rotation, you'll find her spending as much time as possible with her husband and daughter.
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Brenda  Simon, DO

Brenda wanted to be a family physician because she likes variety. According to her, “It’s the only branch of medicine that allows me to work with all of my interests.” Her favorite areas of family medicine include emergency medicine and sports medicine. This fits well with Brenda because she is athletic and gutsy. She enjoys outdoor activities such as biking, running, and sand volleyball. When she is done with residency, she wants to be able to head to the mountains and snowboard on her days off. She is from Hoven, South Dakota, and received a B.A. in biology and chemistry from Mount Marty College in Yankton. She traveled south to attend Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center where she earned her D.O. degree. She joined the Lincoln Family Medicine Program because it is unopposed, in a good location, and strong in her interests. When she is not saving lives, you’ll find her watching The Office, listening to Weezer or Arcade Fire, or watching Shaun White so she can pick up some new snowboarding moves.
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Christopher  Strong, DO

Chris has a lot of letters behind his name – B.S., B.S., D.O., and DAD. He has undergraduate degrees in both meteorology and biology. His medical degree is from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. This Irish meteorologist can live without temperatures > 90oand dew points > 60o, but can’t live without H2O. His BFF is his wife, Tara, and he has AAAA at home (Anja, Aili, Anden, and Aeren). BTW, he grew up in MN but is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He likes the Lincoln Family Medicine Program because it is family friendly, has great flexibility, is unopposed, and has home call. He describes himself as being contemplative and would be a philosopher or theologian if he wasn’t a doctor. He enjoys the internal medicine aspect of residency because he likes to analyze lab values and work on challenging cases. He is on a mission to save his patients from HTN, CAD, PVD, PNA, OCD, HLP, ADHD, DM, CVA, and BRCA. After completing his PGE, he wants to practice in rural USA, have a big garden, and get some chickens and rabbits. The craziest thing he has ever done is agree to get a St. Bernard (probably one of the A’s ideas), and his special talent is giving his dog a haircut. LOL! TTFN.
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Jamie  Vitamvas, MD

Jamie grew up Rapid City, the Gateway to Mount Rushmore, although she says she could live without politicians. She is not new to the Cornhusker State though. She received her undergraduate degree in Spanish from Creighton University in Omaha. Then she returned to her home state for medical school at the University of South Dakota’s Sanford School of Medicine. She is looking forward to her rotations in emergency medicine because she likes the rush, but she also enjoys geriatrics because “old people have such cool stories.” The smartest thing she ever did was to reply to a profile on Match.com because she and her husband, Jeremy, are enjoying newlywed life together. She chose the Lincoln Family Medicine Program because all the residents seemed happy and well-rested, and Lincoln feels like a small town but has everything. If she weren’t an M.D., she’d be a house flipper. She is a fan of Cardinals’ baseball and macaroni and cheese. According to Jamie, her craziest moment in med school was retracting a liver for five hours while staring at the surgeon’s ear hair. When she is not on call, you might find her cruising Facebook, watching X-Files, or listening to the music of Blue October.