Bothwell welcomes two new Family Medicine resident physicians

Bothwell Regional Health Center recently welcomed two new physicians in conjunction with the Bothwell-University of Missouri Rural Family Medicine Residency.

Dr. Jamie Spears and Dr. Gabriel Dudley graduated from medical school in May and will complete their training in the three-year residency that provides in-depth training. They will be in Sedalia and Columbia during the first year.

Spears is from Iola, Kansas, and began her college education at Kansas State University in Manhattan where she received her bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences. She earned her medical degree at American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in Sint Maarten. Spears’s father is a physician, which sparked her interest in health care.

“I essentially grew up in my father’s clinic watching him make a difference in patients’ lives and his community,” she said. “Although I went to medical school with an open mind, I always came back to family medicine. I love that it allows me to build relationships with people and care for generations of families.”

Dudley is from Jackson, Missouri, and received a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. He attended Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Florida, where he received a master’s degree in Biomedical Ethics and then earned his medical degree.

Dudley was inspired and encouraged by his mother, who was a nurse, to pursue medicine. When it came time to select a residency, he said the idea of learning in a smaller, rural community for his training was appealing.

“I grew up in this type of community, and I wanted a program that would best prepare me to deliver high-quality health care in rural communities and allow me to build strong connections with patients,” he said. “During my residency, I hope to become the best family practice physician possible while balancing the demands of raising a family.”

The residency started in 2019 after the University of Missouri received a federal grant and selected Bothwell as the first in the state to implement a rural family medicine residency to train new physicians.

Since 2022, two residents have joined the program each year and receive training from faculty who are Bothwell physicians. Third-year residents Dr. Brittany Pendergraft and Dr. Levi Harris and second-year residents Dr. Logan Stiens and Dr. ShiAnne Farris work full-time in Sedalia at Bothwell Family Medicine Associates and care for patients in the hospital.

As the newest residents, Dudley and Spears are getting acquainted with the hospital by caring for patients in the hospital and working in the Emergency and Surgery departments.

Dr. Misty Todd, family medicine physician and obstetrics physician at Bothwell’s Cole Camp Clinic, serves as residency director. She said the last year has been busy with several transitions, including opening a Family Medicine OB Clinic for pregnant women.

“We have a full complement of six residents and new rotations throughout the hospital,” she said. “A procedure clinic on Wednesdays and the obstetrics clinic on Thursday afternoons is helping increase access to patient care. All of our residents can care for people of all ages, see pregnant women and deliver babies.”

Todd said the biggest change has been Bothwell Family Medicine Associates’ move to a larger location on the first floor of the Healing Arts Center.

“We were able to develop space in the new location where our residents can thrive,” she said. “As we expand, we are seeking a residency nurse to support the physicians’ education and help provide care. Our program is growing significantly, and we want to grow alongside it and continue to recruit new physicians who want to train and practice in rural communities.”

To make an appointment to see one of the resident physicians, call Bothwell Family Medicine Associates at 660.827.2883. Learn more about the residency at brhc.org/residency.