Kaiser Santa Rosa Doctors Attend the Santa Rosa High School Reunion
Local Doctors Believe: "There's no Place Like Home"
Remember those TV family "docs" who knew everyone in town, carried a black bag full of miracles, and accepted berry pies as payment for house calls?
Fictional doctors are famous for prescribing feel-good entertainment that has little relationship to reality. And yet, even amid modern big-city life, there's a special something about relating to a "home-town doc." In recent years, Kaiser Santa Rosa has been fortunate to welcome three "locally-grown" physicians into our Kaiser Permanente ranks.
Drs. Todd Weitzenberg, Andrew Miklos, and Shaun Brierly share a hometown reunion at Santa Rosa High School.
Dr Todd Weitzenberg Couldn't Wait to Return to Santa Rosa
As a boy, Todd Weitzenberg, MD, loved growing up in Sonoma County, but like many youngsters, he couldn't wait to leave for college. "I didn't realize how much I'd miss Santa Rosa until I attended medical school elsewhere," said Dr. Weitzenberg, a 1987 Santa Rosa High School graduate. "My friends and I call it the 'seven degrees of Santa Rosa.' Once you're away, no matter where you go, you do everything in your power to get back."
With that in mind, after attending Chicago Medical School University of Health Sciences, the aspiring doctor set his sights on completing his internship, residency, and fellowship at the University of California, Davis. "If I would have done my residency in Florida, for example, I wouldn't have made the necessary contacts to find a position on the West Coast," he explained. Academic success and good fortune smiled on young Weitzenberg's wishes; he captured the only residency opening at UC Davis that year!
Dr. Weitzenberg joined Kaiser Santa Rosa's physical medicine department in August 2001. He is the first physician in a family of respected local professionals, is married to another local native, and his children attend local public schools. A cycling enthusiast who once considered a pro-cycling career, the doctor still trains and rides extensively.
"I'm thrilled with recent developments for cycling in Sonoma County," he said, "But I know that becoming a Kaiser Permanente physical sports medicine physician was the right decision."
Dr Andrew Miklos was Born into the Kaiser Permanente Family
The story of Andrew Miklos, MD, from the Kaiser Santa Rosa pathology department begins with his birth at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in southern California. Dr. Miklos' parents immigrated to Los Angeles in 1956 to escape the revolution and communist regime in Hungary. Later, they relocated with their two sons to then small-town Santa Rosa.
"This is my home. That's something I've never felt anywhere else in my travels."
Andrew Miklos, MD
The boys took an interest in swimming and joined the Santa Rosa Neptunes to prepare for competitive swimming in high school. Young Andrew spent summers in Hungary to stay connected with his heritage, and after graduating from Santa Rosa High School in 1988, studied medicine at the university in Szeged, Hungary. Following medical school, he was accepted for residency at St. Louis University Hospital and served his fellowship in surgical pathology at Barnes Hospital, Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, MO.
"I considered entering academic medicine, but wanted to return to Santa Rosa to be near my family," said Dr. Miklos. "Ultimately, I chose surgical pathology and joined Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa in 2004."
Still a regular swimmer, Dr. Miklos and his brother retain a few swim records from their days with the Neptunes. As an adult, he's added viniculture to the list of what he enjoys about Sonoma County.
"This is my home," he said. "That's something I've never felt anywhere else in my travels. The North Bay is unique in its proximity to the ocean and the Sierras. When friends visit from Europe and Missouri, there are lots of interesting places to take them."
Dr Shaun Brierly Finds Common Ground with his Patients in Their Love of Sonoma County
Shaun Brierly, MD, and his wife, Mary, are living proof that couples from rival high schools can endure. The 1989 Santa Rosa High School grad met Mary while in high school, and attended her Analy High prom.
From the start of his medical aspirations, Brierly's goal was to be a home-town doctor and live near his extended family. After completing medical school at UC Davis, he interned at St.Vincent Hospital in Portland before returning to UC Davis for his Ophthalmology residency. In 2003, Dr. Brierly chose to begin his practice at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa's ophthalmology department "for the security and unique opportunity to work with other professionals in a system that focuses on benefiting the patient."
The former surfer likes going to the beach as a favorite family activity. He finds meaning in volunteering with local charities, including Kid's Net, that strengthen the community. "It's gratifying to live where people find common ground in their love for Sonoma County's natural beauty and quality of life," said Dr. Brierly, who thinks some patients truly appreciate his local roots. "My high-school diploma hangs in the exam room, and patients often comment on it."