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The Faculty
 Individual
Biographies
Projects,
Research
List of Faculty & Office Management:
Department Chairman: Peter G. Danis III,
M.D.
Residency Director: Grant S. Hoekzema, M.D.
Behavioral Sciences: Patrick
Openlander, Ph.D.
Office Administrator: Donna Hammon
Faculty:
Sarah Cole, D.O.
James Deckert, M.D.
Thomas A. Johnson Jr., M.D.
James Lord, M.D.
Marsha Mertens, M.D.
Sandra Minchow-Proffitt, M.D.
Serin Phruttitum, M.D.
Julie Murphy, Pharm.D.
Biographies:
THE FACULTY
DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE,
ST. JOHN'S MERCY MEDICAL CENTER
The faculty of the Family Medicine Residency Program
includes eight family physicians, one obstetrician/gynecologist, two behavioral
scientists, and a clinical pharmacist. In addition, the size and scope of the
Medical Center enable residents to learn from a variety of faculty from other
outstanding departments.
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PETER
G. DANIS, III, M.D.
CHAIRMAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE
Dr. Danis received his
undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in 1977
and his medical degree from Saint Louis University in
1981. After completing his residency in family medicine
at St. John's Mercy, he spent seven years as a practicing
physician and medical director of a community health
center in South Carolina.
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| His special
interests in family medicine include obstetrics, natural
family planning and medical mission work in Central America.
In 1994, he became certified as a Medical Consultant in
Natural Family Planning. He served as Residency Director
from 1992 to 1999, and he became Chairman of Family Medicine
in 1997. In 2002, he received his Master's degree in Medical
Management from Carnegie Mellon University. |
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addition to his work, he enjoys spending time with his
family, playing tennis, gardening and following the St.
Louis Cardinals! |
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GRANT
S. HOEKZEMA, M.D.
RESIDENCY DIRECTOR
Dr. Hoekzema graduated
from Washington University School of Medicine in 1992
and completed his residency in family medicine at St.
John’s Mercy Medical Center in 1995, where he was
Chief Resident during his third year. He then joined
the faculty full time. He became Residency Director
in 1999 after completing a fellowship through the National
Institute for Program Director Development in 1998.
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His special interests
include pediatrics, computers in medicine, evidence-based
medicine
and critical appraisal skills. Outside of the office,
he enjoys spending time with his wife and five children,
playing and coaching soccer,
and keeping active in church activities.
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THOMAS
A. JOHNSON, JR., M.D.
A 1968 graduate of the
Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Dr. Johnson
completed his medical internship at Brown University
and his family medicine residency at the University
of Nebraska. He practiced for three years in a rural
Nebraska community and served as a faculty member at
the University of Nebraska. Dr. Johnson joined the Department
of Family Medicine at St. John's Mercy in 1976 and served
as Residency Director from 1981-92. |
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| He completed
the Duke Faculty Development Workshop Series in 1981.
He has a special interest in geriatrics and health maintenance
and serves as an associate editor of Family Medicine:
Principles and Practice, fourth edition. He holds
a Certificate of Added Qualification in Geriatrics. Dr.
Johnson served as Chairman of the Department of Family
Medicine from 1990 until 1997. Outside of work he enjoys
reading, flying, hiking and family time (grandfathering). |
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JAMES
L. LORD, M.D.
Dr. Lord received M.D.
degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia in
1974 and then completed his family medicine residency
at the University of Missouri in 1977. He was in
private practice in Independence, MO until 1986 when
he joined the faculty of the Department of Family
Medicine at St. John's Mercy Medical Center. He subsequently
received his Certificate of Added Qualification in
Sports Medicine in 1994. Since then he has designed
the Sportsmedicine curriculum which serves as a basic
rotation in the PG 2 year, and he has written two
chapters for Sports Medicine for the Primary Care
Physician.
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Dr. Lord also
coordinates the nursing home care portion of the Geriatric
curriculum. He provides ongoing care for 25 to 30 local
nursing home residients, and twice monthly he conducts
rounds with two senior residents at the nursing home.
Areas of interest include bicycling, hiking and soccer. |
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MARSHA
K. MERTENS, M.D.
Dr. Mertens was raised
in a Navy family and therefore traveled to many countries,
including Morocco, France and Japan while growing up.
She feels this has given her a better understanding
of different people from different backgrounds. She
received her undergraduate degree from William Jewell
College and her medical degree from the University of
Missouri, Columbia. |
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| She is the
coordinator of the gynecology rotation and curriculum
and chairs the residency QI committee. Her interests include
colposcopy and women's health. She enjoys biking, fishing
and volleyball in her spare time, as well as living on
the far outskirts of the St. Louis metropolitan area. |
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SANDRA
MINCHOW-PROFFITT, M.D.
Dr.
Minchow-Proffitt graduated from the University
of Utah in 1986 with
a degree in Women’s Health
Care. For the next several years, she worked at two
different birth centers in Princeton, New Jersey
and Annapolis, Maryland. She then received her medical
degree from the University of Maryland. Following
the completion of her family medicine residency at
St. John’s Mercy, she joined the faculty.
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| She
is the coordinator for the maternity care curriculum.
She practices the full scope of family
medicine, but especially enjoys women’s health,
obstetrics, pediatrics, and patient education. In her
spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband
and two children, working in the yard, walking her dog,
and feeding her chickens. |
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SARAH
COLE, D.O.
Dr.
Cole received her undergraduate degree from Truman
State
University in 1998 and her medical degree
from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in
2002. She completed her osteopathic internship at
Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, IL. in
2002. She joined the Department of Family Medicine
after completing her family medicine residency at
St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in 2006.
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| Dr.
Cole coordinates the pediatric and community medicine
curriculums for the residency program.
In addition to pediatrics, her special interests include
osteopathic manipulation and women’s health. Outside
of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and
two daughters and participating in triathlons. |
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JAMES
J. DECKERT, M.D.
Dr. Deckert graduated from
the University of Missouri School of Medicine in 1975
and completed his family medicine residency training
in 1978 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Flint, Michigan.
He was in solo practice for one year and then joined
the staff of the family medicine residency program at
Lutheran Medical Center in St. Louis in 1979. |
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| In 1980, he
completed a fellowship in medical education in the
Department
of Family Medicine at Southern Illinois University. He
joined the Department of Family Medicine at St. John's
Mercy Medical Center in 1983. His special interests
include
epidemiology, dermatology and sports medicine. He enjoys
running and is an avid chess player
and amateur astronomer. |
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PATRICK
OPENLANDER, PH.D.
Dr. Openlander is a licensed
psychologist and received his doctorate from Saint Louis
University in 1981. He has published in professional
journals on topics related to short-term therapy and
the creative process in psychotherapy. His areas of
interest include marriage and family therapy, anxiety
disorders and the connection between stress and illness.
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| Dr. Openlander
enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons. He is
an avid gardener, road bicyclist and very amateur tennis
player. He also uses meditation and weight training to
manage stress. |
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DONNA
HAMMON
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Donna
Hammon joined Family Medicine in August 2002 as
the Office Administrator. She has a bachelor's
degree in Business Administration and Health Administration
from Fontbonne College.
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SERIN
PHRUTTITUM, M.D.
Dr.
Phruttitum graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas
City in 1995. After finishing his
family medicine residency at the McLaren Regional
Hospital in Flint, Michigan, he stayed at the program
as a faculty member until 2006. In addition to serving
as chief resident, he also completed a faculty development
program at the University of Michigan. He joined
the Department of Family Medicine at St. John’s
Mercy in 2006.
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| His special interests include office based
procedures, evidence-based medicine, and obstetrics.
Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, golfing, martial
arts, and following Iowa Hawkeyes football. |
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JULIE
MURPHY, Pharm.D.
Dr. Murphy is a licensed pharmacist who received her
Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy (1998) and Doctor of
Pharmacy Degree (2001) from the University of Toledo.
She completed a specialty residency in internal medicine
at Forest Park Hospital in 2002. From 2002-2006, she
served on the faculty with Forest Park Hospital Family
Medicine Residency Program. She joined the faculty
with the Mercy Family Medicine Residency Program in
August 2006. She is also an Assistant Professor of
Pharmacy Practice at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. |
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| Dr. Murphy is a board certified pharmacotherapy
specialist whose responsibilities include pharmacotherapy
education for physicians and students, optimizing drug
therapy for patients and conducting clinical research.
Her interests include neurology, infectious disease and
cardiology. In her spare time, she enjoys attending/watching
St. Louis Cardinals games and visiting family in OH and
MI. |
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Faculty Research and Projects
There
are several faculty involved in research and writing on various levels
in the program. The Residency is a member
of FPIN (Family Practice Inquiries Network), a collaborative
national network dedicated to answering clinical questions
using the best evidence. Multiple faculty members are involved
at national meetings each year including AFMRD, NAPCRG, STFM
and RAP. Journal writing also is a regular accomplishment
with recent articles by our faculty in the JFP POEMs section
and American Family Physician. The department strives
to include residents in research if there is an interest expressed
in this area. |
