Best places to practice medicine

If you’re a sports fan and looking into physician relocation, you can’t go wrong with any of these four great cities: Ann Arbor, Michigan; Phoenix, Arizona; Blacksburg, Virginia; and Tampa, Florida. Although each city is uniquely different, they are all worth serious consideration for physicians considering relocation. Opportunities abound, and you won’t be disappointed when it comes to the multitude of sports teams each has to offer.

Ann Arbor, Michigan 

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A BUSY DOWNTOWN AREA with world-class arts and culture, a foodie haven and a great university town, you’ve come to the right place. 

Ann Arbor is a charming, family friendly location that offers a high quality of life. With a population of 125,000, it combines a small-town feel with the amenities of a larger city. Located in Michigan’s southeast lower peninsula, sports and recreation in Ann Arbor stand out. 

“Ann Arbor is a rare gem: a vibrant university town that blends culture, sports and community,” says Chad Wiebesick, director of public affairs for Destination Ann Arbor. “It’s an ideal place for families, offering wonderful opportunities for outdoor activities, world-class health care and a welcoming environment for professionals and their loved ones.” 

As the home of University of Michigan, the city is a hub for collegiate sports. “The Big House,” which hosts the exciting Michigan Wolverine football games, is the largest stadium in North America. Basketball, hockey, you name it—there’s no shortage of top-tier teams. 

If you’re into recreational activities, Ann Arbor offers year-round opportunities. For hiking and trails, the Waterloo Recreation Area is a 20,000 -acre state park and is the largest in the lower peninsula. The Border to Border Trail (B2B) is an ideal way to explore nature, Ann Arbor and surrounding areas Dexter, Chelsea and Ypsilanti. The B2B is a 42-mile, 10-foot-wide paved pathway that follows alongside the Huron River in most areas and is perfect for running, walking, rollerblading and biking. 

If you’re a luxury shopper, you can check out the historic Kerrytown Market and Shops, named after County Kerry in Ireland. In addition to unique shopping, there is also internationally inspired dining in addition to the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. 

Other cultural attractions in Kerrytown include the Kerrytown Concert House, which has avant-garde, classical and unique music. If you are interested in local history, check out the Museum on Main Street and the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, a great place for kids and families. 

Ann Arbor has been ranked as one of the best places to live in the U.S. It has outstanding health care facilities such as Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan’s Academic Medical Center, which is recognized as a leader in patient care and innovation. 

Michigan Medicine consists of the university’s medical school, affiliated hospitals and affiliated health care centers. University Hospital is the main hospital for adult patients and has 550 beds. C.S. Mott Children’s and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital has 348 beds and a 46-bed neonatal intensive care unit. Some of the other specialty centers offered include the Rogel Cancer Center, Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center, W.K. Kellogg Eye Center and Brehm Center for Diabetes Research, Biomedical Science Research Building and three Medical Science Research Buildings. 

Surrounding Ann Arbor are several captivating towns close by if you prefer to live in a smaller community yet have access to all the amenities of Ann Arbor. One of those towns, Dexter, is where Paul Turke, M.D., lives and practices. “Ann Arbor is great, but it’s a bit bigger city, more traffic and more expensive. Dexter is very liveable and you can enjoy all of the wonderful things in Ann Arbor. Many people have jobs at University of Michigan and can get in and out very quickly. It’s a great place to live and work.” 

Turke attended medical school at age 39. Originally a resident of a Detroit suburb, he earned his undergraduate degree at Eastern Michigan University. He went on to attend Penn State and later acquired his Ph.D. in anthropology. “I then returned to Ann Arbor and had some fellowships at the University of Michigan for five or six years and started working in a lab of a pathologist. That’s one of the things that helped lead to me medical school at Michigan State University, the College of Human Medicine. Then, I returned to the University of Michigan and did my residency training in pediatrics at Mott Children’s Hospital,” Turke says. 

Today, Turke is a pediatrician at Turke & Thomashow Pediatrics in Dexter. 

In addition to his formal medical education, Turke has done fieldwork in anthropology and demography on the Micronesian Islands of Ifaluk and Yap, with a focus on childcare kinship networks. He has published several articles and recently published a new book. 

There are a lot of activities in Dexter. “The Dexter Wellness Center, which is a big gym with a pool, is right across the street from the Border to Border Trail. A lot of people in Dexter belong to the Wellness Center and bike and walk their dogs on the trails. There are a lot of shops, festivals, an ice skating rink and an old cider mill. 

About an hour away, sports fans who enjoy professional football, baseball, hockey and basketball can root for the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons. 

With all of the numerous opportunities and sports offerings, Ann Arbor is an excellent place for physicians to live and practice.

Phoenix, Arizona 

AS A SPORTS HAVEN, PHOENIX COULD BE JUST what the doctor ordered with Cardinal football, Suns basketball and Diamondback baseball. In addition, there’s WNBA Mercury basketball, Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers and Football Rising Football Club. Plus, two NCAA Division I sports teams: Arizona State University and Grand Canyon University. 

Aside from spectator sports, physicians and their families may wish to partake in the many sports that are offered. Phoenix Parks and Recreation offers a variety of sports programs for all ages. Youth leagues include basketball, baseball, soccer, football and other sports. Adult leagues include softball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, pickleball and more. Resorts and golf courses are abundant. In fact, Phoenix and the surrounding areas have approximately 200 golf courses. 

If you like museums and attractions, check out the Musical Instrument Museum, the Phoenix Art Museum, the Heard Museum, the winding paths of the Desert Botanical Garden, Taliesin West (Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home) and the Phoenix Zoo, to name a few. 

Phoenix is a shopper’s delight from charming antique shops, boutiques, farmers’ markets and numerous shopping malls and outlets. 

The Greater Phoenix area is home to roughly 5 million people and is one of the largest metropolitan cities in the United States in addition to being the state capital. It provides rich desert landscapes and beautiful mountain ranges. Camelback Mountain is named for its resemblance to a kneeling camel. 

“There’s beautiful mountains to do a lot of hiking, such as Camelback, in the Phoenix-Scottsdale area,” says Kelly Shortridge, D.O. who lives in Scottsdale, 13 miles from Phoenix. He grew up in Scottsdale and mentions it’s safe, clean and has good schools. “There are no natural disasters here. As long as you can get through July and August, which are the hottest months, then you are going to be just fine,” he says. 

Shortridge earned his undergraduate degree from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix and went on to attend medical school at Western University in Los Angeles. 

After residency in general surgery, he pursued a fellowship in bariatrics in Houston. 

Today, Shortridge is a bariatric surgeon for Shortridge & Co. LLC with Abrazo Medical Group and works at the Abrazo Medical & Surgical Weight Loss at Scottsdale Campus. He mainly practices out of the Scottsdale location. 

Abrazo Health, part of Tenet Health, offers a wide range of services across the greater Phoenix area through its hospitals, emergency centers and primary care and specialty offices. The Abrazo Medical Group, part of the Abrazo Health System, is a distinguished network of family medicine/primary care, cardiovascular care and general surgery clinics serving the valley communities. It has over 120 employed physicians and practitioners across its network. 

Blacksburg, Virginia 

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A SMALLER CITY that has a vibrant sports scene, Blacksburg, Virginia, is a top consideration and home to Virginia Tech. 

The Virginia Tech Hokies are in the Atlantic Coast Conference and have made many appearances in NCAA tournaments. 

Blacksburg is known for a bohemian vibe, a lively music scene, and institutions like the Moss Arts Center, the Lyric Theatre and more. 

Kelly Ratcliffe is a physician recruiter liaison for HCA Healthcare’s LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, which serves Blacksburg. Ratcliffe says, “LewisGale Montgomery is a small, family-oriented hospital that provides exceptional health care to the community. Our main focus is the service of our patients and being able to assist them with their health care needs.” 

LewisGale Hospital Montgomery has delivered high-quality care for more than 50 years. Services include cardiology, orthopedic care and specialized treatment for GERD at its 146-bed general acute-care facility. Other specialties include a wide range of medical, surgical, obstetric, pediatric, orthopedic, emergency and outpatient services. They work closely in partnership with the other hospitals of the HCA Virginia Health System. 

John Patterson, M.D., is a cardiologist at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery. Patterson wanted to be a physician ever since he was 8 years old. He jokes: “There were some nuns at school that convinced me with my bad handwriting, that was the only thing I could do was to be a doctor.” He says, “I had a focus on science and leaned toward health care. I went to University of North Carolina specifically so I could head toward medical school. By then, I pretty well set myself on track.” 

After earning a medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Patterson completed residency in internal medicine and cardiology fellowships at Wake Forest University. 

Patterson spent his career developing STEMI Programs. He eventually ended up at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery. 

“In my career, I found the most rewarding practices in those where I was able to go into a lesser-served area and raise the quality of health care in that area,” he says. “You can see the direct impact when you build a heart attack program in an area that didn’t have those services available.” 

Regarding LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, Patterson says, “I knew this hospital would be in a good location to reach the broadest number of patients. So, that’s one of the reasons I came here. The hospital itself is very dynamic. It has great leadership. From day one, they have been hugely supportive of us developing a program. They’ve given us all of the resources that we need, which is important.” 

Ratcliffe and her husband are Hokies fans and enjoy attending the football games with their son. She mentioned there are a slew of outdoor activities in the Blacksburg area to include hiking, biking, running trails and water sports. 

Patterson adds: “The community is vibrant, easily walkable and has lots of different shops and restaurants. There’s also an easy airport to get to 30 minutes away in Roanoke. We often fly to New York. There’s a lot to do in this area.” 

LewisGale Hospital Montgomery is currently recruiting for an interventional cardiologist, gastroenterologist and urologist.

Tampa, Florida

WITH THE YEAR-ROUND sunny weather, Tampa is a fantastic place for sports fans. It’s home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rays, Lightning, and men’s and women’s soccer. 

Tampa offers lots to do for everyone. There’s Busch Gardens, Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park, The Florida Aquarium, Tampa Theatre and more. 

Alene J. Wright, M.D., entered the medical field because she always loved a challenge, especially if someone told her she couldn’t do something. Medicine was no exception. “Back in high school, my teachers asked me if I wanted to consider medicine. Having come from a poor background, I never thought it attainable because I would not be able to afford it. I knew as I got older, I wanted to do something I could do the rest of my life,” she says. 

Now, Wright is a surgeon with HCA Florida Trinity Breast Care and Surgery. “I live in the community I treat,” she says. “It is a fantastic honor to be part of the success of this program.” Wright is involved in several endeavors, including graduate medical education. “I’m program director for one of the two general surgery residencies in our division, which I’m very proud of. I’m training our next generation of surgeons,” she says. 

HCA Healthcare is the largest health care system in the U.S. based on the number of hospitals and beds: 185 hospitals and 47,000 beds. Approximately 53 of those hospitals are located in Florida. 

Eric Rose, AVPof physician recruitment for HCA Healthcare, oversees 15 facilities that recruit for the Tampa area. He enjoys living in the Tampa area and says, “Physicians and their families can get whatever they are looking for in the Tampa Bay and surrounding area.” 

“Tampa has been great,” Rose says. “Not only is it sunny and beautiful; it’s a big city but doesn’t feel overwhelming, and it’s not shoved into a small geographic area.” •