Dr. Rodd Stockwell To Begin Seeing Patients In August

There is a great need for quality physicians in Seward County and Southwest Medical Center has been working hard to fulfill that need. That is why they are proud to announce the association of another family practitioner, Dr. Rodd Stockwell.

Stockwell ??s mother was a teacher and his father worked for IBM. His father was the first in his family to go to college. The first physician in his family, Stockwell chose the medical field, he said, because it is ??interesting ? .

??I was fascinated to know how the body works, ? he added. ??In my post-college years, I was exposed to a system of healing of emotional trauma. I wanted to learn how to facilitate healing (many types of healing) for others. ?

As medicine covers a wide variety of ailments, it was just the right fit for Stockwell.

??I love variety, ? he said. ??The people I meet in any given day, and the variety of health

Problems they have ?? When I meet someone who has an issue that is a little unusual and I need to delve deeper to determine what is going on ?? it challenges me. This is what attracted me to family medicine and holistic medicine. ?

His choice of medicine has been very rewarding.

??There is something unique about the doctor-patient relationship, ? he said. ??Everything we speak

about is confidential. That means that patients are free to speak about things they may not tell anyone else in their life. People can take their masks off and be themselves. I find honest interaction rewarding. ?

His career has not been without its challenges.

??There are some health problems which require changes in personal habits (ex smoking) to really make a change in health, ? he explained. ??I work hard to help patients change when they need to change. Sometimes I feel I want them to succeed more than they do. That is hard. ?

Stockwell has worked the majority of his career thus far in Massachusetts, so what drew him to Liberal, Kansas?

??A fresh beginning and a more laid back way of life, ? he said. ??There is just way to much stress that is part of life in Massachusetts. I don’t want my children to think that is the only way to live.

And when I visited Liberal, the warm openness of every single person I met ?? it just seemed right. ?

And in return, the patients he will see can expect him to be ??focused ? on their needs.

??I am a very individual focused physician, ? he said. ??I do not practice cookie-cutter medicine.

I believe every person is unique and so their health needs will also be unique. My goal is to be a guide through the world of medicine. I want to help you most efficiently get what you need to be well. ?

Stockwell says he is also very ??focused ? in his personal life.

??I am a health focused person in my own life, ? he said. ??I look for good quality foods to eat, healthy exercise options, a balance between work and play, and time with my wife and children each day. ?

He and his wife of 14 years, Alexandra, have three children: Josephine, 13; Christopher, 11; and Gabriel, 5.

In his spare time, Stockwell enjoys Tai Chi, Martial Arts, growing as a spiritual person and, he says, ??whatever his children are interested in. ? And although he does not belong to any ??formal ? civic organizations in Massachusetts he is open to new possibilities.

??I am looking forward to seeing what the community needs are in Liberal, he said. ?

Stockwell earned his bachelor of arts from Harvard University where he graduated with honors in biology in 1991. He attended medical school at SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine in

Stony Brook, NY where he received his doctorate in 1998. He completed his residency at UMass-

Worcester Family Practice Residency Program Family Health Center, Queen Street in Worcester, MA.

He is board certified in both Family Medicine and Holistic Medicine.

Stockwell is coming to Liberal from Middleton, MA, where he has been in private practice

since 2004. He will begin seeing patients in August.