Samantha Brennan, DO
She was born and raised in St. Cloud, MN amongst the frigid snow. Prior to medicine, she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Concordia University St. Paul, spent many years caring for championship dressage horses, worked at an ophthalmology clinic, and helped grow the business of a powersports dealership. Dr. Brennan eventually ventured to the Pacific Northwest to attend medical school at Western University of Health Sciences in the small town of Lebanon, Oregon. She spends her free time by taking the dirt bikes out for weekend camping adventures, tending to her garden, and caring for her pet duck, Ducky.
Christopher Walker, DO
Born and raised in the small town of Naches Washington, he played college baseball at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho where he double majored in Exercise Science and Biology. During his time at Lewis-Clark State College he had his daughter Berkeley and his son Fletcher. His kids are his passion and in his free time you can find them riding bikes, hiking through the woods or at the beach searching through tide pools looking for hermit crabs! He is also very into slowpitch softball, crossfit, snowboarding, fishing, duck hunting and yelling at the TV when his favorite sports teams are on. He is excited to practice family medicine in a rural community and build lasting relationships with his patients.
Jordyn Wirkkala, DO
Dr. Wirkkala was born and raised in Cathlamet, WA so Washington has always been home to her. She attended Gonzaga University for her undergraduate degree in biology and then attended medical school at PNWU in Yakima, WA, She's always had a goal of returning to Southwest WA to practice medicine! She worked for some time before going to medical school in multiple different fields. One of her most influential experiences was spending one year in Mobile, AL with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps establishing relationships within the community, advocating for social justice, and working towards compassion and fair treatment for marginalized populations living there. In her free time she enjoys reading, gardening, sewing, and enjoying quality time with her husband, extended family, and golden retriever. She is always interested in a good recommendation for a book or podcast from anyone that has one!
Jacque Gorzynski, MD
Jacque Gorzynski was born in Phoenix, Arizona but raised in the small town of Rochester, Washington. She ventured south to Salem, Oregon to earn her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science at Willamette University. Her educational journey then continued at The University of Washington School of Medicine. Her clinical rotations were spent in a longitudinal track within the Olympia area which solidified her desire to remain local and give back to her community. As a full-spectrum family provider, she is eager to care for the whole family but is particularly interested in women's health and helping those with addiction. She is blessed to be training as a member of such an incredible team of providers at Chehalis Family Medicine. Becoming a mother has been one of her greatest honors and joys. With the help of her loving husband, she is raising four energetic, fun children. She prioritizes fitness in the form of crossfit but also enjoys volleyball and cycling. When indoors, she is an avid puzzler and looks forward to family board game nights. Although she is in full support of modern medicine, she believes that sometimes laughter is the medicine we all need most.
Leanna Lockett, DO
Born and raised in the outskirts of Vancouver, Washington, Dr. Lockett has always called the Pacific Northwest her home. Prior to medicine she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Neurobiology from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington and spent several years working with both children and adults with disabilities as a camp counselor, teacher’s aide, and as an AmeriCorps member. It was during her time volunteering in AmeriCorps when she had the opportunity to work with people and families from all different backgrounds and learned how many felt misunderstood and underserved by the healthcare system. Through this experience she developed a passion for helping others improve skills in self-advocacy and a desire to better understand the true healthcare needs of people in her community. After rotating with the Chehalis Rural Training Program as a medical student she knew she wanted to return for her residency training in rural family medicine. She has specific interests in full-spectrum family medicine, women’s health, and preventative medicine. Leanna enjoys spending time with her husband and family walking the local farmers markets, playing board games, and searching for the next river, lake, or mountain to explore. She also enjoys playing piano, watching movies, and practicing the art of woodburning when time allows.
Chayle Turner, MD
Chayle Turner is from Eastern Washington, born and raised in Pullman. She completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at Washington State University. Before medical school, she taught anatomy lab courses and worked in a veterinary medicine anatomy lab. She went on to attend medical school at WSU's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine in Spokane, WA. Exposures to full spectrum family medicine in rural communities during school pushed her to pursue the specialty, where she saw meaningful patient relationships and the opportunity to address care gaps at the community level. In her free time she enjoys, getting outside with her dog, spending time with family, hiking, charcoal and graphite art.
Joshua Gordon, MD
Originally from the tiny township of Schreiber in the wilds of Northern Ontario, Dr. Gordon has always been a family doctor at heart. Being from a big family in a small town, he remembers the broken bones and scraped knees of his youth and the many visits to his family doctor--whether that was in the office, the emergency room, the hospital, or even the home. While Northern Ontario still holds a special place in his life, his home prior to residency was actually much closer to Chehalis in nearby Victoria, BC where much of his family still lives. Before medicine, he completed a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology as well as a Bachelor of Art in Philosophy from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. After undergraduate studies, he completed a Master of Health Informatics from the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. He worked very briefly in clinical informatics at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC before finally deciding to become a physician. He completed his Medical Degree at Saba University School of Medicine in Saba, Netherlands but not before doing a medical school rotation with Chehalis Family Medicine in his fourth year. Impressed with the program and the people who make it work, he couldn’t be happier to be a part of the Chehalis Rural Training Program. Ultimately, his dream is to assume the role so admired by him as a kid and become a rural family physician. Now, being a part of the Chehalis Rural Training Program, he is well on his way to that end. He is well-supported by Danielle, his lovely wife, and his seaweed loving son, Evander. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling and spending whatever free time he has outdoors with his family.
Jideofor Ndulue, MD
Dr. Ndulue was born and raised in southern Nigeria. He attended medical school at the College of Health Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus, Nigeria. He spent an additional year after medical school as an intern, rotating through the Departments of Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology. He subsequently worked as a medical officer in primary care in a rural part of southern Nigeria, where the focus was to improve prenatal care, reduce maternal mortality, and prevent chronic non-communicable diseases. During this time, Dr. Ndulue became interested in epidemiology and working with the underserved population. He earned an Erling Persson scholarship to study Master of Science in Public Health at Umea University, Umea, Sweden. While in Sweden, he worked with Roda Korset (Red Cross) to help refugees coming from war-torn countries settle-in. On moving to the United States, he worked as a research associate at the University of Nebraska Medical Center at Omaha. He chose the Chehalis Rural Training Program because of the broad-base training and the opportunity to work with the medically underserved population. When not working, he spends time with his wife chatting, biking, pretending to try a new sport, or exploring the beautiful outdoors of Washington State.
Angela Shimoda, MD
Angela Shimoda is from the Denver, Colorado area. She spent several years in the Midwest while pursuing her undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. While there, she sought experiences in healthcare and medicine both locally and abroad, and she developed an interest in working with and providing healthcare to vulnerable populations. Angela moved back to Denver to attend medical school at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. During this time, she became very involved with the local free clinic, and continues to be committed to working with the underserved in her community. She is specifically interested in obstetrics, women’s care, full-spectrum family practice, and global health. She is hopeful about improving her Spanish skills and is working towards proficiency so that she can use this with patients. Angela is an avid skier and snowboarder and is excited to be training in Washington where there are new mountains to explore. She loves hiking and camping, and spending time outdoors with friends, family, and her dog, Mochi. She also enjoys knitting (a new quarantine skill!), reading, cooking, playing board games, and traveling (when safe of course).
