St. Luke’s Wood River welcomes Pediatrician to Family Medicine Clinic
News Release: St. Luke’s Wood River welcomes Pediatrician to Family Medicine Clinic
Dr. Cait Hopeman grew up in Seattle. She felt fortunate to visit the Wood River Valley a handful of times during childhood with her family, enjoying skiing, ice skating, swimming, and hiking. After completing her Bachelor of Arts in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish at Middlebury College, she worked for four years as an outdoor educator and guide for the National Outdoor Leadership School, leading 3 week to 3 month long trips throughout the western United States, Alaska, and Patagonia, Chile. Hopeman commented, “It was an incredible experience to teach and to develop leadership skills during those post-college years. During that same time, I also taught remote medicine courses for a Seattle based company, Remote Medical International. The experiences complemented each other well, especially when medical emergencies came up in the backcountry.” She then returned to school, completing her medical degree, and obtaining a Master’s in Business Administration, at Dartmouth College through a combined program with the Geisel School of Medicine and the Tuck School of Business. Hopeman then went onto Seattle Children’s Hospital for her pediatric residency, completing the rural Alaska Track Program, travelling between Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Seattle over the 3 years to expand her training and gain more experience in primary care and rural medicine.
Hopeman describes her inspiration for becoming a pediatrician as a privilege, “to get to know my patients and their families deeply, for the opportunity to be an educator and partner in helping patients and their families improve their health and navigate the healthcare system. I have always had a passion for nutrition, healthy lifestyles, childhood development, and taking a holistic/functional approach to medicine.” She adds, “I have the honor of being present for salient moments throughout a family’s development -from birth to potty training, to starting school, to young adulthood and all of the ups and downs and variations that path can take. I also love working with children for their bright energies, funny comments, enthusiasm to learn about their bodies, and eagerness to be heard and treated with respect at every age.”
She has always wanted to work in a rural, small town for the abundant opportunities to help keep children and their families healthy by working in partnership with schools, towns, and other organizations and adds that a lot of great work is already underway throughout the Wood River Valley. Hopeman further explained, “I am very excited to work with the team of family medicine doctors at St. Luke’s. I couldn’t be more impressed with their camaraderie, their dedication to their patients and their craft, and their willingness to collaborate and help out when needed.”
Hopeman says the Wood River Valley has held a special place in her heart for a long time, she and her husband Riley spent a great deal of time in the area and were married at Galena Lodge in 2013. They had often returned for varying lengths of time, but it always felt too short. They have four children – Eleanor, Riley, Addison, and Gus, and a dog, Tayo. They are thrilled to be here full time, stating, “this area is incredible for the opportunities to engage in outdoor activities, the outstanding cultural events that come through each year, and the wonderful, caring community that has been fostered by everyone here. We really couldn’t be happier to be a part of it all.”
Dr. Hopeman will begin seeing patients in mid-November at St. Luke’s Clinic – Family Medicine, 1450 Aviation Drive, Hailey. To schedule an appointment, call (208) 788-3434.
Media Contact:
Joy Prudek. Public Relations Manager, St. Luke’s Wood River
prudekv@slhs.org, (208) 721-2323
Date: November 7, 2022
