Top Doctors 2007: The Profiles

An in-depth look at five of Wichita's best physicians.

The Veteran
Dr. Stephen Smith, Trauma Surgery

Saving lives is more than a job for Dr. Stephen Smith. It’s a personal commitment. That’s why the trauma surgeon traveled to Germany in late April to treat injured American soldiers. His time overseas was purely voluntary, and he wasn’t paid for his services. But he felt drawn to serve his country and peers. “I still feel a strong commitment to help,” says the Naval Reserve veteran, who recently retired after 28 years with the U.S. Navy.

For two weeks, Dr. Smith worked at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest American hospital outside of the United States. The hospital receives an average of 75 wounded soldiers who are airlifted from battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan each week. While there, he operated on injured soldiers and taught young military surgeons as part of the Senior Visiting Surgeon Program, sponsored by the American College of Surgeons and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma. “A lot of military surgeons are very young, so this program helps them to learn and grow as doctors,” he says.

The 51-year-old physician can relate to the young military doctors. Dr. Smith first joined the Navy while in college during the late 1970s to help pay for medical school at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. He served his residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and practiced in California during the next decade. When the Gulf War started in 1990, Dr. Smith traveled to Okinawa, Japan to treat injured soldiers. While stationed there for two years, he met a registered nurse named Nellie. The two fell in love, married soon thereafter and moved back to the United States. They had two children, Ryan and Nicole. After several more years in California, Dr. Smith and his family moved to Wichita in 1994 to start work at Via Christi, where he’s worked for the past 13 years. Around seven days per month, Dr. Smith works 24-hour shifts and handles cases in general surgery, trauma and intensive care.

When he’s not wearing scrubs, Dr. Smith spends much of his spare time in the air. His favorite pastime is flying his plane, a Pilatus P3. He keeps a photo of it on his office computer’s desktop, and he frequently flies to doctor conferences around the country. Besides Dr. Smith’s involvement in the U.S. Navy, he serves on numerous medical boards and strives to ensure Via Christi’s intensive care unit offers the latest technology. “This is my life’s work,” he says. “I want to it be the best it can be.”


The Visionary
Dr. Jennifer Burgoyne, Ophthalmology

Most people don’t think of ophthalmology as an art. But to Dr. Jennifer Burgoyne, her specialty offers more than meets the eye. “Ophthalmology tickles both sides of my brain,” she says. “The plastic side is more artsy, and the other side is more analytical and precise.” Since joining Wichita Clinic at Founders’ Circle, Dr. Burgoyne has quickly made her mark. The office walls are lined with art chosen by her, and one room even has a print of clouds and a blue sky above an operating table. A Wichita native, Dr. Burgoyne attended the Indiana University School of Medicine and did her residency and fellowship in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Burgoyne offers a wide variety of procedures, including cataract, laser, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. After six years of practice, she enjoys ophthalmology in much the same way she enjoys art.

FAMILY
Three children: Lily and Nathan (9-year-old twins) and Cora (12).­­

HOBBIES
Dr. Burgoyne writes a variety of poetry and reads in her spare time. (She recently finished The Bone Lady, a collection of true tales written by forensic anthropologist Mary Manheim). She also takes guitar lessons. Already she can strum some Johnny Cash, and she’s learning several classic rock ballads. “Maybe one day I’ll turn my poetry into lyrics,” she says with a smile. “Then I can become a doctor by day and a musician by night.”

WHAT MAKES HER A TOP DOCTOR
Besides her sense of humor and friendly attitude, Dr. Burgoyne enjoys her profession. “I was nervous at first because eye surgery is such a delicate procedure,” she says. “But now I really enjoy it.” As she’s gained confidence over the years, the job has grown more satisfying. Of course, her steady hands could also be due to a recent decision to give up Starbucks.


The Sports Fanatic
Dr. Mark Stovak, Sports Medicine

It’s no cliché for Dr. Mark Stovak: sports are life. His office at Via Christi Sports Medicine Clinic is filled with signed tickets, balls, posters and photos from Wichita Wranglers, Shockers and Thunder players. The 39-year-old sports medicine physician knows many of the athletes involved in all levels of local athletics. Dr. Stovak works about 70 hours per week while at the office and traveling to local sporting events. A zoology major during his undergraduate studies at the University of Nevada—Reno, Dr. Stovak always enjoyed biology but didn’t like research. He decided to pair his love for sports and science by going to Ball State University in Indiana to earn a doctorate in sports medicine. He’s practiced in Wichita since 1991. We recently caught up with him during a brief timeout.

FAMILY
Wife, Dr. Leslie Greenberg (a clinical instructor at Via Christi Family Medicine). Three children: Luke (7), Nate (4) and Jenna (2). While Dr. Stovak may be a die-hard sports fan, he cheers the loudest at his kids’ games.

HOBBIES
You guessed it—sports. Dr. Stovak plays baseball and golf, jogs and goes to sporting events. From July 13-30, Dr. Stovak will travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Pan American Games to serve as head trainer during the track and field events.

WHAT MAKES HIM A TOP DOCTOR
Dr. Stovak can draw from his own experiences as an athlete. In college, he was an outfielder for the University of Nevada-Reno’s Wolf Pack baseball team—until he suffered too many of his own sports injuries. “I was always hurt,” he recalls. “I spent a lot of time in the training room, so I was introduced to the profession as an injured athlete.”


The Heart Doctor
Dr. Ravi Bajaj, Cardiovascular Disease

Dr. Ravi Bajaj can tell you the precise minutes that he performed heart surgery on a patient. As a cardiovascular disease specialist, he realizes “time is heart muscle.” At Heartland Cardiology, Dr. Bajaj helps patients with a variety of cardiovascular-related problems, from heart attacks to circulation trouble. Although he was born in Punjab, India, Dr. Bajaj considers himself a Wichitan in every way after moving here when he was 9 years old. His father taught math at Wichita State University and his mother was a nurse, so he developed a love for science at an early age. Dr. Bajaj graduated from the KU School of Medicine in Lawrence, served his residency at the University of North Carolina and did a fellowship at the University of Alabama. The 48-year-old physician is also president of the American Heart Association’s local chapter. We recently caught up with Dr. Bajaj to find out more about the man behind the stethoscope.

FAMILY
Wife, Jill. Two kids: Matthew (8) and Ashley (6)­­

HOBBIES
Dr. Bajaj practices what he preaches. He takes care of his own heart by biking and running triathlons. “I love doing almost anything outdoors, like camping, hiking and running.”

MEMORABLE CASE
A 72-year-old man was recently rushed into Wesley Medical Center’s emergency room at 8:16 a.m., after suffering a heart attack while reading the newspaper. Within 31 minutes, the man was transported to the hospital and Dr. Bajaj  performed heart surgery. The man was reading the newspaper and eating Egg Beaters at the hospital the next morning.

WHAT MAKES HIM A TOP DOCTOR
“I enjoy helping people in the prime of their lives. It’s one of the most privileged feelings to help someone recover.”


The Equestrian
Dr. Maria Riva, Pediatrics (Pulmonary)

Dr. Maria Riva has traveled a long way to help children breathe easy. The pediatric pulmonologist grew up in Turin, Italy, home of the 2006 Winter Olympics. She worked as an ICU nurse in Italy before attending medical school at Universitá di Torino, where she met her husband, Dr. Richard Steinberger. The doctor duo moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1982 to complete their residencies before moving to Wichita in 1995. Today, Dr. Riva treats premature newborns and children with respiratory complications, including sleep apnea, asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic lung problems, at Wesley Medical Center. She recently sat down with us between hospital shifts to chat about pediatrics, horses and hip-hop.

FAMILY
Husband, Dr. Richard Eric Steinberger (a physician with the Wichita Urology Group). Three kids: Tristan (18), Erik (16) and Elise (15).

HOBBIES
Horseback riding. Remington, her chestnut-colored horse, has won its class in several local dressage competitions. Dr. Riva also enjoys listening to classical music. Asked whether she believes classical music makes newborn babies smarter, she says, “Well, it has to be better than playing them hip-hop.”

BOOKS
Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and anything by Mitch Albom.

MEMORABLE CASES
“Any time I’m able to take a child off a ventilator, that’s the most rewarding part of the job. And just seeing those little ones grow healthier and smile and play—that’s pretty great, too.”

WHAT MAKES HER A TOP DOCTOR
“I just have a love for children.”


Dr. 67218
Dr. Stacy Peterson, Plastic Surgery

Forget the risqué portrayals of plastic surgeons you’ve seen on TV shows like Nip/Tuck and Dr. 90210. Dr. Stacy Peterson is a family man, farmer and devout Christian. In fact, he first became interested in medicine after hearing about Jesus’ example as the “Great Physician.” The Wichita native got the bug for surgery during medical school at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, after attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Dr. Peterson, who practices aesthetic and reconstructive surgery, knows the job takes vision. “You have to be able to see the end result before you go into surgery,” he says.

FAMILY
Wife, Allyson. “I first saw her through a pair of binoculars,” he says. “It was at a KU versus Nebraska game in college, and a friend pointed her out.” The couple has five daughters: Ashley (22), Sheree (20), Brittany (18) Kerri (15) and Christy (10).

HOBBIES
His daughters’ interests shape many of his hobbies. “I went from going to sports games to attending violin, vocal and piano performances.” Still, he occasionally plays basketball, tennis and golf.

MEMORABLE CASE
Dr. Peterson once operated on a woman from Ethiopia who was badly scarred from a fire.  He did the surgery for free and drastically improved her appearance and posture. A year later, he received a box with an ivory tusk as a gift. “I’m not sure whether the tusk was legal,” he says. “But it showed how much she appreciated the surgery.”

WHAT MAKES HIM A TOP DOCTOR
“You have to have a real compassion for people. It makes you feel good to make a difference.”


The Nurses
They are the hospital’s unsung heroes. They work long hours for less pay or glory. They deal with doctors’ idiosyncrasies and patients’ attitudes. They are the first and last faces that patients see. They are the nurses that offer so much without asking for anything in return. “As a nurse, you’re always giving,” says Gloria Hanneman, a registered nurse for 33 years. “Your satisfaction comes from an inner-knowing that you did your best to help someone.”

Hanneman knows the job as well as anyone. She’s been doing it since the days when nurses dressed in all white. She’s worked in hospitals, clinics and home health care. She’s seen amazing advances in technology over the past three decades. Still, some things never change. “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care,” she says.

As a long-time nurse, Hanneman teaches the ropes to newbies at Wichita Clinic—Founders’ Circle. Besides reviewing the well-known routine of checking in patients, measuring vitals and taking down chief complaints, she stresses to new nurses the importance of listening and exuding confidence. She knows her profession serves a vital role as the link between doctors and patients. “This job isn’t just scientific,” says Hanneman. “There’s so much more to it.”