Boone Family Medicine Residency

Hello, my name is Mitchell Brown and I am very excited to be joining MAHEC Boone’s Family Medicine residency.

I was born and raised in Mount Airy, NC and have always felt called to serve the residents of the mountains and foothills of Western NC. After graduating high school I was recruited to be the kicker for the Campbell University football team. I found those four years of playing and studying at Campbell a rigorous but rewarding opportunity.

Upon considering a career in medicine, I began working as a CNA at my local hospice home. The work I did in this setting solidified my decision to pursue medicine and instilled in me the importance of treating the person as opposed to just their illness. These formative experiences guided my decision to stay at Campbell for my medical education. Going through medical school I developed an interest in rural, underserved, and geriatric populations. I find it especially fulfilling preventing and limiting serious illnesses in these groups but really have a wide range of clinical interests.

My pursuits outside of medicine include hiking, golfing, gardening, cooking, watching sports, and collecting sports memorabilia. My favorite sports teams are pretty typical for a North Carolinian (Carolina Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Atlanta Braves). I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve this area!

Hi! I’m Evelyn Frederick. I split my childhood between San Diego, California and Dallas, Texas before my family settled in South Carolina in 2010.

I earned a B.S. in Genetics from Clemson University and have a professional background working as a medical scribe, which is where I developed my passion for family medicine and serving underrepresented populations. I attended medical school at Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine. At Campbell, I directed the student-run Mobile Clinic that provided healthcare to the migrant farmworkers of Harnett and its surrounding communities.

I am thrilled to be a resident with MAHEC Boone! I initially connected with the program’s emphasis on community outreach and rural health. I also truly believe the leadership team cares about my personal wellness and will guide me thoroughly on my path to being a full-spectrum family physician. My medical interests include women’s health, osteopathic manipulative medicine, and addressing healthcare disparities in underserved populations.

In my free time, I enjoy cooking, baking, hiking, brewery hopping, podcasts (of the murder variety), and being the best dog mom to my dog, Gustavo.

Hello! My name is Katherine Henry Justo, and I grew up just outside New Orleans, Louisiana. I attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge for my undergrad (Geaux Tigers!) and received two bachelor degrees in my four years on campus – one in biology and one in business management. After college, I headed to Tulane University in New Orleans and received my master’s degree in cell and molecular biology. Soon after I began at LSU New Orleans, earning my medical degree. My academic career and personal life sparked my interest in primary care, and I have special interest in women’s health and psychiatry. While interviewing for residency, I was captured by the beautiful landscapes and friendly people in Boone. I am honored to be in the North Carolina Highlands to serve such a unique and awesome community for my residency training.

Outside of medicine I enjoy sewing, baking, and hiking. My favorite thing to do is spend time with my husband, Tyler, and my dog, George.

Hello, I am Zack Lindsey! I grew up in Linville, NC, and my family has been in western NC since the 1700s. I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for undergrad and then East Tennessee State Quillen College of Medicine for medical school. It was always my intention to do rural family medicine, and I was fortunate to be selected for the Rural Primary Care Track at ETSU. My experiences in the program confirmed my passion. When it came time to choose a residency program, Boone was a natural fit. I’m excited to come full circle and further my medical education in the same hospital where I was born!

My professional interests include a little bit of everything. That’s why I chose family medicine. I look forward to becoming an experienced physician treating patients of all ages and walks of life. In my free time I can often be found outdoors hiking, fishing or skiing in the mountains I call home.

Hi! My name is Savannah Puckett and I’m originally from the town of Mocksville, NC. After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in Radiologic Science, I worked for two years as a CT Technologist in Winston-Salem. I then moved to Tallahassee, Florida to pursue my medical degree at Florida State University and I am so excited to be returning to the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains where I spent my childhood summers.

Throughout my life, I have always been passionate about family medicine and have hoped to provide exceptional healthcare to rural Appalachian communities, with a focus on decreasing the need for specialist referrals, substance abuse treatment/recovery, and end-of-life care. Practicing family medicine allows me to build long-term relationships with my patients and create a healthier community and I eventually hope to settle down and practice in rural Appalachia.

In my free time, I love spending time with my husband and two bonus daughters, as well as my three cats, Golden Retriever, and Husky. I enjoy playing the fiddle, quilting, hiking, whitewater kayaking, and attempting to grow vegetables.

Hello! My name is Rachel Reed, and I am so grateful to be training at the Boone Family Medicine Residency Program!

I am originally from Midway, Tennessee, a small rural community nestled among the hills near the Appalachian Mountains. I attended Wake Forest University for my undergraduate education and earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and minor in mathematics. During this time in my educational journey, I discovered that medicine presented the unique opportunity to combine my affinity for science with my commitment to serve both the individuals around me and my community as a whole. Thus, after a gap year, I attended Wake Forest School of Medicine and graduated in May 2023. My earnest hope is to practice full-scope Family Medicine and serve Appalachian rural and underserved communities throughout my career.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, crocheting, baking, hiking, and spending time with my two dogs, Callie and Maddie. I shared a love of cultivating flowering plants with my late grandmother, so I love tending to my orchids indoors and my growing flower garden outdoors. My other passion outside of medicine is aiding with livestock management on my family’s cow-calf operation in Tennessee.

Hi! I’m MacKenzie Cutia. I was born and raised in the small town of Clarion, PA, before my family moved to Florida in 2011. Growing up, my father was a rural family physician who inspired me to pursue family medicine from a very young age. I earned a B.S. in Biology from Florida Gulf Coast University, where I got involved in breast cancer research and advocating for preventative medicine. Graduating college a year early, I decided to take a year to pursue clinical research in Savannah, GA, before attending medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, FL.

I am thrilled to be a resident with MAHEC Boone! I initially connected with the program during a rotation in my 4th year of medical school. The patients and community welcomed me in an instant, and I knew this was a place I could call home! As a family medicine physician, I cherish the opportunity to care for patients through all stages of life, fostering lasting relationships along the way. My professional interests include women’s health, osteopathic manipulative medicine, pediatric medicine, and obstetrics.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and husband hiking, brewery hopping, rock climbing, and playing with our amazing chocolate lab, Hoss.

Olivia Mangat Dhaliwal was born and raised in Erie, PA, with strong ties to Sacramento, California, and many other places across the country. She has lived in eight different states since starting college a year early (she is a high school dropout!) and took a roundabout journey to medicine that included teaching high school math and science and yoga on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. She cannot wait to pursue her training in Boone, NC. Her hopes and dreams are to practice rural family medicine, carrying on the legacy of her grandfather, Dr. Robert Moyers, who was an old-school small-town family doctor in western Pennsylvania. She takes a generalist, integrative approach to care with emphasis on culinary and lifestyle interventions.

She walks the walk, too: outside of work, you can find her working out with her CrossFit family, practicing or teaching yoga, reading afro and indigenous sci-fi, writing poetry, rucking with her rescue pitbull Baylor, or traveling to her next adventure outside (ideally without her cell phone).

Hi y’all! My name is Haley Dicken. I grew up in Jamestown, Kentucky, a small town on Lake Cumberland. I spent much of my childhood outside and with my grandma on our family farm. Therefore, much of my desire to pursue a career in medicine was informed by disparities I saw in my rural community while growing up.

I attended the University of Kentucky where I received degrees in Biology and Neuroscience. After my undergraduate studies, I decided to stay at UK for medical school. During my third year, I was placed at Jamestown Healthcare for my rural family medicine rotation -- a clinic mere miles from where I grew up. Up to that point, I had planned to keep an open mind to each specialty; however, in my family medicine rotation I finally saw what my life as a doctor could be and I loved it. In my time there, it became clear to me the substantial impact of family medicine on my community. The thought of playing a role in that touched my heart in a way that I have difficulty finding words to explain. Feeling respected and being seen as a confidant, expert, and ally to patients was truly what I had been seeking in a career. It was as if I was auditioning for my dream job. That was the first and only rotation I felt that way; I took that as a sign and never looked back.

I was drawn to the MAHEC-Boone program because I felt I could receive excellent training that would prepare me to practice full-spectrum family medicine, while living in a beautiful mountain town. After leaving my interview day, I remember calling my best friend on the drive home to Kentucky and crying about how much I loved my experience in Boone. Needless to say, I am excited to get to serve this community and learn from and alongside so many kind and compassionate providers!

My interests within family medicine include serving rural, underserved populations specifically in Appalachia, as well as addiction medicine and procedures. Outside of medicine, I love playing pickleball and tennis, hiking, thrifting, and spending time with my fiancé Donovan and our son Ambrose (he’s a cat).

Hi! My name is Matt Hodges, and I grew up in the flatlands of central Indiana. I attended Wabash College for my undergraduate, where I studied mathematics. Prior to attending medical school at the Indiana University School of Medicine, I worked as a data analyst for a rural health department in Crawfordsville, Indiana and as a health educator in southeastern Kentucky. These experiences instilled in me the desire to devote the rest of my career to providing sustainable, high-quality care to rural communities.

My professional interests include prenatal and mom/baby dyad care, caring for families affected by substance use disorders, and community-based participatory research.

Outside of medicine, I’m a hiker and a voracious bookworm. I’m in an active two-person book club with my wife, Becca. I’m always happy to exchange favorite trails and books. My other hobbies include listening to and playing all sorts of music, and I have recently begun learning how to restore antique clocks. Becca and I are thrilled that our journey has brought us to Boone.

Hello! My name is Emily Moore, and I am from Knoxville, TN. I attended college at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City where I majored in Biology and minored in Spanish. After finishing my undergraduate degree at ETSU, I spent several months living in Nicaragua volunteering in a rural hospital and doing research on the water quality in rural areas. When I returned home, I completed my Master of Public Health in Applied Epidemiology at the University of Arizona and went to medical school at Lincoln Memorial University, DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. Before starting medical school, I wore many hats including being a substitute teacher, creating a city-sponsored smoking cessation program for federal housing residents in Knoxville, and working in medical simulation at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

I was drawn to the MAHEC-Boone program because I could tell immediately how invested this program is in the local community (and how beautiful the city is!) Some of my professional interests include rural and community health, global health, health education, and behavioral health.

Outside of medicine, I love cooking, movies, kayaking, thrifting, and taking care of my aquarium and many plants. My favorite movie is Knives Out, and I enjoy repurposing thrifted furniture. In fact, the only thing in my apartment I bought new is my bed. Feel free to ask me about fishkeeping as well. I’ve learned more than I ever dreamed about how to care for fish- I kept multiple goldfish alive for over 4 years!

A fun fact about me is that I have ziplined over an active volcano in Nicaragua.