40 Under 40 Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Mark Walterskirchen, 2001

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Then: Urologist, Mercy Hospital Springfield
Now: Urologist, Citizens Memorial Hospital

Dr. Mark Walterskirchen practiced at Mercy Hospital Springfield for two decades before making a switch to Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar four years ago.

“I love it,” he says. “It’s a good hospital with good people, and they didn’t have a urologist, so I know I’m making a big difference for the community.”

In the 24 years since his 40 Under 40 honor, health care has changed, he says, with a better understanding of disease processes and numerous technological advances.

But Walterskirchen, 60, said his move to rural health care has been the biggest change of all.

“Here in Bolivar, I live in the world of flip phones,” he says, adding that telemedicine is not as prevalent. “Providing care to patients up here is different even to Springfield, let alone a big city like Kansas City or St. Louis. But everyone deserves access to care.”

Advice to young professionals? Keep your ears open, learn and talk to as many different people as you can. There’s something to be said for experience, and you can learn a little bit from everyone.