Returning to their Roots

Nathan (D.O. ’20) and Shelby (D.O. ’20) Tripod are sticking close to home. The couple, who met as medical students in NYITCOM-Arkansas’ inaugural graduating class in 2020, are both Arkansas natives. They married while still in medical school and did their residencies together in Oklahoma at the McAlester Regional Health Center. “Residency was one of the most fun times of my life,” says Nathan. “I was able to work with my wife in the clinic every Monday and Tuesday. I worked with her in the hospital, and I got to see her doing her thing and hear from everyone else how awesome she was. Nothing is cooler.”

^{Nathan and Shelby Tripod}

Having gone through medical school as a pair both say they can hardly imagine doing it any other way. “Our first dates were all study dates. Once I was driving home after dropping him off and I just thought, ‘This might be the man for me,’” Shelby remembers. “We connected on so many things, but our shared love of medicine really allowed us to push each other to be better physicians.”

Inseparable from their early days of medical school, the decision to build a professional life together seemed like the natural next step. While they grew up in different communities, Shelby and Nathan knew they wanted to stay in Arkansas to be close to family and work in a community where they felt they could make a difference. After finishing their residencies, they returned to Jonesboro and joined the St. Bernards Hospital System, one of NYITCOM’s most valuable clinic partners. Being from Arkansas and having trained at NYITCOM-Arkansas, they are familiar with the specific challenges faced by the local population. “This is a population with a lot of farmers and factory workers; people can’t take the time to go to the doctor, and it is just not a common habit,” says Shelby. “These are people who haven’t always trusted doctors because of negative experiences; some have never even been to a doctor. It is a privilege to help them and change their perceptions.”

According to the Tripods, when treating people, it is just as important to grasp their attitudes and ethics as it is to be familiar with their challenges. “No man sees himself as being better than anyone else here, and it’s important to understand that when you’re seeing patients,” he says. He also finds the osteopathic philosophy particularly helpful with the population. “For people with high cholesterol and blood pressure who didn’t grow up going to the doctor or taking medications, it can be hard to start them on five new medications one day. So, if you can provide something with your hands, say, ‘Let’s start slow and help with your back pain,’ that can help instill trust.”

Excited to return to Arkansas, the Tripods admit that part of the appeal was returning to where they first met. “Being a part of that inaugural class really taught us how to be adaptable,” says Shelby. “That was such a huge honor for both of us.”

By Alix Sobler