Congratulations to Dr. Val Wangler, New Mexico's Physician of the Year
O
f the 3,000+ physicians that practice throughout New Mexico, Gallup’s own Dr. Val Wangler of RMCHCS Hospital was chosen by the New Mexico Society of Hospital Medicine as the 2021 “Physician Of The Year.” The award ceremony that took place on Dec. 2, begged the question of how does a small rural hospital doctor gain such an honor amidst the legion of providers in larger cities like Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe? Or perhaps a better question is, why would such an awarded doctor choose to dedicate her life to McKinley County and the lowerpay, longer-hours, and languishing-trials that come with doing medicine in the rather unnoticed corner of Northwest New Mexico? The answers, in part, come from knowing who Dr. Val Wangler really is. A native of Ft. Worth, Texas, she graduated with a degree in a Bio Engineering, complimented with an ironic minor in Philosophy. She decided to change course and pursue medicine when she finally concluded that she “liked humans a whole lot better than computers.” She dived into that humanity by traveling to India and volunteering for the Missionaries Of Charity where she provided first-aid care and taught English to homeless children. One reason she chose to serve in India was to experiment with “actually living on $1 a day.” Dr. Wangler then attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine and did her residency in Seattle. She proceeded to become chief resident and was soon teaching in the residency program itself. Despite being in a large bustling city like Seattle with great career ladder advancements, high pay, and endless culinary options, Dr. Wangler chose to continue family medicine by moving to the pueblo of Zuni in 2010. When asked why she chose rural small-village life over big tech-city existence she simply said “ I wanted to be and serve in a place that
52
January 2022
at RMCHCS, which she then designed, implemented and currently directs. At this time Dr. Wangler moved to Gallup, bought a house, settled into a new job, and a new family with her son “Kai” coming into the world that same year. Soon she was also Chief Medical Officer for RMCHCS. Then Covid 19 came. The challenges of a small rural hospital hit with a disproportionately large number of Covid cases was (and is) an unprecedented challenge for Dr. Wangler and all the staff at RMCHCS. In the highest case load times, in order to be both safe and available, she moved out of her home with her family, and into a spare room in the hospital for 2 months. She was the chief decision maker, question answerer, and also the one to whom staff came when they were near panic. One I felt I could actually make a difference, staff member remembers, “she must have and not just be a cog in a huge wheel. In said, ‘Ok, big deep breaths. I’ve got you Zuni the breadth of work was vast; I got about a thousand times those first months.” to do everything…emergency, out-patient, Additionally, Dr. Wangler coordinated delivering babies, hospital management, with GIMC, city officials, and other local and after all that, on some mornings I got institutions to streamline and unify the to hear the elk bugling from my house. county’s Covid response. She also led the Being in the pueblo I was really a part team in rolling out Covid testing protocol of the community; I saw my patients in and practices, and later, a vaccination the grocery store or at the gas station and clinic. In fact, it was into her hands that doing medicine didn’t stop at the hospital the very first delivery of vaccine was doors. At times that was tricky. though, placed. like the occasions I felt bad for buying When asked to comment on her a candy bar if I ran into, say, one of my award, Dr. Wangler, deferred to instead diabetic patients.” compliment her co-workers at RMCHCS In her 8-year tenure, Dr. Wangler became and says that she is “incredibly fortunate Chief of Staff in the Zuni hospital and to work with a group of people, from cafe is credited with starting the team-based cooks to surgeons, who give it their all Health Tech program. She is well known every day.” and remembered in the Pueblo of Zuni for Finally, when asked what she might do advocacy on behalf of Zuni youth, helping to enjoy and savor the distinguished honor grow the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project. of her award she laughs and says “Well… This eventually led to her successful grant .I love to just do a family hike along with procurement and project leadership for the my 3 dogs (two of them Zuni rez dogs) on creation of a beautiful new Youth centerour great trails, or maybe take my son to -complete with sports fields, local art, the Gallup skate park, but really just spend story-telling circles, and hiking trails. time with my family.” In 2018 it was time for a change and a Congratulations to Dr. Val Wangler on new challenge when she interviewed to being New Mexico’s Physician of the run the family medicine residency program Year!
