Christopher Wilhelmson, MD

Being a physician assistant is a second career for Karen—she went back to school when she was 48 years old! Why did she start over? Blessed with great mentors in both her career and at home, Karen was taught to always strive to be a better person and to never give up. She wanted a career where she could make a difference in someone's life. Her special interests are Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. Karen facilitates the Parkinson’s disease support group in Kalamazoo and helps lead the multiple sclerosis support group. She also helps organize the annual walk-a-thon for Parkinson’s disease and is a member of the Michigan Parkinson Foundation professional advisory board.

Growing up and being inspired by his mom working in a healthcare setting, Joel chose to become a physician assistant (PA) in order to become a member of a team that promotes good health and wellness to a variety of patients in a variety of different settings. He believes surgery in particular offers the opportunity to take a problem and see it through to its resolution. In his free time, Joel enjoys spending time with family, reading and also enjoys sports. I think it is very important to understand exactly what brought the patient in to be seen. I like to fully characterize the patient’s concerns and allowing that to guide further evaluation/treatment.