ERIC D. HERMAN, M.D.

I was born and raised in the city of Brotherly Love. I moved to the Northwest almost ten years ago. Despite the lack of good cheese steaks and soft pretzels, this program was my first choice and for good reason. It offers outstanding full-spectrum training. Enough said.

Outside of medicine, music is one of my passions and I play guitar and drums whenever I can. I’m a total nerd when it comes to computers and PDA’s but don’t let that scare you. Nerds are, afterall, lovable creatures. I’m a big sports fan and I also enjoy traveling, star gazing and going out with my friends.

In my past life (before medical school) I served 2 years in the Peace Corps and this experience will most likely influence my future career. I believe Medicine will always be a noble profession and I am proud to be at TFM.

CHAD B. KRILICH, M.D.

My life has come full circle at this point. I was born in Tacoma, raised in Federal Way, and spent my years as an undergraduate at the University of Washington. My wife, Julie, and I decided to spread our wings after graduation. We spent four spectacular and fulfilling years in Boston at Tufts University School of Medicine. Training in a highly specialized medical environment, I realized I could not narrow my focus when a patient walked in the room. Instead, I wanted the challenge of trying to incorporate every part of my patient’s life into their visit. Family medicine was a natural fit. Knowing that the west coast held my interest, I researched the programs and discovered to my surprise and horror, that Tacoma Family Medicine had everything. Diverse and talented faculty and residents; strengths in obstetrics, pediatrics, and rural medicine; and, of course, access to a wealth of outdoor activities. As for the horror, returning to our family’s homes has been a pleasant surprise. At some point, we may even choose to raise a family here too.

MICHAEL J. ORLICH, M.D.

One of the few Hoosiers in this area, I was born and raised in Indiana. Except for a year in Spain studying the Spanish language and culture, I spent the last 8 years studying in Michigan, most recently at the University of Michigan Medical School. I have special interests in international medicine and medical missions as well as preventive medicine and public health. Personal interests include my famous orange cat “Pumpkin”, playing guitar and singing, church activities, and taking walks outside. As an intern, I have most appreciated the supportive atmosphere and the strong emphasis on education at TFM.

PAUL W. SCHMIDT, D.O.

I grew up in Gig Harbor, WA and after 8 years away I am glad to be back in the land of good salmon, microbrews and lots of rain. After college at Central Washington University, I married my high school sweetheart. We were then off to Kansas City and the University of Health Sciences — College of Osteopathic Medicine. I am thrilled to be part of Tacoma Family Medicine. The people are great and the training is superb. My wife and two little boys are very happy to be back home and surrounded with family and friends.

LOUIS J. (“JED”) SHARPE, M.D.

I was born in Cuyahoga Falls, OH and received my undergraduate education at Miami University. I attended Wright State University School of Medicine after spending time doing a variety of jobs including ecology genetics lab tech, cook/purse seiner off the Aleutian Chain, emergency medical technician and research SCUBA diver. During medical school I was involved with PRIME (Promoting, Reinforcing & Improving Medical Eduation) where we created a course for up and coming medical students that would expose them to medicine which involved service to the underserved population of the inner city. I hope to be a rural physician. I am an avid outdoorsman and often go to the woods and mountains to find peace. Fishing, backpacking, and cooking are my passions. I am married to a fantastic woman named Val.

BRYAN D. WHITEMARSH, M.D.

Since I grew up in Puyallup and my wife was raised in nearby Spanaway, it was a no-brainer for us to apply for residency at TFM. When we further looked into the program, we were pleasantly surprised to find that not only is it geographically perfect, but the program itself is very strong without being overly brutal. Since matching with this program, I have found the residency here to be even better than expected. The friendly, approachable, and knowledgeable faculty made the transition into residency much smoother than I anticipated. In addition, the procedurally oriented experiences available while working with both rural and underserved urban populations will be invaluable when I eventually establish my practice in this area. I enjoy mountain biking (Victor Falls RULES!), Mariners baseball (Go M’s!), and spending time with my wife, Shannon and our three children: Allen, 12; Jordan, 8; and Cody, 6.

KATHERINE S. (“KATE”) ZOPF LANDY, M.D.

I was a bit of a wanderer in my life before Tacoma. I grew up in the other Washington (the one on the East coast), headed to New York City for college at Columbia. For a change of scene, I drove a bread bakery delivery truck in Seattle for a year, which successfully whetted my appetite for the Northwest. Even my subsequent moves to New Orleans to get my MPH, and to rural Morocco for a two-year stint as a Peace Corps volunteer, couldn’t make me forget Puget Sound. After my four years at University of Rochester Medical School, I finally made my way back to the Northwest, and couldn’t be happier about it. I came to Tacoma because I feel that the comprehensive training we get here will allow me to go wherever I want to go next….although something tells me I’ll be sticking around here for a while.