STE. GENEVIEVE — Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital (SGCMH) welcomes Dr. Hannah Kertz, OB/GYN to its medical staff. If her last name sounds familiar, that’s because she was born and raised in Ste. Genevieve.
She graduated from Valle Catholic High School in 2010 and stayed close to home. She attended college, medical school and even completed her residency at St. Louis University School of Medicine.
Early on, Dr. Kertz had her career choice narrowed down.
“As a little kid you always have these grand ideas,” she said. “At one time I wanted to dig up dinosaur bones and be a paleontologist. Then at some point science really clicked and I loved the idea of medicine, health care and caring for others. That shaped my views in college and thru medical school. When I started med school I knew I wanted to be a physician. I just didn’t know what kind.”
That decision would come a little later. She was leaning toward pediatrics because of her love of children and she enjoyed shadowing Drs. Kanani and Desai when she was in high school and college. Nevertheless, things change.
“I went through surgery rotation and really liked this, but it didn’t have the continuity with patients that I wanted with pediatrics,” she explained. “Then I did my OB/GYN rotation and saw that this was a good fit for both. You had the continuity with your well women exams; you could see people through their teenage years up to their 80’s or more; you can follow women through their pregnancies; and be in the operating room. It seemed like a much better rounded experience for me. It’s the perfect spot for me. I was happy to know that I stepped into the rotation and felt immediately comfortable.”
She liked the whole OB/GYN package and found her niche early on.
“It’s nice to have something different every single day,” she said. “To be able to care for women of all ages with anything GYN, well-women problems and also care for them in pregnancy is a really special experience.”
It’s no secret that being a woman in today’s world comes with a unique set of difficulties and obstacles, but Dr. Kertz hopes women will keep their health on the front burner.
“Women may push their health to the wayside because they have parents that they’re taking care of, sick spouses, children that they’re worried about, or even career advancements that they forget about taking care of themselves, too,” she said. “So that’s one thing that I love about the preventative medicine side of OB/GYN and that’s just making sure that they’re taking care of themselves and getting their yearly well-woman exam.”
Dr. Kertz said, thankfully, she was a healthy kid and didn’t have to use the hospital when she was young. Visits to Apple Kids were about the extent of her medical visits. But now as an adult, she sees the hospital in a different light. She said in her initial conversations with Dr. Pautler, CEO and with Missy Marberry, Chief Operating Officer, she was very impressed with the resources of SGCMH.
“They really have the future of this hospital in mind and are steering this place in the right direction,” she said. “They are very open to suggestions and anything that we can do program or resource wise to make this a great place for people to come for their health care.”
It wasn’t a hard decision to make SGCMH a career choice.
“My husband Bryan and I were talking about our future and where we’d like to live,” she explained. “We always felt very grounded in Ste. Genevieve. I reached out to the hospital administration, and they said ‘Heck yah, we’d love to have another OB/GYN on board.’ I’ve felt so welcomed. It’s nice to be somewhere where everyone knows everyone else walking in the hallway. And greets them with a smile. I didn’t see that up in St. Louis. Everyone is a stranger there.”
Dr. Kertz and her husband, Bryan, have a one and a half year old daughter Miriam and two rambunctious dogs. They are making their home in Ste. Genevieve.
“I know our blood pressures are lot lower since we moved back here,” she said. “There’s no traffic and a much happier feel down here. We couldn’t’ be more pleased. People I’ve seen have mentioned how excited they are that I’m back, and this is really humbling to know that they trust me with their healthcare.”
Dr. Kertz will be practicing out of the Women’s Wellness clinic at the hospital. Call 573-883-5715 for an appointment.