DPC Summit Session Details

Ericka has over 25 years representing individual providers, physician groups, and other health care entities, such as home health care agencies, DME companies, hospices, MRI facilities, and surgery centers. She focuses her practice on regulatory and transactional health care law, in compliance counseling, structuring, and implementing complex joint ventures to comply with state and federal laws and regulations. Ericka spends a significant amount of time helping physicians to negotiate their employment agreements with various types of physician employers. She handles mergers, sales and acquisitions of healthcare entities and has extensive experience in completing transactions with private equity, hospitals and other third parties. 

Ericka also has deep experience dealing with Stark, Anti-Kickback Statute, fee-splitting concerns, the corporate practice of medicine, and other challenges facing healthcare providers. Ericka works closely with her clients on their day-to-day legal health care needs and strives to be available so that her clients always feel like they are her top priority. She serves as general counsel to her practice clients. 

Ericka keeps clients up-to-date on her weekly podcast, “Roetzel HealthLaw HotSpot®. The podcasts have addressed timely topics, including private equity acquisitions, Stark Law compliance, employment and HR issues, and other matters of importance and interest to her clients. 

Ben is a family physician and entrepreneur interested in the re-emergence of primary care and societal wellness through clinic and system-level innovation and design. He founded and leads Lantern Health, a direct primary care (DPC) practice based in Asheville, NC where he still practices. He serves as the Head of DPC for Decent, building affordable health plans for employers with DPC at the center. He is driven to transform healthcare to work better for everyone. He is married with two children and enjoys seeking both adventure and balance alongside his family. 

Dr. Travis Allen, MD, is a board-certified Internal Medicine Physician, Senior Aviation Medical Examiner (AME), and founder of The Pilot Clinic, an aviation-focused medical practice offering Direct Primary Care services in Goodyear, Arizona. He began his career in the United States Army, earning his commission as a military officer through the Officer Candidate School program. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after a distinguished career in aviation and military medicine, gaining diverse experience across multiple specialties and serving in various leadership roles. Dr. Allen completed his Doctor of Medicine degree, graduating summa cum laude from the University of Science, Arts, and Technology in Montserrat, British West Indies. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Creighton University School of Medicine Phoenix Program, where he was recognized as Teaching Resident of the Year and Outstanding Senior Resident of the Year.

Dr. Allen holds an adjunct faculty appointment in the internal medicine department at Creighton University School of Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona. He has a special interest in cardiovascular medicine, lipidology, and point-of-care ultrasound. Outside of medicine, Dr. Allen is an avid pilot and owns a Pilatus P3-05 aircraft. His personal interests include hiking, camping, coaching his children's sports teams, flying, and running.

Amber Beckenhauer, DO is an Osteopathic Physician that is known for her PASSION for patient care, as well as pursuing her HH medical wellness mission: Creating Healthy Humans, ONE Patient at a Time.  

Her mission to create 'Healthy Humans' began in February 2018, when she opened her 1st Rural DPC practice in Blair, NE. In February 2019, she opened a second rural DPC practice in her hometown, Ashland, NE. At this clinic location, she has expanded her wellness mission to family/friends and beyond, as she creates "Hometown" Healthy Humans.  
  
In 2022, HH MedAesthetics & Market in downtown Blair opened its doors to local residents, as well as surrounding communities. The HH Med & Market location offers health & wellness options to the community, as well as the ability for the HH Medical Team to provide community education on health, wellness, and the cash/direct pay medical system.  

As a Board-Certified Osteopathic Physician, she is driven to improve patient education and awareness for Preventative Health & Wellness options, which dives into a personal investigation to the root cause(s) of their personal medical history/illnesses. The Healthy Human was created as a platform for whole person wellness, through mind, body, & spirit; as the HH Team works one-on-one with each patient to create as many 'Healthy Humans' as possible. The HH "hope" is that each Healthy Human patient acts as a medical torch within their families and community, as they take their personal wellness lessons from their journey and use it to create a "wildfire of wellness." It is truly the POWER & PASSION of PEOPLE/PATIENTS that helps drive awareness in personal wellness and medical change across the United States. It takes a "village" to create change. 

When Dr. Beckenhauer is not at the above Healthy Human and HH MedAesthetics clinic locations, she is spending time outdoors with her family. Her love for interior decorating (especially the HH Clinics) and photography top her list of personal hobbies. Other hobbies and activities close behind are hiking, coaching and/or playing sports, and vacation. Her favorite "humans" to coach are her 4 sons: Jackson, Tucker, Hank, & Rex. Jeremy Beckenhauer is her partner in crime, as well as the Independent Contractor of all Healthy Human clinic/market locations. He is the "backbone of the family" with unmatched qualities of a strong leader and an outstanding role model to their 4 children, ranging from 5 to 18 years of age. It takes MORE than one Human to create Healthy Humans, without him their life would not be possible. Teamwork truly makes the Dream work.

Co-Founder and CEO of Christian Healthcare Centers, Inc., a Grand Rapids-based non-profit DPC providing primary care and outpatient surgery in Michigan. 

Amy Capoocia, DO FACOFP (Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians) graduated from University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2003 and completed her residency in Family Medicine at St Joseph's Medical Center in Reading, PA. She graduated as Co-Chief Resident in 2006.   Dr Capoocia has 20 years of direct patient experience, practicing inpatient and outpatient medicine in Spring Hill Florida. Dr Capoocia worked full time and volunteered with the local domestic violence shelter and the local free community clinic.  Most recently she has moved back to Pennsylvania and is now the owner and lead physician at Ludwig’s Village Family Medicine, LLC—a Direct Primary Care office.  

With the help of her supportive spouse, she juggles a medical career and raises her family.  

Dr Capoocia is also passionate about teaching and has worked with high school, medical school and residency students, she has taught ACOFP procedural medicine courses for over 10 years and more recently with AAFP via DPC Alliance. She has achieved a Health Policy Fellowship (HPF) with American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) to support fellow physicians more professionally.  She has also been a guest on POMA podcast and MyDPC Story.  

Dr Capoocia is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine through ACOFP since 2006.    

Dr Capoocia is an active mother of 5 children who believes in physical and mental balance.  She earned a black belt in Shotokan Karate in 2021. 

Dr. Michelle Cooke is a board-certified family physician and founder of Sol Direct Primary Care in East Point, GA, a practice uniquely dedicated to Black women's health and wellness. Recognized as a Top Doctor by Atlanta Magazine and Castle Connolly, Dr. Cooke is passionate about transforming healthcare through personalized, patient-centered care. A proud graduate of Spelman College and Morehouse School of Medicine, she has built her career on addressing the needs of women and the Black community, with a special focus on eliminating health disparities. Her expertise includes treating obesity, metabolic disease, cardiovascular health, and providing compassionate menopause care. Dr. Cooke is committed to empowering her patients to achieve optimal health through lifestyle medicine.  

In addition to caring for patients, Dr. Cooke is a passionate advocate for the Direct Primary Care (DPC) movement, believing that physician wellness and autonomy are essential to providing high-quality patient care. She firmly believes the Direct Care model is the optimal approach for delivering personalized, accessible care. Dr. Cooke speaks both nationally and locally about DPC, encouraging her physician colleagues to explore this viable practice model and consider starting their own DPC practices. She has contributed as a writer for DPC News and runs her own newsletter, Building DPC, which helps physicians learn more about the benefits and of the DPC model.

Jeffrey Davenport MD was born in OKC.  Raised in Edmond, San Antonio, and Bartlesville, he returned to Edmond for high school.  He graduated an Edmond Memorial Bulldog in 1993. 

At Oklahoma State University he earned a BS in Biology with a minor in Microbiology from 1993-98.   

He then attended the University of Oklahoma college of medicine in OKC, OK from 1999-2003 earning his MD.   

This led to 3 years in Wichita, KS at the KU affiliated Wesley Family Medicine Residency Program.   

After graduation from residency in 2006, he returned to Edmond and has practiced medicine since September, 2006.  He was in private practice for 3 years, then employed for 5 years. He has now opened a medical practice he has dreamed of for years at One Focus Medical in April, 2014. 

He met the love of his life very early in life.  Christine and Dr D have been in love since they were high school sweet hearts.  They’ve been married since 1998, and she is his best friend.  They have two daughters:  Megan, born in 2001 and Molly, 2004.   

 Dr. D is a Family Medicine doctor, and he knows God gave him the gift to take care of people.  The age old question is:  If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do?  His response:  “Exactly what I am doing now.  God blessed me to be a Family Doc.  I take care of people.  That’s what I do.  That’s who I am.” 

Philip Eskew is a DPC family physician and attorney.  His clinical interests are broad and his legal interests are narrow.  He is AOA board certified in family medicine & OMT, Correctional Medicine and Addiction Medicine with a CAQ in Occupational Medicine.  He enjoys teaching, whether it is with patients, medical colleagues, or legal colleagues.  He has given over 80 continuing education presentations at events hosted by many organizations including the AOA, ACOFP, AOCOPM, AAFP, AAPS, Docs4Patient Care Foundation, NY State Bar Association, National Commission on Correctional Healthcare, and others.  He founded DPC Frontier, an open access legal and policy research site in 2014. His policy experiences include an AOA Health Policy Fellowship, AOA Training in Policy Studies program, AAFP’s Robert Graham Center Visiting Scholars program, & AACOM’s OHPI program. In 2015 he completed his family medicine residency in Pennsylvania and began serving a site medical director role for multiple state prisons in Wyoming.  Since 2016 he has also served as the VP of Clinical Development and General Counsel for Proactive MD, an on-site focused primary care clinic company headquartered in Greenville, SC where he built out a provider educational curriculum with over 100 CME outlines and lectures.  He volunteers as general counsel to the Direct Primary Care Coalition where he routinely relies on his accounting & legal backgrounds to discuss federal tax & insurance laws.  His research has been published in many journals including the Journal of American Physicians & Surgeons, the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Family Practice Management, the Journal of Legal Medicine and the West Virginia Medical Journal.

Dr. Natalie Gentile is board-certified in both Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. She is grateful to serve the community through the direct primary care (DPC) model. As an attending physician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, she saw that the current primary care model in the U.S. lacks continuity, access, and time with patients. Therefore, when she moved back to Pittsburgh, she opened Gentile Family Direct Primary Care, and is now a co-founder, with Dr. Kirsten Lin, of Direct Care Physicians of Pittsburgh.  

Dr. G believes in breaking down barriers between community members and their access to the resources they need to strive to live a healthy lifestyle that’s the right fit for them. That inspired her to open in 2023 in Pittsburgh’s East End Rebel Wellness – a lifestyle medicine-oriented wellness space that offers teaching kitchen classes, personal training sessions, group fitness classes and educational workshops, along with an on-demand library of resources.  

She enjoys the work-life balance that being a DPC doc allows, and loves spending time with her husband and their two young children. Dr. G is a yoga and fitness instructor and she leads the Highland Park chapter of Walk with a Doc. 

Dr. G is regularly engaged in educating the community through social media and was nominated as one of City Paper's Best Changemakers in 2021. She was named to the “40 under 40” lists for both Pittsburgh Magazine and PA Med Society in 2022. 

Dr. Dana Gibbs is a board-certified otolaryngologist and thyroid specialist, focusing on integrative approaches to complex thyroid and hormonal imbalances. As the founder of Consultants in Metabolism, she treats conditions such as Hashimoto’s disease, Graves’ disease, and thyroid-related metabolic disorders. Her approach blends conventional medicine with holistic therapies, addressing both thyroid function and broader hormonal imbalances.

Dr. Gibbs is known for helping patients who haven’t responded to traditional treatments like Levothyroxine or whose symptoms persist despite normal lab results. She emphasizes a comprehensive assessment of thyroid markers, including free T3, free T4, and reverse T3, to develop tailored treatments.

A significant aspect of her work involves understanding the role of stress and adrenal dysfunction in thyroid and metabolic imbalances. By incorporating stress management and adrenal support, she helps patients enhance their hormone regulation and overall well-being.

Through her podcast, "Beyond the Thyroid", Dr. Gibbs educates both patients and fellow healthcare providers on integrative thyroid care, emphasizing the importance of personalized treatment and patient empowerment.

Dr. Glass is a board-certified family medicine physician in Cincinnati, Ohio.  After completing medical school at the University of Cincinnati and residency at The Christ Hospital/University of Cincinnati Family Medicine residency program, she became a member of the UC faculty before opening Integrated Family Care, a direct primary care practice in 2017, along with her practice partner Dr. Amy Mechley.  They have been providing broad spectrum primary care ever since.  Dr. Glass maintains a faculty position in the residency, teaching and mentoring our next generation of great family medicine physicians.  When not working you can find her attempting to re-wild her hillside property or hiking in local parks with her family.

Nate is driven by a desire to serve others and he brings this passion to the world of accounting. As the firm’s lead Certified Public Accountant, Nate helps clients navigate the complexities of the tax code and provides proactive tax planning for businesses and individuals. Nate is a member of American Institute for Certified Public Accountants and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants.

Ryan Gordon is a dedicated professional driven by a passion for service, community, and excellence. A long-time resident of Bucks County, Ryan graduated from Temple University, where he earned a degree that set the stage for a dynamic and meaningful career.

Ryan's career has spanned multiple industries, always guided by his commitment to exceptional client experiences. He honed his skills building relationships in the hospitality industry and refined his expertise as a trusted advisor with BMW, where he quickly rose to become a top performer at both state and national levels.

In March 2020, Ryan transitioned to financial advising with Raymond James, where he leverages his expertise to help clients achieve their goals and build legacies. His practice focuses on comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, and strategic partnerships with attorneys and CPAs to support clients with complex needs.

Beyond his work as a financial advisor, Ryan is deeply engaged in community leadership. As Chair of the Board for the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce, he fosters collaboration and growth among local businesses. He is also the President of the BNI Ivyland Chapter and leads a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting individuals affected by pancreatic cancer.

Outside of his professional and volunteer roles, Ryan enjoys staying active through running and golf. He resides in Holland, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Rachel, and their two young children, Benjamin and Eliyanah. His multifaceted career and unwavering commitment to community service make him a true asset to Bucks County and beyond.

Dr Delicia Haynes is the  author of The Dawn: A Roadmap to Finding a Light In Your Darkest Hour and the Daybreakers Inspirational Planner. She is an international speaker, award winning business coach and founder and CEO of Family First Health Center, a membership-based lifestyle family medicine clinic located in Daytona Beach, Florida.  

Considered a “trailblazer” in the medical community, in 2015 Dr. Haynes transitioned her practice into Volusia County’s first direct primary care clinic as part of her mission to make healthcare more accessible and advocate for the sacredness of the doctor-patient relationship.   

As a result of her small group course Direct Primary Care Prescription for Success, She helps physicians eliminate insurance hassles, spend less time on paperwork, more time with family, and practice medicine in line with the values that took them to medical school while increasing their income, inspiration, and impact.

Hailing from Houma, LA, Dr. Byron Jasper is the esteemed Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Byja Clinic and a proud alumnus of Xavier University of Louisiana. Dr. Jasper earned his medical degree from Tulane School of Medicine, complemented by a master’s degree from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He went on to complete his family medicine residency at Baton Rouge General Family Medicine Residency Program, then becoming board certified in Family Medicine upon graduation. Dr. Jasper furthered his expertise with fellowships in Community Health Leadership Development at Georgetown University School of Medicine and HIV and Hepatitis C care at Providence Hospital in Washington, DC.  

 In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Jasper is the author of the widely praised book Byja Blueprint: An Introductory Guide to Direct Primary Care For Doctors, Patients, and Businesses. The book has received numerous positive reviews for its insightful and accessible exploration of the Direct Primary Care model, resonating with both healthcare professionals and patients alike. His dedication to community health and educational leadership is further reflected in his roles as the founder of two highly impactful nonprofit organizations: Comprehensive Medical Mentoring Program (CMMP) and Byja Charitable Alliance (BCA). Dr. Jasper serves as National President of CMMP, an organization committed to empowering minority students pursuing careers into health-professional fields, and as President of BCA, which aims to enhance public health in vulnerable communities by reducing health disparities and promoting healthy lifestyles.   

Dr. Lara Briseño Kenney is a board-certified Internal Medicine Physician with specialty board certifications in Hematology, Oncology, Hospice and Palliative Care. 

Born and raised on the West Coast, she moved to the Midwest in 1997 to attend Medical School in Kansas City. 

After attending and graduating from the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, she entered into active duty in the United States Army. During her 7 years in the Army she deployed several times in support of the Military Police at the Battalion and Brigade level and was awarded the Bronze Star for her service in Iraq.  

She returned to Kansas City to complete an additional three years of specialized medical training and met and married her husband, Jeff Kenney. In 2014 Jeff and Lara moved back to Jeff’s hometown of Clinton Missouri, to raise a family.  

In 2018, while looking to leave her employed position, a medical school classmate introduced her to the Direct Primary Care movement.  She dove into the world of DPC, reading, researching and networking and started her Internal Medicine DPC practice, Leeton Medical, in Jan of 2019.   This eventually led to the realization that this same practice model could also provide accessible, affordable, superior, Hematology Oncology and Palliative Care to her community.   In 2020 she resigned from employment and began developing the Cancer Specialty part of her direct care practice.  In 2021 she cofounded the Direct Specialty Care Alliance with Dr. Diana Girnita.  She is also a founding member of Take Medicine Back and Physicians for Patient Protection, dedicated to advocating for better patient care by preserving the autonomy of Physicians and the integrity of the Physician Patient relationship.  She has been interviewed for multiple articles, podcasts and books in regard to improving medical care for patients and physicians. 

Apart from her passion to transform medicine, her other pursuits include horse training, farm life, delicious food, and raising a family.

Dr. Nicholas Krawczyk is a family physician who has had a passion for family medicine, especially in a small town, his entire career.  Dr. Krawczyk grew up in Minnesota and graduated from St. John's University in central Minnesota. He attended medical school at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. After residency he worked in a small town in southern Minnesota. It was almost full spectrum family medicine working in the clinic, inpatient medicine, nursing home, urgent care, and emergency department (but without OB). After more than fifteen years in fee-for-service, he left the insurance-driven system to start his own direct primary care clinic in Northfield, Minnesota. Outside of medicine, he greatly enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. He enjoys going for hikes, bicycling and cooking. He is thrilled with the opportunity to try and give back to the Direct Primary Care movement- the movement that has renewed his passion for true family medicine. 

Dr. Eric Kropp practices as an independent Direct Primary Care family physician in Concord, New Hampshire, where he opened Active Choice Healthcare in 2016 after a six-year stint in corporate medicine. Beyond his clinical practice, Dr. Kropp is deeply committed to leadership, advocacy, and education.   

As a past president of the New Hampshire Medical Society, board member and legislative committee member, he played a key role in the introduction and passage of the state law defining and protecting the practice of Direct Primary Care. He has testified at the state-level on countless bills in support of physicians and patients, advocating for policies that enhance healthcare access and autonomy. He also established the Medical Society’s Physician Health Committee, a physician-directed initiative to address burnout and moral injury facing modern healthcare providers.    

He is a founder and former board member of the New England Regional Direct Primary Care Alliance and a founding member of the national DPC Alliance. A graduate of the New Hampshire-Dartmouth Family Practice Residency, he holds a clinical faculty position with the Geisel School of Medicine. He finds great satisfaction in inspiring not just the next generation of physicians, but all healthcare providers to think beyond the confines of the traditional healthcare system and explore innovative ways to better serve their patients and communities, and respect their own health and well-being.  

When he's not making noise in the medical world, you are likely to find him cranking up the volume on his bass guitar with the other doctors in his rock and roll cover band, 'No Copay.'  

Dr. Vance Lassey has lived and worked in the Holton community since 2007. He earned dual undergraduate degrees from the University of Kansas before attaining his M.D. from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. As Chief Resident of the Smoky Hill Family Medicine Residency Program in Salina, Kansas, he received awards for teaching, writing, and the national AAFP Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education. 

Starting in 2007, Dr. Lassey practiced full-spectrum family medicine at Holton Community Hospital. Unsatisfied with the third-party payer system and committed to his mantra “Patients First,” he left the Fee-For-Service model in 2016 to found Holton Direct Care. Utilizing the direct primary care model, he offers unprecedented access, attention, time, quality, and affordability to patients. 

Dr. Lassey has served on or chaired numerous boards, including the KDHE Newborn Screening Advisory Council, the Governor's Fitness Council, and the Board of the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians. He is a founding member of the Direct Primary Care Alliance (he served as President in 2022–2023) and of the Midwest DPC Alliance. 

An Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, he has received numerous teaching awards, including the AOA Volunteer Clinical Faculty Award. 

Dr. Lassey's brilliant wife Erin runs Holton Direct Care, and their two high schoolers Luke and Rebekah are on staff. In his free time, he enjoys carpentry/building, serving his church, disc golf, basketball, and playing the banjo—poorly. 

Dr. Leonard was born and raised in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Wyoming. She went on to attend medical school at Penn State College of Medicine before completing her residency in Family Medicine at Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia. After working both inpatient and outpatient family medicine, in October 2018 she opened her DPC practice. 

Outside of work, Dr. Leonard enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking, skiing, and spending time outdoors with her husband, friends and her dog Blu.

Dr. Lucas is an osteopathic family physician who specializes in primary care and metabolic health.  Dr. Lucas has over 10 years of experience practicing in small community hospitals. She teaches medical students and residents in clinical and classroom settings.  In this way, she hopes to inspire new medical school graduates to join this revolutionary method of delivering comprehensive, quality, patient-focused health care.

Dr. Lucas advocates for simplified health care centered on a strong physician-patient relationship.  She has worked with the insurance-based system for long enough to understand what a disservice it is to patients and physicians.  In 2019, Dr. Lucas left her employed position to embark on this journey to create a clinic that is truly patient-centered. 

Recognizing that many chronic diseases originate from diet and nutrition, Dr. Lucas became certified in Obesity Medicine.  She specializes in metabolic health, including but not limited to obesity, diabetes, and polycystic ovarian syndrome.  Many of these diseases can be reversed with proper counseling, changes to medication, and consistent monitoring.  Dr. Lucas also holds additional certifications in menopause treatment from the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Dr. Wendy Molaska is a graduate of the University of WI School of Medicine and Public Health and is a Board certified family physician and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. She has practiced full spectrum Family Medicine for over 20 years. She started her career working for the National Health Services Corps in rural Colorado until 2008 when she moved to rural Wisconsin. She continued practicing rural full spectrum family medicine until she joined the University of WI School of Medicine and Public Health as an Assistant Professor and moved to the Madison area. In 2019 she transitioned her medical focus to provide inpatient hospice care and in 2021 she left employed medicine to start her own direct primary care (DPC) clinic called Dedicated Family Care, where she continues providing full spectrum family medicine in the Madison, WI area. In addition to her clinical practice, she has served on the Board of Directors for the WI Medical Society and was elected President in 2022. In 2024 she was named to Governor Evers’ Healthcare Workforce Taskforce. Through the WI Department of Health Services she serves on the Advisory Council for the WI Council on Immunization Practices. Given her love of reading, since residency, she has also been involved with Reach Out and Read, a nationwide early pediatric literacy program that is based in primary care clinics, and now serves as Co-Chair for the WI Reach Out and Read Advisory council. She enjoys travel and has also completed multiple medical missions around the world. 

Dr. Rudnick is a recovering Emergency Medicine Physician who learned to love clinical medicine again when he discovered Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine. The procedural aspect of wound care plus the chance to develop the doctor patient relationship with weekly visits is gratifying while the diversity of illness and challenge of creating an individualized treatment plan is intellectually stimulating. I find helping patients overcome the stigma from chronic wounds gratifying, healing both their physical and emotional wounds. Dr. Rudnick practices wound care both in his rural hometown of Red Bluff, CA and the “big city” up the road in Redding, CA. In addition to his clinical practice, he maintains an active EMS (Emergency Medical Services) practice overseeing air and ground crews in several California counties. He envies his wife’s (Deborah Sutcliffe, MD) DPC family practice and her input spurs his search for the most cost-effective treatments. He in the investigatory phase of becoming a Direct Specialty Care physician. In the spare moments he has free, he can be found with a camera in front of his face looking for the elusive image of Mt. Lassen he sees in his mind or the up-close macro of a simple wildflower. He appreciates the opportunity to educate physicians in wound care. 

Dr. Shute is the founder and owner of Elite Direct Primary Care.   He was born in Opelousas, LA. After graduating from high school, he served on active duty in the United States Navy. Following his Naval services, he returned and graduated from University of Louisiana – Lafayette. He then went on to medical school at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Georgia Campus. He completed Family Medicine Residency training at Fort Benning, Georgia, while on active duty in the United States Army. And, then served on active duty as a physician until moving back to Lafayette, LA in 2014. He now resides in Lafayette, LA with his wife Jennifer and their seven children.  Dr. Shute has experience in military medicine, emergency medicine and is Board Certified in Family Medicine.  He serves on the DPCA Board of Directors.  He was the 2024 and 2025 DPC Summit Planning Committee Chairman, and he has hosted the DPCA 101 Mastermind in Lafayette, LA annually since 2023.  

Dr. Michael Sparks is a Board-Certified Family Medicine Physician and the owner of SparksMD Family Medicine in Sanford, Florida. At SparksMD Family Medicine, Dr. Sparks takes care of children of all ages from newborns to geriatrics in a true Direct Primary Care environment. 

Dr. Sparks grew up in the Tampa area and pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of Central Florida, earning a Bachelor's in Biology with a minor in Health Sciences. He then attended Ross University School of Medicine, graduating with high honors. Dr. Sparks completed his Family Medicine Residency at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida, where he served as Chief Resident during his final year. 

Dr. Sparks embraced the Direct Primary Care (DPC) model early in his career. This approach allows him to build strong relationships with his patients by eliminating traditional insurance constraints. He has a keen interest in point-of-care ultrasound, particularly for diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal issues. 

Dr. Sparks is also dedicated to medical education, teaching pre-medical students, medical students, and family medicine residents about family medicine and the benefits of DPC. He serves as an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. 

Outside of the clinic, Dr. Sparks enjoys spending time with his family, including his daughters, wife, and two puppies. He enjoys running and watching soccer and hockey. 

Holly Sobrack owns Westbrack Marketing and helps small businesses have a trusted resource for marketing ideas, options, and solutions. Holly provides a fresh perspective and marketing tools to allow customers to take their time back while still growing their business.  After graduating from Iowa State University, Holly started in the newspaper industry and was one of the youngest Advertising Directors for Omaha World, Inc. She has worked with brands like Target, Ace Hardware, Norwood Promotional Products yet her heart is helping small, locally owned businesses. She is known for providing training as well and has provided seminars to small groups across the country including American Family Insurance, MN Bed & Breakfast Association, local chambers, coaches, DPC providers and more. Holly knows how quickly a business must pivot and assists businesses in their overall marketing strategies and finding affordable solutions. 

Dr. Chelsey Wilks is a clinical psychologist and data scientist dedicated to advancing digital mental health. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard, where she specialized in applying data and computer science to mental health research. Dr. Wilks has held roles across academia and industry, serving as a Professor of Data Science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and working at Meta. She also completed an internship at Microsoft Research, further deepening her expertise at the intersection of technology and mental health. Currently, she is the Chief Clinical Officer of Tori Health, a digital mental health company focused on increasing access to high-quality, affordable Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).