Dr. Neil Roundy
Neurosurgery isn’t for the faint of heart, and it’s a career that comes with insurmountable stress and pressure. But Dr. Neil Roundy finds his job fun and fascinating, and it’s something he’s wanted to do ever since he was young.
Growing up in Arizona, Neil was fascinated with the brain and what it could do. “I knew I wanted to be a neurosurgeon before I knew what a neurosurgeon was. Ever since I was a kid, I was obsessed with the brain. I remember my parents having these home medical journals that allowed me to look at the brain,” he says.
Neil received a full-ride scholarship to Arizona State University, and after graduating with honors he finished his residency and internship in Oregon at OHSU.
He joined the Oregon Neurosurgery Specialists in 2014, and since then has done amazing work for patients. After the devastating UCC shooting, Neil performed surgery on one of the victims. His work has led to incredible outcomes and he feels rewarded when patients are able to walk again or are in significantly less pain than they were before. “There’s something so cool about doing brain surgery. Being able to see and operate on the brain is just a huge, humbling experience. This couple-pound blob of tissue is responsible for so many complex functions. It really puts your life into perspective,” he says.
Outside the office, he relaxes on his farm where he drives his tractor or ATV, and spends time with his wife and two kids. “It’s great having a place to escape and separate yourself from the job and be present with my family. It’s a nice place to get away to,” he says. He also spends time woodworking and making wooden pens, a hobby he picked up from a friend who owns a woodcraft store.
Back at the office, Neil enjoys advancing and improving his work. “Everything can be done better. If you look at the progression of surgery everything starts very invasive. Big maximum screws, big openings, and then it progresses to less invasive. That’s why I do minimally invasive [surgery], because you try to do the same surgery but with less,” he says.
“Part of everything you do relies on your formal training and how you were taught to do it and think about it. And then there’s the gut feeling of ‘how can I do this better or different?’” This mindset has led to countless innovations and solutions for Neil. The minutes on the clock may be stressful, but his passion for neurosurgery and the adrenaline push him through: “I have a blast. There is nothing better than doing surgery.”
Dr. Tamara Stenshoel
Dr. Tamara “Tami” Stenshoel— OB/GYN, including infertility, menopause, surgery, women’s health, contraception, obstetrics at Pacific Women’s Center—works around the clock to make sure her patients receive the best care possible. “I love my job and have amazing patients. I love the continuity of care,” says Tamara.
Though Tamara loves her job, she also enjoys her downtime, such as wine tastings, charity events, and morning walks with her five-year-old dog, Monty. “I love to go hiking on the weekends. My daily hikes are the many trails through Hendricks Park close to home,” as well as Mount Pisgah when time allows.
“If I have [free] time, I spend it with family and friends. In town, we meet for lunch or dinner together. In my parent’s case, it’s usually happy hour at Marché Le Bar. At 85, they know where all [the] happy hours are.” When able to travel outside Lane County, she enjoys Portland, the mountains, and the coast. But “For a true getaway, my Zen is scuba diving,” says Tamara who has scuba dived the past two years and has a trip planned this year in Bonaire. She also loves traveling to Italy for “food, wine, people, and scenery.”
One thing is clear when talking with Tamara: She loves Eugene—it’s where she grew up. She only moved away for a short time (8 years) to attend medical school in Portland, and then complete her residency in Tucson, Arizona. After deciding Arizona was not where she wanted to permanently plant her roots, the choice was made to return with her family to Eugene. “You get to know people here and everyone is friendly. I enjoy that the University of Oregon keeps the city feeling young. You can be who you are here and not stand out.”
When her work schedule permits, Tamara enjoys sampling local food and wine. Some of her favorite spots to eat are Sushi Pure, Marché, and Beppe and Gianni’s Trattoria.
“I think Eugene has been blessed with amazing physicians. We all support each other when needed. Especially in the OBGYN community,” Tamara says. “I don’t know what I would be doing if I wasn’t a physician. I thought about being a counselor or therapist. I think it would be fun to be a personal trainer. But I can’t imagine myself ever retiring. I’ll definitely slow down, but I don’t know what I would do if I did. I just really love my job.”
10 Coburg Rd., Ste. 100 • 541/342-8616 • pacificwomenscenter.com
Dr. Pilar Bradshaw
Dr. Pilar Bradshaw, pediatrician and owner of Eugene Pediatric Associates, has an extensive resume. Her award list is impressive and her implementation of different medical programs and services is well- known throughout the country.
She was chosen as one of Parents magazine’s 7 “Favorite Pediatricians,” out of nearly 2,100 other nominees. As a health care trailblazer, she’s developed and implemented a new program that conveniently offers free house calls for newborn well-baby visits. Her clinic also collaborates with Thrive Behavioral Health to provide a multidimensional approach to pediatric health care. “If you bring together the people who take care of the medical part of the child with the people who take care of the emotional/behavioral part of the child with the glue of a social worker who can address all the social factors that affect health, then you really have created a place where people can be well,” Pilar says.
Her passion for health care started in her youth. Raised in Eugene, Pilar regularly visited a science library when she was 11—her parents, Drs. Christina Holzapfel and William Bradshaw, run a genetics lab at the University of Oregon—and she spent her time reading a Time-Life series on medicine. She became fascinated, especially after reading about vaccines, and with a blessing from her grandfather to pursue medicine, she focused on a career in pediatrics. After attending medical school at Oregon Health and Science University, she returned to Eugene to begin practicing and be closer to her family. “It’s the perfect community. It’s beautiful, it’s small enough to be personal, and everywhere I go, I see kids I know,” says Pilar.
Pilar is a wife and a mother of two, as well as a core member and founder of Chamber Music Amici. Fun fact: She began playing violin at age 4 and in 1987, at 19 years old, she was the youngest instrumentalist to join the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra.
Pilar’s love for pediatrics continues to grow as her clinic continues to expand with a top-notch team of physicians and providers. Her devotion to the families she works with, and their positive reviews of her, reflect a deep love for what she does. “When you can intervene and help in the life of a child, it can potentially improve their entire trajectory of life. That is a blessing. And the opportunity to be there for a child, that’s a privilege. You can never thank a parent enough for trusting you,” says Pilar. Her modesty makes her all the more admirable: “Being a pediatrician isn’t my job, it’s who I am.”
995 Willagillespie Rd. • 541/484-5437 • eugenepeds.com
Dr. Catherine Kordesch
When Dr. Catherine Kordesch moved to Eugene in the early ’80s, there were a select few women working in medicine. Beginning her pediatric career, she was only the second woman hired at Eugene Clinic (now commonly known as PeaceHealth). 32 years later, Catherine is approaching retirement in the next 4 years. “Retiring will challenge me because this is my life, it is who I am,” she says, “and I can’t think of a better job.”
Catherine keeps herself very busy outside the office. Married to Dr. David Fryefield, a radiation oncologist at the Willamette Valley Cancer Institute, they have three daughters, and family is very important to her. “If things aren’t going great at work, there is always your family,” says Catherine. “And if things aren’t going great at home, you always have your work,” she jokes.
On her days off, you will find Catherine outdoors. At least once a week, she hikes Mount Pisgah, or walks along the Skinner’s Butte Park river trail. “Being outdoors is one of my favorite things.” In the clinic, she also pushes her active agenda. “I encourage families to be active,” she says. “The key to good health is to not just focus on the child’s health, but for the whole family to be healthy and active together.”
As Catherine thinks ahead to the next four years of her career, she reflects on her biggest accomplishments. In addition to all the families and children she has helped in our community, she is most proud of her work on the “PeaceHealth Medical Group Pediatric Collaborative.” As chair of this committee, she has helped to build a set of medical standards for all of PeaceHealth’s pediatricians and family physicians to follow, including those in Alaska and Washington. This has allowed her to touch the lives of so many other children living in the Pacific Northwest.
Catherine and David will most likely retire at the same time, and the two plan on staying active by hiking and backpacking. She also plans on volunteering more. Fun fact: Catherine has volunteered as a summer camp doctor for several years at a youth ranch camp in Northern California.
In the meantime, Catherine is very happy with her work-life balance: “I’m very at peace with myself.”
1200 Hilyard St., Ste. 440 • 458/205-6061 • peacehealth.org
