Wogahn and Smith 

Published in FromWithin, Oak Leaf newsletter, December 1999

Becoming a physician might not have been the first choice or the only choice of profession for two Oak Leaf Medical Network surgeons, but Evergreen Surgical patients and staff are glad they ended up here.

Dr. Brent Wogahn and Dr. Seth Smith specialize in vascular surgery for the group, which also includes Dr. Steven Immerman, CEO of Oak Leaf Medical Network. The group performs general and thoracic surgery as well.

Dr. Wogahn planned to become a veterinarian, following in his father's footsteps.

An Iowa native, he graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in zoology in 1986 and was accepted into veterinary school. Then, he had a change of heart.

"It was the animal science 218 course--learning how to feed cattle--that kind of changed my thoughts and turned me off," Dr. Wogahn says.

He applied to medical school and received a degree from the University of Iowa in 1990.

It was there that Dr. Wogahn met his wife, Kristin. The two planned to become family practitioners and work together.Dr. Wogahn soon found that the time he spent in the operating room was what he liked best, so he decided to become a surgeon.

He completed a general surgery residency at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., in 1995.In an ironic twist of fate, Dr. Wogahn became interested in surgical nutrition after one of his supervisors at St. Luke's introduced him to the subject. He went on to author two book chapters and several articles on nutritional management of patients.

"I got out of animal medicine because of nutrition and ended up a surgeon interested in surgical nutrition," Dr. Wogahn explains. "So I went from animal nutrition to people nutrition. But with people, there's only one 'critter' to feed. It's more complicated, but there's still only one."

Dr. Wogahn hoped to settle in the Midwest and came to Eau Claire in 1995 after Dr. Immerman sold him on the practice and the community.

Dr. Smith also had a change of heart when it came to choosing his profession. He might have become a wildlife biologist had it not been for a tough decision in college.

"It really started back in junior high or high school when I became interested in biology," Dr. Smith explains.

"My parents moved out to the country and there was a lake behind our house where I did a lot of hunting and fishing and became really interested in the biological sciences. From there I had a hard time deciding in college whether I wanted to be a wildlife biologist or a surgeon."

Surgery won out and after considering orthopedics and cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Smith found he liked the diversity of general surgery the best.

A Nebraska native, Dr. Smith graduated from Nebraska Wesleyen University in Lincoln in 1990, and received his medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha in 1994.

He completed his surgical residency at Methodist Hospital in Des Moines in 1999 and joined Evergreen Surgical in August.

The lure of Wisconsin's lakes and woods, the size of Eau Claire and the proximity to Minneapolis are what drew Dr. Smith to the area.

The two surgeons share a common philosophy when it comes to caring for their patients: treat patients the way you would want to be treated.

"I know I'd want the best explanation of what was wrong with me and to be treated as quickly as possible," Dr. Smith explains. "That's what we try to do."

Dr. Smith lives on Lake Altoona and still enjoys hunting and fishing in his free time. He and his fiancee, Susan Paulus, plan to be married in July of 2000.

Dr. Wogahn takes to the skies when he is not working, having earned his private pilot's license in 1998. He also enjoys spending time with his two children daughter Kimberly, 7 and son Kyle, 3.

For more information, please contact Dr. Smith or Dr. Wogahn at 715-832-1044.

Published in FromWithin, Oak Leaf newsletter, December 1999.