Alaska Center for Pediatrics - Birth Through Adolescent Care



	Dr. Martin Beals started in general pediatrics in his hometown of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Dr. Beals finished medical school at the University of North Carolina and then completed his pediatric training in Charlotte. After his training Dr. Beals joined his pediatrician in practice. After fifteen years, he and his wife decided "you don't have to grow where you are planted" and left Elizabeth City and headed for the Blue Ridge Mountains. After two years in Boone, NC and five years in a solo practice in the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia, he and his wife moved to Alaska. He joined Alaska Center for Pediatrics in May 2001. Dr. Beals is well versed in all areas of general pediatrics, with a special interest in hearing problems.

	Dr. Thad Woodard completed medical school and pediatric training at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. After his training, Dr. Woodard moved to Alaska to work as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer with the CDC. His assignment was essentially to be the acting State Epidemiologist from June 1978-1980. Following this appointment his intention was to pursue an infectious disease fellowship with Dr. George Miller at Yale and the study of Epstein-Barr virology, however life intervened and he worked for a year at the Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center before entering private practice in 1981. In practice Dr. Woodard developed an interest in asthma, especially the education of the public and professionals. He currently enjoys and continues this interest at ACP. In 1999 he was asked to host Line One, Your Health Connection on the Anchorage National Public Radio affiliate KSKA after being a guest several times. He continues to host and produce this program which is broadcast weekly. Dr. Woodard and his wife Linda have four daughters and a wonderful family dog. He has two insatiable vices…golf and pecan pie.

	Karen Niedermier grew up in Massachusetts and attended Oberlin College for her undergraduate degree. She received her MSN at Yale University School of Nursing in 1995, and practiced for eleven years in Minnesota before moving to Alaska in 2006. As a family nurse practitioner, she has cared for people in all age groups, but especially enjoys children and young adults. Her special interests include breastfeeding, literacy and brain development, and reproductive health. Karen lives in Anchorage with her husband and two children. She skis, knits, and would rather read than clean her house.

	Cathy Stange returned to Alaska with her family in 1989 and has been practicing pediatrics since that time. She received her BS in Nursing in 1977 in Ohio and completed her Masters in Maternal Child Nursing and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in 1988 in Arizona. Throughout her early nursing career she worked in the emergency room setting and pediatrics. She has been associated with Dr Woodard since her return to Alaska and joined the practice in 1995. Although she is now working as an intermittent PNP at the ANMC, she continues to enjoy working at ACP on a part-time basis. Cathy is married and has three married children. In her free time she especially enjoys spending time with her husband and grandbaby and tries to fit in gardening, sewing, skiing, hiking, and biking whenever she can!

	Kate Watkins, CPNP has been practicing in Alaska since her arrival in 2006. She is employed full time as an Assistant Professor at UAA School of Nursing and works when available at ACP. Kate received her Masters of Science in Nursing at Yale University in 2006 and her undergraduate education at Arizona State University and Greenfield Community College. Kate is a proud member of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Sigma Theta Tau, and Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association. She loves helping her patients learn how to get healthy and stay healthy. When she isn’t teaching nursing students or seeing patients, she loves to ride her bicycle, cook, read and take photographs.

	Teresa Hirst, CPNP Teresa Hirst moved to Alaska in 2000 as a spouse of a military officer. She and her family decided to make Alaska their permanent home after retiring from military service in 2006. Teresa received her Bachelor of Nursing from Easter Washington University in 1992. As a RN she worked in pediatric oncology for Florida Hospital, as a community health nurse for Air Force Services for Exceptional Children in Germany and at the Hole in the Wall summer camps. She received her Master’s in Child Health Nursing from the University of South Florida in 1999. She has worked as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with over 5 years of experience in primary care pediatrics, most of these at ACP and five years of experience in neurodevelopment pediatrics in Texas and Alaska. Teresa has received additional training in early childhood mental health and developmental disabilities especially in the area of autism through the University of Washington and the University of Alaska. Her hobbies include photography. She has two grown up children and a new grandson of whom she takes lots of pictures.

	Jayme Ellerbe, CPNP Jayme Ellerbe grew up in Connecticut and attended Pace University in New York for her undergraduate degree. She attended Columbia University for her graduate degree as a Perinatal Clinical Specialist and the University of Iowa for her Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Certification, which she received in 1982. She has practiced in neonatal care and pediatrics in the US Air Force and was stationed herself and with her husband in Mississippi, Japan, Hawaii, Texas and Alaska. She has also worked extensively with general and specialty pediatrics practices including sexual abuse examinations, ENT, and dermatology. Jayme’s special interests are breastfeeding, literacy, childhood obesity prevention programs, acne treatments for adolescents, and multicultural health care issues. She lives in Anchorage with her physician husband, daughter and two sons and is looking forward to the birth of her first grandchild as well as continued visits from the 14 international exchange students that their family has hosted. In her spare time she is found working with international exchange student groups, spending time outdoors with her dogs and garden, and traveling the world.

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