It’s a Love Story: Physician Couple Recounts Road to Practicing Together at Benefis
Classic college love stories often begin serendipitously – choosing a fated seat in a lecture hall, laughing together at a social event, or locking eyes across the quad under vibrant fall foliage.
But that is definitely not the kind of meet-cute Hana Paladichuk, MD, and Mitchell Rohrback, MD, experienced during their undergraduate pre-med studies at Montana State University.
“We met in the very romantic setting of the cadaver lab,” Hana said.
But life, and romance, is what you make it.
Their relationship continued through graduation, and the couple decided to stay together despite being accepted to medical schools in different states.
Hana headed to the University of Washington School of Medicine and Mitchell to the University of Arizona College of Medicine. They made their long-distance relationship work for five years before reuniting scholastically for separate residency programs at the University of Texas at Austin.
They were lucky to match with programs at the same institution, with Hana specializing in dermatology and Mitchell in orthopedic surgery.
“I think it was easier to maintain a relationship during that time because we were both doing the same thing,” Mitchell said. “We both knew the workload and demands on our time.”
“We both understood that we had to focus and prioritize studying to reach our professional goals,” Hana added.
After completing their residency training in Austin, the couple moved to Reno for Mitchell’s orthopedic trauma fellowship and then to Salt Lake City, where they both practiced for a year. They also welcomed their first child while living in Utah, and while they predicted staying in the city longer, Montana called the couple home.
Mitchell grew up in Great Falls and Hana in Sidney, so when positions in both of their specialties opened up at Benefis, they took the opportunity to raise their son closer to family.
“Everything in life is timing,” Hana said.
And the timing works out wonderfully for the arrival of their second child in May. Tuesday dinners with grandparents, uncles and aunts, and cousins are the new normal. Family visits from both sides are more frequent – a blessing all around, especially for working parents.
Both physicians are enjoying practicing in Great Falls.
“The people are so nice,” Mitchell said. “And we’ve already run into patients around town.”
The couple calls themselves “bad about celebrating holidays,” and that includes Valentine’s Day.
“With busy practices, we try to enjoy the time we do have together,” Hana said.
She asked for a plant instead of flowers as a gift this year, hoping it will live longer.
“Maybe after the baby arrives, we’ll celebrate with sushi and wine.”
