Liana Bloom, MD
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Liana grew up in Bothell, WA, a city just north of Seattle. Her childhood was defined by summers spent hiking in the Cascades, swimming in Lake Washington, and traveling to visit her Oma and Opa in Germany. Liana received her undergraduate degrees in Medical Anthropology and Global Health (MAGH) and nutritional sciences from the University of Washington (go dawgs!). She feels incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to continue serving communities in her home state during medical school - Washington State University (go cougs!).
Liana credits several family physician mentors as pivotal to her journey, not only to choosing family medicine as a specialty, but to pursuing medicine as a profession. These role models included her own childhood family doctor as well as a family physician she scribed for during the gap years between undergrad and medical school. It was in these clinical spaces that she first experienced the fulfillment of caring for families across multiple generations. In medical school, Liana discovered a love for full-spectrum family medicine while rotating in the rural town of Port Angeles, WA.
Liana and her partner chose Klamath Falls and Cascades East Family Medicine because it felt like the perfect fit - nestled near all things outdoors and surrounded by a strong sense of community both within and beyond the residency program. In her free time, Liana enjoys hiking, running, swimming, reading, and spending time with her family and kitty, Bernard. Liana is so excited for this next step in her training, with the goal of becoming a family physician who centers partnership with her patients as they navigate their health journeys from birth to old-age.
Jessica Couch, MD
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Oregon Health & Science University
Jessica was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. She attended Vassar College in NY for undergrad, where she double majored in Neuroscience as well as Science, Technology, and Society (STS). After graduating, she decided she wanted to experience another corner of the country and moved to Eugene, Oregon, where she sought work that involved more direct service and healthcare experience. She found a job at White Bird Clinic — an organization that primarily serves unhoused and/or low-income individuals — where she worked in both direct client care at the crisis center and in administration at the medical clinic. She used the skills that she had gained in de-escalation to volunteer at local shelters and meal sites. She ultimately developed a lifelong passion for working with people experiencing addiction, mental health issues, and houselessness.
After starting medical school at OHSU, she earned a master's in clinical research (MCR), with her capstone and later projects dedicated to exploring ways to transform medical practice and education to provide better care for people experiencing addiction. Ultimately, she chose to pursue full-scope family medicine, as it stood out as the specialty where she would gain the breadth of clinical training necessary to meet underserved populations' needs, while maintaining the deep community connections that she had grown to treasure.
In her free time, you can find her woodworking, gardening, and exploring the outdoors with her dog, Ponyboy.
Samanatha DeFreese, MD
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Oregon Health & Science University
Sam grew up in Minnesota and moved to the Pacific Northwest for college at Whitman, where she studied biology and environmental studies with a minor in chemistry. She quickly fell in love with the region and has called it home ever since. After graduation, she worked in environmental biology, spending time with AmeriCorps and in wildland firefighting. Eventually, she found her way to medicine while working in a rural clinic, where she was drawn in by the deep sense of connection and community.
She attended Oregon Health & Science University, where she strengthened her commitment to full-spectrum rural family medicine. Sam was drawn to family medicine for its focus on relationships, continuity, and whole-person care. She loves the challenge and joy of caring for patients of all ages and backgrounds, and the opportunity to build trust over time. When she learned about Cascades East, she was drawn to its strong OB training and full-scope rural focus, but it was the people and the tight-knit, supportive community that truly made it feel like the right fit. Her clinical interests include obstetrics, reproductive health, and improving access to care in underserved communities.
Outside of medicine, Sam loves spending time outdoors hiking, on the water, or relaxing with a good book in the sun. She also enjoys cooking, tackling DIY home projects, and shares her home (and most surfaces) with two opinionated rescue cats, Fern and Momo, who remain unconvinced that residency should take priority over lap time.
Ben Fairbanks, MD, MPH
Pronouns: He/Him/His
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
Ben is from Jackson, Wyoming, and attended Brigham Young University for college, where he double-majored in economics and microbiology. Throughout college he worked as an EMT for a rural fire department and later in the ER of his hometown hospital. He went on to earn his MD and Master of Public Health from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
His interest in rural medicine grew from hands-on experiences as an EMT and medical student in small towns. Drawn to the broad scope of practice and community engagement found in rural family medicine, he came to CEFM to train as a full-spectrum family doctor. His clinical interests include preventative and lifestyle medicine, procedures, and emergency medicine. Outside of medicine, Ben enjoys trail running, skiing, and camping. He and his wife, son, and two dogs already love calling the Klamath Basin home and are excited to spend the coming years exploring the surrounding lakes, forests, and peaks.
Monika Gabriele, MD
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Monika is a born-and-raised New Englander. She grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Dartmouth College in 2019 with a double major in biochemistry and religion. Following graduation, she served two terms with AmeriCorps. In her first, she worked in a rural town near Colorado’s San Luis Valley, supporting middle school students through academic intervention and outdoor leadership training. Her second brought her to the Rhode Island Free Clinic in Providence, RI, where she led clinical operations and helped transition the clinic to a fully electronic medical record system, among other capacity-building and COVID-response projects.
Monika was fortunate to return to the Upper Connecticut River Valley for medical school back at Dartmouth. Outside of the classroom, she led the Community Health Scholar group and served on Student Government as the Class Representative for Student Wellness. A defining moment on her medical school path was acceptance into Dartmouth’s Frontier Medicine Program which allowed her to train in Valdez, Alaska and to experience the breadth of what full-spectrum rural medicine can mean. She is deeply excited to train in Family Medicine with the goal of providing community-based care to patients in medically underserved, rural areas for the rest of her career. Cascades East was her dream program because of its balance of rigorous, broad-spectrum training with deep-rooted values of compassion, connection, and kindness.
She, her partner, Andrew, and their cat, Maple, are so excited to call Klamath Falls home and to explore this astoundingly beautiful place. They love hiking, skiing, sailing, birding, vegetarian cooking, gravel biking, and racking up loyalty reward points at both Dairy Queen and Pelican Cinemas.
Bret Gilbert, MD
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Oregon Health & Science University
Bret Gilbert grew up in Salem, Oregon, with a childhood defined by a love of sports (basketball, football, and track), Pokémon, and video games. In 9th grade, a freshman health teacher showed a video of an ACL repair surgery and the interest for a career in medicine was born.
Initially unable to afford to attend university, he took some time away from academics working at a fitness center alongside the personal training staff, helping a friend to grow their small business professional cleaning company, and working summers in Kenai, Alaska, as a commercial salmon fisherman.
After returning to school in 2015, while working part-time and in the summers to help pay tuition, Bret graduated from University of Oregon in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in general science and a minor in chemistry. During his time at UO, he discovered a love of teaching through tutoring biology, held a leadership position in the Native American Student Union, and was able to use his experience as a non-traditional student to be a mentor for younger scholars. In 2019, he completed a post-baccalaureate program through the Native American Center of Excellence at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon, and joined the MD class there the following year.
With special interests in wilderness, lifestyle, and integrative medicine, Bret is passionate about building relationships and practicing medicine in a way that always prioritizes the patient’s values and personal goals, making rural family medicine a perfect fit. When not working, you can find Bret on the golf course, at the bowling alley, on the Peloton, or spending quality time with family and friends.
Rachel Kelsall, DO
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
Rachel grew up on the Connecticut coast and found her way to the Pacific Northwest, where she instantly felt at home among the mountains, forests, and tight-knit communities. Before becoming a doctor, she spent nearly a decade in various jobs including bartending, nannying, and volunteering as an EMT — life experiences that gave her a love for service and connecting with people from all walks of life. She went on to earn her medical degree from Pacific Northwest University and knew from her very first clinical rotation that family medicine, especially in rural communities, was where she was meant to be.
Her clinical interests include women’s health and obstetrics, inpatient care, and making healthcare more inclusive, integrative, and accessible. After rotating in Klamath Falls during medical school, Rachel knew Cascades East was where she wanted to train and grow. She’s thrilled to be staying in a community she already feels such a strong connection to. Outside of work, she loves baking sourdough bread, hot yoga, and hosting live music karaoke nights. Rachel spends as much time as possible outdoors exploring with her partner, Michael, and their two dogs, Esme and George
Atma Martyn, MD
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Creighton University School of Medicine
Atma Martyn grew up in San Diego and, after high school, worked as a paramedic where he developed a passion for serving inner city, low-income, and uninsured patients. He attended San Diego Community College before transferring to Southern Oregon University. While finishing his education he continued working on the ambulance and was introduced to the challenges and rewards of rural medicine in Josephine County, Oregon. He attended medical school at Creighton University School of Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona. Atma enjoys backpacking, hiking, bikes, and exploring off-road trails (when his Suzuki Samurai isn't actively falling apart). He also reads, plays D&D with his niece and nephew, and burns margherita pizzas in his spare time. He is survived by his brilliant partner, KT, who is actively pursuing her PhD in environmental anthropology, as well as their dogs Brannigan and Zuni.
Devin Rojas, MD
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Oregon Health & Science University
Devin grew up in Keno, Oregon, just outside of Klamath Falls. He attended Henley High School where he wrestled and did JROTC. For college he attended Duke University, Pratt School of Engineering and majored in Biomedical Engineering. Directly out of college he was commissioned into the US Navy through the school’s ROTC program. He deployed twice, participating in beach assaults, Air and Missile Defense, and Submarine Hunting. After his time in the Navy, he returned to Klamath Falls to refresh his memory at Oregon Institute of Technology, where he also taught a 100-level General Chemistry Lab Course.
During COVID and the didactic portion of Medical school, he served as the Director of Education for TEACH, Together Educating All Children in Hospitals, a nationwide program started in Philadelphia to bring STEM lessons and demonstrations to inpatient children.
While in medical school he focused on his passions of rural medicine, family medicine, mentoring, and community outreach especially to rural students and those underrepresented in medicine.
He is joined in Klamath Falls by his wife, Alyona, and their two dogs, Caramel, the Boxer mix, and Ohohtnik, the Corgi.