06/19/13 Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) is pleased to welcome Janice Peterson, MD, to the Saint Joseph Physician Network and the Marshall County community. Dr. Peterson will begin to see patients at Plymouth Family & Internal Medicine on June 18.

For this Plymouth native, the path away from and back to her hometown has been an extraordinary journey.

Early on, Dr. Peterson had her sights set on something else in addition to becoming a physician.

“I always wanted to be a missionary,” she says. “So I was one.”

Dr. Peterson graduated from the University of Notre Dame and received her medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine. It was then that she started her medical career with SJRMC in the Family Medicine Residency Program. As a resident, it’s no surprise that Dr. Peterson and several colleagues were the driving force behind the now robust Global Health Track within the residency program, which givesdoctors in training the opportunity to practice in different parts of the world.

Post-graduation and after one year practicing with her father, well-known local physician Ronald Peterson, MD, she traveled to Ethiopia, Africa, where she provided care for those who needed it most for more than seven years.

“It was a very wonderful, challenging and difficult experience,” she said. “It’s really inexplicable. Their lives are not at all like ours. I enjoyed the opportunity, it was very enriching.”

In addition to Ethiopia, Dr. Peterson practiced in Burundi, Central Africa. Along the way she studied in Rome and received her master’s degree in the science of marriage in the family. Nearly 20 years, several foreign languages, and a world of unforgettable experiences later, Dr. Peterson is pleased to be back in Plymouth and near her family.

“I’m happy to be with Saint Joseph, and grateful to be going back to work,” she says. “I love Plymouth, and to be among people that I’ve always known is a blessing.”

A family medicine physician, Dr. Peterson looks forward to providing comprehensive and preventative care for individuals of all ages. She is now accepting new patients.

“Taking care of the people is the best part for me,” she said. “That’s where my talents lie. I love medicine.”

PFIM is one of the largest and most experienced medical practices in the Marshall County area, consisting of all board-certified physicians. Part of the Saint Joseph Physician Network, PFIM is backed by more than 50 primary care physicians and experts from every specialty, and one of the most advanced hospital systems in the region.

Plymouth Family & Internal Medicine is located at 2349 Lake Ave., Suite 100, in Plymouth. Contact the office directly at 574-948-5100.