If you doubt Dr. Jeremy Presley's love for western Kansas ... you shouldn't.

His idea of a vacation is to jump on a combine and spend a week helping out with the wheat harvest. "It's fun," Presley said, "especially if your livelihood doesn't depend on it."  

It's no surprise that Presley headed back to western Kansas after earning his degree from KU School of Medicine-Wichita in 2007 and completing his family medicine residency. He's in his fifth year at Family Practice Associates of Western Kansas in Dodge City working alongside two doctors, Merrill Conant and R.C. Trotter, who were his mentors when he was growing up.  

The doctor who 'does it all'

Presley's days range from routine check-ups, to the newborn girl who was brought in ashen and gray, struggling for breath. Working with nurses over the course of several hours, Presley got the infant stabilized so that she could be transported to Wichita. She was treated for coarctation, narrowing of the aorta, which included a tracheotomy and being hooked up to a home ventilator.  

Now she's off the ventilator and developing well, Presley said. "Seeing her thriving makes all the hard work worthwhile." 

Presley wasn't sure he wanted to pursue a career in medicine until his undergraduate years at Baker University. In addition to majoring in biology and physical education, he volunteered as a trainer for the school's sports teams.  

"It was a lot of taping, icing, carrying water bottles around," he said. "But I realized I loved working with people." Today, Presley and his partners serve several Dodge City-area athletic teams.  

Presley wants to be the kind of doctor "who does it all" and his practice reflects it. He starts most days rounding on patients at the Western Plains Regional Hospital, located across the street from his clinic, and also performs colonoscopies there several days a week.  

He sees patients ranging from nursing home residents to expectant mothers at the clinic in the afternoons. He stitches up cuts and sets casts and splints. He delivers about 40 babies a year, a favorite part of his practice. He's passionate about preventive health measures.  

An office filled with Jayhawks ... and Hot Wheels

Presley practices with Tanya Williams, M.D., a graduate of the Kansas City campus. And they'll soon be joined by another KU School of Medicine-Wichita graduate, Dr. Samantha Algrim, who did her rural rotation in Dodge.  

Presley and his wife, Janie, have three sons -- Ty, 6; Tate, 4; and Trace, 2. In his office are Hot Wheels cars for the boys to play with ... and a drawerful of snacks.  

"Sometimes we don't get home a lot," he said.  

When he does have free time, Presley enjoys hunting, fishing, skiing and -- yes -- vacations on the farm. A couple of broken tractor parts, mementos of those vacations, decorate his office.  

Dodge grew and changed a lot in the decade he was away completing his education. Presley wants to help it thrive, serving as a board member of Dodge City Community College.  

Most of all, he wants to keep the people he grew up with as healthy as possible.  

"I really wanted to get back to western Kansas. My passion is for the people who helped me get here."