Brytanie Marshall, MD

As a college student at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Brytanie Marshall, MD, took a service trip to central Mexico that changed her life. “I delivered several babies there as an undergrad, and it rocked my world,” she said. Dr. Marshall has known since age 5 that she wanted to be a doctor, ever since a kind physician in her native Los Angeles area stitched up her injured hand. “I still recall that care,” she said. “But I wasn’t sure what specialty I would choose until my experience in Mexico.”

Dr. Marshall remained in Texas for medical school at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and OB-GYN residency at Baylor Scott & White Memorial Hospital, where she jokes she experienced another sort of transformation: “I met my husband Kyle in undergrad and, over time, essentially converted to Texan-ism.” Kyle Marshall, MD, an emergency medicine physician, subsequently matched into a clinical informatics fellowship at Geisinger Medical Center and the family — which includes two children, ages 3 and 1 — now has its roots planted firmly in Danville.

Danville offers a duality that big-city hospitals can’t match, she said. “We enjoy taking our kids to see local farms and appreciating where their food comes from. We even have a garden they love to tend. I really like that they can be a part of this small community,” Dr. Marshall said. “At the same time, we have this huge institution with a high volume of acute cases and interesting pathologies.”

Since arriving in Danville, Dr. Marshall discovered one more thing about Geisinger that appeals to her: serving as a preceptor for Geisinger Commonwealth medical students. “They make the care you give more comprehensive,” she said. “They bring fresh eyes to a case and their zeal is infectious. I like to tailor what my students see to what they want to do. So if they like surgery, I’ll emphasize that aspect, but if they like family or internal medicine, we’ll focus on the primary care. But the thing I love most is when students learn to appreciate women’s health and can incorporate it into the care they will provide their patients in the future, no matter their choice in specialty. They can feel my enthusiasm; I’m high-energy and I like bringing that to work.”

When she talks about her choice of pursuing a career in medicine, she jokes, “If I weren’t a doctor now, I’d probably be a rock star, but I’m not that great of a singer — so here I am! Seriously though, I love women’s health and I haven’t regretted choosing medicine, not even for a minute.”