Swaziland RPCV Chester Rogers studied medicine in Zimbabwe
A medicine man for the family
By ABBIE FINGERLE
Tribune Staff Writer
Dr. Chester Rogers sits in his office in Bourbon on Wednesday. Rogers is the new doctor at Bourbon Family Medicine, 114 N. Washington St. He replaces Dr. Ronald Sautter.
Tribune Photo/JOE RAYMOND
BOURBON, INDIANA -- Dr. Chester Rogers enjoys working with newborns, senior citizens and all the patients in between.
And he gets to do that as the new doctor at Bourbon Family Medicine, 114 N. Washington St., Bourbon.
"I like taking care of families," he said.
Rogers, of Mishawaka, especially enjoys working with multigenerational families, everyone from "Grandma to the new baby," he said.
Rogers worked at Memorial Medical Group, 615 N. Michigan St., South Bend, for seven years as a family physician before starting as a family physician at Bourbon Family Medicine on July 1.
Bourbon Family Medicine office manager Sue Reese thinks this will be a "smooth transition" for Rogers since he worked with families in South Bend.
Carol Bibler, a certified medical assistant at Bourbon Family Medicine, said that "it's wonderful" to have a doctor to "provide this service again for the community."
Reese agrees, adding that patients have been "very pleased" with Rogers so far. His first day, he treated 17 patients.
Bibler said a nurse practitioner and doctors from Plymouth filled in during the months between the departure of Bourbon's previous doctor, Dr. Ronald Sautter, and Rogers' starting. Sautter's last day was March 28.
Rogers studied physics and chemistry at Northern Illinois University from 1972-1976 and was in the Peace Corps from 1976-1978.
While in the Peace Corps, he realized he wanted to help people.
He was a secondary school teacher in Swaziland, Africa, where he realized the "impact you can have on an individual."
After the Peace Corps, Rogers attended medical school in Rhodesia at the University of Zimbabwe. He launched his career as a medical professional in Africa. He returned to Mishawaka in 1991.
Rogers said having a knowledge of family medical history is more important in the U.S. than it was in Africa. His primary duties there were to take care of patients with acute illnesses, but here he provides more preventative care, he said.
Rogers said Bourbon Medical Group treats newborns, young children, pregnant women, geriatrics and provides gynecology exams, among other services.
Staff Writer Abbie Fingerlie afingerlie@sbtinfo.com (574) 936-3117
