CFVH podiatrist has local roots

Clark Fork Valley Hospital is featuring a new podiatrist and he's no stranger to Sanders County. 

Dr. Brian Schenavar began as a consulting specialist at Plains Family Medicine on April 6 and will be seeing patients one to two times a month. Schenavar grew up in Thompson Falls and is a 2008 graduate of Thompson Falls High School and he has had a position as a podiatric physician at Western Montana Foot and Ankle in Missoula since July 2020. The 31-year-old Schenavar is a 2017 graduate of the Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona. Last year, he got his three-year Surgical Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Residency in Milwaukee, and is a board qualified foot and ankle surgeon under the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

"Growing up in Sanders County was an excellent experience. I'm proud to be able to provide quality care close to home for residents," said Schenavar, who will also provide surgical and inpatient care at St. Patrick Hospital, Community Medical Center, Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital, and Providence Surgery Center in Missoula. He'll also be providing surgical services at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital.

"My outreach clinic at Clark Fork Valley Hospital has provided an excellent opportunity to serve patients in Sanders County without having the patients bear the burden of travel to Missoula or Kalispell," said Schenavar. "Growing up in a rural setting and since I started in Missoula, I have seen an opportunity to provide quality care close to home for Sanders County residents," he added.

"It's always exciting to see someone who grew up here in the community want to come back and provide care to their friends and neighbors," said Barry Fowler, the hospital's director of Human and System Resources. Dr. Gregg Neibauer was the last consulting podiatrist at the hospital, serving there from 2004 to 2012.

Schenavar also received trauma training at the University of Missouri, as well as specialized training the Northern California Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgery at Shasta Orthopedics. "We use our feet and ankles every step of every day. Pain and discomfort can lead to decreased activity, loss of motion and inability to keep doing the things we love," said Schenavar.

For Schenavar, learning of podiatry came through a personal experience. "I did not come to pursue podiatry by observing a foot or ankle reconstruction, rather, it was from the simple act of relief that a podiatrist was able to offer my grandfather in the clinic," said Schenavar, who received his Bachelors of Science degree in Exercise Science at the University of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 2013. "Podiatry is a career that allows me to interact and leave a positive impact on people's lives. I enjoy treating all aspects of podiatric medicine," said Schenavar. "I use nonsurgical therapy when possible and perform surgical intervention when necessary. I try to treat patients of all ages as if they are family."