John Bramante, M.D.
Originally from the east coast, Dr. John Bramante came to Alaska after completing Internal Medicine training and chief residency at the University of Washington in 1993. He founded Peninsula Internal Medicine (PIM) with Dr. Bill Kelley at that time, not realizing he was embarking on a decades-long adventure. After 15 years of old-school inpatient/outpatient work, PIM became more outpatient focused. Dr. Bramante enjoys managing medically complex patients and performing endoscopy and echocardiography. He enjoys primary care internal medicine and the numerous 25+year relationships he has developed.
PIM started hosting University of Washington internal medicine residents in 1994. Dr. Bramante has enjoyed teaching and sharing experiences with countless residents who have been inspired by working with him. He is Professor of Medicine for the University of Washington and currently serving as Chief of Staff at Central Peninsula Hospital.
Dr. Bramante’s family includes his wife Katie and their three grown daughters. They have maintained a kennel of sled dogs for many years and have enjoyed a rich Alaska life, skiing/running sled dogs in the winter and gardening in the summer. In addition, he has nurtured a nearly life-long passion for soccer, whether by playing it himself or coaching local teams. He continues to enjoy the routine of hitting the squash courts after a day in the clinic.
Training and Certification
Residency
Chief Residency
Board Certification
Gail Pokorney, M.D.
Gail Pokorney, MD, FACP, is a board-certified general internist and the Associate Program Director for the new Alaska IM Rural Residency based at CPH. She received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed her primary care residency at University of California, San Francisco. She started dreaming about primary care in rural AK after hearing about Soldotna as a medical student, then solidified her interest in rural medicine with an IHS rotation in Gallup, NM during residency. She came to the clinic in 2013 to cover a colleague’s one-year sabbatical…and she enjoyed the experience so much that she never left.
During her decade in Soldotna, Dr. Pokorney has embraced the clinical adventures that come with managing a panel of complex primary care patients, interpreting cardiac stress tests, and pulling occasional night shifts on the hospitalist service, all while staying active as a member (and chief emeritus) of the CPH Medical Staff and the AK Chapter of the American College of Physicians. She also serves as the medical director for CPH’s Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation program. A passionate believer in the value that general internists bring to rural communities, she has been working since 2017 to develop an AK-based IM rural residency program and is thrilled to be training future physicians for the state.
Outside the office, Dr. Pokorney enjoys hiking, camping, playing the violin, attending community events, and reading novels (when she can stay awake for it). She and her husband Rob, who co-owns a local IT business, are parents to two high-spirited girls who keep them humble and on their toes.
Training and Certification
Residency
Chief Residency
Kristin Mitchell, M.D.
Dr. Kristin Mitchell fell in love with Alaska while earning her medical degree at the University of California San Francisco. She completed her residency in Primary Care Internal Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 2013, she earned additional board certifications in Sleep Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and she serves in medical leadership roles at the state and national levels. She is board certified in internal medicine.
She enjoys the careful management of patients with complex medical problems and has a special interest in sleep disorders. She says, “I enjoy getting to know my patients and seeing them through some of the major health issues in their lives. I love the challenge of solving new medical mysteries every day and of translating the arcane language of medicine into something patients can understand.”
When she is not practicing medicine, Dr. Mitchell enjoys rowing, hiking, Nordic skiing and trying new recipes.
Training and Certification
Residency
Chief Residency
Megan Roosen-Runge M.D
Megan Roosen-Runge, MD MPH, is a board-certified internal medicine physician. Originally from Whidbey Island, Washington, Dr. Roosen-Runge grew up in a rural setting and from an early age romanticized the concept of a small-town physician. She pursued undergraduate training in Biochemistry and Mathematics at the University of Puget Sound, then graduate training in public health at the University of Washington before completing her medical degree at Stanford University. She couples matched at the University of Washington in the categorical IM track (alongside her husband who is now a practicing anesthesiologist).
Initially, Dr. Roosen-Runge envisioned a future in critical care medicine as well as clinical education, until she spent four weeks rotating at the IM elective site in Soldotna during her third year of residency at which point her career trajectory forever changed. Immersion in broad-spectrum rural internal medicine opened her eyes to a different kind of primary care and she was completely enticed. After a wonderful chief residency year, the birth of her first child, and broadening her skill set with new knowledge in echocardiography interpretation and procedural training in endoscopy, she packed up her little family for the Alaskan Frontier.
Megan’s passion both personally and professionally comes from her relationships with people. She’s been known to wear her heart on her sleeve and strives to hold onto that quality as her career evolves. Her budding career in Soldotna continues to excite her as it encourages her to take a deep dive into the complexities of medical problem-solving that first attracted her to internal medicine.
She is currently the medical director of Central Peninsula Internal Medicine, chair of the Central Peninsula Hospital Endoscopy Committee, and the regional Wellness Champion for the Alaska Chapter of the American College of Physicians. In addition, she will be the Soldotna-based rural site director for the up and coming University of Washington Alaska Internal Medicine Rural Residency Program.
Outside of her clinical work, she enjoys cooking, hiking, backpacking, skiing, traveling, gardening, spending time with family, puzzling and playing games. Her home life is a vibrant menagerie of joy and exuberance, with a toddler son and daughter, two cats, two dogs, and more than a handful of chickens.
Training and Certification
Internship
Residency
Chief Resident
Board Certification
Anna Boutwell, NP
Anna is a highly skilled and compassionate nurse practitioner with 14 years of experience in diabetes management. Anna is committed to working collaboratively with primary care providers and endocrinologists through a referral‐based and team‐oriented approach. The Nurse Practitioner role is being used at diabetes centers of excellence across the nation to incorporate a team based focus to meet the health needs unique to people living with diabetes. Such collaboration ensures patients receive personalized, timely and effective care. Professionally Anna’s greatest joy comes from seeing her patients achieve their goals and feel empowered to take charge of their health. Personally she enjoys the many adventures the Kenai Peninsula has to offer, as well as the arts, music, and great audio books.
Training and Certification
Family Nurse Practitioner Certification
Lori Arney, DO
Lori Arney, DO is one of our new additions to the clinic. She brings vast experience in geriatrics and medical issues related to aging to the Kenai Peninsula. This is the age group that she treasures above all others. She enjoys helping her patients to age as gracefully as possible, preserving their dignity and quality of life, while also supporting family members and caregivers.
She moved to Soldotna from a rural town outside of Muskogee, OK. Rural medicine has always appealed to her due to the challenge of diagnosing and treating diseases where there may not be specialists readily available, simply due to geography. She believes that there is nowhere better to live than the state of Alaska, and considers it a privilege to be able to practice medicine in a community that she loves.
She graduated from Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she was a founding member of the Rural Medicine Club, and was actively involved in a mentoring program there. She completed a residency in Internal Medicine through a rural program supported by OSUCOM, where she served as Chief Medical Resident.
In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the beautiful state of Alaska, and travelling to other parts of the world. She enjoys spending time face-timing her grandson and planning their next adventure. Being active in her church is also important to her.
Training and Certification
Undergrad: Northeastern State University
Bachelor of Science with Major in Molecular
Biology with Minor in Chemistry
Medical School: Oklahoma State University
College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency
Ahlequah Medical Group Internal Medicine Residency
Cindy Nickels, NP
Cindy has been in the nursing profession for 30+ years. Her initial nursing experience included med/surg, critical care, emergency medicine, and flight nursing. She completed her Nurse Practitioner (NP) training at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA in 1998. Since becoming a certified NP, she has worked in Montana and Wyoming in the field of internal medicine. She moved to Alaska in 2010 to work in villages in the Aleutian Islands. She joined Central Peninsula Internal Medicine in 2013 and currently sees patients for preoperative appointment part time.
As expected of a woman born and raised on Montana ranch, Cindy enjoys the outdoors, especially hiking, biking, fishing, and traveling. Together with her husband, they continue to enjoy Alaska and all it has to offer.
Training and Certification
Associates Degree in Nursing
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Master of Science in Nursing
Family Nurse Practitioner Certification
Erik M., Berger, MD
Dr. Berger received his medical degree from Morehouse School of medicine and completed residency training in internal medicine at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver. He completed fellowship training in primary care sports medicine at the University of Tennessee, where he was recognized with a first place award for most original research in sudden cardiac death: exercise induced arrhythmogenesis. Dr. Berger’s areas of interest in sports medicine include: professional hockey, college boxing, soccer, basketball and baseball. Dr. Berger also received a master’s degree in exercise science, which he believes gives him a thorough understanding of physiology. Dr. Berger is board certified in internal medicine/primary care sports medicine. His experience includes strength and conditioning, exercise psychology and primary care sports medicine. Dr. Berger’s clinical interests include internal medicine and sports medicine. He grew up in a family for whom exercise was just something one does as a part of everyday life. He believes that exercise is medicine and strives to partner with patients to help them live active and healthy lives. His personal interests involve the outdoors, Bluegrass banjo music, relic hunting and precision air rifles.
Training and Certification
American Board of Internal Medicine 2014, American Board of Internal Medicine, 2013
Medical School
Medical School, 2010
Residency
Internal Medicine, 2013 Morehouse School of Medicine
Fellowship
Sports Medicine, 2014 St. Joseph Hospital
Samantha Niesen FNP-C
Samantha Niesen received her Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner degree from Gonzaga University. Prior to obtaining her graduate
degree, she has worked in several areas of nursing including the ICU, which sparked her interest in health promotion, disease prevention and management.
Her passion is working with patients to help them achieve their heath goals while managing chronic conditions.
As a born and raised Alaskan, her free time consists of being an amateur gardener, spending time with her husband and two boys, motorcycling, cooking and oil
painting.
Training and Certification
