The Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital Active Medical continues to grow with the addition of three physicians during recent months.

     The first to join the staff was Dr. Brenda McGivern. The pediatrician came to Demopolis from Oklahoma in March to join Dr. M.S. Brasfield’s practice.

     A native of Tennessee, McGivern returned to the South to be closer to her parents and siblings. A mother of two, McGivern said she didn’t begin medical school until her youngest son was 12 years old. “I always wanted to be a doctor, but I wanted children more so I had to wait for a while before entering medical school,” she explained. Her love of children led her to specialize in pediatrics. She retired a year ago, but “I just couldn’t stay away from the babies,” she said. “I wanted to go back to work and when this opportunity came up, I found I could do it and also be closer to my family.”

     The Board Certified Pediatrician is a graduate of the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, OK. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

     Dr. Shankar Das was the second physician to join the staff this spring when he joined Dr. Ronnie Chu in practice at Physcians Family Healthcare. He and his family moved to Demopolis from Chicago in April and are really enjoying the slower pace of the community.

“This has been a good move for our family,” Das said. “Work-wise for me, it’s been fabulous. I get to practice the whole scope of medicine and I don’t have to refer patients out to everyone else like you have to do in a big city. Dr. Chu and all of the nurses at the hospital have been very nice to me. I can’t complain about that at all.”

     A native of India, Dr. Das is a graduate of Topiwala National Medical College and completed a family practice residency at St. Mary of Nazareth Medical Center in Chicago. The board certified family practitioner is a member of the American Academy of Family Practice.

     He and his wife and three children are enjoying small town life since moving to Demopolis. “What we’ve found is that everyone here has been very helpful,” he said. “From day one, our neighbors helped us empty the trailer when we moved in. My children are loving it here. It’s definitely a good move for us.”

     Rounding out the list is Dr. Alvin W. Rowell, who worked as an emergency room physician at Bryan Whitfield Memorial Hospital  from 1999-2000. He will return to the facility to work full time in the Emergency Room later this summer.

     A 1995 graduate of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, MO, Rowell completed his family medicine residency at Naval Hospital Pensacola, FL. He served as a flight surgeon/general medical officer in the U.S. Navy until 1999. From 1995-2002, he was a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps. Since leaving BWWMH in 2000, he has been associated with the Rowell Medical Group, LLC, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

     He is a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.

     “We are very happy that even with the severe shortage of doctors nationwide, we’re able to continue to recruit physicians to our hospital and to our community,” said Mike Marshall, CEO of the new appointments. “It speaks very well of our institution that we’ve been able to bring three such well-trained individuals. They are all an asset to our hospital.”