Canada is exporting more than hockey players, maple syrup, and whisky. The great white north has quite a pipeline to Perham Health as we have welcomed three doctors who hail from Canada: Dr. Shelby Bucholz, Dr. Michael Kerr, and Dr. Anuj Mogla.

All three doctors traveled a circuitous route to Perham. From Canada, each attended medical school in the Caribbean and became friends during their overlapping residencies in Fargo, ND. Positive reports of the people, resources, and community and the chance to work together brought them to Perham Health.

Meet Dr. Shelby Bucholz

Dr. Bucholz is from a tiny town in Saskatchewan, where she grew up on a grain farm and played competitive hockey. She attended the University of Minnesota, Crookston, on a softball scholarship, and during her senior year, she met her husband Ben, who grew up in Perham.

When it came time to attend medical school, she chose St. George’s University in Grenada. She enjoyed her time on the island, and during her third and fourth years of medical school, she studied in several cities in the U.S., including New York, Chicago, Toledo, Detroit, and, of course, Perham. Following graduation, she wanted to be closer to family and completed her residency in Fargo with Dr. Kerr and Dr. Mogla.

As a family medical doctor, Dr. Bucholz is qualified to care for patients of all ages, particularly interested in prenatal care, obstetrics, and baby care after birth. She offers a broad spectrum of in-office procedures and chronic disease management, but her greatest joy is delivering babies. “I enjoy helping patients start/expand their families and watching those babies grow up. It’s an amazing privilege to support patients just coming into this world, those at the end of their life, and everyone in between.”

Dr. Bucholz had a natural draw to the community of Perham since her husband is from here. The camaraderie and quality of Perham Health’s staff were instrumental in her decision to practice here. “During both medical school and residency, I did rotations in Perham. I met Dr. Kailey Witt and other providers who have become my friends and mentors. It solidified that these were the kind of people I wanted to continue learning from and working with. It’s a great team to be a part of,” she explains.

Dr. Bucholz enjoys being part of the community and getting to know the people of Perham. “I came from the middle of nowhere in Canada, where there was nothing for hours. I’m very accustomed to the small-town feel. The patients here are so kind and respectful; they make my job a lot of fun. On the hard days, my colleagues make the hard conversations a little bit easier. I am truly fortunate to have found a home away from home in Perham.”

In her free time, she likes spending time with family, traveling, reading and being on the lake.

Meet Dr. Michael Kerr

Dr. Kerr is from Toronto, Ontario. He attended medical school at the American University of the Caribbean in St. Martin—one class behind Dr. Mogla—and did his residency in Fargo, ND. He found the island fascinating because half of it is French, and the other half is Dutch.

Dr. Kerr’s initial interest in Perham was sparked during his residency. “I spent three years in Fargo, so I knew about Perham, and it sounded like a great community,” he remarks. He liked the idea of being with a team of people he already knew.

“The biggest thing was having Dr. Bucholz, Dr. Mogla, and Dr. Robert Steinenger (a general surgeon who joined Perham Health a year before) with me. When you finish residency, you’re finally on your own after being supervised for many years in medical school and residency. You feel a bit like a lone wolf. I knew people, I knew the system, and I knew I could bounce ideas off of my coworkers. I also know providers in Fargo if I ever need assistance with consults. It was an easier transition in my mind,” said Dr. Kerr.

As a family medicine doctor, Dr. Kerr sees patients in both Perham and New York Mills and provides a wide variety of care. He sees patients of all ages.

He has played baseball for 13 years and has a particular interest in sports medicine. “During residency, I put an extra focus on sports medicine and shadowed and worked with the orthopedics and sports medicine providers. I really enjoy seeing patients with sports injuries.”

Dr. Kerr loves traveling and has been to more than 30 countries. While in medical school, he got to see how healthcare was practiced in different hospitals and different countries. “I like getting different perspectives and seeing how medicine is different. I like to reflect on the pros and cons of the different care I see.”

Dr. Kerr wants people to know that he is pretty flexible. “I’m always willing to work with patients and help them to the best of my abilities. I see it as a collaborative effort. It’s not me telling them what to do. It’s working collaboratively with the patient and having realistic goals.”

In his free time, he enjoys cars, being outdoors, playing golf, and spending time with his family.

Meet Dr. Anuj Mogla

Dr. Mogla was born and raised in Abbotsford, British Columbia, a blueberry farming town 45 minutes outside Vancouver. Like Dr. Kerr, he attended medical school at the American University of the Caribbean, the same school his older brother attended. He completed his residency in Fargo, ND.

Dr. Mogla says that several things attracted him to Perham Health. “I realized that I enjoyed the Sanford system and have a good network of friends here. So, I thought Perham was the best place to be, where I knew the system and had people I cared about.”

Like other family medicine doctors, Dr. Mogla sees a wide spectrum of patients and provides a wide range of care. He mentions that he enjoys “knee injections, shoulder injections, acute, and urgent care. “I like working with the sickest patients who need help immediately.”

Dr. Mogla is impressed with the range of services Perham Health provides. He states, “For being a small town hospital, we have everything available to us. We have a good emergency department and hospital, CT scanners, and MRIs. We have the availability for everything that we would expect in bigger hospitals.”

As for the community, Dr. Mogla has found it a good fit. “I like Perham. There’s good food, both affordable and higher-end restaurants, and good coffee shops. I like to exercise, and the PACC is a good gym to work out at. I like to stay active and be outside. It’s important to me to preach what I practice and live a healthy lifestyle. I also like to read and watch sports.”

“I aim to do the best that I can for the patients. I aim to listen to their concerns and do my best to help them, explains Dr. Mogla.

Learn more about these great exports from Canada: Dr. Shelby Bucholz, Dr. Michael Kerr, and Dr. Anuj Mogla.

About Perham Health 

Perham Health is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital with three primary care clinics, a 96-bed nursing home, home health care agency, adult day services, memory care assisted living, and senior housing.  The medical staff consists of 24 physicians, a nurse midwife, 14 advance practice clinicians, and three chiropractors. Visit perhamhealth.org to learn more.