Wyoming native long planned return to home state
There’s something special about Wyoming. That’s why Dr. Abigail Turnbough knew she would return to the state to care for patients and why she recently joined Sheridan Memorial Hospital’s Rheumatology Clinic.
Turnbough grew up in Casper, Wyoming, before attending medical school in Colorado. She did her clinical rotations in Casper, then a residency in Denver and a fellowship in Omaha. The plan, though, always included a return to Wyoming.
“There is a special sense of community in the people who are from Wyoming that you really don’t see anywhere else,” Turnbough said. “I like how the community comes together to support its members and I appreciate the attitudes of the people who live and work in Wyoming. Wyoming is full of hardworking people who deserve great care.”
Turnbough’s interest in rheumatology sparked during her time volunteering at a nursing home. She had been speaking with one of the female residents, sharing that she planned to become a doctor one day.
“She told me, ‘You have to be a rheumatologist and come back to Wyoming,’” Turnbough recalled. “She talked about how hard it is to see specialists and the travel burden that usually entails and her story resonated with me.”
Now, Turnbough treats patients with a variety of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, psoriatic arthritis and other inflammatory and autoimmune diseases that affect the body’s musculoskeletal system. She’ll work alongside Dr. Benjamin Widener, who opened the Rheumatology Clinic at Sheridan Memorial Hospital in 2020.
Turnbough said she considers herself a “pretty straight shooter,” who aims to treat people as she would want to be treated.
“I like to put a lot of time and energy into building relationships with patients,” she said. “Rheumatology often is filled with patients I will follow and treat for a lifetime. Patient trust and the ability to communicate without patients worrying about being judged or reprimanded is something I work to facilitate. Rheumatologists often have to cycle through medications to find one or a combination that works and it is important for the patient to know you are on their side and will work with them to reach the correct diagnosis and/or treatment plan.”
Having grown up in Wyoming, Turnbough is familiar with Sheridan. Her husband hails from Broadus, Montana, and the couple would meet up with his family in the Bighorn Mountains for camping trips regularly.
Now that Turnbough lives in Sheridan, she said she looks forward to continuing to explore the Bighorns on hiking and camping trips. In her personal time, she also enjoys reading, painting and hunting.
To learn more about the Rheumatology Clinic at Sheridan Memorial Hospital, see https://www.sheridanhospital.org/medical-services/clinics/rheumatology/.