Board of Directors

dettbarn, kyle
Dr. Dettbarn’s practice focuses on primary care, pulmonary, critical care medicine, internal medicine, and sleep medicine.  He is passionate about meeting the health care needs of the Chippewa Valley and has dedicated his entire medical career to our community.  He serves as the medical director for Dove Healthcare – Regional Vent Center in Chippewa Falls.

Dr. Dettbarn earned his medical degree from the University of Iowa – Carver College of Medicine, completed his residency at the Iowa Methodist Medical Cetner and the VA Medical Center in Des Moines, IA, and a fellowship at the Truman Medical Center and St. Luke’s Medical Center in Kansas City, MO.

Dr. Dettbarn lives in Eau Claire with his wife and has four adult children.  He enjoys working out, playing golf, fishing, and spending time with his family. 

Andrew, Brandon

Brandon Andrew, MD FACS

Evergreen Surgical
Board Member

Dr. Andrew, board certified in general surgery, joined Evergreen Surgical in 2017.  He graduated from the University of Toronto, with a Bachelor of Applied Science with Honors, having majored in Chemical Engineering and minored in Bioengineering.  He earned his medical degree with honors in research in 2011 from Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.  He completed a five-year residency in General Surgery at Guthrie/Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, PA.  Dr. Andrew then completed a Bariatric Surgery fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in 2017.  He is the Director, Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Clinic.

Dr. Andrew has served on various hospital committees including the Medical Executive Committee of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Chippewa Falls, WI, the Operating Room Management Committee of Sacred Heart Hospital, Eau Claire, WI and the Trauma Review Committees of both facilities. 


Berg, Troy

Dr. Berg is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who has provided orthopedic expertise to the Western Wisconsin area since 1998. He is an Orthopedic Surgeon and a Sports Medicine Specialist with a special interest in knee and shoulder surgery.

Dr. Berg earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School (Minneapolis), where he completed both general surgery and orthopaedic surgery residencies. He completed a fellowship in arthroscopy & sports medicine at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Murray, UT.

Dr. Berg is joined by Dr. Austin Crow as team physicians for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds. He and Dr. Crow’s licensed athletic training staff also provide athletic injury coverage for many of the area high schools.

Barrette, Erica

Erica Barrette, MD

OakLeaf Clinics – OB/GYN
Board Member

Dr. Barrette is a board-certified OB/GYN who earned her medical degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health. She completed her internship at Norton Sound Regional Hospital in Nome, AK, a residency in family medicine at the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation in Sioux City, IA, and a residency in OB/GYN at Trihealth, in Cincinnati, OH.

In her spare time, Dr. Barrette enjoys running, biking, participating in triathlons, spending time with her children, and gardening.

Carlson, Brent
Dr. Brent Carlson is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. His areas of expertise include arthroscopic surgery of the hip and total hip replacement, arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder and various shoulder replacements, as well as knee arthroscopy and knee replacement.

Dr. Carlson attended St. Olaf College and graduated summa-cum-laude. While at St. Olaf, he competed in Division 1 Nordic Skiing, becoming an Academic All-American. He then went on to medical school at the University of Minnesota. While in medical school, he continued skiing, competing in the Norwegian Skarveremet and the American Birkebeiner, where he scored as high as 3rd overall in the classic race.

Dr. Carlson was granted a scholarship to train with Drs at the end of his medical school training at Leiv Hove and Ove Furnes in orthopedics at the Universitetsykehus in Bergen, Norway. He completed his orthopedic training at Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY, which was, at the time, the busiest orthopedic trauma center in the state of New York.

Dr. Carlson is a Chippewa Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine partner based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He regularly sees patients at his offices in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls and Stanley and Hayward, Wisconsin. He continues skiing competitively across the country and enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, and spending time with his wife and four young boys.

Barrette, Erica

Samuel Elsner, DPM, FACFAS

Foot & Ankle Clinic
Board Member

Dr. Samuel Elsner joined Foot and Ankle Clinic LLP in 2019. He completed his undergraduate education at Simpson College in Indianola, IA with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Chemistry. He attended Des Moines University College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery in Des Moines, IA where he received his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree. He completed his surgical residency in Fairfax, VA at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, a level one trauma center in Northern Virginia. He is Board Certified in forefoot and rearfoot reconstructive surgery, a Fellow with the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgery, and a Diplomat of the American Board of Podiatric Surgery.

Dr. Elsner enjoys golfing in the spring and hunting in the fall. He spends his free time with friends and his family, including his wife and two children.

Nelson, Josiah

Josiah Nelson, MD

Western Wisconsin Urology
Board Member

Dr. Nelson joined Western Wisconsin Urology in 2009 and served on the Medical Executive Committee at Sacred Heart Hospital since 2016, including 3 years as the President of the Medical Staff until April 2024.

A graduate of Bethel College, Dr. Nelson earned his medical degree from the University of Iowa, as the Nathanial Alcock Scholar for urology. He completed his residency in Urology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. Nelson is certified by the American Board of Urology.

Ruh, Paul

Paul Ruh, MD

Eau Claire GI Associates
Board Member

Dr Ruh received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned his medical degree at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Ruh went on to specialize in Gastroenterology, completing his Fellowship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. 

Dr Ruh has been board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Gastroenterology since 1997. 

Dr Ruh is native to Wisconsin, having graduated from Cedarburg high school.  After working for Aurora Health Care in Two Rivers, Wisconsin for over 15 years, Dr Ruh moved to Eau Claire and took over Eau Claire GI Associates from Dr Jahn Hansen in 2012.

Sackett, Katie

Katie Sackett, DO

Pathology, SC
Board Member

Dr. Sackett joined Pathology Service Corporation in 2018 and served on the Medical Executive Committee at Sacred Heart Hospital in 2023.

She achieved triple board certification in anatomic and clinical pathology, with a fellowship in blood banking and transfusion medicine at the University of Minnesota, where her research and published interests included hyperferritinemia and the effects of stem cell transplantation on red cell aplasia and blood type development.

Dr. Sackett completed her master’s and medical degrees at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she graduated at the top of her class; during this time she also completed two consecutive summer internships at Astellas pharmaceuticals. She is a native of Medford, WI, and is happy to return to the general area to serve this community.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her spouse and three children, playing piano, reading, and cooking in her “at home laboratory”. 

smith, michael

Dr. Michael Smith is a board-certified pediatrician and internal medicine physician. He graduated from Creighton University (undergraduate and School of Medicine). He performed his residency at Truman Medical Center and Children’s Mercy Hospital of Kansas City/UMKC.

Dr. Smith has been providing high-quality, efficient patient care for children and adults in the Chippewa Valley for over 30 years

He is an FAA Aviation Medical Examiner and performs DOT physicals. Dr. Smith has been involved in the community both locally and nationally.  He has received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Eau Claire Family Medicine program, addressed the Senate Finance Committee regarding healthcare reform, has served as Chairman of both the Pediatrics and Internal Medicine Departments at Sacred Heart Hospital, has been an active United States Army Reserve Physician with deployments to Afghanistan, Germany, Panama, and Texas. 

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, boating, flying, backpacking, camping, and fly fishing.