Daily Sitka Sentinel

New SCH Doctor is an Old Hand in Sitka

By SHANNON HAUGLAND

Sentinel Staff Writer

The new family doctor at Sitka Community Hospital grew up “wanting to save the world,” but his first choice wasn’t always to do it through medicine in a small town.

The Gloe LeBlanc family from left, Addy, Paul, Aurora and Amiee. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

“I thought I was going to go into environmental law, and save the world,” said Dr. Paul Gloe, on the job at Sitka Community Hospital for more than month. “I really wanted to do something to contribute, and the best thing I could do was contribute to a community.”

Originally from the suburbs of Kansas City, Mo., Gloe moved to Sitka for the first time in 1997. He had been thinking about dropping out of college to build an orphanage in Africa, when a family friend took a cruise to Alaska and brought back a colorful brochure from Sheldon Jackson College.

“It looked really interesting,” said Gloe. “Classes in kayaking, natural resources. ... I thought this could be my segue into environmental law. That was my thinking at the time. Then things evolved and I didn’t want to be a lawyer.”

He said he was changed by his time in Sitka and at Sheldon Jackson, where he graduated in 1999 with a bachelor of science degree in natural resource management. After that he worked for the U.S. Forest Service on trail and cabin maintenance crews, and for a time with Maple Leaf Construction. At some point during his time here, his thoughts turned from environmental law toward contributing in another way.

“I wanted to find a way to make a difference in the community, I wanted to make a difference in Sitka,” he said. “I wanted to find something that would challenge me mentally and would offer a chance to be involved.”

When he was 25 he spent time in Ecuador and was impressed by the contributions made by doctors and other medical workers.

“I put it on the back burner, I thought, I’m way too old for this,” he said. But after taking another look, he reconsidered, “I’m not too old for this. I can do this. I wanted a job that requires responsibility.” 

He had considered a few careers, but after a friend passed away, he decided medicine was the right path.

“Then it made more and more sense,” Gloe said. “I never looked back.”

He studied for his MCATs – the test required for entry into medical school – and did well enough to earn a spot in the competitive WWAMI program in 2008. He spent his first year at the University of Alaska Anchorage, followed by his second year of medical studies at the University of Washington. Years three and four were spent on rotation in Seattle and around Alaska.

“I always wanted to come back to Sitka – that was the goal,” he said. “This place raised me. That’s the special thing about Sitka. It gives you the confidence to do things that other places don’t allow.” 

He said when he was away he missed the wilderness, but more than that he missed Sitka. “It’s the community people fall in love with.”

Gloe moved back to Sitka in mid-October with his wife, Amiee LeBlanc and their two Yupik daughters, Addy and Aurora.

Gloe said things are coming together for the family, with Addy and Aurora enrolled at Mt. Edgecumbe Preschool, and the family’s first outing to Kruzof, where their beachcombing efforts yielded a glass ball.

He’s also happy to be working for Sitka Community Hospital and Mountainside Family Healthcare, covering the emergency room, obstetrical services and inpatient care.

“It’s wonderful to be here in Sitka, there’s good people here to take care of,” he said. “It’s an exciting time at Sitka Community Hospital. There’s been a lot of challenges but there’s a time of opportunity to create something really good, and there’s a lot of people who want to do that as well.”

Hospital CEO Rob Allen said he’s happy to have Gloe aboard.

“The clinic has been understaffed – we’re happy to have another doctor joining the staff,” Allen said. “He’s lived in Sitka before and wanted to come back, and that’s a big plus.”

Allen said Gloe’s recent completion of his residency means he will bring a new perspective to the hospital about what’s happening outside Sitka in the world of medicine.