When athletes take the field in Aberdeen, South Dakota, there’s a good chance Kendall Vogel, a family and sports medicine doctor with Sanford Health, isn’t too far away.
“Sanford, the city of Aberdeen, everybody has been just so welcoming. I think we made the right choice,” Dr. Vogel said.
The Air Force veteran recently moved to the community where he is the team doctor for Northern State University.
“I grew up in a town of less than 2,000 so this is like big city for me just from a city standpoint,” Dr. Vogel said.
Working the sidelines with athletic trainers is a sort of homecoming for the former Division I Wisconsin wrestler.
“It’s been awesome to be able to get back into that, get back on the sidelines because that’s the fun stuff,” Dr. Vogel said. “Everything about medicine is a team approach.”
NSU director of athletics Nate Davis adds, “We’re just thankful for the partnership and proud to be working with Sanford on a regular basis. We know they’re giving our student athletes tremendous care and getting them back returning to play as soon as possible.”
‘Veterans bring a unique, distinctive set of qualities’
The close-knit, rural Aberdeen community spoke to Dr. Vogel and his family when he was transitioning out of the military. He loves interacting with the people he serves and running into patients at local events like the homecoming parade.
“It’s unique and I like that. Some people shy away from having that experience with patients, but I appreciate that. Being able to bring my family in and experience Aberdeen in all its glory,” Dr. Vogel said. “That’s awesome.”
Sanford Aberdeen administrator and CEO Kila Legrand says while Dr. Vogel oversees athletic trainers at Northern State and local high schools, he keeps his team marching forward in harmony.
“We have tons of connections to the community. The university is just one of them,” Legrand said. “We enjoy the commitment to the community. Being able to provide that rural health care close to home is very important to us.”
Also a priority: being an employer of choice for veterans, those serving in the military and their spouses.
“Our military personnel and veterans bring a unique, distinctive set of qualities and traits to the team,” Legrand said. “They have a background and commitment like no other. Having those veterans on the team not only benefits us, it supports the community, it supports them and it really ties into our mission as well.”
Dr. Vogel, who reached the rank of major, adds, “It’s nerve-racking to leave the military, leave that consistency, that environment that you know. To have an organization that’s willing to help you through that process, to recognize the anxieties that go along with that is super helpful. Having that as a mission and a goal is I think super awesome.”
Helping athletes ‘brings me the most joy’
Before Aberdeen, Dr. Vogel started the first primary care sports medicine clinic, working with pararescuemen, at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. He then deployed with Special Operations Task Force – North and West Africa as deputy command surgeon.
“Pretty neat experience. Those guys are pretty high-speed. They need a sports medicine doc – let’s put it that way,” Dr. Vogel said.
There are many parallels between providing care in the military and what he does now, even if it’s helping a child move past a cast.
“Having that kind of team-based approach to taking somebody from the high emotion of, ‘everything is over, terrible,’ to, ‘no, this is our plan, and we can get you back on the field.’ I think that’s the thing that brings me the most joy, particularly with athletes,” Dr. Vogel said.
Davis points out Dr. Vogel brings an attitude of service and experience to the field.
“As a former collegiate athlete himself, he works really hard to understand the mindset of what these student athletes are going through when they get injured,” Davis said.
Dr. Vogel is not the first in his family to join the Air Force. He was born in California when his dad was in Air Force linguist school.
No longer grappling with where to start his post-military career, Dr. Vogel is grateful to land in rural South Dakota.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better spot just for what I was looking from a job perspective, the opportunities that I have for my family here,” Dr. Vogel said.
Learn more
- Sanford nursing leader draws on 20 years in Air Force
- For Sanford, recognizing veterans goes beyond Veterans Day
- Sanford Aberdeen celebrates a decade of growth
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Posted In Family Medicine, Orthopedics, Rural Health, Sports Medicine, Veterans
