Meet Your Doctors: Dr. Michael Keehn

Ask Dr. Michael L. Keehn of Netawaka who inspired him to become a family doctor, and he’ll give you a list of some of his favorite TV shows from the 1960s and 1970s.

“I don’t think that there was one individual who was an inspiration, but I do remember ‘Doc’ Adams from ‘Gunsmoke,’ ‘Marcus Welby M.D.’ and the ‘M*A*S*H’ series catching my attention,” says Keehn, who has been seeing patients at Muddy Creek Family Clinic in his hometown of Netawaka since 2006.

Keehn grew up in northern Jackson County, attending grade schools in Netawaka and Whiting and graduating from Jackson Heights High School in 1981. He attended Highland Community College for two years, then went on to graduate from Kansas State University with a degree in biology and later from the University of Kansas, where he earned his Doctor of Medicine degree.

His residency was served at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

“After three years of residency, I served for four more years in Africa, Germany and Macedonia,” he said.

After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1998 while stationed at Fort Monroe, Va., Keehn returned to Jackson County, starting his local work at Westside Family Practive with Dr. Joel Hutchins at the old Holton Community Hospital before opening the Netawaka clinic in September of 2006.

Keehn has been around the world, but he chooses to call Netawaka home.

“This community is great for raising children,” he said. “And I appreciate how quickly people join together to help those in need.”

Keehn and his wife Julie have four children — Jessica, 17; Kaleb, 15; Alyssa, 14; and Chloe, 5 — along with “our registered Herefords” as pets. His parents, Ernest and Lavon Keehn, also continue to make their home in Netawaka.

In his free time, Keehn enjoys “working on fat-fendered Fords, flatheads and fishing.” He is also a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Netawaka and the VFW post in Holton.

When asked what piece of medical advice he would give all his patients, Keehn’s response is simple yet effective.

“Laughter and faith in God are valuable ingredients for a healthy life, in addition to exercise and eating healthy,” he said.

Muddy Creek Family Clinic is located at 200 White Way in Netawaka. For more information, contact the clinic at (785) 933-2000.