Dr. Kandice Beenken, an orthopedic surgeon, has joined the Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Department at the Essentia Heath-Duluth Clinic in Duluth, Minnesota. “I was drawn to the collaborative environment I found not only within the orthopedics group, but also throughout the Essentia Health organization,” says. Dr. Beenken. “Caregivers here seem to truly want to do what is best for each patient, and that is important to me as a physician.” Dr. Beenken earned a medical degree from Des Moines University in Des Moines, Iowa, and she completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at McLaren Macomb Medical Center in Mount Clemens, Michigan. Dr. Beenken completed fellowships in adult reconstruction at Desert Orthopedic Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, in orthopedic trauma at the San Diego Orthopedic Trauma Fellowship in San Diego, California, and a second in orthopedic trauma at John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, Australia. Dr. Beenken also serves as a flight surgeon for the Air National Guard out of Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan. “After I completed my training, I was interested in moving back to the Midwest to be closer to my family, and I was looking for an opportunity that would allow me to work in both trauma and adult joint reconstruction,” explains Dr. Beenken. “I found all of that and more here at Essentia Health, and I look forward to joining this talented team.”