Hopeman, who grew up in Seattle, visited the Wood River Valley during childhood with her family, pursuing skiing, ice skating, swimming and hiking. She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in molecular biology and biochemistry at Middlebury College in Vermont, where she also minored in Spanish.

She then worked for four years as an outdoor educator and guide for the National Outdoor Leadership School, leading extended trips throughout the western United States—including Alaska—and Patagonia, Chile.

“It was an incredible experience to teach and to develop leadership skills during those post-college years,” she said. “During that same time, I also taught remote medicine courses for a Seattle-based company, Remote Medical International. The experiences complemented each other well, especially when medical emergencies came up in the backcountry.”

Hopeman then returned to school, completing her medical degree—as well as obtaining a Master of Business Administration degree—at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, through a combined program with the Geisel School of Medicine and the Tuck School of Business.

She then went on to Seattle Children’s Hospital for her pediatric residency. She completed the rural Alaska Track Program, traveling between Anchorage, Fairbanks and Seattle over the three years of her residency to expand her training and gain more experience in primary care and rural medicine.

Hopeman said she became a pediatrician “to get to know my patients and their families deeply, for the opportunity to be an educator and partner in helping patients and their families improve their health and navigate the health-care system.

“I have always had a passion for nutrition, healthy lifestyles, childhood development, and taking a holistic/functional approach to medicine.”

Being a pediatrician also allows her to be “present for salient moments throughout a family’s development—from birth to potty training, to starting school, to young adulthood and all of the ups and downs and variations that path can take,” she said. “I also love working with children for their bright energies, funny comments, enthusiasm to learn about their bodies, and eagerness to be heard and treated with respect at every age.”

She has always wanted to work in a small, rural town, Hopeman said.

Hopeman said the Wood River Valley has held a special place in her heart for a long time. She and her husband, Riley, have spent significant time in the area and were married at Galena Lodge in 2013. The couple has four children.

“This area is incredible for the opportunities to engage in outdoor activities, the outstanding cultural events that come through each year, and the wonderful, caring community that has been fostered by everyone here,” Hopeman said. “We really couldn’t be happier to be a part of it all.”