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Atkinson Family Practice
Providers

Kate Atkinson, MD, FAAFP, Medical Director

Dr. Kate received her medical degree at UMass Medical School in 1996 and completed her Family Medicine Residency at UMass in Worcester. She began her career as a Registered Nurse in California, having received her BSN from California State University in Los Angeles. Her work in Oncology and Hospice spurred her interest to transition to medicine from nursing. Dr. Kate is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and is Board-Certified by the American Board of Family Physicians. Kate and her husband Steve live in Amherst—their 4 kids are growing up much too quickly. You can often see her family performing in local theatrical productions, dancing or playing Ultimate. In her free time Dr Kate loves spinning and paddleboard Yoga. Doctor Kate can be reached via e-mail at katkinson@doctorkate.net.

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Michele Spirko, MD, Director of Public Health

Michele received her medical degree from the University of Connecticut in 1996 and stayed on at UConn to complete her Family Medicine Residency at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. Michele has a passion for teaching and completed a Faculty Development Fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, subsequently serving as faculty. She is currently Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Kinesiology at UMass Amherst. Michele and her husband have lived in Western Massachusetts since 2001, and she savored a prolonged career hiatus to stay home full-time and raise their growing family. An enthusiastic modern quilter, she can also be found cheering her kids on at sporting events, tackling DIY home projects, and expanding her perennial gardens. Time at the beach with her family (and dog!) is her favorite thing of all.

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Careen Bertheaud, PA-C

Careen is originally from Hampden, Massachusetts. She received her M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies at Bay Path University after graduating from the University of Rochester with a M.S. in Medical Humanities and Bioethics and UMass Amherst with a B.S. in Biology because she wanted to be a strong advocate for patients and their families. She was raised in Western Massachusetts and remains very family-oriented. Careen, her fiancé and four dogs now live in Hampden where they enjoy spending time outdoors, doing DIY projects, and giving back to their community whenever possible.

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Shayne Taylor, MD

Dr. Shayne Sebold Taylor (she/her) is very excited to join AFP and make western Massachusetts her new home.  She was born and raised amongst the saguaro cacti of Tucson, Arizona. She completed her undergraduate studies with concentrations in Biology and Women’s and Gender Studies at Emory University in Atlanta. Afterwards she did a brief stint in New York City before beginning medical school at Drexel University College of Medicine, where she was inducted into AOA and graduated with honors. Dr. Taylor moved south to Nashville, TN for her training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She completed a combined program in both internal medicine and pediatrics and holds board certifications in both fields. Dr. Taylor has spent the last five years. As an assistant professor of medicine at Vanderbilt. She founded and created the transgender clinic at Vanderbilt which expanded to include multiple specialties across the enterprise and has treated thousands of patients experiencing gender dysphoria. Dr. Taylor believes in the value of comprehensive and evidence-based primary care. She enjoys building deep and longitudinal relationships with her patients. She truly enjoys medicine and remains engaged in the constant pursuit of knowledge to improve her ability to care for patients. Dr. T is excited to be a part of the community in the Pioneer Valley. She brings along her husband and two (very cute) young daughters. She welcomes the opportunity to become your trusted physician. 

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Adam Corriveau, PA-C

Adam grew up in the woods of New Hampshire, and moved to Northampton in his 20s for the live music scene. He then attended culinary school in San Francisco and lived in Oakland, California, where the food and landscapes can't be beat. Adam worked in Boston and the Pioneer Valley as a chef in James Beard award winning restaurants for more than a decade. As his family and interest in healthcare grew, Adam pursued his Master's degree in the Westfield State University Physician Assistant Program. He completed his elective clinical rotation at Atkinson Family Health and was so impressed by the providers, staff, and patients in this community that he is thrilled to join this practice. He is deeply committed to ensuring that every member of the community has access to the highest quality healthcare. Adam lives in Northampton and loves oysters, cooking, the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s (in that order), playing whatever instrument he can find, and being outdoors or in far-flung places with his family. His wife and three children still make him cook sometimes.

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Katelyn Dutkiewicz, PA-C

Katelyn completed her undergraduate work at Smith College with a focus in psychology in 2004 and her degree as a physician assistant through Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science in 2008. Since then she has been happily practicing Family Medicine. She finds it a true pleasure to work with patients of all ages on their journey through life, and follows a team approach to care between patient and provider. She recognizes that health is comprised of mind, body and spirit, and passionately approaches patient care with that in mind always, embracing AFP integrative resources whenever possible. Born and raised in Westhampton, she is now happily settled back there with her husband and two beautiful daughters! Initially stationed at the Amherst office, she is now exclusively in Northampton hoping to embrace and support the community on “the other side of the bridge”! Spare time is scarce, but whenever possible she loves to stay active and fit cycling and running, gardening, and hustling around town with her children.

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Cory Rundle, NP

After living in California for 7 years, Cory moved to the Boston area to obtain her degree as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner at Simmons College. She has worked in many fields, most recently urgent care, but has always had a passion for primary care. She enjoys working with people who have chronic medical needs and working with them to find the best balance. She spends most of her free time taking care of small children and elderly parents, but one day hopes to return to rock climbing and contra dancing.

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Mark Ryan, PA-C

Born in Missouri, Mark grew up in Sutton, MA and first moved to the Pioneer Valley while completing his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from UMass Amherst, graduating in 2015. He then went on to graduate from the Physician Assistant program at Springfield College. During his training, Mark had the opportunity to complete a clinical rotation at Atkinson Family Practice. He greatly enjoyed working with the entire staff and patients. Mark was drawn to AFP’s integrative approach to patient care and welcoming atmosphere. In his spare time, he enjoys running, playing basketball, hiking, fishing, biking, and spending time with family.

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Alexis Severin, PA-C

Alexis grew up in Wilbraham and completed her Physician Assistant education at MCPHS University in Worcester after graduating from Worcester State. She is happy to be back in Western Mass where she enjoys being with family, reading, spending time outdoors hiking, kayaking, and snowboarding, and playing with her cat Mitts.

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Martha Spiro, FNP

Martha’s career began at The Chicago Women’s Health Center where she worked as a lay practitioner. She found her love in patient-centered health care and in 1985, she received an MS in Nursing from University of Illinois/Chicago and her Family Nurse Practitioner certification. Martha has worked as a primary care FNP for more than thirty years. She also works at The Care Center in Holyoke, an educational setting for teen mothers. Martha will be doing palliative care and home visits, long-held passions for her and she feels lucky to have connected with AFP. Martha spends her free time with her two adult children and newly adopted grandsons; she plays guitar and sings, hikes as many mountains as she can with her dog, and swims in any body of water that’ll have her.

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Miranda Tsoumas, PA-C

Originally from Belchertown, Miranda is one of our PA’s and graduated from the Springfield College Physician Assistant Program. Primary care has been a long dream of hers, and she loves building lasting relationships with her patients. Today, Miranda lives in Belchertown with her husband and enjoys spending time with her family whether it be camping, kayaking, hiking, or listening to/singing with her dad’s band. She also enjoys spending time with her sons Themis and Elias.

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Sarah Vacca, PA-C

Sarah grew up in Reno, NV, but went to college in Boston, MA and stuck around ever since graduating from BU in 2012. She chose to apply to PA school and is fortunate to have attended the Springfield College PA program which allowed her to stay in the Pioneer Valley, a community she has grown to love. In her free time, Sarah enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outside, and playing with dogs.

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