Local Doctors Sean & Sarah Beeson Are Happy to Serve the Greenwood Community

Photographer / Ellie Sophia Photography

Not many people can say they met over a dead body, but such was the case for Sean and Sarah Beeson, who shared the same dissection group at Franklin College and began dating soon after. Both Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, they are fully licensed physicians who now practice medicine together at Johnson Memorial Health Greenwood Primary Care Center.

“We got married the week after graduation, went on our honeymoon and started residency,” Sean says. “We figured we had to get it done all in one fell swoop due to our busy schedules.”

Sean and Sarah gravitated towards a career in family medicine as they wanted to care for patients of all ages and stages of life.

“It’s really rewarding to see not only the newborn but also the teenager and the mom and dad,” Sarah says. “Knowing each member of the family helps us manage their care.”

The Beesons both have a master of science in medical education, which means they were teachers all through residency. Now they have DO students from Marion College who daily rotate through their clinic.

“In med school, you have to do rotations during your third and fourth years — in family medicine, specifically,” Sarah says. “That’s what we’re doing with them. We’re their preceptor.”

The Beesons thoroughly enjoy teaching the next generation. Having med students there also forces them to stay abreast on all different subjects in the field of medicine.

“We are always reading material because the students ask questions, and they have to stay up-to-date to pass boards so it’s kind of two-fold,” Sean says. “Plus, it helps the patients because they often tell their story twice. That way nothing is missed.”

“It’s nice to have fresh minds in the room,” Sarah adds. “Having the students here is one of our favorite parts of our job.”

For a number of years, Sean, a Greenwood High School graduate, was the recipient of the Katie Robards Memorial Scholarship through the Johnson Memorial Health Foundation. The scholarship financially assists Johnson County residents who are pursuing careers in a health-related field at accredited colleges or universities in Indiana. When it was time to determine where they wanted to settle down, Sean felt a pull to return to his roots.

“I wanted to give back to and care for the community that has so graciously given to me through the years,” Sean says.

Most of the pair’s free time is spent teaching and developing plans with their students. They also like to visit with Sarah’s family in St. Louis. Sean is active in triathlons and is currently training for the 2019 Ironman in Louisville, which involves a 2.5-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26-mile run. He’s already completed a half Ironman in Muncie in 2017 and a full marathon in Carmel last spring.

“I have a coach, and my schedule is loaded up,” says Sean, who rises at 4:45 a.m. each day to swim laps, then does his bike rides and runs after work. “I’m motivated to finish this out.”

Sarah dabbles in photography and especially likes taking pictures of their dogs Wiley (5), Tazz (4) and Daphne (2). All three are Tollers (short for Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever), which, according to Sarah, are super hyper. A mix of retrievers, spaniels and setters, this breed is alert, intelligent and “crazy!” says Sarah, who recently won a photography award in London for her canine photography skills.

Both big animal lovers, when they lived in Erie, Pennsylvania, completing their residencies at Millcreek Community Hospital, they volunteered to train dogs to run agility courses.

The Beesons are healthy, happy and living in the moment. And they couldn’t be more thrilled to help other families embrace their moments as well. Recently Sean saw a patient who thanked him profusely for identifying an abnormal rhythm of the heart and sending him to a cardiologist.

“You saved my life,” the patient stated.

“I didn’t do anything special, but I must say, it keeps us going to know we’re making an impact,” Sean says. “I honestly couldn’t imagine waking up in the morning and doing anything else. Medicine is ingrained in us.”

Johnson Memorial Health Greenwood Primary Care Center is located at 1000 US-31 in Greenwood or you can give them a call at 317-215-7966.