The OBGYN team at Cody Regional Health has been intentionally built around collaboration, mutual respect, and shared commitment to patient care. You will join colleagues who chose this practice deliberately, who have stayed because it works, and who have created a culture they protect carefully. The physicians and advanced practice providers here support each other through difficult cases, cover each other's patients without complaint, and genuinely enjoy working together. This matters more than it might seem on paper. The team prioritizes finding a new colleague who values teamwork and treats support staff with respect.
Andrea Chisholm, MD serves as the full-time OBGYN and Medical Director for the clinic building. Dr. Chisholm joined Cody Regional Health in 2017 after spending her entire career in the Northeast, training at Boston University School of Medicine and completing her residency at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. She brings over 20 years of clinical experience in comprehensive obstetrics and gynecology, with particular interest in reproductive mood disorders and women's health across the lifespan. Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Chisholm serves on the Clinical Advisory Board for the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders and contributes as an Editorial Board Member at VeryWell Health. She previously held faculty positions as Assistant Clinical Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Chisholm came to Cody seeking escape from the hospital conglomerate culture consuming academic medicine in the Northeast. She found what she hoped for: meaningful work where she knows her patients, genuine autonomy in her practice, and a community that values its physicians. Her enthusiasm for the practice and the community is genuine, and she actively participates in the recruitment process to ensure new colleagues share the values that make the team work. Outside of medicine, she is an accomplished endurance athlete who has completed events including the Rut vertical kilometer at Big Sky and a 30-mile Grand Canyon traverse.
Julianna Papez, DO joined the practice in a part-time capacity, working eight clinic days and seven call days per month. Dr. Papez is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology with clinical interests in infertility, high-risk pregnancies, and surgical gynecologic care. She completed her medical degree at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California, and her residency at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, Michigan. She holds certification through The Menopause Society for perimenopause and postmenopausal care.
Dr. Papez represents exactly the kind of creative staffing arrangement that Cody Regional Health now embraces. A Montana native from Billings, she and her husband, who grew up on a ranch outside Belfry, Montana, have three children. Her decision to practice part-time reflects a deliberate choice to maintain presence in her children's lives while continuing meaningful clinical work. Her schedule provides weekend call relief for the team while allowing her to practice the full scope of OB/GYN during her clinic weeks.
Laura Pleban, ANP has been with the practice for nine years, providing continuity and institutional knowledge that grounds the team. She earned her degree from the University of Colorado and brings a holistic approach to women's health that addresses mind, body, and spirit. Laura handles prenatal intakes, routine gynecologic care, and problem visits that allow physicians to focus on complex cases and surgical patients. Her longevity in the practice speaks to the environment the team has created. Outside of work, she enjoys running, hiking, and cycling in the surrounding mountains.
Layne Lash, C-FNP provides comprehensive care across obstetrics, gynecology, and primary care settings. Originally from Cheyenne, Wyoming, she earned both her BSN and MSN from the University of Wyoming and became board certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in 2011. Her clinical interests include sexual health and preventive wellness, with emphasis on patient education and early intervention. Layne serves on the Wyoming Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee as the Advanced Practice Provider representative and previously received Employee of the Year recognition at St. John's Health.
Alyssa Whitlock, WHNP is a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner with over five years of nursing experience in obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn care. She earned her MSN from Frontier Nursing University and brings clinical background spanning labor and delivery, postpartum care, newborn support, and high-risk obstetrics. Her scope includes prenatal and postpartum care, contraceptive counseling, routine gynecologic screenings, and outpatient procedures including IUD and Nexplanon insertion and removal, and endometrial biopsies. She holds certifications in neonatal resuscitation, fetal monitoring, and basic life support.
The clinical nursing team includes experienced staff who have been with the practice for years and know the patient population, the workflows, and the physicians' preferences. The office runs efficiently because these team members handle the administrative and clinical support that allows providers to focus on patient care. The practice culture extends to support staff, who are treated as valued team members rather than interchangeable employees. This stability matters in a small practice where relationships determine daily function.
The team functions as a genuine unit rather than individuals sharing office space. When you join, you inherit colleagues who will cover your patients with the same attention they give their own, who will answer questions without judgment, and who will support you through difficult cases. The practice explicitly seeks physicians who will contribute to this culture rather than disrupt it.