Dr. Julie DeTemple has very specific memories of the teachers and moments that inspired her to become the successful physician and business owner she is today.
DeTemple, a 1990 graduate of Wheeling Park High School, fondly remembers her second grade teacher at Elm Grove Elementary School. The teacher was Asako McConn, and DeTemple said she still thinks of her to this day.
“She instilled in me an incredible work ethic,” DeTemple said. “At 50 years old, I still think of the values and work ethic that I learned through her. I see it to this very day. I would love to let her know how things turned out for me. She really stood out (as an educator).”
DeTemple is now a physician specializing in family medicine. She is the owner of Family Health Associates of Kanawha Valley, PLLC, the medical director of Stonerise Home Health, of Charleston, and the medical director for the University of Charleston Physician Assistant program.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Marshall University in Biology in 1994, where she was a Yeager Scholar– and Doctorate of Medicine from West Virginia University in 1998. She completed a residency in Family Medicine at Charleston Area Medical Center, and went on to co-found Family Health Associates of the Kanawha Valley in 2000. DeTemple was conferred the Degree of Fellow from the American Academy of Family Physicians in 2014. She has been named "Best in the Valley" for the Kanawha Valley on numerous occasions.
DeTemple knew from an early age that she would one day become a medical professional. She created artwork depicting her future profession and presented it to her mother.
“I made a drawing of myself when I was in third grade, and I was dressed like a doctor and wearing a stethoscope,” DeTemple said. “She saved that drawing, and I still have it somewhere. I was in third grade, and I knew I wanted to be a physician. My mom was a nurse, so maybe that’s what got me into it.”
DeTemple attended Bridge Street Junior High before attending Wheeling Park High School. She said she is grateful for the education she received in Ohio County Schools. She said Wheeling Park High School and science teacher Barbara Sterling were important in establishing her career path.
“My time at Park changed the trajectory of my life,” DeTemple said. “I had an amazing education (at Wheeling Park and in Ohio County Schools). I had a mentor, and that was Barbara Sterling. She helped me to get to the International Science and Engineering Fair where I represented Park on two occasions. Those types of things can help you earn scholarships and open so many opportunities. She took her time, and she was dedicated to her students. I was just one of the students who reaped the rewards.”
DeTemple finds her career rewarding in that, as a family physician, she has the ability to impact her patient's lives on a daily basis. She has also been able to offer her skills globally through several medical mission trips through Bible Center Church, where she and her family are active members.
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