UP Health System – Bell Welcomes Family Medicine Physicians, Emily French, MD and Christopher Smith, MD

ISHPEMING, MI | August 31, 2021 | UP Health System – Bell Family Medicine is pleased to welcome Emily French, MD, and Christopher Smith, MD. Dr. French and Dr. Smith join us from La Crosse, WI, where they completed their family medicine residency at Mayo Clinic this past June.

The couple met in 2015 while attending medical school at Central Michigan University College of Medicine in Mount Pleasant, MI, and were married in 2019 while both were completing residency at Mayo Clinic Health System. “I had fallen in love with the Upper Peninsula during my first visit to the region in 2013. So, when I married Emily – whose family is from Escanaba – it seemed like a natural goal to return to the area to continue our careers and lay down roots,” said Dr. Smith.

“The Upper Peninsula has always been my home,” said Dr. French. “We are so excited for the opportunity to create our practices here, caring for both inpatients and clinic patients at UP Health System – Bell.”

Dr. French and Dr. Smith will provide care for the whole family, including annual, well-child, and sports physicals, chronic and acute illnesses, diabetes care, preventative health and immunizations, women’s health and contraception, geriatric and pediatric medicine, and care of minor injuries.

Dr. Smith says one of the most important roles as a family medicine physician is being an educator for his patients. “The more knowledge I can provide to a patient about their disease, the better we can work together to manage and improve their health,” he said. 

“My care philosophy is to treat each of my patients as a whole,” said Dr. French. “Caring for who they are as a person, not just treating their symptoms, is the most important aspect of medicine to me.”

Outside of work, Dr. French and Dr. Smith enjoy a host of hobbies together, including outdoor recreation, hiking, biking, skiing, camping, hunting, and fishing. Dr. French describes herself as an exercise fanatic who is always on the move, while Dr. Smith enjoys DIY carpentry and automotive projects.

Dr. French and Dr. Smith join Dr. Wayne Carlson, Dr. Hilary Metcalf, Dr. Michael Prevost, Dr. Amelia Sramek, and Dr. Riley Torreano at UP Health System – Bell Family Medicine, located at 901 Lakeshore Drive in Ishpeming, MI. Appointments may be made online at BellHospital.org/Find-a-Doctor/Online-Scheduling by calling 906.485.2687. For more information, visit BellHospital.org/FamilyMedicine.