FAIRMONT – Dr. Trevor Chan and Dr. Ingrid Chan practice family medicine in every sense of the term. The husband and wife duo of family medicine practitioners joined the team of physicians at Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont earlier this month after a circuitous route around the world completing their medical studies.

“The first year, we were in the United Kingdom. We went to Newcastle,” Trevor said. “Then the second year, we went to the West Indies, and the third and fourth year, we were in New York.”

Originally from small towns in Canada, the couple recently completed their medical residency training at Hennepin County Medical Center Family and Community Health Residency in Minneapolis. Even during residency, they opted to embark on a mission trip to the Philippines.

“Obviously, we like traveling, and we got to experience a lot of cultures,” Ingrid said. “You learn from different types of people, and I think that’s helped us to be who we are, to be open-minded and not be judgmental.”

Although they have a passion for traveling, their shared desire of returning to a smaller city and the reputation of the Mayo system lured them to Fairmont.

“We came here several times before we even signed (with Mayo),” Trevor said. “We grew up in small towns, and after experiencing a lot of culture in the UK and New York City and Minneapolis, we wanted to go back to a small town. We had enough of the hustle and bustle. We didn’t even know our neighbors.”

“When we came to visit Fairmont, we enjoyed the people. They were all so genuine and truly helpful,” Ingrid said. “Even now, these first few weeks, everybody’s always checking in on us and making sure we’re surviving.”

The Chans say they’ve been together “forever and ever,” since their first year of undergraduate studies and marrying right before their residencies. Currently their family consists of two dogs, a Jack Russell terrier and a Pomeranian, who share their new home on Budd Lake.

Trevor said the lakes were a “huge draw” in their decision to move to Fairmont, although he ruefully admits that paying off school loans and a mortgage take priority over buying a boat at this time.

“The only thing we’ve been doing is sitting on the dock with our dogs and dipping our feet in the water. I love our home,” Ingrid said.

“And our two dogs love it too,” Trevor said.

“I don’t think our dogs have been this happy in a long time,” Ingrid said, adding that it was a challenge exercising them in the city. “The Jack Russell, seriously, has had a chronic smile on her face since we moved.”

Ingrid favors tennis, but Trevor is a golf enthusiast and has been scouting local courses. He was surprised and gratified when a patient gifted him with a special pass to one of the courses.

“There’s no way something like that would happen in Minneapolis,” he said.

The couple started seeing patients at the clinic two weeks ago and look forward to building relationships with area families, from prenatal to geriatric care.

“I enjoy getting to know the whole family. It’s a privilege,” Trevor said. “It helps to know the family and what they’re capable of. Then you can come up with a plan that’s tailored to them.”

“If you know the family, you know how their lifestyle is, so you have ways to work around their lifestyle, figure out what works for them. I think that’s helpful,” Ingrid said.

The support of the Mayo medical system and its employees also provide a benefit to the Chans.

“We like the Mayo philosophy and to be able to collaborate with the best of the best,” Trevor said. “It’s an honor to work with those people. Rochester is just at our fingertips. We’re able to consult with world-renowned specialists.”

“We’ve always tried to help the underserved, and that goes back to the philosophy of Mayo,” Ingrid said.

“My advisor said that once you work with Mayo, you’re not going to want to work with anybody else. They’re that great,” Trevor said.

With a strong sense of humor, the Chans have been adjusting to their lives, facing the challenge of unpacking mounds of moving boxes at home and coping with an unfamiliar computer system at work, but they are excited about their future in Fairmont.

“We’re at the stage of our life where we want kids,” Trevor said. “We want to start a family, raise them and grow old here – and pay off our student loans and mortgage.”