DRS. JAKE & CHRISTINA MUTCHW&M grads, back in the ‘burg.
Both Virginia natives, Christina and I met at the College of William and Mary in January 2008.
There, we could frequently be found studying health science together in the Wren Building or running with the local club on the trail.
We quickly realized we enjoyed learning about health so much that we became set on pursuing medicine.
OFF TO THE MOUNTAINS Small-town charm, firsthand.
After a brief stint in Richmond, VA for some graduate training, we decided city life just wasn’t for us (no offense, Richmond; we love your kombucha). We married in 2013, and headed west for Lewisburg, WV, where we both attended the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. (What is Osteopathic Medicine?)
Lewisburg radiates small town charm. It has one coffee shop, two bakeries, and a slice of pizza we’re still crazy about. Everybody knows everybody there, and for us, it was the perfect place to learn what it means to be a doctor.
The town is small enough that it’s commonplace to see your own doctor walking down the street on the way to the market. They would wave, say hello, and ask about the family (as the doctor would generally take care of them all).
MOUNTAIN MEDICINE, REVISITEDThe path to family medicine.
In our second year, we spent a month with a medical outreach trip to the Himalayas, eager to see what tending the needs of a mountain village would entail. We didn’t bring much: just the medicine, our supplies, and a folding exam table with us on the plane.
Half a world away, it became clear to us what happens when you remove all the obstacles and distractions. Only one thing remained: the moment shared between the doctor and the patient.
From then on, we were hooked. We wanted to be the type of doctors that would sit down with a patient and do whatever we could to help. We wanted to take care of the whole village. We wanted to be Family Physicians.
With that in mind, Christina and I moved back to where we first met, put out a shingle, and set ourselves to the task of bringing back the small-town feel to doctoring.
A brief word on our why.
When we started this practice, we couldn’t ignore the glaring issues within the traditional healthcare system. The long waits, rushed visits, and impersonal care—it all felt broken, and we knew there had to be a better way. So, we set out on a mission to create something entirely different, something that didn’t just fix the problems but redefined the experience altogether, to make going to the doctor’s office refreshing and delightful.
We are set on delivering that promise through what we call elevated primary care, a Michelin-star level of service where proactive, forward-thinking medicine meets expert care coordination—all provided by wellness-minded physicians who truly understand the importance of personalized care. Year after year we’re so grateful that the message has spread, the practice has grown, new doctors and crew have joined the Defiant team.
We’re excited to continue bringing this level of care to our little corner of the universe, and hope you consider joining us!
Stay Well Out There,
Jake & Christina
