Jeffrey Stephens, M.D.

Jeffrey Stephens, M.D., Ph. D., is a Family Medicine Physician at Custer Clinic. Dr. Stephens grew up around medicine in the Metro Detroit area. His dad was an orthopedic surgeon and his mom was a scrub nurse. He decided to rebel and took a different path…at first. Dr. Stephens was drawn to the natural world and completed a master’s in Ecosystems Ecology and a Ph. D. in Wildlife Disease. As he neared the end of his Ph. D., though, he realized he wanted to work more directly with people and make a difference in their lives, just as his father and mother did.

That revelation led him to medical school at Wayne State, where he graduated with AOA honors in 2019. He started out in orthopedic surgery at Harbor-UCLA in Los Angeles and completed two grueling years there. Realizing it wasn’t the right fit, and after a lot of soul-searching, Dr. Stephens made the decision to switch to rural family medicine. And he’s never looked back.

Dr. Stephens brings an unconventional background to medicine, which he considers one of his biggest strengths. “Thinking like a scientist—especially an ecologist—gives me a different lens through which to understand health, systems, and patient care,” he says.

He finished his training through the Wray Rural Training Track with North Colorado Family Medicine, and is truly grateful to now be caring for the Custer community. To Dr. Stephens, “Practicing full-spectrum family medicine in Custer feels like coming home.”

While living in Los Angeles, Dr. Stephens met his wife Maria, who has been his strongest supporter. They now live in the Hills with an Australian Shepherd, Sandy, who keeps them busy and entertained with endless energy. Outside of the hospital, you may find Dr. Stephens with Maria in the garden, on the golf course, in the kitchen or on the bike. Additionally, forest health and invasive species management is a big interest which was the focus of some of his past academic work.

In his medical practice, Dr. Stephens is especially passionate about non-operative orthopedics and preventative care. He takes pride in providing high-quality, evidence-based fracture care. “One of the greatest joys for me in medicine is sparing someone surgery because of excellent fracture reduction and a perfect cast. I believe that excellent non-surgical musculoskeletal care is a vital part of rural medicine. I’m also deeply committed to preventative medicine and understanding how our environment influences human health. You can’t have healthy people without a healthy environment. I strive to bring that perspective into every patient interaction,” he says.

Dr. Stephens’ other hobbies include: baseball, hockey, golf, weight lifting, homebrewing and beer science, flying and building remote controlled airplanes and drones, scuba diving, horticulture and landscaping, offshore and fly fishing, cooking, hiking, camping and bushcraft.