ALPINE – Two new doctors at Big Bend Regional Medical Center and one returning to its family clinic were introduced at a meet and greet at the Holland Hotel last week.
Dr. Scott Emerick of Alpine will be a general surgeon and Daniel Vande Lune of Sun City Orthopedic of El Paso will commute to Alpine twice a month to see orthopedic patients.
Dr. Rafael Escovar moved up to surgery last year but has returned to the family clinic. He explained that he enjoyed surgery but the long hours were causing a problem for his young family. Dr. Emerick lives in Alpine and has more than 30 years of surgery experience. He has been practicing in Fort Stockton.
He is a Board-Certified General Surgeon and has always had an interest in medicine, but found he has a better aptitude for surgical procedures.
He was trained at the Indiana University School of Medicine and did his residency at Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Emerick enjoys music and plays the concertina. In his spare time, he enjoys farming and gardening activities along with home improvement projects and likes staying physically fit. His hobbies are related to railroads and John Deere tractors. Dr. Emerick is married to Irene, a nurse anesthetist, and they have two sons and two Golden Retrievers.
Dr. Daniel Vande Lune is an orthopedic surgeon who received his medical degree from University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.
Orthopedic surgeons diagnose and treat ailments affecting muscles, bones and joints, treating sports injuries, degenerative diseases, tumors, infections and birth defects. They regularly perform joint repair and replacement operations.
He graduated from University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1991. He is also affiliated with hospitals like Foundation Surgical Hospital of El Paso and Las Palmas Medical Center.
Dr. Escovar, is a Board-Certified Family Medicine Physician and will see patients at the clinic Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
He attended Rice University as an undergraduate where he received degrees in chemistry and economics.
He earned his medical degree and an MBA at Texas Tech University School of Medicine and was a resident at Williamsport Family Medicine in Williamsport, PA. He speaks fluent English and Portuguese and is conversational Spanish and French.
He is married to Alpine Pediatrician Dr. Ekta Escovar and they have two children.