Gregory Bongers says his decision to become a doctor was simply a process of elimination.

“I grew up in a small town, Marysville, Kansas,” he says. “When you grow up in a small town there are pretty much three career choices if you want a professional job. You can be a doctor, a dentist or a lawyer. I didn’t want to be a lawyer, I’d seen too many pictures of bad teeth, so the only thing left was to be a doctor.”

He laughs, to make it clear that he’s joking, at least partially. Bongers (pronounced with a soft g) is quick-witted. Told that he looks much younger than his 42 years, he responds, “Clean living and Oil of Olay.”

But he has a serious side, too, especially when it comes to the practice he shares with three other doctors at Derby Family Medical Center. The busy complex, he says, “is a true medical home.” It has diagnostic equipment such as an MRI and CT Scan, an on-site pharmacy, a surgical center and a 12-hour appointment day. “A lot of people need urgent or emergent care, but not really emergency care. We try to be available,” Bongers says.

Bongers, who received his education at the University of Kansas Medical Center, lives in Wichita with his wife, Chandi, and three children, Hannah, Braden and Sydney. When he’s not spending time with his family, he’s active in the Blessed Sacrament Men’s Club and tries to stay in shape by playing golf and tennis. In fact, he has every Wednesday afternoon reserved for 18 holes of golf and two sets of tennis.

“I try to keep myself balanced,” he says. “Work is very important but so is spending time with family and friends and keeping yourself fit mentally and physically.”