By David Coryer • Photos by Jessica McCafferty
In today’s healthcare world, technology is no longer just a helpful tool—it’s transforming how doctors interact with patients and manage care. Dr. Aubrey Wheeler, a family medicine physician at the University of Vermont Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh, is leading the charge in adopting advanced technologies like EPIC, an electronic medical record platform and Abridge, a platform that transforms patient and provider conversation into structured clinical notes using generated AI.
Dr. Wheeler’s journey into medicine took her from Texas to Canada, and eventually into the Air Force. After completing her undergraduate degree at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada and earning her medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Wheeler received a Health Professions Scholarship from the Air Force. This program supports medical students in exchange for future service, meaning Dr. Wheeler entered active duty as a newly minted physician. She completed her residency in a combined military-civilian program in Illinois, training alongside both Air Force and civilian doctors, gaining a unique understanding of both healthcare systems.
Wheeler’s first military assignment took her to North Dakota. Although far from Texas, she found North Dakota’s flat landscapes and cold weather were offset by a close-knit community of colleagues. “We were all young professionals, many just starting our families,” she recalled, describing life on the base as “like living on Sesame Street.” She made lifelong friendships and built invaluable experiences while treating a largely healthy military population, preparing her for the next steps in her career.
The Air Force later stationed Wheeler in Germany, where she continued to hone her skills, working in diverse environments and even deploying to Djibouti, Africa. Her deployment exposed her to unique medical challenges, which she handled as part of a strategic U.S. presence in the region. By the time Wheeler returned to the States, she had acquired a wealth of experience treating a variety of patient populations under different healthcare conditions.
In the few short years since Wheeler joined CVPH, she has become an EPIC super user – a person who has undergone extensive training and gained in-depth knowledge of the Epic system, and provides support for end-users in their departments before, during and after implementation of the EPIC Electronic Health Record (EHR) system.
The implementation of EPIC at CVPH represents a significant leap forward in how patient records are managed and how care is delivered. Dr. Wheeler expressed her enthusiasm for the platform, describing it as a vast improvement over the clunky, outdated military system she had used previously. With EPIC, providers can easily access patient information, streamline documentation and ultimately enhance the overall quality of care.
One of the most exciting advancements Wheeler is helping implement at CVPH is Abridge, which uses ambient listening to assist doctors with note-taking. “Abridge lets me pay attention to my patients, instead of typing during the visit,” she explained. “It listens to our conversation and generates the notes for me, which I can review and tweak afterward.”
Technology is making a huge difference, especially for doctors like Wheeler who want to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time engaging with their patients. And that’s critical in a time when burnout is a real concern for healthcare providers. By cutting down the time spent on paperwork, Abridge helps doctors get back to what they love—practicing medicine.
For a region like the North Country, where recruiting and retaining medical professionals can be tough, having cutting-edge tools like EPIC and Abridge is a big draw. “These technologies not only reduce the burden on doctors, but show that we’re serious about staying on the forefront of healthcare,” Dr. Wheeler said. “It’s one more reason for new doctors to consider building their careers here.”
While she’s optimistic about the benefits of AI and EHR, Wheeler is careful to point out that technology should never replace the human side of medicine. “We can’t let tech take away the personal relationships we have with our patients,” she emphasized. “The trust between a doctor and patient is irreplaceable, and that’s something technology should enhance, not replace.”
Dr. Wheeler specializes in Adult Medicine, Primary Care, Family Medicine, and Pediatrics. She’s passionate about building long-term relationships with her patients and their families, and her philosophy is simple: provide evidence-based, whole-person care while educating patients to make informed decisions about their health.
As healthcare in the North Country continues to evolve, it’s clear that professionals like Dr. Aubrey Wheeler—backed by innovative technologies—are driving positive change. These advancements not only improve patient care, but also make the region a more attractive place for doctors to live and work. From a recruiter’s perspective, these investments in technology only improve our collective ability to attract healthcare professionals to our region, which is good for all involved — patients, doctors, our hospital, and our beloved North Country community.
The Future of AI in Healthcare
You’ve likely heard about artificial intelligence (AI) — technology that enables computers to do things that would otherwise require a human’s brain. In other words, machines can be given access to large amounts of information and trained to solve problems, spot patterns and make recommendations.
What you might not know is that AI is currently being used for a variety of applications. Here is how it can be helpful in healthcare.
• Producing test results faster.
• Matching patients with the most promising clinical trials.
• Detecting imperceptible conditions.
• Anticipating disease-risk years in advance.
Writer profile: David Coryer is the Vice President and co-founder of Coryer Staffing, a Plattsburgh-based firm that provides specialized staffing solutions for healthcare and other industries.
UVMHN-CVPH Family Medicine
159 Margaret Street, Suite 100
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
518 314-3939
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