Dr. Thomas Repas is a familiar name to many Campbell County residents. Dr. Repas is an Endocrinologist, a specialist in the complex chemical communication systems within the human body—essentially, how the body uses energy to fuel its metabolism. There are very few endocrinologists in the state and region, and many local patients have traveled to see Dr. Repas in Rapid City, SD.
Endocrinologists are commonly thought of as physicians who provide intensive diabetes care, but Dr. Repas also treats conditions of the thyroid (including thyroid cancer), parathyroid, and patients with lipid (cholesterol) disease and osteoporosis. He also performs a number of diagnostic and treatment procedures related to his various subspecialties.
Dr. Repas is Board Certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Clinical Lipidology, Nutrition and Internal Medicine, and is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Sanford School of Medicine at the
University of South Dakota. He lectures extensively all over the United States, and believes that teaching is another way to make a difference in the lives of others, in addition to treating patients.
Dr. Repas is able to maintain his practice and travel schedule from his farm in the Black Hills. He and his wife, Jeanne have one son, Nathan. He is a fourth generation beekeeper, and 2016 will mark the 35th year since he got his first hives at the age of 13. Dr. Repas has a small queen breeding business selling queen bees to backyard and hobby beekeepers, focusing on breeding gentle, productive, disease-resistant and winter-hardy honey bees adapted to our northern climate.
"It's amazing that I can live in a place like this, travel the country, and then come home," he says.
Patients must have a referral from another physician to see Dr. Repas. His philosophy is to work with the patient's primary physician to coordinate their treatment plan. Patients with diabetes will soon be able to take advantage of a comprehensive diabetes education program that is actively being developed by Campbell County Health, with a diabetes nurse educator and registered dietitian.
Dr. Repas' clinic, Campbell County Medical Group Endocriniology, Diabetes & Metabolism, is located on the third floor of Campbell County Health, South Wing. Call 307.688.3615 for more information or visit
www.cchwyo.org/endo.