Turke & Thomashow Pediatrics

Turke & Thomashow Pediatrics got started more than half a century ago, when Drs. Ed Curtis and Bill Graves, a couple of University of Michigan medical school pediatricians, first opened our Ann Arbor office. Curtis & Graves, now Turke & Thomashow Pediatrics, has followed patient families for generations; and some of our staff members have worked with those families for decades. We're proud to be members of the Ann Arbor and Chelsea communities; and we're proud of the continuity we offer their children.

Our Doctors

Dr. Paul W. Turke

Dr. Paul Turke earned his medical degree from Michigan State University in 1996, and did his residency at the University of Michigan's Mott Children's Hospital. He is a board certified pediatrician. Dr. Turke has a PhD from Northwestern University, and was a member of the University of Michigan Society of Fellows from 1988-1992; he's studied fertility and mortality on two Micronesian islands in the western Pacific — Ifaluk and Yap. Paul and his wife, Laura, have a son and a daughter: Max, who played soccer at Carnegie Mellon, has started his first job at a DC bank; and Alexa, who has a degree in biology from MIT, is finishing a PhD on breast cancer therapies at Harvard. Paul runs half marathons, and he loves to cook.

Dr. Suzanne Thomashow

Dr. Suzanne Thomashow earned her medical degree from Michigan State University in 1996, and did her residency at Sparrow Hospital. Dr Thomashow has a PhD in molecular genetics from Washington State University, and has done research on fat metabolism and reproductive biology. She's been a member of the Michigan Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports, and on the Advisory Committee Chair at Ascential Bioscience. Dr. Thomashow is dual board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics. She and her husband, Mike, are the parents of 3 daughters: Jessica, a middle schooler who plays the piano and does gymnastics; and Amanda and Katherine, both at Michigan State. Suzanne has run marathons from Chicago to Orlando to Detroit, and has qualified to run in Boston.

Our Office Staff

Diane Bennink, who's been a nurse since 1969, has the longest tenure of anybody at Turke & Thomashow: she's been working in the Ann Arbor office since 1984, and opened the Chelsea office in 1985. Diane and her husband, Dave, who's worked as an engineer at Ford Motor Company for 38 years, have 4 children and 9 grandchildren, all in Michigan. Mark's family lives in Jenison; Scott's family is in Spring Lake; Timothy's family is in Allendale; and Brian's family lives in Milan. They spend weekends all year on their property in up north; and they've been taking trips to Hilton Head together for around 20 years.

Sue Zalucha has been a nurse in our Ann Arbor office since 1992. She and her husband, Paul, are putting their 4 children through college: Jessica is at the Michigan State vet school; Janet and Steven are at Michigan; and Christopher is finishing up at Dexter High. Sue raises chickens; she's a 4-H leader; and she owns and operates Susan's Custom Sewing in Dexter. Check her out susanscustomsewing.com.

Tracey Swanson — who grew up in Ann Arbor, and got her BS at the University of Michigan back in 1982 — started her nursing career at Mott Hospital, but has worked in Turke & Thomashow's Ann Arbor and Chelsea offices since 1995. She and her husband, Jeffrey, have 2 teenage children: a daughter, Drew, in her senior year at Pioneer High, and a son, Brooks, who studies economics at Michigan State. Tracey bleeds maize and blue, but is learning to love Tom Izzo.

Jill Kelley has been a nurse in our offices for the past 7 years. Jill got her BS in nursing at the University of Michigan in 1985: in her spare time, she helps with immunization clinics at UM hospital, and does homecare nursing in Ann Arbor. Her daughter, Morgan -- a chamber orchestra violinist, and Sleeping Beauty ballerina -- goes to high school in Dexter; and her son, Aaron -- who plays baseball, swims, and carries a saxophone in the marching band -- is at Mill Creek Middle School. Jill and her husband, Sean, are both runners: they chase around a pair of Jack Russell Terriers, and would love to own a kennel.

Kim Hoard, who's been a registered nurse for 17 years, joined the practice in 2008, and works in pediatric cardiology at Mott Hospital when she isn't working at Turke & Thomashow in Ann Arbor or Chelsea. She treats patients with congenital heart defects, before and after surgery and in step-down ICU. Kim was a patient in our Ann Arbor office from the day she was born; and she and her husband, Ron, now come in with their 3 children: Andrew, Tanner and Emily. Kim is the photographer for her son's traveling baseball team..

Kris Stirling, who joined the practice in 2008, works as a receptionist in both the Ann Arbor and Chelsea offices. Kris has a BA from Penn State, and is a Certified Medical Assistant; her husband, Jeff, is an oil and gas industry title abstractor. They've raised a son and a daughter in Dexter. Matt, who graduated from Dexter High in '10, is in his second year as an alternate captain for the NA3HL Metro Jets Hockey Team; and Jennifer, who graduates in '12, is an actor, stage manager, technician and director, who loves checking out the theater scene in New York, and edits The Squall.

Amanda Rose Thomashow, Dr Thomashow's daughter, started as a receptionist in Chelsea in the summer of 2009. Amanda was born and raised in East Lansing, graduated from Lansing Catholic Central High School, and studies art at Michigan State. She's learning Swahili, loves dogs, is interested in medicine, and likes some books better than others.

Michelle Bazick, who has a BA in psychology and sociology from EMU, started as a receptionist in Ann Arbor 2 years ago. She and her husband, Greg, are raising their 2 children, Luke and Lauren, in Dexter, where they love to play soccer. Greg is Ann Arbor's Deputy Chief of Police; and, together with a partner, Michelle runs her own charity business, called Hearts of Hope. They've put together a website at this link: www.heartsofhope.us.

Valerie Blyskal, the next-to-newest member of T&T, started as a receptionist in 2011. Valerie is just finishing a degree in office administration at WCC, after working at General Motors for 30 years. She grew up in Monroe, and "wore the plaid for 12 years" at St Mary's Academy; she and her husband now live near Tecumseh, in Britton, and have 2 children, Michael and Yvonne. Valerie likes arts and crafts, and loves working in her strawberry garden.

Cherie Durham, the newest member of T&T, started as a nurse at the end of 2011. She graduated from Dexter High in '06, where she played water polo and tennis; and she finished her nursing degree at WCC. When she's not at T&T, Cherie works at the Chelsea Retirement Community, or she's touring around Colorado or Rome, becasue she loves to travel in her spare time. Cherie takes regular ski trips up north, and she's learning to use her crossbow.