The emphasis on family medicine in a rural area is what drew Dr. Emily Colson to Libby's Lincoln County Community Health Center.

Colson started at LCCHC on Friday, Feb. 1 and is looking forward to applying her medical knowledge in rural Libby.

"I want to make a positive impact on the health of the community," she explained.

Originally from an area in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., Colson attended the University of Virginia. She later attended medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk.

She fulfilled her residency in Billings.

"I was looking for a full-scope family medical center," Colson explained. "I was interested in serving in a rural area."

Colson finished her residency in June 2006 and then moved to Bozeman where her husband was attending graduate school for electrical engineering.

She began looking for a medical center that offered a full family medical practice. She heard about Libby and is good friends with Dr. Cameron Gardner, a physician at Libby Clinic.

"[LCCHC] thought Emily would be a great fit for the center and for the community," said LCCHC Executive Director Maria Clemons. "We're glad to have her here."

Colson's parents are living in Virginia, but she has many siblings who's locations span the United States, from Seattle to New Jersey. Colson is hoping to make Libby her home.

"I'm hoping this is a good fit for the long term," she said.

In addition to practicing family medicine, Colson is also the Montana State Coordinator for Tar Wars, a tobacco-free education program for children. The program is geared toward students in fourth and fifth-grade classes.

Colson has been a state coordinator for the program since 2002, but has been involved with the program since she entered medical school.

"Tobacco is a very important preventative cause of illness," Colson said. "Addressing it aggressively and early is a good idea."

The program is designed to speak to one class at a time and provides ideas for positive reasons not to use tobacco, Colson explained.

"It's more about making a positive impact on their lives by making a good choice," she continued.

Colson will be treating clinic patients Tuesday through Friday at LCCHC.