Posted on June 19, 2022
Like Father, Like Son: Drs. VandenBerg Celebrate Seven Generations of Care
After more than three decades of caring for patients at Mary Free Bed, Dr. Chris VandenBerg will be hanging up his white coat. Dr. VandenBerg specializes in cancer rehabilitation, traumatic and non-traumatic neurological impairments (spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis) and spasticity/dystonia – and in his time here, he’s touched countless lives.
But there’s another Dr. VandenBerg making the rounds in his footsteps.
His son, Dr. Jonathan VandenBerg, joined Mary Free Bed two years ago. He practices alongside his father focusing on spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Jonathan is the 7th generation of VandenBerg physicians.
When asked if there was an unspoken pressure to continue the family tradition, Jonathan laughs and says, “I always enjoyed science and people, so it seemed like a natural fit.”
Growing up, his father wasn’t the only physician in the house. Jonathan’s mother, Dr. Betsy Lynn Neubig, is an internist. He confirms that growing up with two doctors as parents is exactly what one might imagine it to be. “No, you cannot play football. Avoid trampolines. No diving into the shallow end. And straighten your posture,” he jokes.
Jonathan always looked up to his dad. As a kid, he remembers visiting him when he was working with patients. He carries with him fond memories of playing in the Mary Free Bed therapy gyms and meeting the nurses, therapists and patients.
During Jonathan’s medical school and residency, thoughts of returning home to West Michigan kept coming back to him. When a position opened up at Mary Free Bed two years ago, Jonathan applied. It was a rare opportunity to practice alongside an extraordinary physician – his dad.
After 33 years, Dr. Chris VandenBerg will retire this month knowing he’s made a lifelong impact on countless patients, staff and community members. One of his biggest accomplishments was his work in helping to create the Betty Bloomer Ford Cancer Rehabilitation Program – the first designated and comprehensive cancer rehabilitation program in West Michigan.
“It’s no secret that I have big shoes to fill,” says Jonathan, “But I know that his big heart, vast experience, and wonderful insight to the human condition are irreplaceable.”
