Dr. Joe Gorz of Clarkston is Resident of the Year for Michigan. Photo by Phil Custodio

Dr. Joe Gorz, Clarkston resident, earned Resident of the Year honors from the Michigan Osteopathic Association.
“I was blown away. I didn’t expect it at all,” said Gorz, a third-year Family Medicine Resident at McLaren Oakland, a 328-bed primary and specialty care hospital in Pontiac. “I am very honored to receive this recognition and feel this honor is really a reflection of my mentors and everyone I have worked with here.”
He chose McLaren Oakland to spend his residency following his internship.
“The hospital gives back to the community in so many ways, including feeding the homeless at local shelters, providing free mammogram screenings to women in-need and participating in community health fairs,” he said.
The son of Kari and Leonard Gorz of Clarkston, he graduated from Clarkston High School in 2003, earned his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University, and obtained his medical degree from MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“Dr. Gorz represents and practices all of the characteristics we look to instill in all of our residents, setting them up for successful careers,” said Dr. Mark Schury, director of the family medicine residency program at McLaren Oakland. “I am confident he will have a rewarding and impactful career in medicine.”
Following completion of his residency next year, Gorz will move to Chicago with his wife, Sarah Shook, for a one-year fellowship program in hospice and palliative care.
After that, they plan to return to Clarkston to practice and raise a family.
“Come back to Clarkston and help take care of my hometown – that’s what McLaren focuses on, too,” he said.
Gorz was raised in Clarkston with several members of his extended family in the medical field, including his grandfather Dr. James O’Neill, uncle Dr. Tim O’Neill, and his mother who worked with them at Clarkston Medical Group.
“My whole family is here, living within a square mile,” he said.
He helped plan Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Peru global outreach program, offering treatment and research. He has also volunteered with Project Smile medical mission to Peru for the past eight years, treating 12,000 patients at a free-standing clinic in the Amazon
“We’ve focused on preventive care, and we’re ready to go on the offensive – it’s exciting,” said Gorz, who plans to return in August. “It’s another way to give back to the community. It’s what I learned from grandfather, to always give back.”

  Clarkston Medical Group, McLaren