Speare Primary Care is pleased to welcome Dr. Michael Watto to the practice. Dr. Watto will be accepting new patients age 13 years and older beginning September 8. Appointments can be made by calling Speare Primary Care at (603) 536-1881. The office is located on the second floor of Speare Memorial at Boulder Point, 103 Boulder Point Drive, off Tenney Mountain Highway in Plymouth.

Dr. Watto brings a broad mix of medical experience to the practice, having spent the past 21 and a half years in the Army. He began his career as a cadet in Army ROTC at Pennsylvania State University, or Penn State, where he graduated with his bachelor’s. Eight years later he went to medical school at Kansas City University in Kansas City, Missouri, where he received his Doctor of Osteopathic (DO) Medicine Degree. He completed a residency in family medicine at Fort Benning, Georgia, and later earned a master’s in public health from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Other highlights of his Army career include serving with an airborne brigade at Fort Richardson, Alaska, a 14 month deployment to Iraq with that organization, and providing medical coverage for the All Army Boxing Championships in Arizona.

“We are seeing a change in the doctor and patient relationship,” notes Dr. Watto. “Patients have access to so much more health information then in the past. I consider myself their medical advisor/expert. It is my job to help them make the right choices. As a primary care provider, I like to develop a relationship with my patients so we can see the big picture and pull it all together.”

Dr. Watto explains the “a ha” moment he had in his second year in residency that impacted his overall approach to medicine, “Everything is connected, you can’t separate the parts. Your mental outlook, positive or negative, can affect sleep which can impact your diet and how much you exercise, all of which are underlying determinants of overall health, including weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, etc. This is where my relationship with my patients as their primary care doctor is critical to helping them make a difference in their health.”

After the Army being his community for the past 20 plus years, Dr. Watto says he and his family are looking forward to being a part of the greater Plymouth community. They like the outdoors and look forward to all the activities offered by living among the lakes and mountains, as well as the cultural offerings of Plymouth State University. His wife is originally from New Hampshire, and together they have two children. He also notes that he is closer to his family in Pennsylvania, and of course his alma mater, Penn State. “Penn State football is a big part of my life and I’m looking forward to going to some games, particularly the one against Army in October.” In case you are wondering, he will be rooting for Penn State.

“Dr. Watto joins two other physicians and four advanced practice professionals at Speare Primary Care,” says Speare’s Director of Physician Practices Charles Hulse, FACMPE. “He is another important building block helping to ensure central New Hampshire patients have sufficient access to primary care services.”