Dr. Randy Christensen ’89

Brother Randy Christensen considers himself the luckiest person alive. He is blessed with a wonderful wife, Amy (also an M.D.), three children: Jane Marie, Reed Coleman, and Charlotte Lee, and he is also a successful doctor. Randy has used his skills and blessings to help those less fortunate in the community and in doing so, has honored the Gamma-Rho Chapter of Kappa Sigma.

Brother Christensen received his degree in 1990, then enrolled in Tufts School of Medicine, where he graduated in 1995 with his M.D. as well as an M.P.H. (master’s of public health). He then embarked on his professional career, starting work with the Phoenix Children’s Hospital in 1998 where he serves as a faculty physician today.

“I spend my time inside the hospital teaching medical students and residents. As part of an academic team we take care of some of the sickest children in the state.”

His commitment to offer medical help to sick children does not end there. He is also the medical director of the Crews’N Healthmobile. “This is a mobile medical unit that takes care of homeless children and adolescents.” Crews’N Healthmobile, established by Phoenix Children’s Hospital and HomeBase Youth Services with the help of The Children’s Health Fund, provides medical help to some 5,000 homeless children and teenagers in Arizona and served more than 2,000 teens last year for free.

The mobile unit is staffed with medical practitioners from Phoenix Children’s Hospital and case managers from HomeBase Youth Services. Health services include examinations, immunizations, dispensing of medications, treatment for sexually transmitted illnesses and infections, various medical conditions, minor surgical procedures, health education, and counseling and referrals to specialists and sub-specialists at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Case managers coordinate referrals, complete AHCCCS applications, and transport patients as needed.

Staff also screen, test, educate, and counsel youth on sexually transmitted in- fections, abstinence, HIV, Hepatitis A, B, and C, depression, anxiety, mood disorder, anger management, suicide risk, substance abuse, pregnancy, smoking cessation, nutrition, relationship and safety issues, and self care.

This year, for his efforts with the Crews’N Healthmobile, Brother Christensen was nominated for and selected as one of the CNN Heroes in the “Medical Marvel” category. He was one of six finalists, finishing second in the polling, thanks to the support from his Gamma-Rho brothers.

While Randy was honored by the nomination, he was more pleased with the exposure and support that the Crews’N Healthmobile received than any personal accolades. Randy has also been involved as the medical director of Camp AZDA, one of the largest camps for children with diabetes in the U.S., and founded Informed Media, LLC, which is involved in the production of high quality educational medical skills videos for residency training programs and practicing physicians.

In the fall of 2005, after the Gulf Coast was hit by Hurricane Katrina, Brother Christensen organized and supervised a medical relief team that deployed to towns throughout northeast Louisiana. Their team was the first with physicians to see patients in devastated small towns such as Angie, LA. The team set up multiple medical clinics and aided with supply centers.