Physician Assistant joins Oaklawn

Matthew Griffiths joins Oaklawn as physician assistant

 BATTLE CREEK – Matthew Griffiths and his family seem to have enjoyed lives filled with options, and their good choices led his father into the healing arts – with Matthew following in his footsteps.

The younger Griffiths, once a science teacher and now a physician assistant, is joining the Oaklawn Medical Group’s Beadle Lake office at 14231 Beadle Lake Road.

With a focus on family practice, Griffiths will work alongside Thomas Farchone, M.D., and Amy Babcock, FNP-C. Appointments at the office may be made by calling (269) 962-0441.

Griffiths’ father is Glenn C. Griffiths, M.D., a family practice physician now affiliated with the Crystal Lake Health Center, which operates in the Manistee area near Bear Lake. When the younger Griffiths was growing up, however, life was somewhat more in flux.

Matthew Griffiths was born in Connecticut but his family spent little time in that state. They moved to Fayetteville, N.C., when Matthew was young, then moved to Poquoson, Va., where Matthew graduated from high school.

As the younger Griffiths grew, he developed an interest in the sciences that eventually led to a focus on biology.

“I imagine it began with my father coming home and telling me about his day,” Griffiths said. “As a young child, I was interested in what he did and how he helped patients.”

In high school, Griffiths’ fascination was fostered by classes in anatomy and genetics, but by the time he had taken a few college courses, he’d made a right-angle turn toward education and opted to pursue a teaching degree.

Griffiths subsequently received his bachelor’s degree in biology and secondary education in 2012 from Wheaton College in Illinois. Griffiths went on to work as a science educator for the Knox County Schools in Knoxville, Tenn.

“It wasn’t until I’d taught for about two years that I realized I missed that clinical side, and decided to go back to health care,” Griffiths said. He pursued a master’s degree in physician assistant studies, which he obtained in 2016 from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

 Griffiths served clinical rotations at medical facilities in Tennessee, including work in obstetrics and gynecology; internal, emergency and family medicine; orthopedics; pediatrics; psychiatry; and surgery. The younger Griffiths then joined his father at Manistee, where he served as a physician assistant at the Crystal Lake Health Center for nearly two years.

“It’s been a wonderful experience, learning from him and his experiences, and learning how he approaches specific issues,” Griffiths said of his father.

Griffiths and his wife of more than seven years, the former Amanda Brockman, have moved their residence from Manistee to the Battle Creek area. They have a six-month-old daughter, Annabelle.

The couple enjoy swimming, camping and long walks with their three dogs near their rural home. A longtime wrestling coach, Griffiths also engages in power lifting as well as competitions in that sport.

The move to this region seemed the proper choice, Griffiths said.

“We didn’t want to be in a large urban place,” he said. “We want to be able to take an active role in the community. This is a very central location in Michigan, with a lot to offer for weekend trips – and a sense of community without being frazzled by traffic.

“For me, Oaklawn has a family feel to it,” he added. “A lot of medicine has become very corporate and faceless, and I like that Oaklawn has kept its personal nature. That translates into how the patients are cared for – the relationship you build with a patient over time, with mutual trust.”