Dr. Mikelle Kernig DDS, MS

Dr. Kernig graduated from Davis High School in Yakima, WA (1989), and from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA (1994) with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance. After spending one year working at Ted Brown Music in Yakima, WA, she chose to attend dental school at University of Maryland, Baltimore, following in her father's footsteps (class of 1977).  Upon graduating from U of MD dental school in 1999, Dr. Kernig entered the United States Air Force as a general dentist, completing an AEGD-1 program at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS.  From there, the Air Force sent her to Misawa, Japan for three years, where she worked as a general dentist.  In 2003 Dr. Kernig returned to the States to begin her residency program in oral and maxillofacial pathology, through the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, which included rotations at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.  Upon graduating from the oral pathology program in 2006, Dr. Kernig spent 5 1/2 years at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, then 7 years in San Antonio managing a busy head and neck surgical pathology service at Brooke Army Medical Center ,and teaching in various residency programs there and at Lackland Air Force Base (perio, oral surgery, AEGD-1 and AEGD-2, ENT, and general pathology residents). In 2019 Dr. Kernig retired from the Air Force as a Colonel after 20 years of active duty service, and moved with her family to Spokane, stepping into the part-time oral pathology position at Incyte Diagnostics in Spokane Valley.  Dr. Kernig is married, living with her husband, two teenagers (17 and almost 15), one mother-in-law, a dog, and a cat.  In her free time, Dr. Kernig most enjoys playing piano, digital scrapbooking, quilting, reading fiction (psychologic thrillers mostly), watching movies, and playing Catan with her family.

Shortened version:

Dr. Kernig grew up in Yakima and graduated from Central WA University with a double major in biology and music performance.  She chose to follow in her father's footsteps and graduated from University of Maryland dental school in Baltimore in 1999, after which she entered the Air Force, completed an AEGD-1 program in Biloxi, MS, then spent 3 years in Misawa, Japan working as a general dentist.  In 2006 Dr. Kernig graduated from the military's oral and maxillofacial pathology residency program (Bethesda, MD), then spent 5 years in Dayton, OH, and 7 years in San Antonio, TX managing a busy Head and Neck pathology service at Brooke Army Medical Center and teaching in various residency programs.  Dr. Kernig retired from the Air Force as a Colonel in 2019, choosing to settle in Spokane.  She has worked part time at Incyte Diagnostics pathology lab in Spokane Valley since then.  Dr. Kernig is married and lives with her husband, two teenagers (17 and almost 15), one mother-in-law, a dog, and a cat.  In her free time, Dr. Kernig most enjoys playing piano, digital scrapbooking, quilting, reading fiction (psychologic thrillers mostly), watching movies, and playing Catan with her family.