Thanks for the Privilege
1978 – 2012

For years I have been saying that I intended to practice to the best of my abilities and retire while still young enough and healthy enough to do some things worthwhile. Sometimes we hear about people retiring “too early”. More regrettable are the stories of those who put it off until it was too late. I don’t intend for that to be the case with me. So, at the end of June 2012 I plan to retire from the practice of medicine.

Thirty-four years ago our family moved here, having grown-up in North Dakota, trained in Houston, and spent two years in the U. S. Air Force in Mississippi. For those 34 years I have had the great blessing to be entrusted with your, and in many cases your family’s, healthcare needs. It has been an honor to have your confidence. I have always considered our relationships as partnerships not “my way or the highway”. In so many ways each of you has made me a better person and better doctor. There are simply not enough words to convey the overwhelming feelings I have about your trust in my skills and for allowing me to share in your most intensely personal life experiences. God directing us here (I have no other explanation) allowed me to meet each of you, introduced our children to their three spouses whom we love dearly, and brought us seven grandchildren who are the light of our lives. Those are miracles I cannot begin to comprehend. I try to give thanks daily for the gifts of life, skills, family, friends, and you as people who I have had the opportunity to serve. Most days I fall short on the thanks part, but I never forget that this life is a gift.

The exquisite pleasure of working with the finest collection of people who make-up Atrium Ob-Gyn makes me completely confident and comfortable with the care you will continue to receive there. Some of you have known only me as your Ob-Gyn doctor, others may have only met me once. Either way, I can recommend every provider at Atrium and cannot recommend any one over the others for your continuing care. We all have different traits and skills, but all believe our main mission is to treat each person as we would like ourselves and families to be treated.

I leave practice with the hope that I may have made a positive difference in your lives. If so, it has been my intense honor and I have only my God to thank. I will miss the indescribable bonds I have developed with so many of you, bonds of mutual respect and trust.

With Thanks Forever,

Gary Haakenson

Atrium ObGyn has been providing obstetric and gynecologic services for women in the Triangle and surrounding area since 1978. Our staff includes five board-certified obstetrician/gynecologists, one board-certified gynecologist, a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner and a Family Nurse Practitioner. All of our physicians are Fellows of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Our physicians perform surgery and deliveries at Rex Healthcare, a not-for-profit health care system providing the best medical care available for Wake County and The Triangle since 1894.

We provide both routine and specialized care to women. Our services include gynecology, obstetrics, basic infertility and primary care for many of our patients. We also provide bladder disorder testing, saline-enhanced ultrasound for uterine fibroids, as well as in-office sterilization and endometrial ablation.

We provide individualized medical care to each patient, and we believe in treating each patient with gentleness, dignity and respect. We are accepting new patients, and we accept most insurance plans. We trust you’ll find our office to be friendly and helpful. We like what we do and hope that we can be of good service to you. We hope that you’ll call us!

In-office Procedures

The Essure procedure and Endometrial ablation are now offered in our office.

Five Star Award

If you've seen outstanding performance by one of our employees, please click here to recognize them for a Five Star Award! You can mail, fax or bring the form to our office. We welcome your comments!