LOCKNEY, Texas (KCBD) – Dr. Ben Bennaci spent 18 years teaching science at Monterey High School and Frenship before making a career change that brought him to rural medicine in West Texas.
“I was 48 when I started medical school, so definitely a midlife crisis kind of thing,” Bennaci said.
Bennaci said the decision after his daughter graduated high school in 2017, prompting him to reassess his next chapter.
“I was thinking, ‘what am I going to do with myself now?’” Bennaci said.
He said a Mark Twain quote shaped his thinking.
“We don’t regret the things in life that we did. We regret the things in life we didn’t do,” he said.
Bennaci earned his medical degree from the University of Texas School of Medicine in Galveston and completed his residency at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in Odessa.
Bennaci said an interest in rural medicine guided where he chose to practice.
“I had thought of rural medicine being a need area and something I was interested in,” he said.
That led him to Mangold Memorial’s Cogdell Clinic in 2024. He credited Drs. Mangold and Stennett with fostering a learning environment and leading the way for new physicians at the clinic.
“So it’s been a fantastic place for me to land at. And I’ve been enjoying it tremendously since I’ve been here,” Bennaci said.
Bennaci said the community itself has been a draw.
“The best thing about West Texas is the people,” he said. “And there’s just something about the folks around here.”
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