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Biographical Sketch
Born the last child to older parents during the cold winter of ‘41, young Christian embraced his Norwegian heritage and accepted his duty as a North Dakota native: Expect bland food, distrust tropical sunshine, and conserve subcutaneous fat for insulation. His favorite subjects in high school were the sciences and theater, while-outside of school-he developed a deep affection for the out-of-doors and committed himself to his life-long spiritual journey. What is a boy to do? He considered everything from farming to the ministry; from veterinary medicine to brain surgery.
Christian decided that obtaining an M.D. was right path for him and so he undertook studying at Northwestern University majoring in Chemistry. Then he went right on into medical school receiving his M.D. from the University of Rochester. Following his internship at Ohio State he proceeded to enter the military and served as a flight surgeon during the Viet Nam years. He served with the Marine Corps for three years and then finished with a year and a half with the Navy. Fortunately for his family, Lieutenant Commander Hageseth never received orders to go to Viet Nam. Being a flight surgeon was a real kick in the pants. Chris may be the only person alive to have spent his morning dropping napalm (practice) and his afternoon running the well baby clinic.
After his five years in the military, Chris was uncertain about what specialty was right for him; he spent the next few years combining Family Practice and Emergency Medicine. (Actually he practiced Emergency Medicine part-time for ten years including his military years and residency.) Finally, he settled on specializing in Psychiatry and completed his residency at the Camarillo State Hospital in Southern California. Thereafter he moved to Colorado where he lives to this day.
 In 1983 Dr. Hageseth-almost accidentally-found himself in theater so to speak. He began providing "Humor and Health" workshops which became remarkably popular throughout the United States. During the late 80’s and early 90’s, he traveled around the country while maintaining a full psychiatry practice. His audiences were amazingly diverse including such organizations as the Fox Chase Cancer Research Center in Philadelphia, the Mayo Clinic, the Commanding General’s Staff at Camp Pendleton and an inner city church in Washington, D.C. He wrote and published his first book entitled A Laughing Place, the Art and Psychology of Positive Humor in Love and Adversity. His work in humor and a copy of his book are on this website and free for the copying. Subsequently he wrote a second book which won a Benjamin Franklin Award at the 1992 American Bookseller’s Association entitled: A Thirteen Moon Journal, A Psychiatrist’s Journey Towards Inner Peace.
Looking back over his career in medicine, Dr. Hageseth has one achievement of which he is the most proud: He never refused to see a patient because of the patient’s inability to pay. This did have consequences in that he accumulated a large practice, but never earned a whole lot of money. However, he likes to think that he stored up other kinds of riches during that time.
In the mid-nineties, Dr. Hageseth focused on treating the most severe forms of mental illness and as a consequence began to provide electro-convulsive therapy for his most depressed patients. Unsatisfied with how ECT was usually provided, he sought to develop a more compassionate approach to that therapy and finally produced an award winning video program entitled, Beyond Stigma, the Compassionate Application of Electro Convulsive Therapy. This program received two Telly Awards for and was well received at the World Psychiatry Meetings in Madrid, Spain as well as at psychiatric and psychology meetings in the United States. Needless to say, the success of his program did not sit well with those who oppose ECT.
After thirty-two years of practicing medicine, Dr. Hageseth left clinical practice and reconnected with his early love of the out-of-doors by producing and hosting a national television show on the Outdoor Life Network entitled Bird Dogs Forever. It was the most fun a guy could ever have and still make a few pennies in the process.
Since the television production did not require all of his time, he was able to make three medical mission trips to the country of Honduras to help an indigenous people called The Tolpan. This was a highlight for him since he always wanted to serve in this way, but his specialty was not one in great demand in the Third World where basic issues of fundamental sanitation and nutrition were at the forefront of their needs. During this trip he once reverted to work he had done while working his way through college and installed toilets in a remote clinic.
The television network changed directions and so it was back to medicine; this time working in the area of clinical trials developing new treatments for depression. For two and a half years he worked at the Feiger Health Research Center where he served as a clinical investigator in phase II and Phase III clinical trials.
In 2004 he started his own business, American Video Productions, LLC. His concept was to set up touch-screen kiosks in hospital emergency rooms that would provide information and education for persons waiting for treatment. Unfortunately, the investment capital was not forthcoming and so he is now on the prowl for his next life career adventure.
Chris cannot envision retirement. Why retire? Sit around, volunteer a little, play golf? No, if Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden can do it, Chris will too-keep on working until they bury him with his boots on. It all goes back to his Norwegian upbringing: Work is the source of immense satisfaction.
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