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The UK X站福利所 Office of Faculty Affairs and Development is pleased to announce that Caryn Sorge, MD, and Rach猫le Yadon, MD, have been selected as fellows for the 2022 Bluegrass Higher Education Consortium Academic Leadership Academy (BHEC-ALA).
A Frankfort, Ky., native, Josh Karsner originally planned to attend the UK X站福利所鈥檚 main campus in Lexington. Near the start of medical school, he learned about the college鈥檚 new regional campus in Bowling Green that would offer the same curriculum but smaller class sizes, as well as a chance to pave the way for future physicians-in-training in western Kentucky.
His first thought: 鈥淲hy not?鈥
When Emmanuel Dike-Udensi was a first-year student, his peers in third and fourth year would always give him the same warning 鈥 that medical school goes by quickly. But Emmanuel was skeptical.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 believe them,鈥 he said with a laugh. 鈥淏ack then, I had so much to study, I couldn鈥檛 imagine that.鈥
Now, as Emmanuel approaches the end of medical school, he said reflecting on the past four years 鈥 and how fast they have gone by 鈥 is surreal.
Kent Lewis, MDiv, plays a vital role at the UK X站福利所-Bowling Green Campus as the student affairs officer, helping ensure holistic student success from matriculation to graduation. As a staff member who has been with the Bowling Green Campus since its beginning, he shares how the campus and its students have made an impact.
Q: How has the Bowling Green Campus changed since it started four years ago?
Bowling Green native Caitlyn Galloway always felt right at home in a small town, but that posed a challenge when she made plans to apply for medical school. She wanted to stay close to home, but in her third year of undergraduate studies at Western Kentucky University, there were no four-year medical schools where she grew up that would allow her to stay near her small, close-knit community.
She soon found out that was about to change.
Graduates say the online certificate program is 鈥1,000-percent worth doing.鈥
Cathryn Benson, APRN, has worked 13 years in health care, most recently in hospital medicine and anesthesia. She wanted to learn how she could further help her patients with nutrition, but as a mom who worked 14-hour days, she never thought additional schooling would be an option.
Then she heard about an online program offering flexible scheduling and a well-rounded nutrition-related curriculum 鈥 that was also, conveniently, run on the University of Kentucky鈥檚 campus.
Bowling Green, Ky., native Caitlyn Galloway always felt right at home in a small town, but that posed a challenge when she made plans to apply for medical school. She wanted to stay close to home, but in her third year of undergraduate studies at Western Kentucky University, there were no four-year medical schools where she grew up that would allow her to stay near her small, close-knit community.
She soon found out that was about to change.
Match Day is always a special event for the X站福利所. This year, the college added to the excitement by celebrating an incredible milestone in its mission of training more physicians in Kentucky, for Kentucky.
The college鈥檚 first regional campus in Bowling Green, Ky., which opened in 2018, celebrated its first Match Day on Friday, March 18. Because of the regional campus celebration, the Class of 2022 was the X站福利所鈥檚 largest group of students recognized at this annual event.
As a former college basketball player, March has always been exciting for Rachel Potter. This year, as she prepares to graduate from the X站福利所, the month holds even more significance.
Instead of March Madness, Potter鈥檚 focus is on Match Day, an annual celebration recognizing medical students across the country as they simultaneously learn which residency program they 鈥渕atched into鈥 and will pursue.
Potter is excited to reach this pivotal career milestone, which she compares to college basketball鈥檚 Selection Sunday.
Scott Mair, MD, is a professor of orthopaedic surgery at the UK X站福利所. He is also one of the physicians who cares for players on the University of Kentucky men鈥檚 basketball team. In the spirit of March Madness, Dr. Mair answered questions about what a typical day as a team physician looks like, memories he has gathered over the years, and how this role impacts how he teaches residents and fellows.
Q: As team physician, what are your roles with the basketball team?
Sylvia Ofei, MD, MPH, is an assistant professor of pediatrics and a gastroenterologist in the division of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition. She also serves as the medical director for patient experience at Kentucky Children鈥檚 Hospital. For National Nutrition Month in March, Dr. Ofei shares more about the important role nutrition plays in her practice, as well as some helpful tips for incorporating nutrition into your daily routine.
Q: How does nutrition play a part in your job as a physician?
Shulin Zhang, MD, PhD, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, began his career as a clinical molecular geneticist when the famous Human Genome Project was in its final stages. A 23-year international research effort, the project was revolutionary as it determined the full DNA sequence of the human genome.
Stephanie Leung, MD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. If you are a medical student and would like to connect with Dr. Leung, you can reach her by email here.
You can also learn more about other ADDs and see a full listing of them here.
Q: What do you do clinically?
James Hawthorne, MD, is an associate professor in the department of psychiatry. If you are a medical student and would like to connect with Dr. Hawthorne, you can reach him by email here.
Jordon Burdette, a senior neuroscience and psychology major, was minutes away from presenting to a crowd of University of Kentucky scientists when the nerves set in. Her presentation, focused on cellular regeneration and spinal cord injury, was a culmination of a year of research she had worked on with her mentor, Warren Alilain, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience.
Burdette pushed through those nerves, and Dr. Alilain said she 鈥渃rushed鈥 it. She left feeling proud of her accomplishment and thankful for the opportunity to study a topic she didn鈥檛 expect to ever pursue.
On crisp fall or spring mornings, Bradley Bale, MD 鈥74, wakes up early enough for his daily five-mile run so he can witness one of his favorite scenes in nature. When there鈥檚 a certain amount of moisture in the ground, and the temperature is just right, water comes up through the weeds, weaves into the branches and freezes. It鈥檚 called a 鈥渇rost flower.鈥
This moment of tranquility motivates Dr. Bale to get out and exercise at 73 years old. And he knows that that鈥檚 important because as a cardiovascular specialist, he needs to embody his advice to earn the trust of his patients.
Acting Dean Charles Griffith, MD, MSPH, presented this year's AOA Humanities Lecture. During his speech, he shared 13 reasons why he loves medicine and why being a doctor remains a blessing.
I have always cherished the privilege of being a doctor. That鈥檚 not to say there aren鈥檛 challenges associated with the profession. These past two-plus years have certainly proven that. Despite the hard times, I still find it to be a privilege to serve my community, my learners, and my colleagues.
Campbell Grant, MD, is an assistant professor in the department of urology. If you are a medical student and would like to connect with Dr. Grant, you can reach him by email here.
Lauren Baldwin Branch, MD, is a gynecologic oncologist in the department of obstetrics and gynecology. If you are a medical student and would like to connect with Dr. Baldwin Branch, you can reach her by email here.
When Elizabeth Rhodus, PhD, was 16 years old, she suffered a near-fatal car accident, which left her with significant injuries that included fractures around her eye socket. Dr. Rhodus had already struggled with eye muscle problems that this accident only exacerbated.
The rural Kentucky native was admitted to UK HealthCare and along her journey, was treated by an ophthalmologist who not only provided her with exceptional care, but who also became an influential figure in her own path to a career in academic medicine.