Program Leadership and Other Clinical and Core Faculty
Program Leadership
John Stewart, MD, FACP, FAAP
Program Director Internal Medicine-Pediatrics
Polk Dalton Continuity Clinic Director
Dr. Stewart completed his med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky in 2010, serving as the med-peds chief resident during his last year. Afterward, he served as chief resident in internal medicine from 2010 - 2011. He worked as the associate program director for the residency program from 2011 - 2016. Since 2016, he has been the program director. His clinical practice is at the Polk Dalton clinic, one of our two continuity clinic sites that care for a more medically-underserved population.
Katherine Wimberly, MD
Associate Program Director Internal Medicine-Pediatrics
Dr. Wimberly graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, followed by completion of her internal medicine-pediatrics residency at UK, serving as med-peds chief resident her final year. She is now the associate program director for internal medicine-pediatrics.
Continuity Clinic Faculty
Heidi Ehrhardt, MD
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
UHS Med-Peds Continuity Clinic Faculty
Dr. Ehrhardt completed her med-peds residency training at Wright State University in 1998. She joined our practice at UK in 2015. She precepts the continuity clinic for both our combined training program as well as the categorical IM program.
Ethan Ritter, MD
Positions Held:
- Assistant Professor
- Advanced Development Director, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Ethan J. Ritter, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Dr. Ritter completed his medical school and med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky.
Thaddeus Robert Salmon III, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Polk Dalton Continuity Clinic Faculty
Dr. Salmon completed his medical school and residency at the University of Kentucky in 2017. He was serving as the med-peds chief resident during his last year of med-peds residency. Dr. Salmon has a passion for the care of the underserved and has developed and oversees our health equity track curriculum, which residents have the opportunity to participate in if they desire during their training.
Chris Simmons, MD
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
UHS Med-Peds Continuity Clinic Faculty
Dr. Simmons completed his residency training in med-peds at UK in 2017. He then served as a chief resident in the pediatric program here before joining the med-peds clinic practice at UHS. He has a strong interest in wellness and is involved in faculty development to promote wellness in both residents and faculty.
Hospitalist Faculty
Samuel Ashe, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Dr. Ashe completed his medical school at East Tennessee State University and his med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky.
Paula D. Bailey, MD, MHA
Positions Held:
- Associate Division Chief Faculty Affairs, Associate Professor
- Medical Director of The Office of Patient Experience
Paula Bailey, MD, MHA
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Chandler Medical Center Hospitalist Program
Dr. Bailey graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in 2000 and completed her med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky in 2004. She completed an academic medicine fellowship at the University of Kentucky in 2006 and has earned a master's degree in health administration.
Kristen E. Fletcher, MD
Internal Medicine / Pediatrics Hospital Medicine
Dr. Fletcher graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, followed by completion of her internal medicine-pediatrics residency at UK, serving as med-peds chief resident her final year. She then served as internal medicine chief resident and now serving as site director of VA Hospital.
Carrie Gaby, MD
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Veteran's Administration Medical Center Hospitalist Program
Dr. Gaby completed her medical school at the University of Kentucky and completed her med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky in 2015. She then served as a pediatric chief resident and now primarily works as a VAMC Internal Medicine Hospitalist.
Alan Hall, MD
Positions Held:
- Associate Professor
- Assistant Dean for Curriculum Integration
- Acting Assistant Dean for Professionalism and Well-Being
Alan Hall, MD
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Kentucky Children's Hospital Hospitalist Program
Chandler Medical Center Hospitalist Program
Dr. Hall attended the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and completed his med-peds residency at the University of Michigan. He is an attending physician on both pediatric and internal medicine hospitalist services.
TJ Lile, MD
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Kentucky Children's Hospital Hospitalist Program
Chandler Medical Center Hospitalist Program
Dr. Lile completed medical school at the University of Kentucky and completed his med-peds residency training at the University of Kentucky in 2010. He’s an attending for both internal medicine and pediatric wards.
Hannah Mastbergen, MD
Clinical Instructor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Dr. Mastbergen received her medical degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and completed her residency at the University of Kentucky. She is an attending physician on the internal medicine hospitalist service.
Mike McCoy, MD
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Veteran's Administration Medical Center Hospitalist Program
Dr. McCoy completed medical school at the University of Kansas and completed his med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky in 2006. He now primarily works as a VAMC internal medicine hospitalist and works shifts in the after-hours pediatric twilight clinic at UK.
John Ragsdale, MD, MS
Associate Professor Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Hospital Medicine
Assistant Dean for Clinical Education
Dr. Ragsdale graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He completed a pediatric internal medicine residency at the University of Kentucky, serving as med-peds chief resident his final year. After residency, he completed a general internal medicine fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh and received a master's of science in medical education. He has given multiple workshops at national meetings on various topics in medical education and faculty development.
Dr. Ragsdale's academic interests include curriculum development, physical exam, and clinical reasoning. He is an attending physician on the inpatient internal medicine services.
Ethan Ritter, MD
Positions Held:
- Assistant Professor
- Advanced Development Director, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Ethan J. Ritter, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Dr. Ritter completed his medical school and med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky.
John Romond, MD
Positions Held:
- Associate Professor
- Unit Medical Director Chandler 9th Floor, Assistant Professor
John Romond, MD
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine
Dr. Romond received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky and completed his med-peds residency training at the University of Kentucky in 2014. He is an attending physician for the adult hospitalist service.
Zackary V. Roy, MD
Positions Held:
- Associate Division Chief Good Samaritan Hospital
- Medical Director of Inpatient Services, UK Good Samaritan Hospital
- Senior Inpatient Medical Director
Zackary V. Roy, MD
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
Director of Inpatient Services, UK Good Samaritan Hospital
Dr. Roy completed his medical school at the University of Kentucky and completed his med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky.
Clark Sleeth, MD
Clinical Instructor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Dr. Sleeth received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Sleeth is now working full time at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya. He remains an appointment as voluntary faculty with UK which allows residents the opportunity to work with him as part of our global health track.
R. Kyle Wheeling, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Dr. Wheeling completed his medical school at the University of Pikeville College of Osteopathic Medicine. Afterwards, he completed his med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky.
Specialist Med-Peds Faculty
Michael Anstead, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics - Pulmonary
Dr. Anstead received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and completed a med-peds internship at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He finished his residency in med-peds at the University of Kentucky, where he also completed his fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine in 1996. Dr. Anstead is the director of the adult cystic fibrosis program.
Joe Auer, MD
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine - GI
Dr. Auer received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky in 2005 and completed his med-peds training at the University of Kentucky in 2009. Dr. Auer completed his GI fellowship at the University of Kentucky in 2012.
Matthew K. Bacon, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Interim Chief, Heinrich A. Werner Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Medical Director, Kentucky Kids Crew Transport Team
Dr. Bacon joined the faculty at the University of Kentucky in 2015 after finishing his pediatric critical care fellowship at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. In 2017-2018, he completed an advanced fellowship in pediatric cardiac critical care at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and continues to hold a faculty appointment there within the CICU.
Since the initiation of the Joint Pediatric Heart Care Program, Dr. Bacon has played an integral role in the leadership and development of the program. In addition, he has served as assistant ECMO director for Kentucky Children's Hospital and medical director for the KCH Neonatal and Pediatric Transport Team, both since 2016.
Dr. Bacon is a native of the state, originally from Flemingsburg, and leads with the goal of providing the highest quality of care as close to home as possible.
Hubie Ballard, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics - Neonatology
Dr. Ballard received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky and completed his med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky in 2000. Afterward, he served as chief resident for pediatrics prior to completing his neonatology fellowship at UK. He attends in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Scottie Day, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics - Critical Care
Dr. Day received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky in 2002. He completed his med-peds residency at Indiana University in 2006. Dr. Day completed his pediatric critical care and research fellowship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in 2010.
Margaret A. Disselkamp, MD
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine - Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
Dr. Disselkamp received her medical degree from the University of Kentucky in 2009 and completed her med-peds training at the University of Kentucky in 2013. Dr. Disselkamp completed her pulmonary disease and critical care medicine fellowship at the University of Kentucky in 2016. She worked at the University of Kentucky for the past three years where she also served as the associate fellowship program director. She currently serves as a pulmonary and critical care attending at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Lexington, Ky.
Debbie Flomenhoft, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine - Gastroenterology
Dr. Flomenhoft received her medical degree from the University of Kentucky and completed her med-peds training at the University of Kentucky in 2002. After residency, she served as chief resident of pediatrics prior to beginning her fellowship.
James A. Grubbs, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Dr. Grubbs received his medical degree from Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C. He then completed his med-peds residency training as well as both infectious disease plus pediatric infectious disease fellowship at University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Nicole Elizabeth Leedy, MD
Positions Held:
- Associate Professor
- Infectious Disease Fellowship Program Director
- Director, Infectious Diseases Resident Consultation Curriculum
Nicole Leedy, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine - Adult Infectious Disease
Dr. Leedy received her medical degree from Marshal University and completed her med-peds training at the University of Kentucky in 2011. She completed an infectious disease fellowship at the University of Kentucky in 2013. As an attending in the Bluegrass Care Clinic, she provides care to children and adults with HIV.
Melissa Lefebvre, DO
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics - Pediatric Cardiology
Dr. Lefebvre received her medical degree from Western University, Pomona, Calif. She completed her residency at the University of Louisville, School of Medicine, and she completed a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Jenna Ross, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Ross received her medical degree from the University of Louisville and completed her med-peds residency training at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2003. She served as chief resident in pediatrics from 2003-2004. She has been at UK since 2004 and served as the pediatrics medical student clerkship director from 2007 to 2011, and the categorical pediatric program director from 2011-2017.
Sarah L. Schaefer, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Dr. Schaefer received her medical degree from the University of Kentucky. She completed her med-peds training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Afterwards, she completed the hospice & palliative care medicine fellowship at Ohio State University.
Doug Schneider, MD
Professor of Pediatrics - Cardiology
Dr. Schneider received his medical degree from the University of New Mexico and completed his med-peds training at the University of Kentucky in 1992. He completed a pediatric cardiology fellowship in 1995.
W. Jackson Smith, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine - Endocrinology
Dr. Smith completed his med-peds residency at the University of North Carolina College of Medicine in Chapel Hill, N.C., where he also completed a fellowship in endocrinology. Dr. Smith received his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C. Dr. Smith is board-certified in internal medicine, pediatrics, endocrinology, and diabetes and metabolism for internal medicine and pediatrics.
Mark Wurth, MD, PhD
Positions Held:
- Allergy, Immunology, & Pediatric Pulmonary Fellow, Vanderbilt
- MD/PhD Alumni
Mark Wurth, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Kentucky Children's Hospital
Dr. Mark Wurth is a pediatric pulmonologist at the Kentucky Clinic Pediatric Specialty Clinic. He is a native of Henderson, Ky. and completed his undergraduate work, a PhD and medical school at UK.
Dr. Wurth’s clinical interests include severe asthma and phenotype driven therapeutics for asthma management, and he is currently section head of pediatric allergy and immunology. His research interests include understanding the immune response that drives mold allergy in severe asthma and allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis. In addition to his clinical work and research, Dr. Wurth teaches first year medical students about primary immunodeficiency diseases.
Educational Leadership
Angela Dearinger, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Assistant Dean for Accreditation, GME
Associate Chief of Staff for Education - VA Medical Center
Dr. Dearinger completed medical school at the University of Kentucky and completed her med-peds residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2005. She completed an academic medicine fellowship at the University of Kentucky in 2007 and earned a master's degree in public health.
Mary Duke, MD, FACP
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Chief of Internal Medicine - VA Medical Center
Dr. Duke received her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Urbana and completed her med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky. She completed a fellowship in general internal medicine at the University of Washington and Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Seattle. Board-certified in internal medicine and pediatrics, she is a leader in teaching and advising activities within the departments of internal medicine and pediatrics. Dr. Duke was the program director at the University of Kentucky for 10 years, stepping down in 2005.
Chipper Griffith, MD, MSPH
Positions Held:
- Dean, College of Medicine
- Vice Dean for Education
- Professor
Charles H. Griffith, MD, MSPH
Acting Dean, College of Medicine
Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Vice Dean for Education
UHS Continuity Clinic Faculty
Dr. Griffith completed a med-peds residency, and then completed a two-year general internal medicine fellowship and earned his master's of science in public health at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center. Dr. Griffith received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He is board-certified in internal medicine and pediatrics. His teaching skills have been duly recognized. He has received more teaching awards than any other faculty member not only for the College of Medicine but also for the entire University of Kentucky.
Community Faculty
Stephen Besson, MD
Dr. Besson received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky and is a 1998 graduate of our med-peds program. After his residency, he served as chief resident of internal medicine prior to opening his med-peds primary care practice in Cynthiana and Carlisle, Ky.
Madeline Fisher, MD
Dr. Fisher received her medical degree from the University of Kentucky and completed her med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky in 2020. Dr. Fisher practices primary care med-peds in Lexington, Ky. alongside with Drs. Amanda Smith and Sarah O'Leary.
Amanda Foxx, MD
Dr. Foxx received her medical degree from the University of Kentucky and is a 2015 graduate of our med-peds program, serving as chief resident. She is practicing med-peds primary care in Lexington, Ky.
Alexander Hernandez, MD
Dr. Hernandez completed his med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky in 2022.
Sarah O'Leary, MD
Dr. O'Leary received her medical degree from Ohio State University and completed her med-peds residency at University of Kentucky in 2016, serving as chief resident. Dr. O'Leary practices primary care med-peds in Lexington, Ky. She practices primary care med-peds in Lexington, Ky. alongside Drs. Amanda Smith and Madeline Fisher.
Ashley Rollins, MD
Dr. Rollins received her medical degree from the University of Kentucky and completed her med-peds residency in 2018. Dr. Rollins practices primary care med-peds in Lexington, Ky. alongside Dr. Amanda Foxx.
Amanda Smith, MD
Dr. Smith received her medical degree from the University of Kentucky and completed her med-peds residency in 2012, serving as chief resident. She then served as an internal medicine chief during 2012-13. Dr. Smith practices primary care med-peds in Lexington, Ky. alongside Drs. Sarah O'Leary and Madeline Fisher.
Kelli Trent, MD, FACP, FAAP
Dr. Trent completed her med-peds residency at the University of Kentucky in 2014, serving as the med-peds chief resident during her last year. Afterward, she served as chief resident in pediatrics from 2014-2015. She became the associate program director in 2016 and served in that role until 2022.
Staff
Leann Jacobs
Leann Jacobs has been the med-peds program coordinator since 2014. She received her bachelor of business degree from University of South Australia. She is an integral part of our program and med-peds family, and Leann is routinely praised by residents for her dedication and support!