Two University of Kentucky students and a UK HealthCare physician have received UK’s highest honor for humanitarian efforts — the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.
Established by the New York Southern Society in 1925 and named for its first president, Algernon Sydney Sullivan, the award recognizes those “who exhibit Sullivan’s ideals of heart, mind and conduct as evince a spirit of love for and helpfulness to other men and women.” After the society closed, the award has lived on through the Sullivan Foundation and is given at several universities in the South.
At UK, the Sullivan Award is bestowed each year on two graduating seniors and one citizen who has a connection to the university. This year’s Sullivan award student winners are Amanda Casolare and Nolan Deon Harvey. Scottie B. Day, M.D., physician-in-chief at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital (KCH), is the citizen award recipient.
Scottie B. Day, MD
In addition to being physician-in-chief for KCH, Scottie B. Day, MD, is chair of the department of pediatrics in the UK College of Medicine.
Growing up in Leslie County, Day aspired to be a physician his whole life. He attended the University of Kentucky for both his undergraduate studies and medical school. Wanting to diversify his medical experience and education, he completed his residency and critical care fellowship outside of Kentucky and practiced medicine around the country before returning to Kentucky in 2011.
As physician-in-chief, Day has overseen a reorganization of hospital administration to better support physicians, recruited more than 80 faculty members and continuously leads hospital efforts to ensure stability. Under his leadership KCH has become the preeminent center in the region for pediatric care. Several of KCH’s subspecialty care areas are nationally ranked, and both the neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric emergency department are equipped to deliver high levels of expert critical care for the region’s smallest and most vulnerable patients.
Central to his approach is the belief that great outcomes come through great partnerships. As Day often says, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” By collaborating with other hospitals and organizations, KCH has strengthened specialty services, allowing Kentucky families to benefit from world-renowned expertise without leaving the state. The Joint Pediatric and Congenital Heart Program with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the orthopedic partnership with Shriners Children’s Lexington are both nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report. An alliance with the organization Easterseals and a 25,000 square-foot facility expansion of clinical spaces brings the full range of specialized medical and developmental care to children with complex needs in one place.
To address the ever-increasing demand for mental and behavioral care for children, Day has made increasing access to mental health care a priority for KCH. Under his leadership, KCH opened a 17-bed pediatric behavioral health unit in 2023, expanded access to mental health resources, and developed programs to provide early intervention and ongoing support. To further support children and their families, he directed his leadership team to establish an affiliate network, connecting providers in local communities with the full scope of KCH’s resources so that patients would not have to travel far from home to receive expert care.
These efforts, along with the expansion of outreach and educational programs across Kentucky, reflect his deep belief that lasting impact comes through shared vision and strong partnerships — not individual achievement.
Day’s leadership goes beyond hospital walls. He serves on the External Advisory Board for UK’s Lewis Honors College and was recently appointed to the board of Kentucky Youth Advocates. Motivated by his wife and four children, his faith, and a desire to leave the world better than he found it, he has championed programs that extend care across Kentucky and into global communities through the organization Worldwide Hearts and Hands in Kenya.
“I don’t want to just have visited this world,” Day said. “I want to make a meaningful difference — especially for children and families who need us most.”
Day believes that effective leadership is rooted in service to others and considers his role as a caretaker of children to be the highest honor.
“Great leadership is measured not by the number of servants, but the number of people I serve,” he said. “I will never forget my Eastern Kentucky roots and want the care we provide for Kentuckians to be better than anywhere in the world. I’m proud of all the accomplishments of KCH and our role as the voice of the children.”