For Reagan Stafford, MD, the decision to become a physician was shaped by her early experiences growing up in West Virginia.
“Growing up in a small community with limited access to health care inspired me to become a physician,” she said. “I saw the difference the town physicians made and the respect they garnered.”
As a student at Marshall University Joan C Edwards School of Medicine, surgery quickly stood out as the right fit for Dr. Stafford. “I realized I could make a lasting impact with definitive solutions for my patients,” she said. That sense of purpose only deepened during her general surgery residency training at UK.
“The UK College of Medicine has shown me that I can continue to impact patients from all across rural Appalachia,” Dr. Stafford explained. “I’ve learned that I don’t have to sacrifice any academic interests to serve the people and communities that first inspired me.”
Throughout training, it was the people who left the biggest impression. “From patients to staff to fellow physicians, I’ve found an overall desire to be better, mixed with a respect for the heritage and traditions that make us Kentucky Wildcats,” she said.
Now, as Dr. Stafford prepares to begin a two-year vascular surgery fellowship at UK, she’s looking ahead with purpose. “UK General Surgery has given me the springboard to feel confident going into practice,” she said. “I’m excited to find my niche and translate those skills into care tailored to the conditions I most want to treat.”
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Stafford and the more than 280 graduate medical trainees who also completed their training this summer; we look forward to all they will accomplish.
