Welcome to Johnson Deshommes, Radiology Visiting Scholar 2021/2022
My name is Johnson Deshommes, I am a physician from Haiti. Haiti is a mountainous country. It is located in the Caribbean next to the Dominican Republic. We used to be a wealthy island until political instability impoverishes it. Our favorite food is rice and bean and meat, it can be chicken, goat, pork. Although we become so poor, we are still a happy nation. We love foreigners, we also have beautiful beaches and resorts.
As a physician, this experience I will gain at UK will help me improve my CV and help me to compete for a position in the US medical residency program. After all, to comeback and share my knowledge and be able to help others to be as lucky as I am. I believe they are multiple areas where I will be useful for Haiti, mostly in research. My University is improving its research capacity now, so I will be surely an asset to them.
My story with Dr. Jimmy Lee and his wife Cortney Lee started in 2015 where I gave a presentation Faith Lutheran church about Haiti and what I am doing in Haiti, they were so happy to help me. So I went back in 2016 to work with both of them, but would spend more time with Dr. Cortney Lee and see all her endocrine surgeries. One day Dr. Jimmy Lee introduced me to Dr. Michael Winkler, since then I spent good amount of time with Dr. Winkler, he has been also a mentor to me. Working with Cortney Lee has been one of the best experiences I had, the way she treats people, the way she talks with her patients. When I was doing my internshp in Haiti (6th year of medical school) I was able to use those tactics, that resulted all my patients to be in love with me, they usually say I treat them well.
Dr. Cortney Lee once planned that I shadowed Dr. Michael Sekela who is a cardiac Surgeon, one of the best days of my life was to see him doing a heart transplantation, he was so heartful to have me. Since then, Dr. Winkler, Dr. Lee and his wife are supporting me throughout my medical career by buying me books and advice.
This time I come back as a physician to do research and already I know I will learn a lot and have a better CV. I love challenge, I love to learn new things, mostly the level of equipment’s you have is amazing. Being a Scholar in University of Kentucky is the highest honor of my life, this place has been in my heart since I've known about it, being here today is a dream come true.
My favorite past time outside work is to go eat with my friends from Kentucky who have supported me, Patricia Mundt, Sherri Greer, Linda Kinney, Barry Neese and Dr. Joe Kings’s family. I have not done much since I am here, but I am hopeful that I will be able to do some fun things. Also I would love to thank everybody who help me to get here, Dr. Winkler, Dr. Lee, Michelle Zupancic, Marc Invergo and Linda Joyce McCown.
- Johnson Deshommes
