Women in Medicine Month Spotlight: Dr. Meredith Landorf

Meredith Landorf, MD, recently began a leadership role as assistant dean for the University of Kentucky College of Medicine-Northern Kentucky Campus. Through this position she will oversee and build upon the third- and fourth-year clerkships while promoting the regional campus’s mission of educating physicians in Kentucky for Kentucky. Dr. Landorf is also a practicing physician in Edgewood, Ky.

To commemorate Women in Medicine Month, below are five facts about Dr. Landorf to help the UK College of Medicine become more acquainted with the Northern Kentucky Campus’s newest administrator.

She is a Med-Peds physician with a passion for teaching.

Dr. Landorf said she was “very excited” when she heard that the Northern Kentucky area was going to be the site of a UK College of Medicine regional campus, which officially began instructing medical students in the fall of 2019. At the time, Dr. Landorf was hoping to broaden her teaching opportunities.

Her background in medical instruction is extensive, including the supervision of a wide range of learners from multiple institutions such as Northern Kentucky University, the University of Cincinnati, Duke University, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Ohio University. Even during her medical education journey, she mentored future physicians, serving as chief resident while she was in the graduate program at the University of Rochester.

Just before joining the leadership team at the UK College of Medicine-Northern Kentucky Campus, Dr. Landorf served as a clinical preceptor for a small group of students teaching medical interviewing as part of MD-811, Introduction to Clinical Medicine.

Now as assistant dean for the Northern Kentucky Campus, she is ready to make a further impact on future physicians.

“I hope that students’ time in my office helps provide them a little piece of their puzzle, and I am excited to be at UK walking our students’ journeys with them,” she said.

She believes mentorship is the key to advancing women in medicine.

Dr. Landorf believes women in medicine serve as great mentors for the next generation, and that with more mentorship, there will be more women in health care leadership positions.

“As women make up more of each class, we are building more mentors to help them along the way,” Dr. Landorf said.

She has already experienced progress for women in medicine since graduating from medical school 20 years ago. She said one of the biggest improvements has been the opportunity for more flexible scheduling and duties including the availability of extended hours, weekends, and shift options that were sparse before.

She has a list of exemplary role models who shaped her career today.

“I was blessed with some amazing mentors along my medicine education journey,” Dr. Landorf said. Those include the late Dr. Jacqueline Noonan, a long-time, well-regarded pediatric cardiologist at the UK College of Medicine; Dr. Lynn Garfunkel, assistant residency director at the University of Rochester Medical Center; and Dr. Julia Richardson, Area Health Education Center pediatrics preceptor at the White House Clinic in McKee, Ky., and Dr. Brett Robbins, residency director and primary clinic attending at the University of Rochester Medical Center. One of the most influential physicians in Dr. Landorf's journey was her MD 811 preceptor at the UK College of Medicine, Dr. Chris Nelson, who has served as a continuous role model and mentor for her.

She and her husband are both UK College of Medicine graduates.

Dr. Landorf earned her bachelor’s degree in engineering physics at Murray State University before graduating from the UK College of Medicine in 2001. Her husband is also a 2001 graduate who now practices Med-Peds in Crestview Hills.

Dr. Landorf and her husband have four kids and live in Independence, Ky. When she is not on campus or at her practice, Dr. Landorf can be found spending time with her family.

“I am a mom of four, so my hobbies include taxi driving and grocery shopping,” Dr. Landorf said, “but I do enjoy the beach, hiking, and crafting.”

She enjoys the little things about academic medicine.

Dr. Landorf said her most memorable moments as a physician and educator are the small achievements that have allowed her to greatly impact her patients and students. Those include earning the position of third-year clerkship preceptor in her decade of teaching at the University of Cincinnati; helping moms embrace new parenting roles; and developing relationships with her patients and their families.