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No matter the question, no matter the person who asked it, 7-month-old Ehdisyn Marmolejos had a habit of shaking her head “no” in response.

But when her father, Hal Marmolejos, asked her one day if he should go to medical school, it was the first time he ever saw her nod “yes.”

The moment brought tears to Hal’s eyes. He jumped up and down.

“That experience opened my eyes to the world of medicine,” Hal said. “It was a moment of clarity, that everything in my life had been leading me toward becoming a doctor.”

As part of the Office of Graduate Medical Education’s continued expansion of its graduate medical program opportunities, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and UK HealthCare have established a new residency program to equip medical trainees with the necessary knowledge and experience to best treat Kentucky patients with both medical and psychiatric needs.

Juneteenth is observed on June 19, 2021, to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. On this day, enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, Texas, were notified they had actually been freed almost 2.5 years earlier.

Members of the College of Medicine were asked a series of questions on how they honor Juneteenth.

Q: When did you first become aware of Juneteenth?

Em Neiport, MA, is project manager at the College of Medicine and staff co-chair of the LGBTQ* Advisory Committee.

Q: What are your roles at the UK College of Medicine?

A: I’m a project manager in the College of Medicine. The projects I’ve worked on are so varied and have allowed me to see just how expansive academic medicine really is. It’s fascinating! The best part of my role is having a chance to work with so many amazing people in all areas of the college.

Meriem Bensalem-Owen, MD, and Brian Gold, PhD, might not have ever had the chance to work on projects together. Dr. Bensalem-Owen is a physician who spends much of her time at the patients’ bedside, reviewing video-EEG monitoring studies, or in clinic treating patients with epilepsy, and Dr. Gold is a researcher who studies age-related brain and cognitive changes in the lab.

But thanks to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s Alliance Research Initiative, they have joined forces to better localize, and ultimately treat, epileptic seizures.

Cheavar Blair, PhD, a 2017 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, is now a postdoc at the University of California-Santa Barbara. 

When Abi Recktenwald graduates from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, she will officially start a career she never imagined possible thanks to a combination of hard work, skill, and a strong faculty support system.

Going into her third year, Recktenwald had a wide range of interests across medicine and surgery. However, on her pediatric rotation early that year, she encountered a child who needed a complex plastic surgery procedure to cover a skin defect. It was through the experience she realized plastic surgery was her calling.

I am excited to announce that after an extensive national search by a committee of your peers and broad faculty input, Zaki-Udin Hassan, MBBS, MBA, FASA, has officially accepted the role of chair of the department of anesthesiology. This appointment will take effect July 1.

Our residents and fellows put in the time and effort each and every day. The Gold Humanism Honor Society’s “Thank a Resident Day,” falls on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, providing an opportunity to showcase some of their great work.

Our Office of Graduate Medical Education continuously receives nominations for “Resident of the Month.” For Thank a Resident Day, the office is spotlighting the exceptional work of some of our nominated residents at the UK College of Medicine. 

The UK College of Medicine chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is commemorating Black History Month by curating educational information about the Black community's impact in medicine.

This week, SNMA conducted a Q&A with Black physician-leaders who either currently work or have worked at the UK College of Medicine to learn their perspectives on medicine and how we can continue to improve.

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine is thrilled to announce the addition of Brian Hamilton, MEd, as its new director of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In this newly established role, Hamilton works under the direction of Stephanie White, MD, MS, to advance the mission of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and help execute the college’s strategic plan. This includes implementing new initiatives and increasing engagement to build a more welcoming, inclusive campus while focusing on efforts for recruiting and retaining diverse faculty, staff, and learners.

Ima Ebong, MD, MS, assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Department of Neurology, was recently named one of “1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America” in a list published by Cell Mentor, an online resource for researchers.

The list, compiled by The Community of Scholars, recognizes the significant contributions Black scientists have made in research.

Professor Richard Welsh’s desire to help Kentucky families propelled a decades-long career in health care and academia at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and UK HealthCare. After nearly 52 years of service, Welsh, LCSW, MSW, has made official plans to retire.

To Welsh, the decision to say goodbye was a difficult one. He garnered a wealth of expertise in treating disruptive behavior disorders and made a tremendous impact as a professor, holding joint appointments in the UK College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and the UK College of Social Work.

The seventh annual Healthy Hearts for Women virtual symposium will take place Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. A virtual round table hosted by Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) will follow the symposium.

8:30 a.m.-Noon
Healthy Hearts for Women Symposium

As part of its commitment toward creating a more inclusive work and learning environment, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine has established additional leadership roles in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The college is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Pearson, PhD, to oversee progress in research as the inaugural director of inclusive research initiatives.  

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne bacterial disease in the U.S., with 200,000 new cases each year. While incidence in Kentucky typically has been relatively low, the incidence of the tick vector, lxodes scapularis, has increased over the past five years, even spreading to areas it did not previously live.

Following the excellent and long-tenure of leadership by Phillip A. Tibbs, MD, the UK College of Medicine has announced Craig G. van Horne, MD, PhD, as the new chair for the department of neurosurgery effective Dec. 1.

Marilyn Duncan, PhD, a driven researcher and well-regarded professor in the department of neuroscience, has been elected to serve on the University Senate Council, the executive body of the University Senate. 

Dr. Duncan is serving a third term on the University Senate. During her tenure she has been part of the Advisory Committee for Prior Service, the Academic Programs Committee, the Academic Area Committee for Promotion and Tenure in the Biological Sciences, and the Library Committee. 

Her term on the Senate Council will run from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2023.

Daniel Lee, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Department of Neuroscience and a researcher at the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, an internationally recognized Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. He joined the UK College of Medicine in August 2019. He is also a member of the Faculty of Color Network and currently serves as co-director for the Research Education Component (REC) of the UK-ADRC.

Veterans Day is a time to recognize individuals who have made the honorable decision to protect our country's freedom through military service. Below, we are honoring four of our of our very own faculty members and learners who have served our country, are serving our country, or are committed to serving our country in the most selfless of ways - through the military and in health care.