through rural community sites treating patients with AIDS and
complications, TB, malaria, diarrheal diseases, pneumonia, trauma,
hypertension and diabetes.
Dr. Moyer did a Family Medicine Residency at the Wake Forest
School of Medicine in Winston-Salem North Carolina. “I continued
to be drawn to family medicine,” said Dr. Moyer, “because it allows
me to work with patients of all ages on both the physical and social
factors that affect their lives.”
At Wake Forest, Dr. Moyer worked with federally qualified health
centers throughout the Winston Salem area, helping to transform
community clinics into patient centered medical homes. She also
lobbied the North Carolina legislature in support of a statewide
Medicaid system. In 2012 she was named “Outstanding Resident”
by the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians.
“During my residency I was also able to develop the skills I needed
to be involved in public health organizations as a family physician. I
also gained a basic understanding of health care finance and different
payment models,” said Dr. Moyer.
In late 2013 Dr. Moyer came to Louisville with her husband, Dr.
James Moyer, who accepted a specialized year in pediatrics through
a Norton Healthcare program for the non-operative orthopedic care
of children. “We liked Louisville and decided to stay,” she said. They
have since expanded their family and have one-year-old twin boys.
Dr. Moyer serves on the Performance Measure Task Force for University of Louisville Physicians and on the Clinical Affairs, Quality
Improvement and Chronic Care Committees of the University of
Louisville Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine.
Last year Dr. Moyer interviewed then Louisville health director,
Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, for an article that would appear in the
Journal of the Kentucky Academy
of Family Physicians. The article
discussed why the health department was cutting back on some
services in order to promote
patient-centered medical homes
as the best places for patients to
receive comprehensive primary
care and preventive health services. “We seemed to connect,”
said Dr. Moyer. “The next week
Dr. Nesbitt called and asked me
if I’d be interested in the medical
director job.”
“I’m delighted to be at the Department of Public Health and Wellness,” she added. “We know that about 20 percent of a person’s health
is the result of direct clinical interventions. The other 80 percent
results from socioeconomic factors and from health policy. Working
with patients gives me the chance to impact that 20 percent and
working in public health allows me to get at the other 80 percent.”
“I’m struck with just how much the health department does and
its potential impact on the people it serves,” said Dr. Moyer. “We
need to close the gap between public health and clinical medicine
to improve the health of our patients.”
Dr. Moyer can be reached at [email protected] or
@LouMetroHealth.
Note: Dave Langdon is the director of public information for the
Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness.
SAVE THE DATE
The Greater Louisville Medical Society
Presidents’ Celebration
Muhammad Ali Center
May 31, 2015
8
LOUISVILLE MEDICINE