dining experience ). We found chaos among a crowd in the parking lot and learned that the 1974 tornado had flattened a large area of the city . We spent the night observing and assisting in stitching up survivors who came through the ED . It was an alarming but exciting introduction to the upcoming clinical rotations . John worked with a family practitioner at Fleming County Hospital that summer , where his interest in pediatrics began .
We got married in the summer of 1974 and began to think about how we would mesh our careers . We wanted to do an externship during senior year at an institution with excellent Pediatric and Internal Medicine training programs . After a summer trip to visit eight different institutions , we decided on Washington University in St . Louis as our first choice and secured an externship for the fall of senior year . When Match Day 1976 finally arrived , John received his letter first . I returned to my seat , opened mine , and exclaimed with relief that we were going to St . Louis . My heart sank when he said , “ Saint Louis ?” Briefly , I thought that we might spend several years of our young marriage in different parts of the country , but his quick wry grin told me that he had just played one of his infamous pranks ! Everyone else in attendance thought it was pretty funny . Since by then I was used to such teasing , I quickly recovered .
During seven fulfilling years in St . Louis , John completed a pediatric internship and residency , served as chief resident in Pediatrics and then went on to a neonatal fellowship that included a year of bench research on SIDS . We were ready to return to Louisville and our families . I joined the Cardiovascular Associates , PSC and John joined the University of Louisville and the Neonatal Associates , PSC in January , 1983 .
John quickly became a popular attending physician . This undoubtedly stemmed from his genuine interest in teaching and his kind and considerate manner in dealing with patients , families , and staff . ( The bagels he brought for morning rounds probably didn ’ t hurt , either !). In 1986 , he became Director of Medical Education for the department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Program Director , a position he held for 22 years .
His passion for education grew with each succeeding year and in 1996 he became Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education for the university . From 1998 to 2013 he was , in addition , the Vice Chairman of Medical Education for the Department of Pediatrics . He is now the Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Continuing Medical Education at the School of Medicine .
His interest in education has carried him across borders . He has traveled to Romania , Moldova and Vietnam on trips to train local physicians and nurses in neonatal care .
John is a member of multiple medical organizations and has served as President of the Innominate Society ( Louisville Medical Historical Society ) and the Louisville Pediatric Society ( now defunct ). He has been a member of KMA and GLMS since 1983 and has served on multiple committees in those organizations since 1989 , increasing his involvement with each passing year . Since 2012 , he has been Chair of the KMA Continuing Education Committee .
His leadership in education has not gone unnoticed . In 2013 , he was named to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society . In 2006 he received the Excellence in Education Award at the Doctors ' Ball and in 2014 , the University of Louisville Dean ’ s Education Award for Excellence in Education . He has appeared on Louisville Magazine ’ s list of Louisville ’ s Top Docs numerous times .
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