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She bounced around for a little bit after high school , taking odd jobs and working in retail at Louisville ’ s The Bottom Half . “ We played loud rock and roll music . It was hipster and very cool .” For a change of scenery , she moved to Houston , Texas for two years and worked in marketing , just looking for an escape and maybe hoping to stumble on something more .
“ At 23 , there was a voice in my head telling me to get my act together ,” she said . “ So , I came back to Louisville and took care of my mom . I was trying to find myself , but I still wasn ’ t ready to commit . It wasn ’ t until 1990 that I decided to focus on my career ; nursing was familiar and achievable .”
Dr . Person started over from scratch . She went to Jefferson Community College , and then it was off to nursing school where she got a two year ADN degree . During her study , she worked as an aide and earned a Norton nursing scholarship . That would start a many decades-long relationship with the hospital system .
From the very beginning , there were nurses who supported Dr . Person and helped her find hours to work while she was still in school .
“ The Norton nurses offered me tremendous support and encouragement during the admission school process and first years of Med school . They arranged flexible work schedules for me so that I could attend my first-year classes , and yet continue to nurse and maintain income . Nursing provided me the foundation of how to provide compassionate care at the bedside , and interact with sick patients .”
There were also good and caring physicians who pushed her , as a nurse , to go further with her education and think bigger about what she wanted health care in Louisville to be .
“ Dr . Charlie Smith had a huge impact on me early on . He was one of the first physicians who gave me the confidence to think I could do something apart from nursing . Dr . David Bybee came into our unit a lot and pushed me towards chemistry . Drs . Chris and Connie Anggelis , they may not remember but they encouraged me too . And Dr . Kitty Henry , she was a nurturer . These doctors gave me their time and shared their knowledge , but they wanted me to take ownership of my future .”
With confidence in her corner , Dr . Person began to try prerequisites for medical school . She put her best foot forward , and the doors began to open professionally and academically .
At a market in Madrid
“ I had the right energy around me , and many people encouraging me . I don ’ t know if I believe in coincidence , but I believe in a spiritual serendipity . So , I thought whether it was medical school or not , let ’ s do it and see what He ’ s got planned .”
As her professional life was taking off , her home life was developing a few cracks . She would endure a divorce just as she entered her first year of medical school . “ That part was tough , but it taught me that life isn ’ t about the house or car or swimming pool . When you look in the mirror , what do you see back ?”
The silver lining might have been hard to find at the time , but that test would open pathways Dr . Person didn ’ t even know existed . She found support and renewed strength in her girlfriends , and a new chapter of her life was on the horizon .
Through the friends and colleagues whom Dr . Person had relied on during medical school , a grant writer and former professor at JCC , Dr . Ruth Greenberg learned of her work and nominated her for the American Federation of Aging Research Scholarship .
“ I don ’ t think I would have even been on Dr . Greenberg ’ s radar if it weren ’ t for the support of my friends during medical school . I didn ’ t know she nominated me . I ’ m scrolling through my e-mail and see ‘ You ’ ve been awarded the …’ and thought it was an advertisement . Being a visiting AFAR student at Harvard allowed me opportunities I could only dream of .”
Harvard moves fast , but Dr . Person kept up just fine . Dr . Susan Mitchell of Harvard Geriatrics became her mentor , and their first project together was published . It wasn ’ t long before Dr . Person was presenting at a national conference on aging research . In addition , she continued to explore her Louisville based options with Dr . Henry .
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30 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE