MEMBERS
and his family arrived back in Kentucky in 1993 with an additional
member in tow: their youngest son, Lawrence.
It wasn’t quite time to settle down completely. The Weeks family
stayed in Louisville just three years before moving again, this time
to Louisiana State University in Shreveport. “I wanted to be in the
fast lane and was anxious to pursue additional research, but senior
physicians were working on studies which had to be completed before
I could start. I moved to Shreveport to address that,” he explained.
So how did Louisville come back into the picture?
“When my oldest son, Dexter, came home from second grade, he
had a life chart. Chart your highs and lows in your life. What were those
events? There was this one low area at the bottom of the page which
simply said, ‘Leaving Louisville.’ Dexter has always been introverted
and introspective like me. So, if he complained about something, it
got my attention. I realized that when my sons are grown, it probably
won’t matter if I have 25 first author publications or 250.”
Weeks family photo. From left to right: Lawrence, Dr. Jonathan Weeks, Brenda and Dexter.
By happenstance, it was around that time a letter arrived in the
mail from Louisville’s Suburban Hospital looking for a dedicated
maternal-fetal physician. The stars aligned, and the Weeks family re-
turned to Louisville less than two years after they left. Dr. Weeks spent
10 years at Suburban Hospital (now Norton Women and Children’s
Hospital) before being courted by UofL to become a faculty member.
He accepted and stayed with their program until March of 2015. He
then returned to Norton Women and Children’s Hospital to lend a
hand with the growing opioid epidemic.
“I became board certified in addiction in 2014 and came here in
early 2015 to help start a program most people know as New Visions.
In the years since, we’ve taken care of more than 500 patients fighting
addictions,” Dr. Weeks said.
Although settling down may not be the right word, Louisville
has truly become home to the Weeks family. Dexter graduated from
our UofL School of Medicine in 2017 and lives in Galveston, Texas,
completing his residency. Lawrence is a sous chef at Garage Bar in
downtown Louisville. Dr. Weeks attributes much of their successes to
his wife, Brenda. The couple recently celebrated 31 years of marriage
together. “It’s her support that keeps me grounded and keeps the family
happy. I’ve been very blessed there,” he said.
The Weeks family at Dexter’s medical school graduation
As he’s gotten older, Dr. Weeks has traded tennis for golf, although
he admits he’s a long way from being good. And, some of his favorite
memories have come from traveling with his loved ones. They took
brief trips to Korea and Mexico, and one extended vacation through
Europe and Africa that left a big impression. “South Africa is the
favorite. We went to Cape Town and Krueger National Park. It was a
fantastic experience, and much easier than you’d think.”
On the horizon, Dr. Weeks hopes to publish and report on his
experience treating patients with addiction. “This problem is too big,
too widespread,” he said. “I think we need many more physicians who
feel comfortable treati ng those patients. If I can somehow encourage
The Weeks family with tour guides in South Africa, 2005.
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