DR . WHO
( continued from page 33 ) and continue pursuing her career , without jeopardizing either one .
“ When you go to pre-med and med school , you ’ re on this trajectory of go , go , go , do as much as you can to get to the next level , because there are applications , and you have to be competitive ,” she said . “ Then all of a sudden you realize you want to have a life and a family , and you want that to be balanced .”
After residency , Brandon went on to complete a three-year fellowship in pulmonary and critical care , and Dr . Kellie had a decision to make on her next move . She stayed in Cleveland and worked at the VA Medical Center , a job she truly loved . With Brad only age 2 , in 2016 they welcomed another baby boy , James . After Brandon finished his fellowship , the couple moved back to Louisville to be close to family .
Back home , Dr . Kellie joined Norton Healthcare once again . She has been with the company since 2016 , and has just recently joined Norton CMA - Barret this September . She says this move was perfect for her based on her care goals , and for addressing the more recent health care disparities in our community .
“ I wanted to provide patient care and provide more access in that underserved area of the community . But it ’ s so disheartening when a patient comes and tells you that they can ’ t afford their medication . There ’ s got to be a better way .”
Lately , she has been looking at lifestyle medicine to help her patients who may not be able to afford medications , instead focusing on the “ foundations of health ” like healthful eating , increasing physical activity , getting better sleep , stress management and avoiding risky behaviors .
“ I ’ m transitioning my practice from just conventional medicine to conventional plus lifestyle medicine . Of course you need medication if you ’ ve had something like a heart attack , but now I ’ m coaching my patients on how to prevent them from having another
one or how to prevent them from getting diabetes .”
She says that with the onset of COVID-19 , she is seeing more willingness from patients to try these lifestyle changes to make better health choices and is seeing a very positive patient response , which is great for her as well .
“ When their eyes light up and they say , ‘ I feel great !’ that is where the payback is for me .”
The positive feedback from her patients is just one place that she feels truly gratified . Her biggest joy in her life is her family . On the weekends and when she ’ s not in the office , she loves spending time outside with her boys and loves outdoor exercise , especially her weekly two-hour run on Fridays ! She makes sure to tend her mental health just as much . She enjoys self-help books , saying that she wants to learn better how to talk to her children , and to learn more about meaningful relationships with her patients . Mental health and self-care are extremely important to her : physicians , she knows , must take care of themselves to avoid overworking and feeling burnout .
“ It ’ s so important to do that self-care . We really need to take care of ourselves and be our own advocate so that we can better take care of our patients . We often ignore what we ’ re going through , because that ’ s how it was ingrained in us during training . You had to be tough and you had to be number one . But we don ’ t have to . We can enjoy life to avoid burnout . It ’ s important to our health and to our patients ’ health .”
Dr . Kellie stressed that just the same way that patients want to understand why they ’ re being told to take a medication , physicians must remember their why too . Remind yourself why you got into medicine in the first place . You must rediscover your “ why .”
Kathryn Vance is the Communication Specialist at the Greater Louisville Medical Society .
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