DR . WHO
DR . WHO
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT DR . SUSAN MCKEE
AUTHOR Kathryn Vance
The reward of a sweet treat is motivation in itself for most children . But for Dr . Susan McKee , that was just the cherry on top of another great childhood experience . “ When I was little , we were allowed to go on rounds with my dad on the weekends with the reward of donuts in the doctors ’ lounge . My twin and I used to fight over who would get to go with dad on Saturday mornings . That definitely influenced my decision to go into medicine .”
Dr . McKee was born alongside her twin brother Jack in Charlottesville , Virginia while her father , Dr . Fred Williams , endocrinologist and former GLMS President , was finishing his fellowship . Soon after the twins were born , the family moved to Louisville at which time her mother stepped back from intensive care nursing and took on the tremendous role of stay-at-home-mom . Growing up with a twin ( who is also now a physician at the Pentagon ) and two other siblings , medicine was always a part of their lives , although it was never something forced upon them .
“ There wasn ’ t a ton of medical talk at home , but as my brother and I got interested in medicine , my father encouraged it a little more and let us shadow him . I worked in his office doing medical records during high school and college , so that gave me the opportunity to see what he does and get a little bit of basics and general internal medicine .”
Early on , Dr . McKee thought about veterinary school but after their first family pet passed away , she knew it wouldn ’ t be a good fit . Nevertheless , she was determined to enter the healing profession in one way or another . In high school at Mercy Academy , she took part in a service-learning project that allowed her to volunteer at Norton Hospital and even got to see her first autopsy , sparking an early interest in pathology . Out of high school and with a keen interest in the sciences , she attended the University of Dayton in Ohio graduating in 2004 , before moving home to Louisville and
enrolling at the University of Louisville School of Medicine .
As she went through rotations , she was leaning toward a future in OB-GYN or surgery . However , she knew that she wanted to start a family and would choose something with lifestyle balance . During her third year , she had one teacher who really helped her to choose . “ During my surgery rotation , I was on pediatric surgery and the fellow at the time was a really good teacher . He would take me down to the pathology lab with him and we would look at slides during the surgeries . I was fascinated .”
From there , her decision was easy . “ I thought pathology was a great specialty and very scientific . It really encompasses all areas of medicine . Not only are you reading the clinical charts but then you get to see the tissue under the microscope . That solidified my decision .”
As a junior at the UofL School of Medicine , Dr . McKee met a resident , Dr . Paul McKee . While the two only talked for just a few minutes on their first meeting , she made sure to keep an eye out for him throughout the hospital .
After graduation , she began the four-year pathology residency program at UofL in both anatomic and clinical pathology . During this time , she was co-Chief Resident for two years and was Board certified in 2012 . Finally , three years after their initial meeting , she bumped into Dr . Paul McKee through mutual friends . The two quickly bonded over many shared interests , such as both being twins , his hometown of Dayton , Ohio ( her undergraduate alma mater ), and his former job as an autopsy tech before he went into medical school .
Following residency , she knew she wanted to continue her education in pathology and entered a one-year cytopathology fellowship at Indiana University . Cytopathology allows the physician to
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