his best friend that she was “ exactly the kind of girl I was going to marry .” As it turned out , Marcie was his best friend ’ s intended new girlfriend , but that eventually passed , and they had their first “ real ” date the day he graduated from Waggener High School . She became a medical technologist who specialized in medical toxicology , and they were married a year and half into residency and started their family shortly thereafter . She went to night school to get her MBA , but eventually decided that rather than going back into the world of work full force , she would take the rare opportunity afforded to raise their children herself .
“ My success in my career has a lot to do with my wife being the central axle of our family . For me to be able to dive into critical care medicine with both feet , we needed someone to be the strong , central figure of the family . She took up the role and has done nothing but be the bedrock that has allowed me to have a very storied and demanding career .”
Their oldest son , Sam , is 29 and graduating this semester from graduate school at the University of Kentucky with a degree in Nutritional Sciences . Sadie , 28 , is in Orthodontic Residency , also at UK . Their youngest , Nathan , 23 , recently relocated to California and has landed his dream job in Computer Science for Apple . Three years ago , Dr . Cohen and Marcie moved to Simpsonville , where their two Labradors , Carbon and Ferris , love running on their large plot of land . He has a never-ending list of things that “ don ’ t need to be done ” around his log home that keeps Marcie and him busy , such as building garden beds , bridges over streams , bocce ball courts , clearing walking trails , getting the pond in balance and much more . They especially enjoy entertaining family , friends and co-workers , giving them a glimpse of the country life .
He loves to travel , especially to European countries , and took each of his kids on a trip after they graduated high school .
“ I called it a ‘ self-reliant journey .’ We didn ’ t have a definitive plan , sometimes just backpacks and a general goal . For example , with Sam , we arrived in London and knew that we would be leaving from Rome in 12 days , so we had to figure it out for ourselves .” His wife joined in when it came time to take Sadie to Europe . With
Nathan , it was a three-week adventure that started in Rome and ended in Dublin .
So far , Dr . Cohen and Marcie have checked off several countries such as Poland , Italy , Israel , France and England , but Scotland and Ireland are up next . Once they travel there together , they will have been to all of the same countries . After that , they ’ re looking toward visiting the Iberian Peninsula , finding long lost relatives in Argentina , and if he can convince Drs . Mehta or Shah to be their personal guides , India .
Perhaps one of his favorite hobbies , loaded with cherished family memories , is the horse racing industry and all that comes with it . His father ’ s practice was catty-corner to Churchill Downs , and he got all his children interested in horse racing early on . For over 30 years , every Labor Day weekend Dr . Stuart Cohen and his sons headed to Saratoga Racecourse in New York . The guys ’ weekend tradition now includes their own sons and sons-in-law and close friends . Because of this love of horses , Dr . Cohen has been part of organized small thoroughbred partnerships on and off throughout the years .
While teaching and trying to be a resource for colleagues , he tries to make sure that he ’ s making an impression that will leave a lasting impact , not only in neonatology but also on the people he meets .
“ There have been major figures in my life who , whether they know it or not , have imprinted on how I became a physician and my approach to medicine . I ’ m hoping that maybe I will leave a couple of those imprints on other younger neonatologists , nurse practitioners , residents or medical students . So that when I ’ m long gone from medicine , they will think of me and what I ’ ve said or taught them . I hope that maybe I can make a small impact on a couple of people and be a part of their experience that makes them into the quality caregiver that they have become or will be someday .”
Kathryn Vance is the Communication Specialist at the Greater Louisville Medical Society .
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