DR . WHO Jeffrey Howard , MD , MBA , MPH by KATHRYN VANCE
Growing up in rural Appalachia , Kentucky , Dr . Jeffrey Howard faced realities far beyond his years and learned to cope by keeping himself busy . He lived with his mother and stepfather , a stepsister five years younger and his grandmother . As a family made up of mostly coal workers , he says they got by living paycheck to paycheck . His grandmother was in poor health , with diabetes and early onset Alzheimer ’ s , leaving his mother to be her primary caregiver . After suffering from a medical condition herself , his mother fell victim to opioid addiction , and their lives were turned upside down .
“ My passion for medicine was fueled at a young age after seeing the illnesses my grandmother suffered from ,” Dr . Howard said . “ Furthermore , my passion for helping solve public health issues was sparked by witnessing firsthand how preventable diseases , like substance use disorder , can negatively impact an entire family and community .”
After years of evictions and many moves from one home to another , Dr . Howard reconnected with his father as a teen . While he knew he would have to leave behind his little sister and grandmother who both depended on him , he made the difficult decision to move in with his father .
With this change , he excelled in his day-to-day life , education and especially on the football field . While in high school , he met Brandy , and after graduation the two decided to go to Union College in Eastern Kentucky to play football and join the cheerleading team . After college , he thought he would become a high school teacher and football coach , but in his sophomore year he suffered a career-ending knee injury and had to refocus his interests . He had been named a Bonner Scholar , started a community-based research program and got involved with a free health clinic in town . This , coupled with his desire to help people with medical issues like his grandmother , propelled him toward medicine .
“ In a rural community , you really see what physicians mean to their community . These people really do something special in the lives of their patients ,” he said . “ I didn ’ t realize until later what an impact they make , how important the health care team is to a patient ’ s success . There ’ s a lot you can do to do good in the world , but one way you can really have an impact is to meet people with kindness and to use a whole patient approach when they ’ re at their most vulnerable .”
After marrying Brandy during their senior year , Dr . Howard enrolled at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 2010 . While there , he became passionate about surgery and was overjoyed to be staying local and joining the top-notch surgical program at UofL .
“ Kentuckians are my people . I really wanted to have an entire life and career focused on taking care of my fellow Kentuckians ,” he said . “ I knew I wanted to do surgery because it allowed me to accomplish two things : it satisfied my own need for immediate
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