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a former athlete himself , giving back in this way offers a unique perspective . He also serves with the Association of American Medical Colleges ( AAMC ). “ Before her retirement , Dean Ganzel appointed me as a representative to the Council of Faculty and Academic Societies for the AAMC . She has supported me every step of the way and has seen me grow as a student government leader into my positions now , so I thank her for a lot of my growth as a leader .”
As a surgeon at heart , it ’ s no surprise that his day-to-day is very procedure-heavy , with most of his days spent in the operating room .
“ I love to operate , and I love the intimacy that it gives you with the patient . When a patient entrusts you to operate on their face or their eyes , they are saying they believe in your focus and skill . That ’ s a very intimate relationship to share with your patient . I tell the residents all the time that you can never for a moment take for granted the gift that patients are giving you . That gift is the trust that they have in you to fix their problem . You should always be humble and thankful for that , and never forget how special you are as a surgeon to be able to get that from a patient .”
He also has clinic days , seeing 40-50 patients per day and even
visits satellite clinics in Elizabethtown and Madison , Indiana . These rural towns tie him back to his upbringing and he enjoys being able to provide care to patients who may not be able to get to Louisville for the care they need .
Outside of the OR and clinic , another thing that energizes Dr . Clark is advocacy . He is currently the Kentucky Ophthalmological Political Action Committee ( KOPAC ) Chair for the Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons . “ I work around the state to try to raise funds and awareness for eye conditions for all Kentuckians and lobby with legislators in Frankfort and Washington to make sure that vision-protecting legislation is out there , and that they understand the importance of having surgery done by surgeons - it ’ s important to protect our profession for the long haul .”
In 2021 , he received the Secretariat Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology for his efforts in advocacy and raising money for the state organization . “ I try to share with residents all the time how important it is to get involved with organized medicine and advocacy , especially when you ’ re a young physician . Seeing the other side of medicine and how giving back leads to more involvement , it ’ s like a cycle of re-enthusiasm . For me , it ’ s about trying new
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