DR . WHO Johnathan Bilbro , MD by KATHRYN VANCE
The transition from high school to college is well known as a time for self-discovery and really figuring out where your interests lie . For Dr . Johnathan Bilbro , his time as an undergraduate was just that . Raised in Muhlenberg County , Kentucky , he packed up and moved across the state and settled into dorm life at Asbury University . His heart had called him to major in Christian ministry and knew that the private college in Wilmore would be the perfect fit .
Just a couple of weeks into his freshman year , he met an art major named Ashley . She had grown up in the area , and her family had ties throughout the city and the university – her grandfather is an Asbury alumnus and Director of their Equine Program , in addition to being the mayor of Wilmore for almost 50 years . Ashley helped Dr . Bilbro get acquainted with the place he ’ d call home for the next four years and before long , they were official .
As undergrad progressed , he began to realize that maybe his future path wasn ’ t as clear as he thought . He ’ d always had an interest in science and had even been taking pre-med courses . His older brother Bradley had at that point entered medical school himself , and it seemed like a possibility for his own future , too .
“ I really felt like medicine gave me the best opportunity to challenge myself academically , but also still help people . It felt like a good mix .”
He ended up changing his major to biology ( although he did still graduate with a Christian ministry minor ) and excelled through the
remaining years with his sights set on medical school . He graduated from Asbury , and just a few weeks later married Ashley in 2014 .
They packed up and moved to Lexington , where he started at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine . He had some idea of what to expect from his brother ’ s stories – he was three years older and farther into medical training – but that first day of medical school is always a shocker .
“ You know , it ’ s common in medical school for every student there to be used to being the top of the class . Now , you ’ ve moved up a notch and everyone is really smart and hardworking . So it can be a bit intimidating , but also motivating to be surrounded by people who want to learn and better themselves .”
Going in , he didn ’ t have a clear idea of what specialty he wanted to pursue , but a first-year class on psychiatry sparked an interest . During third-year rotations , he knew it would allow him to tap into passions he ’ d had from the start .
“ There ’ s definitely a through line from my interest in ministry to ultimately ending up in psychiatry . I use some of the same skills to get to know people , hear about their struggles and problems they ’ re facing , and offer some supportive therapy and counseling ,” he said . “ It was a specialty that captured what I imagined myself doing , regardless of whether I was in medicine or ministry .”
Psychiatry residency kept him in Lexington , which turned out to be the best thing for his family , as he and Ashley welcomed their daughter Novella during his first year . Both roles , intern and new father , put quite a lot of pressure on his schedule and sleep patterns ,
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