DR . WHO Jeffrey Bumpous , MD , FACS by KATHRYN VANCE
We can all appreciate the importance of a good job shadowing experience . Where else can you really see the ins and outs of a job to know if it ’ d be a good fit for you personally ? For Dr . Jeffrey Bumpous , one shadowing opportunity set in motion a career that would ultimately lead him to a role as dean of a thriving medical school .
His family is from Western Kentucky , and he attributes his true love of science to the great education he got at Paducah Tilghman High School . Around the same time , that fateful shadowing opportunity came when a friend connected him to his brother-in-law , an ENT in the area . It was a great fit from the start and set Dr . Bumpous on the pathway to his career .
“ You should never underestimate the power of mentorship that more senior physicians have with people who are forming ideas about careers in medicine – because that was very helpful to me .”
He studied at Morehead State University as a pre-med student under advisor Dr . David Saxon , whom he commended for running a great program . When choosing where to continue his education for medical school , it was a very personal touch that made it such a clear choice .
“ The Dean of Admissions at the University of Louisville School of Medicine , Dr . Moore , got in his car and drove to all the regional
universities and got to know the pre-med students . He put a lot of time and effort and personal touch into the recruitment . He promoted UofL well , and he was a very helpful individual . I felt like he really cared for the students there .”
Throughout his time at the University of Louisville School of Medicine ( ULSOM ), he continued to have incredible mentors and eye-opening shadowing experiences .
“ Shadowing is so important , and in Kentucky in particular , there is a program called AHEC [ Area Health Education Centers ]. Doing the shadowing experiences or clerkships out in the state gave us an opportunity to be around physicians not only in the academic sector but also in the private sector of medicine ,” he said . “ I also had great mentorship while I was a medical student . Dr . Serge Martinez was Director of Otolaryngology at the time , and he was just excellent .”
He then moved to Missouri for residency in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at St . Louis University for the next five years . During the program , he was exposed to many subspecialties , which crystallized in his mind that he wanted to pursue a fellowship in head and neck cancer and later pursue academic medicine . He moved to Pennsylvania this time , to do his fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh .
“ I really liked surgery and the anatomy of the area , but more importantly , I found that taking good care of cancer patients – not just good care of cancers – required a much more holistic view of
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