DR. WHO
Dr. Lacy Ochs by Kathryn Vance
Growing up in Owensboro, Dr. Lacy Ochs was deeply influenced by the values she saw at home – her father’ s tireless work on their farm instilled perseverance, while her mother’ s care for six children, including Dr. Ochs and her twin sister, taught compassion and selflessness. These early lessons laid the foundation for a future in medicine. Her personal experiences as a child with severe asthma, frequently hospitalized and under the care of a beloved pediatrician, sparked an early admiration for the field. Though she initially considered teaching to stay connected to children, it was during her time at the University of Kentucky, after shadowing pediatricians and receiving encouragement from her brother-in-law, that she discovered her true calling in pediatrics.
“ He said that if I had a passion for it and I loved it, to just go for it. So that’ s exactly what I did.”
Her reasons for coming to Louisville for medical school were two-fold: her now-husband Tyler lived here, but also the strength of UofL’ s pediatrics program shone brightly. Still, she was nervous.“ I didn’ t know anyone going into medical school here – that on top of a new city made me nervous. Then the first two years of med school were classwork which was really hard for me. I’ m kind of a perfectionist, so I studied all the time and didn’ t balance my life the best.”
She made it through to clinical rotations smoothly and was able to see even more how much she loved UofL’ s pediatrics program. She appreciated it so much that she applied for residency here and matched, especially glad to stay close to family.
During residency, she explored the idea of a fellowship and additional specialization in oncology. However, some self-reflection swayed her away.“ I realized that I don’ t separate my patients from my life very well and I get too involved sometimes. I knew it wasn’ t something I could do long-term for my own mental health. It was also the relationships you can build with primary care. I like to know who you are when I walk in the room, your background and story, and getting to grow with them. It’ s nice sometimes to get to see healthy kids, I don’ t have to give them terrible news.”
After three years of residency, she stayed on for an additional year as Chief Resident, allowing her to not only explore career options, but also to experience the teaching role she’ d always admired. During that year, a position with East Louisville Pediatrics came open and she was happy to accept.
“ I had worked with Dr. [ Patricia ] Purcell during my residency, and I knew I really liked the practice and got along well with the providers. The partners made private practice seem so inviting. You
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