UofL physician named one of 20 best family practice residents in nation
December 8th, 2008
Paul McKee
University of Louisville resident physician Paul McKee has been named one of the most promising young doctors in the United States. McKee is one of only 20 recipients of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education from the American Academy of Family Physicians.
The award recognizes doctors in the second year of their accredited family medicine residency who have demonstrated leadership, outstanding community involvement, social commitment and exemplary patient care and who have built solid interpersonal relationships.
McKee’s interest in medicine goes back to a junior high school football injury. The doctors who cared for him after he broke four vertebrae in his back and neck left a lasting impression.
“Dr. McKee wants his patients to have the connection with him that he was lucky enough to experience with his doctors,” said Stephen Wheeler, senior faculty for resident education in the Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine.
“Despite his broad list of achievements and community service activities, he keeps the patients at the center of everything he does and provides exemplary patient care to even the most challenging patients,” he said.
McKee has made medical mission trips to Kenya, Swaziland, Ethiopia and Jamaica. Closer to home, he volunteers as a team physician for a local high school and has performed high school sports physicals. In 2007, he was a volunteer doctor at the Ironman Triathlon, National Senior Olympics and Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon.
His UofL peers selected him as one of two 2008-09 chief residents by an almost unanimous vote and he is one of the first residents to teach the course Interdisciplinary Clinical Cases to medical students. McKee also oversees students working in The Hope Clinic, which provides care to underserved women living in group homes.
Among his honors at UofL, the medical students presented him with an Excellence in Teaching Award in his intern year, with Golden Apple teaching award and with a mentor award.
“I go to bed each day or night thankful for the opportunity to be a physician and eagerly awaiting that next patient encounter, opportunity to learn or opportunity to teach,” McKee said. “I thoroughly embrace my responsibility as a physician and recognize the potential I have to be there for another person at their time of need. I thrive on the responsibility of being the leader of a team of health care professionals who have chosen to care for others.”
