Transforming Medical Education

Dr. Michael D. Rankin makes a historic gift of $22 million to the University of Kentucky

By Kristi Willett

When his parents drove from their home in rural Lincoln County to drop Michael Rankin ’71 EN, ’80 MED off at Haggin Hall on the University of Kentucky campus in August 1967, it was one of the biggest places he had ever been.

His high school math teacher had encouraged his love for math and science and in 1971 he received an engineering degree. His dream though, was to go to medical school, but he feared achieving this goal was out of reach. Now, he wants to make sure that young men and women from rural areas who aspire to be physicians have the support they need to make their dreams come true.

On June 17, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved a historic $22 million gift commitment to the College of Medicine from Dr. Michael D. Rankin and on July 13, a ceremony acknowledging his gift and honoring him for his vision for a healthier Kentucky was held on the front lawn of UK’s Main Building.

UK College of Medicine students and UK President Dr. Eli Capilouto (second from right) at a ceremony honoring Dr. Michael D. Rankin's (far right) gift on July 13, 2021.

Photo by Mark Cornelison, UK Photo

Rankin says it is hard to believe it has been 54 years since he began classes at UK as an undergraduate. “It was an exciting time but also scary — being at such a large place — even though it was much smaller at the time,” he said.

Like many students even today, Rankin was a first-generation college student. His parents and grandparents were small farmers and worked hard to survive the Great Depression.

“At that time, being a poor farm kid from Lincoln County, I thought medicine and medical school was just for the rich kids from the city,” said Rankin who adds his family sold a cow to pay for his first year’s tuition.

Rankin went on to receive his degree in engineering and then worked in the communications sector following graduation but his desire to be a physician never went away.

After working and saving up money, Rankin returned to UK as a College of Medicine student five years after he had received his bachelor’s degree.

However, his return to the classroom wasn’t always easy. “I remember that first day in histology class when I sat down in front of a microscope and I had never used one before,” he said. “I panicked and wondered what I had got myself into.” But he says his instructor was very patient with him and told him “if you can graduate in electrical engineering you can do this with ease” and his confidence was restored.

Rankin recalls medical school as a transformational time and a place where he grew individually and professionally all the while making lifelong friends.

“UK has pretty much become a second home to me,” he said. “And I probably have spent more nights here than many places I’ve lived in my life after you count four years as an undergraduate, being on-call during medical school and spending every third night at the hospital while a resident.”

After receiving his medical degree in 1980, he completed his residency in family medicine in 1983 at UK HealthCare and the College of Medicine and then pursued a highly successful practice in primary care and family medicine in Atlanta. He then retired and returned to Boyle County on a farm just 10 miles from where he grew up.

Rankin in 1980, the year he received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky.

Today, he often can be found on a tractor in one of his fields and seems just as comfortable as in his white coat.

But one thing that hasn’t changed is Rankin’s love for the Commonwealth and its passionate, hardworking people. This he says is what led him to make a vow at a young age to take care of the people and places that are so dear to him.

His gift to UK is now the second largest single gift in university history and will support scholarships in the College of Medicine and construction of a new health education building and also further elevates the University’s historic fundraising campaign, Kentucky Can: The 21st Century Campaign, moving it past the $1.6 billion mark on the way to UK’s goal of $2.1 billion.

“Generations of people Dr. Rankin will never ever meet will feel the positive influence of his compassion and his resolve,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “That impact is the purest form of philanthropy.

“Through this gift, Dr. Rankin has left an indelible mark of healing and hope, not just on this university, but on the state of Kentucky,” said Capilouto. “His influence will be felt by generations of students and the patients that they are destined to serve. It will help us to continue to battle stubborn health disparities that for too long have plagued our state and help us to continue to dramatically help health outcomes throughout Kentucky.”

As an alumnus, Rankin has already made a significant impact and devoted himself to the college, its success and the success of its students, said acting provost and dean of the College of Medicine for the past five years, Dr. Bob DiPaola. “Dr. Rankin and has been an invaluable member of the UK Medical Alumni Association, past president of the UK Medical Alumni Association and associated board, chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council, and volunteer faculty in the UK Department of Family and Community Medicine.”

In addition, he has served many years on the College of Medicine scholarship and admissions committees.

Rankin spends most of his retirement days on his farm in Boyle County, just 10 miles from where he grew up, while continuously staying involved with the UK College of Medicine.

Photo by Mark Cornelison, UK Photo

“Rankin’s impact is felt through this gift, his scholarship fund and his all-around support of the university, and especially the College of Medicine,” said DiPaola. “We’re incredibly grateful for his work with the UK College of Medicine and his generous donations to the college, both financially and through his service.”

As part of Rankin’s gift commitment, $12 million will support the current “Michael Rankin MD Community Scholarship Endowment.” This scholarship provides support for medical students from rural Kentucky counties having unmet financial need.

“I felt strongly that it was important for me to step up and establish a scholarship so students could concentrate on their studies and not have to worry about food insecurity or where they were going to live,” Rankin said. “My vision is that anyone who wants to go to medical school — especially those from rural areas — should be able to go and that their dreams are not out of reach.”

“My vision is that anyone who wants to go to medical school – especially those from rural areas – should be able to go and that their dreams are not out of reach.”

Dr. Wendy Jackson, UK College of Medicine associate dean for admissions said, “anyone that knows Dr. Rankin knows that he is passionate about many things — one is this institution, another is rural Appalachia, and also the great Commonwealth of Kentucky and everything within its borders.”

She added that his gift will provide an opportunity to better showcase the greatness of the UK College of Medicine. “People like me who thought becoming a doctor was a dream, you will help make it a reality,” Jackson said. “We thank you for your vision of a better Kentucky.”

Rankin’s gift is also a catalyst in the efforts to construct a new health education building. During the May 4 UK Board of Trustees meeting, the design phase for the construction of the building was approved.

“When I was a student, we mostly sat in lecture halls but as times have changed, I want to make sure our students have access to world-class and state-of-the-art technology,” he said.

Rankin in 1982 pursuing his residency in family medicine at UK HealthCare.

The plan for the building includes approximately 380,000 square feet for classrooms, simulation suites, conference rooms, support for newer technologies such as distance learning, immersive video and telemedicine instruction as well as office and support space for the College of Medicine, College of Public Health and other health care colleges.

“I think giving should come from the heart,” said Rankin who credits his parents for instilling a deep sense of giving to others and a strong work ethic. “My mentor, Dr. Emery Wilson, got me involved on the scholarship committee when I moved back to Kentucky full time and it was very apparent that many of our students have a significant unmet financial need.”

Even a couple of years ago before COVID-19, it was evident we needed additional support for scholarships, he said. And more importantly, “we needed dollars for a new medical education building,” Rankin said. “Without someone stepping up to the plate, it would be at least 10 years before we would ever get this approved through the normal procedures for funding from the state.”

Exasperating the problem is a national physician shortage. According to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)’s Workforce Studies team, the United States could see an estimated shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians in 2034.

“Because of this physician shortage, I knew Kentucky couldn’t wait. We need more physicians, and we need them from across the state and we need to start now.”

Currently, UK medical campus students take classes primarily in the William R. Willard Medical Education Building built in 1962, as well as the Charles T. Wethington Building and the Clinical Skills Training and Assessment Center (CSTAC).

Due to constraints on the facility and enrollment, the College has opened two new regional campuses since 2018 – in Bowling Green, through a partnership with Med Center Health and Western Kentucky University, and a Northern Kentucky Campus in partnership with St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Northern Kentucky University.

These two additional campuses, along with the Rural Physician Leadership Program, a partnership with Morehead State University where students complete their third and fourth years at St. Claire Regional Medical Center, have enabled UK to expand its class size to 201 medical students per year with a total enrollment of about 800.

A new medical education building will allow the College to add 50 students per class and increase overall enrollment to 1,000 students.

“Helping students through scholarships and through this new building is my way of paying it forward for future generations,” Rankin said. “My vision is that this gift will transform the college of medicine and ultimately the ability to provide more health care access for patients across the state.” ■

Dr. Wendy Jackson helped unveil a special white coat for Dr. Michael D. Rankin at a ceremony on July 13, 2021.

Photo by Mark Cornelison, UK Photo