INSPIRES ACTIONS CHARACTER’

Acting Dean Charles Griffith’s Impact Through More than 30 Years of Mentorship at the UK College of Medicine

Since joining the UK College of Medicine more than 30 years ago, Charles “Chipper” Griffith III, MD, MSPH, has been a pillar of the college’s mission and an instrumental leader in its continued expansion of education, clinical care, and research. He started at UK as a resident and went on to hold several leadership positions within the college. Currently, he is a professor and acting dean.

When Dr. Griffith completed UK’s internal medicine-pediatrics (med-peds) residency program in 1992, the college employed just over 400 faculty and was training about 370 medical students at once, along with just under 200 graduate students and 430 house staff. At the time, the College of Medicine was developing into the technologically advanced institution and research powerhouse it is today. UK was one of the first medical colleges across the country to introduce computerbased learning, with much of this transformation happening in the ‘90s. Meanwhile, in the same decade, through more focus on basic science funding, the College of Medicine established additional opportunities for collaborative, transdisciplinary research.

Three decades later in 2022, the College of Medicine has a faculty of more than 1,300 and there are 2,000 medical, graduate medical, and biomedical trainees. The increase in medical students is in part through the recent addition of regional campuses in Bowling Green, Ky., and Highland Heights, Ky., while Dr. Griffith served as vice dean for education. During that same time, research funding grew from about $12 million to

$200 million, research space nearly tripled by square feet, and there are 19 interdisciplinary centers bringing vital solutions from the bench to the bedside for the improved health of Kentuckians and beyond.

Through Dr. Griffith’s continued leadership and a strong team of faculty, staff, and trainees, the College of Medicine will continue to grow, especially through the development of UK’s new, state-of-the-art Health Education Building.

But Dr. Griffith’s tremendous impact at the UK College of Medicine is best showcased through the many faculty, staff, and trainees he has mentored over those 30 years who have gone on to follow successful careers in medical education, health care, and academic leadership. One of Dr. Griffith’s key mentors, Emery Wilson, MD, former dean of the UK College of Medicine, said Dr. Griffith made a significant impact through his excellent teaching, compassionate care, and “ability to relate to students through his emotional connection to his profession.”

The UK College of Medicine collected stories from several of Dr. Griffith’s mentees – many of whom have stayed at UK to follow his lead.

An ‘Outstanding Medical Educator’

Steven Haist, MD ‘81, MS, associate dean for the Northern Kentucky Campus and associate dean for curriculum and assessment, worked with Dr. Griffith on numerous educational projects and grants from the early 1990s to mid-2000s. Both spent time in the division of general internal medicine and geriatrics before Dr. Haist left in 2008 for the National Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. Haist said that first and foremost, he saw Dr. Griffith as “an outstanding medical educator. He is always thinking about how to make the process better for our medical students and residents.”

On a personal level, Dr. Haist is grateful for Dr. Griffith’s encouragement to apply for the associate dean position at the Northern Kentucky Campus, which brought him back to the Commonwealth in 2018 to be a leader in the college’s initiative for improved health in the state.

“The chance to come back to Kentucky and be involved in recruiting and educating medical students who one day will be caring for Kentuckians, as well as citizens of other states, was a great opportunity,” Dr. Haist said. “I will forever be indebted to Dr. Griffith.”

A Leader by Example

Brian Higgins, PhD, said he instantly connected with Dr. Griffith when was interviewing for his role as assistant professor of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics in 2014. Ever since taking the position, Dr. Higgins has worked closely with Dr. Griffith through the Office of Medical Education. Dr. Higgins currently serves as course director for MD 818: Musculoskeletal and Integumentary Systems and assistant director for MD 810: Foundations of Infection, Disease, and Treatment and MD 829: Multisystem and Integrative Concepts – which Dr. Griffith leads. Through these roles, he has been inspired by Dr. Griffith’s attentiveness to students, his passion for education, and his humility that allows him to serve as a silent leader.

“Dr. Griffith is a leader by example,” Dr. Higgins said. “He gets what needs to get done, and he inspires through his actions and character.”

Dr. Higgins said Dr. Griffith proved this when clinical presenters dropped out one week before MD 818. “With no hesitation at all,” and even while acting dean, Dr. Griffith stepped in and took on two more hours of teaching in the course – because “our students come first.”

Dr. Higgins strives to follow Dr. Griffith’s lead and continues to seek his wisdom in professional development. He applied for the prestigious Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators in Health Professions and credits Dr. Griffith’s guidance and support for helping him become one of the few educators nationally to be selected for the program in 2021.

‘The Reason I Became an OB/GYN’

Rachel Saunders, MD ‘12, said she was fortunate enough to work in the clinic with Dr. Griffith when she was a third-year medical student at the UK College of Medicine. She remembers being very nervous, but Dr. Griffith was very kind and supportive.

“As I got to know Dr. Griffith better, he became a mentor to me. Over the years, I have looked to him for advice,” she said. “In fact, I credit him for the reason I became an OB/GYN!”

Dr. Saunders said when she joined her college’s faculty, Dr. Griffith asked about her career goals and has supported her dream of wanting to become a medical school administrator. He has done so by pointing her to opportunities to help her achieve her goals. She is now following her dream as a physician and assistant professor in the UK College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, clerkship director of MD 838, and chair of the college’s admissions committee.

“I am so grateful that I got to meet Dr. Griffith, and I cannot thank him enough for all that he has done for me,” Dr. Saunders said.

He ‘Believed in my Potential’

Dr. Griffith has been a supportive mentor for Rebecca Todd, MD, since she joined the UK College of Medicine, but especially in 2018 when she took over leadership of the college’s Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP) and became associate dean of the regional site in Morehead, Ky. To help Dr. Todd get adjusted to the new role, Dr. Griffith was available for phone calls so they could work through tough decisions together.

“Dr. Griffith believed in my potential even when I was afraid to take on a challenging role,” Dr. Todd said. “He’s a thoughtful listener who values my opinion, and he cares deeply about my personal well-being and professional success.”

Dr. Todd is thankful for Dr. Griffith’s encouragement. Since taking over RPLP, she has helped it grow and flourish. The program now has over 100 alumni, and each spring, it graduates 12-14 medical students with specialized training who are helping address the major need for more physicians and improved health care access in rural areas.

A Valuable Mentor and Coach

Hubie Ballard, MD ‘96, met Dr. Griffith in 1992 as a first-year medical student. Dr. Griffith was teaching a small group about clinical decision-making, and he made an immediate impact on Dr. Ballard’s ability to develop and prioritize a differential diagnosis.

“Dr. Griffith’s self-effacing personality paired with his unmatched aptitude were critical in my development as a medical student,” Dr. Ballard said.

Since those initial classes on clinical decision-making, Dr. Griffith has continued to be a valuable mentor and coach as Dr. Ballard’s career has progressed within the UK College of Medicine. Now, Dr. Ballard is an associate professor of pediatrics at his alma mater and shares Dr. Griffith’s passion for teaching students, interns, residents, and fellows. He remains heavily involved in medical education as a mentor and faculty advisor for learning communities and several student interest groups.

‘The Heart of a True Physician’

Christopher Simmons, MD ‘13, PhD ‘11, remembers being a UK College of Medicine student who was very nervous about residency. Dr. Griffith was a mentor who helped him feel more comfortable through his unparalleled kindness, ability to listen, and genuine interest in his patients and his students.

Perhaps the most memorable words of wisdom came during residency, “to go out for dinner and dancing with my wife even if I’m post-call,” Dr. Simmons said. “He not-so-subtlety reminded me there is more to life than a job, even when that job is rooted in the practice of medicine.” Dr. Simmons took his advice seriously. Now, he and his wife, Katie Twist, MD ‘10, are happily married clinicians and faculty members in the college who are heavily involved in advancing medical and biomedical education. They both look up to Dr. Griffith and try to embody the example he sets.

“No matter what position he finds himself in, Dr. Griffith always models the heart of a true physician and doesn’t appear to be tempted by ego or the other vices of practicing modern medicine,” Dr. Simmons said.

He Makes Trainees Want to Become ‘Lifers’

Kristy Deep, MD ’03, completed all of her medical training at the UK College of Medicine and has been on the faculty since 2005. She considers herself a Kentucky “lifer,” and much of that is thanks to mentors like Dr. Griffith.

Dr. Deep met Dr. Griffith during her third year of medical school while he was the internal medicine third-year clerkship director. “I stayed here for residency because of people like him,” she said, adding that Dr. Griffith and his fellow faculty “were the kind of doctors that I wanted to be and the kind of educators that I wanted to learn from.” Dr. Griffith was also director of the UK General Internal Medicine Academic Fellowship program, created for trainees who wanted to become lifelong educators. For the two years after residency that Dr. Deep was in the program, Dr. Griffith was her primary mentor.

Beyond clinical and teaching skills, Dr. Griffith taught Dr. Deep to prioritize family. “I’ll never forget, even when he was the program director of our residency, he would unashamedly say, ‘I can’t come to that meeting, because it’s my daughter’s dance recital,’ or ‘Nope, I can’t attend that event because I’m coaching my son’s baseball team,’” Dr. Deep said. “And through normalizing that, it made it OK for junior faculty like myself to establish those same priorities. That promoted a positive culture of staying connected to your family while in a rigorous medical career.”

An Exceptional Teacher

Lindsay Ragsdale, MD ‘08, met Dr. Griffith when she was a medical student going through clerkships in internal medicine. “I was so nervous. I just didn’t want to embarrass myself mostly,” Dr. Ragsdale said. “And Dr. Griffith was really so calm.”

One of the main ways Dr. Griffith made Dr. Ragsdale less nervous was by helping simplify complicated medical information. “We had a lot of complex patients, and he was able to really break down the complex problems that patients had and really helped me and our team understand what comes next,” she said. “I think that we really looked up to him as clerkship students.”

Dr. Ragsdale was perhaps most impressed by Dr. Griffith’s commitment to Kentuckians. He put down roots in the Commonwealth and has remained dedicated to the mission of the college to improve health care for the state’s patients. Today, Dr. Ragsdale and her husband, John Ragsdale, MD, MS, are both faculty at the UK College of Medicine, Lindsay the chief medical officer at Kentucky Children’s Hospital and John the assistant dean for clinical education. Like Dr. Griffith, they have put down their roots in Lexington, Ky., and follow his passion for education and compassionate care.

Committed to the Students

Brandy Lawson, senior accreditation manager, works alongside Dr. Griffith through her role in the Office of Medical Education helping the college monitor and maintain its compliance with Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation standards. Lawson said she is “honored” to work for Dr. Griffith because of his strong values, supportiveness, and kind heart which allows him to make tough decisions for the benefit of the students and the college’s educational mission. However, Lawson is most impressed by Dr. Griffith’s commitment to the students and their educational experience.

“This passion extends to the quality and support of the educational leadership and staff as well the faculty who teach and interact with the students,” she said, adding that Dr. Griffith’s passion for education inspires her own work to advance medical education at the college.

Lawson also said that while he is extremely accomplished in his career, Dr. Griffith is most proud of his family – and that translates in his support of his team’s work-life balance.

Embodies ‘The Highest Level of Compassion Possible’

As a former UK College of Medicine student, general surgery resident, and now surgery faculty at UK HealthCare and the UK College of Medicine, Zachary Warriner, MD ‘12, has known Dr. Griffith through many phases of his training and career. “He has treated me like a colleague and partner at every level - remaining an unending source of knowledge, a constant and reliable source of encouragement, and exemplifying the highest level of compassion possible,” Dr. Warriner said.

Dr. Warriner said Dr. Griffith never forgets the efforts and achievements of those around him, despite his high leadership position. He always highlights others’ successes, “providing the standard for which I have modeled my own career,” Dr. Warriner said. “His selflessness and dedication to the mission of the college in training future generations of physicians for the Commonwealth will positively affect our state for generations to come.”