Living the Mission: A Journey from Student to Dean and In Between

Fifteen years ago, in the spring of 2006, a young medical student named Joe Kingery was preparing to graduate from the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine with little to no idea about the exceptional future that lay ahead.

In July, Joe Kingery, D.O., KYCOM ’06, MBA ’18, FACOFP, FAAFP, was named the new dean of KYCOM. Since its founding in 1997, KYCOM has been a leader in medicine for the Appalachian region, where the guiding principle has been to educate physicians to serve underserved and rural areas and he is dedicated to that mission.

During his time as a KYCOM student, Kingery directly benefited from the small class sizes, the tradition of an open-door policy by faculty and staff and the individualized attention the students received to become the best physician possible.

“One of the things I loved about being a student at KYCOM was how well the faculty and staff always treated me. I always felt like a person and not like a number. They were very focused on teaching and making sure they were available, and all the students were on a level playing field with other students in the class because of the KYCOM advantage,” said Kingery. “I had the same laptop, books, medical equipment, OMT table and board prep. To me, we were all in it together.”

KYCOM Professor of Osteopathic Principles and Practices (OPP) Edward Stiles, D.O., FAAO, taught Kingery for two years and is proud that he continues to strengthen the academic mission.

“Dean Kingery was a student of mine during his two years of OPP and did remarkably well in his residency,” said Stiles. “After returning to KYCOM, he has made major contributions to the maturation of the school and has a well-grounded hands-on approach.”

In October 2016, Kingery found his way back to KYCOM as an associate professor of family medicine. Since then, he has served KYCOM in various roles, including chair of family medicine, assistant dean for osteopathic medical education and associate dean of osteopathic medical education. He also serves as a national faculty member for the National Board of Medical Examiners.

He is dual board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians. He is also a Certified Physician Executive and holds an MBA from UPIKE in healthcare management.

Many things on campus have changed since Kingery was a medical student.

“I think clinical education is one of the biggest changes I’ve seen. KYCOM now has a standardized patient program, 10 training clinical exam rooms, two simulation rooms, and a significant amount of simulation equipment,” said Kingery. “There was not any of that when I was a student.”

UPIKE President Burton J. Webb, Ph.D., says Kingery’s vision and temperament are well suited to a growing, innovative medical school.

“Dr. Kingery’s long history with the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine gives him unique insight into the inner workings of the school. Knowing our history is one thing, living through it is something that goes deeper and is more meaningful. Students know that as an alumnus of the college, he truly has walked in their shoes,” said Webb. “His mixture of medical knowledge and business acumen, by also being an alumnus of the UPIKE MBA program, gives him additional wisdom and insight.”

Kingery has a passion for KYCOM and through his time serving as faculty, he had the privilege of working with many student-focused individuals that fueled his interest in pursuing the position of dean.

“I genuinely believe in the mission of KYCOM and want to see that mission continue. I want everyone to see what I saw when I interviewed as a student,” said Kingery. “It is my goal to help KYCOM continue to advance through teamwork, to be even greater than it already is.”

Rather than sending an acceptance letter in the mail, Kingery carries on the tradition put into place by Founding Dean John Strosnider, D.O., of calling each applicant and “In my opinion, Joe is the right person, in the right place, at the right time to identify and empathize letting them personally know they were accepted into medical school.

“John Strosnider, along with other visionaries, had the dream with the current generation of medical students as he leads the of training physicians in the mountains so they could stay in the mountains,” said Kingery. “I administrative team and faculty to am proud of the fact that KYCOM innovate and evolve the college is making this dream come to fruition.”

Kingery has plans to change the curriculum to be geared more toward today’s learners and to continue advancing with medical training technology.

“I believe KYCOM can become a national leader more than it already is. We have some of the best and brightest faculty and staff who are genuinely dedicated and regularly go above and beyond for our students,” said Kingery. “The students are bright, energetic, and hardworking and are notorious for helping each other out and holding each other up.”

He will let his experience as both faculty and alumnus influence his innovative, forward-thinking vision for KYCOM.

“Our graduates serve as proof that for more than 20 years, KYCOM has been educating primary care physicians for rural Kentucky and other Appalachian regions, helping keep the promise made by our founders to the people and communities of the region,” said Kingery. “We remain diligent in those founding ideals, but with open minds to allow the diversity of our students, faculty and staff to shape our vision for the program.”

By Stacey Walters