Rural Physician Leadership Program Students Receive Honors

UK St. Claire takes great pride in educating the healthcare professionals of the future and is honored to serve as a regional hub for healthcare education including the Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP).

During the program's recent graduation ceremonies, two students received special recognition from UK St. Claire.

Amrita Iyengar, from Maysville, Kentucky, won the 2022 UK St. Claire Excellence in Rural Medicine Award. This award is given to one graduating student who has shown excellence in clinical skills, medical knowledge, educational projects, or research.

Iyengar truly lives the mission of the RPLP by providing high quality healthcare, demonstrating knowledge about community health, and advocating for more physicans in rural Eastern Kentucky. She has exceled in clinical rotations and is respected as a leader by faculty and peers. She will be completing her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Kentucky.

Katherine Stockham, from Somerset, Kentucky, was presented with the 2022 UK St. Claire Sunflower Award. This award is given to one graduating student who has demonstrated extraordinary teamwork, professionalism, compassionate care, or community outreach.

Stockham exemplifies the philosophy of UK St. Claire by responding to the needs of the whole person – physical, spiritual, and psychosocial – according to the professional standards and justice. She lives the mission of UK St. Claire to provide a healing ministry to the people of Eastern Kentucky through the hearts and hands of those who serve. She will be completing her residency in Internal Medicine at HCA Healthcare/TriStar in Nashville, Tennessee.

The RPLP was developed jointly with the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, UK St. Claire, and Morehead State University. The program allows students to complete their first two years of basic science education at UK’s main campus in Lexington, then complete their third and fourth years of clinical experiences at UK St. Claire and other sites in rural, northeastern Kentucky.