The University of Kentucky College of Medicine has been a special place for Charles “Chipper” Griffith, MD, MSPH, for more than 30 years. It’s where he fell in love with teaching and developed his North Star - education. Since joining the UK College of Medicine, he has made it his personal mission to provide the best care for patients and the best training to future doctors and scientists. He has shaped thousands of careers.
During his first year as “Dean Griffith,” he set the stage for what he hopes to achieve with this new platform – and he led his college in the right direction, with his North Star to guide the way.
Dean Griffith officially took over as leader of the UK College of Medicine in July 2023. He had some practice, having served as acting dean for two years before. Through that experience, he learned that a dean has a lot of potential to help people behind the scenes.
“Through resources, advocacy, inspiration, you can try to help your faculty, staff, and learners be the best versions of themselves,” he says. “We can do great things in this world.”
Dean Griffith started leading the UK College of Medicine at what he calls an “inflection point.” After more than 64 years of serving the Commonwealth, the college is not just growing, but cementing itself as the go-to institution for trainees across the world.
Just this past year, UK had more than 4,300 medical school applicants for 201 open spots in the Class of 2028. The UK College of Medicine’s Bowling Green and Northern Kentucky Campus, established in 2018 and 2019, are now “moving to adolescence” with four years of medical student classes. The Rural Physician Leadership Program in Morehead, Ky., continues to thrive, with many of its alumni returning to UK as faculty. Meanwhile, the University is making progress with the new Michael D. Rankin, MD, Health Education Building. The number of graduate and biomedical programs is increasing. Research opportunities are expanding. Faculty numbers are growing.
“Growth is our greatest strength,” Dean Griffith says. “But it also brings forth our greatest challenges.”
One of those challenges is maintaining the community atmosphere that drew Dean Griffith to the college as a resident more than 30 years ago. Thanks to the profound expertise and warm welcome of UK pediatrician Jacqueline Noonan, MD, a young Dean Griffith knew that the UK College of Medicine would be special.
He and his wife, Beth Griffith, MD, a well-regarded Clark County, Ky., physician, went on to raise three children in the Bluegrass. The Griffith family has – and always will be – invested in the success of medicine, research, and education in Kentucky.
One of Dean Griffith’s favorite parts of the year is welcoming new learners. Ever since falling in love with teaching as a chief resident at UK, he has fed off of the excitement and energy of a new class.
“It is important that all of our learners know from the beginning that we want them to succeed,” he says. “We’re here to support you.” This year, he spoke at all three Class of 2027 white coat ceremonies celebrated across campuses, as well as orientation for Integrated Biomedical Sciences, the entry point for doctoral students.
Though his dean role will inevitably pull him in several different directions, Dean Griffith will always teach. He can make significant changes as a dean, but he feels most impactful when he is in front of a class, conversing with future doctors and scientists.
In the spring, Dean Griffith joined course co-director Brian Higgins, PhD, for MD 829: Multisystem and Integrative Concepts, the first- and second-year capstone class. Dr. Higgins welcomes him to this course every year knowing that there is no learning experience quite as beneficial as hearing from an experienced physician who loves medicine as much as Dean Griffith.
“Dr. Griffith doesn’t command respect through his title, and his humility is not forced. The students love him because he dispenses both clinical pearls and a ‘stress-relieving corny joke of the day’ in every session. You will not find a more genuine educator (or self-deprecating dean), and he moves mountains on his schedule to ensure that he is available for those three weeks in the spring.”
In just a few years, there will be even more opportunities for students to learn at the UK College of Medicine thanks to its generous alumni and strong community partners.
The college broke ground on the Michael D. Rankin, MD, Health Education Building in October 2023. The project is made possible by a $22 million contribution from esteemed alumnus and physician, Michael D. Rankin, MD.
The Rankin Building will be the largest academic building in the history of the University of Kentucky. At over 500,000 square feet, it will house programs in the colleges of Medicine, Public Health, Health Sciences, and Nursing, as well as the Center for Interprofessional and Community Health Education. The innovative, state-of-the-art facility will allow the UK College of Medicine to train up to 1,000 medical students at a time.
Later in the fall, the UK College of Medicine announced new scholarship opportunities from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid in Kentucky. The Anthem Rural Medicine Scholarships will provide $100,000 to offset the cost of medical school for students in the UK College of Medicine’s Rural Physician Leadership Program in Morehead, Ky. And a four-year, $16 million grant from the Health Resources and Service Administration will support efforts for UK to increase the number and diversity of primary care physicians in Kentucky.
Meanwhile, the UK College of Medicine’s Alliance 2.0 provided the support for four new interdisciplinary, cross-college teams to join the innovative research initiative. In fiscal year 2024, 14 UK colleges were represented on 10 current Alliance teams, which have supported the professional development of many learners and early-career faculty.
With opportunities like these, Dean Griffith says we can improve health care for Kentuckians and “make more of those dreams come true” for future health care leaders.
When a college grows, so does its alumni base. Dean Griffith set a goal this year to engage more with graduated medical students, biomedical trainees, residents, and fellows.
This year, Dean Griffith had the honor of welcoming back members of the inaugural class, the Class of 1964, to the Lexington Campus for their 60th reunion.
“We stand on the shoulders of these giants. They led the charge to get us where we are today,” Dean Griffith says.
In addition, he welcomed the classes of 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013 to the Lexington Campus for fall reunion. And throughout the year, he traveled to cities like Chicago and Seattle, meeting alumni where they practice. “Alumni are vital resources for the college,” he says. “They are the students’ real-time example of what they can do, what they can be.”
The more Dean Griffith and his college can offer learners, the more that the college can achieve for patients. And helping more patients means helping more families.
He knows he couldn’t do it without his UK College of Medicine community.
Getting to recognize their career successes is a fulfilling part of the job. Dean Griffith presented to more than 120 awardees, including the college’s most prestigious award, the William R. Willard Dean’s Recognition Award, at the annual Awards Convocation. Dean Griffith also joined three outstanding College of Medicine representatives for the annual Lyman T. Johnson Awards. He celebrated 17 faculty, staff, and learners for the college’s Mission, Vision, Pillar, and Enabler (MVPE) Awards.
He presented 65 faculty with promotions and/or tenure this year – celebrating individuals who share his passion for teaching and scholarship. “For faculty, their self-conception is that they’re either physicians or researchers, but some time ago, they decided to be academics, so they’re also professors,” Dean Griffith says. “To be judged by their peers and take that important step in teaching is a big deal.”
To take care of Kentucky, Dean Griffith must take care of his team. He has been a strong partner this year with the Office for Organizational Well-Being, helping develop an infrastructure for lasting, structural change so that the college community feels seen, heard, and valued for their contributions.
Very few academic medical centers have an office like the UK College of Medicine Office for Organizational Well-Being, a full team with 100% FTE focused on culture change. But Dean Griffith is trusting in his team’s work, knowing they have great experience and the power to set a standard for what can be achieved with an intentional, comprehensive strategy.
This year, the college’s achievements in well-being have included:
“Creating a culture of well-being requires involvement from everyone within the organization – each person plays a role in either supporting or hindering a culture of well-being, a culture that supports trust, belonging, and fulfillment. But, the culture will only be as strong as the commitment of the highest leader. Because of Dean Griffith’s authentic commitment to caring for those who work and learn here, our ability to create systemic and sustainable change that makes this the best place to work and live is limitless. We will be successful in our efforts because of Dean Griffith’s leadership. It’s more than what he is doing to support us. It’s about who he is – an empathetic and authentic leader who cares.”
When all of the hard work and the unified vision come together, the results are inspiring.
Dean Griffith says Match Day is one of the best examples of this.
The event still makes him tearful, even after 30 years. That’s because he has gone through a match for residency himself— one that led him to a flourishing career, a great life for his family, and an impactful tenure as a physician and educator that continues today.
He knows the power of a match.
“It might be the biggest day of their training, and to think, it only opens the door for countless other big moments caring for patients,” Dean Griffith says. “It’s hard not to get emotional.”
This year, Dean Griffith was able to celebrate 192 students across four UK College of Medicine sites who participated in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) matching process. Of those students, 73 matched in Kentucky and 59 matched at UK – just like Dean Griffith did.
The work is serious, but the success is fun.
The UK College of Medicine is a special place to Dean Griffith, and he is honored to serve Kentuckians in the ultimate capacity.
Today, relics of Dean Griffith’s years at the college – including this year – are displayed in his office. The teaching awards. The countless medical and scientific books covering several different specialties. A hard hat and shovels from various groundbreaking ceremonies, including this year’s groundbreaking for the Rankin Building.
Also … his children’s artwork from when they were in grade school. (They’re drawings of the dean himself, though he is much more calm than the red-faced portraits suggest, he jokes.)
Dean Griffith understands his responsibility of caring for Kentucky families. He had his own. They were raised in Kentucky and were products of their community. His hope as dean is that by educating future scientists and physicians, he can help create a better world for his patients and their families. And their families’ families.
“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s about. It’s about families,” Dean Griffith says, “and providing the best education possible is what is going to allow us to help more families in the future.”
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