UK HealthCare

UK Grad Ready for Next Steps to Become a Well-Rounded Rural Physician

RPLP student Rob Brooks
This weekend, Rob Brooks and his fellow RPLP medical students will graduate as part of the UK College of Medicine Class of 2022. Photo by Jorge Castorena.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 11, 2022) Rob Brooks is from Bedford, Kentucky, a town of fewer than 600 people in Trimble County. He grew up knowing that rural areas like his hometown are typically underserved in regard to health care, so he planned to become a doctor who could be part of the solution.

Through the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP), Brooks received two years of education at UK’s large academic medical center in Lexington followed by onsite rural medicine experience and training in Morehead.

After graduation this weekend, he’ll return to Lexington to advance his training in UK’s internal medicine residency program, with a focus on primary care.

“I’ve always wanted to do rural medicine, and I think a good way to do that is through primary care,” Brooks said. “I’m completely excited to be staying at UK. I’m happy to be matching into a great place to learn. But I’ve also really enjoyed the people.”

There’s a key benefit to the educational path Brooks is following. Through RPLP, he spent his last two years of medical school immersed in a rural community, building bonds with patients and assessing the health care needs of a small town. But during residency, he will spend his first years as an official doctor in a health care hub. As a Level 1 trauma center, UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital sees patients with a variety of illnesses and conditions.

He says the overall experience will be unparalleled.

“I want to make sure that I’ve seen every different patient case or situation that might walk through the door,” Brooks said. “That way, whenever I see a patient in the future in a rural area, I know how to handle it.”

He knows residency will be challenging, but he said his love for medicine will carry him through the rest of his training.

His advice for future medical students is to make sure they share that passion for medicine. While he always knew he wanted to be a doctor, that desire was cemented when he shadowed health care professionals before he attended medical school.

“You see a lot of different patient cases that can tug at your heartstrings. You’re going to put a lot of time and effort,” he said. “But this career is also very rewarding.”

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.