Throughout thousands of years of organized competition, one question has always baffled humanity: Is speed puzzling a sport? We get to the bottom of that by asking the College of Health Sciences’ own internationally recognized competitive speed puzzler, RHB student and SMRI staffer Michaela Keener, who last year traveled to Spain to compete in the World Speed Puzzling Championships.

But this topic leads us into other conversations as well; for instance, we discuss her groundbreaking equine research, and the reasons why employers should look to hire those with competitive puzzling backgrounds. We also talk about the necessity of work-life balance, and how an accounting major can grow up puzzling during the winters in Minnesota, only to come to Lexington, Ky., to study how to prevent injuries in equestrians, and eventually have a patent pending on an invention that will help curb concussions.  

It's a fascinating story, and it’s one that only Michaela Keener can tell. Come with us as we listen to her describe her life in both the sport of horse racing — and the sport of speed puzzling … on this episode of The Way Podcast.

It’s not a secret that juggling athletics and a CHS course load can be a challenge. But what is it really like? How can someone play a sport as demanding as SEC basketball and also graduate with a degree in the College of Health Sciences?

Emma King lets us know. As a fifth-grader, she told her father she would play basketball at UK. And with a family full of healthcare workers, it also made sense that she would explore helping others.  

She recently graduated, and then she even stayed for a fifth year to help lead the women’s basketball squad through a tough season. At the end of her career, Emma was honored as a member of the SEC Community Service Team, and she’s now earning her Master’s degree. Someday, she hopes to be an occupational therapist.

From the stress of playing big-time college athletics to the joys of giving back to her community, listen to why we’ve always been big fans of Emma King … on this episode of The Way Podcast.

It’s the season of love, and The Way Podcast is celebrating by talking to two rock stars in the Department of Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition — Johanna Hoch, PhD, ATC and Matt Hoch, PhD, ATC. 

They’re professors. They’re researchers. And they’re married.  

We talk to them and we learn about how they met, how they chose to become athletic trainers and professors, and how they keep their relationship going, even with careers and kids. 

We also get into the latest developments in the Athletic Training major, as well as some of the amazing research being done. Overall, we talk love and Athletic Training … on this episode of The Way Podcast.

She always loved going beyond the lecture, applying her knowledge in experiential situations outside the classroom. Then, her life became a lesson in itself. 

Meet Katelyn McNamara, PT, DPT. A native of Lexington, McNamara is a Pediatric Physical Therapist at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville. 

A 2016 graduate from the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, she also earned her undergraduate degree at UK in 2013 — a dual Honors degree in Topical Studies in Neuroscience and Spanish.

 But in fall 2021 she became a patient. McNamara and her new husband, Jonathan, were preparing to move to Germany for jobs. But McNamara had not been feeling well. The diagnosis was a rare form a cancer — primary mediastinal large b-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). This type of lymphoma is rare and generally affects young women under the age of 35.

 Yet even when she was battling cancer, she still made a difference in the lives of CHS students, allowing them to learn and see exactly what she went through.

 Let’s go beyond the lecture with the latest CHS Young Alumni Award winner, Katelynn McNamara … on this episode of The Way Podcast.

Iza Correll, PA-C, COC, a 2017 Physician Assistant Studies graduate and Somerset native, is a social entrepreneur and author whose goal is a world where no child is an orphan.

She founded OVI Healthcare just after her graduation to transform the health, happiness and security of children. She was deeply affected by the death of her 4-year-old nephew Ovidio (known as Ovi), an orphan in Guatemala who was in the process of being adopted by Correll’s sister, and this tragedy inspired Correll to start the charity in his name. Today, she and her team run the charity from the OVI Children’s Hospital in Kenya. 

Her vision then and now is a world where no child is alone. She says she knows what works and sees it working every day. The next step is introducing the approach across Africa and Asia to end the orphan crisis and prevent poverty. 

She is a dually licensed U.S. Physician Assistant and Kenyan Clinical Officer, the CHS 2022 Hall of Fame inductee, a bestselling author and the youngest-ever recipient of the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Global Citizenship. Let’s learn to make our lives matter with Iza … on this episode of The Way Podcast. 

 Learn more about OVI Healthcare at https://ovihealthcare.org/

In the early winter of 2020, a strange new virus was making its way across the globe, infecting thousands and killing many. In Louisville, Ky., Tori Shaub was still trying to get used to being the youngest in her speech therapy office. Just weeks prior, she’d been tasked with convincing her co-workers that they needed to learn Telehealth — just in case that virus came to America and forced them all to work remotely. No one could foresee just how valuable these lessons would become. Tori was able to help the business, and help their customers continue to receive treatment, during a pandemic. Hear about it all as we chat with Tori … only on The Way Podcast. 

Down in Hazard, in the southeastern part of Kentucky, the scars still remain. One year after torrential rain caused flooding that swept through 14 counties over five days, killing 45 people, the area is still recovering. Residents are still waiting for new homes. Survivors are still trying to overcome what they saw. And at the Center of Excellence in Rural Health, a community is continuing to come together to heal — and to remember. This month, on the anniversary of that terrible flooding, we talk to Dr. Fran Feltner, Director of the University of Kentucky’s Center of Excellence in Rural Health. She describes how the area was able to persevere, and come back even stronger. Let’s talk resilience with Dr. Feltner … only on The Way Podcast. 

 Donate here:

• https://www.kychamber.com/resourceseasternkentuckyflooding
• http://www.appalachianky.org/
• https://secure.kentucky.gov/FormServices/Finance/EKYFloodRelief

When Dr. Kirby Mayer was young, he saw the way physical therapists helped his grandmother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. Now, after earning a PT degree himself, he’s won the Young Alumni Award in the College of Health Sciences, in part for his research to help those with long-road COVID recover and lead better lives. In fact, he’s dedicated his life to improving the lives of those recovering from ICU stays, and he praises his patients who are brave enough to volunteer and help with his trial studies. Here, we get emotional — and we have a few laughs — with Dr. Mayer … only on The Way Podcast. 

Matt Brown was three years into his Physical Therapy career when he hit his latest rock bottom: He was fired from his job. Why? Because he’d been addicted to drugs and alcohol for more than a decade. His wife then left him, he started living in his car and showering at a friend’s house. And even then, he could not change. Luckily for Matt, his life was about to take a turn, one where he would eventually use his training as a physical therapist to help others. Discover how Matt was able to save his own life … only on The Way Podcast.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Kristen Maynard graduated from our Communication Sciences and Disorders program with a degree in Speech Pathology. Ever since UK speech pathologists helped her own family overcome their challenges, the Pikeville native always knew where she wanted to go to school — and what she wanted to do. Now, armed with her degree, as well as a certificate in Telehealth, Kristen has a goal to stay in the region and give back, just like those UK experts helped her family long ago. In honor of Better Hearing and Speech Month, let's meet one of our newest alumni, Kristen Maynard.

Casey Carter grew up an only child in a single-parent home just off the University of South Carolina’s campus in Columbia, S.C. But a visit to Lexington let her know that she would be a Wildcat. She was a prized recruit of the academic kind — already a scientist, she’d been developing a new kind of football helmet since middle school, one that could help reduce concussions. UK’s College of Health Sciences, as well as the Sports Medicine Research Institute, helped provide a new home for her interests, while continuing to guide her to a future career as a healthcare provider.

Teacher. Director. Innovator. He is someone who is constantly looking to better the lives of those around him. It all stems from the love he has for his family, and the adventure that was adopting his children. Meet Dr. Pat Kitzman, who has always looked for the next open door — whether that was moving to a new state for a job or leveling the “playing” field for his own children. He planned to live in Kentucky for two years. That was nearly three decades ago. He’s never left — and so many people are the better for it.

April Ballentine is not a victim. Even after a former boyfriend tried to kill her, and left her paralyzed. Even after she wondered if she would ever walk again. Even after she got a job, lost more than a hundred pounds and started to prepare her body and mind to achieve the biggest goal she could fathom: Walking at her daughter’s wedding. Even after all of that, she makes certain to say that she is not disabled — she is ABLED. But she still needs help from our community. Listen to her story on The Way Podcast.