McGee wins 2018 Louisville Medicine essay contest

Former chief resident and current assistant professor joins three others from the University of Louisville as winners in annual contest
McGee wins 2018 Louisville Medicine essay contest

Suzanne E. McGee, M.D.


Mary G. Barry, M.D., editor of Louisville Medicine, announced the winners of the 11th annual Richard Spear, M.D., Memorial Essay Contest during the Greater Louisville Medical Society Presidents' Celebration on May 20 in the Louisville Central Community Center.

Among the winners was Suzanne McGee, M.D., assistant professor with the University of Louisville Division of General Internal Medicine, Palliative Medicine and Medical Education in the UofL Department of Medicine who came in first place in the practicing/life category for her essay titled "Back Scratches, Cornbread and Unspent Love: Sacrifices I Made to Become a Good Doctor."

The theme of the physician essay contest was "What Have You Sacrificed to Become a Physician?"

Spear was a respected Louisville general surgeon who also served on the faculty of the UofL School of Medicine. When he died in 2007, he left GLMS a bequest to fund the annual essay contest. Spear wished to support high quality writing about the practice of medicine.

The winning essays were published in Louisville Medicine's July 2018 edition.

Previous winners from the Department of Medicine include Nina Vasavada, M.D., in 2015 for "The Unexpected in Front of Us," Michael Stillman, M.D., in 2013 for "'Dismaying' Number of Uninsured Kentuckians," and Sohail Ikram, M.D., FACC, in 2012 for "It's Worth It."