The group prides itself on its availability, its sensitivity to resident needs, and its commitment to continuous one-on-one teaching and mentoring.

Jennifer R. Olges, M.D., MPH, FACP, is an Associate Professor in the University of Louisville Department of Medicine and serves as Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Olges was born and raised in Louisville. She received her bachelor's degree in biology at the University of Kentucky in 1998. After several years of laboratory research and obtaining her master of public health degree, she pursued medical school at the University of Kentucky, where she graduated AOA in 2009. She began her residency in a combined internal medicine and pediatrics program at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and completed her training at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL.

During her fourth year of residency she was named the program's Med/Peds Chief Resident and went on to serve as Pediatric Chief Resident the following year. She remained at Loyola University as an Assistant Professor in Hospital Medicine before moving back to Louisville in 2016.

Clinically, she serves as an inpatient teaching attending at UofL Health - UofL Hospital.

"I am proud to return to Louisville and practice medicine in my hometown. I chose to stay in academic medicine because I believe that a team-based approach provides the best patient care, and I value the emphasis on lifelong learning. It is such an honor and privilege to work directly with the residents and help develop their medical knowledge, critical thinking and professional character."

Kaitlin S. Gordon, M.D., FACP, is an Assistant Professor in the University of Louisville Department of Medicine and serves as an Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Gordon was born and raised in Louisville, Ky. She spent four years in Athens, GA, where she played lacrosse for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and graduated with a bachelor of science in Cellular Biology with a minor in African Language and Literature.

She graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 2016 and completed her residency in internal medicine in 2019. She remained at UofL and served as Chief Medical Resident for one year before joining the program leadership team. Clinically, she serves as an inpatient teaching attending physician at UofL Health - UofL Hospital. She shares her free time with her husband, a radiology resident at UofL, and their children Miles and Andi.

"I am honored to remain on faculty here at UofL. The strong female leadership continues to support me in my efforts to become a respected academic physician. The clinical exposure is outstanding due to the unique nature of Louisville being a big city in a predominantly rural state. My passion lies in caring for vulnerable populations in my home city of Louisville while teaching and mentoring resident physicians."

Justin R. Kingery, M.D., Ph.D., received his MD/PhD degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine, where his research focused on cardiac physiology and immunology with specific interest in the immune mechanisms of the chronically failing heart. During his Internal Medicine residency at UofL, Dr. Kingery developed further interest in global cardiovascular diseases, and upon graduation, became the first Global Health Fellow at the Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Global Health.

While at Cornell, Dr. Kingery expanded his research to include investigation of cardiovascular health and epidemiology at the population level. His research included one of the first population-based estimates of heart failure prevalence in a low-income country in Haiti and investigation of the immunology of cardiovascular diseases in relation to infectious diseases (HIV and schistosomiasis) in Tanzania, where he lived for many years. For his work, he was awarded a K23 grant from the National Heart Lung Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health and was a finalist for the Weill Cornell Young Investigators Award. He has also co-authored numerous manuscripts which have been cited over 1,300 times.

In addition to research, Dr. Kingery has maintained educational and clinical excellence. During residency, he received the Excellence in Teaching award and was elected to the Gold Humanism Society for teaching excellence. He has also served as a clinician educator in multiple countries as well as serving as the Director of the Weill Cornell Advanced Hospital Medicine Elective.

"The University of Louisville has always felt like home to me. The amazing opportunities within the program combined with world-class research, clinical teaching and program leadership are unmatched. While I’m forever indebted for the opportunities I've had globally, I always knew that working with the incredible UofL residents, co-attendings and leadership was my dream, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to get to work with such amazing people daily."

Nishant Patel, D.O., is an Assistant Professor in the University of Louisville Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and serves as an Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Patel was raised in Lexington, KY. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Louisville in 2015. He graduated from medical school in 2019 at Lincoln Memorial University - Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harrogate, TN and then returned to Louisville where he completed his Internal Medicine Residency at UofL in 2022.

Following residency, Dr. Patel completed a clinical fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN in 2024. While there, his research focused on evaluating adverse effects of antibiotics prescribed in outpatient clinics and assessing prescribing appropriateness. Clinically, he now serves as an ID teaching attending physician at UofL Health - UofL Hospital. His special interests include general inpatient and critical care ID, antimicrobial stewardship, and medical education.

"I am delighted to return to UofL to not only care for patients with a variety of serious infections, but also serve as APD of the internal medicine residency program which helped shape me into the physician I am today. I am passionate about medical education and look forward to enhancing the educational experience of our residents. Additionally, I am excited to work with and mentor our amazing residents while helping them achieve their career goals."

Clayton M. Smith, M.D., FACP, is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the University of Louisville Department of Medicine. He is an Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Training Program and Chief of the UofL Division of General Internal Medicine, Palliative Medicine and Medical Education.

Dr. Smith graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005, then completed his undergraduate medical training in Miami, Florida at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He returned to his hometown of Louisville for residency at the University of Louisville, and served as Chief Medical Resident for one year before joining the program leadership.

Dr. Smith rounds on the inpatient teaching service at UofL Health - UofL Hospital, and provides primary care to a diverse panel of patients in the UofL Centers for Primary Care – Internal Medicine office. He passionately advocates for the LGBTQ community on the local, regional, and national levels, and specializes in HIV prevention and gender affirming hormone therapy for patients who are experiencing dysphoria.

The Louisville community voted him “Best Doctor” in the LEO Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards in 2021 and 2019, and in the survey conducted semiannually by Louisville Magazine his peers in the medical community have nave identified him as one area's "Top Docs." He has won multiple teaching awards during his time as a resident and faculty member, as well.

"I challenge myself to learn something from every patient every day, and hope those working with me will do the same. As a medical educator, my mission is to create a learning environment that fosters intellectual curiosity, and enables trainees to develop their skills as providers of evidence based, high value, and compassionate care."

Esther Bak, M.D., is the Chief Medical Resident for Scheduling and Ambulatory Education.

Dr. Bak is from the greater Philadelphia area and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from The Pennsylvania State University before moving to Louisville to work for Marriott Hotels and Resorts. After spending a few years employed in the hospitality industry, she made the decision to change careers to medicine.

She completed a post-baccalaureate pre-med program at the University of Louisville, where she then attended medical school. Upon graduating medical school she remained at the University of Louisville for her Internal Medicine Residency Training, graduating in June of 2024.

After her chief resident year Dr. Bak plans to specialize in Rheumatology. She has a special interest in systemic sclerosis, rheumatic interstitial lung disease, and lupus. She is also passionate about physician wellness and advocacy, and is currently developing a new resident wellness initiative to promote mindfulness, mental health and well-being.

"UofL medicine has been my home for almost a decade. I have been able to grow here as an early career physician, and I am honored to be able to serve my community and residency program as chief resident this year. I hope to follow in the footsteps of those who paved the way and supported me to this point by fostering a safe, fun and challenging learning environment for our learners."

B. Joey Hebert, M.D., is the Chief Medical Resident for Education.

Dr. Hebert is originally from Columbus, Ohio and completed his duel undergraduate degrees in Biology and Chemistry at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Prior to attending medical school, he served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Montana, then went on to receive his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine Rural Medical Education Program. In 2024, he completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Louisville.

Dr. Hebert is plans to pursue fellowship training in Pulmonary/Critical Care medicine after his chief resident year. He is particularly interested in critical care, cystic fibrosis, and process improvement research within the setting of medical training and education.

"My time and training here at UofL has allowed me to join a vibrant and collaborative community and fostered my skills as a clinician. I am truly excited to have the opportunity to train exceptional residents and students in my role as education chief."