Physician Spotlight: Dr. Jhinho Kim It's been a long journey from Seoul, South Korea to Gulfport for Dr. Jhinho Kim, a diplomat of the American Board of Neurosurgery. He endured a war in his home country, had an older brother and sister killed by the Communists, studied in college and medical school for 15 years, and practiced his intense specialty in five states. BY LYNN LOFTON

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Katrina Poe-Johnson In 2001, Dr. Katrina Nichelle Poe-Johnson returned to her hometown of rural Kilmichael, population 900, after completing her medical training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMC). Her return coincided with a critical juncture; the town was about to lose its only physician. Poe-Johnson opened a family clinic there, where she now sees 250 to 300 patients per week. On call 24/7, she also makes hospital rounds and house calls, serves as the medical director for the local nursing home and monitors residents of the community's home for mentally challenged youth. BY LYNNE JETER

Physician Spotlight: Dr. LeDon Langston Dr. LeDon Langston delivered 6,000 babies and performed 3,000 surgeries. Then his back began bothering him. At the age of 57, the obstetrician/gynecologist retired early because, following three back surgeries in 10 years, he was spending more time in physical therapy than surgery. "I tell women, 'You wore me out,'" joked Langston. "Really, you don't realize how fatigued you are as an obstetrician, working 80 hours a week night and day. It took me months to get rested. I finally got antsy." Langston played golf, but his game didn't improve. He read novels written by Mississippi authors and plenty of mysteries. By Lynne Jeter

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Malcolm Taylor Malcolm Taylor began mulling a medical career when he was only 12. 'Dr. Aaron Shirley, a well-known pediatrician, had an office right across the street, and I was very inquisitive," recalled Taylor, a founding partner of Jackson Cardiology Associates. 'I'd question him every time he wasn't busy, which wasn't very often, and I think to get rid of me, he gave me these anatomy books to read. So I'd memorize sections and go back for him to quiz me." Taylor grew up in Vicksburg, the oldest of six children born to Percy Taylor, a local mail carrier for 40 years, and his wife, Rosie, a nurse's assistant. At Rosa A. Temple High School, Taylor was vice president of his senior class, played clarinet in the band, and portrayed a district attorney in a comedy and juicy roles in 'Macbeth" and other plays. At 6 feet 2 inches tall, Taylor excelled as a forward on the basketball team and had to choose between accepting an athletic or academic scholarship. By Lynne Jeter

Physician Spotlight: John D. Bower, MD John Bower was a poor student who barely squeaked out a "C" in Bible 101 at Hampton-Sydney University before joining the U.S. military during the Korean War. "Being in the Navy jerked a knot in my tail," admitted Dr. Bower, board chairman of The Bower Foundation, whose Jackson-based kidney dialysis nonprofit organization has grown into the nation's leading provider of dialysis care. Bower called himself "the bad boy middle son" born to John Mitchell, a civil engineer who constructed dams from New York to the Florida Keys and once served as Mayor of Bedford, Va., and Wilheimina Katerina Kibisto, a registered nurse and first-generation immigrant from Finland. After living in Westfield, Mass., during the early years of the Great Depression, the family moved to Virginia, where Bower was sent to Fishburne Military School. After spending a lackluster year-and-a-half at Hampton-Sydney College, he joined the U.S. Navy in January 1951 and served four years running the main engines aboard DD564, a Fletcher class destroyer. By LYNNE JETER

Physician Spotlight: Ron Cannon, MD When Ron Cannon was in high school in south Georgia, he purposely misspelled a word during a round in the local spelling bee so he could play in a basketball game. "I was such a gym rat that the school eventually gave me my own key to the gym so I could get in and not have to keep breaking in," he said, with a laugh. Cannon, an otolaryngologist with the Head & Neck Surgical Group in Flowood, is no longer a gym rat. His basketball career was cut short during his senior year at Mississippi College (MC), when he injured his ankle, though he returned to the sidelines of his alma mater years later as a team doctor. Cannon, 56, is the older of two children born to a general practitioner and a third grade schoolteacher. For several years, his family resided in Philadelphia, Miss. When he entered the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMC) as a student, he wanted to be a rural surgeon. BY Lynne Jeter

Physician Spotlight: Scott Whitaker When Scott Whitaker was a student at Heritage Academy in his hometown of Columbus, he was known as the class clown. Never taken seriously by his schoolmates, he was named Least Likely to Succeed at the school's senior banquet in 1980. For several years after graduating from high school, Whitaker believed his peers might have been right. The son of real estate professionals, he was a real estate mortgage finance major at Mississippi State University when he flunked out of college and went on the road as bass guitarist for the rock band Easy Street. He made $250 a week. "After a little bit of growing up, I went from being a high school and college failure to being a dean's scholar and going to medical school without a diploma, out of state at that," said Whitaker, M.D. and D.M.D., and proprietor of Oxford Maxillofacial Surgery Center in Oxford. "Besides, my girlfriend, Susan, who's now my wife, gave me a choice: her or the band. And I chose her." BY LYNNE JETER

Physician Spotlight: Arthur Fokakis, MD Soon after Arthur Fokakis picked up his first biology book at the age of seven, he was hooked. "I absolutely loved biology," said Fokakis, chair of the hospital board of directors at Wesley Medical Center and an asthma and allergy sub specialist at the Asthma and Allergy Clinic of Hattiesburg. "Going into medicine was, to me, an excellent way to make a living with biology." The son of a first-generation immigrant from Greece, Fokakis later learned that his attraction to biology was born of kindred spirits. One of his cousins wrote a textbook on pharmacology, and another practiced medicine in Egypt. "It does run in our family," said Fokakis. "My son, Terry, is at Hinds majoring in biological sciences; my middle child, Ginny, is an office manager for an internist; and my eldest, Katie, is finishing her family practice residency." By LYNNE JETER

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Alexis Polles Alexis Polles, M.D., remembers the day nearly 20 years ago when she hit rock bottom because of a chemical addiction. "When I phoned around the south desperate for help, the Pine Grove staff connected me with the program director, who said, 'get yourself here and we'll get help for you. Don't worry about anything else. You have a monkey on your back and we'll help you confront it,'" she said. With the support of family and friends, Polles soon arrived at Pine Grove Treatment Center in Hattiesburg as a patient. After completing the treatment program, her mentor, the late Dr. Ivan Peacock, then a staff physician at the center, influenced her decision to move into an area of medical specialization that she originally despised. A Clarksdale native, Polles is the third of four children born to a first-generation Greek immigrant and a German mother who grew up on a farm in Stuttgard. Childhood exposure to alcoholism prompted Polles to pursue a medical career. BY LYNNE JETER

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Bill Lawrence Family has always been a big influence on William D. Lawrence, MD, DO, and it's the main reason he returned to Mississippi to practice medicine after completing his education and residency in Kansas City, Mo. The orthopedic surgeon opened a private practice, Rankin Orthopedic Specialists, in Brandon and joined the medical staff of Rankin Medical Center earlier this year. BY LYNN LOFTON

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Joe Johnston It's a steamy summer afternoon in Mt. Olive, Miss. The sidewalks along Main Street are near empty as residents huddle indoors to escape the noonday heat. Glancing around at the 19th century brick facades lining the century-old street, a visitor might detect little movement in this small Mississippi town 50 miles south of Jackson. But walk a little further down the street to the site of the once-famous Green Tree Hotel. Before Highway 49 stole the town's thunder, the Green Tree was a popular destination for hundreds of the state's travelers who had to pass through Mt. Olive to get to Jackson and other parts north. The hotel is long gone, but on this day you'll find plenty of activity taking place around the modern Green Tree Family Medical Clinic now in its place. BY KARA KIMBROUGH

Physician Spotlight: Phillip Ley, MD Ask many surgeons why they chose their specialty, and most likely, their motivation was a lifelong fascination with a particular disease. Not necessarily so for Dr. Phillip Ley, one of the state's only surgical oncologists. "I always wanted to be a surgeon and I was intrigued by the advancements being made in cancer care, and so I did want to be a part of that, but it's not the sole reason I chose this specialty," he said. "I chose it primarily because of the many different facets that come with being a surgical oncologist." Ley listed the opportunity to perform a multitude of cancer surgeries, the chance to work with others in a multidisciplinary approach to improve patient outcome, and the opportunity to perform clinical research as reasons behind his career choice. "For me, it was a personal issue based on my desire to be involved in many different aspects instead of just one as it related to the treatment, care and follow up that my patients receive," he said. by Kara Kimbrough

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Erika C. Goodloe Multi tasking is a way of life for busy professionals, and it's certainly something Dr. Erika C. Goodloe knows well. The 35-year-old dentist runs a busy solo practice and a lively family consisting of husband Marcus Goodloe and four beautiful daughters. She admits that managing everything is enjoyable work. "I started the practice so I could be more accessible to the girls. Maybe that was naïve," she said. "I'm the flexible person. My husband was a farmer and now works in construction so that means sunup to sundown for him." BY LYNN LOFTON

Physician Spotlight: Dr. William Boyte "Dr. Boyte is an amazing pediatric critical care specialist. His compassion for patients and their families is always evident and it has been a pleasure to work with him," says Benjamin Anderson, a pediatric resident at University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). Dr. William Boyte provides critical pediatric care at Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, he is an associate professor of pediatrics and is the director of clinical ethics for the pediatric department. Dr. Boyte has lived in Jackson since he was 12 years old. He attended Mississippi College and then received his medical degree from the University of Mississippi Medical School. Dr. Boyte says he was not initially attracted to pediatrics,"I wasn't really interested, but during medical school people kept telling me they thought I had a great personality for it. I decided to give it a shot and I fell in love with pediatrics." CHIP MARBY

Physician Spotlight: Doctors Joe & Elizabeth Washburne Joe and Elizabeth Washburne are a husband/wife gynecology team who practice at the Wesley Medical Center in Hattiesburg. Dr. Joe Washburne and Dr. Davis Sullivan founded the birthing center at Wesley Medical in 1995. Elizabeth joined the facility in 1999. On July 17, 1995, the Birth Center opened its doors at Wesley Medical Center, and the hospital returned to delivering babies, a service not provided there for the previous 20 years. BY CHIP MABRY

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Ken Davis Ken Davis' life took a dramatic turn just after he was born. Will Davis, who worked in the seed chemical business, and his wife, Frances, an elementary schoolteacher, adopted him as an infant in 1957 when rules for adoption for very rigid. "My mother made the ultimate sacrifice for me," said Davis, who grew up in the Mississippi Delta. "She had to quit teaching because at that time, you couldn't adopt a child with the wife working. You couldn't imagine that nowadays." BY LYNNE JETER

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Alan Covin For Dr. Alan Covin, the choice to narrow his field of practice after six years as an internist was about more than a change of pace. It was about survival. “I decided I had to do something not to burn out,” said Covin, who worked as an internist and hospital intensivist before beginning a fellowship in cardiology. LUCY SCHULTZE

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Huey McDaniel The emergency transport Dr. Huey McDaniel flew from Iraq on Jan. 29, 2006, made headlines for his patients’ fame. But for McDaniel, it stands out for a different reason — the opportunity he had to later share lunch with those patients and mark their recovery. LUCY SCHULTZE

Physician Spotlight: Dr. John Mallett When Dr. John Mallett was in medical school, a good many of his classmates had no idea what it was like to actually work in a hospital. He, on the other hand, knew exactly what he was getting into. Among the jobs he held during his youth at what was then Howard Memorial Hospital (now Biloxi Regional Medical Center) were cutting the grass, sweeping floors, and serving as an orderly and emergency-room tech. LUCY SCHULTZE

Physician Spotlight: Dr. John Tait Physiatrist Dr. John Tait had raised six children and spent two decades of his career in Kansas City. But by late 2006 — with their nest empty and warmer climes calling — he and his wife, Laurel, were ready for a new start in a new state. Tait responded to a search at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi and signed on to run the hospital's acute inpatient rehabilitation unit. He formed Oxford Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, PLLC in January. LUCY SCHULTZE

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Kenneth Fox When Dr. Kenneth Fox began telling his Manhattan colleagues about his decision to relocate his practice, he was met with raised eyebrows and gaping mouths. “Virtually everybody I told I was moving to Mississippi had shocked or surprised looks on their faces,” said Fox, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist who joined Methodist Spine & Joint Center in Flowood this past spring. LUCY SCHULTZE

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Max Hutchinson When Dr. Max Hutchinson looked back after 25 years of building a successful heart-surgery program in Tupelo, he decided to do something unexpected. He started over. Since relocating his practice to Corinth in October, Hutchinson has been embraced by the smaller city located just 50 miles north of his hometown. LUCY SCHULTZE

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Michael O'Dell When Dr. Michael O'Dell was 12, a gunshot mishap during a hunting trip with his dad led him to visit the family pediatrician named — yes, it's true — Dr. Pepper. "He was a very nice man we were all fond of, and someone our family truly respected," said O'Dell, explaining that during that particular hunting trip, "I managed to meet the wrong end of a rifle. It was certainly a startling experience." LYNNE JETER

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Mickey Wallace Undaunted by all the hours he spends in the clinic and operating room, Dr. Mickey Wallace really thrives in the great outdoors. That’s where all the world seems clear — at least when seen through his camera lens. The beauty of nature is there not only to savor but to save, captured with a click. LUCY SCHULTZE

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Randy Ramsey Jackson Surgeon Keeps Olympic Athletes at Top of Game Dr. James Randall "Randy" Ramsey has worked with all levels of athletes during his career in sports medicine, but it's a special group that's had his attention lately — those with Olympic ambitions. LUCY SCHULTZE

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Richard J. Galloway Dr. Richard J. Galloway began his career in the classroom, but today he’s channeling those teaching skills in a host of other directions. As the senior endocrinologist at Hattiesburg Clinic, his mission is to educate diabetic patients on how to manage their own disease. LUCY SCHULTZE

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Stephanie Robinett It’s the pure potential of her young patients that rewards Dr. Stephanie Robinett as she helps babies, kids and teenagers through treatment for neurological disorders. As the only full-time pediatric neurologist in the Pine Belt area, Robinett enjoys the chance both to aid her patients in forming healthy habits early on and to preside over their typically swift recoveries. LUCY SCHULTZE

Physician Spotlight: Drs. Kristine Carter and Walter Surowiec GULFPORT — A young married couple is being welcomed to the Gulf Coast medical scene at a time when help is needed. This husband and wife duo is not at all deterred by the devastation of this area post Katrina. Instead, LYNN LOFTON

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Patrick Weldon Jackson neurologist Dr. Patrick Weldon had long been a reliable volunteer coach for the Special Olympics. But when the organization happened to call him less than 24 hours after the birth of his youngest child, he had to decline the task of coaching a Down Syndrome basketball team. LUCY SCHULTZE

Current Physician Spotlight

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Kevin Galloway Coming Home to Care at The Clinic for Women For Dr. Kevin Galloway, relationships with his ob/gyn patients ripple out in circles of family, church and community. “That’s the beauty of this specialty,” he said. “You develop a rapport with one lady, then her sister or cousin is pregnant — before you know it, you’re almost part of the family.” LUCY SCHULTZE

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