Lynne Anne Marcum Kirk, MD: A Conversation with the Editor

Abstract

Lynne Kirk (Figure ​(Figure11) was born in Sioux City, Iowa, and grew up in Spencer, Nebraska. She graduated from public high school as valedictorian in 1970 and from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln in 1974. From there she went to the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Omaha, graduating in 1977 with distinction. Her internship and medical residency were at the University Hospital, Boston University Medical Center. She was chief resident during her last year of residency. After completing her training on June 30, 1980, she came to Dallas, Texas, and joined the faculty of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she has been ever since. During her time at the medical school she has been director of the student health service, medical director of the physician assistant program, assistant dean for clinical affairs, medical director of the Parkland Memorial Hospital outpatient clinics, associate dean for medical education, associate dean for graduate medical education, and associate chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine. For a number of years she was the Peter and Jean Dehlinger Professor in Biomedical Science, Department of Internal Medicine. Since September 2005, she has been the Toni and Timothy P. Hartman Distinguished Teaching Professor in Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Through the years she has held a number of offices in the American College of Physicians and presently is its president. She has published nearly 30 articles in various peer-reviewed journals. She is the mother of two. She is simply an outstanding lady in every respect and a major asset to both the city of Dallas and its medical school. At the invitation of Dr. Marvin Stone, she gave the Lloyd Wade Kitchens Memorial Lecture at Baylor University Medical Center on August 15, 2006, on professionalism. The following interview took place shortly thereafter.