Kierstin Cates Kennedy, MD, MSHA, FACP, SFHM
Dr. Kennedy, was born in Los Angeles and moved to Alabama as a child when her father’s military career required the family to relocate. She was the first college graduate in her immediate family and is still the only college graduate among her siblings. Her father eventually completed a bachelor's degree following a nontraditional path. At the age of 14, she met an uncle who was still in Los Angeles and was surprised to learn that he was a surgeon. She also met her older cousins - one was in medical school and the other was in residency. She saw opportunities she hadn’t previously known were possible and eventually spent time shadowing her uncle and taking notes. She is now at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, where she serves as the Chief Medical Officer.