FEATURE
Dr . Lori Caloia is getting a baptism by fire in her new role as Medical Director for the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness . She began the job on November 20 , and on November 21 the state declared an outbreak of acute Hepatitis A in multiple Kentucky counties with the vast majority of cases in Louisville .
“ It ’ s good to be able to hit the ground running and do some good work ,” she said . “ Everyone at the Department of Public Health and Wellness seems to enjoy what they ’ re doing . I ’ m impressed with the dedication of the staff and how well they all work together .”
Dr . Caloia came to the Department of Public Health and Wellness from Norton Healthcare , where as a primary care physician , she saw patients of all ages from infants to the elderly . She also worked at the University of Louisville School of Medicine where she served as an Assistant Professor .
“ A frustration I had as a primary care doctor was that so many of the people who needed care the most couldn ’ t get into the clinic because of insurance or transportation or finance issues ,” she said . “ I feel there ’ s much more I can do as a public health physician to address systems and disparity issues ,” said Dr . Caloia .
Dr . Caloia earned her MD from the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine ( MSU-CHM ) in 2004 . She completed a transitional internship at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium from 2004-2005 and a Family Medicine internship at Southern Colorado Family Medicine Residency in 2010-2011 . She finished a residency at Fairfax Family Practice ( Virginia Commonwealth University ) in 2013 . Dr . Caloia is board certified in Family Medicine and licensed to practice in both Kentucky and Indiana .
Dr . Caloia has previously worked with Dr . Sarah Moyer , the director of the Department of Public Health and Wellness , when they both served at the UofL School of Family and Geriatric Medicine . Dr . Caloia had also been providing back-up on-call medical coverage for Public Health and Wellness on an as-needed basis .
During her time at UofL , Dr . Caloia created and taught a Core Curriculum Community Medicine Lecture series . Topics included Community Oriented Primary Care , Addressing Health Disparities , Reporting Communicable Diseases , Intimate Partner Violence , Health Literacy , Introduction to Transgender Health Issues and Sexually Transmitted Diseases .
She also gave presentations on LGBT Health Disparities , Long Acting Reversible Contraception ( LARC ) and Care of the Transgender Person , and served on a panel discussion of Leadership in LGBT Health .
From 2013 to 2015 , Dr . Caloia served as a physician for the UofL Campus Health Services . “ UofL was the first university in Kentucky to require certain vaccinations for incoming students ,” said Dr . Caloia . “ Other health services we provided ran the gamut from family planning , to STDs , to LARC , to travel vaccines , to LGBT and transgender medicine . We also initiated a depression screening tool which led to a much higher recognition and treatment of depression in the student body .”
Before earning her medical degree , Dr . Caloia joined the United States Air Force in 2000 shortly after she was graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Detroit / Mercy with a degree in biochemistry . “ As a child , I remember seeing an F-16 aircraft and telling my mom and dad , I ’ m going to fly in one of those someday .”
Dr . Caloia went on to serve in various Air Force supervisory roles as well as directing a Flight Medicine Clinic in Bagram , Afghanistan during a deployment from 2007 to 2008 . She eventually became the Chief of Flight Medicine at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado .
“ When I originally joined the Air Force , I had no idea that I would have the opportunity to serve overseas ,” said Dr . Caloia , “ but 9 / 11 changed everything .”
“ Serving as a Flight Surgeon in the Air Force prepared me well for working in public health ,” she said . “ I had to deal with pertussis and shigellosis outbreaks . I had to ensure safe food handling and oversaw swimming pool inspections . I was involved with response planning for chemical exposures . I supervised a TB screening program and was the one who chased down air crews to get their flu shots .”
Dr . Caloia ’ s many awards include the Outstanding Faculty Award from the UofL Family Medical Residency , the Top Resident Teacher Award from Virginia Commonwealth University , and the Major John Gillespie Award for Excellence in Medical Knowledge , Clinical Judgement and Medical Ethics .
Dr . Caloia met her husband Jeff , a pilot and retired F-15E Weapon Systems Officer ( WSO ), in the Air Force . Their son , Jacob , just turned nine . “ Jacob loves to read and is also a math whiz . He specializes in sports statistics ,” said Dr . Caloia .
In her limited spare time , Dr . Caloia runs for exercise and , like Jacob , enjoys reading . “ I like historical fiction . One of my recent favorites is The Nightingale , a novel set during World War II .” Dr . Caloia also paints watercolors , although she says , “ I ’ m better at observing than doing it myself .”
“ I feel that my education and experience led me to the work I ’ m doing now at the Department of Public Health and Wellness ,” she said . “ I ’ m excited about the possibility of what public health can do to improve the lives of people in Louisville .”
Dave Langdon is the director of public information for the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness . He is the Health Department Representative on the Louisville Medicine Editorial Board .
FEBRUARY 2018 9