DR . WHO
( continued from page 29 ) able ,” said Dr . Payne , who was accepted and began her studies in August of 1993 . She was inspired by the beauty of the city , by the new opportunities in front of her , and by the community of Canaan Christian Church , which became her spiritual home when she arrived .
“ I believe the number one key to success is exposure . A lot of intelligent people have trouble reaching their full potential . Exposure will give you the confidence in how to direct your intelligence .”
Coming to Louisville gave Dr . Payne a new world of knowledge to explore . One of her guides along the way was Dr . William Kean the only practicing African-American ophthalmologist in Louisville at the time , whom she first saw on television during her sophomore year .
“ I called up Dr . Kean and asked if he could mentor me ,” Dr . Payne said matter-of-factly . “ He agreed and I became his mentee through residency . Just by seeing how Dr . Kean treated patients in his office , I had exposure to the clinical side of ophthalmology . Seeing a successful physician in action was really meaningful for me .”
In residency , she found new challenges . “ Every time I was elevated in my career , God would ask me to serve more . For example , the same year I became chief resident , my church started a liturgical dance ministry and asked me to lead that . They are the exact opposite and I wasn ’ t sure I could lead that liturgical dance group , but the Lord said do both . I ended up loving the experience !”
Louisville is a city still growing , and Dr . Payne saw untapped opportunities in ophthalmology as she was finishing her residency . “ UofL didn ’ t have a medical retina fellowship , which is what I wanted to do . I was praying and asking God , ‘ What am I supposed to do ?’ The Lord said , ‘ You ’ ll do retina , and you ’ ll ask the new chairman , Dr . Henry Kaplan , for a retina fellowship .’” And that ’ s just what happened .
Meeting by chance in a university elevator , Dr . Payne said to Dr . Kaplan , “ I need to talk to you . I ’ ve been praying , and the Lord told me to ask you about a medical retina fellowship .”
Dr . Kaplan listened to what she had to say . UofL had actually just created a retinal surgery spot as a two-year fellowship . “ He said that since I wanted to go medical , he would open a medical retina one-year fellowship to me . I became the first person to do that fellowship , and Dr . Kaplan has been my mentor ever since .”
Once she graduated , Dr . Payne chose to stay in Louisville . She had been touched by a visit to the VA Medical Center when she was in her third year of medical school . As she was leaving her fellowship , a physician who practiced medical retina care was retiring from the VA . The spot was open and waiting for Dr . Payne ’ s arrival .
“ Veterans uphold to me the values which America says she believes in . They put in the sacrifices . To see and hear those who survived World War II or Korea or Vietnam , and see their loyalty to their values and their family , it does something for me .”
Although both her father and uncle served in Vietnam , they never talked about the experience . Dr . Payne ’ s love of veterans emerged simply by rotating through the VA . “ We believe in excellence from the bench to the bedside and everyone working there has the goal of offering the best to veterans . I don ’ t like people thinking the VA is doing esoteric or second-class medicine . The ophthalmology department is made up of UofL graduates . We ’ re constantly striving to make sure we have the best products , that we ’ re giving veterans the best service . Anything but excellence is not an option ,” Dr . Payne said .
In her practice , Dr . Payne sees the worst of the worst . She ’ s dealing with diabetic eye disease , the leading cause of blindness , as well as age-related macular degeneration . Typically , her work involves intra-ocular injections , a relatively
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