In Memoriam

Dr. Russell Travis passed away October 29, 2022 at the age of 87. Dr. Travis received his medical degree from the University of Louisville College of Medicine where he completed his internship in general surgery. During his residency at the Medical College of South Carolina, he served as chief resident. He became board certified in neurological surgery in 1972 and then completed his fellowships with the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians. Dr. Travis also served in the US Army Reserves.

During his years of practice, Dr. Travis worked as a neurosurgeon at Neurosurgical Associates in Lexington, he was the President of the Medical Staff at Good Samaritan Hospital, Associate Director of Cardinal Hill Rehab Hospital, and he consulted at numerous regional hospitals. After retirement, he embarked on a career as a medical consultant providing important medical opinions and testimony to the courts.

Throughout his career, Dr. Travis served as President of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Chairman of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the Joint Washington Committee of Neurosurgery, Vice President of the KMA, President of the Ky Board of Medical Licensure, the Ky State Workers Compensation Board, Regional Translational Research Center Advisory Board, various positions on the American Academy of Occupational Medicine, President of the Epilepsy Association, member of the Committee on National Legislative Activities, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Health Care Access Foundation, and the Ky Easter Seal Society.

Dr. Travis was the recipient of the Jack Trevey Award by the Fayette County Medical Society (now the Lexington Medical Society) and the Service to Mankind Award by the KMA. He was a member of LMS since 1968.

In addition to his wife, he was survived by four children and six grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family suggest donations to the Ky Easter Seals or the Lexington Humane Society.

Featured LMS Foundation Grant Recipient

McDowell House

By Lauren Clontz, Assistant Director

How would you like to work without anesthesia or the knowledge of germs?

What if a patient came to you with an ailment that had never been cured before?

Would you break conventions and risk your reputation to save them?

Those are the questions, and the circumstances that Dr. Ephraim McDowell found himself in one cold Christmas Day in 1809. His patient had ridden for 3 days on horseback to make it to his home. He had diagnosed her a few days before, the first doctor to realize she was not pregnant. He had offered to try a risky abdominal surgery. To remove a horrendous tumor that stretched down, almost to her knees. A tumor that would undoubtedly kill her.

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Delegate’s Report:

AMA Interim Meeting 2022

By David J. Bensema, MD, MBA, Delegate to the AMA

The American Medical Association (AMA) held its Interim Meeting 2022 from November 12 to 15, 2022. I was again privileged to represent the Lexington Medical Society and the Kentucky Medical Association as your Delegate to the AMA. I want to thank you again and assure you that I take this privilege of representing you very seriously. This was the first time in six meetings that I have not been serving on and/or chairing a reference committee, providing me an opportunity to pay more attention to the meeting as a whole.

On Friday, November 11 I was able to attend the newly organized Private Practice Physicians Section’s (PPPS) and the Organized Medical Staff Section’s (OMSS) business sessions and educational offerings. The joint session, “Protecting Our Healers,” was worth the trip. Michael Tutty, AMA group vice president, Professional Satisfaction and Practice Sustainability, moderated an excellent presentation and discussion regarding the increasingly hostile and stressful environment of practice in this divisive time of rising disinformation and distrust in scientifically informed care. It is obvious that our profession and colleagues have paid a significant price for the irresponsible actions of a number of parties outside of medicine. I would encourage all of you to join the PPPS and/or the OMSS and consider joining us at the AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago in June 2023. You do not have to be a Delegate or Alternate Delegate to attend the meeting. There are multiple other focused Sections in the AMA and I would recommend checking the AMA website (ama-assn.org) to see if there is one that appeals to you. The PPPS, though new this meeting, is already very active, offering four resolutions of their own and supporting four additional resolutions from other groups. The OMSS continues to be a strong voice for physicians in our hospital practice settings and offered three resolutions, opposing one from another source, and supporting six from other groups. This activity is essential to ensure that the voice of practicing physicians and the challenges faced to ensure access to care for our patients and adequate reimbursement and protection of decision making autonomy is not lost amid the myriad social and environmental issues that, while important, have a risk of dominating the focus of our AMA. 

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