Joyce Gulle, MD, was born in the Republic of the Philippines on Clark U.S. Air Force Base. Her father, who is Filipino, became a U.S. citizen after joining the U.S. Army in Guam. Her parents then immigrated to America, where her mother taught herself English and how to drive a car. Growing up, Dr. Gulle’s parents believed that “the most hallowed, highest, and hardest profession was to serve all people as a physician.” Her earliest memories focus on how her parents nurtured and encouraged her and sacrificed for her to achieve the “American dream” of becoming a doctor.

In 1986, Dr. Gulle achieved that dream after graduating from Mercer University School of Medicine’s (MUSM) charter class. Early in her medical career, Dr. Gulle recalls being asked by several patients in rural communities if she was “white or black,” as many people in rural communities had never met anyone of Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage. However, this confusion wasn’t shocking to Dr. Gulle, as the AAPI population in Georgia was extremely small, especially in rural areas. Even in her medical class, there were only two minority students, herself and Dr. Sharon Moses, an African-American woman. Dr. Gulle and Dr. Moses bonded over this fact and became best friends and have remained as such to this day.

While in medical school, Dr. Gulle was awarded a Health Professions Scholarship from the U.S. Army, allowing her to obtain her medical degree without a financial obligation. She served in the Reserves as a 2^nd Lieutenant and continued her education. After completing her family medicine internship at Memorial Medical Center in Savannah, GA, she was pulled from her residency to help address the physician shortages in the U.S. Army. She was stationed in Germany, where she was promoted to Captain and was a General Medical Officer (GMO) for the 23^rd and 20^th Medical Detachment units. After leaving the Reserves, Dr. Gulle worked for five years as a civilian contractor for the Winn Army Community Hospital in Fort Stewart, GA. She continued helping service members, military retirees, and their families at Tuttle Army Health Clinic in Hunter Army Airfield, GA, for 23 years as a civil service GMO/physician. Dr. Gulle still volunteers at the clinic as a physician.

Today, Dr. Gulle is an Associate Professor in the Pathology and Clinical Science Education department on the MUSM campus in Savannah. In 2021 she was awarded the Dr. Anna Walker Award for Teaching Excellence for her outstanding work as a teacher and mentor.