KMA Annual Meeting in Review: Evelyn Montgomery Jones, M.D., Inaugurated as 2024-2025 KMA President During 2024 Annual Meeting
By: Emily Schott, KMA Director of Communications
Evelyn Montgomery Jones, M.D., a Paducah dermatologist, was installed as the 174th President of the Kentucky Medical Association (KMA) on August 25 during the 2024 Annual Meeting.
KMA members also elected two other officers during the 2024 meeting. Jiapeng Huang, M.D., of Louisville was elected President-Elect, and Ishmael Stevens, M.D., of Ashland was elected Vice President.
Dr. Montgomery Jones completed her undergraduate education at Georgetown College in 1985 and medical school at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1989. After an internship in Internal Medicine, Dr. Montgomery Jones went on to residency at the University of Louisville Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology from 1990 – 1993. She returned to her hometown of Paducah, Kentucky in 1993, to start her dermatology practice. She currently owns and operates WellSprings Dermatology and WellSprings SkinCare.
In her inaugural address, Dr. Montgomery Jones discussed her priorities for the year, including a focus on improving the overall health and well-being of Kentuckians through a new public awareness campaign.
“With 80% of chronic disease and 40% of cancers directly linked to our lifestyle choices, we are compelled to educate ourselves on the steps to take to reverse and even prevent many of these diseases, then step into these bold conversations with our patients,” said Dr. Montgomery Jones.
Along with the installation of new officers, the Annual Meeting featured a special education session, “Voices and Visions: Influencing the Future of Kentucky Healthcare,” featuring a diverse array of speakers. They included Alex Ding, M.D., M.S., and Jiapeng Huang, M.D., PhD, who led a discussion on artificial intelligence in medicine, Bart Darrell, Chancellor of Health Force Kentucky, and Arpita Lakhotia, M.D., and Kyle Brothers, M.D., PhD, who presented on advancements in gene therapy treatments.
More information on the 2024 Annual Meeting, including a gallery of photos, is available at kyma.org/2024-kma-annual-meeting.
KMA Honors Award Recipients During 2024 Annual Meeting
KMA presented awards to three individuals during the President’s Celebration Reception, held on Aug. 24 as part of the 2024 Annual Meeting.
KMA Past President William C. Harrison, M.D., of Owensboro, received the Distinguished Service Award, the Association’s highest honor. Orthopedic sports medicine physician, Benjamin Kibler, M.D., of Lexington, was the recipient of the Community Service Award, and Cynthia Benedict, Systems Director for Belonging and Health Equity at Norton Healthcare in Louisville was given the Debra K. Best Outstanding Layperson Award. More information on the 2024 KMA Awards of Excellence recipients, including videos highlighting each honoree, is available at https://kyma.org/kma-to-honor-three-individuals-during-2024-awards-of-excellence-program/.
