College Profile 2023

Alumni Spotlight

Clemson grad brings medical care to rural Alaska

K atie Gray knew she wanted to practice a broad scope of medicine and that she’d have to go somewhere rural to do so. Few places are more rural than Kodiak, Alaska. Gray is a family medicine doctor in Kodiak, the largest community on Kodiak Island on Alaska’s south coast. She works for the Kodiak Area Native Association, a nonprofit that provides health care and social services for Alas ka Natives. Twice a month, she boards a small plane to visit KANA health clinics in Old Harbor and Karluk, small villages off the road system accessible only by air or by boat. Gray’s interest in medicine started her senior year in high school after she shadowed an orthopedic surgeon in her hometown of Aiken, South Carolina. She graduated from Clemson Universi ty in 2013 with a degree in biochemistry before attending the Medical Univer sity of South Carolina in Charleston. While at Clemson, Gray worked in a lab at the Eukaryotic Pathogens Inno vation Center (EPIC). During medical school, Gray did a rotation with Dr. Oscar Lovelace, a Clemson alumnus and family medicine

doctor in Prosperity, South Carolina. “He’s a rural doctor who does a bit of everything. I liked family medicine and how it engages with different age groups,” she said. “I wanted to find a residency program that allowed me to practice and learn a full scope of medicine.” The Mountain Area Health Ed ucation Center in Asheville, North Carolina, was that place. During her residency, Gray mentioned to the doctors that she wanted to practice the full spectrum of medicine in Alaska, a state she had fallen in love with during

a couple of winter visits. A previous graduate worked in Kodiak, and Gray secured a four-week rotation at KANA. Her work there cemented her passion for community health. Gray said learn ing about the culture of the patients she treats on the island helps her to better treat them. “There’s truly an art to medicine. Something you read in a textbook doesn’t necessarily translate to the per son in front of you because they come from their own specific background; they carry their own personal beliefs, values and experiences,” she said. Much of the incredible work happening in the College of Science is possible thanks to the power of philan thropy. Donor support helps recruit and retain top research talent to elevate Clemson’s profile, provides financial assistance to students, and allows us to provide the equipment and facilities infrastructure that is necessary for groundbreaking research. Support the College of Science today at: https://iamatiger.clemson.edu/ giving/cos. The importance of philanthropy

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CLEMSON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SCIENCE | 2023 COLLEGE PROFILE