‘I Care About This College’

As Dr. Phillip Gribble Prepares for His Next Step as CHS Dean, He Reflects on Where He’s Been

By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

A professor. A department chair. An internationally recognized researcher.

And now — the Dean of the College of Health Sciences. 

On March 27, UK Provost Robert DiPaola announced that Dr. Phillip Gribble would be the next CHS Dean effective today, July 1. Since 2014, Gribble has served as a member of the CHS faculty, as well as an internationally recognized researcher in ankle instability, and he brings more than two decades of academic and clinical experience to the role.

Below is a five-question interview with Gribble about his path, priorities and vision for the college.

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Q: Why this job — and why now?

Dr. Gribble: I care about this college, and at other schools, I’ve seen what happens when leadership transitions don’t go well. I felt like I was at a point in my career where I was ready to consider this step, and I’m grateful to have been selected.

As a faculty member and a department chair, I’ve had the chance to learn from Dean Scott Lephart for many years. With the staff, faculty and students we have, it’s easy to want to step into this role.
 

Q: What originally drew you to healthcare and this field?

Dr. Gribble: During my undergraduate years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I was exposed to health care career options, and I really connected with athletic training. I stayed for a master’s in athletic training with clinical experiences along with opportunities in research and teaching. My first formal teaching experiences were in physical activity classes, including tennis, volleyball and bowling, as well as getting to be teaching lab assistant in athletic training undergraduate courses. That’s when I realized how much I enjoyed working with students. I also had amazing mentors for a thesis that really ignited my interest in research. 

My first full-time job at Appalachian State University allowed me to combine teaching as a lecturer and serving on staff as an athletic trainer for the wrestling team in intercollegiate athletics. Two years later, I was back in graduate school at Penn State University for PhD work, which solidified my love for research and further developed my teaching skills. Finally, for over a decade before joining the faculty here at UK, I was a post-professional athletic training program director and built a successful research agenda at the University of Toledo. The balance of teaching, clinical work and research along the way has really shaped my career.

Q: What are a couple of your short-term goals as Dean?

Dr. Gribble: It may sound cliché, but I need to listen — to as many people as possible. I understand many things about the college, but there’s a lot of nuance and details I still need to learn.

I also want to better understand our remote sites and ensure we’re connected as a college.

Preparing for the move to the Michael D. Rankin MD Health Education Building (HEB) is another priority. It’s a tremendous opportunity, but we have to be intentional about maintaining our culture as we expand into new spaces.
 

Q: What are the biggest challenges you see ahead?

Dr. Gribble: We need to grow, but thoughtfully. There’s a balance between expanding programs and not stretching ourselves too thin.

Like many institutions, we’re also facing the challenge of attracting high-quality students in a competitive and expensive environment. What gives me confidence is the strength of the UK brand.

Having worked at other institutions before coming to UK, I've experienced building a brand and how diligently you have to work to create and maintain success. At Kentucky, our people and resources provide a tremendous advantage, but it doesn’t mean we must work hard to create our successes.

Q: How do you see your first 100 days playing out — or have they already begun?

Dr. Gribble: Absolutely. I’ve already started meeting with people and learning how the college operates and interacts with the University community.

In the coming months, even before my official start, I’m trying to be more visible across campus — meeting faculty, staff, partners and stakeholders.

I’d like to visit every department early on and understand their challenges. Right now, it’s about building a clear picture of where we are and where we can go.

Bonus Q: What do you do outside of work?

Dr. Gribble: Family is a big part of my life. My son is a rising junior and plays soccer at Bellarmine. My daughter is a rising high school senior and volleyball player, so we’re going through the college recruiting process with her now. My wife is a dedicated pediatric physical therapist. We really enjoy spending most of our free time watching our kids do the things they love to do. We don’t have extended family in the state, so we’ve grown very close as a family unit living here in Kentucky the last 12 years.

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Here in the College of Health Sciences, Gribble now has an entire college that will become his new extended family — and it will become the foundation for our next chapter.