Mayer Named Fellow of Critical Care Medicine

By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

Congratulations go out to Kirby Mayer, DPT, PhD, as he was recently honored as a Fellow of Critical Care Medicine in the American College of Critical Care Medicine.

Mayer, associate professor in the College of Health Sciences’ Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation and Health Sciences PhD Program, received his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Kentucky, Center for Excellence in Rural Health in 2014. After practicing as a staff physical therapist at Chandler Medical, he returned to school and completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of Kentucky in 2019. Mayer received his PhD in Rehabilitation and Health Sciences with focus on muscle health and physical function in patients with and surviving critical illness. Mayer is a clinician and researcher in UK’s ICU Recovery Clinic.

The prestigious designation of Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine honors practitioners, researchers, administrators and educators who have made outstanding contributions to the collaborative field of critical care.

American College of Critical Care Medicine fellows are recognized for their clinical excellence and achievements in program development, scholarly activities related to critical care, and regional and/or national engagement.

“The recognition feels amazing,” Mayer said. “It definitely is a significant milestone in my career, but I think more importantly signifies that our college, the ICU Recovery Clinic, and our research lab are having an impact on critical care and ICU survivorship. To me, it means that we are on the right path to helping patients who require critical care in Kentucky.”

The leadership within the College agreed.

“This distinction proves, yet again, that some of the best and brightest faculty researchers in the country work here in the College of Health Sciences,” said Scott Lephart, PhD and Dean of the College of Health Sciences. “Our job here is to educate the next generation of healthcare workers and improve the health of our Commonwealth. We think we’re doing just that, and this recognition helps reaffirm those beliefs. Congratulations to Dr. Mayer for his amazing work.”