Kathy Robinson graduated from UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine in 1989. She did her residency in family medicine at Duke University. She worked in private practices and then went on to teach in the family medicine residency program at Duke. She has worked in public health, taught healthcare at local prisons, and she serves on the Ethics Committee of Mission Hospital and volunteers at Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry medical clinic.
We try to instill in students the importance of self-cultivation. How do you cultivate to help support yourself in your work?
I love to walk in the woods with my dog. I often hike near rivers and get to the ocean as much as possible. I read poetry and the works of inspiring writers. Church is important to me, the music and liturgy feed me a deep place. I enjoy doing volunteer work to support the community.
Did you have any experience with Chinese Medicine before you came to DTC?
I had gone to an acupuncturist for years before I began teaching at Daoist, but really did not have any other contact with Chinese Medicine.
What do you enjoy most about working with patients?
I enjoy hearing patients’ stories about how they cope in the world and with their illness.
What do you enjoy most about working with students?
It is so incredible to watch students who start out insecure in themselves turn into confident and competent healthcare providers. I get to watch them grow and change as they move from second year to graduation. They inspire me and give me hope for the future.
How has teaching at DTC influenced your work elsewhere?
I have come to love teaching so much that I am now volunteering in several other places where I can tutor and teach.
Tell us one thing about you that no one at DT knows.
I worked as a hospice volunteer many years before I went to medical school.
