Dr. Lynne Kirk, an ardent and devoted educator and clinician, has been named Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine and Family and Community Medicine.

A UT Southwestern faculty member for 30 years, Dr. Kirk has served as Director of the Student Health Service, Associate Dean for Medical Education and Graduate Medical Education, and Associate Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine. Her research focused on clinical prevention, geriatrics, and medical education.

In geriatrics, her emphasis was on education: “We will never have enough geriatricians to meet the health care needs of our aging population. Thus it is important for all physicians to have the appropriate competence in geriatrics to care for the older patients in their practice, no matter what their specialty,” she said.

Dr. Kirk, also a Distinguished Teaching Professor, has published on professionalism and competency-based medical education, focusing on the best ways to train physicians at all levels of medical education – medical school, residency/fellowship, and the continuum of medical education.

“For the past 39 years, Dr. Kirk has been an outstanding clinician, teacher, and mentor for medical students, housestaff, and faculty,” said Dr. Craig Rubin, Chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Professor of Internal Medicine, and a Distinguished Teaching Professor. “Her distinguished career as a leader in medical education has been recognized locally, statewide, and nationally.” 

Dr. Kirk credited UT Southwestern’s unique culture for allowing her to succeed in her career and then pay it forward to teach and mentor future generations of caregivers.

“I can’t imagine an academic health center in this country that is a better place than UT Southwestern to develop one’s career. The collegiality, willingness to collaborate, and supportive friendships provide a wonderful infrastructure to accomplish anything you can imagine,” she said. “It is very rewarding to watch altruistic and motivated young people enter medical school and, through medical school and residency training, develop into amazing physicians who provide excellent care to their patients, create astounding new knowledge, and contribute significantly to the improvement of health care for the entire population of this country and globally.”

After retiring Sept. 1, Dr. Kirk joined the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) as its first Chief Accreditation Officer. She leads ACGME’s Review and Recognition Committee, which evaluates residency and fellowship programs. She also manages the development, revision, and dissemination of national accreditation standards for residency programs, directs accreditation process improvements, and advises the committees to ensure fair evaluation of programs.

In addition to supervising students, residents, and fellows, Dr. Kirk has cared for patients as a board-certified general internal medicine and geriatric physician. She practiced in the Acute Care for the Elderly Unit at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital and at Parkland Memorial Hospital’s Center for Internal Medicine and its resident continuity clinic (in which residents take care of a panel of patients in the outpatient setting over their entire residency).

“I’ve worked with a series of division chiefs and department chairs who have not criticized, but rather encouraged my wild ideas and supported me in doing things that seemed impossible,” Dr. Kirk said. “And I’ve had so many wonderful colleagues, students, and residents to work with to make these ideas into reality to support the education and patient care activities we provide.”

Dr. Kirk received her medical degree from the University of Nebraska School of Medicine in 1977, then completed an internship and residency at Boston University School of Medicine.

Dr. Kirk was President of the American College of Physicians, the national specialty organization for internists, in 2006-2007. She has published on medical professionalism, faculty development, clinical guidelines, and patient education. She chaired the Internal Medicine Residency Review Committee of the ACGME and served as an Associate Program Director in the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program at UT Southwestern.

In 2015, she received the Texas Medical Association Platinum Award, the top honor for its Excellence in Academic Medicine program. The multilevel award program honors academic physicians who are consummate teachers, role models, and medical professionals.

“Lynne is perhaps the most thoughtful, ethical, selfless, and professional individual I have worked with in the last three decades. She is always looking for ways to promote and encourage her students and colleagues,” Dr. Rubin said.

Dr. Kirk reflected fondly on her time at UT Southwestern and looks forward to the future.

“When I’m asked what is important to me in my life, I answer ‘family, friends, and doing meaningful work,’” Dr. Kirk said. “I am very fortunate to have had all of these in great abundance during my career at UT Southwestern.”