UPIKE Newsroom

On behalf of the Board of Trustees at the University of Pikeville, President Burton J. Webb, Ph.D., has announced the appointment of Joe Kingery, D.O., MBA, FACOFP, FAAFP, as Dean of the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM) effective July 1, 2021. 

“Dr. Joe Kingery is a great choice as the next Dean of KYCOM,” said Webb. “As an alumnus, he has a deep understanding of the mission. As a Kentuckian, he holds the health of the people of the Commonwealth in high regard. As a teacher, he is beloved by his students and respected by his peers. We are convinced that Dr. Kingery will carry on the leadership established by his predecessors and take KYCOM to the next level of academic excellence.” 

Set to serve as the fourth dean in KYCOM’s 24-year history, Kingery will succeed current dean Dana C. Shaffer, D.O., FACOFP, dist., FAOGME, who plans to retire in June. Kingery currently serves as the associate dean of osteopathic medical education, associate professor and chair of the department of family medicine at KYCOM. 

“I am very thankful to be given this opportunity,” said Kingery. “UPIKE and KYCOM have had a special place in my heart since I was a medical student here. We have wonderful faculty, staff and students, and they are what make this place so exceptional. I am excited and honored to be the next Dean of KYCOM, and I look forward to the work ahead.”

Kingery, who graduated from then Pikeville College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2006, will let his experience as both faculty and alumnus of KYCOM influence his forward-thinking vision for the college. Kingery has been board-certified and recertified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment by the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians and board-certified in Family Medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine. 

Before receiving his medical degree, Kingery graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in biology. 

After completing his medical degree, Kingery served at the University of Kentucky/North Fork Valley Community Health Center in Hazard, Ky., as the director of medical education, CEO/executive director and medical director before coming to KYCOM in 2016. With a passion for community outreach and rural medicine, Kingery was featured regularly in a WYMT-TV weekly series, Monday Morning House Calls.   

Kingery also held faculty appointments at the University of Kentucky Department of Family and Community Medicine as both assistant and associate professor of clinical title series and clinical adjunct faculty at Lincoln Memorial DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

In addition to faculty and administrative appointments, Kingery was regional director for the Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians, District 14, from 2009 to 2019 and is currently NBOME National Faculty with the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners. 

Kingery has been honored with many awards throughout his medical career, which include Outstanding Second-Year Resident of the Year Award, Resident Family Physician of the Year Award, Family Medicine Preceptor of the Year Award, Abraham Flexner Master Educator Award for Outstanding Teaching Contribution or Mentorship, KYCOM Breath of Life Award and KYCOM Educator of the Year. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians. 

Even with a flourishing academic and medical career, Kingery invests in his community as a board member and treasurer of the Artists Collaborative Theatre, serves as scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 10, and faithfully attends and serves as a sound technician at New Beginnings Church. 

Kingery and his wife, Emily, reside in Pikeville.