Each year, Louisville Business First (LBF) recognizes 25 Health Care Heroes — medical professionals who demonstrate outstanding excellence in their work and are taking the field to new levels. This year, one-quarter of the top picks have ties to the University of Louisville.
- Health Equity Champion – Associate Professor in Pediatrics Jennifer Porter leads the School of Medicine’s distinction track for primary care, promoting the sustainability of care in Kentucky for communities vulnerable to the impacts of poverty and discrimination. As general pediatrician at the downtown Novak Center for Children’s Health, where she helps serve thousands of underrepresented patients, Porter is a passionate leader who is propelling the field of child health equity forward.
- Innovator – Jason Chesney, director and chief administrative officer of UofL Health-Brown Cancer Center is a practicing oncologist who has expanded his practice to include holistic wellness programs for patients and families and outreach programs to educate the community on health. With the goal of reducing Kentucky’s cancer death rate by 50% in the next ten years, he leads the Cancer Trials program at the center which is nationally recognized for testing novel cellular therapies and immunotherapies, attracting patients across the country.
- Innovator – Associate Professor Adam Gaweda has been harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to design clinical tools for real-world application since the early 2000’s, when he joined UofL’s Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension. Since then he has developed AI-guided clinical decision support software which has greatly enhanced the cost-effectiveness of anemia treatment and has been adopted by roughly 30% of the national market, creating a turning point for the treatment of dialysis patients and for the widespread use of AI in nephrology.
- Manager – Jeffrey Bumpous, UofL’s executive vice president for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, has been affiliated with UofL as an alum and a professor for more than three decades. Bumpous played a key role in the establishment of the department of Otolaryngology — Heck and Neck Surgery and uses his inclusive, service-minded leadership style to strengthen the forward-moving partnerships between academic and clinical medicine with his years of trusted expertise.
- Rising Star – Assistant Professor Bridgette Hittepole serves as associate director of UofL’s MD/PhD Physician Scientist Training Program, advancing medical education and excellence through mentorship of the field’s next generation of leaders. With a commitment to increase health awareness in the community, Hittepole also expanded the conventions of her practice as a founding member and treasurer of the Bluegrass Obesity Society and founded Louisville’s chapter of Walk with a Doc—an international organization that encourages lifestyle health through physical activity and educational social meetups in spaces like the Waterfront Park.
The 2025 Health Care Heroes are profiled in the Feb. 28-March 6 edition of Louisville Business First and were honored at an in-person event at the Olmsted on Thursday, Feb. 27.
