Katheryne R. Ruck ’15: “Follow Your Passions”

When Katheryne R. Ruck ’15—who matriculated from Ohio as Katheryne Austin—engaged in her college search, she had a general goal: “I wanted to attend a college that would prepare me the most for my future.” But she had some more specific criteria. “I wanted a strong education at a smaller college, to join the Army, and to continue competitive swimming. VMI checked all the boxes,” said Ruck.

When she matriculated, Ruck checked another box—her choice of academic major, which, in her case, was international studies. With that done, she then had to choose among the three available science electives. She settled on an introductory course in biology taught by Col. Wade Bell, Ph.D., which changed everything. By the end of the semester, she remembered, “I knew I needed to change majors,” and she transferred to the biology department.

She was now certain she was in the correct major but confronted another dilemma. “At first,” she recalls, “I wasn’t sure what I would do career-wise.” Again, one course proved consequential. “It was after taking physiology with Colonel Thomas S. Baur ’75, Ph.D., that I knew I wanted to pursue a career in medicine.”

Besides being a strong student in biology, Ruck was a varsity swimmer throughout her cadetship. She was also involved with the Leadership Focus Group and served on the staff of the Bomb. Ruck held rank and, during her 1st Class year, was a lieutenant on the S-2 staff.

When asked if anyone she encountered as a cadet influenced and/or inspired her, she replied, “First, the whole biology department, but especially Colonel Bell, Colonel Baur, and Colonel [Dick] Rowe. I was in awe of the alumnae who had come before me and all they had done to help clear obstacles for the women who followed them. Of course, I am thankful for my dykes and all they taught me. Finally, there are too many of my BRs to name whose examples inspired me.”

Ruck has other fond memories of VMI. “At this time of the year, I always remember the holiday dinners. Of course, Breakout, Ring Figure, and graduation stick out, as do the opportunities I had to travel to Taiwan and Germany.” But, like so many alumni, she savors the less prominent moments. “The memories I truly cherish are the more mundane, such as lunch with my friends and my roommates and quiet mornings in Preston Library.”

She took a somewhat less-traveled road after graduation by deciding to study osteopathic medicine. Her coursework informed her decision in part. “I was fascinated by anatomy, physiology, and, despite my struggles with organic chemistry, the inner workings of chemistry.” But she was drawn to it, as well, by VMI’s approach to balance. “Through the metaphor of the three-legged stool, VMI stresses the need to balance the three main aspects of the cadet experience and, after graduation, all aspects of life. Much like VMI, doctors of osteopathic medicine, D.O.s, believe in balance. For one to be healthy, we believe, you need to tend to the body, mind, and spirit. The D.O. philosophy matched my own goals and my desire to help others and make my community a healthier one.”

After graduation, she enrolled at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia. There, she discovered that her VMI experience had prepared her “quite well” for medical studies. “I felt very prepared from an academic standpoint and a professional one. Medical school is a firehose of information, but I was so used to VMI’s rigors that medical school didn’t seem much different. I also was well prepared to manage my time. Thanks to my experience in dealing with so many people in barracks, I was ready for third- and fourth-year rotations during which I worked with many different personalities among the various clinical specialties.”

In the end, Ruck decided to specialize in family medicine. What drew her to that specialty? “It has a large breadth,” she explained. “We take care of every age and demographic.” After completing her residency in family medicine at Saint Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, Ohio, Ruck went to work and discovered that her experience met her expectations. “No day is ever the same. I’ve been able to deliver babies and see patients of all ages in the hospital, the intensive care unit, and the office.” And it is what she likes about being a family doctor. “I have come to appreciate the variety of pathologies I encounter and treatments that I can offer patients. I also cherish the relationships I develop over time with patients and their families.”

Oh, that “box” of Army service that Ruck was determined to check when she came to VMI? She checked it by serving for 8 years as a Medical Corps officer in the Virginia National Guard and Ohio National Guard. She now continues her service in the field of medical education as a faculty member at the Anderson Hospital Family Medicine Residency in Cincinnati, Ohio.

I asked her what from her VMI experience she has applied to her medical career. “A few things stand out,” she replied, “professionalism, self-discipline, time management, and a refusal to fear failure.” I closed by asking her what advice she would give to today’s cadets. “First,” she said, “never be afraid to try. After that, I would tell them to get involved in various activities because you always learn something from any situation or person. Finally, follow your passions.” Considering that the passion for a subject led her to follow a path she had not considered before matriculation and where it has taken her, that final piece of advice is sound indeed.