5 Questions: Health office medical director loves the mountains

A fan of Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. David Kirschke recently learned that he and the current director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases graduated years apart from the same small college in Massachusetts: The College of the Holy Cross.Now the medical director for the Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Office, Kirschke said he has admired Fauci's work his entire career — not least for the sound public health advice he has delivered throughout the pandemic."I would say that we have many excellent public health officials at the national, state, and local level, and that we are all trying to communicate reliable and timely information to elected officials, our community partners and the public on how best to reduce the risk of infection and spread of COVID-19," Kirschke said.After growing up and receiving his medical training in Florida, Kirschke's first job was caring for uninsured patients at the Buncombe County Health Department in Asheville, North Carolina.After that, he did a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control's Epidemic Intelligence Service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. He was stationed at the Tennessee Department of Health in Nashville.When the opportunity arose to work as a health officer for the Northeast Region of the Department of Health, he jumped at the chance to move back to the mountains.The Press recently asked Kirschke a bit about himself.What made you interested in pursuing a career in medicine?The final decision to apply to medical school came while I was working with migrant farm workers near my hometown in Florida, where I observed many negative impacts of lack of access to healthcare. I am still friends with several migrant farm worker families whose children have grown up to be teachers and health care workers, which has been inspiring to observe, and I am grateful to still be a part of their lives.What are your responsibilities as medical director?I oversee our primary care, nursing, dental, communicable disease and emergency preparedness programs for our seven-county region. I also see patients in three of our public health clinics: tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis C and HIV prevention. Most significantly, I support our public health nurses and other employees in all the important work they do.What do you like most about your job?It is motivating to work with such a dedicated team of public health workers and gratifying to serve so many patients who have no where else to turn for care.Over the course of the pandemic, what has been the most challenging part of your job?The biggest challenge has been helping people understand the importance of continuing public health interventions to control the spread of COVID-19, which has killed over 2,000 Tennesseans, while we try to safely continue with fundamental human activities such as work, education and socializing.People are getting many mixed messages or inaccurate information that may lead to increased risk of exposure and has resulted in our current high rate of cases. I want to acknowledge our local government officials for promoting public health interventions such as wearing of masks and school leaders who have worked hard to try to promote the safe education of our students.Most people are overwhelmed with news about COVID-19, but your job has involved keeping up with the ins and outs of the outbreak since it began. At a time when mental health has become increasingly important, how do you relieve stress?It is helpful to have a supportive work environment with such a strong team of dedicated public health workers. My wife and I also have enjoyed having our daughter home finishing her senior year of college remotely, although I am sure she would prefer the circumstances were different. Otherwise, I love being in the mountains, and I get outside as often as I can.