MoxieTalk with Kirt Jacobs #270: Dr. Wayne B. Tuckson

Dr. Wayne Tuckson is a native of Washington, D.C. & a graduate of both Howard University and the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C.  He completed an internship in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the St. Louis University Hospital in St Louis, Missouri, and a residency in General Surgery at Howard University Hospital.  He then completed both research and clinical fellowship in colon & rectal surgery in the Department of Colon & Rectal Surgery at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio.  After a year as a Clinical Associate at The Clinic, he returned to Howard as an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery and as chief of the Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery. In 1994 he left Howard and joined the faculty at the University of Louisville, College of Medicine in the Department of Surgery as an associate professor.  He remained at the University for 7 years until July of 2001 when he left and started a private practice. KentuckyOne has employed him as a colon and rectal surgeon since 2008.  His clinical interests are in the treatment of fecal incontinence, the prevention & treatment of cancer of the rectum, the management of anal diseases, & the management of postoperative anal pain. To address the apparent disparity in health status in the minority & disadvantaged Kentucky populations, IN 1995, Dr. Tuckson organized The African-American Health Initiative, Inc, (TAAHI). The goal of TAAHI was to improve the "health IQ" or "health literacy" and encourage and foster more responsible participation, by patients, in their own healthcare. TAAHI sponsored conferences on topics such as cancer and healthy eating. To reach a broader audience TAAHI developed the TV show, Kentucky Health (nee Louisville Health). Today, Kentucky Health still airs on the KET network & is hosted & produced by Dr. Tuckson. He has been involved in many community activities including the Air Pollution Control board., Park Duvall Family Health Center board, & the board of the Louisville Metro Department of Health & Wellness. He has given many community presentations to churches, community groups, & local radio & TV news shows. He has received 2 Mayor's Citations for community service in Louisville & The Thomas S Wallace Jr. Award for "Leadership Role in the Promotion of Health Awareness and the Well-Being of all Citizens of Jefferson County." Recent recognition includes the "Lyman T. Johnson Distinguished Leadership Award in 2015" from the Louisville Central Community Centers, Inc & a "Real Black Men" certificate of recognition from the Louisville Defender newspaper. He is currently the president of the Greater Louisville Medical Society. Dr. Tuckson is married to the lovely Brenda B. Tuckson and has two sons named Wayne L. Tuckson and James H. Clay.  A current project of Dr. Tuckson's is the documentation of the role of the Louisville Red Cross Hospital & African-American healthcare during the Jim Crow era in KY.