Henry Kenneth Walker - Professor of medicine and neurology at Emory University School of Medicine, professor of global health at Rollins School of Public Health, Honorary Doctor of Tbilisi State Medical University, Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi and Georgia.
Ken Walker earned his associate’s degree from Emory's Oxford College, graduated from Emory College, and his Medical Degree from Emory School of Medicine. His 60-year career included an unrivaled dedication to Grady Memorial Hospital (USA, ATL). His connection to Grady began in 1958 when he was a third year medical student. He completed his residency training at Grady and remained there until 1965, only leaving to serve two years in the U.S. Air Force in southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Walker returned to Grady in 1967 and became a faculty member in 1970, where he eventually served as the assistant chief of the Emory medicine service at Grady. He was honored at the Grady White Coat Gala for more than 40 years of service to the hospital.
Walker was also committed to global health outreach. He worked in many countries and had a huge impact in the Republic of Georgia. It should be emphasized that the first time Professor Kennett Walker visited Georgia within the framework of the USAID program "Georgia to Georgia'' in 1992. executive director of Partners for International Development (PfiD), Walker led the Atlanta-Tbilisi Partnership, a collaboration between educational and health care institutions in the country of Georgia and Atlanta. Under his support and supervision, the exchange programs for students, clinical staff, young specialists and academic staff between Tbilisi State Medical University and Emory University School of Medicine were conducted. Prof. Walker promoted career in the United States of America for many young people from Georgia. The partnership’s many projects were and continue to be instrumental in improving the quality of healthcare in the country of Georgia.
Walker’s leadership has resulted in the development of healthcare management education for mid-level hospital administrators in the Republic of Georgia: establishing a modern emergency room; training practicing nurses and planning a nursing school (in 2018 Ken Walker Georgian-American Nursing College was founded); setting up a Women’s Wellness Center; working with Georgian scientists and physicians in AIDS and tuberculosis; and assessing the country’s libraries. He was principal investigator of a grant establishing emergency medicine as a specialty in Georgia, and of a grant to improve the nursing profession.
In 2005, Walker was named an honorary citizen of Georgia. In 2016, the Georgia Hospital Association awarded him the Georgia Hospital Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Walker was extremely dedicated to the education and training of medical students and directed Emory’s internal medicine residency program, junior medicine clerkship, and sophomore clinical methods course. He personally trained more internal medicine residents than any other physician at Emory. Through his strong mentorship skills, numerous medical residents, students, and colleagues learned valuable lessons about dedication, professionalism and patient-centered medical care. In 2012 on the initiative of Professor Kennett Walker, the project of American MD Program was developed and implemented, as a result of successful cooperation of the Tbilisi State Medical University and Emory University School of Medicine (ESOM). The program provides modern western style medical education modelled after the curriculum of ESOM and its students achieved success in United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE) already.
Ken Walker was principal investigator of a grant establishing the Physical Rehabilitation Project in Georgia. Since September 2017, Emory University, in collaboration with Tbilisi State Medical University, Partners for International Development, Inc. and Coalition for Independent Living, is implementing the USAID project for “Strengthening Physical Rehabilitation in Georgia”. Project objectives are to strengthen capacity of existing and emerging physical rehabilitation professionals; expand access to high quality, affordable physical rehabilitation services and expand access to and availability of appropriate assistive technology and related services in the region.
Within the framework of the Physical Rehabilitation Project in Georgia, Emory University School of Medicine partnered with Ken Walker University Clinic for Medical Rehabilitation to develop a clinical training base for continuing professional development programs and Physical Therapy Department of Tbilisi State Medical University. Physical Therapists from Emory University are based in Georgia to assist with these programs. Unfortunately, this was the very last project of Dr. Walker. Ken Walker had to be awarded the Emory Medal - Emory’s highest alumni award on March 1, 2018 but he passed away suddenly, a week earlier before the ceremony. The event had been planned in the USA and the Emory Medal was handed to Archil Undilashvili, Director of Educational Programs at the Emory University School of Medicine who was working with Professor Walker during 14 years and is leading Atlanta-Tbilisi Partnership projects now.
Henry Kenneth Walker passed away suddenly on February 22, 2018 at the age of 81. Parallel to Atlanta, USA a farewell evening dedicated to Professor Walker's commemoration was also held in Tbilisi. His colleagues and the students gathered at the Campus Building of Tbilisi State Medical University for a farewell ceremony dedicated to commemorate the beloved professor on his last journey. After the service the photo of Prof. Kenneth Walker was decorated with flowers and the attendees participated in the symbolic candles ceremony held in Tbilisi.
Georgian medical community has sustained a great loss in the death of Professor Kenneth Walker. The American professor, who was in love with Georgians, was buried next to his mother in a small patrimonial cemetery of a county Washington located in the U.S. state of Georgia.