The idea came up during an interview over Zoom.

Ryan Clark, the director of communications for the College of Health Sciences, said he was listening back to an interview that was recorded over Zoom when he thought the conversation sounded pretty good.

“It sounded like a podcast,” he said.

So, he went to the Creative Services team and asked a question: Could they use interviews on Zoom and — with minimal editing — re-purpose them as podcasts? One by one, the team members, including Art Director Will Hieronymus and Lead Graphic Designer Sam Reynolds, said yes.

And the idea progressed. Clark said he thought a podcast would be a way to feature longer-form stories that the College may not otherwise have a medium for. Uriah L. Carter, director of the College’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, was recruited to co-host, and together, the pair thought of story ideas.

One that came to mind was the story of April Ballentine, a volunteer patient for the UK DPT students at the Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital. April is a survivor of domestic violence, but is paralyzed, and her story to walk again is inspirational and engaging.

Other ideas would follow. But they also needed a title for the Podcast. For Clark, “The Way” made the most sense.

“Here in CHS, we’re the Gateway to the Health Professions,” he said. “And from my time here, I’ve seen there is a certain way our students, staff and faculty conduct themselves. It’s become a theme, a brand. It’s professional and determined, successful and confident. It’s our way of doing things — the CHS way.”

April Ballentine’s story became episode No. 1 of The Way Podcast, which officially launches today on podcast platforms everywhere. Listeners can expect a new episode every month, with the majority running about 40 minutes.

“We want to go deeper than we can with just a web story,” Clark said. “And we want to hear the story in the subject’s own words.”

Future interviews include: Professor Pat Kitzman, PT, PhD; student Casey Carter; alumni Matt Brown and Tori Hutchins; and assistant professor Kirby Mayer DPT, PhD.

“The podcast excites me because it’s a way to not only connect with the CHS community, but it allows me to play a role in celebrating people — which I love to do,” Carter said. “We have so many dynamic people who are doing amazing things right here in our building, and beyond.”

Find the podcast on platforms everywhere, as well as on the CHS website.

“I hope listeners will understand what we do here at CHS,” Carter said. “Being the pathway to healthcare goes beyond getting a degree within the health sciences, it means being the gateway to healing, community, making change, blazing trails and more. It’s about reaching out to people and having the chance to highlight the impact of their actions.”

Listen to episodes of The Way Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or click a link below:

Amazon Podcasts
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Spotify Podcasts

The Way Podcast is the official podcast of the University of Kentucky’s College of Health Sciences, where we highlight the amazing people that make our college special. Here at UK, the College of Health Sciences is your Gateway to the Health Professions. Find us at www.uky.edu/chs