Dr. David Doty will leave his practice with Primary Plus effective Nov. 3, after 31 years as an OB/GYN and delivering approximately 7,000 babies.
Doty came to Maysville in October 1983, becoming a partner in the practice of his friend and colleague, Dr. Don Wilson. Doty and Wilson trained together at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, from 1977 to 1980, after which Doty went through the residency program at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
In 1982, Wilson asked Doty to visit Maysville for an interview and to check out the town. He observed Wilson during surgery at the former Hayswood Hospital on one visit, and said he was amazed the operating room had a wall of windows, allowing a view of the Ohio River.
“The people were just phenomenal, it became obvious this was the place to be,” he said.
“He told me he would come to Maysville if there was a new hospital and he got that,” Wilson said, referring to Meadowview Hospital, which opened in the mid 1980s.
On Friday, Doty explained he is not officially retiring, he is leaving the Maysville area for a move to Louisville. His decision is centered around his 7-year-old grandson, who has cystic fibrosis.
Doty said this is the right time “to be a participant in his life.”
He noted he has several administrative opportunities available which will provide more time for family, but the days of being on call and seeing patients are at an end.
Doty has served his community through his medical practice and civic organizations. He has served as chief of staff of the hospital several times; he is currently chair of the surgery department; he is the medical director for the Mason County Health Department and the Buffalo Trace Health District; president of the Kentucky Section American Congress of OB/GYN; and he has been a member of the Maysville Rotary Club and the annual Polly Hester Community Thanksgiving Dinner.
Doty said the transformation from Hayswood Hospital to the current medical campus has been a benefit to the community and he credited city and business leaders of the time for having the vision to create such an environment for the citizens of the area.
Although the hospital went through a period of ownership changes and administrative changes at the CEO level, Doty said the current administration under Robert Parker and owner LifePoint has brought stability and the changes implemented have made Meadowview a “good place now.”
“We have prided ourselves on providing a quality level of care at the community. We have a phenominal OB group that any big town or small town could have,” he said of his colleagues at Primary Plus.
Doty said of his accomplishments and the 7,000 babies he helped bring into the world, it gives him “incredible pleasure to have delivered two Mr. Kentucky basketball players…Chris Lofton and Darius Miller.” He said he is hoping a third Mr. Kentucky basketball player may be added to that line-up through Jake Feldhaus.
“We will be recruiting for a new OB/GYN, even though we know we can’t take his place,” Wilson said. “It’s not just losing a colleague, but it is one of my best friends. It’s bittersweet, but seeing him get family time is rewarding too.”
Dr. Laura Shower, also with Primary Plus, worked with Doty 19 years.
“We will miss him a lot and we wish him the best of luck. We will not be able to replace him. He gives a good public face to the practice,” Shower said, in reference to his civic and business involvement.
“I am going to miss Dr. Doty as a person and as a physician that helped to develop a level of qualitative yet personal OB/GYN care and services within the Buffalo Trace area that rival many locations throughout the country. To see the growth of what he has been a part of over the past 31 years is astounding. Another key component of Dr. Doty’s career is his level of commitment that he has given to this community that he dearly loves. It has been an honor for me to be associated with him during his career. He will always have a special place in my heart,” said Primary Plus CEO Jerry Ugrin.
The community is invited to a reception at the Maysville Primary Plus location on Kenton Station Road on Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 4:30 -7 p.m. to honor Doty for his 31 years of service.
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