Baker named Physician of the Year

Dr. Joy Baker ’02, OB-GYN, was honored in January with the distinction of being named Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center’s Physician of the Year.

“It was a pretty big shock to me,” Baker said of the announcement. “That's an award given by your peers. So, when (Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center President) Coleman Foss announced that I was the winner, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ It was a shock to me, but it feels really good to know that the people you work with every day think that you do a good job.”

She said her time at LaGrange College, where she will serve as the incoming President of the Alumni Association, had an indelible impact on her—not just academically, but also ethically. As a student, she was invited by Professor Nina Dulin-Mallory to the Honor Council, which heavily influenced her moral principles.

“When we look away from things that we know are wrong, and we refuse to stand up for that, we ultimately hurt everyone in the community by not having the courage to stand up for what's right,” she said. “That's something I took with me from LaGrange College into what I do every day and how I live. I really appreciate those lessons, because in medicine, your integrity and your reputation are everything.”

Baker also credits her undergraduate work at LaGrange with preparing her for the rigors of medical school.

“When I got to Morehouse School of Medicine, on the first day in Histology—the study of cells—they asked us to introduce ourselves and say what undergraduate we were from,” she recalled. “I stood up, said my name, and I said, ‘I'm from LaGrange College,’ and the professor was like, ‘Where's that?’ There was almost a condescending feel to the statement.”

When the class took their first exams, however, Baker was the only one who made an A.

“So, he came back to me. He said, ‘Where did you say you went undergrad again?’” she said with a laugh. “William Paschal taught me Histology when I was at LaGrange College. So, I was very comfortable with cells and tissues and working the microscope.”

For her, LaGrange set a foundation for her career and her community work advocating for and providing women’s health.

“I think that LaGrange College is a really special place,” she continued. “You get way more than a liberal arts education at LaGrange. They teach you about how to work with people. They teach you how to lead, and, more importantly, how to be a servant-leader in your area of expertise and to always be thinking about the culture of where you live, work, pray and play, and how you contribute positively to it.”