as You Are

Taylor Hodge Aiken

A Louisville native, Taylor Hodge Aiken, MD, OB-GYN, joined Women First of Louisville in September 2022, where her practice is general obstetrics and comprehensive gynecologic care for women and adolescents. She attended Louisville Collegiate School and graduated summa cum laude with honors from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where she also played Division-1 field hockey. She received her medical degree from the UofL School of Medicine in 2018, where she was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Societies. Aiken completed her internship and residency training at the UofL Hospital in 2022. Upon graduating, she was awarded the program’s “Golden Hands” Award, which is awarded to the graduating resident with the best surgical technique.

During medical school, Aiken received the Greater Louisville Medical Society Foundation Scholarship Award as a promising physician-to-be.

Aiken was delivered by WFOL cofounder Dr. Rebecca Terry who mentored Aiken throughout high school, college, and medical school. Aiken’s father is ENT surgeon Tony Hodge, MD, and her grandfather, deceased, was Dr. Kenneth Hodge.

Lauren Lewis

A native of Durham, North Carolina, Lauren Lewis, MD, OB-GYN, received her undergraduate degree at Duke University with a BS in biological anthropology and anatomy. She received her medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine in 2010 and completed her residency at Duke University Medical Center in 2014. Lewis was an OB-GYN physician and assistant professor at Duke Women’s Health Associates, Duke University Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

During her residency, Lewis received a Special Resident Award from the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists. She participated in the Clinical Research Training Program at Duke University Medical Center and was recognized for her research, which was presented at the AOA Medical Research Day while she was a medical student. Lewis practices general OB-GYN.

development, driven by various factors, has spurred many OB-GYN practices to become de facto primary care providers.

It makes sense, explains Terry, because most patients routinely schedule an annual checkup with their OB-GYN care providers. This yearly office visit provides an opportunity to ask patients an important question: “How has your life changed since last year?”

She says, “The answers patients give us often set the stage for ways our doctors and staff can help address certain care needs that are going unmet.”

Many patients rely on Women First providers to renew their prescriptions for various medications. This is generally a “doable task,” but trying to take care of certain other care referral needs and insurance coverage questions can present bigger challenge and sometimes disheartening outcomes.

For example, Terry periodically sees patients whom she feels could benefit from psychological counseling or psychiatric care. Her training and experience lead her to conclude this type of care, paired with appropriate medications, is indicated for the patient’s optimal care. Yet, she knows there is often difficulty obtaining insurance approval to cover this type of care and medications. It is, as one might assume, a hard pill to swallow.

It is well known that women in our region face various health challenges. Some of these may reflect national trends, yet others — such as Kentucky’s high levels of obesity, heart disease and lung cancer — may be linked to lifestyle choices. Terry encourages patients to follow a healthy diet and stay active. She refers patients who smoke to the American Lung Association that has well-established “quit programs” and resources in place.

What’s Next for This Medical Pioneer?

As she prepares to retire in October, Terry looks forward to enjoying more time with her children, her grandchildren, and her husband, who continues to practice law. Both her son and daughter are getting married, so she is excited to celebrate two upcoming weddings. She also has some much-needed knee surgery scheduled.

The closer retirement comes, the longer and later her days at the office seem to grow. “I’m seeing so many patients who want to be sure to see me before I go,” she says with a smile.

As she talks about the close relationships she has built with her patients and partners, she says, “Medicine is so all-encompassing. I’m sure I will miss this part of my life. I don’t have all the answers yet as to what comes next for me, but I know I will look at the resources available and get help as I need it.”

She has not ruled out the possibility of returning to practice on a part-time basis, perhaps with a focus on menopausal medicine. “I have a lifetime of learning and information that maybe someone will let me use in some way to help others in the future,” she says with a laugh. “I call it my database that I keep in my head.”

Terry feels that in most ways she has done in her career exactly what she was meant to do. She says that she has been incredibly lucky to work with brilliant partners including most recently a physician’s assistant who is “not only a lovely person but a skilled specialist in menopause medicine.”

She has loved the work and is very proud of what she and her colleagues have been able to achieve together.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve done,” she said. “I feel like we have let women know ‘you are important.’ We’ve set the standard of care for women in our community. We have created a unique practice. We saw a need and we filled it.”