On October 4, Henry Kenneth Walker was born — Professor of Medicine and Neurology at Emory University, Honorary Doctor of Tbilisi State Medical University, and Honorary Citizen of Georgia.
Professor Walker’s 60-year medical career was closely tied to Grady Memorial Hospital in the United States, where he began working as a student back in 1958. He left the hospital for only two years while serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. At Emory University, he directed the Internal Medicine Residency Program and personally trained more residents than anyone else in Emory’s history.
Beyond the borders of the United States, Professor Walker made an indelible impact on Georgia’s healthcare system:
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He first arrived in Georgia in 1992 under the USAID-funded program “Georgia to Georgia.”
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Walker led the Atlanta-Tbilisi Healthcare Partnership, establishing extensive exchange programs between Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU) and Emory University.
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Through his direct leadership, emergency medicine was established as an independent medical specialty in Georgia, nursing curricula were modernized (culminating in the founding of the Ken Walker Georgian-American Nursing College in 2018), a Women’s Wellness Center was created, and national HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis research capacities were substantially strengthened.
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In 2012, through his initiative and the collaboration between TSMU and Emory University, the American MD Program was launched, offering medical students education built on Western standards.
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Starting in 2017, he laid the groundwork for a major initiative to expand physical rehabilitation services in Georgia, which led to the establishment of a specialized medical rehabilitation clinic later named in his honor.
In recognition of his lifelong service, Ken Walker was granted Honorary Citizenship of Georgia in 2005, and in 2016, the Hospital Association of Georgia presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Henry Kenneth Walker passed away unexpectedly on February 22, 2018, at the age of 81. Just one week prior to his passing, he was nominated for Emory University’s highest alumni honor, the Emory Medal. Memorial services were held concurrently in Atlanta and in Tbilisi on the TSMU university campus. A devoted friend of the Georgian people, he was laid to rest beside his mother in Washington County, Georgia.
