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Leading Where They Learned: LCRH welcomes alumni as Residency Directors
July 30, 2025
By Steve Cornelius, Regional Editor, Commonwealth Journal
As it enters its 13th year, the Graduate Medical Education Residency Program at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital is introducing several new leaders to its team.
Dr. Rainer Oliver has been named the new Internal Medicine Program Director. Joining him in leadership are Dr. Andrew Blakley and Dr. Shaelyn Dixon, who will both serve as Associate Program Directors for Internal Medicine.
In Family Medicine, Dr. Blake Dixon will step into the role of Associate Program Director, working alongside veterans Dr. Patrick Jenkins (Program Director) and Dr. Jonathan Ruby (Associate Program Director).
All four physicians are among the early graduates of the hospital’s residency program. Now returning as leaders, they bring a unique insider perspective, having witnessed firsthand the program’s growth. Their experience reflects a shift in the program’s culture—one that emphasizes wellness, innovation, and the adoption of modern medical practices.
“We were the first formal group of medical students to come here for third and fourth year,” Dr. Oliver said. “To now be leading the same program feels surreal—and incredibly rewarding.”
They all stated that they feel a sense of coming full circle. Having recently gone through the same program, they will bring a fresh, relatable perspective to current residents and they will value being able to guide other doctors through the challenges of residency with firsthand experience.
“I take the educator role very seriously,” Dr. Blakley said. “Coming from a long line of teachers, I view medical education as part of my heritage. I want to make sure our curriculum is solid, up to date, and always evidence-based.”
Dr. Blake Dixon looks forward to the challenges of mentoring new medical students and residents who are just starting their journeys.
“It’s exciting to be in a position where we can say, ‘we’ve been there.’ Because we really have — not long ago,” Dr. Blake Dixon said. “Residency is tough. There are long nights, hard moments. But we now can offer perspective that’s fresh and honest.”
Likewise, his medical colleague—and spouse—Dr. Shaelyn Dixon looks forward to the challenges and opportunities that come with her new role as Associate Program Director.
“As an Internal Medicine Associate Program Director, I will be working alongside Dr. Blakely and under Program Director Dr. Oliver,” she said. “We will organize quality improvement projects and participate in advocacy meetings with the hospital; we will coordinate educational initiatives like medical Jeopardy games and journal clubs to enhance board prep; we will support creation, review, and presentation of poster sessions; and we will collaborate on curriculum updates and ensure residents have necessary resources, all aimed at program success.”
Guided by parents or other influential mentors, all four doctors discovered their passion for medicine early in life.
As a child, Dr. Shaelyn Dixon remembers visiting her mother at work and being mesmerized by the rows of test tubes and microscopes in her mother’s oncology lab. Her mother, a medical laboratory technician, would run tests while she observed curiously—each afternoon sparking her budding fascination with medicine.
Years later, in high school, Dr. Shaelyn Dixon was accepted into the Osteopathic Medical Scholars program at the University of Pikeville. Suddenly, she was seated in real medical school lectures, stepping into the cadaver lab, and feeling the weight of her future path. Guided by her mother’s belief in her and leaning on her own curiosity, Shaelyn shadowed a local physician and realized this was undeniably her calling.
Raised in a rural county just outside Perry County, Dr. Blake Dixon grew up acutely aware of the healthcare shortages in Eastern Kentucky. Inspired by his mother, a licensed practical nurse at a psychiatric center, he developed a love for science and a deep sense of responsibility to serve.
“Growing up in a rural area, you see how much need there is,” he said. “My mom was a role model for me, always working hard and caring for others. That stuck with me.”
He eventually pursued medical school and met his now-wife, Dr. Shaelyn Dixon, who shared similar roots and values. As he entered residency, his spouse was beginning her clinical years. Their paths led them both to Somerset, a place that felt like the perfect fit — personally and professionally.
For Dr. Andrew Blakley, the road to becoming a physician began early—well before medical school or even high school. Originally from Huntsville, Tennessee, Dr. Blakley knew by sixth grade that medicine was his calling. Driven by a love of science and a desire to serve people, he never looked back.
“I’ve always been interested in medicine. It just felt like a natural fit,” he said. After earning a biochemistry degree from Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, he married his wife, Rachel, and went on to attend medical school at Lincoln Memorial University.
It was during clinical rotations that Blakley first came to Somerset—a decision that would shape the trajectory of his career. Drawn by its proximity to home and a promising new clinical site, he ranked Somerset as his top choice for rotations.
What began as a love for science has led Dr. Oliver on a journey from student to educator to program director at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital. A Kentucky native who spent his entire life in the Commonwealth, Dr. Oliver’s early interest in puzzles and problem-solving made a career in medicine a natural fit. But it was during medical school that he discovered a second passion: teaching.
“I never set out to be a teacher,” Dr. Oliver said. “But I found myself tutoring in the gross anatomy lab and realized how much I enjoyed helping others learn. It helped me become a better doctor, too.”
After attending Transylvania University, Oliver enrolled in medical school at Lincoln Memorial, eventually making his way to Somerset — the hometown of his wife — for his clinical training. He was part of the first formal group of medical students to complete their third and fourth years at LCRH, and he never left.
Dr. Oliver completed his internal medicine residency in Somerset, later joining the hospital as a teaching hospitalist. Now, after five years of teaching and serving as associate director, he has stepped into the role of Program Director for the internal medicine residency.
He succeeds Dr. Joe Weigel, the founding director of the program, who spent years building the residency from the ground up.
“Dr. Weigel laid the foundation,” said Dr. Oliver. “He always emphasized the importance of slowing down, listening to patients, and connecting with them personally. That’s something I’ll always carry with me.”
Dr. Oliver noted how the program has grown significantly in the past decade. What once consisted of informal morning meetings in the cafeteria has evolved into a full-fledged academic program with structured schedules, daily lectures, and a growing reputation for training competent, community-minded physicians.
After a 41-year career in medicine—and having led Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital’s Internal Medicine Residency Program since its inception 13 years ago—Dr. Joseph Weigel announced his retirement, leaving the Graduate Medical Education program in the gifted hands of the next generation of medical educators.
“Inside any organization long term success is dependent on the ability to develop and nourish individuals capable of assuming leadership when time demands change,” Dr. Weigel said. “I feel quite sure we have been able to do that in our GME leadership team here. My confidence in those now charged with developing competent new physicians for this and other nearby communities is very high. They are smart and driven towards excellence in their own professional careers, and will expect the same in future trainees.”
Family Medicine Program Director Dr. Patrick Jenkins expressed his enthusiasm for the future of the residency program and its new leadership team.
“I am excited about the new lifeblood for our GME family,” Dr. Jenkins said. “I believe the future of both programs is in great hands.”
Jennifer Stephens Roberson, MBA, Senior Director of Recruitment and Graduate Medical Education at LCRH, echoed that optimism.
“Our GME leadership team members are not only committed to excellence in medicine but are also passionate about training and mentoring future physicians,” Roberson said. “The future looks bright!”