“We are the children’s hospital for the state.”

Dr. Scottie Day is not your typical hospital chief. For one, a few days a week, you’ll find him not in his office at Kentucky Children’s Hospital, but in the ICU, where he’s a practicing pediatric critical care physician. Other days, you’ll find him serenading the children’s hospital with his guitar, or chasing chickens and children around on his farmland. As an Eastern Kentucky native, Dr. Day has a playful personality, a passion for quality care and a deep pride in his roots in the Commonwealth.

As a Kentuckian and a father of four, Dr. Day felt a pull towards helping other families through the hospital’s work. During his tenure, he’s helped increase the quality of care offered by the hospital, as well as the level of access that families across the state have to that care. His hard work—and, he’s quick to note, the hard work of everyone at the hospital—has paid off. Today, Kentucky Children’s Hospital is nationally ranked in two pediatric specialties. One of them is the heart program which initially attracted Dr. Day to return to his home state.