About: Dr. Kitchens M.D.
Education, Military, and Medical Practice
Dr. Kitchens’ college journey began at Northeast Community College in Booneville, MS and would continue through Auburn University in Auburn, AL, University of North Alabama in Florence, AL, and the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS, prior to attending medical school at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS. He was awarded the American Medical Association Scientific Award for his research and write-up on the history of the then defunct medical school in Meridian, MS.
He then did a rotating internship in Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, MO. Following, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He did his basic training in San Antonio and volunteered for Special Forces (Green Berets) where he taught Special Forces medics at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He took a course in Global Medicine at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington DC. He was sent to Okinawa and did service action missions in the Ryukyu Islands and participated in typhoon rehabilitation efforts in the Philippines.
After his Army Career, he moved to Ocean Springs, MS, and practiced with Louis Rubenstein MD and Bill Lobrano, M.D., for 5 years in their clinic and was on staff at the Singing River Hospital. There he served as Chief of Staff 1973-1974.
He served as president of the MS chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians for 1981-1982.
He has been a diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine for more than 50 years and continues to be board certified in the specialty of Family Medicine.
He has been a preceptor for the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine and, as such, has precepted medical students for Family Medicine rotations at Iuka Family Clinic for more than 30 years. He has been an associate clinic professor of medicine at the UMMC SOM for several years.
He helped to organize the first Iuka Heritage Day Festival for May 14th, 1988 (https://www.facebook.com/iukafestival/)
He is a Rotarian and served as President of the Iuka Rotary Club 2014-2015 and is a Paul Harris Fellow (https://www.facebook.com/rotaryclubofiuka/).
He has been a member of the Tishomingo County Historical and Genealogical Society (https://msdiglib.org/tchgs) and he has authored these additional books:
Tomatoes in the Treetops: The Collected Tales of Harry Rhine
Rosecrans Meets Price: The Battle of Iuka
Gunboats and Cavalry: a History of Eastport MS
John Marshall Stone: Mississippi’s Honorable and Longest Serving Governor
Iuka Family Clinic
Dr. Kitchens founded and opened Iuka Family Clinic in 1976 which was home to the area’s first Physical Therapist. His clinic at that time included a heated aquatic therapy pool in addition to other features. He has continued provide medical services to his community five days a week for 47 years and counting at this location.