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In high school, Robert Vegors, MD, certainly was not thinking of medicine as a career. In fact, he was thinking more along the lines of wildlife biology as he spent every day working at a National Fish and Wildlife research center. He worked on the first research project to study the effects of the synthetic pesticide Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) on the thickness of sparrow hawk eggshells.

It was in the third year of the study, while Vegors was a freshman studying biology at New Mexico State University, that his roommate, a pre-med major, told him of his sister who had died at the age of two from meningitis. "This one person changed the path of my life," said Vegors. "One thing about medicine is that it gives me the opportunity to serve that I never would have had."

Vegors not only changed his major to pre-med, but also changed schools to the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a school where 85 percent of its pre-med students were accepted into medical school. "Stony Brook, rated as one of the top 20 research universities in the nation, has an exceptional teaching staff," said Vegors. "While there, I had the honor of shaking the hand of Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky. I also took clarinet lessons from the bass clarinet player for the New York Philharmonic."

Vegors went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Maryland in Baltimore and completed his residency at the Polyclinic Medical Center in Harrisburg, Penn. "I spent my first year in family practice," said Vegors. "But I could not do all the things they wanted me to do well, so I changed to internal medicine."

His first job out of medical school was with the U.S. Public Health Service, where he spent three years. After hearing a speech given by then President Ronald Reagan, Vegors realized that his position would not be around much longer.

It was shortly after this realization that he ran into Larry Williams, a gastroenterologist with the Jackson Clinic, while playing tennis. The two talked and soon after, Vegors and his wife, Sue, who said she would never move to Tennessee, were on a plane headed South. Vegors has been with the Jackson Clinic for more than a quarter-century.

About 20 years ago, Vegors focused his practice on geriatrics. He received his board certification in geriatrics 15 years ago.

"There is a big demand for geriatricians as the number of geriatrics patients is increasing," Vegors said. "The majority of my patients have significant major medical problems, which is why I think the practice of geriatrics is not attractive to some physicians. My challenge as a physician is to help my patients age gracefully and feel comfortable with it. Dealing with an 80-year old is different from dealing with a 20-year old; they have different needs and desires, and it takes a lot of time and input.

"I chose to move into geriatrics because the people I see are the kindest people I know. They have given this country such a great example, such a legacy for us to follow. They have made America what it is today. All they ask in return is to be treated fairly and kindly. I truly feel honored to be a part of that."

Both Vegors and his wife are actively involved in various medical associations. Sue is the immediate past president of the Tennessee Medical Association Alliance and sits on the board of the American Medical Association Alliance. Vegors serves on the Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) Board of Trustees and is a member of the Tennessee Geriatric Society. He is also one of eight physician members of the nine-member board for the Tennessee Medical Education Fund Inc. (TMEF).

"The average debt in the state of Tennessee for a physician when he or she has completed training is in excess of $150,000," Vegors said. "That is a tremendous amount of debt to have coming out of training. The TMEF, which was originally named the Tennessee Medical Association Student Education Fund Inc., provides financial assistance to medical students, based on documented financial need. The program has provided more than $4 million in financial aid to needy students in Tennessee's four medical schools."

Vegors and his wife, director of nursing at the Jackson Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, have two children. Daughter Rachel will graduate from Lambuth University on Mother's Day 2009 with a degree in history, and plans to work for the National Park Service. Son Joshua, a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, is a youth minister in Nashville. He also is involved in audio engineering and is in two Christian rock bands. He is married with a child, the only grandchild to date.

The Vegors family enjoys hiking and share a "love for the West," having visited Yellowstone National Park more than 10 times. "We have been so many times," Vegors said, "that when Rachel was about 13, she jumped out of the car when we got in the park and said 'I'm home!' We have instilled in our children a respect for the outdoors and a love for the wilderness. Both children also spent several summers working at the Philmont Scout Ranch, the Boy Scouts of America's oldest national high-adventure base with more than 200 square miles of rugged New Mexico wilderness. Joshua served as a ranger and Rachel spent two summers as an historic interpreter."

Vegors, who plans to practice medicine until he is 70, said, "Practicing medicine has made my life so much richer and given me wonderful gifts."

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