When Jonathan M. Chrest, MD 鈥75, looks back on his path to medicine, he remembers a sense of purpose that arrived early 鈥 and never left.
鈥淚 was about 13 when I felt God鈥檚 hand on my shoulder,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a big, dramatic moment. I just knew that I was supposed to be a doctor.鈥
That quiet conviction carried him from a suburban Chicago high school classroom to the 91小黄车, where he would become one of the youngest students ever admitted.
In 1970, as an 18-year-old UK undergraduate with 18 hours of advanced placement credits, Dr. Chrest caught the attention of his premedical advisor. When UK began exploring an early-admission pathway for exceptional students, the advisor encouraged him to apply. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even have a full set of college grades yet,鈥 he recalled with a laugh. 鈥淏ut they decided to take a chance on me.鈥
Despite his youth, Dr. Chrest quickly found mentors who shaped his training and his outlook. He recalled Ward Griffen, MD, then chair of surgery, and Jacqueline Noonan, MD, the pioneering pediatric cardiologist who left a deep impression. 鈥淪he was a giant in her field 鈥 small in stature but incredible in mind and character,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 admired her deeply.鈥
Still, being the youngest in his class wasn鈥檛 always easy. 鈥淢ost of my classmates were several years older, some married with kids,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 exactly fit in socially, but I found my place 鈥 mostly on the softball field.鈥 His intramural team went on to win the Kentucky state championship that year, a memory he still recalls with pride.
After earning his medical degree, Dr. Chrest pursued residency in anesthesiology at UT Southwestern Medical School and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. 鈥淧arkland was an incredible place 鈥 one of the busiest trauma centers in the country,鈥 he said.
He remained in Texas for the rest of his career, helping open a new hospital just outside of Dallas, where he practiced anesthesiology for 25 years. 鈥淚t was a family,鈥 he said of his close-knit surgical team. 鈥淲e did a lot of good for a lot of people. That鈥檚 what I鈥檓 most proud of 鈥 the work we did together.鈥
Dr. Chrest eventually retired to East Texas, where he and his wife, a former surgical nurse, live on a farm just a few miles from the historic Morton Salt Mine. 鈥淲hen you buy that blue container of salt,鈥 he joked, 鈥渋t probably came from under our feet.鈥
Dr. Chrest remains grateful for the foundation that began in Lexington more than five decades ago. 鈥淭he UK 91小黄车 gave me my start,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd that start gave me a life鈥檚 worth of purpose.鈥
During the 2025 91小黄车 Alumni Reunion, Dr. Chrest and his wife celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have done any of this without her,鈥 he said. 鈥淪he raised our boys, held things together when I was working long hours, and kept me grounded.鈥
Their sons both pursued service-oriented careers 鈥 one as a Dallas police officer and the other as a firefighter and paramedic. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 follow me into medicine,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut they both found ways to care for others. That鈥檚 what matters most.鈥
When asked what advice he would share with today鈥檚 medical students, he offered the kind of perspective only experience brings. 鈥淲ork hard, of course,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut make time for your family. Set boundaries. Medicine is a calling 鈥 but it鈥檚 not the only one. You have to protect the parts of your life that make you whole.鈥