Timothy Coleman, MD
MAY 26, 2020
Timothy Coleman, MD, is a man of many talents. Not only is he board-certified in neurology and internal medicine, he is also a Navy veteran, former college athlete, gardener and previous President of the Southern Clinical Neurological Society.
He completed undergraduate and medical school at the University of Virginia. In between studying for his classes, Dr. Coleman also worked his way through school on the Pennsylvania Railroad. As a member of the UVA swim team he earned his place in school history by holding the team record for the 1000-yard freestyle. However, his tenure at the railroad company wasn’t as celebrated. While operating the brakes on a freight car, he encountered a faulty mechanism and totaled the engine (oops!).
Dr. Coleman received his residency training at the Medical University of South Carolina and studied neurology at the University of Kentucky. He credits his passion for neurology to T. R. Johns, Fritz Dreyfus, and Jim Miller, all great mentors from UVA. Another great mentor was Dr. David Clark, chief of neurology at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Coleman and Bob Egel were both residents together under Dr. Clark.
Right after his training, Dr. Coleman joined the Navy and spent two years active duty at Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago. At the time, he was the only neurologist for all four military branches in nine states.
For the next 31 years, Dr. Coleman owned a private practice in Lexington, Kentucky. He’s spent the last nine years at Baptist Health Lexington in their comprehensive stroke center.
Dr. Coleman’s involvement with the SCNS started 28 years ago with a chance encounter with Fred Allen at a meeting in Florida. Little did he know a fellow resident from the University of Kentucky, Bob Egel, would eventually also become a member.
His favorite SCNS memory is from a meet the professor session where Drs. Barry Arnason, Pay Coyle, and Joe Berger engaged in a spirited debate about Multiple Sclerosis disease mechanisms. To this day, Dr. Coleman remains a talented physician, friend of SCNS, and nemesis to train engines everywhere.