2026 Marc Lehmann Spirit of Service Awardees

By RUSS BROWN • Photos By Matt Johnson 

Since 2013, the Marc Lehmann Spirit of Service Award Foundation has honored nearly 60 caregivers, nurses and physicians in the field of oncology in Louisville and surrounding communities. This year’s annual awards dinner was held in April at Vincenzo’s Italian Restaurant. 

In concert with the area’s leading medical and cancer treatment facilities, the Foundation identifies exceptionally proficient, patient-centered and empathetic practitioners for well-deserved acclaim. An art glass piece custom-made by Flame Run is presented to each award-winner. 

The four honorees this year are Dr. Joseph M. Flynn, Physician in Chief of the Norton Cancer Institute and Chief Administrative Officer of Norton Medical Group; Dr. Michael Kommor, a career Baptist Health oncology physician; Dr. Akshitkumar M. Mistry, a University of Louisville professor and neuro-oncology surgeon as well as a Presidential Scholar; and Ms. Kim Rhodes, who has provided over a quarter-century of service as an oncology charge nurse with the U of L Hospital and Brown Cancer Center Bone Marrow/Stem Cell/Blood Cancer program. 

The Voice-Tribune conducted a question-and-answer session with each of the four award recipients. Here are their replies:

DR. JOSEPH M. FLYNN 

VT: What sparked your interest in a career in the medical field?

JMF: After graduation from college, I was in medical equipment and the pharmaceutical industry as a sales rep. My mother was diagnosed with chronic leukemia at the time. Throughout the course of her care and my exposure to healthcare in a way I had never known, I got a unique view into what it meant to be in cancer care. I learned of the very real human rewards of caring for others and wanted to have that. I decided to apply to medical school and there was no doubt that I would focus my career in cancer care.

VT: An important qualification for this cancer caregiver recognition centers on the recipients’ reputation for the exercise of humanistic, emphatic and compassionate concern for cancer patients and their families. Can you explain the importance of that mentality and interaction for you and your patients?

JMF: Having been the son of two parents who had cancer, I lived the suffering that many endure, and it is never lost on me that our responsibility is much more than knowing the medical literature. As a cancer doctor, you will experience many times when you cannot impact the course of the cancer, but you can always impact the course of the cancer journey. 

I was reminded of this when my daughter Samantha was deciding on her career journey and one day she was working in a clinic as a student intern and told me about an interaction she had. She told me of a man who was in the waiting room, waiting to be seen and my daughter asked if she could get him some water and crackers. Then she sat with the man and just talked to him and listened, offering kind and compassionate support. Nothing at all clinical, but he commented how much she helped him in that moment. That is what this is all about. It is a gift to be able to have such an impact on those in need.

DR. MICHAEL KOMMOR 

VT: What sparked your interest in the medical field?

MK: My interest in medicine began early, watching my father, who was a physician. I saw early the connection he had with patients in the unique physician-patient relationship. I was drawn to the problem-solving side of medicine and how knowledge could be applied to improve lives. Together, these experiences inspired me to pursue a career in medicine.

VT: What special meaning does your selection for the Marc Lehmann Spirit of Service Award have for you? 

MK: I have come to understand that the service of Medicine is to listen, advocate, and provide thoughtful and equitable care for patients. It really is a service profession, and I’m grateful that this spirit can still be recognized and encouraged apart from the business of Medicine.

VT: What inspires you to confront, on a daily basis, the challenges and sacrifices required to do battle against cancer in concert with your patients, many of whom are fighting for their lives?

MK: What remains consistently inspirational is the courage and resilience that people can have. It is evident that they’re dealing with fear, uncertainty, and often physical hardship, but always demonstrate strength, determination, and hope. If I can support them medically and emotionally in difficult moments and celebrate progress when it occurs, then I’ve done the best I can.

DR. AKSHITKUMAR M. MISTRY

VT: What sparked your interest in a career in the medical field? 

AMM: My path to medicine began as a necessity shaped by instability. Growing up in a household marked by financial uncertainty, I witnessed firsthand how fragile access to care and to opportunity can be. Medicine drew me not only as a means of stability, but as a rare convergence of purpose: a profession where I could care for the sick (being a doctor/surgeon), teach with intention (being a professor/ mentor), and pursue discovery (being a scientist/researcher). It offered a singular path to impact, one that extends from the bedside to the classroom to the frontiers of knowledge, allowing me to serve patients in the present while helping shape the future of care. 

VT: How has the combination of medical proficiency and compassionate counsel aided in the journey of your afflicted patients? 

AMM: I have come to believe that the most meaningful care happens at the intersection of technical precision and compassionate communication. Neurosurgery demands exactness, but patients need more than a technically successful operation; they need understanding, guidance, and honesty. When I am able to combine those elements, it transforms the experience for patients and their families. It allows them to participate in decisions with clarity and confidence, and to face outcomes—whether favorable or not—with a sense that they were fully supported and never alone in the process. 

MS. KIM RHODES

VT: What sparked your interest in a career in the healthcare field? 

KR: I had known from a young age that I wanted to be a nurse, so it was never a question for me. I wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse. I loved babies. I would stroll with my neighbors’ babies in the evenings. Life gave me a few sidetracks, but I got there! However, a funny thing, I became interested in oncology and have never worked a single day in labor and delivery. 

VT: Foundation members are united in the recognition that cancer care is a challenging and demanding career. What are your thoughts on why you decided to concentrate on this field? 

KR: Oncology is nothing I had ever thought about pursuing. I believe it was fate that I ended up in BMT and fell in love with the patients. I was inspired by (the late) Dr. Roger Herzig, with whom I opened the unit in 1988. I had no idea what I was walking into that first day, but knew I would never leave. 

VT: What inspires you to confront, on a daily basis, the challenges and sacrifices required to do battle against cancer in concert with your patients, many of whom are fighting for their lives? 

KR: My patients are my biggest inspiration to continue in this field. There are no patients like oncology patients for inspiration, joy, and hope.