Internal Medicine and Medical Director, Church Health Center

Internist David Jennings, MD, never knew any doctors growing up, but his college job as an orderly gave him the insight he needed to confirm a simple fact: he wanted to become one. As an orderly, he did menial jobs at the hospital in Knoxville where he worked, bathing patients, listening to their worries, answering simple questions and providing care during a difficult time. But the work held meaning for him, as well as those he served.

“You got to interact with patients, strike up conversations. It humanized the experience to be with the patients, you could allay some of their fears,” he said. “And I think for them, it was comforting to have a college student to talk to. I often had more in common with them than with the doctor. For me, it was gratifying to know that you were aiding in their healing process.”      

Being of service to patients still motivates Jennings today. He works as the medical director for the Church Health Center, a position he has held since 2002. In fact, it was that call to serve that brought him to the Center not long after it opened to the community back in 1987. At that time, Jennings was five years into his career, practicing internal medicine with Health First Medical Group. But he was searching for a place where he could give back, and when he learned they needed physicians to volunteer their time at the health center, Jennings stepped forward.

So began a long and fruitful relationship. For more than a decade, Jennings gave up one Saturday morning a month to tend to patients who, without the Church Health Center, would have gone without care.

“People who come through here see there’s a kind of spirit about the place, which I think aids in the healing process,” he said. “People come in and they feel comforted, they feel at home here.”

Had he been born in a different era, you get the sense that Jennings would have been comfortable as the country doctor, coming to homes with his black bag in tow, hopeful to calm anxious worries with his diagnoses.     

Jennings traveled the fast track to become a doctor. Graduating at 17 as the valedictorian of his class, he then motored through college as well, entering med school at the University of Tennessee, Memphis (now the University of Tennessee Health Science Center) at age 21. “I was probably the youngest person in the class,” he said with a smile. But his age didn’t hold him back from excelling. He completed med school in 1979 and went on to a residency in Memphis at the VA Hospital. He then joined Health First Medical Group in 1982 as an internist and served with them in various capacities until joining the Church Health Center in 2001.

“In private practice, economic pressures were pushing me to see more patients in less time. And so it was difficult to get the level of rapport with patients,” he said. “Here, I see 20 patients a day, which is more manageable.” But his experience with the group did prepare him well for the clientele he serves. For a number of years, he worked in the group’s Whitehaven office and since the neighborhood was in transition, he saw a broad mix of patients, not unlike the ones he treats today.

For Jennings, the personal nature of medicine is most rewarding. He prides himself on being able to take detailed medical histories, something he views as a primary diagnostic tool. It is particularly useful when treating people who work but are uninsured. Since many come in and out of care, depending on their employment, getting a complete history is crucial. “You can't formulate the best treatment plan without that,” he said. For Jennings, it also provides an opportunity to build rapport with the patient, which brings him satisfaction.

“You don't have to be a cold fish during the history-taking process. If you do it right, you build rapport and trust with the patient,” he said. “Then you gain satisfaction when you hear from the patient that the treatment you recommended is working.”          

Jennings grew up in a suburb of Knoxville where his father worked for the atomic energy industry at Oak Ridge. Science also provided Jennings a ticket for his future. A high school science fair project landed him second place in the state championships and an opportunity to compete nationally. It was at the state competition that he met his wife. They married in Memphis and have two adult children. When not working, Jennings enjoys singing and traveling to Ireland.

“I was never interested in the business of medicine. I wanted a guaranteed salary but I didn't want to grow a practice. I wanted to provide the best quality of care to a patient.”

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