Luke King 
DO '18

Luke King (DO '18)

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When Luke King (DO ’18) started his clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology at Geisinger Medical Center, he was probably the least nervous of the students in his cohort.

Thanks to growing up on a farm in rural Mars, Pennsylvania, he had plenty of experience with the birthing process.

“For me and my nine siblings, pregnancy was always an exciting time on the farm,” he said. “We would watch our mom help the cows give birth and when I got older, I helped deliver the animals.”

Growing up in a rural area, Mr. King noted that he enjoyed the closeness of the community, and that he would ideally like to practice in that type of environment. It was this small-town connection, in fact, that gave him his first exposure to the ob/gyn field.

“I shadowed the doctor who helped deliver me,” he said. “He had always been close with my family and knew that early on, it was something I was interested me. He served as a mentor and helped me through the process of applying to medical school.”

Mr. King also has worked in rural settings outside the United States; he’s taken two medical mission trips to Haiti, working in less than ideal conditions to help physicians there deliver babies who are often high-risk pregnancies. According to Unicef, Haiti has the highest rates of infant, under-five and maternal mortality in the Western hemisphere.

“I watched the doctors in these acute, high-stress situations, delivering high-risk pregnancies in less than ideal conditions,” said Mr. King, who will stay at Geisinger for his ob/gyn residency. “They were all so calm. I remember my heart racing and thinking, ‘I want to do that.’”