When her phone rang earlier this year and she received the news that she was named by YWCA Kalamazoo as one of this year’s Women of Achievement award recipients, Kathy Jackson, MD, was in her car with her niece.
The call brought a smile to Dr. Jackson’s face. Her niece, meanwhile, clapped and smiled, and flashed two thumbs-up to her aunt.
“It was a jaw-drop moment,” said Dr. Jackson who serves as medical director and pediatrician at the Family Health Center in Kalamazoo. “It was inspiring to see such a powerful outcome and a powerful example of what is possible when you put in hard work.”
After she received word of her award, Dr. Jackson said she called her parents to share the good news, to tell them about the “return on investment” for the sacrifices they made financially and the emotional and spiritual support they poured over her as she pursued her dream of becoming a doctor. Her next call was to her husband.
“He’s always consistently encouraging me to fly high like an eagle because the views are beautiful and the views are limitless,” she said.
For Dr. Jackson, the Women of Achievement Award affirmed for her that her work as a pediatrician over the last two decades in her hometown, her consistency as a physician, and her “attitude of gratitude” has had a positive impact on the community and her young patients.
During her time at the Family Health Center, Dr. Jackson has held several leadership roles and was named Provider of the Year in 2023. She also was a founding leader of the Back to School Bash, an annual event that’s hosted each August at the FHC’s Paterson Street campus. Children from the community can enjoy a day of fun, food, and music while also making sure they are ready for the upcoming school year with backpacks, school supplies, important immunizations, and sports physicals.
“I think sometimes kids are inundated with negative stuff and we wanted to offer a place to have fun,” Dr. Jackson said. “It’s a day of safe fun and the children are able to interact with us and we’re able to interact with them outside of the office. And we’re making sure that they are ready for Day One of school and I’m proud that we’re able to provide that seamless start to the school year for these children.”
Dr. Jackson said she knew she wanted to be a doctor from the age of 8. After high school, she completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan where she earned a degree in psychology. She then moved on to East Lansing to pursue her MD degree at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
During her third and fourth years of medical school, Dr. Jackson completed her clinical rotations in Kalamazoo at the MSU Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies (MSU/KCMS), the predecessor to WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed). Her time at MSU/KCMS shaped her decisions to become a pediatrician and to remain in Kalamazoo for residency training, she said.
After she completed her residency training in 2001, Dr. Jackson said she gave serious consideration to moving to Chicago to practice and provide care for patients at one of the city’s federally qualified health centers. She visited the city with her parents and it was during that trip, she said, that her father reminded her that she could do the same work as a physician in Kalamazoo.
“I knew I could have an impact here and have the advantage of knowing the system from my time as a resident and I had also developed those relationships with other physicians during my time in training,” she said. “I always wanted to be part of the solution here … and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Through her decision to remain in Kalamazoo, Dr. Jackson has had an indelible impact on the community she has called home her entire life. She’s a lifetime member of Bible Baptist Church in Kalamazoo where she serves as co-director of the choir and helped establish a medical ministry that hosts summer competitions to keep church members active and educational seminars about subjects like cancer and diabetes to help community members take charge of their personal health and well-being.
“I’m really grateful of the fact that I’ve tried to maintain an attitude of humility and consistency,” Dr. Jackson said. “It’s important to be humble wherever you are, whatever position you’re in, or who you’re interacting with.”
When she was recognized along with other award recipients on May 21, 2026, at the YWCA Kalamazoo Women of Achievement Legacy Celebration at the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center, Dr. Jackson said the experience was overwhelming and energizing.
“I will continue to be a part of a group that is vested in strengthening the community by supporting our children,” she said. “I consider it to be an honor and privilege to practice what I do and where I am doing it. I am experiencing joy in my role as a pediatrician and hope this joy is pouring over to the children and their families.
“The pursuit of a strong community can be achieved as the needs of the children of its community are actively being addressed,” Dr. Jackson added. “Let’s continue this pursuit.”