Meet Gayln Perry, MD | Pulmonologist and Sleep Medicine Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gayln Perry, MD and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gayln, what is the most important factor behind your success?
From the worlds stand point, success can look very different. I consider myself successful when 1. I listen well and allow my patients to guide me to the source of their problem rather than me drawing quick conclusions. 2. I can convey to my patients that I see them as unique, and that I have their best interest at heart. 3. I am truthful with them even when they may not like the recommendations I provide. 4. I have no conflicts of interests impacting my care and advise. 5. My help brings healing whether physically, emotionally or spiritually. A calling to practice medicine is unique in that we have been invited into a very personal space by simply walking into the room. There are times when I leave that room where I “know” I was meant to be there to provide advice, guidance, reassurance or even gentle admonishment. It is a privilege to be able to step into that personal space. I take that privilege seriously by listening well, weighing the risks and benefits of my advice and being honest. My calling is at all cost to place the wellbeing of that patient in front of me above all else including my own wellbeing. I suspect any patient that realizes that this is the degree of my commitment to them would make me successful in their eyes. Their understanding of that commitment will always determine the measure of my success.
  

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Many say that, “You must have always wanted to be a doctor.” The answer to that question is “No.” Actually, I wasn’t even going to college but was given a scholarship. I didn’t even consider going to medical school until those around me mentioned medicine as a career during my junior year. Long story short, I was accepted to medical school and have obtained levels of training and board certification more than most physicians. I became board certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. I completed additional fellowship training with board certification in adult Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Sleep Medicine board certification came later as well. Most individuals that train in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics do not continue to practice in both age groups. That is especially so if they subspecialize as I did. I have always practiced caring for both children and adults which is quite unique. I served at the Associate Director of the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Kansas University Medical Center for 7 years seeing both age groups. In 2009, I moved to a major children’s hospital, Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri and helped start the first pediatric Sleep Medicine program at that institution. It is the only pediatric Sleep Medicine program in the four-state surrounding area. I remained as the Medical Director of the sleep laboratory for 12 years. Spending my entire career in academic medicine, 20 plus years; I resigned my position in 2021 to start a Direct Specialty Care practice which is a self-pay practice for my professional services. This is not concierge medicine but affordable medical care where a monthly membership covers your doctor visits.  I discovered that the practice of corporate medicine had become more profit driven than patient driven. I could not in good conscience continue to support this type of medical system, so I left a very well-paying job to start my own practice. I am now able to spend a full hour with my patients, and I see a fewer number of total patients to be available to them when they need me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Kansas City is known for its great BBQ so we would have to go to what I consider the best spot which is Jack Stack’s BBQ. If you want a unique experience you can go to Arthur Bryant’s where they service you BBQ on butcher paper. The Plaza downtown has great shops next to the river. We are also known as the city of fountains so it is best to come to KC in the summer to experience the fountains. Kansas City is also known for its live jazz. The River Market area has been revitalized down by the Missouri river and a trolly car take you into the heart of the city. Lastly, we have season tickets to the New Theatre restaurant in Overland Park. We always take our family there for a dinner and show. Well, I can’t forget the WWI museum which is the only one in the country and a must see.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So true, there are many people, mentors, books and even patients that have shaped me. First of all, my personal faith in the God of the Bible speaks to each patient’s uniqueness and significance as a child of God. This worldview underlies all that I do. As a resident in training, I struggled with the amount of time I spent in the hospital, hundreds of hours per week, and the book, “Your Work Matters to God” by Doug Sherman and William Hendricks transformed my perspective on work. Work is intrinsically God honoring if done with the right motives, and attitudes. The quality of my work, the integrity of my work and the servant attitude of my work can be all God honoring and impact those around me, not only my patients but my co-workers. This awareness brought a whole new perspective on the long working hours it took to get through residence and fellowship. I remain in a faith community, Christ Community Church, committed to reinforcing and speaking into the reality that Sunday is inherently connected to Monday. This community has continued to reenforce my conviction about the importance that work has in our lives where we spend so much of our time and energy. My pastor, Tom Nelson, also wrote a book that impacted me similarly over a decade later called” Work Matters”.

Website: info@sleepdockc.com