Dr. Kyle B. Reynolds knows firsthand how life can follow a nonlinear progression, given how his path into vascular surgery was the answer that awaited him at the end of his journey. Growing up, Reynolds had a profession in mind that did not involve vascular surgery, but the calling came after seeing the numerous health disparities in his own communities.
“During medical school, I saw an open carotid endarterectomy and was mesmerized. From there, I became fascinated with both open surgery and the evolving landscape of endovascular surgery. However, one thing that was eye-opening was the amount of patients who looked like me with amputations,” said Reynolds. “I quickly learned the well-documented fact that Black patients, even when groups are adjusted for PAD severity at presentation as well as social and economic factors, are more likely to undergo major limb amputations. This definitely has affected my passion for limb salvage and health equity.”
Reynolds was born and raised in New York City and built his medical career in the D.C. area. He is the Site Chief of Vascular Surgery at MedStar Montgomery Hospital, an assistant professor at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and sees patient at multiple locations in the MedStar health system.
What matters to Reynolds is the representation he can provide to his patients so that they can receive the proper care they need.
“Although I grew up in a predominantly Black community, the idea of becoming a physician hadn’t even occurred to me until I was treated by a Black doctor in high school. Similarly, most of the patients I see had never been cared for by a physician who was Black prior to our first interactions. Some of my happiest moments have been patients lighting up with joy, that for the first time, they have a doctor who looks like them. This matters,” said Reynolds.
Reynolds feels that cultural similarities and relatability help facilitate communication and some trust to a patient population who has historically been taken advantage of, leading to generations of mistrust with medicine.
While in medical school, Reynolds found a mentor in Dr. Vincent Rowe, who showed him the characteristics of a good doctor. He admitted that Rowe was the first person he saw that looked like him in the vascular world.
“Through his past experiences, Dr. Rowe has helped better prepare me not only for the rewarding field of vascular surgery, but also how to better handle some bias and microaggressions I would likely encounter along the way. More importantly, he encouraged me I could get through it,” said Reynolds.
The connection Rowe had with his patients and other professionals inspired Reynolds. He saw a respectable man in Rowe who was able to get information from his patients that others could not and wanted to emulate that in his own practice. Through Rowe, Reynolds has become involved with the Society of Black Vascular Surgeons.
“In the field of medicine, many vascular patients are complex, and can sometimes get labeled difficult or non-compliant when there are many different social determinants of health that play a role into their care. I wanted to take care of those patients that were being brushed off by other people and that is still at the core of what I do today,” said Reynolds.
Dr. Reynolds specializes in the treatment of aortic disease, carotid artery disease, venous occlusive disease and of course peripheral arterial disease, where limb salvage is half of his practice. As part of his perspective on life, he advocates the best care for his patients, and stays involved in research and education while dealing with vascular care.
Dr. Reynolds' profile was created in collaboration with the Voices of Vascular Series. Join the SVS and SVS Foundation as we honor celebratory months by sharing facts, highlighting SVS members and more. Visit the Voices of Vascular page to learn more.