11/02/2026

Meet KPMA Member Dr. Jonathan Bilbro

 

Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Central City, Kentucky. I’ve been married to my wife, Ashley, since 2014, and we have two young daughters. I attended Asbury University for my bachelor's degree and the University of Kentucky for my medical degree and psychiatry residency. After completing my residency training in 2022, I joined the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Louisville as a faculty member. I practice primarily in an outpatient setting with adult patients. In my free time, I enjoy watching college sports (Go Cards!), playing and reading about video games, and going to the movie theater with my family.

What inspired you to choose psychiatry as a career and what continues to motivate you in the field of psychiatry today?

Psychiatry wasn’t on my radar when I entered medical school. My interest began during an M1 course on behavioral health and was further strengthened during my M3 psychiatry clerkship, where I felt I was able to genuinely help the treatment team by spending extra time talking with patients and gathering collateral information. I finalized my decision to pursue psychiatry during an acting internship in my M4 year. I had just finished a week of overnight shifts at the hospital. Though it was a very busy week with little sleep, I had never enjoyed work so much. I knew then that psychiatry was the only choice for me.

I’m motivated today by both a desire to help my patients and a love for teaching medical students and resident physicians. I’ve also recently become interested in implementing models of integrated care as a means for reaching a larger population of patients who otherwise wouldn’t be able or willing to access psychiatric treatment.

What do you find most fulfilling about working as a psychiatrist, both professionally and personally?

I’m most satisfied by two things: seeing a patient who’s struggling with debilitating psychiatric symptoms start to achieve a greater level of functioning, and watching medical students and residents become more confident in their ability to effectively treat     psychiatric patients.

What are some common misconceptions people have about psychiatry and how do you address them in your work?

I see a lot of patients who are seeking medication to fix their problems. While medications can certainly be helpful, achieving lasting improvement in symptoms most often requires a combination of medications and therapy. I try to help my patients maintain realistic expectations for the effects of medication and do my best to integrate psychotherapy into patient visits whenever possible.

What challenges have you faced in your psychiatric career and how have these challenges shaped your perspective or clinical practice?

I’ve always been eager to please others, but I’ve learned that providing good psychiatric care sometimes means declining to meet a patient’s request for a specific treatment option. This is a difficult line to walk at times, and I’m still learning every day.

What advice would you give to medical students or aspiring psychiatrists considering this field?

Treat each day as an opportunity to learn something new that might help a future patient. Even if you’re in a class or on a clinical rotation you don’t enjoy, there’s always something you can take away from the experience that will help you be a better doctor one day.