After 33 years of dedicated service to Methodist Fayette Hospital and a strong devotion to his patients, Raymond Hawkins, M.D., plans to retire. 

Hospital leaders at Methodist Fayette Hospital, 214 Lakeview Drive, will host a retirement party for Dr. Hawkins in the hospital’s lobby Tuesday, July 17, at 2 p.m. The public is invited to attend this special celebration.

Dr. Hawkins started his general surgery practice in his hometown of Somerville back in 1975. Throughout the years, he has demonstrated a strong sense of integrity and has provided outstanding and compassionate care for his patients. He received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis, Tenn., and completed his internship at Southern Pacific Memorial Hospital and surgical residency at the Harkness Community Hospital in San Francisco, Calif. He began his medical career in the U.S. Navy on the front lines of the Vietnam War. After the war, Dr. Hawkins practiced general surgery in San Francisco before moving back to Somerville. There he saw an opportunity to give back to the community he came from and do something he loved, surgery.

During his years at Methodist Fayette, Dr. Hawkins has served as the only general surgeon in the rapidly growing Fayette County community. From abdominal, cancer and gynecological surgeries to plastic and gastro-intestinal procedures, Dr. Hawkins has performed over 25,000 surgical procedures. He has been a pioneer and leader in laparoscopic surgery which allows for smaller incisions and faster recovery for patients. He performed the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a surgery to remove the gall bladder, at Methodist Fayette in 1990. At that time the only one other laparoscopic cholecystectomy had been performed at a Memphis Methodist hospital. Dr. Hawkins also performed one of the first laparoscopic adrenalectomies, a rare procedure to remove both the gall bladder and an adrenal gland, in the region.

The Methodist Healthcare Foundation will honor Dr. Hawkins later this year as one of its 2008 Living Award recipients. The Living Awards are presented each year to individuals who have distinguished themselves through their leadership and commitment to the healing mission of Methodist Healthcare. 

Dr. Hawkins plans to travel, keep active in Bible study, and enjoy his children and grandchildren with his wife Cindy.