Cole Kiser traces his journey to medicine and public service back to an early age.
Inspired by his father, retired Air Force Col. Dale Kiser, a 20-year military dentist, he grew up with a firsthand view of what it means to combine healthcare with military service. He remembers waiting in hospital lobbies, listening to stories from the service members in his father’s care and witnessing the dedication required of a military officer. Those early experiences sparked his interest in following a similar path.
Now a fourth-year medical student in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, Kiser is preparing to graduate and begin his own career as a military physician, caring for the nation’s troops and their families.
“Serving as a physician and a military officer means answering two callings at once,” Kiser said. “Being a military doctor is not for everyone. But it’s a very worthwhile and rewarding path.”
Service has long been a part of his life. As an undergraduate at the University of Alabama, he regularly volunteered at the RISE Center, an early childhood education and research program that blends special education, child development and integrated therapies into their classrooms. He also made several volunteer trips with the local Habitat for Humanity.
Kiser did not seriously consider joining the military until his junior year. After several visits with an Air Force recruiter and a lengthy application process that included physicals and background screenings, he entered the Health Professions Scholarship Program for medical school. As part of the program, Kiser was commissioned as an Air Force Reserve second lieutenant.
That opportunity led him to the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, where he initially wanted to specialize in pediatric oncology. However, after rotating through multiple fields during medical school, he was drawn to a specialty that allowed him flexibility and the opportunity to see a variety of patients: internal medicine.
During his clerkship years, he noticed how his internal medicine mentors “brought a sense of peace” to their patients, and he admired how they worked to piece together complex cases that did not always have obvious answers.
“Internal medicine challenged me to think critically and treat the whole person, not just a single symptom or disease,” Kiser said. “It allows me to build lasting relationships with patients while solving complex medical problems. This is exactly the kind of doctor I want to be.”
In March, Kiser matched into internal medicine and will spend his residency years at Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. He will be promoted to captain during the Morsani College of Medicine Class of 2026 Commencement Ceremony May 7 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.
“I’ve been working toward the goal of being a military officer and a physician for a long time,” Kiser said. “My dad’s example and our conversations of what this life is like has been very helpful as I prepare to take this next step. I’m looking forward to it and I hope I can bear that responsibility.”
