By PHOEBE DONALD ROBINSON / Community Columnist

Amanda Lea Robinson, daughter of Columbiana Police Officer Mark Robinson and Jennifer Robinson, recently graduated from Lincoln Memorial University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harrogate, Tenn., where she received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in May 2015.

“Ever since Amanda was a small child, she wanted to be a doctor,” said father Mark. “Her mother and grandmother are nurses. She is the first doctor in our family. To be a doctor requires so much time and is a sacrifice of families for they have to study so much. We are so proud of her.”

Robinson received a President’s Cabinet Scholarship in 2003 where she attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

She was a member of the SGA, Dean’s List, Tri Beta, Alpha Epsilon Delta, and was awarded the “Most Creative Program on Campus” for her “Adopt-A-Grandparent” program.

At Alabama she did a research paper on “The effects of altered developmental control of inositol phosphate biosynthesis in the brain of mice with spina bifida.”

She graduated from Alabama in 2007 with a degree in biology.

Before medical school, Robinson worked in the medical field as a lab technician, clinic manager for a doctor and field marketing representative for G2/Waste Management where she was awarded the Professional Achievement Award.

Active in community service, Robinson has volunteered with the American Heart Association, AARP Tax-Aide Program, Integrated Health Services at Briarcliff Nursing Home, adult day care at South Highland Center, Constructores Para Cristo mission trip, Jefferson County Ombudsman Program, Shelby County Humane Society, E3 Medical Mission in Inglenook, Ala., and Hospitality for Homeless at Highlands United Methodist Church.

She received the Community Service Award at Lincoln Memorial University in 2014.

“I have always wanted to be a primary care doctor,” said Robinson. “I love the interaction of a doctor with her patient and the positive impact you can have on a family’s life. I chose an osteopathic medical school for I like the more holistic approach to medicine for the whole body, mind and body. You have more options to treat a patient.”

Robinson is currently a resident at the University of Connecticut. She plans to be a primary care doctor when she returns to Shelby County.