Meet Danielle

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Colossians 3:17

Family

Hey y'all! My name is Danielle Pickinpaugh from Simpsonville, Kentucky. Born and raised in the bluegrass state I went to Christian Academy of Louisville from Kindergarten to 12th grade. My parents are amazingly supportive, Mike and Lois, and have been married now going on 33 years. My sister's name is Kenna and has two children, Cameron and Connor, with her husband Kerry. I recently got married in July 2017 to my best friend, Derek. He is the most supportive, encouraging, kind man I know. (And a cutie pie!) We recently got a little puppy dodge who just turned 5 months old and is precious...and a terror! 

Life with Christ

I could not have done anything without my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! After accepting Him into my heart at 10 years old, I knew that God would never leave me. He truly is the Lord of my life, the forgiver of my sins (which are so many), my protector, and my friend. I have had some struggles along the way like many of us do (John 16:33), but  like it says in Zechariah 9:12, "I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles." And how blessed do I feel! Like my grandparents say, "God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good." I want my lifesong to sing of His glory and praises. 

"Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ."
-Ephesians 3:8

Career

After graduating I pursued a bachelor's of science in Biology with a minor in Family Studies at the University of Kentucky! Go Wildcats! In 2014, I graduated with my PhD in Physiology with a focus on Orofacial Pain also from the University of Kentucky. I conducted a brief postdoctoral residency in Alzheimer's and Traumatic Brain Injury research before deciding to go back to school to acquire my DMD, doctor of medical dentistry. I currently am in my 2nd semester at the University of Kentucky Dental School (are you really surprised?). I truly love it! God truly could not be more gracious. All of this for the glory of Him!

Purpose

The vocation of my life didn't come until many years after accepting Christ. Truth be told, it has been through my mom's journey, that I have found my purpose in Christ: to glorify God with the work of my hands, to help others in need, and to pursue the work place as a mission field for Him. My faithful mother was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia in the fall of 2006, my freshman year of collage. This excruciating oral facial pain affects one side of her face as she often describes it as "the feeling of someone stabbing me the cheek and pulling backwards." Watching her suffer with this chronic pain and little relief for most of college, God lead me to apply for graduate school so I could better understand her disease.

Although she hides her pain very well and is truly the strongest woman I know,  it was so hard watching her suffer. I wanted to understand this pain so I could in some small way help her. I realized that my journey in academics was not finished , it was brought to my attention by amazing mentors that I could maybe better impact her and patients like her with a clinical degree. It is with this goal that I am now pursuing a dental degree in the hopes to get certified in orofacial pain after dental school to help patients such as my mother.