Dr. Paige Gernt. 

You probably know the name, and, if you’ve been one of the many patients to walk through the doors of her practice since 2005, you’re also familiar with the beautiful heart behind it. 

From a childhood spent in the area, to school in Charleston, and the eventual building of a practice right here in Cookeville, Dr. Gernt’s journey has been and continues to be one of passion, commitment to her patients, and a love for what she does. 

“I feel I’m very fortunate because I get up in the morning looking forward to going to work and I don’t feel like it’s a job, it’s simply my life. I’ve been around here so long that I might open up my schedule for the day and out of the 25 patients I will see, I already know 22 of them really well.” She continued, “I get to go to work and visit with my patients who genuinely feel like friends. Of course, let’s be realistic, with the nature of this job there are hard times. It’s awful to have to tell somebody bad news. It doesn’t matter if you know the person well or not, it’s devastating to give a patient and their loved ones a diagnosis such as cancer. But ultimately I’ve learned that my patients want me to talk to them, to sit in that space with them, and they want me to be upfront with them. I feel blessed. I feel fortunate that they allow me into their lives like that. It’s a very intimate relationship.” 

A common theme that I’ve noticed while interviewing subjects for this magazine, specifically Influential People, is the power of role models and positive voices in their lives. On this, Dr. Gernt reflected, “I always say that the good Lord must just put angels in your pathway and mine was Dr. Michael Cooper, who I met in the lab at NIH (National Institutes of Health) where we were working on an experimental drug. He said, ‘You know, Paige, do you want to come to the clinic and see how these people are responding to this drug you’re helping create?’ He saw that I really liked to see patients and enjoyed the patient interaction. And he asked, ‘Are you going to go to med school?’ I think he helped me realize that maybe I actually could.” She elaborated, “So I was accepted into the UT College of Medicine in Memphis and then completed my residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. From there, I worked in both academics and private practice. I gained such great experience there and had a wonderful career. One of the best things to come of that time was meeting my husband Gordon. When we began dating he said, ‘We’ll have all the fun in the world you want here down in Charleston, but I’ll never get married and I’ll never have kids, and I’m never leaving South Carolina.’ Now he always tells everyone, ‘Be careful when you say never.’” Their son, Gernt, will graduate from Cookeville High School in May 2025.

Dr. Paige Gernt has built on the foundation laid by Dr. Walter Derryberry nearly 50 years ago to provide revolutionary care in the Upper Cumberland. Now, through partnership with Diana Health (a modern women’s health practice providing full-scope OB/GYN, mental health, and wellness services in Cookeville and the surrounding areas), she sees her work as a truly comprehensive local resource for the women she treats and their families. 

She stated, “Since partnering with Diana Health (2022), we’re able to offer more services out of our office. We have multiple OBGYNs, midwives, nurse practitioners, a dietician, social workers, and mental health counselors all eager to provide comprehensive healthcare to the women in our area. This practice was established in 1974 and it’s been amazing to see it grow. When people ask what I want to be remembered for, I, of course, want to be thought of as a kind, positive and good person, a loving wife, and mother, but I also want people to know I’ve worked hard to bring the best possible healthcare for women here.” 

Paige’s life is directed by a heart for others. Her influence is wide, her impact great, and her work deserving of much more than an article in a local magazine. Paige is an expert who administers the highest level of care to her patients and, by extension those who love them, with integrity, warmth, and devotion. We’re delighted to use our pages in celebration of the wonderful, kind Dr. Paige Gernt.

– written by Andrew Buckner, photos by Abby Weeden