After graduating from WVSOM, she completed her internship at West Virginia University’s Charleston Area Medical Center and her family practice residency at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Maine. After Krawiec passed her board exams, she worked in family practice and urgent care in and around Portland, Maine, for several years before joining the U.S. State Department in 2011 as a regional medical officer, a foreign service job. As RMO, she was assigned to a post overseas and covered several embassies within a region, treating Americans assigned to the embassy and their family members. She traveled a lot and worked with local nurses, doctors, State Department nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Her first assignment was in New Delhi, India, for two and a half years. She returned to Washington, D.C., for three years working in the State Department’s Bureau of Medical Services, then worked for four years as RMO in Warsaw, Poland, where she met her husband, Lukasz (pronounced Wu-kosh). In 2021, she returned to D.C., where she worked until she came to VMI in April.
Krawiec believes securing the job at VMI was serendipity. She and Sarah were on post last September attending a reception to celebrate the 25th anniversary of women matriculants. “We were talking with General Wins [’85], and Sarah asked jokingly, ‘Do you ever hire doctors?’ General Wins responded, ‘Well, as a matter of fact, Doc Copeland is retiring.’ Everyone looked at me. I told General Wins that I was very interested.” The next week Krawiec got a call from Brig. Gen. Dallas Clark ’99, deputy superintendent, to discuss the job.
Though she said it was a big decision to leave the State Department and move to a new location, she is thrilled to return to VMI. “I want to do the best I can for VMI because they’ve done a lot for me,” she said.
Krawiec said her firsthand knowledge of what it is like to be a rat and a cadet will be helpful. “I know how it feels not to be well enough to participate in all the activities and how eager the cadets are to feel better so they can get back at it, just as much as we want them to,” said Krawiec. “We have an incredible staff who understand the demands put on these students, and Doc Copeland was so helpful with the transition and a great example to follow.”
She believes VMI is a much better place now than when she was a cadet. “It’s a much more normal thing to be a woman at VMI, and that is a blessing for these women. They really shine and work very hard. I am very proud of VMI’s integration of women.”
Gussie Lord ’01, VMI Board of Visitors member and Krawiec’s BR, is gratified to see her friend take on the role of Institute physician. “I know she will do a wonderful job taking care of the Corps, and we are lucky to have her,” said Lord.
Krawiec wants to get more involved with the cadets outside the infirmary and is interested in learning more about the EMT program on post and finding ways she can help. She continues to have relationships with her former biology and physics professors and hopes to become more involved in supporting cadets through that network.
Although Krawiec and her husband were married in March at the courthouse, they will have a formal, intimate wedding at her parents’ home in West Virginia. “We’ll have a ceremony in the woods with friends and family.” Following the ceremony, they will take a trip to New York City and Washington, D.C., before returning to Lexington, where they live with Ziggy, their rescue cat.