April Kepner

April Kepner
Grey's Anatomy character
The Season 9 Gallery Picture of Sarah Drew as Dr. April Kepner
First appearance	"Invasion" 6x05, October 15, 2009 (as recurring cast) "With You I'm Born Again" 7x01, September 23, 2010 (as main cast)
Created by	Shonda Rhimes
Portrayed by	Sarah Drew
Information
Nickname(s)	Virgin Mary Apes Shepherd's flunkey Ducky Dud Keps
Occupation	Interim Chief of General Surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital Attending trauma surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital
Title	M.D. F.A.C.S.
Family	Joe Kepner (Father) Karen Kepner (Mother) Libby, Kimmie and Alice (sisters)
Spouse(s)	Jackson Avery (divorced)
Significant other(s)	Matthew Taylor (ex-fiancé)
Children	Samuel Norbert Avery (son, with Jackson; deceased) Harriet Kepner-Avery (daughter, with Jackson)
Religion	Christianity

Interim Chief of General Surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital

April Kepner M.D., is a fictional character from the television medical drama Grey's Anatomy which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actress Sarah Drew. She was introduced in the episode "Invasion" as a former surgical resident at Mercy West Hospital who joins the staff at Seattle Grace Mercy West after the two hospitals merge to compensate for the absence of some of the central cast members, and was created to be disliked by her colleagues. The character was originally set to appear in two episodes, Drew's contract was extended to the remainder of the sixth season, with her becoming a series regular in the seventh season. The character's focal storyline involved her struggle with fitting into the new work environment, her religious beliefs and balancing her duties as the hospital's chief resident and her friendship with her colleagues and as of the end of season eight, her relationship with her best friend and now ex-husband Jackson Avery.

Although initially focusing on neurosurgery during her residency, Kepner finally settles on trauma surgery as a specialty. After failing her boards, Kepner departs upon her contract’s expiration, but returns as a surgical attending when Chief Hunt offers her job back. Characterizing the character, ABC noted her determination, thoroughness, and intelligence as her main traits, while her insecurity, over-eagerness and vulnerability were highlighted as her main weakness. The character received mixed reviews from critics.

April Kepner was born in Columbus, Ohio on April 23, 1982. Her mother Karen is a teacher and her father Joe is a farmer. She is the second of four daughters; her sisters are Libby, Kimmie, and Alice. Kepner is initially a surgical resident at Mercy West Hospital. She joins the staff at Seattle Grace Mercy West after the merger of the two hospitals, alongside Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams), Reed Adamson (Nora Zehetner), and Charles Percy (Robert Baker). Kepner is first shown to possess a red diary, in which she writes all her feelings and thoughts which is stolen by Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh). Grey uses the personal information written in the notebook to unnerve and blackmail Kepner but later apologizes. After she made a mistake that led to a patient's death, she is fired. However, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) rehires her when he becomes the new Chief of Surgery. As she is not confident anymore, she spends her time doing errands for Shepherd and develops a crush on him, earning her the nickname "Shepherd's flunky". In the season six finale, she discovers the body of her best friend Reed Adamson, who has been shot. She later runs into the shooter, Gary Clark, who lets her go after she tells him about her life after remembering a technique she says she learned from Oprah. Following the shooting, Kepner and Avery move in to Meredith Grey's (Ellen Pompeo) house.