February 2024 | Issue No. 78 |
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Announcing Our New Program: Have Coffee and Conversations |
Half Century Club Exclusive |
On February 13, we were thrilled to launch our new series exclusively for Half Century Club (HCC) members—“Have Coffee and Conversations.” The Half Century Club (HCC) recognizes our alumni who graduated 50+ years ago and celebrates your dedication to the betterment of human health.
Alumni from across the country joined us virtually via Zoom to learn more about our HCC programming and engage in insightful conversations on industry trends, personal experiences, and the future of healthcare. This series is a unique opportunity for our most distinguished alumni to reconnect, share your experiences, and enjoy meaningful conversations in a relaxed setting. These informal conversations also offer a space for you to share topics and interests that you would like to learn more about in future discussions.
Interested in connecting with your fellow Half Century Club members? Have questions about how to use Zoom? Contact Meghan Monaghan or Allison Glibowski for more information on this exciting series!
Want to participate in our next conversation? Join fellow HCC members IN PERSON during Alumni Weekend 2024 for our next Have Coffee and Conversations meeting while discussing retirement experiences, aging, travel, the future of healthcare, your medical school, and more on Friday, April 19, at 10:00 a.m. Visit our Alumni Weekend website and register to join us! |
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Dear Alumni,
We hope that you, like us, are thinking spring! Due to an incredible initial response, our early bird pricing for Alumni Weekend 2024 has been extended until March 7. Visit our Alumni Weekend website to register and receive discounted pricing on many activities including reunion class and Half Century Club dinners, Celebrate in Chicago All Alumni Reception and Dinner, Women in Medicine Tea, Mentoring Lunch, and much more! Discounted hotel rates are available as well.
We look forward to welcoming you back to campus April 18-20!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Babette
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Celebrating Black History Month |
As Black History Month comes to a close, we continue to celebrate and honor the contributions, resilience, and triumphs of our Black medical community within Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Together, we can reflect on the significance of this month and look forward to a better future for us all. As the chairs of the Inclusion and Allyship committee, we invite you to participate in a special upcoming event that features your esteemed alumni peers and members of Northwestern Medicine faculty.
Please register to join us on Friday, April 19, at 9:00 a.m. for a discussion on Breaking Barriers: Navigating Equity and Inclusion across Medical School Eras. This insightful panel discussion will feature medical professionals from diverse generations and backgrounds and provide a space to discuss unique perspectives on the evolving landscape of medical education. Join us as our panelists explore how their experiences have shaped the pursuit of a more equitable and inclusive future in healthcare.
This event is hosted by the Inclusion and Allyship committee of your Northwestern Medical Alumni Association Board in partnership with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Visit our Alumni Weekend website to sign up. |
Darren Wethers, ’88 MD
MAAB Inclusion and Allyship Co-Chair |
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Javier Guevara, Jr., ’12 MD
MAAB Inclusion and Allyship Co-Chair |
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Register Today for Alumni Weekend:
Early Bird Discounts End March 7 |
As we send this email, we are only 49 days away from Alumni Weekend 2024! Plan to spring forward with us and celebrate in Chicago April 18–20. Join the hundreds of alumni, guests, faculty, students, and staff who will join us.
Due to the tremendous momentum and interest in Alumni Weekend 2024 from our alumni, we're thrilled to announce a limited-time extension of our early bird discounts. Early bird pricing will now end March 7. Time is running out to save, so be sure to take advantage of this limited offer.
Not your reunion year? Not a Half Century Club member? Not a problem! This is an all-alumni weekend, and guests and family members are welcome to attend. Take advantage of our many FREE offerings, including CME forums, complimentary on-campus parking, and tours of campus, facilities, and new buildings. You can join us for the full weekend or come for an event or two. The choice is yours!
Visit our Alumni Weekend website and register today. |
Motherhood in Medicine: Raising Kids for Gender Equity
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On January 24, the Northwestern University Medical Alumni Association Women in Medicine committee was pleased to host “Motherhood in Medicine: Raising Kids for Gender Equity,” featuring Shelly Vaziri Flais ’95, ’99 MD, ’02 GMER (’24 P), and Ingrid Lim, ’02 MD.
During the webinar, Drs. Flais and Lim discussed inherent inequity in our healthcare systems, communities, and families. They shared how mindful parents can help achieve greater gender equity through small, actionable changes that will create a lasting impact for our children, each other, and ourselves. For more information on the topic, we invite you to check out Dr. Flais’s newest parenting book, Nurturing Boys to be Better Men: Gender Equality Starts at Home.
If you were unable to join or would like to revisit the conversation, please find our Virtual Event Recording Archives online. Thank you to all who joined us!
To learn more about events and opportunities to participate, please join the Northwestern Women in Medicine (WIM) Facebook group or follow us on Instagram.
Join the Northwestern University Medical Alumni Association Women in Medicine committee for our annual Women in Medicine Tea at the Historic Drake Hotel during Alumni Weekend 2024. We welcome Northwestern Medicine’s women in medicine (MDs, nurses, scientists, physical therapists, and physician assistants) to this interactive session on Friday, April 19, at 1:45 p.m. Register today via our Alumni Weekend website. |
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We Loved Connecting in Tucson!
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On January 30, the Medical Alumni Association hosted a very special event in partnership with the Northwestern Alumni Association as part of Northwestern Connects, our 9th annual networking event held on the same night in dozens of cities across the globe.
Douglas E. Vaughan, MD, director of the Potocsnak Longevity Institute and the Irving S. Cutter Professor of Medicine Emeritus led the presentation and discussion, “Is Aging Inevitable or Preventable?” He shared how industry focus has shifted from prolonging lifespan to extending “healthspan” and what that might mean for future healthcare. Dr. Vaughan also recently discussed Potoscnak Longevity Institute on National Public Radio.
Please visit our event photo album online. Thank you to all who attended and helped to make Northwestern Connects a success once again! |
MAA Digital Series:
Hosted by Joseph Gugenheim, ’72 MD
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We’re thrilled to bring you the newest installment of our MAA Digital Series, from our fantastic host and historian, alum Joseph Gugenheim, ’72 MD.
In celebration of Black History Month, Dr. Gugenheim’s February episode in our MAA Digital Series highlights Bronzeville. Bronzeville has been a center of African American business and cultural life on Chicago’s South Side for over a century. Home to many writers, artists, musicians, and athletes, the neighborhood has undergone a revival and continues to be a business and cultural center to this day. Join Dr. Gugenheim for an exploration of the origins, history, and enduring legacy of the Bronzeville neighborhood.
Dr. Gugenheim presents “Bronzeville.”
Thank you, Dr. Gugenheim! |
In observance of Women’s History Month, the next installment in our MAA Digital Series will allow you to take a step back in time to explore the Furniture Mart and the Woman’s World’s Fair. Alumni will be surprised to learn the origins and fascinating history of Lake Shore Place, the noteworthy brown building with the blue tower across the street from Abbott Hall, and the role that it played in the historic Woman’s World’s Fairs of 1925 and 1926—fairs that were created, organized, and run entirely by women. This episode is must-see for March! |
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Northwestern Medicine Magazine |
| • | Reflect on an incredible Alumni Weekend 2023 with MAA Board President Nupur Ghoshal, ’01 PhD, ’03 MD (pictured top left), in “Alumni Weekend Reflections,” the “Alumni President’s Message” |
| • | Understand the critical importance of “Paving the Way for Greater Diversity in Medicine” as William D. Yates, ’85 MD (pictured middle left), shares his experience and journey as an African American medical student at Northwestern in our “Alumni Perspective” section |
| • | Learn more from Scott Hultgren, ’87 PhD (pictured bottom left), director of the Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research and the Helen L. Stoever Professor of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, about the groundbreaking new antibiotic-sparing drugs he is developing to treat relentless urinary tract infections in this issue’s alumni profile, “A New Way to Beat Bacteria” |
| • | Take a look back at Alumni Weekend 2023 as we hear from alumni who returned to campus to reunite and reconnect with their classmates during this special weekend |
| • | Visit our “In Memoriam” section as we honor the lives and legacies of our alumni and dear friends |
| • | Explore the alumni “Progress Notes” to hear personal and professional updates from your fellow alumni |
| • | And more! |
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Celebrating 20 Years as Chair of the Department of Dermatology at Feinberg |
Amy Paller, MD, ’83 GMER, celebrated 20 years as the Walter J. Hamlin Chair of the Department of Dermatology at Feinberg in February 2024. Dr. Paller is also professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics, as well as principal investigator of the NIH-funded Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-based Center. She has directed the Pediatric Dermatology Clinical Trials Unit at Northwestern/Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago for the past 30 years and has been the lead investigator on several landmark trials in |
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pediatric skin disease. Dr. Paller has previously served as president of the Society for Investigative Dermatology, the Society for Pediatric Dermatology, the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance, and the International Eczema Council. She currently serves as president of the International Society for Pediatric Dermatology, section editor for the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, and as a board member for several patient advocacy organizations. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Feinberg’s inaugural Paula Stern Outstanding Women in Science and Medicine Award and the inaugural Hall of Fame Award from the Society for Pediatric Dermatology. She was elected to the American Association of Physicians and the American Dermatological Association and is an honorary member of both the American Academy of Dermatology and the Society for Investigative Dermatology. Dr. Paller has served as mentor to hundreds of students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty. She shared that her greatest pleasure is “to watch young people gain knowledge, get excited about concepts and discoveries, and advance their own careers.” Congratulations, Dr. Paller! |
Wendy A. Beattie ’88 CERT, is the recipient of the Titus Ferguson Lifetime Achievement Award. The Titus Ferguson Lifetime Achievement Award is one of the highest awards in the Orthotics and Prosthetics field, “bestowed upon an outstanding academician whose accomplishments and contributions have made a significant impact on the growth and development of the profession.” Ms. Beattie is the only woman to ever receive the award. Ms. Beattie is assistant professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Feinberg. Congratulations, Ms. Beattie! |
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David James “D.J.” Kennedy, MD, ’09 GMEF, was recently elected president of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He is professor and chair of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Kennedy is a member of the board of directors of the North American Spine Society, serving as the inaugural director of the Strategic Growth Council, and serves on the board of directors of Nashville Public Television. He also is executive editor of Interventional Pain Medicine and deputy editor of The Spine Journal. Congratulations, Dr. Kennedy! |
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Zebadiah “Zeb” M. Kimmel, ’04 MD, MBA, has been named chief product officer for AMC Health, a leader in end-to-end virtual care solutions. Before AMC Health, Dr. Kimmel held vice president positions in both Product and Engineering for Medically Home, a leading provider of hospital-at-home services and led teams serving governments, hospitals, pharmaceutical firms, and medical device manufacturers worldwide at McKinsey’s Healthcare Technology Practice. Dr. Kimmel was an inaugural member of the Federal Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and is co-founder of Atlas5D, a precision-medicine startup. Congratulations, Dr. Kimmel! |
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Michael T. Lotze ’73, ’75 MD, has been named incoming editor-in-chief of the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. Dr. Lotze serves as professor of Surgery, Immunology, and Bioengineering; director of the DAMP Laboratories at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center; and senior advisor for the Immune Transplant and Therapy Center at the University of Pittsburgh. He previously served as associate editor of the Journal of Immunotherapy for over ten years, and also on the editorial boards and as guest editor for several other journals including Journal Leukocyte Biology, Cancer Microenvironment, OncoImmunology, Frontiers in Inflammation, Journal Innate Immunity, PLoS1, Cancer Gene Therapy, and Nature Regenerative Medicine. Congratulations, Dr. Lotze! |
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Hema L. Ramkumar ’06, ’11 MD, is co-founder and CEO of Oculogenex. Dr. Ramkumar, a retinal surgeon, founded the company in 2020 alongside her father, a former aerospace engineer. Together, they developed a targeted gene therapy injection that seeks to stop or reverse blindness, specifically dry macular degeneration. Their research is supported by the National Science Foundation and the International Space Station National Laboratory. They are conducting a randomized, controlled 30-day study on forty mice that will be launched on a SpaceX rocket in March 2024 from the Kennedy Space Station in Florida. Dr. Ramkumar shared that to their knowledge, this will be the first investigational ophthalmic therapy to be sent to space in live animals. They will have the first data collecting retinal photos and optical coherence tomographies of the impact of space on the retina in mice, as well as data that will determine the success of their proposed gene therapy solution. Congratulations, Dr. Ramkumar! |
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Phyllis C. Zee, MD, PhD, ’87 GMER, ’89 GMEF, has been appointed as the new Research Advisory Committee chair for the American Brain Foundation. Dr. Zee is director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine Disorders, chief of Sleep Medicine in the Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, and the Benjamin and Virginia T. Boshes Professor of Neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Congratulations, Dr. Zee! |
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Upcoming Events: Mark Your Calendars!
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Did you know that the MAA has its very own Plan It Purple calendar?
With the Plan It Purple calendar, you’ll never miss a Medical Alumni Association event!
You can register for events, download a save-the-date reminder to your calendar, and learn more about all the other University-wide events and offerings.
Bookmark the MAA calendar or visit the MAA home page to keep tabs on all of our upcoming events. |
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Saturday, March 2, 2024 | 5:00–8:00 p.m. MST
Musical Instrument Museum |
Please join the Northwestern Alumni Association in partnership with Bienen School of Music and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine for A Night with Northwestern: Music and Medicine.
Learn about the effect that music has on your health throughout your life from panelists Sarah J. Bartolome ’02 MMus, PhD, associate professor, Bienen School of Music; Borna Bonakdarpour, MD, associate professor of Neurology (Behavorial Neurology), Feinberg; and Bharath Chandrasekaran, PhD, department chair, Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Communication.
Moderated by Dean Jonathan Bailey Holland, Bienen School of Music.
Event Schedule
Reception: 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. (with access to two exhibit halls)
Panel Discussion: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Tickets
$15: Recent Graduates (graduation years 2014-2024)
$20: General Admission
Please reserve your travel and hotel accommodations now as this is expected to be a very busy weekend in Arizona. |
Sunday, March 3, 2023 | 1:05 p.m. MST
Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland Guardians |
The Medical Alumni Association is proud to once again host alumni and friends for a spring training game at Sloan Park in Arizona.
Your $35 purchase includes one game ticket, food, soda, and two adult beverage tickets. Exclusively for members of The Founders Society and Half Century Club, and Northwestern alumni.
Just 7 tickets remain, so get yours today!
Sorry, no refunds and no exchanges.
All ticket sales are final. Tickets are transferable but not refundable.
Please reserve your travel and hotel accommodations now as this is expected to be a very busy weekend in Arizona. |
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 | 4:00–5:00 p.m. CST |
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health invites you to join us for an upcoming virtual event: “Bringing Primary Care to the Global Stage: Why Now and What’s Next?”
Join us for a discussion on the state of primary care around the world and learn more about how the Ryan Family Center for Global Primary Care at the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health is working to bring quality care to all.
Featuring:
Lisa Hirschhorn, MD, MPH
Director of the Ryan Family Center for Global Primary Care
with a Q&A moderated by Robert J. Havey, ’80 MD, ’83 GMER, ’84 GMEF
Advance registration required. |
Forum for Opportunities—Empowering Success |
Friday, March 8, 2024 | Northwestern Memorial Hospital & Livestream |
Women in medicine face unique challenges and obstacles throughout their professional careers. These challenges may affect leadership development and opportunities for women in medicine resulting in a gender gap in the governance of academic medical centers. Women physicians and other healthcare workers currently lack a conference or forum for discussing strategies to achieve equality in the workplace, wellness and work life balance, mentorship, and career development. The 6th annual Northwestern Women in Medicine conference will discuss topics relevant to all clinicians, researchers, and healthcare workers. We will review data from the literature, identify barriers and facilitators, and discuss tools to support and promote the development of leaders who identify as women and sexual/gender minorities. We will highlight the role of allies in creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment.
For those attending in person, join your Medical Alumni Association for the evening’s cocktail reception at 4:30 p.m. that we’ll be co-hosting with Northwestern Women in Medicine.
Advance registration is required. |
Tuesday, March 12, 2024 | 8:30 – 9:30 am CDT |
Join Kellogg and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine for a special event as Kellogg Dean Francesca Cornelli, Donald P. Jacobs Chair in Finance, hosts Henry B. Nguyen, ’99 MD, ’01 MBA, executive chair of Timo and chair of Phoenix Holdings. Together, they will discuss Dr. Nguyen’s vast professional experience spanning business, healthcare, and more—as well as his time at Kellogg and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Advance registration is required. The Zoom link will be provided upon registration. |
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | 3:00 pm CDT |
Do you have Parkinson’s Disease? Are you looking for ways to reduce your symptoms? Please join exercise experts Daniel M. Corcos, PhD (Northwestern University); Jay L. Alberts (Cleveland Clinic); and author Kristine Meldrum for a discussion about Parkinson’s disease, exercise, and Meldrum’s best-selling new book, Parkinson’s: How to Reduce Symptoms Through Exercise.
Location:
Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center
303 East Superior Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Advance registration is required. |
Thursday, April 18–Saturday, April 20, 2024 |
We’re Springing Forward—Come Celebrate in Chicago!
Alumni Weekend is the cornerstone event for the Medical Alumni Association. Spend the weekend reconnecting with friends and classmates as you explore campus, participate in lectures and tours, and celebrate at class dinners. We are thrilled to welcome back our 2024 reunion classes, as well as all members of our Half Century Club. Not your reunion year? Not a problem! There’s so much to see and do. Plan to spend a spring weekend with us. See you in Chicago!
Advance registration is required. There is no on-site registration for Alumni Weekend. You must register prior to Thursday, April 11, to be included in any events. |
SAVE THE DATE: Northwestern Leadership Symposium |
Join this complimentary symposium for our most engaged alumni volunteer leaders to learn from expert faculty, network with fellow alumni, and enhance your volunteer role with the University. Events begin Wednesday evening before Homecoming and Reunion Weekend.
The NAA will share the full schedule, event registration, and hotel accommodations this summer. Visit the Leadership Symposium page for additional resources. Information will be updated frequently. |
Stay in tune with Feinberg faculty through candid interviews in the Breakthroughs podcast archives. Listen to their insights, explore recent episodes, claim continuing medical education (CME) credit, and subscribe to the show so that you can stay up-to-date with the latest discoveries.
Claim CME Credit. At the bottom of every podcast story page, you’ll find the eligible credit amount and a “claim your credit” button, which will take you to Feinberg’s CME website. Just sign in and fill out the form.
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine podcasts are available on iTunes, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Pandora. |
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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine | Medical Alumni Association
420 East Superior Street, Rubloff Building, 9th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60611
medalum@northwestern.edu
312-503-8012
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