The college welcomed alumni back to campus during reunion weekend, Oct. 15 and 16. This year’s reunion celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1959 and welcomed classes in five-year increments from 1944 to 1999. Reunion activities included a welcome reception, breakfast, campus tours, lectures, a luncheon featuring my state of the college address and an awards dinner.
During the dinner, Leonard Berlin ’57, MD ’59, Res ’62, received the College of Medicine Distinguished Alumnus Award. Berlin is an internationally recognized expert in improving patient safety in radiology, and for 32 years he was chair of the department of radiology at Rush North Shore Medical Center in Skokie (now NorthShore University HealthSystem, Skokie Hospital, where he is vice chair of radiology).
John Mason ’53, MD ’55, Res ’59, a retired obstetrician and chair of the college’s Medical Alumni Council, was honored with the Lou Liay Spirit Award for Extraordinary Alumni Service. I was deeply honored to receive the Loyalty Award for Exceptional Alumni Service.
It also was very gratifying to hear the words of Carrie Nieman, a fourth-year MD/MPH student and president of the Chicago Medical Student Council, who spoke at the breakfast. Carrie noted that as the college’s students go through their clinical rotations, they are welcomed at hospitals throughout Chicago because of the great reputation that generations of College of Medicine graduates have developed during their medical careers. “Your work inspires us to uphold that long-standing tradition of excellence here,” she told the alums.
I hope you share the same pride that I feel in reading those remarks and in being a graduate of the College of Medicine. On behalf of the faculty, staff and students, thank you for your continued involvement with the college. Please let us know if you’d ever like to visit the campus—we’d be happy to arrange a tour so that you can learn firsthand about the college’s new facilities and programs. You also can send us updates, questions, ideas and suggestions at medcomm@uic.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.
Joseph A. Flaherty '68, MD '71, Res '75
Dean, University of Illinois College of Medicine
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