GUSOM reception during John Carroll Weekend, Austin 

      
Dr. Regina Torsney-Durkin receives the Founders Award from Dr. Ray Mitchell
Letter from the Board Chair
Dear Medical Alumni Board Members,

At the end of this Academic Year, I want to sincerely thank all of the Board members for their dedication and hard work on behalf of the Medical Alumni. The four Chairs have contributed greatly and many of the Medical Board members have really stepped in with new initiatives and giving true meaning to a committee. The Dean and Medical Students have been very appreciative in your efforts in growing the Medical Alumni Community. 

Thank you, 
Regina Torsney-Durkin M.D.
Alumni Needed for the Match 
ALUMNI MATCH PROGRAM
Alumni physicians in all cities are needed to participate in Georgetown's MATCH ("Match Alumni To Caring Hoyas") program, now in existence for the past twelve years. Through this connection, each alum is matched up with a graduating senior who is moving to the same geographic location. It can be as simple as a giving them a phone call to welcome them to your home town, or taking them out to dinner to help them get situated. Throwing them a Hoya lifeline keeps the alumni connection vibrant and strong!!
Please call GUMC Engagement at 
to enroll. 
Upcoming Calendar Events 
Sunday May 21
GU School of Medicine Graduation
DAR Constitution Hall
Saturday June 3 
      9-10:30 am 
Medical Alumni Board Meeting
Warwick Evans Board Room, Building D

July (date TBD)
GEMS program 40th Anniversary Celebration
FOR INFORMATION, CLICK HERE
Thursday August 3
         6 pm
Alumni Welcome Reception Welcoming the Class of 2021 
All Medical Alumni Board members are invited to attend! 
The Robert & Bernice Wagner Alumni House
3604 O Street, NW (Corner of O and 36th Streets) 

Friday August 4 
         3:30 pm  
White Coat Ceremony (students and parents only)
Gaston Hall

October 27-29
Medical School Reunion Weekend (Classes ending in "2" and "7")

Letter from the Philanthropy Committee Chair
The philanthropy committee continues its mission of making the unique Georgetown School of Medicine experience attainable for all aspiring physicians.  Student scholarships remain a top priority for us. So far this year, over $1.7 million has been raised through the Annual Fund, with gifts from over 2500 donors.  Alumni contributions directly support student scholarships, as well as programs like the White Coat ceremony, and we plan to create new ways to connect scholarship donors and recipients.  We look forward to the opportunity to thank our fellow alumni for their outstanding support at coming reunions and alumni events and are eager to reach out to those who are looking for ways to give back to present and future students of Georgetown SOM.  Lastly, we wish to thank all of our board members for your continued support each year!

Joseph Panarelli, M.D.
Meet the Philanthropy Committee Members
Joseph Panarelli, M.D. - CHAIR
Joe (M'07) received his BS in Finance from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business in 2003 before attending GUSOM. He completed a residency in ophthalmology at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary where he served as Chief Resident during his final year of training.  Following a year of fellowship training in glaucoma at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, he joined the faculty at Bascom Palmer for an additional year prior to returning to New York Eye and Ear as a member of the full-time faculty.  He is very active in resident education and currently serves as the Associate Residency Program Director as well as Glaucoma Fellowship Director.  Georgetown remains a special place for Dr. Panarelli as he is one of many "double Hoyas" having completed both his undergraduate and medical training here.  During his medical training, Dr. Panarelli was awarded the Ruggles Scholarship, a gift on behalf of Robert and Francine Ruggles. Their kind generosity inspired he and his wife to start their own scholarship this past year to help a current student in the medical school. 


Eugene Gatti, M.D.
Born and raised in Camden, New Jersey, Gene (M'82) graduated from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia before attending GUSOM. He returned to Philadelphia to complete his internship and residency in pediatrics, followed by a fellowship in adult and pediatric allergy and clinical immunology, at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Gatti has been in private practice since 1987.
Dr. Gatti and his wife have two children. Besides spending time with family and friends, he enjoys traveling, walking, reading, and especially dining.

George Heyrich, M.D.
George (M'89) completed his Internal Medicine residency at Thomas Jefferson University and served as Chief Medical Resident there. He went on to Yale University for Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology Fellowship training. He currently serves as Director of Interventional Cardiology and Structural Heart Disease at St. Mary Medical Center, Langhorne PA; he is also President of the St Mary Medical Center Medical Staff and a member of the Medical Center Foundation Board.  He is a founding member of Mercer Bucks Cardiology which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
George and his wife Nancy have been married for 25 years. They are celebrating the graduation of their daughter, Samantha, from Bryn Mawr College this spring. She is moving on to work in the US Senate and pursue a Master Degree at George Washington University. Their son, Matthew is graduating from the Lawrenceville School and will attend University of Richmond this fall.  George enjoys competing in USTA tennis, fishing, golfing and biking in his free time when not involved with family activities.

Bill Licamele, M.D.
Bill (C'68, M'72, R'74, W'76) is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics and the former Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Georgetown, and was in private practice in McLean VA from 1976 to 2014. He met his wife Annamarie Novello Licamele at Georgetown Hospital during her work as the hospital's first in-house tutor for pediatric patients in long-term care and they have three children (all Hoyas) and six grandchildren. Bill has been the ultimate Hoya and loves all things Blue and Gray. He is a long-term member of the GU Alumni Association Board of Governors (current Senator); has been a member of the Board of Directors for both the Hoya Hoop Club and Hoyas Unlimited; mentors undergrad premeds, student athletes and med students; participates in Dine With A Doc; is an undergrad and Medical School admission interviewer; and plans class reunions for both his undergrad and medical school classes. He is a member of the Georgetown Clinical Society and the Georgetown ROMEOs, and enjoys traveling and cheering on all Georgetown sports teams.

Frank Palumbo, M.D.
Frank (C'68, M'72, R'75) was born and raised in Connecticut, and stayed in the DC area after attending GU undergrad, GU Med and then training in pediatrics at Georgetown Hospital. He served as the Director of Georgetown's Children & Youth Ambulatory Services for 10 years and has been in private practice at Spring Valley Pediatrics for thirty years; currently he is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at GU Hospital. Dr. Palumbo was an advisor for the American Academy of Pediatrics and has appeared before Congress as an expert child advocate. He was named "Doctor of the Year" by the Georgetown Clinical Society and was given the preceptor Award by GUSOM in 2012. In 2013 he was admitted to the AOA medical honor society. He has been active for many years as a member of the GU Board of Governors (now a Senator) and the Medical Alumni Board, and was awarded the John Carroll Award in 2016.  Frank and his wife Sharon enjoy spending time with their grandchildren; Frank can also be found sailing in local waters, sampling fine wines, and cheering at Hoya basketball games.






Alumni Updates
Dr. Mary Beth Connell (M'89) received the prestigious John Carroll Award, the highest honor bestowed on a Georgetown graduate, at the annual John Carroll Weekend held in April in Austin.

Lavender Graduation for LGBTQ and Ally students, the first event in the Georgetown graduation season, took place on April 24 and included four members of the Medical Class of 2017. They received their certificates from Associate Dean and Hoya Clinic Director Dr. Eileen Moore. In attendance were medical alumni Dr. Mary Beth Connell (M'89) and Dr. Regina Torsney-Durkin (C'73, M'77 and MAB Chair)
Click here for more information.

Board members Dr. Tamika August (M'00, R'04) and Dr. Caridad De la Uz (M'05) were both featured in the recent Georgetown Medicine article " Fulfilling Dreams, Serving Others", highlighting the success of the Georgetown Experimental Medical Studies (GEMS) program.  Click here for the full article.

Dr. Daphne Keshishian (M'93) has been appointed as the Faculty Director of the Knowlan Learning Society, taking over that position with the retirement of Dr. Marissa McDonnell (C'89, M'93, R'97). Daphne is currently the Nominations Chair on the Medical Alumni Board. Marissa is a member of the Georgetown University Board of Regents and recent member of the Medical Alumni Board, and will continue to participate in Medical Alumni Board meetings during Leadership weekends. 
Click here for more information on the Learning Societies.

Dr. Mike Sharkey (M'85) is finishing up his final term on the Medical Alumni Board this year, and we thank him for his gracious and generous (and good-humored!) service to the board.

Medical Alumni Board emeritus member Frank Previti (C'69, R'79) will be joining the GU Board of Regents this year.

Georgetown Medicine in the News
New Model of Care for MS
Dr. Carlo Tornatorre, Chair of the Department of Neurology, is launching innovative research studying the benefits of the medical home model for patients with multiple sclerosis.


New GU Medicine-Law Partnership
Georgetown Med physicians and students are partnering with faculty and students from the Georgetown Law Center to help patients overcome health and legal hurdles in reducing health disparities. The goal of the new Georgetown University Health Justice Alliance (HJA)  is to provide a more holistic approach to help the most disadvantaged DC area residents. Click here for the video recently shown at John Carroll Weekend in Austin.