GUSOM Medical Alumni Board Newsletter
Letter from the Board Chair
Thanks to all of you after a very busy virtual 2021 academic year. It will be capped by the School of Medicine Virtual Commencement being livestreamed on the  Georgetown University Facebook Page on Sunday, May 23, 2021 at 11 am. Students were invited to participate in an outdoor celebration in four groups of 45 students each on April 29 and 30. They donned their regalia and were filmed crossing the stage in the Research Building. They had their virtual MATCH and now alumni and students will be matching in their new cities after graduation through the CURA program. The leading training program areas for this year's graduates are DC, New York City, southern California, Philadelphia, Chicago and northern California.  Plans for  Zoom Welcomes for the incoming residents for New York and Philadelphia are currently being considered.

We will be welcoming new members of the Medical Alumni Board after the voting period which extends from May 14-21. We have five Board members rolling off including three Committee Chairs who served six years each on the Board: Dr. Nancy Ripp Clark, Dr. Daphne Keshishian, Dr. Joe Panarelli and one Vice-Chair, Dr. Tamika Auguste. Another member, Dr. Michael Alexander, was elected to the Board of Governors this Spring, so he will continue on the Medical Alumni Board. Dr. Ripp Clark is also continuing on the Board as a member of the Board of Governors. We will also be electing a Chair-Elect of the Medical Alumni Board after our June meeting.

The GUSOM Learning Societies have remained active with online student activities during this past year with the programming help of Dr. Bill Licamele (Harvey), Dr. Daphne Keshishian (Knowlan), Dr. John Gatti (Hufnagel) and myself (Faculty Chair of Harvey).

The John Carroll Awards weekend will be held in Nashville, Tennessee from March 31 - ApriI 3, 2022. Dr. Ray Mitchell will be receiving his John Carroll Award that was rescheduled from April, 2020. Further details about the weekend will be announced.

In August, we will be welcoming the newly appointed Dean for Medical Education, Dr. Lee Jones, along with an incoming class looking forward to an in-classroom experience. We must thank Dean Edward Healton and Dr. Michelle Roett for keeping us up to date on the state of the School of Medicine during the past year. We hope to continue to be a vital resource for the School of Medicine.

Regina Torsney-Durkin, M.D.
New Academic Dean
            
Dr. Jones
Jones as the school's new academic dean starting August 1. Dr. Jones is joining the GUSOM faculty from the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine, where he is a clinical professor of psychiatry and currently serves as the associate dean for students. His priorities include focusing on student wellness, diversity and inclusion in medical education, and he hopes to further educate Georgetown students about racism and discrimination in the United States health care system. Welcome Dr. Jones!

From MATCH to CURA
Last month, members of the Georgetown University School of Medicine Class of 2021 were matched with residency programs across the country. As they embark on this journey, the support of the medical alumni community is more 
Dr. Pagel and Dr. Duffin in 2021
important than ever. That's why the CURA (Connecting & Uniting Residents & Alumni) program was created in 2005 to pair recent graduates with alumni in their assigned residency locations to help ease the transition from medical school to residency.

MAB Chair Emeritus Dr. Tim Duffin (M'88, R'90) "matched" with Dr. Tyler Pagel (C'07, M'11) when Tyler graduated and moved to his anesthesia residency at Vanderbilt University in Tim's home town in 2011. Tyler is now practicing anesthesia in Denver, but they still have maintained a close friendship over the years, even getting together in Vail, CO this past winter to ski.

If you or anyone you know are interested in signing up to be a CURA mentor please contact GUMC Engagement Coordinator Charlotte BarryWe are looking for mentors from the following cities: Hanover NH; Iowa City IO; York PA; Columbus OH; Las Vegas NV; and San Antonio TX.  
Nominations Committee News

Annually, School of Medicine alumni have the opportunity to submit a self-nomination to
be considered for membership on the Medical Alumni Board. Typically, candidates are active participants in their communities and are engaged in Georgetown University activities. The Nominations Committee has been evaluating and interviewing candidates for the term from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024. There are five spaces available for new members. The Medical Alumni Board members will be voting on the elected slate of nominees before the spring meeting on Saturday, June 5. Successful candidates will be notified after that date.

The Medical Alumni Board exists to serve the needs and interests of Georgetown University, the Georgetown University Alumni Association, and the medical alumni community. The Medical Board's primary responsibility is to foster engagement and support among alumni for the School of Medicine. We seek diverse representation of the alumni body in terms of geography, ethnicity, and class graduation year. If you are interested in serving on the MAB or would like more information, please contact Daphne Keshishian, MD  or Claire Dinet.

Thank you,
Daphne Keshishian, MD (M'93)
Chair, MAB Nominations Committee
World of Choices
The World of Choices event was held virtually this year on April 27, 2021.  Two current Hoyas, Hannah Kelly M'23 and Daniel Popovsky M'23, expertly moderated this panel with pre-submitted questions from the medical students.

Eleven alumni (Kip Benko M'89, Christina Hanna M'14Daniel Hoth M'72Catherine Ingard M'14Edward Jewell M'81, Frank Manginello M'73, Sheron Marshall M'97, Andrew Tassler M'04,  Regina Torsney-Durkin M'77Eric Treiber M'76, and Clare Van Eenwyk M'05) across a host of specialties joined the event and shared their love of Georgetown, learning and practice of medicine. The students asked great questions ranging from the day-to-day realities of each specialty type to the advice for a successful third and fourth year of medical school. A lot of attention was placed on how to choose a speciality with many reassurances from the alumni that no matter which field of medicine you choose, the most successful practitioners are those who never stop learning and who remember to keep patient care at the heart of their practice.
 
While we all wish to have this event in-person again in the future, there was a reciprocal gratitude among both the students and the alumni for the continued efforts at remaining connected and supporting one another by any means.  Hoya Saxa!

Christina Hanna, M.D. (F'08, M'13)
Upcoming Calendar Events
Saturday June 5, 2021
10:30 am - 12 noon


October 29 - 31, 2021


Tentative schedule for Medical Reunion for Classes ending in '0' & '5' and '1' & '6'. 
Please contact Charlotte Barry if you are interested in serving as a Class Ambassador.
Alumni Updates
Dr. Stephen Ray Mitchell (W'86, MBAE'13)
Ray was selected for the annual Doctor of the Year Award by the Georgetown Clinical Society in 2020. The event was postponed due to the pandemic and has been rescheduled to this June 2021. He will receive his award at the DOY celebration event hosted by the Washington Golf & Country Club of Northern Virginia. Congratulations Ray!

The Georgetown Clinical Society was founded in 1809 as part of the university-wide Alumni Association, and is recognized as Georgetown's longest running alumni organization. Members include medical school alumni, GUSOM faculty, and alumni of post-graduate medical programs. The Society hosts GUSOM students at its functions and provides student mentorship and scholarships.


Dr. Michael Alexander (C'74, M'78, W'83)
Mike is a member of Coastal Volunteers in Medicine, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit free clinic serving the poor and uninsured of Southern Ocean County, New Jersey. CVIM offers primary care including telemedicine as well as 
women's health, mental health and addictive services. Mike writes that "this time last year we lost our Board Chair to COVID 19. I was asked to assume the role of Chair. With the help of several grants we have been able to expand our services including a diabetes program emphasizing diet, exercise, podiatry and eye care.  In addition, I am looking forward to my first term on the GU Alumni Board of Governors and continuing on the Medical Alumni Board."


Dr. George Heyrich (M'89)
George was named a Top Doctor in interventional cardiology by Philadelphia Magazine for the fourth consecutive  year, as well as a Top Doctor in cardiology by New Jersey Magazine. He was also a recipient of the GUAA Founders Award this past February and has been virtually mentoring several first year medical students throughout the year with zoom meetings and virtual dining. George adds that he "served on the selection committee for the dean of the medical school representing the alumni board   We look forward to meeting with him in the near future."
 

Srdjan Mirkovic (M'84)
Srdjan's daughter Erin graduated from McDonough School of Business in the Class of 2020, and the family celebrated her graduation during the pandemic on Lake Michigan on their boat appropriately 
named "AHOYA". Their previous boat, "The Nittany", was named by Srdjan's wife Jill for her alma mater, Penn State. Sounds like a fair trade!