Summer 2021
we’d love to hear from you!
Share your important milestones with us.
Please share your recent news, accomplishments, and important milestones with us. Submit your updates and high-resolution photos via the linked form, and we will publish them in an upcoming issue of the magazine.
1950s
Gerson Bernhard, ’53 MD, ’59 GME, has become used to video medicine precepting rheumatology fellows at University of California San Francisco and consulting with primary care physicians in Medicaid and free clinics through the MAVEN Project during the pandemic. Bernhard remarks, “While this is mutually useful, it is not the same as being in the same room with the patient to examine them and catch the nuances of the interchange.”
Jerrold J. Weinstock, ’59 MD, has practiced psychiatry for over 50 years in Key West, Florida, where he set up all mental health services clinics covering all of Monroe County from the 1960s through the 1990s and has served as a consultant to school systems. He has also become an environmental activist, writing a book: a 16-year project titled “Insult to Our Planet & the Florida Keys,” available on Amazon. The book has been described as “nature writing that is absorbing and even poetic.”
1960s
John J. Beck, ’65 MD, retired from his full-time practice in family medicine on December 31, 2008 and part-time correctional medicine on October 31, 2013. He and his wife, Barbara, recently moved back home from assisted living. They look forward to gardening and maintaining their hiking trails. In his spare time, Beck also teaches adult education classes on a variety of topics.
Trent W. Nichols ’69 MD, ’76 ’78 GME, has become chief medical officer for International Cancer Alliance for Research and Education (ICARE). Following the death of his wife Sharon Ann from a rare form of endometrial cancer, carcinosarcoma, his family founded the Sharon Ann Nichols Foundation for Endometrial Cancer, which is affiliated with ICARE and is working to change the standard of care by promoting tumor banking for chemotherapy and immune therapy testing via organoid or mouse model, increasing survival by 90 percent. Nichols also shared that the clinical trial of photobiomodulation with NIR LED light he conducted with colleagues Marvin Berman and Jason Huang has achieved statistical significance in executive functioning and clock drawing in 106 subjects in an IRB-placebo-controlled clinical trial in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s dementia at Baylor Scott White and Quietmind Foundation in Elkins Park.
Inclusion and Allyship: Sharing Stories
“During our third year of medical school, two of my classmates and I elected to study abroad for one quarter. One chose Vietnam (during the war) serving in a clinic for indigenous Montagnard people caught between the warring factions. Another chose a mission clinic in Thailand. I chose Zululand, South Africa, to work in a British hospital for the indigenous Zulu people. We participated in hospital care, surgery, delivery of babies under C-section (malnutrition made vaginal delivery life-threatening), and outreach clinics for Zulu people living in the wilderness. This was my first experience with community medicine.
Upon returning to medical school in Chicago, we noticed there were many similarly disadvantaged people in low-income communities of color around us, and we decided to organize a free clinic. We approached the Erie Neighborhood Center for social services in a low-income, largely Hispanic and African American neighborhood. The staff agreed that a clinic would be beneficial, as long as we were qualified. We gathered support from classmates, residents, and faculty members who volunteered along with us. Students appreciated clinical experience and people in the community came in significant numbers to seek help. Later, I spent a year as a fellow in Community Medicine at Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital (now Rush Medical College) and then worked in the second largest federally funded community health center in Tucson, Arizona.
Twenty years later, at a Board Meeting of Physicians for Social Responsibility in Washington, D.C., I met the medical director of the third largest federally funded community health center in the nation — the Erie Community Health Center in Chicago!My colleague wasn’t aware of the history of the clinic’s origins, so I sent him the clinic’s charter from our medical school days. We each can be innovators of social change!” — Barbara H. Warren, ’67 MD, MPH
We would love to hear your stories of Inclusion and Allyship. Please submit your story by emailing gina.bazer@northwestern.edu.
1970s
Jason Chao, ’79 MD, FAAFP, is a graduate of the Honors Program in Medical Education and professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. Chao is a co-author of the study “Contributions of U.S. Medical Schools to Primary Care (2003-2014): Determining and Predicting Who Really Goes into Primary Care,” published in the journal Family Medicine. The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) recognized this publication for the 2020 STFM Research Paper of the Year Award. STFM is a national community of academic leaders committed to developing an accomplished family medicine workforce prepared to serve as the foundation of America’s healthcare system.
Robert Buckingham, ’79 MD, FACP, married his wife, Kate, on September 17, 2019 in Odessa, Ukraine. Buckingham remains in full-time medical practice and is just completing his fifth book, “How Dancing Really Stops the Clock.” His book focuses on the mechanics of the capillary cell pivot and swing dance step rhythm between outer membrane permeability and mitochondrial combustion. He writes: “For the rhythm to be effective, it must be timely and counterbalanced in its signaling, metabolic, and purpose execution. When the dance step rhythm is robust, it will clarify a precision and timely execution of capillary cell multipurpose that will include the resuscitation of its infrastructure (as well as that of its interstitial space allied partners), the maintenance of interstitial space hygiene, and optimization of end organ cell functional health and longevity. In this manner, the capillary and downstream endothelial cell dance step rhythm becomes the major quality assurance mechanic behind the antagonism of aging and subsequent end organ disease prevention.”
Scott Sarran, ’79 MD, ’92 MBA, is the founding chief medical officer at MoreCare Illinois, a start-up group of Medicare Advantage Plans with a focus on the highest-risk populations within Cook County (institutionalized, institutional-eligible, and HIV-positive beneficiaries). Scott continues to swim, run, and bicycle, and enjoys spending time with his four grandsons.
1980s
Tim Herrick, ’83 MD, and Joan Burlingham Herrick, ’82 BSPT, have spent the last nine years in Portland, Oregon, where Tim has been practicing ambulatory and hospital family medicine as well as teaching students and residents at Oregon Health & Science University. He also started a travel medicine clinic and a hepatitis C treatment clinic at his family medicine center. Joan retired from physical therapy on their return from Africa and has been mentoring international students and their spouses. Both Tim and Joan are now learning Arabic in preparation for their move to Mauritania this fall, to help promote family medicine practice and training within the country’s context.
Harry E. Wilkins, III, ’86 MD (HPME), ’93 GME, released a book co-authored with Hedi Aguilar, RN, founder and CEO of Fundamental Roots, titled “The Art of Effective Communication.” In addition, Wilkins retired from active clinical practice as a trauma surgeon on staff at Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois, to become president and CEO of Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, based in Itasca, Illinois. In this role, he is responsible for the leadership and oversight of a 330-employee organization that covers 180 hospitals and 10 transplant centers in Illinois and part of Northwest Indiana, and was responsible for the recovery of 457 organ donors in 2020. Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is one of 57 federally designated organ procurement organizations responsible for coordinating all aspects of organ and tissue donation.
Jennifer I. Lim, ’86 MD, ’87 GME, was a recipient of the 2020 Women in Ophthalmology Scientific Contribution Award, which recognizes a physician or non-physician scientist who has made a significant scientific contribution in the field of ophthalmology. Lim also was named the recipient of the 2021 Macula Society Paul Henkind Memorial Award and gave the Henkind Lecture virtually on February 6. She is the Marion H. Schenk Esq. Chair and Professor of Ophthalmology, director of Retina Service, and vice chair for Diversity and Inclusion at University of Illinois at Chicago.
Charles Modlin, Jr., ’97 MD, MBA , is the author of the book “It Isn’t Difficult to Do It If You Know How to Do It,” which centers on youth mentorship, guidelines for a college education and beyond, and success strategies for overcoming challenges and achieving goals. Modlin draws from his own childhood experiences through medical school and his career as a kidney transplant surgeon.
1990s
Harold N. Keer, ’90 MD, ’90 PhD, was appointed chief medical officer at Astex Pharmaceuticals in November 2020. During the pandemic, the company announced that its novel oral drug treatment for myelodysplastic syndromes, ASTX727, was approved by the Federal Drug Administration. During this time, Keer also became a grandfather. With vaccines available, Keer has volunteered with San Mateo County, administering shots or giving medical consults – his contribution toward ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
Steven Covici, ’93 MD, FACS, has a private practice where he specializes in oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgery in Springfield, Massachusetts. Covici is also chief in the Division of Ophthalmology at Baystate Medical Center.
Erik K. Alexander, ’97 MD, was appointed vice president of education for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, overseeing undergraduate and graduate medical education and allied health educational activities for over 3,000 trainees. He serves as the associate dean for medical education at Harvard Medical School.
William W. Ting, ’99 MD, ’99 MBA, writes: “We are honored to announce the endowment of the William W. Ting, MD, and Flora H. Ting Family Scholarship at Feinberg and pleased to announce Rohail Memon (Class of 2024), as the inaugural scholar this academic year. We hope to inspire Feinberg Classes of ’98 and ’99 to join our commitment to supporting scholarship efforts to make Feinberg medical education tuition-free one day.”
2000s
Shirley Chi, ’01, MD, ’02 GME, a Los Angeles-based dermatologist, was featured as the expert in a new documentary short film, “In the Sun,” executive-produced by Kerry Washington with Neutrogena Studios. According to publicity materials, the documentary “lets viewers in on the personal skin health journeys of seven families facing extraordinary circumstances as they navigate the long-term effects of living in the sun while still living vibrant lives.” Its aim is to dispel misconceptions about skin health and provide information about sun safety through “real stories that span across generation, race, and gender.” The film can be viewed on YouTube.
Elisa S. Gallo, ’01 MD, FAAD, received a Presidential Citation for over a decade of volunteer work nationally and internationally at the annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting this past April. Gallo, currently an associate editor for the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD), was also named section editor for the JAAD podcast, “Dialogues in Dermatology,” which provides continuing medical education to 20,000 members nationally and internationally.
Ankur Jain, ’02 MD (HPME), completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he was selected as chief resident, in 2005 after graduating from medical school. Jain subsequently completed a fellowship in Gastroenterology at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Los Angeles in 2009. After working for several years in Southern California, Jain moved back to Hawaii in 2013 and started a gastroenterology practice with his wife, who is also a gastroenterologist. He has a special interest in colorectal screening and is a member of the state colorectal cancer task force. Jain has also been serving as the governor of Hawaii for the American College of Gastroenterology since 2017 and is an associate professor of Medicine at the John A. Burns School of Medicine.
Shamila G. Rawal, ’02 MD, joined Haute Beauty Network as a hair restoration expert. Rawal’s practice, The Rawal Institute for Hair Restoration and Aesthetic Medicine, is located in Madison, Wisconsin. Rawal is an otolaryngologist/head and neck surgeon, specializing in the management of hair loss and rejuvenation of the face and neck. Check out her website to learn more.
Jeff Lin, ’07 MD, transitioned from private practice in San Jose, California, to network practice at City of Hope National Medical Center in Torrance, California.
GME
Scott Henderson, MD, ’77 MS, ’86 GME, retired January 2020 after 33 years of practice with Midwest Physicians Anesthesia Services in Columbus, Ohio. During his years in Columbus, he served in various leadership positions, including two years as chair in the Department of Anesthesiology and as section head for Obstetrical Anesthesia at Riverside Methodist Hospital for about 20 years. With retirement, COVID-19 came, giving Henderson a chance to volunteer at the Medical Reserve Corp in Franklin County vaccination clinic.
PT
Kyle Fahey, ’15 DPT, was named the recipient the Emerging Leader award from the Illinois Physical Therapy Association on March 6. In November 2020, Fahey co-authored the book “Adaptive Yoga: Designed for a Variety of Bodies and Conditions,” which was written to educate and inspire yoga instructors and medical professionals to utilize yoga in the care of individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions. Learn more about “Adaptive Yoga” here.
