November 18, 2004

Two SIU Faculty Honored by AAMC

Two faculty members from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield have received major honors at the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) this month in Boston.

Dr. David A. Rogers, associate professor of general surgery, was honored as one of the 64 national finalists for the 2004 Humanism in Medicine Award, sponsored by the AAMC and Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative. The nominations are made by medical students.

Rogers was nominated by SIU medical students because of his "unyielding dedication to his patients. As a pediatric surgeon, he….is personally involved with every aspect of a child's care from pre-anesthesia to post-op follow up. He has a warm, gentle demeanor and serves as an important role model. Students consider Dr. Rogers as one of the most influential and considerate teachers at SIU. He is an exceptional role model for students to emulate."

Rogers joined SIU's faculty in 1999. He completed a two-year pediatric surgery residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis (1994), a pediatric surgical oncology fellowship at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis (1992) and a surgery residency at the Medical College of Georgia (1990). He earned his medical and bachelor's degrees at the University of South Florida in Tampa (1980, 1994).

Linda H. Distlehorst, Ph.D., associate professor emeritus, has been awarded the Merrell Flair Award by the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) held during the AAMC annual meeting. The award honors individuals who have made major contributions to medical education.

Distlehorst was honored for various contributions including serving as GEA chair and member-at-large, convener of the Research in Medical Education section and a laureate for the central region group. Over the past 20 years, she presented at regional and national programs, authored articles for publications and mentored many others working in medical education.

Distlehorst was named associate dean for educational affairs in 1995, having joined SIU’s medical education department in 1976. She retired in December 2003. She earned her doctoral degree in educational administration at SIU (1992), master’s at University of Illinois in Springfield (1976) and bachelor's at Western Illinois University in Macomb (1967).

-30-