May 28, 2008

SIU Med School Announces Commencement Awards

Several honors and awards have been announced last week as part of the 34th commencement at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield.

A faculty member and graduating senior were named recipients of the 2008 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award during commencement on May 24.  Dr. Gary L. Dunnington, professor and chair of surgery, and Dr. Benjamin W. Cady, a 2008 graduate from Hillsboro, were recognized as two individuals who demonstrate compassion, respect for patients and families, and clinical excellence.  The award is sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

Dunnington’s nominator said “He displays the best of a physician.  He empathizes with his breast cancer patients [and] provides them with trust and confidence….he is extremely approachable and accessible to all students.  His focus is on education and helping all those involved.  I found his balance of life, community, church, medicine and family very refreshing.”

Cady’s nominator said “…he embodies all of the honorable qualities that you can not list on a resume.  Ben’s communication skills and enthusiasm towards patient education has led him to choose the field of family medicine.  He visited patients during his lunch breaks [and] went after rounds to make sure patients understood what the physician had told them…. Compassion is written all over Ben.  He is a role model to me and I’m sure many others.”

Cady will begin his residency in family and preventive medicine at the University of Utah affiliated hospitals in Salt Lake City in July.  He is the son of Dr. Brian and Patty Cady of Hillsboro.  He is a graduate of Hillsboro High School (2000) and Vanderbilt University (2004).

The graduates also honored two faculty members with roles during the ceremony.  Dr. Wesley G. Robinson-McNeese, associate professor of medicine and medical humanities and executive assistant to the dean for diversity, read the Hippocratic Oath.  Dr. John Murphy, professor and chair of pathology, hooded the graduates.

Other faculty members were honored at the graduation reception Friday evening.  Dr. B. Rock Oh, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, received the Golden Apple Award for outstanding teaching.  His student nominators said "Dr. Oh exemplifies to us some of the most valuable traits as a physician and teacher – knowledge and patience.  He always has time for students, allowing us to have plenty of experience in the hospital.  His knowledge and experience are an inspiration to us all."  Oh joined SIU’s faculty in 2000, after working in private practice in Springfield and serving on SIU’s volunteer faculty (1972-2000).

The Alpha Omega Alpha Volunteer Faculty Award was presented to Dr. Donald S. Ross, a community surgeon and a volunteer faculty member with SIU since 1992.  His nominators said “Dr. Ross encourages the students to be active participants in his surgeries and he has a friendly, positive attitude that makes him a great teacher.  He emphasizes what medicine is with a great positive attitude and influence even in the toughest of times.”  Ross completed his surgery residency at SIU and previously was on the School’s full-time faculty.

The class previously honored Dr. Abdeen Farah Musa, a former anatomy instructor, as the Carbondale Teacher of the Year for his efforts during their first year.

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Note to alma maters:  Dunnington joined SIU’s faculty in 1997 and was named department chair in 2000.  He completed his residency at the University of Arizona (1985) and earned his medical degree at Indiana University School of Medicine (1980) and bachelor’s at Ball State University (1976). 
Oh completed a one-year fellowship in endocrinology at Harlem Hospital in New York (1972) and his residency at the Bridgeport Hospital (1971).  Oh earned his medical degree at Yonsei University in South Korea (1963).