Vanderbilt Community
Faces and Places
Sep. 13, 2018—
Alumni News
Feb. 28, 2018—1950s Wike Scamman, MD’57, and his wife, Diana, were honored at a reception celebrating his retirement. The 85-year-old pathologist served for many years as laboratory and medical director of several northeast Kansas community hospitals and at one time served as the Shawnee County coroner. 1960s Gordon Gill, MD’63, HS’64, BA’60, chairs the San Diego...
Losses
Feb. 28, 2018—Charles Albright, MD’61, BA’57, died Aug. 6, 2017. He was 81. Dr. Albright is survived by his children, Elizabeth and Cynthia; and two grandchildren. Allen Anderson, MD, HS’83, died Nov. 12, 2017. He was 67. Dr. Anderson is survived by his wife, Candy; children, Brian, David and Chris; and five grandchildren. Burton Bancroft...
Letter From Ann Price, M.D.
Feb. 28, 2018—Dear Vanderbilt University Medical Alumni, Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Reunion 2018 Our next biennial Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) Reunion 2018 will be held Oct. 11-13 with Vanderbilt University’s Reunion and Homecoming celebration. All VUSM medical alumni are cordially invited to attend. VUSM special anniversary classes (see chart below) will celebrate with class parties on...
Giving in Action: Tragedy begets generosity
Feb. 28, 2018—Keith Nolop, MD’79, was a brilliant physician and researcher whose life was cut short in 2016 due to trauma from a bicycle accident. To create something positive out of this tragedy and to commemorate his life as a physician-researcher, his brothers, Neil and Bruce, endowed the Keith Nolop, M.D. Scholarship at the School of Medicine...
Giving in Action: Finding heart in a lung transplant
Feb. 28, 2018—Barbara Rosser Merz and Glenn Merz both lost spouses to a rare lung disease, but found each other and a renewed sense of gratitude. When her husband, Vernon, received his lung transplant at Vanderbilt in 1997, Barbara Rosser started a support group for lung transplant families. The group met frequently, helped one another during difficult...
Alumni Profile: Preston Russell, M.D.
Sep. 22, 2017—Southern Scenes Cobblestone streets, live oaks draped with Spanish moss and the slow pace of a historic Southern city serve as inspiration for Savannah, Georgia, painter, historian and writer Preston Russell, M.D. He lives in a house that was built in 1860 and uses its adjacent carriage house as an art studio to create...
Alumni Profile: John Dormois, M.D.
Sep. 22, 2017—Branching Out John Dormois, M.D., knows that life is about the journey. Seven years ago, at age 65, when many career-long physicians are ready to trade their stethoscopes for golf clubs, Dormois chose a different path; he went back to school. “I had always threatened to go back to school; I had been a...
Letter From Ann Price, M.D.
Sep. 22, 2017—Dear Vanderbilt University Medical Alumni, Congratulations VUSM Class of 2017 The Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Association (VMAA) proudly welcomed the newest members of our medical alumni family, the VUSM Class of 2017, at a faculty appreciation/”almost alumni” luncheon on May 10. I know each of you join me in celebrating their present achievements as we...
Giving in Action: Family First for Distinguished Alum
Sep. 22, 2017—Although Richard B. Johnston Jr., M.D., ‘61, BA’57, is a renowned immunologist and pediatrician, it’s his family that makes him most grateful and proud. Johnston — who has dedicated his life’s work to improving the health of children — received the Vanderbilt University Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award this spring. The honor is the highest...
Giving in Action: A Vision for Change
Sep. 22, 2017—Steve Kutner, M.D.,’65, restored sight to thousands of refugees during his life, while also helping patients in his Georgia Eye Clinic to preserve their sight. Kutner died in 2016, but his spirit of giving continues. Although Kutner founded an international nonprofit, Project Vision, Jeanney Kutner says her late husband saw himself as a humanitarian, not...
Losses
Sep. 22, 2017— Charles Bentz, M.D., ‘70, died Dec. 8, 2016. He was 71. Dr. Bentz is survived by his wife, Lynn; children Kim, Ann, Eduardo, David, Daniel, Charles, Julie, Wayne and Eugene; and many grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Wyatt Blake III, M.D., ‘54, died Dec. 14, 2016. He was 88. Dr. Blake is survived by his...
Alumni News
Sep. 22, 2017—1950s Anderson Spickard Jr., M.D., ‘57, HS ‘59 ‘63, BA ‘53, emeritus faculty, is the author of “The Craving Brain,” which was selected as a finalist for the Foreword INDIEFAB for adult nonfiction. 1960s Antonio Gotto, M.D., ‘65, BA ‘57, is serving as corporate secretary and treasurer of the board of directors for the...
Giving in Action: Welborn’s Healing Scholarship
Mar. 6, 2017—Although grief robbed Bill Welborn, M.D. ‘67, BA ‘64, of the ability to express his feelings after the death of longtime friend, Bill Johnston, M.D. ‘67, BA ‘64, the scholarship Welborn created in memory of Johnston helped him make peace with the loss. “Seeing Bill face Alzheimer’s created overwhelming feelings of frustration and sadness. Anyone...
Faces and Places
Mar. 6, 2017—
Letter From Ann Price, M.D.
Mar. 6, 2017—Dear Vanderbilt University Medical Alumni, Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Reunion 2016 Many thanks to all of you who attended our Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) Reunion 2016. With over 1,000 attendees, this was one of our largest VUSM Reunion events. I hope you enjoyed your time back on Vanderbilt’s campus. A special thanks to...
Losses
Mar. 6, 2017—Lawrence Abrahams, M.D., ‘61, died March 3, 2015. He was 80. Dr. Abrahams is survived by his wife, Hanna; siblings, nieces and nephews. Joseph Allen Jr., M.D., HS ‘56, died Sept. 16, 2016. He was 91. Dr. Allen was preceded in death by his wife, Bettye, and is survived by children, Joe and Kirby; and...
Alumni News
Mar. 6, 2017—1960s Jere Segrest, M.D., ‘66, Ph.D., ‘69, HS ‘70, BA ‘62, FAC ‘16, has joined the VUSM faculty as a professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Arthur M. Freeman III, M.D., ‘67, has been recognized as a Leading Physician of the World and Top Adult Psychiatrist in Birmingham, Alabama, by The International...
Giving in Action: School of Medicine’s New Giving Societies
Mar. 6, 2017—Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) has launched two new donor societies, the John E. Chapman, M.D. Society, recognizing donors who support clinical degree programs and endowed faculty chairs, and the Discovery Circle which recognizes donors to Basic Sciences. Chapman led the school from 1975-2001—the longest tenure of any dean. During that time, he conferred...
Alumni Profile: Ron Bronitsky, M.D.
Aug. 17, 2016—Renaissance Man Pulmonologist, thespian, award-winning baker, competitive swimmer, art collector and performer in an all-bassoon band; this sounds like the description of a roomful of people, but in reality it is a rundown of the many hats worn by Ronald Bronitsky, M.D., ‘77. “When I’m ready to die, I want to be able to look...
Alumni Profile: Thomas Davis, M.D.
Aug. 17, 2016—Making a World of Difference As a child living in Chihuahua, Mexico, Thomas Davis, M.D., ‘14, learned early that socioeconomic factors play a significant role in a person’s success, and he’s determined to use his skills to level the playing field for those less fortunate. “It was hard to hide the realities of the world...
Giving in Action: Doing well by doing good
Aug. 17, 2016—Jonathan Partain, M.D.’60, BA ‘57, wanted to use his medical degree to do something good for people when he moved to Orlando, Florida, in 1968 to start his own practice that would become the Orlando Heart Center. That was the same year that Walt Disney had been secretly buying swamp land in Orlando area in...
Giving in Action: A debt of gratitude
Aug. 17, 2016—Like many physician-scientists who serve in university-based teaching hospitals, W. Bedford Waters, M.D., ‘74, BA ‘70, has investigated medical mysteries in his career. But one question remains after many years—the identity of the donor who supported his education. “John Chapman, who was dean of the School of Medicine, knew me from my work as an...
Letter From Ann Price
Aug. 17, 2016—Dear Vanderbilt University Medical Alumni, Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Reunion 2016 Our next biennial VUSM Reunion, Oct. 20-22, is fast approaching. Reunion festivities will begin on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 20, with a golf outing at Vanderbilt’s Legends Club, followed by an evening welcome reception and awards program at the Country Music Hall of Fame and...
Losses
Aug. 17, 2016—Charles Cannon, M.D., HS ‘64, ‘74, died Feb. 17. He is survived by his wife, Ruth; children, Windsor, Julia and Grady; and six grandchildren. C. Whitney Caulkins Jr., M.D., HS ‘48, died Jan. 20. He was 93. Dr. Caulkins is preceded in death by his wife, Jennie, and is survived by his children, Dave and...
Alumni News
Aug. 17, 2016—1950s Richard Lester, M.D., ‘53, HS ‘54, BA ‘50, was awarded the Samuel Buford Word Award at the Alabama Medical Association meeting. The award is presented in recognition of service to humanity beyond the scope of medical practice, with such service having been rendered at some personal sacrifice. Paul Huchton, M.D., ‘58, HS ‘59, has...
Faces and Places
Aug. 17, 2016—
Losses
Feb. 25, 2016—Arthur Anderson Jr., M.D., ‘50, HS ‘52, FE ‘55, died July 4, 2015. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie; children, Arthur, Charlotte, Michael and James. Samuel Boellner, M.D., HS ‘63, died Sept. 5, 2015. He was 80. Dr. Boellner is survived by his wife, Marilyn; stepchildren, Karen and Eric; and seven step-grandchildren. Marion Carnes,...
Faces and Places
Feb. 23, 2016—
Alumni News
Feb. 23, 2016—1950s Gerald Stone, M.D., ‘57, HS ‘58, BA ‘54, and his wife, Lois, celebrated their 59th anniversary on June 10, 2015. They have 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Dr. Stone continues to do locum tenens in Rochester, New York, where he helped pioneer hemodialysis in 1963. 1960s Al Mushlin, M.D., ‘66, BA ‘63, received...
Letter From Ann Price
Feb. 23, 2016—Dear Vanderbilt University Medical Alumni, Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Reunion 2016 Our next biennial Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) Reunion 2016 will be held Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 20-22, in conjunction with Vanderbilt University’s Reunion and Homecoming celebration. All VUSM medical alumni are cordially invited to attend. Of note, VUSM special anniversary classes (see chart below) will...
Community of Support: Bob McNeilly Jr.
Feb. 23, 2016—The time that Bob McNeilly Jr. spent as a student at Vanderbilt University was the foundation for a longstanding tradition of dedication to the University and Medical Center and their missions. And through the past six decades, these relationships have translated into valuable financial contributions and countless hours of volunteer service in support of the...
Giving in Action: Janet and Jim Ayers
Feb. 23, 2016—In 2005, Tennessee philanthropists Jim and Janet Ayers gave $10 million to help Vanderbilt University scientists find early markers for colorectal cancer that could improve diagnosis and potentially save lives. Within nine years, the gift, which established the Jim Ayers Institute for Precancer Detection and Diagnosis at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), had yielded an impressive...
Letter From Ann Price
Aug. 21, 2015—Dear Vanderbilt University Medical Alumni, Congratulations, VUSM Class of 2015 The Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Association (VMAA) proudly welcomed the newest members of our medical alumni family, the VUSM Class of 2015, at a faculty appreciation/”almost alumni” luncheon on May 6. I know each of you joins me in celebrating their achievements as we begin to...
Research Saving Lives
Aug. 21, 2015—One important source of funding for young investigators is small philanthropic organizations, the grassroots groups that take up a cause and raise money, often in honor of a loved one impacted by cancer. Though their gifts may not equal the government’s spending power, they can give researchers the jumpstart they need to earn future National...
Worthy of Note: Kyla Terhune, M.D.
Aug. 21, 2015—The General Surgery residency program at Vanderbilt School of Medicine has a new program director, but one with a familiar face. Kyla Terhune, M.D., HS ‘11, associate professor of Surgery, took over the residency program, which is one of the largest on campus. She replaced John Tarpley, M.D., ‘70, who served in that role for...
Alumni News
Aug. 21, 2015—1960s Antonio (Tony) Gotto, M.D., ‘65, BA ‘57, received the 2015 American College of Cardiology Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Medical Fellowship’s Excellence in Academic Medicine Award. Richard Johnston Jr., M.D., ‘61, HS ‘63, BA ‘57, was honored by the Institute of Medicine for his outstanding service during the IOM’s 44th annual meeting in...
Faces and Places
Aug. 21, 2015—
Losses
Aug. 21, 2015— Emanuel Abraham, M.D., ‘49, died March 29. He was 93. Dr. Abraham was predeceased by his wife, Helen, and is survived by his children Lynn, Susan, Mark and Lee; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Fred Allison Jr., M.D., ‘46, HS ‘47, FAC ‘02, professor of Medicine, emeritus, and former chief of the Division...
Letter From Ann Price
Feb. 13, 2015—Dear Vanderbilt University Medical Alumni, Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Reunion 2014 Recap Thanks to all who attended Reunion 2014, one of our largest VUSM reunions with over 1,100 attendees. I hope you enjoyed your time on campus. A special thanks to our class chairs and class gift chairs for making Reunion a wonderful event, including...
Donors Honor John W. Brock III, M.D.
Feb. 10, 2015—A Pediatric Urology Research Fund has been established in honor of Vanderbilt’s John W. Brock III, M.D., to support general research and fellows in pediatric urology. The funding is through the support from corporate and individual donors, including Bank of America led by Tennessee president John Stein, Delta Dental Plan of Tennessee led by president...
Growing to New Heights
Feb. 10, 2015—In October, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt launched the Growing to New Heights fundraising campaign in support of a four-floor building expansion that will help advance the size and scope of the hospital’s specialized pediatric health care programs. Patients and their families, along with community supporters and Vanderbilt University officials, gathered to...
Alumni News
Feb. 10, 2015—To see Reunion photos, click here. 1960s Keller Carlock, M.D., ‘64, BA ‘60, HS ‘65, received the top regional award for service from the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. A lifelong scout and former Council Camping Chair, he is a member of the Order of the Arrow Vigil, and of...
Losses
Feb. 10, 2015—Herbert Burke Jr., M.D., ‘55, BA ‘52, HS ‘58, FE ‘59, died July 7, 2014. He was 86. Dr. Burke is survived by his wife, Mary; children, Herbert and Floyd; and one grandchild. Frank Cadenhead, M.D., ‘45, died Oct. 17, 2014. He was 90. Dr. Cadenhead is survived by his wife, Billie; children, Diann,...
Faces and Places
Feb. 10, 2015—
Faces and Places
Sep. 9, 2014—
Losses
Sep. 9, 2014—Jerome Abramson, M.D.,’52, HS ‘59, died May 26. He is survived by his wife, Myrna; children, Richard and Michael; and two grandchildren. William Anderson, M.D. ‘59, HS ‘60, ‘64, died Nov. 19, 2013. He was 79. Dr. Anderson was predeceased by his wife, Sue, and is survived by his children, Bill, John, Michael and Steve;...
Giving in Action + Bacardi Family Gift
Sep. 5, 2014—In Spanish folklore, the bat is a symbol of good luck, long life and family unity. It’s the perfect logo for Bacardi rum, says fourth-generation family member Jorge Bacardi. “There are over 600 people in the family now, but we’re keen on maintaining those philosophies. It’s still a family-owned company and we hope to keep...
Giving in Action + Class of 1993
Sep. 5, 2014—Whether it’s former classmates or perfect strangers coming together to support a great cause, there is no denying that there is strength in numbers. The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) Class of 1993 is a prime example of what a group can accomplish when it works together toward a goal. As its members prepare...
Class Notes
Aug. 27, 2014—1950s Gerald Stone, M.D., ‘57, HS ‘58, and his wife, Lois, welcomed their first great-grandchild on May 8. The first of their 15 grandchildren, David Clay, M.D., BA ‘09, shares the same birthday. Stone continues to do locum tenens and stays active in the medical community in Rochester, New York. 1960s Antonio Gotto, Jr., M.D., ‘65, has been appointed ...