Diane Williams and her mother, Gwen Washington

Descendants of Cortlandt Van Rensselaer Creed

Reunion 2007

Scores of alumni returned to Yale in June for a weekend of reminiscing and reconnecting.

Reunion 2007 opened on June 1 with the traditional reception and clambake—but in a departure from past years, the reception was held in Harkness Courtyard rather than in the Medical/Historical Library.

The reunion, said Dean Robert J. Alpern, M.D., Ensign Professor of Medicine, marked his third anniversary as dean. He assured alumni about the status of the Yale system of medical education. “The Yale system is alive and well—so relax and enjoy the weekend.”

The following morning, after a reunion symposium on brain function, Alpern offered a more detailed view of the state of the school. Applications to the medical school have increased, he said. With more than 4,000 applicants each year for 100 slots, the admissions committee has been increased from 30 to 74 members. “The quality of the applicants is incredible,” he said. He also mentioned that for the second time in three years, 100 percent of students matched this year.

In addition, 102 new graduate students entered the medical school in 2006. This year a new collaborative project with China will begin, wherein eight Chinese graduate students will come to Yale, with their education funded by universities and the Chinese government. “It will be really good for China and for Yale,” Alpern said.

Three new research centers have been established at Yale: the PET Center; the stem cell center funded in part by the state of Connecticut; and the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation. Two important initiatives are also under way, Alpern continued. One is to ensure that the clinical practice is run as efficiently as possible: Navigant Consulting, a specialized independent consulting firm, has identified areas in which the practice can be improved. And Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH) and the medical school are working on joint service line planning for cardiovascular care, organ transplant, neurosciences, oncology and pediatrics.

The medical school’s endowment has grown from $1 billion to $1.8 billion over the past three years. In addition, three major facilities are in the works: a cancer hospital is under construction; a new research building on Amistad Street is set to open in October; and still another research building is on the drawing board.

The Association of Yale Alumni in Medicine (AYAM) elected a new slate of officers this year. Jocelyn S. Malkin, M.D. ’52, HS ’54, FW ’60, became president. Harold D. Bornstein Jr., M.D. ’53, HS ’56, was elected vice president. Robert W. Lyons, M.D. ’64, HS ’68, stayed on as secretary, a three-year position. Francis M. Lobo, M.D. ’92, completed his two-year term as president.

Howard A. Minners, M.D. ’57, and Peter N. Herbert, M.D. ’67, received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award. Minners was honored for his service to the medical school, the country and the world. He has worked as a flight surgeon for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, developed vaccines at the National Institutes of Health, was assistant surgeon general and served as a science advisor to the United States Agency for International Development.

Herbert, chief of staff at YNHH, was recognized for his achievements in elucidating the mechanisms of lipid metabolism and for his service to three hospitals in the New Haven area—YNHH, the Hospital of St. Raphael and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven.

Honoring first African American alumnus

Today, more than 350 African Americans hold degrees from the Yale School of Medicine, but 150 years ago there was only one: Cortlandt Van Rensselaer Creed.

When Creed received his degree in 1857, he was the first African American to be awarded any degree from Yale University and the first to obtain a medical degree from an Ivy League school. The School of Medicine celebrated this landmark event during the June reunion weekend as 50 Creed family members attended commemorative events, including a visit to Creed’s grave in the Grove Street Cemetery during which Curtis Patton, Ph.D., professor emeritus of epidemiology and public health, unveiled a new gravestone for Dr. Creed. The centerpiece of the weekend was a presentation on Creed’s life by Forrester A. Lee, M.D. ’79, assistant dean for multicultural affairs and professor of medicine (cardiology).

It took extensive genealogical detective work on the part of Darryl K. Daniels, M.D. ’91, and others to fill in the details of Creed’s life and to track down his descendants; no photograph of him has ever been found. Still, much has been learned about Creed and his many accomplishments.

A New Haven native, Creed was the grandson of Prince Duplex, a Revolutionary War soldier. His mother, Vashti Duplex, was New Haven’s first African American schoolteacher, and his father, John Creed, was a Yale College janitor and caterer.

Creed served as a surgeon during the Civil War and as medical officer of the Connecticut National Guard. He went on to practice medicine in successful mixed-race practices in New Haven and Brooklyn, N.Y., drawing the attention of the press for his surgical and forensic skills. Reportedly, Washington physicians sought his expertise when President James Garfield was assassinated in 1881. At that time there were no X-ray machines or other devices that could detect the precise location of bullets lodged deep within the body, and eminent surgeons outside Washington were consulted in an effort to locate the bullet and remove it to prevent infection and save Garfield’s life.

Creed’s memory at Yale endures through scholarships and awards. At the School of Public Health (EPH), the Creed/Patton/Steele Scholarship supports outstanding students from underrepresented minorities. Both the School of Medicine and EPH present an annual Creed Award to an underrepresented minority student for academic achievement and commitment to community service.

After Lee’s presentation, several Creed family members took turns at the podium in Rosenberg Auditorium in the Jane Ellen Hope Building. An emotional George Creed said, “You have immortalized one of our ancestors. I can think of no greater gift for man on earth.” Referring to Creed’s descendants, Georgette Creed added, “We’re all activists in some form or fashion. We’re still carrying the banner.”

Remembrances of women at Yale

Alumni who returned for reunion weekend in early June surely expected misty-eyed reminiscences over lobster and Chablis with former classmates and professors, but some also had the chance to delve into the past in a more structured way with Naomi Rogers, Ph.D., associate professor of history of medicine and of women’s and gender studies.

Rogers, who is compiling an oral history of women graduates of the School of Medicine from the Class of 1920 to the present, met individually with alumnae to record their recollections of life in medical school. She spoke with about a dozen women from the classes of 1944 through 1986.

Most of the older women Rogers interviewed were either pediatricians or psychiatrists, specialties deemed appropriate for women in the early years of women’s admission to medical school. Although discrimination wasn’t a burning issue for the women Rogers interviewed, sometimes specific incidents surfaced as they spoke. One woman who graduated in the late 1960s remembered an uncomfortable episode during her surgical rotation. After an operation was over, she and the rest of the surgical team started discussing the case. As they talked, they moved together into the dressing room. A man in his underwear was irate that a woman had just entered the “doctors’” room and told her to use the room marked “nurses.”

“This was a powerful moment for her and not a deeply unusual story,” Rogers said.

Still, the women interviewed by Rogers looked back on their medical years with great fondness. “They were almost all upbeat,” she said. “Going to medical school was a marvelous experience. They got what they wanted and made some good friends along the way.”

Rogers said she undertook the oral history project to broaden what’s known about the history of the medical school and to inspire women to value their own stories. By the end of the weekend, Rogers said, a number of men came up to her and said, ‘When are you going to interview us?’”

Rogers likes that idea.

Former surgery chair feted

At its 12th annual spring reunion in May the Yale Surgical Society honored surgeon, professor emeritus and author Arthur Baue, M.D., who spent 10 years at Yale as chair of surgery and surgeon in chief at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Baue’s daily mission, said Walter E. Longo, M.D., M.B.A., professor of surgery (gastroenterology), was to strive for excellence in patient care and student education. Longo credited Baue with laying the groundwork for a methodical approach to surgical education and setting standards for the peer review process in medical journals.

Baue called his decade at Yale “the highlight of my career” and said that what he misses most are his weekly meetings with students. “They didn’t take anything for granted,” he said. He recalled a student politely but firmly challenging something he’d said in class. “And you know what?” Baue said. “He was correct.”

Baue, who was at Yale from 1975 to 1984 before moving to St. Louis University, graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed a residency in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. He has authored or coauthored 12 books on medical topics, published 600 professional articles, edited a two-volume text on cardiothoracic surgery and served for 10 years as editor of the American Medical Association’s Archives of Surgery. His most recent book, Doctor, Can I Ask You a Question? Your Health Care Questions Answered, came out in March 2006. Baue continues to write but no longer sees patients. He and his wife, the Reverend Rosemary Dysart Baue, live on Fishers Island, New York.

The surgical society reunion also featured a talk on the future of thoracic surgery by Frank C. Detterbeck, M.D., chief and professor of thoracic surgery. Detterbeck described some of the new treatments on the horizon for lung cancer patients. From real-time imaging techniques and robotic surgery to artificial lungs and tailored chemotherapy, he said that tools being developed will enable doctors and patients to manage lung cancer in the not-too-distant future as a chronic disease rather than an often-fatal illness.

The society presented travel awards to third-year student Heather McGee, for $1,000, and to second-year student Amanda Silverio, for $500. The awards will help pay for McGee’s international travel clerkship in Zambia and for Silverio to attend and deliver a presentation at the American College of Surgeons conference this fall in New Orleans.

AIDS remains a global health threat

A diagnosis of AIDS used to be a death sentence, but in the 25 years since the disease was identified, drug therapies have vastly improved the long-term prognosis for many patients. With AIDS no longer dominating headlines or the obituary pages, it’s easy to draw the conclusion that it’s not a serious health threat anymore.

Nothing could be further from the truth, according to panelists in a workshop held at the School of Public Health’s Alumni Day reunion weekend. While a small percentage of patients have access to lifesaving drugs, AIDS remains a devastating illness for much of the planet, speakers said. “The Evolution of a Global Pandemic: The Story of HIV/AIDS and Health Policy Responses from around the World” focused on the ways different countries—Iran, China, Russia, the Caribbean nations and the United States—are handling the epidemic.

Keynote speaker Peter Selwyn, M.D., M.P.H., medical director of Leeway, a New Haven-based nursing facility for AIDS patients, and professor and chair of the Department of Family and Social Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said that to stop the spread of AIDS, the “transmission dynamics” must be understood. In Iran, for example, intravenous drug use is the major mode of AIDS transmission. In Asia, it is prostitution, and in Russia, it’s a combination of both. “You have to look locally at the specific dynamics of how AIDS is spread,” said Selwyn, who spent seven years at Yale as associate director of the AIDS program. That information can then be used to customize effective intervention strategies.

Post-communist Russia has become the perfect breeding ground for HIV/AIDS, with the second-fastest-spreading epidemic in the world after Ukraine. One reason for Russia’s dubious distinction, said Linda M. Niccolai, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology, is that the government won’t acknowledge the magnitude of the problem. “It doesn’t fit in with their international image,” she said. At a time when the government allocated only $4 million a year for local AIDS prevention and care, it was contributing $20 million to a global fund to fight AIDS elsewhere. “They have a desire to be seen as helping nations in need rather than being a nation in need,” Niccolai said.

The Caribbean, one of several locations where Kaakpema Yelpaala, M.P.H. ’06, has worked for the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative, faces a different roadblock: stigma and discrimination. As a result, said Yelpaala, who is now based in the United States, patients often don’t get tested or seek treatment. Despite these obstacles, Yelpaala said there has been significant improvement in negotiating price reductions for the antiretroviral drugs used to treat AIDS.

Kaveh Khoshnood, M.P.H. ’89, Ph.D. ’95, assistant professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases), proposed what he called “health diplomacy”—improving international relations through collaborations centered around disease management. “Health can and should have a prominent role in global discussions,” he said.

While the disease remains a growing problem in North Africa and the Middle East, Khoshnood said a major shift in attitude on the part of some government officials in Iran has been positive. Iranian government officials now accept that HIV/AIDS is a serious problem and support such progressive measures as methadone treatment and needle exchange programs.

While China also has some enlightened AIDS policies, including free drugs for AIDS patients in rural areas, the stigma placed on patients and the financial burden of caring for them have thwarted adequate diagnosis and care, said Kenneth E. Legins Jr., M.P.H. ’95, chief of the HIV/AIDS Programme at the UNICEF Office for China. “Even when good policies do exist, stigma and discrimination— including parading sex workers through the streets to humiliate them—is a major barrier,” he said. Legins is hopeful that young people, with their more enlightened views, will help bring about a much-needed change in attitude in China.

Idalia Ramos Sanchez, M.P.H. ’81, associate director of the division of science and policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, stressed that despite encouraging news about survival rates and treatment options, AIDS remains a serious problem in the United States, too. She advocates making AIDS testing routine and paying more attention to underlying problems that create barriers to care such as housing. “If you don’t have adequate housing, what good is a drug that needs refrigeration?” she asked. Public opinion polls have found that Americans now view AIDS as more of a global problem than a domestic one.

“It’s not seen as something urgent any more,” Sanchez said, “but it is.”

A vision for public health

Over lunch at the Lawn Club, Paul D. Cleary, Ph.D., told alumni of his efforts in his first year as dean of public health and described his vision for the future. He has streamlined the administration, he said, by reducing the number of committees. Searches are under way for scientists specializing in genomics, HIV, health management, analytic sciences and ecological epidemiology. And 11,000 square feet of new space have become available at 135 College Street.

Because public health is a small school, Cleary said, it can increase its impact through partnerships and alliances with other graduate and professional schools at Yale, as well as civic and government groups in New Haven. How, he asked, can New Haven have the health problems it does with such a pre-eminent research institution as Yale within its borders? “We have got to do better,” he said. “We have got to make New Haven better.” Noting a significant incidence of rickets in the city, he said, “It is not OK that this is happening.”

His vision includes a new yardstick for measuring success—improving the lives of people. “We are not just academicians,” he said. “We want to train people who will have an impact.”

After lunch, alumni were honored for their service to the school and their professional accomplishments. Elaine Anderson, M.P.H. ’76, who served in numerous positions in state government and at the school, received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Carolyn Millman, M.P.H. ’84, who spent 20 years at the school, most recently in alumni relations, received the Bulldog Award. The Eric W. Mood New Professionals Award went to Kaakpema Yelpaala, M.P.H. ’06, who specializes in development and health issues at the William J. Clinton Foundation.

Kaveh Khoshnood, M.P.H. ’89, Ph.D. ’95, assistant professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases), and Edith Pestana, M.P.H. ’93, were named to the 2007 Alumni Public Service Honor Roll. Khoshnood was honored for his commitment to human rights, infectious disease prevention and the eradication of social stigma related to HIV/AIDS. Pestana was honored for embodying the underlying principle of the profession—protecting the health of the public.

Reunion Reports

Click here for reunion photos.

1947
60th Reunion

On December 23, 1943, the incoming Class of 1947 assembled at the Sterling Hall of Medicine. Sixteen members of that class gathered this year for a 60th reunion. On Friday, June 1, the Captain’s Room at Mory’s was dominated by our octogenarian contingent for a social session and dinner. We were pleasantly surprised by an unexpected visit of a dozen former Whiffenpoofs from the Yale College Class of 1977 celebrating their own reunion at Mory’s.

On Saturday, June 2,we gathered at the Graduate Club at 6 p.m. for a social hour and dinner. Classmates in attendance were: Henry and Lorraine Blansfield, Roy and Margaret Breg, John Cannon, Bob and Ann Chase, Amoz and Renate Chernoff, Bill Collins and daughter Ruth, Bob and Susan Darrow, Bob and Claire Kerin, Brock Lynch, Bill and Betty Jean McClelland, Bob and Martha Newton, Bill Rudman and guest, Olive Pitkin Tamm, Bill and Claire Thompson, Ellis and Ann Van Slyck, and Sumner and Marie Ziegra.

Three classmates had made plans and reservations to attend that were derailed. Two of them, Betty Price and Dick Carlin, are mentioned together since their medical school romance united them in marriage. Phil and Josephine Philbin were also unable to attend.

Letters from four classmates all recalled fond memories of medical school days, and each sent best wishes. Roland Chambers sent his greetings from Australia, where he has settled. Others sending remembrances were Owen Doyle, Edgar Phillips and Henry Williams.

It was apparent that it does not take long to reach 80 on either the speedometer or the calendar.

Robert J. Kerin and Robert F. Newton

1952
55th Reunion

Although regrettably fewer of us made it back to this our 55th reunion, those of us who came enjoyed our usual camaraderie. Of our 35 known survivors, a significant number live far away. Those who attended were John Wolff, who traveled from Florida, Frank and Barbara Coughlin, who live in Connecticut, Jack Roberts, who came in from Philadelphia, Bob Gerety and Margie, who traveled from Vermont, and Bob Owen and Edie from St. Louis. Also, the Class of ’52 officially welcomed to our ranks Jocelyn Malkin, who had graduated with members of our class. She is also the incoming president of the Association of Yale Alumni in Medicine.

Several of us got to see each other and renew old friendships on Friday morning while registering in the entrance rotunda of the Sterling Hall of Medicine. That place for our first meeting seemed fitting, for, like the Medical Historical Library, its steadfast unchanging character is reassuring in the otherwise necessarily rapidly evolving environment of modern medicine.

Of course, there was a time for further fellowship at Dean Robert Alpern’s welcome cocktail reception and during the legendary New England-style clambake that followed. Jack Roberts, having also been a Yale undergrad, sang along with reverence and flawless memory when the Dixieland band struck up some old Yale songs.

The reunion symposium on Saturday presenting current research in neurotransmitter release and regulation of synaptic strength was very enlightening. The sherry buffet luncheon was another fine opportunity for fellowship among us, as well as for making new friends among alumni from other classes.

Our class dinner was held at the Graduate Club. Jack distributed copies of photographs from our senior class play; it had been a real spoof, and the pictures evoked many memories. Since we were a small group, there was opportunity for a lot of circulating conversation among us, rich with reminiscences. We covered many subjects, ranging from the sublime (the marvels of modern-day medicine) to the ridiculous (the lyrics of the Whiffenpoof Song). It was an enjoyable evening to be long remembered. It was also a reminder, along with the passing years, for us all to keep in touch.

Bob Owen

1957
50th Reunion

The Class of 1957 held its 50th reunion with a record number of classmates returning—about 60 percent of the living members of the class. We all had a wonderful time meeting and talking with one another.

At the Annual Meeting on Saturday morning we were happy to see one of our members, Howard Minners, receive the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, a well-deserved tribute to his work with the alumni fund and our class over the years.

Later that afternoon, after the class picture on the steps of the entrance to the Medical School simulating the one taken 50 years ago, we convened in the Beaumont Room for our class meeting. Gil Hogan told of his work as the alumni representative to the education, policy and curriculum committee and his experiences teaching the clinical skills course. Harry Briggs told of his many years of teaching anatomy. Calvin Bigler delighted us by recounting his years of practicing in a rural setting as a “compleat surgeon.”

Later on Saturday we reconvened at the home of Bill and Priscilla Kissick in Branford for our class dinner, which was a great success. Dean Alpern and his wife came and broke bread with us, making it even more special.

Earlier in the evening a champagne toast was given by the assembled class for our survival and for our return to a wonderful school with many memories. As usual, we were happy to be with one another.

Gil Hogan

1962
45th Reunion

The 2007 reunion weekend celebration—the 45th anniversary of our graduation from Yale Medical School—was a classic mix of all we might have asked for. The Friday night outdoor reception on the lawn at Harkness Medical Dorm was casual, comfortable and complete with, among other things, delicious grilled fresh lobster and oysters on the half shell. Inside seating at Harkness was elected by most but a few chose the tents, which proved to be secure as well as dry; in fact, pleasant.

Bruce Elfenbein and wife Christine, and Joe Ferrone and wife Pat were able to make only this one-day portion of the weekend because of commitments elsewhere, but enjoyed the evening every bit as much as the rest of us. This group consisted of Fred Cantor, Charlie Carl and wife Diane, John and Trudy Harrington, Walt Karney, Manny and Marcia Lipson, Bill and Ann Miller, and Dick and Peggy Pschirrer. Many of us also had the pleasure of spending time over the weekend with Stew and Emily Wright, who were here for his 50th Yale College reunion.

Saturday activities included lectures on forefront scientific medical research at the Medical School as well as the Dean’s address regarding his appraisal of the medical school in 2007. To the point, it was very upbeat … highest number of applicants per year, excellent yield (acceptances) and a rapidly growing medical school endowment (distinct from the general Yale University endowment). He remarked specifically that the Yale system is still intact, working to the continued satisfaction of all, with only minor tweaks in the last 45 years.

A pleasant highlight for many of us Saturday night was the class dinner held at the New Haven Lawn Club in the private dining room on the first floor. This was attended by Fred and Anita Anderson, Dick and Lucie Collins, Arnie and Nancy Eisenfeld, John German, and Alan and Rhona Lieberson in addition to those already mentioned.

The food and wine were quite good, the service of the staff was efficient, pleasant and congenial … but the after-dinner standing and voluntary comments by virtually everyone present, men and women, will be remembered above all. Friendly and intimate warmth, but especially the sincerity and candor of all, were remarkable in the discussion of careers and lives to date. As the evening concluded, there was a sense of pleasurable togetherness, which I feel will be long remembered.

Dick Pschirrer

1967
40th Reunion

From William Faulkner’s Nobel acceptance speech:“... when the last ding-dong of doom has clanged and faded from the last worthless rock hanging tideless in the last red and dying evening, that even then there will still be one more sound: that of [man’s] puny inexhaustible voice, still talking.” For [man’s] put [’67’s] and you have the situation as it is whenever we meet. I always feel I should say a little something momentous to open our proceedings, but by the time I say “Welcome,” no one is listening—everyone is completely immersed in their own conversations. It is marvelous and like no other thing in my life.

Those in attendance at the 40th reunion for the Class of 1967 included Daniel and Elissa Arons, Mary Williams Clark, Cynthia Rapp Curry, James and Dolly Dineen, Alexander and Trina Dora, James Dowaliby, John Drews with Janet Eyster, Richard and Lilian Hart, Richard and Carol Heppner, Peter and Maureen Herbert, Robert and Gale Kirkwood, Melvyn Korobkin, Anthony and Kathleen Lovell, Stephen and Christina Miller, John and Marilyn Pastore, Brian Rigney with Jessica Coviello, Sidney and Lucy Smith, Helen Smits with Roger LeCompte, Richard and Caroline Swett, Robert S.K. Young, Ihor and Areta Zachary, and Peter and Ellen Zeman.

The feeling of solidarity among those of us who attend our reunions is indeed remarkable. Conversation does not begin; it simply continues where it paused five years ago. I wondered for a long time if all ysm classes had this quality. Now I think not—Ireally believe it is special. One bit of evidence to support this: Alex Dora reported that on Friday night at the clambake, ’67 was still clustered together talking when everyone else had gone home.

Dinner Saturday night at Mory’s was well-attended. The only flaw was that we were in two rooms, so if you wanted everyone to hear what you were saying, you either had to stand in the doorway or say it twice. Steve Miller stood in the doorway to report that our reunion gift to the school is significant. Peter Herbert was not in the doorway when he spoke for himself (and for the rest of us, too) of his admiration and affection for the group, so he must have said it twice. Peter, it should be noted, was honored by the school with the Distinguished Alumni Service Award—an award well-deserved, earned by hard work and devoted service.

I had to say goodnight and leave the party early this year. As I waved and walked out, I looked back. Guess what. No one noticed my exit—they were already completely immersed in their own conversations. Marvelous!

James M. Dowaliby II

1972
35th Reunion

Our 35th reunion, attended by 13 classmates and 10 spouses, was truly memorable. As was the case for our 20th, Jerry and Roz Meyer hosted a fabulous dinner at their magnificent waterfront estate in Guilford. The “official” dinner on Saturday was held at the Quinnipiack Club.

Attending were Phil Rothfield, who is “easing back” on his radiology practice and summering on Bantam Lake. Lenny Cohen continues his part-time GI practice and also spends time as a financial consultant. He was in good form as an avid lap swimmer. He was accompanied by wife Linda. Felix Freshwater brought his laptop with pictures of the second-year class show! Bob Glassman’s new hobby is photographic restoration. He and Louise have four sons, one of whom is a theoretical physicist. Bruce Haak has retired as chief of neurology at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven. He and Valerie summer in Connecticut and winter in Walnut Creek, Calif. Fred Henretig, attending with Marnie, continues in pediatrics but also participated in relief efforts during the aftermath of the Indonesian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Phil Liebowitz, attending with Susan, is director of clinical research in anesthesiology at Montefiore Hospital in New York and has recently aspired to golf and piano. Jerry Meyer, having retired from psychiatry, is a seasoned artist and has a solo show opening in Chelsea this year. Gary Strauss, attending with Meda, runs the oncology fellowship at Tufts. Phil Cohen, attending with Annie Hall, will soon be serenading Anne with his new Steinway piano. Bob Goodman practices orthopedics in Durango, Colo. Frank Kahr, attending with Katherine, is a competitive rower and singly sculled from Albany to the George Washington Bridge. John Fulkerson attended the Saturday lunch.

Cell phone calls were placed to Tom Converse following his touching regrets letter, and to Harry Malech, who had a keynote speaking address in Seattle. Plans were initiated for major recruitment of attendance at our upcoming 40th.

Bruce Haak

1977
30th Reunion

New Haven weather on Friday, June 1, and Saturday, June 2, cooperated nicely, enabling a smaller but energetic group of members of the Class of 1977 to gather, exchange news and take in the changes and growth on Cedar Street, the rest of the Yale campus and downtown New Haven in general. We owe special thanks to Bob Hand, who has set up a website and repository for class news, biographies and photos, and to Ricky Schneider, who ably communicated receipt of new information in almost real time during the weeks and months leading to our reunion. All classmates and friends are welcome to visit our site, yale.medlung.com; click on the fox, enter user ID harkness and password esophagoose.

In addition to golf, tours, lectures and similar events, Alan Penziner recounted a serendipitous venture on Saturday with other classmates into the Historical Library, where one of the librarians took him and his group into a little-known side office housing artifacts and books from the personal collection of Harvey Cushing. The visitors were so impressed that the Alumni Office was contacted and will try to arrange tours of this collection on subsequent reunion weekends.

Our class dinner took place Saturday night at Sage (formerly the Chart House), right on the water at the end of Howard Avenue overlooking Long Island Sound and the entrance to the New Haven harbor. During that afternoon’s library tour, some classmates were able to recover copies of our class’s original (fall 1973) individual photos, which they brought to and circulated at the dinner, reminding us of classmates we hadn’t heard from in a while; of how little those of us at the reunion had really changed; and perhaps most importantly, of how fleeting was the period from 1973 to 2007.

Attending for all or part of the weekend were: Marcia Clark Arem, Wayne Barber and Sharon Nelson-Barker, Diane Barnes, Harriet Comite and Alan Geltman, Alissa and Jim Fox, Julia Frank, Attilio Granata and Claudia Dinan, Bob Hand and Marianne Lynch, Bob Mitchell, Alan Penziner and Paula Cohen, Rachel Ritvo and Steven Beckman, Steve Scheinman, Wendy and Ricky Schneider, Gail Sullivan, Polly Thomas and Rick Bell, and Sharon Weinstein.

Attilio V. Granata

1982
25th Reunion

Twenty-six of us gathered to celebrate our 25th anniversary of graduation from medical school and catch up with life journeys in and outside medicine.

Jim Reinprecht arrived carrying multiple copies of our mug shots from the first week of medical school. The general agreement was that we all look better now than we did then! Jim practices internal medicine in Abington, Penn. Several people came thousands of miles to share the weekend. Fred Drennan and Terry Massagli got the award for having come the farthest, from Seattle, where Fred is practicing gastroenterology after a foray into health care administration, and Terry is on the faculty of the University of Washington in pediatric rehabilitation medicine. Augusta Simpson Roth and her husband, Bruce, flew in from Arizona. Gus started out in ob/gyn, but Bob Rohrbaugh, who directs medical studies for the department of psychiatry at Yale, convinced her to switch specialties, and she is now enjoying her practice in psychiatry. David Goldstein and his 6-year-old son came from New Mexico, where he practices anesthesiology. Gary Garshfield sent a bio for us to read from California, where he is a pathologist. Bert Ungricht came from Salt Lake City, where he is in private practice in ophthalmology. Bert brought news of Don Stromquist, who is also in Salt Lake City practicing rheumatology.

Patty Kellner was in New Haven celebrating her 30th Yale College reunion and joined us Friday night. She is working in family practice in Cleveland, Ohio. Paula Braverman is also in Ohio, having moved to Cincinnati several years ago to become director of community programs in the division of adolescent medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Michael Katz (newly married in April) arrived from Boca Raton, Fla., where he is practicing pediatric radiology. Michael brought news of two other classmates in Florida: Henry Stern is also a radiologist in Wallington and Peter Namnum is a pulmonologist in Broward County. Vangy Franklin came from Louisiana, where she is chief of clinical services and employee health for the City of New Orleans. Vangy survived the ravages of Hurricane Katrina and is intent on staying in the city to help improve health care delivery.

On the eastern side of the country, Pat Toth is practicing radiology at Hackensack Hospital in New Jersey. Pat tells us that Steve Resnick is a dermatologist in Cooperstown, N.Y., and that Ron Voit is in Hilo, Hawaii, practicing ob/gyn. Michael Carty drove down from Boston, where he is practicing internal medicine at Harvard Student Health Services. Duncan Wright entertained us at the Saturday night dinner with a memorable skit about a lighthouse—you had to be there—appropriate to his location in Maine, where he practices psychiatry. Bill Sikov is living in Providence, R.I., teaching at Brown, practicing adult oncology and doing clinical research in breast cancer. Bill brought news of Joyce O’Shaughnessy, who is living in Dallas and working for US Oncology, focusing primarily on breast cancer clinical trials. Jeff Tepler is also a hematologist-oncologist at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. Jeff sees Jose Guillem, who is a colorectal surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Steve Gore is also a hematologist-oncologist on the faculty of Johns Hopkins, specializing in adult leukemia. Steve had news of Risa Chait Jampel, practicing dermatology in Baltimore, and John Younger, who is a geriatrics specialist in Seattle. Philip Sager is back on the East Coast. Phil moved back from California to become director of cardiovascular research at AstraZeneca. Kamau Kokayi is practicing holistic medicine, including acupuncture, homeopathy, applied kinesiology and herbalism, in his clinic in New York City. Stephanie Wolf Rosenblum arrived from New Hampshire, where she is chief medical officer at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua. Jessica Herzstein came from Philadelphia. Jessica trained in occupational medicine and is presently medical director of Air Products and Chemicals, a global company based in Allentown, Penn. Jessica tells us that Troy Brennan is now medical director of Aetna and is living in Boston. Jessica also sees Sylvia Beck, who is practicing ophthalmology in Philadelphia. Katalin Roth sent a hello to the class from Washington, D.C., where she is the division director of geriatrics and palliative medicine at George Washington University. Jane Cross is practicing pediatrics in Holyoke, Mass. Jane tells us that Kate Albert and Hugh Hemmings are working in Manhattan, where they live with their daughter. Daphne Hsu is also in New York City, where she is on the Columbia faculty in pediatric cardiology. Daphne recently heard from Mary van der Velde, who is also a pediatric cardiologist at the University of Michigan. Daphne also brought a hello from Muriel Cyrus, who is practicing emergency medicine in Vermont.

Then there are those of us who somehow never left New Haven. Several members of our class are actually teaching the newest generations of Yale medical students. Stuart Gardner has a solo community pediatric practice in the New Haven area. Bob Rohrbaugh is associate chief of psychiatry at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven as well as being the above-mentioned director of psychiatric training at Yale. Carrie Redlich is professor of medicine in occupational medicine at Yale and still playing soccer. Lynn Tanoue is medical director of thoracic oncology and interim section chief in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Yale. Those of us on the Yale faculty think that the Class of 1982 might be interested in knowing that the Class of 2009 skipped just as many lectures this year as we did when we were rehearsing the second-year show! Lynn and Daphne finally heard from Colin Lee, who practices interventional cardiology between hiking, kayaking and mountain climbing in Idaho. Lynn also got a call recently from David August, who is practicing internal medicine at Harvard Community Health in Boston, and hears that Paul Sylvan is alive and well, practicing radiology and playing golf in San Diego.

We took a moment as a group to reflect on the passing of three of our classmates—David Sears, Tom Brennan, and most recently Saul Sadka. We also want to send our heartfelt sympathies to Victor Perez, practicing psychiatry in Guam, who lost his daughter to osteosarcoma last year. These losses remind us that life is short and should be lived to its fullest, and that we should celebrate family and friends often and joyfully. The reunion was a wonderful time to be together again even for a few hours, to remember, to share life stories and to laugh.

Lynn Tanoue

1987
20th Reunion

The Class of ’87’s reunion was a chance to travel back to New Haven from Orlando, Fla., to see old friends, many of whom are now in new places. Joe King and Amy Justice have returned to the Yale community and both are working at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven. Ken and Debby Newhouse traveled from Idaho with their three kids for the reunion and to tour New England colleges. Bob Malison and Gene Vining remain happily in New Haven, and stopped by the clambake. Saw Diane Louie at the clambake, too. Mike Solon took the walking tour of the campus. Matt Miller surprised us by coming to the class dinner at the Graduate Club Saturday night. Matt finished his Ph.D. in public health, and is doing research at Harvard. Lisa Cairns has been working at the CDC in Atlanta but is preparing to leave for a several-year stint in Beijing. Dinner at the Graduate Club turned up more classmates, including Leslie Vogel, Kristen Mertz, David Ives and Ian Chandler. Ian is working on Wall Street rather than in the world of medicine. Caught up with Lisa Straus, who reports that she is a “country doctor” practicing primary care in a rural setting … and loving it! Although a lot of the class had trouble making it to the 20th reunion, we’re gearing up for a strong showing at the Big 25th Reunion in 2012!

Barry Weinstock

1992
15th Reunion

Hello, Med School Class of 1992! For those of you unable to attend our 15th reunion, here’s the latest on the attendees:

Mike and Nancy Girardi have five (yes, FIVE) boys. Anyone not carrying a hot beeper or with four or fewer kids who missed the reunion really has no valid excuse. Five boys—yet both Mike and Nancy look even younger than in medical school 15 years ago. Hey, Mikey, share some Yale dermatology secrets with one of your crinkling and wrinkling classmates (an anonymous urologist, married with three kids, living and working just outside Boston).

Virtually without exception, those in attendance at our reunion seemed healthy and enthusiastic as ever, despite the best efforts of our health care system. Claudia Reynders (radiologist), who is at the core of a large and excellent radiology group on Boston’s North Shore, was accompanied by husband Chat and their son and twin daughters. Annie Egan (pediatrics) was in town with her husband, who also attended his undergraduate reunion, and with their two sets of twins. Annie, who lives an otherwise salubrious life in Jacksonville, Fla., was sporting a temporary crutch earned after an incident with an equine friend.

Unfortunately, orthopaedists Tobenna “let-me-tell-u-somethin’ ” Okezie, Evan Fischer and Chai Kulsakdinun don’t do legs. (Well, at least not at reunions). Tobenna and Evan, who both practice solo in New Jersey,were accompanied by their wives. I didn’t get much news from Tobenna, who chased his son and daughter over Harkness lawn for most of the evening. Chai, who is on the faculty at Montefiore, and Lawrence Gardner (hematology), who moved from Hopkins to NYU, never run into each other in New York City, to my surprise. I guess it’s not so amazing when you consider they work in different departments. Also, Lawrence mentioned something about spending a fair amount of time at Bellevue, especially in the prison unit.

Nate Schmiechen (emergency medicine), having made a long expedition from the Twin Cities, organized a pre-reunion tea (OK, beer party) in Newton, Mass. Unable to make the trip to New Haven but present Thursday evening were Fred Welt (cardiology) and Dan Solomon (rheumatology), both mending lives via the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Nate’s wife, Malinda, has finished law school and now advocates for human rights. Their twin girls are now 12 years old! I drove to the reunion with Nate, who remains a master of wit and insight.

On short notice, Tom Davenport (plastic surgery) drove from Long Island, where he is vice president and soon-to-be president of a large group. When not enjoying the NYC social life, he devotes a good amount of personal time in the Third World as a volunteer surgeon with Interplast. Ross Zbar (plastic surgery) also volunteers for Interplast but now lives in New Jersey. Go Tom and Ross! Suresh Karne (GI) and wife and kids also attended Saturday evening’s dinner at the Graduate Club, making the trip from Alabama.

Robin Goldenson (aka BooBoo) and Elizabeth Mullen (aka Betsy) arrived together to the class dinner, a blatant denial of the dangers of hitchhiking. I would expect more responsible behavior from two prominent Boston physicians, each of them a mother of three. Robin, a radiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has two XXs and one XY; and Elizabeth, a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Hospital Boston (CHB), has three XXs. Mustafa Sahin (pediatric neurology), also at CHB, has an active research lab where he studies tuberous sclerosis in addition to his clinical responsibilities. He split his reunion time with his wife’s undergraduate reunion somewhere down York Street. They have kids and live outside Boston.

We ran into Nancy Harthun (vascular surgery) and her family, who were attending the undergrad reunion. She’s living happily in Charlottesville, Va., and is a faculty member at UVA.

Hope everyone’s well. Make plans for the 20th!

Mat Massicotte

1997
10th Reunion

The Class of 1997 had a great showing for its tenth reunion, including what appeared to be about 59 children between the ages of 0 and 6. Lobsters and oysters delighted the folks at the clam bake, including Julie MacRae, up from her plastic surgery practice in Delaware, and Jaimie (completing what he assures us is his final fellowship) and Amy (one of several happy pediatricians in attendance) Nathan from Cincinnati. Max and Rachel (Rapaport) Kelz brought their brood, including future alligator wrestler Zeke, from Philly, where Max now gets paid to put people to sleep and Rachel works and teaches in the OR. Dan and Lesley Wolf also came from Philadelphia with adorable children. Brigitte Kerpsack, fresh off an NYC pediatrics accolade, came from New York, as did Tony and Juliet Aizer with munchkin in tow, Nina and Lou Fisher, and even busy neurosurgeon Nirit Weiss. Jason Gold attended with wife Ann, while former world-class fencer James Boren continues to show mastery of all objects pointy as he regaled classmates with tales of new urologic techniques. Jim and Eileen O’Holleran brought one of three children from Massachusetts, while Dan (Med. ’98) and Barb McGee Coughlin brought their two from Rhode Island. Matt Klein and Bob and Andrea Kalus from Seattle and Jerry O’ Regan from Boston could only marvel at their fertile colleagues. Jon Grauer, Eric Fan, Kristina Crothers and Mark Skirgaudas entertained us with stories of their exploits in and around the New Haven area. Sarah Nikiforow was able to break away from Yale-New Haven Hospital toward the end of the dinner to show off pics of her own beautiful tyke. The group finished Saturday night at Richter’s, struggling to come up with unused synonyms for the word “kid.”

Robert Kalus

2002
5th Reunion

The Class of 2002 five-year reunion was a smashing success! The award for the longest distance traveled goes to Kinari Webb, who came all the way from West Kalimantan, Indonesia, where she is working on a health and environmental conservation initiative for Health in Harmony (www. healthinharmony.org). The shortest-distance awards go to Anna Gibb Hallemeier, Anita Karne and Alison Norris, who came from none other than New Haven. Anna and her husband, Pete, have a daughter, Nola, who is nearly 3 years old; and a son, Nicholas, who was born in September 2006. Anna works as a med/peds attending at Waterbury Hospital. Anita is an assistant professor of medicine at our own Yale-New Haven Hospital. She attended the reunion with husband Mehul Dalal. Alison is preparing to graduate from YSM with the Class of 2008. After a 10-year stint as a Yale medical student, she will leave New Haven with an M.D., a Ph.D., and three children—Maggie, Franklin and Solomon (not to mention her always-entertaining husband, Dodie McDow).

Scott Berkowitz and wife Lesley Farby traveled from Baltimore, where Scott is preparing to start his cardiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins. Despite being post-call from the MICU, Scott managed to partake of all the festivities. Also from Baltimore, John Koo is about to complete his ophthalmology residency at Johns Hopkins. He plans to spend the coming year as a consultant before beginning an oculoplastics fellowship at Johns Hopkins.

Premila Bhat and husband Kiran Mandrekar made the trip from Manhattan. Prem is a nephrology fellow at Columbia. George Lui and wife Vanessa rounded out the New York contingent. George is a cardiology fellow at Columbia and plans a career in adult congenital heart disease.

Deb Smith came to New Haven from Michigan with husband Daniel Buday. Deb is a primary care physician in private practice. The couple has a 5-year-old daughter, Emma, who had better things to do than have dinner with a bunch of doctors.

The Boston contingent included Karen Thomas and Mike Rothenberg, who were accompanied by their adorable 4-week-old daughter, Jane. Karen is completing a cardiology fellowship at Beth Israel-Deaconess, and she plans a second fellowship in cardiac electrophysiology. Eileen Scully, who was allowed to leave the hospital for a few short hours to attend the reunion, is about to complete a medical internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She plans a career in infectious diseases. Margaret Bourdeaux is finishing her med/peds residency and will start a fellowship in global women’s health at Harvard. She and husband David Charbonneau have two beautiful daughters, Stella, born in November 2005, and Aurora, born in May 2007. Tracey Cho and his wife, Josalyn,were also in attendance. Tracey is neurology chief resident at Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s hospitals. He plans to complete a fellowship in neuroinfectious diseases at Massachusetts General. Andrew Norden and wife Pamela attended as well. Andrew is about to start a job as an attending neurooncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Reunion social co-chair Jackie Park was unable to attend because she is studying oral rehydration solutions for children in India with infectious diarrhea. She has requested to have 75 freeze-dried clams mailed straight from the clambake to her home in Vellore, India.

We look forward to seeing you at our 10-year reunion!

Andrew Norden

Send alumni news items to Claire M. Bessinger, Yale Medicine Publications, 300 George Street, Suite 773, New Haven, CT 06511, or via e-mail to claire.bessinger@yale.edu.