The Difference Makers

WHETHER THEY WORK in small towns or urban settings, in the lab or in the clinic, Indiana University School of Medicine alumni make a difference each day in the lives of the patients they serve. Our alumni award winners for 2023 and 2024 are sterling examples of the ways the school and its alumni improve health care for the people in their communities and around the world.

GEORGE W. SORRELLS, JR., MD, COMMUNITY PHYSICIAN
Mason Goodman, MD, ’73

A DEDICATED PHYSICIAN and model community leader throughout his career, Mason Goodman, MD, specializes in immunology and pulmonary critical care for IU Health Physicians Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine in Indianapolis.
William Silvers, MD, who nominated Goodman, said he has led by example in patient care as well as entrepreneurial interests that have benefited society, including encouraging others to support IU School of Medicine.
Goodman has provided care to many illustrious Hoosiers, said Lawrence H. Einhorn, MD, the Livestrong Distinguished Professor of Medicine at IU. But he provides the same compassionate medical expertise to patients at all socioeconomic levels, Einhorn wrote in a letter supporting Goodman’s nomination.
Goodman completed his undergraduate and medical school at Indiana University. He was trained in internal medicine at University of Texas Southwestern, followed by two of the premier allergy/immunology and pulmonary critical care fellowships in the country: the National Jewish Hospital and University of Colorado in Denver. With plenty of offers in hand, Goodman chose to return to Indiana.

GEORGE W. SORRELLS, JR., MD, COMMUNITY PHYSICIAN
Sharon Singleton, MD, ’00

SHARON SINGLETON, MD, became CMO of Neighborhood Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Fort Wayne, in January 2020. As COVID-19 struck, she spearheaded the clinical response, guiding the consolidation of services from two clinics into one that prioritized high-risk patients, including the insured, underinsured, and uninsured.
Facing the crisis head-on, she rapidly revamped clinic entrances, enforced strict screenings, and ensured everyone had masks and essential PPE. Recognizing patient concerns about hospitals, she championed the establishment of a "Sick Clinic" at a second location for in-person evaluations. As soon as it was possible, they expanded to offer COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, receiving enthusiastic support.
Today, the organization operates at full capacity with safety measures in place across medical, dental, optometry, chiropractic, behavioral health, pharmacy, and lab services. Singleton is helping to plan for a third clinic in 2025 reflecting her strong commitment to community health.
That commitment extends beyond the clinic, as she has held leadership roles on the Indiana University School of Medicine Dean’s Council, Fort Wayne Medical Society and Foundation, and on the IU School of Medicine Alumni Board. She has also served as an adjunct clinical faculty member at IU School of Medicine.

DISTINGUISHED MEDICAL ALUMNUS
Daniel F. Hayes, MD ’79

RECOGNIZED AS A GLOBAL expert on breast cancer and one of the country’s leading authorities on tumor biomarkers, Daniel Hayes, MD, has a distinguished career that began with undergraduate, master’s and medical degrees from Indiana University.
Hayes credits the influence of IU oncologists Larry Einhorn, MD, and Stephen Williams, MD, for his desire to pursue a career in cancer care and research. He began publishing research articles as a medical student and would author nearly 450 peer-reviewed publications. Over his career, he served as editor for eight books.
Hayes trained in some of the nation’s most prestigious programs—an internal medicine residency at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center and an oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School. He later served on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and the Georgetown University School of Medicine and is now the Stuart B. Padnos Professor of Breast Cancer Research at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center.
Hayes is a past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a position which made him one of the most influential leaders in the world of cancer. He has written opinion pieces for The New York Times and The New England Journal of Medicine. He has won several awards for his research, mentoring, and clinical care.

DISTINGUISHED MEDICAL ALUMNA
Allison Brashear, MD ’87

A GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCHER in neurology, a skilled academic administrator, and a champion for women in medicine, Allison Brashear, MD, has been described as a shining star in both science and leadership.
As a researcher at IU, Brashear reported the first case of the very rare neurological disorder known as rapid-onset dystonia Parkinsonism (RDP), characterized by involuntary muscle contractions. She is now recognized as an international expert in rare neurologic disorders, and her work has fundamentally transformed their treatment. Her leadership in clinical trials has led to three FDA-approved medications for treating spasticity and cervical dystonia, enhancing care for millions of patients.
She was lead investigator for a trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine that first demonstrated that botulinum toxin successfully treated wrist and finger spasticity in stroke victims.
Brashear, a 1987 IU School of Medicine graduate who completed a neurology residency here in 1991, has had a successful career in leadership. She has served as dean of two medical schools—at the University of California-Davis School of Medicine and currently at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. Previously, she served for 15 years as chair of neurology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Brashear has been an advocate for promoting diverse leaders in medicine, and she was instrumental in creating one of the first national leadership programs in neurology for women. She is a frequent lecturer on the importance of diversity in medicine and a lifelong champion of advancing women’s leadership in the field.

GLENN W. IRWIN JR., MD, DISTINGUISHED FACULTY AWARD
Richard Rink, MD, ’78

DESCRIBED AS ONE of the preeminent surgeons in the world today, Richard Rink, MD, is internationally recognized as the foremost authority on reconstructive surgery in pediatric urology.
Now Emeritus Professor of Pediatric Urology at Riley Hospital for Children and IU School of Medicine, he served as chief of pediatric urology for 25 years. He aimed to “provide world-class pediatric urology care to the children of Indiana.”
A talented technical surgeon, Rink has trained many of the most prominent urologists in the world and innovated surgical techniques and training, leaving a lasting influence on the field. He has 320 published articles, 53 book chapters, and three textbooks, making him a sought-after lecturer. One advocate for Rink wrote that “one would be hard-pressed to find an individual who has contributed more in forwarding the clinical care of children with pediatric urology needs.”
For these and other achievements, he was awarded the Pediatric Urology Medal from the Academy of Pediatrics in 2022—the highest honor given to pediatric urologists.

EARLY CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
Brandon Brown, MD’08

A PEDIATRIC RADIOLOGIST at Riley Hospital for Children, Brandon Brown, MD, has built an impressive early career focused on three goals: improving prenatal diagnosis and perinatal care; clinical research on advanced MRI techniques in fetal imaging; and leading discussions and education on ethics and professionalism in radiology.
At Riley, Brown is the director of fetal and perinatal imaging. MRI technology is increasingly being used in the diagnosis of prenatal anomalies. As one of the founding members of Indiana’s first destination fetal center, Brown has significantly advanced its use as part of the new maternity and newborn health initiatives at Riley, even building a clinical research program. He has created an integrated and consultative service for radiology to interpret advanced prenatal imaging and to counsel families with complicated pregnancies.
Brown has participated in NIH-funded research on the effects on the fetal and neonatal brain in pregnancies exposed to drug abuse. Other research interests include studies on the use of MRI to detect and characterize abnormal placentas and the correlation of placental and brain development in cases of complex fetal abnormalities.
In addition to being a mentor to more than four dozen medical students and residents, Brown is the winner of the IU Trustees Teaching Award, the exemplar of Professionalism Award, and was the chair of professionalism for the largest radiology medical society. He teaches medical ethics and professionalism in the medical school and the school of liberal arts.