INDIANAPOLIS — Four Indiana University School of Medicine alumni were honored May 18 for their distinguished work in medicine at the 66th annual Medical Reunion Weekend.
The recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award were Lisa E. Harris, M.D., a member of the medical school graduating class of 1983, and Frank W. Sellke, M.D., a member of the 1981 class.
Dr. Harris is the CEO and medical director of Wishard Health Services and associate dean of Wishard Affairs at the IU School of Medicine. In her role at Marion County’s public hospital and health service, Dr. Harris has guided the institution from an annual $50 million deficit to a $25 million surplus without cutting services.
Dr. Sellke has had a distinguished career as a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon, educator and microvascular physiology researcher. He is the Karl E. Karlson and Gloria A. Karlson Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Brown University School of Medicine and co-director of the Lifespan Heart Center in Providence, R.I.
The Glenn W. Irwin Jr., MD, Distinguished Faculty Award was presented to Roland B. McGrath, M.D., who joined the IU faculty in 1976 after completing his internal medicine residency at the medical school. A dedicated educator, Dr. McGrath served as a mentor to students, residents, fellows, faculty and patients. During his tenure, he created the urgent visit center at Wishard Hospital, the Department of Medicine Critical Care Service, the IU School of Medicine critical care fellowship, and served as Wishard’s first intensive care unit medical director. A hands-on administrator, Dr. McGrath stepped forward and held numerous medical directorships for divisions at Wishard. However, his legacy is the creation of the IU School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine, where he served as chair from 1999-2011.
Rachel C. Vreeman, M.D., M.S., is the recipient of the 2013 Early Career Achievement Award. A pediatric resident at IU from 2002-2005, Dr. Vreeman now is as assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at IU School of Medicine, a faculty investigator for the IU Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research, an affiliated scientist at the Regenstrief Institute and co-director for the research field program at the IU-Kenya Partnership. Dr. Vreeman currently is the principal investigator of two grants worth a total of $2.75 million to study treatment compliance for HIV-infected children in Kenya and other resource-limited settings.
Medical Alumni Reunion weekend is sponsored annually in May by the IU School of Medicine Alumni Association. This year, nearly 350 alumni and their guests participated in activities throughout the weekend. With more than 18,500 alumni, the IU School of Medicine is the second largest medical school in the United States.