INDIANAPOLIS--An IU School of Medicine alumnus known internationally as a pioneer in sports medicine was recently honored with the J.O. Ritchey Award for his contributions to medicine and the school.
Lawrence D. Rink, MD, known to Hoosier basketball fans as IU’s team doctor, is highly regarded for his contributions to sports cardiology. A physician for 30 international sporting events, including the 1984 and 1992 Summer Olympic Games, Rink spent 20 years as chairman of the International University Sports Federation in Lausanne, Switzerland and remains its chairman emeritus.
Having completed his medical degree, residency, and fellowship at IU, Rink has served the university as a member of the board of directors of the IU Alumni Association executive committee and board member for the School of Medicine’s Dean’s Council and J.O. Ritchey Society. He also served two terms as president of the IU School of Medicine Alumni Association.
The J.O. Ritchey Award is named for a beloved faculty member whose work for the school spanned more than 60 years. Ritchey served as chair of the Department of Medicine for 24 years and taught at the school until his death in 1981. Before his death, Ritchey established a trust to care for his widow and, at her death, the balance of the trust was given entirely to the School of Medicine.
The award recognizes individuals who have made enduring commitments to any or all of Ritchey’s own areas of commitment: personal efforts on behalf of IU School of Medicine, medicine as a profession, his legions of patients, and/or a planned gift to benefit the IU School of Medicine.
In addition to his work in cardiology, Rink now serves on the Indiana University National Varsity Club board of directors, as executive director of the Lawrence D. Rink Sports Medicine & Technology Center, and as a clinical professor of medicine with IU School of Medicine. Rink’s previous awards and honors include the Sagamore of the Wabash, Most Outstanding Flight Surgeon in the United States Navy, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the IU School of Medicine, and member of the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2020, Rink was awarded Indiana University's Bicentennial Medal in recognition of his distinguished contributions and longstanding friendship and support of the university.
Learn more information about the J.O. Ritchey Society.
About IU School of Medicine
IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the United States and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability.