Gold Humanism Honor Society

Fourteen fourth-year students of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine Class of 2023 were inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society in February. Nominated by their peers, these students exemplify compassionate patient care and serve as role models, mentors and leaders.

Ehizokha Ihionkhan, MS4, was the student recipient of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. Julie Chor, MD’04, MPH, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was the faculty recipient.

Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society

Twenty-two members of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

Class of 2023 were inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Honor Medical Society. The AΩA constitution calls for students to be recognized not only for academic achievement, but also achievement in research and scholarship, leadership, ethical behavior, professionalism, and service to the school and community at large.

Each AΩA class elects alumni, faculty and housestaff to the Illinois Beta Chapter (the University of Chicago) in recognition of their leadership and accomplishments. Alumni are eligible 10 years after graduation. Faculty are elected based on demonstrated commitment to scholarly excellence and medical education. Housestaff are elected for their continued achievement, promise and mentorship qualities.

The 2023 honorees are:

Alumni: Chelsea A. Dorsey, MD’10, Department of Surgery; and Joan Zajtchuk, SB’60, MD’66, COL (ret.), U.S. Army Medical Corps.

Faculty: Mohan S. Gundeti, MD, Department of Surgery; and Carrie

Smith, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Housestaff: Amy Espinal, MD, Department of Neurology; Jhonatan Marte, SB’16, MD’21, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience; and Alejandro Plana, SM’19, MD’20, Department of Medicine.

Katherine Kopkash, MD, Clinical Associate Professor at NorthShore University HealthSystem, received the Volunteer Clinical Faculty Award, which recognizes a community physician who contributes with distinction to the education and training of clinical students.

Remembering ‘The Oracle on the Fourth’

Eleanor Humphreys, Rush MD’31, was the surgical pathologist at the University of Chicago when I was a medical student. She was often referred to as The Oracle on the Fourth or was it Fifth? Floor.

Medical students during the surgical rotation described, dissected and diagnosed surgical specimens removed from their assigned patients.

One fall afternoon, I was examining a segment of formalin-fixed lung removed for treatment of tuberculosis. Dr. Humphreys and I were the only two people in the laboratory and we chatted as I worked.

One of the stories that she told me about her experience as a pilot of a light aircraft was that she always got lost over Pittsburgh. This immediately brought up the image of Dr. Humphreys with hair streaming from a leather pilot’s helmet, in the cockpit of a light aircraft as she flew over the skies of Pittsburgh, lighted by open-hearth furnaces.

We continued to discuss a number of subjects, and suddenly she said, “Gottlieb, you have the disease.” I panicked and said, “Do you think I have tuberculosis?” She said, “No, you are going to be a pathologist.”

I explained that was highly unlikely, because patient contact was very important to me. She said, as she walked out of the laboratory, “You’ll see.”

After a rotating internship, and two years of general medical practice in the U.S. Air Force, with a considerable amount of patient contact, I began my residency in pathology.

The words of The Oracle have stayed with me during my enjoyable practice of surgical pathology.

I never saw Dr. Humphreys again after my graduation and never had the opportunity to thank her.

Lawrence Gottlieb, MD’56

Pressures on today’s physicians

The article about burned-out doctors that appeared in Medicine on the Midway brought to my attention that after working for 25 years as the only rural surgeon, I never felt burned out. However, now that I am retired, I feel that I had so much pressure, but I thought I was just fine.

I believe that big corporations have forced physicians to practice under a lot of pressure and to see patients in a very short time. Physicians also must produce numbers to comply with the financial obligations of their offices. In my opinion, the personal contact that we had with patients has disappeared and the satisfactions that we had do not exist anymore.

The personal connection between a doctor and a patient was extremely rewarding and provided encouragement and made us happy. I was seen recently by a retina specialist who identified me by my date of birth, never asked my symptoms or even my name. He looked at the computer, was brief and told me that I was fine. My wife was seen by a surgeon, who was also brief and examined her abdomen while she was fully clothed and sitting on a chair. That exam was, in my opinion, useless.

I think both doctors were under pressure and their behavior is conducive to burnout even if they did not realize it when they examined us.

Fernando Ugarte, MD’65

Letters

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