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Volunteer in the Spotlight Patients in the outpatient clinics at Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus light up when they see Ir fan Ibrahim. The Lakota East High School graduate has been volunteering every Friday afternoon for the past two years and is a certified kid-magnet. Says Megan Schmutte, senior volunteer coordinator, “Irfan does such a great job connecting with children and taking their minds off the true reason they are here. Many parents comment on his spectacular service.” Ibrahim began volunteering at Cincinnati Children’s to get experience in the healthcare field. “I was checking out the medical profession as a career choice. I stayed because I loved being a part of the kids’ day.” Ibrahim plays with the children as they wait for their
Irfan Ibrahim appointment. “I’ll do anything to make the kids laugh,” he says. Ibrahim honed his kid-friendly skills babysitting his cousins, which taught him patience. He gets more than he gives to the patients and families. “I was playing Candy Land with this little girl,” says Ibrahim. “She was so delighted whenever she’d pick a green card, she would giggle uncontrollably. I was ver y stressed that day about preparing for my SAT exam. I had a great time with her.” Ibrahim will attend the University of Cincinnati in the fall, where he will be a student in the Design, Architecture, Art and Planning program. The confidence and collaboration skills he’s gained here will serve him well. “I’ve learned humility and the value of persistence,” he says. “I’ve seen the fruits of my labor.” Although he’s taken on a summer job, he plans on staying active at Liberty Campus. “I love kids, and I love what I do here. I definitely want volunteering to be part of my life.”
a moment in history Ashley Weech, MD, accepted the position of chairman of the Department of Pediatrics on Dec. 7, 1941, the same day Pearl Harbor was attacked. Many of Cincinnati Children’s physicians and researchers were called into the armed forces during the war years. Afterward, Weech rebuilt and expanded the faculty. As new subspecialties of pediatrics became established in the 1950s, Weech hired outstanding directors for new divisions: the Divisions of Child Psychiatry, Radiology, Cardiology, Physiological Chemistry (now Nephrology), Surgery, Hematology and Pathology. He retired in 1963.
1950s