Reunion 2013

Over the course of a weekend that spanned the end of May and the beginning of June, alumni had the chance to try out the iPads that have replaced the paper medical school curriculum, visit Harvey Cushing’s tumor collection that was once the object of midnight raids into a basement storeroom, and visit the new Teaching and Learning Center to see how the medical school is supporting educators.

More than 360 alumni and guests returned to the medical school for the 2013 reunion to reconnect with old friends and teachers, share meals, and learn how the medical school is growing and changing. Activities also included a walking tour of the campus, a panel discussion by students on the value of extracurricular activities, tours of the medical library’s "treasures," and a virtual tour of West Campus by Scott Strobel, M.D., the Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. Strobel is also the university’s vice president for West Campus planning and program development.

Accompanied by student guides, Richard Silverman, director of admissions, led a tour of the campus that included Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven, histology labs in The Anlyan Center, and the Cushing Center in the Medical/Historical Library. The tour ended with a question and answer center in the auditorium of The Anlyan Center. On Saturday three alumni described how their careers did not always follow the paths they’d planned for themselves. One spent his career in the military, another retired to spend time in Botswana with the Peace Corps, and a third went into the biotech business. Moderator Robert H. Gifford, M.D., HS ’67, said that his own plans for a career as a country doctor in Vermont went by the wayside once he came to Yale.

Richard Belitsky, M.D., deputy dean for education and the Harold W. Jockers Associate Professor of Medical Education, gave a presentation on the curriculum rebuild, which is designed to reflect changes in medical education around the country and better prepare students for their careers. Dean Robert J. Alpern, M.D., Ensign Professor of Medicine, reported on the state of the school, noting that the faculty is growing, the clinical practice is poised for growth, and the school continues to attract top students.