After postponing last year’s Alumni Awards Ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Geisel School of Medicine recognized the 2020 and 2021 honorees in a virtual celebration on May 6. The 11 award recipients represented class years from 1955 to 2006 and careers in research, patient care, policy, leadership, and service. They all expressed deep gratitude for the award, and for the Dartmouth medical school education that launched their rewarding careers.
The honorees were joined by fellow alumni, Geisel faculty and students, family, friends, and colleagues. A complete list of the 2020 and 2021 alumni award recipients appears below.
In his welcoming remarks, Geisel Alumni Council President John Houde MED ’92 said, “These 11 alumni have made a significant impact through their work in medicine, science, research, and health policy; and through their service to others and to the School.”
Geisel Dean Duane A. Compton, PhD, noted, “Every year, I’m incredibly inspired by the accomplishments and contributions of the awardees. To our students you are role models. They look up to you and aspire to follow in your footsteps.”
Career Achievement Award recipient Jandel Allen-Davis MED ’84, President and CEO of Craig Hospital, spoke of her career trajectory from clinical practice to hospital leadership. “I always wanted to be part of making systems better and I found myself not having to seek out those opportunities because the opportunities find you,” said Allen-Davis. “Very little of that would be possible if I had not had a Dartmouth medical school education—in terms of that essential nature of being a real advocate for patients and being able to listen to patients, let alone the excellence of the basic science education. I say thank you to you, Geisel, for what you provided me and what you continue do to educate current and future generations of physicians.”
Barry D. Smith MED ’60, was one of two alumni honored with the Outstanding Service Award. Having served as Chair of the Alumni Council Awards Committee, this recognition was especially meaningful. “I’ve had the opportunity to learn about the careers and achievements of so many alumni,” said Smith, who joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dartmouth in 1970 as a clinical assistant professor and retired as a full professor in 2005. “For a small school with a small student body we’ve produced an amazing number of people who’ve become great leaders in their field and contributed a great deal to the improvement of healthcare in many fields.”
The medical school’s Alumni Council established the alumni awards program in 2014 to recognize and honor alumni for service to the school and to celebrate the achievements of graduates who have distinguished themselves in the fields of medicine, science, or other endeavors. In 2020, the Alumni Recognition Committee selected five extraordinary individuals to receive the Career Achievement Award and the Outstanding Service Award. In 2021, the recognition committee selected six outstanding alumni to receive the Career Achievement Award, Outstanding Service Award, and Young Alumni Award.
See below for a list of this year’s awardees, and read their full bios here. And you can watch a recording of the celebration here.
FOR CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
Jandel Allen-Davis, MD, MED ’84
President and CEO, Craig Hospital
Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis was a practicing OB/GYN until 2009, and she has been leading Craig Hospital, a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes in acute neurorehabilitation and research of patients with acquired and traumatic spinal cord and brain injuries, since 2018.
Stephen J. Galli, MD, MED ’70
The Mary Hewitt Loveless, M.D. Professor in the School of Medicine; Professor of Pathology and of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine
A world-renowned expert on mast cells and basophils, Dr. Stephen Galli’s research led to the discovery that mast cells help to maintain homeostasis, and promote survival, by reducing the toxicity of various snake, Gila monster, scorpion, and honeybee venoms.
Edward S. Horton, MD, MED ’55
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School (Retired); Senior Investigator, Joslin Diabetes Center (Retired)
Throughout his 55-year career, Dr. Edward Horton was devoted to the investigation, treatment, and prevention of diabetes, and he has taught and mentored generations of students, residents, and postdoctoral fellows.
Nigel S. Paneth, MD, MED ’70
University Distinguished Professor, Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatics and of Pediatrics and Human Development, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University
Dr. Nigel Paneth is trained in both pediatrics and epidemiology, and his central research focus for the past 40 years has been on the origins and consequences of brain damage originating in pregnancy and the perinatal period.
Jean M. Sanger, PhD ’68
Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University
One of the leading experts in the cell biology of the cytoskeleton, Dr. Jean Sanger has used the latest advances in imaging technology to study the dynamics of the cytoskeleton in living cells and examine the mechanism by which myofibrils, the basic units of muscle fibers, form in striated muscle cells.
Rear Admiral Anne Schuchat, MD, MED ’84
Principal Deputy Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Anne Schuchat has played key roles in many Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emergency responses, including the current COVID-19 response, the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza response, the 2003 SARS outbreak in Beijing, and the 2001 bioterrorist anthrax response.
Lloyd B. Tepper, MD, MED ’55
Corporate Medical Director, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (Retired); Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine (Occupational and Environmental Medicine), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Lloyd Tepper’s 60-year career in occupational and environmental medicine involves not only research and medical practice but also public service, a corporate medical directorship, multiple leadership roles, and teaching in a residency program.
William T. Thorwarth Jr., MD, MED’75
Chief Executive Officer, American College of Radiology
Before becoming CEO of the American College of Radiology in 2014, Dr. William Thorwarth served as a community practice radiologist for 30 years while continually working to improve healthcare in his local area and nationally.
FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE
Barry D. Smith, MD, MED ’60
Professor Emeritus and Chair Emeritus, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Dr. Barry Smith designed the OB/GYN clerkship for Dartmouth Medical School students and led the development of an academic OB/GYN department and the development of its accredited residency program.
Oglesby H. Young III, MD, MED ’75
Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Concord Hospital (Retired); Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Geisel School of Medicine
During his 35 years as a practicing OB/GYN, Dr. Oglesby Young cared for generations of women, mentored medical students, devoted his work to improving the lives of children and their parents, and never lost touch with Dartmouth’s medical school.
FOR YOUNG ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT
Marc Hohman, MD, MED ’06
Deputy Director of Operations and Executive Officer, Charles A. Andersen Simulation Center
Fellowship-trained in facial plastic and microvascular reconstructive surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dr. Marc Hohman established the first multidisciplinary services for facial nerve disorders and facial gender confirmation surgery in the U.S. military.
