The UTMB Department of Internal Medicine’s 20th annual Essentials in Internal Medicine: Update on Principals and Practice and Alumni Society meeting was held at the Moody Gardens Hotel on April 8-9.

 

Over 100 practitioners attended the scientific sessions which offered a wide array of topics, including the presentation of the William P. Deiss, Jr. Lecture by Dr. Joel E. Richter. Richter also presented a lecture entitled “Eosinophilic Esophagitis." He is currently the Richard L. Evans professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pa. Another invited lecturer, Dr. J. James Rohack, an alumnus of UTMB and the UTMB Department of Internal Medicine, presented “The Ethics of Health Care Reform," based on his experience this past year as president of the American Medical Association (AMA).

 

The annual alumni society dinner was held at Gaidos Restaurant, where three alumni were honored for their leadership in professional societies and institutions — Dr. Del Chumley, president of the American College of Gastroenterology, Dr. Tedd Mitchell, president of Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, and Rohack, immediate past-president of the AMA. Each honoree was presented with a framed picture of Old Red. 

 

“These men bring great honor to our department and to UTMB through their efforts to enhance our profession. We are very proud to call them our own," said Dr. Randall Urban, chairman of the UTMB Department of Internal Medicine.

 

On Saturday afternoon, following the conclusion of the alumni society scientific meeting, alumni, friends and family gathered at Moody Plaza on the UTMB campus to dedicate the Remmers Oak. The oak was planted in memory of Dr. August Raymond Remmers, Jr., a longtime UTMB faculty member and past co-director of the UTMB Division of Nephrology. 

 

“The fact that our department’s alumni return each year for our Continuing Medical Education course and alumni society meeting tells of their affection for UTMB. We are quite proud of our department’s history, and the collegiality that our alumni society has fostered. One of our department’s greatest strengths is our alumni and friends, and we look forward to building even stronger ties with them in the years ahead," said Dr. J. Marc Shabot, vice chair for UTMB alumni affairs and development, Department of Internal Medicine.