Truman G. Blocker SocietyJohn P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine


The Truman Blocker Society seeks to provide students with opportunities to relate to faculty in non-academic settings, aimed at increasing their awareness of health career choices and increase their scientific and clinical knowledge in ways extraordinary to, and complementary with, the standard curriculum; and provide mentors with opportunities to know their students better and thus provide for their educational and personal needs. Society members seek to engage in community service activities that build on the students' particular interests and the mentors' particular expertise; participate in a range of extra-curricular learning experiences including seminars, field trips, and interest groups, and, in all these endeavors, to have a good time.

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Truman G. Blocker

Truman G. Blocker Jr. (1909-1984) was born in West Point, Mississippi and grew up in Sherman, Texas. He graduated from Austin College in 1929 and UTMB in 1933. He was the first president of UTMB (1967-1974). An extremely skilled plastic surgeon, Dr. Blocker was an expert in maxillofacial procedures and in the field of burns. During the 1947 Texas City disaster, Dr. Blocker was instrumental in the immediate and continuing care of over 800 patients. A prolific scholar of 182 publications, Dr. Blocker also procured for UTMB one of the largest medical history libraries in the United States. The Legion of Merit was one of the many awards Dr. Blocker received in his long, illustrious career.

A Way of Life

The vision of the Osler Student Societies is to provide developing physicians insight into "A Way of Life", described by Sir William Osler, not through formal lecture, but through the guidance of mentors in contact with students within and outside their academic setting.