SUNY Downstate Medical Center - Iatros Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

Page 28 text:

STANLEY M. ARONSON, Assistant Dean and Professor of Pathology, points to teaching as his greatest pleasure and primary reason for being at Downstate. In charge of all scholarships and loans, his responsibilities extend much further. Comparing the medical training of today against that of twenty-five years ago, he notes a finer grade of teaching and a lower drop-out mortality. Instruction has improved as the teach- ing of medical students has become a legitimate pursuit.', He also feels medical students now ap- proach the profession and the patient as sensitive fellow human beings,', not primarily seeking to gain in personal status. ln the future, Dr. Aronson would like to see the basic sciences vertically integratedn through- out the four years, helping the student to better apply the concepts, and giving the teacher more contact with the patient. He extends his best wishes for our success, and especially, for the privilege of practicing in peace. FREDERICK F. KAO, Professor of Physiol- ogy, has spent many years teaching and doing research in the physiology of respiratory control. His hobby is of equal interest to him, however: the study of the development of medical thought, comparing the views of the ancient East against the West. He thoroughly enjoys the teaching of medicine, because, as a theoretically almost limit- less fieldf' it offers a unique and unusual chal- lengef' Having been at many medical schools, both here and abroad, Dr. Kao compares Downstate favorably with the best, and is impressed by its development not only as a technical but also as a cultural center. He feels the medical students have contributed to the excellence of our Faculty, in that, by their desire to learn, they have stimulated their teachers to greater heights. He identifies the area of student-faculty rela- tions as most in need of improvement, desiring that students and faculty be personally familiar with each other. This, he believes, makes teaching and learning much more rewarding experiences.

Page 27 text:

The keenly inquisitive eyes and mind of J. EDWARD HALL, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, have given us moments of great anxiety in addition to those of explosive laughter. His carefully organized lecture series and his pre- cise clinical judgement so impressed us that he was an almost unanimous choice for one of the Best Clinical Professor awards. He feels the overall quality of medical school education has vastly improved over the years, but sadly notes an increasing lack of the great clinician, resulting in the student no longer being properly awed by medicine. Though the quality of basic science teaching is constantly improving, he believes there may have been a regression in the areas of clinical medicine, something possibly related to the present demands of research. Be- cause of such demands, many doctors of today feel they have no time to teach, and often teach only because they are forced to do so. Dr. Hall has been an inspiration to many in our class, and we are happy to learn he plans to continue teaching until he retires. l . An Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, FLORENCE M. STONE has taught at Downstate fand previously at the Long Island College of Medicinel for more than thirty years. Planning to retire in June, she will return to her home in Florida and perhaps doing a little travel- ing. She has a tremendous love for teaching, and has found her particular field becoming increas- ingly stimulating as the years have passed. Having established good friendships over the years, she sincerely hopes when any of the 4500 students she has taught pass through Florida, they will stop and visit me in Winter Park. Wishing Dr. Stone the very best life has to offer, we sadly realize that teachers with her dedication and enthusiasm can never be replaced.

Page 29 text:

R. KEITH WATERHOUSE, Professor and Chief of Urology at both the University and Kings County Hospitals, is a distinctive figure whether in vested suit or surgical greens Qand always with a crisp English accentj. Feeling he has had strikingly little contact with medical students, he has invested considerable time and effort in increasing his associations, and is one of the very few Chiefs who meets with and personally lectures to his students several hours per week. Convinced that the senior student at Downstate has an excellent attitude and is genuinely interested in the patient, Dr. Waterhouse foresees con- tinued improvement in medical training as the amount of student-patient contact increases. In this respect, he feels the new University hospital will serve as a extremely valuable future aid to better medical education. Married, with a large family, Dr. Waterhouse is happiest when caring for his patients, firmly believing the future of medicine remains de- pendent on the sincere doctor-patient relation- ship. IRWIN M. MURRY, Associate Professor of Anatomy, is known to all of us as an excellent lecturer, experienced teacher, and interested friend. Sensitive to the problems arising during transition from undergraduate college to medical school, he offered much guidance and encourage- ment to us during our difficult First Year. Because of better screening, he feels today's student is more intelligent and harder working than ever before. Also, he believes more of them are choos- ing academic medicine, partially due to greater opportunities provided by the schools, and partial- ly to increased availability of govemment support. Dr. Murry identities the present willingness of institutions to modify curiiculums in order to present the most efficient program as a major reason for the superiority of today's medical training. He feels there was far too much em- phasis placed on Anatomy in the past, that the present trend toward de-emphasis will go to ex- cess, and that eventually, it will return to some middle ground. He suggests a program of Anat- omy throughout the four years, correlating with each subject in turn.