Message from the President
This is a remarkable issue of Bench & Bedside you hold in your hands. Remarkable because it demonstrates the breadth and depth of the contributions you and your fellow alumni make to the world. From our cover story on alumni who are serving the men and women in harm's way in wartime to the Q&A with Bill Brody who has just stepped down as president of the Johns Hopkins University, and a career of advocacy for policy change in health care, to a look at the “fresh faces” of GenNext, we think you'll agree we are all privileged to belong to this remarkable community.
People outside universities sometimes refer to academic institutions as ivory towers. Reading neurobiologist-turnedchaplain Tim Meier's blog from Iraq or Alisa Gean's heartbreaking story about a frontline patient-turned-friend shows how un-ivory tower the university and the School of Medicine are. Where life and need call, our graduates go — with courage, intelligence, and generosity of spirit.
In April I shall be passing the gavel to our next president, William Rhine, MD '84. The past two years have been especially gratifying as we celebrated in 2008 the Centennial of Stanford University School of Medicine and watched the Li Ka Shing Learning and Knowledge Center rise from the ground. My participation continues on the board as immediate past president and as representative for the class of 1968. I look forward to our continued relationship.
Yours sincerely,
Norman J. Tong, BS '63, MD '68