Dean’s Corner
Alumni Weekend 2008: Reflecting on 25 Years at Pritzker
By Michael Mendoza, AB’96, MD’01
—Dr. Michael Mendoza is the 2008 recipient of the Young Alumni Service Citation, which “acknowledges and encourages service to the University by individuals aged 35 and younger.” As Dr. Mendoza notes, “This award is meaningful to me because it is a public acknowledgement of the gifts that the University and Pritzker have provided me. I have had the opportunity to serve the University community because of these rich and meaningful experiences that the school creates.”
Michael Mendoza, Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, AB’96, MD’01 and Holly J. Humphrey, Dean for Medical Education, MD’83
I had the opportunity to spend a few moments reflecting on the significance of this year’s Alumni Weekend with Holly Humphrey, MD’83, Dean for Medical Education. For Dean Humphrey, this year marks the 25th anniversary of her graduation from Pritzker. Although medicine and medical education have undergone unprecedented change, we agreed that Pritzker represents to both of us a special place in our personal and professional lives. Alumni young or old, we are united by a common experience that has defined us as individuals, professionals, and leaders in medicine.
MM: As you reflect on the years since your graduation from Pritzker, how has medical education changed?
HH: Both the scientific basis of medicine and clinical environment are very different today. What we know about science is so different in almost every domain. The pace of clinical activity, the length of stay, fragmentation in care—these are all changes we face. We pay more deliberate attention to quality of care. Patient safety was always on our minds before, but never as actively as it is today.
MM: Given that the environment has changed so much, what innovations at Pritzker have prepared us to deal with these new realities?
HH: Our new curriculum is trying to be mindful of those new realities in every dimension—from the scientific revelations to the changes in the clinical environment to the changes in medicine-related disciplines. Whether that’s bioethics or the economics of health care, we have the opportunity to shape a brand new approach to these realities. Using technology, medical simulation, and standardized patients—all new and different opportunities that we did not have 25 years ago.
MM: Your education at Pritzker was clearly influential in your career. What aspects of your education here were most influential for you?
HH: I benefited from excellent mentorship from faculty. These mentors helped me envision a career as both a doctor and a mother and negotiate that careful and challenging balance.
MM: Is there anything that you know now that you wish you had known as a student?
HH: Even though people told me this, it is only recently that I have come to understand that a life in medicine is truly a marathon, not a sprint. In considering that, you train differently, you prepare differently.
The other thing I knew but I feel even more strongly today is the real challenge of being a doctor and a mother. This is life’s greatest challenge—to balance this in a way that is healthy for everyone involved. My students taught me to be a better mother. My children have taught me to be a better doctor, program director, and dean.
