2008 Distinguished Alumni Awardees Announced By Mayo Clinic

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice;  Public Health
Article Date: 27 Sep 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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Andrew Engel, M.D., Roland Moskowitz, M.D., Peter Pairolero, M.D., and Robert Wallace, M.D., received the 2008 Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award. The awards were presented at a dinner hosted by the Mayo Clinic Alumni Association on Sept. 11, 2008, at the Foundation House. This award recognizes the exceptional contributions of Mayo alumni to the field of medicine, including medical practice, research, education and administration.

Dr. Engel is a consultant in the Department of Neurology at Mayo Clinic, director of the Neuromuscular Disease Research Laboratory, and is the William L. McKnight-3M Professor of Neuroscience in the College of Medicine. Dr. Engel has written nearly 400 scholarly articles, served on numerous medical editorial boards, and was elected to the Institute of Medicine, a component of the National Academy of Sciences that provides guidance on biomedical science, medicine, and health to policy makers, professional leaders and organizations.

Dr. Moskowitz is a professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and co-directs the Arthritis Translational Research Program at the University Hospitals of Cleveland/Case Research Institute. Dr. Moskowitz is a principal investigator of the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Rheumatology-Orthopedic Training Grant. He formerly directed the Northeast Ohio Multipurpose Arthritis Center and has authored or co-authored more than 220 manuscripts and 10 textbooks on Rheumatology.

Dr. Pairolero, an emeritus staff member of Mayo Clinic, is considered an international authority on general thoracic and vascular surgery. He developed lung disease treatments that are still recognized as standard best practices throughout the world. During a 40-year career, Dr. Pairolero performed more than 16,000 surgeries, published more than 400 manuscripts, and served in numerous leadership positions at Mayo Clinic and in various professional organizations.

Dr. Wallace, who is retired, serves in leadership positions with the American College of Surgeons and the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education. Dr. Wallace joined Mayo Clinic as a fellow in cardiovascular surgery in 1963, and during his career, was a major contributor to the development of advances in cardiovascular surgery. In 1968, Dr. Wallace was the first surgeon in the United States to perform the Rastelli procedure, a surgery to correct certain types of congenital heart defects. Dr. Wallace served on the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and the Mayo Foundation Board of Trustees, and has authored or co-authored 250 articles or book chapters.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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The Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award was established in 1982 by the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees. The annual awards show Mayo Clinic's appreciation and recognition of the exceptional contributions that Mayo alumni have made to the field of medicine.

Source John Murphy
Mayo Clinic