Illinois Medicine

'Thought Leaders Assembly' Dean Azar hosts major supporters of the college B P h o t o : W e n d y M a c l u r i n R i c h a rd s o n "The dean really enjoyed connecting with a lot of people," said K.M. Tan '67, MD '71, who served as regional host in San Francisco. Illinois, who support us through their tax dollars." "It's very rewarding to meet with alumni of all ages and hear how passionate they remain about the college," Azar said. "I look forward to future travels to meet with the college's graduates in the many places where they're making the college's influence felt." SAVE THE DATE for alumni events in your area. May 11, CHICAGO: Fibromyalgia symposium led by alumnus Bruce Gillis, MD '74. Moss Auditorium, College of Medicine Research Building Room 1020, 9:30 a.m. oth medicine and higher education are undergoing major changes, driven by technological advances and pressures to control costs. To help the College of Medicine respond to this changing environment and set a course for future success, Dean Dimitri Azar, MD, MBA, hosted the college's inaugural Thought Leaders Assembly in early October. The gathering brought together leaders in health care, education and business—many of whom also are major supporters of the college — for two days of presentations and informal conversations. "The Thought Leaders Assembly was an opportunity for me to share my vision for the college with these very accomplished individuals and to hear their ideas for how we can move the college forward," Azar says. "The sessions yielded a number of strategic recommendations that we will be acting on in the future. These excellent ideas will help Illinois Medicine respond to both the challenges and opportunities that are presenting themselves and make us more able to fulfill our mission of education, research and clinical care." The sessions conducted during the assembly addressed medical education in the 21st century, community health, national and global health, public/private partnerships in medicine and education, and the intersection of the college's mission with philanthropy. "Dean Azar was looking for different points of view, to hear from people who aren't at a medical school, people from other walks of life. There are applications in business that can be combined in medicine," says Gary Janko, who moderated the discussion about public-private partnerships. The founder and senior managing director of Janko Group, a Deerfield real estate investment company, Janko has successfully leveraged private equity with local, state and federal incentives. He encourages such public-private partnerships that can accomplish "win-win" outcomes not achievable independently. Janko has made a significant gift to endow a professorship in the name of Joel Sugar, MD, professor of ophthalmology at the College of Medicine, who has treated Janko for vision problems. "It was a chance to get to know some very well-respected businessmen, clinicians and researchers from all over the country," says Sapan S. Desai '98, MD '06, PhD '06, MBA, who spoke on the topic of medical education. "It was extremely productive. I made alliances with people that I think will lead to a lot of good for a lot of people down the road." An adjunct assistant professor of surgery at Duke University, Desai is the founder and CEO of Surgisphere, a medical education company in Durham, N.C., and he has made a major donation of the company's products to the College of Medicine. "Dean Azar is to be commended for taking this initiative," Desai adds. "He has a vision for taking all the different possibilities in the college and bringing together different people who can collaborate and come up with winning solutions for the entire system." Within the year, Azar will host a follow-up meeting in Chicago to continue conversations and the strategic application of items discussed during the Thought Leaders Assembly. — Kevin McKeough The inaugural event gave Dean Azar a chance to share the college's vision with thought leaders in health care, education and business. June 22, ROCKFORD: RMED Anniversary Celebration including an afternoon picnic at Allerton Park in Monticello, Ill. 11:00 a.m. -1:30 p.m. Fall 2013, NEW YORK, MILWAUKEE & INDIANAPOLIS: Dean Azar will travel to meet with area alumni later this year. P h o t o : M at t K n i g h t o n For more information about any of these events or to become more involved with alumni programs, please contact Jenna Plakut, director of alumni relations, at (312) 355-1171 or jplakut@uic.edu. illinois medicine | 37

• Cover