Alumni

James Harris (foreground), Class of 1976 Scholar, talks about his experiences and aspirations, and emphasizes the importance of scholarship support. MAA President Valdemar Ascencio, M.D. ’75, congratulated the Class of on reaching its goal. Daniele Hecht, Class of 1961 Scholar, addressed that class with Dr. Ascencio during the evening as well.

Class of 1976 Reunion Tremendous Sucess

In retrospect, the true highlight of our reunion was knowing that we are directly making a difference in the lives of those who are following us. - Vena Ricketts,M.D.'76

Congratulations to all! The School of Medicine Class of 1976 30th Reunion was a tremendous success, including a weekend filled with wonderful, gratifying, fun-filled activities and celebration.
More important, thanks to the generosity of our classmates, we reached our goal of raising $100,000 for the Class of ’76 Endowed Scholarship. James Harris, our first scholarship recipient, impressed us all when he spoke at the class dinner. But we’re not resting on our laurels. The bar was raised, and we are now working on our second $100,000.

Conference on Career Choices

Being at UCLA for medical school shaped my early adult life. It was an important, enriching and memorable experience for me. I am proud of being a member of the Class of 1986. I have returned to these memories every five years to celebrate and remember this important time. — Evelyn J. Erickson, M.D., F.A.C.S. ’86

I enjoyed the diversity of career panels, a good representation of various specialties. It was concise and to the point. — student quote from the 2006 event.

The mission of the UCLA Medical Alumni Association (MAA) is to advance the cause of medical education, contribute to the excellence of the School of Medicine and encourage fellowship among the members of the MAA. There are many events and activities associated with the MAA, including Reunion Weekend, the Medical Alumni & Aesculapians Awards Banquet and Senior Breakfast.
One gathering that helps foster relationships between alumni and students is the annual Conference on Career Choices inMedicine. Hosted by theMAA and the Office of Student Affairs, this half-day event is an excellent opportunity for first-, second- and third-year medical students to hear from a variety of physicians in different specialties and practice settings (e.g., private practice, HMOs and academia) who talk about their work and balancing life and career, and answer questions. There are three sessions with several panels from which to choose (three-to-five doctors per panel), as well as a roundtable lunch session where students can network with panelists and fellow classmates in a less formal setting. The 19th annual conference will be held on January 13, 2007, from 9:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m. You can participate as a panelist by contacting the MAA.

A Round of Applause for the Classes of 1961, 1975 and 1976

A nation’s treasure is in its scholars. — Chinese Proverb
…for reaching the $100,000 endowment goal and creating Alumni Class Scholarship Funds. Four classes have now hit this mark—1955, the first to do so, reached it during the 2005 Reunion. Alumni are providing critical scholarship support for future generations of physicians. If you would like to contribute to your class scholarship fund, contact the MAA.

Alumni Awards

The UCLA Medical Alumni & Aesculapians Awards Banquet is held to honor distinguished faculty, alumni and friends of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Please join the UCLA MAA in celebrating the accomplishments of the 2007 award recipients on Friday, October 19, at UCLA’s Susan G. Covel and Mitchel D. Covel, M.D., Commons. The banquet begins at 6:30 p.m., and honors will be given to Tomas Ganz, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Science Award; Stanley G. Korenman,M.D., Distinguished Service Award; Michael Zucker, M.D., Professional Achievement Award; and Vicente Honrubia, J.D., D.M.Sc., Award of Extraordinary Merit. To receive an invitation, please contact the MAA.

Happy Days Are Here Again!

Are you a member of the Class of: 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992 or 1997?

Mark your calendar for the weekend of April 20–22, 2007, to reconnect and reminisce with medical school classmates. The festivities will start Friday evening with a casual all-classes reception. Activities during the weekend will include a Distinguished Speakers Series (CME credit available), an afternoon in the newly renovated Getty Villa in Malibu, a campus tour, an all-classes reception, and individual class dinners Saturday night and brunch at the beach on Sunday.

Meeting again with classmates and friends was a special pleasure. We were all rather astounded that we had not done so more often, and were very happy to see each one enjoying life. — Bob ’61 and Jerrie Peters

MAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2006-2007

President
Valdemar Ascencio, M.D. ’75
Vice-President
Edward J. Zaragoza, M.D. ’87
Secretary/Treasurer
Dolly H. Saxton, M.D., Ph.D. ’82
Directors
Wade M. Aubry, M.D. ’77 Benjamin F. Cowan, M.D. ’75* Christian de Virgilio, M.D. ’86 Dennis Evangelatos, M.D. ’82 Patrice M. Healy, M.D. ’84 Michael Levine, M.D. ’80 Norman Namerow, M.D. ’58* Jeannine Rahimian,M.D.,M.B.A. ’00 George M. Rajacich, M.D. ’79* Ronald M. Reisner, M.D. ’56* Vena Ricketts, M.D. ’76 Doris Soghor, M.D. ’63 Livia G. Solti-Bohman, M.D. ’75 James R. Tipton, M.D. ’80 Rosalind C. Warner, M.D. ’81 Gelareh Zargaraff, M.D. ’03
*Past Presidents

Student Representatives
Sameer Ahmed (M.D. ’09) Monica Constantinescu (M.D. ’08) Christopher English (M.D. ’08) Nevine Hanna (M.D. ’10) Ruby Shandilya (M.D. ’09) Kimberly Shapiro (M.D. ’07) Michelle Sugi (M.D. '10) Goldie Winge (M.D. ’07)

Ex Officio
Norman Abrams, J.D. Albert Carnesale, Ph.D. Mitchel D. Covel, M.D. Sidney H. Golub, Ph.D. Gerald S. Levey, M.D. Sherman M. Mellinkoff, M.D. Neil H. Parker, M.D. Kenneth I. Shine, M.D. Charles E. Young, Ph.D.

Please contact the MAA office at (310) 825-0988 or visit medschool.ucla.edu/current-alumni for more information on our programs or to become more involved.

You are a lifetime member of the UCLA Medical Alumni Association (MAA) if you are a School of Medicine M.D. or Ph.D. graduate, past intern or resident, facultymember or emeritus faculty member. If you have recently changed your mailing or e-mail address and/or telephone number, please let us know. Contact the MAA at (310) 825-0988 or [email protected]