Strobel named 2008 TIAA-CREF Distinguished Medical Educator (Continued)

By Rob Cahill

More than 25 years ago, Dr. Strobel founded the Medical Professionalism Orientation Retreat (known as the Henry Strobel Student Retreat) — a program focused on welcoming first-year medical students and building collegial relationships with all medical students and faculty to help new students through the medical school years. The success of the retreat was recognized by the Alumni Association at the 2007 commencement ceremony with a financial endowment in Dr. Strobel’s name.

Understanding the value in broadening a student’s education, Dr. Strobel initiated international electives, including rotations at the University of Malaya and the Medical School of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the Medical School of the Deccan in Hyderabad, India; the Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand; the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile; the Ho Chi Minh University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and the Capital Medical University in Beijing, China. Of these, the first and most long-standing program is that with Capital Medical University in Beijing, where more than 300 students have benefited from the experience.

The steering committee selected to govern the award and to evaluate nominations is composed of leading medical professionals from the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, the UT Health Science Center at Houston, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Texas Children’s Hospital, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing, and the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing at Galveston.

Previous TIAA-CREF Distinguished Medical Educator Award winners from the UT Medical School at Houston are Frank Arnett, Jr., M.D., professor of internal medicine and the Elizabeth Bidgood Chair in Rheumatology; and Herbert Fred, M.D., professor of internal medicine. Dr. Strobel is the first Ph.D. to receive the award, recognizing the inclusive nature of medical education.