SKMC Alumni Bulletin
Time Machine Setting Precedents
From Thomas Jefferson to Ronald Reagan, Jefferson has a long history of caring for United States presidents.
Feature Jefferson Research Lab Making Progress in Battle Against Cancer
For Adam Snook, PhD ’08, it’s all about solving puzzles.
As a basic scientist, Snook seeks to find answers in the laboratory that lead to the development of new therapies for cancer patients.
He admits it’s not always easy.
Feature All in the Family
For the father-daughter team of Takami Sato, MD, PhD, and Rino Seedor, MD ’15, working to find the cure for a rare cancer is a family endeavor.
Born a Jeffersonian
William Valentine Harrer, MD ’62, treasures his and his family's Jefferson legacy, which can be traced back to more than a century ago.
When Jefferson and Medicine Struck Gold
Jefferson isn't just where Geno J. Merli, MD ’75, RES ’78 and ’80, has built his life's work. It's been his home for the past 50 years.
Profiles
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Loud & Clear
Student Profile: Natalie Perlov
A Jefferson medical student amplifies the voices of the deaf. -
Lucky 13 ... and Counting
Faculty Profile: Nathaniel R. Evans III, MD
Dr. Evans has transformed thoracic surgery at Jefferson, leaving a lasting legacy of expertise, compassion, and empowerment. -
First, Do No Harm
Alumni Profile: Geoffrey Dunn, MD ’79
A fourth-generation Jefferson alumnus’ pioneering, palliative legacy.
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Future Healthcare Leaders Begin Their Jefferson Journey
More than 285 Sidney Kimmel Medical College Class of 2029 students received their white coats on August 1, 2025, at Philadelphia’s Crystal Tea Room. During the two-hour ceremony marking the official start of their medical school careers, the Class of 2029 recited the Hippocratic Oath and heard words of inspiration from Jefferson leadership, faculty, and fellow medical students.
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Medicine Rooted in Connection
The Pisacano Leadership Foundation recognizes 10 medical students nationwide yearly who demonstrate exceptional scholarship, leadership, clinical excellence, and a deep commitment to advancing family medicine. Fourth-year Sidney Kimmel Medical College student Scott Orlov has been selected as a 2025 Pisacano Scholar, marking the first time in the award’s 32-year history that a Jefferson student has received this prestigious honor.
Recap SKMC Alumni Weekend
The 2025 Sidney Kimmel Medical College Alumni Weekend was an unforgettable celebration, offering the opportunity for alumni hailing from classes throughout the decades to reconnect and reminisce with classmates. Alumni class years concluding in 5 and 0 marked milestone reunions, with the Class of 1975 commemorating their 50th reunion.
Alumni Award Recipients
Early Career Alumni Award - Matthew Keller, MD ‘05, RES ‘09
Alumni Achievement Award - Leonard Zon, MD ‘83
Distinguished Alumni Award - Rev. Dr. Edward C. Bradley, SJ, MD ‘55
Postgraduate Alumni Award - Lorraine C. King, MD, RES ‘75, FEL ’77
Time, Talent, and Treasure Award - M. Dean Kinsey, MD ‘69
Stay Connected Class Notes
Where have you been? What have you been up to? Tell us what’s new—jobs, weddings, moves across the country. Submit a Class Note for an upcoming issue of the Bulletin to share your story with fellow alumni.
Class Notes Sisters in Stride
On November 2, 2025, sisters and alumnae Samara Hamou, MD ’25, and Kiley Hamou (class of 2029), ran the New York City Marathon together as a deeply personal mission of advocacy, healing, and hope.
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Nancy Szwec Czarnecki, MD '65
Nancy Szwec Czarnecki, MD, recalls that “It was such an honor and challenge to be the first woman graduate of Jefferson Medical College! I practiced family medicine with my husband Joseph Czarnecki in Port Richmond, Philadelphia. Many of our patients grew to love Jefferson as well. I served as JMC Alumni President in 1989 and later the Board of Trustees. I helped plan our 60th reunion which took place this October! A life well spent as a Jefferson physician. May all our future Jefferson alums continue to share their affection for Jeff and share our knowledge and caring for patients beyond our 200th year of clinical excellence. I can tell our future is strong since I look at grandson John, now a junior med student at Jeff, eager to practice healing and wellbeing of our patients.”
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Gary S. Clark, MD '75
Gary S. Clark, MD, retired in September 2022 as founding professor and chair of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Case Western Reserve University/ MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He is currently emeritus professor of PM&R at Case Western, consulting parttime with Paradigm Outcomes to facilitate rehabilitation/recovery for catastrophically injured workers (with focus on multiple trauma and amputation). Clark and his wife Janet live in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, a short 10-minute drive from their daughter, son-in-law, and three grandsons (ages 15, 12, and 8).
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Braden Kuo, MD '94
Braden Kuo, MD, after 28 years at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, moved to Columbia New York Presbyterian to be the next chief of digestive and liver disease. During his time in Boston, he did his GI fellowship at MGH and stayed there as faculty, over time becoming associate professor of medicine at HMS and director for the Center for Neurointestinal Health. He developed one of the largest programs in GI motility and visceral pain with a clinical motility lab, GI motility fellowship, and numerous NIH, foundation, and industry grants. He is proud of his two children, who were born in Boston, grew up in Newton/Boston, left for college, and now are employed working adults on the West Coast. He looks forward to the next chapter with new opportunities as an empty nester in NYC!
Dean's Column Challenge, Collaboration, Renewal
The archives tell a story not just of milestones — the firsts, the discoveries, the breakthroughs — but of a temperament. Jefferson physicians have always been more than skilled clinicians. They’ve been collaborators. They’ve been restless, curious minds. And, when confronted with the defining challenges of their era, they have risen to meet them. That spirit feels especially relevant now.
A Message From the SKMC Alumni Board President Family, Alumni, and the Power of Legacy
The great poet Maya Angelou advised: “If you’re going to live, leave behind a legacy. Make an impact on the world that can never be erased.” SKMC Alumni Board President Irfan Galaria, MD ’01, MBA, reflects on legacy — and what it means at Jefferson.