Spring 03

Alumni News

We want to know what you’ve been up to – and your former classmates would like to know too. When submitting your material, include your full address and telephone number for verification. Send your material to: Alumni Notes Editor, 850 W. Michigan St., Suite 241, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5198. Fax (317) 274-5064. Email submissions should be sent to ssdavis@iupui.edu.

1946
John Shively, MD, is a retired hematopathologist and blood bank specialist. He is an emeritus professor of pathology at the University of South Florida. Dr. Shively and his wife Lois live in Tampa, Fla., where Dr. Shively enjoys studying gerontology, participating in Rotary Club, golfing, biking, reading and traveling.

James Woodford Weatherholt, MD, is a retired gynecologist/ obstetrician living in Palm Desert, Calif. He is a clinical associate professor emeritus for Stanford University School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Woodford enjoys playing golf, writing short stories and traveling. He and his wife Bernice have three adult children: Steve, Kathleen and Diana.

1956
W. Walter Able, MD, retired from his family practice in Columbus, Ind., in 2001. One of his greatest achievements is the establishment of the Children are Precious Foundation to aid health, education and a viable economy for the Mayan people in the highlands of northwest Guatemala. Dr. Able and his wife of nearly 50 years, Joan Graham Able, have three adult children, two of whom are physicians.

Robert J. Burkle, MD, is an orthopaedic surgeon in Terre Haute, Ind. He and his wife Carol have five adult children: Beth, Robert Jr., Heidi, William and Shawn.

James Alan Friedman, MD, is a retired obstetrician/gynecologist living in Houston, Texas. His wife Marlene passed away in August 2000. Dr. Friedman enjoys spending time with his three adult children and seven grandchildren and indulging in golf, travel, hunting, fishing and photography.

Herbert P. Trier, MD, is a psychiatrist in Fort Wayne, Ind.
In January 2000, he received the Distinguished Hoosier Award. Dr. Trier enjoys reading, playing the organ and attending philharmonic activities. He and his wife Betty have four children: Steve, Nancy, Janet and Carolyn.

James Mount, MD, is an obstetrician/gynecologist in Bedford, Ind. He enjoys playing the tuba in a traditional jazz band as well as serving as a member of his local community foundation. Dr. Mount also enjoys traveling. He has ventured to the Holy Land and Egypt and has hiked the Continental Divide from Bear Lake to Grand Lake at the Rocky Mountain National Park. Dr. Mount and his wife Rowena have two adult children.

Anton “Andy” P. Sohn, MD, is a forensic pathologist in Reno, Nev. In 1986, he was named Nevada’s Physician of the Year. Dr. Sohn is the founder of the Nevada History of Medicine Program and Press and has published seven books about the history of medicine.
In addition to his work, Dr. Sohn enjoys skiing, mountain biking, hunting, watercolor painting and clock making. He and his wife Arlene have three adult children: Anton, Eric and Kristin.

Max Wesemann, MD, is a family practice physician in Franklin, Ind. For the past decade or so, Dr. Wesemann has been doing acupuncture in addition to his conventional practice.

1965
Stephen S. Hurst, MD, has been practicing orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine in San Mateo County, Calif., for 30 years. He is the former chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Mills-Peninsula Hospitals. Currently he serves on the board of directors of the California Orthopaedic Association and the board of councilors of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery. He also is president of the Northern California Orthopaedic Medical Group, a single specialty orthopaedic IPA. He enjoys spending his leisure time with his family, especially his grandsons,
as well as playing tennis and traveling.

1966
David Brandes, MD, retired in early 1997 from his urology practice and resides in Syracuse, Ind. He enjoys reading, traveling, golfing and sailing. Dr. Brandes is a member of the board of directors of several civic groups including the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation, the Oakwood Inn and Conference Center, and the Oakwood Foundation. Each year, he spends one week performing missionary surgeries. Dr. Brandes and his wife Susan have two adult children: Tammy and Todd.

Walker Daly, MD, is a general surgeon in Columbus, Ind. He enjoys golfing and reading as well as writing fiction, and has had a short story published in Atlantic Monthly. He and his wife Jane have three adult daughters: Beth, Sarah and Katie.

James J. Harris, MD, is a family practitioner in Fort Wayne, Ind. He enjoys cycling and spending time with his grandchildren. He and his wife have three adult children: Brent, Jill and Amy.

1971
John “Mike” Brown, MD, is an obstetrician/gynecologist in Lafayette, Ind. He enjoys camping and managing his farm. Dr. Brown and his wife Linda have three adult children: Sarah, Susan and John.

Mark Cohen, MD, is the chief of Lovelace Health Systems’ Division of Rheumatology in Albuquerque, N.M. Dr. Cohen enjoys fly-fishing, computer graphics, hiking and traveling. He and his wife Susan recently celebrated 25 years of marriage with a trip to Ecuador, Peru, Macchu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. They have two children: Rebecca and Brandon.

David Giles, MD, is a psychiatrist in Indianapolis, Ind. He recently celebrated 30 years of playing basketball with a group known as “The Freudian Slips.” Dr. Giles is married to Gayle Herrli, a potter. They enjoy traveling to art shows together.

Douglas Horton, MD, is the senior member of Allergy and Asthma Associates, a group with 11 offices in central Indiana. One of the groups is actively involved in clinical research. He enjoys computers, running, reading and traveling. He and his wife Kathy have three children.

Judith Gleser Klein, MD, is semi-retired from her solo practice as a psychiatrist in Bloomington, Ind. She enjoys oil painting, doll collecting, dealing and appraising, and collecting and refinishing antique animal carousels. Dr. Klein and her husband Emanuel “Bud” have been married more than 35 years. They have one adult son: Jeffrey.

Donald S. Stepita, MD, is a cosmetic, plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Chevy Chase, Md. He is also an associate professor of surgery for the Uniformed Services for the Health Sciences. Dr. Stepita enjoys cycling, hiking, coin collecting and purchasing antiques. He has three children: Meredith, Ashley and Mike.

Robert “Bob” Wrenn, MD, is an obstetrician/gynecologist in Bloomington, Ind., where he serves as the president of Aegis Women’s Healthcare. Dr. Wrenn enjoys golf, scuba diving, photography and underwater photography. He and his wife
Ann have three adult children: David, Jeremy and Ann.

1981
William Early, MD, is a hematologist/oncologist in solo practice in Plantation, Fla. He and his wife Jeannie enjoy trips to the Far East and India. Dr. Early also enjoys Caribbean horticulture, rare tropical fruit trees and international travel to historic sites.

Rebecca Peters Feldman, MD, is a senior family practice physician with Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis. She was recently the recipient of the State Health Commissioner’s Award for Excellence in Public Health. Dr. Feldman and her husband Richard Feldman, MD, have three sons: Mike, Cody and Tyler.

Robert “Bob” Friedmeyer, MD, is the director of pediatrics for the Affinity Health Group in Tifton, Ga. He is a member of the Regional Georgia Health Department’s child abuse investigation team and has been named a “Community Champion” for his work with child abuse. Dr. Friedmeyer and his wife Kimberly have two children: Joseph and Elizabeth.

1991
Drew Engles, MD, is a hand and reconstructive microvascular surgeon in Akron, Ohio. He recently joined Akron’s Summit Hand Center and is a member of the clinical faculty for the Akron General Medical Center’s Orthopaedic Residency Program, the Summit Health CareOrthopaedic Residency Program, and the Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Akron. Dr. Engles is also a triathlete and completed an olympic-distance triathlon in August 2000. He and his wife Laura have one son.

NavYash Gupta, MD, is a vascular surgeon and serves as assistant professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. He enjoys reading, traveling, swimming and spending time with his wife Shyamala and their three children: Kavish, Kiran and Rukshana.

James Tieman, MD, is a family practice physician in South Bend, Ind. He completed his certificate degree in health systems management at IU South Bend and now serves as the medical director for Memorial Medical Group in addition to his full-time practice. Dr. Tieman is a member of Rotary International and enjoys fishing, water sports, scuba and golf. He and his wife Donna have a daughter and he also has two step-daughters.

1996
John Carter, MD, completed his residency at Community Hospital East of Indianapolis and is now a solo, small-town family practice physician in Sharpsville, Ind. His hobbies include singing, writing, preaching, family activities, home repair and property maintenance. He and his wife Karen have four children: Chris, Alla, Bryce and Bryan.

John Diana, MD, is an orthopaedic surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Previously Dr. Diana served as the academic chief resident in the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He and his wife Theresa are proud owners of a basset hound and an English bulldog.

Heather Weldon, MD, began private practice in obstetrics/ gynecology in Portland, Ore. in September 2000. Through her practice, she has become a skilled surgeon and is enjoying the opportunity to perform surgeries. She also enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, salsa dancing and traveling.

Alumni Porfile '70 | '71 | '00 | '02
Many parents are proud when their children follow in at least some of their footsteps, but Blake and Kirsten Froberg apparently are walking the walk step for step.

Kirsten Froberg, MD, ’00, is a third-year pediatric resident at IUSM. Her brother Blake Froberg, MD, ’02, is a first-year pediatric resident. Their parents, Kim Froberg, MD, ’70, and Linda Smallwood Froberg, MD, ’71, completed pediatrics residencies at IUSM in 1973 and 1974, respectively.

Amazingly enough, all four Drs. Froberg also graduated from IU-Bloomington: Kim and Linda in 1966; Kirsten in 1996; and Blake in 1998.

The parents are surprised their children have chosen paths so similar to their own. “We never pushed the kids toward medicine verbally or otherwise,” Kim says. “But they may have learned by example.” Both parents agree, however, that their example wasn’t always a positive one.

“They always saw the worst part of the practice – two parents on call,” Kim adds. “They never saw the best part – seeing our patients.”

Although Kirsten initially was convinced she did not want to become a physician, she now knows observing her parents inspired her.

“When we were growing up they were busy, but they always seemed able to balance their work and home lives and seemed to enjoy their careers,” she recalls. Unlike his older sister and current roommate, Blake was more open to practicing medicine.

“He always proclaimed he wanted to be a doctor,” Linda says of her son. “But both swore they’d never be pediatricians!”

Kim and Linda recall that, as children, Blake and Kirsten used to become upset when their parents brought office talk home. In fact, Kim remembers them chanting, “No office talk!” when the parents discussed work over supper.

Now, the kids initiate “office talk.” In fact, both completed rotations in their parents’ joint practice and Kirsten will join their Lafayette clinic next year after completing her residency at IUSM.

“I think our patients are relieved that we will be offering some longevity in care,” Linda says. “They’re glad they can continue to come to a small family practice even after Kim and I retire.”

Blake is undecided if he will follow the path to the family’s clinic, but he’s walking a path he learned early in life from his parents.

Centennial Memories
Do you have a unique or interesting story to share about your medical career or experience as a student at IUSM? For example, you might have followed in a family member’s footsteps at the School or in practice, or perhaps they have followed your trek. IU Medicine magazine plans to have special articles and sections later this year and next to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the IU School of Medicine.
You were a part of that history and we want to share it with your fellow alumni. Please send your submissions to Joe Stuteville, Office of Public and Media Relations, IU School of Medicine, Suite 306, 550 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46204. You also can send your submissions via email to jstutevi@iupui.edu.