Department of Biology

Before 1960

In August 2015, the Muncie–Delaware County (Ind.) Chamber of Commerce honored George E. Branam, BA’54, MD’57, with its 2015 Legacy Award. Upon graduation from medical school, track and cross country I-Man Branam spent nine years in the U.S. Air Force before beginning a civilian career in Muncie at Ball Memorial Hospital, now IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. At the hospital, he has held many leadership positions, including chair of the clinical staff and its executive committee, director of laboratories, and director of the pathology residents program. Branam lives in Muncie.

Retired biology professor and researcher Ruth V. Dippell*, BA’43, PhD’50, who is 97 years old, received her PhD in zoology. Dippell advocated for grants and scholarships for female students at a time when women were not often accepted in higher education, especially in the sciences. Before becoming a faculty member at IU in 1967, she conducted research under noted biology professor Tracy M. Sonneborn. She lives in Corvallis, Ore.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: Class note correction, June 18, 2019: We had incorrectly credited Ruth Dippell as being the first woman to earn a PhD in zoology from IU. That distinction goes to Effa Funk Muhse, who earned her PhD in zoology from IU in 1908.

In October 2014, the Arthritis Foundation honored orthopedic surgeon James W. Strickland, BA’59, MD’62, at the organization’s annual Indianapolis Bone Bash. Basketball I-Man Strickland is former clinical professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the IU School of Medicine and recently started a new musculoskeletal institute at St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis, where he recruits and trains hand surgeons.

The IU School of Medicine Alumni Association presented Lindley H. Wagner, BA’56, MD’59, with the Glenn W. Irwin, Jr. M.D. Distinguished Faculty 2015 Award. A former assistant dean and associate professor emeritus of medicine, Wagner was the founding director of the medical program on the IU School of Medicine’s campus at Purdue University, serving for 27 years until his retirement in 1998. The IUSM–Lafayette Anatomy Suite has been renamed the Lindley H. Wagner Anatomy Suite in his honor. The Lindley H. Wagner, M.D. Scholarship was created in 2012 and fully endowed in 2015 for medical students at IUSM–Lafayette. The first award was made during 2016. Wagner lives in Lafayette, Ind.

1970s

Kristina M. (McKee) Box, BA’79, MD’83, was named Indiana’s State Health Commissioner by Governor Eric Holcomb. Her appointment begins on October 16. Box has spent more than 30 years as an OB-GYN physician with the Community Health Network in Indianapolis. Since 2015, she has served as the Physician Lead for Community Health Network's Women's Service Line. In this role, she built the first multi-disciplinary Women’s Center in Community Health Network, developed critical partnerships with area children’s hospitals to improve care and decrease health care costs, and led efforts to ensure low-income women receive the important free health screenings they need. She served on Indiana’s State Task Force for Neonatal Abstinence. Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome can occur in newborns who are exposed to opiate drugs in the womb. The taskforce developed a system to identify patients in need of support sooner to help mothers get the addiction treatment they need earlier, thereby decreasing negative outcomes for both mothers and infants. Box is a member of the Indiana State Medical Association, the Marion County Medical Association, and serves on many hospital committees. For more than a decade, she has been involved in ongoing surgical medical missions to Haiti and Bolivia.

Claudia B. Douglass, BS’72; MAT’74, is the Vice Provost for Academic Effectiveness at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

In May 2015, James W. Fleck, BA’73, a partner in Valley Anesthesiology Consultants in Phoenix, was elected president of the Arizona Society of Anesthesiologists. Fleck spends one to two months per year performing voluntary anesthesia in developing countries. He writes, “I have a profound gratitude for the education I received and the experiences that I had on the various campuses of Indiana University. IU prepared me for a lifetime of learning and expanding my horizons.” Fleck lives in Scottsdale, Ariz.

In April 2016, Gary M. Gaddis, BA’79, PhD’84, MD’86, was named clinical professor of emergency medicine and resident research director of the Division of Emergency Medicine in the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. He previously served 17 years as an endowed chair in emergency medicine and faculty member in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine. Gaddis was an “All-Star” rider for the 1979 Little 500 Race, and has continued to be an active cyclist and runner. He lives in St. Louis.

James J. Laughlin, BS’74, MD’77, was honored with the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington’s Founding Dean’s Medallion. Dean Mohammad Torabi made the presentation in appreciation of Laughlin’s commitment to improving public health, especially among children in the community. Laughlin has been a primary care pediatrician in Bloomington for over 30 years, during this time he built a practice that was open 365 days a year, had built in urgent care, and operated his practice with strong business practices and principles. His efforts earned him the National Practice of the Year Award in 2005. Laughlin completed his residency in Pediatrics and a Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health. He is passionate about caring for children with asthma and other respiratory conditions. Because of his efforts, Monroe County reported the lowest asthma hospitalizations in the state among five to 17-year olds between 2007 and 2011.

“I am active as ever in my financial planning business,” writes Stephen E. Lierman, BA’73, adding, “My family is growing up and enjoying life. I will always support my great alma mater wherever I am!” He lives in Nanuet, N.Y.

John W. McGee, BA’70, MPA’74, JD’78, recently retired as Associate Dean of the McCoy College of Business Administration at Texas State University.

“Having lived in Vermont since 1985, I retired in 2013 and bought a 42-foot sailboat with my partner, Fred,” writes Dorothy L. Mammen, BS’77. “For the past three years, he and I have lived on the boat from September through May, sailing to the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Leeward and Windward islands, as far south as Grenada. We have logged over 10,000 ocean miles (taking turns as ‘captain of the day’), returning to central Vermont each summer to work at Camp Songadeewin–Keewaydin, where I am the assistant director.” Mammen lives in Middlebury, Vt.

Stephanie (Hathaway) Mullany, BA’71, is the author of Give and Take: A Roadmap to Understanding a Psychiatrist, published in 2011 by iUniverse Publishing. Mullany has practiced psychiatry full time since 1978. In a diverse career, she has managed a private practice, practiced psychiatry at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and taught bioethics and medical ethics to psychiatric residents. Now retired, she lives with her husband and their three dogs in Terra Ceia, Fla.

In 2015, the Children’s Center for Dance Education in Evansville, Ind., honored Jeffrey W. Olson, BA’70, MD’74, and his wife, Sally (Henson), BA’71, by naming the Olson Studio for their dedication to children and the art of dance. The nonprofit organization is in its 20th year of carrying out its mission of introducing dance to underserved communities, providing all children regardless of financial background, race, creed, or disability the opportunity to dance. The Olsons live in Newburgh, Ind.

1990s

Kelly L. Brooks, BS’95, is a chaplain and pastoral counselor in Allentown, Pa. She welcomed a daughter, Madison Paige Brooks, in October 2014. Brooks lives in Bethlehem, Pa.

In 2015, Brian F. Dimitri, BA’97, and his wife, Liza (Marczak), BS’96, of Auburn, Maine, stopped by Bloomington, with their three sons to deliver Liza’s “3 Spicy Boys” Barbecue Sauce to then-IU basketball coach Tom Crean. The barbecue sauce is a product of Liza’s start-up business. Liza and Brian hope their visit to Bloomington will inspire their three sons to attend IU someday.

In 2015, Jay M. Dutton, BS’90, of Greater Chicago-based Midwest Facial Plastic Center, traveled to the Dominican Republic to perform surgery on patients with facial deformities. Dutton led a team of surgeons to perform cleft lip and palate and pediatric head and neck surgery. Since founding the Giving Back–Medical Volunteer Mission seven years ago, he has traveled to the Dominican Republic each year to offer surgical aid to people in impoverished villages. Dutton also lead two reconstructive surgery trips to Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

In 2015, Andy S. Hipskind, BS’95, MD’99, of Bloomington, Ind., was named a member of the Aegis Shield Expert Panel. Composed of leaders in fields such as sports medicine, nutrition, and physiology, the panel works to protect athletes from inadvertently consuming banned substances in dietary supplements, over-the-counter drugs, and prescription medications. Hipskind is the team physician for the IU football program and also serves as senior assistant athletics director for sports medicine and sports performance and chief medical officer. He was a member of the men’s track and field team as a student at IU.

In 2016, Hetal A. Karsan, BS’92, MD’96, of Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates, was nominated to serve on the editorial board of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, the leading clinical journal covering gastroenterology and hepatology that is published on behalf of the American College of Gastroenterology. Karsan is serving a three-year term as associate editor for the journal and co-editor of the publication’s notable “Red Section.” He is the only physician in private practice on the editorial board.

In December 2015, Indiana law firm Plews Shadley Racher & Braun named Brett E. Nelson, BA’92, JD’99, as managing partner of the firm. Nelson is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer with a particular interest in technical and complex litigation. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a range of environmental, insurance coverage, intellectual property, pharmaceutical, commercial litigation, and other matters. Nelson is licensed to practice in Indiana, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana, the Seventh and Tenth Circuit Federal Courts of Appeals, the United States Supreme Court, and before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. He lives in Bloomington, Ind.

In June 2015, Jonathan F. Yates, BS’97, JD’01, joined the national law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister. He is of counsel in Taft’s Indianapolis office and a member of the firm’s intellectual property group. Yates concentrates his practice in the areas of patent and trademark prosecution and general intellectual property and related business consulting. Prior to joining Taft, he served as a private practice intellectual property attorney for nearly 14 years. Yates lives in Bloomington, Ind.