Celebrating the Human Connection: An Endowed Chair for Michael D. “Dr. Mike” Cirigliano |
|
December 16, 2014, Volume 61, No. 17 |
|
At the recent professorship celebration honoring “Dr. Mike”: (from left to right) Ed Snider, Michael D. Cirigliano, Dean J. Larry Jameson |
|
A wide array of Penn Medicine leadership, faculty, patients and staff gathered in November at the Smilow Center for Translational Research to honor a man widely lauded for his humanistic approach to medicine. Michael D. “Dr. Mike” Cirigliano was named the inaugural chair holder of the Founders Associate Professorship in General Internal Medicine. When Dr. Cirigliano retires, the Professorship will bear his name in perpetuity.
Dr. Cirigliano is a 1990 graduate of the Perelman School of Medicine and also completed his internship and residencies at Penn. In addition to his internal medicine practice, “Dr. Mike” is a popular medical commentator on television’s Fox 29 in Philadelphia.
Speaking at the professorship celebration, Spectacor chair Ed Snider called Dr. Cirigliano “one of the greatest human beings I have ever met.” Mr. Snider detailed how the internist saved his life through aggressive testing that uncovered an early, treatable cancer. “I’m cured, thanks to this man,” said Mr. Snider. “And I know I’m not the only one,” he added. Snider and his wife Lin were among the lead donors for the endowed chair, in addition to Tom and Linda Knox, Aileen and Brian Roberts, the Biesecker family and Laddie and Linda Montague.
Perelman School of Medicine Dean J. Larry Jameson commented on the challenging field of internal medicine, declaring that good internists such as Dr. Cirigliano “need to know a little bit about every disease.” Dean Jameson also lightheartedly paid tribute to “Dr. Mike’s” television popularity, noting that, “Like Cher, Madonna and Dr. Ruth, you’re really special when you are known by just your first name.”
University of Pennsylvania Health System CEO Ralph Muller stated that, while Penn Medicine is an institution firmly grounded in science, it remains critically important to honor the person-to-person experience. Dr. Cirigliano, Mr. Muller said, “is a prime example of our tradition of listening to our patients.” Michael Parmacek, the chair of Penn’s department of medicine, remarked on Dr. Cirigliano’s multiple awards for his teaching and how he continually advocates for a greater emphasis of patient-focused policies throughout Penn Medicine.
Dr. Cirigliano said that he tries to create a Norman Rockwell-type experience for his patients throughout their medical journeys. “For me, it’s all about the human connection. I’m well aware that every day, I live on the doorstep to eternity.” |