Alumni Day 2020 Canceled; Celebration Planned for Fall 2021

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 Alumni Reunion Day activities, originally scheduled for spring, were canceled. However, the OU College of Medicine Alumni Association plans to combine both 2020 and 2021 activities during an event to be scheduled in fall 2021. An announcement will be made later as to whether activities will be held.

Both 2020 and 2021 class reunion celebrations will be celebrated. The 2020 reunions are those classes whose graduation year ends in a 5 or 0. The 2021 reunion years will end in a 6 and 1.

In addition, Alumni Day honorees from both 2020 and 2021 will be recognized next year. Nominations for the 2021 award winners are now being accepted and can be submitted by filling out the form at https://medicine.ouhsc.edu/Alumni-Friends/Alumni-Association/Alumni-Awards.

The 2020 honorees are:

• Robert N. Cooke, M.D., Class of 1980 – Physician of the Year Award in Private Practice

• Woody Jenkins, M.D., Class of 1990 – Physician of the Year Award in Private Practice

• Bonnie Miller, M.D., Class of 1980 – Physician of the Year in Academic Medicine Award

• George Thompson, M.D., Class of 1970 – Physician of the Year in Academic Medicine Award

• Hanna Saadah, M.D. – Friend of Medicine Award

Robert N. Cooke, M.D.

Before he started medical school, Cooke attended law school for two years at Oklahoma City University. After earning his medical degree, he completed his general surgery residency at the OU Health Sciences Center. He was in private surgery practice in Oklahoma City from 1985 until 2017 and was affiliated with several hospitals, primarily Integris Baptist Medical Center.

Cooke is a member of the American College of Surgeons and served one year as president of the Oklahoma chapter of the American College of Surgeons. He is a member of the Oklahoma County Medical Society, serving on the board of directors for several years, and he is a member of the Oklahoma State Medical Association.

In 2013, he received the Gordon H. Deckert Community Service Award from the Oklahoma State Medical Association, an honor presented to physicians who make significant contributions to the medical community and demonstrate an ability to improve the overall health and well-being of Oklahomans. Robert N. Cooke, M.D.

Woody Jenkins, M.D.

After earning his medical degree, Jenkins continued his education at the OU Health Sciences Center with his internship and residency in internal medicine. From 1993 to 2013, he practiced at Warren Clinic in Stillwater, a division of the Saint Francis Health System. Since 2013, he has practiced at the Stillwater Medical Physicians Clinic, a division of Stillwater Medical Center.

Jenkins has served in several leadership roles at Stillwater Medical Center, including Chief of Medicine and Chief of Staff. He has been active with the Oklahoma State Medical Association, currently serving as co-chair of the OSMA Rural Section. He previously served as president of OSMA and chairman of its board of trustees. He currently serves as president of the Payne-Pawnee-Noble County Medical Society. He has received several honors, including the Ed Calhoon, M.D. Leadership in Medicine Award from the Oklahoma State Medical Association, in recognition of his distinguished leadership and service to organized medicine. He was also awarded the Tim K. Smalley Leadership Award by the medical staff of Stillwater Medical Center for his outstanding leadership, professionalism, clinical expertise, friendship and mentorship.

Bonnie Miller, M.D.

Miller serves as Vice President for Educational Affairs and Professor of Medical Education and Administration at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In her role, she promotes innovative approaches to continuing professional development and serves as an advisor for medical education. Previously, she served in several roles with the dean’s office at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine for 20 years. During that time, she oversaw all programs related to physician education, from the medical school admissions process to continuing professional development, among other duties. With academic interests in the moral and professional development of physicians, curriculum change, and continuous learning in medicine, she is recognized as a senior leader in medical education.

Miller completed her post-graduate training in general surgery at Vanderbilt University Affiliated Hospitals, followed by a fellowship in hepato-biliary disease at the Virginia Mason Clinic in Seattle. She then returned to Nashville and eventually focused her clinical interests on patients with breast cancer.

George Thompson, M.D.

Thompson currently serves as interim chief medical officer for Shriners Hospitals for Children. He is past director of Pediatric Orthopedics at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, and Professor Emeritus of Orthopedic Surgery and Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He retired from surgical practice in January 2019 after spending his entire academic career in Cleveland.

He completed a surgical internship and orthopedic surgery residency at the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center. Following residency, he did a fellowship in pediatric orthopedic surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was a major in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps, performing general and orthopedic surgery from 1972-1974.

During his career, Thompson served as president of six orthopedic societies and organizations, and he was an author on more than 200 publications.

Hanna Saadah, M.D.

Saadah earned his medical degree from the American University of Beirut and completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious diseases at the OU Health Sciences Center.

He joined the faculty of the OU College of Medicine in 1975 and initiated the Adolescent Medicine Program. He served as director of the program for two years and continues to serve as a volunteer faculty member. He practiced internal medicine at Mercy Hospital and is currently Emeritus Clinical Professor of Medicine in the OU College of Medicine. Saadah is active in the Open Arms Clinic and the Good Shepherd Clinic in Oklahoma City, as well as his hometown’s free clinic in Lebanon.