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Notable Alumni

This list honors a few examples of the thousands of RFU alums who have carried forward our mission to improve wellness for all people.

  • Nancy Z. Farrell Allen, MS ’11 (nutrition), RDN, FAND — National spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Registered dietitian nutritionist and public policy advocate.
  • Dr. Gary Birken, MD ’78 — Retired chief of surgery from Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Florida; author of medical thriller novels.
  • James Carlson, PhD ’13, MS ’01, PA-C, CHSE-A — Vice president for Interprofessional Education and Simulation at Rosalind Franklin University.
  • Brian Cunningham, DPT ’08 — Member of the USA Swimming High Performance Staff at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
  • Lisa L. Dutton, PT ’93, PhD — Dean of the College of Health Professions at Rosalind Franklin University.
  • Fannie Emanuel, CMS 1915 — One of the first African-American women to graduate from CMS. Dedicated to education and service. Champion of several Chicagoland women's organizations.
  • David T. Feinberg, MD ’89 — Chairman of Oracle Health; former CEO of Cerner Corporation and vice president of Google Health.
  • Jerome Gold, CMS ’53 — Dr. Gold was instrumental in the release of specific cephalosporin antibiotics (Ancef) and was one of the founders of the rubella vaccine. Former university president, trustee and CMS Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient.
  • Sharon Hame, MD ’91 — Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery and sees patients at the UCLA Medical Center and at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center; as associate team physician for the UCLA Athletic Department, she serves as team physician for UCLA football, women’s basketball, women’s indoor and beach volleyball, and men’s tennis.
  • Bradley S. Hersh, MD ’80 — Epidemiologist serving as the CDC’s Liaison Officer to WHO-Geneva.
  • Mike Kordecki, PT ’86, DPT ’03, SCS, ATC — Principal owner of Praxis Physical Therapy & Human Performance; former team physical therapist and athletic trainer for the Chicago Bears.
  • Kwan Kew Lai, MD ’79 — Author and infectious disease expert. Based her book "Lest We Forget" on her work as a volunteer with the International Medical Corps during the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa in 2014-15.
  • Arthur Levine, MD ’64 — Executive director of the Brain Institute at University of Pittsburgh. He was senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh from 1998-2020.
  • Howard Liebeskind, DPM ’78 — Sports podiatrist, has held positions as the team and consulting podiatrist for the Los Angeles Lakers, U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team, Los Angeles Galaxy, Los Angeles Football Club and Pepperdine University Athletic Department.
  • Terry Light, CMS ’73 — Recognized by his peers as an American Orthopaedic Association Pillar of the Orthopaedic Profession. Mentor to orthopedic surgery faculty and trainees over the last 43 years.
  • Kaleem Malik, MD ’96, MS ’92 — Presidential appointee to the Board of Scientific Counselors and also to the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention & Control. Recipient of the Disaster Services Hero Award by the Red Cross.
  • Lisa Monteggia, PhD ’99 (neuroscience) — Barlow Family Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute.
  • Peter Orris, MD ’75, MPH, FACP, FAOCEM — Founding member of Physicians for a National Health Program and recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Global Health from the 5th World Congress on Public Health.
  • Marion Parke, DPM ’09 — Creative director, CEO and founder of the luxury footwear brand Marion Parke.
  • Nancy L. Parsley, DPM ’93, MHPE — Provost, Rosalind Franklin University.
  • Matthew Primack, PT ’99, DPT ’04, MBA — President, Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Illinois.
  • Sylvestra Ramirez, DPT ’10, MS ’11 — CEO and Founder of Physical Therapy of Milwaukee, the first bilingual PT clinic in Milwaukee.
  • Naomi Schmid, DPM ’10 — Serves on the Minnesota State Board of Podiatric Medicine. She is chief medical officer for Lake Region Healthcare (LRH). 
  • Brian Schmidt, DPM ’12 — Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes at the University of Michigan Medical School.