Cook County Radiology Chairmen 1961-2025

Cook County Hospital, which opened in 1857, used as a teaching hospital by Rush Medical School until the Civil War, when it transitioned to an army hospital.  The new CCH was renamed John H. Stroger Jr., opened in December 2002, and is housed in a facility located adjacent to the old hospital building on Harrison Avenue.

Radiology at Cook County Hospital began in the early 20th century, following Wilhelm Rontgen's discovery of x-rays in 1895.  As a major teaching hospital, Cook County quickly integrated radiographic imaging into its diagnostic and educational practices. Throughout the 20th century, the Radiology Department expanded its services and embraced new technologies.

The first radiologist at Cook County Hospital Dr. Hollis Potter, who received his MD degree from Rush Medical College in 1908. Dr. Potter was born in Wonewoc, Wisconsin in 1880. During his undergraduate years he became interested in the applications of x-rays in medicine.  He was a pioneer in the field of radiology, recognising advantages as well as limitations of early x-ray technology. For example, only the largest and most dense objects, such as bullets, kidney stones, and dense bones could be reasonably visualised. He was selected to direct the X-Ray department at Presbyterian Hospital in 1906, and the Radiology department at Cook Count Hospital in 1908.  He was the President of Chicago Roentgen Society, (later the Chicago Radiological Society), in 1913 and in 1923 he was awarded the gold medals of the Radiological Society of North America, the American Roentgen Ray Society and the American College of Radiology.  If my memory serves me correctly Dr. Potter's portrait was on the east wall of our conference room.

The first Chairman in the modern era was Dr. Leon Love who was born in New York City in 1923 and graduated from Chicago Medical School in 1946.  He completed his radiology residency at the Hospital for Joint Diseases and Bellevue Hospital and was certified by the American Board Radiology in 1951.  After residency, he served in the U.S. army from 1952 to 1954.  Dr. Love then he returned to Chicago and joined the Radiology Department of CCH in 1956.  In 1961, he was appointed director of diagnostic radiology a position he held until 1969.  During his residency he dedicated his efforts to the department and its residency program. He recruited Dr. Rogelio Moncada who was an outstanding teacher and residents from other programs used to come and attend his conferences. Dr. Love was awarded the Gold Medal from the Chicago Radiological Society in 1988.  His academic output included numerous published articles in referee journals.  After retiring from Loyola he continued teaching at Chicago Medical School into his 85th year.  It was Dr. Love who encourage me to apply for the Chairmanship at Cook County Hospital.  I was lucky I followed his advice because my tenure at CCH was amongst the best periods of my life.

Dr. Glen Dobben, was born in Michigan City, ID in 1929.  After graduating from Calvin College, he attended the medical school at Marquette University.  Dr. Dobben, a distinguised radiologist, became Director of Radiology at Cook County Hospital in 1970 and was also an Associate Professor of Radiology at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Dr Dobben was recognized in Chicago and the United States for his expertise in the field. As residents, we had to make an appointment with Dr. Dobben in order to review neuroradiology films. This was due to his having a private practice in addition to being the head of neuroradiology for the U of I and working with Dr. Valvassori as well. He would go over each case explaining the anatomy and pathology so that we could report the films. Many of the cases we reviewed were pre & post-op films of craniofacial surgeries performed by a plastic surgeon from France on congenital malformations. One other case involved an uncle of an Orthopedic surgery resident, Dr. Dobben was able to diagnose a post-op brain abscess on plain skull films before the availability of CT. Dr. Dobben published several articles on the field of neuroradiology, his area of expertise. He was our teacher (1971-1974 UIC class of residents). The University of Illinois awarded him the title of Professor Emeritus when he retired, a recognition for his significant contribution to medical imaging and education.

Dr. Vivian J Harris, was a distinguished radiologist who served as the Chair of the Department of Radiology at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. She was also an Adjunct Professor of Radiology at the University of Illinois. Vivian Harris was born in New York City and got her medical degree from New York University in 1955. She did an internship in 1956 and was a resident. at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine between 1956 and 1958. She became the Chairman at CCH after Dr. Dobben retired. She was a known Pediatric Radiologist who had published extensively in medical journals. When became Chairman in 1986, I convinced her to stay as the Chief of the Division of Pediatric Radiology at Chidren's Hospital. The Chief of Pediatrics, Rosita Pildes, and Dr. Hernan Reyes, Chief of Pediatric Surgery, their residents and attendings enjoyed interacting with Dr. Harris on a daily basis. 

Dr. Dimitrios Spigos, the author of this post, was born in Athens, Greece in 1943. He graduated from the Medical School of the University of Athens in 1967. After medical school he served in the Greek Navy medical corps until 1970. Upon his discharge, he did a one year internship at Mount Sinai hospital in Chicago. His radiology residency was at UIC from 1971-1974 and was certified by the American Board of Radiology in 1975. Following residency, he was appointed chief of angiography and interventional radiology at UIC. He progressed through the ranks of academia, becoming Assistant, Associate Professor, then Professor. He published 162 articles in referee journals, wrote 19 book chapters and posted 43 scientific exhibits in national meetings. During his UIC years, he introduced two procedures for which he became internationally known; first the splenic embolization and second kidney biopsies under ultrasound guidance. He became the Chair at CCH in 1986 and left in 1992 when he became the Chairman at the Ohio State University Hospital. During his tenure at CCH he introduced new imaging modalities such as MRI and Interventional Radiology. When he retired, the Ohio State University and the University of West Attica bestowed on him the title of Professor Emeritus. He returned to his native country Greece in 2010. 

Brad Langer, was born in 1955 in Chicago. He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago and completed his Radiology Residency at the University of Illinois. Brad held many positions and was the most talented among staff. When I left in 1992, Brad became the Chairman of the Department and Acting Medical Director. Brad unfortunately died young t 2020. 

Dr. Pisaneschi grew up in Bynedale Pennsylvania, pop 350, a small town in Northwest Central portion of the State After graduating High School, he went to the University of Notre Dame and received a Bachelor of Science in Preprofessional Studies. Then, he continued his studies at Temple University in Philadelphia for medical o school and subsequently to Cook County for his Radiology residency.  He did an MRI fellowship at the University of Illinois. He spent three years in Buffalo New York in private practice with a group an academic group affiliated with the University of Buffalo. Dr. Langer recruited him in 1998 and Pisaneschi later became the director of the Division of Outpatient Imaging tenter attached to Fantus Clinic. During the time he worked with Dr. Langer and Dr. Dunne he helped in the planning of the new department for John Stroger Hospital.  Stroger was the first all digital department in the city including voice recognition from day one when the new hospital opened in 2001.  Later, he became Program Director for the residency and became System Chair in 2013.  He retired in 2023 and is currently serving as a volunteer attending.

After Mark Pisaneschi retired in April 2023, Morlie Wang MD served as an interim chair from April 2023 until November 2023 when Chun Feng MD was appointed radiology's Chair.  Dr. Feng completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign and earned her medical degree from Northwestern University. She completed a residency in Radiology and a fellowship in body imaging at Northwestern as well.

Dr. John Fitzpatrick was appointed interim chair when Dr. Harris stepped down and until Dr. Spigos became the Chair.  Dr. Patrick Dunne was the interim chair when Dr. Brad Langer was the interim director. Patrick and Brad were close and hand in hand provided solid radiology services to the hospital/health system.

The post was authored by D.G. Spigos, MD and Al Zuska, MD who were residents in the class of 1971-1974 at the University of Illinois.  Al was born in Chicago and lives in Chicagoland with his wife who was an x-ray tech.  Their son Steve in Radiologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI.

This post is dedicated to all CCH Radiology Chairmen who for the past 6 decades, guided the department with diligence aiming to improve the care offered to the patients as well as resident education.  It is also dedicated to the hundred of residents who also provided care while simultaneously learned our specialty.  It has been a privilege for all of us to have served in this historic institution. 

Cook County Hospital Radiologists 1986-1992

Cook County Hospital was regarded as one of the world's great teaching hospitals.  The "Old Cook County Hospital" opened in 1866.  It was open to all patients especially the poor and destitute most commonly immigrants and did not charge for the care it provided.  It was known as the city's "Ellis Island".

From its beginning CCH was a center for education and was affiliated with Rush Medical School. Neither the interns, nor the attending physicians were paid, but they gained wide experience with all sort of diseases.  The hospital was rebuilt in 1914 and it used open wards and solaria for the care of patients with tuberculosis. 

In the 1960s, voluntary attending physicians and residents were largely replaced with full time paid, young and socially conscious doctors. Cook County was famous for its Trauma Unit and also had the first Blood Bank in Chicago.  After more than a century it ceased functioning and was replaced by a new hospital that is called John Stroger, Jr which was built in close proximity with the old "Couny" as it was affectionately called. 

Radiology from 1986 to 1992 when I was the Chairman of the department was provided in the Main Hospital, the Pediatric Hospital, in Fantus Clinic and the MRI unit. 

In the diagnostic division Dr. John Fitzpatrick who was the interim chairman after Dr. Harris stepped down togeter with Dr. Alagratam an experienced radiologist and for a short time Dr. Tan interpreted chest, skeletal and other conventional studies.  Dr. Talwar a Sheikh from Burma interpreted intravenous pyelograms.

Dr. Parachuru Rao a very nice man was also the best in the city in the performance and interpretation of sonograms.

In charge of Computed Tomography was Dr. Susan Gilkey who studied at Loyola Med Center. 

Drs. Naseem and Rodriguez covered neuroradiology. Dr. Naseem brought me a "Bukhara carpet" when he returned from a trip in his native Pakistan.  I still have and cherished this unique gift.  

Dr. Brad Langer a native Chicagoan did his residency at UIC and came with me to CCH when I became Radiology's Chairman.  He was in charge of the residency

Dr. Patrick Dunne, a native Chicagoan, was the angiographer and did most of the diagnostic and interventional studies.  Dr. Langer and I assisted him when he was on vacation, needed a rest, and we also shared calls.

Dr. Marvin Petry a nice and easy going man covered MRI which was attached in front of the hospital on Harrison Street.  Brad Langer was also involved and helped Marvin especially because MRIs became very popular.

Outpatient studies were done in Fantus Clinic. Dr. Stan Stankevich who was a graduate from the Medical College of Warsaw, Poland was in charge of the division.  He was a hard-working man who in addition to the studies in his division also helped the breast imaging specialists as needed.  His associate was Dr. Whitehouse an easy going and experienced radiologist.

Drs. Gianfranco Fizzotti and Pamela Sobti interpreted mammograms and ultrasound studies of the breast in Fantus Clinic.  Dr. Fizzotti was a graduate of the University of Pavia in Italy and did his residency at CCH.  He was an expert in breast imaging which was his passion.  At some point followed the dictum "go west young man" and together with his wife Pia moved to Montana first then to Idaho. When he retired they moved to Santa Fe, NM. Dr. Sobti a pleasant and easy-going lady put patients and referring physicians at ease.  She was a graduate of All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India.

Radiation therapy was also in Fantus.  Dr. Marion Magalotti a wonderful man was the Chief of the division. They were using a Cobalt-60 unit to treat patients. Cook County Hospital was one of three hospitals in the United States to install a Cobalt-beam therapy for the treatment of cancers.

Dr. Francisco Lopez, a native of Spain, was the chief and an expert in Nuclear Medicine.  Among his other talents was drawing.  He made a sketch of me which unfortunately I have lost.  Dr. Sansi was an experienced nuclear medicine physician and did the interpretation of most of the studies. 

Dr. Vivian Harris, a New Yorker, was the chief of Pediatric Radiology.  Her Associate was Dr. Peter Theofer who got his MD degree from the University of Athens and did his radiology residency at UIC.  He also did a Pediatric fellowship at George Washington in DC.  They both reviewed complex cases with Dr. Rosita Pildes, the Chief of Pediatrics, and her staff daily. They also reviewed cases with Dr. Hernan Reyes, Chief of Pediatric Surgery

Radiology also covered the needs of Cook County Department of Corrections on California Avenue.  Dr. Eugene Lidow was the single radiologist interpreting all inmates' studies.  Dr. Lidow got his medical degree in Moscow, USSR.  He did his residency at UIC and joined the department at CCH when I became Chairman.  Upon retirement he moved to Naples, Florida.

Mr. George Dixon was the Chief Technologist and Mrs Reamer was his Assistant Chief. Mr. George Talge was the Chief of school of Rad technologists.  

Clara Vasilovic was the departmental secretary and when she retired Cory Nicovic a very nice lady became my new secretary.  Their assistant was Genie who was sitting in the front office and make sure that all physicians and visitors had easy access to my secretaries and I.

The following story made me feel how caring Cook County staff was to the poor; every winter a homeless lady was spending the nights in the long hospital corridor wrapped in a blanket.  No security guard or any of the staff asked her to leave the premises; she left on her own when the Chicago winter was over to move to a park close to the hospital tucked among the flowers.  

The post was authored by D G Spigos, MD PhD, CCH Radiology's Department Chairman between 1986 and 1992 and Dr. Ghassan Hammami a native of Syria who was my resident in those years.  Ghassan and I correlated clinical with angiographic findings of victims of gunshot wounds.  Our work drew international attention and was presented in several national and international conferences. Ghassan is currently practicing in the great State of Texas.

 

The post is dedicated to Dr. Bradley Langer who was born in 1955 in Chicago.  He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago and did his Radiology Residency at the University of Illinois.  Brad joined me when I became Chairman of Radiology at Cook County Hospital in 1986.  During my tenure he held many positions and was the most talented amongst the staff having as his main focus the patients' good.  When I left in 1992 Brad became Chairman of the Department and Acting Medical Director.   Brad unfortunately died young in 2020 leaving behind his beloved wifey Julie and his daughter Sylvie.  He is missed by his family and friends.  I am fortunate that I got to know and work with him when he was a resident at UIC and later attending at CCH.  The memories are  many.  I will mention only two.  Brad used to sail with me on the lake Michigan. He was with me and my brother on the return trip from the Mackinac island to Monroe harbor in Chicago. Also we both attended a meeting in Evian France where digital imaging was presented. It was practiced by the American Navy and was made public after the end of the cold war. Digital radiology has transformed our specialty.  Brad was more than a friend and colleague he was a son to me.      

UIC Radiology Department Chairmen 1946-2024

Dr. Roger Harvey was the Chairman of the University of Illinois Radiology between the years 1946 and 1970.  He received his MD degree from the University of Rochester.  Dr. Harvey carried out the first radiation treatment with a Betatron unit, and reported good results in 23 inoperable cancers.  He was a research associate of the Manhattan Project in WWII.  In 1968, when he was the President of the American Cancer Society, he cautioned that lung cancer death rate in women, historically lower than men, was beginning to show a steady rise.  Dr. Harvey was the longest serving Radiology Chairman at the University of Illinois.  Unfortunately, the 1971 class of residents did not meet him but we learned from the staff of the department that he was a great scientist and a kind man. 

Dr. Vlastimil Capek a native of Czechoslovakia was born in 1923. He graduated from Charles University in Prague in 1950. He did his residency at Cheb hospital and worked as a staff radiologist.  Dr. Capek experienced difficulties during WWII.  He escaped his native country after the Soviet Union invaded Chechoslovakia. He first moved to Austria and then to the United States.  His first job in the new country was as a darkroom   technician at UIC.  When Dr. Harvey, the Chairman of Radiology realized the potential of the immigrant, he advised him to take the State and Radiology boards which Dr. Capek passed.  He was hired as the chief of the section of angiography. Dr. Capek who had learned the Seldinger technique while in Europe, introduced it at UIC and Chicago as well.  Residents learned this advanced technique of catheterising vessels without a cutdown or direct stick.  When Dr. Harvey retired Dr. Edwin Liebner was appointed interim chair.  Dr. Capek was appointed the Head of the Department in 1975. Among his other interests were diagnostic ultrasound including the purchase of Picker ultrasound unit with an articulated arm.  I assisted him as a resident in the performance of the studies and when his administrative duties kept him busy, I did them.  Dr. Capek became an honorary member of the Greek Radiological Society.  He and his wife had two sons both of whom became radiologists.  After his retirement he moved to Santa Rosa, California.  Dr. Capek was more than a mentor to me, he was a second father.

Dr. Steve Pinsky, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1942 and died at the age of 62.  He went to College at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in 1967 he received his MD degree from the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University, Chicago.  He was further trained in Nuclear Medicine and Radiology at the University of Chicago.

He became a professor of Radiology at both the University of Chicago Medical School and the University of Illinois-Chicago College of Medicine.  He also served as Chairman of Radiology at Michael Reese Hospital and Chief of Radiology at the University of Illinois Medical Center.

He was a gold medal recipient of the Chicago Radiological Society, and served as president of both the Central Chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and the Illinois Radiological Society.  He was a fellow of both the American College of Nuclear Physicians and the American College of Radiology. His special interests included travel, and he was a voracious reader but above all it was his devotion to his family. 

Dr. Mahmood Mafee was a native of Iran.  He received his MD degree at the University of Tehran in 1969.  Dr. Mafee did his radiology residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and the University of Illinois in Chicago.  Mahmood was a junior resident of the class of 1971-1974 at UIC.  He was hard working and was obvious to me that he would progress in academia and make great contributions in our field.  He did a fellowship of ENT radiology with Dr. Valvassori. Upon Dr. Valvassori's retirement he became the chief of ENT radiology at the Eye and Ear Infirmary in Chicago.  In 1977 he became an Assistant Professor later progressing to Associate and then Professor.  Dr. Mafee wrote more than 120 papers, and gave many lectures as an invited speaker.  He served on the editorial boards of several Radiology journals, and was the President of the American Society of  Head and Neck Radiology.  He became the Chairman of the Department at UIC after Dr. Pinsky retired.  He lead the department until his retirement in 1994 when he moved to California. Dr. Mafee is still active in academia and is currently reviewing the new edition of Mafee-Valvassori book on Head and Neck Radiology.  He recently visited Chicago to celebrate the Persian New Year with his children who live the Windy City.  

Dr. Masoud Hemmati was born and raised in Tehran, Iran.  His medical education was in University of Tehran College of Medicine (1962-1968). In 1969, he did an internship at the University of Tehran Hospitals and he was a Research Associate in the Institute of Experimental Medicine from 1971 to 1973.  When he immigrated to the United States, he did an internship at Saint Joseph Hospital in 1973, and a residency in Radiology at Northwestern Hospital from 1974 to 1977.  He received a post graduate degree in Management from the Webster School of Management in 1992.  He was recruited by Dr. Mafee to serve as Vice Chairman, and lead the business operation of the department.  He became the Head of the Department from 2003 to 2014.  He was an affable man who kept colleagues and referring physicians at ease.  He moved to Arizona when he retired.

Dr. Charles Ray was born in Cincinnati, Ohio but grew in Chicagoland. He received his MD degree from Rush Medical College and did his internship at Loyola MacNeal Hospital from 1989 to 1990, and his radiology residency at UIC from 1990-1994. Upon completion of his residency he did a fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Interventional Radiology.  His interest and subspecialty was interventional and vascular radiology in which he has numerous publications in respected journals. Dr. Ray served as President of the Society of Interventional Radiology.  His first paper was on three-dimensional CT of imaging in Head and Neck pathology with Dr. Mafee, whom he considers one of his greatest mentors. Two papers with Dr. Andrew Wilbur about complications after laparoscopic cholecystectomy and complications of inferior vena cava filters drew international recognition.  He became the Head of the department of Radiology at UIC from 2014 to 2024 and served as Interim Executive Dean of the College of Medicine in Chicago.  He is certified by the American Board of Radiology and is licensed to practice in Illinois, Colorado and Utah. When he retired from UIC, he moved to Utah, where he is still practicing part time.  I knew Chuck from the time we were both in Chicago, he at UIC and I at CCH, as we shared a life-long interest in Interventional Radiology.  I thank Chuck for being a good friend and for providing me with information when I was writing this post.

This post was authored by D G Spigos, MD, PhD, former Professor at the University of Illinois and Chairman at Cook County Hospital and the  Ohio State University 

The post is dedicated in memory of Walter Tan who worked as my associate at UIC division of interventional radiology until his retirement. He was born in Burma and was a hard-working man with a genial personality. Unfortunately, he passed soon after his retirement due to Alzheimer disease. Dr. Tan is missed by all who knew him.  The post is also dedicated to Dr. Vera Hlaing, a native of Burma who received her degree from Mandalay University.  Her residency was at the Department of Pathology at UIC.  Upon graduation she became  an attending at Kaiser Permanente in Honolulu, Hawaii. When she returned to Chicago, she became the Chief of Pathology at Provident Hospital. Vera helped me when I was doing experimental work for my PhD thesis on Splenic embolization.  Knowing and interacting with Walter and Vera helped advance my career.  I suspect most readers do not know them but do know about the catastrophic earthquake that had its epicenter in Mandalay Burma (Myanmar), a city that was the center of Burmese culture and Buddhist learning.  More than three thousand people perished, and the destruction of sacred pagodas and other buildings is unimaginable. 

Distinguised Surgeons Univ of Illinois, 1967-1977

Lloyd Nyhus was the first Warren Cole professor and Head of Surgery at the University of Illinois in Chicago.  During his 22 years as the head of the department he was known for his kind and calm disposition and his innate sense of humour.  He was a mentor and role model to a generation of outstanding surgeons and staff of other departments like myself.

He was born in 1923 in Mount Vernon, Washington and got his medical degree in 1947 from the University of Alabama College of Medicine.  His surgical training was in Seattle, under the tutelage of Henry Harkins.  He was recruited to the University of Illinois department of surgery in 1967. 

Nyhus, became well known for the peptic ulcer surgery and together with Harkins published their landmark textbook Surgery of the Stomach.  Nyhus published more than 370 scientific papers and his other textbooks, Mastery of Surgery and Hernia will continue to educate and influence surgeons worldwide.

He served as chairman of the American Board of Surgery, the International Society of Surgery, the Chicago Surgical Society, the Society of University Surgeons, and the Warren H Cole Society.

Oscar Sugar received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago in 1940 and his Doctor of Medicine from the George Washington School of Medicine in 1942.  He served as Captain Medical Corps, United States Air Force from 1943 to 1946.  

Dr. Sugar was the head of the University of Illinois department of Neurosurgery and he was one of Chicago's pioneers in the field of Neurosurgery. His long career as a neurosurgeon included several much publicized cases including one separating Siamese twins joined at the head. Known for his caring and compassionate  manner with patients, he felt "the biggest problem in medicine is the inability or unwillingness or incapacity of some physicians to take the time to explain the care needed" in terms the patient could understand.

Those of us who attended his Wednesday noon conferences at NPI when neurosurgeons from around town asked his advice remember how nice he was to all.  Dr Sugar was a resident at NPI along with my fellow resident Al Zuska's father who did his Neuropsychiatry residency while in the Navy, frequently wearing his uniform. As a resident, he spoke to Dr. Sugar about his father who he remembered, partly due to the uniform. Dr. Sugar loved to mention Bastille Day during July conferences, and also loved the term “candelabra”, for the brain’s vasculature seen on angiograms. When I told Dr. Sugar that the performance of angiograms with catheters was better for the patients instead with needle stick(s), he sent his patients to me.  

Dr. Sugar always had a warm smile and all who knew him remember him as a gentle person with a kind heart.

Olga Jonasson was born in Peoria, Illinois in 1934.  She was a transplant surgeon and she performed the first kidney transplant in the State of Illinois.  Her undergraduate studies were at Northwestern University.  She received had Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Illinois  and completed her surgical residency in the same institution. In 1965, she was certified by the American Board of Surgery, the 37th woman to be certified. In 1958, she developed the department of transplantation at UIC and she performed the first kidney transplant in the State of Illinois in 1969. In 1977, Jonasson was named the chief of surgery at Cook County Hospital.  This made her the first woman to be appointed chief of surgery of a major hospital.  In 1987, she left CCH when she was named Robert M. Zollinger Professor of Surgery at the Ohio State University.  I was fortunate that I worked at UIC and with Dr.  Jonasson because she asked me to perform a splenic embolization in one of her kidney transplant patients who had developed thrombocytopenia.  Having not done such a procedure I checked the available literature and found that all patients who had their spleen embolized had died.  I discussed with Olga the grave results of splenic embolizations and I told her also that I had thought the correct approach was doing a partial splenic embolization instead which I did and it worked.  I did several more successful partial splenic embolizatios that were the beginning of my academic career.

Tapas K. Das Gupta, world-renown surgeon, researcher, and mentor was defined by his love of science.  He was one of the world's leading of authorities on the treatment of melanomas and sarcomas. 

Dr. Das Gupta was born in 1932 in New Delhi, India.  He went to College at the age of fourteen and admitted to medical school at the age of sixteen. He completed his medical training in 1953 and passed all exams with the highest distinction.  However, he had grown frustrated by the colonial narrow-mindedness of the medical establishment in India and he decided to go to the US to further his medical career.  Starting at Mount Sinai hospital in Chicago, Dr. Das Guptas' hard work , dedication, and intelligence propelled him through the ranks of academia.  He went as a faculty at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.  In 1967, he was named the head of Surgical Oncology at the University of Illinois.  It was in that institution that Dr. Das Gupta grew to an international renown physician.  He authored hunderds of papers, mentored dozens of fellows, and saved thousands of lives.  He was a champion of women's rights and helped many female surgeons advance their careers despite the "old boys" network in surgery.  I was very fond of Dr. Das Gupta and asked his advice on medical issues as well when I was applying for chairmanships.  I am indebted to him for reciprocating and being always a good friend and advisor.

I mourn the passing of all four great doctors who were my mentors but I celebrate their contributions.

This post was authored by D G Spigos, MD, PhD, former Professor at the University of Illinois and Chairman of Radiology at Cook County Hospital and the Ohio State University Department of Radiology. 

This post is dedicated to Dr. Mimis Cohen who was born in Athens, Greece in 1947 and graduated from the University of Athens in 1970.  We knew each other during our time in medical school as I was the president of the student body. We later met again when we served in the Navy.  When he completed his tour of duty in the Navy he moved to the US and did his residency in Surgery at UIC until 1973. He then did Head and Neck plastic surgery at Roswell Park Memorial Hospital.  He worked at CCH  between 1986 to 1989.  In 1989 he became the chief of Plastic Surgery at CCH and at UIC and a tenured Professor.  UIC created a professorship in his name in 2024.  Dr. Cohen published many papers in referred journals and authored books on Plastic Surgery.  Mimis remained active after his retirement organizing symposia about the contributions of "Romaniotes Jews" in the cultural life and prosperity of Greece from antiquity till today ie for two millennia.  The Academy of Athens elected his a corresponding member a distinction offered to few for his contributions in the fields of science and culture.  He currently lives in Chicago and frequently travels to other countries teaching young physicians in the art and science of Plastic Surgery.  I was fortunate to having met him and for being a life-long friend of his.

University of Illinois Hospital Staff in the 70s

 When the class of 1971 started our residency Dr. Liebner was the Acting Chairman and his secretary was Mrs. Silverstein a nice elderly lady who soon retired. When Dr. Capek became our Chairman, he hired a new secretary Maria Helene Surowiecki.  Maria in addition to being young and beautiful made us welcomed when we wanted to discuss issues with our new chairman. 

The department's administrative director was Joe Wander.  Joe was a wonderful man who directed the daily operations of the department with kindness and made  them from marginal to most efficient.  Joe's secretary was Pat Ryband and Pat's assistant was Maria Razo. When Joe realised how busy the division of Interventional Radiology was he assigned Maria to us to help us for half a day.  Maria who was Hispanic was one of the nicest persons I got to know and she was my first secretary during my career.

On the East wing of the department conventional studies like chest and skeletal x-rays were performed. Rudy Champa was the clinical instructor who helped the rad techs students.  Rudy was kind and experienced and was the students' favorite instructor.

On the South wing of the department contrast studies such as upper and lower gastrointestinal studies, hypotonic duodenograms and intravenous pyelograms were performed.  Dexter Sandrick, was the supervisor  and Fred Hanna was the clinical instructor.  Ginny was the instructor who taught students on how to do mammograms. The director of the school was Mary Carson an Illinoian who studied at Northwestern University in Chicago.  The person who coordinated the technical operation of the department was Miss Veronica Demers who was very busy making sure all patients had their studies and returned to the wards promptly.  She was the maestro of an outstanding orchestra. 

In the file room Mr. Curry a most pleasant man from Jamaica was the supervisor.  He and his staff received the developed films from the darkroom by Rueben who was blind.  Mr. Curry and his assistants who were mostly immigrants made sure the patients' files were catalogued and were readily available to radiologists and the hospital doctors.  File rooms operating well were critical as the studies were recorded on films and kept in individual files.  Two decades later in the 90s file rooms cease to exist as the studies were digitally recorded and kept in servers.

The division dear to my heart was that of Interventional radiology which was in a renovated floor of the hospital.  The supervisor was Charles Blackman a quiet and pleasant man that made sure the operation of the division was efficient as our patients were the sickest in the hospital.  The technologists were Karen Sandrick, Cheryl Fulanovich and Janet Kmiechic.  Janet in addition to being beautiful was the star tech. The paper she wrote on magnification angiography was the best treatise ever written in the history of the school.  Janet in addition to her Bachelor's degree got a Masters' degree in Speech Pathology. In the division we also had a practical nurse Marie a kind lady from Mississippi.  Marie was most attentive to the patients needs and also acted as an unofficial psychologist when the staff became nervous or excited due to the difficulty of work. Finally, I should not forget Mr. Mathews who was the departmental orlderly who was most responsive to our needs because he as all of us he was fond of Marie. Two Registered Nurses joined later the division, Barbara Sexton and Louise Engert.  Barbara was an extrovert while Louise was quiet and worked in the department until her retirement.  It was in the late 70s when I performed the first successful splenic embolization in the country. Several patients had died when splenic embolizations had been done in other very good university departments.  In the 80s another radiologist the late Dr. Walter Tan joined me.  Walter a native of Burma which now is known as Myanmar was the most hard working and pleasant individual I have ever known. 

A room in the division was used for diagnostic ultrasound.  The supervisor was Judy Cinke and the rad tech was James Reeva.  Both were very skilled and hard working.  It was in ultrasound that I performed the first renal biopsy in the country which up to that time they were performed blindly.  The patients were referred to me by Dr. Olga Jonasson a very competent and hard working physician and the only female surgeon in our hospital.

The division of Nuclear Medicine was on the same floor as interventional radiology. Dr. Virginia Patterson was the director.  When she retired Dr. Dan Pavel became the director.  The supervisor was Kathy Baron a hard working and attractive Irish-American.

In 1984, Dr. Capek asked me to take a sabbatical and learn Magnetic Resonance Imaging.  I went to the University of Pennsylvania and spent six months observing and using their MRI.  I also volunteered to having a study on myself in order to observe on how patients who were claustophobic tolerated being in small space inside the magnet.  Interesting, they performed the first cardiac MRI on myself.  Upon my return to UIC, I became the first director of a 1.5 Tesla MRI which was considered high field at that time. I initiate a policy for scientists from the entire school of Medicine to have access to the unit.  I will mention three, Drs. Barani, Fiat and Gotsis.  All three advanced the field of MR spectroscopy.  Dr. Gotsis returned to his native Greece where with Dr. Kapsalakis pioneered the use of MR imaging and spectroscopy in Greece.

This post is dedicated to the late Joe Wander a wonderful man who I was lucky to call a friend.  Joe a dedicated family man loved sailing.  Joe and I sailed together and participated in races the most notable of which was the Chicago to the Mackinac island.  Joe and his wife Jeri moved to Colorado upon their retirement to be close to their daughter Sheri.  Joe and Sheri baptised my son Mark in the medieval town of Monemvasia in Greece.  This post is also dedicated to Maria Surowiecki whose beauty and pleasant personality made our department special.  Maria was the youngest of ten siblings of a family who left Ukraine after the end of WWII moving originally to France and then to Chicago. Maria currently lives with her husband, her children and grandchildren in Wisconsin.  Maria loves gardening, listening to music  and reading books about the history of Ukraine.  Both Joe and Maria enrich my life for which I thank them.

Univ of Illinois Radiology Affiliated Attendings

 We had many "outside attendings" radiologists who treated us like sons and brothers.

Drs. Leonard Berlin and Antone Pantone practiced at Skokie Valley Community Hospital. Dr. Berlin became known when he defended himself against an unjust malpractice suit.  He wrote and lectured extensively on this topic.  Dr. Pantone lived next door to Dr. Valvassori in Winnetka and upon retirement he moved to southern California and bought an orange orchard. 

Dr. Sheldon Nasitir practiced at Loretto Hospital in Oak Park. He was a friendly man who came once a week and showed us interesting cases.

Dr. Enrique Schwarz came once a month always wearing a flamboyant American flag necktie and sported a prominent moustache.  His associate was Dr. John Nyden (passionate Playboy Club member.  John was the chief resident when the we were junior residents.  They both practiced at South Suburban Hospital.

Drs. Martin Hockhauser and Roderick Darby practiced at Hinsdale Hospital which was founded in 1904.  The hospital is currently called UChicago Medicine Advent Health. It is the only reaching hospital in DuPage County.  Incidentally two of my children (John and Mark) were born in Hinsdale Hospital. 

Dr. Samuel Leder practiced at Chicago Tuberculosis Sanitarium which at one time had 905 beds. Dr. Julius Heideman at Ingalls Hospital in Harvey, Illinois which in 2016 merged with the University of Chicago.  Drs. Leder and Heidman came once a month for the "old people's conference" and quizzed us the hapless junior residents making it an entertaining conference.

Our affection as residents were to all mentioned affiliated UIC attendings who came and taught us in our formative years.

This post was written when my fellow resident Al Zuska and I combined our memories of our residency period which was magical.

This post is dedicated to Dr. Ahmad Parvin an Iranian national who received his radiology training at George Washington University in Washington D.C.  His father was the mayor of Isfahan, Iran. Ahmad was liked by all as he was a gentleman the kind someone could meet in the gilded era. He is currently practicing in Poughkeepkie, New York.  The post is also dedicated Dr. Nicholas Patronas.  He was a senior resident when the class of 1971 was starting. Nick moved to Washington DC and became the Chairman of Radiology at NIH.  He authored a book on the physical and psychological trauma of Greeks during the civil war that followed the completion of WWII (1944-1949). The 1985, the book Eleni is a memoir by Greek-American journalist Nicholas Cage. It looks back to the effects of the Greek Civil War in a remote village in Epirus where his mother lived.  Among many atrocities his mother was murdered by the communist guerrillas.  Thankfully due to the assistance of the United States and Britain Greece remained in the countries allied to the West.