RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Mayor and Members of this Chamber have learned that, on October 24, 2014, after nearly 25 years of exemplary and dedicated service to Loyola University of Chicago, Dr. Richard L. Gamelli, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, retired from his position as Senior Vice President and Provost of Loyola's Health Sciences Division; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Gamelli, a true giant in American surgery with a specialty in treating burn victims, served in a multitude of capacities at Loyola's Stritch School of Medicine, including Dean, Chair of the Department of Surgery, Chief of the bum center, Director of the Burn & Shock Trauma Research Institute, and Robert J. Freeark Professor of Surgery. He was also a decorated leader in a number of professional organizations, sitting as president of both the International Society for Burn Injuries and the American Burn Association, which honored him with its President's Leadership Award; and
WHEREAS, The many accolades Dr. Gamelli received from the Stritch School of Medicine include the Faculty of the Year Award, the Ralph P. Leischner Master Teacher Award, and induction as a faculty member in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. On November 16, 2014, the medical school will bestowed upon Dr. Gamelli its highest honor - the Stritch Medal - in recognition of his innovative research, outstanding patient-centered care, and mspiring contributions to medical education; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his accomplishments as an educator, Dr. Gamelli led the Bum Center at Loyola University Medical Center to the unprecedented-in-Illinois status of verification by both the American College of Surgeons and the American Bum Association, guiding an acclaimed program that provides care for more than 700 patients annually; and
WHEREAS, Thanks in large part to Dr. Gamelli's leadership, Loyola boasts a burn research program that ranks among the top 20 in the United States, offering a multidisciplinary research and training environment where faculty from various departments come together for a common cause; and
WHEREAS, More than just a physician and an educator, as an administrator, Dr. Gamelli played a key role both in securing the construction of a permanent facility for the Stritch School of Medicine's Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, and in the creation of the Center for Simulation Education, a comprehensive simulation-education and performance-assessment program that features not only a state-of-the-art mannequin hospital, but also a cutting-edge "Virtual OR"; and
WHEREAS, Perhaps the crowning achievement of Dr. Gamelli's illustrious career is the Center for Translational Research and Education, which, when it opens in April 2016, will provide laboratory and support space for 72 principal investigators, plus space for 40 lead scientists, engaged in research on such topics as public health, health services, nursing, bioinformatics, and epidemiology, as well as a 250-seat auditorium that will provide a link with the local community by showcasing health-related programming; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this fifth day of November 2014, do hereby congratulate Dr. Richard L. Gamelli on the occasion of his well-deserved retirement; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Gamelli as a token of our appreciation and esteem.