GALVESTON, Texas - Dr. Don Powell was honored for outstanding service to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and its department of internal medicine at the 16th Annual Essentials in Internal Medicine conference.
Colleagues paid tribute to Powell at the Department of Medicine Alumni Society dinner held in his honor in conjunction with the conference, held at Moody Gardens Convention Center in early April.
"Dr. Powell is truly one of our most special people," said Dr. Randall J. Urban, chairman of the department of medicine. "He has unselfishly served our department as its chairman and he has served the university in many capacities."
The conference, an update on principals and practice in medicine, hosted more than 150 practitioners from around the state.
Dr. Gerald A. Beathard, a UTMB alumnus, presented the William P. Deiss Jr. Lecture, titled "Interventional Nephrology: The Birth of a New Subspecialty." Dr. Cheryl L. Alston, also an internal medicine alumnus and chief of domestic programs in the U.S. Department of State Office of Medical Services in Washington, D.C., presented " An Internist in the State Department" based on her professional experiences.
"It was wonderful to see so many of our alumni return to Galveston this year and show their support of our programs," said Dr. J. Marc Shabot, vice chairman for alumni affairs and development.
"We are proud of our department's history and the collegiality that our alumni society has helped to foster," he said. "We believe that our greatest strength lies in our alumni and friends and we look forward to building even stronger ties with them in the years to come."