Indiana University School of Medicine honored Evansville physician Mark D. Browning, MD, on May 22, with the prestigious J.O. Ritchey Award, which recognizes individuals who have made enduring commitments to the school in several key areas.
“Mark’s long commitment to IU School of Medicine, to his patients and to the students who form such an important part of the medical community in southern Indiana fits perfectly with the ideals of J.O. Ritchey,” said Jay L. Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA, Dean of the School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for University Clinical Affairs.
The J.O. Ritchey Award is named in honor of James Oscar Ritchey, who served IU School of Medicine for more than 60 years in capacities ranging from faculty member, to department chairman, to head of the admissions committee. Ritchey also created a trust for his widow that, upon her death, created an endowment at the School of Medicine to fund its medical library collection.
The J.O. Ritchey Award recognizes individuals who have made enduring contributions to any or all of Ritchey’s areas of commitment—personal efforts on behalf of the School of Medicine, service to medicine as a profession, service to patients, or through a planned gift to the School of Medicine.
Browning, a hematology/oncology specialist, served as a volunteer clinical professor with IU School of Medicine—Evansville for almost 30 years.
With his practice partners, Browning established the Oncology Hematology Associates of Southwest Indiana Medical Scholarship in 2005 to assist students in overcoming the high cost of attending medical school. Additionally, the Browning family has established three endowed scholarships to encourage medical students from southern Indiana to return home after completing their education to establish their medical practices in the Evansville area.
Steven Becker, MD, director of IU School of Medicine-Evansville, described Browning as one of the most committed members of the Evansville medical community and a worthy recipient.
“I could not think of a more deserving person to receive the School of Medicine’s prestigious J.O. Ritchey Award than Dr. Mark Browning,” Becker said.
A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Browning earned his Doctorate of Medicine from IU School of Medicine in 1977. While serving his country, he completed a residency and fellowship at the National Cancer Institute/Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. While working at hospitals in California, Browning frequently flew home to Evansville, at his own expense, during vacations to teach Hematology/Oncology to Evansville medical students.
Browning joins a list of J.O. Ritchey Award winners that includes former medical school deans, facultyv and physicians as well as the late Indiana University President Herman B Wells and the late Indiana Gov. Otis Bowen.
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IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability.