Progress Medels
Progress Medal 2002 is awarded to
Alan B. Ratik
MD
On July 1, 1977 Dr. Alan Burton Retik became Chief of the Division of Paediatric Urology at Children's Hospital of Boston. These were the early days of paediatric urology and there were no format fellowship and most people traveled overseas to get further in-depth training in paediatric urology. Dr. Retik had finished an internship and residency program at the university of Rochester in New York. He did additional training in general surgery at the Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston and did his formal residency in Urology at Peter Brigham Hospital of the Harvard University in Boston. After finishing his residency Dr. Retik traveled to London where he studied under Sir David Innes Williams. He returned to the United States in 1967 when he became Chief of Paediatric Urology at the Boston Floating Hospital for Infants and Children's where he remained until his appointment as Chief of Paediatric Urology at Boston Children'sHospital, where he has remained for the duration of his career.
During his 25 years of leadership at the Boston Children's Hospital, Dr. Retik has established a strong clinical service, a strong research laboratory, and a prestigious paediatric urological fellowship. Dr. Retik has personally trained over 24 fellows in paediatric urology who have become respected paediatric urologists, both in North America and throughout the world. Dr. Retik has received many awards and honors during his prestigious career, two of the highlights being the Paediatric Urology Medal issued by the Urology section of the American Academy of Paediatrics, and the first honorary membership of the Federation of Asian urological Associations. Dr. Retik has been active, both on the American Board of Urology and the American Academy of Paediatrics. This culminated with him being elected president of Society of Paediatric urology in 1989. He is an editorial board consultant for several major journals and is a member of almost all major adult and paediatric urology societies worldwide. Dr. Retik has authored over 300 peer-reviewed papers in major journals.
On a personal note, when this paediatric urologist returned from his fellowship with the great Herbert Johnson in Liverpool, Alan Retik gave him great encouragement and advice to continue an academic career in paediatric urology. That was true then and continues to be true today. Alan Retik has demonstrated, during his 25 year tenure as Chief of Paediatric Urology at Boston Children's Hospital, that he is a "triple threat" in paediatric urology. Not only is he a great paediatric urological surgeon, but a gifted investigator and leader in the field of paediatric urology. He has influenced paediatric urology, not only throughout North America, but also around the world. He has been a role model and mentor to many of the younger members of paediatric urology, including this writer. It is a great honor and privilege o honor him in this fashion and to dedicate this issue of progress in Paediatric urology to him.
A tribute by John P. Gearhart, MD, FAAP, FACS