2024 Fall Cleveland Clinic Alumni Association Awards

Cleveland Clinic alumni, family and friends celebrated world-class leadership during a September 20 reception at the Foundation House in Cleveland to honor five Alumni Association awardees. From steering pioneering diagnostic radiology to overseeing a globally-renowned cancer registry and introducing life-changing endoscopic technology, the 2024 fall class of distinguished recipients share a passion for elevating healthcare.

Distinguished Alumnus Award – Carol A. Burke, MD

She oversees a world-renowned hereditary gastrointestinal registry and is recognized as a global leader in advancing best practices in her specialty. But above all, Carol A. Burke, MD, FACG, FASGE, AGAF, FACP (GE’93) says mentorship is her bellwether.

She is passionate about training the next generation of physicians and providing support to early career researchers, along with teaching medical professionals best practices for preventing hereditary gastrointestinal cancer and how to care for those patients and families.

Dr. Burke recalls an early interest in medicine, reflecting on a career-defining internal medicine residency after earning her degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. While at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, she was on service with gastroenterologist Gregory Gibbon, MD, who offered her outpatient clinic experience with him and his office partner, Chris Ellison, MD, where she got to see both medical and surgical patients with digestive diseases.

“Once I put my hands on an endoscope, the rest is history,” Dr. Burke says.

At Cleveland Clinic, William D. Carey, MD (GE’76) was her inspiring gastrointestinal fellowship director and Dr. Burke became the chief GI fellow, later joining staff under the department leadership of Edgar Achkar, MD (GE’69).

Dr. Burke continues a three-decade vibrant career balanced with rigorous, funded research and a commitment to her patients and education. “Working as an expert in the hereditary cancer space allows me to get to know patients from all walks of life, and it is a reward and privilege to care for three to four generations of family members,” she says.

Dr. Burke’s hereditary cancer career was fostered under the leadership of James M. Church, MD (CRS’84).

Throughout her career, she has published more than 300 articles and written numerous guidelines. She leads the section of polyposis in the world-renowned Weiss Center for hereditary colorectal neoplasia and holds join appointments in the Department of Colorectal Surgery and Taussig Cancer Center. She is also the benefactor of a gift to support the Carol A. Burke, MD-Sheetz Family Endowed Fellowship in Hereditary Gastrointestinal Cancer Systems, of which she is program director.

Dr. Burke says, “I am grateful for the incredible colleagues and opportunities afforded to me through Cleveland Clinic, and forever indebted to my mentors, sponsors, family and friends.”

Distinguished Emeritus Award – Gregory P. Borkowski, MD

Career-long contributions to the Imaging Institute and devotion to more than 80 Cleveland Clinic committees encapsulate a pioneering contribution to diagnostic radiology advances by Gregory P. Borkowski, MD, FACR (IM’74, DR’79). When he was appointed to Cleveland Clinic staff, there were approximately 25 radiologists, and Thomas F. Meaney, MD, FACR (DR’57) took an interest in Dr. Borkowski, appreciating his internal medicine training.

“He sponsored me for leadership positions, including becoming the Section Head of Abdominal Radiology and then Chair of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology,” Dr. Borkowski says. Dr. Meany also encouraged involvement in a myriad of committees, including chairing the Space Allocation and Remodeling Committee for over 20 years.

Together with Michael T. Modic, MD, FACR (DR’78, NR’79), Dr. Borkoski expanded radiology services from the main campus into Cleveland Clinic’s regional hospitals. Imaging soon became fully integrated and there was a move to adopt radiological subspecialties.

Dr. Borkowski says, “Today, imaging has become the physical examination of patients. Physicians rely on imaging and, to a great extent, on our interpretations.

By the time Dr. Borkowski retired, there were approximately 250 radiologists providing subspecialty interpretations to Cleveland Clinic facilities in Ohio and Florida 24/7/365.

Dr. Borkowski achieved success through collaboration. Academics, innovative technology and growth potential kept him at Cleveland Clinic for his entire career. “Not only was there the clinical practice, but there was the academic aspect and the interesting technology,” he says of contributing to its advances.

“I’ve had an amazing career that was on the forefront of the tremendous evolution of imaging and the pleasure of working alongside a team that was instrumental to our success,” he says.

Special Achievement Award – Jeffrey L. Ponsky, MD

Before minimally invasive endoscopic procedures existed as an alternative to major, open surgeries, Jeffrey L. Ponsky, MD (Staff’97, Staff’14) entered surgical training, pursuing a lifelong dream since childhood. Dr. Ponsky is best known as an originator of the percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy (PEG), which provided a minimally invasive substitute for operative placement of feeding tubes.

“This was literally the first procedure that allowed for the avoidance of a major abdominal operation by using endoscopy,” he relates.

“As an educator, he created and trained an entire generation of minimally invasive surgeons and surgical endoscopists,” says Matthew Kroh, MD (S'07, AL/FSE'08). “As a researcher, he has carefully studied outcomes and advanced these fields. And he is always an innovator, looking to better serve our patients in all capacities.”

Dr. Ponsky retired from Cleveland Clinic in 2022 as a Professor of Surgery and General Surgery leader focused on foregut surgery and advanced surgical endoscopy. He had also served as Director of Endoscopic Surgery and was the first Executive Director of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Center while serving as Vice Chairman of the Division of Education and Director of Graduate Medical Education.

He continues as Professor Emeritus of Surgery at Case Western Reserve University, including supporting Cleveland Clinic endoscopic and minimally invasive surgical development as needed.

“Teaching is inherent in the DNA of medicine, and it has always been that way for me,” he says. “During my time at Cleveland Clinic, I also had the opportunity to help develop the new Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM) in its very beginning stages and was delighted to participate in that.”

Throughout his career, Dr. Ponsky was awarded the American Surgical Association’s highest honor, The Medallion for Advancement of Surgical Care. He was also recognized as an Icon in Surgery and inducted as a member of The Academy of Master Surgical Educators.

The dual recognition is a first in the industry.

“What we’ve been able to do is an absolute revolution and evolution in surgery,” he says. “Cleveland Clinic was a great leader in this, and my ability to be involved in the very center of minimally invasive surgery was crucial and career-defining.”

Service Award – John D. Clough, MD

John D. Clough, MD (GL-1’66, IM’67, IM’71) is an ambassador to Cleveland Clinic, dedicated to emulating and education others about the enterprise’s contributions to healthcare.

He advanced the mission of Cleveland Clinic during his time as a professional staff member and continues to do so. His efforts in the Archives and Emeritus Office include liaising with retired staff members to preserve their legacies. He spearheaded the Oral History Project (2014 to 2017) and processed more than 10,000 database records and more than 7,000 digitized documents to preserve the works of Irvine Page, MD (STAFF'45).

“The preservation of Dr. Page’s work was a daunting task that Dr. Clough approached with his trademark diligence, rigor and humility,” says Susan Rehm, MD (IM'81, ID'83). “He also works with students and trainees at all levels to help them understand how Cleveland Clinic and its staff have contributed to healthcare.”

Dr. Clough was Editor of To Act as a Unit third, fourth and fifth editions and Editor Emeritus of the sixth edition.

Dr. Clough’s contributions to Cleveland Clinic began during residency in 1966, and he joined the staff as a clinical rheumatologist in 1971. Within a year, he set up the Immunology Laboratory, one of the greatest highlights of his clinical career.

Dr. Clough also composed and conducted “The Founder’s March” performed by the Cleveland Youth Symphonic Winds and served as editor-in-chief of The Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. A physician specializing in immunology, a researcher, administrator, editor and institutional spokesperson, Dr. Clough exemplifies a life and career of service to Cleveland Clinic.

In a 1998 speech honoring Dr. Clough, William Michener, MD (Staff’61) described him as “a renaissance man providing a vision of the 21^st century — integrating medical research, education and patient care with savvy business acumen, good humor and unlimited kindness.”

Early Career Award – Bradley Gill, MD, MS

A single phone call “changed the trajectory of my life,” says Bradley Gill, MD, MS (CCLMC’12, S’13, U’18), rewinding to 2007 and an invitation from Kathleen Franco, MD, MS (Staff’92), who was Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM).

Dr. Gill was wrapping up his undergraduate biomedical engineering degree at Case Western Reserve University focused on biomedical devices and instrumentation. Concurrently, he had been applying for medical schools. He had eyes on CCLCM as a Case student. “I saw this amazing medical school come to life down the street,” he says.

While walking out to class one morning, his cell phone rang and he picked up. “It’s Kathy Franco,” she told him, and Dr. Gill stopped in his tracks. “We have a spot open if you’re interested.”

“Absolutely!” Dr. Gill said without hesitation and feeling he had arrived at a pivotal point that would shape his future.

Dr. Gill naturally gravitated toward CCLCM’s hands-on learning methodology with his engineering training seeding his character as an intrepid and continuous learner.

“Being a medical student here is like being a kid in a candy store,” says Dr. Gill, relating an analogy he often uses when explaining the full access to Cleveland Clinic’s opportunities.

Dr. Gill is Chief of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest and Mentor Hospitals, as well as Director of Innovation for the Glickman Urological Institute, Department of Urology and Associate Professor in the Department of Urology, CCLCM.

His educational role continues with close involvement at CCLCM.

“As a medical student, I was afforded the opportunity to go big with a research project, having been given the knowledge and tools to do real work at a high-powered institution housing huge volumes of data and a ton of untapped opportunity for learning,” Dr. Gill says.

And from patients, he often hears this: “You gave me my life back.”

This is one of the many reasons he was drawn to the urology specialty and is passionate and personally connected to the field of study. He was grateful for an early opportunity as an undergraduate and as a student CCLCM to work in the lab of Margot Damaser, PhD (LRI ’05) at the Lerner Research Institute and Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Dr. Gill secured a faculty and staff surgeon position immediately after residency and advanced to his current position as Chief of Surgery, where he is closely involved in the operations of one of Cleveland Clinic’s busiest, most efficient and highest quality surgical hospitals.

Dr. Gill perpetually pushes the field forward. And, he says, urology is “a technophile’s dream.”

With a rollcall of awards, presentations, published journal articles, national association appointments and teaching accomplishments, Dr. Gill says everything about his work at Cleveland Clinic and beyond “is invigorating.”