Loma Linda Pays Tribute - Ray Ryckman and School of Tropical and Preventive Medicine

Loma Linda University Pays Tribute

Ray Ryckman
and
School of Tropical and Preventive Medicine


Raymond E. Ryckman, PhD (left),
Close friend and research associate
of Dr. Bruce W. Halstead and became
the foremost authority on Triatoma,
conducting research at the STPM

Ray Ryckman got some long over due recognition from an institution that he has served most all of his professional life. He is the only person left that was deeply involved with the School of Tropical and Preventive Medicine. As such he is the one person who still knows most of the history and politics involved with STPM, Bruce W. Halstead, and Loma Linda University back when it was still called the College of Medical Evangelist.

STPM was founded by Dr.s Mozar and Halstead back in 1948. Dr. Halstead left in 1958 and started the World Life Research Institute. Halstead and Ryckman have long been friends. Ray was in Bruce and Joy's wedding. It was Bruce that advised Ray to go get an undergraduate degree from U. C. Berkeley in zoology, just like he had done.

When the original STPM building was torn down, Ryckman was able to salvage some of the windows and the original sign. He used the windows to build a greenhouse and he put the sign over his front porch. For Ray Ryckman, being part of the STPM and the history involved, is something that he feels proud to be a part of as he was. Under STPM, Doctor Halstead was singlehandedly the first person to ever conduct research at Loma Linda and in doing so he got the first grants and pioneered the grant funding of research at Loma Linda as well.





School of Public Health honors students at awards banquet



The School of Public Health gave out its diplomas on June 10, but the evening before, the School also gave out multiple awards to students, faculty, alumni, and staff at the annual awards banquet.

David Dyjack, DrPH, CIH (right), honors
Raymond Ryckman, PhD, and Carolyn Stuyvesant, MS.

The School paid tribute to the past, as well. An old sign reading “School of Tropical and Preventive Medicine” was put on display. This organization at LLU was a forerunner to the current School of Public Health, which was established in 1967 and is celebrating 40 years of existence this year. The sign was borrowed from Raymond Ryckman, PhD, emeritus professor of microbiology, School of Medicine, who was also involved in the early days of public health at LLU.

Dr. Ryckman and Carolyn Stuyvesant, MS, an early public health student, were recognized by David Dyjack, DrPH, CIH, School of Public Health dean.

Dr. Dyjack also gave special recognition to Susanne Montgomery, PhD, MPH, and Christine Neish, PhD, for their hard work and dedicated service to the School. Dr. Montgomery has worked at the School for about 12 years, and she served for the past two years as the School’s associate dean for academic affairs. She recently stepped down from this administrative post in order to focus on research, and she is now director of the School’s Center for Health Research.

Dr. Neish has worked in the School of Public Health since 1973. While she still holds a secondary appointment in the SPH, as of summer 2006 her primary appointment is now in the LLU School of Nursing.

To Read Full Story on LLU website - CLICK HERE