Hans L. Stohrer ’99M (MD)
Who is someone that inspired you during your time on campus?
Many University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (URSMD) faculty, staff, and alumni inspire me. Dr. William Halsey Barker Jr., whose fascinating epidemiology lectures on how Dr. John Snow pinpointed the source of the cholera epidemic in London inspired us to public health, and whom I was privileged to have as my medical thesis advisor and personal mentor, strongly impacted my medical education at the University of Rochester. The time and personal interest Dr. Barker invested in me, taking me on rounds to see patients at Monroe Community Hospital, inspired me to choose Geriatric Medicine as a medical specialty.
Which faculty member influenced you the most?
Many of our URSMD professors, notably including our anatomy, neurology, and cardiology professors, Dr. John Hansen, Dr. Ralph Jozefowicz, and Dr. J. Frank Richeson, were incredible teachers whose passion for teaching medicine inspired and motivated us all to be better doctors.
Which staff member influenced you the most?
URSMD Director of Medical Student Education Paula Smith organized the annual medical student talent show, then nominated and motivated me to serve my UR medical school class as Class Agent for more than 25 years. Former URSMD Dean and CEO Dr. Mark Taubman, a friend and mentor throughout the years, brought URSMD to a new higher level. URSMD alumnus Dr. Robert G. Newman inspired me with his personal friendship, fascinating personal history, his lifetime of humanitarian public service introducing methadone therapy to combat heroin addiction, and his example of giving back to the UR community.
What's your most memorable Rochester hangout?
Biking along the Genesee River Park and the Erie Canal to the village of Pittsford was a wonderful Rochester weekend pastime to get some sun, fresh air, exercise, and relax from the demands of medical school.
What’s your favorite place on campus?
My favorite place on campus in Rochester was the URSMD Miner Library, a quiet place to read or study with classmates, where the beautiful classic wood panelled reading room was the old entrance lobby to University of Rochester’s award-winning Strong Memorial Hospital.
The Garbage Plate at Nick Tahou Hots or wings at The Distillery?
Definitely wings at The Distillery!
What are you most proud of about your University of Rochester education?
UR Medicine taught us always to be patient focused and taught us to really listen to our patients. If you truly listen to your patients, they will tell you the story of their illness and describe their diagnosis in detail. We learned that the history is 90% of diagnosis, and the physical exam is the other 10%. The famous Biopsychosocial Model developed by Dr. George Engel at the University of Rochester truly sets UR medical graduates apart from other physicians, and gives us a mark of distinction.
How do you live the Meliora values everyday?
I try to live the Meliora values of “Ever Better” every day, in my professional medical practice and in my personal life, by constantly striving for improvement.
What advice would you give an incoming student?
My advice and words of wisdom for incoming URSMD medical students at the traditional induction of their White Coat Ceremony were to remember that the heart and soul of medicine will always be the History and Physical Exam; the Doctor-Patient Relationship; and the unique responsibility to humanity conferred by their training and knowledge in medicine.
Why did you choose to study at the University of Rochester?
A friend told me about the incredible world-class education offered at the University of Rochester, from my experience I found this to be true, and I have never regretted my decision. I highly recommend the University of Rochester!