Page 7 - School of Medicine and Dentistry | University of Rochester Medical Center

Dwight Heron, M.D. ’95M (MD), wanted to be a physician since he was a child. The
School of Medicine and Dentistry was one of 13 schools that accepted him, but he
chose Rochester for its curriculum, strong reputation, and the University’s effort to
make a medical education affordable for students. “I needed help to offset some of
the cost,” said Dr. Heron. “But I was willing to accept debt because I always looked
at my education as an investment in my future.”

Dr. Heron is now vice chairman of Clinical Affairs in the Department of Radiation
Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Cancer Center. He believes
his Rochester education had a significant impact on his career and life. “I’m not sure
I would be where I am today—as a clinician and in many ways as a person—without the
education and training I received at Rochester.”

He is now giving back to help other students. In addition to his time as a member of
the Executive Committee of the School of Medicine and Dentistry Alumni Council,
he supports the George Hoyt Whipple Society, dedicated to helping educate future
medical professionals, and the Dean Brenda D. Lee Award, given to an outstanding
graduating medical student. “The School is a gem,” he said. “Giving back to help the
next generation of health care leaders is vital.”

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