The conference room in the offices of University Health Service has been named in honor of the late Clifford B. Reifler, M.D., M.P.H., professor emeritus of psychiatry and director emeritus of UHS at the University of Rochester. He died May 12 at Strong Memorial Hospital.
At a Dec. 7 ceremony, family members, friends and colleagues gathered in the conference room on the lower level of the Medical Center to express their admiration for Dr. Reifler and acknowledge his contributions to the field of college health in Rochester and around the country. A color photograph of him, a plaque and a photo of a bear in the woods from Dr. Reifler's bear collection now hang in the conference room. The plaque states that the room was named "in recognition of his dedication to the students and employees of the University of Rochester, and his visionary leadership in the field of college health."
"This is the room where decisions take place," said Dr. Ralph Manchester, associate professor and director of UHS. "It is a most fitting place to remember him." Paul Burgett, vice president and University dean of students; Allan J. Schwartz, associate professor of psychiatry and director of counseling and medical services for the University; and Barbara Reifler, Dr. Reifler's wife, also spoke at the dedication.
Dr. Reifler was director of UHS from 1970 until his retirement in 1994, and over the years had held faculty appointments in psychiatry, family services, and preventive, family, and rehabilitation medicine. For more than three decades, he filled many leadership posts in the American College Health Association. He has been credited by many with helping to establish today's model for college and university health services.