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Bennett Lorber '64, William Lipshutz '63 to Receive National Teaching Awards

Bennett Lorber and William Lipshutz
Bennett Lorber '64 (left) and William Lipshutz '63 have been friends since before they arrived at Swarthmore.

Bennett Lorber '64, a member of Swarthmore's Board of Managers and a professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology at Temple University, and William Lipshutz '63, former head of gastroenterology at Pennsylvania Hospital, will receive prestigious teaching awards from the American College of Physicians (ACP) at the April 2013 Internal Medicine meeting in San Francisco.            

The ACP is a national organization of physicians practicing internal medicine with particular specialties in the prevention and treatment of diseases in adults, including oncology, cardiology, infectious diseases, gastroenterology, and more. It grants awards each year to internists who display outstanding leadership, research, and teaching abilities, as well as awards for volunteer service and advocacy.

This year's Outstanding Volunteer Clinical Teacher Award will be awarded to Lipshutz, who will be recognized for the time he dedicates towards teaching medical students and residents, as well as his demonstration of "outstanding teaching prowess," a deep concern for patients, and his position as a role model and mentor. Lipshutz attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and received his residency at the Pennsylvania Hospital in gastroenterology. In 1978, he started the Pennsylvania Hospital Gastrointestinal Associates, a private physician practice that currently houses six gastroenterologists at the Washington Square Endoscopy Center. Lipshutz, a fellow at ACP, is a former head of gastroenterology at Pennsylvania Hospital but now teaches full time as a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Lorber, who once wrote in an essay that his "path to teaching began at Swarthmore," will receive the Jane F. Desforges Distinguished Teacher Award for his "ennobling qualities" that have greatly inspired his former students, many of whom are now leaders in medical education. Lorber attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and received a residency and infectious diseases fellowship at Temple University. He is the Thomas M. Durant Professor of Medicine at Temple University, as well as a professor of microbiology and immunology, and specializes in infectious diseases. Lorber is internationally renowned for his work with anaerobic infections and human listeriosis, a food-borne disease. In addition to being a master with the ACP, Lorber was president of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the Anaerobe Society of the Americas, and is also a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and member of numerous medical organizations.

With their emphasis on improving patient care and their dedication towards education in medicine, both Lorber and Lipshutz are pioneers and leaders of their respective fields. Lorber and Lipshutz have remained great friends since working together as camp counselors before their time at Swarthmore. 

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