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doctor's passion is contagious

When students, residents and fellows join hematologist and Great Teacher Ronald Rubin (second from left) on rounds, they examine the patient's blood under the microscope before visiting the patient in the hospital. "The blood talks to you," Rubin explained. (Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg, Temple University Photography)

Staying on top of the latest medical literature is extremely challenging, but it keeps doctors on the cutting edge. And it’s a practice that physician teacher Ron Rubin indelibly instills in all of his students, much to their lifelong gratitude. For Rubin, the practice is as much about great teaching as it is about superior patient care.

“I cannot get lazy or complacent in my knowledge base or reading, as there are always very smart young people asking questions or who have read material I may not have read yet,” Rubin said.

And patients benefit from being the focus of such an intent medical team.

“With a group of people involved in a patient’s case, there is more opportunity that one of us knows, has read, will read or somehow may be more aware of new medical facts or findings than any of us alone. There is less chance that something will be missed,” Rubin said.

The physician teacher leading a team of medical students, residents and fellows on rounds through the hospital is the hallmark of academic medicine. And the hallmark of Rubin’s service, as it’s called, is respect.

One student told him, “Your ability to combine intelligent, physiologic-based medicine and respect for the patient may be the most valuable lesson you taught us. You epitomize the Temple physicians who have made a commitment to providing the best possible medical care to an underserved population.”

Another student remarked, “It is obvious to me that he truly cares about each and every one of his patients,” while a colleague said, “He treats his patients, regardless of their condition in life, with respect and dignity.”

A senior Professor in the Department of Medicine at the School of Medicine and a self-described West Philadelphia row house boy, Rubin first felt his calling as a biology undergraduate at Temple in the late 1960s. He loved the logic, the “therefores” of his math and science courses, and decided to go to Temple’s School of Medicine two miles north. There he learned from and worked with the men who would inspire his ideal of "physician teacher" for decades to come.

"They were smart and good at what they did, but they were also wonderful people," he said.

His mentors became a “collective role model” to which Rubin has aspired. He’s also given considerable thought to his own teaching approach and philosophy.

“I long ago came to realize that what you taught students, if you did it well, stayed with them, in essence, forever. Therefore, I concluded that something this important had better be done right, and I have tried to do it right over the decades,” Rubin said.

Specifically, Rubin strives to teach students the core principles of understanding medicine so that they are able to figure things out, rather than just teaching them to memorize lists of facts and statistics.

He also brings a sense of fun and enthusiasm to his teaching.

“Education should really be entertaining and fun, not doldrums and chores. I try, to a degree, to put on a show. There is a part of me that truly enjoys the showman aspect of teaching and I’ve found that enthusiasm aids greatly in rapport and communications with the students,” Rubin said.

After medical school, Rubin pursued the specialty of hematology, with a residency at Temple University Hospital and a fellowship at Jefferson Medical College. After serving as Chief of Hematology at Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Rubin returned to Temple and has been here ever since. Today, Rubin is Chief of Clinical Hematology at Temple University Hospital and a member of the Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center.

He's won numerous teaching awards and consistently receives spectacular evaluations from students. Outside of Temple, Rubin is the editor of the case study series in The Consultant, and, since 1997, has been the course director of the American College of Physicians’ Medical Recertification program, one that is routinely thought to be the best available.

“Temple has allowed me to be — at least part of the time — my idealistic view of a doctor. We’re caring for the medically underserved, which means there’s nothing routine. Also, my colleagues are humble about their role here. That’s the kind of doctoring that was in my mind when I first started. I hope this never changes, not just at our school, but the entire university.”

Teaching Awards 2007

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By Eryn Jelesiewicz

dobeck@temple.edu

April 18, 2007

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