On July 9, 2013, the UAB Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Residency Program held its second annual Legacy Dinner at the home of Dr. C. Glenn Cobbs, former Chief of Medicine for the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Professor Emeritus in the Division of Infectious Diseases. As with last year’s inaugural Legacy Dinner, three generations of UAB residency graduates spoke about lessons learned from Dr. Harrison, his values, and his mentorship and how those core values and lessons continue to shape our profession and training environment. Speakers at this year’s dinner included Dr. Cobbs, Dr. Alexandra Leigh, Chief Medical Resident in 2008 and current practicing palliative care physician; and Dr. Lisa Laycock Willett, Chief Medical Resident in 2000 and current Director of the Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Residency Program.
Dr. James Harms, former UAB internal medicine resident 2010-2013 and current UAB nephrology fellow, was awarded the E = hH2 for emulating during his tenure as a resident in internal medicine Dr. Harrison’s values. The E = hH2 award is granted to a senior resident who demonstrates a sharp clinical mind (h for head) complimented by a caring and giving heart (H2) that together best demonstrate the “contagious fire” of learning, education, and patient care that Dr. Harrison described and modeled.
The Legacy Dinner aims to inspire senior residents who are now leaders in the program to emulate Dr. Harrison and to be positive influences on the junior residents, interns, and students they will supervise. The inspirational messages lay a foundation of principles Dr. Harrison implored his trainees to embrace: thinking, listening, and understanding; humor and analogy; moral and mental discipline. In today’s complex world of medical training, we recognize that Dr. Harrison’s legacy and the values he instilled at our institution should never be forgotten.