The UF College of Medicine’s department of surgery celebrated its 60th anniversary Feb. 17. The 60th Anniversary: A Legacy of a Lifetime gala drew more than 200 department alumni, friends, faculty, staff and colleagues. Invited speakers discussed the values and legacy of the department: innovative patient care, high-level education and leading-edge research.

James Quintessenza, MD ’81, is leading a partnership between Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and University of Kentucky HealthCare in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery. Quintessenza, who completed a cardiothoracic surgery residency at the University of California, San Diego, will be based in Lexington, but his primary appointment is with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Previously, Quintessenza worked at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, for 26 years, serving 19 years as medical director and chief of pediatric cardiac surgery.

David DiLoreto, MD ’83, was named senior vice president at General Electric Healthcare Camden Group in September. DiLoreto is a physician-executive with experience in management and operation of health care delivery systems and managed care companies. GE Healthcare Camden Group is one of the largest health care business advisory firms in the nation. Before joining GE, DiLoreto worked as the chief clinical officer for Presence Health, a health care system of 12 hospitals and more than 100 clinical locations in the Midwest.

Fernando J. Martinez, MD ’83, was named chief of the pulmonary and critical care medicine division at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. Martinez, a clinician and translational investigator, specializes in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and fibrotic lung disease. In this role, Martinez will open and expand clinical and investigative programs, including a cross-institutional model of evaluating and treating COPD, asthma and chronic cough. Born in Cuba and raised in both Georgia and northern Florida, Martinez is also involved in efforts to bring pulmonary lab findings to patients through work with the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Page Pennell, MD ’89, was elected second vice president of the American Epilepsy Society. A member of the society since 1993, Pennell has served on the board of directors and the editorial board for its journal, Epilepsy Currents. Pennell is a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and the director of research for the epilepsy division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Her clinical research focuses on sex-specific outcomes in epilepsy.

Ellyn Theophilopoulos, MD ’92, was named eQHealth Solutions’ corporate senior medical director in October. In this position, she provides clinical oversight of both commercial and government contracts, directs a panel of physician reviewers, provides expertise for product development and directly engages with clients. eQHealth Solutions is a population health management and technology solutions company serving federal and state government and commercial clients. Theophilopoulos, also a graduate of the Stetson University College of Law, previously served as a medical legal consultant for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Rene Przkora, MD, PhD, HS ’10, was elected board member-at-large for the Association of Pain Program Directors. Przkora, who completed his anesthesiology residency at the UF College of Medicine in 2010, currently holds many titles at the UF College of Medicine, including program director for the fellowship in multidisciplinary pain medicine, division chief for the division of pain medicine and associate professor of anesthesiology.

Christopher R. McAdams, MD ’12, was awarded the Rutherford-Lavanty fellowship in government relations from the American College of Radiology. During a weeklong program in Washington, D.C., McAdams learned firsthand the impact of governmental factors on patient access to care and the future of radiology. He also had the opportunity to meet with members of Congress and their staff as well as attend fundraisers and in-house meetings of the college. McAdams is a senior resident in diagnostic and interventional radiology at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.