For more information contact: Boonshoft
School of Medicine, Judi Engle,
Office of Public Relations, (937) 775-2951
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2003
Services Held for Founding School of Medicine Dean
Services were held Saturday, July 26, 2003, in Chicago
for John R. Beljan, M.D., the founding dean for Wright State University
School of Medicine. Dr. Beljan was hired to start up the Miami Valley's
new medical school in 1974. Dr. Beljan served as dean, vice provost and
vice president of Health Affairs from 1974-1980, when the charter class
graduated and he was appointed provost of Wright State University. He
also was trained as a biomedical engineer and held a secondary appointment
in Wright State's College of Science and Engineering. He left the university
in 1983.
Dr. Beljan was previously a vice president of the Association of California
Medical Educators and associate dean for medical education at the University
of California-Davis, and he was the second founding faculty member at
that institution. He also ran a research laboratory for NASA's space
program and in 1964-65 served as a ground launch support team member
for Project Gemini and the early Apollo Missions. He was a pioneer in
aerospace medicine and provided NASA with novel research on circadian
rhythm and the effects of space flight on the human body.
A Detroit native, Dr. Beljan was a Phi Beta Kappa undergraduate of the
University of Michigan and received his M.D. from the University of Michigan
in 1954. He served as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force from 1955-1965,
with the first four years of his service spent in advanced surgical training
at University Hospital in Ann Arbor. Before his service was completed
he earned the Decorated Commendation Medal and achieved the rank of major.
In 1983, Dr. Beljan assumed the positions of provost and vice president
of Academic Affairs at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, and the
dean of its School of Medicine. Dr. Beljan completed his career as the
provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Long Beach State University,
and the president of Northrup University (posts he held simultaneously
for two years). Throughout Dr. Beljan's various faculty appointments
he also was a professor of surgery, biomedical engineering, physiology,
and anatomy. An active academician, Dr. Beljan was the author or co-author
of more than 100 specialized journal articles, book chapters, and book
reviews in his multiple areas of professional interest and expertise.
He was a member of some two dozen professional societies and organizations,
and listed in a number of professional directories.
Dr. Beljan's community-based model for medical education was innovative
at the time. Using existing hospitals for clinical education for medical
students was cost effective and ensured that the school and community
developed close working relationships. The community-based model has
become more common as additional medical schools move away from the university
hospital model.
Dr. Beljan, deceased at 73 years of age, is survived by his wife Bernadette,
two sons and a daughter, and several grandchildren.
Donations in his memory may be made to the John R. Beljan Scholarship
Endowment, established in 1983, at Wright State University School of
Medicine.
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