The investiture of Ramsey Herrington, M.D., as the inaugural J. Bishop McGill, M.D.’46, Chair of Emergency Medicine was held on October 13 in the Hoehl Gallery at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont (UVM).
Dr. Herrington, an associate professor of emergency medicine, was recently appointed senior associate dean of clinical affairs at the Larner College of Medicine, chief physician executive of UVM Health, and president and CEO of the UVM Health Medical Group. He joined the University of Vermont faculty as an assistant professor of emergency medicine in 2006 after completing his medical degree at University of Alabama–Birmingham School of Medicine and his residency training, including service as chief resident, at Oregon Health & Science University.
The J. Bishop McGill, M.D.’46, Chair of Emergency Medicine was established in 2022 by longtime College of Medicine supporter and alumnus John McGill, M.D.’78, in honor of his father, known affectionately as “Bish,” who passed away in 2007. Active in community and medical organizations—Bish co-founded the Northeast Medical Society and was a member of the New England Surgical Society, president of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce, and medical director for the Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol for many years—he was devoted to St. Johnsbury Academy, the University of Vermont, and Fletcher Allen Health Care, where he practiced and taught surgery for more than 40 years.
Although Dr. John McGill initially expected he would follow his father into surgery, he developed an interest in emergency medicine early on. He was the first American physician to work with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders, and in 1990 he helped launch the U.S. section of the international organization. He traveled the world with MSF and served as president of the board of directors for four years. The international organization was awarded the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize for providing medical care in out-of-the-way places to victims of famines, wars, epidemics, and other catastrophes.
