Who We Are
2008 Distinguished Service Award Recipients
Lawrence K. Altman, M.D., M62
Dr. Lawrence K. Altman, is one of the few full-fledged medical doctors working as a full-time daily newspaper reporter. A member of the New York Times science news staff since 1969, he also writes “The Doctor’s World” column in Science Times. Dr. Altman graduated from Harvard in 1958, going on to graduate from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1962. Working at the U.S. Public Health Service’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, he was editor of its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and then helped set up a measles immunization program for eight West African countries; he went on to become chief of the division of epidemiology and immunization. From 1966 to 1968, he was a resident in internal medicine at the University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals in Seattle and later became a senior fellow there in medical genetics. His awards include the Claude Bernard Science Journalism Award (1974), the Howard W. Blakeslee Award of the American Heart Association (1982, 1983, and 1995), the Howard Lewis Career Award from the American Heart Association (2001), a George Polk Award for his series on AIDS in Africa (1986), and the first Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting from the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing (2000). In 2004, Dr. Altman received the University of California at San Francisco’s medal (the equivalent of an honorary degree) and the Walsh McDermott Award from the Associated Medical Schools of New York.
Bruce M. Male, A63, A94P
After Tufts, Bruce Male earned a master’s in health sciences from Northeastern and went on to become an innovative entrepreneur. He is the founder, former chair, and CEO of TravCorps Corp., which grew out of Traveling Nurse Corps, his response to the chronic shortage of trained nurses. He is also former president and co-founder of American International Bakeries, Italy’s first producer of bagels and its premier supplier of American-style muffins. A former director of the Small Business Association of New England, Mr. Male in 1987 was chosen to be one of eight CEOs to serve on the Advisory Board of The Executive Committee, an international organization of more than 4,000 CEOs. An active member of the Tufts University Alumni Association, he served on its Executive Committee. He was an Alumni Representative to the Trustee University Development Committee and played a key role in conceiving and implementing the Tufts Career Alumni Network. He is also a member of the Board of Overseers for Arts and Sciences, chair of the International Board of Overseers, a member of the Advisory Board of The Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts, and a Trustee Emeritus. He was an Overseer of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and is now a member of the Board of Trustees of the Picker Institute. A vintage and classic car collector, Mr. Male participates in numerous racing and rallying events and his 1956 Maserati Zagato Coupe in 2007 was awarded “Best in Class” at two prestigious Concours d’Elegance events. Mr. Male and his wife, Leslie, have two children, Andrew and Jason, A94.
Elizabeth H. Prodromou, Ph.D., J81, F83
An internationally respected authority on religion and international relations and on the regional security and politics of southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou earned her undergraduate degree in international relations and history at Tufts, followed by an M.A.L.D. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She went on to earn an M.S. and a Ph.D. in political science from MIT. Today she is an assistant professor of International Relations at Boston University, where she is also the coordinator of the master’s program in International Relations and Religion and a research associate at the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs. In 2004 she was appointed commissioner on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF); she was elected vice chair for 2006. Dr. Prodromou has published widely on issues of religion and human rights, democracy, and security in Europe and the United States, and has been an invited policy consultant with the U.S. National Intelligence Council, Department of State, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Central Intelligence Agency; and NATO. She has received numerous awards and grants, including research fellowships from Harvard, New York University, and Princeton. She is co-editor of a forthcoming volume, Thinking Through Faith: Perspectives from Orthodox Christian Scholars, and she is currently writing a book titled European Enlargement, Democracy and Religion: Church-State Relations in Greece. She is married to Dr. Alexandros K. Kyrou, associate professor of East European and Russian History at Salem State College; they have a daughter, Sophia, and reside in Bedford, Massachusetts.
John C. Richmond, M.D., M76
Dr. John C. Richmond is a widely respected orthopaedic surgeon whose practice and research has advanced the treatment of the injured athlete. He graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972, then attended Tufts University School of Medicine, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Currently he is a professor of orthopaedic surgery at the School of Medicine and an adjunct professor of biochemical engineering at Tufts. He chairs the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the New England Baptist Hospital and practices at the Boston Sports and Shoulder Center in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He has performed more than 5,000 ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgeries and rotator cuff tendon reconstructive surgeries, and his current research focuses on developing innovative tissue-engineered ligament and tendon substitutes. For 26 years he was the team physician at Tufts and now serves as a consultant to the Athletics Department. With various interdisciplinary research teams at Tufts, he has focused on dramatically reducing the recovery time of injured athletes through tissue engineering and his work has been recognized with many awards, including the prestigious O’Donahue Sports Injury Research Award in 1995 and the Cabaud Memorial Basic Science Research Award in 2007, both from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. He also received the William Southmayd Award for Best Teacher from the New England Baptist Hospital Sports Medicine Fellowship in 2005 and 2006.
Diane M. Wilcox, J82
Recognized for her unflagging public spirit and support of Tufts, Diane Wilcox has devoted her professional and volunteer work to improving the lives of others. She has worked with Communities for People for more than 20 years, advocating for youths and their families in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She also guides young men and women as an independent living advisor for disabled students at Lesley University. A 12-letter varsity athlete while at Tufts, competing in field hockey, indoor track, and lacrosse, she was also a TUAA Senior Award recipient in 1982. Today she continues to show her love of sports, lending her support to the Bay State Games, an amateur sports competition for over 10,000 high school and college athletes held each summer, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2005. Ms. Wilcox has also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village Program in South Africa and Costa Rica and helped fundraise for the Hogar Miguel Magone orphanage in Guatemala. She has remained active in the organization and implementation of the Olympic Games, working for Reebok International in Sydney in 2000, and Athens in 2004, and serving as a sector coordinator in event management in Atlanta in 1996 and Salt Lake City in 2002. Her dedication to Tufts has remained strong since graduation; she served on the Jumbo Club board of directors from 1982 to 2006 and was honored with a Jumbo Club Award in 1983.
Vangel R. Zissi, D.M.D., D62, DG67, A02P
In 1958 Dr. Vangel R. Zissi enrolled in Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM); 50 years later he is still here, a devoted faculty member and generous supporter. He received his D.M.D. in 1962 and following his service in the United States Navy with a tour in Vietnam, he became a member of the first class to complete the two-year postgraduate program in endodontics (1967). Today he is clinical professor in the Department of Endodontics, director of Continuing Education, and a valued mentor to postgraduate endodontic students. Since 1966 he also has been a principal in a Boston-area group practice, Limited to Endodontics. He is a fellow and past president of the International College of Dentists (ICD), USA Section. He is currently deputy secretary general of ICD at large. His honors include the Spark Plug of the Year Award, International College of Dentists, and the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Zissi has always been an involved alumnus; he has been a TAAP interviewer and is an emeritus trustee of the Alumni Council. Active as well with the Dental Alumni Association, he served as director (1983–88), president (1989), and editor (1991 to present). He chaired three major fundraising drives in addition to co-chairing all of his class reunions. He has been a member of the M Club for more than 30 years and is a member of the Dean’s Inner Circle. Dr. Zissi and his wife, Barbara, have two sons, Jonathan, A02, and Christopher.