Profiles in Giving (PDF)

Robert Thurer DC '67, DMS '68: Transforming Medicine at DMS and Dubai

Dr. Robert Thurer

Throughout the nation and around the world, Dartmouth Medical School alumni are transforming medicine, and Dr. Robert Thurer is an excellent example of just how far-reaching the work of DMS alumni is. Dr. Thurer, a cardiothoracic surgeon and clinical educator at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, is chief academic officer for the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center, part of a Harvard Medical International-Dubai strategic collaboration to create a center of excellence for patient care, research, and medical education in the United Arab Emirates.

In his role, Dr. Thurer leads the development, implementation, and management of postgraduate and continuing medical education programs for Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), an emerging medical complex that includes several hospitals, an academic medical center, and a graduate medical program. "We offer continuing medical education for professionals and also post-graduate education, such as fellowships and residency programs," Dr. Thurer explains.

While he spends much of his time half the world away from his alma mater, Robert Thurer's ties to DMS are as strong as ever. Not only is he a member of the DMS Alumni Council and the DMS Board of Overseers, but he has made a major contribution to the Transforming Medicine Campaign for Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. His gift will provide DMS with unrestricted funds so that the institution can seize opportunities and respond to the demands of today's rapidly changing healthcare environment. "I feel very confident in the leadership at the Medical School, that they are headed in the right direction, and that they'll use the money wisely," Dr. Thurer explains.

Dr. Thurer has also made annual gifts to the Fund for DMS for years. Gifts to the Fund "provide the Medical School with unrestricted operational funds on an ongoing basis. It becomes very much a living endowment," he notes. "It's important for those of us who care about the school to support it."

Return to Profiles In Giving