Dr. James Madara, CEO and executive vice president of the American Medical Association (AMA), and United States Senator Rob Portman will address The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences graduates at the commencement ceremony taking place at the Stranahan Theatre Friday, May 30 at 2 p.m.

There are 250 candidates for degrees; including 171 students who will receive doctor of medicine degrees, 42 will receive master of public health degrees, nine will receive master of biomedical sciences degrees, seven will receive master of occupational health degrees and 18 students will receive graduate certificates.

Eleven students will receive a PhD in biomedical sciences.

Madara will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree.

“We are honored to have these two leaders willing to share their experiences and advice with our graduating students,” said Dr. Ron McGinnis, interim dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. “This is a great opportunity for our graduates to gain knowledge from two distinguished professionals before embarking on the next phase of their careers.”

Madara

As CEO and executive vice president of the AMA, Madara oversees the nation’s largest physician organization.

An accomplished academic medical center physician, medical scientist and administrator, Madara previously served as Timmie Professor and chair of pathology and laboratory medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine.

He also held the Thompson Distinguished Professorship and deanship at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He was the longest serving Pritzker dean in the last 35 years.

During his deanship at the University of Chicago, which also extended to the university’s renowned Biological Sciences Division, Madara served as CEO of the University of Chicago Medical Center, bringing together the university’s biomedical research, teaching and clinical activities.

Madara is a noted academic pathologist and an authority on epithelial cell biology and gastrointestinal disease. He has made important contributions to understanding the biology of the cells that line the digestive tract with over 200 published original papers and chapters. His work has garnered both national and international awards.

He is a recipient of a prestigious MERIT Award from the National Institute of Health and recently received the Davenport Award for lifetime achievement in gastrointestinal disease from the American Physiological Society.

Madara previously served as president of the American Board of Pathology and as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Pathology.

Madara earned his medical degree from Hahnemann Medical Center in Philadelphia. He completed an internship and residency at New England Deaconess Hospital and a fellowship in anatomy and cell biology at the former Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, now Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston. After completing his fellowship, he joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School and became a full tenured professor. He also served as director of the Harvard Digestive Diseases Center.

Portman will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Portman was elected to the United States Senate, winning 82 of 88 counties, representing Ohio in 2010. He previously served 12 years in the House of Representatives from Ohio’s 2nd District.

Portman

During his time in Congress, he promoted welfare reform efforts and was a strong advocate of the balanced budget that passed in 1997. Portman was involved in several bipartisan legislative initiatives including advocating to increase retirement savings, IRS reform, addition of over 50 new taxpayer rights, curbing unfunded mandates, tax reduction and expanding drug prevention and land conservation efforts.

Portman left Congress in 2005 to serve in a cabinet-level post as the United States Trade Representative, responsible for implementing and enforcing U.S. trade policy. He was able to reduce barriers to U.S. exports and increase enforcement of trade laws to help American farmers, workers and service providers. Under his leadership, American exports increased and the U.S. brought successful legal challenges against international trade law violations. He also served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

He currently serves on several U.S. Senate committees including the Senate Finance Committee, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Subcommittee on the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce as a Ranking Member, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the Subcommittee on Emergency Management, Intergovernmental Relations and the District of Columbia and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, with assignments on the Subcommittee on Energy and the Subcommittee on National Parks.

Portman received his bachelor of arts degree from Dartmouth College and studied law at the University of Michigan. After graduating from law school, Portman moved to Washington, D.C. where he became a trade law expert and lobbyist for the firm Patton Boggs. He then became an associate at Graydon, Head and Ritchey, a Cincinnati law firm.

Media Coverage
The Blade (May 25, 2014)
The Blade (May 31, 2014)
WTOL 11 and 13 ABC (June 2, 2014)

The mountains and valleys of Afghanistan are a far cry from the farm fields of northwest Ohio where Trent D. Miller has been studying for a master of business administration degree in leadership.

The 32-year-old active duty Army captain is scheduled to receive his degree Saturday, Dec. 15, during commencement ceremonies in Savage Arena.

U.S. Army Capt. Trent Miller

Miller, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot with more than 750 hours of combat flying time, isn’t your average college student. He shuns the idea that his neatly groomed hair is a “high and tight” — military jargon for the standard soldier haircut. He prefers to discuss his two combat deployments, the first to Iraq and the second to Afghanistan, in generic terms because he said at times it can be difficult to relate to his peers.

“The first term was a big shock. I hadn’t had to think or act like a student in nine years at that point,” said Miller, a married father with a 1-year-old son. “Army schooling is very different from civilian higher education, so it was challenging.”

The native of Columbus Grove, Ohio, said his father was a track runner while attending The University of Toledo for a couple of years in the 1960s, and his brother graduated from UT in 2007. The Army’s Expanded Graduate School Program, a developmental and retention tool created for captains, was the catalyst to bring Miller and his wife back to the Buckeye State. The program funded Miller’s studies at UT and will require an additional four-year active duty obligation.

“As a student, Trent Miller was terrific, intelligent, articulate, highly motivated,” said Dr. Clint Longenecker, Stranahan Professor of Leadership and Business Excellence in the College of Business and Innovation. “As a person, he demonstrates tremendous character in what he does, and he knows when to lead and he knows when to follow.”

Earning his commission through the Ohio State University Army ROTC Program in 2003, Miller graduated as a distinguished military graduate with a degree in natural resources. Later that year, he would attend flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala., and marry his high school sweetheart, Denise.

In fall 2005, Miller embarked on his first deployment as part of the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade of the famous 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky. As a platoon leader, he flew a variety of missions throughout Iraq; these included direct support to the four-star commanding general of Multi-National Force — Iraq U.S. Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr.

“All of the leadership-specific classes have been very applicable to what I have been doing the last nine years,” Miller said. “All of the faculty members, in my experiences, have been very receptive to my comments and input into the class.”

Between deployments, Miller served as the executive officer for the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence Deputy Commanding General and assumed his first company command in spring 2009 at age 28.

As a company commander with the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade in Germany, Miller and his soldiers deployed to Afghanistan for medevac and general support missions; he was responsible for the lives of 63 soldiers and more than $40 million of equipment, including eight Black Hawk helicopters with a price of tag roughly $4 million apiece without weapons systems.

“I have a lot more marketable skills than I realized as an Army officer that relate directly to business,” said Miller, who is line to be promoted to the rank of major in 2013.

Following graduation, Miller and his family are scheduled to move to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., where he will attend the Army’s 10-month graduate school for mid-career officers at the Command and General Staff College.

“I know his career in the military will be exemplary in every respect,” Longenecker said. “He is a tremendous patriot, and he is a hero in the eyes of not just his professors, but his fellow students for taking care of the security of the United States.”

Contact Haraz Ghanbari at 419.530.4137 or haraz.ghanbari@utoledo.edu for more information.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Dec. 19, 2012)

Gargash

The University of Toledo will welcome His Excellency Dr. Anwar Gargash of the United Arab Emirates as keynote speaker for fall commencement Saturday, Dec. 15, at 10 a.m. in Savage Arena.

Gargash holds two cabinet positions in the United Arab Emirates: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for the Federal National Council.

“The University of Toledo is honored that Dr. Gargash is able to visit our campus and speak to our graduates,” said UT President Lloyd Jacobs. “As a leader in a nation that has areas where UT also has intellectual strength — such as alternative energy — Dr. Gargash’s words will provide these new UT alumni with invaluable lessons as they seek careers in fields universally touched by sweeping global changes.”

UT will award Gargash the honorary degree of doctor of public service for his work in public affairs, economics and renewable energy, culture, and international leadership. Gargash will be accompanied by Sheikh Mohamed Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan and Ali Al Mannaei, his chief of staff.

There are 2,132 candidates for degrees from the summer and fall semesters from 11 of the University’s colleges. There are 686 candidates for doctoral, education specialist and master’s degrees, as well as graduate certificates, and 1,446 for bachelor’s and associate degrees.

In the event severe winter weather requires commencement to be postponed, the ceremony would take place Sunday, Dec. 16, at 10 a.m. in Savage Arena.

The ceremony will be webcast live athttp://video.utoledo.edu.

During the recent uprisings in Arab countries in spring 2012, the UAE remained stable and Gargash was a leading voice in the region calling for peaceful transitions that could pull citizens out of poverty in many of the Middle East nations affected.

In an op-ed published in August, Gargash wrote, “In the UAE, we have been less affected by the events of the Arab spring, partly due to our economic success and partly due to the legitimacy of the political system. Throughout these difficult months, the UAE has continued to provide its citizens and residents (including hundreds of thousands of Arabs) with a secure and stable livelihood and an opportunity to prosper economically and to thrive socially.”

In addition to his cabinet portfolio, Gargash holds the positions of:

• Chair of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking;

• Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai School of Government;

• Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Al Owais Cultural Foundation;

• Deputy chair of the Permanent National Committee for Demographic Structure;

• Member of the Ministerial Legislative Committee; and

• Member of the Dubai Economic Council.

Gargash attended The University of Toledo and ultimately graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from George Washington University, where he also earned a master’s degree. He received a doctorate in political science from King’s College, Cambridge, in the United Kingdom.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Dec. 16, 2012)