John P. Donohue, M.D., ’54
As a student on Mount St. James, John Donohue was a runner - dashing around the track and over the Hill. Today, we find that he has sprinted to the forefront of the medical field, pioneering surgical treatments and techniques that have saved and healed so many.
Upon graduation from 17³Ô¹ÏÍø, John earned his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College. After serving as ship’s surgeon on the aircraft carrier USS Wasp, he completed his residency in urology at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1965, he joined the Indiana University Medical Center faculty and served as chair of the Center’s urology department, from 1971 through 1998. And, in the midst of this challenging and noble career - while building a world-renowned department for training urologic surgeons - John pioneered the development of chemotherapy and nerve-sparing surgical techniques for testis cancer.
The result of this groundbreaking work?
A disease once estimated to be 90 percent fatal is now curable in 96 percent of all cases.
John is regarded as one of the great surgeons in his area of specialty. He has been named "Outstanding Teacher in Surgery" and "Outstanding Professor in Clinical Sciences" on five separate occasions. He is a recipient of the Barringer Medal from the American Association of G.U. Surgeons; the Valentine Medal of the New York Academy of Medicine; the Distinguished Contribution Award of the American Urological Association; and the Uro-oncology Award from the Japanese Urological Association and from the Australia Urological Society.
In addition, John has received the Charles Higgins Medal and the first Distinguished Career Award given by the Société Internationale d’Urologie. In 1994, John received the Distinguished Contribution Award from the American Urological Association. In 1996, he was awarded Indiana University’s President’s Medal. And, in 2000, the "Donohue Visiting Professorship" was established at Indiana University.
For his commitment to alleviating the suffering of the sick, his skill and generosity as teacher and mentor, and his tireless devotion to the creation and expansion of surgical procedures that bring hope and healing to the afflicted, the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø presents to John P. Donohue, M.D., ’54, the Sanctae Crucis Award.