Fall 2005 PDF - Milton Academy

Graduates’ Weekend 2005The “Dare to BeTrue” LuncheonHonored Speaker:John Noble, M.D. ’55From global to local, from laboratoryto urban outpatientclinic, from teaching to writing,from inner-city teenagerswho wanted to deal with addiction,to Siberian tuberculosispatients who wanted to curetheir disease, John Noble hasbeen a driver.Beyond the literal idea of“Dare to be true” Milton“forced us to think about corevalues,” John says. He nameseight “Dare to be true” valuesor principles based in hisMilton experience that haveinfluenced major decisionsduring his “five decades on thetrail”: continuing growth andrenewal; loyalty and commitment;do your best; be prepared;leadership and teamwork,respect for order andone another; equanimity andconfidence; clear-headedthinking.The highlights of John’s professionalendeavors bear outhis convictions:• As a Public Health Serviceofficer, he worked with theWorld Health Organizationglobal smallpox eradicationprogram.• He directed the CDC laboratorythat improved the differentialdiagnosis of smallpox.• He returned from the lab tothe world of practicing physicians,and delved into healthservices and systems fordelivering care.• While serving as the superintendentof the MiddlesexCounty Hospital, he establisheda residential until forteenage quadriplegics, someof whom ultimately attendedMassachusetts BayCommunity College.• In Siler City, North Carolina,he introduced medical studentsto real-world practice,piloting the community orientationfor medical practicethat proved to be invaluable,as he helped develop similarservices in the Boston’sinner city.• Wrote and edited a textbookon primary care.• For the past 27 years hehas developed curricula ininternal medicine that willoptimally train young physiciansat Boston Universityto serve inner-city and highriskpatients in othercommunities.• Healthcare for the HomelessProgram is one of hisprogram’s most successfulendeavors as well as developingcommunity-based teachingin seven communityhealth centers.• The American College ofPhysicians has understandablytapped John, appointinghim as Commissioner on theBoard of the Joint Commissionof Accreditation ofHealth Care Organizations.• He continues as a consultantfor this organization’s internationalsubsidiary, developingstandards for HIV, tuberculosisand maternal-childhealth care.Several strong themes coursethrough John Noble’s professionallife: his love of science;his desire to use it to changelives; his attitude toward exhilaratingchallenge; his energy;his keen sense of emergentpossibilities. John began with adetermination to make a difference,and to work where theneed was great. He did that,throughout a career thatdemonstrates the remarkablydiverse applications of medicine.John’s voice was bothcredible and compelling on“Dare to be true.”40 Milton Magazine