George W. Loomis, M.D., and Denham Harman, M.D., Ph.D., are
the 1997 recipients of the University of Nebraska Medical Center
College of Medicine Distinguished Alumnus and the Honorary
Distinguished Alumnus awards.
An Omaha native, Dr. Loomis obtained his medical degree at
UNMC in 1947. The following year he performed an internship at
the Graduate Hospital University of Pennsylvania. In 1948, he
returned to his alma mater to complete a residency in pathology,
then traveled to the University of Minnesota to serve a residency
in internal medicine.
During the past five decades, Dr. Loomis has helped define the
role of internal medicine in the Omaha area through his private
practice and teaching commitment to UNMC.
Many of the internists currently practicing in Nebraska have
attended a Dr. Loomis lecture, as he began his teaching
association with his alma mater in 1952. He served as a professor
of internal medicine at UNMC until 1991, teaching two generations
of physicians the ins and outs of the ever-changing internal
medicine field. Despite retiring from his Omaha practice in 1991,
Dr. Loomis continues to work two days a week at a health center
in Plattsmouth.
A native of San Francisco, Dr. Harman earned his undergraduate
and doctorate degrees from the University of California at
Berkeley and his medical degree from Stanford University. After
two years as a research associate at the Donner Laboratory of
Medical Physics, University of California at Berkeley, he
returned to San Francisco to complete his residency in internal
medicine.
Dr. Harman’s research on aging focuses on a theory he
first proposed in 1954. The now-famous theory, known as the Free
Radical Theory of Aging, states that free radicals–highly
reactive molecules freed during the normal chemical processes of
living–cause aging and disease through their destructive actions
in cells and tissues.
Most of Dr. Harman’s research on aging has been conducted
at UNMC. He joined the faculty in 1958 when he was named to the
Nebraska Heart Association chair of cardiovascular research with
appointments in biochemistry and internal medicine. His
activities on the UNMC campus and around the world have resulted
in many honors and awards.
Outside of the laboratory Dr. Harman helped establish the
American Aging Association (AGE) in 1970 and became its first
president. AGE is a national lay/scientific health organization
that promotes biomedical aging research directed toward slowing
the aging process.
Dr. Harman, professor emeritus of internal medicine, is at his
desk daily at UNMC. He recently chaired the organizing committee
of the 7th Congress of the International Association of
Biomedical Gerontology in Adelaide, Australia, and is now
focusing his research efforts on unlocking the secrets of
Alzheimer’s disease.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the
state. Through its commitment to research, education and patient
care, UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading
centers for cancer research and treatment and solid organ
transplantation. Nearly $25 million in research grants and
contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually. In addition,
UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more
health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other
institution.