Dr. Mary B. Arnold ADE’74 hon. (1924-2018) was a force to be reckoned with throughout her career as a caregiver, teacher, and leader. She was known for her extraordinary sense of compassion and a wonderful ability to support and comfort her patients, and she was utterly devoted to her trainees.
Remembering her impact
As a founding faculty member of Brown's medical school, Dr. Mary B. Arnold played a key role in the health care landscape in Rhode Island and made an exponential mark on the community. Dr. Arnold's long list of mentees includes stellar clinicians and academic leaders, many of whom have gone on to have a meaningful impact on Brown's medical school and its students.
One of those mentees is Philip A. Gruppuso, professor of pediatrics, medical science, and molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry at the Warren Alpert Medical School. Dr. Gruppuso, who served as the associate dean for medical education from 2005-2013, remembers Dr. Arnold most fondly. "Mary's love for the science and clinical art of endocrinology was one of the things that led me to pursue a career in that field," said Gruppuso. "As a teacher and mentor, she was always inspiring, nurturing, encouraging, and demanding. She was also more fun to work with than just about anybody. Mary could make me laugh and learn at the same time. She was one of a small handful of people who shaped me as an academic physician."
Creating her legacy
For aspiring physicians attending the Warren Alpert Medical School, their ability to be active members of the medical community is fostered through dedicated relationships with the clinical and medical education faculty. Therefore, to honor Dr. Arnold's legacy at Brown, the Arnold family has established the Mary B. Arnold, MD Medical Education Mentoring Fund to support faculty development for medical student mentors.