Lunch with dean rosenblatt
Marie Condon, M'06
I
wasn’t quite sure what to expect, having lunch with the dean. When
I arrived at his 8th floor office, the receptionist kindly asked me to have
a seat with the other two students, both second years. Decorated with books
and scientific journals, his office was organized, orderly, and exquisitely
neat. Although we waited only a few minutes, I developed a feeling of intimidation
– much like a grammar school kid being sent to the principal’s
office.
Shortly thereafter, Dean Rosenblatt entered and greeted us. His soft-spoken tone and gentle manner were immediately calming. Tall in stature, Dean Rosenblatt has the look of a distinguished professor, and that he is. Prior to becoming our dean in November 2003, he was a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Having been published over 200 times for his research in bone metabolism, he also worked on the development of Fosamax, a treatment for osteoporosis.
As we sat and ate our turkey sandwiches, Dean Rosneblatt asked us for a student’s perspective of our educational experience at Tufts. Listening intently and even taking notes periodically, he was genuinely curious about our opinions. He took the time to learn about each of our backgrounds, why we are interested in medicine, and why we chose Tufts. More importantly, he openly discussed the concerns we raised, such as incorporating issues of racial health disparities into our curriculum, addressing the rising cost of tuition, and expanding the pool of Boston area rotations so that third and fourth year students can remain in the area.
Lunch ended with a tray of assorted cookies and
brownies after more than an hour of dialogue. I am confident that Dean Rosenblatt
digested our suggestions and will strive to make our education worth its
high price. So the next time you receive the email announcing lunch with
the dean – sign up. It’s worth it.