ALexIt is with overwhelming sadness that we must announce the unexpected passing of Alex Djuricich.  Alex was arguably one of the best known and most beloved members of our entire organization.  Alex touched us all in Med-Peds.  He inspired us, mentored us, pushed us to grow and to learn, and always kept us up with the changing times.  And perhaps most importantly, he always made us laugh.  Alex had the biggest, and most genuine laugh in the room at our national meetings.  And he was always the best/worst karaoke singer who ever dropped a mike.  He made us proud to be doctors, and he made us all extra proud that he was one of us.  He was a Med-Peds physician who had achieved so much in so many professional areas, and he was always driven to do better.  He was an inspiration to us all.  We would like to remember all that Alex has meant to us in Med-Peds and that his memory will continue to inspire us to do great things within medicine and always to watch out and care for and laugh with each other the way he did for us.

Alex was the Program Director for MedPeds, at IUSM, for 10 years from 2006 through 2016. Before that, he was an APD from 2002-2006.  He was an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Pediatrics Indiana University School of Medicine.  In January of 2016, he served as Education Editor for the NEJM Group, which oversees the New England Journal of Medicine and other educational products.  In this role, he quickly earned the full trust and respect of the editorial board of the NEJM.  He had recently relocated to Indiana for personal reasons and was scheduled to return to IU School of Medicine in July as a primary care provider at the IU Health Epler Parke office.

Alex was also recently named a recipient of the ACGME’s 2016 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award.  Alex was always an invaluable resource for us in the MPPDA.  Always an active member,  he served as MPPDA President in 2010-11, and he was always a trusted adviser.  Alex also authored an inspirational and information medical education blog “Mired in MedEd” at http://alexdjuricich.blogspot.com/

We all will miss Alex more than words can express.  We invite you to share your memories of Alex below.  We will have more information on a memorial fund for Alex’s family in the near future as well as dropbox folder where you will be able to share pictures you may have of Alex with his family members.

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