USD Magazine, Spring 2003

Christine Galan is the first heart and liver transplant recipient to complete the NewYork City Marathon.

Career Achievement Awards Come to Campus After eight years off campus, a new stage is set for rhe presentation of the ninth annual Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Awards. Traditionally held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, the ceremony this year will take place at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. In another new twist, current students will join the cele– bration, scheduled for May 3. "We want to expose students to our outstanding gradu– ates and the tradition of excellence rhar USD upholds," says Jack Kelly '87, director of alumni relations, who adds char students should understand "their relationship with the uni– versiry is lifelong, and does not end at graduation." Named for President Emeritus Author E. Hughes, the awards are given to USD alumni who achieve outstanding success in their career fields. Honoree selections are made by faculry and alumni of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Schools of Business Administration, Education, Law and Nursing. This year, the College of Arts and Sciences recipient is dot-com entrepreneur John Carcieri '9 I. Carcieri is presi– dent and CEO of Colleges.com, rared as the top college Web site by USA Today, and publisher of U. Magazine, the nation's largest circulation on-campus publication. He has designed and built Web sites for a number of Fortune 500 companies, and founded two of the most visited sires on the Internet, jobs.com and jokes.com. Gina Champion-Cain '94 (M. B.A.) is the School of Business Administration's honoree for 2003. As president and CEO of American National Investments, Champion-Cain oversees all commercial real estate services, which revitalize and preserve urban areas such as San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. The School of Education will honor Anthony F. Smith '87 (Ed.D.), managing director of the Leadership Research Institute. Smith is a consultant and educator in organiza– tional change, executive development, and leadership training and design. He recently was appointed as a post-doctoral fellow of anthropology at the Universiry of California. David S. Casey Jr. '74 O.D.) is the School of Law's 2003 Hughes Award winner. A senior parrner at Casey, Gerry, Reed & Schenk, Casey practiced law for more than 25 years in the areas of wrongful death, personal injury, and business and consumer fraud. He helped create a compensation fund for victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, was voted one of the top five lawyers nationwide, and is president-elect of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. The recipient from the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science is Sandra C. Garmon Bibb '99 (D.N.Sc). Bibb has extensive experience in health promotion and dis– ease prevention, both domestically and internationally, and is recognized as an expert in the population health field, which aims to improve health within entire populations. Currendy, Bibb is research coordinator and director of the Southwest Clinical Region Joint Population Health Office at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. For event information, call (619) 260-4819 or log on to http://alumni.sandiego.edu.

chat at one point she wanted to die, and she says only the faith and strength of her parents pulled her through. She didn't exactly spring out of bed right after sur– gery, either, in fact she could barely move. But she did have an unwavering determination to restore her body to the best possi– ble physical condition. "The rest," she says, "is up to God." Galan regained her strength and returned to New York City, her business and the Starlight Foundation, for which she now has granted more than 250 wishes. "We ask our wish granters to do three a year, Christine averages between 40 and 50," says pro– gram manager Michele Hall. "It's clear that she feels like she has had a lot of support and love from her family, and she wants to share that. She's the person we always call first." Good enough? Not quite.

John Carrieri

Gina Champion-Cain

Anthony F. Smith

Galan also volunteers for the New York Organ Donor Network, speaks frequently in the community to pro– mote awareness of the need for donors, and lobbies for legislation in the field. She's tirelessly appeared on numerous news and health television shows, talking about the importance of maintaining an exercise pro– gram while sick. She recorded an exercise rehabilitation video for others who undergo difficult surgeries, and markets it on her Web site, www.surgicalrecovery.com. She's written an as-yet unpublished book about her experi– ences. And, of course, she finished the New York City Marathon. Through it all, she genuinely, unbelievably, marvels at how fortunate she is, and wastes no time dwelling on her problems. Using her time to help ochers is, in her mind, simply what she does. 'Tm not someone to look up to. I'm just crying to let people know they can fight through their prob– lems and get on with life," says Galan, who was an organ donor long before she needed the transplant surgery. "I could have just gone on with my life after the surgery, but I was saved for a reason. I never ask, 'Why me?' These are the cards I was dealt. I'm going to play them."

David s. Casey Jr.

Sandra C. Garmon Bibb

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SPRING 2003