Heritage Snapshot Part 216: Alan King, MD

LOMA LINDA >> Alan King, MD, chaired the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for 25 of his more than 40 years on the faculty of Loma Linda University School of Medicine, one of the longest serving Chairs in the institution’s history. He also served as medical director of the Loma Linda University Cancer Institute and the Desert Sierra Cancer Surveillance Program. Born September 17, 1932, in San Antonio, Texas, King earned his B.A. degree at Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1954, and his MD degree from the College of Medical Evangelists in Loma Linda California, in 1958. He took his residency in OB/GYN at Loma Linda University. Also as an exemplary alumnus of more than two years of special training at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, King demonstrated his consistent commitment to life-long learning. His colleagues respected him as an expert surgeon who consistently dealt with the most difficult cases. His patients were blessed by his compassion and commitment to the highest quality of health care. A committed academician, King was known to be devoted to his students — generously mentoring and proctoring them. His administrative duties built strong ties for student and residency training not only at Loma Linda University Medical Center, but also at Riverside County General Hospital, San Bernardino County Hospital, Kaiser Hospital Fontana, White Memorial Medical Center and Glendale Adventist Medical Center. During his 25-year chairmanship, he taught 4,000 medical students and 150 OB/GYN specialists at these six affiliated hospitals. As an excellent teacher, he carried a very heavy patient care load. He was known to be consistently unselfish in his time commitment to their education. His former resident physicians now serve around the world. King also gave priority to research, focusing on Gynecological malignancies throughout his career. He authored or co-authored almost 60 papers in peer reviewed journals which brought credibility to his alma mater and his own career. He championed the values of Loma Linda University to accreditation site visitors and was eloquent in responding to their questions. King’s departmental leadership was most notable for his unusual ability to generate loyalty in his professional peers. His colleagues describe him as wonderfully calm under stress. He was consistently available to them day and night to consult and assist with difficult clinical situations. And he was always concerned with the professional development of his colleagues, eager for them to achieve their maximum potential. Through King’s competent and compassionate care, his legacy lives on in the well-being of his patients who have experienced health, healing, wholeness and hope. King and his wife Bonnie had two daughters and one son: two of which are graduates of the Loma Linda University School of Medicine.