In Memoriam: Dr. John Ribble
John C. Ribble, MD, dean emeritus of McGovern Medical School, died Sept. 21, 2023, in New Jersey. He was 92.
A pediatric infectious disease specialist, Ribble has the distinction as the longest-serving dean of the Medical School. He joined the McGovern Medical School faculty in 1978 as a professor of pediatrics and associate dean. His numerous leadership roles over the course of his career at UTHealth Houston included deputy dean of the Medical School (in 1981, acting for the newly appointed dean who had not yet assumed his duties), associate dean for Academic Affairs, dean of the Medical School (from 1986-95), interim president of UTHealth (1987-89), director of curriculum for the Office of Educational Programs, and dean emeritus.
“Dr. Ribble was a quiet, effective leader. He inspired trust and inspiration, and I’ll be ever grateful to him for appointing me as chairman of surgery 29 years ago,” said Richard Andrassy, MD, senior vice president for Clinical Affairs and Strategy, Chair of the Department of Surgery, and the Jack H. Mayfield MD Distinguished University Chair in Surgery and the Denton A. Cooley MD Chair in Surgery. “I thoroughly enjoyed working for him, and he was very respectful to all.”
“Dr. John Ribble successfully led the Medical School through some turbulent times by exerting principled leadership,” recalled Maximilian Buja, MD, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and former dean of the Medical School. “He was responsible for my joining UT-Houston. I had the greatest respect for Dr. Ribble. He was kind and generous and a man of his word.”
A native of Paris, Texas, Ribble earned his doctor of medicine degree from The University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas; he completed an internship and residency at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. He continued with a fellowship in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University, where he also completed a residency in medicine.
He served as an officer in the U.S. Public Health Service’s Epidemic Intelligence Service and was on the faculty of Cornell University Medical College for 19 years, rising to associate professor of pediatrics and director of clinical programs in the Department of Pediatrics and associate dean of admissions.
His research spanned such fields as epidemiology and infectious diseases to social factors impacting health. He spent a majority of his career dedicated to the refinement of the medical curriculum as part of the Office of Educational Programs.
“He was a mentor and friend to me even after his retirement to New Jersey. We all adored him and always appreciated his sense of humor and wisdom,” said Patricia Butler, MD, professor emerita and former vice dean for Educational Programs.
He was involved in numerous professional organizations, including the Infectious Disease Society of America, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the Society for Pediatric Research, the American Medical Association, the Texas Medical Association, the Houston Philosophical Society, and the Advisory Council of the Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Medicine. He was a founding member of the Office of Educational Programs’ Academy of Master Educators.
He was predeceased by his wife of 48 years, Anne. He is survived by step-daughter, Helen Kielty and her husband, Tom; and his step-grandchildren Jack and Eliza Kielty.
A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 4 at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Ave., Houston. The family requests that any memorial gifts be made to UTHealth Houston, PO Box 20268, Houston, TX 77025-9998 or giving.uth.edu/memorial, please indicate gift is to the John C. Ribble, MD Scholarship Memorial Fund.