Title:From Student to Teacher to Legacy

“He lived life with his foot on the accelerator,” says Georgetown School of Medicine Dean Stephen Ray Mitchell of the late Allan J. Goody (C’92, M’96, R’00). “Undaunted by renal failure since he was 12, he studied and worked here at Georgetown for over 20 years as a specialist in diagnosing and treating kidney disease while quietly undergoing his dialysis and transplants. He was an inspi- ration to all who knew him. I think he loved Georgetown students and residents as much as he loved Georgetown.”

Goody inspired all who knew him through his generous nature, ardent commitment to his students and patients, and indomitable spirit despite personal adversity around his health. In honor of his life and legacy, his parents John and Diane Goody created the Allan J. Goody, M.D. Endowed Professorship in Medical Education.

“On behalf of his extended family, friends, and colleagues, we’d like his name to be seen in some small way at the institution he loved so dearly. He gave us all so much. We watched him battle insur- mountable odds without complaint, and succeed,” shares Allan’s father, John Goody.

“Most doctors had given up on me and vice versa, but Dr. Goody saved my life. He made me determined to live— and later, to give birth to my son even though other doctors discouraged it. Dr. Goody saw me through my pregnancy and now my husband and I have a little boy. He believed in me and brought hope out of fear.”

Boundless persistence characterized much of Goody’s life and inspired all those he encountered. One of his patients shares the impact he had on her life: “Most doctors had given up on me and vice versa, but Dr. Goody saved my life. He made me determined to live—and later, to give birth to my son even though other doctors discouraged it. Dr. Goody saw me through my pregnancy and now my husband and I have a little boy. He believed in me and brought hope out of fear.”

The first appointee of the Goody professorship is Charles A. Read, M.D. He helped train Goody at the School of Medicine, where they later became colleagues. There, Goody and Read were united by their shared commitment to excellence in teaching. Having several teaching awards between them, they both received the Paul R. Wilner Award for the Most Outstanding Fellow in the Department of Medicine—with Goody receiving it twice.

Read says of Goody, “One of my unique pleasures in my career is to experience when my student becomes my colleague—and then my teacher.”