The College of Medicine mourns the loss of J. Ronald Mikolich, M.D., a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and dear friend of NEOMED, who passed away April 7.
A NEOMED faculty member since 1980, Dr. Mikolich had been cardiology section chief since 1988. He also served on the College of Medicine admissions committee for 24 years. Dr. Mikolich began teaching cardiology with the charter class and directed the senior-year elective, Practical Cardiology.
Committed to his students and to teaching, Dr. Mikolich mentored hundreds of medicine students over the years. He helped them prepare for and deliver many presentations. In 2018, Dr. Mikolich was awarded the Liebelt-Wheeler Award for Faculty Excellence, honoring him for his excellence in teaching, service and patient care.
Dr. Mikolich earned his medical degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and a fellowship in cardiology at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mehool Patel, M.D. (’98), professor and interim chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, reflected, “Dr. Mikolich’s contribution to student education cannot be overstated. He has touched nearly every NEOMED graduate by teaching them the fundamentals of cardiology, and he taught most of us to clinically recognize the disparate sounds of each cardiac abnormality. He has been a devoted educator and passionate about the students and colleagues, not only here at NEOMED but also at St. Elizabeth Hospital Medical Center in Youngstown and at Sharon (Pennsylvania) Regional Health Center, where he practiced as a staff cardiologist throughout his illustrious career.”
George Litman, M.D., professor emeritus of the Department of Internal Medicine stated, “Dr. Mikolich was an outstanding physician and researcher, but his greatest gift was as a teacher and mentor. He loved his interaction with medical students. He involved them in his research while providing advice and assistance with their career choices in cardiology. He was a great friend. We will all miss him."
On behalf of NEOMED faculty, staff and students, I extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Mikolich’s wife, Lynn; daughter, Marissa; and son, Brandon, along with his four grandchildren.
View Dr. Mikolich’s obituary.
-- Submitted by Eugene Mowad, M.D.
Interim Dean, College of Medicine
Clinical Professor, Pediatrics