The 2024 Robert Kemper Award for Professionalism in Medicine is on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, and is presented by the Key Biscayne Community Foundation & the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University.
This year’s recipients are Oreoluwa Olorunlogbon and Brooke Schwartz.
Oreoluwa Olorunlogbon,or Ore as he is fondly known, has a story of resilience and determination. After immigrating from Nigeria in 2001, he grew up in Rolle, Central Florida, living in a one-bedroom apartment with his family before they could afford their own home. As the eldest of three siblings, he assumed responsibility at a young age, a trait that has carried into his adult life and career goals. Despite these challenges, he excelled in advanced programs throughout his schooling and enrolled at the University of Florida’s honors college in 2015. There, he earned his bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in health disparities and developed a passion for working with teenagers and young adults suffering from chronic conditions.
He has a profound passion for hematology, oncology, and palliative holistic medicine, aiming to offer care that extends beyond patients’ diseases to encompass all aspects of life and challenges. Professionalism has shaped his perspective since shadowing a nephrologist before medical school, recognizing the importance of being a source of strength, reassurance, and competency for patients. Understanding the significance of the human touch in patient care, he is driven by the belief that one can be both professional and compassionate. In his leisure, Ore, an avid reader with interests in music, production, and photography, aspires to travel to unique countries with his partner before settling down and starting a family.
Brooke Schwartz is a fourth-year medical student at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (FIU HWCOM). She completed her undergraduate education at the University of Florida, where she majored in Biology. Before matriculating into medical school, she earned a Molecular and Biomedical Sciences certificate at FIU. During medical school, she led research on firearm violence prevention in honor of her alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. She also studied the gut microbiome and its relation to health and disease.
She is proud to serve as one of two class representatives on the Student Professionalism and Ethics Committee chosen to promote a student-driven culture of professionalism at FIU HWCOM. Additionally, her dedication to providing humanistic patient care has earned her membership in the Gold Humanism Honor Society. One of Brooke’s most meaningful medical school experiences was rotating at a free clinic, UHI CommunityCare, in Miami Gardens. Here, she fell in love with the field of pediatrics and was able to connect with and help treat underserved families. This March, she will be matched into pediatrics. In the future, she looks forward to building a family of her own and giving back to her community.
The Robert Kemper M.D., PhD. Award for Professionalism in Medicine is named in memory of Dr. Robert Kemper, who exemplified the highest qualities of medical professionalism until his life was cut short by Cancer. This award is presented to a recipient who has demonstrated:
- Respect for patients, faculty, staff members, and peers.
- Altruism, compassion, and empathy towards patients.
- A sense of commitment, duty, responsibility, and dedication to the ethical practice of the medical profession.
- Comportment, courtesy, and exemplary personal demeanor becoming of a physician.
- An ability to convey hope, be a healer of patients, be a team builder, and foster harmony in the group and the workplace.
The Key Biscayne Community Foundation underwrites the award and is made possible thanks to Dr. Kemper’s grateful patients, friends, and family contributions.