Honoring alums for service, achievement

Howard Kaufman

Three outstanding UIC alumni will be honored Thursday during the UIC Alumni Awards Luncheon in Student Center East.

Howard Kaufman (BA ’82, LAS) and Jean Ragalie-Carr (BS ’83, AHS) will receive the Alumni Achievement Award, and Daniel Laskin (MS ’82, Dentistry) will be honored with the Distinguished Service Award.

Jean Ragalie-Carr

Kaufman’s life was changed forever after his grandfather was diagnosed with colon cancer during Kaufman’s undergraduate years. Now, he is a prominent leader in cancer immunology and a world-renowned melanoma specialist. Kaufman has developed two FDA-approved drugs to treat cancer and serves as the president of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

“When I have a patient in front of me, and no effective therapy to offer him or her, it bothers me,” he said. “It’s driven me to find effective solutions.”

Ragalie-Carr‘s passion for child health took root at UIC and intensified once she became a mother herself. Since her time at UIC, Ragalie-Carr has been a prominent innovator in the discipline of childhood health. Her efforts have helped establish programs such as the NDC- and NFL-affiliated “Fuel Up to Play 60.”

Daniel Laskin

Ragalie-Carr also played an integral role in developing programs for former First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let Move” campaign.

“The earlier we can connect the dots for children and show them the importance of nutrition and physical activity, the greater impact we have,” she said.

Laskin is a world-renowned researcher in the field of craniofacial growth, temporomandibular joint problems and connective tissue physiology and pathology. He co-founded the College of Dentistry’s oral and maxillofacial surgery department and helped it achieve international acclaim.

“I always loved the challenge of working with oral and maxillofacial residents — and watching them grow into competent professionals,” he said.