RENOWN EMPLOYEES ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE
IN OUR COMMUNITY EVERY DAY
IVAN LOPEZ, MD, FAAN
MEDICAL DIRECTOR, RENOWN INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCES
IVAN’S PASSION: CARE OF OUR SOLDIERS DEPLOYED OVERSEAS
Immersed in the comforts of our daily routines, it’s easy to forget that young men and women risk their
lives every day to ensure our freedom. But Dr. Ivan Lopez remembers watching a couple’s tearful account
of their son’s death while serving in Iraq just after 9/11. “This young kid was shot protecting my family
and me,” says Dr. Lopez. “Here I was enjoying all the freedoms and opportunities this country offers, and
yet I had really done nothing to earn it.” It was then Dr. Lopez decided to do something big.
THE INITIATIVE: TAKING NEUROLOGY TO THE FRONT LINES
36
Inspired by the sacrifice of America’s young soldiers and committed to providing them with the best
possible care, Dr. Lopez volunteered for the United States Army Reserves in 2005. He deployed four
times as a general medical officer and as a neurologist, serving at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in
Germany; Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, DC; Camp Cropper in Iraq with
the 322nd Medical Company; and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait with the 48th Combat Support Hospital.
THE DIFFERENCE MADE: THE CARE HE’D WANT FOR HIS OWN CHILDREN
While brave young men and women battle in a foreign
country far from home, Dr. Lopez strives to treat and
care for his fellow soldiers as if they were family.
Many of the soldiers Dr. Lopez cared for suffered from insomnia, headaches and stress. And being far
from family and friends only aggravates those conditions. Dr. Lopez recalls, “The majority of my patients
were so young that I could have been their father. One of the best things I could do for them was to
dedicate my time, to just listen to them and maybe give a little fatherly insight.” He continues, “If my
children were deployed in this inhospitable setting, I would love for someone to listen to them and give
them sound advice. And I would deeply appreciate knowing that someone was doing their best to take
care of them, to treat them like their own children. That’s what I tried to do — every day.”
COMMUNITY AND PARTNERSHIPS
37