Despite weeks that often involve 75 or even 85 hours of work and being on call at all hours, resident orthopedic surgeon Damian Andrisani, AS '95, still remembers to send a regular contribution to the University of Delaware. Now in his third year of a five-year residency at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, he became a member of the 1743 Society this year when he raised his level of support.

"Delaware has a remarkable Medical Scholars Program," Andrisani said. "It allowed me a great deal of flexibility in designing my curriculum and was a huge help later on in medical school at Jefferson Medical College." The UD undergraduate program integrates faculty and courses at the University of Delaware and Jefferson Medical College and provides exposure to subjects normally underemphasized in medical education. The program includes courses in the humanities, social sciences, economics and political science that help students understand health care, not only in biological terms, but also in sociocultural, political and economic contexts.

Perhaps Andrisani's regard for higher education and his charitable attitude toward the University of Delaware come from his family and its strong UD connection.

Both his parents and many other family members are UD alumni. His mother, the former Barbara Lee Frank, CHEP '68, served as president of the Alumni Association and was director of alumni relations at UD in the early 1990s. His father, Paul Andrisani, AS '68, BE '70M, is co-director of the Center for Competitive Government at Temple University's Fox School, director of the Center for Labor and Human Resource Studies and co-director of that university's Privatization Research Center.

In 1995, Paul Andrisani was named Wilmington's Man of the Year, and in 1999, he became an Alumni Wall of Fame recipient. He currently serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors.