Dr. Holly J. Humphrey
November 28, 1956 – April 17, 2025
Holly J. Humphrey, MD, MACP, led the Pritzker School of Medicine through a period of transformative growth that saw the school rise to a place among the nation’s elite institutions of medical education, emerge as a powerhouse of scholarship and discovery, and become a pioneer in efforts to diversify the field of medicine. One of the nation’s most prominent and innovative leaders in medical education, her voice and influence made an immeasurable impact on the field and countless mentees throughout her career.
Dr. Humphrey, who served for 15 years as Pritzker’s Dean for Medical education and Ralph W. Gerard Professor in Medicine, died on Thursday, April 17, the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation announced. Her husband, Dr. Duane Follman, said the cause was pancreatic cancer.
A graduate of the Pritzker School of Medicine (MD’83), Dr. Humphrey leaves an enduring legacy that will continue to shape the experiences of learners at the University of Chicago and beyond. Her extraordinary career at the University of Chicago also included an internal medicine residency, a pulmonary and critical care fellowship, a Chief Residency, and 14 years as Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency program.
“The common threads through all of Dr. Holly Humphrey’s roles at the University of Chicago were her exceptional skill and compassion as a gifted clinician, her unusual ability to connect with, inspire and serve as a role model for students and learners at varying levels of their training, and her unwavering commitment to providing access to medical care of the highest quality to all, particularly the most vulnerable,” said Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD, Richard T. Crane Distinguished Service Professor and former Dean of the of the Biological Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Medicine.
“Dr. Humphrey trained thousands of physicians whose ability to practice clinical medicine has been enhanced by what they learned from her and by following her personal example. Her impact has been broad and profound, and her untimely passing in the prime of her career is a tragic loss.”
Under Dr. Humphrey’s leadership, Pritzker rose to prominence as one of the best and most diverse medical schools in the U.S. As Dean for Medical Education, she led the development of numerous programs and initiatives that remain fundamental to the experiences of students, residents, and faculty at the University. Her signature programs centered on diversity and inclusion, mentorship, medical education scholarship, and professionalism.
“It is rare a day passes that I don’t see the profound impact Holly had on medical education nationwide and, especially, on the culture at the Pritzker School of Medicine,” said Pritzker’s current Dean for Medical Education Vineet Arora, MD, MAPP, who trained under Humphrey as an internal medicine resident and Chief Resident. “Having been so fortunate as to receive her generous mentorship and support for more than 25 years, I recognize the acute loss that many of us who trained under her are feeling.
“Holly’s defining traits, including her spirit, warmth, and ability to take the high road, will live on through the thousands of people she has trained and lives she has touched.”
In 2005, Dr. Humphrey co-founded the Bowman Society, which honors the legacy of Dr. James E. Bowman, Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Pathology and Medicine, and the Biological Sciences Division’s first tenured African-American Professor. The Bowman Society hosts regular lectures to highlight scholarship that is important to healthcare in minority communities and also provides mentorship and support for students, residents, and faculty.
In 2015, Dr. Humphrey co-founded Pritzker’s Identity and Inclusion (i2i) Steering Committee, a collaborative effort between students and faculty to promote an inclusive learning environment defined by respectful and effective communication with patients and colleagues of differing lived experiences and perspectives. She also supported the development of Pritzker’s summer pathway programs, which aim to increase access to medical education and STEM fields to talented students from across a range of backgrounds.
Known as an exceptionally generous and dedicated mentor, Dr. Humphrey counseled countless colleagues, residents, and medical students, many of whom now occupy leadership positions at Pritzker, UChicago Medicine, and other institutions. She received the Favorite Faculty teaching award from Pritzker students more than 25 times.
Moreover, Dr. Humphrey developed structured student mentorship programs, including the Pritzker Advising Societies, a central component of Pritzker’s award-winning career advising program. Drawing on her time as the Internal Medicine Residency Program Director, she also created the Pritzker Chief leadership positions for fourth-year Pritzker students, modeled after the Chief Resident system in hospitals.
With a vision for medical education as a prominent field of scholarship, Dr. Humphrey created the Medical Education, Research, Innovation, Teaching, and Scholarship (MERITS) Fellowship and Training Program in 2010 as a means to develop educational leaders and scholars in medical education at the University of Chicago. Today, the program hosts a one-year faculty fellowship and a two-year program for residents.
Dr. Humphrey also led the founding in 2006 of the Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators at the University of Chicago to support and promote research, innovation, and scholarship in medical education. The Academy hosts the annual Medical Education Day, sponsors faculty development opportunities, and funds scholarships in medical education. Additionally, Dr. Humphrey established a teaching partnership with NorthShore University Health System (now Endeavor Health), which created the Holly J. Humphrey Medical Education Fund with a one-million-dollar gift to the University of Chicago in recognition of her leadership in medical education.
Prior to her time as Dean for Medical Education, Dr. Humphrey spent 14 years at the helm of the University of Chicago Internal Medicine Residency program. It was during this time, in 1989, that she and then-Pritzker Dean of Students Norma Wagoner led the country’s first White Coat Ceremony at the University of Chicago, with Dr. Humphrey delivering the keynote address. The tradition, in which first-year medical students are endowed with their first white coat in the presence of their families and faculty, was later adopted and formalized by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, which now supports similar events at medical and nursing schools across the country and around the world.
In 2018, Dr. Humphrey stepped down from her role as Dean for Medical Education, leaving the University after nearly 40 years to become the eighth President of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, which is dedicated to improving health and healthcare in America through advances in medical education and the training of health professionals.
In addition to her role with the Macy Foundation, Dr. Humphrey held numerous national leadership positions during her career, including Chair of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine’s Board of Directors, Chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine, President of the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine, and President of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Board of Directors. She served as chair of the board of trustees for her alma mater, North Central College. She was also a member of the Advisory Board of the Bucksbaum-Siegler Institute for Clinical Excellence at the University of Chicago.
In 2020, Dr. Humphrey was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, which lauded her for “transforming medical education learning environments by creating cultures of equity, diversity, and belonging that prepare future health professionals to care for diverse populations and address social determinants of health.”
Dr. Humphrey is survived by her husband, Duane Follman, MD; her three beloved children: Sarah Follman, MD, Benjamin (Emma) Follman, MD, and Hannah Follman, a journalist; and two brothers Philip (Sue) and Richard (Chris).
A Memorial Service is scheduled for Friday, May 2, 2025, at 10:00AM at Christ Church of Oak Brook, 501 Oak Brook Road, Oak Brook, Illinois 60521. For those who are unable to attend, a Livestream will be provided by Christ Church.
Dr. Humphrey’s Register Book can be signed Electronically HERE.
A Memorial will be planned on the University of Chicago Campus at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to student scholarship funds at either the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine or North Central College, or Christ Church of Oak Brook.
