Better Late Than Never
Introducing Incoming Sidney Kimmel Medical College Alumni Board President Galicano F. Inguito, Jr., MD ’90, MBA
Galicano F. Inguito, Jr., MD ‘90, MBA, is board certified in family medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine and in medical management by the American College of Physician Executives and is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is president of Delaware Family Medicine, LLC, and in addition to private practice, he works in a 24-hour urgent care practice. Dr. Inguito has served on numerous national boards, including the Federation of State Medical Boards, the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 3 Committee, and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. He was honored by the Delaware Academy of Family Physicians as the 2008–09 Family Physician of the Year. Dr. Inguito has been named a "Top Doctor" as voted by his peers in Delaware Today magazine.
Can You Share Your Educational/Work History?
After graduating from Jefferson Medical College in 1990, I completed an internship at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. As a Health Professions Scholarship recipient, I completed my active-duty obligation in the United States Army where I was stationed in the Korean Demilitarized Zone, and Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Following my military medical experience, I really enjoyed taking care of patients and decided to go into family medicine. I did my family medicine residency at the Eastern Virginia Medical School Ghent Family Practice in Norfolk, Virginia. From there I went into academic medicine and was associate director of the Family Medicine Residency Program at St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, for 15 years. While most physicians start out in clinical medicine after finishing a residency program and then possibly go into administration later, I went into administration and academic medicine first. During this time, I graduated in 2002 with my MBA from the University of Delaware Executive MBA Program, which helped me later in my career when I decided to start my own family medicine practice, Delaware Family Medicine LLC.
For the past 11 years, I have been the president and owner of Delaware Family Medicine, in Newark, Delaware. This journey has been enjoyable because I am able to do what I envisioned myself doing when I first thought about becoming a physician—care for people in my community. In addition, I work at a 24-hour urgent care practice in Newark.
How Did You Get Involved with the Alumni Association?
After I graduated, I thought I would never get involved with the Alumni Association. I wish I had gotten involved sooner—but better late than never!
When my son, Kai, had his White Coat Ceremony at Jefferson in 2018, I met former Alumni Association President Nicholas Ruggiero, II, MD ’01, RES ’08, and asked him how I could get involved. He said that they were restructuring the board and asked if I would like to be a member.
After I became more involved, I had so much fun reconnecting with Jefferson. I was having a ball, more than I did as a medical student!
I enjoyed meeting with alumni and board members who were very passionate about Jefferson. I appreciate Past-President Patricia Curtin White, MD ’88, FEL ’00, for encouraging me to explore opportunities outside of my comfort zone. I delivered a MED Talk to current medical students on my path to choosing to specialize in family medicine, and I truly enjoyed sharing my experience to guide future doctors. I was then nominated to be Alumni Board secretary, which I did for the past two years. Members of the Alumni Board noticed my passion for the university and nominated me to be the president of the Alumni Association. My term will run from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2024, the 200th anniversary of the medical college.
How is the Alumni Association Connecting with Students and Alumni?
During my time as a student, I noticed that many of my classmates felt disengaged from the Alumni Association. We did not hear much about it, even once we graduated. Now that has changed—we have a lot of initiatives to connect students with alumni. I am a member of the Class Agent Cabinet, which was tasked to revive the Class Agent Program, co-chaired by Elliot Rayfield, MD ’67; Lynne E. Porter, MD ’73; Lorraine King, MD, FEL ’75; and Matthew Keller, MD ’05, RES ’09. We started with 17 Class Agents and now we have over 77, including our most recent graduates from the Class of 2022. I am very excited for the future of the Class Agent Program, which will further promote alumni engagement.
Last year, we hosted virtual events for students, including MED Talks, where our alumni spoke on timely topics such as selecting a specialty and life in medicine; the Alumni Host Program, where fourth-year students matched with Jefferson alumni in their geographic area and/or area of interest for networking, mentorship, and support for travel opportunities around their residency interviews; and Jeff Alumni Chats, where students are paired with alumni to learn strategies and ask questions about “surviving” and succeeding in medical school. It is my hope that as we move beyond the pandemic, we can gather together for more in-person events and activities.
Today, I would tell students and recent graduates to not be afraid to ask for help and to really take advantage of the Alumni Association. We are here to help you!
What Are Your, and the Alumni Board’s, Priorities for Your Presidency?
I would like to see more alumni engaged in mentoring, recruiting, and fundraising. The Alumni Association would expand and improve the mentorship and educational programs. Together we are working to embrace not only medical college and postgraduate alumni, but also current students, to ensure they feel empowered and included. We are grateful to have a second-year student on the board, Grant Nelson, to assist in reaching out to current students.
At New York University, there was a big donor who made it possible to offer free tuition for its medical students. I would like to see something like that at Jefferson—if not the whole tuition bill being paid by donors or alumni, then some sort of fundraising program so students do not have to pay so much. I believe that my tuition while I was a student was approximately $13,000, which increased each year. Now just the tuition alone for our medical students is over $60,000.
What are You Most Proud Of?
Out of all the things that I have done, I am most proud of my family. My wife, Pia, is a nurse and has been a faculty member at the University of Delaware School of Nursing for 22 years. My son Kai graduated from SKMC in 2022 and is going into family medicine at Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health in Pennsylvania. My son Kam is starting at SKMC this summer and will be in the Class of 2026, and my daughter, Aili, is a rising junior in high school.
I told my sons to major in anything they wanted in college and then, if they still liked medicine, to go for it. I am really excited that they have chosen medicine as their career path!