Serving the community since 1926
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
VOLUME 97 | ISSUE 43
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Grad ‘fits in our community’
Denver doctor recognized for humanitarian contributions
Regis GLOBAL makes work connection BY XAVIER BARRIOS SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
like, what are they doing?” she said. After being assured that she was not getting fired, but instead was receiving an award for her 34 years in medicine and philanthropy, Ryan was shocked. “I was thinking, humanitarian? I’m not Mother Theresa,” she said. Mother Theresa or not, Ryan’s career has always revolved around helping others. When she’s not sporting a pair of scrubs, you might find the Congress Park resident lecturing at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she has twice been named Teacher of the Year; serving on Canine Companions’ Southwest Region Board of Directors, or practicing mindfulness techniques at equine therapy.
For students, graduation season marks the completion of one chapter and the start of another. But this season also began a new story of diversity, equity and inclusion as one group of students, adorned in caps and gowns, walked across the stage at Regis University. This chapter was written by the inaugural class of five graduating GLOBAL Inclusive students, the first to complete the university’s program designed to give students with intellectual or developmental disabilities an opportunity to have a traditional college campus experience. In 2022, The Denver North Star reported on the GLOBAL Inclusive program’s launch, and then again in 2023 for a year-in report. The unknown of postgraduation was waiting for GLOBAL Inclusive student Jordan Stewart, who said the milestone was thrust upon him whether he wanted to graduate or not. For Stewart, the hardest part of his graduation was that he would no longer see his friends and peers daily. His routine switched from saying, “See you later,” to the harder, more formal, “Goodbye,” Stewart said.
SEE DOGTOR, P6
SEE GLOBAL, P5
Peppi listens intently to Dr. Susan Ryan at Rose Medical Center ER.
Dr. Susan Ryan joined by zero-judgment ‘dogtor’ who comforts colleagues and patients alike BY LONDON LYLE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
If you ever pay a visit to physician Susan Ryan, chances are high you’ll have the pleasure of meeting her most trusted confidante: award-winning “Dogtor” Peppi, a yellow labrador who works as a permanent facility dog in the emergency department at Rose Medical Center in Denver. Dr. Ryan’s contributions to the medical field and extensive philanthropic
work with nonprofit Canine Companions have led to her winning the Frist Humanitarian Award for HCA Healthcare’s Continental Division. Ryan is among only 15 Americans to win the award in 2024. The Frist Award, created in 1971 and named after HCA co-founder Dr. Thomas F. Frist, is given to those who “demonstrate a level of commitment and caring that goes beyond everyday kindness. Their selflessness serves as both challenge and inspiration to others to find a way to do good in this world,” states HCA HealthcareMag. Ryan’s selflessness certainly stands out in conversation. Reflecting on the day she received the award, Ryan recalled, “In truth, I was walking out of a patient’s room, and I saw a whole bunch of administrators. I turned the corner the other way to hide. I was
VOICES: 10 | LIFE: 12 | CALENDAR: 14
PHOTO BY LONDON LYLE
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TRUTH IS OUT THERE
Colorado has a long history with UFOs
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