Thomas Keens:
CLASS OF 1964
San Pedro High SchoolClass of 1964
San pedro, CA
Thomas's Story
I send you all my very best wishes for an enjoyable and successful 45th Reunion of the San Pedro High School Class of Summer 1964, on Saturday, September 26, 2009! I wish I could be there to join you, but I am regrettably out of town on that week-end.
I am grateful for my San Pedro High School education, and for you, my colleagues, who were in many ways my teachers. Though not a College Prep high school, we were tremendously enriched by the diversity in our class, and I think we learned more lessons in life at San Pedro High School than many did.
After SPHS, I attended St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico (1964-1968) -- a college with a Great Books program, no majors: Two years of Ancient Greek; Two years of French; Four years of Mathematics (I loved that); Four years of sciences (I loved that, we read Einstein); Four years of Seminar; and One year of music. Probably closest to a Philosophy major! In some ways, it was almost a Monastic experience (in the sense of a community of scholars dedicated to searching for the Truth). Not what I would have predicted for myself, but it formed a basis for my life and career ever since. I am eternally grateful that other more prestigious colleges did not accept me, so I could attend St. John's.
In College, I shifted from an interest in Theoretical Astrophysics to Medicine. I attended the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine (1968-1972). I was in the first class, which was awesome. We had a closeness to faculty that no class since experienced. I became interested in lung disease, due in large part to my mentor, the late, great Gennaro M. Tisi, who inspires me to this day with his knowledge, enthusiasm for respiratory physiology, and love of learning. If I am half the teacher he was, my life would be fulfilled. Pediatric Pulmonology did not even exist as a specialty at that time, but I was fortunate to make contributions at the beginning of that specialty (see below).
Pediatric Residency at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (1972-1975) -- I loved it, though it was hard work. Internship is when you really become a doctor.
I sought the best Fellowship in Pediatric Pulmonology I could find, which was at the Hospital for Sick Children at the University of Toronto in Canada (1975-1977). I worked with the late, great A. Charles Bryan, and his colleague Henry Levisen, who were unbelievable mentors, and who taught me a tremendous amount. It was an intense research environment, and I thrived. I published nearly 10 research papers, in two years. I was funded for my fellowship by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I brought knowledge back to Los Angeles that was unknown there at the time.
I was recruited back to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (they should have known better; I was a resident there, and they knew me) in 1977. I have been there ever since (32-years). I rose through academic ranks and am currently a Professor of Pediatrics, Physiology and Biophysics at the Keck School of Medicine of the...Expand for more
University of Southern California. I have been able to continue research and teaching, and I have published over 130 research scientific papers.
In my current position, I love my job. I take clinical care of patients with serious respiratory disorders, do research, and teach. My most famous areas of research have been in sudden infant death syndrome, disorders of control of breathing (congenital central hypoventilation syndrome --- I am world famous for my work here), home mechanical ventilation (I established the program that allows children to go home, even if they need ventilator support part-tome or full-time -- an amazing population I would be happy to discuss with anyone interested), and other areas. I have enjoyed research productivity. I love teaching fellows, and I have inspired some to follow in my footsteps (I won't live forever).
A few other achievements: I am Chair of the California Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Advisory Council (advises the California Department of Public Health on matters pertaining to SIDS services, education, and research). This is an area I find most rewarding, as we have decreased the SIDS rate to ~1/3 what it was in 1980 through education programs. This alone has saved more lives than anything I else that I ever did as a physician. I was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the American Board of Pediatrics, whose role is to assure the public that physicians certified by the ABP are competent to provide quality care for children. I have also chaired the Research Ethics Committee (IRB) at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles for 20-years, which assures that the rights and welfare of human research subjects are protected in all human research studies. I am the Vice Chair of the Childrens Hospital Institute of Medical Education, where I focus much of my efforts on the training of Pediatric Subspecialty Fellows who will be the academic leaders of the future. I also direct our Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship Training Program at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
I love my job. No two days are the same. I think I have made some important contributions in a number of areas.
I am married since 1972, to Susan (Keffala) Keens, a Ph.D. clinical psychologist. Our daughter, Jenny Franz (married in July, 2008) is a 5th grade teacher, and I am very proud of what she does. Our son, Peter, is a computer programmer, unbelievably talented. Whenever our computer goes down, he fixes it for me. Our son-in-law, Bill Franz, at 2-meters in height, is a terrific person, who is an artist working in computer website design.
Whatever success I have achieved, the roots of that are in San Pedro High School. I am convinced that you learn at least as much from your fellow students as you do from your faculty. So, I would like to publicly thank you all, my fellow students and my teachers, for giving me a chance, for helping me, and for giving me the needed basics to achieve what small things I have achieved. Thank you all so much!
---Tom Keens
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Register for Free to view all yearbooks!
Reunions
Register for Free to view all events!
Photos
