“Dr. Gamelli has dedicated so much of who he is to the field of medicine and, more accurately, to Loyola Medicine,” said Linda Brubaker, MD, MS, FACS, FACOG, the school’s dean and chief diversity officer. “Through his leading-edge research, excellent surgical skills and rigorous training of our medical leaders of tomorrow, he brought new knowledge, hope and healing to people across the globe.”
Gamelli was awarded the President’s Leadership Award from the American Burn Association (ABA), where he is a past president. He currently serves as president of the International Society for Burn Injuries.
“I knew I wanted to help people,” he says of his early decision to be a doctor. “I like working with tools and with my hands so surgery was a logical choice. I had excellent teachers in medical school, especially in the area of burns, and that is where I focused my interest.”
Gamelli earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont, College of Medicine, where he was elected to the board of trustees.
“People ask me why I left Vermont to come to Loyola and the answer is opportunity,” said Gamelli, who as chief of the Burn Center at LUMC, elevated it to international acclaim. “While I had had many opportunities to advance my skills and assume greater leadership at Loyola and within the international medical arena, I am most proud of the opportunities I have had to mentor students and physicians. To see those whom I met early in their studies or profession and watch ascend in skill and success has been truly rewarding and gratifying.”
Gamelli oversaw considerable growth of the Burn Center, especially in the area of research.
“When I joined over 30 years ago, Loyola had a burn unit which was very small and research really did not even exist,” he said.
Gamelli’s research on the effects of burn injury and infection on bone marrow formation has been funded by the National Institute of Health for the past 20 years. During the past five years, Dr. Gamelli’s research funding has exceeded $2 million dollars.
The Burn Center was the first in Illinois to be awarded verification by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Burn Association (ABA). The Burn Center provides comprehensive care for more than 700 patients annually through a team-based approach to recovery and follow-up care.
Also under Dr. Gamelli’s leadership, the LUMC Trauma Center has achieved Level 1 status, as designated by the state of Illinois, for providing the highest level of care. Additionally, LUMC is verified as a Level 1 Trauma Center by the ACS and ABA.
Gamelli’s vision for interdisciplinary, interprofessional health sciences education and research led to the development of the university’s Center for Simulation Education (CSE). The CSE provides a complete environment where medical, nursing and allied health sciences students can master the skills necessary for effective patient care.
He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Burn Care and Research, is a member of several editorial boards including Shock, Annals of Surgery, BURNS, and Journal of the American College of Surgeons. He has authored and co-authored more than 10 books, 50 book chapters, more than 365 publications in peer review journals, and more than 255 abstracts. “Loyola and the medical profession afforded me the chance to do and see many amazing things and be part of the lives of many memorable people,” he said. “And now I want to spend more time back east with my wife of 42 years, three daughters and two grandchildren.”
Dr. Gamelli will continue to serve in leadership roles in several professional medical organizations.
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