"Dr. John Heubi left his comfortable and successful Indianapolis practice to become the Chief of Pediatrics at General Hospital – to provide care for families who often had limited resources but had children that needed excellent pediatric care. Dr. Heubi was the quintessential pediatrician, quiet, kind, and thoughtful, with a gentle manner when he was caring for a child. He was never harsh or critical with the medical students, choosing to teach thousands of students over the years by example.
Over the following decade, I learned a great deal about general pediatrics from Dr. Heubi, but I learned the most important lesson the first day I met him – to respect and provide the best care possible for every child no matter how they looked or their financial means."
--Dr. Greg Wilson, former Indiana State Health Commissioner and once, a medical student and resident under Dr. Heubi’s guidance in pediatrics
The John E. Heubi Award in Ambulatory Pediatrics is awarded annually to a member of the graduating class of the Indiana University School of Medicine who has demonstrated the most outstanding performance on the ambulatory pediatric clerkship, as well as excellence in other medical studies, and who plans to become a practitioner of general pediatrics. There are a million and one reasons why this award is named in Dr. Heubi’s memory. Just a few of those reasons are remembered here.
Dr. Heubi was a 1941 graduate of the Indiana University School of Medicine. He began his medical career in good company. A look to the 1941-42 roster of the Intern/Resident staff shows pictures of several future leaders of Riley Hospital for Children: Dr. J. Stanley Battersby who performed the first successful repair of esophageal atresia of a baby in the State of Indiana in 1946 and who taught generations of medical students and residents the art of surgery and Dr. Carl Martz, one of the co-founders of Riley Hospital’s Cerebral Palsy Clinic in 1937 and who also staffed Riley Hospital’s myelodysplasia clinic until the late 1960s. And then, there was Dr. John Heubi, who would become a teacher and mentor to generations of future pediatricians. Both Drs. Martz and Heubi were among the dedicated medical staff stretched to the limits to provide care in the pre-polio vaccine years where most of the children with polio seen at Riley Hospital were 5-6 years of age. Dr. Martz would later recall that in the late 1940s and early 50s, “most of the children with severe poliomyelitis were crippled or deformed for life. This was hard for any of us to accept. So, we kept searching for new forms of therapy.” Polio was a baptism of fire that no doubt inspired Dr. Heubi’s lifelong commitment to providing the best of care for his patients and to inspire his medical students and residents to “think, he taught us all how to think,” recalled Dr. Phil Merk, a resident and later colleague of Dr. Heubi’s who also was Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Clinical Emergency Medicine Emeritus. Dr. Merk added that Dr. Heubi was a master at asking questions to help his students and residents learn: “One of his favorite tactics was that you’d see a patient and examine a patient, and maybe come up with a diagnosis, or at least the working diagnosis. And he’d ask you a question. And if you got that question right, he would ask you another question, a little bit harder. And he would do that until you couldn’t answer any more questions. And then what he would do is say, tonight, you go look that up and read about it, and tell me about it tomorrow. That was one of his favorite ploys.” Dr. Randy Stoesz, a former resident and chief resident mirrored similar recollections: “As residents we recognized Dr. Heubi’s wisdom and clinical expertise. Medical students would try to avoid staffing with him but as residents we would be brave and staff patients with him to better learn from the experience. He would often ask questions about the patient until we would not know an answer, even to the point of asking how many teeth the patient had. Then we would go see the patient together.” 
Dr. John E. Heubi was a physician and teacher at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Wishard Memorial Hospital from 1944 to 1983. Beginning in 1944, he had a successful private pediatric practice in Indianapolis for years at offices at 38th and College Avenue and served as one of the teaching faculty for a number of years in a part-time capacity. He was first appointed as an Assistant professor of pediatrics in 1954 and subsequently rose to associate professor in 1973 and then professor in 1975. When he left his successful practice to join the Department of Pediatrics on a full-time basis in October of 1968, Dr. Heubi became the first faculty member to be housed exclusively at the Marion County General Hospital (formerly City Hospital, then Wishard Hospital, now Eskenazi Health). He was named chairman of Pediatrics by Methodist Hospital in 1963.
Dr. Mary Ciccarelli remembered that peers noted that “nowhere will you find a better model to illustrate how to communicate with families regarding the care of their children or how to deal with the problems that beset a doctor in the real world of pediatrics.” Dr. Ciccarelli acknowledged that generations of Marion County patients received wonderful care at Dr. Heubi’s hands. Generations of medical students and residents advanced their clinical skills under his mentorship. She recalled that when Dr. Heubi was honored as the best teacher of the year by the house staff in 1971 and the medical student class in 1973, students and residents alike recognized how “his wide base of knowledge and common-sense pediatrics was shared willingly with any interested learner. If he disagreed with another clinician, you could trust that he was almost always the one who was correct.” And finally, Dr. Ciccarelli gave tribute to Dr. Heubi who demonstrated a level of patience and wisdom that made learners cling to his every word.
One personal glimpse into Dr. John Heubi’s life tells us a little more about this gifted teacher and what was important to him. In his son Jim’s obituary (Jim Heubi was also a gifted physician, teacher, and mentor), mention was made of Jim continuing to go back to Indiana in the summer where the Lake Wawasee cottage his father built became his sanctuary for fishing, boating, and walks with his dog. Dr. Heubi’s community service included being a devoted supporter of the Children’s Bureau of the Indianapolis Orphan Asylum.
Recollections of Dr. Heubi’s influence from some of Dr. Heubi’s former medical students and residents and medical staff provide insight into his teaching skills and the lasting impact that he had on them at the beginning of their medical careers.
Dr Heubi wanted the med students to think before they made suggestions, not just repeat what they had heard. To that end, one of the things he would challenge students with when they suggested giving a baby “jello water” was, “…and what is the exact recipe for ‘jello water’?”
Dr Heubi and I were in the pediatric clinic one day when a scantily clad mother walked past us. Dr Heubi looked at me and shook his head. I shook my head in re
turn and he said, “What? … challenging me to express our judgment.
Dr Heubi frequently employed the Socratic method of teaching students and residents. He became amused at times by his questions and the students’ answers. He did not necessarily look amused, but the dead giveaway was the jiggling of his stomach under his white coat.
-- Susan Tsangaris, MSW
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Not sure if this fits in with everyone else’s but it’s written with the love I had for him. Dr Heubi, affectionately called Chief, was a fountain of knowledge. I was privileged to work with him for 11 years at MCGH (Marion County General Hospital). He loved to teach anyone wanting to learn and shared his knowledge with countless medical students and residents that rotated through ambulatory pediatrics. He was kind, caring, admired, respected, and loved by those of us fortunate to work with him. During our lunch time we would meet in his office with our brown bag lunch. He would proceed to pull out the newspaper and we would decide which current events that would be discussed that day. He was always sharing his thoughts and ideas while encouraging others to read and learn. Dr Heubi was an amazing person with so much knowledge to share. He had the ability to share it with a sense of humor and common sense that made us know we were learning from the best.
--Cyndy Smith, RN
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He always had a wry smile as the new group of junior medical students filed into the room. He knew how much they had to learn and enjoyed the challenge of helping them acquire the basics of pediatric care.
He was smart and had years of practical experience, but also brought a wisdom and an approach to pediatric care that was unsurpassed. There was a kindness and gentleness that made each patient feel that he listened and understood their concerns. He was never condescending to either the patients or the students he taught. He was a master teacher who respected each person with an acceptance of their flaws and strengths, and saw his job to help them grow into outstanding physicians.
– Dr. Greg Wilson
To me, Dr. John Heubi was a living legend. Dr. Heubi had a career in private practice and then came to work at Wishard Hospital helping to train a new generation of
general Pediatricians. Back then, Wishard had a thriving Pediatric service and was a great place to learn about inpatient and outpatient Pediatrics. This was in large part due to the wisdom and teachings of Dr. Heubi.
He had a practical, common-sense approach to parenting and was equally comfortable with the hospital care of children. He demanded excellence from those in training. His experience and teaching helped guide my future Pediatric practice.
– Dr. Frances Gray
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Dr. Heubi was a breath of fresh air with his wit and ability to instill some common sense from a primary care view into our care of kids. It was often difficult as a student and resident transitioning from the very medically specialized and complex kids at Riley to more routine and often very ill patients at Wishard. He was never bashful about challenging our rationale for obtaining what he thought was an unnecessary lab test or spinal tap. Always emphasizing the importance of a good history and physical exam he would frequently ask if we really needed to stick a hole in that child’s arm or back to make a diagnosis. He told me 80% of the time I should know the diagnosis with a good history and 95% with the history and physical exam. He was right.
—Dr. Jim Laughlin
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I had staffed a lot with Dr. Heubi as a third-year student, so I always just went through the list of patients I saw the night before and he or other faculty could bring up any point or questions they wanted to. One day, that included a patient with asthma who I think I probably gave a breathing treatment to and I can’t remember if I gave the child oral steroids or not. I did not think they were too ill and they did not have previous admissions for asthma and after watching them (back then I think we would watch them 4 hours) I sent them home. There was one faculty member who chided me for not getting a blood gas on the patient (I later learned that this particular staff was known to perhaps order more tests on patients than others might, I think for their own reassurance). During that morning report discussion, Dr. Heubi got up to leave the room. In those days, I thought he was just getting up to smoke a cigarette, but later I learned if he was not in agreement or frustrated by the conversation, he would get up and leave the room. This day, later in
the morning before I left, he saw me in the hallway and said “I want to speak to you” in a rather gruff tone. The conversation went like this:
“Do you think that every asthmatic that comes in needs a blood gas?”
My reply was “No.”
His response was “Good” and he walked away.
So, to this day, I always remember that as Dr. Heubi’s way of telling me he thought I did the right thing – today we would call that positive feedback. I never forgot that.
– Dr. Mitch Harris
I believe that I learned a model of collegial academic primary care from Dr Heubi. I remember watching his interactions and friendship with Dr Butler and others respected peers in the general pediatrics staffing room. He was a confident clinician and was well-read in the literature. He was not a man of many words, but his love for his patients and the practice of medicine was poignantly demonstrated when you heard him talking with his peers while waiting to staff the next patient.
If you paid attention when Dr Heubi was staffing with others for any patient, you would invariably learn a pearl to incorporate into your diagnostic skills. The specific one I remember is the “no cough” rule in strep throat. Centor scoring for strep pharyngitis wasn’t published until 1981, but Dr Heubi taught me the components of these rules prior to any publication.
As always, he was correct.
– Dr. Mary R. Ciccarelli
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I certainly remember Dr. Heubi as a master clinician. I met him as a first-year resident in 1982 and would try to staff clinic patients with him whenever possible. I count him as one of mentors who helped develop my ability to think outside the box from a clinical viewpoint. He was also my attending for the in-patient service which is where my favorite memory comes from. He was somewhat gruff on the outside but really was a warm and caring person. During rounds, he would go to comment or ask a question of me and would call me "honey" which he then rapidly corrected to "honey-sir" as he was trying to be politically correct. John Stevens, who was the senior resident called for "honey-sir" for many years after that. I have used that term myself now many times when I accidentally called someone honey and immediately added sir or ma'am.
– Dr. Veda L. Ackerman
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I remember staffing a patient with Dr Heubi during gastroenteritis season. I recounted to him my interview and physical exam, confidently stating the diagnosis was “stomach flu.” The first question he asked me – “What in the hell is stomach flu?” He was a stickler for being precise. My time on the Wishard wards and Regenstrief clinic heavily influenced my decision to become a pediatrician. I learned from Dr Heubi, as well as Drs. Butler, Lake, Merk, and Keener how to take care of children and parents – and a lot about IU basketball.
— Dr. Ed Liechty
I always viewed John Heubi MD as my first, best mentor in clinical medicine. My first teaching encounter was with him at Marion County General Hospital {MCGH} on the Pediatric Ward. In 1965 no pediatric faculty from Riley supervised the residents and students on the pediatric wards at Marion County General Hospital (MCGH). Physicians from Indianapolis volunteered their time, sev
eral half days a week to staff the inpatient wards. A wide range of patients were brought to the County clinics and Emergency room... Meningitis, pneumonia with empyema, Thallium poisoning, and Typhoid fever all presented for diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Heubi had the wisdom and the patience to help me as a Junior Medical Student better organize my presentations in rounds, and sift through the patient history and lab data to arrive at a likely diagnosis. I applaud his intelligence and compassion in teaching clinical medicine.
– Dr. John Gaebler
A great teacher of medicine lives on through the students and residents who listened and learned from the teacher and the teacher’s example. Many did. Dr. Heubi built a General Pediatrics program and trained thousands of medical students and pediatric residents at Marion County General Hospital that became “the blueprint for Riley Hospital’s General Pediatrics Program” recalls Dr. Phil Merk. Today, in historical retrospect, the influence of the work of both Dr. John Heubi and Dr. Morris Green, Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics (1967-1987) who established Riley Hospital’s Diagnostic Clinic in the mid-1950s and who introduced the concept and practice of family-centered care at Riley Hospital, needs to be jointly recognized for their impact in forever shaping the foundation and course for innovation in pediatric care and general pediatric education and training at Riley Hospital for Children.
References:
John Edward Heubi and Family:
Find a Grave, John Edward Heubi: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45945499/john-edward-heubi
Mrs. John Heubi (Dr. John Heubi’s 1st wife) dies, dietitian in hospital, Indianapolis Star, July 16, 1965, p. 25, accessed through Indianapolis Public Library. James E. Heubi Obituary, Indianapolis Star: https://www.indystar.com/obituaries/ins125296
In Memoriam, James E. Heubi, 1948-2021, Cincinnati Children’s Research Horizons: https://scienceblog.cincinnatichildrens.org/in-memoriam-james-e-heubi-md-1948-2021/ Betty Jo Heubi (Dr. John Heubi’s 2nd wife) Obituary: https://www.flannerbuchanan.com/obituaries/betty-jo-heubi . A picture below of Dr. Heubi and his 2nd wife, Betty Jo (married 1966):
John E. Heubi, Obituaries, Journal of the Indiana State Medical Association, January 1988, p. 106: https://archive.org/details/indianamedicinej8116indi/page/106/mode/2up?q=Heubi
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Colleague Corner/The 10 Question Interview, IMS Bulletin, May 2021, p. 14: https://indymedicalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/May-Bulletin-2021-Website-Final.pdf
Polio-Have We Only Crippled It?, Indianapolis Star, May 5, 1979, p. 63, accessed through Indianapolis Public Library.
Gets Pediatric Post, Indianapolis Star, November 8, 1968, p. 40, accessed through Indianapolis Public Library.
Methodist Physicians Elect 13 Chairmen, Indianapolis Star, December 17, 1963, p. 23, accessed through Indianapolis Public Library.
Resident and Intern Staff, 1941-42 (John Heubi, 4th row, far left; J. Stanley Battersby (Surgery) and Carl Martz (Orthopedics) are also on this Staff): https://iuidigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/IUPUIphotos/id/815/rec/2
19 Named Resident Physicians by I.U., The Indianapolis Times, June 29, 1942, p. 16, accessed through Hoosier State Chronicles.
96 of 97 at I.U. to be Internes, The Indianapolis Times, June 10, 1941, p. 10, accessed through Hoosier State Chronicles.
Plan Foster Mother’s Day, The Indianapolis Times, May 8, 1946, p. 3, accessed through Hoosier State Chronicles.
Children’s Bureau Auxiliary to Fete Foster Mothers, Indianapolis Star, May 10, 1945, p. 6, accessed through Indianapolis Public Library.
Annual Storybook Ball Patrons Include Governor and Mrs. Handley, Indianapolis Star, February 2, 1959, p. 7, accessed through Indianapolis Public Library.
Two Sunfish Entries Create Four-Way Tie, Indianapolis Star, July 25, 1962, p. 20, accessed through Indianapolis Public Library.
Pamela Perry, Polio: Enemy of Youth, Inquiry at Indiana University (Winter 1979-80), pp. 4-8, courtesy IUI University Library Special Collections and Archives.
Guild’s Donation Renovates Children’s Ward, Indianapolis Star, January 17, 1976, p. 8, accessed through Indianapolis Public Library.
Mary R. Ciccarelli, M.D. email to Richard L. Schreiner, M.D., August 21, 2024. Dr. Ciccarelli provided the script she used to introduce recipients of the John Heubi award that included information about his background.
Background of Professionals quoted:
Susan Tsangaris, MSW, was a social worker who worked with Dr. Heubi at Wishard Hospital, her first job after completing her Master’s degree. Susan worked for 5 years at Wishard Hospital, followed by 7 years at Riley Hospital on the Hem-Onc Service. She then worked as a school social worker for the next 29 years.
Cyndy Smith, RN, worked with Dr. Heubi at Marion County General Hospital and Wishard Hospital for 11 years. She worked at Wishard Hospital from 1972 to 2016.
Dr. Gregory A. Wilson is a 1975 graduate of the IU School of Medicine. He joined the Indiana University faculty in 1979 and has been involved in many varied programs during his career, all directed at improving the health of children. Career highlights included: founder of the Indiana Poison Control Center; section director of developmental Pediatrics at Riley Hospital; and State Health Commissioner of the Indiana State Department of Health under Governor Frank O’Bannon.
Dr. Frances Gray graduated from the St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1981 and served an internship at the IU School of Medicine/Methodist Hospital from 1981-1982 and a residency in Pediatrics at Children’s Mercy Hospital from 1982-1984. Now retired she was a board-certified pediatrician in Indianapolis affiliated with Indiana University Health University Hospital and Eskenazi Health and was very highly regarded general pediatrics faculty at Riley Hospital with expertise in adolescent medicine.
Dr. Philip F. Merk earned his M.D. from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1972 and completed his residency at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Pediatrics from 1972-1975. He was Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and of Clinical Emergency Medicine (affiliated with Indiana University Health University Hospital and Eskenazi Health). The Philip F. Merk Academic General Pediatric Scholarship Award was established by the Section of Pediatrics at Dr. Merk’s retirement to recognize residents with outstanding knowledge and practice of evidence-based medicine in general pediatrics.
Dr. James J. Laughlin is a pediatrician in Bloomington, Indiana and an adjunct clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He graduated from the Indiana University School of Medicine in 1977 and completed his medical training in 1981 after finishing a pediatrics residency followed by a pediatric pulmonary fellowship at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health. In 2019, he received the IU Trustee's Teaching Award, and in 2020, he received the IU School of Medicine Volunteer Faculty Teaching Award.
Dr. Randy Stoesz is board certified in pediatrics and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. A graduate of Goshen College and the Indiana University School of Medicine, Dr. Stoesz completed his pediatric residency at Riley Hospital, including one year as Chief Resident. Dr. Stoesz has practiced at Carmel Pediatrics since 1987 in the area of General Pediatrics with a special interest in children with developmental needs, especially children with Down syndrome.
Dr. Mitch Harris has practiced pediatrics since 1990. He earned his undergraduate degree from Purdue University and his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine. He went on to complete a pediatrics residency at the Indiana University School of Medicine and was named Chief Resident. Board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Harris is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and was Pediatric Clerkship Director for the Indiana University School of Medicine for over 20 years.
Dr. Mary Ciccarelli is the Morris Green Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Pediatrics. As a primary care Med Peds physician, she has provided primary care for children and adults for over 30 years at the Eskenazi Health North Arlington Health Center. She is founding Director of the Center for Youth and Adults with Conditions of Childhood and the Indiana Complex Care Coordination Cooperative. She has served as both medicine-pediatric residency director and vice chair for education in the Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine.
Dr, Veda L. Ackerman. A nationally renowned educator and master clinician dedicated to the care of her patients, Dr. Ackerman joined the IU School of Medicine (IUSM) faculty in 1988 Currently, she is Medical Director of the Clinical Care Advanced Practice Providers (APP), a model that she grew from one provider to a cohesive team. Dr. Ackerman launched the Home Ventilator program in 1989 and has gone on to become a nationally recognized expert in pediatric home ventilation. An expert in differential and rare diagnoses, she regularly is called on by colleagues to discuss complex or unusual cases.
Dr. Ed Liechty. A clinician, scientist, role model, and teacher, Dr. Liechty is perhaps best known for his work on the revolutionary surfactant drug treatment to improve lung capacity in premature infants. He helped establish a pediatric residency program at the medical school in Eldoret, Kenya, and continued to be involved in collaborative clinical research in developing countries, serving as primary investigator for the Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research, funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health through 2023. “I’ve known Ed since I was a resident and have learned that he is soft-spoken, but when he speaks I should listen because he always has something insightful to share,” said Riley neonatal-perinatal medicine division chief, Dr. Laura Haneline, when Dr. Liechty retired in 2021.
Dr. John W. Gaebler. Dr. Gaebler, a specialist in pediatric infectious disease, also has contributed numerous publications in this area in the medical literature. He earned his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM)in 1967. He completed his internship at the IUSM/Methodist Hospital from 1967-1968, his residency at the IUSM from 1969-1972, and his fellowship at IUSM from 1982-1983. He is an IUSM Associate Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics.
Sources for Backgrounds of Professionals quoted:
Susan Tsangaris, MSW: email communication, 8.29.24.
Cyndy Smith, RN and Philip Merk, MD: email communications, 8.29.24 and 8.30.24
Dr. Gregory A. Wilson (see: IU Alliance of Distinguished and Titled Professors): https://alliance.iu.edu/members/member/2073.html
Dr. Frances L. Gray (see: https://www.doximity.com/pub/frances-gray-md)
Dr. Philip F. Merk (see: https://www.doximity.com/pub/philip-merk-md)
Dr. James J. Laughlin (see: https://medicine.iu.edu/blogs/faculty-news/james-laughlin-md-volunteer-efforts-improve-health)
Dr. Randy Stoesz (see: https://www.carmelpediatrics.net/meet-our-doctors/)
Dr. Mitchell A. Harris (see: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/10125/harris-mitchell and https://www.rileychildrens.org/find-a-doctor/physician/mitchell-a-harris)
Dr. Mary R. Ciccarelli (see: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/6489/ciccarelli-mary)
Dr. Veda L. Ackerman (see: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/13550/ackerman-veda)
Dr. Ed Liechty (see: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/10312/liechty-edward). Also see: Dr. Ed Liechty, ‘pioneer in neonatology,’ closes out distinguished career, Riley Connections blog, 6-29-2021: https://www.rileychildrens.org/connections/dr-ed-liechty-pioneer-in-neonatology-closes-out-distinguished-career
Dr. John W. Gaebler (see: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/14285/gaebler-john and https://www.doximity.com/pub/john-gaebler-md ).
Photos courtesy of Family of Dr. John Heubi, Ruth Lilly Medical Library, and IUI University Library Special Collections and Archives.