His unique perspective as a patient, caregiver, researcher, faculty member and veteran reflect a diverse career, heavily influenced by its beginnings at Rush Medical College.

The Road to Rush
Ondra’s path to a medical career was a rocky one. Seriously injured in a training accident as a cadet at West Point Academy, Ondra transferred to Illinois Wesleyan University for the remainder of his undergraduate education. By the time he’d completed his bachelor’s degree in biology in 1980, Ondra had sufficiently recovered from his injuries to re-enter military service as a medical corps officer and face the rigors of medical school.

Ondra’s personal struggles with his health left him with a unique perspective on the physician-patient relationship, a point of view that influenced his medical school application process. When he began applying to medical schools, he quickly found Rush had risen to the top of his list.

“Chicago is blessed with multiple medical schools, but Rush truly stood out, not just for academic and clinical excellence, but also for its warmth. The atmosphere seemed, and proved to be, one that did not just educate but also cared about its students as individuals,” Ondra said.

“Most medical schools will prepare a physician for how to treat a patient. Rush gave me an understanding of the importance of caring about and for your patients. That quality of caring has been important to my patients, and it is the quality that has given my career real meaning to me. Medicine is and should be a very personal and human connection between doctor and patient.”

A Diverse Career

Following his graduation from Rush, Ondra completed his internship and residency in neurological surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in 1990. Ondra went on to become director of spine surgery at Walter Reed and a faculty member at the University of Michigan.

Most recently, Ondra served on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team's veterans affairs group and on the Obama-Biden Presidential Campaign’s health policy and veteran’s policy committees. He has taken a leave of absence from Northwestern University, where he was director of spinal surgery and professor of neurological surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine, to pursue his new post in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Widely recognized as an international expert on spinal surgery, Ondra has been an innovator in the development of new surgical procedures and equipment and has received grant awards in excess of $1 million. In the late 1990s, he received a request to perform spinal surgery on the daughter of the Minister of Interior for the Peoples Republic of China. While there, Ondra helped establish a new school for spinal surgeons.

“With the help of humanitarian organizations, we were able to establish an ongoing relationship that has led to a fundamental improvement in the surgical education in areas of China,” Ondra said. “In addition to bringing technical expertise, I tried to instill the importance of commitment to the profession, continuing education and compassion to patients.”

A veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the first Gulf War, Ondra was awarded a Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal during his service as a military doctor. In 2008, Ondra was named distinguished alumnus of his undergraduate alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan University.

Returning to Rush for Reunion 2009
In the midst of heated national debate about the future of America’s health care system, Ondra looks forward to attending Reunion 2009 to share his perspective on these issues and reunite with his former classmates.

“I remember the tremendous camaraderie with my classmates at Rush. That closeness created friendships that helped us all navigate medical school and then continued to the present day. I am looking forward to our reunion and seeing many of my friends again in person,” Ondra said.

“I am truly honored to be named this year’s distinguished alumnus. It is humbling to receive such awards when there are so many talented and deserving alumni,” he said. “I think about all my colleagues and friends who also deserve such distinction.”

Learn more about the schedule for Reunion 2009 or see who’s already registered to attend.