Podcast Credit Hour Interviews New Dean of Sanford School of Medicine
“I think we can go in one of two directions when we deal with something like a pandemic,” said Ridgway. “We can just claw our way to the end and say let’s get back to our normal lives. Or you can learn from it, and by learning from it, I think it makes us all more effective in our daily lives and how we approach others.”
Ridgway, a 1984 graduate of the USD Sanford School of Medicine, has been practicing medicine in the state since 1991. He previously served as executive dean, dean of faculty affairs and professor in the department of internal medicine for the Sanford School of Medicine, and he recently retired as a staff physician and director of gastrointestinal endoscopy at the Royal C. Johnson Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital in Sioux Falls. Ridgway started as dean September 1.
“If we’re lucky, we all find something in life that’s more than work—that’s a calling. That’s what medicine has been for me,” said Ridgway discussing what brought him to the healthcare field.
Ridgway has received several accolades, including being named a Top Gastroenterologist in Sioux Falls by the International Association of Healthcare Professionals for 2018-2020 and one of Best Doctors in America since 2010. He received the Presidential Award from the South Dakota State Medical Association in 2017. Ridgway is currently the Dr. Charley F. and Elizabeth Gutch Chair in Medicine, and he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2017 from the Sanford School of Medicine.
Credit Hour is the University of South Dakota’s podcast highlighting the achievement, research and scholarship of its staff, students, alumni and faculty. Follow Credit Hour on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and www.usd.edu/podcast.
