Shelley N. Chou, M.D. (1970-1989)

Shelley Nien-chun Chou was clearly a man of remarkable achievements, all the more awesome to contemplate when one considers his humble beginnings.  In 1924, Shelley was born in a small village in China, into a family which placed great emphasis on education.  Shelley was one of the fortunate 5% within their locale who were literate!  Shelley's father had a great love of poetry and, not surprisingly, his eldest son was given the name of Shelley after Percy Bysshe Shelley.

With his father's premature death, Shelley began his formal education, but unfortunately World War II curtailed its completion.  Fortuitously, with his acquired fluency in English, Shelley was befriended by a variety of western contacts, who influenced his decision after the war to emigrate to the U.S.  He attended the University of Utah and in 1949 was awarded his M.D. degree.  Residency at the University of Minnesota under Bill Peyton followed and then a tour at the N.I.H. working in neurophysiology.  In 1960, Shelley returned to the Minnesota faculty and joined Lyle French.  Over the following years he moved up the academic ladder to ultimately be selected as Chairman of Neurosurgery in 1974. 

Shelley's contributions to Neurosurgery were prolific, including pioneering research in brain scanning, along with major clinical contributions in cerebrovascular and spinal surgery.  He was President of numerous neurosurgical organizations.  Perhaps Shelley's greatest contribution was his deep interest in graduate neurosurgical education, particularly involving the American Board of Neurological Surgery and Residency Review Committee, where his influence will continue to be felt for many years to come. 

The esteem with which he was held by his colleagues at Minnesota and the wide respect for his leadership ability became obvious when, after the resignations of the Dean of the Medical School and of the Vice President for Health Sciences, Dr. Chou became the unanimous choice of the Clinical and Basic Science faculties to become the Interim Dean of the Medical School and Vice President for Medical Affairs.  After his retirement from these positions, he found more time to enjoy the desert southwest during the winters. 

Dr. Chou passed away in July of 2001.