For Jorge del Castillo, MD ’75, emergency medicine has always been about “seeing the patients.” From broken ankles to chest pains to trauma cases, his work has always been about caring for people.

Dr. del Castillo served much of his career as associate director of emergency medicine at NorthShore University HealthSystem (now Endeavor Health) north of Chicago. He also had an affinity to mentor aspiring physicians as the director of the ER residency program at NorthShore.

Recently retired, Dr. del Castillo and his wife, Mrs. Susan del Castillo, shared a generous planned gift commitment to establish the del Castillo Family Endowed Scholarship for Chicago Medical School (CMS). Through this scholarship, Dr. del Castillo aims to break down barriers in medicine, empower future first-generation physicians to pursue their dreams without the burden of financial hardship, and honor his educational journey and heritage.

Growing up in Cuba, Dr. del Castillo was surrounded by family members who were successful engineers, architects, lawyers and businessmen. He set his career on a different path.

By the time he was in high school and studying biology, he discovered he liked learning about the human body. His great grandfather was a physician, but he was never prodded by the family to follow in those remote steps. Through the support of his family and physician friends, and with aspiration and drive to become a doctor, Dr. del Castillo set off to Spain to study medicine after graduating from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Dr. del Castillo credits a former college roommate — a CMS student at the time — for insight about transferring to CMS shortly after passing the board exams. The opportunity came quickly while he was in New York doing a summer externship.

With less than 24 hours to travel to Chicago for an interview, Dr. del Castillo found himself seated in front of CMS Director of Admissions and Records Milton Geerdes. Arriving with a portfolio of work and a solid externship recommendation, Dr. del Castillo remembers how Mr. Geerdes made him feel at ease, ultimately securing an acceptance to the third-year class on the spot.

He joined CMS right away, a new journey that shaped his career with opportunity, camaraderie and invaluable mentorship.

“Classmates help each other. In rotations, we guided each other a lot,” said Dr. del Castillo. “What I liked at CMS were the experiences, like rotating through Great Lakes Naval Base Hospital and Clinics. I had one-on-one time with brilliant cardiologists, hematologists … they taught so much.”

By continuing to help students in the same way that he was supported during his medical education journey at CMS, the endowed scholarship created by Dr. and Mrs. del Castillo will help students who have also entrusted CMS to fulfill their own aspirations.

Amy Knutson Strack is director of advancement communications in the Office of Institutional Advancement.