Page 14 - Delaware Medical Journal - July/August 2020
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Pictured from left to right, at last year's Tilton Awards: Then-MSD President Andrew W. Dahlke, MD; 2019 Tilton Award recipient Nicholas J. Petrelli, MD, FACS; 2018 Tilton Award recipient Stephen R. Permut, MD, JD.
‘A Gentle Giant’
2020 Tilton Award Winner Garrett H.C. Colmorgen, MD
By Mary S. Fenimore Garrett H.C. Colmorgen, MD can
be described by many elaborate
adjectives and even a few verbs, but perhaps the most accurate word to describe him is “humble.” This was discovered when I attempted to interview him for this article.
I arrived with my camera in hand, ready to take his picture for the cover of the Delaware Medical Journal.
But Colmorgen quickly denied me the opportunity of his “close-up,” stating that he was not comfortable being in the spotlight, as he prefers to maintain
and a half, I realized he was the real
deal — unassuming and determined to shake off accolades and praise, but greatly motivated to help others be better.
Named after his great-grandfather
and raised in Colts Neck, New Jersey, Colmorgen says his father was likely his medicine. “I would probably have been an architect. I like buildings,” he explained. Years later, he would be heavily involved in the building of the maternity wing at ChristianaCare, something he lists as
one of his most enjoyable and rewarding accomplishments.
Colmorgen came to Delaware in
1985 after completing his fellowship
in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital. A graduate of Centre College of Kentucky, where
he received his BA in Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where he received his medical degree, he was hired by the Medical Center of Delaware licensed perinatologist in Delaware. Prior to his arrival, high-risk patients were typically referred to neighboring states for care.
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Del Med J | July/August 2020 | Vol. 92 | No. 4
