Galofré, Alberto, born December 10, 1937, died May 10, 2023.

Alberto Galofré, M.D., M.Ed., passed away after a long illness at 85.  He is survived by his beloved daughters, Ana Margarita-Galofré Smith, Christine Allen, and Mary Galofré, and his 7 grandchildren. He is also survived by a large family in Santiago, Chile including his sister, Rosa Maria Galofré, brother Estanislao Jorge Galofré and many loving nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his parents, Estanislao Galofré and Margarita Terrasa and his brother Fernando Galofré. He was dearly beloved and will be missed by all who knew him.

Dr. Galofré had a long, distinguished career in medical education across North and South America. Over the span of 25 years, he served 3 Deans at Saint Louis University School of Medicine before retiring as associate dean for curriculum and emeritus professor in 2003. The medical students he helped educate have gone on to treat millions of patients, and his spirit of helping others lives on in them.

Alberto attended the Catholic University in Santiago, Chile at the age of 17, and received his medical degree summa cum laude 7 years later in 1962. While still a medical student, he was asked to teach biochemistry to nursing students, achieving the status of professor at the School of Nursing at the age of 21. After graduation, in addition to his academic pediatric practice, he started a Metabolic Unit and a biochemical research lab to study pediatric diseases. One of the achievements he was most proud of was the development of a special collection container to accurately assess the output of sick infants which saved countless lives. From his work in biochemistry, he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatrics and Developmental Biology at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, in 1968.

A few years after returning to Chile, the Dean asked him to start an office of medical education, with a focus on faculty development to improve teaching. The Office of Medical Education he started flourished and is now more than 50 years old.

His work for the Pan American Health Organization and the WHO conducting faculty development workshops around Latin America led to an AMA fellowship in medical education, the first Chilean to be awarded this fellowship. He completed a master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois Chicago in 1974, working with medical education greats George Miller and Christine McGuire.

 His plans to return home to start a national center for medical education was thwarted by a military coup. His family urged him to remain in the states while Chile was experiencing political and economic unrest, so he organized another fellowship at Michigan State. During a faculty workshop on teaching, Alberto’s ideas and enthusiasm caught the eye of the chairman of the Department of Medicine at Saint Louis University, who offered him a job as the educational coordinator for the Department. Later, the Dean of the medical school offered Alberto another chance to start another medical education office, but this time on a different continent.

Dr. Galofré was elected Chair of the Central Region Group on Educational Affairs where he introduced a governance structure and ideas that later became national projects. He recognized the strengths of individuals in the region, empowering them to implement their ideas. This mentoring role was prominent throughout his career. As a result of his efforts, his peers elected him a charter member of the Central Region Group on Educational Affairs’ Society of Medical Education Laureates.

He took his drive and enthusiasm from the regional level to the national level, serving as the chair of the Association of American Medical College’s (AAMC) Group on Educational Affairs in 1990-91. In 2002, he was the fifteenth individual to be awarded the prestigious Merrell D. Flair Award by the AAMC for his achievements in medical education. This award is presented for outstanding leadership and major career contributions to medical education in North America.

In retirement, he spent a year in Chile working at the office of medical education he had founded. Alberto traveled to every continent in the world pursuing bird watching, one of his passions, along with photography and growing orchids. His bird watching adventure trips included Spain, the Pyrenees, Texas, Cape May, Southern California, Morocco, India, Solway Firth Scotland and Dundee, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Cuba, Florida, Bolivia, South Africa, Finland, Mongolia, Trinidad Tobago, New England, Eastern Australia, and Antarctica. He was also an avid foodie and connoisseur of savory sauces, seafood and Chilean wine.  Alberto also enjoyed chess, golf and music. Fun fact, he and Nancy actually saw Luciano Pavarotti’s first performance as a young man before he became famous. He had a sparkle in his eye, a pep to his step and an infectious smile. His intelligence and sense of humor will be missed by his former colleagues, staff, close friends, and his family.

Alberto will be cremated and laid to rest in his family Mausoleum in Santiago, Chile. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to his daughter’s non-profit: Ark of the Rainbow at www.arkoftherainbow.org.