Friend speaks with pride about classmate
A Laurel Highlands graduate is overseeing the care of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head following the deadly shooting in Arizona on Saturday.
Dr. Peter Rhee, who now serves as medical director at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz., is a 1979 graduate of Laurel Highlands High School.
Laurel Highlands Superintendent Dr. Gary Brain confirmed Sunday that Rhee is a high school alumnus.
High school friend Chuck Seighman, who also graduated from Laurel Highlands in 1979 and now resides in State College, said Rhee moved into the district during their sophomore year. Rhee’s father was an anesthesiologist at Uniontown Hospital.
Seighman said that Rhee was an intelligent student who performed well in school and was a member of the National Honor Society.
Rhee never planned on becoming a doctor and originally studied health care engineering, according to Seighman.
“He’s one of the few kids who left the area and he’s doing well,” Seighman said of Rhee. “He’s the same guy that I knew 30 years ago. He’s confident and smart and brutally honest. He’s a good guy and a great doctor. It’s been great to follow his career and see him succeed.”
After leaving Laurel Highlands, Rhee went on to graduate from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1983.
He earned his medical degree in 1987 from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine before receiving a master’s degree in Public Health / Health Services in 1995 from University of Washington, Seattle, and a diploma in the Medical Care of Catastrophes in 1999 from the Society of Apothecaries of London.
Rhee completed his surgical internship at Balboa Naval Hospital, San Diego, and residency in general surgery at the University of California Irvine Medical Center.
He also completed a fellowship in Trauma and Critical Care at Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle.
Dan Lukotch, who served as high school principal when Rhee was in school, said he and his wife have “been glued to the television set” watching his former student speak during press conferences regarding Giffords’ condition.
Lukotch declined further comment but said his family had a close relationship with Rhee, noting that Rhee was a frequent visitor in their home.
Then guidance counselor Robert Ulery, who was also the high school wrestling coach, said Rhee wrestled in high school and was a good teammate.
“He was just a good, run-of-the-mill kid,” said former assistant principal Bob Reho.
Reho said Rhee’s accomplishments are a credit to Laurel Highlands and that the school should be proud to have Rhee amongst its alumni.
Rhee spoke publicly during a televised press conference Sunday at the University Medical Center, updating the public on Giffords condition.
Giffords was one of 13 people injured when Jared Loughner, 22, allegedly opened fire on a crowd of people outside a Pima County grocery store. Six people were killed, including a federal judge, an aide to Giffords and a 9-year-old girl who was born Sept. 11, 2001.
Rhee praised the work of paramedics and the emergency response teams who transported Giffords to the hospital, noting that their fast response is what allowed Giffords to quickly be in the operating room.
Giffords, according to Rhee, remains in critical condition and is continuing to recover while on a ventilator.
Rhee said that on Sunday morning the medical team lightened anesthesia and that doctors are encouraged with the congresswoman’s progress.
Giffords was able to respond to commands and doctors have been able to stop the bleeding.
The medical team has said that Giffords’ biggest concern is now brain swelling, adding that surgeons removed half of her skull to give the tissues room to expand with additional bruising.
Rhee said the removed bone is being preserved and can be re-implanted once the swelling abates, a technique the military uses with war injuries.
Having been one of the first trauma surgeons to be deployed to Camp Rhino, Afghanistan, Rhee has experience dealing with war injuries. Rhee also recently started the first surgical unit in Ramadi, Iraq.
Seighman said the public has had a glimpse of what life is like for Rhee, who deals with traumatic injuries on a daily basis.
“It’s sad to say, but he has a lot of experience dealing with traumatic injuries as a result of spending time in Afghanistan and Iraq,” he said.
Seighman, who keeps in touch with Rhee, said he hasn’t talked to the renowned surgeon since the shooting occurred in Arizona, but he said he’s confident Rhee is just thinking about doing his job to the best of his ability.
“He deals with traumatic injuries every day of his life. He’s doing his job. You do what you’re trained to do. Months from now he’ll be doing the same thing, helping someone else. He has a great passion for this.”
In addition to numerous tours in the Middle East, the Laurel Highlands graduate was the designated surgeon on former President Bill Clinton’s 1998 China trip. He is also the recipient of numerous awards honors and is consultant to the Office of Naval Research and the Marine Corps Commandments War Fighting Laboratory.