Woody Kageler

With the flu season upon us, the TCC community can take comfort knowing they will be kept abreast about the flu's impact on the District, thanks to Northeast Campus Health Sciences Director Dr. Woody Kageler and the Influenza Taskforce.

Kageler and the taskforce began shaping a comprehensive plan during the summer to ensure that important information about various flu strains, including the H1N1, is quickly communicated to faculty, staff and students.

Directing this group is just one example of Kageler's leadership in the medical community during the more than 35 years since he graduated from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

Kageler, a board-certified internist and pulmonologist, is a former clinical assistant dean for the University of North Texas Health Science Center and past senior vice president for Medical Affairs at the JPS Health Network. He served as the medical advisor for the Texas Society for Respiratory Care for more than 25 years and is currently a member of the Board of Medical Advisors for the American Association of Respiratory Care.

The top award in the student competition for the Texas Society for Respiratory Care was named in his honor in 1995. Since then, TCC has won the plaque seven times, including 2008 and 2009.

Kageler's desire to be a physician dates back to his childhood. "We got a World Book Encyclopedia which included a transparent man. I must have been about 6 years old," Kageler said. "From then on, I always said that I wanted to be doctor."

- By Rita L.B. Parson