December 2008 Recipient

Robert G. Townley, MD'55

December 20, 2008

Dr. Robert G. Townley is the epitome of living the mission of a Creighton-trained physician; his medical practice and personal life are firmly rooted in the Jesuit, Catholic ideal of serving others.

Since earning a medical degree in 1955 from the Creighton University School of Medicine, Dr. Townley has been a pioneer in the study, research and practice of allergy and immunology. His lifelong career goal has been to find a cure for asthma. He has spent the majority of his professional life at Creighton, serving as chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology from 1969 to 2000.

Dr. Townley, professor of medicine and medical microbiology, has been principal investigator or co-investigator on numerous clinical trials and federally funded grants. A prolific writer, he has more than 500 publications to his credit, including abstracts, journal articles, chapters and three co-authored textbooks. Many of his more than 200 abstracts have been presented at national meetings.

He has also frequently volunteered his services in Omaha and third-world countries to medically underserved populations. He regularly has served as a supervising physician at the Magis Clinic, a free medical clinic directed by Creighton medical students for the homeless and needy in Omaha.

Among the awards Dr. Townley has received are the Creighton School of Medicine’s Distinguished Research Career Award and the Department of Medicine’s Ignation Award Citation. Most recently, he received the prestigious 2008 Great Allergist Award from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Nine of Dr. Townley’s children have graduated from Creighton University; several – following in their father’s footsteps – serve in the healthcare professions.

In recognition of his distinguished career and unwavering devotion to the University, his family and the Jesuit credo, Creighton University is proud to bestow upon Dr. Robert G. Townley the Alumni Achievement Citation, this twentieth day of December, two-thousand eight.