On a global mission to help others

To improve the human condition is a personal mission for Carole Presnick, MD’79. Presnick graduated from the School of Medicine in 1979 and has been in practice as an obstetrician-gynecologist in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for more than three decades. Through her practice she has volunteered, raised funds, provided resources for numerous overseas missions and mentored more than 120 residents.

“I grew up with a strong sense of community and of giving back,” Presnick said. “My work reminds me of why I went into medicine. It renews my soul.”

Presnick’s most recent gift to Creighton University was made in support of the Global Surgery Fellowship. Her gift supports the fellowship’s primary purpose: preventing avoidable surgical deaths in a developing country. Through the fellowship and generosity of donors, lives are being saved and local providers are being trained to aid systemic change, while simultaneously creating a unique surgical education experience for fellows.

“This fellowship is what the world needs,” Presnick said. “I have heard stories of suffering that break my heart. It is critical that we support the quality of medical care around the world and take care of everyone.”

Presnick’s shared values and generous spirit of giving perpetually bind Presnick and her family legacy to the Creighton community. She says remembrance, for her, is important in honoring the enduring foundation of a tight-knit family that predestined her for a purpose-driven life.

“My mother and father were at the center of our extended family,” Presnick said. “Each generation of my family has inspired and influenced the next generation.”

Her parents, Daniel and Frances Pantaleo Presnick, shared their Connecticut neighborhood with a number of Pantaleo family members, including Presnick’s own godfather Carl Pantaleo, MD’43. After graduating from the Creighton School of Medicine in 1943, Pantaleo served as a U.S. Army battalion surgeon. He later co-founded the first outpatient radiology practice in New Haven, Connecticut.

With her gifts, Presnick honors their perseverance and the Pantaleo, Presnick family values of integrity, mutual respect, social justice and concern for others. In 2007, Presnick established the Dr. Carole Presnick and Dr. Carl Pantaleo Endowed Scholarship to assist medical students. She has also included her family scholarship in her estate plans, furthering her impact for future generations of deserving students. For more than 30 years, her philanthropic support of Creighton University has helped transform students into superb health care leaders in advancing medicine, health and well-being.