Keeley Family Continues to Grow Emergency Medicine

The Keeley family of Western Springs, Illinois, has a special relationship with Loyola Medicine, spanning three generations and beginning with patriarch John L. Keeley, MD. Dr. Keeley was a Loyola cardiac surgeon and Chair of the Department of Surgery from 1958 to 1969. In 1976, he won the Stritch Medal, the highest honor bestowed on a Stritch graduate or faculty member. Dr. Keeley was a teacher at heart, who at the end of his career worked in the emergency department helping train residents, before retiring at the age of 78. 

Dr. Keeley’s son, John L. Keeley, Jr., a prominent Chicago investment manager, became involved with Loyola through his service on the Board of Trustees, during which time the Keeley Family Foundation made a lead gift to fund the renovation and naming of the John L. Keeley, MD Emergency Department. Kevin M. Keeley, grandson of Dr. Keeley, has led the Keeley Family Foundation’s recent investments including helping seed Loyola’s Emergency Medicine Residency program in 2019, establishing the Barbara G. & John L. Keeley, Jr. Center for Emergency Medicine Education in 2021, and funded an Executive Director position for the Keeley Center.

The Barbara G. & John L. Keeley, Jr. Center for Emergency Medicine Education enhances Loyola's training of the next generation by providing unique co-curricular educational opportunities for emergency medicine residents. Initiatives to date have included the Keeley Cup, an educational competition for Chicago area residency programs; a partnership with Boy Scouts of America, helping create a pipeline to career pathways in medicine; and community outreach through Loyola Street Medicine. 

A 2024 gift from the Keeley Family Foundation underwrites an Executive Director of the Keeley Center, a new position which will be held by Mark Cichon, DO, dedicated to leading strategic oversight and fundraising initiatives for the Keeley Center. Dr. Cichon, shared, “The Keeley Center for Emergency Medicine Education broadens the scope of our residency program. Our vision is to produce well-rounded graduates who not only excel in the science of emergency medicine but also become educators, mentors, and community leaders.”

"Kevin and Monique Keeley with Shannon Lovett, Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Shawn Vincent, CEO, Loyola Medicine, and Mark Cichon, DO, former Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine at the 2024 Keeley Cup, an initiative of the Barbara G. & John L. Keeley, Jr. Center for Emergency Medicine Education.

Guided by the principle of "we give today… you give tomorrow," the Keeley Center for Emergency Medicine Education fosters volunteerism and inspires its alumni to remain engaged with Loyola and each other throughout their careers. Loyola Medicine is immensely grateful to the Keeley Family for their unwavering support and dedication to education and service.