By Maureen Gilmer, IU Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
Five years ago, Dr. Veda Ackerman left Riley Hospital for Children after a long and distinguished career in pediatric critical care and pulmonology. She retired to Florida with her husband just months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
It was good timing, the 70-year-old physician says now, but leaving was not easy. “Riley will always have a place in my heart,” she said during her first trip back to the hospital since 2019.
She has a place in the hearts of her former peers and students on the PICU as well (including Drs. Lee Murphy and Matt Yuknis, Dr. Riad Lutfi, nurse practitioner Angela Finley and nurse Ronin St. James), evidenced by the many hugs and greetings she received during a tour of the unit last week.
Dr. Ackerman, who is described as “a legend” by Dr. Mara Nitu, former colleague on the PICU and now chief medical officer for Riley, was well-known for her fiery red hair and red glasses back then. That look might have changed, but her passion for pediatric care remains. During last week’s visit, she presented a lunch/lecture to new fellows on the PICU, something she continues to do around the country, even in retirement, keeping her finger on the pulse of medicine.
She did her residency and fellowships at Riley, becoming board-certified in pediatric pulmonary and pediatric critical care medicine. She remained at Riley for her entire 35-plus-year career, establishing the home vent program and serving as a mentor to many.
“I learned a lot from her,” Dr. Lutfi said. “A lot of things we do at Riley are Veda Ackerman’s legacy. She was a great colleague and mentor, and a great example of a physician who has no ego.”
Acknowledging how sweet it was to return to the unit, Dr. Ackerman said, “The PICU is a family. When you deal with life and death all day, those people around you are family.”
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