With sickness affecting much of the Andover community, Campus Physician Dr. Richard Keller takes care of ill students and finds time to write for medical journals. Dr. Keller is also well-known in the medical world and recently had an article about adolescents and eating disorders published in the January 2003 issue of the medical magazine Pediatrics. He is also currently gathering materials together to write a book on the art of practicing adolescent medicine. Dr. Keller’s passion for the school and for its students extends far beyond Isham. He is an academic advisor and teaches health programs, including Life Issues, Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FLC) week, and AIDS Awareness. Dr. Keller attended Yale University for his undergraduate degree. He then attended medical school at New York University, and he returned to Yale to complete his residency in pediatrics, following his graduation. To complete his medical education, Dr. Keller then worked on staff at the Harvard Children’s Hospital and taught a pediatrics course there. Before joining the Isham medical staff, Dr. Keller was in the process of researching the prevention of childhood diabetes. After finishing his work at Harvard, Dr. Keller joined the Isham medical staff in 1992. Although he has devoted the last decade of his career to helping the sick, Dr. Keller still remains enthusiastic about his job, stating, “I can’t think of a more rewarding career than a one in medicine where you devote your life to relieving human pain and suffering…the wonderful students and my terrific staff at Isham make my work much easier and more enjoyable.” Dr. Keller explained his philosophy about medicine, stating, “[I try to] practice medicine with a sense of humor. It makes patients feel comfortable and reveals the human side of medicine.” He added, “[Andover] a great place to practice medicine in today’s era in physicians satisfaction. It’s great being in an academic center where I can practice medicine in the broadest sense of the word, by looking after students’ health and welfare.” In his spare time, Dr. Keller enjoys an array of leisure activities, including tennis, ping-pong, croquet, bowling, and pool. Claiming to have some Hollywood connections, Dr. Keller confessed his childhood dream of playing a physician on a television show. He stated, “When I was ten years old I had two ambitions. I was going to be a doctor or another Willie Mays, and baseball was my first choice. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hit a fastball.” Dr. Keller emphasizes that the most important medical messages for teenagers to follow are to never use tobacco and to never ride in a car with a drunk driver. He also encourages adolescents to always wear a seat belt, to postpone having sexual intercourse until they are older, and to remember to use a condom.
