A life well lived: Alumna shared in group’s Nobel Prize

Karyn Kennealy Chermel, M.D. ’63, who spent much of her life aiding patients in war-torn and impoverished areas of the world, died last December at 64. She passed away in her La Grange, IL, home due to complications from several strokes she suffered a few years ago.

Dr. Chermel’s obituary in the Chicago Tribune stated that as a physician with Doctors Without
Borders, she shared in the aid group’s 1999 Nobel Peace Prize for its work in Bosnia.

The physician’s twin, Sharon Kennealy Carey, told the Tribune: “Her work took her to places where there was no food, no heat, no sanitation. But she loved helping people and she was good at it.”

In addition to her sister, Dr. Chermel is survived by a son, Dan; two daughters, Lisa and Kerry; her mother, Mary, and two grandchildren.