Lori Schuh Fortner

Lori Schuh Fortner aka Lori Ann Schuh, MD, FAAN

Remembrance Letter

Born June 7, 1962

Passed Away January 31, 2022

It is with great sadness that the Fortner, Schuh, and Davis families s hare with you the passing of Lori Schuh Fortner, aka, Lori Ann Schuh, MD, FAAN, on January 31, 2022. Although you may not have spoken to her recently, we are sure that you share our sorrow at her departure from this life. Some of you know that the last two years of her life were marked by a series of illnesses. Please know that she passed peacefully, without pain or discomfort, and with her family around her.

Lori spent much of her childhood in Marlton, NJ. She excelled in many things, not the least of which was academics. Some of the highlights of her early years include:

· Playing field hockey in high school

· Being very active in her church starting at a young age

· Participating in two missionary trips, one in Mexico and one in Belize

· Playing piano beautifully

· Taking the annual multi-family vacations to Ocean City, NJ with her cousins, aunts, and uncles. Sleeping on the porch and riding bikes on the Boardwalk were favorites.

· Having “amazing” friends throughout childhood, college, medical school, and residency

· Taking her younger sister Lisa to England and Puerto Rico

Like many of her colleagues, Lori's CV fills numerous pages and cannot be duplicated in this remembrance. The highlights include:

After high school she attended Juniata College, where she earned her BS Chemistry and History. Her undergraduate experience included a year of study abroad at University of Leeds in the UK. After graduation she attended the former UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University, where she received her MD and completed her internship. Lori completed her residency in Neurology at University of Virginia Medical Center and continued her post-graduate training in Clinical Neurophysiology at the University of Michigan Hospital. To support her growing passion for graduate medical education, in 2007 Lori obtained a Medical Education Research Certificate from the AAMC. Until her passing she held medical board certifications from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, including a sub-specialty certification in Epilepsy.

In her career Lori worked as an Epileptologist for the University of Michigan Hospital (1994-1997), Henry Ford Hospital (1997-2013), Spectrum Health Neurosciences (2013-2018), and University of Toledo (2018-2020). Her patients recognized her as both a loving caregiver and a highly capable physician.

While Lori loved treating patients everywhere she served, she found her real passion in graduate medical education (GME).

· Beginning in 2003 at Henry Ford Hospital she served in multiple GME roles, and was the Neurology Program Director from 2003-2013

· In 2013 she joined Spectrum Health Medical Group where she served as both the Designated Institutional Official (DIO) and VP, Academic Affairs. She was the GME leader and part of the Executive team and that oversaw the difficult dissolution of Grand Rapids Medical Education Partners (GRMEP). Starting in 2015 she worked to establish the Spectrum Health/Michigan State University GME partnership that replaced GRMEP.

• In 2018 she joined the University of Toledo GME office as its DIO, where she worked until her passing in 2022

Simultaneous to her GME service, Lori further utilized her skills and knowledge by serving on numerous committees, groups, etc., for these organizations:

· American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

· Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

· United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS)

· National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Lori spent her life caring for others, both personally and professionally. Several colleagues have remarked about her strong sense of fairness, and her willingness to advocate for both people and policies. Her passion for and understanding of graduate medical education was evident to everyone who worked with her. It’s hard to know how many people Lori impacted for good, both directly and through the many doctors whose training she led.

In her personal life Lori was much the same but had a gentleness, humility, and generosity that few are blessed with. She once described herself to another physician as “just a Neurologist”. His reply of “no one is just a Neurologist” is a statement I will never forget, and it typifies the humility she possessed. Things she loved in life include:

• Travel with her husband
• Her mother, father, brother, sister, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law
• Spending time with family and friends
• Beach vacations with her brother and sister and their families in the Outer Banks
• Boogie boarding and ‘running the bases’ (with bling) with nephews and nieces
• Duck Donuts, The Blue Point, and the Paper Canoe
• Donkay Hotay (long since gone but a great memory)
• The annual family ‘crab feast’ / family reunion
• Cooking, especially for special occasions
• Good foods from many places
• All things British, including British crime dramas
• Reading mystery novels (fun fact she always read a mystery’s ending before completing the first 100 pages)
• Her clowder of cats (we have had seven over the course of our life together)
• The family dog Heidi
• Gardening
• Decorating the house for holidays

As her husband, she introduced me to culture and travel, but more importantly she loved me unconditionally. Once after opening a Chinese cookie, she read the fortune “You will meet the love of your life today” . She looked at me and told me “That can’t be true, you’re here already” . I never met anyone who didn't immediately like Lori and want to get to know her. Her kindness and gentleness have set a Christ-like standard few of us can even dream of achieving.

Lori is preceded in death by her mom Barbara Schuh Ritter and her dad Ray Schuh. She is survived by her husband Robert Fortner of Sylvania, OH; brother Gary Schuh and his wife Karen of Oak Hill, VA; sister Lisa Davis and her husband John Davis of Malvern, PA; brother-in-law Kevin Fortner of Hendersonville, TN; mother-in-law Brenda Fortner of Hendersonville, TN; three nieces and seven nephews; and numerous other family members, friends and colleagues that love her dearly.

Friends and family may gather on Saturday, February 19, 2022, beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Walker Funeral Home, 5155 W. Sylvania Avenue, Toledo, OH 43623 (419-841-2422), with a Celebration of Life beginning at 3:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers please send donations to the American Brain Foundation https://www.americanbrainfoundation.org/ .

In remembrance of Lori:

Robert.v.fortner@outlook.com