Felipe E. Bustillo, III,
’74
Distinguished Alumnus,
2003
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The Park University Alumni Association has named Felipe
E. Bustillo, III, M. D., as the recipient of a 2003 Distinguished
Alumnus Award in recognition of his professional accomplishments and
community service.
Bustillo, a physician specializing in pharmaceutical research,
has established two research companies. He is president and CEO of the Heart of
America Research Institute, and CEO of Harrison Clinical Research USA, located
in Shawnee, Kansas. Both companies perform clinical research in a variety of
fields, including diabetes, allergies, obstetrics, vaccines, cardiovascular,
gastrointestinal, and infectious diseases. Bustillo has conducted more than 300
clinical research studies.
As a research professional and entrepreneur, Bustillo has been
recognized for his expertise. In 2001, Kansas Governor Bill Graves selected
Bustillo to represent Kansas small businesses during a visit with President
George W. Bush. He served five years as trustee of the American Academy of
Pharmaceutical Physicians and one year as its vice president of finance. AAPP is
dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the ethics and professionalism of
pharmaceutical physicians as well as the welfare of their patients.
In addition to his success as a research physician, Bustillo plays a continual role in his community. He
has been the Reach Out chair of the Third Congressional District of the
Republican Party of Kansas, and is active in the Knights of Columbus, VFW,
American Legion, and the Elks.
In his letter nominating Bustillo for this award, friend and
classmate Luigi Lombardi, ’74, recalled knowing when “we were students at Park
University that (Bustillo) was destined for great things.” Lombardi added that
he was “amazed at how well (Bustillo) dedicated and balanced himself with his
studies and found time for assisting others.”
By all definitions of the term, Felipe Bustillo was a
“non-traditional” student. He entered Park as a returning Vietnam Era veteran in
1971, at the age of 24. Bustillo also was an international student. His family
had immigrated to America from Cuba in the early 1960s. Even so, he chose to
support his adopted country in its military endeavors before starting his
college education.
In spite of personal challenges, Bustillo earned academic
honors. At the same time he was active in Park’s chapter of Alpha Phi Omega and
the Saber and Quill Society, an organization for veterans and active duty
personnel that was dedicated to assisting members and others with the challenges of adjusting to civilian life during
the anti-war turmoil of the early 1970s. Lombardi, also a veteran, attributes
Bustillo’s ability to “build a bridge over this difficult period” as one of the
major reasons members were able to get on with their lives.
Today Bustillo balances his professional and community
activities with his dedication to family and friends. He and wife, Stacey, have
three sons, ages 19, 17 and 13.
Lombardi summarized his nomination of Bustillo, “He’s a credit
to his family, community, medical practice and his country. I share Park
University’s pride in him. I guess I’m just plain proud of my friend."
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At awards banquet with
President Byers-Pevitts
as a student at Park |
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