Denise M. Harnois '84, a hepatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., specializes in liver disease and liver transplantation.

In June 2010 her patient Gregg Allman, of the Allman Brothers Band and formerly married to Cher, underwent a liver transplant in the Mayo Clinic Florida. According to Harnois, Allman had a form of hepatitis C that could be eradicated by the healthier new liver. "He has a favorable genotype, so he has a good chance of responding to therapy if it is needed in the future," she said.

Harnois was also involved in liver transplants for Phil Lesh (bass guitarist for the Grateful Dead) and Jim Guy Tucker (Clinton's successor as governor of Arkansas).

"Denise was one of my first immuno students at a time when transplant antigens were still rather mysterious," biology Prof. Ralph Sorensen recalled. "I remember spending time trying to help her figure out her term paper on the subject."

Following graduation from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Harnois completed a residency at Thomas Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and a fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Founded in 1832, Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a strong academic tradition. Alumni include Rhodes Scholars, a Nobel laureate, and other distinguished scholars. The college enrolls 2,600 undergraduate students and is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.

Contact: Nikki Rhoads, assistant director of communications, 717.337.6803