Radiologist dies from fall while hiking at Wisconsin state park

Members of the radiology community are mourning the loss of 42-year-old physician Jason Gillum, MD, who died from an accidental fall in Wisconsin.

Gillum of Fort Wayne, Ind., was hiking with another individual at Devil’s Lake State Park bluff when the two became separated. The person reported him missing the afternoon of Aug. 15, and a hiking group found him deceased that evening, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities determined that Gillum’s death was due to a 49-foot fall along the West Bluff, near the north shore of the park, just south of the city of Baraboo, Wis. No foul play is suspected, according to an Aug. 17 news announcement from the WDNR.

Gillum specialized in nuclear medicine and practiced with Fort Wayne Radiology in Indiana and the Parkview Health system, serving as medical director for the former’s PET fusion business. Fort Wayne Radiology CEO Brandon Koenig remember him as a “great physician, business partner and leader.”

“His passion for his profession was only matched by his kindness and caring nature,” he said in a statement shared with local news media. “This is a significant loss for both our practice and the community. Our deepest sympathies go out to his wife and family at this time.”

Marty Stempniak

Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic. 

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