26 May Distinguished Alum and Outstanding Young Alum Awards 2025
Woodstock School is proud to announce the recipients of the Distinguished Alum Award 2025 and the Outstanding Young Alum Award 2025 – Dr John Whitcomb’ 69 and Dechen Roder ’98
This year, the Distinguished Alum Award is presented to Dr John Whitcomb ’69, a pioneering physician whose work has helped transform the clinical understanding of plasmalogens, a crucial class of lipids essential for cellular and brain health. Across his decades-long medical career, Dr Whitcomb has worked at the intersection of emergency medicine, nutrition, functional medicine, and brain wellness, bringing complex scientific discoveries into practical clinical care. He is also the author of Fix Your Broken Brain and has spent many years educating readers through his weekly newsletter, News in Nutrition.
Dr John Whitcomb ’69, Distinguished Alum 2025
Dr Whitcomb’s connection to Woodstock spans generations. Both of his parents attended Woodstock from Grades 1 to 12, and his daughter also studied here for her Grade 10 year. His family’s ties to India are equally deep, including his maternal grandfather, Professor Mason Vaugh, who is widely regarded as the Father of Agricultural Engineering in India. Dr Whitcomb credits Woodstock with instilling the academic discipline and intellectual curiosity that have informed his life’s work.
Woodstock School is honoured to recognise Dr John Whitcomb '69 as the Distinguished Alum Awardee for 2025 and Dechen Roder '98 as the Outstanding Young Alum Awardee for 2025.
The Outstanding Young Alum Award 2025 is presented to Dechen Roder ’98, one of Bhutan’s pioneering filmmakers and among the few female filmmakers from the Kingdom of Bhutan to gain international recognition. Through her vision, courage, and commitment to craft, Dechen has helped place Bhutanese cinema on the global map. Her short films and documentaries have been broadcast on Bhutanese national television, and in 2009 she founded Dakinny Productions to promote Bhutanese cinema locally and internationally.
Dechen Roder ’98, Outstanding Young Alum 2025
Dechen’s films have travelled widely across international festivals. Her debut feature, Honeygiver Among the Dogs, premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and the Berlinale, while her second feature, I, the Song, premiered at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where she won Best Director. The film went on to receive several major recognitions and was submitted as Bhutan’s official entry for the 98th Academy Awards. Beyond her work as a writer-director, Dechen is also a producer, visual editor, and co-founder of Beskop Tshechu, Bhutan’s first film festival. Through her artistry and leadership, she continues to nurture storytelling and cinematic culture in her homeland, while creating pathways for future generations of filmmakers.
Both Dr John Whitcomb and Dechen Roder reflect the breadth, depth, and spirit of the Woodstock alumni community. Their work, in very different fields, represents curiosity, courage, service, and a commitment to improving the world through knowledge, creativity, and meaningful action.
Woodstock School is honoured to recognise Dr John Whitcomb ’69 as the Distinguished Alum Awardee for 2025 and Dechen Roder ’98 as the Outstanding Young Alum Awardee for 2025.
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