INSPIRE A NEWGENERATION OF DOCTORS

Be AVolunteer

Pierre M. JeanCharles, M.D. (’04)Family Medicine Resident,Wyckoff HeightsMedical Center, Brooklyn, NY

Being a part of the Alumni ContactNetwork, you will play a vital role

in helping to recruit and assist aspiringdoctors by contacting prospective,admitted and current students toshare your experience at AUC andyour knowledge of the medical field.Hearing your perspective as an AUCgraduate and accomplished medicaldoctor helps encourage potential AUCstudents and motivate current studentsto succeed. Alumni volunteers assistprospective and current AUC studentsby addressing general questions orconcerns and offering their uniqueexperience at AUC through conversationsby phone or e-mail.

Office of Alumni Relations305-446-0600, ext. 1032alumni@aucmed.eduwww.aucmed.edu/alumni/

volunteer-programs.html

To find out more, please contact the Office of Alumni Relationsat 305-446-0600 ext. 1032 or alumni@aucmed.edu

SUMMER/FALL 2008, NUMBER 6

34 IslandNews

6Profiles

16Special Section

4 Campus

12 Publications

14 Honors

30 Class Notes

36 Traces

Courtesy of the Montserrat Tourist Board by David MacGillivray

Courtesy of the Montserrat Tourist Board by Acute Vision

Photo by Geoffrey R. Pankhurst

Time really flies! This year the American University of the Caribbean celebrates

its 30th birthday and AUC Connections— which started only two years ago —

commemorates its sixth publication. With every edition we aim to showcase the

wonderful strides our school and its graduates are making in the world of medicine.

We are always astounded at what we learn every time, and that’s especially true in

the research and preparation for this edition.

We were truly amazed at the number of responses received when we first contacted

alumni for this story. There were so many anecdotes, stories and interesting tidbits making it quite a challenge to include

everything. That’s why the editorial board chose to focus on the two islands it was simply impossible to list everything

that happened in the last 30 years!

One of my favorite parts in producing this magazine was speaking with alumni about their experiences on Montserrat.

The enthusiasm and attention to detail was surprising. At times I found myself imagining what it would be like to look out over

Plymouth and watch the ships sail into port or running down to the store after a 9 o’clock class to make sure I didn’t miss

freshly baked sweet bread.

Those times may be gone, but they are not forgotten. They live in the hearts of everyone who traveled to Montserrat to

realize their dream of becoming a doctor and making some good friends along the way seemed to be a wonderful bonus.

Also profiled in this edition are stories of recent graduates completing residencies and fellowships in competitive fields, namely

ophthalmology and hand surgery, as well as one young physician who is the first official phlebology fellow in the country.

So to all of you graduates who have helped shape AUC and whose careers and continued successes make your alma mater

proud, we thank you, and invite you to celebrate AUC’s 30 years of excellence in medical education.

Sincerely,

D.F. Jones

Director of Alumni Relations

FirstWords

Please

send

your

commentsand

suggestions

toaucconnections@aucmed.edu.

LetterstotheEditorSUMMER/FALL 2008 NUMBER 6

Director of Alumni RelationsD.F. Jones

EditorPaula Distefano

Copy EditorGabrielle Dorsey

Contributing WritersMaria ArroyaveCathy BuffongeAshley St. Pierre

Graphic DesignerMarta A. Oppenheimer

Contributing PhotographersKathryn BehrischRobert HolmesJason JonesGeoffrey R. PankhurstMonserrat Tourist Board

Editorial OfficeAUC ConnectionsOffice of Alumni RelationsMedical Education Administrative Services901 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Ste. 700Coral Gables, FL 33134Phone 305.446.0600, ext. 1032Fax 786.433.0974E-mail aucconnections@aucmed.eduWeb www.aucmed.edu/aucconnections

AUC Board of DirectorsJohn Byrnes, M.D.Robert Chertok, Ph.D.The Rev’d Jeffrey L. Hamblin, M.D. (’92)Ronald Harden, O.B.E.Carol Holden, Ph.D.Richard Kitch, J.D.Frank Marsh, F.R.C.P.Robert Sokol, M.D.

Alumni Association Executive BoardFaith Dillard, M.D. (’01) PresidentTarik Haddad, M.D. (’99) Vice PresidentRizwana Fareeduddin, M.D. (’01) SecretaryRonald Schneider, M.D. (’02) TreasurerPlease send all questions, comments and suggestionsto the address or e-mail listed above. AUC Connectionseditors reserve the right to edit all print submissionsfor length and clarity, and assume no responsibility forunsolicited submissions. Reproduction for publicationwithout written permission is prohibited.Opinions expressed are those of the editorial staff orcontributing writers and do not necessarily represent theofficial positions of Medical Education AdministrativeServices, American University of the Caribbean or theAUC Alumni Association.AUC Connections is printed by Color Express at7990 West 25th Court, Hialeah, FL 33016.If your address or contact information has changedsince you last updated it with AUC, please submityour new information to the address above or onlineat: aucmed.edu/alumni/update-form.html.

“I really enjoyed your last issue. I can’t thank AUC enough.

Keep it up.”

—Ahmad Hakemi, M.D. (’82)

“I would like to congratulate you for producing the fifth

edition of AUC Connections. I thought it was wonderful

and most interesting. So much so that I think a copy

should be sent to every student on St. Maarten, as it will

demonstrate the breadth of possibilities before them and

encourage them.”

— Douglas Model, M.D.

“I greatly enjoyed reading and showing off

the recent AUC Connections to my family

and friends!”

— Neetika Khosla Wu, M.D. (‘01)

“It’s great to look at and to read. I love it!”

— Nino A. Vidic, M.D. (’96)

“I am a 2003 AUC grad and had the

chance to go back to the island this past

March for the first time since graduation.

The school looks great! I also had the

opportunity to meet with Dr. Atchley and

some of the new faculty — it’s good to see

the school doing so well. I am continually

impressed with AUC Connections, it’s

a great way of staying connected to

the school and the alumni — really a

fantastic job!”

— Paul Nanda, M.D. (’03)

Correction: We erroneously spelled Dr. StevenM. Brown’s first name as Stephen in “The RightCombination” (AUC Connections, edition 5).

Campus

Penelope Ann Hansen, Ph.D. is back on campus to teachphysiology during her second appointment as a visiting professor

at AUC. She has previously held visiting professorships at severalprestigious universities in the United States and abroad, such asBrown, Dalhousie and Wayne State Universities, as well as theUniversities of Western Ontario and Calgary. Hansen earned a Ph.D.in physiology from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, inCanada, in 1979. She also holds Bachelor of Science and Master ofScience degrees in chemistry and biochemistry from the University ofAkron, Ohio. She is currently co-leader of Memorial University’sFaculty of Medicine Medical Education Leadership Team, whichleads and coordinates renewal of the M.D. program and the LCMEaccreditation process. Hansen has won numerous teaching awardsand honors, including the American Physiological Society’s Arthur G.Guyton Educator of the Year award in 2008, which recognizesexcellence in classroom teaching and contributions to physiologyeducation at a national or international level. A prolific lecturer andpublished author, Hansen is an asset to any educational institution,and AUC is honored to welcome her back.

Q&A with Penelope Hansen:

AUC: What are your goals for this term?PH: This is my second visit to AUC, andI’m teaching endocrine and reproductivephysiology. My goal for this visit is to find outwhat my students have already learned intheir histology course, and what they will belearning in their pathology and ICM coursesthat relates to endocrine and reproductivephysiology. By doing this, I will be betterable to help them integrate information fromthe other courses with what I am teaching.

AUC: What do you like most about teaching at AUC?PH: I especially enjoy teaching at AUC because I find that the studentshere are very responsive, hard-working, professional and friendly. Theacademic culture values teaching and learning very highly, and myinteraction with my colleagues has been stimulating and completelysatisfying. They have made me feel entirely welcome. The climateand beaches and good food on this island are the icing on the cake,and provide a wonderful contrast to the weather in Newfoundland.

Sanath Sadananda, M.D, D.M., M.B.B.S. joined the faculty inMay as new professor of pharmacology. A member of the AmericanCollege of Clinical Pharmacology, Sadananda earned a medicaldegree at Kasturba Medical College, in Manipal, India, and apost-doctorate in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics from MumbaiUniversity. Sadananda’s teaching experience includes an assistantprofessorship at the department of pharmacology at the Asian Instituteof Medicine Science and Technology, in Malaysia.

Professor Wedding wins prestigious award

Danny Wedding, Ph.D., MPH — AUCprofessor of behavioral medicine — was awardedthe 2008 Ernest R. Hilgard Award. Given out bythe Society for General Psychology (Division 1),the award recognizes outstanding lifetimecontributions to general psychology across specialtyareas. Wedding, who has been a visiting professorat AUC since 2005, is a tenured professor ofpsychiatry at the University of Missouri-ColumbiaSchool of Medicine where he serves as directorof the Missouri Institute of Mental Health, aresearch and policy center serving the mentalhealth community in Missouri. He has taught at East Tennessee State,Marshall and Vanderbilt, and many medical schools use his text,“Behavior and Medicine.” He holds graduate degrees in public healthand English literature, and completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychologyin 1979 at the University of Hawaii. He is currently the editor of APA’sPsycCRITIQUES. Wedding will be offering the Hilgard Lecture in Toronto,in August 2009. As part of his award, he was invited to submit an essayto The General Psychologist, the Division’s magazine.

Deans reverse roles:Schnatz and Kaplan

For many years, AUC has maintained an academicadministrative presence out of Providence Hospital,in Michigan. As of July 2008, Paul Schnatz,M.D., and Bruce Kaplan, D.O., exchangedroles at AUC. Kaplan has assumed academicleadership with the position of Chief Academic

Faculty NewsWelcome to outstanding professors arriving on campus.

Penelope Hansen, Ph.D

Danny Wedding, Ph.D., MPH

Campus

Paul Schnatz, M.D.4 AUC CONNECTIONS

AUC CONNECTIONS 5

Officer while Schnatz oversees the clinical component of the medicaleducation program within the United States.

Schnatz had been AUC’s CAO since being appointed in 2001. Hestarted at AUC in 1990, teaching clinical medical sciences. In 1997,he was appointed associate professor of OB/GYN. Schnatz earnedhis M.D. at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine in 1961 andhis undergraduate degree in biology at Princeton. After an internshipyear at the University Hospital in Seattle, he completed his residencyin OB/GYN at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1966,followed by a fellowship in endocrinology at the Buffalo GeneralHospital. In 1991, he moved to Providence Hospital in Southfield, Mich.,where he continues to serve as director of reproductive endocrinology.In 1994, he was appointed associate program director for the OB/GYNresidency at Providence and in 1995 became program director.

Kaplan was awarded his D.O. degree in 1975 from the College ofOsteopathic Medicine and Surgery in Des Moines, Iowa. He completedhis internal medicine residency at Detroit Osteopathic Hospital, andfellowship in rheumatology and clinical immunology at the DetroitMedical Center/Wayne State University School of Medicine. Kaplanis clinical associate professor of medicine at both Wayne State andMichigan State University School of Osteopathic Medicine. He hasworked with AUC students since 1982, when he was appointed chairof rheumatology at Providence Hospital and became involved withcoordinating all Providence student rotations. He then assumed theposition of executive director of their non-profit education corporation.Since 1995, Kaplan has acted as student coordinator for AUC clinicalclerkships, and in 1998, was appointed clinical dean at AUC. In 1996he was appointed director of the transitional residency program andin 2000 was appointed director of osteopathic medical education atProvidence Hospital and Medical Centers. Currently, he still fills thesepositions and has been elected president of the medical staff.

Salafsky retires

Bernard Salafsky, Ph.D. retired as basic medical sciences deanafter three years with AUC. Salafsky received his doctorate inpharmacology at the University of Washington, Seattle. Prior to comingto AUC, he served as dean of the University of Illinois College ofMedicine at Rockford for 22 years. He has held previous academicappointments at the Universities of Washington, Pennsylvania andBristol, in addition to several years of service with the World HealthOrganization, primarily in Asia.

AUC would like to thank Dr. Salafsky for his many important contributionsduring his tenure including the inception of the new curriculum,

substantial expansion of the faculty body, the integration of AUC into thepublic health affairs of the island and the representation of AUC at manyinternational health meetings. We wish him the best in future endeavors.

Hiroko Yoshida, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular and cell biology,and associate dean of academic affairs, has assumed the position ofinterim dean.

Dean’s List

In recognition of high academic achievement through the basicmedical sciences portion of the curriculum, the American Universityof the Caribbean acknowledges students who have excelled at theend of each semester. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students mustcarry a credit load of at least 15 credits and have earned a semestercumulative average grade of at least 87. q

Congratulations to the students who havemade the January/April 2008 Dean’s List(listed in alphabetical order):

1 Mackenzie Bear2 Kelli Boelens3 Judson Boisvert4 Amir Boutros5 Cheryl-Lynn

Bugailiskis6 Amy Canada7 Paul Charpentier8 Salil Chitnis9 Aalok Dave10 Tara DiMarco11 Andrew Doherty12 Notie Erhahon13 Randy Gelow II14 Brian Goodman15 Matthew Goodwin16 Garland Gudger17 Johanna Hall18 Frank Heinselman19 Jennifer Holden20 Sarah Huffman21 Ann Hughes22 Felicia Humphrey

23 Anil Jagtiani24 Jessica Jarreau25 Susan Jarvis26 Michael Johnson27 Ryan Karasek28 Samara Khalique29 Mustafa Khan30 Patrick Laing31 Mei Wai Lam32 Gregory LaSala33 Scott Legunn34 Quynh Mai35 Andrew Marshall36 Shean Mcknight37 Ricky Mehta38 Yukiko Miura39 Alexander Morf40 Nicholas Morris41 Takunda Mugwisi42 Ann Aurelie

Ngo Tedga43 Kimberly Norris44 Kristin Oates

45 Montu Parekh46 Kelly Parks47 Shaylee Peckens48 Laura Pickett49 Russell Pierce50 Husein Poonawala51 Lauren Portnow52 Jared Radbel53 Zhobin (Ruben)

Ram54 Preethi Ratakonda55 Sheryl Rough56 Heather Shacket57 Kevin Shaw58 Lee Silkman59 Jonathan Staidle60 Dhaval Thakkar61 Nathan Timmer62 Samir Turakhia63 Laura Wake64 Peter Wang65 Jamie Warner66 Boris Yaguda

ProfilesAfter earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from Richard

Stockton College in New Jersey in 1998, Allan J. (“A.J.”) Bogdan,M.D. (’04), faced an interesting crossroads — continue on withmedical school or race for a semi-professional NASCAR team.

Bogdan’s grandfather and mentor was an independent racecar driverand influenced him greatly.

“I always wanted to be a doctor, but I was passionate about racingcars,” said Bogdan, who put his academic pursuits on hold for a yearto get a taste of the racing circuit.

The reality didn’t match up with his boyhood expectations.

“I went to Daytona with a team and saw all the money that was spenton racing,” Bogdan said. “Racing is a very selfish endeavor and thatmade me realize that there was more to life."

So after one year of “soul searching,” working as a tow-truck driver andmechanic and racing semi-pro, Bogdan decided to go to medical school.

“You can always race cars, but you cannot always be a doctor,” he said.

Bogdan applied to several U.S. schools only to gain a spot on severalwaiting lists. Then, after attending an AUC open house meeting inNew York and speaking to several graduates, Bogdan decided toattend medical school at a university he knew little about on an islandhe had never been to.

“It sounded like a good school,” he said. “It sounded like somethingadventurous and something that interested me. I did not want to waitanother year to apply for a U.S. school."

Bogdan began his studies at AUC in 1999, and began one of themost invigorating chapters of his professional career.

“I made a conscious decision that I was not going to fail,” he said. “Istudied 12 or more hours a day, seven days a week.

Although Bogdan began his medical studies at AUC with the intentionof becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon, in his third year he wasexposed to a week of ophthalmology studies that transformed his life.

“When I saw the eye surgeries, they were very delicate and complicatedand it attracted me and interested me in a way that had never beenpiqued before,” he said.

Stephen Beatty, MMSc, a vitreoretina surgeon in Waterford, Ireland,helped Bogdan make his switch to ophthalmology complete. Bogdanworked with Beatty as part of his clinical rotation.

“A lot of times you get interested in a specialty because of ateacher,” Bogdan said. “If it was not for Beatty, I may not haveembraced ophthalmology.”

Together, Bogdan and Beatty wrote two scientific papers, which laterwould improve Bogdan’s chances of getting an ophthalmology residency.The time that Bogdan spent in Ireland coupled with the researchconducted while he was there earned him a recommendation fromthe Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, where he spent two monthsduring his final year of medical school.

He began applying to ophthalmology residency programs before hisgraduation in 2004.

“Everyone said I had no shot as a foreign medical grad and it wasvery intimidating, but I was passionate about getting into ophthalmologyand I couldn’t imagine not doing it,” he said. Ophthalmology is oneof the most competitive and difficult specialties to break into as anAmerican graduate.

To improve the odds, Bogdan performed a pre-residency fellowshipin ocular pathology at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City. During his

6 AUC CONNECTIONS

Dr. A.J. Bodgan enjoys the sun on the St. Maarten campus.

Racing AheadBy Maria Arroyave

Photo by Geoffrey R. Pankhurst

one-year tenure there, Bogdan continued to send outapplications to other schools, often calling universities andforcing them to pull his application out of the garbage.

“I had mentors at Iowa who said, ‘You are a unique candidate,you are a foreign grad and some people will throw yourapplication away. But some places are going to reallyconsider you. You are never going to make everyonehappy, and you can’t worry about those that you don’t.’ ”

One such mentor was Stan Thompson, M.D., professoremeritus of neuro-ophthalmology at the University of Iowa.Bogdan frequently joined Thompson at his home to discuss19th century literature on ophthalmology, and Thompson saidhe instantly recognized him as lively and extremely motivated.

“It’s quite possible that he would not be as motivated as heis if he would have gone the usual path. It made him more

likely to put hard work and quick learning into whichever road hewent,” Thompson said.

Bogdan completed an internship in internal medicine at AtlanticareRegional Medical Center in Atlantic City, N.J., where he was named,Intern of the Year for 2005-2006. All of his diligence paid off. In 2006he was offered an ophthalmology residency position at Case WesternReserve University in Cleveland, which he will complete next year.

Bogdan, 32, said he hopes to either do a fellowship or enter privatepractice. He also looks forward to doing foreign medical missions,helping those who do not have access to top medical care.

Bogdan said he is excited about eventually relocating and spendingmore time with his family in his home state of New Jersey. A bachelor,he said he also wants to get married and start his own family.

Based on all of the obstacles he has overcome and the various directionshis life has taken him. Bogdan seems up for any challenge no matterwhat curveball life throws at him.

“There are people that might not think highly of your background, butU.S. grads don’t have to deal with hurricanes, the challenges of livingoutside their country or the challenges of living on an island. I think AUCgraduates are much stronger and much more dedicated.”

For this and several other reasons, Bogdan would not take back theexperience of attending AUC even if he could. Because of the school’sinternational student body and the cosmopolitan population of St.Maarten, Bogdan said he has friends on almost every continent. Healso has made lifelong relationships with top medical professionals inhis field and is currently geared up for all of the success his future holds.

“He is just a bright, personable and interesting young man who attackswhatever he is doing,” Thompson said.

For current or prospective AUC students who face the naysayers each day,Bogdan has this advice:

“My main thing is don’t believe the rumors that you might not get clinicalrotations or there aren’t enough seats,” he said. “Secondly, study. Get thehighest board scores that you can, review the books and be dedicated.Those scores will separate you from the rest of the pack. If you don’tdo well, it will make things harder. But, don’t give up. You can doanything you want to do if you are willing to work hard and sacrifice.Enjoy your time there. It goes fast and it feels like you are never gettingoff the island, but when you get off, it takes years to get back.” q

Photo by Geoffrey R. Pankhurst AUC CONNECTIONS 7

ProfilesDuring a difficult surgery involving a ruptured abdominal aortic

aneurysm, the patient lost a lot of blood, recalls Seth Judd, athird-year general surgery resident. Judd didn’t think the patient wasgoing to make it. And without the careful guidance and composure ofhis chief resident, Douglas J. McGuirk, M.D. (’01), perhaps the patientwould not have pulled through.

“McGuirk was calm and got the bleeding under control,” Judd recalled.“It was a good teaching opportunity he took to remind me to staycalm and keep my wits about me.”

McGuirk, who is set to complete a hand surgery fellowship in July atthe University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, has learned a lot aboutkeeping his wits and the upper hand in the face of challenge.

It is a lesson he learned quickly when he did not get into a U.S.medical school.

“It was very difficult initially to deal with, but when I talked to somestudents that were going to the Caribbean medical schools, they gaveme a lot of confidence in the system.”

Although he had earned a Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medand psychology at the University of Florida, McGuirk discoveredthat his self-assurance was a bit anemic when he enrolled at AUC inSeptember 1996.

“It was hard to get over the mystery behind the Caribbean system,”said McGuirk. “But they gave me a lot of confidence. They provedthemselves at each level, and I became a stronger person at the end.”

“I have experienced a whole lot at this early stage in life that I wouldn’thave at a U.S. medical school,” he added. “I think I appreciated thelittle things in life more, and am a better-rounded individual.”

McGuirk, 34, got to see how others who are less fortunate value “thelittle things” that many people take for granted — such as access tocritical health care.

While completing his five-year general surgery residency at Pinnacle-Health Hospitals in Harrisburg, Penn., McGuirk participated in twosurgical missions with the World Surgical Foundation, traveling toHonduras and the Philippines.

He was a third-year resident when he did a one-week stint in SanPedro Sula, Honduras, with a small medical team consisting of apediatric plastic surgeon, an anesthesiologist and a nurse. The groupperformed about 30 procedures, including cleft lip and cleft palate,total ear reconstructions as well as hand procedures and burnprocedures, McGuirk said.

“It was a fascinating time for me as well as a growing experience tosee people in need of medical assistance as well as surgical assistance.These patients were so thankful for the time we gave them and theeffort it took us to go out and help them,” he said. “It’s something wedon’t get much in the United States. It was a great feeling for all of usto see the unselfishness and thankfulness.”

When McGuirk traveled later to the Philippines, during his fifth yearas chief resident, the medical team received a warm welcome.

Lending a HandBy Ashley St. Pierre

Dr. Douglas McGuirk (right) performs a cleft lip repair on a child alongside Dr. DavidLeber, plastic surgeon, during a medical mission in the Philippines.

McGuirk with a patient after the removal of a gangrenous gallbladder in the Philippines.

8 AUC CONNECTIONS

“We took a 13-hour ferryboat to the island of Romblon, which wasvery indigent,” he said. “When we arrived on the boat, a largecrowd greeted us with cheers, drums and native dress, and gave ushandcrafted marble medallions. It gave us the desire to do the goodthat we planned on doing for that time period. It was long days withfew breaks.”

But during the whole time, the patients were stoic, McGuirk remembers.“They didn’t complain about anything. They rarely had pain medication.”

McGuirk plans to participate in more missions, probably one aboutevery three years, he says. And upon completion of his surgeryfellowship, he sees himself establishing a subsurgical specialty practice,possibly academically affiliated — either hand or plastic surgery,said McGuirk, who traces his interest in surgery to childhood.

“I was originally interested in plastic surgery and whenever I lookedaround for other possible professions and specialties, it always cameback to plastic surgery,” he said.

As McGuirk’s desire for surgery grew from an early age, so did hisinterest in a particular specialty. As a high school senior he playedsoccer, tripped and fractured his dominant left thumb. His injury is

referred to as a gamekeeper’s thumb, one of the worst locations ofthe body to injure for an up-and-coming surgeon.

“I had to have hand surgery on my left thumb by a plastic surgeon,and he gave me lots of trust and confidence that he could get meback to 100 percent. It was an eye-opening experience for me,”McGuirk said.

Now others have praise for McGuirk.

“He was a very good surgeon, very dedicated, great to work with inthe operating room. He had a good sense of humor and a greatattitude all the time,” said Milorad Marjanovic, M.D. (’05), a formercolleague at PinnacleHealth and fellow AUC graduate.

“He’s very thorough,” added Judd. “As a doctor he was an excellentteacher, and he was always an advocate for the patient.”

It’s a quality his wife of eight years also appreciates.

“It’s rewarding to know I have somebody to take care of and helpothers,” said Sherrie Ann McGuirk, an elementary school teacher,who is currently a stay-at-home mom. The couple have a 2-year-oldchild and are expecting another in early October. q

McGuirk (right) performs a cleft lip repair on a Honduran child with Leber. McGuirk performs a preoperative screening of a goiter patient in the Philippines.

McGuirk at a park in Minnesota.

McGuirk, wife Sherrie and daughter Kylee.

AUC CONNECTIONS 9

ProfilesThe abbreviations after his name are hard to fit in one line —

M.D., J.D., M.B.A., B.Sc., M.H.A, F.C.C.P., F.C.C.M., F.C.L.M.A.— but James E. Szalados, a 1986 AUC graduate, can be bestdescribed with one word: determination. A practicing anesthesiologist,administrator, lawyer and author, he finds the time to do it all and todo it well.

After receiving his degree from AUC, he completed his residency inanesthesiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where hewas named chief resident, and his fellowship in critical care medicineat the same institution. Szalados went on to pursue an M.B.A. andM.H.A. at Pfeiffer University, in Charlotte, N.C., and a law degree atState University of New York in Buffalo. He is fully licensed as a physicianin North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida and New York and is admittedto the bar in New York, where he resides.

Szalados talks to AUC about his very interesting career.

AUC: What led you to pursue medicine and a business degree?Szalados: I love what I do. When I became a physician, it wasimperative that I become the best physician possible. With clinical andacademic advancement, it became obvious to me that physicians mustbecome involved in directing the practice of medicine rather thanbecoming so clinically focused as to abdicate the management of theirpractices to others. Therefore, it was a natural progression for me toobtain an M.B.A. and then actively participate in the direction andmanagement of programs, divisions, departments and now hospitals.Physicians must defend the clinical practice of medicine by insisting onhaving a place at the negotiating table.

Optimally, medical education should focus early on the realities ofmedical practice including not only patient care but also practicemanagement and the intricacies of the legal environment. Obviously,not all physicians will have the opportunity or the need to also formallybe trained in administration and law, but nonetheless, it will have abetter ability to interact with administrators and lawyers when necessary.

AUC: What about your law degree?Szalados: It became obvious to me that many of the challenges thatthe practice of medicine faces today are imposed upon physicians bystate and federal legislation, regulations and laws. There is no elementof medical practice which is unaffected by law — contracts, malpractice,licensure, peer-review and credentialing, reimbursement, and publicpolicy and health, to name just a few. It has always puzzled me thatphysicians, among the most intelligent and educated members of

society, are forced to practiceunder rules and regulationsdeveloped by those who haveno understanding of either theart and science of medicineor the special nature of the physician-patient relationship. What canbe more credible, or for that matter, indispensable, at a contractnegotiation, a peer review or risk management conference, adeposition or trial, or public policy development forum than anestablished and credible clinician-administrator-attorney who cansimultaneously invoke arguments regarding bedside patient care,fluently discuss administrative concerns and also provide a coherentlegal analysis or argument?

AUC: So you practice both law and medicine?Szalados: Presently, as part of my clinical commitments, I practiceboth anesthesiology and critical care medicine. As part of myadministrative responsibility, I am VP of medical affairs and ChiefMedical Officer. I also maintain an active legal practice concentratingin health law. Health law is a hybrid discipline of business law, regulatorylaw, contract law and civil litigation. None of this could be possiblewithout careful time management, efficiency and commitment.

AUC: How do you manage your time between these twodemanding careers?Szalados: The idea is that although there is a strict compartmentalizationof confidentialities, a great deal can be accomplished by multi-taskingthroughout the course of the day. Most of us are trained to concentrateon one thing at a time and enjoy “down time” between tasks, [whichis] grossly inefficient and prevents us from accomplishing what we couldand should in the course of the day. I fill up my down time instead ofworking longer. Work hard when there is work to do and then writeyour own ticket for the rest of the way.

AUC: How do you enjoy your free time?Szalados: I realized in medical school that there is a big distinctionbetween living to work and working to live. As much as I love what I doand as much as I am committed to positively influencing the lives ofmy patients, my medical community and the future of medicine as awhole, I know that I cannot be good at what I do unless I have takenthe time for recreation. I have a passion for the outdoors and enjoyhiking, kayaking and bicycle riding; I love to travel and enjoy newexperiences; and I love to relax and read a good book. Spending timewith friends and family is as important to me as anything else that I do.It is all about balance.

10 AUC CONNECTIONS

An interviewwith James Szalados

AUC CONNECTIONS 11

AUC: How do your careers relate to each other?Szalados: Law, administration and medicine necessarily complementeach other. Indeed, private practitioners who manage their own medicalpractices realize that seeing patients, managing the practice andconforming to the legal requirements associated with employment,provider contracts and documentation. Similarly, those who practicein academic environment or as employed medical staff necessarilyare part of the intersection of these three disciplines.

Take for example some of the most publicized issues facing the practiceof medicine today: medical malpractice, pay-for-performance, evolvingpractice guidelines and standards of care, managed-care and theuninsured, information-technology, clinical research and ethics at theend of life. It is clear that a unilateral perspective in any of these areasresults in a skewed and dysfunctional future.

AUC: How does your physician perspective help in your law practice?Szalados: When I represent a physician, I see a colleague in anunfamiliar world. I can see the constraints imposed by the state ofmedical knowledge and science at the time, the lack of complete clinicalinformation in the context of care, the difficulties of finding thenecessary support in the over-worked health care environment, andthe issues presented by complex patients. Rarely is the issue one of“not caring” or “failing to do the right thing” — and more often it is awell trained and caring practitioner doing his or her best in an imperfectworld. That is the perspective of a physician — the challenge is topaint the picture in words the judge and jury can understand.

AUC: Which career do you derive the most pleasure from?Szalados: The challenges and rewards of medicine cannot compare,in my opinion, with any other vocation or profession. Medicine is,without a doubt, the noblest of all professions. I have seen this to be true,I know this to be true, and it is my honor and privilege to be a physician.Therefore, it is still my medical school training and experiences whichhave had the most impact on the person I am and what I perceive mymission in life to be.

AUC: How did AUC play a part in the type of professionalyou became?Szalados: I would like to thank the faculty and staff of AUC for allthat they have given me. Certainly, studying medicine at AUC wasthe opportunity of a lifetime, and I believe that in my present roles,I reflect well upon my teachers and mentors. My acceptance to AUCwas the catalyst which allowed me to realize my dream of becominga physician; thus, I look back on the very finest medical educationI received at AUC with great gratitude. I also look back at the yearswhich I spent on Montserrat with fondness since they will always bepart of my formative years and I know that they helped develop mycharacter and my spirit — I know that a part of me will forever belinked to the Emerald Island of the Caribbean. I would like to reachout to all the friends with whom I shared many of the “best of times”on the island and tell them that they will be in my heart forever.

James Szalados would love to hear from classmates and can bereached at jszalados@aol.com q

PublicationsMichael Harbut, M.D. (’84) recently published “soluble mesothelin-related peptide level elevation inmesothelioma serum and pleural effusions — a study of the value of a soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP)blood assay in the early detection of mesothelioma.” Harbut and his team were able to conclude that SMRPproves to be a promising marker for mesothelioma. Harbut is currently co-director of the National Center forVermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Royal Oak, Mich.

Robert J. March, M.D. (’84), a hematologist/oncologist in private practice in Rockland County, N.Y., waspublished twice recently, with “a phase 2 study of XL999 in patients with NSCLC,” in the American Society ofClinical Oncology; and “integrated report of the phase 2 experience with XL 999 administered IV to patients withnon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), renal cell cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, recurrent ovarian cancer, acutemyelogenous leukemia and multiple myeloma.”

Anil Patel, M.D. (’98) is publishing his fourth book, “Lange Instant Access: EKGs and Common CardiacStudies.” It will be released in October 2008.

Faith Dillard, M.D. (’99) recently co-authored a chapter entitled, “medical implications and planning for riotsand mass gatherings” for the textbook “Tactical Emergency Medicine,” which covers a host of topics neededfor the medical support of law enforcement special operations. Dillard’s chapter details the science of largecrowds in the context of venue, weather and event types, and helps calculate medical usage rates.

Rainier Guiang, M.D. (’99) co-wrote a textbook chapter on acute pain management that was published in thelatest version of “Weiner’s Pain Management, a Practical Guide for Clinicians” while he was a faculty member inthe anesthesia and pain management department at the Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio. Heis currently in private practice in Riverside, Calif., practicing both anesthesia and pain management.

Vibhuti Ansar, M.D. (’01), a family practicioner, has written two chapters for an upcoming book called“Essential Evidence Plus” and submitted a photo quiz of “Guttate psoriasis” that has been accepted by PostgraduateMedicine. In September she will be presenting at a national conference for the Society of Teachers of FamilyMedicine on the pitfalls of starting diabetic group visits in Savannah, Ga.

Rick Watkins, M.D. (’01) has published two articles this year, one entitled “ventriculoperitoneal shuntinfection caused by actinomyces neuii subsp. neuii” in the May 2008 issue of Journal of Clinical Microbiology.The other has been accepted for publication in Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice entitled “AIDS patient withfalse-positive cerebrospinal fluid VDRL, blindness, and neurosensory deafness from varicella zoster virus.” Watkinsis currently in private practice in infectious diseases at Akron General Medical Center and is an assistant professorat Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in Rootstown, Ohio. He was married to Tracy Lemonovich,M.D., on April 26. Lemonovich is finishing her fellowship training in infectious diseases at the University ofPennsylvania and will be working at University Hospital in Cleveland.

Neetika Khosla Wu, M.D. (’01), family physician at Kaiser Permanente in Orange County, Calif., publishedher paper, “frontal lobe metabolic decreases with sleep deprivation not totally reversed by sleep recovery,” in2006. Wu’s research interests include PET scan studies of neuropsychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia, Parkinson’sdisease and depression.

Paul Nanda, M.D. (’03) has published the article, “c-reactive protein: a research roundup” in the journalEmergency Medicine. In it, Nanda explores the uses of the c-reactive protein (CRP) and provides physicians withthe information necessary to determine how to integrate it into their everyday clinical practice. Nanda is aclinical assistant professor of family medicine at Ohio State University.

12 AUC CONNECTIONS

Michael Harbut, M.D.

Faith Dillard, M.D.

Neetika Khosla Wu, M.D.

Paul Nanda, M.D.

Steven D. Jackson, M.D.

AUC CONNECTIONS 13

Frederick B. Doerfler Jr., M.D. (’82) was awarded the DiabetesPhysician Recognition Program for providing quality care to his patientswith diabetes granted by the National Committee for Quality Assuranceand the American Diabetes Association. The recognition is valid forthree years and to get it, Doerfler had to submit data that demonstratedhis performance met the program’s vital diabetes care measures, suchas blood pressure tests, eye exams and patient satisfaction.

Howard Webb, M.D. (’82) received the Doctor of the Year awardat the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center in recognition of his efforts tokeep the outpatient clinic last year, which allows open access to healthcare for returning Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation EnduringFreedom veterans so that their health care needs can be addressed ator near their hometowns.

Ogubuike Emejuru, M.D. (’83) is a Physicians for Peace volunteerand was honored by President George W. Bush this past April for hismedical missions in Nigeria at a ceremony at the White House markingthe beginning of National Volunteer Week. Emejuru, a professor ofclinical pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School, has participatedon several missions to his homeland of Nigeria in order to servethe underprivileged.

The Rev’d Jeffrey L. Hamblin, M.D. (‘92) was awarded theAttending Physician of the Year for Kings County Hospital, in Brooklyn,N.Y., in April. He was also elected to The Group for the Advancementof Psychiatry. Hamblin is secretary of the AUC Board of Directors andpreviously served as chairman.

Amy M. Corcoran, M.D. (’03) was awarded a GeriatricAcademic Career Award (GACA), a three-year grant to support juniorfaculty, from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).Her focus is on teaching interdisciplinary teams and improving careof older adults at the end-of-life, especially those who live in nursinghome communities. Corcoran is currently a clinical instructor in theDivision of Geriatrics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Steven D. Jackson, M.D. (’06) is currently a postdoctoralresearch fellow at the tissue engineering branch of the orthopedicresearch laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Jacksonwas awarded an NIH grant to study injectable osteoinductivebiodegradable composites for the purpose of bone engineering. q

Charles Talakkottur, M.D. (’04) has been listed as a photo contributor for “Images of Memorable Cases: 50 Years at the Bedside”, authoredby Herbert L. Fred, M.D., and Hendrik A. Van Dijk. Talakkottur is also publishing a picture perfect case in an upcoming Resident and StaffPhysician medical journal for pseudomyxoma peritonnei, known as “jelly belly.”

Melissa Umphlett, M.D. (’05) is the sole author of the review book “Beat the Boards! (I Just Did): The Ultimate Guide to Ace Step 2 of theUSMLE.” She is currently a second year pathology resident at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. She is editing and revising hersecond book, “Love Stinks,” a non-fiction, scientifically-based book geared towards a general audience. Umphlett is co-founder of a group ofinternational physicians known as “The VIDD,” who have their annual meeting every spring in Ibiza, Spain. She plans to continue to write andreturn to New York City, her hometown, for a fellowship.

Evita Singh, M.D. (’06), radiology resident at Providence Hospital, and Roger Gonda, M.D. (‘83), chairman of radiology at Providence,presented a paper on “MRI in breast cancer: surgical implications” to the International College of Surgeons meeting in Reno, Nev., this pastJune. Gonda was inducted as a fellow to the College.

Jawwad Khan, M.D. (’07) is conducting mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) research at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester,N.Y., where he will also complete his residency in emergency medicine. His research project, “proteomic analysis of serum from patients withmild traumatic brain injury reveals differentially expressed proteins associated with subsequent post concussive syndrome,” has been acceptedfor an oral presentation at the annual meeting for the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) in Washington, D.C.

Masood Shariff, M.D. (’07) has been active in research at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, Fla., since graduation. In thepast year, his abstract, “human umbilical cord stem cells decrease myocardial cytokines, inflammatory cells, and infarct size” was published inthe Journal of the American College of Cardiology. In April 2008, his article, “human cord progenitor cells decrease cytokines and inflammatorycells in acute myocardial infarction,” was selected for publication in the journal Stem Cells and Development. q

Grants&Awards

HonorsAt first, future cardiologist Patrick Alexander, M.D. (’04) thought

he might become an engineer.

“I’ve always been interested in the sciences, and I liked the technicalaspect of it,” he explained.

The perceived isolation of the field and lack of personal contact, however,led him — after earning a master’s degree in basic medical sciencesat Wayne State — to medicine and to AUC, where he graduated withhonors and in the top 5% of his class.

Alexander is now a cardiology fellow at Providence Hospital, inMichigan, where he also completed an internal medicine residency,continuing to leave a trail of excellence along the way.

He was awarded first place with the poster presentation “left ventricularnon-compaction cardiomyopathy,” at the 2008 Providence HospitalResident Research Day. He was named Resident of the Year in 2007and one of the 2006 recipients of the Tip Top Docs Award, also atProvidence. The award recognizes overall contributions and commitmentto the hospital as well as excellence in patient care. Alexander is alsovery active in research and resident teaching.

Despite his love for cardiology, the decision to specialize was not hisoriginal one.

“I thought maybe I’d be a pediatrician, I’ve always liked kids,” he said.“But when I was in my master’s, I really took an interest in cardiology.I did my thesis around basically heart function.”

It was a decision the young doctor says “he never looked back” on.

“Cardiology is a field of medicine where you get to kind of pull oneverything you learned and apply it to the patient,” he said. “I’m a littlebit biased, but the heart is kind of like the center of the person, you getto concentrate on the whole person. It is also a rewarding field, with alot of new technology and new advancement.”

Some of these advancements, explained Alexander, include stentingand valve repair.

Choosing Providence for his post-graduate medical training was aneasy decision, he explained. Alexander was raised in Michigan, andborn in Providence Hospital! Coincidentally, during clinical rotations inOB/GYN, he actually got the chance to work on cases with the sameobstetrician who had delivered him.

“Providence is a great teaching institution, very active in education andthe whole cardiology program is excellent,” he explained.

In fact, Providence has been a steady choice for many AUCgraduates. Some of Alexander’s mentors there, such as JamalZarghami, M.D. (’96) and Shukri David, M.D. (’83), chief ofcardiology, are fellow graduates. Anjani Rao, M.D. (’03), PeterBurke, M.D. (’04), Nenad Serafimoski, M.D. (’02) and HamidGhanbari, M.D. (’04), are also completing their cardiologyfellowships at the institution.

Alexander said he plans on pursuing an extra year of interventionalcardiology after he finishes the fellowship, which would includestenting and angioplasty. After that, he would like to go intoprivate practice, either solo or with a group.

As for life balance, the accomplished and hard-working doctorand married father of three, believes you can do it all.

“It takes a lot of commitment and you really need to budget yourtime,” said Alexander. “I still get to the gym three to four times aweek, work everyday and spend time with my wife. It’s not hard,you need to balance your life and be focused,”

He has nothing but praise for the medical education he receivedin St. Maarten.

“We have great graduates of AUC, and not surprisingly, a lot ofthe students and classmates of mine have gone on to be chiefresidents,” he explained. “AUC students are not getting out andcruising through medical school, they are coming out as leadersof their programs and that is a great accomplishment.” q

Heart MattersBy Paula Distefano

14 AUC CONNECTIONS

Dr. Patrick Alexander is currently completing a fellowship in cardiology at ProvidenceHospital in Southfield, Mich.

AUC CONNECTIONS 15

Nisha Bunke, M.D. (’04) was first introduced to her future medicalspecialty — phlebology — as a medical student, during her

third-year clinical rotations in the United Kingdom.

Her interest was immediately sparked.

So much so, that after completing her residency in family medicine atDeaconess Hospital, in Evansville, Ind., she became the first officialphlebology fellow in the United States.

The specialty, relatively new in the United States, has been recognizedand practiced in Europe for many years.

The first-ever one-year program is being offered through the Universityof California in San Diego’s surgery department. Bunke applied tothe program independently through the university. Other programs,says Bunke, will eventually follow.

“As phlebology is becoming a specialized field, it requires specializedtraining. Venous disease is a common condition and some peoplerequire specialized care and the treatments are virtually non-invasive.As a result of this need for specialists in this field, the first academicphlebology fellowship was initiated by Dr. John Bergan, a worldrenowned vascular surgeon and also one of the pioneers in phlebology,”said Bunke.

As part of the fellowship, Bunke is working on several research projects,publications and presentations at conferences with Bergan, somethingshe feels “very lucky” to be doing.

Board certification for the new specialty was only offered for the firsttime last year, but there are hundreds of practicing phlebologists, saidBunke. They come from a variety of backgrounds like vascular surgery,interventional radiology and more recently, as the procedures havebecome less invasive, internists and family medicine physicians.

“If any primary care [specialist] decides to do the academic aspectof it, they can apply to this fellowship, as it does involve a lot ofresearch,” explained Bunke. “It’s sort of like a vascular medicinefellowship for non-surgeons.”

Bunke said that now is an exciting time for the field. For the past tenyears, surgery has been replaced by less invasive procedures andgreat strides have been made in research. Some of the non-invasiveprocedures that the doctor is learning during her fellowship includesclerotherapy, radiofrequency and laser ablation of the veins andwound care.

The California physician said she plans to continue to do researchpart time as well as going into a vein-related conditions privatepractice and working with the University after she finishes thefellowship. She will take her family medicine board exam thissummer and the phlebology boards in the upcoming year.

About her days in St. Maarten, the young doctor has good memories.

“I loved my experience in St. Maarten,” she said. “When peopleask me how I was able to get any studying done, I tell them Istudied as much as anyone in an American medical school, butwe had a better view from the library.” q

Coming in FirstBy Paula Distefano

Honors

“If any primary care[specialist] decidesto do the academicaspect of it, they canapply to thisfellowship, as it

does involve alot of research.”

Dr. Nisha Burke is the first official phlebology fellow in the United States. Theone-year program is offered through the University of California in San Diego’ssurgery department.

By D.F. Jones and Paula Distefano

Two Islands – One School

In August 1978, the American University of the Caribbean Schoolof Medicine innaugurated its charter class.

Today, 30 years later, AUC occupies a state-of-the-art campus on thebeautiful island of St. Maarten, having graduated over 4,000 doctorswho are practicing in the most diverse specialties in all 50 states aswell as Canada and abroad.

During these past three decades, the school has celebrated numerousmilestones. AUC is a fully-accredited institution of higher education whichis recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and all 50 states.

AUC has doubled its basic medical sciences faculty, considerablyincreased its core clerkship numbers, and its most recently admitted classeshave had the highest MCAT and GPA scores in the history of AUC.

The campus has evolved with the times, offering students modernlecture halls with audio-visual technology, research and anatomicaldissection laboratories, clinical examination rooms and an extensivelibrary with a complete computer center.

AUC’s alumni are matching in top-notch residencyprograms across the country, and what is more,

becoming chief residents and leaders in their programs and beyond.The quality of a medical school can be measured in great part by itsalumni. So we thank all of you who, throughout these past 30 years,have helped shape AUC into the great school it has become.

In the next few pages, we are going to remember AUC’s presenceon the two islands through our alumni’s memories and impressions oftheir time in medical school. Not a chronological timeline replete withfacts, dates and figures, this story will be told through the prism ofcollective memories, shared experiences and memorable anecdotes.Enjoy the ride!

The Beginning

For many graduates, faculty and staff, the island of Montserrat holdsa special place deep in their hearts.

The cozy British territory nestled in the Leeward Islands was the school’shome in the early years and laid the foundation for future doctors toearn a medical degree for more than three decades. Whether it’scalled “the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean” or “The Rock,” the islandhad a profound effect on all those who lived and studied there.

Although only 10 miles long and seven miles wide, Montserratembodied a unique character all its own. Students were exposed to avariety of local foods and customs — an additional learning experiencefrom their medical courses.

Goat stew, Montserrat’s national dish, and roti, also known asCaribbean burritos, became an accepted part of their diet. Localsserved up sweet bread and fried chicken from stores, makeshift standsright from their yard, or on the side of the roads.

Students also learned the English sport of cricket,while in turn teaching their Montserratiancounterparts another bat-and-ball sport —

softball. Those cross-cultural exchanges formed an unparalleled bondwith the island; it was rustic and undiluted, providing a sense ofcommunity thousands of miles from home.

That’s not to say, however, that attending medical school onan isolated island and foreign country didn’t pose challenges.For instance, fresh milk and air conditioning were hard tofind. Sometimes exams had to be taken by candlelightand every couple of weeks when the wind would diedown, a swarm of little black insects would infiltrate thecampus — an event known as “Bug Night.”

From left to right: Drs. Robert Chertok, Eugene Arnold and Duncan Munrocelebrate commencement with new graduate Dr. Kim Karschner on Montserrat.

Photo submitted by Robert and Dottie Chertok

Faculty and students regularly played a variety of sportstogether like basketball, golf and softball and wouldorganize tournaments on Montserrat.

Photo submitted by Robert and Dottie Chertok16 AUC CONNECTIONS

Few students had cars as well, so getting around required walking,hitching a ride with a classmate or hailing a cab.

Despite the absence of a few stateside creature comforts, most not onlyembraced the challenges, but also thrived in them. Securing a hotplate could add a little variety to one’s daily diet and ceiling fans keptstudents cool for the most part. Moreover, the right connections couldeven get a piping hot pizza delivered — courtesy of an undergroundbusiness operation that was passed down from student to student.

Island ingenuity aside, the most important things for someone attendingAUC on Montserrat were learning and studying. Students’ diligenceand passion combined with the guiding hands of dedicated facultylike Drs. Robert Chertok, Dale Van Wormer, Anthony Glaser andDuncan Munro helped prepare them for the world of medicine.

The AUC campus on Montserrat included a guard station, anadministrative building, classrooms, a student activities center, dormsand a cafeteria. Often students would eat and study at one of thethree open-air hexagon-shaped structures that served as the diningarea. Chicken and rice seemed to be a reoccurring theme.

Situated atop a hill overlooking the capital city of Plymouth and thedocks — the only port of entry into Montserrat at the time — studentscould gaze out over the turquoise water and watch ships make theirapproach. Sometimes one of the large three-mast sailing vesselswould show up on the horizon, which was a beautiful sight to see.

Two rows of dormitories were adjacent to the cafeteria. Modest andcozy by American standards, these rooms housed the majority ofstudents on Montserrat. A typical room included two beds, two desks,a ceiling fan and a windowed door that led out to the lanai.

The student activity center was another vital resource for students.Sandwiches and snacks were sold during the day. Televisions wererare, so having one there allowed students to watch movies and relaxover the weekend. There was a gym with weights and aerobic classeswere held at the center as well. It was not only a social venue, but alsoa way to continue some of the routines that reminded students of home.

It was a delicate balanceattending AUC and living onMontserrat. While adaptingto new cultural lifestyles andmaking new friends, theones who made it never lostsight of finishing what theystarted. Not even hurricanesor volcano eruptions couldstop them.

Those students who traveled to this tiny island came to realize a lifelongdream — a dream of becoming a doctor. Although they came to astrange land, they did not leave as strangers. The friendships and medicaleducation received at AUC on Montserrat not only transformed theirlives, but also their patients’ lives forever.

Joseph “Bubba” Hastie, M.D. (’94) described it best on an entry inone of the last pages of a homemade yearbook he made while onMontserrat. The musing sits below a faded picture of a picturesquesunset on one of his very last nights on the island:

“Chances are that Montserrat means different things to each of us, but onething is invariant: Montserrat intensely means something to each of us.

Our experiences here will also mean something very significant toanother group of people in the near future and distant future —our patients.

I don’t pray very often, but tonight …

May almighty God guide your head, your heart and your hands asyou minister to the needs of the suffering …” q

AUC CONNECTIONS 17

Top: The cafeteria served as the main dining facility oncampus. It also afforded a picturesque view of the capitalcity of Plymouth and port. Below: Drs. Alan Weintraub(’82) and James Fontanesi (’82) sit in their red Triumphoutside the entrance of the AUC campus on Montserrat.

Top: Photo submitted by Lance Davis, M.D. (’87)

Below: Photo submitted by Alan Weintraub, M.D. (’82)

The first semester there was very little outside contact. Theradio station wasn’t established yet. The newspapers were likethree weeks old and you sort of felt isolated. I managed toget a hold of a small hot pot and make some really creativelunches for myself while there. I found out it wasn’t the foodyou missed, but the fact that you could go out there and get it.

— Lance Davis, M.D. (’87)

The experience was incredible. We had a normal routine atMontserrat. We went to class during the day, headed to thetennis court, played for two hours, got something to eat andthen went home and studied until two in the morning. Therewere good instructors. Dr. Chertok, who taught physiology,did important research inrenalfunction.Theclinical lab instructorwas from Johns Hopkins. There was really good teaching. I amtrying to get back to Montserrat this year. There’s still stuff inmy old apartment!

— Gregory Pinnell, M.D. (’97)

I was part of a team of spear fishermen for lobster off thecoast near the airport side of the island. Michael, Bruce, Dagand Tony were the actual guys with the Hawaiian slings and myjob was to keep watch for sharks. After shredding our skinswimming over the rough rocks, we would arrive at the reefswhere lobster lived in peace for too long. The guys would thendo their thing and catch enormous crustaceans! We would eat

like kings in the dorms. A welcomechange from Ram’sgrade C chicken!— Catherine LaRuffa,

M.D. (’86)

Prince Phillip camefor a visit once on theRoyal Yacht Britannia.We figured out whichchurch he was goingto go to, and I sat on

the other side.He was in front. Weactually held our places, my girlfriend and I, and we couldn’tbelieve we were sitting on the opposite side of Prince Phillip!He was quite impressive. He did not have any jewelry on excepta watch. We were told we couldn’t speak to him unless he spoketo us first. He didn’t speak to me, but he did pose for a picture.

— Vanessa Davis, M.D. (’96)

Our theme song, sung to the tune of the Mickey Mouse Clubsong, was “M-O-N… T-S-E… R-R-A-T! Montserrat! Montserrat!Forever hold our standards up on high! High! High! M-O-N…T-S-E… R-R-A-T!”

— Judy (Millspaugh) Anderson, M.D. (’81)

For the very first semester we were there, because they didn’thave the cafeteria built, we had a “meal plan” with a localMontseratian family for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So we paidthis family a lump sum [of] money and they served us food arounda big long table. The meals were always local dishes. It waschicken, chicken and more chicken cooked in every way youcould, and every fruit and vegetable cooked every traditionalway you could have it. The mom, daughters and extended familyserved the food.

— Alan H. Weintraub, M.D. (’82)

The locals’ idea of a fast foodrestaurant typically took aboutan hour to go in and get frenchfries and ketchup. But that’s howlife was there. Life was simple, itwas very peaceful. Everybody wasvery friendly, including the locals.There was one bar on the islandcalled the Green Flash that cateredto the American medical students.

— Nehal Patel, M.D. (’98) q

Montserrat fisherman. Courtesy of the Montserrat TouristBoard by David MacGillivray18 AUC CONNECTIONS

It might sound strange to picture legendary Beatles’ drummer RingoStarr propped up on a fuel pump at the local gas station or Rolling

Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger dancing in the crowd at the Yacht Clubon Montserrat.

It happened though, thanks to Sir George Martin, legendary producerof The Beatles and Academy Award-nominated composer. Martinfounded Associated Independent Recordings (AIR) in London in 1969.Known as AIR Studios, the company became one of the most successfulstudio operations in the world.

A sister studio was built on Montserrat in the 1970s bringing manyfamous musicians and celebrities to the island. For years, artists suchas Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Eric Claptonvisited Montserrat regularly to record their future hits.

Alan Weintraub, M.D. (’82), remembers vividly the variety of big namesin the music business that spent time on the island while he attendedAUC. Weintraub along with James Fontanesi, M.D. (’82), and JeffSchwartz, M.D. (’83), rented a house off-campus on the north side ofMontserrat past St. Johns. For three months one summer Paul andLinda McCartney were their neighbors.

“Linda used to ride her horse through our property,” said Weintraub.

As a bartender at the Agouti Inn, Weintraub was able to catch a fewrare performances from some of the most famous rock icons in the past50 years. Jimmy Buffet brought along his family when he recorded thealbum “Volcano,” which featured the song by the same name writtenabout the then dormant Soufrière Hills volcano.

Weintraub also saw one of the most unforgettable duet performancesin his life right there at the Agouti Inn.

“One night I go down there and Stevie Wonder is playing “Ebonyand Ivory.” He came in and did the song with Paul McCartney.”

Similarly, Catherine LaRuffa, M.D. (’86) had her own experienceswith some of the great musicians who came to Montserrat. She anda few classmates formed a band called “Playing Doctor” and afterbefriending Frank Oglethorpe, technical manager for AIR Studios,he agreed to help transport their musical equipment to the differentvenues across the island. The group performed at the Agouti Inn,Yacht Club and the student activity center to name a few.

“The night after playing the Yacht Club, some classmates told methat members of Eric Clapton’s band were in the audience listening

to us,” LaRuffa recalled. “One of our songs was an old Clapton tuneand when the classmate asked a real band member to join us onstage,he said we were doing a fine rendition without them!”

She also remembers running into Sting and his wife, Trudie, whilethey were relaxing on Vue Pointe Beach with one of their little children.A friend, however, managed to do her one better.

“One of my classmates got to dance with Phil Collins at La Cave whilethe rest of us gawked.”

LaRuffa and Oglethorpe remained great friends for years and eventuallymarried. Thanks to her husband’s connection with AIR Studios, shewas given the opportunity to meet Sting, Branford Marsalis, DeepPurples’ Roger Glover and Ian Gilliam as well as most of the membersof Dire Straits.

When Hurricane Hugo devastatedthe island in 1989, AIR Studioswas badly damaged andforced to close. However,after the volcanic eruptionsthat began in 1995, SirGeorge decided to revivethe spirit of the island andbegan planning the constructionof a cultural center.

The first fundraising event was “Music for Montserrat,” a concert atLondon’s Royal Albert Hall in 1998 featuring many of the stars whoonce frequented the AIR Studios on the island. The cultural center,which opened last year, is a gift from Sir George to the people ofMontserrat and gives the island hope to once again become a maintourist attraction. q

ALBUMS RECORDEDON MONTSERRAT INCLUDE:

Brothers In Arms – Dire StraitsTug of War – Paul McCartney

Accidentally on Purpose – Roger GloverThe Eternal Idol – Black Sabbath

Synchronicity – The Police

The Yacht Club was a popular place for facultyand students to unwind on Montserrat. Here youcan see Dr. Dale Van Wormer in a green andwhite striped shirt dancing with his wife, Alice.Mick Jagger is standing opposite.

Photo submitted by Robert and Dottie Chertok

Goat Water is the national dish for the island of Montserrat. It typically involves goat meat cut into bite sizepieces, onions, tomatoes, garlic, butter, chili sauce, flour, salt and pepper, and boiled rice. Dr. Lance Davis (’87)remembers this tasty dish being served at a popular hangout called The Attic. For a little extra money, the cookwould take out the bones in the goat meat.

Courtesy of the Montserrat Tourist Board by David Sanger AUC CONNECTIONS 19

Hurricane Hugo

The weather was absolutely balmy that [September 17, 1989] day,it was beautiful,” remembers Robert Chertok, Ph.D., dean of

medical sciences. “Then the hurricane came in. It was a Category 5hurricane, and it just flattened the island. There wasn’t a straighttelephone pole left — it was amazing.”

Hurricane Hugo wiped out 90 percent of all structures on the island.Destruction costs were estimated between $100-$300 million. Nearlyall homes and businesses, including the AUC campus, were destroyed.

Thankfully, no one from AUC was injured in the storm, but the rest ofthe island’s population wasn’t as lucky — 22 people lost their lives.Students, however, used their good fortune to help those in need. Manyjoined forces with the Red Cross and other humanitarian groups to setup triage units in order to take care of the ill.

During the next five days, the U.S. Coast Guard helped evacuatestudents and faculty to Antigua.

Despite the tragedy, at no point did AUC ever consider closing theUniversity’s doors. Providing students with the opportunity andresources to become a doctor has always remained the primary goalof the University.

“It was an interesting time. We had such gutsy kids,” Chertok’s wife,Dottie, remembers.

Soufrière Hills

AUC has survived a number of challenges — none more memorablethan the eruption of Soufrière Hills volcano. It not only changed thelives of students, faculty and locals on Montserrat, but also showed

the courage and resilience of all thosewho went through the experience.

The volcano began erupting on July 18,1995, after a long period of dormancy,and only five years after AUC hadrecovered from Hurricane Hugo. Twoyears later a huge explosion sentpyroclastic flows through the capitalcity of Plymouth, port and airport. Thesouthern portion of the island wasdestroyed including the AUC campus.The volcano has been active ever since.

“I was in my office and someone ranin and said, ‘Dr. C its raining mud!’,”recalls Chertok. “I went out to theveranda and there were big globs ofmud falling all over the campus. Thatwas some sort of small explosion that threw mud up in the air. Themagma was coming up toward the surface, and there were cracksin the mountain. Water had seeped down and hit that very hot magmaand turned it into steam and mud and blew it back out. That’s whatwas raining down on campus.”

For students and faculty, the weeks surrounding the first eruption werefilled with uncertainty. Most had never experienced a natural disaster,especially one of this magnitude. As the air filled with sulphur andsteam and smoke began to emanate from the top of Soufrière Hills, itwas both frightening and intriguing for everyone who lived in its shadow.

20 AUC CONNECTIONS

Above: Kinsale, along with the rest of the island, received heavy damage from HurricaneHugo. This picture was taken from the AUC campus looking down upon the town.Near right: Students wait patiently with suitcases to be evacuated by the U.S. CoastGuard. Bottom right: Coast Guardsmen prepare to secure their boat to the dock inorder to evacuate students from Montserrat. Top right: The cafeteria, along with therest of the campus, was badly damaged from the hurricane.

Photos submitted by Robert and Dottie Chertok

“When I was swimming, at first I wondered why the ocean floor keptbubbling,” remembered Michael M. Mattson, M.D. (’96), who left theisland before the eruption. “Then I put two and two together andrealized that the whole island was volcanic. I became alarmed when Istepped on the beach and fully realized that the lava had to be veryclose to the surface or at least the water was superheated and warmedthe beach sand. At this point, I had to do a small dance to get to dry sand.”

Paul Moarbes, M.D. (’97), one of AUC’s first Lebanese students,remembers the ordeal as experienced alongside his friend androommate, Nabil Naghi, M.D. (’97).

“Ashes filled up the air and the smell of sulfur was awful. The dailyquakes were increasing in frequency and intensity, and the nightsseemed endless. It was a few days after our last clinical medicine test,which was our last test. We went to the airport, waited there with thehundreds of remaining locals and booked our exit flight out of [theisland],” he recalls. “I can never forget Nabil’s face. As we took offand flew past “The Rock,” he told me that ‘not [only] have we survived

the war in Lebanon, we also survived what turned out to be a blazinginferno.’ I miss [my] AUC days and miss Montserrat, and I feel sorryfor what happened to this wonderful island.”

Nehal Patel, M.D. (’98) also has vivid memories of the colors andimpressions present during that time.

“My friends and I would stand outside of our rooms and look up at thevolcano at night, and we would see the glistening orange hue of thevolcano as well as the nonstop assault of all the dust, smog and debris,”he said. “The tipping point was when we saw the British Navywarships coming to rescue people.”

Eruptions rendered more than half of Montserrat uninhabitable, androughly two thirds of the population had to evacuate. The large eruption,on June 25, 1997, killed 19 people. The airport was in the direct pathof the eruption and was destroyed.

The island, however, is slowly regenerating. The governments of bothMontserrat and the United Kingdom have continued aid efforts and

tourism is showing encouraging growth.Signs of recovery include the new airport,

Gerald’s Airport, which was constructed in the northern part of theisland and was innaugurated in 2005. As the capital was leveled, thevillage of Brades currently serves as the de facto center of government.For the people who called the island their home, however, there is stilla lot of sadness and nostalgia for the way things used to be.

“I felt [like] such an integral part of the culture and the environment,”said Alan Weintraub M.D. (‘82). “I literally felt like a Montserratian.It was hard for me knowing what happened to the people and theculture and the animals. I knew the medical school would survive andfind other ways to continue to do what they did, but it was more whathappened to the soul of the island — which was the people. And Ikeep telling people that Montserrat was not a glamorous place. It hadbeautiful people and a beautiful soul.” q

Plymouth Old Courthouse. Courtesy of the Montserrat Tourist Board by Ishwar Persad AUC CONNECTIONS 21

Soufrière Hills Volcano. Courtesy of the Montserrat Tourist Board by John Cole

With Montserrat practically uninhabitable due to the volcanicactivity, AUC needed to relocate. Chosen was the beautiful

island of St. Maarten, one of five island areas of the NetherlandsAntilles, encompassing the southern half of the island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten. Today AUC’s state-of-the-art basic medical sciencescampus overlooks beautiful Simpson Bay in the village of Cupecoy onthe Dutch side of the island.

Much has changed since the early days on Montserrat. Many studentsnow have cars, and the island’s tourist attractions afford a variety ofcomforts. Numerous shops and restaurants are located within a fewmiles of the University, and the dollar is accepted throughout the Dutchside of the island.

Having survived major natural disasters before, AUC knew it had toprepare. The new facilities were designed by a South Florida architecturalfirm to withstand Category 4 hurricane winds. The campus has its ownelectricity generation and desalinization facilities, and AUC stockpilestwo weeks worth of food, water and fuel in case of emergency.

The new campus of the medical school, comprising a multi-million-dollar teaching and learning facility with high-tech classrooms and

laboratories, a virtual imaging anatomy lab, amicrobiology lab and a comprehensive medicallibrary, was inaugurated in 1998.

A far cry from its early beginnings, the school knewit had to adapt with the times. Technological strideswere made which now include a virtual imaginganatomy lab, a cadaver dissection lab and anapplied research laboratory, a computer lab,lecture halls equipped with modern audio/visual technology andpatient examination rooms.

Understanding that a respected medical school needs an advancedlibrary, AUC today holds a vast collection of items, including books,videos, DVDs, CDs and 75 journals in print. The library offers studentsvirtually every needed academic resource, and also serves as a populargathering space for study groups.

Wi-Fi is available as well as a Web-based catalog, which allowsstudents to access holdings from anywhere with Internet access.Students also have campus-wide access to “UpToDate” (an onlinedatabase for clinical research), as well as numerous computer stations,DVD players and faculty recommended software programs.

Community Service

With the knowledge that doctors are leaders and that future physicianshave a responsibility to help those in need, the school has started acommunity service program, where future medical doctors becomeinvolved in the local community promoting health awareness and

22 AUC CONNECTIONS

environmental conservation all the while learning more about thepeople of St. Maarten.

In 2001, for the first time in its then 23-year history, AUC instituted anOffice of Community Services. Robert Chertok, Ph.D., dean of basicmedical sciences at the time, appointed Sue Atchley, Ph.D., as thedirector, a position she still holds. In 2005, the office expanded andwas renamed Office of Community Services & External Affairs.

The office pairs AUC students with non-governmental associationssuch as the Positive Foundation, St. Maarten AIDS Foundation, St.Maarten Diabetes Foundation, Crystal Home for Children, ICANFoundation, among others. Students work with members of theseorganizations, performing activities such as demonstrating breastself-examination techniques to women and men, screening for bloodglucose and hypertension, teaching sex education, presentingprograms on sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS and evenchaperoning neglected children to the zoo or to movie nights.Students are also involved in numerous fundraising activities. Onesuch fundraiser was a golf tournament, which raised over $7,000for the Prins Willem-Alexander School forSpecial Education.

Another example is the biannual Wine & CheeseGala Evening. SGA President Megan (Loiacano)Almond, M.D. (’08) organized the first one, andit has become a regular event. The medicalfraternity, Phi Chi, coordinates the food, cheeseand wine pairings with a local gourmet restaurant,and the honor and service society, Alpha OmegaPhi, conducts a silent auction. All proceeds aredonated to one or two island foundations selectedby the members of Alpha Omega Phi and Atchley.

There are now a total of 12 student organizations, many of which arethe first Caribbean chapters of national United States organizations.The 11 groups, plus class representatives for all five semesters andthe SGA executive board, the gym manager and the “movie guysand gals” (who screen weekly movies at one of AUC’s theater styleauditoriums) comprise the SGA Council. Part of the mission of eachgroup mandates that each member perform community service.

Much of this growth is possible because of Atchley’s extensive privateand public sector network on the island. Through her contacts, she isable to provide phone numbers and introductions, as well as act as aliaison with the students. Most of the current 450 students do some formof volunteer work during their basic medical science training. This isespecially important since community involvement is becoming anincreasingly crucial discriminator in the selection of medical residents,particularly in hospitals with competitive programs. q

Photos by Jason Jones. The AUCcampus has its own electricitygeneration and desalinizationfacilities, and AUC stockpilestwo weeks worth of food, waterand fuel in case of emergencies.

AUC CONNECTIONS 23

I can’t think of another medical school in the world where youcan wash away the smell of the anatomy lab with a quick dip inthe Caribbean blue water steps away from campus. I absolutelyloved my time at AUC and wish that I could re-live so manymoments I spent there. Life at first was very difficult. I wasn’tused to having one ATM on the island and having to visit thatmachine three separate times 24 hours apart to pay my rent!I wasn’t used to having to pay my power bills in person duringvery short business hours. It was difficult to make scheduledappointments to talk with my parents back in the States anddial 45 different numbers to get there. I must say though, thebenefits way exceeded these minor hassles. It was amazingto live on a Caribbean island, mingle with French and Dutchculture, and scuba dive and snorkel from my back porch.

— Kimmerle Cohen, M.D. (’05)

My experience on St. Maarten and AUC is one that I am bothgrateful for and will remember forever. I will say though, medicalschool was very, very hard and you have to really work at it tograduate from AUC, but in return you get a great medicaleducation. All of the parties were great! The medical fraternity,student government, and some close friends held somememorable ones. This was a good time to catch up with fellowclassmates and gossip about the professors…kidding! EverySunday my friends and I would meet at Ricks Café and havebreakfast while watching all the yachts move from the lagoonto the Atlantic. We visited most of the beaches and went to manynightclubs like Q Club and Bliss just to name a few. Catchinga tender to Anguilla to swim with the dolphins and visiting DogIsland, where the sand was so white and soft it was like walkingon powdered snow were some great highlights. And of course,leaving the island to start clinical clerkship was right up there too.

— James Yost, M.D. (’06)

My medical school experience in St. Maarten was amazing.I transferred from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajaraafter taking the USMLE Step 1 and was placed into the 5thsemester. Although I spent only one semester on the island, I have

long lasting memories and made friends for life. Cheri’s Cafewas my favorite place to be. The best restaurants were Anand’s(Indian restaurant) in Philipsburg and De La Mer in Marigot.

— Rizwana Fareeduddin, M.D. (’01)

Attending school in St. Maarten was magnificent! Island lifeis very casual and serene. As a New York native, it was a littledifficult to adjust to the slow pace but in a short while I feltright at home. I have priceless memories of Rick’s AmericanCafé, Sunset Beach Bar and Cheri’s. I made some of the bestfriends of my life and still keep in touch to this day. The funnyadage I have heard many say is that “I can’t wait to get off therock,” but as soon as you leave you miss the wonderful life youhad there. There really is no shortage of things to do—beautifulbeaches, hundreds of restaurants, and a vibrant nightlife… atrue piece of paradise. AUC did a phenomenal job in preparingme for the medical profession. In no way, shape or form haveI ever felt any less trained than my counterparts from the U.S.medical schools. The professors were first class and of thehighest distinction.

— Vito Rocco, M.D. (’01 )q

Last Words

Much has changed throughout our 30 years. The AmericanUniversity of the Caribbean has overcome challenges, relocations

and two different Caribbean islands with distinct cultures and people.What has remained the same though, is the continuous desire to be abetter medical school with each coming year. The physicians that havepassed through AUC’s classrooms all shared the same adventurousspirit, determination and most of all, the fervent desire to become greatdoctors. And most of them — most of you — have done just that. Youare a living testament to your alma mater and an inspiration to allpresent and future AUC aspiring physicians. q

Happy 30th anniversary!

24 AUC CONNECTIONS

Montserrat

1. Montserrat has the highest number ofvolcanologists per capita in the world.

2. Montserrat is the only country in theworld outside Ireland where St. Patrick’sDay is a public holiday.

3. Montserrat is popularly known as the“Emerald Isle of the Caribbean.”

4. Montserrat is the only part of the Britishempire that is still growing, due tovolcanic activity.

5. Montserrat has one of the purest suppliesof drinking water in the world.

6. Jimmy Buffet’s song “Volcano” waswritten about the Soufrière Hills volcano.

7. Former AUC students came up withthe idea for donations for the childrenof Montserrat affected by volcanocrisis, which resulted in the creationof “Christmas in April.”

8. One of Montserrat’s famous dishes —mountain chicken — is also known asfrog legs.

9. Montserrat’s “rum shops” are the bestplaces to “lime” (hang out) and relax.

10. Montserrat was given its name byChristopher Columbus on his secondvoyage to the New World in 1493,after its namesake located in Catalonia.

St. Maarten

1. The island is the smallest landmass to be shared by two separate governments, Frenchand Dutch.

2. St. Maarten is the only completely duty-free port in the Caribbean.

3. Because the short runway at Princess Juliana Airport is located so close to the beach, planesare forced to fly a few meters above beachgoers’ heads as they land. Those who want to beblown across the beach by a jet blast (and some actually do!) can stand near the airport’sfence during a plane’s takeoff.

4. With the Concordia Agreement, signed more than 350 years ago, the Dutch and the Frenchside agreed that residents of either side of the island can be commercially active on theother side without any difficulties. This contract of peaceful coexistence turns out to be theoldest active, undisputed treaty on Earth!

5. St. Maarten is known as the “Caribbean Gourmet Island,” with over 300 restaurants.

6. St. Maarten is only 37 square miles, but encompasses two nations and over 140 nationalities.

7. English is spoken everywhere, but Dutch is the official language of St. Maarten, and Frenchthe official language of Saint Martin. On the Dutch side, you can also hear Spanish,Papiamentu, Italian, Hindi, Chinese and other languages. On the French side, Creole Patoisis also spoken.

8. St. Maarten is also known as the “Friendly Island.”

9. According to legend, a Frenchman and a Dutchman stood back-to-back and started to walkaround the island with the agreement that where they met would determine the border betweenthe two countries. The Frenchman took a flask of wine for refreshment while the Dutchmancarried a bottle of potent Dutch gin. The weighty gin slowed the advance of the Dutchmanallowing him only 16 square miles, while the invigorating wine kept the Frenchman on course,enabling him to cover more ground and to claim the remaining 21 square miles of the island.

10. Lolos (small open-air food places or roadside stands for snacks) are common. The mostfamous one is “Johnny Under the Tree” in Cole Bay.

Masqueraders. Courtesy of the MontserratTourist Board by John Cole

AUC CONNECTIONS 25

AUC:30YearsOver twenty years ago, when Abe Hardoon, M.D. (’86) and

Vaughn Jackson Sr., M.D. (’87) crossed the stage at the AmericanUniversity of the Caribbean officially becoming doctors, they neverimagined that their sons would one day fulfill the same dream andjoin them as AUC graduates.

However, that is the case with Scott Hardoon,M.D. (’08) and Vaughn Jackson Jr.

Abe Hardoon, 55, is now an internist atSuntree Internal Medicine in Melbourne, Fla.,while his son, Scott, 27, who received hismedical degree from AUC in April, justbegan his internal medicine residency atOrlando Regional Healthcare this summer.

Vaughn Jackson Sr., 55, a family physician,currently runs his own practice, The ConejosMedical Clinics, which has two offices inConejos County, Colo. And his son, VaughnJackson Jr., 30, is completing his fourth yearat AUC.

In both cases, the elder Hardoon and Jacksonbrought their families along with them to AUC,then located on the island of Montserrat.

Both Scott Hardoon and Vaughn Jackson Jr. spent part of their childhoodin Montserrat while their fathers attended medical school.

Although Scott may not remember some of the harsh realities thatcame with living on Montserrat — such as a lack of fresh milk andother groceries delivered only once a week from St. Maarten — hedoes remember many of the sights and activities that Montserrat isknown for, including visiting the volcano, Soufrière Hills, whoseeruption eventually caused AUC to relocate to St. Maarten.

“My mom and older brother did sightseeing things together. We tooka donkey ride to the top of the mountain volcano that was supposedlydormant and saw bubbling sulfur pools at the top. I remember thatsmell when I was younger. It was unique, like rotten eggs,” he said.

Hardoon’s father also recalls the unique experience on the island.

“Montserrat was a totally different island than St. Maarten initially,”said Abe Hardoon. “In the dorm there was no hot water, so you hadto take cold showers or go to the store and buy [water] bags you lay

on the floor. You lay them in the sun, the sun [wouldheat] them up and you [would] take a shower thatway,” he said. The dorms also lacked televisions andphones, he recalled, though the university did have onephone — a pay phone that students used to stand inline to use.

When Vaughn Jackson Jr. looks back, he recalls thecultural differences he experienced in Montserrat, such

as the “carefree attitude” and unrushed nature of the island. He alsoremembers missing his father quite a bit.

“I remember playing at the beach all the time,” said Vaughn JacksonJr., who was 5 at the time his father took their family to Montserrat.“My father wasn’t around much. He wasstudying and going to school,” he said.

But being with their fathers during theirmedical school days on the island gavethe young Hardoon and Jackson an earlyintroduction to the medical profession.

“He learned a lot from my husband growingup,” said Barbara Hardoon, Scott’s mother.“We used to visit the hospital when he was inresidency, where Scott’s passion developedas he observed his dad at work. He knowswhat he’s getting into; let’s put it that way,”she added.

Abe and Scott Hardoon during Scott’s graduation in St. Maarten.

Drs. Abe and Scott Hardoon, and familyin Monserrat.

A Family AffairBy Ashley St. Pierre

26 AUC CONNECTIONS

Vaughn Jackson Jr., oneof five children, is the onlyone of his siblings whopursued a medical career.

“He had talked about it,but wasn’t sure,” saidVaughn Jackson Sr. “Hewas a great athlete. Heplayed football at UtahState. After he married, hecalled and said, ‘Dad, I’mgoing to medical school.That’s what I want to do.’”

Vaughn Jackson Sr.remembers advising his son“to get the ball rolling” byapplying to AUC. He hasnothing but praise for hisalma mater.

“I thought their teaching was wonderful,” Vaughn Jackson Sr. said.“They’re very into academics as well as hands-on experience.”

Raised on a ranch in Massamasso, Colo., which has been in his familysince 1888, Vaughn Jackson Sr. was surrounded by 2,500 sheep, 800head of cattle and 50 horses, essentially a veterinarian in his own right.“I was doing it all and it didn’t intrigue me anymore,” he said. “I knewhow to do that, so I decided to be a doctor instead of a vet.”

Having applied to the University of Colorado in Denver, Vaughn JacksonSr. said he was told that at 32, he was too old. But he was determinedto complete medical school and continued to apply. He was acceptedto AUC.

Later he went to England for his clinical rotations. “I wouldn’t trade it foranything. It’s made me a far, far better doctor than my peers in U.S.schools because they haven’t had the experience,” said Vaughn JacksonSr., the first AUC graduate to be licensed in Colorado.

Like Vaughn Jackson Sr., Abe Hardoon did not go to medical schooluntil he was in his 30s.

“I always wanted to be a doctor, except financially I did not have theopportunity,” said Abe Hardoon, who began working full time at age 16.

Before attending AUC, he ran a fundraising firm. He learned aboutAUC through a cousin who had attended there, and decided hecould be successful at medicine as well. After completing his medicaltraining, he opened a private practice, Western Suffolk Medical Group,in New York, for five years before he moved to Florida.

“I kind of didn’t feel like shoveling snow anymore,” he said of his reasonfor relocating. After working at an urgent care facility that handles callsfrom Disney hotels, he opened his current practice, Suntree InternalMedicine, in Melbourne.

His son, however, began preparing for a medical career at RollinsCollege in Winter Park, Fla., where he completed his undergraduatedegree in biology in 3 ½ years. Scott volunteered at his father’s practiceand transported geriatric patients to and from their primary careappointments. Plans now are for father and son to be in practicetogether after Scott completes his residency. q

Left: Abe Hardoon shakes son Scott’shand before graduation.

Top: Vaughn Jackson Sr. at his AUC1987 graduation.

Right: Vaughn Jackson Jr. stands at theUniversity entrance in St. Maarten.

Dr. Vaughn Jackson Sr., young Jackson Jr. andsiblings in Monserrat.

AUC CONNECTIONS 27

Father and son pose for a picture.

AUC:30YearsMedical school is a time for serious study, hard work, dedication

and… love?

For our 30th anniversary edition, three very special AUC couplesreminisce about their medical school days and falling in love, as wellas one lucky couple who had two of their children while on the islandof St. Maarten.

William A. Pullen M.D. (’82)and Jo Ann C. Pravata-Pullen, M.D.

Jo Ann is a ’83 graduate of SUNY-Buffalo School of Medicine.She started at AUC but transferred in 1981. The couple married inJune 1982.

Jo Ann: We met in “alphabetical order” (Pravata came beforePullen on the first anatomy practicum!) We were lab study partners forseveral months. In March 1980, Bill and I started living together in asmall rental vacation home in Olveston in Montserrat. We bought aMorris Marina car. It was very romantic! The house was in the middleof nowhere, and most of the other homes were unoccupied. The yardhad beautiful flowers and lots of animals. It was a great place to study.I was a pharmacist and Bill a respiratory therapist before coming toAUC. Soon we became the top two students in the class. I knew I wasin love with Bill when we attended the crab races at the Vue PointeHotel one Saturday night. Bill was upset about a crab that becameinjured. What more could a woman want? A handsome man that wasnot only going to be a doctor but was sensitive too!

So far we have traveled all over the world together. Our son, Bill,was born in 1989. We climbed Mount Kailas in Tibet, hiked MountEverest and the Inca trail to Machu Pichu, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro,

hiked and raftedthe GrandCanyon, amongother adventures.

We have made agreat team sincemeeting in grossanatomy in1979. Bill, anendocrinologist, hasbeen practicing ina very prestigiouspractice in Santa

Monica since 1988.I worked for Cignafor many yearsand now haveformed my ownsuccessful group in2000 in downtownLos Angeles. Neither could have achieved our accomplishmentswithout the other. We look upon our time in Montserrat as the bestyear and a half of our lives. We would not trade the experience! Asa result of our experiences with and after AUC, we feel we are bothbetter doctors and people. We truly appreciate our degrees andpositions in life as our goals were difficult to obtain. We are a tightlybound couple because of a mutual sharing of adversity. We just hada large party for our 25th wedding anniversary and renewed ourvows. We would like to travel again to Montserrat soon.

(As I am typing this I am sitting below a mounted poster map of “ourisland” that has been hanging in wherever we have lived since 1982!)

Angelina Bhandari, M.D. (‘94)and Vijay Pallekonda, M.D. (‘95)The couple has been married for 11 years, and been together for 18.

Angelina: Although Vijay doesn’t remember, we first met on the islandof Montserrat at Angelos. We did not actually get together until fourmonths later and we would often take walks and talk about our journeysto AUC. On one of those walks in early December, we shared a kiss inthe moonlight. I knew I loved him then and there, and it was magical.

Throughout our clinical rotations, we spent time apart, but would try tosee as much as we could of each other. Occasionally, we would betogether during some of the rotations, but it was a challenge to staytogether. Even so, we supported each other during the USMLE exams andmade it a policy to always be there for one another even if we broke up.

In 1995 Vijay was accepted into the Cook County med/peds residencyprogram in Chicago. I matched into the anesthesia program at RushUniversity, right across the street. We knew that many people are not

Love is in the (Island) Air

Drs. William A. Pullen and Jo Ann C. Pravata-Pullen

Drs. Vijay Pallekonda and Angelina Bhandari

28 AUC CONNECTIONS

AUC CONNECTIONS 29

lucky enough to be in the same city and so, with a hectic schedule, wewere engaged in July 1997. We got married that December in frontof five thousand people in a small town in India.

Vijay decided to join an anesthesia residency program and is currentlya CA2 resident at Rush, where I am an associate professor inanesthesiology. We have two sons, Anand and Viraj, and welcomeda daughter, Chandrika, in December 2007. We travel to India yearlyto do missionary work and bring our children with us. We want themto know that no matter where they are in their lives, they should alwaysgive their time to the community and to those less fortunate. I thank Godeveryday we made it this far in our journey and will continue to do sowith each other by our side. You have to have faith it will all work outat the end and of course a little help from AUC!

Zachary Young, M.D. (’05)and Misty Good, M.D. (’05)

The couple has been married threeyears, and been together seven.

Misty: The magical moment happenedover… a cadaver! We began dating inour first semester after Zac helped mestudy for an anatomy practical at thelast minute. We left the island after fivesemesters to move to New York and doour clinicals. Zac proposed while wewere on vacation in San Diego. Wewere taking a sunset gondola ride around the San Diego Bay, and hesurprised me by getting down on one knee in our little boat! Wecontinued dating until our fourth year of medical school, when we hada destination wedding at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. We successfullycouples-matched at our first choice in Illinois: Zac for internal medicineand me for pediatrics. Currently, we are finishing up residency andmoving to Pennsylvania to continue our careers with fellowships: Zacin pulmonary/critical care medicine, and neonatal intensive care formyself. AUC was a great matchmaker for us! Thanks again.

Chad Carda, M.D. (’05) and Laura Carda

The couple arrived on St. Maarten with two children and left with four!

Laura: We took Cassidy, 2, and Elise, 1, to St. Maarten in January2002. I was 36 weeks pregnant with our third when we arrived onthe island. I wasn’t worried about giving birth in a foreign country.

I had talked to two women who had given birth there, and they saidit was fine. I knew that anesthesia and a c-section were possible ifnecessary. Juliana arrived at 12 days past my due date.

One scary thing that happened was at about my due date, Chad washit hard by dengue fever! He was home suffering from fever, chills andrash. Here I was taking care of two small kids and him and aboutready to give birth. No family was around and we hadn’t really gottento know anybody yet. I was worried that I would go into labor and hewouldn’t be able to go to the hospital with me or take care of the littleones. Luckily, Juliana decided to wait another two weeks to come outwhen Chad was fully recovered.

A funny thing happened in the hospital when I was in the labor roomand saw a mosquito on the wall. (I had visions of Chad suffering fromdengue fresh in my mind.) I took off my shoe and just as I was aboutto smash it, the nurse bellowed, “Don’t you dirty my wall!” I froze anddecided to follow her rules.

By the time Juliana was five months, I was expecting again. One ofChad’s instructors paid patients to come to the lecture room to demonstrateexamination techniques. I got to be one of these. I would go once persemester and be his patient for the class. That was our only earnedincome during that time. For this pregnancy, I switched from the medicaldoctor to the midwife. This provided more of a truly Caribbeanexperience. She used a wooden horn-like device to hear the heartbeat,preferring it over the Doppler. Eleah, the next baby, came six days pasther due date. She was five weeks old when we left the island. The AUCSpouses Organization was of great benefit to me. We got togetherevery so often to do fun things around the island. Another good reasonto have kids there, either flown-in or born there, is that the spouses can’twork. What would a spouse do all the time if she didn’t have kids tokeep her busy?

In summary, everything worked out just perfectly. We got our babiesand had a tropical adventure. After we got back to the states in 2004(spending 10 months in Ireland for clinicals), we had two more babieswith all the luxuries of home. Chase was born during Chad’s 4th yearof school, and Chance was born during first year of residency. Chadcompleted his family medicine residency this past June, and we areeagerly anticipating the next phase of our lives. q

Elise, Juliana and Cassidy Carda

Dr. Chad Carda, Laura Carda and family

Drs. Zachary Young and Misty Good

Class Notes1970sRoss A. Horsley, M.D. (’79) is board certified indiagnostic radiology and is the owner of OleanOpen MRI in Olean, N.Y. He and wife Diane havefour children, two of whom are currently osteopathicmedical students.

1980sKevin D. Weikart, M.D. (’84) is the chief of staffat Saint Joseph Hospital West in Lake St. Louis, Mo.,and is also the president of the St. Charles and LincolnCounty Medical Society. He is a medical student clinicalpreceptor for the Washington University School ofMedicine in St. Louis and a member of the OrganizedMedical Staff Section of the AMA for St. Joseph HealthCenter and Hospital West. April 2008 marked histwentieth year practicing medicine.

Allan G. Flaggman, M.D. (’86) is currently thestaff psychiatrist at Sarah Lawrence College’s campushealth services in Bronxville, N.Y.

S. John Pappas, M.D. (’86) has worked as anassistant director at the University of Toledo MedicalCenter since 1994 supervising students and residentsduring their ER rotation. He and wife Angela areexpecting their first child in July.

Robert A. Colman, M.D. (’86) is president andCEO of Pediatric & Adult Allergy, P.C., a professor inAUC’s clinical department and a member of theteaching faculty at IMMC and Children’s Hospital. Herecently returned to London to visit former clinical sites.

Michael Zbiegien, M.D., (’86) is currently medicaldirector of emergency services at Sunrise Children’sHospital in Las Vegas, Nev., and forensic examiner forClark County Children’s Advocacy Center, also in LasVegas. Zbiegien completed his residency in pediatrics atCooper Hospital and Medical Center in Camden, N.J.,and a fellowship in emergency medicine at Children’sHospital of Michigan. He has been married for 21 yearsand has two sons, Alexander, 13, and Michael, 12.

Jeffrey Kagan, M.D. (’88) is on the editorial boardof Medical Economics and was recently elected to theAUC Alumni Board. Kagan lectures frequently to medicalprofessionals on topics including chronic kidney disease,hypertension, dementia and hospice. He is boardcertified in internal medicine and is a certified medicaldirector (CMD). Besides being an assistant clinicalprofessor of medicine for the University of Connecticut,Kagan also is the medical director of a skilled nursinghome and maintains a busy private practice in Newington,Conn. He also sees patients at home, in nursing homesand in the hospital. Is his spare time, he enjoys boating,skiing and traveling. Kagan lives in West Hartford, Conn.,with wife Sunny, who accompanied him to Montserratduring basic medical sciences. The couple has twogrown children, Jonathan, 25, and Emily, 22.

1990sPaul R. Martin, J.D., M.D. (’90) is practicingintellectual property law in Pleasanton, Calif. He isinterested in hearing from classmates. He can bereached at rpm_12346@msn.com.

Ross D. Andreassen, M.D. (’95) has been workingin general anesthesiology for six years after completinghis residency at St. Louis University. He and wife Elainehave two grown children — Sonya and Andrew —and enjoy their free time doing various projects. Theyalso own a campground on the White River in Missouri.

Manish Gupta, M.D. (’95) is in private practice asa board-certified plastic surgeon in Toledo, Ohio, andwas recently inducted as a Fellow of the AmericanCollege of Surgeons. He completed his general surgeryresidency at Huron Hospital — Cleveland Clinic HealthSystem. Subsequent training in plastic surgery wascompleted at the Medical College of Ohio and St.Vincent’s Mercy Hospital in Toledo. Gupta was named“Best Cosmetic Surgeon in 2004,” as voted by thereadership of Toledo City Paper.

AlisonM. Sastry, M.D. (‘97) completed her residencyin general adult psychiatry at the University of Connecticutin Farmington, Conn. She is a diplomate of the AmericanBoard of Psychiatry and Neurology and is licensed inPennsylvania and Virginia. Sastry now enjoys the sun,surf and sand of Virginia Beach, Va., where she is an

30 AUC CONNECTIONS

Robert A. Colman, M.D.

Jeffrey Kagan, M.D.

Alison M. Sastry, M.D.

Milan R. Shah, M.D.

Douglas Tanita, M.D.

Norma Jean Will, M.D. (’01) completed her family medicine residency in 2004 at Deaconess Hospital inEvansville, Ind., where she took a job as a family practitioner. She is currently an assistant director at the

family medicine residency program at the same institution. Through her work at Deaconess, Will was able to participate in four mission trips to asister hospital in one of the poorest areas of Jamaica. She says she enjoys teaching residents, seeing patients and practicing missionary medicine,but her real passion in life is cooking.

“Attending medical school at AUC has allowed me to live abroad and travel extensively while receiving my medical education, so my culinaryskills have acquired an international repertoire,” said Will.

So much so that she has authored a cookbook, “From My Travels to Your Table,” published in June 2008. She has submitted a recipe for acontest at the Martha Stewart Show and is waiting to hear if she will be featured in an upcoming episode. Celebrated American actor, dancerand singer Ben Vereen is featured in one of the chapters in the book.

“It is a rather exciting endeavor so far,” said Will. “Once I have recovered some of the initial expense of producing the cookbook, I plan todonate a portion of the proceeds to help fund future medical missionary trips.”

For more details on Norma Will’s cookbook and medical mission endeavors, please go to www.recipes2dine4.com. q

Spotlight

attending psychiatrist at a private outpatient clinic and also in privatepractice. Her travels and cruises have taken her to the British Isles,Greece, Italy, Turkey and many destinations in the Caribbean.

Kevin W. Watson, M.D. (’99) is currently in private practice inNew Britain, Conn., after completing a residency in internal medicineand a fellowship in pulmonary/critical care, both at the University ofConnecticut. He specializes in pulmonary and critical care medicineand sleep medicine.

Stephanie J. Spytek, M.D. (’99) recently passed her oral boardexam in Dallas, Texas, for OB/GYN and has been accepted into afellowship in minimally invasive pelvic surgery in Celebration, Fla.

Milan R. Shah, M.D. (’99) is the medical director of the BakersfieldWellness Center and Beautologie MediSpa — a 15,000 square footinstitute with comprehensive plastic surgery and laser services, anall-inclusive medical spa, personal training, nutrition and women’shealth. He is COO of the Bakersfield Wellness Surgery Center andmedical director of Beautologie Medical Aesthetics, California CentralValley’s largest and most comprehensive cosmetic and laser institute.Shah is currently starring on Cutting Edge M.D.’s™ KBFX (Fox), and isan expert consultant for a variety of media.

2000sKamran A. Abbasi, M.D. (’00) specializes in internal medicineand has been working as a hospitalist since his graduation in 2000.

He and wife Saima are expecting a new baby this summer in additionto their twin daughters, Ameera and Ameena.

Compton Kurtz, M.D. (’00) is married with a two-year-old sonand newborn daughter. He was in Colorado at the end of May for anational rugby championship. Kurtz played rugby on St. Maarten withclassmates during medical school.

Amy Barnhart, M.D. (’01) married Nick Swords in PuertoVallarta, Mexico, this past April. The couple honeymooned in CostaRica. Barnhart recently joined the pediatric hospitalist group at PeytonManning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, Ind. The medical groupcovers the inpatient pediatric and teaching services and also coverscritical care transports.

Nilar U, M.D. (’01) has been working as a family physician inMaryland and is married to Zaw, a psychiatrist, who is finishing afellowship in sleep medicine.

Amesh A. Adalja, M.D. (’02) is now a fellow in the division ofinfectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Herecently completed a five-year residency in internal and emergencymedicine at Allegheny General Hospital.

Brian A. McCollough, M.D. (’02) started a high-risk obstetricsfellowship at Spartanburg Regional Hospital, in Spartanburg, S.C. Hecompleted his family medicine residency at Seneca Lakes FamilyMedicine Residency Program, in Seneca, S.C. As part of the program,residents completed their intern year an AnMed Health family medicineprogram in Anderson, S.C. During his residency, McCollough presentedtwice at the Hickory Knob Family Medicine Research Symposium. In2007, he was awarded second place for his presentation, “management

AUC CONNECTIONS 31

Thank you,AUC Connections, and thank you, AUC graduates, for c

ontributing tomy inferiority complex, and Imean

that sincerely. Let me explain: as a child, I was home sch

ooled, so I developed an inferiority complex because

I wasn’t learning the same things as the other kids in the n

eighborhood. They were all learning about things like the

average annual rainfall in Peoria, Ill., and all I was being tau

ght was human physiology and great literature.

I was sure I would never getinto college, but lo and behol

d, St. John’s College in Maryland took a chance on me!

Then I had an inferiority complex because everybody e

lse had high school diplomas, and I didn’t, but somehow

I managed anyway, and graduated four years later.

Then I tried to get intomedical school, and no American sch

ool would takeme because St.John’s was a small liberal

arts college. OK, more inferiority complex, but I persevere

d, and took some graduate courses, and kept trying. Then

they said, “oh, that’s nice, youdid well, but now you are too

old, and we have an age limit.”

Then I heard about AUC. I decided to take a chance onAUC,

andAUCdecided to take a chance onme, and herewe are.

I didn’t have toomuch troublewith the old inferiority comp

lex for the first four trimesters; prettymuch everybody

was in the same boat. Then Igot tomy clinical rotations, a

nd I was the only AUC student in that hospital. The others

were all from Johns Hopkins, and they were also all 20 years younger

than I was. I was told every day in so many

ways that I was inferior. But Isurvived that, andmanaged t

o finish, and to graduate, andto pass the ECFMG and get

a residency.

It was in psychiatry, not my first choice, and after two yea

rs, I dropped out to get a realjob so I could start paying

backmy debts. I got a job as award physician at a state hos

pital, and despite the fact that three years later I was the

medical director, I nevertheless continued to be plagued by

that pesky inferiority complex. After all, I was supervising

people who went to American schools and had board cer

tifications up the old wazoo,so I must have been inferior,

right? And I went to one of “those Caribbean schools,” who

se graduates don’t amount toa hill of beans, right?

So what do I find out now, just as I am on the eve of retirement?My

fellow alumni are a group of amazing people,

with outstanding achievements, who demonstrate every d

ay that, in fact, I obviously come from a superior school.

I just didn’t run as far with the ball as some of the graduate

s you write about. But that’sOK, I can live with that, and

I can’t tell you how good it feels to be able to show some of t

hese articles to my colleagues and to be able to glowwith

pride formy almamater andmy fellow alumni. Way to go A

UC!

And I have to add, that whileI never got boarded, and whil

e I have never published a paper, I have had some of the

most interesting jobs a physician could have. I have worked

with the mentally ill and thedevelopmentally disabled,

and spent three years as amedical director, and another th

ree years as the clinical director of Pennsylvania’s prison

system. I worked with an Aquahab program, where I wen

t to work every day in shorts and a T-shirt and rubber

flip-flops, and jumped in thewaterwith the patients any tim

e I felt like it. Currently I havea practice that is exclusively

house calls, much of them in downtrodden parts of theinner city with homebound s

enior citizens. The only time

I ever tried conventional officemedicine (moonlighting for

threemonths in a colleague’soffice), I absolutely hated it.

AUC Connections is a really great publication, and I look forward

to every issue. Keep up the good work, and keep

telling us about the impressive accomplishments of our fell

ow graduates. My inferioritycomplex will happily take

a back seat to the pride I havein AUC.

— Judy (Millspaugh) Anderson, M.D. (’81) (The “charter” c

lass)q

32 AUC CONNECTIONS

From theMailbag

ClassNotescont.of abdominal pain in pregnancy,” which was later published on South Carolina FamilyPhysician. He has been on a medical mission trip to Haiti with the Volunteers in MedicalMissions. McCullough has been happily married to Giovonna Evans for the past two years.

Karen Gaynair, M.D. (’03) completed a residency in family medicine at ResearchMedical Center in St. Louis, Mo., in June 2008. She moved to South Florida to start heroutpatient/inpatient medicine private practice — Gaynair Family Medicine. Gaynair alsoplans on going to medical missions to her home country of Jamaica and other countries.

S. Irfan Syed, M.D. (’04), is currently chief resident at Mount Sinai Hospital inChicago and will complete his psychiatry residency this year. He will commence afellowship in addiction medicine next year at University of Illinois at Chicago.

Derek McCoy, M.D. (’05) is finishing his family medicine residency as chief residentat Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Ga. He will be starting afellowship in sports medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. McCoyis engaged to Carrie Gilmer of Bel Air, Md., a graduate of Johns Hopkins UniversitySchool of Nursing.

Brent H. Messick, M.D. (’05) has received an award for outstanding resident ofthe year from Cabarrus Family Medicine North Carolina Academy of Family Physiciansand will be entering a primary care sports medicine fellowship at the same institution.

Paul Trisler, M.D. (’06) will be serving as chief resident with the emergencymedicine department at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport,La., for the upcoming academic year. Classmates Jeffrey Combetta, M.D. (’06)and Jason Egloff, M.D. (’06) have both been named chief residents of theLouisiana State University family practice program in the LSU Health Science Center ofNew Orleans, Lake Charles branch.

John Lusins, M.D. (’06) has accepted a psychiatry residency position at WestVirginia University in Morgantown, W.V. Lusins has spent two years working as chiefoperating officer at Lime Medical, a company that provides Web-based electronichealth records for small- to medium-sized medical practices, where he will remain asa member of the board of directors. Lusins and his wife, Sophia Ommani, M.D.(‘06), adopted a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy named Winston, who theysay is “the best dog in the world.” During the past year Lusins was elected an AUCAlumni Board member and would love to hear from fellow alumni. He can be reachedat drjlusins@gmail.com.

Neil Salas, M.D. (’07) accepted a PGY-2 position in general surgery at GeorgeWashington University in Washington, D.C.

Douglas Tanita, M.D. (’07), is a PGY-1 in OB/GYN at Bayfront Medical Center,in St. Petersburg, Fla., where he lives with wife Darleen and children Harrison andDavis, who were both born during medical school. q

Although I began with the “hurricane [Luis]semester” back in 1995, I finally received my

M.D. degree last summer, so my graduation date putsme among a group that won’t know me and separatesme from those who will.

It has been a long road that tookme inmanydirections.Most significantly I served as vice president ofinformation technology for aMichigan title companyfor several years. I went on to do independent consultingin IT after the company closed.

I was always interested in completing my medicaltraining but life threwme some curves.With the supportof my wife I have gotten that back on track. I passedUSMLE Step 1 in March and am preparing for Step2 now. I am also involved in creating a foundationto provide rugged surplus military laptops to autisticchildren to enhance their communication andsocialization development outside the classroom. Wehave a seven-year-old autistic son.

It is my intention to pursue a residency locally inorder to keep my wife, two children and my father—who suffers from Alzheimer’s—here in Michigan. Iknow that securing a residency will be a huge task butI am working hard to make myself a good candidate.

I would love to hear from any ofmy former classmatesand have been lucky enough to get back in touchwith a couple of them recently. I hope all are well andhappy. We never knew the new campus and wereinvolved in many great adventures in the transitionto St. Maarten under very difficult circumstances. Ithink it enhanced the character of a number of peoplewho went through it. Many very much rose to theoccasion and shined.— Fernando M. Chaves M.D. (’07) q

Judy

(Mills

paug

h)A

nder

son,

M.D

.

AUC CONNECTIONS 33

The immunization program in Montserrat continues to show close to100 percent coverage of infants and children under five, according

to Community Nursing Manager Violet Brown. The immunizationprogram follows the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI),recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), whichMontserrat, along with other English speaking Caribbean countries,has been following for many years.

Infants under one year of age are immunized against diphtheria,tetanus and Pertussis (DPT), hepatitis B and haemophilus influenzae.These five vaccines are combined into a Pentavalent vaccine, whichreduces the number of shots for the children. This age group alsoreceives polio drops given by mouth, as well as BCG vaccine againsttuberculosis. During their second year they are vaccinated against

measles, mumps and rubella(MMR) and receive boosters forsome of the others. Boosters ofcertain vaccines are also given ataround four-and-a-half and fifteenyears of age.

This regime ensures that the islandhas a well-protected childpopulation. Montserrat has quitea large migrant population but thisis not a problem, since childrenarriving on the island are addedto the system and their vaccinesupdated as necessary. Tetanusboosters are needed every tenyears, and nursing managerBrown, who is also EPI manager,is encouraging adults

to come for these booster shots so that they too can remain protected.MMR is also offered to adults if they did not receive it as children.

Rubella (German measles) is part of the MMR vaccine, and Montserrathas not had a case of Rubella for many years. This vaccine is particularlyimportant, since pregnant mothers exposed to it can give birth tobabies with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), which features anumber of possible defects, including deafness. Immunization specialistBeryl Irons of the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) pointsout that it is therefore crucial to continue immunizing children againstrubella, well before they move into the reproductive age group.

At a recent workshop, nurses and other health care workers receivedan update on vaccines in current use and vaccine preventable diseases,as well as information on additional vaccines that are available. TheEPI program is in use throughout the world, and in the Caribbeanregion CAREC ensures that its member countries are kept up to date onimmunization issues, and encourages them to follow the recommendedimmunization schedules.

In Montserrat the immunization program is a well-accepted part oflocal life, and over the years has helped to keep the population healthy.However continued vigilance is always necessary, so workshops suchas this are a vital ingredient of a successful immunization program.

CAREC, which was formed in 1975, is based in Trinidad and isadministered by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), whichis WHO’s regional office for the Americas. CAREC has twenty-onemember countries, comprising the English and Dutch speaking countriesof the Caribbean. It is dedicated to improving health and preventingdisease in the Caribbean through technical cooperation, service,training and research. q

Copyright © 2003-2008 Caribbean Net News. All Rights Reserved. Printed with permission.

Montserrat’sImmunization Program

going StrongBy Cathy Buffonge

Courtesy of the Montserrat Tourist Board by David MacGillivray

Courtesy of the Montserrat Tourist Boardby David MacGillivray

34 AUC CONNECTIONS

IslandNews

AUC CONNECTIONS 35

American University of the Caribbean professor of behavioralscience, Lockie Johnson, Ph.D., and her husband, director of

housing and physical plant, Joe Johnson, believe in education.

They are also passionate about the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin.

That is why the couple volunteers countless hours of their time to theUniversity of St. Martin (USM) — she as president of the board, andhe, as the co-chair of the building committee. And through their effortsand those of others in the community, they were able to raise around$1.6 million for USM — which far exceeded the organizers’ originalfundraising target of $1 million, and was something never beforeseen in the Netherland Antilles.

The successful fundraising “Leave your Legacy” campaign, whichculminated with a banquet gala at the Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beachand Spa Resort on March 29, called on members of the communityto become a “friend,” “patron” or “sponsor” of the University. Thecampaign was boosted with a $100,000 donation early in the yearfrom Scotia Bank, who also sponsored the banquet.

In addition to the contribution by Lockie and Joe Johnson, AUC facultymembers Sue Atchley, Ph.D., and Albert van der Waag, M.D., as wellas AUC represented by Diana Liu, made donations and participatedin the fundraiser.

“Being a member of this community,” said Lockie Johnson, “is not justcoming down to go to school and leaving but it is about leaving ahealthy footprint. We can make a positive contribution to St. Maarten.And education is one of the most significant contributions you canmake to a developing country.”

It is even more crucial, explained Johnson, because of St. Maarten’simpending statehood.

“With St. Maarten about to achieve country status, we need a populationas educated as possible, and a local university,” she said.

Founded in 1989, the university fulfills a vital role in the community.It is funded mostly by small grants from the government and tuition.There are close to 400 students enrolled in the various programs atUSM — Associate in Arts degrees in liberal arts and business, and aBachelor of Arts degree in education (in conjunction with the Universityof the Virgin Islands (UVI), as well as the non-degree adult educationprograms. Since 2000, the University has added with UVI, the Masterof Arts degree in education and now offers, with the University of MountSaint Vincent, a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration.

The money raised, according to Johnson, will be used toward securingand maintaining accreditation of USM programs and refurbishingclassrooms, laboratories and offices, as well as creating a library andother facilities. She said the University’s main goal is to achieve fullaccreditation both in the United States and the Netherlands by 2010.Achieving accreditation in both countries is a unique phenomenon for anyuniversity and represents the multi-cultural makeup of the island itself. Todo so, USM must be able to build, furnish and staff a library, developfaculty expertise in certain areas as well as expand faculty and maintaina level of information technology that meets top educational standards.

Joe Johnson said AUC has also had a positive relationship with the smalluniversity. Since 2002, the Tien Scholar Program, established by theTien Family has been donating $20,000 yearly to fund scholarshipsfor students at USM.

“That donation has built up,” explained Joe Johnson. “There alreadyare 21 Tien scholars working and contributing to the community. It’s awonderful, outstanding relationship.”

AUC has also donated manpower and materials to help build a state-of-the-art classroom with teleconferencing capabilities, which enables studentsto participate in classes conducted at the University of the Virgin Islands.

The Johnsons plan to continue volunteering for the University and its fund-raising efforts. If you would like to contribute, please contact Lockie Johnsonat ljohnson@aucmed.edu or Joe Johnson at jjohnson@aucmed.edu. q

Helping the Community through EducationAUC couple volunteers for local university

By Paula Distefano

Joe Johnson explains “Leave your Legacy” campaign. Photos submitted by Lockie andJoe Johnson.

Dr. Lockie Johnson (left) and Joe Johnson (right) with members of the community duringUSM fundraiser.

Traces

36 AUC CONNECTIONS

Old Road Bay, Montserrat

Courtesy of the Montserrat Tourist Board by Tanya Burnett

TheAmbassador Scholarship is designedto financially aid AUC students whochoose to perform their clinical rotationsin the United Kingdom and Ireland.Manygraduates remember their time overseasas not only one of the best medicallearning experiences, but also as a greatopportunity to travel and be exposed todifferent cultures.

Please help us grow this wonderfulresource forAUC students by makinga donation today.Your contribution canmake the difference.

The AUC Alumni Association is a not-for-profit organization,which honors theUniversity’s distinguished heritage andfosters lifelong connections and a spiritof loyalty and fraternity among graduates,students, faculty, staff and friends of theschool. It is a separate entity fromAUCSchool of Medicine and MEAS, and isgoverned by a board of directors electedbyAUCAlumni.

“Doing my third year in England was oneof the best decisions I [made] in medicalschool. I think that having an experienceabroad,whether in Ireland or [England] is alifetime opportunity for American medicalstudents to be exposed to a different systemof learning and practicing medicine.”

— Clara Cabrera, M.D. (‘04)

HELP US GROWAUCAlumni Association Scholarship Programs

http://aucmed.edu/alumniassociation/gift.htm

10004A

Another magazineis completed...

And we’re already thinking about the next one!

The editorial team never stops.We are calling for alumni submissions for the upcoming edition of AUC Connections.

Awards, Grants and Publications:If you have been published in a medical journal, written a book or articles within the past year, received awards or honorsrecently, or are conducting research — we would love to hear from you! Please write to aucconnections@aucmed.edu

Class Notes:If you’d like to share what you have been doing, weddings, family news, any travels you have done, job promotions, etc.,please e-mail the information to aucconnections@aucmed.edu

Honors Section:If you’re a recent graduate, a resident or fellow, and doing something amazing in the world of medicine, we want to hearfrom you! Please drop us a line at aucconnections@aucmed.edu

Practicing Abroad:If you are practicing medicine abroad or have traveled to medical missions lately, we would love to know all about it.Please let us know at aucconnections@aucmed.edu

Thank you for your support of AUC Connections and the Alumni Association!

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