27 SEPTEMBER 2001 • VOLUME 3 • NUMBER 36

KU Med heart surgeons mark milestone

U Med’s new heart-lung pro-

gram celebrated a milestone

Sept. 21 as cardiac surgeons per-

formed their 100th open-heart surgi-

cal procedure since the reintroduc-

tion of this service in June.

KU Med enhanced its cardiotho-

racic services this year when a group

of 22 cardiologists and four sur-

geons joined its staff. The response

has been tremendous, as the surgical

numbers would indicate.

“Most importantly, there have

been outstanding outcomes. Our

outcomes greatly

exceed national stan-

dards,” said Michael

Gorton, MD, who

performed the 100th

procedure.

The surgery team

is the most experi-

enced in the region,

having performed

over 13,500 open-heart procedures

in a 30-year period. The overall

mortality rate of these procedures is

one-half of the national average.

THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER

K

Michael Gorton, MD, right, is assisted by Debra Houde, physician’s assistant.

Members of the cardiac operating team

assist Dr. Gorton. From left are: Heidi

Griggs, Dr. Gorton, Peter Hild, MD, and

Janet Kirk.

INSIDE2 Profile: Deb Jordan

3 Bazaar, Flu Shots Ahead

4-5 Front and Center

6 A New Way to RegisterPatients

7 Cancer TechnologyBill Kurtis on KUMC

8 Ads and More…

NEXT ISSUE…Patients get white glove treat-ment, Speedway notes, andwho’s who at the Bazaar

For Deb Jordan, nurse manag-

er and a 15-year veteran of the

Emergency Department (ED), KU

Med has always been the place to

work.

“When I started, this was con-

sidered the mecca of health care.

You really needed to be good to

work here,” she said. “That’s still

the case after all these years. It’s

an exciting place to be.”

Before joining the ED in

1986, Jordan worked as an aid in

a nursing home and as an LPN in

medical, surgical and critical care

units. She received her BSN from

KUMC in 1988 and was promot-

ed to nurse manager of

the ED last November.

“We have a great

staff in the ED, where

everyone supports each

other,” described

Jordan. “It takes a very

special nurse to deal

with the many different

patients and different

situations we encounter.

You never know who’s

coming through the

door next.”

Her extensive ED

experience has landed Jordan

positions on disaster planning

committees and the advisory

board for the Kansas City, Kansas

Community College paramedic

program. She also teaches first aid

to Scout troops.

A mother of four, including

twin five-year-old boys, Jordan

works an average of 60 hours a

week. She enjoys her fast-paced

life, both at work and at home.

Her greatest inspiration?

“My daughter says she wants

to be a nurse just like me.”

Fast-paced ED keeps Jordanbusy and fulfilled

2

CENTER STAGE PROFILING THE PEOPLE OF KUMC(Editor’s note: With this article In the Center begins a periodic series of personal profiles ofKUMC’s health care professionals and other staff members.)

Deb Jordan, RN, in one of the newly remodeled rooms in the

Emergency Department.

As the first year of NASCARracing comes to a close at theKansas Speedway Sept. 29 and30, KU Med also concludes itsfirst year as the official health careprovider for the Speedway.

In late May, KU Med openedits 3,400-square-foot infield carecenter featuring two trauma bedsand six treatment areas. The carecenter is equipped to deal withmedical emergencies from heartattacks to heat stroke. Two first aidstations, located under the grand-stand, take care of minor medicalproblems.

The care center was busy dur-ing races this summer, especiallywhen temperatures climbed above100 degrees in July.

“The speedway medical teamwas a great example of the team-work that KU Med is capable ofexhibiting,” said Jeff Strickler,RN, nursing care coordinator forthe Speedway. “Our team was theepitome of the customer serviceculture that is developing here atKU Med.”

The infield care center isstaffed by two physicians, a trau-ma surgeon, three nurses, a respi-ratory therapist and clerk. Staffingat the first aid stations includes aphysician and two nurses at eachstation. Prior to the final weekend,more than 500 people had beentreated at the care center and firstaid stations.

Last weekendof racing ontap atSpeedway

Are you looking for a wreath

or floral arrangement to spruce up

your house for the fall and holiday

seasons? The annual Auxiliary

Bazaar on Oct. 24 and 25 will fea-

ture a variety of home decor and

gift items — all reasonably priced.

According to Dorothy Ebner,

Bazaar chairwoman, hand-decorat-

ed sweatshirts will sell for $15

each. Floral arrangements will cost

no more than $25, a steal when

compared to retail prices.

“People can pick up some real

bargains because we don’t charge

for the time we put into these

items,” Ebner explained. “We

price things to sell.”

Her dining room is overflow-

ing with hundreds of silk flowers

and other supplies Auxiliary mem-

bers will use to craft their cre-

ations.

“We have some very imagina-

tive Auxiliary members who just

have fun getting together and

working on these projects,” said

Ebner.

Members will

also refurbish vin-

tage jewelry and

collect old

Christmas orna-

ments, books, cas-

sette tapes, CDs

and videotapes for

resale during the

Bazaar. If you’d

like to donate any of these items,

bring them to the Volunteer work-

room located across the hall from

the Senior Resource Center, which

is just inside the front door of the

hospital.

With flu season just around the

corner, KU Med is gearing up for

its annual drive-through flu shot

event Oct. 27 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Volunteers, both medical and

non-medical, are needed to staff

the various stations on the route.

The event focuses on those

people who are considered to be at

high risk for contracting the flu

because of age or health status.

Drivers can register, be

screened and receive flu shots

without leaving their cars. Shots

will be administered on a first-

come, first-served basis.

Participants are asked to bring non-

perishable food items in support of

Harvester’s Food Pantry.

Traffic patterns and parking

around the hospital will be altered

to accommodate the event.

Specifics will be announced in

upcoming editions of In the Center.

“It requires the cooperation of

departments across the campus,”

said Amy Metcalf, KU Med well-

ness coordinator and organizer of

the event.

Last year, more than 200

KUMC employees volunteered for

the event. More than 3,000 people

received free flu shots.

To volunteer, e-mail Amy

Metcalf at ametcalf or call 8-1233.

Auxiliary members craft creations forannual Bazaar

Drive-through flu shot event seeks volunteers

3

Shoppers hunt for bargains at last year’s Bazaar.

Above: From left to right, Rehab staff members Ben

Kuster, physical therapy student, Paula Engelhardt,

physical therapist, and Linda Whistler, physical therapy

tech, carry Karen Wilson Kedro, occupational therapist,

to demonstrate the proper way to carry disabled people.

In celebration of Rehab Week, KU Med’s Rehab department staged

a surprise safety evacuation drill Sept. 25. Patients, visitors and staff

were evacuated to the Adult Partial Hospital in Olathe Pavilion

where they were treated to ice cream.

Below: Patient Jose Bernal is served ice cream by Dianna Moser,

recreational therapist, right, and Rosetta Cumming, dietetics.

The Burnett Burn

Center Outpatient Burn

Clinic opened for

patients on Sept. 25.

The new clinic will be

open Tuesdays and

Wednesdays from

8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and

Thursdays and Fridays

from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. It is located on the 5th floor of the hospital,

immediately adjacent to the Burnett Burn Center on Unit 52.

Staff members ready for the first day of patients include, from left,

Louis Nicholson, hydrotherapy technician, Julia Pena, RN, Traci

Edwards, occupational therapist, and Carla Sabus, physical therapist.

Rehab Week

Outpatient burn center

4

Front & Center . . .

Members of the cardiac operating room team who performed

KU Med’s 100th cardiac surgery on Sept. 21 are, front, from

left: Juvy Jabel, Heidi Griggs, Shirley Smith, Debra Houde,

Suzanne Huffman and Patrick Egger. In the second row,

from left, are: Suchinet Wathanacharoen, Janet Kirk, Bob

Devine, MD, Marcy Norwich, Paula Bauer and Nancy

Persley. In the third row, from left, are: Michael Gorton, MD,

Jann Fowler, Mary Ellen Schultis, Bill Fletcher, Miguel

Calvillo, Peter Hild, MD, and Craig Petterson.

100th cardiac surgery team

The “Shower of Stoles,” a collection of hun-

dreds of liturgical stoles from gay, lesbian,

bisexual and transgendered people of faith,

was on display in the School of Nursing

(SoN) atrium Sept. 26. The individuals repre-

sented by these stoles are active leaders in

their faiths who have been barred from serv-

ing their communities because of their sexual

orientation.

Shower of Stoles

Golfers were treated to a beautiful day for the

2001 KUMC Golf Tourney, Sept. 24 at

Heritage Park Golf Course.

Cristin Estes, Ophthalmology, left, and Arlene

Wilshusen, Telecommunications and

Networking, register golfers prior to teeing off.

KUMC golftournament

5

David Naylor, second-year medical

student, left, helps hang the stoles.

Kansas Cancer Institute (KCI) volunteer

Abby Frenzen, left, and freelance artist Jan

Bryan Hunt assemble the second edition of

her specially-designed works of art titled

“Susan’s Angels.” They will be sold during

Breast Cancer Awareness Week, Oct. 1-5, in

front of the cafeteria. Proceeds will benefit

the Susan Henke Miller Breast Cancer

Research Fund at the KCI.

Breast CancerAwareness

6

Jatinder Aulakh, MD, assistant

professor, department of Internal

Medicine and Pediatrics, division of

Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Dr. Aulakh specializes in allergy

and immunological diseases. He com-

pleted medical school at Government

Medical College, Amritsar, in Punjab,

India and an internship at Guru Nanak

Dev Hospital. He completed his residen-

cy in pediatrics and a fellowship in aller-

gy/immunology at the University of

Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Aulakh sees

patients of all ages at the KU Children’s

Center, KU MedWest and KU Med.

Melissa R. Cady, MD, assistant

professor, Family Medicine department.

Dr. Cady’s special areas of interest

are women’s health and adolescent med-

icine. Dr. Cady graduated from the

University of Missouri-Kansas City

medical school. She completed a resi-

dency in family medicine at the

University of Kansas. Dr. Cady sees

patients at KU Med.

Kirk Hance, MD, assistant profes-

sor, Surgery department, General and

Vascular sections. Dr. Hance specializes

in vascular surgery with special training

in endovascular surgery. He completed

medical school at the University of

Texas Southwestern Medical School and

his general surgery and vascular surgery

residencies at the University of Kansas.

He also completed an endovascular and

research fellowship at Washington

University. Dr. Hance is certified by the

American Board of Surgery.

Peter Langenstroer, MD, assistant

professor, Surgery department, Urology

section. Dr. Langenstroer specializes in

urologic oncology. He graduated from

Medical College of Wisconsin-

Milwaukee where he also completed his

residency in urology. Dr. Langenstroer

was on the faculty at Medical College of

Wisconsin for four years. He is certified

by the American Board of Urology.

Stephen Lauer, Ph.D., MD, assis-

tant professor in Pediatrics. Dr. Lauer

has a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the

University of Texas and attended med-

ical school at the University of

California-Irvine. He completed a resi-

dency in pediatrics at the University of

California-San Francisco. Dr. Lauer is

certified by the American Board of

Pediatrics. He has an interest in screen-

ing for cardiovascular disease in children

and adolescents.

Physician UpdateRecognizing physicians who have recently come to KU Med

Kirk Hance, MDJatinder Aulakh, MD Melissa R. Cady, MD

“Virtualregistration” forclinic patientsbegins Oct. 1

A new outpatient registration

process scheduled to go into

effect in Kansas University

Physician, Inc.’s clinics Oct. 1

will increase efficiency and

make the process more patient-

friendly.

The new system, dubbed

“virtual registration,” allows

patients to be pre-registered for

clinic or ancillary visits by tele-

phone. Specially trained pre-reg-

istration specialists will phone

the patients prior to their

appointments to collect personal

and insurance information.

Patients who must visit more

than one location in the hospital

during a visit will be issued a

“passport” at their first appoint-

ment. Patients will only have to

verify their information and have

their insurance cards copied

once.

Stephen Lauer,Ph.D., MD

Peter Langenstroer, MD

Bill Kurtis, host of A & E’s

“Investigative Reports” and a KU

graduate, will narrate a television

documentary produced to mark

the 50th anniversary of KUMC’s

Rural Preceptor Program.

“Medicine on the Kansas

Prairie” was produced as part of

the School of Medicine’s (SoM)

yearlong celebration of the

Preceptor Program. The documen-

tary will be introduced at a recep-

tion and dinner Nov. 2 at the

Fairmont Hotel Country Club

Plaza. The event will reunite for-

mer and present preceptors with

their students, as well as recognize

all volunteer physicians for their

contributions to medical education

in Kansas. Excerpts of the pro-

gram will be aired on Kansas pub-

lic television in December.

The Preceptor Program part-

ners fourth-year medical students

with physicians throughout

Kansas. The students spend one or

two months working alongside

rural physicians.

In addition to the dinner, two

other seminars are scheduled that

weekend. A daylong women’s

health seminar, “Women’s Health:

Successful Diagnosis and

Management of Disabling

Conditions,” will be held on Nov.

2. A half-day program on the

Preceptor Program, “Kansas

Medical Education, 50 Years

Later: Where Are We Now and

Where Are We Going?”, is sched-

uled for Nov. 3.

To register, call 4-4871 or dial

toll free 877-404-5823.

Participants may also register by

e-mail at kucc@ku.edu or online

at kuce.org.

visit us online at:http://www2.kumc.edu/publications/inthecenter/

New linear accelerator to go online soonInstallation of KU Med’s new linear accelerator

literally went through the roof of the Radiation

Oncology department early Sunday morning, Sept. 16.

But the real excitement will come in early 2002, when

it begins providing high-energy x-ray and electron

beams to treat cancers deep within all parts of the

body. KU Med will be first in the area to offer this

advanced cancer treatment that promises to improve

cure rates and reduce harmful side effects.

Weighing 30,000 pounds and measuring nine feet

by 15 feet, the linear accelerator will be used to deliver

the most advanced form of intensity modulated radia-

tion therapy (IMRT). IMRT enables physicians to

carefully and precisely target cancerous tumor cells,

including those that are irregularly shaped, to within

one millimeter.

“The IMRT computer system allows us to arrange

multiple beams of radiation for a treatment

customized to each patient,” said Leela Krishnan, MD,

professor and chair of Radiation Oncology. “This

maximizes the dose of radiation delivered to the tumor

while minimizing exposure to critical organs and

surrounding healthy tissue.”

As a result, IMRT can treat areas of the body—

such as the spine, head and neck—with higher doses

of radiation than were previously feasible. For

instance, IMRT can be used to safely apply radiation

to a tumor wrapped around the spinal cord.

In addition, patient comfort and cure rates are

substantially improved because IMRT protects the

non-cancerous areas while delivering high-dose radia-

tion therapy to affected areas. By increasing doses of

radiation, physicians have a much greater chance of

completely eliminating tumors rather than causing

temporary regression.

7

Bill Kurtis narrates preceptor documentary

Automotive:1981 Ford Crown Victoria, 111K miles,automatic, all electric, windows, seats,locks, good condition, yellowish-goldcolor, vinyl top half-top, A/C needs work,very seldom driven in the past few years,was parents’ car, $1,500 OBO. Leave mes-sage at 913-362-9010.

1994 Grand Am, 100K miles, dependable,$2,000. 913-362-8515.

For Sale:Kitchen table, approx. 48´´ x 30´´ and 4chairs, butcher-block style, excellent con-dition, $150 for the set; two 24´´ dark-brown oak barstools, rounded back withbent slats, excellent condition, $150 forthe pair. 816-695-6915.

Gently worn designer-label girls’ clothes,size newborn through 2-T, all seasons,toys, car seat, exersaucer, etc., pricesnegotiable. Nights or weekends 913-782-3332.

Twin-size electric bed, head and knee sec-tion can be raised with electric control,oak headboard. 816-561-4604.

Dickens village: East Indies TradingCompany, $65; Chancery Corner, $65;The Spirit of Giving, $100. 816-361-0630.

White Maytag electric dryer, good condi-tion with newer belt and roller bearing,$100 OBO. 913-381-1612.

Sofa and chair with solid pine frames,dark stain, cream-colored cushions, goodcondition, $150 OBO. 816-756-0652.

Garage Sale:Saturday, Sept. 29, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Babyfurniture, toys, Christmas items. Two anda half blocks west of 7th Street at 755Shawnee Ave., KCK.

Wanted:Carpool or vanpool from Blue Springs toKUMC as a rider plus operating expenses.K. Fowler at 816-795-3745.

3901 RAINBOW BOULEVARD • KANSAS CITY, KS 66160 • (913) 588-5000 • WWW.KUMC.EDU

CLASSIFIEDS, ETC.c o m i n g

u p

Irene M. Cumming Donald Hagen, MDPresident and Executive Vice ChancellorChief Executive Officer University of KansasKU Med Medical Center

Toni Wills, Editor

Jan Lewis, Senior Writer

Perry Fowler, Designer

Mary King, Communications ManagerIn The Center, a weekly employee and student pub-lication of the University of Kansas and KU Med, ispublished by the KU Med Public Relations andMarketing Department. Send story ideas to ToniWills, G114 Hospital, e-mail: <twills2> 8-1846, orMary King, e-mail: <mking> 8-1298.

Ad Policy - Send or bring your ad to G114 KU Med,or fax to ext. 8-1225, or e-mail: <twills2> by noonThursday of the week before it is to run. Ads run freeof charge for employees, students and volunteers.For-sale ads are limited to three items. All ads mustinclude the advertiser’s name and work extension(or student box number) for verification. Only homephone numbers–no pager numbers or work exten-sions–will be published. Please include area code.No ads for commercial services or pets for sale willbe accepted. Ads will not be taken by telephone.Only one phone number per ad. Ads may be held aweek if space is limited.

Friday, September 28• Blood drive, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.,

Student Center, Stoland Lounge.

• Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesGrand Rounds series,“Psychological Aspects ofHormone Replacement Therapy,”Julia Warnock, MD, Ph.D.,department of Psychiatry at theUniversity of Oklahoma, 10-11:30 a.m., Sudler auditorium.On-site CME credits available.

Monday, October 1• National Breast Cancer Awareness

Month begins. Visit the KansasCancer Institute’s table outside the cafeteria this week.

Tuesday, October 2• Senior wellness program, “Surfin’

the Net,” 10 a.m.-noon, SeniorResource Center.

Wednesday, October 3• Diabetes self-management training

classes, “Long-Term ChronicComplications,” 9-10 a.m., “Foot, Skin and Dental Care,” 10-11 a.m., George Ann Eaks,RN, Cray Diabetes ManagementCenter, Room 1107.

• KUMC Interfaith, noon-1 p.m.,2023 Wescoe.

Thursday, October 4• Burn patient family support

group, 6-7 p.m., Burnett BurnCenter waiting room.

CLASSIFIEDS, ETC.

Got stories?If you have a story idea,question or comment, callthe In the Center hotlineat 8-1454.