rochestermedicineuniversity of rochester medical center • school of medicine and dentistry •fall...

ROCHESTERMEDICINE

OsteotoxicologyAn advocate for the study of the environment’srole in bone diseases, Edward Puzas chases his primary and persistent culprit, lead.

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Eastman’s directiveMedical Center’s community health missionreaches across the institution and deep intocommunity and homes.

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER • SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY • FALL / WINTER 2011

On the coverJ. Edward Puzas, Ph.D., working to understand the environment’s role in bone diseases.

FALL / WINTER 2011 1

remember well the warm welcomeI received last January in the FlaumAtrium on the day University ofRochester President Joel Seligmanannounced that I would return from myinjury and work again as chief executiveofficer of the University of RochesterMedical Center (URMC).

Much has happened in a year, andI especially want to tell you about anexciting program that we announced lastmonth at URMC and our School ofMedicine and Dentistry. It marks thenext phase of an initiative that we’vebeen working on for several years, butwith intense focus over the last year.

My experiences as a patient were arevelation, an undeniable reminder ofthe critical importance of providingcompassionate, attentive care. I wasimpressed by the caregivers who had thecourage to genuinely engage me and mywife, Mary, in conversations about ourfears and concerns. As CEO, I’ve beendetermined to find a way to providepatient-and family-centered care moreconsistently across URMC. Our goal is tocare with our patients, rather than for ourpatients. In addition, we need to engagefamilies in the treatment plans for ourpatients. Equally important, we need tofoster an environment of caring for eachother in which teamwork and a sharedvision is the norm.

Health systems that supportpatient-and-family-centered care withinvolvement in decision-making achieveimproved quality, safety, efficiency andgreater satisfaction for patients and staff.

Given the pressures that all health careproviders are currently facing, thisexplains why so many health care organ-izations are now embracing patient- andfamily-centered care. Touted by theInstitute for Health Care Improvement,the Agency for Health Care Research andQuality, the University HealthSystemConsortium and others, virtually everymajor health organization is on a similarjourney.

Fortunately, Rochester has consid-erable advantages, not the least of whichis our heritage with the biopsychosocialmodel. This model has been taught inour medical school for more than 30 years, and has imbued two generationsof students and faculty with a deepappreciation of the humanistic elementsof health care. Consequently, we have acadre of nationally prominent clinician-scientists who practice and teachpatient-and-family-centered care. Led by Steve Goldstein, CEO of StrongMemorial Hospital and Highland Hos -pital, Jackie Beckerman, director ofStrong Commitment, and Jean Joseph,M.D., Patient-and Family-Centered Caremedical director, we have developed a comprehensive approach to imple-menting this next generation of thebio psychosocial model throughout URMC.

Just last month, we held a series ofTown Hall meetings to introduce theconcepts developed by our core teamswith the entire URMC faculty and staff.The response has been inspiring. Every -one involved in patient care-physicians,nurses, transporters, food service and

I

Bradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D.CEO, University of Rochester MedicalCenter; Senior Vice President for HealthSciences

environmental service workers alike-isfocusing on interactions with colleagues,patients and families. There is a palpableenergy around this new way of providingcare. Everyone is becoming passionateabout living our brand, “Medicine of theHighest Order.”

We’re already seeing that patient-and family-centered care is rewarding inmyriad ways. It builds patient loyalty,improves outcomes and increases effi-ciency. Not surprisingly, those caregiverswho score highest on patient satisfactionsurveys report having the highest level of career fulfillment. At a time whencaregivers feel the pressure of so muchchange in health care, patient-and-family-centered care is not “just onemore thing we need to do,” it is “thething that we must do.”

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his past year marked the centennialanniversary of the revolutionary reportby Abraham Flexner for the CarnegieFoundation for the Advancement ofTeaching that criticized the quality ofmost American medical schools.

Flexner found most curriculumsoffered future physicians little educationin science. He proposed basing medicalschools at universities, setting high entryand graduation standards, establishingclinical as well as academic settingswhere students would learn, and facili-tating faculty research.

Our School of Medicine andDentistry grew out of this report. Flexnermet with Rush Rhees, who was then thepresident of the University of Rochester,and with businessman and philanthro-pist George Eastman, urging them tocreate a school that would truly educateand prepare physicians and scientists.

Our history shows we have livedup to Flexner’s call. The feature articlesin this issue of Rochester Medicine illus-trate how we continue to answer thatcall.

You will read about the Dean’sTeaching Fellowship program that buildsthe educational skills of our faculty andalso helps renew our curriculum.Recipients of the fellowship, to nameonly a few, helped create a trainingprogram for those who care for womenand their babies in high-risk deliveries,built a comprehensive assessment ofclinical competence in emergency medi-

cine, developed a standardized patientprogram for third-year surgery studentsand demonstrated the value of medicalstudent peer assessments.

J. Edward Puzas, Ph.D., is theDonald and Mary Clark Professor ofOrthopaedics, the School of Medicineand Dentistry’s senior associate dean forbasic research and an alumnus of theSchool. His research into the effects oflead in bone, as described in this issue,not only demonstrates our commitmentto research but also our drive to link ourresearch to clinical problems. “When -ever we do experiments, we are alwaysthinking about how to take what we findand apply it to cure a problem inhumans,” Ed says.

In his report 100 years ago, Flexnerrecognized changes coming to medicinethrough science. In the past, he wrote,physicians were responsible to a patientand perhaps the patient’s family. “Butthe physician’s function is fast becomingsocial and preventive,” Flexner said.“Upon him society relies to ascertain . . .the conditions that prevent disease andmake positively for physical and moralwell-being.”

So Flexner would recognize theimportance of the fourth core mission ofthe Medical Center, community health.While the official naming of a fourth coremission did not occur until 2004, the com -mitment to community health by ourMedical Center and the School of Med -icine and Dentistry goes back decades.

In this issue of Rochester Med icine,we begin a series of articles on ourcommunity health programs. Our Med -ical Center and the School of Medicineand Dentistry have more than 300 ofthese programs. You also can find ourcommunity commitment in the researchof Ed Puzas and other members of ourfaculty. These are all reasons why I amconfident that, if Flexner could return,he would give us high grades.

T

Mark B. Taubman, M.D.Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, Vice President for Health Sciences

Rochester Medicine onlineRochester Medicine magazine's online edition is availablesimultaneously with the print edition, but with Web extras.The online Rochester Medicine is another way to keep intouch with the School of Medicine and Dentistry. Lookonline at www.rochester-medicine.urmc.edu


CONTENTS

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

ROCHESTER MEDICINE

Rochester Medicine is published by: The University of Rochester Medical Center,Department of Public Relations and Communications, in conjunction with the Department of Alumni Relations & Advancement for the School of Medicine & Dentistry.

Associate Vice President for Public Relations and Communications Teri D’Agostino Editor Michael WentzelContributing Writers Lori Barrette, Emily Boynton, Heather Hare,

Mark Michaud, Leslie Orr, Tom Rickey, and Leslie White

Art Director Mitchell Christensen Photographers Ken Huth, Vince Sullivan, and Marten Czamanske

For questions or comments, contact: Department of Alumni Relations and Advancement for the School of Medicine and Dentistry300 East River Road, Rochester, NY 14627 800–333–4428 585–273–5954 Fax 585–461–2081Comments on this issue, e-mail: [email protected]

4 Eastman’s directive: Medical Center’s community healthmission reaches across the institution and deep into community and homes.

10 Dean’s Teaching Fellowship: Endowed program provides timeand support for a cadre of faculty committed to teaching andenhancing the curriculum.

16 Osteotoxicology: An advocate for the study of the environ-ment's role in bone diseases, Edward Puzas chases his primaryand persistent culprit, lead.

22 Medical Center Rounds30 Philanthropy32 Alumni Awards 201036 Alumni News38 Reunion Weekend 201042 Class Notes50 In Memoriam

Write to us! Rochester Medicine welcomes letters fromreaders. The editor reserves the right to selectletters for publication and to edit for style andspace. Brief letters are encouraged. Please sendletters to:

[email protected] Medicine Magazine 601 Elmwood Ave.Box 643, Rochester, NY 14642.

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By Michael WentzelOn any given Thursday evening, a half-dozen University of Rochester School ofMedicine and Dentistry students meet atAsbury First United Methodist Churchin Rochester where they staff a freeclinic for the homeless, the uninsuredand anyone without the money to gethealth care.

The medical students, supervisedby a volunteer physician, perform physi-cals, treat minor injuries, arrange care forchronic problems and even help serve ahot meal to the 15 or so patients whocome to the evening clinic.

The Asbury clinic is a part of URWell Student Outreach, through whichmedical students work at clinics andother programs that provide care andservices to residents of the Rochesterarea. In the last 12 months, more than210 medical students have volunteeredin UR Well community projects.

“At the Asbury clinic, we seepatients who do not have alternatives forhealth care. This is a huge opportunityfor us to be engaged with our communityand make a significant difference forthose in need,” said Catherine Trimbur,co-director of the UR Well clinic and amember of the Class of 2012.

“Additionally, it is a great learning

opportunity, as we get to see a variety ofpatients in different clinical settings andwork with and learn from attendingphysicians and our peers.”

The Asbury clinic is not a rarecommunity-based project. Individualphysicians, scientists and studentsthroughout the Medical Center andSchool of Medicine and Dentistryroutinely apply skills and resources toimprove the health of the Rochesterregion.

Faculty, postdoctoral fellows andstaff from the Department of Psychiatry,for example, join with social workers andcounselors on a weekly basis to reachelderly people facing loneliness, depres-sion and even suicide.

In at least four projects, thedepartment has partnered with nonprofitcommunity organizations in efforts tofind ways to bring better mental healthcare to older adults. In a project calledthe Senior Health and ResearchAlliance, the department helped de -velop a system for screening older adultsfor depression at the agency level thathas affected the care provided to thou-sands of people.

The project with Lifespan ofGreater Rochester, the largest aging

services agency in the Rochester region,and the Catholic Family Center was thefirst comprehensive effort to join socialservices and mental health providers todevelop approaches to care for theelderly.

“Their work with us definitely hasimproved the health of older adults inour community. It has allowed us toassess our clients differently and getmental health services to them,” saidAnn Marie Cook, executive director ofLifespan of Greater Rochester. “Every -one from the Medical Center we haveworked with has a tremendous amountof respect for the work we do. There hasnot been one person who felt there wasan ivory tower looking down at us.”

In fiscal year 2009, the MedicalCenter, including Highland Hospital,supported more than 300 communityhealth improvement programs andcommunity-building and community-based research projects with a value of$68.5 million.

“Our commitment to the commu-nity is longstanding,” said Mark B.Taubman, M.D., dean of the School ofMedicine and Dentistry. “One of ourmost important jobs as an academicmedical center is to conduct commu-

Eastmans directiveMedical Center’s community health mission reaches across

the institution and deep into neighborhoods and homes.

’

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nity-based research to evaluate newapproaches to prevent, treat and curedisease. To do so, we must work withcommunities so that we can betterunderstand their needs and priorities.”

An academic medical center’s responsibility When he agreed to fund the creation ofthe School of Medicine and Dentistry in1920, philanthropist George Eastmandirected the University to use the skillsand talents of faculty and students “tomake Rochester one of the healthiestcommunities in the world.”

Jay H. Stein, M.D., former chief

executive officer of the Medical Center,and Lowell Goldsmith, M.D., M.P.H.,former dean of the School, echoed thedirective when, in October 2000, theylaunched Project Believe, a campaignthat aimed to make Rochester thehealthiest community in the country by2020. The idea came to Goldsmith as hemade one of his regular drives throughthe city of Rochester.

“I had been searching for an auda-cious idea that would become thesignature of the School, something thatwould be important for the School,” saidGoldsmith, now a professor emeritus at

the University of North Carolina Schoolof Medicine. “We obviously providemedical care to the community. Wealready had many outreach programs butwere we improving the health of thecommunity at large? We knew it wasgoing to have to involve everyone-students and faculty — in projects thatmade sense academically and made senseto the community.”

Utilizing small grants in its firstyears, Project Believe supported nutri-tion and fitness programs in Rochesterand backed a stop-smoking project forteenagers. While the Project Believe

The Center for Com -munity Health’s HealthyLiving Pro gram andthe Latino counterpart,Vida en Salud, takefitness and health edu -cation pro grams toAfrican-Americans andLa tinos in the Roch -ester area in a partnership with churches,com munity organiza-tions, the city of Roch- ester and the YMCA.


name and structure are no longer used,the Eastman directive and what Gold -smith calls “this worthwhile task andmission” stand today as essential guide-posts of the Medical Center and theSchool of Medicine and Dentistry.

In 2004, C. McCollister Evarts,M.D. (M ’57, R ’64), then chief executiveofficer of the Medical Center, officiallymade community health the fourth coremission of the Medical Center. In thesame year, the Association of AmericanMedical Colleges awarded the School ofMedicine and Dentistry its OutstandingCommunity Service Award, recognizing

the depth and breadth of communityservice fostered by the School.

In 2006, the creation of the Centerfor Community Health under Evartsfortified partnerships with local organiza-tions and became a focus of support forcommunity-based research, educationand connections of faculty, student andstaff with community partners andprograms. In 2008, the Medical Center’snew strategic plan called for an expan-sion of health interventions, researchand collaboration as part of the commu-nity health mission.

“Across the United States, manyacademic medical centers are located inor near impoverished neighborhoodsand communities with many needs,”Nancy M. Bennett, M.D., director of theCenter for Community Health andprofessor of medicine. “It is our responsi-bility to tie our work to improving thehealth of these communities and to serveour communities very directly. If wework more closely with the community,our research will be more effective andwe will improve the health of the peoplein the community. Some academicmedical centers are just coming aroundto this view but we have understood foryears that to improve human health weneed to translate our research to commu-nity innovations.”

The Center for CommunityHealth’s programs alone reach across thecity and county. Its Cancer ServicesProgram of Monroe County pays forscreenings for breast, cervical andcolorectal cancer annually for about1,000 women and men between the agesof 40 and 64 who are uninsured or under-insured. Its Healthy Living Program andthe Latino counterpart, Vida en Salud,take fitness and health educationprograms to African-Americans andLatinos in the Rochester area in a part-nership with churches, communityorganizations, the city of Rochester andthe YMCA.

The Healthy Living Center, partof the Center for Community Healthwhich opened in February, offers clinicallifestyle management services andconducts research on the design, evalua-tion, and implementation of programs to

decrease tobacco use, prevent diabetes,boost physical activity, improve nutri-tion, and increase adherence tomedications.

Headed by Geoff Williams, M.D.,Ph.D. (PhD ’93), a professor of medicine atthe Medical Center, the Healthy LivingCenter aims to better understand thefactors that play a role in an individual’shealth and to create resources for physi-cians, individuals, and communityprograms that support lifestyle changesto improve health.

“You will find elements of what wedo as an institution at many otheracademic medical centers, but we havethe most comprehensive approach. Ourinstitution has made a commitment at alevel that is unique,” Bennett said.

An intervention to prevent violenceYou can find that commitment tocommunity embedded in the School ofMedicine and Dentistry curriculum.Every medical student hears the messageof the community mission from the firstdays at the School. Community volun-teer work is not only supported, it isencouraged.

The Community Health Improve -ment Clerkship (CHIC) is a require mentfor graduation from the School ofMedicine and Dentistry. The onlyrequired fourth-year clerkship of its kindin the country, CHIC provides medicalstudents with a community-based educa-tional experience, while increasingaccess to health care by underservedpopulations. Students are encouraged todevelop or sustain projects that are bene-ficial to the community. Since itsinception in 2002, CHIC has resulted inmore than 190 unique community healthimprovement projects, involving morethan 400 medical students.

You can find the communitycommitment in the Kessler Burn andTrauma Center in the Medical Center,where teenage patients who havegunshot or stab wounds are notuncommon and where the RochesterYouth Violence Partnership tries tobreak the lure of the streets.

The partnership is a hospital-basedviolence intervention program that

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targets trauma victims under the age of18 when they are treated at the MedicalCenter for a knife or gun injury.

“When we ask the communitywhat issues are most important to them,addressing violence is always at or nearthe top of the list,” Bennett said.

Established in 200 6, the partner-ship is headed by the Kessler center andsupported by 28 local non-profit, govern-ment, and service-based organizations.The Medical Center serves as the “firstresponder” by treating injuries and iden-tifying at-risk patients. When thepatient is stabilized and the psycholog-ical and social issues identified, acoordinated series of law-enforcementand community partner-led interven-tions occur to help prevent additionalviolent episodes.

Mark Gestring, M.D., the Kesslercenter medical director, heads theprogram. The team also includesMichael Scharf, M.D. (R ’01, FLW ’03),assist ant professor of psychiatry andpediatrics, and clinical nurses and socialworkers.

At last count, since the inceptionof the program, 177 youths have beentreated for gunshot or stab wounds at theKessler center. Of these, 155 have re -ceived a comprehensive social workassess ment; 108 were referred to thegang-intervention team; and 91 receivedin-patient psychiatric evaluations. In2007, nine youths previously injured byviolence returned as a result of violence.In the three years since then, none ofhave returned.

“These injuries rarely happen byaccident and should be seen as indicatorsof unacceptable exposure to violence.Our program focuses on victims andfamilies with a goal of preventing furtherviolent injury,” Gestring said. “Kidsshould never get shot or stabbed.”

A coordinated attack on leadKids also should not face exposure to thetoxic consequences of lead.

Research conducted in the 1990’sat the Medical Center, which docu-mented the impact of even slightlyelevated blood lead levels on children’scognitive development and IQ anddirectly linked this poisoning with theconcentration of lead in the dust on thefloors of their homes, informed federalstandards for lead in dust. Today,Medical Center researchers continue tostudy lead’s role in osteoporosis andother serious health problems.

In 2001, the Coalition to PreventLead Poisoning was created in responseto studies that showed that children inthe city of Rochester had elevated bloodlead levels that were 10 times thenational average. University faculty andstaff have been in leadership positionswith the organization since its inception.

The University has also been instru-mental in several outreach programsincluding Get the Lead Out, a partner-ship with Orchard Street CommunityHealth Center, local government agen-cies and several community groups totest the homes of children at risk of leadpoisoning, and a “lead lab” whichdemonstrated lead safe practices.

Katrina Korfmacher, Ph.D., assis-tant professor in the Department ofEnvironmental Medicine, has spent thelast decade focused on reducing leadexposure for children in the Rochesterarea. Working with the coalition,Korfmacher helped devise and imple-ment outreach, education, and advocacyactivities. These efforts resulted in a far-reaching lead abatement ordinancepassed by the city of Rochester in 2005.Through the actions of the coalition, thenumber of children in the Rochesterarea with elevated blood lead levels was

Over the last five years, Department of Psy -chiatry faculty members have helped create anetwork of programs that address another oftenhidden health threat—depression that hampersand burdens older adults and their caregivers.

A departmental partnership with the Roch -ester-area organization Jewish Senior Life andJewish Family Services called the GeriatricMedical and Mental Health Care Collaborative(GEMM) provides integrated care to frail andhomebound seniors and often treats their equallyhomebound caregivers.


reduced from 1,293 children in 2002 to283 children in 2009.

“This is a powerful example of theability of science and outreach to informand influence public policy decisionsthat improve public health,” DeanTaubman said. “While our physiciansand scientists have played importantroles in understanding and treating thehealth effects of lead exposure, it wasclear that only a coordinated, commu-nity-based approach could address theroot cause of this problem.”

Outside the Medical Center’s wallsOver the last five years, Department ofPsychiatry faculty members have helpedcreate a network of programs thataddress another often hidden healththreat-depression that hampers andburdens older adults and their caregivers.

A departmental partnership withthe Rochester-area organization Jewish

Senior Life and Jewish Family Servicescalled the Geriatric Medical and MentalHealth Care Collaborative (GEMM)provides integrated care to frail andhomebound seniors and often treatstheir equally homebound caregivers.Jewish Senior Life physicians hadtargeted the homebound for much-needed medical services as part of theirHouse Calls program, but they now alsoscreen for mental disorders. If the screenis positive for a mental or cognitive issue,a Medical Center nurse practitioner or asocial worker get involved. Since 2008,GEMM has served 189 homeboundelders, with about a third identified ashaving significant mental health orcognitive problems.

The department continues its rela-tionship with GEMM but also has helpedlaunch PEARLS, or the Program toEncourage Active and Rewarding Livesfor Seniors. This project started in 2010

with Eldersource, a joint venture ofLifespan of Greater Rochester and theCatholic Family Center. The depart-ment trains Eldersource social workersand care managers to screen for depres-sion and to utilize a therapy, known asproblem-solving therapy, that has beenshown to help older adults with depres-sion.

“In our clinic for older adults in the Medical Center, we only touchthe tip of the iceberg,” said Deborah A.King, Ph.D. (FLW ’85), professor of psy -chiatry who oversees GEMM andPEARLS. “These programs are reallygetting out there and reaching people.We have to move so much of what we dooutside our Medical Center walls.”

Wade Norwood, director ofcommunity engagement for the FingerLakes Health Systems Agency, says hewitnesses almost every day in his job andin the community in which he lives thevalue of the programs that have devel-oped out of the Medical Center’scommunity health mission.

“This commitment and sensitivityto the community and the needs ofcommunity members is an importantcharacteristic of the Rochester educa-tional experience,” said Norwood, whoserves as vice chair of the MedicalCenter’s community advisory council.“It is important because it is the rightthing to do. Research and educationrequire service to the community if theyare to be truly of the highest order.

“I see the Medical Center’s roleand partnership with the communityeverywhere I go. I see it when I can gointo a lead-safe home. I see it in whatwe’re doing at city playgrounds to getkids more active and health. I see it inthe dozens of University facultymembers who are helping the healthsystems agency wrestle with the difficultchallenges we face. The results of thecommunity mission are palpable andclearly evidenced every day.”

This is the first in a series of articles aboutthe community health mission.

Lifespan paintingclass.

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Endowed programprovides time and support for a cadre of facultycommitted toteaching andenhancing thecurriculum.

Dean’s TeachingFellowship

By Michael Wentzel

Valerie J. Lang, M.D.


These are questions asked and answeredby faculty who received a Dean’sTeaching Fellowship, a unique programat the University of Rochester School ofMedicine and Dentistry designed tobuild a cadre of committed medicaleducators.

“The Dean’s Teaching Fellowshipis making our curriculum better,” saidRonald M. Epstein, M.D. (R ’87, FLW ’90),director of the program. “The programalso produces opportunity for careerdevelopment. The program is increasingfaculty enthusiasm and capability forleadership in medical education, andtherefore the quality of teaching. It’smaking faculty members want to stayhere and the enthusiasm is felt by theirstudents.”

Valerie J. Lang, M.D. (R ’00), assistantprofessor of medicine, began her fellowshipin 2004 with a goal of infusing more energyin the inpatient medicine clerkship.

“My project was to create onlinevirtual patient cases to teach the contentthat had previously been covered in thelecture series while helping studentsorganize their knowledge in a way thatwould help them reason throughcommon internal medicine problems,”she said.

As director of the clerkship, Langhad found that students frequently sawpatients after a diagnosis had been estab-lished and treatment was initiated.

“Losing the opportunity to seepatients earlier in the course of theirillness was associated with poorer perform-ance on a student’s final exam,” she said.“Working through virtual patient casesguaranteed that students would be able topractice the cognitive tasks of identifyingthe key information to obtain in the inter-view and physical exam and diagnosticstudies for patients who present with asymptom but had no diagnosis.”

As she worked on her project,Lang realized that covering the entireclerkship curriculum was too broad forher to accomplish alone. She began to work with a national organization,Clerkship Directors in Internal Med -icine (CDIM), and a non-profitfoun dation, the Institute for InnovativeTechnology in Medical Education. Sheand her collaborators trained 33 clerk-ship directors from around the countryto write 36 virtual patient cases that nowcomprehensively cover the entirenational curriculum. Each has been peer-reviewed for content and pedagogicalformat and is available on-line.

The program is called SIMPLE:Sim ulated Internal Medicine PatientLearning Experience. There is a parallelprogram in pediatrics, and a program forfamily medicine was just launched.Today, 75 medical schools subscribe toSIMPLE.

What can be done to give third-year students in the inpatient internal medicine clerkship amore active in struc tional tool that wouldreplace a series of less engaging lectures?

How can communication between obstetric andpediatric providers in the delivery room beimproved?

What is the best way to evaluate student musculoskeletal knowledge and clinical skillsin order to develop a basis for curriculumchanges that could boost competence?


“It’s gratifying, but daunting, toknow that the majority of medicalstudents in the United States will useour virtual patient program before theygraduate,” Lang said.

Origins of the fellowshipThe Dean’s Teaching Fellowship is oneof only a few programs of its kind in thecountry for medical school faculty, and isatypical in that it is supported by anendowment and requires a completedproject suitable for presentation at anational meeting and publication in apeer-reviewed journal.

Jules Cohen, M.D. (BA ’53, M ’57), a former senior associate dean formedical education at the School ofMedicine and Dentistry, created theprogram almost 20 years ago as a rewardfor excellence in teaching.

In 2001, the program was expandedto provide a rigorous curriculum forfaculty members who want to focus onmedical education. The endowment,raised by Cohen, has grown enough tosupport fellowships for seven or eightfaculty members annually.

An advisory panel reviews fellow-ship applications and recommendscandidates to the School of Medicineand Dentistry dean who makes the finalselections. The fellowships bear a name,honoring a donor or a person of note.

Fellows are expected to spend 15percent of their time on the program fortwo years. This includes seminars thatmeet two times a month for three hoursto discuss a variety of topics, includingeducational theory and technology,research and teaching methods, curric -ulum design, student assessments andfaculty development. Each fellow under-takes an educational project for the two years. Fellows work closely with amentor and with each other.

Each fellow is provided with astipend of $13,000 for salary relief and upto $3,000 in support of expenses forresearch and travel to educationalconferences. A fellow’s departmentcontributes the difference between thestipend and the fellow’s salary. In addi-tion to publications or presentations,many fellows develop new courses, Web-

based educational programs and evalua-tion systems.

Since the program’s inception,almost 80 faculty members have beenDean’s Teaching Fellows.

“The fellowship program fills animportant need in faculty development,”said Denham S. Ward, M.D., Ph.D., theSchool of Medicine and Dentistry’s asso-ciate dean for faculty development andco-director of the program. “It allows fornetworking of key faculty who are inter-ested in education across all thedepartments in the medical center. Overthe years, the program has developed avery strong group of faculty who havetaken on or enhanced leadership positionsin medical education. We are fortunate tohave an endowed program such as this andit complements the other programs thatwe have for medical school faculty devel-opment in education.”

Knowledge and confidence Benedict DiGiovanni, M.D., associateprofessor of orthopaedics and rehabilita-tion and a Marshall A. Lichtman fellow,focused on musculoskeletal curricularevaluation and the level of medicalstudent knowledge and clinical confi-dence for his project that began in 2007.

“How optimally are we educatingour medical students in this area?” hesaid. “Some studies suggested we werenot doing as good as job we should, thatmany students lacked the knowledge andlacked the confidence to evaluatemusculoskeletal problems. If true, that issignificant because 25 percent of what isseen in a primary care doctor’s office ismusculoskeletal in nature.”

DiGiovanni and others questionedthe reliability of tools used to assessmedical student knowledge. He workedwith the National Board of MedicalExaminers to evaluate a musculoskeletalexam similar to subject or shelf exams inpediatrics, medicine, psychiatry andother areas.

For his curricular evaluation study,DiGiovanni assessed students for threeyears. With second year students, hefound the knowledge level performancewas “just OK.”

“Seventy percent is considered a

good score but they scored in the mid50s. But this was second-year studentstaking a fourth-year exam,” he said.“When they took the exam again twoyears later, the class score went up to anaverage of 70 percent. This is veryexciting. We now have a valid and reli-able tool that shows a high level of musculoskeletal knowledge among our graduating medical students. Yet, aproblem is still noted in clinical confi-dence. The score was low in the secondyear and, even though the students hadgood knowledge levels by the fourthyear, their confidence in being able to diagnose common musculoskeletalproblems was still pretty low. We’re notsure why confidence has not followedknowledge.

“We are trying to figure out whatfactors are at play,” DiGiovanni said.“You would think less confidence couldlead to ordering more tests and morereferrals to specialists when they don’tneed to. That could drive up costs. Weneed to identify those who have moreconfidence, tease out the factors thatbuild confidence and promote thosefactors in our teaching here.”

Team approach to high-risk deliveriesRita Dadiz, D.O., assistant professor ofpediatrics and a George W. Merck fellow,collaborated with a team of doctors andnurses from the obstetric and pediatricdepartments when she began her fellow-ship project in 2008. They developed aninterdisciplinary team training programfor those who care for women and theirnewborns during high-risk deliveries.

“This project is particularly inno-vative in fostering collaborationbe tween different teams, disciplines andprofessions through a communicationand teamwork-focused curriculum,”Dadiz said.

The project also uses simulation-based training (SBT) and highly realistic,computerized mother and baby man -nequins to help portray a delivery. Thebaby, for example, can be delivered vaginally or via cesarean section. Themannequins breathe and the baby vocal-izes sounds.


I’m a full-time orthopaedic surgeon. I am active in clin-ical research and have published a good deal in theorthopaedic realm. Yet I’ve always had this drive tobe a medical educator.…

The fellowship provides the support and dedicated timeyou need to do some good medical education work. Itgives you the tools to go to the next level as a medicaleducator. The Dean’s Teaching Fellowship program isa tremendous asset to the School.” — Benedict DiGiovanni, M.D.

“

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Continued on page 53

Doctors and nurses participate inthe simulated delivery as they wouldduring an actual delivery. The simula-tion is followed by a debriefing duringwhich participants discuss what wentwell and identify areas for improvement.The simulation is videotaped so thatduring the debriefing the participantscan review the video and reflect as ateam on team dynamics.

Dadiz’s project has been incorpo-rated into the training of residents,fellows, faculty, nurses and nurse practi-tioners from the obstetric and pediatricdepartments. The Medical Center hasrecognized simulation-based teamtraining for the obstetric and pediatricteams as away to reduce malpracticepremiums.

Dadiz is evaluating the effect ofthis program on communication duringactual deliveries. As part of the evalua-tion process, her group is analyzing howteams communicate with each other byusing videotaped deliveries. They havedeveloped evaluation tools that includea survey for the care providers and achecklist for handoff communication inthe delivery room.

“If we can show that SBT has apositive impact on patient care, then wecan also potentially improve patientoutcomes,” Dadiz said.

A terrific experienceRecipients of the Dean’s TeachingFellowship are virtually unanimous intheir praise for the program.

In a survey of all past and presentfellows conducted in 2009, more than 74 percent said their roles in medicaleducation have increased due to theirparticipation in the fellowship program.As a result of the fellowship, they havedeveloped new curricula for their divi-sion or department, served on additionaleducation related committees, begunmentoring junior faculty, residents andstudents, presented at national educa-tion related meetings, and jump startedtheir teaching careers.

Almost 70 percent of the Dean’sTeaching Fellows said participation inthe program positively influenced theircommitment to medical education as a

major component of their career. Fellowsstressed the importance of the relation-ships they made both personally andprofessionally, while the cross specialtyinteractions among faculty enhanced thealready rich experience.

DiGiovanni, who now is thedirector of the musculoskeletal curric -ulum for the School of Medicine andDentistry, calls the program a “terrificexperience.”

“I’m a full-time orthopaedicsurgeon. I am active in clinical researchand have published a good deal in theorthopaedic realm. Yet I’ve always hadthis drive to be a medical educator, towork on improving musculoskeletalknowledge and expertise among medicalstudents, but it was difficult to find thetime and appropriate mentoring” hesaid. “The fellowship provides thesupport and dedicated time you need todo some good medical education work. Itgives you the tools to go to the next levelas a medical educator. The Dean’sTeaching Fellowship program is atremendous asset to the School.”

Lang said the fellowship programprovided her with a foundation in theprinciples of medical education, learningtheory, instructional tools and teachingskills that she utilizes in her role asdirector of faculty development for theHospital Medicine Division. The fellow-ship also inspired her to pursue a master’sdegree in health professions educationand conduct additional educationalresearch projects.

“This project has ballooned wellbeyond the original goals and hasprovided me with innumerable opportuni-ties to collaborate with medical educatorsaround the country,” Lang said.

The program’s leaders, Epstein andWard, and other fellows advised andguided her whenever her projectencountered obstacles, Dadiz said.

“The fellows all have verydifferent backgrounds and projects. Thediversity of the program’s fellows is onereason for the program’s strength and itsability to provide a richness to the waywe learn from each other,” she said. “Onsome level, we all teach medicalstudents, either in the classroom or

while precepting them during patientcare. Because the Dean’s TeachingFellow ship program encourages us tothink critically about the way we teach,we are able to incorporate innovation tomedical education.”

Dadiz has received a three-yeargrant from the federal Human Resourcesand Services Administration to intro-duce the training program she helpeddevelop as a fellow to community hospi-tals throughout the Finger Lakes region.

“The fellowship helped me thinkabout education in a thoughtful andexciting way,” Dadiz said. “I believe thatthe way we train our students and housestaff has a profound effect on the way theytrain others after they graduate from resi-dency or fellowship programs and begintheir practice and care for patients.”

A sample of fellowshipprojects Fellows have launched dozens of projectthat have tested or improved of theSchool of Medicine and Dentistrycurriculum. They include:— Anne C. Nofziger, M.D. (R ’00), asso-ciate professor of family medicine and afellow from 2005 to 2007, studied peerassessments, in particular the narrativecomments, and the impact of the assess-ments on the professional developmentof medical students, finding that assess-ments can be a powerful tool inencouraging the formation of profes-sional behaviors.— Alec B. O’Connor, M.D., M.P.H. (R ’00,MPH ’07), associate professor of medicineand a current fellow, is investigating theeffects on residents, medical students,and patients of structural changes inmedical resident inpatient teams atStrong Memorial Hospital designed toimprove the experience for residents andstudents.— Carol Ann Diachun, M.D., associateprofessor of anesthesiology, is developingan electronic portfolio to increase feed-back to her department’s faculty thatincludes a program of 360-degree evalua-tions as well as individual qualityimprovement data collection.— Matthew Spencer, M.D., associate


Rita Dadiz, D.O.


OSTEOTOXICOLOGY

By Michael Wentzel


In one way, it all started with a summerstudent who needed something to do.The student was assigned to the lab of J. Edward Puzas, Ph.D. (MS ’73, PhD ’76),the Donald and Mary Clark Professor ofOrthopaedics who instructed the studentto apply low levels of lead acetate toosteoblasts in culture and describe theresult.

“The lead had toxic effects and Ithought: ‘I ought to look into this,’ ”Puzas recalled.

That “look” has translated into an

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AN ADVOCATE FOR THE STUDY OF THE ENVIRON-MENT’S ROLE IN BONE DISEASES, EDWARD PUZASCHASES HIS PRIMARY AND PERSISTENT CULPRIT,

extensive investigation of the impact oflead in bone and the role of lead in bonediseases, in particular, osteoporosis. Forat least a decade, Puzas has been aleading voice-sometimes the lone voice-warning of lead’s toxic impact on bonecells and tying lead to osteoporosis.

Puzas now has taken a major stepin his drive, as he says, “to crack the caseon lead exposure.”

“Does exposure to lead predisposesomeone to osteoporosis? The answer isyes,” he said. “The lead burden in bone

does affect the optimal functioning ofbone cells. As many as 15 percent of thecases of osteoporosis could be leadinduced. That’s millions of people. Andnow we think we understand the molec-ular mechanism that chronically keepsthe bone mass low in people exposed tolead.”

Puzas accuses a naturally occurringprotein known as sclerostin as lead’s co-conspirator in osteoporosis. Normally apotent inhibitor of bone formation, scle-rostin plays a part in the body’s system of

LEAD.

These 22 zip codes

accounted for almost

40 percent of new cases

of lead poisoning in 2005.


checks and balances on bone formation.But lead deposits in bone appear to boostsclerostin, disrupting a balanced systemwith harmful effect.

“We still have to make the case forlead and osteoporosis time after time,”said Puzas, a past president of theOrthopaedic Research Society and theUnited States Bone and Joint Decade.“The bone crowd has not jumped onboard. Physicians don’t think to checkbones for lead. They don’t factor in leadin their differential diagnosis. People intoxicology know and understand whatwe’re doing. We keep working at this. Itcan take a number of years to change amindset.”

Few would challenge a statementthat lead is bad for the brain, liver andkidney. Studies have shown lead candamage the nervous system, dull cogni-tion and slow the development ofchildren.

Ten years ago, in an article in thejournal Current Opinion in Ortho paedics,Puzas officially presented his case thatlead’s toxic effects in the skeleton shouldbe added to the list:

“Our hypothesis is that leadadversely affects the function of growthplate chondrocytes, osteoblasts, andosteoclasts. The effects on osteoblastsare likely to be greater than on osteo-clasts, which contributes to a small butchronic imbalance in skeletal remod-eling. Taken together, the effects ongrowing bone and adult remodelingcould predispose an exposed individual(most likely a female) to a greaterchance of osteoporotic fractures … If weaccept the notion that the deleteriouseffects of lead on bone cells are acontinuum related to its concentrationand that its effects are superimposed onan already described disease of aging, itmight be difficult to identify the specific

effect of lead on fractures. Nevertheless,considering the very large number ofpeople affected by osteoporosis and itshuge health care costs, a clearer pictureof the role of lead in bone metabolism iswarranted.”

The article only suggested wherethe research would take Puzas.

Linking lead, a gene and bone loss

In 2002, Puzas talked publicly about anincreased risk of osteoporosis caused byexposure to lead for those in the babyboom generation, especially women. In2003, he received a four-year, $9-milliongrant from the National Institute ofEnvironmental Health Sciences toinvestigate whether lead could causeosteoporosis and also to determine if leadskewed the results of bone density tests.

The DXA scan is the major diag-nostic tool used to measure bone densityand diagnose osteoporosis. Puzas said

Lead lines

WE STILL HAVE TO MAKE THE CASE FOR LEAD ANDOSTEOPOROSIS TIME AFTER TIME. THE BONE CROWDHAS NOT JUMPED ON BOARD.”

“

lead makes a person’s bone mass lookdenser than it actually is. His findingsestimated that a DXA scan overesti-mated density by 4 to 11 percent, enoughto indicate a healthy diagnosis when, inreality, the person could have osteo-porosis. The DXA scan has beenre engineered in recent years so a lead-induced overestimate is not nearly assevere. But using other technology, Puzashas measured the amount of lead in boneand found that the higher the leadconcentration, the higher the incidenceof osteoporosis.

“The idea that a lot of leadconcentrated in bones could give you anartificially high bone density got the NIHto take a good look at what we weredoing,” Puzas said. “We all have knownfor years that the human skeleton is arepository for lead and that the lead hada long life in the bones. Most peoplethought the storage of lead in the bone


was benign, but we were showing theopposite is true.”

A gene called SOST encodes for aprotein known as sclerostin. A verypotent inhibitor of bone formation, scle-rostin represses osteoblast function andnumber and can introduce cellular path-ways that cause cell death.

Mutations in the SOST gene leadto a serious disease known as sclerostosisthat is characterized by thick bones,entrapment of peripheral nerves, deaf-ness, nerve palsies and intracranialpressure.

“With the mutations, the gene isnot effective and that stops the produc-tion of sclerostin,” Puzas said. “If thesclerostin is not there, you make a lot ofbone. It takes the brakes off bone forma-tion. This is a rare genetic disease but itpoints to the importance of the gene. Weall have it so we don’t overproduce bone.Lead elevates or up-regulates sclerostin

by tenfold or more, which dramaticallydown-regulates bone formation. Bone isalways being eaten away and formed.Lead depresses the formation process. It gets thrown way out of whack.Resorption exceeds formation and youend up losing bone more rapidly, whichis the case in osteoporosis. It looks to usthat the lead effect is mediated througha regulation of this sclerostin gene.”

Puzas has plans for a series ofexperiments to further demonstrate thesclerostin connection and define thecellular pathways through which itworks. A therapeutic agent that blocksthe action of sclerostin is in testing andcould be an effective treatment for lead-induced osteoporosis.

“By blocking the inhibitor, youstimulate bone formation,” Puzas said. “Iflead is working through sclerostin, thisagent would be a perfect treatment. Butwe have to know a lot more. The more

MOST PEOPLE THOUGHT THE STORAGE OF LEAD IN THE BONE WAS BENIGN, BUT WE ARE SHOWINGTHE OPPOSITE IS TRUE.”

“


we learn about pathways that controlthese cells, the more therapeutic optionsappear. If you can manipulate thisprocess, even if there is no lead present,you can increase the bone formationrate. If it is the mechanism throughwhich lead decreases bone formationrate, then that is your therapeutic target.The key to this is linking a pervasivetoxin to a serious bone disease. That’snot been done before and that’s why I’mstill working on this.”

Seeking a familiar villain

With a rich history of research, theDepartment of Orthopaedics routinelyranks as one of the top departments infunding in the county.

“The department has been some-what ahead of the translational wave.Our basic scientists always aimed at aclinical problem or pathology,” saidPuzas, who also is the School of

Medicine and Dentistry’s senior asso-ciate dean for basic research.

“Whenever we do experiments, weare always thinking about how to takewhat we find and apply it to cure aproblem in humans,” he said. “We areattacking the community’s problem oflead exposure at a very fundamentalcellular level. But our goal is to take thiswork from test tubes and make it some-thing of value to the health of people inthe community. That is what transla-tional science is and the Department ofOrthopaedics has done that a lot. Wealways have tried to take what basicscience we have and apply it to a clini-cian’s problem. We’re not just cloninganother gene or checking enzymes forthe sake of checking enzymes. Actually,the whole School of Medicine has thatapproach, much more so than someother schools.”

Enthusiasm for research from the

department’s clinical faculty has taken offin recent years, Puzas said. Four years ago,the department had three projects thatrequired approval by the Insti tutionalReview Board. It now has more than 130.

Puzas himself is involved inresearch on teriparatide, or Forteo, adrug that can boost the body’s bone stemcell production to the point that anelderly person’s bones appear to have theability to heal at the rate typically seenin younger adults. Patients, who hadbeen confined to wheelchairs and whotook the drug, were able to walk againbecause their broken bones healed.

He also is investigating the funda-mental cycle in which osteoclasts removebone and osteoblasts restore the bone.

“When the osteoclasts take awaythe bone, a resorption laucuna or pit iscreated in the bone,” Puzas said. “Atsome later time, osteoblasts find the pitand settle on the surface and fill in the pit.

Osteoporosis occurs when cells don’tquite fill in the pit and you end up witha deficit of bone. Millions of pits arebeing formed over decades of time.When bone is replaced, it is replaced onthe lacuna at the surface. That told methat something unique called theosteoblasts to this area of bone. Wethink we have found the signal. It is amolecule that osteoclasts leave behind.The osteoblasts use it to find their way.They only make bone where this mole-cule is. This is a unique discovery.Through this mechanism, the skeletontells the cells where to make bone.

“If I could take that signal and useit to tell the cells that I want them tomake bone around an implant— forexample, if I want to anchor thatimplant solidly in bone as in a hip re -placement—I can use the same naturalsignal that the body uses on the implant.I would have a tremendous way to fix

that implant in place. There is a lot ofbasic science but I can see some thera-peutic uses too.”

Puzas also works with the Depart -ment of Environmental Medicine onresearch projects, part of an effort tocreate a field he calls “osteotoxicology.”

“There are just a handful of peoplein the country who deal with the toxi-cology of bones,” he said. “It is criticallyimportant that we study how the envi-ronment affects all of our tissues, butbone has to be included.”

One project focuses on the effectsof cigarette smoke on bone.

“The failure rate in healing frac-tures and spine fusions is reallyunacceptable. Why is that?” Puzas said.“We have been looking at a receptorcalled AHR, the aryl hydrocarbonreceptor, which binds polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons, the dangeroustoxins in cigarette smoke. This receptor

translocates to the nucleus where it doesall the bad things to bone. This receptoris a key mediator of the toxic effects of the smoke and hydrocarbons. Thisresearch looks promising. It is anotherexample of where researchers in the fieldof skeletal biology have joined forceswith researchers in toxicology.”

Puzas also has expanded his workon osteoporosis in projects with toxi-cology researchers. In this case, theproblem is arthritis and once again hissuspected culprit is lead.

“Lead was legislated out of ourenvironment in the 1970s but it is stillhere in many places. It does notdegrade,” Puzas said. “In cities likeRochester, in the older or poorer neigh-borhoods, we see a lot of lead in thehomes. Mexico still has leaded gasoline,as do some places in Europe. People arestill being exposed to lead. Lead is stillsettling in the bone.”

WE ARE ATTACKING THE COMMUNITY’S PROBLEM OFLEAD EXPOSURE AT A VERY FUNDAMENTAL CELLULARLEVEL.”

“


BUT OUR GOAL IS TO TAKE THIS WORK FROM TESTTUBES AND MAKE IT SOMETHING OF VALUE TO THEHEALTH OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.”

“

After 14 days, normal healing of abroken bone has begun (upper image),but in a bone with heavy exposure tolead (lower image), consolidation andstabilization of the fracture has beendelayed.


medical center rounds

Old drug holds promise against opportunistic lung bug

By Tom RickeyA drug to treat inflammation plays asurprising role in reducing the level of infec-tion caused by an opportunistic bug that isdeadly for AIDS and cancer patients andothers with weakened immune systems,according to findings by scientists at theUniversity of Rochester Medical Centerpublished in August in the journal PLoSPathogens.

The drug, sulfasalazine, spurs thebody to get rid of the fungal evaders byenhancing the body’s ability to chew them upinstead of leaving the debris to litter thelungs, where it would continue to provoke anonslaught of harmful inflammation.

Besides opening a new avenue forresearch on Pneumocystis pneumonia or

PCP, caused by the fungus Pneumocystisjirovecii, the work with mice also offers thepossibility of manipulating immune cellscalled macrophages to improve treatment ofinfections.

During a bout with Pneumocystis, thelungs become a battlefield, where the bodypits an array of impressive forces againstmarauding microbes. But even when thebody gets the upper hand, the damage istremendous. Immune cells like neutrophilsand macrophages can flood the lungs, liter-ally suffocating the patient. And when thedebris from dead microbes fills the lungs,more and more immune cells are called in toclean up the area, making matters worse. It becomes harder and harder to breathe.

The sulfasalazine-treated mice had betterlung function, less weight loss, and weregenerally healthier than untreated animals.


The University of Rochester and regional part-ners will use an almost $2 million grant from theNational Institutes of Health to help improvediversity in the scientific workforce.

The money comes from a new initiativecalled the NIH Director’s ARRA Funded Path -finder Award to Promote Diversity in theScientific Workforce, which is supportedthrough the American Recovery and Reinvest -ment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The Uni versity is oneof six grant recipients.

Vivian Lewis, M.D., deputy to the presi-dent, vice provost for faculty development anddiversity, and professor of obstetrics and gyne-cology, leads a multidisciplinary team that willstudy how different mentoring interventions canpromote the resilience of biomedical re -searchers from underrepresented groups.

“Resilience is a useful quality for any -one, but it is especially important for womenand underrepresented minorities in academicinstitutions,” Lewis said. “Mentors are well-positioned to facilitate resilience among theirprotégés; and we will conduct a randomized,controlled study of different types of mentoringresulting in greater academic success. Ulti -mately, we hope to create a workforce oftrained professionals who, in turn, will try toaddress the needs of diverse populations.”

The University’s 2006 Task Force Reporton Faculty Diversity and Inclusiveness cited the

NIH grant aims to help improve

diversity in the scientific community

Resilience is a useful quality for anyone, but it is especially

important for women and underrepresented minorities in

academic institutions. Mentors are well-positioned to facilitate

resilience among their protégés; and we will conduct a

randomized, controlled study of different types of mentoring

resulting in greater academic success. Ultimately, we hope to

create a workforce of trained professionals who, in turn, will try

to address the needs of diverse populations.”— Vivian Lewis, M.D.

“Many people assume that once themicrobe is dead, patients usually start to feelbetter immediately. But with Pneumocystis,patients do not always undergo a rapid clinical improvement following antibiotictreatment. Even though the bug has beenkilled, the debris that is left in the lungscontinues to promote inflammation,” saidcorresponding author Terry Wright, Ph.D.(PhD ‘95), an infectious disease specialist andassociate professor of microbiology andimmunology and of pediatrics.

Central to the study were mice inwhich the disease progresses in a mannervery similar to AIDS patients. Wright’s teamlooked at the effects in mice of sulfasalazine,an anti-inflammatory drug that has provenuseful in treating conditions like Crohn’sdisease and rheumatoid arthritis. The teamfound that Pneumocystis-infected micetreated with sulfasalazine developed muchless severe disease than untreated mice. Thesulfasalazine-treated mice had better lungfunction, less weight loss, and were gener-ally healthier than untreated animals.

The drug also spurs the body toremove the bug more aggressively byboosting the activity of immune cells calledmacrophages.

“This was unexpected,” said firstauthor Jing Wang, Ph.D., (PhD ‘06), researchassistant professor in pediatrics. “Since wereduced the response of the immune system,you would think the mice would get sicker.But instead, the mice treated withsulfasalazine were healthier. At first wethought it was due solely to the anti-inflam-matory activity of the compound, but it turnsout that sulfasalazine actually results in areduced fungal burden. The drug helps thebody clear the infection.”

need for greater mentoring of faculty. The reportfound that a lack of mentoring played a role inpreventing faculty advancement.

“This initiative is consistent with theUniversity’s efforts to provide a more inclusiveand welcoming campus for all faculty, regard-less of gender, race, and ethnicity,” saidUni versity President Joel Seligman. “The re -search results found at the medical centerpotentially can be applied to all departments atthe University of Rochester and at universitiesnationwide.”

The team of researchers from theUniversity of Rochester, as well as from StateUniversity of New York Upstate MedicalUniversity and the State University of New Yorkat Buffalo, made it possible to secure the NIHgrant. The establishment of the Upstate NewYork Translational Research Network (UNYTRN)as part of the Medical Center’s Clinical andTranslational Science Institute enabled thecreation of teams from as many as 16 regionalbiomedical research institutions.

“The retention of diverse facultymembers is such an issue and our ability toaddress this problem is made possible by thispartnership with our neighboring institutions,”said Thomas A. Pearson, MD, Ph.D., director ofthe Rochester Clinical and Translational ScienceInstitute.

“

The University of Rochester Medical Center’sfamily medicine residency program has receiveda $1.9 million federal grant that will add twopositions per year for the next five years inresponse to a critical shortage of primary carephysicians locally and nationally.

Investing in the primary care workforce isone of the key elements of health care reform.By expanding training programs and makingthem more attractive to medical students,government and health officials hope to dramat-ically increase the numbers of new physiciansentering the primary care field, which includesfamily medicine and general internal medicine.

The University’s School of Medicine andDentistry is the major source of primary carephysicians in the Rochester region, said ThomasL. Campbell, M.D., the William RocktaschelProfessor and chair of the Department of FamilyMedicine, and associate director of the Centerfor Primary Care at the University MedicalCenter.

The grant will fund 12 medical residentsper year instead of 10. In the past decadeapproximately 300 family physicians have grad-uated from the UR, with about half remaining inthe Rochester area, Campbell said.

Currently, half of the primary care prac-tices in the Rochester region are too full toaccept new patients. The problem is expectedto worsen as the population ages and universalhealth coverage becomes effective in 2014.

The U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services awarded $320 million in newgrants under the Affordable Care Act tostrengthen the health care workforce. Of those,$253 million are to be used to build the primarycare network and provide community-basedprevention of illness and disease. Rochester’sfamily medicine residency program was one of82 accredited programs that received an award.

Grant expands

family medicine

residency



By Tom RickeyA large international study aimed at improvingthe care of muscular dystrophy patients world-wide is being launched by physicians, physicaltherapists and researchers at the University ofRochester Medical Center.

Neurologist Robert “Berch” Griggs, M.D.(R ‘71), is heading the study of treatments forDuchenne muscular dystrophy, the mostcommon form of the disease that affects chil-dren.

Despite decades of research, Griggscalls the current treatment landscape for thedisease “chaotic.” Recently he has identified 29different treatment regimens in use by doctorsaround the world.

The new study is designed to eliminatethe chaos. With at least $11 million in fundingfrom the National Institute of NeurologicalDisorders and Stroke, Griggs, co-leader KatieBushby, M.D., who is Action Research Professorof Neuromuscular Genetics at NewcastleUniversity in the United Kingdom, and investi-gators at 41 other institutions around the worldwill study the three treatments most commonly

used today. The study will include 300 boysages 4 through 7 in North America and Europe.Recruiting will begin in the summer of 2011.

In a study more than 20 years ago, Griggsand his colleagues showed that a daily dose ofprednisone improves patients’ lives dramati-cally. Yet Griggs has found that the treatmentfor Duchenne muscular dystrophy is chaoticbecause of concern about side effects. In arecent survey of more than 100 centers world-wide that specialize in treatment of the disease,only three were consistently using the recom-mended treatment of a daily dose ofpred nisone. Others were using prednisone inter-mittently or were using deflazacort; 10 weren’tusing steroids at all.

In the new study, patients will berandomly assigned to receive one of threesteroid treatments: prednisone every day; pred-nisone every day for 10 days, alternating with10-day periods without the drug; or daily use ofa steroid known as deflazacort, which isapproved for use in Europe but not the UnitedStates. Neither the patients nor the researcherswill be aware of the patients’ treatment assign-ments until the conclusion of the trial.

“People have worried about side effectsof daily prednisone, and many people have feltthere must be a better alternative,” said Griggs,who is professor of neurology, medicine, andpathology and laboratory medicine. “Our studyis designed to address exactly this question:What is the best balance between effectivetreatment and side effects?”

Children will be evaluated every sixmonths for three to five years. Researchers willmeasure the breathing capacity of the patients,which is often an indicator of how long a patientwill live; they will ask patients and parents howsatisfied they are with the treatment; and theywill measure how long it takes patients to standup after lying down, which is an indicator ofhow long a patient will be able to walk.

Rochester leads international effort to

improve dystrophy treatment


By Tom RickeyBusinessmen in India, workingclosely with their American counterparts whohave long supported the University ofRochester, have created a foundation thatpromises to offer opportunities for the bestmedical scholars in India and bring talent toRochester’s Medical Center.

The Biomedical Foundation of India,based in Mumbai, is designed to createresearch opportunities in the Medical Center’sprograms for graduate students, post-doctoralresearchers, physicians, and other scholars inIndia who are looking for advanced training withtop biomedical researchers. An internship inveterinary medicine also will be offered.

The foundation is headed by Praful Patel,an international businessman and investmentadviser based in London. Patel works on a widerange of political, social, cultural and religiouscauses, and is involved with many charitiesaround the world. His co-promoter in India isDhaval Sanghavi, a commerce postgraduate,chartered accountant and lawyer on interna-tional tax from Leiden University, Netherlands.

“This initiative will help place India atthe forefront of modern biomedical research—one of the key frontiers of medical ad vance ment—in an important partnership with the UnitedStates,” said Patel. “The benefits to the Indianeconomy and the quality of health care in Indiaare very clear. This is a welcome Indo-U.S.

initiative when both the governments havedecided recently to put into motion the dialogueon the Indo-U.S. Health Initiative.”

Scientists will work side by side withtheir counterparts in University of Rochesterlaboratories and then return to India, bringingwith them experiences, contacts, and exposureto the most sophisticated biomedical tech-nology available, and continuing thecol laborative research that they started withRochester faculty members.

The collaboration will focus on creatingresearch opportunities in several areas,including cancer, neuromedicine, immunology

and infectious disease, cardio-vascular disease, orthopaedics,and veterinary medicine. Additionalareas of focus for visiting researcherswill include stem cells, nano-medicine,genomics, systems biology, biomedicalimaging, and biomarkers.

“There are already more than 400international scholars at our School of Medicineand Dentistry. Certainly, attracting some of thebest and brightest students from one of theworld’s most populous countries is an excellentopportunity for the University,” said BarbaraIglewski, Ph.D., director of international pro -grams for the Medical Center.

The arrangement came about in large partthanks to Richard T. Aab, a long-time supporter ofthe Medical Center who is a trustee of theUniversity, and Tansukhv V. Ganatra, a member ofthe board of the University’s Aab CardiovascularResearch Institute.

Aab and Ganatra were colleagues at ACCCorp., which Aab founded in 1982 and is nowpart of AT&T, and at US LEC Corp., a telecom-munications company that the pair founded in1996. Patel became interested in fosteringopportunities at the Medical Center for Indianscholars as he learned more about theUniversity through Ganatra, a friend for morethan 50 years.

“Attracting some of the best and

brightest students from one of the

world’s most populous countries

is an excellent opportunity for the

Uni versity,”— Barbara Iglewski, Ph.D.

Foundation offers research opportunities in Rochester

for scholars in India

Mumbai

New Delhi



By Emily BoyntonResearchers at the University of RochesterMedical Center are taking an important firststep in the National Children’s Study: De -termining how to most accurately collect,preserve and analyze placentas to garner valu-able information that could fuel new discoveriesabout children’s overall health and develop-ment.

The National Children’s Study, the largelong-term study to better understand how chil-dren’s genes interact with the environment toinfluence their health, will follow 100,000 chil-dren from before birth to age 21, and Rochester,in collaboration with several other institutions

Researchers study afterbirth to learn what happens

before birth and beyond

across the country, is honing in on the “beforebirth” piece of the puzzle.

“The whole concept of the NationalChildren’s Study is to help kids grow uphealthier. By analyzing placentae, we may beable to develop predictive tools that will help usdetermine if children are at risk for a variety ofhealth problems, allowing us to interveneearlier and help children grow and develop asoptimally as possible,” said Richard Miller,Ph.D., principal investigator for the project andprofessor of obstetrics and gynecology at theUniversity of Rochester Medical Center.

The primary goal of the placenta projectis to develop standard protocols for collecting,

processing and analyzing placentas so scien-tists can obtain useful data from these tissuesnow and in the future. Currently, there is greatvariability in how placentas are managedfollowing labor and delivery. Improper pro -cessing can severely limit the amount ofinformation scientists can acquire from theplacental tissue.

The placenta project team will collect210 placentas from seven different sites acrossthe country and assess the best way to handleplacentas so they yield valuable information infour areas: stem cells, genetics, morphology/pathology and environmental contaminants.

“With this study, we’re trying to see how

The whole concept of the National Children’s Study is to help

kids grow up healthier. By analyzing pla centae, we may be

able to develop predictive tools that will help us determine if

children are at risk for a variety of health problems, allowing

us to intervene earlier and help children grow and develop as

optimally as possible,” — Richard Miller, Ph.D.

“

What’s the most recent Medical Center news?For new reports and updates of Medical Center Rounds, go to Rochester MedicineOnline at www.rochester-medicine.urmc.edu

approach and procedures used in each trial.Researchers hope to identify problems or gapsin trial design and implementation, and findways to bridge these gaps to speed the devel-opment of new safe and effective medications.

“An effective therapy may fail to showsignificant pain relief in a study because theoptimal patients were not enrolled or theresearch design and methods had importantlimitations,” according to Dworkin. “There is awhole range of things that could lead to falselynegative study results, and our goal is to deter-mine what they are, and what we can do tomodify them in future studies.”

Dennis Turk, Ph.D., the John and EmmaBonica Professor of Anesthesiology & Pain Re -search at the University of Washington, willwork closely with researchers at Rochester.Turk, the associate director of the new initiative,said: “We really need to make an effort toimprove the studies we are conducting to expe-dite the development of new safe and effectivetreatments. As the population continues to age,pain is only going to become a larger and cost-lier problem.”

In addition to the University of RochesterMedical Center, researchers and physiciansfrom the American Academy of Neurology,American Academy of Pain Medicine, AmericanPain Society, American Society of Anes -thesiologists, International Association for theStudy of Pain and Outcome Measures inRheumatology, as well as representatives fromthe National Institutes of Health, the U.S.Department of Veterans Affairs, patient advo-cacy organizations, and pharmaceuticalcompanies such as Endo, Johnson & Johnson,NeurogesX and Pfizer are participating in theinitiative.

By Emily BoyntonThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasselected the University of Rochester MedicalCenter to lead a new initiative to accelerate theidentification of improved pain treatments.

Rochester was awarded a $1 millioncontract to launch the program where publicand private organizations, including profes-sional societies, patient advocacy groups,industry and government, will collaborate onmultiple projects to help bring more treatmentoptions to patients.

“Clinical trials come at a great cost, takea substantial amount of time to carry out, andrequire significant effort from the patients whoparticipate,” said Robert Dworkin, Ph.D.,professor in the Department of Anesthesiologyand the Center for Human ExperimentalTherapeutics at the Medical Center and directorof the new initiative. “We need to understandwhy so many pain studies have failed to showefficacy so we can make changes that willincrease the likelihood that future studies willidentify new treatment options for patients whoare suffering from pain.”

Why the major lag in new treatments forpain? The problem is not a lack of potentialmedications. Many studies testing experimentaltherapies have been conducted or are under -way. The problem is that many trials failbecause they are unable to show a new medica-tion provides meaningfully greater pain reliefthan placebo.

Although some drugs under investigationmay have little or no effectiveness when itcomes to minimizing pain, researchers believeother factors may play a role in the disap-pointing results of many recent studies: Theway pain clinical trials are designed and carriedout may hinder or limit their ability to distin-guish truly effective pain treatments from lesseffective treatments or placebo.

The partnership, known as AnalgesicClinical Trial Innovations, Opportunities, andNetworks (ACTION), will analyze a wide rangeof clinical trials of treatments for acute andchronic pain, looking specifically at the


Rochester spearheads FDA initiative

to develop new pain therapies

far we can push the envelope in terms of theusefulness of the placental tissue. How muchtime can pass between delivery of the placentaand analysis before the tissue is no longeruseful? What conditions are required to ensurethe tissue can be used for specific studies, suchas environmental analyses? These are the typesof questions we’re working to answer,” saidChristopher Stodgell, Ph.D., director of theproject’s RNA and DNA studies, and a researchassociate professor in the Department ofObstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical Center.

The Medical Center serves as the centralresource for collecting all placentas that will beanalyzed throughout the new study.

According to co-investigator Philip Katz -man, M.D. (R ‘98), an associate professor in the Department of Pathology and LaboratoryMedicine, “there is considerable evidence thatby looking at the placenta you can identify prob-lems that the fetus had in utero which mightinfluence development down the road. The ideais to make sure we’re processing placentas in aconsistent way that yields good data, so whenresearchers propose significant projects orstudies in the future they are not dealing with abunch of junk data.”

The placenta project is supported with$3.5 million in funding from the NationalChildren’s Study, and Rochester will receiveapproximately $1.5 million for its work on theproject.



By Mark MichaudIncreasing the amount that physicians are reim-bursed by Medicaid for administering influenzashots may raise vaccination rates among poorchildren, a study published in October in thejournal Pediatrics concludes.

The study, conducted by a team ofresearchers at the University of RochesterMedical Center, analyzes state-by-state vacci-

poverty line—$22,000 or less for a family offour—a population that is universally coveredby state Medicaid programs. Children in fami-lies below the federal poverty level have thelowest vaccination rates.

Medicaid reimbursement rates for serv-ices are determined on a state-by-state basis and,in the case of vaccine administration, are widelydivergent. The average reimbursement was $9. Ina previous study, Yoo and his colleagues calcu-lated that the actual cost to doctor’s offices foradministering vaccines was $20.

“In most states the reimbursement fromMedicaid is far below the actual cost,” saidYoo. “This may create an obvious disincentivewhen physicians’ offices lose money every timethey give a flu shot, even though vaccines areprovided for free.”

Their analysis showed that states withlower Medicaid reimbursement rates had lowervaccination rates. Using mathematic models,the authors were then able to calculate theimpact on vaccination rates if Medicaid reim-bursement rates were increased. They foundthat for every extra dollar in reimbursement,vaccination rates could increase by between 0.6 and 0.9 percentage points. This means a $10 increase in reimbursement could raise vac -cination rates by up to 10 percentage pointsamong low income children.

While it is clear that raising reimburse-ment rates comes at a cost, the authors pointout that there is a significant financial burdenassociated with the treatment of flu. AmongU.S. children under the age of 5 years, it is esti-mated that the annual cost associated withhospitalization as a result of influenza isupwards of $163 million. The annual cost burdenof emergency room visits is estimated to be ashigh as $279 million.

“This study demonstrates that we canremove one of the barriers to higher vaccinationrates among poor children by more closelyaligning reimbursement with cost,” saidMedical Center pediatrician Peter Szilagyi,M.D., M.P.H. (MD ‘81, MPH ‘87), a co-author ofthe study.

Javeed Sukhera, M.D., a fellow in Psychiatry atthe University of Rochester Medical Center, hasbeen named to the board of directors of theAssociation of American Medical Colleges(AAMC).

The 17-member board serves as thegoverning body for the association, which represents all 133 accredited U.S. and 17

accredited Canadianmedical schools, al -most 400 majorteach ing hospitals andhealth sys tems, in -cluding 62 Depart mentof Vet erans Affairsmed ical centers, andnearly 90 academic

and scientific societies. Through these institu-tions and organizations, the AAMC represents128,000 faculty members, 75,000 medicalstudents, and 110,000 resident physicians.

A native of Toronto, Canada, Sukherawill serve a two-year term as the resident physi-cian representative on the AAMC board. Herecently completed his residency and is now afellow in child and adolescent psychiatry at theMedical Center.

Sukhera, a graduate of Trinity College atthe University of Toronto, earned his medicaldegree at the Medical School for InternationalHealth, a collaboration between ColumbiaUniversity and Ben-Gurion University in Israelwith an emphasis on global health.

During his time in Israel, Sukhera took aleadership role with a Canadian organizationthat fostered scientific collaboration betweenIsraeli, Palestinian and Jordanian health profes-sionals. He mentored health professionsstudents and organized a forum betweenPalestinians and Israelis on the future ofacademic medicine within the region.

Sukhera has continued to pursue profes-sional and academic interests as a resident atthe Medical Center, including establishing aglobal psychiatry track within his residencyprogram and traveling to rural Honduras toconduct research on intimate partner violence.

Medicaid reimbursement and child-

hood flu vaccination rates linked

Physician chosen

for national board

There is a strong correlation

between flu vaccination and

Med icaid reimbursement rates.

Improving reim bursement rates

could improve vaccine coverage

among poor children.”

— Byung-Kwang Yoo, M.D., Ph.D.

nation data over three flu seasons and contendsthat the number of poor children receiving theannual flu shot could be increased by up to onepercentage point for every additional dollarprovided to doctors to administer the vaccine.

“There is a strong correlation betweenflu vaccination and Medicaid reimbursementrates,” said Byung-Kwang Yoo, M.D., Ph.D.,assistant professor in the Department ofCommunity and Preventive Medicine at theMedical Center and the lead author of the study.“Improving reimbursement rates could improvevaccine coverage among poor children.”

The authors looked at immunizationrates for children between the ages of 6 and 23 months. The CDC first recommended thatchildren in this age group receive the annual fluvaccine in 2004. Using the NIS data they wereable to determine the vaccination rates in eachstate by family income level.

The income threshold for Medicaid eligi-bility varies by state, so the study comparedrates for children at or below the federal

“


The University of Rochester Medical Center andthe School of Medicine and Dentistry havecreated an eight-bed, multi-purpose skills lab.This lab supports educational programs andskills training for students and health careproviders through the use of a variety of simula-tion modalities, including mannequinsim ulators. Emergency medicine doctors,nurses, and emergency responders recentlyconducted a large-group training session with afocus on teamwork in the center. Nursing usesthe lab routinely to train new employees.Medical students will have access to the lab assimulation strategies become integrated intotheir educational experience. The lab is part ofthe growing use of simulation at the MedicalCenter and the School of Medicine andDentistry. Plans for a larger center envision aconsolidation and enhancement of the MedicalCenter’s mannequin simulation programs inemergency medicine, anesthesiology and otherspecialties.

Simulation

training


philanthropy

invested. Each class then also would donate tothe fund, thereby increasing its value. The moneyin the main fund would be retained to supportsuccessive class funds.

“Creating an endowment, where themoney is not spent but is invested, means youcan eventually have tuition-free medical school,”Brent has explained.

Alumni have already contributed morethan $350,000 to the Alumni Tuition-Free ProgramFund.

“The high cost of medical education andthe debt faced by many of our students are signif-icant challenges,” said Mark B. Taubman, dean ofthe School of Medicine and Dentistry. “TheBrents not only have shown tremendousgenerosity, they also are providing leadership bygiving us a unique plan of attack. I know theywant to help create a better future for ourmedical school and our students.”

Many alumni, parents, and friends of theSchool want to make an immediate impact ofsupport for our medical students and makeannual gifts to support need-based or merit-based scholarships. The Dean also uses fundsdonated to the School of Medicine and DentistryAnnual Fund to support student financial aid.

Alumni and friends of the School can jointhe long-range plan to perpetuate the educa-tional and patient-focused experience that is thehallmark of the Rochester experience by makinga gift to the Alumni Tuition-Free Program Fund orby establishing their own endowed scholarshipfund. Annual gifts can be designated to supportcurrent student scholarships. To make a gift or formore information please contact Mary Ann Kingat (800) 333-4428.

Alumni Tuition-

Free Program

Fund and grants

continue to growOne challenge facing the University of RochesterSchool of Medicine and Dentistry is meeting thegrowing need for financial support for medicalstudents.

Through the generosity of alumni,parents, and friends over the years, the Schoolhas been able to grow its scholarship endow-ments A remarkable example of alumnigen erosity is the gift given in 2006 by RobertBrent, M.D., Ph.D. (BS ‘48, M ‘53, PhD ‘55), and hiswife, Lillian (BA ’50). To-date they have con -tributed $1.2 million to the Alumni Tuition FreeProgram Fund to make the medical school tuition free.

“It is our dream to make the School ofMedicine and Dentistry a school free of tuition, orat least to markedly reduce the tuition costs,”said Brent, an internationally known physicianand researcher.

The burden of debt is a major issue formedical students. Ninety percent of the medicalstudents in the School of Medicine andDentistry’s Class of 2010, for example, borrowedmoney to attend the School. Their average debtat graduation was $128,000. The School’s abilityto attract the best and brightest students isenhanced by offering competitive financial assis-tance. Additionally, providing both need andmerit-based scholarships ensures that studentsare able to pursue specialties of their choosing,instead of feeling pressured to select higher-paying specialties.

While the scholarships currently availableto students have an immediate impact on allevi-ating their economic burden, the fund establishedby the Brents’ gift calls for a novel reinvestmentstrategy that will help to ensure that adequatescholarship assistance is available for futuremedical students. The income generated by theprincipal in the main fund will be allocated to astarting scholarship fund for each medical schoolclass in their first year. The gift would becomepart of the endowment of the University and be

Burn, trauma

services

renamed in honor

to benfactors The University of Rochester Medical Center’sregional burn and trauma services have beenrenamed in honor of two Rochester-area restau-rateurs who have raised millions of dollars tosupport them.

Laurence Kessler and Dennis Kessler,founders and co-owners of the Kessler Group,Inc. & Kessler Family, LLC, which operates 21Burger King and 48 Friendly’s restaurants in thegreater Rochester area, have given more than$3 million to the Medical Center’s burn andtrauma services. Their new commitment of $1 million will create an endowment to ensurefuture growth of burn and trauma programs, aswell as supporting other University projects.

In recognition of their past and futuregenerosity, the Medical Center has renamed the


Student loan

for giveness

program rewards

public serviceIn October, 2007, the U.S. Congress created thePublic Service Loan Forgiveness Program toencourage individuals to enter and continue towork full time in public service jobs. Theprogram is designed to forgive all remainingeligible federal loan debt after 10 years ofeligible employment while making qualifyingloan payments. B.J. Revill, director of financialaid at the University of Rochester School ofMedicine and Dentistry, answered questionsabout the program, which he describes as “thebiggest and most generous financial aidprogram to come along since the GI Bill afterWorld War II.”

What is the Public Service Loan ForgivenessProgram?The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)Program was established to encourage individ-uals to enter and continue working in publicservice employment by forgiving the remainingbalance on their Federal Direct Loans aftermaking 120 qualifying monthly loan payments.

What are the eligibility requirements underthe PSLF Program?You must be employed full time by a publicservice organization, and make 120 correspon-ding monthly loan payments on your federalDirect Loan(s). Additionally, you must beemployed by a public service organization whenyou apply for loan forgiveness.

What qualifies as working in “public service”?Eligible borrowers must be employed full time inany position. Basically, if someone is employedat an academic institution-the University ofRochester Medical Center counts-they are inline for forgiveness.

For purposes of the PSLF Program, theterm “public service organization” meansworking for: a federal, state, local, or Tribalgovernment organization, agency, or entity

(includes most public schools, colleges anduniversities); public child or family serviceagency; non-profit organization under section501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that is taxexempt (includes most not-for-profit privateschools, colleges, and universities); Tribalcollege or university; or a private organizationthat is not a for-profit business, which includesa labor union, a partisan political organization,or an organization that provides any of thefollowing public services: emergency manage-ment, military service, public safety or lawenforcement, public interest law services, earlychildhood education (including licensed or regu-lated health care, Head Start, and state-fundedpre-kindergarten), public service for individualswith disabilities and the elderly, public health(including nurses, nurse practitioners, nurses ina clinical setting, and full-time professionalsengaged in health care practitioner occupationsand health care support occupations), publiceducation, public library services, and schoollibrary or other school-based services.

What loan programs are eligible for forgive-ness under the PSLF Program?Only federal loans made under the William D.Ford Federal Direct Loan Program are eligible forloan forgiveness. The Direct Loan Programincludes the following types of federal loans:Direct Stafford Loans; Direct UnsubsidizedStafford Loans; Direct PLUS Loans for parentsand graduate or professional students; andDirect Consolidation Loans.

What Direct Loan Program repayment plansare eligible under the PSLF Program?The 120 required monthly payments must bemade under one or more of the following DirectLoan Program repayment plans: the IncomeBased Repayment (IBR) Plan; the IncomeContingent Repayment (ICR) Plan; or theStandard Repayment Plan, with a 10 year repay-ment period.

How can other federal student loans qualifyfor forgiveness under the PSLF Program?Although loan forgiveness under this program isavailable only for loans made and repaid underthe Direct Loan Program, loans made underother federal student loan programs may qualifyfor forgiveness if they are consolidated into aDirect Consolidation Loan. Federal loans thatmay be consolidated into the Direct LoanProgram include: Federal Family Education Loan

entire program as the Kessler Burn & TraumaCenter. The Kessler Center name will now beused to reference all areas within the MedicalCenter that provide emergent, inpatient, andoutpatient care for patients with traumaticinjuries and burns.

“The Kesslers have raised the standardof care in our community through their unflag-ging support for the only Level One traumaprogram in our region,” said UniversityPresident Joel Seligman. “Their generosity hasenabled our staff to save many lives and easedthe suffering of many more in the 17 countieswe serve. We are pleased to recognize theirextraordinary commitment.”

The Kessler Burn & Trauma Center treatsmore than 3,000 people each year with severeblunt and penetrating injuries and features thearea’s only dedicated burn service. It boasts anexpert team of fellowship-trained specialistsbolstered by the most advanced technologiesfor treating minor to severe injuries in modernfacilities financed, in part, by the Kesslers.

Laurence Kessler is a member of theUniversity’s board of trustees. Dennis Kessler,the Edward J. and Agnes V. Ackley ExecutiveProfessor of Entrepreneurship at the SimonGraduate School of Business, is a member ofthe Medical Center’s board of directors.

Dennis Kessler, left, and Laurence Kessler


philanthropy

Alumni honored

at 2010 reunion ceremonies

The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry has cited alumni forcareer achievements and service in ceremoniesduring the October reunion weekend.

Ruth Anderson Lawrence, M.D. (M ’49, R ’58), posing with her daughter, Barbara Asselin, M.D. (M ‘81),received the Distinguished Alumnus Award, which recognizes outstanding and widely recognizedachievement, particularly in one who exemplifies the standards and objectives of the School ofMedicine and Dentistry through personal conduct, professional accomplishments, and communityservice.

A preeminent international expert on lactation and on poison control, Lawrence, a professor ofpediatrics at the Medical Center, also is an exemplary role model for women in medicine. She quicklyrose through the ranks of academia when it was still an exception for women to work outside the home,let alone become doctors.

A highly recognized authority on neonatal nutrition, she helped create the region’s first neonatalcare unit and its first pediatric intensive care unit. One of eight doctors who helped the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics draft its official policy statement supporting breastfeeding, she has led count-less advancements in the field. She is the author of Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession,a textbook that has been translated into several languages and is widely used by health professionalsaround the world.

An authority on clinical toxicology and poison control, she developed the second regional poisoncenter in the nation and shaped it into a model that is emulated by medical centers across the country.

alumni news

(FFEL) Program loans, which include: SubsidizedStafford Loans, Unsubsidized Stafford Loans,Federal PLUS Loans for parents and graduate orprofessional students and Federal ConsolidationLoans (excluding joint spousal consolidationloans); federal Perkins Loans and certain healthprofessions and nursing loans.

Is the amount forgiven under the PSLFProgram taxable?No. According to the Internal Revenue Service,any student loans forgiven under the PSLFProgram are not considered income for taxpurposes.

Will the years as an intern, resident and/orfellow count towards the 120 months ofemployment?Yes. The specific job that you perform does notmatter, as long as you are employed by a publicservice organization. Additionally, you will needto be employed full time, and be making eligiblemonthly payments.

Give an example of the potential savings.For physicians, the key to taking maximumadvantage of PSLF is entering repayment usingthe income based repayment option (IBR) assoon as the physician enters residency. Bor -rowers want to start the clock ticking on the 120months of public service as soon as possiblewhile income is low. Let’s compare a personwho enters residency but delays payments onloans the entire time prior to entering repay-ment as an attending with a person who utilizesIBR while in residency, and then makes fullpayments for the next six years as an attending.

Each one is a single individual whoborrowed $177,500 in medical school, enters fouryears of residency and then has a starting salaryof $190,000 as an attending. The first persondefers payment for four years of residency thenenters a 10-year standard repayment plan. Theestimated monthly payment would be $2,860.The total amount repaid on the loan would be$343,170, including $165,670 in interest. Thesecond borrower begins loan repayment at thestart of residency. For the first four years, the esti-mated monthly payment would range from $384to $420. For the next six years, the monthlypayment would be $2,043. The total amountrepaid by the borrower would be $166,373. Thegovernment would forgive $126,843. The totalsavings for the second borrower compared withthe first is more than $176,000.


Above: [left] Mark B. Taubman, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, [center] Bradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D. (M ’81, PhD ’81),chief executive officer of the University of Rochester Medical Center, and [second from right] C. McCollister Evarts, M.D. (M ’57, R ’64),Alumni Council president, pose with alumni award winners.

Below: Award winner Ruth Lawrence, M.D., was joined by many family members.

�

�


alumni news

Richard M. Hodes, M.D. (M ’82), received the School’s Humanitarian Award, which is given to analumnus who has provided unique, compassionate care to patients who have special needs because ofspecific afflictions, poverty, or living conditions that lack resources. The recipient has devoted a signifi-cant portion of his or her medical career to this type of care.

Hodes is the Ethiopian medical director for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committeein Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a position he has held for 25 years. He also supervises a clinic for severely orterminally ill patients at Mother Teresa’s Mission for Sick and Dying Destitutes in Addis Ababa.

Twenty-five years ago, Hodes initiated a project to send Ethiopian children suffering from heartdisease and congenital spine disease to the United States for specialized surgeries at no cost to thepatients.

Hodes has adopted five Ethiopian children, the maximum allowed. He also provides a home forup to 20 Ethiopian children with special medical needs.

Frederick B. Parker Jr., M.D. (BA ’58, M ’62), received the John N. Wilder Award. Established in 2008,the award honors an individual, family, corporation or foundation whose commitment to build a greaterUniversity of Rochester inspires others in the tradition of philanthropist John N. Wilder, the first presi-dent of the University board of trustees.

Above: Some alumni award winnersbrought family members to reunion.Above are Andrew Scala, a member ofthe College’s Class of 2011, John Scala,Ph.D. (BS ’80), Robert Scala, Ph.D. (MS ’56,PhD ’58) and Janet Eddy Scala, (SON ’55).

�


Parker is a dedicated member of the University of Rochester alumni community. As class agentfor the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s Class of 1962, he developed a special giving program with agoal of raising $1 million for the School between the 45th and 50th class reunions. He also is a chartermember of the George Eastman Circle, the University’s leadership annual giving society.

Parker, professor emeritus and former chairman of surgery at the State University of New YorkUpstate Medical University in Syracuse, was a pioneer in cardiac surgery. He has devoted his career toeducating and training surgeons in upstate New York, including most of Central New York’s cardiacsurgeons.

“His dedication to philanthropy helps build an ‘Ever Better’ University and inspires his peers andothers to give back to the School and support future generations of medical students,” Parker’s awardcitation states.

Robert A. Scala, Ph.D. (MS ’56, PhD ’58), received the School’s Alumni Service Award, which honors agraduate who has furthered the interests of the School through significant support and commitment.

Scala is the former senior scientific advisor of Exxon Biomedical Sciences Corp., where he devel-oped and supervised testing programs, established a state-of-the-art toxicology laboratory, and advisedmanagement and operating organizations worldwide.

He also has served as adjunct professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at New YorkUniversity, at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at Rutgers University and as anadjunct associate professor at the Medical College of Virginia.

Throughout his career, Scala remained closely connected to the Rochester university community. He served from 2002 to 2009 on the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s Alumni Council, including three yearsas president. Currently a member of the University-wide Alumni National Council, he and his wife, Janet(Eddy) Scala, a 1955 graduate of the School of Nursing, have established three scholarships, the ScalaNursing Scholarship in the School of Nursing, the Scala Endowed Scholarship in the School of Medicineand Dentistry, and the Scala Medical Graduate Studies Scholarship in Environmental Sciences.

Below: Mary Lou Mees, Abby Anderson(BA ’59), Virginia Parker (BA ’61),Frederick Parker, M.D. (BA ’58, M ’62), PatParker, John Parker, Tom Mees, andAlice Mees (BA ’93).

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alumni news

FALL / WINTER 2010

Q&A with

Harvey Alter

An award-

winning alumnus

targets invaders

in the blood

Harvey J. Alter, M.D., M.A.C.P., graduated in1960 from the University of Rochester School ofMedicine and Dentistry. He has spent most ofhis research career at the National Institutes ofHealth. He is currently a Distinguished NIHInvestigator and serves as chief of clinicalstudies and associate director for research inthe Department of Transfusion Medicine. He isco-discoverer of the Australia antigen thatproved to be the hepatitis B virus and was prin-cipal investigator in studies that identifiednon-A, non-B hepatitis, defined its chronicsequela and later showed its link to the hepa-titis C virus. His prospective studies oftransfusion-associated hepatitis demonstratedhow different donor interventions reducedhepatitis incidence from 30 percent in 1970 tonear zero in 1997. For these studies, Alter hasreceived many honors, including the U.S. PublicHealth Service Distinguished Service Medal,the Landsteiner Prize, which is the highestscientific award of the American Association ofBlood Banks, the Presidential Award of theInternational Society of Blood Transfusion, theJames Blundell Award of the British BloodTransfusion Society, and the Inserm Medal fromFrance. He was elected to fellowship in theAmerican Association of Physicians. For hiscontributions to the discovery of the non-A, non-B/hepatitis C virus and for his vital role inreducing hepatitis risk and improving the safetyof the blood supply, Alter was the co-recipientof the Clinical Lasker Award in 2000. He waselected to the National Academy of Sciencesand the Institute of Medicine and was made aMaster of the American College of Physicians.

How did you get involved in transfusion medi-cine?I was an undergraduate at Rochester, a grad-uate of the medical school and I did myinternship there. I was drawn to internal medi-cine. I loved the medical program. I might stillbe in Rochester if I had not been drafted out ofmy residency. They were taking first-year resi-dents, at the time considering them expendable.I had been accepted to NIH but I had not beencommissioned. I did a lot of scrambling. ScottSwisher, who was then head of hematology atRochester, had a connection with the organiza-tion that is now the FDA. He helped get aposition for me in what was called the Divisionof Biologic Standards that ran the blood bank.That’s how I got into transfusion medicine.

In August, you were the senior author of anarticle in The Proceedings of the NationalAcademy of Sciences that reported findingmurine leukemia virus (MLV)-related genesequences in cells from patients with chronicfatigue syndrome (CFS) and from some healthyblood donors. That caused quite a stir. How didyou get interested in chronic fatigue?The abiding theme through most of my careerhas been transfusion-transmitted disease. Thereport in Science that came out last Octoberlinking chronic fatigue syndrome to the retro-virus XRMV didn’t prove the link but raised the

possibility of blood transmission. One of mycollaborators had samples in hand from well-pedigreed chronic fatigue patients. We hadstored blood donor samples. We wanted to lookat XMRV DNA in those peripheral blood mono -nuclear cells. We did not expect what we found:a strong association of MLV-related virus withchronic fatigue patients. The virus is alsopresent in normal donors, but the differentialwas great. We found mouse leukemia (MLV)-related gene sequences in 86 percent of chronicfatigue syndrome patients and in approximately7 percent of healthy volunteer blood donors.This raises the possibility that chronic fatiguecould be due to a virus and transmitted by trans-fusions. We have not proven the virus causeschronic fatigue, but we have proven that thevirus is there. If it does cause chronic fatigue, it opens the possibility of treatment. Viruseshave a way of finding me, instead of my findingthem. If this chronic fatigue link pans out, thereare years of work in that. Unfortunately, I don’thave many years left. There is a lot about thisthat remains unanswered. I think chronicfatigue will prove to have a whole spectrum ofcauses. Some will be viral and some won’t be. I am convinced this is a real disease for somepeople. I get letters from these patients andthey are so desperate. Their lives have beentotally disrupted. If a treatment could come outof this research, it would be a great.

We are looking for everything,

any agents that threat en the

blood supply-malaria, den -

gue, West Nile virus. We also

are interested now in devel-

oping gene chips that would

enable you to look for 20 or

30 agents at one time using

a relatively small amount of

blood.”

“

37ROCHESTER MEDICINE37 FALL / WINTER 2011

What is the value of simulationin medical education?For a video interview about simulation, go to RochesterMedicine online at www.rochester-medicine.urmc.edu

What other targets do you have for yourresearch?We are looking for everything, any agents thatthreaten the blood supply-malaria, dengue,West Nile virus. We also are interested now indeveloping gene chips that would enable you tolook for 20 or 30 agents at one time using a rela-tively small amount of blood. This technology isjust emerging. An ultimate goal is to inactivateviruses. There are technologies out there thattry to do that but it is not clear they will pan out.There always seem to be another agent that isa threat and interests me. This work is still sointeresting and fun, even after all these years.I’m in a very nice setting. NIH is a spectacularplace. I have a good boss who lets me do whatI want. I may have to quit someday, but I amreluctant to give up. The journals pile up on thefloor. There are so many interesting things, notonly in viruses, but in all of medicine. I’ve keptmyself in a narrow field, hematology and nowhepatology. Hematology was so strong atRochester that it was very influential in which

direction I took my career. Liver and blood haveoverlapped with infectious disease for me. I work a lot in fields where I have not beentrained, but I learn by osmosis.

What concerns you about research today?It is very hard for a young guy starting out. I have a son who is beginning his researchcareer. He has his first grant but it is a constantbattle to get funding. Everything now is sosophisticated that it makes research very costly.It has been touch and go for many people inacademia. Rochester has done very well infunding. The faculty have an admirable record ingetting grants. It was and is a great medicalschool.

What is the one nemesis or problem you wouldlike to solve before you retire? How to save enough money to retire! Besidesthat I would like to find a way to inactivatepathogens in blood rather than having to test forthem. This would not only increase the safety of

the blood supply since there are many agentswe can’t test for, but also would provide apreemptive strike against a totally new lethalagent, such as the next HIV-like agent, thatmight devastate the blood supply. Un -fortunately, my chance of achieving this in thetime I have left is very slim, but younger andsmarter people are waiting in the wings.


alumni weekend 2010

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Reunion weekend is a time of memory and memories. Forrest Huntington, M.D. (M ’55), at left, studies classmates in the Alumni Hall of Classes. |� Three members of the Class of 1970—Peter Rub in, M.D., Andy Neal, M.D., and Stephen Chentow, M.D.—enjoy recollections together, as do Laurie Forrest, M.D., and Paul Graham, M.D., of the Class of 1980 and Carmel Graham. | � Thomas Mou, M.D. (M ’50), Mark B. Taubman, M.D.,and Susan Mou, M.D. (M ’80, R ’84) | � Alumni Council members Mary Anna Friederich, M.D. (M ’57, R ’62) and Carol Nadelson, M.D. (M ’61, R ’62) |� Alumni award winner Richard Hodes, M.D. (M ’82), chats with medical students. | Andy Neal, M.D. (M ’70) | � Mark B. Taubman, M.D. |� David Gandell, M.D. (R ’82), James Woods, M.D., chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Eva Steadman, Ellen Horey-Thiede, KennethSteadman, M.D. (R ’68), and Henry Thiede, M.D. (BS ’45, R ’56) | � Class of 1962 members, Herb Machleder, M.D., Robert Newman, M.D., RonaldBruce, M.D., Frederick Parker, M.D., and Lowell Weitkamp, M.D. | � Barbara Simms and Bradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D. (M ’81, PhD ’81)

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alumni weekend 2010

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Above: Members of the Class of 1985Facing page: � Class of 1960 members, William Powell M.D., William Hermance, M.D., Mona Klahn, Peggy Hermance and John Klahn,M.D. | Class of 2000 members (back row) Andrew Weinfeld, M.D., Timothy Benson. M.D., and Allen Pardee, M.D. (front row) JulieSandruck, M.D., Ivette Motola, M.D., and, Aaron Lewis, M.D. | � Members of the Class of 1960 celebrated their golden anniversary. | � Members of the Class of 2000 celebrated their anniversary. | � Mark B. Taubman, M.D., and David Culton, M.D. (M ’60). Below: Members of the Class of 1990.

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class notes

If you see any alumni whom you would like to contact, use the Online Directory atwww.alumniconnections.com/URMC to findaddress information.

Submit your class notes to your classagent or to [email protected].

Note: MD Alumni are listed alphabeticallyby class, Resident and Fellow alumni follow inalphabetical order, and Graduate Alumni are listedseparately in alphabetical order.

MD AlumniClass of 1959Donald R. Huene (R ‘67) recently was grantedhis 15th patent on a controlled force ortho -paedic impact hammer. His other patents alsoare for orthopaedic surgical devices. He is stillin active practice of orthopaedic surgery andwill continue as long as “I am able to keep allmy marbles intact.”

Class of 1962Ezra A. Amsterdam (R ‘63), University ofCalifornia at Davis professor of cardiovascularmedicine, was honored in 2010 with numerousawards for his work in the practice, investiga-tion and teaching of methods to prevent heartdisease. He received the Joseph Stokes IIIAward from the American Society for PreventiveCardiology in recognition of his research andeducation concerning the prevention of cardio-vascular disease. He also received the 2010Distinguished Physician Award from theAmerican Society of Chest Pain Centers, the2010 School of Medicine Faculty ResearchAward from University of California, DavisSchool of Medicine, and the 2010 LifetimeTeaching Award from the Division ofCardiovascular Medicine at UC Davis School ofMedicine.

Amsterdam founded Preventive Card -iology, the first journal dedicated to this field,and he continues as its editor-in-chief. Fritz Parker (BA ‘58) writes: “The class of 1962held a New York City mini-reunion in May 2010for classmates, wives, and significant others.Dr. Bob Newman and his wife, Seiko, enter-tained the group for dinner on Friday night.Saturday lunch was in the director’s dining roomof the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Theremainder of the time was spent visiting the

many highlights of the city. Needless to say,seeing each other and reliving old times madefor a much enjoyed time together.”Sol Solomon reports the birth of his fourthgrandchild, Ida Rose, on Sept. 1 in a parking loton the way to Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cam -bridge, Mass. Becca (Sol’s daughter) gave birthand the baby was delivered by Jim Rohr, thefather. The baby was born on the father’sbirthday. Whew!

Class of 1964Michael Hamilton (BM ‘55) writes: “Jack of alltrades, master of none. Before medical school:Eastman School of Music and four years in theUnited States Marine Band. After medicalschool: pediatric internship at University ofCalifornia at San Francisco, two years as aPeace Corps physician in Jalalabad, Afghan -istan, then, medical residency at the Universityof Kentucky, and an M.P.H. at University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill.

“First real jobs: internist in an OEO healthcenter serving low-income residents in Durham,N.C.; director of Duke University’s Physician’sAssistant program; director of the Duke Diet andFitness Center (1984–1999). Last medical posi-tion: associate professor at the Louisiana StateUniversity Pennington Biomedical Center. Mycurrent and very last “trade” at age 75: ownerwith Sarah Hill of Hamilton Hill Jewelry, agallery for jewelry artists in Durham, N.C. Alongthe way, two children, Sebastian and Sunita,and ex-wife and best friend, Brigitte.

“Visitors on the way south or anywhereare welcome.”

Class of 1965Svend Bruun received the DistinguishedPhysician Award presented by the medical staffof University of Massachusetts Health AllianceHospital in Leominster in September. He alsoreceived the Committee Chair Service Award ofthe Massachusetts Medical Society for his nineyears of service on the communicationscommittee. He completed six years on the boardof trustees of the medical society and is now analternate trustee.

Class of 1967Robert Tortolani was elected president of theVermont Medical Society for the 2010 term. Hehas been an active member in the society sincehe began his practice of family medicine in

Brattleboro in 1974.

Class of 1968Russell Chesney will receive the 2011 JohnHowland Medal, the highest honor of theAmerican Pediatric Society. Chesney, a nephrol-ogist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital inMemphis, has served as chair of the Depar -tment of Pediatrics for the University ofTennessee Health Science Center since 1988.He plans to retire as chair this year but willcontinue to teach, conduct research and seepatients at Le Bonheur.

Class of 1969After 36 years in clinical practice of gastroen-terology in Burlington, Vt., Paul Mayer retiredin July to focus on other interests. During hiscareer, he grew a single private practice into afour-physician specialty practice, Associates inGastroenterology. The opportunity to be on theclinical staff at the University of Vermont Schoolof Medicine allowed him to “stay on top of hisgame” and interact with some of the fineststudents and house staff imaginable.

Class of 1970Charles B. Rodning serves as professor ofsurgery at the College of Medicine and MedicalCenter of the University of South Alabama inMobile. He is president of the Alabama chapterof the American College of Surgeons and presi-dent of the Medical Society of the County ofMobile. He is a recent recipient of the distin-guished service award form the AlumniAssociation of the College of Medicine of theUniversity of South Alabama for his scholarshipand mentorship during the past three decades.Donald Kufe was appointed to the board ofdirectors of Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., abiopharmaceutical company focused on discov-ering, developing, and commercializing smallmolecule drugs to treat severe medical condi-tions. Kufe is professor of medicine atDana-Farber Cancer Institute and HarvardMedical School. He has served as chief of theDivision of Cancer Pharmacology and severalother leadership positions. He also is an editorof the textbook Cancer Medicine. He sits on theboard of Genus Oncology, LLC, and LinusPharmaceuticals, Inc.

Class of 1973James A. Delmez is a professor of medicine in


the renal division at Washington UniversitySchool of Medicine in Saint Louis and medicaldirector of Chromalloy Kidney Center.

Class of 1974Philip Greenland, the Harry W. DingmanProfessor and senior associate dean for clinicaland translational research at the FeinbergSchool of Medicine at Northwestern University,gave the Ancel Keys Memorial Lecture at theAmerican Heart Association annual meeting inNovember. In March, he will give a NationalInstitutes of Health Great Teachers Lecture atthe NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda.Anne Scholl Moore (BA ‘70) retired from prac-tice, but continues to work part time for theChildren’s Hospital of Denver. She also is raisinga Holsteiner jumper stallion (with help) and runsa therapeutic riding program in Denver.

Class of 1979California Healthcare Institute (CHI) elected EricJ. Topol to its board of directors. Topol is thedirector of Scripps Translational ScienceInstitute, chief academic officer of ScrippsHealth, and vice chairman of West WirelessHealth Institute. CHI is a non-profit public policyresearch organization, representing leadingCalifornia academic institutions, biotechnology,medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceuticalfirms.

Jim Suojanen provides the following updateson his children: Anna completed her undergrad-uate degree at Holy Cross in 2006 and receivedher M.P.H. from Boston University in 2010. Sheworks at Partners in Health. Krista graduatedfrom Williams College in 2007 and began theColumbia-Bassett medical school program.Emma is a junior at Colby College and spent thefall 2010 semester in Spain.

Class of 1980Peter Boling writes: “Greetings from Rich mond,Virginia. I did not make last fall’s reunion eventas I was on hospital inpatient teaching service.My news: On December 2, 2009, I appeared onthe NBC Nightly News segment “Making aDifference” that focused on house calls. RogerO’Neill was the reporter and Brian Williams, theanchor. This appearance resulted from articleson the Associated Press news wire and in theLos Angeles Times earlier in the summer andfall, which in turn focused on ‘Independence atHome.’ This is a new national demonstrationprogram that is part of the health care reformlegislation. I worked closely with a small groupof colleagues for the past few years on thewriting, promotion, and eventual passage ofthis bill. We had 41 co-sponsors, including 10Republicans and 31 Democrats, and we are nowworking on the implementation. The goal is torestore home-based medical care, which is the

original and most truly patient-centered medicalhome, to a central place in the care of peoplewith advanced chronic illness and immobility,both improving care and saving money out ofthe gate.

“Back at home, Sue and I recently movedto a new house in the suburbs. I continue to lookafter the needs of the Virginia CommonwealthUniversity general medicine division and its 52faculty, which includes the geriatrics programs.Cheers to all my old friends, classmates, andteachers!”Matthew L. Cartter writes: “I am the stateepidemiologist for the Connecticut Departmentof Public Health. In June, I received an awardfrom the Council of State and TerritorialEpidemiologists called the “Pump HandleAward.” For people who do what I do for aliving, receiving this award was a wonderfulexperience and very cool!”Lee Deakins Hieb (FLW ‘90) began her term as

president of the Association of AmericanPhysicians and Surgeons. The association hasbeen called “the voice for private practice since1943.” She recently moved with her family backto her hometown of Logan, Iowa, and has takena part-time position doing orthopaedic andlimited spinal surgery at Lake City, Iowa. Heroldest son, Nathan, is a senior at CreightonUniversity and just completed his applicationsfor medical school, being the third generation toapply to the U of R School of Medicine.Steven G. Friedman has been chairman of theDepartment of Surgery at New York DowntownHospital, since 2004. He is also professor ofclinical surgery at Weill Cornell MedicalCollege.David Wilbur (R ‘84) and Margaret Fallon (R‘84) are alive and well and living in Salem,Mass. Margaret is a pathologist at NorthshoreMedical Center in Salem, and David is a pathol-ogist at Massachusetts General Hospital inBoston. David was recently promoted toprofessor of pathology at Harvard MedicalSchool and was honored with the PapanicolaouAward, the highest award of the AmericanSociety of Cytopathology, at their 2010 annualmeeting. Margaret and David have two sons,both graduates of Williams College. Scott, alsoa medical graduate of SUNY Buffalo, is currentlya radiology resident at the University ofRochester Medical Center, and Jeff is an invest-ment banker working for Guggenheim Partnersin New York City. The family is still closely tied

Frank Young, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the University of Rochester School of Medicine andDentistry from 1979 to 1984, met with the current dean, Mark B. Taubman, M.D., at theSchool of Medicine and Dentistry reception during the annual meeting of the Association ofAmerican Medical Colleges in November in Washington, D.C.


class notes

to upstate New York, spending most summerweekends at their home on Keuka Lake.

Class of 1981Camp Good Days and Special Times Inc.honored University of Rochester Medical CenterCEO Bradford C. Berk (PhD ‘81) with their firstCourage Award during the Camp Good Days’Courage Bowl Game in September 2010. TheCourage Award is a new award to be bestowedupon someone who has displayed great courageat a difficult time in their personal life.Myra W. Wiener (R ‘85) was welcomed to theUniversity of Rochester Medical Center’sgeneral medicine division in July. Over the lasttwo decades, Wiener has assumed severalleadership positions in medical educationprograms involving medical students and resi-dents at both the Medical Center and the formerGenesee Hospital. She has served as apreceptor, helped develop and implement newcurricula, and delivered lectures for continuingeducation programs. Her skills in the classroomand in clinical settings were recognized withmajor departmental awards. In her new posi-tion, she will continue to serve as director of the“Successful Interning” course and faculty chairof the honor board for the School of Medicineand Dentistry.

Class of 1983Allan R. Macdonald (R ‘86) teaches in thefamily medicine residency at McLeod RegionalMedical Center in Florence, S.C. He also wasappointed assistant director for obstetrics andchildren’s health. He teaches the Advanced LifeSupport in Obstetrics (ALSO) course across thestate.Peter J. Mariani has been promoted toprofessor of emergency medicine at StateUniversity of New York Upstate MedicalUniversity in Syracuse. In 2009, he achievedboard certification in undersea and hyperbaricmedicine, and was recipient of the Hospice ofCentral New York “Physician Hero Award” forwork involving ultrasound guidance of palliativeprocedures for home hospice patients.

Class of 1985Mark J. Eisenberg, professor of medicine atMcGill University and staff cardiologist atJewish General Hospital in Montreal, has pub -lished The Physician Scientist’s Career Guide, abook with first-hand experiences and practical

advice on choosing a degree and trainingprogram, navigating the tenure track, andunderstanding the intricacies of applying forand obtaining funding. Springer is the publisher.

Class of 1988James M. Musser (PhD ‘88) was appointedchair of the Department of Pathology andLaboratory Medicine at The Methodist Hospitalin Houston, Texas. He holds the FondrenEndowed Distinguished Chair, and serves asexecutive vice president and co-director of TheMethodist Hospital Research Institute anddirector of the Center for Molecular andTranslational Human Infectious DiseasesResearch. He is married to Camille M. Leugers(M’88, R ‘91).

Class of 1989Warren S. Pear, professor of pathology andlaboratory medicine at the University ofPennsylvania School of Medicine, wasappointed to the Gaylord P. and Mary LouiseHarnwell Professorship. A professor at Penn for14 years, Pear is a cancer researcher and afaculty member of Penn’s Abramson FamilyCancer Research Institute. His work focuses onthe development of hematopoietic cells, theirfunction and the abnormal processes that trans-form normal hematopoietic cells into cancercells.

Class of 1990Thomas A. Sweeney is vice chair for theDepartment of Emergency Medicine at theChristiana Care Health System in Newark,Delaware.

Class of 1991University of Rochester School of Medicine andDentistry Department of Medicine selectedJohn F. Cox III as a Lawrence A. Kohn SeniorTeaching Fellow. The fellowship honors thememory a well-known and greatly respectedRochester physician, who was the first chiefresident of medicine at Strong MemorialHospital and the first clinical professor of medi-cine at the School of Medicine and Dentistry.Darrell Pardi has been appointed associatedean in the Mayo School of Graduate MedicalEducation and chair of the graduation educationcommittee for internal medicine and pediatrics.He has been a consultant in the division ofgastroenterology and hepatology since 2001. He

completed his fellowship training at Mayo in1998. He is an associate professor of medicineat Mayo.

Class of 1993Carmen Guerra (R ‘96) has been associateprofessor of medicine at the University ofPennsylvania School of Medicine since 2008.She continues to practice general internal medi-cine and conducts cancer control research.Carmen lives in Philadelphia with her husband,Dilip Viswanath, (R ‘96), a practicing cardiolo-gist and partner with Cardiovascular Associatesof the Delaware Valley in southern New Jersey.Together, they have three children: Isabela (age9), Carolina (age 7) and Kiran (age 2). Eric M. Perlman (PhD ‘92) was promoted toassociate professor of pediatrics and chair ofthe Department of Pediatrics for MercerUniversity School of Medicine’s Savannahcampus. He also was named medical directorand physician-in-chief of The Children’s Hospitalat Memorial University Medical Center inSavannah.

Class of 1994Lt. Col. Antonio J. Eppolito, a family physicianand flight surgeon on active duty in the UnitedStates Air Force, has been promoted to chief ofUSAF Telehealth & Telemedicine in the Office ofthe Air Force Surgeon General in Washington,D.C. His job is building a Web-based, bidirec-tional, image-enabled, comprehensive e-HRcompatible with specialty teleconsultation.

Class of 1996Titan Medical Inc. appointed Louis Eichel (BA‘92, R ‘01) to its medical advisory board. He hasan extensive background in researching the clin-ical aspects of surgical robotics and surgicalsimulation and is currently a clinical assistantprofessor of urology at the University ofRochester Medical Center. He is a recipient ofthe Pfizer Scholars in Urology Award and alsoserves as a reviewer for Urology and theJournal of Endourology, and several other jour-nals pertaining to minimally invasive surgery.

Class of 2001Christopher C. Wyckoff (BA ‘97) is married toLayla Saidi (BS ‘97). They have three children,Sanaz (age 5), Sina (age 3), and Setareh (age 1).He specializes in pulmonary and critical caremedicine at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington.


In Rochester history

Romano and Engel transformedmedicine in Rochester and the United States

Through almost four decades, two physicians-John Romano and GeorgeEngel-practiced medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center andtaught generations of aspiring physicians.

The two physicians significantly influenced psychosomatic medicine,the place of psychiatry in medicine and medical education, bringing to theUniversity’s School of Medicine and Dentistry and the Medical Center inter-national attention and fame.

John Romano, M.D., was the founding chairman of the MedicalCenter’s Department of Psychiatry. He developed post-doctoral psychiatrictraining for physicians and community mental health services. He oversawthe creation of the Medical Center’s “R Wing,” one of the first psychiatriccenters built as an integral part of a university hospital.

Dr. Romano, who served as chair from 1946 until 1971, often heldSaturday morning meetings with medical students to discuss contemporarysocial and cultural topics and shape their concepts of psychiatry. He wasrecognized worldwide as a reformer of medical education.

“Along with a handful of others of his generation, he was respon-sible for shaping modern psychiatry in America,” Sharon R. Kaufman, authorof A Healer’s Tale: Transforming Medicine and Culture, told The New YorkTimes when Dr. Romano died.

George L. Engel, M.D., came to Rochester with Dr. Romano andbecame very involved in incorporating psychiatric training in the School ofMedicine and Dentistry curriculum. Before an assembled class or withstudents at a bedside, he interviewed patients, revealing the emotionalcomponents of illness.

He became one of the leading figures in psychosomatic studies. Hewas prominent in the American Psychosomatic Society, edited its journal,Psychosomatic Medicine, and published several books and many articles onthe relation of emotion and disease and on the incorporation of these ideasinto medical training and clinical practice.

Dr. Engel published his seminal paper on the “biopsychosocialmodel” in the journal Science in 1977, stating the case for the interaction ofbiological, psychological, behavioral and social forces in maintaining healthand influencing the onset and course of illness. He also emphasized theinfluence of the physician as a patient remain well or heal. This “biopsy-chosocial model” of medical practice became a hallmark of the Universityof Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and strongly influencedmedical education in the United States.

John Romano and George Engel: Their Lives and Work, a biographyof the two physicians, has been published by Meliora Press, an imprint ofthe University of Rochester Press.

The authors of the new biography are Jules Cohen, M.D. (BA ‘53, M‘57), professor of medicine and medical humanities at the University of

Rochester Medical Center, and Stephanie Brown Clark, M.D., Ph.D., asso-ciate professor and director of the Medical Humanities Programs at theMedical Center.

The book was published by Meliora Press, an imprint of theUniversity of Rochester Press. To order, write Jules Cohen, M.D., 601Elmwood Avenue, Box 601, Rochester, NY 14642, and include completemailing information and a check made out to the University of Rochester for$50 for each book (the cost of shipping is included).

The two physicians significantly influenced psychosomatic

medicine, the place of psychiatry in medicine and medical

education, bringing to the University’s School of Medicine

and Dentistry and the Medical Center international atten-

tion and fame.


class notes

Class of 2003Shana Dowell and her husband, Jon, recentlyhad another son. His name is Simon Frederick.

Class of 2004Drew Davis completed his residency in plasticand reconstructive surgery at StanfordUniversity and will be part of the adjunct clinicalfaculty as an attending physician at Santa ClaraValley Medical Center in San Jose, Calif.Josh Diamond (BS ‘00) and his wife, TracyDiamond (BS ‘00, MS ‘02, PhD ‘04), welcomedSophia Jane Diamond, on June 4. She joined bigsister Chloe at their home outside Philadelphia.Ethan Healy finished a fellowship in sportsmedicine at New England Baptist Hospital andjoined MetroWest Newton-Wellesley Ortho -pedics and Sports Medicine. He specializes insports medicine and arthroscopy as well asgeneral orthopedics.

Class of 2005Wen Dombrowski works for Visiting NurseService of New York as the assistant medicaldirector of VNS CHOICE.Sarah Goldfeder is a fellow in musculoskeletalradiology at the New England Baptist Hospital inBoston. She will marry William Dodge in June2011. The wedding planning is underway and goingwell. Next project is to find a job for next year!

Class of 2006Margie Donlon and her husband, GoncaloNuno Souto (MBA ‘05), welcomed their daugh -ter, Amália Luz, on July 7. Donlon finished herresidency in physical medicine and rehabilita-tion in June and spent the fall months inPortugal visiting her husband’s family.

Jeremy Schwartz and his wife, Tracy Rabin,are the proud parents of Naomi Rabin Schwartz,born on April 22. Jeremy reports that Naomi is“almost as tall as her dad, but with mom’snose.” They also enthusiastically welcome visi-tors if you’re in the area of New Haven, Conn.Kim Washington (R ‘10) has taken a position asa staff PM&R physician with the NorthernArizona V.A. in Prescott. She says she is “thrilledto be working with our service members andtheir families, and am enjoying the 360 days peryear of sunshine that will be part of living inNorthern Arizona.”

Class of 2007Jessica (Felt) Miller and her husband, Dan,announce the birth of their son, MaxwellChandler Miller on July 26. She writes: “He’soutgrowing clothes faster than we can keep upand is just a delight!” Miller is a fourth yearanesthesiology resident at the University ofWashington.Emily Pilger and Mustafa Coskun (BS ‘02, MS

‘03) were married on June 12 at the DowntownHarvard Club of Boston. They had anotherwedding reception in Izmir, Turkey, on August 7.Emily is a chief neurology resident at Beth IsraelDeaconess Medical Center and Mustafa is asenior product manager at Cambridge Tech -nology, Inc. The couple resides in Brookline, MA.

Class of 2008Joshua Miller (BA ‘02, MPH ‘04) and his wife,Ellen (BA’03, MBA ‘08), announce the arrival oftheir son, Brendan Arthur Miller, on October 10.

Class of 2009Andrea Tavlan married Edward Vuong (currentMD/PhD student) on October 22 in Scotch Plains,N.J. Tavlan is a second-year resident in pedi-atrics at Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong.

Class of 2010Ajay Kuriyan (BA ‘05) married Aparajita(“Tuma”) Biswas (BA ‘05) on May 31, 2010. Seephoto next page.

Sophia Jane Diamond (2004)

Naomi Rabin Schwartz (2006)

Amália Luz (2006)

Emily Pilger & Mustafa Coskun (2007)


GRADUATE Alumni(Arranged alphabetically)

William J Bair (PhD ‘54) was honored in Junewith the Health Physics Society’s highestaward, the Robley D. Evans CommemorativeMedal, at its annual meeting in Salt Lake City.The award recognized his distinguished contri-butions to radiation safety, particularly in theareas of radiation biology, inhalation toxicology,and internal dosimetry. Bair received the world’sfirst Ph.D. in Radiation Biology, granted by theUniversity of Rochester School of Medicine and

Dentistry, under Professor J. Newell Stannard in the Department of Radiation Biology.

Bradford C. Berk (MD ‘81, PhD ‘81) – See MDClass of 1981.

Joanna Toke Brougher (BA ‘04, BS ‘04, MPH ‘05)was appointed as an adjunct lecturer on healthpolicy and management at the Harvard School ofPublic Health. She is teaching a course called“Special Topics in Public Health Law: IntellectualProperty Law and Health Technologies.”

Tracy Diamond (BS ‘00, MS ‘02, PhD ‘04) – SeeMD Class of 2004.

Adam Giangreco (BS ‘99, MS ‘01) was awarded aEuropean Research Council Starting In vestigatorGrant to establish an independent lab to be basedat University College London in the UnitedKingdom. The five-year grant will address the roleof the molecule tumor suppressor of lung cancer 1 in lung repair and lung cancer initiation.

Joshua Miller (BA ‘02, MPH ‘04, MD ‘08) – SeeMD Class of 2008.

James M. Musser (MD, PhD, ‘88) – See MDClass of 1988.

Eric M. Perlman (PhD ‘92, MD ‘93) – See MDClass of 1993.

Timothy P. Ryan (PhD ‘07) is the occupationalepidemiologist for the state of Wyoming. He willexamine workplace safety issues in the state.Ryan had been an environmental epidemiologistin Wyoming’s Department of Health.

Rachel L. Roper (MS ‘90, PhD ‘92) receivedtenure and was promoted to associateprofessor of microbiology and immunology atthe Brody School of Medicine at East CarolinaUniversity. Her research focuses on viral path -ogens and mechanisms of virulence.

Marcia J. Scherer (MS ‘86, PhD ‘87) received the2010 Roger G. Barker Distinguished ResearchContribution Award. Presented annually byDivision 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology) of theAmerican Psychological Association, this annualaward recognizes an individual who has made anoutstanding lifelong contribution to rehabilitationpsychology through empirical research, concep-tual/theoretical development or both. Scherer isthe Editor-in-Chief of Disability andRehabilitation: Assistive Technology.

Kenneth J. Tomaszewski (BA ‘93, MS ‘96, PhD‘02) and Carol Ann Fruehan (BA ‘02, MS ‘06)

Pictured are fellow UR and SMD classmates in attendance: Back row: Ari Stillman (BA ‘08), Reeshi Ray (BA ‘03), Samit Shah (BS ‘04, MD ‘09), KathrynWalsh (BA ‘05), Neil Dani (BS ‘06), Carrie Heid (BA ‘05), Mohammed Gangat, Mohini Gurme (BA ‘05), Meghan Ochal (BA ‘05), Meghan Schubmehl (BA‘05), Paramita Das, Indira Biswas, Middle Row: Christy Rakoczy (BA ‘05), Jehu Mathew (BS ‘04, MD ‘08), Shailey Desai (BS ‘04, MD ‘08), Atul “Sippy”Gulati (BA ‘04), Kathryn Wolak (BA ‘05), Aparajita “Tuma” Biswas Kuriyan (BA ‘05), Ajay Kuriyan (BA ‘05), Emily Locker (BA ‘05), Front Row: NidhiGeevargese & J’mir Cousar (BS ‘06). Also in attendance but not pictured were: Gordon Chang (BA ‘05), Father Brian Cool (Newman Community), and Dr.Steven & Mrs. Diane Feldon (Flaum Eye Institute).

Maxwell Chandler Miller (2008)

Ajay Kuriyan & Aparajita Biswas marriage (2010)


class notes

have three boys: Ben (age 11), CJ (age 9), andWill (age 6). After completing his Ph.D. and abrief stint at SUNY Cortland, the couple settledin Mendon, N.Y., where Ken runs KJT Group, amarket research and consulting firm specializingin the health care industry. Carol and Ken alsohave started the Falls View Academy, a tutoringand education services provider. Ken has beenan adjunct assistant professor at the U of R andwill be teaching health economics in the springof 2011. The whole family is steeped in sportswith the kids and scouting. Ken is thecommittee chairman of Pack 105 in Mendon.

Rochester Business Journal named SusanYussman (MPH ‘03, R ‘03) to its annual “FortyUnder 40” list. The award recognizes profes-sionals under age 40 for service in their jobs andin the Rochester community. Yussman is anassistant professor of pediatrics at the Uni -versity of Rochester School of Medicine andDentistry and medical director of ThresholdCenter for Alternative Youth Services.

RESIDENTS/FELLOWAlumni(Arranged alphabetically)

Michael S. Albert (R ‘93) was recently selectedthe “Physician of Distinction” for 2010 at BuffaloMercy Hospital. He was chosen from more than600 members of the medical staff for this honor.Albert has been chairman of the hospital’s path -ology department since 2001, and recently waselected vice president of the medical staff. Healso serves as chairman of the credentialscommittee and sits on the medical executivecommittee, performance improvement com -mittee, and acts as the Catholic Health Systemtransfusion medicine coordinator.

Two of his five children took first placehonors in a recent regional piano competition andhis 12-year-old son, Nathan, was selected toparticipate in the State University of New York atBuffalo’s gifted math program, where he willattend math classes twice a week during middleschool and high school and earn 22 credit hours ofcollege math before graduating high school. Botholder sons aspire to be neurosurgeons (Hear thatDr. Popp?). Albert and his wife, Melissa, reside inOrchard Park, N.Y. with their five children.

Ezra A. Amsterdam (R ‘63) – See MD Class of1962.

Julian Aroesty (FLW ‘63) reports: “My son,Adam, who graduated cum laude in engineering atUniversity of Michigan this past May, is an EdisonFellow at GE aeronautical division. He has a five-year commitment to GE, during which he isgroomed to a leadership position in the engi-neering division. He will be taking one year duringthe 5-year program to get a master’s degree paidfor by GE.

“I am continuing my activities at the BethIsrael Deaconess Medical Center in Boston andhave an associate clinical professor appoint-ment at Harvard Medical School. I rememberwith fondness my years at Strong under Paul Yuwho was a wonderful mentor. I just turned 79,but health remains good and I continue to gointo the hospital every day. Within the nextcouple of years, I will stop seeing patients andspend more time seeing children and grandchil-dren scattered across the United States so thatthey can remember me and my wife while weare still healthy and active.

Lee Deakins Hieb (MD ‘80, FLW ‘90) – See MDClass of 1980.

Louis Eichel (BA ‘92, MD ‘96, R ‘01) – See MDClass of 1996.

Margaret Fallon (MD ‘80, R ‘84) – See MD Classof 1980.

Margot Fass MD (R ‘85) was named a Dis -tinguished Life Fellow in the AmericanPsy chiatric Association. She has a private prac-tice and also creates multimedia art. Her recentshow and presentation were on the subject of“Endangered Us.”

Stacy Fisher (R ‘01) is a member of the clinicalfaculty in adult and pediatric cardiology at theUniversity of Maryland and is director of thewomen’s and complex heart disease division atthe University of Maryland ComprehensiveHeart Center.

Elmar H. Frangenberg (R ‘72) recently publishedan article titled “A Good Samaritan-inspiredFoundation for a Fair Health Care System” inMedicine, Health Care and Philosophy. It waspublished online by Springer, SpringerLink, in June.

John Fung, M.D., Ph.D. (R ’84), has been namedchair of the Cleveland Clinic’s Digestive DiseaseInstitute. He will oversee more than 350employees. Prior to his appointment, he hadserved as chairman of the Department ofGeneral Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. He is aprofessor of surgery at the Lerner College ofMedicine at Case Western University.

Carmen Guerra (MD ‘93, R ‘96) – See MD Classof 1993.

Donald R. Huene (MD ‘59, R ‘67) – See MDClass of 1959.

Gena (McKinley) Kluwe (R ‘01) was named afellow of the American College of Physicians inSeptember.

Allan R. Macdonald (MD ‘83, R ‘86) – See MDClass of 1983.

Darrell Pardi (MD ‘91, R ‘94) – See MD Class of1991.

Charles E. Turner (R ‘69) is governor for WestVirginia for the American College of Physicians.

Richard Ugoretz (R ‘69) published Talking toThe Sick: A Clinician’s Guide To EffectiveCommunication. The book presents practicalapproaches to achieving effective communica-tion in contemporary medical practice. Ugoretzis a retired medical oncologist and clinicalprofessor of medicine at the University ofCalifornia at San Diego.

Kim Washington (MD ‘06, R ‘10) – See MDClass of 2006.

Myra W. Wiener (MD ‘81, R ‘85) – See MD Classof 1981.

David Wilbur (MD ‘80, R ‘84) – See MD Class of1980.

Susan Yussman (MPH ‘03, R ‘03) – See Grad -uate Alumni


in memoriam

Frederick A. Horner, M.D.

Frederick A. Horner, M.D. (M ’47), thefirst chief of child neurology at theUniversity of Rochester School of Med -icine and Dentistry, died April 20 at theage of 90.

“He was always a very gentle,warm person, and he never lorded (hisknowledge) over anybody,” said RobertJ. Haggerty, M.D., former chair of theDepartment of Pediatrics. “He was just avery skilled clinician, a very goodconsultant and a very warm colleague.”

Dr. Horner graduated in 1947 fromthe School of Medicine and Dentistryand went on to complete a pediatricinternship and an assistant residency atStrong Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Horner left Rochester to serveas chief resident at the Los AngelesChildren’s Hospital and then assistantchief of pediatrics at Fitzsimmons ArmyHospital in Denver. In 1953 and 1954, heheld a fellowship at the NationalHospital for Nervous Diseases in Lon -don. On his return to the United States,he held positions at the MassachusettsGeneral Hospital, University ofColorado, University of Kentucky andJefferson Medical College.

Haggerty, along with Robert J.Joynt, M.D., Ph.D., then chair of theDepartment of Neurology, recruited Dr.Horner to return to Rochester in 1968.During that era, child neurology was inthe Department of Pediatrics. Haggertyknew Dr. Horner from their yearstraining at Strong Memorial Hospitaland credits Dr. Horner with helping himdecide to become a pediatrician.

During Dr. Horner’s 17-year tenureas chief, he set a high standard for thenew division’s clinical service, seeingpatients almost every day of the week.He also set high standards for developingeducation programs in adult and childneurology. All 25 neurology residentswho rotated through pediatric neurologyduring his tenure passed the pediatricneurology section of the neurology

Diego, he became interested in thebagpipes as a freshman at PomonaCollege. Dr. Jackman played with theRochester Scottish Pipes & Drums foralmost 30 years. He also played with agroup called Faedan Or and was afounding member of Ceilidh Con -nection, a Scottish smallpipe ensemble.

After he received his medicaldegree, Dr. Jackman served in the U.S.Navy, including a two-year tour at theNavy’s hospital on Guam. He completedhis orthopaedic residency at UniversityHospital in Cleveland and a pediatricorthopaedic fellowship at Children’sHospital in Washington.

Dr. Jackman joined the School ofMedicine and Dentistry faculty in 1976,rising to the rank of associate professor of orthopaedics and of pediatrics. Hebecame professor emeritus in 2007.

After moving from Rochester toUpper Saranac Lake, Dr. Jackman, whoalso was a dedicated ham radio operator,became a member of the Search andRescue Association of the NorthernAdirondacks and a naturalist volunteerat The Wild Center of the NaturalHistory Museum of the Adirondacks.

In 2002, Dr. Jackman was diag-nosed with a lymphoma. He receivedchemotherapy and the lymphoma was inremission. In February, 2010, however, hewas diagnosed with amyotrophic lateralsclerosis.

Dr. Jackman is survived by his wifeof 46 years, Carol Benson Jackman; hisson, Stephen V. Jackman, M.D., of Pitts -burgh, Pa.; a daughter, Lauriann Garlandof Seattle, Wash.; a sister, Diana Raneyof Pasadena, Calif.; and several grand-children.

Contributions can be made to theNatural History Museum of the Adir -ondacks, High Peaks Hospice or thePiper’s Gathering Scholarship Fund incare of the Fortune-Keough FuneralHome, 20 Church Street, Saranac, N.Y.12983.

boards on their first attempt, as did theeight child neurologists who graduatedfrom the program. Dr. Horner was espe-cially known for his ability to diagnosecomplex pediatric cases.

“He would work through very diffi-cult problems,” Joynt said. “He oftenamazed me with the diagnoses he wouldcome up with that turned out to becorrect.”

Following his retirement in 1985he was named professor emeritus of pedi-atrics.

Dr. Horner is survived by his wife,Marjorie; a sister, Kathryn Altmas; a brother, David Horner; nieces andnephews. Contributions in memory ofDr. Horner may be made to the Dr. Frederick A. Horner Social WorkEmergency Fund, University of Roch -ester, P.O. Box 270032, Rochester, NY14627.

Kenneth Jackman, M.D.

Kenneth “Van” Jackman, M.D. (M ’67), aUniversity of Rochester School ofMedicine and Dentistry faculty memberfor more than 30 years, died Aug. 18 athis home on Upper Saranac Lake, NewYork. He was 69.

Dr. Jackman, professor emeritus oforthopaedics, was the first full-timefaculty member in pediatric ortho -paedics. He was a surgeon with a deepinterest in the care of children withmusculoskeletal disorders.

“His wisdom, knowledge, caring,compassion and skills blessed so verymany children and their families,” saidRichard I. Burton, senior associate deanof academic affairs for the School ofMedicine and Dentistry and chair emer-itus of the Department of Orthopaedics.

“Van was totally committed to themission for the best possible care of chil-dren, for the education of residents andmedical students, and to foster produc-tive relationships with pediatricians andchildren under their care,” said Burton.

Dr. Jackman also was a skilled andavid player of bagpipes. A native of San


Robert M. McCormack, M.D.

Robert M. McCormack, M.D. (R ’49),professor emeritus who was chairman ofthe Division of Plastic Surgery at theUniversity of Rochester Medical Centerfrom 1950 to 1983, died Dec. 16 in OceanView, N.J., at age 92.

Elethea H. Caldwell, M.D., pro -fessor emeritus of surgery, said Dr.McCormack was “a humble man, notcaught up in a desire for worldly posses-sions or personal recognition but ratherdriven by the need to impart values ofpersonal and professional life that aregenerative and sustaining.”

“He was an exemplary teacher, acompassionate physician, a skilledsurgeon, a respected statesman, adevoted friend, a role model withoutparallel and a valued colleague withoutreplacement,” Caldwell said.

Dr. McCormack, a native ofSheboygan, Wisc., was the son of aphysician. He graduated with honorsfrom Swarthmore College, where he wasan All-American lacrosse player. Hereceived his medical degree from theUniversity of Chicago. He came toRochester as a surgical intern in 1943.

After further surgical training, Dr.McCormick entered the U.S. ArmyMedical Corps in World War II and wasassigned to the Hand Surgery Section atBeaumont Army Hospital in El Paso,Texas. This was the spring board for hislifelong interest in hand surgery.Following military service, he returnedto Rochester to complete his residencyin plastic surgery in 1949.

After a year of private practice inMilwaukee, and at the age of 34, he wasasked to return to Rochester to assumethe leadership of the Division of PlasticSurgery. He served as chair for 33 yearsuntil his retirement in 1983, educatingmore than 50 plastic surgical residentsand countless medical students.

Dr. McCormack was appointed pro fessor of plastic surgery in 1957, vice-

chairman of the Department of Surgery in1968 and director of the burn unit in 1975.

Dr. McCormack served as presi-dent of the American Association ofPlastic Surgeons, the American Societyfor Surgery of the Hand and theAmerican Burn Association. He also waschairman of the American Board ofPlastic Surgery.

Honors for Dr. McCormackincluded the Clinician of the YearAward from the American Associationof Plastic Surgeons, the DistinguishedAlumnus Award from the University ofChicago, the Honorary Award of theAmerican Association of Plastic Sur -geons, the Gold Medal Award from theUniversity of Rochester and the AlbertDavid Kaiser Medal from the RochesterAcademy of Medicine. He was alsoelected to Alpha Omega Alpha as afaculty member by students at theUniversity of Rochester School ofMedicine and Dentistry.

In 1964, Dr. McCormack receivedthe Sports Illustrated Silver AnniversaryAward that cited 25 college footballplayers who went on to distinguishedcareers.

He was predeceased by his wife of61 years, Marjorie Carter McCormack.Surviving are three sons, StevenMcCormack of Oakland, Calif., RobertB. McCormack, of Cape Cod, Mass.,Carter J. McCormack, M.D. of Green -ville, S.C., and four grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may besent to the Robert M. McCormackEndowed Professorship, University ofRochester, Department of Surgery, P.O.Box 270032, Rochester, NY 14627.

Leon Miller, M.D., Ph.D.

Leon L. Miller, M.D., Ph.D. (M ’45), ascientist and physician who was part ofthe University of Rochester MedicalCenter for much of its history, died Sept. 3, at Highland Hospital in Roch -ester. He was 97.

Dr. Miller, who arrived at theMedical Center in 1938, was mostrecently professor emeritus of biochem-istry and biophysics. A Rochester nativeand the son of immigrant parents, heearned his bachelor’s degree in chemistryand his doctorate in organic chemistry atCornell University in 1934 and 1937,respectively.

Through his brother, the well-known conductor Mitch Miller, whodied in August at the age of 99, Dr. Miller connected with a physicianwho put him in touch with George HoytWhipple, founding dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry. In 1938, Dr. Miller joined Whipple’s laboratory asa post-doctoral research fellow, collabo-rating in studies of hemoglobin andplasma protein production.

Dr. Miller found himself workingwith young physicians, learning aboutmedicine and enjoying it. He receivedpermission from Whipple to study medi-cine while he continued the lab’smetabolism studies. Dr. Miller workedseven years while continuing hisresearch studies in order to earn his


in memoriam

medical degree in 1945. He practicedmedicine before concentrating full timeon research and teaching.

It was for his teaching, his leader-ship, guidance and insight for which Dr. Miller will be remembered most, saidhis colleagues.

“His generosity was universal,helping students, trainees, and facultyalike,” said Paul LaCelle, M.D. (M ’59),professor of pharmacology and physi-ology and former chair of theDe part ment of Biophysics, who knew Dr. Miller for more than three decades.“He showed interest in others whileremaining self-effacing and modest. Hewas kind in assisting me in my chair-manship, offering constructive criticismand suggesting strategies for dealing withthe wide range of personalities and situ-ations. He made me, a relative novice, tofeel I was his equal.”

Robert Bambara, Ph.D., chair ofthe Department of Biochemistry andBiophysics, also received guidance fromDr. Miller over the years.

“Dr. Miller was as vigorous andlucid a person as you can imagine,” saidBambara. “He came to every facultymeeting and all the seminars, sitting inthe front row, listening intently topresentations and asking very astutequestions. He was a deep part of thefabric of our department. He was a realadvocate for supporting younger facultymembers and gave inspiring talks abouthow established faculty members shouldsupport younger faculty.”

Dr. Miller continued to teachmedical students until 2009, leading dis -cussions in the “Molecules to Cells”course for first-year medical students,and still had a hand in interviewingmedical school applicants. It was largelydue to Dr. Miller’s influence, Bambarasaid, that many scientific departments atRochester have created formal men -toring programs, an aspect of theen vironment for which Rochester hasbeen recognized nationally.

The Leon Miller Graduate Fellow -ship, established by Dr. Miller’s familyand friends to honor his contributions, isawarded annually to a student or stu -

dents entering the Ph.D. program inbiochemistry and biophysics.

Internationally, Dr. Miller is bestknown for developing a way to keep ananimal’s liver functioning outside of thebody for several hours or even a full day,making possible detailed studies aboutthe organ and the body that had previ-ously not been feasible. Known as an“isolated perfused liver system,” he usedthe model for metabolic studies, lookingat the effects of hormones and othercompounds on the body, especially theirrole in the synthesis of proteins. Hebecame one of the first experts in the useof radioisotopes in medicine and re -search, taking advantage of the buddingfield to make new findings in areas likehemoglobin synthesis, protein synthesisand metabolism.

Although he became professoremeritus in 1978, Dr. Miller remainedengaged with the University and itsstudents to an amazing degree, saidBambara, noting that Dr. Miller oftenarrived to his office earlier than hiscolleagues, departed later, and inbetween walked the Medical Centercorridors daily for exercise.

“He was our elder; he was ourpatriarch,” said Bambara. “He was totallydevoted to the University, its students,and its faculty.”

Dr. Miller is survived by his wife of 52 years, Betty Miller; children LynnMiller Coleman, Ellen L. Miller (M ’77),Michael E. Miller (M ’76), Laura J. Miller,John Rhodes Miller (M ’90), and NancyB. Miller; one brother, William JosephMiller of New York City; and four grand-children.

Contributions in his memory maybe made to the University’s Edward G.Miner Library or to the Leon MillerGraduate Scholarship Fund, 300 EastRiver Road, Suite 208, Rochester, NY14627, or to a charity of one’s choice.

James M. Stewart, M.D.

James M. Stewart, M.D., clinicalprofessor emeritus of the Department of

Medicine at the University of RochesterMedical Center, died Sept. 20 at hishome in Rochester. He was 88.

Dr. Stewart will be remembered byfamily, colleagues and those in thecommunity as a versatile clinician, adistinguished teacher and a man of highideals who inspired countless individualsand enriched the community through -out his long and successful life.

His history at the Medical Centerspans more than six decades. Dr. Stewartcame to the Medical Center in 1948 as apost-graduate fellow in pathology andphysiology after receiving his undergrad-uate degree at Dartmouth College,where he graduated Summa Cum Laude,and completing his medical degree atHarvard Medical School. Following hisarrival in Rochester, he served as assis-tant resident in 1948 and chief residentin 1950. He joined the faculty of theDepartment of Medicine in 1951 and waspromoted to professor in 1970. He retiredin 1990 and was named clinical professoremeritus.

Dr. Stewart’s teaching and clinicalskills were recognized throughout hiscareer. He was appointed the LawrenceA. Kohn Senior Teaching Fellow in1970, a distinction he held through 1981,and received the American College ofPhysicians Upstate New York Re -cognition Award in 1983. He alsore ceived several awards from theRochester community, including aspecial citation for community activitiesfrom the Colgate Rochester DivinitySchool and a Merit of Honor from theRochester Academy of Medicine in 1981.In 1996 he was awarded the prestigiousAlbert David Kaiser Medal by theRochester Academy of Medicine, itshighest honor.

In 1988 in recognition of Dr.Stewart’s dedication to teaching, theDepartment of Medicine established theJames M. Stewart Distinguished Teach -ing Award, which is presented annuallyto outstanding clinical faculty in thecommunity.

He was extremely dedicated to thelocal medical community, includingserving on the board of directors of the

In memoriamThomas B. Barnett (MD ‘49)Kurt M. Bertram (MS ‘10)Julian Carroll (R ‘57)Robert Chiarello (MD ’79)Nelson M. Chitterling (R ‘62)Alexander E. Dodds (MD ‘48, R ‘51)Solomon Fisch (PhD ‘49)F. David Fisher (MD ‘57)James F. Fortune (MD ‘44)Russell W. Garrett (MS ‘03, PhD ‘05)Donald A. Gordon (MS ‘62)Samuel Gross (MD ‘55)Donald W. Helbig (MD ‘61)John L. Ilsley (MD ‘48)Kenneth V. Jackman (MD ‘67)John A. King (BA ‘44, MD ‘46)Bernard Macik (R ‘83)Parker E. Mahan (PhD ‘65)Leon L. Miller (MD ‘45)Arthur R. Morley (MD ‘52)Myles C. Morrison (MD ‘47, R ‘54)Dominic J. Scaramuzzino (MD ‘57)Frederick A. Schroeder (MD ‘61)Calvin A. Stanfield (MD ‘53, FLW ‘60)Otis L. Tucker (MD ‘77)Russell C. Vannoy (PhD ‘73)

To comment on these articles, [email protected]

Dean’s TeachingFellowshipContinued from page 14professor of emergency medicine and a fellow from 2006 to 2008, created a com prehensive assessment of clinicalcom petence for graduate medical educa-tion in emergency medicine.— Nicole Stassen, M.D., associate pro -fessor of surgery and a fellow from 2005 to2007, developed a standardized patientprogram for third-year surgery studentsthat has been incorporated into thecurriculum.— Scott Tripler, M.D. (M ’85, R ’90), asso-ciate professor of family medicine and a fellow from 2003 to 2005, put together a curriculum to educate students inwriting prescriptions appropriately,avoiding errors and reviewing medica-tions that includes an appreciation forthe value of collaboration with clinicalpharmacists.


Monroe Plan. He was a member of theboard of directors and finance andbudget committee of Genesee ValleyMedical Care, board of directors ofVisiting Nurse Service, board of trusteesand medical scholarship committee ofthe Monroe County Medical Society,and the medical advisory committee ofthe Rochester Presbyterian Home.

Dr. Stewart had a particularlystrong commitment to the RochesterAcademy of Medicine, for which he hadserved as executive director and boardpresident, according to Marc N.Berliant, M.D. (R ’81), chief of the Med -ical Center’s Division of GeneralMedicine, and he played a role in “itspreservation and renovation, keepingthat wonderful building functional, aliveand vibrant.”

Dr. Stewart served as a mentor forBerliant, who trained under him, even-tually working with him for nearly adecade before he retired in 1990.

“I had the honor of practicing withhim for many years, in addition to hisbeing one of my early mentors,” Berliantsaid. “He was a fabulous teacher whoeducated using both an impressive scopeof knowledge and a steady, reassuringdemeanor. He was a consummate physi-cian who exemplified the kind ofintegrity, compassion and humanismthat we strive for in today’s world.”

Paul C. Levy, M.D. (R ’86, FLW ’89),acting chair of the Medical Center’sDepartment of Medicine, recalls Dr.Stewart as “one of our community’s mostadmired clinicians. His attention todetail was unwavering whenever he wasworking with patients, as well as whenhe taught us as medical residents.”

William Morgan, M.D., clinicalprofessor emeritus of the Department ofMedicine, knew Dr. Stewart as acolleague and a close family friend.Their relationship lasted nearly half acentury.

“He was one of the top practicingphysicians of his time and was highlythought of as an internist and aneducator,” Morgan said.

Dr. Stewart is survived by his wifeof 65 years, Natalie; a sister, Janet

Hengerer of Slingerlands, N.Y.; four chil-dren Nancy (Raymond Terekpa) ofIthaca, N.Y., Jampa M. (Shanti Dechen)of Crestone, Colo., Richard Stewart ofGuilford, Vt., and Cynthia Stewart ofBoston, Mass.; seven grandchildren andtwo great-grandchildren.

Contributions in his memory maybe made to the Monroe County MedicalSociety Scholarship Fund, 132 AllensCreek Road, Rochester, N.Y., 14618.

University of RochesterSchool of Medicine and Dentistry601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 643Rochester, NY 14642

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