Medical Alumni Magazine
Transcription
Medical Alumni Magazine
MedicalAlumni M A G A Z I N E fall 2009 volume 50 | no 2 First Women Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann joins the ranks of pioneering women at UCSF – begun by Lucy Wanzer, the first woman to graduate in 1876. Also INSIDE: en g r o s s in g anat o m y impr o v in g pat ien t s afe t y h o mec o min g Inside MedicalAlumni M A G A Z I N departments 1 news | editorial 15 president’s letter 16 class notes E Fall 2009: Volume 50, Number 2 Editor: Gordon Fung, MD ’79, MPH, PhD Managing Editor: Anne Kavanagh Contributing Editors: Gary Bernard, Mark Boone, Debra Holcomb, Jean Murray, Carrie Smith Writers: Elizabeth Chur, Anne Kavanagh, Kate Volkman, Tina Vu Photographers: Noah Berger, Saul Bromberger and Sandra Hoover Photography, Dinno Kovic, Susan Merrell, David Powers, UCSF Library Collection, Harras Zaid Editorial AssistanT: Michelle Pardo DesignER: Laura Myers Design Administrative Council 2009–2010 OFFICERS Lawrence Hill, MD ’67, President; Donna Hoghooghi, MD ’98, President-Elect; TBD, Vice President (Northern California); H. John Blossom, MD ’70, Vice President (Central California); Ronald P. Karlsberg, MD ’73, Vice President (Southern California); TBD, Secretary/Treasurer COUNCILORS AT L ARGE Kenneth M. Bermudez, MD ’92; Caley Castelein, MD ’98; Neal H. Cohen, MD ’71; Timothy J. Crowley, MD ’80; Ruth Goldstein, MD ’79; Uri Ladabaum, MD ’91; Robert C. Lim, MD ’60; Tomas Magana, MD ’95; Mary Eleanor Margaretten, MD ’03; Gary Mizono, MD; Willis Navarro, MD ’90; Harlan B. Watkins, MD ’63; William Kapla, MD, President, Association of the Clinical Faculty PAST PRESIDENTS features 2 Engrossing Anatomy Learning an ancient discipline in the modern age. 4 “First, Do No Harm” How physicians at UCSF are improving patient safety. 8 Six Women Who Did UCSF Proud Trailblazers who transplant livers, battle pandemics, lead universities and more. Lawrence Lustig, MD ’91; Gordon L. Fung, MD ’79; David N. Schindler, MD ’66; Judith A. Luce, MD ’74; John Fletcher, MD ’57 12 Celebrating the Years HOUSESTAFF REPRESENTATIVE 14 Aronberg, Karpman Share MAA’s Highest Award TBD STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE Arul Thangavel, MS3 EX-OFFICIO Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS, Dean, UCSF School of Medicine UCSF School of Medicine Medical Alumni Association UCSF Box 0248 San Francisco, CA 94143-0248 Tel: 415/476-1591 Fax: 415/476-3264 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ucsfalumni.org © 2009 UCSF School of Medicine, MAA. All rights reserved. Hundreds enjoyed homecoming, including a group with a special reason to celebrate. Longtime friends from the Class of 1954 honored for their achievements. 15 Book Drive for Iraq and Afghanistan a Success Outpouring of textbooks from UCSF community reaches war zones. O N TH E C OV ER : Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, takes the reins in 2009 as the first woman chancellor of UCSF, 133 years after Lucy Wanzer became the first woman to graduate from the School of Medicine (pictured with the Class of 1876). See story about these and other pioneering UCSF women on page 8. Contact us! Your letters are welcome. Write to: UCSF Medical Alumni Magazine, Letters to the Editor, UCSF Box 0248, San Francisco, CA 94143-0248. You may also email your letter to: [email protected]. Please type “Letter to the Editor” in your subject field. NEWS E di t o ria l Hawgood Appointed Dean Training Physicians for an Unknown Future Sam Hawgood, MBBS, has been appointed dean of the School of Medicine and vice chancellor for medical affairs. In a message to the campus community, Chancellor Susan DesmondHellmann, MD, MPH, said, “The School of Medicine and the campus as a whole have been fortunate to have Dr. Hawgood Sam Hawgood in the role of interim dean during the past year and a half. Facing unprecedented financial challenges, he has more than succeeded in his goal of ‘responding responsibly to shortto-medium term constraints on resources while maintaining an aggressive strategic and solution focus on investments.’ His transparency, accountability and willingness to tackle the most significant challenges, even while in an interim role, have created a level of confidence, cooperation and respect in the school that can only serve to promote further growth and excellence. Dr. Hawgood has proven himself to be a true leader and the right one for the UCSF School of Medicine at this critical point in our history.” Hawgood, who earned his medical degree from the University of Queensland in Australia and has spent his career at UCSF, is a distinguished physician-scientist, professor in the Department of Pediatrics, and associate director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute. Prior to his appointment as dean, he served as chair of the Department of Pediatrics, physician-in-chief of UCSF Children’s Hospital, and president of the UCSF Medical Group. Will we have enough physicians by 2025? Will they be the right kind of physicians? Somewhere in my medical training I learned that the shelf-life of medical truth was about six months. It appears the same could be said for medical workforce projections. According to the AAMC Statement on Physician Workforce, public policymakers in the 1980s predicted the United States would experience a substantial excess of physicians by 2000. As a result, steps were taken to reduce the physician supply to avert the predicted surplus. This led to essentially flat enrollment at medical schools over the past 20 years. It is pretty clear that those predictions were erroneous. Current projections predict a shortage of 124,000 to 159,000 physicians by 2025. Given that it takes an average of 14 years to train a physician, we need to make significant changes to our system of education and health care delivery. Such a limited physician workforce would have devastating consequences to health care access and availability. Before we determine what should be done, we need to understand why the previous projections were so off. Their main tenet was that managed care would be the solution to health care inefficiencies and cost overruns – which obviously did not happen. The population projections also did not accurately account for the rapid rise in people over 65, the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population today, and the growing epidemics of obesity and diabetes, both of which account for a very large part of health care costs. Current projections of the physician shortage are actually “PC” – or pre-health care reform. So their accuracy is truly unknown and may not be known for some time – perhaps another 20 years. But we can’t wait until then to stave off Gordon Fung such a health care disaster. The AAMC recommended a 12-point program that first called for a 30 percent increase in enrollment in accredited medical schools by 2015 (from 2002) as well as establishing new medical schools. Other recommendations included expanding the number of graduate medical education positions to accommodate the additional graduates, expanding the Medicare residency training allowance, assessing and promoting foreign medical school programs, and increasing collaborations. At the University of California there are plans to open two new medical schools and increase enrollment in the existing schools. But the biggest challenge facing medical schools is training physicians for the future when the entirety of health care delivery may be completely different. There is a major push to evaluate and adopt the “medical home” model of health care delivery, where primary care providers serve as leaders to a team of nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Should we be training our physicians to be managers rather than clinicians? Is the master clinician a dinosaur of the past and inefficient by definition? Do we only want to enroll medical students who intend to pursue clinical roles and not research? These tough questions must be addressed by every school if we are to meet the health care needs of the future. Gordon Fung, MD ’79, MPH, PhD Editor [email protected] | medical alumni magazine 1 educa t i o n Doing away with dissections Engrossing Anatomy By A nne K avanag h A lmost 60 years ago, Selvyn Bleifer held a human heart in his hands and knew he was going to pursue cardiology. “I remember it vividly,” he says. Bleifer was a first-year medical student at UCSF in a course many cite as a rite of passage: gross anatomy. The Class of 1955 graduate can still sharply recall his initial foray into the anatomy lab – bodies stretched out on metal tables, the wafting odor of preservatives, a classmate quickly fainting. And later, that beautiful heart. “You can look at a picture of one,” he says, “but it’s different having it in your hands.” At the time, gross anatomy had changed little since the school’s inception in the late 1800s, and would change little for the next half-century. But in 2001 advances in medicine and education would bring sweeping alterations to the teaching of anatomy at UCSF. An ancient discipline Anatomy has perhaps the longest history as a discipline in medical education. Yet Hippocrates never | 2 fall 2009 dissected a human body. Neither did the esteemed Greek physician Claudius Galen (A.D. 131-200), whose influential but often erroneous writings on anatomy came from dissecting cats and pigs. Human dissection was forbidden in most societies until 1240 when a Roman emperor permitted it in order to better train doctors and aid public health. By the early 14th century, human dissections – mostly of executed criminals – were being conducted at leading European universities. In 1865, the California Legislature approved a dissection law permitting pauper bodies to be studied by accredited physicians. At Toland Medical College, the precursor to the UCSF School of Medicine, highlights included “many opportunities for performing autopsies in San Francisco’s advantageous dissecting climate.” Early on gross anatomy assumed importance, evolving into a 400-hour, six-month course. Four students shared one cadaver. Over time, new medical fields and findings transformed other courses, but gross anatomy held firmly to its roots. Then in 2001 the School of Medicine introduced a completely redesigned curriculum. It promoted integration of disciplines, an early introduction of clinical concepts, and expedited entry into patient care. Eight “block” courses organized around central themes or systems constituted the first 18 months. Gross anatomy was integrated into the introductory prologue block and instruction was reduced from about 250 hours to 60. To save time, the school decided to use previously dissected cadavers, or prosections. Twelve students would gather around a body and a faculty member, who would lecture for two hours while pointing things out. “It turned into a one-way information highway,” says Kimberly Topp, PT, PhD, a longtime UCSF anatomy professor who is now chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science. “The students’ eyes would glaze over.” A second problem: fitting in all pertinent body parts and functions. “The first year, there wasn’t enough time for the head and neck,” says Topp. “Then the head and neck was added, but there wasn’t time for upper and lower limbs. So only upper limbs were covered.” Something else was lost, too, something elemental and profound. “You need the hands-on experience of working with a human body,” says Allan Basbaum, PhD, chair of the Department of Anatomy. “It signifies: Welcome to the real world. You are dealing with someone who has died.” Laying on of the hands, again After two years of prosections, Basbaum charged Topp with revamping the anatomy curriculum. She focused on making the learning more interactive, peer-driven and integrated. As such, dissections became paramount once again. “The cadaver is really the students’ first patient, and they need to learn as much as they can from it,” she says. Today 110 hours are devoted to anatomy. Students spend eight weeks in the prologue block dissecting aspects of the entire body as an introduction – the “10,000-foot view” as one student describes it. Then they go back and tackle the individual organs in the block pertinent to that organ’s system. The heart, for example, is dissected when they are studying the cardiovascular, pulmonary and renal systems. This allows for understanding in context, explains Topp. “If you are learning about EKG, it’s best to put the anatomy together with everything there is to know about the heart, including physiological assessment and Basbaum is confident the education remains effective. “I don’t think we are hurting the training of students by cutting back,” he says. “They don’t need to know every detail upfront, such as all the digital nerves. If they are going to become hand surgeons, then they can go back and learn them.” Topp concurs, “Immersion is great if you are going to be an anatomy instructor. But if you are going to be a physician, I’m not sure it’s the best way to learn anymore.” And both say that despite advances in computer simulation – and the expense of obtaining and maintaining cadavers – dissection will stay. “It is absolutely a defining experience,” says Basbaum. A body of knowledge UCSF anatomy lab, 1950s “You need the hands-on experience of working with a human body. It signifies: Welcome to the real world. You are dealing with someone who has died.” – Allan Basbaum medical treatment.” Opportunities to practice clinical procedures such as suturing and inserting a chest tube have also been added. Five to six students are assigned one cadaver for the duration and mostly left on their own to proceed, with guidance from circulating faculty. “They have to figure out how to work together,” says Topp. “That in itself is so important because medicine today is a very interactive practice.” Though far from the timeintensive tradition that most School of Medicine alumni experienced, It certainly was for Matthew Schechter, now in his second year at UCSF. “In that very first week of medical school, you are suddenly and forever different from the non-medical community,” he says. He and his five lab-mates were assigned a well-muscled and tattooed cadaver. “I was surprised at the humanity. It’s hard to describe.” They named him Mick. Over the ensuing months, they grew to know Mick intimately, and one another. “You can’t spend 10 hours a week hovering over a cadaver together and not bond,” he laughs. Schechter says the kinesthetic and emotional experience of dissecting a body created an understanding that no computer or prosection ever could. “I liken it to the difference between reading a map of a city and walking though it,” he says. “For the rest of my career, whenever I’m faced with anatomy, it’s Mick I’ll picture. Not some abstract concept of vessels, but his vessels. He gave me the gift of knowledge.” Honor your favorite professor! To find out how, contact Carrie Smith, director of development and alumni relations, at 415/476-6341 or [email protected]. The UCSF Willed Body Program It’s one last way to be useful. That’s one reason why people donate their bodies to the UCSF Willed Body Program, says Andrew Corson, the program’s coordinator. And it is indeed useful. UCSF receives about 300 donated bodies a year through the Willed Body Program. Since its inception in 1947 the program has supplied cadavers for UCSF’s medical and dental programs. Today it also supplies cadavers for UCSF pharmacy and physical therapy programs and for anatomy programs at the Cal State and community college systems and private universities throughout northern California. The Willed Body Program also supports research projects such as the testing of new orthopedic devices, surgical procedural training, allied health education and postgraduate medical education. About 60 percent of donations are committed in advance of death by individuals; the rest come through families of the deceased. The bodies come from all over northern California, from San Luis Obispo to the Oregon border. “Medicine has changed by leaps and bounds, but the fundamentals – the human body and how it works – have not changed,” says Corson. “People will always need to know the essentials, and the Willed Body Program is helping keep that foundation solid by serving as stewards to donors. Their selfless final act makes such a difference in our world.” | medical alumni magazine 3 I M P R OV I N G P A T I E N T S A F E TY U ntil 10 years ago, we were taught in the health professions to believe that errors were manifestations of bad, careless people,” says Robert Wachter, MD, chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine at UCSF. “We now know that most errors are made by competent, well-trained, caring people trying to be careful, and the errors simply demonstrate they are human.” “ “First, Do No Harm” By E l izabet h C h ur | 4 fall 2009 In 1999, an Institute of Medicine report entitled “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System” sent shockwaves through the medical community. It estimated that up to 98,000 people died each year due to medical errors. Wachter has led UCSF’s efforts to improve patient safety. In two bestselling books, Internal Bleeding: The Truth Behind America’s Terrifying Epidemic of Medical Mistakes, and Understanding Patient Safety, Wachter champions a new perspective. Instead of blaming individuals, he argues for systemic changes to prevent mistakes from happening in the first place. “The most common causes of medical mistakes are communication lapses – information didn’t make it from place A to place B correctly, or from person A to person B correctly,” says Wachter. Common mistakes include giving a patient the wrong drug or dose, performing surgery on the wrong patient or body part, or making the wrong diagnosis. One example of how better communication has increased patient safety at UCSF is the way medical residents entrust their patients to other physicians at the end of their shifts – the handoff process. Previously, this process was haphazard. Residents would spend lots of time hunting down key information – vital signs, lab reports and medication lists. Arpana Vidyarthi, MD, who arrived at UCSF as a hospital medicine fellow in 2002, says, “I distinctly remember seeing residents throw down a stack of index cards, two inches thick, with information for 50 patients hand-scribbled on them, and say to the next person, ‘There’s nothing to do.’ Given how sick many of our patients are, this would cause me anxiety as I recognized the potential for harm during the cross-coverage.” In 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education limited residents to an 80-hour workweek and maximum 30-hour shifts. Vidyarthi, who is now director of patient safety and quality programs for the Dean’s Office of Graduate Medical Education, says, “The reductions in work hours were designed to reduce errors caused by fatigue.” However, this has resulted in more frequent handoffs among residents, which also increases the risk of communication errors. With the assistance of UCSF Medical Center, Vidyarthi and Jonathan Carter, MD (then a UCSF surgery resident) developed a computer-based system dubbed SynopSIS. It provides a snapshot of the most important information residents need to know during handoffs, including the patient’s physical location and list of medications, why the patient was admitted, and anticipated problems. Drawing on his or her understanding of each patient’s case, the outgoing resident prepares a list of “if-then” statements: if the patient develops a fever, then test for infection and start certain antibiotics; if the patient becomes short of breath, then get an X-ray; if the patient is dying, call his daughter in Philadelphia at this phone number. Before SynopSIS, these vital pieces of information too often got lost in the handoff process. Vidyarthi trains residents in best practices for these face-to-face meetings between outgoing and incoming residents. She recommends that they find a quiet place where they can review SynopSIS information. She also reminds them that tone of voice and facial expressions provide valuable information. Before the meeting ends, the incoming resident repeats back his or her understanding of the departing resident’s recommendations. “At the beginning of your internship, it takes a little longer, as you learn how to sign out effectively,” Vidyarthi says. “By mid-year, using SynopSIS and verbally signing out is so ingrained in the culture that nobody thinks twice about it – it’s like driving.” 1 picture = 1,000 words The opportunities to improve patient safety continue after discharge. “What goes on after the hospital, and in between visits?” asks Dean Schillinger, MD, director of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH). “Ninety-nine percent of the care is going on at their homes,” Schillinger says. “The number of medications, the severity of people’s illnesses, and the expectations we have for patients to self-manage their conditions have increased. The potential for patient safety issues to arise in the outpatient setting has worsened.” For example, Schillinger and Edward Machtinger, MD, found that nearly 50 percent of patients on blood thinners were unaware that they were taking their medication improperly. “These are very high-risk populations taking high-risk medications,” says Schillinger. “I call it the ‘Goldilocks Robert Wachter, Arpana Vidyarthi and Andrew Auerbach review patient safety data. | medical alumni magazine 5 medicine’: You have to take it just right. You can’t take too much, or you may bleed and die; you can’t take too little, or you may have a stroke and die.” Often, patients need to take different amounts of the drug on different days, further increasing the likelihood of incorrect dosage. Schillinger and Machtinger developed a visual medication schedule (VMS), a computergenerated weekly calendar showing the type and amount of medication to be taken each day, with written instructions in the patient’s native language (see image above). They also had patients “teach back” the dosage instructions to their doctors, so doctors could confirm that patients understood correctly. Their study showed that patients who received the VMS plus the “teach back” opportunity reached the target safe level for their anticoagulant almost twice as fast as patients who did not use this method. This tool was especially effective among Spanishspeaking patients. “Do the right thing” by default Much of the Department of Medicine’s safety and quality research is focused on how to get a life-saving treatment to its ultimate destination: the patient. “How do you get physicians to adopt it?” asks Andrew Auerbach, MD, MPH, associate clinical professor of medicine and director of research for the Division of Hospital Medicine. “How do you get systems to deliver it regularly? Moreover, how do you measure that implementation process? In business, there are whole areas of management theory around how to manage change in complex systems. But in health care, that’s a very underdeveloped field.” Auerbach recently redesigned UCSF’s physician order forms to, in his words, “make it easier to do the right thing, and harder to do the not-right thing.” For example, deep vein thrombosis, or clotting of the blood in a vein such as the leg, can | 6 fall 2009 Visual medication schedule “The number of medications, the severity of people’s illnesses, and the expectations we have for patients to self-manage their conditions have increased. The potential for patient safety issues to arise in the outpatient setting has worsened.” — Dean Schillinger, MD, director of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations at San Francisco General Hospital occur shortly after surgery. It can be fatal if a clot travels to the lungs and obstructs blood flow, causing what is called pulmonary embolism. Fortunately, this is completely preventable – if a patient receives the appropriate blood thinner. Until recently, however, only half of UCSF surgery patients received blood thinners. This was partly because there was no systematic way for surgeons to prescribe them. Three years ago, Auerbach developed an easy-to-use order form and trained surgeons on the importance of prescribing blood thinners. “There are three legs to a quality improvement stool,” says Auerbach. “Education – explain why this is the right thing to do; change the system; and then audit and feedback – we pull charts at random, and if patients did not get the right drug, we send a report to the physicians involved.” Today, 95 percent of eligible UCSF surgery patients receive the proper blood thinners. Auerbach is also developing the Hospital Medicine Reporting Network. This network shares patient quality and safety data to provide benchmarking information. This allows hospitals to see where they need to improve and what they can learn from other institutions. “It’s entirely possible that there’s some innovation out there that would be easily disseminated to others,” says Auerbach. “I think of that as the ‘gene discovery’ of quality. We have the ability now with large databases to start sifting around for those gems.” A little fear is healthy “If there was a way to have gotten this job done without scaring people, that would have been better,” says Wachter. “Systems are so recalcitrant to change that unless people did have some anxiety about the current state of affairs, we wouldn’t have changed a thing. “I got a call from a reporter from a state in the Midwest that had just begun requiring hospitals to report serious errors,” says Wachter. “One hospital had 15 reports, and another hospital had zero. I said, ‘You wouldn’t catch me dead going to the hospital with zero – because they either have a culture in which nobody talks about these things, or they’re lying.’ The state of medicine is such that you can’t have a hospital that does not periodically harm or kill somebody through errors. “What I want to see is that hospitals are open and honest, using each error as an opportunity to make themselves better,” says Wachter. “I’m very proud of our organization, because I think that’s what we’re doing. This is where I get my health care, and I know what’s in the sausage factory.” P R O F I L E : R O B E R T W A C HT E R Healing Patients and Health Care Systems By E l izabet h C h ur G rowing up Jewish in the New York suburbs, the firstborn son of a socially climbing family, I think you begin thinking about medicine in utero,” says Robert Wachter, MD, with a chuckle. “The tension for me was that I was a politics junkie, and found myself much more drawn to reading about politics and history than I was chemistry or biology.” Wachter, an international leader in the patient safety field, grew up on Long Island, the oldest of three children. His father ran a women’s clothing company started by his grandfather, an immigrant from Poland. In high school, Wachter volunteered at a local hospital and found mentors among the physicians. Although he wanted to become a doctor, he joined the debate team and majored in political science at the University of Pennsylvania. “I enjoyed trying to understand how things were organized – how complex enterprises moved and changed – how people were motivated to do their work better, which is what you study in political science,” says Wachter. “I always thought I would have these dual lives: one as a physician, and then I would come home and read the New York Times. It never dawned on me that I would have a career where I could combine those two interests.” He went to medical school at Penn, where he found a mentor in John Eisenberg, one of the nation’s first MD/MBAs. “He was a great doctor and teacher, but his research involved thinking about the health care system: how we pay, how it’s organized, and how the work force is constructed,” says Wachter. When Wachter came to UCSF for his internship and residency, he met Steven Schroeder, MD, then the founding chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, who went on to lead the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “There seemed to be a niche for people who had these dual parts of their brain,” says Wachter. “That was an epiphany for me.” “ Founding a new specialty 20,000 practicing hospitalists in the United States – making this one of the fastest growing specialties in the history of American medicine. “As a new field, we were branded in part as being about saving money,” says Wachter. “But it seemed to me that the model should also improve the quality of care.” He was president of the Society of Hospital Medicine when the 1999 Institute of Medicine report was released, stating that up to 98,000 patients a year are killed annually by medical errors. “A light bulb went off, and I said, ‘We need to be at the forefront of making this better.’” Putting it all together “One of my mantras is that all hospitalists have two sick patients,” says Wachter. “One of them is the person in the bed, and one of them is the building that we’re working in. Both are in intensive care, and both need a lot of help and expertise. It’s our job to fix both. “There were already people focusing on silos within patient safety: information technology, diagnostic errors and medication safety,” says Wachter. “Part of this is my political science background, and part of this is my generalist mindset: I like to be the person who sees the big picture and explains things in ways that are accessible.” He has spent much of his career doing just that. In addition to publishing six books and 200 articles, Wachter edits the federal government’s two leading patient safety websites (webmm.ahrq.gov and psnet.ahrq.gov). He also has his own lively and accessible blog (www. wachtersworld.org). “I have the world’s best job,” he says. “I get to be a physician, teacher, mentor, writer, speaker and administrator – and to do it in a great organization with wonderful people who have terrific values. Every day I feel like I’ve won the lottery. I don’t ever tell anybody this, but if I could figure out how to live, I’d probably do it for free.” In 1995, Lee Goldman, MD, then the chair of the Department of Medicine, appointed Wachter to run the inpatient medical service. “Lee always was looking to improve systems, and charged me with finding ways to make our medical service better,” Wachter says. Thus emerged the “hospitalist,” a term that Wachter and Goldman coined in a 1996 New England Journal of Medicine article. Like orchestra conductors, these hospital-based specialists oversee all the elements of a hospitalized patient’s care – lab reports, medication lists, reports from surgeons, specialists and others – and weave together the big picture, making connections between disparate pieces of information and ensuring that the whole patient receives the best care possible. In 2007, Wachter was named chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine. The growth of the hospital medicine field has been astonishing: the Society for Hospital Medicine now has 7,000 members, and the American Hospital Association estimates that there are more than | medical alumni magazine 7 C OV E R STO R Y : fir s t w o men By K ate Vo l kman From the moment Lucy Wanzer fought her way in to Toland Hall in 1874, becoming the first woman admitted to what would become the UCSF School of Medicine, the women of UCSF have been making national names for themselves and the University. As the only woman, Wanzer was 0.18 percent of her class. Over the last 135 years the numbers of women in the medical school have increased progressively, so that the UCSF Class of 2013 is 58 percent women. So too have women in medical leadership become increasingly visible. Just this August, UCSF handed the chancellorship to a woman for the first time: Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH. | 8 fall 2009 Susan DesmondHellmann, MD, MPH Lucy Wanzer, MD First woman chancellor, UCSF First woman graduate, UCSF hen Susan Desmond-Hellmann gained acceptance to UCSF as a resident in 1982, she was seen as a risk. She was the first student admitted from the medical program at the University of Nevada, Reno. “We thought, ‘Well, we’ll take a chance,’” says Lloyd Hollingsworth “Holly” Smith Jr., MD, who was chair of the Department of Medicine at the time. “Right away, it was clear she had an intrinsic ability, a wonderful personality and a deep commitment to health care,” he adds. “She rose to the very top of our department.” Desmond-Hellmann became good friends with another resident, Nick Hellmann, MD, and eventually married him. After she completed a fellowship in oncology and received a master’s degree in public health from UC Berkeley, she joined the UCSF faculty as an assistant professor in hematologyoncology. With her husband, an infectious disease specialist, she moved to Uganda, where they spent two years studying AIDS and cancer. Upon their return to the U.S. they began private practice in Kentucky. Her desire to develop better weapons against cancer led her to accept a position on the Taxol breast cancer drug team at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Two years later she was recruited to Genentech, where she started as a clinical scientist, moved up to chief medical officer, executive vice president and then president of product development. During her 14-year career there, DesmondHellmann oversaw successful trials for therapeutic drugs including Herceptin, Avastin and Rituxan, targeting a range of cancers and other diseases. Of her return to UCSF, Desmond-Hellmann, 51, says, “I began my career at UCSF, and my heart has never left it.” Of her appointment as the first woman chancellor, she says, “If there is one person for whom this appointment makes them more hopeful about their prospects and their future at UCSF, then I’ll sign up to be a role model. I am happy to do that. Because I hope that what my appointment says to people – if you will forgive – in a very apolitical way, is ‘Yes, we can.’” s a child in 1840s Wisconsin, Lucy Maria Field Wanzer played nurse to her mother, who was ill with lung fever (tuberculosis). It was then that she realized she wanted to be a physician. But it was many years before Wanzer’s dream was realized. Her parents prized education and she received excellent schooling. When her family moved to California in 1858, Wanzer supported the entire family as a dressmaker, teacher and postmaster. In 1865, at the age of 23, she married county clerk James Wanzer. But she divorced him three years later, determined to take steps toward fulfilling her plan to become a doctor. For the next six years she prepared financially by teaching and saving pennies to pay for medical school. At the same time she prepared mentally by studying Latin, French, algebra and literature. Finally, at the age of 33, Wanzer applied to Toland Medical College, which had just come under the administration of the new University of California. She was rejected because of her sex. But she appealed and after four months won admission because the Regents could find no reason to bar her entrance, as the law creating the state university provided for the education of both sexes. The dean, opposed to her admission, encouraged the male students to haze Wanzer. One professor told her that a woman had no business studying medicine. “If she does, she ought to have her ovaries removed.” Wanzer quietly replied, “If that is true, the men students ought also to have their testicles removed!” Impressed by the young woman, the famed physician Beverly Cole, MD, offered to be her mentor. When Wanzer graduated in 1876, Cole presented her name for membership in the San Francisco County Medical Society. A blackball was threatened, but when he didn’t withdraw her name, she was accepted as the first woman member. She opened her first medical office in gynecology and obstetrics on Geary Street. Wanzer also specialized in pediatrics and was one of the founders and original directors of UCSF Children’s Hospital. W Opposite page, clockwise from top right: Lucy Wanzer and the Class of 1876; Julie Gerberding visits UCSF in 2008; Sue DesmondHellmann and husband Nick, 1990; Diana Wara early in her career; Nancy Ascher during a clinical consultation, 1992; Dee Bainton in her pathology lab, 1983. A | medical alumni magazine 9 Dorothy “Dee” Ford Bainton, MD, MS Nancy Ascher, MD, PhD First woman to chair a department in the UCSF School of Medicine First woman to perform a liver transplant B y the time Dee Bainton gave birth to her first child, she had graduated from Tulane School of Medicine (one of five women in a class of 128) and completed her internal medicine residency at University of Rochester and University of Washington. Her husband accepted a position as a resident in anesthesiology at UCSF, and upon their move she planned to be a full-time mother and housewife. “I thought if you had a child in 1961, your job was to stay home,” Bainton says. “After about four months, my husband said, ‘You need to go back to work.’ I guess I was really missing it. So I started looking for a position.” She found one with Marilyn Farquhar, MD, in the Department of Pathology at UCSF. That began her climb up the academic and administrative ladder. Bainton joined and headed multiple committees, and received numerous awards. In 1987 the dean asked her to apply for the position of chair of the Department of Pathology. Throwing her hat in the ring had never occurred to her – mostly because she was doing research and was happy, but also because she had been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer three years prior. She was in recovery, but still. Bainton took two weeks to weigh the pros and cons. “Con: If I fail as a woman chair, it is bad for all women. Pro: If the leadership at UCSF didn’t see me as disabled, why should I see myself as disabled?” Ultimately she accepted the position and served as chair for seven years, until 1994 when the new chancellor invited her to be vice chancellor for academic affairs. Under her leadership, among many things, mentoring and training programs were established and maternity leave was extended from six weeks to 12, with pay. Bainton filled the position for 10 years, until she retired in 2004. This year, Bainton, 75, was awarded the UCSF Medal, a prestigious honor. She recalls, “Chancellor Bishop told me that after it was announced women would walk up to him in the hallway and say I’d been a mentor.” In her acceptance speech, Bainton replied, “It’s really wonderful to be called a pioneer, but I realize that I’ve just ridden the crest of the wave that’s swollen over the last 50 years for women.” | 10 fall 2009 W hen Nancy Ascher told her parents she wanted to go to medical school, they were delighted. When she told them she wanted to specialize in surgery, they were concerned. “They were worried about lifestyle,” she says. “Would I be able to have a family? “It was the field that excited me the most. It seemed as though I could combine something really fun with asking questions at the same time. And the gratification of being able to make a difference in somebody’s life very quickly was appealing to me.” Ascher, 60, graduated from medical school at the University of Michigan in 1974. She was one of 20 women in a class of 180. “When I was applying,” she remembers, “women had to be interviewed by Psychiatry to see what our motivation was. We had a lot of opportunities and a lot of scrutiny at the same time.” She completed her residency in surgery – the only woman of seven – and fellowship in transplant at the University of Minnesota, where she was named clinical director of the liver transplantation program. It was there, in 1981, that she became the first woman to transplant a liver. “Transplant patients are very grateful patients,” she says. “They really have an idea of the incredible miracle transplant is for their lives.” In 1988, UCSF recruited her to build its liver transplantation program. In 1991, she was named chief of transplantation, a position that was passed on to her husband, John Roberts, MD, when she became the first woman to chair the Department of Surgery in 1999. Ascher and Roberts did have a family, but they just got started a bit later than others. Their daughter was born when Ascher was 41 and their son three years later. In the meantime, Ascher and her team of surgeons boast renowned transplantation programs. “When I arrived, there already was a world-class kidney program,” she says. “I think we raised its stature to a new level. And we built a world-class liver transplant program that maybe is second to none.” Diane Wara, MD Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH First associate dean for women’s affairs at any medical school First woman director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control iane Wara counts her role as first associate dean for women’s affairs as one of her most important firsts. After graduating from medical school at UC Irvine and completing her internship at Harbor General Hospital in Torrance, Calif., she came to UCSF to finish her residency in the Department of Pediatrics. As one of two women residents, and the only one with a 3-week-old child, the department chair arranged an apartment on campus for her to use during nights on call. “There’s a risk and a benefit to being early and first,” Wara, 67, says. “The risk is no one’s been there to grease your path. The benefit is people treat you specially.” For her next first, Wara became the first woman fellow in allergy-immunology at UCSF. In the early 1980s she was among the group who first identified HIV-positive babies. Then in the early 1990s, Wara was one of those who introduced the idea that if HIV-positive pregnant women were given one of several anti-HIV drugs just before delivery, they would have a greater chance of giving birth to babies who were HIV-negative. This treatment is now the international standard. Wara was named chief of the Division of Pediatric Immunology and Rheumatology in 1985 – the first woman division chief in any medical department at UCSF. She was a member, along with Dee Bainton, of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Women, and worked to change not only the maternity leave policy, but the availability of child care at UCSF. The new child-care centers at Mission Bay and at 5th and Kirkham, as well as the expanded facility at Laurel Heights, are direct results of her efforts. From 1991 to 1996 she held the position of associate dean for women’s affairs, adding minority affairs in 1996 until 2002. Of the appointment, she remarks, “No other institution had identified moving women up the academic ladder and into leadership spots in a fair manner, with fair pay, and a fair job description.” One might consider Wara an activist – a title she’s happy to accept. She says, “I have a long history and interest and success in working with women’s issues. It takes a community to make change, and I like doing it. I like helping turn UCSF into a better place to be. That’s what a good citizen does, right?” s a 4-year-old, Julie Gerberding collected bugs, building her first laboratory in the family basement and laying the foundation for her career in public health. As the director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), she led the nation’s agency that fights epidemics and environmental health threats, including bioterrorism, AIDS and influenza pandemics. After graduating with her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1981, Gerberding completed her internship and internal medicine residency at UCSF. It was the early years of the AIDS crisis, and Gerberding continued her training with a fellowship in clinical pharmacology and infectious diseases. She went on her earn her master’s degree in public health from UC Berkeley in 1990. Gerberding joined the CDC in 1988 as director of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, a part of the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID). In 2001 she was appointed acting director of the NCID and almost immediately drew attention for her honest, calm and decisive handling of the anthrax attacks. In 2002 she was promoted to director of the CDC. Just six months later SARS hit, and again, Gerberding was the voice of reason for an alarmed American public. Next, she handled a rare outbreak of monkeypox, a return of the West Nile virus, and a threat of avian flu. She initiated a “Healthy People at Every Stage of Life” campaign, which introduced programs for smoking cessation, screening for heart disease and stroke, and pushes for increased physical education in elementary schools. Gerberding stepped down from the post earlier this year. Today, in addition to being a wife and mother, Gerberding, 54, is an associate professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta and at UCSF. D A | medical alumni magazine 11 2009 REUNION Celebrating the years By tina vu When: May 8–9, 2009 Classes celebrating reunions: 1949, 1954, 1959, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994 Money raised for medical education by classes in honor of their reunions: More than $300,000 Number of attendees: 370 I t was a symphony of sorts in the Grand Ballroom at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Piano music cascaded from the fingertips of performing medical students while glasses clinked in accompaniment. The laughter at the Dean’s Reception joined in harmony. Ten classes came to celebrate their School of Medicine reunions the weekend of May 8–9. At the table designated for the Class of 1954, Charles Aronberg, Harold Karpman, Harry Roth and Joseph Sabella greeted one another with twinkling smiles and hearty hellos. The classmates, whose friendships began in the anatomy lab, reminisced about penny-pinching meals of horse meat and their thirdyear rotations in dermatology, psychiatry and neurology. Absent from the group of longtime friends were Morton Rosenblum, who died earlier this year, and Daniel Kaplan. The friends, now split between Northern and Southern California, reconnect during reunion, closing the gap that careers, family and life create in the years between. Their friendship embodies the spirit of homecoming, where bonds formed in the classrooms at UCSF are found – and treasured – again. “We went through a lot together,” Roth said. “It was a rite of passage. There was suffering, but there was joy.” Although they regularly attend the school gettogethers, the friends found a special occasion to celebrate this year: Two among the group – Aronberg and Karpman – received the Alumnus Above: Anatomy buddies from the Class of 1954: Harry Roth, MD, Charles Aronberg, MD, Harold Karpman, MD, and Joseph Sabella, MD; below: the Class of 1959 celebrated their 50th reunion | 12 fall 2009 50th MAA President Larry Lustig, MD ’91, with the Sadie Berkove Award winners: Angela Feraco, Aruna Venkatesan, Melissa Fitch, Laura Epstein Ruth Matsuura, MD ’54, and Sarita Johnson, MD ’54 Stacy Globerman, MD ’84, Andrew Oliveira, MD ’84, Lorna McFarland, MD ’84, Moira Cunningham, MD ’84, David Friscia, MD ’84, Andres Betts, MD ’84, Ellen Hughes, MD, PhD ’84 of the Year award during the reunion luncheon (see story on next page). As members of the Class of 1954 took to the stage to announce the winners, the banter that began the night before continued. In introducing his classmate and one of the Alumnus of the Year recipients, Sabella noted that Karpman’s CV would run “as long as both my arms, both my legs, and pasted back and front.” He said, “From the beginning, I knew my friend Hal was exceptional.” Gerald Van Wieren, MD ’79 Rochelle Nagel, PhD, Ted Schrock, MD ’64, Barbara Karpman accepted the award and described Jorgensen, Jerren Jorgensen, MD ’64 (behind), Barbara the rewards of medicine as “a joy that I Schrock, Jacqueline Etemad, MD ’64 experienced and continue to experience every day.” He also thanked his wife, Molinda, for giving him the opportunity to do so. Molinda, whose own efforts produced a 150-page, photo-filled memory book for the 55th year reunion class, began to cry. Sabella turned to her and said comfortingly, “Your husband is such a sweet guy, he truly is.” Roth introduced Aronberg, the other Leon Smith-Harrison, MD ’79 Malcolm MacKenzie, MD ’59, Alumnus of the Year, as “a man I’m proud to and Natalie MacKenzie know and who has always made me smile.” Aronberg proved Roth’s words as he approached the podium and strategically dropped forks, a banana, paper scraps and jokes in search of his reading glasses. But even wrapped in his humor, Aronberg’s warmth shone through as the ophthalmologist encouraged the room. “There’s a lot you can do, and I hope you do it,” he said. “Take care of your patients, your family, your friends and yourself.” Wesley Moore, MD ’59, Ronald Stoney, MD ’59, Mel Hayes, Michael Gyepes, Philip Morrissey, MD ’59, Donald Gillies, MD ’59, Donald Webb, MD ’59, Stephen Gaal, MD ’59 MD ’59, Barbara Bigelow, Welby Bigelow Jr., MD ’59 The Class of 1984 celebrated their 25th reunion 25th | medical alumni magazine 13 A L U M N U S O F TH E Y E A R Aronberg, Karpman Share MAA’s Highest Award by tina vu On His Honor Although it’s been many years since he served as a leader of the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts – and even more since he was a Scout himself – Charles Aronberg, MD ’54, can still recite the Scout Law. A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. When Aronberg was a young boy in Chicago, his father died and he was desolate. When people were kind to him, giving him hope, “I never forgot them,” he says. He attended a Boy Scout meeting, where MAA President Larry he was further Lustig with Charles inspired, and his Aronberg life changed forever. Aronberg wanted to help others, and the path led to medicine. “One person can make a difference,” says Harold Karpman, MD ’54, of Aronberg, his fellow Alumnus of the Year. Since graduating from UCSF, Aronberg has served on the Medical Board of California, as chief of ophthalmology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, chair of the Los Angeles County Hospital Commission, and ophthalmologist for the Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers, Raiders and Kings, and the United States Olympic Team. He was an Olympic torch bearer twice and even mayor of Beverly Hills. But for the doctor, these are just titles. “It’s what you do for people and for the world that is important,” he says. As a physician, Aronberg takes care of men, women and children, helping with their sight and their lives. As a public servant, he has helped improve airline and automobile safety, reduce air and water pollution, expand the national park system, and has helped make the Beverly Hills Police | 14 fall 2009 and Fire departments and paramedics No. 1 in the country – work he has done concurrently with his full-time medical practice. As a family man, he is a devoted husband to his wife, Sandy, MD, a professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA School of Public Health, and father to Cindy, deputy controller of the State of California. “I need nine hours of sleep a night, but then I can work the other 15,” Aronberg says. “When it’s important, I never give up.” Fifty-five years after receiving his MD, Aronberg continues to practice ophthalmology. He is renowned as a physician and for his sense of humor. “Laughter is good medicine,” says the man nicknamed “Chuckles” by his medical school classmates. With Scout-like loyalty, kindness and cheerfulness, Aronberg is keeping the oath he made many years ago. The Good Doctor Harold Karpman, MD ’54, is gentle and soft-spoken. In the offices of his Cardiovascular Medical Group (CVMG), Karpman is one of the most recognizable faces. In the world of cardiology and medicine, Karpman is also a well-known name. “Hello, Dr. Karpman,” one assistant says smiling. “Hello, Dr. Karpman,” echoes another. The cardiologist ambles through his waiting area. His right hand reaches out and pats a small brunet boy on the head. “Hi, Dr. Karpman,” the boy says. CVMG is a 17-member, 100-employee practice with three Los Angeles-area locations. After his 6 a.m. patient visits at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Karpman spends the majority of his day at the Beverly Hills office, where groundbreaking technology, excellent patient care, and self- and industryfunded research meet. Karpman began the practice with Selvyn Bleifer, MD ’55, and Dan Bleifer, MD ’51, in 1958. “He will drop everything and talk with patients over and over again, and not think twice,” says Caralyn Poskin, Karpman’s assistant of more than 25 years. “That’s hard to find nowadays. He’s just a gem.” The son of a pharmacist, Karpman grew up in Los Angeles and served in the Navy at the end of World War II. He performed research under renowned cardiologist Myron Prinzmetal, MD ’33, before establishing his own advancements in the field. One of the many companies Karpman led in his career developed the world’s first 24-hour Holter monitor. The author of two books and more than 150 publications, Karpman has held leadership positions in notable organizations both public and private, serves as a clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and is a former professor at the University of Southern California Medical School. Ever humble, Karpman would rather discuss his love of the arts. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Los Angeles Opera, and he calls Placido Domingo a friend. Karpman shares that his daughter, Laura, composed an opera that earned her a 10-minute standing ovation at Carnegie Hall and was performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. His face glows when he talks about his family: his children David and Laura; his grandchildren Kai-Lilly and Huston; his ever-supportive, loving and beautiful wife, Molinda. The good doctor displays a similar devotion to his patients. Cardiovascular pioneer In giving a tour Harold Karpman of the CVMG facilities, Karpman stops to check in with them, most of whom he knows by name. He will personally call many the next day to give lab results. (“I think that’s owed to them,” he explains.) With a successful practice and loving family, Karpman has, in his words, “a corner office on life.” He adds, his voice soft, “I like where I am as a physician.” Y o ur M E D I C A L A L U M N I A SSO C I A T I O N Dear Fellow Alumni, Your representatives honored me with the role of president of the UCSF Medical Alumni Association for the next year. I look forward to working with you and the MAA to make it a valued organization for the nearly 8,000 living graduates of our alma mater and its residency programs. By way of introduction, I’m a graduate of the Class of 1967 and was chief medical resident at SFGH in 19721973. I escaped to Humboldt County, Calif., to practice internal medicine and oncology until 1991, at which point I joined the U.S. Department of State. I was a diplomatic doctor in Mali, Bangladesh, the Philippines, South Africa and China until my retirement in late 2006. I returned to San Francisco after 33 years away and am happy as a clam, working a bit at the VA and volunteer teaching first- and second-year students at UCSF. The upcoming year promises to be a real challenge. Money is short everywhere. Our medical students are finding it more and more difficult to handle the ever-increasing tuition and expenses. Charitable contributions are suffering and medicine is sure to change drastically in the immediate future. The MAA and the School of Medicine need your help. We appreciate your active involvement and hope that those of you who are not yet dues paying members of the MAA will see fit to join. On behalf of the School of Medicine, we also ask you to consider contributing generously to the annual fundraising efforts for medical education, which support students. This year, we will initiate a new program in which a representative will be chosen by each class to be the intermediary between the MAA and class members. He or she will communicate regularly to seek information about you, your family and your career to be included in the UCSF Medical Alumni Magazine. The rep will also provide updates about what’s happening at your alma mater and with your fellow alumni. Please be generous with your communication. If you are interested in serving as your class rep, contact Gary Bernard, director of development and alumni relations, at [email protected]. Tell us what you think or send questions on any subject about UCSF or the Medical Alumni Association. My email address is: chinadochill@ yahoo.com. Lawrence Hill, MD ’67 MAA President To join the MAA, visit www.ucsfalumni.org To contact the MAA, email [email protected] Used textbooks from UCSF reach health care providers in Afghanistan. Book Drive for Iraq and Afghanistan a Success The Alumni Association of UCSF (AAUCSF) teamed with Operation Medical Libraries last spring to receive, box and ship more than 3,000 textbooks and journals to military hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan. The books were collected from individuals who had quite recently, or long since, become health care professionals. The call for books came from Valerie Walker, director of the UCLA Medical Alumni Association. Upon receiving her request, members of the AAUCSF, alumni, faculty and students formed a network to get the word out to all members of the UCSF community. The effort first started in 2007 when U.S. Army Major Laura Pacha, MD, a 1998 UCLA School of Medicine alumna serving in Iraq, saw the need for such assistance. In an email to her alumni association, she wrote, “The war and ongoing fight against the insurgency has severely strained Iraqi medical sources.” Major Maureen Nolen, program coordinator and recipient of materials sent from UCSF, wrote from Afghanistan, “You may be aware that previous political regimes here destroyed many of the medical books and learning materials. The current economy is substantially challenged as well, so replacing these materials for health care providers is a significant hardship for the facilities where they work. It is difficult to express to you in this note the thrill I personally have seen in the eyes of the program participants when they are told that they may select and keep a few of the books, journals or other publications. Because of you, their elation is clearly evident.” Alumni who would still like to become involved with Operation Medical Libraries can do so by visiting opmedlibs.medalumni.ucla.edu. | medical alumni magazine 15 ClassNotes What’s new? Your classmates want to know what’s going on in your life. Share your information at www.ucsfalumni.org; mail it to Alumni Services, UCSF Box 0248, San Francisco, CA 94143-0248; or email your news and high-resolution photo to [email protected]. For best print quality, your photo resolution should be 300 pixels per inch or larger. To include as many alumni as possible, class notes published in this magazine are edited for space. To read the full text of each note, please visit www.ucsfalumni.org. 1940s n Arthur Anderson, MD ’49, and his wife, June Ann, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2008. They have five children, 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. n Armand P. Gelpi, MD ’49, and Lucille have been married for 56 years and live in Seattle. n William E. Latham, MD ’49, a board member of The Haggin Museum in Stockton, Calif., organized and escorted trips to Europe as philanthropic support for the museum. Alumnus Receives Légion d’honneur P hysician Gordon M. Binder, MD ’43, was awarded France’s highest decoration, the Légion d’honneur, by PierreFrançois Mourier, the Consul General of France in San Francisco. The ceremony took place on July 14 during the Bastille Day celebration held at the War Memorial Building. More than 400 attended the event, during which Mourier recounted Binder’s acts of valor as a frontline surgeon in Normandy in World War II. Binder thanked the people of France for honoring him and concluded by saying, “I thank my creator for bringing me home alive.” | 16 fall 2009 n William Silen, MD ’49, teaches n Warren J. Newswanger, MD ’54, Harvard medical students in their third-year clerkship. He writes, “Ruth and I moved to a wonderful retirement community on the Lasell College campus, which makes available opportunities to learn, enjoy concerts and lectures, and exercise.” although retired, works a half-day for the Santa Barbara County Health Services gyn clinic and assists with ob-gyn surgeries when called in by another physician. n Donald B. St. Clair, MD ’49, practices three days per week at Del Norte Clinics Inc., which provides quality care to the underserved. He and Marilyn have been married 59 years. 1950s n Joseph D. Sabella, MD ’54, writes, “Iris and I have lived in Napa Valley for the past 18 years. I am into woodworking, gardening and reading the many books I had never had time to explore.” n Barton Byers, MD ’59, devotes full time to his vineyard, Bella Roccia, which produces premium cabernet grapes and Italian-style olive oil. He enjoys mountaineering and fly fishing and writes, “I still plan to catch a Permit and Taimen on a fly.” n Aubrey L. Abramson, MD ’54, n Roy E. Christian, MD ’59, chases remains an emeritus member of EI Camino Hospital and serves on committees three mornings a week. He collects antiquarian books, vintage optical instruments and vintage photographic material. icebergs, polar bears and penguins with a group called Bi-Polar and has traveled to Antarctica, Greenland, Baffin Island, Iceland, Alaska and many other interesting locations. n Eugene Dong, MD ’59, is an n Mervyn Burke, MD ’54, and associate professor emeritus of cardiac surgery at Stanford University and an attorney specializing in scientific fraud and ambulance regulations. Delores continue a happy, healthy and retired life in San Francisco. n Olga Daiber, MD ’54, lives in Durango, Colo., and enjoys attending lectures and concerts at Fort Lewis College, taking jeep trips into the mountains, exploring local archaeological sites and grandparenting. n Charles R. Geiberger, MD ’54, writes, “We are now ‘snowbirds,’ spending the warm months on Puget Sound and the winters in La Mesa. In the summer, all classmates are invited for a free lunch or dinner and an overnight stay.” n Harriet B. (MD ’54) & J. Harold (MD ’54) Hanson live in Fresno, Calif., and write, “After almost 58 years of marriage, our greatest accomplishment is our family.” They have three sons, three daughters-in-law and six grandchildren. n Donald R. Gillies, MD ’59, leads tours as a docent at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and volunteers as a naturalist with the Channel Islands National Park and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. n Carol K. Kasper, MD ’59, an emerita professor of medicine at USC, works one day a week at the Hemophilia Treatment Center, Orthopaedic Hospital, Los Angeles. She takes delight in artistic sewing, developing designs for quilts, children’s clothes and other fabric creations. n Herbert J. Konkoff, MD ’59, has practiced as a community-based physician in San Francisco since 1966 and presently performs outpatient procedures at UCSF Medical Center at Mt. Zion. He has two children, four grandchildren, nine step-grandchildren and three stepchildren. School of Medicine and the Elliott Wolfe Award for Excellence in the Teaching of the Art and Science of Clinical Medicine, presented annually, was established in his honor. n Maylene Wong, MD ’59, lives in San Francisco and is a consultant to the Mario Negri Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche in Milan, Italy. She has traveled to Mt. Fuji, Mt. Stromboli, Brazil, Israel, Uganda, Borneo, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, South Africa and more. 1960s n James W. Forsythe, MD ’64 (below), n Wesley S. Moore, MD ’59, is a vascular surgeon specializing in surgery of aortic aneurysm and carotid artery disease. He and his wife, Patty (above), celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary with a trip to game camps in Namibia and South Africa. n Philip Morrissey, MD ’59, retired from private practice and has stayed busy ever since! has an integrative oncology practice that combines immune stimulating therapies and natural therapies for the treatment of cancer with conventional standard-dose or low-dose insulin potentiated chemotherapies. He writes, “My Salicinium study of more than 300 patients at three-and-a-half years has shown dramatic response rates, including in stage 4 cancers, adult cancers.” celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary in June. She and Bob have three grandchildren, ages 7, 3 and 2. n Edmund E. Van Brunt, MD ’59, n Donald E. Webb, MD ’59, a retired n Kevin D. Harrington, MD ’64, recently retired from orthopedic surgery in San Francisco to practice golf. He is also doing medical-legal evaluation work, traveling and oil painting. orthopedic surgeon, has three children and four grandchildren. He writes, “The most rewarding aspect of my practice has been working with Orthopaedics Overseas and other international organizations teaching and doing orthopedics.” n Donald A. Lawson, MD ’64, was n Belson J. Weinstein, MD ’59, n Michael R. Nagel, MD ’64, returned enjoys his solo practice in preventive cardiology and internal medicine in Palo Alto, Calif. He has three children and three grandchildren. to an office-based, solo practice of clinical cardiology with an emphasis on preventive cardiology. n Elliott Wolfe, MD ’59, is the president and former medical director of the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics, is semiretired and serves as medical director at Center Point in San Rafael, Calif., and as chair, Adolescent Addiction Treatment, at Newport Academy in Newport Beach, and CEO of Arrowsmith Foundation, a nonprofit that furthers the development of creative methods to advance the efficacy of medical education. Last fall, he received emeritus status at the Stanford University n Evangeline Jang Spindler, MD ’64, is the training and supervising analyst at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Council, past president of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Society, and faculty supervisor at the Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program of the University of Michigan Medical School. n Robert J. Stallone, MD ’64, is the chief of surgery at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley. He enjoys big-game hunting and has hunted in all the western states, Canada, Alaska, Cameroon, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. n William R. Vincent, MD ’64, less than a year into retirement from a private practice in pediatric cardiology, writes, “I am adjusting to ‘every-day-is-Saturday’ quite well.” n Stephen P. Ginsberg, MD ’66, n Carolyn J. Sparks, MD ’59, remains active with the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute Institutional Review Board. He and Claire celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with their three children and four grandchildren. Calif. He writes, “My youngest daughter and her twin boys joined us in Washington, DC, for the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama. [See] more family photos and news at www.DrDave.org.” recalled from retirement to serve as the interim chair of the Radiology Department at St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center in Phoenix. He and his wife, Joelle, travel extensively and took a 35-day cruise starting in the South China Sea from Hong Kong through the Suez Canal to Athens in May. n David E. Smith, MD ’64, founder partially retired from an ophthalmology practice in Maryland, has been accepted into the doctoral program in bioethics at Georgetown University. He has been selected as one of the “Top Doctors” in Washingtonian Magazine every issue since 1993. n Stephen L. Abbott, MD ’69, practices in a six-pediatrician office in Santa Barbara, Calif., with his son, David. He writes, “Barbe and I have been best friends for 49 years, and celebrated our 44th anniversary in June.” n Michael H. Crawford, MD ’69, is interim chief of cardiology at UCSF. He writes, “[Janis and I] live in Tiburon and are enjoying being back in the San Francisco area.” n Gregory J. Dixon, MD ’69, has taken a year off from private practice in orthopedic surgery to serve as the medical director of the Transitional Care Center at Marshall Hospital in Placerville, Calif. Also, he was selected to be a guest professor at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. | medical alumni magazine 17 Class Notes 1960s | continued n Anthony Eason, MD ’69, retired from Kaiser San Rafael on November 30, 2008. He is writing the biography of Dr. Donald Smith, who was the chair of urology at UCSF for 40 years. and the Pacific Ocean. It has been almost one year in the making. Our two children have homes nearby, so we are finally all on one island.” n Michael Fein, MD ’69, writes, “I still enjoy meeting new patients and going to work every day, so I hope that retirement will be far off. I have been able to adapt to the ever-changing medical world by remembering Herodotus’ aphorism, ‘The only certain thing is change.’ ” n Lawrence M. Friedlander, MD ’69, a retired pathologist, lives in Grass Valley, Calif., where he is president of his homeowners association and the local chapter of the California Alumni Association. His daughter Paige is a third generation UCSF graduate. n Larry Hartley, MD ’69, joined the local community clinic, sees patients two days a week, and does surgery one day a week. He writes, “My wife Pat and I have been married almost 43 years. We have four wonderful daughters, four great son-in-laws and eight amazing grandchildren.” n Julie L. Lee, MD ’69 (above), joined her husband in retirement and writes, “Our newfound freedom is spent with family and friends, wonderful dining experiences, pursuit of hobbies, cruising and travel. We especially look forward to in-depth travels to destinations in our beautiful United States.” n James C. Jones, MD ’69, retired with the rank of colonel from the military, where he served as a cardiothoracic surgeon at major medical centers. He writes, “I do home improvement projects, and go hiking, mountain biking and mountaineering. I have climbed several mountains in the Pacific Northwest and Mount Kilimanjaro.” n Mark Kuge, MD ’69, writes, “[Lois and I] are in the throes of completing the finishing touches on a little grass shack near the slopes of Diamond Head [Hawaii] | 18 fall 2009 Hawaii Permanente Medical Group for nearly 30 years. Presently the associate medical director of quality improvement with a clinical practice, she will retire at the end of 2009. She writes, “I am active in the Hawaii Thoracic Society and the American Thoracic Society. We put on a great pulmonary critical care conference on Maui every Presidents Day weekend with nationally and internationally recognized speakers. Please consider attending!” n Jeff Anderson, MD ’79, is in private retired pathologist, is an advanced master gardener with a passion for dahlias and shows them throughout the Midwest. He is first vice president of the American Dahlia Society, president of the Midwest Dahlia Conference, and president of the Grand Valley Dahlia Society. n Thomas J. Sherry, MD ’69, retired n Warren S. Browner, MD ’79, is the n Richard W. Peters, MD ’69, a n Richard W. Terry, MD ’69, practices vascular surgery part time in Fresno, Calif., which includes teaching duties with the UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program. He writes, “I love riding my two BMW motorcycles and steelhead fishing with Tom Brandes, MD ’69.” n Chris Fukui, MD ’74, has worked at practice in San Jose, Calif., specializing in general orthopedics with a special interest in joint replacement. He and Mary Beth live in Gilroy and have three children and two grandchildren. He writes, “For those in the area, come on by and enjoy a sunset and a glass of wine with us sometime.” from neonatology at Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills in December 2008. n Phil Hinton, MD ’69, practices 1970s interventional cardiology full time in the Oakland-East Bay area as part of a 22person group covering Alameda and Contra Costa counties. He has been a Boy Scout leader for more than 25 years leading high adventure treks: hiking/camping, canoeing, whitewater rafting and cycling. n Gordon R. Tobin, MD ’69, remains full time in plastic surgery at the University of Louisville. He writes, “Our clinical team has now done the only five hand transplants in the U.S., and we are pioneering new transplant applications in the face and other new anatomic sites.” n Philip D. Walson, MD ’69, writes, “I am a remarried widower living full time in Europe with my wife, Sybill. We spend most of our time in Hanover, Germany, or in Montespertoli, Italy. I retired from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the University of Cincinnati in August 2008, and teach part time at Georg-AugustUniversität Göttingen in Germany, and consult part time.” vice president of academic affairs and scientific director of the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco. n Martin A. Fogle, MD ’79, writes, “I stumbled on a perfect job in 2007 in Fall River, Mass., to practice vascular surgery in a medium-sized, very appreciative and supportive, non-trauma hospital. Kathy is a nurse practitioner. Dice, the cat, is like most other offspring of physicians – he has no intention of becoming a veterinarian.” n Brion Pearson, MD ’79, is the director of the hospitalist service, a practicing hospitalist and vice president for medical affairs at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch, Calif. n Elizabeth K. Tam, MD ’79, is chair of the Department of Medicine, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. She and her husband, Mark Grattan, MD, ’79, have two children, Ryan and Lauren. Mark is in private practice, and serves as surgical director of the Straub Heart Center and vice chief of staff of Straub Clinic and Hospital in Honolulu. 1980s n Ronald Tamaru, MD ’82, writes, “Our son Jeff graduated from high school and is off to Mike Nagata’s, MD ’82, alma mater: USC. Good thing I went to med school. I can almost afford the tuition!” n Calvin T. Eng, MD ’84, writes, “Since finishing residency in ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute-UCLA, I’ve been in private practice in the San Gabriel Valley/Los Angeles area. Janice Low, MD ’84, and I celebrated our 21st anniversary this year. We travel a couple of times a year and look forward to the end of paying tuition for our four kids.” n Renée M. Howard, MD ’84, & David Erle, MD ’84, have been married for 23 years and have two children in college. Renée is in private pediatric and adult dermatology practice in San Rafael, Calif., and holds a part-time academic position at UCSF. David conducts research in asthma and lung disease at the Lung Biology Center at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus and does two months of clinical work each year at SFGH. is president-elect of the Riverside County Medical Association and an assistant clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at USC. He and his wife, Karen, have two sons, Matthew (15) and Gregory (13). n David G. Hwang, MD ’84, writes, “Academic ophthalmology has been a fortunate career choice for me, one wellsuited to my temperament and interests. (Apparently Dan Schwartz, MD ’84, and Todd Margolis, MD ’84, also feel the same way). Having spent all of the past 29 years at UCSF (with the exception of a one-year fellowship stint in Los Angeles), I’m one of those who never left the mother ship. But it’s more than just inertia that has kept me here – this is truly a great place to work, mostly because of the outstanding people who call UCSF home. I very much enjoy my career, which is focused on clinical research, teaching and practice in the sub-specialty of corneal and refractive surgery.” n Sheri S. Dickstein, MD ’89, spends three days per week at the CSU Channel Islands Student Health Center and a half day each week attending at the Ventura Family Practice Residency program. She writes, “I married Ira Silverman, an ob-gyn, who is a full-time faculty member for the Ventura Family Practice residency. One of his partners is our classmate Fred Kelley, MD ’89. Fred went back for a second residency in ob-gyn after working several years as a family doc in rural South Carolina.” n Cynthia J. (MD ’89) & Byron (PhD ’92, MD ’94) Hann, celebrated 20 years of marriage in April. Byron is a scientist at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center where he runs a mouse hospital. Cindy works 80 percent time at a private pediatric practice in San Ramon, Calif. Their oldest daughter, Erica, attends the University of Puget Sound. Their youngest, Ellen, is in 7th grade and enjoys horseback riding and soccer. n Eve Askanas Kerr, MD ’89, focuses n Debra F. Vilinsky, MD ’84, & n Krista C. Farey, MD ’84, practices family medicine in the county clinic in Richmond, Calif., including obstetrics, teaching and medical staff leadership. She and her husband, Vishu Lingappa, live in San Francisco with their two teenage daughters (above). n David A. Friscia, MD ’84, practices with a large orthopedic group in Rancho Mirage, Calif., where he is president of the Desert Orthopedic Center group. Additionally, he Michael Sopher, MD ’84 (above), have been married for 25 years and have two children, Marcus (21) and Ariana (17). Michael practices cardiac anesthesia at UCLA and co-coordinates the medical school second-year cardiac, respiratory and renal curriculum block. Debbie practices part time as an adult psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, teaches ethics to psychoanalytic trainees, teaches secondand third-year UCLA medical students in the doctoring program, and mentors psychoanalytic and psychiatric trainees. Additionally, she volunteers at two understaffed, underfunded public high schools, helping students prepare college, financial aid and scholarship applications. n Virginia C. Brack, MD ’89, works at Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, Vt. n Ben Man-Fai Chue, MD ’89, practiced medical oncology, specializing in hard-to-treat cancers such as pancreatic adenocartinomas and published results for treating pancreatic cancer (GI ASCO, 2009, abstracts #175 & #177). her research on assessing and improving quality of care for patients with chronic conditions at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center for Clinical Management Research and sees patients one-half day per week. She and Robb have two daughters, Jessica (14) and Rachel (10). 1990s n Lee R. Atkinson-McEvoy, MD ’94, is in the UCSF Department of Pediatrics as the director of the Parnassus Primary Care Clinic and the associate director of the pediatric residency program. She and her husband live in Oakland and have three children, Amara (5), Mason (3) and Noah (1). n Chinazo O. Cunningham, MD ’94, writes, “After moving unexpectedly to New York 14 years ago, I am officially a happy New Yorker. I live just outside of NYC with Everett (married for 17 years) and our three daughters (ages 12, 10 and 8). I am a general internist spending most of my time conducting research and developing programs aimed at improving access to care for marginalized populations at Albert | medical alumni magazine 19 Class Notes 1990s | continued Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.” n Tiffany S. Glasgow, MD ’94, is on the pediatric faculty at the University of Utah. She writes, “Rob and I celebrated our 15th anniversary this year. We have three incredibly busy children, Matthew (12), Sommer (10), and Garrett (6). We spend most of our free time watching our kids participate in their various sports.” Anesthesiology Medical Group that serves Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. She and husband, Adam Collins, MD, have two sons, Drew (4) and Cameron (3). n Charles V. Wang, MD ’94, is in private practice at the Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group. He writes, “The group keeps an entertaining blend of slick, private and demanding academic (Stanford) cases. Recently, I’ve been helping with a rollout of an electronic medical system for Sutter Health Hospitals. Every so often, there’s time to volunteer in a Third World country – you definitely get way more than you put in.” n Jacquelyn Chang, MD ’95, is in private practice in psychotherapy with medications and supervises in the San Mateo County psychiatric residencytraining program. n Dineen Greer, MD ’95, is on faculty at the Sutter Health Family Medicine Residency Program in Sacramento, where she greatly enjoys training future family medicine physicians. She and her husband, Darrin, have one son (6) and two daughters (3) who keep them quite busy. n Tessa B. Collins, MD ’99, is a partner in private practice at East Bay | 20 fall 2009 internal medicine residency and chief year at UC Davis and continued on there as an endocrinology fellow. With swimming as her primary hobby, she completed a swim from Alcatraz in August. finished her ob-gyn residency at UC Irvine, moved back to the Bay Area with her husband, Andy, and works at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center. n Diana V. Do, MD ’99, is an assistant professor of ophthalmology and assistant head of the retina fellowship committee at the Wilmer Eye Institute (Department of Ophthalmology), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She and her husband (above) have traveled extensively throughout the world but still enjoy coming back to San Francisco each year. She encourages her former classmates to email her at [email protected]. Send us your class note today... >Online: www.ucsfalumni.org >Email: [email protected] >Mail: Alumni Services, UCSF Box 0248, San Francisco, CA 94143-0248 n Ritu Patel, MD ’99 (below), writes, “My job as a pediatric hospitalist at Kaiser Oakland is a role in which I put on three different hats depending on the day. When I am ward attending, I have the privilege of teaching residents and medical students. When I take call in the PICU, I care for children who have just had major neurosurgery including removal of brain tumors. As a transport physician, I stabilize and transport acutely ill children to an ICU center.” IN MEMORIAM ALUMNI Carr E. Bentel, MD ’29 Robert C. Combs, MD ’39 John S. Miller, MD ’43 Robert H. Palmer, MD ’43 Robert S. Rocke, MD ’43 Ralph O. Wallerstein, MD ’45 Dean L. Mawdsley, MD ’50 Laurance V. Foye Jr., MD ’52 Kenneth H. Root, MD ’53 Yasin Balbaky, MD ’61 Carolyn K. Montgomery, MD ’64 n Scott Anderson, MD ’98, was appointed clinical professor, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology at UC Davis in January. He writes, “I enjoy life in the Napa Valley area with my wife, Camille, a former UCSF anesthesiology technician, who runs our board-and-care facility for the elderly, the Renaissance Guest Home. Our kids Luke (5) and Sophia (8) both swim for the Solano Aquatic Sea Otters team.” n Joyce Leary, MD ’04, finished her n Alejandrina Rincon, MD ’04, n Sondra S. Vazirani, MD ’94, is a hospitalist at the West LA VA, and runs the Preoperative Clinic and Medicine Consult Service. She works with residents in the combined Cedars Sinai-VA internal medicine residency, and is an associate clinical professor at UCLA. 2000s John H. Austin, MD ’70 Cynthia J. Kirsten, MD ’79 facult y, hous estaff George C. Kaplan Jay V. Leopold n Julie L. Vails, MD ’99, is in solo private practice in Elk Grove, Calif., doing family medicine with pediatrics and obstetrics. She writes, “Currently I have a very full personal life parenting eight children with my husband, Tripp.” Robert D. Roller III Steven E. Ross William H. Thomas Herschel S. Zackheim UCSF is grateful to the many alumni who have given back to the School of Medicine … …including those who have chosen to do so through their estate plans. H. James Cornelius, MD ’62 Jim and his wife, Mimi, have established a charitable gift annuity in support of the UCSF School of Medicine Class of 1962 Scholarship Fund. “I’m concerned about the high cost of medical school tuition, so it’s time for me to pay back. A charitable gift annuity provides income for us for life and a gift to the University later on. It makes financial sense for us to support the University in this way.” Susan Detweiler, MD ’71 Susan has included a bequest to the UCSF School of Medicine in her will. “I received a tremendously valuable education at UCSF. Without it I wouldn’t be the person I am today. In choosing to support the University through a bequest, I am able to give a great deal more than I could in my lifetime.” Peter Packard, MD ’48 Peter and his wife, Mary Jane, have created a charitable remainder trust that will fund the Peter and Mary Jane Packard Endowment in support of the Academy of Medical Educators. “The doctor-patient relationship is critical to patient outcome. I want to ensure with our gift to UCSF that future medical students are taught both the importance of a healthy doctor-patient relationship and the skills and techniques to create one.” For more information on making a bequest or life-income gift or to receive a copy of our “Leaving a Legacy” brochure, please contact the Office of Gift & Endowment Planning at 415/476-1475 or email [email protected]. 0906 UCSF School of Medicine Medical Alumni Association UCSF Box 0248 San Francisco, CA 94143-0248 Non-profit Organization U.S. Postage PA I D Sacramento, CA Permit No. 333 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Save the date Celebrating at the 2009 Reunion, from left: Herbert Konkoff, MD ’59, and Karen Hays; Mark Luoto, MD ’79, Valerie Luoto, JaNahn Scalapino, MD ’79; Donald Webb, MD ’59; the Class of 1984 (See story on page 12.) UCSF School of Medicine Class Reunions May 7-8, 2010 Plus 4-hour CME course For more information about the CME course and Reunion details, email [email protected].
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