docmedicine summer-2014 - UTHSC News
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medicine summer-2014 - UTHSC News
T h e U N I V E R S I T Y of T E N N E S S E E H E A L T H S C I E N C E C E N T E R Campus Construction Kicking into High Gear Page 16 Summer 2014 Loosening the Stranglehold of the THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER Medicine Magazine Communications Team Writing, Editing DAVID MEYER, Editor and Design TIM BULLARD Dean’s Message AMBER CARTER SHEILA CHAMPLIN JANE PATE PEGGY REISSER WINBURNE News Art Direction DAVID MEYER and Illustration Photography THURMAN HOBSON Loosening the Stranglehold of the Stroke Belt — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Additional TIM BULLARD Alumni Photography LISA BUSER SHEILA CHAMPLIN JANE PATE BOB SCHATZ Faculty — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Chancellor STEVE J. SCHWAB, MD Students — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Vice Chancellor for RANDY L. FARMER, EdD Development and Alumni Affairs Associate Vice Chancellor BETHANY GOOLSBY, JD for Development Class Notes & In Memoriam Shout-Outs UTHSC in the Media Associate Vice Chancellor KRISTOPHER PHILLIPS 2 4 19 33 42 44 51 53 Summer 2014 SUMMER 2014 for Alumni Senior Director of Annual JADA WILLIAMS Giving/Advancement Services Director of Development ZACH PRETZER — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — The University of Tennessee Medicine magazine is published for graduates of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. Send all communications to Alumni Affairs at [email protected] or phone: (901) 448-5516 or 1 (800) 733-0482 or fax: (901) 448-5906. www.uthsc.edu The University of Tennessee does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability or veteran status in provision of educational programs and services or employment opportunities and benefits. This policy extends to both employment by and admission to the university. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its educational programs and activities pursuant to the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Inquiries and charges of violation concerning Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, ADA or the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) or any of the other above referenced policies should be directed to the Office of Equity and Diversity, 910 Madison, Suite 826, Memphis, TN 38163, telephone (901) 448-5558 or TDD (901) 448-7382. Requests for accommodation of a disability should also be directed to the director of Equity and Diversity, 910 Madison, Suite 826, Memphis, TN 38163, (901) 448-5558 or TDD (901) 448-7382 or log on to our website at www.uthsc.edu. E073201(2014-0002wo#1724) 2 Medicine Summer 2014 1 Message From The Executive Dean Message From The Chancellor David M. Stern, MD Steve J. Schwab, MD W hen you receive this magazine, UTHSC will have graduated another class of rigorously prepared medical students, eager to begin their residencies and delve into clinical practice. The recent reaccreditation of our college (see page 8) for an eight-year term is a testament to the high quality, intensive medical education we provide. We are pleased to report that many of the new UT physicians will undertake the next stage of their careers in the UTHSC statewide system. Under the auspices of our Graduate Medical Education unit, 68 physicians, 44 percent of our newly matched residents, will train at our partner hospitals in Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga. For photos and more Match Day statistics, as well as a list of residency placements, see pages 44 to 48. The college continues to extend our reach, adding accomplished new faculty to expand our range of clinical services as well as education and research opportunities. We are committed to developing new approaches to address the significant health disparities and pressing health care needs of our community. On page 14, you’ll read about Dr. Matthew Ballo, chair of our new Department of Radiation Oncology, which was formed under the joint cancer initiative with UTHSC, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and the West Cancer Center. Also, beginning on page 19, the feature story on stroke includes a spotlight on Dr. Andrei Alexandrov, who recently joined us to chair the Department of Neurology. Of course, you’ll also find several stories in this issue about our extant clinical and discovery-oriented faculty, who continue to earn significant research awards, publish in prominent industry journals, and share their expertise with colleagues at the start of their health care journeys. It’s important to note that, during the February meeting of the UT Board of Trustees, President Joe DiPietro told the group that expanding research capacities is a challenging area, and UT needs to build on its relationship as co-manager of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and on corporate partnerships that the UT Health Science Center can develop through its College of Medicine. On pages 8 and 32, you’ll see evidence of our college’s expanding partnerships with Saint Thomas Health through accreditation of our residency program, as well as with the West Cancer Center and Methodist as the UT name becomes part of the logo and brand for the “Fight On!” marketing and outreach campaign. Another partnership development rapidly coming to fruition is the UT-Regional One Physicians faculty practice, which is set to launch in the fall. Earlier this year, the Regional Medical Center at Memphis changed its brand and became Regional One Health. We have been in discussions with Regional One’s leadership for some months about creating a faculty practice aligned with the hospital. In February, the UT board approved designation of UT-Regional One Physicians as a faculty practice plan for the College of Medicine in Memphis, authorizing us to move this joint project forward. At that time, President DiPietro also observed the number of patient billings or clients served by UTHSC has increased dramatically since FY10. With the creation of another solidly founded, hospital-based faculty practice, we anticipate this trend will continue. Despite all the change under way on our campus, on many levels our college remains constant – most especially in our commitment to educate and train high quality, caring physicians to serve others. We hope you will join us in August for Medicine Alumni Weekend (schedule of events on page 34) and for the Golden Graduate Homecoming in October (see page 36 for details). As our alumni, you are a foundational element of our current and future success. David M. Stern, MD Executive Dean College of Medicine 2 A s I write this letter, the footprint of our institution continues to evolve and expand. On our main campus in Memphis, construction and renovation projects valued at more than $124 million are either under way or in the planning stages. The new Translational Science Research Building is on track for completion in 2015, connecting its researchers via elevated walkways with the scientists in the adjacent Cancer Research Building. Demolition of Goodman Residence Hall is finished. Following closely on its heels are razing of the Beale, Randolph and Feurt buildings. (See photos on page 16, and short demolition videos at www.facebook.com/uthsc, posted on April 4) Transforming our main campus is a pivotal element in our plan for the future. We are making way for new, state-of-theart research and educational facilities that will reposition UTHSC as the competition intensifies to recruit top-tier students, researchers and faculty. Revitalizing the Historic Quadrangle as the focal point of our Memphis campus is also on the horizon, with some $68 million earmarked for this effort. In tandem with the evolution of our headquarters campus, we are pleased to report that much progress is being made at our major location in Nashville. Through our deepening partnership with Saint Thomas Health, our reach and impact in Nashville and Middle Tennessee will increase exponentially. We are laying the foundation for a more vital clinical and educational presence for our College of Medicine in the central area of the state. Our College of Pharmacy is also extending its presence in Nashville. In the near future, all of our pharmacy students will spend their first year of training in Memphis and choose whether to spend their next three years in Nashville, Knoxville or Memphis. As the needs of our patients rise, statewide and throughout the region, and the demands on our health care practitioners increase, we continually demonstrate our institution’s flexibility, resolve and dedication to bring health care education, training and clinical care wherever it is needed. In February, during the UT Board of Trustees meeting, the board approved the UTHSC Strategic Plan for 2014-2018 with priorities that include: • Educating outstanding graduates who meet the needs of the state and its communities. • Growing the research portfolio of the institution focusing on targeted areas. • Strengthening areas of clinical prominence while expanding outreach. • Expanding and strengthening key community and statewide partnerships, among others. Representatives from across our organization have committed to position UTHSC as a national leader in targeted areas of excellence across the institution’s missions, colleges and campuses by the end of 2018. We are now engaging faculty, staff, students and administrators in identifying and implementing a variety of initiatives designed to address the strategic priorities outlined in the plan. In other action, the board approved renaming the UTHSC College of Allied Health Sciences as the College of Health Professions, which becomes effective July 1, and approved UTHSC’s acquisition of three neighboring properties in Memphis. While we all take pride in updated facilities and shiny new buildings, we never lose sight of what truly matters – people like you, who together with our faculty, staff, students and partners, shape and fuel our organization in the service and care of those who need our training, compassion and help. Thank you for all you do to contribute to the consistent, forward movement of our organization. What we are empowered to achieve would not be possible without your generosity and long-term commitment. Steve J. Schwab, MD Chancellor The UT Health Science Center Medicine Summer 2014 3 News HEI J Jena J. Steinle, PhD, Named Director of Research for Hamilton Eye Institute “In the U.S., our ability to detect amyloid deposits is limited. We’ve made amazing progress, but we need to move faster.” Jonathan Wall, PhD Dr. Jonathan Wall is exploring diagnostic and therapeutic agents for amyloid diseases. Dr. Wall has identified p5, a protein that binds to amyloid in the brain and other organs, making the amyloid visible through PET imaging and other techniques. Looking for Trouble Dr. Jonathan Wall Gets $1,580,808 Grant to Improve How We ‘See’ Amyloid I t is well known that patients with Alzheimer’s and other disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, develop amyloid, a substance composed of sticky protein fibers and sugar molecules that builds up in the brain or other organs in the body. Doctors do not know whether this material causes the diseases, or whether the diseases lead to amyloid formation. However, in less common diseases, such as light chain amyloidosis, a rare but devastating illness caused by the aggregation of antibody-related light chain proteins in organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys and spleen, there is no doubt that amyloid presence in the organs is the cause of the disease. There is an urgent need to image or “see” the sticky substance in order to accurately diagnose and determine the stage of the disease and monitor the therapies used to treat patients. However, in the United States there are no clinically available methods to image amyloid in patients, except in those with Alzheimer’s disease. Many patients travel to Europe for a scan, where the technology is available. 4 Work by UTHSC’s Jonathan Wall, PhD, and his team, is making it possible to see amyloid deposits, not just in the brain but other organs of the body. Dr. Wall, professor in the Graduate School of Medicine and director of the Preclinical and Diagnostic Molecular Imaging Laboratory in Knoxville, received a four-year grant totaling $1,580,808 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health, to study “Preclinical Diagnostic Imaging of Amyloid.” With the help of his team, including Steven Kennel, PhD; Alan Stuckey, BA, CNMT; Tina Richey, MS; Sallie Macy, BA; Craig Wooliver, MLT; Emily Martin, BS; and Angela Williams, MS, Dr. Wall has developed a series of new imaging agents aimed at advancing the diagnosis and treatment of patients with amyloid-related diseases. “In the U.S., our ability to detect amyloid deposits is limited,” Dr. Wall said. “We’ve made amazing progress, but we need to move faster.” ena J. Steinle, PhD, associate professor Dr. Steinle received her in the Departments of Ophthalmology, undergraduate degree in biology Anatomy and Neurobiology, and from the University of Bridgeport Pharmaceutical Sciences, has been in Connecticut, her PhD in appointed director of research at the neurophysiology from the University UTHSC Hamilton Eye Institute (HEI). of Kansas Medical Center, and did her Since joining HEI in 2007, Dr. Steinle postdoctoral work in vascular biology has been a prolific and successful research at the Texas A&M University System scientist. The focus of her research has Health Science Center. been on diabetic retinopathy. She has Dr. Steinle’s writing has appeared received numerous federal and foundation in more than 50 peer-reviewed grants for her work toward developing publications. She has been awarded treatments to prevent, or even reverse, grants from the Department of damage caused by diabetic retinopathy. Defense, the Juvenile Diabetes “Dr. Steinle has a remarkable enthusiasm,” Research Foundation, the National said James C. Fleming, MD, FACS, chair Institutes of Health, the Oxnard of the Department of Ophthalmology at Foundation, UT Research Foundation UTHSC. “She infuses our research group and other organizations. with energy for innovation, creating a She is a member of the vigorous environment for discovery at the Association for Research in Vision Hamilton Eye Institute.” and Ophthalmology, the American In her new position, Dr. Steinle Diabetes Association, and Research directs the Center for Vision Research to Prevent Blindness. Dr. Steinle is (CVR), which was established in 1998 as a medical scientific reviewer for the a multidisciplinary research program in National Institutes of Health (ad hoc) vision science. The CVR is charged with retina section and a member of the recognizing, supporting and expanding complications study section of the the efforts of individual vision researchers, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. and facilitating collaborations. The “I am excited to have this new CVR has members, including scientists opportunity to grow vision research, and clinicians, from roughly a dozen both on campus and throughout the institutions in the community, and has community,” Dr. Steinle said. received substantial grant funding to further vision research. Jena J. Steinle, PhD Receives $1.38 Million Grant for Diabetic Medication Research O ne of the most common side effects of diabetes is retinal damage. While we know that diabetic medications are effective in reducing insulin resistance in humans overall, we do not know their actions in the retina. The National Eye Institute, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded $1,387,500 to Dr. Jena J. Steinle, who wants to learn more about how diabetic medication affects the retina. Dr. Steinle will use the award to fund her research study titled, “Mechanisms of TNFalpha-Induced Insulin Resistance in Retinal Cells.” The study aims to investigate the potential pathways in the retina that are activated by commonly used type 2 diabetic medications. Previous work in her laboratory has shown that these drugs can work to decrease inflammatory pathways in the retinal blood vessels, which is protective to the retina. According to Dr. Steinle, “increased understanding of the actions in the retina of these commonly used drugs for type 2 diabetes may help us optimize their effectiveness against diabetic retinopathy, the ocular complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.” Medicine Medicine Summer 2014 5 News Heartwatch T Look AHEAD Study Continues with $1.6 Million Grant he Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) Study, funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), began in 2001 to examine whether weight loss and increased physical activity would prevent cardiovascular events in those with type 2 diabetes. The study, which produced several positive results, continues today in an observational phase. Karen C. Johnson, MD, MPH, professor and interim chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine, one of 16 study centers for Look AHEAD, has been awarded $1.6 million from the NIDDK to fund the observational phase of the study here at UTHSC through 2015. The clinical trial, which enrolled more than 5,000 people nationally, showed that weight loss and increased physical activity improved many cardiovascular risk factors for those with diabetes, including blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. There were also other benefits, including reduced depression, better sleep and improved memory. However, the NIDDK, a division of the National Institutes of Health, stopped the clinical trial in late 2012 when evidence did not show that the changes prevent cardiovascular events. NIDDK continues to fund the study in an observational phase through 2015, to follow long-term effects of the weight loss and physical activity on the health of participants. “We know the Look AHEAD intervention lowered blood sugar, we know it lowered cholesterol, we know it lowered blood pressure, and all of these changes may ultimately reduce heart disease.” Karen C. Johnson, MD, MPH During the clinical trial, participants were divided into two groups. One group received intensive lifestyle intervention, including individual supervision, group sessions and diet strategies. The other received more limited diabetes support and education. Since the intensive intervention aspect of the study is over, participants will come to UTHSC once a year for measurements, blood samples, an EKG, and tests for physical and mental function. “We’re assessing physical function and cognition in the observational phase, because we believe that weight loss and physical activity may improve your physical function and may improve your cognitive ability,” Dr. Johnson said. The UTHSC study includes slightly more than 300 people. “The data from the trial period does appear like the intervention group may have reduced total mortality, but it’s not statistically significant yet, so we’re continuing to follow the individuals for that as well.” Dr. Johnson and co-investigator, Helmut Steinberg, MD, professor of endocrinology at UTHSC, hope to extend this observational phase through 2020. “We know the Look AHEAD intervention lowered blood sugar, we know it lowered cholesterol, we know it lowered blood pressure, and all of these changes may ultimately reduce heart disease,” Dr. Johnson said. “That’s why we think if we follow the Look AHEAD participants long enough, we may begin to see some legacy effects.” Clinical Trials New Associate Vice Chancellor to Raise Awareness of UTHSC Clinical Trials Capabilities David Stern, MD, hematology/oncology from City of Hope executive dean Cancer Center/Harbor-UCLA in Los “We anticipate he will of the College of Angeles. Most recently, Dr. VanderWalde raise awareness with Medicine, and worked for the biopharmaceutical company external sponsors about Lawrence Pfeffer, Amgen, where he served as a Medical the clinical trial capabilities PhD, interim vice Director in Global Development as well as chancellor for the U.S. Medical Lead for a pipeline product. at UTHSC, explore Research, have Dr. VanderWalde has extensive affiliation opportunities announced Ari experience in clinical research, including with our health care VanderWalde, the design and conduct of clinical trials, Ari VanderWalde, MD MD, MPH, results reporting, regulatory filing, and partners, and facilitate MBioeth, as the new associate vice interactions between investigators and the drug development chancellor of Research – Clinical Trials. pharmaceutical industry. He has published and translation from Dr. VanderWalde assumed his new extensively in the field of cancer, as well as responsibilities in January, reporting to the in research ethics. Dr. VanderWalde also UT scientists to UTHSC vice chancellor for Research and joins the Department of Medicine, Division pharmaceutical partners the chief of Hematology/Oncology. of Hematology/Oncology, and holds the and biotech start-up The position was created to support, positions of Director of Research with the West Clinic and Medical Director at augment and expand clinical trials at UTHSC, companies.” ACORN Research LLC. which has been engaged in federally funded Lawrence Pfeffer, PhD, interim “Among his many duties, Dr. clinical trials for more than 60 years. Clinical vice chancellor for Research VanderWalde will be responsible for aligning trials are scientific studies in which new processes in our various UTHSC colleges treatments – drugs, diagnostic procedures, related to pharmaceutical studies, recruiting therapies or preventive measures – are tested staff to support strategic research initiatives, plus organizing and in patients to determine if they are safe and effective. After obtaining an undergraduate degree at Harvard University, utilizing the infrastructure to support UTHSC clinical research,” said Dr. Pfeffer. “We anticipate he will raise awareness with Dr. VanderWalde completed medical school at the University of external sponsors about the clinical trial capabilities at UTHSC, Pennsylvania, where he also earned a master’s in Bioethics, while explore affiliation opportunities with our health care partners, and simultaneously obtaining a master’s of Public Health from Harvard facilitate drug development and translation from UT scientists to School of Public Health. An internship and residency in internal pharmaceutical partners and biotech start-up companies.” medicine at UCLA followed. Next, he completed a fellowship in Karen C. Johnson, MD, MPH 6 Medicine Summer 2014 7 A C C R E D I T A T I O N 8 Saint Thomas Health and UT Residency Program Accredited S aint Thomas Health’s Saint Louise Clinic in Murfreesboro and the University of Tennessee College of Medicine recently announced their partnership to bring a Family Medicine Residency program to Middle Tennessee. The program has now been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and will begin training physicians in 2015. To ensure the proper space for physician training and patient care, the Saint Louise Clinic relocated to a larger facility. The clinic, now called the University of Tennessee Family Medicine Center and Saint Louise Clinic, allows Saint Thomas Health to better serve the Rutherford population, as well as host the UT Family Medicine Program. The partnership between UT and Saint Thomas Health creates expanded capabilities to meet patient needs. For example, the Family Medicine Residency Program allows the clinic to have more medical providers on staff. With four full-time faculty, 24 residents, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and 18 exam rooms, the clinic can provide more care to more patients. “With the newly accredited residency program, we can move forward with our mission to provide better health care to communities in Rutherford County,” said Christopher Dunlap, MD, director of the Family Medicine Residency Program at the Saint Louise Clinic. UTHSC College of Medicine Reaccredited T he Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) has reaccredited the University of Tennessee College of Medicine for the maximum eight-year term. The college received the official letter detailing this decision on March 11, 2014. The LCME accredits all allopathic medical schools in the United States and Canada. Accreditation signifies that national standards for structure, function and performance are met by a medical school’s education program. Only LCME-accredited institutions may receive federal grants for medical education and participate in federal loan programs. U.S. medical students must be enrolled in, or graduated from, an LCME-accredited program before they can take national board exams (U.S. Medical Licensing Exam) or enter residency programs. The preparations for the accreditation process took nearly two years and included an extensive self-study that involved more than 100 faculty, administrators and students. The medical students also conducted an independent self-study that was submitted to the LCME. A fivemember survey team comprised of faculty and administrators from other medical schools spent three days on campus in November reviewing the documentation and meeting with approximately 150 faculty and students. The survey team’s extensive report was reviewed by the LCME at its February meeting. Of the approximately 135 standards, the College of Medicine was only judged to be noncompliant with five standards, with four others noted as in compliance, but in need of monitoring. This is slightly better than the average number of citations schools have received in the past three years. The school must submit an update on areas of citation by April 2015, but there will not be a second site visit — something many schools are experiencing two years after the initial visit. Learning How to Fight a Killer W O M E N ’ S H E A L T H News Searching for New Therapies for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer B The American Cancer Society has awarded $720,000 to Dr. Zhaohui Wu to continue his studies of treatment options for triplenegative breast cancer. reast cancer is a leading cause of cancer- “Role of Genotoxic NF-kB Activation in Breast related deaths in women worldwide, and Cancer Metastasis.” those diagnosed with triple-negative Previous studies conducted by Dr. Wu breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive breast and his research team have indicated that the cancer subtype, have a lower survival rate than activation of a transcription factor or protein other breast cancer patients. known as NF-kB by chemotherapeutic drugs The higher death rate is partially due to a may promote cancer therapy resistance and lack of effective targeted therapy. Chemotherapy metastasis. His team is working to determine is the only available systemic treatment for the factors responsible for that resistance. The TNBC. However, many TNBC patients rapidly research team is also exploring therapeutic develop resistance to the treatments. They regimens to effectively restore sensitivity of also develop aggressive metastasis, which the breast cancer cells to chemotherapies and is responsible for the majority of the deaths reduce secondary tumors. caused by the cancer. Zhaohui Wu, MD, PhD, “I am truly honored and grateful to receive is exploring other options that could lead to a this Research Scholar Award from the American breakthrough in treatment. Cancer Society,” said Dr. Wu. “This grant support Dr. Wu, an assistant professor in the allows us to further extend our exploration of novel Department of Pathology and Laboratory molecular mechanisms involved in therapeutic Medicine, is now being supported by a resistance in breast cancer patients. We expect $720,000 Research Scholar Grant from the our study will translate into effective therapeutic American Cancer Society to fund his study titled, regimens for treating breast cancer in the future.” Dr. Nikki Zite Recommends Reproductive Rights Changes in New England Journal of Medicine T he New England Journal of Medicine published a perspectives piece in its Jan. 9 issue co-authored by Nikki Zite, MD, associate professor and residency program director in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UT Graduate School of Medicine (UTGSM) in Knoxville. Dr. Zite’s topic was research on women’s access to sterilization based on current Medicaid policy and whether that policy is still relevant. Current policy, established in the 1970s, prohibits persons younger than 21 years old from being sterilized as well as those who are mentally incompetent or institutionalized. The focus of the perspectives piece was related to the mandatory 30-day waiting period from the date of written informed consent that is required. In addition, a signed copy of the consent form must be available or verified at the time of the procedure. The only exception is if the patient is undergoing emergency abdominal surgery or a premature delivery. Then the 30-day waiting her collaborators, some of which was completed in the University of Tennessee OB/GYN clinic indicates the consent process may not be capable of protecting vulnerable women by ensuring that truly informed consent is obtained. A previous study by Dr. Zite on the comprehension of women who sign the consent form for tubal sterilization shows the form is written at a reading level too difficult for most patients to understand. Beyond concerns about the consent form, the waiting period and the need for the completed form to be transferred to the delivery unit pose logistic barriers for women who wish to undergo tubal ligation immediately after giving birth. The authors of the perspectives piece recommend that the Medicaid policy and Nikki Zite, MD consent form concerning sterilization period may be waived if there is 72 hours should be thoughtfully modified. between signed consent and the procedure. James Neutens, PhD, dean of The Medicaid policy was originally the UTGSM, noted, “This is a great established to protect minority women’s contribution to the diversity and inclusion rights, however research by Dr. Zite and efforts being made in health care today.” Medicine Summer 2014 9 News a Commitment to Approximately one-third of the world’s population is infected with tuberculosis (TB0,an infectious disease that is often contracted through an airborne bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Globally, at least one person is infected each second, and someone dies of the disease every 20 seconds. TB remains a leading public health problem worldwide, with an estimated 8 million new cases and 2 million deaths each year. T U B E R C U L O S I S F I N D I N G I T . F I G H T I N G I T . Assistant Professor Ying Kong Receives Grant Y ing Kong, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry at the UTHSC College of Medicine, received a grant totaling $187,343 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health, to explore the pathogenesis or the origin and development of extrapulmonary TB. Known as an R21 grant, the award encourages new, exploratory and developmental research projects by providing support for the early stages of project development. Dr. Kong’s study is titled, “Non-invasive Fluorescent Imaging Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Extrapulmonary Infection.” Although most M. tuberculosis infections, known as pulmonary TB, are in the lungs, five to 10 percent of TB patients can develop the disease in organs other than their lungs, or extrapulmonary TB. Dr. Kong is exploring the pathogenesis or the origin and development of the latter. Extrapulmonary sites of infection can involve almost any organ, such as lymph nodes, bones and joints, eyes, intestines, larynx, or the urinary and reproductive systems, skin and stomach. This condition is difficult to diagnose because the clinical presentation is atypical; tissue samples for the confirmation of diagnosis can sometimes be difficult to procure; and the conventional diagnostic methods have a poor yield, often resulting in delayed diagnosis. Better understanding of the disease’s pathogenesis is urgently required to control it. “With the grant, we will evaluate two imaging compounds for in vivo imaging of M. tuberculosis infection in rodents,” said Dr. Kong. “The compound with higher sensitivity for detecting bacteria will be selected to study the aspects of bacterial invasion and dissemination from the initial pulmonary infection site (to other organs) in rodents. The success of this study will help to unravel the intricacies of extrapulmonary TB and to screen for anti-TB therapies and vaccines in live animals.” Dr. Kennard Brown Honored for Promoting Diversity in Health Care Education Kennard Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer of the UTHSC, has received the Healthcare Education Award from the Nashville-based Council on Workforce Innovation. The statewide award, presented at the recent 2014 Healthcare Diversity Forum in Nashville, recognized Dr. Brown’s efforts in promoting diversity in health care education. The regional forum, which drew administrators, clinicians, educators, human resource specialists and business leaders, focused on the financial value of diversity in the health care workforce and discussed resources for advancing quality health care delivery for underrepresented populations. The Council on Workforce Innovation is part of the National Organization for Workforce Diversity, a private, public and non-profit coalition to promote workforce diversity initiatives. Dr. Brown has been with UTHSC for 15 years. He started in the Office of General Counsel, and has directed several UTHSC offices, including Equity and Diversity, Employee Relations and the Center on Health Disparities. Dr. Kennard Brown (right), is congratulated by State Rep. G. A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, for receiving the Health Care Education Award from the Council on Workforce Innovation in Nashville. With his new funding, Dr. Ying Kong will delve deeper into his studies of tuberculosis, primarily focusing on host-pathogen interactions. Dr. Bernd Meibohm’s Findings Published in Nature Medicine Journal B ernd Meibohm, PhD, FCP, associate dean for Research and Graduate Programs and professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, had the findings of his latest research published in the February issue of Nature Medicine, a leading journal for the biomedical sciences. The article, titled “Spectinamides: a new class of semisynthetic antituberculosis agents that overcome native drug efflux,” discussed significant breakthroughs in tuberculosis research. Dr. Meibohm’s research is significant not only because of the rapid rise of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (1.4 million die of the disease every year), but also because the pharmaceutical industry has largely abandoned the development of new antibiotics, leaving drug discovery in this area to academia and nonprofit organizations. The published research is a collaborative effort of Dr. Meibohm’s research team and investigators Richard Lee, PhD, at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Anne Lenaerts, PhD, at Colorado State University; and Erik Böttger, MD, at the University of Zurich. 10 On Jan. 28, (from left) Larry E. Kun, MD, Clinical Director and EVP at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Governor Bill Haslam; Jon McCullers, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics for UTHSC and pediatrician-in-chief for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital; and Maureen O’Connor, director of Policy at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, met to discuss how funding commitments from the legislature in 2013 have helped to move pediatric research forward. In 2013, the legislature committed $15 million over five years from the state of Tennessee to support pediatric research at UTHSC, which matches the same financial commitment by St. Jude to support the UT Department of Pediatrics. The funds are helping to recruit physician-scientists to and retain pediatric researchers at the state’s only public, academic health science center — UTHSC. The results of collaborative research efforts by Dr. Bernd Meibohm (right), his research team, Dora Madhura, PhD, (center), and Ashit Trivedi, MS, as well as investigators at other institutions, were published in the February issue of Nature Medicine, a leading biomedical sciences journal. Background: Photomicrograph of a sputum sample containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis In addition to talking with Gov. Haslam, Dr. McCullers, Dr. Kun and O’Connor met with the governor’s Chief of Staff Mark Cate, Commissioner of Finance Larry Martin, and had lunch with Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey. They later spent time with House Speaker Beth Harwell, Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, Senate Finance Chairman Randy McNally, Senate Health Chairman Rusty Crowe and House Health Chairman Bob Ramsey. Dr. McCullers also had the opportunity to update the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee on how the state funds are being used. Medicine Medicine Summer 2014 11 News ‘Reflect & Remember’ Dr. Alvin Crawford Brings D Inspiration Home to UTHSC r. Alvin Crawford, MD, FACS, the first African-American student to be admitted to and graduate from the UTHSC College of Medicine, returned to his alma mater as guest speaker at the “Reflect & Remember” lunch session in April. Dr. Crawford took the opportunity to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and talk to students about his legacy. Dr. Crawford, who graduated from UTHSC in 1964, is professor emeritus of Pediatrics and Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He is also a graduate of Melrose High School, and took time to visit with the students there and at Frayser High to stress the importance of achieving their dreams. You can find out more about Dr. Crawford in a video from the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber: http://bit.ly/1iCbpfF Dr. GomesSolecki and US Biologic “M Recognized in U.S. House of Representatives The work of Maria Gomes-Solecki, DVM, and US Biologic was recognized in December by U.S. Representative Steve Cohen. Dr. Gomes-Solecki is an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry at UTHSC. She co-founded US Biologic in 2012 with four Memphis-based entrepreneurs. r. Speaker, today I would like to recognize the work of Memphis-based US Biologic in their work to halt the spread of Lyme disease. US Biologic was recently awarded a grant of $1 million from the Global Food and Health Innovation Challenge to expand their research on this important topic, and I am proud to honor the hard work of their dedicated research team, especially Maria Gomes-Solecki. “I believe that our nation’s true department of defense is made up of doctors and researchers who work hard to find cures and prevention methods for the diseases that threaten the lives and livelihoods of Americans every day. The research of people like Dr. Gomes-Solecki is integral in our mission to make the United States a safer place for the grandchildren of our generation, and I encourage more federal investment in the initiatives of the National Institutes of Health, as well as private funding like that provided through the Global Food and Health Innovation Challenge. “I congratulate US Biologic and Dr. Gomes-Solecki on their achievement and I look forward to more developments from some of the nation’s most advanced researchers who are based in my district.” Hon. Steve Cohen of Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives, Dec. 2, 2013 Auction of Works by Artist Paul Penczner Grosses More Than $70,000 UT Day on the Hill 12 12 A (left to right) Porshia Mahoro from the College of Nursing, Cosby Arnold from the College of Medicine and Lauren Bode from the College of Pharmacy joined President Joe DiPietro, along with students and staff from all UT campuses and institutes to represent the university at the annual UT Day on the Hill held Feb. 18 on the Legislative Plaza in Nashville. Participants staffed informational displays and met with legislators to spread the word about the UT’s statewide impact on research, education and health care. n online auction by UTHSC on March 26, of more than 300 works by internationally known Memphis artist Paul Penczner grossed more than $70,000. The sale, which opened for bidding March 4, and finished with a rapid, rolling auction, drew 158 bidders. Works auctioned are part of a collection of 400 pieces donated to the UTHSC College of Medicine by the artist’s widow, Jolanda Penczner, after his death in 2010 to establish an endowment in his name in the Department of Physiology. Proceeds, minus expenses, will go for cardiovascular research at UTHSC. “The auction was a huge success,” said Zach Pretzer, director of development for the UTHSC College of Medicine. “It was a wonderful conclusion to what has been a tremendous gift to the UT College of Medicine by Paul and Jolanda Penczner.” Medicine Summer 2014 13 News Maximizing Matthew Ballo, MD: Chair of New Department of Radiation Oncology D avid Stern, MD, executive dean of the College of Medicine, has named Matthew T. Ballo, MD, chair of the newly formed Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Ballo, who began his duties at UTHSC in January, has been a professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He has also served as an adjunct assistant professor of radiation therapy in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center School of Health Sciences in Houston. “The College of Medicine has formed a new Department of Radiation Oncology, and in collaboration under the joint cancer initiative with Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, UT and the West Cancer Center, we have recruited Dr. Matt Ballo as the founding chair and chief of Radiation Oncology in the cancer center,” Dr. Stern said. “Dr. Ballo is recognized for his expertise in head and neck radiation oncology, as well as his vision for designing a radiation oncology enterprise of tomorrow. In addition to developing clinical specialization within radiation oncology, he will promote training and research programs in medical physics and radiation oncology, and will be an integral member of the leadership team of the West Cancer Center.” 14 “In addition to developing clinical specialization within radiation oncology, he will promote training and research programs in medical physics and radiation oncology, and will be an integral member of the leadership team of the West Cancer Center.” David Stern, MD, executive dean of the College of Medicine Dr. Ballo received his BA in biochemistry in 1991 from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, and his MD degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland in 1995. He did his clinical internship at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Cleveland, and his clinical residency at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Having published 66 peer-reviewed, original research articles, his work also includes about three dozen invited articles, editorials, abstracts and book chapters. He is a member of the editorial review board and guest editor of Breast Diseases: a Yearbook Quarterly. He is a journal reviewer for publications, including the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics; International Journal of Cancer; Radiotherapy & Oncology; The Lancet Oncology; and Head & Neck. Dr. Ballo is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology; the American College of Radiology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Professor R Robert Williams Receives $2.5 Million for Genetics Research obert W. Williams, PhD, professor in the Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, and Pediatrics and director of the UT Center for Integrative and Translational Genomics, is working to make significant headway on the genetics of diet and aging, thanks to a new grant. The award, from the National Institute on Aging, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), totals $2,545,349. It will fund his five-year study entitled, “Translational Systems Genetics of Mitochondria, Metabolism, and Aging.” Dr. Williams and his research team, which includes Karen C. Johnson, MD, MPH, and Khyobeni Mozhui, PhD, both from the UTHSC Department of Preventive Medicine, as well as one of the world’s pre-eminent experts on metabolism, Johan Auwerx, MD, PhD, professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, are studying the impact of high- and low-fat diets on aging and the role of genetic difference on mitochondrial function as age progresses. Professor A Andrew Kang Receives $1.65 Million Grant for Rheumatoid Arthritis Research ndrew Kang, MD, professor in the Division of Connective Tissue Diseases in the College of Medicine, has received a grant totaling $1,650,000 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, an Institute of the National Institutes of Health. The award will be used to support a project titled “20 (OH) Vit D3, T Cells, and Arthritis,” and will be distributed over a five-year period. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease of unknown cause that afflicts approximately one percent of the population worldwide. While there are several treatments available, they are helpful for only a portion of those affected, and are associated with significant side effects. The goal of Dr. Kang and his research team is to improve treatment options. His team includes Linda Myers, MD, professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Arnold Postlethwaite, MD, chief in the Division of Connective Tissue Diseases and Goodman Chair of Excellence in the Department of Medicine, and Andrzej Slominski, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Pathology at UTHSC. “We hope to develop an effective but safer treatment involving a combination of a synthetic peptide originally developed at UTHSC, as well as a unique form of vitamin D that does not cause elevation of blood calcium levels to toxic range,” explained Dr. Kang. The results of this research may lead to a more effective therapy without the serious side effects that are associated with the currently available treatments. Medicine Summer 2014 15 News Kicking into High Gear: Campus Construction is Changing the Face of the University M ajor construction projects are changing the face of the 103-year-old campus of UTHSC. A $49 million Translational Science Research Building is set for completion in 2015, obsolete buildings are coming down, and multiple construction and renovation projects worth more than $175 million are in the planning stages or under way. The construction reflects efforts by the UTHSC administration to raise the profile of the university and draw top-tier students, faculty and researchers to Memphis. It also illustrates the support and willingness of state officials to help finance improvements to enhance Tennessee’s only public, statewide, academic health system. “It’s about the infrastructure, if you want to attract the best and brightest,” said Kennard Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE, executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer for UTHSC. “We had to move to that state-of-theart kind of space.” Commencing the campus facelift, a 90,000-square-foot Cancer Research Building opened in 2007. The first new building on campus in 17 years, it cost $25.2 million, and houses research laboratories that investigate Bulldozers began taking down vacant buildings on campus in March, including the Beale Building, a former city bus barn built in 1925. 16 experimental therapeutics, genetics, and mechanisms related to adult cancer. Since then, the pace of construction at UTHSC has picked up dramatically. In 2011, a new 183,000-square-foot, $57 million building opened to house the College of Pharmacy, which has been ranked in the top 20 “It’s about the infrastructure, if you want to attract the best and brightest.” Kennard Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE, executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer for UTHSC pharmacy schools in the nation by U.S. News and World Report for more than a decade. The 135,000-square-foot Translational Science Research Building is going up adjacent to the Cancer Research Building. Nearly a mirror image of the cancer building, the fourstory Translational Science Research Building will house investigators from all colleges and departments doing “bench-to-bedside” work, or research as it applies to clinical settings. More than $68 million has been earmarked for the renovation of buildings in the Historic Quadrangle at the center of campus. The Mooney Memorial Library, focal point of the quadrangle, will be converted to administrative offices, reception areas and meeting space. The Nash Research Building, and the annex that was added in the 1980s, will be renovated for state-of-the-art research space. A third building bordering the quadrangle, the Crowe Building, will be upgraded to house the College of Nursing. The projects, which are in the planning stages and expected to take 18 months to three years to complete, are aimed at “bringing people back to the quadrangle,” Dr. Brown said. The Feurt Pharmacy Research Building will come down to make room for a $24.1 million Multi-Disciplinary Simulation and Health Education Building, where students from all six colleges on campus will train together in cutting-edge simulation settings. Work on an $11.2 million GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) facility for drug development and manufacturing will begin later this year in a building purchased on the outskirts of campus. Thanks to $4.5 million appropriated by the state for demolition, bulldozers began taking down vacant buildings on campus in March. Two empty housing facilities, the Goodman Family Residence Hall and Randolph Hall, have been torn down or are scheduled to be torn down. Professional students no longer want to live in dormitory-style housing, Dr. Brown noted. The Beale Building, a former city bus barn built in 1925 and given to the university decades ago, has been leveled for immediate use as parking space, and later as a possible public-private residential venture that could attract students. Renovations of existing buildings include: finishing the fourth floor of the Cancer Research Building for additional lab space, The vacant Goodman Family Residence Hall has been torn down. $4.8 million; completing the fifth and sixth floors of the Pharmacy Building for expanded research enterprises and office space, $9.5 million; and renovating the medical library in the Lamar Alexander Building and retrofitting the early 1980s structure to be more environmentally friendly, $6.1 million. Planned but unfunded projects include: a Women’s and Infants’ Pavilion to provide topquality care and facilities for mothers and babies to help combat the area’s high infant mortality rate; acquiring space and erecting a new building to house the College of Medicine; and adding a second building for the College of Dentistry. Reshaping the UTHSC campus is an important step for the future, Dr. Brown said. “It will help us maintain the competitive edge.” Dr. Jon McCullers Reviews Influenza and Bacterial Super-Infections Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital pediatrician-inchief Jon McCullers, MD, was invited to submit a review in the April issue of Nature Reviews Microbiology. McCullers, an infectious disease specialist and chair of the UTHSC Department of Pediatrics, analyzed the epidemiology and microbiology of co-infections during the 1918, 1957 and 1968 pandemics, as well as more recent 2009 novel H1N1 pandemic. Dr. McCullers reviewed the co-pathogenesis of influenza viruses with bacteria in the lung. Bacterial superinfection in the lungs of those suffering from influenza is a key element that promotes severe disease and mortality. McCullers recommends large-scale studies involving consortia or clinical networks to unlock the next unanswered questions about coinfections and viruses in order to prevent the loss of life in a pandemic similar to the one in 1918. Professor Jonathan Jaggar Receives Grant Supplement for Blood Pressure Research Jonathan Jaggar, PhD, the Maury W. Bronstein Professor in the Department of Physiology at the UTHSC College of Medicine, has received a grant totaling $95,931 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. The award, which will be distributed over a three-year period, is a supplement to his existing study titled, “Arterial Smooth Muscle Channels.” The supplement will allow Dr. Jaggar and his research team to test the hypothesis that proteins, called anoctamin 1, located within the cell membrane of arterial smooth muscle cells respond to an increase in blood pressure. If research is successful, it may eventually lead to the development of novel therapies and drugs to treat hypertension and brain disorders that result from hypertension. Medicine Summer 2014 17 News Roughly 50 members of the Memphis bioscience, business and health care communities, plus several state legislators and government agency representatives joined the Dedication of the Central Green at the UT-Baptist Research Park. Unveiling the plaque that commemorates Baptist’s $100 million gift of land and buildings were (from left) State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, UTHSC Chancellor Steve Schwab, J. R. “Pitt” Hyde, Stephen Reynolds, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care (BMHC), who was set to retire a month after this event, Baptist’s incoming President and CEO Jason Little, who was executive vice president and COO of BMHC when this photo was taken, and Steve Bares, president and executive director, Memphis Bioworks Foundation. Loosening the Stranglehold of the Central Green to Grow On O grounds: the UTHSC Regional Biocontainment n Friday, May 9, leaders from the times and good times. His vision for the Laboratory, UT College of Pharmacy plus TriMetis, medical center district is the main reason that Memphis business, bioscience, a specialized laboratory and research firm. health care and legislative we are all here today. Guests at the Dedication of the Central communities gathered for the Dedication of the “In addition, the state of Tennessee has Central Green at the UT-Baptist Research Park, Green also witnessed the unveiling of the made major contributions to UTHSC. In recent Baptist Memorial Hospital-Medical Center which is adjacent to the UTHSC main campus. years, more than $130 million has been poured Commemorative Plaque. In 2002, when Baptist The event celebrated completion of the fourth into our institution, funds that were designated donated four medical office buildings and phase of development of the research park, for demolition and funds for building new facilities 1.4 million square feet of land to UTHSC, the located in the heart of the Memphis Medical on this campus. One of the centers of the UTHSC contribution was one of the largest academic Center. The program included brief remarks campus is the Madison complex of buildings that gifts ever in the United States. When completed from J.R. “Pitt” Hyde, III, chairman of the were Baptist buildings 15 years ago. Without the UT-Baptist Research Park is expected to add Baptist’s generous gift, this would not be possible.” board, Memphis Bioworks Foundation, UTHSC Chancellor Steve J. Schwab, MD, State Senate 1.2 million square feet of laboratory, research, Chancellor Schwab also singled out Majority Leader Mark Norris, Stephen Reynolds, education and business development space on president and executive director of the Memphis its 10-acre campus. president and CEO, Baptist Memorial Health Bioworks Foundation Steven J. Bares, PhD, for “It is a pleasure to be here because this Care, and Jason Little, executive vice president “the tireless work he does to support UTHSC … event is an opportunity for the UT Health Science and COO, Baptist Memorial Health Care. Bioworks understands that the UT-Baptist Center to thank our partners for helping us Being implemented in six phases, UTResearch Park is a cornerstone of our campus – get where we are today,” Chancellor Schwab Baptist Research Park is about nine years into architecturally and in commercializing science.” said. “UTHSC today is a dramatically rejuvenated its development plan. Once construction is “This research park is a key part of the campus … in the best go-forward position finished, UT-Baptist Research Park is expected future growth and success of our community,” that we’ve been in for a very long time. Here in to produce a $2 billion annual economic impact Hyde stated. “I’m thrilled with the progress Memphis our main campus has experienced on Memphis with $250 million in annual salaries and prospects in front of us. And I’m thrilled a real renaissance. J. R. Pitt Hyde, III, is the from 5,000 new jobs. Currently there are three at looking forward to working with you on the visionary who supported UT through hard facilities in operation on the research park continued development of the research park.” 18 I n the Southeast, we are encircled by so many belts, it’s a wonder we can breathe. The Stroke Belt, the Diabetes Belt, the Cancer Belt and others are squeezing the life right out of us. The belts we wear, just by virtue of where we live, make us more likely to have a stroke, suffer from type 2 diabetes or die from cancer. But the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is working to loosen them all. The effort to unbuckle the Stroke Belt, which surrounds 11 states including Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, got a major boost when Andrei Alexandrov, MD, joined UTHSC in March as chair of the Department of Neurology and Semmes-Murphey Professor. Dr. Alexandrov was recruited to Memphis to By Peggy Reisser Winburne bolster decades of work done to combat stroke in the Mid-South. He builds on the efforts of physicians including William Pulsinelli, MD, PhD, former chair of Neurology, who for 20 years grew the research, education and clinical aspects of the department; Rick Boop, MD, professor and chair of Neurosurgery, who is working to improve clinical care by promoting teamwork between local neurologists and neurosurgeons; and Guy Reed, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine, who is researching better stroke treatments for the future. Each brings his own skills, focus and point of view, but they stand together on the front lines in the battle against stroke in the Mid-South. Next ... The Plan Medicine Summer 2014 19 Medicine The Plan A Loosening the Stranglehold of the STROKE BELT Taking Stroke Care to a Whole New Level native of Moscow, Dr. Alexandrov, has set his goals, and is attacking them with the resolve of a general and the warmth of a healer. He aims to set up a citywide stroke service, improve and speed up community access to vascular or stroke neurologists, raise community awareness of the symptoms and signs of stroke, and recruit and train doctors who will make sure the Stroke Belt doesn’t constrict us in the future. A big job, but he is ready. “It is exciting what we can build here,” he says. The Man Dr. Alexandrov says he got “a Russian welcome” on his first day on campus, March 3. It snowed. Some might say fitting weather for the neurologist, who received his MD degree in 1989 from First Moscow Medical Institute in Russia, and specialized in clinical neurology at the Institute of Neurology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Moscow. He completed his fellowship training in stroke and cerebrovascular ultrasound at the University of Toronto and the University of Texas. Dr. Alexandrov, 47, came to UTHSC from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where he was a professor in the Department of Neurology and director of the Division of Cerebrovascular Diseases. He also served as director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center and the Neurovascular Ultrasound Laboratory, and was medical director of the Stroke Service and the Intermediate Care Stroke Unit at the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham. He says he chose Birmingham because it is in the middle of the Stroke Belt. His colleague, George Howard, PhD, a professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UAB School of Public Health, has spent years there on the National Institutes of Health-funded REGARDS study (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in 20 Stroke) trying to uncover factors for the The Mantra strong predisposition to stroke that runs “Time is brain,” Dr. Alexandrov says. in families in this area. Dr. Alexandrov That’s the reason he feels so strongly worked on several projects with Dr. about expanding and revving up the Howard to analyze data from REGARDS. stroke response system to reduce time to The same geographical area as the Bible treatment, particularly for patients with Belt, the Stroke Belt surrounds a population acute stroke. that smokes more, eats more fried food, and “The longer a blood clot sits there, the suffers more frequently from high blood more brain cells die,” he says. “If you’re pressure, all of which make residents twice having symptoms of stroke, you only have as likely to have a stroke. one hour to decide to do something, and In Birmingham, Dr. Alexandrov set up that hour will largely determine how you a stroke response system that made UAB are going to spend the rest of your life.” Hospital and its Stroke Service available Even a TIA (Transient Ischemic to many emergency rooms in Greater Attack) or mini- or warning stroke needs Alabama and surrounding states. This immediate attention. “A person who has system changed the way acute strokes were this, a weakness in one side of the face, treated in Alabama and produced some of slurred speech, inability to talk, a weak the highest treatment rates in the nation. arm or leg – even briefly – these people are But calls from David Stern, MD, executive at high risk of developing a stroke within dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine, the first two days,” he says. Currently, such and Tulio Bertorini, MD, then-interim chair patients may not seek care if symptoms pass, of Neurology, presented a bigger challenge or may have to wait a week or two to be and more potential in Memphis. seen by a physician because of the limited “The attraction here in Memphis is number of stroke neurologists locally. that there are two prominent hospital “We want these patients to come to systems, Methodist and Baptist, and both the emergency room, whatever emergency systems are actually recognizing stroke as room, and they will be seen by a stroke a major burden and are willing to consider specialist, and that’s what we will be working with the university physicians opening here, a kind of fast-track access for to develop a much more efficient system, these patients to the specialists.“ which would bring specialists to their Methodist University Hospital, a core campuses,” Dr. Alexandrov says. “My teaching hospital for UTHSC, now takes long-term goal is to build a citywide the majority of stroke patients from the stroke program that would cover not community in its comprehensive Stroke only Methodist and participating Center and Neurovascular Center. Dr. institutions, but eventually, Baptist and Alexandrov serves as medical director of the their participating institutions. University center and a member of the stroke response stroke physicians already cover the team. A fast-access walk-in clinic for TIA Regional Medical Center, and we are open patients will be located there, too. to collaboration with everyone who cares for stroke victims in the tri-state area. So that means anywhere the patients come to the closest emergency room, they will end up being seen by a stroke neurologist.” Continued Discussions are under way to develop such a wide-ranging system. “It’s an exciting opportunity here to build a really, really cutting-edge citywide stroke program, which is almost impossible in other places in the United States because of competition between institutions.” From Moscow to Memphis You might say that caring for the brain is a family affair for UTHSC’s new chair of the Department of Neurology. “Both of my parents are neurologists,” says Andrei Alexandrov, MD. “But they never influenced me.” His wife, Anne Alexandrov, also is a professor in the College of Nursing at UTHSC and a stroke specialist. Dr. Alexandrov says he initially wanted to be a physicist. That is, until the math skills of a high school classmate, who is now at Princeton University, intimidated him. “I thought, ‘I like science, so what is the more manageable thing for me,’ and it turns out medicine was equally exciting, but did not require the high math skills,” he says. Neurology, however, was not in the picture early on. “In medical school, I wanted to be anybody else but a neurologist,” he says. “My teacher during my rotation of neurology just completely won me over.” Andrei Alexandrov, MD Medicine Summer 2014 21 “Time is brain.” Andrei V. Alexandrov, MD Loosening the Stranglehold of the STROKE BELT The Methods Increasing the number of stroke neurologists and access to them across the city will mean that more stroke victims will have a better chance to receive the only effective therapy approved by the FDA to reverse neurological damage from stroke – a clotbusting medicine called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). At least 85 percent of strokes are caused by clots within a blood vessel that supplies oxygen to the brain. This medicine must be given by intravenous injection within four and a half hours after onset of stroke symptoms to dissolve such clots. The earlier it is given, the better the chances of limiting lasting damage to the brain. Most emergency rooms now carry tPA. But less than half of all patients arrive at the hospital early enough to benefit from any treatment, and less than 5 percent get tPA in time. That’s because of the time it takes to transport patients and evaluate them to determine if the drug is an appropriate treatment. At Methodist University Hospital, where the high-volume stroke team works closely with the Memphis Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services, the average time to treatment is at more than two hours from symptom onset. This is not unusual in Memphis or in the nation, Dr. Alexandrov says, but there is room for improvement. “It is clear to us that acute stroke management in the U.S. needs to be restructured to allow rapid screening and treatment of stroke patients with tPA therapy,” he says. “Based on past data, we estimate if we can treat a patient within one hour of symptom onset, the patient would have over a four times greater likelihood of complete recovery, compared to later treatment.” It’s a hypothesis he intends to test in Memphis. To do that, he hopes to: • Bolster the stroke team by recruiting more vascular stroke specialists to Memphis and “growing” them through fellowship and residency programs. • Establish a telemedicine system linking the flagship Stroke Centers with emergency rooms in the region to eliminate travel time, expand diagnostic access and speed treatment. • Equip a specialized ambulance for prehospital stroke treatment. This mobile unit would have all the diagnostic tools and stroke medicine competence needed for therapeutic decisions at the site. A stroke specialist could go to the patient and be able to assess, diagnose and begin treatment, instead of waiting until the patient arrives at the hospital. • Better educate the public about the signs, symptoms and treatment of strokes and TIAs. • Encourage development of all aspects of academic neurology and stroke research Dr. Alexandrov is mindful of the good work that has been done in Memphis and the systems already in place here to combat stroke. “We just need to take it to the next level.” Help Wanted The community is a key player in the best stroke care. Fast access and expanded treatment can help only if the community is well-versed in recognizing the symptoms of stroke and quick to act if they surface. According to the National Stroke Association (stroke.org), the symptoms include: • Weakness in an arm or leg • Drooping or numbness of one side of the face • Confusion, slurred speech, difficulty understanding • Trouble seeing in one or both eyes Next ... A Firm Foundation • Dizziness, trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination • Severe headache without a cause “Treating stroke is a very time-sensitive issue,” says Dr. Alexandrov, who advises calling 911 immediately if you suspect someone is having a stroke. “Every second counts.” 22 22 Medicine Summer 2014 23 A Firm Foundation W Loosening the Stranglehold of the STROKE BELT Twenty Years of Progress in Stroke Research, Education and Care illiam Pulsinelli, MD, PhD, was drawn to Memphis and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in the early 1990s because he felt he could make a difference here. “The fact that this part of the country had an incidence of stroke higher than virtually anyplace else. That is one of the reasons I decided to leave New York and come to Memphis,” says Dr. Pulsinelli, who left Cornell Medical College/New York Hospital in 1992 to become chair of the Department of Neurology and Semmes-Murphey Professor at UTHSC. “The opportunity to study stroke here was extraordinary.” In the 20 years he held that position, Pulsinelli made his mark, successfully working to improve stroke medicine in Memphis and modernizing the way the UTHSC College of Medicine trains those who practice it. He stepped down as chair in 2012, but continues to lend his expertise to ongoing efforts to grow and strengthen academic and clinical aspects of neurology and stroke care in the region. “The plan was when I turned 70, which I did almost two years ago, I would step down as chair, and so I did, and that I would retire shortly thereafter, which I am slowly doing,” Pulsinelli says. “I am delighted that Dr. Andrei Alexandrov has joined the program, and I’m hoping he has success in further developing stroke care here.” Dr. Pulsinelli came to Memphis from one of the top neurology programs in the country. He left Cornell/New York Hospital in the third year of a five-year, $7 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for basic and clinical stroke research, and set out to bolster the academic aspects of the department at UTHSC through recruiting faculty and boosting research. “We went from having virtually no research grants when I arrived, to when I finished up two years ago, $3 million roughly of NIH grants and also pharmaceuticalbased grants,” says Pulsinelli, whose own research has focused on how disturbances of blood flow cause damage to brain cells. “The Neurology faculty members are publishing on average 50 or so peer-reviewed manuscripts a year.” Establishing a Stroke Center Dr. Pulsinelli took on the monumental task of working with area institutions to establish a certified Stroke Center for the community, first with Baptist Memorial Hospital until its move east in 2000, and later with the Regional Medical Center. “It didn’t move anywhere near as quickly as I had hoped it would, but we made significant progress in stroke care here,” Pulsinelli says. As early as 1997, he worked closely with the administration at Baptist to develop standardized orders for the use of tissue plasminogen activator, an FDA-approved medication that if given within three to four hours of a stroke may improve chances of recovery. “The medication only became available in 1996, While chair of the Department of Neurology at UTHSC, William Pulsinelli, MD, PhD, worked for 20 years to improve stroke research, education and care. so very quickly, within a year or so, we had things set up to be providing it to the population of Memphis,” he says. The efforts paid off when Methodist University Hospital, a core teaching hospital of UTHSC, was certified as a Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. “Stroke care here now is probably cutting edge,” he says. “When friends of mine ask me ‘where do I go if I have a stroke,’ I tell them to go to Methodist.” Improving Medical Education But cutting-edge stroke care is only as good as the doctors who administer it, and they are only as good as the training they receive. Dr. Pulsinelli has led the drive to improve that training, too. Chair of the basic science curriculum revision committee, Dr. Pulsinelli instituted a “flipped classroom” concept in neurology training. “As we became involved with curriculum revision and became aware of some new teaching strategies, I didn’t wait for a decision to come down from the top to make a change in the clinical neuroscience course,” he says. In a flipped classroom, instead of the traditional teaching model with a professor lecturing, prerecorded lectures are available online for students to view. Class time is spent with the professor guiding students in discussions and problem-solving exercises in various case scenarios. “The students seem to enjoy it, and the faculty members love it, once they’ve done it,” he says. “It’s a tremendous amount of work to get it going, but it probably is a more effective way of teaching.” Dr. Pulsinelli believes the citizens of Memphis will benefit from the emphasis David Stern, MD, executive dean of the College of Medicine, is placing on combating stroke in partnership with area hospitals. “They’re making it possible to provide the resources, I hope, for Dr. Alexandrov to be successful in continuing to develop stroke care,” he says. Next ... A United Front 24 24 “... this part of the country had an incidence of stroke higher than virtually anyplace else ... The opportunity to study stroke here was extraordinary.” William Pulsinelli, MD, PhD (Above) Human brain model used to teach students about the blood supply to the brain Medicine Summer 2014 25 “With that program up and running, we’re now not just taking care of people at one hospital, but taking care of people in the whole city.” Rick Boop, MD A United Front A STROKE BELT Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery Battle Stroke Together major step in loosening the bind of the Stroke Belt involves tightening the bonds between the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery at UTHSC. Rick Boop, MD, professor and chair of Neurosurgery at UTHSC, is front and center in helping to accomplish this. A pediatric neurosurgeon, Boop doesn’t see a lot of strokes in his clinical practice at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, but as a department chair, he oversees program development for neurosurgery in the city and works with physicians who do see them. Dr. Boop was a member of the search committee that brought Dr. Andrei Alexandrov to Memphis to head the Department of Neurology and helm the efforts to move the already strong local stroke treatment program into national prominence. “I think the citizens of Memphis are enjoying better care for hemorrhages in the brain, aneurysms and strokes than they’ve ever had before,” Dr. Boop says. “We’re hoping the level of neurocritical care will continue to get better and better.” Our spot at the buckle of the Stroke Belt means our stroke program is one of the largest in the nation. “And with the new Neurology chair search under way, we thought this program is so much at the forefront in the nation, it was important to bring someone in as a chairman who could help continue to build that program and take it one step further,” Dr. Boop says. “That’s how Dr. Alexandrov became a top choice.” The framework on which Dr. Alexandrov will build a citywide stroke response team, Dr. Boop says, has been laid by neurologists and neurosurgeons working together in Memphis. Physicians of the Semmes-Murphey Neurologic & Spine Institute, one of the largest groups of neurosurgeons and neurologists in the country, historically have provided oversight of the residency and fellowship training in neurosurgery locally. Adam Arthur, MD, a neurosurgeon with Semmes-Murphey and an associate professor at UTHSC, has spent the better part of a decade building a citywide vascular-endovascular program of neurosurgeons, neurologists and interventional neuroradiologists offering state-of-the-art surgical and interventional care to patients at various hospitals in town. Rick Boop, MD, believes closer cooperation between the Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology at UTHSC will result in better stroke care. Photo: Lisa Buser 26 26 Loosening the Stranglehold of the “With that program up and running, we’re now not just taking care of people at one hospital, but taking care of people in the whole city,” Dr. Boop says. “It’s raising the bar so that everyone in the city, no matter which hospital they end up going to, even people in the region if they get transferred to one of the hospitals in the city, can enjoy the same quality of care in all the different hospital systems.” Neurology, a branch of internal medicine, treats disorders of the nervous system, brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles. Neurosurgeons perform surgical treatment on the brain or nervous system. Dr. Alexandrov’s plans to build a citywide system of stroke or vascular neurologists who work with the established vascularendovascular program will further boost stroke critical care in the region. “The program is there, but we’re hoping Dr. Alexandrov will take it to a national level of prominence,” Dr. Boop says. “Dr. Arthur is a neurosurgeon and Dr. Alexandrov is a neurologist, so for people who might need surgery, hopefully, Dr. Alexandrov would call Dr. Arthur. We’re hoping there will be synergy here.” Dr. Boop is confident that Dr. Alexandrov, a national leader in stroke and neurocritical care, is the right person at the right time to take this relationship to new levels. “He’s coming here and he’s bringing to us new research protocols; he’s bringing to us new technologies we’ve not had in this city before; he’s bringing to us new teaching and training paradigms for medical students, as well as residents and fellows; he’s recruiting good, quality people to come to Memphis and help build this program,” Dr. Boop says. “It will certainly raise the level of care for people who have strokes.” Next ... The Key to the Future Medicine Summer 2014 27 The Key to the Future G STROKE BELT UTHSC Researchers Pursue Better Methods to Treat Stroke uy Reed, MD, traces his quest to find a better way to treat strokes back to his days in training. “What motivated me was to watch a patient come in with symptoms of a stroke, and then watch him progressively deteriorate and die because there wasn’t anything we could do for him,” says Dr. Reed, a cardiologist and chair of the Department of Medicine at UTHSC. “I just realized we didn’t understand what was going on, we didn’t understand what was causing it, and we didn’t have a safe way of approaching the problem because the current therapies we had were too risky and had their own problems. We needed a way to improve care.” Dr. Reed began more than a decade ago to actively research a safer, more effective therapy for dissolving blood clots, which are the cause of most strokes. Currently, tissue plasminogen activator is the only proven treatment for dissolving blood clots. It is effective on the right patients, but must be given within a certain window of time from onset of symptoms, and can cause Dr. Guy Reed, right, and members of his team, including Aiilyan Houng, are researching better ways major bleeding. “Over time, the benefit of to treat ischemic stroke. tPA declines and the toxicities rise, so it’s a competing risk-benefit ratio,” he says. Dr. Reed sees research as a responsibility “I think more needs to be done in “It ends up being used in only five of any medical university in the battle getting patients to recognize the onset of percent or less of the patients who have against disease. stroke, getting them to understand what ischemic stroke,” Dr. Reed says. “So the “As an academic health center, we the symptoms might be, getting people to challenge really has been to find a way to hospitals and treated earlier,” Dr. Reed says. really have a primary mission of educating treat patients in a way that doesn’t enhance “But the key would be to make a treatment people to learn the best current knowledge their risk of a side effect that might cause its that’s safer that you could give to a larger of how to diagnose and treat disease and own disability or its own mortality.” improve health,” he says. “But we also group of patients over a longer period of Dr. Reed, who has been at UTHSC have an obligation to advance the field, so time after a stroke.” for six years, is the principal investigator The original research that led to stromab that we can discover new ways and better in research funded with a total of roughly ways to treat and prevent disease, so that was designed to identify what regulates clot $7 million from the National Institutes of in 2020, we’re not still treating people the dissolution in the body, Dr. Reed says. The Health that has developed a monoclonal same way with the same therapies we’re team identified a molecule as the agent, and antibody called stromab that’s shown to using in 2014.” then made an antibody that inhibited that rapidly and safely dissolve blood clots and And he hopes those who will be molecule, and the blood clots dissolved. prevent ischemic brain injury, hemorrhage administering those therapies keep They thought this might have utility in and disability when compared with tPA or something in mind. humans, and studied it progressively in controls. Dr. Reed and his seven-member “It’s important that we keep as a central mice, ferrets, rabbits and so on. “It looks very team seek to develop stromab as the first promising,” he says, adding it could be useful part of our mission research and efforts approved, new class of clot-dissolving agents to discover new ways to treat and prevent beyond stroke for other problems caused by since tPA was introduced decades ago. disease, and that medical students and thrombi or blood clots. They are producing stromab for residents and fellows think about that “It’s the only research on this molecule Phase I trials targeted for January 2015 pathway as a potential career to accomplish in the country,” Dr. Reed says. “There are to test on key biomarkers in humans, their goals of making the community many other different approaches to stroke and Phase II trials as a therapeutic for healthier in addition to their practice of going on, but I hope for all of us at least stroke patients late next year. medicine,” Dr. Reed says. “You can do both.” one of them is effective.” 28 “... the key would be to make a treatment that’s safer that you could give to a larger group of patients over a longer period of time after a stroke.” Loosening the Stranglehold of the Next ... The Big Picture Guy Reed, MD Medicine Summer 2014 29 “Our goal is a College of Medicine, not just in, but for Memphis.” David Stern, MD 30 The Big Picture D Loosening the Stranglehold of the STROKE BELT An Engaged College of Medicine Means a Healthier Community avid Stern, MD, executive dean of the College of Medicine, has his sights set on the major health problems plaguing the region. The Stroke Belt is not the only target – diabetes, lung cancer, renal disease, health disparities, obesity – all are in his crosshairs. And as his doctors at the College of Medicine take them down, they build the community up. “The College of Medicine is dedicated to providing outstanding training to the next generation of physicians, and to being an active force in improving the overall health of our community,” says Dr. Stern. “That means we focus on developing and providing cutting-edge care when people are sick, and offering services and solutions that help keep them well.” While the dean prefers to stay in the background, he is assembling a worldclass team to help him achieve his vision. Dr. Stern says his goal is to bring added value to the community by recruiting specialists to the College of Medicine, like Dr. Alexandrov, who bring new skills and approaches to the excellent education, clinical care and research at UTHSC. “We are trying to increase the health and wellness of Memphis,” Dr. Stern says. “Dr. Alexandrov is charged with developing a citywide comprehensive Neurology Department that embraces the whole community and multiple health systems. He will be working closely with his colleagues in Neurosurgery to develop seamless coordination of care for patients with neurological disorders. His experience in translational and clinical research will invigorate stroke care throughout the city.” Dr. Stern’s plans also include setting up Centers of Excellence to target these major health concerns; caring for vulnerable populations; and embedding the College of Medicine in the community with public service work and the best possible clinical care performed by UTHSC doctors at our partner teaching hospitals. “Our goal is a College of Medicine, not just in, but for Memphis.” David Stern, MD, executive dean of the College of Medicine at UTHSC, has his eye on making the community a healthier place to live. Medicine Summer 2014 31 Alumni & Development Karen Kaufman-Codjoe MD, MPH Hometown: Memphis, Tenn. Family: Three Children (Ellis Codjoe. Seattle, Wash. ; John Codjoe, DDS Hyannis, Mass.; Ama Codjoe, New York, N.Y.) and four grandchildren Education: Undergraduate Degree: BA 1973 – Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn.; MD 1978 – University of Tennessee Health Science Center; Pediatric Residency 1979-1982 – Brackenridge Hospital, Austin, Texas, 1979-1983; MPH 1990 – Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio Specialty: Board Certified – Pediatrics; Board Eligible – Preventive Medicine What is your favorite UT memory as a student? “Being noted as a trailblazer for being Black and female and then working extremely hard to accomplish the goal of becoming a physician. Meeting fellow students and faculty that went on to become lifelong friends was very special. It was a memorable experience training at the hospital where I was born (John Gaston).” Why did you select UT COM? “After living in Minnesota for college, I wanted to come back home for affordable medical school training and to be close to family. The warmer weather was a big plus.” What are some highlights of your professional career? “Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics, St. Elizabeth Health Center, Youngstown, Ohio, 1983-1997; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, 1986-1997; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, 1986-1997; Youngstown Board of Health, 1989-1994; Miles V. Lynk Medical Society, Secretary, 1999-2002; Volunteer State Medical Association – President, 2005-2007” What UT volunteer positions have you held? “Alumni Council 2012-present” Why did you get involved? “I lived outside of the state for a lot of my career. When I moved back to Tennessee, I was impressed with all the changes at UTCOM and welcomed the opportunity to serve on the Alumni Council and get an up-close look at the medical school that provided me with an excellent foundation for my career in medicine.” What is your advice to other UT Alumni about getting involved? “Most of us entered medical school with the vision of helping others. Getting involved with UTCOM affords an opportunity to do that by working with the students, bringing community needs to the table, and as a community leader staying informed about resources available at the university that is training the next generation of doctors. Doctors with experience have a lot to offer the medical school in the way of real-world experience. The more diverse this experience pool is the greater are the benefits for all.” 32 Medicine Summer 2014 33 Medicine Alumni & Development Thursday, August 14 2014 Outstanding Alumnus Award Recipients 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Executive Committee Meeting UTHSC Campus ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 11:30 – 4:00 p.m. Alumni Council Meeting Center for Cancer Research – UTHSC Campus ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Outstanding Alumni Awards Dinner Venetian Ballroom – Peabody Hotel COST: $50/PERSON ———————————————— Friday, August 15 7:15 a.m. CME Registration and Continental Breakfast Freeman Auditorium – Hamilton Eye Institute ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Plenary Sessions – FREE EVENT! Freeman Auditorium – Hamilton Eye Institute ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast for Spouses and Those Not Attending CE Program – FREE EVENT! Jackson Room – Peabody Hotel ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 11:00 a.m. Keynote Address: Update on Diabetes Management in the Community Freeman Auditorium – Hamilton Eye Institute Irl B. Hirsch, MD Professor of Medicine The Diabetes Treatment and Teaching Chair The University of Washington School of Medicine FREE EVENT! ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. UT Health Science Center Walking Tour Advance reservations requested. Minimum of 25 people required. FREE EVENT! ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. College of Medicine White Coat Ceremony Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Networking Reception for Alumni & Students Hernando DeSoto Room & Club Bar – Peabody Hotel FREE EVENT! ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Class Reunion Dinners ———————————————— Saturday, August 16 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Class Reunion Dinners ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Note: Room locations are subject to change. 34 Jack B. Alperin, MD, FACP ’57 Jesse J. Cannon, Jr., MD ’76 James D. Link, MD ’61 Dana V. Wallace, MD ’72 For more details, visit the 2014 Medicine Alumni Weekend website at www.uthscalumni.com/2014MedicineWeekend. Registration opens Tuesday, June 17! Keynote Address by Irl Hirsch, MD Dr. Irl Hirsch is a professor of medicine and holds the Diabetes Treatment and Teaching Chair at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. He went to medical school at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., trained in internal medicine at the University of Miami in Miami, Fla., and Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach. Dr. Hirsch completed a research fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Hirsch has been interested in new technologies for the treatment of diabetes, particularly those involved in the use of insulin therapy. He has been involved in numerous major clinical research trials, including the DCCT, ACCORD, STAR-1, JDRF Sensor Trial, SEARCH, ORIGIN, ADAG and many more. He has authored more than 140 papers including a review of insulin in the New England Journal of Medicine, more than 50 editorials, three commentaries in “Journal of the American Medical Association,” numerous book chapters and four books both for patients and physicians. Dr. Hirsch is the past editor-in-chief of DOC News and Clinical Diabetes and the former chair of the Professional Practice Committee for the American Diabetes Association. He has served as a member of the Endocrine Section of the American Board of Internal Medicine. Irl B. Hirsch, MD Medicine Summer 2014 35 Alumni & Development You’re Invited to Golden Graduate Homecoming OCTOBER 15-17, 2014 MEMPHIS, TN HONORING GRADUATES OF 1964 FROM ALL SIX UTHSC COLLEGES We are planning the following events just for you: • Dinner at the Rendezvous • College Open Houses • Lunch with the Chancellor • Golden Graduate Ceremony • UT vs. Ole Miss football package and more! All class years prior to 1964 are invited to attend. Once a Golden Graduate, always a Golden Graduate. Please watch your mailbox for a detailed event brochure. Call (901) 448-5516 or visit uthscalumni.com for more information. Please Save the Date! College of Medicine Alumni Reception in Knoxville, Tenn. Featuring University of Tennessee and College of Medicine leadership and special guests Friday Evening, October 24 (Evening before the UT vs. Alabama game) Cherokee Country Club Questions? Please call Kelly Davis, Regional Director of Development, at 901-448-5516 or [email protected] 36 The College of Medicine Needs Your Support! W ould you like to find a way to give back to the College of Medicine? Did you receive scholarship support while attending UTHSC and would like to now offer support for future students? Would you like to honor a past mentor or professor? Do you want to see the UTHSC College of Medicine reach new heights in educating medical students, conducting research, and caring for patients in Tennessee and beyond? If you answered yes to any of these questions, please consider making a gift today. Donations from alumni, residents, past trainees and fellows, former and current parents, community advocates, corporations and foundations, and friends new and old of the College of Medicine are one of the key drivers in making the college exceptional. There are countless areas at the UTHSC College of Medicine that can benefit from your support, including student scholarships, research, departmental-based support, or funding entirely new initiatives. There are so many ways to contribute, too — onetime gifts or multiple-year pledges, IRA designations, simple bequests, and more. We can help you find the best way for you to contribute to the College of Medicine. Please contact Zach M. Pretzer, CFRE, Director of Development for the College of Medicine, at (901) 448-4975 or via email at [email protected] to learn more about how to donate to the College of Medicine. Below are examples of some of the College of Medicine’s minimum endowment levels. The minimum amount required to name and endow a fund is $25,000. Gifts can be pledged up to a period of five years. For example, five annual gifts of $5,000 would name/endow a $25,000 fund, such as a student scholarship, at the end of year five. CHAIR – $2,000,000 or more Provides substantial salary support for a College of Medicine faculty member and their related research, library, and travel expenses. The dean, or the appropriate academic officer, determines specific criteria with approval of the Chancellor. PROFESSORSHIP – $1,500,000 or more Provides a salary supplement and/or related research, library, and travel expenses. The dean of the College of Medicine, or the appropriate academic officer, determines specific criteria with approval of the Chancellor. DISTINGUISHED VISITING PROFESSORSHIP – $100,000 or more Provides honorarium and travel expenses for a visiting professor, plus event expenses for addressing several audiences (students, faculty and community professionals). RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUND – $100,000 or more Supports research in the field designated by the donor. LABORATORY – $75,000 or more Provides naming rights for an available laboratory space. LECTURESHIP – $60,000 or more Provides honorarium and travel expenses for a lecture by a noted scholar. FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FUND – $50,000 or more Supports College of Medicine faculty in developing their careers through study, research, travel and professional activities. SCHOLARSHIP – $25,000 or more Creates an endowed scholarship fund for the College of Medicine that will benefit current or entering students in need and/or to reward outstanding academic performance. MINIMUM ENDOWMENT – $25,000 or more Any of these opportunities may be provided in one payment or be built to this level over a fiveyear period. All endowment gifts may include naming rights as well. Medicine Summer 2014 37 Alumni & Development UTHSC Launches 1911 Society for Donor Recognition O n July 1, 2013, the UT Health Science Center Office of Development and Alumni Affairs unveiled a new donor recognition society. Named the 1911 Society in honor of the year that our campus was started, this new recognition opportunity acknowledges donors who make annual, recurring gifts that serve as the renewable basis of private support each year. “Members of the 1911 Society are the leaders of our past, present and future,” said Bethany Goolsby, associate vice chancellor for Development at UTHSC. “The ongoing, annual support of our alumni and friends provides funding necessary for administrators, faculty and students to succeed in all areas of health care training, education and community service.” All donors whose gifts to the UT Health Science Center totaled between $100 and $10,000 during the period July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013 were granted charter membership in one of the six 1911 Society giving levels. Charter membership will also be extended to all individuals who give at 1911 Society membership levels between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014. Membership level is based on total contributions across six different levels of private support. To be named in one of the 1911 Society recognition levels, donors can direct gifts to any college, program or fund at the UT Health Science Center. “That is the unique aspect of this level of recognition,” said Goolsby. “We want to proudly identify individuals who are supporting the Health Science Center with their financial resources each year.” Members will be listed in a 1911 Society Roll of Honor to be published in various newsletters, magazines and other publications throughout the year. As members of the 1911 Society, donors are recognized as vital partners of the UT Health Science Center community. Depending on membership level, various benefits are available to all members along with the most obvious benefit — the satisfaction of knowing that your support has provided meaningful resources for UT Health Science Center faculty, students and staff. Your loyalty matters to us ... and to you. And to our students, faculty and staff as well. For more information on how to make a gift and become a member of the 1911 Society, please contact the UTHSC Office of Development and Alumni Affairs at (901) 448-5516. 1911 Milestone Member 1911 Visionary Member 1911 Dean’s Alliance Member 1911 Chancellor’s Circle Member 1911 Patron Member 1911 Hyman Associate Member $100 - $249 $250 - $499 $500 - $999 $1,000 - $2,499 $2,500 - $4,999 $5,000 - $10,000 Well, you could be. 1911 Society Benefits 1911 Society Decal FY13 and FY14 members are identified as Charter Members Recognition in annual Roll of Honor Collegiate and campus publications Communication from UTHSC Students Email, letter and/or postcard contacts Communication from UTHSC Dean New year correspondence, update after board meetings Special Invitations to Campus Events 1911 Society Lapel Pin Annual VIP Communication from the Chancellor Special Recognition at Events Note on rosters, note on nametags, recognized from the podium when possible 38 Milestone Visionary Dean's Alliance Chancellor’s Circle Patron Hyman Associate $100 - $249 $250 - $499 $500 - $999 $1,000 - $2,499 $2,500 -$4,999 $5,000 - $10,000 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Sneak Peek For For more more than than four four decades, decades, the the UT UT Alumni Alumni Association Association has has The The 2014 2014 program program will will feature feature 40 40 tours, tours, beginning beginning at at only only $714! $714! safe, safe, exciting, exciting, and and affordable affordable tours tours to to all all corners corners of of the the world. world. partnered partnered with with America’s America’s finest finest travel travel companies companies to to provide provide Cruise Cruise the the Caribbean, Caribbean, explore explore the the Swiss Swiss Alps, Alps, steamboat steamboat down down the the Mississippi Mississippi River, River, spot spot wild wild animals animals on on safari safari in in Africa, Africa, sail sail through through the the Panama Panama Canal, Canal, discover discover the the sights sights and and sounds sounds of of Well, you could be. Southeast Southeast Asia, Asia, or or enjoy enjoy the the company company of of fellow fellow UT UT alumni alumni on on Sneak Peek The 2014 program will feature 40 tours, beginning at only $714! one one of of our our 40 40 other other tours. tours. For more than four decades, the UT Alumni Association has Tempting, isn’t it? Tempting, isn’t it? finest travel companies to provide partnered with America’s safe, exciting, and affordable tours to all corners of the world. Cruise the Caribbean, explore the Swiss Alps, steamboat down the Mississippi River, spot wild animals on safari in Africa, sail through the Panama Canal, discover the sights and sounds of utaaconnect.com/tours Southeast Asia, or enjoy the company of fellow UT alumni on If If you you have have any any questions, questions, please please contact contact the the UTAA UTAA at at one of our 40 other tours. [email protected] [email protected] or or 865-974-2115 865-974-2115 Tempting, isn’t it? Medicine Summer Medicine Summer 2014 2014 39 39 Alumni & Development UT COLLEGE OF MEDICINE ALUMNI COUNCIL C O L L E G E O F DidYou M E D I C I N E Know? T H E N U M B E R S 16 26 4 69 40 New Inventions Disclosed Patents Filed Patents Issued NIH Grants Published Articles in 2013 Join the Come Grow with Us! The UT College of Nursing is looking for faculty members with varied specialties to educate and train the next generation of nurses. We are seeking enthusiastic, accomplished achievers with a passion for both teaching and the nursing profession. Do you know a doctorally prepared nurse – with practice or academic credentials – who has a love for learning and sharing knowledge? Could be our next faculty member. Faculty Positions Available in Memphis and Nashville Visit: www.uthsc.edu/nursing/jobs Contact: Laura Beth Homonnay Email: [email protected] Office: (901) 448-6135 or (800) 733-2498 40 B Y 20 U.S. 6 International in 2013 3 U.S. 1 International in 2013 Funded for a Total of $24.1 Million FY2014 as of 6/4/2014 in Scholarly Journals FY2014 as of 4/7/2014 Nursing Faculty President THOMAS WHITAKER, M.D., ’70 Myrtle Beach, S.C. President-elect ROBERT KERLAN, MD ’69 Germantown, Tenn. Vice President LEONARD H. HINES, MD ’64 Lenoir City, Tenn. Secretary JOHN P. LITTLE, MD ’92 Knoxville, Tenn. —————————————————————————— Past Presidents PAUL HUFFSTUTTER, MD ’73 Lenoir City, Tenn. JAMES W. MORRIS, MD ’72 Lebanon, Tenn. WILLAM A. SIMS, MD ’61 Decatur, Ala. JAMES C. FLEMING, MD ’74 Germantown, Tenn. MARY C. HAMMOCK, MD ’81 Chattanooga, Tenn. JERRALL PAUL CROOK, MD ’58 Nashville, Tenn. ALBERT J. GROBMYER III, MD ’62 Memphis, Tenn. WILLIAM N. WILLIFORD, MD ’70 Knoxville, Tenn. OLIN O. WILLIAMS, MD ’53 Murfreesboro, Tenn. (deceased) JOHN (MAC) HODGES, MD ’63 Memphis, Tenn. JOE W. BLACK, Jr., MD ’57 Knoxville, Tenn. JOHN K. WRIGHT, MD ’59 Nashville, Tenn. JOHN H. BURKHART, MD ’45 Knoxville, Tenn. (deceased) ARTHUR R. EVANS, Jr., MD ’50 Louisville, Tenn. (deceased) ROBERT E. CLENDENIN, Jr., MD ’60 Union City, Tenn. JOHN P. NASH, MD ’56 Memphis, Tenn. JOHN K. DUCKWORTH, MD ’56 Nesbit, Miss. —————————————————————————— UT Medical Center – Knoxville MARK S. GAYLORD, MD ’78 Knoxville, Tenn. UT Medical Center – Chattanooga MICHAEL S. GREER, MD ’78 Chattanooga, Tenn. —————————————————————————— Tennessee At-Large KAREN CODJOE, MD ’78 Jackson LORI EMERSON, MD ’83 Lookout Mountain LEONARD H. HINES, MD ’64 Lenoir City GARY W. JERKINS, MD ’77 Nashville ROBERT KAPLAN, MD ’73 Memphis RODNEY WOLF, MD ’61 Memphis East Tennessee THOMAS TREY CARR, MD ’04 Lookout Mountain STEPHEN JACKSON, MD ’84 Cleveland TARECK A. KADRIE, MD ’98 Signal Mountain JOHN P. LITTLE, MD ’92 Knoxville MOLLY J. PEELER. MD ’84 Knoxville —————————————————————————— Middle Tennessee JAN DELOZIER, MD ’87 Nashville MORRIS D. FERGUSON, MD ’56 Lebanon BILL HARB, MD ’99 Nashville DAVID HILL, MD ’80 Nashville —————————————————————————— West Tennessee MICHAEL D. CALFEE, MD ’95 Union City JAMES T. GALYON, MD ’53 Memphis GENE MANGIANTE, MD ’75 Memphis —————————————————————————— Out-of-State At-Large JOHN E. HAMILTON, MD ’84 Florence, Ala. ROBERT E. HOWE, MD ’57 Gardendale, Ala. MICHAEL J. SMITH, MD ’73 Tierra Verde, Fla. —————————————————————————— Region I GERALD REICH, MD ’72 Rolling Hills, Calif. —————————————————————————— Region II RONALD JONES, MD ’57 Dallas, Texas —————————————————————————— Region III VACANT —————————————————————————— Alabama DEASON DUNAGAN, MD ’72 Arkansas VACANT Florida GARY A. GROOMS, MD ’66 Georgia VACANT Kentucky VACANT Mississippi VACANT North Carolina JONATHAN BURDETTE, MD ’93 South Carolina ROBERT M. CALLIS, MD ’74 Texas RANDAL S. WEBER, MD ’76 Virginia VACANT Emeritus A. MITCHELL BURFORD, Jr., MD ’57 Florence, Ala. LARRY P. ELLIOTT, MD ’57 Isle of Palms, S.C. ALBERT M. HAND, MD ’42 Shreveport, La. EVELYN B. OGLE, MD ’47 Memphis, Tenn. LEROY SHERRILL, MD ’52 Chattanooga, Tenn. DAVID H. TURNER, MD ’52 Chattanooga, Tenn. (deceased) RALPH HAMILTON, MD ’52 Germantown, Tenn. JOHN NASH, MD ’56 Memphis, Tenn. —————————————————————————— Honorary JOE E. JOHNSON, EdD JAMES HUNT, MD Chancellor of Health Science Center Steve J. Schwab, MD —————————————————————————— Executive Dean for the College Of Medicine David M. Stern, MD —————————————————————————— Special Assistant to the Chancellor Hershel “Pat” Wall, MD —————————————————————————— College of Medicine James J. Neutens, PhD Dean, College of Medicine Knoxville David C. Seaberg, MD, CPE, FACEP Dean, College of Medicine Chattanooga —————————————————————————— Interim Foundation President & Executive Director UT Alumni Association Lofton Stuart —————————————————————————— Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Affairs Randy Farmer, EdD —————————————————————————— Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving Kris Phillips —————————————————————————— Director of Alumni Programs Michelle Nixon, MBA Chandra Tuggle —————————————————————————— Associate Director of Alumni Programs Monica Everett —————————————————————————— Senior Director of Annual Giving & Advancement Services Jada Williams —————————————————————————— Associate Vice Chancellor for Development Bethany Goolsby Blankenship, JD —————————————————————————— Director of Development Zach Pretzer Medicine Summer 2014 41 Faculty L en Lothstein, PhD, considers himself lucky. He’s been a researcher at UTHSC for 25 years, and was fortunate enough to have had the same research assistant for 15 of those years. “That’s highly unusual,” said Dr. Lothstein, an associate professor of Pathology and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “As often happens in laboratories, we hire someone as a lab assistant, and they will, more often than not, stick around for a year or two years, and then move on to a PhD program or med school. We could hardly fault them for doing that, but it’s a problem in continuity of research.” Continuity Conundrum The “... we hire someone as a lab assistant, and they will, more often than not, stick around for a year or two years, and then move on to a PhD program or med school.” Dr. Len Lothstein That’s why Dr. Lothstein has developed a new graduate program at UTHSC designed to train qualified students to assume the technical staff positions of senior laboratory assistant and laboratory manager in biomedical research labs in the academic, government and private sectors. The Master of Science in Laboratory Research and Management Program will begin in the fall of 2014. The intensive three-semester program on the UTHSC campus will be administered through the Department of Pathology in the College of Medicine, working in tandem with the College of Graduate Health Sciences. It will offer theoretical and practical laboratory experience, and also train students in the managerial and administrative skills required of a senior research assistant or lab manager in basic and translational biomedical research laboratories. “What we want to do with this program is provide training in an academic environment, so that when these individuals come out with a master’s degree, they can step into a lab and become almost fully functional within a very short period of time,” he said. “We want to train individuals whose goal is to stay in this position for a length of time, eventually leading to a manager position, which can pay very nicely.” A UT Professor Offers a New Solution to an Old Problem Entry-level research lab assistants make from about $26,000 to $43,000 annually, according to figures provided by Dr. Lothstein. Salaries rise with education and experience to between $37,000 and $63,000, he said. Lab managers can make roughly $63,000 to about $110,000. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 14 percent growth for the laboratory assistant job classification over the next eight years, from an estimated 82,000 jobs to an estimated 91,000 by 2020. This growth is anticipated despite cutbacks in federal funding for research. “We need to start training good support staff,” Dr. Lothstein said. This is important to some extent because of government funding cuts, which take principal investigators out of the labs in search of funding. “Without good technical staff, the work doesn’t get done. If the work doesn’t get done, the grant money doesn’t come in.” Dr. Lothstein said it’s important that the biotech community in Memphis be aware of this new program. “They have a vested interest,” he said. “This is where their technical staff will be coming from, which will improve the nature of research in town.” The program will provide not only qualified graduates to fill research jobs, but also interns who can help staff labs while they are still learning. “This program is providing a skilled labor force that is needed both for the academic sector in this town and for the biotech sector,” he said. “I want both to get fully involved and invested in this.” Dr. Johnson Warns of Diet Drink Risks K aren Johnson, professor and interim chair for Preventive Medicine, co-authored an analysis of data presented in March at the American College of Cardiology’s 63rd Annual Scientific Session in Washington, D.C. The study showed drinking two or more diet drinks a day may increase the risk of heart disease, including heart attack and stroke, in otherwise healthy postmenopausal women. The data was generated as part of the observational arm of the Women’s Health Initiative, a multi-decade study, including three clinical trials, that enrolled more than 100,000 women. UTHSC has enrolled more than 4,200 women in the study and has been following them since 1993. Tennessee Medical Association Honors UTHSC Physicians T wo UTHSC physicians were among the recipients of Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) annual awards for 2014, presented during the TMA’s Annual Convention. Thomas C. Gettelfinger, MD, received a 2014 Distinguished Service Award, presented annually by the TMA Board of Trustees to outstanding members of the association for their notable achievements during the past year. Dr. Gettelfinger is a clinical professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at UTHSC. An ophthalmologist at Memphis Eye and Cataract Associates, he is affiliated with several Memphis hospitals. Dr. Gettelfinger has been active in teaching and training in ophthalmology programs in third-world countries, and participates in international charitable work with Orbis International, an airborne surgical eye hospital that travels to developing countries. Jon H. Robertson, MD, was honored with a 2014 Outstanding Physician Award, given annually by the TMA House of Delegates to member physicians who through their medical careers “make an impression among their colleagues, peers and on the profession of medicine in Tennessee.” He was nominated for his leadership in the area of neurosurgery in Memphis and Shelby County. Dr. Robertson was chair of the UTHSC Neurosurgery Department from 1996 until 2011. He has maintained an active practice in neurological surgery with the Semmes-Murphey Neurological & Spine Institute for the past 35 years, and has served on its board of directors for the past two decades. The Tennessee Medical Association is the largest professional organization for physicians in Tennessee, representing all medical specialties. Dr. Edward Chaum Receives Wheeley Award T Len Lothstein, PhD 42 he University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) presented the B. Otto and Kathleen Wheeley Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer to Edward Chaum, MD, PhD, Plough Foundation Professor of Retinal Diseases. The award is a cash prize given to a member of the UT faculty who has had a major impact on the tech transfer success of the university. Dr. Chaum has been at the UT Health Science Center since July 2000. He has received four issued patents with several others pending, authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and directed more than $8 million in sponsored research projects at UTHSC. In 2007, Dr. Chaum founded Hubble Telemedical, a company that enables screening and diagnosis of retinal diseases in non-specialty settings through their proprietary, award-winning Telemedical Retinal Image Analysis and Diagnosis (TRIAD™) technology. Dr. Chaum is also the founder of Nanophthalmics, a medical device company developing nano-engineered surgical instruments for ophthalmic surgery, and Infusense, a medical device company developing an automated infusion platform for the anesthetic agent propofol. “Dr. Chaum is the type of faculty member with which technology transfer offices dream to work,” Magid said. “Ed’s successful track record in basic and translational research speaks for itself. The three companies he’s founded in the past five years demonstrate that he is also a skilled entrepreneur. He exemplifies the characteristics that Otto and Kathleen Wheeley sought to recognize when they endowed the Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer at the University of Tennessee.” Medicine Summer 2014 43 Students On Friday, March 21, 2014, 154 UTHSC College of Medicine students gathered with family and friends at the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis to celebrate Match Day. Dr. David Stern, dean of the College of Medicine addressed the crowd stating, “Congratulations to all of you. I am excited for the future as you are the people that will change the face of medicine.” At noon, the class of 2014 simultaneously opened the envelopes containing their match information, and cheers erupted. The UTHSC Alumni Office was on hand with an oversized map that allowed the students to pin their residency location. Forty-four percent of the class matched within the UT system. Fifty percent of the class matched in to a primary care specialty. 44 *Includes Baptist Hospital-Nashville, Baptist Memorial Hospital, Campbell Clinic, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Methodist University Hospital, Saint Francis Hospital, Region One Health, Memphis VA Medical Center, UT Program-Jackson and UT/Methodist **East Tennessee State University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Other Medicine Medicine Summer 2014 45 Students A R E A S O F S P E C I A LT Y Class of 2014 Residency Placement List Zachary Richard Abramson UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Baptist Memorial Hospital, Tenn. Medicine-Preliminary Radiology-Diagnostic Suneeta Kumari Acharya UTHSC Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville Anesthesiology Cyrus McCoy Adams Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Tenn. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Tenn. Surgery-Preliminary Others (Non-Primary Care)**** *Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine-Primary, Medicine/Pediatrics, Obstetrics-Gynecology, Pediatrics **Medicine-Preliminary, Surgery-Preliminary, Transitional Year ***General Surgery, Neurological Surgery, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Plastic Surgery, Urology ****Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, Neurology, Pathology-Anatomic/Clinical, Physical Medicine & Rehab, Psychiatry, Radiation-Oncology, Radiology-Diagnostic Laura Nicole Grese UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis ObstetricsGynecology Christopher Michael Knight UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis/Jackson Family Medicine Charles Maurice Groeschell UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Internal Medicine Tyler Harrison Koestner UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga General Surgery Audrey Kathleen Christiansen Case Western/University Hospitals Case Medical Center Pediatrics Alexander H. Habashy Ochsner Clinic Foundation, La. Orthopaedic Surgery Nancy Kuo Delayed Residency Internal Medicine University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas Pediatrics Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Tenn. Transitional Year Lauren Kylie Lazar Charles Amos Clark Providence Hospital, Mich. Urology Makida Tesfaye Hailemariam Providence Hospital, Mich. Radiology-Diagnostic Jacob Richard Lepard Emergency Medicine University of Kentucky Medical Center Obstetrics-Gynecology Andrew Martin Hall UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Jackson Memorial Hospital, Fla. Transitional Year Anesthesiology University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham Neurological Surgery Patrick Albert Cleeton Jordan Nicole Halsey Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School Plastic Surgery (Integrated) Thomas B. Hamilton University Hospitals, Jackson, Miss. Anesthesiology Michael Phillip Hancock UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Internal Medicine Jensen Ellen Hart UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga Internal Medicine William Tyler Hayden UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga Emergency Medicine William Austin Hester III Tulane University School of Medicine, La. Sarah Mabrey Heston Frank Hamilton Anderson, IV Delayed Residency Tucker W. Anderson UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Pediatrics Olusegun Oluwaseun Aranmolate Vidant Medical Center/East Carolina University, N.C. General Surgery Lindsay Flynn Arnold University of Louisville School of Medicine, Ky. General Surgery Christopher Lynn Atwell UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Internal Medicine Hilda E. Azabache Orrillo University of Louisville School of Medicine, Ky. Internal Medicine Joshua Nissi Christian Bakke UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Pediatrics Renee Amelia Barnes UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis/Saint Francis Family Medicine Oran Alvin Basel St. Thomas Midtown Hospital, Tenn. Internal Medicine John William Bodford University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas Emergency Medicine Cody Bogema UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Medicine-Pediatrics Vandana Botta UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Surgery-Preliminary Andrew Bradley Boucher Emory University School of Medicine, Ga. Neurological Surgery Erik Craig Bowman University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals Orthopaedic Surgery Joseph James Boyd UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Surgery-Preliminary Allen Clay Brown University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa Internal Medicine Clifford Scott Brown Duke University Medical Center, N.C. Otolaryngology Gregory J. Burana UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Obstetrics-Gynecology Tyler Wilson Clemmensen University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham Pathology Peter Coulson Transitional Year Austin Robert Davidson UTHSC Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville UTHSC Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Radiology-Diagnostic Orthopaedic Surgery UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis UPMC Medical Education, Pa. Medicine-Preliminary Radiology-Diagnostic Kenetra Modessa Hix St. Louis University School of Medicine, Mo. Family Medicine Adnan Dervishi University of Louisville School of Medicine, Ky. University of Louisville School of Medicine, Ky. Surgery-Preliminary Andrew Parrish Holt UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Medicine-Pediatrics Jonathan Andrew Holt UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Medicine-Preliminary Jarad Lee Hopper UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Sumaiya Amena Hossain Delayed Residency Kaitlin Ridder Jaqua Internal Medicine Whitman Scott Dowlen Vidant Medical Center/East Carolina University, N.C. Emergency Medicine Hannah Menefee Dudney Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Tenn. Obstetrics-Gynecology Mallory A. Duncan University of Texas Health Science Center, General Surgery San Antonio Terence Sean Dunn University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham Internal Medicine Carolinas Medical Center, N.C. Obstetrics-Gynecology Emily Rose Earles Samuel Ray Marcrom Baptist Health System, Ala. University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham Transitional Year Radiation-Oncology Internal Medicine Steven James Massaro UTHSC Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville Anesthesiology Indiana University School of Medicine Indiana University School of Medicine Surgery-Preliminary Urology Patrick David McFarland UTHSC Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville Anesthesiology John Brian Jasper UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Internal Medicine Kristen Lea Jeffreys Cincinnati Children’s Hospital MC, Ohio Pediatrics Heather Elaine Jeffries University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Ohio Obstetrics-Gynecology Patrick William Jennings UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Surgery-Preliminary Jonathan Robert Jerkins UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Pediatrics Michael Gerald Jerkins University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Ohio Medicine-Pediatrics Leah Ann John UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Transitional Year Benjamin Allen Jones Christ Community Health Services, Tenn. Family Medicine Mark Taylor Jones UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga Internal Medicine UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis University of Virginia Medicine-Preliminary Radiology-Diagnostic Aaron Michael Evans Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas Internal Medicine Ludwig Ivan Francillon UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Obstetrics-Gynecology Eugene Chul Kang Exempla St. Joseph Hospital, Colo. Surgery-Preliminary Sherie Nicole Byrd UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Pediatrics Donald Benjamin Franklin UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Orthopaedic Surgery Sneha Kemkar Pediatrics John Martin Cassidy UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Internal Medicine Ashada Freshwater Family Medicine Samuel Nelson Che Casales North Mississippi Medical Center Family Medicine UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis/Jackson University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Calif. Ghaila Chinasa Keng Internal Medicine UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga Internal Medicine University of Nevada Affiliated Hospitals, Las Vegas Scott Jordan Galloway Internal Medicine University of New Mexico School of Medicine Internal Medicine Robert Brian Burress SAUSHEC-Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas Medicine-Preliminary Radiology-Diagnostic Benjamin James Maddox St. Thomas Midtown Hospital, Tenn. Emergency Medicine Ellis Rupert Easterling UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Massachusetts General Hospital Internal Medicine James Davis UTHSC Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville Weier Li Kristen Lea Lytle Internal Medicine Joshua Wayne Donegan Radiology-Diagnostic Pediatrics University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham Internal Medicine Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Fla. UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Ellen Elizabeth Davis UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga Jacob Ian Lewis Orthopaedic Surgery General Surgery Amirtha Dileepan Pediatrics Surgery-Preliminary Radiology-Diagnostic Jesse Thornhill Davidson Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Mo. Urology Bryauna Schunece Lewis University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham Andrew Harrison Lichliter UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham 46 Surgery*** Peds-Prelim/Child Neurology Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Mount Sinai Beth Israel Samuel Lucas Burleson One Year Programs** Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, La. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Md. Maritza Nicole Aitken Eric Michael Chin Primary Care* Jenna Elizabeth McKinnie Ochsner Clinic Foundation, La. Anesthesiology Marissa Mencio UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga Surgery-Preliminary Meredith Metcalf University of Missouri, Kansas City Programs University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City Surgery-Preliminary Amanda Leshae Miller UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis/Saint Francis Family Medicine Robert Hines Mitchell University of Utah Affiliated Hospitals Internal Medicine Clare Murphy UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga Baptist Memorial Hospital, Tenn. Transitional Year Radiology-Diagnostic Daniel Sallis Murrell University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago Internal Medicine Zachary Paul Nahmias Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Mass. Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Mo. Medicine-Preliminary St. Louis University School of Medicine, Mo. Emergency Medicine Michael Nyarko Ofori Urology Dermatology Medicine Summer 2014 47 Students 2014 Medical Student Research Poster Session Class of 2014 Residency Placement List (Continued) Wayne Joseph Overman Baptist Health System, Ala. Boston University Medical Center, Mass. Transitional Year Dermatology Faisal Shaikh NYP Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center, N.Y. Internal Medicine Brennan Elizabeth Palazola UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Internal Medicine Jacolby John Short Medicine-Preliminary Dilan Anil Patel Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Mo. Internal Medicine Virginia Commonwealth University Health System University of Louisville School of Medicine, Ky. Jaclyn Halley Pearson UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Internal Medicine Abigail Lynn Smith Pediatrics Donald Lee Pierce Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University Peds/Psych/Child Psych Walter Reed Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD Andrew Beck Sneed Andrew Stephen Poole Greenville Hospital System/University of South Carolina Orthopaedic Surgery UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham Medicine-Preliminary Radiology-Diagnostic Jordan Stanislaw Pyda Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Mass. General Surgery Kristen A. Stancher Internal Medicine Arifur Naved Rahman UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago Medicine-Preliminary RadiologyDiagnostic/UIC UTHSC Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville Matthew Kurtis Stein UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Internal Medicine Douglas Ryan Taylor UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Neurological Surgery Karen Rhea University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham Internal Medicine Wissam S. Tobea University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Okla. City Anesthesiology Cody Robert Richardson UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Transitional Year Ophthalmology Brandon Lee Todd University of Virginia Medicine-Primary Alexandria Tran UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Internal Medicine Rebecca Shelley Weller Richardson UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Transitional Year Radiology-Diagostic Christina Brown Tran UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis/STF Family Medicine Samuel James Riney UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Internal Medicine Drew Bedford Turner UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis General Surgery Quantel Valdezzel Rolle UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga Surgery-Preliminary Ana Luisa Valente Ochsner Clinic Foundation, La. Obstetrics-Gynecology Daniel John Roubik William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Texas General Surgery Vicky Elise Ruleman LSU School of Medicine, New Orleans, La. Pediatrics Sara Jane Rutter Yale-New Haven Hospital, Conn. Pathology/CombAnat & Clin Maanasi Samant Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Mo. Internal Medicine Evan Ross Sander Childrens Hospital, Los Angeles, Calif. Pediatrics Ramy Medhat Sayed University of Missouri, Kansas City Programs Medicine-Pediatrics College of Medicine co-sponsored the annual poster session. With a motto of “Be Worthy to Serve the Suffering,” Alpha Omega Alpha is a national honor society for medical students founded in 1900. For more information, go to www.alphaomegaalpha.org. Radiology-Diagnostic Mauricio Omar Valenzuela University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa Internal Medicine Albert Russell Vaughn UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Medicine-Pediatrics Cory A. Vaughn University of Arkansas, Little Rock Otolaryngology Yuefeng Wang UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis University Hospitals, Jackson, Miss. Medicine-Preliminary Radiation Oncology Megan Delores Ward Temple University Hospital, Pa. Internal Medicine Ryan Ward Summa Health/NEOMED, Ohio Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio Medicine-Preliminary Radiology-Diagnostic Michael Cody Scarbrough Ochsner Clinic Foundation, La. Anesthesiology Joshua Brandon Wasmund Navy Medical Center, San Diego, Calif. General Surgery Charles William Schlappi University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham Pediatrics Allison Noel Watts UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Dermatology David Harrison Wheeler UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Internal Medicine John M. Schmidt UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Carolinas Medical Center, N.C. Surgery-Preliminary Phys Medicine & Rehab Gregory Shane White University of North Carolina Hospitals Internal Medicine Martha Angela Wilcox University of Arkansas, Little Rock Neurological Surgery Benjamin Hugh Schoepke University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals Anesthesiology Lorna Rosemarie Wilks Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas Psychiatry Julie Lynn Worthington UTHSC College of Medicine, Chattanooga Surgery-Preliminary Dawn Elizabeth Scott Vidant Medical Center/East Carolina University, N.C. Pediatrics Matthew Allen Wynne UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis/Jackson Family Medicine Christine Jeannette Secrest Medical College of Georgia Obstetrics-Gynecology Baogang Xu UTHSC College of Medicine, Memphis Baptist Memorial Hospital, Tenn. Medicine-Preliminary Radiology-Diagnostic Michael Yaoyao Yin Emory University School of Medicine, Ga. Internal Medicine 48 A pproximately 25 students from UTHSC’s College of Medicine – M2s, M3s and M4s – presented the results of their various research projects on Feb. 28 in the lobby of the 920 Madison Avenue building. The Beta Tennessee chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and the UTHSC Kathleen Kern explains the results of her study, “Opioid Misuse Behaviors in Adolescents and Young Adults in a Hematology Oncology Institution,” to Gerald Presbury, MD. She is an M2 whose undergraduate work was at Vanderbilt University. Her study retrospectively analyzed a new assessment tool, the Screener for Opioid Aberrant Behavior (SOABR) checklist, to examine correlates of aberrant opioid behavior (AOB) in a group of adolescent oncology and hematology patients who received chronic opioid therapy. The conclusion was that adolescent and young adult cancer patients may exhibit AOB despite having a legitimate source of pain. Therefore, a screening tool such as SOABR would be beneficial to prescribing physicians and multidisciplinary teams. Polina Varavva Zmijewski explains her study, titled, “Detection of key signaling molecules following treatment with OSI-906 in Pediatric Adrenocortical Carcinoma.” She is a native of Odessa, Ukraine, an M2 and a graduate of Barnard College of Columbia University. Pediatric Adrenocortical Carcinoma is a highly aggressive malignancy for which the standard treatment has limited efficacy. This study, made possible by ALSAC (American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities) at St. Jude, aimed to determine the ability of the IGF-1R inhibitor Listinib to bind to its target receptor and dampen downstream signaling effects responsible for tumor growth. M2 Keith Nord, right, discusses “A Nanomedicine Approach for Inhibition of NFKB in Treatment of Osteoarthritis” with Nelson Strother, assistant dean of the College of Medicine for Admissions and Student Affairs. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability in the United States. This study’s objective was to analyze the efficacy of three substances – a NEMO-bindingdomain peptide (NBD), vitamin D3 and a non-calcemic analog of vitamin D – to inhibit NFKappaB, a key activator of the collagen breakdown process, as a means of preventing OA. The data provided strong support for the efficacy of these agents as potential therapeutic agents in the treatment of arthritis. M2 Scott Marbry discusses his study, “Tetrospanin CD9 Regulates Cell Contraction and Actin Arrangement via RhoA in Human Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells” with Vicki Park, PhD. The study was made possible by a grant from the American Heart Association. M2 Mercy Kibe explains “Identification of a Small Cohort of Genes Expressed in Primary Uveal Melanoma Cells that Become Metastatic.” Uveal melanoma, the most common primary intraocular cancer in adults, metastasizes, mainly to the liver, in 50 percent of patients who develop it, but the mechanisms that govern this remain unclear. In this study, targeted PCR arrays were used to identify genes that might drive metastases and target them for further therapy. Daniel Sharbel, right, talks with Larry Nichols, MD. Sharbel is an M2 with an undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia. His study, “Smad4 Loss in Murine Colonic Epithelium Disrupts Intestinal Homeostasis,” focused on the role of Smad4, the loss of which occurs in more than 50 percent of colorectal cancers. This loss impacts the intestinal epithelium, causing the Transforming Growth FactorBeta (TGF-Beta)/Bone Morphogenic Protein (BMP) signaling pathway to be inactivated in 50-75 percent of colorectal cancers, but how it does so has not been fully elucidated. This study sought to understand the role of Smad4 in normal intestinal homeostasis as well as how its loss leads tumorigenesis. Kate Snowden, left, discusses her research, titled, “Pseudomonas aeruginosa Adherence to Adenoid Tissue,” with Suzanne Satterfield, MD, DrPH. Snowden is an M2 student with an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University. The goal of the study was to determine if Pseudomonas aeruginosa adhered to adenoids from patients diagnosed with recurrent acute otitis media, chronic otitis media with effusion, or obstructive sleep apnea. Snowden’s research team sought to determine if these conditions play a larger role in the emergence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa chronic respiratory colonization and infection. A green fluorescent protein (GFP) was used to tag Pseudomonas aeruginosa for a two hour assay. The result was that levels of GFP across all three diagnostic groups were not different when analyzed by either flow cytometry or Western blotting. Medicine Summer 2014 49 Students The Class Notes U STUDENT A Profile of the 2013 College of Medicine Entering Class Number of Applications............................................................1628 Number of Applicants Interviewed............................................... 501 New Enrollees ..........................................................................165 Male ..........................................................................................93 Female........................................................................................72 Average Age................................................................................23 Age Range.............................................................................20-32 Underrepresented Minority.....................................................12.7% Colleges Attended........................................................................ 67 Academic Credentials Average MCAT* Tuition & Fees (2013-14) 3.52 Science GPA 3.60 Overall GPA Verbal Reasoning.................................... 10 Physical Sciences................................... 10 Writing Sample......................................... 0 Biological Sciences................................. 10 Residents.............................. $31,432 Nonresidents......................... $62,292 Boston Strong Meets Volunteer Power J ohn Little, MD, proudly wore the University of Tennessee orange and represented the medical college well by racing impressively in the 2014 Boston Marathon. He is an avid runner who called the marathon “the experience of a lifetime.” Dr. Little graduated from the College of Medicine in 1992 and is director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at Children’s Hospital in Knoxville. He is also a member of the college’s Alumni Council. *All took the MCAT. 100% had baccalaureate degrees. Undergraduate Schools Attended by New Enrollees Asbury University Auburn University Austin Peay State University Belmont University Birmingham Southern College Bowdoin College Brigham Young University Bryan College Carleton College Carnegie Mellon University Carson-Newman College Christian Brothers University Clayton State University Clemson University College of the Ozarks Colorado College Colorado State University Cornell University Dartmouth College DePauw University Duke University East Tennessee State University 50 Emory University Furman University Grove City College Harvard University Indiana University Bloomington John Hopkins University Lee University Lipscomb University Marshall University Maryville College Middle Tennessee State University Middlebury College Mississippi State University Princeton University Rhodes College Saint Louis University Samford University Southern Adventist University Stanford University Tennessee State University United States Military Academy Tennessee Tech University The University of Memphis The University of the South Tulane University UNC at Chapel Hill Union University UT Chattanooga UT Knoxville UT Martin University of Alabama University of California-Berkeley University of Chicago University of Miami University of Mississippi University of Notre Dame University of Pennsylvania University of Virginia Vanderbilt University Wake Forest University Warren Wilson College Washington-Lee University Washington University-Saint Louis Wheaton College Yale University J John Jennings, MD, Becomes President of American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ohn C. Jennings, MD, of League City, Texas, became the 65th president of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), based in Washington, D.C. Dr. Jennings completed his medical degree and his residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. He is currently professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at the Permian Basin. The ACOG is the nation’s leading group of physicians providing health care for women. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit organization of more than 58,000 members, the ACOG strongly advocates for quality health care for women, maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women’s health care. Medicine Summer 2014 51 UTHSC in the Media In Memoriam 1943 W. Byron Inmon, MD, age 94, of Madison, Miss., died Jan. 8, 2014. Dr. Inmon was especially gifted in gynecological surgery, and his work is cited in textbooks and other publications. He was a founding member of the Society of Gynecological Surgeons. 1945 William Matthew Featherston, MD, age 91, of Elk City, Okla., died Dec. 1, 2013. Dr. Featherston established his practice in Elk City in 1949, and also provided several clinics in the Tehucan, Mexico, area. He has been inducted in the Western Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Melton Price Meek, MD, age 91, of Lawton, Okla., died April 16, 2014. Dr. Meek was a member of Phi Chi Medical Fraternity, an alumnus of the Seymour A. Mynders Fraternity, a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics, a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a member of the American Medical Association, a past president of the Comanche-Cotton and Tillman Counties Medical Society, a past Chief of Staff of Comanche County Memorial Hospital, a member of the Southwest Oklahoma Genealogical Society and a past president of the Lawton Philharmonic Society. 1946 Lee Watson Milford, Jr., MD, age 91, of Memphis, Tenn., died Nov. 22, 2013. Recognized as one of the world’s leading hand surgeons and a pioneer in that field, he wrote one of the few definitive texts on hand surgery, which he illustrated with his own color photos. It went through multiple printings and was published in four languages. Dr. Milford mentored and trained many aspiring hand surgeons from the United States and around the globe. These became the “Milford Hand Club.” Sidney Ely Daffin, MD, age 91, of Panama City, Fla., died Dec. 6, 2013. Dr. Daffin opened his practice in Family Medicine in 1950. Over the next 25 years, he dedicated himself to serving his patients and the community. After closing his practice downtown, he worked in the General Medical Clinic at Tyndall Air Force Base for 10 years. He finished his medical career as director of Washington County Public Health. 1947 Hoyt C. Harris, MD, age 93, of McMinnville, Tenn., died Oct. 23, 2013. In his spare time, Dr. Harris earned a law degree in the mid-1960s from LaSalle University of Chicago. His memoir, “A Steep Climb,” was published in 2010. The book, in addition to relating a long, eventful life of highs and lows, recounts growing up on a rural farm and how plowing many acres behind a very stubborn mule made him adamantly aspire to one day get off the farm and become a physician. 1952 Coulter S. Young, MD, age 89, of Manchester, Tenn., died March 25, 2014. Dr. Young was a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice, and a member of the American Medical Association, and the Tennessee Medical Association. He was instrumental in establishing the Coffee County Medical Society. 1953 Jim F. Sharp, MD, age 66, of Louisville, Ky., died Nov. 8, 2013. Dr. Sharp started his career as a Navy flight surgeon and met his future wife Janet when he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. 1954 John Hamilton Edmonson, MD, age 82, of Rochester, Minn., died Nov. 23, 2013. Dr. Edmonson worked at the Mayo Clinic Dept. of Medical Oncology until his retirement in 2001. At Mayo, he became a Mayo Medical School Professor of Oncology. Over his career, he was awarded an abundance of research grants, and authored approximately 200 scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters. He belonged to many regional and national oncology research groups, and was on the editorial board for the Surgical Gynecologic Oncology Journal. 1956 Frederick Duke Lansford, MD, age 87, of Chattanooga, Tenn., died Oct. 14, 2013. Dr. Lansford obtained additional training at Erlanger Hospital where he later taught as an associate clinical professor in Family Medicine. He was board certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians and was a member of the active staff of East Ridge Hospital, Erlanger Hospital, Parkridge Hospital and Memorial Hospital. Fletcher Howard Goode, MD, age 83, of Memphis, Tenn., died Nov. 17, 2013. Along with his practice, he was an associate professor of Ophthalmology at UTHSC and was on the staff at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. UT Medical School recognized Fletcher with a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1996. Emmett Bell, Jr., MD, age 90, of Memphis, Tenn., died Nov. 20, 2013. Dr. Bell held many leadership positions at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, including chief of medicine, chief of staff, chair of the Credentialing Committee, member of the Medical Ethics Committee, and consultant for the Division of Cardiology. Dr. Bell also served on the University of Tennessee faculty. 1957 Richard Grossman, MD, age 81, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., died March 13, 2014. Dr. Grossman was a renowned plastic and reconstructive surgeon who pioneered the comprehensive care of burn patients. In the late 1960s, Dr. Grossman persuaded administrators at Sherman Oaks Hospital in California to set aside two beds for burn patients. By 1978, the ward was the nation’s largest private burn-treatment center. On the facility’s 25th anniversary, it was named the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital in honor of the surgeon who pioneered its cutting-edge care. One of Grossman’s more celebrated patients was comedian Richard Pryor, who spent six weeks at the center in 1980 after suffering third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body in a fire at his home. 1989 Catherine L. Jenkins, MD, age 56, of Columbus, Ohio, died Jan. 3, 2014. She graduated from East Tennessee State University in 1984 with a BS in biology before attending the UT College of Medicine. She completed her residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Columbus, prior to joining Pediatric Associates. Francis Jones, MD, age 91, of Knoxville, Tenn., died Oct. 14, 2013. Dr. Jones was the first pathologist and director of Clinical Laboratories of the UT Hospital in Knoxville when it opened and the inaugural chair to the Department of Pathology at the Graduate School of Medicine when it was formed in 1969. 52 The Stroke Strike Force The Commercial Appeal, The Daily News and the Memphis Business Journal tell the tale of a new department chairman’s innovative plan to combat strokes. Bringing Up Baby The Commercial Appeal, USA Today, Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine, Fox & Friends and thebump.com report on an assistant professor’s book about improving child development the old-fashioned way. Save Your Skin The Commercial Appeal The Daily News Memphis Business Journal The Commercial Appeal USA Today Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine Fox & Friends thebump.com The Commercial Appeal Fox 13 The chairman of the Kaplan-Amonette Dermatology Department offers advice on protecting your skin from skin cancer in The Commercial Appeal and on Fox 13. Rising Vapors A UTHSC professor weighs in on the growing popularity of electronic cigarettes in The Daily News and on WREG and Local 24. The Daily News WREG Local 24 Groundbreaking research, first-class education, superior clinical care, and dedicated public service — UTHSC is making news 24/7, and the world is helping us tell our story. For a look at what the local, national and international media are saying about UTHSC, go to news.uthsc.edu/in-the-media. Medicine Summer Summer 2014 2014 53 53 Medicine Nonprofit Org. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Office of Development and Alumni Affairs 62 S. Dunlap, Suite 420 Memphis, Tennessee 38163 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Save the Date August 14 - 17, 2014 2014 Medicine Alumni Weekend Oct 15 - 17, 2014 Memphis, Tennessee Golden Graduate Homecoming Honoring the Class of 1964 (plus all previous Golden Graduates invited) Details to be mailed soon! Oct 24, 2014 Knoxville, Tennessee College of Medicine Alumni Reception See page 36 54 U.S. Postage PAID Memphis, TN Permit No. 4026
