Scribe/Alum Notes (Spring 2002)

Transcription

Scribe/Alum Notes (Spring 2002)
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www.med.wayne.edu
Dr. Morris
Goodman Elected
to National
Academy of
Sciences
Morris Goodman, PhD, internationally recognized as a founder
in the field of molecular evolution,
has been elected to the National
Academy of Sciences. Membership
in the academy is considered one
of the highest honors that can be
accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. Dr. Goodman is the first professor in WSU’s history to receive
this most prestigious appointment.
A WSU faculty member for
more than 40 years, Dr. Goodman
is a distinguished professor of
anatomy and cell biology and professor in the Center for Molecular
Medicine and Genetics.
See story inside…
Dr. Goodman, PhD
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
A Match Made in Heaven
T
he Wayne State University
School of Medicine Class
of 2002 had an outstanding match this year,
according to Dr. Jane
Thomas, assistant dean for student
affairs. The match took place on
Thursday, March 21, at Scott Hall,
and when the Year IV students
ripped open the envelopes to learn
where they’d match for their residency training, the din was unmistakably joyful. The match rate for
WSU this year was 98.4 percent,
compared to 94.1 percent nationally—an exceptional achievement.
Match Day is the day graduating
medical students convene in the
school’s auditorium and learn, individually and simultaneously, where
they have “matched” for their residencies. After four years of medical
school, young doctors receiving
their medical degrees must continue with several more years of
advanced training in a specialty area
before they can be fully licensed to
practice medicine. After months of
selecting and interviewing with
programs most suited and desirable,
the students submit their top
choices. The National Resident Match
Program matches these choices with
those of the programs. On Match
Day, all graduating doctors nationwide find out where they will be
heading for the next stage of training.
In summary, of the 248-member
WSU class, 36 are going into internal medicine, 28 into family medicine, 25 into emergency medicine
and 30 are doing transitional years,
in addition to other specialties. By
far, the majority of the class is staying in southeast Michigan, with 132
matched to local programs, includ-
ing 49 who will be staying at
WSU/DMC. Those leaving the state
are heading to such prestigious programs as Johns Hopkins, University
of Massachusetts, Cleveland Clinic
and the University of Chicago.
Individual acknowledgement was
also given to Geoffrey Crockett who
was chosen by his classmates to
receive the Penfil Award for outstanding patient care. Crockett, who
will pursue emergency medicine
training at William Beaumont
Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., probably drew upon his own experience
as a patient to provide compassionate care. During medical school, he
lost his father to melanoma, battled
the disease himself, and “never asked
for anything,” said Loretta Robichaud,
Year IV student counselor. “Geoffrey
is dearly respected and greatly
admired by his classmates. He is a
bright student, a strong human
being, and he will surely make an
outstanding physician.”
Geoffrey Crockett (center) won the Penfil Award for outstanding patient care.
Congratulating him are Drs. Robert Frank and Jane Thomas.
Match Day brings good news for graduating medical students.
Like all medical schools across the country, WSU gathers fourth-year students to reveal
the results of competitive residency training matches.
4
7
Inside
Shiffman Library
Expansion to House
Education Commons
Fourth-Year Students
Prepare for Residency
Training
alum
notes
2
Public Outcry Prompts
Research on the Drug
Ecstasy
Your Alumni Connection, page 15
2
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
Highest Honor Awarded to WSU’s Most Distinguished Professor
Y
ou’ve seen him on the
Discovery Channel on
Saturday mornings and
you’ve seen him in all
the textbooks on evolution. A pioneer who has used strong
scientific arguments to make his
points, Dr. Morris Goodman has
provided a career’s worth of compelling and indisputable evidence
about the molecular and genetic
history of humans and primates.
“Years ago, when a national science writer saw Morris Goodman’s
name in our program, she ran right
over to the school to hear him
speak,” recalls Kathleen Wedemire,
director of public affairs at the
School of Medicine. When Dr.
Goodman hosted a national panel
of experts to speak about molecular evolution at WSU in the 1990s,
this reporter became nervous—positively giddy—with excitement. “He
wrote my textbooks. He’s brilliant.
He’s a legend,” the reporter said.
“I’m so lucky to have this opportunity to learn from him in person.”
His colleagues and students at
WSU feel the same way.
Morris Goodman, PhD, distinguished professor of anatomy and
cell biology and professor in the
Center for Molecular Medicine and
Genetics, recently received his
highest honor yet—membership in
the National Academy of Sciences.
This honor, the most prestigious to
be granted to a scientist in the
United States, has been awarded to
fewer than 2,000 elite scholars
who are considered to be most distinguished in their commitment to
further science and its use for the
general welfare.
Considered a founder in the field
of molecular evolution, Dr. Goodman
has influenced debate and scientific study about man’s molecular
and genetic history through his initial discoveries about the genetic
similarities between humans and
other primates.
“Dr. Goodman is a great scientist
who has had a distinguished career
of greater than 42 years at Wayne
State University,” said Dr. George
Dambach, vice president for
research at WSU. “He has been the
world leader in the study of molecular evolution and has made enormously important discoveries about
human life and our ancestry.”
Science is all about asking questions and searching for answers.
“Dr. Goodman has an outstanding
ability to ask important questions
and then with innovation, creativity
and perseverance finds answers,”
said Dr. John Crissman, dean of the
School of Medicine. “Dr. Goodman
has also been an outstanding
leader, guiding the development of
many students who have become
recognized scientists. We are proud
of his recognition and achievements and are grateful that he has
been a leader in our university.”
In 1996, Dr. Goodman was elected
to the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences. Most recently, he
received the 2002 Charles R.
Darwin Award for Lifetime Achievement from the American Association
of Physical Anthropologists. He has
been a faculty member since 1958,
and is a member of the WSU
Academy of Scholars, and recipient
of the Distinguished Faculty Award.
The National Academy of Sciences
is a private organization of scientists and engineers, established in
1863 by a congressional act of
incorporation. The academy acts as
an official adviser to the federal
government, upon request, to study
specific concerns. The results of
these deliberations have inspired
some of America’s most significant
and lasting efforts to improve the
education, health and welfare of all.
Dr. Goodman, newly honored member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Consequences of Ecstasy Drug Still Undetermined
E
cstasy may be perceived
by young crowds as a
harmless “dance drug,”
but physicians, researchers and parents across
the country have growing concerns. Ecstasy or MDMA-related
hospital emergency room incidents
have increased from 253 in 1994 to
4,511 in 2000, and several deaths
and serious medical complications
have been reported, according to
the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration’s
Drug Abuse Warning Network.
Manuel Tancer, MD, associate
professor and interim chair of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, has received funding
from the National Institute on Drug
Dr. Tancer says there is a public outcry for more information about the safety and/or
dangers of the drug, ecstasy.
Abuse (NIDA) to study “Consequences
of MDMA Use in Humans” in collaboration with Dr. Chris-Ellyn
Johanson.
“Ecstasy is not physically addictive like cocaine or heroin, but it
certainly is a drug that gets abused,”
Dr. Tancer said. “Although it is an
illegal substance, we need to
understand how it works, so we can
treat people who show up in hospitals
with complications.” Controlled laboratory administration of MDMA will
be used to assess its effects on thermoregulation, metabolism, sleep,
mood, anxiety and cognitive function.
Of particular interest is the study
on thermoregulation, which was
prompted by a number of emergency room physicians reporting
extremely high core body temperatures in patients who used ecstasy.
Animal studies have shown a link
between ambient temperature and
body temperature in the presence
of MDMA. In the laboratory, ani-
mals’ body temperatures were
warmer when MDMA was administered in a warm room, and cooler in
a cool room. If the same holds true
for humans, something as simple
as turning up the air-conditioning
could save lives at rave parties
where people risk dangerous levels
of hyperthermia.
Another phenomenon being
tested is the “post-ecstasy crash,”
which has been reported by users
as deep bouts of depression two to
three days after using the drug. Dr.
Tancer says this syndrome has
never been observed in the lab, and
will be evaluated against such controls as sleep deprivation, strenuous
exercise, and multiple drug use.
“Is there a true physiological
mechanism that causes drops in
serotonin levels after ecstasy use?”
Dr. Tancer asked. “Or might people
be experiencing the obvious consequences of late weekend nights
and heavy dancing?”
Such studies related to drug use
may be somewhat controversial,
but in the absence of proven data,
both the scientific community and
the general public are searching
for answers about the safety
and/or dangers of ecstasy. Last
year, NIDA hosted a sold-out conference with more than 500 people
who were anxious to learn more
about ecstasy research. Dr. Tancer
presented some preliminary data
to the audience that consisted of
scientists, drug abuse prevention
and treatment practitioners, clinicians, educators, high school counselors, and representatives from
federal and local public health
departments and agencies.
“There is an outcry for guidance
on this topic,” Dr. Tancer said. “Our
research findings will be applied to
develop and test strategies to block
the effects or at least minimize consequences,” Dr. Tancer said.
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
3
Two Journal Covers
Feature Dr. Jena’s
Fusion Pore Pictures
Respiratory Problems Linked By
Smooth Muscle Cell Deficiencies
F
y studying how smooth
muscle cells form, Lucia
Schuger is learning
about numerous respiratory diseases, including important new information
about a serious condition in infants.
“Babies with hypoplastic lungs
do not respond to treatment, and
nobody knew why,” said Schuger,
MD, associate professor of pathology. She explained that hypoplastic
lungs do not stretch adequately for
normal breathing. “We found that
in certain forms of hypoplasia in
newborns, the lungs have a deficient amount of smooth muscle
cells in the lung. These smooth
muscle cells produce and are the
main source of a protein substance
called elastin, and elastin is needed
for lung elasticity.”
Dr. Schuger’s research group discovered the relationship between a
deficiency in smooth muscle cells
and hypoplasia through basic
research. “Overall, we are studying
smooth muscle myogenesis, which
is the process by which a type of
stem cell becomes smooth muscle
cell, as well as the genetic program
that regulates it,” she said. “In addition, we are applying what we find,
so we can better understand certain
diseases that are related to smooth
muscle cells.”
usion pores are the pits –
literally. Dr. Bhanu Jena’s
scientific photos of craterlike pits and ‘depressions’ or fusion pores
within, were featured on the covers
of two journals: the January issue of
Cell Biology International and the
March issue of Endocrinology. The
photos show cells and cell membranes with pits and depressions,
providing further evidence of these
new cellular structures involved in
membrane fusion.
Previously, Dr. Jena was the first
to document the existence of fusion
pores in live pancreatic acinar
cells. Now, he has confirmed their
presence in the neuroendocrine
growth hormone secreting cells of
the pituitary gland. Furthermore,
his recent studies conclusively
demonstrate the structures to be
fusion pores where secretory vesicles fuse to release their contents.
Using atomic force microscopy
(AFM), he was able to provide
images of the dynamics of secretion, pointing out the changes in
the pits and depression.
He explains, “The polarized pancreatic acinar cell possesses a
highly specialized secretory apparatus. At the apical end of this cell,
membrane-bound secretory vesicles called zymogen granules
(ZGs) are known to dock and fuse
with the plasma membrane to
release digestive enzymes. Using
AFM, we have identified new
plasma membrane structures
called ‘pits’ and ‘depressions’ at
the apical end of live pancreatic
acinar cells. Our study suggests the
involvement of these structures in
docking and transient fusion of
secretory vesicles at the plasma
membrane.”
He suspected that vesicles dock
transiently, rather than fuse completely, because of the limited dilation (from 150 nanometers to 200
nm) of depressions or fusion pores.
If a vesicle measuring one micrometer in diameter, were to completely fuse at a depression measuring 0.15 micrometer in diameter,
the depression would be completely obliterated. What happens
instead is dilation of the depressions by 25-30 percent (150 nm to
200 nm) transiently, followed by
expulsion of vesicular contents
through the pore at the plasma
membrane. Following secretion,
the depression or the fusion pore
returns to its normal size.
In Cell Biology International, Dr.
Jena observed, “Following stimulation of secretion, there was a 35
percent increase in depression
diameter that correlated with an
increase in measured enzyme
release. Thirty minutes following
stimulation of secretion, a 20 percent decrease in depression size
was observed.”
“Kiss and run” is what biologists
have nicknamed transfient fusion,
because unlike permanent or total
fusion, it requires less of a commitment from the membranes and
less metabolic energy. In addition
to identifying a new cellular structure, Dr. Jena’s two new publications confirms the “kiss and run”
mechanism of exocytosis.
B
Honors
Drs. David Bouwman, Bernard
Gonik, and William Peters were
named in the April 2002 edition
of the Ladies’ Home Journal
(Special Issue: The Best of
America) as “Top Doctors for
Women from Coast to Coast.”
“Pits and depressions” were featured as new cellular structures on these two recent
journal covers.
Bernard Gonik, MD, Ning Zhang,
PhD, and Michele Grimm, PhD,
received the Award of Research
Excellence at the Society of
One disease of particular interest
to the group is lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), which is characterized by abnormal smooth muscle-like cell proliferation in the
lung. “It affects young women and
is relentlessly fatal. It can take a
couple of years or 10 years or more,
but eventually it leads to lung
destruction, so it is a horrible disease.” Using tissues collected from
stricken women during lung transplants, Dr. Schuger’s group has discovered that some genes in the
abnormal cells, or LAM cells, are
upregulated. “That upregulation
causes a misbalance in the proteolytic enzymes in the lungs, and
these (excess) enzymes cause tissue destruction.”
The research group is also investigating lung fibrosis. A rather common condition frequently following
pneumonia, it involves the formation of scar tissue in the lung’s
connective tissue. She said its link
to myogenesis traces back to the
fibroblast that causes the condition.
That seminal fibroblast develops
into a myofibroblast, which is a precursor to both muscle and connective tissue. “We are using an animal
model that mimics lung fibrosis in
the human. We are essentially
using the same approach as with
LAM, and are looking for genes that
are related to myogenesis and may
be dysregulated in fibrosis.”
Although the basic research can be
laborious, she said it is well worth
the effort. “Many times you don’t find
the connections in your research,
especially in vivo, but when you do,
it really is very rewarding.”
Dr. Schuger is conducting her
basic and translational work with
three grants: two from the National
Institutes of Health and one from
the Children’s Research Center of
Michigan. Her most recent awards
are a $1.3 million and a $1.6 million
grant from the NIH.
Maternal Fetal Medicine annual
meeting. The three were awarded for
their poster presentation, “Defining
Forces Associated with Shoulder
Dystocia: Use of a Dynamic Computer
Model (MADYMO).” This is quite an
honor since there were 671
abstracts accepted for presentation,
including 31 from Wayne State
University.
of five women’s achievements.
In addition, Dr. Lusher has been
inducted into lifetime membership in Wayne State University’s
prestigious Academy of Scholars.
Jeanne Lusher, MD, distinguished
professor of pediatrics, was the recipient of the American Society of Pediatric
Hematology and Oncology’s Distinguished Career Award. She was
honored at the society’s annual
meeting held in Baltimore in May.
A distinguished alumnus of the
University of Cincinnati, Dr. Lusher
was honored by the women of her
alma mater at a special celebration
Dr. Schuger’s research group discovered
a relationship between a deficiency in
smooth muscle cells and hypoplasia.
Jerald Mitchell, PhD, professor
emeritus of anatomy and cell biology, was chosen by WSU medical
students to receive the Lamp
Award for favorite teacher. Dr.
Mitchell was the overwhelming
choice, winning 56 percent of the
votes.
Joshua Wynne, MD, professor of
internal medicine, received the
F. Dewey Dodrill Award at the
American Heart Association’s 15th
annual Heart Ball on March 9.
4
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
Schiffman Library Expansion
Creates Education Commons
T
echnology is driving
innovation in Wayne
State University laboratories, operating rooms,
and now, the Vera P.
Shiffman Medical Library. A new
construction project will add four
floors of video-based testing rooms,
computer laboratories, a multimedia auditorium, and educational
enhancements to the current threefloor facility.
The Shiffman library will be renovated and expanded over the next
several years to become the medical education headquarters for all
phases of student and resident education through the School of
Medicine. Approximately 50,000
square feet will be added to the
library at the cost of $25 million.
“The library improvements will
allow us to make technology-driven
changes in medical education,” said
Dr. Robert Frank, associate dean for
academic and student programs.
“Advances in distance learning,
simulated physician-patient experi-
ences, and computer-based educational development are critical in
training the most competent physicians. We envision the creation of
an education commons that will
become the school’s anchor for
teaching and learning activities.”
One major initiative is the construction of permanent examination rooms for OSCE (Objective
Structured Clinical Examination)
testing, which measures student
competency in a range of patient
care skills. “An OSCE testing facility could be used by physicians
across the state to explore clinical
experiences through the use of
interactive video presentations,
electronic teaching mannequins,
and smart classrooms,” Dr. Frank said.
Ellen Marks, director of the
Shiffman library, explains that the
facility will also be a bridge from
the medical school to the community. “The library’s information
service functions will be prominently placed to enhance its current services to the campus, the
community, and area hospitals’
patients and their families—serving
as an information and referral gateway for the campus and the metropolitan Detroit area,” she said. “To
achieve this goal, we propose the
establishment of a new building,
physically connected to Scott Hall
and integrated with the Shiffman
Medical Library to form the nucleus
of all programs for undergraduate,
graduate and continuing medical
education for student and facultyeducator services.”
The improved library will be connected to Scott Hall by a covered,
bridged walkway, providing increased
ease and fellowship among faculty
members, students, clinicians,
researchers and administrators.
The commons will house a library,
all education-related administrative
functions, all student service
departments, testing facilities,
study space, MD labs, and services
enhancing campus life including
banking, a bookstore and 24-hour
Internet cafe.
With an initial $1 million commitment from the Medical Alumni
Association, the school is currently
exploring additional funding
sources from the state of Michigan
and private donors, as part of the
university-wide capital campaign.
Artistic renderings of the future education commons.
Continuing Medical Education
Controversies in Obstetrics
for the Generalist
July 26-28, 2002
The Grand Hotel
Mackinac Island, Mich.
2nd Annual Update in
Internal Medicine
August 9-11, 2002
The Inn at Bay Harbor
Bay Harbor, Mich.
6th Annual Detroit
Neurosurgery Symposium
September 13-14, 2002
Detroit Marriot,
Renaissance Center
Detroit, Mich.
Contact: (313) 577-4523
Emergency Physician Prompts New
Payment System for Observation Services
M
ichael Ross, MD,
has single-handedly increased survival rates for people suffering from
chest pain, congestive heart failure
and asthma. How did he do it? He
made sure their hospital bills got paid.
As director of the Emergency
Center Observation Unit and Chest
Pain Center at William Beaumont
Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., Dr. Ross
led a major campaign urging the
Health Care Financing Administration
(HCFA) to provide separate payments
for emergency observation services.
In 1998, the United States
Department of Health and Human
Services began issuing bundled payments for emergency room visits.
Based on the diagnosis, each patient
was issued a lump-sum amount that
had little to do with actual time spent
in observation, testing, or critical
care. This policy was overturned last
year, thanks to the tenacity and leadership of Dr. Ross, who, in addition to
working at the busiest emergency
room in the state, serves as an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the WSU School of Medicine.
“Packaging of observation services
put hospitals and physicians in a
most undesirable position,” Dr. Ross
said. “On the one hand, sending
patients home too early could certainly
lead to poor health outcomes. On the
other, prematurely admitting them for
inpatient care could drive up costs
and decrease patient satisfaction.”
He uses the example of a patient
who comes to the hospital with chest
pain. Physicians immediately perform a blood test and EKG; however,
as WSU’s Dr. Robert Welch has
shown recently, the majority of
patients with acute myocardial infarction do not test positive upon initial
evaluation, but need to be observed
for a brief time. If a patient is sent
2nd Annual Karmanos Cancer
Institute Breast Cancer
Symposium
September 14, 2002
The Ritz Carlton Hotel
Dearborn, Mich.
For more information, please contact Wayne State University’s
Division of Continuing Medical Education at (313) 577-1180.
Dr. Michael Ross is exposing health care
policy makers to outcomes research that
ensures fair payment practices.
home at this point, doctors will miss
one out of every 20 heart attacks.
“Without an observation system,
doctors must choose to admit or discharge. In the case of some chest
pain patients, neither choice is very
appealing. If observation costs are
routinely covered, a complete and
cost-effective evaluation can be
made, and the safety of the patient
can be preserved,” Dr. Ross said.
The 2001 statement on ambulatory
payment classifications from the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services officially approves reimbursement for the observation of
three conditions: chest pain, asthma
and congestive heart failure. These
were the conditions they found to
have the most evidence in support of
observation and positive health outcomes. They have expressed that
they would consider expanding the
list of conditions that could receive
payment, if the medical literature
supports it.
Dr. Ross is currently partnering
with medical organizations to present evidence to expand the list of covered observable conditions to
include: abdominal pain, dehydration, atrial fibrillation, chest trauma,
upper gastrointestinal bleed, transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke),
pneumonia and other acute infections. He states, “My goal is to take
the great research that has been
done in this area of medicine, and
put it into the hands of the people
who make the critically important
health care policy decisions.”
Brooks Bock, MD, professor and
chair of emergency medicine, has
already experienced the benefits of
this payment policy shift at Detroit
Receiving Hospital, where he practices. “Dr. Ross has enacted a policy
change that protects patient safety
and ensures that hospitals get paid
for services rendered. Although this
is really a patient advocacy issue,
and not entirely revenue-based, the
bottom line is this: without fair reimbursement, observation units will be
forced to close and patient care will
be compromised.”
Dr. Ross is a 1984 graduate of the
WSU School of Medicine. He completed post-graduate training in
emergency medicine at several
Detroit Medical Center hospitals,
including Grace and Detroit
Receiving. He served one year as
chief resident and one year as a helicopter flight physician for the Detroit
Medical Center Sky Team. In 1987,
he joined the staff at Beaumont
where he continues working today.
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
5
Adrenaline Release Mechanism Controls “Fight-Or-Flight” Responses
I
t’s late at night, and you are
walking toward your car in a
dimly lit parking lot. You
hear a noise behind you and
see a man approaching rapidly. Your heart starts to race, your
muscles tense for action, your
senses heighten… and then you
realize he’s a security officer
returning your dropped glove.
A Wayne State University
researcher is studying this frequently unnecessary but sometimes life-saving “fight-or-flight”
response at its most fundamental
level. “In this response, the bloodstream is flooded with catecholamines, small hormones of
which the best known is adrenaline. The source of much of the hormone is a small gland that sits atop
the kidney called the adrenal
gland,” said Christina Artalejo, MD,
PhD, an associate professor of
pharmacology.
Her focus is on how the adrenal
gland releases adrenaline so
quickly. To study this process,
known as exocytosis, she is using
sophisticated electrophysiological
techniques to monitor the individual chromaffin cells that make up
the gland’s medulla. “The techniques allow instantaneous, or
‘real-time,’ monitoring of many
parameters in these cells, including how much hormone they are
releasing — with sensitivity to
resolve single-vesicle secretion,”
she explained.
“It turns out that adrenaline is
released in little packets,” she said,
noting that the packets are stored
in tiny pouches, called dense-core
vesicles, in the gland. “Each cell
contains about 30,000 such packets, but only a small number can be
released at each time. Fusion of the
vesicle with the surface of the chromaffin cell causes the hormone to
be secreted into the blood.” She
now hopes to learn more about the
protein molecules that regulate the
process. “With these proteins in
the right place, secretion is very
rapid — within 3 thousandths of a
second — but when any one of them
is impeded, secretion becomes much
slower and can stop altogether.”
She has already made an important observation. By investigating
exocytosis in bovine and human
cells, she found diminished secretion when the cells originated from
older individuals. “This was due to
the fact that an important protein,
called “facilitation” L-type calcium
channel, appeared to be missing.
This could be why, as many of us
realize as we get older, our reactions to stressful situations take
longer to develop. It also might
explain why, the older we are, we
experience more difficulty getting
out of the way of that wayward
skateboarder on the sidewalk!”
In addition, Dr. Artalejo has provided some of the first evidence
that synaptic-vesicle exocytosis
may not be the “all-or-none”
release traditionally assumed.
Employing high-tech amperometric
methods, she found that densecore vesicles can release cate-
cholamines in a graded manner
under various stimulation conditions.
Her lab is now taking a close look
at the mechanism that releases
adrenalin from adrenal gland cells.
“I think that a minute passageway
forms between the dense-core vesicle and the cell surface as a conduit
for hormone release. In a sense,
the packet then squirts the hormone out of the cell rather than
dumping its entire contents into
the blood,” she said. “This would be
a very efficient process, because
the packet could then be recaptured whole by the cell and refilled
with adrenaline, instead of having
to be remade by the cell.”
She believes the process of recycling adrenalin packets may be a
model of similar mechanisms
occurring in all nerve cells, and is
pursuing that hypothesis with an
eye toward resolving questions
about nervous-system function.
Dr. Artalejo is conducting her
research with the help of a
$312,000 grant from the National
Dr. Artalejo’s work is supported by the NIH.
Science Foundation, and a total of
$3.2 million in three grants from
the National Institutes of Health.
She also collaborates with several
researchers, including Dr. Clive
Palfrey’s lab at the University of
Chicago, Dr. Mark Lemmon’s lab at
University of Pennsylvania, Thomas
Martin’s lab at the University of
Wisconsin and Dr. Manfred Lindau
at Cornell University.
Leukemia Cure May Rest in Children with Down Syndrome
L
eukemia is the most common form of cancer in
children, and the type
known as acute myeloid
leukemia is the second
most frequent culprit. New hope for
battling this often-fatal disease is
now coming from an unlikely place:
children with Down syndrome.
When comparing the cure rate
among children with acute myeloid
leukemia, those who also have Down
syndrome respond much better to
the standard treatment, according to
WSU’s Jeffrey Taub, MD, associate
professor of pediatrics and pediatric
oncologist at Children’s Hospital.
“While children with Down syndrome have a higher risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia, their
cure rate is about double that of children without Down syndrome.
Specifically, the cure rate for children
who don’t have Down syndrome is in
the vicinity of 35-40 percent,
whereas the cure rate in children
with Down syndrome can range
from 80-100 percent.
“That suggests there’s something
unique about the genetic makeup of
children with Down syndrome that
makes their leukemia cells more
sensitive to the chemotherapy drugs
we use,” he added.
Since children with Down syndrome have an extra copy of one of
their chromosomes — three copies of
chromosome 21 instead of two — Dr.
Taub has centered his efforts over the
last eight years on that site. “We
looked at what genes are on chromosome 21 and focused our attention
on one particular gene, cystathionine-ß-synthase (CBS),” he said. Based
on extensive comparisons of
leukemia samples gathered from
children across the country, he and
his research group found that children with Down syndrome express
CBS at higher levels. That heightened activation appears to cause
their leukemia cells to become more
sensitive to the main chemotherapy
drug, called cytosine arabinoside
(ara-C), that is used in treatment of
this disease.
“Ultimately what we would like to
do is see if there’s some way we can
take this observation and make the
non-Down-syndrome leukemia cells
more sensitive to the ara-C drug,” Dr.
Taub explained. To that end, the
research team is trying to insert the
CBS gene into various tumor cell
lines to test whether the addition corresponds to an increased sensitivity.
If the work shows promise, and he
believes it will, the researchers hope
to move their testing from the test
tube to an animal model.
Dr. Taub’s group is also interested
in why the CBS gene is expressed at
unexpectedly high levels among children with Down syndrome. “Typically,
people have theorized that if a child
has three copies of chromosome 21,
he or she would similarly have three
copies of all the genes instead of two,
and the levels of gene expression
would be 1.5-fold higher. Actually, we
found that expression of this CBS
gene was 12-fold higher,” he said.
“It’s much more than predicted, so
we think that there’s something
more that’s really turning this gene
on. That’s one of the things that we’re
curious to find out.”
Dr. Taub is collaborating in this
work with: Larry Matherly, PhD, a
WSU professor of pharmacology and
researcher at the Karmanos Cancer
Institute; Yaddanapudi Ravindranath,
MD, professor of pediatrics at
Children’s Hospital; postdoctoral
researcher Yubin Ge, PhD; Mark Stout,
PhD; and technician Tanya Jensen.
“This whole project reflects an
interactive research program between
both physicians and basic scientists,”
Dr. Taub remarked. “It’s also a good
example of what is called translational cancer research: going from
the clinic to the laboratory for the
study of some clinical observation
and hopefully finally taking it back to
the clinic where we can devise new
treatments.”
The project is receiving support
through a $1.2 million, five-year
grant from the National Institutes of
Health and a five-year Scholar in
Clinical Research Award from the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Dr. Taub’s research has shown that while children with Down syndrome have a higher
risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia, their cure rate is about double that of
children without Down syndrome.
6
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
WSU Researchers Invent Software
for Gene Expression Analysis
M
onths have turned
to minutes and
manual procedures
have turned to
automation, thanks
to a new software program called
Onto-Express™ that was described
in the February 2002 issue of
Genomics. Created by Wayne State
University researchers, Onto-Express
collects and interprets microarray
data and provides gene expression
analysis in a biological context in a
fraction of the time previously
required.
The software correlates gene
expression profiles with key biological functions, according to
WSU creators who unveiled this
technology at the Genome TriConference hosted by the Cambridge
Healthtech Institute in February.
“To appreciate cellular function
within normal or diseased tissue or
understand how cells respond to
different treatments, an association must be made between genetic
profiles and their corresponding
biology,” Dr. Krawetz said. “Until
now, portraying the functionality of
genetic profiles involved using a
multitude of public databases to
manually identify and categorize
the role of individual genes.”
“Creating Onto-Express was also
an interesting challenge from a
computer science perspective” said
Dr. Draghici who is an expert in
data mining and machine learning.
“The challenge goes well beyond
merging information from heterogeneous databases since the
results also have to be validated
statistically in order to distinguish
between false positives and really
interesting biological phenomena.”
Version 1 of the software is available free of charge through Open
Channel Software, an Internetbased organization that publishes,
distributes and commercializes
software for advanced scientific
applications as well as through the
web site of the Intelligent Systems
and Bioinformatics Laboratory of the
Department of Computer Science
(http://vortex.cs.wayne.edu/Projec
ts.html). The researchers are finalizing version 2 of Onto-Express which
will be available to commercial users
for an annual subscription fee.
THE CREATORS ARE:
Stephen A. Krawetz,
Charlotte B. Failing Professor in Obstetrics
and Gynecology, the Center for Molecular
Medicine and Genetics (CMMG), and Institute
for Scientific Computing
Sorin Draghici,
assistant professor in the Department
of Computer Science and the Institute for
Scientific Computing.
Sorin Draghici,
assistant professor in the Department
of Computer Science and the Institute for
Scientific Computing.
Purvesh Khatri,
graduate student in computer science
Rui Martins,
graduate student in CMMG, and
G. Charles Ostermeier,
postdoctoral fellow in ob/gyn and CMMG.
WSU Hosts Brain Awareness Day at the Detroit Science Center
W
hat’s on your
mind? Many people got a chance
to see just that
during the Brain
Awareness Day celebration. The
Wayne State University School of
Medicine’s Cellular and Clinical
Neurobiology Program hosted
brain-related activities and demonstrations at the New Detroit Science
Center on March 16.
“The Cellular and Clinical
Neurobiology Program presents the
wonders of the brain and the contribution of neuroscience research to
general health and well-being. Brain
Awareness Day allows the public to
hear and see, first-hand, how the
brain works,” said Christian Kreipke,
who led WSU’s Brain Awareness Day
efforts and is a graduate student in
Dr. Paul Walker’s laboratory.
Activities included dissection of
real human brains, memory tasks,
dyslexia chambers and visual processing activities. Brain Awareness
Day is a nationally-recognized event
designed to improve the understanding of the brain with an
emphasis on neuropathology, psychiatry and a general understanding of how the brain works.
Accenture sponsored the event in
conjunction with the science center.
This year, WSU presenters visited
more than 4,000 students at schools
throughout the community during
Brain Awareness Week. In addition,
they saw more than 3,000 people on
Brain Awareness Day.
“With growing numbers of people
diagnosed with neuropathologies
such as Parkinson’s disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
and schizophrenia—and with growing concern about drug abuse and
dependence, the need for more public awareness about the brain is necessary, Kreipke said.
Faculty
Honored
with Career
Development
Awards
Graduate student Christian Kreipke
organized WSU’s Brain Awareness
Day efforts.
Visitors to the Detroit Science Center
were treated to brain demonstrations.
Three School of Medicine faculty members have been chosen as recipients of the Wayne
State University 2002 Career
Development Chair Awards.
Cristina Artalejo, MD, PhD,
associate professor of pharmacology; Michael Cher, MD,
associate professor of urology;
and Domenico Gatti, MD, PhD,
associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology,
were honored at the university’s Academic Recognition
Ceremony on April 17. The
award honors promising research
and provides recognition and
support of outstanding work.
Dr. Artalejo has paved new
ground in the field of neurobiology. She has discovered novel
mechanisms of rapid exocytosis and rapid endocytosis in
chromaffin cells. Her research
program is internationally recognized and she is supported
by funding from the National
Institutes of Health and the
National Science Foundation.
Dr. Gatti is a structural biologist who uses X-ray crystallography to understand the molecular
basis of catalysis. Importantly,
he has solved two notable structures, both enzymes important
for drug design and resistance.
His work has led to two grants
from the National Institutes of
Health and invitations to present his work to international
audiences.
Dr. Cher has recently become
recognized nationally as a
leader in research involving
prostate cancer metastasis to
bone. He has developed a
unique laboratory model for
the study of this phenomenon,
involving new techniques for
imaging of bone metastasis.
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
7
Class of 2002
Congratulations to the Class of 2002 who will pursue post-graduate medical training at
the following institutions. Transitional students will begin training at one place and later transfer
to another, as indicated by the number after their specialties. Refer to the end of this list for a
numbered reference guide to institutions.
Brian G. Accola
McKay-Dee Hospital Center
Ogden, Utah
Family Practice
Rana L. Adawi
Beth Israel Medical Center
New York, New York
Internal Medicine
Chad E. Afman
University of Cincinnati
College of Medicine
Cincinnati, Ohio
Otolaryngology
Faisal I. Ahmad
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
Neurology
Classmates Kimberly Jenkins, Latisha Carter, Cherrica Davis and Devona Beard are all smiles.
Rula N. Al-Aouar
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional
Corey G. Batiste
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (3)
Paul T. Alban
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Pediatrics
Kristy A. Bauman
University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Kenya M. Alexander
University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Psychiatry
Kareem Bazzy
Postponing post-graduate training
Devona R. Beard
University Hospitals of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Anesthesiology
Image Family Practice/
Hillcrest Medical Center
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Family Practice
Andrew K. Al-Shabkhoun
Lisa E. Amatangelo
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Family Practice
Valerie S. Beito
Women’s & Infants Hospital
Providence, Rhode Island
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
Todd R. Anderson
SUNY Health Science Center
Brooklyn, New York
Emergency
Medicine
Brooke A. Belcher
Riverside Methodist Hospital
Columbus, Ohio
Internal Medicine (4)
Premchand Anne
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
MedicinePediatrics
Sean P. Bender
Denver Health Medical Center
Denver, Colorado
Emergency
Medicine
Richard C. Bennett
SUNY Health Science Center
Syracuse, New York
General Surgery (1)
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Urology
Samantha Anne
Jake Berlin-Heiney
Rae R. Aranas
Forest Park Hospital
St. Louis, Missouri
Transitional (2)
Akron General Medical Center
Northeast Ohio College of Medicine
Akron, Ohio
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Andrew J. Avery
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
MedicinePediatrics
Ali A. L. Berry
Oakwood Hospital
Dearborn, Michigan
Transitional (5)
Eric M. Bershad
McLaren Regional Medical Center
Flint, Michigan
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
Internal Medicine (7)
Maher J. Bahu
Rinky Bhatia
University Health Center of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Psychiatry
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Baltimore, Maryland
Internal Medicine
Cheryl Y. Bailey
Kai A. Bickenbach
The University Hospital
Cincinnati, Ohio
Emergency
Medicine
University of Chicago Hospital
Chicago, Illinois
General Surgery
Daniel J. Baker
Dennis M. Bishop
Doru Bali
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
St. John Hospital & Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
Ronald S. Boris
Henry Ford Health Systems
Detroit, Michigan
Urology
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Norfolk, Virginia
Pediatrics
Robert J. Bowes
University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
Melissa A. Brassell
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Baltimore, Maryland
Pathology
Latania K. Broyls
Children’s Memorial Hospital
Chicago, Illinois
Pediatrics
Daniel M. Buerkel
University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Dorothy Hoffman Ballard
Anastasia E.
Banicki-Hoffman
Postponing post-graduate training
Theodore D. Barber
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
General
Surgery (6)
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Diagnostic
Radiology
Craig N. Basmaji
8
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
Cherrica T. Davis
The University Hospital
Cincinnati, Ohio
MedicinePediatrics
Flora A. Dean
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (11)
Lester M. deGuzman
Providence Hospital
Southfield, Michigan
Family Practice
Matthew D. Deibel
Grand Rapids Area Medical Education
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
James S. DeMeester
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
Internal Medicine (12)
Trifun Dimitrijevski
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
Brian A. Dolsey
University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Brian J. Duggins
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Diagnostic
Radiology
Jason Park and his wife Emilie are thrilled about their move to New York to study orthopaedic surgery.
Jerry B. Burgess, Jr.
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Anesthesiology
Brian W. Duignan
Image Family Practice/
Hillcrest Medical Center
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Family Practice
Renee M. Burke
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia
General Surgery
Mohanpal S. Dulai
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Pathology
Christopher M. Canfield
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
Todd D. Durham
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
Diagnostic
Radiology
Gjon G. Dushaj
Matthew D. Carr
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, Indiana
Pathology
St. John Hospital & Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
David A. Edelman
University of Chicago Hospitals
Chicago, Illinois
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
General Surgery
Seann E. W. Carr
Latisha N. Carter
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Pediatrics
Mahr F. Elder, DDS
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Oral Surgery
Tara J. Caudill
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Family Practice
Franklin E. Ellenson
Oregon Health Sciences University
Portland, Oregon
Neurology
Leonard M. Cetner
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (8)
Miechia A. Esco, PhD
University of Massachusetts
Medical School
Worcester, Massachusetts
General Surgery
Daniel T. Chang
Oakwood Hospital
Dearborn, Michigan
Transitional (9)
Joshua B. Evans
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Pediatrics
Christine A. Climie
St. Joseph Hospital
Chicago, Illinois
Family Practice
Alberto Farah
Grand Rapids Area Medical Education
Rapids, Michigan
Transitional (10)
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
Tiffany R. Farchione
University Health Center of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Psychiatry
Julie A. Crawford
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
Anesthesiology
Michele M. Fliss
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Transitional (13)
Geoffrey M. Crockett
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
Jennifer L. Foley
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
Trina E. Curlee-Martin
Bon Secours Cottage Health System
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Family Practice
Alison L. Fox
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Pediatrics
Deborah S. Czarski
David Grant Medical Center
Travis AFB, California
Internal Medicine
Alexander P. Franko III
Providence Hospital
Southfield, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Shahida M. Danier
St. John Hospital & Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (10)
David M. Freccero
Tripler Army Medical Center
Honolulu, Hawaii
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Pamela L. Dasher-Ridley
McLaren Regional Medical Center
Flint, Michigan
Family Practice
Kari L. Freeman
MidMichigan Medical Center
Midland, Michigan
Family Practice
Robert B. Cohen
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
9
Ann A. Froman
Lahey Clinic
Burlington, Massachusetts
Internal Medicine
Ebony R. Hoskins
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
Dawn K. George
Palmetto Health Alliance
Columbia, South Carolina
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
George S. Howard
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Kathleen M. Gibbons
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (13)
Lynda L. Hulst
Providence Hospital
Southfield, Michigan
Family Practice
Jeffery R. Hurley
Yolanda D. Giles
University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Psychiatry
Martin L. King, Jr./Drew Medical School
Los Angeles, California
Emergency
Medicine
Kareem D. Husain
Postponing post-graduate training
Joshua M. Gitlin
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s
Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois
General Surgery
Karl J. Ilg
University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Tarin I. Gitlin
University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Pediatrics
Daniela Ilioska
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Miami, Florida
Internal Medicine
Martin Glowacki
Henry Ford Health Systems
Detroit, Michigan
Anesthesiology
Michael S. Ingber
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Urology
Dafina M. Good
University Hospital of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Pediatrics
Todd A. Irwin
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Elisabeth C. Goodall
St. John Hospital & Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
Jeffrey A. Janowicz
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Emergency
Medicine
Detroit, Michigan
Rasvin S. Grewal
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
Colton, California
Transitional (14)
Jeffrey A. Jednacz
Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Internal Medicine (15)
Howard University Hospital
Washington, DC
Emergency
Medicine
Christopher C. Jeffries
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
General Surgery
Casey D. Jenkins
University Hospital of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Orthopedic Surgery
Kimberly D. Jenkins
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Pediatrics
Laura E. Johnson
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Daniel J. Johnston
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
General Surgery
Shruti Jolly
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Abel G. Joy
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Jill E. Kalcich
Family Practice Residency of Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Family Practice
Ivan S. Katty
Oakwood Hospital
Dearborn, Michigan
Diagnostic
Radiology
Neesha R. Griffin
Wishing each other good luck are Pamela Tomaszewski who will pursue family medicine training at
Beaumont, and Amy Neville who is going to the Cleveland Clinic for radiology.
Richard E. Han
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (13)
Mounir J. Haurani
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
General Surgery
Christopher P. Kelly
Providence Hospital
Southfield, Michigan
General Surgery
Thomas B. Henry
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Psychiatry
Mahmoud A. Khaimi
St. John Hospital & Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (16)
Curi Kim
University Health Center of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Internal Medicine
University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Family Practice
Kathleen E. Holleran
Michael J. Kirby
Oakwood Hospital
Dearborn, Michigan
Diagnostic
Radiology
Hurley Medical Center
Flint, Michigan
Pediatrics
Todd M. Horkins
Jill Knapp
University of Illinois College of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois
General Surgery
Riverside Methodist Hospital
Columbus, Ohio
Internal Medicine
Stanley J. Horky III
Karen A. Koenig
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Internal Medicine
10
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
David A. Komjathy
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Meredith L. Korneffel
Postponing post-graduate training
Joseph X. Kou
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Michael B. Kraemer, D.M.D.
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Oral Surgery
Providence Hospital
Southfield, Michigan
Family Practice
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
Anesthesiology
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
The University Hospital
Cincinnati, Ohio
Pediatrics
Joseph Mercy Hospital
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Pediatrics
Barbara Krauss
Elizabeth I. Krenz
Anthony T. Lagina
Debra M. Langlois
Susanne LaPrad-Archer
Elizabeth A. Leleszi
Internal Medicine
Tiffany Farchione and Cheryl Bailey were classmates and co-researchers in Dr. David Rosenberg’s laboratory.
They pose long enough for Bailey’s parents to snap some candids.
Marie D. Manetta
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (17)
Kris A. Manlove-Simmons Morehouse School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia
Family Practice
Anil G. Mathew
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia
Internal Medicine
Daniel C. McGillicuddy
Israel-Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Emergency
Medicine
Krystie K. McKinney
Brooke Army Medical Center
Fort Sam Houston, Texas
Pediatrics
Kenya A. McNeal-Trice
University of North Carolina Hospital
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Pediatrics
Daniel Mekasha
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Anesthesiology
Brian K. Meyers
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
Matthew K. Mukherjee
Einstein/Montefiore Medical Center
Bronx, New York
Internal Medicine
Christa M. Murphy
Postponing post-graduate training
Samir A. Musleh
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Tammon A. Nash
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Pathology
Chandan P. Nayak
University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Psychiatry
Lori S. Neeley
Bon Secours Cottage Health System
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Family Practice
Amy M. Neville
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (18)
Minh D. Nguyen
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Jeanette H. Niemisto
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
Psychiatry
Gregory M. Norris
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (17)
Faye E. Lialios
Barnes-Jewish Hospital
St. Louis, Missouri
Internal Medicine
Victor S. Lin
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional
Erin C. Nunnold
Medical College of Wisconsin
Affiliated Hospitals
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Pediatrics
Colleen Malek Linehan
University of Minnesota Medical Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Jane E. Nydam
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Pediatrics
Nicole L. Linder
Marquette General Hospital
Marquette, Michigan
Family Practice
Erin E. O’Malley
St. John Hospital & Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (19)
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Erica L. O’Neal
Cook County Hospital
Chicago, Illinois
Internal Medicine (20)
Ian F. Lytle
The University Hospital
Cincinnati, Ohio
General Surgery
Tom Obertynski
Postponing post-graduate training
Danielle A. Osterholzer
Jaime B. Magid
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s
Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois
General Surgery
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, Indiana
MedicinePediatrics
Todd R. Otten
Naval Medical Center
Portsmouth, Virginia
General Surgery
State University of New York
Health Sciences Center
Brooklyn, New York
Emergency
Medicine
Karen M. Parisien
Naval Medical Center
Portsmouth, Virginia
Psychiatry
Frederick L. Locke
Danielle M. Mailloux
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
Maged K. Rizk
University of Illinois
College of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois
Internal Medicine
Jason W. Roberts
Medical College of Wisconsin
Affiliated Hospitals
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Natasha L. Robinette
Oakwood Hospital
Dearborn, Michigan
Diagnostic Radiology
Natalia M. Rodriguez
St. John Hospital & Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (23)
Kristine W. Roth
Postponing post graduate training
Sandra J. Rouillard
Postponing post graduate training
Gary N. Sackett
Grand Rapids Area Medical Education
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Family Practice
Jennifer C. Salansky
Halifax Medical Center
Daytona Beach, Florida
Family Practice
School of Medicine graduate Elizabeth Leleszi celebrates with her father Dr. Jimmie Leleszi who is a faculty
member in WSU’s psychiatry department.
Jason C. H. Park
11
New York University School of Medicine
Hospital of Joint Diseases
New York, New York
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Jaswinder S. Sandhu
Sinai/Grace Hospital
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
Ilaben P. Patel
Louisiana State University
School of Medicine
New Orleans, Louisiana
Family Practice
Ajit A. Sarnaik
The University Hospital
Cincinnati, Ohio
Pediatrics
Naeem Sattar
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Family Practice
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Anesthesiology
Parag P. Patel
Michelle L. Pavlik
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Pediatrics
Andrea M. Scheurer
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Pediatrics
Kristi L. Pedler
Medical College of Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
Laura M. Schmidt
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, Indiana
MedicinePediatrics
Heather M. Perry-Mills
University of South Florida
College of Medicine
Tampa, Florida
Family Practice
Steven P. Schmidt
University of Michigan Hospitals
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
Brian R. Schneider, DDS
George Washington University
Washington, DC
Internal Medicine
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Oral Surgery
Ponni V. Perumalswami
Brian A. Peshek
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
General Surgery (21)
Dana S. Schroeder
Providence Hospital
Southfield, Michigan
Family Practice
Candice K. Sech
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
Iowa City, Iowa
Internal Medicine
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Brian K. Petroelje
Kathleen E. Pilchowski
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Amy H. Shah
Children’s Memorial Hospital
Chicago, Illinois
Pediatrics
Samir H. Shah
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
Dermatology
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts
Internal Medicine (24)
John J. Pomann
Ashish G. Sharma
Grand Rapids Area Medical Education
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
McLaren Regional Medical Center
Flint, Michigan
Internal Medicine (3)
Christopher B. Port
Thomas A. Shin
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (22)
Swedish Covenant Hospital
Chicago, Illinois
Transitional (25)
Manvi Prakash
Christine S. Shina
Internal Medicine
Bobak T. Rabbani
Georgetown University Hospital
Washington, DC
Internal Medicine
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Lisa E. Siegel
University of Florida
Health Science Center
Jacksonville, Florida
Internal Medicine
McGaw Medical CenterNorthwestern University
Chicago, Illinois
Psychiatry
Yuval Raz
Karin L. Small
Alexander A. Ree
Oakwood Hospital
Dearborn, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Oakwood Hospital
Dearborn, Michigan
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
Lisa K. Smith
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Transitional (3)
Grand Rapids Area Medical Education
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Family Practice
Allan R. Rinke
12
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
Latania Broyls and Seann Carr compare match results and discuss their pending relocation to Chicago for
residency training.
Nathan V. Wagstaff
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
Nathan J. Walters
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
Alan H. L. Wang
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Internal Medicine
Jeffrey B. Weinberger
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
General Surgery
Debra A. Wetzel
St. Joseph Oakland Hospital
Pontiac, Michigan
Transitional
Troy C. Williams
Providence Hospital
Southfield, Michigan
General Surgery
Erin T. Wolff
Michigan State University-Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Transitional (28)
Lawrence K. Wong
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Terry A. Wynn
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
Vivek Soi
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Luba Soskin
New York University Downtown Hospital
New York, New York
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
Kathryn M. Stafinski
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Anne M. Yered
University of CaliforniaLos Angeles Medical Center
Los Angeles, California
Pediatrics
Matthew R. Steensma
Grand Rapids Area Medical Education
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Eric Y. Yoon
Grand Rapids Area Medical Education
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Transitional (29)
Oakwood Hospital
Dearborn, Michigan
Transitional (26)
Sandra S. Yoon
B 1 Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Emergency
Medicine
Oakwood Hospital
Dearborn, Michigan
Family Practice
Michael A. Yusaf
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Ryan A. Sullivan
Michigan State University-Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Lisa D. Zaks
Hurley Medical Center
Flint, Michigan
Transitional (27)
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Pediatrics
Geoffrey E. Sultana
Ronald J. Zulkiewski
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Internal Medicine
Oakwood Hospital
Dearborn, Michigan
Family Practice
Mehul A. Thakkar
Ronald L. Thies
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Emergency
Medicine
Mikhail Tismenetsky
Mt. Sinai Hospital
New York, New York
Pathology
Pamela A. Tomaszewski
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan
Family Practice
Julia A. Trautschold
Bon Secours Cottage Health System
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Family Practice
Nadia Tremonti
Wayne State University/
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit, Michigan
Pediatrics
Sharla M. Ulstad
Grand Rapids Area Medical Education
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Obstetrics/
Gynecology
Al J. Uy
Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center
Phoenix, Arizona
Family Practice
Mark A. Vann
Howard University Hospital
Washington, DC
Orthopaedic
Surgery
Aubrey V. Verdun
University of Chicago Hospitals
Chicago, Illinois
Anesthesiology
Carrie J. Stewart
Mariya V. Suchyta
Students will complete training at the following institutions as indicated
by the number after their transitional status.
(1) SUNY Health Sciences Center, Dept. of Otolaryngology, Syracuse, NY
(2) Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Dept. of Anesthesiology, St. Louis, MO
(3) Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, Dept. of Ophthalmology, Detroit, MI
(4) Ohio State University Medical Center, Dept. of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Columbus, OH
(5) Henry Ford Health System, Dept. of Dermatology, Detroit, MI
(6) Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, Dept. of Urology, Detroit, MI
(7) Case Western Reserve, Dept. of Neurology, Cleveland, OH
(8) Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, Dept. of Dermatology, Detroit, MI
(9) University of Florida Program-Shands Hospital, Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Gainesville, Fl
(10) Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, Detroit, MI
(11) Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, Dept. of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Detroit, MI
(12) Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Anesthesiology, Baltimore, MD
(13) University of Michigan Hospitals, Dept. of Anesthesiology, Ann Arbor, MI
(14) University of California Irvine Medical Center, Dept. of Anesthesiology, Irvine, CA
(15) Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University, Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, Providence, RI
(16) Henry Ford Health Systems, Dept. of Ophthalmology, Detroit, MI
(17) Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, Dept. of Neurology, Detroit, MI
(18) Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, Cleveland, OH
(19) University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Dept. of Ophthalmology, Iowa City, IA
(20) Cook County Hospital, Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Chicago, IL
(21) Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, Dept. of Otolaryngology, Detroit, MI
(22) Medical College of Wisconsin, Dept. of Ophthalmology, Milwaukee, WI
(23) New York Eye & Ear Infirmary, Dept. of Ophthalmology, New York, NY
(24) UCLA Medical Center, Dept. of Neurology, Los Angeles, CA
(25) University of Virginia Medical Center, Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, Charlottesville, VA
(26) University of California Davis Medical Center, Dept. of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Sacramento, CA
(27) University of Michigan Hospitals, Dept. of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Ann Arbor, MI
(28) Carolinas Medical Center, Dept. of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Charlotte, NC
(29) Cook County Hospital, Dept. of Ophthalmology, Chicago, IL
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
Notes
Cheryl Bailey, year IV medical student and research assistant in the lab
of Dr. David Rosenberg, has received
a Medical Student Travel Award to
attend the annual meeting of the
American Psychiatric Association in
May 2002.
William Coplin, MD, associate professor of neurology, moderated and led
a panel discussion about temperature management for neurologically
impaired patients at the 27th
International Stroke Conference.
Bruce Deschere, MD, associate chair
of family medicine, has been selected
by the United States Figure Skating
Association as Team USA physician
for the World Synchronized Skating
Championships to be held in Rouen,
France in mid April. He also assisted
at the National Synchronized Skating
Team Championships held in Lake
Placid, NY, in February andwill provide medical coverage for the gold
and silver medal senior teams from
the Hayden Figure Skating Club in
Massachusetts and the varsity team
from Miami University of Ohio.
Michael Diamond, MD, the Kamran S.
Moghissi Professor and associate
chair of obstetrics and gynecology,
was an invited speaker at a symposium sponsored by the National
Institute of Child Health and Human
Development, the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) Office of Rare
Diseases, the NIH Office of Research
on Women’s Health, and the National
Institute of Nursing Research. Dr.
Diamond’s presentation was titled
“Update on Adhesion Formation and
Prevention.”
Tiffany Farchione, year IV medical
student and research assistant in the
lab of Dr. David Rosenberg, has had
an article accepted for publication in
the Journal of Child Neurology. Her
article, “Hypoplasia of the Corpus
Callosum and Obsessive-Compulsive
Symptoms,” is the first to note an
association between the brain condition, hypoplasia of the corpus callosum, and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Richard Gallagher, PhD, professor of
family medicine, has been elected a
fellow of the American Association
for Cancer Education. In addition, he
was appointed chair of the association’s advisory committee.
Matt Jackson, PhD, associate professor of immunology and microbiology,
is presenting a session on interactive
learning at the Association of
Medical School Microbiology and
Immunology Chairs Educational
Strategies Workshop in May.
Peter Karpawich, MD, professor of
pediatric medicine and director of
cardiac electrophysiology services at
Children’s Hospital of Michigan, was
appointed to the Physician’s Advisory
Board of the National Republican
Congressional Committee.
Tammy Lundstrom, MD, assistant
professor of internal medicine and
chief quality and safety officer at the
Detroit Medical Center, presented a
seminar and meet-the-professor session on patient safety at the national
meeting of the Society for Healthcare
Epidemiology of America.
Jeanne Lusher, MD, distinguished
professor of pediatrics, who is cochair of the National Hemophilia
Foundation’s (NHF) Gene Therapy
Working Group, was an active participant and session chairperson at
a gene therapy symposium sponsored by the NHF and National
Institutes of Health in April.
She served as member of the
Medical-Scientific Steering Committee,
session chair and speaker at the
World Federation of Hemophilia
Congress in May.
María Cristina Jackson-Menaldi, PhD,
adjunct associate professor of otolaryngology and director of the
Lakeshore Professional Voice Center,
has published a book titled La Voz
Patológica (Voice Pathology). This
book, written in Spanish, is designed
for otolaryngologists, speech pathologists and voice specialists.
Dr. Jackson-Menaldi gave an invited
presentation at the second International
Symposium of Voice Pathology and
Phonosurgery organized by the
Argentinean chapter of the PanAmerican Association of Otolaryngology. She presented“Management
of the Professional Voice User With
Allergies,”“Objective Voice Analysis,”
and “Voice Pathology Treatments.”
David Pieper, PhD, assistant dean for
continuing medical education, has
been selected as associate editor of
the journal of the Alliance for CME,
Almanac.
Chuck Pokriefka, director of facilities
and support services, is leading the
awards, bylaws and government affairs
committee of the Southeastern Michigan
Chapter of the International Facilities
Management Association.
Ananda Prasad, MD, PhD, professor
of internal medicine, has been
invited to serve on the National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory
Council of the National Institutes of
Health. His term will last until 2004.
David Rosenberg, MD, professor of
psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, was the keynote speaker at
the Western Psychiatric Institute and
Clinics annual research forum at the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Herbert Smitherman, MD, assistant
professor of internal medicine, was
accepted as a Salzburg Seminar
Fellow along with 80 other healthcare fellows from approximately 39
countries.
Tara Washington, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology and clinical chief of radiation oncology at the
Karmanos Cancer Institute’s SinaiGrace Radiation Oncology Center,
has been appointed to the Karmanos
Cancer Institute board of trustees.
Rounds
Muscular Dystrophy Association
Funds Two WSU Researchers
The Muscular Dystrophy Association
has awarded research grants to two
faculty members in WSU’s pediatrics
department.
Gyula Acsadi, MD, PhD, is studying
“Gene Therapy for Spinal Muscular
Atrophy (SMA).” Currently, there is
no effective therapy available for
SMA, the most prevalent genetic
motor neuron disease. Dr. Acsadi is
working on a novel gene therapy
approach based on a transgenic
mouse model he developed.
Thomas L’Ecuyer, MD, is studying
“UTR Binding Protein: Expression
and Influence on Differentiation.”
He will try to define how a small
RNA sequence causes conversion
of non-muscle cells into muscle.
Both awards are funded through
2004.
Psychiatry Researcher Publishes
Report on Cortical Anatomy in
Childhood Depression
Carla Nolan, former research
assistant in psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, published a
paper in the February issue of the
Archives of General Psychiatry. The
study, “Prefrontal Cortical Volume in
Childhood-Onset Major Depression,”
provided evidence that children
with major depressive disorder
(MDD) may have alterations in the
prefrontal cortex, the part of the
brain that maintains mood regulation. This was the first brain-imaging study to examine patients with
MDD near-illness onset, before
exposure to psychotropic medication. Studying this population helps
minimize potential confounders of
illness duration and medication
treatment.
This study has also caught the
attention of Time Magazine. Watch
for an article in an upcoming issue.
Co-authors on the study include:
Gregory Moore, PhD, Rachel Madden,
Tiffany Farchione, Marla Bartoi,
PhD, Elisa Lorch, Carol Stewart, and
David Rosenberg, MD (who also
hosted Carla Nolan in his laboratory). Nolan is currently a first-year
graduate student at Emory University.
African Americans More Likely
to Die From Ovarian Cancer
Although white women in the
U.S. are more likely to develop ovarian cancer, African Americans are
more likely to die from the disease.
This finding was published in the
March 15 issue of the journal
Cancer by Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, PhD,
assistant professor in the Department
of Epidemiology - Population Studies
at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer
Institute.
She determined from a study of
more than 13,000 women diagnosed
with ovarian cancer between 1988 and
1997, that African-American women
with ovarian cancer have a 30%
increased risk of death from any
cause, as compared with Caucasian
women with the same diagnosis.
Technology Is Paramount For
Pharmacy and Health Sciences Facility
Officials at Wayne State University’s
Eugene Applebaum College of
Pharmacy and Health Services are
getting ready to open “what may be
Detroit’s most high-tech building,”
according to Detroit Free Press technology reporter, Mike Wendland.
Scheduled to open in May and
begin hosting regular classes and
labwork in the fall, “The building
has been designed to utilize every
kind of technology that is available,” said Beverly Schmoll, dean of
the college. “It will allow our professors and students to access information and engage in simulaton
instruction like we’ve never been
able to do before.”
Among its technological highlights, the facility features two simulation suites with high-tech teaching mannequins, computer-controlled smart boards, wireless
Internet access, Web-based instruction, document cameras and CD
and DVD machines to capture class
research and data.
13
WSU Board of Governors Elects
New Chair, Three Officers
The Board of Governors at Wayne
State University has elected Leon
Atchison as the new chair of the
board. Atchison, a lifelong Detroiter,
was elected unanimously and will
preside for the 2002 term.
Atchison is vice president of public affairs for Ultimed HMO of
Michigan, and was first elected to
the Board of Governors in 1970.
Three other officers were elected to
the Board of Governors. They are:
• John Kelly, vice chair, who is with
the law firm Sommers, Schwartz,
Silver & Schwartz P.C. and works
as counsel and special assistant
to the Attorney General for the
State of Michigan.
• John Davis, treasurer, is senior
vice president of finance and
administration at Wayne State.
• Julie Miller, re-elected as secretary to the board. In addition, she
serves as secretary of the university and executive assistant to the
president.
Global Partnerships Expand
to Mie University in Japan
Dr. Yasuo Chinzei, dean of the
Mie University School of Medicine
in Tsu-city, Japan, and Wayne State
University President Irvin Reid celebrated the signing of an affiliation
agreement between the institutions
at a recent event in WSU’s JapanAmerica Conference Center.
Mie University’s relationship with
WSU began at Children’s Hospital
of Michigan. The agreement signed
by Drs. Chinzei and Reid expanded
this relationship to the entire university.
President Reid has made expanding the global reach of WSU one of
the priorities of his administration.
Through the efforts of Office for
Global Education, WSU has established affiliations with more than
40 universities worldwide.
Representatives from Mie University meet
to solidify a partnership with WSU.
14
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
Lights, Camera, Operate:
Children’s Hospital Acquires Robotic Assistance
W
ayne State University physicians
at Children’s Hospital of Michigan
have launched the
nation’s first pediatric computerassisted robot-enhanced surgery
program. In January 2002, Dr.
Scott Langenburg became the first
person in the country to operate on
a child using the Zeus Robotic
Surgical System.
Equipped with a headset, visual
screen and hand controls, Zeus
senses the surgeon’s hand movements and scales them into precise
micro-movements while filtering out
hand tremor. The system enables
surgeons to use voice commands
and manually manipulate the
robotic arms. It was developed by
Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Computer
Motion Inc., which is also a partner
with Children’s Hospital and Wayne
State’s College of Engineering.
Dr. Langenburg performed the
procedure from a console across
the operating room from the
patient and Dr. Michael Klein
assisted. The procedure, a Nissen
Fundoplication, surgically corrected
gastro esophageal reflux disease
for a 17-year old patient by wrap-
ping the stomach around the esophagus to create a new muscle valve.
Researchers are pioneering a
whole new class of delicate procedures that were previously thought
impossible, from complex brain,
chest and abdominal operations to
fetal surgery. They are working
closely with the United States Food
and Drug Administration to secure
approval for a broader range of childspecific robot enhanced applications.
In addition, the facility is becoming
an international teaching center for
pediatric robotic surgery. Already,
surgeons from overseas have visited
the hospital for instruction in the use
of this new technology.
The Smart Sensors and Integrated
Microsystems Institute headquartered in the College of Engineering
is developing smart sensors for the
Zeus system, which will enhance
the surgeon’s ability to control and
receive critical information as they
operate.
Dr. Langenburg is director of the
Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation
Computer-Assisted Robot-Enhanced
Surgery Program, which was established at Children’s Hospital with a
$5 million commitment.
Wayne State University
School of Medicine
Public Affairs and
Publications
101 E. Alexandrine
Detroit, MI 48201
(313) 577-1429
Director of Public Affairs
Kathleen Wedemire, APR
[email protected]
Editor/Senior Writer
Amy DiCresce
[email protected]
Contributing Writers
Jennifer Day
Leslie Mertz
Photography
Robert Stewart Photography Ltd.
Tom Owoc,
Biomedical Communications
Design
Midnite Oil Creative
Dr. Langenburg uses computers and robotic assistance to operate with
ultimate precision.
In Memory
Murray E. Jackson
Wayne State University Governor
Emeritus Murray Jackson died in
February 2002, after serving on
WSU’s Board of Governors for more
than 20 years.
He had many accomplishments
at WSU, from his early years as a
student athlete to his later positions as assistant dean of students
and assistant to the vice president
for urban affairs. He also earned
bachelor’s and master’s degrees
in humanities and taught poetry
courses that “reflected both his
love for people and for the city
that was his home,” said Irvin
Reid, WSU president.
According to Dr. Reid, “Murray’s
was a life of infinite interests,
expressed in both his vocations
and avocations.” His service to
higher education included a teaching appointment at the University
of Michigan, and a position as founding president of Wayne County
Community College. He was an
enthusiastic civil rights activist, a
steadfast advocate for youth, first executive director of the Detroit Council of
the Arts, and a mainstay of the
Michigan Democratic Party.
He was also a respected poet with
two published books and contributions to many publications and
anthologies.
“We have lost an engaging colleague, and we all are diminished
by his passing,” Dr. Reid said.
Charles H. Wright
Charles Wright, MD, who died in
March at age 83, will be remembered as a Hutzel Hospital obstetrician who delivered more than 7,000
babies, and perhaps one of the most
influential
African-American
Detroiters of the last half of the
Scribe is published quarterly
for the faculty, staff, students
and alumni of the Wayne State
University School of Medicine.
Your comments, suggestions
and submissions are encouraged.
20th century.
He was best known as the founder
and namesake of Detroit’s Charles
H. Wright Museum of AfricanAmerican History. He was instrumental in the establishment of such
museums in the late 1960s and
opened his own in the basement of
his Detroit home-office, inspired by
the collections of artifacts kept by
African villagers during his work as
a medical missionary.
A physician, art lover, civil rights
activist and humanitarian, Dr.
Wright said in a 1997 Detroit Free
Press interview. “I’d bring healthy
babies into the world and I’d see
them later and they’d be psychologically scarred. I saw we had to do
something about society—and the
museum was an effort to do that.”
Born in 1918, Dr. Wright grew up
amid poverty in Dothan, Ala. He
earned a bachelor’s degree from
Alabama State College and a medical degree from Meharry Medical
College. In 1946, he started a private
practice in Detroit and through the
years, served patients at Hutzel
Hospital, Harper-Grace and Sinai.
Committed to the social and political aspects of medicine, Dr.
Wright protested when black patients
weren’t given beds beside white
patients; served as an attending
physician at civil rights marches;
and spearheaded the African
Medical Education Fund through
the Detroit Medical Society so
Africans could study in America.
Dr. Wright was an assistant professor of OB-GYN at WSU from
1969 to 1983 and he practiced
medicine until his retirement in
1986.
notes
alum
www.med.wayne.edu
Pathfinders
in Medicine
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
WSU and Neiman Marcus Team Up for Fund-Raising Event
T
The 2002 Pathfinders in Medicine
Awards Dinner recognizes visionary leadership and achievement
in medicine. This year’s event
honored the following innovators:
Waldo Cain, MD
Robert N. Frank, MD
Cynthia Ford
John Waller, Jr., DrPH
Congratulations
to the honorees.
See the next issue of Alum Notes
for a report of the festivities.
he Wayne State University
School of Medicine and
Neiman Marcus presented a Spring Fashion
Show on February 24
for alumni, friends and current students. Guests mingled while enjoying brunch as they were treated to
a sneak preview of fashions for
spring 2002.
“Everyone really enjoyed the
show,” said Linda Ditkoff, wife of
Medical Alumni Association President
Dr. Thomas Ditkoff. “I was pleased
with how well attended it was and
at the many creative ideas that
were presented.”
The event was coordinated by
School of Medicine alumni manager, Lori Robitaille. She worked
closely with Neiman Marcus vice
president, Ariela Shani, who frequently hosts charitable events for
the Dallas based retailer. “Ms.
Shani was extremely helpful,” said
Robitaille. “From the moment I
contacted her, she was very excited
about this project and very eager to
support the school. We couldn’t
have done it without her.”
The show featured practical ideas
and displayed looks intended to
appeal to all age groups. It presented some trends for this spring
that included a “bohemian” sensibility in much of the clothing and a
predominant use of the color red.
Neiman Marcus public relations
manager, Mimi Strek, was also
pleased with the event. “This is the
first time we have worked with the
School of Medicine,” she said. “We
feel that Wayne State University is
important to the community and a
worthy cause.”
“I received a lot of positive feedback from this event,” said Robitaille.
“Many of the women who attended
expressed an interest in attending
future events. This was our first,
true fund-raising event and it was
definitely a success.”
“This event involved a lot of
alumni who aren’t usually involved
with the school,” said Ditkoff. “It
tapped into the interests of many
people. The alumni association
would like to cultivate this interest
and keep people involved. In the
future, we would like to expand our
corporate ties and relationships
within the community and we hope
to provide more opportunities for
alumni to get together and support
the School of Medicine.”
Models show new looks for spring.
Linda Ditkoff welcomes the audience.
Enjoying the fashion show are school supporters, Patty Mack, Vesta Dajani and
Judy Rowady.
Inside
16 17 18 19
Second Year Student
Awarded Fellowship
Tax Tips for 2002
Florida Alumni Luncheon
Upcoming Alumni Events
16
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
The President’s Greeting
Thomas Ditkoff, MD, ‘71
President
Wayne State University
Medical Alumni Association
Greetings on behalf of the
Wayne State University School of
Medicine Alumni Association
Board of Governors.
This is my final Alum Notes
message as president of the
Medical Alumni Association. I
have, indeed, enjoyed my term as
president. I am pleased to have
had the opportunity to participate in developing several new
programs such as the Neiman
Marcus Fashion Show and the redesigned Medical Alumni Reunion
Day. It was also a pleasure to lend
our support to worthwhile programs, including the incoming
student welcome day and the student orientation and welcome
ceremony. I hope we can continue
to grow and develop additional
programs that accommodate the
ever-changing needs of our alumni
as well as support the Medical
Alumni Association.
This past year has been financially challenging for us as it has
for many organizations throughout the country. We realize that
many of our alumni have been
affected by the fluctuating economy and turbulent world events.
Unfortunately, these things have
made our annual fundraising efforts
more challenging.
With this in mind, I would like
to remind you that we are still
accepting donations for the 2001
Alumni Annual Telefund. Please
contact Stacie Gordon in the Office
of Development and Alumni Affairs
at (313) 993-4181 if you would like
to make a donation.
I look forward to seeing many of
you at upcoming spring events.
School of Medicine Grad is
Well Prepared for Challenges
S
onia Hassan, MD, ‘94, a
physician in the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology’s Division of
Maternal-Fetal Medicine,
has no problem handling the volume of high-risk cases that she
deals with each day. Dr. Hassan’s
entire medical education has been
spent in Detroit and with the School
of Medicine. Now a practicing physician, she feels that her education
has left her well prepared to handle
the demands of her current position.
“I was attracted to the School of
Medicine because of the volume of
cases here. Students can expect a
more hands-on approach here than
they do at other medical schools,”
Dr. Hassan said. She chose to
remain in Detroit after graduation
and began her residency at Hutzel
Hospital in 1994. She felt that she
could gain more experience working in Detroit than in other programs.
Hutzel Hospital sees approximately 6,500 births each year and
of those, approximately 50 percent
are high-risk. Dealing with this
amount of high-risk pregnancies
can be overwhelming at times, but
Dr. Hassan feels that she has the
necessary tools with which to handle all that she might encounter.
“The School of Medicine really gave
me an excellent start. You don’t
realize how great the experience
was until it’s over.”
Dr. Hassan recently completed a
fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine and is currently doing research
on some of the causes of pre-term
labor, or childbirths that occur
before 32 weeks. “We are searching
for signs that can assist in predicting weaknesses in the cervix that
could cause this problem. By examining patients early in pregnancy,
we’re trying to find a marker to aid
in predicting pre-term labor cases.
We’re using ultrasound to try to see
possible opportunities to intervene
and correct the incompetent cervix.”
The quality of the work experience wasn’t the only factor that
influenced Dr. Hassan to remain with
the School of Medicine and at
Hutzel Hospital for the duration of
her training and to continue on as
faculty. The Division of MaternalFetal Medicine is one of 14 institutions in the United States chosen to
Second-Year Student Awarded Fellowship
M
ark Pankonin, a second-year MD/PhD
student, has been
awarded a National
Institutes of Health
fellowship grant for his research on
the hereditary disorder, PelizaeusMerzbacher Disease. The award came
as a result of his work under the
guidance of Drs. Jim Garbern and
John Kamholz in the Center for
Molecular Medicine and Genetics
at the School of Medicine. After he
completes his second year of medical school this spring, Pankonin
will shift gears and begin work on
his PhD and on his research, in earnest,
on the disease.
Pelizaeus-Mezbacher Disease, named
after the two German physicians
who first identified it, is a rare condition caused by mutations affecting the gene for the proteolipid
protein. Symptoms of this disease
can dramatically affect an individual’s mental and physical development. According to Dr. Garbern,
“This condition is caused by mutations affecting the gene that encodes
the major protein in brain and spinal
cord myelin or white matter. Studies
of this disease will enhance our
understanding of the normal functions of this enigmatic protein, and
we hope it will lead to treatments
for this disease as well as treatments for some more common diseases of white matter, such as multiple sclerosis.”
Pankonin’s interest in genetic
research was sparked as an undergraduate upon the announcement
of the human genome mapping in
1999. “I wanted to get involved in
genetic research. It is a booming
field and, truly, the next frontier,”
he said.
This interest led him to pursue
higher education, and, in fact,
Pankonin quickly realized that
dual MD/PhD degrees were necessary for him to address his interests. “I wanted a great intellectual
challenge,” Pankonin explained.
“The MD/PhD program allows me
to study in a highly specific area.”
After his three, or possibly, four
years of work on his PhD, Pankonin
will return to his MD studies and
finish his final two years of schooling. While in his final years of
training to become a doctor, he will
make the most of his PhD.
“The MD/PhD program allows
you to take what you’re doing in
the lab and apply that knowledge
to your dealings with patients,” he
said. “Everyone at the school has
been very supportive of my application for this fellowship. Drs.
Mark Pankonin
Garbern and Kamholz have helped
me an incredible amount, and I am
very thankful for this excellent
opportunity that I now have.”
be part of a prestigious network
called the Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Network, created by the National
Institute of Child Health and Human
Development. “We were selected
again in 2001, for the third time,
since 1991, for a renewal of our contract and we hope to maintain that
level of excellence,” she said.
Dr. Hassan has remained in the Detroit
area to treat women with high-risk
pregnancies.
Open Your Home
to Students
The Wayne State University Bed and
Breakfast program was established to
provide assistance to students traveling
for residency interviews. Alumni who
participate in this program will provide
housing and breakfast to students
interviewing in their town. This program
offers the host alumnus an opportunity to interact with current students
and lend a helping hand. It also enables
alumni to learn about programs and
current events at the school.
Year IV students are gearing up for
residency interviews and many of them
will be traveling out of state. If you are
able to open you home to a student and,
perhaps, provide some words of wisdom,
please let us know. You can call the
Medical Alumni Affairs Office at (877)
WSU-MED1 to indicate your interest.
Thank you in advance for assisting
the next generation of WSU physicians.
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
Lampoon Showcases
Student Talent
S
tudents, faculty and friends
gathered at the Majestic
Theatre in Detroit on
February 16 for the annual
Wayne State University
School of Medicine Lampoon. The
event offers students an opportunity
to poke fun at the School of Medicine,
its faculty and at each other.
The show typically features comedy
written and performed by the medical
students and has incorporated styles
that range from Broadway-type
song-and-dance shows to studentproduced video shorts. One of this
year’s highlights was a video that
the third-year students created. It
borrowed heavily from the MTV
program, “Cribs,” and gave the
audience a video tour of some of the
“finer” locations within Scott Hall.
“The Lampoon started out very
basic and has evolved over the years,”
said associate dean and Lampoon
advisor, Dr. Robert Frank. “What
started out as a few students characterizing faculty eventually evolved
to the point where each class had
its own band. Today we see a lot
more recorded music and an emphasis on video, but the creativity is
still there.”
Dr. Frank has been involved with
the student-produced Lampoon for
many years and has acquired a
special appreciation of the show.
“The best shows use a lot of real
lampooning,” Dr. Frank said. “The
students are exposed to the quirks
and eccentricities of teachers and
faculty every day. When they accurately point out these aspects –
actions that the students recognize
– it’s really great.”
Each year, the show is judged by
a faculty committee that includes
Dr. Frank. “The committee selects
the best class on a basis of pure talent and merit,” he explained. “This
year, the first and second-year
classes had very good shows. They
often have more time to put into
the shows than the other classes.”
“The first and second-year (students) had some really funny stuff,”
admitted fourth-year performer Dan
Baker. “They were good, but we
knew we had the better show.” The
fourth-year students were the big
winners of the night, earning the
award for best performance among
the classes and extended the long
streak of comedic supremacy for the
class at Lampoon.
Planning to Give
17
Where are These Missing Members
of the 2002 Reunion Class?
On May 11, 2002, the classes of
1942, 1947, 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967,
1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992 and
1997 will be celebrating special
reunions.
Clarissa A. Cowles, MD
Wallace J. Gasiewicz, MD
Carol F. Morris, MD
Wayne S. Wahl, MD
Daniel E. Wallach, MD
The Office of Alumni Affairs
has been unsuccessful in locating
the following members of these
special classes. Please contact the
alumni office at (313) 877-WSUMED1, if you have any information
regarding the whereabouts of our
missing colleagues.
1982
James T. McGriff, MD
Ronald Miller, MD
Danita L. Peoples-Peterson, MD
Ronald M. Suprenant, MD
Steven M. Zoellner, MD
1952
Frederick H. Lucas, MD
1957
John J. Zane, MD
1962
Evelyn F. Baugh, MD
Daniel R. Guyot, MD
1967
Robert G. Casden, MD
James E. Lipton, MD
1972
Kenneth A. Foon, MD
Dorothy Kelly, MD
Commodore T. Mobley, MD
Robert W. Orzechowski, MD
David B. Sperry, MD
Jeffrey J. Stevens, MD
Lawrence J. Timek, MD
1977
Robert P. Bauman, MD
Douglas C. Cable, MD
1987
Eric S. Baron, MD
Jeffrey H. Berent, MD
Conlin W. Elliot, MD
Michael B. Fairbanks, MD
Randall T. Forsch, MD
Alan H. Friedman, MD
Joseph P. Lozon, MD
Norma C. Vivot, MD
1992
Shelly Bade, MD
Erik M. Borgnes, MD
Maria Victoria C. Cano, MD
Creg A. Carpenter, MD
James J. Dietz, MD
Dawn M. Flaherty, MD
Louis A. Furicchia, MD
Teresa L. Gurin, MD
Mary E. Haddad, MD
Robin M. Hibbett, MD
Susan A. Ivanovic, MD
Timothy S. Jarvi, MD
Dennis S. Klebba, MD
Curtis O. Longs, MD
Mark J. Lybik, MD
Mark G. Mainwaring, MD
Reinhard W. Motte, MD
George M. Mussalli, MD
Asha I. Parekh, MD
Frank M. Sabo, Jr., MD
Kyle W. Scates, MD
Scott W. Siegner, MD
Karen E. Thompson, MD
Vincent S. Trent, MD
Laura L. Vandenheede, MD
Stacy H. Varner, MD
Peter H. Viall, Jr., MD
Jerome L. Yaklic, MD
1997
Arif Ali, MD
Kevin E. Anderson, MD
Jocelyn A. Andrews, MD
Lorena R. Brown, MD
Julie A. Church, MD
Jon R. Conti, MD
Neha P. Dave, MD
Andrea M. Demrick, MD
Adele R. Fowler, MD
Sabina Gandhi, MD
Henri Godbold, MD
Paul J. Holman, MD
Steven J. Kernis, MD
Vikrant S. Khanderia, MD
Lisa R. Markman, MD
Alan M. Millman, MD
Tabasum M. Mir, MD
Azadeh Pakideh, MD
Gladys E. Palomino, MD
Alan C. Parent, MD
James M. Park, MD
David M. Pegouske, MD
Howard W. Robinson, MD
Tejal Shah, MD
Karin L. Vadelund, MD
Sameena M. Zahoor, MD
Early Tips for Saving Taxes in 2002
Working on your 2001 income tax
return may have been just the
right inspiration to put your tax
bill on a diet for 2002. The earlier
you implement tax saving strategies, the slimmer your tax bill will
be when you file your 2002 return.
Consider some of these ideas:
• Make tax-free gifts to
younger family members.
Beginning this year, the amount
you can give free of gift tax
increases from $10,000 to
$11,000 ($22,000 for married
couples). Not only will a gift reduce
your gross estate and possibly save
estate taxes, but if you give income
producing assets early in the year,
you’ll shift that income to a family
member who may be in a lower
income tax bracket.
• Fully fund retirement plans.
The maximum contribution to IRAs
and other qualified retirement plans
has increased in 2002. Even those
over age 70 can contribute to a Roth
IRA if they have earned income,
subject to income limits.
• Convert from taxable
to tax-free investments.
A municipal bond earning 3 percent
interest is equivalent to a taxable
investment of 4.28 percent for a taxpayer in the 30 percent tax bracket.
• Consider a gift to Wayne
State University School
of Medicine.
You can secure an income tax
charitable deduction for 2002 by
making a gift to the School of
Medicine and keeping a fixed or
variable income for the rest of your
life or the lives of you and another.
—Excerpted from the “Modalities” planned
giving newsletter, spring 2002. If you are
not already receiving “Modalities” and
would like to be added to our mailing list,
or would like more information on how
making a gift can bring satisfaction and
leaner taxes, please contact Susan Miller,
Wayne State University School of Medicine,
101 E. Alexandrine, Detroit, MI 48201.
Phone: (313) 577-0078
Fax: (313) 577-1330
E-mail: [email protected]
Come Learn More
About Planned Giving
A free planned giving dinner
and seminar for alumni and
friends will be held Thursday,
May 23, at 5:30 p.m. at
Morels in Bingham Farms,
Mich. Seating is limited.
Please contact the development
office at (313) 993-4181 for
more information or to make
reservations.
18
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
Alumni Get Together
in Fort Lauderdale
I
n February, 35 alumni and
friends of the School of
Medicine gathered at the
California Café in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla., for a luncheon and update on the School of
Medicine. Dr. Robert Frank, ’73,
associate dean for academic and
student programs, provided a very
informative report on the school.
He then entertained questions
from Florida alumni about all of the
new programs taking shape. There
was a great deal of interest in the
library addition project that is
underway, as it will greatly enhance
the school’s ability to provide stateof-the-art learning environments
for students. In fact, the medical
alumni association has already
pledged the lead gift of $1 million
for the library addition.
Dr. James Horvath, ’45, newly
appointed medical alumni association regional representative for
the state of Florida, announced that
he is planning an event for alumni
that will take place in Orlando, Fla.,
this October or November. Florida
alums will be notified of this event as
it draws near.
Please contact Claude Jackson,
development officer for the School
of Medicine, at (313) 577-2830, if
you would like more information
regarding the library addition project. Feel free to contact the Medical
Alumni Affairs office at (313) 5773587 if you are interested in attending or participating in the planning
of the reception in Orlando this fall.
Class of 1978
Don Spivak, MD, a psychiatrist
from Bloomfield Township, Mich,
recently graduated from the Michigan
Psychoanalytical Institute training
program in child/adolescent psychoanalysis.
Class of 1983
Susan Bland, MD, reports that she
is married to fellow classmate Richard
Ruffing. They have four children –
three girls and one boy. They are
living in Gaftney, S.C., and working
for Mary Black Health Systems.She
would love to hear from former
classmates: [email protected].
Stuart and Annette Baine
Ken and Elizabeth Latteral
Class of 1984
Jerry Sobieraj, MD, published his
first book in November 2001 about
some of the issues confronting primary care providers. The book is
titled, A Difficult Time, and was
published by iUniverse. It may be
viewed at www.DifficultTime.com.
Dr. Sobieraj remains in practice at
Boston University while studying
for a masters degree in computer
science.
Class of 1985
Nitin Damle, MD, has joined
Northeast Orthopedics in New York
and is specializing in foot and
ankle surgery.
Sander and Margot Klein
selected as The Dystonia Doctor of
Excellence by The Dystonia Medical
Research Foundation and will give
an opening address at the European
Dyslexia Congress in Uppsala,
Sweden.
Notes
Class of 1952
William E. Rush, MD, reports:
“After several years working as a
consultant, I have returned to fulltime employment as medical director for the Medicare HMO at Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Georgia in
Atlanta.”
Melvin and Rhoda Conn
Class of 1977
Cynthia Leichman, MD, was
appointed to lead the gastrointestinal oncology program at Albany
Medical Center in Albany, NY.
Class of 1962
Drake Duane, MD, reports that
he has recently delivered the
Geschwind Memorial Lecture to
the International Dyslexia Association
and has also written a lead editorial
entitled “Defining Dyslexia” for the
Mayo Clinic proceedings. He was
Joel Kriegel, MD, ended a 2 ? year
term as chief of staff at St. Joseph
Mercy Macomb Hospital in Sterling
Heights, Mich. His practice is now
known as The Urology Center, P.C.
Class of 1973
Edward Dunn, MD, recently completed a year as a RWJ Health
Policy Fellow and legislative staffer
on Senate Health Education Labor
and Pensions Committee in
Washington, D.C., where he worked
for Senator Kennedy.
Lawrence Leichman, MD, was
named chief of medical oncology
and associate director for clinical
affairs at the Albany Medical
Center in Albany, NY.
Class of 1986 and 88
Gary(1986) and Heidi (1988)
Swanson are living in the Pittsburgh
area with their eight children.Baby
Isaac was born at home in June
2001, and was welcomed by all of
his older siblings: Nathanael (14),
Jacob (13), Benjamin (10), Caleb
(8), Elizabeth (6), Luke (4), and
Seth (2). Gary is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and is also the
director of residency training for
general and child psychiatry at
Allegheny General Hospital. Heidi
is practicing pediatrics part-time in
a private office and is active in
breast-feeding promotion.
Class of 1989
Mark A. Rolian, MD, of Pontiac,
Mich, was awarded a 2001 Young
Ophthalmologist of the Year Award.
Class of 1993
Arezo Amirikia, MD, of Bloomfield,
Mich. was awarded a “2001 Young
Ophthalmologist of the Year Award.”
Class of 1995
Kevin Markham, MD, has joined
the medical staff at Northern Hospital
in Petoskey, Mich.
Class of 1996
Matthew Steffes, MD, has joined
the staff of Oakwood Hospital and
Medical Center in Dearborn, Mich,
and specializes in general orthopedics.
Class of 1997
Michael Danto, MD, completed a
residency in physical medicine and
rehabilitation at Stanford Medical
Center. He relocated to Orange
County, Calif., with his wife and two
sons, and has joined a 14- surgeon
orthopedic group in private practice.He specializes in sports medicine and interventional spine care.
Mike McCracken, MD, has just
moved to San Diego to begin his
gynecology fellowship.Recently, he
married his long-term sweetheart
from residency – Laura. They are
expecting their first set of twins in
April. He is learning to surf and is
perfecting the Excalibur.
Class of 1998
Christa Malinak, MD, has been
appointed to the medical staff at
Monongahela Valley Hospital and
Regional Cancer Center in Carroll
Township, Penn.
Class of 2001
Eric Rop, MD, is completing a
residency in family medicine at
Bayfront Medical Center in Saint
Petersburg, Fla.
Rebeccah Shierson, MD, is completing a residency in emergency
medicine at Grady Hospital in
Atlanta, Ga.
We’re on
the web
Visit the Medical Alumni
Association Web Site located at:
http://www.med.wayne.edu/Alumni/
You can access the alumni web site
via the above address or through
a link from the school’s homepage
located at:
http://www.med.wayne.edu/
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
19
In Memoriam
Wayne State University
School of Medicine
Upcoming Alumni
Events and Meetings
Wednesday,
June 5, 2002
Alumni Board
of Governors Meeting
Noon
1328 Scott Hall
Thursday,
June 6, 2002
Medical School Graduation
Class of 2002
2:00 p.m.
Detroit Opera House
Detroit, MI
June 26, 2002
9th Annual Freedom
Festival Fireworks Event
Hotel Pontchartrain
Detroit, MI
Wednesday,
September 4, 2002
Alumni Board
of Governors Meeting
Noon
1328 Scott Hall
September 2002
Alumni-Department of
Otolaryngology — Ltd.
September 11–13, 2002
Alumni-Department of
Neurosurgery Reception
Detroit, MI
September 2002
Alumni-Department of Internal
Medicine Reception — Ltd.
Wednesday, October 2, 2002
Alumni Board
of Governors Meeting
5:00 p.m.
Excalibur Banquet Center
28875 Franklin Road
Southfield, MI
Annual Kick-off Reception
6:00 p.m.
Excalibur Banquet Center
28875 Franklin Road
Southfield, MI
Wednesday,
November 6, 2002
Alumni reception during the
Michigan State Medical Society
Annual Meeting
6:00 p.m.
Somerset Inn
Troy, MI
Wednesday,
December 4, 2002
Alumni Board
of Governors Meeting
Noon
1328 Scott Hall
Would you like advance
notice of alumni events?
If you would like to receive advance notice of upcoming
alumni events, please send an email note containing your
name, graduating class, and email address to:
Lori Robitaille
Manager, Alumni Affairs
WSU, School of Medicine
EMAIL: [email protected]
Please type “Events Notification” as the subject of your note.
Thank you!
Thomas A. Tenagglia, MD, ’37
Thomas A. Tenaglia, a family
physician who practiced in Ecorse
and Lincoln Park, Mich., for 63
years, died on February 22, at the
age of 91.
Dr. Tenaglia, the first Americanborn child of Italian immigrant
parents, was born on December 20,
1910. He was raised in a family of
12 in Dunbar, Pa., and later moved
to Detroit. After being double promoted twice, he graduated at the
top of his class from River Rouge
High School in 1927. He went on to
study at the University of Detroit
where he graduated in 1935 then
enrolled at Wayne State University
School of Medicine and graduated
in the class of 1937.
As he began his private practice,
he remained closely linked with
his medical school and served as
an assistant clinical professor for
several years.
As Dr. Tenaglia began to practice
medicine, house calls were the
norm. He delivered hundreds of
babies, and many patients stayed
with him until their elderly years.
In WWII he served as chief of radiology at the 1,000-bed 104th General
Hospital in England, until being
discharged in 1946 with the rank of
major. He witnessed tremendous
advances in medicine, and compiled thousands of credits in continuing medical education. An early
Alum Notes is published
quarterly for the faculty, staff,
students and alumni of the
Wayne State University School
of Medicine. Your comments,
suggestions and submissions
are encouraged.
Wayne State University
School of Medicine
Office of Development
and Alumni Affairs
101 E. Alexandrine
Detroit, MI 48201
(313) 577-1495
passion for medicine and a belief in
God formed his philosophy of life.
As a dedicated physician and educator, he immensely enjoyed his
patients and in later years, when
asked about his profession, his
response was often: “I take care of
the skin and all of its contents.”
Dr. Tenaglia’s achievements include
being awarded Phi Alpha Kappa
andAlpha Omega Alpha. He served
as chief of staff at Outer Drive
Hospital, and in 1978 was selected
as the Michigan Family Physician of
the Year by the American Academy
of Family Physicians, of which he
was charter diplomat.
Never actually “retiring,” Dr.
Tenaglia practiced medicine until
the end. His inspiration throughout
the years was his 59-year marriage
to Christine Kalbfleisch and his
relationship with his two daughters. He was deeply loved by his
family and by his patients. He will
be missed in many ways.
Written by: Samuel Rosenthal, MD, ‘35
Alphonse Walter Baran, MD, ‘38
Dr. Alphonse Walter Baran did
everything from delivering babies
to taking out tonsils to making
house calls. He died on March 21 at
age 89, after running a family practice in Detroit for more than 50
years and working on staff at Old
St. Mary’s, Mt. Carmel, Crittenton
and Providence hospitals until his
retirement two years ago.
“Medicine was his life. He was a
dedicated family physician and surgeon who did it all,” said Bob Baran,
his son, in a Detroit News article.
Dr. Baran earned a bachelor’s
degree from Alliance College in
Pennsylvania and his medical
degree from the Wayne State
University School of Medicine. He
was a member of the Wayne County
Medical Society and the Polish
Medical Dental Arts Club.
His most compelling passion outside of medicine were hunting and
fishing in northern Michigan. “He
Associate Director
of Development
Susan Miller
[email protected]
Manager, Alumni Affairs
Lori Ann Haddad Robitaille
[email protected]
Program Specialist
and Editor
Michael Gentile
[email protected]
was a sportsman,” his son said.
“For a week to 10 days every year,
he loved to deer hunt. It was a
sacred time of the year…a passion.”
Survivors include his wife, Kathryn;
a son, Bob; four daughters, Donna
Fante, Gayle Canner, Deborah
Truesdale and Patricia Laytner; two
step-daughters, Christina and Elizabeth
Dudek; 13 grandchildren; and eight
great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be sent to Wayne
State University School of Medicine,
Department of Anatomy, 540 E.
Canfield, Detroit, Mich. 48201.
The Office of Alumni Affairs in the
School of Medicine has received notification of the deaths of the following alumni. On behalf of the university community, we extend sincere
sympathy to family and friends.
Andrew Fulgenzi, MD, ‘38
Joseph R. Montante, MD, ‘40
Samuel G. Reisman, MD, ‘40
Earl A. McCowen, MD, ‘43
Eugene A. Harkaway, MD, ‘48
Richard D. Cecconi, MD, ‘54
Joseph M. Kopmeyer, MD, ‘56
Our
Apologies
We regret that we incorrectly
listed John Temple, M.D., ’71, as
deceased in the last issue of
Alum Notes. We are happy to
report that he is alive and well.
Our sincere apologies for the
error.
WE NEED YOUR
PHOTOS...
WE WOULD BE HAPPY
TO INCLUDE PHOTOS
TO RUN WITH YOUR
CLASS NOTE
(SORRY, WE CAN NOT RETURN THEM).
20
Spring 2002 - Volume 13, No. 2
Send us your news
Let your classmates know what you’ve been doing.
Do you know an alum whose accomplishments should be
highlighted in Alum Notes? If so, please provide us with
their contact information.
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Phone
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My news for class notes:
State
Year
Name
Zip
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Name
Phone
Phone
Accomplishment
Mail this form to:
Wayne State University School of Medicine
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101 East Alexandrine
Detroit, MI 48201
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101 E. Alexandrine
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101 E. Alexandrine
Detroit, MI 48201
877-WSU-MED1