|
January 2008
What does it take to Create Medicine
of the Highest Order
|
Medical Center CEO Bradford C. Berk, M.D.,
Ph.D. |
More than 80 years ago, well-known educator Abraham Flexner’s
revolutionary report, Medical Education in the United States and Canada,
proposed a vision of university-based medical education that would support
the powerful interaction of three distinct but interrelated missions:
scientific inquiry, learning, and patient care. When he looked to establish
a medical school based on his philosophy in New York, Flexner told University
President Rush Rhees that the University of Rochester presented an ideal
place for “a medical school of the highest order.”
What does it take to create Medicine of the Highest Order? That question
forms the nucleus our new strategic plan. And we found the answer in our
roots: innovation, collaboration, and the ability to convert new basic
science discoveries into novel therapies.
The University of Rochester Medical Center’s 2007-2012 Strategic
Plan charts the course by which this Medical Center will transform from
a regional medical center to a nationally respected magnet for research,
teaching, patient care, and community service. It is a recipe for building
strategically on our history and strengths, capturing the flow of scientific
ideas to benefit patients throughout the northeastern United States.
It sets clear priorities as it calls for the boldest investment in expertise,
facilities and programs since the founding of this Medical Center. This
plan promises to extend the quality and breadth of our region’s
health care, as it strengthens our regional economy.
We are better positioned than most other medical centers to seize this
opportunity. Given our vibrant scientific portfolio, robust patient care
services, financial stability, an eagerly supportive community, and the
confidence of national funding agencies like the National Institutes of
Health, never before has the promise of our collective planning been brighter.
Because it bears the fingerprints of Abraham Flexner, I’m convinced
that this plan will continue our path to Medicine of the Highest Order.
What does it take? To Chart a Course
More than a year ago, the University of Rochester Medical Center renewed
its commitment to achieve national prominence by developing a strategic
plan that defines priorities, leverages opportunities, and fulfills the
promise of its founders to create Medicine of the Highest Order.
The resulting URMC 2007-2012 Strategic Plan builds on the success of
the Medical Center’s previous strategic plan by leveraging its powerful
blend of robust science, disciplined teaching programs, and burgeoning
clinical enterprise. This is a plan for using education, science and technology
to create new knowledge that helps patients, advances the practice of
medicine, and contributes to the economic vitality of our community.
“This plan extends the quality and breadth of our region’s
health care, and strengthens our local economy. We must take these steps
in order to keep our patients and our professional talent right here in
Rochester,” said Medical Center CEO and Strategic Plan architecht
Bradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D.
The centerpiece of the plan is the creation of nine high priority clinical
and research programs. These are signature programs in which the Medical
Center can stake its national reputation for innovation and excellence.
The chosen Integrated Disease Programs and Innovative Science Programs
reflect not only disease prevalence, but areas in which the Medical Center
has either built considerable expertise or areas we seek to strengthen
to remain competitive.
In addition, the 2007-2012 Strategic Plan determines key investments
in people, technology, and facilities in the years ahead. This includes
the most ambitious investment in patient care and translational science
facilities in the history of the Medical Center. Because capital dollars
are always limited, careful choices have been made to reflect the full
range of needs and the economic imperatives that face academic medicine.
Learn More About…
Integrated Disease Programs page x
Innovative Disease Programs page x
Key Investments page 4
Visit www.urmc.rochester.edu/strategic-plan
for more Strategic Plan information.
|
Strategic Plan 2007-2012 Goals
We strive to provide patient
care that is high-quality, safe, and infused with new knowledge
that comes from our scientific research. Understanding both the
challenges and the opportunities that face URMC, we have articulated
the following major goals: |
| • To become
one of the leading health care systems in the Northeast and to achieve
national recognition for our high quality
signature programs that develop new therapies based on outstanding
research.
|
| • To sustain
an interdisciplinary environment that emphasizes fundamental discovery
and fosters innovation through the acquisition of new technologies.
|
| • To ensure
translation of fundamental discovery into cutting-edge patient therapies
through the education of clinicians and scientists.
|
| • To grow clinical
volume by recruiting outstanding health professionals and providing
capacity for complex procedures where specialized expertise and
high volume ensure the highest levels of patient safety and quality. |
| • To maintain
clinical margin and productivity that sustains growth in the clinical
and academic missions of the Medical Center.
|
| • To engage
the community though economic development (including technology
transfer and research partnerships) and to promote community health
through research programs that support community-based interventions. |
| • To ensure
that all education programs at URMC are nationally outstanding and
prepare students for careers of excellence. |
What does it take?
To Define Our Future
To achieve the goals set forth in the 2007-2012 plan, the Medical Center
has focused on nine high priority clinical and research programs. They
are signature programs in which – with strategic investments in
people and facilities – URMC can stake its reputation for innovation
and excellence.
All told, 60 new faculty members – reprensenting a $50 million
infusion of new talent – will be recruited to help us take full
advantage of emerging areas of scientific inquiry that have application
across all disease areas.
Integrated Disease Programs
Our research, teaching and patient care services will be organized around
five major disease areas that plague large segments of our population.
These Integrated Disease Programs (IDPs) reflect not only disease prevalence,
but also represent disciplines in which URMC already has built considerable
research and clinical expertise.
In each of these IDPs, the emphasis will be on translating basic discoveries
to patient care, and developing novel therapies that extend and improve
health. This will require a more integrated, more streamlined organizational
structure that more closely aligns with the way patients seek care. Thus,
the IDPs must create environments that span traditional departmental boundaries.
- Cancer. Already the second leading cause of death in
the U.S., cancer incidence is on the rise as our region’s
population ages. Over the last five years, the James P. Wilmot Cancer
Center has charted a 15 to 20 percent growth in the number of patients
it treats. Since its creation in 1966, the cancer center has become
recognized for its expertise in leukemia and lymphomas, urologic
oncology and cancer control programs, and innovations in radiation
oncology. In its new 163,000 square-foot facility, the Wilmot Cancer
Center will bring outpatient clinical programs together with translational
research laboratories, positioning it as the ideal cancer center
to develop next generation therapies.
Leader: Richard I. Fisher, M.D.
- Cardiovascular disease. Since more Americans
lose their lives to heart disease than any other ailment, programs
to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease are crucial to the Medical
Center’s strategic plan. The Medical Center has long provided
comprehensive clinical expertise in all areas of cardiovascular
medicine, with regionally unique programs in electrophysiology,
heart failure, heart transplantation, aortic surgery, and children’s
heart surgery. It also boasts nationally recognized research programs
in vascular biology, atrial fibrillation, ablation, hereditary arrhythmias
and use of left ventricular assist devices for heart failure patients.
The Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute’s 15 basic science
laboratories have won more than 60 research grants and filed 36
patent applications.
Leader: Mark B. Taubman, M.D.
- Immunology and infectious disease. Infectious
diseases have been principal threats to health throughout the history
of man. The fight against deadly microbes relies largely on knowledge
of the immune system, which plays a central role in diseases like
arthritis, asthma, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Knowledge of the
vast, diverse workings of the immune system – a booming field
with URMC already in the vanguard – has the potential to create
new approaches not yet imagined and to revolutionize the manufacture
of vaccines. The University of Rochester Medical Center’s
emphasis on immunology is appropriate, as the discipline is the
source of the Medical Center’s greatest recognition, and its
greatest royalties.
Leader: Ignacio Sanz, M.D.
- Musculoskeletal disease. Americans are not
just living longer, but are demanding the ability to stay physically
active despite aging joints and decreasing muscle and bone strength.
Osteoporosis and its associated fractures, together with athletic
injuries, have become the new epidemics of aging. As one of the
busiest musculoskeletal services in the U.S., more than three dozen
University of Rochester faculty members attend to 140,000 visits
per year. This clinical expertise is complemented by the country’s
top NIH-funded orthopaedic research program that seeks to prevent
osteoporosis, speed fracture healing, make live bone transplants
possible, and replace damaged tendons using breakthrough approaches.
The integration of research and clinical care promises innovations
for the Rochester community and the nation at-large.
Leader: Regis O’Keefe, M.D., Ph.D.
- Neuromedicine. On a national scale, diseases
of the brain and spinal cord come at a cost of hundreds of billions
of dollars annually, notwithstanding the suffering endured by patients
and their families. Brain damage from stroke is the leading cause
of long-term disability in the nation; meanwhile, the number of
people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is skyrocketing,
expected to top 16 million by mid-century. At the Medical Center,
research into these and other brain diseases currently accounts
for nearly one-third of all research dollars. Regionally, Strong
Memorial Hospital is already a neuromedicine powerhouse and the
preferred provider of neurological and neurosurgical care. With
neuromedicine touching 19 departments at the Medical Center and
six more at the College of Arts, Sciences and Engineering, it’s
a clear choice for emphasis and growth.
Leader: Webster Pilcher, M.D., Ph.D.
Innovative Science Programs (ISPs)
The second major focus of the strategic plan will be to invest in emerging
research areas that will catalyze discoveries within the signature programs.
Four new Innovative Science Programs (ISPs) will be established, chosen
because they have promising application to cancer, cardiovascular disease,
immunology and infectious disease, orthopaedics, and neuromedicine. They
also represent disciplines in which we already have the fundamentals of
a strong program, or they represent areas we seek to strengthen in order
to remain competitive.
Each new ISP will function as a virtual center, gathering together experts
who already reside at the University of Rochester; in keeping with our
effort to foster cross-campus collaboration, three of the new centers
are joint ventures between the Medical Center and the University’s
College of Arts, Sciences and Engineering. And, opportunities for commercialization
exist in all four ISPs.
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. The
foremost innovative scientific program is stem cells, where cellular
approaches to treat diseases and replace tissues offer great opportunity.
Stem cells are early-stage cells capable of generating all the different
tissues found in the body, a potential bounty of cells that can
be customized to treat, in theory, almost any disease. More than
250 people in approximately 40 Rochester laboratories already work
with stem cells, making the research area one of the most pervasive
at the Medical Center. Exciting programs exist in neuromedicine
for treating Parkinson’s Disease and spinal cord injury; in
cancer, including leukemias and prostate malignancies; and within
musculoskeletal specialties which are looking to regenerate bone
and cartilage. Novel approaches using drugs to differentiate and
manipulate stem cells are underway. Scientists at the University
of Rochester are among the few to have discovered stem cells and
worked out their complicated lineage. They are also among the first
to display the capability of manipulating them to treat disease
effectively.
Leader: Mark Noble, Ph.D.
- Biomedical Imaging and Biomarkers (joint
with the College). The application of imaging technology makes possible
entirely new approaches for early diagnosis and non-invasive treatment
in diseases as diverse as heart disease, cognitive disorders, and
cancer. Bioimaging allows doctors to precisely assess what is going
on deep inside the body, transforming our knowledge of living tissues
and even individual cells. It also makes possible the development
of biomarkers for disease, biochemical changes that provide early
proof that a disease is present, is getting worse, or is responding
to treatment. Although collaborations between the College and the
Medical Center bring together some of the world’s top imaging
and optics expertise, biomedical imaging is an area where the institution
must grow quickly to maintain its lead among peers.
Leader: Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc.
- Nanomedicine (joint with the College). With
a great depth of expertise both at the Medical Center and the College,
nanomedicine as an innovative scientific program provides the perfect
fit with Rochester’s current capabilities. The new program
formally brings together more than a dozen faculty members who’ve
been working in a loose confederation for nearly a decade. The economic
stakes are high: In recent years, the Federal government has plowed
more than $2 billion into technologies based on devices just a tiny
fraction of the width of a human hair, and New York state has added
another half billion. Yet while nanotechnology research has boomed,
its application to human health provides a rich, largely untapped
opportunity. Examples include ultra-sensitive nano-sensors to detect
organisms such as bacteria, viruses, or antibodies. Nano-materials
are also being used to provide the scaffolding for the growth of
new tissue, providing a new way to regenerate nerves, bones, and
other vital tissues.
Co-Leaders: Benjamin L. Miller, Ph.D., Rick Waugh, Ph.D.
- Genomics and Systems Biology (joint with
the College). The Human Genome Project has created a tidal wave
of information on human physiology, leaving medical scientists scrambling
to invent the disciplines necessary to draw medically relevant conclusions
from these data. Systems biology involves modeling with computational
biology to understand gene-to-gene interactions and develop treatments
that are personalized to the individual. Genomics and Systems Biology
were chosen as a priority because they represent the tools needed
to understand and ultimately affect the incredibly complex systems
of the human body. Along with the promise these disciplines represent,
they were also selected because they are already areas of strength
at the University of Rochester – among scientists working
in cancer, cardiovascular and immunology research. Quickly expanding
the Medical Center’s capabilities to conduct high-speed genomic
and systems studies will be central to research competitiveness.
Leader: Dirk Bohmann, Ph.D.
Key Investments
The Medical Center’s 2007-2012 Strategic Plan calls for investing
nearly a half billion dollars in new recruitments, new technologies, and
upgraded facilities over the next several years. This investment is absolutely
necessary to sustain the progress made since the 1996 plan, and take advantage
of an unprecedented opportunity to set the pace nationally for translational
medicine.
“Affordability has been one of our paramount concerns, since we
will not mortgage our future by making commitments that are beyond our
reach,” said Medical Center CEO Bradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D. “Therefore,
we have deliberately spread our investment over several years to minimize
the need to assume debt, and will take advantage of a reinvigorated Development
effort that includes more public funding, foundation grants and support
from individuals. Plus we’ll use royalties from the new HPV vaccine
and transfers from the clinical enterprise to help finance our plans.”
People
The strategic plan calls for 60 new faculty recruits, representing a $50
million infusion of new talent. In addition, the plan also focuses on
efforts to recruit and retain the people whose skills and insights set
us apart – whether they are scientists, physicians, nurses, administrators,
or others. The strategic plan calls for the following initiatives:
• Refocused and more nimble Human Resources function that will introduce
new trainings and other efforts aimed at energizing employees and reducing
turnover
• Expansion of employee satisfaction surveys to provide real-time
feedback on employees’ ideas and concerns
Deepening our commitment to employee wellness through health risk assessments,
interventions, and incentives.
Technology
URMC will spend over $5.3 million to acquire new scientific technology
to support translational efforts in its signature programs. These fundamental
technologies will be used to strengthen our current research cores, and
also will be available to all URMC scientists. Also, over the next several
years, URMC expects to invest more than $40 million enhancing its information
technology infrastructure. A key focus will be the web, as it becomes
the main vehicle that allows health care providers and institutions to
connect with each other more seamlessly (Electronic Medical Records),
answers the demand by patients for electronic access to information about
their conditions and their own health care (Patient Health Record), and
will facilitate clinical research (Clinical Data Warehouse), as well as
cross-institutional collaboration.
Major Facilities Investments
With the recent completion of the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute
and with construction of the new Wilmot Cancer Center proceeding on-schedule,
URMC leaders used this strategic planning process to develop a long-range
facilities plan. The three facilities being planned for relect the full
range of needs and the economic imperatives that face the Medical Center.
• Pediatric Replacement and Imaging Sciences Modernization
(PRISM)
The centerpiece of our clinical strategy and our efforts to boost quality
and safety is the Pediatric Replacement and Imaging Sciences Modernization
(PRISM) project. URMC has filed an application with the New York State
Department of Health seeking approval for a two-phase process that will
initially involve construction of a $259 million, six -story clinical
building to house 56 private rooms for Golisano Children's Hospital, an
additional 56 private rooms for adults, two floors for imaging sciences
(radiology), plus an expanded pharmacy and other support space. The plan
also includes the renovation of 65 beds located in the current hospital.
In total, the PRISM project would add another 123 beds to Strong Memorial
Hospital, expanding its licensed capacity to 862.
Given the urgency of our need, planning and design would begin immediately
upon receiving State approval. Construction could begin as early as July
of 2009.
• Ambulatory Surgery Center
Outpatient surgery is the fastest-growing clinical activity and due to
capacity constraints, URMC faculty members now perform more than 5,000
cases off-site at non-URMC facilities. Additionally, cases are routinely
scheduled throughout the day and into the evening, often at times inconvenient
for patients, and leaving no opportunity for renovation.
The University of Rochester Medical Center has received State approval
to construct an off-site, ambulatory surgery center. The 52,000-square-foot
facility will contain 10 operating rooms (ORs) and two procedure rooms,
allowing the Medical Center to complete necessary renovations and expansion
of its on-site ORs. URMC could begin construction as early as spring 2008,
with completion slated for summer of 2009
• Clinical and Translational Sciences Building (CTSB)
Construction is expected to being in ? on the CTSB, which will serve as
an integrated home for clinical and translational research at the Medical
Center. The new 150,000 square-foot facility will house programs and resources
that help scientists and clinicians overcome the administrative, technological
and regulatory challenges to advancing their research such as biostatistics
and biomedical informatics departments to assist researchers in developing
advanced systems of data development, storage and analysis; greater access
to specialized and expensive research technologies and equipment; and
programs that will increase community participation in clinical trials.
The building will also house the hub of the Upstate New York Translational
Research Network – a research consortium consisting of the region’s
10 major biomedical research institutions.
The CTSB also will enable the Medical Center to expand its basic science
activity by freeing up 20,000 square feet of space in the MRBX research
building that is currently occupied by programs slated to move into the
new facility. Once renovated into wet labs, this space will accommodate
12-18 new investigators and their labs.
| Faculty Spotlight |
Media Clips |
Accomplishments |
| Anton Porsteinsson was mentioned
in a Nature
(Nov. 20) article about the role of pharmaceutical firms in medical
education.
Research by a team led by Charles Thornton that
shows promise at reversing the symptoms of muscular dystrophy was
covered by the BBC
(Nov. 15).
Research by Emma Robertson Blackmore about job
stress and support by colleagues was mentioned in an article in
the New
York Times (Nov. 12).
Janet Casey spoke with Newsday
(Nov. 10) after the ear infection superbug she and Michael Pichichero
have been studying developed into meningitis for a Toronto child.
John Treanor talked with the Wall
Street Journal (Nov. 8) about whether booster shots are always
necessary.
Anderson
Cooper’s CNN show (Nov. 8) spotlighted Shanna
Swan’s work looking into links between chemicals
in plastic and physical changes in baby boys.
The University’s research into a possible link between herpes
and Alzheimer’s was featured in the BBC
(Nov. 1).
Karl Kieburtz spoke with WebMD
(Nov. 5) about new findings that show that painkillers such as ibuprofen
may protect against Parkinson’s disease.
When the American Academy of Pediatrics announced it recommends
universal screening for autism, Susan Hyman talked
to Newsday
(Oct. 30) about the benefits of finding affected children early.
James Aquavella’s pioneering work giving
sight to blind children through corneal transplants was featured
on television
broadcasts across the country (Oct. 29).
Obituaries for Nobel Prize winner Arthur Kornberg
ran in publications across the country (Oct.
27), (Oct.
29).
C. Michael Haben was featured
(Oct. 24) in stories about a new laser procedure to remove tumors
from vocal cords.
Sadhna Kohli’s work looking at potential
solutions to “chemo-brain” was featured in several
broadcasts (Oct. 23) nationwide.
Francisco Tausk was quoted in a story in Science
(Oct. 23) and elsewhere about a broccoli ingredient potentially
fighting skin cancer.
The debate over whether mercury in fish cause developmental problems
in children rages on, and Gary Myers spoke to the
Washington
Post (Oct. 23).
Katrina Korfmacher was featured in stories at
NBC
affiliates (Oct. 22) across the country, talking about the limitations
of store-bought, lead-testing kits.
Randy Rosier’s work identifying SMURFs as
a potential culprit in osteoarthritis was featured by UPI
(Oct. 22).
Michael Pichichero’s research into the rise
of an ear infection superbug was widely featured on NPR’s
Talk of the Nation (Oct. 19).
Work by Craig Jordan and Monica Guzman
about work on a new leukemia drug was featured by ABC
News (Oct. 9).
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Thomas V. Caprio, M.D.,
a geriatrician from the University of Rochester, was named President-Elect
of the State Society on Aging (SSA) of New York, an organization
dedicated to the promotion of knowledge about aging and the enhancement
of the quality of life for older adults throughout New York State.
A senior instructor in the Division of Geriatrics and Aging, Caprio
currently serves on the SSA board of directors and is Co-Chair of
the SSA Social Policy Committee.
Peter J. Papadakos, M.D., director of Critical
Care Medicine and professor of Anesthesiology, Surgery and Neurosurgery,
participated as faculty at the 2nd International Masters Class on
Acute Respiratory Failure in the Netherlands. Also released at that
meeting was Papadakos’ fourth textbook: Mechanical Ventilation
Clinical Applications and Pathophysiology. A number of Medical Center
faculty also contributed to the book including Michael Apostolakos,
M.D., associate professor of Medicine; Mark Utell, M.D., professor
of Medicine and of Environmental Medicine; Irene Perillo, M.D.,
assistant professor of Medicine; Gary Dudek, M.D., assistant professor
of Medicine; Sanjeev Chhangani, M.D., associate professor of Anesthesiology;
and Denham Ward, M.D., professor of Anesthesiology and Biomedical
Engineering.
Several Medical Center oncologists and surgeons were included in
America’s Top Doctors for Cancer, an authoritative resource
for patients seeking the best cancer care. Faculty included in the
guide include Richard I. Fisher, M.D., director
of the Wilmot Cancer Center and URMC vice president for clinical
services, who is internationally recognized for his lymphoma care
and research; Regis O’Keefe, M.D., Ph.D.,
chair of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, a specialist in cancers
of the bone, muscle and soft tissue around the skeleton; Louis
“Sandy” Constine, M.D., professor and vice
chair of Radiation Oncology, internationally recognized for his
expertise in acute and chronic effects of chemotherapy and radiation
therapy on normal tissues; David Korones, M.D.,
associate professor of Pediatrics and Hematology/Oncology, a pediatric
and adult brain tumor expert; Kristin Skinner, M.D.,
chief of Surgical Oncology and director of the Multidisciplinary
Breast Cancer Program, recognized for surgical expertise in the
removal of breast cancer, as well as her research work into biologic
markers of breast cancer risk; Thomas Watson, M.D.,
associate professor of Surgery and chief of Thoracic Surgery, an
expert in foregut (esophageal/stomach) and pulmonary surgery.
Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oncology and
Biochemistry and Biophysics Alan V. Smrcka, Ph.D.,
recently was honored with the Davey Memorial Award for Outstanding
Cancer Research during the 12th annual Scientific Symposium sponsored
by the .James P. Wilmot Cancer Center. Smrcka, who studies the function
of disease-relevant cell signaling molecules at atomic resolution,
was honored for his research into the machinations of proteins and
cells that could lead to development of new therapies for cancer
and heart disease.
Tim Mosmann, Ph.D., director of the David H.
Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, recently won the
2008 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize. The prize, which
includes with a cash award of 100,000 euros, is awarded each year
by a German organization to recognize achievement in Ehrlich's fields:
immunology, oncology, haematology and microbiology (Ehrlich also
developed the first modern chemotherapy). Mosmann received the award
for his discovery of how the human immune system “decides”
which cells and chemicals need to be deployed to destroy a cellular
invader, a theory which continues to suggest new treatment approaches
for diseases from asthma to parasitic infections.
Ashok N. Shah, M.D., professor of Medicine in
the Gastroentrology and Hepatology Division, was awarded a Mastership
– the American College of Gastroenterology’s highest
award – for his contributions to clinical gastroenterology
at the College’s Annual Meeting in October. Shah is one of
only 103 physicians to earn a Mastership in the 75-year history
of the College.
Catherine Lyons, R.N., M.S.; associate director
for cancer services at the Wilmot Cancer Center, Margaret
Carno, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor of Nursing; and
Jill Quinn, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor of
Nursing, all were recently inducted into the National Academies
of Practice. Membership to this prestigious organization is only
granted to those who have made substantial contributions to practice
either through direct patient care, or through education and research
related to the care of patients.
The American Red Cross recently introduced Red Cross ReadyRN,
an on-line disaster education and training program for health professionals,
authored and developed by Tener Goodwin Veenema, Ph.D.,
M.P.H., M.S., C.P.N.P., an associate professor at the School
of Nursing and a nationally recognized expert in emergency nursing
and disaster preparedness. Veenema customized the program to help
the Red Cross enhance its ability to prepare for and respond to
complex public health emergencies in communities across the U.S.
Veenema also recently published her second textbook, Disaster Nursing
and Emergency Preparedness: for Chemical, Biological and Radiological
Terrorism and Other Hazards.
Robert C. Block, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor,
Division of Epidemiology, Department of Community and Preventive
Medicine, recently earned a designation as a specialist in lipidology
from the American Board of Clinical Lipidology. Block is one of
only 300 physicians nationwide who have achieved this credential.
Lipidologists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of cholesterol
disorders, which may cause atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Ruth A. Lawrence, M.D., professor of Pediatrics
and medical director of the Ruth A. Lawrence Poison & Drug Information
Center, is one of 22 area women who have been named finalists for
this year's Women’s Councils’ Athena Award. The award
recognizes a Rochester-area professional woman who has demonstrated
significant achievements in business, community service and the
professional advancement of women. Lawrence’s nomination focuses
on her pioneer work in the field of breastfeeding medicine, on her
work laying the foundations for the nation’s second-oldest
poison center, and on her constant efforts to champion other women,
whether they be Girl Scouts or colleagues in science and medicine.
Jinjiang Pang, Ph.D., a post-doctorate fellow
within the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute, won the American
Heart Association’s Cournand and Comroe Young Investigator
Prize in Cardiopulmonary and Critical Care for her work on the genetic
mechanisms that control how blood vessels form in the lungs of a
developing fetus. Her efforts could eventually lead to better treatment
for premature infants treated with ventilators.
Thomas G. Rodenhouse, M. D., associate professor
of Neurosurgery, recently was honored with the 2007 Noonan Award
recipient. Given by the McQuaid Alumni Association, the Noonan Award
recognizes and honors the achievements of outstanding alumni. Rodenhouse
specializes in cerebrovascular malformations, aneurysms, and skull
based tumors, such as acoustic neuromas.
Moira Szilagyi, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor
of Pediatrics, was named the second recipient of the Calvin C. J.
Sia Community Pediatrics Medical Home Leadership and Advocacy Award
by The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Community
Pediatrics. The award recognizes a pediatrician who has demonstrated
clinical excellence, community action and advocacy for children
with unique care needs. Szilagyi was honored for her work as medical
director at Starlight Pediatrics, a specialty clinic for foster
care children and adolescents.
The Deaf Wellness Center at the University of Rochester Medical
Center has received the Bronze Achievement Award from the American
Psychiatric Association at a recent event in New Orleans. Robert
Pollard, Ph.D., the centers director and an associate professor
of psychiatry, accepted the award. The award credits the Deaf Wellness
Center for its work in specialized mental health services to the
deaf community and its research and education related to mental
health and deafness.
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