Dean's Newsletter
Second Friday Science Socials – March 11, 2008
When I was a resident, notices were posted every Friday afternoon throughout the hospital for “Liver Rounds,” to be held at 5:00 pm. “Liver” was used as a code word for medical staff to signify that alcohol (usually beer) would be served, while the euphemism “Liver Rounds” was used presumably to suggest to others in the hospital that some sort of educational activity was about to occur. Sometimes, just for good measure, Liver Rounds was announced over the loudspeaker at 4:45 pm.
This quaint custom has appeared to go by the wayside. Maybe it's that our housestaff and faculty all want to get home to their families. Maybe we would have to count Liver Rounds as part of the 80-hour rule for residents. When I googled “Liver Rounds,” all I came up with were listings of real GI and Pathology conferences. Go figure.
The Second Friday Science Social is our contemporary and more scientifically-focused version of Liver Rounds (and it is more refined—we serve wine as well as beer). One evening in late 2005, Dirk Bohmann, PhD, Professor of Biomedical Genetics, and Howard Federoff, MD, PhD (then Senior Associate Dean for Basic Science), were together in the Strathallan Hotel for a faculty dinner. Dirk conveyed that while he had a general idea about the research going on in different departments and centers at the University, he hadn't seen or heard much about it first hand. In fact, it was often more likely to hear faculty members from other U of R departments talk about their science at a conference halfway around the globe than at home in Rochester! Read More.
Andrei Yakovlev, MD, PhD, 1944-2008 – March 7, 2008
Dr. Andrei Yakovlev died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack on February 27, 2008. Those of us in the Medical Center who came to know Andrei are heartbroken. How profoundly sad. And, as Mark Noble expressed in his eulogy, the sadness grows by the day.
This newsletter is a memorial to honor the life of Dr. Yakovlev. I first met Andrei in 2002. I was a new Dean and we were recruiting a new Chair of Biostatistics. There was a twist, however: in recognition of the direction of the field, we expanded the scope of the department to include both biostatistics and computational biology. Because of Andrei's doctoral-level training in medicine, biology, and mathematics, and because of his intellectual breadth and flexibility, he was uniquely qualified to lead this newly restructured department. There was clearly much more to Andrei, however, on a personal level. He had a refreshing directness, which was combined with genuine warmth and sincerity. He cared. He cared intensely about his family, his science and his colleagues. At the Department's 5th anniversary reception, attended by the entire department and many others, the warm feelings for this great leader were palpable. At age 63, Andrei was still on the ascending limb of his life as a department chair, and as a husband and father. Our hearts go out to Andrei's wife Nina, their 11-year-old son Yuri, and their family in Russia. Read More.
School of Medicine & Dentistry Alumni Information
Join us for Alumni Weekend on September 25-27, 2008
We hope you will join us for a weekend filled with reminiscing, learning and lots of fun! This year's milestone reunions are for years ending in 3's and 8's – ALL ALUMNI, regardless of year of graduation, are invited to participate in the festivities. A tentative schedule of reunion activities can be viewed and printed from the School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD) alumni Web site: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/alumni/.
Regional Alumni Events
The School of Medicine and Dentistry hosts regional events throughout the country. Check out the “Alumni Programs and Events 2008” listing each month in Rochester Pulse – we may be coming to your area soon!
In addition to School of Medicine and Dentistry events, the University of Rochester Alumni Office sponsors numerous activities as well. All UR alumni are welcome to attend these activities. To view the UR Alumni Events Calendar click here. For questions about UR events, please call 877-MELIORA or (877-635-4672).
Chapel Hill Regional Alumni Dinner
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On February 28, 2008, over 40 University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry alumni and guests gathered at the charming and historic Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC. Dean David S. Guzick, MD, PhD, updated the guests on many exciting things happening at the School of Medicine and Dentistry including details on the $40 million NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award. Dean Guzick was the Principal Investigator on this grant. Michael C. McKenna (PhD '75), our local alumni host, introduced Dean Guzick and shared his experiences on the School of Medicine and Dentistry Alumni Council, highlighted accomplishments of the Council, and what his years at the School meant to him. Dr. McKenna is the CEO of Merrion Pharmaceuticals, Plc. The alumni who attended were delighted to discover unexpected connections and to reconnect with familiar faces. School of Medicine and Dentistry Alumni Council Executive Committee members Robert Scala (PhD '58), Alumni Council President; Lawrence Nazarian (MD '64, R '66), Alumni Council Vice President; Robert Brent (MD '53, PhD '55) and Robert Sutherland (PhD '66) also attended. The Executive Committee held their annual planning retreat to coincide with the alumni dinner. School of Medicine and Dentistry Dean Emeritus, Lowell Goldsmith, MD, (MPH '02) and University of Rochester Board of Trustees member, Carl Williams (MBA '75), who reside in the Raleigh/Durham area, also attended. View Pictures.
Submit Class Notes for Rochester Medicine Magazine
The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry wants to hear from you! Share new and exciting things happening in your life with fellow alumni. To submit a class note for publication in the Rochester Medicine magazine, e-mail alumni@admin.rochester.edu. Submissions can also be entered online by visiting: www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/alumni/signupForm.cfm.
Journey with the School of Medicine & Dentistry to Spain
Enjoy an exciting and informative tour of Spain with fellow University of Rochester alumni. While experiencing the beauty of Barcelona, Penedes &Montserrat, Zaragoza, San Sebastian and Bilbao, seasoned traveler and University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry alumnus, Paul F. Griner (MD '59), will enhance your itinerary with insightful presentations on 21st Century Medicine, informative patient interactions, and Universal Health Insurance facts and fiction.
April 28, 2008 May 1, 2008 May 20, 2008 June 5, 2008 June 16, 2008 June 25, 2008 September 25-27, 2008 October 16-19, 2008 October 21-November 1, 2008 |
School of Medicine & Dentistry News
2008 Residency Program Match is the Largest in History
Across the nation (Thursday, March 20, 2008), more than 15,000 U.S. medical school seniors (were) joined by classmates, friends and family at “Match Day” ceremonies to learn where they will spend their years of residency training following graduation. There is plenty of reason to celebrate. According to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), which conducts the Match, more than 94 percent of seniors who applied for residencies this year were paired with a program of their choice—the highest percentage in more than three decades.
The 2008 Match was also the largest ever. Overall, 28,737 applicants vied for one of 22,240 first-year residency positions—the most applicants in history. Of those applicants, a record-high 15,242 were U.S. medical school seniors, 94.2 percent of whom successfully matched to a residency program. In fact, 84.6 percent of those seniors matched to one of their top three program choices. The number of first-year residency positions available through the Match was also the highest in history; 395 additional positions were added this year.
There were notable increases this year as well in the number of Match applicants from international medical schools and osteopathic schools (which award the D.O. degree). More than 10,300 graduates of non-U.S. medical schools applied for U.S. residency positions through the Match; roughly 4,650 (about 45 percent) of whom matched to a first-year position. Nearly 1,900 osteopathic students and graduates applied to the Match this year and 71.6 percent matched to a position. Read More.
Excerpt from the National Resident Matching Program press release– contact: Nicole Buckley | 202-828-0041 | nbuckley@aamc.org
View URSMD Match Day 2008 results and pictures.
UR Well Student Outreach Hosts 4thAnnual 5K Run/Walk
School of Medicine and Dentistry student volunteers in conjunction with the St. Joseph's Neighborhood Center, located in Rochester's South Wedge neighborhood, run the UR Well health center which serves area residents who lack health insurance. They currently are organizing their 4th annual 5K run/walk on April 19, 2008 to help defray costs incurred by patients at the medical center. This year they hope to recruit runners and walkers of all ages to participate in the run as well as a newly added 1K Fun Run. For more information about participating in or sponsoring the 5K Run/Walk, please visit the UR Well site at www.urwellstudentoutreach.org.
Turtlequill Journal of Literary Arts
Founded in the fall of 2006, Turtlequill is the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry's Journal of the Literary Arts. The journal provides an outlet through which students can express themselves through writing and, as importantly, provides a medium through which they can share these expressions with others in the community. Turtlequill is run, organized, and edited entirely by School of Medicine and Dentistry medical students. Turtlequill's publication is made possible through grants from the Division of Medical Humanities and the University of Rochester Interdisciplinary Cluster for Human Values in Healthcare.
One-year subscriptions are available for $10 (fall 2007/spring 2008). Sample copies are available in the Miner Library and the Office of Medical Humanities. To subscribe to Turtlequill, please e-mail turtlequilljournal@gmail.com.
Publication consideration in this journal is open to all medical students, graduate students, residents, faculty, and staff of the University of Rochester Medical Center. Submissions may be e-mailed to turtlequilljournal@gmail.com.
Online Community
Join the Online Community
Online Community membership is FREE and exclusive to alumni. Search for friends and make new connections with the University of Rochester Medical Center Alumni Network. The Online Community offers an online directory of all URMC School of Medicine & Dentistry and School of Nursingalumni where you can search by geographic location or specialty. Network with classmates, quickly update your information, and much more with the Alumni Online Community. Register now.
Do you know that you could have the same e-mail address forever?
With the use of the permanent e-mail forwarding feature available through the Online Community, you can have the same e-mail address no matter what Internet Service Provider you use! To sign up for your free @alumni.urmc.rochester.edu address, register for the Online Community today! Visit www.alumniconnections.com/URMC/ to connect to the online community. If you are not sure of your unique alumni ID, please contact us at alumni@admin.rochester.edu
University of Rochester Medical Center Updates
American Association For The History Of Medicine (AAHM) 2008 Annual Meeting to be Held in Rochester
University of Rochester faculty members and AAHM meeting co-chairs, Theodore M. Brown, PhD (Department of History) and Stephanie B. Clark, MD, PhD (Division of Medical Humanities) along with alumnus Philip P. Bonanni (MD '64, RES '71) helped plan an exciting program for this years' national meeting which will be held on Thursday, April 10 through Sunday, April 13, 2008. The first evening of the meeting features the annual Lyon Daughters Lecture in Bioethics. The 2008 Annual Guest Lecturer Berislav V. Zlokovic, MD, PhD, Dean's Professor and Professor of Neurosurgery & Neurology, Director of the Center for Neurodegenerative and Vascular Brain Disorders, Director of the Frank Smith Laboratories for Neuroscience and Neurosurgical Research, and Associate Chairman for Neurosurgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center will give a presentation entitled Alzheimer's Disease: The Crux of Growing Old. Inevitable or Preventable? The lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 10, 2008, at the Rochester Academy of Medicine - all alumni and the general public are welcome to attend.
Practicing physicians or nurses may obtain CME credits for their attendance or participation in the Lyon Daughters Lecture. Those unable to attend the Lyon Daughters Lecture that are interested in the subjects discussed can obtain copies of the lecture (and appropriate references) by sending an e-mail to the Rochester Academy of Medicine at raom@choiceonemail.com or the Secretary of the Lyon Daughters at rmklip@rochester.rr.com. For more information about the AAHM, please visit http://www.histmed.org/.
URMC Researchers Participate in a National Saliva Proteome Study
One day soon patients may spit in a cup, instead of bracing for a needle prick, when being tested for cancer, heart disease or diabetes. A major step in that direction is the cataloguing of the “complete” salivary proteome, a set of proteins in human ductal saliva, identified by a consortium of three research teams, according to an article published today in the Journal of Proteome Research. Replacing blood draws with saliva tests promises to make disease diagnosis, as well as the tracking of treatment efficacy, less invasive and costly.
“Past studies established that salivary proteins heal the mouth, amplify the voice, develop the taste buds and kill bacteria and viruses,” said James E. Melvin, DDS (MS '83, PhD '87), director of the Center for Oral Biology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and an author on the paper. “Our work, and the work of our partners, has shown that salivary proteins may represent new tools for tracking disease throughout the body—tools that are potentially easier to monitor in saliva than in blood,” said Melvin, who conducts his research at the Eastman Dental Center, in collaboration with the research labs of Mark Sullivan, Ph.D., and Fred K. Hagen, Ph.D. Read More.
Excerpt from Physorg.com article: Spit tests may soon replace many blood testsNews & Information About Other Divisions of URMC
What's Happening at URMC
Learn more about the latest from the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong, Highland Hospital, Strong Memorial Hospital, School of Nursing and Visiting Nurse Service. Learn more.
Wilmot Cancer Center Cenzi Ride for Cancer
For the second year in a row Cenzi Motorcycle Company has custom built a motorcycle, valued at $30,000, for a drawing to support the Wilmot Cancer Center. On Sunday, June 1, 2008, Cenzi Ride for Cancer participants will meet at Pineapple Jack's located at 507 Spencerport Road, Gates, NY. Whether you want to ride to help fight cancer, hang with some serious motorcycle enthusiasts or win a new bike, all are welcome to purchase tickets for the Cenzi Custom Built Motorcycle giveaway! Tickets are one for $10 or three for $20. To purchase tickets, please call 585-242-8988 or mail a check to Wilmot Cancer Center Development Office, PO Box 278996, Rochester, NY 14627. A winner will be selected on Saturday, June 1, 2008 at the 2nd annual Cenzi Ride for Cancer at 4:30 p.m. (you do not need to be present to win). For more information click here.
University of Rochester Programs
Always Better Adult Continuing Education
Enroll in fun and exciting noncredit courses through the UR's Always Better Adult Continuing Education program. Classes are held on River Campus in the evenings and weekends to accommodate your busy schedule.
Highlighted 2008 Spring Semester courses include:
- America in Red and Blue: The Transformation of Party Politics, 1948-2008
- Creative Writing Workshop
- History of the Book in the Western World
- America and the World: The City on the Hill from Across the Border
- The Godfather: Novel and Film
- Discovering the Wine of Europe
- The Money Maze: How to Navigate through the Financial Aid Process when Applying to College
School of Medicine & Dentistry Alumni Office Contacts
Chad Gobel, Associate Vice President of Medical Center Advancement
Mary Ann Kiely, Director of Advancement and Medical Alumni Relations
Carmen Aiezza, Senior Associate Director of Major Gifts
Kelly Nuccitelli, Associate Director of Advancement/Medical Alumni Relations
Leslie Chambers, Assistant Director of Advancement/Alumni Council Liaison
Paula Smith, Director of Student Services
Rochester Pulse is a publication of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Alumni Relations Office.
This month's issue can be viewed online at www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/alumni/rochesterpulse/march2008.html.
Visit the School of Medicine and Dentistry's Web pages:
www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd | www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/alumni
300 East River Road, Suite 208, PO Box 278996, Rochester, NY 14627-8996