Dean's Newsletter
Humanism in Medicine: 2008 AAMC Award Nominee, Rabih Salloum, MD – May 22, 2008 Newsletter
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in an operating room, a very familiar environment. But for the first time in my adult life, I was looking up at the operating lights instead of looking down at a patient. The operation I was about to undergo was minor hand surgery—no big deal. Nonetheless, the experience of being a patient undergoing surgery—even minor surgery—had a greater impact on me than I had imagined.
The procedure was masterfully performed by Richard Miller, MD (RES '80), Professor of Orthopaedics. My stitches are out and I am virtually back to new. The part of the experience that lasts with me, however, was not the surgery (I don't remember a thing, having received my first dose ever of the magical drug propophol), but the attentive caring shown by the entire staff. I now have a new understanding of our biopsychosocial model of medical education and practice: on the other end of the informed consent process, I have renewed appreciation for the importance of clarity and completeness; in the pre-op area, I gained an understanding—from a patient's perspective—of the need for privacy and comfort; having not been on the receiving end of systemic anesthesia before, it was reassuring to be given a clear understanding of my options; and the importance of a warm blanket became quite apparent when I slid onto the operating table. Above all else, what made a difference was the caring and attention shown by the surgical team—Dr. Miller, my anesthesiologist Stefan Lucas, MD (RES '03), my nurse anesthetist Mary Huether, CRNA, and the entire nursing staff.
Indeed, because of our biopsychosocial tradition, we can be proud of a very humanistic faculty and staff. But among this group, the medical students of SMD select one physician annually as the University of Rochester's nominee for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Humanism in Medicine Award. This year, the students selected Rabih Salloum, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, as our nominee.
The Humanism in Medicine award is given by medical students in recognition of a physician faculty member who best exemplifies the attributes of positive mentorship, community involvement, compassion, sensitivity, collegiate collaboration, and professional ethics. Each medical school of the AAMC nominates one physician-faculty member for this national award. The Organization of Student Representatives (OSR) at each medical school solicit nominations from the student body, interviews the candidate faculty members, and selects one nominee for the national award. Led this year by Anna Cooper, Class of 2011, students identified a large number of deserving candidates in response to a call for nominations. Each physician was interviewed by an OSR representative. Representative quotes from medical students and residents reflect the widespread sentiment that Dr. Salloum is an extraordinary surgeon, not only because of his technical expertise but because of his humanistic care of patients and his teaching and mentoring. Read More.
Alpha Omega Alpha, 2008 – April 25, 2008 Newsletter
This is a special edition of this newsletter. It's special for two reasons, which makes it a doubly-long newsletter, but for good reason. One thing that's very special is our class of 2008 AOA inductees, whose accomplishments we all celebrate. They are listed below, as introduced by their Advisory Deans at the AOA banquet. Another special feature of this newsletter is that our AOA lecturer, Dr. Chin-to Fong (selected by the AOA inductees) took the time to write out his lecture. It is my privilege to preserve it in our newsletter archives, and to present it to those who may not have been present.
Medical Student AOA Inductees
Tara Arndt Wenger, Caitlin Dwyer-McNally, Matthew Davis, Anne Fender, Marjorie Gloff, Natt Songdej, Tracy Fuller, Koto Ishida, Matteo LoPiccolo, Brooke Miller, Brian Morray, Sydney Montesi, Maryann Overland, Tracey Perazone, Pooja Rao, and Deanne Robinson
Resident and Faculty Inductees
Rona Norelius, MD, Andrew McGarry, Cheryl Kodjo, MD (MPH '01, RES '01), Ralph Doerr, MD, and Randy Rosier (MS '77, MD '78, PhD '79).
Read Dr. Fong's lecture and information about inductees.
School of Medicine & Dentistry Alumni Information
Join us for Alumni Weekend on September 25-27, 2008
Check your mailbox for Alumni Weekend registration packets which will be mailed in June. 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.
School of Medicine & Dentistry Alumni Council Meeting
On Thursday, May 1, 2008 the School of Medicine and Dentistry Alumni Council held its bi-annual meeting. The Council is comprised of 17 alumni members who represent all regions of the United States. Dr. Robert Scala, a retired career toxicologist, serves as Council President. All Council members were in attendance for the May meeting. Current Council members include Robert Scala (MS '56, PhD '58); Lawrence Nazarian (MD '64, R '66); Robert Brent (MD '53, PhD '55); Ronald Bruce (MD '62); Robert L. Caldwell (MD '61, R '69); Milissa U. Carter (student); C. McCollister Evarts (MD '57, R '64); Constantine Farmakidis (MD '06); Mary Anna Friederich (MD '57, R '62); Kathleen Gensheimer (MD ‘77, MPH); Dwight E. Heron (MD '95); Michael McKenna (PhD '75); Helene McMurray (MS '00, PhD '04); Carol Cooperman Nadelson (MD '61, R '62); Alexander Pearson (student); I. Donald Stuard (MD '60); and Robert Sutherland (PhD '66). To learn more about the members, view the Alumni Council Skills Inventory.
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!
Philadelphia Regional Alumni Dinner
Join us on Monday, June 16, 2008 for dinner and conversation with C. McCollister Evarts (MD '57, RES '64), former CEO, Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Orthopaedics, URMC. Dinner will be hosted by Joseph M. Serletti (MD '82, RES '88), Division of Plastic Surgery Chief, University of Pennsylvania, at the Union League of Philadelphia. For more information or to RSVP, please call (585) 276-3803 or e-mail QDouglas@admin.rochester.edu .
University of Rochester Department of Urology Reception in Orlando
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The American Urological Association held its 2008 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL. Alumni and friends of the URMC Department of Urology met at The Peabody Orlando hotel Tuesday evening, May 20, 2008. The event was well received with over 60 in attendance.
University of Rochester Alumni Events
You may have noticed that you are receiving additional invitations to university-wide events. In addition to School of Medicine and Dentistry activities, the University of Rochester Alumni Office sponsors numerous events 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.
Photographers Wanted
In the last few issues of Rochester Medicine magazine, striking photographs of people, places and things have been included throughout the “Class Notes” pages. We are looking for your help to make this a regular feature in your alumni magazine. Have you taken up photography professionally or consider yourself an amateur enthusiast? Share your passion for pictures with fellow alumni! We are seeking alumni photographers to be featured in future issues of Rochester Medicine. To submit photographs, or for more information, please contact Kelly Nuccitelli in the Alumni Office by calling 585-273-4854 or e-mail knuccitelli@admin.rochester.edu.
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. Please note that due to space restrictions, there is a 150-word limit per individual note, except for special circumstances. To submit class notes electronically click here. Did you know that Rochester Medicine magazine is available online? Check out past issues by visiting http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/pr/publication/index.cfm.
June 5, 2008 June 16, 2008 June 25, 2008 September 25-27, 2008 October 16-19, 2008 October 16-27, 2008 |
School of Medicine & Dentistry News
Student Gives Presentation on the Mechanics of Vision and Artistic Expression
The George Washington Corner Society, named after University of Rochester's first professor of anatomy, is a group of physicians, students and other participants interested in the history of medicine. This year there were five evening presentations on medical historical topics at the Rochester Academy of Medicine. A recent presentation entitled “The Eye of The Artist and the Ocular Problems of Claude Monet” was given by fourth year student Sara Bozorg. The one hour presentation, based on work done by ophthalmologists Michael F. Marmor and James G. Ravin, explored the mechanics of vision and the interactions between the eye and the brain that lets us ‘see' art. Attention was also focused on cases where the artist's work had been affected by an ophthalmic disorder, such as in the case of: Claude Monet (cataract), Jashua Reynolds (ocular tumor), Pissaro (tear duct blockage), Edgar Degas (central blind spot), Edvard Munch (ocular hemorrhage), Mary Cassatt (cataract).
Sara's presentation addressed such questions as: What is true and what is not true about art? How does the way the eye is made affect our appreciation/perception and creation of art? What are optical illusions, and how are they used in art? How did artists deal with ocular problems? How did Monet work when afflicted with cataracts? The slide presentation displayed various works of art including two original works of Monet (Towing of a Boat at Honfleur, 1864 and Waterloo Bridge, Veiled Sun, 1903) that are housed at the Memorial Art Gallery.
The George Washington Corner Society, sponsored by the School of Medicine and Dentistry Division of Medical Humanities, is an important part of the medical training tradition at Rochester. To join the Society or for information, please call 585-275-5800 or e-mail andrea_ehmann@urmc.rochester.edu .
UR President and Faculty Members Honored by Academy of Medicine
University of Rochester President Joel Seligman has been named one of five recipients of the Award of Merit of the Rochester Academy of Medicine, and he also has been named the first Honorary Member in the Academy's 108-year history. Academy of Medicine Executive Director Hechmat Tabechian (MD '61) said that the organization's bylaws have always allowed the election of honorary members, but the honor was being bestowed this year for the first time ever.
"I have been in Rochester for a half century and have seen wonderful connections between the University of Rochester and its community in that time," Tabechian said. "But those bonds have become so much stronger in the last three years, and we wanted to celebrate that progress with this distinction for President Seligman."
The Merit Awards are given each year to three-to-five individuals "in recognition of outstanding service to the medical profession or to the community." The other four recipients of the Merit Award for 2008 are: Richard E. Fullerton, MD (RES '56); Webster H. Pilcher (MS '79, MD '83, RES '89); Ronald Rabinowitz, MD; and Hobart A. Lerner, MD (RES '49). In addition, the University of Rochester's Arthur J. Moss, MD (RES '62) received the Academy's Albert David Kaiser Medal. Read More.
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.
Endowment Fund Established to Increase Scientific Understanding of Environmental Risks
The Department of Environmental Medicine at the School of Medicine and Dentistry is pleased to announce the creation of a new endowment fund to honor Professor Emeritus Bernard Weiss (PhD '53). The fund was established to support the department's training programs and other educational efforts. The department's goal is to become the premier toxicology training program in the world, particularly in the area of neurobehavioral toxicology.
Dr. Weiss has been an inspirational leader in the field of toxicology and particularly in behavioral toxicology research at the University of Rochester for the past 43 years. He is not only a pioneer in neurotoxicology, but also in laboratory automation. He was among the first researchers to apply computer technology to the study of behavior, an achievement that ushered in a new era of scientific investigation. Learn More.
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
Orthopaedic Community Care Clinic on the Move
When former University of Rochester Medical Center CEO C. McCollister Evarts (MD '57, R '64), stepped down from his post in August 2006, he wanted to return to his medical specialty of Orthopaedics. Nearly two years later, he's done that and much more in his role as attending physician of the Medical Center's Orthopaedic Community Care Clinic.
The clinic, which has been in existence for more than two decades, provides orthopaedic care for under- and uninsured patients. Up to 45 patients are seen each week at the clinic, which diagnoses and manages non-operative treatments for the full range of musculoskeletal disorders. Patients needing surgery or physical therapy are referred to the appropriate specialists.
In the past, faculty from the Department of Orthopaedics would rotate through the clinic, overseeing the care provided by medical residents. Now, with Evarts' establishing a permanent medical director position, he is able to bring his decades of experience as a successful orthopaedic surgeon, departmental chair and health care administrator to help fine tune clinic operations. Read More.
Rochester Scientists Uncover New Findings about Alzheimer's Prevention
A vaccine created by University of Rochester Medical Center scientists prevents the development of Alzheimer's disease-like pathology in mice without causing inflammation or significant side effects.
Vaccinated mice generated an immune response to the protein known as amyloid-beta peptide, which accumulates in what are called “amyloid plaques” in brains of people with Alzheimer's. The vaccinated mice demonstrated normal learning skills and functioning memory in spite of being genetically designed to develop an aggressive form of the disease.
The Rochester scientists reported the findings in an article in the May issue of Molecular Therapy, the journal of The American Society of Gene Therapy.
“Our study demonstrates that we can create a potent but safe version of a vaccine that utilizes the strategy of immune response shaping to prevent Alzheimer's-related pathologies and memory deficits,” said Dr. William Bowers (MS '92, PhD '96), associate professor of neurology and of microbiology and immunology at the Medical Center and lead author of the article. “The vaccinated mice not only performed better, we found no evidence of signature amyloid plaque in their brains.” Read More.
Cardiologists Awarded $2.3 Million to Study Heart Rhythm Disorder
A team of URMC cardiologists led by Arthur J. Moss, MD (RES '62) has won a four-year, $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue its study of a cardiac condition that places teens at risk for sudden death. With the latest award, the team will have received continuous NIH funding for 23 years – one of the longest, continuous, investigator-initiated research projects at the University of Rochester.
Cardiac arrhythmias are electrical malfunctions that throw the heart out of rhythm, causing many of the 330,000 sudden cardiac deaths each year in the United States. Most fatal arrhythmias occur in aging patients when scar tissue left by a heart attack interferes with the heart's electrical system. As many as 1,000 deaths each year, however, are caused by Long QT Syndrome (LQTS), the focus of the long-running grant renewal. LQTS occurs mostly in teens with otherwise healthy hearts. Research into this infrequently occurring medical condition has provided insights into much more common, post-heart attack arrhythmias. Read More.
New Wilmot Cancer Center Opens
The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) celebrated the expansion of cancer care and research as it dedicated the new James P. Wilmot Cancer Center on May 15, 2008. The Center introduces leading-edge technology, greater access to multidisciplinary care, a new model for breast care, and more opportunities to receive tomorrow's therapies today.
The new building is the centerpiece of the Wilmot Cancer Center's five-year, $65 million plan for expansion and recruitment and is one of the cornerstones of the Medical Center's overall strategic plan for growth. The URMC cancer strategy includes recruiting more than two dozen new scientists and clinicians, expanding programs in lung, breast, prostate and colon cancers as well as lymphomas and leukemias, which are among the most frequent cancer diagnoses in the United States. Read More.
News & 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.
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
To register or for more information, please call the Office of Special Programs at (585) 275 -2344 or visit http://www.rochester.edu/college/osp/apply/contStudies_courses.html . All alumni and their spouses are eligible to receive 20 percent off their tuition for most Always Better classes! Be sure to mention your University of Rochester alumni status to receive the UR Community discount. We encourage you to take advantage of this lifelong learning opportunity. Welcome back to campus!
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/may2008.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