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Accomplishments of Note
August 2005
- Dr. Martin Colman *NEW
- Dr. Elbert B. Whorton Jr. *NEW
- S. Wesley Long *NEW
- Kim Nethery *NEW
- Ted Whitworth *NEW
- Mike Woods *NEW
- Kuyler Doyle *NEW
- Rita de Souza *NEW
- Lucy Ndip *NEW
- Aaron Medina-Sanchez *NEW
- Jorge Zavala-Castro *NEW
- Mary Ellen Kuhlmann *NEW
- Dr. James R. Halpert
- Laure Deflube
- Dr. Stanley Lemon
- Dr. Ron Carson
- Dr. Jeff Davis
- Dr. Monique R. Ferguson
- Dr. Roberto Garofalo
- Dr. Anne Hudson Jones
- Dr. Golda A. Leonard
- Michael J. Megna
- Dr. Aytekin Oto
- Dr. Ben Raimer
- Dr. G. S. Raju
- Dr. Susan L. Rosenthal
- Dr. Linda R. Rounds
- Dr. Padma Srinivasan
- Dr. Karen Szauter
- Dr. Cheryl Vaiani
Dr. Martin Colman, John Sealy Distinguished Centennial Chair, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology, served as president of the American Radium Society (ARS) for 2004–2005. His term concluded with the 87th annual meeting in Barcelona. For his presidential address “The American Radium Society--Early History and Recent Trends,” Colman researched the original founding and history of the ARS from its early beginnings to its current status. The ARS is the oldest multidisciplinary oncology society in the world. Originally established with 19 members in 1916, the society now has more than 800 members from all the oncological disciplines. The ARS originally provided a forum for physicians using radium to discuss their experiences, and to present their findings, new innovations, good practice standards, and results of treatment.
Dr. Elbert B. Whorton Jr., professor of biostatistics and epidemiology, departments of Preventive Medicine and Community Health and Microbiology and Immunology, has been appointed to the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. The Gulf of Mexico Council is one of eight regional Fishery Management Councils surrounding the United States. The Council’s Standing Scientific and Statistical Committee comprises economists, analysts, biologists, sociologists and natural resource attorneys who are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of fisheries in the Gulf. Whorton is an expert in statistical inference, especially in sampling and estimation methodologies.
UTMB graduate students and trainees from the Department of Pathology captured more than their fair share of NIH travel awards for their presentations at the fourth International Conference on Rickettsiae and Rickettsial Diseases. Nine of the 17 grants awarded went to UTMB students. The students are S. Wesley Long, Kim Nethery, Ted Whitworth, Mike Woods, Kuyler Doyle, Rita de Souza, Lucy Ndip, Aaron Medina-Sanchez and Jorge Zavala-Castro. The conference, which was in Logrono, Spain, occurs every three years and is attended by more than 300 scientists from across the globe.
Mary Ellen Kuhlmann, a student in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, recently earned the Best Essay from the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Each year, the organization sponsors a nationwide contest for the best essay by students in rehabilitation and disability-related fields. Kuhlmann’s essay “Transdisciplinary Teams: An Evolving Approach in Rehabilitation” discussed the need for more research to identify models of teamwork that are capable of bringing out positive outcomes for patients, given the complexity of health problems and the involvement of numerous health professionals. She discussed how more descriptive research is needed to elaborate the potential contributions that transdisciplinary teams can make to the development of best-practices models of comprehensive, patient-centered care.
Dr. James R. Halpert, Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, has been selected to receive a Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The MERIT Award is a mechanism to provide long-term grant funding to investigators of proven research competence and productivity. This award will support Halpert’s longstanding project “Molecular Basis of Human Cytochrome P450 Function,” which is being pursued together with Dr. Dmitri Davydov.
The project focuses on liver enzymes responsible for the metabolism of approximately half of the clinically used drugs. The results are expected to facilitate the design of safe and effective drugs and to minimize drug interactions.
“This is one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to me professionally,” Halpert said. “I am really grateful to my outstanding research team and to NIGMS for the freedom to pursue research directions that might be considered risky.”
Pathology graduate student Laure Deflube recently received the Joel M. Dalrymple Memorial Award from the American Society for Virology. Deflube receive the award for her “outstanding presentation in bunyaviral research.”
Dr. Stanley Lemon, director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, recently was one of 24 individuals appointed to the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB). The board will provide advice and recommend specific strategies for efficient and effective oversight of federally conducted or supported dual-use biological research taking into consideration both national security concerns and the needs of the research community.
Lemon was among members of a panel who recently discussed biosecurity issues at a plenary session sponsored by the AAMC’s Group on Research Advancement and Development at last year’s AAMC Annual Meeting.
The full list of appointees is available online at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services web site.
Dr. Ron Carson, director of the Institute for the Medical Humanities, served as the moderator at the Texas Legislative Educational Stem Cell Research Forum for a panel discussion about the ethics of stem cell research.
The Biological Society of the Royal College of Surgeons and Royal College of Physicians of Ireland recently invited Dr. Jeff Davis, professor of clinical preventive medicine, to present the annual Widdess Lecture. His lecture “Medicine in Space” was delivered in Dublin.
Dr. Monique R. Ferguson, assistant professor of internal medicine, was selected to be the School of Medicine’s nominee for the 2005 Herbert W. Nickens, M.D., Faculty Fellowship Award. Ferguson is the director of the HIV Pathogenesis Laboratory. She is actively involved in HIV drug research and development and serves as an educator for HIV prevention.
Dr. Roberto Garofalo, professor of pediatrics, and microbiology and immunology, was elected to the Council of the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR). In this capacity Garofalo will represent allergy, immunology and rheumatology for a three-year term. The SPR is one of the partner organizations of the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS), along with the American Pediatrics Society (APS), the Ambulatory Pediatric Association (APA), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The primary purpose of the SPR is to encourage young investigators engaged in research that is of benefit to children.
The School of Medicine has nominated three members of its faculty to submit applications for participation in the 2005–2006 Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program for Women. They are Dr. Anne Hudson Jones, Hobby Family Professor in the Medical Humanities and Graduate Program director in the Institute for the Medical Humanities; Dr. Susan L. Rosenthal, professor of pediatrics and director of the Adolescent and Behavioural Health division; and Dr. Karen Szauter, associate professor of internal medicine and medical director of the Standardized Patient Program.
Dr. Golda A. Leonard, associate professor of otolaryngology, and Dr. Elena Volpi, associate professor of internal medicine, have been nominated by the School of Medicine to submit an application to participate in the AAMC Mid-Career Women Faculty Professional Development Seminar. This seminar will be July 9–12 in Lansdowne, Va., and is designed to help women faculty develop the tools and personal contacts needed to advance to leadership positions.
Michael J. Megna, administrator for the UTMB-TDCJ Hospital, recently advanced to fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives, an international professional society of 30,000 health care executives. The American College of Healthcare Executives recognized Megna during the Convocation Ceremony in March during the organization’s annual Congress on Healthcare Management. Fellow status is the highest level of professional achievement in the organization. To obtain fellow status, candidates must demonstrate their education, experience and leadership in the health care field for several years. They must also complete case studies or a thesis on a health care management topic or participate in a year-long mentorship project.
Dr. Aytekin Oto, associate professor of radiology, received a letter of appreciation from Dr. Anthony V. Proto, editor of Radiology, complimenting him for the “exceptionally fine quality of his reviews” on behalf of that medical journal. Proto indicated that the quality and timeliness of the reviews place Oto’s work among the top of all reviews. Oto also was honored at a reviewers’ luncheon at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
Dr. Ben Raimer, vice president for community outreach and correctional managed care, has been reappointed to a three-year term on the Texas Institute of Health Policy Research Board of Trustees. Based in Austin, the institute is a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of Texans and their communities through education, research and health policy development. Projects focus on health policy education, grass-roots solutions and data-driven ideas. Raimer’s appointment concludes August 2007.
Dr. G. S. Raju, associate professor of gastroenterology, has been invited by the editor of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, to develop the continuing medical education section for the members of the American Society of Gastrintestinal Endoscopy. This is the first time in the history of the journal to have such a section.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has reappointed Dr. Linda R. Rounds, associate professor of nursing, as president of the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners. Perry also reappointed Rounds to a six-year term as a board representative for advanced practice education. She has served as president of the Board of Nurse Examiners since 2000 and as a board member representing advanced practice education since 1999.
Dr. Padma Srinivasan, chief resident in diagnostic radiology, was the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Radiological Society of North America for her exhibit “MR Imaging of Acute Abdomen during Pregnancy.” Her faculty advisor is Dr. Aytekin Oto.
Dr. Cheryl Vaiani, clinical ethicist in the Institute for the Medical Humanities and assistant professor of preventive medicine and community health, serves as a visiting professor in the bioethics course for freshman medical students in the International Program of the School of Medicine of the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico. She spends two weeks talking to them about ethical issues with particular emphasis on differences between professional and ethical practices and standards in Mexico and the United States since a large majority of these students intend to practice in the United States.
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