VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 • 2019 FOR ALUMNI, FRIENDS, FACULTY AND STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Outstanding Women of Color Recognizing Advocacy, Community Building and Scholarly Research on Race, Ethnicity and Indigeneity
DIVERSITY SUMMIT p. 4
SMPH ORCHESTRA p. 8
CARBONE CANCER CENTER p. 10
There’s More Online! Visit med.wisc.edu/quarterly to be
QUARTERLY The Magazine for Alumni, Friends, APRIL 2019 Faculty and Students of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Wednesday, April 17 Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) MANAGING EDITOR de Harter Visiting Professor Kris Whitman AOA Banquet and Induction Ceremony Health Sciences Learning Center ART DIRECTOR Christine Klann PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHER John Maniaci MAY 2019 PRODUCTION Michael Lemberger Friday, May 10 UW-Madison Commencement WISCONSIN MEDICAL Thursday, May 30, Spring Alumni Weekend ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (WMAA) and Friday, May 31 Class Reunions for the Classes of 1954, ’59, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Karen S. Peterson ’64, ’69, and the Half-Century Society for all alumni who graduated before 1969 EDITORIAL BOARD Christopher L. Larson, MD ’75, chair Jacquelynn Arbuckle, MD ’95 Kathryn S. Budzak, MD ’69 Robert Lemanske, Jr., MD ’75 AUGUST 2019 Patrick McBride, MD ’80, MPH Gwen McIntosh, MD ’96, MPH Friday, August 23 SMPH White Coat Ceremony
Patrick Remington, MD ’81, MPH CALENDAR Memorial Union, Shannon Hall Joslyn Strebe, medical student EX OFFICIO MEMBERS Wednesday, August 28 M1 Stethoscope Presentation and Badger Cookout Robert N. Golden, MD, Andrea Larson, Health Sciences Learning Center Karen S. Peterson, Jill Watson, Kris Whitman 2018–2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS Daniel Jackson, MD ’03, president SEPTEMBER 2019 Mark Fenlon, MD ’84, MBA, president-elect Susan Isensee, MD ’83, treasurer, past president Friday, September 13 Middleton Society Dinner John Kryger, MD ’92, past president Memorial Union, Great Hall Steve Merkow, MD ’80, past president BOARD MEMBERS Karen Adler-Fischer, MD ’80 Mathew Aschbrenner, MD ’06 Jennifer Foster, MD ’04 OCTOBER 2019 Tito Izard, MD ’96 Christopher L. Larson, MD ’75 Friday, October 11, Fall WMAA Board Meeting Juliane Lee, MD ’94 and Saturday, October 12 Homecoming and Fall Reunion Weekend Kyla Lee, MD ’98 Meghan Lubner, MD ’03 John McDermott, MD ’79 Gwen McIntosh, MD ’96, MPH Kathryn E. Nixdorf, MD ’06 (national) Thomas Puetz, MD ’90 Leon E. Rosenberg, MD ’57 (national) Peggy Scallon, MD ’92 Jon Scholl, MD ’17 (resident representative) Abigail Taub, MD ’12 Alex Tucker, MD ’75 Maria Weber, MD ’88 Steven Wiesner, MD ’85 (national) Michael Witcik, MD ’07 Ryan Wubben, MD ’99 Robert Zemple, MD ’12 BOARD ADVISORY COUNCIL Kathryn S. Budzak, MD ’69 Philip Farrell, MD, PhD Dirk Fisher, MD ’79 is published four times a year by the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association (WMAA) Donn Fuhrmann, MD ’76 QUARTERLY and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Kay Gruling, MD ’88 Charles V. Ihle, MD ’65 For editorial information, call (608) 263-4613 Ann Liebeskind, MD ’98 For address corrections and to reach the WMAA, call (608) 263-4915 Patrick McBride, MD ’80, MPH E-mail us at [email protected] Sandra L. Osborn, MD ’70 Ann Ruscher, MD ’91 Visit us on the web at med.wisc.edu/quarterly CONTENTS QUARTERLY • VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1
x Diversity SMPH 14 Alumni Notebook Summit Orchestra 4 8 22 Goodbye Dear Friend The second-annual event Faculty, staff, students explores the impact of and alumni share Student Life gender, race and class on their talent in this new 23 academic medicine. musical group. 26 Alumni Profile 30 Spotlight 32 Connections Campus Scene (above) Carbone Cancer Faculty Profile An inflated Statue of Liberty replica returned to frozen 34 Center 10 Lake Mendota near the Memorial Union during the 36 Healer’s Journey Having earned a rating of Hoofers’ Winter Carnival in February 2019. Its periodic “outstanding” by the National return honors a 1979 prank by candidates of the Pail 38 Research Advances Cancer Institute, the center and Shovel Party. —Photo by Jeff Miller, UW-Madison celebrates successes as it 40 Perspectives looks toward a bright future. On the Cover Melissa Metoxen (left) and Jennifer Edgoose, MD, MPH, of the SMPH, are among five UW-Madison faculty and staff members to earn 2019 Outstanding Women of Color Awards (see page 7). —Photo by Andy Manis
QUARTERLY 1 MESSAGES
ROBERT N. GOLDEN, MD host gatherings to boost Badger pride and encourage support for the SMPH. The recent Madison in Medicine event in Los Angeles, hosted by Drs. Warren and Linda Procci, with Dr. E. Richard Stiehm as a keynote, accomplished all of that and more. The future has never looked brighter for this hallowed institution. As Dr. Jacque Galipeau describes in his Perspectives essay, personalized cellular therapy— once considered a futuristic dream— is happening here and now. Under his guidance, the SMPH is playing a leadership role in developing this game-changing field. On a similar note, Dr. Elizabeth Burnside, highlighted in our Faculty Profile, is shaping the future of radiologic screening and diagnosis of breast cancer. She also plays a key role in our Institute for Clinical and Translational Research’s administration. As I reflect on these exciting t may be tempting for a high-performing feature story. The Ladder, another innovation advancements in translational research, organization to rest on its laurels, rather described on page 32, is a pre-college health care and population health, Ithan pushing forward toward an even pipeline program designed to increase my thoughts focus on the remarkable more ambitious vision of excellence. The diversity among future generations of health encouragement and support we receive from faculty, staff and students at the University care professionals. our alumni, donors and friends. It is music to of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Dr. Jasmine Zapata, highlighted in the my ears to receive your feedback. A rather Health (SMPH) are immune to this malady; Alumni Profile, brings enormous energy to different genre of music—the symphonic “coasting” is not in our vocabulary. For the sphere. A distinguished young alumna sounds of the new SMPH Orchestra—is now example, as you will read in the feature story, who joined our school’s faculty in 2018, she being shared with countless ears. the UW Carbone Cancer Center— focuses on improving the health of minority Please come visit your alma mater a shining jewel in Wisconsin’s crown— populations through the integration of and accept my personal invitation for an is achieving even greater levels of excellence pediatrics, preventive medicine, public health individualized tour of your school of medicine under the leadership of Dr. Howard Bailey. and community empowerment. and public health. If the timing works, We applaud the hard work of the faculty Speaking of energy, it is vitally important perhaps we can include tickets to an SMPH and staff who have made Wisconsin’s only to provide adequate fuel for the engines of Orchestra performance! National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated progress in each of our missions. Dr. Diane On Wisconsin! comprehensive cancer center into one of the Heatley, a professor of surgery and the Robert N. Golden, MD most respected rising stars in the small club chief medical officer of the American Family Dean, University of Wisconsin of NCI-designated programs. Children’s Hospital, uses her artistic talents School of Medicine and Public Health To achieve our full potential as a national to raise philanthropic funds for the SMPH Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs, leader, we must focus on expanding the and American Family Children’s Hospital. Her UW-Madison diversity of our faculty, learners and staff. recent Bucky on Parade project, “Blooming Under the leadership of Dr. Brian Gittens, Bucky,” embraces the spirit of giving back. we have launched several innovative Read the Healer’s Journey article for details. programs in this area, including the We also highlight the dedication of successful Diversity Summit, described in a several Los Angeles-area alumni who
2 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 KAREN S. PETERSON reetings medical alumni med.wisc.edu/alumni/make-a-gift/ and and friends! scroll down to the section about the G Your Wisconsin Medical Alumni Stethoscope Program. Association (WMAA) has been busy As we look toward fall, we hope members orchestrating many fun opportunities for you of the Classes of 1974, ’79, ’84, ’89, to engage with fellow alumni and medical ’94, ’99, 2004, ’09 and ’14 are getting students this spring, summer and fall. ready! We’ll host these class reunions on We find it bittersweet as we prepare to Homecoming Weekend, October 11 and 12, say goodbye to the University of Wisconsin 2019. Watch your e-mail for details. School of Medicine and Public Health’s Finally, I share heartfelt thanks to (SMPH) talented fourth-year medical everyone who has supported the SMPH and students, but we share their excitement WMAA throughout the year. Your generous about the next chapters of their lives. As donations of time, money and expertise— always, the thrilling Match Day included a the lifeblood of our organization—have WMAA reception for these students, along helped us achieve many goals. We send our with their families and friends. Anticipation sincere gratitude to all, including those who: is building as we approach commencement! • joined our Student Alumni Partnership To celebrate and welcome the graduates to Program, through which you shared the WMAA, we’ll host a reception and give a your wisdom to help guide medical keepsake to each of them. students’ career choices and/or hosted Our team also is looking forward to fourth-year medical students during spring reunions on Alumni Weekend, May 30 residency interviews; and 31, 2019. See pages 16 and 17 for • sponsored the meaningful gift of updates from class representatives for the a stethoscope for an incoming Classes of 1954, ’59, ’64 and ’69, and the medical student; Half-Century Society, who are helping us • hosted an event in your community to help plan festivities. The Half-Century Society is us engage recent graduates and reconnect for all MD alumni who graduated 50 or more with seasoned alumni; years ago. Rather than wait to gather every • served as class leaders and initiated five years, we hope anyone who graduated new class funds to support student before 1969 will accept our invitation to scholarships; and attend Alumni Weekend each spring. • bolstered the SMPH and WMAA’s Further, all alumni are welcome at the important initiatives through financial Alumni Weekend kick-off event, a Mini Med contributions, including donations to the School titled, “Life in Balance: Preventing Middleton Society, which welcomed more Falls,” and led by SMPH faculty experts. It will than 600 new members in 2018. be held on Thursday, May 30, 2019, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, in the Health Sciences To learn more about the programs and Learning Center. events I have mentioned, please visit the Spring in Madison is sure to be beautiful WMAA Web site (med.wisc.edu/alumni) or for Alumni Weekend events, which will check out our Facebook page. You’re also include a trolley tour of campus, tour of welcome to send us an e-mail at the anatomy lab, Dean Robert N. Golden’s [email protected] or call our office at reception, class dinners, and opportunities to (608) 263-4915. We always love to meet with student leaders and recipients of hear from you! scholarships and stethoscopes. Karen S. Peterson If you are interested in sponsoring a Executive Director, stethoscope for a medical student who will Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association enter the SMPH in August, please visit
QUARTERLY 3 FEATURE STORY BY ROBYN M. PERRIN, PHD
Diversity Summit A CALL TO ACTION FOR ACADEMIC MEDICINE AND BEYOND
onversations buzzed throughout Celebrating Health Equity Leaders the second-annual Diversity To recognize accomplishments of CSummit hosted by the University SMPH faculty and staff who have dedicated of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public themselves to eliminating health disparities, Health (SMPH) in January 2019. More school leaders honored three individuals and than 600 attendees filled the largest hall in one organization with 2019 SMPH Diversity the Health Sciences Learning Center and Awards. They are Nnenna Ezeh, Fabu Carter, prompted the need for an overflow room. Bret Benally Thompson, MD, and the NACHP. Welcoming the guests, Brian E. Ezeh, a third-year medical student in the JOHN WINGREN/MEDIA SOLUTIONS (2) JOHN Gittens, EdD, the associate dean who Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health launched this program, emphasized the program, received the 2019 Diversity Student event’s inclusive nature by saying, “Who is Beverly Hutcherson (left) and Andrea Award. She coordinated the student-run this Diversity Summit for, and about? Look to Nino de Guzman Ramirez converse. MEDiC Clinic for underserved pediatric your left; look to your right. It’s for all of us.” patients and their families and served as Dean Robert N. Golden, MD, described (NACHP); health equity grant programs of the co-president of the Student National Medical ongoing efforts aimed at increasing equity, Wisconsin Partnership Program; the public Association. She is a member of the SMPH diversity and inclusion at the SMPH, health emphasis of the ForWard Curriculum; Health Equity Task Force and the Class of throughout medicine and public health, a new outreach program, The Ladder, 2020 equity and diversity representative of and across Wisconsin and beyond. He which encourages diverse K-12 students to the Medical Student Association. She also emphasized that there is much more explore medical fields (see page 32); and conducts research on the effects of smoking terrain to cover, but that it’s valuable to the schoolwide Building Community climate on patients with lupus and is working on a laud the breadth and strength of ongoing initiative for faculty, staff and learners. project to assess the impact of community endeavors. These include teaching, research “We should acknowledge our progress health workers in Milwaukee. and service initiatives of the Collaborative while continuing to do the hard work of Carter, an outreach specialist in the Center for Health Equity; community and looking within and identifying opportunities to Department of Medicine and the Alzheimer’s career development work by the Native accelerate our movement toward our ultimate Disease Research Center (ADRC), received American Center for Health Professions vision,” noted Golden. the 2019 Diversity Award for a staff
4 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 Denise Rodgers, MD, presented the keynote talk.
QUARTERLY 5 Sharing a Sobering Message expectancy by race in the United States, and The evening’s highlight was the keynote in Wisconsin, American Indians are lowest, lecture, “The Impact of the Intersectionality followed closely by African Americans.” of Gender, Race and Class on Academic Data also indicate that gender and Medicine,” by Denise Rodgers, MD, vice race intersect in discouraging ways. For chancellor for interprofessional programs at example, bearing a child in the United Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. She States carries a higher mortality risk than is the Hunterdon Chair in Interprofessional any other developed nation, with 1,200 Education at Rutgers Robert Woods Johnson fatal complications and more than 600,000 Brian E. Gittens, EdD, who organized the first- and Medical School, where she is a professor near-fatal complications of pregnancy each second-annual Diversity Summits. in the Department of Family Medicine and year, with racial and ethnic gaps evident. member. She recruits African Americans into Community Health. While showing a graph of rising maternal the ADRC Clinical Core and volunteers in “Dr. Rodgers has spent her career mortality since 1990, she shared, “I don’t the SMPH Diversity and Inclusion Advocate working with poor, minority and think there are any of us in health care or Program. In 2016, she was honored as a disadvantaged patients and their public health who can look at this graph and UW-Madison Outstanding Woman of Color. communities … and led a nationwide pact feel good about what we’re doing.” A scholar of African American literature and of family medicine educators who promised Next, Rodgers showed a closer, even past poet laureate of the City of Madison, not to teach about health disparities anymore more troubling look at infant mortality. she has published poetry books and won an without talking about the impact of racism “The greatest disparity in infant mortality Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Award as a critical social determinant of health,” by race is between college-educated JOHN WINGREN/MEDIA SOLUTIONS (2) JOHN from the Wisconsin Library Association. commented Jennifer Edgoose, MD, MPH, black women and college-educated white She also volunteers in local nursing homes associate professor (CHS), SMPH Department woman. An African American woman with leading the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project. of Family Medicine and Community Health. an advanced degree has an infant mortality Benally Thompson is a clinical assistant Rodgers discussed a widely publicized rate that’s higher than the rate for a white professor in the Department of Medicine’s 2017 research article in which analysts woman with an 8th-grade education,” she Division of Hematology, Medical Oncology from the National Institutes of Health (Shiels, said. “Education and income are somewhat and Palliative Care, and the Department of MS, et al.) identified demographic patterns protective, but clearly not enough.” Family Medicine and Community Health. in premature mortality, dubbed “deaths of It’s essential to identify what is He received the 2019 Diversity Award for despair” due to drug poisonings, suicide, happening, as well as why it’s occurring. a faculty member. Benally Thompson is the and alcohol-related chronic liver disease and “What are some causes of these medical director at UnityPoint Health-Meriter cirrhosis. Media coverage fixated on a rise in disparities? We cannot begin to have that Hospital and is active in several organizations premature mortality among white individuals conversation without talking about social dedicated to improving and advancing between 1999 and 2014, but largely omitted determinants of health,” noted Rodgers. health in Native American students and that premature mortality also increased for Chief among these determinants is communities. This includes his membership American Indians and Alaska Natives. poverty, which—in the United States—is in the American Indian Science and “In fact, during the 2011 to 2014 period, tightly linked to race. Socioeconomic class Engineering Society—for which he serves on American Indians and Alaska natives had is the driving factor underlying many, if not the Elders Council—and the American Indian the highest mortality in the United States, most, health inequities, she explained. Cancer Foundation. followed by blacks,” said Rodgers. “If we look at family wealth by race and Benally Thompson also serves on the She reviewed U.S. data on health ethnicity, we see that Latino and African advisory council of the NACHP, which outcomes that show profound discrepancies Americans are more likely to be poor received the 2019 Diversity Organizational by race, gender and income. These factors compared to their white counterparts,” Award. The NACHP connects UW-Madison are tightly interconnected, she explained. said Rodgers. with Wisconsin’s tribal governments and The statistics hit hard, and they start at Moreover, when comparing life urban Native communities (see Quarterly, birth—the infant mortality rate for African expectancy of the bottom 10th percentile Volume 20, Number 4, 2018). It hosts an Americans in Wisconsin is the highest in the and top 10th percentile of earners, there annual lecture series by an indigenous nation—and continue through adolescence. is a marked discrepancy: a nine-year health care provider, focuses on improving “Life expectancy for American Indian gap for men, and an eight-year gap for the health and wellness of American Indian adolescents is eight years less than for women. Rodgers reviewed recent work on people and supports the career development Asian females and 10 years less for males,” the pathophysiology of toxic stress that is of Native American clinicians. she noted, adding that, through adulthood, sparked by chronic poverty. “African Americans have the lowest life
6 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 “Poverty itself is an adverse childhood “We must raise our voices in saying that experience,” she said, noting that living in a this is not just a high moral theoretical thing, society with high levels of structural racism is but this is a thing—poverty—that affects linked to poorer health outcomes, as well. health. And we must do something about it,” For an overview of institutionalized, she urged, sparking a standing ovation. personally mediated and internalized Conceptualizing Change components of racial climate, Rodgers Panel discussions evoked heartfelt recommended a framework described in dialogue. While the magnitude of health the article “Levels of Racism: A Theoretic inequities weighed heavily on the clinicians, M2 Ninah Divine (left) and Jasmine Framework and a Gardener’s Tale,” published researchers and educators, the atmosphere Zapata, MD ’13, MPH ’17 (PG ’16, ’18), fielded questions in a panel discussion. in the American Journal of Public Health in was filled with hope and determination. 2000 by Camara Phyllis Jones, MD, MPH, PhD. Panelist Chris Stillwell, director of Student He concluded, “Once you’ve listened, The essential question for society, said Services, summarized his thoughts: “One partner and do something concrete. If you Rodgers, is exemplified in a quote by the Rev. reason I’m up here is that I’m driven by come to this summit next year and haven’t Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., just days before the idea that ending oppression is not the done something concrete, I will feel like my his death: “There is nothing new about responsibility of the oppressed. … There words haven’t hit strongly enough.” poverty. What is new is that we now have the need to be people who [have the mantle of techniques and the resources to get rid of privilege] and who show up. When you do, poverty. The question is whether we will.” the first thing you should do is listen. That There’s more online! Rodgers issued a call to action for health goes doubly so for those of us who have a lot See med.wisc.edu/ care providers to tackle these issues. of privileged identities.” diversitysummit-2019
Honoring Outstanding Women of Color
Melissa Metoxen and Jennifer Edgoose, MD, respectful relationships between UW-Madison MPH, of the University of Wisconsin School and Native American nations, particularly the of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH), are Oneida Nation and Ho-Chunk Nation; her role in among five faculty and staff members to earn “growing” the NACHP and transitioning it from the UW-Madison Outstanding Women of Color a program within the Collaborative Center for Award in March 2019. The annual tradition Health Equity to an independent center within honors women of color among faculty, staff the SMPH; her success in helping increase and students who are deeply rooted in the applications of Native American students by UW-Madison and Madison communities through more than 250 percent—a figure especially their work in one or more of the following areas: notable in this historically underrepresented MANIS ANDY educational outcomes, housing issues and • social justice, activism and advocacy on community in medicine; and her careful neighborhood perceptions of safety. This behalf of disadvantaged, marginalized negotiation of formal agreements that provide includes her strong collaborations with populations; for clinic rotations and other community educators, firefighters, county public health • community service; engagement opportunities within tribal health workers, fellow physicians and policy makers; • scholarly research, writing, speaking and/ facilities. Her involvement in working with her infusion of social justice principles into or teaching on race, ethnicity and indignity partners to enhance knowledge in areas a robust curriculum on community and in U.S. society; and/or ranging from food sovereignty to Alzheimer’s population health; her success in promulgating • community building to create an inclusive disease research is remarkable. this curriculum nationally; her contributions and respectful environment for all. Edgoose (right) is an associate professor (CHS) in the Department of Family Medicine shaping the DFMCH’s action plan; and her Metoxen (left in photo) is the coordinator and Community Health (DFMCH). Her efforts devoted mentorship and commitment to open for the Native American Center for Health over nearly 20 years have created a definition doors, support the career success of fellow Professions (NACHP). She is recognized for her of “continuity of care” that reaches far people of color, and create a more inclusive and committed efforts to forge lasting and mutually beyond clinic walls to address food insecurity, representative health care workforce.
QUARTERLY 7 PHOTO FEATURE PHOTOS BY CLINT THAYER Mixing Music and Medical Careers NEW SMPH ORCHESTRA STRIKES A CHORD
hether looking to ancient Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public share it with the community, including philosophers, such as Health (SMPH). Receiving ample interest, families and patients in the hospital. I hope WConfucius—“Music she founded the SMPH Orchestra. that we also can continue to foster a produces a kind of pleasure which The musicians rehearsed throughout supportive musical community and space human nature cannot do without”—or the fall semester and performed their for musicians to get to know each other.” contemporary artists like Elton John— inaugural concert in December 2018 The orchestra’s founding faculty “Music has healing power. It has the ability at UW-Madison’s Mills Concert Hall. sponsor, Elizabeth Petty, MD ’86 (PG ’89), to take people out of themselves for a few Conducted by Michael Dolan and Jenny senior associate dean for academic affairs, hours”—the overarching message rings Yim from the UW School of Music, the notes, “I’m thrilled that the orchestra true: Music is good for the soul. performance featured classical pieces by has been established, and I am grateful Recognizing that music’s calming effect Dvorak, Sibelius and Schubert. for Joohee Son’s passionate leadership can help counter the stress that sometimes Noting that the 40-member orchestra and the school’s support. Music builds accompanies medical training and is now preparing for its second concert collaborative skills, promotes wellness, practice, in fall 2018, fourth-year medical in spring 2019, Son says, “It has been stimulates creativity and provokes thought. student Joohee Son started recruiting an amazing experience working with the It stirs our souls. As such, the orchestra is a orchestral instrument-playing students, talented musicians at the SMPH. We hope perfect addition to our community.” alumni, faculty and staff of the University of to continue to create wonderful music and
8 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 Opposite page: The SMPH Orchestra’s first concert, December 2, 2018, at Mills Concert Hall, UW-Madison. This page: Top row (left to right): M2 Beth Klein, M2 Katy Jiang; M4 Joohee Son. Second row: Michael Dolan; Anne Marie Singh, MD (PG ’09), Susan Killips. Third row: Sarah Whitt, M3/Grad 3 Jack Hunt; Nina Piazza, MD. Bottom row: (back row; bottom to top in frame) Didier Mandelbrot, MD, Suzanne van Landingham, MD, Ed Harris, Susan Killips; (front row, bottom to top) Rong Mao, M3/Grad 3 Anna Heffron, Judian Smith MD ’82, Anne Marie Singh, MD (PG ’09).
QUARTERLY 9 FEATURE STORY
Howard Bailey, MD (PG ’91)
10 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 BY SARAH PERDUE, PHD
Carbone Cancer Center BUILDING ON A STRONG FOUNDATION, LOOKING TOWARD A BRIGHT FUTURE sk nearly anyone at the University Temin, PhD, received the Nobel Prize in UW School of Medicine and Public Health of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Physiology or Medicine in 1975, along with (SMPH) Dean Robert N. Golden, MD, notes, ACenter about its director, Howard two researchers from other universities. “Under Dr. Bailey’s leadership, UW Carbone Bailey, MD (PG ’91), and you likely will hear Bailey, who became UW Carbone’s has dramatically accelerated its progression about his good ol’ midwestern modesty. director in 2015 after serving on its faculty to national prominence. The rigorous A North Dakota native, Bailey was raised and as the interim director, is well prepared peer-review process confirmed the center’s and educated in his home state through for his role. He recognizes the center’s growing recognition as a rising star in the medical school prior to his residency in strengths from before his tenure as director, very selective galaxy of NCI-designated Michigan and eventual move to Wisconsin and he gives credit where credit is due. comprehensive cancer centers.” for post-graduate work. He has not forgotten He draws upon strengths to elevate UW With pride, Bailey shares, “We strongly his roots, even as he has risen to lead one of Carbone in its national prominence, including believe in the value of what we do and the top cancer research centers in the United acceptance into elite networks. And, in 2017, what we bring to our patients, to our States. He prefers to shine the spotlight on during UW Carbone’s five-year “checkup” communities and to Wisconsin. It’s always others rather than having accolades directed required by the NCI to continue as a helpful to have established leaders from toward him. comprehensive cancer center, Bailey led the other well-known cancer centers review us However, when you talk to Bailey about program to its largest rating increase to date. and give their unbiased view of what we UW Carbone as an institution, he can’t Specifically, the center passed its are accomplishing.” conceal his pride. It is Wisconsin’s only re-application renewal with flying colors, He continues, “We were unanimously National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated retaining its status as Wisconsin’s only NCI- voted as ‘outstanding.’ Only a few centers in comprehensive cancer center. Nationwide, designated comprehensive cancer center the nation receive that score or better.” only six cancer centers—including UW and extending a $5 million per year grant for In general, Bailey believes UW Carbone Carbone—can claim the high honor of being core funding over the next five years. always has had the potential for this rating. among the first group, in 1973, to receive About the first such renewal “We consistently have had great faculty that designation by the NCI. And, while few process under Bailey’s leadership, he researchers and staff,” he says. “What we’ve of these centers have had Nobel Prize- characteristically downplays his role in the done is get them more involved by having winning work conducted at their institutions, successful score and states, “Many people them determine what the Carbone Cancer UW Carbone is proud that Howard M. worked long and hard to achieve it.” Center is and help run it.” –continued on next page
QUARTERLY 11 With nods to the past and boosted patient care career in this field at UW by recent success, Bailey is leading UW Carbone and the American Family Children’s Carbone to even loftier goals: increasing Hospital. “When President Nixon declared patients’ access to groundbreaking clinical the War on Cancer, it was clear to me that trials; fostering stronger connections I should delve into analyzing whether the with communities in addition to Madison immune system could recognize cancers.” to improve health outcomes throughout Fast forward to the 2000s, and Sondel’s Wisconsin and beyond; and advancing work has resulted in a U.S. Food and Drug research in strategic areas, such as cancer Administration-approved immunotherapy biomarkers, imaging and immunotherapy. for relapsed or refractory pediatric Celebrating Decades of Leadership neuroblastoma. The therapy increases in Cancer Research and Care survival rates from 25 to 50 percent. Prior to Bailey coming to the SMPH “We are pleased that this immunotherapy UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ARCHIVES and UW Carbone for a medical oncology Paul P. Carbone, MD regimen has become the standard of care in fellowship and research fellowship, the United States for children with high-risk respectively, and joining the school’s faculty was appointed to the president’s national neuroblastoma,” exclaims Sondel. “We in 1994, cancer research at UW-Madison cancer panel,” recalls Bailey, who is the are investigating the use of personalized was already making a name for itself. In Andy and Susan North Professor of Cancer medicine to identify individuals with certain 1940, Harold Rusch, MD ’33, formed the Research. “The panel convinced President genes that might make them most likely to McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research Nixon that the government needed to put benefit from this treatment.” and established the nation’s first cancer more money into cancer research, and one of Another UW-Madison researcher, V. Craig research department, the SMPH Department the things they convinced him of was making Jordan, PhD, began pioneering treatments of Oncology. these comprehensive cancer centers.” for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers UW Carbone’s focus on clinical research long before Bailey’s time as UW Carbone and treatments complements McArdle’s director. Now a professor at the MD Anderson laboratory research. Over the decades, Cancer Center in Houston, Jordan created physician-scientists at UW-Madison have a strong foundation for current physician- collaborated on numerous groundbreaking scientists’ work at UW-Madison. oncology-related investigations and made Among them is Ruth O’Regan, MD, chief huge strides in patients’ health outcomes. of the Division of Hematology, Oncology and In the 1960s, for example, SMPH Palliative Care in the SMPH Department of Professor Fritz Bach, MD, was a pioneer in Medicine and associate director of clinical bone marrow transplantation, a technique research at UW Carbone, who worked with still used today to treat a variety of Jordan at Northwestern University. diseases, from cancer to immunodeficiency “Earlier in my career, I was involved in syndromes. Paul Sondel, MD, PhD ’75 studying resistance to endocrine therapy in (PG ’80)—now a professor and research breast cancer,” she says. director of the Division of Pediatric “At UW-Madison in the 1990s, Dr. Jordan UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ARCHIVES Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow was responsible for developing tamoxifen Harold Rusch, MD ’33 Transplant in the SMPH Department of as a breast cancer drug,” recalls O’Regan, Pediatrics—recalls how working in Bach’s whose internationally recognized research Rusch served as McArdle’s inaugural lab as an undergraduate propelled him into aims to continue identifying mechanisms of director until 1972, when he turned his his physician-scientist career working on resistance to breast cancer therapies and attention to developing the UW Clinical neuroblastoma immunotherapy. developing innovative treatments. Cancer Center, which subsequently was “At that time, a lot was being written Leading the “Outstanding” renamed the UW Comprehensive Cancer about early mouse experiments from a Center Forward Center and, in 2006, the UW Carbone variety of labs, indicating that the same As cancer research has progressed Cancer Center to honor its second director, immune system that could reject an organ throughout the United States, UW Carbone Paul P. Carbone, MD. transplant might be able to be trained remains one of 70 NCI-designated cancer “After President Richard Nixon announced to reject cancer,” says Sondel, who has centers, but it does not rest on its reputation the National Cancer Act of 1971, Dr. Rusch dedicated his four-decade research and as one of the originals. Case in point, in
12 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 2016, UW Carbone was accepted into study protocols, obtaining human subjects the elite National Comprehensive Cancer approval, negotiating budgets with industry Network, a not-for-profit alliance of 28 of sponsors and caring for patients in their the world’s leading cancer centers; that trials, according to Sarah Stewart, assistant network writes the standards for cancer care director of clinical research at UW Carbone. nationally and, increasingly, globally. “Because patient care takes priority, In preparation for the 2017 NCI review, under the old model, getting a new study when leaders from that agency and other up and running would sometimes be put on NCI-designated cancer centers evaluated hold,” she explains. “Industry partners prefer dozens of aspects of UW Carbone, Bailey sites that can open trials quickly and produce and colleagues paid particular attention to results, and we were not always getting reviewers’ areas of focus: the amount of access for patients to trials we would have external funding the center receives, the liked to open.” Helping patients return to health is at the heart of the UW Carbone Cancer Center’s mission. impact of its research and the number of Bailey and Peter Connor, UW Carbone patients who benefit through clinical trials. associate director of administration, worked Results show many measures of success, with clinical research teams to determine are decreasing—important metrics that including UW Carbone’s robust partnerships how best to meet needs and accomplish mean we’re getting patients on study with local philanthropists—including the goals more efficiently than in the past. as quickly as possible—are due to the Andy North and Friends golf and trivia “We encouraged clinical researchers centralized structure he created.” events and the Garding Against Cancer and gave them autonomy to make the Beyond this, Bailey points to other events—which have boosted fundraising. necessary changes,” says Connor, adding improvements that were underway before These efforts help fund early-stage, high-risk that successful results led to centralizing all he became director that helped buoy the center’s success. An example is the construction of the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, an innovative complex that brought together several cancer-focused groups—among them the Department of Human Oncology, McArdle Laboratory and the Department of Medicine’s Division of Hematology and Oncology. This collaborative hub on the west end of UW-Madison is attached to the Health Sciences Learning Center—home to the SMPH—and the Clinical Science Center, which houses UW Hospital and UW Carbone. Striving for Continued Progress While celebrating the successful core Displaying their plaque, winners of the 2019 Trivia Night with Andy North celebrate. grant renewal, Bailey, Connor and other colleagues are taking steps to further elevate research, which increases researchers’ aspects of clinical research. the center’s reputation. They have structured success in obtaining federal grants. Today, disease-specific research teams the UW Carbone Strategic Plan around four Further, since Bailey became director, the focus on enrolling and caring for patients key initiatives: number of patients enrolled in clinical trials on trials, while a fiscal team works on • further boosting of priority at UW Carbone has doubled. This corrected all budgets, a regulatory team obtains research areas; a local and national trend of declining clinical human subjects approvals, and dedicated • improving research facilities and trial enrollment for the prior five to 10 years. coordinators propel studies through other infrastructure; Looking into reasons for the local steps of activation. Enrollment is the highest • increasing philanthropic funding; and trend, the center’s leaders discovered that since 2009 and just over the 2012 level. • expanding and nurturing community each disease group had been run like an “Dr. Bailey deserves all the credit,” health partnerships. individual small business, meaning that Stewart states. “The reason our accrual is each group was responsible for writing all increasing and our time-to-trial activations –continued on page 29
QUARTERLY 13 ALUMNI NOTEBOOK
Madison in Medicine LOS ANGELES-AREA ALUMNI UNITE
Jill Watson of the UW Foundation and Alumni Association (standing) introduces the guest speaker, E. Richard Stiehm, MD ’57.
n advantage in southern Stiehm, MD ’57, shared with the 55 guests patent at the Wisconsin Alumni Research California is that even November his penchant for UW-Madison history. Foundation, Stiehm notes, “A perfect score Aevents can be garden parties. “Everyone enjoyed the Sunday was 26, and David Ward, UW-Madison’s Such was the case for the fall 2018 afternoon event—the beautiful setting, former chancellor, won!” “Madison in Medicine” event organized great conversation, delicious food and Madison in Medicine is the second by the Los Angeles (LA) Badger Women, Dr. Stiehm’s presentation,” says John Mills, event of this nature that Linda Procci and a committee of the Wisconsin Alumni president, Wisconsin Alumni Association: her husband, a psychiatrist, have hosted. Association: Los Angeles Chapter. Los Angeles Chapter. The first was Madison in the Movies, Aiming to boost Badger pride among Using a game format, Stiehm featuring LA-area professionals in the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW challenged participants to match the movie industry, a year earlier. School of Medicine and Public Health names of 13 people at UW-Madison who Having retired after 17 years as vice (SMPH) alumni, Warren Procci, MD ’72 have made a major impact in medicine, president of service line operations at (PG ’74), PhD, and Linda Procci, with their contributions and related sites. Cedars Sinai Medical Center in LA, Linda MS ’74, PhD, hosted the event at their Sharing an example of Karl Paul Procci capitalizes on her newfound time JOHN MILLS/WISCONSIN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: LA CHAPTER (6) ASSOCIATION: ALUMNI JOHN MILLS/WISCONSIN vintage home in Pasadena. E. Richard Link, PhD ’25, who discovered the and the organizational skills she honed anticoagulant warfarin, which led to a in numerous health care leadership roles
14 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 Clockwise from left (left to right): E. Richard Stiehm, MD ’57, Jeff Wendorf, Warren Procci, MD ’72 (PG ’74), PhD, Linda Procci, MS ’74, PhD; George Johnson, Susan Mills; Anne Marx, Jeff Wendorf; Joy Picus, Gerald Picus; Linda Procci, Natalie Kustner, Mary Beth Gaik.
to support UW-Madison outreach and Year helped build the grassroots effort that fundraising efforts. She serves on the has evolved into the LA Badger Women. UW Foundation and Alumni Association “This group started with a luncheon Board, the Dean’s Advisory Board for among six UW-Madison alumnae who the Wisconsin School of Business and agreed to meet regularly and network with the Board of Visitors for the UW School others,” says Linda Procci. “Not even two of Nursing. years later, we have 60 members, ranging Warren Procci earned his medical from recent graduates to one who earned degree at the SMPH and completed a her degree in the early 1950s.” psychiatry residency at UW Hospital, “Los Angeles is so large that each year and Linda Procci earned her bachelor’s we have a Founders Day event in April and master’s degrees at the UW School on the west side and the fall event on the of Nursing. east side,” she says. After she and her husband moved, in When planning the fall 2018 event, 1974, from Madison to California—where Sandra Damiani, MD ’88, a member of he pursued training in psychoanalysis the LA Badger Women and one of the 120 and a fellowship at University of Southern SMPH medical school graduates who live California (USC) and, later, joined its in LA County—volunteered to collaborate faculty—Linda Procci completed a PhD in with Linda Procci. They anticipate education at USC. She also became active continued success and appreciate the with the Wisconsin Alumni Association: support of all members and guests who LA Chapter. The 2017 LA Badger of the have become engaged in any way.
QUARTERLY 15 ALUMNI NOTEBOOK
Know Your Class Representatives Each University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) graduating class has one or more class representatives who play an integral role in working with the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association (WMAA) to plan class reunions. Those featured here hope classmates will join them at their reunions in spring 2019.
Edward Pezanoski, MD ’54 to Iceland, crossing the Arctic Circle. My Army Hospital in Colorado. I was a staff interests include keeping up my CMEs, anatomic pathologist at TripIer Army Hospital What type of practice are you in now, boating, fishing and visiting family in my in Hawaii during the Cold War era and and where? hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. Together, Vietnam War. I was an assistant professor I spent my rotating Joanne and I have eight living children, 21 at Marquette University Medical Center, internship, sponsored grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Milwaukee, and later an SMPH clinical by the U.S. Air Force, I consider myself blessed. assistant professor. I practiced at St. Mary’s at Madison General Hospital in Madison, and I now am retired. Hospital. I did my first What SMPH faculty do you year of obstetrics and remember the most, and why? What’s your fondest memory of gynecology (OB-GYN) residency at Brooke I most remember Dean Middleton, as well medical school? Army Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, followed as Dr. Robert Burns, an orthopedic professor My fondest memory is my preceptorship by assignments in OB-GYN departments at who brought humor to the classroom. I fondly with Dr. Phillips Bland in Westby, Wisconsin. Air Force hospitals in Texas and California. remember many classes in Science Hall. The night before my arrival, during a major I then completed my residency at Mercy snowstorm, Dr. Bland had made a house call Hospital and the University of California, San What are your plans for your reunion? by snowplow to see a patient who had an I look forward to meeting classmates, Diego, where I was appointed as an assistant appendicitis. That spring, I delivered my first attending the social and educational events clinical professor. I also was president of the baby solo and performed an appendectomy hosted by the WMAA, and seeing the Southwest OB-GYN Society. Although retired, with Dr. Bland as my first assistant. changes at UW-Madison and in the city. I remain licensed in Wisconsin and California. What are your hobbies/interests? Message to your classmates? What’s your fondest memory of I enjoy painting. My wife, Marilou Angevine, There now are only 22 of us potentially medical school? and I have a book and collectible business in available for the reunion. I believe we all When Dean Middleton was planning a trip Madison. Also, I’m a docent at the Wisconsin would like to see what we look like in our to Hawaii, urged by classmate Dr. Jack Veterans Museum and volunteer for a maturity and share memories. Lily, I placed a tray with a cocktail glass of weekly drop-in art studio for patients and pineapple juice on a gurney, wheeled it into family members at the William S. Middleton the classroom and interrupted the lecture, James Angevine, MD ’59 Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison. when he expected it to be Derby Day. He What type of practice are you in now, raised the cherry into the air and placed it in What SMPH faculty do you and where? remember the most, and why? his mouth. He presented the derby another day. I completed a rotating My father, Dr. D. Murray Angevine, was chair internship and What are your hobbies/interests? of the SMPH Department of Pathology when After my first wife, Lorraine, died, I married three-year anatomic I was in medical school. Our family moved Joanne. She and I spend half the year in pathology residency from Delaware to Madison after World War II, La Mesa, California, and the other half at the University of when he was offered the department chair in Green Bay, Wisconsin. We travel a lot, Chicago and a two-year position at the SMPH. My family established including a recent cruise from Copenhagen clinical pathology residency at Fitzsimons a scholarship award in his honor in the
16 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 Department of Pathology; it has evolved into John “Jack” Woodford, MD ’69 What’s your fondest memory of your additional summer fellowships for students. medical training? What type of practice are you in My fondest memory is the time I spent What are your plans for your reunion? now, and where? in England and Switzerland during my I’m hoping to see as many classmates as I did a neurosurgery residency, with Dr. Andrew McBeath. Back possible, as we live all around the United residency at Dartmouth then, orthopedic physicians did all types of States and our numbers are dwindling. University in New work. He was interested in joint replacement Hampshire and a surgery and was among the first in Wisconsin pediatric neurosurgery to perform a hip replacement. I also Kathryn Budzak, MD ’69 fellowship at the performed that procedure during my career. University of Pittsburgh, where I served What type of practice are you in now, on the faculty for a year before moving to What are your hobbies/interests? and where? Madison. I practiced adult and pediatric My wife, Rebecca Ihle, and I built a cottage Following a rotating neurosurgery at Dean Clinic and St. Mary’s on a lake north of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. internship at Madison Hospital in Madison; I’m now retired. Since I retired, we have made it our year- General Hospital (now round home and enjoy the peace of northern Meriter), I practiced in What’s your fondest memory of Wisconsin. We enjoy traveling and boating. the emergency room at medical school? St. Mary’s Hospital for Fortunately, we tend to forget struggles and What SMPH faculty do you four years. Next, I practiced adult urgent care remember the good parts of medical school. remember the most, and why? with Dean Clinic in Madison until I retired. I look back and feel that it was all worthwhile. Dr. Otto Mortenson was my first-year gross anatomy professor and served as my mentor What’s your fondest memory of What SMPH faculty do you throughout medical school. medical school? remember the most, and why? I treasure the close friendships and support Dr. Robert Schilling was an impressive What are your plans for your reunion? of classmates, particularly the women in our advisor and friend. We talked many times My wife and I are looking forward to the class. At that time, women made up less than about residencies; he recommended I not go Half-Century Reunion. Reunions help me about 10 percent of the class. into neurosurgery, but that’s what I chose! connect with classmates and others from different classes. At a recent reunion, I saw What are your hobbies? What are your plans for your reunion? Dr. Eugene Nordby (MD ’43), who was a I love spending time with my husband, Archie I am anxious to see how much our fellow teacher during my residency. I have since Budzak, and our family. I also enjoy traveling, classmates have accomplished since attended his 100th birthday celebration. knitting, reading and doing craft projects. graduation. Please encourage all to attend! I take crafting classes at several venues in Other news Door County, Wisconsin, where we live. Half-Century Society— I joined the WMAA in 1975, became a Charles Ihle, MD ’65 member of its Board of Directors in 2004 What SMPH faculty do you and serve on the Board Advisory Council. remember the most, and why? (PG ’70) Medical school was challenging in many ways, and Registrar Isabelle Peterson was What type of practice are you in now, and where? someone who always was there for us and CLASS REPRESENTATIVES I completed an very helpful. I also remember Dean William WHO ARE PLANNING REUNIONS internship at Middleton, who would stand and bow when a St. Mary’s Hospital in These classes will hold reunions on woman came into his office. An unfortunate San Francisco and an Thursday and Friday, May 30 and 31, 2019. memory is when Dr. Helen Dickie said I didn’t orthopedic residency belong in medical school because I had a 1954: Edward Pezanoski, MD at UW Hospital and husband and two children. 1959: James Angevine, MD Clinics. Following active duty at a U.S. Naval What are your plans for your reunion? Hospital in Taiwan, I established a private 1964: Representative needed We have a great class! I look forward to practice—the Ihle Orthopedic Clinic— 1969: Kathryn Budzak, MD, seeing as many classmates as possible. We in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where I practiced and John “Jack” Woodford, MD until 1998. Next, I practiced at Midlefort can relive old memories and catch up on Half-Century Society: Charles Ihle, MD ’65 news. We’ll have a wonderful time! Clinic, part of the Mayo Clinic Health System, in Eau Claire until I retired in 2014. (PG ’70) Welcoming any alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago
QUARTERLY 17 ALUMNI NOTEBOOK
ON CALL
“On Call” Emergency medicine physicians tell Quarterly what they’ve been up to
Editor's Note: Wisconsin natives, these physicians graduated in the same SMPH class, chose emergency medicine as a specialty and emergency medical services as a subspecialty, and now practice in their home state.
MEGAN GUSSICK, MD ’12 My career path began in high school can have a huge impact on the health care (PG ’15) when I became interested in EMS system. I am committed to ensuring that I consider and began working as an emergency all patients who are served by the Madison myself fortunate medical technician for the volunteer fire Fire Department receive high-quality, to have been department. This experience increased my innovative prehospital care. able to continue desire to advance my medical knowledge Over several years, I have worked to my career at my and eventually led me to enroll at the SMPH bring EMS education to our EM residents alma mater—the and pursue an EM residency at UW Health. and medical students. As health care University of I fell in love with this field because it allows systems continue to expand, it is important Wisconsin School me to help people in their most vulnerable for all physicians to understand and of Medicine and states, which potentially can have huge appreciate the EMS field and the impact it Public Health (SMPH)—and UW Health in impacts on their lives and families. This has on our patients. emergency medicine (EM) and emergency factor and my EMS background grew into medical services (EMS). At the UW my desire to bring a high level of care to BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency the prehospital setting. Medicine, I am an EM physician and serve Following my residency, I completed an as the medical director for the Madison Fire EMS fellowship at UW Health. Through this Department and Dane County Sheriff. training, I saw how prehospital services
18 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 KACEY KRONENFELD, Quality and Safety Committee and its wilderness and event medicine, working MD ’12 Wisconsin chapter. with law enforcement agencies, conducting As an I am fortunate to have found my niche research, and becoming a leader and emergency in EMS, a field I love. advocate, just to name a few! department (ED) physician, AURORA LYBECK, MD ’12 ROBERT ZEMPLE, MD ’12 I practice I practice After with Madison emergency medical school, Emergency medicine (EM) at I completed Physicians, an Advocate Aurora an emergency independent Health, Grafton medicine (EM) group in southcentral Wisconsin, and have and Washington residency and partnered with SSM Health Wisconsin County Medical an emergency to develop a comprehensive emergency Centers, which medical services medical services (EMS) program for are north and (EMS) fellowship, the region. west of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, respectively. both at Virginia Tech-Carilion Clinic. I chose I care for all types of patients in multiple I see all types of patients in the emergency this specialty due to influence from my emergency departments, from tertiary-care department (ED) and those cared for classmate, Dr. Aurora (Reese) Lybeck, with centers to a single-coverage critical by emergency medical services (EMS) whom I volunteered at the Waunakee-Area access hospital. I also spend more than agencies for whom we provide medical EMS before and during medical school. half my time working as an EMS medical direction. Always striving to improve and I practice EM in the Advocate Aurora director, with the goal of supporting learn is what I most value about my job. Healthcare System in Wisconsin, focusing on evidence-based emergency care protocols, I volunteered as an emergency Aurora BayCare in Green Bay and working quality assurance programs, performance medicine technician in my hometown while part-time at Aurora Oshkosh. In EMS, I serve improvement processes, and advanced I was a UW-Madison undergraduate and communities in the Green Bay area. training to help our prehospital providers medical student. I am involved at many EM and EMS deliver the highest quality of care. I considered several specialties, but levels, including serving as a co-chair I appreciate the ability to manage the opportunity to keep doing what I love of the American Academy of Emergency life-threatening situations in any setting. through emergency medicine and EMS Medicine’s Competition Committee, In medical school, I enjoyed my global won out. When the Accrediting Council for member of the state’s EMS Physician and low-resource medicine experiences, Graduate Medical Education accredited Advisory Committee, and associate and I wanted a career with diverse EMS as a subspecialty, it sealed the deal. clinical professor for the UW School of opportunities and variability. Thus, I chose I completed an emergency medicine Medicine and Public Health and Medical emergency medicine and EMS/prehospital residency at Washington University in College of Wisconsin. I also serve as a care, and I completed an emergency St. Louis and an EMS fellowship at the board member of the Wisconsin Medical medicine residency and out-of-hospital- Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Alumni Association and the Haiti Medical care fellowship at Indiana University. I am active in the National Association Mission of Wisconsin, and a member of the Another important aspect of my position of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), the Ethics Committee in the Village of Hobart, is collaborating with local, regional and president-elect for the Wisconsin Chapter where I reside. national partners to assist in optimization of NAEMSP and a board member of the EMS physicians are fast becoming and implementation of effective EMS Wisconsin chapter of the American College a staple in the emergency medicine systems. To fulfill this role, I am a member of Emergency Physicians. community. I encourage interested medical of several groups, including the Wisconsin The community of emergency students to learn how to manage the EMS Physician Advisory Committee, and physicians is fantastic, and we have lots most complex emergencies both inside the National Association of EMS Physicians’ of potential to make a positive impact by and outside the hospital by exploring working with EMS providers, conducting opportunities in EM and EMS. I offer public education, participating in shadowing opportunities at any time!
QUARTERLY 19 ALUMNI NOTEBOOK
Class Notes compiled by Andrea Larson
We want to hear from you! Class of Class of med.wisc.edu/shareyournews 1951 1980 Class of Alice Ruth Etzel McPherson is received the 1943 celebrating the Herbert L. 50th anniversary Needleman Eugene of the Retina Scientist-Advocate —who Nordby Research Award from the turned 100 in Foundation (RRF) International April 2018—and in Houston, Society for his family were Texas. RRF was Children’s Health honored with a founded in October 1969, with the mission and the Environment in January 2019. The “100 Seasons” to reduce retinal blindness worldwide by award honors an individual who has battled tribute by the funding programs in research and education. to protect children from environmental Green Bay Packers Beginning with the first pilot research chemicals and persisted in the face of and WPS Health Solutions during the grant funded in 1973, RRF now supports opposition. For the past two years, Etzel Packers-Lions game in December 2018, a wide diversity of programs worldwide, led 17 agencies in the development of a for “Operation Fan Mail.” This program including pilot research grants, chairs and comprehensive federal strategy to reduce honors families with a spouse, mother, professorships, research awards recognizing childhood lead exposure by removing father, son, daughter or sibling who is on lifetime achievement, international sources of lead in housing, soil, air, water, active duty or who is a veteran. At each fellowships training in developing countries, toys and food. She is the founding editor 2018 home game, the Packers and WPS and educational and travel scholarships—all of Pediatric Environmental Health; a fourth Health Solutions recognized a family on achieved through collaboration with the edition of this book was published by the field. Nordby—originally from Baldwin, finest universities and ophthalmological the American Academy of Pediatrics in Wisconsin—served as a military surgeon in organizations. November 2018. After completing a pediatric the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World residency at the North Carolina Memorial War II from 1944 to 1946, first in Okinawa, Hospital, Etzel was a Robert Wood Johnson Japan, and then in South Korea, achieving Class of Clinical Scholar at the University of North the rank of captain. Following his military Carolina at Chapel Hill, and there she earned service, he began practicing medicine in 1972 a PhD in epidemiology at the School of Madison, Wisconsin, and became board- Bernard Mansheim published two Public Health. certified in orthopedic surgery. Later, Nordby medical novels in 2018. The first,A Doctor became chief of the medical staff at Madison a Day, is the story of a doctor who becomes General Hospital and was the first physician overwhelmed with the psychological pressure Class of elected to the hospital’s board of directors. of caring for dying patients over a decade. IN MEMORIAM He also partnered in a private orthopedic The pressure becomes magnified when he 1987 practice, serving communities in southern is sued for malpractice, leading him down a Robert Steiner is now the editor in chief Wisconsin, and founded and led a variety dark tunnel with no apparent exit. It touches of the American College of Medical Genetics’ of orthopedic organizations in Wisconsin on multiple themes: physician suicide, (ACMG) peer-reviewed journal, Genetics in and around the nation. He served on the empathy, the art and science of medicine, Medicine. He has been the deputy editor of WPS Health Solutions Board of Directors and inequities in health care coverage. The the journal since 2011 and a section editor for 55 years, including 30 as its chair, while second novel, The Making of a Doctor, is since 2006. He is a professor (clinical) of the organization grew into an independent, a prequel. It chronicles the passage of the pediatrics at the UW School of Medicine not-for-profit corporation. protagonist through a grueling internship. and Public Health, and the chief medical
20 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 officer for prevention genetics, a geneticist Class of both in Royal Oak, Michigan. She has and medical director at Marshfield Clinic presented at numerous conferences and Health System in Marshfield, Wisconsin. 2009 has published broadly. Her primary research interests include “big data” analysis to better DeAnna Friedman-Klabanoff understand risk factors and clinical outcomes Class of was awarded the Burroughs-Wellcome/ of several adult and pediatric vitreoretinal American Society of Tropical Medicine diseases. She also has special clinical 1989 and Hygiene Postdoctoral Fellowship in interests in pediatric vitreoretinal diseases David Margolis is among five Wisconsin Tropical Infectious Diseases. She will use and translation of telemedicine screening business executives who were honored at new high-throughput tools to study naturally and treatment of adult and pediatric retinal the Donald Driver Foundation’s sixth annual induced humoral immunity to plasmodium disease. She has primarily worked with Driven to Achieve Awards event in March falciparum in children in Malawi, where she large-scale databases, most recently, the 2019. The winners received an award and will spend three months per year during the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s IRIS a $40,000 donation to their organizations. two‑year award. Registry®, the first and largest national Margolis was chosen for his work with the comprehensive eye disease database in the Rainbow Day Camp at the Harry and Rose Class of United States. She received the 16th Annual Samson Family Jewish Community Center Raymond R. Margherio Award at the Retina in the Milwaukee area, where he works 2012 Society for that work. with the camp director to offer a week-long Prethy Rao summer day camp for children who have joined the faculty of serious health issues. Margolis previously Emory Eye Center was inducted into the Milwaukee Business SEEKING SUBMISSIONS in Atlanta as part Journal’s 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame. of the vitreoretinal ABOUT JUNIOR SKITS surgery and If you have photos and/or memories Class of diseases service. related to your Junior Skits (a former She graduated from end-of-year program), we may be able to 1997 the UW School of include them a future article. Electronic Kelly Carothers wrote a book, Medicine and Public Health’s former Medical photos need to be high resolution; An Eternity in a Moment, which addresses Scholars Program. During medical school, submitted prints will be returned to you. she pursued a master’s in public health the alarming issue of the silent mental health Please send submissions to crisis among physicians. It is a contemporary degree with an emphasis on epidemiology, [email protected] or via mail to: fiction novel inspired by many of the author’s biostatistics, and program planning and experiences. She has been an emergency evaluation. She completed a one-year Managing editor, magazine room physician for more than 15 years. transitional program and ophthalmology Quarterly residency at Beaumont Health System, Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association followed by a fellowship in vitreoretinal 750 Highland Ave. surgery at Associated Retinal Consultants, Madison, WI 53705
IN MEMORIAM
James G. Stouffer, MD ’46 Everett H. Johnson, MD ’49 Charles D. Edwards, MD ’50 Donald H. Reigel, MD ’63 Aledo, Texas Turlock, California Nashville, Tennessee Gibsonia, Pennsylvania May 13, 2018 January 9, 2019 September 15, 2018 November 5, 2018
Arpad L. Masley, Jr., MD ’47 Hansi R. Patience, MD ’49 George P. Steinmetz, Jr., Faculty Member: Bremerton, Washington Green Valley, Arizona MD ’56 James C. Pettersen, PhD December 13, 2018 February 10, 2019 Middleton, Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin October 18, 2018 December 30, 2018
QUARTERLY 21 ALUMNI NOTEBOOK
Goodbye Dear Friend JAMES C. PETTERSEN, PHD
ames Clark daughter, the couple moved to Grand Forks, Health. I always looked up to him as a “Jim” North Dakota, where Pettersen earned a junior faculty member and utilized his JPettersen, doctorate degree in human anatomy. wisdom when I was the chair.” PhD, professor He accepted a position as an anatomy Edward T. Bersu, PhD ’76, a professor emeritus at the instructor at the SMPH in 1963, and emeritus in the SMPH’s Department University of subsequently was granted tenure and full of Neurosciences and UW College of Wisconsin School of professorship. He retired in 1998 with Engineering’s Department of Biomedical Medicine and Public emeritus status. Engineering, echoes these sentiments. Health (SMPH), passed away on While at the SMPH, Pettersen won Having met Pettersen in 1968, when December 30, 2018, at age 86. several teaching awards, served as chair Bersu interviewed for a graduate student The Winona, Minnesota, native (pictured of the school’s Admissions Committee for position in the Department of Anatomy, above and below) earned his bachelor’s eight years, and worked with its Course he calls it “the greatest of fortunes that degree in biology and chemistry from Review Oversight Committee and Medical he became my major professor/advisor St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, Scholars Program. His family notes that and, subsequently, my colleague when in 1954. He attended the University of some of his fondest moments were spent I joined the faculty.” Minnesota Medical School but withdrew in the gross anatomy labs, teaching his Bersu continues, “Over the years, Jim due to illness, after which he went into students to become good doctors. He taught me, by example, how to be an teaching and found his true passion. donated his body to the school, with effective educator and a good university In 1957, Pettersen married Gloria the goal of teaching one more group of citizen. Any successes that I have had Erickson, and they moved to Little Fork, medical students. in my roles as a faculty member at Minnesota, where he taught high school Dennis Maki, MD ’67, emeritus UW-Madison can be attributed directly chemistry, physics and biology and professor of medicine, reflects, “Jim to him. The years that we spent teaching coached the junior high football team, and was a legendary teacher of anatomy for together are among my most treasured she taught home economics; they have nearly four decades and an extraordinary memories, along with the lunch hours three daughters. After the birth of their first human being; he had a profound impact on we spent discussing every topic under thousands of medical students.” the sun!” Longtime Department of Anatomy Further, because Bersu’s parents faculty member and a professor emeritus, died when he was young, he states that John Harting, PhD—who served as chair of Pettersen became a “father figure” to him. that department for nearly 29 years of his “He advised me on many topics that four-decade career at the SMPH—worked one would expect from a parent, including closely with Pettersen. the purchase of a house,” Bersu recalls. “Known as ‘Mr. Anatomy,’ Jim loved “And we shared many interests, including every medical student he met, and singing together in a Norwegian chorus they loved him in return. His teaching and canoeing in the Boundary Waters commitment was unparalleled and Canoe Area.” demanding over many years. His Pettersen’s family notes that the popularity has helped raise donations Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota via the Pettersen Teaching Fund,” shares and Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Harting. “Jim undoubtedly is one the Canada, were his favorite places on Earth. most respected educators in the history
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ARCHIVES of the UW School of Medicine and Public
22 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 STUDENT LIFE
New Digs in Renovated Spaces HSLC ENHANCEMENTS BENEFIT STUDENTS TODD BROWN/MEDIA SOLUTIONS (5)
t the beginning of the 2018-19 academic Other redesigned spaces include four classrooms year, University of Wisconsin School that foster hands-on learning, as well as similar A of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) classrooms in the Clinical Teaching and Assessment students were greeted by new, boldly colored Center; this center allows health sciences students features in renovated spaces throughout the Health and faculty to practice clinical skills in a setting that Sciences Learning Center (HSLC). duplicates the real world as closely as possible. The school aims to create, maintain and The Native American Center for Health improve its state-of-the-art learning environment. Professions and Office of Multicultural Affairs share The enhancements actualized better collaborative a new suite that is more accessible for students and surroundings and increased quiet spaces, including visitors. It also includes a student lounge to foster a large area that features soft seating and desks working together and socializing among groups. with seven private pods designed for studying and The SMPH incorporated sustainability practices resting. A new Medical Student Lounge offers an throughout the design and construction process. area for students to gather in study booths, play Naming opportunities exist for many of these ping pong and video games, and use the kitchenette engaging facilities. For details, please contact to prepare snacks and meals on the go. Jill Watson, UW Foundation and Alumni Association, at [email protected] or (608) 262-4632.
QUARTERLY 23 STUDENT LIFE
Dean’s Cup Competition BRINGING HOME THE TROPHY FOR TWO YEARS RUNNING
by Kris Whitman Both schools form teams that compete October. In between, competitors and in numerous indoor and outdoor, physical cheering fans visited campus sports fields he annual Dean’s Cup competition and intellectual contests. As co-coordinators and local parks for everything from flag between the University of Wisconsin for the 2018 SMPH teams, second-year football and beach volleyball to tennis School of Medicine and Public T medical students Elliot Franczek and Gabe and a 5K run/walk, to name a few. Indoor Health (SMPH) and Law School can easily be Sobczak helped plan, schedule, score and challenges featured a board game night, summed up by one of its events: Tug of war. run the events. They also are members bowling, ping-pong and a bake-off. Since the collegial yet intense competition of the Medical Student Association, Noting that the latter is his favorite began in 1995, students in the two schools which—along with the Wisconsin Medical event, Franczek exclaims, “There is so much have vied for the trophy and the hard-earned Alumni Association—helps support the amazing food, and I get my sweet tooth fix bragging rights each fall semester. annual tradition. for the entire month in one sitting. Some of A t-shirt sale is an integral part of the the desserts are better than you can find at competition. In addition to providing students five-star restaurants!” with a keepsake, proceeds benefit a local About the full event—which yielded charity. Profits from the 2018 custom t-shirts 132 points for the SMPH and 118 for the went to Porchlight, a local organization that Law School—he reflects, “It was a huge supports individuals who are struggling success, and it’s great for both schools’ with homelessness. health and wellness. The Dean’s Cup brings Team activities kicked off with a Trivia classes together and forms comradery in Night at State Street Brats in late August a fun format. It’s something most schools and culminated with a semi-formal Dean’s don’t have, and I think it really speaks to our Cup Bash at the Edgewater Hotel in early friendly community here at UW-Madison.”
The trophy spends the year at the winning school. Competitors in the Dean’s Cup 5K run/walk enjoyed a beautiful day for the event.
24 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 Franczek agrees, adding, “The Law School beat us in participation, with 443 total contestants compared to 306 from the SMPH, but we won handily in performance.” Happy to have his school’s team bring home the trophy in 2017 and 2018, SMPH Dean Robert N. Golden, MD, comments, “We are, of course, delighted that our students brought home the Dean’s Cup Left to right: M2 Elliot Franczek and M2 Gabe again. But, in fact, every law and medical Sobczak, SMPH Dean’s Cup coordinators; SMPH Dean Robert N. Golden, MD; Law School Dean student who participated is a winner, as they Margaret Raymond, JD; and Samantha Zlevor, forged new friendships and raised support for Law School Dean’s Cup coordinator. Porchlight, an important local charity.” About the final event, the Dean’s Cup SMPH leaders were nervous at first, as Bash, Sobczak says, “With a fantastic Sobczak recalls, “The Law School had a location at the Edgewater, mingling among historically high first-year class enrollment, medical and law students was a great way to so Elliot and I initially were concerned that cap off the Dean’s Cup. We hope to keep the the competition wouldn’t even be close! high excitement going into next year!” This definitely played out during Trivia Night, but as the Dean’s Cup progressed, medical student participation stayed strong, and the The Dean’s Cup bake-off event is always playing field evened out.” popular among participants.
The Origins of the Dean’s Cup With the goal of passing along history Following a student survey, Stewart Over the next several years, he says, for future class years at the University of and Richer organized committees the competition expanded in length Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public to plan athletic events, promotions, and number of events, and the rivalry Health (SMPH), second-year medical charity selection and more for a 10-day intensified. The SMPH won the first four student Elliot Franczek explains that the competition in the fall semester. Students, years, but the Law School turned the tide in idea for the Dean’s Cup started when faculty, staff and alumni became energized, 1999 to win its first Dean’s Cup. The SMPH several UW-Madison medical and law and donations from the Wisconsin Medical won the trophy back in 2000, but it was students were visiting a friend who was a Alumni Association and the UW Law School the closest finish between the two schools, law student at the University of Miami. Alumni allowed the schools to design and which have each held the trophy several During the 1995 spring break trip, purchase the Dean’s Cup Trophy. times since then. the group learned about that university’s Franczek notes, “With a lot of time “The competitive spirit shows no signs “Dean’s Cup”—an annual fall athletic and effort by the medical and law student of diminishing,” observes Franczek. “The competition between law and medical organizers, the first Dean’s Cup competition Dean’s Cup remains true to its purpose: schools. Tim Stewart, JD ’97, and Tim successfully was held in fall 1995, with to foster goodwill and friendly competition Richer, MD ’98, UW-Madison students at about 55 students participating from each between the schools and to emphasize the time, brought back the idea of starting school. More importantly, though, the the service aspect of these professions by a similar event, and true to the spirit of competition raised approximately $1,000 giving something back to the community.” UW-Madison, they suggested adding a for charity, along with significant donations charitable component. in a blood drive and food drive.”
QUARTERLY 25 ALUMNI PROFILE
Community Empowerment: The Heart of Prevention JASMINE ZAPATA, MD ’13, MPH ’17 (PG ’16, ’18)
26 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 by Andrea Schmick at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH). asmine Zapata, MD ’13, MPH ’17 “The fact that [the SMPH] is a school (PG ’16, ’18), believes that the of medicine and public health dramatically pathway to improving African J influenced me,” she reflects. “I was drawn to American birth outcomes begins long before the mission of ‘it’s more than just medicine.’” conception, pregnancy or delivery. It begins when girls of color are Premature Birth and Community Advocacy elementary-school age and start wrestling In 2010, while a second-year medical with self-esteem, relationships, physical student, Zapata had yet another life-defining health and emerging sexuality. It begins in experience: she went into premature labor the community, where they may need to with her second child. Daughter Aameira overcome experiences of racism, poverty or was born at 25 weeks, weighing 1.5 pounds. violence. It begins in their hearts and minds, She underwent multiple surgeries and where they hold onto sources of inspiration suffered severe complications in the and strength. neonatal intensive care unit, including brain A career in medicine—her dream since hemorrhage, life-threatening infection The Zapata family shares some laughter. she was 5 years old—now allows Zapata to and impending respiratory failure. But she provide hands-on care for infants and their recovered, left the hospital three months later Society, which recognizes professionalism mothers in the newborn nursery. and is healthy today. and high standards in medicine. It also gives her a platform to research In 2011, Zapata shared her experience With a track record of community service, community-based solutions to maternal-child about Aameira’s premature birth in a experiences caring for acutely ill children on health disparities, serve as a role model for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel cover story. The inpatient rotations and a journey as a mother minority students in the health professions article focused on the interplay of biological, of a premature infant under her belt, Zapata’s and amplify her message of empowerment social and environmental factors that may vision for her future pediatric career started for girls and women. contribute to the fact that African American to come into focus. The Roots of Service babies in Wisconsin are nearly three times Pediatrics and The valedictorian and graduation speaker more likely to die before their first birthday Preventive Medicine for her Milwaukee high school class, Zapata compared to their white counterparts. In 2013, Zapata began her pediatrics earned a Burke Scholarship—awarded The number-one cause is prematurity- residency at the SMPH and UW Health, with annually to 10 Wisconsin high school related complications. the goal of becoming a neonatologist. seniors who demonstrate a passion for Zapata also stepped up the community Reflecting on what she calls “amazing” social justice and a commitment to serving advocacy work she had been doing since training and support during those three others—to Marquette University’s College of college. As the co-founder and director of years, she mentions one mentor in Health Sciences. the Madison Inspirational Youth Choir, Zapata particular: Olachi Mezu-Ndubuisi, MD, OD, While Zapata was an undergraduate used rehearsal time to talk about health and an assistant professor in the Department student there, two events had a major impact wellness topics, such as depression, drug of Pediatrics’ Division of Neonatology and on her future life. In 2006, she married her and alcohol abuse, and healthy choices— Newborn Nursery. high school sweetheart, Miguel Zapata, who and she hosted empowerment sleepovers to “She is an African American physician she describes as her “backbone.” A year build peer support for teen girls in the choir. in the field of neonatology who I really later, her younger brother died suddenly “Late at night, I would ask them what looked up to and could relate with,” Zapata of unexplained medical causes, but with was on their mind and what they wanted to remembers. “She went through a lot of support from her family, friends and church, talk about, and they would pour their hearts the same things I went through, and when she pushed through the devastation and kept out about relationships, sex, depression and I was feeling discouraged, she was there to her education on track, graduating summa other problems,” she recalls. “That’s when encourage and help me.” cum laude in 2009. I could get through to them.” In her third year of residency, BRAVA Zapata applied and was accepted to During medical school, Zapata received magazine named Zapata a 2016 Woman several medical schools, including Harvard an SMPH Student Leadership and Service to Watch, in recognition of her community Medical School, but chose to accept an Book Award for her service work, and she leadership and commitment to improving the Advanced Opportunity Fellowship to study was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor health outcomes of minority groups. –continued on next page
QUARTERLY 27 curriculum of schools in Madison, Verona, Specifically, she will determine the Beloit and Milwaukee. feasibility of implementing the Today Not Last year, Zapata spent numerous Tomorrow Pregnancy and Infant Support weekends traveling the Midwest on a seven- Program (TNT-PISP), which combines city tour, presenting the book’s content along community-based doula programs, group- with poetry, music and singing to connect based models of prenatal care such as with girls in a way not possible through Centering Pregnancy, and community-based a traditional clinic visit. She’s planning a pregnancy support groups—all led by Jasmine Zapata, MD ’13, MPH ’17 (PG ’16, ’18) 10-city national tour in 2019. women of color. (left), is grateful for the support of her mother, Julia “If I can reach girls when they’re 7, 8 or 9 The project is based at the TNT Family Saffold, who is holding Zapata’s daughter Lillyana. years old, and bring positive, uplifting support Resource Center in Madison’s East Side systems into their life at a young age, that’s Community Center, and carried out in close Around the same time, Zapata realized potentially preventing so much [that can collaboration with Project Babies, Harambee that although she enjoyed neonatology—and happen] 20 years later,” she says. “It’s more Village Doulas and the African American knew she belonged in pediatrics—she than a book and singing; it’s a community- Breastfeeding Alliance of Dane County, Inc. wanted to do more than care for premature based preventive approach to combating For her work as an author, physician, babies after they were born. She wanted to health inequities.” health educator, speaker, youth help prevent them from being critically ill in Zapata put her media-relations skills to empowerment specialist and community the first place. use again when she had the opportunity to leader who is known locally and With that knowledge, she entered the discuss her community health initiatives on internationally, Zapata received The Business SMPH’s Master of Public Health Program and the Today Show in November 2017. Forum’s 2018 ATHENA Young Professional its Preventive Medicine Residency. “I was thrilled to share my message on Award in November 2018. The award “During the Preventive Medicine live national television,” she recalls. actively celebrates the ATHENA mission Residency, I finally felt like everything clicked An Academic Career Begins of supporting, developing and honoring together,” Zapata says. In 2018, Zapata became an assistant women leaders, inspiring women to achieve Residency Program Director Patrick professor in the Department of Pediatrics’ their full potential and creating balance in Remington, MD ’81, MPH, who also is the Division of Neonatology and Newborn leadership worldwide. SMPH associate dean for public health, Nursery. As a hospitalist in the UnityPoint All the Tools to Launch and Associate Director Parvathy Pillai, MD, Health-Meriter newborn nursery, she cares Reflecting on her trailblazing journey, MPH, helped her make connections with for healthy newborns, attends high-risk Zapata credits a big part of her success to state public health offices and community deliveries, and if needed, transfers babies to her faith and extended community of friends organizations, advocate at the Wisconsin the neonatal intensive care unit. and family, particularly her husband and her Capitol and develop media-relations skills. She also is an affiliate assistant professor mother, Julia Saffold, who have always been “Twenty percent of a health outcome is (CHS) in the Department of Population Health by her side. based on the care you receive in the hospital Sciences, and she serves as the faculty A stay-at-home father during his wife’s and clinic, but the other 80 percent is based director of the SMPH branch of The Ladder, residency, Miguel Zapata’s work flexibility on social and economic factors, such as your a national community-based mentorship and as a food-service manager and real estate environment or personal health behaviors,” health education pathway program that aims investor makes it possible for Jasmine she reflects. “Drs. Remington and Pillai to prepare young people from diverse, urban Zapata to manage her career and be a made that come alive for me. That residency and medically underserved areas for health mother to son MJ (9), Aameira (8) and program changed my whole life.” professions careers in their communities baby Lillyana (1). During that residency, BRAVA profiled (see article on page 32). Saffold lives nearby and is a big part of Zapata again, in an article on empowerment And as an SMPH Centennial Scholar, she the family members’ lives. as a preventive strategy to address the infant conducts research on prevention strategies “I have a really strong support system,” mortality crisis for African American women to improve maternal-child health disparities. Jasmine Zapata affirms. in Dane County. Most recently, she received a grant from Today, she is thrilled to have a She also wrote a book—her third—called the Wisconsin Partnership Program’s New professional identity that bridges pediatrics, Beyond Beautiful: A Girl’s Guide to Unlocking Investigator Program to address inequities preventive medicine, public health and the Power of Inner Beauty, Self-Esteem, in African American birth outcomes community empowerment. She’s especially Resilience and Courage. It’s been translated in Wisconsin through a collaborative, grateful to the SMPH for supporting her into Swahili and Korean, and it is in the community-based, culturally relevant model unique appointments, noting, “I have all the of prenatal care. tools that I need to really launch.”
28 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 Carbone Cancer Center continued from page 13
Imaging and biomarker research have been identified as priority research areas. Bailey cites a collaboration among Zachary Morris, MD, PhD (PG ’16), assistant professor, Department of Human Oncology, and Jamey Weichert, PhD, professor, Department of Radiology, and Sondel as being particularly strong in these areas. With a $2.5 million NIH Cancer Moonshot Grant, they are developing an approach to immunotherapy that uses a novel form of molecular targeted radionuclide therapy (MTRT) to enhance the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat metastatic cancer. The MTRT, which was developed by Weichert, is administered intravenously and selectively taken up by tumors, which receive a low dose of Breast cancer researchers (left to right): Elizabeth Burnside, MD, MPH, professor of radiation. Rather than killing the cancer radiology, Bethany Anderson, MD ’05 (PG ’10), associate professor of human oncology, cells, this low dose of radiation temporarily Ruth O’Regan, MD, professor of medicine, Lee Wilke, MD, professor of surgery. eradicates suppressive lymphocytes in the irradiated sites to help restore the immune to translate this treatment to patients with cancers traditionally have been classified by system’s ability to recognize and kill cancer essentially any cancer.” their site of origin, meaning breast cancer cells. The radiation also increases tumor Bailey observes, “UW Carbone fosters this starts in the breast, and colon cancer starts cells’ susceptibility to the immune response. type of innovative collaboration with strong in the colon. This paradigm is now being “The real key is that MTRT allows us potential for clinical relevance.” challenged through the PMMTB. to effectively deliver radiation to all tumor He points with equal pride to a shining “Since 2015, we have led a bimonthly, sites—even ones we can’t see,” Morris example of UW Carbone’s outreach efforts: web-conferenced statewide tumor board says. “We cannot achieve that short of the Precision Medicine Molecular Tumor through which physicians can discuss doing total body radiation with external Board (PMMTB; see article in Quarterly, cancer patients, including their tumor beam treatments. But that would deplete Volume 20, Number 3, 2018), a statewide DNA test results. To date, the PMMTB has lymphocytes everywhere and prevent any service available to oncologists throughout reviewed DNA testing and provided specific immune response. In this research we’re Wisconsin. Working in partnership with recommendations for more than 1,000 depleting some immune cells temporarily the UW Collaborative Genomics Core patients,” says Burkard. at the radiated tumor sites. MTRT does not and UW Carbone, the PMMTB calls upon Deming, who also holds an appointment radiate the lymph nodes, spleen or bone UW-Madison experts in pathology, genomics, in the Department of Human Oncology, adds, marrow, so there’s a huge reservoir we can genetic counseling, medical oncology and “Through the PMMTB’s work, every cancer draw on to regenerate an effective anti-tumor pharmacy, as well as collaborators from patient in Wisconsin can have access to the immune response.” health systems throughout the state. The most sophisticated, state-of-the-art approach Morris’ group and the other nine research board focuses on helping patients who to personalized oncology care.” teams receiving this grant nationwide are do not have a curable treatment option. Reflecting on all of UW Carbone’s past inaugural members of the NIH’s Immuno- Those involved discuss and analyze tumor success and thinking broadly about its future, Oncology Translational Network, which aims genotypes and molecular abnormalities to Bailey concludes, “We have a responsibility to to facilitate collaboration and spur further recommend specific targeted therapies. impact cancer care and research throughout progress in the fight against cancer. According to the board’s co-leaders— Wisconsin and beyond; we are proud to be “I think working with these other Mark Burkard, MD, PhD, and Dustin among the long line of UW-Madison faculty researchers could be one of the most Deming, MD ’07 (PG ’10, ’12), associate and staff who incorporate the Wisconsin Idea impactful aspects of this award,” says Morris. professors, Department of Medicine, Division into everything we do.” “I also believe, in the future, we’ll be able of Hematology and Medical Oncology—
QUARTERLY 29 SPOTLIGHT
Drolet Named Chair of Remington Earns Evensen Receives Dermatology Distinguished Humanitarian Award Teaching Award
Beth Drolet, Patrick Ann Evensen, MD, is the new Remington, MD ’95, associate chair of the MD ’81, MPH, professor in the Department of is honored Department of Dermatology at among the Family Medicine the University of most esteemed and Community Wisconsin School University of Health (DFMCH) at of Medicine and Wisconsin- the University of Public Health Madison faculty Wisconsin School (SMPH). She previously served as vice chair members, in receiving a 2019 Chancellor’s of Medicine and Public Health, was honored of the Department of Dermatology at the Distinguished Teaching Award. as the 2018 Humanitarian Award recipient by Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in Established by former Chancellor Edwin the American Academy of Family Physicians Milwaukee, where she was a professor of Young in 1973, the Distinguished Teaching (AAFP). It honors extraordinary, enduring dermatology and pediatrics. Awards honor six faculty members annually. humanitarian efforts by AAFP members Drolet is a prolific researcher in the Honorees are nominated by faculty within and beyond the United States. study of birthmarks, PHACE syndrome and members, department representatives and Evensen is the director of global infantile hemangiomas. Her clinical and student organizations. Chancellor Rebecca health for the DFMCH and has interests in academic interests focus on hemangiomas Blank and Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf will low-risk obstetrics, women’s health, and the and vascular anomalies in infants and present the awards in April. intersection of primary and emergency care, children. She established the Birthmarks and A professor in the Department of including emergency obstetrics. She was the Vascular Anomalies Center at the nationally Population Health Sciences at the UW inaugural course director for the Advanced recognized Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO®) programs in Milwaukee. She also served as chief (SMPH), Remington also serves as in Ethiopia and India. ALSO was created in experience officer and medical director of associate dean for public health and 1991 by DFMCH faculty members James birthmarks and vascular anomalies at the director of the Preventive Medicine Damos, MD, and John Beasley, MD (PG ’75), Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Residency Program. and is now owned and operated by the AAFP. She is past president of the Society for He joined the Department of Population In January 2019, Evensen was honored Pediatric Dermatology and the Hemangioma Health Sciences in 1997. Remington with a U.S. Fulbright Specialist Award, Investigator Group. Drolet is a principal was the first person to serve as director which funded a three-week visit to India investigator on several National Institutes of the Master of Public Health Program, to work in depth with the GVK Emergency of Health-funded research projects that UW Population Health Institute and UW Management and Research Institute. The bridge basic genetics/genomics with Preventive Medicine Residency Program. institute provides ambulances, emergency translational investigations. He also was the first associate director medical technicians (EMTs) and 911-style “Dr. Drolet is a highly collaborative for population health science in the UW call centers for more than 800 million Indian researcher, a compassionate clinician and a Carbone Cancer Center and the inaugural citizens. Because in some Indian states, national leader,” notes SMPH Dean Robert N. associate dean for public health for the UW more than 50 percent of ambulance calls are Golden, MD. Medical School, for which he was influential for obstetric emergencies, the organization Drolet earned her medical degree at in the school’s 2005 renaming—to the has trained more than 30,000 EMTs in Basic Loyola University in Chicago. She completed UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Life Support in Obstetrics. an internship in medicine at the University Remington’s research examines ways to From 2013 to 2016, Evensen consulted of Colorado followed by residency training improve public health surveillance methods with the Family Medicine Residency Program in dermatology and a fellowship in clinical and outcomes. He led the development of in Ethiopia. She is a member of the AAFP’s research and pediatric dermatology at MCW. the Wisconsin County Health Rankings, now Center for Global Health Initiatives Advisory a national program supported by the Robert Board and the ALSO India Advisory Board. Wood Johnson Foundation.
30 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 Rikkers Honored for Gunderson Lauded for Cryns Leads Statewide Lifetime Achievements Surgical Research Active-Lifestyle Initiative
Layton F. (Bing) Kirsten Fourteen Rikkers, MD, Gunderson, Wisconsin professor emeritus, a third-year communities University of medical student have joined Wisconsin School at the University a statewide of Medicine and of Wisconsin initiative that Public Health School of works to promote (SMPH), was Medicine and active lifestyles in honored with Public Health communities. the 2018 Society of University Surgeons (SMPH), received a prestigious national Wisconsin Active Together, a program (SUS) Lifetime Achievement Award, award for her surgical-education research. based at the University of Wisconsin School presented at the 14th Annual Academic She received the Promising Medical of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH), is a Surgical Congress. Student Surgery Education Research statewide network of partners and agencies This award recognizes individuals with Award by the Association for Surgical that work to improve the health in their a sustained career in academic surgery Education to honor work examining communities by promoting places to walk, who have made significant contributions to whether surgical residents benefit more bike and be active. This is affiliated with surgical science. He was nominated and from verbal critiques or a new smartphone SMPH’s healthTIDE network, which builds selected by peers based on his leadership application—the System for Improving organizational relationships in the state to and contributions to academic surgery, as and Measuring Procedural Learning fight obesity and make the healthy choice, well as his strong support of the SUS. (SIMPL)—for providing feedback. the easy choice. He specialized in hepatobiliary, Her interest in research beyond her “This began last year as part of our pancreatic and gastrointestinal surgery, standard medical school training came in Obesity Prevention Initiative in partnership including the treatment of portal part from the evidence-based changes in with state agencies and organizations, and hypertension. Rikkers was editor-in-chief of the SMPH’s Forward Curriculum, notes we are now reaching 1.4 million people Annals of Surgery and served on 15 other Gunderson—a member of the inaugural across Wisconsin,” says Vincent Cryns, MD, editorial boards. He was chair of surgery at class using the innovative curriculum— professor in the SMPH Department of the SMPH from 1996 to 2008. who is considering a plastic surgery Medicine, and principal investigator for At the award presentation, Rikkers residency, and plans to pursue a research the Obesity Prevention Initiative, which was lauded as the consummate surgeon- fellowship and do research in her career. includes healthTIDE. scientist, mentor, teacher and colleague. Her interest in research led her to Communities can apply to be a part He was recognized for endeavors in clinical participate in the 2017 Shapiro Summer of the program and receive support at research, hepatobiliary surgery, student Research Program under Hee Soo WIActiveTogether.org. education and national leadership. He was Jung, MD, and Sarah Jung, PhD, in the In 2018, the Wisconsin Obesity called the consummate servant leader. Department of Surgery. She presented Prevention Initiative released a statewide Rikkers has held leadership roles in the study at the Association of Program obesity map by ZIP Code, based on many national and international professional Directors in Surgery annual meeting and electronic medical records, that shows societies, including the American Board of published it in the Journal of Surgical 41 percent of adults and 15 percent of Surgery, American Surgical Association, Education. The research showed that children in Wisconsin are obese. Adult Collegium Internationale Chirurgiae the use of this mobile app could be obesity rates by ZIP Code range from Digestivae, Halsted Society, International a reasonable alternative to traditional 15.9 percent to 67.2 percent, meaning Surgery Society, Society for Surgery of the surgical feedback from instructors. adults living in some ZIP Codes are more Alimentary Tract, Society of Clinical Surgery “She was strikingly independent in than four times more likely to be obese than and Central Surgical Association. learning about new topics, systems and people in other ZIP Codes. Established in 1938, the SUS is one of research methods,” Hee Soo Jung notes. The Wisconsin Partnership Program the world’s premier organizations dedicated “She has a tireless work ethic and really funded these projects. to the advancement of the surgical sciences. drove the progress of the study.”
QUARTERLY 31 CONNECTIONS
Jasmine Zapata, MD ’13, MPH ’17 (PG ’16, ’18), leads a group lesson about the brain.
32 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 The Ladder Program STEM PROFESSIONALS HELP THE NEXT GENERATION SUCCEED
by Andrew Hellpap he University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Tand the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County launched, in fall 2018, a program aimed at increasing the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds choosing to enter health care and health science research fields. The Ladder, an eight-session program held during the school year at the Health Sciences Learning Center, is designed to expose children as young as 9 years old to the vast opportunities available in health and science careers, according
PATHUM KARUNARATNE (1) AND TODD BROWN (3)/MEDIA SOLUTIONS AND (1) KARUNARATNE PATHUM to Beverly Hutcherson, the program’s administrative director. Brian Gittens, EdD, shares a story. “The Ladder has been adapted to meet the needs of Dane County students,” she teach them the skills to achieve when they’re for students and is another step toward explains, adding that the program at the most impressionable. addressing a critical shortage of diversity in SMPH was adapted from a program created “Our driver, always, is leveraging the health care workforce, according to Brian by Renee Crichlow, MD, at the University partnerships in the community to create Gittens, EdD, an associate dean at the SMPH. of Minnesota. “Our program’s leaders are opportunities for our students to engage with Gittens serves on The Ladder leadership all first-generation college graduates who the career sectors that interest them. The team, along with the faculty director, Jasmine have been successful in science, technology, Ladder initiative is a perfect fit for our Zapata, MD ’13, MPH ’17 (PG ’16, ’18), engineering, math or health care.” students to engage with the health sciences assistant professor, Departments of The program’s initial run is a two-year and generate immediate social capital in the Pediatrics and Population Health Sciences. pilot with goals of shaping career aspirations, field,” Gagnon says. “A key contributing factor to this providing peer-to-peer mentoring, increasing The program serves as an public health crisis includes a lack of student resiliency, and boosting awareness intergenerational mentor support network long-term mentorship opportunities in health of science, technology, engineering and math sciences for young students from diverse careers. To achieve these goals, the sessions backgrounds,” Zapata notes. “We aim to include exposure to health care careers change that.” and mentorship as students participate in The Ladder is crafted to help young hands-on science activities. students learn about health sciences careers The inaugural class of 15 was recruited regardless of their life circumstances. in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club. The Ladder partnership was an ideal fit, according to Alex Gagnon, vice president of Left: Beverly Hutcherson responds to questions. school-based education for the Boys and Opposite page: Early 2019 group from The Ladder, Girls Club of Dane County. That organization with learners wearing red and the following leaders is a local, not-for-profit youth development and assistants wearing white: Teresa Baymon organization that serves more than 7,500 (standing); front row (left to right): Rastafa youths in 10 locations, including eight Geddes, PhD, Brian Gittens, EdD; second row: school-based sites and two traditional club Beverly Hutcherson, Jasmine Zapata, MD ’13, sites. The clubs inspire youth to dream and MPH ’17 (PG ’16, ’18); third row: Janae Winston.
QUARTERLY 33 FACULTY PROFILE
Applauding Teamwork in Informatics and Research ELIZABETH BURNSIDE, MD, MPH
34 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 by Laura Hogan and a master’s degree in medical informatics along with ICTR Executive Director Allan at Stanford University. Brasier, MD (see Quarterly, Volume 20, eflecting on influential factors in her Burnside credits her diverse experiences Number 3, 2018). life, Elizabeth Burnside, MD, MPH, and education in basic, clinical and Burnside’s posts allow her to help expand describes a wide array, from her R population health research with enabling her the informatics infrastructure at the SMPH, training in San Francisco during the to appreciate the challenge and importance where the ICTR Biomedical Informatics dot.com boom, childhood vacations in of translational research. At the SMPH, Core recently evolved into the UW Clinical northern Wisconsin, the work of American with the goal of creating a translational and Health Informatics Institute (CHI2). Also, biologist E.O. Wilson, and the persistent research program focused on breast she and Dorothy Farrar Edwards, PhD, influence of teams and teamwork. imaging, she reached out to individuals a professor in the SMPH’s Department “Sports analogies can be overused, but across UW-Madison to find a collaborator. of Medicine and School of Education’s truthfully, I was very athletically oriented and C. David Page, Jr., PhD, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, co-lead the played team sports—basketball, softball Departments of Computer Science and of UW-Madison team for the national All of Us and tennis—throughout high school. It was Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, helped Research Program, which launched from an a big part of my life,” explains Burnside, her appreciate how informatics and data NIH award focused on precision medicine the associate dean for team science and science connect disciplines. (see Quarterly, Volume 20, Number 3, 2018). interdisciplinary research at the University “David became the primary mentor for my Despite her commitment to new roles, of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public National Institutes of Health (NIH) K07 award. she maintains a team-focused research Health (SMPH). At that time (2007), it was kind of weird to program in the Department of Radiology. “Looking back, it’s not surprising that, have a radiologist’s mentoring team include “Holding me totally together is my when I was a new section chief for breast a computer scientist specializing in machine wonderful research team. I feel like we make imaging, I championed a team approach for learning and an engineer from Stanford such a big difference; by working together, breast cancer care,” muses Burnside, who specializing in decision analysis. Fortunately, we accomplish things we couldn’t do alone,” joined the SMPH Department of Radiology the NIH thought this team-science Burnside reflects. “Every time I learn more in 2001. approach was novel and has supported about team science, I feel like our group is During the first of her three tenures as a our interdisciplinary team for more than a already striving to check those boxes!” section chief, she created an interdisciplinary decade,” explains Burnside. Brasier, a national leader in team service line that included nurses, surgeons, Page comments, “Beth’s research science implementation, notes, “Emerging pathologists, oncologists, radiation harnesses the power of informatics to create research has demonstrated that scientific oncologists and others to advance a then- and sustain a highly translational program. breakthroughs are more likely to arise from new paradigm for improving patient care. Collectively, we have been able to apply novel smaller, more interdisciplinary teams. The “Coming together to form a health care machine learning methods to improve the history of Beth’s research program is a team that focused our stellar care delivery detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. perfect example of the successes that are on patients, rather than on physicians or the She was one of the first at UW-Madison to possible when taking this approach. We are health care system, was an initiative that I felt combine the power of interdisciplinary team very pleased to have her on board at ICTR privileged to fight for,” she recalls. science and emerging informatics methods as we launch new initiatives to promote After a few years of focusing intensely to tackle challenges she saw in her practice.” high-functioning research teams.” on clinical care, Burnside felt the pull of Burnside says her role as the co-deputy Burnside shares, “My goal in ICTR is research and began laying the groundwork to executive director of the UW Institute for to be a connector and to make it easier create a clinical research program. Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) for different disciplines to work together. “I did a year of basic research after my came about partly because her breast Informatics, data science and machine undergraduate degree and loved it, but I imaging research team was an early, heavy learning are increasingly important tools always felt a missing connection related to user of informatics—including methods for enabling researchers to look at problems in a how my work would translate into anything secure transmittal and storage of sensitive way that transcends discipline.” that could impact larger populations. This clinical data—offered through ICTR. She continues, “Typically, transdisciplinary realization was part of why I did a dual “Marc Drezner, ICTR’s first executive teams develop shared goals, but the real MD/MPH program at Tufts University; director who is now retired, recruited me advances happen when they collaborate I wanted to make connections between the to lead the ICTR Imaging Informatics group deeply by modifying their original research care of individual patients and the care of and help hammer out how to expand questions and discovering uncharted territory larger communities,” notes Burnside, who informatics services to clinical investigators,” between disciplines. The creativity inherent in also completed a breast imaging fellowship says Burnside, now one of the two principal team science is what I hope we can advance at the University of California-San Francisco investigators of ICTR’s Clinical and at ICTR, at the SMPH and in the wider clinical Translational Science Award from the NIH, research enterprise at UW-Madison.”
QUARTERLY 35 HEALER'S JOURNEY
Blooming Bucky ART PROJECTS PROVIDE BALANCE, HELP RAISE PHILANTHROPIC FUNDS
by Diane Heatley, MD ’87 (PG ’92) BRYCE RICHTER/UW-MADISON BRYCE
have had fun creating things, experimenting and doing projects since I was little. This probably is how I ended up as a surgeon. I More recently, I got into creating art. My childhood friend Paula Hare is an artist who developed a technique to create intricate designs on eggshells. About 10 years ago, she taught me the process of first painting and then using a tiny drill to remove parts of the shell while keeping it overall intact. As someone who likes to do ear surgery, this was right up my alley! How much shell could I remove and still keep the egg in one piece? Since then, I’ve created many delicate eggs, including some with the American Top: Blooming Bucky on display in summer Family Children’s Hospital (AFCH) logo. I enjoy donating eggs to fundraisers 2018 on UW-Madison’s Henry Mall, with that benefit AFCH—my favorite charity. From goose eggshells to ostrich Agricultural Hall in the background; eggshells, they draw a lot of interest at silent auctions. inset: Diane Heatley, MD ’87 (PG ’92), A few years ago, I took up painting from photographs, which involves using with her creation. your eyes more than your brain while recreating the images. Instead of my brain thinking “the flower is pink” or “the dog is black,” I try to see the shades of red or blue or purple or brown involved in making it look like a pink flower or black dog. I continue to be astonished at how seemingly minor variations of shading or outline create depth and topography on a flat canvas. In November 2017, Paula and I submitted a proposal for the UW-Madison Bucky on Parade public art event. We were invited to pick up a big, white fiberglass Bucky in March. The organizers waved us away with a smile and
36 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 Blooming Bucky told us to bring it back in four ART PROJECTS PROVIDE BALANCE, weeks, looking like the sketch we had provided. HELP RAISE PHILANTHROPIC FUNDS Painting every bit of a six-foot‑tall, three-dimensional mammal was way different than anything either of us had ever done! Our sketch included only Bucky’s front, so there was a lot more creativity needed to make a 360-degree artwork. Of the 85 statues, ours was one of the few that did not look like a Bucky Badger. Instead, we used the Bucky shape as a canvas and created a floral scene loosely based on a photograph taken at Boerner Botanical Gardens in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We named it Blooming Bucky. During summer 2018, our statue resided on Henry Mall near Agricultural Hall at UW-Madison. Thousands of people visited the Bucky statues around Dane County. We got a lot of fun feedback and selfies of fans with our Bucky. A little girl who had visited all 85 statues was particularly excited to meet us, and her mom explained that Blooming Bucky was her daughter’s favorite of them all! Blooming Bucky was part of a fundraising auction, with proceeds supporting cancer research, treatment and awareness through men’s basketball Coach Greg Gard’s charity, Garding Against Cancer, and the Madison Area Sports Commission. Our Bucky raised $21,500 for charity. Every year I try slightly different things with my art. Like other physicians, my work is demanding. I realize I’m at great risk of not unplugging often enough. Being able to sit down and create something pretty uses the “other half” of my brain and allows me to put aside whatever is churning around in there and relax.
About the Author Diane G. Heatley, MD ’87 (PG ’92), is a professor in the Departments of Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH). She is the chief medical officer of the American Family Children’s Hospital. After she earned her medical degree at the SMPH, Heatley completed an otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency at University Hospital in Madison and a pediatric otolaryngology fellowship at St. Louis Children’s Hospital at Washington University. In addition to her administrative responsibilities, she continues her surgical practice in pediatric otolaryngology.
Top: A painting by Diane Heatley, MD ’87 (PG ’92); left: a painted and drilled rhea eggshell she designed.
QUARTERLY 37 RESEARCH ADVANCES
Candida albicans Creates Drug-Resistant Biofilms hen the Understanding how a “Our challenge is determining pathogenic yeast drug-resistant biological barrier which components of the WCandida albicans forms is key to disrupting it. vesicle cargo are responsible colonizes surfaces of indwelling That’s the premise of research, for protection,” says Andes. medical devices—such as published in PLOS Biology, led Experiments showed that catheters, joint protheses and by David Andes, MD (PG ’95, biofilm-associated extracellular mechanical heart valves—it ’99), who heads the Division vesicles were distinct from assembles into a durable of Infectious Disease in the vesicles produced by free-living structure called a biofilm. Such Department of Medicine, at the C. albicans cells. Biochemical biofilms, which enable immune University of Wisconsin School analyses showed that cargo of system evasion and are nearly of Medicine and Public Health. biofilm extracellular vesicles added normal biofilm impervious to antifungal Using electron microscopy, largely correspond to materials extracellular vesicles to these drugs, can be deadly, leading Andes and his team saw found in mature biofilms. strains, they became drug- to bloodstream infections small spheres emanating Several mutant strains with resistant again. and systemic infections of from C. albicans cells growing limited capability to produce “Preliminary results suggest tissues and organs. Each year, in biofilms. This suggested extracellular vesicles created that targeting key enzymes in catheter microbial biofilms extracellular vesicles, which biofilms that were useless to the vesicles may serve as drug cause 100,000 deaths and are balloon-like transporters of the yeast in terms of protection targets that will ‘unprotect’ the cost $6.5 billion in the United material surrounded by a fatty against the antifungal drug fungus from other common States alone. lipid bilayer. fluconazole. When researchers antifungal drugs,” notes Andes.
Excessive Opioids May Be Prescribed to Kids ore than significantly from 2011 to The most commonly 50 percent of 2014, with a modest decline prescribed medications for children who in 2015. pediatric umbilical hernia 50% 41% M 43% undergo umbilical hernia repair “Almost half of the repair are hydrocodone with are given opioids after surgery, surgeons in this study, along acetaminophen, codeine with according to a University of with the American College of acetaminophen, and oxycodone 59% Wisconsin School of Medicine Surgeons, suggest that parents with acetaminophen. The study and Public Health study, should expect their children also found that prescriptions p<0.001 published in Surgery. to do fine with non-narcotic for opioids vary among Led by pediatric surgeon pain relievers after surgery regions of the United States, Jonathan E. Kohler, MD, the for umbilical hernia repair,” with the south showing the “Pediatric patients can researchers examined a says Kohler. “This suggests highest rate at 59 percent suffer respiratory depression national database of nearly that guidelines could be and the northeast having the from opioids,” notes Kohler. 4,400 cases of children who developed and disseminated lowest at 41 percent. Perhaps “Unused opioids can be underwent uncomplicated to reduce opioid prescriptions most concerning, 6 percent diverted or misused by others. umbilical hernia repair. They for umbilical hernia surgery of children who filled a Misused opioids are most found that 52 percent of and other common pediatric prescription for opioids went on commonly obtained free from these patients filled opioid surgery procedures. This could to fill another prescription for friends and family.” prescriptions, and the rate improve the quality of care opioids, suggesting chronic use of prescribing opioids for for children and impact the or even misuse. this procedure increased opioid epidemic.”
38 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 Paper Nabs Top Honor for Life-Expectancy Analysis niversity of Department of Sociology, “Failure to do so is costing us A. Females Wisconsin-Madison and Moheb Zidan, doctoral significant, unnecessary loss 90
researchers’ paper candidate, Department of life.” 85
U 80 about the gap in U.S. life of Economics, both at In 1960, U.S. life expectancy Age expectancy compared to UW-Madison. grew at a rate similar to that 75
European nations has earned The National Academies of Japan, Sweden and France 70 top honors from the American of Sciences, Engineering and (0.26 percent per year) until the 65
1950-55 1955-60 1960-65 1965-70 1970-75 1975-80 1980-85 1985-90 1990-95 1995-00 2000-05 2005-10 2010-15 2015-20 2020-25 2025-30 2030-35 Public Health Association. Medicine has recommended mid-1980s when it began to Year United States The paper, “Meeting reaching the mean of peer slow. From 1985 to 2010, the Western Europe the Institute of Medicine’s countries by 2030. The rate slowed to 0.2 percent per 2030 U.S. Life Expectancy paper estimated that U.S. life year. And from 2012 to 2013, it environments that hinder Target,” was published in the expectancy would need to slowed to 0.06 percent. physical activity, barriers to American Journal of Public grow by 0.32 percent annually The causes of the slowing health care access, child Health and authored by David between 2016 and 2030 to are numerous, including birth poverty and income inequality. Kindig, MD, PhD, emeritus meet this long-term goal, and complications, addiction, Kindig, emphasizing the professor, Department of that few nations and states had injuries, homicide, HIV/AIDS, importance of collaboration Population Health Sciences achieved this rate in the past. heart disease, diabetes and across fields, notes, “It is a at the UW School of Medicine “Closing the current gap will health factors related to clear example of how different and Public Health; and Jenna be difficult without sustained obesity, and related societal disciplines have to work together Nobles, PhD, professor, political will,” Kindig states. factors such as gun violence, to tackle broad policy issues.”
Stem Cells, Gene Therapy Help Address Blindness ew approaches to KCNJ13 is mutated, it cannot “disease in the dish” model, treating an inherited produce the protein correctly, removing skin cells from two Neye disease are the vital ion channel does family members, one with LCA showing promise in restoring not function properly, and and one without. The team retinal cells to proper function, photoreceptor cells cannot “re-engineered” the cells to according to researchers at the encode visual stimuli. This an undifferentiated state and University of Wisconsin School progresses to blindness. analyzed them. Both cell types of Medicine and Public Health. The research team was appeared normal in structure, Published in the American led by principal investigator but when they matured, Journal of Human Genetics, Bikash Pattnaik, PhD, assistant cells from the LCA-affected the study involves Leber’s professor in the Department person lacked expression of recovered, this approach shows Congenital Amaurosis (LCA16), of Pediatrics and Department the protein needed for the ion promise for future treatments. which causes severe visual of Ophthalmology and Visual channel to function. The team also used gene damage and typically results Sciences, and included David Researchers tried to therapy to try to re-establish a in childhood blindness. It Gamm, MD, PhD (PG ’02, ’03), “rescue” the deficient ion proper ion channel. is caused by mutations in associate professor of channel through an approach “Our findings support the genes expressed in certain ophthalmology and visual known as read-through promise of precision medicine in retinal cells. sciences, and Pawan Shahi, therapy, using an antibiotic to addressing childhood blindness,” The gene KCNJ13 produces PhD, postdoctoral research suppress the signal that stops says Pattnaik, who also is an a protein that is a potassium associate in the Department DNA translation. While only a investigator at the UW-Madison ion channel in the retina. If of Pediatrics. They created a portion of the cells completely McPherson Eye Research Institute.
QUARTERLY 39 PERSPECTIVES
Cellular Pharmaceuticals Meet the Wisconsin Idea raditionally, drug development arises work led to the first-ever cure of a toddler upholds the important value of providing from a university discovery for which with an otherwise lethal bone marrow disease patients who are suffering from unmet Ta pharmaceutical company acquires in 1968. Bone marrow transplantation is medical needs with access to safe, FDA- the rights and thereafter navigates the path to now routinely curing adults and children compliant, innovative cell therapies dispensed market approval. This process of shepherding with cancer. Similarly, two decades ago at by our expert clinical scientists. a therapeutic discovery to become a U.S. UW-Madison, Dr. James Thomson launched Our first studies—led by Drs. Inga Food and Drug Administration (FDA)- the field of modern stem cell regenerative Hofmann and Arjang Djamali (PG ’03)— approved drug costs hundreds of millions medicine. As these examples show, will examine the use of immune cells to of dollars. Historically, due to mission and UW-Madison historically has been a thought treat life-threatening virus infections in bone structural reasons, universities simply have leader in transformative discoveries in marrow transplant and kidney transplant not been involved in drug development and cell therapies. recipients, respectively. Additional cell manufacturing. Rather, they relied on industry A Look to the Future therapies driven by UW-Madison discoveries to pick technologies and bear the burden and The next logical step is owning the are in the hopper. Many of these technologies risk of developing blockbusting winners. clinical development of these life-saving cell are amenable to traditional pharma-driven Today, the advent of cellular therapy has therapies to benefit people in Wisconsin and developments, and we see ourselves as an changed the constraints of that paradigm, beyond. To drive such innovation, academic enabling cog in the Wisconsin entrepreneurial as informed by the revolution of living cells medical centers must retool as FDA- life sciences ecosystem. An added element used as drugs. Academic medical centers, compliant drug manufacturers, akin to the of uniqueness is our ability to develop and including the University of Wisconsin School biotech industry. This is not a straightforward deploy cell technologies that are impactful of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) and feat, nor is it naturally aligned with the historic and sustainable. UW Health, now can take ownership of expectations of centers of learning and The PACT’s vision is that future advanced developing their own innovations for the discovery. Few are determined or destined cell technologies will be affordably dispensed greater good. to do so, but the SMPH and UW Health have in a distributive justice model—meaning that A Bit of Background joined an elite group of centers that are patients who need it can access it without Bone marrow transplantation, like blood leading the charge in developing advanced financial jeopardy. This is where UW-Madison transfusion and solid organ transplantation, cell therapy. innovation, the Wisconsin Idea and cell is a “practice of medicine,” and blood and Together, in 2016, the SMPH and therapy development intersect to achieve tissues are not considered “drugs” according UW Health launched the UW Program for improved patient outcomes at our academic to state and federal regulatory agencies. Advanced Cell Therapy (PACT). Its mission medical center. Any properly accredited hospital can provide is to develop and deploy advanced cell these services. However, if cells or tissues therapies for unmet medical needs, including are “more-than-minimally manipulated” by cancer, in children and adults. The PACT’s laboratory handling or gene engineering, operational model bridges UW-Madison they are considered to be “drugs” and are discoveries and FDA-regulated deployment. subject to exacting safety and manufacturing Through UW Health’s pharmaceutical-grade oversight by the FDA. Indeed, FDA-regulated manufacturing capabilities, which are part cell therapies are emerging as a positive of the PACT, we can de-risk living-cell force in achieving a cure for cancer and technologies on their clinical development alleviating suffering for vexing health pathway to marketing approval while problems that have been inadequately providing our patients access to cutting-edge Jacques Galipeau, MD Marilyn and Don Anderson Professor of addressed by traditional methods. cell therapies. Cancer Research and Associate Dean for More than half a century ago, Dr. Fritz Three elements of PACT’s future Therapeutics Development, SMPH Bach, then a faculty member at the success are ingenuity in discoveries at the SMPH, discovered a means for performing SMPH, clinical excellence at UW Health and successful bone marrow transplantation. His sustainability of the program. The PACT There’s more online! See pact.wisc.edu
40 VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 I Know YOU
... OR DO I? If you think you can identify the person in the photograph at right, send your guess to [email protected]. We’ll draw one of the correct responses and announce the winner in the next issue of Quarterly.
For the last issue (see below), Mark Stampfl, MD ’79, won the prize drawing HINT ABOUT PHOTO ABOVE: and will receive a gift from the Wisconsin He was a big fan of the Green Bay Packers, and his Medical Alumni Association! nickname was Corky.
ABOUT LAST ISSUE’S PHOTO: In the past issue of Quarterly, 11 people correctly guessed the identity of JoAnne Selkurt, MD ’68. Until her retirement, she was a clinical adjunct professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH), and she practiced at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin. There, she served as a preceptor for SMPH medical students on their rotations. For her dedication, Selkurt earned the SMPH’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1977 and 1978, and the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association’s Sigurd Sivertson Medical Education Award in 2010. Three of her family members—husband W.B. (Brad) Martin, MD ’69 (PG ’73), and daughters Julie Martin, MD ’01, and Elizabeth (Beth) Bjerke, PhD—responded to the photo contest. Julie Martin wrote, “It’s so fun to have seen both my parents in this section of the magazine!” (Brad Martin was featured in the photo contest in Quarterly, Volume 18, Number 2, 2016, in a Class of 1969 hockey team photo.) Bjerke stated, “My mother always enjoyed working with all of the medical students throughout the years she mentored them at the Whitehall Clinic.” Among those students was Sonia Valdivia, MD ’88, who shared, “I did a fourth-year pediatric rotation in Whitehall in 1987. Dr. Selkurt was very involved in her community, while she maintained a pediatric practice and raised a family. She was a great role model and mentor.” Robert F. Lemanske, Jr., MD ’75 (PG ’80), noted, “When I was a pediatric resident doing a rotation at Gundersen Clinic, she invited some medical students and me to her home for dinner. She has touched many lives in her career, including my own.” Sharing additional praise, Merlin D. Marquardt, MD ’71, exclaimed, “Dr. Selkurt is one of the most wonderful physicians to have graduated from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health!” We Want to University of Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association Nonprofit Org. Health Sciences Learning Center U.S. Postage 750 Highland Ave. PAID Hear From You Madison, WI Madison, WI 53705 Please send us information about your honors, Permit No. 2117 appointments, career advancements, publications, volunteer work and other activities of interest. We’ll include your news in the Alumni Notebook section of the Quarterly as space allows. Please include names, dates and locations. Photographs are encouraged. Have you moved? Please send us your new address.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association 750 Highland Ave. Madison, WI 53705 OR online at med.wisc.edu/alumni/share-your-news
OR e-mail [email protected] MS-294080-19 OR via phone at (608) 263-4915
HOMECOMING & Reunion Weekend OCTOBER 11-12, 2019