MedicineBulletinFall 2012 • Volume 97 • Number 2 Dr. Angela Brodie and Aromatase Inhibitors The Discovery That Keeps on Giving Bulletin Editorial Board Joseph S. McLaughlin, ’56 Chairman Roy Bands, ’84 Tamara Burgunder, ’00 MedicineBulletin Frank M. Calia, MD, MACP University of Maryland Medical Alumni Association & School of Medicine Brian DeFilippis Neda Frayha, ’06 Nelson H. Goldberg, ’73 features Camille Hammond, ’01 Harry C. Knipp, ’76 Morton D. Kramer, ’55 Aromatase Inhibitors Morton M. Krieger, ’52 Brett Levinson, ’02 The Discovery That Keeps on Giving 8 Jennifer Litchman Angela H. Brodie, PhD, is credited with creating a new Philip Mackowiak, ’70 Janet O’Mahony, ’91 class of drugs to treat breast cancer. Most recently the Stanford Malinow, ’68 professor of pharmacology has been collaborating with Gary D. Plotnick, ’66 colleagues at Maryland to determine if a similar strat- Larry Pitrof egy might be developed for the treatment of prostate Maurice N. Reid, ’99 Ernesto Rivera, ’66 cancer. Larry Roberts (Cover photo by Richard Lippenholz) Jerome Ross, ’60 Luette S. Semmes, ’84 James Swyers The MAA Honor Roll of Donors 16 Medical Alumni Association It is a pleasure to proudly recognize gifts received by Board of Directors the Medical Alumni Association from the prior fiscal Nelson H. Goldberg, ’73 8 year. In this issue we thank donors whose gifts were President received between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012. In- Protagoras N. Cutchis, ’83 cluded is the John Beale Davidge Alliance, the school’s President-Elect society for major donors. George M. Boyer, ’83 Vice President Alan R. Malouf, ’85 Alumnus Profile: George C. Peck, ’53 32 Treasurer Physician and Trailblazer Elizabeth L. Tso, ’79 Secretary It was student research conducted alongside the late Neda Frayha, ’06 Frank Figge, MD, at Maryland that inspired George C. Camille Hammond, ’01 Peck, ’53, to forge his own path in medicine. After a Brett Levinson, ’02 stellar career in plastic surgery where he gained world- Stanford Malinow, ’68 wide recognition in rhinoplasty, Peck is now improving Janet O’Mahony, ’91 32 Gary D. Plotnick, ’66 the quality of life for those living in nursing homes Maurice N. Reid, ’99 and extended living facilities. And he never forgot Luette S. Semmes, ’84 Maryland. Kristin Stueber, ’69 Directors Geoffrey B. Liss, ’76 Alumnus Profile: Leonardo Vieira, ’99 34 Richard Keller, ’58 Mission Beyond Medicine Robert M. Phillips, ’82 Robert R. Rosen, ’49 Leonardo Vieira, ’99, and wife Guiga, a graduate of Honorary Regional Vice Presidents Maryland’s school of social work, had a plan to one day Tamara L. Burgunder, ’00 perform mission work. But the rigors of a busy practice Paul Goleb, ’13 and raising children seemed to place their plans on Otha Myles, ’98 Dr. E. Albert Reece, Dean the back burner. Their world changed in January 2010 Ex-Officio 34 when an earthquake struck Haiti. And it hasn’t been Larry Pitrof the same since. Executive Director The University of Maryland Medicine Bulletin, America’s University of Maryland School of Medicine oldest medical alumni magazine, is jointly sponsored Board of Visitors by the Medical Alumni Association of the University of Maryland, Inc., and the University of Maryland School departments Michael E. Cryor of Medicine. Chair The acceptance of advertising by this publication Dean’s Message Managing Wealth Peter G. Angelos, Esq. does not in any way constitute endorsement or approval 2 37 Kenneth Banks by the Medical Alumni Association or medical school. Morton D. Bogdonoff, MD Requests to reproduce articles should be made to: News & Advances 3 Recollections 38 Jocelyn Cheryl Bramble Editor, Medicine Bulletin, 522 W. Lombard Street, Tamara Burgunder, ’00 Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1636, or by email: Medicina Memoriae 12 Student Activities 39 Frank C. Carlucci, III [email protected]. William M. Davidow, Jr., Esq. Subscriptions are $20 per year (domestic) and $25 Faculty News 14 Class Notes 40 Robert C. Embry, Jr. (overseas) Robert E. Fischell, ScD Advancement In Memoriam Nelson H. Goldberg, ’73 For information on advertising, please contact: 36 42 Stewart J. Greenebaum The Medical Alumni Association of the University of Willard Hackerman Maryland, Inc. email: [email protected] Jeffrey L. Hargrave Editor-in-Chief Design John R. Kelly Larry Pitrof Brushwood Graphics Design Group Harry C. Knipp, ’76 Medical Editor Art Director Patrick McCuan Morton M. Krieger, ’52 Nancy Johnston Carolyn McGuire-Frenkil Edward Magruder Passano, Jr. Timothy J. Regan Melvin Sharoky, ’76 Richard L. Taylor, ’75 Fall 2012 • Volume 97 • Number 2 dean’s message orty one years ago this December, U.S. President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act of 1971, marking the official beginning of the “War On Cancer.” More than four decades later, this war still rages on, with almost 600,000 Americans dying of the disease each year. Fortunately, today, we know much more about cancer than we did in the 1970s, as science recently has begun providing us with an amazingly detailed understanding of this disease at the cellular and molecular levels. For example, this past summer, scientists working under the auspices of the massive Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, one outgrowth of the Human FGenome Project, reported that the so-called “junk DNA” making up 98 percent of the human genome is not junk at all. Rather, it contains important signals for regulating our genes and determin- E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA ing disease risk, including whether we are prone to getting cancer Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland and how cancers initiate, grow, and proliferate. Although it will John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and likely take some time before these new findings can be developed Dean, School of Medicine into useful therapies, many experts agree that these stunning and unexpected results will greatly improve our chances for preventing and treating a variety of cancers. Thus, we now have a much more powerful armamentarium in our war against this dreaded disease than we had just a few years ago. This issue of the Bulletin includes a profile ofAngela Brodie, PhD, a cancer researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who already has contributed greatly to our anti-cancer armamentarium. Dr. Brodie is best known for her groundbreaking work in developing aromatase inhibitors, a new class of breast cancer drugs proven to be effective treatments for hormone-sensitive breast cancers in postmenopausal women. Studies have shown that aromatase inhibitors are particu- larly effective in treating advanced breast cancer. She and her collaborators currently are studying strategies to optimize the efficacy of these agents by “personalizing” the timing and dosage of aroma- tase inhibitors based on a patient’s tumor biopsy. They also are working to adapt the same approaches to treating prostate cancer, which, like breast cancer, is a hormone-dependent cancer. Prostate cancer affects nearly a quarter-of-a-million men in the U.S. each year and kills approximately 30,000. In addition to Dr. Brodie’s efforts to combat prostate cancer, the medical school, in partnership with Advanced Particle Therapy LLC, is bringing one of the newest and most advanced prostate cancer weapons to the Baltimore region. This past summer, we broke ground on a proton therapy center, representing the next-generation of treatment for prostate cancer as well as many other local- ized cancers. Protons, unlike x-rays, can be better targeted to localized tumors with far fewer side effects. The proton therapy center also will Join us for a reception in San Francisco be a major hub of research involving investigations into which cancer during the patients will most benefit from this exciting new therapy. Dr. Brodie’s work as well as that of the proton therapy center, un- AAMC Annual Meeting doubtedly, will be made easier by the results of the ENCODE project Sunday, November 4, 2012 and other ongoing human genome project offshoots. We are learn- From 6:00 until 8:00 pm ing that more personalized approaches to cancer therapy based on insight into the molecular biology of specific cancers, as well as recent developments in gene sequencing and molecular diagnostics, are sig- nificantly improving outcomes. These recent developments and new cancer-fighting tools provide us with hope that the “War On Cancer” finally will be won in the foreseeable future. San Francisco Marriott Marquis • 55 4th Street, San Francisco Medicine Bulletin Fall 2012 [2] news&advances EVENTS Bulletin Writer Wins Clarion Rita Rooney, feature writer for the Medicine Bulletin maga- zine, is recipient of a 2012 Clarion Award for her cover story on post traumatic stress disorder in the spring 2011 magazine. The award, presented by the Association for Women in Communications, honors newspaper, broad- cast, magazine, and book writers, as well as professionals in advertising and public relations. Recent winners include writers for Newsweek, Good Housekeeping, Wall Street Journal, PBS, Ladies Home Journal, and Time Magazine. The story was entered in the category for magazine feature article, internal publication. This is Rooney’s fourth Clarion; she has been writing for the alumni magazine Rita Rooney since 2007. EVENTS Rivest Among Most Admired CEOs The Daily Record has named University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) President and CEO Jeffrey A. Rivest among the recipients of the 2012 “Maryland’s Most Admired CEOs” awards. Rivest is recognized in the category for nonprofits with more than $10 million in annual revenue. The Daily Record created the award to recognize some of the most nota- bly talented CEOs leading the state’s nonprofit, for profit, and public com- panies. The winners were selected based on their demonstration of strong leadership, integrity, values, vision, commitment to excellence, financial performance, and ongoing commitment to their communities and diversity.