FALL 2011 Research that Makes a Difference in the World Third-year medical students pursue innovations in clinical care, basic science, and global health. Message from the Dean “Knowledge in the service of society” is the signa- had fascinated him since college. All exciting stories, ture theme of the Duke University strategic plan, and even more impressive when you consider that “Making a Difference,” developed five years ago. a random pick of three other third year students This theme, of course, is developed in many differ- would yield three more examples of how our future ent ways across Duke. Duke Doctors combine creativity and brilliance to In this issue, you will read how three of our medi- move medicine forward. DukeMed Alumni News is published two times a year by cal students have used their research year to realize We also celebrate the achievements of several the Duke Medical Alumni Association. knowledge in the service of society. A wonderful very distinguished alumni, who will be honored this Issues are available online at medalum.duke.edu. aspect of our curriculum is that each student’s third fall with Medical Alumni Association Awards. They, Your comments, ideas, and letters year is unique—an opportunity to pursue knowl- too, demonstrate the diversity of accomplishment to the editor are welcome. edge in an area that has particular, personal impor- that makes me so proud of our school. I hope you Please contact us at: DukeMed Alumni News tance to him or her. Fueled will join us in October to re-connect with old friends 512 S. Mangum St., Suite 400 by our students’ passion to and see our magnificent new Learning Center rising Durham, NC 27701-3973 e-mail: [email protected] improve human health, the up in the middle of campus. Jenny Jones third-year experience truly Director can make a difference. Alumni Affairs You will read about a Editor Marty Fisher student who melded the Nancy C. Andrews, MD, PhD Contributing Writers business savvy that he ac- Dean, Duke University School of Medicine Bernadette Gillis, Catherine Clabby, quired in the Fuqua Health Jim Rogalski Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs Sector Management Graphic Designer Professor, Pediatrics David Pickel program with a strong Professor, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology desire to improve health Photography Duke Photography care in his native country, Jared Lazarus and ended up founding a David Pickel Jim Rogalski company that will develop cell phone applications for health workers in rural Produced by the Office of Marketing and Creative Services. areas. Another student has had a part in develop- Copyright Duke University ing a new technology that may make it easier to Health System, 2011. MCOC-8955 distinguish breast cancers from benign lesions— something she may rely upon someday in her future career as a surgeon. A third student used his third year to delve deeply into biochemical questions that Victor J. Dzau, MD Edward G. Buckley, MD Scott Gibson Sally Kornbluth, PhD Chancellor for Health Affairs, Duke University Banks Anderson, Sr. Professor Executive Vice Dean for Administration, Vice Dean for Research, President and Chief Executive Officer, of Ophthalmology Duke University School of Medicine Duke University School of Medicine Duke University Health System Professor of Pediatrics Vice Dean for Medical Education Augustus Grant, MD, PhD Billy Newton Nancy Andrews, MD, PhD Duke University School of Medicine Professor of Medicine Vice Dean for Finance and Resource Planning, Dean, Duke University School of Medicine Vice Dean for Faculty Enrichment, Duke University School of Medicine Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Michael Cuffe, MD, MBA Duke University School of Medicine Duke University Vice President for Medical Affairs, Duke University Health System Vice Dean for Medical Affairs, Duke University School of Medicine Contents IN BRIEF FEATURES 02 Students recognized 23 Class Notes at AOA Day 25 Wohl goes to N.C. 02 Duke Hospital prisons to prevent moves up to #9 and treat HIV/AIDS 03 Best teachers win 26 House Staff Notes Golden Apples 28 Obituaries 04 Medical Alumni Weekend plans U.S.News & WORLD REPORT 06 Clements and Co. build Third-year research seeks to a clinic in Honduras improve global health strategies, breast cancer detection, and HOSPITALS molecular cancer therapy 29 22 MEDICAL ALUMNI Medical Alumni Association honors ASSOCIATION Wilson, Cohen, Eyster, Shore, Safrit, Bowen, HONOREES7 and Snyderman 11 DukeMedAlumniNews | 1 IN BRIEF | AOA Day Highlights the Best in Third-Year Research After devoting nearly a year to scholarly research, third-year students got to display the fruits of their labor at this year’s Medi- cal Student Research Day in August. Four students’ poster and platform presentations earned top honors during the event, also called AOA Day. Benja- min Macadangdang, E’07, MSIII, earned Best Science Research Poster Presenta- Edward Ruane Jr., Benjamin Macadangdang, Chikoti Mibenge, James Friedman, tion; Chris Manz, T’05, MSIV, Best Clinical and Chris Manz were recognized at AOA Day. Research Platform Presentation; James Fried- man, T’08, MSIII, Best Clinical Research Poster cost of medical school is not trivial. (The scholar- Presentation; and Chikoti Mibenge, MSIV, Best ship) will really help me pursue my goals.” Basic Science Research Platform Presentation. Ruane hopes to become a pediatric plastic “I’ve had a phe- A special award, the Palumbo Family Medical and craniofacial surgeon. He spent his third year nomenal experience Scholarship, was presented to Edward Ruane Jr., of medical school researching a particular type MSIV. The scholarship is awarded each year to a of bladder cancer with Gerard Blobe, PhD’94, here at Duke, but third-year medical student who is elected to Alpha MD’95, associate professor of medicine and the cost of medical Omega Alpha (AOA) and is certified as having associate professor in pharmacology and cancer school is not trivial. financial need. A selection committee chooses the biology at Duke. The title of Ruane’s research is recipient on AOA Day. Selection is based on merit, “Loss of the type III TGF-receptor in transitional (The scholarship) which includes an evaluation of the student’s per- cell carcinoma: Role in collective cell migration.” will really help me formance during the research day presentations. AOA Day also featured speaker Michael pursue my goals.” The scholarship will cover Ruane’s tuition for his Haglund, MD, PhD, Duke professor of surgery, Edward Ruane Jr. fourth year at Duke. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., neurobiology, and global health. Haglund Ruane says receiving the scholarship was “over- shared with students his efforts to improve whelming and a tremendous honor. I’ve had a neurosurgical care in Uganda through the Duke phenomenal experience here at Duke, but the Global Health PLUS program and the Uganda East African Training Program. geriatrics and pulmonology 5 +2 Duke Ranked 9 by U.S.News orthopedics same as last year 6 Duke University Hospital has moved up one point in the 2011-2012 cardiology and heart surgery +2 U.S.News & World Report ranking of America’s Best Hospitals. We 7 are now ranked 9th nationally, and designated as an elite Honor Roll ophthalmology same as last year 7 hospital by scoring at least six specialties as top performers. The spe- neurology and neurosurgery 8 +3 cialties ranked included: geriatrics and pulmonology (5), orthopedics (6), cardiology and heart surgery (7), ophthalmology (7), neurology kidney disorders 9 +3 and neurosurgery (8), kidney disorders (9), cancer (11), rheuma- cancer 11 +1 tology (12), gastroenterology (13), psychiatry (16), diabetes and endocrinology (26), and ear, nose, and throat (27). Duke has ranked rheumatology same as last year 12 in the top 10 for 22 consecutive years. 2 | DukeMedAlumniNews | IN BRIEF White Coat Ceremony Includes New Orientation for Families More than 400 students, faculty, and families attended the White Coat Ceremony in the Bryan Student Center in August. This year, prior to the ceremony, students and faculty mixed things up a bit by presenting a special Medical Families Orientation, in which families learned more about the medical school experience, support services, and financial planning at Duke. Later, students broke up into groups according to advisory deans and presented their own medical oaths that they wrote prior to the ceremony. At right, one group cheers each other on while presenting an oath based on the letters in HIPPOCRATIC, where T From left, first-year students Shakira Sanchez-Collins, Qinyun “Quinn” Wang, and stands for “Teamwork.” Xiaowen “Wendy” Wang Best Teachers Receive Golden Apple Awards Three outstanding teachers have been chosen by Duke medical students to receive the Golden Apple Award for 2011. BASIC SCIENCE TEACHING AWARD support hospital. He holds an MD Matthew Velkey, PhD, is an assistant from Case Western Reserve Universi- professor of the practice of medical ty School of Medicine and completed education in the Department of Cell a general surgery residency in the Biology and the Department of Physi- combined military-civilian program at cal Therapy. He lectures on medical Wright State University and Wright- embryology and graduate-level devel- Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, opmental biology. Velkey has been at Ohio, and a fellowship in vascular sur- Duke for one year, having come from gery at Baylor College of Medicine. the University of Michigan Medical HOUSE STAFF AWARD School (UMMS). He holds a PhD in cell and developmental biology from John “Jack” Haney, MPH, MD’04, UMMS and a master’s of science in HS’04-current, is completing a fellow- anatomy from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He ship in cardiothoracic surgery at Duke also received a BA in English and a BS in biology, both summa and anticipates finishing in 2014. He cum laude, from Millsaps College. He has won several awards for is a three-time recipient of the Golden teaching, including the Kaiser Permanente Award for Excellence in Apple award and a three-time recipi- Pre-clinical Teaching and the Provost’s Teaching Innovation Prize, ent of the Department of Surgery’s both from the University of Michigan Medical School.