VOLUME 20 • NUMBER 1 • 2018 FOR ALUMNI, FRIENDS, FACULTY AND STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH Epilepsy Research Lily’s Fund Helps Assure Future Support IDENTITY AND RESILIENCY: THE BLACK EXPERIENCE IN ACADEMIC MEDICINE p. 8 PRECISION MEDICINE AND HUMAN GENOMICS p. 12 HEARTFELT GRATITUDE p. 27 There’s More Online! Visit med.wisc.edu/quarterly to be QUARTERLY The Magazine for Alumni, Friends, APRIL 2018 Faculty and Students of the University of Wisconsin CONTENTS School of Medicine and Public Health Friday, April 27 Spring WMAA Board Meeting QUARTERLY • VOLUME 20 • NUMBER 1 WMAA Scholarship Reception MANAGING EDITOR WMAA Awards Banquet Kris Whitman ART DIRECTOR Christine Klann PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHER MAY-JUNE 2018 John Maniaci Thursday, May 10 SMPH Honors and Awards Ceremony PRODUCTION Michael Lemberger Friday, May 11 UW-Madison Commencement WISCONSIN MEDICAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (WMAA) Monday, May 14 La Crosse Outreach Event EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Karen S. Peterson Thursday, May 31, Spring Alumni Weekend and Friday, June 1 Class Reunions for the Classes of ’53, ’58, ’63, ’68, EDITORIAL BOARD Christopher L. Larson, MD ’75, chair and the Half-Century Society for all alumni who Jacquelynn Arbuckle, MD ’95 graduated before 1968 Kathryn S. Budzak, MD ’69 Robert Lemanske, Jr., MD ’75 Patrick McBride, MD ’80, MPH Gwen McIntosh, MD ’96, MPH AUGUST 2018 Patrick Remington, MD ’81, MPH CALENDAR Joslyn Strebe, medical student Friday, August 24 White Coat Ceremony EX OFFICIO MEMBERS Robert N. Golden, MD, Andrea Larson, Karen S. Peterson, Jill Watson, Kris Whitman 2017–2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS OCTOBER 2018 Susan Isensee, MD ’83, president Daniel Jackson, MD ’03, president-elect Friday, October 19, and Fall WMAA Board Meeting Ann Ruscher, MD ’91, treasurer Saturday, October 20 Homecoming Weekend John Kryger, MD ’92, past president Class Reunions for Classes of Patrick McBride, MD ’80, MPH, past president ’73, ’78, ’83, ’88, ’93, ’98, ’03, ’08 and ’13 Steve Merkow, MD ’80, past president BOARD MEMBERS Homecoming Football Game, UW vs. Illinois Karen Adler-Fischer, MD ’80 Mathew Aschbrenner, MD ’06 Mark Fenlon, MD ’84, MBA Jennifer Foster, MD ’04 NOVEMBER 2018 Tito Izard, MD ’96 EPILEPSY IDENTITY AND 16 Alumni Notebook Christopher L. Larson, MD ’75 Friday, November 9 Middleton Society Dinner at RESEARCH RESILIENCY Kyla Lee, MD ’98 4 8 24 Goodbye Dear Friends Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery Lily’s Fund and a decade The inaugural Diversity Meghan Lubner, MD ’03 John McDermott, MD ’79 Discovery Building of luaus have provided Summit explores the black 27 Student Life Gwen McIntosh, MD ’96, MPH money to jump start experience in academic Kathryn E. Nixdorf, MD ’06 (national) research and sustain it medicine. 28 Spotlight Thomas Puetz, MD ’90 into the future. Leon E. Rosenberg, MD ’57 (national) 30 Giving Back Lisa Shen, MD ’10 (national) Abigail Taub, MD ’12 Faculty Profile Alex Tucker, MD ’75 34 Maria Weber, MD ’88 PRECISION Campus Scene (above) Research Advances Steven Wiesner, MD ’85 (national) 38 Michael Witcik, MD ’07 MEDICINE Perched in Alumni Park, “Well Red”—a nearly eight- Perspectives Ryan Wubben, MD ’99 12 AND HUMAN foot-tall bronze and glass sculpture of the beloved 40 Bucky Badger, created by artists Douwe Blumberg Robert Zemple, MD ’12 GENOMICS BOARD ADVISORY COUNCIL and Dan Neil Barnes—has a great view of the Lake Kathryn S. Budzak, MD ’69 New center focuses on Mendota shoreline, including its many passersby. Philip Farrell, MD, PhD research and patient care Dirk Fisher, MD ’79 is published four times a year by the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association (WMAA) tailored to individuals. Donn Fuhrmann, MD ’76 QUARTERLY and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) On the Cover Kay Gruling, MD ’88 Charles V. Ihle, MD ’65 For editorial information, call (608) 263-4613 Trina Basu (left) and Avtar Roopra, PhD, look at an electrophysiology Ann Liebeskind, MD ’98 For address corrections and to reach the WMAA, call (608) 263-4915 rig to record electrical activity of neurons. Roopra has received Lily’s Fund grants for epilepsy research, and work conducted through Sandra L. Osborn, MD ’70 E-mail us at [email protected] Anne Schierl, MD ’57 those grants has helped him secure additional federal funding. Visit us on the web at med.wisc.edu/quarterly QUARTERLY 1 MESSAGES ROBERT N. GOLDEN, MD KAREN S. PETERSON Similarly, we celebrate another important reetings medical alumni and messages to donors to share gratitude population of donors—the SMPH’s faculty friends! We are having an exciting about the many ways these amazing people and staff. Dr. Bruce and Mrs. Judy Harms join Gacademic year at the University help our association and school. This event a growing cadre of SMPH leaders who are of Wisconsin School of Medicine and exemplifies the culture of philanthropy giving back to insure that future generations Public Health (SMPH), with many events among medical students. Each class has of medical professionals can continue our sponsored by the Wisconsin Medical Alumni established a fund, to which they contribute school’s proud traditions. Association (WMAA). annually, as a way to support scholarships Our medical students—at the second- One such event was a gathering of for the next generation of medical students. annual Thank-a-Thon event—recently alumni who live in the Boston area. This WMAA staff and members hope graduates expressed their gratitude by writing notes coincided with the Association of American continue to give back, as they are able, to donors thanking them for the many ways Medical Colleges (AAMC) meeting, which throughout their careers. they support the students’ journeys at Jill Watson and I attended. We thank our The SMPH’s biggest supporters— our school. reception co-hosts—Drs. Connie Barr, its Middleton Society members—recently Finally, in bittersweet reflections, we Dolph Hutter and Sari Rotter, who practice received a letter from Dean Robert Golden, honor a diverse group of recently departed in that region—for encouraging attendance in which he explained upcoming changes friends and supporters who played critically by other Badgers. We were thrilled to meet to that organization. As explained on important roles in advancing the missions of many friendly, successful individuals who page 32, effective January 1, 2019, the our academic health system and our school. have moved east, and I look forward to more minimum cumulative household gift for Dr. Gloria Johnson-Powell, a former associate opportunities like this in places where my Middleton Society membership will be dean at the SMPH, was passionate about role on the AAMC Group for Institutional $25,000 (compared to the $10,000 current inclusivity in our community and the nation. Advancement will take me. level). At the same time, we will introduce iversity is a vitally important as the SMPH partners with UW Health to Dr. Rudolph Hecht, the first director of our Back in Madison, we’re busy making new levels within the society. If you have feature in the life and scope of create the UW Center for Human Genomics Northeast Family Medical Center, translated plans for the Spring WMAA Board Meeting, questions about the Middleton Society or are Dour institution. Whether it is the and Precision Medicine. This new program the best traditions of academic medicine into Scholarship Reception and Awards Banquet, considering making a gift or pledge to join, diversity of our missions, the diversity of the will address genetics, biology and various meaningful care for patients and populations. scheduled throughout the day and evening please contact Jill Watson, senior director of clinical workforce, or—for that matter— environmental factors as we design individual And Dr. Jeffrey Davis, a four-decade leader on Friday, April 27, 2018. As the WMAA development, at [email protected] the diversity of the investment portfolio of diagnostic and treatment approaches and in communicable diseases and epidemiology Awards Committee reviewed the annual or (608) 262-4632. the school’s endowment, heterogenous health promotion strategies to meet the for the State of Wisconsin, “walked the walk” award nominations, we were struck by the We extend a huge thank you to Middleton components create synergies and allow us needs of an increasingly diverse population of public health and served as a role model number of alumni who have made significant Society members and many other alumni to be more complete in all that we do. This in Wisconsin. for our medical students and other trainees accomplishments at all ages and stages and donors who have shared gifts to support issue of Quarterly focuses on several aspects Also in this issue, we share the long before we became a school of medicine of their careers. Given that, the committee the SMPH, the WMAA and our combined of our diversity. The University of Wisconsin perspective of Catherine Reiser, who has and public health. We will dearly miss these established the WMAA Early-Career missions. These generous people are the School of Medicine and Public Health provided outstanding leadership to our pioneers, and their traditions will continue Achievement Award. We will honor its first lifeblood of our school and association. (SMPH) is deeply committed to increasing school’s Master of Genetic Counselor to grow. recipient at this year’s banquet. Watch the If you have questions or suggestions, the inclusivity of our students, faculty and Studies Program for more than 20 years. The As the trees begin to bud, the flowering next issue of Quarterly for an article about please feel free to contact me by e-mail staff so that we can best meet the needs of program’s highly sought-after graduates play plants begin to flower, and the birds begin to the award recipients.