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ALUMNI PROFILE
Marquette and the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. Wendy Wurlitzer, Grad ’79, is finance chairwoman for the National Society of the Colonial Dames in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
1980 Ann K. Comer, Arts ’80, of Milwaukee’s Quarles & Brady LLP, was named in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.
iPhony? Testing tech
Dr. Laura Korb Ferris, Arts ’93, debunked the power of an app to spot skin cancer. Worried a mole on your neck could be cancerous? Some say a smart phone app can provide the answer, but Ferris, a dermatologist and researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, wasn’t so sure. She and a team of researchers from the university gathered pictures of verified melanoma lesions — the deadliest form of skin cancer. They evaluated the lesions using four smart phone apps that claimed to be able to diagnose melanoma based on a photo. The results alarmed Ferris. Many of the apps misdiagnosed potentially deadly melanoma as benign. “There is definitely a place for technology in the delivery of dermatology, but our feeling is a tool has to be tested and validated with physician involvement,” Ferris says. After graduating, Ferris earned a doctorate in immunology from Johns Hopkins University and a medical degree from the University of Maryland. She teaches students and residents, does clinical research, and treats patients. Given the aging population and popularity of tanning beds, skin cancer is on the rise and dermatologists are busier than ever. Many patients turn to smart phone apps or their primary care doctors, who aren’t always skin experts. Ferris sees a health care gap. She is working with a computer science group at Carnege Mellon University to design a more reliable software program to help these doctors identify skin cancer. “One of the things that drives people to look for apps is we have a shortage of dermatologists,” Ferris explains. “We’re working on developing software tools to help primary care doctors figure out which lesions need immediate attention.” — Jessie Bazan
Marshall Doney, Bus Ad ’80, Grad ’82, was promoted to senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of the American Automobile Association. He oversees all of AAA’s automotive, travel, insurance, financial services and other businesses. Nell Jackson, L.P.C., Arts ’80, graduated from the Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis of New Jersey, where she serves as a faculty member. She also maintains a private practice in Bernardsville and Summit, N.J.
1981 Jon E. Anderson, Law ’81, of Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., in Madison, Wis., was named in The Best Lawyers in America 2014. Michael Sean Comerford, Arts ’81, was featured in the Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine for his “Eyes Like Carnivals” blog coverage this past year. He is working around the country in traveling carnivals, living on carnival wages and hitchhiking between jumps. Robert H. Duffy, Arts ’81, Law ’84, of Milwaukee’s Quarles & Brady LLP, was named in The Best Lawyers in America 2014. Kay Hunt, Law ’81, was elected to a two-year term on the board
Marquette Magazine
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