SUMMER 2018 » VOL. 4, NO. 1
—JERALD BOVINO
James D. Reynolds, MD ’78, current professor and chair of ophthalmology at the Jacobs School, will serve as the inaugural Jerald and Ester Bovino Professor and Chair. “I am eternally grateful to the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo for helping me to realize my lifelong dream of becoming a physician,” says Bovino. “As a result, I was able to enjoy a productive and fulfilling professional career that allowed me to experience the joy and privilege of restoring vision to thousands of patients. Every physician understands that true happiness in life comes from helping others, which we were able to do every day because of our chosen careers in medicine. “As a gesture of our thanks, Ester and I feel strongly that we want the Jacobs School and UB to share in our success. By endowing the Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, we are confident that the Jacobs School and
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JERALD BOVINO, MD ’71, an internationallyrecognized expert in retina surgery, and his wife, Ester Bovino, pledged to give $1.5 million to establish the Jerald and Ester Bovino Professor and Chair for the Department of Ophthalmology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The endowment fund, which qualifies the Bovinos for membership in the Circle of Visionaries giving society, will invest in the academic and research goals of the Department of Ophthalmology and transform its future.
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“I am eternally grateful to the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo for helping me to realize my lifelong dream of becoming a physician.”
Jerald and Ester Bovino Endow Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology
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its Department of Ophthalmology will continue to grow in stature and accomplishment. Moreover, we hope that the seeds of this donation will grow into a long-lasting and powerful tree of knowledge that will serve to improve the health and vision of countless patients in the future.” A pioneering ophthalmologist, Jerald Bovino co-founded the American Society of Retina Specialists. Over the course of his career, he has held several academic appointments at the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo and the University of Iowa. He is the author of the world’s first textbook on macular surgery, author of the definitive paper on physical activity after retinal detachment surgery, and inventor of the use of the laser for drainage of subretinal fluid in scleral buckling surgery. He has earned numerous awards in his field, including the Zivojnovic Award (the highest honor of the European Vitreoretinal Society) and the Lucien Howe Medal. continued on page 2
Scholarship Fund Honors James S. Marks, MD ’73 ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION’S $1.5 MILLION GIFT RECOGNIZES SERVICE
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WHEN JAMES S. MARKS, MD ’73, MPH, executive vice
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president for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced that he planned to retire at the end of 2017, the Foundation stated that it wished to honor Marks’ exemplary career in public health by making a gift to a charity of his choice. As a result, RWJF established The James and Judith Marks Family Scholarship Fund in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. The endowed fund, in the amount of $1.5 million, will provide four need-based scholarships each year to medical school students at UB. continued on page 2
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Jerald and Ester Bovino (continued from page 1) A native of New York City, Bovino graduated first in his medical school class at UB and was selected for Alpha Omega Alpha in his junior year. He served an internship in internal medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City and completed his residency in ophthalmology at St. Luke’s Hospital/Columbia University, where he was appointed chief resident in ophthalmology. Following residency, Bovino served a fellowship in retina and vitreous surgery at the University of Iowa under Frederick Blodi, MD, and Robert Watzke, MD.
The Bovinos, who have been married for more than 40 years, currently live in Aspen, CO. The couple has two children and five grandchildren. A mountaineer, pilot, scuba diver and Hollywood movie producer, Jerald anchors a television program in Aspen called the Jerry Bovino Show.
James S. Marks (continued from page 1) “Jim Marks has had a profound impact on health in America both through his public health leadership and through those he trained.” —RICHARD E. BESSER, MD, PRESIDENT, ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION
This type of gift is extremely rare for RWJF, whose board members emphasized that the long and valued service of Marks—and the wish to recognize his service—inspired them to make this unique offer. “Jim Marks has had a profound impact on health in America both through his public health leadership and through those he has trained,” says Richard E. Besser, MD, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “There is no better tribute to such an incredible mentor than to ensure that others have the opportunity to pursue careers in health and, through those careers, improve people’s lives.” James and Judith Marks’ ties to UB are deep. James earned a medical degree at the Jacobs School in 1973, and Judith Mack Marks, a retired educator, earned a bachelor’s degree at UB in 1969 and a master of arts degree in education in 1972. James’ father, Eugene Melvin Marks, MD, graduated from the Jacobs School in 1946; and his grandfather, Sidney M. Marks, DDS, from UB’s School of Dental Medicine in 1918. In addition, Judith’s father worked as a stationary engineer at UB for many years.
“I am incredibly honored that the Foundation has chosen to honor my career in this way,” says James Marks. “And I’m pleased that these scholarships will help future students fund their medical education at a university that has meant so much to us.” After completing his medical degree at UB, Marks trained as a pediatrician at the University of California at San Francisco and was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at Yale University, where he received a masters of public health. Prior to joining RWJF in 2004 as senior vice president and director for Program Portfolios, Marks served as director of the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion for almost a decade and as assistant surgeon general. Throughout his career, Marks was a national leader in public health who advocated for the strengthening of public health systems and services. He has received numerous federal, state and private awards, including the U.S. Public Health Service’s Distinguished Service Award and the American Cancer Society’s Distinguished Service Award. In 2004, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine.
Ronald I. Dozoretz, MD ’62 Auditorium RONALD I. DOZORETZ, MD ’62, made a gift to the Build the Vision campaign that supported the naming of an auditorium on Level 2 of the new Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ building. The auditorium includes advanced audiovisual and digital technologies and seats 216. It features a retractable wall that can divide the space into two 108-seat classrooms. l na Ro d
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The gift, which qualifies Dozoretz for membership in the Circle of Visionaries giving society, was made in gratitude for the medical education Dozoretz received at the Jacobs School.
Dozoretz is a nationally recognized advocate for mental healthcare who has introduced new delivery models into clinical practice that have improved the quality of and access to services. His hospital companies recreated the environment for psychiatric patients, and through a series of other companies he founded, including ValueOptions— one of the nation’s largest behavioral health and wellness companies—he re-envisioned mental health services provided to active and retired military families, Medicaid recipients and employees of Fortune 500 companies. Dozoretz also is a pioneer in bringing the field of genetics into mental health, which has transformed patient care by helping to determine the most appropriate medications.
THANK YOU, CLASS OF 1968, FOR SUPPORTNG OUR STUDENTS! In conjunction with the Class of 1968’s 50th Reunion, 40 members of the class and their spouses came together to give close to $60,000 in support of the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic and other programs in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Their generosity qualified the class for membership in the Circle of Leaders giving society. To learn more about how your class can join the 43 classes that are members of the Circle of Leaders or the Circle of Visionaries giving societies, visit medicine.buffalo.edu/alumni/reunion-2018/reunion-giving Back to Campus Alumni Celebration! To learn more about the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic, visit medicine.buffalo.edu/about/community_outreach
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Medical Alumni Association Classroom SUPPORTED BY GENEROUS LEAD GIFTS FROM TWO ALUMNI
Their generosity, which qualifies them for membership in the Circle of Visionaries giving society, provided a foundation for other gifts that resulted in the classroom being named in recognition of the Medical Alumni Association. The stateof-the-art classroom, located on Level 2 of the new building, is dedicated to highlighting and preserving the association’s legacy and traditions. Gifts to name this space were also intended to demonstrate to students that loyalty to the school is essential to its continued success. “This was an ideal space for us to support,” says orthopaedic surgeon Joseph G. Cardamone, MD ’65. “It is where medical education begins, so it was important to us to endorse
Jared C. Barlow Sr., MD ’66, is a former chair and professor of the Department of Anesthesiology at the Jacobs School and a past president of the Medical Alumni Association.
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“The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences gave my son and me an opportunity to fulfill our dream of becoming a physician and to choose a specialty that we both love,” he says. “Giving back to our school by supporting the Medical Alumni Association Classroom is a way for our family to show our appreciation to the university. We also hope to inspire students who utilize this classroom to pursue an education that provides them with opportunities similar to those we have had.”
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and Biomedical Sciences’ building has been supported by lead gifts from Joseph G. Cardamone, MD ’65, and Susan G. Cardamone, BS Nursing ’65; and Jared C. Barlow, MD ’66, and Barbara A. Barlow, BS ’64.
a comfortable and inviting learning environment where students are encouraged to cultivate success through collaboration and collegiality rather than through fear of failure.”
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THE MEDICAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CLASSROOM in the new Jacobs School of Medicine
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A Tremendous Connection MICHAEL TAXIER, MD ’75, AND HIS WIFE, BARBARA, SUPPORT TWO NAMED SPACES
MICHAEL S. TAXIER, MD ’75, AND HIS WIFE, BARBARA, members of the Circle of Leaders giving society, have named a Student Study Room and a Student Conference Room in the new Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in gratitude for the medical education Taxier received at UB. “I had a wonderful experience in Buffalo,” he says. “I really felt the medical school prepared me tremendously for my internship and career in medicine.”
Over the course of his career, Taxier has received numerous teaching awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from OSU for his contributions to the medical education program.
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“Education has always been a focus of mine,” he says. “I was introduced to the importance of this early because I had such great teachers in medical school—really all-world. It was pretty a T darn special to learn from professors such el ha c i as Leon Farhi, Hermann Rahn, Nobel Laureate dM Barbara an Sir John Eccles, Jules Constant, Harold Bernhart, After completing his residency in internal medicine Lawrence Golden and Alistair Brownie, who taught my at the Medical College of Virginia and a fellowship in daughter Rebecca 20 years later! gastroenterology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Taxier helped start Ohio Gastroenterology Group in Columbus, “And it was wonderful to see my daughter have as great OH, with another physician. It is currently a single specialty an experience at UB as I did,” he adds. “It’s a tremendous practice of 35 gastroenterologists. He also is a clinical connection, and my wife and I are very grateful.” assistant professor of internal medicine at Ohio State University (OSU).
THANK YOU, FACULTY AND STAFF! Some of the most generous donors to the Build the Vision Campaign are faculty and staff of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. As of June 2018, they have given $19,966,522 to the Build the Vision campaign. Every gift counts—thank you!
Award Established in Memory of James Mezhir, MD ’01 late James J. Mezhir, MD ’01, have established the Dr. James J. Mezhir Student Research Award in memory of their son. The endowment will provide an annual award for a UB medical student who wishes to gain in-depth research experience. As a teenager, Mezhir was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He underwent a Whipple procedure for bile duct obstruction (an 18-hour surgery) and a year of chemotherapy. He remained cancer free for 25 years, during which time he completed a medical degree at UB and a seven-year surgical oncology residency at the University of Chicago, which included two years of basic-science research training. He then served a fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, after which he was recruited to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Mezhir’s clinical practice and research were focused on pancreatic and other
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GI cancers. He had over 50 peer-reviewed publications and made novel discoveries that continue to have important translational implications. Although Mezhir’s cancer returned in 2014, he continued to care for patients and conduct research for nearly two years, until he passed away on February 3, 2016. “We are honored to establish this research award to carry on our son’s legacy,” says Virginia. “When cancer came back into James’s life, he recorded every detail to enable his fellow doctors to learn from his experience. We are grateful that, through this award, many medical students will have the opportunity to continue this mission to cure cancer.”
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SAVINO AND VIRGINIA NANULA, parents of the
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Momentum is published twice a year to highlight the tremendous impact our dedicated supporters are having on the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo. Every gift and volunteer effort counts! To learn more about how you can help, call (716) 829-2773 email: medicine@devmail.buffalo.edu, or visit: buffalo.edu/giving/build
Thank you, Medical Emeritus Faculty Society Members! THE MEDICAL EMERITUS FACULTY SOCIETY provides a collegial forum for medical emeritus faculty and retired alumni to enjoy intellectual and social interests in connection with the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Thanks to the exceptional generosity of 62 of its distinguished and dedicated members and their spouses, the Jacobs School has a Medical Emeritus Faculty Society Conference Room in its new downtown home. Named in honor of the school’s past and current educators in medicine and science, this conference room—located in close proximity to the Dean’s Suite—is a lasting testimony to the faculty’s role in fostering the mission of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. To learn more about the Medical Emeritus Faculty Society, visit medicine.buffalo.edu/alumni/ get-involved/our-emeritus.html
Members of the Medical Emeritus Faculty Society Council outside the conference room, left to right, front row: Herbert E. Joyce, MD ’45; Charles V. Paganelli Jr., PhD; James P. Nolan, MD; C. Richard Zobel, PhD; Eugene R. Mindell, MD; back row, left to right: Leonard A. Katz, MD; Harry L. Metcalf, MD ’60; Howard Wilinsky, MD ’61; John A. Richert, EdD ’70; Mary Anne Rokitka, PhD ’73. Not pictured: Thomas Flanagan, PhD ’65; Thomas Guttuso Sr., MD ’60
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