WINTER 2016 CONNECTING ALUMNI, FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO JACOBS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
UBMedicine
PROUD TO INTRODUCE THE JACOBS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
THE EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING A 250-foot-high tower crane with a 264-foot horizontal boom is putting the final steel beams in place for floors four through eight. By the end of January, most of the structure will be enclosed, with the work continuing on the interior. A bridge on the second floor will provide “coatless” access to the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital and the Conventus medical office building, where a number of the university’s practice plans—collectively known as UBMD—will be housed. The $375 million project is one of the largest medical education facilities under construction in the country and the largest construction project in University at Buffalo’s 169-year history.
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
UBMEDICINE
Michael E. Cain, MD Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
UB MEDICINE MAGAZINE, Winter 2016, Vol. 4, No. 1
Editor Stephanie A. Unger
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Contributing Writers Mary Cochrane, John DellaContrada, Lori Ferguson, Ellen Goldbaum, Colleen Karuza
VITAL LINES Progress notes
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Copyeditor Tom Putnam
COLLABORATIONS
Photography Joseph Cascio, Philip J. Cavuoto, Sandra Kicman, Douglas Levere
Partnerships at work
Art Direction & Design Karen Lichner
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Editorial Advisers John J. Bodkin II, MD ’76 Elizabeth A. Repasky, PhD ’81
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Major Affiliated Teaching Hospitals Kaleida Health Buffalo General Medical Center Gates Vascular Institute Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital
28 PATHWAYS People in the news
Erie County Medical Center
32 Q & A Conversations with experts New medical school, Allen Street passageway.
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COVER IMAGE: Jeremy M. Jacobs
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Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System Catholic Health Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Sisters of Charity Hospital Roswell Park Cancer Institute Correspondence, including requests to be added to or removed from the mailing list, should be sent to: Editor, UB Medicine, 901 Kimball Tower, Buffalo, NY 14214; or email ubmedicine-editor@buffalo.edu UB Medicine is published by the UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to inform alumni, friends and community about the school’s pivotal role in medical education, research and advanced patient care in Buffalo, Western New York and beyond. Visit us: medicine.buffalo.edu/alumni www.facebook.com/ UBMedicalAlumniAssociation 15-DVC-005
U B M E D V I TA L L I N E S
RALPH C. WILSON JR. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN SPORTS MEDICINE Established with $4.2 million gift from Wilson Foundation The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation has made a gift of $4.2 million to establish the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Center of Excellence in Sports Medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The gift builds upon the generosity of the late Ralph C. Wilson Jr., founder and Hall of Fame owner of the Buffalo Bills, and his wife, Mary Wilson, who gave $1 million to the UB Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in 2011. “As owner of the Bills, Ralph often said team doctors were the most important players on the sideline,” said Mary Wilson at a November 5 press conference announcing the gift. “This grant is yet another testament to the incredible, groundbreaking work taking place right here in Western New York that has an impact on athletes across the country.” UB orthopaedics faculty serve as team physicians for the Buffalo Bills football team, Buffalo Sabres hockey club, Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team and for the UB Bulls. The Wilson Foundation gift will allow UB sports medicine to continue addressing a wide range of health concerns—including concussion and trauma care—for all patients, from aging seniors to professional athletes to weekend warriors and student-athletes. “We feel extremely lucky to be the recipient of one of the legacy grants through the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation,” said John Marzo, MD, UB associate professor of clinical orthopedics, who worked nearly two decades as Buffalo Bills’ medical director for Ralph Wilson. “ The gift will support the following initiatives begun as a result of the Wilsons’ first gift in 2011: • The Ralph and Mary Wilson Visiting Professor Lecture Series • The arthroscopy teaching lab, where physicians teach surgical skills to UB residents and fellows in a controlled environment, using a virtual reality arthroscopy simulator, one of only eight in existence • Groundbreaking research in traumatic brain injury • Recruitment of top sports medicine physicians to Western New York.
Ralph C. Wilson Jr. and Mary Wilson
To read more about this gift and the clinical and research programs it supports, go to medicine.buffalo.edu and search Wilson Foundation.
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U B M E D V I TA L L I N E S
Conventus Center for Collaborative Medicine
CONVENTUS BUILDING OPENED Future home to UBMD Physicians Group The Conventus Center for Collaborative Medicine, a 350,000- square-foot facility located at 1001 Main Street, at the northern entrance to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, has been completed. Conventus is Latin for “coming together”. The seven-story, $110 million complex, developed by Ciminelli Real Estate Corp, was designed to serve as a vital link on the medical campus. It will connect via enclosed walkways to the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (due to be completed in 2017), the Clinical and Translational Research Center, Gates Vascular Institute, John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital (due to be completed in 2017), Buffalo General Medical Center and Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Twelve UBMD practice plans will co-locate on the fourth floor of the facility, where they will share completely integrated services in a 50,000-square-foot area (an acre of space). UB Associates Inc., the administrative entity for UBMD, will hold a 20-year lease on the floor, marking the first time that the university’s practice plans have come together on this scale. UBMD Physicians Group is scheduled to open their office space in the fall of 2016.
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The academic offices for UB’s departments of pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology and the divisions of pediatric neurology and pediatric surgery will be located on the fifth floor. This space will also be subleased for 20 years from UB Associates Inc. The first floor and main lobby of the building will include, among other options, a bank branch, a coffee shop and an upscale food court with an outdoor patio on Goodrich Street. Kaleida Health is leasing the second and third floors for administrative offices and for patient intake and discharge functions for the ambulatory surgery center for Oishei Children’s Hospital. The surgery suites are located in the new hospital, directly adjacent to Conventus, so access is seamless. The seventh floor is currently leased to the biomedical firm Albany Molecular Research Inc., and the sixth floor is occupied by Athenex, a specialty oncology pharmaceutical company. Conventus has achieved status as LEED Platinum for Core and Shell, one of only three projects in New York State to have received that certification, and the only project in Western New York with the distinction. The certification is awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.
MOOG GIVES $1 MILLION TO BUILD THE VISION CAMPAIGN Moog Inc. has given $1 million to the Build the Vision campaign for the new home of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Moog is a designer, manufacturer and integrator of precision motion-control products and systems, headquartered in Elma, NY. Richard Aubrecht, PhD, vice president of strategy and technology, said the gift is unrestricted, allowing the funds to be used “where they will do the most good” for the new building. Aubrecht said his corporation was inspired to support UB’s new medical school because of its role in spurring the economy and increasing global interest in Western New York. “We realize the responsibility we have in the community to support the major high-growth initiatives, and see the medical campus as one of them,” he said. “The UB medical school and its medical campus partners also will improve the health and well-being of our employees
and their families.” Aubrecht noted that UB also has contributed to Moog’s growth and success, based on the large number of UB graduates the company has hired. “We have about 11,000 in the company, about 3,000 of whom work here in Western New York,” he said. Michael E. Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences at UB and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, said the school is grateful for Moog’s generosity. “Building the new medical school downtown is a rare opportunity and one that requires steadfast support from our corporate partners,” Cain said. “Through this very generous gift, Moog Inc. demonstrates its belief in UB and the ability for higher education to transform people’s lives. Their support ensures we will advance patient care throughout Western New York by recruiting highly accomplished physicians, clinicians and students to Buffalo.”
The Department of Neurosurgery in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has the 17th most academically productive neurosurgery residency program in the U.S., according to an article in the Journal of Neurosurgery (“Five-Year Institutional Bibliometric Profiles for 103 U.S. Neurosurgical Residency Programs”). The article notes that the department had 13 faculty members producing 146 publications and garnering 2,812 citations over a period of five years. “We were one of the smallest departments to break into the top 20, making our per-capita publication rate exceptional,” says Elad I. Levy, MD, professor and chair of neurosurgery. Academic publishing productivity reflects the quality and quantity of research and contributes to a program’s ability to attract the best trainees and faculty. “The faculty members in our department have all made an impact on national neurosurgery,” Levy says. Levy and other neurosurgeons at UB have pioneered minimally invasive stroke treatments (see related article on page 16). Jody Leonardo, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery, directs the residency program. “The addition of Dr. Leonardo as our program director has led to growth in the residency program and invigorated the demand for excellence in all aspects of residency training,” Levy emphasizes. Leonardo specializes in performing minimally invasive endoscopic surgery on intracranial pathology and is an expert on pituitary and intraventricular tumor resections and hydrocephalus.
Photo by Sandra Kicman
NEUROSURGERY PROGRAM AMONG TOP 20 MOST PRODUCTIVE
Jody Leonardo, MD, left, director of the Neurosurgery Residency Program, with fifth-year resident Hakeem Shakir, MD.
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INTERNATIONAL EXPERT LEADS PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY/ONCOLOGY
MCCORMACK NAMED CHAIR OF DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Kara Kelly, MD ’89, has been appointed chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Pediatrics. She will lead the joint pediatric hematology and oncology program, a partnership of John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, UB and UBMD Pediatrics. Prior to coming to UB, Kelly was professor of pediatrics at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Kara Kelly, MD Surgeons and associate director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/ Stem Cell Transplantation at Columbia. She chairs the Hodgkin Lymphoma Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group, the world’s largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research. At Columbia, Kelly was the lead investigator for the university’s Minority/Underserved Site National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program, which links adult and pediatric minority patients with opportunities to participate in clinical trials. To read more, go to medicine.buffalo.edu and search Kelly.
Robert F. McCormack, MD, MBA, clinical professor of emergency medicine at UB and chief of emergency medicine for Kaleida Health, has been appointed chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. McCormack received his medical degree from the State University of New York Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn. He completed his residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Jacobi Medical Center, where he served as chief resident. He completed his MBA with honors at UB Robert F. McCormack, MD in 2014 and has participated in Harvard Medical School’s Leadership for Physician Executives. McCormack joined UB’s faculty in 1996. From 2009 to 2014, he served as vice chair of emergency medicine and, most recently, as interim chair of the department. McCormack’s medical/research interests include subarachnoid hemorrhage, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism diagnosis and treatment, cardiovascular emergencies and resident education.
NEW OISHEI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL RISING Milestone marked with completion of steel phase On December 7, physicians, staff and leaders from Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and Kaleida Health gathered to celebrate a milestone in the construction of the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital as the last sequence of steel was erected atop the new facility. The hospital—a major teaching affiliate of the UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences—is being built across from Buffalo General Medical Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. It will replace the current Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo located on Bryant Street. The historic $270 million project will right-size and consolidate services in a 12-floor, 183-bed, freestanding, modern facility. It will be an integral part of the campus, linking with the UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo General, the Gates Vascular Institute, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and more.
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From left, Emmekunla Nylander, MD ’96; Jaafar M. Angevin, Post-Baccalaureate Program coordinator; and Monica Simons, MD ’97. Both Nylander and Simons are obstetrician/gynecologists.
DIVERSE AND THRIVING Post-Baccalaureate Program Celebrates 25 Years of Success The state’s first program specifically designed to diversify New York’s physician workforce just turned 25. The Post-Baccalaureate Program—supported by the Associated Medical Schools of New York and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences—has produced more than 400 successful graduates and helped to develop a physician workforce that better reflects the state’s increasing diversity. Last October, 40 successful post-baccalaureate alumni converged on UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center to celebrate the program and discuss how their lives changed because of it. Emmekunla K. Nylander, MD ’96, was one of them. Now a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist and a partner with Buffalo ObGyn of Amherst, Nylander was a member of the post-baccalaureate class of 1992. In addition to her thriving practice, she also conducts medical missions to Ghana to provide medical attention to women in rural areas. A Williamsville native, Nylander had always wanted to be a physician but hadn’t taken some of the prerequisite science courses in college. She worked for several years after college, then applied to medical school but was rejected. The invitation to attend the
Post-Baccalaureate Program is what helped transform her into the successful physician she is today. She earned her MD from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and went on to complete residency training at the University of Texas. “The Post-Baccalaureate Program was wonderful,” says Nylander. “I had never taken back-to-back science courses and calculus, but I was able to get a 4.0 GPA that year. It gave me the confidence to know that I had made the right decision and that I could be successful.” Every July, the program brings to UB 20-25 promising students from underrepresented communities and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Nearly 90 percent go on to graduate from medical school. “Were it not for this program, our post-baccalaureate students who are now successful physicians—many practicing in underserved communities—would not have attended medical school,” said David A. Milling, MD ’93, UB’s senior associate dean for student and academic affairs. To read more, go to medicine.buffalo.edu, and search post-baccalaureate program.
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A GIFT TO BE
REMEMBERED BY JOHN DELLACONTRADA
M E D I CA L S C H O O L N A M E D IN RECOGNITION OF J E R E M Y JAC O B S ’ S E R V I C E AND GENEROSITY
Jeremy M. Jacobs, his wife, Margaret, and their family have given $30 million to the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, a historic gift as the school undergoes an ambitious period of expansion that will enable it to pursue innovative medical education, research and patient care.
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From left: Dean Micheal E. Cain, MD, Margaret Jacobs, Jeremy M. Jacobs and President Satish K. Tripathi at a press conference announcing a $30 million gift that Jacobs and his family made to the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB.
As chairman of global hospitality and food service company Delaware North and one of the community’s most dedicated philanthropists, Jacobs is a longtime supporter of UB. He has served as chairman of the UB Council since 1998 and has provided invaluable service to the university over three decades, spanning the tenures of five UB presidents. The gift to the medical school was inspired by the essential role that medical schools play in pioneering health care breakthroughs and advancing patient care in their communities. In recognition of Jacobs’ tremendous service and philanthropy to the university, the UB medical school has been named the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The announcement was made by President Satish K. Tripathi on September 14 at a press conference held in UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. “This is a great, historic milestone —Jeremy M. Jacobs for UB, as the first
“My family is honored to make this investment in the community.”
school-naming in our university’s long and distinguished history. It is truly fitting that the medical school—UB’s founding school—would have this distinction,” Tripathi said. “And it is equally fitting that it should bear the name of an individual and a family who truly embody the vision that has guided our university for the better part of two centuries. “No one could ask for a greater champion or friend to UB than Jeremy Jacobs and the Jacobs family have been over the years. We are honored to have this opportunity to recognize that generosity in this meaningful and lasting way.” With the gift to UB’s medical school, the Jacobs family’s giving to the university totals more than $50 million, making the Jacobs family one of UB’s most generous benefactors. The gift is the largest to the $200 million Build the Vision campaign for the UB medical school and brings the campaign to 80 percent ($165 million) of the goal.
HONORED TO INVEST IN THE COMMUNITY Jacobs said his family was inspired to make the gift in recognition of UB medical school’s key role in advancing new treatments for patients and in realizing the full potential of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. He credits his late
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Jacobs family touring the Gates Vascular Institute in May 2013.
“This is a great and historic milestone for UB, as the first school-naming in our university’s long and distinguished history. It is truly fitting that the medical school— UB’s founding school—would have this great distinction.”
Michael E. Cain, MD, vice brother, Lawrence Jacobs, president for health sciences MD, for teaching him about at UB and dean of the the important, centralized medical school, said that role of schools of medicine in the Jacobs gift will support medical communities. priority initiatives at the “My family is honored medical school, including to make this investment in creation of innovative the community,” Jacobs medical education and said. “I learned from my —UB President Satish K. Tripathi research programs, brother Larry that a career student scholarships and in medicine is one of lifelong construction of a state-oflearning and teaching, which the-art medical school building in downtown Buffalo, to be is why I’m enthusiastic about moving the medical school to completed in 2017. the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. It will be the nexus for “This very generous gift adds to an exciting momentum researchers, physicians and students, and we look forward to Western New York becoming a world-class destination for within the medical school that has attracted top talent and new resources to Buffalo over the past several years,” Cain health care.”
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said. “It will help the medical school continue to recruit the very best faculty, students and clinicians whose knowledge and expertise are advancing patient care in our community. “The gift will also enhance our collaborations with Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus hospitals and research institutions, and build even further on our legacy of pioneering medical research and treatments. “The naming of a school is perhaps the greatest tribute a university can make to honor extraordinary generosity and commitment. And Mr. Jacobs and the Jacobs family are deeply deserving of that distinction in recognition of a lifetime of generosity and commitment to the university and the medical school,” Cain added.
CO-CHAIRS BUILD THE VISION CAMPAIGN Jacobs currently serves as co-chair of the medical school’s Build the Vision campaign committee, along with Nancy Nielsen, MD ’76, PhD, UB senior associate dean for health policy, and Robert Wilmers, chairman and chief executive officer of M&T Bank. From 1980 to 1987, Jacobs served as chair of the UB Foundation and has served as an advisor to the UB School
of Management. The Jacobs family has funded scholarships for exceptional undergraduates in the UB Honors College, provided financial aid to female student-athletes, funded academic chairs and created flexible funds for innovation and special needs. In the mid-1980s, the Jacobs family supported a UB School of Management MBA program in China, the first academic partnership between an American university and that nation. A School of Management building on UB’s North Campus bears the Jacobs name, in honor of the family’s long-standing generosity. The family also donated to UB the Butler Mansion, an architectural landmark in downtown Buffalo, renamed the Jacobs Executive Development Center. Since 1968, Jacobs has led Delaware North, which was founded in Buffalo by his father and two uncles. The company, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015, recently moved into a new global headquarters building at 250 Delaware Ave. in downtown Buffalo. Jacobs is also the owner of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and serves as chairman of the league’s board of governors. Ellen Goldbaum contributed to this article.
Jeremy Jacobs speaking at the press conference in September.
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UB JOINS ELITE TIER OF RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS Receives prestigious Clinical and Translational Science Award BY ELLEN GOLDBAUM
The University at Buffalo joined an elite tier of research institutions when it was notified by the National Institutes of Health that the Buffalo Translational Consortium had received a four-year, $16 million Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). UB is the lead institution of the Buffalo Translational Consortium (BTC) in partnership with Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Great Lakes Health System, UBMD and community health organizations. The grant establishes the UB Clinical and Translational Research Center as the hub of the consortium. “This award recognizes and leverages the strong research and clinical collaborations UB and our partners on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) have built,” said UB president Satish K. Tripathi at the time the award was announced in August. “It gives us the ability to realize the value of these collaborations at an even higher level— empowering us as we move discoveries from the lab bench to the patient’s bedside, improve patient care and enhance economic development in Western New York by successfully commercializing scientific breakthroughs.” Currently, just 62 U.S. medical research institutions receive CTSA program funding from the NIH. “UB will now be competing for the highly selective awards for which only CTSA institutions may apply,” said Michael E. Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. “Those grants will increase UB’s capacity for doing high-impact, clinical research, which will bring health care innovations to Buffalo so that people in our community can participate in, and benefit from, these groundbreaking studies.”
MAXIMIZE RESEARCH POTENTIAL With the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences as the main UB entity, the Buffalo Translational Consortium involves the university’s five health sciences schools and other UB schools and research institutes. Also partnering on the grant are local research institutes, such as the HauptmanWoodward Medical Research Institute, as well as community partners, such as the P2 Collaborative, HEALTHeLINK, UNYNET, the New York State Area Health Education Center System and the Patient Voices Network. Timothy Murphy, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor in
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Timothy Murphy, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and senior associate dean for clinical and translational research, is principal investigator on the CTSA.
UB’s Department of Medicine, is principal investigator on the CTSA, the first awarded to a SUNY institution; John M. Canty Jr., MD ’79, also a SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine, is co-principal investigator. “The whole idea behind translational science is to devise better ways to do clinical research that will improve the health of the community and contribute to clinical research in the nation,” said Murphy. “The funds will be used to augment the infrastructure and expertise to enable UB and its partners to maximize our research potential so that, for example, more large, high-impact, multi-center clinical trials can be conducted here,” he added. “It’s clear that the best patient care goes hand-in-hand with outstanding clinical research. This grant will benefit our entire academic health center by raising the level of research, health care and training.”
KEY COMMUNITY PARTNERS “The CTSA project unites virtually every medical-research organization in the Buffalo area, along with key community partners, around the shared goal of improving health care locally, nationally and internationally by getting Western New York innovations to the patients who can benefit most,” said Candace S. Johnson, PhD, president and CEO and Wallace Family Chair in Translational Research at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. “Roswell Park is proud to be a member of the consortium that successfully competed with groups across the country to receive this prestigious award, and to lead the project’s clinical implementation,” she added. “Together, we have tremendous strengths of human capital and visionary research, assets that we can now exploit to their fullest with this influx of infrastructure support.” Jody Lomeo, president and CEO of Kaleida Health, said: “This is great news, not only for UB but for the Western New York community. The Gates Vascular Institute and the Clinical and Translational Research Center are a tangible example of how collaboration is helping improve patient care. The NIH grant will only help further this partnership and leverage the great research and clinical care that happens every day there.”
EMPHASIS ON COLLABORATION Clinical and translational research puts an emphasis on engaging collaborative teams of investigators from diverse disciplines to tackle complex health and research challenges. The goal is to expedite creation of new medical tests, treatments and cures—propelling them from the laboratory to the physicians and the patients who need them. Murphy envisions “significant growth” in the hiring of new research personnel with a variety of backgrounds to perform clinical and translational research. Funds also will go toward funding parts of highlevel faculty lines. Reviewers cited several unique aspects of UB’s grant, —UB President Satish K. Tripathi including UB programs that have expanded outreach to the city’s underserved populations, such as the Department of Family Medicine’s Patient Voices Network (see related article on page 14).
John M. Canty Jr., MD ’79, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Albert and Elizabeth Rekate Professor and Chief, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, is co-principal investigator on the CTSA.
They also noted the medical school’s new program in biomedical informatics and the interdisciplinary Buffalo Institute for Genomics and Data Analytics. Also noted was UB’s history of expertise in medical ontology, the science of how medical entities are classified and the relationships between them, which has become increasingly important with the advent of big data and bioinformatics. The new center will be based in the Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC) building on UB’s downtown campus, which opened in 2012. The CTRC is a unique 170,000-square-foot research facility that allows UB’s physicianscientists to do their research upstairs in the CTRC and to see patients and work with clinicians downstairs in Kaleida Health’s Gates Vascular Institute and at Buffalo General Medical Center, the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital and Roswell Park Cancer Institute. To learn more about the Clinical and Translational Science award, go to medicine.buffalo.edu and search CTSA.
“This award recognizes and leverages the strong research and clinical collaborations UB and our partners on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus have built.”
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PARTNERSHIPS WITH UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES A key goal of the CTSA is to break down barriers, build trust
BY ELLEN GOLDBAUM
Nasir Khan, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine, with a patient.
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T
he $16 million Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) granted to UB by the National Institutes of Health brings to the region significant resources to help the university and its partners more rapidly translate laboratory discoveries into
treatments, in part by emphasizing partnerships with underserved communities in Western New York.
“A key goal of this grant is to engage the entire Western New York community, to gain the trust of diverse populations and break down barriers, so that patients throughout our region can participate in, and benefit from, the most innovative medical treatments,” says Timothy Murphy, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine and co-principal investigator on the grant along with John M. Canty, MD ’79, also a SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine. “UB and its partners have developed a unique set of solutions on this grant specifically to address health disparities in our community,” he adds.
GIVING VOICE TO CONCERNS AND IDEAS One of those solutions is the Patient Voices Network run by a group of patients from several UBMD family medicine practices in Buffalo whose vision is to create a community of educated and involved patients working in tandem with physicians to make decisions about their own health care. Led by UB’s Primary Care Research Institute and UB family medicine professor Laurene Tumiel Berhalter, PhD, the network has undertaken a number of successful projects since being formed in 2010. These include initiatives to increase colonoscopy and breast cancer screening and to address related non-medical issues such as the lack of transportation to screening appointments. By building on these and other similar programs, the new grant will enhance the recruitment into clinical trials of underserved patient populations, including AfricanAmericans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, AsianAmericans, refugees, children and the elderly. “The grant will invite representatives of underserved communities to join its steering committee, giving voice to their concerns and ideas,” says Tumiel Berhalter. Innovations that will enhance patient recruitment were developed by Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD, dean of the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions and principal investigator of UB’s Women’s Health Initiative, a multi-center clinical trial.
AMONG THE FIRST TO BENEFIT Drucy Borowitz, MD, clinical professor of pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and a nationally known pediatric pulmonologist, also is focused on community engagement in the grant. A member of the
CTSA steering committee, Borowitz has led clinical trials at UB and Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo that have revolutionized treatment of cystic fibrosis in children. “Cystic fibrosis is a life-shortening disease, but by developing and testing new drugs, we have been able to change the course of this disease,” Borowitz explains. “Because of the clinical trials we’ve conducted here, our Western New York patients have been among the first in the world to benefit from these new drugs.” Borowitz stresses that the new grant will allow these kinds of life-changing treatments to move closer to reality for the entire spectrum of chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, sickle cell disease, stroke and vascular disease, critical illnesses among new born babies, Alzheimer’s disease and memory disorders, among many others. “There has to be a mechanism to move drugs out of the lab and into the clinic, where patients who need them can benefit,” she says. “When you study a drug for a disease, the only people who can move the drug forward ultimately are the people who have that disease.” The best way for individuals to start participating in clinical trials at UB and its partner institutions is to sign up online at www. researchmatch.org. “With this new grant, Western New Yorkers can look forward to even more opportunities to help with, and benefit from, clinical research in the near future,” Borowitz says. Also critical to the grant’s success is the training of clinical researchers, an effort being led by Margarita L. Dubocovich, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and senior associate dean for inclusion and cultural enhancement in the —Drucy Borowitz, MD Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dubocovich is principal investigator on the grant’s Mentored Career Development Program, which is designed to train researchers throughout all the health sciences disciplines. She also leads a prestigious NIH graduate training program for traditionally underrepresented students at UB. To learn how you can help support clinical studies at UB, visit http://giving.buffalo.edu/partners-in-discovery.
“Because of the clinical trials we’ve conducted here, our Western New York patients have been among the first in the world to benefit from these new drugs.”
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FROM A LEAP OF FAITH TO A BOND OF TRUST Australian woman finds lifesaving care in Buffalo for her father BY COLLEEN KARUZA
In the spring of 2015, Rhonda North went on a mission to save her father’s life. With the instinct and sleuthing skills of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, “Rhonda-the-Relentless”—so dubbed by family and friends—followed a trail of clues that led 10,000 miles away to UB neurosurgeons at Kaleida Health’s Gates Vascular Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. The story of her dogged determination begins in Woronora Heights, a suburb of Sydney, Australia, which Rhonda’s parents, Ronald and Lyn Cooper, happily married for 57 years, call home. It was here that the family received the devastating news that Ron, age 78, had intracranial basilar artery stenosis, an aggressive condition that accounts for 10 percent of all strokes. Ron, a retired self-employed businessman, had suffered two minor strokes in March, placing him at high risk for a potentially fatal or paralyzing third stroke. An MRI revealed that his basilar artery, which supplies oxygen-rich blood to parts of the brain, was about 95 percent blocked. Patients like Ron, who have severe intracranial arterial stenosis—a condition in which 70 to 99 percent of a major intracranial artery is occluded by a build-up of plaque—are at high risk for recurrent stroke, despite best attempts to manage the condition with medication. Ron’s wife, Lyn, said the news regarding her husband’s health “was like a bad dream. It really didn’t sink in, so we pressed on.” The Coopers sought second and third medical opinions
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in Sydney, but each time, they found little hope. One neurosurgeon suggested to Ron that he put his affairs in order and start going to church. Another proposed medication, followed by emergency surgery when—not if— Ron suffered a third stroke. “We left his office in tears, feeling broken and helpless,” Lyn recalls. “With each consultation, we felt more frightened and confused.” Time Was Ticking Away In 2011, the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of the NIH Stenting vs. Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS) study, a randomized clinical trial that found that aggressive medication was superior to stents for endovascular disease. Elad Levy, MD, chair of neurosurgery in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, was an author on the multi-site national study and principal investigator at the UB site, which enrolled more patients than any other participating center.
Ronald Cooper, center, and his daughter Rhonda North, with Adnan Siddiqui, MD, PhD, vice chair and professor of neurosurgery at UB, speaking to the media about the lifesaving procedure performed by Siddiqui to treat intracranial basilar stenosis in Cooper.
The study found that stenting increased the risk of complications, including stroke. As a result, interest in continuing to use stents or researching new devices waned, and aggressive medical management became the gold standard of care for severe intracranial stenosis. While this was good for the majority of patients, it was not good enough for the 12 percent of patients, such as Ron, who would likely suffer another stroke within one year. “Considering the magnitude of Dad’s blockage, time was ticking away,” Rhonda recalls. “I refused to give up without a proper fight. My family means everything to me.” So Rhonda, the second of the Coopers three children, embarked on what Ron calls “an Internet road trip.” “I researched our options within
Australia first, but I grew frustrated with the lack of available data, and many of the emails I sent around to doctors were not answered,” she says. Determined to exhaust all avenues, she often stayed up until 1 or 2 in the morning doing computer searches. One night Rhonda came across research published by UB neurosurgeons L. Nelson “Nick” Hopkins, MD, Adnan Siddiqui, MD, PhD, and Elad Levy, MD, that supported the use of balloon angioplasty without stenting for treating basilar artery stenosis. “Their results were quite impressive and hard to ignore,” she says. Rhonda then did a search for the best neurovascular surgeons in the world and saw that Hopkins, Siddiqui and Levy were listed. Internationally regarded as
a pioneer in the field of endovascular neurosurgery, Hopkins is a Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery and professor of radiology at UB, and president of Gates Vascular Institute, a UB teaching affiliate. Siddiqui, a leading specialist in the endovascular and microsurgical management of cranial vascular occlusive disease, is vicechair and professor of neurosurgery at UB and director of Kaleida Health’s Neuroendovascular Research and Stroke Service and UB’s Toshiba Stroke and Vascular Research Center, both located in Gates Vascular Institute. Following the Signpost to Buffalo Following the signpost that pointed to Buffalo, N.Y., Rhonda dashed off an email to Hopkins, who replied that
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Ron might be an excellent candidate for balloon angioplasty to open the narrowing in his artery. Rhonda read the response carefully, and, noting that Hopkins said the procedure is associated with low morbidity and mortality, she felt the first glimmer of hope since her father’s diagnosis. Located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in downtown Buffalo, where the new UB medical school is currently under construction, Gates Vascular Institute provides some of the most comprehensive, innovative neurovascular care in the world and is among a handful of centers reporting significant successes with angioplasty. “It’s a simple procedure,” explains
Siddiqui. “We actually have been doing it for years, and our data show angioplasty is far better than medical therapy—a 6 percent versus a 12 percent annual stroke rate.” Rhonda shared the encouraging news with her parents and siblings, Mark and Michelle, and sent Ron’s films and medical records to Buffalo, where they were peer-reviewed by the UB-Kaleida team. What followed was a volley of emails between the Coopers and Hopkins and Siddiqui. “It was almost as if the doctors were on call just for us,” Ron says. “With Rhonda at the keyboard, we’d send an email, sometimes in the early morning
“Considering the magnitude of Dad’s blockage, time was ticking away. I refused to give up without a proper fight. My family means everything to me.” —Rhonda North
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or sometimes in the dead of night, and we’d often receive a response within the hour. Every question that could possibly be asked was asked by us, and each time, an understandable, honest answer was promptly returned. Our initial leap of faith began to deepen into a bond of trust.” Entering “Tiger Territory” It was this personalized patientfirst approach—and Rhonda’s encouragement—that convinced Ron to take a chance and fly with his wife and children to Buffalo in early May. “We firmly believed that Drs. Siddiqui and Hopkins represented our best chance to beat this thing,” Ron says. But in the minds of some doctors back home, he was foolishly wandering into “tiger territory.” “We asked one expert in Sydney about angioplasty and his response was ‘That’s tiger territory’—meaning it was an area of the brain that they
am I going to come back home, or don’t go into because of the potential will I end up in the hospital? Will I danger,” Ron recalls. be paralyzed from the neck down or If he were entering tiger territory, lose my eyesight?’ Here, I had all Ron says he felt he was going in with these people caring for me, and a team of experienced guides who Dr. Siddiqui is a miracle man.” would do everything in their power “I have treated many patients,” to safeguard his health and wellsays Siddiqui, “but the most being. “If anything, after meeting Drs. endearing aspect of this case was Siddiqui and Hopkins in person, I felt Rhonda’s unwavering devotion to her certain that the outcome would be family and her determination to seek positive,” says Ron. help for her father. She’s the hero, in The UB-Kaleida endovascular team my book!” at Gates Vascular Institute is at the Back in Australia, Ron, who is forefront internationally in the use busy planning a vacation to Fiji with of angioplasty for intracranial basilar The Cooper Family with Adnan Siddiqui, MD, PhD his wife, reports that he is “doing better artery stenosis, successfully performing than fine.” His last CT scan, taken on several procedures each month. August 14, revealed no blockage, and he is expected to be on blood“Angioplasty on the basilar artery is rarely performed in Australia, thinners for about one year. not for lack of skill, but for a pervasive mindset that medical therapy Siddiqui shares the Coopers’ excitement. works best,” explains Siddiqui. “The problem is that medication takes “I keep in touch with Rhonda, who provides periodic updates,” months to years to work, time that some patients may not have. Even he says. “She reports that even the dizziness and headaches that her after the SAMMPRIS study results were published, we didn’t stop father experienced before the procedure are no longer an issue. That’s researching better, less invasive, less risky forms of treatment.” very good news!” Ron recalls the family’s first face-to-face meeting with Siddiqui. In November, Siddiqui was in the Sydney area attending the 13th “We were escorted to a small conference room, and since there were Congress of the World Federation of Interventional and Therapeutic five of us and only four chairs, Dr. Siddiqui had nowhere to sit when Neuroradiology, and the Coopers had him to their home for a he joined us. Without blinking, he nonchalantly turned over the barbecue. “It was our small way of saying ‘thank you’ to an amazing garbage tin and sat down. We had never seen such a thing before man and to celebrate our victory together,” says Ron. from a doctor.” Hopkins gave the family a tour of the Gates Vascular Institute. “We were fascinated by all of the technology and TV screens. We felt Right Place, Right Doctors like we were visiting NASA instead of a health care center,” says Lyn. Ron praises his “brilliant health care team,” as well as those “wonderful people who diligently worked behind the scenes to make sure I was well taken care of.” He singles out Jeannie Campese, Access Unequivocal Success Center coordinator at Kaleida Health, who arranged for the flight from Siddiqui performed Ron’s surgery on May 12, 2015. It took about Sydney and handled the lodging and transportation for his family 50 minutes and was an unequivocal success. during their stay in Buffalo. “I was awake the entire time,” says Ron. What would Ron say to other patients who might not have access to A catheter, the size of a toothpick, carrying a small balloon, the lifesaving stroke or vascular care was threaded through a tiny incision they need? in Ron’s groin, up through the back of “Choose Buffalo,” he replies, his head to the brain. “The narrowing echoing the Gates Vascular Institute in the artery only needs to be slightly website, which touts the City of dilated by the balloon, just enough to Good Neighbors as “a destination restore blood flow,” Siddiqui explains. of choice” for stroke, cardiac and After the procedure, Ron was told to vascular care. “I’d do it again in a expect to spend about three months in heartbeat,” he said. the U.S. for follow-up, but he showed As for Rhonda-the-Relentless, such remarkable progress, he was whose late-night Internet searches released after only one month. “I was resulted in a mission accomplished, given a two-month supply of blood—Ronald Cooper she’s relieved that her family was in thinners and sent on my way. We even the right place at the right time. had a chance to visit Niagara Falls,” “I would have been guilt-stricken if things had gone a different he says. way or if my judgment had been off,” she says, “but even in moments Before the family headed home, Kaleida Health held a press of uncertainty and fear, we never felt alone. Dr. Siddiqui gave us conference with the physicians and the Cooper family at which an confidence and Dr. Hopkins gave us courage. They were there every emotional Ron admitted to reporters what was going through his step of the way, and, thanks to them, we got our happy ending.” mind back in Australia: “In your head, you’re wondering, ‘If I go out,
“It was almost as if the doctors were on call just for us.... We’d send an email, sometimes in the early morning or sometimes in the dead of night, and we’d often receive a response within the hour.”
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A SISTER HONORS HER BROTHER Gift to Ophthalmology in Memory of Peter Buch BY LORI FERGUSON
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Huge Asset for Research 7KH VHFRQG VHJPHQW RI %DUEDUD¶V JLIW ZLOO HVWDEOLVK WKH 3HWHU %XFK 0HPRULDO ,QWHUQVKLS LQ 2SKWKDOPLF ,PDJLQJ ZKLFK ZLOO SURYLGH DQ DQQXDO VWLSHQG RI IRU SKRWRJUDSK\ VWXGHQW LQWHUQV IURP 5,7 ZKHUH 3HWHU WDXJKW ³,Q WKH SDVW ZH¶YH RQO\ EHHQ DEOH WR RIIHU DQ XQSDLG LQWHUQVKLS ZKLFK KDV KDPSHUHG XV FRPSHWLWLYHO\ ´ 5H\QROGV QRWHV ³%DUEDUD¶V JLIW ZLOO DOORZ XV WR RIIHU D YHU\ QLFH VWLSHQG WR VWXGHQWV WKHUHE\ HQKDQFLQJ WKH OLNHOLKRRG WKDW WKH\ FDQ DIIRUG WR SDUWLFLSDWH LQ the internship and learn PRUH DERXW RSKWKDOPLF LPDJLQJ DQ LPSRUWDQW ¿HOG RI VSHFLDOL]DWLRQ ZKHUH WKHUH DUH FXUUHQWO\ IHZ SUDFWLWLRQHUV ´ 7KH WKLUG SRUWLRQ RI %DUEDUD¶V JLIW WR WKH 5RVV (\H ,QVWLWXWH ZLOO SURYLGH PRQHWDU\ VXSSRUW WR PDLQWDLQ WKH WHFKQRORJLFDO HGJH RI WKH %XFK 0HPRULDO Barbara and Peter Buch at an ice-skating competition in Bulgaria ,PDJLQJ &HQWHU DQ
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Peter Buch at Martha’s Vineyard
advantage critical to the institute’s research interests. “Obsolescence comes fast and furious in our discipline, both in terms of HTXLSPHQW DQG VRIWZDUH ´ 5H\QROGV QRWHV ÂłDQG WKDW FDQ EH FULSSOLQJ ´ ,Q RUGHU WR participate in cutting-edge clinical trials, he explains, researchers oftentimes must XVH VSHFLÂżF HTXLSPHQW WKDW LV GLFWDWHG by the research protocols. “The ability to participate in these trials is a huge asset, not only to existing patients, but also to future patients and to the university at large. Staying abreast of the research enables us to utilize the latest treatment modalities and deliver the best possible care to our patients, QRZ DQG LQ WKH IXWXUH ´ Passionate About His Profession “Peter worked with the physicians at UB for many years and was given incredible opportunities at the Ross Eye Institute to OHYHUDJH KLV DELOLWLHV DQG H[SHUWLVH ´ %DUEDUD notes. “And, as was his nature, he took the opportunity and ran with it. Peter had a big vision for the future, and UB believed in him
DQG JDYH KLP JHQHURXV OHHZD\ ´ Her brother was inspired by his interactions with the doctors, residents and patients, Barbara notes, and was particularly moved by his pediatric patients, for whom he worked to make diagnostic experiences less frightening. He was technologically savvy, adapting older equipment to accommodate cutting-edge, digital applications and introducing methods for sharing electronic images more expeditiously. “He was determined to bring the Ophthalmic Imaging Department’s equipment into the VW FHQWXU\ ´ %DUEDUD REVHUYHV Peter was also dedicated to training the next generation of ophthalmic photographers; he invested a great deal of time in designing a fellowship program that would allow younger photographers to work with him. “There are not a lot of FHUWLÂżHG UHWLQDO SKRWRJUDSKHUV DURXQG ´ Barbara explains. “Peter was passionate about his profession and wanted to share KLV NQRZOHGJH DQG H[SHULHQFH ZLWK RWKHUV ´
In fact, she notes, at the time of his death he was interviewing people to intern with him for a year. “Peter and I spent a lot of time together throughout our lives and we talked frequently about creating a foundation to support our LQWHUHVWV²3HWHUÂśV LQ ELRPHGLFDO SKRWRJUDSK\ DQG PLQH LQ ÂżJXUH VNDWLQJ :LWK WKHVH JLIWV WR the Ross Eye Institute and the Vision Beyond Sight Foundation, I feel like I am honoring 3HWHUÂśV ZLVKHV ´ “We’re very grateful to Barbara for KHU JHQHURVLW\ DQG IRUHVLJKW ´ VD\V Reynolds. “We’re a department with a good philanthropic record and we do our utmost to be responsible stewards of the trust our donors place in us through their gifts. Barbara’s thoughtfulness and generosity on behalf of Peter will enable us to continue the important work that her brother did at the Ross Eye Institute. We’re delighted to have the opportunity to expand on this UHODWLRQVKLS ZLWK WKH %XFKV ´ To learn more about supporting ophthalmologic care and research at UB, visit https://rosseye.com/donations.
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MODEL APPROACH TO A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS Area foundations support innovative psychiatric program By Colleen Karuza
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“Our goal is to provide these underserved groups with targeted, quality, cost-efficient care while reducing the volume of unnecessary emergency department visits and inpatient admissions.” —Michael R. Cummings, MD ’98
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From left: Michael R. Cummings, MD â&#x20AC;&#x2122;98, Victoria Brooks, MD â&#x20AC;&#x2122;02, and Janell Rosati, program director
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â&#x20AC;&#x153;In some ways, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re practicing old-school medicine. Home and school visits give us a deeper understanding of individual challengesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;information we can use to develop more effective treatment strategies.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Michael R. Cummings, MD â&#x20AC;&#x2122;98
have a very fragmented mental health system with few community-based programs for a population of chronically ill individuals who GR QRW ÂżW WKH WUDGLWLRQDO PRGHO $GG WR WKLV the lack of continuity of care and a nearcritical shortage of psychiatrists, especially child psychiatrists, and you have a recipe IRU IDLOXUH ´ APIC, with its focus on â&#x20AC;&#x153;uniting care GHOLYHU\ VLORV ´ UHSUHVHQWV D PDMRU VWHS LQ the strategic rethinking of mental health treatment in this region, says Cummings. The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower )RXQGDWLRQ ZDV WKH ÂżUVW WR SURYLGH IXQGLQJ for the UB program, committing $1.35 PLOOLRQ RYHU ÂżYH \HDUV WR WKH $3,& &KLOGUHQÂśV Team, followed by general program support from John R. Oishei Foundation, Patrick P. Lee Foundation and the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation. Thanks to their vision DQG JHQHURVLW\²DQG WKH HQWKXVLDVWLF RQ board involvement of community partners DQG DJHQFLHV²$3,& RSHQHG LWV GRRUV LQ December 2014. By identifying and treating patients who formerly made frequent visits to the ER or CPEP due to inadequate intermediate care, APIC calibrates a more meticulous alignment between the systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s delivery of care and patient need. Early intervention and aggressive followup are provided for behavioral disruption in autistic children, young adults with developmental disabilities and those adults
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with moderately severe symptoms who tend to do well with consistent care in a community setting. Cummings and APIC program director Janell Rosati assess the needs of patients and families, review and adjust medications, develop comprehensive treatment plans and seek out essential community-based services and resources. They also work closely with primary care providers through UBMD Family Medicine and UBMD Internal Medicine to help coordinate psychiatric care, where appropriate. So far, close to 60 children and adolescents and 30 adults have been enrolled, with a target goal of 200 patients per year. Outcomes are being tracked closely as services are implemented, ranging from intensive outpatient treatment for adults to home and school visits for children.
Cummings, who also serves as vice chair for community affairs and outreach in the UB Department of Psychiatry, says that for most of the autistic children under his care, the best and simplest alternative to the emergency department is to visit them in their home and school environments. As a result, he and Rosati are on the road at least three days a week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A hospital is no place for an autistic FKLOG ´ 'XERYVN\ HPSKDVL]HV ,Q IDFW WKH emergency department can be harmful since noise and chaos produce overstimulation, which worsens autism-associated symptoms. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In some ways, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re practicing oldschool medicine. Home and school visits give us a deeper understanding of individual FKDOOHQJHV²LQIRUPDWLRQ ZH FDQ XVH WR develop more effective treatment strategies. For most of our young patients, we have routinely reduced their medication by about SHUFHQW ´ &XPPLQJV UHSRUWV APIC has been praised by those whose opinions ultimately matter the most: the participants. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Families and caretakers are VR JUDWHIXO IRU WKH VXSSRUW ZH SURYLGH ´ VD\V Rosati. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once frustrated, throwing their hands in the air, they are now applauding the program. We have given them a voice, and WKH\ IHHO LWÂśV ÂżQDOO\ EHLQJ KHDUG ´ APIC is a stellar example of what communities can do when they come together to forge solutions, says Cummings.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Families and caretakers are so grateful for the support we provide. Once frustrated, throwing their hands in the air, they are now applauding the program. We have given them a voice, and they feel itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ nally being heard.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Janell Rosati
UB MEDICINE
Photo by Douglas Levere
Steven L. Dubovsky, MD, chair of psychiatry
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UB MED DOCTOR VISITS
Photos by Douglas Levere
“MRI is not like other imaging modalities. With this device, you’re talking to protons in the brain.”
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“I love my specialty in glaucoma because it allows me to forge long-term relationships with my patients.”
A SPECIALIST IN GLAUCOMA CARE Sandra Sieminski, MD, followed her heart to medicine :KHQ DVNHG ZKDW LQLWLDOO\ DWWUDFWHG KHU WR %XIIDOR RSKWKDOPRORJLVW 6DQGUD 6LHPLQVNL L O R I F E R G U S O N 0' D 3HQQV\OYDQLD QDWLYH GRHVQ¶W PLVV D EHDW ³/RYH ´ VKH VD\V ³0\ KXVEDQG 0DUN LV IURP %XIIDOR :H PHW GXULQJ RXU UHVLGHQFLHV LQ :DVKLQJWRQ ' & DQG KH KDV D VWURQJ DOOHJLDQFH WR WKH FLW\ ´ (PRWLRQ DOVR SOD\HG D UROH LQ 6LHPLQVNL¶V SDWK WR PHGLFLQH DQG LQ WKLV UHJDUG WRR VKH LV KDSS\ VKH IROORZHG KHU KHDUW :KHQ 6LHPLQVNL HQUROOHG DW %URZQ 8QLYHUVLW\ DV DQ XQGHU JUDGXDWH VKH KDG KHU VLJKWV VHW RQ D FDUHHU LQ DUW ³, ZDV LQWHUHVWHG LQ DUW DOO WKURXJK KLJK VFKRRO DQG , WKRXJKW , PLJKW ZDQW WR EH D JUDSKLF GHVLJQHU RU DQ DUW WHDFKHU %URZQ VHHPHG OLNH D SHUIHFW ¿W IRU PH , FRXOG JHW D VWURQJ OLEHUDO DUWV HGXFDWLRQ DQG DOVR WDNH DUW FRXUVHV DW WKH 5KRGH ,VODQG 6FKRRO RI 'HVLJQ ´ 6LHPLQVNL WKRXJKW KHU SDWK ZDV VHW :KDW VKH KDG QRW DQWLFLSDWHG KRZHYHU ZDV D EXUJHRQLQJ ORYH RI VFLHQFH $ ¿UVW VHPHVWHU QHXUR VFLHQFH FRXUVH WDNHQ RQ D ZKLP SLTXHG KHU FXULRVLW\ DQG OHG WR VHFRQG VHPHVWHU HQUROOPHQW LQ DQ LQWURGXFWRU\ ELRORJ\ FRXUVH %\ WKH WKLUG VHPHVWHU VKH ZDV WDNLQJ KXPDQ SK\VLRORJ\ DQG UHDOL]LQJ KHU SODQV PLJKW FKDQJH ³7KHUH DUH D ORW RI GRFWRUV LQ P\ IDPLO\ ´ 6LHPLQVNL VD\V ³0\ IDWKHU LV DQ DQHVWKHVLRORJLVW P\ PRWKHU ZDV D SK\VLFLDQ¶V DVVLVWDQW EHIRUH KDYLQJ FKLOGUHQ P\ VLVWHU LV D SHGLDWULFLDQ DQG KHU EURWKHU LQ ODZ LV D QHXURUDGLRORJLVW , UHDOO\ STORY
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U B M E D PAT H WAY S
CANTY NAMED SUNY DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
RIA DIRECTOR HONORED WITH NATIONAL AWARD
John M. Canty Jr., MD ’79, Albert and Elizabeth Rekate Professor and chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, has been named a State University of New York Distinguished Professor. The highest faculty rank in the SUNY system, this prestigious honor is presented to individuals who have achieved national or international prominence in their fields.
Kenneth Leonard, PhD, director of UB’s Research Institute on Addictions, received the 2015 Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award from the American Psychological Association’s Society of Addiction Psychology (SoAP).
Canty’s noninvasive cardiology research has affected millions of patients with severe ischemic cardiomyopathy. It has led to ways of better identifying patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest and has resulted in novel approaches to repairing diseased heart muscle and growing new blood cells. A former president of the Association of Professors of Cardiology, Canty leads UB’s cardiovascular medicine faculty and integrates its cardiology sections at the VA Western New York Healthcare System, Erie County Medical Center and Kaleida Health.
Kim Fromme, PhD, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and former president of SoAP, nominated Leonard for the award, which recognizes a SoAP member who has made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to research in the addictions field. “Dr. Leonard is richly deserving of this prestigious award,” Fromme says. “His sustained program of research has garnered international recognition and expanded our understanding of the processes through which substance abuse affects family relationships.”
IN MEMORIAM GERALD L. LOGUE, MEDICAL EDUCATOR, HEMATOLOGIST Gerald L. Logue, MD, professor of medicine and chief of hematology, died suddenly on June 7, 2015. Known for his commitment to medical training, Logue devoted himself to supporting and enhancing dialogue on ethical and humanistic issues in health care. He played a major role in developing the clinical ethics program in Western New York and was co-director of UB’s Center for Clinical Ethics and Humanities in Health Care with Stephen E. Wear, PhD, associate professor of medicine. “He was an inspiring, engaged teacher and mentor whose ongoing commitment to medical education spanned all its levels—from medical student to fellow—and then to all of us who were honored to be his colleagues,” says Wear. In 1985, Logue received a White Coat Award for outstanding teaching and contributions to house staff, and in 1993 he was awarded a Commendation for Teaching Excellence. He was chief of medicine and then chief of staff at the Buffalo VA Medical Center, chief of the Division of Hematology in UB’s Department of Medicine and vice chair of medicine in 1990. He also was a clinician with UBMD Internal Medicine. Logue received his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and completed his residency and fellowship in hematology at Duke University Medical Center. He is survived by his wife Joelle, three sons and two grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Gerald Logue, MD Memorial Fund at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, care of the UB Foundation, PO Box 900, Buffalo, NY 14226.
DoctHERS BRAND LAUNCHED UB women physicians and biomedical scientists launched a new brand in the fall that helps to build and sustain a network for empowering and mentoring females in the field. Students, residents, physicians, scientists and faculty are welcome to join. Learn more about upcoming events and our network: visit medicine.buffalo.edu/alumni.
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DANIELS SERVES AS ALUMNI PRESIDENT
Jonathan Daniels, MD ’98, is the 2015-16 president of the Medical Alumni Association. A native of Buffalo, Daniels earned his bachelor of arts and medical degrees at UB, after which he trained in pediatrics at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. He practices at Main-Tonawanda Pediatrics, Integrity Health Group. Prior to attending UB, Daniels served in the United States Army Reserves as a combat medical specialist with the 365th Evacuation Hospital based in Niagara Falls, NY. He attained the rank of specialist and is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm and the Persian Gulf War. An active member of the community, Daniels serves on the board of March of Dimes and as a member of the admission committee for the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He also has served on the health board of Bethel Head Start Program and the medical credentialing boards of Univera Healthcare and Community Blue. Daniels is an alumni member of the 2009 Business First 40 Under 40 class, which recognizes outstanding Western New York business and community leaders under the age of 40.
UB HOST PROGRAM Help UB medical students take the next step on the road to residency—become a UB HOST today! The UB HOST Program, sponsored by the Medical Alumni Association, offers medical students and residents the opportunity to connect with alumni volunteers across the country. Alumni support can include:
H ospital and medical center tours O ne-on-one advice about residency, the interview process, relocation, the prospective medical center, community and your specialty
The program is designed to establish relationships between our alumni and students. It also helps our students save money while traveling and provides them with new contacts across the U.S.
To learn more, visit medicine.buffalo.edu/alumni and click on Events and Programs then UB HOST Program; or contact Laura Tysiac, alumni engagement assistant, Office of Alumni Engagement at lmtysiac@buffalo.edu. Thank you to those who are participating in UB HOST! After Match Day on March 17, 2016, be sure and go to medicine.buffalo.edu to view a list of where our 2016 grads placed.
S pecial opportunities for mentorship, shadowing and research
T ime with students and new residents, welcoming them to your community
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U B M E D PAT H WAY S R E U N I O N W E E K E N D 2 0 1 6 — S AV E T H E D AT E S F R I D AY , A P R I L 2 9 – S AT U R D AY , A P R I L 3 0 Friday, April 29, 2016 (1:30 p.m., Center for the Arts) Class of 2016 Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Graduation Ceremony Commencement speaker: Mukesh K. Jain, MD ’91 Alumni Reception and Distinguished Alumni Award Ceremony (5:30 p.m., Asbury Hall) Mukesh K. Jain, MD ’91, Distinguised Medical Alumnus Norma Nowak, PhD ’86, Distiguished Biomedical Sciences Alumna Helen Cappuccino, MD ’88, Volunteer of the Year
Celebrating the milestone years 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981,
Saturday, April 30, 2016 (two segments) Tours of Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus/Spring Clinical Day 2016 Scholarly Exchange Day (9 a.m., start time, Statler City) Reunion Dine-A-Rounds, 6 p.m. Hotel Reservations • All classes: Hampton Suites, 220 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY (716) 855-2223
1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016
Visit: medicine.buffalo.edu/alumni; or join UBMED Reunion 2016 Group on Facebook
• Class of 1966: Mansion on Delaware Avenue, 414 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, NY (716) 886-3300 RSVP by emailing ubmed@buffalo.edu or by phone at (716) 829-2773.
Plug yourself in. Starting now, every UB graduate is a member of the UB Alumni Association. And for the first time, it’s free!
Interested in earning guaranteed income for life while supporting the University at Buffalo? WE CAN ADVISE YOU ON WAYS YOU CAN MATCH YOUR FINANCIAL AND PHILANTHROPIC GOALS AND AT THE SAME TIME SUPPORT UB, WESTERN NEW YORK’S MAJOR ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL ASSET.
Generate guaranteed fixed income for life Earn a tax deduction Support UB’s future
www.buffalo.edu/alumni FIND OUT HOW: Contact Wendy Irving, Esq., Assistant Vice President, Office of Gift Planning, to request a personal financial illustration. 877-825-3422 dev-pg@buffalo.edu Your alumni-powered global network.
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www.giving.buffalo.edu/spree
UB CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY RATE CHART Age
Rate
60 65 70 75 80 85 90
4.4% 4.7% 5.1% 5.8% 6.8% 7.8% 9.0%
INVEST IN DISCOVERY Gifts to the Partners in Discovery
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE
Fund support vital medical research and development that may help scientists to discover cures and devices that improve or save lives tomorrow.
The Partners in Discovery Fund encourages both young investigators and established senior scientists to submit novel clinical and translational research proposals for pilot funding. The goal of this fund is to strengthen the clinical research pipeline by more rapidly translating laboratory findings into improved treatments for some of society’s most intractable diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and multiple sclerosis. Investing in the Partners in Discovery Fund today will support research studies that can make a difference in lives tomorrow. To make a gift or for more information, contact Gayle Hutton, senior major gift officer, at 716-829-5052, gehutton@buffalo.edu, or visit: giving.buffalo.edu/partners-in-discovery
JACOBS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
UB MED Q&A JEREMY JACOBS LEADS THE SCHOOLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BUILD THE VISION CAMPAIGN Jeremy M. Jacobs is co-chair of the $200 million Build the Vision campaign for University DW %XĚ&#x2020;DORÂśV -DFREV 6FKRRO RI 0HGLFLQH DQG %LRPHGLFDO 6FLHQFHV DQG D ORQJWLPH FKDLU RI the UB Council. As reported in our cover story, the Jacobs family recently made a historic $30 million gift to the school. 8% 0HGLFLQH asked Jacobs, chairman of Delaware North Companies, to talk about the campaign DQG ZK\ KH IHHOV LWV VXFFHVV LV LQWHJUDO WR WUDQVIRUPLQJ KHDOWK FDUH LQ %XĚ&#x2020;DOR Q: Why do you feel the new medical school is so important to the community? A: $ FDUHHU LQ PHGLFLQH LV RQH RI OLIHORQJ OHDUQLQJ DQG WHDFKLQJ DQG DW WKH FHQWHU RI DQ\ WKULYLQJ PHGLFDO FRPPXQLW\ LV D VWURQJ VFKRRO RI PHGLFLQH :LWKRXW LW :HVWHUQ 1HZ <RUN ZRXOG QHYHU UHDOL]H LWV IXOOHVW SRWHQWLDO DV D WRS WLHU GHVWLQDWLRQ IRU KHDOWK FDUH DQG ELRPHGLFDO UHVHDUFK Q: Why are you so personally involved in this campaign? A: 6XSSRUWLQJ 8%ÂśV PHGLFDO VFKRRO LV ÂżUVW DQG IRUHPRVW DQ LQYHVWPHQW LQ %XIIDOR² LQ ERWK WKH HFRQRP\ DQG KHDOWK RI LWV UHVLGHQWV , ZDQW P\ 'HODZDUH 1RUWK DVVRFLDWHV WR OLYH DQG ZRUN LQ D WKULYLQJ FLW\ ZKHUH WKH\ FDQ IHHO JRRG DERXW UDLVLQJ WKHLU IDPLOLHV Q: Are there other naming opportunities? A: 0\ IDPLO\ ZDV KRQRUHG WR VKDUH RXU QDPH ZLWK WKH PHGLFDO VFKRRO DQG WKHUH DUH QXPHURXV QDPLQJ RSSRUWXQLWLHV DYDLODEOH ERWK LQVLGH DQG RXWVLGH RI WKH QHZ EXLOGLQJ :H ORRN IRUZDUG WR VKDULQJ WKLV LQYHVWPHQW ZLWK DV PDQ\ SHRSOH DV SRVVLEOH Q: Is the campaign just for major donors? A: 8% ZDV IRXQGHG DV D PHGLFDO VFKRRO \HDUV DJR /RRN DW WKH WUHPHQGRXV ZD\V LW KDV LPSDFWHG DQG FRQWLQXHV WR LPSDFW WKLV UHJLRQ )URP HGXFDWLRQDO DQG FXOWXUDO RIIHULQJV WR EHLQJ D FDWDO\VW IRU WKH ORFDO HFRQRP\ RXU FRPPXQLW\ LV IRUWXQDWH WR KDYH WKLV LQVWLWXWLRQ
Supporting UBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medical school is ďŹ rst and foremost an investment in Buffaloâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in both the economy and health of its residents. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jeremy M. Jacobs
:H LQYLWH HYHU\RQH WR SDUWLFLSDWH LQ WKH PHGLFDO VFKRRO FDPSDLJQ DQG WKHUH LV QR FRQWULEXWLRQ WKDW LV WRR VPDOO To learn how to support the Build the Vision Campaign for the Jacobs 6FKRRO RI 0HGLFLQH DQG %LRPHGLFDO 6FLHQFHV FDOO HPDLO XDGY PHGLFLQH#EXĚ&#x2020;DOR HGX RU YLVLW ZZZ JLYLQJ EXĚ&#x2020;DOR HGX EXLOG
Jacobs
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Count me in.
“I believe in the power of higher education to transform our world. The new UB medical school will bring the best in health care education to its students while helping our region’s economy. I’m excited and privileged to be a part of that.” Stephanie T. Mucha, friend of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Seize this chance to revolutionize medical education, health care and research in Western New York. Find out how you or your business can become a partner at this pivotal moment in Buffalo’s history. Contact Eric Alcott, 716-829-2773 medicine@devmail.buffalo.edu www.giving.buffalo.edu/ubmedicine THE NEW UB JACOBS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES ON THE BUFFALO NIAGARA MEDICAL CAMPUS
21st-century education, treatment and discovery
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage
UB Medicine University at Buffalo 901 Kimball Tower Buffalo, NY 14214-8028
PAID Buffalo, NY Permit No. 311
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I’m thankful. Sarina Meikle was on track for a PhD in molecular biology when she decided to go to medical school instead. She chose UB, she says, “to remain close to the people who have kept me grounded throughout my schooling.” Sarina is grateful for her UB scholarship, as it allows her to keep her options open. “It helps me decide my future specialty because I’m not as worried about paying back student loans. So I’m freer to explore which field I’m most interested in, not necessarily the highest paying one.”
The best public universities have the strongest private support.
www.giving.buffalo.edu or toll free at 855-GIVE-2-UB