AUC Connections: Winter/Spring 2006

Winter/Spring 2006

An Air of Defiance Dr. Harbut fights to stop asbestos exposure

M e s s a g e from the Alumni Relation Director Greetings from your alma mater, AUC School of Medicine! The Office of Alumni Relations is the primary link between the University and our alumni. Our goal is to encourage and foster lifelong alumni participation, involvement and commitment.

Over the next year, our aim is to provide access and support that will enable you to stay connected to AUC so you can be a part of, and benefit from, the success of the School. From creating programs that match the interest and needs of the alumni; to maintaining and building upon the positive relationships we have with our committed alumni volunteers; to increasing communication with our recent graduates, we strive to be a strong bridge between alumni and their alma mater. In order to achieve these goals, we will require the participation of our AUC staff, friends, and each and every one of you!

We recognize, acknowledge and embrace our alumni as vital members in the future. We encourage all our graduates to participate in our volunteer programs, services, campus reunion and regional events. Please continue to keep in touch and support the AUC Alumni Association through your participation and Annual Fund.

We also encourage each alumnus to become a regional ambassador in their communities by assisting in recruitment efforts at local school fairs, calling prospective students and serving on reunion committees to extend a personal touch and inspire the next generation of physicians.

To existing alumni and those soon to be, I welcome you and look forward to meeting you at future events.

Sincerely,

Editor’s Note When the idea of an alumni magazine first bounced around, I wasn’t even here.

When I arrived in our offices in Coral Gables, most of the articles were written, most of the photos collected and most of everything else already done. The magazine was in its final production stage and I wasn’t even allowed to get my feet wet.

Instead, I was pushed right into the pool.

But happily (and fully dry), we present AUC Connections. The University, now with about 4,000 alumni, opened its doors 27 years ago with hardly any notion of an alumni magazine for the future. The magazine is a celebration of being an AUC alum and a practicing medical doctor thanks to the University. No matter if you graduated from the Montserrat or St. Maarten campus, we hope the magazine brings pride in being an AUC alumnus(a).

Being our first issue, we welcome all questions and comments. We want the magazine to continue improving and cannot do it without your guidance. It is a team effort, and we believe our team is not confined to those who work in our office. As evidenced in this issue, the magazine would have never launched without the help of alumni, their spouses and office staff.

With AUC on the rise as a medical school, we hope to present the magazine in some way that will do the school justice.

Maria Gracia Mazzotti Director of Alumni Relations Nila Do Editor

O

submissions wanted

Our magazine is only as good as the content you, the alumni, provide to us. We are always looking for: story ideas research developments personal accounts honors/recognitions letters to the editor publications alumni notes columns photos Please submit ideas, by contacting us at: tel. 305 446 0600, ext. 51 fax 786 433 0974 e-mail aucconnections@aucmed.edu All article submissions are to be provided in Microsoft Word document format. The text should be in Times New Roman, 12-point font, doubledspaced.

Winter/Spring 2006, Volume 1 Director of Alumni Relations Maria Gracia Mazzotti

Graphic Designer Ana Irizarry

Editors

Nila Do Sarah Reginelli

Copy Editor J. Daniel Duran

Contributing Writers Linda Packia Raj, M.D. Capt. Bill Walker, M.D. Timothy Holcomb, M.D.

Contributing Photographer

Features

A year after the December 2004 tsunami struck Southeast Asia, the numbers still remain difficult to grasp — 300,000 lives taken and more than five million people affected. Dr. Packia Raj strives to make a difference and diaries her story of tsunami relief work in civil war-plagued Sri Lanka.

With the U.S. government and big business oppositions looming, asbestosis expert Dr. Michael Harbut seeks to aid those exposed to toxic materials.

Departments

Editorial Office

Alumni Connection

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial staff or contributing writers and do not necessarily represent the official positions of American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine or the AUC Alumni Association.

AUC Connections is printed biannually by Color Express Printing at 7990 West 25th Court, Hialeah, FL 33016.

If your address or other contact information has changed since you last updated it with AUC, please submit your new information to the address above or online at: http://www.aucmed.edu/alumni/alum_eform.htm Cover photo by Cybelle Codish Magazine logo designed by Debbie Gichlik

16

Battle to Breathe

Campus Connection

Please send all questions, comments and suggestions to the address or email listed above. AUC Connections editors reserve the right to edit all print submissions for length and clarity, and assume no responsibility for unsolicited submissions.

Reproduction for publication without written permission is prohibited.

6

A Day in the Life

Cybelle Codish

AUC Connections Department of Alumni Relations 901 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Ste. 401 Coral Gables, FL 33134 Phone 305.446.0600 Fax 786.133.0071 Email aucconnections@aucmed.edu Web www.aucmed.edu/aucconnections

CONTENTS

2

4

Honors Robinowitz-Elins Earns Prestigious Galloway Fellowship Dillard Focuses on Relief Efforts

5

Publications Healthy Reading The Far East Meets the Wild West

Profiles 10

Living Life to the Fullest Maurice Yankow, M.D.

11

A Doctor’s Dream Paul Flora, M.D.

12

Never a Dull Moment Stephen J. Nelson, M.A., M.D., F.C.A.P.

From the St. Maarten Classroom to the Iraqi Desert

14

By Capt. Bill Walker, M.D.

Notes & Spotlights

20

Island Connection

24

AUC connections 1

campus Connection Welcome to the St. Maarten Campus

A

fter the Soufrière Hills volcano began erupting on Montserrat in July 1995, American University of the Caribbean found a new home about 100 miles southeast on the island of St. Maarten. Today AUC students find themselves on a beautiful, contemporary campus specifically designed to meet a medical student’s needs.

The academic facilities offer future doctors the tools for earning a highquality medical education including fully equipped laboratories and clinical patient examination rooms. The four lecture halls on campus feature the latest audio/visual technology, and the extensive library subscribes to more than 100 medical journals and current medical and scientific texts.

Life on campus can be described with one word — picturesque. The Academic Center, overlooking Simpson Bay Lagoon, is architecturally stunning with a dramatic three-story atrium, courtyard and beautiful landscaping. In 2002, AUC added another amenity overlooking Cupecoy Bay near the French St. Martin border — fully fur-

nished one- and twobedroom apartments in the 80,000 square foot on-campus apartment building. The building has a lounge for group study and is only a short walk to Cupecoy’s unspoiled beach for relaxation.

The new surroundings seem to suit the school well. The average GPA of incoming students is now 3.1, with an average MCAT score of 22. In 2003 and 2004, the American Association of Clinical Anatomists honored AUC students for papers they presented at the Annual National Conference. AUC graduates have consistently placed higher compared to the national average placement for all foreign medical students entering the National Residency Match Program.

On average 500 students attend the school, and enrollment continues to

FiveFaculty Members Retire

I

f you visit the St. Maarten campus, you will notice the absence of some familiar faces that have shaped AUC’s brand of professionalism. The end of the summer 2005 semester marked the retirement of five AUC faculty members — J. Sue Austin, Ph.D.; Mario Loukas, M.D., Ph.D; Margrit Trotz, Ph.D; S. Jerome Putnam, Ph.D; and Maya Menon, Ph.D. Dr. Austin, a professor of psychology, provided dedicated and valued counseling services to students and their families. Dr. Loukas, an avid researcher, was an assistant professor of anatomy and advisor to the on-campus Clinical Research Society. Both professors started teaching at AUC in January 2003.

Dr. Trotz taught biochemistry and molecular genetics at AUC for 13 years. Her extensive tenure included teaching on both the Montserrat and St. Maarten campuses and serving 2 Winter/Spring 2006

rise. For the last two years, and the only time in AUC history, there has been a waitlist to enroll. This past fall, the class was filled to the maximum number allowed by accreditation. The AUC name is gaining more recognition with the help of every doctor it graduates.

as assistant dean, associate dean and chief proctor for the SHELF exams.

Drs. Putnam and Menon, husband and wife, taught at AUC for 13 and 14 years, respectively. Putnam was professor of the neuroscience courses. Menon was responsible for organizing the lectures and laboratory sessions for cell biology and histology, which she also taught in conjunction. She also managed the lab manual and the design of the histology lab on the St. Maarten campus. She taught molecular genetics and served as the chairperson of several committees and departments. The couple plans to retire to Costa Rica.

These professors left an indelible mark on AUC and will be missed by faculty, students and alumni alike.

Meet Bernard “Buz” Salafsky

New Dean of Basic Sciences

STATS CURRENT POSITIONS: Dean of Basic Science AUC School of Medicine

Professor of Pharmacology University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford Head of WHO Collaborating Center Assistant Director in International Programs University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford

SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE:

Tropical Parasitic Disease (immunology & molecular biology) Pharmacology and Toxicology Environmental and Public Health Health Systems Research

COMPANY BOARDS: Dermaegis, CEO Biovector, CEO Atometric

AWARDS & HONORS:

Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, 2004

Letters of Recognition, U.S. Congress, President George Bush, 2004

Special Senior Fellow, MDAA, l973 Nominated: Outstanding Young Men of America, l970 Fulbright Lecturer, Malaysia, l968

O

n July 1, 2005 Bernard “Buz” Salafsky became dean of Basic Sciences at AUC. He retired as dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford in June 2004 after serving nearly 22 years. He held a number of concurrent appointments and currently holds professional appointments in the College of Medicine at both Rockford and Chicago campuses. Dr. Salafsky also heads the WHO Collaborating Center and directs the international programs for rural medicine in Rockford.

Salafsky received a Ph.D. in pharmacology at the University of Washington, Seattle and has held academic appointments at the University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Bristol (UK), in addition to several years of service with the WHO, primarily in Asia. He served as an external examiner at the University of Malaya and was involved in numerous curricular workshops. He is the recipient of several awards, including the Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, Letters of Recognition by the U.S. Congress and Fulbright Lecturer.

Salafsky has maintained two primary academic interests — medical education and the study of parasitic disease. He feels the need to shape education in ways that make it more relevant to societal needs, both in the United States and overseas. He has continued to serve the WHO and its regional offices in Washington, D.C. and New Delhi through a number of short-term consultancies to medical schools in Latin America and Asia, and provided leadership in the organization for several international conferences.

10-year experience working in several developing countries. He has maintained an active research laboratory with K. Ramaswamy, associate professor of immunology and interim head of biomedical sciences, funded by the National Institutes of Health and primarily dedicated to schistosomiasis and other skin penetrating parasites.

Salafsky authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications dealing with both educational and scientific issues, and holds two patents.

Together with colleagues in Rockford, he has conceptualized the Rural Medical Education Program for Illinois. More recently, he extended this program to other health professions.

His other accolades include stimulating the establishment of graduate programs in nursing and public health, working with the three Rockford health systems to enhance Rockford as a tertiary referral center, helping reorganize the Rockford Health Council, and forging alliances with other community-based medical schools and in the industry, particularly with Pierce Biotechnology.

Please welcome Dr. Buz Salafsky to our wonderful university!

Salafsky’s interest in tropical parasitic disease has been largely due to his AUC connections 3

alumni Connection HONORS

Dillard

Receives Grant for Medical Aid in Montserrat

T

he Laerdal Foundation for Acute Medicine awarded Faith Dillard, M.D. (’99) with a grant of more than $4,800 for her work with a project to aid medical care in Montserrat.

The island, ravaged by a volcano eruption in 1997, remains in need of medical training, equipment and supplies.

Dillard has set aside the funding to purchase medical and personal protective equipment for the first responders and nurses staffing the island’s ambulances.

“We want to give the capable hands there the support they need to have an emergency medical response that is equal to the disaster capabilities that have been established on the island,” Dillard said.

“When the medical system has

Robinowitz-Elins

the training and equipment they need to respond to mass casualty, stabilize and transport critical patients, and do so safely, then we will have accomplished our goal.”

Dillard, currently finishing her residency at the George Washington University Medical Center, is no stranger to relief aid. During the 2005 disasters of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, she and her FEMA New Jersey DMAT, or Disaster Medical Assistance Team, were called on to provide needed medical assistance for hurricane victims. Dillard helped hundreds of victims during both catastrophes.

Dillard, named a 2003-04 Yale/Johnson & Johnson Scholar in International Health, and her husband, PJ,

founded the Montserrat Emergency Medicine Project in 2003. The couple dedicated the project to the improvement of medical treatment on the island. It obtains donations for emergency rescue, acquires and transports donated medical equipment and trains medical personnel in their use.

Another arm of the organization trains nurses, aides, ambulance drivers, firefighters and policemen in CPR. The project introduced its first recertification course in January 2005.

Between training medical staff, maintaining and refurbishing equipment and

Earns P r e s t i g i o u s G a l l o w a y F e l l o w s h i p

D

r. Hillary RobinowitzElins (’01) received a Galloway Fellowship in gynecology at the prominent Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Robinowitz-Elins, currently completing her fourth year as a resident at the Methodist Hospital at Dallas, is the first Caribbean medical graduate honored with this prestigious award.

Though hundreds apply, the Josey K. Galloway family provides no more than three fellowship positions each year for an OB/GYN resident in his or her third year. Robinowitz-Elins received travel arrangements to and from New York, a furnished apartment, access to academic facilities, a basic stipend and health insurance.

Supervised by gynecology services faculty, Robinowitz-Elins cared for gynecology service 4 Winter/Spring 2006

inpatients and outpatients, participated in faculty meetings and assisted in surgical procedures. The fellowship provides up to three months of intensive clinical and academic experience in gynecology and oncology, the most competitive fellowship.

The fellowship is “basically the golden ticket for applying for a gynecology and oncology fellowship,” she said. “It is the equivalent to the Rhode Scholar for OB/GYN.”

Robinowitz-Elins, who paved the way for others as the first Caribbean graduate awarded with the fellowship, offers advice for other island students vying for competitive fellowships.

“The best way for a Caribbean student [to achieve a fellowship] is to prove their work effort,” she said.

securing donations, Dillard, her husband and the Montserrat Emergency Medicine Project have their hands full.

“You have to consider the difficulty of maintaining a health system in an isolated environment, the problems with volunteer medical care and on-site medical staff, and expectations of a government that wants to stay within the budget,” Dillard said. “It will most likely be a lifelong project for myself and my husband.”

Dillard admits the opportunities to help others outside a hospital are part of the necessities she sees for herself.

“If I couldn’t go out to do this, I think my career would be shorter, just because of the stress [of working inside hospitals],” she said. “Then again, it’s really gratifying. It makes my job better when I come on home.”

Healthy Reading T

he American Heart Association projects that nearly 180 million Americans are obese. It seems dieters have tried everything to rid themselves of the extra pounds, but one AUC graduate may have come up with the answer.

In 2004, Dr. Fred Pescatore (’86) published The Hamptons Diet, a response to Dr. Atkins’ famous diet, which combines the best of the Mediterranean diet with the latest science on carbohydrates. Pescatore, once associate medical director of the Atkins Center, devoted his career to nutrition, weight-health and integrative medicine.

After completing residencies at St. Vincent’s, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, and St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York, Pescatore traveled across Southeast Asia, India, Japan, Africa and Europe. During his travels he trained with practitioners specializing in alternative healing techniques.

When he returned, Pescatore work with Dr. Robert C. Atkins and the Atkins Center, the world’s preeminent center for complementary medicine. After Atkins passed away in April 2003, Pescatore opened his own private practice called Partners in Integrative Medicine with offices in New York City, Dallas and Palm Beach, Fla.

Pescatore makes frequent appearances in print media including Women’s Health and Fitness and The New York Times, and on radio and television broadcasts such as “Good Day LA,” “The

PUBLICATIONS

Today Show” and “The O’Reilly Factor” as an expert on health and nutrition.

The Hamptons Diet – 2004 Pescatore presents The Hamptons Diet, complete with 30-day meal plans featuring more than 100 recipes that introduce a secret ingredient – Australian macadamia nut oil, the most monounsaturated oil on the planet.

The Allergy and Asthma Cure – 2003 In this hands-on guide, Pescatore shows how allergies, asthma, eczema, hives, sinus difficulties and other allergic conditions relate to our unbalanced eating habits and can create increased levels of inflammation in our bodies.

Thin for Good – 2000 This program combines a balanced, appetizing and responsible diet program including more complex carbs and healthier fats than other diets with a mind-body plan eliminating dieters’ cravings by permanently altering their attitudes and emotional attachments to food.

Feed Your Kids Well – 1999 Pescatore brings an empathetic and hopeful tone to this groundbreaking guide, which appeared as a best-selling children’s health book.

The Far East Meets the Wild West Jeri Mills, M.D. (’87), grew up knowing she would devote her life to caring for others. She started her career as a veterinary doctor and later earned her M.D. When she began medical practice in Tucson, Ariz., she found Reiki, and her outlook on medicine was transformed.

Mills found combining Reiki, the holistic healing system involving techniques for stress reduction and relaxation, with traditional Western medicine in her everyday practice helped to calm her patients and relieve much of their need for postoperative pain medication.

She began to share her mix of Reiki and Western medicine with the staff at the University of Arizona College of Nursing. They found her technique so effective that they asked Mills to provide a course on the subject.

Since Mills became a Reiki master and teacher in 1995, she has lectured internationally on bridging the gap between Eastern and Western medicine. Her articles on women’s health and integrative medicine have appeared in American, British and Canadian publications. She also practices obstetrics and gynecology using Reiki in everyday patient care.

In 2001, Mills published the acclaimed Tapestry of Healing: Where Reiki and Medicine Intertwine. The first half of the book recounts Mills’ experience as a physician adding Reiki to her practice. The second half provides readers with an introduction to Eastern medicine, a guide to several energy therapies and the ethical issues and responsibilities that go along with using them.

AUC connections 5

in the

Dr. Linda Packia Raj (’96)

es an ight) examin Packia Raj (r respiratory r pe up an ith infant boy w e camp. ge fu n at a re tract infectio

t raveled to Sri Lanka earlier this year to attend to a nation not only devastated by the December 26 tsunami, but also crippled by civil war.

na prog ram spo in d te a ip ic rt a up of Packia Raj p te Medical Gro ia, en n a m er P e th Californ sored by te of Northern anka and en n a m er P er Kais ri L ns rotated to S where physicia orked mostly in the city of w Indonesia. She ef camps, schoolrooms, li Batticaloa at re nd the Batticaloa General a ts n mosques, te Hospital. nt of personal accou than a , ry o st er h more She tells on that needed ded a docti a n a in g in nee work e and care — it just tender lov re. ca tor’s love and

➔

Editor’s Note: The following are edited excerpts of the entries Dr. Packia Raj wrote to her family, friends and colleagues during her time in Sri Lanka.

I was in Sri Lanka from

February 19 - March 16, 2005

As soon as I saw the pictures of the tsunami and heard people speaking in my native language, Tamil, I wanted to go to help. I was born in Chennai, formerly Madras, in South India so I felt really connected to the people and places.

the escalating violence. Sadly, it is always the innocent people, Tamil and Sinhalese alike, caught in the middle.

My team consisted of four members from different Kaiser Hospitals in northern California: Shirley Tamoria, M.D.; Cathy Baker, M.D.; Joshua Weil, M.D.; and myself.

We flew into Colombo, COLOMBO the capital of Sri Lanka, and then drove to Batticaloa on the East Coast. We worked with UNICEF, International Red Galle Cross and Handicaps International, as well as the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka.

The tsunami affected the poorest and most vulnerable people, already victims of civil war. Everyone we met had lost someone in the tsunami. And the unknowns of the civil tensions — part of the team missed a grenade by moments while driving to the hospital — was, at times, frightening.

SRI LANKA

My husband, Geoff, Batticaloa stayed at home with our 2year-old daughter, Skylar. When I was leaving to Sri Lanka, my daughter said, “Mommy go to Sri Lanka and make everyone all better.” A lot to live up to! But I hope Tissamaharama that one day she will also be Hambantota inspired to help others.

X

A group of children wave from one of the Batticaloa camps Packia Raj visite d.

I found there was a great need for my specialty because PM&R does not exist in Sri Lanka, and physical therapy and musculoskeletal medicine are usually supervised by rheumatology or orthopedics.

Our work was further complicated by the political turmoil in Sri Lanka. There has been a 30-year civil war between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamil Tigers.

Unfortunately Batticaloa was a flashpoint for AUC connections 7

3/2/05

Today is Wedne sday, and we have been in Battic aloa for ten days. I feel like I have been here a long time and will be here for a long time. It may be becaus e I have a little cold and am a little under the weath er. I took a long nap this aftern oon and feel a bit better now. One thing I like about here is the genera l lack of mirror s, which is good becaus e my hair seems to constantly stand straigh t up. I remin d myself this is stylish in some circles .

Today was good. One of the tsunam i victim s I saw was a woman in her 40s who was caugh t in her house and had a big open wound treate d with a skin graft. She was wearin g a blue housecoat and as she lifted it to expose her knee, she told me about how the waves

LPR 3/3/05

swept her in her house and she had to cling onto the open ceiling.

Then as she came down, another wave swept her and she held onto an electricity pole until the water receded and someone helped her down. Her leg was cut by glass, she thinks, while in her house.

The ortho clinic was incredibly busy, with every kind of patient imaginable — middle-aged women, young men, babies with casts on both legs…

A woman was screaming and moaning, rolling on the ground in front of the ICU, crying “Amma, amma” (“mother, mother”) for her 65-year-old mother who died of encephalitis. The ICU consultant

fee t in to a tel ehi m. It lif ted hi m 15 This has been a busy week. hi s ar ms an d leg s. ph on e po le th at cu t On Sunday, we went to an orphanre w hi m in to a co nTh e se co nd wave th age that was devastated by the wa s ca rr ied like cr ete po le. Fin ally he tsunami. We met 35 little boys from e’s sh ou lde r, wh er e a sa ck over so me on the ages of 7-15 who were first h ou t so me wa ter. he wa s ab le to co ug orphaned by the civil war and then a ho sp ita l an d wa s He wa s air lif ted to their home was destroyed by the ys . in a co ma for fou r da tsunami. Their headmaster, a wiry boys exce pt on e Fo rtu na tely, all th e man with a big mustache, lived ug h y ma de it ou t, alt ho across the street from the orphanage. dis ab led bo die d savin g th em . th re e tea ch er s als o One 9-year-old boy studying in his lem n fac es an d big Lo ok in g at th eir so house was lifted by the water to the lis ten in g to th e br ow n eyes , I fou nd ceiling where he pulled himself gave th em so me sto rie s dif fic ult . We through a hole into the attic and th ey we re tra ns toy s an d ca nd y, an d waited until the army rescued him. in s an d lau gh ter, for me d: all to ot hy gr The headmaster wasn’t quite as he r. sh ar in g wi th ea ch ot lucky. He was pulling out the three ach, it is pa ra If yo u loo k at th e be smallest boys and was about to run empt y pu re wh ite dis e — str etche s of himself when the first wave caught ea n, an d a ca lm , blu e oc ite ge nt le rhyt hm of wh ge nca ps , co co nu t tre es u yo tly sw ay in g. Th en s de vtu rn ar ou nd an d it’ ou gh t as ta tio n: tw ist ed wr wi th iro n ga tes sta nd in g

said this was not uncommon. He smiled, a little sadly. Shirley is doing medicine rounds and we were talking about how amazing the doctors are here. Everything is much more clinically based. You just can’t really compare, it’s like apples to oranges, but I guess it’s all still fruit and it’s all good for you.

I love the evenings here. The temperature just drops and the ocean breeze picks up. It’s perfect to sit out on the veranda and talk. The night stars are really pretty, so many more as the moon waxes. I can only identify Orion, and as it gets later, I think I’ve seen the Southern Cross low on the horizon, but it’s been debated...

the concre te fence knocked out; pink and turquo ise stucco houses with gaping jagged holes cored throug h; saris, shirts , papers and books wrapp ed high into trees. I swear you can almost hear the echo of groani ng metal and the roar of rushin g water crushi ng everyt hing in its path.

We visited a friend ’s house and watch ed a video, the type that would never be shown in the United States . It showe d the chaos of people runnin g and the bodies of people and anima ls and debris everyw here. Most distur bing were the hospit al scene — rows and rows of bodies with their heads tied to keep the mouth s closed , and worst yet, the rows and rows and rows of childr en and babies . I though t I was the only one crying but when I looked up, everyo ne was wiping their eyes.

As bad as what we see is, it is still the cleane d-up versio n, eight weeks later. Be well and be safe. I am.

Love, Lin

Packia Raj (left) checks over three children at a Batticaloa refugee camp.

March 5-8, 2005 It has been a few intense days.

Although it rained, it’s been a little hotter. The veranda, which we used to sit on and look for the Southern Cross, has been too muggy and buggy.

I went to a hospital south of Batticaloa called Kalmunai with the Danish PT students and the chief PT from Batti General.

Kalmunai Hospital was washed out by the tsunami, but is now up and running. It has wide, open corridors and central gardens, which are shady and cool in the dry heat.

There are dogs and the occasional chicken wandering freely outside among the tropical bushes. Some people are sitting on their cots, watching what’s going on. Others are lying curled up, and others are somewhere in between.

We saw a stroke patient with right-sided hemiparesis lying on his bed. He was aphasic, a fine line of drool running down his mouth, and though he couldn’t talk, he could follow simple commands.

The PT students got him up, and after I asked, the nurses procured a wheelchair and we positioned

him , pro ppi ng him up wit h his pill ow. He was cou ghing , pro bab ly alre ady sta rting to get asp irat ion pne umo nia .

In the eve nin g we me t wit h one of the Gre ek phy sici ans . He said he’ d bee n her e sin ce thr ee day s afte r the tsu nam i, and if he did n’t get hom e soo n, his girl frie nd wou ld leave him .

And I’m compla inin g bec aus e I mis s my hus ban d and bab y afte r 2 wee ks?

Per spe ctive hel ps.

Tod ay, Ma rch 8, is a hol iday. The PT offi ces are clos ed and I am hom e by my self .

The sile nce is res tor ative . Be wel l and stay safe .

I am .

Lin da

Upon returning to the United States, Packia Raj wrote:

I would do the trip again. The ways I feel enrich ed personally and profes sional ly are so many, and I would recomme nd volunt eer work of this sort, or any other, to all physic ians. There really is no “good time” to volunt eer, the stress es of time and schedu les will take care of themselves when you are driven . The work is deeply satisfy ing and rich in meani ng. It’s why we go into medic ine at the

March 8, 2005 We went to the camps on Saturd ay as an indepe ndent team for the first time with the nursin g studen ts and our own supply of meds. Shirle y and Josh really went throug h and organi zed our meds, counti ng all the pills down to 1336 parace tamol tablets .

Josh had a 5-mon th-old boy with a large scalp absces s. Becau se of the difficulty in getting to the hospit al, the mothe r didn’t want to go. We offered her money or a ride, but she was adama nt about waitin g for her husband. One proble m here is the familie s often go to faith healer s to remove bad spirits and delay obtain ing medic al care. But after seeing this mothe r in the camp, I can see how physic ians here could be frustr ated. It’s heartbreaki ng. We’re not here to change culture, just do the little things we can.

On our way home, we saw more securi ty from the Sri Lanka n Army (SLA) . They are just boys, really, dresse d up in camou flage and carryi ng rifles. There’ s been some escala tion of violen ce, but it’s hard for us to gauge. I don’t feel like we are in danger, but given the compl icated histor y and the deep-r ooted feeling s — so hard for us to under stand as Ameri cans — it’s something to keep in mind. Be well and stay safe, I am.

Linda

most fundam ental level: to help people .

Today Dr. Packia Raj works and lives in California.

AUC connections 9

alumni Connection PROFILES

Living

T Life

to the

Fullest

One doctor defies age-old tradition and begins his medical school education at age 63.

he average American retires somewhere in his or her 60s.

Most retirees picture themselves settled in a condo in Florida, or in the middle of a cross-country R.V. trip or relaxed, fishing with the grandkids.

Not Dr. Maurice Yankow (’81). At the age of 63, Yankow left his job of nearly 30 years and enrolled at AUC. Today at age 89, Yankow is still a practicing psychiatrist.

Yankow was born in New Rochelle, N.Y., to Latvian parents. When he finished high school, he enrolled in college with thoughts of becoming a doctor. The financial hardship brought by the Depression made his decision in choosing schools easy. He went to the tuitionfree City College and majored in science.

In his 30s, Yankow became a teacher in his hometown while earning a Master’s and Ph.D. in experimental embryology from Fordham. With his accelerated degrees, Yankow began teaching part time at local colleges, even though they paid less than public schools.

To compensate for the need of additional funds, he continued teaching and counseling at New Rochelle High School as well.

When Yankow was in his 60s, he saw an opportunity to teach at AUC advertised in the paper. He applied for the job, and AUC offered him the position. While

10 Winter/Spring 2006

deciding whether or not to take the job and move to the island, Yankow’s wife challenged him to turn down the job offer and enroll as a student. He had always wanted to delve into medicine, and his wife presented him with the perfect challenge. He took it, and at age 63 began studying to earn his M.D.

By the age of 70, Yankow was a licensed physician. He completed his residency in psychiatry, a specialty he hardly considered beforehand. He started in the psychiatric emergency room, but quickly moved into addiction therapy because of the opportunity to form better relationships with the patients. On a practical level, Yankow knew that at 70 years old the stress of working in an emergency room environment would be too much to handle long term.

He now works at the New Focus Clinic at St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, N.Y., three days a week and rotates between the general offices and methadone clinic. His patients include heroine addicts, marijuana smokers and tobacco users, with whom he spends a large portion of his time working.

His approach to treatment is multi-tiered to produce better results, to which he brings his childhood passion for cartoons into play.

Yankow, whose brother and sister-in-law died of lung cancer, decorates his office

overlooking the Hudson River with his own handdrawn posters featuring antiaddiction slogans. One cartoon shows a fish ready to bite a lit cigarette dangling from a fishing hook. The caption reads, “Are you a sucker fish? Cigarettes take your money. Cigarettes take your health.” Another shows a $1 and $5 bill half-burnt with captions of “What you burn up, every time you smoke a pack.”

The cartoons help him to connect to his patients, who at times are decades younger.

This kind of challenge, though, drives him. Yankow overcame adversity to earn four college degrees, pursue three full careers and care for a happy family. The effort keeps him youthful, and he will continue to work and challenge himself as long as he can.

- Sarah Reginelli

Restricted by the rules most medical centers enforce, Dr. Paul Flora’s open-door policy keeps patients healthy and him fulfilled. r. C.J. “Paul” Flora (’92) came a long way to see his medical dreams come true. Born in the Philippines, Flora and his family left their home and moved across the Pacific with hopes that Flora would practice as a doctor. After receiving his medical degree, the hope went one step further when Flora opened Aloha Medical Center in late 2003.

D

Flora owns and operates the private practice he built on Kauai, Hawaii. The center houses doctors and nurses, a diagnostic laboratory and an on-site pharmacy. The facility is equipped with $350,000 worth of medical equipment, including a bone density scanner. Soon there will be an on-site treadmill stress test and stress echocardiograph so patients can receive all medical care in one location.

“The patients are the very essence of my existence and success,” Flora said. “[The center] gives me freedom to innovate and match patient care needs.”

Flora wanted to provide the optimum level of care in his center, something he did not see at other centers.

Before founding Aloha Medical Center, he worked with an HMSA-run medical center on Kauai. Strict policies would not allow doctors to treat patients before or after hours. Even when patients were waiting in the rain, doctors could not open the doors until official hours began.

When he opened his new location, about 3,000 of his patients followed. Nearly 2,500 of the patients attended the center’s grand opening luau, an impressive number considering Lihue, the city where Aloha Medical Center is located, is home to less than 6,000 people.

Flora maintained his goal to put patients first. The center sees about 300 patients a week, stays open on Saturdays and has after-hours appointments. He also makes house calls for elderly and disabled patients. He often goes without lunch and does his dictation in the evenings at his home to fit more appointments.

As a child in the Philippines, Flora worked on his family’s rice farm and sugar plantation. Later, he became a nurse and saw firsthand how to treat patients.

When his family moved to Honolulu, he worked as an intensive care unit nurse and continued to after he moved to San Francisco. Then at age 34, with 19 years of ICU experience and an MBA in Hospital Business Administration, he enrolled in medical school.

“I was a registered nurse and still proud of having been one,” Flora said. “Becoming a doctor was another step to prove to myself that the mind has no limits. If you work hard, you get rewarded.”

After graduating from AUC and finishing his residency in California, Flora moved back to Lihue to be near his family. Seven years of serving in a private practice and treating loyal patients prepared him for opening his own medical center.

A Doctor’s Dream Flora’s commitment to his patients paid off, literally.

Planning and constructing the one-story, 4,875 squarefoot Aloha Medical Center cost $1.3 million. Flora’s bank loaned him the funds using his reputation and track record of loyal patients as collateral.

“It was hard work, hard work, hard work and an outstanding name in the community” that allowed him to build his practice, Flora said.

Aloha Medical Center is now a thriving practice open six days a week with plans to open small satellite clinics around the island.

“Aloha Medical Center is the legacy of my dedication and love for my patients,” Flora said. “With these thoughts I sleep well at night.”

- Sarah Reginelli

AUC connections 11

alumni Connection

a dull moment “My wife says that she can easily tell if I had any children come through my office, as I am ‘more quiet’ when I get home,” said Chief Medical Examiner Stephen J. Nelson, M.A., M.D., F.C.A.P. (’85).

While death is not uncommon among medical physicians, for Nelson it is why he goes to work. As an expert in forensic and anatomic pathology and neuropathology, Nelson realized early his trade had a prerequisite not written on his job description — a thick skin. Having autopsied thousands of bodies during his career, the father of two still finds the sight of children lying lifelessly on his fiberglass gurneys absolutely debilitating.

“The deaths of children, accidental and abusive, become withering [on an individual],” Nelson said.

As chief medical examiner for the 10th Judicial Circuit office, Nelson manages the office and performs his fair share of autopsies. His office in Winter Haven is the seventh busiest in Florida and serves Polk, Hardee and Highlands County. In 2004, the 10-member office conducted about 700 autopsies.

12 Winter/Spring 2006

He also works closely with police and investigators. On occasions, Nelson is called by law enforcement agencies to examine the bodies at homicide and non-homicide scenes. He also allows law enforcement inside his office to stay for hours to collect, photograph and process all necessary data in an investigation. Nelson always makes a point to be readily available.

“Pathology, whether it is hospital-based pathology or forensic pathology, is truly a ‘service’ profession,” he explained.

Appointed to the Medical Examiners Commission by Gov. Lawton Chiles in 1998, Nelson has served as chairman since 2000.

The Medical Examiners Commission is similar to the Florida Board of Medicine, Nelson said, though the commission’s issues are narrower and deal only with physicianmedical examiners.

One of the more high-profiled issues Nelson examined occurred early in 2005. In 1990, Theresa “Terri” Marie Schiavo fell into a coma after suffering an anoxic brain injury. Nelson first began hearing her case nearly a decade later as legal battle began accruing between family members over the still comatose Schiavo. After her death on March 31, Dr. Jon Thogmartin, a chief med-

As a p a t h o l o g i s t h e h a s s e e n some of the most unimaginable h o r r o r s p o s s i b l e o n a b o d y. B u t D r. N e l s o n ’s e x p e r i e n c e a n d expertise put him among the elite forces that solve investigations, i n c l u d i n g Te r r i S c h i a v o ’s f a m o u s case in early 2005.

ical examiner of the Medical Examiners Commission from Pinellas County, was called on to investigate the causes of the St. Petersburg woman’s death. Nelson, who worked closely with Thogmartin in the past, was asked to provide neuropathologic consultations.

“Both Dr. Thogmartin and I have had a keen interest in deaths that prompt such intense media attention,” Nelson said, carefully noting he never wanted to forever be pinned by the media to this case.

“We certainly didn’t want to be gigged by the media, the pundits and the public as those involved in the case…as what resulted with the autopsy examination of President John F. Kennedy and others,” Nelson said.

“History has a tendency to repeat itself and we didn’t want to be part of that. We tried to set the bar higher, and I think we were successful in doing that.”

While Nelson has worked on several cases that have gained media attention, no other case compares to Schiavo’s.

“Without a doubt [I was involved in my] first press conference… that was televised live throughout the world on CNN, and which had about eight still photographers and six or seven television cameras present,” he said.

Not only was Nelson forced to be concerned with on-camera appearances, he also was concerned about his neuropathology report made available for the masses. His nine-page report complete with 14 references was posted on the Internet, talked about among the public and scrutinized further than any report he had written before.

“It’s probably natural to make certain that the report is readable and understandable to a lay audience more so than as a neuropathologist-consultant simply to Dr. Thogmartin,” Nelson clarified.

Forensic pathology came by accident to Nelson, who already accumulated experience in anatomic pathology and neuropathology after graduating from AUC. While completing his fellowship training in neuropathology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Nelson realized he needed experience in forensic pathology in order to sit for the certification exam in anatomic pathology given by the American Board of Pathology. After a couple of months in the rotation, Nelson found himself extremely taken by the forensic pathology “bug” and later completed another fellowship in forensic pathology at the University of Miami.

After certification from the ABP, Nelson learned he was only one of 14 other doctors with the same unique trio of certified

specialties.

Born in Bradford, Penn., Nelson is the youngest child of Jack and Mary Nelson.

He has older twin sisters, Barbara, who works in his Winter Haven office, and Beverly, who still lives in Bradford. Today Nelson lives in central Florida with his wife, Sue, and children, Katie, 4, and Matt, 3.

With the stress that continues to be associated in a doctor’s life, Nelson finds comfort in being part of a strong family circle.

“When I first took this position as Chief Medical Examiner,” he said, “the elected state attorney told [me] that my family should always come first. I’ve always tried to keep that in mind.”

As far as what he sees for the future in his line of work, Nelson remains light and jovial about the subject.

“I often joke with law enforcement officials that decomposed bodies are ‘job security’ for all of us,” Nelson kidded, “as no one is beating down my office door to replace me in performing autopsies on those bodies.”

“My job is never dull,” he added, “even when appearing in court and testifying.”

- Nila Do

AUC connections 13

alumni Connection From the

ST. MAARTEN CLASSROOM to the

IRAQI DESERT

by Capt. Bill Walker (’00)

Recounting my days as a flight surgeon in war-torn Iraq — and the chances of finding two other AUC grads in the desert.

y love for travel and adventure inspired me to join the U.S. Air Force as a flight surgeon. I had been working on the wards as a general surgery intern when I read about the flight surgeon position. I knew immediately that this was something I wanted to experience.

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I first went to the recruiter in August 2001 and submitted my application. We agreed to meet the next month to discuss whether my application would be approved, but the Sept. 11 attacks postponed our meeting. When we finally met, the recruiter asked if I still wanted to join in light of the new danger. I told her that after the attacks, I became even more committed.

On Dec. 4, 2004 I got my chance to deploy. I was assigned to an air base in Kuwait close to the Iraqi border for four to five months. It was my first visit to the Middle East and, as always when you get to

Walker rides in a C-130 Hercules transport plane on his way to Baghdad.

14 Winter/Spring 2006

see a new place, it was exciting. A convoy of armed soldiers escorted my team and me to the base. Seeing the escorts was my first indication we were in serious business.

On arrival, we saw the base had been carved out of the mostly featureless desert. This was not the romantic Arabian oasis from the movies with exotic gypsies dancing and magic carpets flying. Around the base were the tents of nomadic Bedouins and their camels, goats and sheep. On certain days they were allowed on base to sell local items such as carpets and jewelry.

They even sold camel rides for $5.

learned was going to help someone make it out alive.

On several occasions we received ground fire while landing or taking off. A British plane was shot down only one day after we had taken off from the same airfield. The incident was a sobering reminder of the dangers involved in the mission, but it wasn’t going to stop us from doing our job.

The biggest challenge was to stay focused on the mission during the many times when boredom and mental fatigue from being stuck in one place started to get to me. It was tough keeping a good attitude sometimes when I had to After a few days of deal with the day-to-day “A BRITISH PLANE WAS SHOT DOWN getting to know the mundane tasks that are base and the other perpart of every deployed AT THE SAME AIRFIELD ONLY ONE sonnel, another doctor location. To help comDAY AFTER WE HAD TAKEN OFF… named Maj. Robert bat this, we had a lot of Porchia introduced him- BUT IT WASN’T GOING TO STOP US outside activities to parself. He said he had in, everything FROM GOING BACK TO DO OUR JOB.” ticipate seen my medical school from softball to bingo. credentials and told me Bingo may not sound he was also an AUC graduate. Though he graduated in like a lot of fun, but when half the base got together 1998, two years before me, we could still compare stofor a game, the laughs started and the camaraderie was ries of the many common professors we had during evident. It was a great morale builder that led to lasting basic sciences. friendships as we all battled the hardships and overcame the difficulties of accomplishing our mission.

A couple of weeks later I was eating in the dining hall with another doctor, Lt. Col. James Lynch (’84).

I don’t think you can ever prepare fully for the Our conversation drifted to each other’s medical mental and physical challenges experienced in a school, and it turned out he was an AUC graduate as deployed combat situation. Training helps, but there well! When I told him there were three AUC graduates will always be much more you will encounter. Despite on the base, we could not contain our amazement. the challenges, the rewards are phenomenal, and I came back home in April 2005 knowing I had done my We spent most days at the clinic on base where we best to help my fellow airmen and soldiers do their job. practiced primary care. At the nearby staging facility we arranged for soldiers and airmen with traumatic I would definitely recommend the experience to injuries to be airlifted out for treatment at another base other physicians who like a challenge and a bit of in Germany. The volume of patients depended on adventure. My advice would be to look into the posiwhat activity was happening in Iraq. Some days were tive and negative aspects of military life for a physician very quiet. Others sent patients nonstop. and decide if you would enjoy the lifestyle it offers. My time overseas has been the highlight of my career so Two to three times per week we would fly into far, and I am looking forward to going back.

Baghdad and other bases around Iraq for evacuation missions. These missions were the best part of the deployment, but also the most dangerous. It was where Dr. Bill Walker is a captain and flight surgeon in the U.S. I felt I was contributing most to the medical mission Air Force. and where I had the most satisfaction that everything I

AUC connections 15

BAT

b

His own soldier: Harbut, an authority on asbestosis, wages most of his crusades from his center in Royal Oak, Mich.

TTLE

by J. Daniel Duran and Nila Do

From his center in Michigan to the halls of Capitol Hill, Dr. Michael Harbut fights to breathe life into much needed treatment for asbestos exposure.

There is something in the air all over the United States, and Dr. Michael Harbut (’84) wants to put a stop to it. For years Harbut, co-founder of the National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers in Detroit, has advocated for improved diagnosis of asbestos-related illnesses to Photographed by Cybelle Codish

avoid lung-damage from exposure to airborne, naturally occurring fibers. He has even gone up against the lions of Congress to rebut its policy on curbing the amount of asbestos lawsuits. But perhaps most notably, Harbut has looked big business in the eye and provided crucial evidence that proved it killed average Americans by knowingly exposing them to asbestos.

AUC connections 17

are now on the rise.

In the past, patients with asbestos-related illnesses were told there was nothing medicine could do for them. However, Harbut and a group of doctors took decisive action and pushed an aggressive medical treatment for those now suffering from asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Though millions have been spent on asbestos litigation, few dollars have been used toward investigating treatments for asbestos.

Harbut and the team of doctors tested the treatment on patients, who Harbut insists had much to lose if things went awry, despite being in an already less than favorable situation. With the aggressive treatment and constant medical supervision, hope is in store.

Michael Wolfe, the longest-living lung transplant survivor and longtime patient of Harbut’s, was diagnosed with hard metal disease from exposure to asbestos and other toxic substances while working for Hitachi. After consulting with Harbut, Wolfe received his transplant on March 28, 1991.

Wolfe, 52, says Harbut’s continuing perseverance in researching new treatments and studies has allowed him to live longer than the five-year norm of most lung transplant survivors.

A keen eye: Harbut examines a test tube filled with serum.

An expert in occupation and environmental medicine, Harbut speaks passionately about his work – not for self-recognition, but on behalf of those who seek his help. Harbut, whose patients vary from those affected by the electronics company Hitachi to the chemicals and materials company W.R. Grace, seeks justice for the 3,200

“My patients have been

patients he sees yearly who have been exposed to toxic materials.

“Mike stayed right on top of everything,” Wolfe says of Harbut, from requiring monthly breathing tests to making personal calls to monitor Wolfe’s health.

Wolfe, who became victim to the exposures after working for Hitachi for 10 years, started to cough black mucus and noticed shortness of breath during his last six months with the company. Now after 14 years as a lung transplant survivor, the Vestaburg, Mich., resident says he has no one else to thank except Harbut.

poisoned

“He keeps digging and looking for more new treatment,” he adds.

on purpose.”

“My patients have been poisoned on purpose,” Harbut exclaims. “In order to prevent another generation of Americans from having the same done to them, my ethics require me to act.”

“I don’t think you could find a more caring person than Mike.”

Asbestos, a common mineral used for manufacturing and construction before the 1970s, was either banned or restricted in most products by the early 1990s. However, because its latency period is 25-40 years, asbestos-related illnesses

Some of Harbut’s other patients include the same people that the U.S. government says W.R. Grace knowingly put at risk. The company produced the insulator Zolonite, allegedly knowing it was distributing a prod-

uct that included one of the deadliest forms of asbestos, known as tremolite. People were exposed to it from working for W.R. Grace, purchasing the insulator or being exposed to it by air.

At this point, it is still hard to tell how many people have been affected by W.R. Grace’s oversight. According to Harbut’s two affiliations, the Karmanos Cancer Institute and the Center for Occupation and Environmental Medicine, 800,000 Michigan homes used the Zonolite-brand insulation, including virtually all single-family homes in the city of Flint and nearly 280,000 homes throughout southeast Michigan.

In its online media kit, the company expresses: “We have never wavered from our belief that one serious illness or lost life is one too many.”

“It’s admitting to little responsibility to avoid taking full responsibility,” Harbut refutes. “It’s what you’d expect them to say.”

Harbut asserts big businesses, like W.R. Grace, are willing to put its workers and all Americans at risk to being exposed to dangerous substances such as asbestos because of one thing – money.

“The people working in corporations behave differently than they would with their own families,” Harbut insists. He claims they have the “it’s-only-business” mentality when it comes to putting people in harm’s way.

Harbut says he uses his ethics to propel him to be strong-willed and assertive about his work, even when challenging the U.S. government. In early 2005, President George W. Bush asked Congress to give companies like W.R. Grace a break by limiting the amount of asbestos-related lawsuits allowed due to the huge mountain of lawsuits currently pending. Instead, Bush pushed to have lawsuits limited to those who showed symptoms of asbestos exposure, excluding those who may have been exposed but show no symptoms.

Harbut voiced his concerns in a January 2005 CBS News interview saying he was “wary of congressional intervention” and that Congress “has failed to consider the opinions of doctors and asbestos patients in the past.”

“I couldn’t agree more that the system needs to be reformed, but they’re basically reforming it in a way to keep the lawyers

happy,” he said in the interview.

In 2001, Harbut stood before Congress to back legislation that would entirely ban asbestos in the United States. In his statement to Congress, Harbut mentions the obvious dangers of asbestos, but also points out “it has caused an increase in cynicism toward [the] American Judicial system.” side from his research and legislative chase, Harbut maintains his clinical practice in Royal Oak, Mich., and is assistant professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

A

“I’m a fellow from Detroit that finds himself in extraordinary situations,” Harbut says lightly.

Insisting he’s nothing special, he argues it is his ethics that motivate him.

“Becoming a doctor was part of my expression of my ethical beliefs.”

While the world describes him as an expert in several toxicological areas, University alumnus and close friend Dr. Ardalan Babaknia (’84) describes Harbut as “serious in his work, professional, and caring for his patients and society.”

For Harbut, the choice to become a physician has influenced him immensely.

“I don’t know why, but I always felt I was supposed to be a physician,” Harbut explains. “The longer I’ve been a physician the more human I’ve become.”

He describes his ethics and willingness to help as some of the tools in his armatarium that aid him in healing people. He sees many people with different kinds of illness due to workplace environments. Harbuts’ only indication that his patients like him: “Well, they keep coming back.”

Man and machine: Harbut stands before a “breathing machine” used for early detection of mesothelioma.

AUC connections 19

notes & spotlights

One of My Most Unusual Patients in Medicine

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by Dr. Timothy Holcomb (’89)

ne busy day before Thanksgiving, when I was an intern in family medicine at an inner-city hospital, a dressed-too-nice-to-be-in-my-clinic couple came in. Our clinic nurse took the couple into the exam room, but was not able to obtain any medical history. My medical student and I entered the exam room and introduced ourselves; we encountered the patient, a wellkept middle-aged woman, sitting on the exam table. She appeared very anxious and nervous, wringing her hands, her patient husband standing at her side. I noticed she had a brown paper department store bag at her feet.

Trying to impress my medical student with my ability to obtain information from paranoid patients, I asked some brief questions. Her vague complaint was that she had discovered the FBI and CIA, along with the local police department and even hospital security, had a plan to take over the United States. Biting my bottom lip to keep from smiling and looking smugly at my student, I asked the patient to detail this plot.

After some assurance that she could trust me, she confided the FBI and CIA were inoculating all family dogs with rabies in order to deteriorate our nation’s healthcare system. This action would devastate the U.S. population and enable them to take over the country. As I was doing my best not to start laughing, the patient reached down to pick up her shopping bag and said, “Check this and you will see that I am telling the truth.” When I looked into the bag, it contained the head of her pet dog. She requested I check the dog’s brains to see the rabies.

I decided at this point that I would notify hospital security and arrange for an emergency commitment for the patient. Leaving the medical student alone in the exam room with the patient and her dog’s head, I asked her husband to step into the hall with me to advise him of our plans for admission. After walking a few steps, I looked at the patient’s husband and asked bluntly, “How long has your wife had this problem?”

Without hesitation, he answered, “What problem?”

Originally published in the Placebo Journal

20 Winter/Spring 2006

1980s

Alumni Notes

Kenneth C. Redlin (’83) In early 2005, Kenneth became the senior medical director for APS Healthcare. For the past eight years, he served as chief of family practice at his primary hospital. Kenneth also serves as an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He resides in Brookfield, Wis. Bill E. Greening (’87) Post-graduation, Bill completed two residencies at Emory in Atlanta in pediatrics and family practice, respectively and was senior physician for Carnival Cruise Lines. Today Bill is a family practitioner in Osseo, Wis. John DeSio (’87) John is the president of The DeSio Pain Institute in New Jersey, a private practice employing both invasive and noninvasive methods of treating patients with chronic pain.

James J. Joyce (’85) James currently resides in Jacksonville, Fla., and practices pediatric cardiology with a subspecialty in echocardiography. After serving as a clinical assistant professor at UCLA between 1998 and 2002, he was appointed as an associate professor at Tulane University in New Orleans for two years. Since 2004, James has served as a clinical associate professor at the University of Florida.

Timothy VanDeusen (’86) After 11 years of private practice in Los Angeles, Tim moved to San Francisco in 2004 and became assistant director of the Child Psychiatry Outpatient Department at the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute. He is a consultant to several community mental health clinics and has started a private practice seeing adults and children for psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Timothy also holds a teaching faculty position at the University of California, San Francisco in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Cesar Labitan (’87) For seven years Cesar managed an independent family practice clinic and managed patient care as medical director for the Lifecare Center of Valparaiso before graduating from Purdue University, Calumet with an MBA in 2003. After winning a stock picking contest two years in a row, he started a private equity investment firm called Labitan Partners, LLC. Cesar now lives in Schererville, Ind., with his wife, Janie, and daughter, Victoria.

Theodore Them (’87) After graduating from AUC, Theodore completed a Master of Public Health/Academic Program in Occupational Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1994. He is chief of the Section of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the 19th largest outpatient clinic system in the United States.

Theodore is also medical director of the Employee Health and Wellness Office in this system of over 5,000 employees. He serves as medical director for several large, local corporations. Theodore and his wife, Julie Ann, have two children, Alexis and Teddy.

Ricardo Garcia-Rivera (’81) Licensed in 12 states, Ricardo has been in private practice in neurology in the Kendall area of Miami since 1987.

Joseph Sciammarella (’85) Joseph was recently sworn in as a major in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve as an emergency medicine physician. Joseph practices at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, N.Y. He has been an emergency medicine physician since 1988.

Richard McBride (’89) Richard is the director of electrophysiology at the St. Mary’s office of the East Tennessee Heart Consultants. After graduation, he completed a residency specializing in internal medicine and then followed with fellowships in cardiology at Marshall University and clinical cardiac electrophysiology at Georgetown University. Richard and his wife, Sherri, live in Knoxville, Tenn., with their three children, Tyler, Jace and Chandler.

1990s Vijay Pallekonda & Angelina Bhandari (’95 & ’94)

The couple met while studying at AUC. They are happily married with two sons, 6-year-old Anand and infant Viraj. Vijay is currently an internist at VA Hospital in Chicago, and Angelina is an associate professor and anesthesiologist at Rush University Medical Center.

Randy Lentz (’98) Since 2001, Randy has operated a successful private practice in Jesup, Ga. In 2004, he opened World Gym, a health club employing licensed physical therapists running physical therapy, cardiac rehabilitation and corporate wellness programs. Randy and his wife, Rebecca, have four children, Connor, Jared, Joey and Maggie.

Rhazi Khodadad (’98) Currently enjoying a primary care practice, Rhazi participates in inpatient, outpatient and long-term care. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Anissa Moore-Khodadad, R.N. Sanjay Khatti (’97) Sanjay met his wife, Sonali, in New York City in 2000. They have two boys, 2-year-old Rohan and 4-month-old Arjun. After finishing his radiology residency in Philadelphia in 2002 and fellowship in Houston in 2004, Sanjay settled in Dallas. He works in a group radiology private practice.

Gilbert Simoni (’99) Gilbert is a gastroenterology fellow at Seton Hall University and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. He maintains membership in many societies and pursues active research in the field of endoscopic treatment of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Gilbert published multiple articles at Seton Hall and was the first prize winner in 1999, 2001 and 2003 for clinical presentations. Gilbert resides in Paterson, N.J., with his wife Martha, and three children, Rochelle, Aaron and Rebecca.

Anne Conyesrs-Hom (’99) The demands of her residency call schedule,

family life and health have been tough in her 50s, but Anne is determined to complete her residency and become licensed. On a personal note, she is eager to hear from other members of the “Hurricane (Luis) Class,” those who spent their two years in the Defiance Haven!

Mark Cirella (’99) Mark is an anesthesiologist and interventional pain management specialist at Rockford Anesthesia Associates in Rockford, Ill. He and his wife, Lori, have two daughters, Abby, 15, and Courtney, 10. Mark notes that during his anesthesia residency at Rush Medical Center in Chicago, AUC graduates Angelina Bhandari (’01) and Arcangelo Lusco (’02) were chief residents for two consecutive years.

Howard Kornfield (’95) Howard is an attending pediatrician at Overlook Hospital in Summit, N.J., a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at UMDNJ and practices at Hilltop Pediatrics. He is the recipient of several awards including the Gloria O. Schrager, M.D. Award for Pediatric Resident with Excellence in Teaching. He has published an article in the Pediatrics Review and a chapter in Challenges in Pediatric Diagnosis and was a guest on “CNN Talkback Live.” He and his wife, Jodie, reside in Berkeley Heights, N.J. Apurva Parmar (’99) Apurva is team lead physician and director of physician scheduling at Kaiser Permanente in Modesto, Calif. Apurva was an assistant professor at Oregon Health Science University, while living in Portland. Today he lives in Modesto with his wife, Aarti, and their child, Avni.

Michael Montileone (’97) Michael is currently a radiologist at TDI, LCC in Williamsburg, Va. He has authored and coauthored several book chapters. Michael and his wife, Janet, have a daughter, Erica.

Paul Grindstaff (’99) In July 2005, Paul joined a private practice in Crystal Lake, Ill., performing general neurology and neurophysiology. Prior to this, Paul served as neurophysiology fellow at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill. He AUC connections 21

notes & spotlights Alumni Notes was chief resident for neurology at Loyola in 2004-05, and served as the assistant secretary to the Chicago Neurological Society in 2004.

Paul and his wife, Catherine, have a daughter named Emma.

Vanessa Davis (’96) After passing Steps 1 and 2, Vanessa switched fields and went into pharmacy. She is a licensed pharmacy technician and works for Caremark. She and her husband, William G. Davis, D.D.S., have a son, Paul, and reside in Des Plaines, Ill. Charles Gaillard (’97) Charles has owned his private practice called Gaillard/Hinnant Family Practice in Anderson, S.C., since 2001.

Kenneth D. Calhoun (’91) Kenneth works in a hospital-owned, singlespecialty family practice office in a Louisville, Ky., suburb.

Jason & Amy Foland (’98 & ’98) After completing his residency in pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University in 2001 and a fellowship in pediatric critical care in 2004 at Emory University School of Medicine, Jason went on to work at Florida State University and Nemours Children’s Clinic in Pensacola, Fla. Amy finished a fellowship in pediatrics at Emory where she was a pediatric urgent care physician and an assistant professor of pediatrics. Prior to her fellowship she completed her residency in pediatrics at the MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. The couple has a son named Zachary and resides in Pensacola.

Ali R. Malek (’95) Since finishing his fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2002, Ali has been a vascular critical care neurologist at the University of South Florida College of Medicine with joint appointments in the departments of neurology and neurosurgery.

22 Winter/Spring 2006

Mohamed Iqbal Ally, M.D. (’98) Mohamed Ayube Iqbal Ally, M.D., a physician, personal trainer and 1998 graduate of AUC, died of brain cancer June 10, 2005 in Washington, D.C. Ally was 34.

While waiting to begin a formal residency program, Ally was a highly successful personal trainer and fitness coach with Gold’s Gym in Greenbelt, Md. His clientele included NFL players, competitive body builders and professional writers. Ally was well liked and is remembered for his kind demeanor and professionalism.

Vivian Lindfield (’98)

Vivian is a general surgeon with a specialty in oncology. She has been in a private practice in Buffalo, N.Y., with the Buffalo Medical Group since 2003. Vivian is also faculty in the Department of Surgery at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She and her husband, Christopher Ritter, have a daughter named Samantha.

2000s

Vincent Miller (’02) Upon graduation, Vincent entered an internal medicine/pediatrics residency and then an anesthesia residency at the University of

In Memoriam

Ally graduated from AUC with his wife, Jessica Myong Song-Ally (‘98), and completed his clinical rotations at Epsom General Hospital in Surrey, England and Harvard Medical School. He immigrated with his family to the United States in 1981 from Georgetown, Guyana.

He is survived by Jessica, his wife of more than four years; his parents, Mohamed and Bebe Ally; and four brothers, Abdul, Fazal, Sayyid and Shaheed Ally.

Pittsburgh Medical Center. Vincent and his wife, Michelle, have a son, Mekel Aliace, and a newborn daughter, Cleo Nicole Miller-Young.

R. Scott Frankenfield (’01) Dr. Frankenfield was selected by the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) to be Indiana Outstanding Resident in Family Medicine for 2004. He was elected as director for the resident district to serve on the board of directors for the IAFP. Dr. Frankenfield was also honored as chief resident of family medicine for the Community Health Network Family Medicine Residency Program. He is currently involved in a successful first year of private practice with the American Health Network in Brownsburg, Ind. He and his wife, Rayma, celebrated the birth of their first

child, Gabriel (Gabe), in 2004.

Randall Royal (’02) Randall is coming into the final year of his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at East Carolina University School of Medicine. After finishing the residency, he plans to obtain a fellowship in maternal fetal medicine where he will specialize in in-utero surgery and therapeutics. Randall and his wife, Katherine, live in Winterville, N.C. Karol (Karl) Palczynski (’02) Currently in a family medicine residency through the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Texarkana, Ark., Karl will enter his third and final year. He is soon to be licensed in Arkansas and Texas.

Derrick Tobias (‘02) Derrick finished his residency in the Department of Medicine at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh where he received Resident of the Month and Chief

Resident Award recognitions. Derrick has started in a hospitalist position with the Hospital Internal Medicine Associates, LLC in Louisville, Ky. He and his wife, Liezl, have a daughter named Danielle.

Jon Cremin (’01) In June, Jon completed his residency in anesthesiology at the University of Kansas – Wichita. He now works at Wesley Medical Center in Mid Continent Anesthesiology in Derby, Kan. Deepa Grewal (’00) After completing a residency in pediatrics at the University of Connecticut, Deepa served a year as chief resident of the program. She is currently a clinical fellow in pediatric infectious disease at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Deepa is a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Dr. Van Wormer Last year the AUC community lost a colleague, professor and friend. Dr. Dale Van Wormer, a professor of pathology at AUC since 1983, died of a myocardial infarction on September 24, 2004. He was 72 years old.

As word of their mentor’s death went out, calls from dozens of grieving students flooded the campus expressing their love for the man who, in the words of one alumnus, instilled “a little fear, a little levity and a lot of ‘be honest and get down to it!’”

Van Wormer is survived by his wife, Alice Van Wormer, his children, Gregory, Mary, Timothy, Janet and seven grandchildren.

Van Wormer joined the faculty of the AUC as a professor of pathology in July 1983. He quickly became dean of Basic Sciences, a position he held

Daniel Umoh (’00) Daniel is an emergency physician with the Schumaker Group in Lafayette, La. Prior to this appointment, he completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Louisiana State University Medical Center’s Feist-Weiller Cancer Center. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals and has additional research experience in spinal cord injuries.

Daniel speaks four languages and has lived in Nigeria.

Iram Ahmed (Khoja) (’01) After winning first prize in two research competitions, Iram was hired by the hospital in which she did her residency, St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, Ohio. She is now medical director of the hospital’s Outreach Mobile Clinic Program. Iram is married to Ghazanfar Ahmed (’02), whom she met at AUC.

In Memoriam until 1986. A stint stateside followed, but Van Wormer returned to Montserrat in 1987 and stayed until Hurricane Hugo sent them back to the States in 1989. He returned to the medical school again in 2002 on St. Maarten.

Hundreds of colleagues and students attended Van Wormer’s memorial service held on St. Maarten on Sept.

29, 2004. His colleagues paid tribute to him as their guru who dispensed sage advice with wisdom that was “always sound, ultimately reasonable and totally realistic.”

Van Wormer demonstrated a passion for his profession and the medical field that was infectious and instilled values of compassion and professionalism in his students. Dr. Van Wormer is and will continue to be dearly missed.

AUC connections 23

Island Connection

A Little Something Special

S

t. Maarten is a little island with big claims to fame. As the smallest island occupied by two sovereign governments, the Dutch in the South and the French in the North, St. Maarten boasts eclectic mixes of culture. More impressive is the fact that the two nations have shared the 37 square miles without conflict for more than 350 years.

The island has traditionally been a crossroads of European, African and Caribbean cultures, creating a vibrant blend of sights, sounds and flavors.

St. Maarten boasts 140 different nationalities from all over the world.

Despite its obvious charms, St. Maarten did not become a tourist destination until the 1950s when the governments invited American travel

writers to stay on the island. With yearlong sunny weather, trade winds keeping the summer at an average temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit and beautiful white beaches encircling the island, St. Maarten was not difficult to sell.

Today tourism is by far the largest contributor to the economy. The island now sees 1.2 million visitors each year. Eighty-five percent of jobs on the island are directly or indirectly related to tourism.

St. Maarten is becoming more popular internationally while improving its conditions and maintaining its rich culture and beauty. It provides the solitude needed to perform well

at AUC while enabling students to enjoy a unique culture and relieve the stress of earning an M.D.

Ashes to Assets

I

t may be strange to celebrate the anniversary of an event that caused millions of dollars in damage when it destroyed twothirds of an island and forced thousands of people to relocate. But for the 5,000 people who remain on Montserrat, the 10th anniversary of the Soufrière Hills volcano eruption is an opportunity to look back on the past and celebrate what they have achieved since the crisis.

Though the volcano began erupting in 1995, the full eruption in 1997 destroyed the island’s airport, hospitals and civic buildings, and forced AUC to abandon its original location on the “emerald isle.” Since the volcano became active, more than half of the island’s population has left, and tourism, the island’s main source of revenue, has slowed.

This year, the tourism board announced its Montserrat on the Move (MOM) campaign to honor the island’s resilience. The campaign includes new facilities, economic plans, tourism programs and a new airport to draw foreign investors, former residents and tourists back.

The same lava and ash that caused terrible destruction 10 years ago now aids Montserrat’s tourism program. Scuba diving and snorkeling have never been better along the coast because

24 Winter/Spring 2006

the eruption provided the conditions needed for the natural replenishment of coral reefs and aquatic life. High above the reefs tourists can visit the new Montserrat Volcano Observatory located on Jack Boy Hill. The vantage point offers spectacular views of the damaged eastern villages and the volcano’s incandescent lava dome.

The northern third of the island left untouched by the volcano, the “safe zone,” is the site of new construction, including the $2.3 million Montserrat Cultural Centre on Little Bay. The centre will provide seating for 375 and house performing arts, music, exhibitions and conferences. The public buildings, businesses and shops devastated by the lava flow have been rebuilt nearby forming the New Towne Centre business district.

By air, the trip to Montserrat now takes less than 20 minutes from surrounding islands. Gerald’s Airport’s brightly lit asphalt runway has full air traffic control and serves LIAT, WINAIR and Caribbean Aviation airlines as well as private charters up to DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft.

With all of its natural and man-made improvements, there has never been a better time to visit and enjoy the hospitality, relaxation and natural beauty offered by AUC’s first home.

did you know you can order class rings for every class year at the

AUC Alumni

Association Web site?

you can do that and much more by visiting

www.aucalumni.net

Office of Alumni Relations Medical Education Administration Services 901 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Suite 401 Coral Gables, FL 33134 tel. 305 446 0600, ext. 35 fax 786 433 0974

AUC Alumni Weekend April 29, 2006 Sheraton Bal Harbour Beach Resort Bal Harbour, Florida Reconnect with other alumni while enjoying complimentary poolside cocktails and dinner. Get some work taken care of in the morning while taking part of the Continuing Medical Education Program, all while enjoying the world-class luxury only Bal Harbour can provide.

CME Program co-sponsored by the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine $100 AUC Alumni registering prior to April 7, 2006 $150 AUC Alumni registering after April 7, 2006 * Physicians registering for the CME who are not AUC alumni will be charged an additional $25 processing fee.

Cocktail & Dinner Complimentary for AUC alumni $100 for guest (one per alumnus)

For more information and to register online, please visit:

www.aucmed.edu/alumni/alum_calendar.htm

To register by phone, please contact:

Tel. 305 243 6716 or 1 800 U OF M CME

remember . reconnect . celebrate

Medical Education Administrative Services 901 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Suite 401 Coral Gables, FL 33134

PRSRT FIRST CLASS U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIAMI, FL PERMIT # 7804