Spring 2010
Vol. 28, Issue 1
college of osteopathic medicine
Introducing
the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations and Charles R. and Marilyn Y. Stuckey
Academic & Research Center A new era of diabetes and cancer research
Special Research Issue
What a difference 18 talented people can make Maya Pettit-Scott, a COMCorps volunteer (above), runs a “Life Skills” class for third-grade students at Trimble Elementary School in Glouster, Ohio, on the topic of drug abuse prevention. COMCorps, an AmeriCorps program run by OU-COM’s Community Health Programs, is now in its tenth year. In fall quarter alone, its 18 volunteers made 873 health presentations to 8,778 children and 2,090 adults. They also made 8,067 individual contacts to provide health screenings for vision, lice and hearing; measure students’ body mass index; and assist with immunizations and kindergarten registration. COMCorps volunteers Pettit-Scott and Ashley More (right) joined community groups to build 12 raised garden beds at the Glouster Community Garden for the October 24 Make a Difference Day project. The project received a 2010 Make a Difference Day Ohio Outstanding Project Award— one of ten awarded from more than 1,100 state entries.
ohio university
Spring 2010 Vol. 28, Issue 1
A publication of the College of Osteopathic Medicine 02 From the Dean Alumni researchers: Living the science of medicine
03 College Check-up 04 07 08
Q&A: Gillian Ice, Ph.D., M.P.H. Unexpected finds and “Disasters in the Field� Diabetes Free Clinic serves the uninsured OU-COM helps Haiti heal
09 Features 25 Follow-up
26 28 34
Honoring the dreams of a fallen soldier Foundation renames scholarship Class Notes Ideas in action James Joye, D.O.
Features
09 The anatomists! Our human anatomy instructors study animals across the globe and through time. Why?
15 Introducing the Academic & Research Center
20 Student innovators The future of medicine lies in research and the physicians of tomorrow.
The new home of cutting edge diabetes and cancer research at Ohio University
OUM Visit Ohio University Medicine online for web-exclusive and multimedia content. www.oucom.ohiou.edu/oum
From the Dean
ohio university
Ohio University Medicine Spring 2010, Vol. 28, Issue 1 Ohio University Medicine is published twice a year by the Office of Communication of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Editorial Board John A. Brose, D.O. Dean Pat Burnett, Ph.D. Director of Student Affairs Andrea Gibson Special Assistant to the Vice President for Research Director of Research Communications Ohio University Jill Harman, M.Ed. Director of Alumni Affairs Christine Knisely, M.A. Executive Director of Research and Grants Lauren Fuller, OMS II Student Government President (AY 09-10)
Editor Karoline Lane, M.L.S. Managing Editor Anita Martin Copy Editor Shelby Mullins Design Jeff Brown
Sarah McGrew, B.S.N. Director of Clinical and Community Experiences Erin Murphy, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Medical Microbiology Cheryl Riley, M.S. Assistant Dean of CORE Operations and Academic Affairs John Schriner, Ph.D. Director of Admissions Kathy Trace, M.H.S. Director of the Area Health Education Center and Community Health Programs Sharon Zimmerman, M.P.A. Director of Medical Development and Executive Director of Alumni Affairs
Photography Victor Blue John Sattler Writers Matthew Bates Richard Heck Colleen Kiphart Linda Knopp Karoline Lane, M.L.S. Anita Martin Nick Piotrowicz Angelina Young
Administration Roderick McDavis, Ph.D. President, Ohio University John A. Brose, D.O. Dean, College of Osteopathic Medicine Karoline Lane, M.L.S. Director, Office of Communication Marie Graham Associate Director, Communication Design Services
Alumni researchers: Living the science of medicine One of the pleasures of being dean is the opportunity to visit with OU-COM alumni immersed in cutting-edge medical research. This special research issue of Ohio University Medicine highlights some of these outstanding OU-COM graduates. I recently visited Dr. Jim Joye (’88), a cardiologist practicing in Mountain View, California. Dr. Joye has invented new equipment that uses cryotherapy to treat peripheral vascular disease. He holds twenty patents and has co-founded two companies. While in California, I watched him skillfully insert a new type of renal artery stent. The procedure room nurses noted that many of his patients were referred from major medical centers because of his unusual skill. I came away from that visit feeling proud and amazed. The achievements of Dr. Joye call to mind several other OU-COM graduates. In the field of orthopedic surgery alone, we have alumni innovators like Dr. Bob Biscup (’80), founder of the Biscup Spine Institute in Florida, who has helped develop minimally invasive surgery techniques, instruments and implants, including micro-decompression laminoplasty. Also at the forefront of orthopedic innovation are Ohio-based surgeons Drs. Daryl Sybert (’86), clinical associate professor of orthopedic surgery; Charles Mehlman (’89); and William Saar (’96), clinical associate professor of orthopedic surgery. Dr. Saar is one of the few physicians in the country trained to perform the newly FDA-approved Scandinavian total ankle replacement. The devices and procedures these alumni have developed and tested are transforming people’s lives. On another recent trip, I had the opportunity to tour the research laboratory of Dr. Daniel Culver (’96) at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Culver is a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic Sarcoidosis Center of Excellence. A national authority in the field of sarcoidosis research, Dr. Culver frequently returns to Athens to talk with students. His involvement has been instrumental in encouraging many students to conduct clinical research. One of Dr. Joye’s fellow cardiologists, Dr. Mitch Silver (’89), CORE clinical associate professor of cardiology, collaborates with our faculty researchers to study the role of toll-like receptors in atherosclerosis. This project is part of a wider collaboration funded by a $2.6 million NIH grant and led by principal investigator Leonard Kohn, M.D., CEO of the Interthyr Corporation. Dr. Kohn is also the former J.O. Watson D.O., Endowed Diabetes Research Chair at OU-COM and Emeritus Distinguished Senior Research Scientist at the Edison Biotechnology Institute. Finally, one of our own family medicine faculty members, Dr. Jay Shubrook (’96), is launching a clinical trial for a diabetes treatment that could change the way that we approach the disease. Our Diabetes Center focuses on the Appalachian Ohio region, which is often neglected in research despite its higher-than-average rate of diabetes. These are just a few of the medical pioneers who have trained at OU-COM, and the list is longer than I could possibly print here. Remarkably, all of these physicians I have mentioned above have found the time to be active on our Society of Alumni and Friends Board. Through their outstanding example and generous student mentoring, they are inspiring new generations of physicians, surgeons and clinical researchers. In future issues, we will continue to report on exciting research developments from OU-COM, including student work, faculty projects, and, of course, accomplishments from our outstanding graduates. If I sound inordinately proud of our alumni researchers, my apologies. But then, how could anyone associated with OU-COM not be?
Anita Martin Assistant Director, Editorial Opinions expressed in Ohio University Medicine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect viewpoints of the editors or official policy of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. © 2010 Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Editorial office: Irvine Hall 351, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 45701. Address updates for Ohio University Medicine should be referred to Sheila Bycofski, OU-COM, 334 Irvine Hall Athens, Ohio 45701, (740) 593-2346, or bycofski@ohio.edu
Jack Brose, D.O. Dean, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine
College Check-up College News
04 Q&A: Gillian Ice, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Unexpected finds and “Disasters in the Field”
06 Training labs renovated
Clinical training and gross anatomy labs remodeled, expanded
07 Free Diabetes Clinic serves uninsured OU-COM fills gaps in community care
$2.6 million grant for cancer, autoimmune research Team developing drug for pancreatic cancer, autoimmune diseases
08 OU-COM leads Haiti relief efforts
Team of 16 included alumni, CORE residents
STATE LEADERSHIP
OHIO named Center of Excellence for Health and Wellness Ohio University (OHIO) was named a state Center of Excellence for Health and Wellness by Gov. Ted Strickland. This designation recognizes the university’s outstanding research in diabetes, cancer and biomedical sciences; its commitment to rural health care; and its success in generating jobs and revenue through the development of drugs and biotechnology start-up firms. All public state universities were required to submit a proposal to Strickland’s office. OHIO’s proposal outlined the following accomplishments: • University health research has resulted in 62 patent applications and 29 patents. • OHIO has received $30 million in royalty income overall, mainly stemming from a research discovery by John Kopchick, Ph.D., Goll-Ohio Eminent Scholar, and professor of molecular and cellular biology. Kopchick’s research led to Somavert®, a drug that treats the growth hormone disorder acromegaly (see related story on p. 5).
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• Largely due to Somavert® royalties from the Pfizer corporation, OHIO consistently ranks as the top public university in the state of Ohio for research revenue and among the top in the nation. Recently Forbes magazine ranked OHIO fourth in the country for research returns on investment. • Due in part to technology developed by retired OU-COM professor Leonard D. Kohn, M.D., Diagnostic Hybrids, an Athens-based biomedical technology company, doubled its revenue and almost tripled its workforce in four years. The Quidel Corporation purchased the company in early 2010, and OHIO is slated to receive $35-$41 million from the sale. Three other local start-up biomedical companies— Interthyr, DiAthegen and Promiliad—are based on OHIO faculty research. Kohn is CEO of the Interthyr Corporation and the former J.O. Watson, D.O., Endowed Diabetes Research Chair at OU-COM. • Through OU-COM’s Community Health Programs and other university efforts, OHIO delivers health services and education in community settings to more than 180,000 people per year throughout a 21-county region. “Ohio University’s strategy to support faculty research and entrepreneurship has had a significant, direct impact on the region, state and the broader public good,” says Rathindra Bose, Ph.D., OU-COM professor of biochemistry, vice president for research and creative activity, and dean of the Graduate College at OHIO.
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College Check-up EDUCATION INNOVATION
New pocket reference guide promotes OMM fundamentals Third-year osteopathic medical students have something new in their pockets during clinical rotations: OMM Quick Cards. The CORE Osteopathic Principles and Practices Committee (COPPC) developed the content of these pocket-sized, fold-out guides to help residents integrate AOA core competencies into their clinical practice. According to the committee, the OMM Quick Card is the first of its kind. Stevan Walkowski, D.O. (’89), chair of COPPC, describes the publication as “a reference manual, not a solution-based manual … I hope it serves as a refresher for OMM skills that need a little dusting off and as a resource to think about using OMM with patients that they may not have considered in the past.” Walkowski also uses OMM Quick Cards, produced with technical assistance provided by the OU-COM Office of Communication, in his “Train the Trainer” presentations for CORE clinical faculty. The cards have been distributed to all third-year osteopathic medical students nationally, and will soon be distributed to all CORE residents, faculty, program directors and DMEs. By Angelina Young
Q&A
Gillian Ice, Ph.D., M.P.H. Associate Professor of Social Medicine Ice talks about technical difficulties, cultural misunderstanding and other mishaps of international field work in her forthcoming book, Disasters in the Field: Preparing and Coping with Unexpected Events in Field Research.
OUM: Where did the idea for Disasters in the Field come from? At first, I went into [international fieldwork] naively, assuming that if I had my methodology and some cultural knowledge, I’d be fine. Of course, I experienced some major challenges. I’d tell colleagues, and they’d always say, “oh, that happened to me.” I have one colleague who got a loa loa worm infection, got typhoid and got struck by lightning, all in the same trip—and she went back [to the field]! I’m co-authoring the book with [University of Colorado anthropologist] Darna Dufour. First we thought of this book as a collection of entertaining stories. Now it’s more about how to learn from other people’s experiences and avoid encountering similar challenges. How did you gather these stories? We sent requests through listservs for anthropology, sociology, biology … basically all the disciplines that do field research. We had an initial list of categories, from equipment failures to safety issues. We also received stories in categories we hadn’t imagined.
Like what? Transportation was one. We got stories about some crazy rides that people had taken. Another was the difficulties of getting permission to conduct research abroad. Which category got the most responses? Most are about cultural misunderstandings. Usually, misunderstandings come from innocent mistakes like breaching unknown taboos. Sometimes people spread rumors because they want bribes or don’t trust the researcher. Often it’s political. One researcher who was studying HIV was accused of trying to spread HIV. Some people had a religious aversion to him because he was sharing information about condoms. What category have most of your own “disasters” fallen into? I’ve had equipment problem after equipment problem—several involving activity monitors. Our first year in Kenya, they were ordered, but got stuck in the U.S. because of a hurricane…. The second year, the reader wasn’t working. The third year, there weren’t enough of them to get a good sample. I would always come back and rant to Norm [Gevitz, Ph.D., retired professor and chair of social medicine], and he would say, “You should write this up.”
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Interview by Anita Martin
College Check-up 591
Noteworthy RESEARCH BOOM
CORE research raises the bar In the five years leading up to the establishment of the CORE Research Office in 2001, only three research projects were registered within the entire statewide teaching hospital consortium. Now the office averages 150 registered projects each year.
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Pre CRO
2001-05
2006-09
HONORS/APPOINTMENTS Jack Brose, D.O. Dean and Professor of Family Medicine Chair of the Assembly of Presidents, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Brian Clark, Ph.D. Director of the Institute for Neuromuscuolokeletal Research and Assistant Professor of Neuromuscular Biology Article of the Year, Osteopathic Medicine and Primary Care Nancy Cooper Health Policy Fellowship Coordinator Riland Medal, New York Institute of Technology David Drozek, D.O. (’83) Assistant Professor of Specialty Medicine National Mentor of the Year, Student Osteopathic Surgery Association Nicholas Espinoza, D.O. (’90) CORE Assistant Dean at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center Young Physician Mentor of the Year, American Osteopathic Association
Distinction
OU-COM AmeriCorps: COMCorps Outstanding Project Award, 2010 Make a Difference Day Ohio
OHIO leads Ohio public schools in research royalty income Ohio University is the top public university in the state for licensing revenue generated from research, according to a February study by the Association of University Technology Managers. OHIO earned licensing revenue of $5.8 million in fiscal year (FY) 2008, according to the study. The university reports $6.9 million in royalty income in FY 2009 and is on track to top $8 million in FY 2010. Most of this royalty income stems from a license to the Pfizer corporation for Somavert®, the acromegaly drug based on a growth hormone antagonist developed by John Kopchick, Ph.D., Goll-Ohio Eminent Scholar, and professor of molecular and cellular biology. In the state, OHIO’s licensing revenue ranked second to Case Western Reserve University, a private school that reported $13.2 million in FY 2008. Ranking third in the state was Ohio State University at $2.1 million.
Keith Watson, D.O. Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education Distinguished Osteopathic Surgeon Award, American College of Osteopathic Surgeons FEDERAL RESEARCH GRANTS Karen Coschigano, Ph.D., and Ramiro Malgor, M.D. both assistant professors of Biomedical Sciences $16,101, National Institute of Health (NIH) “Cross-talk between growth hormone and inflammation pathways in kidney damage” Timothy Heckman, Ph.D. Professor of Geriatric Medicine - $388,382 NIH (one year of total $1,630,785 grant) “Telephone interpersonal psychotherapy intervention for HIV-infected rural persons” - $371,573, NIH “Telephone-delivered coping improvement intervention for HIV-infected older adults” Yang Li, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences $221,250, NIH “Elevated zinc in ischemia and reperfusion” Nancy Stevens, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences $180,000, National Science Foundation (NSF) “Early career: Acquisition of paleobiological specimen preparation and imaging facility” Lawrence Witmer, Ph.D. Professor of Biomedical Sciences $180,000, NSF “Brain evolution in Archosaurs: New implications for scaling, function, and the evolution of the modern conditions in birds and crocodilians” RETIREMENTS Ralph Berry Information Technology Support Specialist Carol Blue Director of Special Projects and Assistant to the Dean Mary Dailey Administrative Coordinator for Academic Affairs
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James Foglesong, D.O. Associate Professor of Internal Medicine Norm Gevitz, Ph.D. Professor and Chair of Social Medicine Janice Smith Certified Medical Assistant for Community Health Programs
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College Check-up RENOVATIONS
Labs remodeled to accommodate larger class size To enhance education and community service, OU-COM is expanding and renovating its clinical training and assessment labs and its gross anatomy lab. Within a month, renovations will begin on the new Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Center for Clinical Training and Assessment and Free Community Health Clinic in Grosvenor Hall West. This state-of-the-art facility will improve student clinical training and provide patients of the college’s free community clinic with a permanent location. Dean Jack Brose, D.O., estimates that the permanent clinic could allow college
physicians to double their collective volunteer hours serving uninsured and underinsured community members. Funding for the expanded clinical training labs and free clinic came from a $2.3 million grant from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, the second largest gift in the college’s history. Workers completed construction in early March on the Grosvenor Hall gross anatomy lab (above), which has grown by 38 percent, from 2,861 to 3,940 square feet. New heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems were installed, along with new sinks and wall and ceiling tiles. The renovation was funded by OU-COM’s general operating funds, after a three-year period of targeted savings.
By Richard Heck
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COMMUNITY/UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP
benefit more than 11,000 children living in Athens, Hocking, Vinton and Meigs Counties.
SE Ohio children’s health network awarded $3.5 million
According to IPAC President Jane Hamel-Lambert, Ph.D., Project LAUNCH for Appalachia Ohio will bring together organizations “to sustain effective, integrated services that support the wellness of young children and their families.” That goal echoes IPAC’s vision of combining community efforts to help ensure healthy development for all children.
The local non-profit children’s health network Integrating Professionals for Appalachian Children (IPAC), in partnership with the Ohio Departments of Health and Mental Health, has secured $3.5 million to fund “Project LAUNCH for Appalachia Ohio” over the next five years. The group received one of 12 grants awarded nationally.
“This grant will provide jobs, increase evidence-based screenings and treatments, add arts and recreation programming for area youth, and further efforts to integrate mental health and primary care,” said HamelLambert, who also serves as associate professor of family medicine and associate director of the Appalachian Rural Health Institute at Ohio University.
Project LAUNCH—Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children—is a federal project administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, to support the physical, emotional, social, cognitive and behavioral aspects of child development.
OUM By Richard Heck
Project LAUNCH grants promote the health of children eight years old and younger. The local funding will
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Both of the expanded spaces will help accommodate the college’s class size increase. In early 2008, the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation granted OU-COM approval for a class size increase from 100 students per class to 140. OU-COM began a gradual increase by admitting 120 students in the Classes of 2012 and 2013.
ohio university medicine
Julie Bellissimo, OMS II, examines community member Beverly A. Price at the Diabetes Free Clinic.
College Check-up INNOVATION
Joshua Armstrong
Kelly McCall, Ph.D., works with Andrew Henson, OMS II, during his summer Research and Scholarly Advancement Fellowship
COMMUNITY CARE
OU-COM Diabetes Free Clinic: critical care for the uninsured When “Robert” lost his job as a plant supervisor in Meigs County, he and his wife, “Amy”—both diabetic—had to spend retirement savings to pay for COBRA insurance. “The world turned upside-down,” Amy says. Then they read about the OU-COM mobile heath van, which offers free health care to uninsured Appalachian citizens. There, volunteer nurses connected the couple with the monthly Diabetes Free Clinic. The OU-COM Diabetes Free Clinic is funded by grants from organizations such as the Sisters of Saint Joseph and the Ohio Association of Free Clinics. It began in November 2006 and currently has more than 85 active charts. “When I first heard ‘free clinic,’ I figured that they’d herd you in like cattle, but it’s not like that,” Robert said. “These guys go out of their way.” The diabetes clinic “offers the total package,” says Kathy Trace, M.H.A., B.S.N., director of Community Health Programs. “Patients get a doctor’s visit, health education, follow-ups and free care.” The clinic is staffed by volunteers from OU-COM and University Medical Associates, including specialists like Frank Schwartz, M.D., professor of endocrinology and J.O. Watson Endowed Diabetes Research Chair. The Diabetes Free Clinic also provides referrals to doctors who offer volunteer
$2.6 million grant for cancer, autoimmune research team medical services. When Amy had stomach pain, the Diabetes Free Clinic sent her for a free colonoscopy at Doctor’s Hospital, part of the hospital’s monthly outreach efforts. The procedure may well have saved her life. “I woke up and they told me they removed a pre-cancerous polyp from my colon,” she says. “I just thank God for (the Diabetes Free Clinic). I don’t know what we would do without it.” In Appalachian Ohio at least 11 percent of the population has diabetes—three points higher than the rest of the country. Trace emphasized that “there is no stereotypical patient at the diabetes free clinic. The only thing that these people have in common is diabetes. When people lose jobs, health insurance is often the first thing to go. And no matter your financial status, once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it can become nearly impossible to get health insurance.” Schwartz agrees, adding that, “With this diabetes clinic, we can offer our community free, specialized care when they need it most.” Thanks to a $2.3 million grant from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, the Free Clinic will have a new, permanent home in Grosvenor West by 2011. With this development, physician volunteer hours in the Free Clinic are expected to double.
OUM By Anita Martin and Colleen Kiphart
With the help of a $2.6 million National Institutes of Health grant, researchers from the Intethyr Corporation and Ohio University are collaborating to develop a drug that could treat pancreatic cancer and autoimmune diseases. According to primary investigator, Leonard Kohn, M.D., CEO of the Interthyr Corporation, preliminary lab studies have shown that the drug can slow the growth of cancer cells and control pathological inflammation. Kohn recently retired as the J.O. Watson, D.O., Endowed Diabetes Research Chair at OU-COM and distinguished senior research scientist at Edison Biotechnology Institute (EBI). For this project, he works with researchers from OU-COM, including Kelly McCall, Ph.D. (above); Frank Schwartz, M.D.; and Ramiro Malgor, M.D., along with scientists from both the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology and the College of Arts and Sciences. McCall and Douglas Goetz, Ph.D., of the Russ College, are co-principal investigators on one study funded by this grant, which examines the effects of a natural compound, called Compound 10, on pancreatic cancer. “This grant is intended to help us develop the drug to phase I/II clinical trials for pancreatic cancer,” Kohn said. “We’d also like to do a combined trial that addresses autoimmune diseases such as diabetes.”
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College Check-up
Volunteers Dr. Foglietti led the following team of CORE residents from Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital, where he serves as a clinical professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery: Marc Polecritti, D.O., chief resident of plastic and reconstructive surgery Grant Hunter, D.O., anesthesia resident Megan Rogers, D.O., anesthesia resident Dr. Drozek, also a Doctors Hospital (Nelsonville) surgeon, led the following volunteers: Peter Dane, D.O., associate dean of predoctoral education, associate professor of family medicine and express care physician at University Medical Associates of Athens Joanne Bray, M.S.N., director of clinical assessment, nurse practitioner and emergency room nurse Krista Duval, D.O. (’08), and Dorinda Midwood, D.O., CORE family practice residents at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital Brian Kessler, D.O., CORE clinical associate professor of family medicine and director of medical education, Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital Katherine Kropf, D.O. (’02), family practice physician with University Medical Associates of Athens and OU-COM assistant professor of family medicine. Beverly Meade, life flight nurse Kathleen Marshall-Dane, non-medical/logistics Jesse Midwood, construction volunteer
OU-COM helps Haiti heal
College alumni, faculty, residents supply medical care
Mark A. Foglietti, D.O. (’82), F.A.C.O.S., plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the Cosmetic Surgery Institute in Beachwood, had never seen anything like it: flatbeds chained to pick-up trucks, patients huddled in tents, seven-year-old amputees—orphaned and homeless—playing in the clinic courtyard. These were some of the images forever burned into the memory of Foglietti, who, along with 15 volunteers affiliated with OU-COM, traveled to Haiti in February to provide medical care. The college organized and sponsored the efforts, which included dozens of surgeries. Foglietti led a group of surgery and anesthesia residents from Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital. They were dispatched to the Quisqueya Crisis Relief Center and assigned to Centre Hospitalier du Sacre-Coeur in Port au Prince. The team typically rose before 4 a.m. and worked until evening, facing major aftershocks, sleepless nights and back-to-back amputations. “I was very impressed by the people of Haiti. They were resilient and stoic, and extremely grateful,” Foglietti says. “It was a privilege to provide this urgent care for them, and so much better because I could be a part of an Ohio University team.”
Gregory Schano, life flight nurse, and
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Jeffrey Warner, life flight paramedic
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Meanwhile, David Drozek, D.O. (’83), assistant professor of surgery and long-time international volunteer relief physician, led a general medicine team—however, the cases they managed were a far cry from standard family practice care. “One lady, who had been buried for three days, had some of the deepest wounds I have ever seen,” says Drozek, whose team treated everything from severe wounds to malaria. They worked in cooperation with DELTA Ministries International at Clinic Lilavois, a village charity mission hospital, and later at the Centre D’Imagrerie Medicale, in downtown Port-au-Prince. For Foglietti, the experience underscored the value of his osteopathic education. “The most important part of our training was the hands-on approach: sit, look, listen, touch the patient. These people didn’t speak the same language, but when you give a smile and look the patient in the eyes, you can see their gratitude; they know someone cares.” The college and CORE sites continue to support medical relief in Haiti. The remaining funds raised through the Ohio University Foundation will help support future medical missions by OU-COM and CORE volunteers.
ohio university medicine
Susan Williams, Ph.D.
Feature
The Anatomists! Our human anatomy instructors study animals across the globe and through time. Why? By Anita Martin Photos by John Sattler
Most medical students never suspect what vast and varied research lives their anatomy professors lead. These classroom authorities in human musculature or neuropathology double as experts on Costa Rican howler monkeys, Antarctic dragonfish and long-extinct African mammals, to name a few. The OU-COM anatomy instruction corps includes seven full-time, widely-published comparative animal biologists and paleontologists— which is not at all uncommon, says Lawrence Witmer, Ph.D., professor of anatomy and director of anatomical resources. “Human anatomy is already very well understood. If you want professors conducting novel anatomical research, you’re going to find people studying animals.” And, according to Audrone Biknevicius, Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy and chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, this diversity enhances human anatomy instruction.
Spring 2010
“In my research, I want to know: What does this anatomy tell us about how that system works? Ultimately, that’s the same question our students have,” Biknevicius says. “We dissect to put it together—to understand the greater context of how integrated systems interact.” You hear phrases like “greater context” and “integrated systems” a lot among the OU-COM anatomy faculty. They’re a group interested not just in form, but also function. “Our job is to say, ‘here is the body as a whole system, here is how it works and here is what happens when it breaks,’” says Patrick O’Connor, Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy. Asked what does distinguish gross anatomy instruction at OU-COM, the faculty overwhelmingly point to its emphasis on clinical relevance. “I was very surprised by how clinically focused this anatomy instruction is so early on,” says Susan Williams, Ph.D., assistant professor of anatomy. “Each anatomy lab is basically structured like a case study, to resolve clinical questions.”
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On-site fossil preparation Stevens recently received a grant for $180,000 from the National Science Foundation to fund the creation of a university laboratory for fossil preparation and imaging at Ohio University. The new fossil services, which will allow for the onsite preparation of nearly all specimens needed for research, will be available to any university faculty or student researchers working with fossils. “Having a centralized facility for specimen preparation also provides a significant opportunity for interaction, exchange of ideas, and for developing collaborative studies across different disciplines within paleobiology,” Stevens says.
Lawrence Witmer, Ph.D.
Unlike other medical schools, OU-COM’s instruction is not arranged by basic science subjects like “anatomy,” “physiology” or “cell biology.” Instead, the curricula are divided by body system, weaving the basic sciences together with pathology, clinical case studies—and, of course, anatomy labs—related to each system. So, as osteopathic medical students connect their anatomy studies to clinical practice, their anatomy instructors are making research connections in an even greater context—the entire animal kingdom.
Lawrence Witmer, Ph.D. The OU-COM gross anatomy experience begins with what’s referred to simply as “the immersion” (officially, the Osteopathic Clinical Anatomy Orientation). “In August, when students first arrive and learn about the musculoskeletal system, they spend at least three hours a day in the gross anatomy lab,” says Witmer. According to Witmer, this intensive month of locomotor-system study is enhanced by regular visits to osteopathic manipulative medicine labs, where students identify muscles and bones on one another in an osteopathic clinical context. If you’re a Discovery Channel or National Geographic Channel junkie, you may know Witmer as the prime-time “mega-beast” expert. Witmer, who also holds the position of Chang Ying-Chien Professor of Paleontology, appears often on television shows and documentaries as a dinosaur expert. He’s also a trusted source for science journalists, who eagerly follow his research discoveries and often call on him to comment on the work of others in the field. The public attention results from Witmer’s innovative approach to
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prehistoric anatomy. His research lab was among the first to utilize CT scanning and computer visualization in paleontological research. Using 3-D images of bone cavities, Witmer attempts to “fill in” the missing soft tissue, a process he calls “fleshing out” fossils. His latest research, funded by a $180,000 National Science Foundation grant, examines brain evolution in dinosaurs. The grant marks his latest in a series of NSF-sponsored research projects, each of which has focused on a different anatomical system. These studies have yielded revelations about brain size, temperature regulation in prehistoric animals and dinosaur communication. But for OU-COM students, Witmer makes an indelible impression by giving the first lecture of their registered medical coursework during the August immersion. In addition to Witmer, six or seven instructors supervise these August labs, including graduate student assistants and two other faculty members, Joseph Eastman, Ph.D., professor of anatomy, and Robert Staron, Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy.
Robert Staron, Ph.D. Staron’s fascination with skeletal muscles dates back to when, as an OHIO engineering student, he had the opportunity to use an electron microscope in the research lab of Robert Hikida, Ph.D., professor emeritus of anatomy and developmental biology. Hikida was among the first to do research on human muscles, and in him, Staron found a mentor and research partner to sustain a career. Staron switched his major to zoology to earn his bachelor’s degree, then received a master’s degree in anatomy at Ohio State University and returned to earn his Ph.D. under Hikida.
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Nancy Stevens, Ph.D.
In a rare departure from his colleagues’ zoological studies, Staron’s earlier questions revolved around people, specifically strength training adaptations in women. He recruited women to undergo intensive weight training and periodic muscle sampling. “People couldn’t believe our numbers,” Staron says. “They didn’t think women’s muscles could get that big and strong. It changed the way people thought about muscle adaptation.” Staron has since collaborated on several human muscle studies, one of which recently challenged the benefit of very slow repetitions using light resistance (compared to normal speed with heavy resistance). Staron’s current muscle research focuses more on mice and other rodents, but his expertise in human musculature comes in handy during the August immersion and subsequent musculoskeletal anatomy labs. “Every [body donor] is different in terms of size and shape of muscles,” he says. “You can help students identify adaptations that take place in a bed-ridden individual versus someone who was more active.”
Robert Staron, Ph.D.
Nancy Stevens, Ph.D. Like Staron, Nancy Stevens, Ph.D., assistant professor of functional morphology and vertebrate paleontology, focuses on human musculoskeletal adaptation—at least in the classroom. She gives microanatomy lectures on the formation of bones and their response to stress. But in the field, Stevens’ research takes her from Madagascar to the East African Rift to the Arabian Peninsula, alternately studying the adaptive habits of endangered primates and the evolutionary novelties of mammals more than 20 million years extinct. Stevens travels the globe to document changes in the diets, locomotion and other habits of endangered primates. For several years,
Spring 2010
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Joseph Eastman, Ph.D.
she has studied Eulemur cinereiceps, a lemur species at the Manombo Special Reserve in southeastern Madagscar. An article based on this work appears in the 2008-2010 publication of Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates. She is also working with Ohio University students on a multimedia archive documenting adaptive behaviors in endangered mammals. Meanwhile, her paleontological work focuses on animals from the Oligocene epoch, a mammal-dominated time that saw the appearance of horses and trunked elephants on the globe. During this time, when Afro-Arabia was separate from the northern continents, hyraxes of all shapes and sizes dominated the landscape. Today’s hyraxes are small, hoofed mammals about the size of rabbits —“and very cute,” Stevens adds, noting, “They look like little smiling footballs … Back in the Oligocene there were hyraxes the size of hippos, hyraxes with elongated legs—they filled most of the ecological niches now occupied by others.” Once the Afro-Arabia landmass connected with Eurasia, new animals showed up and hyrax diversity took a plunge. Stevens studies how the mammals of that epoch responded to new competition for resources and climate change. “Learning about the past is highly relevant to the present,” Stevens says. “Twenty-five percent of mammals are currently under threat of extinction. I study how these animals respond to habitat pressures and how animals have adapted in the past.”
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Joe Eastman, Ph.D. When he’s not teaching musculoskeletal or cardiovascular human anatomy, Eastman’s anatomical studies take him to Earth’s most remote landmass, Antarctica. There, he studies fish living in sub-zero environments, and “some of the most interesting evolution you can find.” About 30 million years ago, Antarctica was still connected to South America, and its ocean fauna lived in much warmer waters. After the split, most of those fish species succumbed to the cold. But thanks to a host of unique adaptations, a group of fish called the notothenioids evolved to “radiate,” or fill out the niches of the changing ecosystem. “In this group, there are fish with antifreeze proteins in their blood, fish with no swim bladders,” he says. “(Notothenioids) have just taken over; they comprise 90 percent of Antarctic biomass—there’s no other marine environment like that.” Eastman and his team have discovered six new fish species in recent years, and despite the extreme conditions of his field research, his passion for the subject never dwindles. “I’m just as interested in this now as I was 35 years ago.” Although ichthyology (study of fish) has always been his main interest, Eastman sees human anatomy as crucial to any biologist. “The human being is the most studied animal. To ignore human anatomy is to ignore the bulk of our knowledge about anatomy.”
ohio university medicine
Audrone Biknevicius, Ph.D.
Audrone Biknevicius, Ph.D. In the anatomy lab, Biknevicius, often draws on her animal research to explain how things develop. More importantly, she says, “I think the passion [for anatomical research] transfers to the gross anatomy lab, because you can’t help it. It doesn’t matter if it’s how the ear evolved or how bodies move, there’s a part of your brain that says, ‘that’s very similar to this,’ or ‘that’s very different. I wonder why?’” With OHIO biologist Stephen Reilly, Ph.D., Biknevicius studies energy-saving locomotion in small, four-legged animals like hedgehogs and opossums with the help of treadmills and force platforms that measure applied force. “I’m interested in how things work,” says Biknevicius, associate professor of anatomy. “I want to know how animals do what they do—how they run, how their gaits form … It really just stems from an insane level of curiosity.” Next, Biknevicius hopes to return to a previous—and decidedly more companionable—research focus: dogs. For this study, she will use a force-plated treadmill that is split into four separate parts to measure the impact of each limb independently. “I want to see which limbs initiate different actions, such as running—whether they’re forelimb-driven or hind-limb driven, at which speed the body begins using spring elements to conserve energy,” she says. “Once we understand the function in adult dogs, then we can come back and look at their development [in puppies].”
Summer/Fall 2009
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Patrick O’Connor, Ph.D. OU-COM’s integrated systems approach to anatomy culminates with O’Connor’s neurological anatomy lab. “With neurology, we bring all the systems together in the context of the nervous system,” O’Connor says. “I tell them, ‘in the cardiovascular block, Dr. Eastman talked about X; let’s find out how the brain controls that.’” In his research, O’Connor seeks connections across species and over millennia. He focuses primarily on birds and reptiles—both modern and prehistoric. In fact, his team recently discovered new species of extinct crocodiles in Tanzania. “Ancient Southern Hemisphere is where crocodilian diversity really took off: aquatic, terrestrial, large, small,” he says, adding that the new species are very different from the crocodiles we know today. Although his ancient studies focus on the late-Mesozoic era (near the end of the dinosaur age), O’Connor’s research questions also span the full range of modern birds. His current collaborations focus on skeletal adaptations in everything from hummingbirds to penguins. “Birds are extremely diverse … from a tiny little hummingbird all the way up to an ostrich,” he says. “Some chase fish underwater. Some plungedive from 100 feet in the air and splash into the water. Some soar. We see skeletal modifications related to all of these different behaviors.”
Susan Williams, Ph.D.
Patrick O’Connor, Ph.D.
Anatomy “immersion” Witmer directs the August Osteopathic Clinical Anatomy Orientation, or “immersion,” which was developed about five years ago by a committee of anatomists. During the immersion, students spend their first month of medical school deep in anatomical instruction, split between the state-of-the-art gross anatomy and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) labs. “We were really given free reign with developing the immersion,” said O’Connor, who chaired the committee. “It’s a very innovative program. We looked at our strengths and we found that OMM training perfectly complemented musculoskeletal anatomy. And we work in an introduction to basic assessment.” With this restructuring of medical education came better instructional technology. The group lobbied for audio-visual technology, and now the lab is equipped with microphones and wide flat screens that enable instructors to demonstrate skills and display anatomical structures without forcing students to wait or crowd around one cadaver.
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Williams remembers how, as a Ph.D. student, she really fell in love with anatomy: “It was in the anatomy lab where you see the back of the neck and throat, and I thought, ‘Wow! This is really neat anatomy.’” Soon after, she found out that one of her anatomy instructors conducted research on mammalian chewing mechanics. The project resonated with her anatomical interests—how those jaw muscles, bones and joints actually work—and turned her on to functional morphology studies. Last fall, with support from OU-COM, Williams opened OHIO’s Large Animal Comparative Biomechanics Research Facility, where she studies how feeding mechanisms develop in alpacas and other mammals. According to Williams, alpacas exhibit relatively slow skeletal and dental development—their last teeth erupt at age five or six—which greatly affects how they coordinate their jaw muscles. Williams’ mastication studies have also taken her to Costa Rica to explore the feeding habits of howler monkeys, a project that required her to adapt electromyography (EMG) equipment for measuring muscle function to fit a very small, highly mobile research subject. “Working with engineers, we had to miniaturize everything and make it portable,” she says. The study first received a “high-risk project” grant from the NSF and later, based on initial success, a full project grant. “I’m an experimentalist at heart,” Williams says. “My research methods are driven by the questions that arise in my studies, and often there’s no precedent for how to answer them.” This tenacious spirit translates into her gross anatomy instruction. “The textbook may say ‘the masseter adducts [closes] the jaw,’ but I can help them to appreciate that together the jaw muscles also perform a number of other, very elaborate and highly controlled actions,” she says. “Research helps me be a more thorough teacher.”
ohio university medicine
“Modern science is complex. We now become experts in specialized techniques, but this limits the approaches that we use. Collaboration is the key to making quantum leaps in addressing the really thorny questions in science and medicine.� Jack Blazyk, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research
The Osteopathic Heritage Foundations and Charles R. and Marilyn Y. Stuckey
Academic & Research Center The future of biomedical research and biomedical engineering at Ohio University
Feature It is a bold statement by two colleges: We will change the way we conduct research and educate the medical, engineering and scientific leaders of tomorrow. That change is now underway since the opening of the new 89,000-square foot Academic & Research Center on Jan. 1, 2010. Diabetes and cancer researchers are moving into purpose-built labs. Medical and engineering students study in project team rooms, and classes convene in spaces appointed with smart glass and the latest classroom technologies. The ARC is a collaborative effort by the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology. The building was designed with the intent to inspire creativity, collaboration and research productivity, according to project architects at Burgess & Niple, Inc. With its modern, interconnected laboratories; hightech learning spaces; and comfortable, informal gathering spaces throughout, the ARC is bringing together a critical mass of physicians, biomedical scientists, engineers and students who will create new diagnostic methods, new treatments and new cures, with a focus on diabetes and cancer. These efforts are the continuation of an era of exploration and education at Ohio University that will convey research ideas along the path to commercialized products. The ARC expands our bench-to-bedside research culture, emphasizing to students the importance of research in the practice of medicine, and ultimately introducing health care advances that will help physicians enhance the lives of patients all over the world. The $35 million facility was made possible with a $10 million gift from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, a $5 million gift from Charles and Marilyn Stuckey, and the overwhelming generosity of hundreds of individuals, families, foundations and corporations.
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We hope you will join us for the celebratory grand opening May 8, 2010. Story by Karoline Lane Photos by John Sattler and Victor Blue Spring 2010
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Fabian Benencia, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Immunology
Areas of research collaboration: Tumor growth/leukocytes Breast cancer/chemokine proteins Diabetes/toll-like receptors Immune function/dendritic cells
Our Faculty: Advancing diabetes and cancer r
Jack Blazyk, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Research and Grants Professor of BiochemistryÂ
Area of research collaboration:
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria/peptides
Karen Coschigano, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Molecular/Cellular Biology
Area of research collaboration: Diabetic kidney damage/growth hormones
Sharon Inman, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biomedical Studies
Area of research collaboration: Diabetic kidney damage/antioxidants
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Ramiro Malgor, M.D. Assistant Professor of Pathology
Areas of research collaboration: Atherosclerosis/WNT5a protein Bladder cancer Pancreatic cancer/compound C-10 Â
research in the Academic & Research Center Kelly McCall, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Endocrinology
Areas of research collaboration: Pancreatic cancer/compound C-10 Atherosclerosis/WNT5a protein
Frank L. Schwartz, M.D., F.A.C.E. James O. Watson, D.O., Endowed Diabetes Research Chair Professor of Endocrinology
Areas of research collaboration: Diabetes/compound C-10 Diabetes/artificial intelligence insulin pump Depression and diabetes
Jay H. Shubrook, D.O. (’96), F.A.C.O.F.P., F.A.A.F.P., Associate Professor of Family Medicine Director of the Diabetes Fellowship Director of Clinical Research
Areas of research collaboration: Diabetes/novel treatment algorithms Diabetes/artificial intelligence insulin pump Depression and diabetes
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“This center positions Ohio University as a premier institution for academics and collaborative biomedical and engineering research. The Osteopathic Heritage Foundations are proud to be associated with this project.”
“The nice, opened-up lab space [in the ARC] will allow better communication among diabetes researchers. I think this will attract more faculty to our department and more student researchers.” Sharon Inman, Ph.D.
Richard A. Vincent, M.B.A. President and CEO, Osteopathic Heritage Foundations
The OU-COM Society of Alumni and Friends’ gift of $50,000 to support the café is the single largest one-time donation made on behalf of an Ohio University alumni society.
From left: Dr. Roderick J. McDavis; Mr. Richard A. Vincent; and Dr. John A. Brose The $35 million ARC is the first project on campus to be funded primarily through the generosity of private donors. Previously, only Cutler Hall (1819), Templeton Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium (1928) and Margaret M. Walter Hall (2003) were constructed with significant private support.
The Osteopathic Heritage Foundations
Academic & Re
“The Center is a tribute to those who believe in the power of research and education to develop new cures, to create new methods of diagnosis, and to advance cutting-edge treatments for some of our most pressing health issues. Ultimately, this will assist physicians all over the world in enhancing the lives of their patients.” John A. Brose, D.O., F.A.A.F.P. Dean, College of Osteopathic Medicine
The ARC is the first purpose-built, freestanding facility in the 35-year history of OU-COM.
Interconnected lab spaces like those in the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations Medical Research Suites foster collaborations among researchers.
“On our team we have molecular biologists, bioengineers, pathologists, chemists and endocrinologists. This cross-disciplinary approach allows us to look at a problem from many vantage points, which is crucial in translating basic research into clinical reality.” Frank L. Schwartz, M.D., F.A.C.E.
“A lot of [research] ideas come from informal discussions after presentations or in combined lab meetings. The ARC’s open spaces will aid this communication between labs.” Fabian Benencia, Ph.D.
“Medicine and engineering are very close—very complementary— disciplines for developing new diagnostic strategies and therapies for the treatment of cancer and diabetes.” Ramiro Malgor, M.D.
With a flip of the switch, electric “smart glass” turns transparent or translucent, offering either open views into classrooms or privacy if the instructor chooses. There are 13 classrooms in the ARC.
With its large, open atrium, the “living room” is a natural gathering space.
s and Charles R. and Marilyn Y. Stuckey
esearch Center
“Through this merger, I’ve discovered that I have a common research interest—inflammation—with almost every other ARC researcher. We were making plans to collaborate before we even moved in!” Karen Coschigano, Ph.D.
“Moving into this new state-of-the art facility enhances our interdisciplinary research on diabetes and atherosclerosis, which both plague the Southeastern Ohio region.” Kelly McCall, Ph.D. A variety of formal and informal meeting areas make impromptu conversations among scientists, physicians and students easy.
The Dr. Thomas (’83) and Barbara Anderson Medical Research Lab is one of 22 biomedical research labs in the ARC. A state-of-the-art holographic fireplace that produces radiant heat is the centerpiece of “A Warm Welcome” study alcove. The fireplace was provided through the generous support of Jeffrey A. Stanley, D.O. (’82), and his wife, Denise.
Structural elements of the building such as beams, ducts, and pipes were left exposed as teaching tools for engineering students.
“Being able to mix bench and clinical research will accelerate our research process. The breadth of expertise among researchers in ARC will expand possibilities. Jay H. Shubrook, D.O. (’96), F.A.C.O.F.P., F.A.A.F.P.
Feature
Student innovators
The future of medicine lies in research and in our physicians of tomorrow. By Nick Piotrowicz, Matthew Bates and Anita Martin Photos by John Sattler
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Junction function For many first-year medical students, it’s enough just to juggle coursework. But when Paul Eichenseer, OMS II, arrived at OUCOM, he immediately launched a little side-project: finite element analysis on spino-pelvic biomechanics. For his research, Eichenseer, a Johns Hopkins University graduate with a degree in biophysics, combines his biomedical acumen and computer programming skills to explore low back pain. He has created a threedimensional virtual model of the historically under-researched sacroiliac joint. “I’m looking at how stresses are transmitted from the upper body through the spine and pelvis to the lower extremities,” Eichenseer says.“Then, at the spinal-pelvic junction, how do those stresses affect the ligaments and other soft tissues, and finally, how might that manifest as low back pain?” Eichenseer collaborates with Daryl Sybert, D.O. (’86), F.A.O.A.O., clinical associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the Mt. Carmel New Albany Surgery Hospital, and with John Cotton, Ph.D., assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology. His research began “day one” in OU-COM’s August Osteopathic Clinical Anatomy Orientation, where he and Sybert measured cadaveric ligaments. Eichenseer then worked with a computer program called Amira®, to build an exact digital replica of the spine and pelvis based on a CT scan he and Sybert conducted. Eichenseer uses the model to conduct finite element analysis, which breaks up his model into 500,000 little pieces, each representing a minute area of the spine or pelvis. “[To] all those small pieces, I can apply whatever loads that I want. It’s like a massive calculator: it calculates the displacements, the stresses and the strains at any point in my model,” Eichenseer says. With this information, Eichenseer can determine how the sacroiliac junction influences low back pain. Because of challenges presented by the irregularly shaped sacroiliac junction, there is very little biomechanical information about the joint. In fact, there was no consensus that the joint even moved until the early 1900s—a laughable concept for any woman who’s gone through childbirth.
ohio university medicine
John Cotton, Ph.D. (left), and Paul Eichenseer, OMS II (right)
More student research stories online “Research helps you understand why things happen on the most basic level, which clarifies difficult concepts. It also puts you on the cutting edge of medicine in your particular field, which offers insight on what’s coming in the future.” John Umbel, OMS III Delayed-onset muscle soreness studies by John Umbel, OMS III, who co-authored two recent articles in the European Journal of Applied Physiology
Neurological investigations by Marisa McGinley, OMS II, lead author of a chapter in an upcoming clinical guide to transcranial magnetic stimulation
Research on the potential dangers of zinc-based sunscreens by Lisa Martorano, OMS II, a first-place winner from OU-COM’s 2009 Research Day competition
OUM
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www.oucom.ohiou.edu/OUM
“When you look back to how long anatomy has been around, it’s pretty recent that they even accepted that motion is capable with this joint,” Eichenseer says. “Now, one of the big debates is about how much motion is actually capable there, and whether it’s enough to produce any type of pain. Well, we have better evidence now with interventional pain management techniques, that yes, it is a pain generator.” Eichenseer conducts much of his research at OU-COM’s Institute for Neuromusculoskeletal Research (INR), which awarded him the inaugural 2009-2010 Sybert Family Orthopaedic Research Award to continue this research. “Paul’s very independent. His intellectual input is astounding,” says Brian Clark, Ph.D., director of the INR, assistant professor of neuromuscular biology and a research advisor to Eichenseer. “He’s not just assisting in some technical way; he’s driving this project like a faculty member or a Ph.D. candidate would.” Eichenseer won first place in the medical research category at Ohio University’s 2009 Student Research and Creative Activity Expo last spring, and he presented at this year’s American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics in Boston. This student physician-physicist sees his research as a lifelong project with potential applications in both surgery and osteopathic manipulative medicine. One angle he’d like to pursue is comparing different fixation methods at the lumbosacral junction for patients preparing for scoliosis surgery. “One thing people always ask me is, ‘Are you done with your research yet?’ That’s not how I see it,” Eichenseer says. “For me research is never over. This will continue next year, the next year and throughout my career.” ohio university medicine
Uncoiling the RNA of dysentery Dysentery was once almost as common worldwide as the flu, especially during times of war. Although most dysentery outbreaks now occur in developing countries, the disease is far from eradicated in the industrialized world; for instance, more than 600 cases were reported in Franklin County, Ohio, last year alone. A summer project of Annick Edon, OMS II, could help find a cure. As a part of the college’s Research and Scholarly Advancement Fellowship, Edon collaborated with Erin Murphy, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical sciences, to study the role of SraB, a small RNA in the bacteria Shigella dysenteriae, which causes dysentery. Because SraB was recently predicted to occur in Escherichia coli bacteria, Murphy suspected it may also be at play in dysentery, which is related to E. coli. According to Murphy, Edon was the first person to confirm the production of SraB in S. dysenteriae. “Next, the goal was to determine how SraB affects the [person or host organism] with Shigella,” Edon says. The team studied how this small RNA responded to different conditions. They tested its reaction to changes in temperature and in the concentration levels of both iron,
Annick Edon, OMS IV
which the bacteria need to grow, and dioxycholic acid, which alerts S. dysenteriae that it has entered the human body. At the Empire State Medical Association’s 4th Annual Student Research Poster Competition, Edon won the grand-prize scholarship of $2,500. Edon also presented her research findings at OU-COM’s Research Day and the 2009 American Osteopathic Association Annual Convention and Scientific Seminar in New Orleans. “This research has been an invaluable experience,” she says, adding that, as the whirlwind of the second-year board exam calms, she hopes to return to her research and submit her findings for publication.
Steven Jones, OMS IV (far right)
Assessing astronaut health Last fall, Stephen Jones, OMS IV, got a chance to combine his passion for medicine with his fascination with space travel. He was selected for the NASA Aerospace Medicine Clerkship, where he participated in research to improve the medical evaluations given to space shuttle crews after missions. The clerkship, based out of Wyle Labs and Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, selects ten medical students in their final year of medical school to study aerospace medicine and conduct research. Jones’ program began in October and lasted four weeks. At NASA, Jones was tasked with improving and reducing a 28-page medical debriefing form for space shuttle crews. The document helps flight surgeons assess astronaut health and safety, and it aids research on the long-term effects of space flight on human physiology. Spring 2010
“The document was somewhat unpopular with the flight surgeons, and they had developed their own shorter, medically-focused debrief sheet,” Jones says. His job was to take the different versions of the debriefing form and determine “which questions were important and which were superfluous or redundant.” He periodically met with NASA personnel to present and defend the changes he was making. At the end of the clerkship, he presented his work to the flight surgeons and staff. The final draft is under review by the Longitudinal Study of Astronaut Health Team and by the flight medicine staff. Jones previously had worked with Jay H. Shubrook, D.O. (’96), F.A.C.O.F.P., F.A.A.F.P., on two research projects involving diabetes treatment. This experience trained Jones to work with electronic and handwritten medical records, giving him the skill set that NASA was looking for in candidates for this competitive clerkship. “Steve was a pleasure to work with. He’s an independent worker with a knack for medical writing,” Shubrook says, adding that they recently submitted a paper for publication. The NASA clerkship represented a rare experience for Jones, a longtime aerospace aficionado. “I felt very comfortable surrounded by people who were interested not only in health care but also in space exploration,” Jones says. “This gives me something unique to carry forward into my future practice.”
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Double doctors Many students discover a passion for research before or during medical school. For some, that passion turns into a professional calling. For those who wish to integrate cutting-edge research into their medical careers, the OU-COM D.O./Ph.D. program combines doctoral study with osteopathic medical education. Adam Jara, OMS II, will devote the next three years to earning his Ph.D. under John Kopchick, D.O., Goll-Ohio Eminent Scholar and professor of molecular biology. As an undergrad, he followed Kopchick’s work, and he spent summer 2008 in Kopchick’s lab learning research protocol. Beginning next year, he will assist in Kopchick’s research on detecting biomarkers induced by growth hormones. Amy Zidron, Ph.D., OMS IV, and her doctoral advisor, Gillian Ice, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of social medicine, studied growth and nutrition among Kenyan orphans whose parents were afflicted with HIV/AIDS. Zidron earned her Ph.D. in November 2008, and after finishing her D.O. this spring, she will begin a pediatrics residency at West Virginia University and expand her research to include children in the United States.
OUM
Read more about Zidron’s and Jara’s work at
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/OUM.
Adam Jara, OMS II Amy Zidron, Ph.D., OMS IV
D.O./Ph.D. recipients
James Brent Oliver, D.O. (’93), Ph.D. Advisor: Joseph Jollick, Ph.D. Michael Murray, D.O. (’98), Ph.D. Advisor: Linda Ross, D.O. (’07), Ph.D. Mark Verdun, D.O. (’00), Ph.D. Advisor: Ann Loucks, Ph.D. Brian Yoder, D.O. (’00), Ph.D. Advisor: Kenneth Goodrum, Ph.D.
Follow-up Development & Alumni News and Features
26 Honoring the dreams of a fallen soldier
Northeastern Ohio Healthcare Foundation renames scholarship
28 Class Notes 29 Eric Beck, D.O., appointed to 31 33
Chicago House Board of Trustees David Drozek, D.O., named SOSA Surgery Mentor of the Year Paige Gutheil-Henderson, D.O., receives Recent Graduate Award
38 Ideas in action
James Joye, D.O. Revolutionizing peripheral vascular disease treatment
Then and Now Innovations Top left: John Howell, Ph.D., with cutting-edge technology from the mid-1980s. The screen behind him shows the action potential recorded from a frog’s muscle cell. He was studying the effects of calcium on contractile muscle strength. Right: Howell, associate professor emeritus of physiology, with one of his legacies, the Virtual Haptic Back. Howell collaborated with mechanical engineer Bob Williams, Ph.D., of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, to create the virtual interface that the user interacts with through touch. Unique in osteopathic medicine, this technology helps osteopathic medical students practice palpation through computer simulation. This project was funded by grants from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation and the Brentwood Foundation. OUM
Read more about the project at www.oucom.ohiou.edu/OUM.
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Follow-up
Development Highlight
Honoring the dreams of a fallen soldier Foundation renames scholarship
Cpl. Joshua S. Harmon wanted to become a physician. A combat medic serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Harmon and 13 fellow soldiers died when their helicopter crashed while returning from a mission in 2007. In memory of Cpl. Harmon, the board of the Northeastern Ohio Healthcare Foundation decided to rename one of its four Jerry A. Zinni, D.O., Memorial Scholarships after the Mentor, Ohio, serviceman. “Cpl. Harmon was a young man we lost way too soon, along with his comrades,” says William Saar, D.P.M., a member of the foundation’s board. “He wanted to go on to be a physician, and now we will not be able to see that happen, so we wanted to do something in his memory.” The original Zinni Scholarship was established in 2000, however, the foundation has supported osteopathic medicine for more than fifty years. “Our focus on osteopathic medicine goes back to Dr. Jerry Zinni, founder of the Richmond Heights General Hospital,” says Gregory Nolfi, J.D., chair of the foundation’s board. “We have been committed to osteopathic medicine since the early 1960s, and these scholarships reflect our continued support of osteopathic education and training.” In 1960, Zinni, a leader and champion of the osteopathic medical profession, founded the not-for-profit Richmond Heights General Hospital, where Cpl. Harmon was trained as a paramedic. Today, the Northeastern Ohio Healthcare Foundation carries on an essential part of the hospital’s original mission and Zinni’s vision—helping disadvantaged patient populations, improving community health care and furthering osteopathic medical education. One out of every four Zinni scholarships annually given is now called the Joshua S. Harmon Memorial Scholarship. In 2008, Elyssa Rubertino, OMS II, was named the inaugural Harmon Scholar. Both the Harmon Scholarship and the Zinni Scholarships are designed to follow student recipients through all four years of medical school, awarding them each $10,000 annually, although recipients must reapply each year. “These awards are, first and foremost, about helping others and instilling the sense of giving back,” says Sharon Zimmerman, director of medical development.
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From left: Nicholas Rinaldi, D.D.S.; Sharon Zimmerman, M.P.A.; Roger May; Gurbinder Singh, OMS III; Tim Neely, OMM Fellow; Crystal Joyce, OMS IV; Elyssa Rubertino, OMS II; Gregory Nolfi, J.D.; William Saar, D.P.M.; Richard Harmon
Diane Lui, OMS I - 2009-2010 Zinni Scholar Diane Lui has been fascinated with the mind and body since she was a little girl. “I remember watching ‘The Magic School Bus’ about anatomy and wanting to learn about how everything in the body works,” she laughs. As a psychology major, Lui shadowed Robert Truax, D.O., at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. “He did OMM, and I was amazed—I would see patients come in complaining about aches and pains and leave feeling better,” she says. During a visit this summer, Lui was able to assist Truax with osteopathic manipulative medicine. Lui hopes to do medical service work in Latin America, where her Spanish skills will come in handy. But ultimately, she plans to return to Cleveland to practice primary care. “I’m so impressed that people care enough to help,” Lui says. “This scholarship is such a blessing. With less financial worries upon graduation, I can truly focus on what’s most important: my future patients and giving back to the community.”
Elyssa Rubertino, OMS II - Inaugural 2008-2010 Harmon Scholar Elyssa Rubertino’s passion for medicine grew out of childhood tragedy. The death of her four-year-old brother by a drunk driver inspired first anger at the medical profession and, later, curiosity. In high school, she volunteered in the same emergency room that served her family. Her powerful experiences in the ER led her to shadow physicians in various specialties. Rubertino applied for the Harmon Scholarship because, she says, “I wanted to pursue a scholarship that meant something. With the loss of (Richard Harmon’s) son, I share a similar loss. It was important for me to have that connection.” During her undergraduate studies, Rubertino served as a health integrator at The Church Health Center in Memphis. She advised low-income patients about preventive health and ongoing care on a budget. She says those factors led her to choose OU-COM, which she sees as a medical college that values serving underprivileged populations and uses a “whole person” approach to medical care. “The generosity [of the Northeastern Ohio Healthcare Foundation] has made my education possible,” Rubertino says.
Follow-up
Gurbinder Singh, OMS III - 2007-2010 Zinni Scholar Gurbinder Singh’s passion for medicine began in India, before his family moved to the United States. “I saw poverty everywhere,” he says, “so I was compassionate about helping those in need since I was very young.” When Singh first moved to Cleveland, he worked in a nursing home, which fueled his love for medicine and service. After earning a degree in business administration in 2002, Singh worked in information technology at the Cleveland Clinic before pursuing this childhood dream of medicine. “Before I even started at OU-COM, I believed in ideas of a whole-body approach, which made adopting osteopathic principles effortless,” he says. Singh is interested in internal medicine, preventive medicine and cardiology. He plans to return to Northeastern Ohio to practice medicine in Summit County.
Crystal (Woodside) Joyce, OMS IV - 2006-2010 Zinni Scholar As a high-school athlete, Crystal Joyce injured her ankle and was treated by osteopathic physicians. “I loved their hands-on, whole-body approach,” she says. “They didn’t isolate the disease from the person.” A natural leader, Joyce has served as president of Sigma Sigma Phi, the national honors fraternity for osteopathic medicine, vice president of the Ob/Gyn Club and secretary of the Emergency Medicine Club. Between her active student life and intensive studies, Joyce finds time to enjoy her newlywed status. She and her husband, Ryan Joyce, married in 2007. She says the scholarship has helped ease their financial strain. “Words could never fully explain my gratitude for the Zinni Scholarship,” she says. “I was amazed when I received the scholarship the first year of medical school. Now, after four years, I am even more amazed by the wonderful relationships I have developed with the foundation board members.” Joyce, who will enter a pediatric residency program at Akron Children’s Hospital next year, is happy to be back in Northeastern Ohio. “This is where I grew up and where my family is,” she says, adding, “plus, I love the Browns and the Indians!”
Tim Neely, OMM Fellow - 2005-2009 Zinni Scholar The Zinni Scholarship afforded Tim Neely opportunities he wouldn’t have pursued otherwise, like traveling to Africa in 2006 to research the effects of caregiving on the health of Luo elders as part of OU-COM’s Kenyan Grandparents Study. As a student, Neely served as president of the Undergraduate Association of American Osteopathy and captain of a Relay for Life team. He also traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby legislators on medical issues as part of D.O. Day on the Hill. Now an osteopathic manipulative medicine fellow at OU-COM, he is training to incorporate OMM into a future family practice in Summit County. Neely first encountered both OMM and the osteopathic philosophy as a premed student at Kent State. “After working with D.O.s at the local health center there, I knew I wanted to study osteopathic medicine,” Neely says. “I’m so grateful to have had this support, and to be able to train in such a holistic, patient-centered approach to medicine.” Natalie Cammarata, Colleen Kiphart, Anita Martin and Karoline Lane
contributed to this story.
Sharon Zimmerman, M.P.A. Director of Medical Development Executive Director of Alumni Affairs
Dear Alumni & Friends: We are thrilled to announce another OU-COM scholarship endowed by a health care foundation in the northeast corner of Ohio: The Summa Foundation Osteopathic Medical Education Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship, endowed with a gift of $100,000 by the Summa Foundation, is OU-COM’s newest osteopathic medical scholarship. It offers up to $4,000 a year to OU-COM students hailing from Summit, Portage or Medina Counties. The new scholarship reflects the invaluable relationship between OU-COM and Summa Western Reserve Hospital (formerly Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital), which has been a site in our statewide consortium of teaching hospitals, the Centers for Osteopathic Research & Education (CORE), for 15 years and has maintained a close relationship with the college for more than 30 years. Like the scholarships endowed by the Northeastern Ohio Healthcare Foundation—which honor Jerry A. Zinni, D.O., and Joshua S. Harmon—the Summa scholarship encourages OU-COM students to return after medical school to serve their hometown communities in northeastern Ohio. In addition to strengthening the osteopathic medical talent in the Cleveland and Akron areas, these scholarships contribute to OU-COM’s mission of training physicians with a strong foundation in primary care medicine. Our college emphasizes the importance of primary care medicine, and we take pride in the fact that 62 percent of our graduates currently practice in Ohio. Scholarships are vital to the future of osteopathic medicine in Ohio. Given the high costs associated with medical education, financial aid opportunities like these help students shoulder the financial burden of medical school and, most importantly, to give back, whether by returning to practice in their local communities, pursuing high-demand fields like primary care, or serving underserved areas of the state.
“By supporting students from Northeastern Ohio who pursue osteopathic medicine, we continue our efforts to provide the best health care in our community.”
Kathleen Rice, M.B.A. President and Chief Operating Officer Summa Western Reserve Hospital.
We want to hear from you!
Follow-up
Please send your career and personal updates along with high-resolution photographs for our next issue.
Class Notes
Fax: 740.593.0761 E-mail: harmanj@ohio.edu Online form: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/Alumni/ StayingConnected.htm Alumni Affairs, 203 Grosvenor Hall, Athens, Ohio, 45701
1982 David Lance, D.O., senior medical director of hospice and palliative care of Greater Wayne County, also volunteers for the Viola Startzman Free Clinic in Wooster, Ohio. He received his certificate of added qualifications both in geriatric medicine and in hospice and palliative care from the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. Robert Myers, D.O., joined the Providence Medical Group in Dayton, Ohio, in September 2008. He was appointed chief of staff at the Children’s Medical Center in Dayton for the 2008 - 2010 term. He is also a volunteer coach for the Juvenile Diabetes Ride for a Cure bicycle event and will participate in his tenth ride this August in Killington, Vt.
1983 Melvin R. Friedman, D.O., recently became president of the Cranial Academy, a nonprofit membership organization that focuses on teaching and advancing osteopathic manipulative medicine, with an emphasis on cranial manipulation. In the past, Friedman has served on the board of directors and on various committees of the Cranial Academy. He has also taught academy classes and co-directed a Cranial Academy annual conference.
OUM
Read more at www.oucom.ohiou.edu/OUM.
Roger Garcia, D.O., recently completed a fellowship program in anti-aging, regenerative and functional medicine through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.
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Alex Vrable, D.O., proudly announces that his son, Alexander Jr., is a second-year student at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Fla.
Stephen Phillips, D.O., accepted a position as Commander at the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Fort Campbell, Ky.
1984
1989
Robert Deedman, D.O., is now a primary care manager at the Warrior Transition Clinic in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Roger Amigo, D.O., and wife, Natasha, welcomed daughter Brielle to the family in March 2009.
Steven Eisenstat, D.O., was voted “Best Doctor in Family Practice for 2009” by his peers in the New York Metro Area, as published in New York Magazine.
1990
Keith Kersten, D.O., began a new position as medical director at Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative in September 2009. Jeffrey Rubin, D.O., accepted a new position as medical director at the Albuquerque Surgery Center in New Mexico.
1985 Joseph Baker II, D.O., accepted a new position as director of medical education for osteopathic programs at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
Nicholas Kreatsoulas, D.O., was appointed vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer of Humility of Mary Health Partners in Youngstown, Ohio.
1991 Robert Friess, D.O., became chief of staff, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Maumee, Ohio, in March 2010.
1992 Dettleff Olson, D.O., was named acting lead physician for the Dayton VA Medical Center’s community-based outpatient clinics in Ohio.
1993
1987
Heath Jolliff, D.O., was appointed associate medical director for the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Also, he co-authored a paper, “Chemical exposure preparedness for emergency departments in a Midwestern city,” published in the American Journal of Disaster Medicine in 2008.
Gary Huber, D.O., was appointed president of LeValle Metabolic Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio. He recently served as director of the Loveland, Ohio, Amazing Race charity event.
Bryan Smalley, D.O., was named division surgeon for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., in May 2009.
Sophia Fountis, D.O., of Scottsdale, Ariz., was named one of the “Top Doctors” in the field of adult and pediatric bariatrics by Phoenix Magazine in both 2008 and 2009.
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1994 Esther Tompkins, D.O., was appointed president of the Arkansas Osteopathic Medical Association in August 2009.
Jeffrey Thurston, D.O., accepted a new position as medical director of hospitalist services at Mount Carmel West Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He was named a fellow of the American College of Physicians in April 2008. He and wife, Margaret, welcomed son Walter to the family in February 2009.
1996 Michelle Kantor Herring, D.O., and her husband, Jefferson, welcomed son Joshua to the family in July 2008. Michael Monohan, D.O., is a practicing partner at Post Falls Family Medicine in Post Falls, Idaho.
1999 Julie Lee, D.O., and husband, Sun Jon Young, welcomed their son, Luke, to the family in December 2008. Rodger Marting, J.D., D.O., was appointed acting judge in Pickaway County, Ohio.
1997 Steve Werling, D.O., was named president of the American Osteopathic College of Proctology. He also recently started a new practice, gave multiple presentations and lectures, and celebrated 15 years of marriage. Samantha Wood, D.O., became a full partner in Partners in Health Practice of Lawrenceburg, Ind., in January 2010.
2000 Jennifer Papp, D.O., was appointed to the clinical faculty of the Doctors Hospital ob/gyn residency program. She and husband, John Jonesco III, D.O. (’00), welcomed daughter Caroline Ann to the family in July 2009. Gina Volpe, D.O., became a clinical assistant professor of family medicine for OU-COM at Affinity Medical Center in Canton, Ohio, in 2008.
1998 Todd Bell, D.O., accepted a position as director of quality improvement and associate director of emergency services at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, Ohio, in addition to his work for Premier Health Care Services. He and wife, Tanya, welcomed their daughter, Phoenix, to the family in July 2008. Jeanne Schall, D.O., and husband, Steven, welcomed their daughter, Grace, to the family in July 2009.
2001 Benjamin Almasanu, D.O., became a partner at Pediatric and Adolescent Practitioners in Gahanna, Ohio, in April 2009. He and wife, Wendy, welcomed son Gabriel to the family in February 2009. Kent Bennett, D.O., M.P.H., was accepted into the Aultman-Mercy-NEOUCOM radiology residency program in July 2010.
Spring 2010
First D.O. appointed to Chicago House Board of Trustees Eric Beck, D.O. (’08), was recently appointed to the board of trustees for Chicago House, an organization that, since 1985, provides housing and support services to individuals and families affected both by HIV/AIDS and by homelessness, marginal housing or unemployment. Beck is the second physician, and the first D.O., to serve on the Chicago House Board of Trustees. The organization focuses on social issues affecting public health, and Beck finds its mission consistent with the osteopathic medical philosophy. He hopes to bring an “understanding of that interplay between social variables and medical variables,” based on his osteopathic medical training. Beck began volunteering at Chicago House after relocating to Chicago last year. He trains Chicago House social workers to integrate elements such as medical literacy, medication adherence, employment training and peer-based support systems into HIV patient advocacy plans. He also participates in the organization’s South Side Task Force, focused on expanding Chicago House’s presence in the south side of the city, which reports a disproportionately high number of HIV cases. In June, Beck will begin his third year of an emergency medicine residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Training in inner-city hospitals has shown Beck the importance of Chicago House’s mission. “I see the consequences of homeless, marginally-housed, unemployed, HIVpositive families on every shift.” By Matthew Bates
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Alumni Calendar of Events 2010 Spring/Summer April 29- May 2 Ohio Osteopathic Symposium The Hilton at Easton Town Center Columbus, Ohio May 1 OU-COM Alumni Awards and Luncheon At Ohio Osteopathic Symposium May 8 The Osteopathic Heritage Foundations and Charles R. and Marilyn Y. Stuckey Academic & Research Center Grand Opening Athens, Ohio May 21-23 Ohio University Black Alumni Reunion Athens, Ohio May 22 OU-COM Black Alumni Luncheon Athens, Ohio June 4 Graduation Reception Irvine on the Bricks Athens, Ohio June 5 OU-COM Commencement Templeton Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium Athens, Ohio August 14 OU-COM Convocation Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium Athens, Ohio OU-COM Society of Alumni & Friends Board of Directors Summer Meeting Grosvenor Hall Athens, Ohio
Deborah Thaler, D.O., and husband, Russell, welcomed son Colin to the family in February 2009.
2002 Gregory Applegate, D.O., is completing an acute pain and regional anesthesia fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He was appointed assistant professor of anesthesiology at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., in July 2009. Craig Peters, D.O., completed a cardiology fellowship at the University of Arizona in June 2009. He joined the Cardiovascular Specialists of Dayton, practicing at Grandview Medical Center, and other Kettering Health Network hospitals. Tom Smith, D.O., accepted a position at MacNeal Hospital in Chicago, Ill. He completed an adult reconstruction fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in July 2009. He and wife, Carol, welcomed their daughter, Gwen, to the family in March 2008. David Tolentino, D.O., was named a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Internists in fall 2008.
2003 Lori Gordley, D.O., and husband, Ray, welcomed son Jackson to the family in October 2007. Bogdan Irimies, D.O., accepted a position as an attending emergency medicine physician at Gaston Memorial Hospital in Charlotte, N.C.
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Kimberly Jackson, D.O., has been in practice at Dundee Family Health Center in Winter Haven, Fla., since August 2008. She and husband, Bruce, welcomed son Bryce in July 2008. Terry O’Toole, D.O., accepted a position with Ohio Gastrointestinal and Liver Institute in July 2009. He recently completed a gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Cincinnati. He also published “Complications of EUS-guided celiac plexus blockade and neurolysis,” in the July 2009 issue of Endoscopy, and he presented two posters at Digestive Disease Week, May 2009, in Chicago, Ill. He and wife, Jennifer, welcomed Aidan to the family in June 2009. John Paes, D.O., and wife, Hope, welcomed their son, Ryan, to the family in January 2009.
Daniel Ruggles, D.O., is on the orthopedic staff at Children’s Hospital Central California and completed a pediatric orthopedic fellowship at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital in August 2009. In September 2010, he will move to the Dominican Republic to begin serving as medical director of the CURE International Center for Orthopedic Specialties, a missionary hospital in Santo Domingo.
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2004 Samuel Finck, D.O., is completing a sports medicine fellowship at Wellington Orthopaedics in Cincinnati, Ohio. Chad Fogt, D.O., and wife, Julie, welcomed their daughter, Ellen, to the family in April 2009. Corey Jackson, D.O., accepted a position in general orthopedics at Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center in Cambridge, Ohio. Nitin Kapoor, D.O., began a hematology/oncology fellowship at Grandview Medical Center in July 2009. John Parente, D.O., is president of the North Central Emergency Associates and was also named assistant director of emergency medicine at Fisher Titus Medical Center in Norwalk, Ohio. Chad Paxson, D.O., completed a sleep medicine fellowship at LSU Medical Center-Shreveport and has begun a pulmonary and critical care fellowship at the same institution. He and wife, Laura, welcomed daughter Lilly in April 2009. Kristin Ryan, D.O., is completing a surgical oncology fellowship at Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence, R.I. She received the Bowling Green State University Accomplished Graduate Award and received an Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008. Jodie Skillicorn, D.O., and husband, Thomas Nguyen, D.O. (’04), welcomed daughter Skye to the family in May 2009.
David Drozek, D.O. (‘83), gives surgical tools instruction to third-year students as part of their Osteopathic Clinical Rotation Orientation
Alumnus named Surgery Mentor of the Year The national Student Osteopathic Surgical Association (SOSA) honored OHIO surgeon David Drozek, D.O. (’83), assistant professor of specialty medicine, as 2009 Surgery Mentor of the Year.
In addition to his surgical practice at Doctors Hospital in Nelsonville and teaching duties at OUCOM, Drozek also volunteers for Good Works, Inc., a homeless shelter located in Athens.
James Prueter, OMS II, who nominated Drozek for the award, cited Drozek’s dedication to helping others in the Athens area and around the world. Each year Drozek takes his family and a large group of students to conduct clinical rotations in the Central American countries of El Salvador and Honduras. He also helped lead one of two teams that OU-COM organized to provide medical care for earthquake victims in Haiti (see p. 8).
“This recognition helps affirm that I’m making an impact in the lives of some students, and it’s an encouragement to get even more involved in their educational process,” Drozek says.
Dean Jack Brose, D.O., lauded Drozek’s commitment to providing health care for underserved populations abroad and in the United States. “Dr. Drozek is an outstanding role model for our students and an excellent surgeon,” he said.
Spring 2010
SOSA is the student member section of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, which promotes osteopathic principles in the practice of surgery and provides networking opportunities among medical students and osteopathic surgeons. By Richard Heck
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Follow-up
Michael Valente, D.O., is participating in a colon and rectal surgery fellowship program at Grant Medical Center/Ohio State University in 2010-2011. Dr. Valente currently serves as chief resident in the department of general surgery at Summa Health Systems Akron City Hospital. He is also a clinical instructor of surgery at NEOUCOM in Rootstown, Ohio. He presented a paper at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) in June 2009 and published a related paper in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases in May 2009. In April 2008, he volunteered with Medical Missions International doing surgical mission work in the Dominican Republic. Stephanie (Sieg) Valente, D.O., is participating in a surgical breast oncology fellowship program at the University of Southern California in 20102011. She authored “Immunologic function in the elderly after injury: The neutrophil and innate immunity,” which was published in the Journal of Trauma in November 2009.
2005 Joshua Bitter, D.O., began a nephrology fellowship at Ohio State University in July 2009. He and wife, Kelly Salinas, D.O., welcomed daughter Kaitlyn Alexis to the family in June 2009. Kevin Nasky, D.O., and wife, Melissa, welcomed daughter Norah to the family in June 2009. Kelly Salinas, D.O., became an emergency medical attending at Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, Ohio, in October 2009. Christine Waller, D.O., accepted a position with Lafayette Emergency Care in Lafayette, Ind.
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2006 Marina Antar-Shultz, D.O., married Joshua Shultz in January 2008. She is completing a nephrology fellowship at the University of South Florida. She was named “Resident of the Month” on two occasions and won a Superior Performance Award from her residency evaluation committee in February 2009. She published “A case of selective immunoglobulin M deficiency and autoimmune glomerulonephritis,” in the August 2008 issue of Clinical and Experimental Nephrology.
Alyssa Tran, D.O., and husband Patrick welcomed son Ethan to the family in November 2009. Dr. Tran is currently serving as chief resident in the department of Family and Community Medicine at University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Tran also serves on the Resident Evaluation and Promotion and Inpatient Service Action committees at UTHSCSA.
Alexander Toledo, D.O., was appointed adjunct assistant professor by the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, in August 2009. He is participating in a fellowship program in pediatric emergency medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital.
2007 Marc McKinley, D.O., and Leslie Tuttle McKinley, D.O., welcomed their son, Zachary, to the family in June 2009. Marc will begin a fellowship in nephrology at Ohio State University in July 2010. Ryan Mast, D.O., received a resident teaching award in psychiatry from third-year medical students at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University in 2009. He has also been selected to participate in a fellowship program in child and adolescent psychiatry at the Boonshoft School in July 2010 Joya K. Sykes, D.O., and husband, Carlton, welcomed their son, Cyrus, to the family in August 2009.
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Nicole White, D.O., and husband, Xavier Peoples, welcomed son Xavier Jr. to the family in November 2009.
2008 Sean Carlson, D.O., is participating in the dermatology fellowship program at University Hospitals of Cleveland. He also presented ”The relevance of doubtful late patch test readings” at the 2009 meeting of the American Contact Dermatitis Society in San Francisco. He and wife, Michelle, welcomed their son, William, to the family in July 2008.
Follow-up
Donald C. Dworek, D.O., is completing a neurology residency at Allegheny General Hospital in Allegheny, Pa. Douglas Kast, D.O., is participating in a dermatology research fellowship program at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio. Sarah Ondrejka, D.O., and husband, Jason Ondrejka, D.O., welcomed daughter Madeline to the family in July 2009. Erin Remster, D.O., was named Internal Medicine Resident of the Year by the East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine Caduceus Club.
From left: Jeffrey Stanley, D.O. (‘82); Paige Gutheil-Henderson, D.O. (‘02); and Jack Brose, D.O.
Paige Gutheil-Henderson earns Recent Graduate Award Paige Gutheil-Henderson, D.O. (’02), received OU-COM’s Recent Graduate Award at the October 2009 CME & All-Class Reunion. This award is given to an outstanding alumnus who has graduated in the preceding 15 years. Henderson is no stranger to recognition. She was recently appointed to serve a four-year term on the Ohio University Alumni Association Board of Directors, starting in October. She received a CORE Outstanding Family Practice Resident Award and the 2005 Pfizer Outstanding Osteopathic Resident Award, and she was named 2004-2005 chief resident for the Doctors Hospital Family Practice Residency Program. An active member on the board of the OU-COM Society of Alumni and Friends, Gutheil-Henderson spearheaded the OU-COM Spring Fling alumni fundraiser in April, 2008, to benefit both the Doctors Hospital Osteopathic Medical Education Fund and the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations and Charles R. and Marilyn Y. Stuckey Academic & Research Center (ARC). She considers this college involvement an investment in a family legacy. Her father, Paul Gutheil, D.O., CORE clinical professor of family
Spring 2010
medicine, is a Columbus-based osteopathic family physician and a long-time college supporter, and her sister, Lauren Gutheil, D.O. (’09), recently graduated from OU-COM. Gutheil-Henderson and her mother, Jimilea Gutheil, recently made a generous contribution in honor of Dr. Paul Gutheil to support the newly-opened ARC. “When we found out about the Academic & Research Center, we thought it would be a great idea to have an area that was sponsored by our family, primarily to honor my father, who has been a fan of [OU-COM] even since its founding,” she says. Gutheil-Henderson teaches OU-COM students as a CORE clinical associate professor of family medicine at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. “It’s fun for me to be involved with the school,” she says. “The more I get away from my schooling, the more I feel connected to my school and grateful for the training I’ve had. I think it’s a part of osteopathic medicine to give back.”
By Nick Piotrowicz
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James D. Joye, D.O. (‘88)
Mike Ichikawa
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Alumni Profile
Ideas in action
Physician, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed “tinkerer” revolutionizes peripheral vascular disease treatment By Linda Knopp
Four years after James D. Joye, D.O. (’88), F.A.C.C., graduated from OU-COM, he met catheter engineer Ronald Williams for dinner to discuss an idea he’d been kicking around: using a liquid nitrous oxide to treat clogged leg arteries. That discussion led the pair to cofound CryoVascular Systems—a business that provides physicians a safer, less-invasive way to treat vascular disease. “In just 10 years, we went from an idea sketched out on a napkin to a product that’s used in most hospitals in the country and many places around the world,” Joye says.“I’ve always had an investigative slant to the way I approach things, so I developed an interest in medical research very early on.” Joye is widely credited with developing cryoplasty, which uses nitrous oxide to freeze plaque in leg arteries, inducing a type of cell death called apoptosis. Essentially, Joye says, cryoplasty causes arterial plaque to selfdestruct. While less traumatic than bypass surgery or angioplasty, this technique also seems to have a lower incidence of restenosis, or reclogging, since it avoids scarring. This is welcome news for more than 10 million people in the United States who suffer from peripheral vascular disease.
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Joye, who serves as director of vascular/cartoid intervention and research at Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists, and director of research and education at the Heart and Vascular Institute at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Calif., has co-founded two medical device start-up companies, and he holds about 20 patents. Through both CryoVascular Systems and PQ Bypass—his latest medical device start-up, which launched last year—Joye says he aims to find new ways of performing medical procedures for better patient outcomes. For example, PQ Bypass focuses on a family of products and methods that offer a less invasive approach to open-leg bypass surgery: through a single puncture wound. This reduces the risk of post-operative complications, allowing many patients to walk out of the hospital the same day as their surgeries. When Joye was completing his residency and fellowship at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, the field of cardiovascular medicine was transitioning from a more conservative drugs-only therapy to more progressive treatment methods using new medical devices. “There was a lot of progress made in the field during that time, and I was lucky enough to get a lot of hands-on time with devices during their formative stages,” he says. “It was a case of being at the right place at the right time.” When Joye first had the spark of the idea that would lead him to develop cryoplasty, he says he was experiencing success in research and publishing. He recalls having to buck the advice of colleagues who
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warned about the financial and legal risks of moving the research into the marketplace. “In the end, though, there’s a difference between the people who have ideas and the people who do things,” he says, “and the people who do things are entrepreneurs.” Boston Scientific Corporation, a Massachusetts-based company with products in a broad range of interventional medical specialties, initially distributed CryoVascular’s PolarCath Peripheral CryoPlasty System; the firm acquired CryoVascular in 2005 and continues to distribute its products worldwide. Joye credits his OU-COM education with giving him the courage to try new things and strike out on a daunting career path as a biomedical researcher and entrepreneur. “The environment [at OU-COM] favors and nurtures self-starters with inquisitive minds who are not afraid to ask questions and challenge dogma,” he says. “It’s a supportive environment for that. And afterwards, you never know where your career can take you.”
Jill L. Harman, M.Ed. Director of Alumni Affairs
Dear OU-COM Alumni: In recent years, we’ve noticed that our graduates are doing more and more research. We try to acknowledge as many of your publications, presentations and other scholarly accomplishments as we can in the Class Notes section of this magazine, but if this trend keeps up, we’ll soon run out of space! Our Society of Alumni and Friends Board members have discovered the desire among our graduates to find other OU-COM alumni and friends with similar research interests. Some of you have also expressed interest in better connecting to our college and statewide Centers of Osteopathic Research and Education. To help you keep your fellow graduates and friends at the college abreast of your scholarly pursuits, we’ve opened up a special “research and publications” topic area on the OU-COM Society of Alumni and Friends Facebook page. You can use this page as a sounding board for potential research projects, to connect with other graduates working on similar research topics, or to share your latest publications. Our goal for this page is to help our graduates connect, socially and academically. With the opening of the university’s new Academic & Research Center, and our university’s recent designation as a state Center of Excellence for Health and Wellness, we are seeing how the exchange of research ideas promotes scholarly collaboration and drives innovations in medicine. Already several hundred OU-COM graduates and current students have connected through the OU-COM Society of Alumni and Friends group page. If you haven’t joined, it is easy to do. Just log on to www.facebook.com to create an account, then use the search feature to find the OU-COM Society of Alumni and Friends group. Once there, you can post your news, catch up with old friends and perhaps make new ones.
Jeff Noble
Your alumni office wants to hear from you. Whether through Facebook, e-mail, telephone or through either the online or paper version of Staying Connected, we want to share and celebrate what’s happening in your life. Contact us today and help us get the word out.
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Avian Architecture
Gossamer struts of mineral deposits in the spongy bone of the marabou stork One of the largest modern flying birds, marabou storks are the only stork with air pockets in their distal forelimbs, as seen in this X-ray taken by Patrick O’Connor, Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy. O’Connor studies the skeletal architecture of birds and archosaurs and how this relates to behaviors such as soaring, flapping and diving. Read more about O’Connor’s research in this issue.
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