60
Fall 2021
Cover concepts will be submitted separately. I hope to have something for you with round 2
A Force for Good
CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF WOMEN IN 1962 VALERIE LEVAL BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN TO GRADUATE FROM DARTMOUTH MEDICAL SCHOOL, AS OF 2021 WE HAVE GRADUATED OVER 1,600 WOMEN.
Dear Alumni and Friends, While we had hoped to be celebrating a double reunion in-person this fall, in early August we had to make the transition to a complete virtual reunion experience. This transition has allowed us to open our programming to all alumni, and I hope you are able to tune in. When I think about the work you all have done on the front lines of the pandemic, I’m impressed by the power of our community to persevere through this and be a Force for Good. As we continue to work through the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also important to reflect. In addition to the health disparities amplified by the pandemic, the social unrest and injustices that have embattled our communities remind us that there is still work to do in building a more equitable tomorrow for all. This academic year marks the 60th anniversary of the first female graduate at Geisel School of Medicine. Valerie Leval matriculated at Dartmouth Medical School in 1960, graduated in 1962, and was the only woman in her class of 23 students. Today we have over 1,600 of women graduates and this year’s incoming class is 53% women. While strides are being made around equity in medicine and healthcare, we must remember each of us has a role to play in our communities, in our place of employment, and in the Geisel community. This issue of Alumni News & Notes highlights some of this work. In addition to your class notes, we recognize that diversity is a Force for Good in medicine and healthcare; we hear from fourth year student Falen Demsas on the power of allyship, showcase some of our brilliant female researchers, share how philanthropy can drive change, and highlight the power of alumni action through volunteering and mentorship. I hope you enjoy seeing how your alumni community is answering every call to serve and build a better community for all. I hope to see you virtually during this years reunion as we look to rediscover, reconnect, and reunite as we continue to be a Force for Good in the Geisel community. With gratitude,
Amanda Bassett
DIRECTOR, ALUMNI RELATIONS
PRODUCED BY THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS Amanda Bassett Director Megan Dodge Associate Director Annette Achilles Assistant Director Bridget Connolly Administrative Assistant
MANAGING EDITOR Annette Achilles CONTRIBUTORS Annette Achilles Amanda Bassett Duane Compton Falen Demsas Jennifer Durgin Dana Cook Grossman Harriet Hopf Lauren Seidman Cathy Shufro Vivianne Tawfik Class Secretaries DESIGN & PRODUCTION Farah R. Doyle Angela Stewart PHOTOGRAPHY Kata Sasvari Cover photo caption: L to R: Women in the Class of 1966: Suzanne Chagnon Boulter, Patricia Cronin Adams, Sarah S. Donaldson, Wendy Clough Benz, Sandra Hyvarinen Davenport, and Christine Clark Spring. Copyright Dartmouth College Fall 2021 (Vol. 25, No. 2)
CONTACT INFORMATION Office of Alumni Relations (HB7070) Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756 Tel: 603-646-5297 Geisel.Alumni.Relations@dartmouth.edu D-H.Alumni.Relations@hitchcock.org geiselalumni.org geiselmed.dartmouth.edu
dean’s column
A Message from the Dean We’ve all spent the past 18 months learning a lot about how to cope with challenging situations: Looking at the positive and expressing gratitude, reinforcing our bonds with family and friends, accepting what we can and cannot control, asking for help when we need it. We adjusted to the pandemic, continued the fight for racial justice and equity, and, in our community, grappled with an honor code investigation. These struggles cast deep shadows. But as the shadows ebb and flow, the promise of a brighter future is revealed. Thanks to the generosity of alumni like you and other friends of Geisel, we’ve surpassed $175 million toward our campaign goal of $207 million. It’s humbling to know that even in tumultuous times, our medical school has the support of a loyal community dedicated to our education and research missions. It’s one of the forces of good we’re celebrating in this issue of Alumni News & Notes, and I am immensely grateful. As we head into the final months of the campaign, we’re focusing our efforts on the heart of our school: Our students. You know as well as anyone that Dartmouth medical school students are among the brightest, most compassionate, and service-driven future physicians. The world is a better place with Dartmouth-trained physicians in it—but there’s more we can do to make their world better while they’re here. The following donor-supported initiatives will help us achieve that. •
Reducing medical student debt burden, to ensure that our students’ career choices are driven by their passions and not their educational debt, and to help attract and retain top applicants from diverse backgrounds. Greater scholarship support and lower debt burdens are especially important for underrepresented students and for those planning to work in underserved communities.
•
The Healthy Students, Healthy Physicians program makes it possible for all Geisel students (MD, MPH, and MS) to have access to timely and free counseling services—including a counselor with expertise and experience in racial trauma and caring for
underrepresented individuals. The program fosters an environment where resilience is an inherent part of physician training and seeking mental healthcare is seen as a sign of strength and not a personal weakness or professional liability. •
Strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by recruiting, retaining, and supporting Black/African American, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latinx, and other faculty of color; advancing scholar/faculty partnerships that address DEI challenges in medical education and healthcare; and supporting students from racial, ethnic, and other identity groups that are underrepresented in the medical profession.
•
MD Student Coaching Program, an advising program for medical students with a special focus on professional identity, character, and enculturation into the practice of medicine. See p. 2 for more details about this important work.
The other aims of our campaign—strengthening healthcare systems, building the foundation for children’s health, and innovating to overcome cancer—remain in full swing, too. On p. 6, you can read about faculty and students benefiting from our Cancer Center’s new entrepreneurial initiative. You can learn more about all of Geisel’s campaign priorities at geiselcampaign.dartmouth.edu. Geisel’s alumni community is one of its greatest strengths. Thank you for your enduring commitment to our school, our students, and a future that grows ever brighter.
Duane A. Compton, PhD
DEAN, GEISEL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
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campaign update
Campaign Update: MD Student Coaching Program Faculty coaches help students identify their core values and goals, shape their professional identities, and build strong peer and professional networks.
Nakia Wighton '23 meets regularly with her faculty coach, Colleen Kershaw, MD, assistant professor of medicine and the new director of the MD Student Coaching Program.
Helping medical students thrive and preparing them for the joys and stresses of being a physician are the raisons d’etre of Geisel’s MD Student Coaching Program. The
greater insight and self-awareness, and learn strategies to manage stress, conflict, and other challenges in order to perform at their highest level.
Generous donors are urgently needed to continue this program and to ensure that our medical students always have the guidance and support they need. Along with the Healthy Students, Healthy Physicians program, which provides mental health counseling and supports, the coaching program is a top campaign fundraising priority and vital to creating a healthy, equitable learning environment.
Currently funded by a grant from the Kern Family Foundation and support from the Geisel Dean’s office, the coaching program will need robust philanthropic support to continue this vital work beyond 2023.
pilot program, launched in 2019, takes a proactive and systematic approach to guide students as they grow personally and professionally throughout their four years at Geisel.
CULTIVATING CORE VALUES, BUILDING RESILIENCY Faculty coaches help students identify their core values and goals, shape their professional identities, develop
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Importantly, the coaching program helps students build strong peer and professional networks—which is especially important for first-generation students (who do not have physicians in their families) and students who are from backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine.
To learn how you can support medical students at Dartmouth, contact Jon Fitzgerald at 603-646-5235 or Jon.M.Fitzgerald@hitchcock.org or visit geiselcampaign.dartmouth.edu.
student perspective
What It Means to Be an Ally by Falen Demsas ’22
When we use the word allyship, we often think about it in abstract terms. It means to care about someone else and to help them, right? Allyship, to me, is when the injustices that dehumanize others interrupt your peace to the extent that you can’t stand idly by, even when you’re not directly impacted by those injustices. It doesn’t mean pitying a person, or coming to someone’s rescue; allyship is engaging in the hard work of learning about others’ experiences, listening, and then asking, "How can I support you?" There is no field that those lessons can better apply to than medicine. Doctors are fixers by nature. We are taught to see a group of symptoms and immediately start developing a differential diagnosis and the appropriate management plans. We are solvers; that is where we thrive. When faced with issues we can’t quickly fix, such as systemic racism, social determinants of health, transphobia, homophobia, environmental injustice, and health inequities, we grow uncomfortable and we might be tempted to retreat and use language like "that’s complicated" or "I don't want to get political" to comfort our moral apathy. Physicians take a sacred oath: "First, do no harm." When we fail to stand up for the injustices that our patients experience or that occur within our communities or in our world we harm our patients and betray that oath. My future ability to
Falen Demsas
operate, see patients, and treat people depends on how my colleagues and patients are doing, and a loss for one is a loss to the group. In my allyship journey, I commit to engaging in a continuous cycle of self-reflection, listening, empathizing, and identifying ways to use my privilege to privilege others. Solidarity with others, especially marginalized groups, is an integral part of why I came to medical school and has been central to how I choose to spend my time at Geisel. My work as an ally and as a future physician are intertwined, and I believe that the growth of one identity will only serve to build the other.
Falen serves as student government president and is hoping to pursue a career in vascular surgery.
Learn more: geiselcampaign.dartmouth.edu
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alumni awards ceremony
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI HONORED IN SPECIAL VIRTUAL AWARDS CEREMONY After postponing last year’s Alumni Awards ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Geisel School of Medicine recognized the 2020 and 2021 honorees in a virtual celebration on May 6, 2021. The 11 award recipients represented class years from 1955 to 2006 and careers in research, patient care, policy, leadership, and service. They all expressed deep gratitude for the award, and for the Dartmouth medical school education that launched their rewarding careers. The medical school’s Alumni Council established the Alumni Awards program in 2014 to recognize and honor alumni for service to the school and to celebrate the achievements of graduates who have distinguished themselves in the fields of medicine, science, or other endeavors. In 2021, the recognition committee selected six outstanding alumni to receive the Career Achievement Award, Outstanding Service Award, and Young Alumni Award. The five extraordinary individuals selected in 2020 to receive the Career Achievement Award and the Outstanding Service Award were highlighted in the Fall 2020 issue of Alumni News & Notes.
FOR CAREER ACHIEVEMENT LLOYD B. TEPPER MED’55 Corporate Medical Director, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (Retired); Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine (Occupational and Environmental Medicine), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Dr. Lloyd Tepper’s 60-year career in occupational and environmental medicine involves not only research and medical practice but also public service, a corporate medical directorship, multiple leadership roles, and teaching in a residency program.
NIGEL S. PANETH MED’70 University Distinguished Professor, Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatics and of Pediatrics and Human Development, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University Dr. Nigel Paneth is trained in both pediatrics and epidemiology, and his central research focus for the past 40 years has been on the origins and consequences of brain damage originating in pregnancy and the perinatal period.
WILLIAM T. THORWARTH JR. MED’75 Chief Executive Officer, American College of Radiology Before becoming CEO of the American College of Radiology in 2014, Dr. William Thorwarth served as a community practice radiologist for 30 years while continually working to improve healthcare in his local area and nationally.
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alumni awards ceremony
To read more about the 2020 and 2021 award winners and to watch a video of the ceremony, visit dartgo.org/2021virtualawards.
JANDEL ALLEN-DAVIS MED’84 President and CEO, Craig Hospital Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis was a practicing OB/GYN until 2009, and she has been leading Craig Hospital, a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes in acute neurorehabilitation and research of patients with acquired and traumatic spinal cord and brain injuries, since 2018.
FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE BARRY D. SMITH MED’60 Professor Emeritus and Chair Emeritus, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Dr. Barry Smith designed the OB/GYN clerkship for Dartmouth Medical School students and led the development of an academic OB/GYN department and the development of its accredited residency program.
FOR YOUNG ALUMNI ACHIVEMENT
Geisel School of Medicine Alumni Recognition Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Alumni Awards. Alumni award winners are recognized for their achievements in the fields of medicine, science, or other endeavors. LEARN MORE about the Alumni Awards program and submit your nominations here: www.GeiselAlumni.org/AlumniAwards.
Deadline for nominations is: 10/15/2021
MARC HOHMAN MED’06 Deputy Director of Operations and Executive Officer, Charles A. Andersen Simulation Center Fellowship-trained in facial plastic and microvascular reconstructive surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dr. Marc Hohman established the first multidisciplinary services for facial nerve disorders and facial gender confirmation surgery in the U.S. military.
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research showcase
PhD Students Learn to Think and Act Like Entrepreneurs Arti Gaur, PhD, (left) and doctoral student Jordan Isaacs Guarini'23 (right) won the top award from the Dartmouth Innovations Accelerator for Cancer.
"If I were cancer, I’d be afraid of us,” said Jordan Fredriksen Isaacs GR’23 one day last spring. Isaacs and her faculty mentor, Arti Gaur, PhD, assistant professor of neurology, had just won this year’s top award from the Dartmouth Innovations Accelerator for Cancer.
promising new treatment for brain cancer closer to clinical trials.
Launched with $3.3 million in gifts from alumni and friends of Dartmouth, the Accelerator is a joint initiative of Dartmouth and DartmouthHitchcock’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center and Dartmouth’s Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship. More than 20 alumni from across Dartmouth have given of their time, expertise, and philanthropy—including several Geisel Board of Advisors members and alumna Uciane Scarlett, PhD’11. More donors and volunteers are needed to build on the Accelerator’s first year of success.
“We learned how to be entrepreneurs, with weekly lessons on commercialization, regulatory processes, fundraising, and building a business plan,” says Isaacs. “We learned how to create a formal pitch deck for investors, and how to garner interest in our project with a simple, 60-second pitch to anyone we meet.”
From November 2020 to April 2021, 17 teams of faculty and students participated in the Accelerator and then pitched their projects to an external review panel. The $300,000 award that the Gaur team received will help them bring a
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This sort of funding is critical—and hard to come by. Perhaps even more valuable is the education and training the Accelerator provides.
Even Gaur, an experienced entrepreneur, found the process invaluable: “I wish I had taken a course like this 10 years ago!” Isaacs and Gaur are now part of a larger Dartmouth biomedical entrepreneur community— one they will stay connected to for years to come.
To learn how you can contribute your philanthropy or expertise to the Accelerator, email Bethany.Solomon@ dartmouth.edu or call Bethany at (603) 646-5134.
research showcase
Jocelyn Carter HS’06-09, MPH’11
ON A MISSION TO REDUCE HOSPITAL READMISSIONS For patients, leaving the hospital is a step in the right direction. But it looks different to Jocelyn Carter. In her mind, that day of departure starts a clock ticking: A study she did in 2017 showed that one in four hospitalized adults will land back in the hospital within a month. During 10 years as an attending physician at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Carter has made it her mission to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions. In a new study, Carter and her team followed 550 frequently hospitalized inpatients at MGH. Half the patients received usual care, while half were paired with a community health worker. The health workers met with their patients before discharge and checked in afterwards via phone, texts, and visits. The workers coached patients on following care plans and getting to doctors’ appointments, provided psychological support, and helped people secure food, housing, and medicine. Carter reports that connecting patients with a community health worker prevented half of 30-day readmissions. Among patients receiving usual care, 24.5% were re-hospitalized within 30 days. When community health workers stayed in touch with patients, the rate fell to 12.6%. Fellowship-trained in Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Leadership Preventive Medicine Residency, Carter is now using a $1.1 million National Institutes of Health career development grant to continue exploring roles for community health workers. “At this point, we’ve made the healthcare system hard enough to navigate that some patients living right here in the U.S. benefit from and increasingly depend upon support community health workers deliver,” she says in acknowledgment of community health work’s storied global health history. Due to the nature of the funding, study costs had to be kept quite low. “We did this on a dime!” says Carter: Just three community health workers supported 277 patients during the two-year study. When research funding ended in 2019, MGH operationalized funding and continued the program. “We’re a small but mighty team, and we’re going to be expanding,” Carter says.
Jocelyn Carter
“We can leverage
this moment to show clearly how community health workers can contribute to the important work that clinical teams are doing.”
She believes the time is right: In the past year, health workers outside the usual categories have taken on tasks like contact tracing and supporting testing. Carter says, “We can leverage this moment to show clearly how community health workers can contribute to the important work that clinical teams are doing.”
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alumni volunteers
THE POWER OF ALUMNI IN ACTION The Geisel alumni community is vibrant and filled with a diversity of life experiences and expertise that enrich the opportunities of current students. A wide range of programming hosted nearly every month ensures students are connected to our alumni and have a chance to learn from their wisdom.
Prior to COVID-19, a majority of alumni engagement with students around careers in healthcare and medical specialties was limited by proximity to Hanover and through curriculum efforts. But with visitors to campus prohibited, the pandemic challenged us to think creatively about how alumni volunteers can engage with students virtually. The pandemic enabled us to expand current programming into a virtual environment and develop additional programming. From this, Med Mentoring was born. Med Mentoring has allowed us to expand volunteer opportunities for alumni. It houses all our alumni-student engagement programs which include:
CAREERS IN MEDICINE: This series introduces first-, second-, and third-year students to a wide variety of medical specialties, with a focus on the reality of the day-to-day in each field and why the specialty might be a good fit for the students.
RESIDENCY PREP: This program taps into the varied expertise and geographic diversity of our alumni body to support third- and fourth-year medical students as they prepare for residency interviews. Alumni speaker panels cover a wide range of topics, including choices of specialty, program, and location.
ALUMNISPOTLIGHT: Through these programs, distinguished alumni share their experiences in academia, medicine, and industry, highlight innovations and research, and address current events and challenges in healthcare.
URM ALUMNICONNECTS–UNITY, RESILIENCE, MENTORSHIP: In this series, alumni and thought leaders from underrepresented backgrounds in healthcare share lived experiences in medicine, community engagement, public health, and leadership.
Consider how you can share your passion and experience in medicine and healthcare by volunteering to join our Med Mentoring program so you can make an impact with current students! Alumni volunteers continue to contribute and add value to the Dartmouth experience through coordinated efforts in programs like Med Mentoring and The Dartmouth Institute’s Career Services.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
on how to get involved, email Annette Achilles at Geisel.Alumni.Relations@dartmouth.edu.
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alumni volunteers
WHY ALUMNI ARE STEPPING UP TO GIVE BACK VIVIENNE MELJEN MED’17 "Before attending medical school my only interactions with the healthcare system were through the generalist disciplines of EM and primary care. I didn’t know what options were available to me and had never met someone “like me,” a LatinX surgeon before. It is an honor to participate in the Careers in Medicine sessions both to expose students to the realities of our incredibly versatile specialty and life as a young member of the field."
NAPHTALI ODONGO MPH’20 "My lessons at TDI went beyond what is listed on the curriculum. The amazing leaders and team taught me lessons I didn’t expect to learn from an institution like caring for others, the importance of taking the high road, benefit of second chances, and humility. The best way for me to thank them is through actions. So, I don’t see it as volunteering, I see it as a solid thank you and way of paying it forward by providing opportunities so graciously afforded to me by The Dartmouth Institute community."
MAX BOWMAN MED’18 "I was fortunate enough to benefit from advice from a variety of mentors throughout my time at Dartmouth, and many of these included alumni. There are incalculable lessons each of us have learned along our path. Passing these lessons to the next generation of physicians is important not only to foster their growth and development, but to strengthen the field of medicine as a whole and guide those that come after us toward a trajectory of success and fulfillment."
2020-2021 MED MENTORING BY THE NUMBERS
15 18 125
Alumni Speakers
3 33
Alumni Speakers
Faculty Speakers Student Attendees
Residency Prep
15 53
AlumniSpotlight Speakers
Alumni Speakers Student Attendees
Total Med Mentoring
41 18 344
Alumni Speakers Faculty Speakers
Student Attendees
URM AlumniConnects
8 133
Alumni Speakers Student Attendees
Student Attendees
The Dartmouth Institute's Career Services
5 50+ 15+
HOSTED
Careers in Medicine
Alumni Employer Visits Alumni Mentor Connections Alumni Resource Network
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mentoring
The Power of Mentorship Harriet Hopf MED’86 and Vivianne Tawfik PhD’07, MED’09, graduated more than a decade apart, but connected through their professional society. Their close mentoring relationship has grown into a collegial and personal friendship over the past 10 years. We asked them to reflect on their experiences and provide some advice for Geisel students.
Harriet Hopf is a professor of anesthesiology, adjunct professor of biomedical engineering, co-director of the University Utah School of Medicine Coaching and Advancement Network (UCAN), and special assistant in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Utah. medicine.utah.edu/faculty-dev/programs/coaching-program/; Twitter: @HarrietHopfMD
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Vivianne Tawfik is an assistant professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine and director of the Fellowship in Anesthesia Research and Medicine residency research track at Stanford University School of Medicine. tawfiklab.stanford.edu; Twitter: @TawfikLab
mentoring
What sparked the mentoring relationship?
What have been the benefits of the relationship?
Dr. Harriet Hopf: I met Vivianne at
Hopf: First, the joy of watching
the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) reception for residents and medical students at the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) annual meeting in 2011. I was impressed by her enthusiasm and we had a great conversation. I recognized she was looking for career guidance, and I thought I could give valuable input as someone from outside her institution.
the development of an outstanding physician-scientist. Secondly, the opportunity to learn from Vivianne and provide some guidance as she embarked on developing the Early-Stage Anesthesiology Scholars (eSAS) program (esashq.org). Thirdly, the chance to expand my visibility and networks among early career physician-scientists in anesthesiology.
Dr. Vivianne Tawfik: At the ASA
Tawfik: Over time, our relationship
reception, Harriet and I started chatting and she seemed genuinely interested in learning more about me. This allowed us to quickly figure out that we were both alumnae of Dartmouth’s medical school and that our husbands were both Tuck alumni. That pretty much cemented the relationship. Over time I would continue to see Harriet at conferences and she always made time to speak with me and even meet for a meal to catch up.
has evolved. When we first met, I was a new resident, still trying to figure out my place as a physician-scientist in anesthesiology. Harriet provided mentorship and an example of what success could look like as a woman, physician, researcher, and parent. Once I transitioned to my faculty position and started leading my own basic science lab group, I turned to Harriet for more concrete guidance. She helped
“You’ll need mentors who can
support you in research, your career, networking, and gaining specific skills.”
me consider which opportunities for leadership were worthwhile (she taught me how/when to say no!), she discussed with me timing for promotion, and she went through my CV with me to identify the best way to frame certain experiences. She has also acted as a sponsor on multiple occasions, putting me forward for involvement in important national programs.
Do you have advice for those seeking mentors? Tawfik & Hopf: Identify your own priorities and goals, so you know what kinds of advice, sponsorship, coaching, and support you are seeking. Look for different mentors. You’ll need mentors who can support you in research, your career, networking, and gaining specific skills. You should have mentors in your department, at your institution, and from outside your institution. When you identify a potential mentor, be explicit: Ask them to be your mentor and tell them what you are looking for and what your expectations are for the relationship. As a mentee, it’s important for you to take responsibility for making the most of the opportunity, whether it’s a one-time advice session or a longitudinal career development relationship.
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the six of '66
The Six of DMS '66 Fund ALUMNI CHART A COURSE FOR WOMEN IN MEDICINE
David Zamierowski, MD, and the other men in Dartmouth Medical School’s Class of ’66 weren’t sure what to make of the six women in their midst. “It was an oddity,” explains Zamierowski, an inventor of surface dressings and surgical wound devices and a retired plastic surgeon, “because the majority of us came from undergraduate institutions that were all male as well. It was the first time in our professional lives that we had women in the classroom.” But by the time they left Hanover, the members of the Class of ’66 largely felt like family. “Those were two of the most important years in our lives,” says Suzie Boulter, MD, a longtime instructor of pediatrics at Geisel and a past president of the N.H. Pediatric Society. “We weren’t exactly treated the same as the men, but the six of us women felt privileged to be there. Cocooned in the same house together, we really bonded.” “It was a unique sorority,” says Sarah Donaldson, MD, the Catharine and Howard Avery Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Stanford University School of Medicine, “and the men were
accepting of us in general. We studied with them, hung out with them, and made some very good friends.” “Most of us felt like these women came to be our sisters,” says Zamierowski. Recognizing that women in medicine today still face particular challenges, the Class of ’66 established the Six of DMS ’66 Fund at Geisel in 2017, in honor of their pioneering classmates and their 50th reunion. With support from donors like Boulter, Donaldson, Les Reid, Zamierowski, and others, the Fund subsidizes programs that promote women’s careers in medicine and advocacy for women.
The Six of ‘66
CHRISTINE CLARK SPRING, MD
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SUZANNE CHAGNON BOULTER, MD
SARAH S. DONALDSON, MD
the six of '66
Fighting Bias “Addressing biases begins with awareness,” says Roshini Pinto-Powell, MD, a professor of medicine and of medical education, and faculty lead for the Geisel Allies of Women in Medicine (AWIM) student group which the Six of DMS '66 fund supports. “The Fund has given us the ability to create programs dedicated to awareness and to creating a better, more equitable society.” Recent AWIM sessions included a student-led presentation on maternal mortality in the United States and a panel discussion with Geisel faculty about the importance of allyship in medicine. One of the most popular sessions hosted by AWIM was a two-part series on conflict engagement and microaggressions led by Nan Cochran, MD, an associate professor of community and family medicine and of The Dartmouth Institute. A microaggression is defined as a subtle comment or behavior that communicates hostile, derogatory, or unwelcome messages toward members of underrepresented groups. Participants engaged in small-group scenario-based practice and learned skills for responding to emotionally charged interactions.
When Zamierowski learned about the initiative, he agreed. In June of 2021, he made a second generous gift to Geisel, this time to the Medical Education Innovation Fund for Bias Awareness. With his support, content from the workshop will be expanded, formalized, and integrated into the Geisel curriculum. Donaldson notes that “women in medical school don’t need special handling, but they do still need support, open doors, and advocates.” For Zamierowski, inspiration to help comes not only from his medical school classmates but also from his wife, Marilyn Zamierowski, PhD, who postponed her own career in science in order to support her husband’s. “More change is needed, and I want things to keep getting better for women,” he says. To learn more and make a gift to the Six of DMS'66 fund visit dartgo.org/6of66.
“The microaggression workshop generated so much interest we realized we need to spread it far and wide,” says Pinto-Powell.
SANDRA HYVARINEN DAVENPORT, MD
WENDY CLOUGH BENZ, MD
PATRICIA CRONIN ADAMS, MD
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class notes
CLASS NOTES ▼ 1952
Ed Landau had a long conversation with Dick Schneider’s widow, Barbara, in Healdsburg, Calif. She misses Dick and would love to join us at a future reunion. Neither Ed nor I could reach Jerry Block’s widow, Taz; we believe she is living with a daughter in Switzerland. I reached Bob Woodhouse’s widow, Barbara, in Bar Harbor, Maine. She is now in assisted living but maintains her independence and still drives. Alf Holt’s widow, Marie, is fine, with help from son Del at home in Bath, Maine. Her knees hurt, which she blames on excessive walking as a visiting nurse. Stan Van Den Noort’s widow, June, is in assisted living but is tempted to return to her house in Irvine, Calif. She is self-sufficient and has a monitor that activates if she falls. Don Clark in New London, N.H., was looking forward to planting his all-blue spring flower garden. Rusty Thamarus sent me a beautiful image of a snow-covered mountain near his house in Montana. Kay and Jack Hyland live in Dallas, Texas, and make the two-hour drive each month to their daughter’s farm in Georgia to babysit for their grandchildren. The farm includes a donkey to prevent feral hog and coyote invasions. Giles Hamlin and I discussed our tours of duty in the Navy. Giles wanted to travel to see the world and ended up as far away as New Zealand and the Arctic. I pleaded seasickness and ended up at the naval hospital in Charleston, S.C. (I thought I had been posted to Charlestown, in Boston, and reported to Old Ironsides—and
was redirected). Ace Mueller visits Barbie every day in assisted living in West Bend, Wis. His son will be coming with him to our reunion. Tyke Miller will be at his second home in Lyndonville, Vt., at the time of our reunion— September 10-12. We will have a joint reunion with our 1951 classmates, and I am to be honored with a “Spirit of 51” Award, as was Howie Pearson five years ago. I recently spoke with Howie’s widow, Anne. She now lives with a son in New Haven, Conn. We had a long talk and mostly laughed about how we should dye our gray hair so as not to appear so old. This went on for 10 minutes, after which Anne said, “In the future, if you want to laugh, just call me up.” I will. I am looking forward to our fall reunion and will let you know in August whether it will be in person or on Zoom. Tyke will be very upset if it is on Zoom because he does not have a computer. Once again this summer, I plan to teach anatomy in person down here at Florida State University’s College of Medicine. —Jim Cavanagh
▼ 1955
The season for DMS alumni awards is upon us, though in virtual form thanks to the ongoing pandemic-related disruptions. In line to receive a Distinguished Career Award this year are Ed Horton and Lloyd Tepper. Ed’s outstanding 50-year career in diabetes clinical practice and research has been well documented in these pages and other Dartmouth and
14 | FALL 2021 | ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
Harvard publications, so it will get no further airing here given the restricted word count for these columns. Lloyd’s award recognizes his unique 60-year career and leadership in the field of occupational and environmental medicine. As is the case with Ed, Lloyd did seminal research and held top leadership positions with his field’s major societies and journals. He certainly took a path less traveled for a graduate of our era and traveled it very well. Ed and Lloyd now join Ross McIntyre in this exclusive club; his career award was granted in 2018. For many years, our class seemed almost impervious to the grim reaper’s scythe, with a survival rate much higher than that of other classes of our era. But, inevitably, attrition has begun to settle in: Allen Edmundson, John Herrmann, and Walt VomLehn have died recently. Allen’s demise and his remarkably successful career were mentioned in these notes in December last year. John died early in March at age 88. His obituary in the Boston Globe described in detail his outstanding career as a surgeon, educator, revered member of the UMass medical faculty, and devoted family man. Walt died on March 8, surrounded by his family at his Arizona home. A rotation in his senior year at Cornell in a U.S. Public Health Service hospital on a Navajo reservation in Arizona, where he delivered 20 babies, set the tone for his career. He practiced family medicine in several underserved areas: Appalachia, New Mexico (where he had a largely Latino patient popula-
tion), and the Pacific Northwest (where he once delivered a baby on the Puget Sound ferry; the local newspapers had a good deal of fun with the “extra passenger”). He also served as a Peace Corps physician in the Dominican Republic, one benefit of which was his “adopted” foster daughter, Maria, who kept in touch with Walt till the end of his life, including making visits to his home in Arizona. In retirement, he worked several summers with Dominican nuns in rural Mississippi. In appreciation of his good works they anointed him an Honorary Dominican Nun! Don Brief continues to do well on his immunotherapy regimen, though he has a number of annoying side effects from the Keytruda. But thanks to the relaxation of COVID restrictions, he and Dottie are now getting out and about, including resuming use of their Manhattan pied-à-terre. Recent chats with Ben Gilson, Frank Weiser, Chuck Tannenbaum, Ross McIntyre, and Burt Onofrio confirm that all are active and in good spirits. —John Moran
▼ 1956
All of us have just endured a long and difficult year. I hope each member of the DMS Class of 1956 has been immunized against COVID-19 and is well and ready to enjoy our new freedoms of greeting, hugging, gathering, dining, and traveling. Phil Mossman reports that after completing their immunizations, he and Mary resumed some activities, such as shopping and attending worship services,
class notes
with appropriate precautions. Never one to be inactive, Phil has recently been editing/ proofreading two new numismatic books, one of which was published recently. Phil has been engaged in collecting early American coins since childhood and has written several dozen articles on numismatics in the past 50 years! In 1993 and 2013, Phil published books on American numismatics that won prestigious awards! Among other activities, Mary maintains the family’s bird feeders and reports to the Cornell University Ornithology Lab any sightings of birds that partake of the food. A sad event befell the Mossmans in August 2020, when their two longtime canines succumbed within two weeks of one another—but they were rescued from the doldrums by two bichon-poodle puppies who “adopted” them and now provide their “elder care.” I hope everyone remains well and active. Please, please send me a note (at aroot3@ jhmi.edu) with comments about your status and that of your family; with your ideas, opinions, or comments on the current political situation and world-threatening events; or with complaints or advice to future generations of physicians (and everyone else)—anything and everything is valued and solicited. Also, if you wish to be nominated for a Geisel-DMS Alumni Award, designed to recognize DMS alumni for their distinguished service and/or career achievement (and every one of us deserves this recognition), please send me a copy of your curriculum vitae and a few appropriately supportive comments, and I will be happy to submit the nomination. —Allen Root
▼ 1957
Diane and I plan to attend the DC’56 reunion in September. Space may be tight, so it’s essential to make reservations ASAP. If the Hanover Inn is full, you may be happy with the Marriott Courtyard in Lebanon; we’ve used it before and plan to stay there if the Inn is full. I hope to see a good turnout of our DMS brothers, since it may be our last chance to see one another. Diane and I have had our Pfizer shots and are very careful in limiting our activities. Travel is still on hold, but we’re hoping for a return to the sea in 2022. And now some news from our brothers: Tom Kuhns: “Upon retiring after 54 enjoyable years of practice with Alan Friedman, and reaching the age of reflection, I realize that some of my most memorable experiences have been with my DMS classmates. They started with our summer recesses before medical school. “First, Bill Hansen and I drove across the country to tour national parks in the West, stopping in Helena, Mont., to visit Dave Klein. The next two summers, Kev Ryan and I took a student bicycle tour of Europe, then worked together at the Summit House on Mount Washington, serving customers arriving on the cog railway. After our second year at DMS, Neil Raskin and I used our naval medical officer commissions from Dr. Sy to work as externs at the St. Albans Naval Hospital in Queens. Our mentor, a senior medical resident, was surprised that two second-year medical students could do a fairly decent history and physical exam. We told him of the excellent course we’d just completed at DMS. The next summer, Alan Friedman and I drove across
the country to take a radiology elective at Stanford, at the same time completing our HMS senior thesis on medical care—in Las Vegas! “During my years in medical school, I was fortunate to have Bill Hansen, Kev Ryan, Larry Seymour, and Dave Klein as roommates. “After our HMS graduation, Neil Raskin and I worked together as Cornell medical interns in NYC. Then a Navy admiral said they could use a Dartmouth Eagle Scout in the Marine Corps. Upon completing field medical training and arriving on Okinawa, I was greeted by two Dartmouth lieutenants in my battalion. Upon returning to San Diego, in an unbelievable coincidence, I found Dave Klein was the medical officer aboard the cruiser Helena, stationed near me (and named for the city of his birth). He and Kitch enjoyed the Marine Corps recruit graduation parades and concerts. “Then it was on to NYC to start my residency, with Alan Friedman as my chief resident and boss. After residency, I completed a fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology and then joined Alan in practice. It was also rewarding that we both ended up on the NYU faculty, teaching residents in the same specialty at the same medical school. “Over the years, Kev Ryan and I shared nautical interests, becoming officers in our respective boating squadrons. Dave Klein and I also had a long-term friendship, starting with his instilling in me an interest in the history of the West. In multiple visits to Billings, I followed the Oregon Trail and Lewis and Clark routes and visited Indian reservations and battlefields near his home. He also took me to historical landmarks in
Class Secretaries 1948
Lou Pernokas
428 Tanglewood Trail Stephenville, TX 76401 Home: 254-434-4627 louper@nctv.com
1952
Jim Cavanagh
3950 Bellac Road Tallahassee, FL 32303-2648 Home: 850-562-1533 jim.cavanagh@med.fsu.edu
1955
John Moran
77 Cliff Street Plymouth, MA 02360 Home: 508-746-1492 jomo1114@aol.com
1956
Allen W. Root
4916 Saint Croix Drive Tampa, FL 33629-4831 Home: 813-286-1333 aroot3@jhmi.edu
1957
Alan J. Friedman
115 Central Park West, Apt. 4B New York, NY 10023 Pref-Fax: 212-679-5580 ajfmdpc@yahoo.com
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class notes
Above L to R: Connor Moore '61 warming up for a game. Marty Weiss '61 virtually received the University of Southern California's Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award.
Montana. In later years, our interest in physics converged, and we studied particle physics and quantum theory. I’d send him monthly guest seminars from a science society of which I’m a member. Just two weeks before Dave passed away, we discussed some new concepts in physics. I miss him greatly. “I hope this review will kindle similar happy thoughts among classmates. I will be forever grateful to have been a member of our special band of 24.” Larry Seymour: “As far as COVID is concerned, we are feeling OK. We have had both shots (Moderna), with Joan having no aftereffects and I having 24 hours of mild malaise and anorexia. The benefit, of course, is being able to see children and grandchildren in our apartment from time to time. We are loosening up on other contacts a bit, but the next wave is upon us so things aren’t back to normal. Sadly, Fred Chang’s wife, Jan, passed away two weeks ago. Joan and Jan were UNH students at the same time, and we had skied with Fred and Jan many times and had visited them in Wichita and played golf with them several times. On a happier note, two granddaughters get married this year, and our first
16 | FALL 2021 | ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
great-grandchild was born last August. He’s a happy, smiley child (as long as he gets what he wants, says our daughter and babysitter, Grandmom Lynn). Joan’s balance is off a bit, and she has benefited from PT. I am by all appearances in good health (in our age group, we take that cum grano salis). We have two college graduations this spring. Looking at the battlefield around us, Al, we are happy to be alive. Best wishes to you and Diane.” Stan Weglarz: “We are still kicking, but not as high. I sold the farm. We got the COVID shot three weeks ago—went very smoothly—and went out to eat one week ago. All OK. Stay well. New info: 477stanleys@gmail. com; postal address—477 Daniel Webster Highway, Franklin, NH 03235; physical address—477 Daniel Webster Highway, Boscawen, NH 03303.” Kev Ryan: “I have little to report except that COVID-wise, things are looking good here in Santa Barbara. We have moved to a lower level and many things are beginning to open up. Maskwearing is still being done by the majority. Sue and I tentatively plan to attend the DC’56 65th reunion in September. We will definitely do so if a few other DMS classmates will be there.”
That’s it for now. Stay well. We hope to hear from the rest of you soon. —Alan Friedman
▼ 1959
The only news for this issue came from Ralph Miller, who wrote: “Pam and I are in good health and stay active with walking and tennis. We entered Brookhaven, a continuing care retirement community in Lexington, Mass., four years ago—moving there from Lexington, Ky., where we had lived for 47 years and where Pam had been mayor for 10 years. “We enjoy it enormously here, as among the 400 residents there are at least 100 who are very active both within the community and outside of it. Several still teach at Harvard and MIT. The average age here was 87 until a year ago, when 80 youngsters, only in their seventies, moved into a new building. We have many special interest groups: photography, poetry, singing, climate change, and 15 more. A nonprofit, it is extremely well run. “We spend the summers in Maine, across Frenchman Bay from Bar Harbor. Last summer, one of the very few advantages of
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the pandemic was that our three children, their spouses, and nine grandchildren could join us there for two months, not just the usual two weeks, thanks to working virtually.” Thanks, Ralph. Judy and I are well, as are our three children and eight grandchildren. All the adults are vaccinated, and we’ve had no COVID attacks—so far, so good. Please help me with outreach to our small number of DMS’59 classmates, so I can put together an update for the next issue. Stay well! —Tom Aaberg
▼ 1961
Although I start this column on a sad note, that is not how it will end up. I will try to stay on the theme of one of my favorite songs—“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive”—with lyrics by Johnny Mercer and music by Harold Arlen. The sad news is the loss of our classmate Conner Moore, our class president, baseball pitcher, and “chief.” He passed away on this past December 26, with his family at his side, after a declining year in his long-term battle with Parkinson’s disease. Among the positive notes in his story were wonderful tributes in obituaries in the Portland Maine Press-Herald newspaper and in Dartmouth alumni publications, all of which emphasize the importance of beautiful memories. As our DC’60 classmate Dick Chase says: “His obituary states that he will ‘be remembered for his tireless desire to help people in any way he could, comforting terminally ill children, pursuing and diagnosing obscure conditions, saving lives in the emergency room … and for having treated his patients and their parents in
a gentle, compassionate, wise, and humble fashion.’ Would that we all could have a legacy like that.” Don Bartlett writes: “Conner was a great member of our class at DMS and a fine member of the medical profession. His colleagues and patients in Maine and all of us who knew him will miss his positive approach to every challenge.” From Marty Weiss: “So sorry to hear about Conner. He was special to Debby and me in sharing our post DMS years in NYC. Conner was indeed a ‘mensch,’ a true ‘cut above.’ He truly was the ‘chief’! The world of medicine is diminished by his passing, as are all those privileged to have known him.” I recently read, once again, Conner’s memoir, Black Bag to Blackberry: A Maine Pediatrician’s 40 Year Journey. I first read it after was published some 10 years ago. It is a wonderful chronicle of his career and there are also wonderful tidbits of memories about our mentors Dean Sy and Harry Savage. Check it out! To follow up on my song theme, these past 16 months have been a negative time for all of us because of the pandemic, and most of us have had to contend with personal and family issues of poor health and/ or loss as well. With apologies to Mssrs. Mercer and Arlen, we can’t “eliminate the negative,” but we can try to concentrate on and enjoy our positive memories of years past and present. And, to quote Tay Weinman, “Nice to see that some of us are still poking along.” So here goes with the news. Dave Vaules tells us: “The baseball player has graduated and is now in a master’s program at Thayer, and his little brother is a freshman at Dartmouth. When he is there he lives in Topliff. So the Vaules
family is up to seven tuition-paying representatives over the years.” Because of the COVID situation, Linda and I did not make our usual visit to Southern California this winter and missed our chance to get together again in person with Debbie and Marty Weiss and Jeannie and Tay Weinman, but we hope that we will be able to go west again next year. Speaking of Marty, Linda and I were able to Zoom in to the University of Southern California’s 40th Annual Academic Honors Convocation, held virtually on Monday, April 12. Marty received the Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Provost Charles Zukoski, for his many years of service on the neurosurgery faculty at the university. Congratulations and well deserved, Marty! Among a few recent positive notes for me, one was getting contacted by a former patient who has complex congenital heart disease; she thanked me for encouraging her 30 years ago, after her surgery, to be the “poster kid” for congenital patients and to keep moving ahead. She is now a quality improvement nurse specialist for both adult and pediatric cardiology groups at a large regional medical center. Another plus was that Linda and I recently shared a wonderful evening with Virginia and Dick Petrie, whom we hadn’t seen in person for 15 months, even though we live less than 40 miles from each other. Dick and Virginia were looking forward to heading to Southern California the following week to see son Simon, whom they haven’t been able to see for almost two years. In conclusion, be safe and be well, and “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive”! —Sol Rockenmacher
Class Secretaries 1958
Melvin Britton
8545 Carmel Valley Road Carmel, CA 93923 Cell: 650-483-1262 melvincbritton@aol.com
1959
Thomas M. Aaberg, Sr. 2391 Parrotts Pointe Road Greensboro, GA 30642 Home: 706-467-9382 ophttma@emory.edu
1960
Barry D. Smith
195 Willey Hill Road PO Box 238 Norwich, VT 05055 Home: 802-649-1438 Cell: 603-748-1332 bdsmith646@earthlink.net
1961
Sol Rockenmacher
25 Saint Andrews Drive Bedford, NH 03110-6129 Home: 603-232-3477 rockenmacher@comcast.net
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class notes
▼ 1962
As I write this near the end of April 2021, deaths from COVID-19 are over 565,000. This number was just over 310,000 four months ago, when I penned my last column. There is a better chance this will be controlled in another four months or so than at any time in 2020, with a new, competent crew in the executive branch of the federal government since 1/20/21. Bob Prouty has been fully retired for five years. He and Maura are still in Norwell, Mass., with no plans to move. Though they are both fully immunized, they have no future travel plans. Bob shared several tales of DMS days when we spoke in April. Larry Zacharia is still in Omaha, Neb., which is where he lived before he entered Dartmouth College. He has been fully retired for three years. He’s cultivating his long-time interest in tropical fish at home and does lots of reading. He and Barbara have three kids; two also live in Omaha and one is in Las Vegas. Four of their grandchildren, whom they see frequently, live in Omaha. They see their Las Vegas family, including two other grandkids, whenever they can. Doug Zipes was about to
leave his tightly-gated Florida winter community and return to Indiana in late April. He and Joan traveled twice—from their home on the west coast of Florida to the state’s east coast, three to four hours each way—to get their COVID vaccines. Doug’s latest fiction book has yet to find a publisher, though his several cardiology textbooks are selling “fabulously well.” Valerie Leval Graham is still in Charlotte, Vt., long-retired from clinical medicine, though her younger son practices medicine in nearby Burlington. However, much of his practice involves telemedicine, so in late April he was practicing telemedicine from the Rocky Mountains! Even when in Vermont, he still does lots of telemedicine. Valerie volunteered at a local library—until spring 2020 and the pandemic. She hopes to return to her volunteer work in June or so—whenever the library reopens. We both much prefer regular (non-Amazon) hardcovers to paperbacks for all sorts of logistical reasons, especially reading the print. As usual, Alan Larimer recommended four new books for me to read when I spoke with him. He and his wife, Joanne, drove from Columbus to St. Louis
to visit a grandchild or two in March. Alan, of course, drove the 600 miles solo and nonstop each time. He spoke with Len Skerker a few months ago, and Len is doing well in Florida. I got a lovely note from Tony Wattleworth’s widow, Carol, a few days ago. She relayed that Tony felt that “the College and the Medical School were a very important part of who he was.” Dan Jackson, Joe Dorsey, and Len Skerker were impossible to track down. Shelly and I are both fully vaccinated, as I hope all of you are. The COVID pandemic will be over, soon we hope, and then some semblance of “normal life” will take over. May all you do serve others. —Ted Tapper
▼ 1963
The coronavirus pandemic has forced all of us to be more creative, so allow me to share with you some of the forms it’s taken for a number of our colleagues in the DMS Class of 1963. Zoom! I’m sure most of you have become more facile with this addition to the armamentarium we’ve used in the past—e.g., Skype, FaceTime, etc.
Adrienne, Bill Couser’s spouse, has organized a monthly Zoom session including Bill, me, Ken Danielson, and Roger Christian (all of us housemates at 9 East South Street (NESS) in Hanover during our years at DMS), and we added Jack Babson and Gene Lariviere to gather as the “NESS” Zoom. It’s fun, free-ranging, and we’ve shared a lot. For example, we discovered that Ken is the inventor and patent holder for a novel surgical closure device (see www.subQ-it.com); that Bill has received numerous national and international awards recognizing the profound impact he has made in academic nephrology; that Gene and Eleanor Lariviere have permanently moved from New Hampshire to California (where Gene continues his tradition of teaching courses on various topics, including beginning Italian, to adult learners); and, finally, that Jack and Annie Laurie Babson no longer make their annual driving trek from Maine to California, now preferring to crate the dog and fly! By the way, did you know that Jack has hiked the entire Appalachian Trail! (He lost 43 pounds during the adventure.) A few of you responded to my call for news: Ellen and Barry Levine are
Women at Dartmouth Medical School The first female student, Valerie Leval Graham, matriculated at Dartmouth Medical School in 1960, graduating in 1962. She was the only woman in the class of 24 students.
Then 18 | FALL 2021 | ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
Now
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hunkered down in the Boston area. One daughter is a professor of radiology at Chapel Hill and the other is a social worker in Portland, Maine. Judy and Mike Norman have been very cautious during the pandemic but were hoping to travel this summer. Mike finds his friends look to him for the “Fauci” factor, seeking advice as to what’s safe, etc. (BTW, Gene Lariviere and Fauci were undergrad classmates at Holy Cross.) Bonnie and Frank Pauli chose to weather the pandemic in Hawaii and are trepidatious about returning this summer to their beloved Michigan, one of the hot spots for disease in the U.S. Back to Adrienne and Bill Couser: They feel pretty isolated just outside of Seattle; their menu in the past has been lots of international travel, but this year they even had to forgo a trip to the United Arab Emirates, where Bill was to receive one of his many awards. Bill’s son and daughter-in-law, who live in Belgium, were refused entry into the U.S. because they were coming from a COVID hot spot in Europe, so Zoom has had to suffice. That mode of communication has also allowed Bill to stay connected with buddies from the U.S. Army Medical Corps who served with him when he was in Vietnam during the war (bet you didn’t know Bill has a Purple Heart for being wounded—he had lots of incredible experiences and has pictures to prove it). Unfortunately, all the news isn’t good, as we’d expect. Paul Johnson, who lives in Minnesota, lost his beloved wife, Joan. He shared with me his “survival tricks: 1) Be kind to yourself! 2) Get out into nature as often as possible; it is so healing. 3) Exercise!” Paul swims, walks, and bikes. We wish him well.
And Pat Dowling’s wife, Bonnie, told me he has had trials and tribulations, too. Right after the move from their beautiful home in Maine, just a short distance into a condo, they had to hunker down because of the pandemic. Only recently did they feel comfortable venturing out into the community, but then Pat fell, broke his hip, had surgery, and had to recover without any visits from Bonnie because of hospital restrictions! Who needs it? Bonnie said they’re happy in that one of their granddaughters is a Dartmouth College Class of 2024 and enjoying it despite restrictions on the students. They have lots of Green in their family (Classes of ’62, ’84, and ’90 and, now, ’24). So there you have it. Let me hear from a few more of you! And just think—in 2023 we might have an opportunity to return to Hanover, in person, to celebrate our 60th! Be well! Stay safe! —Alan Rozycki
▼ 1964
I recently heard from Brad Rodgers. Brad wrote that he moved from the University of Florida to the University of Virginia in 1981 to develop a program in pediatric surgery. While there, he developed an interest in international medicine and worked in Central America and then in Romania. While working in Rwanda, he developed osteomyelitis of the spine, which necessitated a long hospitalization. He finally was able to go back to work running the outpatient department. He completely retired in 2017. Unfortunately, in his retirement, he is restricted to being on his back much of the time. He remarks that his wife, a former nurse, takes very good care of him. He observes that,
having been a hospital patient on and off over the years, he is disappointed by the lack of continuous care from the same physician. He also wonders whether he would have mastered electronic medical records. I can sympathize with that, for I have volunteered at a medical clinic where most of the “mature” physicians had difficulty adapting to the EMR. Many of them left the practice. There are so many new developments that, as a retired physician, it is difficult to keep up with all the many medical advances. I, for one, have spent considerable time reading about CRISPR. I recommend the Walter Isaacson book The Code Breaker. It is a history of the discovery and implications of this breakthrough technology. —Rich Edelson
▼ 1966
John Kaiser reports that he and Polly have successfully navigated the COVID pandemic, even though they had to drive two hours to Miami to get their vaccinations. “I have predicted, not very cleverly, that in one or two years we will know a lot about COVID—what worked and what didn’t. So many different countries and U.S. states took so many different approaches that bright epidemiologists should be able to analyze the data and teach us something useful.” Dave Zamierowski says that he got a promotion! By the time you read this, he will have become president-elect of the national board of the Wound Healing Foundation. However, he wonders if “it is a punishment—no one else would take the job. It’s a six-year commitment, for the cycle of president-elect to current president to past president. I hope I live
Class Secretaries 1962
Ted Tapper
522 Howe Road Merion Station, PA 19066-1107 Home: 610-664-3590 ted.tapper@live.com
1963
Alan A. Rozycki
56 McKenna Road Norwich, VT 05055 Home: 802-649-1578 alan.a.rozycki@dartmouth.edu
1964
Richard Edelson
3001 Veazey Terrace NW, Apt 1602 Washington, DC 20008 redelson@gmail.com
1966
John Davenport
2012 Drew Avenue S Minneapolis, MN 55416 Cell: 952-237-4076 jdav0743@gmail.com
1967
Frank Sharkey
Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine UT Health - San Antonio 7703 Floyd Curl Drive San Antonio, TX 78229-3901 sharkyf@uthscsa.edu
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class notes
to fulfill it.” I expect that most of us share Zamer’s hopes for our coming years—to continue our lives happily and productively, doing what we have enjoyed during our career and with our family and friends. Cheryl and I here in the country’s “midsection” were successfully—and asymptomatically—vaccinated during the Minnesota age-staged program. Our social lives were initially quite inhibited, but we managed to bond with friends and family in social pods for dinners and also did much more daily walking in our neighborhood and more long-distance phone calls with the kids. Now that the skies are clearing, both meterologically and epidemiologically, we look forward to our hiking trip to Utah that was cancelled last spring. —John Davenport
▼ 1971
It is hard to believe that our 50th reunion is coming up this fall. The school is trying to decide if an in-person event is possible. I hope it will be, because I would really love to see your faces and hear your life stories in person. We had a great group (perhaps
the best ever at DMS!). I have loved it when you send your info to me on the blog we created for our class. I was thrilled when a message from Jim Hughes landed in my in-box. (I feel as if the prodigal son has returned—now if we could just find Gary Donovan!) Here’s what Jim wrote: “Dear Joe: It’s a few months shy of 50 years since we last saw each other, my friend. When you moved on to HMS, I went to Cambridge University, graduated with a degree in English, then finished med school at Northwestern and went up to Mayo Clinic to do a residency in anesthesiology. I returned to the New York area and wound up doing mobile insurance exams in Manhattan for about nine years, then hooked up with a company in Brooklyn and did house calls (almost 35,000 of them) over the next 29 years, throughout New York City. Along the way I wrote a book called Conversio Israel and only now am I beginning the formidable process of trying to get this work of mine published.” Jim sent me a copy because he thought I could put my Boston Latin School skills to good use. He now lives in North Elizabeth, N.J., near Newark Airport and only two blocks from a New
Jersey Transit train station that can whisk him into Manhattan (to Penn Station) in less than 35 minutes. He is now writing a 200-plus-page future bestseller called The Cost of a Kiss. Jim keeps in touch with his DMS best friend and classmate Jonathan Mueller (Dartmouth College ’69). Jonathan started out with us, then broke his femur in a motorcycle accident during our first year at DMS and had to drop out. With a 1-Y deferment in hand, he went to Trinity College, Oxford, and read modern languages (i.e., French and German) before returning to DMS after we had left. He eventually became double-boarded in psychiatry (at UCSF) and neurology (at Stanford). He has been a very successful forensic neuropsychiatrist in San Francisco ever since. From Doug Everett: “I am in semiretirement but consulting and working for the IHS in Montana, so traveling a bunch. I also have a son in Cairo with the foreign service and want to plan a trip there, and I will be representing Team USA, in my age group, at an international iron man triathlon in the Netherlands in September, if it’s not canceled. I am still living in Huntsville, Ala. I hope that I can make it.” And from Henry Retailliau:
“I am still working part-time as a general internist with the nonprofit physician group hospital system I have worked at for the last 25 years, and I also enjoy precepting with the family practice residents here. I also volunteer with a local free clinic that serves the working poor. So I still enjoy medicine and have been fortunate to not experience the burnout that so many of our colleagues have gone through. Remaining healthy enough to enjoy the outdoors of the Northwest all these years certainly has helped that. Quietly practicing medicine one patient at a time has suited me well.” As for me, I flunked retirement and am now working for a small pharma company (Phosplatin Therapeutics, Inc.) as the CMO. We have a very interesting cancer drug that we’re trying to bring to market. This company was started by an old friend, and I had been on the scientific advisory board for 10 years when they enticed me into the CMO job. It’s been fun and very different from practice and teaching! We built a place on Martha’s Vineyard that is our family’s “happy place.” We downsized in New Hampshire to live in a community about 15 miles south of Hanover called Eastman. We now have six grand-
Women at Dartmouth Medical School Female faculty
By 1979, 169 women had matriculated at the school and 12% of the faculty were women.
12%
Female faculty
47%
The percentage of women enrolled in the medical school’s PhD programs was as follows: molecular biology, 38%; physiology/pharmacology, 28%; biochemistry, which began in 1973, 35%.
1979 20 | FALL 2021 | ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
Today
class notes
children, with a seventh on the way, and they keep us busy! I hope to see as many of you as possible at the reunion—and even if you can’t make it, if you could write me to tell me about your life, I can share your news with our classmates. —Joe O’Donnell
▼ 1972
This column includes news from the two-year Class of ’72 and the three-year Class of ’72-3. Greetings, dear classmates! Here are some bits of news that have reached us despite the complex ways in which the COVID pandemic has been affecting us all—both directly and indirectly, in so many ways. For example, from Palo Alto, Calif., Rich Mamelok reports that though he is mostly retired, due to COVID he has had to cancel: 1) a stay on the shores of Lake Como to attend a wedding, 2) a vacation in Brittany to see his cousins, and 3) a trip to Paris with his son! On the other hand, he has nonetheless scored some major pluses by 1) installing solar panels on his home (after having endured power blackouts last year due to those California wildfires!) and 2) finally reading James Joyce’s Ulysses in its entirety (after having tried to start reading it a number of times over the years)! From Worcester, Mass., Joe Benotti reports that he retired last August from his interventional cardiology practice. He celebrated the wedding of his younger daughter in September and the arrival of a new grandson, born to his older daughter, in March. However, in April, Sandra, Joe’s wife of 47 years, passed away. As Joe puts it, he and his family thus “witnessed the full circle of life in less than eight months.” Thus our condo-
lences go to Joe, and certainly our thanks to him for having shared these events with us, as they do indeed provide all of us with perspective. From Ron Polinksy, we hear that he and Barbara have just arrived at their summer residence in Ocean City, N.J., after having spent the winter months in Florida. He reports that in Florida, when the COVID vaccines were just becoming available, at one point he had seven websites open simultaneously on his PC, iPad, and iPhone trying (unsuccessfully at first!) to get an appointment to be vaccinated— though things did eventually work out. :-) I suspect that the details of that experience may no doubt be recognized by many others of you! Ron reminds us that after his training in neurology and then clinical neuropharmacology, he served for a decade as chief of clinical neuropharmacology at the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke at the NIH, after which, prior to retirement, he then served in high-level positions with a number of pharmaceutical companies, including Sandoz/Novartis and AstraZeneca. As for me, Eric Brenner, here in Columbia, S.C., after my usual fall infectious disease epidemiology class at our USC School of Public Health ended, I had the opportunity to do some further online guest teaching with students in two different global health master’s degree programs conducted, respectively, out of Milan, Italy, and Geneva, Switzerland. It was a challenge to communicate effectively by Zoom with dozens of students from 20-plus countries and all possible time zones, but it was a pleasure to see the concentration, pleasant demeanor, and serious interest in students
rising from this new generation! Shades of all of us back in the fall of 1970! As a follow-up to my previous mentions of Miguel MarinPadilla, certainly remembered as one of our special DMS professors—comes the news that he has completed his first novel, written in Spanish and already submitted to a publisher in Spain. His novel follows the life of a pair of identical twins who, following certain life events (e.g., an accident suffered by one of them), start in their teens to develop differently. We remember Miguel’s years of work focusing on the micro/histological anatomy of the brain, but his novel now looks not at just the development of cells and their interconnections in the cerebral cortex but rather at real-life events that influence our brain’s development. So, in a sense, he’s addressing old questions but now with a different set of perspectives and determinants! Bravo for Miguel, who has now turned 90—a good model in many ways for us, for sure. Finally, it is not too early for all of us to think about our 50th reunion, which (COVID willing!?) will likely be September 16-18, 2022 . What a treat it would be to have a good turnout around which to organize some special events. The occasion is something we can think about in coming months and then start to brainstorm together about eventual details! —Eric Brenner
▼ 1975
Linda Coffin recently asked if I would take over as the class secretary for our two-year DMS Class of 1975. There were 24 of us in what turned out to be the last two-year class in DMS history. As I recall, 14 of our
Class Secretaries 1968
William H. Ramsey
49 Cranberry Lane Cheshire, CT 06410-3504 williamramsey@sbcglobal.net
1969 Bill Rix
55 Audubon Way Auburn, NH 03032-3109 Home: 603-587-0248 rixwp@comcast.net
1970
Nigel Paneth
839 Wildwood Drive East Lansing, MI 48823-3048 Home: 517-351-9538 Cell: 517-290-5062 paneth@msu.edu
1971
Joe O’Donnell
PO Box 606 Grantham, NH 03753 joseph.odonnell@dartmouth.edu
1972
Eric Brenner
724 Holly Street Columbia, SC 29205-1852 803-799-6797 ebrenner@rocketmail.com
1973
David Knopman
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Department of Neurology 200 First Street, SW Rochester, MN 55905-0001 Home: 507-288-7557 knopman@mayo.edu WWW.GEISELALUMNI.ORG | 21
class notes
group attended Brown Medical School for the clinical years of medical school, which marked the beginning of the DartmouthBrown program. The rest of us dispersed to different schools. Larry Zyskowski and I completed our clinical years at the U of Minnesota. He stayed on there for his medicine residency and a rheumatology fellowship. I did a rotating internship at a UW-affiliated hospital in Spokane, Wash., and then an ob-gyn residency at UVM. Freddie Fu finished his medical degree at the U of Pittsburgh and returned there for his orthopaedic surgery training, while Craig Thompson transferred to the U of Pennsylvania, then completed a medicine residency at Harvard and a fellowship in medical oncology at the U of Washington. These last two have certainly had remarkable careers. Freddie has been chair of orthopaedics at the U of Pittsburgh since 2010, and Craig has been president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center also since 2010. Geisel has honored both of them with prestigious Alumni Achievement Awards in recent years. I reached out to a few of you for some news. Doug Bober
responded with a great note. He finished his last two years at George Washington in D.C., followed by a radiology residency at SUNY Syracuse and a fellowship in CT and ultrasound. His son was born during the “Miracle on Ice” game in 1980, when the U.S. Olympic team defeated the Soviet Union. (No, his son did not become an Olympic ice hockey player.) He returned to his home state of Connecticut and worked for two different groups before becoming a radiologist on the Harvard medical faculty. Finally, in 2012, he moved to Smyrna, Ga., just outside of Atlanta, to be close to his son and grandchildren (13 and 10). He now drives his old Volvo to Florida about once a month to work for two to three weeks reading CTs, ultrasounds, DEXA scans, and plain films at several offices. Doug reminded me that he was accepted to DMS in July off the wait list after only three years at MIT. He never graduated from college! He tells folks he only had a high school diploma when he graduated from Dartmouth Medical School (with his BSM). Also, he drove up from Cambridge, Mass., with all of his belongings in his car and lived at a motel on Route 10 in Lyme
for two years. They let him stay there as long as he was a student at Dartmouth. He is healthy, biking 30 miles every other day, and is a lap swimmer. He would love to reconnect with classmates at our reunion, whether it is in person or virtual. I will continue to reach out to you for news. We had a small class, but it was quite remarkable. I know many of you have had interesting careers and storied lives worth sharing. —Oge Young
▼ 1981
Dan Lucey and I (Mark Lena) want to remind you that this year we mark 40 years since our graduation from Dartmouth Medical School (now Geisel); we have hope that there will be an in-person reunion in Hanover on September 17-19. We also have some news of our classmates and now convey this to you: I, Mark Lena, continue to practice full-time at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bangor, Maine, as head of the GI division. Once again, for the third time, I found myself during the past year rebuilding the practice after a mass exodus of providers left me as the sole employed MD, with a
host of locums. Despite the stress of COVID, recruiting was much easier this time, and we are now back to three MDs and a PA. I am working a four-day work week and now am finally excused from any scheduled call. It’s almost a perfect job! My oldest son, Sean, is a busy internist in Portland and has two of my grandchildren—Joan, 5, and Luke, 2. My youngest son and his wife, who are both in residency in Reading, Pa., are expecting their first baby in July. My daughter is married and is teaching high school science in western Massachusetts. Bill Wood and I have worked closely together over the past 33 years here. He retired this past December and reports that he is finally able to enjoy the beauty that is Maine. He misses the people and the patients he left behind, but not the stresses and pressures of administration. He is enjoying reading and genealogy and walking and is spending a lot of time outside. He states that he has made the transition to retirement easily. I will certainly miss his insight and leadership, as well as his excellent care as my primary-care provider. Tim Shafer reports that he is considering a slow-down in
Women at Dartmouth Medical School In 1985, more women than men enrolled at the medical school for the first time; 54% of the class entering class were women. Two years later, in 1987, Dartmouth Medical School was the first co-ed medical school in the country to reach a new record — 58% of the class was female (49 women and 35 men).
54%
1985
58%
1987 0
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Class Perecentage of Women Attending DMS
22 | FALL 2021 | ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
60%
class notes
his practice, but for now he continues full-time in Townsend, Vt. Life has been “relaxed” during the pandemic year. They were supposed to host a wedding for his youngest daughter, Ruth, this past October, but it was cancelled due to the pandemic. Ruth had a private marriage ceremony instead, and they are planning a celebratory get-together this summer. Tim and Deb joined us last year in Maine for a wonderful long weekend in February 2020, for cross-country skiing at the AMC Medawisla Camps, as well as for a weekend in Baxter State Park last September, climaxed with a successful climb up Katahdin. Susan Miller wrote: “Since I was last in touch, I have had one husband (still have), four dogs, and an organ transplant. I have worked in Boston and New York in primary care. I retired in 2016 and am now living in Savannah. Over the years, I have admired all of you and your news and accomplishments and never quite felt up to replying that I have not been notable but have loved every minute of my career. Don’t tell odd stories of me! My favorite memory, among many, is remembering how differently paired I felt I was with my partners in the study of our cadaver. I was a dweeb, and the fellas were all jocks! But I think it worked out fine! Can’t think of a more wonderful way to have spent my career. Thank you all for what you meant to me! I wish all the best for all of us. Have a wonderful reunion! You all meant the world to me!” Miguel Damien reports that he is working harder than ever at his fertility clinic in New Jersey. He plans to stop doing surgery in the next several months and is looking for new associates to whom he can gradually transition the responsibilities of the practice. Because
of professional contacts he made on the hit TV show Jersey Shore, he found himself making a cameo appearance—and because of that new referrals have become overwhelming. He continues to compete in mountain bike competitions and races his race car on weekends. Charlie Carr emailed to share that during COVID he had a reprieve from his job as head team physician for Dartmouth College, given the lack of any competitive sports for nearly 15 months. “It has been nice to not have to travel on buses to football and hockey games throughout New England most weekends,” he wrote, “but my heart goes out to the student-athletes who lost those experiences. Most sports med docs saw a significant drop in patient volumes during the first six to nine months of the pandemic, but the workload has since returned to normal.” Charlie said he hopes all his classmates are coming out unscathed through this challenging year; he looks forward to seeing everyone at the upcoming reunion. Bill Wood emailed our entire class a spectacular set of 60 pictures of classmates, from our skit and from other settings during 1978 to 1981! At least 15 classmates replied to Bill. We hope to see as many classmates as possible, either in person or virtually, at the planned “hybrid” 40th reunion! Please take a few minutes to email us at mlena@roadrunner.com or Daniel.Lucey8@ gmail.com with updates that you would like to share with classmates! We will gladly add them to the next column. —Mark Lena and Dan Lucey
Class Secretaries 1974
1980
4014 North Center St., Apt 204 Hickory, NC 28601 wthorwarth@gmail.com
84 Pemberwick Road # A Greenwich, CT 06831-5044 Home: 203-622-8493 Cell: 203-536-5276 cmsdms1980@gmail.com
Bill Thorwarth
1975
Oglesby Young 2 Rum Hill Road Concord, NH 03301-2556 ohpryoung@comcast.net
1976
Linda Coffin
363 Ledge Road Seekonk, MA 02771-5112 lccoffin@comcast.net
1977
Arminda Perez
3905 Highgrove Drive Dallas, TX 75220 Cell: 972-658-0474 armindaperez22@yahoo.com
1978
Peter R. Rogol
73 West Rock Ave New Haven, CT 06515 PROGOL48@gmail.com
1979
Celine M. Stahl
1981
Mark Lena
125 Bennoch Road Orono, ME 04473 Home: 207-866-3839 mlena@roadrunner.com
Daniel Lucey
420 7th Street NW Washington, DC 20004 Cell: 202-299-4398 daniel.lucey8@gmail.com
1982
Patricia M. Edwards
5 Wheeler Road Bow, NH 03304-4213 Cell: 603-340-0796 drpatedwards@yahoo.com
1984
David L. Curran
8631 Sherwood Bluff Eden Prairie, MN 55347-3433 Cell: 612-868-8355 Work: 952-920-7001 ddcfak@gmail.com
Dennis Angellis
8501 Chilte Pine Rd NW Albuquerque, NM 87120 dangellis@me.com
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class notes
sometime this summer. Anne, please let us know what you plan to do in retirement!) Janel is the president and CEO of Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo. This was after being the VP of government, external relations, and research, as well as associate medical director for external relations, for the Kaiser Permanente system. She was also a staff physician in obstetrics and gynecology with the Permanente Medical Group for nearly 13 years. Congratulations to two of our stars (in addition to all of you) for doing us proud! And all the best to everyone as we come out of this most difficult of times. —David Curran
▼ 1985 Class of 1986: (front row) Meg Balassone and Judy Hills (middle row) Lisa Letourneau, Barb Loferski, and Vito Iacoviello (back row): Anne Hayton, Terry Trow, Lynn Farnham, and John Britton.
▼ 1984
Hello, members of the DMS Class of 1984! Just a short column in this issue to congratulate two of our own who have been honored by the Geisel School of Medicine Alumni Counsel with Career Achievement Awards. Anne Schuchat was a 2020 awardee, and Jandel Allen-Davis was a 2021 recipient. As you know, Anne is currently the principal deputy director of the CDC and has also served two stints as acting CDC director. She recently retired from the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service at the rank of rear admiral after 30 years of service. (Breaking news: Just at press time, the headlines were filled with news of Anne’s decision to retire from her CDC position
24 | FALL 2021 | ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
I attended the Zoom reunion on February 25, but unfortunately my internet was not working well so I only got a few tidbits here and there. Suzanne Bird’s daughter is doing her residency at Dartmouth. Andy Pelletier has been with the CDC, working in South Africa for 11 years; he was only back in the States, in Atlanta, for a while in 2019. Doug Tyler was on the Pfizer COVID-19 immunization trial. He is a surgeon in Webster, Texas, and recently saw Mark Carroll, who is a pediatrician for Health Choice in the Flagstaff, Ariz., area. He also noted that Matt Foley is a radiologist in Woodstock and Jeff Riley is a vascular surgeon near Atlanta, Ga. Anne Mosenthal, Diane McGrory, and Judy Currier were in on the Zoom gathering, but I missed the info about their families. Anne is a surgeon and palliative care specialist in Arlington, Mass. Diane is an
ob-gyn in Weston, Mass. And Judy is in infectious diseases at UCLA, with a specialty in HIV/ AIDS; she has published multiple studies in that field. In Bill Yeaton’s Christmas newsletter, he reports: “We have been very fortunate that Bill continued to work through the year at UC Davis, except for a three-month furlough during the summer months while the university was not in session. He primarily sees students with acute medical issues. His wife, Kate, was recently hired to do COVID-19 saliva testing on campus, where all the students and staff are tested at least once a week. Fortunately, we have remained relatively healthy, avoided the COVID virus and the wildfires, and tried to make the best out of this unusual year. We are frustrated that we have been unable to do much travel.” Send me your updates for the next newsletter! —Laurie Draughon
▼ 1986
An update and photo was sent in courtesy of Lynn Farnham. The Class of 1986 had a 35th reunion gathering by several members who live in New England hosted by Judy Hills and Lynn Murrell at their house on an island in the Casco Bay off of Portland, Maine. Lynn also provided the following updates on those in attendance: “Barb Loferski has recently retired to join the retired ranks of Anne Hayton, Meg Balassone, and Lynn Farnham. Judy Hills continues to work as a part-time instructor/faculty at Geisel. Terry Trow and Vito Iacoviello continue to work as editors at EBSCO/Dynamed, as well as part-time clinicians. John Britton continues at general
class notes
surgery in Rochester, N.H. Lisa Letourneau continues to develop health care policy for the State of Maine.” Lisa indicated they “were fortunate to have sunny weather on a day just before the 35th anniversary of our June 8, 1986 graduation.” She will not be in the country at the time of the official DMS reunion in the fall, but hopes that some group of alumni will be able to gather September 17-19, 2021 in Hanover. Thank you for the great update Lynn! Class of 1986, please send any/all updates and photos to Geisel.Alumni. Relations@dartmouth.edu. If anyone is willing to fill the role of class secretary, please send an email to the address above as well! We hope to see many of you at reunion in September! —Editor
▼ 1987
Laura (Gallup) Hotchkiss is currently a medical director at Direct Radiology, a teleradiology group. She and her husband, Bruce, have been living on the east side of Washington State for the past 15 years. Laura enjoys downhill skiing and biking, both on- and off-road (you can find her on Peloton as RadReadRider). Laura has written a children’s book titled Why Not Walnut. It should be in the London Book Festival this summer. She created a website for her books: radreadbooks. com. This fall she plans to work on another book, titled Turkeys and Volcanos. Laura’s kids are all grown up: Shannon is a stone-carver; she went to Zimbabwe to carve under the direction of Shona artists. Beth is a civil engineer, currently working for the state
of California on various projects. Ryan is attending the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and is in the USAF, following in Laura’s footsteps. James is at Washington State University, studying microbiology and working on an MBA. Great to hear from you Laura! Elizabeth Marshall is experiencing great happiness since relocating to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Steve Genereaux was able to join his brother, Bruce, in sailing a boat up from Florida to Rhode Island for a month! What great stories he’ll have to tell! Mike and I, Harper Randall, got to work remotely up on the Oregon Coast for the month of April to be near our kids and have had an amazing wildlife-viewing experience from our back porch. I am sure we are all happy that with spring here, the COVID vaccine numbers are increasing! Keep our September 16-18, 2022 , DMS reunion in mind—it will be 35 years! —Harper Randall
▼ 1991
Andrea Hayes-Jordan was recognized on Healio.com as a trail-blazer for Black women in pediatric surgical oncology. She became the country’s first board-certified Black female pediatric surgeon in the country in 2004. She is currently the Byah Thomason Doxey-Sanford Doxey Distinguished Professor at UNC Chapel Hill, as well as and chief of the Division of General Pediatric Surgery. She shared with Healio how she ended up in her field, hurdles she’s faced, and advice she’d give to other women. She concluded the interview by saying: “Do not let anyone dissuade you by saying things like ‘This has never been done
before’ or ‘This does not sound like it will work.’ Those phrases, which I have heard in the past, do not mean that you should stop going after what you want. It is also important to ensure that you have a team on your side, as well as mentors in your corner. Persist. Keep doing what you know to be right. Take baby steps initially and make progress every day.” To read more about her career and insights, see: dartgo.org/pedonc. —Editor
▼ 1992
It is my hope by now, over a year into COVID, that you are recovering from the trauma and onslaught of loss and are finding time to reflect on aspects of this year that have brought you joy. For me, it has been the connections I have made or maintained with my friends, family, and colleagues. I hope that your communities have been a source of support as you’ve weathered the unprecedented challenges of this year. To that end, hearing news from our classmates serves as a reminder of all the good that is out there and the work we are collectively doing for our patients, families, and students. As a prime example, Andy Perron sends news from our alma mater: “Hey, Anna, as you know, I am back at the Emerald Palace (after a 26-year hiatus) as the new D-H associate dean for graduate medical education. While medicine has changed a ton, and D-H is way bigger than when I left, it is still the place I remember, and (not surprisingly) there are a lot of folks still here who I worked with way back in the day. After four years as an assistant PD, 18 years as a PD, two years as an assistant DIO, and one as vice
Class Secretaries 1985
Laurie F. Draughon
8437 E Arroyo Seco Road Scottsdale, AZ 85266 Cell: 925-324-3919 lauriefd@yahoo.com
1986
We are currently seeking a new secretary for the Class of 1986 column. To learn more or to submit your update, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (603) 653-0726 or Geisel.Alumni. Relations@dartmouth.edu.
1987
Harper Randall
4482 Fortuna Way Salt Lake City, UT 84124 HarperRandall@comcast.net
1988
Aris Damianos
8 Winterberry Lane North Hampton, NH 03862 Home: 603-964-3798 adamianos@comcast.net
1989
Helen S. Manber
3838 California Street, Suite 308 San Francisco, CA 94121 Work: 415-668-4100 hmanber@gmail.com
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class notes
Top L to R: Mark Segel '93 enjoying an aperol Spritz before covering call later that Christmas Day. Chris May '93 and his family. Bottom L to R: Daniel Rienke '93 is ready for surgery in Maine. Roland Chan '93 with wife Lisa and their Christmas poodle.
chair for education, I have a skill set that basically qualifies me for only one job in the world— this one. There are now 53 training programs at D-H, with about 450 resident/fellow learners, so GME is a full-time job for the seven of us in this office. Betsy and I love being back in the Upper Valley and can vouch that the Lou’s crullers still taste as awesome as ever. I am also still practicing clinical emergency medicine (a little), but most of my time is focused on the GME operations side. “On an unrelated note, I have yet to run into John Houde, but I can’t wait to. On an even more unrelated note, I asked around at the Dartmouth gym, and they still remember that three-point shot I hit over Eric Dahms to win a pick-up basketball game in 1992. Around here it has become known as ‘the shot that broke Dahms’s spirit.’” Eric, we look forward to hearing your perspective on this legendary matchup—I’m not sure how so many of us missed it, but I guess things weren’t televised as extensively then. ;-) Andy also shared a screen shot of Chris Colwell giving an online presentation, describing him as a “hit with the younger generation.” Andy watched him
Women at Dartmouth Medical School Georgia Tuttle, MD, HS '81-84, was elected the first woman president of the New Hampshire Medical Society in 1999.
Dr. Georgia Tuttle
26 | FALL 2021 | ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
(online), along with about 5,000 other folks, to learn about trauma. Following Chris’s work in San Francisco leading the emergency department there through COVID has been inspiring. Andy mentioned that he’s looking forward to seeing John Houde—and the feeling is mutual. John asked that I make sure to mention that he and Jen are very excited to have Andy and Betsy back in the area, thanks to Andy’s new big-wig position at Hitch. John also shared the following news: “Jennifer and I hope that everyone is happy and healthy and vaccinated! Even though this truly has been the most stressful and discombobulated period of time ever, we feel that it has strengthened our bonds with our classmates and friends. Talking to people across the country like Roger Guillemette, Brent Forester, Andy Auerbach, Mark Canning, Greer Noonburg, and Jeff Albright has been like therapy for me. It assured me that I was not the only one feeling stressed, uncertain, and confused. It also reminded me what an incredibly kind, smart, and supportive class we have. I cannot thank you all enough. “As for the family, Georgia and two of her roommates had
class notes
to finish their Middlebury College careers at our house. We had a Midd Zoom satellite campus. We were very glad to have them here, but it was certainly a bittersweet way to graduate. Georgia will be doing field research in Fairbanks, Alaska, this summer. Nell has been teaching grade school near Rockland, Maine, and will be working at an AMC hut this summer. Jen is continuing to coach swimming—trying to make herself heard through a mask. “I just want to give everyone the heads-up that I will be the default reunion gift chair for our 30th. I hope and hope and hope that we will be getting together in person next year. My thought for a class gift would be to support a Joe O’Donnell Student-Alumni corner, where students can access information to connect with alumni. Let me know what you think. Stay safe and stay healthy!” As we are all very aware, there is a new president in charge—and I’m not talking about Joe Biden. Back in my neck of the woods (Boston), Brent Forester shared a link to his presidential address. He just took over as president of the American Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry. The address was supposed to be delivered in front of 1,000 colleagues, friends, and family in San Diego, but instead he gave it alone from his office at McLean—no parties or fun. But at least my parents and Sasha (his daughter), while lifeguarding at the U of Richmond pool, could watch him live on Zoom! Here’s a link to it, for your viewing pleasure: dartgo.org/aagp. Finally, here’s a feel-good story, titled “A journey of discovery: Former Mass General
patient now a contestant on ‘The Voice,’” published by MGH about our esteemed Alison Friedmann: “Music and Mass General. These are the two things Andrew Marshall credits with saving his life, leading him to live out his passion for music today as a contestant on ‘The Voice.’ Five years ago, at the age of 16, Marshall came to Massachusetts General Hospital after he suddenly developed jaundiced eyes. He spent three days in the hospital being tested for a number of possible causes—tuberculosis, hepatitis, mononucleosis, and even leukemia. The tests all came back negative. It wasn’t until Alison Friedmann, MD, clinical director of the Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology Unit at Mass General Hospital for Children, insisted upon one further test that Marshall’s diagnosis was finally determined. “‘Dr. Friedmann came in that final evening and was like “Let me grab a chair.” I knew then what it was and that I’d fight through it,’ says Marshall, who was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia, a type of blood cancer that starts in the white blood cells in bone marrow. ‘It’s crazy because none of my symptoms pointed toward leukemia at first. So to think that my doctor—following her own hunch and passion for the job—never gave up until she knew what was happening to me. It’s so heartwarming. Coming to Mass General, what a great decision that was.’ “The now-21-year-old Marshall underwent treatment for his leukemia for 3½ years, during which time he graduated from Masconomet Regional High School in Boxford, Mass., and began college—studying music business at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Throughout these years, music
remained his passion, and he credits it as the main thing that got him through, especially during the darkest of times. “‘There was a time I was too weak to play the guitar or sing, and that’s when listening to music, especially John Mayer, saved me,’ Marshall says. ‘That’s why I want to do something with music. I want to do something that makes me go the extra mile, something that can help save someone’s life. When connecting to songs and what I was going through, I could imagine myself getting through it. That saved my life just as much as my doctor did. Both brought me to focus on music in a way I didn’t before my cancer diagnosis.’” By the time this column goes to press, the final phase of the competition, which pits the top contestants against one another, with viewers voting for their favorite artists to continue on to the next rounds, will be concluded. But you can hear Marshall sing here: youtu.be/-eI18Jpd00s. I know everyone is incredibly busy, and I hope we can all prioritize returning to Hanover (safely) next year to celebrate our 30th reunion. The party will be at Andy’s house! :-) Stay healthy. Stay safe. And send news. —Anna Vouros
Class Secretaries 1990
E. James Wright III
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Ctr. Urology, 301 Building 4940 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, MD 21224-2735 Work: 410-550-7739 ejwright1@gmail.com
1991
We are currently seeking a new secretary for the Class of 1991 column. To learn more or to submit your update, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (603) 6530726 or Geisel.Alumni.Relations@ dartmouth.edu.
1992
Anna Vouros
106 Elm Street Concord, MA 01742 Cell: 617-320-0659 avouros@partners.org
▼ 1993
I am going to start this update with a strong plea to any ’93s who may see this but are not receiving requests for updates from me to send me your current email address. It always saddens me when I get bounces from defunct emails. Plus, we had a great flurry of email activity, with a gazillion updates and photos sent to the
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class notes
Top Left:(L to R) Rick Redett, Chris Lau, and Scott Krugman had a small class of 1995 reunion over dinner. Top Right: Cindy Stearns '99 shares her playful pooch who gets (safely) painted as an Easter egg each year. Middle L to R: Heather Wolford '99 and her family demonstrate proper mask-wearing for homo sapiens and canines alike. (L to R) Sonja, Anders, Sarah Mengshol '99, and John in the beautiful Colorado outdoors. Bottom L to R: Brady Nathan '99's children, Colin and Allie, with their COVID addition: Gibson the dog. Cindy Stearns '99 shares a recent photo of daughter Jacky.
28 | FALL 2021 | ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
whole email group, just after I submitted my last column. A shout-out to John Hoy for hitting “Reply All” to my email asking for updates, thus setting the chain in motion. And to Bonnie Henderson for requesting photos after sending a beautiful photo of her family. I wish I could have submitted all of the photos that were shared, but I’ve submitted a sampling, hoping they’ll get published. The email chain included photos of Roland Chan and Kevin Kerin in full COVID PPE and a note of gratitude from Alan Jung for his COVID vaccine. Mike Golden sent a few photos—one of his family fully masked and others with their smiling faces fully visible. Roland Chan also sent photos of his wife and their standard poodle at their home in Dartmouth, Mass. He mentions daughter Sarah, age 15, whom we did not get to see (maybe next time?). Paul LaFontaine sent a photo of his family hiking Little Sugarloaf in New Hampshire. He continues to live and work in the metro Boston area. Mark Segal sent a photo of himself enjoying an Aperol spritz (I had to look it up: it’s an Italian wine-based cocktail consisting of prosecco, Aperol, and soda water) prior to
fulfilling his ongoing tradition of covering call on Christmas. Chris May shared a photo of his family and asked where the time had gone. It is hard to believe that at our next reunion, September 22-24, 2023, we will be 30 years out from our graduation! There was a universal theme of hope as we put 2020, and hopefully the worst of COVID, behind us. Doug Williamson expressed gratitude that he retired prior to the pandemic. General wishes for a happy 2021 also came in from Jen Brokaw and Allen Fry, Loyd West, Jeff Storey in Wyoming, David Makil in Nevada, and Susanne Krasovich and Pat Ginn in Wisconsin. I received markedly less feedback from my more recent request for updates, but I did hear from Brian Boxer Wachler, who notes that in addition to keeping up with his full-time practice, his daughters got him onto TikTok (@brianwachlermd). He is additionally working on a follow-up book to Perceptual Intelligence. He notes that his girls are finishing 9th grade and remain busy with club volleyball. He also notes: “Got together with Dave Makil, Dave McCarthy, Vin Hoye, Brian O’Sullivan, and John Sims for a cigar-laden poker party. Oh, wait, that was just a COVID dream. :-)” Daniel Rienke sent a photo of himself dressed for surgery with the motto: “No wound is too small to amputate.” He continues to live (and I assume practice) in Maine. Liz Bradley continues to work at the Center for Functional Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. One of my VA patients, a second-year student at Geisel, told me she heard Liz in a podcast talking about functional medicine. Liz notes
class notes
that she just passed the obesity medicine boards, and she sent me a copy of a BMJ article she authored about patient outcomes in shared medical appointments with functional-medicine-based care. While I miss having Liz here in the Upper Valley, I am so proud of the work she is doing to promote the functional medicine model, and I hope to see her when she comes to visit her daughter, Katherine, who is in her first of medical school at Geisel and loving it! I hope that you are all doing well and staying healthy! I am looking forward to seeing my parents and my oldest son this summer after a year of physical absence but plenty of Zooming! Please keep in touch! —Robyn Jacobs
▼ 1995
Hi, all. I hope this column finds you all well and surviving the pandemic. This has been a tough year, and I can think of no better way to celebrate than by spending some time with your med school friends at our reunion in September! Mark and I are still in Minnesota and have just moved a bit further west of Minneapolis. Next year we will have three in college, and only our freshman in high school at home with us. The house sure will be quiet—although we are hoping that being on a lake will encourage frequent visitors. I just started back to work full-time—first time in 20 years! I am currently working as a medical director for Anthem’s Medicaid product in the state of Minnesota. I wasn’t sure that I would like it, but I have found the work to be quite intellectually stimulating. I really love it!
Otherwise, Minneapolis has a lot going on (as I am sure you have heard). I am really hoping that the unrest is a turning point for our city and the nation. We have always been very forwardthinking, and I guess it is time for us to step up. Thanks to Mary Gaffney, who sent this news: “I am finishing my internal medicine residency at Brown this June. In July, I will start as a fellow in nephrology at Brown. I am very excited to start to learn more about our amazing kidneys! The nephrology group at Brown is really great and a super-nice bunch of folks to work with. Please send me energy, though, as I do my overnight calls. Ugh. My oldest daughter, Emily, will be starting medical school this August at Penn and is thrilled. My youngest daughter, Molly, is graduating from Fordham with a degree in environmental sciences and will be moving to Oregon to study snow plovers. I’m so happy for them both! And I look forward to seeing you and all the other DMS alumni at our reunion in the fall!” Way to go, Mary! Very proud of your perseverance! I also heard from Scott Krugman, who wrote: “Well, it was a miracle. Eyes upon Chris Lau! She, Rick Redett, and I had dinner together in May. Chris is chair of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is commuting to Charlottesville, Va., to see her two boys, who are in high school there, and her husband, who stayed behind. She’s apparently doing well as the first woman surgical chair. Rick is chair of plastic surgery at Hopkins (they are their own department, not just a section) and has a son who works for the Charlotte Hornets and two daughters who are juniors in college at the U Maryland. I’m just a lowly
vice chair of pediatrics at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore; Daniel, my oldest, is graduating from Middlebury this spring, and my youngest is going to be a sophomore at St. Lawrence in New York. Crazy seeing Chris after so long. Unchanged.” That’s it for this time. However, I am sure that there is more going on. Please don’t hesitate to share either personal or professional news. I know a number of you are changing the world, or at least a part of it, and we would love to hear all about what you’re doing. And I hope to see many of you in Hanover on September 17-19! —Kristen Hansberry
Class Secretaries
▼ 1996
1995
Carey Thomson was named chair of the Department Medicine at Mount Auburn Hospital in May 2021. She has been interim chair since November 2020 and “has been recognized throughout her career for her expertise and her compassion as a leader in pulmonary medicine and critical care,” according to the announcement of her appointment. See the full press release at dartgo.org/careyt. —Editor
▼ 1999
Hello, Class of 1999! I have not written a column for a while and hope everyone is navigating all the professional and personal challenges of this crazy year. I am certain there are some silver linings amidst the struggles. I sent a group email out and have some great updates to share. Thanks to Joe Pekala, who sent a “Reply All” message and started a train of emails! Joe lives in Lyme with his wife,
1993
Robyn Jacobs
18 Justin Morrill Memorial Highway South Strafford, VT 05070 rjacobs@hygeiawomen.com
1994
Kristin Casale
94 Meadow Wood Dr. Greenwich, CT 06830 kpcasale@gmail.com
Kristen O. Hansberry
6385 Oxbow Bend Chanhassen, MN 55317-9128 Home: 952-473-5500 Khansbe15@gmail.com
1996
Emily Transue
1248 22nd Avenue E Seattle, WA 98112-3535 emilytransue@gmail.com
1997
Lucille Vega
RI Healthcare Family Practice 962 Warwick Avenue Warwick, RI 02888-3650 Work: 401-383-7830 Cell: 401-301-9505 vegadirectmedical@gmail.com
1998
We are currently seeking a new secretary for the Class of 1998 column. To learn more or to submit your update, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (603) 653-0726 or Geisel. Alumni.Relations@dartmouth.edu.
WWW.GEISELALUMNI.ORG | 29
class notes
Kris, and three kids. He works for UVM, and his oldest is a freshman there. From Adam Tremblay: “Currently continuing to work at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the University of Michigan. I am the associate chief of staff for ambulatory care and director of primary care at the VA. I am also an assistant residency program director at the University of Michigan. Fun fact: Our VA is the #1 VA in the country in percentage of veterans who have received the COVID vaccine so far. Huge and very satisfying effort. “My boys are 12, 11, and 6. They are super fun. They are all into sports (baseball, basketball, soccer, and skiing). I have been amazingly lucky to be able to coach them in all of these sports over the years. It’s been unbelievably busy between work/coaching, but I have loved every minute of it. “My wife (Sarah Handeyside, also an internal medicine physician at the VA and the U of Michigan), purchased a condo on Eastman Lake, just about 15 minutes down I-89 from Dartmouth, and we usually spend a week or two there each summer. We always make a trip to Dartmouth and hit the Green
for an afternoon of football, soccer, and wiffle ball, followed by some treats from Dirt Cowboy Cafe! Always a highlight of our trip.” From Dan Dimeo: “After 15 years, my wife, Laura [Myers], left her dermatology practice at McFarland Clinic in Ames and along with two of her other partners opened her own private dermatology practice. Check it out at www. IowaDermatologyConsultants. com. Laura also wrote a thriller novel and is hoping to get it published. “Our twins, Sam and Eva, will be 18 years old in May and graduating from high school. Eva is off to Tulane in New Orleans, and Sam will be heading to Iowa State University in Ames. “Boring old me is still practicing pediatric butts and guts medicine in Des Moines. I’ve been at MercyOne for almost 16 years. I was planning to change careers from medicine to wine, but Laura’s plans put that on hold, so it looks like my wine hobby will just have to remain strictly consumption. “Last July we made a road trip to Rhode Island and stopped at Dartmouth and our old stomping grounds along the way. Gave an arm and half a leg to the Hanover
Inn. Ate at Murphy’s. Kids didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Brought back lots of memories. Of course I also had to take my kids to Notre Dame. Also saw BC.” From Hans Olsen: “I am still in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., starting my 16th year here as an orthopaedic sports medicine surgeon. I am currently the team doctor for the Pittsburgh Penguins AHL hockey affiliate and assistant team physician for the Yankees AAA team, the Railriders, which takes up a lot of my time. “My girls are now 15 and 12, so we are managing both freshman year in high school and middle school.” From Heather Wolford: “Thanks for reaching out to everyone! I cannot remember the last time I updated you (or our class), but my husband and I work for Kaiser Permanente in Vallejo (famous for going bankrupt in the great recession). We live in Napa, Calif., with my two stepdaughters, two dogs, and two cats. It has been a crazy year at work and at home, but there have been several silver linings. I reconnected with five of my high school girlfriends (from Hanover High School!) and get together with them for Zoom happy hours frequently. My two stepdaughters
Women at Dartmouth Medical School In 2001 Dartmouth Medical School established the E. Elizabeth French Professorship through an anonymous gift. The endowed chair honors the memory of the first woman to become a full professor at the medical school. E. Elizabeth (Betty) French was a pathologist and for many years the only woman member of the Hitchcock Clinic. She was respected by colleagues for her clinical laboratory medicine acumen and diagnostic problem solving skills and beloved by students and residents for her supportive mentoring.
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Dr. Elizabeth French
spent much of the fall with us doing virtual college classes, which allowed us the chance to get to know them as young adults in a way that I don’t think would have been possible without all the extra family time.” From Brady Nathan: “Karen, Allie (15), Colin (13), and I have been in Minneapolis for almost 15 years now. Crazy how time has flown. I continue at the University of Minnesota (in peds endocrinology), doing clinical work, research in type 1 diabetes, and serving as medical director for ambulatory pediatrics (yes, I am a glutton for punishment). A new COVID addition, Gibson the dog, is acclimating well to the fam and is particularly enjoying the warmer weather this past week and the mud it has brought out (to our lamentations).” From Geoff Emry: “I’m in beautiful (it’s no longer a secret) Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, doing family medicine and also attending with our family medicine residency program on the inpatient service once in a while. Four kids ages 17, 15, 11, and 8, the oldest of whom is heading off to college in the fall at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where I did my residency and met my wife, Crystal, who was finishing her pharmacy degree—so
class notes
nice symmetry there. Yes, crazy times, but we’re getting through. Man, I miss all of you! Would be great to get together at our 25th.” From Sarah Mengshol: “We are digging out from a big snowstorm here in Denver. We moved about six months before the shutdown to an area of town with a lot more open space, trails, etc. So we have been balancing work, school for our two children (Anders, 15, and Sonja, 12) with outdoor activities. We saw Keith Baker last summer when he dropped off his daughter for a very short-lived time on campus at Colorado College. We hope to see the Bakers more if she can return to campus.” From Cindy “Ben” Stearns: “I live outside of Portland, Maine, with my two dogs and 13-year-old daughter, Jacky. One of the dogs is an alarmingly smart little rascal—a toddler trapped in a dog’s body (he is the colored one in the photo; Easter is approaching—time to again paint our Easter Doggy!). I rent a little abode in Cape Elizabeth and plan to stay here at least until Jacky graduates from high school. Perhaps, to her horror, I will follow her?! (I am an untethered teleradiologist.) “I regret that I have not attended any reunions or stayed in touch with my classmates. Neglecting to maintain ties is one of my many faults. But I remember you all fondly and am thoroughly enjoying reading these responses to Danielle. Dang it, I should commit to making it to the next reunion.” From Tricia Petzold: “Ted [Paisley] and I have been in Salt Lake City since residency. We have traveled by teardrop trailer since COVID. Geoff [Emry], Sarah [Mengshol], and Andy [Dionne], you are within our driving radius!
“Ted is doing sports medicine at the University of Utah and went over as the U.S. Olympic team doctor to PyeongChang during the last winter Olympics. We both work in the Snowbird ski resort medical clinic, and I am on the Snowbird ski patrol. I opened up a private clinic in town this year doing functional and integrative medicine. I am teaching integrative medicine at the U of Utah.” From Rob Parisien: “Reading these emails makes me very nostalgic for our days at DMS—especially the first two years in classes. Those were good years. If I could go back and do it all again, I would. “I spend my free time these days running, playing the baroque lute, coaching ski racing, and being a moderately annoying dad to three teenagers—all with varying and limited degrees of success. I did some research into medical decision-making for a while, but that has taken a back seat lately. “After residency and fellowship, I worked in Maine doing general ortho and trauma, and I have been doing full-time ortho trauma in Manchester, N.H., for the past 11 years. It is still fun for me.” And finally, from Paul Holtzheimer: “We’ve been back in Hanover since 2011. Initially, I directed the mood disorders service at DHMC, but in 2017 I took the position of deputy director for research at the VA’s National Center for PTSD (its executive division is based at WRJ). The boys are 11 and 13 and doing great. I still have a consult clinic at DHMC and also provide clinical care at the WRJ VA.” Please send me your email address if you were not a part of the email train. I will make an updated list. All is well in New Hampshire with the Albushies family. Tom
Albushies applied for a PPP loan and was able to keep his staff working the entire year. He has become very knowledgeable about the business side of medicine. His private practice is growing, and he and I are slowly but surely becoming the seasoned (the preferred term rather than “senior”) partners of the group. I have had the opportunity to get involved with the New Hampshire Medical Society, which is an amazing group of physicians who keep patients’ and providers’ health and wellness at the forefront as challenges are presented from the state legislature. Our boys are 14, 13, and 10. We are thrilled that they will have a track and baseball season this spring. Having our moms fully vaccinated has brought back missed hugs and sleepovers. Stay well and keep in touch. —Danielle Albushies
▼ 2000
Hi, all! Hopefully, by the time you read this, we will be about to see each other in person for our reunion! I got a nice update from Hilary and Tom Stamp: “The kids, Tom, and I continue our Air Force journey overseas. Tom deployed to Afghanistan in April to head up the hospital in Bagram. It sounds like he may be helping to shut things down there (who really knows?!) and may be diverted elsewhere, as he’s slated to be gone a year. If anyone would like to send him an old-fashioned letter/postcard, I’m sure he’d love it. His U.S. mail address is 455 EMDG/ Command, Tom Stamp, Bagram Airfield, APO, AE 09354. The kids and I remain in England, which allows Aidan to graduate from the American HS here in ’22 and Anna to have consistency.
Class Secretaries 1999
Danielle Tobia Albushies 4 McNichol Lane Bow, NH 03304-5409 dalbushies@gmail.com
2000
Maya Mitchell Land
4904 Stonehedge Drive Santa Rosa, CA 95405 Cell: 707-800-5916 mayamland@gmail.com
2001
Jill Marple
102 Somers Place North Moorestown, NJ 08057 Cell: 856-495-8613 jill.a.marple.97@dartmouth.edu
2002
Jennifer Vines
2940 North East Cesar Chavez Blvd Portland, OR 97212 Home: 503-453-5879 vines.jennifer@gmail.com
2003
Blair Hammond
48 Monroe Avenue Larchmont, NY 10538 Home: 212-744-3944 blair.hammond@mssm.edu
Junko J. Ozao-Choy
Division of Surgical Oncology Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Assistant Professor of Surgery David Geffen School of Med. at UCLA 1000 W. Carson St., Box 25 Torrance, CA 90509 Work: 310-222-3033 jozao-choy@dhs.lacounty.gov WWW.GEISELALUMNI.ORG | 31
class notes
Top L to R: Tim Burdick '03 during a deployment to help with COVID-19 response around the country. Chris Colwell '10 presenting on trauma through the EM:RAP Emergency Medicine Reviews and Perspectives livestream. Bottom Left: Lauren Hyde '18 and Alexander Orfanos '11 on their wedding day last fall.
Women at Dartmouth Medical School 2011 56.2% of women entering Dartmouth Medical School in fall class of 2011.
32 | FALL 2021 | ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
I continue my peds work at the clinic on base and occasionally at the HS. We are, of course, anxious to fulfill our travel quota and make up for lost time before we leave next summer. Let me know if you come to southwestern England!” In addition, I received some very sad news just before this issue went to press—that Raj Sandhu passed away suddenly on May 14. I don’t know any details yet, but I wanted to share the sad word. You can read his obituary here: dartgo.org/ rajsandhu. —Maya Land
▼ 2002
Greetings, all. I’m returning to my DMS’02 class secretary role after a prolonged, ahem, hiatus and a very friendly nudge from the Alumni Relations office. The timing seems right, as I imagine we are all taking stock of our social connections and maybe even our careers. I am still living in Portland, Ore., where I did my residency in family medicine and preventive medicine at Oregon Health and
Science University. I’m now the lead public health officer for the three counties that include the Portland metro area. Believe it or not, I stepped into the role just two months before the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Oregon, and I’ve supported nearly all areas of the COVID response since then. I have the pleasure of occasionally crossing paths with Rachel Solotaroff (DMS’01), who is the highly respected and sought-after president and CEO of Portland’s Central City Concern, an organization with broad reach along the continuum of housing, behavioral health, and primary care. For those who don’t know, Rachel received the Dartmouth Social Justice Award in 2020. I also keep in touch with Tim Burdick (DMS’03). His past year included two deployments with the National Disaster Medical System to help with the COVID response. His first two-week stint was in New York City in May 2020, to help at the largest morgue in U.S. peacetime history. Around that same time, Tim also helped set up a COVID hospital in the Dartmouth College gymnasium (which fortunately was not needed). His second deployment was as a COVID hospitalist in Wyoming during the December 2020 surge (local test positivity at that time was an incredible 41%); he calls it “one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done as a physician.” Everyone else, I’d love to hear from you. Please drop me a quick line or photo anytime at vines. jennifer@gmail.com—otherwise I will resort to Googling you for my next column! —Jennifer Vines
class notes
▼ 2005
Congratulations to Anna Thomas who was named the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year for her efforts leading to Manchester’s pandemic response. Anna is the Public Health Director in Manchester, N.H. —Editor
▼ 2007
Congratulations to Jonathan Huntington, who was named chief medical officer for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in February 2021. —Editor
▼ 2008
In response to my call for updates, I heard from Ashlee Walls: “So great to hear from you! I am a family medicine doctor in Bellingham, Wash. I am part of a private practice group and still do full-spectrum family medicine, with shifts as a hospitalist and deliveries on L&D as well as in clinic. I would love to hear what other classmates are doing and where they are!” So send those updates to me! —Rebecca Rotello
▼ 2010
Katie Peeler shared the link to a video featuring Amanda Thornton, together with half a dozen other physicians associated with Vax’n 8, a group of Northern California doctors who are trying to address the social, scientific, and political issues associated the COVID
vaccines. The video is titled “My Shot: A COVID Vaccine Adaptation”—it’s a delightful adaptation/parody of the famous Lin-Manuel Miranda song “My Shot” from Hamilton. The group notes: “While we completely respect everyone’s freedom of choice, we as a group of physicians support and encourage everyone who can to receive a vaccine based on our understanding of both the science behind its safety and the global imperative to bring population immunity to the point where the pandemic can finally come to an end.” You can give it watch here: youtu.be/-YiZW2sfurk. —Editor
▼ 2012
Thank you to all who sent updates. It was so nice to hear from you. I hope you are surviving this crazy pandemic. Remember, we are all family, and if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to me or any of our classmates. Much love to you all and happy summer! Here’s the news: Tony Zitek: “I live in Miami with my wife, Shirley, and our son, Edward. I currently work in the ER at two hospitals in the Florida Keys but will be taking an academic position starting in July in Miami Beach. I hope you and your family are doing well! It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 13 years since we started med school! Miss you and all my friends from Dartmouth.” Emily Looney: “My husband, Sean (Dartmouth anesthesia ’11), and I have been living in Corvallis, Ore., for the past 4½ years. I am medical director of Samaritan Evergreen Hospice, which has
a 12-bed inpatient unit, and also spend time doing primary care. Sean is the director of regional anesthesia at the local hospital; it’s great when we can collaborate on continuous nerve catheters for hospice patients! We’ve been enmeshed in the process of building a new home and are looking forward to enjoying space for board games, pet house rabbits, music, throwing pottery on the wheel, and brewing beer when we move in this fall. I’ve had to take a forced-byCOVID break from playing in pit orchestras for local musicals, but my woodwind sextet has just resumed outdoor rehearsals. Hope you’re well! P.S. I don’t have any cute kids to photograph, but a photo of Lily the rabbit is attached!” Lyndon Tyler: “I can’t believe Lyle is almost 1! I remember Claire was always interested in ‘baby shisher Shinny,’ but once Sydney got close to 2, she and Claire really started to play together, and it’s been fun to watch their sibling friendship grow. I’ve been enjoying night skiing this spring with my cousin, dad, and brother. My dad is 66 this year and has always been a phenomenal skier, but we only went skiing together one time growing up, so we’re making up for lost time. Rob [Holmes], Bilal [Mahmood], Charity [Jacobs], etc. are going to be mad at me, but we even convinced him to go off a small jump! We added five baby chicks to our current 24 hens, but one of the chicks (named ‘Dirt’) became wedged in a small space, and the girls found it nearly dead the next morning. They brought it inside and wrapped it in blankets, doing their best, but it died later that afternoon. This is the little
Class Secretaries 2004 & '05 Marta Hristova
193 Union Avenue Tarrytown, NY 10591 czw629@yahoo.com
2006
Katrina Mitchell
4087B Foothill Rd Santa Barbara, CA 93110 kbm9002@me.com
2007
We are currently seeking a new secretary for the Class of 2007 column. To learn more or to submit your update, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (603) 653-0726 or Geisel.Alumni. Relations@dartmouth.edu.
2008
Rebecca (Rotello) Craig 3137 Casa Bonita Dr. NE Albuquerque, NM 87111 rebecca.rotello@gmail.com
2009
Kristen Telischak
725 Hobart Street Menlo Park, CA 94025 kristentelischak@gmail.com
2010
Sarah Dotters-Katz
1908 N Hawick Court Chapel Hill, NC 27516-7738 Home: 541-554-1817 sarahkd@gmail.com
WWW.GEISELALUMNI.ORG | 33
class notes
grave they made in our front yard. Thanks for reaching out, Kolene, and for keeping our class connected!” Rob Holmes: “Hi, all. I am coming up on year three in practice. I am doing mostly primary and revision hip and knee replacements, with a little trauma mixed in here and there. We live and work in Gig Harbor, Wash., which has been an amazing place for our family. The Holmes crew now consists of Melissa and Rob and four kids. Maya is now 12, which is crazy, since she was born when we were first-years! Mallory is 9, Benny is 4, and Charli is 2. Everybody has been very busy and happy here in Washington. I’ve been blessed and lucky to have great partners who have helped me build a busy practice. We hope all of you are doing well. Hope to see you all soon! Much love, Rob.” Thanks for the news, everyone! —Kolene Bailey
Top to bottom L to R: Emily Looney '12 sent in this sweet photo of Lily the rabbit. Lyndon Tyler '12 lost a chick named Dirt and his daughters Claire and Sydney gave him a proper burial in the front yard. Tony Zitek '12 with wife Shirley and son Edward. Lyndon Tyler '12 out skiing with his family this past spring.
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▼ 2013
Matt Crowson has joined the Department of OtolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery at Mass Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School in a clinician-scientist role. He splits his time between
doing research (developing machine learning algorithms) and taking care of patients with hearing and balance disorders. He and his wife, Caroline, are expecting their first child this summer! Nithya Natrajan launched a breastfeeding medicine and perinatal support telemedicine service in South Carolina at the end of last year and will be adding services in Georgia soon. She’s also working as a medical consultant for South Carolina Medicaid. She and her husband just had their third little boy, so she’s home for a bit now but plans to go back to work in a few months. Jill and Jason Baird, inspired/annoyed by all the hurdles Jill had to jump over to get vaccinated as a breastfeeding woman, co-authored a study showing that the breastmilk of vaccinated women is full of anti-COVID antibodies. They were interviewed by several local news stations, and a still frame of the back of Jill’s head was on CBS national news! They took 4-year-old Bea and 4-month-old Eli on an Oregon coast RV road trip that was about as fun as a socially-distanced vacation during a pandemic can be, and they are looking forward to seeing vaccinated friends and family again in the coming year. Christiana and Ray Munroe moved back to New Hampshire! They are both working in Manchester. Ray is doing cardiac anesthesia at Catholic Medical Center, and Christiana is doing oculoplastics at New Hampshire Eye Associates. They bought a house and are also in the middle of toddler madness with 3-year-old Lucas and 1-year-old Charlotte, enjoying hiking and playing in the woods in the warm spring weather. Will Flanary is the one and
class notes
only Dr. Glaucomflecken—a social media sensation, according to a March 2021 article on Medscape.com. You can read the article for yourself at dartgo.org/dgf or or look for him on TikTok and Twitter (@ DGlaucomflecken) and watch him firsthand—along with his 500,000-plus followers. Kyle Packer is completing his time in the Army in August and will be moving to Portland, Maine, with his wife, Kirsten, and their awesome toddler, Kieran. While looking forward to his newfound freedom in the beard-growth arena, he is also considering the merits of a neck tattoo and looking forward to getting input from good DMS friends Chris and Whitney Beeler MED’14, and Jay and Margaret Pollard MED’15 while stuffing their faces with fried seafood. —Jill Baird
▼ 2014
Hi, Class of 2014! It’s hard to believe how much time has passed during this incredibly difficult last year. As always, I hope that you, your friends, and your families are healthy and happy. Now for some updates: Ilya Bendich will be graduating from her adult reconstruction and joint replacement fellowship at HSS this July and then will be starting as an attending at Wash U. After finishing her fellowship in robotics, bariatrics, and minimally invasive surgery at Yale, Maija Cheung has accepted a position as an assistant professor of surgery at Yale, in the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery. Outside of her clinical work, she is excited to continue her research and advocacy projects in global surgery with KidsOR,
an organization that works to provide safe surgery for kids around the world. Libby Winton writes, “I am still living and working in Charleston, S.C., as an EM and sports medicine doc. In exciting news, my husband and I are expecting our first child in early July!” David and Jess Fried are still enjoying living in Ann Arbor, which is good because Jess got hired to stay on as faculty at the University of Michigan! Starting in July, she will be an assistant professor of abdominal imaging. Six long years of training are finally nearing an end. David is still loving his “only work half the days” faculty hospitalist gig at U of M but really wants this pandemic to end (as we all do!). “And finally,” they write, “we expanded our family—with a second corgi! Just ask for photos; we have plenty.” Kaiane Habeshian writes, “I am currently living in D.C. and am a pediatric dermatologist at Children’s National Hospital and an assistant professor of dermatology at the George Washington University School of Medicine. I’m loving the city life but am nostalgic for the good old days, too. Hope everyone is doing well!” Finally, congratulations to Jo Ling Goh, who is graduating from neurosurgery residency this year—you made it! All the best until the next issue! —Justin Kim
▼ 2015
Our updates came from across the U.S. and Canada this time around! Afton Chavez ’16: Where is she now? In Wyoming, completing a Mohs surgery fellowship
in 2021. Major events? Engaged! Getting married in Aug 2021. Future goals? Joining a private practice in Wyoming. Kerry Guyer: Where is she now? Idledale, Colo., as a hospitalist. Major events? Got married in 2018, hiked the Pacific Crest Trail with husband in 2019, and bought a house in 2020. Future goals? Develop a food forest on her property, bike the Pacific Coast Highway, and maybe hike the Continental Divide Trail! Lauren Hyde: Where is she now? Emergency physician in Concord, N.H. Major events? Married her husband, Alexander Orfanos, a 2018 Geisel alum who is doing his orthopaedics residency at Brown. They had a small wedding in the midst of the pandemic last fall and had their pandemic “honeymoon” in the Upper Valley. Jackie Kikuchi and Ilton Cubero Salazar ’16: Where are they now? Johns Hopkins. Female pelvic medicine reconstructive surgery (Jackie) and cardiology (Ilton). Major events? They adopted two kittens! Future goals? Jackie will be returning to the military as an urogynecologist, and Ilton will be an academic cardiologist. They’d also like to hike the rim-to-rim trail at the Grand Canyon. Aaron Grober: Where is he now? Currently a second-year (soon to be third-year) cardiology fellow at UCSF; he will be staying on one more year at UCSF to pursue subspecialty fellowship training in interventional cardiology. Major events? “Nothing new/major (LOL).” Future goals? “Hopefully finally finishing up my seemingly endless years of training and getting a real job!” Emma Tang: Where is she now? Rheumatologist
Class Secretaries 2011
Jill Rosno Huded
8009 Cherokee Lane Leawood, KS 66206-1131 Jill.huded@gmail.com
Abiodun T. Kukoyi abbeykay@gmail.com
2012
Sarah Fink Kokko 53 Highbridge Road Lyme, NH 03768 Cell: 617-548-9198 s.k.fink@gmail.com
Kolene Bailey
6191 Massive Peak Circle Castle Rock, CO 80108 Cell: 603-209-1439 kolene.bailey@gmail.com
2013
Jill Kaspar Baird
2434 NE 58th Ave. Portland, OR 97213 Cell: 515-520-9899 jill.kaspar.baird@gmail.com
2014
Justin K. Kim
PO Box 724 Mercer Island, WA 98040 206-512-6261 justinkim.dart@gmail.com
2015
Emma Tang
1405 Crossfield Ave Kingston, ON K7P 0E7 Canada Cell: 603-359-2860 Chentang00@gmail.com
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class notes
in Kingston, Ontario. Major events? Married in 2018, baby boy in 2019, moved back to Canada, and bought a house in 2020. Future goals? Get a puppy in 2022, move back to LA, visit all the major national parks, and become the first female Asian doctor-movie star (?). —Emma Tang
▼ 2019
Top to bottom L to R: Jason Azuma MPH'03 with his family in CA. Dyane Tower MPH'13 recently published "Evidence-Based Podiatry: A Clinical Guide to Diagnosis and Management." James Lynch MS'01 performing a stellate ganglion block. James Lynch MS'01 retired from the Army after 31 years of service.
36 | FALL 2021 | ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
Odette Althea Harris D’91, a member of the Geisel School of Medicine’s board of advisors, shared an unusual event that occurred in the middle of the night in an OR at Stanford. The surgical team was composed all of Dartmouth people and, furthermore, it was St. Patrick’s Day—a Big Green team on the “wearing of the green” day. The team included anesthesia resident Erdong Chen and neurosurgery resident Jon Parker D’08, as well as Harris herself, a professor of neurosurgery at Stanford. Despite operating until 2:00 a.m., they all took the time to connect and reminisce about Dartmouth afterward. —Editor
▼ 2020
John Damianos was named a member of the scientific advisory committee for the Alliance for Education on Probiotics (see @aeprobio on Twitter). He is a resident in internal medicine at Yale and intends to go into gastroenterology; his interests include the role of the gut microbiota in disorders involving gut-brain interactions. —Editor
▼ PHD & MS
This column includes news from alumni of the master’s and doctoral programs in Dartmouth’s biomedical science departments. Spring has sprung, and I am looking forward to spending some time with my family, in my Jeep, and on the sand at Assateague Island National Seashore. Yep, it’s just 30 minutes from my house. The photo shows me and my family in the distance on the right, under the umbrella. (I’m including it as a nudge to get all the readers of this column to send me a note on how you’re doing and a picture of what you like to do!) I received several updates for this issue. I’ll start with Richard Miller (Pharmacology PhD’73–Berndt Lab, D’68). Rich wrote: “Spring has come to Rochester as well. The snow left yesterday (April 24, 2021). Judy and I have been cloistered in our home—in Pittsford, N.Y.—in COVID solitary, trying to keep our research, clinical, and educational responsibilities on track. Zooming and frozen screens are the daily adventures. Keeping our team going has been a challenge, especially with recruiting pregnant women and following the offspring as a cohort in the NIH Environmental Influences on Children’s Health Outcomes (ECHO) Study. One of the delights of the study is that we have been able to pursue detailed evaluations of the placentae from these pregnancies and relate them to maternal environmental exposures and neurodevelopment in the children. The children are now 4 years old. A particular Big Green benefit has been the
class notes
chance to work once again with Nigel Paneth MED’70, Carolyn Salafia D’77, and Dartmouth faculty member Margaret Karagas. This project has also led us to study air pollution in Beijing, as well as in Rochester and Pittsburgh. We are just beginning another study within ECHO, with 3,500 placentae. “This research effort is complemented with responsibilities for directing our MotherToBaby URMedicine program, a call line for information about drug and environmental exposures during pregnancy and lactation, funded by HRSA. Currently, we are handling about 1,200 calls a year. The calls about the COVID vaccine are overwhelming us. Our Finger Lakes Children’s Environmental Health Center, funded by the New York State Department of Health, covers 15 counties in New York. As its co-director since 2007, I have found it energizing to work with the staff at six other centers across New York to serve our communities. “Judy keeps me focused on our family of six children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. So you all can imagine how time-management can be a challenge, especially with 12 grandchildren living within 2.5 miles of our home. So exciting for us to go to all the wrestling matches, lacrosse games, cross country 10Ks, soccer and football games, dance recitals, and musicals. We sometimes even watch grandchildren at different high schools compete against each other—wearing a hat from Sutherland and a shirt from Mendon. “It was so inspiring to return to Hanover for our 50th DC reunion and see so much of
the old medical school campus under construction. I suspect it is all back in shape. “The University of Rochester has been my home for almost 45 years. It has been supportive of my efforts; I have enjoyed working with David Lambert MED’97 and so many medical students who are DC graduates. “Hope you all have your vaccinations and are staying safe.” James Norton (Physiology PhD’79, MED’69) is now a professor emeritus of physiology at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM). He retired in the spring of 2020, after 40 years of teaching physiology at UNECOM. Most recently, he was a first-year small-group facilitator in the largely case-based UNECOM curriculum. Before that, his full-time position included serving as department chair and the physiology course director, in addition to his involvement in various research activities and service on endless committees. His passions these days include wood-carving and ship model-building, which help to take his mind off the craziness of the world these days; he also enjoys armchair paleontology, reading fiction, and keeping up (virtually, now) with the grandchildren. He reflects on his time at Dartmouth, writing: “I look back at my years as a physiology graduate student with fondness and gratitude, because the PhD I received from Dartmouth was the basis for a very long and rewarding career as a medical educator and student mentor. I think often of those who mentored me, such as Drs. Tenney, Munck, Nye, and Valtin, whose wisdom I have tried to pass along to others. I still stay in touch with many
of my former students, some of whom have participated in my own medical care as my primary-care physician, as surgeons, and as anesthesiologists. The circle is complete, as the saying goes, when the former teacher becomes the patient. Best wishes for good health and safety during this pandemic to all my fellow doctoral-program graduates!” I, too, had the opportunity to interact with all of the mentors you mention and know my interactions with all of them changed my own life journey. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us (and my apologies for the delay in getting your news into the column). Michael Barry (Pharmacology PhD’91– Eastman Lab) is the director of the Mayo Clinic’s Vector and Vaccine Engineering Laboratory. He wrote: “We developed a novel COVID19 vaccine that is going into Phase I trials; see dartgo.org/ mayo1and dartgo.org/mayo2 for more information. We also developed a gene therapy for a rare disease called propionic acidemia that will hopefully begin a Phase I/II trial in the summer of 2022; see dartgo.org/ mayo3 for more information.” Li-Ming Hu (Physiology PhD’93–Munck Lab) is currently practicing as an internist with Charles River Medical Associates in Framingham, Mass. Amanda (Wanwen) Sun (Biochemistry PhD’94–Speck Lab) is now an oncologist working in the Seattle area. Theodore Sana (Pharmacology PhD’95– Ciardelli Lab) writes that he went on to do a postdoc at the DNAX Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., from 1995 to 1998; was an associate
Class Secretaries 2016 Wenlu Gu
Wenlu.gu@gmail.com Home: 262-498-4995
Lynn K. Symonds
Lynn.k.symonds@gmail.com
2017
Lovelee Brown
loveleebrown@gmail.com
2018
Alex Orfanos
Alexander_Orfanos@brown.edu
2019
Lye-Yeng Wong
Cell: 281-770-7568 wong.lyeyeng@gmail
Kathleen Leinweber
Kathleen.A.Leinweber@hitchcock.org
2020
John Damianos
John.damianos94@gmail.com
W. John Porter
Wjohnporter4@gmail.com
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class notes
Top to bottom L to R: A recent photo of Richard Miller PhD'73 and wife Judy. Amanda Sun PhD'94 is practicing oncology in the Seattle area. Jie Tan and Derek Chang, both PhD'17, at their backyard 2020 wedding. Robert Cricco HS'73-75 enjoying the Upper Valley outdoors.
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principal scientist at DNAX from 1998 to 2000; was with Agilent Technologies in Santa Clara, Calif., from 2000 to 2017, first as an R&D scientist and later as manager of their metabolomics business; and has been the director of molecular and cellular metabolism at Merck & Co. in Cambridge Mass., since 2017. His current interests include exploring the link between our gut microbiome, metabolites, and immuno-oncology—spanning the spectrum from early-discovery and preclinical research through clinical trials. Evan Lind (Microbiology and Immunology PhD’07–Noelle Lab) was recently promoted to associate professor of molecular microbiology and immunology and of cell, developmental and cancer biology at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore. He has been teaching and running a lab focused on how blood cancers evade the immune system. Shinichiro Fuse (Microbiology and Immunology PhD’08–Usherwood Lab) is currently the managing director at MPM Capital, a life-science venture capital firm. He also serves on the board of directors of Orna Therapeutics, Triplet Therapeutics, iOmx Therapeutics, and a stealth company and as a board
observer for Elevate Bio and Coda Therapeutics. Previously, he was interim CEO of Orna Therapeutics and the founding SVP of business development of Elevate Bio. Shin also serves on the board of advisors for Dartmouth’s Guarini School of Graduate Studies and on the business advisory board of the Harvard Institute of RNA Medicines. He lives in Cambridge, Mass., with his wife and two sons, 13 and 10 years old. Derek Cheng (Microbiology and Immunology PhD’17– Ackerman Lab) married his MCB classmate Jie Tan in September 2020 in New Hampshire. Now he, his wife, and their cute toy poodle (named Doodle) have settled down in the Boston area. “Both of us are now working for biotech companies in Boston,” wrote Derek, “chasing our dreams to overcome human diseases!” The continuing nature of the COVID pandemic has led me, Robert Joyner (Physiology PhD’98–Leiter Lab), to seek out histories of successful scientists who seemed to enjoy life as much as they enjoyed science. Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman would find his way onto any such list. Well known for his many antics regarding safe-cracking during the Manhattan Project and for his enjoyment of bongo drums, he also had a great affection for his family. Not so well known is the way he’d entice his kids to eat breakfast by singing “the Orange Juice song.” I can’t imagine this practice was very popular with the adults in the room, but what a wonderful expression of love for his family. While this version doesn’t take place at the breakfast table, you can see him perform the song with a friend at youtu. be/2Ks8gsK22PA. And we’d
class notes
all do well to try to live by this statement by Feynman: “The highest forms of understanding we can achieve are laughter and human compassion.” Stay well, and send me those notes and pictures! —Bob Joyner
▼ TDI
This column includes news from alumni of the master’s and doctoral programs of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (formerly the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences). James Lynch (MS’01), a member of the inaugural class in the dual-degree MD-MS program with Dartmouth Medical School, recently retired from the U.S. Army after serving for over 31 years. For the last 10 years of his military career, he spearheaded an effort to incorporate an innovative procedure into treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Along with a longtime colleague from the special operations community, Dr. Sean Mulvaney, Dr. Lynch pioneered the use of stellate ganglion block (SGB) in the treatment of PTSD symptoms. In April 2021, they joined forces in private practice to form the Stellate Institute in Annapolis, Md. They aim to raise awareness of this life-changing procedure for the 10 million Americans who suffer from the invisible injuries of trauma, including sexual assault survivors and the firstresponder community. For more information on SGB for PTSD and on the Stellate Institute see thestellateinstitute.com/. Jason Azuma (MPH’04) is living in Orange County, Calif., enjoying the sunshine and outdoor activities. He works in county government, managing
data and the evaluative clinical sciences in the emergency medical services system. He writes that he is “still struggling to support the null hypothesis and faithful that good decisions are the result of good data.” Aaron Hoffman (MPH’07) recently took a new position as the chief clinical innovation engineer at Atrius Health in Boston, where he is also practicing primary care. Concurrently, he is continuing as co-director of the Home for Family Medicine at the Center for Primary Care at Harvard Medical School, and as the medical director of the PA Studies Program at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. He and his wife, Melissa Lin (MS’07), just bought a new home in Boston. Melissa is continuing her amazing work as a transformation sensei at the Virginia Mason Institute. Brant Oliver (MPH’08, PhD’12), an associate professor at TDI, sent an update about recent research on which he’s the PI—regarding multiple sclerosis continuous quality improvement (MS-CQI); he and colleagues have made presentations on MS-CQI at multiple international conferences. The work includes contributions from two other Dartmouth graduates— Catherine Alexander (MPH’18), who also wrote in herself—see below, and Hasna Hakim (MPH’19). See dartgo.org/mscqi for more about their work. For the last two years, Matthew Davis (MPH’09) has been at the League of Conservation Voters, now as senior director of government affairs, helping lead their work on climate, clean air, and environmental justice appropriations, policies, and regulations. He notes, “It was a welcome change from being
a beaten-down career staffer in the Trump-run EPA.” He is very excited about the opportunities to enact ambitious policy and to make investments to tackle climate change, environmental justice, democracy, and racial equity. Meenakshi “Meena” Sigireddi (MPH’11) is currently working at NYU Langone as a clinical/cancer geneticist. Jonathan Havrda (MPH’12) started a new position in February 2021 as the imaging services manager for diagnostic radiology and ultrasound at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Dyane Tower (MPH’13) recently published EvidenceBased Podiatry: A Clinical Guide to Diagnosis and Management— and a fellow TDI alum, Rachel Albright (MPH’19), contributed to the text as an author. This textbook is aimed at the busy student, resident, fellow, or practicing provider who might not have time to cull through the literature to find out the latest information on diagnosis and treatment for several foot and ankle conditions. You can check out a preview of the book at dartgo.org/ebp. Ashley Nguyen (MPH’18) graduated in 2021 from the J.D. program at George Washington University Law School, with a concentration in business and finance law. She has accepted an offer from Goodwin Procter’s San Francisco office as an associate attorney in their top-ranked corporate and business law practice. Goodwin was named the number-one firm globally in FY 2020 by deal count for pharmaceutical, medical, and biotechnology mergers and acquisitions. Catherine Alexander (MPH’18) presented at the International Microsystem Festival in Jönköping, Sweden,
Class Secretaries 2021
Chad Lewis
chad.y.lewis@gmail.com
Gayathri Tummala
gtummala46@gmail.com
PHD & MS
Robert L. Joyner, PhD'98
TidalHealth Peninsula Regional Richard A. Henson Research Institute 100 East Carroll Street Salisbury, MD 21801 Work: 410-543-7017 Robert.Joyner@peninsula.org
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class notes
Top to bottom L to R: Yohan Ramilo MPH'19 (right) providing a medical supplies to Mr. Eliod, the guest relations officer of Bwindi Community Hospital. Ted Walworth HS'70-75 sent in a photo of his departed wife, Candace Cooper Walworth HS'7074. Photos inside the Bwindi Community Hospital in Western Uganda. Bottom: Levi Deters HS'07-13 with wife Adrienne, daughter Rozi, and twins Tula Mae and Magnolia Lou.
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in March 2021. The presentation was co-authored by Dartmouth Institute alumnus Hasna Hakim (MPH’19) and Associate Professor Brant Oliver (MPH’08, PhD’12). The title of the presentation was “Experience of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Leading QI Initiatives in the MS-CQI Collaborative: A Qualitative Study.” Lamar Polk (MPH’19) was recently accepted into the doctor of public health program at Johns Hopkins University. He will pursue his DrPH with a concentration in health equity and social justice. Lamar hopes to explore how racism impacts prevention, treatment, and recovery support services for individuals who use substances; how to develop and evaluate racially equitable systems of care; and the intersectional engagement of communities through anti-racist practices, especially in Black and Brown communities. Daniel Lee (MPH’19) moved to Washington, D.C., in 2018 and currently serves as an advisor to the managing director and chief administrative officer of the World Bank Group. Yohann Ramilo (MPH’19) wrote with the following update: “I visited the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the
remote area of Western Uganda to track 2 families of Gorillas. Since the pandemic started, most of the villagers whose primary source of income is tourism, serving as porters and rangers, lost their jobs. The Gorilla tracking activity of this region generated income stream for the population in the remote mountains far away from employment opportunities in the central capital city of Kampala. Hence, without tourism, the people would have to return to agriculture which does not yield much income to alleviate poverty. “I visited the only hospital in the area that serves the healthcare needs of all the surrounding villages. The Bwindi Community Hospital offers basic primary and acute care services, preventative care such as for Diabetes and Chronic Diseases, minor and intermediate surgical procedures, community healthcare, and maternity and Pediatric health services. I noticed that the hospital faced a lot of challenges relying primarily from philanthropic grants and support from missions from all over the world. They have limited resources to adequately care for the growing health needs of the population in the area, one being the growing need for HIV care, with already existing challenges related to Ebola and Malaria. To provide a modest support, I provided monetary donation as well as medical supplies including stethoscopes, wound care supplies, alcohol, and Personal Protective Equipment such as masks and gloves, which the hospital needed for prevention of COVID-19 spread in the area.” —Tina Jackson
class notes
▼ RESIDENTS
& FELLOWS
This column includes news from alumni of the DHMC internship, residency, and fellowship programs. Edward “Ted” Walworth (General Surgery ’70-75) wrote: “Sad news from Maine. My wife, Candace Cooper Walworth (Internal Medicine ’70-74), died from complications of a TAVR procedure on February 17. She was my medical school classmate at Columbia P&S. We came to DHMC in 1970 and did rotating internships. While I
headed into surgery, she did her residency in internal medicine. During my third and fourth years, she did a hypertension fellowship with Bob Charman [D’57, MED’58] and then was an instructor at the VA in 197475, all the while working on a statewide blood pressure project in New Hampshire. “We were in Charleston, S.C., from 1975 to 1977; while I served for two years at the Navy Hospital, she was at the Charleston VA, working on the dialysis unit with nephrologists from the Medical University of South Carolina. We moved back to New England in 1977, landing in Lewiston, Maine, and working at two community hospitals. Over time, Candace brought
dialysis to central Maine. “Several of our co-residents at DHMC also landed in Maine as well, and we have crossed paths with them from time to time. I have been responding to a mountain of condolence cards from all quarters. “Candace and I retired from clinical practice in 2010. We enjoyed a lot of foreign travel, but our greatest joy came from becoming grandparents in 2015. Our two daughters live in the Portland area and now have two children apiece. All four kids can now ski Sugarloaf from top to bottom, leaving Opa behind. They miss Granny—and so do I.” Ted, you have our condolences as well; we’re very sorry to hear of Candace’s passing.
Class Secretaries TDI [CECS]
Tina E. Jackson, TDI'10
939 South Serrano Ave., Apt 403 Los Angeles, CA 90006 tina.e.jackson@gmail.com
Residents & Fellows Robert M. Lewy
176 Upper Turnpike Road Norwich, VT 05055-9557 Home: 802-649-2194 lewyrob@hotmail.com
WELCOME MEGAN “I am thrilled to be joining this community and look forward to working with DartmouthHitchcock resident and fellow alumni and retired faculty and clinicians.” The Office of Alumni Relations is pleased to welcome Megan Dodge as the Associate Director of Alumni Engagement for Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Megan joined our team in May and is charged with developing and managing the engagement strategy for D-H resident and fellow alumni and retired clinicians and leaders. She comes to the Geisel School of Medicine and Dartmouth-Hitchcock team from the University of New Mexico (UNM) Physician Assistant Program where she served as program manager. In this role she oversaw program operations and accreditation, led staff and worked closely with the program’s alumni, helping transition an alumni affinity
group to a robust, active alumni association. Prior to joining UNM, Megan worked at the University of Vermont (UVM) as both a graduate medical education program administrator and as an alumni relations and annual giving coordinator for the College of Medicine. While at UVM, she developed a program to engage and reconnect with resident and fellow alumni. Megan is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and is pursuing her Master of Public Health at the University of Vermont. Megan can be reached via e-mail at Megan.Dodge@hitchcock.org.
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class notes
Top to bottom: Can you spot William Stocker HS'70-76 in this Stocker family photo? William Stocker HS'70-76 sailing.
William Stocker (Dermatology and Internal Medicine ’70-76) wrote that he retired in 2005 to Sarasota, Fla., but also has strong roots on Cape Cod. He has seven grandchildren, from California to Massachusetts.
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He’s still playing squash and sailing. He sent in two colorful photos for us, of him sailing and of his family. Donald “Bentro” Bentrovato (Surgery ’73-75)
wrote: “I am fully retired from active clinical and surgical practice after 43 years! I remain active as a mentor to Union College premeds and Albany Medical College (AMC) med students and also participate on the AMC admissions committee. I also still have my academic appointment as a clinical associate professor of surgery. “In addition, I’m involved with Leadership in Medicine, a joint program between Union College and AMC. The program offers a BS, either an MS in public health or an MBA in finance, and an MD in eight years “I have also connected with my high school, the Bronx High School of Science, and remain on their resource board to help attract students to take advantage of this definitive track to becoming a physician. “If I can be of assistance to any Dartmouth students, friends, or colleagues, please feel free to contact me via email at donbentro@yahoo.com or on my cell at 518-424-8461. Best regards
class notes
to all my housestaff friends from the good old days in the ’70s!” Robert Cricco (General Surgery ’73-75) wrote that he practiced urology in the Upper Valley from 1979 to 2014. He lived in Plainfield and was married, with four children. Since retirement, he has spent equal amounts of time at Eastman in Grantham, N.H., and in Fort Myers, Fla. He truly enjoyed his two years at Hitchcock and the relationships he formed with his fellow residents. Ruth Barron (Psychiatry ’77-81) wrote: “My partner and I moved from the Boston area to Martha’s Vineyard in the summer of 2017. We had earlier purchased some land with a summer cottage, and we built a sweet house here. I am now working full-time at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital as the only psychiatrist in primary care, ER, and inpatient care. I am looking for colleagues to build a psych department. The Cape and the Islands are terribly underserved in mental health. We especially need psychopharm help. I would love to hear from friends of my era as well as interested NPs, psychiatrists, LICSWs. You can email me at ruthbarron99@ gmail.com. Best regards to all!” David Merzel (Anesthesiology ’85-88) wrote: “After 30 years of pediatric critical care and anesthesiology practice in Fresno, Calif., I have relocated to Park City, Utah, with my wife, Linda Hertzberg (who is not an alum but was on the anesthesiology faculty and was director of cardiac anesthesiology at D-H from 1984 to 1988). We welcome having friends and colleagues to join us for skiing, hiking, biking, or just enjoying the scenery.” Mark Wheeler (Internal
Medicine ’86-89) wrote: “I retired from active practice and am now immersed in a couple of biotech startups. One is developing a liquid biopsy for cancer screening and the other is harnessing the human repair system (IGF1) as a treatment for stroke. I moved to rural France in 2016 and marvel at how irrelevant geography has become. I’m doing more interesting things from my little village in Brittany than I did when I lived in Manhattan!” John Preston (Anesthesiology ’91-95) wrote: “After more than 20 years working for either a group or a hospital system, I have finally jumped ship and am working solely for surgical centers as a 1099 hired gun. I have an LLC and am loving the carefree environment of medicine now. This is medicine how it used to be. Everyone is respectful and everyone is grateful for your service and your talents. No administrators or nursing vice presidents to worry about. Just taking care of patients to the best of your ability. I love it! This move has certainly added another 10 years onto my career, as I had been planning to pack it in five years from now. God help those coming out of residency now who will know nothing but corporate medicine.” Stephen Anthony (HemeOnc ’94-97) wrote: “On December 31, 2020, I left my previous position as vice president for clinical research at Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology (a global R&D company) to be the chief medical officer of Newave Pharmaceuticals, Inc.” Michael Gilbert (Internal Medicine ’02-05) graduated from the MHCDS Program at Tuck/Geisel and is now the CMO of Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, N,H. Levi Deters (Urology ’07-13)
wrote: “The Deters family has continued to grow; we have twin girls, Tula Mae and Magnolia Lou, who are 2½ years old, and Rozi, our oldest, is now 6. Rozi enjoys finding various bugs and animals and giving them temporary homes in our house; as of now, there is still a rubber boa at large that we found in the woods by our house. The youngest two love their strider bikes and cause generalized chaos. Adrienne is on full-time twin and 6-year-old duty and dreams of going back into the world of liver transplant coordination. I continue to participate in a busy private practice and teach at two medical schools, and I recently became the chair of surgery at the local hospital and the transplant urologist for Spokane’s kidney transplant program. We miss the Upper Valley and all the people that we know there!” Hayah Kassis (Internal Medicine ’10-13) wrote: “Currently an assistant professor at the Drexel College of Medicine and staff physician at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa., specializing
in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology and pulmonary hypertension.” The final piece of news is about someone who is not a resident or fellow alumnus but someone who, I suspect, many of you who trained in surgery will remember: faculty member Jack Cronenwett. Dr. Cronenwett was honored by the Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery with its first-ever Lifetime Achievement in Education Award, at the organization’s spring meeting in March 2021. You can read more about this award at dartgo.org/apdvs. It was great to hear from so many of you. I hope more of you write in and share your photos and updates for our next column. —Bob Lewy
Obituary Listing The following deaths have been reported to us as of June 30, 2021. To report the death of an alumnus/a, please contact Annette Achilles at 603-646-5297 or Geisel.Alumni.Relations@dartmouth.edu. ALUMNI Richard Lindseth MED’58 Kenneth DeHaven MED’63 Rajdeep S. Sandhu MED’00 FACULTY Charles Solow, MD
HOUSESTAFF Horace S. Blood 1947-48 J. Richard Doud 1960-64 Candance Cooper Walworth 1970-74
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giving
A Force for Philanthropy Making an Impact Through Alumni Giving As we near the end of our $207-million capital campaign, join your peers and help us reach our goal. Your generosity will power the research, programs, and resources needed to create a healthy, more resilient future for our students and the world. Whether your passion is medical student health and wellness, health equity, medical education, biomedical research and innovation, or healthcare systems improvement, you and your classmates can make meaningful impact.
“
Dartmouth Medical School has a tradition of taking some chances on students, and I was one of them. DMS gave me a great opportunity, as it did for many of us, and we should each be willing to pass that opportunity on to others. I decided to celebrate my experience as a member of the DMS Class of 1971 by establishing a scholarship endowment in honor of my friend and classmate Joe O’Donnell and our 50th Reunion.” —Peter Lawrence, D’69, MED’71
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giving
A Will to Give A gift in your will, a life income gift, a trust, or other gifts with assets offer you the opportunity to join the Pinnacle Society, which celebrates you and your philanthropy whether you wish to be anonymous or named. Visit geiselcampaign.dartmouth.edu to explore the four campaign themes and make your 2021 gift today!
“ My experience at Geisel was such a gift in so many ways—the academic excellence, the camaraderie with other students, the environment and culture. When Lory and I thought about how we wanted to pay it forward it was a simple decision to make a gift in our will to help students.” —Ronald S. Fischler, MED’71
Visit DHGeiselPlannedGiving.org or contact Judi Taylor Cantor, Director of Planned Giving, judi.t.cantor@dartmouth.edu or call or text (617) 407-9390 to find out how you can help create a healthier world through your estate.
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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 2 Hanover, NH
Office of Development & Alumni Relations One Medical Center Drive (HB 7070) Lebanon, NH 03756-0001
SAVE THE DATE Classes ending in 3s and 8s September 22–24, 2023
Classes ending in 4s and 9s September 27–29, 2024
ALUMNI REUNION
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UNITE
Contact Bridget Connolly Geisel.Alumni.Relations@dartmouth.edu 603-646-5135
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ER
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QUESTIONS?
ISCO
SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2022
Classes ending in 2s & 7s ◆ September 16-18, 2022