Aspects - Summer 2018 (41-3)

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE | SUMMER 2018 | 41-3

GRADUATION 2018

ASPECTS

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

SIUMED.EDU/ASPECTS

SUMMER 2018

VOL. 41 | NO. 3

COVER

REGULARS

6 Graduation

U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin returns as the keynote speaker for graduation.

2 Campus News 8 Aspects of a Learner 10 Research

FEATURES

20 Alumni News

9 SIH Breaks Ground on Medical Clinic

Family Medicine and the PA program will have a new home next year.

12 The Intersection of Health Care Innovations and Humanity

Speaking at TEDx Dallas, MD/JD student Sai Balasubramanian cautions medical innovators to remember that medicine is about people.

14 A Team Approach to Reduce Homelessness

Homeless outreach plan brings together law enforcement, medicine and the community.

The mission of SIU School of Medicine is to assist the people of central and southern Illinois in meeting their health care needs through education, patient care, research and service to the community.

Medical students once again spent a day beautifying the Enos Park neighborhood during the 5th Annual Day of Service on April 26.

Projects included painting, gardening, cleaning, landscaping, removing graffiti and radon testing in Enos Park, Gerhmann Park and the Mini O’Beirne Crisis Nursery.

CAMPUS NEWS

Aspects is published quarterly by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Office of Marketing & Communications.

Dean and Provost Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH Executive Editor Karen V. Carlson, MA Contributors Lauren Crocks, MS Steve Sandstrom Jordan Hammer Photographers Maria Ansley Hope Cherry Jason Johnson Isabella Silveri Steve Warmowski

Address Correspondence: Office of Marketing & Communications SIU School of Medicine P.O. Box 19621 Springfield, IL 62794-9621 217.545.2155 isilveri62@siumed.edu SIU School of Medicine and SIU Medicine comply with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

SIU School of Medicine and SIU Medicine cumple con las leyes federales de derechos civiles aplicables y no discrimina por motivos de raza, color, nacionalidad, edad, discapacidad o sexo.

SIU School of Medicine and SIU Medicine respecte les lois fédérales en vigueur relatives aux droits civiques et ne pratique aucune discrimination basée sur la race, la couleur de peau, l’origine nationale, l’âge, le sexe ou un handicap.

Southern Illinois University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution in accordance with civil rights legislation and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, handicap or other factors prohibited by law in any of its educational programs, activities, admissions, or employment practices.

2

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

DORSEY NAMED INTERIM PRESIDENT OF SIU The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees appointed J. Kevin Dorsey, MD, PhD, as interim president on July 16, after approving a mutually agreed upon separation agreement ending the tenure of Dr. Randy J. Dunn as President of the SIU System.

Dr. Dorsey will serve as president for one year while the board undertakes the search process for a new president.

SIU Board Chair Amy Sholar announced information will be forthcoming over the next several months regarding the organization of a search committee and the process by which the university will look for its next leader.

Dr. Dorsey earned his bachelor’s degree at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn. (1964) and his doctoral degree in physiological chemistry at the University of Wisconsin (1968). He was a postdoctoral fellow in biology at The Johns Hopkins University (1970-73). After earning his medical degree at SIU (1978), he completed his internal medicine residency and a two-year

fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Iowa in Iowa City (1981, 1983).

He returned to southern Illinois in 1983 where he practiced rheumatology and taught medical students. He is board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Rheumatology. He is a member of Sigma Xi and Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society.

In a career at the School of Medicine that stretches 40 years, Dr. Dorsey served as dean and provost from 2001-15 and has remained on the teaching faculty since 2016.

KRUSE ELECTED CHAIR OF NATIONAL FAMILY MEDICINE BOARD Dean and Provost Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH, was elected chair of the American Board of Family Medicine. He has served on the board since 2014. The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) is the second largest medical specialty board in the United States. ABFM is one of 24 medical specialty boards that make up the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Through ABMS, the boards work together to establish common standards for physicians to achieve and maintain board certification to improve the health of the public.

SIU MEDICINE EARNS NATIONAL AWARD FOR PATIENT ACCESS, REFERRAL MANAGEMENT In May 2018, the Patient Access Collaborative, formerly the Patient Access Symposium, recognized SIU Medicine with the award “Best Practice in Patient Access for Referral Management.” The Patient Access Collaborative, founded in 2011, provides a forum for large academic health systems to discuss solutions, disseminate ideas and collaborate as a collective group to improve patient access in a complex ambulatory enterprise.

The collaborative also invited SIU Medicine to become a member of an elite group of health care organizations that includes UC Davis Health System, Duke Medicine, Keck Medicine of University of Southern California, Mayo Clinic, Yale Medicine and Northwestern Medicine.

CAMPUS NEWS

ALPHA OMEGA ALPHA WELCOMES 17 NEW MEMBERS Med students, faculty, alumnus join honor medical society The Eta Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society at SIU School of Medicine inducted 14 new members at its spring banquet.

Newly inducted members from the Class of 2018 include: Sian Best, Kody Bolk, Allen Ghareeb, Mitchell Heuermann, Grace Hile, Madison Marvel, Karissa Nulty, Gordan Ruan, Tasha Sparks, Elias Trace and Hayden Warner.

Four residents were also elected to AOA: surgery residents Amir (Ali) Khan, MD; Amanda Ross, MD; Nader Tehrani, MD; and Susan Wetzel, MD; Associate Professor Sabha Ganai, internal medicine, and alumnus LANCE RODEWALD, MD, ‘79, were also elected to AOA. As the only national honor medical society in the world, AOA recognizes and works to perpetuate excellence in the medical professions. Election to AOA is based on integrity, leadership, compassion, fairness and scholastic excellence.

GUPTA RETIRES; RESEARCH RESTRUCTURES Dr. Ramesh Gupta, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, will retire this summer. Dr. Gupta came to the SIU School of Medicine in 1984 after completing his PhD and postdoctoral training at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was appointed chair of the department in 2007.

Throughout his career, Dr. Gupta has researched the molecular biology of the prokaryotes Archaea, using these simple organisms to study RNA processing and gene expression in order to gain a greater understanding of cellular metabolism, growth and differentiation. Through his mentorship and his role in the development of the MBMB program, he has been instrumental in the career development of countless scientists and physicians. The SIU SOM is indebted to Dr. Gupta for his teaching, research and service, and I wish him and his family well in this new phase of their lives.

Effective July 1, a new administrative collaboration between the Department of Physiology and the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology began. This collaboration is directed by a leadership team that includes Dale “Buck” Hales, PhD, who will chair both the Department of Physiology and the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and Judy Davie, PhD, who will serve as vicechair of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and as vice-chair of research for both departments.

— Dr. Jerry Kruse, Dean and Provost

3

CAMPUS NEWS

KLAMEN RECEIVES RICHARD MOY ENDOWED CHAIR Debra Klamen, MD, MHPE, is the inaugural recipient of the Richard H. Moy, MD Endowed Chair in Medical Education.

Established by generous friends, this endowed chair position honors SIU School of Medicine founding dean and provost Richard H. Moy for his pioneering efforts in medical education. Dr. Klamen’s innovative approach to medical education reflects those same principles set by Dr. Moy. Currently serving as the senior associate dean for education and curriculum and professor and chair for the Department of Medical Education, Dr. Klamen has devoted much of her time

to improving SIU medical students’ clinical reasoning.

She has been instrumental in transforming the third-year curriculum, positioning the medical school as an international leader. To encourage future educators, Dr. Klamen created the Academy for

Scholarship in Education, which recognizes medical students for their commitment to teaching and learning.

Endowed chair positions are one of the highest honors in an academic community. Thanks to our donors’ generosity, income from this endowment increases our ability to attract and retain faculty who are distinguished in their fields. Donors can also contribute directly to the enrichment of academic and scientific environments through an endowment. Visit www.siumed.edu/ foundation/endowments.html to learn more.

SCOPE MARKS SILVER ANNIVERSARY Since its founding in 1970, SIU School of Medicine has included instruction in the medical humanities to balance the focus placed on the applied sciences. In 1992 a pair of students — Manish Kohli, MD, and James Davis, MD — initiated the creation of Scope, an annual literary arts magazine, to serve as a creative outlet for SIU’s medical community. SIU students, physicians, alumni, staff and family members are submit poems, short stories, artwork and photography each winter. Selections are made by editorial staff and monetary prizes given to the top entries in three categories: art, poetry and prose.

This year’s 25th Anniversary Edition of Scope features 37 submissions that deal with mortality, love, nature, family, work and play.

Awards were given to the top three entries in each category: ART — Tom Ala, MD, an SIU Medicine professor in neurology, won first place for his photograph, “Jolly Rancher.” The digital image is featured on Scope’s cover. Marie Varnet, a third-year student from Mackinaw, won second place for her charcoal drawing “Triptych.” Emily Wade, a first-year student from Tay-

4

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

lorville, won third place for the acrylic painting, “Tides of Blue.”

PROSE — “The Race Is Not to the Swift” by Wesley Robinson-McNeese, MD, an SOM alumnus and SIU system director for diversity initiatives, received first place, for his short story of a Depression-era tragedy. Second place went to “Dry Eyes, Steady Hands,”

by Melanie Barnard, MD, a resident in surgery. Third place was “On Books and Libraries,” by Kathryn Waldyke, MD, an assistant professor in the Physician Assistant Program.

POETRY — First place was awarded to “Observation Room” by Dr. RobinsonMcNeese, for his impressionistic verse on the death of Chicago’s Mayor Harold Washington. Alumnus John Grace, MD, won second and third place for his poems “When Everything Is Grand” and “I Stabbed the Buddha.” Dr. Grace is a psychiatrist in Crystal River, Florida.

Two additional art prizes were announced at an April 17 luncheon in the school’s Pearson Museum. The Dean’s Choice Award was given to Emily Wade, for her painting “Tides of Blue,” and the People’s Choice Award was given to Lori Hinderliter in the Department of Surgery, for her cross-stitch artwork “French Bistro.” Founding co-editor James Davis, MD, also spoke at the event, discussing Scope’s origins. Dr. Davis is a practicing physician of internal medicine at Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina.

Scope is mailed to students and alumni and available upon request from the Office of Marketing and Communications, 217-545-2155. View SCOPE online at siumed.edu/scope.

IN MEMORY: REED WILLIAMS Reed Williams, PhD, the J. Roland Folse Professor of Surgical Education Emeritus, and Emeritus Professor of Medical Education at SIUSOM, died suddenly and unexpectedly on June 20, 2018. Dr. Williams was one of the world’s great medical education researchers. He was on the faculty at SIU School of Medicine from 1974 to 1987, then left for a position at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He returned to SIU SOM in 2001 and retired a few years ago. In retirement, he remained active with the SIU Departments of Surgery and Medical Education, and had met with other faculty members as recently as the day before his death. Dr. Williams was the founding chair of the SIU School of Medicine Department of Medical Education, serving in that capacity from 1980 to 1987.

In the 1980s, Dr. Williams collaborated with Dr. Howard Barrows to bring the SIU SOM innovations in medical education to international attention. He was instrumental in the development of standardized patient technology and, with Dr. Barrows, developed the nation’s first senior comprehensive examination using only standardized patients (senior CCX). He also helped bring this type of examination to the medical education community around the world.

Dr. Williams was an international expert in surgical education. He developed, evaluated and disseminated information on operative performance, readiness for practice, and surgical education practice guidelines. He set new standards for research involving the assessment of clinical performance and the assessment of the clinical decision making process. Through this process, he developed tools for the evaluation and improvement of the learner in difficulty.

Dr. WIlliams also one of three SIU SOM faculty who received the renowned National Board of Medical Examiners’ Hubbard Award in 2006 (Jerry Colliver and Dr. Barrows also received it).

Dr. Williams was an excellent and inspiring mentor to many, including to me. His ability to believe in his mentee unconditionally, even before the mentee could see the potential himself/herself, created a generation of medical educators who will hopefully pass on this tremendous skill.

His ability to give feedback when needed was also legendary, as he managed to give constructive criticism while never damaging the fragile egos of his students. I personally will miss him as my mentor, colleague and friend every day for the rest of my life, and I am not alone in this feeling. In all his great thoughts and accomplishments I never saw anything but constant curiosity and the most humble of natures. His passion for medical education was palpable, and up until the day he died he was working on continuing to revolutionize medical and surgical education, a work his colleagues have since agreed to continue.

He most assuredly was a gentleman and a scholar of the highest degree. We will all miss him greatly.

Our thoughts and sympathies are with his wife, Sue, and all of the members of his family, extended family, colleagues and friends.

— Dr. Debra Klamen, Senior Associate Dean for Education & Curriculum

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

5

GRADUATION 2018 Seventy-two physicians and one graduate student at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine received their diplomas on Saturday, May 19, in the Sangamon Auditorium at University of Illinois Springfield during the school’s 44th commencement.

This year’s commencement speaker was U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). Durbin previously spoke at the 1995 commencement as a congressman, when he represented the 20th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He also was a volunteer professor of medical humanities at SIU School of Medicine from 1986-97.

His remarks touched upon America’s need for affordable health care and prescription medicine, the challenges physicians face to curb the nation’s opioid epidemic and the critical importance of scientific research funding, which has led to discoveries like the mapping of the human genome.

Durbin commended SIU’s leaders and physicians for confronting medical challenges within its 66-county region and extending its expertise to those in need. “As part of its mission as a safety net medical school, SIU is the premier institution in Illinois when it comes to fulfilling the social mission and accountability of medical education, responsible for providing care to 2.2 million people in our state,” Durbin said. “SIU is the heart and soul of health care in central and southern Illinois. I’m

grateful to have the medical institution in my hometown, because SIU School of Medicine is a school with a conscience.”

During the ceremony, Class of 2018 Chair Jordan Markel, MD, of Bunker Hill delivered remarks on behalf of the graduates. Dean and Provost Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH, awarded diplomas to the medical students, and Vice Chancellor Meera Komarraju conferred the degrees.

AWARDS Several students and faculty members received awards. JANET ALBERS, MD, ’87, professor and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, received the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. PAUL CHECCHIA, MD, ’93, received the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni for their outstanding contributions to medicine and distinguished service to humankind (See profile on page 17.) Vidyha Prakash, MD, associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, and Class of 2018 graduate Travis Wieland, MD, received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Awards, presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

The new SIU physicians will begin residency training in their chosen specialties in July.

Since 1975, 2,820 physicians, plus the 2018 graduates, have earned SIU medical degrees.

Watch the 2018 commencement at http://bit.ly/siusom2018. See pictures from the event at http://bit.ly/photos-grad2018.

6

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

7

FOUNDATION

ASPECTS OF A LEARNER Prezley Duncan, MS, Class of 2018

Department of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology Graduate of the Public Health Laboratory Sciences Program

I graduated with a master’s degree in MMICB and completed the Public Health Laboratory Sciences Program. I am now a Clinical Research Specialist at SIU’s Center for Clinical Research. Not only did I gain a quality educational experience at SIU, I gained professional experience that undoubtedly prepared me for my career.

I graduated from the Public Health Laboratory Science Program, and in lieu of doing a thesis, I was required to become assessed in the Clinical and Environmental Laboratory testing at the Illinois Department of Public Health. The PHLS program allowed me to bridge my two interests: public health and science.

I did ballet, tap, and tumbling for about 12 years and competed nationally in sports acrobatics.

One of my favorite things to do outside of work is to attend Cardinals’ games!

8

41-3 41-3SUMMER SUMMER2018| 2018|ASPECTS ASPECTS

I’m passionate about public health, specifically rural health, women’s health, and women’s rights... and I’m very proud to be a woman in science!

When I think of indulgence I think of food, so I have to say my indulgence is cheese! I love trying all types of cheese from different regions. I have a hard time eating cheese in moderation!​

[Country singer] Tanya Tucker named her daughter Presley, and my mom, being the big Tanya Tucker and Elvis fan that she is, fell in love with the name. She spelled my name with a “Z” because she wanted my name to be a little unique!

SIH BREAKS GROUND ON MEDICAL CLINIC Medical clinic, teaching facility to house family medicine, PA programs In June, representatives from Southern Illinois Healthcare and SIU Medicine broke ground on the 40,000 square foot building at 300 West Oak Street in Carbondale.

The Family Medicine Professional Office Building will include the Family Medicine practice and also the Physician Assistant Program.

The family medicine clinic will be located on the first floor and will include 32 exam rooms (seven will be professional development lab rooms that can easily be converted to patient exam rooms) and one sports medicine procedure room. Staff offices and out-patient labs also will be housed there.

The SIU PA program and offices will encompass the second floor with a 2,500 square-foot conference room that can be separated into three smaller rooms. State of the art equipment includes pointof-care ultrasound and three synthetic cadavers.

The growth of SIU family medicine and PA programs provided the impetus for the clinic.

The SIU Family Medicine program

started inside Memorial Hospital of Carbondale in 1974 and in 1995 moved to the second floor of the professional building. The program has steadily outgrown the space.

In the past decades, the family medicine residency program has increased the number of residents from 4 to 6 per year and has added faculty and a sports medicine program.

SIU is a hub site for 8 Phase 2 PA students, and 8 Kirksville Osteopathic medical students for their entire third and fourth year clinical rotations. The program houses several other learners and educational events throughout the year.

Data show that the partnership with SIH keeps young medical professionals in southern Illinois. Sixty percent of the residents and 68 percent of the PAs trained choose to practice in a rural location.

Speaking at the groundbreaking event: Mike Henry, Mayor, City of Carbondale Rex Budde, President & CEO, Southern

Illinois Healthcare Bart Millstead, Chief Operating Officer, Southern Illinois Healthcare Dr. Jerry Kruse, Dean and Provost, SIU School of Medicine Dr. Quincy Scott, Professor & Director, SIU Family & Community Medicine Residency, Carbondale Don Diemer, Associate Professor and Program Director, Physician Assistant Program Dr. Janet Albers, Professor & Chair, Family & Community Medicine, Springfield

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

9

RESEARCH

CAPITAL INNOVATION COMPETITION NAMES ‘INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR’ Several Southern Illinois University Medicine faculty were among those honored as “Innovators of the Year” during the inaugural Illinois Capital Innovation Competition. The event, a partnership of the University of Illinois at Springfield (uis.edu), Innovate Springfield (innovatespringfield.org) and the School of Medicine was held April 6 at the UIS Student Union.

More than 100 individual applicants applied for award consideration. The goals of the awards were to identify, celebrate and engage area innovators in the Sangamon County area in discussion with leaders from industry, social impact organizations and government.

The award in the community solutions category was given to the Community Health and Support Team at the SIU Center for Family Medicine for the CHCS intensive care coordination outreach model. Award-winners include Tracey Smith, DNP, Nichole Mirocha, MD, Janice Frueh, PharmD, and Meghan Golden.

CHCS programs provide crisis intervention, brief treatment and connection to longer term community and primary health care. The CHIS multi-pronged approach is a proactive and comprehensive program currently providing immediate healthcare linkage to stabilize participants through a variety of evidence-based programs.

Ashim Gupta, PhD, and Michael Neumeister, MD, with the SIU School of Medicine and Sohyung Cho with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville were honored with the “Innovator of the Year” award for medical device. They invented a syringe system for fluid separation during surgery that helps reduce the time a patient is under anesthesia, as well as the time the surgeons and anesthesiologist are in the operating room.

SIU School of Medicine physicians were also honored with the “Innovator of the Year” award in the medical research category. Andrew Wilber, PhD, and Christopher Chambers, PhD, along with Jeffrey Miller, MD, of National Institutes of Health, developed a hemoglobin gene therapy to treat sickle cell anemia and Beta-thalassemia. Each year, 300,000 – 500,000 babies are born with one of these disorders.

10

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

Several other area organizations were honored at the event.

The awards competition was open to researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs, startups, existing businesses, institutions, social entrepreneurs, nonprofits and other individuals who currently live in and around Sangamon County, who have lived here or are willing to relocate here.

Chambers

Freuh

Golden

Gupta

Mirocha

Neumeister

Smith

Wilber

RESEARCH

Endometriosis:

For Andrea Braundmeier-Fleming, PhD, it’s not just work, it’s personal Written by Karen Carlson Photograph by Jason Johnson When Andrea BraundmeierFleming, PhD, was 17 years old, she had already suffered from endometriosis for several years. After years of intense pain and numerous surgeries, doctors were urging the teenager to have a hysterectomy to relieve her pain.

“The pain is intense. For me, it feels as if someone is punching me in the lower gut. It even hurt to breathe. I was missing school because I couldn’t get out of bed,” Dr. Braundmeier-Fleming says.

Endometriosis occurs when the uterus’ lining grows outside the uterus, resulting in painful lesions on other organs and possible infertility. Women often experience pelvic pain during and between periods, pain during sex, heavy menstrual bleeding and even infertility. An estimated 176 million women are affected.

Knowing she would eventually want to have children, Andrea resisted a hysterectomy, and today she is not only the mother of three, but as a researcher at SIU Medicine, she may have found a way to help women who suffer from endometriosis.

Dr. Braundmeier-Fleming, assistant professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, and her colleagues say if they can better understand how endometriosis affects the body’s microorganisms, doctors will be able to better diagnose and treat the disease.

Currently, doctors diagnose endometriosis through minimally invasive surgery. Recent results from a collaborative research project found that women diagnosed with moderate endometriosis had significantly different bacteria in the

uterus and cervix and greater inflammation throughout the body. As a result, Dr. Braundmeier-Fleming says, physicians may be able to diagnosis endometriosis by analyzing bacteria through swabs or urine samples.

As an endometriosis patient, Dr. Braundmeier-Fleming has endured 13 surgeries, hormone therapies and endometrial ablation. Despite these efforts, the pain endures. “It’s hard to be a good mom when you are in pain for almost one week every month. Dealing with chronic pain takes a big toll on my personality and attitude. I’m lucky to have very supportive family, friends and co-workers who keep me grounded and motivated. That is why I do the research that I do: to move this field forward.”

She hopes her work will help women be diagnosed earlier without surgery.

“Hopefully, routine screening and earlier detection will help patients get treated earlier and with more targeted treatments to reduce pain and inflammation.” Her research is

Watch: Endometriosis: A Researcher’s Personal Pain Watch: The Future of the Biome & How Patients Can Help funded by the Endometriosis Foundation of America.

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

11

PROFILE

The Intersection of Health Care Innovations & Humanity MD/JD Student Speaks at TEDx Written By Karen Carlson

administration. An MD/JD student, Sai is entering his second year at SIU School of Medicine.

Amid all the advances technology has brought to mediEarlier this year on St. Patrick’s Day, about 150 attended cal innovation, medical student Sai Balasubramanian, JD, has TEDx at the Wyly Theater, a prominent modern theater in issued a challenge: “Medical technology can reduce costs and downtown Dallas’s theater district. increase access to care. But how do we protect and preserve In his 15-minute speech, Sai posed bioethical questions the human relationships that are so vital to health care?” related to preserving the humanity of health care while That challenge to the intersection of health care and inembracing the advances technology has elicited. “Medical novation was good enough to land him on the stage at TEDx innovation can go so many different ways – it’s really a blank Oak Lawn in Dallas, Texas. Sai was part of the inaugural set of slate,” Sai says. “We are at a fulcrum point of where we take it, speakers in his hometown, on the theme of “Tabula Rasa” or especially with so many opportunities and possibilities ahead “Blank Slate.” of us in health care.” He cites therapeutic advances such as “It was great to hear from other people and to share the gene editing technology, health care automation and the stage with amazing individuals,” Sai said of the TEDx experigrowing prominence of big data. “While this blank slate gives ence. us the opportunity to build without limitations and make an Sai, a native of Dallas, is already a published author in incredible impact, we also need to be careful about how far academic journals and on the Huffington Post, writing on inwe take it. We have to equally prioritize instituting approprinovation, governance, medical-legal relations, and health care ate ethical frameworks, and continue to empower people to have conversations about the impacts of innovation.”

“Health care is such a large part of the human experience,” he adds. “Thus, it is im“It is imperative that we maintain the human perative that we maintain the human touch that defines that experience.” touch that defines the health care experience.”

He stresses, “The idea isn’t to fear innovation – but rather, engage in and proliferate deeper conversations about the benefits and detriments of technology, rather than blindly accepting it.”

Sai, already equipped with an international relations degree from Austin College, worked in strategy consulting for almost four years before pursuing his dream of an MD/JD degree. He plans to work on health care policy, consulting, and compliance, while continuing the conversations about the intersection of health care innovation and bioethical questions. “SIU will help me continue to work on scholarship in this area,” he says. “SIU School of Medicine’s MD/JD program has a rich history — it is one of the oldest programs in the country, and its MD/JD graduates have made significant contributions both nationally and globally.

I look forward to continue discovering and working with the wonderful people and opportunities that define the SIU School of Medicine.”

Watch Sai’s talk: Jeff Parsa Photography

12

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=eVa9WSw75BU&t

NE

I

NS

CE

OSCIEN UR

TITUT

EPILEPSY CENTER EARNS LEVEL 3 ACCREDITATION

E

Central Illinois patients dealing with complex epilepsy and related disorders will now have access to expert care close to home.

In partnership with the Southern Illinois University Neuroscience Institute, Memorial Medical Center in Springfield has been accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers as a Level 3 epilepsy center.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

It’s marked by sudden and repeated episodes of sensory motor and psychic disturbances, loss of consciousness and convulsions. As Illinois’ southernmost accredited epilepsy center, the Springfield program is more easily accessible to patients in the downstate area and is one of only 13 accredited centers in Illinois. One is in Urbana, another in Peoria, and the remaining 10 are in Chicago.

The Level 3 accreditation recognizes that SIU and Memorial have the professional expertise and state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic facilities to provide the highest level medical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy, including surgery and behavioral health support.

“At the SIU Neuroscience Institute, our goal is to provide timely assessment and improve the quality of life for patients with epilepsy,” said Najib Murr, MD, co-director of the SIU Neuroscience Institute’s Epilepsy Center and director of the EEG (electroencephalogram) Lab at Memorial Medical Center. “Patients can see our specialists and have a complete treatment plan in a few days.”

Murr and Abdullah Al Sawaf, MD, an SIU Medicine neurologist, provide specialty care in epilepsy. The Epilepsy Center not only provides routine care to individuals with seizures or epilepsy, but also specializes in providing comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services to individuals

7:1

The future ratio of physician assistants to doctors

with uncontrolled seizures. The center’s multidisciplinary team approach includes team-based care from neurologists, neurosurgeons and psychiatrists at SIU and radiologists, neuropsychologists and interventional radiologists at Memorial Medical Center.

“We are honored and proud of this accreditation, which acknowledges our efforts to provide the most innovative care to our patients,” said Tiffany Whitaker, a registered nurse and director of comprehensive stroke services at Memorial Medical Center. “The Memorial Epilepsy Center features an excellent multidisciplinary team that improves access to specialists while providing patient-centered care.”

Coordination of care is the infrastructure for the SIU Neuroscience Institute, which consolidates SIU’s departments of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry into a single-site outpatient clinical care center staffed by more than 50 neuroscience providers.

Thanks to a partnership between the School of Medicine and the Illinois Academy of Physician Assistants, legislation is waiting to be signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner that expands the ratio between physician assistants and doctors in the practice team in rural and underserved areas of Illinois.

Currently, only five physician

assistants can collaborate with one doctor due to arbitrary administrative barriers. The bill expands that number to seven PAs. More importantly, the legislation exempts many Health Professional Shortage Areas in Illinois from any ratio requirements, meaning hundreds more physician assistants can be hired across

Dr. Najib Murr, co-director of the Epilepsy Center, says early intervention is key to successful treatment.

the state to help improve access to health care for those who need it the most.

Senate Bill 2904 passed the General Assembly this spring without opposition. At press time, the legislation had not been signed, but the governor is expected to act on the legislation by August 31.

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

13

THE TEAM APPROACH

Police officers, SIU partner to aid city’s most vulnerable population Written and photographed by Steve Sandstrom Harold Cook, 52, is sleeping in the drive-through lane at a shuttered pharmacy when the squad car pulls up. His head resting on the concrete, he has sought refuge from the sun on a hot day. Springfield Police Officer Chris Jones is looking for Cook because of a missed appointment with a health care provider.

Harold is one of the city’s homeless population.

Harold sits up and pays attention as Jones approaches.

“Hey Harold, you alright?”

“Yeah, I just got too hot.”

“We’ve got to move you out of here, but I want to talk you.

How come you missed your appointment yesterday?”

“What? Oh — it was raining,” he says. “It was pouring down rain at 9 o’clock.”

As the men converse, a second police car pulls in. Sgt. Gerry Castles, head of Springfield’s Neighborhood Police Officer (NPO) program, gets out and joins the pair talking under the Walgreens awning.

14

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

Jones arranges a make-up date for the missed appointment, but Harold explains that pain and numbness in his feet and knees can sometimes make walking difficult. “It’s been a long time since I seen a doctor,” the bearded man says.

“Tell you what, you get to the appointment and I’ll give you a ride back to wherever you want to go,” says Jones.

The homeless man is staying in an empty garage behind an abandoned home two blocks away. Jones had checked on him at the first location before finding him asleep. Castles tells Harold the city will soon be boarding up the structure and that he should consider alternatives. The men lock eyes.

“This has to do with you and your well-being,” Castles says.

“We’re trying to help you do something about it. We care, man, but we can’t drag you to this appointment. We’re asking you to be there. It’s not going to cost you anything and it’ll help you in the long run.”

Harold studies the men for a moment.

“Hey, it’ll take me a while to get there, but I’ll go,” he says.

“This is not just a police problem.

It’s a community problem.”

Castles and Jones are part of a group of Springfield Police Department (SPD) officers and health care providers from SIU School of Medicine who are leading efforts to help Harold and others like him. They want to look beyond the perfunctory treatment that the homeless typically receive and address its root causes.

According to latest figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were more than 13,000 people living without homes in Illinois in January 2017. Springfield’s homeless population hovers around 300. The Springfield Police Department would like to see a measurable reduction in its homeless numbers. Fewer individuals living on the streets will reduce interactions among city police and health care providers, ultimately improving the community’s health while freeing up staff and revenue for other purposes.

Using a Homeless Outreach Team, or “HOT,” modeled on evidence-based programs that have been successful in other urban areas, the SPD hopes to improve conditions for some of the city’s most vulnerable residents and stop the revolving door process that ties up precious public resources and personnel.

The SPD and Tracey Smith, DNP, an associate professor of family medicine at SIU School of Medicine, are spearheading the effort. It had its origins in a similar project in the Enos Park neighborhood. The low-income neighborhood encompasses 36 square blocks of residential and business properties north of the school’s main campus.

The area has socioeconomic factors such as a high poverty rate, unemployment and homelessness that contribute to poor health outcomes.

Talk and a pair of socks Inspired by the successes of a HOT in Witchita, Kansas, the Springfield police invited Officer Nate Schweithale, creator of Wichita’s HOT, to speak in Springfield. The goal was to inform potential collaborators about the homeless outreach team approach and enlist help to launch it in Springfield. The larger buy-in would be crucial to the plan gaining traction. As Springfield Police Chief Kenny Winslow said at the forum, “This is not just a police problem. It’s a community problem.”

Schweithale told how he had frequent encounters with the homeless in Witchita and generated numer-

ous tickets but realized that the progress was elusive: Businesses would contact the police to report homeless individuals for public intoxication, blocking an entryway or after they were injured in a fall or scuffle. The homeless were processed and returned to the streets, often repeating the behavior that led to their brief incarceration.

Schweithale said his police work with the homeless started to resemble “the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”

To combat the futility, Schweithale researched what had worked in other communities and discovered a successful HOT program in Colorado Springs. He began adopting it for his force. During calls he would engage the homeless in conversation to see what services they needed and offer a pair of new socks to the men and women he encountered.

The small gestures of compassion paid larger dividends. Schweithale cited studies that showed getting a homeless person into stable housing can save $40,000 annually when calculating the expenses of community resources like police, medical providers, social service agents and ambulance rides. “Building trust with the homeless takes time,” he says, “but it is cost-effective.”

Eventually, the Wichita PD assigned three officers to the team. They have helped more than 900 homeless find housing during the five years the program has been in practice.

A homeless outreach team works to build trust between law enforcement and people struggling with homelessness. As Schweithale explained, police are the logical entry point into the system because they can go places that social workers can’t, for both safety and legal reasons.

They can help make the connection between the homeless individual and a social service or health care worker who can ultimately help treat the underlying factors to restore some stability and lead them toward a healthier life.

They can also direct the person to government services, short-term shelter or subsidized housing.

Treating the roots Homelessness is often seen as a symptom of a larger problem. Mental health or substance abuse issues may have been caused by childhood emotional trauma, neglect or poverty. Left untreated, a problem can be compounded by an inability to manage money or by being kicked out 41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

15

Wichita police officer Nate Schweithale (center) discussed his experiences creating a homeless outreach team during a May 3 forum at HSHS St. John’s Dove Center. Among the more than 200 attendees was Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder (second from right).

Below, Meghan Golden counsels Racheal Offer, a housing-vulnerable client within the medical district.

of the house by a spouse. It can lead a person to a depressive state in which he or she feels there is little hope and no reason to plan for a future beyond the next meal. Living on the streets places the body into survival mode. Even with proper nutrition, this creates toxic stress on the person’s health.

Social workers are crucial parts of an outreach team.

Meghan Golden is assistant director of population health integration at SIU and one of the primary social workers providing counsel and therapy to the homeless. She dedicates a few hours each week to the homeless service and has counseled more than 20 patients.

The outreach requires a different mindset, Golden says.

“Our system fails the sickest people because it makes them come to us. It’s unreasonable to expect that from someone who might be schizophrenic or depressed, or they’ve had some horrific trauma, so they don’t trust people. We have to go out and engage them where they are comfortable if we want to build relationships and get them into the clinic.”

Golden’s involvement began informally, with occasional requests to assist police on calls during the evenings or on lunch hours. Over time, the group started noticing calls to the police declining. “The clients were getting better, using fewer emergency services and more intended services, so we started seeing the cost savings too,” she says.

As the system evolved, “it’s gotten more person-centered and a lot more effective,” Golden says. “We’re starting to reach those who need it most. I’m really excited to be a part of this.”

While Springfield offers a variety of social services and medical care providers, coordination is sometimes lacking.

“The system works best as a co-responder model,” Jones says.

“A substantial amount of time is required to build trust and make sure that people who are struggling meet with mental health care providers and social workers. Law enforcement coordination will be critical to bringing help to these individuals, wherever they may be. If we can have at least one officer dedicated to the HOT effort and implement some of these tactics, we should be able to improve things here.”

Officer Jones thinks the concepts of the program have already proven themselves locally in dollars and man-hours 16

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

saved. Additional grant support and corporate donations are welcome, and would allow the HOT program to offer more services and incentives. Wichita’s program offers Greyhound bus tickets to clients who land a new job or are reuniting with distant family members.

With SIU onboard, a reallocation of duties within the SPD remains the sticking point. Were that to occur, the benefits to the community and to the health of nearly 300 distressed men and women could be substantial.

Sgt. Matt Doss agrees. “Cops don’t have all the answers and we aren’t social workers, but we all want to help people live a better life. I can now ask for help from Meghan, Tracey, Hope Cherry, Dr. Nichole Mirocha or anyone at SIU School of Medicine, to help someone who often has no one and no hope in dealing with the physical and mental problems in life,” he says.

“There is a whole team of people that will do everything possible to help. This has never happened before in Springfield in the 18 years I’ve been here. We as the police can never go back to the old way of doing things.”

ALUMNI NEWS

Distinguished Alumnus: Paul Checchia, MD, ’93 The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have made an outstanding commitment to the health and welfare of their patients and their community, as well as for humanitarian activities (community setting) or who have made outstanding contributions to medicine and distinguished service to mankind (academic/research medicine). Award selection is made by the SIU SOM Alumni Society Board of Governors. Paul Checchia, MD, is a professor of pediatrics, critical care and cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine and director of the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Texas Children’s Hospital Section of Critical Care Medicine in Houston. His nominators noted his professionalism, leadership and his respected contributions to medical literature in critical care. He also was recognized for his “skillful use of critical care technology while maintaining sight of the patient and the family.”

What inspired you to become a physician?

Both my parents were physicians, my mother was a pediatrician and my father was an adult cardiologist, so it could be assumed that I was supposed to become a doctor. However, I never really remember them pressuring me to become a doctor.

I always just assumed I was going to be a doctor. I love my job, but I suppose if there were something else I would do it would be a professional photographer.

Which SIU SOM faculty members were most influential in your education?

Two of them. Kevin Dorsey before he became dean. I just relied on him as an advisor and a mentor. Another was Randy Kienstra when he was chair of pediatrics.

We always had entertaining meetings as I was applying to pediatric residencies.

Why did you choose pediatric critical care as your specialty?

I chose that because in the end I have a short attention span and I’m an adrenaline junky. I like making order out of chaos and trying to keep things calm when things are critical. I then gravitated to pediatric cardiac critical care medicine because cardiac physiology just made sense and at that same time is complex and interesting.

Congenital heart disease is like an everevolving puzzle. Now I get to do both.

Of what professional accomplishments are you most proud?

Easily the awards I’ve received for being a teacher and a mentor. I still believe in the apprenticeship aspect of medicine.

What is the greatest joy/reward in your work?

Two things. Obviously first and foremost I love when the families come back to visit the ICU after they are discharged and to see just how great they are doing.

The overwhelming majority of critically ill children with heart disease do well. It’s incredibly rewarding to participate in that process. However, a very close second is

What is one thing about you that would surprise people?

I know pretty much every word to every song that came out in the 80s. I was the DJ for many of the parties at my fraternity in college at Northwestern.

What is your definition of success?

I actually have this as a quote on my email signature line: “There are many ways to measure success; not the least of which is the way your child describes you when talking to a friend.”

watching trainees and junior faculty grow.

I truly gain joy in watching them achieve success in their careers.

What is your greatest frustration?

Medicine still has an aspect of a solo practice. I’m frustrated by the fact that we still are working our way to the realization that the practice of medicine is a team sport. We have to play together to win.

What keeps you going?

First my family, my wife Joni and my son Andrew. They are truly the joy of my life.

At work, it is watching the team come together to accomplish something. To watch people grow professionally and personally.

How well did SIU School of Medicine prepare you for your work?

It taught me to think. Medicine isn’t about individual facts; it’s about the entire picture. The problem-based learning track started me down the path to think as a physician would think. Also, the people were normal and nice. That prepared me to value that in medicine.

What do you do for fun, or balance in your life?

I love to cycle and run. I used to do triathlons, but at 50 I’m happy to ride and do half marathons. I also love photography. I love family dinners. Our family goes out to dinner as a sport.

What advice do you have for the graduating class?

First, always be interested and interesting. What I mean by that is to continue to acquire knowledge, never lose sight of what got you here today: your curiosity, drive, passion. Always be interested in your work. Also enjoy life around you, your family, your friends, your hobbies, your passions. Experience life because it will make you an interesting person. It will make you NORMAL (and we all know that is a rare commodity). As Anton Checkov, himself a physician, wrote: “As a physician, nothing in the human experience should be foreign to me.” Don’t let life be foreign to you.

Second, remember that this is a noble profession that you are entering. This profession gives you a gift and a responsibility. The responsibility is that as a physician we are not just a voice in any healthcare debate. We ARE health care.

Without us, this entity of the health care industry simply doesn’t exist. Don’t shirk that noble responsibility ... participate. It is also noble to be entrusted with the lives of our patients and their families. Don’t ever violate that solemn trust.

Nominate a distinguished alum by September 1: www.siumed.edu/ alumniaffairs/ 41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

17

CLASS NOTES

SEND US YOUR NEWS Medical student, resident and fellowship alumni, we want to hear from all of you!

Send your news to: alumniaffairs@siumed. edu Fill out an update: siumed.edu/ alumniaffairs/ update-us.html

BOARD OF GOVERNORS Nominate yourself or a fellow alum for the SIU SOM Alumni Society Board of Governors. Nominations due September 1: bit.ly/boardofgov

CONNECT WITH US Alumni Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ SIUSOMAlumni facebook.com/siumed.edu @SIUSOM

1978

BEVERLY TOZER, MD, retired as an emeritus staff member and chair of the Women’s Health Division from Mayo Clinic Arizona. She is assistant professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, serving as a consultant for the basic doctoring block.

RANDALL TOZER, MD, has been in private practice in ophthalmology in Scottsdale, Arizona for the last 32 years. His son recently completed an ophthalmology residency and cornea fellowship and has joined his practice at the Tozer Eye Center.

J. KEVIN DORSEY, MD, PHD, received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Educational Excellence from University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Kevin has served in key roles in academic medicine since completing his residency and fellowship at the University of Iowa, including as dean and provost of SIU School of Medicine until 2015. He maintains a teaching position at the SIU SOM and serves as acting chief of the rheumatology division.

Diploma frames Chairs Lamps Apparel bit.ly/siusomgear

18

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

DANIEL CAMPBELL, MD, works part time in urgent care in Duluth, Minnesota. He had worked 25 years in emergency medicine. He writes that Urgent Care is a wonderful way to wind down his medical career.

Marty Muntz

1983

JAMES M. DANIELS, II, MD, is assistant dean of students for first-year students, vice chair of the Dept. of Family and Community Medicine, director of the primary care sports medicine fellowship, and professor of family medicine and orthopedic surgery at SIU SOM.

KATHLEEN M. SHAW, MD, is semiretired, working as an advocate for community sexual assault agency in Kea’au, Hawaii.

1979 GET YOUR GEAR

Kevin Dorsey

Nate Oldham

1981

JOHN BENITEZ, MD, was invited by US Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Alex M Azar II to serve on the National Preparedness and Response Science Board (aka National Biodefense Science Board) for a three-year term. He is medical director of emergency preparedness for the Tennessee Dept. of Health.

1986

PHILIP SWEET, MD, retired from his state career in April as an MD, MPH, MMA neuropsychiatrist, child psychiatrist and forensic administrator and from his military career in August 2018 as a flight surgeon, public health officer, senior reviewer for SECAF for Invisible Wounds (TBI and PTSD) and commander (20 years). His next career chapter: psychiatry residency director/ researcher for the VA in Wisconsin Rapids/ Tomah, Wis. He is shifting his public health and medical anthropological emphasis to mental health.

CLASS NOTES

1989

ANGELA HOLBROOK, MD, received a 2018 Dr. Gar LaSalle Medical Director of the Year award by TeamHealth, a leading clinician services organization. Angela, of Alton Memorial Hospital, was one of four emergency medicine medical directors to receive the honor.

1998

GARY RULL, MD, is professor of internal medicine and medical humanities at SIU School of Medicine. He became co-chair of the USLME Ambulatory Test Material Development Committee at the National Board of Medical Examiners in Philadelphia.

1999

BRIAN BOSTWICK, MD, recently joined SIU SOM as assistant professor of pediatrics in Springfield.

2000

DAVID DONNERSBERGER, JR, MD, JD, was installed as president of the American College of Legal Medicine in February 2018.

WILLIAM ROBINSON, III, MD, is associate professor in the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and program director for the Vascular Surgery Fellowship at the University of Virginia – Charlottesville. He recently was a vascular surgery visiting professor at SIU SOM. CAREYANA BRENHAM, MD, was promoted to professor of clinical family & community medicine at SIU SOM.

2001

MARTY MUNTZ, MD, was awarded the 2018 Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) Louis N. Pangaro, MD, Educational Program Development Award at the annual 2018 CDIM National Meeting for contributions made to the development and improvement

of graduate medical education, expertise in medical education, and scholarly achievement in the field of education. Marty is practicing internal medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

2002

VELING TSAI MD, JD is past treasurer of the American College of Legal Medicine and was voted president-elect in February 2018.

2003

RAMSEY UNAL, MD, was promoted to clinical associate professor, medical education/maternal fetal medicine at SIU SOM. NATHAN OLDHAM, MD, was selected to join Southeastern Illinois College’s Distinguished Alumni roster and gave the keynote speech at SIC commencement exercises. Nate is the chief of staff at Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado and a member of the hospital board of directors. He is also the medical director for the Ferrell Hospital Family Practice Rural Health Clinic, Cardiopulmonary Rehab and Respiratory Medicine.

2008

AMANDA (WEMLINGER) HAHN, MD, has been doing wound care exclusively for the past three years. She joined the University of Maryland in Easton to direct one of the only wound centers serving the Eastern Shore of Maryland and to join the general surgery team.

HOLLY HOEFGEN, MD, is assistant professor of pediatric, adolescent & young adult gynecology at Washington University SOM in St. Louis.

She will grow and expand the PAG practice and develop a pediatric fertility preservation program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

2009

JESSICA PRANGE, MD, and her husband Joshua, welcomed their third child, Liam Michael Prange in September 2017. He joins sisters Michaela and Makenna. Jessica is practicing cardiology, and serves as director of echocardiograpy at Prairie Cardiovascular Consultants in Effingham.

2012

ERIK HOEFGEN, MD, joined the hospitalist group at St Louis Children’s Hospital in July.

2014

TERAH L. (CHEATHAM) HOLLAND, MD, and STEPHEN M. HOLLAND, MD, were married May 6 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Freeport. Several of their classmates were part of their wedding party.

Steve completed an ophthalmology residency at Loyola/Hines VA Hospital in Maywood and works at Springfield Clinic as a general ophthalmologist. Terah is an obstetrics/gynecology resident physician at Rush Hospital in Chicago.

She completed her residency in June and will join Steve in Springfield.

A MESSAGE FROM THE ALUMNI SOCIETY BOARD OF GOVERNORS PLEASE SUPPORT THE STUDENT RESOURCE FUND The School of Medicine Alumni Society Board of Governors established the Student Resource Fund (SRF) in 1997 to enhance the student experience at SIU School of Medicine by funding educational and social needs that cannot be met through other fund sources. Contributions from alumni are the main source of SRF funds. Recently approved funding included: l a subsidy for the 2019 Student Winter Ball which brings all of the students (including first year students in Carbondale) together for a night of camaraderie and relaxation l one-year YMCA membership for Springfield students, which supports a healthy lifestyle, time with their family, and provides a study break l a Keurig coffee maker for the Springfield student lounge and K-cups for student lounges in Springfield and Carbondale In the past, funding provided remodeling and furniture for the student lounges in Carbondale and Springfield, the purchase of anatomical models and study resources.

Depending on the funds available, students, faculty and staff are invited to submit requests for funding in January. The Alumni Society Board of Governors reviews all proposals. Projects must benefit a large number of students and must meet an immediate and demonstrable student need. The Alumni Society Board of Governors makes final decisions at its spring meeting.

Donate to the SRF: siumed.edu/foundation/giving. html

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

19

DR. CHAUDHARY CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY Congratulations to Subhash Chaudhary, MBBS, who recently marked 40 years as faculty at SIU School of Medicine. A celebration was held in his honor.

Dr. Chaudhary, professor emertius, is the chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. He has been a pediatric physician in Springfield since 1978, as well as a beloved teacher at SIU School of Medicine.

He earned his medical degree from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. After completing residency in pediatrics and fellowship in pediatrics infectious diseases at St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, he joined SIU School of Medicine. He is the chairman of Infection Prevention and Control at St. John’s Hospital and has served as chairman of pediatrics at Memorial Medical Center for 21 years. He has authored work on pneumocystis pneumonia and Group A streptococcal infections in children.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

LINDA HERROLD - MEDPREP INSTRUCTOR 1990-2015; ASSISTANT DEAN FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS I retired on December 31, 2015, and immediately jumped into badly needed home projects. After about 6 months I took a part-time job working for a small law office two blocks from my home in Murphysboro. It’s ironic to work for a lawyer since legal matters drove me crazy the last few years as assistant dean!

Everyone asks if I was bored being retired.

Not at all! I love having the free time, but this job will allow me to be fully vested in Social Security. I have certainly learned a lot about the legal system.

My daughter and her family live in Champaign. Several years ago my partner, Russ Wright (also a School of Medicine retiree), and I bought a small home in Savoy, just south of Champaign. We spent a year just making the home livable. I drive there at least once a month with our four golden retrievers tucked away in the back of my Prius Wagon to spend 20

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

time with my daughter, Jen, her fiance, Eric, and two granddaughters, Mackenzie (right) and Peyton. I continue to work on the house.

One year after I retired, Russ passed away.

He had been ill for some time, but it was still a terrific sadness for all of us. Over the last year I have renovated and rented Russ’s two other homes and disposed of truckloads of antiques he collected over the years. In one of the houses there was a small, but very heavy, wooden stool made from the beams of SIU’s Old Main building. This was the type of item Russ collected.

I thoroughly enjoy retirement, but I do miss the people I worked with. And, of course, I miss the students most of all. I certainly thank Harold Bardo, who hired me first in MEDPREP, and Rik Constance, who gave me the opportunity in Student Affairs. I couldn’t have asked for a more satisfying career.

Chasing butterflies and bottle rockets . . . Chill E. Dawg, Jennette McCartney, John C. Pinneo, Julie Pinneo and Timmy.

As these five names completed the list of nearly 300, they brought a little smile to the faces of the guests at the 10th Annual Butterfly Release at the Simmons Cancer Institute on June 16. For all of its ten years, a very special family has supported the event that offers hope to those affected by cancer.

But the names that bookend Rick and Julie Pinneo’s list are arguably the most unique.

Six months after they married, Julie had a hysterectomy as a precaution from finding precancerous cells. The couple was never able to have children, so they focused their love and attention on their dog, Chill E. Dawg.

“Chill E. Dawg was a great dog,” Rick says of his Chesapeake Bay retriever. “One of the funniest things about him was that he loved to chase bottle rockets and would occasionally catch them in his mouth but still came back for more.” Fortunately, he never was seriously hurt from his antics, but sadly, Chill E. died in 1999 from bone cancer.

The Pinneo’s next dog, Timmy, was also much loved, but cancer struck again in the form of tumors on his spleen. “They were both a big part of the family,” says Rick. From taking boat rides to sitting in the middle of the family Christmas party, the old family photos reiterate the sentiment.

Like so many others, cancer has also struck the human members of the Pinneo family. Julie and her sister, Jennette McCartney, battled and beat breast cancer. Richard also lost his father, Jack (John), to pancreatic cancer when Rick was only 18 years old.

The Butterfly Release brings a flutter of emotions: sadness, pride, grief and gratitude, but perhaps none as powerful as hope. The funding provided by the event supports cancer research that will one day bring cancer to its end.

Top: Rick Pinneo and Chill E. Dawg. Above: Timmy.

Teeing off for COCO

TAKE NOTE

It was a breezy 96 degrees at the Rail Golf Course on Friday, June 8, but 120 golfers didn’t let the heat stop them from supporting the kids who attend Camp COCO, a camp for kids with cancer and related blood disorders. Campers never have to pay to attend Camp COCO thanks to our generous donors. To help Camp COCO continue, visit siumed.edu/campcoco/support-campcoco.html. View golf outing photos at http://siumed.zenfolio.com/p728988993.

Denim & Diamonds

10/13/18

Giving Tuesday

11/27/18

41-3 SUMMER 2018 | ASPECTS

Office of Marketing & Communications SIU School of Medicine P.O. Box 19621 Springfield, IL 62794-9621

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

SIU School of Medicine maintains a toll-free service for physicians to make referrals or request consultations. The phone number for calls from outside Sangamon County is 1-800-DIAL-SIU (1-800-342-5748).

YOUR SOURCE FOR BRANDED APPAREL AND PRODUCTS

siumedstore.com

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Springfield, IL Permit No. 680