UTHSC Medicine Spring 2017

SPRING 2017

MEDICINE

The Next Frontier:

Precision Medicine Initiative

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UTHSC COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | SPRING 2017

UTHSC Chancellor Steve J. Schwab, MD Robert Kaplan Executive Dean David M. Stern, MD Campus Dean, Chattanooga Bruce Shack, MD Campus Dean, Knoxville James J. Neutens, PhD Campus Dean, Memphis David M. Stern, PhD Campus Dean, Nashville Greg James, MD Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Affairs Love Collins III, MBA Associate Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Affairs Bethany Goolsby, JD

Table of Contents Letter from Dean Stern................................................................................................2 UTHSC Chancellor..........................................................................................................3 Letter from Alumni Board President.................................................................... 4

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Affairs Tim Lanier, MS

Robert Kaplan Honored by UT President’s Council...........................................5

Senior Director of Annual Giving and Advancement Services Jada Williams

Making Progress..............................................................................................................6

Senior Director of Alumni Programs Chandra Tuggle, MA

Altha Stewart to Lead American Psychiatric Association..........................9

Director of Development Zach Pretzer, MS, CFRE

Precision Medicine Initiative...................................................................................... 11

Associate Director of Development David Wright, JD

Guy Reed........................................................................................................................... 15

Senior Director of Philanthropy Communications Josie Ballin, MPA

COM Alums Save Lives in Mass Shooting Emergency............................... 16

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing Sally Badoud, MBA

Jillian Scott Wins Top Honors at Symposium..................................................... 17

Editor Peggy Reisser Winburne

Sandeep Rajan Leads New Blood Disorder Treatment Center................ 19

Contributing Writers Peggy Reisser Winburne Josie Ballin, MPA Amber Carter Jackie Denton

Match Day 2017.............................................................................................................20

Designers Sally Badoud, MBA David Meyer

Nephrology..................................................................................................................... 24

Photography Thurman Hobson Allen Gillespie Adam Brimer Lisa Buser Brandon Dill All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admissions without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status.

Eligibility and other terms and conditions of employment benefits at The University of Tennessee are governed by laws and regulations of the State of Tennessee, and this non-discrimination statement is intended to be consistent with those laws and regulations.

In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, The University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the University.

Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color, national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), ADA (disability), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED), 910 Madison Avenue, Suite 826, Memphis, Tennessee 38163, telephone 901-448-7382 (V/TTY available). Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the Office of Equity and Diversity.

PUB# E073201(2017-002wo#171440)

Barrett G. Haik............................................................................................................... 23

COM Honored by Greater Memphis Chamber............................................... 26 Scholarship to Honor Rodney Wolf.................................................................... 27 First African-American Graduate Establishes Scholarship........................... 29 Scholarship Endowment from KAMA...................................................................30 Bruce Shack Named Dean of UT COM, Chattanooga.................................... 31 Briefs.................................................................................................................................. 32 1911 Society......................................................................................................................34 Where Would You Be Without UTHSC?...........................................................36 Alumni Council 2016-2018....................................................................................... 38 In Memoriam.................................................................................................................. 40 Leave Your Legacy......................................................................................................43 Alumni Weekend..........................................................................................................45 UTHSC COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | SPRING 2017

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Letter from Dean Stern In the more than five years I have had the privilege of leading the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), I have sought to integrate the college into the fabric our community.

You might have heard me say that my goal is “to build a College of Medicine for Memphis, not just in Memphis.” And I am happy to report that we are well on our way to achieving this goal.

In this issue of Medicine magazine, you will read how we have launched major initiatives to address the most-pressing health care needs of our community, and see how are our efforts are reaching across the state and beyond.

• Our Mobile Stroke Unit is revolutionizing stroke treatment in our area, and is poised to be a model for best practices in stroke therapy for cities across the country.

• Our Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth is coordinating Shelby County’s efforts to help young people affected by violence and trauma. In doing this, we seek to stop the cycle that so often ends with our young people in the juvenile justice system.

• Our Center for Addiction Science is meeting the substance abuse epidemic head-on with evidence-based, trauma-informed clinical care, research, education and community outreach.

And we are so proud to tell you about what will be the most extensive effort our college has undertaken, the launch of a precision medicine initiative that will bring personalized medicine to all citizens, first in Memphis and eventually statewide.

We are thrilled to showcase our wonderful students and faculty, who are winning local, national and international recognition for their work and helping UTHSC’s College of Medicine shine.

It is an exciting time for the College of Medicine. We are grateful for your continued interest, support, and involvement in all our initiatives.

Thank you for all you do to help us advance health care in our city, state and around the globe.

Warm Regards,

David M. Stern, MD Robert Kaplan Executive Dean of the College of Medicine

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“We have a great story to tell” UTHSC Chancellor Steve J. Schwab, MD

UTHSC Chancellor Proud of Progress; Looking to Future In his annual State of the University address to the campus, UTHSC Chancellor Steve J. Schwab, MD, was bullish about the university’s progress.

“It was our best year to date,” he said, referring to academic year 2015-2016.

He cited growth in enrollment, innovations in education and training, increases in clinical revenue, unprecedented construction, and a reorganized research enterprise, all of which are rapidly advancing the university toward its goal set more than six years ago to join the ranks of the top-quartile academic health science centers.

Enrollment has shown “a steady but reliable expansion,” he said. That number reached 3,100 students this year, of which more than 94 percent are professional or graduatelevel. Another 1,416 residents and fellows added to the ranks, boosted by the clinical partnership developing between UTHSC and Saint Thomas Health.

“We are overwhelmingly the largest educator of residents and fellows in a six-state region,” he said.

Programs on all UTHSC campuses have experienced growth, Dr. Schwab said. “The good news is, we have the numbers; students want to come here.”

UTHSC’s graduation rate is at an impressive 96 percent, the number of graduates has risen to more than 1,300 a year when residency and fellowship certificates are added (965 degree graduates), and the first-time board pass rate is 97.3 percent. “A high-quality measurement any way you look at it,” the chancellor said.

As enrollment increases, Dr. Schwab said UTHSC is “changing the fundamental way we educate.” Key to that is the $36.7 million Interprofessional Simulation and Patient Safety Center under construction on the Memphis campus, where students from all six colleges will train together in simulation settings. When it opens in 2017, it will be “one of the best facilities in the United States for interprofessional education,” he said.

Dr. Schwab said he is pleased with the bricks-and-mortar progress, and looking forward to upcoming renovation to the Historic Quadrangle at the center of campus, which will give the College of Nursing a new home and bring students back to the interior of campus.

“The growth of our clinical enterprise has been nothing less than outstanding,” the chancellor said, giving a nod to the architect of the growth, David Stern, MD, vice chancellor for Clinical Affairs and Robert Kaplan Executive Dean of the College of Medicine.

The chancellor said the university is in a strong financial position with the growth in clinical revenue, as well as $229 million in sponsored programs (non-clinical grants and contracts), $141 million in state appropriation, and increasing philanthropic dollars.

The research enterprise is being reorganized, positioning UTHSC to become a top-tier research institution.

UTHSC is also aggressively growing the ranks of its faculty in order to continue expanding its core mission of advancing the health of Tennessee through education, research, clinical care and public service.

“We have a great story to tell,” he said.

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Letter from Alumni President Leonard H. Hines, MD, FACS Fellow Alumni, In September 2016, when I assumed the Alumni Council presidency, I was immediately struck by the passion of my fellow council members. This team of UTHSC graduates is fully committed to the medical education, practice and ongoing research at the UTHSC College of Medicine. Our fantastic students are the future of health care, and each could one day serve as president of this council.

For our existing alumni, there are many opportunities to stay in touch and get involved.

This year, the College of Medicine Alumni Weekend will be held September 14-16 in Memphis.

And, UTHSC will honor all graduates from 1967 and earlier at the Golden Graduate Homecoming, October 11-13. Both events will give you the opportunity to reconnect with your classmates, tour our beloved UTHSC campus, and see many interesting places throughout Memphis. Watch your mailbox for information on these events.

If you haven’t been to Memphis and the UTHSC campus in a while, you’re really missing something great! Your generosity has helped the college make great strides in providing scholarship support for our outstanding students, in addition to support for departmental chairs, professorships and visiting lecturers. Ongoing support of our students, faculty, staff and outreach programming is essential to our success. Please consider making a gift to the UTHSC College of Medicine this year and every year! An annual gift, as well as a planned gift through your will or estate plans, provides support that allows the college and the campus to continue down its current path of success.

If you would like information on planned giving or scholarships, please contact the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs at 901.448.5516. Annual gifts may be made securely online by going to www.uthscalumni.com/give, or by calling our annual giving office 901.448.4974.

There are exciting things happening in the College of Medicine and campuswide. I hope you stay in touch and get involved with your alma mater. Please be sure we have your most current contact information, so we can keep you informed, whether it is through email; our e-newsletter, Vital Signs; or this magazine.

Sincerely,

Leonard H. Hines, MD ’64 President, UTHSC College of Medicine Alumni Council

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“Your contributions to the University of Tennessee give us hope for a bright future, not only in Memphis and Knoxville, but across the entire state.”

UT President Joe DiPietro

Memphis Dermatologist Robert J. Kaplan Honored by the UT President’s Council Robert J. Kaplan, MD, a prominent Memphis dermatologist, generous philanthropist, and long-time patron of the University of Tennessee, was awarded the Jim and Natalie Haslam Presidential Medal on Friday, January 20, during the 2017 University of Tennessee President’s Council Awards Dinner at The Peabody.

The medal is given to individuals who have a record of supporting the university through exemplary giving, volunteer leadership and service. Recipients also motivate others to support the University of Tennessee, and exhibit a personal history of integrity and excellence.

A 1973 graduate of the UT Health Science Center College of Medicine, Dr. Kaplan practices medicine at Kaplan Dermatology in Memphis, and holds multiple leadership positions at his alma mater. He serves on the UTHSC Foundation’s board of directors and the UTHSC College of Medicine Alumni Council. Dr. Kaplan’s philanthropic contributions to the College of Medicine allowed for the creation in 2005 of the Kaplan Clinical Skills and Assessment Center at UTHSC, where medical students hone their clinical and communications skills with simulation training and standardized patient encounters.

“We wanted to teach the students the science of medicine, but also the art of medicine, and this is a good way of doing it,” Dr. Kaplan said, in accepting the award. “It’s very important to me that you need to communicate with your patients. The practice of medicine is an honor and a privilege, and you cannot take it for granted.”

Dr. Kaplan’s support and vision led to the creation the Kaplan-Amonette Department of Dermatology at UTHSC in 2013, for which the University of Tennessee named him Philanthropist of the Year. In 2014, the position of dean of the College of Medicine was named the Robert Kaplan Executive Dean in his honor. David Stern, MD, is the first Robert Kaplan Executive Dean.

Dr. Kaplan and his friend and fellow College of Medicine alumnus, Rodney Wolf, MD, a respected cardiovascular surgeon in Memphis, provided support to establish the Wolf-Kaplan Athletics Recruiting Center in Neyland Stadium in 2002. Dr. Kaplan and Dr. Wolf will receive the Outstanding Alumnus award during the College of Medicine Alumni Weekend this fall.

“Your contributions to the University of Tennessee give us hope for a bright future, not only in Memphis and Knoxville, but across the entire state,” UT System President Joe DiPietro said. “You have not only improved the quality of dermatology education at UTHSC through the lives of its students, in addition, your contributions to UT athletics have elevated its ability to recruit the best athletes across the country.”

Past recipients of the award include former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen; Lady Vols Head Coach Emeritus, the late Pat Summitt; former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning; and the late Sen. Howard H. Baker, Jr. “I’ve been associated with this university 47 years,” Dr. Kaplan said. “I made one of the great decisions of my life in coming to Tennessee.”

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Making Progress Dean David Stern has laid out the mission for the College of Medicine, and has assembled a group of world-class leaders to make it happen. Here’s a look at three most-recent initiatives – the Mobile Stroke Unit, the Center for Addiction Science, and the Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth – that are moving the College of Medicine forward...

Breaking the Stranglehold: Center for Addiction Science The College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center brought the national spotlight to Memphis recently when its new Center for Addiction Science was named the first Center of Excellence in Addiction Medicine in the country.

The center was cited by the Addiction Medicine Foundation, a national organization that accredits physician training in addiction medicine, for being the first in the country to bring together clinical care, research, education, and community outreach to address addiction and deadly substance use.

Grim statistics tell the story of addiction across Tennessee.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 80 percent of the crimes in Tennessee have some drug-related link; at least 1,263 Tennesseans died from opioid overdose in 2014; that same year, more than 1,000 babies in Tennessee were reported born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, the result of exposure to addictive drugs in the womb.

The UTHSC College of Medicine is taking a major step toward rewriting that story with the center led by Daniel Sumrok, MD, a former Green Beret and public health physician with more than four decades of knowledge in treating the devastating consequences of substance abuse.

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Managed by University Clinical Health and located at 1325 Eastmoreland Avenue, Suite 440, the center provides clinical treatment services, including cognitive behavioral therapy, medication-assisted treatment, motivationalenhancement therapy, and 12-step program facilitation across all demographics for patients suffering from substance-related and addictive disorders. Areas of expertise include alcohol, nicotine, heroin and prescription opioids, benzodiazepines and other sedatives, cocaine and amphetamines, as well as behavioral addictions, including gambling and sex.

It also trains physicians and medical students to offer alternative forms of pain therapy to avoid over-prescription of opioids.

Multidisciplinary research is underway, with particular focus on neonatal abstinence syndrome.

“Addiction is an equal-opportunity illness,” Dr. Sumrok said.

“It does not discriminate. Anyone can become addicted to painkillers, and we are doing our part to reduce that dependency rate.”

The center can be reached at 901.866.8630.

Taking it to the Streets: Mobile Stroke Unit In a community and a region where the risk of stroke is 34 percent higher than in other areas of the country, the UTHSC College of Medicine is taking life-saving treatment to the streets.

in the field within the first critical hour from onset of symptoms, instead of waiting to get to a hospital.

Unveiled in March 2016, the Mobile Stroke Unit was launched as the most-comprehensive stroke treatment ambulance in operation.

The Mobile Stroke Unit hit the streets in July 2016, and already is logging impressive statistics. By early this year, it had responded to 223 emergency stroke calls (not all turned out to be strokes), transported 112 patients to the hospital, and administered tPA to 30 patients.

The unit is equipped with state-of-the-art imaging capabilities and staffed by stroke-trained physicians, nurse practitioners, CT technologists and emergency personnel – including on rotation, Andrei Alexandrov, MD, chair of the Department of Neurology, and the force behind the vehicle’s development.

It is able to conduct and produce advanced-quality imaging for stroke diagnosis, similar to what is done in a primary level hospital stroke unit. This enables treatment with clot-dissolving tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to begin

The Mobile Stroke Unit initially was financed through philanthropic funds, enabling operation for up to three years.

It operates 12 hours a day, one week on and one week off, and is based in an area of Memphis with a high incidence of stroke. Data collected from its operation will be used for research to prove its effectiveness over the three-year period. In this way, Dr. Alexandrov and his team are setting the stage for Memphis to serve as a model for other communities with best practices for stroke response.

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Saving the Children: Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth Altha Stewart, MD, grew up in South Memphis, graduated from parochial school, and was among the first class of women admitted to what is now Christian Brothers University.

Her heart is in Memphis. She knows the city and the people who call it home. That’s why she is dedicated to helping its young citizens have better lives.

Dr. Stewart, an associate professor of psychiatry, is the founding director of the College of Medicine’s Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth.

With an extensive background in public health and minority issues in mental health care, she was recruited by Dr. Stern to UTHSC in 2015 to lead the center that is designed to reduce the number of young people in the juvenile justice system by addressing the trauma and exposure to violence that often contribute to the behavior that lands them there.

The center doesn’t see patients. According to Dr. Stewart, it as a community resource based at UTHSC to serve in a coordinating role, pulling together all the fragmented efforts by law enforcement, educators, health providers, youth

Besides the UTHSC initiative, Dr. Altha Stewart also leads the county’s program aimed at improving the lives of all children in Shelby County.

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organizations and others in the community that serve children and families affected by violence and trauma.

The goal is to create a trauma-informed culture that focuses on preventing violence and trauma to children, providing help to children exposed to violence, offering peaceful options for resolving conflict, and creating a climate that supports children and fosters collaboration among service providers.

“We are trying to plan and roll out strategies so the entire community knows they have a role to play,” Dr. Stewart said.

Taking a major step toward that goal in September, UTHSC and Dr. Stewart assumed the reins of Defending Childhood Shelby, the community initiative aimed at improving the lives of all children in Shelby County.

“We need to change the culture of understanding and begin to encourage people to see alternatives to violence,” she said. “Starting with children and helping them learn to resolve conflict without violence will be the first step.

Altha Stewart, MD to Become First African American to Lead American Psychiatric Association Altha Stewart, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth at UTHSC, is the new president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). She is the first African American to lead the more than 37,000-member organization, which sets policy, establishes practice guidelines, and represents the field of psychiatry nationally and internationally.

Dr. Stewart, who is also chief of Social and Community Psychiatry at UTHSC, was elected by the APA membership in February, and will serve as president-elect beginning in May. She will assume the role of president in May 2018, becoming the fourth consecutive woman to head the association.

“I am honored and humbled by my selection by my fellow members,” Dr. Stewart said. “The APA and the profession of psychiatry have made great strides in the past several years, but much more work is needed. We have to take a proactive role to ensure that our patients receive the quality psychiatric treatment they deserve. We live in trying times, but I’m excited to take on this leadership role.”

Dr. Stewart, a native Memphian, received her medical degree from Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia, and did her residency at Hahnemann University Hospital there.

She is a nationally recognized expert in public sector and minority issues in mental health care, and in the effects of trauma and violence on children. She was recruited to UTHSC in 2015 by David Stern, MD, Robert Kaplan Executive Dean of the College of Medicine, to lead the Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth.

Dr. Stewart has held many leadership positions in the APA. She also served as president of the Association of Women Psychiatrists and president of the Black Psychiatrists of America.

As APA president, Dr. Stewart said she will strive to improve communication among members and across medical specialties to promote collaboration and improve access to care. She also aims to increase mentorship and encourage leadership opportunities for the next generation in the profession.

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Precision Medicine Initiative Moves UTHSC College of Medicine into the Future of Health Care Jon McCullers, MD, knew the College of Medicine at UTHSC needed to wade into the next wave of health care – precision medicine.

He also knew that as chair of the Department of Pediatrics at UTHSC and pediatrician in chief at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, he was in the perfect place to help the university dip its toe into what has since become a tsunami of change in health care delivery.

Fueled by advances in genomic sequencing and increasing knowledge of the biology of diseases, precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, focuses on the patient, with medical decisions based on individual genetics, environment and lifestyle, instead of standard, one-size-fits-all protocols.

Jon McCullers, MD When former President Barack Obama announced the Precision Medicine Initiative in his 2015 State of the Union Address, he added momentum to the movement to extend precision medicine, which had started in cancer treatment, to address all diseases nationwide.

In Memphis, David Stern, MD, Robert Kaplan Executive Dean of the College of Medicine and vice chancellor for Clinical Affairs at UTHSC, was rapidly moving forward with his own mission to “build a medical school for Memphis” by addressing the most-pressing health care needs in the community, caring for vulnerable populations, eliminating health disparities, and engaging the community through innovative programs. With marching orders to move the clinical enterprise forward in these areas, Dr. McCullers knew the time was right for UTHSC to join the precision medicine movement.

“We started with the idea a few years ago that we needed to get into precision medicine, both from the research perspective, in that this is where much of modern research is taking place, and from the clinical care perspective, that this is a service that we need to be able to offer our patients in the next five-year time frame,” Dr. McCullers said.

To Dr. Stern, the precision medicine effort, which will eventually span the UTHSC system statewide, is the greatest initiative the College of Medicine has ever undertaken. And while it will be costly to execute, it will raise the university’s profile as a world-class research and education institution, and enable it to provide the best possible care across all populations.

BUILDING A BLUEPRINT Dr. McCullers tapped David Hains, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at UTHSC and director of the Innate Immunity Translational Research Center at Le Bonheur, to direct the first step – the development of a DNA biorepository at Le Bonheur. Blood would be scavenged from the clinical lab with permission from patients, and the DNA isolated and stored for future research in what is now known as the Integrative Genomics Biorepository.

For example, DNA from patients with asthma could be used in research to find targeted therapies for patients who share specific genomic characteristics. UTHSC’s research capabilities, coupled with its strong clinical partnerships, present the perfect stage for such a scenario.

“Many biorepositories around the country simply collect the DNA from leftover blood without getting permission, which is OK only if you do it in a fully unidentified manner, so you can never know who the actual patients were that you collected the DNA from,” Dr. McCullers said. “We decided to do David Hains, MD it another way, where we would know the patients, they would consent, and have a right to any information that came from that DNA in the future. And they would also be able to participate in future studies, if something came out of the research we were doing.”

The stored DNA, unidentified except for coding, is tied directly to electronic medical records through a sophisticated tracking system developed and maintained by Robert Rooney, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics at UTHSC UTHSC COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | SPRING 2017

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and director of the Integrated Genomics Biorepository at Le Bonheur, in collaboration with Robert Davis, MD, MPH, director of the UTHSC Center for Biomedical Informatics and UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair in Biomedical Informatics.

“As of now, this is research only, nothing that we discover will end up going Robert Rooney, PhD back to the patient or will end up going back to the patient’s medical record,” Dr. Hains said. “We are not returning any genetic results or genomic results to the patients. Though, (in the future) they might lead to discoveries that might help them.”

Now roughly a year old, the DNA biorepository, initially funded by Le Bonheur’s Translational Science Institute, the Urban Child Institute, and the university, has a 70-percent consent rate by parents eager for their children to become part of the future of medicine and to have the potential for medical breakthroughs that could benefit them in the future.

“Right now, the Le Bonheur biorepository is up and running, and it’s going great, “ Dr. McCullers said. “The second phase of this, is we’re going to expand out of pediatrics into the adult world.”

GROWING UP David Shibata, MD, a surgical oncologist, professor and chair of the Department of Surgery for the UTHSC College of Medicine, is now working to establish a blood and tissue biorepository for specimens from adult patients.

Initially funded with philanthropic and university money, plans are for the adult biorepository to be operated in conjunction with UTHSC’s clinical partners. Dr. Shibata will work closely with Mahul Amin, MD, the College of Medicine’s new chair of the Department of Pathology, in this endeavor.

At first, DNA and tissue specimens will be collected with consent from specific patient populations, such as those with sickle cell disease or certain cancers, or from transplant patients. Just as at Le Bonheur, the specimens will not be identifiable, and will be stored for future research. Eventually, collection would expand into the broader patient population.

Dr. Shibata has already initiated a pilot project for colorectal cancer patients that will serve as an initial model for other types of tissue collection.

“Most major scientific centers have been pushing to develop sophisticated tissue repositories,” Dr. Shibata said. “It’s really the fundamental basis of being able to grow the field of personalized medicine.”

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Because Memphis ranks near the bottom nationally in areas of health and wellness across the life cycle – including infant mortality, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and obesity – it is ripe for the effort.

“In the era of precision medicine, we’ll know, based on genetic signatures, what drugs are likely to work and which aren’t,” Dr. McCullers said. “And really, the goal of this is to be able to bring a lot of our disadvantaged populations, particularly our African-American population that’s here in Memphis and surrounding Memphis, into the biorepository.”

Historically, medical research has been done using specimens from one easily accessible group – middleaged white males. As a result, research hasn’t traditionally captured a lot of diversity or touched disadvantaged populations.

There are a number of reasons for this, including that these populations don’t David Shibata, MD intersect or interact well with the research community and often are distrustful of medical research in general.

“So, we really are making a big effort to do this, instead of in a focused way on certain populations that we think we can study easily, to do this in a very broad way, so that we can collect as much as we can from disadvantaged populations,” Dr. McCullers said. “And we think that’s going to allow us to help these populations to really come into the era of genomic medicine and research, so they’ll get the benefits as well. If we don’t do that, this health disparities gap we have now is going to widen.”

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES Besides the logistic hurdles of setting up and staffing a DNA and tissue biorepository, along with and the accompanying bioinformatics structure that Dr. Davis will oversee so specimens can be analyzed, the UTHSC College of Medicine faculty must also encourage the community to support the effort.

Chester Brown, MD, PhD, came to UTHSC last June from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston to work on the precision medicine effort, excited by the prospect of building something from the ground up that would make a difference in the community. He is armed with experience in building genomic studies in Africa to understand why rates of HIV and TB progression differ among children, as part of the H3Africa Initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health.

“I think having this type of tissue repository as a resource will potentially allow us to apply precision medicine to our high-susceptibility population and identify specific things at a genetic level that may make people do worse or respond better to treatment.”

David Shibata, MD Chair of the Department of Surgery

“We ultimately hope to generate useful clinical information for patients,” Dr. Brown said. “The research component is really a necessary antecedent to any clinical enterprise, because we have to know what genetic changes are important as far as impact on human health. By looking at individual DNA code, one can make certain predictions as to which drugs will work best and their appropriate doses, rather than your doctor saying, ‘Oh, you have high blood pressure, let’s start with this drug,’ and if it doesn’t work, change it to something else.”

Dr. Brown, professor of pediatrics at UTHSC and chief of the Division of Genetics at Le Bonheur, has already begun to engage support from area physicians and to build allies in the African-American community, where resistance to DNA and tissue collection for medical research could surface.

“The genome science and the precision medicine initiatives have great promise as far as future health and how we care for patients,” he said. “However, I think we need to be very careful as a society to weigh the benefit of the technological advances that are happening to facilitate this process against a number of factors Chester Brown, MD, PhD that impact the community, including making sure things are done in an ethical and equitable way, and that these great technologies are accessible to all communities, not just those who have the best insurance or who can afford it.”

EXPANDING THE REACH The third stage in UTHSC’s precision medicine initiative will be to expand the biorepository system statewide, Dr. McCullers said. While a more expensive proposition, this is a practical step for a university with clinical campuses in the state’s largest cities – Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville. This will allow exposure to populations from inner cities to the Appalachian Mountains, all with their own health and socioeconomic concerns.

“We kind of created the blueprint,” Dr. Hains said of the DNA repository at Le Bonheur. “This is how you make a repository, how you handle and catalog samples, making it a resource for all of UT.” He believes the early work will eventually result in something that UTHSC can use as a recruiting tool to draw more researchers, and enable the College of Medicine to better educate its students about precision medicine and how to apply it to diverse populations.

“I think having this type of tissue repository as a resource really will potentially allow us to apply precision medicine to our high-susceptibility population and identify specific things at a genetic level that may make people do worse or respond better to treatment,” Dr. Shibata said. “If one can identify some of the biologic bases of these problems, it will allow us to understand more about the disease process itself and how to treat it.”

And in this new era of health care, that’s exactly the goal that Dr. Stern has set. “The College of Medicine initiative in precision medicine has the goal of bringing the promise of genomic medicine to our underserved population, especially those in the inner-city of Memphis,” he said. “It is essential that everyone in our community benefits from advances in pharmacogenomics, information on disease vulnerabilities, and other insights into health and wellness from genetics that inform the care we give today, and will be even more important in tomorrow’s care.”

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Guy Reed, MD Lauded for Research Success Guy Reed, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine in the College of Medicine, epitomizes the term physician-scientist.

A nationality recognized cardiologist board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, he was recently named Interim Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH).

The 2013 affiliation agreement between UT Health Science Center and MLH calls for a UTHSC representative on the MLH senior leadership group. This allows both organizations to work closely together to benefit patients and medical education across the region.

The position was previously held by David Stern, MD. But Dr. Stern’s duties continue to grow as dean in Memphis and throughout Tennessee with all the health systems that provide educational opportunities for the university’s trainees.

So, Dr. Reed moves into the interim MLH position, and will continue as a researcher, department chair, and a member of the UT Methodist Physician practice group.

Dr. Reed’s research has recently drawn local and national attention. He began more than a decade ago to research a safer, more effective therapy for dissolving blood clots, which are the cause of most strokes. The outcome of that research is a novel thrombus (blood clot) dissolving agent, TS23, currently undergoing clinical trials.

For his groundbreaking research, Dr. Reed was named one of four recipients of the 2016 Innovation Awards given by Inside Memphis Business magazine. The awards are bestowed annually to recognize the best in creative efforts that improve the local community and beyond.

Dr. Reed’s work is particularly significant to the Mid-South, because it is in the “Stroke Belt,” the area of the country with the highest incidence of stroke. In September 2015, the research company Dr. Reed founded to translate his science into therapy – Translational Sciences, Inc. – signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, to develop and commercialize TS23.

“Some of the international press was a little bit stunned when they said that one of the largest companies in the world from one of the largest cities in the world came to Memphis for its next innovation,” Dr. Reed said. “But Memphis is a source of tremendous innovation, and we’re just proud to be part of it.”

Dr. Reed traces his quest to find a better way to treat stroke and blood clots back to his days in training.

“I was deeply affected by a patient with a stroke, who progressively deteriorated and died because there wasn’t anything we could do to help him,” said Dr. Reed, who is the Lemuel Diggs Professor of Medicine at UTHSC. “I just realized we didn’t understand ischemic stroke, we didn’t understand what caused it and why it progressed. We didn’t have a treatment safe enough to use on the majority of patients. The therapies we had were too risky and had their own problems. We needed a way to improve care.”

The original research that led to TS23 was designed to identify what regulates clot dissolution in the body. The research team identified a candidate molecule, and then made an antibody that inhibited that molecule. The blood clots dissolved.

They sought to determine whether this might have utility in humans with thrombotic diseases, such as stroke, by studying it in experimental models. “Although there are other approaches to stroke treatment being explored, this is the only research targeting this molecule in the country,” said Dr. Reed, who is CSO-CEO of Translational Sciences.

Currently, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only proven treatment for dissolving blood clots. This enzyme is effective for the right patients, but must be given within a certain window of time from onset of symptoms and can cause major bleeding.

“TPA ends up being used in only five percent or less of the patients who have ischemic stroke,” he said. “So the challenge has been to discover a safe treatment that doesn’t cause side effects, like bleeding, that lead to disability or death.”

TS23 appears to have great potential to help millions of patients each year who suffer from cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Dr. Reed continues to be a dedicated clinical teacher in the College of Medicine, helping to train future generations of physicians. And he believes research is a responsibility of any health science university in the battle against disease.

“As an academic health center, our primary mission is to educate the next generation of physicians about the best current knowledge of disease and health, as well as the best evidence-based approaches to diagnosis treatment and prevention,” he said. “But we also have an obligation to advance the field, so that we can discover better therapies and prevention strategies, so that a decade from now, we’re treating patients with safer and more effective therapies than we are currently using.”

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Two UTHSC Medicine graduates were called into action after the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Trauma surgeon Chadwick P. Smith, MD, (COM, 2001), left, was on call that night.

One of his partners, William Havron, MD, (COM, 2003), right, also responded, though he was off because his wife had given birth earlier that week.

College of Medicine Alums Save Lives in Mass Shooting Emergency “I knew it was not an ordinary event when the resident called, rather than paged,” said trauma surgeon Chadwick P. Smith, MD, (UTHSC COM, 2001). Dr. Smith was the attending surgeon on call at Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) the night of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando in June 2016.

ORMC is the area’s only Level One trauma center, and it had already been a busy night. “I was told that there would be a few gunshot wound patients. They started coming in, one after the other. And they kept coming.”

Dr. Smith called his five partners for help.

One was William Havron, MD, also a UTHSC College of Medicine alumnus. Dr. Havron graduated from UTHSC COM in 2003, and completed a residency in general surgery and a surgical critical care fellowship at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga in 2009.

Dr. Havron arrived at the emergency room within minutes.

“They had six operating rooms ready to go. (Dr. Smith) and his team were in the ER, triaging patients. I was in an OR as patients were delivered, finishing one case and moving to the next OR. It was case, after case, after case.

I operated on six or seven cases that night, one right after the other,” he said.

While medical students at UTHSC, Dr. Havron and Dr. Smith were introduced to trauma care, working at the Memphis Regional Medical Center.

His experiences as a student led Dr. Smith to a postgraduate general surgery residency with Orlando Health. In 2010, after four years in a surgical practice in his hometown of Savannah, Tennessee, Dr. Smith returned to Orlando Health to complete a fellowship in surgical critical care, and has remained with Orlando Health.

Dr. Havron grew up in Chattanooga, where his father was a gastroenterologist. “In high school, my father encouraged 16

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me to volunteer at the hospital with a surgical group,” he said. He is the program director of the general surgery residency program with the Orlando Health surgical team.

Drs. Havron and Smith praised the teamwork and professionalism of the administration, doctors, residents, nursing staff, OR staff, and cleaning staff. “Everyone recognized what this was and did everything in their power to help us out,” Dr. Havron said.

Dr. Smith, who serves as vice chair of the Department of Surgery for ORMC, said he triaged 44 patients – 38 of whom arrived in just a 42-minute span that night.

And both physicians said they still think about the nine patients who died. To have that many die on one night was, in Dr. Smith’s words, “pretty hard.”

David Stern, MD, Robert Kaplan Executive Dean of the College of Medicine, commended Dr. Smith and Dr. Havron, saying they are wonderful models for the college’s medical students and recent graduates. Dean Stern has invited Dr. Smith to speak at the COM graduation in 2018.

UTHSC graduates are well-trained, clinically prepared doctors, Dr. Smith said. He knows that his education and training through the College of Medicine put him ahead of other interns in his residency class at Orlando Health.

“The skills of UT graduates are very competitive,” he said.

“We have had ER residents (at Orlando Health) who are UTHSC graduates. They have all been very bright.”

Dr. Havron said accountability, medical ability, and training are second to none with UT graduates. “The ideas of being responsible for your education, patient ownership, and patient care is paramount,” he said. “UT College of Medicine has preserved that in its program.”

For more information, or to support the UTHSC College of Medicine, go to uthscalumni.com/give.

UTHSC Student Jillian Scott Wins Top Honors at National Medical Student Research Symposium A UTHSC medical student took home the top prize from the largest medical student research conference in the nation for her research about patient care in chief resident clinics.

Jillian Scott, a fourth-year student in the College of Medicine, won the overall medical student poster presentation at the Annual American Medical Association Research Symposium held in November in Orlando, Florida. The conference had more than 260 participants. Scott was awarded a plaque and $250 for her achievement.

Her project, “Plastic Surgery Chief Resident Clinics Facilitate Progressive Autonomy and Continuity of Care,” was a five-year retrospective review of all patients seen in a plastic surgery chief resident clinic. It looked at the clinic as a model to demonstrate progression of operative autonomy, as well as continuity of care.

“The significance of this study in health care is that as residency programs have to adhere to new work-hour restrictions, these programs have to use less time to train equally competent physicians,” Scott said. “Programs are having to find more value-added experiences for their training, instead of working longer hours.”

Chief plastic surgery resident clinics, or clinics that are run by plastic surgery residents, are thought to catalyze

the achievement of educational milestones by providing greater liberty for residents to act as primary caregivers, build longitudinal patient relationships, practice operative autonomy, and follow through with plans of care. “We demonstrated the achievement of educational competencies, such as supervised surgical autonomy and continuity of care, in a plastic surgery chief resident clinic model,” Scott said.

“We are thrilled for Jillian to receive such a prestigious award,” said Susan Brewer, MD, FACP, associate dean of Student Affairs and Admissions and associate professor of medicine in the UTHSC College of Medicine. “It not only speaks to her hard work, but also the dedication of our faculty and staff and their commitment to helping our students take advantage of opportunities like these to expand their reach in the world of health care.”

Scott, a Tennessee native, received a bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences from Cornell University, and completed a dietetic internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

She practiced for two years as a registered dietitian in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Scott hopes to match into a general surgery residency program this year.

“The significance of this study in health care is that as residency programs have to adhere to new work-hour restrictions, these programs have to use less time to train equally competent physicians” Jillian Scott Fourth-year College of Medicine Student

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The Hemophilia and Thrombosis Treatment Center is the only blood disorders center of its kind within a 150-mile radius.

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Sandeep Rajan, MD Leads Comprehensive Hemophilia and Thrombosis Treatment Center Sandeep Rajan, MD, knows how appropriate diagnosis and comprehensive care can change the lives of patients suffering from rare and complex benign blood disorders, such as hemophilia and thrombosis.

A hematologist, he’s seen a wheelchair-bound patient become ambulatory and another stop needing dialysis, once their blood conditions were properly treated and regulated.

Dr. Rajan, who came to UTHSC three years ago, is working to make sure anyone in Memphis and the Mid-South suffering from a bleeding disorder receives life-changing comprehensive treatment.

He is the medical director of the Hemophilia and Thrombosis Treatment Center established by the College of Medicine at UTHSC. The clinic is the only one of its kind within 150 miles offering comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment for all benign or noncancerous blood disorders to the adult population. The initiative reflects the college’s continuing effort to tackle the critical health needs of the community.

Dr. Rajan estimates that 750 to 800 people in the area suffer from bleeding disorders of one form or another. Roughly 350 to 400, mostly males, are hemophiliacs, whose blood has a reduced ability to clot. The rest are those with common and rare conditions, including anemia, thalassemia (abnormal formulation of hemoglobin), and thrombosis (increased tendency toward clotting).

The clinic offers care for these patients, and also treats patients with Hepatitis C, platelet disorders, abnormal proliferation of blood cells in the bone marrow, abnormal iron metabolism, and women’s health issues, such as excessive bleeding and clotting.

One of only 120 in the country, the clinic aims to be a one-stop-shop, bringing together hematology physician services, nursing, case management and social work, infusion therapy, physical therapy, dentistry, a laboratory, and pharmaceutical services to provide the best care. The clinic also has primary care physicians for routine health needs and collaborates with specialists.

Historically, patients with bleeding disorders might see several health care providers for the various needs their illness creates. This made coordinated care difficult and outcomes often less than optimal. Sometimes, bleeding disorders were not diagnosed because providers were not trained to spot them, or providers were reluctant to take on these patients because of the specialization needed for their care.

Besides providing patient care, Dr. Rajan is an associate professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at UTHSC. He is promoting the concept of comprehensive care by teaching medical students, residents, and fellows at UTHSC to correctly diagnose and treat these patients.

Most recently, he was an associate professor in the Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology at University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where he was the medical director of the Nebraska Hemophilia Center. He was introduced to the concept of comprehensive care for bleeding disorders in the 1990s, during his fellowship in hematology/oncology in Los Angeles at one of the first comprehensive health centers for bleeding disorder patients in the country.

“We are working to educate the next generation of health care providers to recognize these disorders and properly treat them, and not to be afraid of them,” Dr. Rajan said.

He is also working to educate health care workers in the Mid-South. “We wish to partner with generalists and other specialists in the area to rapidly diagnose and provide access to comprehensive care to patients with bleeding disorders and share care close to their home,” he said “I want the awareness to be better, so that all these physicians in specialties do not refrain from hemophiliacs, but collaborate and become very comfortable treating these patients.”

The Hemophilia and Thrombosis Treatment Center is managed by University Clinical Health, a clinical practice group affiliated with UTHSC. It is located at 6401 Poplar Avenue, Suite 195. To contact the clinic or for more information, call 901.866.8547, email ut_httc@uthsc.edu, or visit universityclinicalhealth.com/ut-hematology/.

“Comprehensive care is the guiding force behind treating bleeding disorders,” Dr. Rajan said. “Outcomes are better, and the cost is cut down.”

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Match Day 2017

On Friday, March 17, 2017, UTHSC College of Medicine students gathered with friends and family to get a glimpse of their bright futures. There were smiles all around as they opened their envelopes to find out where they matched for residency. Congratulations to all!

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Legacy of a Healer, Teacher, and Visionary: Barrett G. Haik, MD Barrett George Haik, MD, FACS, Hamilton Professor of Ophthalmology, founder and director of the Hamilton Eye Institute at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, died July 22, 2016, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dr. Haik was born into a family of ophthalmologists in New Orleans in 1951. He graduated from Centenary College with a bachelor of science in biology and earned his medical degree and doctorate in anatomy from the Louisiana State University Medical School.

After residency at New York’s Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, Dr. Haik joined the faculty at Cornell University and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. In 1986, he moved to Tulane University in New Orleans as a professor of Ophthalmology, and was made program director and medical director of the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital. In 1991, Dr. Haik was named the George M. Haik, Sr., MD - St. Giles Foundation Professor of Pediatric and Adult Ophthalmic Oncology.

In 1995, Dr. Haik was recruited to be chair of UTHSC’s Department of Ophthalmology, where he transformed a small office with four academic faculty members into the world-class Hamilton Eye Institute, home to more than 40 academic faculty members and ranked among the top-10 eye clinics in the nation. After 17 years as chairman, Dr. Haik

took on the role of director of the Hamilton Eye Institute.

A prolific fundraiser, Dr. Haik raised more than $100 million for the Hamilton Eye Institute and its programs.

Dr. Haik specialized in ocular oncology, oculoplastics, and orbital disease, and he was internationally renowned as an expert in the diagnosis and management of ophthalmic tumors, receiving numerous grants for his research. He served on the National Advisory Eye Council and the National Eye Institute Advisory Council for the National Institutes of Health. He received a Healthcare Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award from the Memphis Business Journal and a Life Achievement Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Haik’s true passion was helping people. He personally saved the sight or lives of thousands of people, and exponentially more through research, international outreach, and his mentorship of young eye surgeons.

Dr. Haik also touched countless lives through his efforts to improve health care in underserved nations throughout the world. He traveled to Panama frequently for medical missions and gave lectures across the globe teaching physicians how to identify and treat pediatric ocular cancers.

Services were held in New Orleans on July 24. An event celebrating his life and accomplishments was held at the Hamilton Eye Institute on August 12.

Barrett G. Haik Endowed Chair Established The lifelong dream of Ralph S. Hamilton, MD, was to build an eye institute in Memphis. Never wavering, his faith in that dream ultimately inspired Barrett G. Haik, MD, FACS. Dr. Hamilton and his wife, Barbara, both devoted philanthropists and humanitarians, have generously contributed millions toward the Hamilton Eye Institute’s construction and ongoing development. They are funding the Barrett G. Haik Endowed Chair for Ophthalmology in loving memory of Dr. Haik.

Endowed chairs are vital to attracting faculty at the top of their profession. The Hamiltons’ generous endowment will contribute significantly to HEI’s ongoing reputation for excellence and will promote its continued growth, innovation, and success.

The Hamiltons are establishing the endowed chair to support an exemplary faculty member who will carry on the spirit of Dr. Haik’s vision and commitment to outstanding progress and productivity in research and teaching, and to providing the highest level of service to the university, community and world.

The college is still raising funds for the Barret G. Haik Endowed Chair for Ophthalmology and other opportunities in memory of Dr. Haik. For information or to make a gift, contact Zach Pretzer, director of development at the College of Medicine, at 901.448.4975 or zpretzer@uthsc.edu.

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Newly Endowed Chair in the Division of Nephrology Csaba P. Kovesdy, MD, is the first Fred E. Hatch, Jr. Endowed Chair in the Division of Nephrology in the UTHSC College of Medicine.

David Stern, MD, Robert Kaplan Executive Dean for the College of Medicine, recently announced the new endowed chair, named in honor of Dr. Hatch for his many contributions to the Division of Nephrology. Dr. Hatch was instrumental in providing the generous financial support that transitioned this fund from an endowed professorship to an endowed chair position. The endowment was established in 2000 by alumni and friends to honor Dr. Hatch, following his many years of service and numerous accomplishments for the college.

Dr. Hatch graduated from UTHSC in 1954, and in 1962 joined the staff of the college. When he arrived, Dr. Hatch was the first trained nephrologist in the Mid-South, and one of the first in Tennessee. He was the first chief of the newlyestablished Division of Nephrology. These are just two of several “firsts” in his career.

Under Dr. Hatch’s leadership, the division established the first Artificial Kidney Center in the Mid-South. The development of a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques began with Dr. Hatch’s efforts, and culminated in providing long-term care to a growing population of patients with kidney disease. Dr. Hatch helped establish the National Kidney Foundation of Tennessee in 1968.

His development of the nephrology division, including hemo and peritoneal dialysis, led faculty members in the Department of Surgery to begin a renal transplantation program, culminating in the first human kidney transplant at UTHSC in 1970.

He has received numerous national, regional, and local honors, including the University of Tennessee National Alumni Association Public Service Award in 1974, and the Gift of Life Award from the National Kidney Foundation of West Tennessee in 1993.

Dr. Hatch served as the division chief of Nephrology until his retirement in 1995. More than 50 fellows and countless interns, residents, and students have been trained under his supervision. He continues to serve UTHSC as Emeritus Professor of Medicine, sharing his expertise in nephrology and his love of medicine with future generations of physicians.

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Dr. Kovesdy is the director of the UTHSC Clinical Outcomes and Clinical Trials Program and serves as the Memphis VA Medical Center’s chief of Nephrology Service. He came to Memphis in 2012, after serving more than a decade as chief of Nephrology at the Salem VA Medical Center in Salem, Virginia. In May 2016, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system was ranked Number 1 worldwide in chronic kidney disease research, and Dr. Kovesdy was listed at Number 3 worldwide of 74,300 published authors on chronic kidney failure by Expertscape.com. Expertscape.com objectively ranks individuals and institutions by their expertise in more than 26,000 biomedical topics. Since 2006, Dr. Kovesdy has published more than 113 articles on chronic kidney failure.

“I am honored to have been selected and extremely grateful to Dr. Hatch for his commitment to UTHSC, the College of Medicine, and the Division of Nephrology,” Dr. Kovesdy said. “An endowment provides a lot of flexibility. In a time when funding is scarce and enticing professionals to go into research is difficult, to have funding secured provides tremendous opportunities.”

Dr. Kovesdy was introduced to UTHSC as a guest lecturer at the invitation of Darryl Quarles, MD, chief of the Division of Nephrology and associate dean for Research in the College of Medicine. “Dr. Kovesdy is a new breed of clinical investigator who has developed unique databases for clinical investigations,” Dr. Quarles said. “He has derived new insights into factors contributing to diseases of the kidney and complications of kidney diseases, as well as effectiveness of current treatments. From these research platforms, he is changing concepts and advancing new ideas regarding management of patients with CKD (chronic kidney disease) and ESRD (end-stage renal disease).”

Dean Stern praised the contributions of the renal division to research and clinical care of patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease in the community, “Drs. Quarles and Kovesdy are two of our most capable investigators,” he said. “Dr. Quarles studies the molecular pathogenesis of diseases, and Dr. Kovesdy does clinical and translational research. Dr. Kovesdy analyzes clinical databases to gain new insights into patient outcomes. We welcome the recognition that the Hatch Chair bestows on Dr. Kovesdy. It is richly deserved.”

Dr. David Stern, Robert Kaplan Executive Dean for the UTHSC College of Medicine, recently presented Dr. Fred Hatch with a College of Medicine Ambassador medal for his continued support of the Department of Nephrology.

Pictured (from left) Dr. Csaba Kovesdy, Dr. Fred Hatch, and Dr. David Stern.

Dr. Kovesdy said he is grateful for the generosity, commitment and foresight of Dr. Hatch. “I must acknowledge and recognize the Division of Nephrology, the College of Medicine and Dean Stern for providing support for researchers,” he said. “Clinical revenues are being used to support research. This is especially important in an environment of competition for research dollars, and is a perfect example of how various divisions can leverage parts of their work to support each other.”

In addition to establishing a legacy during his lifetime through this endowment, Dr. Hatch has also made

provisions to support UTHSC with a gift through his estate plans. Dr. Hatch is a proud member of the Hershel P. Wall Legacy Society – membership in this society is extended to individuals and families who have designated a gift to UTHSC through their will or estate plan.

If you would like to establish an endowment or have provisions in your will or estate plans for the benefit of the College of Medicine, please contact Zach Pretzer, director of development, at 901.448.4975 or zpretzer@uthsc.edu.

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UTHSC College of Medicine Wins Accolades in the Community Efforts by the College of Medicine to improve community health are being noticed and appreciated. In December 2016, the College of Medicine was named one of the “10 to Watch” in 2017 by the Greater Memphis Chamber.

The chamber annually honors 10 of its member companies and organizations that have been successful in the past year and are positioned for growth. The 10 were presented at the chamber’s 2016 Annual Chairman’s Luncheon.

Earlier in the year, College of Medicine Dean David Stern was the winner of the 2016 Health Care Heroes Award for Administrative Excellence presented by the Memphis Business Journal. The publication’s annual Health Care Heroes Awards celebrate the best in Memphis health care in several categories.

UT Health Science Center was well represented in the 2016 awards.

James (Trey) Eubanks III, MD, chief surgeon, medical director of trauma at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, and an associate professor of surgery at UTHSC, was awarded the 2016 Health Care Heroes Award in the Health Care Provider-Physician category.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Terry Canale, MD, retired professor and chair of UT Campbell Clinic, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

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Family of Alumnus Rodney Wolf, MD Endows Scholarship in Honor of His 80th Birthday In honor of the 80th birthday of Dr. Rodney Wolf (COM ‘57), his children – Kelly Wolf Burkholder, Brad Wolf (MD, COM ’90), Gary Wolf, and Dory Wolf Sims – wanted to give him a gift he and their mother, Brenda, would cherish and enjoy.

The siblings knew a perfect gift would include two things he loves most – the University of Tennessee and medicine.

They chose to create a new endowed student scholarship in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. It was presented as a surprise during a birthday party planned by longtime friend, Robert Kaplan, MD, (COM ’73), and the Wolf family.

Dr. Wolf recalls finding great mentors who taught him a lot.

“Those whom I consider my mentors set an example for how to practice medicine and how to live my life,” he said.

“I would very much like to help students in the same way.”

The first scholarship from the Rodney Y. Wolf MD and Brenda C. Wolf Endowed Scholarship Fund at the UTHSC College of Medicine will be awarded in the fall 2017 semester.

For information on scholarships in the College of Medicine, please contact Zach Pretzer, director of development, at 901.448.4975 or zpretzer@uthsc.edu

Dr. Wolf , who will receive the 2017 Outstanding Alumnus Award during COM Alumni Weekend, has maintained strong ties to UTHSC throughout his illustrious career in Memphis. He has remained connected to students and faculty through his appointment as an assistant professor of surgery in the College of Medicine, and has students rotate through his private practice. Dr. Wolf is semiretired, and remains in practice with his eldest son, Brad.

Both specialize in cardiovascular surgery.

Dr. Brad Wolf has spent his entire career in practice with his father. He has seen firsthand the passion his father has for his patients and for the future of medicine. “This scholarship permanently illustrates this connection to UTHSC and the students,” Brad said.

“Presenting this gift to him was, in a word, awesome,” Gary said. “He is an inspiration to all of his children in terms of how hard working he is and how kind he is to all of his patients.”

Dory said, “This scholarship represents my dad’s passion for his patients and his work. This was the perfect gift for him.”

David Stern, MD, Robert Kaplan Executive Dean of the College of Medicine, describes Dr. Rodney Wolf as a deeply respected cardiovascular surgeon in the Memphis community. “He is known as a physician of infinite patience, skill and care,” Dr. Stern said. “He has served as a mentor to countless physicians in Memphis and beyond.”

The prospect of mentoring a student interests Dr. Wolf.

“When people you respect take you under their wing, educate you, and show you the way, you have a close feeling for those people and the institution they represent,” he said.

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First African-American UTHSC Graduate Establishes Scholarship in College of Medicine Alvin Crawford, MD, and his wife, Alva, recently established the Alvin H. and Alva J. Crawford Medical Scholarship Fund in the UTHSC College of Medicine. In creating this scholarship, Dr. and Mrs. Crawford hope to see minority students afforded the opportunity to excel in medical school at UTHSC and beyond. Dr. Crawford was the first African-American to be admitted to and graduate from the UTHSC College of Medicine.

Dr. Crawford recently marked 56 years since his admission to UTHSC. His impressive credentials include more than 35 years as a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, acknowledgement as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, which allows surgeons to insert rods through small incisions to straighten the spine, and recognition for the more than 55 (mostly international) fellows he has trained.

A prolific author, Dr. Crawford has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, seven books, and 63 chapters.

He developed a teaching module in pediatric orthopedics that is used throughout the United States and in 33 other countries. Among his numerous awards and acknowledgements, he is past president of the Scoliosis Research Society, for which he has received its Lifetime Achievement Award, and is the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America.

He has lectured and/or operated in 43 countries. In 2014 he was honored by the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce with its Great Living Cincinnatian Award, and in 2015 was conferred professor of the Department of Medicine, Honoris Causa, Ioannina University in Greece for his commitment to the institution’s Orthopaedic Department.

Susan Brewer, MD, associate dean for student affairs and admissions, notes the huge impact Dr. Crawford has had on his specialty, and is thrilled with the impact of this scholarship on the UTHSC College of Medicine. “Dr. and Mrs. Crawford’s gift to the college will make it possible to recruit a greater number of outstanding medical students with significant need, and to graduate a diverse group of physicians to train and practice in Tennessee. We are most grateful for the Crawfords’ generosity and loyalty to his alma mater. It will be a privilege to carry out his wishes with this scholarship.”

He is currently an emeritus professor in pediatrics and orthopaedics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and has established a one-of-a-kind Transitional Orthopaedic Clinic. There, he evaluates and treats patients ages 16 to 35, who were previously treated for orthopaedic disorders as children, using outcome measures.

The College of Medicine will match all funds committed for contribution from Dr. and Mrs. Crawford for the scholarship.

For information on scholarships in the College of Medicine, contact Zach Pretzer, director of development, 901.448.4975 or zpreter@uthsc.edu.

Dr. Crawford most recently returned to the College of Medicine in 2015 at the invitation of David Stern, MD, Robert Kaplan Executive Dean, to deliver the commencement address, sharing his story and wisdom with students and faculty.

Dr. Crawford, a retired Navy captain, has been married to Alva Jean for 54 wonderful years. They are parents of Alvin (Charlotte) and Carole, and proud grandparents of Mia, Elle, and Uma. Dr. Crawford is an avid musician and tennis enthusiast.

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UTHSC College of Medicine Receives $100,000 Scholarship Endowment from the Knoxville Academy of Medicine Alliance The UTHSC College of Medicine has received a generous endowment in support of student scholarship from the Knoxville Academy of Medicine Alliance (KAMA). The $100,000 gift will be known as the Knoxville Academy of Medicine Alliance Endowed Doctor of Medicine Scholarship.

Funds used to establish the endowment came from The KAMA Philanthropic Endowment Fund at the East Tennessee Foundation.

The key criteria for the scholarship requires the recipient to be enrolled as an M3 or M4 student seeking an MD degree.

Successful academic performance is required, financial need may be considered, and preference will be given to a student from Knox or surrounding counties.

David M. Stern, MD, Robert Kaplan Executive Dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine, expressed appreciation on behalf of the college. “We are very grateful for this gift from the Knoxville Academy of Medicine Alliance and its support of our medical students,” he said. “The UTHSC College of Medicine and I are excited that many students will benefit from this generous gift in the future, including medical students from the Knox County area as well.

Thank you to KAMA for helping our students as they continue their journey to becoming our future physicians, researchers, and health care providers.”

While providing funds for nursing scholarships has been an ongoing mission of KAMA, this is the first time KAMA has funded a scholarship for a medical student. Since 1954, 30

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KAMA has held an annual fall fashion show, FASHIONDRAMA, which has raised funds for nursing scholarships. Now, given the rising cost of medical education and the need to attract highly qualified students to enter the medical profession, KAMA made the decision to expand its mission to include a medical student scholarship.

Philanthropic Chair Cynthia Gash summarized the goals behind KAMA’s decision to make such a significant commitment to scholarship, “We set our criteria to target students from our area to bring benefit to our community.

KAMA has a long history of service in Knoxville, focusing efforts toward scholarship and health education, as well as supporting Knoxville-area physicians in local health care initiatives.”

Such a milestone is possible due to the effort of many members over the years, KAMA President Lorraine Johnson said. “I see KAMA’s mission statement reflected in this work ‘to promote health education programs that impact the welfare of our community.’ These scholarships certainly support our mission!”

The Knoxville Academy of Medicine Alliance is a 501c3 nonprofit organization established in 1928. Through fellowship and service, KAMA provides a forum for support of the physician family from the training years through retirement, and strives to further the work of Knoxville-area physicians to improve the health of the community through philanthropic and educational endeavors.

R. Bruce Shack, MD Named Dean of UT College of Medicine in Chattanooga R. Bruce Shack, MD, was named dean of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in Chattanooga and Senior Vice President of the Erlanger Health System. Dr. Shack joined UTHSC after serving almost 20 years as chair and a professor of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville.

As chief academic and administrative officer for the Chattanooga campus, Dr. Shack is responsible for leading the college’s missions of excellence in education, patient care and research. As senior vice president in the Erlanger Health System, he will represent faculty physicians, oversee clinical care and develop collaboration among university faculty and community physicians in the Erlanger system.

In making the appointment, David Stern, MD, Robert Kaplan Executive Dean of the College of Medicine, said Dr. Shack “brings an exceptionally strong set of leadership skills from his years as chair of Plastic Surgery at Vanderbilt.”

“This is an opportunity I couldn’t refuse,” Dr. Shack said.

“Chattanooga is a beautiful city, and there are a lot of opportunities and challenges here that I am looking forward to.”

Dr. Shack graduated from Midwestern University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He did an internship in surgery and his residency in plastic surgery at Vanderbilt.

He served as an assistant professor of plastic surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, both in Baltimore, before joining the faculty of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 1982. He was named chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Vanderbilt in 1997.

Dr. Shack is a member of many professional associations, including the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons as a Fellow, the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the Association of Academic Chairman of Plastic Surgery.

Established in 1973 as a branch campus of the UTHSC College of Medicine in Memphis, the Chattanooga campus provides training for junior and senior medical students, as well as residency and fellowship programs.

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M. Boyd Gillespie, MD, Named Chair of Department of Otolaryngology M. Boyd Gillespie, MD, MSc, FACS, has been named chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in the College of Medicine at UT Health Science Center (UTHSC). Dr. Gillespie comes to UTHSC from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, where he was a professor and vice chair of Clinical Outreach in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck in the College of Medicine, and director of the MUSC Salivary Clinic and the Karl Storz U.S. Reference Center for Salivary Endoscopy.

Department of Preventive Medicine Awarded Approximately $4 Million for Military Research Assistant Professor Rebecca Krukowski, PhD, has received a grant for $3.3 million over five years for a program to help women in the United States military return to fitness standards after the birth of a baby.

This project is the result of a cooperative agreement between UTHSC and the United States Air Force.

Assistant Professor Melissa Little, PhD, and Professor Wayne Talcott, PhD, have received a grant totaling $418,000 to study tobacco use by military recruits. All are in the Department of Preventive Medicine in the College of Medicine.

Professors Receives $1.99 Million for Cardiomyopathy Research Yao Sun, MD, PhD, professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases in the College of Medicine, in collaboration with Lu Lu, MD, professor in the Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics in the College of Medicine, received a grant totaling $1.99 million from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to study modifier genes that control the severity of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Gabor Tigyi, MD, PhD, Receives Prestigious International Honors Gabor J. Tigyi, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Physiology in the College of Medicine at UTHSC, has received an honorary doctorate from Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, for his scientific achievement and professional collaboration with the university. He also was recently named a Distinguished Chair Professor with the Center of Biotechnology at National Taiwan University in Taipei, as a result of a longtime, long-distance research collaboration at that university. Dr. Tigyi is the new associate vice chancellor for Research and Industry Relations at UTHSC.

Thirty-one Graduate from College of Medicine at Winter Commencement UTHSC graduated 135 new health care professionals at its winter commencement December 16, 2016. Besides 31 College of Medicine graduates, the 135 included six from the College of Dentistry, 17 from the College of Graduate Health Sciences, 20 from the College of Health Professions, and 61 from the College of Nursing.

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UTHSC Chair of Pathology Mahul Amin, MD, Editor of Premier Manual on Staging Cancer Mahul B. Amin, MD, who was named professor and chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Gerwin Endowed Chair for Cancer Research at UTHSC in August, is the editor-in-chief of the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Cancer Staging Manual released October 6. The manual outlines the rationale and rules for staging; the definitions of tumor, lymph node involvement and metastasis; stage groupings and histologic grade.

PA Program Scores 100 The Physician Assistant Program, which became part of the College of Medicine in July 2016, graduated its second cohort of 28 students during the winter commencement ceremony. The program’s inaugural cohort in 2015, sat for the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE), obtaining an impressive 92 percent first-time pass rate. The 2016 graduating class obtained a 100 percent first-time pass rate. The national average is 96 percent.

Alex Dopico, MD, Named to National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Alex Dopico, MD, University Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology in the College of Medicine, has been appointed to serve a four-year term on the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The council is the highest advisory board for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health.

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Why Make an Annual Gift to UTHSC? Donating to UTHSC every year helps us provide scholarships, laboratory equipment, travel grants, community outreach initiatives, and many other benefits that would not be available using state or tuition-provided dollars alone!

Thank you for being a partner with our campus, our colleges, and our programs.

Your gift in any amount will make a difference.

Donate $100 or more and become a member of our 1911 Society!

For details, go to uthscalumni.com/1911.

Make your gift today! uthscalumni.com/give | 901.448.4974

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UTHSC COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | SPRING 2017

UTHSC Surgeons Lead Team to Successfully Separate Conjoined Twins A surgical procedure that lasted 18 hours and involved more than 20 surgeons and physicians, many of whom are College of Medicine faculty, successfully separated conjoined twins, Miracle and Testimony Ayeni of Nigeria.

“This teamwork was spectacular,” said surgical team leader Max Langham, MD, vice chair of the UTHSC Department of Surgery, and a pediatric surgeon at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, where the procedure took place in November.

The twins were released from the hospital January 10.

Photos courtesy of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

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Where would you be without Ryan Mire, MD HOMETOWN: New Orleans, Louisiana HOBBIES: Exercise and traveling FAMILY MEMBERS AND/OR PETS: Felicite (spouse); Shelby, Mallory, and Carson (children) WHY DID YOU SELECT UTHSC COLLEGE OF MEDICINE? The primary reason I selected UTHSC College of Medicine was because of the reputation of the clinical exposure in the medical training education. I am a hands-on person and the College of Medicine had a reputation of handson experience as a student. This was an essential aspect of my decision-making. The mantra of “see one, do one, teach one” was a reality during my third and fourth years of clinical training in medical school.

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED WITH UTHSC? I have been a consistent donor to the College of Medicine annual fund as a 1911 Society member.

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?

WHAT ARE YOU CAREER HIGHLIGHTS? • Intern of the Year (1999), Best Second-Year Resident (2000), and Outstanding Clinician Award (2001); Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University • Chief Resident (2001- 2002), Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University • Authored “Transitioning Into Private Practice: A Guide to Employment After Residency” (©2004) • Fellowship (2006), American College of Physicians • Past chair of the National Council of Young Physicians (2010-2011), American College of Physicians • Past president (2008-2009), Heritage Medical Associates, PC, in Nashville • Associate Chief of Medicine (2013-present) of St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville • Best Doctors in America (2013-2015)

WHY DO YOU GIVE BACK? I have always been taught that giving back to others through time, talent, mentorship, or finances is important to help sustain any community, organization, or institution that is important to you. Specifically related to UTHSC, I know that the College of Medicine adequately prepared me for the next phase of my medical training during residency. I was able to be confident and proficient due to the clinical experiences I was exposed to during medical school. UTHSC also afforded me the opportunity for leadership roles within campus organizations and service in the Memphis community. Moreover, I still have strong and valuable relationships with my College of Medicine classmates and my Student National Medical Association organization colleagues.

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO OTHER ALUMNI ABOUT GETTING INVOLVED?

WHAT ARE YOUR NOTABLE MEMORIES FROM YOUR TIME SPENT AT UTHSC? There are several notable memories that immediately come to mind. I have to first acknowledge my time studying in the General Education Building during my first two years. That building was my home away from home! The gross anatomy lab with Dr. Wilson was by far the most memorable class experience. Class-block parties were important in order to decompress after each block segment of academic rigor. My involvement with the Student National Medical Association was definitely a highlight during my four years, in which long-term friendships were fostered while spending time serving the underserved Memphis community. Finally, my memories would not be complete if I didn’t mention the “unofficial” housing for UTHSC at the University Cabana Apartments complex. Good times!

Each alumnus has to reflect on individual experiences in regards to how UTHSC was able to impact the professional career. To allow UTHSC to provide valuable education and training for future generations of physicians, one has to support the mission in some way (through time, talent, mentorship, or finances), in order to help the institution grow, and hopefully, raise the bar and outcome for future generations.

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UTHSC College of Medicine Alumni Council 2016-2018 PRESIDENT Leonard H. Hines, MD ’64 Lenoir City, TN PRESIDENT-ELECT John P. Little, MD ’92 Knoxville, TN VICE PRESIDENT Ann M. Grooms, MD ’66 Gainesville, FL SECRETARY Michael D. Calfee, MD ’95 Union City, TN PAST PRESIDENTS Robert Kerlan, MD ’69 Germantown, TN Thomas Whitaker, MD, ’70 Myrtle Beach, SC Paul Huffstutter, MD ’73 Lenoir City, TN James W. Morris, MD ’72 Lebanon, TN William A. Sims, MD ’61 Decatur, AL

John K. Duckworth, MD ’56 Nesbit, MS UT MEDICAL CENTER-KNOXVILLE Mark S. Gaylord, MD ’78 Knoxville, TN

MIDDLE TENNESSEE Jan Delozier, MD ’87 Nashville, TN Morris D. Ferguson, MD ’56 Lebanon, TN

UT MEDICAL CENTER-CHATTANOOGA

E. Dwayne Lett, MD (Res ’88) Lebanon, TN

Michael S. Greer, MD ’78 Chattanooga, TN

David Hill, MD ’80 Nashville, TN

ST. THOMAS CAMPUS-NASHVILLE

Christine Whitworth, MD ‘83 Nashville, TN

Ryan Mire, MD ’98 Nashville, TN TENNESSEE AT-LARGE Joe W. Black III, MD ’84 Knoxville, TN Karen Codjoe, MD ’78 Jackson, TN Lori Emerson, MD ’83 Lookout Mountain, TN Leonard H. Hines, MD ’64 Lenoir City, TN Gary W. Jerkins, MD ’77 Nashville, TN

WEST TENNESSEE Michael D. Calfee, MD ’95 Union City, TN James T. Galyon, MD ’53 Memphis, TN Jeff Kerlan, MD ’98 Memphis, TN Gene Mangiante, MD ’75 Memphis, TN Bob Souder, MD ’74 Jackson, TN OUT-OF-STATE AT-LARGE

Paxton Dickson, MD ’02 Memphis, TN

Ann M. Grooms, MD ’66 Gainesville, FL

Samuel G. Robbins Jr., MD ’71 Memphis, TN

John E. Hamilton, MD ’84 Florence, AL

Tyler Cannon, MD ’08 Memphis, TN

Jerrall Paul Crook, MD ’58 Nashville, TN

Robert E. Howe, MD ’57 Gardendale, AL

EAST TENNESSEE

Albert J. Grobmyer III, MD ’62 Memphis, TN

Will Burkhart, MD ’82 Knoxville, TN

Michael J. Smith, MD ’73 Tierra Verde, FL

William N. Williford, MD ’70 Knoxville, TN

Stephen Jackson, MD ’84 Cleveland, TN

Gerald Reich, MD ’72 Rolling Hills, CA

John (Mac) Hodges, MD ’63 Memphis, TN

Tareck A. Kadrie, MD ’98 Signal Mountain, TN

REGION II

James C. Fleming, MD ’74 Germantown, TN Mary C. Hammock, MD ’81 Chattanooga, TN

Joe W. Black Jr., MD ’57 Knoxville, TN John K. Wright, MD ’59 Nashville, TN

John P. Little, MD ’92 Knoxville, TN Molly J. Peeler, MD ’84 Knoxville, TN

Robert E. Clendenin Jr., MD ’60 Union City, TN 38

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REGION I

Ronald Jones, MD ’57 Dallas, TX REGION III VACANT ALABAMA Deason Dunagan, MD ’72

ARKANSAS

AD HOC

Charles James, MD ’86

Chancellor, UTHSC Steve J. Schwab, MD

FLORIDA Gary A. Grooms, MD ’66

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

GEORGIA

Robert Kaplan Executive Dean David M. Stern, MD

VACANT KENTUCKY Greg Cox, MD ’96 MISSISSIPPI VACANT NORTH CAROLINA Jonathan Burdette, MD ’93 SOUTH CAROLINA Robert M. Callis, MD ’74 TEXAS Randal S. Weber, MD ’76 VIRGINIA VACANT

Dean (Knoxville) James J. Neutens, PhD Dean (Chattanooga) R. Bruce Shack, MD Foundation President and Executive Director, UT Alumni Association Rickey McCurry Vice Chancellor, Development and Alumni Affairs Love Collins III, MBA Associate Vice Chancellor, Development and Alumni Affairs Bethany Goolsby Blankenship, JD Assistant Vice Chancellor, Alumni Affairs Tim Lanier, MS Senior Director, Alumni Programs Chandra Tuggle

A. Mitchell Burford Jr., MD ’57 Florence, AL

Director, Alumni Programs Libby Wyatt, MA

Larry P. Elliott, MD ’57 Isle of Palms, SC

Associate Director, Alumni Programs Kristin Attaway

Leroy Sherrill, MD ’52 Chattanooga, TN

Senior Director, Annual Giving and Advancement Services Jada Williams

Robert Kaplan, MD ‘73 Memphis, TN Rodney Wolf, MD ’61 Memphis, TN

Alvin Powers, ’79, has been named the 2017 Medicine and Science Principal Officer of the board of directors of the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Powers lives in Brentwood, Tennessee, and is the Joe C. Davis Chair in Biologic Science and professor of Medicine, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

He is also the director of the Vanderbilt Diabetes Center, chief of the Vanderbilt Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, and the director of the Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center.

Chancellor Emeritus Hershel “Pat” Wall, MD

EMERITUS

Ralph Hamilton, MD ’52 Germantown, TN

Class Notes

Director, Development Zach Pretzer, MS, CFRE

Randy Davidson, ’85, has been elected president of the Tennessee Orthopaedic Society. Dr. Davidson specializes in foot and ankle surgery and sports medicine and practices with Middle Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic, P.C. in Columbia, Tennessee.

COM Alumnus Ryan D. Mire, MD, FACP, has become a member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians, the national organization of internists.

If you would like to share career updates, please email Chandra Tuggle, senior director of Alumni Programs at ctuggle@uthsc.edu.

Associate Director, Development David Wright, JD

HONORARY Joe E. Johnson, EdD James Hunt, MD

For more information about getting involved in the College of Medicine Alumni Council, please contact Chandra Tuggle at ctuggle@uthsc.edu or 901.448.5042.

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In Memoriam Evelyn B. Ogle, MD, Passed Away in Memphis on May 5, 2016, at Age 93 Dr. Ogle entered medical school in a time when women were not encouraged to choose medicine as a career.

She was the only woman in her 1947 UTHSC College of Medicine graduating class.

In a 2003 interview for the National Library of Medicine, Dr. Ogle reminisced, “It wasn’t really tough as much as lonely. And the boys in the anatomy class were always trying to get me to blush.”

Dr. Ogle’s professional career spanned 50 years. After her graduation from UTHSC, she remained in Memphis for her residency, training in pediatrics at St. Joseph Hospital.

At its completion, she moved to Texas and established a pediatric practice in Corpus Christi. Returning to Memphis in 1957, Dr. Ogle immersed herself in the professional practice of medicine and as a volunteer in the Memphis community. She specialized in electroencephalography (EEG), and was considered a pioneer in the use of freestanding EEG labs. She served as director of the EEG Laboratory at Methodist Hospitals of Memphis. Dr. Ogle volunteered for the United Way of Greater Memphis, the Epilepsy Foundation of West Tennessee, and was chairperson of the Methodist Hospitals Foundation. In 1992, she was the first female elected president of The Memphis Medical Society.

Dr. Ogle was honored as a Living Award recipient by the Methodist Healthcare Foundation in 1996. In 1997, she received the Outstanding Physician Award from the Tennessee Medical Association. She also received three president’s awards from the Memphis Medical Society. Dr. Ogle served as president of the Southern Electroencephalography Society, secretary-treasurer of the Memphis Neuroscience Society, and chairman of the Medical Society Foundation. She also served on the Tennessee Medical Foundation Board of Trustees.

Dr. Ogle remained involved with UTHSC throughout her career and into her retirement, serving as a member of the College of Medicine Alumni Council and as a mentor to new students in the College of Medicine.

Dr. Ogle was nominated by Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., as a Local Legend of Medicine in Tennessee. She has been profiled by the National Library of Medicine, and her story is part of the permanent exhibit, which traveled the country from 2003 to 2012.

UTHSC Chancellor Emeritus, Dr. Pat Wall remembers Dr. Ogle as a strong leader and firmly supports her designation as a Legend of Medicine. “She was known locally, regionally and nationally for her work in pioneering electroencephalography in the practice of medicine,” he said. “Personally, she was soft-spoken, charming and easily accessible to medical students, her colleagues, and all with whom she worked. She was a Big Orange supporter through and through. Evelyn’s professionalism in medicine will be sorely missed.” *Portions of this article came from www.nlm.nih.gov/ locallegends/Biographies/Ogle_Evelyn.html

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Dr. Mark Heerdt, Longtime Faculty Member, Passed Away at the Age of 92 in Knoxville Dr. Heerdt served on the UTHSC COM faculty as director of Medical Education in the Department of Anesthesiology from 1973 until his retirement in 1996. Dr. Heerdt was beloved by his students and known for his love of knowledge.

He made his mark in academia through mentoring and relationship building.

Dr. Heerdt served in the Army Air Corps from 1942-1945, attending college on the GI Bill. After just three years of undergraduate study at the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, he took the entrance exam and was accepted to medical school. The MD degree he was awarded from the University of Buffalo School of Medicine and Biological Sciences was the only degree he ever received.

During his internship at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan, he learned to administer open-drop ether, and was intrigued by anesthesiology. He continued to occasionally provide anesthesia services at the hospital, in addition to running a general medical practice, ultimately choosing to pursue a formal residency in anesthesiology.

In 1957, he became one of the initial residents in the University of Michigan anesthesiology program, while still keeping a general practice on nights and weekends. In his ‘spare’ time he established a voluntary teaching relationship with the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University.

In 1973, he made the formal transition to academic medicine, accepting a faculty position in the Department of Anesthesiology at UTHSC. With the exception of a brief stint at Vanderbilt in the mid-1980s, Dr. Heerdt spent the last 20-plus years of his clinical career at UTHSC,

before retiring at age 72. His combination of clinical experience in both general medicine and anesthesiology, along with his devotion to mentorship, provided the basis for a strong teaching-based bond with medical students and residents. He was the recipient of numerous teaching accolades, and in 1987 received a special Excellence in Teaching Award from the College of Medicine.

His son, Paul M. Heerdt, MD, PhD, (UTHSC 82, 85), states, “His greatest sense of achievement came from seeing former residents flourish, building the specialty in an enduring way, one clinician at a time.”

Charles Langford, MD, Passed Away at the Age of 74 in Knoxville Dr. Charles Thomas Langford, Jr., was a 1961 College of Pharmacy graduate, and a 1966 College of Medicine graduate.

Dr. Langford, of Knoxville, formerly of Memphis and Chattanooga, was known as a man of quick wit and strong conservative principles. He was a man of great sacrifice, hard work, and was proud to have served in Vietnam as a flight surgeon. Raised in Chattanooga, Dr. Langford attended the University of Chattanooga, now University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and received his bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from UTHSC in 1961. He continued his studies in the College of Medicine, and received his MD in 1966.

Dr. Langford chose to specialize in the field of nephrology, and established his practice in Memphis. He spent long hours caring for his patients, often working 70-hour weeks, because his patients were usually the sickest in the hospital.

Upon retiring and moving to Knoxville, Dr. Langford was able to recapture some of the moments he missed while working, by spending time with his many grandchildren, and reconnecting with high school friends and with fellow Vietnam veterans. He was an avid supporter of the University of Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Vols.

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In Memoriam 1939

Dr. Kenneth M. Kressenberg Nashville, Tennessee

Dr. Walter E. Verner Memphis, Tennessee

1951

1955

Dr. Albert C. Bryan, Jr. Huntsville, Alabama

Dr. Edmond L. Alley Kingsport, Tennessee

Dr. Robert B. Gaston Nashville, Tennessee

Dr. Louis G. Britt Memphis, Tennessee

Dr. J.T. Jabbour Memphis, Tennessee

Dr. John T. Cross Gadsden, Alabama

Dr. Harris L. Smith Jackson, Tennessee

Dr. Bruce A. Elrod Chattanooga, Tennessee

Dr. Thomas Marion Jackson Memphis, Tennessee

Dr. Albert N. Ward Maryville, Tennessee

Dr. Charles M. Gill, Sr. Nashville, Tennessee

Dr. Ethelyn Smith Germantown, Tennessee

1952

Dr. Jack C. Stripling Lexington, Tennessee

Dr. Charles H. Housholder Memphis, Tennessee 1941 Dr. Joseph E. Acker, Jr. Knoxville, Tennessee 1944 Dr. Robert G. Demos Signal Mountain, Tennessee 1945

Dr. Greene Hampton Smith, Jr. Birmingham, Alabama 1946 Dr. Harold Herschel Lurie Springfield, Missouri Dr. James P. Worden Knoxville, Tennessee 1947

Dr. Ralph Leor Brickell, Jr. Tullahoma, Tennessee 1953 Dr. Joseph B. DeLozier Knoxville, Tennessee Dr. David H. Harpole, Sr. Henrico, Virginia Dr. William E. Mayberry Rochester, Minnesota

1959 Dr. Mary E. Bouldin Clarksdale, Mississippi Dr. Warren H. Jones Glasgow, Kentucky Dr. Herbert T. McCall Franklin, Tennessee Dr. Robert T. Peterson, Jr. Fulton, Kentucky Dr. Howard C. Pomeroy Columbia, Tennessee Dr. George M. Stevens, III Oak Ridge, Tennessee Dr. William J. Whitehead Lamar, Mississippi

1956

Dr. John K. Wadley Waynesboro, Virginia

Dr. Richard O. Ballew Salley, South Carolina

1960

Dr. James F. Cleveland Knoxville, Tennessee Dr. Robert E. Coghlan Aberdeen, Mississippi Dr. John P. Nash Memphis, Tennessee

Dr. Edgar Ray Franklin Memphis, Tennessee Dr. John R. Guice Decatur, Alabama Dr. Joseph W. Harb Raleigh, North Carolina

Dr. James G. McClure Memphis, Tennessee

Dr. Lester Carol Nunnally Orlando, Florida

1957

Dr. Paul A. Thompson Memphis, Tennessee

Dr. Evelyn B. Ogle Memphis, Tennessee

Dr. Chester W. Peeples, Jr. West Memphis, Arkansas

Dr. Emerson C. Flurkey Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

1961

1948

Dr. Irvin S. Taylor San Francisco, California

Dr. John L. Gililland Gilbert, Arizona

Dr. Frederick H. Hartwig Mission, Kansas

1954

Dr. Harry Wallace Vandever Santa Barbara, California

Dr. William G. Byrd Knoxville, Tennessee

Dr. John O. Hardiman Birmingham, Alabama

Dr. Kenneth Darrel Gaver Aptos California

Dr. Walter S. Cain Birmingham, Alabama

1949

Dr. Carl Lewis Davis Dallas, Texas

Dr. Charles W. Brown Los Gatos, California

Dr. Hugh Francis, Jr. Memphis, Tennessee

1958

Dr. Roy M. Barber Memphis, Tennessee

Dr. Charles B. Harvey Tullahoma, Tennessee

Dr. J. Wes Atwood Memphis, Tennessee

Dr. Otis E. James, Jr. Olathe, Kansas

Dr. Carey S. Hill, Jr. Houston, Texas

Dr. Sidney R. Berry Jackson, Mississippi

Dr. Minnie B. Vance Ooltewah, Tennessee

Dr. Joseph M. Meadows, Jr. Ann Arbor, Michigan

Dr. Hilbert B. Savage, Jr. Austin, Texas

1950

Dr. Joe Evan Tittle Arnold, Maryland

Dr. Joe K. Wallace, Sr. Crossville, Tennessee

Dr. James E. Jameson Springfield, Missouri 42

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Dr. John E. Meeks Santa Fe, New Mexico Dr. Samuel A. Powers Madison, Alabama Dr. R. Winston Williams Sheffield, Alabama

Dr. C. W. Bryant Gilbert, Arizona Dr. Alfred L. Ferguson Greenville, North Carolina Dr. Lonnie G. McCormick Huntsville, Alabama 1962 Dr. Bruce Avery Mascot, Tennessee Dr. Jerry M. Bryson Harlan, Kentucky Dr. Charles H. Von Canon Whitwell, Tennessee Dr. Clay G. Crowder Maryville, Tennessee Dr. Arthur T. Fort, III Shreveport, Louisiana Dr. Harold A. McCormack Collierville, Tennessee Dr. Charles A. Saffell Mesa, Arizona

Leave Your Legacy 1963

1976

Dr. David Bruce P’Pool, Jr. Nashville, Tennessee

Dr. Cynthia H. Gooch Troy, Tennessee

1964

Dr. Terry A. Marshall Greenwood, South Carolina

Dr. William R. Gaw Nashville, Tennessee

1978

Dr. James H. Smith Dyersburg, Tennessee

Dr. Charles Richard Patterson Smyrna, Georgia

1965

Dr. Joseph R. Thomasson Jr. Tullahoma, Tennessee

Dr. Ogden T. Baur Sherman, Texas

1979

Dr. Irvin R. King Knoxville, Tennessee

Dr. William Hart Murray, Kentucky

1966

1982

Dr. Jeanne E. Hicks Charlotte, North Carolina

Dr. Ralph S. Austin Jonesboro, Arkansas

Dr. Charles T. Langford, Jr. Knoxville, Tennessee

Dr. Stephen D. Mullins Portland, Maine

1967

1983

Dr. Matthew A. Bernstein Los Angeles, California

Dr. Adil Ibrahim Mohyddin Tullahoma, Tennessee

Dr. William R. Campbell Paris, Tennessee

1984

Dr. James C. Ridenour, Jr. Lexington, Kentucky Dr. Jeno I. Sebes Memphis, Tennessee Dr. Thomas J. White, III Memphis, Tennessee 1968 Dr. Charles E. Stallings Smyrna, Georgia 1969 Dr. Alton B. Sisco Pensacola, Florida Dr. Victor J. Stegall New Bremen, Ohio 1973 Dr. Lyle E. Shehi, Jr. Birmingham, Alabama 1974 Dr. John P. Milnor, III Memphis, Tennessee

Have you thought about the legacy you will leave behind?

With a Planned Gift, you can: • Simplify your estate for your family • Reduce the tax burden applied to your assets • Benefit causes you hold dear

Legacy donors become members of the Hershel “Pat” Wall Legacy Society Dr. Wall’s 50 years of dedication as a student, faculty member, and administrator to UTHSC is unsurpassed.

His legacy will live forever, as will the impact made by our donors.

For more information about planned gifts to UTHSC and Legacy Society membership, contact Bethany Goolsby at 901.448.5516 or estateplans@uthsc.edu.

Dr. Thomas R. Feinberg Little Rock, Arkansas 1986 Dr. Sharon Mesmer Gausling, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 1988 Dr. Greggory K. Phillips, Fort Worth, Texas 1990 Dr. Arthur Stacey Headley Memphis, Tennessee 1993 Dr. Felisia L. Williams Bradford, Tennessee Dr. Steven R. Spurlock Sevierville, Tennessee 2000 Dr. Jason G. McGill Murfreesboro, Tennessee

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The College of Medicine wishes to thank the following individuals and families who have made provisions specifically for the college in their will or through their estate plans.

Dr. and Mrs. A. Julian Ahler

Dr. and Mrs. Don C. Harting

Dr. George L. Nelson

Dr. Jack B. Alperin and Ms. Lynn Manaster

Dr. Frederick H. Hartwig* and Mrs. Louise Rice Hartwig

Dr. and Mrs. Khuong Van Nguyen

Dr. and Mrs. Rex A. Amonette Dr. and Mrs. Coleman Lee Arnold Mrs. Carolyn B. Bailey Drs. Freddie T. and Marji Barron Drs. Randall V. and Jo Ann F. Bass Dr. and Mrs. Peter T. Beaudette Dr. and Mrs. David F. Busby Dr. and Mrs. Donald C. Chase Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth W. Christenberry, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Joel B. Clements Dr. William B. Clotworthy, Jr. and Mrs. Katherine Galvin Dr. and Mrs. James Martin Cooper

Dr. Fred E. Hatch, Jr.

Dr. Lester Carol Nunnally* and Mrs. Jeanne Nunnally

Dr. and Mrs. Roger L. Hiatt

Dr. and Mrs. John G. Paty, Jr.

Dr. and Mrs. Bobby C. Higgs

Ms. Jolanda M. Penczner

Dr. and Mrs. David Edwin Hill

Drs. John P. and June Helen Phillips

Dr. and Mrs. George Alan Hill

Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Pike

Dr. Leonard H. Hines and Mrs. Nancye E. Hines*

Dr. and Mrs. William Gerald Rainer

Dr. and Mrs. J. Parks Hitch, Jr. Dr. Perry J. Hockaday Dr. and Mrs. John “Mac” Hodges Dr. John H. Hooker* and Mrs. Marlene Hooker

Dr. and Mrs. Robert L. Richardson, Jr. Dr. Donald C. Riley Dr. and Mrs. Jack A. Rule Dr. and Mrs. John W. Runyan, Jr. Dr. Robert L. Sain Dr. and Mrs. Marshall Sashkin

Dr. and Mrs. James T. Craig, Jr.

Mr. Steven L. Hurdle and Ms. Debbie L. Fulton

Dr. and Mrs. Jerrall P. Crook, Jr.

Dr. and Mrs. David M. Hurst

Dr. Michael J. Smith

Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence B. Crowson, Jr.

Dr. and Mrs. Gerald I. Jones

Dr. and Mrs. Bruce William Steinhauer

Dr. and Mrs. Shannon R. Curtis

Dr. and Mrs. Robert J. Kaplan

Dr. and Mrs. Lloyd J. Story

Dr. Robert G. Demos* and Mrs. Jean Case Demos

Mrs. Sue H. Kaplan

Dr. and Mrs. Timothy A. Strait

Dr. and Mrs. William Jay Klopstock

Dr. and Mrs. Gary D. Strasberg

Dr. Ralph Kustoff and Ms. Elaine Wulfe

Dr. Hiram M. Sturm and Mrs. Ruth Sturm*

Dr. and Mrs. Mack Alan Land

Drs. Norman and Carmelita Teeter

Dr. and Mrs. James Douglas Link

Dr. Audrey W. Tuberville

Dr. and Mrs. Melvin Litch, Jr.

Dr. and Mrs. Hershel P. Wall

Dr. and Mrs. W. Allen Loy

Dr. John M. Wallace

Dr. John R. Maddox, Jr.

Dr. and Mrs. Clarence B. Watridge

Dr. and Mrs. Wayne Marley

Dr. and Mrs. Frank G. Witherspoon, Jr.

Dr. and Mrs. John W. McCravey

Dr. Robert E. Younger, III

Drs. Martha A. McCravey and Alan B. Wood

Dr. Michael C. Thomas

Dr. and Mrs. William R. McKissick

Mr. L. Steve Lubin

Dr. Billy G. Mitchell* and Mrs. Juanita Mitchell

*deceased

Dr. and Mrs. John P. Nash

This list compiled as of December 2016.

Dr. Sabra F. Drake Dr. and Mrs. Daniel B. Drinnen Dr. George E. and Mrs. Jane Hardy Fant Dr. and Mrs. James Christopher Fleming Mr. and Mrs. Edwin A. Fox, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Jeff L. Fuqua Dr. Ted Galyon and Dr. Virginia Galyon* Dr. Mike Greer and Mrs. Vallerie Hixson Greer Dr. J. Carol Grigg and Mrs. Madeline Hope Berman Drs. Gary A. and Ann McGuire Grooms Dr. and Mrs. Ralph S. Hamilton Dr. and Mrs. Herman L. Hampton, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. James H. Harris, Sr.

44

Dr. and Mrs. Charles R. Nelms, Jr.

UTHSC COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | SPRING 2017

Dr. Leroy Sherrill and Mrs. Margaret Sherrill*

UTHSC COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | SPRING 2017

45

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