In Pursuit of Precision - University of Alabama at Birmingham

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Feature Stories CELEBRATING THE CCC Cancer Center Marks 30 Years By Ella Robinson In 1971, cancer was a word many people would not say aloud, recalls Albert F. LoBuglio, director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) and the Evalina B. Spencer Professor of Oncology. But that was the year the University of Alabama at Birmingham received its first grant to launch a major cancer program, paving the way for the UAB Cancer Center to become one of the first comprehensive cancer centers in the country. Now, 30 years later, monoclonal antibodies, human genomics, cancer prevention, and computer-assisted diagnostic tools are a part of everyday life for many doctors and patients at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. LoBuglio recalls that the people of Alabama became poignantly aware of the need for cancer care in the late 1960s, when Governor Lurleen Wallace had to travel out of state for treatment. “After her death, schoolchildren collected nickels in memory of their beloved governor,” he said. Eventually, Alabamians, adults and children, contributed $5 million to the construction of the Wallace Tumor Institute— the heart of the CCC. “With support from the National Cancer Institute, UAB leaders laid the groundwork for a cancer center that would become an international leader. Over the years, we’ve recruited some of the best cancer scientists from around the world,” says LoBuglio. The center is one of the few in the country that addresses both research and patient care. The CCC has figured prominently in the development of many diagnostic tools and novel treatments. Additionally, it has developed community outreach programs, educating the community and assisting local physicians in developing treatment plans. During the 1980s, the center launched a telephone information service to provide referrals and counseling for both patients and health-care professionals. A research facility for biohazardous experiments was constructed, and new programs in nutrition, molecular genetics, and pharmacology were started. In 1986 UAB was named the third best medical facility in the United States by The Best in Medicine, which emphasized the quality of UAB’s cancer diagnosis and treatment programs. Progress continued in the 1990s, which saw the opening of a nine-bed bone marrow transplant unit, the construction a three-story addition to the Lurleen Wallace Tumor Institute, and a cervical cancer research laboratory. LoBuglio points out that the faculty and staff, many of whom have been with the center from its beginning, are an amazingly committed group of individuals. “Their work has paid off,” he says. Support for the CCC from both private and public funds has been outstanding. In 1999 and 2000, the center was awarded multimillion-dollar Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grants to study ovarian cancer and breast cancer, becoming the only institution in the nation with both of these women’s cancer grants. “In the coming years, we will aggressively seek to obtain more of these multimillion-dollar grants,” says LoBuglio. The Avon Breast Cancer Crusade has also provided substantial funding. In the fall of 2001, UAB opened the Hugh Kaul Human Genetics Building, which houses several CCC research groups. In January 2002, the I-459 Cancer Center Physicians Clinic, an outpatient facility convenient for patients in suburbs south of Birmingham, opened. The center continues to expand with several construction projects under way, including an administrative office building called North Tower, scheduled for completion in 2004. “Hopefully, 30 years from now, we’ll look back and consider cancer to be an interesting historical problem that has largely been eradicated,” says LoBuglio. Looking at the center’s remarkable progress during these past 30 years, it’s easy to understand his optimism. Meanwhile, the CCC will continue to provide groundbreaking research and compassionate patient care. THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE Students Honor Donors and Their Families By Tara Hulen Those benevolent souls who will their bodies to scientific study are the first patients that medical students encounter and provide the students with their first lessons in medicine. To show their appreciation and respect, first-year medical students at the School of Medicine memorialize the donors each year in a service attended by students, faculty, and families of the donors. The service, which has been held for the past four years, took place in February. “This is a way for students to express their appreciation to donors and their families, and it also gives the families a chance for closure,” says Michael Casey, Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy and director of the Anatomical Donor Program. Students study the donors’ bodies in their firstyear gross anatomy class. “The anatomy class accomplishes so many things,” Casey says. “It is not all about memorizing muscles and bones. Many medical students have never seen a dead body before then, and they go through a lot of 10 emotional reactions.” As they work intensively with the donor bodies, Casey says, students begin to view them as patients, as people whom they can identify with and care about. The Total Willed Body Donor program receives about 100 bodies a year for study at the medical school. Some donors have ties to the medical community or UAB, such as a man from Texas who was so appreciative of the care he received here that he willed his body to the school. One woman who attended the service has had three family members will their bodies to the medical school. Families who may have had reservations about the choice their loved ones made often
Feature Stories LOUIS’S LETTERS ON DISPLAY: Pasteur’s Search for an Anthrax Vaccine By Roger Shuler Michael Flannery finds it difficult to overstate Louis Pasteur’s contributions to modern medicine. “Pasteur developed the germ theory of medicine, which led to our modern understanding of infectious diseases,” says Flannery, associate director for historical collections at UAB. “He was a chemist, not a physician, and he was very adept at methodology. Through his investigations in fermentation, he developed the pasteurization process in milk. And he later engaged in studies of anthrax and swine fever.” When last fall’s terrorist attacks included anthrax-tainted mail, the world received another reminder of Pasteur’s contributions to science. Now, 17 letters on display at UAB’s Reynolds Historical Library provide insight into Pasteur’s efforts to develop the vaccine for anthrax. The letters are part of a lengthy correspondence between Pasteur, credited with developing the first vaccine for anthrax, and his disciple Louis Thuillier. The microbe responsible for the disease had been isolated in 1876; Pasteur announced the first successful anthrax vaccinations in experimental animals in 1881, and he dispatched Thuillier to Germany and Austria-Hungary for the next two years to further the research effort. Meanwhile, anthrax was decimating livestock herds throughout Europe. “Anthrax is most common in animals, and Pasteur’s first experiments began with silkworms,” Flannery says. “Silkworms were a major French industry at the time, and it was threatened by anthrax infections. Pasteur used the microscope and his experience with fermentation to establish procedures for dealing with these infections. Later he worked with cholera and rabies. He opened a new window into the workings of infectious diseases.” The Pasteur-Thuillier letters were in the collection of Lawrence Reynolds, M.D., an Alabama native who donated his extensive library of rare medical writings to the University of Alabama School of Medicine in 1958. In addition, the library holds a copy of Correspondence of Pasteur and Thuillier, Concerning Anthrax and Swine Fever Vaccinations, published in 1968 by the University of Alabama Press. In the time period covered by the letters, Thuillier conducted a series of vaccinations against anthrax in sheep and cattle in Germany and Austria-Hungary. It is believed that Pasteur intended to conduct the vaccinations himself but was constrained by other responsibilities. He relied on Thuillier as a surrogate, prompting a steady stream of letters that detailed the successes, failures, and obstacles encountered in the project. “The letters are clearly a correspondence between a senior scientist and a younger, developing colleague,” Flannery says. “Thuillier is at a distance, and he’s asking for advice. Pasteur often says, ‘If this doesn’t work, try this.’ The letters are professional exchanges between a mentor and a protégé.” Pasteur’s discovery that most infectious diseases are caused by germs is one of the most important in medical history. His work, supported by the later studies of German Robert Koch, became the foundation for the science of microbiology and a cornerstone of modern medicine. “The general notions of disease were very unclear until Pasteur, along with Koch, began to flesh them out,” Flannery says. “It was believed that diseases were carried by strange vapors or bad air. In fact, the term malaria means, literally, ‘bad air.’ Scientists, at the time, did not know that many of these diseases were actually caused by germs. When these microorganisms became known, it was thought that they grew from spontaneous generation. Pasteur’s work demolished that notion and went on to show that specific microorganisms were responsible for specific diseases.” David Green and Manisha Sharma (president, class of 2005) join classmates in recognizing the generosity of donors and their families. 11 change their minds after attending the memorial service. “When they hear the heartfelt comments of the students, it drives home how vital these donors are for medical students’ education,” says Casey. Heinz Dueffer, a first-year student who helped organize this year’s service, says that families are comforted by the respect the students express for their loved ones. “The approach is, these are our first patients, and we need to take very good care of them,” he says. “The family members are thankful and impressed with how grateful we are for what their loved ones did.” Several members of the Class of 2005 are musicians, so this year’s service included performances by a pianist, a singer, and a cello player in the class. Students lit a candle for each of the donors as their names were read. Some students read tributes to the donors. “Knowledge of the human body is essential in the undertaking of our lives as physicians,” said Dave Williams. “However, the other gift they gave to us—the example of unselfish giving to our fellow mankind—may be even more important, both in our future practices and in our everyday lives.” Another student, Suman Annambhotla, said, “All my life I have been taught the idea of selfless love and giving, but there is no gift more selfless than this.”
Page 1 and 2: AlumniBulletin ALABAMA MEDICAL V O
Page 3 and 4: ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTO
Page 5 and 6: News Briefs UAB Hospital Cited for
Page 7 and 8: News Briefs Cardiologist Receives I
Page 9 and 10: Steve Theiss, James Stannard, Danny
Page 11: Cover Story chronic sinusitis, tumo
Page 15 and 16: Feature Stories According to Morgan
Page 17 and 18: Physicians’ Forum ly. These regul
Page 19 and 20: Faculty Profile Conway Huang, M.D.
Page 21 and 22: The Campaign for UAB Stay Connected
Page 23 and 24: AlumniBulletin ALABAMA MEDICAL Volk
Page 25 and 26: Alumni Weekend Many Medical Returns
Page 27 and 28: Alumni Association News National Bo
Page 29 and 30: medical alumni bulletin CLASS NOTES
Page 31 and 32: Alumni Association News I N M E M O
Page 33 and 34: In Appreciation * Richard Evans Bro
Page 35 and 36: In Appreciation Bruce Fowler Holdin
Page 37 and 38: In Appreciation Roger McCoy Pitt, A
Page 39 and 40: From the Archives By Tim L. Pennycu
Page 41: CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION SCHEDU

In Pursuit of Precision - University of Alabama at Birmingham

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