Spring/Summer 2001 - University of Rochester Medical Center

ROCHESTER MEDICINE 

U N I V E R S I T Y O F R O C H E S T E R S C H O O L O F M E D I C I N E A N D D E N T I S T R Y • SPRING 2001 

Translational Research

With this issue of Rochester Medicine, we turn our 

attention toward the growing emphasis on and need for translational 

research—the process of turning laboratory discoveries made by basic 

scientists into new medical therapies that can be delivered to patients. 

The term also speaks of the collaboration between basic scientists and 

clinical researchers—an activity at which our faculty excels. 

As you will soon discover, the University of Rochester Medical Center 

is not only already actively engaged in translational research, but is 

uniquely placed to lead the nation in this type of investigation. Our 

facilities are designed to encourage and facilitate the sharing of 

information between individuals to improve human health. As we 

move forward with the construction of our second medical research 

building, we do so with a clear vision of asking and answering scientific 

questions that will lead eventually to the testing of hypotheses in clinical 

environments here in Rochester. 

As our nation’s investment in basic science has led to an explosion of 

knowledge about the biological processes at work within each of us, a 

new and urgent need for translators has evolved. The School of Medicine 

and Dentistry, in keeping with its bold, forward-thinking approach to 

medical education, expands its M.D./Ph.D. program in the fall. This 

move to deepen our investment in training physician scientists reflects 

the great value placed on translational research here at the Medical 

Center, as does the creation last summer of the new position of dean for 

research in the School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

Our efforts to invigorate our research programs are succeeding. 

Evidence of this is the record 18 percent increase in research funding to 

the medical school from the National Institutes of Health. We received 

$89.9 million during the previous fiscal year, up from $76.1 million just 

one year before. 

On other fronts, our medical education program continues to 

flourish. In 2000, our faculty received more than $3 million in grants 

from various foundations as well as the federal government to support 

the development of the groundbreaking Double Helix curriculum. And 

in February, the medical school received the highest accreditation status 

of any medical school in the country from the Liaison Committee on 

Medical Education (LCME). The LCME praised the school’s curricular 

reforms, citing numerous strengths and no areas of concern. I simply 

cannot express how proud we are of this honor and all of the success that 

the new curriculum is achieving. 

As Rochester continues to be looked at as a model for innovative 

thinking and teaching, I know that there is more progress to be made. 

But I believe deeply that our strong foundation and passion for being the 

best will secure us a permanent place among the nation’s most highly 

regarded academic medical centers. 

Jay H. Stein, M.D. 

Senior Vice President and Vice Provost for Health Affairs 

Medical Center and Strong Health CEO 

ROCHESTER MEDICINE 3

FROM THE DEANS 

The 

last issue of Rochester Medicine highlighted the Double 

Helix curriculum, a complete integration of basic and clinical 

sciences across the four years of medical student education. While this 

curriculum has certainly energized our students and faculty, and has 

recently given us the highest rating in the country by the Liaison 

Committee on Medical Education, which accredits medical schools, one 

of our ultimate goals for the program is building new connections— 

translational research—between our basic and clinical faculty. Our 

curriculum is built when basic scientists and clinicians come together to 

write problem-based learning (PBL) cases designed to drive our students 

to think across the basic and the clinical levels. The hope is that these 

faculty will spark off one another to develop and test new approaches to 

the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of the disease facing the patient 

in the PBL case they are writing. That goal of translational research— 

to bridge the two strands of the Double Helix curriculum—is the focus 

of this issue of Rochester Medicine. 

As described in the feature stories in this issue, translational research 

is simultaneously one of the most challenging missions to achieve and 

a goal the University of Rochester is perhaps better prepared to meet 

than is any other medical center in the country. Consider our culture of 

collegiality among all the disciplines; our great tradition of translational 

research, from George Whipple’s pioneering work on anemia to David 

Smith’s development of the Hib vaccine; and the fact that from the 

Ambulatory Care Facility to Strong Memorial Hospital to the School of 

Medicine and Dentistry to the Kornberg Medical Research Building and 

its new extension now under construction, we are still under one roof, 

albeit a large one! 

This last feature is a rarity among medical schools that expect to 

have a nine-figure National Institutes of Health research budget this 

year, and we are looking for ever more creative ways to catalyze the free 

flow of ideas from bedside to bench and back to the bedside. 

This year in the education mission, we will be expanding our 

M.D./Ph.D. program to produce more professional translators, piloting 

new opportunities for graduate students to take pathophysiology in the 

Double Helix curriculum, and launching a required research project 

for medical students, so that our graduating physicians will be better at 

asking questions of their basic research colleagues. 

In the research mission, we have a budgetary incentive program for 

Medical Center and program project grants that bring disciplines 

together to solve basic research problems that might have clinical 

applications. We are beginning to organize new research groups around 

diseases (such as Parkinson’s) to stimulate translational interactions 

between the basic and clinical researchers who work in all the areas that 

relate to the same disease. And, we are also launching a new clinical 

pharmacology unit and a center to support clinical trials, so that 

discoveries coming out of all these creative interactions can be tested on 

patients right here in Rochester. 

We look forward to hearing from you, as always, with any ideas you 

would like to share. This is a vital time to be at the School of Medicine 

and Dentistry, and we hope you will come for a visit or at least send a 

letter or e-mail to stay in touch with us. 

Edward M. Hundert, M.D. 

Dean 

Deborah A. Cory-Slechta, Ph.D. 

Dean for Research 

4 ROCHESTER MEDICINE

CONTENTS 

ROCHESTER 

MEDICINE 

A message from the Deans 

FEATURES 

From Molecules to Cures: Translational Research Points Rochester in the Right Direction 6 

Training the Translators of Tomorrow: It’s All About Critical Thinking 9 

Collaboration by Design 10 

A Look at Four Rochester Translators: 11 

Arthur J. Moss, M.D.: A Long and Successful Journey to Understanding Long QT 11 

Richard Reichman, M.D.: Stopping Papillomavirus in Its Tracks 12 

Cargill Alleyne Jr., M.D.: From Lab to Operating Room in Search of Ways to Reduce the Effects of Stroke 13 

Dale Phelps, M.D.: One Pediatrician Searches for Ways to Improve Preemies’ Eyesight 14 

DEPARTMENTS 

Medical Center News 16 

School News 27 

Alumni News 32 

Class Notes 38 

In Memoriam 42 

Rochester Medicine is published by: 

The University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Public Relations and Communications, 

in conjunction with the Department of Medical Alumni Relations and Development 

Teri D’Agostino, Director of Public Relations and Communications 

Susan E. Fandel, Editor 

Christopher DiFrancesco and Tom Rickey, Contributing Writers 

Shirley D. Zimmer, Art Director 

Lori Farr and Vince Sullivan, Photographers 

Rita J. Ciarico, Editorial Assistant 

Christopher Raimy, Director of Development for Medical Alumni Programs 

For questions or comments, contact: 

Department of Alumni Relations and Development 

300 East River Road, Rochester, NY 14627 

1-800-333-4428 716-273-5954 Fax 716-461-2081 

E-mail address: alumni@urmc.rochester.edu 


T R A N S L A T I O N A L R E S E A R C H 

From Molecules to Cures: 

Translational Research Points Rochester 

in the Right Direction 

By Susan Fandel 

“To me it’s really all one thing. I’m in the 

lab. I’m back in the nursery. Something I see 

or learn in one place naturally leads me to 

the other. That is inescapably translational.” 

Dale L. Phelps, M.D., neonatologist 

Clinicians, basic researchers, and educators 

all share a core vision: improving human 

health. One of the most effective ways to reach 

that goal is through translational research, 

which in its broadest definition is the process of 

turning basic science discoveries into medically 

relevant solutions. At the University of 

Rochester Medical Center, there is a deep 

appreciation of the ways in which this facility is 

uniquely placed to succeed and lead in using 

translational research to reach that goal. 

Translational research is a complex process 

that ends in new methods of preventing and 

treating disease. Each step along the way to 

that end—from molecular biology and basic 

physiology to preclinical animal models to 

bedside solutions—can be considered a 

translation, and each investigator involved in 

that continuum a translator. Because of the 

complexity inherent in this method, every 

person involved may offer a somewhat different 

view on what exactly translational research 

is. And certainly, the way that the University 

of Rochester Medical Center looks at it may 

be vastly different from the way that other 

research institutions see and approach it. Each 

organization’s perspective on translational 

research reflects its individual personality, 

direction, and resources. 

The United States first shot to the forefront 

in medical research about fifty years ago when, 

following World War II, the federal government 

established significant funding for this work. 

At this point and for many years, there was 

a concentrated focus on the “physician 

investigator”—an academic physician who 

was responsible for both patient care and 

conducting basic research, most commonly 

looking at physiology through the use of 

laboratory animals. These individuals could 

move easily and naturally from the exam 

room to the lab, and back again. “They 

posed a triple threat,” says Arthur J. Moss, M.D. 

(R ’62), professor of medicine and director of 

the Heart Research Follow-Up program. “They 

could teach students, care for patients, and do 

research. This was the norm.” 

Supporting them in their efforts were 

investigator-initiated grants from the National 

Institutes of Health. The majority of these 

grants were awarded time and time again to 

single researchers. 

The late 1970s and 1980s saw the explosion 

of medical knowledge that continues today. 

Much of this was basic in orientation, dealing 

with molecular biology. The specificity of this 

field soon meant that it was no longer the clinicians—most 

of whom weren’t trained to do 

research in molecular biology—who 

were most active. Instead, the preponderance 

of key discoveries was being made by Ph.D.s. 

The emphasis on clinically oriented research 

lessened; the divide between clinical practice 

and basic research widened and an increasing 

number of medical professionals found themselves 

on one side or the other. The result: 

the last 10 years, in particular, have seen a 

precipitous decline in the number of physicianinitiated 

research grants awarded. 

“The physician investigator is becoming 

an endangered species,” says Dr. Moss. 

As medical research in the United States 

continues to be conducted at a fast and furious 

pace, there is an increasing need for people who 

possess the skills to translate vast amounts of 

basic science into therapies and treatments. 

The perfect candidates are the M.D./Ph.D.s. The 

School of Medicine and Dentistry recognizes 

that and is actively working to expand that 

program (see article on page 9). What has also 

come about is an increase in the number of 

collaborative projects wherein physicians 

and basic scientists share their expertise in 

their respective areas to eventually realize new 

therapeutic approaches. 

“A lot of people who are busy seeing patients 

aren’t going to know the basic science aspects 

it takes to make a discovery at the molecular 

level,” says Dale L. Phelps, M.D., professor of 

pediatrics and of ophthalmology at Children’s 

Hospital at Strong, (see p. 14). “Yet, those 

working in the labs aren’t seeing sick patients 

and seeing what’s wrong at that level. 

Where the translation comes is within the 

communication between the two groups. It 

happens in the coffee rooms, the lounges, the 

meeting rooms.” 

Certainly, clinicians are not the only ones 

who benefit from the exchange inherent to 



translational research. Basic scientists also see 

value added to their experiences when it comes 

to working with their colleagues on the clinical 

side. “While I don’t see patients, I still get a 

lot from going to grand rounds in neurology. 

I can still converse with a clinician, ask 

insightful questions and pull things that I can 

use from that,” says M. Kerry O’Banion, M.D., 

Ph.D., associate professor of neurobiology and 

of anatomy and neurology and co-director of 

the medical school’s M.D./Ph.D. program. 

Opportunities for cooperation and 

translational research abound at the Medical 

Center, nurtured by a pervasive atmosphere of 

support as well as a unique array of clinical 

and research facilities all under one roof 

(see story on page 10). “I think there’s very 

good integration here of clinical science and 

basic science,” says Richard Reichman, M.D., 

senior associate dean for clinical research and 

head of the Infectious Diseases Unit. “Certainly 

better than at most places. There is a lot of 

emphasis on collaboration. And I think that the 

structure of the Medical Center is purposefully 

aimed at conducting research that will have 

clinical impact.” 

That is no accident. The plan to boost 

the prominence of the Medical Center’s 

research programs included and resulted in the 

construction of the Arthur Kornberg Medical 

Research Building and a second research 

building, now under construction, that is 

dedicated to basic research in clinical departments. 

More than 100 researchers and 500 

technicians and support personnel are expected 

to work in those buildings. The University is 

making this 10-year, $550 million investment 

because it knows the value of medical research. 

“Dr. [Jay] Stein has made a huge difference,” 

says Dr. Reichman. “His emphasis on 

increasing the breadth and depth of basic 

research will be what in the end leads to more 

and more clinical answers.” 

The basic research being 

conducted in the Aab Institute of 

Biomedical Sciences will surely 

become the basis for numerous 

joint projects in Rochester. In 

fact, that work has already 

started in earnest. “We’re 

encouraging our faculty from 

across the Medical Center to 

collaborate with their newly 

recruited colleagues,” says 

Deborah Cory-Slechta, Ph.D., 

dean for research at the 

School of Medicine and 

Dentistry and director of the Aab 

Institute. “These synergistic 

collaborations offer the ability 

to maximize our research 

potential to a new level across 

the institution.” 

For example, researchers 

in the Center for Vaccine Biology 

and Immunology recently 

teamed up with colleagues in 

the Division of Infectious 

Diseases, the Department of 

Microbiology and Immunology, 

and the Department of Dermatology to 

devise a team research program aimed at 

understanding the body’s immune response 

to human papillomavirus, believed to 

cause nearly all cases of cervical cancer. 

Understanding the immunology of the disease, 

the researchers predict, will be a steppingstone 

to creating an effective vaccine or treatment for 

it. The group applied to the National Institutes 

of Health for a grant to fund the project, and 

was awarded $2.2 million—one of the largest 

research grants awarded to the Medical Center 

in 2000. 

“Much of what is taking place in research 

labs throughout the Medical Center is basic 

research that is driven by clinical questions,” 

says Edward M. Hundert, M.D., dean of the 

School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

A similar collaborative effort led to the 

Medical Center’s being chosen as one of four 

institutions nationwide to receive funding from 

the National Institute on Aging to establish a 



prestigious center that will focus on biological 

issues related to aging. The award, establishing 

a Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in Basic 

Biology of Aging, brings with it $2.5 million for 

the University during the next five years. The 

Center is headed by Howard Federoff, M.D., 

Ph.D., director of the Center on Aging and 

Development. Rochester scientists affiliated 

with the Shock Center are using a variety of 

sophisticated new methods to study the biology 

of aging. Among them are molecular and 

cellular imaging, which will take detailed 

“snapshots” of cells and allow researchers to 

understand the differences between healthy and 

sick cells, new DNA array techniques that allow 

scientists to study the functions of thousands of 

genes simultaneously, and new ways to deliver 

genes to cells or body organs. 

There are more than two dozen major 

research projects at the Medical Center 

looking at the basic biology of diseases like 

Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. At the same 

time, tens of thousands of patients turn to 

physicians at Strong Memorial Hospital each 

year for treatment as they age. The Shock 

Center will help bring those researchers and 

physicians together. 

It’s the recipe for success, says Dr. Moss. 

“This is what’s needed to make it work. You 

have to have basic scientists. You have to have 

doctors caring for patients. You have to have 

patients. Eventually you get to clinical trials, 

with investigation of the safety and efficacy of 

new therapy for patients,” he notes. 

Realizing in the last few years that this type 

of cooperation between investigators is what 

is urgently needed, the NIH is funding an 

increased number of multicentered, multiinvestigator 

research proposals. “Ultimately,” 

says Dr. Cory-Slechta, “that is the best way to 

build research grants.” 

Organizing research programs around 

diseases is one direction that Dr. Cory-Slechta 

and others hope will encourage and facilitate 

more translational research. “By building 

some programs based on diseases such as 

Parkinson’s, which we would like to do, you 

build a natural bridge between the molecular 

basics and the therapeutics,” she says. 

But Dr. Cory-Slechta admits there is a 

clear challenge in bringing together two very 

different cultures: the basic researchers and 

the clinicians. “In fairness, many medical 

centers and universities are struggling with 

this very question. Each group has unique 

responsibilities and obligations pulling them 

back in their own direction. But, when they 

do work together, it’s the best way to work,” 

she says. 

Dr. Hundert echoes those thoughts. “One of 

the goals of integrating the basic and clinical 

sciences across the two ‘strands’ of our Double 

Helix curriculum for the medical students is 

that the creation of this integrated curriculum 

requires the coming together of the basic and 

clinical faculty. As these relationships have been 

building around curricular redesign, we hope 

they will lead to new research collaborations. 

Rochester’s biopsychosocial model is itself a 

reflection of bridging from the molecular, 

cellular, and organism levels to the levels of 

patient, family and culture,” he says. 

Indeed, bridging basic and clinical is not 

new to Rochester. The Medical Center has a 

proud history of translational research. David 

Smith, M.D., was a physician who believed 

that the best research began at the bedside. A 

graduate of the School of Medicine and 

Dentistry, Dr. Smith returned to Rochester in 

1976. Together, he, Richard Insel, M.D., and 

Porter Anderson, Ph.D., and their research 

team worked tirelessly on a vaccine that would 

protect against Haemophilus influenzae 

type b, the cause of bacterial meningitis. By the 

early 1980s, the first Hib vaccine had been 

tested and licensed, and was being produced in 

a small laboratory within the medical school. 

The initial Hib vaccine was the first vaccine 

to be licensed in the United States in a decade. 

The second, a conjugate vaccine, was the first 

to be licensed for universal use with infants 

since the vaccine for measles and mumps. 

Today, the Hib vaccine is regarded as one of the 

medical success stories of the 20th century. 

Administered to all newborns in the United 

States, the vaccine has reduced the incidence of 

bacterial meningitis in children by 98 percent. 

Researchers here continue to refine this vaccine 

to further boost its effectiveness. 

Work is also underway on eight separate 

AIDS research projects, ranging from basic 

research into the pathology of the HIV virus to 

the testing of potential AIDS vaccines. 

“Our goal here remains the same as it has 

always been, whether in our educational, 

clinical, or research mission,” says Dr. Hundert. 

“Translational research is one of the most 

important ways to achieve our end result— 

namely, making a difference in people’s lives 

by reducing the burden of human illness. That 

is what we are all about.” 



Training the Translators of Tomorrow: 

It’s All About Critical Thinking 


“Our goal is to provide from the Ph.D. 

side a training experience that is very 

practiced at using scientific methods. But 

we also want our students to be well 

prepared to take on the additional 

experience that comes with the M.D.— 

the humanistic side, the clinically 

perceptive side.” 

M. Kerry O’Banion, M.D., Ph.D. 

As translational research grows in 

importance in the American medical 

community, so too does the need for 

translators—people who know how to 

turn basic research discoveries into medically 

relevant solutions and clinical experience 

into new scientific inquiry. These individuals 

may be clinicians who make it a practice to 

collaborate with pure researchers or scientists 

who seek to partner with doctors who care 

for patients—or they may be M.D./Ph.D.s 

who maintain a strong footing in both sides 

of the medical arena. The School of Medicine 

and Dentistry M.D./Ph.D. program prepares 

both types of translators by providing them 

with rigorous training in research, basic and 

clinical medicine, and patient care. 

Most important, the program aims to 

graduate investigators who possess the 

keenest ability to think critically. “Physician 

scientists are definitely the best prepared to 

be translators. Though they may tend to lean 

one way or another in their careers—to the 

basic side or the clinical—they carry both of 

those pieces with them, which means they will 

look at things in ways differently than 

others might,” says M. Kerry O’Banion, M.D., 

Ph.D., co-director of the medical school’s 

M.D./Ph.D. program. 

“We want to teach them not only how to 

answer questions by giving them experiences 

that will lead them to those answers, but teach 

them also how to define the questions that are 

being asked,” says Dr. O’Banion. 

One way students gain this experience 

is by spending a half day every week 

Kerry O’Banion, M.D., Ph.D., advises Antonia 

Eyssallenne, an M.D./Ph.D. program trainee and 

second-year graduate student in the Department 

of Pathology. 

throughout their graduate training in 

clinic, an opportunity that Dr. O’Banion says 

“keeps them in touch with people.” 

This is clearly a benefit of Rochester’s 

program when it comes to translational 

research. “It’s so important to teach students 

that the information learned through basic 

science is directly applicable to patient care. 

They have to be knowledgeable. But they 

also need to see the clinical relevance,” 

says Arthur J. Moss, M.D. (R ’62), professor of 

medicine and director of the Heart Research 

Follow-Up program, and a long-time 

translational researcher. 

Third-year medical student in the 

M.D./Ph.D. program Nikolaus R. McFarland 

agrees. “The neat thing about the M.D./ 

Ph.D. is that we are exposed to both medicine 

and basic and clinical research, and get to 

see how research is translated into patient 

care,” he says. 

Douglas H. Turner, Ph.D. (left), discusses clinical 

mapping experiments that reveal the secondary 

structure of the RNA from a retrotransposable 

element with David Matthews, an M.D./Ph.D. 

program trainee. 

Another advantage of Rochester’s program 

is the opportunity that M.D./Ph.D. students 

are given to work with experts in The College 

on the University of Rochester’s River Campus. 

Students can tap into the knowledge of 

researchers in diverse disciplines, including 

such areas as biomedical engineering, 

biology, and chemistry. “That expertise is 

there for them to draw on at any point,” says 

Douglas H. Turner, Ph.D., co-director of the 

M.D./Ph.D. program. 

The program currently enrolls an average 

of three students each year. Beginning in the 

fall of 2001, the program will be expanded 

and will admit six students annually. The 

goal is to bring the program to the point 

where, at any given time, there are at least 

50 active students. 

As leaders throughout the Medical 

Center wrestle with the challenge of how to 

encourage more crossover from clinical 

to basic and back again, the M.D./Ph.D. 

program finds support through the National 

Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH’s Medical 

Scientist Training Program grant is highly 

competitive and is only for M.D./Ph.D. 

students. Designed to alleviate some of the 

financial obligations medical students 

typically face upon graduation, the grant 

allows physician investigators to focus on 

their work without necessarily having to 

go straight into clinical practice because of 

the need to repay loans. “At some point or 

another, virtually all of our students receive 

some assistance through this program,” says 

Dr. O’Banion. 

The expansion of the M.D./Ph.D. program 

reflects the growth in research overall that is 

taking place at the Medical Center and the 

commitment of the school to producing the 

nation’s leaders in biomedicine. 

“We want students in our program to 

realize that as physician investigators they 

may be the people who understand something 

that no one else has noticed before. This may 

happen through their basic research, or it 

may result from their being trained to listen 

well to what a patient is saying,” says Edward 

M. Hundert, M.D., dean of the School of 

Medicine and Dentistry. 



Collaboration by Design 

Again and again, one factor comes up as 

the University of Rochester’s most valuable 

secret weapon when it comes to translational 

research: the way that facilities are designed. 

The Medical Center is one of the few 

institutions in the United States to have 

everything needed for this type of research 

contained under one roof. 

“You can walk from the Ambulatory Care 

Facility to Strong Memorial Hospital through 

the medical school and down to the new 

medical research buildings all by going down 

one hallway. In that single walk, you have 

spanned the bench-to-bedside spectrum,” says 

Edward M. Hundert, M.D., dean of the School 

of Medicine and Dentistry. 

When the second research building is 

completed, the Medical Center will encompass 

4.45 million square feet of space dedicated 

to medical research, training, education, 

and patient care. Within that space, the 

communication and collaboration that is at 

the core of translational research flourishes. 

Though the Medical Center is not as 

large as some other research and educational 

institutions, in many ways its smaller size 

is a plus. “Quite honestly, it’s just easier to 

hold meetings, interact with colleagues, 

design studies, and carry out data analysis 

in the Rochester environment,” says 

Arthur J. Moss, M.D. (R ’62), professor of 


Follow-Up program. 

Though Dr. Moss admits that at times 

the entire expertise needed for a project may 

not be available—“We can conduct 90 

percent of the research here and do the other 

10 percent elsewhere,” he says—he and 

most translational researchers find that the 

size and scope of the Medical Center are ideal 

for their needs. 

“I think one of the reasons we have the 

positive interaction across the board between 

clinicians and basic scientists is because of 

our size,” says Richard Reichman, M.D., 

senior associate dean for clinical research 

and head of the Infectious Diseases Unit. 

“We are just big enough that most of the 

things we need are here. That is certainly 

one of Rochester’s strengths.” 



A Long and Successful Journey to 

Understanding Long QT 

By Christopher DiFrancesco 

The path to new medical treatments often 

goes full circle. Puzzling observations 

made at the patient’s bedside become research 

questions in the lab; the research may 

lead to a better understanding of the patient’s 

condition, resulting in new treatments that 

are brought back to the bedside. 

Traveling that circuit from bedside to 

lab and back again has been a 30-year 

journey for cardiologist and researcher 

Arthur J. Moss, M.D. (R’62), professor of 


Follow-Up program. 

Dr. Moss’s journey began at the bedside. 

After graduating from Harvard Medical 

School, he came to the University of Rochester 

in the 1960s to complete his residency 

in internal medicine and a fellowship in 

cardiology. Afterward, he joined the faculty 

and, as a young cardiologist, encountered a 

clinical mystery that would alter the course 

of his career. 

Dr. Moss was asked to examine a woman 

in her 30s who had suddenly and briefly 

fallen unconscious several times. An EKG on 

the otherwise healthy and active woman 

revealed something unusual in her heart 

rhythm, and Dr. Moss admitted her to Strong 

Memorial Hospital for tests. While she was in 

the hospital, she suddenly fell unconscious 

once again, and this time quickly lapsed into 

cardiac arrest. Dr. Moss resuscitated her. 

During the woman’s hospitalization, 

Dr. Moss narrowed the cause of her problem 

to a mysterious glitch in her heart’s electrical 

system. He prescribed medications, but they 

proved to be of little help. Ultimately, he 

recommended a radical surgical procedure to 

sever the stimulatory sympathetic nerves from 

the brain to the heart. The surgery worked, 

and the problem vanished. The woman, now 

in her mid-60s, has had no recurrence. 

At that time, Dr. Moss began studying the 

disorder, now known as Long QT syndrome. 

He has since become the world’s leading expert 

on the condition, conducting more than 50 

research studies and, in the past decade, 

pioneering the use of beta blocker drugs and 

implantable defibrillators in children and 

young adults who suffer from the syndrome. 

Perhaps Dr. Moss’s most important 

contributions to the understanding of the 

disorder came more recently. In the 1990s, 

he assembled a team of basic scientists, who 

studied its genetic basis. Long QT syndrome 

stems from genetically caused defects in the 

thousands of tiny channels in the heart 

muscle that allow electrically charged ions to 

flow in and out of cells. Patients with these 

genetically defective channels can experience 

sudden episodes in which the heart muscle 

becomes unable to contract and pump blood 

effectively due to a chaotic heart rhythm. If the 

dangerous heart rhythm lasts for only a few 

seconds, the patient may pass out momentarily 

and will regain consciousness once the heartbeat 

resumes. But if the chaotic rhythm 

lasts for 30 seconds or longer, the episode is 

almost certain to be fatal. 

Three years ago, Dr. Moss and his team 

identified three genes that are responsible 

for some of the ion-channel defects that 

result in Long QT syndrome. In the past 

six months they identified two more genes 

involved in the disorder; the findings have 

led to the development of genetic tests for the 

Long QT syndrome. Researchers in Rochester 

and elsewhere are working to develop drugs 

and gene-specific therapies to effectively treat 

the disorder. 

“The contributions made by Dr. Moss 

during the past three decades have helped to 

save the lives of tens of thousands of people,” 

says David Cannom, M.D., a cardiologist at 

the University of California at Los Angeles 

and an international authority in electrical 

disorders of the heart. “In addition, he has 

given us a better understanding of several 

disorders that will contribute to even 

greater medical advances in the years and 

decades ahead.” 

Arthur J. Moss, M.D. (R ’62), talks with patient Christine Ritzenthaler about Long QT syndrome, which he has been 

studying since the 1960s. 


Richard Reichman, M.D. 

Stopping Papillomavirus in Its Tracks 

By Tom Rickey 

The study of sexually transmitted diseases 

usually doesn’t hold a lot of glory for 

researchers. But in the world of infectious 

disease, several University of Rochester 

scientists are VIPs, thanks to some VLPs, or 

virus-like particles. 

Richard Reichman, M.D., senior associate 

dean for clinical research and head of the 

Infectious Diseases Unit, is part of a team 

of physicians and scientists that developed 

one of the first vaccines against human 

papillomavirus (HPV), the most common 

sexually transmitted viral disease in the United 

States. The vaccine sailed through Phase I 

clinical trials, proving safe and provoking an 

immune response, and is now in Phase II. 

The road from basic science to clinical 

relevance has been filled with both difficulty 

and promise. Finding a company interested 

in the technology and willing to make the 

necessary investment, preparing patent papers, 

drawing up claims, designing clinical trials, 

making sure the product is manufactured 

correctly—those are just a few of the tasks 

taken on by Dr. Reichman and colleagues 

Robert C. Rose, Ph.D., and William Bonnez, 

M.D., both of whom work in the Infectious 

Diseases Unit. 

It was soon after arriving at the University 

in 1982, fresh from the University of Vermont 

and after several years in research at the 

National Institutes of Health, that Dr. 

Reichman began studying HPV in earnest. 

12 ROCHESTER MEDICINE 

Viral sexually transmitted diseases is his forte; 

he had studied herpes, and heads one of 32 

AIDS clinical trials units around the nation. 

Dr. Reichman was attracted to HPV partly 

by the challenge it poses. “It’s a majorleague 

pathogen that causes an extremely 

common disease, and it’s associated with 

malignancies. There’s no good therapy, and 

no good prevention against HPV,” he says. 

Physicians estimate that as many as 40 

million people in the United States carry HPV, 

which causes recurring warts of the genitals 

and nearly all cases of cervical cancer in 

women. HPV actually includes a family of 

more than 100 closely related viruses. Most 

are harmless and give rise to such nuisances 

as warts on the hands or plantar warts on the 

feet, but as many as 30 infect the genital tract, 

causing warts that are painful, difficult to 

treat, and often recurring. A handful cause 

nearly all of the hundreds of thousands of 

cases of cervical cancer in women worldwide 

every year, including 15,000 in the United 

States. In a small percentage of men, HPV 

infections cause penile cancer. 

“In some age groups, such as young men 

and women who are sexually active, two of 

every five people are infected with HPV,” 

Dr. Reichman says. “In some areas of the 

developing world, cervical cancer caused by 

the infection is the leading cause of death 

by cancer in women.” 

If it proves effective, the Rochester vaccine 

would be one of the first vaccines to actually 

prevent cancer from occurring, by preventing 

the underlying cause, HPV. The key to the 

vaccine is a genetic technology designed to 

trigger an immune response. The Rochester 

team cloned the gene that codes for the virus’s 

protein coat, or capsid, producing VLPs whose 

shape exactly mimics the shape of HPV. Then 

the team turned to a cell line derived from 

silkworms to grow large amounts of VLPs. 

After the basic laboratory research, a 

series of animal experiments confirmed 

that the VLPs held promise. The University 

filed for a patent on the technology, 

searched for interest in the pharmaceutical 

community, and eventually licensed it to 

a biotechnology company, MedImmune 

Inc. That company sponsored the Phase 

I trial which demonstrated that the 

vaccine is safe and provokes an immune 

response. MedImmune then sold the rights 

to SmithKlineBeecham, now part of 

GlaxoSmithKline. 

The technology is under development. 

Glaxo is conducting the Phase II trials, 

establishing doses and checking for side 

effects. Meanwhile, the U. S. patent office is 

weighing the University’s patent application, 

along with applications from three other 

research groups. Dr. Reichman and his 

colleagues are awaiting that decision and 

monitoring the vaccine’s progress through 

the research process. 

“The work has been immensely rewarding, 

and it’s gratifying to know that this project 

has been pursued so far. But it can be a source 

of regret that at this point in development 

the project is in other hands and out of our 

control,” he says. 

While GlaxoSmithKline tests the vaccine, 

Dr. Reichman and colleagues continue to 

evaluate different formulations to protect 

against as many types of HPV as possible; 

Robert Rose, for example, is also working 

with Cornell researchers to eventually 

provide the vaccine in edible form. The team 

inserted the gene for VLPs into tomatoes, 

then fed the leaves to mice and found 

evidence of an immune response. They 

hope the work could result in an edible 

HPV vaccine that could be made available 

throughout the world via plants like tomatoes, 

potatoes, or bananas.


From Lab to Operating Room in Search of 

Ways to Reduce the Effects of Stroke 

By Tom Rickey 

Every minute spent in the laboratory now 

could mean a world of difference for countless 

victims of stroke decades from now. That’s 

the view of Cargill Alleyne Jr., M.D., a young 

neurosurgeon determined to establish a 

thriving research program in a specialty where 

clinical demands often override basic research. 

Dr. Alleyne is working with researchers 

Berislav Zlokovic, M.D., Ph.D., a researcher 

in the Center for Aging and Developmental 

Biology, part of the Aab Institute of 

Biomedical Sciences, and Howard 

Federoff, M.D., Ph.D., director of the 

Center on Aging and Development, to 

ultimately reduce the effects of stroke, 

which is the leading cause of disability 

in the United States. Approximately 

700,000 people each year suffer a stroke, 

and about three million Americans are 

disabled by it. 

“Stroke is a heavy hitter in terms 

of work loss,” says Dr. Alleyne, an 

assistant professor in the Department 

of Neurological Surgery. “If we can 

develop a tool that can be applied in 

stroke patients down the road, that 

will have a huge effect. With stroke, 

we’re just starting to scratch the surface 

in terms of treatment.” 

Neurosurgeons, neurologists, and 

vascular surgeons use a variety of options 

to prevent strokes or limit their effects. But 

while clot-busting drugs like TPA have gotten 

a lot of press, only 4 percent of stroke victims 

make it to the hospital in time and are eligible 

for the treatment. Dr. Alleyne seeks to help the 

other 96 percent, most of whom will suffer 

impairments ranging from a slight limp to 

slurred speech to paralysis or worse. 

Dr. Alleyne’s research focuses on several 

factors that appear to hinder the molecular 

cascade of events that occurs when brain cells 

are deprived of oxygen. The brain is an energy 

hog that uses about 15 percent of the body’s 

blood flow even though it makes up only 

about 2 percent of the body’s weight. Without 

new blood and the nutrients and energy it 

provides, cells begin dying within minutes: 

calcium levels rise, cells misfire, free radicals 

build up and create a toxic environment, 

proteins unravel, and some cells go into 

programmed cell death. The downward 

spiral begins immediately in the core area 

of the brain where the stroke is centered, 

but it can last for days in the “penumbra” 

surrounding the core. 

Cargill Alleyne Jr., M.D. 

It’s this environment that Dr. Alleyne 

and his colleagues seek to alter. They’re 

investigating several compounds that have 

been shown to either protect cells that have 

been stressed by lack of blood, such as 

protein S or its cousin, activated protein C, 

or that are known to spur new blood-vessel 

growth, such as various angiogenic factors. 

Perhaps cells can be protected for the days 

or weeks until new blood vessels can resupply 

the damaged tissue. 

Victims of stroke are just one type of 

patients who appear on Dr. Alleyne’s doorstep. 

As chief of the Division of Stroke and 

Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery, he sees a 

gamut of cases: ruptured aneurysms, 

arteriovenous malformations, brain tumors, 

trauma cases, brain hemorrhages, and 

ruptured discs and other spinal cases. 

Dr. Alleyne, who also serves as residency 

program director for the Department of 

Neurological Surgery, is complementing 

his surgical skills with techniques in 

interventional neuroradiology, completing a 

fellowship with Yuji Numaguchi, M.D., Ph.D. 

It’s the second fellowship in three years for Dr. 

Alleyne, who spent 1998-1999 on fellowship 

at the Barrow Neurological Institute in 

Arizona, working with Robert Spetzler, M.D., 

a renowned neurovascular surgeon. 

He has also produced an impressive 

stream of book chapters and research 

publications since graduating from Yale 

Medical School and doing his residency 

at Emory University. 

The pace is challenging. One 

morning Dr. Alleyne might be performing 

brain surgery on a patient who has just 

suffered a ruptured aneurysm or another 

grave brain injury, and that afternoon 

he might use those same expert skills 

to operate on a mouse, as part of a study 

to monitor the effects of stroke. 

“Patient care doesn’t stop when 

you enter the lab. You can’t just turn 

your beeper over to someone else. They 

are your patients,” he says. 

Despite the difficulties, Dr. Alleyne is 

determined to launch his own research 

program as he establishes himself 

at an institution with a long and proud 

history of excellence in neurology and 

neurosurgery. He points to a handful of 

neurosurgeons nationwide who have thriving 

research programs. “It’s a lofty goal, to try to 

make one’s mark on the specialty by tackling 

difficult problems in the laboratory and 

coming up with some answers. In the long 

run, that would benefit patients. Now is 

the time to establish a research program, 

before the demands of my profession become 

overwhelming and I’m in the operating room 

100 percent of my time.” 


Summer Farmen holds her son Jackson, who was born at 24 weeks gestation, as she talks with Dale L. Phelps, M.D., 

a neonatologist at Strong Memorial Hospital. 

One Pediatrician Searches for 

Ways to Improve Preemies’ Eyesight 


Imagine someone holding a mixing bowl 

in front of you so that you are staring into the 

bowl. A single layer of plastic wrap lines the 

inside of that bowl. Now, on top of that plastic 

wrap, filling the inside of the bowl, is gelatin 

that hasn’t quite solidified. This is how Dale L. 

Phelps, M.D., professor of pediatrics and of 

ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital at 

Strong, describes the interior of the eye. In a 

healthy baby born at term, the blood vessels in 

the eye grow within the plastic wrap, which 

represents the retina. They grow out from the 

bottom of the bowl all the way to the very 

edges of the rim. This growth, which begins at 

about 16 weeks’ gestation, continues until the 

time of birth, which is at 40 weeks. The last 12 

weeks of a full-term pregnancy is particularly 

active for the growth of the fetal eye’s retinal 

blood vessels. 

But sometimes in a premature baby, 

retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) occurs. In 

this eye disorder, the vessels have grown only 

part way out when the pre-term birth occurs. 

The birth stops the vessels for a time, and then 

they begin to grow again, but abnormally. If 

they get badly out of control, they grow into 

the center of that mixing bowl—into the soft 

gelatin. This abnormal, excess growth results 

in scarring and bleeding. The vessels, looking 


for something to hold onto inside of that 

gelatin, begin to contract. If they pull hard 

enough, they can detach the retina, which 

means vision loss for these tiny babies. 

ROP develops in about 14,000 to 16,000 

infants each year who weigh less than two 

pounds at birth. In about 80 percent of cases, 

the condition improves and leaves no 

permanent damage. Annually, however, 

1,100 to 1,500 infants develop ROP that is 

severe enough to require surgical treatment. 

Dr. Phelps has been focusing her research 

both clinically and in the lab on this disorder 

since 1974, when she first became interested 

in it. Since then, she has investigated methods 

of preventing ROP with antioxidants, treating 

it with cryotherapy or oxygen in randomized, 

controlled, multicenter clinical trials, and 

examined basic mechanisms at work in the 

growth of blood vessels that are affected in this 

disorder. In February 2000, the results of a 

study that Dr. Phelps chaired were published 

in the journal Pediatrics. This six-year clinical 

trial determined that while supplemental 

oxygen given to infants with moderate cases of 

ROP may not significantly improve ROP, it 

definitely did not make it worse. The study 

results are important because clinicians have 

tended to restrict supplemental oxygen to 

premature infants to protect their eyes during 

their entire hospitalization. This study showed 

that once ROP has developed, supplemental 

oxygen does not need to be so restricted. 

Dr. Phelps is keenly interested in research 

that will explain exactly how blood vessels 

in the eyes grow. “In the lab, we try to 

understand blood-vessel growth in the 

normal, healthy eye, so that we can then see 

if some of the same mechanisms, or other 

mechanisms entirely, are exaggerated in a 

diseased eye,” she says. When Dr. Phelps 

arrived at Children’s Hospital at Strong in 

1984, much of her lab work consisted of 

stimulating and retarding growth of these 

blood vessels. This work soon led to a clinical 

trial. “I couldn’t manage both a multicenter 

clinical trial and be in the lab,” she says— 

and thus came one of the many moves that 

Dr. Phelps made from the lab to the Neonatal 

Intensive Care Unit and back again. 

“To me it’s really all one thing. I’m in the 

lab. I’m back in the nursery. Something I see 

or learn in one place naturally leads me to the 

other. That is inescapably translational,” she 

says. “I think it’s an incredibly important role 

for me and for other pediatricians here at 

Strong to play. We have the opportunities to 

care for sick children and see what’s wrong. 

But we also have the chance to work alongside 

those in the labs, who can tell you about the 

trends that they are seeing. If we were only in 

private practice, we would miss this wonderful 

opportunity to stimulate and guide people in 

the labs toward clinical solutions or recognize 

when some lab discovery has a previously 

unsuspected clinical application.” 

Dr. Phelps is involved in a 26-center, 

randomized nationwide clinical trial that 

examines the outcomes of surgically treating 

ROP at different times. This study looks at 

whether conducting surgery before it reaches 

the degree of severity where surgery becomes 

inevitable improves the condition of the eye in 

the long run. The study began in October 

2000 and is projected to run for two years. 

“What an academic medical center is, 

what we have here, is the right thing,” says Dr. 

Phelps. “You’re a doctor part time. You’re a 

researcher part time. And you collaborate all 

the time. The answers we are seeking are in 

the communication process. They will come 

out of groups.”


the Clinical Trials Office at Loyola University 

Medical Center, where Protecting Study 

Volunteers in Research is being used to meet 

the new training requirement. “I was trying to 

set up a training program last year and was 

going to develop our own. But in looking 

through the manual, I found that it answered 

all of the questions that I would ask. It’s very 

concise and engaging, especially the historic 

perspective on clinical trials,” she says. 

Dr. Dunn is very pleased at the overwhelmingly 

favorable reaction to the book. “We’re 

really proud of the manual and of the fact 

that it has established a new standard for 

clinical research,” she says. 

Cynthia McGuire Dunn, M.D. (M ’85, R ’88), and Gary Chadwick, Pharm.D., M.P.H. 

Research Guide by Two URMC Faculty 

Sets a National Standard 

In October 1999, Cynthia McGuire Dunn, 

M.D. (M ’85, R ’88), and Gary Chadwick, 

Pharm.D., M.P.H., published Protecting Study 

Volunteers in Research: A Manual for 

Investigative Sites. As of February 2001, more 

than 75,000 copies of the book have been 

purchased, generating nearly $1 million in 

sales, with all royalties from sales of the book 

going to the University for the development 

of more clinical research education material. 

With the federal government in June 2000 

mandating training for all investigators 

receiving National Institutes of Health 

funding, the book has become a favorite 

among academic researchers (see chart). 

The 234-page manual is 

intended to aid clinical 

research professionals in 

understanding regulatory 

requirements for human 

subject protections and 

the ethical principles 

upon which they are 

based, and help them to 

provide the highest 

standards of safety and 

ethical treatment for study volunteers. 

The manual was developed as part of the 

University of Rochester Medical Center’s own 

mandatory training program for researchers. 

“We were out there doing this before it 

was required because we felt it was the right 

thing to do,” says Dr. Dunn, director of the 

Clinical Research Institute and assistant 

professor of medicine. 

Dr. Chadwick, executive director of the 

Research Subjects Review Board Office and a 

clinical associate professor in the Division of 

Medical Humanities, and Dr. Dunn worked 

with numerous people at the Medical Center 

as well as an advisory committee to create a 

program that was practical, easy to use, and 

pertinent. It would seem they accomplished 

just that based on sales of the book, the 

positive reaction from those directing research 

programs at other universities, and the fact 

that the federal government, in mandating 

training on the topic, cited the manual 

as an excellent resource and a way to fulfill 

training requirements. 

Kathleen Mullane, D.O., Pharm.D., is an 

assistant professor of medicine and director of 

Top 25 University Purchasers of 

Protecting Study Volunteers in Research: 

A Manual for Investigative Sites 

PURCHASER 

# OF COPIES 

Cornell University 2000 

Mount Sinai School of Medicine 2000 

Case Western Reserve University 1519 

Virginia Commonwealth University 1500 

Emory University 1000 

University of Rochester Medical Center 1000 

St. Louis University 710 

University of Colorado HSC Warehouse 603 

Albert Einstein College of Medicine 551 

Loyola University Medical Center 501 

University of Maryland Baltimore 500 

University of Arizona 500 

Georgia Tech 370 

Brown University 302 

New York Medical College 281 

University of Oklahoma 

Health Science Center 253 

Princeton University 230 

Abbott Northwestern University 202 

Rockefeller University 195 

University of Buffalo 170 

Albany Medical College 160 

Medical College of Georgia 100 

University of Michigan 100 

Johns Hopkins University 80 

Columbia University 77 


M E D I C A L C E N T E R N E W S 

Medical Center Posts Record 

Growth in Research Funding 

As funding leaps 18 percent, the 

Medical Center sees its strategy 

begin to pay off 

In a clear sign of success for the strategy 

to bolster its medical research programs, 

the University of Rochester Medical Center 

has posted a record 18 percent increase in 

research funding from the National Institutes 

of Health. The Medical Center received 

research grants totaling $89.9 million for the 

fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2000, up from 

$76.1 million the previous year. 

This 18 percent funding increase more 

than triples the 5.4 percent increase achieved 

last year, and represents the largest funding 

boost at the Medical Center in two decades. 

“We’re absolutely delighted by this news,” 

says Jay H. Stein, M.D., senior vice president 

and vice provost for health affairs and 

Medical Center and Strong Health CEO. 

“This funding increase is the strongest 

indication yet that the efforts we’ve 

undertaken to strengthen the research 

program are working.” 

Four years ago Dr. Stein led a task force 

of more than 100 faculty members and 

administrators that developed a plan to boost 

the prominence of the Medical Center’s 

research programs. Their proposal called for 

the construction of new, state-of-the-art 

research facilities and an international 

recruitment effort to attract top research 

scientists to Rochester. In June 1999, the first 

new research facility, the Arthur Kornberg 

Medical Research Building, was completed; in 

June 2000, crews broke ground on a second 

research facility adjacent to it. In total, more 

than 100 researchers and 500 technicians and 

support personnel will be hired to work in the 

new facilities in the largest recruitment effort 

at the Medical Center since the School of 

Medicine and Dentistry was founded in 1924. 

More than 50 scientists have been recruited so 

far. The University’s Board of Trustees has 

approved plans to spend $550 million over a 

10-year period on the construction and 

recruitment efforts. 

A key objective of the strategy is to bolster 

the Medical Center’s research program in its 

entirety—that is, to foster growth in selected 

areas while boosting the quality of research 

being conducted throughout the institution. 

This year’s NIH funding results indicate 

that that goal is being realized. Of the 

$13.8 million in new research funding this 

year, about half of it was awarded to “new 

recruits”—researchers in the new facility— 

and about half was awarded to faculty 

throughout the Medical Center. 

Strong Health Launches 20-Year 

Effort to Help Make Rochester 

America’s Healthiest Community 

In October 2000, Strong Health 

announced the launch of Project Believe, 

a 20-year initiative to help make Rochester 

the healthiest community in the nation by 

the year 2020. 

Project Believe will effectively partner 

Strong Health with schools, employers, 

churches, and other organizations to provide 

information about healthful lifestyles 

and develop ways to interrupt cycles of illness 

and injury. 

Anything’s possible. 

STRONG 

HEALTH 



Consumers will be able to access free 

health screenings and education classes, 

Web-based health risk assessments, and 

other community outreach activities. In 

addition, for each of the next 20 years, 

Strong Health will introduce at least one 

new project to improve community health 

status, working from public health priorities 

established through Monroe County’s 

HealthAction initiative. 

“Project Believe is our commitment to use 

Strong’s leadership position and resources to 

make a major improvement in the health of 

everyone in our community,” says Jay H. Stein, 

M.D., senior vice president and vice provost for 

health affairs and Medical Center and Strong 

Health CEO. “This is the right thing to do, 

both in terms of quality of life and as the only 

ethical and sustainable way to temper the rise 

of health care costs.” 

Health promotion experts have long 

understood the potential of preventive 

medicine to lower costs. A recent national 

study by the health information company, 

The Medstat Group, estimates that about 

25 percent of our nation’s health care costs 

(some $250 billion a year) is spent on 

medical care for unhealthy habits and other 

modifiable health risks. 

“There is a tremendous opportunity to 

make a real and positive impact by instilling, 

promoting, and supporting sound health 

habits. Through Project Believe, Strong Health 

and the Medical Center will concentrate on 

making improvements in areas in which we 

can make a measurable and sustainable 

improvement,” says Lowell Goldsmith, M.D., 

dean emeritus at the University of Rochester 

School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

“We’re interested in building on many of 

the programs we already have in place—such 

as programs to help chronically ill children— 

well as launching new projects that have the 

potential to make a real difference for people, 

in areas such as hypertension and depression,” 

Dr. Goldsmith says. 

ENT Clinic Named in Honor and 

Memory of Its First Chair 

The outpatient ear, nose, and throat clinic 

at the University of Rochester Medical Center 

has been named the Clyde Alexander Heatly, 

M.D., Outpatient Clinic in recognition of the 

physician who established the Medical Center’s 

otolaryngology service and physician training 

program 75 years ago. He died in January 

(see obituary on page 42). 

Dr. Heatly was recruited from Johns 

Hopkins in 1926 to develop a Division of 

Otolarygology, commonly referred to today as 

the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialty; he 

also developed a residency program to train 

physicians in the specialty. Dr. Heatly chaired 

the division for 36 years, during which new 

medications and technologies led to great 

advancements in the treatment of sinus 

disease and other disorders involving the 

head and neck. 

To honor Dr. Heatly and express gratitude 

for his generous gift to the Division of 

Otolaryngology, the Medical Center renamed 

its ENT clinic, which serves 18,000 patients 

annually. The clinic provides general ENT 

services as well as tertiary care for patients 

with head and neck cancer, hearing and 

speech problems, pediatric airway problems, 

and cosmetic and reconstructive needs. 

“Clyde developed an early awareness 

of our specialty in this community, and 

laid the foundation for modern care of 

ear diseases and problems related to the 

airway,” said Arthur S. Hengerer, M.D., 

professor and current chair of the Division 

of Otolaryngology. 

“Dr. Heatly had special interest in issues 

concerning the larynx and airway and was 

gifted with significant technical skills which 

were essential to the practice at that time 

since so many procedures were done by 

‘feel,’ without the imaging technology 

we have today,” Dr. Hengerer noted. “He 

practiced in an era before antibiotics, when 

emergency surgery was often the treatment 

for mastoid and sinus problems. The practice 

of ENT has changed significantly with 

antibiotics and technologies such as lasers 

for surgery. Such developments allow 

physicians to perform significantly advanced 

surgeries of the ear, head, and neck with 

complex reconstruction.” 

Strong Memorial 

Chosen as Rochester’s 

Most Preferred Hospital 

Strong Wins NRC’s 2000 

Consumer Choice Award 

Strong Memorial Hospital in October 2000 

won the National Research Corporation’s 

(NRC) Consumer Choice Award. The annual 

award is based on the perceptions of 500 

Rochester-area residents regarding multiple 

quality and image ratings, which are 

collected in the company’s annual Healthcare 

Market Guide. Strong Memorial Hospital has 

consistently won the award all five years since 

its inception. 

“We are delighted that Strong Memorial 

Hospital has again been recognized as 

Rochester’s most preferred hospital,” said 

Robert Panzer, M.D., chief quality officer of 

Strong Health. “This recognition reflects the 

success of our staff in meeting the challenge 

of providing care that is patient centered, high 

quality, and cost effective.” 

Strong Memorial Hospital was among 122 

American hospitals in 100 markets to earn the 

Clyde Heatly, M.D. 



honor. In accepting the award, Strong 

Memorial Hospital CEO Steven I. Goldstein 

noted, “This award carries special significance 

because it is based on the experiences 

and impressions of our most important 

audience—our patients.” 

NRC specializes in measuring health care 

performance. Its 2000 Healthcare Market 

Guide is the largest and most comprehensive 

study of its kind in the nation. The company 

was the first to introduce performance 

norms to the health care industry and has 

conducted more satisfaction studies for health 

care organizations than any other firm. 

Construction Begins 

on New Outpatient 

Facility at 

Clinton Crossings 

Ground was officially broken in August 

2000 for Strong Health’s new two-story 

outpatient orthopaedic, imaging, and 

rehabilitation facility on the campus of 

Clinton Crossings in Rochester. The 

construction of this 106,000-square-foot, 

state-of-the-art facility will mean higher 

standards in outpatient care, the convenience 

of one-stop shopping for patients, ease 

of parking, and the necessary space to 

accommodate Strong Health’s growing 

patient population. 

The new facility will be home to a number 

of programs, including: all of Strong’s outpatient 

orthopaedic services, University Sports 

Medicine, hand rehabilitation, the Orthotics 

and Prosthetics Clinic, occupational and 

physical therapy, a portion of the Department 

of Radiology, and University Medical Imaging. 

The anticipated completion date is fall 2001. 


Immunologist Named Director of 

Center for Human Genetics and 

Molecular Pediatric Disease 

Richard A. Insel, M.D., has been appointed 

director of the Center for Human Genetics and 

Molecular Pediatric Disease at the University 

of Rochester. The research center is part of the 

Aab Institute of Biomedical Sciences. 

Dr. Insel will lead a team of 12 scientists 

who will study a variety of diseases that are 

caused by damaged genes, with a special 

focus on diseases that affect children, 

such as birth defects, asthma, cystic fibrosis, 

and diabetes. 

“More than 30 percent of children who 

are admitted to hospitals are suffering from 

diseases that have genetic roots,” says Dr. 

The facility, which will house over 200 

physicians, therapists, technicians, and 

support staff, expects more than 121,000 

patient visits a year. With its impressive size 

and comprehensive range of services, it is the 

largest off-campus project the University has 

ever undertaken. The initiative represents 

Strong Health’s quest to provide its patients 

with the highest quality and most convenient 

health care. 

“With our expanding patient population, 

the need to bring these many services together 

at one location became increasingly evident,” 

said Jay H. Stein, M.D., senior vice president 

and vice provost for health affairs and 

Medical Center and Strong Health CEO. “This 

facility will set a new standard for outpatient 

services in Rochester and will make us better 

equipped to deliver the best possible health 

care to our patients.” 

Richard A. Insel, M.D. 

Insel. “We’re entering a new era of medicine 

in which understanding the genetic causes of 

diseases will lead to remarkable advances in 

medical care. By establishing this new 

research center, the University of Rochester 

is making a commitment to be at the very 

forefront of medical science and health care.” 

In addition to studying childhood diseases, 

researchers in the Center for Human Genetics 

and Molecular Pediatric Disease will also 

collaborate with research teams throughout 

the Medical Center that are studying the 

genetic basis of adult diseases such as heart 

disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. 

Dr. Insel was selected for the post after an 

extensive national search in which more 

than 50 candidates were considered. “This is a 

key leadership position that calls for a skilled 

scientist with innovative ideas and the ability 

to foster collaborations with scientists across 

the instutition. It became clear to us during 

the search that the candidate who best met 

those criteria was right here in the Medical 

Center,” said Jay H. Stein, M.D., senior vice 

president and vice provost for health affairs 

and Medical Center and Strong Health CEO. 

Dr. Insel, a pediatric immunologist, has 

served as director of the Strong Children’s 

Research Center since 1993. He joined the 

University in 1977 after serving for two years 

as a researcher at the Centers for Disease 

Control in Atlanta, and completing fellowships 

in immunology and pediatric research at 

Harvard Medical School. 

He was one of three University of 

Rochester researchers who, in the early 

1980s, developed the vaccine that has 

virtually wiped out Haemophilus influenzae 

type b, the organism that is a leading cause of 

meningitis in preschoolers.


Elizabeth McAnarney, M.D. 

Child-Health Advocate Named to 

Prestigious Institute of Medicine 

Elizabeth McAnarney, M.D., pediatricianin-chief 

of Children’s Hospital at Strong, 

was chosen in October to join the National 

Academy of Sciences’ prestigious Institute 

of Medicine. 

Dr. McAnarney also serves as chair of the 

Department of Pediatrics at the Medical 

Center. She and Robert Haggerty, M.D., are the 

only department members to be so honored 

by the Institute of Medicine. Only 60 people 

were chosen this year, based on their major 

contributions to health and medicine, or to 

fields such as social and behavioral sciences, 

law, administration, and economics. 

“This is a tremendous honor for Dr. 

McAnarney, one that recognizes her 

achievements as a physician and as an 

investigator,” says Richard Insel, M.D., 

director of the Center for Human Genetics 

and Molecular Pediatric Disease at the 

Medical Center. “She will provide valuable 

expertise, particularily in advising 

on national policy.” 

The Institute of Medicine’s projects 

include studying the creation of a medical 

system to support long-duration space travel 

beyond Earth’s orbit, the development of new 

technologies for the early detection of breast 

cancer, and the safety and efficacy of the 

anthrax vaccine used by the U.S. military. 

This was the second major honor for Dr. 

McAnarney in 2000. She was also appointed to 

a four-year term on the U.S. Health Resources 

and Services Administration’s Advisory 

Committee on Infant Mortality. 

Nephrologist Named 

Vice Chair of Medicine at UR 

Daniel B. Ornt, M.D. (M ’76), has been 

named vice chair of the Department of 

Medicine at the University of Rochester 

Medical Center. 

As associate chair of medicine for the past 

two years, Ornt was instrumental in managing 

the administrative challenges facing the 

clinical operation of the department. He also 

has become the key person responsible for 

hospital as well as faculty practice matters. 

“As we move forward in this dynamic 

clinical arena, we anticipate Dr. Ornt’s role 

as vice chair of medicine will continue 

to be critical to our success,” says Bradford C. 

Berk, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department 

of Medicine, director of the Center for 

Cardiovascular Research and chief of 

cardiology at the Medical Center. 

Dr. Ornt’s expanded responsibilities will 

include establishing new practice models 

for the department and Strong Memorial 

Hospital, particularly those related to 

recruitment of new faculty, integration of 

community physicians and Strong Memorial 

Hospital physicians to provide optimal patient 

care, and implementation of critical care 

pathways and computer-based approaches to 

patient care. 

A nephrologist, Dr. Ornt has been a 

member of the Medical Center faculty for 

nine years. 

James E. Melvin, D.D.S., Ph.D., 

Named Acting Director of the 

Center for Oral Biology 

James E. Melvin, D.D.S., Ph.D., has been 

named acting director of the Center for Oral 

Biology in the Aab Institute of Biomedical 

Sciences at the Medical Center. 

Melvin, who earned his doctorate at 

the University of Rochester, will lead the 

interdisciplinary research teams that 

integrate and blend aspects of biochemistry, 

developmental biology, genetics, immunology, 

microbiology, physiology, pharmacology, 

and structural biology to explore important 

problems of craniofacial, dental, and 

oral biology. 

Daniel B. Ornt, M.D. (M ’76) 



William Bowen, D.D.S., Ph.D. (M.A.S. ’62) 

Dental Researcher William 

Bowen, D.D.S., Ph.D. 

(M.A.S. ’62), Honored 

A dental researcher at the University of 

Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry 

has joined an elite group by receiving the 

American Dental Association’s highest honor, 

the Gold Medal for Excellence. 

William Bowen, D.D.S., Ph.D. (M.A.S. ’62), 

Welcher Professor of Dentistry, became the 

sixth recipient of the prestigious Gold Medal 

in October. He received a medallion and 

$25,000 at the annual ADA Board of Trustees 

meeting. Given once every three years, the 

award is presented to an individual who has 

exhibited extraordinary scientific achievement 

and commitment to service in the profession. 

The recipient of many industry, academic, 

and government awards, Dr. Bowen is one of 

the world’s leading authorities on the causes 

and prevention of tooth decay. His discovery in 

1997 that prenatal exposure to lead makes 

rats more susceptible to cavities prompted 

further research by University of Rochester 

scientists. Ultimately, the research showed that 

lead exposure puts children and adults at risk 

of developing cavities. 

Dr. Bowen has carried out extensive studies 

on the interactions of bacteria and food 

that occur on the tooth surface, resulting in 

dental plaque formation. His research has 

also linked the treatment of heart disease 

and depression with tooth decay, by 

demonstrating that medications used for 

those conditions may inhibit the production 

of saliva, a natural shield against cavities. 

“Special care must be taken to observe 

the adverse effects of some prescription drugs 

on the teeth and gums, particularly in the 

elderly,’’ he says. “If neglected, they may have 

a devastating effect on oral health.’’ 

Dr. Bowen joined the University of 

Rochester from the National Institutes of 

Health in 1982, as chair of the Department 

of Dental Research. He also founded the 

Rochester Caries Research Center, one of 

the first centers in the nation to study tooth 

decay. In 1998, he received the University’s 

Kornberg Research Award for excellence in 

medical research. 

Dr. Bowen has served in numerous other 

top academic and government positions, 

including president of the International 

Association for Dental Research, and 

chair of the Food and Drug Administration’s 

subcommittee for dental products sold to 

the public. 

A native of Ireland, Dr. Bowen earned a 

dental degree at the National University of 

Ireland before coming to the University of 

Rochester for his master’s degree. He then 

earned a doctorate at the University of 

London. He has also received five honorary 

doctorates from universities throughout the 

world. Bowen is a member of the Institute of 

Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Irwin N. Frank, M.D. (M ’45) 

Irwin N. Frank, M.D. (M ’45), 

Elected President of American 

Urological Association 

Irwin N. Frank, M.D. (M ’45), professor 

of urology at the University of Rochester 

Medical Center, was installed as president of 

the American Urological Association (AUA) at 

the organization’s annual meeting in Atlanta 

in May 2000. 

With over 13,000 members worldwide, 

the American Urological Association is the 

largest and most prestigious medical 

organization in the world dedicated to 

improving the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, 

and management of genitourinary disorders. 

Dr. Frank earned his undergraduate 

degree from the University of Rochester and 

his M.D. from the University of Rochester 

School of Medicine and Dentistry. He 

completed a residency in urology at Strong 

Memorial Hospital. 

During his career, Dr. Frank has held 

numerous positions at the University of 


and Strong Memorial Hospital, including 

professor of urology, senior associate dean for 

clinical affairs, professor of health sciences, 

acting chair of urology, senior director, and 

medical director—a position he held for 10 

years while he continued his active clinical 

practice and teaching. 

He is a founding member and past 

president of the New York State Urological 

Society and a past president of the 

Northeastern Section of the AUA. He 

served as that section’s representative on the 

AUA Board of Directors from 1987 to 1995. 

Dr. Frank has been a clinician, educator, 

and investigator involved in numerous 

medical research studies throughout his 

distinguished career. He has published many 

original scientific articles in peer-reviewed 

journals, written chapters for several books, 

and presented papers and participated in 

panels at scientific meetings. 



James A. Manning, M.D. (F ’60) and Chloe G. Alexson, M.D. (M ’54) 

After 45 Years, Cardiologists Have 

Their Hearts Set on Retirement 

After 45 years as pediatric cardiologists, 

Chloe G. Alexson, M.D. (M ’54), and James A. 

Manning, M.D. (F ’60), are retiring this year. 

“It’s been a bucket of tears overflowing 

with emotion,” Dr. Manning says. “There’s 

been a touching, gratifying outpouring of 

support. During the last 45 years, I’ve received 

many offers to go elsewhere and start pediatric 

cardiology programs, but I had no trouble 

turning down the offers. I’ve had so much fun 

developing this program that I never left.” 

In 1955, Dr. Manning left Johns Hopkins 

University and joined the University of 

Rochester Medical Center, intent on creating 

a pediatric cardiology service. At that time, 

he says, pediatric cardiology was “the most 

exciting, developing field there was.” 

One of Dr. Manning’s first moves was 

to convince Dr. Alexson to study pediatric 

cardiology. “When I graduated from medical 

school, I wanted to be an obstetrician,” she 

says. “Jim asked me to do otherwise, and here 

I am 45 years later.” 

In 1960, as a part of the University’s 

outreach, Dr. Manning started opening 

children’s heart clinics throughout upstate 

New York. Today, cardiologists from Children’s 

Hospital at Strong see patients as far away 

as Watertown and Olean on a regular basis. 

In 1962, Dr. Manning started the pediatric 

cardiology clinic in Watertown. He and Dr. 

Alexson made their last visit in January. In 

between, more than 1,600 children were 

evaluated for heart problems. 

During their 45 years of treating children 

and teaching about cardiology, the doctors 

have seen their fair share of changes. Many of 

the improvements in the way hospitals care 

for patients are now taken for granted. “When 

we started, there were no recovery rooms or 

intensive-care units,” Dr. Alexson says. “In the 

1950s, there were few people who understood 

the principles of intensive care.” 

In 1998, Children’s Hospital at Strong 

opened the Children’s Heart Center— 

dedicated to the care of kids who have heart 

problems— and designated the James A. 

Manning Children’s Cardiology Service. It was 

such a high point for Dr. Manning that he 

considered retiring then, but decided he still 

had some unfinished business. 

As his last major research effort, Dr. 

Manning is taking a six-month sabbatical to 

study Williams syndrome, which is caused by 

an abnormality in chromosome seven. 

Although they are hanging up their 

stethoscopes, Drs. Manning and Alexson 

are excited about the future of pediatric 

cardiology locally. 

“In the last few years, we’ve seen a 

dramatic increase in the institutional 

support that pediatric cardiology is 

receiving,” Dr. Manning says. “I’m 

delighted with the way the administration 

has supported us with money, space, and 

recruitment. I’m proud of this department 

and what we’ve accomplished.” 

Dr. Alexson retired on Feb. 1. Dr. 

Manning will officially retire on Aug. 1, 

once his sabbatical and research on 

Williams syndrome is complete. 

“For 45 years, children came from all 

over the state to seek out the wise counsel 

of these two outstanding pediatricians,” 

says Elizabeth McAnarney, M.D., pediatricianin-chief 

of Children’s Hospital at Strong. 

“They both taught hundreds of trainees— 

medical students, house officers, and 

fellows—all of whom remember their skill as 

teachers and outstanding role models. We 

shall miss their wisdom and their devotion.” 



Vaccine Center Renamed to 

Honor Visionary Researcher 

University of Rochester Medical Center 

officials in December dedicated one of the 

facility’s new research centers to David H. 

Smith, M.D., whose legendary work, along 

with others’, resulted in a vaccine that has 

virtually wiped out bacterial meningitis 

in children. 

The David H. Smith Center for Vaccine 

Biology and Immunology is part of the Aab 

Institute of Biomedical Sciences, located on 

the top floor of the Arthur Kornberg Medical 

Research Building. The Center focuses 

on research designed to lead to the next 

generation of vaccines for infectious diseases, 

cancer, and allergies. 

Dr. Smith, who died in February 1999, was 

an alumnus of the University of Rochester 

School of Medicine and Dentistry’s class of 

1958. Following pediatrics training in Boston 

and postdoctoral research at Harvard 

University, Dr. Smith returned to Rochester in 

1976 to chair the Department of Pediatrics. 

During the next decade, Dr. Smith and 

his team tested, licensed, and began 

producing the first vaccine for Haemophilus 

influenzae type b, the bacterium responsible 

for nearly all cases of childhood meningitis. 

Dr. Smith also founded Praxis Biologics, 

a pharmaceutical company, when other 

major pharmaceutical firms resisted 

buying the rights to the vaccine. The Hib 

vaccine is now administered to all newborns 

in the United States, and has reduced 

the incidence of bacterial meningitis by 

98 percent. 

Research being done today at the Center 

includes an investigation into why some 

immune systems—such as those of the 

elderly—respond differently to certain 

vaccines. Researchers are also developing 

the first vaccine against human 

papillomavirus (HPV), a leading cause 

of cervical cancer, and are working on 

eight separate AIDS projects. 

The Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology was named the David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and 

Immunology in December. Attending the dedication were Richard A. Insel, M.D., director of the Center for Human 

Genetics and Molecular Pediatric Disease, Tim R. Mosmann, Ph.D., director of the Center for Vaccine Biology and 

Immunology, and Joan M. Smith, widow of David Smith. 

Rochester’s School-Based 

Dental Program Receives 

National Recognition 

The University of Rochester Eastman 

Dental Center’s collaborative school-based 

dental program was recognized at the recent 

Surgeon General’s Conference on Children 

and Oral Health as one of the five success 

stories on community collaboration and 

dental health in the United States. 

Federal studies indicate that about 80 

percent of children who are eligible under 

Medicaid for dental services never receive 

them. Buddhi Shrestha, D.D.S., director of 

the Dental Center’s Community Outreach 

Program, addressed this issue during his 

presentation at the conference. He spoke 

of efforts by the Rochester collaboration to 

meet the needs of the underserved child 

population by bringing dental services to 

children in schools. 

Dr. Shrestha was instrumental in forming 

the collaboration in 1994. The partnership 

includes the University of Rochester Eastman 

Dental Center, the Rochester City School 

District, the Monroe County Health 

Department, the NYS Bureau of Dental 

Health, the Rochester Primary Care Network, 

a number of rural school districts, and the 

county health and social service departments 

from Livingston, Genesee, Wyoming, and 

Orleans counties. 

While other school-based programs screen 

students and, at most, apply sealants, the 

Rochester approach involves bringing oral 

health treatment to the school site. The 

services, targeted at Medicaid-eligible students 

who have no dentist of their own, are provided 

using onsite portable dental units, year-round 

satellite clinics near the schools, and 

Smilemobiles—movable clinics that travel 

from site to site. 

Dr. Shrestha reported that the collaboration 

has been highly successful. The program 

served 2,200 students at 11 service sites in 

1994. “Our goal is to increase that number 

so that over 10,000 children will be seen 

at the 37 sites during the upcoming school 

year,” he says. 



Documenting 

a Rich History 

Now available is the story 

of how a relatively small, 

university-based medical 

school became a national 

leader in medical research, 

medical education, health 

care, and reform over the 

course of 75 years. The 

University of Rochester 

Medical Center: Teaching, 

Discovering, Caring is 

edited by Jules Cohen, M.D. 

(M ’57), and Robert J. 

Joynt, M.D., Ph.D., and 

features the writings of 

senior faculty members. 

The University of Rochester 

Medical Center is the proud 

record of how hundreds of 

dedicated scientists, learners 

and educators, and clinical 

caregivers have created a 

collegial enterprise that 

continues to bring the best 

of health care to the region, 

the country, and the world. 

Copies of the book are 

available for $25 and may 

be purchased by calling the 

Office of Alumni Relations 

at 800-333-4428. 

75th Anniversary Committee: 

Members of the 75th Anniversary Planning Committee gathered for a photo. They are: (front row, left to right) 

Robert Joynt, M.D., Ph.D.; Gilbert Forbes, M.D.; and Jules Cohen, M.D.; (center row, left to right) Nancy Baldwin, 

Leon Miller, Richard Collins, M.D., Lucretia McClure, M.A.; Bethel Powers, R.N., Ph.D.; Julia Sollenberger, M.L.S.; 

Rebecca DiNatale; (back row, left to right) Ruth Lawrence, M.D.; Christopher Raimy, Eric Schoen, John Hansen, 

Ph.D.; Robert Marquis, Ph.D.; Paul Lambiase, George Kimmich, M.D.; Victor Laties, Ph.D.; and Amy Gregory. 

Missing from the photo are James W. Bartlett, M.D.; Jacqueline Beckerman, Ronald Billings, D.D.S., M.S.D.; Nancy 

Bolger, Philip Bonanni, M.D.; Mary Jo Ferr, Karin Gaffney, Eleanor Hall, Christopher Hoolihan, M.L.S.; Harriett 

Kitzman, R.N., Ph.D.; Elizabeth Kunz, Paul LaCelle, M.D.; and Madeline Schmitt, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N. 

75th anniversary book authors: 

Those who contributed to The University of Rochester Medical Center: Teaching, Discovering, Caring took time to pose for 

a photo. They are: (front row, left to right) Robert Joynt, M.D., Ph.D.; Gilbert Forbes, M.D.; and Jules Cohen, M.D.; 

(back row, left to right) Ruth Lawrence, M.D.; Lucretia McClure, M.A.; Bethel Powers, R.N., Ph.D.; Robert Marquis, 

Ph.D.; Julia Sollenberger, M.L.S.; George Kimmich, M.D.; and Victor Laties, Ph.D. Missing from the photo are James 

W. Bartlett, M.D.; Ronald Billings, D.D.S., M.S.D.; Nancy Bolger; Christopher Hoolihan, M.L.S.; Harriett Kitzman, 

R.N., Ph.D.; Paul LaCelle, M.D.; and Madeline Schmitt, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N. 



CELEBRATING 75 Y EARS AND LOOKING TOTHE FUTURE 

The Role and 

Responsibilities of 

Academic Medical 

Centers as We Enter the 

New Century Symposium 

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the 

Medical Center and the investiture of Edward M. 

Hundert, M.D., as dean of the School of Medicine 

and Dentistry, Deborah A. Cory-Slechta, Ph.D., as 

dean for research, and Patricia A. Chiverton, R.N., 

Ed.D., F.N.A.P., as dean of the School of Nursing, 

deans from leading academic medical centers 

across the nation met in Rochester on Oct. 12 to 

participate in the symposium: “The Role and 

Responsibilities of Academic Medical Centers as 

We Enter the New Century.” 

Dr. Hundert’s opening remarks reflected the 

school’s pride in the outstanding alumni who 

have emerged to lead academic medicine 

throughout the United States. “It is a thrill to have 

this distinguished panel of deans here to talk with 

us about the roles and responsibilities of academic 

medical centers,” he said. “I never realized before 

I came to Rochester that of the many things 

Rochester is famous for—the biopsychosocial 

model, all sorts of innovations in medical 

research, education, clinical care—one of the 

things we produce more than just about any 

school in the country is deans. This entire 75th 

anniversary has really been a celebration of what 

it is about Rochester that produces these leaders of 

academic medicine, a celebration of the nurturing 

environment of this institution that produces these 

kinds of leaders.” 

Maintaining and building on that nurturing 

environment is clearly a priority of the new 

Rochester deans in the years ahead. Following are 

highlights of each of the visiting dean’s talks. 

Jordan Cohen, M.D., 

President, AAMC, 

Keynote Speaker 

“I don’t know where else in 

our society we’re going to 

find the sources of creativity 

and leadership that are 

needed in order to begin to 

address some of these major issues. It’s got to 

come from academic medical centers and I 

believe it’s the hallmark for the challenge for 

this century. We do have the tradition of leadership. 

We are clearly respected for our quality. 

“I believe we have the talent and the expertise 

in order to make dramatic improvements in 

the health care system. Our core purpose as 

academic medical centers is to improve health. 

That’s why we educate, that’s why we do 

research, that’s why we mount high-level 

medical care services—to try to improve the 

health of the community.” 

William A. Peck, M.D. 

(M ’60), Dean, 

Washington University 

School of Medicine 

“We will be able to revolutionize 

health care over the 

next 10 to 20 years in an 

almost unbelievable way. 

[It is] up to academic 

medical centers to lead this process. 

“We must establish ourselves as the highest 

quality providers of health care: customer 

friendly and cost efficient. We must also push 

for quality research in health care delivery.” 

C. McCollister Evarts, 

M.D. (M ’57, R ’64), 

Senior Vice President 

for Health Affairs 

and Dean Emeritus, 

Pennsylvania State 

University College 

of Medicine 

“[We] must combine education, research, and 

patient care into a unified and synergistic 

enterprise. We have to teach these students 

together. Collaboration is critical. 

“The collective intellect, innovation, and 

improvisation of those who reside in such 

centers will ultimately prevent the 

disintegration of the academic health care 

center and will create the viable, thriving 

academic health care centers of the future. 

That is what Rochester is all about, and 

that is what I am so positive about [for] the 

future of this institution.” 

Catherine Gilliss, 

D.N.Sc., R.N., F.A.A.N. 

(F ’79), Dean, Yale 

University School of 

Nursing 

“Today consumers expect 

high-quality care and they 

want it when they want it 

and they want it the way they want it. They 

would like to be involved in the choice of 

how that care comes. And they are also very 

interested in personalizing it to their own 

environment. 

“What does the public expect of health care 

delivery at academic health care centers? 

Excellence of innovation [and a] commitment 

to community.” 



Edward Miller, M.D. 

(M ’68), Dean of the 

Medical Faculty and 

Chief Executive Officer, 

Johns Hopkins 

University School 

of Medicine 

“The number of uninsured 

has continued to climb . . . and academic 

health care centers have actually taken on this 

social responsibility and have met their needs 

at our expense. In the past, when there was 

enough money to do that, we could support 

many of our admissions. But we can’t do that 

anymore and that’s why uncompensated care 

is becoming a major problem for us. 

“We’ve got to figure out mechanisms to 

improve coverage for these people [the 

uninsured] because we know if they get 

coverage, they get better care . . . We know 

that the uninsured population is critical to 

fulfilling the mission of research and teaching. 

People come in. They get the care they deserve 

at the academic center and we need these 

patients, but we need them insured. So we’ve 

got to find a way to help.” 

Successful Aging 

Symposium 

“People aging is defined in many different 

ways, one of these being to die young at an old 

age,” said Robert J. Joynt, M.D., Ph.D., as he 

opened the Oct. 13 symposium “Successful 

Aging.” Dr. Joynt is founder of the Department 

of Neurology at the University of Rochester 

Medical Center, Distinguished University 

Professor, and professor of neurology and of 

neurobiology and anatomy. 

The symposium offered five points of view 

from five outstanding leaders in the field 

of aging, all with Rochester connections. 

Following are highlights of their perspectives. 

David Satcher, M.D., 

Ph.D. (R ’72), U.S. 

Surgeon General, 

Keynote Speaker 

“Even though it was 30 

years ago when I was here as 

a resident, it doesn’t seem 

that long ago because my 

experience at Rochester has been such a part of 

my whole career—my approach to things, my 

priorities. And so Rochester has been a part of 

me wherever I have gone . . . I certainly owe a 

lot to this institution. 

“Successful aging is healthy aging. We must 

use the resources of this great country to 

support successful aging . . . Now we must 

have the will to make the changes that can 

lead us in that direction.” 

Howard J. Federoff, 

M.D., Ph.D., Director, 

Center for Aging and 

Developmental Biology, 

Chief, Molecular 

Medicine and Gene 

Therapy, University 

of Rochester 

Medical Center 

“The genes that underlie our adaptive abilities 

to cope with environmental factors are at 

present poorly understood. As we learn 

about these adaptive mechanisms we look 

forward to modulating them in order to achieve 

successful aging.” 

John W. Rowe, M.D. 

(M ’70), President and 

Chief Executive Officer, 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

“We have made tremendous 

advancements in the treatment 

of many diseases in 

late life. But while treatment 

has advanced, prevention of disease in old age 

has been neglected, despite the fact that the 

most common causes of death in old age— 

heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lung 

disease, pneumonia, and influenza—are all 

potentially preventable. 

“There are many, many exciting opportunities 

before us in health care, both in treatment and 

prevention. But as we enter this new century, in 

the many interfaces of health care with our 

broader society, none can be more exciting or 

full of promise than this new gerontology.” 

Thelma Wells, R.N., 

Ph.D., F.A.A.N., F.R.C.M., 

Helen Denne Schulte 

Professor, University of 

Wisconsin-Madison, 

School of Nursing 

Academic Affairs 

“The key in interdisciplinary 

care is exchange of thought that is integrated 

to new ideas. At its most meaningful, 

interdisciplinary care involves the trust to 

take another’s perspective. Exchange involves 

questioning each other in order to understand 

different perspectives. If we don’t ask questions, 

then we’re really not understanding. 

“Successful aging is about having the resources 

both physically and financially to not only 

do what you have to do, but to do what you 

want to do.” 

T. Franklin Williams, 

M.D., Professor of 

Medicine, University of 

Rochester Medical 

Center and Monroe 

Community Hospital 

“I think what we’ve seen is 

an explosion of effort and 

knowledge about the full range of aspects of 

aging from the genes to an organism level to the 

society level—we’re just at the cusp of further 

knowledge. We need to be training more people 

to give academic leadership in this field.” 

Note: If you would like to receive a complimentary 

copy of the videotape of either of these symposia, 

please contact Eric Schoen in the Office of Alumni 

Relations at 800-333-4428 or by e-mail at 

eric_schoen@urmc.rochester.edu. 


SCHOOL NEWS 

Growing StrongER 

Strong Memorial Hospital opened the doors to the area’s largest, most 

modern emergency department on Wednesday, March 14. The new 

Frank and Caroline Gannett Emergency Center has been modeled 

after the University of Cincinnati, which is well known and respected 

for its top-notch emergency and trauma services. 

The Ronald McDonald House Charities Children’s Emergency Center 

is built in the round to enhance visibility and features 10 rooms, 

as opposed to six in the old ED. It boasts a private waiting room and 

playroom as well as child-friendly murals. 

The Laurence and Dennis Kessler Regional 

Trauma Unit sets a new standard in care. 

Designed for quick access from the new helipad, the 

3,200-square-foot space features ceiling-mounted 

heating units to keep patients warm. Digital x-ray 

equipment placed overhead minimizes the need to 

transport patients to other imaging areas and 

speeds up the delivery of care. 

The new emergency facility is designed to 

preserve patient dignity and incorporate the 

latest medical technology. For efficiency, the 

Center offers quick access to Strong’s cardiac 

catheterization laboratories, operating 

rooms, and imaging units. It also has 

the flexibility to expand in response to a 

community-wide disaster or crisis. The 

facility can accommodate 59 patients, 

19 more than the old ED. But in a masscasualty 

situation, it can hold up 

to 101 patients. 

The adult treatment area features 26 private patient 

rooms surrounding a raised, semicircular nursing 

station, which allows for constant patient monitoring 

by staff, no matter where the patient is located. 


SCHOOL NEWS 

School of Medicine and Dentistry 

Receives Perfect Score from 

Accreditation Board 

Double Helix Curriculum Praised in 

Spotless Review of Medical School 

The University of Rochester School of 

Medicine and Dentistry is one of only a few 

school in the country to receive the highest 

accreditation status from the Liaison 

Committee on Medical Education (LCME). 

The LCME, which accredits U.S. and 

Canadian medical schools, spans both the 

American Medical Association and the 

Association of American Medical Colleges. 

The LCME survey team, comprised of 

leaders from medical schools throughout 

the country, presented the University with a 

clean bill of health and a full, seven-year 

accreditation. Typically, LCME accreditation 

reports identify six to eight global “strengths” 

and six to eight “areas of concern” for a 

medical school’s curriculum, students, 

faculty, facilities, policies, finances, and 

related areas. 

The survey team spent five days at the 

University in October. During an exit 

conference with Edward M. Hundert, M.D., 

dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, 

Jay H. Stein, M.D., senior vice president and 

vice provost for health affairs and Medical 

Center and Strong Health CEO, and Thomas 

H. Jackson,president of the University of 

Rochester, members reported many identified 

strengths and that there were “no areas of 

concern—an unprecedented finding in 

American medical education.” 

The team’s written report, which rates the 

medical school as “lauded,” was formally 

approved by the LCME board in Washington, 

D.C., in February, and it becomes the official 

accreditation status of the University of 


for the next seven years, the maximum period 

of accreditation. 

“This is a tremendous endorsement of our 

medical school and a wonderful validation of 

the superior quality level of our curriculum, 

our faculty, and the caliber of students that we 

graduate,” says Dr. Hundert. 

The team praised the University’s 

educational reforms as “innovative, bold, 

and highly successful.” Two years ago, the 

medical school instituted the Double Helix 

curriculum. Named after the intertwining 

strands that comprise DNA, the program 

integrates basic science and clinical medicine 

throughout all four years of medical school, 

with students learning to care for patients as 

they learn the biological and social sciences, 

which are fundamental to understanding 

diseases and their treatment and prevention. 

LCME members also praised the senior 

administrators for their leadership in 

the development of and transition to the 

new program. 

“Dean Hundert has demonstrated 

extraordinary leadership and has developed 

broad-based, enthusiastic support for the 

school’s educational reform that is reflected 

in the Double Helix curriculum,” the team 

wrote in its summary report. “The senior 

leadership of the Medical Center and school 

reflect highly effective synergy and have 

committed substantial financial and infrastructure 

resources to advance the medical 

education and research missions.” Other 

areas particularly praised were the school’s 

innovative student advising and mentoring 

program and the level of professionalism 

exhibited throughout the school. 

Unique to the Double Helix curriculum 

is the inclusion of a comprehensive 

“Professional Competency Assessment” 

that goes far beyond evaluating clinical skills, 

and the Ambulatory Clerkship Experience, 

which places medical students in community 

physicians’ offices while they are learning 

the basic science related to the patients they 

are seeing. 

The Double Helix curriculum has been 

praised by many and is considered a model 

for the future of medical training. It is 

helping shape curricula at medical schools 

throughout the country and even internationally. 

The University has received 

more than $3 million in grants to support its 

development (see story on the next page). 

To date, the first two years of the medical 

school curriculum have been converted to the 

Double Helix curriculum; implementation 

will continue over the next two years to 

include the third and fourth. Plans are also 

in the works to apply the Double Helix 

principles to the medical school’s graduate 

medical education programs. Just as the 

new curriculum integrates basic science and 

clinical medicine in the training of medical 

students, the goal is to better integrate the two 

in the training of residents. 

University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry 

One of Only a Few Medical Schools in America Granted 

P ERFECT S CORE 

by the LCME Accreditation Board 

Congratulations to students, faculty, and staff! 


SCHOOL NEWS 

UR Receives More Than 

$3M to Develop 

Groundbreaking Curriculum 

Over the course of just a few months last 

year, the University of Rochester School of 

Medicine and Dentistry received five grants 

totaling nearly $1.7 million to support the 

school’s new Double Helix curriculum. These 

grants, which came from a variety of sources 

including the federal government, are in 

addition to another $1.5 million the medical 

school received in the last two years—all 

directed toward the development of the 

groundbreaking Double Helix curriculum. 

“We are thrilled to have received such 

tremendous support for the Double Helix 

curriculum. The awarding of the grants 

reaffirms our belief that we are taking medical 

education in the right direction. And at a time 

when competition for funding is fierce, we are 

pleased to see the creativity and innovation of 

our faculty recognized at the national level,” 

says Edward M. Hundert, M.D., dean of the 

School of Medicine and Dentistry. “Other top 

medical schools around the country are 

already starting to adopt the principles of the 

Double Helix curriculum. The University of 

Rochester is truly a national leader in this 

area and it is wonderful to see this recognized 

by federal agencies, foundations, and others.” 

The most recent grants awarded support 

the development of a number of features 

unique to the Double Helix curriculum, 

including a comprehensive “Professional 

Competency Assessment” that goes far beyond 

evaluating clinical skills, and the Ambulatory 

Clerkship Experience, which places medical 

students in community physicians’ offices. 

Money is also being directed to the creation of 

“evidence-based medicine” modules, designed 

to teach medical students how to integrate 

clinical expertise and research results. Another 

grant will provide a distinctive new approach 

to teaching end-of-life care. 

Three new deans were invested in 2000: 

Patricia A. Chiverton, R.N., Ed.D., F.N.A.P., dean of the School of Nursing, 

Edward M. Hundert, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and 

Deborah Cory-Slechta, Ph.D., dean for research, the School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

The medical school has also received 

grants to develop one of the first courses that 

will teach medical students how to educate 

patients about nutrition; a course that 

teaches and assesses empathy; courses that 

look at women’s health in new ways; and a 

class on spirituality. 

“We believe very strongly in this 

curriculum and the vision of our faculty. 

We are pleased that top-level funders have 

recognized the unique and pioneering 

aspects of our program. Our faculty is 

second to none, and these resources will 

enable them to prepare our graduates with 

new levels of skill and thoughtfulness in 

integrating basic science and clinical 

medicine, and in their ability to 

communicate with patients,” says Elaine 

F. Dannefer, Ph.D., associate dean for 

curricular affairs. 

Schools of Nursing and Medicine 

Inaugurate Three New Deans 

For the first time in its history, the 

University of Rochester Medical Center 

invested three new deans in a single ceremony 

on Oct. 12, 2000. Patricia A. Chiverton, R.N., 

Ed.D., F.N.A.P., dean of the School of Nursing, 

Deborah A. Cory-Slechta, Ph.D., dean for 

research at the School of Medicine and 

Dentistry, and Edward M. Hundert, M.D., dean 

of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, were 

officially inaugurated during ceremonies at 

the David Hochstein Memorial Music School. 

Dr. Chiverton, who is also vice president of 

Strong Health, served as associate dean for 

clinical affairs at the School of Nursing and 

Medical Center since 1996. She received the 

Excellence in Leadership Award from the 

American Psychiatric Nurses Association in 

1994 and the Professional Advancement 

Award from the University of Rochester in 


SCHOOL NEWS 

1997. In 1999, she was elected to the National 

Academies of Practice. She became the third 

dean of the School of Nursing. 

Dr. Cory-Slechta, who also serves as the 

director of the Aab Institute of Biomedical 

Sciences and chair of the Department 

of Environmental Medicine, has received 

exceptional support for her work in 

environmental medicine, and has earned 

numerous awards, including the National 

Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences 

New Investigator Award. She is the first person 

appointed to this newly created position. 

Dr. Hundert, who is the eighth dean of 

the School of Medicine and Dentistry, is 

also a professor of psychiatry and of medical 

humanities. He most recently served as senior 

associate dean for medical education, leading 

the medical school’s faculty and student effort 

to create the Double Helix curriculum, which 

integrates the basic and clinical sciences 

across all four years of medical school. Dr. 

Hundert has received numerous fellowships 

and awards during his career. 

Investiture ceremonies included the 

conferring of two honorary doctor of 

science degrees. One was presented to Loretta 

C. Ford, R.N., Ed.D., and the other to William 

Peck, M.D. (M ’60). 

Ford, dean emeritus, was the founding 

dean of the University of Rochester’s School 

of Nursing when it became autonomous in 

1972. She retired from the school in 1986. 

Ford fostered a collaborative nursing practice 

and nursing education model that remains a 

standard in schools and hospitals today. 

Dr. Peck is an alumnus of the medical 

school and a professor emeritus of medicine 

and of biochemistry. He is currently executive 

vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean 

at Washington University School of Medicine. 

The integration of basic science and 

clinical research has driven Dr. Peck’s work 

throughout his career. He is known as a 

distinguished investigator and a leader in 

academic medicine. 

M. Kerry O’Banion, M.D., Ph.D. 

Acclaimed Researcher to 

Co-Direct M.D./Ph.D. Program 

M. Kerry O’Banion, M.D., Ph.D., was 

appointed co-director of the University of 

Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry’s 

M.D./Ph.D program. 

The M.D./Ph.D. program provides rigorous 

training in research, basic and clinical 

Thomas Jackson congratulates 

William Peck, M.D. (M ’60) 

medicine, and patient care. It typically lasts 

seven to nine years and prepares physicians for 

some of the most demanding and rewarding 

careers available in health care today. 

Dr. O’Banion, associate professor of 

neurobiology and of anatomy and neurology, 

will lead the Medical Center’s program with 

Douglas H. Turner, Ph.D., professor in the 

Department of Chemistry. 

“This is a very exciting time for the 

Medical Center, with its new buildings, new 

faculty, and incredible advances in biomedical 

research,” Dr. O’Banion says. “Medicine 

now interfaces with diverse disciplines, 

including areas such as engineering and 

chemistry and the new field of genomicsbased 

investigation. I am delighted to be 

involved in training physician scientists to be 

future leaders in biomedicine.” 

Dr. O’Banion was part of a UR research 

team that was awarded a pioneering patent 

last April involving the COX-2 enzyme. The 

research, by Donald Young, M.D., Virginia 

Winn, M.D., Ph.D., and Dr. O’Banion, led 

to a new class of drugs, known as COX-2 

inhibitors, which work to ease pain without 

typical side effects such as stomach pain. 

Included in this class of drugs is the arthritis 

medication, Celebrex, the fastest-selling drug 

in the United States in 1999. 

After earning undergraduate, graduate, 

and medical degrees from the University 

of Illinois, Dr. O’Banion came to the 

University for postdoctoral training in 1987 

and began working with Dr. Young as a 

fellow in the Departments of Medicine and 

Biochemistry. Since then, Dr. O’Banion 

has done extensive research in the brain’s 

reaction to injury and disease, with a specific 

focus on Alzheimer’s disease. 

Loretta C. Ford, R.N., Ed.D. 


SCHOOL NEWS 

Dianne M. Hartmann, M.D. 

(M ’87, R ’91), Named 

Associate Dean for Graduate 

Medical Education 

Dianne M. Hartmann, M.D. (M ’87, R ’91), 

has been named associate dean for graduate 

medical education (GME) in the School of 

Medicine and Dentistry. 

Dr. Hartmann has been director of resident 

and medical student education in the 

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology 

since 1997. She has played a major role in the 

ongoing development and implementation 

of the medical school’s new curriculum, 

and, in addition to her role educating her 

own residents, she is co-director of the 

medical school’s GME Core Curriculum 

program for residents from all specialties. 

Dr. Hartmann will be working to help 

develop creative approaches to integrating 

educational programs across the continuum— 

from undergraduate to graduate medical 

education—while addressing the ongoing 

challenges in GME. 

Dianne M. Hartmann (M ’87, R ’91) 

Gregory Lam 

UR Medical Student Receives 

Prestigious AMA Leadership Award 

Gregory Lam, a third-year medical student 

and Sarnoff Fellow of Cardiovascular Science 

at the University of Rochester Medical 

Center, has been selected as a 2001 American 

Medical Association Leadership Foundation 

Fellow. Lam is one of only 50 medical 

students, residents, and fellows selected for 

the prestigious honor. 

The AMA Leadership award is presented 

to individuals who demonstrate strong, 

non-clinical leadership skills in medicine 

or community affairs. The award program 

encourages involvement in organized 

medicine and continued leadership 

development among the country’s brightest 

and most energetic medical students 

and residents. 

A special AMA National Leadership 

Development Conference was held in March 

in Washington, D.C. Lam participated in 

workshops designed to enhance leadership 

skills and met with nationally prominent 

political, civic, and medical leaders to discuss 

issues relevant to health care. 

“This award is a vote of support for the 

concept of the physician scientist,” says 

Bradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D., chair of 

the Department of Medicine and chief of 

cardiology at the University of Rochester 

Medical Center, and director of the Center 

for Cardiovascular Research, a component 

of the Aab Institute of Biomedical Sciences. 

Dr. Berk served as Lam’s sponsor for the 

Sarnoff Fellowship. 

“Individuals such as Greg bring a sense of 

commitment and creativity to medical science 

that has stimulated the enormous progress 

over the last few decades,” Dr. Berk notes. 

“I have strongly supported the Sarnoff 

Fellowship program because it provides a 

unique opportunity for students to be exposed 

to cutting-edge science and develop close 

mentorships and relationships with other 

physician scientists—a key to future success.” 

“Mr. Lam is truly a renaissance student,” 

says Laurence Guttmacher, M.D., advisory 

dean, associate professor of psychiatry, and 

director of Faculty Development at the 

University of Rochester School of Medicine 

and Dentistry. “During his time at the 

University of Rochester, he has been on a 

medical mission to the Dominican Republic, 

was selected for a highly competitive 

research fellowship in cardiology, succeeded 

in a rigorous academic curriculum, and 

has now been tapped for his leadership 

potential by the AMA. This sort of diverse 

achievement is a tribute to his hard work 

and extraordinary values.” 

Lam, one of 15 Sarnoff Fellows in the 

United States, is serving a one-year research 

sabbatical supported by the Stanley J. Sarnoff 

Foundation at the Heart and Lung Research 

Institute at Ohio State University. His 

research relating to cardiac disease focuses 

on monocyte/macrophage biology, which 

studies immune cells that are integral in 

coronary artery disease. 


SCHOOL NEWS 

Medical Center Enrolls 

Congressional Staffers 

Imagine going through medical school in 

just three days. Fourteen “students” did just 

that Aug. 28-30. Project Medical Education 

(PME)—a partnership of the Association of 

American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and 28 

member institutions, including the University 

of Rochester—brought members of 

Congress and their staff to Rochester to learn 

about the unique role of medical schools 

and teaching hospitals in our nation’s health 

care system. 

“Our goal was to heighten awareness of 

how our activities are linked to public funding 

and policy decisions that are being made in 

Washington,” says Karen Pryor, director of 

Government Relations at the Medical Center. 

“We wanted to send them back with a clearer 

understanding of the complexity of medical 

education and how it relates to patient care 

and research.” 

Launched in 1999, PME grew out of initial 

research by the AAMC and anecdotal feedback 

from government relations representatives 

that lawmakers and staff members responsible 

for health-related legislation—while 

appreciating the value of biomedical research 

and patient care—had only a limited 

understanding of their relationship to the 

training of physicians. What has evolved is 

a dynamic, campus-based model education 

program aimed at helping congressional 

staff understand how the nation’s doctors 

are trained, what makes the process unique, 

and why it is so costly. 

So, for two and a half days, representatives 

from eight congressional offices made their 

way through the Medical Center as students. 

They experienced a white-coat ceremony, 

shared time with a physician researcher 

joined by a patient and her family, visited 

basic science labs, and talked with faculty, 

residents, and students. At a Match Day 

ceremony they received “assignments” for 

hospital field trips and rounds. Sessions on 

health care financing and clinical trials and 

drug development were supported by a tour of 

community education and service sites. 

Those that participated in the PME 

program included representatives from the 

offices of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, 

Senator Charles E. Schumer, Congresswoman 

Louise M. Slaughter, Congressman Tom 

Reynolds, Congressman John J. LaFalce, 

Congressman Jack Quinn, Congressman 

Amory Houghton Jr., and Congressman 

Vito Fossella. 

Other medical schools that have hosted 

congressional delegations include University 

of California at Los Angeles, Duke, and 

Columbia University in conjunction with 

New York University School of Medicine. 

Correction 

Captions on two photos in the Fall 

2000 issue of Rochester Medicine were 

inadvertently switched. Faculty alum John 

S. McIntyre, M.D. (M ’67, R ’73), and son 

Kevin, a graduate of the class of 2000, were 

incorrectly identified as Robert Hogan, M.D. 

(M ’74), and his son Jeremy, also a graduate 

of the class of 2000. We apologize for the error. 

Lindsey C. Henson, M.D., Ph.D. (right), senior associate dean for medical education, works with Nicole Rutberg, 

a congressional aide to Senator Charles E. Schumer, during Project Medical Education in August. 


ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

Harvey J. Alter, M.D. (M ’60), 

Receives Prestigious 

Albert Lasker Award 

Harvey J. Alter, M.D. (M ’60), received the 

2000 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Research 

in September 2000. Dr. Alter is chief of the 

Infectious Disease Section and associate 

director of research, Department of 

Transfusion Medicine, at the Warren 

Magnuson Clinical Center, National Institutes 

of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md. 

Dr. Alter was honored along with Dr. 

Michael Houghton, director of non-A, non-B 

hepatitis research at Chiron Corporation, 

for the pair’s pioneering work leading to the 

discovery of the virus that causes hepatitis C 

and the development of screening methods 

that reduced the risk of blood transfusionassociated 

hepatitis in the United States from 

30 percent in 1970 to virtually zero in 2000. 

Thirty years ago, a blood transfusion 

intended to save a life might have killed the 

recipient. About a third of transfused people 

received tainted blood, which later inflamed 

their livers, producing hepatitis. To combat 

this problem, Dr. Alter spearheaded a 

project at the NIH aimed at uncovering the 

causes and reducing the risk of transfusionassociated 

hepatitis. Because of his work, the 

United States instituted blood and donor 

screening programs that made a massive 

impact on the safety of the blood supply. 

Dr. Alter used this repository of clinically 

linked blood samples to identify another 

puzzling clinical problem. “Most tranfusionrelated 

hepatitis was found to be due to a virus 

different from the two then-known hepatitis 

agents, A and B,” he said. He called this new 

form of hepatitis non-A, non-B hepatitis and 

subsequently proved through transmission 

studies in chimpanzees that it was due to 

a new agent. Vigorous efforts in dozens of 

laboratories failed to identify the presumptive 

virus. Eventually, a Chiron Corporation 

team led by Dr. Houghton exploited the 

blossoming methods of molecular biology to 

isolate the virus. 


Harvey J. Alter, M.D. (M ’60) 

Without any distinctive molecular markers 

or chemicals to flag the virus, they tracked 

it down. Today, the risk of acquiring 

transfusion-associated hepatitis has 

dropped to almost zero. 

A native of New York City, Dr. Alter arrived 

at the Clinical Center as a senior investigator 

in 1969. 

For 54 years, the Albert Lasker Medical 

Research Awards have celebrated scientists, 

physicians, and public servants whose 

accomplishments have made major advances 

in the understanding, diagnosis, prevention, 

treatment, and even cure of many of the great 

crippling and killing diseases of our century. 

The Lasker Awards have come to be known 

as “America’s Nobels” and are as coveted 

among biomedical researchers as any prizes 

in medicine and science. 

In creating the Lasker Awards for Basic 

and Clinical Medical Research, the Laskers 

sought to raise public awareness of the 

enormous value of biomedical research 

to a healthy society. The Lasker Awards focus 

keen attention each year on an elite list 

of remarkable contributors to basic and 

clinical medical research whose work has 

been seminal and far-reaching. 

Aetna Names John W. Rowe, M.D. 

(M ’70), President and CEO of 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

John W. Rowe, M.D. (M ’70), former 

president and chief executive officer of 

Mount Sinai NYU Health, was named president 

and chief executive officer of Aetna U.S. 

Healthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer, 

in September 2000. 

As president and CEO of Mount Sinai NYU 

Health, a position he assumed after overseeing 

the 1998 merger of the Mount Sinai and 

NYU medical centers, Dr. Rowe was responsible 

for the successful integration of the two 

organizations. Significant achievements in 

this effort included greater than anticipated 

merger-related cost savings, increases in 

patient volume and market share post merger, 

the completion of a $660 million bond 

offering, the implementation of the largest 

fully automated clinical laboratory, and the 

purchase of Western Queens Community 

Hospital, which was converted to the Mount 

Sinai Hospital of Queens. 

At Mount Sinai prior to the merger, under 

Dr. Rowe’s leadership the medical center, 

school, and hospital sustained superior 

financial performance throughout a period of 

significant fiscal pressure in academic medical 

centers. Dr. Rowe also is credited with the 

establishment of the Mount Sinai Health 

System, which grew to be the largest integrated 

health care system in the region, and with 

improving Mount Sinai Hospital clinical 

services and effectiveness, with significant 

John W. Rowe, M.D. (M ’70)

ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

Philip A. Pizzo, M.D. (M ’70) 

increases in patient volume and the 

complexity of services rendered. 

During Dr. Rowe’s tenure as president 

of the School of Medicine, Mount Sinai’s 

basic and clinical research efforts grew 

dramatically, as reflected in the construction 

of major new research facilities, a near 

tripling of federal research grant support, 

increases in the national ranking of the 

medical school, and a substantial increase in 

the academic credentials of the student body. 

Before joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Rowe was 

a professor of medicine and the founding 

director of the Division on Aging at Harvard 

Medical School, and served as chief of 

gerontology at Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital. 

He was a director of the MacArthur 

Foundation Research Network on Successful 

Aging, and served on the board of governors 

of the American Board of Internal Medicine 

and as president of the Gerontological 

Society of America. He is a member of the 

Institute of Medicine of the National Academy 

of Sciences and the Medicare Payment 

Advisory Commission. 

Dr. Rowe has authored over 200 scientific 

publications, primarily in physiology of 

the aging process, and recently co-authored 

Successful Aging. He has received many 

honors and awards for his research and 

health policy efforts. 

After receiving his medical degree from the 

University of Rochester School of Medicine in 

Rochester in 1970, Dr. Rowe completed his 

residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel 

Hospital in Boston, and served as a clinical 

and research fellow at Massachusetts General 

Hospital and Harvard Medical School, as well 

as at the National Institutes of Health. 

Philip A. Pizzo, M.D. (M ’70), 

Named Dean of Stanford’s 

School of Medicine 

Philip A. Pizzo, M.D. (M ’70), physicianin-chief 

of Children’s Hospital in Boston and 

chair of the Department of Pediatrics at 

Harvard Medical School, was named dean of 

the School of Medicine in December 2000. 

“Stanford Medical School is poised to be a 

beacon of hope in academic medicine because 

of a community of excellence that brings 

together physicians and scientists as well as 

other disciplines within the university,” says 

Dr. Pizzo, who assumed his post April 2. 

“I hope to continue to build on the new 

alignments currently under way that will 

permit us to take advantage of discoveries 

that will improve diagnosis, treatment, and 

prevention of disease and create new 

opportunities for education and training 

of physicians and scientists who will become 

the future leaders of this century.” 

At Children’s Hospital and Harvard since 

1996, Dr. Pizzo has overseen about 250 faculty 

members and 350 trainees in the clinical and 

basic sciences divisions, and a budget of about 

$55 million. He has helped the hospital 

achieve financial stability by increasing its 

clinical volume, reducing its debt related to 

clinical programs, addressing issues related to 

managed care, and negotiating the building 

of a new research facility. 

In addition, Dr. Pizzo has been widely 

recognized for his contributions as a clinical 

investigator, especially in the treatment of 

children with cancer and HIV. 

Before joining Children’s Hospital and 

Harvard, Dr. Pizzo was head of the infectious 

disease section, chief of pediatrics, and 

then acting clinical director of the National 

Cancer Institute, part of the National 

Institutes of Health. 

Holly G. Atkinson, M.D. (M ’78, 

R ’79), Named President 

of allHealth.com 

Holly G. Atkinson, M.D. (M ’78, R ’79), 

was appointed president of allHealth.com, the 

consumer health channel of iVillage.com. 

She is responsible for overseeing the daily 

operations and strategy of all health initiatives, 

partnerships, and sponsors on allHealth.com. 

Dr. Atkinson is an award-winning medical 

journalist, a leader in medical education, and 

a nationally acclaimed lecturer on health 

issues. After receiving her medical degree, 

she worked as a staff physician for the Public 

Health Service before pursuing a master’s 

degree in journalism from Columbia 

University. That training led her immediately 

into medical television, where she worked first 

as a researcher for Walter Cronkite’s Universe 

and then as a medical reporter for CBS 

Morning News. She later co-hosted the PBS 

health program Body Watch and went on to 

become the medical correspondent for the NBC 

Today show. 

In addition to her work in broadcast 

journalism, Dr. Atkinson wrote the highly 

acclaimed book Women and Fatigue and 

served as a health advisor and columnist for 

New Woman magazine and associate editor 

for Journal Watch, a newsletter for physicians. 

As a member of the American Heart 

Association’s board of directors, Dr. Atkinson 

helped launch a nationwide awareness 

campaign on women and heart disease. 

She is an active volunteer for several 

organizations dedicated to promoting health, 

women’s issues, and human rights and 

has testified on their behalf before Congress 

and the U.S. surgeon general. 


ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

Wendy S. Harpham, M.D. 

(M ’80), Inducted into Texas 

Women’s Hall of Fame 

Wendy S. Harpham, M.D. (M ’80), received 

the Governor’s Award for Health and was 

inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of 

Fame in December 2000. Dr. Harpham practices 

internal medicine, is a long-term cancer 

survivor, and a best-selling author. 

Dr. Harpham was board certified in internal 

medicine in 1983 and was one of the first 

women to open a solo practice at Presbyterian 

Hospital of Dallas. In 1990, she developed 

non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Forced to redefine 

her medical career, she saw opportunities to 

use her new perspective as a physician-patient 

to help cancer patients. While undergoing 

various cancer treatments, Dr. Harpham 

began writing as a way to educate and 

comfort patients. She wrote award-winning 

books for newly diagnosed patients, survivors 

dealing with recovery and long-term 

survivorship, and parents with cancer and 

their children. 

Her books include Diagnosis: Cancer, 

Your Guide Through the First Few Months; 

After Cancer: A Guide to Your New Life; and 

When a Parent Has Cancer: A Guide to 

Caring for Your Children, with a companion 

book for children called Becky and the 

Worry Cup. She also contributed a chapter to 

the 1997 textbook Principles and Practice of 

Supportive Oncology. 

A nationally recognized speaker, Dr. 

Harpham addresses professional and lay 

audiences across the country. In addition, her 

input on many committees has helped shape 

cancer care in Texas and the United States. 

Wendy S. Harpham, M.D. (M ’80) 


David B. Nash, M.D., M.B.A. (M ’81) 

David B. Nash, M.D., M.B.A. 

(M ’81), Named to Endowed 

Professorship in Health Policy 

David B. Nash, M.D., M.B.A. (M ’81), was 

named the Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. 

Grandon Professor of Health Policy at 

Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson 

University, Philadelphia. Jefferson is one of a 

handful of schools in the nation with an 

endowed professorship in health policy. 

Dr. Nash, a board-certified internist, is the 

founding director of the Office of Health 

Policy and Clinical Outcomes, and professor 

of medicine, Jefferson Medical College. In 

1996, he was named the first associate dean 

for health policy at Jefferson. 

Dr. Nash is internationally recognized for 

his work in outcomes management, medical 

staff development, and quality-of-care 

improvement. He received the Philadelphia 

Business Journal Healthcare Heroes Award 

in October 1997 and was named an honorary 

distinguished fellow of the American College 

of Physician Executives in 1998. 

Dr. Nash’s work has appeared in more 

than 60 articles in major journals 

and 12 edited books. In 1995, he was 

awarded the Clifton Latiolais Prize by the 

Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 

for his leadership in disease management 

and pharmacoeconomics. 

Dr. Nash is repeatedly cited as one of the 

most influential policy makers in academic 

medicine. He is a member of the Joint 

Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare 

Organizations Steering Committee and the 

Foundation for Accountability Board, two key 

national groups focused on quality measurement 

and improvement. 

Michael J. Fox, M.D. (M ’74), to 

Lead PenWest Pharmaceuticals 

Michael J. Fox, M.D. (M ’74), was named 

president and chief operating officer of 

PenWest Pharmaceuticals Co. Penwest is 

engaged in the research, development, and 

commercialization of novel drug delivery 

technologies. 

Prior to joining Penwest, Dr. Fox served as 

president and chief executive officer of 

Healthcare Advisors, Inc., consulting to biopharmaceutical 

and health care-related companies 

as well as venture capital companies 

and investment banking institutions. 

Previously, he was senior vice president of 

medical and regulatory affairs for Alkermes, 

Inc. Dr. Fox has also served as senior vice 

president of Astra USA and vice president, 

medical affairs, and clinical development 

(U.S.) and U.S. medical director of 

SmithKlineBeecham. In these positions, 

he focused on clinical development and 

regulatory affairs, resulting in the approval 

of seven new drug applications and six 

supplemental new drug applications. 

Dr. Fox is a member of the Board 

of Directors of Atlantic Preferred Capital 

Corporation and co-founder of 

E-Tractions.com, Inc. 

Michael J. Fox, M.D. (M ’74)

ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

Author! Author! 

University of Rochester alumni who have 

written books are welcome to submit a copy 

and any additional information to the Medical 

Alumni Relations Office for mention in 

future issues of Rochester Medicine. We will 

gladly return your books, or donate them to 

the Edward G. Miner Library upon your 

request. Here are some of the alumni who 

have recently published: 

Leonard R. Mees, M.D. (M ’72), 

wrote Get a Life, America! In this book, 

Dr. Mees talks about empowerment for 

personal health management. While he 

doesn’t discount the role that traditional 

medicine will play in 21st-century healthcare, 

he offers the perspective that well-guided, 

individualized lifestyle habits produce not 

only better health and therefore less illness, 

but greater leisure and career productivity, 

improved awareness of life’s value, and 

lower health care expenses for individuals, 

businesses, and the country. 

Charles Snook M.D. (M ’51), 

penned a newly published medical 

memoir entitled Unlocking the Doctor’s Little 

Black Bag. School of Medicine and Dentistry 

alumni will awaken their own memories 

of medical school in Rochester when they 

read this delightful book, which 

highlights the life of a doctor from 

college to medical school to active 

practice. The memoir also touches 

upon retirement. 

Dr. Snook hopes that the book will be of 

interest to students considering a career in the 

medical field, medical students, doctors in 

private practice, and those who simply wish to 

take a peek into the life of doctor. “Often, a 

look at another’s experience will jump start 

students’ enthusiasm and help them visualize 

their ultimate goal—and that’s what this 

book is about,” he says. 

Dr. Snook, who will celebrate his 50th 

class reunion in October 2001, is a recently 

retired surgeon from Orinda, Calif. 

Join the School’s 

Online Community 

The School of Medicine and 

Dentistry recently launched an online 

community for our alumni. We 

encourage you to visit the site and 

become a registered user. It’s easy to 

do! This free service will allow you to 

reconnect with old friends, register for 

lifelong e-mail forwarding, check out 

news at the Medical Center, chat with 

friends and colleagues about what’s 

important to you, create your own 

homepage, check out the events 

calendar, and let us know what is new 

in your life. 

To register for the online 

community, follow these simple steps: 

• Visit our Web site at: 

www.alumniconnections. 

. com/URMC 

• Click on the Click Here to 

Register button. 

• Enter your name in the 

registration boxes provided. 

• Click on your name when 

it appears. 

• Confirm that the information 

given is correct. 

• Enter the identification number 

provided at the bottom of 

your screen. 

• Click Validate button. 

• Choose a username, password, 

and hint word. 

• Enter your e-mail address. 

• Highlight I Agree to Terms and 

Conditions of the Web site. 

• Click Complete Registration 

button. 

For additional information, call 

the Office of Alumni Relations at 

800-333-4428 or drop us an e-mail at 

alumni@urmc.rochester.edu. 


ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

Outreach to Young Alumni 

In an effort to provide better support to our G.O.L.D. members 

(Graduates of the Last Decade), the Office of Alumni Relations has 

paired with the Student Services Center of the Offices for Medical 

Education to create a comprehensive program for our young alumni. 

Paula Smith, director of student services, spearheads this effort. 

Watch for information on exciting programs, mentoring opportunities, 

and valuable resources. 

For more information on this program, contact Paula Smith at 

716-275-7923. 

Medical Center 

Northeast Regional Summer 

Alumni Event 

Saratoga Springs, New York 

“Day at the Races”— 

The Running 

of the Whitney 

July 28, 2001 

Tent opens at noon 

Fore! The 1st Annual Medical Center Golf Classic was held at Oak Hill Country Club on 

Aug. 28. Pictured here are PGA pro Billy Andrade (left), and Walter Pegoli Jr., M.D., 

section chief, Pediatric Surgery. 

The University of Rochester Medical 

Center invites alumni, faculty, and friends 

for a “Day at the Races.” There will be seats 

reserved in the Tent at the Rail for each of 

our guests, all of whom will enjoy cocktails 

along with an elaborate gourmet buffet. A 

representative from the New York Racing 

Association Professionals will be on hand for 

a brief tutorial. Bus transportation to and 

from Rochester will be provided. 

There are a limited number of tickets 

available, so please reserve yours today. The 

new Hilton Gardens is also holding a limited 

number of rooms (minimum two-night 

stay) until May 15 for those interested in 

staying in Saratoga Springs. 

For more information, to reserve tickets, 

or to reserve one of the hotel rooms, please 

contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 

800-333-4428, or e-mail us at 



ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

ALUMNI NEWS 

Class of 1940 

Reunion 2001 

Classes of 1931, 1936, 1941, 1946, 1951, 1956, 

1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, and 1996 

College of Surgeons Meeting: 

School of Medicine and Dentistry alums, Medical Center faculty, and others met up with each other during the 

annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons in Chicago in October. Among those in attendance were: (left 

to right) James DeWeese, M.D. (M ’49, R ’56); James Sitzman, M.D., chair, Department of Surgery; James Peacock, 

M.D.; Christopher Weinmann, M.D. (R ’96); Luke Schoeniger, M.D.; Karl Illig, M.D. (R ’95, F ’97); and Paul 

Whitehead, M.D. (R ’85). 

Mark Your 

Calendars! 

The dates have been set for 

Reunion 2001: Oct. 18-21. It 

promises to be a great weekend. 

Reminisce with old friends, 

reconnect with faculty and staff, 

and find out what’s new and 

exciting at the school. Some of 

the activities the Alumni Office is 

planning include: 

• A golf tournament 

• Tours of Rochester-area sights 

• Tours of the new Medical 

Center facilities 

• Activities with your classmates 

Call the Office of Alumni 

Relations at 800-333-4428 

or drop us an e-mail at 

alumni@urmc.rochester.edu for 

more information. 

We hope you’ll join us! 


CLASS NOTES 


A gift from the estate of Ruth A. Boak, 

M.D., combined with gifts from other 

members of the class of 1940, helped 

establish the Class of 1940 Problem- 

Based Learning Room, which was 

dedicated during the group’s 60th 

reunion celebration held in October. 

Frank Pye Smith, M.D., is writing a 

textbook entitled Neurology and 

Neurosurgery: Common Principles, 

which he will publish this year. 


David S. Baldwin, M.D., has retired 

from internal medicine/nephrology 

practice but continues teaching at New 

York University School of Medicine. 

Paul A. Dewald, M.D., is working 

on a case vignette book on ethics for 

psychoanalysts. 

Marion E. McDowell, M.D., spends his 

time tutoring in math and English at a 

multicultural school for adults seeking 

a GED. 

Nevin S. Scrimshaw, M.D., writes, lectures, 

and is a consultant to international 

agencies and developing countries. He is 

also an editor for Food and Nutrition 

Bulletin. Dr. Scrimshaw is conducting field 

studies in Pakistan and China and working 

on an intervention for reducing iron 

deficiency anemia in developing countries. 


Neil Elgee, M.D., runs the Ernest 

Becker Foundation. 

James J. Ferguson Jr., M.D., is a 

consultant for the National Library of 

Medicine and Johns Manville Trust. 

Aaron Miller, M.D., is teaching and 

consulting in hematology at the Boston VA 


Robert Scholes, M.D., is operating 

The Bioresearch Ranch, Inc. with his 

wife, Kathryn. 


Warren M. Greene, M.D., is an 

associate at Southwest Urology Associates, 

a member of the board of directors of 

the Methodist Hospitals of Dallas, and 

chairman of the Department of Surgery 

for the Methodist Medical Center. 

Douglas B. Hansen, M.D., is teaching 

at Baylor College of Medicine Department 

of Psychiatry and the Houston-Galveston 

Psychoanalytic Institute. 

John Bernard Henry, M.D., is editing 

and writing two books this year: On Call: 

Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and 

Todd-Sanford-Davidsohn Clinical 

Diagnosis and Management by 

Laboratory Methods. 

Allan E. Inglis, M.D., is involved in the 

design and development of upper extremity 

artificial joint replacements in addition to 

his surgical (orthopaedic) practice. 


Richard E. Behrman, M.D., is still 

working full time as well as editing the 

Pediatric Nelson Textbook, and a journal, 

The Future of Children. Dr. Behrman has 

appointments as clinical professor of 

pediatrics at Stanford and the University 

of California at San Francisco. 

Stanley O. Foster, M.D., teaches, 

mentors students, and is a consultant on 

disease prevention and control activities 

around the world. This year he has 

traveled to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, 

Nigeria, and Guatemala. 

John Klahn, M.D., is the president of 

the medical staff of the San Antonio Baptist 

Health System, which includes 2,300 

physicians and five hospitals. 

Richard Loughry, M.D., is leading a 

local Parkinson’s disease support group in 

Wyoming and is a review physician for the 

Social Security Disability Unit. 

Lewis B. Morrow, M.D., is teaching 

medical students and residents at the 

University of Nevada School of Medicine, 

and traveling around the world with his 

consulting practice in endocrinology. 


CLASS NOTES 

William E. Powell, M.D., is writing 

a Eucharistic minister manual for the 

Episcopal Diocese of Texas. 

Elizabeth Richardson Ruben, M.D., 

has worked at Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa, 

AL, as the director of medical services for 

the past 13 years. 

John A. Stewart, M.D., is working 

at the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention in Atlanta, examining the 

herpes virus as well as studying chronic 

fatigue syndrome. 

Stephen R. Yarnall, M.D., answers 

letters and writes the “DocTalk” column 

for the Hope Health Letter. 


James C. Dangel, M.D., is working at 

the Framingham Heart Center with four 

other cardiologists as senior partner and 

director of clinical services. 

Duane A. Lawrence, M.D., is chief of 

staff for the Sentara Bayside Hospital in 

Virginia Beach, VA. 

Richard G. Lynch, M.D., recently 

stepped down as head of pathology at the 

University of Iowa after 18 years, two spent 

as interim dean of the College of Medicine. 

He currently divides his time between basic 

research, teaching medical students and 

residents, and directing the autopsy service. 

Beverly P. Wood, M.D., is at the 

University of Southern California, where 

she trains faculty, teaches medical students, 

and instructs faculty in multimedia 

authority. She is completing her Ph.D. 

dissertation on medical expertise. 


Edward Reiter, M.D., was elected 

president of The Lawson Wilkins Pediatric 

Endocrine Society. 


David B. Graham, M.D., has traveled to 

Hawaii and Hong Kong for his lecture series 

on child protection, trauma, and abuse 

with Youth with a Mission. His next lecture 

stop is Ethiopia. 

Robert A. Hallowitz, M.D., has been 

developing assays to detect the productivity 

of cells infected with HIV and HEPC. He is 

about to launch the first cell-based assay 

to monitor HIV disease progression and 

response to therapy. 

Thomas W. Panke, M.D., is the 

president of Southern Ohio Pathology 

Consultants Inc., which includes 13 

physicians covering six hospital 

laboratories in Cincinnati. 

John Richert, M.D., is working on 

abnormal gene expression in multiple 

sclerosis at Georgetown University 


O. J. Sahler, M.D., is director of 

psychosocial services and research in 

oncology as well as director of integrated 

complementary medicine at Thompson 

Health in Canandaigua, NY. 

Richard L. Worland, M.D., developed a 

rotator cuff needle that not only lessens the 

amount of time needed to perform rotator 

cuff surgery, but also costs hospitals less 

money. An associate clinical professor at the 

Medical College of Virginia, Dr. Worland 

specializes in the treatment, reconstruction, 

and total replacement of damaged knee 

and shoulder joints. 


Frank Eismont, M.D., is director of the 

American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons, 

vice chairman of the Residency Review 

Committee for Orthopedic Surgery, and 

vice chairman of the Department of 

Orthopedic Surgery at the University of 

Miami School of Medicine. 


Christopher T. Bever, Jr., M.D., is 

actively involved in clinical and basic 

research on the cause and treatment of 

multiple sclerosis. He is also a part of an 

MS clinical trials group where he is 

involved in several clinical trials of new 

immunomodulating agents in MS patients. 


CLASS NOTES 

Morris Swartz, M.D., is in a clinical 

position at the University of Pennsylvania, 

located at the Presbyterian Medical Center. 

He continues to practice pulmonary and 

critical care medicine, as well as teach at 

the university. 


Susan C. Bayer, M.D., is a member of a 

multispecialty practice at the Laconia (NH) 

Clinic as well as an adjunct associate professor 

working with first-year medical students 

at Dartmouth Medical School. 

Matthew L. Cartter, M.D., has been 

in charge of the Infectious Diseases 

Epidemiology Program for the Connecticut 

Department of Public Health for the past 

15 years. 

Randall Chadwick, Jr., M.D., 

has been working in the orthopedics 

department at the Alling Medical Group, 

with an emphasis on adult reconstruction 

of the hip, knee, and shoulder. 

Laurie Beth Forrest, M.D., is a 

radiologist at Kaiser Permanente in 

Portland, OR. 

John H. Helzberg, M.D., has been 

working with Mid-America Gastrointestinal 

Consultants P.C. in Kansas City, as director 

of the Division of Gastroenterology at 

St. Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, and 

as a co-director of the Division of 

Gastroenterology at the University of 

Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. 

Lee Deakins Hieb, M.D., is involved in 

clinical research on geriatric spinal 

disorders and has a private practice in 

orthopedic spinal surgery. Recently, he 

published a paper on the spine. 

Joel Pasternack, M.D., is working full 

time as clinical faculty in the Emergency 

Department at Strong Memorial Hospital. 

For the past few years, he had devoted his 

time completely to the pediatric ED; he is 

now caring for both children and adults. 


Alan J. Cohen, M.D., is the director of 

clinical services for the North Shore 

University Hospital-Manhasset Division of 

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the 

North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health 

System in Manhasset, NY. 


CLASS NOTES 

Holly J. Duck, M.D., is secretary of the 

Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society and a 

member of the American Academy of 

Orthopaedic Surgeons Diversity 

Committee. 

Brett M. Harrison, M.D., is working at 

Doylestown Hospital in Doylestown, PA, 

where he practices general, vascular, and 

thoracic surgery. He is the president of the 

medical staff through 2001. 

Thomas Neil Thompson, M.D., is 

working in the Ide Group in Geneva, NY. 

He limits his practice to interventional 

MRI and CT and has received a CAQ in 

neuroradiology. 


Michelle Klinek, M.D., is an allergist 

in private practice and chief of allergy/ 

immunology at a hospital in York, 

PA, where she has the opportunity to 

train residents. 

Laura Jean Shipley, M.D., is working 

at Panorama Pediatric Group as a primary 

care pediatrician. She is also co-directing 

a resident education and child advocacy 

program that places pediatric residents out 

in the community to provide health care 

and health education for impoverished, 

at-risk children and families in Rochester. 

Opportunities Abound to Support 

Work at the Medical Center 

Throughout its history, the University’s medical school and hospital 

have been strengthened and supported by thoughtful donors 

who believe in the important work conducted here. By making a 

gift through your estate—whether it be including a charitable gift 

in your will or establishing a charitable beneficiary in another 

component of your estate, such as a retirement plan—you can 

honor and promote the work of the Medical Center. A gift through 

your estate can help to continue and expand this tradition while 

ensuring a healthy future for the School of Medicine and Dentistry 

and Strong Memorial Hospital. 

The Medical Center’s investment professionals and development 

staff are available to advise you. You may wish to designate in your 

will that your gift memorialize someone important to you, or 

endow a family fund. Or, you may want to designate your gift for a 

particular department or program. All are feasible and welcomed. 

Please do not hesitate to contact us, or have your advisors 

write or call: 

Peggy Martin 

Office of Medical Center Development 

300 East River Road, PO Box 278996 

Rochester, NY 14627-8996 

(716) 275-0808 / (800) 333-4428 

Fax: (716) 461-5351 


IN 

MEMORIAM 

Clyde A. Heatly, M.D. 

Clyde A. Heatly, M.D., who developed 

the University of Rochester’s Division of 

Otolarygology (more commonly referred to 

as ear, nose and throat), died Jan. 17, 2001. 

He was 103. 

A native of Schenectady, as a teen Dr. 

Heatly’s vocational choice was influenced by 

an uncle who was an ENT specialist. He 

graduated as valedictorian of his class from 

both Union College and Johns Hopkins 

medical school, and completed his residency 

at Johns Hopkins. In 1925 he embarked 

on a two-year fellowship sponsored by the 

Rockefeller Foundation, traveling to 

Edinburgh, Zurich, and Vienna to study 

among the masters of the specialty. 

Dr. Heatly was recruited from Johns 

Hopkins in 1926 to develop the ENT program 

at the University of Rochester Medical Center. 

He also developed a residency program to 

train physicians in the specialty. He chaired 

the division for 36 years, during which time 

new medications and technologies led to 

great advancements in the treatment of 

sinus disease and other disorders involving 

the head and neck. 

Clyde A. Heatly, M.D. 

In addition to chairing the division, Dr. 

Heatly was chief of the ENT service, became 

professor in 1957, and professor emeritus in 

1964. He also served as a consultant to other 

area hospitals, established several endoscopy 

clinics in Rochester, and was instrumental in 

developing the Rochester Hearing and Speech 

Center. Aside from his roles at the Medical 

Center, he saw patients at his downtown office 

on North Goodman Street for over 40 years. 

Dr. Heatly published a major paper in 

each of his 38 academic years and contributed 

sections to noteworthy medical 

textbooks. He was active in local and 

national medical societies and, shortly after 

his retirement, was honored by the Rochester 

Academy of Medicine with its prestigious 

Award of Merit. 

A devoted family man, Dr. Heatly was 

predeceased by two wives, Martha Kinsey 

Heatly and Charlotte Sibley Heatly. He is 

survived by his daughter Mrs. Richard D. 

(Sally H.) Castle; three stepdaughters, 

three grandchildren, and seven greatgrandchildren. 

The outpatient ear, nose, and throat 

clinic at the University of Rochester Medical 

Center has been renamed the Clyde Alexander 

Heatly, M.D., Outpatient Clinic in his honor 

and memory. 

James V. Neel, M.D., Ph.D. 

(Ph.D. ’39, M ’44) 

James V. Neel, M.D., Ph.D. (Ph.D. ’39, M 

’44), a pioneer in the study of human genetics 

and one of the first to foresee its importance 

in the diagnosis and treatment of medical 

conditions, died Feb. 1, 2000. He was 84. 

Dr. Neel was born in Hamilton, Ohio. He 

earned an undergraduate degree from the 

College of Wooster in Ohio in 1935, then came 

to Rochester, where he earned his doctorate 

and medical degrees. He joined the faculty 

at the University of Michigan in 1946 as an 

assistant geneticist. From 1946 to 1947, he 

served in the Army Medical Corps and directed 

field studies for the Atomic Bomb Casualty 

Commission of the National Research Council. 

In 1948, he returned to the University of 

Michigan to direct the Institute of Human 

Biology’s Heredity Clinic. 

Dr. Neel went on to establish the 

U-M Medical School’s Department of Human 

Genetics in 1956, which he chaired for 25 

years. He was named the Lee R. Dice University 

Professor of Human Genetics in 1966, a 

position he held until he retired in 1985. 

Highlights of Dr. Neel’s career include his 

being the first scientist to recognize the genetic 

basis for sickle cell anemia. During the 1960s, 

he proposed the “thrifty gene” hypothesis, 

which states that genes associated with 

common diseases like diabetes, hypertension, 

James V. Neel, M.D., Ph.D. (Ph.D. ’39, M ’44) 


IN 

MEMORIAM 

and obesity are part of the human gene pool, 

because they helped early ancestors survive 

when calories and salt were less abundant. 

His most recent research focused on severe 

chromosomal damage in what he termed 

“rogue cells,” which he first identified in his 

studies of the Yanomama tribe in the Amazon 

and Japanese populations. 

Dr. Neel’s many honors include the Albert 

Lasker Award, election to the National Academy 

of Sciences, the Allen Award from the American 

Society of Human Genetics, the National Medal 

of Science, the Smithsonian Institution Medal, 

and many more. 

He is survived by his wife, Priscilla, of Ann 

Arbor; a daughter, Frances Neel, also of Ann 

Arbor; and two sons, James of Santa Rosa, CA, 

and Alexander of Dodge City, KS; a sister, Mary 

Ann Blackwood of Atlanta; a granddaughter 

and two grandsons. 

Claire Cutten Manwell, M.D. 

(M ’30) 

Claire Cutten Manwell, M.D. (M ’30), a 

member of the School of Medicine and 

Dentistry’s first entering class in 1925, died 

July 9, 2000. She was 93. 

A longtime pediatrician in the town of 

Northampton, MA, Dr. Manwell was well 

regarded as a gifted doctor whose kindness in 

caring for children served as a model for all 

who knew her. 

Born in Corning, NY, Dr. Manwell and her 

husband, Edward Manwell, M.D., were both 

members of Rochester’s Class of 1930. She 

went on to study at Acadia University in Nova 

Scotia. With her husband, she opened a 

medical practice in Northampton in 1935. 

During World War II, while her husband was in 

the service in the Pacific, Dr. Manwell was busy 

Claire Manwell, M.D. (M ’30) 

raising three daughters and working as the only 

pediatrician in Hampshire County. 

After their retirement in the late 1960s, the 

Manwells spent years doing volunteer medical 

work in Africa, South Africa, and southeast Asia, 

as well as on some American Indian 

reservations out west. 

During her career, Dr. Manwell received 

numerous honors from various organizations, 

including the Hampshire District Medical 

Society, the Zonta Club, and Acadia University. 

She is survived by her husband of 70 years, 

Edward, of Northampton, MA; three daughters, 

Suzanne Ames of Tulsa, OK, Gail Gaustad of 

Swarthmore, PA, and Sara Bradford of 

Providence, RI; eight grandchildren; and 

seven great-grandchildren. 

Benjamin Sischy, M.D. (F ’83) 

Benjamin Sischy, M.D. (F ’83), who was 

chief of radiation oncology at Highland 

Hospital from 1967 to 1988, died on Sept. 23, 

2000. He was 82. 

Dr. Sischy was born in Germiston, South 

Africa, not far from Johannesburg. After 

receiving his medical degree at the University of 

Witwatersrand, he practiced family medicine 

and specialized in obstetrics. In 1961, Dr. 

Sischy and his family fled South Africa. His 

wife, Claire, was a member of the Black Sash, 

a group of white women who were peacefully 

opposing apartheid. The family’s decision to 

leave came after a patient of Dr. Sischy’s warned 

him that his wife’s arrest was imminent. The 

Sischys went to Edinburgh, where Dr. Sischy 

retrained in radiology. In 1967, he moved his 

family to Rochester and began his work at 

Highland Hospital. 

The author of 45 articles on radiation 

treatment for cancer, Dr. Sischy is credited 

with introducing endocavitary radiation to 

North America. The procedure, used for 

early-stage rectal cancer, delivers precise hits 

of radiation to tumors through a narrow tube 

that resembles a sigmoidoscope. 

Following his retirement, in 1990, Dr. Sischy 

was active in community causes, including a 

program in which retirees mentored criminals 

on parole. He was a past president of the 

American Jewish Committee in Sarasota, FL, 

where he was living at the time of his death, 

and belonged to the Jewish Federation, the 

Jewish Housing Council, and the Center for 

Catholic-Jewish studies. 

Dr. Sischy is survived by his wife, Claire; his 

sons, David, of Rochester, and Mark, of 

Edinburgh; a daughter, Ingrid, of New York 

City; a sister, Clarice Sischy, of London; and 

three grandchildren. 



IN 

MEMORIAM 

William A. Greene, M.D. (R ’48) 

William A. Greene, M.D. (R ’48), 

Professor Emeritus 

William A. Greene, M.D. (R ’48), a wellknown 

Rochester internist and one of the 

individuals who helped develop the biopsychosocial 

model for understanding the origins 

of disease, died on Dec. 2, 2000, following 

a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He 

was 85. 

Born June 15, 1915, in Worcester, MA, he 

grew up on the family apple farm. He 

received his undergraduate degree from 

Harvard College in 1936 and graduated from 

Harvard Medical School in 1940. From 1942 

to 1946, he was a member of the Medical 

Corps of the U.S. Army, spending three years 

in the European Theater of Operations. 

During the D-Day invasion in 1944, Dr. 

Greene earned the Bronze Star for valor 

under fire. It was during his armed forces 

service that he met Kay, his wife of 50 years, 

who predeceased him in 1995. 

Dr. Greene came to Rochester and served 

two years of medical residency and two years 

of fellowship in medicine and psychiatry 

from 1948-1950 under George Engel, M.D., 

and John Romano, M.D. Dr. Greene had dual 

appointments in medicine and psychiatry 

and rose to the ranks of full professor in both 

departments. Together, he and his colleagues 

in the Medical-Psychiatric Liaison Group 

worked toward a new understanding of the 

medically ill patient. He retired as emeritus 

professor of medicine and ofpsychiatry. 

Dr. Greene, whose earliest research looked 

at how leukemia and lymphomas were 

related to emotional states, conducted 

pioneering research on the correlation 

between psychological factors and 

disease. Past president of the American 

Psychosomatic Society, he was widely 

published and internationally recognized 

for his contributions. 

Dr. Greene is survived by two children, 

Hilary, of Minneapolis, and Steve, of 

Rochester; two granddaughters; a sister; the 

family of another sister who predeceased him, 

and many friends and colleagues. 

1930 

Claire Manwell Cutten, M.D. 

Northampton, MA 

1932 

Paul Ferrara, M.D. 

Canastota, NY 

1934 

Michael Lepore, M.D. (MAS ’31) 

Englewood, NJ 

1935 

Estelle Boynton, M.D. (R ’35) 

Highland Village, TX 

1937 

George Freeman Bantleon, M.D. 

(B ’32) 

Scottsdale, AZ 

1938 

George Anderson, M.D. (B ’33) 

Hunt Valley,MD 

1940 

Ruth Alice Boak, M.D. 

Long Beach, CA 

1941 

Ralph W. Brauer, Ph.D. (MAS ’41) 

Wilmington, NC 

J. Robert Close, M.D. 

Oakhurst, CA 


IN 

MEMORIAM 

1943 

Leslie Bennett, M.D. 

Los Angeles, CA 

William H. Masters, M.D. (HNR ’87) 

Tucson, AZ 

Helen E. Van Alstine, M.D. (B ’30) 

Springfield, MA 

Herman D. Zeifer, M.D. 

Chappaqua, NY 

1944 

Franklin Brayer, M.D. (B ’42) 

Rochester, NY 

Charles W. Caccamise Jr., M.D. 

(B ’41) 

Jackson, MS 

James Vangundia Neel, M.D. 

(Ph.D. ’39) 

Ann Arbor, MI 

Robert A. Pfaff, M.D. 

Dubuque, IA 

1945 

Jay B. Moses, M.D. 

Westwood, MA 

1946 

William S. Abbey, M.D. 

Fort Collins, CO 

John Bruce Perkins, M.D. 

Pittsford, NY 

1947 

George L. Fletcher, M.S. 

New Durham, NH 

1949 

Herbert Epstein, M.D. 

Glencoe, IL 

J. Edward Gilda Jr., M.S. (B.A. ’44) 

Pittsford, NY 

Alfred James Grose, M.D. 

Ellensburg, WA 

Louis Nelson Jr., M.D. 

White Bear Lake, MN 

William G. Shafer, M.S. 

Indianapolis, IN 

1950 

Gordon L. Deshler, M.D. 

Phoenix, AZ 

Fred V. Lucas, M.D. 

Baton Rouge, LA 

S. Marsh Tenney, M.D. (R ’50) 

Hanover, NH 

John Bacon Westcott Jr., M.D. 

Binghamton, NY 

1953 

Mary F. Leahy Firra, M.D. (B ’47) 

Olympia, WA 

1954 

Nathaniel J. Hurst, M.D. 

Rochester,NY 

1955 

Daniel L. Gilbert, Ph.D. 

Bethesda, MD 

1956 

Joyce P. Davis, M.S. 

San Diego, CA 

James Duckworth, M.S. 

Rio Vista, CA 

1958 

Svend Eldrup-Jorgensen, M.D. 

(R ’58) 

Rochester, NY 

1969 

Dorothy Ann Geddes, M.D. 

Glasgow, Scotland 

1970 

Ralph Rashbaum, M.D. (R ’70) 

Chicago, IL 

1979 

Richard Cullen Crain Jr., Ph.D. 

Storrs Mansfield, CT 

1983 


Sarasota, FL 

1984 

Mary Ellen Riegel, M.D. (R ’88) 

Pittsford, NY 

Andrew Mark Silverstein, M.D. 

Atlanta, GA 


Betina Desmmarais 

Illana Seligman 

Looking 

for 

alums . . . 

Help us to locate the 

alums shown on this 

page. If you see yourself 

or a friend, please contact 

the Office of Alumni 

Relations at 800-333-4428, 

or e-mail us at 


Jane Z. Sahler 

Richard C. Friedman 

Danya Warshaver Yemina 

Bruce S. MacDonald 

James B. Butterfield 

Carlyle de Castro 

John G. Cope 

Richard F. Defendini 

Stephanie Prisch 

Michael J. Channick 

Thang Duc Ngo 

Susan Clark Ristow 

Donna Herforth Bradshaw 

Joe and Yvonne Reading 

William M. Kuzon and Linda Blaszczyk 


Experimental Biochemistry—photo taken by Eugene H. Traher, October 1926 

Left to right, inside front cover: Gordon Sinclair, S.H. Erlenback, M.D. 

Left to right, inside back cover: H. Gregg Smith and Ruth Snider

University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry 

One of Only a Few Medical Schools in America Granted 

P ERFECT S CORE 

by the LCME Accreditation Board 

Congratulations to students, faculty, and staff! 

University of Rochester 

School of Medicine and Dentistry 

Box 643 

601 Elmwood Avenue 

Rochester, New York 14642 

Non-Profit Org. 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

Permit No. 780 

Rochester, N.Y. 

Change Service Requested

Spring/Summer 2001 - University of Rochester Medical Center

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