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WARDROUNDS 

WINTER 2010 –11 

Cover Story: 

p.10 

Confronting 

Concussions 

p.14 

In the Know: 

2010 Medical School 

Alumni Update 

Ward Rounds’ new online 

issue launches March 8. 

p.18 

Unlocking Health 

Disparities

Contents 

Departments 

Address all correspondence to: 

Northwestern University 

Feinberg School of Medicine 

Offi ce of Communications 

420 East Superior Street 

Rubloff 12th Floor 

Chicago, IL 60611 

Call or e-mail us at 312.503.1246 

or ward-rounds@northwestern.edu 

©2011 Northwestern University 

Ward Rounds is a federally 

registered trademark of 

Northwestern University. 

Senior Executive Director 

of Communications 

Tom Garritano 

Communications Director/Editor 

Michele M. Weber 

Contributing Writers 

Katie Costello 

Devon McPhee 

Marla Paul 

Cheryl SooHoo 

Samantha Vizer 

Editorial Board 

Richard Ferkel, MD ’77 

Kerry Humes, MD ’90 

Rebecca Katzman, PhD ’04 

June Macchiaverna, PT ’75 

Julie Melchior, MD ’91 

Ukeme Umana, MD ’85 

Bruce Henschen, Class of 2012 

Jeff Glassroth, MD, Interim Dean 

Ginny Darakjian, Assistant Dean for 

Alumni Relations 

Katherine E. Kurtz, Dean for 

Development 

Robert M. Rosa, MD, Dean for 

Regulatory Aff airs and Chief 

Compliance Offi cer 

Tom Garritano, Senior Executive 

Director of Communications 

Michele M. Weber, Comm. Director 

Alumni Association 

F. Douglas Carr, MD ’78, MMM, 

President 

James A. Hill, MD ’74, GME ’79, 

President-elect 

Ward Rounds is published 

quarterly for alumni and friends of 

Northwestern University Feinberg 

School of Medicine and the McGaw 

Medical Center graduate medical 

education programs. Material 

in Ward Rounds may not be 

reproduced without prior consent 

and proper credit. 

p.02 

p.03 

p.23 

p.23 

p.28 

p.32 

Dean’s Message 

Ward Rounds News 

Alumni News 

President’s Message 

Progress Notes 

Upcoming Events 

WARDROUNDS 

Features: 

p.18 

Unlocking 

Health 

Disparities 

Design 

Firebelly Design 

New study 

investigates the health 

effects of incarceration 

on minorities 

Cover Photography 

Courtesy of AP Images 

« 

p.10 

Confronting 

Concussions 

The NFL is tackling the 

long-term effects of 

head trauma 

p.14 

In the Know 

Alumni update on 

medical school 

progress in 2010 

the northwestern juvenile project is a longitudinal study that 

has followed more than 1,800 delinquent youth since the ’90s. 

ward rounds winter 2010-11 — p.01

DEAN’S MESSAGE WARD ROUNDS NEWS RESEARCH FEATURES ALUMNI NEWS PROGRESS NOTES UPCOMING EVENTS 

Article Title: 

Message from 

the Interim Dean 


Ward Rounds Sports a 

New Design – Alumni 

Feedback Guided Efforts 

Written By: 

michele weber, editor 

jeff glassroth, md 

interim dean 

On January 1, 2011, I became interim 

dean of Northwestern University 

Feinberg School of Medicine. In this role 

I see myself leading Feinberg forward in 

achieving current goals and completing 

ongoing projects. In this way we can 

maintain our progress in research and 

educational innovation, and we can 

continue to attract outstanding and 

diverse students to our medical school. 

Doing this in the current extramural 

funding environment and with the 

uncertainties posed by healthcare reform 

and the general economy will be 

challenging. Maintaining our emphasis 

on alignment, innovation, and impact 

as articulated by former Dean J. Larry 

Jameson will help us but will not, in 

my opinion, be enough. We will need to be prepared to make 

diffi cult choices guided by our strategic priorities while fi nding 

creative ways to maintain excellence that is broad and not just 

localized in a handful of priority areas. We will need to draw 

on our tradition of collaboration so as to fully leverage the 

extraordinary talent available here. 

Perhaps our greatest opportunity is Northwestern Medicine, 

the strategic vision we share with Northwestern Memorial 

Hospital and the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation to 

elevate our collective enterprise into one of the country’s elite 

academic medical centers. While this concept and the entity 

it envisions are still evolving, I believe we all agree that to be 

a great academic medical center we must do several things. 

Clearly, we must continue to provide the superb quality of 

medical care that we are known for. I have no doubt that we 

will do that. While necessary, however, that is not suffi cient. 

Academic medical centers must also distinguish themselves 

by their ability to generate new knowledge (i.e., research) and 

then impart that knowledge to students (i.e., educate). I submit 

that it is the degree to which we are able to take questions 

and ideas and turn them into insights that will ultimately 

defi ne how successful we will be in achieving the tremendous 

promise of Northwestern Medicine. Impatience with the status 

quo and the ability to apply science of all types to preventing 

and curing disease, whether by direct application or by 

education are, aſt er all, attributes that distinguish truly great 

academic medical centers. 

I have held positions with the medical school at 

Northwestern University for more than half of my professional 

career. Even in my most recent role as president and CEO of 

the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, I held a Feinberg 

appointment as vice dean and chief academic offi cer. I am 

deeply committed to the school’s continued success and I am 

pleased to be able to help lead Feinberg and our outstanding 

faculty, staff , and students as interim dean during the search for 

a successor to Larry Jameson. 

Sincerely, 

Jeff Glassroth 

Interim Dean 

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine 

Just six years ago, Ward Rounds 

made a big change from black and 

white to four-color photography. 

This year with the transition to more 

online content, we felt we could 

benefi t from another update to the 

magazine’s design. Responding to 

alumni feedback from a survey in 

the summer issue that content was 

hard to read, we decreased the story 

length, increased the size of the type, 

and added more white space overall, 

providing more room for visuals 

and diff erent ways to help readers 

navigate through each story. 

We also wanted to give the 

cover of the magazine a more contemporary 

look and feel. Retaining 

the magazine’s well recognized 

name – Ward Rounds – for the 

past 28 years was critical, but we 

changed the typeface and created a 

new masthead. 

Illustrations haven’t been used 

as a design element in more than 

a year, but moving forward, we will 

add unique drawings as appropriate 

to make sure our approach stays 

fresh. We have introduced icons that 

indicate when there is additional 

content online – from Northwestern 

and outside media – and have added 

a navigation bar at the top of 

each two-page spread that names 

the magazine section. This same 

approach is repeated online. 

Readers also told us that they 

would like more information about our 

students and their medical school lives 

and want to see more alumni news. 

We will incorporate more news about 

our students, and will work to include 

more alumni profi les, but to add more 

personal news, we need our graduates 

to submit more “Progress Notes.” 

Online Version 

The number of individuals who access 

Ward Rounds online has continued to 

grow over the past year. Since we do 

not mail hard copies outside the United 

States due to postage costs, it is one 

way our alumni and other interested 

parties living in other countries can 

stay updated on the school’s activities 

and progress. We have had individuals 

from 75 diff erent countries access the 

magazine through the web. For the 

summer issue, we had 5,000 people 

view at least some of the Ward Rounds 

content online. 

Many alumni told us they would 

access the online-only versions of the 

magazines two times a year, although 

others said they prefer to enjoy the experience 

of reading a print publication at 

home in a more leisurely setting. When 

asked what elements they’d like to see 

online, 55 percent asked for video and 

25 percent for a blog. As a result, we will 

try to include video or audio podcasts in 

each issue and have launched our very 

“ 

To open a dialogue with 

alumni, we have provided 

opportunities for readers 

to comment on feature 

and other stories. 

“ 

own history blog (we need your help 

to name the blog), written by Special 

Collections Librarian Ron Sims from 

the Galter Health Sciences Library. We 

hope you will respond to Ron’s posts and 

suggest ideas for future topics. 

To make the magazine more 

interactive and to open a dialogue with 

alumni, we have provided opportunities 

for readers to comment on stories. We 

also off er an option for people to print 

or e-mail longer features for added 

convenience. In addition, there will 

continue to be unique content online 

when there is a print issue. 

We hope you will provide us with 

your feedback and suggestions as to 

how we can continue to improve the 

magazine content and design to better 

meet your needs. 

p.02 — wardroundsonline.com 




Feinberg Students, Residents, 

Faculty, and Alumni Inducted into 

Prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha 


NU Prosthetics-Orthotics 

Center Integrates Research 

and Education Missions 

Written By: 

katie costello 

Written By: 


(from left) john p. flaherty, md; 

william catalona, md; james j. paparello, 

md; and j. larry jameson, md, phd, at the 

aoa induction. 

The Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honor society recently 

welcomed its newest members from Northwestern University 

Feinberg School of Medicine. Inductees included medical students, 

residents, and faculty, as well as an alumnus – each 

selected for their academic performance or contributions to the 

medical fi eld. 

“Membership in the society is a lifelong honor that confers 

recognition for a physician’s dedication to the profession,” says 

John P. Flaherty, MD, councilor of the AOA Illinois Gamma 

Chapter, professor of medicine at Feinberg, and associate chief of 

the Division of Infectious Diseases. “For medical students, this 

award can also positively impact their residency placements, as 

it serves as a clear indicator of their position at the top of their 

medical school class.” 

Samuel Haywood, a fourth-year medical student, shares 

credit for his success with his Feinberg mentors. The medical 

school’s faculty and administration continually strive to de velop 

top-caliber physicians, he says, and while the journey has been 

diffi cult, this mark of distinction acknowledges his hard work. 

“AOA members include a highly distinguished group of 

phys icians, both from Northwestern and nationwide,” says 

Haywood. “The opportunity to be listed alongside these distinguished 

physicians is a great honor.” 

Along with Haywood, the following 27 undergraduate 

medical students were inducted into AOA: Leah Abrass, John 

Boyle, Sarah Clark, Robert Eilers, James Flaherty, Daniel 

Fuchs, Haley Goucher, Julia Hubert, Jennifer Kaplan, Ashley 

Keyes, Kathryn Kinner, Sara Kleinschmidt, Jill Larson, Jozef 

Murar, Claire O’Connell, Megan Pirigyi, Christy Pomeranz, 

Kavitha Ranganathan, Erika Reid, Lina Rodriguez, Alexander 

Sandhu, Blayne Sayed, Emily Schwartz, Ami Shah, Lakshmi 

Sridharan, Tianyi Wang, and Kali Zhou.Three residents – 

Edward D. Auyang, MD, MS, Jeff rey D. Kennedy, MD, and 

Clara J. Schroedl, MD – were also inducted, along with 

faculty members, William J. Catalona, MD, professor in the 

Department of Urology, and James J. Paparello, MD, associate 

professor in the division of Nephrology/Hypertension. 

For Paparello, induction into AOA is a humbling honor and 

recognition of his eff orts during his tenure at Feinberg. 

“I think that one of my strengths as an educator is that I 

remember well what it was like to be a student; I believe that 

empathy helps me to work with these learners,” Paparello 

says. “I would be happy only practicing nephrology, but the 

interactions with students at an academic institution like 

Feinberg have provided a cherished and invaluable experience.” 

The fi nal inductee, Alan W. Yasko, MD ’84, MBA, a professor 

in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery who passed away 

suddenly in August 2010, was an alumnus of the medical 

school. This posthumous honor recognized the achievements 

made during Dr. Yasko’s active life in medicine. 

“Dr. Yasko was a distinguished surgeon and a leader in his 

fi eld,” says Flaherty. “He certainly accomplished a tremendous 

amount during his career and deserves this honor.” 

The Northwestern University Pros thetics- 

Orthotics Center (NUPOC) re cently moved 

from two fl oors in the Rehabilitation 

Institute of Chicago to 680 North Lake 

Shore Drive. The new location will allow 

for greater cross-fertilization between 

the education and research arms of the 

center, which has completely absorbed 

the Northwestern University Prosthetics 

Research Laboratory. 

“During the past few years, we’ve 

made progress operationally and administratively 

toward greater integration 

between our two missions,” says Steven 

Gard, PhD, research associate professor 

in the Feinberg School of Medicine 

Department of Physical Medicine and 

Rehabilitation (PMR) and executive 

director of NUPOC. “We’re excited about 

the opportunities that will occur as a 

result of increased communication between 

our research and teaching faculty.” 

Moving forward, Gard visualizes 

all NUPOC faculty having some level 

of involvement in both education and 

research eff orts. “Ideally, educators will 

help steer research, since they are current 

with clinical practice. By doing so, NUPOC 

educators infl uence the direction of our 

research program, while staying informed 

about cutting-edge research,” he says. 

Gard serves as director of the center’s 

Jesse Brown Veterans Aff airs Chicago 

Motion Analysis Research Laboratory, 

the hub for most of NUPOC’s research. 

The newly designed and equipped lab 

uses advanced technology to characterize 

human movement. 

“The Motion Analysis Lab contains 

complex systems for measuring pressure, 

eff ort, and force as they relate to standing, 

walking, reaching, and grasping, and the 

corresponding utilization of prosthetics 

and orthotics devices for these activities,” 

says Gard. “It’s really at the heart of our 

research activity.” 

While the center performs dozens of 

studies simultaneously, all of its research 

aims to achieve one of two objectives: 

to better understand how prostheses 

and orthoses assist human movement; 

or to improve technology to increase 

functionality for people with prostheses 

and orthoses. 

steven gard, phd, is 

the executive director 

of the northwestern 

university prostheticsorthotics 

center. 

Returning Farmers to the Fields 

One NUPOC study attempts to assess and 

respond to the unique prosthetic needs 

of farmers and ranchers. Working with 

the National AgrAbility Project, Gard and 

co-principal investigator Stefania Fatone, 

PhD, research assist ant professor of 

PMR, aim to provide disabled farmers 

and ranchers with more independence 

and the ability to return to work. 

“Farmers and ranchers suff er a 

great deal of accidents, yet they remain 

an underserved group due to their 

geographic isolation and need for durable 

limbs that can withstand weather 

conditions and chemicals,” Gard says. 

Now in the early stages of the fi veyear 

grant, NUPOC researchers Kathy 

Waldera, MS, and Craig Heckathorne, 

MS, are gathering information to identify 

the major issues for this demographic, 

such as: Are diff erent prostheses 

needed for farm versus city use? 

How are farmers’ current prostheses 

breaking or failing? 

A Better Prosthesis for Injured Soldiers 

The center recently embarked on a new 

United States Department of Defense 

(DoD)-funded grant that aims to further 

the development of more functional 

prostheses for highly active abovethe-knee 

amputees. Current pros thetic 

socket designs encase the hip joint and 

portion of the pelvis, limiting range of 

motion at the hip and compromising 

comfort. 

“The military would like to off er wounded 

soldiers the opportunity to return to 

service in some capacity,” says Fatone, 

adding that service persons have higher 

expectations for post-amputation function 

since they are generally young and in excellent 

health prior to their injury. 





Jeff Glassroth, MD, 

Named Interim Dean 

Jeff Glassroth, MD, became interim dean 

of Northwestern University Fein berg 

School of Medicine on January 1, 2011. 

Dr. Glassroth has been president and 

chief executive officer of the Faculty 

Foundation, the 700-member faculty 

practice of Feinberg, since January 

2010. He also holds the administrative 

roles of vice dean and chief academic 

officer for Feinberg. 

J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, most 

recently vice president for medical aff airs 

and the Lewis Landsberg dean at the 

medical school, accepted the position of 


Faculty Awards 

Marsel Mesulam, MD, Dunbar Professor 

of Neurology and Psychiatry and 

director of the Cognitive Neurology 

and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at 

Northwestern University, received The 

Alzheimer’s Association’s 2010 Bengt 

Winblad Lifetime Achievement Award 

for his “extraordinary achievements 

in advancing Alzheimer research.” Dr. 

Mesulam, whose work on cholinergic 

pathways has been groundbreaking in 

understanding Alzheimer’s, was honored 

during the 2010 International Conference 

on Alzheimer’s Disease. 

executive vice president and dean of the 

school of medicine at the University of 

Pennsylvania beginning July 1, 2011. He 

will continue to serve as vice president 

for medical aff airs and dean emeritus 

aſt er January 1, 2011. 

“I’m very pleased that Dr. Glassroth 

has agreed to serve as interim dean for 

Feinberg,” said Northwestern University 

President Morton Schapiro. “He and Dr. 

Jameson will work closely during this 

transitional period, and I’m confi dent 

that Dr. Glassroth will provide strong 

leadership for the medical school, as he 

has for the faculty foundation, while Dr. 

Jameson will continue to participate in 

strategic planning for Feinberg and the 

University.” 

Dr. Glassroth fi rst joined what was 

then called Northwestern University 

Medical School in 1981 as an assistant 

professor of medicine. He was later 

promoted to professor of medicine 

and the Gilbert H. Marquardt Professor 

of Internal Medicine. He went on to 

Ann Carias, a graduate student in the 

laboratory of Dr. Thomas Hope, was one 

of 41 Feinberg faculty/staff to submit 

images to the Northwestern University 

Scientifi c Images Contest. Carias, who is 

studying how HIV infl uences immune cell 

distribution and the eff ects of hormonal 

treatment, took third place with her 

colorful image of cervical tissue that had 

been exposed to HIV. Before exposure, 

the tissue was treated with Depo Provera, 

a drug known to thin the epithelial layer. 

Green areas depict cervical tissue, and 

blue areas denote live cells within the 

tissue. The bright pink fl ecks are immune 

cells that can be targeted by HIV. 

become vice chair in the department of 

medicine and ass ociate dean for clinical/ 

academic aff airs. 

Aſt er Dr. Glassroth leſt Northwestern 

in 1995, he held depart ment chairs 

at the Allegheny University of the 

Health Sciences (now known as Drexel 

University College of Medicine) in 

Phila delphia, Pa., and the University of 

Wisconsin School of Medicine in Madison, 

Wis. Before rejoining Northwestern in 

2007, he was vice dean and professor of 

medicine at Tuſt s. 

Dr. Glassroth’s research interests 

relate to lung infections, particularly 

tuberculosis. He has focused on the 

prevention, diagnosis, and general epidemiology 

of lung infections including 

those related to HIV infection. He has 

authored numerous publications and 

also is co-editor of a major text book on 

lung infections and a co-editor of Baum’s 

Textbook of Pulmonary Medicine. A 

search committee for the new dean of 

Feinberg was formed in December 2010. 

read more faculty 

awards online 


Written By: 

National Children’s Study 

Launches in Chicago 

marla paul 

Why are so many babies born prematurely? 

Why do so many American 

child ren suff er from asthma, autism, 

obesity, behavior disorders, and other 

health problems? Greater Chicago-area 

families have a unique opportunity to 

help better understand and prevent 

these conditions by participating in the 

National Children’s Study (NCS). 

Starting in November, the National 

Children’s Study-Greater Chicago Study 

Center, which includes Northwestern 

University Feinberg School of Medicine, 

the University of Illinois at Chicago, the 

University of Chicago, and the National 

Opinion Research Center, began 

enrolling Chicago-area pregnant women 

and women who may become pregnant. 

“ 

More than 100,000 children, 

representative of the entire 

population of American kids, 

will be studied. 

“ 

The study will follow the children and their families from 

before birth until age 21 to help determine how family history 

and physical and social environments infl uence their health. 

Feinberg received a seven-year, $32-million contract 

from the National Institute of Child Health and Human 

Development to conduct the National Children’s Study in 

the greater Chicago area. 

More than 100,000 children, rep resentative of the entire 

popula tion of American kids, will be studied. The research 

will focus on how key factors infl uence children’s health and 

well-being, including what they eat and drink, the air they 

breathe, the safety of their neighborhoods, their family 

history, who cares for them, and how oſt en they see a doctor. 

Specimens will be collected at birth and, over time, other 

samples such as blood and hair and in-depth cognitive, developmental, 

and physical health assessments will be taken, 

said Jane Holl, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and 

preventive medicine at Feinberg and attending physician at 

Children’s Memorial Hos pital. Soil, water, and other samp les 

from the physical environment will also be gathered. 

“We are never going to be able to effectively prevent 

childhood health conditions until we fully understand how 

and what contributes to them,” said Holl, the principal 

investigator of the study. 

The National Children’s Study-Greater Chicago Study 

Center is one of 105 National Children’s Study locations 

around the United States. 

p.06 — wardroundsonline.com



Stress Takes Its Toll 

in Parkinson’s Disease 

We all know that living a stressful lifestyle can take its toll, 

making us age faster and decreasing our immunity. 

The same appears to be true of neurons in the brain. According 

to a Northwestern Medicine study published November 10 

in the journal Nature, dopamine-releasing neurons in a region 

of the brain called the substantia nigra require lots of energy, 

creating stress that could lead to the neurons’ premature death. 

Their death causes Parkinson’s disease. 

“Why this small group of neurons dies in Parkinson’s disease 

is the core question we struggled with,” says lead author 

D. James Surmeier, PhD, the Nathan Smith Davis Professor 

and chair of physiology at Northwestern University Feinberg 

School of Medicine. “Our research provides a potential answer 

by showing this small group of neurons uses a metabolically 

expensive strategy to do its job. This ‘lifestyle’ choice 

stresses the neurons’ mitochondria and elevates the production 

of superoxide and free radicals – molecules closely 

linked to aging, cellular dysfunction, and death.” 

The good news is preclinical research shows this 

stress can be controlled with an FDA-approved drug. By 

preventing calcium entry, the drug isradipine reduced the 

mitochondrial stress in do pamine-releasing neurons to the 

levels seen in neurons not aff ected by the disease. 

“By lowering their metabolic stress level, we should be 

able to make dopamine-releasing neurons live longer 

and delay the onset of Parkinson’s disease,” he said. “For 

individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s, the hope is that this 

drug can slow progression, giving symptomatic therapies a 

broader window in which to work. 

Northwestern Medicine scientists currently are con ducting 

a clinical trial to fi nd out if isradipine can be used safely and 

is tolerated by patients with Parkinson’s. Isradipine is already 

approved for treatment of high blood pressure. 

Researchers at the Robert H. Lurie 

Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern 

University have found that a new, 

nontoxic drug made from a chemical 

in soy could prevent the movement of 

cancer cells from the prostate to the rest 

of the body. 

Genistein, a natural chemical found in 

soy, is being used in the lab of Raymond 

Bergan, MD, the director of experimental 

therapeutics at the Lurie Cancer Center, 

to inhibit prostate cancer cells from 

becoming metastatic and spreading to 

other parts of the body. So far the cancer 

therapy drug has worked in preclinical 

animal studies and now shows benefi ts 

in humans with prostate cancer. 

A recent phase II randomized study 

of 38 men with localized prostate cancer 

found that genistein, when given once 

a day as a pill, one month prior to surgery, 

had benefi cial eff ects on pro state 

cancer cells. 

“The fi rst step is to see if the drug 

has the eff ect that you want on the 

cells and the prostate, and the answer 

is ‘yes, it does,’” said Bergan, a professor 

of hematology and oncology 

at Northwestern University Feinberg 

School of Medicine and a physician at 

Northwestern Memorial Hospital. 

The next step is to conduct another 

phase II study to see if the drug can 

stop the cancer cells from moving 

into the rest of the body. If confi rmed, 

this could be the fi rst therapy for any 

cancer that is non-toxic and targets 

and inhibits cancer cell movement. 


Soy May Stop 

Prostate Cancer Spread 


Why Estrogen Makes You Smarter 


Estrogen is an elixir for the brain, sharpening 

mental performance in hu mans 

and animals and showing promise as 

a treatment for disorders of the brain 

such as Alzheimer’s disease and 

schizophrenia. But long-term estrogen 

therapy, once prescribed routinely for 

menopausal women, now is quite controversial 

because of research show ing 

it increases the risk of cancer, heart 

disease, and stroke. 

Northwestern Medicine researchers 

have discovered how to reap the benefi ts 

of estrogen without the risk. Using a 

special compound, they fl ipped a switch 

that mimics the eff ect of estrogen on 

cortical brain cells. The scientists also 

found how estrogen physically works in 

brain cells to boost mental performance. 

When scientists activated an estrogen 

receptor, they witnessed a dramatic increase 

in the number of dendritic spines, 

the tiny bridges that enable the brain 

cells to talk to each other. 

“We created more sites that could 

allow for more communication between 

the cells,” said lead investigator Deepak 

Srivastava, research assistant professor 

in neuroscience at Northwestern University 

Feinberg School of Medicine. 

“We are building more bridges so more 

information can go from one cell to another.” 

Previous research has shown an 

increase in dendritic spines improves 

mental performance in animals. In 

humans, people who have Alzheimer’s 

disease or schizophrenia oſt en have a 

decrease in these spines. 

Next, Srivastava said, he wants 

to further identify the key molecules 

involved in the dendritic spine production 

and target them in the same way as the 

estrogen receptor in order to ultimately 

be able to treat schizophrenia and other 

mental disorders. 

Patients Experiencing Myocardial Infarctions 

Not Receiving Enough Beta Blockers 

For nearly 40 years drugs known as beta blockers have been proven to increase patients’ 

survival prospects following a heart attack. In a break through study released 

in the American Heart Journal, Northwestern Medicine cardiologist Jeff rey J. Goldberger 

found the majority of patients are frequently not receiving a large enough 

dose of these drugs, which can put their recovery from heart attacks and overall 

health into peril. 

“Only 46 percent of patients studied were taking 50 percent or more of the target 

dose of beta blockers shown to be benefi cial in clinical trials,” said Gold berger, 

director of cardiac electrophysi ology research for the Bluhm Cardio vascular Institute 

of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “Furthermore, 76 percent of patients were still 

being treated with the same amount of medication given at discharge. This 

means that for the vast majority of patients, there wasn’t even an attempt to 

increase their dose.” 

Northwestern Memorial was one of 19 sites that participated in the PACEmaker 

and Beta-blocker Therapy Post-Myocardial Infarction (PACEMI) Trial Registry. 

Nearly 2,000 patients, who had been treated for a heart attack, were enrolled. 

Study participants were prescribed very low doses at discharge, in part to assess 

how their bodies were likely to react to the drug. Researchers then fol lowed up three 

weeks later to determine if patients’ personal physicians had adjusted the dosage. 

“One of the reasons for the low dosage 

at discharge from the hospital can be 

attributed to patients’ shorter length of 

hospital stay,” said Goldberger. “Patients 

can be in and out of the hospital within two 

days aſt er a heart attack, and this short 

amount of time doesn’t allow for us to 

increase their medication to the target dose 

while they are still here.” 

Goldberger added that there is not yet 

a system in place for what should happen 

as an outpatient that used to happen as an 

inpatient.“Patients might see one doctor in 

the hospital but a diff erent one in the offi ce, 

and those two might not be conferring on 

the appropriate amount of beta blockers.” 

These fi ndings make it clear that patients 

and their personal physicians need to work 

together and have better communication. 




online extras 

Article Detail: 

The NFL Head, Neck and 

Spine Medical Committee 

tackles the job of reducing 

the long-term cognitive 

effects of head trauma 

Additional Info: 

content & reply to this 

article at : 

wardrounds.northwestern.edu/ 

winter-2010-11/features/ 

confronting-concussions 

topic : 

written by : 

photography by : 

chicago bears linebacker hunter hillenmeyer tackles an 

opponent in a game against the philadelphia eagles. 

Sports Medicine 

Devon McPhee 

Courtesy of AP Images and Bill Smith 

Chicago Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, 

MBA ’10, did not want to remain 

on injured reserve for the entire 2010 

football season, causing him to miss the 

recent NFC Championship game against 

the Green Bay Packers. Five years ago, 

if he had sustained the same injury, he 

most likely would not have. 

Hillenmeyer suff ered a concussion 

during a preseason game against the 

Arizona Cardinals. He passed all required 

medical tests and returned to play in the 

team’s season opener against Detroit, 

but was removed at halſt ime because he 

felt lingering symptoms from his injury. 

Bears’ head coach Lovie Smith and the 

team’s doctors then decided it was in the 

linebacker’s best interest to sit out the 

remainder of the year. 

“It was diffi cult for me to hear because 

I love playing football, but I respected 

their decision,” Hillenmeyer says. 

The caution taken by the team with 

regard to Hillenmeyer’s concussion 

marks a shiſt in the National Football 

League (NFL)’s attitude. 

Once seen as a relatively mild injury 

in a world of blown kneecaps and 

separated shoulders, recent research 

about the long-term eff ects of chronic 

head trauma, coupled with high-profi le 

coverage of football players suff ering – 

and dying, sometimes by their own 

hand – from symptoms now associated 

with the disease, has encouraged the 

organization to rethink its approach. 

Hunt Batjer, MD, Michael J. Marchese 

Professor of Neurological Surgery and 

chair of the Department of Neurological 

Surgery at Northwestern University 

Feinberg School of Medicine, co-chairs the 

committee charged with understanding 

the long-term eff ects of concussions and 

providing treatment recommendations 

to the league. 

The NFL named Batjer and Richard 

G. Ellenbogen, MD, chairman of Neurological 

Surgery at the University of 

Washington School of Medicine, codirectors 

of its Head, Neck and Spine 

Medical Committee in March 2010. 

As co-chair, Batjer assists the NFL 

with its role in the research, education, 

prevention, and treatment of head and 



different symptoms may not show up 

for several hours and may worsen 

with physical or mental exertion 

(e.g., lifting, computer use, reading). 

symptoms may include: 

Confusion 

Headache 

Amnesia/diffi culty 

remembering 

Balance problems 

Irritability 

Dizziness 

Diffi culty Concentrating 

Nausea 

hunter hillenmeyer 

talks 

with bears’ head 

athletic trainer, 

tim bream, on 

the field. bream 

is evaluating 

the linebacker’s 

readiness for play. 

Sensitivity to noise 

Sensitivity to light 

Feeling sluggish, 

foggy or groggy 

Double/fuzzy vision 

Slowed reaction time 

Feeling more emotional 

Sleep disturbances 

Loss of consciousness 

spine injuries in sports. 

“I take this responsibility very 

seriously and fi nd it a great fi t, joining 

my passion for neuroscience and 

athletics,” he says. 

An athlete who attended the University 

of Texas on a baseball scholarship 

and was draſt ed as a pitcher by the 

Baltimore Orioles, Batjer emphasizes 

the importance of sports, especially for 

youth, and says that the Committee will 

have an impact on all levels of play. 

“Athletics provide enormous value to 

our young people and our society. Kids 

learn things on the fi eld that they cannot 

be taught by parents or teachers, which 

set them on a course for a successful 

life,” he says. “Our goal is to make sure 

that collision sports are made as safe 

as possible.” 

Sobering Statistics 

Stepping into his new role, Batjer 

immediately faced questions regarding 

the latest research on the long-term 

eff ects of chronic head trauma. What 

that research indicates is sobering. 

Studies at the University of North 

Carolina and Boston University show 

a link between repeated head trauma 

in athletes and the development of 

degen erative neurological diseases, 

including dementia and Alzheimer’s, as 

well as mood disorders such as clinical 

depression. 

A September 2009 survey conducted 

by the NFL found that former players are 

diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or a similar, 

memory-related disease at a rate 19 

times that of non-players. 

A Purdue University study of high 

school athletes found that players receive 

up to 1,800 hits to the head per season 

(practice and games). A number of head 

injuries go undiagnosed every year 

because they do not rise to the level of 

clinical identifi cation. 

Partially because of these fi ndings, 

the NFL assigned Batjer and his team 

the task of creating a poster to educate 

players about concussions. It blatantly 

outlines the risks associated with head 

trauma and lists the common symptoms 

– and treatments – of brain injury. It 

replaces a pamphlet the NFL previously 

distributed, which some say downplayed 

the dangers. The committee created a 

similar poster for high school athletes. 

Hillenmeyer, who has sustained 

multiple concussions, says the poster 

has made an impact in the locker room. 

“What’s good is that they’re making 

people aware of the risks,” he says. 

The NFL has implemented a growing 

group of measures within the 

last few years to improve head injury 

management. For instance, in 2009, the 

NFL made the defi nition of “concussion” 

much less restrictive. 

“In the late ’80s, a concussion was 

defi ned as a loss of consciousness,” 

Batjer says. “In reality, less than 10 

percent of concussions actually result in 

a loss of consciousness. Now, the NFL’s 

defi nition is much more conservative. 

Symptoms include headache, dizziness, 

and disorientation.” 

Near the end of the same season, the 

organization strengthened several of its 

rules regarding concussion management, 

including the requirement that 

players with brain injuries not return to 

the same game or practice until they 

have been cleared by an independent 

expert. In October 2010, the NFL announced 

that it would suspend players, 

even fi rst-time off enders, for helmet-tohelmet 

hits. 

Charting a New Course 

While these measures have helped, 

much work still remains to fully understand 

and minimize the damage caused 

by severe head trauma. To that end, 

Batjer and Ellenbogen have formed six 

subcommittees to look into specifi c areas. 

The Subcommittee on Equipment 

Standards/Designs and NFL Rules 

will coordinate on-fi eld testing of new 

equipment and will work with engineers 

and experts from the Department of 

Defense, NASCAR, and the Indy 500, 

among others, on equipment design. 

The Subcommittee on Return to Play 

will make recommendations on returnto-play 

rules (currently players take a 

baseline cognitive test at the season’s 

start and cannot return aſt er an injury 

until they perform at the previous level) 

and communication about head injuries 

on the fi eld. 

A Subcommittee on Advocacy and 

Education will disseminate information 

about the known eff ects, symptoms, and 

treatment of concussions to players at 

all levels. 

Currently, the committee is advocating 

for passage of the Zach Lysedt law 

in all 50 states. Named for an injured high 

school football player, the law sets new 

return-to-play rules for student athletes 

and educates players and parents about 

brain and spine injuries. 

The Brain and Spine Injury Research 

subcommittee will commission novel 

research about equipment testing, and 

the relationship between impacts and 

concussions. 

Two subcommittees will focus on 

answering the fundamental question: 

Does cognitive damage depend on the 

severity of impact or the number of 

injuries? 

The Subcommittee on Former Players 

Long-Term Eff ects of Brain and Spine 

Injury will complete a meta-analysis of 

information regarding neurological func- 

tion in retired athletes and is considering a study that compares the cognitive function 

of former NFL athletes with former college players who never went pro. 

Finally, the Subcommittee for the Development and Management of a Prospective 

Database for NFL Players will create a catalog of current players’ concussion history 

when they entered the NFL and the results of neurological tests and images taken 

throughout their career. It will off er neurological testing every fi ve years aſt er 

retirement to those in the database to help identify and provide early treatment for 

cognitive issues. 

To gather information about impacts next season, the subcommittee will test the 

use of accelerometers in the helmets of at least eight teams to measure the number 

and amplitude of hits each player sustains. It also plans to build on research that has 

identifi ed a gene which may make carriers more susceptible to neurological damage 

and explore the use of a swab test to inform 

players of their possible risks. 

The Future of Concussion Management 

With all these projects underway, 

Batjer says he has high hopes for 

the eventual eradication of chronic 

traumatic en chephalopathy as a 

risk for pro-football players. 

“It is my sincere belief 

that the changes that have 

occurred as well as the 

new knowledge being 

gained is going to 

dramatically improve 

dr. hunt batjer, far right, and dr. richard ellenbogen, second right, co-chairs 

of the nfl head, neck, and spine medical committee, testify before the house 

judiciary committee forum on key issues related to head injuries in football. 

our man agement and protection of 

players from concussions and eliminate 

chronic traumatic enceph alopathy within 

20 years,” he says. 

More immediately, Batjer says 

teams and fans will see a reduction in 

the number of players willing or able to 

return to a game following a hard hit. 

“The game will change a bit as the 

players adapt to the culture of proper 

management of brain and spinal 

injuries and recognize that you do not 

play through injuries of this type, you 

play through injuries to soſt tissues and 

joints,” he explains. 

All of this comes as good news to 

athletes like Hillenmeyer, an active 

football player since the fourth grade. 

The linebacker, who plans to donate his 

brain to the Boston University Center for 

the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy 

upon death, has pushed for more 

information about concussions aſt er 

educating himself about their possible 

long-term eff ects. 

“Most guys think maybe they’ll have 

a bum knee or a bad ankle when they’re 

older but, beyond that, they’ll be fi ne,” he 

says. “Now we’re learning there might be 

some long-term impact on our cognitive 

function, and no one can say for sure if 

it will happen to you. That’s scary and 

there are a lot of answers we still have to 

fi gure out.” 



WARD ROUNDS NEWS RESEARCH FEATURES DEAN’S MESSAGE ALUMNI NEWS PROGRESS NOTES UPCOMING EVENTS 

In The Know 

1 NorthShore University HealthSystem withdraws as a member of McGaw 

Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH), Children’s Memorial Hospital, 

and The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago then expanded training 

opportunities to residents. Jesse Brown VA Hospital and Stroger 

Hospital also off ered additional spots. 

2 The Northwestern University Comprehensive Transplant 

Center Launches 

Led by Michael Abecassis, MD, MBA, Roscoe Miller Distinguished 

Professor, professor of surgery and microbiology-immunology, and 

dean for clinical aff airs ― includes a wide range of collaborative 

and multidisciplinary activities at the University and Northwestern 

Memorial Hospital. 

3 Feinberg Develops the Center for Education in Medicine 

Guided by interim director Raymond Curry, MD, dean for education, the 

center acts as an intellectual community to foster innovative approaches 

to education, develop external support for educational research and 

scholarship, and showcase the medical school’s innovations in 

medical education throughout the world. 

4 The Department of Preventive Medicine 

Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, became department chair. 

5 First Orthopaedic Surgeon Orbits the Earth 

Robert Satcher embarked on a NASA mission to help repair two 

robotic arms on the exterior of the International Space Station. 

6 Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation 

Jeff Glassroth named President and CEO. 

7 Revamping the Medical School’s Curriculum Began 

The large number of changes in medicine, health care, and education 

over the past 20 years triggered the curriculum renewal 

project, which is scheduled for implementation during the 2012-13 

academic year. 

8 Northwestern University Medical Scientist Training Program 

Warren G. Tourtellotte was appointed Associate Director. 

9 Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital 

Acquired by Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. 

!0 The Institute for Healthcare Studies 

Jane L. Holl, named Director 

!1 The Physician Assistant Program Began with First Class of Students 

The Department of Family and Community Medicine started a twoyear 

graduate program that awards students a Master of Medical 

Sciences degree. 

!2 Jeff Glassroth, MD 

Named interim dean of Northwestern University Feinberg School 

of Medicine 

!3 Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital 

Emergency medicine residents begin rotations. 



Written By: 

In The Know: 

Alumni Update 

2009 - 2010 


article at : 


winter-2010-11/features/alumni-update 


online extras 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 !0 !1 !2 

!3 

july august september october november december january february march april may june july august september october november december january 

2009 

2010 2011 

northwestern university feinberg school of medicine 

ended the 2009-2010 academic year successfully, making 

significant strides in our educational, clinical, and research 

missions. as we advance through the next academic 

calendar, we look back at some of our more significant 

achievements and their role in helping the medical school 

progress through its sesquicentennial year. 

Medical Education 

Approximately one of every fi ve applicants 

to United States medical schools 

for the 2010-11 academic year applied 

to Feinberg. The 170 members from the 

Class of 2014 prove the medical school’s 

most diverse group to date. 

men 

women 

majors 

languages spoken 

underrepresented minority 

african / african american 

asian 

hispanic 

asian / hispanic / white 

american indian 

white 

did not answer 

89 

81 

70 

24 

32 

13 

39 

16 

1 

2 

79 

20 

Physician Assistant Program 

The Department of Family and Community 

Medicine’ fi rst class of Physician Assistant 

(PA) students totals 30 members. 

men 

women 

states represented 

undergraduate majors 

languages spoken 

6 

24 

23 

20 

8 

Students joined Feinberg with an average 

of more than 2,800 clinical hours, which 

they will expand on during their tenure 

at the medical school through rotations 

at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and 

community clinics. When they’re not in 

the clinic, students spend approximately 

25 hours per week in the classroom. The 

program includes lectures, which ensure 

students become competent consumers 

of medical literature and research, and 

centers around an innovative curriculum 

involving problem-based learning. 

Residency Program Trainees 

The Northwestern McGaw Center for 

Medical Education fi lled 196 residency 

positions it off ered in 2010 through the 

National Residency Matching Program 

(NRMP). Eleven percent of residents are 

of African American or Hispanic ethnicity, 

approximately double the previous year. 

u.s. students 

16,070 

international 

14,473 

total applicants: 30,543 

The NRMP received the largest number 

of match applications in its history. 

Continuing Medical Education 

In 2009, 46,000 physicians and healthcare 

professionals attended one or more 

of the 218 accredited programs off ered by 

the Offi ce of Continuing Medical Education 

(CME). CME attracts participants 

nationally – off ering activities on the latest 

clinical and research advances through 

regularly scheduled series (such as grand 

rounds), local seminars, national symposia, 

and distance learning programs (like 

monographs, web-based programs, and 

journals). Visit cme.northwestern.edu for 

a comprehensive list of programs. 

Scholarship Giving 

Through alumni giving and other generous 

sources, nine new scholarships were 

established, which allow the medical 

school to continue to recruit the best and 

brightest students. 

$1.98 

million 

scholarship 

giving 

2009 2010 

$2.4 

million 



WARD ROUNDS NEWS RESEARCH FEATURES DEAN’S MESSAGE ALUMNI NEWS PROGRESS NOTES UPCOMING EVENTS 

New Training Sites 

A new relationship was forged with 

Lake Forest Hospital which became 

Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital 

when it was acquired by Northwestern 

Memorial HealthCare on February 1, 

2010. Emergency medicine residents 

began rotations there in early 2011. To 

off er more diverse training, the medical 

school secured three new emergency 

medicine residency positions at 

Methodist Hospital. MacNeal Hospital 

was also added as an important 

experience for general surgery residents 

– highly complementary to their training 

at NMH. Finally, Norwegian American 

Hospital and Erie Family Health Center 

were developed as the primary training 

sites for McGaw’s new residency 

program in family medicine. 

robert satcher, md, phd: 

1st orthopaedic surgeon 

in space 

Key Leadership Appointments 

Jeff Glassroth, MD, was named president 

and CEO of the Northwestern 

Medical Faculty Foundation (NMFF), 

the 700-member physician practice, in 

December 2009. (In October 2010, Dr. 

Glassroth was named interim dean 

of Northwestern University Feinberg 

School of Medicine to lead the school 

during the search for Dean J. Larry 

Jameson’s successor.) 

Jane L. Holl, MD, MPH, was named 

director of the Institute for Healthcare 

Studies in May 2010. In this role, Holl 

continues the Institute’s mission to 

promote, coordinate, and originate 

multidisciplinary and multi-departmental 

health services, outcomes research, 

and education to improve safety, equity, 

quality, and policy in healthcare. 

Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, became 

chair of the Department of Preventive 

Medicine in November 2009. Lloyd-Jones 

joined the medical school in 2004 and 

was previously an associate professor of 

medicine and preventive medicine. 

Warren G. Tourtellotte, MD, PhD, 

associate professor of pathology, neurology, 

and neuroscience, was appointed 

associate director of the Northwestern 

University Medical Scientist Training 

Program (MSTP) in February 2010. He 

joined Feinberg in 2000 and has since 

served in leadership roles, including 

director of the North western Transgenic 

and Targeted Mutagenesis Laboratory and 

director of the Northwestern Research 

Histology and Phenotyping Laboratory. 

Major Faculty Achievements 

H. Hunt Batjer, MD, Michael J. Marchese 

Professor of Neurological Surgery and 

chair of the Department of Neurological 

Surgery, was named co-chair of the 

National Football League Head, Neck 

and Spine Medical Committee. 

Bechara Choucair, MD, adjunct assistant 

professor in the Department 

of Family and Community Medicine, 

was appointed by Mayor Richard M. 

Daley to commissioner of the Chicago 

Department of Public Health. 

Patricia Garcia, MD, MPH, associate 

professor in the Department of Obstetrics 

and Gynecology, was appointed to 

the Presidential Advisory Council on 

HIV-AIDS. 

Melina Kibbe, MD, GME ’03, associate 

professor in the Department of Surgery, 

was honored with the Presidential 

Early Career Award for Scientists and 

Engineers – the highest honor given 

by the U.S. government to outstanding 

scientists and engineers who have 

recently begun their independent 

research careers. 

Robert Satcher, MD, PhD, assistant 

professor in the Department of Orthopaedic 

Surgery, became the fi rst orthopaedic 

surgeon to orbit the earth when 

he embarked on a NASA mission in 

November 2009 to help repair two robotic 

arms on the exterior of the International 

Space Station. 

State and National Rankings 

U.S. News & World Report 

The medical school moved up one spot 

to No. 18 in the 2010 U.S. News & World 

Report Best Research Medical School 

rankings. Feinberg’s goal is to become 

one of the top 10 medical schools in the 

nation by the year 2020. 

The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago 

received top billing as the Number One 

rehabilitation hospital in the country and 

has held this position for 20 straight 

years, a fi rst for any specialty hospital. 

Children’s Memorial Hospital was 

named one of the top 30 Best Children’s 

Hospitals in nine pediatric specialties. 

The hospital ranked among the top 10 in 

fi ve pediatric specialties, including cancer 

(10), gastroenterology (10), kidney diseases 

(10), neurology/neurosurgery (10), 

and urology (5). 

Northwestern Memorial Hospital 

ranked in 12 clinical specialties, including 

cancer (27), diabetes and endocrine disorders 

(23), digestive disorders (22), ear, 

nose and throat (27), geriatric care (27), 

gynecology (14), heart and heart surgery 

(14), kidney disorders (34), neurology 

and neurosurgery (13), orthopaedics 

(22), rheumatology (16), and urology (26). 

Rankings in the areas of ear, nose and 

throat, gynecology, heart, neurosciences, 

rheumatology, and urology are the 

highest achieved by an Illinois hospital. 

“ 

The medical school 

moved up one spot to 

No. 18 in the 2010 U.S. 

News & World Report 

Best Research Medical 

School rankings. 

“ 

ranked among the top 10 

in five pediatric specialties 

urology 

cancer 

gastroenterology 

kidney diseases 

neurology/neurosurgery 

northwestern memorial hospital 

ranked in 12 clinical specialties 

neurology & neurosurgery 

gynecology 

heart and heart surgery 

rheumatology 

digestive disorders 

orthopaedics 

diabetes & endocrine disorders 

urology 

cancer 

ear, nose and throat 

geriatric care 

kidney disorders 

5 

10 

10 

10 

10 

13 

14 

14 

16 

22 

22 

23 

26 

27 

27 

27 

34 

$ 

346.2 

million in research awards 

10.2 

5.7 

5.3 

3.4 

2.8 

*largest number to date 

→ 

→ 

→ 

→ 

→ 

drug abuse, incarceration & health disparities in hiv/aids 

uterine leiomyoma research center program 

genome-wide association scan of polycystic 

ovary syndrome phenotypes 

multicenter aids cohort study 

nanoprobe for high-res hard x-ray 

fluorescence microscopy 

+ 

17% 

total grant awards 

includes more than 

$50 million american recovery 

and reinvestment act 

(arra) funding 

Research 

Feinberg received $346.2 million in research awards in fi scal year 

2010, with 83 investigators each holding more than $1 million in 

grants ― the largest number to date. Total grant awards increased 

by 17 percent, including more than $50 million American Recovery 

and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding. For detailed descriptions of 

ARRA awards granted to medical school faculty, visit www.research. 

northwestern.edu/stimulus/feinberg.html. 

Major New NIH Awards 

$ in Millions 




online extras 

Article Detail: 

New study investigates 

how incarceration affects 

HIV risk 



article at : 


winter-2010-11/features/ 

unlocking-health-disparities/ 

topic : 

written by : 

photography by : 

Research / HIV 

Cheryl SooHoo 

Kyle LaMere 

field interviewers for the northwestern project go 

where their subjects are, visiting diverse neighborhoods 

throughout the city and suburbs to gather data. 

Whether they go behind bars or literally go 

into bars – or the local public library or a 

nearby shopping mall – to connect with 

the population they study, Northwestern 

Juvenile Project investigators “hit the 

streets for public health.” 

The largest epidemiological 

undertaking of its kind, this longitudinal 

study has followed more than 1,800 

delinquent youth since the late ’90s. 

All had been arrested and detained in 

the Cook County Juvenile Temporary 

Detention Center in Chicago. Feinberg 

researchers have gleaned valuable 

insight into this vulnerable population 

as they have become young adults. 

Studying this group’s health needs, 

investigators have found high rates of 

substance use and mental disorders. 

They have recorded participants’ selfreported 

risky behaviors such as 

unprotected sex that expose them to 

when the study 

started in 1995, 

interviewees 

were between the 

ages of 10 and 18 

years old. 



HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted 

diseases. Researchers are now gath ering 

data to further explore how incarceration 

aff ects health disparities in the 

HIV/AIDS epidemic, especially among 

ethnic/racial minorities. 

“We know African Americans suff er 

disproportionately from HIV,” says Linda 

A. Teplin, PhD, Owen L. Coon Professor 

and vice chair of research in the Department 

of Psychiatry and Behavioral 

Sciences at Northwestern University 

Feinberg School of Medicine. The study’s 

principal investigator, she heads the 

recently named Health Disparities and 

Public Policy Program, formerly known 

as the Psycho-Legal Studies Program. 

“ 

We have a lot of 

disconnected facts, yet 

to date, no one has put 

it all together. 

“ 

“We also know that African Americans are disproportionately incarcerated and suff er 

from the consequences of substance abuse. Finally, HIV infection is more common in 

correctional populations. We have a lot of disconnected facts. Yet to date, no study has 

put it all together.” 

Last March the National Institutes of Health awarded Dr. Teplin’s research group 

a $10.2 million grant to expand the unparalleled work of the Northwestern Juvenile 

Project. (The study is now known as the “Northwestern Project” to better refl ect the 

participants who have become adults.) The new fi ve-year grant, “Drug Abuse, Incarceration, 

and Health Disparities in HIV/AIDS” will examine how incarceration, release, 

and re-entry into the justice system aff ect drug abuse and HIV/AIDS risk behaviors 

and infection. The funding will allow investigators to continue to study participants 

currently enrolled in the project but with a new focus. “Public health researchers 

seldom study the eff ects of incarceration, while criminologists seldom study health,” 

remarks Dr. Teplin. “With this study, we hope to fi ll in the blanks.” 

The U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to grow at an alarming pace. Despite 

increased awareness and prevention strategies during the past 30 years, the rate 

of recently acquired cases of infection remains high. More than 56,000 Americans 

were newly infected with HIV in 2006 (the most recent year that data are available), 

according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For Northwestern Project 

co-investigator and leading HIV/AIDS researcher Frank J. Palella, MD, GME ’92, 

gaining insight into the incidence and prevalence of HIV infection among this at-risk 

population of young adults is critical to eff ectively fi ghting the epidemic. 

“This is a group – for the most part, poor, ethnic minorities – that oſt en does not 

make it into HIV clinical trials for a number of reasons, including having established 

health care,” says Dr. Palella, Potocsnak Family C.S.C. Research Professor of Medicine 

in the Division of Infectious Diseases. “These individuals are important to study. 

They are not only at great risk for the occurrence of HIV infection as a result of their 

behaviors, but also they clearly transition back and forth between incarceration and the 

community in environments where there are multiple avenues for HIV transmission.” 

1 

2 3 

workers in search of good contact information. As the third line of defense, Narvaez 

usually gets involved when eff orts to track participants have stymied the study’s offi cebased 

project liaisons. Three liaisons schedule interviews and send out “reminder” 

letters – and birthday cards – to participants, and 12 fi eld-based interviewers conduct 

three- to four-hour follow-up interviews. These and other staff members contribute 

to the well-orchestrated fi eld operation designed and led by co-investigator, Karen M. 

Abram, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and associate 

director of the Health Disparities and Public Policy Program. 

“The most important feature of a successful longitudinal study is maintaining your 

sample,” explains Dr. Abram. “If you don’t retain your sample over time, your fi ndings 

could be meaningless. The characteristics you are studying may be the very ones 

exhibited by the people who are the hardest to track and fi nd. So ‘participation rate’ is 

defi nitely a household phrase around here.” 

Field visits are the key to success. Unlike many epidemiologic studies, field 

staff – most with master’s-level clinical training – interview the participants 

where they are living, whether they reside in the community or in correctional 

facilities. This point diff erentiates the Northwestern Project from other studies that 

oſt en lose participants when they become incarcerated. Project interviewers meet 

with participants in the most disparate places, from downstate prisons and strip clubs 

to fast-food restaurants and bookstores. One interview took place in the back of a 

U-Haul truck that was serving as a participant’s temporary home. 

Field Work 

Aſt er her case was called and heard by the judge, a defendant turned to leave the 

courtroom. At that point, Northwestern Project fi eld staff member Rosa M. Narvaez 

saw an opportunity to remind this study participant to check in with the project offi ce 

and arrange a follow-up interview. 

Narvaez, one of the project’s two full-time locators, has spent 11 years tracking 

some of the more elusive study participants. At any time her job can take her to within 

a two-hour driving radius of Chicago – from poor inner-city housing projects to quiet 

suburban subdivisions – to knock on doors and talk to relatives, neighbors, and cooriginal 

group 

of youth subjects 

was 1829. 15 years 

later, there 

are still 1655 

participants. 

1 field interviewer xavier mcelrathbey 

interviews subjects at home, 

work, or in jail. 

2 linda teplin, phd, is principal 

investigator for the northwestern 

project. 

3 northwestern project interviewers 

and trackers meet monthly to 

discuss issues and progress. 

“ 

The most important 

feature of a successful 

longitudinal study is 

maintaining your sample. 

“ 




mortality rate 

of these youth 

more than 

quadruples that 

of the general 

population. 

In-house Data Collection 

In November 1995 the project kicked 

off with baseline interviews of detained 

youth between the ages of 10 and 18 

who would eventually form the original 

sample of 1,829. Three years later, 

Northwestern researchers launched 

the fi rst wave of follow-up interviews. 

Initially, the study addressed primarily 

psychiatric disorders. Over the course 

of the project, the focus has changed 

as participants have aged and face new 

threats to their health and well being. 

Including questions on HIV/AIDS risk 

behaviors as well as testing for HIV 

infection has added to the complexity of 

the data collection. 

Despite the labor-intensive and costly 

challenge of tracking the sample, the 

project has outstanding participation 

rates, thanks to the commitment of fi eld 

staff and participants. Northwestern 

Project participants, like others involved 

in longitudinal studies, are compensated 

for their time. The project achieved a 

97.5 percent participation rate at its 

3-year follow-up and 87.7 percent for its 

11-year follow-up. The study is currently 

conducting 12-, 13- and 14-year followup 

interviews. 

“By the time we complete the next 

phase, we will have conducted more 

than 17,000 interviews, each of which 

includes more than 3,000 variables,” 

notes Leah J. Welty, PhD, assistant 

professor in preventive medicine and 

the project’s lead biostatistician. “The 

scope and size of the data allows us to 

use innovative statistical techniques to 

examine changes over time, both within 

individuals and in the population.” 

Unlike many large-scale 

epidemiologic studies that oſt en farm 

out data collection to survey research 

companies, the Feinberg School’s investigators 

chose to keep the function 

in-house. This has allowed the 

North western Project to achieve its 

exceptional participation rates as well 

as handpick and train interviewers 

to have greater sensitivity to human 

subjects’ issues. 

During the past 15 years, attrition 

of a violent nature has taken its toll on 

the sample now numbering 1,659. “Few 

participants withdraw from the study 

and relatively few are lost to follow-up,” 

remarks Dr. Teplin. “But 102 participants 

have died and most from homicide. This 

is a shockingly high number given the 

age of our participants.” Dr. Teplin and 

colleagues detailed this unusual fi nding 

in an article in the June 2005 issue of 

Pediatrics. 

From the beginning, the Northwestern 

Project has examined health 

disparities in needs and outcomes in a 

population that is rarely investigated: 

delinquent youth. The research group’s 

fi ndings, from both the Northwestern 

Project and prior studies, have shaped 

public health policy around the country. 

Results have been cited in Supreme 

Court amicus briefs, congressional 

hearings, and Surgeon General 

reports. In its next phase, the project 

will leverage longitudinal data already 

collected and add questions to address 

how disproportionate incarceration of 

minorities has aff ected their burden in 

the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 

“Many of these youth cycle in and out 

of detention centers, jails, and prisons. 

No one knows how incarceration aff ects 

their cognitive, emotional, and social 

development,” says co-investigator Jason 

J. Washburn, PhD, director of education 

and clinical training in the Division of 

Psychology. “Extending this study provides 

an unprecedented opportunity to examine 

how incarceration infl uences health 

trajectories from adolescence to young 

adulthood. Ultimately, we expect that 

these data will inform policies designed 

to address barriers to rehabilitation.” 

“ 

Despite the labor-intensive 

and costly challenge of 

tracking the sample, the 

project has outstanding 

participation. 

“ 

by the numbers 

1996 

year the study began 

10-18 

age range of interviewees 

at beginning of study 

1829 

number of the original 

group of detained youth 

1655 

number of participants 

¡∞ years later 

103 

number of participants 

who have died to date 

4x 

mortality rate of these youth 

compared to the general 

population 

$10.2 

amount of money the study 

recently received from nih 


President’s 

Message 

The fall meeting of the medical school’s National Alumni Board 

proved to be the liveliest session I’ve had the privilege of attending 

during the several years I’ve been involved with the 

group. We began a little late as we cheered the Wildcats to a 

last-minute football victory over Minnesota. Then a presentation 

on the changes in the offi ces of Development, Alumni Relations, 

and the Dean generated thoughtful and creative ideas. Bruce 

Scharschmidt, president of the Nathan Smith Davis Club, 

described the response to a survey of the NAB that identifi ed 

opportunities for improved communication and engagement 

of Northwestern medical school alumni. Be prepared for more 

information about how you can stay connected. In addition to 

Alumni Weekend each spring, the following are just a few of the 

activities that enable alumni to stay engaged and give back: 

Medical school faculty host 

dinners (over 50) in their 

homes or restaurants of 

choice for incoming medical 

students during Orientation 

Week each year. 

Alumni awards include 

both NU (Merit) and FSM 

(Distinguished Alumnus 

Award, Dean’s Award, 

Service Award), as well as 

the Kenneth Viste Student 

Service Recognition 

Award to a graduating 

senior each year. 

Alumni serve as mentors for 

fi rst- and second-year students 

at luncheon roundtables 

during Alumni Weekend, 

encouraging students in their 

choice of future specialty. 

Alumni volunteers all over 

the country host fourth-year 

medical students traveling 

to their areas for residency 

interviews. 

Alumni contributions to all 

medical school funds average 

over $2 million annually. 

We encourage you to share other ideas to help keep you in touch 

with Northwestern. Contact me at dcarr@billingsclinic.org or 

Ginny Darakjian at v-darakjian@northwestern.edu. 

All the best! 

F. Douglas Carr, MD ’78, MMM 

President, Alumni Association 


Ward Rounds Survey – 

Alums Want More Progress Notes! 

In the summer 2010 issue of Ward Rounds, readers were asked to 

share feedback about the magazine’s content. We also wanted 

to know if alumni would access the online-only issues two 

times a year and what new elements should be included with 

the Web version. 

We thank those individuals who took the time to respond. While 

overall most are very satisfi ed with the content and quality of the 

magazine, there are areas for improvement. We were heartened 

to learn that a majority of the respondents would access the online 

version of the magazine when a hard copy is unavailable. 

With the redesign of the magazine, the timing was optimal to 

begin implementing reader suggestions. We encourage you to 

continue to tell us how we are doing. 

Top 3 Sections Readers Value 

1 Progress Notes – Alumni want more news from fellow medical 

school graduates. We will devote more space to updates from 

alumni and will send more reminders to encourage participation. 

2 Alumni News – Readers want to see more alumni profi les. We 

will include more variety in our profi les (feature younger graduates 

and current residents) and will experiment with shorter pieces. 

3 Feature articles – Alumni want more information about medical 

students, updates from the dean, and news about community 

service and patient-care programs. We will cover more content in 

these areas. 

Online Access 

While some of our respondents fi nd reading longer pieces on a 

computer screen diffi cult and less enjoyable, 70 percent said they 

would go online to get updates about the medical school when 

a print copy of Ward Rounds is unavailable. When asked what 

elements would improve their online experience, here’s what 

alumni told us… 

video 

blog posting 

audio 

If you would like to learn more about the Ward Rounds redesign 

and how it will improve the reader experience, see “Ward Rounds 

Sports New Design” on page 3. 

55 

25 

15 





Jameson Gave Final 

Presentation to Alumni 

at Fall Board Meeting 


Northwestern Alum 

Donates Rare Books 

to Galter Library 

Written By: 


dean j. larry 

jameson addressed 

the medical 

school’s national 

alumni board in 

october. 

Following an announcement that he 

would be leaving Northwestern for 

the top medical leadership role at the 

University of Pennsylvania in July 2011, 

Dean J. Larry Jameson presented his fi nal 

update to the medical school’s National 

Alumni Association Board in October. 

Most Diverse Class 

The Class of 2014 is the most diverse 

group to date, with nearly 19 percent 

underrepresented minorities. The 170 

matriculants come from 14 diff erent 

countries and have the ability to speak 

24 languages. We could fi ll our medical 

school with students who have MCAT 

scores that are absolutely off the charts, 

but we take the campus interviews 

seriously and seek individuals who are 

well rounded and independent thinkers 

with a diversity of backgrounds and 

experiences. Our newest students have a 

range of interests that complement and 

enhance our community. 

Leadership/Faculty Recruits 

A large part of the recruiting at 

Northwestern University is at the medical 

school and I think we’re bringing in terrifi c 

leaders from inside and outside the 

organization. Among those most recently 

hired or promoted – Doug Vaughan, MD, 

Department of Medicine chair; Donald 

Lloyd-Jones, MD, Preventive Medicine 

chair; Jane Holl, MD, MPH, director of the 

Institute for Healthcare Studies; and Nick 

Volpe, MD, Ophthalmology chair. 

Grant Funding 

In 2010, Feinberg received $346 million 

of federal funding for research, up 17 

percent from 2009. This rapid growth 

was due to nearly $50 million in ARRA 

stimulus funding from NIH. Our overall 

research productivity has been steadily 

increasing by an over 10 percent 

compounded annual growth rate. In FY10, 

we received $419 of funding per square 

foot of research space and over $740,000 

per faculty member. 

Development Eff orts 

The Offi ce of Development & Alumni 

Relations raised more than $108 million 

in new giſt s and commitments and more 

than $109 million in cash in fi scal year 

2010. Medical school alumni increased 

their cash giving by 67 percent compared 

to 2009. It was a very good year in a 

tough environment. Commitments were 

made for nine new scholarships and six 

professorships in 2010. 

New Role at Penn 

So I have been thinking about how 

Feinberg is positioned to choose a 

successor in the dean’s offi ce. I believe 

anyone would want to join Northwestern 

because of the quality of the students, 

faculty, and facilities. I will do all I can to 

help identify potential candidates. 

If it’s so great, why am I leaving? 

I’ve been here almost 18 years, which 

is a long time. Penn, ranked Number 

Two, arguably off ers the top medical 

leadership position – with one person 

running the medical school and the 

medical center. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime 

opportunity; however, I have mixed 

feelings because I have lots of friends 

and colleagues here. 

Nathan Smith Davis Club 

Later in the meeting, Bruce Scharschmidt, 

MD, president of the Nathan Smith Davis 

Club (NSD), shared his goals of increasing 

participation and strengthening the sense 

of community with members. A survey 

was conducted to examine NSD visibility 

and perceptions. 

“One of the issues is that the word 

‘club’ is misleading – it is not an elite 

club,” explained Dr. Scharschmidt, “but 

rather a community of alumni engaged 

with the medical school. We also have 

an opportunity to market the NSD name 

to increase participation.” 

To help alumni learn more about 

the Nathan Smith Davis Club and 

how they can participate, a number of 

new communication and recognition 

opportunities are being discussed. Work 

will continue in this area to disseminate 

information and encourage alumni 

support. 

“Giving is motivated by people wanting 

to give back,” Scharschmidt said. “Most 

alumni want to be meaningfully involved 

with students – they want to put names 

and faces with scholarship recipients.” 

Northwestern alumnus Meryl Haber, 

MD ’59, GME ’64, recently presented the 

Northwestern University Feinberg School 

of Medicine Galter Health Sciences 

Library with a giſt of seven rare and 

valuable books. 

“Books continue to play an important 

role in teaching, even in an Internetdriven 

world,” says Haber, who used the 

illustrated texts throughout his more 

than 40 years in the classroom. “As 

opposed to seeing a picture on a slide 

projector or screen, books that students 

can read and handle allow them to make 

their own discoveries. As they say, ‘a 

picture is worth a thousand words.’” 

The books, which focused on 

anatomy, pathology, kidney disease, 

and urinalysis, were published between 

1506 and 1860. The most recent title 

is a second edition of “On the Origin of 

Species,” by Charles Darwin, printed only 

six weeks aſt er the fi rst edition in 1860. 

The library currently owns a fi rst edition 

of the Darwin work. 

In addition to the giſt of rare volumes, 

Haber provided funds for use in conservation 

and restoration of books 

and materials held by the library’s 

special collections. Having studied at 

the conservation library of Chicago’s 

Newberry Library, Haber holds a 

long-time interest in book binding and 

restoration. 

“The titles included in the Haber 

donation are all seminal works in their 

respective fi elds,” says James Shedlock, 

AMLS, AHIP-DM, FMLA, director of 

Galter Library. “The 1555 edition of 

‘Vesalius,’ for instance, is considered 

the fi rst book of modern anatomy ― 

marking the beginning of a revolutionary 

(from left) 

james shedlock, 

director of the 

galter library, 

admires the rare 

books donated by 

dr. meryl haber. 

moment in anatomy and surgery, sur passed by no other scientifi 

c treatise in its importance.” 

A world-renowned pathologist, Dr. Haber authored several 

textbooks on pathology, including “Diff erential Diagnoses in 

Surgical Pathology,” which recently published a new edition. Still, 

he says he has always had an interest in collecting rare titles 

that feature illustrations, insisting that these texts allowed his 

students to best understand medicine and its history. 

“Students go through medical school too quickly,” says Haber. 

“It’s key that they review the history and acquire the background 

knowledge of diseases; these diagnostic aspects are essential.” 

Haber was the Borland Professor and chair of the Department 

of Pathology at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center until 

2000, and currently serves as a Distinguished Emeritus Professor 

of Pathology at Rush Medical College. During his career, Haber 

also held aca demic appointments at Northwestern University, 

the University of Hawaii School of Medicine, and the University 

of Nevada School of Medical Sciences. 

Over the years, Haber has served in key positions in various 

pro fessional organizations, including the American Society of 

Clinical Pathologists, College of American Pathologists, and the 

Society for Academic Con tinuing Medical Education. His articles 

have appeared in more than 50 publications and he has written 

or co-authored more than a dozen textbooks or chapters on a 

variety of medical-related topics. 

“I hope that my collection benefi ts the library and the 

students and faculty it serves for generations,” says Haber. 




online extras 

dr. myint profile continued… 


Dr. Myint Shares Details 

of Volunteerism in Nepal 

My MO all through medical school and aſt er was “learn all you 

can and do all you can.” A summer job as an extern in surgery 

was very useful and I learned a lot. I told the OB nurse to call me 

anytime there was a breech delivery because I wanted to learn. 

As it turned out, on my way back to Burma in ‘59, I dropped into 

a small mission hospital in Eastern Malaysia and the nurse midwife 

had trouble with a breech delivery, so I helped her out. 


nepali patients 

travel many 

miles–and days– 

over rutted roads 

in search of 

medical care. 

see a slideshow of dr. myint's 

nepal images at wardroundsonline.com 

How Nepal? 

A former surgical colleague of mine 

(now an assistant professor at Tulane) 

attended the Global Missions Health 

Conference in Louisville, KY, in November 

2009 and he learned of one 

organization that needed a surgeon in 

Nepal. I got in touch with the Nepali 

Christian NGO (Human Development and 

Community Services) headquartered 

in Kathmandu. They had a devoted 

dr. simon myint, 

md '53, is an 

active retiree, 

volunteering his 

surgical skills in 

haiti and nepal. 

French gynecologist, Dr. Bernard Geff e, going there twice a 

year for several years, and I phoned him about the hospital. He 

was anxious for me to come as the Chaurjahari hospital was 

staff ed only by a very dedicated, competent Nepali physician, Dr 

Caleb, who had just fi nished his internship four months earlier. 

When the committee at headquarters was not keen to have me, 

Dr. Geff e phoned and urged me to come anyway. When I got to 

the hospital, my fi rst assignment was a C-section patient who 

had walked fi ve days. “Please guide Dr Caleb through the C- 

section.” Aſt er that, it was, “Please stay here and help us out.” 

I later met some of the committee members and the reason 

for their (un)welcome was, “Why does this 80-year-old surgeon 

want to come here?” Needless to say, they were fl abbergasted 

at my physical appearance when we met in person. 

Aſt er Medical School 

Aſt er medical school at Northwestern, I interned at Cincinnati 

General and had a res idency in general and thoracic (including 

vascular) surgery at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Their surgical program was set up that way. I also had almost 

a year of pathology (Saginaw, MI) and went back to Burma 

where I did the fi rst cardiac operations by a native son. The 

political situation changed and I retreated to the University of 

Pennsylvania for more general and cardio thoracic surgery 

and also a year of tuberculosis surgery in California–and 

was certifi ed in surgery and thoracic surgery. I came out to 

California for a year and did not return to Philly, much to the 

disappointment of my former chief. 

“Learn all 

Life in Nepal 

The challenge in the poor areas, especially in rural Nepal: (1) 

language – they speak Nepali which has some resemblance 

to Hindi (which I used to speak very fl uently as a pre-teen in 

Burma and still remember some of it). In the past few years, I 

have been the only “American” working at that hospital. The 

other foreigners are French, German, and Japanese. Other 

nationalities come for a week or a few days and the native staff 

there gets understandably confused with pronunciations. We do 

have interpreters who try their best. The native Nepali physician 

who single-handedly runs the hospital speaks good English. As 

for the nurses, they all smile and nod “yes.” (2) Hindu customs 

carried down over the past 2000-plus years (3) general chronic 

malnutrition (4) the village medicine man. 

you can and do all you can. 

“ 

Spare time? 

I am there 24/7 with the other physician(s). The village has 

no movies, land phones, TV, electricity, or running water. The 

hospital has a generator that takes over if we need it at night. 

Otherwise, we have a dim, solar-powered light. We turn the 

generator on at night if we need the OR, ultrasound, or X ray. 

Some of the staff members play cricket and badminton. 

The staple diet is lentils and rice one day and rice/lentils 

the next. To eat chicken, one buys the live animal, defeathers, 

cleans and cooks it. Beef is not eaten for religious or cultural 

reasons but water buff alo meat (called “buff ”) is available occasionally. 

Sometimes there is goat meat, fi sh and very seldom 

pork. There is no bazaar as such. Fish is available if the catch 

exceeds the fi sherman’s need. 

the village 

where dr. myint 

volunteers has 

no electricity, 

land phones, or 

running water. 

Treating Patients 

The outpatients number anywhere from 

50 to 140 on any given day. Nobody is 

turned away. Because we know that 

the patients had to walk so far (up to 

5 days), we feel it would be inhumane 

to tell them to return the next morning. 

The people are generally docile, but 

they don’t like complications. If there 

is one, their logic is “You are the doctor. 

You know everything, so why did you not 

prevent this?” 

The hospital has no central heating, 

cooling, and no cafeteria. For ice packs, 

we raid the lab refrigerator. Patients 

have to buy their meals from the village 

people just across the fence. If you buy 

your meals there, they give you a place 

to sleep. 




dr. myint profile continued… 

The nights are very peaceful except 

for medical emergencies (e.g., births, 

fractures, and the occasional appendicitis). 

The physician assistants, who do 

a good job, see the patients and consult 

us. The nurses deliver the babies 

and know when to call for a C-section. 

Interesting Encounters 

My most recent trip in July and August 

was a surprise because the snakes 

were out. It was their monsoon 

season. It was also their planting 

season so most of the grandmothers 

(instead of the mothers who were 

working in the fi elds) brought the 

children for treatment. We had six 

snake bites and they all survived – 

thanks to the anti venom. 

There is an anesthesia machine but 

there is nobody qualifi ed to work it, so 

my surgery is limited to what can be 

done under spinal, regional, local or 

ketamine. There are thyroid, parotid 

tumors, and some other neck lesions 

and abdominal cases that I cannot safely 

do under these circumstances. 

It’s very disheartening when we have 

to refer a patient to a higher level of care 

in Kathmandu or Nepalgunj where there 

is a medical school and hospitals. The 

patient’s family says, “We will not go. We 

don’t have the money or cannot aff ord 

it. If you cannot treat us, we will return 

to our village and die there.” Examples 

are those that need dialysis, exchange 

transfusion, major abdominal surgery, 

etc. I can still see one woman who was 

“ My most recent trip in 

July and August was a 

surprise because the 

snakes were out. 

“ 

carried in a bamboo basket on the back 

of a porter, only to return to her village 

without treatment. 

I returned for my fourth visit in 

January and will continue to volunteer as 

long as I can. My feeling is that even with 

shortcomings in anesthesia, I can still 

do some procedures. More importantly, 

I teach the PAs and sometimes, they 

teach me! 

1973 

1975 

1979 

Michael A. Love, MD, of Chattanooga, Tenn., 

specializes in cardiovascular diseases and 

internal medicine. He joined the University of 

Tennessee Erlanger cardiology practice, part 

of the Erlanger Health System. 

Lanny F. Wilson, MD, of Hinsdale, Ill., an 

obstetrician and gynecologist has been a 

member of the medical staff at Hinsdale 

Hospital for the past 30 years. He is also 

a clinical instructor at Hinsdale Family 

Medicine Center. In April he was re-elected 

to the Illinois State Medical Society board of 

trustees at its annual meeting in Springfi eld. 

George M. Bridgeforth, MD, MPH, and John 

Cherf, MD ’84, MPH ’86, MBA, of Bartlett, Ill. 

and Chicago, respectively, were selected 

to author a textbook educating physicians 

on radiological trauma by America’s 

oldest medical publisher, JP Lippincott. 

Dr. Bridgeforth, center medical director at 

Chicago West Loop Concentra, was the 

principal author of the book, “Lippincott’s 

1981 

1983 

1986 

Primary Care: Musculoskeletal Radiology.” 

Contributing authors included some of the 

nation’s leading orthopaedic specialists, one 

of which was spine specialist, Mark Nolden, 

MD, GME ’01. 

Ralph J. Duda, Jr., MD, of Tulsa, a clinical 

lipidologist and hypertension specialist, 

relocated from Springfi eld, Mo., where he had 

a private practice, to assume directorship of 

the Regional Diabetes Center, the Lipid and 

Wellness Clinic, and the Hypertension Clinic 

at the Oklahoma Heart Institute. 

Evan Kharasch, MD, PhD, of St. Louis, 

instructs medical students at the Washington 

University School of Medicine as the 

Russell D. and Mary B. Sheldon Professor 

of Anesthesiology and vice chancellor for 

research. 

Diana Henry, PT, of Silverton, Ore., is pleased 

that her daughter is a freshman student at 

Northwestern. Dr. Henry writes, “She had 

many off ers and was most impressed with 

NU. Great place to visit also.” 



Progress Notes 

send your progress to: 

ward-rounds@northwestern.edu 

1946 

1961 

John E. Sonneland, MD, GME ’48, of 

Spokane writes about his “wonderful 

life.” A general surgeon, he had 31 

published papers. He and his wife, Holly 

Frost Sonneland, raised fi ve children 

(the eldest is deceased), and they 

have 16 grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. 

Garry L. Porter, MD, of Wichita, Kan., 

practices general psychiatry at McConnell 

Air Force Base. He writes, “Plan to stay 

with it at least until 50th Northwestern 

University medical school reunion.” 

1989 

Sandra Weber, MD, of Greenville, S.C., is chief 

of Endocrinology at the Greenville Hospital 

System University Medical Group. As a 

fellow and board member of the American 

Association of Clinical Endocrinology 

(AACE), she recently bestowed her former 

Northwestern mentor and professor, George 

Shambaugh, MD, (professor emeritus ’99), 

with the honor of AACE Fellow. Dr. Weber 

(right) is pictured with Dr. Shambaugh. 

1962 

Rebecca Traut, BSN, of Libertyville, Ill., 

recently retired from nursing at the Lake 

County Health Department. She is planning 

a 2012 reunion for the Evanston Hospital 

School of Nursing class of 1962. 

dr. sandra weber with her former 

northwestern mentor and professor, 

dr. george shambaugh 




1993 

Arthur Ollendorff , MD, GME ’97, and his wife, 

Candace Ireton, MD ’93, relocated from Cincinnati 

to Asheville, N.C. Dr. Ollendorff took on new 

positions as the medical director of the Mountain 

Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) OB/ 

GYN practice and a clinical faculty member at the 

University of North Carolina. 



Progress Notes Awards 

send your progress to: 

ward-rounds@northwestern.edu 

1996 

2003 

GME Programs 

Eliza Shin, MD, GME ’97, of Chicago, starred as 

Mu Chang in the Chicago Dramatists’ spring 

production of Jade Heart, written and directed by 

Northwestern graduates Will Cooper and Russ 

Tutterow. Dr. Shin has also had roles in Ballet 

Entre Nous’ production of The Nutcracker and 

the Neo Futurists’ productions of Patriots and 

Voyaging. She sings at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 

with the children’s band Super Stolie and the 

Rockstars and in city coff ee-houses. 

Carlo Contreras, MD, of Mobile, Ala., accepted 

a faculty position at the University of South 

Alabama as assistant professor of surgical 

oncology. He is interested in hepatobiliary and 

pancreatic cancer, and also treats patients with 

melanoma, sarcoma, and stomach cancers. 

Dr. Contreras recently completed a surgical 

oncology fellowship at the University of Texas 

MD Anderson Cancer Center. 

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 

Jennifer Kurth, MD, GME ’07, of Chicago, coauthored 

a mental health book, “Challenging 

Depression: The Go-to Guide for Clinicians and 

Patients,” explaining the causes, diagnoses, and 

wide variety of treatment options for depression. 

Allergy and Clinical Immunology 

Paul A. Greenberger, MD, GME ’78, professor of 

medicine in the division of allergy-immunology 

at Northwestern University Feinberg School of 

Medicine, was appointed to the Food and Drug 

Administration’s Pulmonary Allergy Drug Advisory 

Committee. His term will run through 2013. 

carlos contreras, 

md ’03 

jennifer kurth, 

md, gme ’07 

paul a. greenberger, 

md, gme ’78 

Indiana University School of Medicine recently named Emily 

Walvoord, MD ’94, GME ’98, of Indianapolis, assistant dean for 

Faculty Aff airs and Professional Development. Her focus will be 

to improve the academic climate for clinical faculty. 

Mark J. Kupersmith, MD ’75, of New York City is chair of the 

medical board of the New York Eye and Ear Infi rmary; director 

of neuro-ophthalmology at NYEEI, St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital 

and Beth Israel Medical Center; and professor of ophthalmology 

and neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. 

He was awarded a U10 grant by the National Institutes of 

Health and the National Eye Institute in February 2009. Dr. 

Kupersmith is directing the Neuro-Ophthalmology Research 

Disease Investigator Consortium (NORDIC), which includes 

44 sites at major med ical institutions in the United States and 

Canada. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award 

for Contributions in Neuro-Ophthalmology from the North 

American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. He and his wife, Geri, 

have two children, Dana and Matthew. 

Andrew P. Lazar, MD ’82, GME ’87, of Highland Park, Ill., was 

named vice president of the American Academy of Dermatology 

in March 2010. He served until early February 2011. 

emily walvoord, 

md ’94, gme ’98 

francisco 

antonio 

gonzálezscarano, 

md ’75 

Francisco Antonio González-Scarano, 

MD ’75, was installed as dean of the 

School of Medicine at The University 

of Texas Health Science Center at San 

Antonio in August 2010. Dr. González- 

Scarano, who was previously the chair 

of the Department of Neurology at 

the University of Pennsylvania School 

of Medicine, was selected from more 

than 60 highly qualifi ed candidates 

throughout the nation. 

Michael J. Racenstein, MD ’86, GME ’88, 

of Wilmette, Ill., a radiologist at Alexian 

Brothers Medical Center, was inducted 

as a fellow of the American College of 

Radiology in May. 

Irwin Benuck, PhD, MD ’79, GME ’82, 

professor of clinical pediatrics at Northwestern 

University Feinberg School of 

Medicine, received the David Applebaum 

Humanitarian Award from the Shaare 

Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem in 

November 2010. In January 2011, he 

accepted a new role as division head 

of community-based primary care 

pediatrics, providing leadership for 

community-based pediatricians on 

staff at Children’s Mem orial Hospital 

and/or on faculty in the Department of 

Pediatrics at Feinberg. 





Upcoming Events 

April 7-8, 2011 

May 2-3, 2011 

Connect With Us: 

March 3, 2011 

Pediatric Pearls: 

Surgery from Top to Bottom 

The Hilton Rosemont, 

5550 N. River Road, Rosemont, IL 

For more information, contact Children’s 

Memorial Hospital, 773.880.6772. 

March 14-15, 2011 

New Frontiers in Parkinson’s Disease: 

An Interface of Research, Treatment, 

and Rehabilitation 

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, 

345 E. Superior Street, Chicago. 

For more information, call 312.238.6042. 

March 31-April 1, 2011 

Annual Interdisciplinary Stroke Course - 

Stroke Rehabilitation: Strengthening 

with Skill, Reaching for New Goals 





CMH 2011 Child Maltreatment Symposium 

Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 

Feinberg Pavilion Conference Center, 

251 E. Huron Street, Chicago. 



April 21, 2011 

Pediatric Pearls Spring 

The Doubletree Hotel, 

1909 Spring Road, Oak Brook, IL 



April 28-30, 2011 

2011 Annual Scientifi c Symposium 

of the Hemostasis & Thrombosis 

Research Society 

Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 

Feinberg Pavilion Conference Center, 

251 E. Huron Street, Chicago. 

For more information, contact the Offi ce 

of Continuing Medical Education, Northwestern 

University Feinberg School of 

Medicine, 312.503.8533. 

Annual Interdisciplinary Brain Injury 

Course - The Continuum of Care in Brain 

Injury Rehabilitation 




May 6, 2011 

Pediatric Pearls: Pediatric ADHD 

The Doubletree Hotel, 

1909 Spring Road, Oak Brook, IL 



May 13-14, 2011 

RIC Women’s Health Rehabilitation 

Symposium: Evidence-Based Solutions 

for Improving Pelvic Floor Health 

and Function 




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Medical School 

History Blog Debuts 

The “History Blog” – we know you 

can come up with a better name 

than that! Send us your ideas to 

name the new blog devoted to 

news and information about the 

people, events and memories that 

have shaped the medical school at 

Northwestern University. Meanwhile, 

check out Galter librarian Ron Sims’ 

fi rst post to the blog: 


winter-2010-11/history-blog 

In Memoriam 

Roger G. Clarke, MD ’41, GME ’48, 

of Quincy, Ill., died September 6, 2010. 

Stuart H. Danovitch, MD ’60, GME ’65, 

of Washington, DC, died October 28, 2010. 

William M. Gottliebson, MD, GME ’95, 

of Dublin, Ohio, died September 17, 2010. 

Harold A. Karnuth, Jr., BSPT ’60, of San 

Antonio, Texas, died September 22, 2010. 

Robert L. Kascht, MD ’48, of Waukesha, 

Wis., died May 28, 2009. 

Peter J. Morgane, MS ’57, PhD ’59, of 

Kennebunkport, Maine, died September 

27, 2010. 

Walter D. Moritz, MD ’64, GME ’70, of Fort 

Atkinson, Wis., died September 5, 2010. 

David J. Morris, MD ’73, of Price, Utah, 

died September 29, 2010. 

Herbert F. Philipsborn, Jr., MS ’42, MD 

’43, of Northbrook, Ill., died September 

29, 2010. 

Thomas W. Shields, MD ’50, GME ’54, 

GME ’55, of Lincolnshire, Ill., died October 

7, 2010. Dr. Shields was a professor 

emeritus of surgery at Northwestern. 

Howard S. Traisman, BS ’46, MD ’47, of 

Evanston, Ill., died October 12, 2010. 

Dr. Traisman was a professor emeritus 

of pediatrics at Northwestern. 

George R. Ward, Jr., MD ’64, of San Luis 

Obispo, Calif., died October 24, 2010. 

Flickr 

See our events and photos on Flickr! 

flickr.com/photos/42143142@N08 

Additional Photography: AP Images: cover, pp. 10-11, 13 

Randy Belice: p. 1 (bottom right), p. 4 

Renee Bouchard, NASA: p.16 

Katie Costello: p. 5 

Robert Knapp: p.14 

Alumni Weekend 

Come back to Northwestern to 

experience the Power of Participation 

during Alumni Weekend 2011 – 

April 28 – May 1. 

Kyle LaMere: inside front cover, pp. 1,2, 18-22 

Nathan Mandell: p. 25 

Dr. Simon Myint: pp. 26-27 

Claire Pelliccia: p. 21 (#2) 

Bill Smith: p. 12 




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