Appointment with the dean - University of Rochester Medical Center

ROCHESTER MEDICINE 

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY FALL / WINTER 2002 

WHAT ANSEL ADAMS SAW IN ROCHESTER 

ALUMNI ORTHOPÆDISTS KEEP ALL-STARS IN THE GAME

Cover photo: 

Charles G. Cochrane, M.D. 

(M ’56, B ’51), by Ansel 

Adams. Courtesy of the 

Department of Rare Books 

and Special Collections, 

Rush Rhees Library 

(Ansel Adams Collection)

Attract 

the best and the brightest. 

This issue of Rochester Medicine shows that the 

University of Rochester knows how to do just 

that, whether it’s medical students, faculty, or 

even freelance photographers. 

On the cover and inside this issue, you’ll 

see what happened when we attracted the best 

and brightest — Ansel Adams — to our 

university 50 years ago to shoot photographs for 

a university publication. Adams shot more than 

200 photographs here, including many at the 

School of Medicine and Dentistry, and came to 

see Rochester as a second home. His Rochester 

work won awards and was exhibited twice — 

a testament to his ability to make art out of 

science. 

In the realm of research, you’ll read 

about a Medical Center researcher who 

followed new evidence to explore an area of 

the brain never before implicated in autism. 

Patricia Rodier’s bright idea was overlooked at 

first because it was so unusual, but now her 

work looks to be a promising new direction in 

unlocking the mystery of what causes autism. 

She has attracted a large, multi-disciplinary 

team of researchers and has won several 

significant grants to expand her investigations. 

You’ll also read about alumni who have 

helped athletes such as Roger Clemens and 

Peter Caruthers reach the pinnacle of their 

sports, and who help teams such as the 

Houston Astros stay healthy or recover from 

injury. Our look at alumni who are team 

physicians includes the first female medical 

director of a Division I, Big 10 athletic department, 

and an alumnus who had to face the 

hardest test of the profession: the paralysis of 

an athlete on the football field. 

And you’ll meet the new dean of the 

School of Medicine and Dentistry — one of 

the best and brightest clinical researchers 

around. David Guzick earned a Ph.D. and M.D. 

simultaneously, did his OB/GYN internship and 

residency at Johns Hopkins University and was 

most recently the chair of the Department of 

Obstetrics and Gynecology here at Rochester. 

His impressive background is proving especially 

valuable as the Medical Center puts renewed 

energy into clinical research. 

The varied stories in this issue are a 

refreshing reminder of why we work so hard 

to attract great talent to Rochester. That’s why 

it’s so exciting to be here and study here. 

And that’s why our alumni are able to make 

such a difference in the communities where 

they work and live. 

Jay H. Stein, M.D. 

Senior Vice President & Vice Provost for Health 

Affairs, Medical Center & Strong Health CEO 

FALL / WINTER 2002 1

Since 

I became Dean in April, virtually 

everyone I meet asks, “What’s it like being 

Dean?” I usually answer, “Well, it’s a little bit 

different than being Chair of Ob/Gyn.” 

Actually, it’s a lot different — more than 

I thought. For one thing, as a faculty member 

or Chair, there are some things you just take 

for granted, such as the library and the 

vivarium. But you can no longer do this as 

Dean; all of a sudden, the vivarium’s issues are 

your issues (not to mention such things as the 

budget, freezing pipes and falling bricks!). 

Another difference is that the scope of 

intellectual, clinical and educational activities 

is much broader than I fully appreciated as 

a Chair. When I interviewed for the position 

as Dean, I was asked to meet with the people 

who are responsible for the major academic, 

clinical and operational functions of the 

Medical Center — department chairs, center 

directors and the heads of finance, library, 

public relations, etc. There were more than 

50 names! At first I thought, “There must be 

some mistake!” But indeed, everyone was 

responsible for a significant entity within 

the Medical Center. 

So I began my journey through the 

Medical Center, meeting with many of our 

leading scientists, educators, clinicians and 

administrators one by one. I expected to hear 

all about what people want more of — space, 

money, faculty and staff. But instead, what 

I heard was excitement about their work and 

about the future. 

Needless to say, we face a number of 

challenging problems: declining reimbursement 

for patient care, increasing regulatory 

constraints and higher cost for education, 

the constant challenges of external funding 

for research, and the need to improve community 

health in the face of tightening 

2 


government budgets. Despite this, our scientists 

were animated in their enthusiasm about 

a variety of basic and clinical research projects. 

Our educators were excited about the dynamic 

changes that have been introduced by the 

Double Helix Curriculum, about the wonderful 

students we are attracting to the School, and 

about the improvements in many of our residency 

and fellowship programs. Our clinicians 

pointed to a diverse array of new patient care 

programs designed to improve clinical 

outcomes. And our community health professionals 

were optimistic about the effect of 

Project Believe — our initiative to make 

Rochester the healthiest community by 2020 — 

on the health of our region's population. 

Confronted with the breadth and diversity 

of the work in which faculty and staff are 

engaged at the University of Rochester Medical 

Center and the enormity of the serious missions 

to which we are pledged — providing compassionate 

and technically superb patient care, 

educating the next generation of physicians, 

dentists and biomedical scientists, generating 

new basic and applied knowledge that will 

improve our ability to prevent and treat illness, 

and improving the health status of our 

community — I stand in awe and wonder at 

the enormity of the challenge. I am highly 

optimistic about our ability to meet these 

challenges, however, because of the unique 

characteristics of our institution and the 

momentum that we have already generated. 

We are unique in the energy, commitment 

and vision of our leadership. President 

Jackson and Dr. Stein have brought together 

the hospital and Medical Center under one 

strategic plan, administration and budget, and 

thus created a powerful force for the future. 

Not only are we breaking new ground nationally 

as an academic medical center, but we 

are becoming increasingly important as an 

economic entity within the community. We are 

now the region’s second largest employer and 

are rapidly becoming an important economic 

engine for the future of Rochester. As a result 

of our research enterprise and the creation of 

biotechnology companies based on our discoveries 

and innovations, there has been, and will 

continue to be, job creation and other positive 

ripple effects on our region. 

What an exciting time for the University 

and the Medical Center! I am thrilled to have 

an opportunity to serve as Dean of the School 

of Medicine and Dentistry. 

In this issue of Rochester Medicine, 

you’ll find examples of the breadth and diversity 

of work associated with our school. I feel 

privileged to be part of it. 

David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D. 

Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry

CONTENTS 


FEATURES 

10 Appointment with the dean: Taking multi-tasking to new heights 

12 The Univeristy landscape as Ansel Adams saw it — a photo essay 

26 Called to the cause of autism research 

30 Pioneers in the field— orthopædists as team physicians 

4 Medical Center rounds 

34 School news 

39 Alumni news 

48 Class notes 

55 In memoriam 

DEPARTMENTS 

Rochester Medicine is published by: The University of Rochester Medical Center, 

Department of Public Relations and Communications, in conjunction with 

the Department of Medical Alumni Relations and Development 

Director of Public Relations and Communications Teri D’Agostino 

Editor Mark Liu 

Contributing Writers Travis Anderson, Lori Barrette, Karin Gaffney, Leslie Orr, 

Germaine Reinhardt, Tom Rickey, and Leslie White 

Art Director Mitchell Christensen 

Photographers Randy Tagg and Vince Sullivan 

Editorial Assistant Rita J. Ciarico 

Director of Development for Medical Alumni Programs Christopher Raimy 

Associate Director of Medical Alumni Relations Christina Mancini 

For questions or comments, contact: 

Department of Alumni Relations and Development 

300 East River Road, Rochester, NY 14627 

1–800–333–4428 585–273–5954 Fax 585–461–2081 

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


medical center rounds 

4 

Tiny 

camera pill can 

Imagine a vitamin-pill size camera that could 

travel through your body taking pictures, 

helping diagnose a problem your doctor previously 

would have found only through surgery. 

No longer is such technology the stuff of 

science-fiction films. Strong Memorial Hospital 

is one of only a few locations in New York State 

where doctors are using this innovative technology 

to diagnose problems in the small 

intestines. 

The Given Diagnostic Imaging System, 

developed by an Israeli-based company and 

approved by the FDA last year, is now available 

to patients at Strong. The device is a miniature 

video camera and transmitter built in to a 

capsule that is swallowed by the patient. 

For years, doctors have used small 

cameras attached to fiber-optic tubes to look 

inside the digestive tract and diagnose illnesses. 

These tests, such as endoscopy and 


find problems 

that other tests 

colonoscopy, allow for views of the esophagus, 

stomach and colon, but the small intestine is 

too long and out of the reach of those diagnostic 

instruments. Often, patients whose problems 

appeared to stem from the small intestine — 

problems like suspected internal bleeding or unexplained 

abdominal pain — were subject to surgery 

to diagnose the problem. The new, tiny pill-camera 

actually travels through the small intestine, 

snapping pictures at a rate of two per second. 

The images are transmitted wirelessly from the 

camera to a small pack the patient wears like a 

belt. During its eight-hour trip through the digestive 

tract, the battery-powered pill uses a wide-angle 

lens to transmit about 50,000 images capable of 

identifying growths, internal bleeding and other 

problems. The pill eventually passes through the 

colon and is eliminated naturally and safely. 

“It’s an amazing breakthrough and holds 

great promise as a tool for diagnosing patients 

miss 

with specific problems,” says Uma Sundaram, 

M.D., chief of the Digestive Disease Unit at 

Strong. “Though it won’t replace the technology 

we currently use to diagnose problems 

above and below the small intestine, it is 

a tremendous asset for helping us visualize 

an area previously beyond our reach, short of 

surgery. It could prove a great benefit to 

patients as a less invasive procedure, especially 

in cases where we can limit the need for 

surgery for patients who are already experiencing 

abdominal pain or internal bleeding.” 

Strong is currently screening patients to 

identify appropriate cases where patients might 

benefit from the new diagnostic device.

A better prostate 

procedure 

Urologists from the University of Rochester 

Medical Center are providing an alternative 

to open surgery for men with prostate cancer: 

removal of the gland through laparoscopic 

surgery. This technique is minimally invasive 

and growing more popular because it offers 

a quicker recovery compared to traditional 

surgery. The University of Rochester was 

the first in the state, and one of only nine 

academic medical institutions nationwide, 

to offer this procedure. 

“I believe this will become the standard 

for prostate surgery in the near future,” said 

surgeon Jean Joseph, M.D., an assistant 

professor of urology. “It gets patients back 

to their normal lives much faster.” 

Joseph trained with world-renowned 

surgeon Bertrand Guillonneau, M.D., who 

developed the new procedure. In the United 

States, one in 10 men gets prostate cancer, 

making it one of the most common forms 

of cancer among men age 45 and up. 

Surgical removal of the prostate has 

long been the “gold standard” treatment for 

men with cancer confined to the prostate 

gland. Laparoscopy, also known as keyhole 

surgery, uses long, slender instruments inserted 

into the abdominal cavity and manipulated 

outside of the body. A voice-command robot 

is used to guide an internal camera, allowing 

a magnified view of internal organs and 

surgical instruments throughout the procedure. 

Since the procedure was developed, in 1998, 

studies have shown that men recover more 

quickly, with a shortened hospital stay. Patients 

also have less pain and incontinence following 

the laparoscopic procedure. 

“Patients benefit from the fact that we 

use smaller incisions and have significantly 

less blood loss,” said Joseph. 

Radiation expert 

joins homeland 

security effort 

P. Andrew Karam, Ph.D., the University’s radiation 

safety officer, is one of the founding 

members of a new Homeland Security 

Committee to help prevent or cope with a 

potential terrorist incident involving radiation, 

such as the detonation of a radioactive “dirty 

bomb.” 

The committee was created by the 

Health Physics Society (HPS) to help the public, 

government officials and emergency personnel. 

Karam, a radiation expert who is a frequent 

spokesman for scientific societies on radiation 

risks and issues, is one of several HPS officials 

who helped create the committee. In June, 

Karam and other committee members met in 

Tampa, Fla., at the annual meeting of HPS to 

discuss homeland security. 

Karam also is helping to organize a new 

HPS group, Radiation Safety Without Borders, 

designed to enhance radiation safety around 

the world. The new group plans to offer advice 

to other nations about safe storage and transportation 

of radioactive materials and keeping 

materials out of the wrong hands. 

“It’s like the group Doctors Without 

Borders; we’re using our expertise to help 

people in other countries,” says Karam. “This 

will help keep the whole world safer as well.” 


Respiratory specialists 

study New York City 

firefighters 

Rochester researchers who specialize in 

studying the effects of tiny particles on the 

lungs have been chosen to study respiratory 

symptoms in 300 New York City firefighters and 

to take part in a survey and follow-up study of 

6,000 Manhattan residents. 

The study is one of several announced 

by Tommy G. Thompson, secretary of the 

Department of Health and Human Services, 

to address health concerns in the wake of the 

Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

Rochester scientists led by Guenter 

Oberdoerster, professor of environmental 

medicine, are working with researchers from 

New York University and Columbia University, 

thanks to $1.2 million in funding from the 

National Institute of Environmental Health 

Sciences. 

Oberdoerster already leads an $8.3million 

effort funded by the Environmental 

Protection Agency to study the link between 

exposure to urban air particles and poor 

health. The team focuses on the health effects 

of ultrafine particles, the tiniest of particles that 

we regularly breathe into our lungs. In hightraffic 

areas, 1 million such particles pack into 

the amount of air contained in just one 

thimble. 



Program breathes life into lung research 

In keeping with its mission to expand research, 

the Medical Center has launched the Lung 

Biology and Disease Program, which unites 

a dozen top scientists from various departments 

onto one floor of the University’s newest 

building at the west end of the campus. The 

program, which also serves as an umbrella for 

as many as 40 researchers, became fully operational 

in June. Recruitment of new faculty, and 

some construction and laboratory setups, will 

continue throughout the year. 

The new program focuses attention on 

the lungs and related, modern-day health 

concerns: toxic exposures due to pollution 

and chemicals; asthma and other chronic lung 

ailments; respiratory infections; and lung 

cancer. It will allow the scientists — once 

separated geographically and by professional 

discipline — to work more effectively as they 

investigate lung disease from the molecular 

stage to how it strikes patients, young and old, 

and the most promising treatments. 

Richard Phipps, Ph.D., professor of environmental 

medicine, oncology, microbiology, 

immunology and pediatrics, has been 

Vitamin E, a compound thought to play a role 

in preventing prostate cancer, interferes with 

two proteins that play a central role in the development 

of the disease, say Rochester scientists. 

Researchers led by Shuyuan Yeh, Ph.D., 

assistant professor in the departments of 

Urology and Pathology, found that vitamin E 

interferes with the ability of prostate cancer 

6 


appointed director of the new program. Phipps, 

whose research for 19 years at Rochester has 

focused on lung disease and immunology, has 

a patent pending on a new way of immunizing 

against a serious infection that afflicts patients 

with cystic fibrosis and HIV. 

“Each organ has its own unique aspects 

in terms of how it gets injured and how it is 

repaired,” Phipps says. “We think it’s going 

to be very productive to focus on the lung from 

many different angles, as opposed to the 

approach of studying diseases only at a fundamental 

level and then applying that to the lung.” 

Rochester has been a leader in this field 

for years. In the 1980s, for instance, scientists 

here were instrumental in developing what is 

now a standard therapy for premature 

infants — a liquid medication called surfactant 

that helps tiny, underdeveloped lungs work 

better. More recently, in environmental medicine, 

the EPA awarded the Medical Center (as 

one of five sites nationally) an $8 million grant 

to study the link between exposure to urban air 

particles and poor health. The association 

between air pollution and increased death rates 

cells to make both prostate-specific antigen 

(PSA) and the androgen receptor. Yeh showed 

that in prostate cancer cells exposed to 

vitamin E, the PSA level drops significantly— 

as much as 80 to 90 percent, which is a sign 

of slowed cancer cell growth. Researchers 

also saw a 25 to 50 percent decrease in the 

number of cancer cells. Under certain conditions, 

is well documented, but now scientists are 

racing to identify which particles are toxic and 

why they cause lung disease. 

The combined brainpower of cell biologists, 

immunologists and clinicians should 

result in new treatments. The lung program 

will maintain close ties with Strong Memorial 

Hospital’s pulmonary and critical-care divisions, 

and will give the Medical Center greater 

access to the newest drugs being tested in clinical 

trials. A state-of-the-art facility in the 

basement of the new research building will also 

open avenues in gene therapy and other 

modern approaches to lung disease. 

At this point, the lung biology program 

is funded by existing research grants, including 

a $1.5 million training grant, directed by Mark 

Frampton, M.D., for pre- and postdoctoral 

students that was renewed by the NIH late last 

year. In addition, the NIH has invited a group of 

pediatric lung researchers, led by Frank 

Gigliotti, M.D., to apply for money to investigate 

the disease process that causes pneumocystic 

pneumonia, a very active area of research 

nationally. 

Vitamin E makes prostate cancer cells vulnerable 

the vitamin killed off 90 percent of cancer cells. 

The work shows that the cancer cells are 

vulnerable in a way previously unknown. 

While the research was done in the laboratory 

and not in humans, it takes on added 

significance because studies in people have 

already shown that vitamin E may help prevent 

prostate cancer. But just how it might play

Cardiologist uses new technology 

to close holes in heart 

A Rochester cardiologist is among a handful 

in the state using a new product to repair holes 

between the chambers of the heart in both 

children and adults. The new method doesn’t 

involve traditional surgery, leaves no scar, 

and reduces hospital stays from several weeks 

to several hours. 

Daniel Miga, M.D., director of pediatric 

interventional cardiology at Golisano Children’s 

Hospital at Strong, is one of only two doctors in 

upstate New York offering the procedure. 

Using a device called the Amplatzer 

Septal Occluder, Miga can close an atrial septal 

defect — a hole located between the left and 

right atria in the heart — without resorting to 

surgery. The technique of cardiac catheterization 

advances a catheter into the heart through 

blood vessels to obtain blood samples, take 

detailed pictures and detect and correct 

congenital abnormalities of the heart. These 

are some of the most common congenital heart 

defects, accounting for 6 percent to 10 percent 

of all heart defects. 

“These devices make a huge difference 

for patients,” Miga says. “It’s safe, effective, and 

a protective role has been unclear. 

The team also found that one traditional 

anti-androgen drug, hydroxyflutamide, 

had little effect on the human metastatic 

prostate cancer cells tested in their study. But 

when vitamin E was added to the mix, cancer 

cell growth slowed dramatically. 

“This is exciting and quite promising, 

but until we do further studies in people, we 

can’t really recommend that every man take 

vitamin E to prevent the disease,” says Edward 

Messing, M.D., a co-author and professor and 

can eliminate the need for surgery and a large 

incision in the chest.” 

Even for the healthiest patients, Miga 

says traditional open-heart surgery means 

spending several days in the hospital and 

enduring a significant amount of pain, with 

a recovery period that lasts for weeks. That’s 

not the case with the Amplatzer Septal 

Occluder. The procedure takes about two hours 

and most patients go home the same morning 

with only a few restrictions. 

With the Amplatzer Septal Occluder, 

a patient is generally sedated under anesthesia. 

After the patient is asleep, a tube is inserted 

in a vein in the groin. The next step is to insert 

a catheter and navigate it through the body’s 

largest veins until it reaches the heart. After 

further testing, including ultrasound imaging, 

another catheter is used to insert the device, 

which springs open around the hole in the 

heart. It builds a new wall where the opening 

was and, for the next several months, the heart 

tissue grows around it to fortify it. 

For more information about the 

Amplatzer Septal Occluder, call 585 – 273 – 2160. 

chair of the Department of Urology. Other 

authors on the paper include graduate students 

Yu Zhang and Jing Ni; local high school 

student Eugene Chang; and Chin-Rang Yang, 

Ph.D., of the Department of Radiation Oncology. 

The scientists also caution that different 

forms of vitamin E produce different results. 

The team found that a type known as vitamin E 

succinate, also known as alpha-tocopheryl 

succinate, was most effective in halting prostate 

cancer cells in the laboratory. Yeh’s team also 

has found that vitamins D and E may work in 


concert, with vitamin E helping to boost the 

effectiveness of vitamin D in killing cancer cells. 

Messing is also heading the local 

portion of a study designed to test whether 

either vitamin E or selenium, or a combination, 

prevents prostate cancer. It’s the largest 

clinical trial yet of the disease, which strikes 

about the same number of men—approximately 

200,000 — as the number of women 

in the United States who get breast cancer. 

The findings appeared in Proceedings of 

the National Academy of Sciences. 



Controversial transfusion method 

saves lives, lowers costs 

Removing white cells from blood before use in 

a transfusion most likely saved the lives of 50 

to 60 heart surgery patients at Strong Memorial 

Hospital since 1998 and also reduced the cost 

of treatment. These results, and a review of this 

scientifically proven but controversial procedure 

— leukocyte-reduced transfusions — 

appeared in the September 2002 issue of the 

American Journal of Clinical Pathology. 

Research shows that many complications 

of surgery are not due to bad luck, 

surgical accidents, inadequate hand-washing 

or antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but rather to 

previously unrecognized adverse effects of transfused 

white cells on the patient’s immune 

system. The presence of foreign transfused white 

cells compromises the ability to fight off the 

bacteria in our bodies and the environment. 

Lead author Neil Blumberg, M.D., 

director of the Transfusion Unit and Blood 

Bank at Strong Memorial Hospital of the 

University of Rochester Medical Center, says 

other medical institutions will almost certainly 

save money and reduce patient complications 

if they switch from using unmodified blood 

to leukocyte-reduced blood. 

But some in the medical community 

remain unconvinced. Organizations such 

as the American Hospital Association and 

American Medical Association have opposed 

recommendations from the FDA and others for 

universal leukocyte-reduction, claiming it 

would inflate costs unnecessarily. Leukocytereduction 

adds $25 to $35 to the price of each 

unit of blood. The FDA does not mandate 

universal leukocyte-reduction of transfusions. 

For two decades, doctors at Strong 

Memorial have been world leaders in scientific 

and clinical studies of this “transfusion 

immunomodulation” effect. Strong was among 

the first hospitals in the nation to use leuko- 

8 


cyte-reduced blood in cardiac surgery, starting 

in July 1998. The FDA’s Blood Products Advisory 

Committee advocated this approach in 

September 1998. The Health and Human 

Services Advisory Committee on Blood Safety 

and Availability voted overwhelmingly in favor 

of universal leukocyte-reduction for transfusions 

in January 2001, based on randomized 

trials suggesting that it could lower death rates 

by as much as 50 to 60 percent in heart surgery. 

Most American Red Cross blood centers provide 

only leukocyte-reduced transfusions, as do 

many other blood centers. 

To address the controversy, Blumberg 

and his colleagues sought to analyze the 

economic consequences and clinical outcomes 

of their early adoption of this technology. 

Using existing data at Strong, they 

studied two groups: patients undergoing cardiac 

surgery from July to December 1998 using leukocyte-reduced 

blood, versus a control group from 

the same period in 1997 who were transfused 

with unmodified blood. To reduce bias in the 

data, Blumberg included only adults with 

similar demographic characteristics whose 

surgeries were performed by two surgeons with 

established practices, co-authors George Hicks Jr., 

M.D. (M ’71, R ’78), and William Risher, M.D. 

In addition to improved outcomes, the 

cost of treating the recipients of leukocytereduced 

blood dropped by about $1,700 in each 

case despite the effects of cost inflation and new 

technologies. Blumberg attributed the savings 

to fewer hours in the ICU, less use of antibiotics 

and a decrease in length of stay. 

By July 2000, Strong Hospital began 

using leukocyte-reduced blood for all hospitalized 

patients. Despite the expense of the filters, 

the overall cost savings in cardiac surgery 

alone are estimated at between $500,000 and 

$1 million a year, Blumberg says. 

On May 9, celebrations for the new Medical 

Research building were held simultaneously 

in Rochester, Boston, Los Angeles, and New 

York City. The Rochester events were broadcast 

on closed-circuit TV to the other sites. 

Far right: Architect’s rendering of proposed 

second Medical Research Building, and the 

completed facility, below. 

Above right: Ling Lam, M.D. (M ’93), and Anouk 

Amzel, M.D., raise a glass at the May 9 event in 

New York City to celebrate the opening of the 

second Medical Research Building at the 

University of Rochester Medical Center. Similar 

celebrations took place in Boston and Los 

Angeles, with the main events in Rochester. 

Below right (from left): Gilbert Forbes, M.D. 

(BS ’36, M ’40), Robert Brent, M.D., Ph.D. (BS ’48, 

M ’53, P ’55), and Robert Sutherland (Ph.D. ’66) 

helped celebrate the opening of the second 

Medical Center building—the MRB-X—at 

a New York City event on May 9. The three 

also got down to business as members of the 

Medical Alumni Council, which held its spring 

meeting in conjunction with the event.

State grants $30 million to URMC 

On Sept. 23, New York Governor George E. 

Pataki and other government leaders presented 

the Medical Center with a $30 million grant in 

support of the Medical Center’s biomedical 

research strategic plan. It’s the largest single 

contribution yet to the Medical Center’s tenyear 

initiative to establish Rochester as a 

national hub for biomedical technology. 

University President Thomas H. Jackson 

and Medical Center CEO Jay H. Stein, M.D., 

accepted the grant at a festive news conference 

held in the atrium of the Arthur Kornberg 

Medical Research Building. 

“Today is a significant day for Rochester 

and the State of New York,” Jackson said to the 

hundreds of employees and reporters gathered 

for the announcement. “This is not only 

important to the University of Rochester, but 

to the entire community and region.” 

According to Stein, the Medical Center 

requested funds in order to develop the mechanisms 

to transfer new discoveries from medical 

laboratories to the private sector. Specifically, 

funds were requested to: 

• develop space to house biotech companies that 

commercialize discoveries made in Medical 

Center laboratories. 

• provide start-up capital needed to create business 

strategies, secure facilities and further 

develop breakthrough ideas coming from 

Medical Center laboratories. 

• 

help finance the construction and/or renova- 


tion of the Medical Center’s new research 

laboratories, space critical to the recruitment 

of top-level scientists and technicians. 

Through new construction jobs and fulltime, 

permanent jobs, plus jobs created in 

spinoff companies and related vendors, it is 

estimated that the Medical Center’s research 

initiative will increase regional employment by 

3,565 jobs. And the effort is projected to import 

$45 million in venture capital into Rochester 

and increase royalties paid to the University. 

“This $30 million granted by the State 

of New York will take biotechnology to a new 

level, boosting New York’s economy with the 

promise of new jobs, and fostering lifesaving 

medical breakthroughs,” Stein said. 


10 

Appointment with the dean 

Taking 

multi-tasking 

to new heights 


David Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., remembers flopping into bed 

after his first 36-hour shift as an OB/GYN intern at Johns 

Hopkins and thinking, “I’ve never learned so much 

in my life. I don’t know if I’ll survive this, but if I do, 

at least I’m going to know what I’m doing.” 

Guzick did more than survive. He went on to publish more than 

100 research articles, establish the most successful in vitro fertilization 

program in the Pittsburgh region, chair the Department of Obstetrics and 

Gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center for seven years 

and — this year — become the ninth dean of the University of Rochester 

School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

His definition of “dean,” though, might sound a bit different. 

Beyond his administrative duties, Guzick says his goal is to maintain his 

clinical skills, continue to train residents, work with faculty members on 

their research projects and continue his own research. In short, Guzick 

has no intention of wearing out the carpet under his desk. 

“Some people don’t do well with many balls in the air,” he says. 

“ 

I don’t think I can survive unless there are several balls in the air.” 

Guzick has been juggling for a long time now. Growing up in 

Brooklyn, he earned a spot as the shooting guard on his high school 

varsity basketball team while only a freshman, yet studied hard enough 

to graduate a year early. At age 20, he embarked on a combined M.D.-Ph.D. 

program at New York University, earning a Ph.D. in economics and an M.D. 

simultaneously. At the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, 

he was named an assistant professor while still a fellow — an extremely 

unusual occurrence. 

Even back in those early days as an OB/GYN intern, he somehow 

found a way to fit research into his schedule. As a physician with a Ph.D. 

in econometrics under his belt, Guzick was very popular among faculty 

researchers who had data sets needing to be analyzed. So, his typical 

on-call shift might have involved taking care of patients in Labor and 

Delivery, then a jaunt across the street to the computer lab to toss off 

some methodological analyses of how classification systems affect treatment 

outcomes, then a sprint back to the ward if something was needed. 

“He was the only one trying to do two things at once,” 

says Ana Murphy, M.D., division director of Reproductive Endocrinology 

and Infertility at Emory University. Murphy was a second-year resident 

at Johns Hopkins Hospital when Guzick started his internship there,

and the two have crossed paths many times in the subsequent two decades. 

Murphy remembers Guzick as the rare intern she could always count on. 

“Interns are usually quite lost and get flustered easily,” she says. 

But not Guzick. In fact, Murphy found herself thinking, “I hope to be just 

as cool, calm, collected and unflappable as David.” 

Not bad for someone who hadn’t even intended to practice medicine. 

Guzick’s original plan was to work in health policy. He pursued 

an M.D. because he felt that medical credentials would help. But once 

he got a taste of clinical work, he was hooked. 

“I liked the reality and practical aspects of surgery, as well as the 

personal interactions of medical practice,” he says. “I realized that policy 

analysis, on a full-time basis, would be too abstract for me.” 

Nowhere was the personal interaction of medicine more rewarding 

than in the world of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Though just a fellow at 

the time, Guzick and a faculty member at the University of Texas started 

an IVF program in 1984, when many people were still skeptical that the 

procedure could work. 

“With IVF, I felt on the pioneering edge,” Guzick says. “There was 

this ‘wow’ factor, that this was a technically amazing feat. It seemed in 

the realm of science fiction.” 

At the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, as director of 

the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and the Assisted Reproduction 

Program, Guzick created his own “wow” factor. Essentially starting from 

scratch, he worked seven days a week to establish and continuously 

improve an IVF program at Magee-Women’s Hospital. Under his leadership, 

the program had the highest pregnancy rates in the surrounding 

three-state region. 

“He was well known as a national figure,” says Kathy Hoeger, M.D., 

associate professor of OB/GYN at the University of Rochester School of Medicine 

and Dentistry. “Certainly in OB/GYN in general, he was well known.” 

When Rochester recruited Guzick to chair the Department of 

Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1995, he became an important mentor to 

Hoeger and many others. Guzick’s ability to help faculty members write 

grants — and his willingness to meet on weekends and after hours to 

help — was crucial to his goal of refocusing the department on clinical 

research. 

“There’s a great deal of insight that someone like him can lend,” 

says Hoeger. “He helps you formulate your own ideas better. And knowing 

the intricacies of the NIH is invaluable — it’s nothing you can read in 

a textbook or call the NIH to ask.” 

When Guzick came with his clinical research focus, Hoeger says 

department members were wary because they didn’t know how the new 

approach would fit in with the Department’s previous focus on basicscience 

research. But that didn’t deter Guzick. According to Hoeger, Guzick 

simply jumped in and showed how to do it. 

“He did it basically by example,” she says. “He challenged people 

to think about how to apply their research to a clinical study and how that 

would advance what they know.” 

In doing so, says Jim Woods, M.D., the new chair of OB/GYN at 

Rochester, Guzick “invigorated the department with the excitement of 

clinical research. It was a transformation of attitude from ‘I’m too busy 

to write grants’ to ‘I want to write grants.’ ” 

As dean, Guzick is in the position to make clinical research a true 

force throughout the Medical Center. Now that Rochester has built two 

new basic-science research buildings, the obvious next step is to bolster its 

clinical research while continuing to support and enhance basic research. 

“The medical school contains 700 or so clinical faculty who are 

seeing patients. I believe the school side of things and the hospital side 

of things can work together,” says Guzick. 

Woods says that strong clinical research can affect not only patient 

perceptions of the University but its national and international reputation: 

“If you build a strong research environment, you’ll attract good 

investigators. They’ll be better teachers and clinicians who are aware of 

very modern medicine. That will attract the best residents, which will 

attract the best medical students.” 

CONTINUED page 57 


The University Landscape 

Ansel Adams turned the sights 

of Rochester into works of art. 

Ansel Adams, the famed nature photographer, was 

bored. It was 1952, and the 50-year-old Adams was 

confiding to friends that he had hit a creative 

impasse and was lacking inspiration — a shocking 

development for someone so dedicated to his craft. 

But then a call came. 

by Mark Liu 

AADAMS NSEL 

The University of Rochester was looking for 

someone to take photographs for a new brochure. 

The University wanted to combine its men’s and 

women’s campuses, and it needed a special publica- 

tion to help raise money to build new dormitories, 

a dining center and academic buildings. 

photo courtesy of The Democrat and Chronicle and Rochester Museum and Science Center

And so he came, far from his haunts in the rocky peaks 

of Yosemite, to the autumnal banks of the Genesee. 

Nobody can be sure what role his Rochester visit might 

have played in re-energizing Adams, but it did get him 

behind a camera at a time when, as he wrote to 

a friend: “I have had no burning desire to make a picture 

in a long time.” It did lead to more than 200 photographs 

— work so impressive that the University 

decided to pay an extra $1,000 (in 1952 dollars) for 

exhibit prints, so it could display them in the main 

library. And it did result in a beautifully conceived publication 

that helped the University meet its goal and 

integrate its campus. 

Photo courtesy of: Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Rush Rhees Library (Ansel Adams Collection) 

ABOVE 

Dr. Joe Howland, 

former professor of 

Radiation Biology 

and Chief of Division, 

Atomic Energy 

Project, Cancer 

Research. 

LEFT 

Ansel Adams, earlier 

in his career. 


14 

Now, 50 years later, the Ansel Adams photographs 

offer a glimpse into the history of the University 

through the eyes of one of the greatest artists ever 

to peer through a lens. Included are a half dozen 

shots of the Medical Center and its people, 

including faculty, a medical intern and the first dean 

of the School of Medicine and Dentistry — 

Nobel laureate George Whipple. 

That the photographs are fascinating is little 

surprise. What is more of a surprise is the inspiration 

Adams seemed to gain from the University. 

Initially he had planned to stay only one or two 

weeks, but he ended up working on the project 

for a month. In Rochester Review magazine 

the following year, he explained that he had 

expected to stay just a short while: “But your 

University,” he said, “turned out to be about 

10 times as large and interesting as I had expected.” 

The connection that brought Ansel Adams to 

Rochester was Beaumont and Nancy Newhall. 

Beaumont Newhall, then curator of the George 

Eastman House and the International Museum of 

Photography in Rochester, had been a curator at the 

Museum of Modern Art in New York, where he and 

his wife had become close friends with Adams. 

Nancy Newhall and Adams collaborated on 

numerous photography books and exhibitions. At 

times they wrote several letters a day to each other. 


RIGHT 

Charles G. Cochrane, M.D. (M ’56, B ’51), recounts sitting for this photo: 

I was cramming down a sandwich in Bill’s lunch room, prior to attending 

a conference, when in walked a strange-looking smiling fellow who 

balanced the loss of hair on the top of his head with a huge growth 

of beard. He walked straight up to me and asked if he could take my 

picture. I replied in the negative as I was so short of time. He retorted 

that it was for the University. Since I was devoted to the school that 

provided me so much, I assented to the photograph rather than the 

conference. Little did I know what he wanted. 

He marched me to the surgical suites and asked that I don surgical 

scrubs, and in response to my question regarding time, responded 

that an hour should do. I tempered my annoyance with the thought that 

I could send to my parents, who had been so supportive of my schooling, 

a copy of the photo or the negative. 

After the promised hour and endless flashes of the camera, 

he announced we were done. I then sought my reward, asking for 

a negative or a copy of the photo. He looked me straight in the eye 

and then broke into a loud laugh that I can hear to this day. It was 

obvious my education was not in the realm of photography. 

But after my humiliation, he added that he would see what he could do, 

and within a month or so, I received a copy of a positive, together with 

the name of the bearded, smiling intruder on my sacred lunch-time: 

Ansel Adams. The latest I have seen of Ansel Adams’ work in galleries, 

the cost per print was out of sight, which explains the laugh in response 

to my question. I also have found that his negatives are tightly held 

in museums such as that at the University of Arizona. We learn in 

various ways. 

Photo courtesy of: Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Rush Rhees Library (Ansel Adams Collection)

SPRING / SUMMER 2002 15

16 

ROCHESTER MEDICINE

By this time, Adams had established himself in the 

small world of art photography, but he still needed 

to do commercial work. 

“ 

Photography, as an art form, was fairly new,” says 

Melissa Mead, librarian at the University’s Rare 

Books and Special Collections, where a set of 

the prints is archived. “You didn’t make a lot of 

money out of it.” 


ABOVE 

Conducting a medical 

research project. 

LEFT 

Dr. George Whipple, 

Nobel laureate and 

first dean of the 

School of Medicine 

and Dentistry. 


18 

Adams arrived in Rochester in September and 

stayed in the Newhalls’ house — without them, 

initially, because they were out of town. A letter 

from Adams to the Newhalls, dated Sept. 30, 

documents an eventful first few weeks. Adams had 

to contend with Pinky, the Newhalls’ chicken-wingstealing 

cat (“I gave Pinky the old Judo treatment”); 

a fender-bender with a drunk driver; a short circuit 

that knocked the lights out in the house; and 

borrowed camera equipment that malfunctioned 

and had to be replaced. 

But he had better luck with the actual work. Though 

he at first lamented the conception for the brochure 

as “completely nebulous,” this actually meant he 

had the freedom to proceed the way he thought 

best. Adams decided to approach his task as if he 

were creating pictures for an exhibition. With that 

in mind, he threw himself into the University 

community. He met with researchers and faculty 

and even attended an autopsy at Strong Memorial 

Hospital. He would rise before six (for the early 

light) and work through the morning, pausing only 

for a steak breakfast at a diner. Lunch was never a 

problem, as he was much in demand as a dining 

guest — especially among scientists at Eastman 

Kodak Company. 


RIGHT 

Dr. J. Edward 

Hoffmeister, former 

dean of the College 

of Arts and Science 

and professor of 

geology, by the 

Genesee river. 


SPRING / SUMMER 2002 19

20 

ROCHESTER MEDICINE

The Rochester brochure was far removed from his 

first love of nature photography, yet Adams felt 

engaged by the work. Writing to the Newhalls, 

he called the job “a fine thing for me; chiefly 

because it points the way to the ultimate use of 

what talents I have.” 

Really, it was good timing. As Adams put it: 

“ 

Honestly, as time goes on, I feel less and less interested 

in the making of pictures and more interested 

in the use of them … At this time, the problems of 

the University of Rochester are much more important 

to me than any picture (photographic) could 

ever represent …” 


ABOVE 

The Genesee County 

landscape. 

LEFT 

Dr. W. Albert 

Noyes, Jr., former 

chairman of the 

department of 

chemistry and dean 

of the graduate 

school. 


22 

The brochure, called “Creative Change,” was 

printed in 1953. It contained dozens of faculty 

portraits, scenes of researchers in action, and 

glimpses of campus life. But the photographs went 

beyond mere documentation. The University administration, 

quoted in a newspaper article, said that 

“ 

Adams has done much to establish the true image 

of the institution.” The administration lauded 

Adams’s ability to “interpret the spirit of the university 

in visual images.” 

That ability to capture the spirit of his subjects — 

whether they be a granite mountain, a celebrity or 

an unknown medical student — is, of course, why 

Ansel Adams is considered an artistic genius. 

Months after his stay in Rochester, Adams was back 

to his prolific self. In a letter to Nancy Newhall 

dated December 17, 1952, he wrote: “Made 

7 subjects today!” He also said that Time magazine 

had commissioned him to make photographs for 

an upcoming story. Apparently, he was excited 

about the prospect. He wrote: “Let’s do a real job 

on it!!!!!!” Adams had arrived in Rochester bored 

with making photographs. Months later, the thought 

of upcoming work elicited six exclamation points. 

A year later, the periodical U.S. Camera released its 

annual publication of what it considered the year’s 

best photography from around the world. Eight of 

Adams’s Rochester photographs appeared in the 

magazine. 

And 50 years later, last winter, the University once 

again displayed the exhibit prints in its main 

library — proud as ever to show how a great artist 

captured the spirit of its people and places. 


RIGHT 

The Rush Rhees 

Library dome. 



24 

ROCHESTER MEDICINE

The University of Rochester’s Department of 

Rare Books and Special Collections houses the 

Ansel Adams collection. The Department, located 

on the second floor of the Rush Rhees Library on 

the River Campus, has more than 200 photographs 

Adams took at the University. 

Anyone interested in seeing the collection 

can make an appointment with Rare Books by 

calling 585–275–4477. 

The Rare Books Department has collections 

of unique, rare and special research materials 

including books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, 

prints, broadsides, and other printed ephemera. 

The department has about 100,000 books and more 

than two miles of manuscript material. 

photo courtesy of: Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Rush Rhees Library (Ansel Adams Collection) 

ABOVE 

Ansel Adams, right, 

displays his camera 

at the George 

Eastman House 

with good friends 

Nancy and Beaumont 

Newhall, in 1968. 

LEFT 

Howard Hanson, 

then head of the 

Eastman School of 

Music and worldrenowned 

composer. 

FALL / WINTER 2002 25 

photo by Jim Laragy, courtesy of the Democrat and Chronicle

Called to the Cause 

Patricia Rodier has traveled an unlikely route 

to become a national leader in autism research. 

by Mark Liu 

The lecture that would change the life of Patricia M. 

Rodier, Ph.D., began typically enough. A pediatric 

ophthalmologist was describing eye motion defects 

in children impaired by thalidomide, the morning- 

sickness drug linked to birth defects in the 1960s.

But when the researcher mentioned a surprise finding — the percentage 

of thalidomide victims who had autism was about 30 times greater than 

in the general population — Rodier felt dizzy and began to hyperventilate, 

a major epiphany at hand. As an embryologist, Rodier suddenly was 

making a connection between autism and the early weeks of pregnancy, 

when the neurons for the eyes and other sensory organs are beginning to 

develop. That connection was in direct conflict with the common suspicion 

that autism, as a disorder that affects high-level functions such as speech, 

must originate later in gestation. Yet the spark of discovery was there. 

“I was in a state of wild euphoria,” says Rodier, professor of OB/GYN 

at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

Rodier had done no work on autism, but that lecture in 1994 led her 

in a whole new direction, along a twisting, turning path of detective-like 

scientific inquiry. Her findings were met with initial skepticism by some 

scientists, in part because they were unique. Now, though, with multiple 

grants and more and more publications, Rodier and her team are being 

recognized as researchers on the forefront of tracking down the biological 

causes of autism. 

“It’s really the first group in the history of the literature to look 

at the embryology of autism,” says Eric London, M.D., vice president for 

medical affairs at the National Alliance for Autism Research. “They were 

the first to do hypothesis-driven research into the roots of autism. In that 

respect, it’s revolutionary.” 

Of Mice and Men 

Getting to those revolutionary findings has taken insightful work, some 

good luck and the contributions of many different types of researchers. 

The science was only part of the challenge. Since autism was first 

documented in 1943, researchers have had to contend with a continuum 

of misunderstandings surrounding the disorder. Autism was typically seen 

as a behavioral problem because of symptoms such as severely limited 

speech and facial expressions, fixation on a single activity, and an inability 

to interpret emotions. Consequently, scientists looked for behavioral causes. 

In the ’60s and ’70s, psychologists actually believed that autism was caused 

by bad mothering. One treatment was to take the child from the parents. 

It also was labeled an extremely rare disorder — and that meant 

less funding for research. In fact, the National Alliance for Autism 

Research was founded in 1994, the year Rodier began studying autism, 

by a couple who wanted to donate money for autism research but couldn’t 

find an appropriate organization. Today, it’s estimated that autism or one 

of its related disorders occurs in at least one in every 625 births, with some 

estimates as high as one in 150 children. That would make it much more 

prevalent than Down’s syndrome, and certainly more common than was 

thought when Rodier began her autism research. 

Still, Rodier was determined to follow her epiphany wherever it led. 

The first thing she had to determine was whether the anomalies found 

in thalidomide victims with autism were present in everyone with autism. 

While lack of speech and facial expressions are commonly known 

symptoms in autism, minor symptoms such as slight malformation of 

the ears also had been documented. Rodier hunted down the few studies 

that looked at such anomalies and realized that they were, in fact, symptoms 

in many cases of autism, not just thalidomide-induced autism. The 

key finding was that thalidomide victims with autism had anomalies with 

their ears — which begin forming 20 days after conception — but no 

problems with their arms or legs, which start to form on the 24th day. 

So, the thalidomide results indicated that the damage that leads to autism 

must occur between days 20 and 24. The researchers in the thalidomide 

study had been puzzled because they thought that no brain development 

occurred that early. But Rodier, as an embryologist, knew otherwise. 

Just a few months after reading up on the literature, Rodier learned 

that John Romano, M.D., the legendary professor who built the University 

of Rochester Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry from the ground 

up, had preserved brain samples of someone who had suffered from autism. 

In fact, he had been keeping them in a lab for decades, hoping someone, 

some day, would have a good idea of what to look for in the tissue. 

“Romano was an expert in neural anomalies, which many 

psychiatrists are not,” says Rodier. He found her hypothesis promising 

enough to give her the samples. She hoped to find evidence of neural 


problems in the brain stem, the earliest section 

of the brain to develop. Rarely had anyone 

suspected the brain stem in autism. Other 

researchers had examined the higher-function 

cortex when examining autistic brains, with 

little results. Here was a perfect chance for 

Rodier to test her hypothesis — provided she 

had a dose of good luck. Romano’s lab had 

pathology samples, useful only if one of the 

sliced samples happened to be from the correct 

part of the brain stem. 

“As fate would have it, one of the samples 

was where we wanted to look,” says Rodier. 

Patricia M. Rodier, Ph.D. 

Her team went to work and made a major 

find. Two key structures — the facial nucleus, 

which controls the muscles that create facial expressions, and the superior 

olive, important in processing auditory information — were practically 

nonexistent. The facial neurons numbered about 400 cells, compared with 

a control brain that numbered 9,000. Because the functions of these structures 

corresponded to the symptoms of autism, Rodier believed she was 

onto something. 

Next, Rodier measured the distance to other structures of the brain 

to verify that the brain was normal in size. Her hypothesis was that the tiny 

facial nucleus and bits of superior olive were not small because the whole 

brain had failed to form, but that they were small while most structures 

were normal. But a surprise was waiting for her. 

Essentially, an entire band of tissue between the affected structures 

was missing as well. Suddenly, Rodier had another visceral reaction — 

she heard a roaring in her ears as she recognized what she was seeing. 

She had read a paper on mice genetically altered to study the effect of 

a certain gene, and the abnormal brain stem of these mice matched the 

pattern she was seeing in the autistic brain. 

The mice were known as “knockout” mice because they had been 

engineered to block the expression of a gene — in this case, a gene called 

HOXA1. By looking in a place that others hadn’t, Rodier had pinpointed 

a gene that could very well be involved in autism. 

This left her with a thrilling prospect for research but also some 

major obstacles. Rodier was trained as a psychologist and embryologist. 

She had no experience in genetics and — as a basic scientist — no access 

to patients with autism. 

Rodier marked her calendar for the following year’s NIH “State of 

the Science on Autism” conference in Washington, D.C., hoping for more 

lecture inspiration. 

Meeting of Minds 

What she found at the conference was bitter disappointment. As she went 

from lecture to lecture, Rodier could find no one who was studying the 

28 


etiology of autism. Even more surprising, she couldn’t find any clinicians 

who might have access to a population of patients to study. 

“I was crushed with disappointment,” she says. “I was just so upset.” 

On a coffee break, someone asked Rodier where she was from. 

When she said Rochester, the man said that a friend of his, a developmental 

pediatrician, was moving there and might want to meet with her. 

Rodier thought little of the encounter and soon was sitting in 

Washington’s National Airport, waiting to return home. 

Then a woman approached. She recognized Rodier from the 

conference, and the two got to talking. The woman, Susan Bryson, Ph.D., 

was a clinical psychologist in Canada who had just finished collecting 

data on malformations in autistic children. What made the study unique 

was its completeness: Bryson had collected data on autistic children, their 

siblings and developmentally disabled children without autism within 

a contained geographic area in Nova Scotia. Comparisons among these 

groups could further distinguish precisely which malformations correlated 

to autism. Bryson knew she had good data, but she wasn’t sure how best 

to proceed with analyzing it. By the end of the flight back from the conference, 

she knew: She would work with Rodier. 

Their finding — that ear anomalies are the most prevalent malformations 

in autism — supported the finding of ear anomalies in the 

thalidomide cases. This implied that the thalidomide cases resembled 

autism with other causes, which meant the early-gestation timeframe 

for autism made sense. So the HOXA1 gene was still a prime suspect — 

but Rodier had no way to test it. 

Only a few months later, Rodier received a call from the developmental 

pediatrician who had just moved to Rochester. Susan Hyman, M.D., 

had started working in the Department of Pediatrics at Rochester, bringing 

with her an extensive research background in developmental disabilities. 

When Rodier described her ideas, Hyman was eager to provide the clinical 

piece of the puzzle by recruiting families for studies. 

Rodier made contact with Denise Figlewicz, Ph.D., associate professor 

of neurology at Rochester, who specialized in molecular genetics. Her 

research interest — degenerative diseases of the nervous system — was far 

afield from autism, but Rodier’s work intrigued her, so she signed on. 

Through effort and a series of chance encounters, Rodier had 

assembled a roster of specialists in several fields to work on the same 

hypothesis. Now, the ensemble group had drawing power. When Rodier 

spoke at another NIH conference on her suspicions about HOXA1, 

biochemist Lorraine Gudas, Ph.D. — one of the first people in history 

to sequence HOXA1 — approached her excitedly. 

“She came up and said, ‘Oh, do I have ideas for experiments for 

you,’ ” says Rodier. 

Another scientist, Christopher Stodgell, Ph.D., turned down offers 

from bigger labs to join the burgeoning multidisciplinary team. 

“It was a big risk,” Stodgell says of the decision to join the team 

in 1996, at a time when it was just getting off the ground. “But I was 

drawn by the eclectic nature of the people I’d be working with.”

Rodier couldn’t have proceeded without such a diverse group 

of scientists, but most researchers don’t have such a luxury. 

“It’s actually very unusual,” says Stodgell, whose background 

was in behavioral pharmacology. “Most people in a particular area stick 

with people studying the same thing. The multidisciplinary approach takes 

a tremendous amount of effort to work because you’re pulling together 

people from different disciplines but also different interests.” 

Very quickly, Stodgell was reveling in the chance to learn new skills, 

such as molecular genetic techniques. The team embarked on the 

painstaking task of sequencing the DNA of patients and searching for a 

variant of HOXA1 that could be linked to autism. No one had ever discovered 

a HOXA1 variant in any mammal, and most researchers assumed 

that variants couldn’t be found. Their reasoning was that a change to 

a gene so important in early development would be lethal to the organism. 

Over many months, the researchers checked thousands of bases 

within the genetic code of study volunteers, but all matched the normal 

sequence. Then one day, Jennifer Ingram, a toxicology graduate student, 

noticed a single base substitution in the sequence of a boy with autism. 

The same substitution appeared in family members and in several other 

people with autism, and the change in sequence was of a type that might 

block the functioning of the gene — in effect, doing what researchers had 

done genetically to create “knockout” mice. The potential connection to 

autism was clear, and the team published the finding in 2000. 

Further examination, though, confirmed that the team had plenty 

more work ahead. The variation does not appear only in people with autism, 

so some other genes must be involved. And it’s possible that the more 

Technical associate Melanie O’Bara and Patricia M. Rodier, Ph.D. 

significant gene is down the line — one that is “turned on” by HOXA1. 

Still, the team had made a key finding — one that strongly 

supported Rodier’s original hypothesis implicating early development 

in autism. The attention and grants began to increase. Just as important, 

so did the ideas for a multitude of studies. 

A Wide Net and a Full Plate 

Rodier’s team keeps growing as its research broadens. An experimental 

psychologist, Mark Stanton, is now involved, as is Marilyn Miller, the 

researcher who first inspired Rodier with the thalidomide study. Lowell 

Weitkamp, M.D., a population geneticist in the Department of Psychiatry 

at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, also has 

been involved in analyzing data and planning experiments. 

Research continues on HOXA1, as well as on toxic substances — 

such as valproic acid — that might have a connection to autism. Beyond 

that, the team is branching out into treatment studies. 

“The more you know about the neurobiology, the more you know 

about good behavioral treatments,” she says. 

A good example is the team’s taste project, which is testing evidence 

that people with autism have an abnormal or reduced sense of taste and 

smell, leading to an unhealthy diet. If this turns out to be true, clinicians 

might suggest changes in the way their patients’ food is spiced so they’ll 

eat better. Another clinical study, conducted in Nova Scotia and Rochester, 

is examining symptoms in children with autism to see if these symptoms 

are truly associated with autism, to further pinpoint potential causes. 

These projects are a long way from those first studies Rodier 

conducted, which shows the power of gathering scientists from very 

different realms to work on a single idea. 

“The greatest mistake researchers make is they don’t cast a wide net 

and see what other kinds of evidence exist,” says Rodier. 

Rodier admits that, having spawned such a large research effort, 

it’s hard to slow down — especially when there are so many leads to follow. 

“Research is a kind of calling, and it’s easy to become obsessed,” 

she says. “It can be hard to turn the science off. I’m well aware of it. 

It’s a common topic of discussion with my doctor,” she says, smiling. 

After all, for researchers getting results, the rewards of the work are 

hard to measure. Perhaps nobody knows this better than Stodgell. Several 

years ago, Stodgell hosted a visit from a University of Rochester assistant 

professor of clinical and social psychology, Loisa Bennetto, Ph.D., and 

ended up marrying her. The two now do research together — Bennetto is 

heading a study of the neurological problem that keeps people with autism 

from being able to imitate facial expressions. 

They’re taking the term “multidisciplinary” to a whole new level. 


Pioneers in the 

FIELD 

2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 4 0 3 0 

Team physicians star in the world of sports medicine 

by Mark Liu

2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 4 0 3 0 

Long before professional sports had team physicians, 

long before sports medicine was even a profession, 

Arthur Pappas, M.D. (M ’57), was icing players’ knees and 

examining their aching bones. Pappas, an orthopaedist, 

is in his 25th and final year as the team physician for 

the Boston Red Sox. Early in his career, he was a leader in 

using film — and digital imaging later on — to analyze 

athletes’ movements and design special regimens to keep 

those athletes healthy. In an era of “no-pain, no-gain” 

thinking, Pappas advocated prevention in sports medicine. 

“ He’s considered a pioneer,” says Elizabeth Arendt, M.D. (B.S. ’75, M ’79, R ’84), 

also an orthopaedic surgeon for athletes. “Sports medicine was built on 

the back of probably 20 or so men, primarily doing orthopaedics.” 

Those men helped paved the way for women like Arendt. In 1991, 

Arendt became the first female medical director of a Division I, Big 10 

athletic department. She’s the medical director at the University of 

Minnesota for both men’s and women’s varsity athletics and the primary 

orthopaedic consultant to many of the teams, including men’s basketball 

and track and field and all of the women’s sports. 

From her high-profile work, Arendt was asked to be the team physician 

for women’s USA Hockey, which took her to Finland in 1990 and Lake 

Placid in 1992 for the World Games. Some years later, in 1998, many of 

those athletes went on to win gold medals with the U.S. Olympic team. 

In 1992, President Clinton named Arendt to the 12-person President’s 

Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. 

The two orthopaedists are among two dozen or so alumni working 

in the field of sports medicine. With Rochester’s sports medicine program 

now a full division, one alumnus has estimated that Rochester-trained 

physicians treat more than 25,000 athletes a year. 

2.5 Pounds of Prevention 

For Pappas, interest in sports injuries came in part from first-hand experience. 

As an undergraduate at Harvard University, Pappas was a lineman 

and linebacker on the football team until he suffered a shoulder injury 

in his senior year. That ended his football career, but after medical school 

at Rochester and time as a Navy doctor in Bethesda, Md., his orthopaedics 

Pedro Martinez with 

Arthur Pappas, M.D. 

career took off. He returned to Harvard in the 1960s to work in athletics, 

eventually becoming the football team’s chief physician. He also began 

treating professional athletes from the New England Patriots, Boston 

Celtics, Boston Bruins and the Red Sox. Word-of-mouth referrals brought 

him more and more athlete patients. 

“Team physicians existed, but not in the sense that we now know 

them,” says Pappas. Individual specialists in fields such as urology, 

internal medicine and surgery would do some work with teams, as needed. 

“ 

It was more of a hobby for doctors,” he explains. 

Pappas was named chair of orthopaedic surgery at the University 

of Massachusetts Medical Center in 1972, where he specialized in sports 

medicine and pediatric orthopaedics. Six years later he also became 

medical director for the Boston Red Sox. On top of his regular practice, 

Pappas began attending home games and spring training to work with 

the players. 

But it was through his research that he began to contribute to 

the sport. He began by studying the throwing motion. 

“The whole performance of a pitch is unnatural — that whole 

overhand motion,” he says, citing the stress on structures around the 

shoulder joint. 

He perfected the use of high-speed photography and computer 

models to analyze where the stress is greatest. By breaking down the 

motion into 150 separate phases per second, he learned that the large 

muscles around the shoulder actually were less important than the 

smaller muscles in maintaining a proper throwing motion. Eventually, 

Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester helped Pappas with an imaging 


2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 4 0 3 0 

Not all play 

It sounds glamorous enough: Hobnobbing with All-Star pitchers and NFL 

quarterbacks, working behind the scenes in the locker room and back 

office, operating on a player and reading the details in the next day’s 

newspaper. But physicians who take on the role of team physician will 

tell you it’s not as romantic as it sounds. 

“It’s an awful lot of time that you’re not in control of,” says David 

Lintner, M.D. (M ’86, R ’91). As the head team physician and medical 

director for the Houston Astros and team physician for the newest NFL 

team, the Houston Texans, Lintner says he’s responsible for the health of 

players at all times. If there’s an after-hours car accident, a middle-ofthe-night 

eye injury, an early morning bout of food poisoning involving 

a player, Lintner’s pager beeps (naturally, his pager is always on). 

On game days, he arrives early and stays late. 

And in an instant, the thrill of being part of high-level competition 

can transform into tragedy. Two years ago, Wayne Sebastianelli, M.D. 

(M ’83, R ’88), director of athletic medicine for Division I powerhouse 

Penn State University, was in his place on the sidelines of a football game 

against Ohio State when a player made a tackle with his head down. 

Immediately, Sebastianelli knew there was a problem. 

“I told my trainer, ‘This isn’t good,’ and I ran out on the field,” 

says Sebastianelli. 

The player, Adam, was lying on the field in a completely unnatural 

way, with legs scissored out and arms flopping. Sebastianelli 

immobilized him with the tools of the trade — sandbags and tape — 

and used a backboard to lift him. 

A burst fracture of the fifth cervical vertebrae, an injury 

Sebastianelli likens to a nutcracker cracking a nut, left 18-year-old Adam 

paralyzed from the shoulders down. Bone fragments had partially 

crushed his spinal cord, leaving a less than 1 percent chance that 

he would ever walk again. In a heartbeat, a player considered an eventual 

NFL starter could do nothing but lie in a hospital bed. 

Sebastianelli had to make the call to Adam’s family, who had seen 

the injury happen on TV. 

Two weeks later, Sebastianelli got a call from Adam’s father, who 

was at Adam’s bedside. “My son moved his toe! My son moved his toe!” 

he yelled into the phone. 

Sebastianelli decided to help coordinate Adam’s treatment, on top 

of his typical 80- to 90-hour workweek. He talked almost every day with 

the director of rehabilitation and worked closely with the family to help 

them deal with the tragedy. And he visited Adam whenever he could. 

Adam was in traction, with pins in his skull and still no feeling below his 

neck, so Sebastianelli would greet him with a kiss on the forehead. 

It became the standard greeting at every visit, from one ex-football 

player to another. 


32 


technique that could capture 1,000 phases per second instead of 150. 

He likens it to a symphony. If all the instruments are playing as 

they should, things are fine. But when one instrument begins to weaken, 

the others try to compensate. 

“This brings the symphony out of tune,” he says. Ballplayers tend 

to be more in tune with sweat than symphonies, so the exercises Pappas 

developed to strengthen smaller muscles were a tough sell at first. But 

pitchers, especially, began to recognize the benefits. The most dedicated, 

says Pappas, was Roger Clemens when he was with the Red Sox. Pappas 

went through the video images of Clemens’ pitching motion with him and 

explained the ideal motion, then developed stretches and exercises especially 

for him. 

“He worked on the programs during the off-season and the season,” 

says Pappas. It’s one reason he feels that Clemens, a starter for the New 

York Yankees at age 40, has had such a long and successful career. 

Other pitchers — Mike Flanagan, Jim Palmer, Dennis Eckersley— 

also benefited from individualized programs. Soon, Pappas’s reputation 

spread beyond baseball and Boston. In late 1982, pairs skaters Kitty and 

Peter Carruthers came to Pappas for help. Peter had developed a debilitating 

problem with his right shoulder — the one he used for lifts and 

throws. Several doctors told him he needed surgery, which would have 

ended the Carruthers’ hopes of competing in the 1984 Olympic Games. 

Someone recommended they see Pappas, who took a high-speed 

video of their skating. Immediately, he noticed that Peter was flaring his 

shoulder forward on lifts instead of setting it back in alignment with his 

hip and back. 

“He just looked at my problem in a different light,” says Peter. 

“ First of all, he had a profound understanding of the biomechanics of 

figure skating. He looks at not just the injury but he also understands 

why it happens and how to keep it from happening again.” 

The injury had weakened the whole area around the shoulder, 

so Pappas recommended special lifting exercises. But they weren’t what 

Carruthers expected. Pappas was suggesting nothing more than 2.5-pound 

wrist weights to strengthen small muscles in the back. Carruthers wasn’t 

skeptical, though, because as he puts it, Pappas “was just a mountain of 

knowledge.” 

Carruthers had been feeling the pain for two years, but within three 

weeks of beginning Pappas’s exercise, the pain was gone. “And I haven’t 

had a problem since,” he says. 

A year later, Kitty and Peter Carruthers won the silver medal in pairs 

figure skating at the Olympic Games in Sarajevo. 

“Certainly our Olympic medal partly goes to him,” says Carruthers. 

Bucking the System 

Like Pappas, Arendt was participating in sports long before working 

in them. Growing up in the Chicago area, Arendt says she played sports 

“ 

nonstop.”

The alumni lineup: Wayne Sebastianelli, M.D. 

(M ’83, R ’88), Elizabeth Arendt, M.D. (B.S. ’75, 

M ’79, R ’84), and Arthur Pappas, M.D. (M ’57), 

with baseball player Roger Clemens when 

he played for the Red Sox. 

In fact, one of her earliest and least known honors is Chicago’s 

citywide championship in ping-pong and horseshoes for ages 11 to 14. 

“ Now, I can’t even get a horseshoe to the pit,” she jokes. 

But she has managed to do something far more demanding: 

make a mark in the male-dominated world of sports medicine. Arendt 

began her residency at the School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1979, at a 

time when, according to Ken DeHaven, M.D., professor and associate chair 

of orthopaedics and director of athletic medicine, “It was still an unusual 

thing for a woman to go into this field.” 

DeHaven says that less than three percent of orthopaedic surgeons 

in the country were women. Women working with athletes was rarer still. 

Arendt, though, was used to surprising people. As a high school 

student, she came to the University of Rochester for a tour, intent on 

majoring in biology. Her guide asked, “Do you want to see the labs? 

Or research equipment?” Arendt replied, “ I want to see the athletic facilities 

and meet the athletic director.” 

Once enrolled, she was asked to teach volleyball at Rochester, then 

run the intramural teams. In her junior year, she helped start a women’s 

varsity volleyball program, then was asked to be the student athletic 

trainer—the first time a woman held that position. At the time, the training 

rooms were off limits to women. Arendt changed that in a hurry. In her 

senior year, she received the Murle Spurrier Award, in its inaugural year, 

given to the woman making the largest contribution to female sports. 

Arendt also was elected to the University of Rochester Sports Hall of Fame. 

“I felt like I graduated from the athletic department, not biology,” 

says Arendt. 

It was excellent preparation for her chosen field — provided she 

could find a place to study. 

“Not a lot of people had a sports medicine service,” says Arendt. 

And not a lot of programs were as advanced as Rochester’s sports medicine 

rotation. 

“Very few had it as organized, with an expert like Ken DeHaven, 

who was actually treating people and doing arthroscopy,” she explains. 

“ 

So, from an educational standpoint, we could really learn.” 

Arendt was Rochester’s second female resident in orthopaedics, after 

Rosemarie Morwessel, M.D. (R ’82), who has gone on to treat professional 

tennis players from her practice in Mobile, Ala. Her clients have included 



school news 

New deans begin in the 

new school year 

Tana Grady-Weliky, M.D., has been appointed 

the senior associate dean for medical education. 

She replaces Lindsey Henson, M.D. 

Grady-Weliky is an alumna of Duke University 

School of Medicine and completed an internship 

and residency at Harvard before serving 

a fellowship in psychopharmacology at the 

National Institute of Mental Health. Prior to 

being recruited to Rochester, she served in a 

variety of academic posts at Harvard Medical 

School, Georgetown University Medical School 

and Duke University Medical School. 

Grady-Weliky has been at Rochester 

for four years. Prior to this appointment, she 

served as the associate dean for undergraduate 

medical education here. 

While directing the general psychiatry 

residency program at Duke, Grady-Weliky 

helped to develop a combined residency in 

internal medicine and psychiatry, parlaying 

the new program into a respected, nationally 

competitive experience for physicians. This 

program helped to set a national trend toward 

combined training programs. 

Another Rochester faculty member, 

David Lambert, M.D., has been named the new 

associate dean for undergraduate medical 

education. Lambert, a graduate of Dartmouth 

Medical School, did his residency training 

34 


at Harvard in the New England Deaconess 

program. 

After serving on the faculty of 

Georgetown University Medical Center, Lambert 

joined the medicine faculty at Rochester in 

1994. He also has served as the clerkship 

director for the core clinical rotation in 

internal medicine. 

Alumnus Webster H. 

Pilcher named Chair of 

Neurosurgery 

The School of Medicine and Dentistry turned 

to one of its own and named Webster H. 

Pilcher, M.D., Ph.D. (M ’83, Ph.D. ’83), to chair 

its neurosurgery department. 

Pilcher’s long-time association with the 

Medical Center made him a natural choice for 

the position, says Jay H. Stein, M.D., Senior Vice 

President and Vice Provost for Health Affairs. 

“For the past 25 years, Dr. Pilcher has 

been part of the University of Rochester Medical 

Center as a student, faculty member, researcher 

and talented neurosurgeon,” says Stein. “Now 

Dr. Pilcher can apply his collective experience 

within this institution to the great benefit of 

our students, residents, patients and 

researchers.” 

Pilcher has brought hope to thousands 

of patients needing brain surgery for various 

ailments including tumors, cysts and epilepsy. 

He is nationally recognized for his epilepsy 

surgery work, and is one of the few specialists 

in the region able to perform a complicated 

epilepsy surgery, where damaged brain cells 

are removed to help reduce a patient’s seizures. 

Pilcher helped lead the effort to establish 

Strong Health’s Epilepsy Center, a multi-disciplinary 

approach to treating the ailment. 

“After conducting an extensive national 

search, it became clear that Dr. Pilcher was 

the best neurosurgeon to lead the department 

forward as Chair,” says David S. Guzick, M.D., 

Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine and 

Dentistry. “He has proven his ability to build 

a nationally eminent, interdisciplinary 

program in epilepsy, and has the respect of his 

peers as a superb neurosurgeon. Moreover, with 

his scientific background, he has articulated 

plans for the development of several key areas 

of neurosurgery that will foster the translation 

of laboratory results to clinical outcomes. We 

are highly enthusiastic about the opportunity 

to help him build these important clinical and 

academic neurosurgical programs.” 

In his new role, Pilcher will oversee 

a staff of five full-time neurosurgeons as well 

as two full-time and one part-time researcher. 

Initially, he plans to focus on enhancing 

two programs within the department, neurooncology 

and movement disorders, by 

facilitating translation of promising research 

into clinical care. 

“It is my goal to build upon the already 

tremendous talent we currently have in the 

department, and look to expand in those areas 

where there is both a community need and an 

expertise here,” Pilcher says. “I hope to provide 

an efficient means for our faculty, residents and 

students to take the outstanding research being 

performed at the Frank P. Smith Neurosurgical 

Laboratory and our other Departmental laboratories 

and apply it to improve patient care.” 

Pilcher has served on the faculty of 

the University since 1990, most recently as an 

associate professor of neurosurgery. He earned 

both his medical degree and Ph.D. from the 

University of Rochester Medical Center, and 

completed his surgical internship and neurosurgery 

residency through the University of 

Rochester as well. He was a fellow in neurosurgery, 

focusing on epilepsy and tumor 

surgery at the University of Washington in 

Seattle. Pilcher is board-certified in neurosurgery. 

He received his bachelor’s in 

anthropology from Colgate University, and 

received a D.M.D. in dentistry from Columbia 

University. 

A member of the American Association 

of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of

The Right Bid Buys 

George Engel’s Desk 

George Engel, M.D., gave his beloved desk to the 

Office of Alumni Relations and Development 

with instructions that it be sold after his death 

to benefit the School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

With the establishment of the George L. Engel 

Memorial Lectureship, Alumni Relations has 

decided to auction the desk to help fund the 

lecture. 

Built in the 1950s for Engel by famed 

furniture designer Tage Frid, this desk was 

a staple in Engel’s office. At this desk he worked 

long hours, counseled many students and drew 

many of his famous doodles. 

Here’s a chance to own a piece of 

School history. To bid, you can either call 

800–333–4428 or go to the Web site (where 

you’ll also find rules and more information) 

at: www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/alumni/ 

engeldesk.htm. 

Neurological Surgeons and the Neurosurgical 

Society of America, Pilcher also serves as an 

investigator in three active grants, two of which 

are focused on epilepsy surgery. He is a frequent 

lecturer and presenter at neurosurgery conferences 

nationwide and has published numerous 

papers and abstracts and contributed to physician 

textbooks on neurosurgery. 

Clinical research gets 

boost with Pearson 

appointment 

By David Guzick, Dean of the School of 

Medicine and Dentistry 

It is with great pleasure that I announce the 

appointment of Thomas A. Pearson, M.D., M.P.H., 

Ph.D., as the new senior associate dean for 

clinical research. He will be responsible for 

putting into place the infrastructure required 

to support and enhance the conduct of clinical 

and population research at the Medical Center. 

Dr. Pearson’s talent and energy in this area 

have been aptly demonstrated as chair of 

Community and Preventive Medicine, where 

he has worked collaboratively with clinical 

departments to provide training resources for 

potential researchers and promote their ability 

to design and carry out clinical research and 

trials. In this role, he obtained the K30 award 

for training clinical investigators. 

Dr. Pearson received his M.D., Master’s 

in Public Health and Ph.D. in epidemiology, 

all from Johns Hopkins University. He has 

completed residency training in preventive 

medicine and in internal medicine and has 

completed fellowship training in cardiovas- 

school news 

cular medicine and cardiovascular pathology, 

also at Johns Hopkins. After joining the 

University of Rochester in 1997, his Department 

of Community and Preventive Medicine has 

greatly expanded research programs in health 

services research, epidemiology, public health 

practice, and behavioral medicine. His department 

now has over 110 graduate students 

studying toward Master’s in Public Health and 

Ph.D. degrees in health services research and 

policy. He is director of the Clinical Research 

Curriculum Program, training more than 

60 clinicians in clinical research methods. 

He is especially active in the Double Helix 

curriculum, and directs the first course in 

the M.D. curriculum, entitled: “Mastering 

Medical Information.” Dr. Pearson’s research 

deals with the causes and prevention of heart 

disease at the individual, community, national, 

and international levels. He is the Principal 


school news 

Investigator on three grants from the NIH, 

one from the CDC, and others from industry. 

Dr. Pearson will be initiating a strategic 

planning process for clinical research to identify 

current capabilities, determine resource 

needs and develop a plan that will chart our 

course to achieve preeminence in this critical 

institutional endeavor. We look forward to 

an exciting and energizing outcome. 

NOTE: In November, Pearson received an 

honorary doctorate from the University of 

Umeä in Sweden. 

Symposium 

honors alumnus 

and anniversary 

William H. Bowen, B.D.S., M.Sc., Ph.D., D.Sc. 

(Mas ’59), was honored at a two-day symposium 

in May at the Medical Center, part of a 

celebration of 75 years of postgraduate dental 

training at the University. 

The symposium, whose theme was 

“ 

The Impact of Research on the Future of 

Dentistry,” drew alumni and faculty. 

Rochester’s Dental Research Fellowship 

Program was the first postgraduate program 

in this country to support research and training 

of dentists in the phases of dentistry related to 

the basic sciences. It was established by George 

Whipple, M.D., first dean of the school. 

The training program developed into 

the Department of Dentistry and Dental Research 

in the School of Medicine and Dentistry. An 

M.S. program with a major in Dental Science 

was created in 1951 in coordination with the 

Eastman Dental Center, and Bowen was one 

of the early graduates of this program. 

Bowen, recognized as a world leader 

in dental research, is the Welcher Professor of 

Dentistry at the Center for Oral Biology and 

professor of microbiology, immunology, and 

environmental medicine. 

36 


From left: Drs. William H. Bowen, Robert Burne (Ph.D. ’87) and 

Kurt Schilling (Ph.D. ’89) share a moment at the symposium where 

Bowen was honored. 

Pichichero gift will 

support research 

Michael E. Pichichero, M.D. (M ’76), and his 

wife, Angela Pichichero, have recently made 

a group of generous 

gifts to the Medical 

Center. One gift will 

support several pediatric 

research awards to 

honor Frank A. Disney, 

M.D., and Burtis B. 

Breese, M.D., for work in 

infectious diseases, 

Thomas Putnam, M.D., for surgery, and 

Thomas Gayeski, M.D., Ph.D., for anesthesia and 

pain management. In recognition, Golisano 

Children’s Hospital at Strong’s Pediatric 

Ambulatory Care Center will be renamed the 

Michael and Angela Pichichero Pediatric 

Ambulatory Care Center. 

The Pichicheros also endowed the chair 

of the director of the David H. Smith Center for 

Vaccine Biology and Immunology. The current 

director is Tim Mosmann, Ph.D. In addition, 

Dr. and Mrs. Pichichero established the Porter 

Anderson Endowed Fellowship in vaccine 

immunobiology within the Department of 

Microbiology and Immunology. 

Pichichero is a professor of microbiology 

and immunology, pediatrics and medicine at 

the Medical Center, and a practicing physician 

at the Elmwood Pediatric Group. In pediatric 

research, his focus is on the development of 

future vaccines and next-generation treatments 

for infectious diseases. Angela Pichichero is 

chair of the board of Hillside Children’s Center 

and an associate professor of Human Services 

at Monroe Community College.

Student and Faculty Awards 

The following honors were announced at 

Opening Convocation, Sept. 19, at the 

Medical Center. 

Medical Student Achievement Awards 

• The Edward F. Adolph Medal in Physiology: 

Anne Marie Mattingly ’05 

• The Adenia Andrews Community Service Award: 

Jamika Hallman ’05 

• The Association of Pathology Chairs Honor 

Society: Terina Chen ’04, Abigail Dennis ’04, 

Jane Snyder (dermatology fellow), 

Craig Widness ’03 

• The American Society of Clinical Pathologists 

Award for Excellence & Achievement: 

Thad Carlson (M.D./Ph.D. program) 

• The Victor Meyer Emmel Prize: Tara Mahar ’05 

• The Gilbert B. Forbes Prize: 

Christine Gorman ’05 

• The Walle J.H. Nauta Prize: Grace Chen ’04 

• Honorable Mention: Joshua Diamond ’04, 

Brooke Henninger ’04, Brigit Taylor ’04 

• The Dr. Edwin A. Robinson Award: 

Camelia Lawrence ’05 

• The Kenneth Woodward Scholarship: 

Lissette Lopez ’03 

• The Hrolfe and Dorothy Ziegler Prize: 

Mary Mulcahey ’05 

University-wide Graduate Fellowships 

• The Provost’s Fellowship: Darwin Operario 

• The Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull University 

Fellowship: Erin Johnson, Brian Jones 

• Alumni Award for Excellence in Graduate 

Education: Stephen Dewhurst, Ph.D. 

Graduate Student 

Achievement/Fellowship Awards 

• The Melville A. Hare Awards for Distinction in 

Teaching: Christine Malboeuf 

Research: Roger Smith, Ph.D.; 

Richard Willis, Ph.D. 

• The Merritt and Marjorie Cleveland Fellowship: 

Shannon Bennett 

• The Graduate Alumni Fellowship Award: 

Darwin Operario 

• The Leon L. Miller Graduate Fellowship: 

Rahul Tyagi, Lea Vacca 

• The Irving Spar Fellowship Award: 

Rosemarie Marchan 

• The Elmer H. Stotz Fellowship in Biochemistry: 

Patrick Brandt, Daniel Gestaut 

Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Awards 

• Graduate Student Society Faculty Award: 

Robert Dirksen, Ph.D. 

• Commendations for First-Year Teaching: Nancy 

Shafer-Clark, M.D.; Camillo Peracchia, M.D. 

• The Manuel D. Goldman Prize for Excellence 

in First-Year Teaching: Chin-to Fong, M.D. 

• Commendations for Second Year Teaching: 

Ralph Jozefowicz, M.D.; Daniel Williford, M.D. 

• The Herbert W. Mapstone Prize for Excellence 

in Second Year Teaching: David Kaufman, M.D. 

• Commendations for Third-Year Teaching: 

Jules Cohen, M.D.; Fred Marshall, M.D.; 

Elizabeth McAnarney, M.D. 

• The Harry L. Segal Prize for Excellence in 

Third-Year Teaching: Jeffrey Lyness, M.D. 

• Women in Science, Dentistry and 

Medicine Mentoring Awards, 

Junior Faculty Mentoring: 

Yeates Conwell, M.D. 

Trainee Mentoring: 

Richard Phipps, Ph.D. 

school news 

Dean’s Teaching Fellows 

• DeWitt Brower Dean’s Teaching Fellow: 

Chin-to Fong, M.D. 

• Jules Cohen Dean’s Teaching Fellow: 

Linda Spillane, M.D. 

• George W. Corner Dean’s Teaching Fellow: 

Stephanie Brown-Clark, M.D., Ph.D. 

• Lowell A. Glasgow Dean’s Teaching Fellow: 

Jeffrey Rubenstein, M.D., M.B.A. 

• Marshal A. Lichtman Dean’s Teaching Fellow: 

Barbara Davis, Ph.D. 

• Lawrence E. Young Dean’s Teaching Fellow: 

Mary Anne Courtney, Ph.D. 

Named Professorships 

• Barbara Asselin, M.D., George Washington Goler 

Associate Professor of Pediatrics 

• Stephen Dewhurst, Ph.D., Dean’s Professor of 

Microbiology and Immunology 

• Richard Fisher, M.D., Samuel E. Durand 

Professor of Medicine 

• Timothy Mosmann, Ph.D., Michael and Angela 

Pichichero Director in the David H. Smith 

Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology 

• Webster Pilcher, M.D., Ph.D., Frank P. Smith 

Professor of Neurosurgery 

• James Woods, M.D., Henry A. Thiede Professor of 

Obstetrics and Gynecology 


school news 

CONTINUING A ROCHESTER TRADITION — graduates pose with their alumni family members 

Jack Rowe, MD (M ’70), delivers the 

commencement speech for the Class of 2002 

James Goldman (MD ’02) and his sister 

Gwenda Goldman (BA ’95, MD ’99) 

Pamela Polashenski (BA ’91, MPH ’98, MD ’02) 

and husband, Walter Polashenski (BA ’90, MD ’93) 

38 


Donald Medd (MD ’02) and his dad, 

William Medd (MD ’68, R ’70) 

Jasmin Low (MD ’02) and her sister 

Cecilia Low Wang (MD ’95) 

Dr. Robert E. O’Mara (BA ’55) and his 

granddaughter Bridget O’Mara (MD ’02) 

Greg Lam (MD ’02) and his brother 

Garrett Lam (MD ’96)

D. A. Henderson 

receives Presidential 

Medal of Freedom 

D. A. Henderson, M.D. (M ’54), M.P.H., received the 

nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential 

Medal of Freedom, from President George W. 

Bush in a ceremony at the White House in July. 

Henderson was joined by such luminaries 

as Nelson Mandela, Placido Domingo 

and Bill Cosby in receiving the award. 

“It was the most moving event in which 

I have ever participated but, basically, a salute 

to public health and preventive medicine,” said 

Henderson, a few days after receiving the 

medal. “Most welcome!” 

Henderson was cited for his leadership of 

the World Health Organization’s global 

smallpox eradication campaign and his recent 

work in preparing the country against a potential 

bioterrorism attack. He has served in the 

government under several presidents (most 

recently in the new federal Office of Public 

Health Preparedness) and is the director of the 

Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense 

Studies. 

“D. A. Henderson is a great general in 

mankind’s war against disease,” said President 

Bush in the ceremony. “Our nation is fortunate 

to be able to draw on D. A. Henderson’s great 

store of wisdom and experience as we work to 

lift the dark threat of terrorism from the nation 

and our world.” 

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was 

established by President Truman in 1945 to 

recognize civilians for their service during 

World War II and was reinstated by President 

Kennedy in 1963 to honor people who have 

made “an especially meritorious contribution 

to the security or national interests of the 

United States, or to world peace, or to cultural 

or other significant public or private 

endeavors.” 

alumni news 

President George W. Bush congratulates D. A. Henderson, M.D. (M ’54), 

M.P.H., after presenting Henderson with the Presidential Medal of 

Freedom. The ceremony took place at the White House. 

Frazee helps separate 

twins in landmark 

operation 

It was clear this wasn’t a typical surgery. 

The NBC Dateline television crew was perched 

outside the operating room door. Another film 

crew shot hours of footage inside. A steady 

stream of residents and specialists wandered 

in and out to catch a glimpse of the operation. 

And two operating tables sat at the center of 

all the excitement, each holding one of the 

Guatemalan twins conjoined at the head. 

On August 6, with the world watching, 

John Frazee, M.D. (M ’75), served as lead 

vascular neurosurgeon on the UCLA team that 

successfully separated the one-year-old twins. 

The procedure took more than 22 hours and 

40 health-care professionals to complete. 

Frazee joined a select group that day. 

Surgeons worldwide have attempted to separate 

twins joined at the head only 30 times in the 

past 70 years. 

Frazee downplayed the work when he 

spoke about it several days later, calling it 

“ 

pretty standard vascular neurosurgery.” 

But a look at his part of the operation shows 

just how unusual this procedure really was. 

It began long before the operation, with 

what Frazee called “a tremendous amount of 

pre-planning.” He studied three-dimensional 

CT scans of the twins’ brains, spending many 

hours essentially mapping out their shared 

blood vessels. As director of the UCLA 

Neuroendoscopy Program and chief of the 

Division of Neurosurgery at the West Los 

Angeles VA Medical Center, Frazee usually 

needs to spend only a few minutes studying 

a patient’s brain before procedures such as 

aneurysm surgery. But, like almost every other 

surgeon in the world, he had never before 

operated on conjoined twins. 

“The biggest issue wasn’t if we could 

separate the bones,” he explained. “The issue 

was, could we separate the blood vessels and 

not cause a stroke.” 

The surgeons expected to find six or 

eight shared blood vessels, but it turned out 

to be twice that many once they began the 

operation. The major drama for the neurosur- 

FALL / WINTER 2002 

39

alumni news 

geons came when Frazee had to put temporary 

clips on two major veins and then monitor the 

twins for complications in either brain. Several 

problems were possible: The brains could have 

swelled dangerously, or there could have been 

excessive hemorrhaging or outright stroke. 

If any of those things occurred, said Frazee, 

the surgeons “would have had to make some 

critical decisions.” 

In other words, they might have had to 

quickly divert more blood flow to one brain to 

reduce swelling in the other. Both twins would 

have been at more risk, but there might have 

been little choice. 

The surgeons paused and tested closely 

for problems. Thankfully, none arose. But later 

in the surgery, one of the twins began losing a 

great deal of blood. Throughout the operation, 

two teams of anesthesiologists had to replace 

the total amount of blood in her body 12 times 

over — all while keeping the amount of blood 

coagulation factor steady enough to prevent 

uncontrolled bleeding. Because the twins 

shared their blood supply, this was an 

extremely complicated task. Frazee said if 

anyone deserves the “hero” label, it’s the anesthesiologists. 

Judging from the worldwide media 

coverage of the surgery, people weren’t being 

stingy with the use of the word “hero.” That 

includes the citizens of the Guatemalan village 

where the twins are from, who held candlelight 

vigils while the surgery proceeded hundreds of 

miles away. 

Days after the surgery, Frazee said it 

would take time before he and the rest of 

the team could call the operation a success. 

As Frazee put it, “It was an interesting technical 

feat, but it’s of no interest to me or 

anyone on the team if the kids aren’t okay.” 

NOTE: As of press time for this magazine, 

the twins had made steady progress. In fact, 

the physicians were close to scheduling a time 

for the twins to fly home to Guatemala. 

40 


Henderson and 

Gensheimer named 

to HHS Council 

In August, Health and Human Services 

Secretary Tommy G. Thompson named 21 

people to the Secretary’s Council on Public 

Health Preparedness. D. A. Henderson, M.D. 

(M ’54), M.P.H., was named chair of the Council, 

and Kathleen F. Gensheimer, M.D. (M ’77), M.P.H., 

was named as one of its members. They will 

advise the department on appropriate actions to 

prepare for and respond to public health emergencies, 

including acts of bioterrorism. 

“This diverse group of very experienced 

professionals will be an invaluable resource in 

the ongoing effort to strengthen our nation’s 

bioterrorism preparedness and response,” 

Secretary Thompson said when announcing the 

new council. “As we continue to build our public 

health capabilities for emergencies, their input 

will be an important element in our planning.” 

Henderson is currently Secretary 

Thompson’s principal science advisor for 

Public Health Preparedness. Gensheimer is 

the state epidemiologist for Maine’s 

Department of Human Services. She has served 

on the CDC’s National Advisory Committee for 

the Elimination of Tuberculosis, has been an 

advisor to the World Health Organization and 

a committee member for the National Academy 

of Sciences Institute. 

Tim Mhyre (Ph.D. 

’00) is all smiles 

with game-show 

host Alex Trebek 

after winning 

on Jeopardy! 

Researcher asks 

the right questions 

on Jeopardy! 

Meet Tim Mhyre: research assistant professor, 

Rochester alumnus and Jeopardy! champion. 

Mhyre (Ph.D. ’00) appeared on the trivia 

game show on September 27 and 30 of this year, 

after taping in Los Angeles in June. 

But really the story began more than 

a year before that, when Andrew Want 

(M.S.’94), a friend and fellow researcher at the 

University of Rochester Medical Center, heard 

about a contestant search going on in Buffalo. 

The two found themselves with hundreds of 

other Jeopardy! hopefuls, standing in long 

lines snaking through the Convention Center. 

First they answered and passed a ten-question 

test, which pared the hundreds of hopefuls 

down to about 65. Then they went to a pub, 

had a few beers, came back and passed 

a 50-question test. 

“The beer actually helped,” says Mhyre. 

After a round of mock Jeopardy!, the two 

were among a dozen who were told they might 

be called over the next 16 months. 

For the first month of waiting, they were 

thrilled. Six months later, they wondered if 

they’d ever be called. Fourteen months later, 

when he finally got the call, Mhyre couldn’t 

remember why some guy from Los Angeles 

would be calling him.

He bought some trivia books, but he 

knew there was only so much studying he 

could do. Mostly, he hoped for some good categories 

— science, of course, or “Potent 

Potables”— and prayed he wouldn’t get stuck 

with opera. 

He arrived at Sony Pictures Studios in 

Los Angeles and immediately started feeling the 

pressure. He had to spend hours with his soonto-be 

adversaries, sizing them up, waiting to be 

called to play. No chance to duck out to a pub 

this time — Alex Trebek runs a tight ship. 

Mhyre even had to sit while someone came to 

get him into makeup. 

“I wasn’t too keen on that,” he says. 

Jeopardy! tapes five shows in a day, and 

Mhyre had to sit and watch four of them. 

Finally, for the day’s last show, he was called 

onto stage. He had hardly eaten all day because 

of nerves. But, buzzer in hand, something 

clicked. After all, since he was a kid, people had 

been telling him he should be on Jeopardy!. 

“Once we started, I just kind of got in 

that zone,” he says. “It was almost autopilot.” 

And so it was that Mhyre became a 

Jeopardy! champion. 

Eric Anish, M.D. (R ’98), Donald Bordley, M.D. (R ’80, F ’81), 

and I. Donald Stuard, M.D. (M ’60), enjoy the festivities at 

the ACP-ASIM reception in Philadelphia on April 12. Dr. Stuard 

was host of the event. 

He came back the next day to defend, 

but he found himself up against an expert 

buzzer-clicker and, as fate would have it, opera 

as one of the categories. Still, he finished in 

second, which netted him $2,000 plus $8,999 

for winning the day before. Later, a friend gave 

him a dollar to round it out. 

Mhyre, whose research at Rochester 

involves searching genomes to determine 

which regions make for susceptibility or resistance 

to Parkinson’s disease, says there’s no 

question about which is harder, science or 

Jeopardy!. 

“Definitely Jeopardy!,” he says. 

There’s a lot less opera in science. 

From rags to Rochester 

to riches 

As a child in Little Italy, he delivered ice to 

Babe Ruth. As a medical student in Rochester, 

he learned at the feet of Nobel laureate and 

dean George H. Whipple. As a renowned physician 

in New York City, he treated Herbert 

alumni news 

Hoover and Greta Garbo. And just before his 

death in 2000, Michael J. Lepore, M.D. (M ’34), 

finished writing his memoirs, which were 

published this year by the University of 

Rochester Press. 

Life of the Clinician tells the tale of how 

Lepore journeyed from humble origins as a son 

of Italian immigrants to medical school (where 

he became the first graduate of the University 

of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry 

to receive the degree of M.D. with Honors) and 

finally back 

to New York City, 

where he made 

his mark. 

“He was very 

proud to be a 

University of 

Rochester graduate,” 

says Tim 

Madigan, Ph.D., 

editorial director of the University of Rochester 

Press. Madigan gave a presentation on 

Lepore’s memoirs in spring as part of the 

George Washington Corner Society lecture 

series for alumni. 

Robert McCann, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the UR School 

of Medicine and Dentistry; William Hall, M.D., president of the American 

College of Physicians; Mrs. Rayna Goldfarb and Stanley Goldfarb, M.D. 

(M ’69), meet up at the ACP–ASIM Philadelphia reception. 

FALL / WINTER 2002 

41

alumni news 

In his talk, Madigan said that Lepore 

came to Rochester because he felt that the 

New York City schools were too didactic. It was 

an unpopular decision among his family 

members, who wanted him to stay close to 

home, but Lepore had heard about a new 

medical school in Rochester with a different, 

more personal approach. 

Lepore writes that, at Rochester, he 

found a place where scientific spirit was more 

important than memorizing by rote (and, as 

another feature he appreciated, attendance was 

never taken formally). Still, he believed the 

approach was more demanding than a highly 

structured program. 

Lepore enrolled in 1929 and quickly 

embraced the idea at Rochester that everything 

in medicine began with the patient, continued 

with the patient and was pursued with the 

patient in mind. According to his son, who 

helped finish the manuscript (and who also 

became a physician), Lepore never forgot that 

lesson during his long career as a gastroenterologist. 

That career included a stint as something 

of a TV doctor, long before the concept 

existed. In 1955, a network got the idea to televise 

a physician in action for other physicians. 

Lepore, who had become chief of gastroenterology 

at New York’s Roosevelt Hospital and 

a faculty member at New York University, was 

chosen. His grand rounds were broadcast to 

20,000 physicians in 50 cities. 

Ultimately, the memoirs are a fond look 

back by a man who loved medicine because it 

afforded him a personal, one-on-one way of 

life — whether he was treating famous 

patients, serving in the South Pacific during 

World War II, or making his way through an 

innovative new medical school as part of its 

fifth graduating class. 

NOTE: If you’re interested in ordering 

Life of the Clinician, by Michael J. Lepore, 

call Tim Madigan at the University of 

Rochester Press: 585–273–5778; or e-mail 

him at urpress@mail.rochester.edu. 

42 


Ozols receives award & 

endowed chair position 

Robert F. Ozols, M.D. (B.A. ’66, Ph.D. ’71, M ’74), 

senior vice president for medical science at Fox 

Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, and his 

research colleague — Robert C. Young, M.D., 

president of the Center — have received the 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished 

Achievement in Cancer Research. An independent 

committee of cancer researchers, 

chaired by Nobel 

laureate Leland H. 

Hartwell 

of the Fred 

Hutchinson Cancer 

Center in Seattle, 

made the award 

Robert Ozols, M.D. 

selection. 

Ozols and Young 

will share a $50,000 cash prize, which is given 

as part of a “no-strings-attached” funding 

program. 

The two researchers are internationally 

known for their work in treating and 

researching ovarian cancer. When they began 

their collaboration while at the National 

Cancer Institute, the disease was poorly understood 

and usually at an advanced stage at the 

time of diagnosis. They were the first 

researchers to show that combination therapy 

for ovarian cancer is more effective than single 

alkylating agents. They also were among the 

first to recognize the effectiveness of using platinum 

compounds in treatment. Subsequently, 

they devised a chemotherapy regimen now 

considered the standard for advanced ovarian 

cancer. 

The award was presented at a dinner 

held in their honor in New York City, where 

they also received a commemorative silver 

medallion. 

In July, Ozols also was appointed to 

hold the Audrey Weg Schaus and Geoffrey Alan 

Weg Endowed Chair, a newly endowed chair at 

Fox Chase Cancer Center. 

Alumni live ’la dolce 

vita’ during first 

international trip 

By Christina Mancini, Associate Director of 

Medical Alumni Relations 

Spectacular scenery. Wonderful friendships. 

History, art, culture galore. Amazing food and 

wine — all the ingredients for an enjoyable 

travel experience. The 19 alumni and friends 

who took the jaunt to Tuscany are likely to rave 

about this recipe for some time. It was the first 

international alumni trip sponsored by the URMC 

Alumni Programs Office of Alumni Relations, 

and our time in Italia was “magnificato.” 

For eight glorious days, we traversed the 

Tuscan countryside, traveling to Siena, Assisi, 

Perugia, Montepulciano, Florence and other 

beautiful destinations. We were fortunate to 

call Pienza our home away from home. This 

charming, sleepy town has a population of 400 

and was named after former resident Pope Pius 

III. English is a language familiar to all but 

known to few here, so body language and 

smiles were the common denominator. 

Although such entrees as “Wild Boar 

Stew” raised a few eyebrows, they were soon 

discovered to be a treat for the taste buds. 

Enticing entrees, delectable desserts, and wine, 

wine, wine were in order at every meal. 

Culinary delights were but one 

wonderful aspect of this trip. Seymour 

Schwartz, M.D. (R ’57), participated as the 

faculty enrichment lecturer. He gave several 

interesting lectures on map-making and on 

the history of surgery in Italy and the United 

States. While in Florence, our group had the 

opportunity to learn from his expert insight 

on Galileo’s globes. 

We also visited a vineyard, cathedrals 

and basilicas, including the basilica in Siena, 

where we saw Catherine of Siena’s actual 

preserved head, skin and all. About half the 

group also took advantage of the optional side 

trip to Rome.

Alumni were from all three of the URMC’s 

schools — medicine, dentistry and nursing. 

Friendships grew throughout the week, and 

a post-trip party was planned for mid-July 

before we even left Italy! 

Future trips include the French Riviera 

(Dec. 27–Jan. 4, 2003), Ireland (May 21–29, 

2003) and Scandinavia (Aug. 3–10, 2003). 

For more information on the travel program 

or to register for a trip, contact Christina 

Mancini, associate director of medical alumni 

relations, at 800–333–4428. 

Christina’s travelogue 

• 

Heshy Tabechian, M.D. (M ’61), searched for 

meatballs at every restaurant, to no avail. 

The post-trip party has been scheduled at an 

Italian restaurant, which he has already visited 

to ensure there are meatballs on the menu. 

• Bette Smith from the School of Nursing and 

Don Vair have been dating for about six years. 

A coppersmith in Montepulciano was very 

taken by the couple. He created a “good luck in 

love” piece for them and said the couple would 

cause an earthquake. Later, the paper reported 

alumni news 

(Clockwise from left) A charming street in Pienza. The Pienza landscape. The vineyard that produces 

the award-winning “Altesino Brunello di Montalcino.” The gang: Don Vair, Mary Kremer, Christina 

Mancini, Andrea Marshall, Marge Tabechian, Lee Caldwell, Bob Caldwell, Bette Smith, Maureen 

Kieman, Lynn McLellan, Judy Reemstma, Bill Bowen, Lynn Rosen, Carole Bowen, Mac McLellan, 

Heshy Tabechian, Sy Schwartz, Lynn Kaiser, Dionne Grant. 

• 

• 

that an earthquake did occur that day. 

Bob Caldwell, M.D. (M ’61), and Lee Caldwell, 

M.D. (R ’69), spent 90 percent of the afternoon 

in Florence trying to get to the statue of David 

and 10 percent looking at it. 

Maureen Kiernan and Andrea Marshall of the 

School of Nursing spent the day in Florence 

shopping for leather coats. I spent the day 

looking for leather boots. We all found them ten 

minutes before the bus was scheduled to leave. 

We sprinted a mile through a hailstorm and 

got to the bus just in time. We’ve been asked 

to wear our new garb to the post-trip dinner. 


alumni news 

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry 

44 

Fall & Reunion 

Weekend 2002 

October 3 – 5 

Trailblazing: Frontiers in Medicine 


Alumni get into the spirit … 

Robert L. Berg, M.D., professor in Community and Preventive Medicine at 

Rochester, accepts the 51st annual Gold Medal Award from Bob Caldwell, 

M.D. (M ’61, R ’69), and Hechmat Tabechian, M.D., Ph.D. (M ’61). 

Medical student Trinitia Ash, her husband Cory Cannon and her son 

Dela-Shown enjoy the all-alumni event.

Members of the Class of ’62 celebrate the 

dedication of the auditorium that bears their 

class name. 

Donald Sutherland, M.D. (M ’47), chats at 

the Alumni Association luncheon. 

Alumni and friends gather for the 

Medical Alumni Association Luncheon. 

Mildred Donlon (Ph.D ’72) and Jerome Donlon, M.D. (Ph.D. ’68, M.D. ’72, R ’73), enjoy lunch 

with their daughter, Margaret, a first-year medical student at Rochester. 

alumni news 

Fritz Parker, M.D. (M ’62), and Dean Guzick cut 

the ribbon to dedicate the Class of ’62 Medical 

Education Auditorium. 

Chloe Alexson, M.D. (M ’54, R ’57, F ’59), was the 

inaugural recipient of the Alumni Service Award, 

which recognizes volunteerism and support of 

the school. 


alumni news 

Marlene Mathews ‘05 and Sarah Buhay ‘05 set a musical mood as 

guests arrive at the 31st Annual Whipple Dinner. 

Robert Greenlaw, M.D. (M ’52, F ’57, R ’58), Charles Lobeck, Jr., M.D. 

(M ’52) and Robert Dole, M.D. (M ’52), get into the "Trailblazing: Frontiers 

of Medicine" theme of Reunion Weekend at the all-alumni event. 

Frederic Stone (M ’52) and his wife, Nella, enjoy the Colonial Belle 

boat tour. 

46 


Class of 1954 Members pose with the 2002 Class of 1954 scholarship 

winners. Joseph Flatley, M.D. (’54), Mary Flatley, Thomas Walters ’03, 

Meghan Nicholson ’03, David Kluge, M.D. (’54), and Beverly Kluge. 

Second-year medical student Natalie Bello chats with John Seidlin, M.D. 

(M ’52), and Barbara Hulfish, M.D. (M ’52). 

Ruth Lawrence, M.D. (M ’49), and Don Stuard, M.D. 

(M ’60), compare notes during the festivities.

Julliard-trained Eugene Toy, M.D. (R ’99), 

showed what good can come from practicing 

the piano as well as medicine. 

Alumni and friends of all ages enjoyed 

the “Trailblazing” theme of the weekend. 

If you’re considering a charitable bequest in 

your will to the University, it might be advantageous 

from a tax perspective to make a 

charitable gift from an IRA or other qualified 

retirement plan rather than from other estate 

assets. Many people have more assets in 

their IRAs or qualified retirement plans than 

they will need during their lifetimes, which 

represents a very attractive gifting opportunity 

that will preserve more of an estate’s value. 

For example: Robert plans to leave 

a $100,000 bequest in his will to the School of 

Medicine and Dentistry. Among his other 

estate assets is an IRA, which is estimated to 

maintain a similar $100,000 value at his death 

and which is beneficiary designated to his 

daughter. Because the IRA has not previously 

been taxed to Robert, the daughter will have 

to pay income taxes on her distribution from 

the IRA when she receives it at Robert’s 

death. Her distribution may also be reduced 

by estate tax. Dependent on applicable tax 

rates, this combined tax can total as much as 

60–70% of the retirement plan accumulations. 

There is a better way for Robert to 

accomplish his generous philanthropic 

purpose, while avoiding a potential double 

taxation on his daughter’s inheritance. The 

solution is simply to reverse the process, 

leaving his daughter her $100,000 as a 

bequest from the general estate and designating 

the School of Medicine and Dentistry 

to receive its $100,000 from the IRA. Because 

alumni news 

Tax-wise giving 

Using retirement funds for charitable giving can reduce tax load 

the School of Medicine and Dentistry is taxexempt, 

it escapes the usual income and 

estate tax on the IRA distribution. And, as 

estate bequests are generally not subject to 

income tax, the daughter receives a far larger 

inheritance than would otherwise be the 

case. Through this tax-wise approach, both 

gifting purposes are achieved and a 

significant amount of tax is avoided. 

Prior to recent tax law changes, donors 

were often advised by counsel to segregate 

in a separate account that portion of IRA or 

other retirement plan assets earmarked for 

charity. This is no longer necessary. Also, the 

charity’s portion can be designated either as 

a dollar amount or as a fraction of the total on 

the death beneficiary designation form (available 

from the IRA custodian or retirement plan 

administrator). It is these beneficiary designation 

forms, and not your will, that control the 

distribution of retirement plan assets. 

Gifts from retirement funds can be 

designated to support a variety of critical 

needs within the School of Medicine and 

Dentistry. We would be pleased to discuss 

these needs and tax-wise methods of giving. 

Before making decisions on how to accomplish 

philanthropic goals, it is best to consult 

with personal legal and financial advisors. 

For more information, contact Jack 

Kreckel in the Office of Trusts and Estates 

at 585–273–5930, 800–635–4672, or at 

kreckel@alumni.rochester.edu. 


class notes 

If you want to contact alumni, you can get 

address information in the On-line Directory 

at www.alumniconnections.com/urmc. 

You’ll need to register if you haven’t already. 

Your security ID code is listed on the back 

cover of this magazine, over your name on 

the address label (it consists of a letter and 

a series of eight numbers). 

The names of Class Agents appear next to 

some of the years in the Class Notes section. 

Class Agents stay in touch with classmates 

and act as focal points for getting news into 

the magazine. 

If you’re interested in becoming a 

Class Agent, call Don Stuard, M.D. (M ’60), 

at 610–429–4362 or the School of Medicine and 

Dentistry Development Office at 800–333–4428. 

CLASS OF 1939 

Class Agent: John Frazer, 329 Orchard Park 

Blvd., Rochester, NY 14609, 585–288–4002 

CLASS OF 1942 

Class Agent: Arthur Redmond, 210 Hollywood 

Ave., Rochester, NY 14618, 585–271–2339 

CLASS OF 1944 

Class Agent: Stuart Finch, 20 Avondale Ave., 

Haddonfield, NJ 08033, 856–427–0772, 

finch@umdnj.edu 

48 

C. McCollister Evarts, M.D. (M ’75, R ’64), shakes hands with Elethea 

Caldwell, M.D. (R ’69), after delivering the AOA lecture on March 26. 

Evarts’ lecture was titled “The 21st Century Physician: Courage 

Under Fire.” Caldwell is the councilor of the AOA. 


CLASS OF 1949 

Class Agent: Ruth Lawrence, 1836 Clover St., 

Rochester, NY 14618, 585–461–0018, 

ruth_lawrence@urmc.rochester.edu 

Clifford C. Roosa, M.D., has written a book 

titled Charlie Ain’t Been By. It recalls personal 

experiences, including his medical practice in 

the Marshall Islands. You can obtain a copy 

by sending e-mail to roosa@southshore.com. 

CLASS OF 1950 

Class Agent: Theodore Vanzandt, 

79 Stuyvesant Rd., Pittsford, NY 14534, 

585–385–1183, Joannevz@aol.com 

Maurice S. Reizen, M.D. (M ’50, M.P.H.), 

received the Distinguished Service Award 

from the Michigan Public Health Association 

for “a lifetime of distinguished service in 

protecting and preserving the health of 

Michigan’s citizens” in May. 

CLASS OF 1951 

Class Agent: George D’Angelo, 3232 

Westwood Estates Dr., Erie, PA 16506, 

814–833–9065, gjdmd@adelphia.net 

Robert V. Silicano, M.D. (M ’51, R ’56), and 

his wife, Ann, moved to Claremont, CA, last 

January. They find it to be a great place to 

retire, with a warm climate, mountains and 

an inland valley. 

Hugh Upton, M.D., has created a yearbook 

of the medical students in the Class of 1951, 

including pictures and signatures. For more 

information or to obtain a copy, contact the 

Office of Medical Alumni Relations at 

800–333–4428. 

Alvin L. Ureles, M.D., has written a novel, 

The Mizar Project, about “a top-secret drug 

ploy that misfires into a surprise weapon of 

mass destruction.” The book was published 

as an e-book by The 1st Books Library. For 

information on obtaining a copy, go to the 

Web site at www.1stbooks.com. 

CLASS OF 1952 

Class Agent: Dr. Charles Lobeck, Jr. 

3420 Valley Creek Cir., Middleton, WI 53562 

608–831–2047, cclobeck@aol.com 

Gertrude A. Bales, M.D., Gerald L. Glaser, 

M.D., and L. Holland Taylor, M.D. (FLW ’54), 

were honored by the Monroe County Medical 

Society in Rochester for having served 50 

years in the medical field. Rochester 

Distinguished Professor Robert J. Joynt, M.D., 

was also honored. 

Kenneth G. Goss, M.D., is an emeritus 

professor of family practice at the University 

of Arkansas. He spent 20 years as a general 

practitioner and 20 years in academic family 

practice and has been retired for 10 years. 

He enjoys travel, and has been a visiting 

professor and tourist in Scandinavia, Russia, 

Greece, Taiwan and South Africa. He is very 

involved in church, civic and family activities. 

CLASS OF 1954 

Class Agent: Chloe Alexson, 57 Inglewood Dr., 

Rochester, NY 14619, 585-328-4193, 

drcgamd@aol.com 

Irwin Frank, M.D., received the Award of 

Merit from the Rochester Academy of 

Medicine last spring. 

A note from the Class of ’54: Members of the 

Class of ’54 have seen more of each other 

recently than usual. On May 9, a good-sized

group met with D. A. Henderson (M ’54) and 

his wife, Nana, as he dedicated the second 

Medical Research Building in Rochester. The 

usual Rochester classmates (Chloe Alexson, 

Joe and Mary Flatley, Irwin Frank, Helene 

Friedman, Dave and Beverly Kluge, Jim and 

Nancy MacWhinney, Neal McNabb, Sue 

Meyerowitz, Jack and Sue Peachey, and Jose 

Skakey with a friend) were there but we also 

had Bud and Roxanne Coleman from 

California, Jim and Ronnie Gregg from 

Massachusetts, Lanse and Pat Hoskins from 

Cleveland, Ted and Melva Max from Holland 

Patent, NY. We were very pleased that one of 

our scholarship recipients, Pete Le Tourneau, 

M.D. (’02), was able to join us. The other 

recipient, Sara Tamarin, M.D. (’02), was 

unable to come. 

In mid-August, a group of ’54 classmates 

and wives met in Seattle for a 

three-day meeting, which we called our 

“48th-and-a-half reunion.” Dean David Guzick 

spoke at our dinner and somehow managed to 

wear a ’54 waterproof windbreaker and a ’54 

hat in a non-air conditioned room — not only 

as he spoke but also during the dinner. He 

endeared himself to us forever by getting up 

halfway through our class meeting and 

saying, in a little boy voice, “I’m tired. I’m 

going to bed.” 

His talk covered the current state of the 

school, and more importantly, his vision for 

Members of the class of 1954 cruised 

to Alaska recently. See below for 

details of the trip. 

the future. He was accompanied by Cameron 

Gardner, a fourth-year med student, who 

added his thoughts. 

The following morning, as the dean 

took an early flight back to Rochester, we 

toured Mt. Rainier on a gloriously clear day, 

seeing all there was to see. Wandering 

through the beautiful Bloedel Conservatory 

and having a huge picnic at Bob and Anne 

Wright’s house and an equally huge breakfast 

at Bob and Marge Willkens’ house the next 

morning completed our Seattle trip. 

But we weren’t through yet! We 

hopped on a bus to Vancouver and boarded 

the Star Princess (as 19 of 2700 passengers) 

for a week-long cruise to Alaska. We were 

shameless tourists, seeing whales, sea lions, 

eagles, seals, sea otters, puffins and goldmining 

sites. We also took a narrow-gauge 

railroad trip (following in the steps of the 

Klondike gold miners) and a trip through the 

rainforest, stopping for tours of the towns 

along the way and a visit to a Native Alaskan 

Heritage Center. We did, of course, eat too 

much, including salmon in more ways than 

imaginable. 

We sent postcards to our classmates 

who had been unable to join us, mostly because 

the dates coincided with “grandparent time” 

and long-standing family vacations; some, 

unfortunately, because of illness. 

There wasn’t a single problem on the 

class notes 

trip and our way was smoothed throughout by 

Karen Gaffney from the Alumni Office. Our 

thanks to her for a wonderful job well done. 

CLASS OF 1955 

Class Agent: Saul Milles, 304 Hotchkiss Rd., 

Orange, CT 06477, 203–795–4019, 

docsaul@aol.com 

CLASS OF 1956 

Class Agent: William Kern, 109 Breeze Haven 

Ter., Huddleston, VA 24104, 405–579–4765 

CLASS OF 1957 

Richard F. Bakemeier, M.D. (B.A. ’52, M ’57), 

is serving his second term as chair of the 

University Faculty Council of the University of 

Colorado, which represents the entire faculty 

of all four campuses of the university. He 

previously served as chair of the Faculty 

Assembly of the University of Colorado Health 

Sciences Center, where he is professor of 

medicine, associate dean for continuing 

medical education, and associate director of 

the University of Colorado Comprehensive 

Cancer Center. 

Bakemeier, the first medical oncologist 

in Rochester, was professor of medicine at 

the University of Rochester School of 

Medicine and Dentistry and associate director 

of the University of Rochester Cancer Center 

until 1986. 

CLASS OF 1958 

Edward S. Irwin, M.D. (R ’58), is an emeritus 

clinical professor of ophthalmology at the 

University of Vermont College of Medicine. 

CLASS OF 1960 

Class Agent: I. Donald Stuard, 1507 Greenhill 

Rd., West Chester, PA 19380, 610–429–4362, 

idstuard@alumni.urmc.rochester.edu 

Mal Gorin, M.D., is still living in Haddam, 

Conn. He retired two years ago but recently 

has been drawn back to the office one day a 

week. His practice of ophthalmology, which 

started solo in 1966, has grown to five 

ophthalmologists with an office staff of 

around 30 — a track record that can give one 

pleasure. As Mal moved into retirement 

he decided to run for the town board for 


class notes 

planning, zoning and development. It was a 

fierce battle. Haddam residents were not 

aware Mal was a candidate until they saw his 

name on the ballot. 

He won handily and enjoys his 

comrades on the board, as well as his service 

to the community. Mal and wife Linda have 

two sons, a daughter and six grandchildren, 

who live close enough so baby-sitting is part 

of the Gorins’ lifestyle. If anyone is looking for 

a Vermont house and 200 acres, call Mal: 

He has one on the market. The Gorins are 

world travelers. This fall they are off to Machu 

Picchu, Peru and other interesting destinations. 

Ken Draper, M.D., lives in Conshohocken, Pa. 

He had four years of surgical residency at 

Duke, only to decide it was not his cup of tea. 

He switched to psychiatry, taking training 

at North Carolina, Rochester and Temple. 

Routine psychiatry was not to be his bag. 

He became interested in emergency room 

psychiatry (at the time not part of the 

curriculum, but now a required rotation at 

Penn, Temple and Jefferson). Ken has made 

an impact. The Kenneth Draper award for 

outstanding performance in emergency room 

psychiatry at Temple is eight years old. In 

his spare time, Ken has become an American 

history buff with a strong interest in the 

Civil War. 

Don and Sue Stuard enjoyed more than 

three months on Squaw Island on the 

Canadian side of the Thousand Islands this 

summer. Not content with a summer of 

Canada, “we traveled a week in the Canadian 

Maritime provinces, seeing the St. Lawrence 

River become 30 miles wide, visiting the Bay 

of Fundy and enjoying the rugged scenery of 

sparsely populated eastern Canada. On our 

last evening we had a splendid dinner at the 

Culinary Institute in Charlottetown, Prince 

Edward Island, overlooking the harbor. 

We watched 18 sailboats conduct their 

weekly race in the face of oncoming hurricane 

Gustaf.” 

Note from Don : Fellow classmates, please 

e-mail me your news, stories and pictures. 

C. Arthur Pearson, M.D., hosted a symposium 

on “Genetic Engineering and Medical Ethics 

50 


in Congenital Conditions” in Naples, FL, in 

November 2001. The symposium was sponsored 

by Retired Physicians of Collier County, 

of which he is the founder and first president. 

CLASS OF 1961 

Class Agent: Hechmat Tabechian, 3901 East 

Ave., Rochester, NY 14618, 585–385–2413, 

htab@rochester.rr.com 

Paul H. Fine, M.D. (B.A. ’57, R ’65), received 

the 2001–2002 James M. Stewart Award from 

the University of Rochester School of 

Medicine and Dentistry in recognition of 

“distinguished clinical teaching.” The award 

is given each year by the Department of 

Medicine. 

Carol Cooperman Nadelson, M.D., received 

the Alexandra Symonds Award Lecture at 

the American Psychiatric Association 2002 

Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. This award 

is given to recognize and honor outstanding 

contributions and leadership of women 

psychiatrists in promoting women’s health and 

the advancement of women. 

Hechmat Tabechian, M.D., has been named 

the executive director of the Rochester 

Academy of Medicine. He is an active 

member of the School of Medicine and 

Dentistry’s Medical Alumni Council and is on 

the admissions committee for the school. 

CLASS OF 1962 

Class Agent: Frederick Parker, 

310 Dewittshire Rd. S., De Witt, NY 13214, 

315–446–8495, parkerf@upstate.edu 

CLASS OF 1963 

Robert C. Scaer, M.D. (B.S. ’59), is semiretired. 

He has authored several books. 

CLASS OF 1964 

Mary Dohrmann (M.S. ’64) was ordained 

as a minister in 1983 and got her M.S.W. from 

Kansas University in 1985. She is in private 

practice with her husband, and they focus on 

integration of body, mind and spirit. 

Mark A. Hardy, M.D. (R ’64), is the vice 

chairman and program director of surgery at 

Columbia University and the director of renal 

and islet transplantation. He writes, “Father 

of three and grandfather of two. What else do 

I need?” 

Raymond B. Otero, Ph.D. (M.S. ’64), writes: 

I am now enjoying retirement. I still do a little 

consulting on the side to keep my mind sharp, 

but I have been playing a lot of golf. I’ve been 

in Kentucky for 34 years and am loving it. I do 

enjoy your magazine. Keep up the good work. 

Robert Tatelbaum, M.D. (R ’69), is the associate 

chairman of the Department of OB/GYN 

at Rochester General Hospital, the program 

director for the OB/GYN residency program at 

Rochester General and an associate 

professor of OB/GYN at the University of 

Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

CLASS OF 1966 

Class Agent: Donald A. Grover, 21 Countryside 

Rd., Fairport, NY 14450, 585–385–3639, 

dkgrover@frontiernet.net 

CLASS OF 1967 

Robert M. Blumenberg, M.D. (R ’67), is a staff 

member of the Institute for Vascular Disease 

at Albany Medical College. He has retired 

from operative vascular surgery but does 

diagnosis, consultations, office evaluations 

and vascular lab diagnosis part time. 

Anthony M. Foti, M.D. (R ’67), is an associate 

professor emeritus with the medical school at 

the University of Buffalo. He also continues in 

private practice. 

Carleton C. Stewart (M.S. ’64, Ph.D. ’67) 

received the Thomas B. Tomasi Achievement 

Award in March for his pioneering work in 

flow cytometry. The award was presented by 

the Roswell Park Alliance. Stewart is a 

professor of immunology at Roswell Park 

Cancer Institute and the director of its Flow 

Cytometry Resource. 

CLASS OF 1968 

Marvin Goldstein, M.D. (R ’68), received the 

Award of Merit from the Rochester Academy 

of Medicine this spring. 

Cyril “Kim” Hetsko, M.D., became treasurer 

of the American College of Physicians–

American Society of Internal Medicine in 

April. Hetsko is chief medical officer with 

COLA (formerly the Commission on Office and 

Laboratory Accrediation) and a clinical 

professor of medicine at the University of 

Wisconsin-Madison. 

CLASS OF 1969 

Norman Spack, M.D., was awarded an 

honorary degree from Hebrew College for 

“his dedication to Hebrew College, Jewish 

learning and the Boston Jewish community” 

in June. 

CLASS OF 1970 

Dr. Philip A. Pizzo, Stanford University School 

of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Dr., Suite M–121, 

Stanford, CA 94305, philip.pizzo@stanford.edu 

Richard M. Green, M.D. (R ’76), professor and 

chair of the Division of Vascular Surgery at 

Strong Memorial Hospital, was named president-elect 

of the Society for Vascular Surgery 

in June. Green specializes in surgery for 

carotid artery disease, aortic aneurysms and 

thoracic outlet syndrome. Also, he has been 

named one of the “Best Doctors in America.” 

Charles B. Rodning, M.D., received the 

Howard L. Holley Award from the Medical 

Association of the State of Alabama for his 

More than 250 

Whipple Society 

members gathered 

for this year's 

event at Oak Hill 

Country Club. 

“faithful and meritorious service to the profession 

of medicine.” The award was presented 

on June 7. He also received the Humanism 

in Medicine Award this year, in recognition of 

“compassion, enthusiasm and leadership” 

demonstrated by a teaching physician. 

Carole W. Samuelson, M.D. (R ’70), recently 

retired after 17 years as the health officer for 

Jefferson County, AL. She continues to be 

very involved in community activities and is 

teaching a class at the University of Alabama 

at Birmingham School of Public Health. She 

enjoys traveling and being a grandmother. 

CLASS OF 1971 

Class Agent: Thomas McMeekin, 300 White 

Spruce Blvd., Rochester, NY 14623, 

585–385–1500, 041745@msn.com 

CLASS OF 1975 

F. M. Baker, M.D., is in her second year as 

medical director of the Lower Shore Clinic in 

Salisbury, Md. She is also an adjunct 

professor of psychiatry at the University of 

Maryland School of Medicine. 

Carol W. Nichols (B.A. ’72, M.S. ’75) was 

elected to the Quincy Public School District 

172 Board of Education in 2001. Her daughter, 

Aja Marie, graduated from Northwestern 

class notes 

University in 2002 with a degree in computing 

systems. 

CLASS OF 1976 

Beverly Love, M.D., is quite a busy guy. Aside 

from running the Women’s Wellness Center in 

Montgomery, Ala., with a fellow physician, he 

has a weekly radio talk show called “Doctor’s 

House Calls.” He is running for Alabama state 

senate as well. 

CLASS OF 1977 

Dr. Kathleen Gensheimer, 130 Center St., Bath, 

Maine 04530, 207–846–1053, 

kathleen.f.gensheimer@state.me.us 

Dr. James Powers, 714 Darrow Dr., Pleasant 

View, TN 37146, 615–746–8917, 

james.powers@vanderbilt.edu 

CLASS OF 1978 

Robert W. Loss, Jr., M.D. (R ’81), is the 

managing partner of Dermatology Associates 

of Rochester, which was recently selected to 

be a National Training Center for Botox. 

CLASS OF 1979 

Robert T. Brodell, M.D., has been elected to 

serve as a director of the American Board of 

Dermatology, effective in January 2003. 

David A. Martin, M.D. (R ’79), is a clinical 

professor of medicine at Northeastern Ohio 

University College of Medicine. 

Howard Sohnen, M.D., is the residency 

program director and vice chairman of the 

Department of OB/GYN at Mercer University 

School of Medicine in Georgia. 

CLASS OF 1980 

Class Agent: G. Allen Power, 150 Highland 

Ave., Rochester, NY 14628, 585–271–1680, 

apower@stjohnshome.com 

Mason Gross (M.S. ’80) resides in Houston, 

TX, with his wife, Carol, and three children, 

Sarah, Alex, and Daniel. He is a patent attorney 

at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P., 

in Houston and has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering 

from Georgia Institute of Technology. 

In addition to his M.S. degree in biophysics 


class notes 

from the School of Medicine and Dentistry, 

he earned an M.S. degree in optical engineering 

from the Institute of Optics at the 

University of Rochester. 

Lee Deakins Hieb, M.D. (M ’80, R ’90), was 

recently elected to the executive committee 

of the Arizona Medical Association. She 

currently lives in Yuma, AZ. 

CLASS OF 1983 

Jeanne L. DelSignore, M.D. (R ’88), has been 

appointed Chair of the American Academy of 

Orthopaedic Surgeons Committee on Ethics. 

The committee’s mission is to review and 

revise the Academy’s Guide to the Ethical 

Practice of Orthopaedic Surgery, address 

concerns of members regarding ethical 

issues, and provide guidelines for the entire 

Academy fellowship. DelSignore is a practicing 

hand surgeon and the owner of Hand 

Surgery Associates, L.L.P., in Rochester. 

Melinda Saran (B.S. ’82, M.S. ’83) received 

the “Friend of Gateway-Longview” award in 

Buffalo, NY, for her work assisting administrators 

and staff to advocate for the educational 

needs of their residents. In 2001–02, she was 

the president of the Western New York 

chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of 

the State of New York. 

52 

The “Ten-Year Club” (alumni who graduated between 1992 and 2002) 

joined members of the Medical Alumni Council in New York City for an 

event at John’s Pizzeria on May 10. From left are: Raissa Bennett, Deb 

Mulford, M.D. ’99, Joshua Schwimmer, M.D. ’98; Bob Thompson, M.D. ’99; 

Bill Tew, M.D. ’99; and Garrett Bennett, M.D. ’99. 


Sidney Sobel, M.D. (FLW ’73), received the 

Award of Merit from the Rochester Academy 

of Medicine this spring. 

CLASS OF 1985 

Margaret Gaines, M.D. (FLW ’85), has a geriatric/long-term 

care practice and very much 

enjoys teaching nursing-home medicine and 

assisted-living clinic practice to medical 

students and family practice residents. She 

has a 4 1/2-year-old son, adopted from 

Guatemala. 

CLASS OF 1986 

Dolores J. Bacon, M.D., is the director of 

medicine for the Brown Scholars Program in 

Primary Care for medical students at the 

Columbia University College of Physicians and 

Surgeons in New York City. 

CLASS OF 1988 

Amy E. Evans, M.D. (M ’88, R ’91), is a 

professor of pediatrics at UCSF–Fresno. 

CLASS OF 1989 

Claire E. Gavin (M.S. ’89, Ph.D. ’91) is a senior 

research investigator in the Department of 

Toxological Sciences at Pfizer, Inc. 

Steven D. Hanks, M.D., was awarded the 

Master of Medical Management (MMM) 

degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 

May. He joins an exclusive group of physicians, 

numbering fewer than 300 nationwide, 

who hold the degree. Hanks is the vice president 

of medical affairs and chief medical 

officer at Finger Lakes Health in Geneva, NY. 

He also is a diplomate of the American 

College of Physicians/American Society of 

Internal Medicine, an officer of the Medical 

Society of the State of New York and a past 

president of the Monroe County Medical 

Society. 

Mark Vossler, M.D. (B.S. ’85, M ’89), writes: 

“I recently moved from Portland, OR, to the 

Seattle area with my wife, Susan, and my 

daughters, Lydia and Ellen. I left my faculty 

position at Oregon Health Sciences University 

to join Eastside Cardiology Associates in 

Kirkland, WA. I’m working to set up a community-based 

heart failure treatment program at 

Evergreen Community Hospital.” 

Barry J. Wu, M.D., received the National 

Association of Inpatient Physicians’ (NAIP) 

fifth annual Award for Excellence in Teaching 

in April. Wu was recognized for his “exemplary 

role as a teacher, academician, mentor 

and role model in hospital medicine.” NAIP is 

the premier U.S. medical society representing 

“hospitalists”— physicians whose primary 

professional focus is the general medical care 

of hospitalized patients. Wu is an associate 

clinical professor at Yale University. 

CLASS OF 1990 

Class Agent: Peter S. Reichard, 

25 Melrose Rd., Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046, 

973-394-7995, epreichard@msn.com 

CLASS OF 1991 

Irene Rupp Hodge, M.D. (B.S. ’87, M ’91), 

and her husband, Michael, are pleased 

to announce the birth of their son, Mark 

Patterson Hodge. Their first son, Andrew, 

is two. 

Darrell S. Pardi, M.D., was recently appointed 

as director of GI and Hepatology Training 

Programs at the Mayo Clinic. He also serves 

as director of the Emergency Endoscopy 

Service and wrote that he is “Dad” to three 

children: Ryan, 4 1/2, Amanda, 3, Lauren, 

6 weeks.

CLASS OF 1993 

Michael S. Albert, M.D. (R ’93), is the 

chairman of the Department of Pathology at 

Buffalo Mercy Hospital. He is also the director 

of Transfusion Services for Catholic Health 

System in Buffalo and the president and board 

chair of X-Cell Laboratories of western New 

York. He is the 3rd District Councilman for the 

New York State Society of Pathologists. 

Fabio Benedetti, M.D. (R ’93), recently joined 

Millennium Pharmaceuticals as the vice president 

of Global Medical Affairs. 

CLASS OF 1994 

Joe Bliss: See note under “CLASS of 1998” 

about the birth of his son. 

Anne Olinger, M.D. (M ’94, R ’02), married 

Patrick J. Billone on October 12, 2002. Anne 

began a fellowship in July 2002 at Rochester, 

specializing in geriatric medicine. Patrick is a 

broadcast meteorologist at WOKR-TV Channel 

13 in Rochester. 

CLASS OF 1995 

Hannah Borisute, M.D., recently accepted a 

position with Merck & Co., Inc., as associate 

medical director in their Clinical Development 

Division. 

Dwight Heron, M.D., a radiologist at Magee 

Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, is part of a 

team developing a new procedure to deliver 

radiation to some women who undergo a 

lumpectomy for breast cancer. The procedure 

implants a balloon device at the tumor site, 

with a catheter left partially outside the body. 

In later sessions, radioactive seeds are 

implanted temporarily through the catheter 

opening to deliver radiation treatments. 

David V. Mungo, M.D. (B.S. ’91, M ’95), 

is enjoying country life in Alliance, OH. 

He and his wife, Michelle, have two children 

(Savanna, 4, and James, 2 1/2). Their third 

child is due in December. 

CLASS OF 1996 

Alexander Judkins, M.D., has been appointed 

an assistant professor in the Department of 

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the 

University of Pennsylvania School of 

Medicine. He has recently completed a 

fellowship in forensic pathology at the Office 

of the Medical Examiner for the city of 

Philadelphia. Judkins is also an assistant 

neuropathologist at Children’s Hospital in 

Philadelphia, where he wants to establish a 

tissue microarray core lab for basic and clinical 

research. He does ongoing research on 

cortical dysplasias and their role in the development 

of pediatric epilepsy. 

Robert M. Raphael (M.S. ’92, Ph.D. ’96) just 

started a faculty position as the T.N. Law 

Professor of Bioengineering at Rice 

University. He welcomes any alumni in the 

Houston area to contact him. 

Fenton (Drew) A. Smith (M.S. ’96) was 

appointed technical director for Monroe 

County’s Environmental Lab in December 2001. 

Drew, who received his M.S. degree in industrial 

hygiene, has been with the county for ten 

years and will head up the labs that have 

been consolidated from Pure Waters and the 

Health Department. 

CLASS OF 1997 

Laureen Ann Burke, M.D. (B.A. ’93, M ’97), 

was recently featured in an Associated Press 

story titled, “Boomers leave jobs at the height 

of their careers to study law or medicine.” 

Burke, who left a successful marketing career 

to attend medical school at the age of 35, is 

now an obstetrician and gynecologist in 

Rochester. 

Brent Williams, M.D., and Dr. Alice Wei were 

married on May 26, 2002, in Brooklyn. Both 

Brent and Alice are fellows specializing in 

kidney diseases at St. Vincent’s Manhattan 

Hospital. 

CLASS OF 1998 

Joe Bliss, M.D. (M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’98, M ’98), 

and his wife, Cindy, are proud to announce 

the birth of their son, Daniel Joseph Bliss. 

He was born on March 25, 2002, weighing in 

at 8 pounds, 2 ounces. 

CLASS OF 1999 

Class Agent: Hans Stohrer, 41–41 76th St. #5E, 

Elmhurst, NY 11373, 718–458–1111, 

haifanhans@msn.com 

class notes 

CLASS OF 2000 

Timothy R. Harrison, M.D., and his wife, 

Susan, are pleased to announce the birth 

of their son, Joseph. He was born on January 

10, 2002. 

Sunmi Kim, M.D., and Dr. Richard Lin were 

married on June 15, 2002, in Roslyn Harbor, 

NY. Sunmi is currently an intern at New York 

Hospital Queens. 

Denise (Armstrong) Ray (M.S. ’00) and Steven 

Ray were married on September 29, 2001. 

Both are pursuing their doctoral degrees 

in microbiology and immunology at the 

University of Rochester. 

CLASS OF 2001 

Megan D. Grace, M.D. (B.S. ’97, M ’01), 

and Jason J. Lyons, M.D. (B.A. ’94), were 

married on May 11, 2002. Both are first-year 

residents in internal medicine at the 

University of Rochester Medical Center. 

CLASS OF 2002 

Class Agent: Pam Polashenski, 1190 

Canandaigua Rd., Macedon, NY 14502, 

315–986–4380, ppolashe@mc.rochester.edu 

Richard Chang, M.D. (FLW ’02), recently joined 

Donald J. Digby and Associates 

in Greensboro, NC. Chang specializes 

in diseases of the cornea, in addition 

to general ophthalmology. 


class notes 

Author Author! 

The third edition of Handbook of Symptom- 

Oriented Neurology, co-written by Roger A. 

Brumback, M.D. (R ’86), was published this 

year. Brumback, professor and chairman of 

the Pathology Department at the Creighton 

University School of Medicine, St. Joseph 

Hospital, in Omaha, Neb., originally wrote 

the book with three other authors. 

The handbook is dubbed an “on-thespot 

guide to diagnosis and treatment of 

common neurologic complaints.” 

In 1986, while still a resident in 

pathology at Rochester, Brumback started the 

Journal of Child Neurology and served as its 

first editor-in-chief — a position he still holds 

at the prestigious and now monthly journal. 

Laurence A. Savett, M.D. (M ’61), has written 

The Human Side of Medicine: Learning 

What It’s Like to Be a Patient and What It’s 

Like to Be a Physician. 

Savett was inspired to write the book 

because of his belief that it’s as important for 

a physician to master the human side of medicine 

as it is biology and technology. 

“Unless one understands what it’s like 

to be a patient, one can’t be a good physician,” 

says Savett. 

Savett teaches a seminar class at 

Macalester College in Minnesota on the importance 

of the doctor-patient relationship. He 

learned about illness as the child of seriously 

ill parents, as an internist, and as a patient 

when he underwent bypass surgery and later 

dealt with a life-threatening illness. 

The book is about what Savett feels is 

stimulating about the practice of medicine: 

not fascinating cases but fascinating people 

and relations. It’s what Savett considers the 

best reason to enter medicine. 

Savett is a clinical professor of medicine 

54 


at Macalester College and the University of 

St. Thomas. He also teaches about the psychological 

and social dimensions of medicine and 

the doctor-patient relationship at the University 

of Minnesota Medical School. 

Thomas A. Pearson, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., the 

recently appointed senior associate dean for 

clinical research at the University of Rochester 

Medical Center, has put together the Risk 

Assessment Guide to help determine a patient’s 

risk for myocardial infarction and also to 

detect, evaluate and manage high blood 

cholesterol. 

The complimentary guide is offered by 

KOS Pharmaceuticals, which has printed 165,000 

copies. The guide came out of Pearson’s work 

in the Strong Preventive Cardiology Program 

at Strong Memorial Hospital.

Adele Hofmann, M.D. (M ’52) 

Adele D. Hofmann, a pioneer in adolescent 

medicine, died June 15, 2001, at the age of 74. 

Hofmann spent nearly 50 years in pediatrics, 

leading a movement that redefined how 

the medical community viewed and served 

adolescents. She combined excellence in 

endocrinology, psychology and medicine with a 

passion for helping teenagers. Due in large part 

to her vision and work, adolescent medicine is 

now seen as a vital specialty within pediatrics. 

After graduating from Smith College, 

Hofmann earned her medical degree from 

Rochester. She did a pediatric residency at 

Babies’ Hospital in New York and was a National 

Foundation Fellow in endocrinology at 

Presbyterian Hospital. She was affiliated with 

programs at Beth Israel Hospital, NYU Medical 

Center, Bellevue Hospital Center, Children’s 

Hospital of Orange County and UC-Irvine. 

In the ’60s and ’70s, when most physicians 

still treated teenagers the same as 

younger children, Hofmann was tirelessly 

giving a voice to adolescents, empowering 

them to be active participants in their treatment. 

Deborah Stewart, associate dean of 

medical education at the UC-San Francisco 

facility in Fresno, calls Hofmann “the grandmother 

of adolescent medicine. She was one of 

the first doctors to focus a practice on teenage 

patients. She championed the legal rights of 

adolescents … and she spoke out for granting 

teenagers rights to give consent for desperately 

needed health care in the areas of sexuality, 

pregnancy, mental health and STDs.” Hofmann 

also was the driving force behind guidelines for 

the confidential treatment of adolescents. 

She was a charter member and president 

of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. In 1978 

she founded the Section on Adolescent Health, 

a special group within the American Academy 

of Pediatrics. 

Hofmann published many articles on 

the rights of minors, teenage sexuality, adolescent 

behavior and treating high-risk youth. In 

1982, Hofmann co-wrote Adolescent Medicine, 

a premier textbook now in its third edition. 

In 1988, the Outstanding Achievement 

Award in Adolescent Health of the American 

Academy of Pediatrics, which Hofmann 

received in 1984, was renamed The Adele 

Dellenbaugh Hofmann Award in Adolescent 

Health. She trained numerous Fellows who 

went on to be national leaders in the field. 

Upon retiring, she served as a consultant 

and mentored residents. She volunteered at 

a youth shelter, sailed, fished, and spent much 

of her later years traveling the world and 

photographing people. In her final trip, she 

sailed around Tierra Del Fuego. She died 

shortly thereafter of congestive heart failure. 

Adele Hofmann lived in Laguna Beach, 

Calif., and is survived by a daughter, Annie 

Gardiner, and son, Peter Hofmann. 

Oksana M. Korzeniowski, M.D. (M ’71) 

By Melanie Burney, Philadelphia Inquirer 

Oksana M. Korzeniowski, M.D., ’57, of Glenside, 

a physician and professor at the Medical 

College of Pennsylvania-Hahnemann 

University School of Medicine, died of peritoneal 

cancer on March 29, 2002. 

Korzeniowski, who specialized in diagnosing 

and treating infectious diseases, was an 

avid researcher, teacher, and advocate for her 

patients, colleagues said. She was elected to 

four terms as chief of the medical/dental staff 

in memoriam 

at the medical college. She was a fellow of the 

American College of Physicians and secretary 

of the American Board of Internal Medicine. 

She relinquished those responsibilities last year 

because of her illness. Korzeniowski received 

numerous teaching awards, including the 

Golden Apple award in 1987 and 1994. 

Her colleagues and former students from 

around the world recently began compiling 

a scrapbook to pay tribute to Korzeniowski. 

Known for her sense of humor, Korzeniowski 

would often tell patients that they would be 

discharged when they could spell her name. 

Korzeniowski was born in Ukraine 

in 1945 and spent the first seven years of her life 

in displaced-persons camps in Eastern Europe 

after her family fled their war-torn country. 

Korzeniowski and her family arrived in the 

U.S. in 1952. She graduated from Philadelphia 

High School for Girls. 

Korzeniowski earned an undergraduate 

degree from the University of Pennsylvania. 

She earned her medical degree from Rochester 

in 1971 and undertook post-graduate training 

at the University of Virginia School of Medicine 

in Charlottesville. She joined the medical 

college staff in 1979 as an assistant professor. 

She is survived by her husband of 20 

years, Lee Rudakewych; a daughter, Alexis; 

her mother, Irena Korzeniowski; a sister, Daria 

Blackwell; and a brother, Walter Korzeniowski. 

James H. Lockhart Jr., M.D. (R ’44) 

James H. Lockhart Jr., M.D., died on Feb. 26 at 

the age of 90 in Rotonda West, Fla. Lockhart, 

who lived in Geneseo, N.Y., 45 minutes from 

Rochester, was extremely active in the community, 

working with numerous committees and 

organizations. 

“He was very helpful on all of the 

committees and was looked up to,” says Arthur 

Redmond, M.D. (M ’42) of Rochester. “He was a 

gentleman, but he was also just one of the boys.” 

Lockhart was also a major benefactor 

of the arts. State University of New York at 


in memoriam 

Geneseo’s new Lockhart Gallery, named after 

him, featured his original artwork in its inaugural 

exhibit. 

Lockhart was predeceased by his wife, 

Julia Scofield Lockhart, in 1980. He is survived 

by his daughter, Susan Lockhart, and sons 

John M. Lockhart II and James H. Lockhart III, 

all of Geneseo, and several grandchildren and 

great-grandchildren. 

Harvey Preisler, M.D. (M ’65) 

By Annie Sweeney, Reporter, Chicago Sun-Times 

Harvey D. Preisler, a renowned leukemia 

researcher and director of the Rush Cancer 

Institute, died May 19, 2002, of lymphoma. 

He was 61. 

From the butterfly collection at the 

Notebaert Nature Museum to his own collection 

of 10,000 books, Preisler spent his days satisfying 

his intense curiosity about life and 

people, said his wife and colleague, Azra Raza. 

He typically slept two hours a night so 

he could find time to read, and the only pictures 

he hung in his office were of his three heroes: 

Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein and Moses. 

Preisler believed that Freud had the 

biggest impact in this century on how humans 

interact, that Einstein had the biggest impact 

in science and technology, and that Moses was 

the greatest leader of men, she said. 

“He was the single most intellectually 

curious person,” Raza said. “His mind is just 

incredible, his desire to learn more and more 

about all sorts of things.” 

Preisler dedicated his life to finding a 

cure for leukemia, Raza said. She said her 

husband’s favorite quote was borrowed from a 

56 


colleague: “If I had a choice between a walk on 

the moon and curing one person with leukemia, 

I would never look at the moon again.” 

Preisler was named director of the 

Cancer Institute at Rush in 1992 and later was 

named the Samuel G. Taylor Professor of 

Medicine at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s 

Medical Center. He was a leader in “bench-tobedside” 

research in acute myeloid leukemias. 

He conducted molecular research on leukemia 

cells and then turned them into therapies that 

improved the outcome for his patients. 

And that, Raza said, was his greatest joy. 

“ 

Such a beautiful smile would come on his face” 

when he spoke of past patients, Raza said. 

Preisler earned his undergraduate degree 

from Brooklyn College. He earned his medical 

degree from Rochester and trained at New York 

Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, and specialized 

in medical oncology at the National Cancer 

Institute in Washington, D.C., and at Columbia 

Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. 

Preisler worked at Mount Sinai Hospital 

in New York City, at Roswell Park Cancer 

Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., directing the leukemia 

service, and at the Barrett Cancer Center at the 

University of Cincinnati. In addition to his wife, 

Preisler is survived by his daughters Sarah, 

Vanessa and Sheherzad; his son, Mark, his 

parents and his brother. 

Paul Stark, Ph.D., J.D. (Ph.D. ’64) 

Courtesy of The Indianapolis Star 

Paul Stark, Ph.D., J.D., 73, of Sanibel Island, FL 

and of Indianapolis, IN, passed away in Ft. 

Myers, FL, on February 22, 2002. 

During the 1950s Stark was a pharma- 

cologist, and from 1965 to 1984 he was clinical 

assistant professor of pharmacology at the 

Indiana University School of Medicine. From 

1963 to 1984 he served as medical director for 

Eli Lilly & Company, where he played an essential 

role in the development of Prozac. 

Stark earned his B.S. in Biochemistry 

from McGill University in Montreal, Canada 

1945–1949, attended Western Reserve 

University’s Department of Pharmacology in 

Cleveland, OH 1950–1952, received his Ph.D. in 

Pharmacology from Rochester in 1960–1963 

and received his J.D. with honors from the 

IU School of Law-Indianapolis 1973–1977 He 

was admitted into the Indiana Bar in 1977. 

He was president and CEO of International 

Clinical Research Corporation, a company he 

founded in San Diego, Calif., until 1995. 

He and his wife, Carole Stark, endowed 

the Paul Stark Chair in Pharmacology at the 

Indiana University School of Medicine in 1993. 

The chair was endowed to provide lasting 

support for pharmacological research of the 

central nervous system. A chair was also 

endowed at the University of Rochester. The 

Starks also established the Stark Neurosciences 

Research Institute, the Stark Neurosciences 

Scholarship Fund and the Stark Foundation, 

which provides scholarships to colleges. The 

Stark Neurosciences Research Institute will 

house researchers from many disciplines. 

Stark was preceded in death by his first 

wife, Rita Smalline Stark. Survivors include his 

wife, Carole Lucas Stark; daughters, Mona Loft, 

Barbar Stark and Toby Stark; stepdaughters, 

Lynn Lapin and Susan Fuldauer; brother, 

Norman Stark; and one grandchild. 

In Memoriam 

Raymond Gramiak, M.D. (M ’49, R ’51) 

Frank W. McKee, M.D. (M ’43) 

Raymond A. Russell (M.S. ’41, Ph.D. ’51) 

Henry F. Stoltmann, M.D. (R ’62) 

W. George Swalbach, M.D. (B.S. ’36, M ’43)

Appointment with the dean 

from page 11 

So, Guzick has one more ball to toss in 

the air. Yet through it all, there’s one area he 

has vowed not to slight: time with family. His 

ideal morning is to get up by 5:30, hit the gym 

and return home in time to wake up his two 

sons and feed them breakfast before school. 

Ask him about hobbies, and he answers 

“ 

Benjamin and Andrew,” ages 10 and 12. 

“I don’t know if you call that a hobby, 

but that’s what I do,” he explains. “If they’re 

awake and they’re here, then I don’t do any 

work. I spend time with them.” 

Sure he plays golf whenever he can, 

but mostly when the course is empty so he can 

walk nine holes quickly, preferably with one 

of his sons. Or, he’ll get some work done while 

he plays. Jim Woods recalls a working weekend 

with Guzick in Vermont two years ago 

consisting of nonstop golf while they 

hammered out strategic plans — the very 

plans Woods is implementing as the new 

department chair. 

Guzick saves his work-at-home time for 

late at night, after the kids are in bed. So when 

does he sleep? Hoeger says, “I’m not sure he 

does, to be honest.” 

Guzick smiles when the subject comes up. 

“I’m not one of those who only needs 

three or four hours of sleep, but sometimes 

that’s all I get,” he admits. 

How appropriate that his wife, Donna 

Giles, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of 

Psychiatry, works as a sleep researcher. People 

have joked that he could probably serve as a 

subject in one of her studies. 

Hmmm, a clinical research study? 

No one would be surprised if he tried to fit it in. 

Not all play 

from page 32 

Just three months after the injury, Adam 

took his first step. 

“It was a real miracle, to be honest with 

you,” Sebastianelli says. 

Sebastianelli continued to help Adam’s 

family with things like preparing their house 

for their son, who needed rails in the bathroom 

and a lift system to get up stairs. Now, two years 

later, Adam can throw a ball, write, use a 

computer — all with reduced strength and 

speed, but effectively. And he’s back with the 

team, analyzing game film and, more important, 

inspiring everyone around him. 

Even now, Sebastianelli says he still gets 

upset when he thinks about the injury. But he 

tries to look for a larger meaning. 

“All I know is this kid has touched more 

lives working through this injury than he ever 

would have playing football,” he says. “He has 

been placed on a pedestal of admiration, and 

he’s helping people who are less fortunate.” 

Adam has done work with the Special 

Olympics and troubled youth and is an ambassador 

for people who have suffered similar 

injuries. “He’s been given a different stage,” 

is how Sebastianelli puts it. 

Being part of a miraculous recovery like 

that is why Sebastianelli says he wouldn’t trade 

his job for anything. Likewise, Lintner says that 

the satisfaction from his work makes all the 

extra hours worthwhile. He talks of the pride in 

operating on someone’s torn-up knee and then 

watching the player stretch a single into a 

double, or repairing a pitcher’s shoulder and 

seeing him regain his form and throw a fastball 

in the mid-90s again. Plus, there is a bit 

of glamour after all. 

“How many people get to stand on the 

sidelines at the start of a pro football game?” 

Lintner says. “Just the excitement of competition 

at that level is exhilarating.” 

It’s exhilarating for his sons, too, 

who at age 5 and 10 are big sports fans. They 

only have one complaint. As Lintner explains 

it, “They don’t like that I can’t sit with them 

in the stands.” 

Pioneers in the field 

from page 33 

Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis and Arantxa 

Sanchez Vicario, and she was team physician 

for the U.S. Olympic tennis team in the last two 

Olympic Games. 

As female residents in the physically 

demanding field of orthopaedics, both women 

faced doubters. But DeHaven recalls that it 

didn’t discourage them. Arendt credits the 

people at Rochester for not limiting her 

because she was a woman. “I was so grateful 

for that,” she says. “My mentors encouraged 

me. I wasn’t treated any differently than my 

male cohorts.” It was only after leaving 

Rochester, she says, that she met people who 

thought she was crazy for wanting to enter 

sports medicine. But by then, she had crossed 

enough barriers to know how to persevere. 

These days, the sports Arendt plays are a 

little easier on the joints than in the past: golf, 

biking, cross-country skiing. She leaves the 

rougher stuff to her 13-year-old daughter (who, 

like her mother, samples numerous sports 

nonstop, including soccer, volleyball and swimming) 

and her 16-year-old son, who plays 

hockey and football. In other words, it’s not 

easy for Arendt to leave those sideline worries 

behind, even when she’s off duty. 

“There are fears both officially and 

unofficially,” she says. “But I’m far more 

anxious watching my son playing hockey.” 


University of Rochester 

School of Medicine and Dentistry 

601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 643 

Rochester, NY 14642 

Change Service Requested 

Join the online community today! 

• Find your classmates in our online directory 

• Connect with current students for mentoring 

• Sign up for permanent e-mail forwarding 

• Use our chat rooms, exclusive to our alumni 

Register at www.alumniconnections.com/urmc. 

Your personal ID security information is all you need 

to register. You will find it above your name on the 

address label on this magazine. 

Questions? Call us at 800 – 333 – 4428 or send e-mail 

to alumni@urmc.rochester.edu 

Save the date! 

REUNION 2003 

September 18 – 20, 2003 

Plan to join us! 

NONPROFIT ORG 

US POSTAGE 

PAID 

UNIVERSITY OF 

ROCHESTER

Appointment with the dean - University of Rochester Medical Center

Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!

Delete template?

Save as template ?