Fall/Winter 2006 - University of Rochester Medical Center

a year’s sabbatical. All in all, I think I’m doing
well considering.”
Class of 1978
Karen Blumberg and Christine (Tina) Kurland
(R ‘79) reunited after many years at the
American College of Radiology Convocation
in Washington, D.C., where both were
inducted as fellows, an honor given to about
10 percent of radiologists.
Class of 1979
Robert T. Brodell (R ‘81) remains active with
the American Cancer Society (ACS), serving
as the national recruitment co-chair for its
advocacy sister organization, the ACS Cancer
Action Network.
Darron Brown (R ’82, FLW ‘82) announces that
his daughter, Calla Brown, has just begun
classes at the University of Rochester School
of Medicine and Dentistry as a first year
medical student.
Carl Patow was appointed to the board of
directors of the Alliance of Independent
Academic Medical Centers. His appointment
will run through April 30, 2007. Patow is the
executive director of HealthPartners Institute
for Medical Education and is responsible for
all graduate and undergraduate medical
education, nursing education, allied health
education, continuing medical education and
the medical library.
Class of 1980
Gary W. Falk received a Master of Science
degree from Case Western Reserve in May
2006 from the clinical research degree
program.
Class of 1981
Deborah Geer joined Auburn, N.Y., Memorial
Hospital’s staff in April. Geer completed
a residency at Tripler Army Medical Center
in Honolulu. She decided on medicine as
a career after being influenced by her high
school biology teacher and mentor.
“I wanted to go into family practice,”
she told The Citizen, a newspaper in Auburn,
“but my first rotation in medical school was
surgery, and I fell in love with it. I love
working with my hands, and with surgery you
immediately see results. It’s not like diabetes
or something that you have for a lifetime …
I don’t get nervous anymore after 20 years of
doing something. It’s what you get used to
every day, and I have a strong faith, so I’m
always praying for my patients before
surgery.”
Geer and her husband, Malcolm
Skipton, along with their two children have
traveled to El Salvador, Kenya, New Guinea,
Jamaica and most recently Panama to
provide family practice and surgery where
health care is not readily available.
David Nash is proud to report that the Master
of Science program in public health at
Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia
was recently fully accredited. The program
now has more than 50 students enrolled and
graduates are obtaining leadership positions
in many areas. David continues in his role as
the Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. Professor
and chair of the Department of Health Policy
at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
Class of 1982
Joseph M. Serletti (R ‘88) recently was named
one of the four Plastic Surgery Education
Foundation’s visiting professors for the 2006–07
academic year. The foundation selects
several recognized experts in plastic surgery
to share their knowledge and experience with
many of the plastic surgery training programs.
Serletti is professor of surgery and chief of
plastic surgery at the University of
Pennsylvania.
Class of 1983
Allan MacDonald writes: “We recently moved
to Florence, S.C., to start teaching in the
Christine Kurland (left) with Karen
Blumberg (right) — new fellows
in the American College of
Radiology.
FALL / WINTER 2006
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