Spring 2011 issue (pdf) - Medical College of Wisconsin

A LUMNIN EWSSpring 2011Head casesSports-related concussions startingto receive appropriate attentionFunctional connectivity unlockingnew knowledge about diseasesINSIDEN S IDEGraduate School dean describesvision, educational philosophy

An alumnus and highly respectedfaculty leader of the MedicalCollege of Wisconsin has agreed toserve as the College’s Dean in aninterim capacity. On Jan. 21, the Boardof Trustees approved the appointmentof Joseph E. Kerschner, MD ’90, Fel’98, as Interim Dean and ExecutiveVice President. In this role, Dr. Kerschneris the Medical College’s seniorofficer overseeing medical education,research, patient care, and public andcommunity health.Dr. Kerschner was previouslySenior Associate Dean for ClinicalAffairs - Children’s Specialty Group,and CEO of Children’s SpecialtyPRESIDENT’S MESSAGEGroup, a pediatric specialty practicethat is a joint venture of the MedicalCollege and Children’s Hospital ofWisconsin. Dr. Kerschner also formerlyserved as Interim Chairman andProfessor of Otolaryngology andCommunication Sciences.*A board-certified otolaryngologist,Dr. Kerschner has served on theMedical College’s faculty since 1998.As a physician at Children’s Hospitalof Wisconsin, his clinical focus is onotitis media, airway reconstruction ininfants and children, and congenitalhead and neck masses and neoplasms.His research interests include identifyingthe genetic causes and potentialnew treatments for pediatric earinfections.Dr. Kerschner is a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Otolaryngology,the American College of Surgeons,and the American Academy ofPediatrics. He has served on severalscientific review panels for theNational Institutes of Health’s (NIH)National Institute on Deafness andOther Communication Disorders, andis a recipient of NIH research grants.He has published or presented morethan 100 articles, book chapters,reviews and abstracts in professionaljournals or at scientific meetings.Dr. Kerschner succeeds JonathanI. Ravdin, MD. A national search isunderway to identify the next Deanand Executive Vice President, whomthe College hopes to have selected andin place by July 1, 2012.John R. Raymond, Sr., MDPresident and CEO* ALUMNI NEWS profiled Dr. Kerschner in 2009: mcw.edu/alumni/KerschnerProfile.ASSOCIATION MESSAGEIam filled with optimism for theMedical College’s future under newleadership. As Alumni AssociationPresident, I have personally observedPresident John Raymond’s seeminglyendless energy, passion for excellenceand commitment to advancing the Collegeto the next level of academic andclinical excellence.Now, more than ever, support ofour alma mater has potential for maximumimpact. Through our financialsupport, we give the Medical Collegea competitive edge in attracting thebest medical school candidates. Ourcontributions are critical to growingscholarship and grant programs thatease the debt load for future alumni.Advancing the research base of theschool provides a cutting-edge learningenvironment for students.Equally important is active, physicalparticipation by alumni in eventssponsored by our Medical College andAlumni Association. Our activities andsupport ensure the training of qualityphysicians for the communities weserve.Giving to our alma matter monetarilyand in action sends an importantmessage by demonstrating to outsidecontributors and the communities weserve our unwavering commitment tothe Medical College’s advancement. Itreflects your pride in and gratitude forthe knowledge and confidence theCollege gave you in your entry to thishonorable profession.While present-day economicshave challenged many, it is importantwe build upon the rooted history ofalumni giving that precipitated theCollege’s steady rise in productivityand stature. The College and theAlumni Association are collaboratingto establish an ad hoc committee thatwill identify opportunities to growalumni gifts and participation. If youhave an interest in this committee, Iencourage you to contact the AlumniRelations office.Your service to your alma materclearly asserts your valuation of yourmedical education and the positiverole of the Medical College in thecommunity.Steven C. Bergin, MD ’74, GME ’78Alumni Association President

ALUMNINEWSA MOME N T ’ S N O T I C EProviding a brief look inside this issue of ALUMNI NEWSA magazine publishedfor all Medical Collegeof Wisconsin/Marquettemedical, graduate,resident and fellowalumni.Alumni AssociationExecutive CommitteeSteven C. Bergin,MD ’74, GME ’78PresidentThomas G. Wittman,MD ’84, GME ’87Past PresidentJohn T. Bjork,MD ’71, Fel ’76President-electKathleen S. Stokes,MD ’87, GME ’91Secretary/TreasurerTimothy A. Crummy,MD ’97Paul E. Hankwitz,MD ’74, GME ’78Alexander J. MacGillis,MD ’56Executive Director ofAlumni RelationsWilliam A. Schultz, MSEditorJeremy A. Podolskijpodolsk@mcw.eduCONTACT USPhone(414) 955-4781Fax(414) 955-6699E-mailalumni@mcw.eduInternetwww.mcw.edu/alumniMedical College of Wisconsin,Office of Alumni Relations,8701 Watertown Plank Road,Milwaukee, WI 53226Lt. Col. David Gourlay, MD ’97, Fel ’06 (left),operates on a wounded soldier in Iraq. Dr. Gourlay’sunit, the 911th Forward Surgical Team, lost most ofits personal possessions in a September rocketattack. Read how his colleagues at The MedicalCollege of Wisconsin responded on page 16.Stat 4News & announcementsAlumnus Profile 17James P. Thomas, MD ’91, PhD ’89,GME ’95Alumni Notes 18In Memoriam 21On the radar 23ON THE COVERCasey G. Batten, MD ’03 (center),treats an injured Universityof California football player. Dr.Batten and other alumni expertsdiscuss the diagnosis and treatmentof sports-related concussionson page 9.Links in a brain 6Born more than 15 years ago at the MedicalCollege, functional connectivity MRI measuresthe strength of the connection between twofunctionally related regions in the brain while thebody is at rest. Alumni Dr. Bharat Biswal, whohelped develop the science, and Dr. ChristopherPawela, who furthered the work, are advancingnational interest in the technique and beginningto tap the vast potential of the technology fordiagnosis and evaluation of disease.Classes represented in this story:’96, ’08Head cases 9Awareness of sports-related concussions andtheir potential long-term effects has increasedgreatly due to emphasis by the National FootballLeague as it pertains to the health of its playersand ensuing national media coverage. Athletesof any age risk concussion, and improvingoutcomes is as much about truthful selfreportingas it is about medical advances.Alumni who treat concussion patients note thechallenges of diagnosis and treatment of aninjury for which there is no definitive test.Classes represented in this story:’79, ’01, ’03,Taking education personally 12Dr. Ravi Misra was appointed Dean of theMedical College’s Graduate School ofBiomedical Sciences last year, but he has beenactively working to advance scientific educationsince he first arrived at the College 17 yearsago. He believes strongly in personalizededucational experiences and is excited for thecontinued growth potential of Graduate Schoolprograms.Upstanding citizens 14For three consecutive years, alumni of MedicalCollege of Wisconsin programs have beenhonored by the Wisconsin Medical Society asPhysician Citizens of the Year. Dr. James Allen,Dr. Edward Cody and Dr. Peggy Stickney earnedthe distinction for different reasons, but each iscontributing something unique toward betteringtheir communities.Classes represented in this story:’59, ’75, ’77, ’78, ’02ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011 3

Genetic sequencing used to discover,diagnose a child’s unknown diseaseA young boy’s lifelong health battle with a mysteriousdigestive disease had become increasingly dire when his physiciansat Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin turned to researchersin the Medical College’s Human and Molecular Genetics Centerin the summer of 2010 for a final attempt at a diagnosis.Nicholas Volker, then 5, had been in the hospital for muchof the past several years, undergoing myriad tests, treatmentsand surgeries. All other forms of treatmenthad been exhausted with no lastingsuccess. His life and quality of lifewere threatened until the collaborativeteam of 30 physicians and scientistsdecided to apply genetic sequencing ina new way to try to find a gene responsiblefor Nic’s illness.After months of sequencing Nic’sDNA, the team identified a mutationon the gene XIAP responsible for hisillness, a previously undocumentedform of inflammatory bowel disease.Nic’s family and medical team decidedto perform a bone marrow transplant totreat the disease. As a result, Nic isnow happy and healthy, able to eat hisfavorite foods, play with his friends andattend school.This unique application of personalizedmedicine led to the publishing of“Making a definitive diagnosis: Successfulclinical application of whole exomesequencing in a child with intractable inflammatory bowel disease”in the journal Genetics in Medicine in December 2010.The case has been reported extensively in local, nationaland scientific media – in print and television. A compilation ofthe published articles and broadcasts can be accessed atwww.mcw.edu/HMGC/News/OneInABillion.htm.The large team of Medical College researchers and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin physicians who usedgenetic sequencing to help a young boy with a life-threatening disease included Elizabeth Worthey, PhD,Assistant Professor of Pediatric Genomics in the Human and Molecular Genetics Center; David Dimmock, MD,Assistant Professor of Pediatric Genetics; and Howard Jacob, PhD, the Warren P. Knowles Professor in Humanand Molecular Genetics, Professor of Physiology and Pediatrics, and Director of the Human and MolecularGenetics Center (at right). Aiding them in the sequencing lab were (at left) Jaime Wendt Andrae, DennisSchauer, Michael Tschannen and Caitlin Purman. Photo Mark Derse © 2010Cystic fibrosis researcher receives NIH Director’s New Innovator AwardHara Levy, MD ’91, GME ’96, has received a prestigiousNational Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New InnovatorAward accompanied by a five year, $2.25 milliongrant from the NIH Office of the Directorto study genetic factors that impact severity ofcystic fibrosis.Dr. Levy is Assistant Professor of PediatricPulmonary and Sleep Medicine at theCollege and a clinician-researcher in pulmonarydiseases at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.While the median age of survival is only 38 years, there is arange of disease severity among patients with cystic fibrosis, aninherited disorder caused by mutations in the CFTR gene. Usingmodern genetic typing and innovative genomic technologies, Dr.Levy will identify the genetic factors that play a major role inlung disease severity among patients with identical CFTR mutations.The resulting data will help characterize the genesinvolved in the early development of lung infections.ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011 5

Linksin abrainFunctional connectivity is unlockingnew knowledge about diseasesMapping the brain’s activity while the body is at rest may provide a windowinto disease processes and ideas for early detection that today remainuntapped. More than 15 years after functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) firstdemonstrated at The Medical College of Wisconsin that the brain is never trulyat rest, two alumni are carrying the torch for this re-emerging technology,including a former graduate student partially credited for its discovery.James S. Hyde, PhD, the James S.Hyde Professor of Biophysics and Directorof the College’s National BiomedicalEPR Center, had just published the firstever paper on functional magnetic resonanceimaging (fMRI) of the sensorimotorsystem in human brain when BharatBiswal, PhD ’96, enrolled at the MedicalCollege under his tutelage. Dr. Hyde hadnoticed that the noise in the fMRI datawas unusually high and seemed to becoming from the brain itself. When thetime came for Biswal to select a dissertationtopic, Dr. Hyde suggested he studythis high level of noise.The results were spectacular. Theydiscovered that the noise was indeedphysiological and depended on neurologicalactivity. Moreover, coherent patternsof this “physiological noise” in the brainrevealed regions that had long been consideredto be members of known brainsystems.Their discovery of (and ensuing publicationon) fcMRI in 1995 was met withsome controversy, although several otherinvestigators soonreplicated their findings.Interestincreased steadilyover the last decadeand a half as itbecame apparentthat a new way hadbeen found toBharat Biswal, PhD ’96investigate brain function based on previouslyunknown brain physiology.“Like a typical graduate student, thefirst concern was to get the work publishedand just to obtain my PhD,” Dr.Biswal said. “While I was aware that thefinding was quite novel and pretty interesting,I had thought that if a few groupswould find the methods useful, thatwould be great.”As it turns out, the National Institutesof Health paid attention, and hassupported Dr. Biswal, now AssociateProfessor of Radiology at the Universityof Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey,in his research. The NIH also announcedthe Human Connectome Project in 2010,committing $40 million to understandingconnective pathways in the human brain.Matter that mattersNeuroscience has been dominated bystudies of gray matter, the workhorse ofthe brain composed of neurons responsiblefor our thoughts and actions. Connectivity,however, shines light on whitematter, the slender fibers that act as theelectrical cabling to link brain regionsboth structurally and functionally. FcMRIinvolves measurements made in graymatter in the absence of any stimulus ortask that, paradoxically, provide informationabout connectivity. It is based onphysiological fluctuations that were6 ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011

mcw.edu EXTRALearn more about the journal Brain Connectivity co-foundedby Dr. Biswal and Dr. Pawela at mcw.edu/connectivity.found by the Medical College investigatorsto exist in all gray matter regions.Regions of gray matter that exhibit similarpatterns of fluctuations (i.e., are correlated)are said to be connected.“The brain is always working, and inthe regions of the brain that are connectedfunctionally, the neurons oscillate and firetogether in a unique pattern,” saidChristopher Pawela, PhD ’08, AssistantProfessor of Plastic Surgery and of Biophysicsat the Medical College, who alsotrained under Dr. Hyde. “We can, withMRI, detect this common oscillation andthereby map connected regions in thebrain that are functionally connected.”This is accomplished by observingthe changes in blood flow that occur duringneuronal activity. Regions of thebrain do not have to be structurally connectedto have functional connectivity,and a structural connection does not necessarilysignify a functional link. This isan observation noted in Dr. Biswal’spaper, “Toward discovery science ofhuman brain function,” published March9, 2010, in the Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences.In December, his findings were citedas the second most significant researchadvance in 2010 by the National Instituteof Mental Health. His research is basedon the 1,000 Functional ConnectomesProject he oversees, which collects existingfcMRI data from centers worldwideto create an open resource for mappingand understanding brain function.The database currently includesinformation from more than 1,400 participants,and Dr. Biswal is working toorganize it in a standard format to allowresearchers to download the data sets aswell as search based on demographicinformation. Already, it has led Dr. Biswaland his collaborators to demonstrate thepresence of a universal functional architecturein the brain and evidence thatvariations in connectivity follow demographicpatterns. There is optimism in thefield that this growing body of informationwill be the basis for eventual translationto clinical applications.“A careful characterization of a universal,or gender-, or age-specific architecturemay help clinicians to useindividual subjects’ specifications to rapidlyidentify for any differences with acomposite architecture of healthy subjectsin the same age range,” Dr. Biswalsaid. “If differences are found, a morethorough and personalized assessmentcould be done.”Mental and physical health usesResearchers foresee a bevy of potentialuses for fcMRI. The technologymight someday help provide more definitivediagnoses for mental health disorders,such as schizophrenia or bipolardisorder. It may aid in understanding thedevelopment and progression of posttraumaticstress disorder and attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder as well asevaluate the effect of treatment.Functional connectivity imagingcould possibly be used to determinewhether a person in a coma has lost allcognitive faculties or if they have awarenessand lack only the ability to physicallyrespond. The brain’s response toanesthesia is another application beingexplored.While fMRI has had little clinicalsuccess outside of surgery planning forbrain tumor excision, fcMRI may be betterpositioned to provide information thatguides clinical decisions, Dr. Pawela said.“Hopefully, functional connectivityMRI could be a tool that may be missingwithin the toolbox, so we can try to studysome of these disorders,” he said.At the Medical College, colleaguesShi Jiang Li, PhD, Professor of Biophysics,and Piero Antuono, MD, Professorof Neurology, are using fcMRI in anattempt to discover markers based onaltered brain connections for identifyingindividuals at risk for developingAlzheimer’s disease before symptomsoccur. Their scans of healthy subjects,those with mild cognitive disorder andthose with Alzheimer’s may help determinethe effectiveness of medications forhalting or reversing disease progressionand the best time to intervene.Alumni branches in family treeThe robust research effort in fMRIand now fcMRI can be traced to the closeknitnetwork of scientists who have trainedin the Medical College’s Department ofFunctional connectivity MRI reveals insight into the communications processes in the brain. Dr. Biswal’sresearch has demonstrated the presence of a universal functional architecture, however, there is evidenceof systemic differences, for example, between men and women as well as young and old.ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011 7

Biophysics, particularly with Dr. Hyde asa mentor. The alumni of this programoften collaborate and form bonds thathelp further researchand careers, Dr.Pawela said.“Former studentsof Dr. Hyde’sare like family, andformer students fromBiophysics at theMedical Collegehave kind of aChristopher Pawela,PhD ’08bond,” he said. “We get along, and havegone through shared experiences and wesee each other regularly.”An international meeting is how Dr.Pawela met Dr. Biswal, and their connectionas alumni engendered their collaborationto advance fcMRI research. Theyrecently co-founded the peer-reviewedjournal Brain Connectivity and serve asco-editors-in-chief. Dr. Pawela alsochaired the Second International Conferenceon Resting-State Functional BrainConnectivity held in September at theMedical College, which included a keypresentation by Dr. Biswal on his connectomeproject.Dr. Pawela entered this field as agraduate student mentored by Dr. Hydeand built upon the work of Dr. Biswaland those who followed. He demonstratedthat functional connectivityexisted in rats and other mammals andwas thus not just a phenomenon ofhigher order cognition. This finding isimportant since drug development andother therapeutic options typically haveorigins in animal models.Now on the Medical College of Wisconsinfaculty, Dr. Pawela is interested inhow the brain changes in response todamage of the peripheral nervous system,and fcMRI provides a unique view ofbrain plasticity. His research shows thatin the case of nerve damage, for example,from a severed digit or injury to thebrachial plexus during a child’s birth,there are connectivity changes that occurin the brain. Recovering more completefunction in the body will likely requiretreatment that addresses not just nerverepair but also the brain’s wiring andresponse, he said.“We are trying to think about thebrain and body as one system, not justindependent components,” Dr. Pawelasaid. “We are trying to create a paradigmshift in the way people think aboutinjury. It’s not a closed system. How doesthe brain interpret this change and whatare the ways in which we can actuallyhelp the brain heal itself, because thebrain changes as well as the nerves.”With the field advancing so quickly,it is difficult to determine when a trueimpact might be felt by health careproviders and patients. There is a greatdeal of research needed, but the accessibilityof the technology (fcMRI will soonbe included in the software packages ofmost major scanner manufacturers) mayexpedite things.“Is fcMRI something that is goingto be deployed in the clinic tomorrow?”Dr. Pawela asked. “I don’t know, but itcould be.”Retirement for last recipient of Marquette medical diplomaOwing to his last name and the alphabetic conferral ofdiplomas, Herbert J. Zimmers, MD ’70, GME ’76, was thelast medical student to receive his medical degree from theMarquette School of Medicine. The longtime Milwaukeephysician made history again at the end of 2010, but this timeof a personal nature. He retired on Dec. 31.In 1967, Marquette University, due to financial constraints,terminated the sponsorship of its medical school, thencalled the Marquette University School of Medicine. Themedical school subsequently became a free-standing institutionnamed the Marquette School of Medicine. It wasn’t until1970 that the name was officially changed to The MedicalCollege of Wisconsin. Students graduating in 1971 were thefirst to receive Medical College of Wisconsin diplomas.Post-graduation, after serving three years in the U.S.Navy in California, Dr. Zimmers returned to Milwaukee, completeda radiology residency at St. Luke’s Hospital, and thenserved as a staff radiologist at St. Michael Hospital for 25years. He then joined what is now Aurora Advanced Healthcareand worked there for 10 years.Dr. Zimmers didn’t know at the time that he was the last8 ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011Herbert J. Zimmers, MD ’70, GME ’76, holds the last medical degreediploma issued by the Marquette School of Medicine.person to cross the stage as a Marquette School of MedicineMD graduate, but said he is honored.“I cherish my diploma from Marquette,” he said. “I’mglad it had the Marquette name on it.”

Athletes at all levels tend to havea competitive urge to playthrough, or in other words disregardthe symptoms of, an injury sustainedin the course of a contest.Sometimes, this is simply a matter ofpain tolerance, but in certain cases, likeconcussions, an immediate return toaction can have unpredictable and potentiallydevastating consequences.Michael J. Brennan, MD ’79, wasa team physician for the Arizona Cardinalsof the National Football League(NFL) for four years and accompaniedthe team to its 2009 Super Bowl appearance.He said convincing professionalfootball players to stay out of a gameafter a blow to the head can be a difficulttask, even if it is in their best healthinterests.“A lot of times, you had to hide theirhelmet so they couldn’t go back out onthe field,” he said.Michael J. Brennan, MD ’79, was team physician for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football Leaguewhen the organization played in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa in 2009. At that time, concerns and conversationsabout concussions were starting to become more pronounced around the league and in the media.HeadcasesA hot topic nationally,sports-related concussionsare always on the mindsof the doctors whotreat and study themRecent policy changes in the NFLcombined with heightened media coveragehave shone a more intense spotlightthan ever before on sports-related concussions.Although as a health issue, awarenessand change have begun to trickledown to amateur and youth ranks in multiplesports, Medical College of Wisconsinalumni familiar with concussionssuggest the room for improvement isgreater than the distance already covered.Because identifying concussiondepends greatly on self-reporting, therehas been a need to change the culture inlocker rooms in which ignoring injury isanalogous to toughness, and doing otherwiselets down the team.“I think there is a better appreciationfor the health consequences, long andshort term,” said Dr. Brennan, anorthopaedic surgeon who remains teamphysician for the Arizona DiamondbacksMajor League Baseball team. “It’s been afluid change that includes having someonemore specialized in brain injuriesassess the players.”In recent years, the NFL made twospecific “return to play” rule changes. Aplayer who shows any symptoms of concussionis not allowed to return to a gameor a practice. That player is also requiredto be evaluated by an independent neurologistand can only return to activityafter being cleared by both that consultantand the team medical staff. Additionally,the league announced in Februarythat it had created a standardized protocolfor sideline concussion assessment.Unique diagnostic challengeThe National Collegiate AthleticAssociation mandates its member institutionshave a concussion managementplan in place for activities ranging fromfootball to pole vaulting, cheerleading toequestrian. Requirements typicallyinclude recording of baseline neuropsychologicalassessments for each partici-ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011 9

mcw.edu EXTRAAlumni experts provide suggestions for best protectingathletes from concussion at mcw.edu/SportsConcussion.pant and removal from competition fordisplay of any behaviors or symptomsassociated with concussion.Casey G. Batten, MD ’03, developedthe management plan for Universityof California athletics. Dr. Batten is HeadTeam Physician for University of California-Berkeleyand coordinates the work ofall clinicians in the Cal Sports MedicineProgram. Policy for concussions is onething. As Dr. Batten suggests, diagnosingconcussions is a challenge of its own.“There is no one test that can giveyou a yes or no answer as to whether ornot an athlete sustained a concussion,” hesaid. “By definition, a concussion doesnot cause structural damage – it manifestsas a disturbance in cognition. Inlight of this, you need to rely heavily onsubjective information from the athlete.”The need for an athlete’s honest participationto arrive at an accurate diagnosishas driven efforts by medical staffsand organizations to educate playersabout the warning signs of concussionsand the importance of truthful reporting.Dr. Batten believes a transformation inmindset has begun in collegiate sports.“In the past, people may have hadmore of the mentality that they need toplay through any and all injuries,” saidDr. Batten, for whom managing sportsrelatedconcussions is a significant partof his practice. “Athletes also may havebeen a bit reticent to report a possiblehead injury for fear they would automaticallybe held out of competition. Througheducation, I think we have been able tochange this culture. Athletes have begunto understand that with prompt identificationand appropriate treatment, there isactually less time lost from play than ifthey ignored a possible head injury, inaddition to the possibility of minimizingrisk for long-term complications.”Integrity vs. prideThe predisposition to downplay ordismiss injuries is equally common inyouth sports. Every week, Kevin D. Walter,MD, GME ’01, sees patients whohide their concussion symptoms so theyare not removed from participation or lieabout their symptoms in an attempt toreturn prematurely. Dr. Walter is AssistantProfessor of Pediatric OrthopaedicSurgery at The Medical College of Wisconsin.He practices in the Children’sHospital of Wisconsin Concussion Clinic,the only clinic in the state dedicated exclusivelyto pediatric and adolescent concussioncare. Diagnosis of a young person’sconcussion can be like detective work.“The biggest challenges are thatyoung athletes may not recognize thesymptoms of a concussion and continueto play,” Dr. Walter said. “Many teens arenot honest about symptoms as well, so itcan be a difficult task to figure outwhether they are telling the truth or not.Young athletes cannot be expected tounderstand the consequences of inappropriatelytreating their concussion. It isdifficult for them to comprehend problemslike chronic traumatic encephalopathy,chronic headaches, depression andmental health problems that can affectthem in adulthood.”Dr. Walter visited in January with ateen patient whom he had previouslywarned not to play soccer the next seasonafter the boy had suffered his secondThomas A. Hammeke, PhD, Fel ’79concussion, which took four months toheal. The patient did not heed that adviceand, following a third concussion, isexperiencing consistent daily headaches.Concussions are, of course, braininjuries, so the stakes are high for everyone,but youth athletes have particularsusceptibility to damaging effects andtake longer to heal.“Young brains that are still developing,e.g., brain myelination continuesthrough the teens and perhaps early 20s,may be especially vulnerable to traumaticinjury,” said Thomas A. Hammeke,PhD, Fel ’79, Professor of Psychiatryand Behavioral Medicine and Lead Neuropsychologistfor the Polytrauma Teamat The Medical College of Wisconsin andZablocki VA Medical Center. “Additionally,disability that arises in youth fromtraumatic injuries is lifelong for the individualand society.”Under the magnifying glassDr. Hammeke has researched sportsrelatedconcussions for years, including astudy of high school athletes funded byCasey G. Batten, MD ’03 (center), Head Team Physician for University of California-Berkeley, tends to aninjured football player. Treating concussions is a significant part of Dr. Batten’s practice.10 ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011

NFL Charities. That line of researchrevealed that most individuals clinicallyrecover from sports-related concussionswithin a few days of injury and morethan 90 percent within a week of injury.However, simply because the athlete isno longer reporting symptoms and performsnormally on neurocognitive testsdoes not mean his brain functioning isfully normalized, he said.That discovery may be contributingto the emphasis now being placed onunderstanding the consequences of multipleconcussions or repeated subclinicalhead injuries (as can occur from the frequentimpacts sustained in a typical footballpractice). To date, research hasproduced mixed findings, but at leastsome athletes have shown adverse outcomes,Dr. Hammeke said.“More research on developing andunderstanding economical biomarkers ofbrain concussion and brain functioning isneeded to better document the severity ofbrain concussion and track recovery ofnormal brain function or lack thereof,” hesaid. “This information will be especiallyuseful for developing public health policiesfor determining if and when to letathletes return to play, based on scientificdata.”Athletes who participate while theyhave still symptoms usually have a longerduration of symptoms and are at muchhigher risk for repeat concussion, Dr.Walter said. Because concussion affectsevery person differently, however, it isimpossible to predict how long a concussionwill last, and there is no standard forhow many concussions it takes beforedeveloping post concussion syndrome oranother complication. Symptoms can bedelayed, and part of concussion is memoryloss, so patients often have amnesiaaround the time of the injury.Time out“The cornerstone of treatment is cognitiveand physical rest,” Dr. Walter said.“That’s easy to say, but tough to do.”For teens, treatment involves restrictionsat school, sometimes even absences.It includes allowing extra time to completeassignments or tests and providingKevin D. Walter, MD, GME ’01, conducts a balance test with a patient at the Children’s Hospital of WisconsinConcussion Clinic. An Assistant Professor of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery at The Medical College ofWisconsin, Dr. Walter says that girls are more likely to get concussions than boys in similar sports, andadolescents take longer than adults to heal from concussion.tutoring. It also means no physical activityand minimizing TV, computer, videogames and texting exposure. All of thesethings are difficult and stressful for thestudent and for the school to accomplish,he said.Through research, Dr. Walter isexamining whether some degree of subsymptom,low-intensity exercise mighthelp an athlete recover from the sometimesdebilitating long-term effects ofconcussion. The work is still in its earlieststages, but there is a sense of urgencyin helping these patients.Dr. Walter has anywhere from 20-25visits each week for concussion, of whichabout 10-15 are new cases. He has followedpatients experiencing symptomsfor more than six months and others withpersistent post concussion syndrome lastingeven longer. Making progress againstthat high volume will require far-reachingeducation efforts.“Continuing to improve awareness isimperative. This can only be donethrough education,” said Dr. Walter, asports medicine advisory committeemember for the Wisconsin InterscholasticAthletic Association and the NationalFederation of State High School Associations.“Public awareness is primarilyachieved through the media, so I feel it isimportant for physicians to be availableto the media. Major changes in NFL andNCAA policy have been very helpful.Football is the most popular sport inAmerica. When the NFL talks, the medialistens. However, I still believe the mostimportant people to educate are thecoaches and the athletes.”Dr. Brennan observed that the NFLis currently encouraging state governmentsto pass laws akin to the state ofWashington’s “Zackery Lystedt Law,”designed to protect young athletes fromreturning to play too soon after sufferinga concussion.Dr. Batten agrees that despite thepublicity surrounding sports-related concussions,further engagement of all stakeholdersin the athletes’ health is neededto improve protocols and outcomes.“It all comes down to quality education– education on prevention, identification,treatment and return to play,” hesaid. “This education needs to be aimednot just at the athletes, but also at administrators,coaches, families and otherhealth care workers who may treat theathlete.”ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011 11

TakingeducationNew Graduate Schooldean perpetuatesindividualized teachingPhoto Mark Derse © 2010Ravi Misra, PhD, is Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences andProfessor of Biochemistry at The Medical College of Wisconsin.personallyThe Medical College of Wisconsin has developed a reputationfor producing medical scientists who are on the frontier oftransforming patient care. Recently appointed Dean of the College’sGraduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Ravi Misra,PhD, intends to keep it that way.“We have a tremendously talented faculty who are committedto the educational mission here despite how challengingthat can sometimes be,” Dr. Misra said. “I see my job as leaderof the Graduate School as empowering our faculty by helpingcreate an environment that allows the faculty and ourdedicated staff to unleash their creativity, develop newprograms and more effectively train the next generationof research scientists and health care workers.”Dr. Misra’s longstanding interest in the academicside of science is what brought him to theCollege 17 years ago. “That’s why I wanted tobecome a professor at an academic institution asopposed to working at a purely research institution,”he said. Since then he has been a dedicated advocate andaccomplished leader in advancing the programs of the GraduateSchool. With 450 students enrolled and no undergraduatepopulation to manage, Dr. Misra anticipates the educationalexperience will continue to be very personal for eachgraduate student.“One of the great strengths of our GraduateSchool is the individual attention we give to ourstudents’ education. No two students follow theexact same path to their educational destination,”Dr. Misra said.Dr. Misra has developed a personal approachto teaching and mentoring students that encouragesapplication of the facts and ideas they’ve learned in theclassroom to their experiences in the scientific and medicalworlds. He strives to instill in his students thevalue of lifelong learning and that a central goal ofadvanced graduate training is to take ownership oftheir education.It is the unique structure at the school that allows him andother faculty members to adopt an individualized teaching paradigm.Choices and study direction are varied so students arenot locked into a standard set of courses. They are mentored atmultiple levels and are able to choose their path as theyencounter different opportunities in the biomedical sciences.12 ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011

“The future of biomedical sciences as a career is dynamicand ever-changing,” said Dr. Misra, a biochemist. “We’d like tocontinue to be nimble and to offer programs that reflect the currentchanging biomedical environment to allow our students thebest possible chance to meet the challenges that lie ahead forthem. And we will solidify translational science as one of ourcore educational missions.”Having teaching faculty dedicated to the educational missionas well as other professionals who are authorities in theirspecialty is a boon to College students. Dr. Misra’s researchinterests lie in the genetic mechanisms of cardiac function andheart formation, focusing on the coronary vascular system. Theend goal of his research is to improve outcomes for those bornwith congenital cardiovascular anomalies. Dr. Misra expects theGraduate School will continue to invest in faculty with expertiserelevant to the advances and changes in biomedical research.Poised for growthAs more researchers are drawn to the College, the breadthof the College’s expertise will increase, as will the opportunitiesto add programs and educational options. Currently, the GraduateSchool offers 10 doctoral and seven master’s degree programs.Dr. Misra foresees one of his challenges will be to ensurethat PhD programs can keep pace with the growth of research,and that there are adequate resources to keep the educationalprograms robust during this historically challenging time foracademic biomedical centers.If there is a health-related topic in which the College hasinvested from both a research and clinical perspective, Dr. Misrabelieves the students should also benefit through parallel graduatecourses or programs. A broad spectrum of research areas createsa robust biomedical environment.Already, steps are being taken to form two new dual degreesthat complement the existing MD/PhD program. One will be anMD/MPH. The other will be an MD/MS in clinical and translationalresearch, an initiative of the Clinical and TranslationalScience Institute (CTSI) of Southeast Wisconsin.The CTSI is a collaboration of the Medical College with itsaffiliates Froedtert Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin,the Zablocki VA Medical Center and BloodCenter of Wisconsin,plus Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering(MSOE) and University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM) withthe goal of advancing biomedical research, patient care and education.The collaboration presents opportunities for adjunctappointments at partner institutions. And, it allows the schools tocapitalize on each other’s strengths: physicians, biostatistics andclinical trial experience from the Medical College and affiliates;bioengineering from Marquette, design skills from MSOE; andmath, physics and other sciences from UWM.“We want to maximize those opportunities as we developnew programs that leverage the existing strengths of the MedicalCollege,” Dr. Misra said.A growing national trend for master’s programs that do notmcw.edu EXTRADr. Ravi Misra, facultyand graduate studentsagree that mentoring isa key strength of theMedical College ofWisconsin’s GraduateSchool of BiomedicalSciences. Video atmcw.edu/MisraProfile.require hands on lab work is to create an entirely online curriculum.Dr. Misra and the staff of the Graduate School are exploringpossibilities for more distance learning opportunities thatwill expand the College’s outreach to professionals seeking furthermedical credentialing.“Faculty and students that we’ve talked to are very eager tosee these things put in place,” said Dr. Misra of the new programsand delivery methods being developed.Science of personalized medicineNothing reflects the current changing medical science environmentand the importance of translational medicine more thanthe recent treatment by College scientists and clinicians of ayoung boy with a previously unidentified disease caused by arare genetic mutation. The pioneering application of genomesequencing in this child’s diagnosis heralds the impendingadvance of personalized medicine – a fundamental shift towardusing information about a person’s genes, proteins and environmentto prevent, diagnose and treat disease.Dr. Misra sees graduate students benefiting from learningpersonalized medicine techniques from scientists who pioneeredthe methods. He advocates foradding a personalized medicineprogram to the school’s offerings.He also envisions the Medical Collegeas the heart of personalizedmedicine training, where new methodsof disease diagnosis are offeredat multiple educational levels: toresidents, genetic counselors, medicalpractitioners, medical centersand even practice groups.While growing student opportunitiesand faculty expertise, Dr.Misra is also focused on growingenrollment, especially of higherachievingtraditional students and of underrepresented minorities.He would also like to see the College recruit morepost-doctoral fellows. Dr. Misra recognizes post-docs as criticalto the research enterprise and acknowledges that their presenceand their work also makes the student experience much richer.And while Dr. Misra works to maintain the standard ofexcellence achieved within the Graduate School, he notes thereis room to improve communication with those students from thepast and of the future. One of his goals as dean is to “speak moreloudly and transparently to better inform the MCW communityabout the different educational opportunities and the differentaspects of the educational mission of the Graduate School.”Alumni are a key factor in moving the Graduate Schoolahead, Dr. Misra said. He is dedicated to improving outreach toalumni, staying connected with them and keeping them engagedin the progress of the school so that they may actively contributeto the academic life of current Graduate School students.ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011 13

mcw.edu EXTRAIn addition to being a PhysicianCitizen of the Year, James C.Allen, MD ’59, is therecipient of a WisconsinBoard of VeteransAffairs Veteran LifetimeAchievement Award. See a photoand the official proclamationat mcw.edu/JamesAllen.The height of a school’s success intraining physicians might best bemeasured by the impact those physicianshave on their communities. If so, TheMedical College of Wisconsin is standingtall. For three years in a row, a doctorwith a Medical College connection wasnamed a Physician Citizen of the Year bythe Wisconsin Medical Society.James C. Allen, MD ’59, a graduateof the Marquette University School ofMedicine, received theaward in 2008; Edward F.Cody, MD, GME ’78,whose residency was completedat a Medical Collegeof Wisconsin-affiliated hospital,was honored in 2009;and recent alumna PeggyA. Stickney, MD ’02, wasnamed in 2010.“I was surprised I wasselected,” Dr. Stickneysaid, “because I’m just afrontline physician listeningto what patients sayand doing my best.”Her nomination wasunusual because it camefrom a female patient whopraised Dr. Stickney for“taking time” to addressher health concerns. In presentingthe award, GeorgeJames C. Allen, MD ’59, (center) and a colleague visit with a patientat University of Wisconsin Hospital, where he practiced until 2000.Lange, MD ’75, then SocietyPresident-elect, said,Upstanding citizensMedical College alumnihave been honored byWisconsin Medical Societythree years running“Although patients often show their gratitude,it’s not every day that a patientgoes the extra mile to publicly recognizeher physician. Dr. Stickney has trulymade a difference in the lives of herpatients.”Addressing Dr. Stickney directly, hesaid, “Thank you for reminding us thatpatients often come to us when they aremost vulnerable, and the time we spendwith them can have a profound impact,not only as it relates to their medicalcare, but also on a purely human level.”Dr. Stickney grew up in SturgeonBay, Wis., and received her undergraduatedegree from Northern Michigan Universityin Marquette, where she enjoyedhiking and snowshoeing. She credits professorsat the Medical College with herwinning bedside manner.“I learned that there are four or fiveways to tell a patient something,” saidDr. Stickney, who practices withFroedtert Health in Hartford, Wis., “butfirst you have to listen carefully to whatthey say. You can’t be in hurry.”She and her husband, Charles, havethree daughters, identical twin 3-yearolds,Heather and Sarah, and 6-year-oldPaige.Dr. Cody was born in Follansbee, asmall town in the West Virginia panhandle,but his mother was from Wisconsinand moved the family back to Milwaukeein the late 1960s. After receiving hismedical degree from the University ofWisconsin-Madison, he returned to Milwaukeeand did his residency at the formerDeaconess Hospital, then a teachingaffiliate of the Medical College.“It was a good experience, and theMedical College doctors who watchedover me knew their stuff,” Dr. Cody said.Practice opportunities were better insmall towns, so he took a job as a familydoctor with Medical Associates, a groupof physicians in Beaver Dam, Wis., andstayed until he retired in 2009.“It’s just a really nice community.”Dr. Cody performedvolunteer services throughouthis career, including servingas medical director for the localschool system and a nursing home.“When you’re in a small town, allthe doctors get together and discuss whowill take which voluntary position,” hesaid. “It’s one of the great things aboutliving here.”Since 1999, he has also led a twohour-per-weekstudy group at Fox LakeCorrectional Institution. “I was ordainedas a deacon in the Catholic Church, and14 ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011

this is part of my faith-based service,” hesaid. “The inmates very much enjoy andbenefit from contact with the outsideworld.”For the past several years, Dr. Codyhas also traveled to Bay St. Louis, Miss.,which is about 60 miles northeast of NewOrleans.“This area was hit hard by HurricaneKatrina so I go down there with a groupof people from the archdiocese in Milwaukeeand help rebuild homes,” he said.He and his wife, Coletta, have twosons, Mark, an industrial engineer andMatt, a CPA, and one daughter, Michelle,who is an accountant for the state.When Dr. Allen was attending MarquetteUniversity School of Medicine inthe late 1950s, the Milwaukee Braveswon the pennant. “There was a huge celebrationon Wisconsin Avenue,” herecalled.Dr. Allen pursued his medical degreesupported by the GI Bill after serving inthe U.S. Army. He had arrived in Koreajust after the armistice was signed in1953, he said.He never forgot his military serviceor his boyhood in Brodhead, Wis.“Money never meant a thing to me,”he said emphatically. “I just wanted tohelp my fellow citizens and veterans—they needed a fair shake, and that’s whatI dedicated my life to.”He became an ophthalmologistbecause he wore glasses and was “curiousabout what that eye doctor wasdoing.” Dr. Allen’s residency was at theEdward F. Cody, MD, GME ’78Peggy A. Stickney, MD ’02, examines a young patient at the Froedtert Health Hartford Clinic.University of Wisconsin Hospital, and heliked Madison.“It worked out that I could spendhalf my time at the VA hospital and theother half at the University hospital,” hesaid. “I also discovered that I enjoyedteaching!”From 1967 until his retirement in2000, he was a professor of ophthalmologyand coordinator of OphthalmologyInpatient Care for UW-Madison. Justbefore he retired, he saw a patient whohad lost an eye in the D-Day Invasion.“As this patient aged, he lost visionin his remaining eye due to maculardegeneration,” Dr. Allen said. “But, theVA wouldn’t give him the benefits a vetwho is blind due to combat receives, andI didn’t think that was right.”When he retired after nearly fourdecades of practice, he decided to lookinto the matter. Soon he found himself inthe Milwaukee Public Library thumbingthrough volumes of the U.S. Code, whichhe said takes up “about 10 feet of shelfspace.” Poring over the books, he cameupon a section that pertained to theDepartment of Veteran Affairs.“That’s where I found the paragraphsthat applied to the loss of eyes and armsand legs,” he said. “The difference wasjust a few words, but it meant that armsand legs were considered ‘pairedorgans’—lose one and it was like losingboth—whereas eyes were not.”Dr. Allen made changing the codehis goal and went to talk with Rep.Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin’s 2ndCongressional District, beginning a journeythrough the U.S. legislative systemthat would continue for the next sevenyears and put him in contact with manyelected officials. He finally succeededtoward the end of 2007 when the changeknown as the Dr. James C. Allen VeteranVision Equity Act (H.R. 797) was signedinto law.In a press release, Rep. Baldwinsaid, “I’m very grateful to Dr. Allen forbringing this problem to my attention andfor his service to his country and our veterans.The Dr. Allen bill reminds all of usof the difference one person can make inour democracy.”When Clarence P. Chou, MD ’77,GME ’83, former President of the WisconsinMedical Society, presented the2008 Physician Citizen of the Yearaward, he said, “Dr. Allen may be a formallyretired ophthalmologist, but he’snever stopped working on behalf ofpatients.”Dr. Allen lives in Madison with hiswife, Kathryn. They have two adult sons,David an orthodontist, and John, whoworks for an advertising agency.ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011 15

College colleagues replace Soldiers’ computers lost in attackThe good news was, all members of the 911th ForwardSurgical Team stationed in Iraq made it safely to a protectivebunker after the first rocket hit their base. The bad news was,their sleeping tent, containing all of their personal belongings,took a direct hit.David Gourlay, MD ’97, Fel ’06, a lieutenant colonel withthe Army Reserves team, was stationed at the base when therocket attack occurred in early September. Among the lossessustained when their quarters burned to the ground, the most significantmay have been the Soldiers’ computers, which provide avital means of communicating with their loved ones back home.Dr. Gourlay is Assistant Professor of Surgery (Pediatric) atThe Medical College of Wisconsin. His colleagues in theDepartment of Surgery, along with the departments of Pediatricsand Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Tushaus ComputerServices, responded to the attack by shipping nine computersto Iraq for the Soldiers who lost theirs – just in time forChristmas.“When I returned, I was proud to see that my departmenthad spearheaded this effort,” said Dr. Gourlay, who arrived backin Milwaukee in mid-October. “It is particularly difficult for thejunior enlisted personnel to replace more expensive items like acomputer, and it means so much to them to know people backhome continue to keep them in mind.”Lewis B. Somberg, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery(Trauma and Critical Care), is also assigned to the 911th ForwardSurgical Team, but was not deployed because he is inCommand School. He initiated the effort to acquire and preparethe laptops for their special delivery to Iraq.“I can tell you from personal experience that having a computerover there is an absolute necessity,” Dr. Somberg said. “Itis the only lifeline you have to your family and the world.”The 911th is based in Madison, Wis., and provides frontlinetrauma care and other medical services to Soldiers.Lt. Col. David Gourlay, MD ’97, Fel ’06, displays the 911th Forward SurgicalTeam guidon, which was still standing after a rocket attack destroyed the team’ssleeping quarters in September 2010.Impact site ofthe rocket attackon the 911th.Soldiers’ livingquarters priorto the attack.Recent graduate creates fund for diversity-based community projectsAs a student, Clarence Monteclaro,MD ’10, worked with the MilwaukeeHmong community and realized thateffectiveness in community engagementprojects requires funding. Consequently,the recent graduate took $2,000, primarilyfrom his own savings, and started theMonteclaro Cultural & Community MedicineAnnual Grant Fund at The MedicalCollege of Wisconsin.Grants from the fund are availablefor any ethnic or diversity-based studentgroup. The intention of the fund is toencourage medical students to be communitymedical leaders by promotinglocal cultural identity and by addressinglocal health interests among varied ethnicgroups in Milwaukee.By establishing the fund, it is Dr.Monteclaro’s hope to not only foster individualgrowth, but to collaborate withother student and local community leaders.In 2010, the fund already disbursedtwo awards – one to be used as cashprizes for a Hmong cultural dance competitionheld during the Silver City’sAsian Fest in Milwaukee, the other onbehalf of the Asian Pacific AmericanMedical Student Association to fundhealth prevention efforts and screeningsduring Asian Fest 2010 and other community-basedvenues between August2010 and August 2011.Donations to the grant fund will beaccepted at the end of each academicschool year.16 ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011

ALUMNUS PROFILEPhysician-scientist-entrepreneur and UnionGrove native James P. Thomas, MD ’91,PhD ’89, GME ’95, has returned to Wisconsinwith an unwavering commitment to earningThe Medical College of Wisconsin a designationas a National Cancer Institute (NCI) ComprehensiveCancer Center.“This is a very new, reinvigorated effort witha lot of resources of the medical campus beingbrought to bear,” Dr. Thomas said. “We have avery aggressive agenda for developing some keyareas within theCancer Center,both in basic science departments and clinical departments.”Lured back by Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer CenterDirector Ming You, MD, PhD, and what Dr. Thomasdescribes as world-class research being performed by strong,young faculty, Dr. Thomas is now Professor of Medicine(Hematology/Oncology). His clinical research acumen will beinstrumental in steering new cancer treatments from Collegelabs through the trial process and into clinics.“Dr. Thomas will lead the effort to develop MCW CancerCenter’s Clinical Trials Office, which provides much neededsupport to all investigators in the Cancer Center for clinicalresearch activities,” said Dr. You, the Joseph F. Heil, Jr. Professorin Molecular Oncogenesis, Senior Associate Dean for CancerResearch, Education and Clinical Care, and Professor ofPharmacology and Toxicology.Dr. Thomas’ own research is on the pursuit of antioxidantsto protect against reactive oxygen species (ROS) cell damagethat leads to cancer and other diseases. His work has led to twopatents and two NCI Small Business Innovation Researchawards presented to the company he founded in 2006, PerscitusBiosciences.Perscitus is developing and commercializing Dr. Thomas’two patented technologies that represent breakthroughs in theapplied use of these ROS-based chemical reactions. One is acompound that is a precursor to glutathione and selectively protectsnormal cells from the toxic effects of chemotherapy andradiation therapy. The second patented technology is for a testingkit that determines the function of unknown proteins byidentifying protein-binding partners. The redox-based proteinassay will be used in drug development.Armed with a PhD in biochemistry, an MD, internal medicinetraining, and experience as a research fellow in biophysicsand as a medical oncologist, Dr. Thomas left the state in 2005.He took a position as Medical Director of the Clinical TrialsOffice of the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center.James P. Thomas, MD ’91, PhD ’89, GME ’95mcw.edu EXTRADr. Thomas describes the value of cancerclinical trials at mcw.edu/ThomasProfile.When he arrived at Ohio State, it was undergoing a rapidgrowth phase similar to what the Medical College is now experiencing.His history as a cancer researcher and translationalresearcher, understanding the correlative science of clinical trials,enabled him to help others develop their concepts.“We communicated to investigators and staff the importanceof participation in clinical trials,” Dr. Thomas said, “andwe improved the infrastructure such that we could offer moretrials and the trials would open quicker.”The result: the number of patients enrolled in trials nearlydoubled.Dr. Thomas is also Chairman of the American Associationof Cancer Institutes Clinical Research Initiative. The initiativeis a network of cancer center leaders that advocate for rapiddevelopment and implementation of clinical trials by sharinginformation on proven models that lead to new cancer therapies.“This group has really given me a lot of insight into theway that clinical cancer research is done across the country,”Dr. Thomas said. “It also gives MCW a place at the tablenationally to talk about what’s being done here.”In his clinical practice, Dr. Thomas treats patients with gastrointestinalcancers.“When I was doing my training, [gastrointestinal] representedone of a number of cancers that had the most room forimprovement,” he said. “They needed new ideas and new treatments,and I thought that during my lifetime we could makecontributions in this area.”ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011 17

ALUMNI NOTESALUMNI NEWS wants to publishnews of your professional andpersonal accomplishmentsand activities. Please sendupdates (including graduationyear and current position) to:Medical College of WisconsinOffice of Alumni Relations8701 Watertown Plank RoadMilwaukee, WI 53226,fax at (414) 955-6699 ore-mail alumni@mcw.edu1960sPeter M. Sanfelippo, MD ’65, isMedical Director of the OccupationalMedicine Center in Tyler, Texas. He hasearned board certification by theAmerican Board of Preventive Medicinein the specialties of preventive medicineand occupational medicine. He is alsoboard-certified in general surgery,thoracic and cardiac surgery and generalvascular surgery.1970sJames G. Schwade, MD ’73, wasreappointed to the Florida Cancer Controland ResearchAdvisory Council fora second term. Dr.Schwade is theExecutive Director ofthe CyberKnifeCenter of Miami andthe CyberKnifeCenter of PalmBeach. An internationally recognizedradiation oncologist, he is ClinicalProfessor of Radiation Oncology at theMiller School of Medicine at theUniversity of Miami, where he was thefirst Chairman of Radiation Oncology.He also holds appointments as ClinicalProfessor in the Department of Radiologyand Adjunct Professor of BiomedicalEngineering at Florida InternationalUniversity.Rodney W. Malinowski, MD ’75, hasbeen elected President of the WisconsinSurgical Society – Wisconsin Chapter ofthe American College of Surgeons for the2010-2011 term. He currently practicesgeneral and hand surgery at the MileBluff Medical Center in Mauston, Wis.He and his wife, Mary, recentlywelcomed their first grandchild, GretaClaire, who was born in Columbus, Ohio,to their daughter, Laurel Slaughter, MD,GME ’06, and son-in-law.Michael A. Love, MD, GME ’76, Fel’78, of Cardiovascular Care Consultantshas joined theUniversity ofTennessee-Erlangercardiology physicianpractice. Dr. Love isboard-certified incardiovasculardiseases and internalmedicine and will bepracticing at the Erlanger BaronessCampus in Chattanooga, Tenn.1980sMary Horowitz, MD ’80, GME ’89,MS ’91, was the 2010 recipient of theAmerican Society ofHematology MentorAward. The awardrecognizes scientistswho have dedicatedtheir life to theprocess of guiding,supporting andpromoting thetraining and careerdevelopment of junior colleagues. Dr.Horowitz studies the effectiveness oftransplantation as a treatment for lifethreateningdiseases such as leukemia,non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and othercancers. She is the Robert A. Uihlein Jr.Professor of Hematologic Research andscientific director of the Center forInternational Blood and MarrowTransplant Research at The MedicalCollege of Wisconsin.Thomas Zoch, MD ’83, was recentlynamed Associate Medical Director ofNetwork Health Plan in Menasha, Wis.He served as Medical Director of MillerElectric from 2005-2010, as teamphysician for the Wisconsin TimberRattlers minor league baseball team from1995-2005, and as Medical Director ofTheda Clark Medical Center emergencydepartment in Neenah, Wis., from 1997-2003. He has lived in the Fox Cities areaof Wisconsin for more than 15 years.Philip S. Clifford, PhD ’85, co-wrote anarticle that was selected by ScienceCareers as one of the top career-relatedarticles of 2010. The article, titled“Perspective: Top 10 Tips for Mentors,”was co-written with Joan Lakoski, PhD,of University of Pittsburgh, and originallypublished on Oct. 8, 2010, on the Clinicaland Translational Science Network. Dr.Clifford is Professor of Anesthesiologyand Physiology and Associate Dean ofPostdoctoral Education at The MedicalCollege of Wisconsin. The ScienceCareers blog is published by the journalScience.Theodore G. MacKinney, MD ’85,MPH, was awarded the Wisconsinchapter of the American College ofPhysician’s 2010 Addis Costello prize.The award honors the memory of Dr.Addis Costello, a Milwaukee physicianleader who worked to addresssocioeconomic factors affecting thepractice of internal medicine. Dr.MacKinney has traveled to Nepal todevelop health services in resource-poorsettings as founder and director of LivingRiver Health Services. His work in Nepalincludes starting a teaching and missionhospital, directing two hospitals,managing hospital staff and establishingthe first diabetes specialty clinic in thecountry. Dr. MacKinney is AssociateProfessor of Medicine (General InternalMedicine) at The Medical College ofWisconsin. He directs the continuityclinic experience for the InternalMedicine Residency Program andpractices primary care at the GeneralInternal Medicine Clinic at FroedtertHospital.Gail Jacobson McNutt, MD ’85, Fel’91, accepted an Associate Chief of Staffposition at the William S. MiddletonMemorial VA Hospital in Madison, Wis.She is relocating from the VA AppletonClinic in Appleton, Wis., where she haslived for the past 10 years. She is aninternist specializing in allergy andimmunology.Holly Maes, MD ’85, GME ’88,recently relocated to Danville, Ill. withher husband, Rich, to practice at DanvillePediatric Center in general andbehavioral pediatrics. She has fourchildren who live across the Midwest.Tom P. Aufderheide, MD, GME ’86,received the 2010 DeVilbiss LiteraryAward for his paper titled,“Implementing the 2005 American HeartAssociation Guidelines, Including Use ofthe Impedance Threshold Device,Improves Hospital Discharge Rate After18 ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011

ALUMNI NOTESIn-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.” The literaryaward recognized the best paper toaddress new technology or a newapplication of current technologypublished in the science journalRespiratory Care. The award waspresented by the American RespiratoryCare Foundation at the AmericanAssociation for Respiratory Care’s 56thInternational Respiratory Congress inDecember 2010.Erik Stene, MD, GME ’86, is in privatepractice with Gillette Children’sSpecialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minn.,and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics ofMinnesota in Minneapolis. He is alsoAssistant Clinical Professor at theUniversity of Minnesota in theDepartment of Anesthesiology. Herecently resigned as the Medical Directorof Anesthesia at Children’s Hospitals andClinics of Minnesota and the Chief ofPediatric Anesthesia after 16 years inthese roles. In his spare time, Dr. Steneenjoys bird watching and time withfamily. He and his wife, Lisa, have threeadult daughters.Varonica Barr Dixon, MD ’87, iscurrently the Chair of a nine-personpediatric department in an independentpractice organization in southernCalifornia consisting of more than 120physicians. She is currently overseeingthe initiation of an electronic medicalrecords system.1990sNeil Farber, MD ’90, PhD ’88, GME’93, recently published a book titled TheBlame Game: TheComplete Guide toBlaming: How toPlay and How toQuit, with BascomHill Publishing. Thebook instructsreaders how toimprove their health,well-being,relationships andcareers by acceptingresponsibility andavoiding theplacement of blame.Dr. Farber isAssociate Professorof Pediatrics, ofPharmacology andToxicology, and of Anesthesiology at TheMedical College of Wisconsin. Hepractices pediatric anesthesiology atChildren’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Dr.Farber writes the “blaming” section forthe Psychology Today Web site and isinvolved in international medicalmissions for children, to which a portionof all book profits are donated.Jon Lehrmann, MD ’90, GME ’94, wasappointed Interim Chair of Psychiatryand BehavioralMedicine at TheMedical College ofWisconsin inSeptember 2010. It isexpected to be a twoyearappointment. Dr.Lehrmann joined theMedical Collegefaculty in 1999 and is AssociateProfessor of Psychiatry. His leadershipand program development experienceincludes: Acute Care Program Manager(Managed Mental Health Inpatient Unitand Mental Health Consultation-LiaisonService at the Clement J. Zablocki VAMedical Center) Mental Health Divisionfrom 1996-2005; Division Manager,Mental Health Division at the VAMedical Center since January 2009;Director of Junior Clerkship from 1995-1998; Associate Director of Residencyfrom 1998-2005; Director of ResidencyTraining 2005-2009 in Psychiatry andBehavioral Health. His research interestsare in the pharmacologic treatment ofbipolar disorders, schizophrenia andpsychiatric education.Elizabeth Ashworth, MD, Fel ’91, washired at Hays Medical Center in Hays,Kan., as a cardiothoracic and vascularsurgeon in January 2011. She willperform many types of heart procedures,including bypass, valve and lungsurgeries. Dr. Ashworth comes to Haysfrom Indianapolis but practiced as a heartsurgeon in Wichita, Kan., in the early1990s.Bhavna Sheth, MD ’92, GME ’96, waselected a member-elect of the AmericanBoard of Ophthalmology’s Board ofDirectors. She will serve a four-year termon the board beginning in 2012. She hasserved the board previously as anexaminer for the oral board exam, amentor for new oral board examiners andan item writer for the maintenance ofcertification exam. Dr. Sheth is Professorof Ophthalmology at The MedicalCollege of Wisconsin.Mahadevappa Mahesh, PhD, MS ’94,was recently interviewed about airportscanners by various newspapers and TVstations, including PBS and Voice ofAmerica. His book, MDCT Physics: TheBasics – Technology, Image Quality andRadiation Dose, which was published in2009, is now translated into Japanese andbeing published by Medical SciencesInternational, LTD, in Tokyo.Larry Bucshon, MD, Fel ’95 (R-IN),took office in January in the U.S. Houseof Representatives – 112th Congress. Hespent his career specializing incardiothoracic surgery and has performedhundreds of heart surgeries. He has beenPresident of Ohio Valley HeartCare inEvansville, Ind., and serves as Chief ofCardiothoracic Surgery and MedicalDirector of the open heart recoveryintensive care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital,also in Evansville.Manish J. Gharia, MD ’96, GME ’01,currently practices Mohs micrographicsurgery with Madison Medical Affiliatesin Milwaukee. He is Associate ClinicalProfessor of Dermatology at The MedicalCollege of Wisconsin and also theDirector of Dermatologic Surgery at theClement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center.He is the outgoing President of theWisconsin Dermatological Society,dermatology representative to theWisconsin Medical Society.Judy E. Kim, MD, GME ’96, receivedthe Senior Achievement Award from theAmerican Academy of Ophthalmology(AAO). The award is given to individualswho make exceptional contributions tothe academy as an instructor, presenter,by serving on committees, and byassisting in other academy efforts. Shewas also chosen to give the inauguralDong Shin Memorial Lecture at the 2010Korean-American OphthalmologicalSociety meeting, held in conjunction withthe AAO’s annual meeting. Dr. Kim isProfessor of Ophthalmology at TheMedical College of Wisconsin.2000sDarcy Lesniak (Fechner), MD ’00,GME ’03, married Dan Lesniak on Aug.13, 2010. She continues to practicepediatrics in Germantown, Wis.Dean Olson, MD ’00, is attendingWright State University in Dayton, Ohio,where he is completing a NASAALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011 19

ALUMNI NOTESAerospace Medicine residency andmasters program.Sarah C. Campbell, MD ’01, GME ’04,has been practicing with Affinity HealthSystem in Appleton, Wis., as apediatrician since October 2008,following fulfillment of her four-yearNational Health Service Corpscommitment. She is actively involvedwith the Wisconsin chapter of theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics. Sheand her husband, Ben, welcomed theirdaughter, Stella, in January 2010. Theyalso have two other children, Mason andSadie.Nicholas Laffely, MD ’01, aninterventional cardiologist, has beenappointed to the medical staff of CentralMaine Medical Center, in Lewiston,Maine, on the Heart and VascularInstitute team. He recently served as acardiologist and research fellow atDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center inLebanon, N.H., and completed aresidency in internal medicine atWashington University/Barnes-JewishHospital. He did metabolism and lipidresearch as a fellow at the WashingtonUniversity School of Medicine in St.Louis, Mo. Dr. Laffely is a Fellow of theAmerican College of Cardiology.Samantha Hill, MD ’03, Fel ’10, wasappointed Assistant Professor ofDermatology at The Medical College ofWisconsin and to the medical staff ofChildren’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Dr.Hill came to The Medical College as apediatric dermatology fellow in 2009after completing residencies at St. LouisUniversity Hospital and NationwideChildren’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.She specializes in the treatment ofhyperhidrosis.Mark Kromer, MD ’03, recentlycompleted a six-month tour of duty atBagram Air Force Base in Afghanistanwith the U.S. Air Force. In addition to histreatment of soldiers’ war-related injuries,he was also involved with outpatientsurgery for people in the Afghancommunity. In November, he returned tohis home base in Landstuhl, Germany.Dr. Kromer completed his residency atTravis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif.,and the University of California Davis.James LaBelle, MD ’03, PhD ’01, apediatric hematologist/oncologist iscurrently an instructor in pediatrics atHarvard Medical School and an attendingphysician at Children’s Hospital Bostonand the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute inBoston, Mass.Melissa M. Agoudemos, MD ’04, PhD’02, has joined the faculty at SouthernIllinois UniversitySchool of Medicineas Assistant Professorof Pediatrics,specializing inpediatric cardiology.She was recruited aspart of St. John’sChildren’s Hospital,a joint endeavor ofSIU and St. John’s Hospital inSpringfield. In 2010, Dr. Agoudemosfinished a three-year fellowship inpediatric cardiology at the University ofIowa Children’s Hospital in Iowa City,where she also completed her pediatricresidency in 2007.M. Todd Burtis, MD ’04, recentlybecame a staff radiologist at WilliamBeaumont Army Medical Center in FortBliss, Texas. He completed his residencyat Tripler Army Medical Center inHonolulu, Hawaii, in diagnosticradiology in 2010.Marty Muntz, MD, GME ’04, wasnamed the 2010 Young Internist of theYear by the Wisconsin Chapter of theAmerican College of Physicians. Theaward recognizes outstandingcontributions to patient care and medicaleducation. It was presented atWisconsin’s ACP annual meeting inSeptember 2010. He has also received theMedical College Department ofMedicine’s Top Ten Teaching Award andthe Edward J. Lennon Endowed ClinicalTeacher Award. Dr. Muntz is AssistantProfessor of Medicine (General InternalMedicine) at The Medical College ofWisconsin. His educational work hasfocused on ambulatory medicine andfourth-year students.Ami Talati, MD ’04, is currentlypracticing allergy and immunology in aprivate practice with Oak BrookAllergists in Oak Brook, Ill.Richard Pretorius, MD, MPH ’05, hasbeen appointed Professor and Chair ofthe Department of Family Medicine atWright State University BoonshoftSchool of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. Hepreviously served as Associate Professorof Family Medicine at the StateUniversity of New York at Buffalo. Dr.Pretorius earned the Innovation Award inMedical Education from the Associationof American Medical Colleges in 2009.He publishes and presents extensively inthe areas of medical education, ruralmedicine and family medicine.Kelly (Chmielewski) Milewski, MD’06, and Christopher Milewski welcomedtheir first child, Anthony Christopher, onDec. 16, 2010. He weighed 7 pounds,5.5 ounces, and was 20 inches long.Robert Jeremy Nichols, PhD ’06,recently joined The Parkinson’s Instituteand Clinical Center in Sunnyvale, Calif.Dr. Nichols previously completed postdoctoraltraining at the Medical ResearchCouncil Protein Phosphorylation Unit inDundee, Scotland, which is known for itswork on signal transduction by kinases.Dr. Nichols’ research focuses on LeucineRich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2), in whichinherited mutations have been shown tocause Parkinson’s disease. He is workingto understand the molecular role ofLRRK2 to develop therapies that preventdisease onset.Laurel Slaughter, MD, GME ’06, andher husband, Jon Slaughter, MD,announce the recent birth of theirdaughter, Greta Claire. The Drs.Slaughter are both pediatric specialists onThe Ohio State University medical faculty.Herman Dave, MD ’07, will begin amusculoskeletal radiology fellowship in2012 after completing his radiologyresidency at St. Luke’s Medical Center inMilwaukee.Abigail Deyo, MD’07, GME ’10, wasappointed AssistantProfessor of Medicine(General InternalMedicine) at TheMedical College ofWisconsin and to themedical staff ofFroedtert Hospital.Katarzyna (Kasia) Broniowska, PhD’08, received the Edward J. Lennon, MDAward for Outstanding WomanPostdoctoral Researcher at the fourthannual Women Pioneers in Researchawards held in October 2010. The awardis part of The Medical College ofWisconsin’s annual Women in Scienceseries. Dr. Broniowska is a postdoctoralfellow in the Medical College’sDepartment of Biophysics.20 ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011

IN MEMORIAMMelissa DuBois, MD, GME ’09, wasappointed Assistant Professor ofRadiology at The Medical College ofWisconsin and to the medical staff ofFroedtert Hospital. She completed afellowship in musculoskeletal radiologyand has been an instructor at TheMedical College of Wisconsin since2009.Gregory Thom, MD ’09, and Lisa(Rhyner) Thom, MD ’09, announce thebirth of their daughter, Amelia Ruth, onDec. 7, 2010. Gregory is a resident ingeneral surgery and Lisa is a resident inpsychiatry, both at the University ofCalifornia Irvine.Amy Guise, MD,GME ’10, wasappointed AssistantProfessor of Urologyat The MedicalCollege of Wisconsinand to the medicalstaff of FroedtertHospital. Dr. Guisespecializes in treatment of kidney stones.Catharine D. Malmsten, MD, Fel ’10,was appointed Assistant Professor ofMedicine(Cardiovascular) atThe Medical Collegeof Wisconsin and tothe medical staff atFroedtert Hospital.During hercardiology fellowshipat the MedicalCollege, she servedas chair of the Underrepresented inMedicine Housestaff Committee. Herclinical interests include women andcardiovascular disease, preventivecardiology, oncocardiology, coronaryartery disease and heart failure.Oleg (Alec) Vishnevsky, MD ’10, iscurrently training in the emergencymedicine/internal medicine residencyprogram at Hennepin County MedicalCenter in Golden Valley, Minn.mcw.edu EXTRAThanks to all who completed the2010 alumnireadership survey.A summary of theresults is availableat mcw.edu/alumnisurveyresults.ALUMNI NEWS accepts andpublishes obituaries of MedicalCollege of Wisconsin,Marquette School of Medicine,and Marquette UniversitySchool of Medicine alumni.James H. Habermann, MD ’52, ofJoplin, Mo., died Oct. 9, 2010, ofprostate cancer. He was 84 years old.After high school, he served nearly fouryears in the U.S. Army, and wasdischarged with the rank of 1stLieutenant, Airborne Infantry. Soon aftercompleting his internship in Milwaukee,he moved back to his hometown of Mt.Calvary, Wis., and joined in a familypractice with his family doctor. He laterserved as a pathologist on the staff atMercy Hospital in Fort Dodge, Colo.,after moving there in 1960 for aresidency program. He went on tobecome the first President of the Boardof Directors for the newly formed TrinityRegional Hospital there. He also servedat Freeman Hospital and St. John’sRegional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo.Dr. Habermann was an Emeritus Fellowin both the College of AmericanPathologists and the American Society ofClinical Pathologists. He retired in 1991because of a cancer diagnosis. He issurvived by his wife, Helen, five childrenand 10 grandchildren.Robert J. McNamara, MD ’54, ofOakland, Calif., died May 15, 2010. Hewas 81 years old. Dr. McNamara servedin the U.S. Air Force and also practicedas a dermatologist in the Oakland, Calif.area for many years. He served asPresident of the Pacific DermatologicAssociation and was a former Professorof Medicine at Stanford University.Nathan Hilrich, MD, GME ’55, ofThiensville, Wis., died Dec. 3, 2010. Hewas 85 years old. Dr. Hilrich served inthe military as a medic during World WarII. He worked as an OB/GYN for morethan 40 years in the Milwaukee area. Hewas part of the University of WisconsinMedical Alumni Association and servedas its secretary. Dr. Hilrich traveledthroughout the country, racing his car,and was a member of the Porsche Clubof America. He is survived by his wife,Ruth, two children and twograndchildren.Gennaro Licosati, MD ’56, ofScottsdale, Ariz., died Oct. 6, 2010. Hewas 79 years old. He practiced medicinein Phoenix for 50 years, where he was aChief of Staff of Doctor’s Hospital andthe Medical Director and Chief of Stafffor the Sacred Heart Home for the Aged.He was a past president of the ArizonaAcademy of Family Physicians ofMaricopa County and a member of boththe state and county medical societies.Dr. Licosati is survived by his wife,Margaret, six children and 16grandchildren.Albert A. Nemcek Sr., MD ’56, MS ’54,of Brookfield, Wis., died Oct. 26, 2010.A radiologist, Dr. Nemcek was 83 yearsold.Frederic G. Haessly, MD ’57, died Nov.29, 2010. He was 77 years old. Dr.Haessly served as a captain in the U.S.Army Medical Corps. He practicedmedicine in Juneau, Wis., for about 30years and was the Medical Director ofthe Dodge County Nursing Home andMental Health Center. After retirement in1991, Dr. Haessly moved to Deming,N.M. He enjoyed exploring the desertand discovered the most intactColumbian mammoth tusks ever found inNew Mexico. In 2010, he moved back toWauwatosa, Wis. He is survived by hiswife, Barbara, two children and fourgrandchildren.Patricia Hermann, MD ’58, MPH, ofHendersonville, N.C., died Dec. 18,2010. She was 77 years old. She initiatedan active surveillance program for AIDScases in Columbia, S.C., in 1987 thatimproved the amount of AIDS casesreported from 40 to 90 percent in onlythree years. In 1990, she worked parttimeadministering an epidemiologystudy designed by the Center for DiseaseControl to gather information on peoplewith HIV/AIDS to design betterprevention programs. She enjoyedpainting and genealogy. After retirement,she and her husband, Elmer, traveledextensively in Europe and Africa. She issurvived by Elmer.Bruce R. Bogost, MD ’59, GME ’71,died Oct. 31, 2010, at his home inHighland, Calif. He was 78 years old. Dr.Bogost practiced psychiatry for nearly 50years. He is survived by five children andfive grandchildren. He was preceded indeath by a son.ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011 21

IN MEMORIAMJohn F. Wegryn, MD ’59, of Akron,Ohio, died June 1, 2010. He was 76 yearsold. Dr. Wegryn served at NortheasternOhio Universities Colleges of Medicineand Pharmacy, working as an AssistantProfessor of Urology and Chief ofUrology Staff at Summa St. ThomasHospital in Akron, Ohio, for 20 years,where he was also the Vice President ofthe medical staff. He received Summa’sPhysician Recognition Award in 1999.Dr. Wegryn was also a Diplomat of theAmerican Board of Urology. He enjoyedfishing, golfing and dinner with friends.He is survived by his wife, Terry, threechildren and eight grandchildren.Dean M. Harms, MD, GME ’75, ofAmes, Iowa, died Aug. 15, 2010. He was67 years old. He practiced generalophthalmology in Ames for 35 years. Dr.Harms was a member and served on theBoard of Councilors of the AmericanAcademy of Ophthalmology and heldleadership positions in the Iowa Academyof Ophthalmology, the Story CountyMedical Society, and the Ames MorningRotary Club. He was also a member ofCollegiate United Methodist Church inAmes. Dr. Harms volunteered at theCentral Christian Ophthalmology Clinicin Honduras, where he did eye surgeryand helped establish the L.D. PerryMemorial Scholarship Fund. He enjoyedgardening, traveling and fishing. He issurvived by his wife, Mary, three childrenand three grandchildren.Douglas Loberg, MD ’75, of Peoria, Ill.,died Dec. 8, 2010, at his home. He was61 years old. Dr. Loberg joined theAssociated Anesthesiologists, SC inPeoria, Ill., in 1986, and served on theexecutive committee, including asPresident from 1994-1995. He was on thestaffs of St. Francis Medical Center,Proctor Hospital (where he was theChairman of the Department ofAnesthesia), St. James Hospital and theCenter for Health, all in Peoria, Ill. Dr.Loberg was a member of the IllinoisSociety of Anesthesiologists, theAmerican Society of Anesthesiologists,the American Medical Association andthe Illinois Medical Association. He wasa Fellow of the American College ofAnesthesiology and the American Boardof Anesthesiology. He was an EagleScout and served as Scout Master formany years. He was honored as an adultfor his service to the Boy Scouts withprestigious awards. Since 1992, he servedas the diocesan chairman of the CatholicCommittee on Scouting. He is survivedby his wife, Vicky, and two children.Robert C. Maglio, MD ’75, GME ’87,of Milwaukee, died Dec. 9, 2010. He was61 years old. During his career, Dr.Maglio made significant contributions inthe research areas of smoking cessationand upper respiratory tract infections. Dr.Maglio practiced for many years with theHenry Ford Health System at the MedicalCollege of Ohio and specialized inemergency medicine and pulmonarydisease. He also practiced in theEmergency Department at the Clement J.Zablocki VA Medical Center inMilwaukee. In 2005, he became anAssistant Professor of General InternalMedicine at The Medical College ofWisconsin, a position he held until hisdeath. He was a member of the AmericanCollege of Physicians, the AmericanCollege of Emergency Physicians, theAmerican Sleep Disorders Association,and was a Fellow of the AmericanCollege of Chest Physicians. Dr. Magliohad a passion for sailing and was amember of the South Shore Yacht Club.He was also an avid reader and lovedhistory, swimming, cycling and theoutdoors. He is survived by his wife,Barbara, and two children.Mark A. Hansen, MD ’79, of Madison,Wis., died Dec. 18, 2010. He was 57years old. He practiced medicine at theDean Clinic-East in Madison. He enjoyedtraveling and photography, and was afitness enthusiast. He volunteered hismedical services to local high schoolathletic programs and to the SpecialOlympics.Dennis A. Sobczak, MD ’86, of ElmGrove, Wis., died Dec. 10, 2010. He was49 years old. He practiced Obstetrics andGynecology for more than 20 years. Heis survived by his life partner, Terre M.Borkovec, MD ’84, and three children.Kayoko Ishizuka, PhD ’10, of Tampa,Fla., died Sept. 25, 2010, when she wasstruck in a hit-and-run by a motor vehiclewhile biking home from the molecularscience laboratory in which she worked.Dr. Ishizuka had recently moved toTampa for an interim postdoctoralfellowship at the University of SouthFlorida, studying the genetic basis ofcancer. She was an avid cyclist, riding atall hours in all kinds of weather. Dr.Ishizuka was a native of Japan, where herfamily resides.Other specialremembrancesJoseph A. Beres, MD, died Nov. 18,2010. He was 82 years old. Dr. Beresjoined the Marquette University Schoolof Medicine faculty in 1964 as anAssistant Professor of Medicine andDirector of Ambulatory Services atMilwaukee County General Hospital. Hebecame Associate Professor of Medicine(Nephrology) in 1968 and continued hiswork on The Medical College ofWisconsin faculty for several decades,also serving as Assistant Director ofMedical Services at the MilwaukeeCounty Medical Complex from 1969-1994. Dr. Beres dedicated his entireprofessional career to the development ofthe Medical College’s Division ofNephrology and to helping patients withkidney failure requiring dialysis. Helearned to do percutaneous needle renalbiopsies when they were first described,eventually conducting more than 3,000 ofthem, helping to set the standard for theprocedure in Southeastern Wisconsin. Hewas an instrumental figure in establishinga chronic dialysis and kidney transplantprogram at County, which later wastransferred to Froedtert Hospital. Inaddition, he served nearly 40 years withthe U.S. Navy and U.S. Army, beginningwith the Korean Conflict and ending withOperation Desert Storm. He is survivedby his wife, Vivian, three sons and twograndsons.Joanna Spiro, EdD, died Dec. 24, 2010,of breast cancer. She was 75 years old.Dr. Spiro was aformer facultymember in theDepartment ofPsychiatry andBehavioral Medicineat The MedicalCollege of Wisconsin.She began her careerat the Medical College of Wisconsin in1976 as an Assistant Professor, andretired in 1999 as an Associate Professor.She continued as a volunteer clinicalfaculty member at the Medical Collegeuntil 2007. She was a highly regardedteacher and developed a nationallyrecognized peer counseling program formedical students. She is survived by herthree children and grandchildren.22 ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011

ON THE RADARMedical College’sAnnual Report featurespersonalized medicineThe 2010 Medical College ofWisconsin Annual Report andHonor Roll is now available toalumni online or in print uponrequest.This year’s annual reportpresents “The Promise ofPersonalized Medicine.”Personalized medicine refersto an emerging era in medicalpractice in which informationabout a person’s genes,proteins and environment willbe used to prevent, diagnoseand treat disease. The time isapproaching for the nextgenerations when physicianswill be able to tailor medicalcare to an individual’s specificgenetic code. The promise isthat diseases can be treatedmore effectively or preventedaltogether.Medical College scientistsand physicians are nationallyrecognized as leaders in theresearch of genes andproteins and applications topatient care. The reporthighlights their work.View the annual report onlineat www.mcw.edu/publicaffairsor request a printed copy bycontacting Cheri by phone at(414) 955-4736, or by e-mailat csaathoff@mcw.edu.ALUMNI EVENTSAlumni receptionOshkosh areaApril 6, 2011Alumni dinnersMinneapolis/St. Paul areaMay 3, 2011LaCrosse areaMay 4, 2011Alumni luncheonRochester, Minn.May 4, 2011Specialty receptionsAmerican College of PhysiciansSan Diego, Calif.April 7, 2011Alumni AssociationBoard meetingsApril 29, 2011Symposium forSenior PhysiciansMay 19, 2011Alumni ScholarshipGolf ClassicAug. 15, 2011For more information aboutalumni events, contact theOffice of Alumni Relations by:Phone: (414) 955-4781E-mail: alumni@mcw.eduInternet: www.mcw.edu/alumni2011 ALUMNI WEEKENDApril 29-30, 2011Friday2011 Alumni Banquet at the Pfister Hotel,including recognition of reunion class gifts andpresentation of Alumnus of the Year, DistinguishedService Award, Honorary Alumnus Award, andHumanitarian Award.Special tables are reserved for the followingclasses celebrating reunions: 1946, 1951, 1956,1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996 and2001.SaturdayContinental BreakfastSpouses’ Tour – Milwaukee Art MuseumScientific ProgramPresident’s Luncheon – with Presidentand CEO John R. Raymond, Sr., MDGuided Tours – of the Medical CollegeEstate Planning SeminarSpecial Class Dinners and Events –taking place in the eveningCLASS OF 196150-YEAR REUNIONMay 20-21, 2011FridayCommencement ceremony and recognition of the50-year graduates – Milwaukee TheatreBuffet Dinner – Pfister HotelSaturdayClass Brunch – Pfister HotelPresident’s Dinner – Medical College ofWisconsinALUMNI NEWS Spring 2011 23

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. PostagePAIDMilwaukee, WisconsinPermit No. 34318701 Watertown Plank RoadP.O. Box 26509Milwaukee, WI•53226-0509414-955-4781alumni@mcw.eduRETURN SERVICE REQUESTEDMake new memories...Alumni Weekend 2011April 29-30Milwaukee, Wis....with old friendsSee page 23 for more information