dean’s from the desk - robert wood johnson medical...

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Dean’sDeskFrom the

In December, Brian L. Strom, MD,

MPH, a renowned epidemiologist, teacher, and

clinician, and longtime academic leader, became the

inaugural chancellor of Rutgers Biomedical and

Health Sciences.

Dr. Strom, who had been the George S. Pepper

Professor of Public Health and Preventive Medicine,

professor of biostatistics and epidemiology, professor

of medicine, and professor of pharmacology, and

executive vice dean for institutional affairs at the

University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of

Medicine, established Perelman’s program in clinical

epidemiology and biostatistics and is a founder of

the field of pharmacoepidemiology—the application

of epidemiologic methods to the study of drug use

and effects.

He developed a university-wide program in global

health and was instrumental in founding the Inter-

national Clinical Epidemiology Network, which helps

clinical faculty in developing nations better under-

stand the impact of disease and improve the health

of their fellow citizens. Dr. Strom worked to

strengthen clinical care, research, and leadership

within the Penn-affiliated Philadelphia Veterans

Affairs Medical Center and maintained a primary

care practice as a general internist. He holds a BS

in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale

University, a MD from the Johns Hopkins University

School of Medicine, and a MPH in epidemiology from

the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Strom was

elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National

Academy of Sciences in 2001.

Dr. Strom Serves as Inaugural Chancellor of Rutgers Biomedicaland Health Sciences

Messagefrom the Dean

We were pleased to welcome

Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH, on his visit

to our campus this fall, as he toured the

medical school and spoke with faculty.

In December, Dr. Strom became the inau-

gural chancellor of biomedical and health

sciences, with responsibility for the 14

schools under the umbrella of the new

Rutgers Biomedical and Health

Sciences.

Dr. Strom’s arrival is the next exciting

step in our integration with Rutgers, the

State University of New Jersey, a

process that is going extremely well.

We expect continuing excellence and new

growth in all of our programs, as collabo-

rations with our Rutgers colleagues evolve.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy

holiday season!

Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhDDean

Earlier this year, Peter S.Amenta, MD, PhD, dean, pro-posed Conversations with the

Dean, a series of informative dia-logues with community physicians.

“The Conversations are basedon the town halls held with ourregular faculty and are a direct result of ourstrategic plan, which calls for improving com-

munications within the medicalschool and enhancing ties to thecommunity,” says Dr. Amenta.“Volunteer faculty fall into bothcategories: they teach our studentsand residents and care for patientsthroughout the region.”

Dr. Amenta has used the meet-ings to inform community physicians about

—Continued on page 2

Dr. Amenta Initiates Meetings with Community Physicians

Joh

n Em

erson

December 2013/January 2014

Nick Rom

anenko

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Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH

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Welcoming134 first-year students to the White Coat

Ceremony, Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD, dean,

described the event as “both exciting and historic.”

Among the day’s firsts: medical students received

white coats embroidered with “Rutgers Robert Wood

Johnson Medical School.” Deans—or in

some cases alumni and faculty parents—

helped the students into the new coats.

At the same ceremony, 24 current

medical students were inducted into the

Gold Humanism Honor Society, which recognizes

students who have demonstrated outstanding

clinical and interpersonal skills.

Keynote speaker, Becky Quick, co-anchor of CNBC’s

“Squawk Box” and former editor-in-chief of the

Rutgers Targum, said, “Thank you for choosing this

path; we need you.” Ms. Quick described doctors who

made house calls and took a personal interest in her

brother, who suffered traumatic brain injuries when

a car struck him while he was riding his bicycle.

“Doctors do so much more than heal your body,

they reach you on so many levels,” she said.

Medical Students Don Rutgers White Coats at Opening Ceremony

T he Class of 2017, the first class of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson

Medical School, consists of 134 students.Fifty-four percent are women and 31 per-cent are graduates of Rutgers University.Fifty-three percent are natives of New Jersey, and 19 percent were born abroad,in 15 different countries. The class includes four new MD/PhD students.

Profile of the Class of 2017

Pediatric ENTs Join Department of Surgery

Michael Chee, MD, assistant professor of surgery, and Kelvin M.

Kwong, MD, assistantprofessor of surgery, recently joined the faculty.Both physicians are fellowship-trained in pediatric otolaryngologyand will provide a compre-hensive range of services atRutgers Robert Wood

Johnson Medical

Group’s Somerset officesand The Bristol-MyersSquibb Children’s Hospitalat Robert Wood Johnson

University Hospital. Fewer than three dozen pediatric otolaryngology fellowship programsexist nationwide.

Dr. Amenta InitiatesMeetings with Community Physicians

—Continued from page 1

details of institutional growth such as the in-tegration with Rutgers and the proposedstrategic plan. He has enjoyed the opportu-nity to get to know the volunteer faculty andothers better and address the issues ofgreatest importance to them. “It’s a tremen-dous opportunity,” he says. "Not only do themeetings help keep the community abreastof what’s going on at the medical school,they help us in terms of appointments andannual recognition of volunteer faculty.”

Photos: Steve Hockstein

Top: The Class of 2017 recites the Hippocratic

Oath at the White Coat Ceremony. � Inset left:

Becky Quick, co-anchor of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,”

was the keynote speaker at the White Coat

Ceremony. � Above: Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD, dean (left)

and Becky Quick, (far right) congratulate student.

Michael Chee, MD

Kelvin M.Kwong, MD

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IT Fellows’ Experience Will Advance Patient Care

T he Office of the National Coordinator for HealthInformation Technology announced that Frank

Sonnenberg, MD, professor of medicine andmedical director of clinical information systems,Robert Wood Johnson Medical Group, was amember of its inaugural class of Health IT fellows.

The fellows’ viewpoints areinformed by their roles as of-fice staff, clinicians, and ad-ministrators, as well as theirdifferent clinical backgrounds,specialty training, and practicelocation. Each fellow has taken

meaningful IT and leveraged it to make his or herpractice more efficient and innovative.

Health IT.gov featured Dr. Sonnenberg’s “SuccessStory” about the integration of electronic healthrecords (EHR) in the medical group’s 40 specialtypractices. Two efforts were key to group-wide imple-mentation of EHR: with full support from the group’sleadership, he ensured that clinicians led the way inadopting EHR. Second, he headed the drive to im-prove adherence to recording smoking status in theEHR and was able to demonstrate a year later thatpatients had directly benefited from the effort.

Division Offers Comprehensive InternationalTravel Program

The International Travel Program, a serviceof the division of infectious diseases, allergy, and

immunology, offers counseling, immunizations, andprophylaxis in preparation for international travel.

The program stocks and dispenses all licensed im-munizations, including yellow fever vaccination, andprovides an International Certificate of Vaccination,a complete immunization record. It offers detailed, itinerary-specific counseling, including prescriptionsfor malaria prophylaxis and advice about traveler'sdiarrhea, insect bites, and altitude and motion sick-ness. It offers immunizations for people of all ages,taking into account the special needs of children andolder travelers with underlying medical conditions.

Travelers may schedule appointments withphysicians in the New Brunswick, Monroe, orPrinceton offices by calling 732-235-7060.

News

ToHave and to Hold: Maternal Safety and

the Delivery of Safe Patient Care took place on

November 6, with almost 300 people in

attendance. The event was sponsored by

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical

School, the Tara Hansen Foundation, and

Robert Wood Johnson University

Hospital, with support by an educational grant

from the Tara Hansen Foundation.

Every year in the United States, almost 1,000

women die of pregnancy-related complications,

while severe maternal morbidity affects approxi-

mately 52,000 women each year, according to

studies reported in Obstetrics and Gynecology

and by the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC). The U.S. mortality ratio is

higher than in most developing countries,

and the CDC expects the numbers of severe

maternal complications and mortality to

increase, based on these trends.

This in-depth conference provided informa-

tion on ways to reverse these trends and reduce

the devastating statistics using evidence-based

standards of patient-centered care that support

maternal safety and promote prevention of

perinatal morbidity and mortality.

Conference Addressed Issues of Maternal Health

Above: Speakers at “To Have and to Hold” conference (left to right): Bonnie Baloga-Altieri, vice president,patient care services and chief nursing officer, Children’s Specialized Hospital; Charletta A. Ayers,MD, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, andreproductive sciences; Frank A. Chervenak, MD, GivenFoundation Professor and chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College; Ryan Hansen, Gloria A. Bachmann, MMS’72, MD, professor and interim chair, Department ofObstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences.

Frank Sonnenberg,MDJohn Em

erson

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Melvyn H. MotolinskyFoundation Honors Dr. Rabson

T he Melvyn H. Motolinsky Foundation pre-sented its Distinguished Service Award to

Arnold B. Rabson, MD, director, Child HealthInstitute of New Jersey and Laura GallagherEndowed Professor of Developmental Biology,and professor of pediatrics, pharmacology,and pathology and laboratory medicine.

The foundation has supported several ini-tiatives at the medical school. They include theMelvyn H. Motolinsky Laboratory for Hematol-ogy Research; the Melvyn and Abraham Mo-tolinsky Fellowship, a permanently endowedfellowship that supports a postdoctoral hema-tology researcher; and the Melvyn, Ab andYetta Motolinsky Chair in Hematology. In ad-dition to its recognition of Dr. Rabson, theMotolinsky Foundation honored the lateParvin Saidi, MD, professor of medicine,and director, Motolinsky Hematology Labora-tory, who first held the Motolinsky Chair ofHematology, and Norman Reitman, MD,clinical professor of medicine, a founder andformer chair of the Motolinsky Foundationand former governor of the Board of Trusteesof Rutgers University.

The Boggs Center on Developmental

Disabilities celebrated its 30th anniversary with a

highly successful colloquium, The Power of Listening

in Building a Valued Future. “We discovered our

theme by looking at our history,” says Deborah

M. Spitalnik, PhD, professor of

pediatrics and executive director,

The Boggs Center. “We realized how

much we had learned to guide our

work by listening to people with

disabilities and the families who care

for them.”

Speakers and presenters ranged

from family caregivers telling their

stories, to national colleagues, recog-

nizing the accomplishments of The

Boggs Center as a University Center

for Excellence in Developmental

Disabilities Education, Research, and

Service. Throughout the program,

members of The Boggs Center’s

Writers Group for Family

Caregivers read their poems and

reflections, a deeply moving part of the colloquium.

The colloquium also celebrated the 100th

anniversary of the birth of Elizabeth M. Boggs,

PhD, the formative leader in the field of develop-

mental disabilities for whom the center is named.

Boggs Center Marks 30th Anniversary with Colloquium on “Listening”

T he National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently recognized the Eric B. Chandler Health Center

as a Level 2 Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). The NCQA established the recognition system to measure primary care delivery and encourage improvement. Sandra Adams, executivedirector, Chandler Health Center, says that Chandler earned Level2 recognition by demonstrating the ability to meet the program’skey elements of the medical home. Leading the extraordinaryteam effort were Steven Levin, MD, associate professor of family medicine and community health, and medical director,Chandler Health Center, and Beverly O’Shea, MSN, RNC, AE-C, nursing director.

The PCMH program expedites partnerships between individualpatients and their personal physicians, and, when appropriate,the patient’s family. It provides practices with clear and specificcriteria that assist in organizing care around patients, working inteams, and coordinating and tracking care over time. Informationtechnology and health information exchange are among theprocesses that ensure that patients receive indicated care whenand where they need and want it, in a culturally and linguisticallyappropriate manner.

National Organization Recognizes Quality of Care at Chandler Health Center

Community HealthJohn Em

ersonArnold B. Rabson, MD

Above: The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities staff celebrated the 30th anniversary of thecenter at the colloquium, “The Power ofListening in Building a Valued Future.”Deborah M. Spitalnik, PhD (first row,third from left), professor of pediatrics, is the director of The Boggs Center.

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Dr. Scholz Retires after 30-Year Career at theMedical School

Peter M. Scholz, MD, James W. MackenzieProfessor of Surgery, retired on September 1,

after 30 years on the faculty. Dr. Scholz served fouryears as chief of the section of cardiac surgery andfive years as chief of the division of cardiothoracicsurgery. Of his many achievements, however, hefeels most proud of the thoracic surgery residencytraining program, which he helped establish andled for 15 years—the last 12 as director. The pro-gram trained 20 cardiothoracic surgeons, withmany going into academic medicine and becominginnovators and leaders in the field.

Dr. Scholz, a physician-scientist, served since2010 as associate dean for clinical and transla-tional research. His research, which he will pursuein retirement, focuses on the development andtreatment of cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac fail-ure on a cellular level. Supported since 1988 bythe National Institutes of Health, it has resulted in134 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

He hopes to team up with a multinational simu-lation company to develop innovative educationaltools for training in procedure-oriented specialties.The goal is to use reality computer technology toshorten the learning curve for trainees and im-prove quality of care and patient safety.

News

Since 2009, 25 members of the

faculty have participated in an interdisciplinary

leadership series developed and run by the

Rutgers Office for the Promotion of

Women in Science, Technology, and

Mathematics. The Objective Analysis of Self

and Institution Seminar (OASIS), an intensive,

weeklong program, is designed to accelerate

the career development and advancement

of academic women in science, technology,

engineering, and mathematics—including

social and health science fields. Participants

tend to be emerging leaders at different levels

in their field. MDs as well as PhDs, they con-

tribute diverse experience in research, patient

care, education, and the physical sciences.

“OASIS reflects the current effort of the

AAMC [Association of American Medical

Colleges] to bring women forward in leadership

roles,” says David Swee, MD, professor of

family medicine and community health and

associate dean for faculty

affairs and faculty develop-

ment.

Lisa Denzin, PhD,

associate professor of

pediatrics and member,

Child Health Institute of New Jersey, participated

in OASIS in the spring of 2013. The program

combines lectures, peer-mentoring workshops,

and one-on-one coaching, making it extremely

effective, says Dr. Denzin, who particularly

enjoyed the small group discussions with women

who had faced similar challenges and found

novel solutions.

Women Scientists, Emerging as Leaders, Benefit from OASIS

The newly established Center for

Peripheral Neuropathy offers comprehensive,

specialized assessment, therapy, and counseling

to patients suffering from peripheral neuropathy

(PN). The condition is usually caused by toxic

metabolic disturbances that damage the periph-

eral nervous system. Diabetes causes approxi-

mately 60 percent of about 20 million cases of

PN in the U.S. Peripheral neuropathy may also

stem from nutritional deficiencies, autoimmune,

or drug/toxin-induced processes and can also

result from hereditary gene mutations.

The Department of Neurology created the

center as a single location where patients with

PN can be referred for advanced diagnosis,

symptom management, and remedial treatment.

Diagnosis is made using electromyography, nerve

conduction studies, skin biopsy, and spinal fluid

analysis, as well as autoantibody or gene testing.

“The first symptoms are often slight tingling,

numbness, or imbalance, often erroneously

attributed to back problems or simply old age,”

says the center’s director,

Shan Chen, MD, PhD,

assistant professor of

neurology. “Prompt

diagnosis and identifying

the etiologies are critically

important since, untreated, the condition will

generally progress, causing severe disability.”

Peripheral Neuropathy Center Provides Specialized Diagnosis and Treatment

T he Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is proud to report that the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings named the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation

Institute among the “Best Rehabilitation Hospitals in the Nation.” The institute was ranked third in New Jersey and number 14 in the New York metropolitan area. It ranked as number 17 nationwide in adult rehabilitation.

JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute Earns National Ranking

John EmersonPeter M. Sholz, MD

Shan Chen, MD, PhD

Steve Hockstein

Lisa Denzin, PhD

Steve Hockstein

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson

Medical School and Ernest MarioSchool of Pharmacy have developed adual-degree program combining a doctor-ate in pharmacy with a medical degree. The schools will launch the new PharmD/MD program within the coming year. “Thisnew program builds on an establishedfoundation of collaboration between our

two institutions,and we are partic-ularly indebted toDean JosephBarone for devis-ing and bringing itto fruition,” saysPeter S. Amenta

MD, PhD, dean. Health care

education professionals believe that thisprogram will be the first of its kind. Theyhope it will serve as a model to better prepare the experts who will drive nationalhealth care policy under the Affordable CareAct. To better train health care profes-sionals as leaders in policy, research,and clinical settings, the program willintegrate core instruction in basic andclinical sciences with clinical clerk-ships and rotations, says Dr. Amenta.It will provide students with a morecomplete understanding of both thediagnostic and treatment sides ofhealth care, with the ultimate goal of providing more comprehensive patient care. The 10-year PharmD/MDprogram is available only to studentsenrolled in the PharmD program atthe School of Pharmacy.

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As a middle school student, Barbara Andrews was skeptical when her principal told herthat she had been recommended for Rutgers

Future Scholars (RFS). The program, now in its fifthyear, annually selects 200, inner-city students as participants.

“This was the only opportu-nity I had,” Barbara says. So shecommitted to spending every

summer taking RFS classes—in which she wouldexcel—and learning from the program’s mentors and counselors. Last spring, the Piscataway High School senior learned that she had been accepted to Rutgers’ New Brunswick campus. Out of 200 seventh graders selected for RFS, she was one of 183 who will start college this fall—including 98who earned full scholarships to Rutgers.

Barbara is the second youngest of nine children of Lisa Andrews, a medical assistant in the division of urology. She had always assumed she couldn’t goto college because her family couldn’t afford it. “Barbara and her mother are cut from the same bolt of cloth,” says Joseph G. Barone, MD ’87,professor of surgery and surgeon-in-chief, Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital. “Lisa started with no certification and worked hard to earn it,while being mentored and supported at the medical school.”

Barbara Andrews, Rutgers Student, Benefited from College Prep Program

Schools Launch DualPharmD/MD Program

Education

� U.S. Army Specialist Kevin Parks ’15 was among 10 recipi-ents of the New Jersey Heroes “Heart of a Hero” Scholarship.Parks and two friends began RU-SERVS (Rutgers University-Services, Education and Resources for Veterans.)

� Louis Chai ’16, was selected as vice chair of the NationalCommunity Service Committee for the medical student section of the American Medical Association. In this position,he will run the National Service Project at the biannual national meetings, working with the chair of the committeeand other members.

Student Honors and Awards

� January 14: 26th Annual Career Night� 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. � Great Hall � Piscataway� Contact: [email protected]


Director: Patricia M. HansenEditor: Roberta RibnerWriters: Kate O’Neill � Jennifer ForbesArt Director: Barbara Walsh

Published by Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Part of Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyDepartment of Communications and Public Affairs

Save the Date

Saturday, April 12, 2014 � 6:30 pmThe Heldrich � New Brunswick

2014 Gala Award Recipients:

Meritorious Service Award: Eric B. Chandler Health Center

Distinguished Alumni Award: Jeffrey N. Bruce, MD ’83

Edgar M. Housepian Professor of NeurologicalSurgery, Vice Chair of Academic Affairs; Director, Bartoli Brain Tumor Research

Laboratory; Co-Director, Brain Tumor Center, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia

Honorary Alumni Award: Joseph R. Bertino, MD

University Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson

Medical School; Associate Director and Chief Scientific Officer, Rutgers Cancer

Institute of New Jersey

4th Annual

Scholarship

to Celebrate with Alumni and Friends

Joseph Barone

Nick Rom

anenko

Barbara Andrews

Courtesy of Lisa A

ndrews

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Alumni Association AwardsHippocrates Scholarship toAnousheh Shafa ’17

Jeffrey Brenner, MD ’95, was “simplystunned” to learn in an unexpected mid-after-

noon phone call that he had been named a Fellowof the MacArthur Foundation. Each 2013 fellow will receive a no-strings-attached, five-year, $625,000stipend, known informally as a “MacArthur geniusgrant,” to follow his or her own creative vision.

The award recognizes Dr. Brenner’s work in Camden as founder and executive director of theCamden Coalition of Healthcare Providers. Usingdata collected from the city’s public and privateproviders, the coalition identified the health care system’s small percentage of “superusers.” Each ofthese patients received a program of personalized,coordinated care that markedly improved theirhealth, reduced their health crises, and decreasedcosts to the system.

His work in Camden follows a logical trajectory.As a second-year medical student with a passion

for science and data, a gift for building collabora-tion, and a determination to develop young leader-ship, he co-founded HIPHOP (The Homelessand Indigent Population Health Outreach

Project) at Robert Wood Johnson Medical

School. This student-directed clinic for the med-ically underserved would serve as a model for thework he has done in Camden over the past 20years. “Now my goal is to continue bending thecost curve, to make Camden first in health care,”says Dr. Brenner. “The MacArthur award puts mo-mentum behind that effort.”

Jeffrey Brenner, MD ’95 Receives MacArthur “Genius” Award

Alumni

Steve Hockstein

Anousheh Shafa ’17

The Alumni Association awarded this year’sHippocrates Scholarship to Anousheh Shafa

’17, of Saddle Brook. The scholarship, annuallyawarded to a first-year student based on academicexcellence, provides $20,000 toward tuition eachyear.

Anousheh’s premedical studies began at theAcademy for Medical Science Technology, a magnethigh school in Bergen County. Anatomy and physiol-

ogy courses sparked an interest in neuroscienceand behavioral biology, her major at Emory University, where her honors thesis investigated thedevelopment of children’s chronological memory.

After graduation, Anousheh taught for Teachfor America in East Oakland, California, worked asan ER scribe in Paterson, and tutored science andmath. “It gave me a clearer idea of what I wantedto do,” she says. “I connected well with the innercity population and learned a lot from them. WhenI decided to return to medicine, I wanted to benear my family, at a school in an urban setting.”In visits to New Brunswick and Piscataway, shewas attracted to the medical school’s congenialenvironment, the range of students and programs,and “the Rutgers spirit.” At an admitted-students’reception last spring, she was astonished howmany people remembered her. “Then came thephone call from Dr. Terregino offering me the Hippocrates Scholarship,” says Anousheh. “And that clinched it.”

Jeffrey Brenner, MD ’95

Courtesy of the John D

. and Catherine T. M

acArthur Foundation

Dr. Chada Identifies Role of Gene in MetastaticBreast Cancer

A study, led by Kiran Chada, PhD, professorof biochemistry and molecular biology, shows

that metastasis in breast cancer and the risk ofdeath are reduced when thefunction of the gene HMGA2 islimited. This finding, publishedin Cancer Research, may beused to develop therapeutictreatments for patients. Only asubset of cancer cells in the pri-mary tumor is potentially

metastatic, says Dr. Chada, and these cells are foundat the edge of the tumor in a region known as theinvasive front. These potentially metastatic cells aredistinct in their appearance and molecular profile ascompared to the cells in the rest of the tumor.

Dr. Chada’s laboratory showed that normal cellsdo not express HMGA2, and the expression of thisgene product converts normal cells into metastaticcells. In additional research, the researchers showedthat mice unable to express the HMGA2 gene werefound to have a substantially reduced incidence ofbreast cancer. “Further studies could result in the de-velopment of therapeutic treatments for patientswith breast cancer, which could prevent HMGA2’sfunction, reduce the spread of cancer, and extend apatient’s life,” says Dr. Chada.

Kiran Chada, PhD

Steve Hockstein

Research

� The State of New Jersey Commission onSpinal Cord Research awarded a $600,000grant to Michael Matise, PhD, associateprofessor of neuroscience and cell biology, primary investigator of “The Role of the Shh inMediating the Response of Adult Spinal CordStem Cells to Injury.”

� The New Jersey Commission on Brain InjuryResearch awarded $360,000 to SmitaThakker-Varia, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience and cell biology, principal investigator of “Ephrin Signaling in Axon Regeneration for the Treatment of TBI.”Co-investigators on this project are JanetAlder, PhD, associate professor of neuro-science and cell biology, and Renping Zhou,PhD, professor and chair, Department ofChemical Biology, Rutgers Ernest MarioSchool of Pharmacy.

Grants:

NeuroNews, a London-based web site for neu-rointerventionists, featured an interview with

Shabbar Danish, MD ’01, assistant professor ofneurosurgery and director, stereotactic and functionalneurosurgery, published on August 30. Dr. Danishdiscussed promising preliminary results using mini-mally invasive laser ablation instead of open cran-iotomy to treat inoperable brain tumors, refractoryepilepsy, and refractory cancer pain. The procedurehas been used to treat brain tumors since the 1980sbut is much newer as a treatment for epilepsy. “This procedure aims to achieve the same outcome with-

out having the patients undergo an open operation,”says Dr. Danish, who has performed more than 100 laser ablations. “The open or more risky alternative isalways an option, but if we can achieve the sameoutcomes with a minimally invasive procedure, whywould we not take that approach?”

U SA Today published the recommendation ofMichael B. Steinberg, MD ’94, MPH,

associate professor of medicine and director, TobaccoDependence Program, that theminimum age for legal cigarettepurchase be raised to 21.

As of 2011, about 18 percentof high school students and 4percent of middle school students were smokers, accord-ing to the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention. Those numbers are declining,says Dr. Steinberg, but it is unacceptable that almostone in five teenagers leaves high school as a smoker.Dr. Steinberg’s proposal appeared in an opinion boxaccompanying recommendations by the U.S. Preven-tive Services Task Force that physicians take an activerole in advising children and teenagers about the risksof smoking. The task force findings, first published inthe Annals of Medicine and Pediatrics, stemmedfrom studies showing that a physician’s anti-smokingmessage to patients can be more influential thancounsel of a parent, teacher, or peer.

Discovery May Lead to Targeted Therapy for Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Dr. Steinberg RecommendsRaising Minimum Age for Cigarette Sales

Joseph Fondell, PhD, associate professor ofpharmacology, was senior author of a study that

identifies MED1 as a potential clue associated withaggressive prostate cancer. The findings were

published in the July issue ofMolecular Cancer Research andhighlighted on the cover of thejournal, a publication of theAmerican Association for CancerResearch.

“As MED1 is a known co-activator of androgen receptors, its overexpressionmight facilitate alternative gene expression patternsthat drive treatment-resistant cancer cell growth inthe prostate,” Dr. Fondell says.

At the time of the study, Feng Jin, PhD, first author, was a graduate student in Dr. Fondell’s lab.“Our study showed for the first time that MED1 expression is elevated in malignant cells of a statisti-cally significant number of patients with clinicalprostate cancer and that this overexpression corre-lates with an increase in cancer cell growth and in-vasiveness,” says Dr. Jin. “In addition, it showed thatoverexpression of MED1 may also be involved withinflammation of the prostate.”

Further study using mouse models showed thattwo protein kinases, ERK and PI3K/AKT, were over-active and responsible for MED1 over-production,ultimately accelerating the progression and spreadof prostate cancer.

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Dr. Danish DiscussesLaser Ablation in NeuroNews

Research

Michael B.Steinberg,MD ’94, MPH

Steve Hockstein

Joseph Fondell, PhD

Steve Hockstein

Yacov Ron, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology

T he medical school communitylearned with sadness of the pass-

ing of Yacov Ron, PhD, professor ofpharmacology. Dr. Ron was an expert incellular mechanisms of autoimmunityand gene transfer approaches for treat-ment of autoimmune diseases. Early inhis career, he established his reputationby demonstrating B-cells as major antigen-presenting cells for T-cell prim-ing, a novel concept that went againstthe then prevailing immunology ideology. Most recently, he studied T-cell tolerance in an effort to under-stand the mechanism of autoimmuneneuropathies, such as multiple sclero-sis, and how to use gene therapy totreat such illnesses.

Dr. Ron earned a doctorate in cell biology from The Weizmann Institute ofScience, in Israel, and then completedfellowships at Yale University and TheScripps Research Institute. He joinedthe medical school faculty in 1988 andserved as a member of the graduateprogram in molecular genetics and microbiology at Rutgers throughout histenure.

Dr. Ron’s colleagues and students regarded him highly for his collegiality,deep understanding of immunology,scientific rigor and energy. A former student and close collaborator described him as an ideal mentor, helping students and young scientists.

In Memoriam John EmersonShabbar Danish, MD ’01

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Appointments

� Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD, dean, wasasked to continue as a member of theBoard of Trustees of Cooper UniversityHealth Care.

� Oliver Choo, MD ’09, one of the 2013graduating residents in the Departmentof Anesthesiology, received the highestscore in the country on the AmericanBoard of Anesthesiology Part I writtenexam. Dr. Choo is currently an attendinganesthesiologist at University MedicalCenter at Princeton.

� The American Society of Reproductive Medicine selected Kathleen Hong, MD,a second-year fellow in the Department ofObstetrics, Gynecology, and ReproductiveSciences, division of reproductive en-docrinology and infertility, to receive a2013 in-training award.

� Fred A. Kobylarz, MD, MPH, asso-ciate professor of family medicine andcommunity health and co-director,Geriatric Fellowship Program, wasnamed to the New Jersey Alzheimer’sDisease Study Commission.

� Michael Lewis, PhD, University Dis-tinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, was honored by a LectioMagistralis address, “Development ofTypical and Deviant Emotional Devel-opment,” at the Sapienza University ofRome.

� Barbara M. Ostfeld, PhD, professorof pediatrics, was honored in Octoberat the Signature Chefs Auction, a benefit for the March of Dimes.

� Marc L. Steinberg, PhD, assistantprofessor of psychiatry, was appointedassociate editor for the internationalpeer-reviewed journal, Nicotine & To-bacco Research.

� Nathan Treff, PhD, associate profes-sor of obstetrics, gynecology, and re-productive sciences, won the AmericanSociety of Reproductive Medicine’syoung investigator award.

� The Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Animal Care Fa-

cilities received full accreditationfrom the Association for Assessmentand Accreditation of Laboratory Ani-mal Care.

� Robert C. Like, MD, professor offamily medicine and community healthand director, Center for Healthy Fami-lies and Cultural Diversity presented awebinar, “Best Practices for ImprovingCultural Competency in the HealthCare Workforce,” at the invitation ofthe National Conference of State Leg-islatures. In addition, Dr. Like will bean invited participant in Qatar’s FirstCultural Competence in HealthcareSymposium, sponsored by Weill Cor-nell Medical College in Qatar, in 2014.

� Martha Lansing, MD, associate professor of family medicine and community health, was invited to be a member of the Family Medicine Residency Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for GraduateMedical Education.

Kudos

C éline Gélinas, PhD, professor of biochemistry and molecular

biology, was appointed interim senior associate dean for research.

Dr. Gélinas joined the faculty of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

in 1988 as a resident member

of the Center for Advanced

Biotechnology and Medicine.

In 1995, she became a mem-

ber of The Cancer Institute of

New Jersey and in 2008 was

appointed associate dean for

research.

In her internationally rec-

ognized research, Dr. Gélinas

investigates the mechanisms

involved in cancer develop-

ment and progression. She has made significant contributions to under-

standing the role of the Rel/NF-kB signaling pathway in the regulation

of gene expression, apoptosis, tumor development and chemoresistance.

She was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology

in 2010.

Dr. Gélinas earned her doctoral degree at the Université de Sherbrooke

in Québec, where she had been a pre-doctoral fellow of the National

Cancer Institute of Canada. She completed her postdoctoral training in

the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Howard M. Temin, PhD, at the McArdle

Laboratory for Cancer Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,

where she studied retroviruses and oncogenes as a King George V Silver

Jubilee fellow of the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

Dr. Gélinas Appointed Interim SeniorAssociate Dean for Research

Dr. Kelly Appointed Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education

Michael Kelly, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics, was ap-pointed associate dean for graduate medical education. Dr. Kelly

joined the faculty in December 2001 and has served as chair of the Resi-dent Education Committee in Pediatrics. An attending physician in thepediatric intensive care unit at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hos-pital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, he was the director forthe pediatric critical care medicine sub-internship and has served as pe-diatric residency program director since 2006. In addition, he chairs theGraduate Medical Education Subcommittee on Strategic Planning.

Dr. Kelly holds a medical degree from SUNY-Downstate and com-pleted his internship and residency in general pediatrics at New York Hospital. After serving as pediatric chief resident at New York MethodistHospital, he returned to New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center tocomplete a fellowship in pediatric critical care medicine.

Céline Gélinas, PhD

The Cystic Fibrosis Center

of Rutgers Robert Wood

Johnson Medical School and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood JohnsonUniversity Hospital has been se-lected by the Cystic Fibrosis Founda-tion for the foundation’s prestigiousQuality Care Award for 2012-2013.

Instituted in 2008, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Quality Care

Awards recognize centers that havecontinuously demonstrated a com-mitment to improving the quality ofcare they provide to people with cystic fibrosis (CF). The Cystic FibrosisCenter has been consistently rankedamong the best programs in the nation for lung function and nutri-tion status in individuals with CF. It is one of only three level III CFcenters in the state that is accreditedby the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.The center’s Adult CF Program, accredited by the foundation in2007, is one of only 96 accreditedprograms nationwide serving adultswith CF.

Cystic Fibrosis Center Receives National Quality Care Award

A.J. Sundstrom

10

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolOffice of the Dean

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

125 Paterson Street � Suite 1400New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901www.rwjms.rutgers.edu

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