PARKINSON’S DISEASE

D I A B E T E S

OSTEOPOROSIS

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

SPINAL CORD INJURIES

HODGKIN’S LYMPHOMA

GWM

DICINE

HEALTH

W I N T E R • 2 0 0 3 Also Inside: ❘ ❘ Profiles in Preparedness ❘ ❘ A National Agenda for Health

Stem CellsMedicine’s Silver Bullet?

THE

GEORGE

WASHINGTON

UNIVERSITY

MEDICAL

CENTER

an academic health center

We are on a mission to move tothe next level as a researchinstitution. This is nothing

new to anyone who knows how hard wehave been working at recruitment andretention of talented investigators and atgrowing our sponsoredresearch. But for someinside and outside ourGWUMC family anddespite our efforts to “tellour story,” some of ourmore exciting and inno-vative research remainsan unintentional mystery.

So it’s more than timeto talk about the inroadsthat we have made. Ourresearch entity is not onlythriving, we have nearlyachieved a five-year goal to double ourextramural budget. Projected researchrevenue for FY 02 is $35 million dollars.In addition, these dollars are matchedwith successful efforts to develop newstrategic partnerships and collaborationswith regional allies and to strengthenexisting research relationships. This is aroad we must travel if we are to sustain aresearch program of the caliber of a Tier1 institution.

In this issue, we focus on the centralrole that GW Medical Center scientistsare playing in stem cell research. Many ofus only know about the controversy andpolitics surrounding human embryonicstem cells. Here at GWUMC, our investi-gators are forging ahead with other kindsof stem cell research that could one daylead to radical new therapies for a host ofdiseases. GW scientists are now laying

the groundwork for future cardiac, ocularand numerous other therapies, and ourcollaboration with the American RedCross’s Holland Laboratory is reapingnew clinical breakthroughs for bloodstem cell transplants. These types of

transplants are alreadysaving human lives,including some in ourown GW MedicalCenter family.

You will also read inthis issue about how we have created aDepartment of HealthServices Research andPolicy in our School ofPublic Health andHealth Services. TheCenter has long attract-

ed attention and research dollars. Oneimportant grant involves an evaluation ofmanaged care for publicly insured low-income children. SPHHS is already dis-tinguished in the field of health policybut now with a separate department, thiswill give our investigators and our entireMedical Center additional clout andrecognition in this very important area of study.

To single out any particular researcheror area is to leave someone out, and thatis not my intention. My intention is to saythat we are moving forward in so manyimportant research areas with greatspeed and determination. This has paidoff in recognition. Many of our experts’cutting-edge discoveries have garneredthe national spotlight in prestigious publications and with the media.

Our research, however, cannot takeplace in a vacuum. As an academichealth center, we have a constituency toserve. Our urban population deservesand demands that the research we dohelp them live better and healthier lives.Therefore, when you hear us talk aboutour major push in cancer research, youwill hear us repeat some staggering sta-tistics. The mortality rates for AfricanAmericans for prostate, lung, breast andcolon cancer defy national averages.These figures give us a mandate toanswer one question: WHY? Thereshould be a body of research thataddresses the root causes of these urbancancers and why our urban populationsare adversely impacted. When we definean area of research, we need to look athow that area intersects with others.This is a collaboration of science and sci-entists that will one day lead us to curesnot just preventative medicine.

John F. Williams, MD, EdDProvostVice President for Health AffairsDean of the School of Medicine and

Health Sciences

From the VPHA

GW Medicine/Health is an official

publication of The George Washington

University Medical Center (GWUMC).

It is published twice annually for GWUMC

alumni, students, residents, faculty and

friends by the Office of Medical Center

Communications & Marketing, Ross Hall,

Suite 313, 2300 Eye Street, NW,

Washington, DC, 20037.

Telephone: 202-994-8110.

Fax: 202-994-8052.

President of the UniversityStephen Joel Trachtenberg

Provost of the University, Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean, School of Medicine and Health SciencesJohn F. Williams, MD, MPH, EdD

Interim Dean, School of Public Health and Health ServicesRichard F. Southby, PhD

GWUMC Communications & Marketing/GW Medicine & Health

Special Assistant to VPHA and Director, Medical Center Communications & MarketingBarbara Porter

Publications DirectorLinda Dent

Contributing WritersKim Dagner-Boddie, Linda Dent, Debbie Goldstein,Marti Harris, Barbara Porter, Bruce Shatswell, Richard Sheehe, Laura Violand

Graphic DesignManger, Steck & Koch

Contributing PhotographyLinda Dent, Theresa Gandolph, Barbara Porter, Pamela Godwin, Christopher Iber

GWUMC Advancement

Associate Vice PresidentPamela Larmee

President, Medical Center Advancement and Alumni RelationsBruce J. Ammerman, MD ’72, GME ’77

Chair, GW Alumni Association for Health ServicesManagement & PolicyStanley A. Glassman, MBA ’69, FACHE

Chair, GW Public Health Alumni AssociationVenessa Perry-Hadley, MPH ’99

Director, GWUMC Alumni Relations Bruce A. Shatswell

Assistant Director, GWUMC Alumni Relations & Student ProgramsKim A. Dagner-Boddie

Web Notes:

Alumni Relations: www.gwumc.edu/dept/alumni

SMHS: www.gwumc.edu/smhs

SPHHS: www.gwumc.edu/sphhs

Media Information: www.medmediasource.org

ASAP: www.asaptaskforce.org

G W M E D I C I N E & H E A L T H

W I N T E R 2 0 0 3

The George Washington University does not unlawfully discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, reli-gion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, or sexual orientation. This policy covers all programs, services,policies, and procedures of the University, including admission to education programs and employment. The Universityis subject to the District of Columbia Human Rights Law.

Cover photo ©Dr. Yorgos Nikas/Photo Researchers

3 GWUMC News24 White Coat Ceremony26 Going Global28 Convocation30 Advancement News

36 Research News40 Hospital/MFA News42 Colonials Weekend44 Class Notes/Alumni News

Departments

10

12

20

Features

Terror to Triumph:

Out of Tragedy Comes OportunityThe terrorist attacks on September 11 took a tremendous tollon the mental health of Americans. There were a myriad ofsolutions to deal with the after-effects of this horrendous act—there was a willingness to help, but a lack of coordination ofefforts. Now, the Institute for Mental Health Initiatives atGWUMC is offering guidance and leadership.

A Case for Stem CellsIn the summer of 2001, the growing potential of so-called “stemcells” in medicine, and the controversy specifically arising fromresearch on the stem cells found in human embryos was frontpagenews. These human embryonic stem cells hold immense potentialacross the medical spectrum thanks to their singular ability tobecome virtually any cell in the body.

A Policy of HealthWith healthcare at the forefront of the national agenda, healthpolicy issues have taken on increasing importance, as theresulting health policy decisions will have population-wideimplications. GW’s new Department of Health Policy will playa critical role in preparing its students to address these healthpolicy challenges.

GWM

DICINE

HEALTH

The George Washington University is dedicated to furthering human well-being and values a dynamic, student-focused community stimulated by cultural and intellectual diversity and built upon a foundation of integrity, creativity and openness to the exploration of new ideas. The University commits itself to excellence in the

creation, dissemination and application of knowledge and the promotion of lifelong learning from both global and integrative perspectives.

VisionWithin the larger mission of the University, the vision of The George Washington University Medical Center is to bea preeminent academic health institution, dedicated to improving the health and well-being of our local community,our country and beyond. The Medical Center will achieve this goal through commitment to excellence and innova-

tion in education and to research that expands the frontiers of science and knowledge.

MissionAs a leader in education and research, The George Washington University Medical Center strives to set

standards of excellence by:

• Valuing a diverse and dynamic community that encourages life-long learning

• Striving for, refining, and defining quality in all endeavors

• Providing exemplary and innovative teaching programs that produce astute, highly competent, and compassionate health professionals and scientists trained and prepared for the future

• Generating and expanding health knowledge through superior research programs

• Enhancing the delivery of compassionate and high quality healthcare through our education and research activities

• Improving the health and well-being of our local, national and international communities

The Medical Center implements this mission by building on our history and heritage, remaining true to our core principles, and responding to the changing context of contemporary education, technological

innovations, advancing research, public health, policy, and community needs.

Core PrinciplesWe will achieve our mission through our commitment to the following principles:

• Altruism • Collaboration• Communication • Compassion

• Excellence • Innovation• Integrity • Respect

GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg has announced theappointment of John F. Williams, MD, EdD, vice president forHealth Affairs (VPHA) and dean of the School of Medicineand Health Sciences (SMHS), to the position of UniversityProvost. In this new capacity, Dr. Williams will be a spokesmanfor the University and will oversee many of its daily operations.In addition, Dr. Williams will stand in for PresidentTrachtenberg in his absence.

Dr. Williams will continue to serve as vice president forHealth Affairs and SMHS dean, and his office will remain onthe 7th floor of Ross Hall.

“I am honored to take on these new responsibilities,” saidDr. Williams in an interview. “I look forward to the challengesahead and to continuing to do my part in taking GW to thenext level.”

Although GW has had provosts in the past, the position had not been active for years. Dr. Williams will begin by servinga three-year term. His new portfolio will include oversight of the offices of the vice president for Communications and the vice president for Governmental, International and Corporate Affairs.

“It’s wonderful to have you as a colleague and friend,” saidPresident Trachtenberg in a letter notifying Dr. Williams of theappointment. “I believe this new title and responsibility willhelp GW and will help me as I mature as President.”

President Trachtenberg has said his activities, includingmeeting with the District of Columbia and with alumni, arerequiring more and more time away from campus. The time isright, he said in his letter to Dr. Williams, for a provost to comeon board.

“I really look at this as a kind of fine tuning of the organiza-tional structure,” said Dr. Williams of his appointment. “Mygoal is to optimize the resources we already have, which is acampus full of accomplished and dedicated professionals.”

The step comes as part of a strategic reorganization at thehighest levels of University leadership. In addition to Dr.Williams’s appointment as provost, President Trachtenbergannounced that Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald R.Lehman and Vice President and Treasurer Louis H. Katz willeach gain the title of Executive Vice President. And VicePresident for Student and Academic Support Services RobertA. Chernak will become Senior Vice President.

Dr. Williams has served as vice president for Health Affairs since November 1997 and he received his academic

appointment as dean of the School of Medicine and HealthSciences in August of 1999 after serving as executive dean. AsVPHA, Dr. Williams has been responsible for the administrationand oversight of the various entities comprising the academichealth center: the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, theSchool of Public Health and Health Services, the Office ofHealth Research, Compliance & Technology Transfer, and theUniversity Hospital, in conjunction with the majority owner of that facility, Universal Health Services, Inc.

Dr. Williams earned a Bachelor of Arts in education atBoston University in 1970 and a Master of Science at TheLondon School of Economics and Political Science in 1973. Hereceived a master’s of public health from Yale University in 1975and a doctorate of medicine from The George WashingtonUniversity in 1979.

He also received a doctorate of education at GW in 1996.

Williams Named University Provost

GWUMCNews

The George Washington University President Stephen JoelTrachtenberg, left, and new appointed University Provost Dr. John F. Williams

GW

G W U M C N E W S

National Application Pool: 31,684

AMCAS Applicants to GW School of Medicine: 8,126

Supplemental Applications Received: 6,101

162 students entered in 2002

Female: 88 (54%)

Male: 74 (46%)

Age Range: 20 – 41 years old, with the average being 24

Twenty-five states are represented plus the District of Columbia,

with the top 5 states being California (38), Maryland (23), New

York (13), Virginia (12) and Utah (10)

Overall GPA: 3.52

Undergraduate Degree-Granting Schools Represented: 74

Graduate Degree-Granting Schools Represented: 20

Undergraduate Top 5:

The George Washington University: 28

University of California at Berkeley: 9

Johns Hopkins University: 8

University of California at Los Angeles: 7

University of Utah: 6

Graduate Top 5:

Georgetown University: 4

University of California at Los Angeles: 4

The George Washington University: 3

Johns Hopkins University: 3

Duke University: 2

Top Undergraduate Majors Overall: Biology (60), Psychology (15),

Chemistry (10), Biochemistry (9) and History (6)

Graduate Degrees Earned: MS (15), MPH (7), MA (2), MBA (2),

M Div (1), MHS (1), MPA (1) and PhD (2)

Interesting facts:

Class consists of Peace Corps & Americorps volunteers, church mis-

sionaries, store managers, paramedics, scuba divers, soup kitchen

volunteers, aerobics instructors, physical therapists, lifeguards,

interpreters/translators, patient advocates, coaches, teachers,

instructors, etc.

Athletics range from ironman triathlete to black belt in Tang Soo

Do to dance captain to varsity swimming to football to rugby to

cheerleading to figure skating to crew to water polo

to soccer

Individuals are fluent in the languages of Spanish, French, Russian,

Italian, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, American Sign

Language, etc.

GW School of Medicine Class of 2006 - Fast Facts

Fauci Reveals Clear and Present Danger of Bioterrorism GW Community Educated on SmallpoxDr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of theNational Institute of Allergy and Infectiousdiseases at the National Institutes ofHealth, in December, chose GW MedicalCenter for a Grand Rounds lecture onbioterrorism, telling the more than 300 people packed into Ross Hall Room 101that medical professionals would find them-selves on the front lines of any such attack.

His talk, “Bioterrorism: A Clear andPresent Danger,” was partly a primer on themost common chemical and biologicalthreats and the kinds of symptoms physi-cians would encounter in patients during anattack. But he also provided an overview ofcurrent government policy and recommen-dations, including guidance on who shouldget vaccinated against smallpox.

The good news, he said, is that thereare now 400 million vaccine doses avail-able, if needed. “If we had an attack

tomorrow, we could vaccinate everyone in this country,” he said.

The bad news is that the vaccine itselfcan be dangerous, causing complicationsin some and killing one or two people forevery million vaccinated. To prove hispoint, Dr. Fauci showed graphic photos ofpatients covered with sores and lesions—not from smallpox, but from bad reactionsto the vaccine itself. “I think this is whatpeople need to see before they rush in andsay ‘I want to be vaccinated.’”

Dr. Fauci serves as one of the key advisers helping to guide Department ofHealth and Human Services initiatives tobolster medical and public health pre-paredness against possible future bioterrorist attacks. He is well known inthe medical community, enough so thatone student lugged his Physician’s DeskReference to the lecture, hoping for anautograph.

“Sure, why not?” said Dr. Fauci as hetook the pen._____________________

Core Genomics Facility OpenedGW Medical Center recently opened itsCore Genomics Facility. “Now in four days,we can quantify 30,000-plus genes, using any number of samples,” says researcherTimothy McCaffrey, PhD. Using thegenomics technology, researchers are able to look at transcript profiling of the cells and compare the genetic profiles betweendiseased and normal cells. Dr. McCaffreysays he now can mobilize hundreds of thousands of gene sequences on a singlemicrochip, allowing them to measure simultaneously the entire human genomeand how it is expressed under different conditions.

GWUMC set up the facility so that this cutting-edge technology can be shared among scientists and physicians.Ultimately, says McCaffrey, the findingscan be used for therapeutic purposes aswell as diagnosis.

The facility comprises innovative technology by Affymetrix—an integratedplatform that uses the AffymetrixGeneChip probe arrays to profile mRNAexpression levels. The system also includesthe GeneArray Scanner, the GeneChipFluidics Station and the GeneChipHybridization Oven 640 as well as a work-station with Affymetrix Microarray Suitesoftware. The software allows researchersto quantitatively and qualitatively analyzegene expression levels in many species,including humans, rats, mice and yeast._____________________

Students Enjoy CLASSMore than a week before the new GWHospital opened its doors, the ClinicalLearning and Simulation Skills Center(CLASS) on the hospital’s sixth floor heldits first patient-based examination forthird-year medical students. Heading upthe new CLASS Center is Director Dr.Benjamin Blatt, Program CoordinatorDonna Simonton and Manager ofEducational Programs F. Scott White.

They worked with Dr. Matthew Mintz,Primary Care clerkship director, to develop an end-of-clerkship exam thatincluded interviewing and examining fourstandardized patients.

“The Clinical Skills Center will be aninvaluable tool for training our students,”said Dr. Mintz. “Currently I am using thestandardized patients both to assess students’ clinical skills and to train themhow to counsel patients. Up until now,

G W U M C N E W S

The white tent returned to the plaza outside

the Foggy Bottom Metro station as GW

Medical Center again hosted its annual free

flu shot clinic on Oct. 25. The fact that the

event took place two days before clocks were

turned back to end daylight savings time

made for a dark morning that Friday. But that

didn’t seem to bother the folks who lined up

before 7 a.m.

The latest clinic came earlier than in recent

years, thanks to the fact that there is no

further vaccine shortage. During previous

seasons, clinic organizers had to hold off until

late November to allow scarce supplies to go

first to elderly populations and other high-risk

groups. This year there has been plenty of

vaccine to go around.

“It’s nice to be working in an environment

where we don’t have a shortage,” said Dr. Gigi

El-Bayoumi, associate professor of Medicine

and organizer of the flu shot clinic. “This year

the country has more than 90 million doses

on hand. That’s 20 million more than last year.”

The height of flu season traditionally

stretches from late December until sometime

in February; signs include body aches and

fever, as well as more traditional cold-like

symptoms. While most people just suffer

through with extra time off and bed rest, the

flu is a serious illness for many Americans.

Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention reported that influenza has

now surpassed AIDS as a lethal killer and

contributes to an average 36,000 annual U.S.

deaths, largely because of a vulnerable aging

population for whom the vaccine is often

GWUMC, Hospital, MFA, Partner to Provide Flu Shots

ineffective. Previous estimates pegged flu-

related deaths at around 20,000.

The shots protect against some of most

common influenza strains. But Dr. El-Bayoumi

says other bugs are circulating and there’s

no ironclad guarantee that those getting

vaccinated will not get sick. She says there’s

no telling how severe the flu season will be.

“We never know until it hits us,” she said.

“So we’ll just have to wait and see.”

GW

GW

GW

G W U M C N E W S

we relied on subjective evaluations of ourstudents by faculty or residents. Using thestandarized patients in the Clinical Skills Center will allow us to have a more objec-tive assessment about how well studentsinterview, examine and manage patients in their clinical settings.”Standardized patients (SPs) are individualswho have been trained to reliably portraymedical situations that faculty have decid-ed are elements of the curriculum bestlearned on live patients. The patients may

be telling their own stories, the story of afriend or relative for which they have per-sonal experience or the story of a facultymember’s patient who demonstrates prob-lems being studied. Most SPs do not haveprofessional acting experience. They arestandardized in that they present each stu-dent with the same basic information andprovide the same answers to student ques-tions. The basic requirements of SPs aregood listening and observation skills, basicreading and writing ability and punctuality.

SPs are paid for participating in educationprojects.

The first class of standardized patientscame from multiple backgrounds. Aboutone third came from established standard-ized patient programs in the Baltimore-Washington area, one-third from the the-ater community, and one third were newto the role. Of special note is the supportof the GW Communications andMarketing Department. They were respon-sible for recruiting five potential patients inless than 24 hours.

The first class of students to use thecenter spent 20 minutes interviewing,examining and counseling the patients and 10 minutes writing up their assess-ments and plans for care. The patientsrated the students on their interviewing,physical exam and interpersonal skills. Inorder to accommodate the 24 students, 12standardized patients were trained. Threewere trained for each medical problem.

The Clinical Skills Center will be fullyfunctional in 2003. Exam tables, patientstretchers and beds, oto-ophthalmoscopes,computers and conference room equip-ment will closely simulate outpatient, inpatient and surgical settings. Hiddencameras will allow faculty to monitor student progress in a standardized way,

School of Public Health and Health Services Class of 2002 - Fast FactsSPHHS Applicants: 1,028

Matriculated New Students: 425

Women: 324

Men: 101

Age Range: 21 – 66 years

Median Age: 26 years

Average GPA: 3.219

Advanced Degrees Earned

MS: 13

PhD: 3

MA: 4

MBA: 3

MD: 13

JD: 5

Each CLASS room is completely equipped to simulate a doctor’s office. Above, Jamie Lin,MS III, examines “simulated” patient Earl Hannah, aka Dwane Starlin.

Interesting Facts:

Previous experiences: project directors, campaign

directors, store managers, analysts, teachers

and/or tutors, administrative assistants, account-

ants, educational counselors, program managers

and directors, lawyers, engineers, life guards/pool

managers, healthcare counselors/ educators,

healthcare agency interns, medical officers and

practitioners, nurse practitioners, LPNs,

BSN/RNs, EMTs, dentists, pharmacists and

pharmacy techs, physical therapy assistants,

physicians, research assistants, medical techs,

Red Cross volunteers, Americorps/Peace Corps

volunteers, and Habitat for Humanity volunteers,

literacy program volunteers, founding members

and/or CEOs of non-profit organizations for

community health education and awareness,

and community services/outreach programs,

veterinarian, computer marketing manager, policy

analyst, chemist, personal trainer, military

personnel, hospital administrator.

Languages:

Fluent in (and/or) speaking, reading, writing

French, Spanish, Latin, German, Italian,

Romanian, English, Arabic, American Sign

Language, etc.

another first for health professions education at GW’s Medical Center.

Further information on GW’s simulatedpatient program is available throughDonna Simonton at 202-994-4838 or msddks@gwumc.edu. _____________________

Ticknor CitedThe Association of American MedicalColleges (AAMC) has awarded DonnaTicknor, MD, the 2002 Organization ofResident Representatives (ORR)Community Service Recognition Award.Dr. Ticknor, administrative chief resident2001-2002 in Psychiatry, was nominatedfor the award during her final months ofher residency in recognition of contribu-tions she made to mental health servicesfor the deaf and political torture-survivorsin the Washington metropolitan area, saysJeffrey Akman, MD, interim chair,Department of Psychiatry.

“It is a great honor for myself and the GW Psychiatry program toreceive this award,” said Dr. Ticknor.“It has been expanding its teachingand service into the communitythrough the leadership of residencydirectors James Griffith, MD, andLynne Gaby, MD, and InterimChairman Jeffrey Akman, MD. The community service has benefit-ed residents and students training atthe program and provided excellentcare to underserved areas of thecommunity.” Dr. Ticknor said herwork in the Multicultural Centerworking with torture survivors wasboth emotionally exhausting andextremely rewarding—“it was a learn-ing experience that I can take withme when I eventually open a practicein the DC area.”

Drs. Griffith and Gaby also enabledDr. Ticknor to facilitate a trainingalliance between GW and GallaudetUniversity. There, said Dr. Ticknor, residents train alongside psychologyinterns and social work students

working with the deaf community.“Hopefully this will provide more culturallycompetent psychiatrists in our community towork with a large deaf population—a popula-tion that has a long history of not receivingadequate mental health services.” _____________________

GW’s New Radiation OncologyCenter Opens in Warwick BuildingHoused in the Warwick Building on theedge of Washington Circle (2300 K Street,NW), the new GW Radiation OncologyCenter blends state-of-the art technologywith superior medical care. Patient conven-ience and the highest standards of care are at the heart of this endeavor. At theRadiation Oncology Center, patients willhave access to a full range of radiationtechniques, including traditional externalbeam radiotherapy, 3-D conformal radio-therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), intracavitary brachytherapyand vascular brachytherapy.

The Center offers a comprehensive program for early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer as well as servicesfor those at high-risk. GW has expertise in treating:• Bladder, prostate and renal cancers• Breast cancer

G W U M C N E W S

Donna Ticknor

Drs. Jonathan Reiner and Roy Leiboff perform a simulated cardiac procedure on a lifelike mannequin named SIMantha at GW Hospital—part of the new state-of-the-artmedical simulation system for cardiac catheterization afforded GW student and residents. The SIMSuite Training System includes the combination of patented tactileforce-feel simulation technology with procedures performed on a simulated patient. Thisprocedure was telecast via closed circuit TV to a group of cardiologists at a conferenceacross town. The goal was to trick the doctors into thinking they were watching an actual procedure—many of the doctors admitted they were duped.

GW

GW

• Colon, liver, pancreatic and gall bladdercancers

• Gynecologic cancers• Lung, head and neck cancers• Leukemias and lymphomas• SarcomasThis new facility is a part of GW’s compre-hensive Cancer Care Center, staffed by ateam of specialists including radiationoncologists, a medical physicist, a clinicalnurse, radiation therapists, a medicaldosimetrist and supporting administrativepersonnel. This team offers an interdisci-plinary approach to cancer care, givingpatients every available resource to fightthe disease. Teams of physicians andhealthcare professionals study, discuss,manage and plan each patient’s treatmentat weekly Tumor Board Conferences.

“We have created a positive environ-ment for our patients,” said Bob Siegel,MD, professor of Medicine. “There will be cheerful exam rooms and windows.The team approach to treatment is a plusfor our patients at this new center.”Since the GW Radiation Oncology Center

is conveniently located next to the hospi-tal, many aspects of a patient’s care—chemotherapy, inpatient admissions to theoncology unit, surgical procedures, bonemarrow transplants and outpatient radiolo-gy—will continue to be performed at TheGeorge Washington University Hospital.While off site, the Center will still takeadvantage of the new filmless picturearchiving communication system (PACS) at the GW Hospital. This hospital-basedsystem is available to radiation oncologistsvia wireless network communication in thenew facility.

The new technology at the RadiationOncology Center features the PhilipsACQSim CT Scanner—the world’s onlydedicated CT scanner that addresses thespecial needs of radiation therapy. In addi-tion, the Varian 21EX is the most sophisti-cated and technologically advanced linearaccelerator available today. Capable ofdelivering both low and high-energy pho-ton beams (6 and 18 MV) as well as multi-ple energy electron beams (6, 9, 12, 16 and20 MeV), will enable the team to perform

conventional therapy techniques as well asthe most advanced computer-driven IMRTtreatments. Electronic portal imaging(PortalVision) will be available on the linearaccelerator and offers many benefits overhardcopy x-ray film like fast acquisitionand instantaneous display of high-qualityimages, acquisition during treatment torecord patient positioning throughout thetreatment, online review and physicianapproval, and automated quantitativeanalysis tools to identify and differentiaterandom as well as systematic patient posi-tioning errors.

The Cancer Care Center is a member ofthe Eastern Cooperative Oncologic Group(ECOG), a group of leading university hos-pitals. At GW, patients have access to newand innovative procedures as well as a vari-ety of clinical trials made available throughresearch grants. The opening of theRadiation Oncology Center is the firstphase of the GW Medical Center’s strate-gic plan to establish a premier CancerInstitute._____________________

Former Vice President Al Gore chose GW Medical Center to unveil his push for a new “National

Defense Public Health Act” that would strengthen America’s ability to handle a large-scale pub-

lic health crisis, especially a bioterrorist attack.

Speaking to an overflow crowd jammed into the usually spacious Room 101 of Ross Hall, Gore

made a forceful push for such a measure, striking upon the dual themes of the emerging bioterror-

ist threat and the unprepared state of the nation’s public health system.

“The strong possibility of a biological weapons attack against the United States demands a new

response: We need a new National Defense Public Health Act to responsibly address this imminent

threat,” said Gore. “This initiative would not only act as a new line of defense against bioterrorism,

but it also would improve the way we prevent and detect many other healthcare problems.”

He laid out several key elements of his plan, including better training for doctors and nurses to

detect the first signs of an attack; more resources for hospitals to handle high volumes of patients

during an attack; screening and preventative health services; resources to allow rapid public commu-

nication during an outbreak; and better inspection procedures for the nation’s food and water supply.

The former vice president said these steps would do for the public health system what another program, which his father authored a

half century ago in the U.S. Senate, did for transportation.

“Just as the Interstate Highway system of the 1950s connected the nation’s loosely knit communities,” Gore said, “a National Defense

Public Health Act would coordinate the nation’s efforts to address critical health care needs.”

Al Gore Offers Public Health Plan

G W U M C N E W S

GW

Early Results of NationalWomen’s Health Initiative StudyLeads to Cessation of TreatmentNIH’s Women’s Health Initiative ceasedtreatment with combined estrogen andprogestin (E+P) as part of a major clinicaltrial. Judith Hsia, MD, professor ofMedicine and director of GW’s LipidResearch Clinic, explained the decision to suspend treatment in post-menopausalwomen during a recent Grand Rounds at GW Hospital. This study has and continues to attract a great deal of attention in the press since it questions acommon treatment practice that affects alarge number of post-menopausal women.

Dr. Hsia, the principal investigator atNIH’s Women’s Health Initiative’s GWclinical site, said that the decision to discontinue treatment in this trial threeyears early resulted from the discovery ofan increased risk of stroke, heart attacksand invasive breast cancer among participants given the combination of hormones. While the trial did show adecrease in the incidence of hip fracturesand colon cancer among the same group of subjects, Dr. Hsia noted that it wasdetermined that the risks of administering estrogen and progestin in combinationoutweighed the benefits.

Despite the discontinuation of treatmentwith E+P, these participants will be followedthrough the course of the study — they stillundergo annual examinations, includingbreast and pelvic exams and pap smears.The researchers now are looking at how the risk of stroke, heart attacks and invasivebreast cancer is affected by the discontinua-tion of the E+P treatment regimen.

Regarding the discontinuation of treatment with E+P, Dr. Hsia indicated thatthe trial succeeded in answering three keyquestions ahead of schedule. “We wantedto know whether administering estrogenand progestin in combination wouldreduce the risk of all forms of coronaryheart disease (CHD), reduce the incidenceof hip fractures and reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer. This trial answeredthose questions sooner than we expected,

indicating not only an increased risk ofCHD, but also an increased risk of breastcancer.”

When compared with the placebo, thetrial revealed that women given estrogenplus progestin (E+P) incurred:• A 41 percent increase in stroke,• A 29 percent increase in heart attacks,• A 22 percent increase in total cardiovas-

cular disease,• A 26 percent increase in breast cancer, and• A 33 percent reduction in hip fractures.

Dr. Hsia noted that overall results to dateindicate that treatment with E+P is not ben-eficial due to increased early risk of coro-nary heart disease, continued risk of strokeand vascular disease and increased risk ofbreast cancer. Therefore, it is concludedthat E+P is not effective for preventing disease in post-menopausal women.

However, the study so far shows thatE+P seems to have different results fromestrogen given alone. Women who havehad hysterectomies typically receive estro-gen without progestin because they do notneed the progestin. There does not appearto be an increased risk of breast cancer dueto treatment with estrogen alone, andtreatment in the Women’s Health Initiativetrials testing the efficacy of estrogen treat-ment alone has not been discontinued.

In answer to her own question regardingwhether any woman should be taking E+P,Dr. Hsia advised, “The study is not sayingwomen should or should not take estrogenwith progestin. Decisions about hormonetherapy are highly personal. All a healthcareprovider can do is discuss the risks that thistrial presented and examine the new data it provided and weigh that against the reasons for taking or considering takingestrogen. If hormone therapy was prescribed for cardiovascular disease prevention, that is clearly no longer a reason to take hormones. However, if hormone therapy was prescribed to prevent bone loss or to relieve menopausalsymptoms, then it is a choice that must beweighed. With regard to other types ofestrogen and progestin or phytoestrogens,the onus is now on these other hormone

therapies to demonstrate better efficacyand safety.”

After providing a brief history of the increased use of estrogen in post-menopausal women, Jack Larsen, MD,chair of the Department of OB/GYN atGW, explained that there is, in fact, agood, functional reason to take hormones,such as reducing hot flashes early inmenopause. He cautioned, however, thatthe results from this study need furtherexamination and that patients must decidefor themselves, in consultation with theirphysicians, whether treatment with estro-gen is right for them. “I hope that the earlyreaction to the data and the abrupt endingof this study is only a flash,” he said, “andthat the information can be absorbed andpatients and their doctors can digest it andmake rational decisions in the patients’best interests.”

G W U M C N E W S

Code Blue, a band of musically talented GWdoctors, was featured at Colonials Weekend2002 during the barbecue. They will returnto the GW spotlight again during the annualMardis Gras Celebration. For moreColonials Weekend photos, see page 42.

GW

By Debbie Goldstein

The terrorist attacks on September 11 took a tremendous toll on themental health of Americans. Many

organizations offered a myriad of solutionsto deal with the after-effects of this horrendous act—there was a tremendouswillingness to help, but many resourceswere going untapped, due to the lack ofcoordination of efforts.

Recognizing the need for a consolidatedresponse and facing the harsh reality thatanother terrorist attack could occur, theInstitute for Mental Health Initiatives(IMHI) at GWUMC has stepped up to theplate, offering guidance and leadership.

Terror to Triumph is IMHI’s five-yearplan to coordinate responses that will helppeople deal with the emotional aftermathof trauma resulting from terrorism andother violence. Key to that plan is a modelthat IMHI, part of GW’s School of PublicHealth and Health Services, has used intheir work to foster resilience in children.

Following the terrorist attacks onSeptember 11, it became clear that the

concept of resilience could be applied as anatural antidote to terrorism. And, givenits extensive work, IMHI was in a uniqueposition to offer mental health guidanceand assistance to communities in the aftermath of 9-11.

According to IMHI leaders, terrorism isdesigned to take power away and to makepeople feel vulnerable and out of control;conversely, resilience is about empoweringpeople by providing them with the skills andknowledge necessary to gain back control.

One skill for resilience is “goingthrough the motions,” or practicing, until something becomes an automaticresponse. One goal of this initiative will beto prepare people to respond to the traumaof terror automatically, much like fire prevention initiatives teach children to“stop, drop and roll” in the event of fire. It is the lack of an automatic, planned

response that creates the frenzy and feelings of loss of control many peopleexperienced following 9-11.

In training people to be resilient, IMHIfocuses on teaching social and problem-solving skills, building a facilitative commu-nity and fostering inner strengths, such asthe four Cs:1. Calmness, including relaxation,

meditation and spiritual calm;2. Connections, focusing on reliance

on support systems, such as religiouscommunities, support groups, friendsand colleagues;

3. Compassion, for yourself as well as others; and

4. Communication, including “self-talk,”through which an individual encourageshimself or herself that “I can do this, Ican manage,” and good communicationwith others.

Funding OpportunitiesThe Terror to Triumph Initiative will have

implications for the mental health and

well being of adolescents nationwide.

Funding opportunities, both large and

small, are available to support this initia-

tive. Supporting Terror to Triumph results

in providing the necessary skills to those

people who touch the lives of children

dealing with the trauma of terrorism and

violence. For more information on IMHI or

the Terror to Triumph Initiative, including

opportunities for funding, please call

Stephanie Martin, deputy director, at

202-416-0434 or imhslm@gwumc.edu or

visit the web site at www.imhi.org.

Terror to Triumph:

Out of Tragedy Comes Opportunity

The Terror to Triumph Initiative willinvolve a number of interdisciplinarygroups at GW along with outside partners—the department of Psychiatry, Center forHealth Services Research and Policy, theInternational Center to Heal Our Childrenfrom Children’s National Medical Center,the department of Environmental andOccupational Health, and Medical CenterCommunications and Marketing. The planis to approach the trauma of a terroristattack from every angle in order to providethe most coordinated response for helpingand responding. The primary focus of theinitiative will be youth, particularly of ado-lescent age. Adolescents’ “natural helpers,”including teachers, counselors, primarycare physicians, physician assistants, nurses,parents and community members, will betargeted as key influences in helping to fos-ter resilience and positive mental health inthese children.

The media will also be included in thisinitiative. Adolescents watch a significantamount of television, and television has anenormous impact on children in this agegroup. In fact, adolescents are oftenexposed to messages without even realiz-ing it. As a result, television can serve as asignificant source of support, in the way ofinformation and resources. IMHI plans toutilize its strong connections with themedia to disseminate key messages to theadolescent population.

Policy makers, researchers and clini-cians also have an indirect impact on thelives of adolescents; therefore, their roleswill be considered as well.

Aiming to enhance the response ofthese groups of helpers by increasing theirknowledge base, the initiative will strive totranslate the existing knowledge base intomaterials and tools that can be used toenhance the resilience of adolescents.

The five-year initiative will be launchedwith a conference to take place in 2003.Follow up will include activities directed atthe above-mentioned targeted groups.These activities will include needs analyses,to determine what tools are needed by

particular groups of helpers; developmentof tools specific to each group of helpers;and training in the use of these tools.

Even in its early stages, the Terror toTriumph Initiative has gained strong sup-port, not only from the School of PublicHealth and Health Services, but also fromoutside funding sources that are eager tofund some of the outreach work.

IMHI’s mission is to use a public health approach to advance mental healthby building bridges between mental healthand media, research and community professionals. IMHI’s response to the 9-11tragedy included a live chat on AOL focus-ing on how to help children deal with

disasters; distribution to New York andWashington, DC schools of a pamphlet (in both English and Spanish) titled, “What Do You Tell the Children?” initiallywritten to help children recover from themental and emotional devastation of theOklahoma City bombing; and assistingcallers to a telephone help line as part of a community outreach intervention sponsored by a local television station.

Organizations interested in becominginvolved with the Terror to TriumphInitiative or supporting IMHI’s workshould contact Stephanie Martin, deputydirector, IMHI, at 202-416-0434 or imhslm@gwumc.edu.

IMHI Provides Help During, After Sniper AttacksThe spate of sniper shootings that began in early October rattled residents in the

Washington area more than anything since 9-11 and the anthrax attacks. And, like those

previous crises, the sniper attacks translated into stress and anxiety for people who live

here. Fortunately, the region has top-notch mental health professionals to help people

manage their fears; and experts at GW Medical Center’s Institute for Mental Health

Initiatives (IMHI) have been at the forefront of this effort, focusing particularly on how

to convey reassuring messages to children during such disquieting times.

Along with some of her colleagues, IMHI Director Suzanne Stutman, MA, MSW, BCD,

hit the airwaves in the days after the attacks began. She spoke with CBS News, the

Associated Press, local television stations and other news outlets to share strategies for

parents to help children understand violence and trauma in society without being over-

whelmed by fear. But Stutman says parents must first manage their own emotions before

trying to calm their kids.

“Before you can be helpful to your children, you must find a way to calm yourself,” says

Stutman. “How can you do this? Don’t isolate yourself: Reach out and talk to friends,

neighbors and family members.”

Among IMHI’s suggestions:

• Communicate with kids on their level. This can involve role-playing with games for a pre-

school child or a discussion in the car on the way to and from school for an adolescent.

• Talk to your children about setting safety measures, such as how to access a parent or

responsible adult in the time of crisis (e.g., calling a parent on a cell phone or contacting

a neighbor).

• Monitor how much television children are watching. Too much TV coverage of a

traumatic event can exacerbate hysteria and contagion, especially for younger children.

“Overall, in times of uncertainty, it is extremely comforting for friends and families to try

to be together,” said Stutman. “Young children need cuddling. Older children, as well as

adults, feel better being physically close to people they love. We are not helpless. There are

things we can do.”

More information, including a pamphlet on how to talk to children about crises, is

available online at www.imhi.org

GW

A CASE FOR

STEM

Hard as it may be to recall, there was a time beforeSeptember 11, 2001 when stories dealing with thingsother than terrorism, international conflict or corporatescandal managed to dominate the news headlines. In the summer of 2001, one of these front-page issueswas the growing potential of so-called “stem cells” inmedicine, and the controversy specifically arising fromresearch on the stem cells found in human embryos.These human embryonic stem cells hold immensepotential across the medical spectrum thanks to theirsingular ability to become virtually any cell in the body.

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CELLSNavigating the Politics and Potential

The issue was often portrayed short-hand in the media as a polemicbetween those who favor research

on human embryonic stem cells as a key to fighting a host of diseases, and thosewho object on moral grounds that suchresearch would destroy human embryos—and therefore potential human life—in theprocess. Human embryonic stem cells aremost often derived from leftover frozenembryos in storage at in vitro fertilization(IVF) clinics.

The truth is that what many have heardabout stem cells represents little more thanfragments of a larger, more complex andlong-term effort to understand how theywork and to unlock their potential. In theyear and a half since terrorism sucked theair away from most any other topic of public conversation, stem cell research has nonetheless continued to chug alongin labs and research centers around theworld. And the spectrum of inquiry isbecoming as diverse and protean as thecells themselves.

It helps, however, to start with whatmost people know.

During the summer of stem cell advocacy,big names from Hollywood joined grassroots organizations and others to lobby forgovernment funding of human embryonicstem cell research. Pleas to President Bushwere sent by actors Michael J. Fox, whosuffers from Parkinson’s disease; MaryTyler Moore, a diabetic; and Christopher

Reeve, who suffered a debilitating spinalcord injury in 1995. They argued that theirafflictions, along with many forms of can-cer and other illnesses, could someday betreated using stem cells. It was a messagethat resonated with those like Eric Sellers,a graduate of GW with a master’s degree inhealth services administration and who, inthe summer of 2001, was well into his bat-tle against Stage 2B Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“I was one week into a residency inBaltimore when I got the diagnosis,” saidSellers. “It was all just sinking in and I wasjust beginning to look at my options fortreatment.”

As the debate continued, ethical andmoral concerns remained an issue formany Americans, including PresidentBush, who ultimately attempted a compro-mise. He announced in August 2001 thatfederal funding would be available forresearch on some 64 existing humanembryonic stem cell lines, with the ration-ale that the embryos for these lines hadalready been destroyed; but he bannedfunding for any research on embryonicstem cells acquired in the future. Bush’sguidelines proved instantly controversialamong scientists and they remain so today.

Beyond the HeadlinesPolicy pronouncements do not alwaystranslate easily into the scientific picture.And neither do debate talking points.Advocates of human embryonic stem cellresearch have sometimes given short shriftto the scientifically based ethical and prac-tical concerns about introducing such cellsinto humans. At the same time, critics havebeen known to overstate the potential of so-called “adult stem cells,” the less controversialalternative to embryonic stem cells, whichare not derived from embryos and arecapable of some differentiation. Finally,some have confused embryonic stem cellresearch with the generally frowned uponpush to clone a human being; these are, infact, two very different endeavors.

The effort at what some are now calling“regenerative medicine” has actually beenunderway for decades. The term “embry-onic stem cell,” for instance, was coinedmore than 20 years ago—ages before thecurrent debate. And the ability to growmouse embryonic stem cells in the lab wasconsidered old hat by late 1998. That’s

when James A. Thomson, a biologist at theUniversity of Wisconsin, ignited the popu-lar imagination by first isolating humanembryonic stem cells and devising amethod to make them grow in the labnearly as well as mouse embryonic stemcells. While most experts agree that anyclinical application of human embryonicstem cell technology is still years away, clinical therapies have already been putinto practice involving adult stem cells,something scientists have known about for more than 30 years.

Promise and PitfallsResearchers looking to explore the potential of both embryonic and adultstem cells often spend years workingthrough the details of what appears to be a basic calculus regarding the two.

Embryonic stem cells are considered“pluripotent”—undifferentiated and capa-ble of developing into virtually any cell inthe body. They are prized for their robustgrowth in the lab, reproducing themselvesto become virtual factories that pump outspecialized cells to replace those lostthrough injury and disease. Still, the mech-anisms that control differentiation largelyremain a mystery; and the ability of embry-onic stem cells to multiply quickly couldlead to unregulated cell growth in thebody, giving rise to tumors. Introducingembryonic stem cells may also provoke animmune response, causing the body toreject the cells.

Dr. Joao Asensao

Eric Sellers

Rejection is not a problem, on the otherhand, in “autologous” transplants of adultstem cells, where the patient supplies hisor her own stem cells for future therapy.Adult stem cells, because they are alreadypartially specialized, are more predictablein their developmental outcome. Theirgrowth rate seems to be limited as well,making them less likely to spur tumors. But this limited ability to grow can makeadult stem cells more difficult to isolate inlarge enough quantities to make a differ-ence in some therapies. And their restrict-ed potential for differentiation narrowstheir therapeutic potential. Skeletal musclestem cells, for instance, can develop intoseveral different types of cells found inmuscle tissue. However, these stem cellscannot grow into neural cells, blood cellsor other kinds of cells in the body.

Dr. Sally Moody, a neuroscience andgenetics researcher and professor in theDepartment of Anatomy and Cell Biology,is one of more than a dozen scientists at

GW Medical Center who work with embry-onic or adult stem cells, although none iscurrently experimenting on human embry-onic stem cells. Some of these researchershave formed a loose alliance, the Stem andProgenitor Cell Research Group, setting upa Website at www.gwumc.edu/stemcell-group to share their work with colleagues,students and potential funders. Dr. Moody’sown research centers on understanding theforces that shape the differentiation of cellsin the nervous system and how neural stemcells develop.

“We’re all studying very differentaspects of differentiation in our favoritecell types with the idea that this informa-tion will be extremely useful in the futureeither with adult stem cells or with embry-onic stem cells,” said Dr. Moody. “If wecan discover how these cells are makingtheir decisions on a molecular level, wewould be able to engineer stem cells toproduce the needed cell types.”

Understanding the mechanism behind

cell differentiation is a key step toward realtreatments. Like Dr. Moody, Dr. AnneChiaramello is also with GW MedicalCenter’s Department of Anatomy and CellBiology and is studying neural cell differen-tiation. Her long-term goal is to find waysto replace lost neurons due to neurodegen-erative conditions like Parkinson’s diseaseor spinal and other central nervous systeminjuries. But different afflictions affect dif-ferent kinds of neural cells. Working withanimal cell lines, Dr. Chiaramello is look-ing for ways to genetically engineer the fateof neural stem cells into a final identity—orphenotype—as a specific kind of neuralcell. This could one day lead to customizedstem cell transfusions depending on apatient’s needs.

“Someone like Christopher Reeve, whohas a spinal cord injury, would need atransfusion different from someone withParkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Chiaramello.“Parkinson’s involves problems withdopamine, so someone with Parkinson’s

Dr. Timothy McCaffrey, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at GW Medical Center, says if any field of

medicine is ripe for adult stem cell therapy, it’s cardiac care. He says this is because of what he calls a “design flaw” in the heart.

“There are a lot of places in the body where stem cells reside. In a skeletal muscle, for instance,

it bulks up over time in response to a strain or a load. It’s intelligent in a sense that it’s got a popu-

lation of stem cells within it that can sense the strain, and it responds by making more muscle

cells,” said Dr. McCaffrey. “Your heart doesn’t do that. As far as we know, your heart doesn’t

have that stem cell reserve with which it can respond. The stem cells are either not there, or

else they exist but—in some evolutionary quirk—we’ve lost the ability to access them.”

So Dr. McCaffrey has been working to lay the groundwork for future transplant therapy—where

a patient’s own stem cells could be isolated, perhaps from muscle tissue, and then re-injected into

the infracted area of the heart to repair the damage. He and Dr. Conor Lundergan, associate pro-

fessor of medicine and a cardiologist at GW Hospital, have already been involved in such cardiac

“patching” procedures on pigs.

It helps that ongoing developments in cardiac catheterization technology could likely be adapted

for use in future stem cell therapies to the heart. For instance, Dr. McCaffrey says one company

has developed a cardiac catheter with a tip that can sense electrical activity. Further, the location

of the catheter tip can also be precisely tracked by antennae based outside the patient’s body.

“We could use something like this to literally track down the exact location of damaged tissue in

the heart and deliver the stem cells to this area,” said Dr. McCaffrey.

He says it’s also possible that stem cells may one day be placed centrally in the heart to function

as pacemaker cells, enforcing the heart’s normal rhythm without the need for implantable devices

like the defibrillator that Vice President Dick Cheney received at GW Hospital in 2001.

A Fix for the Heart’s Design Flaw?

Dr. Tim McCaffrey

would get a transfusion rich with cells thatconstruct dopamine pathways. With aspinal injury, we’d need a transfusionaimed at neurite extension for cells toreestablish contact with other cells, usually muscle.”

Other diseases considered ripe forembryonic stem cell treatments includeAlzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophy,many forms of cancer, osteoporosis andALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’sdisease. Researchers outside of GW look-ing to battle diabetes have been workingon ways to get human embryonic stemcells to develop into specific pancreaticcells, called beta cells, which createinsulin, something diabetics are unable toproduce and regulate on their own.

Still, most experts agree that embryonicstem cell therapy is many years away frombeing tried safely on humans. “Decades ofwork are ahead before we understand theprocesses that control them, their safetyfor therapeutic uses and how to get thecells to become what we need clinically,”said Dr. John D. Gearhart, with theInstitute for Cell Engineering at JohnsHopkins School of Medicine inBaltimore. His lab was the first to isolateand characterize human pluripotent stemcells from fetal germ cells, and he will bethe keynote speaker this spring at GWMedical Center’s eighth annual ResearchDay, which will focus on stem cellresearch for tissue repair.

“We need to know on the molecularlevel what makes embryonic stem cells dif-ferentiate and what makes them growbefore we introduce them into patients,”

said GW Medical Center’s Dr. Moody.“We should understand what these cellsare capable of before we start putting theminto people.”

Research and PoliticsIt is a given that before any embryonicstem cell therapy makes its way from ani-mal models to human clinical trials, thor-ough research on human embryonic stemcells in the lab will have to take place. Thisis why in the summer of 2001, the scientificcommunity was keenly watching forPresident Bush’s decision on federal fund-ing of human embryonic stem cell research.

While non-federally funded humanembryonic stem cell research has neverbeen illegal, and while Dr. James Thomsonmanaged to find non-federal money for hislandmark University of Wisconsin study in1998, the overall implications for theresearch community were obvious.

“Government funding is a huge part ofresearch,” said Dr. Kenneth F. Schaffner,university professor of MedicalHumanities at GW. “You can’t deny suchfunding without acknowledging thatyou’re seriously hampering research in aparticular area.”

President Bush’s decision—to allowfunding for research on existing lines,while barring money for research on futurelines—eventually came on August 9, 2001.For lack of a better gauge, he used the 9p.m. start time of his speech as the cutoff.He claimed that “more than 60” humanembryonic stem lines had been derived bythen and were available for federalresearch. The National Institutes of Health(NIH) had, in fact, conducted a worldwidesurvey turning up at least 64 cell lines onfour continents: plenty, the presidentargued, to meet the needs of the researchcommunity.

Some immediately questioned whetherthis would be the case. As research pro-gressed, many scientists argued the needfor more lines would become unavoidable.Even the University of Wisconsin’s Dr.Thomson expressed doubt. “A couple ofdozen is enough to get the research started,” he told reporters in the weeksafter the Bush decision. But he argued thatresearchers would ultimately need many

Dr. John Gearhart

Stem Cells to TakeStarring Role atGWUMC’s 2003Research DayResearch on stem cells will be the focus thisApril at GW Medical Center’s annualResearch Day. Dr. John D. Gearhart, with theInstitute for Cell Engineering at JohnsHopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore,will deliver a keynote address on the topic.

The first C. Michael Armstrong Professorof Medicine, Dr. Gearhart has been aHopkins faculty member since 1980 and ledthe research team there that first isolatedand characterized human pluripotent stemcells, which can develop into the differenttypes of tissues that make up the humanbody. His seminar is titled Human EmbryonicGerm Cells: Differentiation andTransplantation.

The eighth annual Research Day at GWMedical Center takes place on Friday April25, 2003. Joining Dr. Gearhart in the stemcell discussion are:• GW Medical Center professor of Anatomy

and Cell Biology Dr. Robert Hawley, execu-tive director of Cell Therapy Research andDevelopment at the American Red CrossHolland Laboratory in Rockville, Maryland.He also heads the Holland Lab’sHematopoiesis Department, which special-izes in hematopoietic stem cells, found inthe bone marrow and capable of becomingall the cells that make up blood

• Dr. Kenneth F. Schaffner, UniversityProfessor of Medical Humanities at TheGeorge Washington University. Dr.Schaffner’s research into the ethical con-siderations surrounding stem cells is partof his course “The Human Genome Project:Ethical, Legal and Social Implications”

• Dr. Vittorio Gallo, director of the Centerfor Neuroscience Research at Children’sNational Medical Center’s Children’sResearch Center; professor, Pediatrics and Pharmacology

• Dr. Sally Moody, professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology

• Dr. Timothy McCaffrey, associateProfessor, Biochemistry and MolecularBiology

For more information on Research Day,call 202-994-2995 or go online towww.gwumc.edu/research

more lines than the NIH survey turned up.“Sixty-four is not enough,” he said.

Now, more than a year later, even 64seems like an unobtainable figure. Thoughthe NIH list has since grown to more than70 “eligible” lines, derived before PresidentBush’s announcement and in accordancewith certain ethical standards for collec-tion, a recent report in the journal Sciencemaintained that U.S. researchers have beenable to get their hands on just four ofthem. Practical and legal hurdles have keptmany lines inside the labs where they werederived. Others have not been fully charac-terized and therefore may not even turnout to be bona fide human embryonicstem lines.

With the scientific limitations of theBush guidelines growing more apparent,stem cell research as a policy issue hasbegun in recent months to come out ofhibernation. The state of California inOctober passed a measure encouraginggovernment funding of embryonic stemcell research. Christopher Reeve renewedhis calls for research funding by givingmore speeches across the country anddelivering testimony to a Senate subcom-mittee. And in a subtle but persistenteffort, former first lady Nancy Reaganbegan quietly lobbying through friends,lawmakers and her own telephone callsand letters to reverse the Bush guidelines.She’s hoping to uncover a cure forAlzheimer’s, the disease that began wipingout her husband’s memory almost adecade ago.

“The question is whether, when itcomes to significant advances that can benefit a large number of people, the conservative position should produce the barriers that it’s now producing,” saidDr. Schaffner, the medical ethicist at GW.“And, in fact, the conservatives themselveshave split into different camps on this.”

Dr. Schaffner points to a June 13, 2001communiqué by Senator Orrin G. Hatch—a Utah Republican and one of the Senate’sstaunchest conservatives—to Secretary ofHealth and Human Services TommyThompson. Even though the letter wassent nearly two months before PresidentBush unveiled his guidelines, some view itnow as a possible road map for future policyin a conservative government whereRepublicans now control both houses of Congress.

“I am pro-family and pro-life,” SenatorHatch emphasized near the beginning ofthe 10-page letter. But he nonethelessargued that biomedical research involvinghuman embryonic stem cells is legally per-missible, scientifically promising and ethi-cally proper.

“To me, a frozen embryo is more akinto a frozen unfertilized egg or a frozensperm than to a fetus naturally developingin the body of a mother,” the senatorwrote, saying it was important to “distin-guish between elective abortion and thediscarding of frozen embryos no longerneeded in the in vitro fertilization process.”

“Hatch is drawing a line,” said Dr.Schaffner. “As technology allows you to domore and more on the cellular level, thereare more places you can draw the line onpotential human life. And what Hatch hasdone is to draw the line at implantation.”

Another solution to the ethical conun-drum may involve a change in the wayhuman embryonic stem cells are derivedfrom embryos. Instead of destroying left-over IVF clinic embryos to gather the stemcells inside, some are theorizing that scien-tists may be able to keep the embryos alive,skim some cells off, and then use theembryos normally for implantation.Indeed, it is already a common practice forcells to be taken from IVF embryos toscreen for genetic diseases; these embryoscan then go on to be implanted.

“I’ve been to IVF clinics and I’ve seensome of the kids that were the product ofthese screenings,” said Dr. TimothyMcCaffrey, an associate professor ofBiochemistry and Molecular Biology atGW Medical Center who has fathered twochildren of his own through IVF. “Childrenare being born from screened embryosevery day and they’re doing fine. They’redoing better than fine because they don’thave some of these horrible diseases tocontend with.”

Adult Stem Cell PotentialRegardless of what happens with embryon-ic stem cells, Dr. McCaffrey’s own workand that of others at GW Medical Centerhelp illustrate just how powerful adultstem cells continue to be as a tool in regen-erative medicine. Compared to embryonicstem cells, the lack of research restrictionson human adult stem cells makes them anattractive subject for study; and the reducedrisk of tumor growth and immune rejec-tion augur well for clinical applications.

Dr. McCaffrey is studying ways to useadult stem cells to help repair cardiac dam-age after a myocardial infarction, or heartattack, a condition that afflicts more than1.5 million Americans annually. Along withDr. McCaffrey, Dr. Mary Ann Stepp is partof GW Medical Center’s Stem andProgenitor Cell Research Group. A mem-ber of both of the Department of Anatomyand Cell Biology and the Department ofOpthamology, she runs a lab where she hasbeen working with adult human stem cellsfound in the eye to probe their potentialfor healing corneal damage from splashedchemicals, thermal burns and other injuriesor illnesses. Yet, like many lines of inquiryinto adult stem cells, cardiac and oculartherapies for humans are still years away.

Hematologists working with stem cellsin the blood, on the other hand, havealready cleared a lot of the hurdles aheadfor people like Drs. Stepp and McCaffrey.These so-called adult hematopoietic stemcells, informally known as blood stemcells, are capable of producing all the cellu-lar components of blood. Of all the workon adult stem cells, perhaps no field is fur-ther along clinically; actual patients havebenefited from transfusions of these cells.

Dr. Kenneth Shaffner

Produced in the bone marrow, bloodstem cells are able to become red bloodcells that carry oxygen, white blood cellsthat boost immunity, and platelets thathelp blood clot. These stem cells holdimmense value for those with certainblood disorders and cancer patients tryingto reconstitute blood and immune systemsweakened by massive doses of chemother-apy and radiation.

GW Medical Center professor ofAnatomy and Cell Biology Dr. RobertHawley is executive director of cell therapyresearch and development at the AmericanRed Cross Holland Laboratory inRockville, Maryland. He also heads theHolland Lab’s Hematopoiesis Departmentand says the Red Cross employs a special-ized form of dialysis designed to collectstem cells from the blood so they can bestored in bags and frozen for future trans-plants. This “apheresis” is now done thou-sands of times a year and involves a hor-mone administered several days before aprocedure to coax more of the stem cellsout of the bone marrow and into theblood stream so they can be collected.

“Apheresis is much less invasive thanbone marrow extraction,” said Dr. Hawley.“And generally it is safe and without complications.”

At the same time, attention is increas-ingly turning to what’s known as cordblood, which is found in the umbilical cordand placenta after the birth of a baby. Thiskind of blood has been established as arich source of stem cells and is currentlybeing evaluated in clinical trials. Someresearch already suggests that cord bloodmay not have to be as closely matchedbetween donor and recipient as bone marrow or blood stem cells culled throughdonor apheresis.

This is important because many cancerpatients are not able to donate their ownstem cells for transplant back into theirown bodies: the same chemotherapy orradiation that destroyed the cancer andweakened their blood and immune systemsmay have also damaged their stem cells. In addition, the cancer cells may have“metastasized”—escaped into the patient’sbloodstream, making tumor-free collectionof stem cells difficult. That’s why manyneed to rely on transplants from donors.

At the Holland Lab, Dr. Hawley isdirectly involved in research to lay thefoundation for so-called “ex vivo expan-sion” that would extend the growth ofstem cells from cord blood in a lab setting.And cord blood is promising enough tothe Red Cross that, in a bid to build upsupply, the organization recently estab-lished a national program to encouragecord blood donations.

Dr. Joao Ascensao, director of GW’sBone Marrow and Stem Cell TransplantationProgram and professor of Medicine in theDivision of Hematology and Oncology,maintains a freezer full of blood stem cellsas part of his research. Dr. Ascensao’sresearch includes both basic lab work andactually performing stem cell transfusionson cancer patients and monitoring theirprogress. In addition to reconstitutingblood and immune functions after harshchemotherapy or radiation, he suggeststhis kind of therapy may even keep somepatients in remission afterward by attack-ing residual amounts of cancer that mightotherwise gain a foothold. But stem cellscan’t beat back tumors, and Dr. Ascensaosays it’s best to view the therapy as a com-plement to, not a substitute for, traditionalmethods of fighting cancer.

“Radiation and chemotherapy are likethe major air attack in a war: You needthem to smash the major forces of theenemy,” said Dr. Ascensao. “But they can’tget rid of everything; so stem cells are likethe mop-up operation that comes in after-wards to finish the job. So far, there is no‘smart bomb’ in oncology that can do both.”

Dr. Ascensao considers himself fortu-nate to see stem cells at work in a clinicalsetting. “There aren’t many fields in medi-cine yet where you can see these cells atwork in actual patients,” he said.

Therapy in ActionEric Sellers, the GW graduate diagnosedwith Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is part of agrowing population who can talk not just of the potential therapeutic uses ofstem cells, but of how they actually havesaved lives.

The Stage 2B designation of his diseaseput him smack in the middle of the one-to-four, best to worst severity range. His cancer was “bulky” in nature, meaning

A New Kind of Blood Bank

The American Red Cross now

performs thousands of so-

called “apheresis” procedures

each year to collect hematopoietic stem

cells, or blood stem cells, for use in

transfusions to patients with weakened

blood and immune systems due to blood

disorders or cancer treatments. Some

patients can supply their own stem cells

for future transplant, provided their

stem cells have not been damaged by

their condition; or the cells can be

derived from donors.

In apheresis, a patient or donor is

hooked up to a dialysis machine that

collects white blood cells which have

become enriched with blood stem cells

coaxed from the bone marrow by a

hormone administered four or five days

beforehand. The blood is returned to

the patient or donor, while the stem

cell-enriched white blood cells are

skimmed off and collected in a bag.

The bag is frozen until needed for

transfusion.

The procedure is generally safe; the

exception is people who have a type of

red cell disease called sickle cell anemia.

For these individuals, the introduction

of the granulocyte-colony stimulating

factor (G-CSF) hormone to boost egress

of stem cells from the marrow into the

bloodstream is not safe. Researchers

have been looking for ways to perform

apheresis without having to administer

the G-CSF hormone beforehand.

The transfusion itself involves

little more than thawing the bag and

delivering the contents to the patient

intravenously.

✚

A

considerable tumor mass was present. Inthe summer of 2000 he began conventionalchemotherapy, but the effects were negligi-ble. Soon afterward, he heard about bloodstem cell therapy and how this could aug-ment his chemotherapy.

“I knew it might not be a home run,” hesaid. “But I thought it might help.”

It didn’t. His so-called autologous trans-plant, using cells from his own apheresisprocedure, resulted in only minimalimprovement, showing him to be one ofthe many patients whose own stem cellsare too damaged to be of any use.

He traveled to Boston for two, four-week rounds of radiation. The first roundkilled much of the cancer; the secondround killed more. But it wasn’t longbefore the cancer began strengtheningagain. “I was running pretty low onoptions,” he said.

Luckily, one of his dwindling optionspresented itself in the form of an NIH-funded clinical trial on donor-derived, orallogeneic, blood stem cell transplants.Sellers met the criteria for the study, and,just as important, his younger brotherWayne met all six matching criteria fordonors. The cells collected from Wayne’sapheresis were then pumped into Ericintravenously. “I just laid on the table andthey stuck the needle in,” said Eric Sellers.“It wasn’t a very dramatic procedure.”

But the results were dramatic.The transplant took, and Sellers soon

went into remission without the need forany further chemotherapy or radiation.Although he still battles fatigue, he gainedenough strength to go back to work thispast October; he’s now a career and academic adviser for GW Medical Center’s School of Public Health andHealth Services.

Does he owe his life to cell therapy?The question registers as a bit dramatic forhis down-to-earth bearing and the under-stated way he recounts his story. And hisanswer is similarly straightforward.

“People need to be educated aboutstem cells. There’s a lot happening and I’mnot sure the media or the public really getsit yet,” he said. “It’s about the human lifenow and how these cells can help whenother therapies aren’t working.”

After working for more than a decade with

mice and rats, Dr. Mary Ann Stepp, with The

GW Medical Center Departments of Anatomy

and Cell Biology and Ophthalmology, is now

using adult human stem cells in the lab to

find a way to one day treat corneas damaged

by chemicals, burns or other injuries.

Corneal epithelial cells, which make up

the clear cornea on the surface of the eye,

are manufactured by stem cells that reside

near the outside edges of the cornea, usual-

ly tucked behind the whites of the eyes to

avoid excessive exposure to ultraviolet light.

As with the skin, the cornea is exposed to

the outside world and these stem cells in

the eye routinely pump out corneal epithelial cells to maintain the

cornea through normal wear and tear. Yet, some injuries are too

severe to be healed this way and there are also people who are not

able to produce enough of these stem cells even for normal corneal

maintenance. Corneal transplants are an imperfect solution and

they often fail to heal properly when the damage is in the peripher-

al area of the cornea.

Dr. Stepp is trying to characterize in the lab the behavior of

adult human stem cells from the eye so doctors may one day trans-

plant these kinds of cells to heal the cornea. Patients with only one

injured eye could conceivably donate stem cells from the healthy

eye. Otherwise, stem cells from eye

bank donors might be an option. But

this raises the specter of rejection and

the ethical cloud of putting patients

on potentially life-threatening

immunosuppressive drugs to treat a

non-fatal condition.

“Blindness is a major quality of life

issue,” said Dr. Stepp. “But it is not life

threatening. These are decisions that

require a lot of discussion about ethics.”

Like the cardiologists who look to

skeletal muscles to supply stem cells

for the heart, Dr. Stepp says it may be

possible to convert a person’s own oral

mucosal epitherial cells—skin cells like those found on the inside of

the cheek—into stem cells that can work on the cornea.

Researchers in Japan have made some preliminary progress on this

but years of research still lie ahead before any of these therapies

might make their way to human patients. Dr. Stepp has only just

begun to chart the behavior of the human adult stem cells in her lab.

“We’re still busy at identifying surface markers and trying to

characterize how these cells behave,” she said. “And we’ve got a lot

to learn about enrichment and how to purify before we can thinkabout transplantation.”

A New Vision

Dr. Mary Ann Stepp

GW

Department of Health Policy to Play Major Role in NationalHealth Policy Agenda

By Debbie Goldstein

With healthcare at the forefront of the national agenda, health policy issues have taken

on increasing importance, as the resulting health policy decisions will have population-

wide implications. Hence, it is imperative that health policy experts—current and

future—integrate both public health and health services in responding to policy issues

regarding our nation’s healthcare delivery. GW’s new Department of Health Policy will

play a critical role in preparing students to address these health policy challenges.

In July 2002, the School of PublicHealth and Health Services (SPHHS)introduced the new Department of

Health Policy, home to the School’s healthpolicy studies and research. Unlike anyother school of public health in the country, the SPHHS’ Department ofHealth Policy focuses only on health policy—and on virtually all phases of U.S.health policy, both public health andhealth services—positioning it to train stu-dents in the full spectrum of health policy.

“The new Department of Health Policy,critically linked to the Center for HealthServices Research and Policy (CHSRP),helps make the SPHHS a resource for getting answers to questions, and perhapsmore important, a resource for uncoveringthe questions we have not yet begun toconsider,” says Richard Southby, PhD,interim dean, SPHHS. “The high quality of academic leadership and scholarship inthe Department, the CHSRP, our Schooland the Medical Center guarantees thatthe Department of Health Policy will be a critical presence in every policy discussionin our nation’s capital.”

The Department of Health Policy’sentering class of 2003 represents the first class to study under the completelyredesigned curriculum that focuses onboth the content of health policy and theskills and methods of health policy analysis.The faculty will include individuals whoare leading health policy experts in theirrespective fields. A special emphasis will be placed on medical, nursing and otherhealth professionals who desire careersthat either focus on health policy analysis,or require significant training in one ormore fields of health policy (national tradeassociations, the governmental and publicaffairs departments of major healthcaresystems and organizations, or positions in government.)

The Department’s academic programsemphasize preparing students to under-stand and analyze health policy matters ina broad, crosscutting real-world context.Because of the School’s premier locationin Washington, DC, the epicenter of the

nation’s health policy making, theDepartment provides students with real-world experiences unmatched anywhereelse. According to Sara Rosenbaum, JD,interim chair and Hirsh Professor, healthpolicy students will learn from the “best of the best,” with courses taught by core faculty as well as Washington, DC’s health

policy leadership. Says Rosenbaum, “Ourstudents will have a distinct advantage over students elsewhere in the country.Nowhere else will students be taught regularly by national practicing experts invirtually all areas of health policy.”

Students can pursue various degreesthrough the Department, including:

Urgent Matters is a $4.6 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, housed

in the SPHHS’ Center for Health Services Research and Policy (CHSRP), to help hospitals

eliminate emergency department (ED) crowding and help communities understand the

challenges facing the healthcare safety net. To enhance the outcome of this initiative, the

CHSRP is also collaborating with the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in a data-

sharing partnership.

Studies across the U.S. confirm that EDs are more crowded now than ever, leading to long

waits for patients to be seen or to be admitted to the hospital and diversion of ambulances

to other hospitals. While overcrowding is a problem nationwide, it appears to be significantly

acute in metropolitan areas, such as Boston, Phoenix, Seattle, Dallas, Houston and San

Francisco, for example.

Numerous factors contribute to this overcrowding, including the fact that the ED is the

“provider of last resort,” used by uninsured individuals for all medical treatment; the vast

increase in the number of elderly people who often require emergency medical treatment;

changes in physician practice may encourage patients to use the ED for treatment; increased

difficulty for patients to access medical specialists; and the current nursing shortage. While it

is beyond the scope of this project to correct these problems, the project will develop and

provide a “tool kit” to help hospitals manage their operations better in order to improve the

quality and timeliness of ED care.

Ten hospitals around the country will be selected to participate in this initiative. Each

participating hospital will receive $100,000 in technical assistance to develop and implement

best practice strategies. Of those 10 hospitals, four will receive up to an additional $250,000

in grant funding for a specific innovation or improvement to lessen ED crowding. Resulting

“lessons learned” from this initiative will be translated into guidelines and programs for

national dissemination and implementation.

In addition, to assess and highlight the state of local safety nets in these 10 communities,

all sites will participate in a safety net assessment and community education process in

conjunction with an identified community partner, such as a local school of public health or

chamber of commerce.

Information gleaned from these processes will be disseminated to opinion leaders and key

decision makers in the community, including business leaders, public officials and providers.

A variety of on-line tools, including discussion groups, grantee reports and descriptions of

successful innovations and improvements to lessen ED crowding, will be among the strategies

used to provide hospitals with valuable management tools and to help local communities

craft solutions to the problems faced by their healthcare safety nets.

For more information on the Urgent Matters initiative, visit the web site at

www.urgentmatters.org or email info@urgentmatters.org .

Urgent Matters: Reinventing the Emergency Department

• A Master of Public Health degree with aconcentration in health policy for students who wish to develop policyanalysis skills for use in real-world practice settings at both federal and state levels of government;

• A Master of Science degree for studentsinterested in a career in academically oriented health policy-related research;

• A Master of Health Services Administra-tion degree for students who wish totrain as health services policy analysts;and

• A Doctor of Public Health degree specializing in health policy.A graduate certificate in health policy

is also available.The health policy curriculum is struc-

tured to train students in the methods andtools of health policy analysis, including

qualitative and quantitative analysis tech-niques, legal analysis, economic analysisand the preparation and presentation ofresearch results and policy options tohealth policy makers. Moreover, theDepartment of Health Policy, in collabora-tion with other departments of the School,offers courses in virtually all phases of U.S.health policy. Some topical examples are:coverage of the uninsured; health insur-ance and employee benefits; health servic-es for underserved and medically vulnera-ble populations; minority health policy;HIV/AIDS policy; Medicare andMedicaid; state and local health policy;maternal and child health policy; pharma-ceutical and biotechnology policy; long-term care policy; competition, regulation,and rationing in the American healthcaresystem; and health policy, patient

autonomy and human reproduction.The Department of Health Policy is

also home to the Center for HealthServices Research and Policy, the researcharm of the Department. It is through theCenter that Departmental faculty and staff

Alcohol-related problems are a significant public health

concern, with nearly 14 million Americans (1 in every 13)

meeting the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence or

alcohol abuse. Despite the fact that alcohol-related problems can

be detected and effectively treated, only 700,000 Americans

receive treatment annually, a statistic that highlights the need for

opportunities for treatment to be expanded.

The Improving Access to Alcohol Treatment Project, funded by

the Pew Charitable Trust and housed at the SPHHS’ Center for

Health Services Research and Policy, will build a case for equi-

table health insurance coverage and equitable access for the

treatment of alcoholism. Through three phases of the project

(research and analysis, outreach and communications) the project

will produce and disseminate a series of reports, educational

primers and issue briefs.

The eight reports will highlight current health insurance bene-

fits for alcohol treatment, identify limitations and gaps in coverage

that are barriers to necessary services, demonstrate the conse-

quences of these barriers and suggest options for improvement.

The first report, “Assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of

private health insurance coverage,” was released in December, and

a companion web site was launched. The next report, “Assessment

of public opinions and perceptions about alcohol problems, alco-

holism and alcohol treatment services,” based on a national public

opinion poll, will be released in February.

Other publications will include issue briefs, which will

highlight 14 market sectors, including the hospitality industry,

the manufacturing industry, banking and financial services, auto

manufacturing and higher education (university community), and

will document current benefits and use patters and other industry-

specific information. The project will analyze the forces affecting

health benefit decisions of the 14 major market sectors and will

tailor materials, outreach and communications strategies to the

needs and expectations of these sectors.

Finally, a series of six in-depth primers will be produced for

business and public agencies that purchase group health insurance

to help employers and policy makers better understand the issues

surrounding improving access to alcohol treatment services. Likely

topics include Alcoholism as a chronic illness: The Chronic Care

Model; The kinds and effectiveness of treatment for alcoholism

and alcohol-related problems; Employee Assistance Programs; The

costs and outcomes from treating alcoholism and alcohol-related

problems through health insurance programs; Coverage of alco-

holism treatment in other countries; and performance measures

that employers and public purchasers can use to evaluate the

quality and effectiveness of services.

Information on the Improving Access to Alcohol Treatment is

available by contacting Eric Goplerud at goplerud@gwu.edu or

Pat Taylor at pataylor@gwu.edu .

Improving Access to Alcohol Treatment

Sara Rosenbaum, JD

conduct their research and hold grants.The Harold and Jane Hirsh Health Lawand Policy Program, a special program for law degree candidates pursuing careersin health law and policy, is also housed inthe Department. Two major research projects currently underway are the“Urgent Matters” Program, funded by theRobert Wood Johnson Foundation and“Improving Access to Alcohol Treatment,”funded by the Pew Charitable Trust.

The Department is also in the processof developing a Minority Health PolicyStudies Program that will specialize in policystudies related to minority health and healthdisparities and that will offer health lawand policy fellowship opportunities forminority law graduates.

Taking advantage of its location inWashington, the Department will alsooffer lectures and symposia on emergingissues in health policy. To provide studentswith a well-rounded classroom experienceand real-world experience with health policyissues, it is crucial that a health policydepartment not only provides an academicexperience but also supplements didacticlearning with out-of-classroom exposure toleading thinkers in the field of health policy.

In November, the Department initiateda speaker series called “A Life in HealthPolicy.” This late-day seminar series,designed for GWUMC faculty, staff andstudents, will bring to campus a distin-guished speaker who has made a signifi-cantly major contribution to health policy.Over the course of the series, the fullpanoply of policy issues will be covered.The first speaker was Dr. Edward Brandt,who, among other positions in his longand distinguished career, served asAssistant Secretary for Health underPresident Ronald Reagan. Dr. Brandtplayed a significant role in developing the initial U.S. health response to HIV.

For more information on theDepartment of Health Policy and relatededucation and research activities, pleasevisit www.gwhealthpolicy.org.

Sample CurriculumMaster of Public Health/Health PolicyThe mission of the 36-credit Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with a specialization in Health Policy is to train health, law and other professionals seekingcareers in health policy analysis and practice in the substance of health policy andthe skills and methods of health policy analysis.

MPH “Core” Course RequirementsEpidemiology and Preventive Medicine (3 credits)

Biostatistical Applications for Public Health (3 credits)

Environmental-Occupational Health (2 credits)

Introduction to Health Management (2 credits)

Introduction to the American Health Care System (2 credits)

Social and Behavioral Science Methods (2 credits)

Course Requirements Specific to the Health Policy SpecialtyIntroduction to Health Policy Analysis (3 credits)

Applications of Health Policy Analysis (3 credits)

Health Services and the Law OR Public Health and the Law (3 credits)

Health Economics and Financing OR Decision-Making in Clinical Epidemiology and

Public Health (3 credits)

Special Project (Including Seminar) (3 credits)

Topics/Elective (7 credits), see below

Additional Course RequirementsBiological Basis of Public Health (3 credits)

Introduction to Preventive Medicine (3 credits)

Illustrative Examples of Electives Courses Advanced Seminar in Health Economics (2 credits)

Communicating Health Policy (1 credit)

Corporate Compliance (2 credits)

The Federal Budget Process and the Making of Health Policy (1 credit)

Health Care Fraud (1 credit)

Health Care Quality and Health Policy (2 credits)

Health Care Safety Net Policy I (1 credit)

Health Law for Managers (2 credits)

Health Systems of the VA and the DoD (1 credit)

Issues in Federal Disability Law for Health Employers, Providers and Programs (1 credit)

Legal Issues in Medicare & Medicaid Managed Care Policy (2 credits)

Maternal and Child Health Policy (2 credits)

Mental Health & Substance Abuse Policy (2 credits)

Minority Health and Health Policy (2 credits)

Prescription Drug Policy (1 credit)

Regulation of Employee Health Benefit Plans/Health Insurance Law (1 credit)

State Health Policy (2 credits)

The Use of Scientific Evidence in Health Law and Policy (2 credits)

Welfare Reform and Health Policy (1 credit)GW

Alumni ShareTradition, CommitmentAs they prepared the auditorium for thisspecial ceremony, many of them remem-bered the year before when they put theirwhite coats on for the first time. This yearmore than 300 GW alumni donated fundsto provide white coats to GW’s Class of2006. It was the second year of a traditionstarted by the GW Medical Center AlumniAssociation. In fact, the event was such abig hit, the venue for the moving ceremonyhad to be changed to Lisner Auditoriumon the GW campus to accommodate allthe family and friends in attendance. GW’sfirst-year medical students don their whitecoats at the beginning of their academicyear (instead of at the end) and also recitethe GW School of Medicine and HealthSciences oath.

In addition to the white coats, first-yearstudents received plenty of advice fromspeakers at the ceremony. Months later wecontacted some first year students to seehow they incorporated these words of wisdom into the rigors of their first year of medical school.

Second-year student Loren MichaelScher, who organized the ceremony andorientation week activities, told the firstyears, “It’s not thewhite coat thatmatters, but theknowledge andexperience itstands for.”

Nick Gilmanresponded: “Were NathanielHawthorne alivetoday, and had heremained thesocial critic that hewas, he might remark, with great irony,that the advent of the white coat resemblesa resurrection of the Scarlet Letter: A com-plex symbolic piece, often vilified withinlegal, public and political circles, yet bothrevered, distrusted and often misunder-stood by the population its wearer serves.The French linquist-philologist RolandBarthes might see in it the semiotic valueof a pure white space serving the public asa reflective, receptacle-like space within

The second-year students meticulously laidout the white coats on chairs at LisnerAuditorium. It was the end of August 2002and soon a time-honored tradition would berepeated for first-year medical students.

Derrick Pau, MS I, gives his white coat a trial run before the GW Medical AlumniAssociation White Coat Ceremony.

Nick Gilman

which they can project their own collectivemyths and fears regarding the physicianestablished during latency as well as subli-mated desires for wellness and happinessand the hope that the physi-cian will grant this withoutextracting a proportionalcost. While I can clearly seethese, as well as other, vari-ous representations, I preferto view it as a unique identifi-er, a simple shell, too largeyet, that I must slowly beginto fill and only finally shedonce its purpose has beenserved...and its purpose?There’s the rub: Know this and you havealready served as a fine physician.”

Said John F. Williams, MD, EdD, vicepresident for Health Affairs and dean ofthe School of Medicine and HealthSciences, “The white coat is a symbol ofearned respect, professionalism and trust,”Roberto Contreras II said “That was espe-cially made apparent to me when the whitecoat was put on my back at the ceremony.Standing there with my family in the audi-ence brought the realization forward. I amthe first-born child in my family to go tocollege and now am the first in graduateschool. As I put on the white coat, my fami-ly gazed at me in a different manner. Theysaw respect that the white coat adheres toits bearer. As far as they were concerned, I already had made it. I know that it is along, difficult road that lies ahead, but this

piece of cloth tells me that I canand I will do this. Like I said, myfamily feels like I already havemade it, and who am I to letthem down?”

Alumni AssociationPresident Bruce Ammerman,MD ’72, GME ’77, told the class“the white coat symbolizes ourshared commitment to our profession, our community andourselves.” To student Tamar

Jackson this means “The community seesthose who don the white coat as individuals

who have decided to make theirway of life one of caring and com-passion for others. It’s a symbol ofdedication to a lifetime of learn-ing, not for self-benefit, but in theservice of others. Also it serves toremind us that although we wearit, we are not separated by anymeans from those in our commu-nities whom we serve. We are toplay vital roles in our communitieswithout pretense or haughtiness.”

“The white coat is a mantle ofprivilege and responsibility,” saidKenneth Moritsugu, MD ’71,MPH, Deputy Surgeon General.Future doctor Jay Katzen replied,“I am glad to accept the responsi-bility of wearing a white coat andI know that my preparation hereat GW Medical School will helpme become a competent andcompassionate physician.”

Arnold Schwartz, MD, PhD, associatedean for Faculty and Policy Development,admonished students to “wear their whitecoats with pride and humility and don’t beafraid to get it stained ---it only shows youare busy.” Khanh Do took that comment toheart. “I thought that best encompassesthe reason we are here, not to set ourselvesfurther away from our patients, but tolearn more about them, how to relate tothem, how to help them heal. Humility is abig part of learning to be a true physicianand you can only do that if you’re at thelevel of the patient, not above them.”

The GW Medical Center’s White CoatTradition is now set in the kind of stonethat inspires. With quotes to live by, thesestudents have now broken in their whitecoats, wearing them proudly on the nightpatients were moved from the old GWHospital to the new one and since then.

GWUMC VPHA and Provost John F. Williams, MD, EdD, and Deputy Surgeon General Kennth P.Moritsugu, MD ’71, MPH, join GW MedicalAlumni Association President Bruce Ammerman,MD ’72, GME ’77, to present Aminah Alleyne, MSI, with her White Coat. The trio recalled the tradi-tion of the white coat as well as the role of GW as amodel academic health center—both representing acommitment to the healthcare profession, educationand service to the community.

Tamar Jackson, center, and friends

Jay Katzen

Roberto Contreras II

Khanh Do

Editor’s Note: GWUMC students oftenreceive distinction and involve themselvesin communities here and abroad. In thenext several issues, we will be sharingsome of their experiences. If you haveinformation to share, please send it tomcmldb@gwumc.edu.

StudentsExperience MedicineAbroadKenyaLouis Lee, MS I, vol-unteered for twomonths during thesummer at an

HIV/AIDS orphanagein the small town ofKaren, outside of

Nairobi, Kenya, treating and caring for 84children between the ages of two and 20(all infected from birth). The orphanage isrun by an organization, Nyumbani, createdby a Jesuit priest/psychiatrist.

Lee said the orphanage recently receivedgrants toward antiretroviral medicationswhich have helped decrease the mortalityrate of the children. “I became a physicianto heal others, physically and spiritually …and there is no better place to practice thisart than in the bowels of AIDS-riddled Sub-Saharan Africa. I plan to return toNyambani and invite my classmates.”

IndiaCarla Mandili and Matthew Gummerson,MS IIs, traveled through India with Dr.Glenn Geelhoed, delivering medical careto isolated populations along the Tibetanborderland. The two-week expedition isrun through Himalayan Health Exchange.During five days of clinic experiences, the14-person team of medical students, doc-tors and nurses saw more than 750patients. Conditions endemic to the area,according to Mandili, included pterygium,

osteoarthritis, gastroesophageal reflux dis-ease (GERD) and gastic cancer. They alsoobserved mitral stenosis, hairy nevus andthyroglossal cyst.

“The trip was a wonderful, eye-openingexperience,” said Gummerson. “Being withthe people of the Hindu and Buddhist cul-tures was a kind reminder of the strengthand caring of the human spirit. It was sur-prising to see firsthand how many peoplein the world have no access to healthcareand it was satisfying to be able to make ahuge difference in the lives of the few hun-dred we were able to see. Clearly much isleft to be done as there are many areas inthe world that continue to receive nohealthcare.”

Following her tour in India, Mandilispent four weeks in Cuernavaca, Mexico,to do intensive medical Spanish study andto work in a local clinic. While in Mexico,Mandili also met with a traditionalMexican healer and toured a local medici-nal herb garden.

MexicoJill Caplan, MS III, participated in the Marde Jade medical student elective programduring the summer. Mar de Jade provides a24:7 dispensary and medical clinic to theresidents of the small fishing town inMexico. Caplan said she volunteered at thefree clinic “to gain a better understanding

of how to treat and diagnose in Spanishand to see firsthand the different hardshipsthat other cultures experience in healthcareand everyday life.” She notes that the med-ical supplies were donated and they madehouse calls frequently. “There was one daywhere we did consultations for five hourswhile sitting outside under a tree.”

NicaraguaBrent L. Crabtree, MS IV, traveled toNicaragua to work with an impoverishedtown. He performed physicals, diagnoseddiseases and more. This was the secondtrip to a developing country for Crabtree.“One of the greatest benefits of choosingGW for my medical training has been theopportunities made available and the sup-port I have felt from faculty and staff whilepursuing personal interests.”

PragueAndrew Fenton, MS IV, spent three weeksin Prague working at a number of hospi-tals. With one small group, Fenton says hewas exposed to the functioning of anational healthcare system and Czech-stylemedicine, such as pulmonology (includinga trip to the TB clinic located in the moun-tains), pediatrics and neurology. “I wastaught by some of the leaders in Czechmedicine, including one-on-one teachingwith the former Minister of Health,” saysFenton. He also worked at a 1,500-bedhospital in the center of Prague that drawspatients from throughout Eastern Europedue to its modern equipment. “I was sur-prised that their facilities and technologywere nearly as advanced as ours. Yet, itproved to be quite a contrast with theU.S.—patients stay in the hospital for muchlonger and doctors have little incentive tobe productive and efficient. On the otherhand, even the poorest citizens receive thebest treatment.” While there, Fentonworked with patients who had rare dis-eases and illnesses and met a man who hadsurvived three Nazi concentration campsand 20 years in a communist jail.

Louis Lee, right, out-side the HIV/AIDSorphanage in Kenya.

Going Global

Carla Mandili at a local clinic in Mexico.

Eighteen Graduate in OmanThe Ronald Reagan Institute ofEmergency Medicine and the EmergencyHealth Services (EHS) Program graduated18 physicians and nurses from theSultanate of Oman on August 15. Thegraduation capped a one-year EMS train-ing program as the first step in develop-ment of the first National AmbulanceService in Oman.

The Reagan Institute and EHS programhave been assisting Oman since May 2000in the design and development of theirEMS system. “It has been a great honor towork with Oman and to develop a systemthat will positively impact the healthcare ofthe entire country,” says Gregg Margolis,director, EHS Program.

The collaborative relationship will continue this fall with direct oversight ofthe implementation of the new EMSTraining Center in Oman and the recentarrival of eight cadets from the RoyalOmani Police. They are in training to operate the new dispatch communicationscenter in Oman by the summer of 2003.“We truly value our relationship withOman and look forward to ongoing collaboration with the Royal Omani Policeand the Ministry of Health as Oman continues to improve pre-hospital and hospital-based emergency services,” saysJeff Smith, MD, MPH, director ofInternational Programs of the ReaganInstitute.

Fulbright Scholar ExploresProtocols at GWFulbright Scholar Adrian Tyson has tem-porarily replaced his shield with a textbookas he tackles studies with the School ofPublic Health and Health Services (SPHHS).Tyson arrived on GW’s campus in Augustfrom London to gain the knowledge andexperience to develop protocols for inves-tigating the rising number of suspiciousmedically related deaths in his nativeUnited Kingdom.

“The number of deaths referred to the police that are attributed to medicallyrelated practices in the United Kingdom israpidly increasing and we are ill-preparedfor a significant part of the work,” said thedeputy senior investigative officer. “I feltcompelled to submit a research outline tothe Fulbright Commission to look at howthe police in the United States respond,what protocols are followed and what lessons could be learned to enhance orimprove the investigative process in theUnited Kingdom. Fortunately, it wasapproved and I am here at GW to get the best research and expertise available in the public health field.”

Tyson’s interest was particularly piquedfollowing the inquiry of Harold Shipman,MD, in 2000. Dr. Shipman was accused ofkilling 15 patients from his Market Streetoffice near Manchester. Further, officialssuspected he was connected to otherdeaths. An outgrowth of the case was anindependent assessment to determinewhat changes needed to be made to exist-ing systems at all levels to safeguardpatients. That inquiry continues today.Meanwhile, the 19-year veteran detectivecontinues to work with SPHHS and area

law enforcement officials to develop pro-tocols for handling related investigationsand to offer assistance to his colleagues inthe United Kingdom. Tyson just learnedabout a recent honor—upon returning tothe United Kingdom, he will be detailed towork with key members of the UK’sDepartment of Health Service to develop amemo of understanding between policeand the national health service; therebyputting his newfound studies to immediatepractical application.

Reagan Institute Assists Chilewith Education, TrainingThe Ronald Reagan Institute ofEmergency Medicine (RRIEM), in collaboration with the Catholic Universityof Chile in Santiago, co-sponsored thefirst-ever emergency medicine conferencein Chile in September. More than 200physicians and Chilean Ministry of Healthrepresentatives, as well as colleagues fromneighboring countries, attended the five-day conference.

The conference promoted the develop-ment of the specialty of emergency medi-cine in Chile and provided a forum forlearning and collaboration. According toDr. Jeff Smith, director of InternationalPrograms and co-director of the RRIEM,“this conference is a wonderful addition toexisting efforts that are dedicated to thedevelopment of emergency medicine inChile.” The conference now will be heldannually with the number of participantsfor next year expected to double.

While in Chile, RRIEM staff met withthe university president and dean of themedical school to sign a Memorandum ofUnderstanding to continue the educationand training in emergency medicine provision between the two institutions.

Dr. Smith represented RRIEM alongwith Dr. Robert Shesser, Department ofEmergency Medicine chair and RRIEM co-director; Dr. Bruno Pettinaux, assistantprofessor of Emergency Medicine; Dr.Terri Mulligan, International EmergencyMedicine fellow with RRIEM; Dr. MichaelRapp, associate clinical professor; and Dr. Dan Hanfling, disaster managementcoordinator, INOVA Health System.

Oman Ambassador Al Khusaibi, center,joined GW graduates who hail from theSultanate of Oman. GW has been working with Oman since 2000 to helpthem establish the first-ever NationalAmbulance Service in Oman.

Adrian Tyson

Convocation

Alec Horwitz First Year Scholar Award Recipients withDeans Scott Schroth, far left, and Rhonda Goldberg, right,are, from left, Scott Canna, Katrina Dafnis, Neelam Gor, AmyHumfeld, Darlene Moyer, Holly Sobota, Anisha Thadani. Notpictured is Michael Kuhne.

Clinical Science Resident Research Award Breno Pessanha, MD

Healthcare Foundation ofN.J. Humanism inMedicine Award:Yolanda Haywood, MD, BS’81, GME ’87

Even some rain couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of alumni

returning to the GW campus for Colonials Weekend in

October. For the Medical Center, events got underway early

Friday with the dedication of a new plaque to honor Nobel Laureate

and former chair of the Biochemistry Department, Vincent du

Vigneaud, PhD. The School of Medicine and Health Sciences’

Convocation at Lisner Auditorium followed as a fitting beginning to

the academic year. The keynote speaker was Robert Rosenberg, MD

‘61, PhD who is the Whitehead Professor of Biochemistry, professor

of Biology and director of the Program of Excellence in Molecular

Biology of the Cardiovascular System at MIT and the William B.

Castle Professor of Medicine at Harvard. Dr. Rosenberg’s speech

about innovation and striving for excellence enthralled first-year

medical students who later donned white coats and recited the

School of Medicine and Health Sciences oath, symbolic of the start

of their medical school program. Convocation was also the time for

honoring, residents, students and faculty with awards. A banquet

Friday evening for Health Services Management and Leadership

Alumni mixed current students with alums. The weather cleared in

time for a successful barbecue on Saturday featuring the sounds of

“Code Blue.” Medical Center and other alumni got a chance to tour

the new GW Hospital and see interactive demonstrations on the

sixth floor in the Physical Therapy area and the Clinical Learning and

Simulation Skills Center (CLASS). SMHS Associate Dean James

Scott, MD, lectured on “Teaching Tomorrow’s Doctors Today,” while

Christina Puchalski, MD, founder of The George Washington

Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWish) spoke on her initiatives

in mixing spirituality into the medical curriculum and patient care.

Engineering the successful Medical Center events came with the

assistance of a new student organization called the Traditions

Alliance with representatives from both the SMHS and the School of

Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS). If alumni feedback was

any indication—a good time was had by all!

Case Report ResidentResearch Award:Connie Le, MD ’00

Alec Horwitz Memorial Award: Todd Call & Jeremy Burt; Goddard Prize in Pharmacology:Todd Call

Distinguished Alumnus inthe Health Sciences Award:Eric Moreland Jones, BS ’98

Herbert Nickens MinorityFaculty Fellowship Award:Janice Blanchard, MD, MPH,GME ‘98

Basic Science ResidentResearch Award:Babak Sarani, MD ’97

Distinguished Teacher Award:Benjamin Blatt, MD

Distinguished ResearcherAwardRobert D. Rosenberg, MD ’61, PhD

Distinguished CommunityService in the HealthSciences AwardEvelyn Marr, MSN, FNP

Faculty DistinguishedResearcher AwardGary Simon, MD, PhD

Case Report ResidentResearch AwardJessica Caroff-Kell, MD ’99

Distinguished Teacher Award Linda Werling, PhD

Larmee Tapped to HeadUp Advancement

GWVice President forAdvancement BeverlyK. Bond and Vice

President for Health Affairs John F.Williams, MD, EdD, recently announcedthe appointment of Pamela ClappLarmee as associate vice president forAdvancement—Medical Center. Larmeewill focus on development and philan-thropic activities related to the MedicalCenter.

Larmee comes to GW fromChildren’s National Medical Center inWashington, DC, where she has servedas director of principal gifts since 2000;she spent the previous year there as direc-tor of major gifts. Larmee moved toWashington in 1999 from Ann Arbor,Michigan, where she served as an associ-ate regional director of the University ofMichigan’s Central Major Gifts Program.

Advancement News

Dear GWUMC Alumni and Friends,What an exciting time to be a part of the momentum at The GeorgeWashington University Medical Center!

New research initiatives, innovative student curricula and increased facultyrecruiting are combining to help the Medical Center achieve its strategic goalsahead of schedule. There’s an infectious energy palpable on campus. Ofcourse, playing a vibrant role in this picture is the new GW Hospital. Finally,there is a technologically advanced clinical facility to match our superior edu-cation and research programs.

As a recent outsider looking in, it was always evident that GW MedicalCenter was true to its core missions of education and research and thathelped it survive the challenges faced by many academic health centers acrossthe country. Now on the inside, I realize a key component of our future suc-cess will be to increase philanthropic support to all areas of the institution.There is a wide range of gift opportunities that alumni, community members,physicians, faculty and students have available to them to help GW’s MedicalCenter continue to achieve its goals.

Current gifts to support exciting initiatives, pledges to make a significantimpact over time and estate plans to ensure the future of the Medical Centerare all important ways to give. With pleasure and pride, we share the storiesof people who have made gifts to GW that are meaningful to them personallyand that are important in the life of this institution. A gift to the GW MedicalCenter is a reaffirmation of our institution’s legacy in medical education,research and patient care. We must continue to build on our past successes toensure our future.

I hope that you will consider The George Washington University MedicalCenter and its various components as personal philanthropic priorities. Welook forward to working with you on meaningful investments that create thevery best opportunities for students, faculty, patients and alumni.

Pamela Clapp LarmeeAssociate Vice PresidentMedical Center Advancement

Pamela Clapp Larmee

“Pam has a strong track record in theadvancement field from her work withChildren’s National Medical Center andthe University of Michigan,” said VicePresident Bond. “She will bring a clearfocus and proven leadership to our effortsto bring the GW Medical Center furtherinto the national spotlight.”

“We are happy to have Pam heading upthe Medical Center’s advancement team.She will spearhead our efforts to raiseawareness and funding for our CancerInitiative,” said Dr. Williams. “In addition,we know she will build partnerships thatwill enhance our education and researchefforts on the 6th floor of the new GWHospital.”

A native of Wisconsin, Larmee obtainedher bachelor of arts in English from theUniversity of Michigan in 1992. She imme-diately began working for her alma mater’sdevelopment office, holding a number ofpositions over the next seven years thatultimately led her to oversee multi-milliondollar annual regional gift totals. AtChildren’s National Medical Center, shemanaged a $1 million budget and devel-oped strategies to raise $18 million annually.Larmee also led a major and planned giving team during a $250 million compre-hensive campaign. She is a member of theAssociation of Fundraising Professionals,the Association for HealthcarePhilanthropy and numerous otherfundraising and philanthropic organizations.

“This is a fantastic time to be joiningGW Medical Center,” said Larmee. “Thegrowing list of research projects, commu-nity outreach initiatives and the opening ofthe new GW Hospital this year presentsome very strong opportunities foradvancement and philanthropy at theMedical Center.” Profiles in

Profiles in Stewardship

Burgess Gives Back to GW

Mary Burgess said she had alwaysbeen interested in medicine.For decades, she volunteered at

The George Washington UniversityMedical Center, starting as a Red Crosshelper during World War II. She continuedto serve as a volunteer on the Women’sBoard of the GW Hospital for more than50 years. Mrs. Burgess, with her late hus-band, Samuel M. Burgess, LLM ’25, decid-ed before his death to leave their estate toGW. Those wishes will result in a generousgift of more than $1,000,000—half desig-nated for the Medical School and half forthe Law School—to be used for scholarshipand loan funds. At a luncheon hosted bythe Schools’ deans, Mrs. Burgessexpressed, “I feel very, very, close to GW,and I am committed to helping young people attain the high-quality medical andlegal educations available here.” Mrs.Burgess passed away in April at age 99. “All my years have been spent surroundedby good and caring friends. When so muchhas been given you, it’s only natural towant to give something back.”

Profiles in Stewardship

Profiles in Stewardship

Diane Perrine Luckmann, MD ’59

Diane Perrine Luckmann, MD ’59,is an enthusiastic and loyal alum-na who treasures her experience

at GW. She spent much of her career as anassistant professor teaching anesthesiologyin the Family Medicine Program at theUniversity of Tennessee in Memphis andpracticing medicine full time until herrecent retirement. However, Dr.Luckmann still led a fascinating and variedlife in medicine that has carried her aroundthe world. A true giver at heart, Dr.Luckmann used her medical expertise tobuild an equally impressive career helpingthe needy overseas.

Shortly after her graduation from GW,Dr. Luckmann began working with theFlying Doctors in Kenya. Yet, it was in1988, when she volunteered to work withMother Theresa for several months inCalcutta, that her love affair with third-world medicine reached its peak. While n India, she went on to work in Titigar,providing medical assistance to individualsafflicted with leprosy. In 1990, Dr.Luckmann, an anesthesiologist and

A D V A N C E M E N T N E W S

In 1996, at a luncheon hosted by theSchool’s deans, Mary Burgess, long-timeWomen’s Board member, with Jack H.Friedenthal, JD, of the Law School (on theleft) and Robert I. Keimowitz, MD, GWMedical School.

Dr. Diane Perrine Luckmann

emergency medicine specialist, went toPapua, New Guinea, to provide traumacare in a Seventh Day Adventist hospital ina region known for its tribal warfare.

Despite her overwhelming commitmentto medicine and aiding the needy, through-out her career, Dr. Luckmann always madetime for her “extracurricular” interests. Sheis an avid—and active—ballroom dancerwho continues to dance almost daily. Sheis proficient in both U.S. and Europeanstyles. So talented is she that she is consid-ering turning professional, but has not yetmade a decision.

A lover of animals as well, Dr. Luckmannhas six cats, although she insists that it’s“not on purpose.”

Since her retirement, Dr. Luckmannkeeps her medical knowledge up to dateby attending continuing education lectures

at a local hospital near her home in SanFrancisco, California. She also continuesto be committed to working overseas tohelp the needy and is interested in partici-pating in some of GW’s medical assistanceprograms overseas.

Yet, her dedication to GW does notstop there. Dr. Luckmann recently docu-mented a large gift to GW in her will aspart of her estate planning. This commit-ment to GW qualifies her for entry into theprestigious Heritage Society, which recog-nizes individuals who have made provisionsfor planned gifts to the University. Dr.Luckmann has been a long-time supporterof GW, and the direction of this large giftin her will to GW exemplifies her spirit ofgiving and serves as a testament to her loyalty to her alma mater.

A D V A N C E M E N T N E W S

Making a bequest provision is one of the old-

est and most popular methods of making a

donation, and it is the easiest gift arrange-

ment that a donor can make with The

George Washington University Medical

Center. A bequest of cash, securities or other

tangible property becomes a completed gift

(transferred through the will) only upon the

death of the donor.

Types of bequests are:

Specific bequest: a bequest of a specific

item, which is distinguishable from all other

items. For example: “my grandfather clock,”

“my savings account #55432 at Centennial

Bank.” In the distribution of an estate, spe-

cific bequests are distributed before other

bequests.

General bequest: a bequest that does not

provide the source of payment, for example,

“the sum of $50,000.” General bequests are

distributed after specific bequests, and the

executor may honor it from any available

source in the estate.

Residuary bequest: a bequest of all or a por-

tion of the estate after all expenses, debts

and taxes are paid and specific and general

bequests are distributed and can be

expressed as a percentage. If arrangements

are not made for the residuary of the estate,

any asset not mentioned specifically in the

will is treated as though the donor had died

without a will (in testate).

Contingent bequest: a bequest that takes

effect only after certain conditions are met,

such as, if the primary intention of the donor

cannot be met or if a beneficiary predeceas-

es the donor, and contingent provisions are

stated. There is no certainty that a contin-

gent beneficiary will receive anything.

For more information on planned giving and

designing a program that meets your finan-

cial needs, please contact the Office of

Medical Center Advancement at

202 994-7511.

Giving ThroughBequests

Profiles in Stewardship

Reunions and Class Giving – A New Tradition

For milestone anniversary classes,reunions are more than a chance tobring the entire class back to their

alma mater to renew old friendships andcatch up on the latest developments on theGW campus. It is also a perfect time toreflect on the benefits and privileges gainedfrom the academic programs that so con-vincingly moved your lives forward. Often,reunion classes of the 10th, 25th and 50thyears create significant class gifts to honorthose special milestone anniversaries.

Leadership committees in anniversaryalumni classes are encouraged to considerorganized class giving to make a powerfulstatement of support for GW. United as acohort group once again, an alumni classcan choose to designate its gift for a specificpurpose, such as classroom technology, stu-dent scholarships or the support of facultyand student research. Additionally, an unre-stricted class gift presented to the dean isalways welcome as the best way to supportthe most critical needs of your school.

Reflecting on 30 years of building clini-cal practices, teaching and engaging inresearch, the MD Class of 1972 organizeda class reunion gift committee. Under theleadership of Drs. Bruce Ammerman,Stuart Kassan, Jay Katzen and JerrySonkens, there was a collective class effortto perpetuate their commitment to GW.Class members reflected that this opportu-nity was especially meaningful becausethey were helping students receive superbmedical educations.

The Office of Medical CenterAdvancement encourages class leaders tocontact them about implementing class giftstrategies. With all that has been achievedand all that is yet to come, this may be theright year to collectively support your alma mater.

For more information about class gifts contact:GW Office of Medical CenterAdvancementGW Medical Center2300 Eye Street, NW, Suite 615Washington, DC 20037(202) 994-7511

Profiles in Stewardship

Kassan Continues Family Tradition

For Stuart Kassan, MD ’72, 2002marked more than just the 30thanniversary of his graduation from

GW’s School of Medicine. It was the yearthat he rededicated himself and his entirefamily to The George WashingtonUniversity.

Following in the footsteps of his father,Robert “Jack” Kassan, MD ’36, StuartKassan’s medical specialty is Rheumatology.“GW has always been a part of my life,”emphasizes Dr. Kassan, “I can rememberhearing about GW when I was in gradeschool and remember my father’s war sto-ries about his GW experiences both in col-lege and more so about his medical schoolexperiences.” Stuart recalls, “He especiallyremembered with fondness the fact that hewas taught by a future Nobel Laureate (Dr.Vincent du Vigneaud) and that he got an Ain his class. To a young child, this certainlymade a significantly positive impression.”

Since graduating from GW MedicalSchool, Dr. Stuart Kassan has built a solidreputation, particularly in the treatment ofSjogren’s Syndrome and Lupus. In the pasttwo years, he testified before a U.S. HouseAppropriations Committee and served onan NIH Expert Panel for Review of

Autoimmune Disease Resource Planning.Currently a clinical professor of Medicine/Rheumatic Diseases at the University ofColorado Health Sciences Center, Dr.Kassan also serves on the boards of severallocal and national organizations, includingthe Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation andthe Lupus Foundation of Colorado,presently serving as president of the latter.Among numerous other professional activ-

ities, Dr. Kassan is a member of theMedicare Advisory Committee for theState of Colorado and president of theRocky Mountain Rheumatism Society.

Dr. Kassan’s commitment to his familyis of the utmost importance to him. Since meeting his wife Gail at a 1970 GW Marvin Center function, the duo hasbeen an energetic and inseparable team.Together they have supported the interests

A D V A N C E M E N T N E W S

Creating a LegacyGive the gift of a state-of-the-art laboratory, link your name to discoveries by a future Nobel

Prize winner, pay tribute to a professor who made an indelible mark on your life, memorialize

a member of your family through your support of breakthrough research, and recognize the

importance of academic training to transform healthcare.

The GW Medical Center provides many ways for you to create a lasting statement of your

commitment to medical education and research. A gift of a professorship, classroom, lecture

series and scholarships are some of the ways for you to affect the minds of hundreds of health-

care providers of the future. By funding a named gift, you can link your name, your family’s

name or another loved one’s name with the cutting-edge research and academic education

offered at the GW Medical Center. Your gift supports your area of interest and leaves a legacy

for generations to come. Your philanthropic gift also provides an example for others to follow.

Please consider the philanthropic naming opportunities listed to honor to your loved ones

and pay tribute to a Medical Center that is committed to making a difference each and every

day. Naming opportunities are at a variety of levels. Gifts are personalized to suit your inter-

ests. For gift planning consultation, please contact the Office of Medical Center Advancement

at 202-994-7511.

Examples of named g i f t opportun i t i es :

Endowment Naming Opportunities Minimum Gift

A faculty chairmanship $2,000,000

A professorship $1, 500,000

A faculty scholar $500,000

A faculty research fellowship $250,000

A Medical Center research fund $100,000

A lecture or seminar series $50,000

GW Hospital 6th Floor Naming Opportunities: Minimum Gift

The Education and Research Center $2,000,000

The Standardized Patient Center $1, 500,000

The Great Hall Lobby $1,000,000

The Resident/Student Lounge $500,000

The Computer Resource Center $500,000

A conference room $100,000

A standardized patient exam room $50,000

Facilities Naming Opportunities Minimum Gift

A Medical Center Gate $1,000,000

The Vice President for Health Affairs Suite $250,000

A major laboratory or lecture hall $250,000

Gail, Stuart and Michael Kassan

A D V A N C E M E N T N E W S

of their two children and encouraged themto develop the individuality of their educa-tional paths. As a family, the Kassans havediscovered that their GW legacy lives on.This fall, son Michael Kassan entered GWas an undergraduate freshman, enthusiasti-cally jumping into fraternity life balancedwith long study hours at the library.Merrill, the Kassan’s high school-ageddaughter, is anxious to visit GW this spring in anticipation of the fall application process.

Stuart Kassan clearly articulates hisdesire to increase his involvement in GWMedical Center alumni activities andrecently stepped up to co-organize the MDClass of 1972 Class Gift. “GW continues togive back to me and I want to make a dif-ference there for others,” he notes.

Extremely grateful for his GW connec-tions, Dr. Kassan recently documented hiswill bequest that specifies a generous giftto the GW School of Medicine. “Now thatMichael is at GW, that also extends thelegacy even further and, as a result, I felt

that I wanted to express my apprecia-tion to GW, not only for what it hasdone for me and my family but also toexpress my commitment to the futureof GW as it becomes a leader forresearch and education. I felt that therewas no better way to do this than bytrying to give as much as I could andthat way, in addition to a substantialgift as part of our class gift, was to giveby the planned giving route.” Dr.Kassan indicates that his documentedwill provision is only a part of his phil-anthropic support of GW, stressing,“This route also will serve as a vehiclefor giving that can be added to overtime.”

Dr. Kassan sums up his GW gift by adding, “Through this gift, bydemonstrating my commitment toGW’s future, I hope it will serve toencourage others to think about donat-ing in a similar way…especially thosewho have the same feelings of gratitudeto GW for allowing them to pursuesuccessful professional careers.”

Profiles in Stewardship

Harvey R. Wertlieb, MBA, FACHCA

Harvey Wertlieb had a long andindustrious career as an adminis-trator and leader in the long-term

care field. He attributed his great successto GW—his alma mater—and he made apoint of encouraging and supportingfuture students and professionals with hisknowledge and his generosity.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in1961 and his MBA in HospitalAdministration in 1964, Wertlieb began hiscareer as the administrator of theUniversity Nursing Home in Wheaton,Maryland. For many years to come, heowned and managed long-term care facili-ties; he then went on to become chairmanof the Board of Allegis Health Services, anorganization that, at the time, owned andoperated eight long-term care facilities,

three hospital-based sub-acute care units, arehabilitation company and a pharmacy.

Over his 30-year career in long-termcare, Wertlieb was involved in the industryat the direct-delivery level, and he maintainedthe highest credentials in the professionaland lay communities. One of his mostrewarding positions was as associate professorial lecturer at GW for 17 years.

In 1996, GW officially inaugurated theWertlieb Educational Institute for LongTerm Care Management, inspired and ini-tially supported by Wertlieb and his wifeLinda. They envisioned providing life-longeducation for dynamic, results-orientedleaders. The Wertlieb Institute offers students the academic preparation andpractical experience they need to effective-ly lead and manage nursing homes andother post-acute care facilities.

Inspired by Mr. Wertlieb, the Institute’scurriculum is based on his 30 years of business and professional leadership.According to Institute staffers, through theWertliebs’ generosity, GW is proud to beone of the only universities in the countryto offer a comprehensive program in long-term care that integrates management,finance, policy and leadership training.

Said Harvey Wertlieb of the Institute,“The Wertlieb Institute strives to attractthe brightest people to the long-term carefield and to prepare them to be successfulleaders. The long-term care field has manywonderful opportunities for people withthe vision, knowledge and skills to leadorganizations—and the integrity to remaincommitted to the people they serve.”

To help the Institute achieve its goal ofattracting and educating such students, theWertliebs also established a scholarshipprogram to help qualified students gain theeducation to become visionary leaders inlong-term care administration. Each year,academic financial awards are presented tothose students who, based on their aca-demic and professional achievements andinterest in aging issues, demonstrate thatthey embody the values of the Institute.

Yet, the Wertliebs’ generosity did notend there. In 1999, they established the

The new Cardio Medical Products ultralite camera,a recent gift from Bruce Ammerman, MD ’72,(left), has advanced real-time training and feedback in the GW neurosurgical resident trainingprogram. Designed for use in the surgical suite, the head-mounted camera projects magnifiedpatient images, as the surgeon views them, onto a local monitor. Dr. Ammerman’s son, JoshuaAmmerman, (right) MD ’00 PG3 neurosurgery,has submitted an article for publication in the journal, Neurosurgery, describing the advantagesof this tool as a valuable teaching aid.

Wertlieb Media Resource Center as anational resource providing a diversity ofeducational and research tools for currentstudents and professionals in the long-termcare field.

In recognition of Harvey Wertlieb’sremarkable commitment and determinationto providing educational opportunities toGW students and healthcare professionalsto enhance the quality of care available tothe nation’s elderly and disabled, he washonored with the prestigious GW AlumniAssociation Alumni Service Award.

Through the Wertlieb Institute, thishealthcare leader realized a dream of sharing his knowledge and promoting theeducation of long-term care leaders. Indoing so, he also made the dreams ofmany talented students a reality. His legacylives on through the many well-educatedand well-prepared long-term care visionarieswho benefited from his generosity.

To ensure the continuity of Harvey andLinda Wertlieb’s vision, memorial gifts canbe made to the Wertlieb Institute. Checksshould be made payable to The GeorgeWashington University and sent to Dr.Robert Burke, Director, The WertliebInstitute, 2175 K Street, NW, Suite 700,Washington, DC, 20037.

Blum-Kovler SeedsOpening of the CEP

Seed money from the Blum-KovlerFoundation has allowed GWUMC torealize its goal of opening a Center

for Emergency Preparedness (CEP). TheCenter is housed in the new GW Hospitaland will spearhead the Medical Center’sefforts to formulate training, educationand research programs to help local,regional and the national government (see page 45 for a profile of CEP’s new director).

Already the Center is responsible forsecuring the first government contract withthe District of Columbia’s Department ofHealth (DOH). The contract provides forbasic training in bioterrorism and weaponsof mass destruction for the public health

workforce and a curriculum for incidentcommand for senior managers at DOH.GW is partnering with consulting firmKPMG on the bid and will deliver thetraining in February and March.

The Center will look at all fundingopportunities for GWUMC’s efforts tohelp the nation become better preparedand to provide training so that all medicaldelivery in a crisis can be integrated andbetter coordinated. The Center has beeninstrumental in spearheading information-al briefings for officials at all levels of gov-ernment and continues to develop newproposals for possible future grants. Thedonation from Blum-Kovler also spon-sored a major preparedness conference inFebruary of 2002. Another conference willbe held in May.• The Women’s Board gave five Monta

Sommer Book awards in December.These first-year medical student award

recipients, Neka Dunlap, MatthewKozlowski, Linh Thong, Merrell Samiand Stacy Ly, were guests at the Board’sholiday luncheon at Blackie’s restaurantin Washington, DC.

• Ruth Oartel, MD ‘54 has agreed to chairher upcoming 50th reunion in 2004. We are excited that plans are alreadyunderway.

• The initiative to honor Allan Weingold,MD, is underway. Generous colleagues,students and friends are celebrating awonderful legacy.

• Thank you to the many generous alumniand friends who are supporting theannual funds of both the School ofPublic Health and Health Services andthe School of Medicine and HealthSciences. These gifts give both schoolsthe ability to support new and unexpect-ed opportunities as they strive to providethe very best education to our students.

A D V A N C E M E N T N E W S

Dr. Bernard and Mildred Seigel Katzen congratulate Daniel Arrington onreceiving the first annual Dr. Bernard and Mildred Seigel Katzen MedicalEducation Award. Harvey Katzen, MD ’75, established the award in honor of his parents. It will be awarded annually to a first-year medical student ofexemplary achievement. Arrington is a first-year medical student from Ogden,Utah. Pictured above are, from left, Mildren Katzen, BA ’46; Bernard Katzen,MD ’38; Arrington; Harvey Katzen; Associate Dean W. Scott Schroth, MD,MPH; and Associate Dean Brian McGrath, MD.

Research NewsEndometriosis StudyReveals Health RisksAmong Women

Two researchers from GW MedicalCenter are among the authors of anew report in Human Reproduction,

Europe’s leading reproductive medicinejournal, showing that women withendometriosis are significantly more likely than other women to suffer from anumber of additional distressing or dis-abling conditions. These include a varietyof autoimmune diseases, allergies, asthma,hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue syndromeand fibromyalgia.

The findings are from the first popula-tion-based study in the world to investigatewhether a range of other disorders aremore prevalent in women with endometriosis— a condition in which the lining of theuterus (endometrium) grows in other partsof the abdominal cavity, attaching itself to organs and frequently causing pain,inflammation, bleeding and reproductiveproblems. It affects an estimated 8 to 10percent of women of reproductive age.

The research team from the NationalInstitute of Child Health and HumanDevelopment in Bethesda, the School of Public Health and Health Services(SPHHS) at The George WashingtonUniversity in Washington, DC and theEndometriosis Association in Milwaukeecarried out and analyzed a survey of 3,680 members of the EndometriosisAssociation, 90 percent of whom were of reproductive age. All the women hadsurgically diagnosed endometriosis.

Lead investigator Ninet Sinaii began the study as part of her master of PublicHealth degree thesis at SPHHS. She is currently a second-year PhD student in epi-demiology at GW and holds a position atthe National Institute of Child Health andHuman Development. Sinaii’s co-authors

R E S E A R C H N E W S

are Sean Cleary, PhD, MPH, assistant pro-fessor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at GW SPHHS, and NIH investigator Dr. Pamela Stratton.

“As well as finding an increased prevalence of this wide range of diseasesand conditions among women withendometriosis,” Sinaii said, “we found thatthey reported significant pain and disabilityand, very disturbingly, that there was typically a 10-year delay between the onsetof pelvic pain and diagnosis.”

The results—which confirmed there wastypically a 10-year delay between onset ofsymptoms and a diagnosis of endometrio-sis—have prompted the researchers to urgedoctors, especially those taking care ofadolescents, to consider a diagnosis ofendometriosis in girls and women com-plaining of pelvic pain and to watch out for other potentially serious conditions in these patients.

They found that among these women:• 20 percent had more than one other

disease• up to 31 percent of those with co-exist-

ing diseases had also been diagnosedwith either fibromyalgia or chronicfatigue syndrome and some of these

additionally had other autoimmune or endocrine diseases

• chronic fatigue syndrome was more than 100 times more common than inthe female U.S. population

• generally hypothyroidism (under-activethyroid gland) was seven times morecommon

• fibromyalgia was twice as common• the autoimmune inflammatory diseases—

systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren’sSyndrome and rheumatoid arthritis—andalso multiple sclerosis, occurred morefrequently.Rates of allergic and atopic conditions

such as asthma and eczema were higher(e.g., 61 percent of the endometriosis sufferers had allergies compared to 18 percent of the U.S. general population,and 12 percent had asthma compared to 5 percent). If a woman had endometriosisplus an endocrine disease, the figure roseto 72 percent and it was 88 percent if shehad endometriosis plus fibromyalgia orchronic fatigue syndrome. Two-thirds ofthe survey subjects reported that relativesalso had either diagnosed or suspectedendometriosis, confirming research thatsuggested there was a familial tendency.

Sinaii said there were a number of limi-tations to the study, which could potentiallyintroduce bias, including the relativelyyoung age of the respondents; the fact that they were predominantly white, well-educated and members of a support group(therefore possibly atypical); problems withmisinterpreting questions; recognizingdisease names; and so on.

Therefore, the researchers carried out a sensitivity analysis. This confirmed that,even if the disease prevalence was underes-timated in the general population andoverestimated in the study sample, the disease rates reported in women withendometriosis were still significantly higher.

“Women with endometriosis frequentlysuffer from autoimmune inflammatory diseases, hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia,chronic fatigue syndrome, allergies andasthma,” said Sinaii. “It is evident thatwomen with pelvic pain are not diagnosedas having endometriosis for many years,suggesting that physicians, especially those taking care of adolescents, shouldconsider the diagnosis. These findings also suggest a strong association betweenendometriosis and autoimmune disordersand indicate the need to consider the co-existence of other conditions in womenwith endometriosis.”

Duo RevealsAssociation inMelanoma Research

Recently published papers fromGWUMC researchers could offer aprospect for anticancer drugs as well

as the early diagnosis and treatment ofinvasive melanoma.

The September 2002 issue of Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the leadingresearch journal in its field, features twopapers from researchers Drs. RaymondBarnhill and Claire Lugassy, GWUMC colleagues, and a commentary about theresearch. The papers provide data todemonstrate that tumor cells spread alongthe external surface of vessels to migrate

Sean Cleary, PhD, MPH, and endometriosis study lead investigator and PhD studentNinet Sinaii, MPH.

R E S E A R C H N E W S

and metastasize, rather than crossing thevascular basement membrane. This migration mechanism has been termedExtravascular Migratory Metastasis by Drs.Lugassy and Barnhill in former works. Drs.Barnhill and Lugassy, principal investigators,say that it is the extravascular type ofmigration that could explain the latencybetween the development of a primarytumor and the appearance of the firstmetastasis, usually in the regional lymph nodes.

Dr. Barnhill’s paper suggests that thereis a unique association between tumor and vascular cells, which is termed“angiotropism,” and that this phenomenon(angiotropism) could be a prognostic factor predicting risk for metastasis.

Dr. Lugassy’s paper indicates that themelanoma cells exhibit angiotropism andmigrate along the external surface of vascu-lar tubules grown in culture.

The duo came to GW nearly two yearsago—Dr. Barnhill as chair of the DermatologyProgram and Dr. Lugassy as a researchassociate professor. Since coming to GW,Dr. Barnhill, a melanoma expert and mem-ber in the World Health OrganizationMelanoma Program, has secured accredita-

tion from the Accreditation Council forGraduate Medical Education, opened amelanoma clinic and expanded theresearch activities of the Department of Dermatology.

According to Dr.Barnhill, the incidenceof melanoma is doubling every 10 yearswith an estimated 1 in 75 persons develop-ing the disease in the U.S. Drs. Barnhilland Lugassy hope that their research find-ings and ongoing work will enable earlierdiagnosis and treatment. “The implicationsof the research are that it potentially showsthat cancer may spread by another mecha-nism (in addition to spreading throughlymphatics and blood) not previously con-sidered,” say Drs. Barnhill and Lugassy.“The manner of spread could explain thestepwise or regional pattern of melanoma(and other solid tumor) metastasis. Thistype of spread suggests a reversion to anembryonic phenotype and mechanism ofcellular migration through tissue, perhapsrecapitulating embryonic development.”Both credited the support of Dr. StevenPatierno of GW and Dr. Hynda Kleinmanat NIH as well as their GWUMC col-leagues as instrumental to their work.

Their next step is to try to discover“more specific markers for angiotropism to facilitate identifying it in tumors and toidentify angiotropism as early as possiblein developing melanomas and correlatethis with patient outcomes,” according tothe two. “We also want to try to betterdefine the interactions between the external blood vessel and melanoma cellsso that we better understand why thisinteraction occurs and perhaps how to disrupt or block it.”

Relational DisordersMay Be Pathological

In an attempt to codify in the annals of psychiatry what many people mayhave long experienced as a confusing

and often unspoken predicament, a GWprofessor has co-authored a report thatrecommends diagnosing certain relation-ships between people as mental illness,even if particular individuals involved inthese relationships would not be considered mentally ill on their own.

These so-called “Relational Disorders”could be diagnosed in family relationships,which mental health professionals have longfocused on as a setting for marital and childabuse as well as depression. But until now,doctors have not suggested labeling therelationships themselves as pathological.

The report, currently being circulatedby the American Psychiatric Association(APA), is authored by GW Professor ofPsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Dr.David Reiss and by Michael First ofColumbia University. It recommends thatthe “Relational Disorders” category beadded to the next edition of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM),the psychiatric profession’s official guidefor defining emotional and mental illnesses. The report is being seriously considered, especially since Dr. First edited the previous edition of the DSM.

“We are talking about severe maritaland parent child disorders. And there is astrong association between severe maritaldifficulties and depression in both men

Drs. Claire Lugassy and Raymond Barnhill continue to make progress on theirresearch of melanoma.

and women,” said Dr. Reiss. He says datafrom studies at GW, done in collaborationwith Swedish researchers, are the first toshow that this association remains strong“even when genetic factors influences ondepression are taken into account.”

The adoption of Relational Disordersinto the DSM would create an entirely newcategory of mental illness and would havehuge implications for the field. Not onlywould tens of thousands of families be subject to the diagnosis, but a rush toward systematic study, drug trials and insurancecoverage would almost surely follow.

Not surprisingly, the RelationalDisorders argument has its share of critics.Some wonder whether psychiatry is tryingto use medicine to fix what are essentiallysocial problems. Others warn the definitionof the sickness, currently limited to familyrelationships, could quickly expand toother group settings, like workplace relationships and even an individual’s relationship with a government. Every suchexpansion, critics argue, would send thediagnosis farther afield from the medicalmodel of individual treatment that hasguided modern psychiatry for decades.

“You can take road rage as a relationaldisorder,” said World Health Organizationdoctor Bedirhan Ustun, summarizing theproblem recently to The Washington Post.“It’s a relationship between the person and traffic.”

While Dr. Reiss discounts the possibilitythat the diagnosis would ever be spun thisfar afield, he is under no illusions abouthow long the controversy will endure.

“The next edition of the DSM is scheduled to come out in seven to 10years,” he said. “The debate will last atleast that long, if not longer.”

GW Researcher MakesProgress in HIV/AIDSTreatment

The DC metropolitan area has thehighest rate of HIV/AIDS cases inthe nation—12 times the national

average—with one of every 20 peopleexpected to acquire the disease. Thesegrim statistics prompted MichaelBukrinsky, MD, PhD, to relocate hisresearch to the DC area, as a professor and vice chair of the Department ofMicrobiology and Tropical Medicine.

Dr. Bukrinsky first began studying theHIV retrovirus in Russia during the mid1980s when the AIDS epidemic surfaced.He has continued his research at Omaha,Nebraska , New York and now GWUMC,where he and his colleagues have just sub-mitted a grant to become one of 18 centersfor AIDS research in the county.

“The grant would allow us to do whatwe are doing more efficiently, build up ourcore facilities and provide funds for newinvestigators,” says Dr. Bukrinsky. “GW has many opportunities for research...integrating clinical and basic science, collaborations and...as we move on, clinical trials of new drugs.”

Dr. Bukrinsky’s research focuses onidentifying new HIV targets. HIV is aunique retrovirus, explains Dr. Bukrinsky,

“because it can affect dividing and non-dividing cells. In the body, most cells are in the non-dividing state,” continues Dr. Bukrinsky. “The ability of the virus to affect such cells is the reason that the virusreplicates at such a great rate in the body.Other viruses only affect the cells goingthrough mitosis—most retroviruses do notreplicate in large numbers.”

Examining the blood of patients withthe HIV virus, Dr. Bukrinsky notes that thevirus replicates in both dividing and non-dividing types of cells. “If the retrovirus isaffecting the majority of cells in the body,then it has a great advantage compared tothe virus that only targets dividing cells.”

The HIV retrovirus can get into thenucleus of a non-dividing target cell when the nuclear envelope is intact. Dr.Bukrinksy has found a mechanism thatallows the HIV virus to get into the nucleuswithout waiting for the cell to divide. “We also designed some compounds thatwould prevent the virus from getting intothe nucleus.”

The compound is now in the develop-ment phase with a biotech company. The next step would be a clinical trial ifthe company moves forward with the

compound development and, if all goeswell, then the drug would be available in a few years.

“It won’t cure HIV,” says Dr. Bukrinsky,“but it will be a very valuable addition to the current drugs available for treatment.Even though there are many differentdrugs on the market, we still need morebecause of viral resistance and... becausesome drugs become toxic to particularpatients.”

The implications of Dr. Bukrinsky’sresearch could provide another option forpatients. It would also, “when added to thecurrent treatment arsenal of drugs, allowus to suppress viral replication even morethan we can with the current drugs and...finally, it will keep patients on this type oftherapy for some time, allowing us to postpone the most effective, but toxic,drugs until later.”

R E S E A R C H N E W S

Dr. Michael Bukrinsky

GW

Hospital/MFA News

The media trucks parked on Washington Circle said it all.Something was about to happen. All day long, a steadystream of technicians moved equipment from the old

hospital into the new hospital while inside the new building, personnel hurriedly unpacked boxes and set up work stations.

Promptly at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 23, Metropolitan Policecars blocked off 23rd Street, and workers began setting up a tentfrom the entrance of the old hospital to the entrance of the newone. Inside the old hospital auditorium, Karen Hicks, RN, briefedscores of volunteers, including new medical students from theClass of 2006, on how to move the patients. It would be done byfloor, from the top down. Inside the new GW Hospital, personnelset up mobile check-in stations in the lobby. The stage was set forthe big patient move.

By 9:45 p.m., the first patient, Floyd Godfrey, 59, of Alexandria,Virginia was wheeled through the tent, greeted with cheers fromonlookers and a handshake from Hospital CEO Dan McLean and Medical Director Richard Becker. With cameras clicking,Godfrey received his room assignment and was quickly shuttled up to the fourth floor. Out of the media glare, this procedure was repeated 161 times until all the patients from the old GW Hospital were tucked into their new beds in the new facility.

Patients were transported through the air-conditioned tent viawheelchairs and gurneys. The more critically ill were moved viaambulance between the two facilities. Even the tricky business ofmoving the teeniest patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unitand the Intensive Care Unit went without a hitch. By 2:20 a.m., themove was complete. Earlier in the evening, the new and more spa-cious Emergency Room began accepting patients, while shortlybefore 11p.m., the final patient was sent home from the old emergency room. Close to 1 a.m. in the morning, Genesis AnnPalmer, weighing in at 8 lbs. 3 oz., became the first baby born atthe new hospital.

“All the units were up and functioning pretty much on schedule,” said John F. Williams, vice president for Health Affairsand Dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, whospent Friday evening in the old ICU prepping the most critically ill patients for ambulance transport. “People spent the weekendsettling in to their new environment. It’s the end of an era. Nowwe are moving forward.”

Hospital CEO Dan McLean and Medical Director RichardBecker welcome “first patient” Floyd Godfrey to the new hospitalAugust 23 at 9:45 p.m. Escorting Godfrey are new students andhospital staff.

The tent, gateway from the old to the new.

Creating a New Tradition:

Opening the Doors of a New Hospital

Gala

DC City Councilwoman Carol Schwartz, left,and Psychiatry Chair Dr. Jeffrey Akman

Janet Southbydances with husband RichardSouthby, Ph.D.,interim dean ofthe School ofPublic Healthand HealthServices.

John F. Williams, Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, GW President Stephen JoelTrachtenberg, Board of Trustees Chairman Charles Manatt, Board ofTrustees member Phillip Amsterdam, GW Vice President Robert Chernak

Dr. John F. Williams makes good on a betwith MFA Chair Dr. Alan Wasserman

This year’s Gala, co-chaired by Paula Lipsius and Cindy McLean, tookplace just weeks after the opening of the new GW Hospital—the first newhospital in the District of Columbia in 20 years. The theme of the Gala—“The Future is Now”—accurately described this new state-of- the- art clinical facility and the great pride in the GW community over the accom-plishment of building and opening the new hospital.

This year's Gala, co-chaired by Paula Lipsius and Cindy McLean, tookplace just weeks after the opening of the new GW Hospital—the firstnew hospital in the District of Columbia in 20 years. The theme of theGala—"The Future is Now"—accurately described this new state-of- the-art clinical facility and the great pride in the GW community over theaccomplishment of building and opening the new hospital. Above,from left, are Hospital CEO Dan McLean, Cindy McLean, PaulaLipsius and Steven Lipsius, MD, Psychiatry.

T H E F U T U R E I S N O W

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Colonials Weekend

2002 Health Services Management and Leadership Student Associationboard members enjoyed meeting with GW alumni at the HSML recognitiondinner during Colonials Weekend 2002.

Robert F. Feltman, MD ’52, and H. Robert Unger, MD ’52,above left, share memories at the Colonials Weekend 2002barbeque. The duo and others from the Class of ’52 were recognized during the annual convocation. Above right,Gavin Bishop, MS III, explains some of the new features available on the sixth-floor of the new GW Hospital. At right,the computer class was completely filled with interested alumni wanting to learn the latest in technology.

GW’s Colonials Weekend for alumni, parents, stu-dents and friends was a resounding success. Alumniparticipated in lectures, honed their computer skills,rekindled old friendships and toured the new GWHospital. Most memorable was the ConvocationCeremony keynoted by GW alumnus RobertRosenberg, MD ’61, PhD, and ceremonies recogniz-ing the Classes of 1951 and 52. Tours through thenew, state-of-the-art GW Hospital were conducted byvolunteers and students from Traditions Alliance.Alumni enjoyed reacquainting themselves at the barbeque amidst a feast of grilled hamburgers andhot dogs as well as an assortment of accouterments.

All alumni from the School of Medicine andHealth Sciences and the School of Public Health and Health Services are invited to return to campusfor the 2003 University-wide Colonials Weekend—October 16-19. Full program announcements will be coming soon.

For more information on Colonials Weekend2002, contact the Medical Center AdvancementOffice, 2300 Eye Street, NW, Ross Hall, Suite 615,Washington, DC, 20037, 202-994-7511 ormcddar@gwumc.edu.

Health Services Management and LeadershipAlumni during Colonials Weekend recognized theoutstanding achievements of members and thosewho go above and beyond to support HSML objectives. From left, are Association Chair StanleyGlassman, MBA ‘69, FACHE; William Flanagan,recipient of the Frederick H. Gibbs PreceptorAward for Excellence; Philip Reeves, DBA ‘70,Distinguished Alumni Award recipient; LaurenThompson, PhD ‘93, MHSA ‘84, DistinguishedAlumni Award recipient; and Association Vice Chair Dennis Kain, MHSA ‘75.

Commencing Colonials Weekend, from left, James Finkelstein, MD; GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg; NobelLaureate Julius Axelrod, PhD ’55; Mildred Cohn, PhD; Alan Goldstein, PhD; and Marilyn Brown, MD (daughter of Dr.du Vigneaud), stand in front of a new plaque honoring Vincent du Vigneaud, Nobel Prize winner and former Chair of theGW Department of Biochemistry.

A popular attraction at GWUMC’sColonials Weekend was the simulationskills center on the sixth floor of the newhospital that kept Dr. James Michelsonand Gregg Margolis busy most of theday demonstrating the state-of-the-arttechnology used to train medical students and hone their skills

Alumni Named to SeniorPositions at PharmaNetJoseph M. Palumbo, MD ‘85, has beenappointed senior medical director of theNeuroscience Division of PharmaNet.PharmaNet is an international drug devel-opment company with more than 650employees worldwide. Dr. G. H. Besselaar,MD, PhD ‘72, chairman of the Board, whoearned his PhD in pharmacology at GW in 1972, founded PharmaNet in 1996.

Prior to joining PharmaNet, Dr.Palumbo was director of ClinicalDevelopment, Central Nervous System, atSanofi-Synthelabo, where he was responsi-ble for international clinical developmentin the central nervous system researchgroup. As an associate medical director ofClinical Operations at Cephalon, he wasaccountable for studies in the treatment ofneurodegenerative disease and sleep disor-ders. Dr. Palumbo has also held senior-level positions at the Cornell UniversitySchool of Medicine and at the Universityof Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Dr. Palumbo earned his undergraduatedegree in the Biological Basis of Behaviorfrom the University of Pennsylvania. Hewas awarded his medical degree from TheGeorge Washington University School ofMedicine and Health Sciences, where hereceived a Gill Fellowship to perform stud-ies in models of nerve regeneration. Hewas appointed a Post-doctoral Fellow inPsychiatry while at Yale University Schoolof Medicine. Dr. Palumbo is board certi-fied in Psychiatry and in AddictionPsychiatry and has been elected to theAmerican College of Psychiatrists. Hemaintains memberships in other researchand professional societies.

Stuart Portnoy, MD ‘91, has also joinedPharmaNet as director, medical deviceconsulting. Dr. Portnoy was most recentlya branch chief and acting deputy directorin the Center for Devices and RadiologicHealth at the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (FDA). Dr. Portnoy hadbeen with the FDA since 1994 and special-ized in the review of new devices, includingpacemakers, defibrillators and cardiac electrophysiology devices. Dr. Portnoy alsohas recent experience with interventionalcardiology devices, including drug-elutingstents and other drug/device combinationproducts.

Prior to joining the FDA, Dr. Portnoyconducted biomedical engineeringresearch at the VA Medical Center inWashington, DC. He also spent one yearat the Weitzmann Institute of Science inRehovot, Israel, and worked at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Langer,investigating techniques for controlleddrug delivery.

Dr. Portnoy will be based in theWashington, DC office.

1940sLeighton E. Cluff, MD ’49, DS (Hon.) ’90– Named to University of Florida BoardsLeighton E. Cluff, MD ’49, DS (Hon.)’90, has been appointed the president ofthe University of Florida Performing Arts

Board of Directors and a member of theUniversity of Florida Foundation Board.He continues to serve as Emeritus Trusteeof the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation(RWJ) and is a past President of the RWJFoundation.

1960sDr. Carlos Silva, MD ’60, GME ’66,FACS—President-elect of The AmericanSociety of General SurgeonsDr. Carlos Silva, MD ’60, GME ’66,FACS, clinical professor of Surgery, hasbeen named president-elect of TheAmerican Society of General Surgeons andwill begin his term in April 2003. Recentlythe director of surgical trauma service atThe George Washington UniversityHospital, Dr. Silva has lectured extensivelyon burn management and injuries. He lec-tured on laparoscopic surgery to the PanAmerican Medical Society, and has spokenon advanced trauma management for over-seas diplomatic-based personnel at theUniform Services University of the HealthSciences. Dr. Silva specializes in traumasurgery and burns.

The American Society of General

Jerry Sonkens, MD ’72, GME ’73, MS ’68, right, connects with fellow Utah native and first-year medical school student Kristoffer West, left, during Colonials Weekend2002 activities.

Class Notes/Alumni News

Surgeons is a national, independent organi-zation of highly qualified general surgeonsand sub-specialists who perform generalsurgery. The Society communicates andnegotiates with federal and state govern-ments, as well as other organizations orindividuals whose interests impact the practice of general surgeons and their patients.

1970sDarrell A. Campbell Jr., MD ’72, Named Chief of Staff for the UniversityMichigan Hospitals and Health Centers(UMHHC)Darrell A. Campbell Jr., MD ’72, professor of Surgery at the University ofMichigan Medical School, is the new chiefof staff for the University of Michigan (U-M) Hospitals and Health Centers.

The U-M Medical Staff elected Campbellto this three-year position, in which heserved in an interim capacity since fall2001. His appointment took effect July2002 and ends June 30, 2005.

As chief of staff, Dr. Campbell will be responsible for the overall quality ofcare delivered at the U-M Health System(UMHS), with a special interest in patientsafety. He will also produce an annualreport of the UMHHC medical staff activities and consult with the Hospitalsand Health Centers Executive Board on UMHHC professional and administra-tive affairs.

During his years at UMHS, Dr.Campbell has specialized in solid organtransplantation, including the kidney, liverand pancreas. Recently, he has focused onthe subjects of physician wellness, patient

safety and the measurement of surgicalquality through two NIH-funded grantsand has served as a member of the executivecommittee of the National Surgical QualityImprovement Program. In addition, he hasbeen instrumental in furthering patientsafety education at UMHS.

“Dr. Campbell is a splendid surgeonand an outstanding institutional leader,”says Gilbert S. Omenn, MD, PhD, U-Mexecutive vice president for medical affairs. “His focus on systematic ways toenhance patient safety has gained national attention.”

Dr. Campbell, who graduated with dis-tinction from GW’s School of Medicineand Health Sciences in 1972, received histraining in general surgery at the U-MMedical School. During his training, Dr.Campbell spent two years as an investiga-

C L A S S N O T E S / A L U M N I N E W S

Daniel J. Kaniewski —Leading GW’s EmergencyPreparednessDaniel J. Kaniewski, a graduate of GW’sEmergency Health Services program inthe School of Medicine and HealthSciences, returns to his alma mater asdirector of the newly created Center forEmergency Preparedness. The Centerwill be headquartered on the sixth floorof the new GW Hospital and will coordi-

nate the Medical Center’s efforts to showcase “best practices” foremergency preparedness through training, education, researchand consulting.

“The GW Medical Center is well-positioned to become thenation’s premier academic institution for emergency prepared-ness,” said Kaniewski. “I look forward to leading the Center forEmergency Preparedness and tapping into the institution’sdemonstrated expertise in this area. I am confident that ourefforts will make our nation better prepared to meet today’sthreats and those still emerging.”

After graduating from GW, Kaniewski received a master’sdegree from Georgetown University in National Security Studiesand amassed extensive experience in emergency preparedness.Before coming to GW, Kaniewski served as Congressional Liaisonfor Terrorism, Preparedness and Consequence Management atthe Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and as a

Homeland Security Fellow for two senior members of Congress.Kaniewski’s published works on the need for Congressional reor-ganization of homeland security funding and oversight are a driv-ing force behind a proposal to establish a House Committee onHomeland Security. He also was intimately involved in the FEMAportion of the Department of Homeland Security Bill successfullypassed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

His appointment caps a thorough evaluation of the Universityand Medical Center’s expertise since the tragedies of 9-11 andanthrax.

“We feel the Center will fill a void in emergency preparednessby bringing all the partners together, including first responders,hospitals, public health, mental health, risk management andthreat analysis,” said John F. Williams, vice president for HealthAffairs and dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.“Dan’s training, legislative and governmental experience makehim the perfect candidate to spearhead a cohesive effort by GW.”

The Center for Emergency Preparedness is a Medical Centerproject but will seek to bring in other entities of the University asit tackles projects to help the nation confront terrorism and itsconsequences.

“This Center will serve not only the District of Columbia butthe region and the nation,” explained Dr. Williams. “Even before9-11, our experts were on the forefront of preparedness in everyarena. We are ready to step up to the plate to help our countryestablish the protocols to make it safer before, during and afterevery type of emergency.”

Profiles in Preparedness

C L A S S N O T E S / A L U M N I N E W S

Paul B. Roth, MD ’76 —Setting National StandardsPaul B. Roth, MD ’76, now dean of theUniversity of New Mexico (UNM)School of Medicine, has been named toU.S. Dept. of Health and HumanServices Secretary Tommy Thompson’snewly created Council on Public HealthPreparedness. The 21-member panel,which met for first time last August inWashington, DC, advises the depart-

ment on appropriate actions to prepare for and respond to publichealth emergencies.

“Clearly the main concern is in the area of bioterrorism,” saidDr. Roth. “My driving commitment is to work diligently withinthis Council and advise the Department of Health and HumanServices in ways to assure the safety of all our communities.”

At their first meeting, panel members discussed bioterrorismpreparedness and response programs, states’ preparedness programs; lessons learned from the 2001 anthrax mail attacks,

research and development efforts, and development of new prod-ucts related to bioterrorism and public health emergency responseplanning. The Council is chaired by D.A. Henderson, an adviserto Secretary Thompson and the founding director of the Centerfor Civilian Biodefense Studies at the Johns Hopkins University.

After receiving his MD from GW in 1976, Dr. Roth completeda family practice residency at UNM School of Medicine in 1979.He went on to serve in a variety of posts at UNM, ultimatelybecoming dean of the UNM School of Medicine and associatevice president for Clinical Affairs for the UNM Health SciencesCenter in 1995.

With a specific interest in disaster medicine, Dr. Roth createdand then became the director of the Center for DisasterMedicine, which works with the American College of EmergencyPhysicians in setting national disaster response standards. In addi-tion, Dr. Roth developed the nation’s first Disaster MedicalAssistance Team within the National Disaster Medical System.This team is currently the largest and most experienced team inthe nation.

tor with the National Cancer Institute andNational Institutes of Health.

In 1986, he spent six months on sabbat-ical with Professor Sir Roy Calne learningthe intricacies of liver transplantation inCambridge, England. Afterward, hebecame chief of the section of general sur-gery in the U-M Department of Surgery.

Richard Restak, MD, GME ’73, Wins ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Gold Medal for The Secret Life of the BrainRichard Restak, MD, GME ’73, has beenawarded ForeWord Magazine’s 2001 Bookof the Year Gold Medal in the Health cate-gory for The Secret Life of the Brain. APBS companion book, The Secret Life,takes readers on a tour of the human brain.Dr. Restak, a clinical professor ofNeurology at The George WashingtonUniversity School of Medicine and HealthSciences, is the best-selling author of 11books on the brain. His previous PBS-com-panion book, The Brain, spent 10 weeks

on The New York Times bestseller list.ForeWord Magazine, written for those

in the independent publishing and book-selling industry, provides coverage ofindustry news and trends. It initiated itsBook of the Year Awards three years ago torecognize the best in independent and uni-versity press publishing. Previous winnersinclude books by such established authorsas Jim Harrison and Dava Sobel. TheSecret Life of the Brain is co-published bythe Dana Press and the Joseph HenryPress, trade imprint of the NationalAcademy Press.

Francisco Perez, MHSA ’75, Elected to the American Hospital AssociationBoard of TrusteesFrancisco Perez, MHSA ’75, presidentand chief executive officer of Kettering(OH) Medical Center Network has beenelected as one of the five new members ofthe American Hospital Association Boardof Trustees for terms beginning January 1and ending December 31, 2005.

Christine E. Seidman, MD ’78, ReceivesBristol-Myers Squibb Award forDistinguished Achievement inCardiovascular ResearchChristine E. Seidman, MD ’78, and herhusband Jonathan G. Seidman, PhD, havereceived the 12th annual Bristol-MyersSquibb Award for DistinguishedAchievement in Cardiovascular Researchfor their outstanding contributions to car-diovascular biology and medicine throughtheir research into inherited humanpathologies. The husband-and-wife team,who were the first to claudicate the causeof hypertopic cardiomyopathy (HCM),shared a $50,000 prize and each received asilver medallion at a dinner held in theirhonor on June 24, 2002 in New York City.

Dr. Christine Seidman is a professor inthe Department of Medicine and Geneticsat Harvard Medical School and an investi-gator at the Howard Hughes MedicalInstitute. She joined the faculty at Brighamand Women’s Hospital in Boston in 1986and is attending physician and director of

Profiles in Preparedness

C L A S S N O T E S / A L U M N I N E W S

the Cardiovascular Genetics Service. Herhusband is the Henrietta B. and FrederickH. Bugher Professor of CardiovascularGenetics at Harvard Medical School andan investigator with the Howard HughesMedical Institute.

Dr. Christine Seidman received theAmerican Heart Association Edgar HaberCardiovascular Research Award in 1997,the American Society of ClinicalInvestigation Research Award in 1999, and the American Heart Association Basic Science Prize in 1999, and she waselected to the Institutes of Medicine in2000. She serves on the editorial boards of several journals.

The Seidmans have been lauded together not only for the seminal work of their laboratory but also for their abilityto educate, articulate and inspire thosearound them. They have received manyhonors, including the Robert J. and Claire Pasarow Foundation Award inCardiovascular Research in 1992 and theUniversity of Kentucky Gill Heart InstituteAward for Cardiovascular Research in2001. They were elected to the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1999.

1980sFrances B. Phillips, MHSA ’80, Receivedthe 2002 Dr. Henry P. and M. PageLaughlin Distinguished Public OfficerAward from the Maryland StateMedical SocietyFrances B. Phillips, MHSA ’80(Comprehensive Health Planning), hasserved as health officer for Anne ArundelCounty, Maryland since 1993. She recentlyreceived the 2002 Dr. Henry P. and M.Page Laughlin Distinguished Public OfficerAward from the Maryland State MedicalSociety. She was recognized for her yearsof commitment, leadership and service asa county health department employee.Phillips was honored by the medical socie-ty September 28, 2002 during a conventionand awards dinner in Ocean City, Maryland.

Phillips, an Annapolis resident, startedworking for the health department in 1988as a registered nurse and an HIV case manager. Before that, she was a clinical

reviewer at The GeorgeWashington UniversityMedical Center and aresearch associate with theDepartment of VeteransAffairs scholars program. Shereceived her bachelor's degreein nursing from CatholicUniversity and master'sdegree in health servicesadministration from TheGeorge WashingtonUniversity. She and her hus-band, Angus W. Phillips,reside in Annapolis,Maryland.

David B. Doman, MD, GME ’81,Publishes Novel Exploring Greed inProfessional SportsDavid B. Doman, MD, GME ’81, a prac-ticing physician and clinical professor ofmedicine at The George WashingtonUniversity School of Medicine and HealthSciences, fuses fiction and the reality ofgreed in professional sports in his novel,National Pastime. In this account, baseballplayers embark on a quest for fame andfortune. The book's theme of blind ambi-tion reveals a sport threatened by the greedof the players, the owners and even the fans.

In writing the novel, Dr. Doman drewhis material primarily from extensive multi-media research. He has also had conversa-tions with former major leaguers, includingTony Oliva, Orlando Cepeda, Vida Blue,Tommy Davis, Doc Ellis, Maury Wills andTito Fuentes, at a baseball fantasy camp,and, in addition, once interviewed formerbaseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Theauthor is donating a portion of his royal-ties to The George Washington UniversitySchool of Medicine and Health Sciencesand the Eastern Virginia Medical School.National Pastime is his first novel.

Dr. Doman resides in Maryland with hiswife and three children. National Pastimeis available at major bookstores and fromXlibris publishing (www.xlibris.com).

Louise Hershkowitz, BS ’81, ElectedTreasurer of American Association ofNurse Anesthetists Louise Hershkowitz, BS ’81 (NurseAnesthesia), a certified registered NurseAnesthetist (CRNA) and resident ofReston, Virginia, has been elected treasurerof the American Association of NurseAnesthetists (AANA) for fiscal year 2003.The AANA has approximately 30,000members. She is former president andpresident-elect of the Virginia Associationof Nurse Anesthetists.

Hershkowitz is currently the clinicalcoordinator for the Nursing AnesthesiaProgram at the Medical College ofVirginia/Virginia CommonwealthUniversity in Richmond, Virginia and also works as a CRNA at Inova FairfaxHospital, Falls Church, Virginia.

T. Glenn Pait, MD ’81, GME ’87—Founding Director of the Jackson T.Stephens Spine and NeurosciencesInstitute at the University of Arkansasfor Medical Sciences T. Glenn Pait, MD ’81, GME ’87, is thefounding director of the Jackson T.Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Instituteat the University of Arkansas for MedicalSciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, Arkansas.The Institute was made possible by a $48million dollar gift from philanthropist Jack

Kathryn Shon, MD ’81, and Barry Oliver, MD ’81,catch up on the events of the past two decades, not-ing that GWUMC continues to emerge as a cut-ting-edge academic health center in the country.

Stephens, which is the largest ever to theUAMS and one of the largest in the historyof Arkansas. In February 2002, PresidentWilliam J. Clinton highlighted the building“topping off ceremony” with an address.

Dr. Pait is currently an associate profes-sor of Neurosurgery and OrthopaedicSurgery at the University of Arkansas forMedical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas. His undergraduate education was complet-ed at the University of Florida, with honors.He earned a Doctor of Medicine degreefrom GW’s School of Medicine andHealth Sciences, and completed hisNeurological Surgery Residency at GW’sMedical Center. He joined the faculty ofthe College of Medicine at UAMS in 1994and now holds appointments in theDepartments of Neurosurgery andOrthopaedic Surgery. He practices at

University Hospital, Central ArkansasVeterans Healthcare System and ArkansasChildren’s Hospital.

He holds certification with theAmerican Board of Neurological Surgery,is a Fellow in the American College ofSurgeons and is a member of many professional organizations related toNeurosurgery and Spinal Surgery.

As a teacher of medical students, he has received the Red Sash award fourtimes. The senior class of the College ofMedicine presents the Red Sash award toan outstanding teacher. Dr. Pait is the narrator/host of “Here’s to Your Health,” a weekday health information radio program series broadcast by several public radio stations in Arkansas.

His special interest is in diseases of thespine and spinal cord, and his research

initiatives involve spine anatomy, biome-chanics, imaging of spine implants, development of spine implants and instrumentation and historical research.

Dr. Pait is chairman of the Section onHistory of the American Association ofNeurological Surgeons. He is married toCarol Barringer Pait, and they have threechildren: Kimberly, Kelly and Kathleen.

Walter H. Ellenberger, MHSA ’84,Named Senior Vice President of ViPSWalter H. Ellenberger, MHSA ’84, hasbeen appointed senior vice president ofViPS, a leading provider of healthcare business solutions. In his new role,Ellenberger will manage ViPS’ commercialsoftware sales, marketing and productmanagement. ViPS is a privately held firmheadquartered in the Baltimore-

C L A S S N O T E S / A L U M N I N E W S

Eric Jones —Reality Lessons Learned 9-11Eric Jones, a 1998 graduate of GW witha BS in Emergency Medical Services, hasbeen called a hero more times than hecan remember. Indeed, the story of howhe sprang into action after driving by thePentagon and seeing a fireball erupt themorning of September 11, 2001 is com-pelling. A volunteer paramedic at the

time and a new graduate student at GW’s School of Public Healthand Health Services, Jones pulled over after seeing the explosionand began what would become days of round-the-clock rescuework at the Pentagon and, later, at the World Trade Center site inNew York.

For his efforts, he was lauded and honored. He carried theOlympic torch of the 2002 Winter Games past President Bush atthe White House; he received the Medal of Valor from theDepartment of Defense and an honor from GW Medical Centerat last fall’s Convocation; and he went on a series of speakingengagements to share his experiences. His story and his namebecame well known.

What is not so well known is how the role of a hero began todominate his life and, in some respects, keep him from moving on.

It started dawning on Jones just two weeks after the tragedy,when he returned to classes at GW. “I literally could not sit inclass,” he said. “I had been through so much, it was hard to relateto anything that could be taught in a classroom.”

Unable to concentrate, Jones put his studies on hold and con-tinued to rely on a real estate job to pay the bills. He spent moreof his time in September 11-related activities.

“The commemorations and speaking engagements were thera-peutic for a while,” he says. But each retelling of his story forcedhim to relive what he had been through, especially his task ofclosely inspecting more than 100 Pentagon victims to sort out thedead from the near-dead, always worrying he might mistake aweak pulse for none at all.

Beyond his own thoughts, even the congratulations and thehandshakes were starting to seem tied to things that happened inthe past. And Eric Jones was only 26 years old.

“I just decided it was time to move on,” he said. “The firstanniversary was a huge emotional hurdle. I was a basket case. Butafter it passed, I said ‘I’ve just got to move on.’”

For Jones, that means coming back to GW Medical Center andpicking up where he left off. He’s resubmitting his application tostudy for his Master of Public Health degree with a concentrationin Global Health. It’s the foundation for a possible try at an MDdegree and a future as a physician.

“This is what I was doing before September 11,” he said. “I feellike I started it, so I should finish it.”

Profiles in Preparedness

Washington, DC metropolitan area.Ellenberger's career in healthcare infor-

mation technology spans 19 years, the last10 of which Ellenberger has served in sen-ior executive positions. Before joiningViPS, Ellenberger was the senior vice presi-dent of sales, marketing and product man-agement for Systems Xcellence (SX), theleading provider of pharmacy benefit man-agement application software and services.Prior to SX, Ellenberger served as execu-tive vice president of sales at HealthSystems Technology (HST), vice presidentof sales at AMISYS Managed Care Systemsand vice president of sales and marketingat Hospital Cost Consulting (HCC).

Donald H. Chace, PHD ’89, MS ’84, WinsMajor Award from the AmericanAssociation for Clinical ChemistryDonald H. Chace, PHD ’89 (pharmacolo-gy), MS ’84 (forensic sciences), has wonone of the major annual awards presentedby the American Association for ClinicalChemistry. He received the Sigi ZieringAward for an Outstanding Contributionfor a publication in the journal ClinicalChemistry, for a paper showing that thespecialized technique of mass spectrome-try can be applied to postmortem metabol-ic screening to reveal the cause of death insome infants and children whose deathsare otherwise unexplained or attributed to

sudden infant death syndrome. His studyshowed that some of these deaths arecaused by inborn errors of metabolism andprovided estimates of infant deaths attrib-utable to this cause. The award, sponsoredby Diagnostics Products Corporation,includes a $5,000 honorarium.

Dr. Chace is section chief for the divi-sion of Bioanalytical Chemistry and MassSpectrometry at Neo Gen Screening inBridgeville, Pennsylvania. Under his direc-tion since he joined the company in 1997,the company has analyzed more than onemillion specimens and detected disordersin several hundred children. In addition tothis screening of newborns, Dr. Chace’sadaptations of the technology to screeninginfants and children who have died ofunknown causes led to the successfulresearch and his award winning publication.

1990sCalifornia Health Decisions AppointsDexanne Clohan, MD ‘91, MS ‘76 (PublicAdministration), to Board of DirectorsDexanne Clohan, MD ’91, MS ’76, hasbeen named to the Board of Directors ofCalifornia Health Decisions (CHD), a non-profit organization dedicated to puttingconsumer values at the heart of healthcare.Dr. Clohan is national accounts medicaldirector for Aetna Inc., in Santa Ana,California. She has more than 20 years’

experience in policy development and clin-ical practice. As part of her responsibilitieswith Aetna, she developed and now teach-es a curriculum for physicians titled“Doing Well by Doing Good.” Prior tojoining Aetna, she served as associate med-ical director of Memorial IPA in LongBeach, California and medical director ofMeridian Health Care Management. Dr.Clohan is a member of the House ofDelegates and the Council on Legislationof the California Medical Association andserved several years as a spokesperson forthe American Medical Association. She isan active physician volunteer and advocatefor youth of the community.

In Memoriam Harvey Wertlieb, BA ’61, MBA ’64, diedon Monday, October 21, 2002. He hadbeen suffering from Lou Gerhig’s disease.In 1996, The George WashingtonUniversity officially launched the WertliebEducational Institute for Long Term CareManagement, thanks to a generous giftfrom Wertlieb and his wife Linda. TheInstitute provides life-long education fordynamic, results-oriented leaders and pro-vides students with academic preparationand practical experience so they can effec-tively lead and manage nursing homes andother post-acute care facilities. In addition,

C L A S S N O T E S / A L U M N I N E W S

Harvey and Linda Wertlieb

Health Services Management and Leadership (HSML) students join Robert E. Burke,PhD, director of the Wertlieb Educational Institute for Long Term Care Management,center, for a moment prior to the Colonials Weekend 2002 festivities.

the Institute has the mission to facilitate a national and international dialogueregarding long-term care management and research. In 1999, the Wertliebs established the Wertlieb Media ResourceCenter as a national resource providing adiversity of educational and research toolsfor current students and professionals inthe long-term care field.

“He brought a great enthusiasm to his teaching,” said Dr. Richard Southby,interim dean of the School of PublicHealth and Health Services. “He was able to relate the academics of this field toactual everyday experiences in long-termcare management and encourage studentsto pursue this field.”

He was associate professorial lecturerin the GW Department of Health Servicesand Policy for 17 years. He was regionalvice president for the American HealthcareAssociation and past president of theHealth Facilities Association in Maryland.He also served as Chairman of the Boardfor Allegis Health Services, a multi-facilityorganization. He is survived by his wifeLinda, three children and five grandchil-dren. Memorials may be made to theWertlieb Insititute c/o Robert Burke,Director, Wertlieb Institute, 2175 K. St.,NW, Washington, DC, 20037.

Edward Glazier, MD ’57, died of a heartattack June 7. Prior to his death, he waspracticing medicine. His family noted thathis training at The George WashingtonUniversity School of Medicine and HealthSciences helped to prepare him for a life ofuseful service including mission service inthe Philippines from 1960 to 1967. He issurvived by his wife Betsy.

FacultyMilton Engel, MD, 67, clinical professor of Psychiatry, child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, died August 8 at JohnsHopkins Hospital in Baltimore of a brainhemorrhage; he also had lymphoma andmultiple pneumonias. Dr. Engel taughtseminars in Medical History at TheGeorge Washington University.

A graduate of the Albert Einstein

College of Medicine, he did neonatal neu-rological research in Paris on a CerebralPalsy Foundation fellowship and served aspediatrician for Webb Air Force Base inBig Spring, Texas. He completed a two-year residency in General Psychiatry atYale-New Haven Hospital before movingto Washington in 1966 for his residency inChild Psychiatry at Children's Hospital.He completed psychoanalytic training atthe Washington Psychoanalytic Institute.Early in his career, he divided his timebetween private practice and DC publicschools, where he served as a consultantwith the Rose School. In the early 1980s,he reduced his commitment to the schoolto study for a master’s degree at the JohnsHopkins Institute for the History ofMedicine. Later, he was a consulting psychiatrist to Oak Hill Youth Center,Washington’s institution for juvenileoffenders. He maintained a private practice in Washington until his death.Survivors include his wife Diana ofWashington and three sons.

William Gee, MD, 70, of Macungie,Pennsylvania, formerly of Allentown, diedOctober 18 in Lehigh Valley Hospice,Allentown. Dr. Gee was an assistant pro-fessor of Surgery from 1974-77. At the timeof his death, he had been a professor ofClinical Surgery for Pennsylvania StateUniversity, Hershey, since 1995 and med-ical director of the Vascular Laboratory ofLehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, 1977-2000. He also served as chief of VascularSurgery for the Naval Medical Center inBethesda, Maryland, 1973-77.

He authored or co-authored more than100 articles for medical publications. Hereceived a U.S. patent on an ocular pneu-moplethysmograph in 1975. He was aNavy veteran of the Korean and VietnamWars, serving 1951-55 and 1960-77, beforeretiring as a captain in the medical corps in1977. Survivors include three daughtersand two sons.

Nathan Grossman, MD, 88, died of aheart ailment September 24 at The GeorgeWashington University Hospital.

After moving to the Washington area in1994, he served as a volunteer teacher ofClinical Diagnosis at GWUMC from 1995 to 1998.

In 1945, Dr. Grossman decided to try an experiment involving laboratory animals and heart catheterization. Dr.Grossman, who had already completed his medical degree and residency, was then working as a research fellow atMichael Reese Hospital in Chicago.

“He was working with dogs in the laboratory,” said his son, Peter L.Grossman, now an internist in Burlington,California. “He inserted a catheter andfloated it up to the heart, injecting dye into the coronary arteries.”

“An amazing thing happened,” he said.“The dye showed the anatomy of the heartarteries.” Grossman’s work helped set thestage for further research into heartcatheterization and its use as a diagnosticand treatment technique. Dr. Grossmanpracticed Cardiac and PulmonaryMedicine in Milwaukee from 1945 to1993, mainly at the old Mount SinaiHospital. He also enjoyed teaching, includ-ing at the UW medical school from 1990to 1993. In addition to his son, survivorsinclude his wife Ruth Axelrod Grossmanand a daughter.

George Joseph Hayes, MD, former clinical professor of Medicine, died of kid-ney failure November 4. He was 84. Dr.Hayes was an Army physician and neuro-surgeon; he retired in 1974 as a major gen-eral and had been principal deputy assis-tant secretary for health and environmentfor the U.S. Defense Department. He iscredited with helping to develop the proto-type of the helmet that is now standardissue for U.S. combat forces. He is sur-vived by his wife of 57 years, CatherineConger Hayes of Gaithersburg, Maryland;nine children; and 13 grandchildren.

Roy Hertz, MD, Professor Emeritus ofPharmacology, died October 28 of congestive heart failure at his home inHollywood, Maryland. Dr. Hertz wasinternationally recognized for his ground-

C L A S S N O T E S / A L U M N I N E W S

breaking discoveries on the cure of metasticchoriocarcinoma and related trophoblastictumors by means of chemotherapy. His useof high doses of the folic acid antagonistmethotrexate, represented the first instanceof the cure of a human tumor using drugs.This achievement ultimately led to the virtual elimination of mortality from choriocarcinoma in the U.S., and has

avoided the necessityof hysterectomy forthese patients. Hiswork also led to theinnovative researchon birth control pills.

Among hismany honors werehis membership in the National

Academy of Sciences and the select 1972 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Research. He was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize.

Dr. Hertz was a major figure at theNational Institutes of Health (NIH),where he began his career at the NationalCancer Institute in 1946. In 1956 hebecame chief of the Research MedicineBranch and in 1953 he headed theEndocrinology Branch. In 1965 he movedto the National Institute of Child Healthand Human Development as scientificdirector and chief of the ReproductionResearch Branch. Throughout this timehe has had a long association with GWMedical Center as assistant clinical professorof Medicine from 1948-66 and later as pro-fessor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In1973, he began a 10-year appointment asresearch professor of Pharmacology, andof Obstetrics and Gynecology and in 1984he was named an Emeritus Professor.

He participated actively in the researchactivities of GW’s Department ofPharmacology, where he mentored twograduate students for their doctorates andparticipated in the teaching of medical andgraduate students. His work in the depart-ment concerned issues on human repro-duction, the role of estrogens, antifertilitydrugs and oral contraceptives.

“In addition to his distinguished scien-tific and medical achievements, Roy was amost admired and highly respected facultymember of the Pharmacology Department,”said H. George Mandel, PhD, professor ofPharmacology. “He was easily approach-able as a colleague, had a delightful senseof humor and radiated warm friendship to all of us. His presence addedenormously to the spirit andcooperation within theDepartment.”

His first wife Pearl died in1962 and his second wife TobyOberdorfer Hertz died 11 daysprior to Dr. Hertz. He is survivedby two children from his firstmarriage, two stepchildren, 13grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Calvin Trexler Klopp, MD, had areputation among his students asan exacting teacher. During his30 years as a professor of surgery atGWUMC, he mentored hundreds ofstudents and residents and was highly

regarded by members of the medical andsurgical faculty.

Dr. Klopp’s decision to “invest in GW”was testament to his dedication to theMedical Center. In the process of cleaningout the stock certificates in their safetydeposit box, Dr. Klopp and his wife Ellencame across some stocks about which theyhad completely forgotten. They turnedthese stocks into a gift annuity commit-ment to GW. A gift annuity enables giversto transfer cash or property to GW and toreceive dependable—and favorably taxed—fixed payments for as long as the giverslive. In exchange for the Klopp’s gift ofsecurities, GW agreed to pay the Klopp’s aspecified dollar amount each year. Theirgift was held in a special reserve fund thatensured the University’s ability to make theannuity payments. Upon the death of theincome beneficiaries, Dr. and Mrs. Klopp,the remaining value of the gift, nearly$300,000, was transferred into an endow-ment, the Calvin T. Klopp, MD, and EllenSpangler Klopp Endowment Fund.

Dr. and Mrs. Klopp’s gift was intended to help meet the Kresge Initiative Challenge,a grant designed to support the purchaseand maintenance of medical equipment inthe biomedical research labs; the Klopp’sEndowment Fund was established to provide support specifically to the SMHSDepartment of Surgery.

Dr. Klopp received his bachelor’sdegree from Swarthmore College and hismedical degree from Harvard University. A Navy surgeon in the Pacific duringWorld War II, he practiced in Boston and New York before moving to theWashington, DC area. In 1975, Dr. andMrs. Klopp retired to Florida, but movedback to the DC area in 1995 to be closerto their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Dr. Klopp passed away onJune 13, 2002; Mrs. Klopp passed away onSeptember 9, 2002. Gifts in memory of the Klopps can be sent to The Office ofMedical Center Advancement and Alumni Relations, 2300 I Street, NW, Suite 615, Washington, DC 20037, phone 202-994-7751.

Sydney Ross, 86, former clinical professorof Pediatrics, died Sept. 26. He had prac-ticed in Chevy Chase for more than 50years and also was chief of infectious dis-eases at Children’s Hospital.

A graduate of Harvard University, Dr.Ross interned at Babies Hospital in NewYork. During World War II, he served in

C L A S S N O T E S / A L U M N I N E W S

The Klopp family

Roy Hertz, MD

the Navy Medical Corps. From there, Dr.Ross came to Washington.

From 1964 until his retirement in 1990,Dr. Ross was a clinical professor at GWand Georgetown. He had published morethan 90 scientific articles about childhooddiseases. Dr. Ross tested and developedantibiotics and was one of the firstresearchers to associate the antibiotic chloramphenicol with aplastic anemia. He was a clinical professor of pediatrics atThe George Washington and GeorgetownUniversities from 1964 until 1990, when heretired from his practice.

Dr. Ross was a diplomate of theAmerican Board of Pediatrics and a mem-ber of medical organizations, including theInfectious Disease Society of America,Society of American Bacteriologists andAmerican Academy of Pediatrics. Hebelonged to the Cosmos Club.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years,Bernice; four children; and six grandchildren.

Jerry M. Wiener, MD, Respected psychia-trist and professor Jerry M. Wiener, MD,died Sept. 7 of a heart attack. Dr. Wienerwas past chairman of The GeorgeWashington University Medical Center’sPsychiatry Department. Dr. Wiener, anexpert in child and adolescent psychiatry,also was past president of several profes-sional organizations, including theAmerican Psychiatric Association (APA),American Academy of Child andAdolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) andAmerican Association of Chairmen ofDepartments of Psychiatry. He also was a fellow with APA, AACAP and TheAmerican College of Psychiatrists.

Dr. Wiener served as chairman ofPsychiatry at GWUMC for 20 years (1977-97), was a Leon Yochelson Professor of the department, was Emeritus Professor in

Residence of Psychiatry and Pediatrics andhad served as chairman of the Education,Student Evaluation and Appointment andPromotion Committees, vice chair of theMedical Faculty Associates GoverningBoard, and member of the Medical CenterManagement Committee.

A seasoned lecturer, Dr. Wiener alsowas published extensively on clinical, edu-cational and health policy issues and wasmost recently editor-in-chief of TheTextbook of Child and AdolescentPsychiatry and served on the editorialboard of several journals including The Proceedings of the Mayo Clinic.Additionally, he was among the team ofchild psychiatrists brought together tointerview Elian Gonzalez during the 2000 custody dispute.

A native ofWashington, Dr.Wiener receivedhis bachelor’sfrom RiceUniversity and hismedical degreefrom BaylorUniversity. Hisinternships wereconducted atJefferson DavisHospital in Houston and Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Prior to coming to GW, Dr. Wiener held positions at Columbia/St. Luke’s Hospital, Emory UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry and Children’sNational Medical Center.

“He was a talented clinician,” saidJeffrey S. Akman, MD, interim chair,Psychiatry. “He commanded respect as apassionate advocate on behalf of childrenand the availability of psychiatric servicesfor children and adolescents. He will besorely missed.”

Dr. Wiener is survived by his wifeLouise, four sons, two brothers and agrandson.

The family has requested gifts in Dr.Wiener’s memory be sent to the JerryWiener Endowment Fund c/o GWUMCAdvancement Office, 2300 Eye Street,NW, Suite 615, Washington, DC 20037.

FriendsJustin Dart Jr., 71, a friend and GWUMCdonor, died of respiratory failure at hishome June 22. Born in Chicago, Dart wasstricken with polio in 1948 and becamewheelchair-bound. He later became anadvocate for the rights for the disabled,helped develop the language for theAmericans With Disabilities Act andchaired the president’s Committee onEmployment of People with Disabilities.

He received the Presidential Medal ofFreedom, the nation's highest civilianaward, in 1998. In earlier years, he was amember of the presidentially appointedNational Council on Disability and presi-dent-elect of the National RehabilitationAssociation. Dart headed up a programthat taught independent living skills toyoung people with disabilities. He also rana Tupperware business that grew, withintwo years, from four to 25,000 employees.

Dart is survived by his wife of 39 yearsand five daughters.

Dr. Jerry Wiener

C L A S S N O T E S / A L U M N I N E W S

Dr. Laszlo Tauber was well knownthroughout the Washington, DCarea as a surgeon, real estate devel-

oper and philanthropist. This Holocaustsurvivor was also a long-time friend of GW.His association with GW began 52 yearsago when he was appointed a TeachingFellow of Neurosurgery shortly after immigrating to the United States from war-torn Hungary in 1947. In Hungary, Dr.Tauber served as acting chief of surgery atthe International Red Cross Hospital inBudapest, which cared for the ravagedJewish population of which he was part.For his heroic work during the Holocaust,Dr. Tauber received the Red Cross’ highestaward, the Medal of Merit.

Later he established the JeffersonMemorial Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia,which accepted any patient who neededhelp, often not taking fees for services ren-dered. In 2002, at the age of 87, Dr. Tauber retired as a practicing physician and overseer of his real estate holdings,which, over the years, allowed him the various philanthropicendeavors he financed.

In 1999, Dr. Tauber bestowed an extremely generous gift of $7 million to The George Washington University Medical Centerand The George Washington University. Five million dollars ofthis gift is dedicated specifically for scholarships given to descen-dants of World War II veterans because, Dr. Tauber explained,“without these brave soldiers, not a single Jew would have beensaved in Europe.” He added, “These scholarships represent atoken of gratitude felt by me and other Holocaust survivors to the United States of America, and to its armed forces, forAmerica’s valiant and crucial role in defeating Nazi Germany and in liberating many of the Nazi concentration camps. We cannever thank America enough for having contributed to saving theremnant of European Jewry from extinction, and for giving somany Holocaust survivors the chance to live in this great land ofdemocracy, freedom and opportunity.”

At the time, Dr. John F. Williams, vice president for HealthAffairs and dean, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, said,“The generous gift of Dr. Tauber to the Medical Center in theform of...scholarships shows his dedication to medicine and education overall.”

On October 27, 1999, the highly traveled walkway betweenRoss Hall and the Foggy Bottom Metro Station was namedTauber Walk to honor Dr. Tauber and his generous gift. The

inscription on the plaque marking thewalk reads, “This plaque honors LaszloN. Tauber, MD, who, when asked whyhe was as generous as he was to GW,explained...that...the gift is...‘From aHungarian Jewish Holocaust survivorwho yearned for, and found, freedomand liberty in his beloved, adoptedcountry, the United States of America.’”

In addition to the $5 million dedicatedto scholarships, the remainder of Dr.Tauber’s $7 million contribution will bedistributed as follows: $1 million to theRizzoli Professorship, to honor hisfriend Hugo V. Rizzoli, MD, emeritusprofessor AND former chairman ofGW’s Department of Neurosurgery; and$1 million toward a GW Chair in Ethicsand Human Behavior endowed inhonor of the late Yitzhak Rabin, formerprime minister of Israel.

At the time of the dedication, GW President Stephen JoelTrachtenberg told the audience, “Dr. Tauber has been a long-timebenefactor of GW. I am honored that Dr. Tauber has bestowedsuch a meaningful gift on GW. The Tauber Walk is a symbol of Dr. Tauber’s generosity to the University and our students, andwill also serve as a reminder of his many other charitable actsthroughout the greater Washington, DC community.”

Because Dr. Tauber wanted GW students to benefit immediatelyfrom his generosity, rather than wait until the time of his death toinitiate the scholarship, Dr. Tauber arranged to donate $100,000annually for the balance of his life to support the scholarship. He established a charitable remainder unitrust for $5 million toendow the scholarships upon his death. A charitable remainderunitrust is a trust established when assets are transferred to atrustee for GW’s benefit. As with other life income plans, thedonor retains an income interest in the property and continues toreceive the income from it for his or her lifetime and that ofanother beneficiary. Because GW is given a remainder interest(GW receives the principal at the termination of the trust), thedonor becomes eligible for substantial tax benefits. The charitableremainder unitrust pays the beneficiary a percentage of the trustassets, as revalued annually. At the time of Dr. Tauber’s death, inSeptember 2002, the charitable remainder unitrust was convertedto a scholarship fund in memory of Dr. Tauber’s beloved parents,uncle and brother, Gyula, Katica, Aron and Imre and other victimsof the Holocaust.

[1915–2002]

Dr. Lazlo Tauber, Philanthropist and Friend

Giving can be both satisfying and

rewarding, especially when

combined with financial and estate

planning. This process–often referred to as

planned giving– has become increasingly

popular with our alumni and friends. For

good reason. Through planned giving, you

can help advance GW’s educational goals,

create a personal legacy to benefit future

students, and enjoy greater tax and invest-

ment benefits all at the same time

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMERRIFIELD, VA

PERMIT NO. 2657

Interested? If you wish to learn more, please contact: Medical Center Planned Giving,

2129 Eye Street, NW, Suite 615, Washington, DC 20052, Telephone 202.994.6415 or 800.789.2611,

or e-mail at abschell@gwu.edu

A G I F T, A L E G A C Y, A N D A VA L U A B L E A D VA N TA G E

Planned Giving

Office of Medical Center Communications and Marketing2300 Eye Street, N.W.Suite 313Washington, D.C. 20037-1800

Dr. James Michelson, right, trains GWUMC students using the cutting-edge technology providedby a computerized mannequin—one of many facets of the academic health center. Students,from left, are Rodney Reid, Anita Mittal, Shalim Desai and Merrell Sami.