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Volume 4 - Number 4 - Fall 2005
We hope that you'll enjoy these quick highlights from the
MCV Campus. Please forward
this newsletter to friends who might like to learn more
about the
School of Medicine!
 Class
of 2009 Arrives on Campus
Hailing from 22 states and chosen from
among more than 4800 applicants, members of the School
of Medicine's Class of 2009 marked the beginning of
their medical education in the school's 10th annual
White Coat Ceremony. Read more about the White Coat Ceremony or see pictures from the ceremony.
During orientation week,
first-year students were also introduced to Project
HEART, a new initiative begun by Isaac Wood, M.D., the
medical school's Associate Dean for Student Activities.
As part of the project, the incoming medical students
each received pocket-sized quilted hearts designed to
remind them why they were called into service as
physicians. Read more about Project HEART or see pictures.
More than $1 Million in
Scholarship Support for MCV Campus
Students
With the
cost of tuition arguably one of the most difficult
issues facing today's medical students, the MCV Campus
recently honored the generosity of alumni, faculty and
friends who have made it possible for the MCV Foundation
to distribute more than a million dollars in
scholarships last year. At a brunch earlier this month,
scholarship donors and student recipients celebrated the
lasting legacies that have been established through 137
scholarship funds on campus. Read more about the celebration or see pictures.
You can hear for
yourself what a difference scholarships make for our
students via eight online video interviews with
scholarship recipients. For information about endowing a
scholarship, contact Tom Holland, Associate Dean for
Development in the School of Medicine.
What They Did with
Their Summers
For
today's medical students, the summer between their first
and second years is often the only time they can call
their own in a tightly scheduled four-year curriculum.
What they do with those golden weeks is as varied as the
students themselves. Read more about what a few of our
students did with their summers.
 NCI
Grant Supports Investigation into Colorectal Screening
Less than 50
percent of the age-eligible population receives
recommended colorectal cancer screenings. Family
Medicine's Steven Woolf, M.D., has been awarded an NCI
grant to study the factors that influence this decision.
He hopes the resulting data will improve the screening
rate and ultimately lead to earlier detection. Read more
about the screening study.
Key Protein Vital to
Normal Red Blood Cell Development
In a finding that may point to future
gene therapies for patients with sickle cell anemia and
beta-thalassemia, researchers have shown in studies with
mice that the KLF2 protein is crucial for making young
red blood cells. "Our findings are significant for
future treatment of these blood disorders, potentially
using gene therapies and other novel strategies," said
Human Genetics' Joyce A. Lloyd, Ph.D. Read more about the genetic study published in the
October issue of Blood.
Enzyme Linked to Spread of
Breast Cancer Cells
In the August issue of the Journal of
Biological Chemistry, researchers showed that
epidermal growth factor stimulates a family of enzymes
that is linked to the spread of breast cancer. "If we
understood how tumor cells spread or metastasize, we
would be able to design better tools to help treat
cancers," said lead author and Biochemistry Chair Sarah
Spiegel, Ph.D. Read more about the ongoing research.
Guidelines for Treating
Hydrocephalus
Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a debilitating
condition in the brain that often goes undiagnosed or is
misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. Now,
an international team of medical experts led by
Neurosurgery's Anthony Marmarou, Ph.D., has established
the first clinical guidelines to help improve the
diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Review the guidelines.
Thomas Palliative
Care Program Earns National Honors
The Thomas Palliative Care Program at
the Massey Cancer Center earned a prestigious "Circle of
Life" award from the American Hospital Association. The
model program provides patient-centered palliative care
to people with serious or terminal illnesses. Read more
about the unit that was one of three national award recipients
from a field of more than 1,500 hospital-based
palliative care programs.
 Two Special Tax-Wise
Opportunities in Effect Through End of Year
Between now and December 31, some alumni are
considering two options for making a one-time increased
gift or paying off an existing pledge. New legislation
passed in September has doubled the contribution limit
for certain outright gifts of cash from 50 percent to
100 percent of adjusted gross income. In addition,
donors over the age of 59 1/2 have an opportunity to
fund outright gifts with assets withdrawn from an IRA or
other qualified retirement plan. For more information,
please contact Mickey
Dowdy or Tom
Holland or call (800) 332-8813. You can also visit
www.pgcalc.com/news/reliefbill.htm for
examples and more details to share with your tax
advisors.
Earn CME, Reconnect with Your Alma
Mater
Mark your calendar for the 4th Annual Alumni
Course on Friday, April 21, 2006. Scheduled for the
first time to coincide with Reunion Weekend, this
popular daylong course offers up to 6.75 hours in CME
credit. Stellar faculty - including two Institute of
Medicine members - will cover topics ranging from avian
flu and pediatric obesity, to screening tests and
geriatric medicine. A brochure with more details will be
mailed in January. Plan to start Reunion Weekend a day
early, or even make a special trip to Richmond.
Medicine Alum Elected President of the MCV
Alumni Association
George W. Burke III, M'70, has been elected to
serve a two-year term as president of the MCV Alumni
Association of VCU. Read more about the
pulmonary-critical care physician who has been involved with the association for 32
years.
Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Receptions
Plan to catch up
with old friends and meet newly appointed Dean of
Medicine Jerry Strauss, M.D., Ph.D. A reception for
alumni from the Virginia Beach area is planned for
December 4. Additional receptions are planned for
Roanoke, Northern Virginia and Baltimore in the spring.
Make sure that your contact info is up-to-date so that
you'll receive your invitation.
Genetic sequencing of deadly
1918 influenza virus shows a link to bird flu
School of
Medicine alumnus Jeffery Taubenberger, M.D.' 86,
Ph.D.'87, led the study that used the power of genetic
sequencing to reconstruct the 1918 influenza virus that
killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. Dr.
Taubenberger is with the Armed Forces Institute of
Pathology in Washington and also holds an affiliate
appointment in VCU's Department of Anatomy and
Neurobiology. Read more about Dr. Taubenberger's work.
Faculty Contribute to NASA Tests
Researchers from
the School of Medicine are working with NASA to train
and test astronauts on surgical techniques that can be
used during space flights. "As manned missions move
farther out into the solar system, the lag in
communications between mission control and the space
crew will require a new level of medical autonomy," said
Surgery's Ronald C. Merrell, M.D. Read more about the training that took place in
Houston in August.
Professor raises profile of
women's mental health
Psychiatric News has drawn attention to
the work of Susan G. Kornstein, M.D., who is raising the
profile of psychiatry and highlighting its integral role
in women's issues as her position as editor-in-chief of
the Journal of Women's Health. Read more about Dr. Kornstein, who also is the medical
school's eighth faculty member in nine years to be
accepted into the Hedwig van Amerigen Executive
Leadership in Academic Medicine Program for Women.
Two
School of Medicine Faculty among Four Honored at
Convocation
At
the September Convocation ceremony, VCU recognized
Phillip B. Hylemon, Ph.D., with the University Award of
Excellence, and Suzanne E. Barbour, Ph.D., with its
Distinguished Teaching Award. Read more about the accomplishments of Drs. Hylemon and
Barbour.
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Check out the
upcoming CME offerings from the medical
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Development & Evaluation Studies including
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Fund gift impacts the school and find a link to
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For More Information:
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