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Volume 5 - Number 3
- Summer 2006
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! In this issue...
A
Quick Look at the School Year's End
Listen
to or download
an audio recording that captures sounds and soundbites
at the medical school's convocation ceremony
Read
and see pictures from the closing ceremony of
Project HEART, the year-long program that reminded
first-year medical students of their call to service as
physicians
Honors Day
Marking the close of the school year, Honors Day
has grown into an annual celebration of scholarship -
both in terms of academic accomplishments as well as in
the form of financial assistance. This year's ceremony
was particularly special, as tribute was paid to an
exceptional young woman who was to have been a member of
the Class of 2009. Read more about Honors
Day.
New Materials Developed for Vascular
Graft
A new
material may one day help patients with damaged arteries
regenerate new ones. Anatomy's David Simpson
collaborated with other university scientists and
engineers on the design and fabrication of a synthetic
biodegradable polymer that was described in the June
issue of the journal Biomedical Materials. Read more
about the vascular
graft.
Protein's Role in Hemoglobin Gene Silencing
Identified
Researchers have identified the role of a protein
in hemoglobin gene silencing that may one day be a
potential molecular target for the treatment of genetic
blood disorders like sickle-cell anemia. "The more
targeted the approach the better, because there is less
likelihood of producing any unintended negative
side-effects," said Massey Cancer Center Director Dr.
Gordon Ginder, lead author of the study. Read more about
the protein's
role.
First East Coast Artificial Heart
Recipient Goes Home
More than two months after arriving at the VCU
Medical Center with a failing heart, 60-year-old Cecil
Nester publicly thanked the doctors, nurses and other
staff members who saved his life. He also thanked Inga -
that's the nickname he gave to the mechanical device
that kept his artificial heart pumping for seven weeks
while he waited for a donor heart to come available.
Read more about Cecil
Nester or see digital
photos and animation that show how the artificial
heart works.
Road Map to Preventive Services with Greatest
Impact, Best Cost Value
A new study identifies the most beneficial and
cost-effective preventive health services, giving
Americans a unique tool to make decisions about their
health care. Family Medicine's Dr. Steven Woolf
contributed to the study that was released by
Partnership for Prevention. Read more about the report
that ranks 25 recommended services.
Screening Changes
Could Help Detect Deaf Newborns
Several changes could be made to
existing newborn screening tests for hearing defects
that could advance the standard of care in detecting
deaf infants. Human Genetics' Dr. Walter Nance is
corresponding author on an article published in the New
England Journal of Medicine that summarizes four
important criteria that should be considered for
screening programs throughout the country. Read more
about the suggested
changes.
Egyptian Building Commemorated with an
Historic Marker
A
new roadside marker now stands beside the Egyptian
Building thanks to the effort of a group of students,
alumni and faculty members who are involved in a secret
philanthropic society called the Junto Society. Read
more about the national
landmark considered one of the finest examples of
Egyptian Revival architecture in the US.
First Chief of
Anesthesiology Dr. Boyan Dies
An Olympic downhill skier who turned
his talents to the operating room, Dr. Charles Paul
Boyan headed the medical school's Department of
Anesthesiology for 13 years. Dr. Boyan was recruited to
the MCV Campus in 1968 by Dr. David Hume, who had
learned of Dr. Boyan's pioneering studies on blood
transfusions and methods of warming blood for surgical
patients. Read more about Dr.
Boyan's varied career.
Internal Medicine Chair Takes
Helm of Infectious Diseases Society
Last month in Lisbon, Dr. Richard
Wenzel was installed as President of the International
Society for Infectious Diseases with 3000 delegates from
106 countries looking on. He will serve a two-year term,
leading the organization that is unique for its focus on
infectious diseases in the third world. The Society
operates the largest international surveillance system
in the world for emerging infections, with 10,000 hits a
day. The surveillance system identified the SARS
outbreak even before the World Health Organization.
 Reunion 2006
The
School of Medicine had one of its best turnouts in
recent memory with hundreds of alumni returning to the
MCV Campus from all over the country to celebrate
Reunion Weekend. See
photos from Reunion events.
Baltimore
Reception
On June 8, alumni and friends of the medical
school were welcomed to Baltimore's Green Spring Valley
Hunt Club by Dean Dr. Jerry Strauss. As they visited
with friends and colleagues, they heard from the Dean
about the latest developments in the medical school. See
photos from the Baltimore reception.
Mark Your Calendar
Dean Dr. Jerry Strauss will host a reception in
the fall for Roanoke-area alums. Make sure that your contact
info is up-to-date so that you'll receive your
invitation.
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We're interested in your
comments on this communication. Please email us your
thoughts.
Mark Your
Calendar Now for the medical school's popular Alumni
Update Course. Back for a fifth year, the daylong course
will be held on Friday, April 27, offering up to 6.75
credit hours, and kicking off Reunion Weekend.
Update Your Contact Info and provide
the Alumni and Development Office with your latest news
via our online update form.
Past issues of SOM eNews are online.
Check out the upcoming CME offerings from the medical
school's Office of Continuing Physician Professional
Development & Evaluation Studies including
November's Latino Health Summit
Annual Fund dollars support
scholarships and student interest groups as well as
milestone events in the medical school. You can give
online via the MCV Foundation's secure eGiving
page.
For More Information:
MCV Alumni Association
MCV
Foundation
VCU
VCUHS
VCU Campaign
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