MAA - The Bulletin -Summer 2008

Appointments to National Organizations

Stephen B. Liggett, MD

Stephen B. Liggett, MD, professor, departments of medicine and physiology, was appointed chair of the molecular mechanism working group in the pharmacogenetic research network at the National Institutes of Health. Additionally, Liggett was selected to be on the editorial board of Clinical and Translational Science.

Dhan V. Kalvakolanu, PhD

Dhan V. Kalvakolanu, PhD, professor, department of microbiology & immunology and program in oncology, has been elected to the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Thomas A. MacVittie, PhD

Thomas A. MacVittie, PhD, professor, department of radiation oncology, was appointed as a voting member of the National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB). The primary goal of the NBSB is to provide expert advice and guidance to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service. Included are scientific, technical and other matters of special interest regarding activities to prevent, prepare for and respond to adverse health effects of public health emergencies resulting from current and future chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents, whether naturally occurring, accidental or deliberate.

Richard L. Eckert, PhD, MS

Richard L. Eckert, PhD, MS, professor and chair, department of biochemistry & molecular biology, was elected to a five-year term as a member of the board of the Society of Investigative Dermatology, beginning in May 2008.

Claire M. Fraser-Liggett, PhD

Claire M. Fraser-Liggett, PhD, professor, departments of medicine and microbiology & immunology, and director of the institute for genome sciences, was appointed a member of the national advisory council for Human Genome Research for a three-year term effective February 2008.

Nelson H. Goldberg, ’73

Nelson H. Goldberg, ’73 professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery, was elected to a three- year term on the board of governors of the American College of Surgeons as the representative of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons.

William F. Morgan, PhD, DSc, professor, department of radiation oncology, was appointed conference chair for the 2009 Gordon Research Conference on Radiation Oncology to be held in January 2010 in Ventura, California. Additionally, Morgan was elected vice president of program area I, a committee that is responsible for basic criteria, epidemiology radiobiology and risk.

Lisa Shulman, MD

Lisa Shulman, MD, associate professor, department of neurology, was elected to the board of directors for the American Academy of Neurology.

Sanford A. Stass, MD

Sanford A. Stass, MD, professor and chair, department of pathology, was named chair of the collaboration and publication subcommittee of the National Cancer Institute’s early detection research network (EDRN). He was also elected as the biomarker reference laboratory representative on the EDRN executive committee. The EDRN is an initiative of the National Cancer Institute that brings together dozens of institutions to help accelerate the translation of biomarker information into clinical applications and to evaluate new ways of testing cancer in its earliest stages and for cancer risk.

Awards & Honors

Bradley E. Alger, PhD, professor, department of physiology, was elected conference co-chair for the 2009 Gordon Research Conference entitled “Cannabinoid Function in the CNS.”

Stephen C. Jacobs, MD

Stephen C. Jacobs, MD

Stephen C. Jacobs, MD, professor, department of surgery, received the champion of hope award from the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland at its 2007 gift of life gala. Jacobs, the former chief, division of urology, was honored for his contributions to the development of the technique of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. This technique has allowed living kidney donors to give a kidney to a family member or loved one with much less morbidity. The technique is credited with initiating a large increase in the number of living donor kidney transplants, thus taking pressure off the shortage of cadaver organs that are viable for transplantation. Jacobs and Stephen T. Bartlett, MD, professor and chair, department of surgery, spearheaded a team of donor surgeons and transplant recipient surgeons who have performed more than 1200 such kidney transplant operations. Jacobs popularized the laparoscopic donor operation by training surgeons from around the world who traveled to the University of Maryland to learn the technique. The operation is now the standard worldwide. Other award winners at the gift of life gala included Senator Benjamin Cardin who received the 2007 public service award. University of Maryland School of Medicine Dean Emeritus Donald E. Wilson, MD, MACP, who himself received a kidney by the laparoscopic donor nephrectomy technique, was also present.

Amal Mattu, MD

Amal Mattu, MD

Amal Mattu, MD, associate professor, department of emergency medicine, received the 2008 national educator of the year award given by the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. The award was based on his educational contributions to the specialty in the areas of emergency cardiology and electrocardiography.

S. Michael Plaut, PhD

S. Michael Plaut, PhD

S. Michael Plaut, PhD, assistant dean for student affairs and associate professor, department of psychiatry, was given the inaugural exemplary service award by the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Northeast Group on Student Affairs (NEGSA) at its annual meeting in Baltimore on April 5, 2008. The award reflects Plaut’s 30 years of membership in NEGSA, during which time he held a number of positions, including chairmanship of the committee on counseling and support resources, representative to the AAMC committee on student affairs and NEGSA chair.

Events, Lectures & Workshops

Bradley E. Alger, PhD

Bradley E. Alger, PhD, professor, department of physiology, was an invited speaker and session chair for the Gordon Research Conference entitled “Cannabinoid Function in the CNS” held in September 2007 in Les Diablertes, Switzerland. Additionally, Alger was also an invited speaker and session chair for the 17th Annual Neuropharmacology Conference entitled “Cannabinoid Signaling in the Nervous System” held in October 2007 in San Diego.

Marie R. Baer, MD, professor, department of medicine and program in oncology, gave two oral presentations, “Disordered Gene Expression in Leukemia” and “Acute Myeloid Leukemias: Therapy, Excluding Transplantation-Results of Clinical Trials,” at the 49th
annual meeting and exposition of the American Society of Hematology held in December 2007 in Atlanta.

Lixing Lao, PhD

Lixing Lao, PhD, professor, department of family & community medicine, presented the following lectures in October 2007: “Ancient Acupuncture and Modern Evidence Based Medicine—Challenges and Opportunities” at the international conference on automation science and technology held at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and “Functions and Specificities of Acupuncture Points,” “Acupuncture and Evidence-Based Medicine” and “TCM Education in the U.S.” at the 20th anniversary of World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) and International Acupuncture Congress, also in Beijing.

David Scott, PhD

David Scott, PhD, professor, department of surgery and center for vascular and inflammatory diseases, and Donna Farber, PhD, associate professor, department of surgery, organized the 3rd Aegean Conference on Autoimmunity and Tolerance in Rhodes, Greece. Additionally, Scott was an invited speaker and presented “Novel Therapy for Tolerance to Inhibitors in Hemophilia” at the 20th Van Creveld Clinic Symposium in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.

Toni Antalis, PhD

Toni Antalis, PhD, professor, department of physiology and center for vascular and inflammatory diseases, chaired the 2008 Gordon Research Conference entitled “Plasminogen Activation and Extracellular Proteolysis.” The conference was held in February 2008 in Ventura, California.

Maureen Black, PhD

Maureen Black, PhD, John A. Scholl Professor of Pediatrics, organized an international conference entitled “Child Development from a Global Perspective: Lost Potential, Modifiable Risk Factors, Successful Programs & Future Goals” which was sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation and held in Bellagio, Italy, in October 2007. The conference was attended by representatives from 11 countries and major international agencies such as the WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank.

Joyelle Dominique, MS

Joyelle Dominique, MS, clinical care and research laboratory director, institute of human virology, presented “Management of Clinical Laboratory: Key Aspects for Maintenance of Equipment” at the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization—African Regional Office meeting on clinical laboratory testing harmonization and standardization in Maputo, Mozambique, in January 2008. The presentation focused on resource-limited settings in the developing world.

Richard L. Eckert, PhD, MS, John F. B. Weaver Endowed Professor and chair, department of biochemistry & molecular biology, was the meeting organizer for the 2nd international symposium on Translational Cancer Research held in Mumbai, India, in December 2007. In addition, Eckert gave a lecture at the symposium entitled “Making Sense of Skin—Polycomb Genes and Nutrition-Based Cancer Prevention.”

Paula Richey Geigle, PT, PhD

Paula Richey Geigle, PT, PhD, assistant professor, department of physical therapy & rehabilitation, presented a clinical session entitled “Aquatic Physical Therapy” at the American Physical Therapy Association’s national student conclave, in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in October 2007.

Laurel J. Kiser, PhD

Laurel J. Kiser, PhD, associate professor, and Deborah Medoff, PhD, assistant professor, both from the department of psychiatry, and Maureen Black, PhD, professor, department of pediatrics, presented “Urban Poverty, Childhood Complex Traumatic Stress Symptoms, and Family Processes” at The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies annual meeting in Baltimore in November 2007.

Myung Park, MD

Myung Park, MD, assistant professor, department of medicine, presented, “Clinical and Investigational Utility of MRI and Other Diagnostic Tools: New Views of the Right Heart” at the American Heart Association meeting in Orlando, FL, in November 2007. Additionally, Park presented “Vascular Complications of Systemic Sclerosis: Long-Term Treatment Strategy for PAH,” at the American College of Rheumatology meeting in Boston in November 2007.

John R. Hess, MD, MPH

John R. Hess, MD, MPH, professor, departments of pathology and medicine, consulted with the Ministry of Health of Malaysia as a World Health Organization (WHO) representative in March 2008. Hess is on the WHO expert panel on blood transfusion medicine, and is an expert on blood substitutes.

Richard Y. Zhao, PhD

Richard Y. Zhao, PhD, associate professor, departments of pathology and microbiology & immunology, and institute of human virology, gave a plenary lecture entitled “Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a Model Organisim for Apoptosis-induced HIV-1 Viral Protein R” at the 6th international conference on Yeast Apoptosis in Leuven, Belgium, in April 2008.

Book/Textbook Publications

John Kaster, professor of medicine and former chairman of the department of medicine from 1984 to 1997, published Selling Teaching Hospitals and Practice Plans: George Washington and Georgetown Universities, by The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Robert A. Barish, MD

Amal Mattu, MD, associate professor, department of emergency medicine, and Robert A. Barish, MD, vice dean for clinical affairs, and professor, departments of medicine and emergency medicine, co-edited, along with Jeffrey A. Tabas, MD, of San Francisco General Hospital, Electrocardiography in Emergency Medicine. This 18-chapter book was published by the American College of Emergency Physicians in October 2007. Chapters were contributed by Edward B. Bolgiano, MD, assistant professor, department of emergency medicine; Michael C. Bond, MD, clinical instructor, department of emergency medicine; and Stephen Y. Liang, MD, a fourth-year resident in the combined emergency medicine/internal medicine program.

Michael Miller, MD

Michael Miller, MD, associate professor, department of medicine, co-authored a book entitled The American Medical Association Guide to Preventing and Treating Heart Disease.

Grants & Contracts

Dudley Strickland, PhD

Dudley Strickland, PhD, professor, department of surgery, and director, center for vascular and inflammatory diseases, received a five-year $1,856,250 grant from National Institutes of Health for his work entitled “Regulation of Surface Receptors by LRP.”

Mark S. Williams, PhD

Mark S. Williams, PhD, assistant professor, department of microbiology & immunology and center for vascular and inflammatory diseases, received a five-year $1,500,000 grant from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for his work entitled “Function of NADPH Oxidase(s) in T Lymphocytes.”

Terez Shea-Donohue, PhD

Terez Shea-Donohue, PhD, professor, department of medicine, received a competitively renewed five-year $1.8 million R01 grant from the National Institute of Allergy & Infections Diseases for her work entitled “GI Nematodes & Gut Functional Responses to Inflammation.”

Brian Berman, MD

Brian Berman, MD, professor, department of family & community medicine, and director, of the center for integrative medicine, has received a $5 million gift from an anonymous donor to further the center’s work in evaluating complementary and alternative therapies and developing clinical models that offer patients integrative care. The gift will allow the center to broaden its investigation of the use of traditional Chinese medicine and mind/body therapies for particularly burdensome health care problems, such as pain management in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Berman also received a $1.5 million from the John W. Kluge Foundation. The gift will help supplement the work as outlined above, especially in the areas of pain management and treatment of many chronic diseases.

Paul A. Welling MD, professor, department of physiology, received a four-year $1,275,000 competing renewal for his National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases research grant entitled “Polarized Trafficking of K+ Channels in the Kidney.”

Grants & Contracts of $1 million and above

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