Could this be sad news?

Luckily, it was wonderful news when Karl Illig, MD, professor of surgery and director of the USF Division of Vascular Surgery, opened such an email from his patient’s mother.

***

Photo by Andy Meng, UT

Last year, Heather Glenday, a swimmer for the University of Tampa, had a national title on the line when an odd feeling in her right arm slowed her training. A team trainer knew immediately by the swelling that the UT swimmer needed to get to the emergency room right away. At Tampa General Hospital, it was USF vascular surgeon Karl Illig, MD, who knew that Heather was experiencing Paget-Schroetter syndrome, a condition that causes a vein to be pinched off at the collarbone and upper rib. If left untreated, the vein could potentially clot off as the bone continues to crush the vein. For Heather, immediate surgery was necessary, which included removing that first rib.

Also called venous thoracic outlet syndrome (VTOS) and effort thrombosis, the uncommon condition affects only about 5,000 Americans every year, but is more common in high-performance athletes.

“It’s not unusual, and there is great success after treatment,” Dr. Illig said. “Surgery corrects the problem, with 95 percent of patients living a symptom-free life.”

***

After her surgery last year, Heather spent her summer recuperating at home in New York.

“I’m incredibly lucky to have connected with Dr. Illig, who had already treated patients with this,” she said. “When I went for follow-up exams back home to check the incisions, the doctor there said ‘Oh, you’re the first patient I’ve seen with Paget-Schroetter’s,’ which wasn’t too comforting. I’m so lucky to have found Dr. Illig.”

By fall, Heather returned to UT – she’s a junior studying accounting – and was back in the pool.

And that brings us back to Dr. Illig’s email.

Heather’s mother, Maureen Glenday, was sharing the good news with Dr. Illig that the young swimmer had not only recovered and returned to the pool, but that she was fast enough to help UT earn four NCAA trophies: two for relays and two for individual events.

Here’s what Maureen wrote to Dr. Illig in March.

***

Heather saw Dr. Illig’s this April at the Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare for her one-year follow-up exam. The ultrasound showed all was well and he gave her a full release, although annual check-ups for the next couple of years are expected.

As a thank you, Heather presented Dr. Illig with a University of Tampa Spartans hat.

***

As if a story of a patient succeeding in life isn’t enough, another caveat is that Heather’s story ties together so many areas of expertise found in Tampa. It’s a story of a community of expert institutions coming together and providing the best care possible. Here are players:

- University of Tampa has a title-winning swim team.

- Well trained athletic trainer recognizes symptoms and acts quickly to get the student to emergency room.

- Tampa General Hospital is affiliated with the USF Morsani College of Medicine, the region’s only academic medical center.

- Dr. Karl Illig has seen and treated this condition before in his training at academic medical centers.

***

To see Heather Glenday winning a 800 yard freestyle relay title for UT post-surgery, check out this video.  Choose the 2013 DII Swimming & Diving Day 3, Evening Session: Full Replay (2:47:18) option and go to about 132/167.1.

Story by Sarah A. Worth, photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Office of Communications

“CAMLS is helping USF Health move health care to new levels of quality and safety,” said Dr. Stephen Klasko, dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and CEO of USF Health. “I’m delighted that Dr. Smith is taking on this new leadership role. His high standards and surgical expertise will help CAMLS stand out as the premier center for technical and teamwork training and assessment.”

CAMLS opened in 2012. Its surgical facilities include the world’s first hybrid operating suite used exclusively for training; a trauma operating room that can simulate battlefield sights, sounds and temperature; an advanced robotics suite; and two large surgical suites. Altogether, CAMLS has 39 surgical stations, more than the number found at many hospitals.

CAMLS also features team training facilities, a variety of realistic human patient simulators and surgical simulators. It’s also the home of the Tampa Bay Research & Innovation Center, a hub for developing new medical devices and technologies.

“Dr. Smith’s high level of expertise as a surgeon and commitment to raising standards of quality care is the perfect fit for CAMLS,” said Deborah Sutherland, PhD, CEO of CAMLS.

“He is helping us identify new surgical innovations that can be developed and taught at CAMLS,” she said. “This is a good appointment for us and for the Department of Surgery. It’s important that CAMLS and the Department of Surgery work hand-in-hand because many of the opportunities at CAMLS are for surgical and interventional training.”

Dr. David Smith

CAMLS is poised to become an international leader in helping health professionals perform at the highest levels of quality care, Dr. Smith said.

“Health care is becoming international, and the assessment tools being developed and used at CAMLS will be recognized internationally,” he said.

Dr. Smith is  assisting with the development of the international program for CAMLS, including working to develop new facilities in Panama, Brazil and India.

Dr. Smith also is working on a project to develop a consortium of simulation super centers. The group will develop standardized global curricula and courses for training residents and working health professionals. With those curricula in place, the group will then build a large shared database to provide metrics on improving training procedures to provide better outcomes.

“We want to partner with people who are committed to excellence in teaching and verification of proficiency,” Dr. Smith said. “Ultimately, if we have a larger data set, it allows us to define proficiency more accurately. The ultimate benefit is safer patient care.”

Dr. Smith also is the director of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and holds the Richard G. Connar Endowed Chair of Surgery.   Dr. Smith received his MD from Indiana University and completed a residency in surgery at Emory University and a residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Indiana. He also did a fellowship in hand surgery at the University of Louisville.

Koike, 29, was among the graduating medical students whose Scholarly Concentrations Program (SCP) capstone projects were showcased May 9 at the 2^nd Annual Gallery of Scholarship.   A record number of students — 65 – graduated from the Morsani College of Medicine last week with a scholarly concentration distinction. 

Kenzo Koike, graduating USF medical student, created an award-winning capstone project for his Scholarly Concentration program — a 9-month medical and cultural experience in Peru.

 Their capstone projects spanned a diversity of scholarly inquiry:  Research on the potential connection between quality of preconception health care and prevention of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality; a screenplay about a man diagnosed with schizophrenia and Capgras syndrome; the introduction of an interdisciplinary diabetes self-management education program at the BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic, to name just a few.

Since the SCP began six years ago, it has continued to grow – with nearly 80 percent of the college’s students participating in one of 10 faculty-mentored scholarly concentrations of special interest such as health disparities, innovation, entrepreneurship and business in medicine, health systems engineering, and public health.

“Some students have chosen the Morsani College of Medicine because of the opportunity to participate in scholarly and creative endeavors offered through our Scholarly Concentrations Program,” said SCP Director Susan Pross, PhD.  “Based upon their experiences in the program, some have even decided to pursue PhDs, or a master’s degree in public health, in addition to their medical education.”

Koike was the 2013 winner of program’s Thomas & Elizabeth Flannery/William & Mary Tibbetts Scholarly Award, a competitive $1,000 prize bestowed by Dr. Michael Flannery, professor of medicine, in honor of his maternal and paternal grandparents.

Dr. William Spellacy listens to a student describe her SCP capstone project.

Michelle Heck completed scholarly concentrations in both International Medicine and Medical Humanities.

He started planning and designing the curriculum for a long-term international medical experience in Cuzco, Peru shortly after selecting his scholarly concentration in international medicine as a first-year medical student.  His goal was to prepare for a career in medicine that includes working abroad and developing sustainable models of health care and health education.

Between his third and fourth year of medical school, Koike spent nine months in Cuzco, Peru, volunteering through an organization called Doctors for Global Health.  He encountered diagnoses and conditions not typically seen in the United States, from cutaneous tuberculosis and the rare parasitic disease leishmaniasis to an abdominal wound caused by a bull’s horn.  He went on rounds in public hospitals, helped deliver babies as an obstetrical intern in a labor and delivery clinic, and worked at a small American-operated women’s clinic offering pap smear screenings for cervical cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths in Peruvian women.  With limited access to sophisticated imaging equipment and laboratory tests, particularly in rural areas, he also learned to rely on fundamental clinical skills and judgment.

Dr. Alicia Monroe, vice dean of Educational Affairs for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, speaks with Kenzo Koike’s father.

Koike traveled to Cuzco with his wife Janie, a graduate student in USF’s Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program who worked at a domestic violence shelter while in Peru. They lived with a host family and interacted with the local community to immerse themselves in the local language and culture.

After finishing his residency in ophthalmology at Medical University of South Carolina and beginning his career as an MD in the United States, Koike said he hopes to return periodically to Peru. He envisions setting up an ophthalmology clinic that would provide much-needed cataract surgeries and other eye procedures.

“I want to help educate local physicians so they are empowered to take care of their own patients and their community,” he said.

In a blog, Koike chronicled his 9-month journey to explore global health in Cuzco, Peru, for other health professions students considering study abroad. To read more about his experiences and reflections, go to www.peru-zo.com.

Koike with staff from the Scholarly Concentrations Program, from left to right, Roberta Collins, academic service administrator for special projects; Susan Pross, PhD, director; and Ingrid Bahner, PhD, associate director.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communciations

Framed patents lining a wall in the newly opened USF Heart Institute Genomics Laboratory contain scientific language like polymorphisms and adrenergic receptors.  But application of the entrepreneurial research described in those patents may lead to new therapies based on an individual’s DNA or predict which patients are most likely to benefit from existing drugs.

“It’s ground breaking,” Stephen Klasko, MD, CEO for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, said of the research behind the patents held by Stephen Liggett, MD, who was recruited last year to lead the university’s genomics and personalized medicine research and who will direct the new laboratory.

L to R: Dr. Stephen Klasko, CEO of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, and Dr. Stephen Liggett, vice dean for research at MCOM, with Hillsborough County Commissioners Ken Hagan (chair), Sandra Murman and Mark Sharpe.

Dr. Klasko welcomed university and community leaders May 14  to the grand opening of the 7,550-square-foot laboratory, built on the fifth floor of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute. The celebration was an opportunity to thank Hillsborough County Commissioners for their forward-thinking support of the transformative space focusing on genomic science within the Heart Institute, and showcase how USF Health is transforming health care.

“A lot of people talk about molecular genomics and regenerative therapies, and a lot of people are doing great clinical research,” Dr. Klasko said. “We’re going to be the first place to bring together all that technology and research to really get something done on behalf of patients.”

Shelled-in space at the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute was built out to house the Genomics Laboratory, so that basic science research could begin before construction of the freestanding USF Heart Institute. The cost of the laboratory’s construction, equipment and initial recruitment of researchers, was $2 million, half of which was funded by an economic development grant from Hillsborough County.

Last year, the state and country awarded USF a total of $8.9 million to move forward in creating a Heart Institute that will pursue innovative research to find new diagnostics and therapies for cardiovascular disease – a leading cause of hospitalizations, deaths and lost productivity in Florida and nationwide. The Legislature approved a second appropriation of funding for the Institute this session, and a final appropriation is expected next session.

Dr. Klasko welcomed university and community leaders attending the grand opening of the USF Heart Institute Genomics Laboratory.

The Institute’s proposed location will be in the center of the university’s health campus, which includes Moffitt Cancer Center, the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, and the Morsani College of Medicine and James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital. The research facility will also be near Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute, which is collaborating with USF Health on the local arm of a national clinical trial testing a new gene treatment for heart failure.

This proximity of these leading medical institutions will help the Heart Institute create meaningful research collaborations and leverage vital resources “that will make the real difference,” said Leslie Miller, MD, director of the USF Heart Institute.

“It’s an exciting time,” Dr. Miller said. “New drugs and biologic therapies we’ll discover here hopefully will have an immediate impact and translate into a reduction in cardiovascular mortality.”

The 15 patents lining one wall of the Genomics Laboratory were issued to Dr. Liggett and colleagues for genomic research discoveries applicable to diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. Liggett, vice dean for research at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, said the genomics laboratory is the “seed” for the larger Heart Institute to come.

The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art machines for sequencing DNA.  That and other advanced technology will allow USF researchers to study the differences in DNA among individuals to help unravel how diseases emerge and to discover targeted therapies tailored to the patient’s genetic makeup.

The scientists who work in the lab will address such questions as: Do certain genetic variants predispose an individual to certain diseases?  Do they modify the course, or severity, of particular diseases? Can they predict an individual’s response to treatment?

“This whole concept of one drug fits all, which we know doesn’t really work, is going to stop right here,” Dr. Liggett said.

While the new genomics lab will initially focus on heart research, it will eventually branch out to other diseases. “In fact,” Liggett said, “one cannot study heart disease without also studying atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes and metabolism, to name a few. So, we will be comprehensive.”

Dr. Miller outlines plans for the freestanding USF Heart Institute, which will be constructed in the center of the USF Health campus near other leading health institutions.

Dr. Liggett, who explained what scientists will do in the new genomics laboratory, holds up a test tube, which he said contains his DNA. “It’s labeled sample #1, because, back in 1991, I was the first person whose DNA I ever studied.”

In March 2012, Dr. Liggett and Dr. Miller joined Dr. Klasko in appearing before the Hillsborough County Commission to lay out the visionary plan for creating the USF Heart Institute.

“Given the importance of the University of South Florida as a key economic engine and its standing as a research leader among universities, it was an easy decision for the Board to support this lab,” said Ken Hagan, chair of the Board of County Commissioners. “When innovative thinking is matched with widespread community support, dramatic change can occur.  It will mean healthier lives for all and a healthier economic environment for Tampa Bay.”

Hal Mullis, vice chair of the USF System Board of Trustees, leads the board’s Health work group.

Hagan credited his fellow commissioner Mark Sharpe with championing the proposal for the institute.

“The transformation of health requires radical thinking and brave disruptors who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo,” Sharpe said. “Health care and heart care is going to be changing right here in Tampa Bay, and we’re thrilled to be part of it.”

Ken Hagan, chair of the Hillsborough County Commission, said the county was proud to partner with a leading research university and the state to pursue the creation of the USF Heart Institute.

Commissioner Mark Sharpe said transforming health and heart care requires disruptive innovation, and Tampa Bay is ready to meet the challenge.

The commissioners attending the opening donned white lab coats and helped unveil a plaque recognizing the county’s contribution to advancing genomic research at the USF Heart Institute.

While economic development is a critical piece of the Heart Institute’s evolution, Dr. Liggett noted that the ultimate goal of the research is to improve and save lives.

“I’ve been at the bedside of patients with heart disease, asthma, COPD and other diseases,” said Dr. Liggett, a physician with basic science expertise.  “Patents, jobs and spin-off companies will come out of our work here, but in the end we want to help the human condition – and that is what we are going to do.”

 Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGC6VjdSmAg

The Tampa Bay region is well positioned to become an epicenter for empowering innovation in health care with its strong portfolio of assets — including one of the country’s fastest growing universities (USF) with an innovative academic health center (USF Health), the state’s only NCI-designated cancer center, a thriving hospital and healthcare delivery system, and a large cluster of advanced medical device manufacturers.

But it will take commitment, collaboration, creativity, trust and leveraging of resources by all the region’s key healthcare players to connect the dots and realize the region’s full economic development potential.

Dr. Stephen Klasko, CEO of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, is one of the area’s influential leaders pushing for disruptive innovation of the healthcare industry in the Tampa Bay region.

That was the consensus of those who spoke May 13 at MediFuture 2023:  Healthcare Disrupted, a seminar presented by the Tampa-Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. and attended by nearly 500 business, community and university leaders.  The MediFuture goal was the brainchild of Rick Homans, CEO of the EDC;  Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, and others who want the region to aim high in creating a patient-centered healthcare system where innovative thinking is the norm.

Dr. Klasko participated in one of event’s two panel discussions titled “Researching and Developing the Technologies of Tomorrow.” He was joined by William Dalton, MD, PhD, founder and CEO of M2Gen, and Dr. Leonard Polizzotto, vice president of Draper Laboratory.

The number of innovative products on the market today is about a third the level in the 1970s and entrepreneurs find it increasingly difficult to line up investors for start-up ventures, even though “our economy is awash in capital,” said keynote speaker Clayton Christensen, best-selling author and business professor at Harvard University. Christensen coined the term “disruptive innovation,” which he also calls “empowering innovation.”

Keynote speaker Clayton Christensen, a Harvard business professor, coined the term “disruptive innovation.”

Disruptive innovation, often driven by new technology, transforms complex products  and services into something that is affordable and accessible – and in the process creates jobs.

It is not the same as efficient innovation, which typically eliminates jobs while freeing up capital, or sustaining innovation that keeps improving the same product, possibly replacing jobs without the guarantee of creating additional ones.

An example of disruptive innovation in health care is the development of technology for kidney dialysis. That life-sustaining blood cleansing process has moved from hospitals to outpatient facilities, and the next stage of mobile technology now under development, Christensen said, will enable dialysis to be done safely at home, less expensively and with better outcomes for patients.

“It’s important to keep investing in sustaining innovation in our existing facilities, but what really creates opportunities is when we use the resources we have to enable lower-cost venues of care and lower-cost caregivers to do ever-more sophisticated things,” Christensen said. “You’ll be shipping those products around the world because people always use more when it becomes affordable and accessible.”

L to r: USF Health’s Dr. Klasko joined Dr. William Dalton of M2Gen and Dr. Leonard Polizzotto of Draper Laboratory in a panel discussion moderated by Alexis Muellner, managing editor of the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Panel moderator Alexis Muellner, managing editor of the Tampa Bay Business Journal, asked Dr. Klasko and his fellow panelists to look 10 years into the future and trace what steps Tampa Bay leaders must take to make the opportunity for healthcare transformation a reality by 2023.Anchored downtown by USF Health CAMLS, Dr. Klasko said he envisions the area as a “mini-Silicon Valley” nationally known for its innovative information technology, biomedical engineering and common-sense solutions to health care.

“We will have developed the critical mass, learned from each other, invested in each other and behaved like a thriving cluster on the verge of a chain reaction,” he said. “The ability to create a one-stop shop for personalized medicine, medical tourism, leading simulation education, and clinical research turned out to be a major draw for companies.”

Dr. Klasko responds to the moderator’s question as Dr. Dalton, right, looks on.

He drew laughs and applause when he concluded:  “By 2023, it would be so obvious that the Tampa Bay area was the epicenter of innovative health care that the state legislature calls USF the ‘first really, really preeminent university in the state.”

Dr. Klasko and Dr. Dalton agreed that the region must break down any silos and move boldly, not incrementally, to become the center of change. It will take collective will and hard work to marshal the resources and creative partnerships needed.  Otherwise, Dr. Klasko said, those opportunities may be taken over by other organizations outside the state or country.

“As a community we’re going to have to decide whether we are truly going to be disruptive, which requires more capital and takes longer to realize the investment,” Dr. Dalton said.  “Tampa Bay can lead by demonstrating that we can create strategic partnerships, recognize who brings what to the table, and build the ecosystem to meet the needs of all the stakeholders in the healthcare system, including patients and clinicians.

Rick Homans, CEO of the Tampa-Hillsborough Economic Development Corp., which hosted MediFuture 2023. USF was a sponsor of the inaugural event.

A MediFuture 2023 group will reconvene June 26 at the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation to begin creating the roadmap to achieve disruptive innovation in the region’s healthcare industry.

“There will be a lot of new products and services invented, developed and deployed to make this change happen, and there’s no reason why that can’t be done right here to create jobs in Tampa Bay,” Homans said.

Video by Allyn DiVito, USF Health Information Systems, and photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Members of the Class of 2013 with Dr. Dennis Ledford and the ceremonial mace

Run faster. Reach higher.  Push forward to do the impossible to help patients, the graduating students of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s Class of 2013 were told at Friday’s commencement ceremonies.

“You’ve trained to be physicians, and you have a bold opportunity to care and to welcome and to share love in a way that only a few can,” Dr. Peter J. Pronovost, one of the world’s leading patient safety advocates, told the class. “You have chosen medicine and your time is now. You see, medicine needs you.”

Dr. Pronovost, MD, PhD, FCCM, has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine and received a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” in 2008. The senior vice president for patient safety and quality at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Pronovost regularly addresses the U.S. Congress on patient safety issues.

Dr. Pronovost addresses graduates

Dr. Pronovost was blunt with graduates as he laid out the failings of today’s healthcare system.

“Let me share the challenges that are waiting for someone like you to take on,” he told them. “You possess unprecedented skills to relieve suffering, yet you are also entering a health system weighed down by profound problems. Medicine as it’s practiced today often ignores the patients values and input.

“Medicine today leaves preventable harm as the third-leading cause of death. Medicine today wastes up to 30 percent of healthcare spending, nearly a trillion dollars a year, for procedures and treatments of no benefit to patients. Medicine today leaves physicians often worried more about regulation than what is best for patients.”

But problems can be fixed, he told them. Dr. Pronovost spoke of how Dr. Charles Paidas, now the College of Medicine ‘s vice dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education, had saved a toddler girl injured by severe burns when he worked with Dr. Pronovost at Johns Hopkins a dozen years ago. Sadly, the girl later succumbed to a preventable central line blood infection. Dr. Pronovost described his feelings as the girl’s mother asked him if safety changes had been made.

“If I didn’t feel ashamed, I’d know there was a hole in my soul,” he said.

But then Dr. Pronovost and his colleagues went to work to prevent these infections. They created checklists of best practices, developed better reporting, and improved other procedures. They expanded their mission to other hospitals, “each of which has an infection rate so low it was once considered impossible,” he said.

Dr. Paidas and Dr. Pronovost before commencement ceremonies

Dr. Pronovost pointed to how fast the sport of running changed after Roger Bannister – a doctor, he pointed out – broke the four-minute mile in 1956. A dozen more did it the next year, and even more the year after. Today, the nation’s best high school students regularly break that barrier.

“After this first famous run, the human body didn’t suddenly evolve,” he said. “The only thing that changed is what people believed they could do.

“For runners, Bannister showed the way. For your corner of medicine, you can show the way too.”

Dr. Pronovost was eloquent as he called upon the graduates to work for better, safer medicine.

“Come join us. Do the great good thing for someone else that the world says cannot be done. Over 200,000 patients die from medical mistakes each year. We could fix that. Join us on that noble journey.

“Patients today are suffering harm and disrespect that doesn’t have to be. We could fix that. Join us on this noble journey. Nearly a third of our healthcare spending goes for therapies that do not get patients well. We could fix this. Join us on this noble journey.

“Today, graduates, enjoy your celebrations. Tonight, reflect on why you joined this noble profession and consider your dreams. Tomorrow, get running. Open your eyes to that four-minute impossibility. When you find it, you’ll know it.”

Others called on the graduates to work for better medicine as well.

“I encourage you to find a way to care for you patients…to love your patients,” said Dr. Michael Flannery, professor and former director of the residency program for Internal Medicine, as he delivered the charge to the class. “To love your patients, you have to love yourself.”

Dr. Michael Flannery challenges the class

Dr. Stephen Klasko, dean of the College of Medicine and CEO of USF Health, congratulated the graduates.

“You begin a career filled with creativity, passion and yes, optimism,” he said.

Rhea Law, Esq., former chair of the Board of Trustees, received an honorary MD degree at Friday’s commencement. Dr. Klasko presented Dean’s Awards to philanthropists Tom and Lauren Pepin, as well as to Dr. Larry Howard, of Hudson Ventures, and his father, Robert Howard.

Rhea Law, Esq., receives an honorary MD

The Class of 2013 chose classmate Dr. Joshua Robertson to deliver the farewell speech for the class.

“Today we celebrate change, a crossing over from student to practitioner,” he told them. “Today we become physicians. We’re in the business of human. And at times we can feel the burden of cure.

The new Dr. Joshua Robertson gives the class farewell speech

“What we must be is willing to do is enter into the struggle of our patients. Enter into what they go through, day in and day out, under our care. We can promise, we can hold ourselves to a commitment, to a willingness, to a vigilance, to fight for the care of our patients. …And that way we honor the oath we have taken today and we honor the patients we serve.”

- Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

TAMPA, Fla. and HARTFORD, Conn. (May 9, 2013) – The University of South Florida (USF) and Aetna (NYSE: AET) are launching a ground-breaking study that will examine the influence genetic testing may have on clinical treatment decisions among breast cancer patients and their doctors. Understanding the connection between genetic risk factors, treatment options and results can guide policies and services that can help patients and doctors make more informed, personalized decisions that lead to better health.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded funding to USF for the five-year American BRCA Outcomes Among the Recently Diagnosed (ABOARD) study. The study will follow 5,000 Aetna members from across the country who have been newly diagnosed with breast cancer and who are undergoing genetic testing.

Certified genetic counselors can help assess specific cancer risks in families, recommend appropriate genetic tests, and interpret genetic test results. They can also recommend appropriate personalized options for cancer screening, early detection and prevention. Individuals and their doctors can use this information to optimize care. Current research suggests that only a small percentage of breast cancer patients who have an inherited cancer risk actually receive genetic counseling and testing services. Even fewer receive this information at the time of diagnosis when it might be most useful for making surgical and other treatment decisions. 

USF Health’s Dr. Rebecca Sutphen will lead the national collaborative study.

“Research shows that many women who develop breast cancer have inherited a strong predisposition to cancer. However, many of these women are not aware of their genetic susceptibility. They also do not know that they are at high risk to develop another breast cancer or ovarian cancer in the future and that other blood relatives are at increased risk for cancer,” said Rebecca Sutphen, M.D., professor of genetics at the Epidemiology Center, USF Department of Pediatrics.

“This unique academic-industry collaboration will create a new level of research into the impact of genetic information on American cancer patients and their families. Few topics have greater potential for positive public health impact. We appreciate Aetna’s leadership and collaboration to make this important research possible.”

Dr. Sutphen, an American Board of Medical Genetics-certified clinical and molecular geneticist and expert in inherited cancer risk, will lead the national study. The multidisciplinary team will include:

• Dr. Sutphen’s research team at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, including co-investigators Kristian Lynch, Ph.D., James Andrews, Ph.D. and Claudia Aguado Loi, Ph.D.
• An Aetna team led by Joanne Armstrong, M.D., M.P.H., national medical director for women’s health and lead for genomic medicine
• An advocacy team led by Sue Friedman of the national non-profit advocacy and awareness organization Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE)
• Marc Schwartz, Ph.D., director of cancer control, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University

The project will use patient-reported outcomes as well as medical claims data.  Using information from a variety of clinical settings rather than only academic centers will provide a more “real-world” view of current care. USF and Aetna have developed an extensive research and security infrastructure to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of participant data.

“The research will provide critical information that can help ensure the benefits of advanced genetic testing and genomics can be used to guide safe, effective personalized health care. As more sophisticated tests are developed, we have a responsibility to help patients and doctors understand how to act on the information to improve patients’ health,” Dr. Armstrong says.

The new study builds on an existing research partnership between this multidisciplinary team and researchers from the American Cancer Society. The groups have been working together for the past two years, with support from the Aetna Foundation, to better understand the experiences of individuals who have had genetic tests to determine their inherited risk of cancer. The study also looked at differences in treatment, information and health outcomes among minority patients. Results are expected to be published later this year.

About USF Health
USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50^th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 44 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services, workers’ compensation administrative services and health information technology services. Aetna’s customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com. 

About FORCE
No one should have to face hereditary breast and ovarian cancer alone. For more than 13 years, Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE) has been the voice of the hereditary breast and ovarian cancer community. FORCE provides support, education and awareness to help those facing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer know their healthcare options and make informed decisions. The organization is the de facto leader in guiding critical research and policy issues that impact the hereditary breast cancer and ovarian cancer community. For more information about FORCE and hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, please visit www.facingourrisk.org.

Ron Swinfard, MD, president and CEO of Leigh Valley Health Network, presents USF SELECT MD student Kirk Chassey, with a lab coat during the May 6 orientation ceremony. The coats were presented to all 18 students arriving from USF to begin their two years of clinical education at LVHN.

 Click here for update on USF SELECT students at Lehigh Valley Health Network

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Holding his baby daughter in one arm, Keith O’Brien directs movers with the other arm toward boxes he needs loaded onto a truck.

He is one of 18 USF second-year medical students packing up their homes in Tampa to move to Allentown, PA, where they will spend the next two years in clinical rotations at the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) as part of USF’s innovative SELECT (Scholarly Excellence. Leadership Experience. Collaborative Training) Program.

The program, which welcomed its charter class in Fall 2011, is part of the MD program at the USF Morsani College of Medicine. The specialized track gives SELECT students unique training in leadership development, intense coaching, and the scholarly tools they need to become empathetic, passionate physician leaders who will be catalysts for change.

USF partnered with LVHN for the SELECT program to combine key strengths of both institutions: USF Health is known for its patient-centric, innovative medical curriculum and Lehigh Valley is recognized as one of the best community hospital systems in the nation.

While the entire Class of 2015 is transitioning into third-year clinical rotations – a shift from predominately classroom work into patient exam rooms – these 18 SELECT students are the first to make a 1,100-mile move to begin that transition.

1,100-Mile Journey

O’Brien and his wife Patty are moving with their 4-month-old daughter Claire. For this new family, the move to Pennsylvania is a bit of a homecoming.

“We’re from New York and both Patty and I went to school in Lafayette (PA), which is only about 10 minutes from Allentown,” O’Brien said. “Needless to say, our parents are thrilled we’re coming back, especially the baby. It will be nice to be near family.”

It’s a road back home for Emma Webb, as well.

“Our family is so excited we’re coming back,” said Webb, whose husband Mustafa and 6-year-old daughter Samantha are going, too. “They were pretty upset that I was taking their granddaughter away for two years.”

Emma Webb and daughter Samantha pack up toys they’re taking to Allentown.

 Aresh Ramin is also going home.

“I truly enjoyed my time in Tampa, but I look forward to going back,” said Ramin, who is from Boston and worked at LVHN between undergraduate school and medical school.

Aresh Ramin packs his apartment before hitting the road north.

But for some of the 18, the trip means leaving home.

“We’re looking at it as a great adventure,” said Alexandra Printz, who grew up mostly in Florida and earned her bachelor’s degree from USF. She is moving to Allentown with husband George and their two children, 6-year-old Ari and 4-year-old Vaughn. “This will be a big move for all of us, but especially for the kids, who have only lived here. But they have a bit of a transition themselves. They will spend most of the summer with their grandparents and dad George in Sarasota and go to summer camps before they make the move to Allentown.”

Alexandra Printz, who grew up in Florida, is moving with her  family to Allentown.

Frontline for Medical Education

The charter class of SELECT is embarking on the first program of its kind to train future physician leaders, a milestone that is front and center for Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO of USF Health and dean of the USF Morsani College of Medicine.

“All of our USF Health students are unique,” Dr. Klasko said. “These 18 pioneers are willing to go where no medical students have gone before… where their clinical training is over a thousand miles away and their curriculum is based on the transformations of a very different healthcare future.  They are the inaugural group of students helping us blaze the trail for the new medical education model, for the new way doctors will be taught and trained. This is how medical education is changing, and they are innovators, pacesetters, and leaders.”

SELECT student O’Brien is also keenly aware of the distinction.

“It’s a special feeling about what they’re doing,” O’Brien said. “There is something so unique about this program. The training, the extra effort taken to provide the experiences that will make us strong leaders. I appreciate the extra effort. The way we’re training doctors is changing and the SELECT program is on the front of the curve of that change.”

Ramin agrees.

“SELECT truly changed my life and is helping me grow,” said Ramin, who worked in LVHN as a nurse’s aide when he heard about the SELECT program at the employee orientation session, and didn’t hesitate applying. “I’m getting experiences that all medical students get, but SELECT goes beyond just the medical aspect. I’m learning about leadership, the healthcare system, and patient-centered care.”

And so does Sasha Yakhkind.

“What I’ve enjoyed about SELECT is that they ask for our ideas and opinions for how things are going because it’s so new,” Yakhkind said. “It’s an honor to give feedback, to be heard.”

New Beginnings

It’s been a quick two years for the medical students in the SELECT program. Beyond the packing, the trip to Allentown is about new beginnings. Common among all  the students are feelings of nervousness and excitement.

“It’s a surprise and surprises are good,” Ramin said. “It will be a totally different experience being out of classroom and in patient situations. But I’ll see all of my friends again and have all of my friends from Tampa. It will be a different chapter.”

“I’m super, super excited for the clinical aspect of it,” Yakhkind said. “Allentown is more rural than Tampa. But we’re a train ride away from New York City. And I’ll miss some of my closest friends, fellow medical students who are staying here in Tampa.”

“It’s a brave new world,” Printz said. “It’s an incredible experience to be connected to two incredible institutions.”

“The two years really go quickly,” O’Brien said. “And now it’s ‘Wow! This is really happening.’  We all just get the feeling Allentown is going to roll out the red carpet for us.”

And what’s in store when they get to Allentown?  This Monday morning, May 6, the SELECT inaugural class will be welcomed to Allentown by Dr. Ronald Swinfard, president and CEO of Lehigh Valley Health Network. The students will meet the LVHN clinical faculty and be presented with new white coats that they will wear over the next two years of their clinical education.

New Traditions

As a charter group, the SELECT students are forming traditions for the next generation to follow. For this move north, current first-year SELECT students helped second-year students (soon to be third-year students), pack up.

 First-year medical students helped the Printz family load for their move to Allentown. Standing in the truck are Kirk Chassey and Alexandra Printz. On the ground,  are from left, Mary Kate Erdman, Neil Manimala, Samson Lu, Joe Stidham (top), Rachel Fieman (bottom), and Tom Fowler.

Charter USF SELECT MD students with Alan Otuski, MD,(far left), associate dean of educational affairs for SELECT, and LVHN President and CEO Ron Swinfard, MD (far right). The students will spend their third and fourth years of medical school at LVHN doing classroom study, medical simulations, regular hospital rotations and primary care practice assignments.

Story by Sarah A. Worth, photos by Eric Younghans and Klaus Herdocia, USF Health Office of Communications.

The hospital’s partnership with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine was critical for ACS verification of the trauma center.  The center had to demonstrate it met patient care, research and education criteria – all required to fulfill an academic medical center’s mission — to ensure optimal trauma care capability and performance in serving both adults and children. 

The verification followed an extensive review by the ACS Committee on Trauma, which was established to improve all phases of patient care in trauma centers and to prevent injuries before they occur.

“Verification is a very difficult and challenging process that reviews the entire spectrum of care from the moment trauma patients hit the emergency room through the rehabilitation process,” said USF Health’s Dr. David Ciesla, associate professor of surgery at the Morsani College of Medicine and medical director of the TGH adult trauma program.

“The fact we are the only trauma center in Florida to earn this distinction reflects the high quality of care provided by our physicians and surgeons and the hospital’s clinical staff.”

More than 60 percent of the patients at Tampa General are treated by USF Health physicians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr5z1LKFIuw

They shared the stories of how physical therapy had changed their lives with those celebrating the 15^th anniversary of the USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences.

U.S. Army Sgt. Richard Cicero lost his right arm and leg following an IED blast injury sustained while on foot patrol during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.  Excruciating back pain sidelined Janise Nichols Man-Son-Hing from the  law enforcement  job she loved in 2010, and she could no longer compete as an amateur equestrian.

Seok Hun Kim, PT, PhD, (left) assistant professor of physical therapy, speaks to a guest trying out the split-belt treadmill in the USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences Human Functional Performance Lab.

Both credited USF’s physical therapy researchers and clinicians with helping them overcome the limitations that interfered with them living independent lives.

“I took my first jogging steps down this hallway right here,” said Cicero, who was referred to USF after extensive treatment in military and VA facilities. “And thanks to the people here, I did my first 5K this January.”

Man-Son-Hing had undergone physical therapy, tried medications and consulted with orthopedic physicians – all with virtually no relief – before she was referred to the USF Physical Therapy Center in February 2012. Since then, she has returned to full-time active duty as a law enforcement officer, resumed riding her show horse and, most recently, passed the physical assessment test required to retain her job.

 “Without the dedication of Dr. Kevin Murdoch (coordinator of USF Physical Therapy Center) and his staff, I would not have been able to regain the level of fitness needed to meet the challenges I set for myself and get my life back,” she said.

Heather Hartsell, PhD, PT (white coat), associate professor of physical therapy, with some DPT students from the Class of 2014, left to right: Jared Koenig, Alex Parisi, Mathew Leonard, Kristen Byers, and Ayla Olk-Szost.

William S. Quillen, DPT, welcomed faculty, staff, students and Tampa Bay community members who gathered Friday evening, April 19, to recognize the  to recognize the school’s achievements over the last 15 years and look ahead to an even brighter future.  The interactive event gave attendees a chance to go behind the scenes to tour the school, experience equipment and stations in the Human Functional Performance Laboratory, and visit student and faculty booths.

“Our school has really hit its stride not only in the education of outstanding Doctors of Physical Therapy, but through our real-world, federally-funded research and the stellar practice of our clinical faculty,” said William S. Quillen, DPT, associate dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and director of the USF School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences.  “We are empowering patients to achieve and restore their mobility and optimal functioning, regardless of their illness or injury.”

Jeannie Stephenson (left), PT, MS, NCS, instructor, checks the balance of anniversary celebration attendee Alix Baughman.

The evening was emceed by Lissette Campos, director of community affairs for WFTS TV-ABC Action News and host of the station’s Positively Tampa Bay show.  Campos pointed to some of the accomplishments in the school’s short yet rapid-paced history:

-          USF was the state’s first public institution to receive authority to award the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.

-          Admission to the school has become increasingly competitive, with nearly 1,000 applications received for 40 spots in the Class of 2016.

-          The innovative educational program — one of only three physical therapy programs in Florida nationally ranked in the top third of U.S. News & World Report national rankings —  emphasizes an integrated, interprofessional curriculum. DPT students learn alongside medical students in their first year, taught by physicians, nurses, public health professionals and basic scientists.

-          The school’s neuromusculoskeletal research seeks to better understand human function and apply those discoveries to new interventions that work best in real life.  Faculty expertise in prosthetics and low back injury research is intended to benefit everyone from combat wounded veterans, active-duty soldiers and high-performance athletes to people seeking to maintain routine activities of daily living.

William S. Quillen, DPT, PhD, has led the USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences since 2004, guiding the school in its upward trajectory.

In looking toward meeting tomorrow’s demands, Dr. Quillen cited several new initiatives underway at the school, including: 

-          A new partnership with the University of West Florida in Pensacola that will help meet a state-identified need for more physical therapists in a largely rural region of Florida.

-          Moving ahead to establish a Clinical Residency in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy at the USF Physical Therapy Center this summer.

-          A proposal to create a research PhD degree in Rehabilitation Sciences for implementation in Fall 2014.

-          Launch of the school’s first scholarship program called Circle of Motion, which includes 30 distinguished corporate and individual partners who will contribute to student success. Dr. Quillen recognized donor Tom Tiedermann, a founding member of the group.

Donna Petersen, DSc, (left) dean of the USF College of Public Health, congratulated the school on improving the lives of people in the community. Lissette Campos (right) of WFTS-TV ABC Action News, was emcee for the anniversary celebration.

“The work being done by the USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences is transformational,” Campos said. “Your innovation, passion and outside-the-box thinking changes people’s lives… You don’t just see the patient’s current limitations or loss; you envision what can be gained through hard work and rehabilitation of the body and the spirit.”

L to R: Janise Man-Son-Hing, Richard Cicero, Lissette Campos, and Dr. William S. Quillen.

RELATED VIDEOS:
-  USF School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences campaign video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-XWmJJAjJE

- City of Tampa TV (CCTV) segment on USF Physical Therapy/UWF partnership:  http://youtu.be/XjgRkwNYSCI

Lead Video by Allyn DiVito, USF Health Information Systems, and photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications