Click here to read about Dr. Lezama's recognition in ACP Hospitalist.

USF Health’s Jose Lezama, MD, FACP, has been named one of the nation’s top 10 hospitalists in the November 2009 issue of ACP Hospitalist, a publication of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Lezama, associate professor of internal medicine at USF Health and chief of medicine at the James Haley Veterans’ Hospital, was one of two physicians in the Southeast (and the only one in Florida) to be honored in the journal’s second annual Top Hospitalists issue. A hospitalist is a physician, without a private outside practice, whose time is devoted solely to caring for hospitalized patients.

The journal solicited nominations from its readership – hospital-based internists and third-year medicine residents – last spring and summer, asking for hospitalists making notable contributions to the field of hospital medicine, whether through clinical skills, research, innovation, teamwork, community involvement, improved work flow, patient safety, leadership, mentorship or quality improvement. The editorial board reviewed the nominations and selected the top 10, including Dr. Lezama, who are profiled in the November issue.

“He is an outstanding physician with more dedication to his patients than I have seen in my career from anyone else,” said Alexander I. Reiss, ACP member and a colleague who nominated Dr. Lezama as a Top Hospitalist. “His contributions as an expert at our medical morning report have established him as the ‘go-to guy’ for difficult cases and advice for younger faculty.”

One of the youngest chiefs of medicine in the nation in one of the country’s busiest VA hospitals, Dr. Lezama is known for his ability to motivate and inspire younger physicians. He was among 42 doctors nationwide nominated by his peers for the 2007 Humanism in Medicine Award, sponsored by the American Association of Medical Colleges. His board review series has been instrumental in boosting resident pass rates for the past seven years, and USF internal medicine residents have voted him Teacher of the Year for five years running.

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- Dr. Jose Lezama: Life on the Hyphen
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The NBC cameraman sets up a shot in one of CACL's exam rooms, flanked by fourth-year medical student Catherine Kubiak. TODAY Show reporter Jenna Wolfe (sitting left), playing the role of a standardized patient, listens.

USF Health’s Center for Advanced Clinical Learning (CACL) was featured on the national television program, NBC’s Today Show, this Monday, Nov. 16.

TODAY Show co-anchor and national correspondent Jenna Wolfe visited USF Health on September 29th to step into the shoes of the center's standardized patient program – folks who are hired and trained to serve as a patient and act out an illness. Opened in 2005, the center was developed to both teach and evaluate students on their clinical and patient communication skills. The comprehensive standardized patient program allows students to practice healthcare skills with real "patients" in a risk-free medical environment. It also emphasizes communication and interpersonal skills vital to patient safety, satisfaction and quality care.

Jenna donned a medical gown and jumped right into role play, learning from Dawn M. Schocken director of the Center for Advanced Clinical Learning, and Fred Slone, MD, the center's medical director. We won’t give away the details of how Jenna survived her experience; you’ll have to watch!

TODAY Show's Wolfe (far right) meets with CACL directors and standardized patients before the shoot.

Discussing her patient case scenario with Dr. Fred Slone, CACL medical director, and Dawn Schocken, director.

The cameraman zooms in for closeup of Wolfe talking with Dawn Schocken.
TODAY Show producer Lindsay Grubb (left) checks her emails.

Getting some standardized patient tips from Schocken.

Checking out SimMan, one of CACL's state-of-the-art patient simulators.

Wolfe evaluates the USF medical student who examined her.

TODAY Show crew with USF Health faculty, staff and students involved in the standardized patient production.

- About the Center -

The Center for Advanced Clinical Learning has 12 state-of-the-art clinical examination rooms, all equipped with advanced digital video monitoring as well as a closed circuit computerized evaluation system, with computer capabilities both inside the room as well as a student station immediately outside the clinical room. Each room is linked on a master video monitoring display in the control room, as well as having accessibility in the Video Monitoring Room itself. This year the center has had 36,000 standardized patient visits with a bank of 167 cases that represent a different medical ailment.

- Story by Susanna Martinez Tarokh, USF Health Communications
- Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

The podcast appears on the division-sponsored website www.idpodcasts.net, which contains a series of video lectures presented by the staff, faculty, or affiliated guests of the Division. The site was co-founded by John Sinnott, MD, division director, and webmaster Richard Oehler, MD, associate professor of medicine, in 2007.

The newest podcast features Dr Oehler, who discusses the growing problem of MRSA, staph infections resistant to antibiotics, transmitted from dogs and cats to their owners. The issue received worldwide media attention this summer when it was written about by Dr. Oehler and colleagues in a review article for The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Other recent topics covered by IDPodcasts.net have included 2009 H1N1 Flu: Seasonal Flu with a Twist, Food Safety in America, and A Global Swarming: Infectious Disease and Climate Change.

Below are some site stats obtained by Dr. Oehler from www.statsrely.com:

• IDPodcasts.net received more than 6,500 hits since August, 2007 (month Division started tracking web hits)

• Among the top 3 more requested infectious diseases podcasts on Itunes, along with the series produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Lancet.

• The top search result on Google for "Infectious Diseases Podcasts" and in the top 2 for "USF Podcast."

• Commercially-free, university supported, and up-to-date scientific content by more than 20 academic faculty

• Averages 9 to 10 hits per day, about 250 to 260 a month

• This year, averaged approximately 170 new visitors per month and over 2,000 a year

• 86 percent of visitors are from the United States; 13 percent from international locations

• Visitors from 27 countries including India, Singapore, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Peru

The National Institutes of Health recently announced a second phase of its Rare Disease Clinical Research Network (RDCRN), which includes a Data Management Coordinating Center led by the University of South Florida’s Jeffrey Krischer, PhD. The USF center and 19 new and returning consortia will be awarded $117 million over the next five years. The research conducted with this second round of funding will explore the natural history, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of more than 95 rare diseases.

Dr. Krischer, professor and chief of epidemiology and biostatistics for the USF Department of Pediatrics, has been principal investigator for the RDCRN’s data coordinating center from its start. Under his leadership, USF has become the hub for epidemiological research in both rare diseases and juvenile diabetes and garnered world-wide attention as a model for large-scale clinical research. The consortia within the RDCRN funnel their data to USF for collection, storage, management and analysis.

USF has received nearly $15.3 million for the NIH’s rare diseases research initiative over the last five years. With this second phase of funding, Dr. Krischer expects to receive another $15 million over the next five years as data from the new studies come in.

"The great success of the first five years meant we coordinated 10 networks of studies. We'll now nearly double this to 19 networks,” Dr. Krischer said. “We built a foundation that we're now expanding to many more diseases, many more countries, and designing studies that will help many more patients. It’s a testimony to the methods we’ve developed at USF that we can now expand into new areas of study.”

“We built our strength in autoimmune disorders,” Dr. Krischer added. “This new funding will expand our scope to primary immune disorders and immune-mediated disorders, as well as many others that we don’t understand well. Some are genetic and some simply have unknown causes. By looking at these rare diseases, we can look at the different facets of the immune system and the role it plays in health.”

"The progress made by researchers through the network is important and impressive," said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD. "We have shown that this approach can be a catalyst for progress in meeting the challenge of rare diseases, and we are eager to launch this next phase of the program."

Since its creation in 2003, the RDCRN has enrolled more than 5,000 patients in 33 clinical studies of various rare diseases, ranging from ataxias and primary immune deficiency disorders to inherited neuropathies and mitochondrial diseases. A rare disease is defined as a disease or condition affecting fewer than 200,000 persons in the United States. Approximately 6,500 such disorders have been identified, affecting an estimated 25 million Americans.

The RDCRN is unique in its approach to addressing rare diseases as a group. Previously, the NIH's institutes and centers funded research on individual rare diseases in their respective disease-type or organ domains. The RDCRN is the first program that aims to create a specialized infrastructure to support rare diseases research.

Patient recruitment for clinical studies is a fundamental challenge in rare diseases research because typically so few patients are affected in any one area. The RDCRN was designed to address this problem by fostering collaboration among scientists and shared access to geographically distributed research resources. Network consortia have also established training programs for clinical investigators who are interested in rare diseases research.

"Collaboration is a critical element of rare diseases research and the partnerships represented in this program have tremendous potential to make great strides in understanding these diseases," said Stephen C. Groft, PharmD, director of NIH's Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR). "The network emphasizes collaboration not just among investigators from multiple research sites but between investigators and patient advocates as well."

The direct involvement of patient advocacy groups in network operations, activities, and strategy is a major feature of the RDCRN. Each consortium in the network includes relevant patient advocacy groups in the consortium membership and activities. These patient advocacy group representatives serve as research partners within their own consortia.

Funds and scientific oversight for the RDCRN will be provided by ORDR and seven NIH Institutes, which will also contribute considerable administrative support to the network: the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Several consortia will also receive financial support from their associated patient advocacy groups.

In the RDCRN's first phase, the network's Data and Technology Coordinating Center (DTCC) led by Dr. Krischer developed a management system for the collection, storage, and analysis of RDCRC data, and additional systems to address needs of individual studies, such as a laboratory data collection system, a specimen tracking system, and a pharmacy management system (to support blinded distribution of study agents and placebos).

The DTCC also created RDCRN's central public Web site, developed as a portal for the rare diseases community, including patients and their families and health care professionals, to provide information on rare disease research, consortium activities, RDCRN-approved protocols, disease information, and practice guidelines. Located at http://rarediseasesnetwork.epi.usf.edu/, the Web site had over 3.4 million visits in 2008. The RDCRN DTCC also developed a unique voluntary patient registry that provides ongoing contact with approximately 5,000 individuals from over 60 countries representing 42 diseases, alerting them when new studies are opened in the network or when ongoing studies expand to new sites.

In this second phase of the RDCRN, USF will continue these data management efforts, under a new name and with a slightly different charge, as the Data Management Coordinating Center (DMCC). The DMCC will develop uniform investigative clinical research protocols for data collection in collaboration with the RDCRN Steering Committee, monitor protocol adherence, data collection and data submission, and work with the each consortium's Data and Safety Monitoring Boards to establish protocols for adverse events notification and reporting.

Versie Johnson-Mallard, PhD, ARNP, assistant professor in the USF College of Nursing, has won a competitive grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to study strategies to prevent the spread of viral sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among college students and young adults.

Dr. Johnson-Mallard is one of just 15 nurse educators from around the country to receive the three-year $350,000 Nurse Faculty Scholar award this year, which is given to junior faculty who show outstanding promise as future leaders in academic nursing. The grant period begins this month.

“The generous support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will enable me to test an innovative web-based sexual health education intervention and hopefully slow the spread of viral sexually transmitted infections on college campuses,” Dr. Johnson-Mallard said.

In her research, Dr. Johnson-Mallard will develop a PowerPoint educational intervention STI prevention messaging presentation on the Human Papillomavirus, Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), Hepatitis B (HepB), and Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV). This intervention will be delivered in an innovative web messaging format. Follow-up surveys will determine whether students exposed to the innovative format, are more knowledgeable about the diseases, had a better understanding of the risks associated, and were more likely to take prevention measures such as vaccinations, abstinence and condom use.

Ultimately, she hopes to use her findings to develop a standard electronic prevention-education protocol for use on college campuses.

Cecile Lengacher, PhD, professor at the USF College of Nursing, and Anna Giuliano, PhD, a researcher at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, will serve as her mentors.

“Instead of having to stand in front of a poster on campus or read a brochure in a doctor’s office, this project will enable college students to learn about viral sexually transmitted infections in private settings, through an electronic format,” Dr. Lengacher said. “This will hopefully give them more time to study the materials and more knowledge about the diseases, which will hopefully lead to lower rates of infection.”

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Nurse Faculty Scholar award aims to strengthen the academic productivity and overall excellence of nursing schools by developing the next generation of national leaders in academic nursing.

Supporting junior nurse faculty will help curb a severe shortage of nurse educators that threatens to undermine the health and health care of all Americans. Many nursing schools lack the resources needed to hire and support enough faculty to train the next generation of nurses. As a result, nursing schools are turning away thousands of qualified applicants—rejecting the very people who can help reverse a serious looming nurse shortage. As the supply of nurses shrinks and the demand for their services grows, patient care will suffer.

The Foundation’s Nurse Faculty Scholars program aims to curb the effects of the nursing shortage by helping more junior faculty succeed in, and commit to, academic careers. The program provides talented junior faculty with salary and research support as well as the chance to participate in institutional and national mentoring activities, leadership training, and networking events with colleagues in nursing and other fields, while continuing to teach and provide institutional, professional and community service in their universities.

The program will also enhance the stature of the scholars’ academic institutions, which will benefit fellow nurse educators seeking professional development opportunities.

To receive the award, scholars must be registered nurses who have completed a research doctorate in nursing or a related discipline and who have held a tenure-eligible faculty position at an accredited nursing school for at least two and no more than five years.
The program is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered through the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. To learn more about the program, visit www.rwjfnursefacultyscholars.org.

Specifically, between 2000 and 2007, the Chronicle reports that USF grew 213 percent in "federal funds for academic research and development.” This was by far the highest percentage increase in the country.

“This means that during those seven years, no other American university grew its federal research at a faster rate than USF,” USF President Judy Genshaft said in her recent President’s Report to alumni. “Most importantly, no other group of faculty had a faster rate of earning new federal sponsorship for discovery and the creation of knowledge.”

It’s a big jump in a short time: In fiscal year 2000, USF’s expenditures of federal funds were $50.5 million. By FY 2007, those expenditures had risen to more than $158.4 million.

Federally-sponsored research for all universities is counted by the National Science Foundation, from which this report was derived.

President Genshaft will discuss USF's continued research success, including the contributions of USF Health, Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. in the Marshall Center Ballroom. You are welcome to attend or watch via a link at www.usf.edu

And when you include the generous volunteer faculty members (those who teach medical students or residents several times each year) and College of Medicine alumni in private practice locally, the numbers go up even more – 48 percent of the list has a connection with USF Health.

The annual list for Best Doctors in America is compiled from surveys of physicians asking them who they would go to for treatment in their specialty. The result is a national listing of 50,000 physicians in more than 400 specialties.

This year, the list included 590 physicians from the Tampa Bay area. Of that 161 are full-time, courtesy or adjunct physicians for USF. The list also included 78 physicians who are volunteer faculty members for USF and 57 alumni of the USF College of Medicine (some of the physicians in other categories are also alumni but were counted only in their faculty category), bringing the total to 295 physicians (48 percent) who have a connection with USF Health.

“Our faculty physicians continue to dominate the Best Doctors in America list and families throughout the Tampa Bay area are the ones who benefit most,” said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, dean of the USF College of Medicine and CEO of USF Health.

“These doctors have an incredible impact on the healthcare provided in this community. We couldn’t be more proud of our USF docs and are thankful for all they do.”

USF Health boasts the area’s largest medical practice, with more than 400 physicians treating this region’s residents. They see nearly 350,000 patients each year in dozens of medical facilities – large and small – along the Florida Gulf Coast.

The following is a list of physicians included in the 2009 Best Doctors in America who have a connection to USF Health. Some physicians earned spots in more than one specialty, so this list will total more.

Allergy and Immunology
Morna Jean Dorsey
Roger Williams Fox
Mark Christian Glaum
Alan Barton Halsey
Craig Andrew Kalik
Dennis K. Ledford
Richard F. Lockey
Elena Elizabeth Perez
Mitchel Seleznick
Mandel Reid Sher

Anesthesiology
Alan David Almengual
Enrico M. Camporesi
Rafael Miguel
David Jeffrey Samuels

Cardiovascular Disease
Anne B. Curtis
Debbie Rinde-Hoffman

Colon and Rectal Surgery
Jorge E. Marcet

Critical Care Medicine
W. McDowell Anderson
Allan L. Goldman
Mark Rumbak
David Allan Solomon
Frank W. Walsh

Dermatology
Teresa Pullara Brandt
Basil S. Cherpelis
Peter A. Donelan
Lowella E. Esperanza
Neil Alan Fenske
L. Frank Glass
Timothy Francis Kelly
Stacy Perez
Philip D. Shenefelt

Endocrinology and Metabolism
David Ralph Leonard

Family Medicine
Colin S. Beach
Harrison James Brownlee, Jr.
Adam A. Brunson
Sean T. Bryan
Eric Emmanuel Coris
Thomas E. Esposito
Bruce J. Flareau
Eduardo C. Gonzalez
Pamela C. Grover
Frederic J. Guerrier
Russell M. Hostetler
George E. Hutter
Richard J. Ina
Paul Lewis
Candice C. Linton
Dolores K. Lowe
Yves Morency
John V. Murray, Jr.
Linda P. Murray
Michele D. Pescasio
Joel S. Prawer
Cheryl Reed
Richard G. Roetzheim
Diane M. Rogers
Robert B. Rosequist
Joseph P. Springle
Frank Allan Thompson
Ronald Vicencio
Laurie J. Woodard
Kira Katherine Zwygart

Gastroenterology
H. Worth Boyce, Jr.
Patrick G. Brady
Jay J. Mamel
H. Juergen Nord
Haim Pinkas

Geriatric Medicine
Claudia Beghé-Balducci
John A. Frutchey
June Y. Leland
Hae Kyoung Park
Vincent D. Perron
Ronald Scott Schonwetter

Hand Surgery
Robert John Belsole

Infectious Disease
Margarita Rosa Cancio
Beata C. Herman Casanas
John N. Greene
Daniel Haight
Douglas Allen Holt
Julie Larkin
Jose Montero
John Thomas Sinnott
Chararut Somboonwit
Todd S. Wills

Internal Medicine
Harold M. Adelman
Donald Behnke
Bryan Bognar
Kent R. Corral
Mark Allen Davis
Michael T. Flannery
Kathleen Moss Grizzard
Carol A. Hodges
Richard P. Hoffmann
Deborah A. Humphrey
Jeffrey A. Kooper
Jose (Joe) L. Lezama, Jr.
Cuc Thi Mai
Hugo J. Narvarte
Kevin O'Brien
Lucila Ramiro
Alexander Reiss
Mitchel Seleznick
Elizabeth A. Warner
David Weiland
Susan M. Zimmer

Nephrology
Denise Y. Alveranga
Samuel Steven Weinstein

Neurological Surgery
Mark Greenberg
Kenneth Louis
Donald A. Smith
Fernando L. Vale
Harry R. van Loveren

Neurology
Selim Ramin Benbadis
Edmund Guy Grant, Jr.
Robert A. Hauser
Jan K. Korthals
Kenneth Louis
Juan R. Sanchez-Ramos
Michael Allan Sloan
Paul R. Winters

Obstetrics and Gynecology
Jeffrey L. Angel
Ignacio Armas
Marc A. Bernhisel
Jeffrey K. Carlson
Mitchel S. Hoffman
Michael W. Jaeger
Galen Bruce Jones
Mary Lee Josey
Craig S. Kalter
David L. Keefe
Catherine M. Lynch
Anthony M. Messina
Anna Kristina Parsons
Michael Thomas Parsons
Shayne M. Plosker
James C. Von Thron
J. Kell Williams

Ophthalmology
Craig Berger
Christine E. Callahan
Leonard Edward Cortelli, Jr.
Mitchell D. Drucker
Lewis Groden
Steven Abraham Gross
Geoffrey Malcom Kwitko
Scott E. Pautler
Peter Reed Pavan
Thomas J. Pusateri
David W. Richards
Charles B. Slonim

Orthopaedic Surgery
Glen A. Barden
Brett R. Bolhofner
William G. Carson, Jr.
Heidi Multhopp Stephens

Otolaryngology
Loren J. Bartels
Kestutis Paul Boyev
Thomas Vincent McCaffrey
Tapan Ashvin Padhya
Daniel Vincent

Pain Medicine
Rafael Miguel

Pathology
Jane Messina
Michael Morgan
Santo V. Nicosia

Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
Alan Barton Halsey
Craig Andrew Kalik
Mandel Reid Sher
John W. Sleasman

Pediatric Anesthesiology
George Garcia Alvarez
Michael A. Garcia

Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
James Anthony Quintessenza

Pediatric Cardiology
Alfred Asante-Korang
Jorge Manuel Giroud
James Gifford Henry
Richard Manuel Martinez
Jorge McCormack

Pediatric Critical Care
David Seth Cooper
Perry Boyd Everett
Mark Allan Nichter
David Pettigrew
Daniel J. Plasencia
Dan Riggs
Albert Saltiel
Richard E. Weibley

Pediatric Endocrinology
Barry B. Bercu
Terry J. DeClue
Frank B. Diamond, Jr.
E. Verena Jorgensen
John I. Malone
Allen W. Root
Dorothy I. Shulman

Pediatric Gastroenterology
Daniel T. McClenathan
L. Julio Reinstein

Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Jerry L. Barbosa
Michael L. Nieder

Pediatric Infectious Disease
David Michael Berman
Juan Dumois
Patricia Emmanuel

Pediatric Nephrology
Alfonso Campos
Valerie M. Panzarino
Sharon A. Perlman

Pediatric Neurological Surgery
Carolyn M. Carey
Sarah J. Gaskill
Arthur E. Marlin

Pediatric Nutrition
L. Julio Reinstein

Pediatric Ophthalmology
Magda Barsoum-Homsy
Steven Abraham Gross
Derek B. Hess

Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery
Jeffrey B. Neustadt

Pediatric Otolaryngology
Thomas M. Andrews
Wade Russell Cressman

Pediatric Plastic Surgery
Ernesto Ruas

Pediatric Pulmonology
Anthony Kriseman

Pediatric Rheumatology
Robert W. Nickeson, Jr.
Mandel Reid Sher
John W. Sleasman

Pediatric Specialist/Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Jeffrey L. Alvaro
Michael Bengtson
Glenn Catalano
Mark A. Cavitt
Steven Noah Kanfer
Tanya K. Murphy
Kailie R. Shaw
Saundra Stock

Pediatric Specialist/Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Alastair A. Hutchison
Anthony E. Napolitano, Jr.
Lewis P. Rubin

Pediatrics Specialist/Neurology, General
Joseph A. Casadonte
Maria A. Gieron-Korthals
J. Richard Gunderman
Steven Parrish Winesett

Pediatric Urology
Yves L. Homsy

Pediatrics/General
Dipti Patel Amin
Melody M. Baade
Lori A. Bowers
Jose E. Colon
Sharon M. Dabrow
Rani S. Gereige
Gabriele Hosemann
Gerard R. Hough
Patricia L. Jeansonne
Karalee Kulek-Luzey
Mudra K. Kumar
Katherine Lewis
Carol Lilly
Hugo J. Narvarte
Emily T. Perkins
Domenick P. Reina
Christopher D. Reiner
Lynnette N. Ringenberg
Antoinette C. Spoto-Cannons
Jennifer Cohen Takagishi
Christopher L. Tappan
Marianne Trubelhorn

Plastic Surgery
Henry Arvil Redmon
Ernesto Ruas
Karen E. Wells

Psychiatry
Jeffrey L. Alvaro
Glenn Catalano
Maria C. Catalano
Mark A. Cavitt
James R. Edgar
Francisco Fernandez
Jaffrey Hashimie
Steven Noah Kanfer
Tanya K. Murphy
Pauline S. Powers
Deborah C. Roth
David V. Sheehan
Michael Finbar Sheehan
Amanda Grant Smith
Jonathan Taylor Stewart

Pulmonary Medicine
W. McDowell Anderson
Claudia G. Cote
Allan L. Goldman
Daniel Lorch
Richard S. Powell
Mark Rumbak
David Allan Solomon
Frank W. Walsh

Radiation Oncology
Harvey M. Greenberg

Radiology
John A. Arrington
Carlos R. Martinez
Frederick Reed Murtagh
Bruce R. Zwiebel

Rheumatology
Harold M. Adelman
John D. Carter
Laura Cruse
Dennis K. Ledford
Mitchel Seleznick
Kimberly M. Smith
Joanne Valeriano-Marcet

Sleep Medicine
W. McDowell Anderson
Daniel Lorch

Surgery
Michael H. Albrink
Sylvia Deal Campbell
Charles E. Cox
Steven B. Goldin
Michel Murr
Ernest C. Rehnke
Alexander S. Rosemurgy II
David H. Shapiro
Larry R. Williams
Terry E. Wright

Surgical Oncology
Charles E. Cox
Carl Wayne Cruse

Urology
Jorge L. Lockhart

Vascular Surgery
Martin R. Back
Dennis F. Bandyk
John L. Driscoll
Brad Larvin Johnson
Ernest C. Rehnke
Murray L. Shames
Larry R. Williams

Story by Sarah A. Worth, USF Health Communications

USF professor Jay Dean with Naval officers at the tour of the newly-renovated USF hyperbaric lab.

An astronaut, several Naval officers and scientists from Israel, Belgium, Norway and the U.K. were among those crowding into the hyperbaric labs at the USF College of Medicine Thursday evening.

     The scientists, in Tampa for a conference on undersea medicine, were treated to a reception and tour of the newly-renovated lab, as well as a talk by Dr. Jay Dean, USF professor of molecular pharmacology and physiology, and Dr. Jay Buckey, a professor of medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and a former astronaut. Dr. Buckey spent 16 days orbiting the Earth as a payload specialist in 1998 on the STS90 neurolab mission.

      "It's a great facility," Dr. Buckey said Thursday, as he stood next to one of Dr. Dean's hyperbaric chambers. "The part with the atomic force microscope - that's unique. It takes the field to a new level."

     While Dr. Dean's work, studying how changes in pressure affect the brain, is often applied to diving, Dr. Buckey said it can help astronauts as well.

     "You can also get decompression sickness when you go from the Space Station to a space suit," he pointed out.

  Dr. Richard Vann, safety director of the Duke Hyperbaric Center and director of research at the Divers' Alert Network, also liked the new lab.

      "Very impressive," he told Dr. Dean. "You have so much equipment."

     Dr. Dean's lab and office previously occupied different sides of the medical school. The renovation allowed him to consolidate everything into one place and add new equipment.

     "Clearly, their strength is the electrophysiology," Dr. Vann said of the lab. "With this focus, it should be very productive. It's going to answer a lot of basic questions."

Sandra Cadena, PhD

Tampa, FL (Aug. 3, 2009) -- Sandra J. Cadena, PhD, ARNP, assistant professor and director of global health at the University of South Florida College of Nursing, has been selected for a Fulbright Specialists project in Colombia, South America. She will be based at El Bosque University during Fall, 2009 semester, according to the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Dr Cadena will provide consultation to develop a graduate psychiatric/mental health nursing curriculum, expand research projects focused on cultural competency, and provide educational opportunities for nursing faculty and students.

Dr. Cadena is one of over 400 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad this year through the Fulbright Specialists Program. The Fulbright Specialists Program, created in 2000 to complement the traditional Fulbright Scholar Program, provides short-term academic opportunities (two to six weeks) to prominent U.S. faculty and professionals to support curricular and faculty development and institutional planning at post secondary, academic institutions around the world.

The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange activity, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Over its 60 years of existence, thousands of U.S. faculty and professionals have taught, studied or conducted research abroad, and thousands of their counterparts from other countries have engaged in similar activities in the United States. Over 285,000 emerging leaders in their professional fields have received Fulbright awards, including individuals who later became heads of government, Nobel Prize winners, and leaders in education, business, journalism, the arts and other fields.

Recipients of Fulbright Scholar awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement. Among the thousands of prominent Fulbright Scholar alumni are Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize-winning economist; Alan Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Rita Dove, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet; and Craig Barrett, Chairman of the Board of Intel Corporation. Distinguished Fulbright Specialist participants include Mahmoud Ayoub, Professor of Religion at Temple University, Heidi Hartmann, President and CEO, Institute for Women's Policy Research, Percy R. Luney, Jr. Dean and Professor, College of Law, Florida A&M University, and Emily Vargas-Barone, Founder and Executive Director of the RISE Institute.

- USF Health -
USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Dr. Robert Brooks

Tampa, FL (July 20, 2009) -- Dr. Robert Brooks, a nationally recognized patient safety, health informatics and policy scholar, researcher and educator, has been recruited from the Florida State University to USF Health. Dr. Brooks will build upon his well-established research and teaching record and will be professor of medicine and public health and associate vice president for health leadership at USF.

Robert Brooks, MD, MA, MBA, MPH, brings to USF an extensive and intricate working knowledge of academic medicine, curriculum development, student recruitment and advisement, health policy and practice.

“USF will tap Dr. Brooks’ distinctive and well proven academic talents. He will play a directive role in the medical student admissions process as we seek to bring diversity, competence and exceptional quality to our student body. Dr. Brooks will also be responsible for building the health leadership program at USF Health,” said Dr. Stephen Klasko, dean of medicine and CEO of USF Health. “We are exceptionally fortunate to bring Bob Brooks’ talents, knowledge and experience to USF Health.”

A former secretary of health for the state of Florida and a former Florida state legislator, Dr. Brooks has played a significant role in formulating and administering health policy.

“Dr. Brooks brings the rare combination of real scholarship and pragmatic, national leadership to our students and faculty. He will be designing and participating in health policy and leadership research and courses that will provide our public health, medical, nursing and graduate students with insight, knowledge and skills that will benefit them throughout their careers,” said Donna Petersen, ScD, dean of public health at USF.

“Bob is a gifted and dedicated teacher, a highly productive researcher, and a policy architect who has made vital contributions to health improvement in Florida. He has been a singular force in advancing patient safety, health informatics research and data-driven health policy decisions,” said Jay Wolfson, DrPH, JD, USF professor of public health and medicine.

Dr. Brooks will also work with USF’s clinical and research team to design a new system of care to more effectively manage diabetes and other chronic disorders, and to build upon the program of patient safety research with which he has previously collaborated.

USF’s recently announced partnership with the Lehigh Valley Health Network is expected to benefit from Dr. Brooks’ leadership training for medical students. In that program, students from Pennsylvania will attend USF for their first two years of medical school, then return to Lehigh Valley for their third and fourth years of clinical medical education.

At USF Health, Dr. Brooks also will serve as a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases (Department of Internal Medicine) in the College of Medicine and as a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management in the College of Public Health.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to join the already outstanding executive team assembled by Dean Klasko and to assist USF in its mission to train and equip world-class physicians and other health care professionals to be leaders in the 21st century,” Dr. Brooks said.

Dr. Brooks has served as the associate dean for health affairs at Florida State University, where he helped establish the first new allopathic medical school in the United States in more than 20 years. Since joining FSU in 2001, he has started five separate Centers of Excellence on Terrorism, Public Health, Patient Safety, Rural Health and Global Health.

Dr. Brooks was appointed Florida’s secretary of health in 1999. He had previously served in the Florida House of Representatives and as chief of infectious diseases at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

A Michigan native, Dr. Brooks received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from Wayne State University. He is board certified in internal medicine, infectious diseases, and preventive medicine and general public health. He also holds an MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health, an MBA from Auburn University and an MA in theology from the Reformed Theological Seminary.

- USF Health -

USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

- News release by Lisa Greene, USF Health Communications

Richard Roetzheim, MD, (left) of USF Health, and B. Lee Green, PhD, of Moffitt Cancer Center, lead the new USF-Moffitt Center of Excellence on Cancer Health Disparities, which will focus on narrowing racial, ethnic and socioeconomic gaps in cancer care and outcomes in Florida.

Tampa, FL (June 15, 2009) -- The University of South Florida and Moffitt Cancer Center have been awarded a highly competitive, $6-million federal grant to create a National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) Center of Excellence. The five-year program grant from the NCMHD, National Institutes of Health, will focus on research, education and training, and community outreach activities to reduce cancer-related health disparities among minority and underserved communities in Florida.

The new Center of Excellence will be among 50 nationwide, and one of three in Florida. (The other Florida centers are at the University of Miami and Florida International University.)

Richard Roetzheim, MD, MSPH, professor and director of research for the USF Department of Family Medicine, and B. Lee Green, PhD, Vice President of Moffitt Diversity and Member, Health outcomes and Behavior, are co-principal investigators of the USF/Moffitt Center of Excellence on Cancer Health Disparities. Leslene Gordon, PhD, community health director for the Hillsborough County Health Department, will serve as community director for the Center.

“The underlying goal of the NCMHD Centers of Excellence is to eliminate the disparities that lead to inequities in care and poorer health outcomes for minority and disadvantaged populations. Much more research is needed to better understand why racial and ethnic disparities occur so that we can develop effective solutions” Dr. Roetzheim said. “This isn’t just a problem of minority or disadvantaged communities. We all pay the price in terms of human suffering and higher health care expenses when part of our population is in poor health.”

“A major priority of the center will be to set up the infrastructure that will allow us to investigate how socioeconomic, biological, environmental, and behavioral factors impact health outcomes,” Dr. Green said. “The fact that we have institutional support from both Moffitt and USF and individuals with tremendous expertise allows for a more dedicated and sustained effort to address this complex issue.”

The Center will leverage Moffitt’s strength in cancer research and treatment, USF’s expertise in other disciplines and its extensive educational programs, and both institutions’ links with the community. It will draw on faculty from Moffitt and across the university – the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Arts & Sciences – to build the research infrastructure needed to support basic, clinical, behavioral, population-based and preventive studies to reduce cancer health disparities, improve minority health, or both.

The initial USF-Moffitt study funded by the NIH NCMHD grant will investigate molecular mechanisms that may contribute to the disproportionately high rates of prostate cancer among African American men. In Florida, African American men are 71 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer and nearly three times more likely to die from the disease than white men. The researchers will also examine whether isoflavones, a plant-derived estrogen found in soy products, may prevent prostate cancer or delay its progression in this population.

Through training and faculty development programs, the Center will work to boost the number of cancer researchers interested in investigating and addressing inequities in health care. The Center’s staff will seek out partners (neighborhood organizations, churches, etc) in minority and underserved communities to identify areas of cancer research important to the people who live there.

“We want to help empower minority communities to shape their own research agenda and provide opportunities for increased participation in clinical trials.” Dr. Roetzheim said. “We’re hoping this Center of Excellence will be the incubator for some innovative community-based strategies.”

Clinical trials are critical for the development of effective preventions, diagnoses and treatments for cancer and other diseases. While participation in cancer clinical trials is generally low overall (about 3 percent nationwide for adults), minorities and underserved communities, especially African Americans and those living in rural areas, are particularly under-represented.

“We are very excited about the collaboration between Moffitt, USF and the community,” Dr. Green said. “This joint center will serve as a springboard for us to work together and expand our reach to more effectively address health disparities. Community involvement must be central to the work of the center.”

USF Health and Moffitt have a longstanding track record of working together in the area of health disparities research. The two institutions have collaborated on several studies documenting gaps in cancer care and outcomes across ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups in Florida. In addition, Dr. Roetzheim is the principal investigator for Moffitt’s successful Patient Navigation Program, a National Cancer Institute-sponsored initiative to develop interventions to reduce cancer health disparities by promoting the timely and culturally-sensitive delivery of cancer diagnosis and care.

Other USF faculty members who are investigators with the USF/Moffitt Center of Excellence on Cancer Health Disparaties include Kevin Sneed, PharmD, and Wenlong Bai, PhD, College of Medicine; Julie Baldwin, PhD, and Deanna Wathington, MD, College of Public Health; Susan McMillan, PhD, College of Nursing; and Robbie Baer, PhD, Department of Anthropology.

- About USF Health -
USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

- About H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute -
Located in Tampa, Florida, Moffitt Cancer Center is an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center - a designation that recognizes Moffitt’s excellence in research and contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt currently has 15 affiliates in Florida, one in Georgia and two in Puerto Rico. Additionally, Moffitt is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a prestigious alliance of the country’s leading cancer centers, and is listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” for cancer. Moffitt’s sole mission is to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer.

- Photo by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

USF medical students Jalidsa Pellicier, Class of 2010, and Waldo Guerrero, 2008, in a photo taken at the opening of the student-run BRIDGE Clinic.

Tampa, FL (June 9, 2009) -- The University of South Florida College of Medicine was named one of the country's top 25 medical schools enrolling Hispanic students in the June 8, 2009 issue of Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.

USF -- where 45 (10 percent) of the 458 medical students are Hispanic -- ranked 22nd out of the 25 medical schools enrolling the most Hispanic students. The 2007 Hispanic figures reported come from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

“As the Hispanic population grows, the need for Hispanic doctors who can not only speak the language of these new American residents but relate to them on the cultural level grows as well. However, the number of Hispanic students enrolled in medical schools across the United States has not grown significantly over the last few years – and is not keeping pace,” the magazine reports.

While the Hispanic Outlook ranking indicates that Hispanic male students outnumber Hispanic female students in 15 out of the top 25 medical schools, Hispanic women are in the majority (25 women compared to 20 men) at the USF College of Medicine.

“This is a confirmation that our diversity recruitment efforts are producing meaningful outcomes. A diverse student body enriches the educational environment of all students,” said Nazach Rodriguez-Snapp, MSW, MPH, coordinator of Student Diversity and Enrichment at the USF College of Medicine. “For Hispanic applicants, the ranking shows that the College is committed to actively recruiting and retaining underrepresented minorities. For the community, it’s a testament to our ongoing commitment to ethnically diversify the physician workforce and meet the healthcare needs of the Hispanic community."

The rankings appear in the biweekly magazine's annual health issue.

- USF Health -
USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

Photo by Eric Younghans/USF Health Communications

Tampa, FL (June 5, 2009) -- Tampa General Hospital, a primary teaching affiliate of USF Health, has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ for health care quality. USF College of Medicine faculty members direct nine of the 12 medical programs awarded TGH Disease-Specific Certification by the Joint Commission, the nation’s largest health care accreditation organization.

To earn this distinction, a disease management program undergoes extensive, unannounced, on-site evaluations by a team of Joint Commission reviewers every two years. Each program is evaluated against Joint Commission standards through an assessment of the program’s processes, its ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization, and through personal interviews with patients and staff.

The nine programs receiving Joint Commission certification for quality care directed by USF physicians follow. The directors and the other USF physicians who help staff the programs are listed.* These USF faculty work with community physicians in several programs.

Bariatric Surgery: Michel Murr, MD (director), and Scott F. Gallagher, MD

Burn Treatment: C. Wayne Cruse, MD, and David J.Smith, Jr. (co-directors); Rami K. Ghurani, DDS, MD; and Paul D. Smith, MD

Colorectal Disorders: Jorge E. Marcet, MD (director), and Jared C. Frattini, MD

Epilepsy: Selim R. Benbadis, MD (director); Maria A. Gieron-Korthals, MD; Fernando L. Vale, MD; and Steven P. Winesett, MD

Gastro-Esophageal Disorders: Alexander S. Rosemurgy, MD (director); Michael H. Albrink, MD; Jared C. Frattini, MD; Steven B. Goldin, MD, PhD; Jorge E. Marcet; and Sharona B. Ross, MD

Pancreatic/Hepatic/Biliary Disorders: Alexander S. Rosemurgy, MD (director); Michael H. Albrink, MD; Jared C. Frattini, MD; Steven B. Goldin, MD, PhD; Jorge E. Marcet, MD; Sharona B. Ross, MD

Sleeping Disorders: William McDowell Anderson, MD (director); Arthur D. Andrews, MD; Selim R. Benbadis, MD; and Bruce M. Schnapf, DO

Stroke: Michael A. Sloan, MD (director); Reza Behrouz, DO; Eric Sauvageau, MD; Harry R. van Loveren, MD

Trauma: David J. Ciesla, MD (director), Michael H. Albrink, MD; John Y. Cha, MD; Scott F. Gallagher, MD; Steven B. Goldin, MD, PhD; Suneel Khetarpal, MD; Luis E. Llerena, MD; David H. Shapiro, MD; Charles N. Paidas, MD; and Jeffrey S. Wilson, MD

In addition, TGH’s Joint Replacement, Orthopedic Trauma, and Ventricular Assist programs were awarded advanced certification.

The Joint Commission launched its Disease-Specific Care Certification program in 2002. It is the first program of its kind in the country to certify disease management programs. A list of programs certified by the Joint Commission is available at www.jointcommission.org.

*Names listed in this article were provided by TGH Medical Staff Services.

- About USF Health -
USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

- About Tampa General -
Tampa General is a 958-bed acute care hospital on the west coast of Florida that serves as the region’s only center for level 1 trauma care, comprehensive burn care and adult solid organ transplants. It is the primary teaching hospital for the University of South Florida College of Medicine. TGH is also one of only eleven comprehensive stroke centers in Florida and is a state-certified spinal cord and head injury rehabilitation center.

Kellee Rehg presenting in Philadelphia

 

Winning team members Kellee Rehg, Brian Coe and Francisco Torano.

Dr. Lezama (right) with his winning team.

Winning team members Kellee Rehg, Brian Coe and Francisco Torano.

Tampa, FL (April 23, 2009) -- The University of South Florida's graduate public health, nursing and physical therapy programs are among the best in the nation, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2010 America's Best Graduate Schools report released today.

The USF College of Public Health maintained its #20 ranking on the list of “top public health programs” for the second year in a row -- a reflection of the college's work in several areas of excellence, including social marketing, global health and infectious diseases, maternal and child health, and distance learning programs. This year, the college is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It was the first College of Public Health in Florida.

The College of Nursing graduate program kept its #72 ranking on the U.S. News list. It is one of two graduate nursing programs in Florida to earn a U.S. News ranking. The School of Physical Therapy kept its #69 ranking on the list.

Sandra Cadena, PhD

Tampa, FL (April 13, 2009) -- Sandra J. Cadena, PhD, ARNP, CNE, director of Global Health at the USF College of Nursing, has been appointed by the National League for Nursing to serve as an NLN Ambassador. As a member of this elite corps, Dr. Cadena will help keep USF nursing faculty and administration informed about the NLN’s initiatives, grant opportunities, conferences, publications, workshops, and other benefits available to NLN members.

“We created this selective program to make it as easy as possible for nurse faculty and nursing programs at all levels of academia to understand what the NLN has to offer to enhance professional development and status,” said NLN CEO Dr. Beverly Malone. “At the same time, we expect the Ambassadors to communicate to NLN professional staff and the board what issues and challenges are of greatest concern to nurse educators in the field so that we can maximize the effectiveness of our programming and services. The Ambassadors are, in effect, the NLN’s ‘eyes and ears’ on campus.”

Dr. Cadena has been instrumental in advancing the College of Nursing’s vision throughout her nine-year University career. Before joining USF fulltime, she was an entrepreneur in her field of psychiatric nursing, and in private practice for more than 15 years. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and most recently had a book chapter accepted in the soon to be released NLN book, Giving Through Teaching: How Nurse Educators are Changing the World.

It is anticipated that, as do all NLN Ambassadors, Dr. Cadena will encourage colleagues at USF to participate in NLN professional development programs, apply for research grants, submit abstracts for the annual Education Summit and manuscripts to the NLN's peer-reviewed journal, Nursing Education Perspectives, volunteer for task groups and special committees, run for elected office, nominate colleagues for awards, and complete research surveys.

The NLN Ambassador Program was established in fall 2006 with an initial cadre of 126 members who teach in all types of nursing programs – practical nurse, associate degree, diploma, baccalaureate, master's and doctoral. Today there are more than 700 ambassadors representing schools of nursing in 49 states. New ones are appointed periodically to meet the goal of having at least one NLN Ambassador in every school of nursing.

"We are confident that the insights gained through this valuable relationship will help make the NLN more responsive to the needs of our dedicated nurse educators,” Dr. Malone said.

- USF Health –
USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

- National League for Nursing -
Dedicated to excellence in nursing education, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education offering faculty development, networking opportunities, testing and assessment, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 27,000 individual and over 1100 institutional members.

“This is one of the greatest accolades that USF Health can achieve,” said John Curran, MD, associate vice president for USF Health, professor of pediatrics, and a member of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies. "ACCME accreditation with commendation is achieved by very few academic health centers. USF's ascent to this highest recommendation clearly demonstrates one of the touchstones announced by USF Health Senior Vice President and Dean Dr. Stephen Klasko in his strategic plan calling for national prominence for USF and the Tampa Bay community."

Accreditation for four years is the standard status for reaccreditation applicants. Accreditation with commendation for six years is reserved for CME providers exceeding compliance in all 22 criteria that determine accreditation – a benchmark met by fewer than 10 percent of applicants.

"Our CPD program received this honor because it has surpassed expectations as an organization that fully supports physician learning and change for quality improvement,” said Associate Vice President Deborah M. Sutherland, PhD. “This recognition emphasizes the credibility of USF Health in assuring the continuing education of graduates and health professionals across the nation. It will serve as an additional catalyst for the development of new educational methods using simulation for skills development and maintenance of certification in many disciplines. The recent opening of the USF Health Simulation Center at Tampa General Hospital is tangible recognition of our leadership position in academic health education."

The major purpose of accreditation is to ensure the quality and integrity of CME providers by promoting organizational self-assessment and improvement. ACCME accreditation demonstrates that superior CME is planned, implemented and evaluated by the accredited institutions and organizations. The rigorous peer-review process assures medical providers and the public that the CME programs and activities offered help physicians maintain or improve their practice of medicine.

Attaining the highest reaccreditation status is especially impressive because the ACCME recently added several new criteria not required in the past, said Dr. Sutherland, who led the reaccreditation team at USF Health. USF Health's CPD program was one of the first in the initial round of reviews to receive accreditation with commendation.

Dr. Stephen Klasko wants to change the world.

One electronic prescription at a time.

Dr. Klasko, CEO of USF Health, was joined Monday by U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor and Glen Tullman, the CEO of Allscripts, as well as other health and political leaders to kick off an ambitious campaign. The goal: to convert every single doctor in the 10-county region surrounding Tampa Bay to electronic prescribing.

"We're here today to start a revolution," Dr. Klasko, who also is dean of the USF College of Medicine, told the group Monday on the USF campus. "An electronic revolution in health care that will begin right here in Tampa Bay and echo across the entire nation."

Workers for the campaign, PaperFree Tampa Bay, will personally visit 10,000 doctors, helping them learn how to write prescriptions electronically - the first step to making all their patients' health records electronic.

With Castor's support, the USF and Allscripts partnership is requesting federal stimulus dollars from the economic recovery plan to hire and train 132 "electronic health care ambassadors" to fan out over a 10-county area. Castor said that USF "is the logical place to start" the nation's first regional initiative aiming to invest recovery dollars in health care technology.

"PaperFree Tampa Bay is exactly what's intended by the recovery plan," Castor said. "It's going to create jobs - high-wage jobs...the high-wage jobs we need in the Tampa Bay area."

USF and Allscripts will start hiring and training workers immediately, Dr. Klasko said. Until the partnership wins stimulus money, those ambassadors will start by working closer to home in Hillsborough County. Then the effort will expand to DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota.

Castor also praised the plan for its ability to reduce prescribing mistakes. Such mistakes can be deadly, killing an estimated 7,000 Americans a year. Electronic prescribing can drastically cut medication errors due to misreading the names or doses in handwritten prescriptions. Electronic records also would protect patients from drug interactions and allow doctors to have more complete health histories on their patients.

"I'm sure some of you still get scribbled prescriptions," Dr. Klasko told the group. "And you say, ‘Gosh, I hope my pharmacist can read this.' "

Imagine if, instead, your doctor used electronic health records, Dr. Klasko said. You could even reach your doctor during the weekend at a kid's soccer game. Your prescription could be sent to your pharmacy from an iPhone.

"They can take care of you quickly and efficiently, and watch their kid score a goal at the same time," Dr. Klasko joked.

Yet now, even though such technology is already available, fewer than 10 percent of America's doctors use electronic prescriptions. The challenge is getting them to make the switch, said Glen Tullman, CEO of Allscripts, the nation's largest e-prescribing vendor.

"It takes more than software," Tullman said.

The key is giving those doctors personal training, Tullman said. The campaign will provide Allscripts e-prescribing software to doctors free of charge.

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio was among the leaders who came to Monday's event to support the plan. She imagines fast changes in health care, she said.

"This is something we'll have to explain to our children - that doctors wrote on a prescription pad," she said.

 Iorio said Tampa "should be a center of innovation" and praised USF for leading the way.

"The university does such a magnificent job, with President Genshaft, of taking that intellectual capital and turning it into entrepreneurial innovation," Iorio said.

The partnership announced the plan outside USF's Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced HealthCare, which has its own Sweetbay Pharmacy on the first floor. Dr. Larry Glazerman, USF's director of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, demonstrated for the crowd how he could write a prescription for an imaginary patient on his iPhone.

Dr. Glazerman sent the prescription to Sweetbay, which delivered his order of naproxen moments later.

Other doctors came from outside USF to support the effort as well. Dr. Madelyn Butler, vice president of the Florida Medical Association and general managing partner of the Women's Group, the Tampa Bay ob/gyn practice, said community doctors will welcome the campaign.

"Physicians basically want to do what's right for their patients," she said. "The critical component that's going to make it work is the one-on-one implementation."

Dr. Jim Morrow is a Georgia doctor who has won national recognition for going electronic early. Doctors need personal advocates to help them make a shift that's not just technical, but cultural, he said.

"It's not the money, it's not the technology, it's that doctors have to change," Dr. Morrow said. "These ambassadors will make the difference."

Doctors often worry that bringing electronics into the exam room will put a barrier between them and their patients. But Dr. Morrow said he's found the opposite.

"After a short period of time of adjustment, it becomes second nature," he said. "Your interaction is improved because you have to spend less time flipping through the chart. If you want to know when your patient got a DPT shot, you just touch the screen."

Doctors will be getting extra motivation to make the switch. Starting in 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will pay them more to use electronic health records. Federal law also will pay them about $3,500 more to doctors who e-prescribe now and will start to penalize those who don't by 2012.

As a physician, Dr. Klasko said he knows that such a large-scale change won't be easy for doctors.

"We're here to support you in breaking down the barriers we know you face," he said. He urged doctors to "challenge ourselves...to make Tampa Bay the first paperfree health community in the nation."

Ultimately, Tullman said, Tampa Bay has an opportunity to be a model for the nation. Other communities around the country are watching to see what happens here, he said.

 "When we look back two or three years from now," Tullman said, "We'll say today was the day we saw health care change."

- Story by Lisa Greene, USF Health Communications
- Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

USF Health sports medicine specialist Dr. Eric Coris appeared March 5 on NBC Nightly News March and March 6 on NBC’s Today Showto speak about the effects of hypothermia on mental capacity. And, earlier in the week Dr. Mark Rumbak, professor of medicine at USF, received nationwide media coverage when he spoke about rescued boater Nick Schuyler's medical condition with his patient's permission.

Dr. Coris, director of Primary Care Sports Medicine at USF, was interviewed as part of a segment on the three boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico, including two NFL players and a former USF Bulls football player. The fourth boater Schuyler, also a former Bulls football player, was rescued by the Coast Guard more than 40 hours after the weather turned cold and blustery and waves capsized the men’s fishing boat. He is recovering from moderate hypothermia and dehydration at TGH.

Dr. Coris told NBC News that being submerged in cold water exposes the body to continually dropping core temperature, which can eventually alter mental as well as physical capacity -- even among very fit athletes. There were reports that the two NFL athletes may have taken off their life jackets after hours in water that dropped below 60 degrees.

“The Coast Guard has a 50-50-50 rule,” said Dr. Coris, associate professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. “If you’re in the water with a life vest, you have a 50-percent survival rate in 50-degree water for about 50 minutes.”

Dr. Rumbak addressed reporters at a TGH news conference about his 24-year-old patient’s remarkable survival and medical recovery. Dr. Rumbak said Schuyler was close to succumbing to the cold when rescued and will likely fully recover.

USF Health child psychologist Kathleen Armstrong, PhD, is interviewed in her office by Oprah through the magic of Skype technology.

Director of USF Health’s Pediatric Psychology Program Dr. Kathleen Armstrong had the opportunity to appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" for the March 3rd episode on a Tampa Bay area girl traumatized by extreme neglect. USF Health pediatrician Dr. Lisa Rodriguez was also filmed for the show.

This powerful story, which was originally covered in the St. Petersburg Times.

For more information log on to http://www.oprah.com

Haytham M.A. Kaafarani, MD

A study published by a USF general surgery resident was chosen as one of the Top 10 General Surgery Articles for 2008 by Medscape, a popular international online resource of medical information and education for physicians and other health professionals.

Haytham M.A. Kaafarani, MD, MPH, was lead author of the paper “B-Blockade in Non-Cardiac Surgery: Outcome at All Levels of Risk,” which appeared in the October 2008 issue of the journal Archives of Surgery. The new study found that for some patients undergoing surgery, beta-blockers taken before and around the time of the operation appears to increase the risk of heart attack and death. It received wide national and international attention from the media, including the Boston Globe, CNN, BBC, the Washington Post and Reuters.

Dr. Kaafarani is conducting two years of outcomes research in Boston while earning a master’s degree in health policy and management at Harvard University. He will return to USF to finish the fourth and fifth years of his general surgery residency in July 2010.

The study reported in Archives was conducted by a team led by Dr. Kaafarani and Dr. Kamal M.F. Itani of the Veterans Affairs Boston Health Care System. Guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recommend beta-blockers for high-risk patients having surgery, particularly vascular procedures. The authors set out to explore the effect of beta-blockers among patients at all levels of risk for heart problems -- high, intermediate and low.

The investigators examined records of patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery, including plastic, vascular, abdominal or hernia repair, at a VA medical center in 2000. Patients receiving beta blockers perioperatively to lower their blood pressure were matched by age, sex, cardiac risk, procedure risk, smoking status and kidney health with patients who underwent surgery at the same time but received no beta blockers.

The researchers found patients at all levels of cardiac risk who received the beta-blockers had lower heart rates before and during the surgery unrelated to their hearts, but in the 30 days following surgery the beta-blocker group had higher rates of heart attacks and death than the control group. No deaths occurred among patients classified as high cardiac risk. However, those in the beta-blocker group who died had significantly higher heart rates before surgery than those who didn't (86 beats per minute vs.70 beats per minute).

“Our study adds to the controversy regarding the optimal use of perioperative beta-blockers in patient populations at various levels of cardiac risk," the authors wrote. "Further investigations in this field with standardizing of beta-blockade regimen and with monitoring of heart rate in populations at various levels of cardiac risk should be pursued."

Dr. Curtis, professor of medicine, chief of the USF Division of Cardiology and director of USF Cardiovascular Services, was one of only seven physicians in the country chosen by the AUC at the group’s annual scientific and business meeting in January in California. She will be inducted during the AUC meeting held January 2010 in St. Petersburg, FL.

Dr. Curtis graduated medical school from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York and completed her residency training at Presbyterian Hospital in New York. She conducted fellowships in cardiovascular diseases and clinical cardiac electrophysiology at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Curtis established the electrophysiology program at the University of Florida in 1986 and was director of Clinical Electrophysiology there until 2005, when she joined USF.

The AUC (www.aucard.org) was founded in 1961. The organization is limited to 125 members deemed leaders and among the best investigators in cardiology in the United States. The group meets once a year for a two-day session of scientific interchange.

USF Health has earned the Award of Excellence from the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) for its podcast "Straight Talk with Dr. D."

Featuring Deanna Wathington, MD, MPH, director of the Public Health Practice Program and interim associate dean for COPH Academic and Student Affairs, the podcast was created by USF Health Communications as part of an iTunes U experiment with Apple, Inc., in targeted marketing. The primary goal of the project was to encourage young African Americans to enter health careers, even those who may not follow the traditional science route. In addition, the project helped test the use of iTunes U in health education (that effort resulted in USF Health hosting the Digital Media in Health Care conference with Apple, Inc., last November).

In the podcast, Dr. Wathington (who practices boxing for exercise and stress relief) wears boxing gloves, taking jabs and punches to help make her point that promising physicians do not always take the same route to get to medical school. Sharp angles and quick cutaways give the podcast a modern look, while testimonials from "Dr. D." help drive home the point that various interests and talents bring people to study medicine.

AAMC considered the entry exemplary and its judges noted it to be a "Very novel idea; good result, great message to students, kudos for thinking creatively."

USF Health will be acknowledged for the award March 26 at AAMC's Group on Institutional Advancement National Professional Development Conference in New Orleans.

In addition to Dr. Wathington, the creative team included Michael Hoad, vice president for Communications and Marketing; Klaus Herdocia, Art Director for USF Health; Lissette Campos, former director for Strategic Communications at USF Health and now community affairs director at ABC Action News; and Elizabeth Peacock, branding education specialist for USF Health. Videography and editing for the podcast was done in collaboration with Ren Scott Productions.

This podcast is available on iTunes U [ Subscribe via iTunes U ]

What motivates you? from USF Health, Univ. of South Fl on Vimeo.

What motivates you? Aids... diabetes... or a sick family member... Deanna Wathington, MD, MPH, reflects on the forces in her own life that lead her to pursue medicine - first as a doctor and now as an academic in public health too! By asking the basic question - what motivates you - "Dr. D" shows you how picking your future career can also make a difference in the world.

Career Options from USF Health, Univ. of South Fl on Vimeo.

What do you want to be when you grow up? How do you answer that question? Do you even have a clue as to what direction you might take, where your journey might begin. "Dr. D" takes you beyond the obvious roles of doctor & nurse - which have become the proverbial "tip of the iceberg" in today's health world. Today's career options in health offer a variety of dynamic and exciting options for you to pick from.

Click here to link to Straight Talk with Dr. D. and USF Health's other podcasts.

The following is what was submitted to AAMC by Michael Hoad and helps explain the project further.

Narrative:
"Straight Talk with Dr. D" an iTunes U experiment in targeted marketing.

Project:
Primary goal: Encouraging young African Americans to enter health careers, especially reaching out to individuals who may not be following the traditional biochemistry major pathways. These podcasts were designed after focus groups with the target market. They used camera techniques intended to be engaging and modern, used a script and "star" to portray key emotional messages about life decisions, and were broadcast not only through the new medium of iTunes U, but also through the tours and lectures given by our Area Health Education Program.

Secondary goal: To test the use of iTunes U for both formal and informal education in health, including medical learning, leading to our hosting the "Digital Media in Health Care" conference with Apple, Inc., in Nov 2008.

Problem:
The project took its inspiration from the AAMC's "aspiringdocs.org," which uses the non-traditional media of webpage supported blog with traditional advertising to drive potential physician applicants to that blogging site. The aspiringdocs.org project provided the statistical basis for the project for potential medical students - specifically the decline of traditional biology and chemistry majors as a source for African American applicants to medical school.

In this case, we elected to test the utility of using iTunes U, and specifically podcasting, to reach out in new ways - designed to appeal to a researched and targeted audience.

iTunes U is an untested way to reach millions of people. Repeatedly, our contacts at Apple Inc. told us they wished every university on iTunes U would take the time to research and target audiences for their audio or video casts.

Description:
All planning was done by our in-house public and media relations staff, working closely with the "star," Deanna Wathington - physician, public health educator, faculty member in both our colleges of public health and medicine, ballerina, boxer and recently Florida's officer for minority health. We conducted focus groups with help from members of the Area Health Education Staff, who conduct "access days" on campus with high and middle school students.

It became clear that many of these students are "traditional" in many of the psychographics of an audience. And their greatest motivation for entering health careers is clearly experience with illness in their own families. Caring for family is powerful, and the script reflects that. In addition, they have heard messages that they "can't" achieve those goals, but they are not drop-outs - they're tough and they want to keep going. Cultural assumptions are dangerous in terms of designing video - these are often people who play classical music in the high school orchestra.

We decided to use a very "YouTube" style of photography: Close up, lots of movement, hand held. But unlike YouTube, we elected to hire a videographer who owned and could provide high definition video and editing equipment. He shot and edited under direction of our team.

The resulting videos were formatted for iTunes (they play perfectly on an iPod) as well as the web and for public display to groups.

Evaluation:
During editing, we did a focus group with African American young women in our athletic training degree program. I have to report my initial reaction: I was so intent on watching the videography decisions we'd made, I wasn't looking at the focus group. When I realized no one was saying anything I looked around: They were all crying. In our subsequent showings of the video, that's been a repeated reaction.

A second lesson is that the video itself doesn't complete the behavior needed. The next step will be adapting or duplicating the aspiringdocs.org site to work with this series.

On balance, however, the project captured the core value of USF Health: To see health as a spectrum that crosses all our colleges and disciplines, from the environment, to government policy, to community and family health, to wellness, to emergency, acute, chronic and end of life care. The messages contained within the podcast reflect that core value.

Bottom line: This was a total blast for everyone involved, and to see its effect on people is powerful. It makes us all the more determined to surround it with a recruiting package for all of our health disciplines in USF Health.

Story by Sarah Worth, USF Health Communications
Photo by Eric Younghans, USF Health Media Center

Lennox Hoyte, MD

USF urogynecologist Lennox Hoyte, MD, is the first physician on the Tampa General Hospital’s developing robotic surgery team to be listed on the da Vinci Surgery national website.

The da Vinci Surgical System, which combines state-of-the-art computer and robotic technologies, provides surgeons with an alternative to both traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy. The system enables surgeons – including those performing minimally invasive cardiothoracic, gynecologic and urologic surgeries -- to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions with precision.
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Dr. Hoyte is associate professor and director of the USF Health Center for Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery. He is an attending Obstetrician/ Gynecologist at TGH, and maintains an active clinical practice specializing in all types of female pelvic floor disorders, including genital prolapse, urinary and fecal incontinence, overactive bladder syndromes, childbirth related pelvic floor injury, and pelvic muscle dysfunction.

He performs robotic-assisted surgery for vesicovaginal fistula repair, a procedure to close abnormal connections between the bladder and vagina, and for abdominal sacrocolpopexy, a surgery to repair vaginal vault prolapse.

- Newsbrief by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications

USF Health's Dr. Stephen Klasko (fourth from right) was among the speakers at the recent NASDAQ OMX Group healthcare forum. The group participated in the NASDAQ closing bell ceremony with Miss Universe 2008 (center).

Among the biggest impacts on healthcare information technology over the next five years will be the emergence of personalized medicine and consumer demand for greater coordination of care, Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO for USF Health and dean of the College of Medicine, said at a recent forum addressing health care and the capital markets.

“The average diabetes patient can see as many as nine different health providers who don’t coordinate their tests and other care. Think of the tremendous potential for cost savings, reducing medical errors and improving quality of care there,” Dr. Klasko said.

Dr. Klasko was one of the speakers for the panel discussion “The Healthcare IT Opportunity: What’s Real and What’s Yet to Be Harnessed?” The panel was part of a Dec. 8 healthcare conference hosted by the NASDAQ OMX Group, the world’s largest exchange company, and Leerink Swann, a leading healthcare investment banking firm. The form was held at the NASDAQ site in Times Square, NY.

Joining Dr. Klasko on the panel were Glen Tullman, CEO of Allscripts-Misys Healthcare Solutions Inc, a leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians and other health professionals use to improve healthcare; Ken Ferry, president and CEO of iCad Inc, a firm providing advanced image analysis and workflow solutions to help radiologists pinpoint cancer earlier; and Martin Young, vice president of corporate development and marketing for Phase Forward, a provider of integrated data management for clinical trials and drug safety.

USF Health has worked with Allscripts to develop an integrated electronic health records system, including an e-prescribing network, for its South Tampa and Morsani Centers for Advanced Healthcare. Illegible prescriptions are a leading cause of medical errors in the United States.

The focus of health care technology up to this point has primarily been to collect and manage patient demographics, billing information, clinical trials and test results, and other data. What’s needed now, the panelists agreed, are smarter ways to mine the overwhelming amounts of patient data – solutions to quickly help physicians and other health professional make decisions that will reduce costs and improve quality of care.

“Health providers need the right information at the right time to make the right decisions about diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. They need meaningful decision support tools with accurate evaluation components,” iCad’s Ferry said.

One promising area where information technology systems could have a big impact in shaping decisions is advancing the transition to personalized medicine, which uses a patient’s genetic profile to tailor medical care to the individual’s needs, Dr. Klasko said.

Such information could be used to select between different medications and/or customize their dosage, provide a specific therapy for an individual's disease, or initiate a preventative measure suited to a particular patient.

Another area would be narrowing the gap between science and medical practice, Dr. Klasko said. “We need to harness health information technology to reduce the variability in medical practice across the country. There’s a 17-year lag before a best practice comes adopted as the standard of practice.”

Lack of connectivity, reimbursement issues, cutbacks in information technology infrastructure are among the challenges that could limit healthcare IT progress, the panelists said. But the rise in consumer demand for portability of personal health records, social networks to compare provider cost and quality, and online communication with their health practitioners will drive changes in health information technology dynamics, they added. Once study cited by the panel reported that 90 percent of patients under age 35 expect to have two-way communication with their health practitioners through computers and mobile devices by 2010.

- Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications

More than 200 participants from 22 states and two foreign countries gathered Nov. 21-23 in Tampa to attend the first Leadership Symposium on Digital Media in Health Care, hosted by USF Health in conjunction with Apple Inc.

Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO for USF Health and dean of the College of Medicine, headed the steering committee for this cutting-edge symposium. The event, assembled by academic leaders from distinguished universities, showed how innovative digital learning environments are enriching curriculums at their institutions and providing ever-growing online communities with increased access to wellness information.

“This leadership program is part of a national conversation on how to leverage electronic media, such as iTunes U and mobile devices, to better educate, our students, our patients and ourselves,” said Dr. Klasko, who welcomed deans, faculty, health and information technology professionals, and students to the symposium.

Miguel Young, senior manager of iTunes U for Apple, with Dr. Klasko

Dr. Klasko kicked off the symposium with his talk on “Embracing the Digital World: Healthcare in the New Millennium.” In addition, he moderated a Sunday panel discussion, “The Students – What Do They Want from Digital Media?”

Michael Hoad, vice president of communications for USF and associate vice president of communications for USF Health, moderated a panel discussion on the topic “Unraveling the DNA of Digital Media: The Effective Use of Digital Media in Medical Education.

At the symposium’s virtual poster session, Don Hilbelink, PhD, professor of Pathology and Cell Biology, along with graduate research associate Summer Decker and Jonathan Ford, master’s student in anatomy, presented a demonstration of 3-D computer modeling of human anatomy the team has developed. The “virtual” anatomy has applications for medical education and surgical simulation.

A reception at the USF Health Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare on Saturday evening showcased state-of-the-art digital technology at the ambulatory center.

Attendees heard how digital technology can be incorporated into student, patient and health profession education.

Michael Hoad, vice president of communications for USF, moderated a session on the effective use of digital media in medical education.

Audience members were able to electronically send their questions and comments to speakers as well as ask questions from the floor.

Don Hilbelink, PhD, professor of Pathology and Cell Biology at USF Health, demonstrated the 3-D computer modeling used to help teach medical students human anatomy.

By Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Colleagues, friends and family eagerly gathered at this year’s Victory Ball for the Suncoast Alzheimer’s and Gerontology Center because the guest of honor was a man they all know as a force in Alzheimer’s care nationally, at USF and in the community: Dr. Eric Pfeiffer.

The evening was filled with compliments, sentiments and tributes to Dr. Pfeiffer’s career and his long-time passion for caring for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers. In addition, Dr. Pfeiffer was honored at this fourth annual Victory Ball because, following 30 years of service to USF and USF Health, he retired in August. Among the honors and accolades presented to Dr. Pfeiffer at the Nov. 15 gala was the status of Emeritus Professor, the renaming of the center as the Eric Pfeiffer Suncoast Alzheimer’s Center, and the retirement gift of a USF rocking chair.

Dr. Pfeiffer with his family at the Victory Ball.

Dr. Pfeiffer was the founding director of the Suncoast Alzheimer’s and Gerontology Center at USF, which opened in 1980. Through his vision and stewardship, the Center is now known as a center for all aspects of Alzheimer’s research and care. He is recognized internationally as an authority on aging and Alzheimer’s disease and is the author of several major books on aging.

"Dr. Pfeiffer is a true visionary in the field of aging, Alzheimer's disease research, and caring for the caregiver. His contribution to the field has been enormous, and we will miss him dearly at Suncoast," said Amanda Smith, MD, interim director of the Eric Pfeiffer Suncoast Alzheimer’s Center.

Dr. Steve Klasko, Dr. Eric Pfeiffer and Frank Robertson.

The Gala was emceed by Frank Robertson, co-anchor at FOX 13 News, and included tributes by Steve Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO of USF Health and dean of the USF College of Medicine; Abdul Rao, MD, DPhil., senior associate professor of USF Health, vice dean for Research and Graduate Studies for the USF College of Medicine; and Dr. Smith.

Although the evening spotlighted Dr. Pfeiffer, the Gala benefitted Alzheimer’s disease research and caregiver programs, and featured a silent auction, dinner, music and dancing. A personalized program produced for the event was filled with Suncoast Gerontology Center history, photos and messages of thanks to Dr. Pfeiffer from colleagues and friends.

-- Story by Sarah Worth, USF Health Communications

Dr. Neil Fenske

Neil Fenske, MD, professor and chair of Dermatology at USF Health, was among four dermatologists in the Southeast and 17 nationwide named among America’s Top Doctors for Women in Women’s Health magazine.

Women’s Health magazine teamed up with research firm Castle Connolly to create a definitive list of America’s best doctors for women in 10 specialties. The list appears in the November 2008 issue of the magazine and is available online at WomensHealthMag.com. It was compiled through a comprehensive screening process conducted by Castle Connolly’s physician-led team of researchers.

Using mail and telephone surveys and electronic ballots, physicians and the medical leadership at leading hospitals were asked to identify exceptional candidates. Each doctor’s experience was then thoroughly screened before a final selection was made.

Dr. Fenske’s special expertise in skin cancer and melanoma was noted. Melanoma is the second most common cancer in women in their late 20s, but when treated early the success rate tops 90 percent.

- Newsbrief by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications

In the Tampa Bay area, nearly a third (32 percent) of the physicians who made the 2008 Best Doctors in America list work at USF Health.

And when you include the generous volunteer faculty members (those who teach medical students several times each year) and College of Medicine alumni in private practice locally, the numbers go up even more – 62 percent of the list has a connection with USF Health.

The annual list for Best Doctors in America is compiled from surveys of physicians asking them who they would go to for treatment in their specialty. The result is a national listing of 30,000 physicians in more than 40 specialties.

This year, the list included 508 physicians from the Tampa Bay area. Of that 161 are full-time, courtesy or OPS physicians for USF. The list also included 111 physicians who are volunteer faculty members for USF and 42 alumni of the USF College of Medicine (some of the physicians in other categories are also alumni but were counted only in their faculty category). That brings the total to 314 physicians (62 percent) who have a connection with USF Health.

“Once again, the Best Doctors in America list shows that our faculty physicians have a huge impact on the healthcare of families in this community,” said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO for USF Health and dean of the College of Medicine.

“These doctors touch every one of our key mission areas: education, healthcare and research," Dr. Klasko said.

USF Health boasts the area’s largest medical practice, with 332 physicians treating this region’s residents. They see nearly 400,000 patients each year in dozens of medical facilities – large and small – along the Florida gulf coast.

Here is a list of physicians included in the 2008 Best Doctors in America who have a connection to USF Health. Some physicians earned spots in more than one specialty, so this list will total more.

Story by Sarah A. Worth, USF Health Communications

All 20 DPT students graduating this spring from the USF COM SPTRS – the DPT charter class of 2008 -- successfully passed the NPTE. The USF students averaged a score of 659.05 compared to 647.88 for all U.S. physical therapy program graduates and 646.36 for all Florida graduates.

“With the implementation of a new examination blueprint this spring by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, the bar was significantly raised for the domains of knowledge, skill and affective values that a Doctor of Physical Therapy graduate must possess,” said William Quillen, PT, PhD, associate dean of the College of Medicine and director of the School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences. "This achievement is a reflection of both the outstanding students we have at the School and the excellence of our interprofessional educational program and faculty at the College of Medicine."

The University of South Florida was the first State University System institution authorized to implement the DPT degree in 2004. More than 100 students are currently enrolled in the program.

Click here for Part One of interview on Psychoneuroimmunology, PNI. Interview with Dr. Nick Hall, Director, USF College of Nursing Center for Psychoneuroimmunology.

Click here for Part Two of Dr. Hall interview on Psychoneuroimmunology, PNI.

For more information on the PNI conference, visit www.cme.hsc.usf.edu/pni

Are you sick because you’re depressed, or are you depressed because you’re sick? The short answer is yes.

For more than 25 years researchers in the field of psychoneuroimmunology, or PNI, have been accumulating evidence showing that what you think and feel may alter your immune system. Relatively recently researchers have also begun documenting the flip side – that the immune system gone awry may profoundly impact the inner workings of your brain, leading to significant behavioral and health consequences. PNI has evolved with advances in technology, which now allows scientists to more precisely measure inflammatory chemicals such as cytokines and stress hormones like cortisol, as well as tap into sophisticated imaging techniques that map out metabolic changes in parts of the brain controlling emotions.

Some of the nation’s leading experts in psychoneuroimmunology, or PNI, will gather Sept. 18 to 21 when the University of South Florida College of Nursing hosts a national conference, Frontiers in Psychoneuroimmunology: The Emotional Interface, at Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, FL.

They will share emerging research linking emotions with health and immunity, the connections between emotions and cancer progression, the immune system’s involvement in diseases such as fibromyalgia, depression and metabolic syndrome, the potential of stress and fatigue to hurt the body’s ability to fight infection, and the global health implications of mind-body research. The conference will include a preconference training program in meditation/stress reduction and roundtable discussions with opportunities for health professionals in attendance to ask questions.

Nick Hall, PhD, directs the USF College of Nursing Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, one of few PNI research centers in the country housed within a nursing school.

“One of the biggest challenges is interpreting the results of mind-body interactions and transforming them into clinical outcomes that will benefit our patients and clients. We are dealing with an extraordinarily complex system and we don’t yet understand all that we need to consider.” said Nick Hall, PhD, director of the USF College of Nursing Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, one of few PNI research centers in the country housed within a nursing school. “But this conference will bring together the country’s top PNI experts in one spot to answer tough questions. Many of the speakers are funded by the National Institutes of Health, and we all share a passion for scientific validity.”

PNI is a wide-ranging field studying the relationships among the mind (psyche), the brain (neuro) and the immune system (immunology) and what all that has to do with your health and susceptibility to disease.

“In the early days when the term ‘psychoneuroimmunology’ was coined, the bias was that the brain controls everything – that information flows in the direction of gravity, from the nervous system down to the rest of the body,” Dr. Hall said.

When researchers found that depressed people were more prone to infections, they assumed the brain must be triggering a stress hormone to tamp down the immune system. But, Dr. Hall said, the evolutionary advantage for suppressing the immune function of a depressed person with slowed reflexes -- already lacking energy and motivation – was questionable. Making the depressed individual more susceptible to viruses and bacteria didn’t seem to make sense. Scientists eventually suspected that symptoms of depression may sometimes be triggered by the immune system sending the body a message to slow down so it can rest and restore energy, he added. But, what would happen if that message didn’t get turned off?

“We now know that some forms of depression may actually be triggered by too much immunity, rather than weakened immunity,” Dr. Hall said. “Something happens to make the immune system keep going on and on, without any restraints, rather like the Energizer Bunny.”

The USF conference’s keynote speaker is Peter Bourne, MD, a former health advisor to President Jimmy Carter, whose frontline studies on the psychological and physiological aspects of combat stress during the Vietnam War are considered classics in the field of psychoendocrinology.

Dr. Bourne, a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford, will speak on the public health implications of stress, which he maintains often exacerbates illness among those struggling with poverty and global conflicts.

Other top scholars will include Lydia Temoshok, PhD, of the University of Maryland, author of the book The Type C Connection: Behavioral Links to Cancer and Your Health, and Ronald Glaser, PhD, a pioneer in studies linking stress and infection. Dr. Temoshok’s latest research looks at how higher inflammatory cytokine responses correlated with a Type C coping style (characterized as unfailingly eager to please and unable to express emotions, particularly anger) may influence the progression of HIV. Dr. Glaser, an immunologist from the Ohio State University, found that the immunity of medical students went down every year under the stress of their three-day exam period. The test takers had fewer natural killer cells, which fight tumors and viral infections, and stopped producing immunity-boosting gamma interferon.

Contributors from the USF College of Nursing will be Maureen Groer, RN, PhD, director of the Center for Women’s Health Research, and Dr. Hall. Dr. Groer will discuss the immune and long-term health consequences of post traumatic stress syndrome in women who have experienced events such as rape, accidents, threats and warfare. Some studies suggest that inappropriate activation of inflammatory responses in these women may contribute to their future risk for chronic illnesses like heart disease and autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Hall’s research probing the interrelationships between emotions and health has been featured on “Nova” and the Emmy-Award winning television series “Healing and the Mind” produced by Bill Moyers for PBS.

He will speak about his previous work at USF and Arizona State University, which indicated that the body chemistry of theatre actors was impacted by the emotions they experienced while performing in a controlled setting. If they performed an uplifting piece requiring a lot of laughter, their immune systems were boosted and disease-fighting chemical reactions were enhanced. If they acted in a tense dramatic role requiring expressions of grief and anger, their immune systems were suppressed. While more study is needed, Hall said, eventually role playing exercises intended to create physiological changes might help patients with chronic illnesses like cancer and AIDS.

Initial skepticism among scientists about the link between emotions and physical health has been greatly muted by mounting evidence from animal and human studies showing that the brain communicates with the immune system and vice versa, said conference speaker Margaret Kemeny, PhD, director of Health Psychology at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Kemeny’s own research is looking for ways to bridge the science of emotions and meditation with the aim of developing interventions that can influence emotion regulation, biology and health. “We want to determine whether we can modify biological systems by helping people to become aware of and alter their emotional reactions – and that’s still an open question,” she said.

“I’d venture to say not one of us in this field thinks psychological interventions should be the sole treatment for any disease. But we are excited about the prospect of developing interventions based on PNI findings that might not only supplement standard high-quality medical care, but synergize with treatment benefits," Dr. Kemeny said.

Dr. Hall emphasizes that there is too much uncertainty to draw a direct cause and effect line between emotions, or personality, and disease. Being a pessimist won’t give a person cancer any more than being an optimist will spare someone who has a family history of heart disease, eats poorly and never exercises from a heart attack, he said.

“Getting any illness is like playing the lottery. You’ve got to have all the numbers lined up to get the disease,” Dr. Hall said. “One of those numbers is your genetic blueprint, but genes only determine probability, not causality. There has to be something to activate or deactivate genes. It could be a behavioral factor like how you cope with stress or your social support system. It could be any number of environmental factors that can impact biology – nutrition, how much you exercise, how much sleep you get, how much caffeine or alcohol you pour into your body, whether you take drugs.”

While no one is to blame for their health consequences, everyone can learn how to take a more active role in preventing illness, improving quality of life and take advantage of therapies that may allow traditional medical treatments to work better, Dr. Hall said.

“There are scientifically based things you can do, like mindfulness meditation, stress management or reframing exercises, that can make a significant difference in promoting your overall health – in ways you may have never imagined.”

- Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
- Graphic from National Institutes of Health (1995) Mind-Body Interactions and Disease conference

Dr. Maria Caserta, Director of USF Memory Disorder Clinic & Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry, USF Health

The American College of Psychiatrists has appointed USF Health faculty member Dr. Maria Caserta to its Psychiatry Resident in Training Examination (PRITE) Editorial Board. Here at the University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Dr. Caserta is a Professor of Psychiatry, Medical Director of the USF Memory Disorders Clinic and Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry. The PRITE Editorial Board consists of prominent educators, many known internationally in their respective fields, and representing diverse backgrounds within psychiatry.

"This is a time of great change in Psychiatry, with new developments in the field occurring at a very rapid pace, which will challenge the both the educators and Psychiatry trainees to develop stimulating and up to date curricula," said Dr. Caserta.

Created in 1978, the PRITE consists of 450 questions and is divided into two parts – neurology and psychiatry. A related specialty exam, the Child PRITE, is designed for child Fellows. Its 200 questions survey child and adolescent psychiatry issues in depth. Nearly all psychiatry Residents in the United States take the exam three to four times during residency training.

“We are delighted to have our faculty stepping forward to bring their knowledge to bear and assist this important task in staying true to our tripartite mission,” says Dr. Francisco Fernandez, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, USF College of Medicine & former Editor-In-Chief of the PRITE. “Dr. Caserta brings incredible energy and knowledge to the Editorial Board and its role in developing the only medical knowledge competency examination for resident physicians in Psychiatry.”

PRITE provides feedback to the individual Residents about the status of their knowledge as compared to others at the same level of training. In addition, the exam offers Residency training directors insight into the performance of their Residents on the PRITE examination so that they can prepare and adjust their programs to make them more effective.

“I am much honored having been appointed to the Editorial Board of the PRITE. I look forward to working in collaboration with the other PRITE Editorial Board members to make the PRITE a state of the art instrument in assessing the knowledge base of our trainees,” said Dr. Caserta.

OTHER LINKS:

USF Health Psychiatry

American College of Psychiatrists

USF was competitively selected as one of seven nursing schools across the nation this year to join the VA Nursing Academy. The nursing school was awarded a $3.5 million grant from the VA for the partnership. The Academy is a virtual organization that boosts learning opportunities for nursing students at VA facilities, funds additional faculty positions to increase baccalaureate student enrollment, and increases recruitment and retention of nurses.

Read more...
- Department of Veterans Affairs news release

- St. Petersburg Times article

Mary E. Evans, RN, PhD, FAAN, associate dean for research and doctoral study at the USF College of Nursing, received a Scholar in Residence Joint Fellowship with the American Academy of Nursing and Institute of Medicine for 2008-2009. The program prominently engages nursing leaders in health policy development at the national level, and allows Dr. Evans to pursue interests in implementation of recommendations to improve the mental health of Americans.

“My work will provide information on factors that could facilitate the timely and effective implementation of recommendations from recent IOM committee reports and, hopefully, by implication other work underway at the IOM as well as in other scientific venues across the nation,” said Dr. Mary Evans.

Obtaining information on factors, particularly social, economic and political factors, could lead to more effective implementation of IOM recommendations. The project will also codify strategies to better prepare the legislative environment at the national level for implantation of IOM recommendations, and will be completed in cooperation with Mental Health America (MHA), the largest and oldest mental health advocacy and public education organization in the United States.

Newsbrief by Ashlea Hudak, USF College of Nursing

On July 14, 2008, Tampa Tribune featured the amazing disaster-relief efforts, nationwide, of USF College of Nursing faculty member Steve Morris, MD. The story authored by reporter Donna Koehn is entitled "USF Nursing Instructor-Doctor On Call For Disasters" and also appears in the Tribune's online newsroom, TBO.COM. To view, click here. This past June, Dr. Morris was profiled on the USF Health homepage for his undercover medical relief work in Myanmar. See story below.

USF Health's Dr. Steve Morris (center back) and friend Awing Saawat (yellow shirt and glasses), a nurse midwife, pose with a group of refugees who fled to Thailand from Myanmar after the devastating cyclone. Dr. Morris and Saawat made a risky humanitarian journey into a remote southern region of Myanmar to aid cyclone survivors.

June 9, 2008 - The same day he recorded an interview with WUSF-FM’s Carson Cooper on disaster preparedness for the upcoming hurricane season, Steve Morris, MD, received a phone call from a long-time friend who was planning to travel to Myanmar to provide medical assistance in the aftermath of the deadly cyclone and its storm surge. Dr. Morris, codirector of Bioterrorism and Disaster Training at USF College of Nursing, spent a month volunteering in southern Mississippi in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and has extensive experience working in a variety of disasters and disaster scenarios. After some initial reservations, he agreed to accompany his friend to Myanmar. He made the trip May 11-16. So that he would not call attention to himself and possibly put his Thai friends at risk, Dr. Morris left his camera behind. His only photo, the group shot above, was taken at an airfield in Thailand. The story of his Myanmar experience, in his own words, follows:

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Cyclone devastation in Myanmar

Three boys at clinic doorstep

What happens to the boys...

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Fateful call from an old friend
“Call it fate; call it a coincidence; but I guess some things were meant to happen. Ironically during my interview with Carson Cooper, he asked my opinion about the situation in Myanmar. We reflected upon the devastation and the disappointment in the Myanmar government for not allowing disaster relief and assistance from the international community.

Later that day, a long-time friend of mine, Awing Saawat of Thailand, called me. Awing is a nurse midwife. She has provided services in the northern regions of Thailand for more than 25 years. She has a special interest in caring for the immigrant mothers who travel the sometimes dangerous routes from Myanmar (formerly called Burma) to cross the border illegally into Thailand. Most of these immigrants risk the travel to Thailand to find work and escape the desperate conditions in Myanmar.

Awing and I are friends from my time in the country in 2002 and 2003, when I volunteered with her non-profit organization. She often calls to say hello and to get an occasional internal medicine consultation on one of her many patients. This call was no different; she and I discussed a young refugee patient who had recently crossed the border. Unfortunately, according to Awning, this patient would be quickly returned back to Myanmar. Awing told me that she was planning a trip of her own to the impacted cyclone area of Myanmar in the next week. Since she had provided service to the area for many years, she had many well established contacts and had made the journey on multiple occasions.

I casually mentioned to Awing that I would love to share the experience, and surprisingly she responded, 'Come on!' My mom always said, be careful what you ask for.

I couldn’t believe it. I had heard on the news about the problems foreign aid workers were having getting into the region, so, of course, I started speaking of passports and visas, which I knew would take time. Awing informed me that there were ways to expedite the process. When I expressed safety concerns, she reassured me that her contacts were solid and that I would have no problems. Just keep your mouth shut, she told me -- an inside joke we often shared when she was allowing me to observe the birthing process years ago with her. Like then, she would do all the talking. She again reassured me that I would be fine.

Map courtesy of Google Earth

The long journey to Myanmar
With that, I packed my bags for what would turn out to be one of the most remarkable experiences of my professional career. The flight to Bangkok, Thailand, was 26 hours with stops in Detroit and Japan. I then traveled two hours by bus from Bangkok to Nakhon province, where I met up with Awing. The rain delayed our departure to northern Thailand for a day; but soon we were off on another bus ride to an area just south of the town of Chang Mai, Thailand. The next leg of our trip to Myanmar began early in the morning hours. Since there is literally a 12-hour time difference between Florida and Thailand, I was wide awake. Add the time difference to my anxiety, and I was literally on pins and needles.

Travel into Myanmar was quite unofficial. My U.S. passport was left in Thailand with Awing’s associate.

We departed from a small airfield in two light aircraft for a 500-plus mile flight from Thailand into Myanmar. We were accompanied by 10 other people. I did not know their names or what their roles on this trip would be, and following Awing’s lead, I did not ask.

One of the pilots was a relative of Awing’s. They had long conversation prior to our departure. Their cordial manner eased my mind and I was again reassured that I would have no problems.

Though the smell of insect replant permeated my clothing, Awing beared it and stayed close by my side the entire journey. It was important that I look somewhat disheveled as not to stand out. She added to my blending-in process by sharing a local skin powder/insect repellant to put on my face, arms and legs. My wrist watch was left behind and replaced with a simpler watch that I kept in my pocket. It had no wrist band and a scratched dirty face. Because I am African-American, we both felt, that as long as I did not open my mouth, few if any, would know my nationality. (Don’t misunderstand, I am a proud American, but in this instance, waving the U.S. flag was not an option.)

Our planes were old but appeared to be in good shape. They were designed to haul cargo, but other than us, a few personal items, drinking water and the meager provisions prepared by Awing there was no other cargo. Our diet for the next three days consisted of cooked pork and rice. The cargo area of the plane was stripped and had an intense moldy smell. There were no interior lights and no formal seats, just some tarp-like material that we fashioned into seats. I expected to see large quantities of supplies.

My memories of Hurricane Katrina led me to expect a tremendous outpouring of relief supplies. To my dismay, there were no medical supplies, no fresh water, no meals-ready-to-eat or food of any kind, no clothing … absolutely nothing to indicate that we were on a relief mission.

Trying to bring in supplies was not an option according to Awing, whatever we would use would be provided to us by our host when we got there.

Greeted by armed guards
We landed after a little more than two hours on an even more remote airfield in the mid-south region of Myanmar. Nothing was there other than a small abandoned tin-covered structure. We sat at this location for another hour and a half, before I heard the sounds of vehicles approaching. Three large short-bed trucks (the kind you would typically see livestock in) pulled up. Two or three heavily armed men exited each truck. The pilots of our planes and the people in the trucks obviously knew each other. They greeted and talked for a period of time. There was an occasional look in my direction, but I never had any indications that caused me to worry. Awing was completely at ease, so I was able to remain calm.

When the time came, the men directed us to climb into the back of their trucks. Though our view was somewhat obscured by wooden boards lining the sides of the truck bed, we could easily see between them. As the early morning hours faded the heat of the day could be felt. The truck was not covered. The heat and the humidity reminded me of Florida. The terrain was extremely rough. I know I am spoiled by paved roads, but this was a difficult journey. I can see the need for the big trucks. Any organized relief mission into this area would be difficult by ground.

I suppose, I thought my relief work with Hurricane Katrina on the Mississippi Gulf Coast would have somewhat prepared me for what I about to witness in Myanmar, but I could not have imagined the incredible destruction I would see.

Through the side boards of our truck, I could see vast areas laid waste by the storm. What must have once been towns looked like garbage dumps. People appeared to be sifting through these heaps of debris. Many sat hopelessly by the roadside or under improvised structures made from the debris. I saw no begging, no outstretched arms; the people just simply looked beaten.

Many wore rags; some had no clothing at all. I saw all ages from the very young to the very old; however, there seemed to be many more children.

Most remarkable was the horrible smell. So foul, so pungent, that at times it would cause me to gag. I have experience with death in my profession; but death, hopelessness and despair at this magnitude was just unbelievable. The pictures on television and in the newspapers could not possibly capture this suffering.

Waiting patients, sparse supplies, long days
The truck ride was about 90 minutes from the air field. We arrived at a stone-and-wood structure that would be our home for the next 60-plus hours. This was a clinic. It had been built by a mission group many years ago, and withstood the test of time. Awing had worked from this location before. Surprisingly, there were a few medical supplies -- a few old stethoscopes, antiseptic and basic bandages; but no medications. Awing told me that we would be receiving a few additional supplies later. There was a generator with fuel and a few working lights, but nothing on the scale of the Disaster Mobile Assistant Team that I had worked with in Katrina.

The patients were already waiting. Awing told me that our host had selected the people that we would see. How that process worked, I guess I will never really know. The people we cared for clearly had a relationship with the people who had arranged this trip. Going into the village to offer services clearly was not an option.

The complexities of the problems were many. Without any necessary equipment and supplies, the task was extremely difficult. Awing translated for me promptly along with doing a million other things. No one ever seemed to complain; there was no crowd; few people even spoke unless addressed by our guards or by us.

We worked continuously until the night. Awing and I took our first break after about six hours. Following her lead, I would pause for a break only when she did. We were with armed guards the entire time, though they seemed quite relaxed. There were several groups of people all around the clinic area, but we never had contact with them. I am still not sure if the guards were there to protect us or to keep us from exploring on our own, but I suppose, probably both. It’s not like exploring would have been an option for me anyway. I didn’t speak the language, I had no idea where I was, and I certainly did not want to get lost. We slept on the floor inside the clinic. Throughout the night, there was conversation and activity outside.

Three small boys
The next morning we awakened to see three small boys, probably ages- 8 to 10. They were asleep at the door of the clinic. Two sat up immediately when we opened the door. One child was lying on a piece of tin, which had been fashioned as a sled. I could surmise that the two other children had pulled him there on the sled.

I don’t know how far the children traveled, but I don’t think they would have been allowed at our clinic door if the guards had seen them. I am not even sure how they slipped past our guards. Awing began to talk with the boys as one of the guards approached to chase them away. I had already starting assessing the child on the sled. Awing argued with the guard for a bit. He backed away and left us to our work.

According to Awing, the child on the sled was injured during the storm. None of the three had known one another before the storm. Two boys met immediately after the storm, and they found the injured child a few days later in a field of debris. Since he was unable to walk, they made a sled from the piece of tin to pull him around. The three had been together for many days, but they were not sure how long. They could only assume that their families were dead. There was nothing left of the village where they stayed. They lived off scraps that they found or whatever they could get by begging.

The child on the sled appeared extremely ill and near death. It did not take an X-ray for me to determine that the injured boy had a compound fracture of his right tibia and fibula. Distal to the fracture his leg was cold and to a point of decay. His eyes were sunken, jaundiced and his body was wasted. He was dying from sepsis, dehydration and malnutrition. His fate had been written when the storm struck.

His needs were far beyond our capabilities and resources. Even with hospitalization, an amputation, massive doses of IV antibiotics, nutrition and hydration, I doubt he would have survived. It was simply too late; and we obviously had no way to provide any of those needed services.

A small degree of peace and overwhelming sadness
Awing and I could find only a small degree of peace in the fact that at least the young child was in no pain. He could not feel the injured leg. Awing fed the boys from our provisions. The injured boy was too weak to eat very much at all. Unfortunately, we had to move on to our already waiting patients, and we did not want to upset the guards anymore than they were already.

Awing reluctantly motioned for the guards and with that the boys were scurried off; pulling their injured friend behind them. We never saw them again.

The next day and a half brought more of the same. The sad and sometimes horrifying stories were endless.

I left feeling like a drop of water on a searing desert. Our promised supplies never came. I had to ask myself, did our little mission make a difference? I knew it would not be for me to judge.

Awing and I spoke few words on the truck and plane ride back to Thailand. I know we were tired and hungry, but I know she and I both felt depressed that we could not do or provide more. The Thai people refer to Myanmar as “paan má-noh” or “bad heart” -- a term that certainly reflects a government that refused to allow aid to reach its people in dire need.”

Since Dr. Morris returned from Myanmar, he has spoken several times to his friend Awing, who plans to return to on another humanitarian trip. The situation in Myanmar is still precarious, as the country’s military junta continues to refuse offers of outside support including the use of military helicopters to ferry aid to remote regions. Unfortunately, Dr. Morris says, many donated supplies never reach the people who need it – much of it taken by the military or black market agents who will sell it for a profit. With the monsoon season beginning, hundreds of thousands of cyclone survivors remain without shelter. “I had tremendous support from the College of Nursing and Dean Burns in supporting my decision to make this trip on short notice," Dr. Morris says. "and I owe special thanks to my colleagues Sandra Cadena, PhD, RN, and Fred Slone, MD, who covered for me while I was away."

Story edited by Anne DeLotto Baier/USF Health Communications

Tampa, FL (July 14, 2008) -- Once again USF Health’s hospital partners have been ranked among the nation’s top 50 hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings are on newsstands this week in the America’s Best Hospitals 2008 edition of the magazine. Tampa General Hospital and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute – two primary teaching affiliates of the USF College of Medicine – were among only 170 hospitals that met the rigorous standards for excellence in one or more specialties.

USF Health faculty head up five of the seven specialties at TGH that made this year's Top 50 chart -- Ear, Nose and Throat, Endocrinology, Gynecology, Kidney Disease, and Urology.

“USF is proud that the rest of the nation is finding out what we already know –- that with the work that USF and TGH are doing in recruiting world-class clinical and academic leaders and faculty, the hospital and medical school are getting the recognition they deserve,” said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the College of Medicine.

“I especially want to recognize the terrific performance of our colleagues in Urology, which jumped from #41 to #27 in the specialty rankings. Congratulations also to our Department of Nephrology at TGH which climbed from #41 to #34,” Dr. Klasko said. “In addition, Moffitt Cancer Center, where we continue to have a strong scholarly presence, ranked #16 on the list of America’s Best Hospitals for Cancer.”

These rankings don’t include the department rankings at Moffitt, which currently include Oncology and ENT.

Tampa General achieved the magazine’s Top 50 recognition for its highest number of specialties ever. For the first time, the categories of Endocrinology (39th) and Heart and Heart Surgery (42nd) made the grade. The other five medical services -- Ear, Nose and Throat (37th ), Gynecology (27th), Kidney Disease, also known as Nephrology (39th ), Orthopedics (25th ) and Urology (27th) -- were also included in the 2007 edition of America’s Best Hospitals.

USF faculty physicians are the division chiefs for the following services at TGH: Nephrology - Stephen Rifkin, MD, associate professor of medicine; ENT – Paul K. Boyev, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology; Gynecology – James Mayer, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology; Urology - Jorge Lockhart, MD, professor of urology. In addition, Mark Rumbak, MD, USF professor of medicine, leads the internal medicine service at TGH, the division that includes endocrinology.

U.S. News & World Report evaluated 5,453 medical centers nationwide (excluding veteran and military hospitals) for its 2008 Best Hospitals in America report. Of those, only 170 hospitals made the final overall ranking based on factors such as reputation, death rate, and care-related factors like nursing, advanced technology and credentialing by professional organizations. The hospitals were ranked in 16 specialty areas.

For more information, visit the U.S. News & World Report America's Best Hospitals website.

- USF Health -

USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With $308 million in research funding last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of Florida’s top three research universities.

Dr. Anne Curtis, USF chief of cardiology, reviews an EKG.

USF Chief of Cardiology Anne Curtis, MD, weighs in on the setbacks in rhythm control for atrial fibrillation in the June 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Curtis and colleague Michael Cain, MD, Dean of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Buffalo, comment on the results of the international multicenter Atrial Fibrillation and Congestive Heart Failure trial comparing a rhythm-control strategy with a rate-control strategy in patients with congestive heart failure and a history of atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder. The first therapeutic strategy aims at restoring and maintaining sinus (normal) heart rhythm with antiarrhythmic drugs and electrical cardioversion when appropriate. The second focuses on using drugs to optimize the ventricular heart rate.

The study results, reported by Roy et. al in the same NEJM issue as Drs. Curtis and Cain’s editorial, indicated no significant difference in cardiovascular death rates in the rhythm-control group and the rate-control group. Furthermore, deaths from any cause and worsening heart failure were not significantly different in the two groups.

“Studies thus far haven’t been able to demonstrate that rhythm control is superior to rate control,” Dr. Curtis said. “Cardiologists use antiarrhythmic drugs to try to turn an abnormal rhythm into a normal rhythm, yet these drugs don’t work as well as we’d like and they can have toxic side effects.”

The NEJM editorial submission preceded the recent release of ATHENA trial results indicating that the investigational drug dronedarone, envisioned as a safer alternative for maintaining sinus rhythm, seemed to cut the risk of cardiovascular hospitalizations or death. In addition, clinical trials planned and in progress are testing the effectiveness of ablation, a procedure in which the source of a patient’s irregular heartbeat is mapped, localized and destroyed (ablated) by radiofrequency energy or freezing.

“The optimal treatment for atrial fibrillation is still a moving target. The best advice we can give to patients at this point is that the treatment strategy will ultimately depend upon the characteristics of the arrhythmia, the patient’s symptoms, and the presence or absence of structural heart disease,” Dr. Curtis said. Whether medical management or a catheter ablation procedure is the best course of action should be discussed with the patient’s physician. When patients have symptoms that are difficult to manage, referral to an electrophysiologist (a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythm disorders) may be appropriate, she added.

Dr. Curtis is a past president of the Heart Rhythm Society.

Atrial fibrillation is a major cause of hospitalization and death, affecting about 2.5 million people in the United States. Without appropriate management, the disorder can lead to serious complications, such as stroke and congestive heart failure.

- Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications

At right, Donna Petersen, Dean of the USF College of Public Health, during a prior interview.

WEDU DOCUMENTARY: The Uninsured- Help & Hope

Donna Petersen, MHS, ScD, Dean of the USF College of Public Health, is featured in a WEDU documentary entitled "The Uninsured: Help & Hope". "This documentary does a wonderful job illustrating that the uninsured look like you and me – any of us can be caught in a desperate health care situation at any time," said Petersen. "Even with insurance health care can be a complex maze – without it, people really struggle to get the care they need to stay alive, feel well, go back to work, lead productive lives."

To date, the largest group of uninsured in this U.S. includes young adults, ages 18 - 24. Dean Petersen is part of the hour long broadcast focusing on the growing problem of uninsured residents, as well as raise awareness of the caring volunteers who help create access to health services to those most in need. In Florida, the nation's 4th largest state, an estimated 3.5 million residents lack health insurance. That's 1 in 4 Floridians without health insurance. In Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, an estimated 278,000 local residents are uninsured.

TO VIEW DEAN PETERSEN'S INTERVIEW, CLICK HERE.

Please note: Once on the WEDU webpage, click on "Watch Video".

"I hope many people are able to watch this compelling show. My daughter and her friend watched the entire program with me – they were fascinated and asked lots of questions and offered many insightful comments. It is an important conversation for us, as a community, to have – how important is it to all of us to make sure that truly caring health care is available to each of us?" said Petersen. "After watching this show I hope others are compelled to speak out on this issue or to give something back as so many of the generous people depicted in this show have done. It really is about our health."

Newsbrief by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications
Link courtesy of WEDU

The USF Health International Foundation is the only health sciences academic center with a presence on the City of Knowledge campus in Panama City, Panama.

City of Knowledge, Panama -- On June 2, 2008 the USF Health International Foundation officially opened its doors in the country of Panama. Their mission: to increase collaboration in education, research and patient care between USF faculty and students and Panama, as well as other health professionals and organizations throughout the region.

"It is fitting that we do this here in Panama, the site of some of the most profound discoveries in public health in the last 200 years," said Donna Petersen, ScD, dean of the USF College of Public Health.

"General William Gorgas had a job to do. A canal needed to be built to provide a much needed trade route from East to West and back again, but that job could not be done until he had completed an almost more daunting task - keeping thousands of people alive ... in an environment stacked entirely in favor of the diseases,” Dr. Petersen explained. "By accomplishing this task, the general not only completed the original job he was sent to do, he launched a revolution in disease control that has saved millions of lives for more than 100 years."

Overlooking the Panama Canal, the USF Health International Foundation sits on the old Fort Clayton built by the U.S. military to protect the canal´s strategic Miraflores locks which guard canal access to the Pacific Ocean. The fort is known today as "Ciudad del Saber,” the City of Knowledge in English. The historic site sits on approximately 300 acres of land -- the USF Health International Foundation stands as the only health sciences academic center, to date. With neighbors the likes of the International Red Cross, United Nations UNESCO, Organization of American States, Nature Conservancy and Spanish Embassy, the re-purposed fort serves as a hub to a growing number of international organizations.

"This is one of the most beautiful examples of hammering swords into plow shares that I´ve ever seen," said Ann De Baldo, PhD, associate vice president of international programs, USF Health, and associate dean of international programs, USF College of Public Health.

The foundation´s hopes extend beyond students and faculty at USF Health to reach researchers, scientists, educators and health professionals across South and Central America. Among its ambitious goals, leadership development programs for participants in the private and public health sectors, as well as non-profit organizations.

"When we look, together, at establishing best practices, we can make life better for countless numbers of people," said USF President Judy Genshaft. Drawing her inspiration from seven words engraved on the Panama Canal´s museum, Genshaft told Panamanian officials gathered for the inaugural "They were words that made all the difference in their efforts: hope, effort, courage, determination, perseverance, spirit and tenacity. The same applies to USF Health. Together, we can make a difference for the future."

Serving as president of the foundation, Deborah Sutherland, PhD, described the foundation´s official opening after three years of efforts between USF Health, USF and Panamanian officials in the City of Knowledge. "To see this dream come true has been a very exciting time for all of us," Dr. Sutherland said.

The USF Health Associate Vice President and Associate Dean for Continuing Professional Development said talks are already underway to create courses, conferences, and other resources to bring continuing professional education within reach of more health professionals than ever before in Latin and Central America.

"We have met with the University of Panama and with the Universidad Latina de Panama to discuss their needs for short courses," she explained. "Specifically, we´ve spoken about family practice -- family medicine with a focus on emergency medicine. We´ve spoken with representatives from departments of general surgery, orthopedics, and obstetrics and gynecology. Our 'short courses' will initially focus on those specialty areas."

"We're hoping to improve the performance of physicians who practice in Panama by offering courses right here in this country," Dr. Sutherland said. "Presently, the physicians are usually taken outside the country and they are industry-sponsored courses and provide training in industry specific labs there. If we can offer those courses here in Panama, collaborating with Panamanian faculty, it not only helps improve the performance of the practicing physician but we’ll reach more physicians. By reaching more physicians we hope to have an impact on the quality of care that is provided here. Plus it helps them establish countrywide prominence for their universidades and their specialties. They get recognized as the experts in training other Latin American physicians."

For Steven Klasko, MD, MBA, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF College of Medicine, Panama sets the stage for innovations with far reaching implications in medicine, nursing and public health. "We believe the Center of Knowledge can be a base for us to build a true clinical simulation lab in this part of the world," Dr. Klasko said.

With the potential for more simulation labs like the one developed in Tampa, the foundation hopes to work with medical societies and associations to establish universally recognized metrics in simulation to help train physicians in new and emerging treatments and technology, as well as assess technical competencies. "We can use simulation technology to improve the capacities of physicians, nurses and ALL health professionals. This isn´t just something that we do, we´re PASSIONATE about it," Dr. Klasko said.

Joining Dr. Klasko and President Genshaft was Dr. Sterling Williams, vice president for education for the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG).

USF nursing students, including Jason Merry and Christine Doherty (pictured above), conducted a Community Clinical Experience course in Panama where they visited a maternity ward and observed births. The students were guests of honor at the foundation's inaugural ceremony.

Among the guests of honor at the foundation´s inaugural ceremony, were 15 students from the USF College of Nursing already in Panama for their Community Clinical Experience Course.

For Patricia Burns, PhD, dean of the USF College of Nursing, Panama has served as a classroom for her students since 2006 thanks to its exchange program with the nursing school at the Universidad de Panama.

"The students and faculty who have participated in 2006 and 2007 could not say enough about the quality of the experience they had and the wonderful people they worked with during their stay in Panama!" said Dr. Burns, visibly proud of her students who handily stole the show, so to speak, during the foundation’s inaugural ceremony. Their charm and enthusiasm bolstered the aspirations of academics, scientists and health professionals representing several countries.

Nursing students Shadee Llewelyn and Caitlin Brock received a big round of applause, speaking on behalf of the students, they delivered a message of thank you in Spanish, holding tight to their note cards written in big letters, all in Español.

Taking it all in, the City of Knowledge´s Executive Director declared "USF not only excels in sports -- we follow the Bulls from Panama -- USF excels in its scientific research and its contributions to health in the community and society," Dr. Jorge Arosemena said.

- Story by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications

Other links:

PHOTO GALLERY - June 2, 2008

Health in the Americas - Speech by Dean Donna Petersen, USF College of Public Health.

Discurso en Español: La Salud de las Américas

Click here for more on Office of International Programs, USF College of Public Health

Click here for more on the City of Knowledge, Panama.

When producers of the national documentary "Men Get Depression" went in search of experts to interview, USF's Chair of Psychiatry, Dr. Francisco Fernandez, emerged as one of only 4 psychiatry experts selected. The documentary will be broadcast throughout the month of May during a national awareness campaign.

"I am humbled to be part of a national group of experts who have been pioneers in the field of depression in men," said Fernandez.

Video clip of Dr. Fernandez segment.

"While I have been involved in many special activities and publications, and all have been a major part of my professional career, the honor of being selected for this national campaign to form the basis for depression awareness and treatment in Latinos is key in my career," said Fernandez, whose segments reveal societal barriers to diagnosis and treatment for depression, among Hispanics.

Depression among Hispanics...
"Sadly, in Latinos, depression is seen as a weakness. This leads to suffering needlessly in silence which translates into less men getting treated. There is also silence because of the link to manhood - the myth in the community is that Latino men do not get depressed," said Fernandez. "Traditional gender roles further contribute to an inability to talk about their problems. Getting angry and over drinking are sanctioned as part of manhood. Depression, taking medications and engaging in psychotherapy are not. Even available medial therapies are less acceptable to Latino men especially since many antidepressants can cause sexual dysfunction."

Francisco Fernandez, MD, Chair of Psychiatry, USF College of Medicine and Director of the USF Institute for Research in Psychiatry.

Depression across all ethnicities...
"I wish I could say things have changed for men in our society. The fact is that back in the early 1900's, life expectancy for men and women were about the same. Over the years, this has changed and life expectancy for men is now more than 10% lower than that of women. We lead the list of among the top ten leading causes of death - cancer, stroke, heart disease and suicide. By far the leading cause for suicide is untreated depression or 'treatment refractory depression'," noted Fernandez. The latter, treatment refractory depression, is triggered by medical treatments to combat certain illnesses. For example, open-heart surgery is often followed by depression.

"Depression is the second leading cause of disability worldwide and we repeatedly miss the diagnosis or fail to treat appropriately the majority of times. We are getting better, we are improving communication and we are fostering better health care education and services that encourage men of all ages to come to treatment, but there is clearly room for improvement," said Fernandez.

State of the Art, Inc.
The documentary Fernandez will appear in, Men Get Depression, will be distributed nationwide by American Public Broadcasting and was produced by State of the Art, Inc. Other experts interviewed for the documentary include: Dr. John Greden, University of Michigan's Depression Center; Dr. Michael Addis, Professor of Psychology at Clark College; and Author John Head, an expert on the relationship of racism and depression.

In the Tampa Bay area, the documentary "Men Get Depression" will be broadcast three times in May.
WUSF - tv: Tuesday, May 6, at 1pm and Wednesday, May 7 at 4:30am.
WEDU - tv: Thursday, May 29, at 11pm.

Gender differences when it comes to depression....
"Both men and women suffer from depression. Women are more willing to share their feelings and reach out for help than men," notes Fernandez. "Unfortunately this translates into men turning more to substance use for relief. We need much more research to understand all aspects of mood disorders in men, including how to make men more comfortable acknowledging our feelings and getting help when we need it."

Helping your loved ones face depression. The Do's and Don'ts...
If you suspect a loved one is battling depression, experts recommend you take steps to help that individual accept the idea of receiving help, medical treatment, and accepting a diagnosis of depression, if given. "This is critically important as the most important thing anyone can do for a man who may have depression is to help him get to a doctor for a diagnostic evalutaion and treatment, even if you have to make the first appointment for them and accompany them to subsequent follow up visits," said Fernandez. "One thing to avoid is the stance that depressed men can just 'snap out of it'. Climbing out of depression is not possible without professional help. Likewise, when the person is unable to change, do not tell them they are lazy or that they are faking the degree of suffering they claim to experience. It's important to gently reassure him that, with time and help, he will feel better and that is why it's important to get help pronto!"

Información y video en Español...
El Dr. Fernández fue seleccionado para el documentario nacional “Men Get Depression” - Los Hombres Padecen de la Depresión. El documentario fue producido para la cadena nacional American Public Broadcasting y sera televisado en ciudades a traves de la nacion durante el mes de Mayo como parte de una campaña nacional para educar al publico sobre la depresión.

"La depresión es la complicación psiquiatrica más frecuente en hombres Latino. Estos trastornos del estado de ánimo pueden ser primarios, secundarios a complicaciones de enfermedades médicas y sus tratamientos. El riesgo suicida es elevado a lo largo del curso de una depresión en hombres. Es importante reconocer que se dispone de múltiples estrategias terapéuticas efectivas para el manejo de la depresión y deben recibir el mismo abordaje agresivo que cualquier otra enfermedad sistémica,” dice el Dr. Fernández, quien, ademas de Catedra, es el Jefe del Instituto de Investigaciones Psiquiatrica- USF Institute for Research in Psychiatry.

Video en Español

Para más información sobre La Depresión y los Hombres

Other links:

Men Get Depression National Outreach Campaign
To obtain your dvd copy of documentary.
USF Psychiatry Lecture Series on Depression. Free & Open to the public.

Story by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications

Click here to read MSNBC story featuring Jay Dean’s comments.

USF neurophysiologist Jay Dean’s research on World War II advances in aviation physiology was featured in a May 1 story by MSNBC.

The piece titled “Parachuting dog helped win WWII” focuses on a team of American physiologists who studied the effects of high-altitude flight on the body and how the technology inspired by their work was a key to the Allied victory in the air. That research involved a sky diving St. Bernard dog known as “Major,” who sported his own custom oxygen mask.

Dr. Dean, professor of molecular pharmcology and physiology, is working on a book about Allied advances in aviation physiology. His historical research was presented at a recent Experimental Biology conference in San Diego.

“(Pilots) had two enemies – they had the enemy shooting at them and they had the unseen enemy, which was the environment,” he said. “The physiologists knew they had to do something to learn to protect the health of the war fighter.”

One of the world’s leading experts in hyperbaric neurophysiology, Dr. Dean uses hyperbaric chambers to study how pure oxygen at normal and high barometic pressures affects the central nervous system.

See related articles:
- USF Health story about Dr. Dean’s research on WWII aviation physiology.
- American Physiological Society interview with Dr. Dean

Dr. Lewis Rubin, Muma Endowed Chair in Neonatology

Lewis P. Rubin, MD, neonatologist is settling in to his new life in Florida. A recent transplant from Ohio, Dr. Rubin is approaching the one month mark at the University of South Florida as the Pamela S. and Leslie M. Muma Endowed Chair in Neonatology, Professor and Chief of Neonatology in the Department of Pediatrics, and Medical Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Tampa General Hospital. He was recruited this past winter from the Cleveland Clinic's Fetal Care Center in Cleveland, Ohio, where he served as a co-director. He sat down for an interview on April 24th, after talking to USF faculty and medical residents during the Dept. of Pediatrics' Grand Rounds.

April 24, 2008 Interview

Audio Clip 1: USF Health and Tampa General Hospital expansion of neonatal care in Tampa Bay area.

Audio Clip 2: Why USF? Why now?

Audio Clip3: The importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in neonatology

In addition to conducting research meant to advance the care and well-being of premature babies, Dr. Rubin will work with Ruben Quintero, MD, director of the USF Health Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, and regional hospitals to expand the diagnostic and treatment capacity of the USF Fetal Therapy Center.

“Dr. Rubin and his collaboration with existing USF Health specialists will be a tremendous resource for the region, and I believe will quickly be one of the world’s centers for neonatal treatment that helps prevent lifelong complications in these children,” said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the USF College of Medicine.

“Dr. Rubin is an internationally respected researcher in newborn medicine as well as an experienced clinician and educator,” said Robert M. Nelson, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at USF Health. “The strengths he brings to USF and the Tampa Bay region will help us attract other top investigators and clinicians and advance our neonatal, pediatric and obstetric services to the next level.”

The $4-million research endowed chair that Dr. Rubin will hold is a vital piece of one the largest gifts given in Florida to support research and care for newborns. The Mumas’ gift -- with a total impact of $14-million after eligible state matches -- supports an initiative by Tampa General Hospital and USF to build research and medical teams, laboratories at USF Health and expand the NICU at TGH.

“A goal of the Division of Neonatology is to provide innovative, technologically sophisticated, evidence-based, and family-centered care,” Dr. Rubin said. “We want to make the NICU as welcoming a place as possible for families and maximize the comfort and health of these smallest and most vulnerable babies.”

Prior to his arrival at USF, Dr. Rubin also served as chair of the Department of Neonatology and staff scientist in the Department of Cell Biology at the Cleveland Clinic and a professor of pediatrics and molecular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, and directed neonatology for the Cleveland Clinic Fetal Care Center, which teams with physicians who direct obstetrics and surgery and a fetal care nurse coordinator.

Dr. Rubin specializes in intensive care of premature babies and infants who have complex congenital, metabolic, cardiorespiratory or neurodevelopmental disorders.

His laboratory studies the interplay between genetics and environment, focusing on the effects of intrauterine stress, nutrition and other factors on fetal and newborn growth and development. He is directing a multisite clinical study, including TGH, evaluating whether antioxidant-enriched formula can improve lung function and decrease the risk of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in low-birth-weight and other at-risk babies.

At the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Rubin helped create a comprehensive fetal evaluation program that gives patients access to a broad range of maternal, pediatric and surgical subspecialists. He wants to help establish a similar program at the USF Fetal Therapy Center.

“Many of the core specialists already are present at TGH and USF Health,” he said. “We will develop a multidisciplinary program where a woman with any suspicion or diagnosis of a fetal problem can, in one day, have diagnostic tests like high resolution ultrasound, fetal echocardiography or fetal MRI and meet with a team of experienced experts. The family will come away with fuller understanding and a plan for continuing prenatal care, delivery, and options for fetal or neonatal treatment. USF Health and Tampa Bay should increasingly become known as an international destination for evaluation and care of the fetus and newborn.”

Dr. Rubin’s team plans to work with faculty in the USF Health Center for Aging and Brain Repair, who conduct cutting-edge research on potential treatments using stem cells derived from human umbilical cord blood and adult bone marrow cells. Such therapies may have applications for replacing or repairing cell populations in the damaged lungs, hearts or brains of premature infants as well as in aging adults, Dr. Rubin said.

“The best perinatal and neonatal research does not occur in isolation. It thrives by close collaboration with clinicians and scientists at the forefront in diseases that, at first glance, may not seem relevant to newborns,” Dr. Rubin said.

“For instance, a major complication for preemies is bleeding into the brain’s white matter. Neurological diseases in adults, including Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and stroke involve similar processes of nerve inflammation and regeneration," he said. “Our partnering with colleagues in the USF Signature Interdisciplinary Programs should advance prevention and treatments for persons across the lifespan.”

Dr. Rubin also hopes to work with faculty in the USF Colleges of Nursing and Public Health, which have strong community-based research initiatives in maternal and child health.

Dr. Rubin received his MD degree from Yale School of Medicine and completed a residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA and a joint fellowship program in neonatology at Children’s Hospital, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Beth Israel Hospital. He also took postdoctoral fellowships in molecular endocrinology and pediatric endocrinology. Before joining the Cleveland Clinic and Lerner College of Medicine, he was a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and an associate professor of pediatrics and co-director of the Fetal Medicine Program at Brown University Medical School in Providence, RI. He is listed in Best Doctors in America, 2007-2008.

Dr. Rubin is a member of the American Pediatric Society and is on the editorial board of several scientific journals. He is the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and a dozen book chapters and reviews. He has a strong track record of National Institutes of Health funding and is currently the principal investigator for a $1.1-million NIH grant studying how carotenoids (antioxidant micronutrients) regulate fetal vitamin A production and gene expression.

Coverage by Anne DeLotto Baier & Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications

"I am humbled to be part of a national group of experts who have been pioneers in the field of depression in men," said Fernandez.

Video clip of Dr. Fernandez segment.

"While I have been involved in many special activities and publications, and all have been a major part of my professional career, the honor of being selected for this national campaign to form the basis for depression awareness and treatment in Latinos is key in my career," said Fernandez, whose segments reveal societal barriers to diagnosis and treatment for depression, among Hispanics.

Depression among Hispanics...
"Sadly, in Latinos, depression is seen as a weakness. This leads to suffering needlessly in silence which translates into less men getting treated. There is also silence because of the link to manhood - the myth in the community is that Latino men do not get depressed," said Fernandez. "Traditional gender roles further contribute to an inability to talk about their problems. Getting angry and over drinking are sanctioned as part of manhood. Depression, taking medications and engaging in psychotherapy are not. Even available medial therapies are less acceptable to Latino men especially since many antidepressants can cause sexual dysfunction."

Francisco Fernandez, MD, Chair of Psychiatry, USF College of Medicine and Director of the USF Institute for Research in Psychiatry.

Depression across all ethnicities...
"I wish I could say things have changed for men in our society. The fact is that back in the early 1900's, life expectancy for men and women were about the same. Over the years, this has changed and life expectancy for men is now more than 10% lower than that of women. We lead the list of among the top ten leading causes of death - cancer, stroke, heart disease and suicide. By far the leading cause for suicide is untreated depression or 'treatment refractory depression'," noted Fernandez. The latter, treatment refractory depression, is triggered by medical treatments to combat certain illnesses. For example, open-heart surgery is often followed by depression.

"Depression is the second leading cause of disability worldwide and we repeatedly miss the diagnosis or fail to treat appropriately the majority of times. We are getting better, we are improving communication and we are fostering better health care education and services that encourage men of all ages to come to treatment, but there is clearly room for improvement," said Fernandez.

State of the Art, Inc.
The documentary Fernandez will appear in, Men Get Depression, will be distributed nationwide by American Public Broadcasting and was produced by State of the Art, Inc. Other experts interviewed for the documentary include: Dr. John Greden, University of Michigan's Depression Center; Dr. Michael Addis, Professor of Psychology at Clark College; and Author John Head, an expert on the relationship of racism and depression.

In the Tampa Bay area, the documentary "Men Get Depression" will be broadcast three times in May.
WUSF - tv: Tuesday, May 6, at 1pm and Wednesday, May 7 at 4:30am.
WEDU - tv: Thursday, May 29, at 11pm.

Gender differences when it comes to depression....
"Both men and women suffer from depression. Women are more willing to share their feelings and reach out for help than men," notes Fernandez. "Unfortunately this translates into men turning more to substance use for relief. We need much more research to understand all aspects of mood disorders in men, including how to make men more comfortable acknowledging our feelings and getting help when we need it."

Helping your loved ones face depression. The Do's and Don'ts...
If you suspect a loved one is battling depression, experts recommend you take steps to help that individual accept the idea of receiving help, medical treatment, and accepting a diagnosis of depression, if given. "This is critically important as the most important thing anyone can do for a man who may have depression is to help him get to a doctor for a diagnostic evalutaion and treatment, even if you have to make the first appointment for them and accompany them to subsequent follow up visits," said Fernandez. "One thing to avoid is the stance that depressed men can just 'snap out of it'. Climbing out of depression is not possible without professional help. Likewise, when the person is unable to change, do not tell them they are lazy or that they are faking the degree of suffering they claim to experience. It's important to gently reassure him that, with time and help, he will feel better and that is why it's important to get help pronto!"

Información y video en Español...
El Dr. Fernández fue seleccionado para el documentario nacional “Men Get Depression” - Los Hombres Padecen de la Depresión. El documentario fue producido para la cadena nacional American Public Broadcasting y sera televisado en ciudades a traves de la nacion durante el mes de Mayo como parte de una campaña nacional para educar al publico sobre la depresión.

"La depresión es la complicación psiquiatrica más frecuente en hombres Latino. Estos trastornos del estado de ánimo pueden ser primarios, secundarios a complicaciones de enfermedades médicas y sus tratamientos. El riesgo suicida es elevado a lo largo del curso de una depresión en hombres. Es importante reconocer que se dispone de múltiples estrategias terapéuticas efectivas para el manejo de la depresión y deben recibir el mismo abordaje agresivo que cualquier otra enfermedad sistémica,” dice el Dr. Fernández, quien, ademas de Catedra, es el Jefe del Instituto de Investigaciones Psiquiatrica- USF Institute for Research in Psychiatry.

Video en Español

Para más información sobre La Depresión y los Hombres

Other links:

Men Get Depression National Outreach Campaign
To obtain your dvd copy of documentary.
USF Psychiatry Lecture Series on Depression. Free & Open to the public.

Story by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications

WWW.HEALTH.USF.EDU ...
The USF Health website is composed of six blogs/RSS feeds corresponding to the blueprint for strategic action of Dr. Stephen K. Klasko, USF Health Senior Vice President and Dean of the USF College of Medicine. "Our blog section 'National Prominence' got the award," explained Michael Hoad, Vice President of Communications, USF and Associate Vice President of Communications, USF Health. The news driven website anchored in blogs and RSS feeds is the brainchild of Hoad and launched in February 2007 - created and implemented by USF Health Communications in partnership with Information Systems (I.S.).

Tracking numbers...
I.S.'s Ernest Leong, who played a key role implementing the blog/RSS format, reported a dramatic jump in users just two months after the new site's launch. According to I.S.'s tracking, by April 2007 the number of visitors to the USF Health webpages had jumped from approximately 2.2 million per year to a projected 30-37 million+ views for 2008. Earlier this month, the website was expanded from 5 to 6 RSS feeds to create more room for internal news relating to USF Health faculty, staff & students. So far this year, the USF Health website has averaged 51,185 'views per day', with the highest number occuring in February totalling 1.5 million 'page views' that month alone. Ironicall, that February total is almost the entire amount of views for all 2006, prior to the launch of the new USF Health website.

ONDD - a nursing resource organization...
"We’re 92, but actually, it’s by section so the numbers aren’t relevant – we’re in the top 100 and rank behind Harvard Medical International and the IOM’s own site, but ahead of UC-San Francisco," said Hoad. USF Health was ranked under the research category. In the ranking published by ONDD, they told readers "Check out these institutional research and medical news sites for the latest medical research findings."

Within our section on medical networks:

89. HMI Blog
This is the blog from Harvard Medical International, a subsidiary of Harvard Medical School that aims to bring quality health care to citizens all over the world. HMI Blog covers topics like health care trends and policy, health care delivery and more.

90. Running a Hospital
Paul Levy is the president and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital associated with Harvard. Read his blog for posts about universal health care, medical professionals’ salaries and health care in Massachusetts.

91. Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
This IOM site and blog covers all kinds of news, trends, research findings, and general information relating to medicine, health and the biomedical science field.

92. USF Health
The University of South Florida supports this medical blog, which includes RSS feeds for orthopaedics, sports medicine and more.

93. UCSF Today
The University of California - San Francisco uses this blog to post information about guest speakers, seminars, university information, research studies and more.

The Top 100 Academic Medical Blogs
Article by Laura Milligan

"Whether you’re a legitimate medical professional or just someone who wants the latest news on your prescription meds, weeding through all of the Internet quacks and irrelevant blog posts to find what you’re looking for is frustrating. When you want to access real, researched medical information fast, turn to these academic and science-focused blogs for expert advice and analysis.

Click here to view all rankings.

Newsbrief by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications

Dr. Salihu, Researcher and Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the USF College of Public Health, was interviewed regarding the importance of fetal autopsies, given the limited research that exist to date on the causes of stillbirth.

Stillbirth is defined as the death of a fetus at 20 weeks of gestation or more. Nationwide, experts say in nearly half of all stillbirth cases the cause remains a mystery, leaving couples to grapple with the frightening possibility that this may happen again and again. In the New York Times article, Dr. Hamisu stressed that a fetal autopsy is the single most important step a couple can take in order to know what caused their tragedy to occur and the likelihood it may happen with future pregnancies. "If autopsies were done routinely, we'd know a lot more about the causes of stillbirth and, probably, more about how to prevent them," said Dr. Salihu, an obstetrician-gynecologist and researcher. The reasons for not having the fetal autopsy vary. In many cases, medical insurance companies may not cover the cost of the autopsy - about $1,000 or more. In other cases, the couple fails to authorize it, overwhelmed by grief.

"a leading researcher in the field..."
USF's Dr. Salihu, identified in the national story as "a leading researcher in the field", said physicians should not engage in the common practice of reassuring couples that stillbirth is unlikely to recur, even in cases where the cause of their stillbirth is unknown.

Interviewed at USF Health about the New York Times article, Dr. Salihu had this to say: "My team has been studying stillbirth and stillbirth recurrence for several years now, and as reflected in the New York Times Report, my published work in the field remains a leading reference not only in the United States but the whole world. We and others have delineated certain characteristics that stand out as markers for stillbirth recurrence, and these include: a prior history of stillbirth, a prior history of small for gestational age (SGA) baby, chromosomal or genetic fetal anomalies, and persistent maternal medical conditions which may be genetic or non-genetic. However, in the majority of cases, we do not know the cause (the so-called unexplained stillbirth), and this is perhaps the most frustrating thing for affected couples. This underscores the need for more in-depth research in this relatively neglected area of Infant Health if we are to advance in knowledge and intervention that will be effective in preventing stillbirth or its recurrence."

National prominence in research...
Dr. Salihu recently received a one-year, $254,000 W.K Kellogg Foundation grant to help community coalitions develop evidence-based action plans to reduce high black infant mortality rates in seven Florida counties. He will work with a team of diverse multidisciplinary faculty and staff at the USF College of Public Health, the Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies and Florida A&M University.

Click here to view New York Times article/ April 1, 2008/ "Seeking Answers to Stop Another Stillbirth" by Jane E. Brody

Story by Lissette Campos & Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications

March 28, 2008. University of South Florida, Tampa Bay. The clock struck 3 a.m. and USF Health's William "Sandy" Quillen was wide awake and pouring over the annual rankings list produced by U.S. News & World Report. The publication's rankings were posted on its online newsroom seconds after midnight, March 28th, and to the delight of Bulls, USF's School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences received its first ever national ranking.

Sharing news of the inaugural national ranking and happily emailing colleagues at 3:16 a.m. Friday was the school's director - William S. Quillen, PT, PhD, also an Associate Dean and Professor in the USF College of Medicine.

Quillen wrote "I’m not normally up this late/early but the new U.S. News & World Report Rankings of professional schools were released shortly after midnight and I have been anxiously awaiting the results. Our USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences has achieved a Best Graduate Schools 2009 national ranking tied for 69th out of 200+ accredited physical therapy educational programs in the country. USF was one of only three (3) programs in the state of Florida to be nationally ranked (along with the University of Miami and the University of Florida)."

"The rankings in physical therapy are based upon two types of data: “expert opinion about program quality from Deans, Program Directors and Senior Faculty along with key statistical indicators; ie. licensure pass rate, student-faculty ratios etc.," explained Quillen.

The national ranking comes at a key time for physical therapy faculty, staff and students. This weekend marks the start of the school's re-accreditation visit by the Commission for Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). Embedded in the USF College of Medicine, it has become a nationally ranked school in slightly less than ten years since the establishment the USF Physical Therapy Program - an impressive achievement. "If we can stay true to our course and believe in the “optimistic future” that is the potential for USF Health we can one day soon become great. All of us should share in and enjoy this moment," said Quillen.

Dr. William Quillen, Director of the USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences, photographed with Scientific Foundations of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation textbook which he co-edited and was published in March 2007.

USF College of Nursing 1 of only 2 in Florida ranked in top 100

The rankings also bring good news to USF College of Nursing, lead by Dean Patricia Burns. The college is one of only two public colleges of nursing in Florida to be ranked in the top 100 for its master’s program. Its 2007 ranking -- jumping to number 72 last year from a previous ranking of 115 in 2003 -- was repeated in the current listing. "We continue to be recognized for our outstanding graduate programs," Dr. Burns said. "We're especially pleased with our new Certified Nurse Anesthesia, Clinical Nurse Leader, and Doctor of Nursing practices programs.

USF Rankings
Four USF Programs Ranked Among Nation’s Best by U.S. News & World Report. Graduate Programs in Education, Nursing, Industrial & Organizational Psychology Made the List. USF's College of Education has moved up in its ranking as one of the nation’s top 50 graduate schools of education from 48 to 45, positioning the college in a three way tie with graduate schools at Florida State University and the University of Miami.

The College of Education’s ranking, at No. 45, included in the magazine’s report on “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2009,” places USF’s college among the top 20% of graduate schools of education. USF's is one of only three colleges of education in Florida to be included in the prestigious national ranking.

“These rankings are affirmation of USF’s commitment to scholarly excellence in disciplines that directly impact the lives of people in our region, state, nation and the world,” said USF Provost Ralph Wilcox. “Teaching, learning, research and the creation of new knowledge are valued through the university, and strong graduate programs such as those earning the U.S. News & World Report distinction are key to achieving the bold vision set forth in USF’s strategic plan to transform higher education for global innovation.”

USF’s graduate program in industrial and organizational psychology, among the psychological specialties listings, remains highly ranked, at No. 10 in the nation.

About the U.S. News & World Report Annual Rankings
U.S. News & World Report annually ranks graduate schools in 11 areas, including business, education, engineering, law and medicine. The rankings, based on data from experts regarding program quality and statistical markers gauging the quality of a program’s faculty, research and students, can be found in the April 7 – 14 print edition of the magazine. The top 50 rankings will be showcased in the print edition.

Story by Lissette Campos, Anne DeLotto Baier and Barbara Perkins, USF Health Communications & University Relations

Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the College of Medicine, comments on the patient safety value of electronic medical records in the latest edition of Time magazine.

In a March 17, 2008 Time story on the planned merger of electronic medical records provider Allscripts with Misys PLC, Dr. Klasko says adoption of electronic medical records by more of the nation's physicians could help reduce medical mistakes, including prescription errors. Each year prescription errors kill about 7,000 patients and cost the the U.S. health-care system as much as $6 billion, according to the Time article.

"Say I put something incorrect or unusual in the system" explains Dr. Klasko. "I immediately get a big warning asking 'Is that really what you want to do?' You catch things you'd miss with paper."

USF Health's Dr. Shyam Mohapatra Presents Research during American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Conference.
Mohapatra’s Research: ‘Can a Skin Cream Prevent Asthma Attacks?’

On Friday, March 14th, before some 7,000 physicians and scientists worldwide, USF Health’s Shyam Mohapatra, PhD, FAAAAI, will present during the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Conference. Dr. Mohapatra will present during the plenary lecture of the 2008 conference being held in Philadelphia this week. His presentation will focus on a promising new way to treat allergic asthma by way of a skin cream.

Dr. Mohapatra is a Mabel & Ellsworth Simmons Professor of Allergy and Immunology in the USF Departments of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Molecular Medicine, and serves in a variety of leadership roles including Director of Basic Sciences in the USF Health Signature Program on Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases (SPAIID).

He is the lead author on the research project he will present this week in Philadelphia and recently published in the on-line journal of “Genetic Vaccines and Therapy. The study asks the question “Can a skin cream ‘knock down’ your asthma?”. Mohapatra and a team of researchers from USF Health believe the answer is yes.

As the incidence of asthma and allergies continues to escalate all over the world, scientists struggle to find new ways of treating them. For decades, scientists have noted the difficulty in unlocking the secrets to asthma lies in the fact that there are no simple ‘cause and effect’ processes to follow. Experts agree that asthma is a complex disease.

Mohapatra and the team at USF Health have found a link between a well known heart hormone, atrial natriuretic peptide, better known as ANP, and the inflammation that occurs in lungs during asthmatic episodes. Pointing to this research study, USF Health researchers believe a key step in treatment is to block the signal sent out by ANP to receptors located on the surface of lung cells. During their research study, damage and elevated white blood cells in the lungs were prevented, when the ANP signal was blocked or “knocked down”.

Dr. Mohapatra holding a nanowire platform chip, which is part of the nanotechnology being used by USF Health researchers.

Among the exciting aspects of the study is the team’s use of nanotechnology and their delivery method – a skin cream. Dr. Mohapatra noted that because the nanoparticles are one hundredth the diameter of a cell, it easily passed through the skin and made their way to the lungs to block the ANP. The skin cream was rubbed on the backs of asthmatic mice in the study. The results showed that test mice treated in this way had lungs that were damage free and had no mucus.

Interviewed prior to his departure to Philadelphia, Dr. Mohapatra explained what this could mean down the road. “Sometimes it is difficult to treat asthma using conventional inhalers for children below 5 years of age and the elderly. Also, treatment by oral route has been found to be less compliant,” said Mohapatra, noting children and elderly asthmatics who are either unable to administer the correct dosage of medication or forget about taking their meds altogether. “Our research paper shows, for the first time, that even lung diseases such as asthma can be treated by a cream based delivery,” said Mohapatra who admits that, realistically, we are still several years away from having such a cream available to patients. "The therapy has to be translated from pre-clinical to clinical studies, which often takes upto five years."

Dr. Mohapatra is the lead author in the study. Other authors of the study include Doctors Xiaoqin Wang, Subhra Mohapatra, Xiaoyuan Kong , and Richard Lockey from USF’s Department of Internal Medicine and Dr.Weidong Xu from TransGenex Nanobiotech.

Story by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications.

Maria T. Caserta, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, was recently inducted to The American College of Psychiatrists. She joins a select group of only 651 physicians, from across the nation, who have achieved this prestigious credential. Membership in The American College of Psychiatrists is limited to practicing psychiatrists who have demonstrated outstanding competence in the field of psychiatry, and who have achieved national recognition in one of the following fields: clinical practice, research, academic leadership, teaching, and leadership in psychiatry.

Dr. Caserta joined the USF Department of Psychiatry in January 2008 in a variety of roles. In addition to being a Professor of Psychiatry, she is Chief of the Geriatric Psychiatry Program, Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Education Training Program and Medical Director of the Memory Disorders Clinic. She is developing the Memory Disorders Clinic for USF Health, and in the process developing a regional and national model for care. She sees patients at the USF Health University Psychiatry Center located in North Tampa and is also a scholar in the Advanced Research Institute in Geriatric Mental Health.

"These are challenging, yet exciting times for our field of psychiatry and especially geriatric psychiatry," said Dr. Caserta, who is Board Certified in both Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry. Turning her attention to her recent arrival at the USF College of Medicine, she admits that working with Department Chair Dr. Frank Fernandez is one of the main reasons she came. "I am very happy to be in the Dept. of Psychiatry at USF at this time, with so many opportunities for research collaboration, training of medical students, residents and fellows, and the development of new programs for excellent diagnosis and treatment of older adults, across disciplines, departments and institutes. I look forward to working with the wonderful clinicians and researchers in the field at this institution.”

This award winning psychiatrist and past recipient of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Career Development Award in Geriatric Mental Health, comes to USF from the University of Chicago where she was Associate Director of the Memory Disorders Clinic. At Northwestern University, she was the Education Core Director of its Alzheimer's Disease Center.

Dr. Caserta's research interests include imaging techniques in animal models of Alzheimer's disease and imaging with subjects exhibiting mild cognitive impairment, which is considered a possible precursor of Alzheimer's.

"It is truly an honor for the Department to share in Dr. Caserta's great achievement and excitement at her induction into the nation’s most prestigious society committed to excellence in psychiatry," said Dr. Fernandez. "We are especially pleased that she will be continuing her clinical, educational, and research efforts at USF collaborating with others in the care of our older population."

The American College of Psychiatrists is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the latest advances in the specialty, and supporting the highest standards in psychiatry.

Newsbrief by Lissette Campos, Photography by Klaus Herdocia
USF Health Communications

The USCAP meeting, attended by well over 3-thousand experts, was held in Denver Colorado the first week of March. Approximately 2,400 scientific abstracts were submitted for consideration, with the USF Health Dept. of Pathology & Cell Biology surpassing experts from more than 300 medical school programs. In all, more than 190 academic institutions across North America submitted scientific abstracts for review, with another 136+ from around the world.

Dr. Santo V. Nicosia, Distinguished University Professor, Chair of Department of Pathology and Cell Biology @ USF Health.

The society's leadership announced the USF Health recognition by way of a letter to Santo V. Nicosia,MD, Department Chair. Writing from their headquarters in Augusta, Georgia, USCAP's top official wrote "It is obvious that your institution has worked hard to support and generate these important studies which will help advance the specialty of pathology as well as medicine in general. On behalf of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology I want to extend our congratulations to you and express my personal appreciation for all that you and your faculty have doen to enhance the scientific program of our Academy and our discipline."

At home in Tampa, Dr. Nicosia, Distinguished USF Professor, had this to say, "This kind of news provides the necessary antidote to challenges and reminds us what we are all about! I would like to extend my personal thanks to all participating trainees and faculty for their scholarly efforts and to our administration for much appreciated support."

It is the second top honor for the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology in the last six months. Last Summer, faculty members Dr. Nicosia, Dr. Jane Messina and Dr. Michael Morgan were selected by Best Doctors in America. The annual listing is compiled from surveys with physicians, nationwide, asked who they would go to for treatment in their specialty. The result is a national listing of 30,000 physicians in more than 40 specialties.

Newsbrief by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications

Click here for USF presentations to United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology,Inc.