Earlier this month a group of USF Health students raised nearly $500 to help build one of Tampa’s first fully accessible playgrounds. The community event, known as the “Wheel-a-thon”, was held on September 15th at MacFarlane Park in West Tampa.

Starting with a kick-off by Mayor Pam Iorio and the head of Tampa’s Parks & Recreation Deparment, the teams took off “wheeling” and walking. Participants got the chance to see what it was like to be in a wheelchair. "It's not as simple as it looks", said Dr. Laurie Woodard, Department of Family Medicine, USF College of Medicine, who participated along with her daughter Anika and dog Nikki. "All our students wanted to try the wheelchairs and then they saw how hard it was. Your arms get really tired! It's an eye openning experience. You can really appreciate people who 'zip around' in a wheel chair everyday. It takes much more strength and dexterity than people think."

Participating USF Health students are members of the Family Medicine interest group and the Pediatrics interest group. Students included Lilly Chang, Mara Levitt, Angela Goodwin, Phuong Ngyuen, Daniel Yoder and wife Amy, Patoula Panagos and Jean Brown. Faculty members included Dr. Woodard; Stephanie Peters, MA, Educational Coordinator of PDI & II, Dr. Don Smith, Dept. of Neurosurgery, as well as members of their families.

“I am proud of the student commitment and enthusiasm”, said Dr. Woodard, “One of the nice things about this event is that students are participating in a local charitable event where people of all ages and abilities have a chance to mingle, support a good local cause and have fun. Being able to play is important for everyone!" For Dr. Woodard, the annual event is an extension of what she does in the classroom on a regular basis – profiled in the New England Journal of Medicine last year, she teaches medical students how to work with patients with disabilities.

From L to R: Amy Yoder, MD Student Daniel Yoder, Arizona Jenkins, and MD Student Jean Brown.

Among the stars at the "Wheel-a-thon" event was a familiar face for USF Health students - community activist Arizona Jenkins. Mr. Jenkins, who has cerebral palsy, participates in the USF College of Medicine's 3rd year curriculum clerkships. He serves as a "patient-teacher" in the patients-with-disabilities module. Mr. Jenkins has been an integral part of students' learning experiences since the module in the primary care clerkship began 3 years ago.

From L to R: MD Student Patoula Panagos, MD Student Phuong Ngyuen and Faculty member Stephanie Peters take a break for a picture. Patoula Panagos had the busy job of coordinating the use of all the wheelchairs during this year's "Wheel-a-thon".

On the morning after this year's "Wheel-a-thon" , Lilly Chang, Student President of the Pediatric Interest Group, was already planning ahead. “We really enjoyed the day out at the park! I will make every effort to let next year's student director know about the event and ask them to get people involved at an earlier time.”

The annual fundraiser benefits the Freedom Playground non-profit organization. For more info go to www.freedomplayground.org

USF Health delegation. From L to R: 18 year old Anika Smith, who is the daughter of Dr. Laurie Woodard; Student Jean Brown; Student Phuong Ngyuen; Amy Yoder; Dr. Woodard; Student Angela Goodwin; Student Lilly Chang, Student Mara Levitt; and faculty member Stephanie Peters - who's husband Charlie Delp served as "honorary photographer", capturing all the fun on film.

Story by Lissette Campos

The USF Health Information Technology Department is proud to announce that one of its own, Alison Robinson, has been chosen to speak at the national conference of one of the leading support desk system groups in the world. The software company Numara tapped Robinson, who is the Director of Support Services at USF Health IT, because of USF Health’s experience in transforming its I.T. customer support.

Numara Software, Inc. is a global provider of service desk management solutions for I.T. The company supports professionals who need to simplify and gain control over their increasingly complex environments. It is based in Tampa Fl., and sells its products to people who handle service calls.

One of the company’s main products is Footprints, which Robinson will touch on in her speech. “The focus of the topic is how we improved internal communication and communication with our customers through the use of Footprints,” said Robinson. “Footprints allows an integrated support system, including feedback from the customer.”

In addition, Robinson will also be leading “birds of a feather” sessions at the lunches. These sessions allow people to stop by Robinson’s table and join her for lunch to ask questions or get further clarification about the software.

Robinson has been at USF Health IT since August 2006 after leaving her long-time home of Milwaukee, WI. Robinson loves her job and the people she works with. “I have a great staff of people that I work with everyday and that staff works with everyone in USF Health to make their technology work for them,” Robinson said.

Robinson has a diverse educational background, including a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, a teaching certification with a minor in computer sciences, and a Master of Science in Computer Science Education. With vast experience in computers and technology, she doesn’t limit her time to computers. “Computer geek may be appropriate at work. At home, I am a total outdoors person and try to minimize the amount of time I spend on the computer,” Robinson said.

The 2007 Numara Software User Conference is will be held from October 7-10, 2007 in Orlando, Florida.

Story by: Monique Salazar

Safety glasses protect citrus workers' eyes from the hazards of whipping branches and flying debris.

A USF College of Public Health Prevention Research Center project to help prevent eye injuries among Central Florida citrus workers is featured prominently on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention PRC website. (Read CDC-posted story.)

Through its Partnership for Citrus Worker Health initiative, the Florida Prevention Research Center at USF has trained dozens of workers who pick oranges to be health promoters. These specially-trained citrus workers then teach their peers about eye safety, including the importance of wearing safety glasses – a protective measure estimated to prevent 90 percent of eye injuries. The PRC, led by project director Paul Monaghan, PhD, works with a coalition of citrus pickers, citrus industry representatives, migrant farm worker advocates, and social service personnel in the rural areas of Dade City, Clewiston and Immokalee.

USF is the only one of 33 PRCs nationwide to specialize in an innovative planning framework known as community-based prevention marketing, said Carol Bryant, PhD, center co-director and principal investigator. “This framework blends sophisticated marketing techniques with the power of a community’s local wisdom to design preventive health interventions — such as promoting safety eyewear use among citrus workers.”

Other Florida Prevention Research Center at USF demonstration projects include preventing tobacco and alcohol use and promoting physical activity among youth. Disseminating the findings from these community-based prevention marketing projects through the CDC’s website, online journal and conferences has generated much interest in USF’s program, Dr. Bryant said. “As a result, we now provide technical assistance to other Prevention Research Centers and state health departments across the country.”

- By Anne DeLotto Baier

This week, experts in the Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine, USF College of Medicine, were interviewed by media from around the region on the topic of meningitis. The coverage comes after the sudden death of 19 year old Rachel Futterman on September 24th. The USF freshman contracted bacterial meningitis and died just two days after suffering a seizure at the Delta Gamma Sorority house.

As all students and faculty continue to cope with this tragedy, experts in Infectious Diseases are trying to get life-saving information about meningitis out to as many people as possible. To see podcast by Dr. John Toney, click here.

Podcast includes

*what is meningitis

*how is it transmitted

*incubation period

*symptoms

*signs of infection on the body

*treatment

*vaccination

Dr. John Toney, Dept of Infectious Disease and International Medicine

Paul Sanberg, PhD, DSc

Paul Sanberg, PhD, DSc, Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair at USF Health, was a featured speaker Sept. 19 at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2007 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. The prestigious meeting is attended by thousands of surgeons from across the world.

“The Congress represents U.S. and many foreign neurosurgeons. The organization’s selection of Dr. Sanberg to give an update on stem cell research in the United States speaks to the premier status of Dr. Sanberg and his team at the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair,” said Harry van Loveren, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, where the center is based. “The Center’s work brings worldwide distinction to the University of South Florida.”

Dr. Sanberg was on the roster with such speakers as novelist Salman Rushdie, who was condemned to death by the Ayatollah Khomeini after publishing Satanic Verses; astronomist Steve Squires, PhD, who works on NASA’s Mars Rover mission; and Robert Sapolsky, PhD, the Stanford University neuroendocrinologist who has lived with and studied baboons in Africa.

He delivered a special lecture, titled “Navigating Cellular Repair for the Nervous System,” in which he spoke about the tremendous potential of regenerative medicine. “If stem cell therapy using neurosurgical approaches is FDA approved and becomes commercially viable for any of the big three neurodegenerative diseases – Parkinson’s, stroke or Alzheimer’s – there may not be enough neurosurgeons to handle the demand,” he said.

Currently clinical trials testing stems cells for brain repair are being conducted in patients outside the United States; studies in this country continue to progress in animal models.

Dr. Sanberg directs a pre-eminent USF research center that is developing new therapeutic strategies -- including therapies derived from adult stem cells and human umbilical cord blood -- to promote repair and regeneration of the aging and diseased brain. His early work was pioneering in understanding the role of cell death in neurological disorders.

Dr. Sanberg is an inventor on several patents involving the use of nonembryonic stem cells for brain and spinal cord injury. He is editor-in-chief of the journal Cell Transplantation, executive director of the American Society for Neural Transplantation and Repair, and past president of the Cell Transplant Society.

- Story by Anne DeLotto Baier

USF nurse physiologist Maureen Groer, PhD, will track the changes in women's immune systems in the months following childbirth.

Tampa, FL (Sept. 25, 2007) -- A University of South Florida nursing professor has received a four-year, $1.45-million National Institutes of Health grant to delve deeper into how changes in immune function following childbirth may affect the physical and mental health of mothers.

The months following childbirth are critical for women as their bodies recover from the incredible array of physiological stresses of pregnancy and delivery.

The grant from the National Institute for Nursing Research will allow princicipal investigator Maureen Groer, PhD, Gordon Keller Professor of Nursing at USF, to examine patterns of changes in inflammation, immunity and hormones and their connection with stress, mood and general health in postpartum women. Dr. Groer and colleagues will follow 210 Tampa Bay area women from delivery through six months postpartum.

“Dr. Groer’s award is recognition of her scientific expertise and a monumental step in increasing our research productivity and ranking among colleges of nursing with National Institutes of Health funding,” said Patricia Burns, PhD, dean of the USF College of Nursing.

“We’re going to learn a whole lot more about what’s going on immunologically and hormonally in these women as their bodies recover,” said Dr. Groer, director of the Center for Women's Health Research at the USF College of Nursing. “No one has done that as far as six months out from delivery.”

That’s important because a woman’s immune system may not return to it pre-pregnancy state for a full year, Dr. Groer said, even though her uterus typically reverts to normal and menstrual cycles restart within the “classic” six-week postpartum period.

In particular, Dr. Groer and colleagues will compare both healthy control mothers and mothers at risk for postpartum thyroiditus, an inflammation of the thyroid gland that affects 7 to 10 percent of women following childbirth. The autoimmune condition leads to an overactive, then underactive, thyroid and includes such non-specific symptoms as fatigue, inability to lose weight, anxiety, depression and hair loss. In most cases, thyroid function returns to normal 12 to 18 months after symptoms begin, but some women develop permanent thyroid disease.

In a previous NIH study, Dr. Groer showed that the immediate postpartum period (4 to 6 weeks following childbirth) was marked by activated and heightened immune defenses, whether the woman breastfed or bottlefed her new baby. She reported that this boost in immune surveillance and upregulated inflammatory response may protect women from infectious diseases.

“Overall, postpartum women tend to be very healthy,” Dr. Groer said. “From an evolutionary standpoint, this makes sense because if the mother’s health is threatened she cannot fully protect and nurture her offspring.”

However, for some at risk women, the increased post-partum inflammatory response may trigger an autoimmune process – that is, the body attacks itself instead of fighting infection and disease, Dr. Groer said. In fact, many autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and postpartum thyroiditis, begin or flare up in the weeks or months following childbirth.

In the new study, the USF researchers will use postpartum thyroiditis as a model for autoimmune disease. They will identify women at high risk for the condition, based on the presence of certain antibodies in their blood during pregnancy, and track whether or not this group goes on to develop the autoimmune disease after delivery. Research nurses will follow both the antibody-positive (high-risk) and the antibody-negative (control) groups -- visiting the women monthly to examine their thyroids, draw blood to analyze immune and inflammatory substances and stress hormones, and check weight and vital signs. The study participants will complete comprehensive surveys, including demographics, breastfeeding status, and information about their physical health, mood and stress levels.

While the propensity for protected health following childbirth exists, the hectic pace of modern life and short maternity leaves may help subvert it, Dr. Groer said. “In the United States, many postpartum women return early to stressful work schedules where they’re answering cell phones, getting paged, and using blackberries. They may not have adequate time off to recover and bond with their babies.”

If researchers can better understand the role of the immune system in the postpartum months, their findings may lead to better and quicker ways to detect which women are at greatest risk for autoimmune disease, stress or depression.

“These conditions can be effectively treated,” Dr. Groer said. “The bottom line is to improve the quality of life for women and their babies.”

Dr. Groer will work with co-investigators Cecile Jevitt, PhD, and Jason Beckstead, PhD, College of Nursing; David Keefe, MD, College of Medicine; and Wei Wang, PhD, College of Public Health.

- 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 $310 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.

Jun Tan, MD, PhD

Tampa, FL (Sept. 25, 2007) -- University of South Florida neuroscientist Jun Tan, MD, PhD, has been appointed to the $2-million Robert A. Silver Chair in Developmental Neurobiology. The endowment will support the work of Dr. Tan, associate professor in the Silver Child Development Center, Department of Psychiatry, as he broadens his current research in neuropsychiatry to discovering how brain development affects the behavior of infants, children and adolescents.

Archie A. Silver, MD, professor emeritus of psychiatry, and his wife Mary Louise established the endowment in 1997 to honor their son, Robert A. Silver.

“The Department of Psychiatry owes an infinite debt of gratitude to Dr. Tan for his pioneering work in the field of neuroimmunology, which will now be extended to improve the lives of millions of children with mental disorders,” said Francisco Fernandez, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry. “Dr. Tan’s work has spawned revolutionary advances in immunopathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders. This is a particularly exciting for all of us as USF has chosen an outstanding scientist who is a local hero.”

“The selection of Dr. Tan to serve as the Robert A. Silver Chair in Developmental Neurobiology is a strong reflection of the institutional commitment to create a program in this discipline at USF Health,” said Abdul S. Rao, MD, MA, DPhil, professor of surgery and molecular medicine and senior associate vice president, USF Health. “Dr. Tan will play a critical role in helping further develop a program in Developmental Neurobiology that will complement the efforts underway in basic, translational and clinical research in the Interdisciplinary Signature Program in Neurosciences.”

Dr. Tan served as scientific director of the Neuroimmunology Laboratory in the USF Institute for Research in Psychiatry since 2003. He is a leader in developing novel treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders such as HIV dementia. Recently, his team received national attention for their work showing that a transdermal vaccine (such as a skin patch) may be a promising noninvasive therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. Using a new mouse model for HIV-related dementia, Dr Tan and colleagues found that a green tea extract protects the brain against the neurotoxicity of proteins secreted by the AIDS virus.

He is a principal investigator or co-principal investigator for $2.3 million in federal research projects funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Aging. He holds several patents for potential treatments for neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr. Tan will bring his expertise in immunity and inflammation in the adult brain to bear on disorders of brain development affecting children. He was first to characterize an immune molecule on the surface of nerve cells, or neurons, called CD40. Recent results from ongoing studies suggest this molecule could play an important role in the creation of neurons and their differentiation in the developing fetus. These and other findings may lead to a better understanding of the abnormal physiology underlying childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Tourette’s syndrome, and hopefully result in new treatments.

- 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 $310 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.

Read The Tampa Tribune account of Dr. Vesely's big career medal win...

Dr. David Vesely

Tampa, FL (Sept. 20, 2007) -- A major national organization has awarded its lifetime achievement medal to David Vesely, MD, PhD, a ground-breaking research scientist at the University of South Florida and James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital.

A pioneer in the field of heart research, Dr. Vesely discovered a series of hormones that help regulate how the heart functions. The nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service (PPS) honored him with its Service to America Career Achievement Medal to celebrate excellence in federal civil service. He received the medal, including a $10,000 award, Sept. 19 at the PPS 2007 Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC.

Dr. Vesely is a professor of Medicine and Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at USF Health and chief of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center in Tampa. He was one of three finalists for the Career Achievement Medal – including a former Nobel Prize winner and Library of Congress legislative specialist. Honorees are chosen based on their commitment and innovation, as well as their work’s impact on addressing the needs of the nation.

“This is a tremendous recognition of Dr. Vesely’s lifetime of research science,” said Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, dean of the College of Medicine and vice president for USF Health. "He embodies the spirit of discovery as well as USF's partnership with the Veterans' Hospital."

In the last 25 years, Dr. Vesely has discovered three hormones made by the heart that, because of their ability to lower blood pressure and promote the excretion of excess salt, may significantly benefit the treatment of congestive heart failure, kidney failure and cancer. Within in a 24-hour timeframe, the cardiac hormones are capable of eliminating in test tubes as many as 97 percent of human pancreatic, prostate, breast, colon, and kidney adenocarcinomas.

Many of the most common forms of cancer -- breast, colon and prostate cancers -- are adenocarcinomas. These cancers, which begin in cells that line certain internal organs, have gland-like properties. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is the most lethal of all cancers. Even with surgery and current cancer chemotherapy, patients with pancreatic cancer are expected to live only four months after the disease takes hold.

Dr. Vesely’s work, published earlier this year in the journal In Vivo, has shown that up to 80 percent of human pancreatic adenocarcinomas growing in laboratory mice can be cured. Even in human pancreatic cancers that are not cured, the tumor volume decreases to less than 10 percent of that in untreated mice. In this case, Dr. Vesely found, the mice do not succumb to cancer, but rather continue to live a normal lifespan.

The death of Dr. Vesely’s wife, Clo, in 2002 from breast cancer spurred him to expand his research beyond pancreatic cancer. As a result, Dr. Vesely found that two of the cardiac hormones he discovered eliminated two out of every three human breast carcinomas growing in mice, with the third hormone eliminating 50 percent.

Dr. Vesely’s path of discovery can be traced back to his home state of Nebraska, where he was a member of Creighton University’s class of 1967. Next, he pursued an MD and PhD at the University of Arizona, completing the two degrees in three years. In 1969, he received a prestigious National Institute of Health scholarship, which at the time was awarded to only two people.

The Tampa VA medical center, where Dr. Vesely works, cares for more than 1.5 million patients each year, making it the nation’s busiest outpatient veterans’ medical center. It has earned national distinction as a Diabetes Center of Excellence, one of only two in the entire VA medical system.

Dr. Vesely had been a faculty member at the USF College of Medicine since 1989. He helped establish and directs the USF Cardiac Hormone Center, a multidisciplinary center with faculty from Molecular Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology.

Throughout his career, Dr. Vesely has been recognized as an outstanding supervisor, teacher and mentor to medical and graduate students, residents, fellows and postdoctoral fellows. He has compiled an impressive portfolio, with 296 peer-reviewed scientific publications and three books to his credit. He received the Outstanding Teacher Award three times and has frequently been the featured speaker at major national and international scientific conferences.

"Dr. Vesely’s contributions to science in general and to University of South Florida in particular are unprecedented,” said Abdul S. Rao, MD, MA, DPhil, senior associate vice president of USF Health. “He serves as a very important member of our Interdisciplinary Signature Research Program in Cardiovascular Diseases and as a senior mentor and role model for our faculty, staff and students. USF Health is very proud of Dr. Vesely’s long-standing association with this Institution and extends a heartiest congratulation for this well-deserved recognition."

Dr. Vesely plans to begin a clinical trial further testing the heart hormones in patients with congestive heart failure, and continues to seek partners for clinical trials with cancer patients.

- 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 $310 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.

SAVORY BUTTER BEANS
by Greg Alexander
We made this recipe using dry butter beans (lima beans). Broad beans
work well too. These beans are tasty either way, but according to the
Doctor of Butterbeans, fresh ones have great color.
Wields: J food-sized bowl of beans)
4 cups Fresh butter beans, washed
2 tbsp Butter
1/2 CUP Andouille sausage, chopped (1 sausage)
Y.2 CUP Smoked ham, chopped
5 cups Water
1 tsp. Dry savory leaves (1 tbsp fresh)
1 tsp. Ham soup base
8-10 Whole green peppercorns
1 Shallot, finely minced
3 Cloves fresh garlic, or % tsp. dry minced garlic covered with 2 tsp. water and rehydrate
for 5 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste
If using dry beans, soak 3/4 of a 1 Ib. bag in a deep bowl covered with cold
water overnight. You can also use the whole bag and just increase all
other recipe ingredients by '/4 . In a 2-3 quart saucepan, melt the butter
and gently saute the shallot and garlic until soft. Add the ham and sausage
and gently saute, adding $5 cup water if necessary to prevent burning.
Add the butter beans and enough water to fully cover the beans. We used
5 cups of water total, but it might vary depending on the size of the pan
and your beans. Add savory, green peppercorns and ham base. Bring to a
boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until
beans are tender and the water is reduced to form a broth. Stir carefully
once the beans start getting soft so they don't get broken. About halfway
through cooking, taste and add salt and pepper to taste. We added '/2 tsp.
both salt and ground black pepper. Can be served over rice or as a side
dish. Add hot sauce to taste.
Prep time: 10 minutes chopping plus soaking time if you use dry beans.
Cooking time: 2-3 hours.

SUMMER AFTERNOON ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
by Greg Alexander
(Jervex t wo to three)
2 Fresh zucchini, julienned
1 Large egg
12-1 6 Mint leaves, chopped
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp Butter
95 tsp Baking powder
Salt and Pepper
Crated parmesan cheese
(Directions on back)
Mix julienned zucchini, beaten egg, baking powder, mint leaves,
salt and pepper in a bowl. The mixture should be runny. If it is not,
add another egg.
Heat olive oil and butter in a heated skillet (non-stick works best).
Lift a small handful of zucchini mix in your hand and drop into the
hot oil. Cook thoroughly on one side, flip, and cook the other side.
Pat between two paper towels.
Sprinkle with parmesan. Serve at once.

LAMB SHANKS TOULOUSE
by Greg Alexander
Dr. Alexander did research with some French doctors and they loved his cooking. He wrote this recipe up
at the request of his dear friend, Dr. Francois de Caunes from Toulouse.
4 lamb shanks 1 bottle red wine- Rhone is very good
8-10 garlic cloves 6 fresh mint leaves for garnish
1 large onion 2 tsp. sea salt, divided
1 shallot 1 tsp. white .p ep. per
2 leeks 4 tbsp. flour
1 turnip 2 bay leaves
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
'/Z tsp. thyme
14 oz. can plum tomatoes
'/Z 6 oz. can tomato paste
1/3 cup of olive oil or 1/2 stick of butter
2 tsp. mignonette pepper (roughly 3/4 tsp. each
cracked black and white pepper and coriander)
4-8 anchovies (optional, but they add a great depth of flavor without an anchovy
taste ...g ive 'em a try!)
Rub the shanks with 1 tsp. salt and mignonette pepper and then dust with flour. Chop all
the vegetables and put to one side.
Heat the olive oil or butter in a large, heavy casserole with a lid. Two at a time, over
medium heat, brown shanks all over being careful not to burn. Once browned, remove
and set aside. Add garlic, onion, shallot, leeks, turnip, carrots and celery and cook over
medium low heat, stirring occasionally to get up any brown bits on the bottom, until
tender. Add a bit of butter or olive oil if the vegetables get too dry.
After about 10 minutes, the vegetables should be nice and tender. Add anchovies, tomato
paste and plum tomatoes. bay leaves and thyme, stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour in the bottle of red wine and stir thoroughly. Season with salt and white pepper to
taste- we used 1/4 tsp. white pepper and another 1 tsp. salt. Return the lamb shanks to the
pot, stir and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours until the meat
is completely falling off the bone tender. Place the shanks in a deep serving dish. Skim
any fat off the sauce and spoon over and around the shanks in the serving dish. Garnish
with fresh mint leaves.
Dr. Alexander served this hearty dish with saffron rice or couscous, a spinachhandarin
orange salad and red wine, with a glass of Armagnac after. When the shanks are very
large, it helps to de-bone the meat from the shanks before serving to reduce into smaller
portions.

ROUND-0-RACK (Smoked Marinated Venison)
by Greg Alexander
The following recipe makes a very tangy and mildly hot, smoked snack which can be kept for days in the fridge
and sliced as needed. A smoker is required. The recipe's name acknowledges Mr. Thomas C. Hulsey of Round-0,
South Carolina, who has been the host of many a fine hunt and subsequent source of venison through the years.
1 venison ham (small) 1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 garlic clove 1 tbsp. minced onion
1 bottle Teriyaki barbeque marinade
1/4 bottle Worcestershire sauce
5 splashes Tabasco sauce
1 bottle cheap, dry white wine
1 tsp. dry horseradish
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. salt (or onion or garlic salt)
1 tsP. black pepper (or red pepper, depending on taste)
Marinate venison in bottom of broiler pan or similar size pan large
enough to hold meat and marinade. Poke and score venison with
knife to let marinade seep deep into meat. Rub venison with garlic
clove, leaving leftover clove in pan. Add Teriyaki, Worcestershire,
Tabasco, horseradish, herbs and spices. Put enough wine in (usually
half a bottle or so) to partially cover meat. Let set, covered with
foil, at least overnight but preferably for one day or more. Turn
meat as often as you can remember. Remove and pepper meat to
taste before smoking. Smoke according to your smoker's direction
until done (undercooking is a bigger problem than overcooking).
Use leftover marinade in smoker's marinade pan. I prefer smoking
with one third hickory, one third oak and one third fruit tree
(plum). Add a few sprigs of rosemary, marjoram or sage to the
coals for an extra touch.

On September 17, 2007, health experts gathered for a reception to mark the 10th anniversary of the Lawton & Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies at the USF College of Public Health.

The evening's special guests included Rhea Law, widow of the late Florida Governor Lawton Chiles, and son Ed Chiles.

Dr. Charles Mahan with his grandchildren.

Dr. Charles Mahan, Dean Emeritus of the USF College of Public Health and the Chiles Center, announced his family's gift of $1.8 million to the college of public health - the largest gift in the history of the college. Dr. Donna Petersen, the college's dean and a national maternal & child health expert said "Dr. Mahan has shared with us so many gifts over his many years affiliated with the University of South Florida College of Public Health. It is amazing to us that he would continue to give in order to ensure that mothers and babies and families can be healthy and strong and that USF can continue to contribute to the betterment of lives in communities throughout the world."
"He used to drive around Florida in a bus giving prenatal care. That experience burned into his psyche the need to provide prenatal not just from HIS bus, but for everyone in the state", said Dr. Stephen Klasko, Vice President of USF Health and Dean of the USF College of Medicine.

From L to R: Rhea Chiles, widow of the late Florida Governor, and Dr. Charles Mahan, who was Director of the Florida Dept. of Health during the governor's administration.

Dr. Charles Mahan, a veteran obstetrician and public health advocate, was surrounded by children and grandchildren during the announcement of their family's gift of $1.8 million to the USF College of Public Health. "Most of the programs we’ve gotten in to have been very successful". said Dr. Mahan during an interview. "I think the issue is that new problems have come up over the last ten years. The state has grown a tremendous amount. Our number of births have gone from 180,000 a year to approximately 225,000 a year. Some of the things we had a grip on have gotten away from us. I think now we have to start over and look for new solutions to all these things that are happening."

It was an evening filled with plenty of emotion. Dr. Donna Petersen, Dean of the USF College of Public Health, shared her late husband's passion for public health and cooking. The aprons - her gift to guests - were filled with some of his favorite recipes. Dr. Greg Alexander, an internationally renown expert in maternal and child health, was remembered in a special tribute during the two day conference.

In 1991, Dr. Mahan and Dee Jeffers,RN, MPH, began discussions with then Gov. Lawton Chiles to establish a research & program center to improve perinatal outcomes & children's health in FL - what eventually became the Chiles Center. Jeffers, a nurse & childbirth educator, is a founder of Florida Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Coalition and former president of the Florida Perinatal Association.

From L to R: USF Health physician & State Senator Ed Homan; USF Health V.P. & Dean, USF College of Medicine Stephen Klasko; celebrate with Dr. John Curran, Assoc. Vice Pres. for Faculty & Academic Affairs, USF Health. Curran, a veteran pediatrician & member of the USF College of Medicine, built the first neonatal intensive care unit at Tampa General Hospital almost 35 years ago and also helped to create the Hillsborough County Health Plan, a nationally recognized innovative plan for the working poor. During the Sept. 17 reception, State Senator Homan announced the Florida Legislature's decision to rename the state run children's clinic, Children's Medical Services, in Curran's honor.

* DID YOU KNOW.... Fun Facts about the Chiles Center
* Dr. Greg Alexander Recipes

Story by Lissette Campos
Photography by Eric Younghans, USF Health Media Center