Alumni Connection - Cleveland Clinic · cultural changes, and more. (Editor’s note: The following...

ISSUE 2, 2014 :: IN THIS ISSUE: Before the Board 3 :: Looking Back: René Favaloro, MD 12

Lerner College’s Dr. Paul Fox Makes $1 Million GiftCleveland Clinic

in International Expansion

In what countries beyond the United States does Cleveland Clinic have a formal presence? Many might know of the huge hospital project in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). But, that’s about it, right? Not by a long shot.

Cleveland Clinic foreign offices or in-country representatives can also be found in Canada, Saudi Arabia, the Caribbean and Latin America (including the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama). Another office recently opened in Turkey. And, there will be an office established in Beijing, China, before the end of this year.

The reasons behind this international step-out are many.

Continued on page 19

Alumnus Paul L. Fox, PhD (RES’ 85), has pledged $1 million to establish an endowed chair in his name in molecular medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Cleveland Clinic will provide an additional $1 million in matching funds.

Dr. Fox received his bachelor’s in mathematics and his PhD in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology from Cornell

University. He did post-doctoral training in vascular cell biology in Dr. Paul DiCorleto’s labor a tory at Cleveland Clinic, and has been on the research faculty for about 25 years. He currently holds the Robert Canova Endowed Chair in Inflammation Research, is a professor of molecular medicine at the Lerner College of Medicine and on staff in the Depart ment of Cellular and Molecular

Continued on page 2

Volume XXIV, No. 2Alumni ConnectionA Legacy of Learning

Dr. Xiaoxia Li (left) is the recipient of the Paul L. Fox Endowed Chair in Molecular Medicine. Dr. Fox (right) made a $1 million gift, matched by Cleveland Clinic, to provide research funding into molecular mechanisms that underlie disease. (Photo by Don Gerda, Cleveland Clinic Center for Medical Art and Photography.)

2 ALUMNI CONNECTION :: Issue 2, 2014 clevelandclinic.org/alumniconnection

Medicine in the Lerner Research Institute.

His is the first chair to be established by a staff member at the institute. The chair will provide funding for research into molecular mechanisms that underlie disease.

“I was motivated by having received a chair myself two years ago, and I know, firsthand, of its value,” Dr. Fox said. “A chair allows one to do things they couldn’t ordinarily do, to be a little independent, to take some risks. I’m committed to research and wanted to put my money where my heart is.”

Dr. Fox said he also wanted to use his gift to set an example for others.

“Funding from the National Institutes of Health is tight right now, and Cleveland Clinic and others can benefit enormously from philanthropic support,” he said. “I’m a baby boomer, and it’s time people of my age start thinking about philanthropy. If I can set even a small example, that’s fulfilling one of my goals.”

Dr. Fox says he hopes that his endowment also will trigger additional monetary support. “I know that this structured money can be leveraged into larger amounts through federal grants.”

Xiaoxia Li Named to ChairAlthough Dr. Fox had no role in

choosing the chair recipient, he said it is going to “a friend, collaborator and phenomenal scientist from whom great work can be expected.” The recipient is Xiaoxia Li, PhD, a Lerner Research Institute expert in the biological pathways of inflammation and how they relate to disease. Her goal is to develop new drugs for treating diseases of the immune system.

“This endowed chair will allow

my laboratory to engage in exciting research to better understand and treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases,” Dr. Li says.

The Fox Chair was established as part of Lerner Research Institute’s Endowed Chair Challenge, for which Cleveland Clinic provides matching funds. Endowed chair holders may use the funds to start new projects, support additional staff, pay for equipment and cover the cost of obtaining preliminary data for future grant applications.

Dr. Fox says that Cleveland Clinic’s Philanthropy Institute helped him to structure his gift in a manner most comfortable for him. “There are many options available to prospective donors, and they should take the time to check them out,” he says.

Fox Continued from page 1

Plan Now For Charitable Giving

Americans are able to make decisions about the distribution of their assets for their lifetimes and beyond through charitable giving and by taking advantage of income-tax deductions and estate-tax savings. By planning now, you can provide for the future of Cleveland Clinic through your will or testamentary designations.

Federal Estate Tax ExemptionIn adherence to the

American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA), the 2014 estate tax exclusion is $5.34 million. Anything exceeding that amount will be taxed at 40 percent, which is up from 35 percent in 2013. Any unused exemption when a spouse passes away may be carried over to the surviving spouse. Therefore, a married couple can pass along up to $10.68 million free of any federal estate tax.

Testamentary gifts have become an integral part of our American philanthropic tradition, and our tax laws encourage charitable support. With financial and estate planning, you can support Cleveland Clinic’s medical excellence and benefit future patients while also securing your family’s financial future.

“ I’m a baby boomer, and it’s time people of my age start thinking about philanthropy.” PAUL L. FOX, PHD

ALUMNI CONNECTION :: Issue 2, 2014 3

Before the Board

Distance HealthPeter A. Rasmussen, MDMedical Director, Distance Health

Distance health, Dr. Rasmussen explains, is any care delivery in which the clinician is not located in the same time or space as the patient for whom services are being provided. Cleveland Clinic’s vision, he says, is to “virtualize care in line with its own integrated care model.”

Making strides in delivering distance health services can increase Cleveland Clinic’s efficiency, lower costs, keep current with patients’ expectations and expand patient access to services, among

other benefits, he says.Cleveland Clinic already has taken

bold steps in distance health, says Dr. Rasmussen, including synchronous programs such as Telestroke, HealthSpot, Tele-Primary Care and eHospital, and asynchronous programs allowing for remote monitoring and diagnostics. Pilot projects will help determine whether post-operative follow-ups also can be conducted through distance health.

Virtual visits to the doctor offer an enticing opportunity for Cleveland Clinic to lower the cost of care while providing services to a larger number of patients.

Over time, technology is likely to alter dramatically the ways in which healthcare is delivered, Dr. Rasmussen says. He compared a present-day model with a future one: Currently, a patient has a surgical procedure followed by visits to a doctor’s office for medical management. In the future, the physician may offer virtual visits before surgery and remote monitoring of the patient’s progress afterward.

mHealthDavid Levin, MDChief Medical Information Officer

Our national healthcare scene is in the midst of the perfect storm, in which value-based care, the rise of consumerism and healthcare information technology all are rocking the boat, Dr. Levin says.

In this environment, mHealth has been developed to take advantage of mobile and wireless technology with the goal of improving outcomes, services and research, Dr. Levin says.

“We’re switching from volume-based care, where we get paid to do ‘stuff,’ and if we do more stuff, we get paid more, regardless of the results,” Dr. Levin says. “Under a value-based system, we will be paid based on actual results.”

Everything from provider incentives and payment to the patient’s role and technology is changing, he says. Where a patient’s role once was passive and dependent, it is becoming more active and, increasingly, an engaged partnership with the doctor. Many existing care models, in which patients and physicians meet in person, will become virtual care models.

Medicine of the future, Dr. Levin says, can be described as “the three Ps”:

• Personalized, highly customized for each individual, using real-time information

• Population-based, in which systems are designed to care for large groups of patients with similar conditions, and

• Pervasive, in which all of a patient’s care is connected to a variety of caregivers and smart systems

However, Dr. Levin notes barriers to mHealth, including privacy and security issues, a shifting reimbursement model, cultural changes, and more.

(Editor’s note: The following is a condensed version

of some of the presentations made before the Alumni

Association’s Board of Directors at its most recent

meeting on April 18, 2014.)

Tomorrow’s Health Care: VIRTUALLY VIRTUALTechnology is changing the way patients and their doctors interact. And, while new means of examining, treating and prescribing for patients may be getting easier and faster in a volume-oriented world, some Cleveland Clinic Board members wondered whether the physician’s personal touch was being lost in the process.

‘Before the Board’ continued on page 4


Before the BoardCentral Monitoring UnitDaniel J. Cantillon, MD, FACC, FHRS

A high-tech second set of eyes watches over many Cleveland Clinic patients, although these patients are many miles away.

The eyes belong to Cleveland Clinic’s Central Monitoring Unit (CMU), providing 24-hour monitoring telemetry, hemodynamic and respiratory monitoring of patients on the main campus and at regional hospitals. Cleveland Clinic’s remote monitoring capabilities soon may expand as a paid service for subscribing hospitals, Dr. Cantillon said.

A cardiologist specializing in heart disease and cardiac electrophysiology, Dr. Cantillon heads the CMU, which he described as an excellent additional safeguard of patients’ well-being.

Cleveland Clinic’s CMU is located in a Beachwood, Ohio, satellite facility and houses a staff of trained caregivers including nurses and paramedics. Together, they look for life-threatening arrhythmias, changes in baseline EKGs and more. They also are trained to monitor devices, such as ventilators and those measuring respiration, pulse oximetry and blood pressure. When alarms sound or significant events occur, such as arrhythmias, they alert on-site medical personnel.

“There have been situations where the on-site nursing staff is busy with another patient and is not immediately aware another patient’s condition has changed,” Dr. Cantillion said. “They help assure that the nursing floor staff response is immediate. They can truly save lives.”

Cost RepositioningEdmund Sabanegh, MD

Cleveland Clinic has the opportunity to lead the nation’s healthcare transformation by keeping patients first and doing all it can to make its services affordable.

“We’re in an enterprisewide assault on costs, and every segment of the organization is being asked to suggest savings that we can enact,” said Dr. Sabanegh, who heads the Organizational Cost Repositioning effort. “It’s the path to accessible care for our patients.”

The country’s healthcare environment is one that Dr. Sabanegh described as marked by rising costs, declining reimbursement, consolidations, competition and consumer demands, while value-based care is accentuated. Cleveland Clinic has embarked on a Northeast Ohio systemwide cost structure analysis to identify cost savings opportunities for leadership to consider.

The objectives of these efforts are to:• Provide value and ensure affordable

care for patients• Lead innovation in changing the

industry• Transform the cost structure, and• Shift away from a focus on patient

volume and toward value-based care Successes already are being seen,

Dr. Sabanegh said, including:Limiting the size of lotions and other

bottled liquids in patient rooms, which can result in a $300,000 cost savings. Turning off escalators every night in a Cleveland Clinic building saves another $12,000 per year. Elimination of mailed appointment reminders to patients can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in

paper, printing and postage. More than $189.6 million in approved

project savings has been identified to date for efforts that will extend beyond 2017.

Cleveland Clinic Florida UpdateMark Grove, MDAlumni Association Board Member

Dr. Grove updated board members on Cleveland Clinic Florida, now observing its 25th anniversary. The hospital, located in Weston, Fla., has branches in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and Parkland. It is a nonprofit, multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical care with research and education. The hospital has 230 physicians with expertise in more than 35 specialties, as well as 2,100 other employees. Featuring diagnostic centers, outpatient surgery and a 24-hour emergency department, Cleveland Clinic Florida ranked fifth among the 73 best hospitals in the

Cleveland Clinic employees Charles Skala (left)

and Damian Chessar suggested that providing

smaller bottles of liquids in patient rooms could

result in a huge annual cost savings.

Continued on page 5


Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area in US News & World Report’s 2013-2014 ranking of Best Hospitals. Patients from all over the country, Latin America and the Caribbean seek medical care at Cleveland Clinic Florida for their complex medical conditions.

Dr. Grove noted recent growth in both the number of patients and services offered. Also, physician employment jumped from 158 in 2009 to 230 in 2013. In addition, the Agency for Health Care Administration approved the hospital’s application for heart, liver and kidney transplant services in 2012. Hospital visits are trending upward, and patients rate the organization highly. Weston receives 350,000 visits per year; its allied family health center receives 25,000 visits, and the West Palm Beach office has 50,000 visits. Strides are being made in patient experience categories as task force teams work on physician and medication communication, responsiveness and nurse communication, pain management, discharge planning and cleanliness.

Major campus development

underway includes a new neurological and cancer treatment building, established with a $30 million gift from supporter Pauline Braathen and opening in February 2015. Florida adopted the medical institute model in April 2013 and continues to establish greater alignment within that structure in terms of financial, quality and patient outcomes.

Wael Barsoum, MD, Associate Chief of Staff, has been named Interim President of Cleveland Clinic Florida following the resignation of Bernardo Fernandez Jr., MD.

Among Cleveland Clinic Florida’s most recent accomplishments are these rankings in US News & World Report’s list of Best Hospitals 2013-2014:

• Highest among hospitals in Broward County (4th consecutive year)

• Fifth among 73 hospitals in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area and 14th of 271 hospitals in Florida

• Seven high-performing specialties: cancer, gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, nephrology, orthopaedics, pulmonology and urology

Education Institute UpdateJames K. Stoller, MD, MSInstitute Chair

The Education Institute remains true to its founding mission: “More teaching of those who serve,” Dr. Stoller said.

The institute houses 14 separate centers designed to assist audiences including medical students, graduate

medical trainees (resident, fellows), caregivers (staff, nurses, administrators, alumni), visitors (students, physicians), allied health students and patients and healthcare consumers.

Among the many recent achievements in which Dr. Stoller expressed pride is the institute’s relationship with students attending the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Lerner College students continue to excel, with 50 percent of graduates this year being matched with a Top 10 hospital. The institute also is bolstering development programs for physicians, nurses and administrators and exploring the uses of IBM’s “Watson” computer to see whether it can help doctors make diagnoses and organize patients’ electronic medical records.

Among the institute’s goals for 2014 and beyond are to:

• Maintain the excellence of the Lerner College of Medicine

• Oversee the health education campus project

Among the institute’s goals is to increase the level of philanthropic support for education.

Doctors are handling an increasing patient load at Cleveland Clinic Florida.

Continued on page 6


Before the Board• Seek advanced accreditation for its

Simulation Center• Grow the Samson Leadership

Academy, a two-week executive education program started with a philanthropic gift, aimed at preparing clinicians and healthcare executives to lead, manage and grow large healthcare organizations domestically and globally

• Develop new research relationships, and

• Increase the level of philanthropic support of education

Lerner Research InstitutePaul E. DiCorleto, PhDInstitute Chair

The Lerner Research Institute (LRI) is home to laboratory-based research at Cleveland Clinic. Its mission is to understand the underlying causes of human diseases, to develop new treatments and cures and to train the next generation of clinical and laboratory biomedical researchers.

“The importance of such research is inestimable,” says Dr. DiCorleto. He said that research can:

• Improve patient care• Offer patients hope through

leading-edge therapies• Make discoveries that build the

health system’s reputation• Recruit and train the most

innovative physicians• Attract patients, and• Bring jobs to Greater

Cleveland and beyond

More than 2,000 people compose LRI’s ranks, including 172 principal investigators, 96 project scientists, 71 research associates, 200 postdoctoral fellows, 492 technicians and support staff and 168 graduate students. They work in 12 departments, including Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Cardiology, Pathobiology, Neurosciences, Immunology, and others.

Multiple funding sources permit research in multiple areas, which often leads to medical breakthroughs. In one instance, what began as basic

metabolism studies resulted in a new understanding of the mechanisms that lead to heart disease. Major therapeutic and diagnostic implications concerning heart disease also arose from this research. Other therapeutic concepts explored at LRI are leading to the creation of new drugs.

LRI works closely with Cleveland Clinic Innovations to ensure that its investigations yield maximum benefits to patients worldwide.

“At LRI, we are focused on the patients of tomorrow,” Dr. DiCorleto said.

The Lerner Research Institute at Cleveland Clinic.


The Women’s Professional Staff Association (WPSA) will hold its biannual Women in Healthcare Forum on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 18-19, at the InterContinental Hotel and Conference Center in Cleveland.

The WPSA represents more than 1,100 women physicians, scientists and researchers on Cleveland Clinic’s professional staff in Ohio, Florida and Nevada, preparing them for advancement, establishing a meaningful network of support for their development and advocating for the resources needed to foster their engagement and happiness at work. Women appointed to Cleveland Clinic’s professional staff are automatically members of the WPSA.

Every other year, the WPSA hosts a CME course, which WPSA members developed to explore the unique challenges and opportunities for women working in healthcare today.

Rochelle Rosian, MD (RH’96), Cleveland Clinic staff rheumatologist, Orthopaedic & Rheumatologic Institute, is a past president of the WPSA and has chaired the Women in Healthcare Forum Planning Committee for six years. The forum, begun as a series of talks, has grown into a day-and-a-half of plenary talks, panel discussions and experiential breakout sessions with attendees from all over northeastern Ohio.

“Over the years, we have expanded the WPSA’s network to include our colleagues in Northeast Ohio who work at other hospital systems and medical schools,” said Dr. Rosian. “It’s always an amazing day, an opportunity to become inspired, connected and focused on your personal and career goals and priorities. Anyone is welcome to attend, and we actively include faculty from Case Western Reserve University, the University of Akron, Cleveland State University and Ohio State University to present and participate in the forum. We can learn from one another and collaborate on projects, research and writing.”

Confirmed speakers for the 2014 forum include Catherine DeVries, MD, a pediatric urologist from the University of Utah and Primary Children’s Medical Center. Dr. DeVries has been active in the development of sustainable global surgery and founded International Volunteers in Urology (now IVUmed), dedicated to urological education worldwide with a focus on training doctors and nurses in developing countries. She will speak on finding and sustaining meaning in a medical career and developing the courage to take a career where one envisions it going. Friday’s lunch will feature a keynote talk by Debora Spar, PhD, the President of Barnard College, who has written a book Wonder Women: Sex, Power and the Quest for Perfection. Other sessions and speakers will be announced soon.

Dr. Rosian says she expects a sellout crowd this year and advises potential attendees to be sure to register early to guarantee a spot.

For more information and updates on the program, see: ccfcme.org/wpsaforum, or contact WPSA [email protected] or call 216.445.3772.

WPSA BIANNUAL FORUM TO BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER

Explore the unique challenges and opportunities for women working in healthcare today. Our theme this year is “Getting to your Best” and a variety of interactive formats will inspire and motivate you to expand your professional network, cultivate collaborative strategies in clinical care and research and identify tools necessary for your career advancement.

Agenda will include:

• Plenary talks by leaders in medicine and education on topics such as: compassion, fatigue, work-life balance and meaningfulness.

• “Minute Clinics” interspersed throughout the day to provide you with a variety of quick tips for stress relief

• Wellness for Women 101, a panel discussion with Cleveland Clinic Integrative Medicine experts reviewing healthy habits for sleep, exercise and nutrition

• Experiential afternoon breakout sessions

Get Connected. Be Inspired.

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Reserve Your Spot Now! September 18-19, 2014

2014 Women in Healthcare Forum

For more information and updated agenda, visit ccfcme.org/wpsaforum Email [email protected] or call 216.932.3448

InterContinental Hotel and Conference CenterCleveland, Ohio

Sponsored by the Women’s Professional Staff Association

James Young, MD Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine:

‘High Standards and a Creative Curriculum’

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the

enrollment of the first class of Cleveland Clinic

Lerner College of Medicine, a unique medical

school whose graduates continue to be sought

after by some of the best health care and research

institutions in the country. To tell the story of the

the medical school’s first decade of success,

Alumni Connection interviewed James B. Young,

MD, cardiologist, Professor of Medicine and

Executive Dean of the Lerner College of Medicine.

Q. The Lerner College of Medicine was founded to train physician investigators, also called physician scientists. Please define those terms.

A. Ours would not be a limiting definition, but rather an expansive one. To us, those terms mean cultivating an individual who becomes an MD, but in whom special skills have been developed to allow them to advance the science and practice of medicine. Their focus can range from someone in a basic science laboratory working to clone a gene, to someone who is an active clinician working in an academic medical center or in private practice. Graduates also can pursue careers in the business of medicine itself, accenting leadership skills. On the surface, we’re looked at as though we produce researchers, but we look at research in a very broad way.

Q. Is there a shortage of physician investigators today?

A. Yes. There was when Lerner College of Medicine was founded in 2002 in partnership with Case Western Reserve University, and there is today. Well-documented figures show a decline in physician scientists, particularly in North America. The reasons are many. There is a lack of emphasis in curriculums in medical schools that stress the importance of research. Also, the financial support for research has waned. Meanwhile, the cost of a medical education continues to grow. Many students graduate saddled with debt, and many feel compelled to pursue careers with higher compensation not routinely associated with physician scientists. That is one reason Cleveland Clinic provides full-tuition scholarships to our students. That’s an incentive to come here and to stay on in a research-oriented career.

“ When visitors come and see what we’re doing, they see an impressive array of innovative techniques.”



Q. How do you recruit the best and brightest students?

A. We have very high standards and a creative curriculum that is different from most traditional medical schools.

Q. What is unique about the college?

A. I’ve called it a Montessori-type, or a boutique medical school. We don’t have lectures, tests, grades or class rankings. What we do have is a lot of hands-on learning that students drive. We focus on small, interactive, team-based problem-solving. We highlight communications skills, ethics, empathy, critical inquiry and the development of a scientific mind. We don’t simply enroll students in five core courses and have a lecturer at the podium expound on anatomy or pharmacology. Traditionalism. That’s not the way we need to be teaching medicine today. We use a competency-based system of performance evaluation where students maintain a portfolio that demonstrates they know what they’re talking about and what they are doing. This concept has been wildly successful with the students. And when visitors come and see what we’re doing, they see an impressive array of innovative techniques.

Q. Are you meeting your goals?

A. We’re exceeding them. We have, perhaps, the most extensively evaluated curriculum around. And we self-evaluate constantly. We make reports about how students respond to learning as seen by both faculty and students. And, of course, we’re evaluated by the state licensing board, as well. Our graduates are also asked for input. If the overall goal is to produce graduates who shine – and shine brightly – in the medical workplace, we’re doing extremely well. Our reputation is growing, too. For example, 50 percent of this year’s graduating class matched their first choices for medical destinations and 70 percent matched with their first, second or third choices.

Q. How is the future looking for the college?

A. Extremely bright. The new $80 million medical education building destined for main campus will be an ideal setting to prepare students for the technology-dependent future of modern medicine.

You know, Winston Churchill once said that only through change does one become perfect. Well, we’re not perfect. But we’re trying.

Accomplished Grad Says Lerner College of Medicine Prepared Him Well

Aaron Viny was a member of the first graduating class of Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.Today, he is Chief Fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for the Hematology/Medical Oncology Fellowship. He credits the uniqueness of the college with ably preparing him for his future in medicine.

“One of the unique aspects of the curriculum was the integration of basic science into clinical teaching,” Dr. Viny says. “Learning about a disease was never merely a constellation of symptoms, but rather a deep understanding of why a certain process caused abnormalities. Patients rarely, if ever, perfectly present like a textbook, and having that depth of understanding of the pathophysiology really gave us the tools to understand our patients better and to implement the right treatment plan.”

Pairing him with the right mentor was critical not only to his success in college, but also in his new job with Sloan Kettering.

“On my first day at the Lerner College of Medicine, I was matched to join the laboratory of Dr. Jarek Maciejewski,” says Dr. Viny. “Whether it was fate or a well thought-out pairing, Dr. Maciejewski and the curriculum both provided structured mentorship toward a career as a physician scientist. Dr. Maciejewski supported my successful HHMI fellowship application, and we published many abstracts and peer-reviewed papers together.”

That mentorship has continued through Dr. Viny’s residency and into his fellowship, he says.

“Since I joined the Levine lab at Sloan Kettering, Dr. Maciejewski has graciously proposed collaborative efforts with the clear intention of facilitating my career development. We have done some very exciting work together that is being submitted for publication.”

One of Dr. Viny’s fondest memories of his days at the Lerner College of Medicine is the luncheon at which he met Mrs. Norma Lerner. She and her late husband, Al, are the college’s namesake donors.

“As members of the first class, we wanted to show our appreciation to Mrs. Lerner,” says Dr. Viny. “We invited her to lunch, and all 32 students were there. She told us stories of how she and her late husband met, of their early years together in New York City, and how they overcame challenges together. We heard firsthand about their vision for the college, something that has continued to inspire me and to drive my career path as a physician scientist.”

Aaron Viny, MD

“ Traditionalism. That’s not the way we need to be teaching medicine today.”


Benjamin AbelsonEDUCATION: BAAmherst College, 2008RESIDENCY: Preliminary – SurgeryCleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OHUrology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH

Swathi AppachiEDUCATION: BSDuke University, 2009RESIDENCY: Otolaryngology, Cleveland ClinicCleveland, OH

Chase BrownEDUCATION: BSWheaton College, 2009RESIDENCY: Thoracic Surgery Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Antonios CharokoposEDUCATION: BSYale University, 2009MS, Yale University, 2009RESIDENCY: Internal Medicine, Yale-New Haven, CT

Joshua ClevengerEDUCATION: BAWestern Michigan University, 2007RESIDENCY: Internal MedicineCleveland ClinicCleveland, OH

Xiaoxi (Chelsea) FengEDUCATION: BSDuke University, 2009RESIDENCY: General SurgeryCleveland ClinicCleveland, OH

Lori Fiessinger EDUCATION: BSOhio State University, 2009RESIDENCY: TransitionalMt. Carmel Health System, Columbus, OHDermatologyUniversity of Minnesota Medical SchoolMinneapolis, MN

Matthew GrabowskiEDUCATION: BSCase Western Reserve University, 2009RESIDENCY: Neurological SurgeryCleveland ClinicCleveland, OH

Matthew GrossoEDUCATION: BSUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2009RESIDENCY: Orthopaedic SurgeryNew York Presbyterian Hospital - Columbia University Medical CenterNew York, NY

Colette HarrisEDUCATION: BACornell University, 2009RESIDENCY: Preliminary – SurgeryCleveland ClinicCleveland, OH

Matthew HirschtrittEDUCATION: BACornell University, 2005RESIDENCY: PsychiatryUniversity of CaliforniaSan Francisco, CA

Monica IsabellaEDUCATION: BACollege of the Holy Cross, 2006RESIDENCY: Preliminary – SurgeryRush Medical CenterChicago, IL

Congratulations to the Class of 2014Match Day this year brought all of its anticipated excitement as Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine graduates learned where they will be going for their residencies. Destinations include many of the nation’s most highly regarded medical institutions, as seen in the graduate profiles featured in this issue. Nine of the 30 graduates will be staying with Cleveland Clinic.

Cleveland Clinic’s Alumni Association wishes all 2014 graduates the very best in their new careers and urges them to stay in touch with their college, as well as with Cleveland Clinic, through the alumni office.


Robert KoethEDUCATION: BAOhio State University, 2004RESIDENCY: Internal Medicine Cleveland ClinicCleveland, OH

Lily LiEDUCATION: BACarleton College, 2008RESIDENCY: Internal MedicineNYP Hospital – Weill Cornell Medical CenterCornell, NY

Marcella LuercioEDUCATION: BSUniversity of Michigan-Flint, 2007RESIDENCY: Pediatrics Children’s HospitalBoston, MA

Tennison MalcolmEDUCATION: BSNorth Carolina Central University, 2009RESIDENCY: Preliminary – SurgeryUniversity of CaliforniaIrvine, CA

Frances MaoEDUCATION: BSUniversity of Washington, 2007RESIDENCY: Internal MedicineHospital of the University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA

Ajinkya RaneEDUCATION: BSCornell University, 2009RESIDENCY: Orthopaedic SurgeryUniversity of Utah Affiliated HospitalsSalt Lake City, UT

Rita SchlangerEDUCATION: BSBucknell University, 2007RESIDENCY: Internal MedicineUniversity of Cincinnati Medical CenterCincinnati, OH

Bailey ShenEDUCATION: BADartmouth College, 2009RESIDENCY: Preliminary – MedicineBrigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MAOphthalmologyIllinois Eye and Ear InfirmaryChicago, IL

Andrew StrongEDUCATION: BSIndiana University, Purdue University 2009RESIDENCY: General SurgeryCleveland ClinicCleveland, OH

Di (Sandy) SunEDUCATION: BSDuke University, 2009RESIDENCY: PediatricsChildren’s HospitalLos Angeles, CA

Sheela TopraniEDUCATION: BSUniversity of Michigan, 2003RESIDENCY: Preliminary – MedicineUniversity of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, Seattle, WANeurologyJohns Hopkins HospitalBaltimore, MD

Alionye UsifohEDUCATION: BSClarion University of Pennsylvania, 2006MS, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, 2009RESIDENCY: Obstetrics/GynecologyHenry Ford Health SystemDetroit, MI

Brittaney Wilson-HarrisEDUCATION: BSWayne State University, 2007RESIDENCY: Preliminary – SurgeryCleveland ClinicWeston, FL

Hao XieEDUCATION: BSFudan University, 2004MA, Princeton University, 2006PhD, Princeton University, 2009RESIDENCY: Internal Medicine Yale-New Haven HospitalCT

Duo (David) XuEDUCATION: BSDuke University, 2009RESIDENCY: Transitional – St. Joseph Hospital, Chicago, ILOphthalmologyUniversity of CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA

Donald YeEDUCATION: BAUniversity of California – Berkeley, 2009RESIDENCY: Neurological SurgeryThomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphia, PA

Ying (Amy) YeEDUCATION: BSUniversity of Illinois at Chicago, 2009RESIDENCY: AnesthesiologyNew York University School of MedicineNew York, NY

Linda ZhuEDUCATION: BAUniversity of California – Berkeley, 2007RESIDENCY: Internal MedicineUniversity of CaliforniaDavis, CA


René G. Favaloro, MD, was a humble man of unyielding social conscience whose inquisitiveness and talent led to one of the greatest advances in the history of modern medicine.

A pioneering Cleveland Clinic cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Favaloro was considered the “father” of coronary artery bypass surgery. His seminal achievement involved reconstruction of the right coronary artery by means of saphenous vein graft interposition, a milestone that set the stage for additional breakthroughs in heart surgery.

Before the 1960s, coronary disease was mainly treated with medications. But following long studies into the possible use of saphenous vein grafts for direct revascularization, Dr. Favaloro found the right patient for his landmark procedure. She was a 51-year-old woman with total occlusion of the proximal third of her right coronary artery.

This is how the Texas Heart Institute Journal reported on Dr. Favaloro’s accomplishment of May 9, 1967:

“Favaloro used the saphenous vein to connect the unoccluded proximal and distal sections of the vessels, thus bypassing the obstruction. Eight days later, angiography showed the bypass was patent. Twenty days later, angiography showed total reconstruction of the artery.”

History was made, although limitations soon were recognized. The interposed vein graft was found effective to occlusive disease in the mid-portion of the dominant right coronary artery, but not in the left, writes Gabriella Captur in her award-winning medical history piece on Dr. Favaloro. That is because left coronary occlusive disease favors proximal location. Consequently, interposed vein grafts were least useful where needed most. As a result of these findings, Dr. Favaloro and his colleagues turned to aortocoronary saphenous vein bypass grafts, instead, introduced in October 1967.

By 1968, Dr. Favaloro and his associates had developed a massive number of landmark techniques and procedures, including combining coronary artery bypass grafting with left ventricular reconstruction; coronary artery bypass grafting with concomitant valve repair or replacement; emergency coronary artery bypass grafting during acute myocardial infarction, and much more.

Dr. Favaloro’s coronary revascularization work included not only the right coronary artery, but also the left anterior descending and the circumflex – all grafted with saphenous veins. He performed many of these operations during his decade with Cleveland Clinic, along with countless valve replacements, ventricular aneurysmectomies and bypasses for acute infarctions.

The Early DaysDr. Favaloro came a long way from his birthplace in a rural section of the province of

La Plata, Argentina. He earned his medical degree from La Plata University in 1949, with many of his associates believing that he would go on to a successful career in thoracic surgery. But his passion was for the underprivileged, and he spent the next 12 years in La Pampa, a small farming community, where he established the first mobile blood bank, built his own operating room, trained general and surgical nurses and did whatever else he could to aid the local population.

René G. Favaloro, MD

LOOKING BACK

DR. RENE FAVALORO,CORONARY BYPASS PIONEER

“ Care both for the grandes dames who can pay for it, as well as for the street urchins who cannot. Everyone has the right to live.”


Wanting to advance his surgical skills, Dr. Favaloro came to Cleveland Clinic in 1962, but he arrived unannounced and without the requisite certificate from the Educational Council of Foreign Medical Graduates. Therefore, he could be accepted only as an unpaid observer. While there, he performed various tasks, including pushing beds, placing Foley catheters, and cleaning and assembling the Key-Cross oxygen generator, until he acquired his credentials.

Then, Dr. Favaloro went on to work alongside surgeons including Mason Sones, MD, from whom he learned much about cineangiograms, Willem Kolff, MD, and Donald Effler, MD (TS’95), who helped him hone his surgical skills. Through 1968, his expertise in indirect revascularization improved and led him to investigate other promising methodologies.

Back to ArgentinaWilliam L. Proudfit, MD, former head of Cleveland Clinic’s

Department of Cardiovascular Disease, wrote: “He was sharply focused on the individual patient. He would be depressed for days if any of his patients died, although his coronary artery bypass surgeries had such a low mortality rate many physicians and surgeons were skeptical of his reports. Fierce pursuit of truth was his passion. And while he understood perfection could not be achieved, he always believed that nothing was good enough if he could make it better.”

In fact, Dr. Favaloro’s reputation reached the point where colleague Dr. Effler once remarked at a public ceremony, “I don’t know if we should call this place the Cleveland Clinic or the Favaloro Clinic.” Few imagined at the time that Dr. Favaloro’s dream was just that – to establish his own clinic back in his beloved Argentina, where rich and poor alike would receive excellent treatment.

“Care,” Dr. Favaloro said, “both for the grandes dames who can pay for it, as well as for the street urchins who cannot.

Everyone has the right to live.”In 1970, he made his plans public, over the protestations

of his colleagues and friends. In an autobiographical work, Dr. Favaloro said he was offered an enormous raise to stay at Cleveland Clinic, while others told him that he could command $2 million a year in private practice. He refused it all, instead acting on his passionate desire to return to Argentina and champion the cause of universal healthcare.

Dr. Favaloro’s welcome home in 1971 was historic, and he became one of the most recognized and respected men of his day throughout Buenos Aires and the rest of Argentina. He never failed to speak out on social issues, which offended some in Argentine government circles.

Dr. Favaloro worked for a time at Clinica Guemas as Chief of Cardiac Surgery before establishing the Favaloro Foundation in 1975 to provide medical care, generate scientific knowledge and educate health professionals. By 1999, the year before he died, more than 400 cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons had been trained there. In 1992, he opened the Institute of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, the fulfillment of his dream. It was a nonprofit organization committed to the community, and in its first years of operation, nearly 25 percent of the patients were uninsured.

Dr. Favaloro returned to Cleveland Clinic several times to learn, give talks and visit old friends.

He died on July 29, 2000, in his Buenos Aires apartment. A national day of mourning was later declared throughout Argentina.

Alumni Connection acknowledges the research assistance of Fred Lautzenheiser and John Bowen of Cleveland Clinic’s Archives department.

Don Underwood, MD (Card ‘80), and

wife, Jane, visited Fundacion Favalaro

in Argentina recently.

Jim

Cross-Out

Jim

Inserted Text

Favaloro


Cleveland Clinic: In the NewsCleveland Clinic is teaming with the National Football

League Players Association (NFLPA) to assess and improve the brain health and overall well-being of retired professional football players. The long-term effects of sports-related

collisions and brain trauma continue to cause concern, and the NFLPA program, called The Trust, will offer physical and neurological evaluations to former players, followed by a comprehensive plan to relieve symptoms, restore function, improve

cognitive skills and slow neurodegeneration for those who have sustained recurrent head trauma.

Cleveland Clinic will host players at three sites – the main campus; Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston, Fla.; and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. Players also can visit the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., or Tulane University in New Orleans. Players who choose to take part in the program will begin with a comprehensive medical history and exam including the player’s injury history, functional symptoms and personal concerns. The program will provide a brain scan with a functional MRI, cognitive evaluations, psychological interviews and balance assessments, in addition to cardiovascular evaluations, a

prostate screening, nutrition counseling and life skills consultation.

After their visits, players will be given personalized short-term and long-term treatment plans customized to meet their specific needs. The plan will ensure continuing communication between the player and his healthcare team, whether by phone, computer, video-conferencing or letters, based on the patient’s preference.

Charles Modlin, MD, has been reappointed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich to a two-year term on the Board of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health. Dr. Modlin, a kidney transplant surgeon and urologist, is the founder and director of Cleveland Clinic’s Minority Men’s Health Center.

Dr. Jeffrey Ponsky, Chair of the Department of Surgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, will rejoin the staff of Cleveland Clinic, where he worked from 1997 to 2005. Succeeding Dr. Ponsky as Interim Chair of Surgery at UH will be Cleveland Clinic alumnus Connor P. Delany, MD (CRS’00) Division Chief, Colorectal Surgery, University Hospitals Case Medical Center.

Charis Eng, MD, PhD, and Jeffry L. Cummings, MD, are featured in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation. Dr. Eng is Chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute, within the Lerner Research Institute, and Dr. Cummings is Director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. The article singles out 407 biomedical researchers based on Scopus publication impact and citation data from 1996–2011. During that period, Dr. Eng authored or co-authored 380 articles that were cited more than 20,000 times. Dr. Cummings authored or co-authored 416 articles that were cited more than 27,000 times.

Sumita Khatri, MD (PULMCC’ 91), Co-Director, Asthma Center, Cleveland Clinic Respiratory Institute, is recognized in the annual Crain’s Cleveland Business “Who to Watch in Healthcare” edition. Dr. Khatri was highlighted for her leadership at the Asthma Center and the FLEX Program she developed for women faculty at the School of Medicine.

Brian Donley, MD, is now President, Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospitals and Family Health Centers, succeeding David Bronson, MD, now Senior Public Policy and External Affairs Advisor. The leadership changes, effective Jan. 31, were made to ensure continued integration of facilities into


If you or your patients will be making repeat visits to the main campus during a week or month, you may want to explore the patient/visitor parking discount options. Discount coupons available for purchase include:

• Five-day Coupon Booklet (5 tickets, each valid for one exit only) $30 – best for up to five visits

• Seven-day Unlimited Parking Value Pass $30 – best value if you will make more than three visits over seven consecutive days

• 30-day Unlimited Parking Value Pass $100 – best if you expect to make more than 10 visits over 30 consecutive days

These passes will permit access to any self-park facility, but are not valid for valet parking. Passes can be purchased with cash or credit cards at any valet podium Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Monday-Sunday, 24/7, at the main entrance valet, or from Parking Services in the JJ North office basement, JJNb-230, Monday–Friday 7 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For more information, you can reach Parking Services at 216.444.2255 during business hours.

Charles Modlin, MD



“One Cleveland Clinic” and advance Cleveland Clinic’s role in national healthcare policy discussions. Dr. Donley leads eight community hospitals and 16 family health centers and is focusing on quality, safety, patient experience and efficiency. Dr. Bronson continues in his role as a professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

A recent discovery by Qingyu Wu, MD, PhD, Molecular Cardiology, was selected as one of the top research findings of 2012 by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Preeclampsia, or high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy, can cause dangerous complications in the mother and fetus. Between 6 and 8 percent of all pregnant women in the U.S. have preeclampsia, yet the mechanisms that lead to the condition are not well understood. Dr. Wu discovered that an enzyme called corin is present in the pregnant uterus and is involved in new blood vessel formation in the placenta. Moreover, he found that women with preeclampsia had much lower levels of the enzyme, suggesting that it may be crucial to regulating blood pressure during pregnancy. This important discovery could open new avenues of investigation and lead to novel treatment strategies. The results of Dr. Wu’s study were published in the March 21 issue of Nature.

Kurt Spindler, MD (OSM’91), has joined Cleveland Clinic as the Vice Chairman of Research in the Orthopaedic &

Rheumatologic Institute, the Director of Orthopaedic Clinical Outcomes, and the Academic Director of Cleveland Clinic Sports Health.

Allan L. Klein, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Imaging Research and Pericardial Center, recently was appointed Vice President of the American Society of Echocardiography. After a one-year term, he’ll serve as President-elect and then as President.

In January, the Radiation Oncology Lung Cancer Program treated its 1,000th lung tumor patient using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Because of the SBRT team’s dedication and commitment, the program, now celebrating its tenth year of using this technology, has been recognized for high-quality care, excellent outcomes and contributions to research. Roger M. Macklis, MD, spearheaded the use of SBRT at Cleveland Clinic.

The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that when researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health let it be known that they needed volunteers for a trial that may help solve the mystery of Alzheimer’s disease in the largest preventive study on the disease ever conducted – 300 people volunteered in only a matter of hours. And the phone is still ringing off the hook.

Cleveland Clinic: In the News

Continued from page 15

HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, DR. PROUDFIT!William L. Proudfit, MD, celebrated his 100th birthday at Sarah’s Place in Gates Mills on Feb. 15, along with an intimate group of

family and friends. Alumni from all over the world sent him cards with happy birthday wishes. In the photo are, from left: Dr. Earl K.

Shirey, Dr. Proudfit, his son, James H., and Dr. William C. Sheldon.


00’s ___________

Preben M. Brandenhoff, MD (CARD/S’02), specializes in surgical treatment of patients with acquired heart disease, as well as heart and lung transplantation, mechanical circulatory support and thoracic organ recovery. A native of Denmark, he received his bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Copenhagen, completed his training in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery in Copenhagen, Denmark, and later served 10 years as a staff surgeon and assistant professor at the University Hospital, Rigshospitalet’s Department of Thoracic Surgery. During his tenure, he was a member of the heart and lung transplant team. Following a two-year fellowship in complex cardiac surgery at Cleveland Clinic in order to obtain his U.S. license, Dr. Brandenhoff served as chief of cardiac surgery in Copenhagen before being recruited as associate clinical professor of surgery at University of South California (USCF) Medical Center, until 2005. He now is CEO and President of Thoracic Transplant Consultants Inc.

Indu Deglurkar, MBBS (TCS’04), is working as a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, in Cardiff, Wales, UK. She also is the Chair, Senior Medical Staff Committee and Lead TAVI Surgeon. A native of India, Dr. Deglurkar received the Welsh Asian Women’s Achievement Award for Science, Medicine and Technology.

90’s ____________

Mary R. Rensel, MD (N’96, N/I’98), joined the Cleveland Clinic Women’s Professional Staff Association (WPSA) effective Jan. 1, 2014. She is one of five new members on the WPSA Executive Board and serves as Vice President. Dr. Rensel is a staff physician in the Department of Neurology and Cleveland Clinic’s Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research in the Neurological Institute.

M. Deborah “Deb” Lonzer, MD (PD’93), released her potty-training book, The Flushville Four, in February. Her collaboration with illustrator John Cairns, MFA, is a fun-filled adventure for parents and kids alike. The lovable characters are all somewhere in the potty-training process, but this is not the main focus of their or their parents’ daily lives. Dr. Lonzer says the book is for parents who have been struggling to get their child out of diapers for months, even years.

“At the request of one of my patients, I wrote this book to help toddlers and parents relax a bit about potty training,” she says. Playful colors and frank language in the book helps to take some of the pressure off of both parents and children. The Flushville Four provides a real-life look into the process: the characters want to feel like big kids; they have accidents; they practice ‘holding’ it during play; they race to the potty chair. But they also play outside, help set the table, eat healthy meals, learn about the importance of hand-washing, and celebrate small victories. Proceeds

from the sale of The Flushville Four will benefit Cleveland Clinic Children’s. The book can be ordered at deblonzermd.com and would make a nice gift for parents of young children or for a physician’s patient library or waiting room. Dr. Lonzer, a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and member of ACPE, APA, and AMGA, is a board-certified pediatrician at Cleveland Clinic. She also serves as Vice Chair of Outpatient Operations and Chair of Community Pediatrics in the Pediatric Institute. She is a member of Cleveland Clinic’s Board of Governors and an assistant professor of Pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Contact information: [email protected]

Raed A. Dweik, MD (PULMCC’96), has accepted a new role at the Cleveland Clinic as Director of the Innovation Management and Conflict of Interest Program and Chair of the program’s committee. Dr. Dweik replaces Guy Chisolm, PhD, who played a key role in crafting Cleveland Clinic’s conflict of interest policies and has led the program since 2003. Dr. Dweik is professor of medicine and Director of the Pulmonary Vascular Program in the Respiratory Institute, with a joint appointment in the Lerner Research Institute’s Department of Pathobiology.

Leo Celi, MD (IM’ 94), Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA, visited the main campus in January to deliver a talk on “Reengineering Healthcare.” Dr. Celi is a leading expert on medical

informatics. His research builds a data-fueled learning system run by an inter-disciplinary team. The system aggregates and analyzes day-to-day experimentations as captured by clinical databases. New knowledge is constantly extracted and propagated for quality improvement.

80’s ____________

Michael J. Spedick, MD (OPH’85), became President-Elect on Dec. 14, 2013, at the annual meeting of the New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Spedick is with Ocean Eye Institute in Toms River, NJ. Having also completed a one-year fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., he is a member of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Dr. Spedick is a Diplomat of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and assistant clinical professor at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

contacts

Leo Celi, MD, (second from left)

shown with his Cleveland Clinic

colleagues.



Donald W. Bortz, MD

Robert J. Heyka, MD (H/N’85), Interim Chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute, has received the Kidney Foundation of Ohio’s Person of the Year award. The award was presented at the Kidney Foundation of Ohio’s annual gala on Feb. 8. Dr. Heyka was chosen for his outstanding dedication and service to the mission of the Kidney Foundation of Ohio.

70’s ____________

A Happy Birthday Reply

This year is a special year to me. On Feb. 1, I will be 70 years old. That is called “Koki” (a rare age in Japan). A man rarely lived to 70 years old in the past. This year is also the 40th year since I studied at the CCF Research Institute in 1974. The Clinic is now one of the best hospitals in the U.S. I am proud of having studied at Cleveland Clinic. Currently, I am editing a book about Biomedical Engineering, making presentations at international conferences and teaching two classes a week at a university.

Regards from Yoshinori Mitamura, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Hokkaido University.

50’s ____________

Jerome A. Ecker, Sr., MD (IM’51), retired gastroenterologist, writes that at 94 years of age, and with his dear 91-year-old wife in a Hawaii Nursing Home with Alzheimer’s Disease, he

has “fled to the safety of my family in North Carolina after 25 years in the Sunshine State (Florida).” He reports that he is still in good health “but my locomotion is a 4-wheel walker. The good news is it requires no $4.60 gasoline!” He proudly states that his son, Jerome A. Ecker Jr., MD, an internist, is on the teaching staff at Duke Medical School and the VA Clinic in Raleigh and adds, “ He loves teaching students as his old Dad used to do!”

Cleveland Clinic Florida recognized three Alumni/staff members at the annual Professional Staff Reception on Dec. 17, 2013. Physician of the Year Awards were presented to: Jose Cabral, MD (IM’85, END’91), Department of Endocrinology, who earned Clinician of the Year; Efrain D. Salgado, MD (N’84, CBD’85, N’86), Department of Neurology, who was recognized as Educator of the Year; and Dana R. Sands, MD (CRS’02), Department of Colorectal Surgery, who earned Scholar of the Year. Edward Savage, MD, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, also received the first Annual Excellence in Doctor Communication award.

40’s ____________

Donald W. Bortz, MD (IM’44) celebrated his 100th birthday on April 19 at his home of 55 years in Greensburg, Penn. The family gathering was coordinated by his three sons, Donald W. “Don” Jr., Walter M. “Walt” Bortz and Peter P. “Pete” Bortz.

His children are delighted to share this news with colleagues and friends, whom they invite to call or send a card. His family wrote saying that although he lost his wife of 66 years, Virginia A. Bortz, RN, in March 2008, Dr. Bortz “continues to strive to meet each day with fortitude and purpose.” Fellow centenarian, William L. Proudfit, MD (IM’43), and long-time friend, hand-wrote a note to Dr. Bortz which read, in part, “Don was recognized as the leading internist in Westmorland County, PA, and had a large practice. He was a fine physician, a devoted family man and a good citizen. Don started as a fellow in internal medicine in 1941. After completing his training and service in the U.S. Navy, he joined Cleveland Clinic staff. He intended to stay permanently, but after some

years, he became aware that his elderly father, a highly respected internist in Greensburg, PA, could no longer cope with the demands of practice, but would not retire. Don was a devoted son, so he left to practice with his father.” Within a few years the senior doctor retired, and Dr. Bortz secured a partner in practice. He is a former Governor for Western Pennsylvania of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Proudfit noted: “Don was always proud of the Cleveland Clinic and referred many patients.”

Three Cleveland Clinic alumni now are at the top of the

Florida Board of Medicine. From left: Bernardo Fernandez

Jr., MD(IM’90, VM’91), Vice Chair; Nabil El Sanadi, MD,

Chair; and Zachariah P. Zacharia MD, Immediate Past

Chair of the organization.


In Memoriam ____

Tanya Edwards, MD, the founder of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine, died March 12 of breast cancer.

Dr. Edwards earned her medical degree from the University of Michigan in 1987 and completed her residency in Family Medicine at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center/University Hospital. Her passion for teaching led her to complete the Harvard Macy Physician as Teacher Fellowship at the Harvard School of Education in 1998, and she earned a master’s degree in medical education from John Carroll University/Case Western Reserve University in 2002.

Dr. Edwards opened Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine in Broadview Heights, Ohio, within a year of her staff appointment in 2004, paving the way for Cleveland Clinic physicians to offer alternative treatment options to their patients. At the same time, she began teaching complementary and alternative medicine at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, preparing and encouraging physicians of the future to explore natural cures in conjunction with the latest advances in traditional medicine. She was Faculty Advisor for the medical

students’ integrative medicine interest group, as well as the Student National Medical Association. She also was active in integrating complementary medical education into the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine curriculum.

Dr. Edwards was a member of the Professional Advisory Council at The Gathering Place, which supports, educates, and empowers individuals and families touched by cancer. She developed a curriculum for first-year medical students and established a support group for physicians with cancer. Her family suggests donations to The Tanya Edwards, MD, Center for Integrative Medicine, 1950 Richmond Road, Lyndhurst, OH 44124.

William F. Ruschhaupt, III, MD, MBA (IM’75), Chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Global Health Center and staff physician in Vascular Medicine in the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute, died March 1. Dr. Ruschhaupt was an active member of Cleveland Clinic’s staff for more than 40 years. He was an internationally known physician and personal doctor to countless dignitaries and heads of state. His work in the international market paved the way for Cleveland Clinic’s current and future endeavors

in serving patients from around the world. He was a mentor to many.

Following his undergraduate education at Muskingum College in Ohio, Dr. Ruschhaupt earned his medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed his internship in internal medicine at the Veterans Administration at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, and his residency at Cleveland Clinic. After his clinical training, Dr. Ruschhaupt served in the U.S. Army in Hawaii. He earned an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in 1985.

Dr. Ruschhaupt specialized in treating peripheral vascular disease, arterial and venous disorders, leg ulcers and leg swelling related to cardiovascular disease. He was a certified Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and published countless articles in medical journals that shaped current and future practices in cardiovascular medicine. In addition to his clinical duties, Dr. Ruschhaupt served as Director for the Patient Financial Services Systems Development and Implementation Project at Cleveland Clinic and most recently as Chairman of the Global Health Center, Global Patient Services. He also served the community, participating on many boards including as former President of the Board at Ronald McDonald House; and member of the boards of BVI, Swagelok, Gardner Trane and Grand Oaks Golf Club. His family requests that donations be made to the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute or to the

Church of the Western Reserve, 30500 Fairmount Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44124.

George Bain Rankin, MD (IM’62, GE’63), 83, of South Russell, Ohio, died Jan. 2. He was a member of Cleveland Clinic’s staff for more than 33 years until his retirement in December 1996. He is the husband of Mary Alice (nee Berger); father of Amy Garvin (Michael) and Wendy Seidel (Robert); and grandfather of four. His family suggests donations to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Sheila N. Run, MD (AN’ 78), 73, of Munson Township, Ohio, died Jan. 12. She was an anesthesiologist and retired from Cleveland Clinic in 2004 after a 25-year career. She married Tocky L. Run in 1974 in East Cleveland, Ohio. Among her pursuits, she enjoyed quilting, reading, traveling and attending daily Mass at St. Mary Parish in Chardon, Ohio. Survivors include her husband, of Munson Township; daughter Cindia (Peter) Wren of Cincinnati, Ohio; sons David (Robin) of Viera, Fla., and Michael of Chicago; one brother, Terrence Hurley of San Francisco; a sister, Denise Dorrego of Rohnert Park, Calif.; and extended family. Donations are suggested to the Christ Child Society of Geauga County, P.O. Box 1133, Chardon, OH 44024, or Susan G. Komen for the Cure, 5005 L.B.J. Freeway, Suite 250, Dallas, TX 75244.

Helga Sandburg Crile, 95, widow of George “Barney” W. Crile Jr., MD (S ’34), died at her home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, on Jan. 26. She was born Helga Mary Steichen Sandburg in Maywood, Ill., on Nov. 24, 1918, the youngest of three daughters of poet and Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg

contacts Continued from page 17

Tanya Edwards, MD

William F. Ruschhaupt, III,

MD, MBA


and his wife, Lilian “Paula” Steichen Sandburg.

Timothy F. Brewer III, MD (CVM’62), 82, of Tucson, AZ., formerly of Old Saybrook, Conn., died Jan. 31. Dr. Brewer was educated at Loomis School (‘49), Yale University (‘53), and New York Medical College (‘57). His cardiology fellowship was at Cleveland Clinic. He practiced cardiology in Middletown and Old Saybrook, and was associated with Middlesex Memorial Hospital. He was a fellow of the American College of Physicians and American College of Cardiology. Before founding Middlesex Cardiology, he was a medical director at Pfizer and Miles. Dr. Brewer was the husband of Barbara Bagdasarian Brewer and father of Raymond Brewer of Peterborough, N.H., Donna Brewer of Hamilton, Mass., Timothy Brewer IV of Los Angeles, Kevin Brewer of Deep River, Conn., and William Brewer of Woodland Hills, Calif.. Memorial donations may be directed to the Southern Arizona Humane Society or

the Alzheimer’s Association.

Thomas L. Crawford, MD, died recently at age 87. A veteran of World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy. He was a graduate of John Carroll University in Cleveland. He earned his medical degree at St. Louis University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., and had his internal medicine training at St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland. He worked in private practice for several years and then in preventive medicine at Cleveland Clinic. He is survived by five children: Jean Anne, John, Jim, Matt, and Christa (Bob) Glowacki.

R. Denison Stewart, MD (GS’71, ORS’74), 72, of Aurora, Ohio, died Feb. 7. He was an orthopaedic surgeon at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center. Dr. Stewart earned his medical degree at Stanford University School of Medicine and served his orthopaedic residency at Cleveland Clinic. He joined the U.S. Army as a major during the Vietnam War. After

the Army, Dr. Stewart returned to Cleveland and joined his orthopaedic practice in Chardon, Ohio. He served the Geauga County community for more than 30 years. He is survived by his children, Matthew Ian Stewart, Donald Walter (Celeste) Stewart and Sarah Lynn (Michael McIntyre) Stewart, all of Denver, and Meredith Stewart (Seth) Reimer of Shaker Heights, Ohio; his former wife and the mother of his children, Pamela (nee: Gorske) DeLong of Oberlin, Ohio, and eight grandchildren. He has brothers Donald G. (Marianthe) Stewart of Sarasota, Fla., and Colin (Sharon) Stewart of Sparta, NJ. Donations are suggested to J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel, Fla., 33957.

John Colver “Jack” Wilsey, MD (S’50), died March 11 at age 90. He was a surgeon for 40 years at The Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Conn. Dr. Wilsey was born in Newark, NJ., in 1924, and attended Princeton University. While there, he enlisted as

an apprentice seaman, a rank he held until shortly before he graduated from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1943. In 1947, he began an internship at Bellevue Hospital, Columbia Division, followed by a surgical residency. There, in 1948, he performed the first successful open-chest cardiac massage. In 1949, he was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Army Medical Corps, and continued at Bellevue in the U.S. Army Civilian Residency Training Program. In 1950, he completed an exchange surgical residency at Cleveland Clinic. He is survived by his wife, Anne Wilsey, his sister Marian McMaster of Bonita Springs, Fla; and his children, Suzanne Wilsey of San Carlos, Calif., Joan Wilsey Rapoport of Yonkers, N.Y., Peter Wilsey of Guilford, Conn., and Jay Wilsey of Lakewood, Colo. Donations may be made to the Greenwich Scholarship Association in memory of John C Wilsey. P.O. Box 4627 Greenwich, CT 06831.

InternationalContinued from page 1

Cleveland Clinic can:• Assist in the treatment of the

critically ill, or patients with complex medical conditions, and

• Provide educational opportunities to other hospital systems and practitioners

“Every year, Cleveland Clinic serves more than 3,000 people from nearly 140 different countries,” says Rob Stall, Executive Director for International Operations. “Through our local presence and in-country representatives we assist patients before, during and after

their visits.”Cleveland Clinic can help with

language interpretation, travel, second opinions, financial and billing procedures and customized healthcare solutions, Stall says. They also assist in patient follow-ups, acquiring medical records and fielding inquiries.

Cleveland Clinic has made international expansion an imperative within the past several years, says Bill Peacock, Cleveland Clinic Chief Operating Officer. “We have developed our sites through historic ties with these

nations, through hospital collaborations, and, of course, through our widespread alumni connections.”

Each time Cleveland Clinic partners with patients and healthcare providers in other countries it learns more about their culture, their needs and the opportunities it has to help, Peacock says.

For more information about Cleveland Clinic’s international presence, contact Aura Lopez, General Manager, International Business Development, at: 216.445.8417, or, [email protected].

Cleveland ClinicAlumni Relations, DV19500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195

Address Service Requested

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage Paid

Cleveland, Ohio

Permit No. 4184

Volume XXIV, No. 2 | Spring 2014

Alumni Connection is a publication of the Cleveland Clinic Alumni Association, produced in conjunction with Development Communications, for medical alumni and friends by the Philanthropy Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Ave./DV1 (White Mansion), Cleveland, OH 44195.

216.445.6961 | 800.444.3664 (24/7 voice mail) | fax 216.445.2730 e-mail [email protected] | website: clevelandclinic.org/alumni

Cleveland Clinic is an independent, nonprofit, multispecialty academic medical center consistently ranked among the top hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1921, it is dedicated to providing high-quality specialized care and includes eight community hospitals, 16 family health centers, an education institute and a research institute.

CCF Alumni Association Board of DirectorsLee M. Adler, DOElumalai Appachi, MDLouise A. Aquila-Allen, PhDJanet W. Bay, MD Steven Benedict, MDEdwin G. Beven, MD Alan W. Davis, MDZeyd Y. Ebrahim, MD Jonathan D. Emery, MDToribio C. Flores, MDMark K. Grove, MDAlexis L. Grucela, MD Albrecht H. Kramer, MD

Pauline Kwok, MDSara Pecorak Lappe, MDJames W. Lewis, MDCareen Y. Lowder, MDThomas J. Maatman, DODavid E. Martin, MD Atul C. Mehta, MDJonathan (Jon) L. Myles, MD Michael R. Puff, MDRochelle Rosian, MDDale R. Shepard, MD, PhD Conrad H. Simpfendorfer, MDDivya Singh-Behl, MD

Mario Skugor, MD

Ex-Officio MembersKathleen N. Franco, MDShilpi Khetarpal, MD Elias I. Traboulsi, MDAlionye (Ali) UsifohMelinda Stroh, Director

Emeritus MembersLilian V. Gonsalves, MDWilliam M. Michener, MDWilliam L. Proudfit, MD

Gary H. Dworkin, MD PresidentSusan J. Rehm, MD Vice PresidentJanet W. Bay, MD Secretary TreasurerRobert E. Hermann, MD Philanthropy Advisor Robert E. Hobbs, MD Immediate Past President

Melinda A. Stroh DirectorJane E. Healy Assistant DirectorJim Marino Editor

VeloSano, Latin for “swift cure,” is a major community fundraising initiative for cancer research. At its core, it’s a cycling event where riders commit to raising a pre-determined dollar amount by requesting support from personal contacts. Heading east, rides start and finish in downtown Cleveland, OH on July 19-20.

Whether you ride, volunteer or donate, 100% of the dollars raised by participants will benefit cancer research at Cleveland Clinic. Visit velosano.org or contact us at [email protected].

Get Involved and join the Cleveland Clinic Alumni Team of Riders or Volunteers!

To register as a Rider or make a donation to a team member visit: http://ccf.convio.net/goto/Cleveland_Clinic_Alumni

To register as a Volunteer, visit: http://ccf.convio.net/reststop5

REGISTER FOR THE INAUGURAL VELOSANO BIKE TO CURE

Alumni Connection - Cleveland Clinic · cultural changes, and more. (Editor’s note: The following...

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Transcript of Alumni Connection - Cleveland Clinic · cultural changes, and more. (Editor’s note: The following...