n e w s l e t t e r o f B o y e r s c h o o l o f n a t u r a l s c i e n c e s , M a t h e M a t i c s , a n d c o M p u t i n g

I N S I D E

Message from Br. Norman Hipps

Dr. Frank LuparelloA giant in medical education

Senior Natalie GentileStudent has the right stuff

Rendering of the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion

BOYERBULLETINa p u B l i c a t i o n o f s a i n t v i n c e n t c o l l e g ev o l . 1 , n o . 1 • n o v e M B e r 2 0 0 9

Dear Fellow Alumni and Friends,

This newsletter begins a periodic communication with alumni and friends interested in the math and science programs at Saint Vincent College. Our school is named after Herbert W. Boyer, C’58, co-founder of Genentech, Inc. Our in-progress science

facility bears the name of Sis and Herman Dupré, Herm C’53, inventor of snow making systems and developer of Seven Springs Mountain Resort. While pre-health is featured here, subsequent issues will highlight faculty/student research, interdisciplinary programs, and cooperative projects with other schools and agencies. Each publication will report on the progress of our facility’s expansion and renovation as well as the status of our fund raising efforts. In 1968, I was a young monk taking the required philosophy and theology curriculum, but managed to enroll in Fr. Cecil’s General Physics class where most of the students were pre-med. Drs. Richard McHugh, Carey McMonagle, and Alan Yeasted were in that class. Of course I knew with great admiration Frs. Edmund, Owen, Max, Joel, Edward, Bertin, Roland and Clement. There was great pride in the pre-med program and extraordinary enthusiasm as we opened a new science center in 1969. For the last five years I have enjoyed serving as Dean for the Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computing. With Dr. Jim Barnett as Chair of our Pre-professional Committee we have developed an aggressive advising program for students interested in the health sciences, established a freshman seminar for students hoping to go to medical school, and offered a Princeton Review course for MCAT preparation. We now have students enrolled in medical schools at Commonwealth Medical, Jefferson, Maryland, Pitt, Temple, Uniformed Services, and West Virginia. One of our current students, Natalie Gentile along with her Research Advisor Dr. Mike Rhodes are featured in this newsletter. Interest in the health sciences has broadened. Besides Dental, Optometry, Osteopathy, and Veterinary, students are doing programs in Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, and Physician Assistance. We have a formal partnership with Duquesne for these four allied health programs; this fall ten SVC students are pursuing a PharmD at Duquesne. It has been a pleasure getting to know better and to work with our medical alumni. Dr. Tom Gessner, C’64 and former medical director of Latrobe Area Hospital has chaired our Advisory Council for the first three years and is now working closely with chair Jim Will on our fund raising campaign. Dr. Angelo DeMezza, C’69, former medical director of Westmoreland Hospital, has joined our Pre-professional Committee. Perhaps one of our most revered MD alumni is Dr. Frank Luparello, C’49 and H’87. With the initiative of Dr. Ross DiMarco and the leadership of Dr. DeMezza, we have begun to raise money to establish the Frank Luparello Lecture Hall in the new Science Pavilion. (See accompanying story and architect’s image of the Lecture Hall.) We have already benefited by the medical community and friends of Dr. Bob Mazero. With gifts in his name we will create the Dr. John R. Mazero Science Education Center. I hope you will note the Science Center Update later in this newsletter which reflects our success to date. I will keep you informed of our progress in subsequent issues of the Boyer Bulletin. Thank you for your support.

Br. Norman

Br. Norman W. Hipps, Ph.D.

Dean

The Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computing

Advisory Council Members September 2009

Mr. James F. Will, L.H.D., C’60, ChairPresident EmeritusSaint Vincent College

Dr. William E. Amatucci, C’86Section Head, Space ExperimentsSection/Plasma PhysicsNaval Research Laboratory

Mr. Thomas AndersonChief Technology OfficerTower Systems, Inc.

Dr. Herbert W. Boyer, C’58 Co-FounderGenentech, Inc.

Dr. Umberto A. DeRienzo, C’88 Physician

Dr. William A. DiCuccio. C’70Physician

Dr. David A. Dzombak, C’79 Associate Dean for Graduate and Faculty AffairsCarnegie Institute of Technology

Dr. Thomas P. Gessner, C’64Physician

Mr. Donald A. Haile, C’63 Venture Partner/Site General ManagerFidelity Investments

Ms. Cheryl A. Harper, C’88Physics and Mathematics TeacherGreensburg Salem High School

Mr. Michael L. Keslar, C’80Executive Vice PresidentThe Bank of New York Mellon

Mr. Francis A. Marasco, C’64 Former PresidentEckerd Pharmacy Services

Mr. Mark J. Pincus, C’96Scientist/Biochemistry/Cell BiologyInternal Medicine Therapeutic Dept.sanofi-aventis Pharmaceuticals

Dr. Fred L. Soisson, Jr., C’51Former PhysicianCambria County Commissioner

Dr. Philip E. Stukus, C’64 Former Chair of BiologyDenison University

Ms. Shelley D. Sturdevant, C’88Manager, Color ServicesPPG Industries, Inc.

Mr. Stephen P. Yanek, C’68Program ManagerApplied Physics LaboratoryThe Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Daniel J. Yaniro, C’79Senior Technical DirectorVolP and TDM Operations PlanningAT&T

MESSAGE

One of the giants in medical education” is the tribute a former student of Dr. Frank

Luparello, C’49, gives to the physician and educator who was responsible for the training and development of thousands of doctors during an illustrious career spanning more than 50 years. “Dr. Luparello’s work is known all over the United States,” said Dr. Angelo DeMezza, C’69 about his former professor who was the director of medical education at Mercy Hospital and one of the first directors of medical education in the United States. “I will be forever indebted to him for making it possible for me to enter a residency in internal medicine and enjoy a wonderful career. He personally intervened to create an opening for me in the program he directed at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, took me under his wing and mentored me to success. I am anxious to participate in honoring him by contributing to the lecture hall which will be named for him in the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion now under construction—and encouraging others who had similar experiences to do so as well.” Dr. Luparello, who has received numerous accolades for the contributions he made to medical education, was honored last October with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “It is the award of which I am most proud,” he said. Now 85 and enjoying retirement with Patricia, his wife of 55 years, at their home in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, he continues to read the medical literature which was so essential throughout his

career. “I read, read, read, read,” Dr. Luparello admitted. “I was always a little crazy for the books.” Though he misses teaching, he enjoys watching sports and is an avid Steelers fan. Dr. Luparello credits his high school basketball coach, John Joy, with insisting that he become a doctor and he went to Saint Vincent with that intention. He expresses his lifelong admiration for the Benedictine teachers he had as an undergraduate pre-med student at Saint Vincent. “Fr. Edward Wenstrup,

Fr. Max Duman, Fr. Owen Roth, Fr. Edmund Cuneo, Fr. Joel Lieb and so many others I admired so much,” he recalled. “I adored these men. Fr. Edward was really the founder of the Biology Department. He had extensive knowledge of the field, an easy going nature, a great sense of humor and a loving personality.” “Fr. Max was also easy going, a wonderful person,” he continued. “He had all the skills needed to reach and motivate students. He was kind to everyone.” “Fr. Owen was rough and tough – and kind,” he said. “We liked him a lot.”

Dr. Luparello said the education he received at Saint Vincent prepared him to compete with the best in the nation. “We were very competitive in medical school,” he recalled, “with others who came from Harvard, Yale and Princeton and other Ivy League schools. I was proud of that. I came from a working class family and so many of my family were so good to me. I was also immensely helped by the Benedictine priests at Saint Vincent.” A native of North Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, who graduated from Jeannette High School, he

honored with science pavilion lecture hall

dr. frank luparello, c’49, ‘one of the giants in medical education’

FEATURE

Dr. Angelo DeMezza, Mrs. Patricia Luparello, Dr. Frank Luparello, Br. Norman Hipps Dr. Angelo DeMezza, left, and Br. Norman Hipps, O.S.B., right,

recently visited Dr. Frank Luparello and his wife, Patricia.

completed his undergraduate pre-med studies on a scholarship at Saint Vincent in 1949 and served for three and a half years in the military as a medic in the Philippines and Japan during the war. He earned his M.D. at State University of New York College of Medicine and interned at Saint Vincent Hospital/Columbia University in New York before completing a year of residency at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh and two more years of residency at Veterans’ Administration Hospital in the Bronx. Board certification in internal medicine followed in 1961. He was subsequently appointed director of medical education at Mercy Hospital and chair of its Department of Medicine, where he served as a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine for two decades. Many Saint Vincent students did their residency there including Drs. Alan Yeasted, Ross DiMarco, Angelo DeMezza and others. He retired in 1996 but continued to teach part-time. Although he practiced medicine, saw patients in consultation and had his work published 15 times

in national journals, Dr. Luparello found his medical calling as an educator. According to Thomas W. Nasca, M.D., former dean of Jefferson Medical College, “[Dr. Luparello] influenced the care of literally millions…through education of medical students, residents and ongoing education of practicing physicians.” His many awards include Mercy Hospital’s Quality of Mercy Award for his leadership, vision and example in providing health care rooted in the healing ministry of Christ (2003), Man of the Year (1974), and Award of Excellence (1981). He was honored as an Alumnus of Distinction by Saint Vincent in 1985 and with an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 1987. He also received Jeannette High School’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1992. Serving as a coordinator for the American Board of Internal Medicine Oral Examination ranks among his finest professional moments. The Luparellos have a son, Tom, who is married and lives in Bethesda, Maryland, and is the owner of a computer service company.

SCIENCE CENTER UPDATE

Our fund raising efforts to date have focused on leadership gifts, and despite these

challenging economic times, our donors have very generously given to this vital project. These key investors have committed more than 77 percent of the necessary funding and the College is most grateful to all who have pledged and contributed to date. Construction has begun on the new 45,000 square foot core building that replaces the old commons amphitheater building and completion is scheduled for next fall. Renovation of the remaining buildings will begin in spring 2011. In order to move forward with the renovation phase, we will need the participation of all our alumni to reach our $39 million goal. As we cast a wider net, we hope your gift will be added to our total as well—the success of future generations of Saint Vincent students depends on it!

$40,000,000

$35,000,000

$30,000,000

$25,000,000

$20,000,000

$15,000,000

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$5,000,000

FundsCommitted

AdditionalFundsNeeded

Funding Status through September 2009

senior natalie gentile has the right stuffBy Julia Cavallo

The Herbert W. Boyer School faculty tell their students from the first day of class that it takes dedication and hard work to tackle the

rigorous curriculum and earn a degree in the natural sciences. Senior Natalie Gentile’s commitment to excellence and determination to attend medical school has proved time and again that she has the right stuff to excel. Dr. Michael Rhodes, Natalie’s senior research advisor and assistant professor of biology, describes her as a dynamic person. He said, “She just doesn’t dip her toe in to test the water, she dives in head first.” Natalie showed interest in his areas of study which include testing stress responses, nicotine withdrawal and animal models. Usually Boyer School

students start their research projects during their junior year, but Natalie took the initiative to start thinking about her senior project during her sophomore year. As a researcher at Allegheny General Hospital, Dr. Rhodes started a project through the help of Pennsylvania Department of Health tobacco funds studying nicotine withdrawal. “Since completing my work with that grant I’ve had a mountain of data that has just been sitting,” he explained. Natalie showed interest in the project and based on her academic achievement and initiative Dr. Rhodes had faith and confidence that she could collaborate with him not only as an undergraduate student, but as a junior colleague. The collaboration has afforded Natalie many opportunities including presenting a poster on this project at the Experimental Biology Conference in New Orleans last year and this October she presented in Chicago at Neuroscience 2009. In addition, the Pittsburgh native is working as the primary author on a manuscript that she hopes to submit to a journal in the coming months. By doing the research, analyzing data, and presenting the findings through presentations and a manuscript, Natalie is getting a total research experience. Natalie plans to attend medical school to be a surgeon in Fall 2010. She has interviewed at Penn State College of Medicine, Pitt and the University of Maryland. Other interviews are scheduled at Georgetown, Drexel and West Virginia, stating that the process is exciting. “I’ve been preparing for this for a long time. Every year I’m one step closer to my goal.” Her dad, alumnus Dr. Anthony Gentile, encouraged her to attend Saint Vincent citing its strong tradition in the sciences and the personalized education she would receive. Natalie agrees with her father in saying, “A good thing about the professors here is that they make you want to succeed. This is an environment that fosters learning and that encouragement really makes a difference to students.” Based on Natalie’s achievements to date, and her aspirations for the future she is a Boyer School student who has the right stuff.

STUdEnT SpoTliGhT

Natalie Gentile works in the lab with Dr. Michael Rhodes.

More about natalie• Wonfirstplaceinthe 14th Annual Creative Arts Contest and her poem “Mother’s Day” was published in the July-August 2008 issue of The New Physician.

• Isacertifiedpersonal trainer through the American Council on Exercise.

• Startedacancer support group at a Pittsburgh area hospital and has volunteered at the Arnold Palmer Cancer Pavilion.

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Architectural rendering of the interior of the Luparello Lecture Hall