Temple Medicine Bulletin, Summer 2010

Medicine Bulletin

Neuroscience research holds the key to some of the most vexing problems in medicine today —Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, AIDS dementia. It’s also the field that’s deciphering the complexities and intricacies of our most human functions: memory, emotion, sensation, movement and cognition.

With strong programs in neuroscience research, clinical medi-cine and education, Temple is already a premier institution in this important arena.

Our neuroscience research program ranks among the top 15 nationally with respect to NIH funding, having been awarded more than $80 million in grants during the past 10 years, and establishing an internationally recognized center for AIDS-associated neurological diseases, virus-induced demyelination and cancer.

On the clinical side, our Neurosciences Center is a star player, with tertiary- and quaternary-level programs and advanced technologies like a state-of-the-art 3 TeslaMRI whole body scanner, the Leksell Gamma Knife 4C and the Elekta Synergy S. As a result, Temple is a hub for NIH-funded protocols and clinical trials in epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases and neuromuscular diseases.

A Publ ic At ion of temPle un ivers it y school of medic ine summer 2010

Neuroscience Research at Temple: Poised for Unprecedented Success

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t e m p l e

And now, with the relocation and consolidation of our basic neuroscience research programs to the spectacular new Medical Education and Research Building and the infusion of a major new NIH grant ($11.8 million) to establish the Institute for Translational Neuroscience, the program is poised for unprecedented success.

GaininG MoMentuMWhen the Department of Neuroscience moved to MERB, it gained 24,000 sq. ft. of contiguous, flexible research space— an entire floor.

“Our research laboratories were located on several floors of the Biology Life Sciences Building on Temple’s Main Campus, a building that was primarily designed for teaching undergraduate

“The new Institute for Translational Neuroscience will bring Temple neuroscience research to an even higher platform on the world stage.” —John Daly, MD, Dean

tracey Fisher Smith, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience and neurovirol-ogy (left), works with research assistant Rachel Vereneck to culture human neuronal cells.

t e M P l e M e D i c i n e b u l l e t i n2

students. While it gave us the opportunity to train undergraduate students in the field of neuroscience and viral infections of the CNS, due to its location, it limited our interaction with various members of our team as well as other investigators in biomedical sciences,” explains Kamel Khalili, PhD, chair of the Department of Neuroscience and director of the Center for Neurovirology. “Therefore, our centralization in MERB is a great boon, sparking conversations about new paths, new collaborations, to pursue.”

What’s more, explains Dr. Khalili, staff from other departments and centers with whom the departmental scientists can initiate collabo-ration have also moved to MERB—such as the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; the Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Neuromusculoskeletal Disorders Research Center, which focuses on strategies to restore function to children with neurological injuries; and some investigators affili-ated with the Center for

Substance Abuse Research, internationally respected for its innovative programs in the study of addiction.

“We are already seeing the productive benefit,” says Dr. Khalili, “of being closer to our collaborating neighbors.”

And now, says Dr. Khalili, this new grant of $11.8 million from NIH to create the Institute for Translational Neuroscience will usher in yet another set of collaborations: those between basic neuroscience researchers and their clinical counterparts at Temple University Hospital.

The new grant will turn a shelled floor in MERB into the Institute for Translational Neuroscience: 24,000 additional sq. ft. of open, flexible research space devoted to translational research in neuroscience.

This facility, slated to be open in Fall 2011, will bring the total square footage devoted to neuroscience research at TUSM to 48,000.

ReSeaRch oF Global iMPoRtanceWhile the researchers within the Department of Neuroscience and Center for Neurovirology continue to concentrate on essential basic research, those who take up housekeeping in the Institute for Translational Neuroscience will use the findings of lab and clinic to mount a rapid-fire campaign on

research bearing directly on issues of public health: neuroAIDS, inflammation, neuropharmacology and neurodegeneration. The goal? To develop effective therapeutic strategies targeting these diseases.

Directed by Dr. Khalili, with an advisory committee consisting of Ausim Azizi, MD (chair, Neurology); Michael Selzer, MD, PhD (director, Shriners Center of Pediatric Neuromusculoskeletal Disorders Research), and Ellen Unterwald, PhD (director, Center for Substance Abuse Research), the Institute for Translational Neuroscience will feature four major interrelated programs:

I. Neurodegeneration and Stem Cell ResearchIn addition to targeting neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, aging, traumatic injury, and strategies to preserve and repair nerve function, this program will also focus on neuroinflamma-tion, a frequent predecessor of neurodegeneration and injury.

“Our aim is to decipher the mechanisms involved in survival and repair of neuronal cells in healthy as well as disease states. Understanding the molecular events associated with neuronal cell function and deciphering pathways that lead to neuronal cell differentiation from stem cells provides fundamental

The translation of findings at the

bench to benefits at the bedside is

already underway at Temple. For

instance, working together, Dr. Kamel

Khalili and Michael Weaver, MD ’98,

assistant professor, Neurosurgery,

identified potential compounds for

suppressing brain tumor growth,

describing a role for oncogenic

neurotropic viruses in several brain

tumors. This discovery could create

new avenues for the diagnosis and

treatment of central nervous system

malignancy.

Kamel Khalili, PhD, chair, Department of neuroscience, director, center for neurovirology, and professor of neuroscience and neurovirology.

t e M P l e M e D i c i n e b u l l e t i n 3

information for developing molecular and cellular therapeutic strategies toward neurodegenerative diseases,” says Shohreh Amini, PhD, who heads the Laboratory of NeuroAIDS and Gene Therapy in the Department of Neuroscience at TUSM and is the principal investigator of a multidisciplinary NIH-funded program project grant on neuronal signaling pathways.

Dr. Amini is chair of the Department of Biology in the College of Science and Technology and a long-term member of the Department of Neuroscience and Center for Neurovirology at Temple. “In the context of the ITN, we will be able to take our laboratory findings to the clinical setting to test their effi-cacy in the treatment of a broad range of neurodegenerative disorders,” she says.

II. NeuroAIDS and Comorbidities As the neurologic complications associated with AIDS and its comorbidities remain unresolved, this area will be a major theme of investigation by the Institute.

“The outcome of our investigations will be directly relevant to diseases such as viral-induced neuronal injury including AIDS dementia, brain tumors, and malignancies of the nervous system, multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases,” says Jay Rappaport, PhD, associate chair, Department of Neuroscience, director of the biomedical neuroscience graduate program and professor of neuroscience and neurovirology.

During the past two decades, Dr. Rappaport’s findings have illuminated several critical biological events associated with neurological diseases seen in AIDS patients.

Approaching $100 Million in Grant FundingThe researchers of the Department of Neuroscience and Center for Neurovirology at TUSM have been awarded $96.8 million in extramural grant funding over the past 10 years. Some of the larger NIH grants include:

• Molecular biology of viral glial gene interaction in CNS $12.7 M

• Viral model for tumor pathogenesis in the brain $11.7 M

• Signaling pathways modulating HIV-1 injuring in CNS $11.5 M

• Drugs of abuse affecting AIDS pathogenesis/molecular events involved in HIV-1 morphine-induced neuropathogenesis $ 4.6 M

• Proteins and mediating interaction of HIV-1 and JCV in glial cells $ 2.6 M

• Targeting early proteins for therapeutic vaccines $ 2 .3 M

• Monocyte/Macrophage activities and trafficking in HIVE $ 2.0 M

Remember when most research labs were dark, cave-like and cluttered? Enter the open-lab format of MERB. No walls, no barriers. Ample bench and storage space, bathed in natural light. In addition to giving scientists physical and psychological “breathing room,” the open-lab format means the flexibility to reassign and shift resources on a large scale, quickly. The ability to remobilize personnel and resources is critical to productivity and success.


III. Neuroimmunology and Autoimmunity The central focus of this program, explains Yuri Persidsky, MD, PhD, rests on the trafficking of immune cells to the central nervous system, the blood-brain barrier, inflammation of the central nervous system, and autoimmunity leading to demye-linating diseases.

“Our work in this arena could lead to advances for the treatment of devastating conditions such as multiple sclerosis,” he says.

A neuropathologist, Dr. Persidsky is chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and professor of pathology and laboratory medicine.

IV. Neuropharmacology and Drug Abuse “Research related to alcohol and drugs of abuse is another central theme of the Institute,” says Nae Dun, PhD, chair, Department of Pharmacology, which hosts several researchers for the Center for Drug Abuse Research. “This is an area of high importance in medicine that has not received adequate attention during the last decade,” he says, “and Temple’s expertise in this field is among the best in the world.”

Within anD beyonD the FouR PRoGRaMS Disturbances in the nervous system caused by disease or injury often involve multiple organ systems. Therefore, research strat-egies must incorporate a wide spectrum of approaches and techniques bridging clinical and basic science across a variety of disciplines. Molecular biology, cellular biology, genetics, immunology, virology, genomics and proteomics, neurology and neurosurgery, interventional radiology, and more.

Through collaboration, possibilities multiply. Studies of novel strategies such as nanoparticle-guided therapeutics.

Neuro-oncology and translational imaging studies aimed at deciphering the molecular and cellular events associated with the development of brain tumors.

Neuroimaging studies to enhance behavioral/cognitive investigations as well as those in neurodegeneration, injury and repair.

Studies targeting the dysregulative processes leading to neurocognitive, neuropsychiatric and neurobehavioral disorders.

“While possibilities abound, there are two bottom lines,” says Dean Daly. “The first: clinical outcomes. The second: Educating new generations of scientists and physicians to advance those clinical outcomes, today and generations from now.”

With 24,000 sq. ft. of research and support space, the institute for translational neuroscience’s main laboratories are designed in an open-lab format divided into four zones (green), each assigned to a central research theme. core facilities are shown in blue. Support spaces (light green) include five tissue culture rooms, a bSl2+ facility for live virus work, bacterial and shared-equipment rooms, freezer rooms, microscope and small instrumentation rooms, cold rooms, dark rooms, and self-contained research model procedure and housing rooms. offices and con-ference rooms (blue and light blue) ring the perimeter of the floor.


Kamel Khalili, PhD: molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases and cancers of the central nervous system

Jay Rappaport, PhD: neuroimmune interaction and HIV-1 neuropathogenesis Shohreh Amini, PhD: neuronal signaling pathways; novel gene therapy strategies for CNS diseases, signal transduction and neurodegenerative diseases

S. Ausim Azizi, MD, PhD: cell-based therapies for repair and regeneration of CNS; feasibility of neurotransplantation of adult stem cells for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, as well as brain trauma and stroke

Mark Black, PhD: neuronal morphogenesis including axonal outgrowth and retraction, microtubule assembly, and cytoskeletal protein transport

Nune Darbinian, PhD: DING family of proteins, a novel class of evolutionary conserved proteins with antiviral and neuro-regenerative activity

Armine Darbinyan, MD: signaling pathways mediating the interaction of neurotropic viruses and the CNS

Prasun K. Datta, PhD: role of the complement system in CNS diseases and molecular interaction of drugs of abuse and brain cells

Nae Dun, PhD: role of cocaine and amphetamine-related peptides on the activity of brainstem neurons

Scott Faro, MD: functional MRI, diffusion tensor MR imaging, molecular imaging and therapy, neuroimaging in epilepsy and multiple sclerosis

Tracey Fischer-Smith, PhD: the role of inflammation in the neuropathogenesis of AIDS

Doina Ganea, PhD: mechanisms of immunosuppression; role of anti-inflammatory peptides in immune regulation and reactivation in the brain

Jennifer Gordon, PhD: molecular mechanisms of neuronal development, differentiation, and the development and use of animal models to study the pathogenesis of brain tumors

Wenzhe Ho, MD, PhD: effects of morphine on AIDS pathogenesis

Wenhui Hu, MD, PhD: neural cell plasticity, cancer,inflammation and immunity; stem cells and signal transduction in the peripheral and central nervous systems

Lynn Kirby, PhD: regulation of serotonin circuits in opiate addiction and relapse; effects of chemokines in the brain and their impact on opioid and cannabinoid systems; effects of stress and stress hormones on the serotonin (5-HT) system

Barbara Krynska, MD: neuronal stem cells; origin of cancer; strategies for regeneration of neuronal cells in patients with neurodegenerative diseases

T. Dianne Langford, PhD: signaling crosstalk strategies of cellular components of the blood-brain interface with HIV

Lee -Yuan Liu-Chen, PhD: trafficking, regulation, signal transduction, and pharmacology of opioid receptors

Christopher Loftus, MD: intracranial collateral circulation, extracranial carotid occlusive disease, responses of cerebral blood flow to cerebral revascularization

Feroze Mohamed, PhD: design and implementation of fMRI and physiological MRI methods, molecular MR imaging

Yuri Persidsky, MD, PhD: blood-brain barrier and inflammatory response in the brain in various conditions including viral infections such as HIV-1 and associated neurodegeneration

Francesca Peruzzi, PhD: molecular events involved in neuronal cell survival in normal and diseased states

Domenico Pratico, MD: Alzheimer’s disease; cellular and molecular aspects of cell oxidative biology

Thomas Rogers, PhD: translational research on HIV-1 and the pathogenesis of AIDS and CNS disease

Mahmut Safak, PhD: molecular mechanisms involved in regulation of human neurotropic virus replication in brain

Michael Selzer, MD, PhD: regeneration in the nervous system; neural plasticity

Ellen Tedaldi, MD: translational research in neuroAIDS; effects of morphine on AIDS pathogenesis

Ronald Tuma, PhD: evaluation of cannabinoids to protect the spinal cord and brain following traumatic brain injury

George P. Tuszynski, PhD: angiogenesis, metastasis, tumor progression, tumor markers, experimental cancer therapeutics

Ellen Unterwald, PhD: cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with drug addiction; neuro-adaptations in specific receptors, signal transduction pathways, and transcription factors that result from exposure to psychostimulants

Michael Weaver, MD: surgical intervention and therapeutic modalities for the treatment of malignant glioma

Martyn White, PhD: interaction of polyomaviruses and CNS cells; molecular pathogenesis of demyelinating diseases

SoMe oF ouR neuRoScience ReSeaRch inteReStS


Debt-free is a rare state these days, especially for recent medical school graduates.

During the past two decades, the public subsidy of medical education has all but disappeared. Therefore, medical schools nationwide have raised tuition by an average of 232 percent. At TUSM, in-state tuition is $41,222 yearly, and out-of-state $50,488.

Student loan interest rates have doubled during the last two years.

This means that Temple medical students are graduating $185,000 in debt today, on average.

With residency salaries in the mid-$40s, newly minted MDs are spending half their net income repaying loans.

“There is no easy solution to this national problem, but we can help Temple medical students,” says TUSM’s Alumni Association president Anthony Giorgio, MD ’73.

To get the ball rolling, Dr. Giorgio and several of his friends from the Class of 1973 made gifts to the Support-a-Scholar (SAS) program, launched last year to help ease the debt burden of Temple medical students.

“My Temple education is at the core of my success as a physician and educator,” says John Harding, MD ’73, an SAS donor and recently retired TUSM professor of psychiatry. “By contributing, I can have real impact on a deserving successor.”

Short-Term Relief, Long-Term SolutionsSolving the problem of medical student debt requires a two-pronged approach—a long-term effort to expand the school’s endowed scholarship fund pool, and a short-term effort to give medical students scholarship aid here and now, which is where SAS comes in.

Endowed (permanent) scholarship funds have to be quite large to produce a meaningful impact, because only 4.5 percent of their total can be spent annually. Temple’s scholarship endow-ment is relatively small ($12 million); therefore it does not have a tremendous yield.

On the other hand, term scholarship funds, like SAS, are spent in their entirety each year. Every dollar donated to SAS this year will go to scholarship aid next year.

“Until Temple’s scholarship endowment grows significantly, even modest gifts to the Support-a-Scholar program will have an immediate impact,” explains Dr. Giorgio.

Launched in the fall of 2008, the Medical Alumni Association’s SAS program is designed to provide immediate tuition relief, with 100 percent of the money donated going directly to students in the form of scholarship aid.

“Our goal is to raise $250,000 for SAS annually,” says Dr. Giorgio.

Support-a-Scholar will aid students whose characteristics reflect the mission of the school and who have demonstrated leadership, including students with academic merit, students committed to community service, and students who choose primary care. Donors who wish to support the scholarly training of graduate students, residents and fellows can direct their gifts to specific programs.

Students from all economic, social, cultural and geographic backgrounds will benefit.

Deep Impact In addition to easing debt, scholarships mean choice. A scholarship can make all the difference to a student who wants to pursue primary care yet feels compelled to choose a higher-paying specialty so those loans can get paid off.

You might really want to be a family doctor, explains Dr. Giorgio, but when you realize how hard it’s going to be to make those huge monthly loan payments, higher-paying specialties start looking a lot better.

helPinG MeDical StuDentSachieVe Debt-FREEDoM

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, nearly nine in ten medical students (87 percent) carry a major debt load.


“Let’s help Temple medical students make career choices based on their passion, not on their income potential,” he says.

Moreover, what’s good for the student is good for the school. Scholarships, both endowed and term, are also powerful recruiting tools, enabling Temple to attract outstanding applicants—instead of watching them choose other medical schools with more lucrative financial aid packages.

One Step CloserDuring the past seven years, thanks to the generous alumni who have donated more than $17 million to student support, TUSM has increased its schol-arship awards substantially.

More than $330,000 has been donated specifically to Support-a-Scholar since its inception just a year ago, and 24 medical students have benefited. Ten students received one-time awards, and 14 students will continue to receive aid throughout

all four years of medical school thanks to their donors’ generous four-year pledges. Smaller gifts are meaningful as well. All make a significant impact.

“Let’s help Temple medical students realize their dreams of becoming physicians,’ says Dr. Giorgio. “Let’s do our part to address a national issue of critical importance and help our medical students attain debt-freedom.”

SAS recipient Jake Natalini of the Class of 2013, shows his gratitude.

“The scholarship I received was indispensable,” he says. “It’s helped me with tuition as well as textbooks and tools to facili-tate my education. By reducing my financial burden, I am able to concentrate fully on learning medicine. I am very grateful to the donors.”

John Daly, MD ’73, dean and scholarship donor, says, “In terms of student support, TUSM has accomplished impressive feats with modest funding. Imagine what we can do with more plentiful resources.”

Goals

Provide scholarship aid to temple medical students whose characteristics reflect the mission of the school, such as those who demonstrate leadership, those with academic merit, those committed to community service, and those who choose primary care, by:

1) raising $250,000 annually for term scholarship support.

2) increasing tusm’s scholarship endowment from $12 million to $17 million by 2015.

levels

Gifts <$25,000 will be spent in their entirety to reduce student tuition beginning with the next academic year.

Gifts >$25,000, depending on the wishes of the donor, can be directed to sAs or be used to establish an endowed scholarship fund.

Make a Gift

e-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 215-707-9459 or 800-331-2839

Web: temple.edu/medicine/alumni/support_a_scholar.htm

the Medical alumni association’s

suPPort-A-scholAr ProGrAm

“Should the future of our profession depend on the willingness of young people to live in debt for the rest of their lives?” poses Dr. Giorgio.


neWS anD noteS oF honoR Dean Daly Gets Diamond Award

This year at the gala cele- brating 66 years of Temple University Hospital Auxiliary’s service, medical school dean John Daly, MD ’73, was named the Auxiliary’s 2010 Diamond Honoree. The award is named for university founder Russell Conwell and his famous Acres of Diamond speech.

Auxiliary president Kenneth Cundy, PhD, professor emeritus of microbiology and

immunology, said that the Auxiliary selected Dean Daly for the award because his leadership has been so meaningful to both the school and hospital.

“John Daly is a great champion of Temple’s interrelated missions of patient care, education and research,” said Dr. Cundy, noting that the continued advancement of Temple’s tripartite mission will depend on leaders who, like Dr. Daly, embrace all three.

The Auxiliary has pledged a donation of $500,000 toward construction of an outpatient surgical suite in Temple University Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Center, proposing it be named in honor of Dr. Daly and his wife, Mary.

University Honor for TorgJoseph S. Torg, MD ’61, clin-ical professor of orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine at Temple, was presented with the university’s Certificate of Honor for the medical school during the 2010 Founder’s Celebration.

A recognized leader in sports medicine, in the 1960s, Dr. Torg pioneered the nationally mandated change from the old style of football cleat to

the present soccer-type of shoe, saving thousands of athletes from serious knee injury. In 1974, he cofounded the country’s first university-based sports medicine center at Temple. He also founded the nation’s first sports medicine fellowship training program for orthopaedic surgeons.

Dr. Torg is perhaps best known for his role in leading the research that led to the banning of “spearing” in football, or hitting an opponent with the crown of the helmet, a rule that has saved

untold thousands from spinal cord injury. His educational video, Prevent Paralysis: Don’t Hit With Your Head, was required viewing for thousands of high school and college teams nationwide for many years.

A member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Hall of Fame, Dr. Torg has accrued many honors, including the National Athletic Trainers Association President’s Challenge Award, the Eastern Orthopaedic Association award for spinal research, and the American Orthopaedic Association’s Nicholas Andry Award for outstanding achievement in ortho-pedic surgery. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Elizabeth Winston Lanier Kappa Delta Award of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Dr. Torg has served on the editorial boards of leading journals and has co-authored three textbooks and more than 160 profes-sional journal articles. He is a former member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and was a team physician for the Philadelphia Eagles, Flyers and 76ers for many years.

Faculty Named Best Docs Forty-seven Temple faculty, including several alumni and former residents, are named in the 2009-2010 Castle Connolly guide to America’s Best Doctors, a peer-nominated list repre-senting the top 3 to 5 percent of specialists in the country: Paul Bandini Jr., MD, Gastro; Steven Berney, MD, Rheumatol; Martin Black, MD, Hepatol; Guenther Boden, MD, Endocrin; Alfred Bove, MD ’66, PhD ’70, Cardiovasc; Michael Bromberg, MD, Onc & Hem; Ashwin Chatwani, MD, Ob/Gyn; Gerard Criner, MD ’79, Crit Care & Pulm Med; Ernesto Cruz, MD, PM&R; Gilbert D’Alonzo, DO, Crit Care & Pulm Med; Daniel Dempsey, MD, Surg & Surg Onc; William Dubin, MD, Psych; Robert Van Buren Emmons, MD, Onc & Hem; Paul Fink, MD ’58, Psych; Robert Fisher, MD, Gastro; Claro Floro, MD, Ob/Gyn; Frank Friedenberg, MD, Gastro; Satoshi Furukawa, MD, Thor Surg; Sean Harbison, MD ’86, Surg; Mercedes Jacobson, MD, Neuro; Charles Jungreis, MD, Radio; Lawrence Kaplan, MD ’86, Int Med; Thomas Klumpp, MD, Onc & Hem; Benjamin Krevsky, MD, Gastro; R. Tim Lachman, MD, Neurol; Christopher Loftus, MD, Neuro Surg; Bennett Lorber, MD, Infec Dis; Paul Lyons, MD, Fam Med; Ian Maitin, MD, PM&R; Kenneth Mangan, MD, Onc & Hem; Alan Maurer, MD ’75, Nuc Med; Larry Miller, MD, Gastro; Jose Missri, MD, Cardiovasc; Ray Moyer, MD, Ortho Surg; Henry Parkman, MD, Gastro; Stephen Permut, MD ’72, Fam Med; Michel Pontari, MD, Urol; A. Koneti Rao, MD, Onc & Hem; Joel Richter, MD, Gastro; Andrew Roberts, MD, Vasc Surg; John Rombeau, MD, Col & Rec Surg; Ronald Rubin, MD ’72, Onc & Hem; Ellen Tedaldi, MD, Int Med; Audrey Uknis, MD ’87, Rheumatol; Colleen Veloski, MD, Endocrin; Michael Weinik, DO-Res ’86, PM&R; F. Todd Wetzel, MD, Ortho Surg.


Also Honored• Charles Barbera, MD ’93, MBA, Wyomissing, Pa., chair of

emergency medicine at the Reading Hospital and Medical Center in Reading, is the first Alvernia University Healthcare MBA grad to receive the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition to his service to community, trainees and profession, Dr. Barbera recently helped establish a trauma center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with Medical Teams International.

• Temple’s Akbar Bonakdarpour, MD, emeritus W. Edward Chamberlain Professor of Diagnostic Imaging and former professor of orthopedic surgery, was recently honored with the presentation of his portrait to Temple University Hospital. A founder of the field of musculoskeletal radi-ology, Dr. Bonakdarpour received the International Skeletal Society’s Founder’s Gold Medal in 1994. In 2007 the Society named its annual medal in his honor.

• William Frankl, MD ’55, Penn Valley, Pa., former professor of medicine at TUSM, received the 2010 Edward Cooper, MD, Award of the Southeastern PA Chapter of the American Heart Association. The honor is presented to a professional whose contributions have improved the daily lives of those in the Philadelphia region. A dedicated clinician and educator, Dr. Frankl has received many honors, including the Philadelphia County Medical Society’s 2004 Strittmatter Award, recognizing his contributions to the healing arts as physician, teacher and administrator.

• Mary Lynn Sealey, MD ’95, Gibsonia, Pa., assistant professor of medicine at TUSM and director of the internal medi-cine and transitional residency programs at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, has received the 2009 Clinical Practice Award of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians. The award recognizes her exceptional service to patients, community and profession. The Western Pennsylvania Hospital is a clinical campus of TUSM.

Clinical Currents• Independence Blue Cross has designated Temple University

Hospital a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery and a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement. The designations mean that these programs meet the objec-tive criteria and recommendations of expert clinicians and leading professional organizations.

• Temple is the first university medical center in Philadelphia to use the inReach System, which uses GPS-like technology that enables pulmonologists to build a 3-D roadmap of the lungs from a CT scan, then navigate that map using a flexible, steerable catheter and bronchoscope to biopsy hard-to-reach lesions. The outpatient procedure presents no risks beyond

those associated with traditional bronchoscopy, and because of its accuracy, can also aid in the treatment of cancerous lesions with greater precision by enabling cancer staging in the lymph nodes.

• Temple is one of only two medical centers in Philadelphia to offer hypothermia for the treatment of patients post-cardiac arrest. According to Robin Naples, MD, assistant professor, emergency medicine, when applied within six hours of re-established circulation, the therapy significantly reduces risk of neurological damage.

• Temple recently performed its first laser-assisted extraction of an implanted defibrillator lead. Over time, scar tissue can bind leads to blood vessel and heart walls, necessitating their removal due to infection or faulty performance. Prior to the advent of the laser extraction method, patients faced a high risk of complications from the surgical removal. Laser-assisted extraction significantly reduces the complication rate. Electrophysiologist Bindi Shah, MD, assistant professor of medicine, performed the procedure.

• Temple is the only academic medical center in Philadelphia to offer hyperthermia cancer treatment. Combined with radi-ation therapy and used for common recurrent cancers of the head and neck, breast and skin, hyperthermia can be effective for patients who have not responded to radiation therapy alone, and is most effective for cancers near the skin surface, says Curtis Miyamoto, MD, chair of radiation oncology.

• Two NIH trials for end-stage heart failure patients are underway at Temple. The first will help determine if adult stem cells can repair cardiac damage. The second will evaluate the effectiveness of an investigational drug aimed at preventing clots and internal bleeding in patients with ventricular assist devices. Abeel Mangi, MD, assistant professor of medicine, is principal investigator.

Congrats, Class of 2010 What a wonderful graduation ceremony we had May 14 for the Class of 2010. Denis Cortese, MD ’70, former Mayo Clinic president/CEO, gave an eloquent graduation speech about the future of health care in America, and the remarks of this year’s Skull dedicatee and class president were likewise inspired. Visit www.temple.edu/med for more. Also check out the web for details (and a great video) on this year’s residency match. The Class of 2010 will train at Yale, Johns Hopkins, and other great institutions around the country. Internal medicine was the most popular choice (selected by 21 percent), with emergency medi-cine and pediatrics following. Approximately 85 percent of the class matched to one of their top-three choices (compared to 82 percent nationwide), and 45 percent are staying in Pennsylvania—including 11 percent who matched at Temple. Clearly, we are delighted to have them.


John Abramson, MD ’71, Broomall, Pa., is a gastroenterologist with Main Line Gastroenterology, and chief of nutrition at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood.

Frank Speidel, MD ’77, MBA, Spring, Texas, has been named CEO of St. Luke’s Hospital at The Vintage, a new hospital in Houston. He held numerous leader-ship positions prior, including chief medical officer at Memorial Hermann Northeast in Houston, senior vice presi-dent of medical affairs at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pa., and vice president of medical affairs at Roxborough Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia. A former commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve, Dr. Speidel has been decorated with many awards, including the National Defense Service Medal. He maintains his board certifica-tion in emergency medicine.

Lawrence Weisberg, MD ’81, Philadelphia, Pa., is professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and head of the division of nephrology at Cooper University Hospital, in Camden, N.J., where he also directs the fellowship program in nephrology and has received several teaching awards. His is a past president of the Nephrology Society of New Jersey. His research interests pertain to the prevention and medical treatment of acute renal failure.

David Wilkes, MD ’82, Indianapolis, Ind., is executive associate dean of research affairs at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he also serves as the Dr. Calvin H. English Professor of Medicine in the division of pulmo-nary and critical care medicine and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, professor of microbiology and immunology, and director of the IU Center of Immunobiology. Dr. Wilkes recently served as principal investigator for the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, one of the

nation’s leading programs aimed at increasing the number of minorities on medical school faculties. Dr. Wilkes is cofounder of ImmuneWorks Inc., a biotech company focused on developing therapies for immunologically mediated lung disease.

J. Thomas Roland Jr., MD ’83, Bronx, N.Y., has been appointed chair of otolaryngology at New York University Langone Medical Center.

Amy Harvey O’Keeffe, MD ’90, Langhorne, Pa., is an obstetrician/ gynecologist practicing at the Center for Women’s Health and serves on the medical staffs of Saint Mary Medical Center (Langhorne) and Lower Bucks Hospital (Bristol). A master-level Reiki practitioner, she incorporates various modalities of complementary medicine in her practice. She also leads an annual medical mission to the Dominican Republic.

Robert Harrington Jr., MD ’93, Alpharetta, Ga., has been named chief medical officer of Locum Leaders, based in Alpharetta, Ga., the first national locum tenens firm to name a hospitalist chief medical officer. Most recently, Dr. Harrington served as vice president for medical affairs for InCompass Health, a leading for-profit hospitalist manage-ment group. In 2009 he was named a

member of the inaugural class of fellows of Society of Hospital Medicine.

Christina Chung, MD ’02, Philadelphia, Pa., is an assistant professor of derma-tology at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Anne Colton, MD ’01, Newtown Square, Pa., is an orthopaedic surgeon practicing with Surgical Orthopedic Associates, Bryn Mawr, Pa. She specializes in arthroscopic shoulder and knee surgery, as well as knee, shoulder and elbow reconstruction, and has a particular interest in women’s sports medicine.

Heather Hammerstedt, MD ’04, MPH, Boise, Idaho, an emergency physician at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, is vice president and a founding member of The Global Emergency Care Collaborative. Her work with the organization has taken her to places such as Uganda, where she is creating a pre-hospital system for Nyakibale Hospital. Dr. Hammerstedt is also a certified holistic health counselor and medical acupuncturist.

Jeffrey Panzer, MD ’06, Bonga Kafa, Ethiopia, is working at the Chiri Health Center Ethiopia and reports his experiences on the blog: http://erin-jeffinethiopia.blogspot.com/.

claSS noteS

a mini reunion of the class of 1970 in the outer banks, n.c. Front, l-R: Daniel bethem, lee barnes, charlie alfano, and Vince Markovchick. back, l-R: Ken Schwartz, tom yucha, and ed ballantine.


PhilanthRoPy noteSlemole Funds integrative Medicine lecture Series

Integrative medicine—an approach that combines conventional Western medi-cine with complementary treatments such as herbal medicine, acupuncture and yoga—is beginning to make its mark on top medical centers across the nation. Thanks to TUSM Board of Visitors member Gerald Lemole, MD ’62, and his wife Emily, TUSM can now be added to that list. The

Lemoles have generously committed $300,000 to create the Lemole Lecture Series in Integrative Medicine at TUSM.

A cardiothoracic surgeon by training, Dr. Lemole is medical director of Christiana Care’s Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Institute in Delaware. He is also developing an integrative medicine program for Christiana Care.

Further evidence of his interest in the field and his commitment to Temple is the educational lecture series he has endowed at TUSM with his recent gift.

“Patients are becoming increasingly interested in alternative approaches. They need guidance from their health care profes-sionals— and I want Temple to be at the forefront,” says Dr. Lemole, who completed his MD degree and general surgery residency at Temple, later returning to the institution to serve as chief of cardiothoracic surgery.

Scheduled to begin in the spring of 2010, the Lemole Lectures will complement Temple’s Doctoring course with integrative medicine experts from throughout the tri-state area coming to campus monthly for various lectures and talks for students and faculty. In addition, twice yearly the series will bring a nationally known speaker to campus for a high-profile event.

A student interest group and advisory committee headed by Karen Lin, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine and public health, will assist with speaker and topic selection. “It’s an exciting program,” she says, noting that a standardized patient encounter surrounding integrative medicine might be devel-oped for students to augment what they learn in the lectures.

A dedicated Board member, alumnus and former faculty member, Dr. Lemole recently made another leadership gift to Temple: A donation of $250,000 to name the Board Conference Room on the 11th floor of MERB. This sought- after meeting space boasts one of the most magnificent views of the Philadelphia skyline in the region.

temple ophthalmology on the RiseTwo years ago, a new era in Temple Ophthalmology began when Jeffrey Henderer, MD, a well-known Philadelphia-based glaucoma expert and clinician-scientist, came on board as chair of the department. Enthusiastic and dedicated, he sees Temple Ophthalmology’s potential for growth and vitality in patient care, research and medical education.

Under Dr. Henderer’s direction, several talented, dynamic new faculty members with expertise in everything from age-related macular degeneration to tele-ophthalmology have been recruited to the department, and a new ophthalmology clinic has been opened at Jeanes Hospital in Fox Chase, Pa.

A big priority for the department is the renovation of its home base at Temple University Hospital, and a fundraising goal of $300,000 has been set for it.

First to respond was university trustee and medical school Board of Visitors member Solomon Luo, MD-Res ’86, and his wife Wendy. The Luos, whose two daughters are Temple medical school and ophthalmology residency graduates, created a 1:1 matching gift challenge, effectively doubling all gifts up to a total of $150,000. So far, generous alumni have made dozen commitments totaling $80,000 in response.

Among those to give most generously are Omar Almallah, MD ’85, Res ’89, Thomas Armstrong, MD ’78, Res ’84, and Iftikhar Chaudhry, MD, Res ’97, all Philadelphia-area program grads.

“Temple Ophthalmology has helped make us the physicians and surgeons we are today,” says Dr. Almallah. “Our program is now at a critical juncture, and as beneficiaries of a superior education and clinical training at Temple, we have the opportunity to give back.”

For more information about Temple ophthalmology and its plans, contact Eric Abel, 215-707-3023, [email protected].

Gerald lemole, MD ’62

Solomon luo, MD-Res ’86, and Wendy lou

Institutional Advancement3500 N. Broad StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19140

NON-PROFIT ORGANIzATION

US POSTAGe PAID

PHILADeLPHIA PAPeRMIT NO. 1044

197-

0910

EditorGiselle Zayon

Design Creative Services, Temple Universitywww.temple.edu/getcreative

ContributorsSteven BatesRenee CreeJoAnne DeSanto-BonewiczKathleen HarmerRebecca HarmonIngrid Spangler

PhotographyRyan BrandenbergJoseph V. LabolitoMark Stehle CorrespondenceTemple University School of MedicineOffice of Institutional Advancement3500 N. Broad StreetPhiladelphia PA 19140215-707-4868 [email protected]

Medicine Bulletin t e m p l e

mAKe A struGGlinG student smile.remember being accepted to medical school? thrilling.

remember the tuition bills? scary.

now for crazy scary: $185,000 that’s the average debt for temple med grads today.

make a struggling student smile.

Join the medical Alumni Association’s support-a-scholar program today.

every dollar you donate is one less tuition dollar a struggling, wonderful student must pay.

The Medical Alumni Association’s Support-a-Scholar Program

e-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 215-707-9459 or 800-331-2839

Web: temple.edu/medicine/alumni/support_a_scholar.htm

Temple Medicine Bulletin, Summer 2010

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Transcript of Temple Medicine Bulletin, Summer 2010