Tufts Blueprint Winter 2010

At Tufts, “getting involved” is a learned behavior.

— page 4

Dena Greenblum, A09, embarks on a career in advocacy in Washington, D.C.

World-class BusinessA new degree program at The Fletcher School prepares students for the merging worlds of international diplo-macy and commerce, page 2

Engineering MoleculesHaber Professor of Energy Sustainability is researching ways to create tomorrow’s fuel, page 7

Financial NetworkingTwo Arts and Sciences alumni volunteers are helping to organize the Jumbos working on and around Wall Street, page 8

In Honor of Dr. ZissiSix Dental School friends and colleagues name a treatment facility faster than you can say “open wide,” page 10

FOR TUFTS UNIVERSITY | WINTER 2010

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News of the Beyond Boundaries Campaign Winter 2010B

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Chair, Board of TrusteesJames A. Stern, E72, A07P

PresidentLawrence S. Bacow, Ph.D.

ProvostJamshed J. Bharucha, Ph.D.

Campaign ChairsPamela K. Omidyar, J89Pierre M. Omidyar, A88Alan D. Solomont, A70, A08PJonathan M. Tisch, A76

Honorary ChairsWilliam S. Cummings, A58, M97P, J97PDr. Bernard M. Gordon, H92Daniel F. Pritzker, A81, A12PKaren M. Pritzker, J83, A12P

Executive CommitteeKathryn C. Chenault, Esq., J77Steven B. Epstein, Esq., A65, A96P, A01P, A07P, AG04PNathan Gantcher, A62, H04Martin J. Granoff, A91PDaniel A. Kraft, A87Joseph E. Neubauer, E63, J90PAgnes Varis, H03

University AdvancementTufts University80 George Street, 200-3Medford, MA 02155

[email protected]

Blueprint for Tufts University

Li Zhu, F10, hopes to engage the private sectors in the United States and

her native China on the issue of climate change. Eric Sullivan, F10, plans to couple a career in economic diplomacy with a personal mission to help street chil-dren and victims of sex traffi cking.

Both credit The Fletcher School’s Master of Inter-national Business (MIB) program with preparing them to make a difference in the world. “The MIB program has provided me with the expanded thinking, practical skills, and relevant professional contacts that will enable me to make a meaningful contribution,” says Sullivan.

Li says, “At Fletcher, you are surrounded by moti-vated doers who believe our effort in the world will be paid off some day. It will, we will.”

A recent commitment of $5 million by Swiss indus-trialist and Fletcher Overseer Thomas Schmidheiny, H99, will ensure the growth of the Master of International Business program and its associated Center for Emerging Market Enterprises. A Tufts honorary-degree recipient, Schmidheiny previously gave $5 million to launch the two-year MIB program for young profession-als who aspire to careers in international business, and the center that is a global hub for research, study, and networking devoted to enterprises in emerging markets.

“Mr. Schmidheiny’s support has been instrumental in enabling Fletcher to launch a competitive program that is attracting outstanding students, and his pledge of an additional investment toward the continuing success of the program is wonderful news,” says Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow. “I am grateful for his confi dence

Schmidheiny Underwrites

Fletcher’s Master of International

Business Program

in our efforts, and for his active involvement, thoughtful advice, and wonderful generosity.”

The inaugural MIB Class of 2010 say Fletcher’s strong curricula in international law, fi nance, and econom-ics as well as its interdisciplinary approach to emerg-ing markets, have prepared them well for international careers spanning the public and private sectors.

“I chose Fletcher and the brand-new MIB program for its uniqueness and fresh outlook,” says Elli Tsiligianni, F10, of Greece, who has studied international politics and economics at the College of Europe in Belgium and the University of Macedonia in Greece. She has interned on the counter-terrorism desk of the European Union Commission External Relations and in the political-affairs offi ce at NATO headquarters, and speaks Greek, French, Italian, and German as well as English.

“I was looking for a degree that could combine my desire to gain marketable knowledge and skills on global business issues and my passion for international affairs and politics,” she says. “The adventure and thrill of

FOCUS ONACTIVE CITIZENSHIP

DEAR FRIENDS:

Colleges and universities have historically prepared students to play important roles as active citizens in our democracy. Our students need to develop the critical rea-soning skills that will allow them to participate effectively in public debate about the great policy issues of our time. They also need to develop the habit of active engage-ment. This is the role of a liberal education—to convey not just knowledge but also values, so that our students will get involved and not simply sit on the sidelines.

At Tufts, education for active citizenship is a core value. By developing innovative programming in collaboration with Tufts’ schools, departments, and student groups, Tisch College helps catalyse a culture of active citizen-ship throughout the university. Tufts regularly ranks at the top among universities of our size for the number of alumni active in the Peace Corps. Our medical students and faculty travel to impoverished areas to offer resi-dents treatment and health education. The School of Dental Medicine offers free clinical services to victims of domestic violence.

At the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Paws for People promotes compassion and companionship by bringing pets for visits to nursing homes, hospitals, and homes for troubled youth. The student volunteers of Engineers without Borders currently are working on sustainable engineering projects in El Salvador and Haiti. And the largest undergraduate organization at Tufts, the Leonard Carmichael Society, engages thousands of students and community members each year in its service programs.

Countless Tufts students, faculty, staff, and alumni are engaged in efforts locally and globally to make the world a better place. This edition of Blueprint spotlights our mission to educate students to be active, engaged, and effective citizens in their communities. Your generous support has been invaluable to this effort. Thank you for your partnership.

Sincerely,Lawrence S. Bacow, President

A message from

President Bacow

Members of the MIB Class of 2011 hail from 19 coun-tries in Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacifi c, the Middle East, and Turkey. Three-quarters have signifi cant experience in the private sector, in fi nancial services, consulting, and industry; the remainder come from the public sector, nonprofi ts, and journalism.

being part of the inaugural class of such a program drew me to the school as I was in fact searching for something different, something that could challenge me with new perspectives but that would also build on my previous experience and interests.”

Before arriving at Fletcher, Cecilia Paradi-Guilford, F10, from Hungary and the United Kingdom, earned a degree at the University of St. Andrews in international relations and Middle East studies, and gained experience with the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Council of Europe, and the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence. She speaks Hungarian, French and Arabic, as well as English.

“One of the reasons I chose Fletcher was its great diversity,” she says. “All these different experiences and cultural perspectives come together to produce more pro-found, more original solutions both in the classroom and eventually in the real world for global issues. I have found this environment to be truly stimulating while accept-ing of different points of view, which I really appreciate. We challenge each other, but always with respect. This is very much the essence of Fletcher.”

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FOCUS ON ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP

With support from Tisch College’s Citizenship and Public Service Scholars pro-gram, Nora Chovanec, A10, toured farms in Mexico and the American Midwest this past summer for a documen-tary photography and oral-history project on the lives of farmers who plant and harvest one of the world’s staple crops—corn.

The Citizenship and Public Scholars Program, a key priority of Beyond Boundaries, offers funding and guidance for student-directed research on social change. The scholars chosen are Tufts community leaders who organize and oversee

projects that set an example of citizenship.Chovanec was asked by Blueprint to describe her trip and some of the striking images she captured along the way.

“The impetus for this project grew from the two areas of interest that I had been work-ing in throughout my three years as a Tisch Scholar—understanding the people and work involved in food production and the creation and promotion of socially conscious art,” she writes.

“Having the opportunity through the capstone project to focus on a subject that may not necessarily be con-

sidered ‘news’ by the main-stream media, but is a very pressing subject relevant to our society, allowed me to create a platform to discuss, and hopefully spark a dia-logue about, the state of our current food system and the people invested in it.

“When I began photograph-ing corn farmers in Mexico and the Midwest U.S. in May of 2009 I thought I knew so much: 7,000 years ago, Mexico domesticated maize, resulting in the founding of the Americas on corn and evolving into one of largest farming industries in the world. I was going to take photographs that would

make sense of the industry and suss out the issues of these farmers’ lives.

“I was going to tell a story of what it means to be a farmer in North America—touching on issues of global warming, confrontations with seed companies, people not understanding where their food comes from, and farmers being romanticized as a last beacon of produc-tion and as the few who know what it means to be connected the land. But, instead, what I found was that the lines here are not so mapped out and clear. Life

TWENTY-ONE LEADERS in international philan thropy and higher education met on November 2 at the Carnegie Corporation in New York to consider the future of the rapidly growing global movement of civic engagement and social responsibility in higher education. The meeting was co-hosted by President Vartan Gregorian of the Carnegie Corporation, Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow, and Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. Leaders of major pri-vate and corporate foundations met with heads of universities

Scholar’s Documentary Explores Corn Farming and the

“ I was going to tell a story of what it means to be a farmer in North America.… what I found was that the lines here are not so mapped out and clear.”

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Above from left: The Catholic faith is strong in

the farming town of Obrajuelo, in Mexico’s “bread basket” region of Bajío. Susan and

Tye Thompson’s farm in Galesburg, Ill., has been in the

family for generations. Don Materio, a farmer in Xalatlaco,

Mexico, shares a breakfast of eggs, rice, and tea with his

grandson. A farmer’s wife in San Pedro Sochiapan, Mexico, carries fi rewood used to cook all her family’s meals. Photos

by Nora Chovanec, A10

KRISTEN OLSON

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Winter 2010 News of the Beyond Boundaries Campaign

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is not so cut and dried when you actually go and meet the people face to face.

“Some farmers believe in global warming, some don’t. Some farmers love seed com-panies like Monsanto, some farmers wish the companies would collapse. Some farmers buy all of their food from the Hy-Vee [grocery store], just like people living in the city, and some farmers still exist grow-ing corn solely for subsistence, for both themselves and their animals. Some farmers love government subsidies, or want them more than anything, and some wish the system was never created. Some farmers

have profi ted heavily from the switch to commodity corn and monoculture, some farmers are barely surviving, and some farmers don’t even know that this shift occurred.

“Confronting these blurred notions of farming culture, I realized I could not create work that existed solely to tell one story about the people within the industry. Instead, I worked to provide a journey of exploration of corn country, looking at the relationships of the people and the animals that inhabit this space, and what it means when the land, and an industry, is in a con-stant state of growth.”

Tisch College Seed Funds Spur Inspiration to Action

Open to undergraduate and graduate students from all of Tufts’ schools, Tisch College’s Civic Engagement Fund provides advising and seed funding for inno-vative projects with an active-citizenship theme.

The fund is supported by seed money from Jonathan Tisch, A76, among other philanthropists, as well as by annual giving by alumni and friends. Students are eligible to apply for grants of up to $500 for an individual student or $1,000 for a group.

The aim is to attract students who are passionate and committed to unique projects that otherwise would not be possible. Here are a few recent recipients:

The Student Health Organizing Coalition (SHOC) has pressed Massachusetts offi cials to reform state health insurance regulations to ease cost burdens on students. With college students ineligible to get health coverage through the state Connector Authority’s program of sub-sidized Commonwealth Care, private health insurance companies have been charging high premiums to stu-dents not covered by their parents, spouses, or employers. “A lot of students are being driven into medical debt, and a lot of people aren’t able to get the care they need, so we’re researching policy that could change to make the situation better for students,” says SHOC organizer Dena Greenblum, A09. Members of the group testifi ed at a public hearing in the state legislature on December 3.

Atur Patel, E11, a biomedical engineering major, helped organize LiveRight, an annual 5K run to raise awareness of Hepatitis B. “From my experience I learned leadership, organization, and management,” he says. “But more importantly, I learned how the community can come together to achieve something that benefi ts everyone and how important it is for me to be a part of that.”

Todd Walker, D10, organized weekly Portuguese lan-guage and culture classes for Tufts dental students to help improve care for the large Portuguese-speaking popula-tion. “The Civic Engagement Fund experience gave me an opportunity to take a public health need I saw in the community and help provide a solution,” he says.

active in the Talloires Network, a global alliance of institutions committed to strengthening the civic roles and social respon-sibilities of higher education. From left, Salvador Medina, director of innovation and strategic projects, Banco Santander; Rob Hollister, dean of Tufts’ Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service; Paloma Morazo, administrative coordinator, Spain-UNDP Trust Fund; John DeGioia, president, Georgetown University; Gregorian; and Sari Nusseibeh, presi-dent, Al-Quds University.

Impacts of Big Business

Above: Members of the Student Health Organizing Coalition in Spring 2009 after testifying before the state’s Division of Health Care Finance and Policy.

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Tufts wants kids to

be excited about

engineering.

The Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO), directed by Chris Rogers, a professor of mechanical engi-neering, has led the way in making engi-neering and technology comprehensible and fun for children in grades K–12.

That effort has been given a boost by the James S. McDonnell Family Foundation and members of the McDonnell family, who have pledged $3 million to support the operating budget of the CEEO and to endow the McDonnell Family Professorship in Engineering Education at the School of Engineering.

Pending approval by the Board of Trustees, the McDonnell Family

Professorship in Engineering Education will be established to attract a new tenure-track professor to the School of Engineering who will strengthen expertise in engineering education and engage in research supporting the cen-ter’s mission.

Engineering Dean Linda Abriola says, “Recruitment and retention of young people to the sciences and engineering will be critical to sustain U.S. leader-ship in technology and innovation. Through its research and educational outreach activities, the CEEO is helping to create the next generation of engi-neering leaders.”

Under the auspices of its graduate program in Mathematics, Science, Technology, and Engineering Education (MSTE Education), Tufts is one of only three universities nationwide to have a doctoral program in engineering edu-cation. Graduate students enrolled in the MSTE Education program work

Through research and outreach, the CEEO

is engaging the next generation

of engineering leaders.

INSPIRED BY TRADITIONS at many undergraduate institutions and across Tufts, the Friedman School Class of 2009 organized its fi rst Graduating Class Gift this past spring.

Class Gift Chairs Marion Min, Stephanie Linakis, Caitlin Westfall, and Allie Quady hoped to motivate their classmates to give back to the school in support of student fi nancial aid. More than 90 percent of Friedman students receive some type of fi nancial aid and it remains the school’s greatest need in yearly funding.

To encourage the Class of 2009 to participate, Dean Eileen Kennedy issued a challenge. She agreed to match the Graduating Class Gift, based purely on participation. The Class of 2009 responded with 74 percent participation, draw-ing a $1,500 match from the dean. Thus more than $2,500 was raised for a deserving student in the entering class.

Caitlin Westfall says, “The participation rate for the Class Gift refl ects the supportive environment of the Friedman student community. Funds raised for the Class Gift went to student scholarships, a great incentive for a generous student body committed to helping fellow classmates.”

Marion Min said it didn’t take much to get her class-mates to donate. “In truth, the high participation rate had nothing to do with the Class Gift Committee efforts,” she said. “Graduating Friedman students understand the impor-tance of compassion and giving back.

“Classroom discussions, lectures, and even lunch breaks in the Jaharis Cafe are dynamic and engaging due to true passion and a diverse student body,” Min says. “Responding to the dean’s challenge and contributing to the Class Gift were ways for the graduating class to support this diversity and enable future students to have the same inspirational education.”

Min, left, and Westfall

Friedman Grads’ Class Gift Launches Tradition

McDonnells Pledge $3 Million to Engineering Instruction in K-12 C

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Chemical and Biological Engineering Professor Maria Flytzani-Stephanopoulos, whose research into fuel pro-cessing catalysts will make it less expensive to produce clean energy, has been named to the Robert and Marcy

Haber Endowed Professorship in Energy Sustainability in the School of Engineering.

Flytzani-Stephanopoulos is director of Tufts’ Nano Catalysis and Energy Laboratory, which studies nanoscale catalysts for clean energy production. Her research into cata-lysts—materials that speed up chemical reac-tions—is focused on the reforming of fuels, including biomass-derived “green fuels,” to generate hydrogen, the “future fuel.”

This past year Professor Flytzani-Stephanopoulos was elected Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for distinguished contribu-tions to the fi eld of catalysis, particularly for new insights in oxidation reactions on nanoscale metal oxides in fuel conversion and pollutant removal processes. Recently she received the

Henry J. Albert Award from the International Precious Metals Institute for her research on pre-cious metal catalysts for air pollu-tion control and for clean hydrogen production.

The professorship to which she has been named was established by a $2 million gift from Robert J.

Haber, E79, EG80, a member of the board of overseers at the School of Engineering, and his wife, Marcy. The Habers aim to promote research into alternative energy. Mr. Haber, senior vice president and chief investment offi -cer at Fidelity Investments, has been a strong advocate of energy sustainability since working as a chemical engineer at Exxon Mobil during the international oil crisis of the late 1970s and early ’80s. “Our hope is that by establishing this professorship in energy sustainability we will help lessen the world’s dependence on oil,” the Habers said.

Engineering Dean Linda Abriola says, “Professor Flytzani-Stephanopoulos has made remarkable contributions to clean energy pro-duction and air pollution abatement through her nationally recognized work on catalysts for fuel cell applications. The generous sup-port provided by the Habers is tremendously important, advancing her research while at the same time ensuring students have meaningful opportunities to join in her innovative work. We value the Habers’ partnership in strength-

ening the sustainable energy program at the

School of Engineering.”

FIRST HABER PROFESSOR OF ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY NAMED

with CEEO-affi liated faculty to under-stand how students at different ages understand, model, and report conceptions in math, science, and engineering.

The James S. McDonnell Family Foundation gift will support seed funding for expansion of the cen-ter’s research in educational tech-nologies, including the interface with LEGO educational products. For example, in association with LEGO, CEEO researchers developed ROBOLAB, an engineering toolkit used by more than 10 million stu-dents to learn science and engineer-ing concepts through robotics. Tufts researchers are currently investigat-ing how these types of educational technologies help students learn in the classroom.

Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow says, “The curricula developed by the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach are breaking new ground in math, science, and tech-nology education. The passion of the center’s faculty and students for their work is evident in their commitment to reaching out to students within our host communities. These gifts to endow the McDonnell Family Professorship in Engineering Education and to support the center’s operational budget will have a tremendous impact on the program.”

Transform Classrooms

Nano Catalysis: the Way it Works…

The Science — The Nano Catalysis and Energy Laboratory is examining materials and methods to build catalytic chambers that can produce the most “future fuel” (hydrogen) for the least cost. Such a chamber will require a minimum of precious catalytic agents—gold, platinum, palladium—and disperse those metals in a structure that has a high ratio of surface to volume.The Process — In this simple example, carbon monoxide (A) from “green fuels” and water (B) enters the catalytic chamber (C) where a chemical reaction reformulates the molecules into carbon dioxide (D) and hydrogen (E), the “future fuel.”The Impact — This research provides a stepping stone to commercially viable technologies that mass produce hydrogen for use in clean-energy applications such as fuel cells and new combustion engines. The carbon footprint can be further reduced by utilizing low-carbon green fuels and capturing carbon by-products.

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Jack Krol, A58, AG59, who recently celebrated his 50th reunion, has “adopted” some of Tufts’ most recent graduates.

Under the “3-2-1 Blastoff!” challenge, Krol will match all Class of 2009 annual-fund gifts 3:1 for one year, 2:1 the following year, and 1:1 for a third year.

The aim is to raise awareness among young alumni of the importance of giving back to Tufts, while at the same time providing support to students and faculty.

Krol, former chairman and CEO of E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., is an emeritus trustee of the university and a past overseer of the School of Arts and Sciences.

“I’ve always felt we are privileged to have attended a great school like Tufts, which has led to a very inter-

esting life and the ability to give back to the place that made it possible,” Krol says.

“It’s exciting to encourage recent graduates to sup-port Tufts in its efforts to excel and to help those in need to attend our great university,” he says. “To get a sense of the value of a Tufts education, just look at the multi-tude of successful graduates in so many fi elds.

“My hope is that students privileged to attend this great school will make great contributions to improving the quality of life for all of us, but particularly for the needy around the world.”

To learn how you can adopt a class, please contact Melissa White, director, Tufts Fund for Arts, Sciences & Engineering, [email protected], 617-627-5335.

EMERITUS TRUSTEE CHALLENGES NEW GRADS TO MAKE “GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS”

As a student, Bruce Grossman, A85, fl ipped through a large alumni book at Career Services, searching for anyone who worked at fi nancial institutions in New York and might take his phone call. His persis-tence paid off: through a Tufts connection, he got his fi rst job at Chase Manhattan Bank, and later at Avenue Capital Group where he spent the last 11 years. “I’m always going to go out of my way to help a Tufts student or alum,” says Grossman, who recently started his own investment management and advisory fi rm in New York called Dillon Hill Capital (Hill referring to Tufts’ Medford campus). “The way I give back the most is by giving Tufts alumni an opportunity.”

VOLUNTEER PROFILE: Co-chairs lead start

“I’ve always

felt we are

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to have

attended a

great school

like Tufts.”

Members of the Class of 2009 revel in the moment.

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A recent Tufts Financial Network event featured Mort

Zuckerman, chairman of

U.S. News and World Report,

pictured left, and CNBC anchor David Faber,

A85, at right.

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Graham and Tali

That’s the theory behind the Tufts Financial Network (TFN). Created in 2008 with the help of an alumni-led advisory committee, TFN spon-sors panel discussions on topical issues and networking events to help young alumni generate career ideas, make connections, and get advice from experienced business people. The network is composed of a broad range of fi nance profes-sionals, from seasoned managers to entry-level employees, and from hedge fund managers to private investment professionals.

Through the network, co-chairs Grossman and Anthony Scaramucci, A86, are helping Tufts students and alumni get a step up in the fi nan-cial world.

“Tufts has an excellent reputa-tion with the fi nance community; we have some very high profi le people who have gone to Tufts,” says Scaramucci, managing part-ner at Skybridge Capital in New York, who serves on the Board of Overseers of the School of Arts and Sciences and is a member of the Beyond Boundaries campaign committee. “The TFN reaches out to younger people and helps them network and create opportunities for themselves.”

The co-chairs oversee a 30-member advisory committee and work closely with Tufts staff to coordinate several networking events with guest speakers, who have included Jamie Dimon, CEO

of JP Morgan Chase & Co.; Jeff Kindler, A77, A11P, CEO of Pfi zer, Inc.; David Faber, A85, of CNBC; and Mort Zuckerman, chairman of U.S. News & World Report.

The next step is expanding the network both domestically and internationally, says Grossman.

For now, the two are trying to build the Tufts fi nancial community. “The Tufts Financial Network is helpful when you graduate, but also throughout your whole life,” says Grossman.

“The best advice I give people,” says Scaramucci, “is don’t let what’s going on in the economy affect your career choices. If you’re interested in fi nance, stick with it!”

up of the Tufts Financial Network

On their wedding registry, Tali Paransky, A04, and Graham Griffi n, A04, gave guests the option of directing gifts to fi nancial aid for students at Tufts University. It is the place they met, after all. But these two alumni say fi nding their true love isn’t the only reason they’ve decided to give back to their alma mater every year since leaving the Hill.

Paransky, who works as assistant director of annual giving at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, made her fi rst donation to the Tufts Fund for Arts, Sciences & Engineering as part of her senior class gift. “I wanted to say thank you. Tufts was such a supportive environment—my advisor, my professors, the staff, and my friends were almost like a second family,” she says.

Paranksy and Griffi n are members of the Tufts Fund’s Ivory Tusk Society. “Graham and I really like that idea of building the tradition of giving to Tufts,” she says. Members of the Ivory Tusk Society give $100 each year multiplied by the number of years since graduation. She adds that the ease of her recurring payments, in which she gives a portion of her annual gift to the Tufts Fund each month, has enabled her to increase her annual giving over the years. “We know that we’re making a difference, but without taking a hit from our bank accounts once a year.”

Annual gifts to the Tufts Fund have an immediate impact on students and faculty by allowing the university to address the most exciting opportunities and pressing needs. Gifts provide support for priorities such as fi nancial

aid, student research initiatives, and helping the univer-sity recruit and retain exceptional faculty members.

After graduation, Paransky felt like she had a Tufts family away from campus. Now she’s doing her part to keep Bay Area Jumbos connected from afar by help-ing organize alumni events as a member of the San Francisco Tufts Alliance Steering Committee. Events have included fi lm screenings, pro-fessional sports games, happy hours, beach clean-ups, and book clubs.

As a recipient of fi nancial aid, Paransky knows how important it is for all alumni to participate in philanthropy. “Together we are able to make a signifi cant impact,” she says. “I’m trying to spread the word that if everyone gave just $5 or $6 a month, they would see how it could really make a difference for students on the Hill.”

Sharing the Love:Alumni Couple Knows How to Commit

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Christine Benoit, D77, D09P, and Robert Amato, D80, DG83, may have set a new speed record: in honor of their longtime mentor and colleague Dr. Vangel R. Zissi, D62, DG67, A02P, Benoit and Amato convened a group of former students and friends to fund one of the School of Dental Medicine’s new state-of-the-art operatories—in just two weeks.

“Everyone we called to join our efforts leapt at the chance to honor this great man who has been such a leader, teacher, mentor, and friend to all of us in the Tufts community,” says Benoit.

One of the fi rst graduates of the school’s postdoctoral endodontics program and a professor at Tufts for decades, Zissi has been a part of the dental school’s community since his matriculation 51 years ago. Now director of its Division of Continuing Education and a leader in the International College of Dentists, Zissi is widely recognized throughout the dental community for his exper-tise in the practice of endodontics and his dedication to service.

“All the people I contacted about our effort told me that their lives would not be as good—that the entire profession of dentistry would not be as good—were it not for Dr. Zissi,” says Amato, who joined Zissi’s dental practice after complet-ing postdoctoral training in endodon-tics at Tufts. “He and I have worked

Dental School “Rapid Response Team” Pulls Together to Honor Beloved Mentor and Colleague

When Wishes Come True

Improving care for patients can take some-thing as dramatic as a high-performance CT scanner or as basic as a ceiling-mounted surgi-cal light and monitor. Thanks to generous donors, the Cummings School of Veterinary

Medicine now has them all. A $250,000 bequest of the late Zelda

Cushner, many of whose champion cocker spaniels received care at the Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals, helped

purchase the scanner. “Zelda, who had no children of her own, treated her dogs like her children. When one was ill, she would do anything it would take,” says longtime friend Diane Costa.

The unit’s imaging ability yields sharper images, and its speed allows use of short-dura-tion sedatives instead of anesthesia, says radiol-ogist Mauricio Solano, VR94. It can also pick up subtle abnormalities by creating three-dimen-sional volumes of data in any orientation, says radiologist Amy Sato, VR00. And thanks to this scanner, Cummings was able to undertake a

National Institutes of Health–approved project involving a three-dimensional reconstruction of the complex vascular anatomy, benefi ting human and animal liver research.

An anonymous gift to Cummings by grate-ful donors has also made a difference in the fl uoroscopy suite. The couple cite the compas-sionate care their beloved cat received from a “professional, thoughtful” cardiology team that included John Rush, D.V.M., and Suzanne

Cunningham, VI04, VR08. They and others “slowed the progression of his heart disease, allowing him to lead a happy and fulfi lled life for two more summers.”

When the couple expressed an interest in making a gift (their second) to Cummings, the woman asked for a wish list. The top priority: replace the fl uoroscopy suite’s surgi-cal light and monitor, so unwieldy that they hampered interventional

radiology. Cunningham feared those would cost more than the couple had in mind, but the donors generously funded a monitor and light suspended from the ceiling. No longer does the team have to “crane our necks to see the screen wearing lead aprons,” says Rush. “We can direct the light where we need it, improving our ability to work while maintaining sterility.”

The cat-loving donors didn’t hesitate just because most interventional radiology is performed on dogs. Which is a good thing: Cunningham fi rst used the new equipment as she treated a form of heart block—in a cat.

And thanks to this

scanner, Cummings

was able to undertake

a National Institutes

of Health–approved

project…benefi ting

human and animal

liver research.

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During the dedication of the school’s Vertical Expansion Initiative are, from left, Steve Tonelli, D80, A04P, A06P, A10P, Robert Amato, D80, DG83, Van Zissi, D62, DG67, A02P, and Anthony Giamberardino, D85.

together for 28 years and he contin-ues to give me important guidance,” he adds. “Dr. Zissi helps everyone he meets.”

That’s why it’s especially fi tting that the new operatory, a private treat-ment room, is to be named for him

on the 11th fl oor of One Kneeland Street as part of the Dental School’s Vertical Expansion Initiative.

“The operatory will allow Tufts to continue offering the best in post-doctoral education and the excel-lence in patient care that the school

is known for,” says Benoit. “By car-rying Dr. Zissi’s name, our operatory can inspire everyone in the Tufts community to be more like him: big-hearted, caring, committed to doing what’s best for the patient, and com-mitted to making the world a better place.”

Both Benoit and Amato say Dr. Zissi has led by example, inspir-ing them to remain deeply involved with Tufts, whether as class reunion chairs; committee members for the Dental School’s M Club, which is the Dental Fund giving society com-posed of different levels of giving; or via service on the Dental Alumni Association Executive Board. Zissi himself says he cannot imagine a better honor than to have colleagues and former students contribute in his name to building a better Tufts. “I am humbled by this overwhelming response,” Zissi says. “I love what I do and it has been my pleasure to serve Tufts.”

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Planned-Giving Bequest to Ensure Dental School Patients Receive a Warm WelcomeOne of the greatest satisfactions Dr. Robert Sainato, A53, D57, expe-rienced during his 36-year career in general dentistry was the ability to help patients overcome fear. “It’s fulfi lling to convince patients with long-term dental phobias that they can relax under your care,” he notes. “Part of it is just being patient your-self and reassuring them that dental treatments don’t need to be pain-ful. Once that trust is established, the doctor and patient can achieve remarkable results.”

Compassionate dental care has been a priority for Sainato throughout his career, and even before he began his dental education. “My mother and sister both were dental assistants, and their concern for patients was one reason I decided to attend Tufts in the fi rst place,” he explains. Sainato is pleased that his decision to designate the dental school as a remainder benefi ciary of his charitable remainder unitrust has been recognized with the naming of the Dr. and Mrs. Robert M. Sainato, A53, D57, General Dentistry Patient Clinic Reception Area at the school’s third-fl oor clinic.

“First impressions are impor-tant,” says Sainato. “Patients should be welcomed in a space that conveys they will be treated with warmth and respect. By lending my name to an area that serves patients, I can show them that alumni take pride in the quality of care patients receive at Tufts’ clinics.”

Since his retirement in 1996, Sainato and his wife, Claire, have split their time between Massachusetts and southern Florida, where they enjoy an active social life. In addition to this gift

to the School of Dental Medicine, Sainato has been a supporter of the Dr. Lloyd Miller Postgraduate Prosthodontic Clinic. “Lloyd and I practiced in the neighboring towns of Weston and Waltham, so we knew each other well,” Sainato notes. “I admired him immensely. As a world-renowned prosthodontist, he was very generous about sharing his vast dental exper-tise with his colleagues. He was a remarkable member of our profession and a true friend.”

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University Advancement80 George Street, Suite 200-3, Medford, MA 02155

L aszlo Tauber, orphaned at a young age in Budapest, excelled in gymnastics through discipline and hard work, win-ning many junior tournaments across

Hungary. “I remember he had a bag of at least 80 or 90 medals,” his son, Alfred Tauber, A69, M73, recalls. But after entering medical school, he was forced by his rigorous schedule to give up gymnastics, a decision he regret-ted. “He understood the importance of being fi t, the discipline and endurance it gives you,” says his son, who made the naming gift for the School of Medicine’s new Laszlo N. Tauber, M.D., Fitness Center, a place that will encour-age students to make staying healthy and active a permanent part of their daily routines.

The Tauber Fitness Center, which quickly has become a favorite place for medi-cal students to unwind, is one of 17 spaces that have been named in the renovated Sackler Center as part of a drive to raise schol-arship funds for medical students. (see sidebar)

Another space, the Rosenblatt-Bialer Admissions Conference Room on the eighth fl oor of the Sackler Center, has been named by the former dean of the School of Medicine, Michael Rosenblatt; his wife, Patricia; his sister, Frances Samuels; her husband, Jeffrey;

and an anonymous donor. The conference room honors the memory of their parents, Arthur and Jean Rosenblatt, and their stepfa-ther, David Bialer, all Holocaust survivors, in a place dedicated to improving health and life.

“My sister and I and our spouses were looking for a way to honor our parents and celebrate their extraordinary lives and their love of life and family,” says Dr. Rosenblatt. “When the opportunity came along to name a room at the medical school in their memo-ries, while at the same time creating funds for scholarships, we knew that we had found the right way. An unexpected and most touch-ing part of the experience has been to have a friend, who knows the story of my parents and who wishes to remain anonymous, join us in donating funds to dedicate the Rosenblatt-Bialer room.”

After moving to America, Arthur and Jean Rosenblatt built a successful tool- and die-business, re-created a home, and raised their family. After Arthur Rosenblatt passed away, their mother expanded the business and even-tually was remarried to David Bialer, one of the last people to come through Ellis Island.

“I can’t describe how wonderful it feels to do this,” says Dr. Rosenblatt.

The Jaharis Scholarship Challenge

Through their family foundation, Overseers Steven Jaharis, M87, and Michael Jaharis, chairman of the Board of Overseers and of the Jaharis Family Foundation, gave $15 million toward the renovation of the Sackler Center, the creation of a new Clinical Skills and Simulation Center, and fi nancial aid. The Jaharis Scholarship Challenge to Tufts is to raise an additional $7.5 million to release a portion of this gift for scholarships as the projects are being completed.

These alumni and friends have stepped forward to support the School of Medicine in response to the challenge, which is transforming medical education and the quality of life among medical students at Tufts.

Dr. Adel Abu-Moustafa, dean for International Affairs, and Mrs. Magda Abu-Moustafa

Dr. Alphonse F. Calvanese, M78, and Mrs. Debra A. Calvanese

The Chasin familyIn memory of Dr. Werner David Chasin, M58

Mrs. Marguerite CussonIn memory of her husband, Dr. Donald L. Cusson, M58

Dr. and Mrs. Robert A. Fasoli, M73

Dr. Edward T. Gordon, A44, M47, A72P, M76P, E77P, EG77P, and

Mrs. Claire Gordon, A72P, M76P, E77P, EG77P

Dr. Dan Kaplan, M56In loving memory of his parents,

Joseph and Sylvia Kaplan

Dr. John M. Leventhal, M73

Dr. Richard B. McElvein, M51In memory of his wife, Mrs. Priscilla McElvein

Dr. Sheldon Nankin, M67, M07P, Mrs. Sandra Nankin, M07P, and Dr. Nils Nankin, M07

Dr. Bruce M. Pastor, M68, J95P, and Mrs. Joyce Field Pastor, J95P

Robert and Caro Rock, parents of Dr. Thomas A. Rock, M09

The families of Dr. Michael and Mrs. Patricia Rosenblatt,

Mr. Jeffrey B. and Mrs. Frances R. Samuels, and an anonymous donor

In memory of Arthur Rosenblatt, Jean Rosenblatt Bialer, and David J. Bialer

Dr. David B. Stanton, M81, and family

Dr. Ron Sue, M81, A06P, and Mrs. Penny Sue, A06P

Dr. Alfred I. Tauber, A69, M73In memory of his father, Laszlo N. Tauber, M.D.

The Tufts Medical Alumni Association

Naming Spaces Creates Scholarships

Tauber Fitness Center in the Sackler Center at Tufts School of Medicine

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Tufts Blueprint Winter 2010

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Transcript of Tufts Blueprint Winter 2010