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University of Washington School of Medicine
Online News
Vol. 11, No. 39
Oct. 5, 2007
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To view an archived version of Online News on the UW
Medicine Web site, visit:
http://www.uwmedicine.org/Global/NewsAndEvents/somnews/index.htm
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This week’s news:
* New chairs selected for departments of Microbiology, Ophthalmology, and Rehabilitation Medicine
* UW faculty members Karen Horvath and Richard Shugerman honored with ACGME's Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award
* Division of Medical Genetics holding 50th anniversary celebration Oct. 12 and 13
* Ning Zheng presenting Science in Medicine New Investigator Lecture on Oct. 10
* Debra Schwinn honored for outstanding research by American Society of Anesthesiology
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THREE NEW DEPARTMENT CHAIRS APPOINTED IN UW SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Three new department chairs have been appointed in the UW School of Medicine. James Champoux, UW professor of microbiology, became chair of the Department of Microbiology on Oct. 1. Peter Esselman, UW professor and acting chair of rehabilitation medicine, began serving as chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine on Oct. 2. Russell Van Gelder, the Bernard Becker Professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, will become chair of the Department of Ophthalmology on Jan. 1, 2008.
Champoux succeeds Peter Greenberg, who will continue his outstanding research work in the department. Champoux joined the UW faculty in 1972, and was promoted to professor of microbiology and immunology in 1982. He has received a UW Distinguished Teaching Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship, and is a fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology. Champoux completed his bachelor's degree in chemistry at the UW, before earning his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Stanford University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute in San Diego.
Esselman has been serving as acting chair of rehabilitation medicine following the appointment of Larry Robinson as the vice dean for clinical affairs in the UW School of Medicine. Esselman is also chief of rehabilitation medicine at Harborview Medical Center. He earned his medical degree and completed residency training in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the UW.
Van Gelder succeeds Philip Chen, who has been serving as acting chair of ophthalmology. Van Gelder earned his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at Stanford University, and completed his internal medicine internship at Stanford University Hospital. He then completed his residency training in ophthalmology and a fellowship in uveitis at Washington University. Van Gelder focuses his research on uveitis, the inflammation of a layer of the eye called the uvea.
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UW MEDICAL EDUCATORS RECOGNIZED WITH ACGME COURAGE TO TEACH AWARD
Two UW faculty members, Karen Horvath and Richard Shugerman, have received one of the highest awards granted to residency program directors. They are among the 10 people honored by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education with the 2008 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award.
UW faculty members or educators in the UW residency network have received the Courage to Teach award five times since its inception in 2001 -- more than any other institution. Teresa Massagli, Deborah Crowley, and Harold Johnston are the UW's previous award recipients.
Horvath, UW associate professor of surgery, has directed the residency program for the UW Department of Surgery since 2002. She regularly participates in programs like the Resident Technical Skills Lab and Resident Surgical Science Series, giving her both hands-on experience and leadership in graduate medical education. Horvath was recognized for her careful attention to the well-being of surgery residents dealing with the rigors of surgical training, and for efforts to balance resident scheduling with duty-hour restrictions across the several hospitals within the residency program.
Shugerman, UW professor of pediatrics, has directed the residency program for the UW Department of Pediatrics since 1992. He was recognized for his distinguished educational leadership, administrative work, and innovation. Shugerman has received both the Outstanding Teacher and Outstanding Role Model in Medicine awards from UW residents. He has served on the UW's Graduate Medical Education Committee for more than a decade, and helped oversee projects like the residency reorganization brought about by new duty-hour standards. Shugerman has developed several new programs during his tenure, including a retreat for second- and third-year residents to help them think about career planning, time management, personal finance, and negotiating skills.
The award is named for Parker J. Palmer, an educator and writer who authored "The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life." The ACGME has given the award each year since 2001 to distinguished residency program directors, nominated by faculty and residents, in recognition of their commitment to teaching and development of innovative and effective residency programs.
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UW DIVISION OF MEDICAL GENETICS CELEBRATING 50TH ANNIVERSARY
The UW Division of Medical Genetics in the Department of Medicine is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding with a two-day symposium to be held Oct. 12-13 in Hogness Auditorium, Room A-420 in the UW Health Sciences Center.
The division was one of the first of its kind in world when founded in 1957 by Arno Motulsky, UW professor emeritus of medicine and of genome sciences, a pioneer in human and medical genetics. Motulsky led the division for more than 30 years.
The symposium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12, and 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 13. The event is free and open to the UW community and general public, and is designed to be of interest to a lay audience and to scientists, health professionals, and students.
More than 25 speakers from the UW and other institutions will discuss the history of medical genetics and the UW division, mechanisms of human genetic disease, ethics and genetics, the future of human genetics, and other topics. School of Medicine Dean Paul G. Ramsey will speak at the event, as will former division heads George Stamatoyannopoulos and Arno Motulsky, and current division head Gail Jarvik.
More information, including a full program and list of speakers, can be found at:
http://depts.washington.edu/medgen/anniversary/index.html
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ZHENG TO DISCUSS PLANT BIOLOGY AND HUMAN DISEASE IN SCIENCE IN MEDICINE LECTURE
Ning Zheng, UW associate professor of pharmacology, is speaking in the 2007-2008 Science in Medicine New Investigator Lecture this month. Zheng will speak on Protein Ubiquitination: From Plant Biology to Human Diseases, from noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 10, in Hogness Auditorium, Room A-420 in the UW Health Sciences Center.
Zheng co-authored an article featured in Nature earlier this year in which he and his colleagues explored a possible connection between a plant hormone, auxin, and human disease. The researchers found how auxin interacts with its hormone receptor, TIR1, through a previously undiscovered pathway. Since TIR1 is similar to human enzymes related to cancer, the scientists believe the findings could open a new target pathway for treating that disease.
Zheng's lecture will be simulcast to Harborview Medical Center Research & Training Building auditorium and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System: Seattle Division, Bldg. 1, room 518; American Lake Division, Bldg. 2, room 343; and VA HSR&D Met Park Main Conference Room, Suite 1400.
This lecture is open to all faculty, staff and students. No registration is required. For more information, contact Vee White at veewhite@u.washington.edu or 206-543-8319.
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DEBRA SCHWINN TO BE HONORED BY ANESTHESIOLOGY SOCIETY
Debra Schwinn, UW professor and chair of anesthesiology, will be honored this month by the American Society of Anesthesiologists for her outstanding research advancing the science of anesthesiology. On Oct. 15 at the society's annual meeting, Schwinn will receive the ASA Award for Excellence in Research.
Schwinn joined the UW faculty earlier this year from Duke University Medical Center, where she established and led programs in molecular pharmacology, cardiovascular genomics, and perioperative genomics. One of her research specialties, perioperative genomics, involves the study of how a patient's genetic makeup could affect their response to surgery.
Schwinn's work focuses on viewing the operating room as a physiology laboratory, and on gaining insight into acute and chronic stress on a patient during the period around an operation.
She may be reached at dschwinn@u.washington.edu
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Justin Reedy, editor:
206-685-0382, jreedy@u.washington.edu
Online News is copyright 2007. All rights, including electronic
redistribution, are reserved.
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