Student Leaders
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Parkinson’s Pioneer
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New Alumni Association President
The Bulletin SUMMER 2016
at Thomas Jefferson University
Triggering Immunity Post-Surgery Vaccine Improves Colon Cancer Outcomes
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STUDENT PROFILE
Leanne Duge A Dancer on a Journey to Becoming a Doctor
ON THE COVER: RESEARCHERS ADAM SNOOK, PHD '08, AND SCOTT WALDMAN, MD, PHD '80, EXAMINE COLON EPITHELIAL CELLS. PHOTO BY KEVIN MONKO.
Senior Director, Communications: Mark P. Turbiville Editor: Karen L. Brooks Jefferson Alumni Bulletin Summer 2016 Volume 65, Number 3 Executive Vice President: Elizabeth A. Dale, EdD Associate Vice President, Alumni Relations: Cristina A. Geso
Design: SwivelStudios, Inc. Bulletin Committee William V. Harrer, MD ’62 Chair James Harrop, MD ’95 Cynthia Hill, MD ’87 Larry Kim, MD ’91 Phillip J. Marone, MD ’57, MS ’07 Joseph Sokolowski, MD ’62
Address correspondence to: Editor, Alumni Bulletin Office of Institutional Advancement Thomas Jefferson University 125 S. 9th Street, Suite 700 Philadelphia, PA 19107-4216 215-955-6890 alumni@jefferson.edu Fax: 215-503-5084 Advancement.Jefferson.edu Alumni Relations: 215-955-7750
The Jefferson community and supporters are welcome to receive the Alumni Bulletin on a regular basis; please contact the aforementioned address. Postmaster: send address changes to the aforementioned address. ISSN-0021-5821 Copyright© Thomas Jefferson University. All Rights Reserved. Published continuously since 1922.
8 A Colon Cancer Vaccine Reaches
Clinical Trials An experimental vaccine trains the immune system to seek and destroy cancer cells
14 Cultivating Medicine’s Future Leaders Jefferson’s two new initiatives help medical students navigate their career trajectories
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DEAN’S COLUMN
6 FINDINGS Researchers Find Highly Active Gene in Aggressive Human Lung Cancer
7 JEFFERSONIANS, TRIED & TRUE A Message from Elizabeth Dale
20 ON CAMPUS
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22 LORRAINE IACOVITTI, PHD Conquering a Medical Frontier
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MATTHEW KELLER, MD ’05 New Alumni Association President
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LEANNE DUGE A Dancer on a Journey to Becoming a Doctor
30 CLASS NOTES
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IN MEMORIAM
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BY THE NUMBERS
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THE DEAN’S COLUMN
Celebrating Commencement
On June 2, 2016, SKMC Dean Mark Tykocinski, MD, shared the following comments with graduates at Jefferson’s 192nd commencement ceremony. His remarks appear here in lieu of his usual column. This year, I visited Japan for the first time—a country with deep historical ties to Jefferson. Among many highlights, I met with one of the luminaries of Japan’s medical community, and an honorary degree recipient here onstage: Dr. Fumimaro Takaku. Putting myself in a Japan mindset, I embraced the writings of Haruki Murakami, one of Japan’s most distinguished literary writers and a winner of the Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society. His novels are as much poetry as narrative. In his masterpiece novel 1Q84, which I just finished, he writes: “Where there is light, there must be shadow, where there is shadow there must be light. There is no shadow without light and no light without shadow.” This motif resonated instantly for me, triggering my graduation message to you: seeing, deeply seeing, enhancing one’s ability to see the light beyond the shadow. Class of 2016: Four years of medical school have afforded you an ability to see what others might not, to observe nuances in patient histories, to pick up on subtle situational cues. My call to you now is to take your seeing skills to the limit. I’d like to suggest three ways to enhance your seeing. First, make the most of your innate seeing capacity—that with which you’ve been endowed and is embodied within you. Next, feel free to 2
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borrow lines of sight from others. And third, avail yourself of the marvels of design and engineering that dramatically extend the seeing capacity of us all. To capture this notion of “enhanced” or “deeper” seeing, I look, metaphorically, to the fourth cone. Let me explain. The timing of my Japan journey could not have been more perfect. The magnificent autumn foliage in Kyoto was at its peak—a sea of color that dazzled. So let’s start with color. How do you and I register colors? Most of us are trichromatic—“tri” because our retinas are packed with three distinct types of color-sensitive cells, or cones, each tuned to one of three color wavelengths. Mixed and matched, they yield a rainbow of colors. Interestingly, some women in this hall trump the rest of us, big time, in their visual capacity. Genetic roulette has endowed the lucky ones with a fourth retinal cone, tuned to yet a fourth color wavelength band—made possible by an X chromosome-linked genetic variant of the color-detecting protein, opsin. This fourth retinal cone enables astonishingly rich color perception—an ability to see a staggering spectrum of 100 million distinct shades, as compared to just one million for the rest of us mere mortals. You tetrachromatic women, with four independent channels for conveying color information, see an incredibly rich color tapestry that escapes the rest of us run-ofthe-mill three-cone types. This is your take-it-for-granted normal state. You can see what the rest of us can’t see. As one tetrachromatic artist described: “Even the dullest pebble on the road shimmers like a kaleidoscope.”
But there’s a fascinating twist here. The fourth opsin variant is actually not that rare. If so, why is it that only a small subset of women with it can actually see in vastly greater Technicolor? While the gene variant is a prerequisite, it is not enough. Translating this potential into actual demands “color training.” Only a few women with the fourth opsin gene actualize this potential. Graduates, your training has armed you with a metaphoric fourth cone, now “factory-installed” by us, in your DNA— making it possible for you to see what others can’t. But this is just latent potential. Like the opsin gene variant, it must be honed and requires a willingness to absorb, conceptually and practically, what your eyes take in. Whether it is the dimensionality of your patients’ lives, or intricacies of complex clinical data sets, aim to see and absorb all that is before you. You can enhance your seeing potential in a way that draws beyond yourself. For this, I’ve crafted a second seeing metaphor—what I’ll dub the “borrowed camera.” At a dean’s concert this year, a lead jazz performer shared an interesting tidbit about his band’s CD’s cover photo. The photographer, Roza Zah, never uses his own camera. Instead, this homeless man, living in the shadows, only uses borrowed cameras. This anecdote instantly clicked. Enhanced seeing is not just about cultivation of your own retinal cones, but about co-opting the cones of others. From borrowed cones come new vistas. In a sense, this is simply a matter of seeing things afresh. A recent breakthrough in cancer therapeutics is illustrative. Take Bortezomib, branded Velcade—a first-in-class proteasome
Mark L. Tykocinski, MD Provost, Thomas Jefferson University Anthony F. and Gertrude M. DePalma Dean, Sidney Kimmel Medical College
inhibitor considered a breakthrough treatment for multiple myeloma. It was originally designed for muscle-wasting diseases such as AIDS and muscular dystrophy. The logic: inhibit the proteasome, the cell’s garbage disposal, and thereby slow inadvertent chewing up of normal muscle. That application never did materialize. But Avram Hershko, an Israeli chemist who would later win a Nobel Prize for his work on cellular waste disposal, suggested the team turn its attention to cancer instead. He argued that by curbing the proteasome’s appetite, Bortezomib might prevent the destruction of key proteins in the beneficial immune cells that repel cancer. They took his suggestion. They borrowed Hershko’s camera, re-tasked the drug and thereby gave birth to a mainstay treatment for myeloma. The upshot? Be open-minded, willing to cast a broad net and to buck standard narratives. Permit yourselves to see through the eyes of others. Borrow their cameras—their retinal cones. Not all cones are embodied in your eyes or the eyes of others. Yet a third way to enhance your seeing is through artificial, man-made, technologically crafted cones—add-ons, if you will. Twenty-first century mankind is equipped with an astounding set of artificial cones to extend our vision and peer into the depths of our universe. Graduates, this past year—as you were intently absorbed in your hunt for residencies and as the rest of us were distracted by images of terror from Paris and Brussels, horrific civil wars across the Middle East and puzzling election primaries—shadows casting a pall on
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us—artificial fourth cones catalyzed a landmark year for mankind’s intellectual history. This is not hyperbole. Artificial cones allowed us to see the unimaginable and to send mankind’s understanding of the world into hyper-drive. We were amazed. Excited. Bewildered. I recognize that this is a graduation of a medical college, but the examples of artificial fourth cones from this truly historic “year of the impossible” are especially wondrous in the realm of astrophysics, and so I draw heavily on them here: • First, in the feats of spacecraft: NASA’s New Horizons hurtled through space over three billion miles for nine and a half years, offering up the marvels of distant Pluto, at the edge of our solar system, with out-of-this-world images of sights such as massive nitrogen iceflows. And NASA’s Cassini, probing Enceladus, one of Saturn’s 60 moons, provided mind-boggling evidence of a globe-encircling ocean that accounts for the 101 towering jets of frozen mist erupting from that moon’s surface. This salty interior ocean is laced with carbon-containing compounds, making it the most promising extra-terrestrial environment yet in which to search for a second genesis of life.
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• And from spacecraft to observatories: This past year, a remarkable artificial fourth cone—the Hubble space telescope—allowed us to peer into the far edges of the universe to reveal the most distant galaxy yet, GN-z11. The light from GN-z11 took 13.4 billion years to reach us, meaning Hubble allowed us to glimpse the very beginnings of our cosmic history. • But if there were a Fourth Cone of the Year Award, it would go, hands down, to LIGO—the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, which opened a vast new window on the cosmos. LIGO, a stupefying experimental design of bouncing lights and suspended mirrors, enabled a team of scientists to see a burst of gravitational waves from space that originated from a collision between two black holes over a billion light years away.
Amazingly, these are the very gravitational waves Einstein predicted in his general theory of relativity 100 years ago. So LIGO—a triumph of quantum optics and a celebration of human ingenuity and engineering, confirmed one of the most profound scientific theories of all time. This powerful fourth cone may someday allow us to see gravitational waves from the Big Bang and to so gaze at the very origins of our home universe. Of course, this does not even touch on the uber-fourth cone of physics, the Large Hadron Collider, which shook particle physics this year when it confirmed the existence of a quantum particle that calculations had long predicted but had eluded the experimentalists—the Higgs boson. This discovery instantly explained why some particles have mass and verified what had been the last unverified and elusive part of the Standard Model of particle physics. Yes, this is all astrophysics—but the impact of artificial fourth cones has been no less groundbreaking in our realm of life sciences. This year, artificial fourth cones in paleontology and anthropology have started to trace, in unprecedented ways, the origins of Homo sapiens. But even more stunning, through gene editing and futuristic technologies that hard-wire electronics into our bodies—for example, brain-machine interfaces that have enabled people to control prosthetic limbs, or smart tattoos composed of implantable skin meshes of computer fibers that can monitor your body’s inner workings—we now peer at the awesome prospect of being a species that can direct its own
Be open-minded, willing to cast a broad net and to buck standard narratives. Permit yourselves to see through the eyes of others. Borrow their cameras—their retinal cones. further evolution. Our DNA morphed, our biological systems augmented by electromechanical ones—a transformation of our species. At once, designers and designed. We can now peer into our past, see into our own inner workings, and we will eventually come to see how we see. I urge you to draw a sense of optimism from all these artificial fourth cones, to embrace the marvels and beauty they reveal and to appreciate the wondrous things that envelop us—in people and nature. Take all the light in and, in so doing, elevate yourselves, both professionally and personally. This certainly resonates with Murakami’s call for balance between shadow and light. How we see the world is our prerogative. Yes, we see the negative, but we can choose to concentrate our seeing on the world’s wonders, its light—with eyes wide open, undistracted by shadow. Where there is shadow, there is light. In closing, my messages to you, Class of 2016: • Be tetrachromats. Cultivate the fourth cones that are embodied within you— the genetically endowed ones, along with those you incorporate through study. Keep honing your ability to see the world in its richest possible tapestry, its subtleties, its nuances of coloration.
• Do not limit yourselves to your own retinal cones. Borrow the diverse array of retinal cones of others—metaphorically, borrow cameras. Force yourselves to register what others register, be open to diverse perspectives—a kind of seeing that will afford you a lifetime of discovery about people, nature, concepts—and about yourselves. • Open yourselves up to the artificial cones of 21st century engineering and design, which reveal new vistas and amplify what we can all see. Observe and engage in mankind’s wondrous intellectual journey, which allows all of us to see deeper and further, and to see the previously unseen. • Lastly, it’s not just about your seeing abilities; it’s as much about what you choose to see. See with optimism. You are fortunate to be launching your professional careers at a remarkable moment in the human journey—a time when our understanding of the world around us shines in Technicolor, a time when the incredible becomes credible. Grant free admission to the diversity and best of mankind, to the light beyond the shadows, realizing that you, in particular, are in the catbird’s seat, given your highly cultivated scientific
and humanistic grounding. You are a privileged generation. Take advantage of that privilege.
Again, Haruki Murakami crystallizes this thought: “Unclose your mind. You are not a prisoner. You are a bird in flight, searching the skies for dreams.” As you now take the sacred Oath of Hippocrates, permit yourselves to see, like birds in flight, searching the skies for dreams. Hear the profession’s ancient call to service, heed its admonitions and affirm your commitment to others, in the most professional and altruistic ways.
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FINDINGS
Researchers Find Highly Active Gene in Aggressive Human Lung Cancer
Nit1 The gene Nit1 has been found to be highly expressed in human lung cancer tissue.
mRNA
siRNA
Nit1 gene normal
The Nit1 gene can be silenced by halting the transcription process. Small-interfering RNAs (siRNA) are introduced to the cancer cell. The siRNA interrupt the mRNA from producing the Nit1 protein.
Nit1 gene silenced
Mouse models have shown that inhibiting Nit1 has resulted in tumors being five times smaller and also promotes better response to chemotherapy treatments. cisplatin
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Scientists believe that “conserved” genes—those found in life forms that range from bacteria to plants, insects and humans—perform vital biological functions across species. And limited research on one of those genes, Nitrilase 1 (Nit1), suggested it acts to inhibit cancer development. But researchers at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson have found Nit1 is significantly overproduced in common lung cancer compared to normal cells—and that when Nit1 is silenced, growth of lung tumors is suppressed. Their study, published in the journal Oncotarget, is the first to characterize the contribution of Nit1 to growth and progression of non-small cell lung cancer. The findings strongly suggest that Nit1 may represent a much-needed new target for drug therapy, says the study’s senior researcher, Bo Lu, MD, PhD, radiation oncologist at SKMC. “Lung cancer in most patients is becoming increasingly resistant to the therapies that exist today, making lung cancer the leading cause of cancer death worldwide,” Lu says. “There is a critical need for new agents, and an inhibitor of Nit1 may represent a new drug strategy.” The study is a “nice example of how research designed to understand basic mechanisms in lung cancer can lead to identification of possible new drug targets,” says Adam Dicker, MD, PhD, chair and professor of radiation oncology. Lu and his colleagues created mouse models that develop lung cancer due to a mutation in the KRAS gene in the presence or absence of Nit1 in the mouse genome (human lung cancers with KRAS mutations—about 20–30 percent of all lung cancers—are much more aggressive and difficult to treat). Using a mouse model lacking Nit1, which was created by Jefferson researcher Jianke Zhang, PhD, the scientists then crossbred these mice and found that lack of Nit1 resulted in tumors that were five times smaller than those that developed in mice with an active Nit1 gene. They also found that Nit1 is highly expressed in human lung cancer tissues and cell lines, and that silencing Nit1 in these cancer cells decreased survival of cancer cells. Investigators then tested whether inhibiting Nit1 could increase the benefit of cisplatin, a commonly used lung cancer chemotherapy, in mice with lung tumors. “The cancer was significantly more sensitive to cisplatin when Nit1 was silenced,” Lu says. “This is a story of discoveries—a tale of a false assumption that has led to a possible new drug strategy.” Lu and his colleagues are continuing to study the mechanisms behind Nit1 expression and inhibition and their potential impact on immune surveillance over lung cancer development.
A MESSAGE FROM ELIZABETH DALE
Jeffersonians, Tried & True
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In his profile on page 26 of this issue of the Bulletin, new SKMC Alumni Association President Matt Keller, MD ’05, notes insightfully that Jefferson graduates view themselves as more than just people who went to Jefferson; they identify as “Jeffersonians,” inside and out. This way of branding oneself begins the day a new student participates in the White Coat Ceremony—but what does it mean to be a Jeffersonian once you move that tassel at commencement? Like much of your student experience on campus, your experience as an alumnus is up to you. Becoming involved in Jefferson alumni life is just as rewarding as participating in student activities was for you however many years ago. There are countless ways to stay connected—by attending Alumni Weekend and other special events, by mentoring aspiring physicians, by investing in programs and initiatives that are meaningful to you. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many steadfast Jeffersonians. One recent encounter that stands out was with Harvey Oshrin, MD ’60. Dr. Oshrin and I met for dinner near his home in Vista, California, and he told me about his time at Jefferson and his fascinating career in clinical psychiatry, which has involved evaluating criminal defendants in superior court and recommending psychiatric treatment for prison inmates (at age 81, he continues to work within the legal system today). Beyond his intriguing practice, something about Dr. Oshrin struck me: his commitment both to Jefferson and to philanthropy. As a young resident in California, Dr. Oshrin met fellow Jeffersonian Jack McMullin, MD ’34, who became his mentor. Dr. McMullin spoke often of the outstanding learning experience Jefferson provided.
What makes you a Jeffersonian? I welcome you to share your stories.
“He encouraged me to give a gift, of any amount, every year to help ensure that future generations would benefit from same the distinctive education he and I received. It’s been roughly 60 years since I made my first donation, and I’ve been giving consecutively ever since,” recalled Dr. Oshrin, who ultimately enhanced his giving by making Jefferson the beneficiary of his IRA—a planned gift that will provide scholarship support specifically for students from California who attend SKMC. Dr. Oshrin’s varied investments in Jefferson over nearly six decades have made an impact in the past, are making an impact in the present and will make an impact well into the future. He gives because he finds himself “wondering what my life would be like if I didn’t go to Jefferson, and I draw a complete blank. Having gone to Jefferson and being a physician—this is my life.” What makes you a Jeffersonian? I welcome you to share your stories—why you give, and what programs and activities inspire you the most. Please tell us how you remain connected to the university by emailing alumni@jefferson.edu. Maybe one day your story will be featured in the Bulletin!
Elizabeth Dale, EdD Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement
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“Occult tumors,� too small to find in lymph node biopsies, boost the risk of recurrence in sites beyond the colon for many people with early-stage colon cancer.
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Developed over 15 years of research at Jefferson, an experimental cancer vaccine teaches the immune system to spot a unique target on cancer cells and then to destroy them.
The vaccine entered its first human trial recently and was found to be safe and to elicit an immune response from some participants. More human studies are planned.
In 20 percent of people with early-stage colon cancer, hidden tumor cells have already spread. An experimental vaccine trains the immune system to seek and destroy them.
BY SARI HARRAR PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN MONKO
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Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, the killer of more than 49,000 Americans each year. The mantra for survival: Catch it early. Yet even with a great prognosis—early-stage disease and no sign the cancer has spread— it can be a deadly time bomb. For one in five people with “lymph node-negative” colon cancer—and up to 40 percent of African-Americans—rogue tumor cells have escaped the colon. They’re too tiny and far-flung to be spotted when a pathologist checks lymph node biopsies. “But when occult disease is present, at least 50 percent of colon cancer returns within two to five years. And when it does, it’s not confined to the colon any longer,” says Scott A. Waldman, MD, PhD ’80, professor and chair of SKMC’s Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics. “It can metastasize to the liver, the lungs, the abdomen. Patients need chemotherapy. And if they have metastatic disease, their risk for dying can be higher than 90 percent.” Now, an innovative colon cancer vaccine developed by research instructor Adam Snook, PhD ’08, in collaboration with Waldman and a large, interdisciplinary team from the departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Oncology, Dermatology and Surgery shows promise for disarming colon cancer’s time bomb. After 15 years of research and dozens of lab studies, the vaccine was recently tested for the first time in humans when 10 women and men rolled up their sleeves for a phase 1 clinical safety trial. A second human trial looking more closely at the vaccine’s ability to trigger an immune
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”Rather than being forced to wait and hope the disease does not come back, the vaccine could give patients and their doctors an opportunity to actively fight and prevent recurrence.”
response is being planned. If it works as expected, one shot in the arm could protect against cancer cells that linger long after surgery. “It has been incredible to see this vaccine move from the lab to a human trial,” says Snook, who joined Waldman’s lab as a doctoral student in 2002 to work on concepts that led to the vaccine. “Cancer immunotherapy has exploded in the past two to three years, with exciting new treatments emerging nationally and here at Jefferson. Now there’s a possibility for colon cancer. Rather than being forced to wait and hope the disease does not come back, the vaccine could give patients and their doctors an opportunity to actively fight and prevent recurrence.”
TARGETS AND WALLS
The vaccine is called Ad5-GUCY2C-PADRE. Like a bacon-lettuce-andtomato sandwich or a soy latte with a caramel shot, the lengthy name is just a list of ingredients. Together, they teach the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells that display a specific chemical marker. In mouse studies, the vaccine reduced the formation of colon From left: Scott Waldman, MD, PhD '80; Scott Goldstein, MD; and Adam Snook, PhD '08.
cancer tumors in the liver by more than 88 percent and in the lungs by 78 percent. The vaccine’s formula evolved through a series of discoveries and roadblocks. At its center: the protein guanylyl cyclase C (GUCY2C or GCC for short). “GCC is a hormone receptor normally expressed only by normal cells in the lining of the intestines,” Snook explains. “Scott Waldman was the first to identify the relationship between GCC and colon cancer in 1994, finding that tumor cells also express it.” If you’ve ever had traveler’s diarrhea, you’ve experienced GCC’s dark side: It lets bacterial toxins latch on to intestinal cells and wreck your vacation. But GCC’s got plenty of real jobs, too, including regulating fluid and ion levels in cells and suppressing DNA mutations. No other healthy cells in the body make GCC, but the discovery that colon cancer cells churn it out made it an ideal vaccine target. And a 2011 study in the journal Clinical Cancer Research suggests how important it could be. When Waldman’s team measured GCC in the lymph nodes of 299 lymph node-negative colon cancer survivors, they found that 40 percent had intermediate to high levels; cancer recurred within two years for 31 to 68 percent of them. But would aiming the immune system at GCC-producing cancer cells damage healthy ones, too? Borrowing a lesson from HIV vaccine research, Snook suspected the answer was no. “Mucosal cells lining the intestines are in a completely separate compartment of the immune system from the systemic immunity in the rest of the body,” he explains. HIV vaccine researchers come up against this barrier in trying to deliver vaccines to the right places. “The colon cancer vaccine is delivered systemically, by a shot in the arm muscle,” he says. “This keeps it away from healthy intestinal cells.”
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A close look at cells in the lungs of mice. The researchers created metastatic colorectal cancer in mice and stained the metastases in their lungs. Here, the blue stain shows cell nuclei; the “fire” shows GUCY2C in the metastases (red to yellow to white indicates increasing levels of GUCY2C expression). The team’s vaccine is designed to create immune responses to GUCY2C that seek out and destroy those GUCY2C-expressing metastases. In this image, there is a central mass of GUCY2C-expressing cells representing a colorectal cancer metastasis, as well as part of a second mass on the left.
“WE WERE ECSTATIC”
Snook had another puzzle to solve: Mouse studies showed that the experimental vaccine didn’t activate helper CD4 cells that command killer CD8 cells and B cells to go on the offensive. “Killers need helpers to replicate and get strong. Without them, there’s no immune attack,” he says. “We found a hole in the immune system. CD4 cells would not recognize GCC.” Snook suspects it’s one way the body protects against an auto-immune attack. The work-around: adding a snippet of protein called PADRE, which lets the vaccine trick other CD4 cells into mustering the killers. “We didn’t invent PADRE, but nobody’s used it this way before,” Snook notes. In a mouse study, a similar trick increased CD4 activity and as a result boosted killer CD8 activity tenfold. It also activated CD8 killer cells with a long-term memory for GCC, which may be able to protect the body for many years. The last ingredient—Ad5—is a common-cold virus added to the
“Killers need helpers to replicate and get strong. Without them, there’s no immune attack.”
vaccine to activate the immune system. It’s engineered so it won’t cause cold symptoms. But in their human study, the researchers found that volunteers who already had lots of antibodies to the virus didn’t respond to the vaccine. In contrast, those with low levels did. “This isn’t a setback. The first study was a proof of concept,” Waldman says. “We were ecstatic. The vaccine was safe—two participants had soreness at the injection site and three others had aches, chills, sweating and in one case a fever. And we saw an immune-system reaction. We can move ahead.”
“IF IT HELPS SOMEBODY, IT’S WORTH IT”
As a graduate student, Snook sometimes rode SEPTA’s R3 train home late at night with Takami Sato, MD, PhD, the K. Hasumi Professor of Medical Oncology at SKMC and director of the Metastatic Uveal Melanoma Program in the Department of Medical Oncology. “We definitely talked about the concept and translating this to humans,” Snook says. “Dr. Sato has been involved from the beginning because of his expertise in experimental cancer immunotherapy.” 12
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As co-principal investigator with Snook for the phase 1 trial, Sato planned the details of the vaccine’s first human study and helped secure funding. “We were all there when the first patient received the vaccine,” Sato says. “It was an important moment.” The results, he says, are promising—and may have applications for occult tumor cells from cancers of the stomach, esophagus and pancreas, which, it turns out, also produce GCC. “We’ve seen a signal,” Sato says. “Now we need more studies.” The project was financed with a $4.5 million grant from Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement Program, which is funded by the landmark 1998 tobacco settlement between major tobacco makers and state governments. The grant also involved collaborations with Cheyney University, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Lincoln University, St. Joseph’s University and the University of Pittsburgh on studies to identify and remove factors that prevent colon cancer patients from signing up for cancer vaccine trials. That research was led by Ronald E. Meyers, PhD, director of the Division of Population Science in Jefferson’s Department of Medical Oncology. Colorectal surgeon Scott D. Goldstein, MD, professor and director of the Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery, recruited Jefferson patients with early-stage, node-negative colon cancer for the human study. “They know what it’s like to go through this and want to make it better for others down the road,” he says. “It’s great to know that the vaccine’s safe and elicits an immune response. As a surgeon, I’m really waiting for laterstage studies with benefits for patients. That will be really exciting.” Ed Bailey, 77, a U.S. Navy veteran and retired electric utility supervisor and procedure writer from West Deptford, N.J., needed no encouragement when asked to join the study. He found out he had early-stage colon cancer in spring 2012 after a routine colonoscopy. A Jefferson surgeon removed the tumor, and Bailey returned every two to three months for a sigmoidoscopy to check his colon and for blood tests aimed at finding recurrences as soon as possible. So far, so good. “I have five children— including two sets of twins—and several grandchildren,” he says. “I want to be around for them.” Bailey had few fears and plenty of hopes. “I wasn’t worried that the vaccine was experimental,” he says. “And the shot didn’t even hurt— though I joked with the nurses and yelled a little. I’ve been through colon
COLON CANCER’S DEADLY R ACIAL DISPARITY Among African-Americans, colorectal cancer death rates are 52 percent higher in men and 41 percent higher in women compared to whites, according to the American Cancer Society. Lower screening rates account for just 19 percent of the difference. Black patients are less likely to receive recommended surgical treatments and chemotherapy. And black individuals may also be at higher risk for occult disease—the undetected spread of tumor cells to lymph nodes in early-stage cancer. A 2012 Jefferson study of 282 people with early-stage colon cancer found four times more hidden disease in lymph nodes from black than from white volunteers. Over two years, black volunteers were five times more likely to see cancer recur. “African-Americans may have more occult disease for genetic reasons,” Waldman says. “Delays in screening may also explain some of the difference. Colon cancer grows slowly. A stage 1 or 2 tumor can take years to develop. The later it’s caught, the greater the chance that there’s disease somewhere else as well.” Jefferson researchers hope their experimental colon cancer vaccine can help by destroying small groups of tumor cells before they can grow. “We want to close this gap,” Waldman says.
cancer. Anything I can do to help someone else avoid going through this, I’ll do.” To learn more about Drs. Waldman and Snook’s research or support their work, contact Michael Burton, Associate Vice President, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, at 215-955-7943 or michael.burton@jefferson.edu.
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Jefferson has pioneered two new leadership development co-curricular initiatives to help medical students navigate their career trajectories and gain insight with which to lead and shape the future of healthcare.
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OND IN D IAM CA S TE BY J ESSI 14
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The Student Leadership Forum, founded in 2012 by SKMC Dean Mark Tykocinski, MD, comprises a diverse, select group of students he personally mentors in order to cultivate their leadership capabilities.
The Physician Executive Leadership curriculum, founded by and for students in 2013, offers all SKMC students access to non-mandatory education on non-clinical drivers of healthcare. This ‘mini-MBA’ focuses on issues, changes and leadership challenges today’s medical students will face in their future careers.
Student Niko Kurtzman is active with both SLF and PEL. Photo by Roger Barone. S I D N E Y K I M M EL M ED I C A L CO L L EG E AT T H O M A S J EF F ER S O N U N I V ER S I T Y
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SLF members listen to a presentation by SKMC Dean Mark Tykocinski, MD. Photo by Roger Barone.
“W
hat it will mean to be a physician in the decades ahead will be radically different from what it means today. We want to create the medical leaders of tomorrow,” says Mark Tykocinski, MD, the Anthony F. and Gertrude M. DePalma Dean of SKMC. “We want to prepare them to navigate changes affecting healthcare that may be even more disruptive than how Uber, Airbnb and Amazon are each transforming the taxi industry, and the hotel and retail sectors.”
RIPPLE EFFECTS
What it will mean to be a physician in the decades ahead will be radically different from what it means today.
Tykocinski founded the Student Leadership Forum (SLF) in 2012 to mentor a diverse group of proven student leaders and prepare them for future leadership roles in medicine. While SLF comprises a core group selected through a rigorous process, the program has had a ripple effect. In 2013, the Physician Executive Leadership (PEL) program was formed as an open-access program for all SKMC students interested in the business of medicine and nonclinical forces affecting healthcare. Created by Anuj Shah, now a fourth-year student, with guidance from Susan Rosenthal, MD, associate dean for student affairs and career counseling, PEL’s offerings have expanded each successive year and now include diverse learning opportunities that attract growing numbers of interested students on campus. “SLF is one of the best learning experiences I’ve had in medical school,” says Shah, who came to Jefferson after working for two years as a healthcare consultant for the firm Oliver Wyman. “Dr. Tykocinski is an incredible mentor who teaches us in a way that empowers us, who shares key pieces of wisdom we can relate to and who isn’t shy about showing us how he learns from and 16
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corrects mistakes. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the inner workings of a huge educational institution.” Of the more than 50 highly qualified students who typically apply to SLF during their second year at Jefferson, 18 are selected via a rigorous process that emphasizes diversity. SLF’s current cohort includes a professional ballerina, an activist for women’s health and the LGBT community, a professional actor and a firefighter. Students remain in the program through graduation and benefit from six mentoring sessions and events each academic year that strengthen communication and leadership skills. Recent graduate Arielle Spellun appreciates how SLF has expanded her perspective: “This has been a great way to connect with students with different interests in medicine who are dedicated to maintaining leadership roles and being involved in the process of change and leadership in medicine.” During her first year at Jefferson, Spellun established a deafness awareness lecture now integrated into the curriculum, building on her experience at the University of Pennsylvania, where she helped start the Ivy League’s first American Sign Language and deaf studies minor. Spellun hopes to specialize in primary care pediatrics for children with complex diagnoses and reduced hearing and is interested in future leadership roles in medical education and healthcare advocacy. For Nicholas (“Niko”) Kurtzman, fourthyear student, “SLF has given me a different perspective on the politics within medicine and enabled me to hone in on what I’m looking for regarding career paths and what I need to do to get to where I want to be.” Prior to medical school, Kurtzman worked at a consulting firm and at a laboratory at the
Anuj Shah with Richard Kogan, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical Center and a renowned concert pianist, who spoke to SLF members after performing at Jefferson in March. Photo by Robert Neroni.
University of Pennsylvania that launched a diagnostics company, CytoVas, LLC. He plans to pursue a career in emergency medicine as a way to maintain flexibility so he can continue working on start-ups.
R ARE INSIGHT
“Students are getting the benefit of Dr. Tykocinski’s distilled wisdom from his 30-plus years in academic medicine and leadership,” says Rosenthal, who provides administrative support to SLF. “This is a unique and very valuable opportunity. We hope that the insights students gain will help speed them on their way to becoming leaders in healthcare.” Rosenthal also served as a matchmaker of sorts: She introduced Shah toward the end of his first year at Jefferson in 2013 to alumnus
Greg Snyder, MD ’15, who wanted to work on a leadership-related project during his rehabilitation from a spinal cord injury (see sidebar). Together, they expanded the PEL curriculum to help students understand how the healthcare system works and how they can fit into it and potentially change it for the better. “I wanted to create a quick MBA almost, but make it very focused on topics relevant to future physicians,” says Shah. “We identified the interest and made it for ourselves. Attendance at our events is voluntary, not mandatory. This is something we’re passionate about, which is why it works.” Now in its third year, PEL has a student advisory board of 18 students. As many as 150 students attend PEL lectures by leaders in healthcare and innovation; health insurance, health system and hospital chief executives and chief information officers; and technology entrepreneurs. Topics covered include trends in healthcare reimbursement, healthcare entrepreneurship, genomics-based medicine, technology innovation, global health, the patient experience and Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act.
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Life Lessons in Leadership Greg Snyder’s life changed forever one summer day in 2013—along with his perspective on physicians’ leadership training needs. On a June afternoon during his family medicine rotation, Snyder, MD ’15, and his dog Riley went hiking near a quarry. He woke up two weeks later in the ICU, unable to recall what happened before he fell 10 to 40 feet, suffered a traumatic brain injury and severed his spinal cord 95 percent of the way through, leaving him a T9 paraplegic. “In the aftermath of that experience, I realized that doctors need to elevate the level of discourse about leadership training in our field,” says Snyder. After three months at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, Snyder worked on his recovery during the 2013-2014 academic year and helped develop Jefferson’s student-driven Physician Executive Leadership curriculum (PEL) on key topics for future success not covered in traditional medical education. “I don’t want new doctors to be practicing in a healthcare system that is broken but that they don’t understand enough to help fix,” says Snyder, who also received high-level mentoring through the Student Leadership Forum. “When doctors begin working in this complex medical care system, we do what we know. We do medicine and only medicine. Not many doctors will venture out to do other things within healthcare to change it for the better.” “Medical schools focus on building clinical acumen. Why should we also expect doctors to learn how to potentially improve delivery of care? My answer is that patients will trust us more if we understand how their healthcare comes about,” says Snyder, who pursued his leadership interests during a fourth-year PEL experience shadowing Jefferson president and CEO Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA. Today, as an internal medicine resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Snyder views emotional intelligence as an essential skill in which doctors should be explicitly trained during medical school and residency. “Doctors are no longer autonomous. We’re expected to manage emotional situations revolving around patients, and to serve as leaders on integrated care teams. During times of uncertainty, patients want to use our knowledge and empathy as a sounding board and anchor.”
Last fall, Greg Snyder, MD '15, traveled to Wilmington, Del., to deliver a TEDx talk on the future of leadership for medical students and physicians. Photo by Joe del Tufo.
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SLF member Mary (“Bit”) Smith asks a question during an event. Photo by David Lunt.
EVERY STUDENT NEEDS THIS
“Every medical student who graduates now needs information about the larger forces and issues in healthcare,” says Rosenthal, a professor of pediatric gastroenterology whose career in academic medicine included a stint as the designated institutional officer responsible for all residency programs at a large hospital corporation in New Jersey. “Most doctors will be employed by hospitals or large group practices, or will work in hospital administration or the healthcare industry. These are large, complex institutions. An understanding of their structure, finances and politics is imperative for career advancement.” Paul Rosen, MD, MPH, MMM, clinical director of service and operational excellence for Nemours Children’s Health System and PEL faculty mentor, says, “You really need these skills to manage the hierarchy, manage people, work on a team, read a contract and all this stuff that no one really gets through their healthcare training. The purpose of PEL is to close that gap.”
REVERSE MENTORING
Rosen describes his interactions with PEL as “a reverse mentoring relationship: They tell me what they want to do, and I try to support them while they teach me what’s happening on the cutting edge of technology. It’s a thrill ride to watch the students develop this thing. Students really like having the freedom to come up with ideas, make a plan and execute
it on a short cycle. The trajectory for PEL is growing exponentially as we get more enthusiastic students joining who bring more ideas.” Additional PEL offerings include an online journal written by and for students, The Diagnostic, as well as luncheon workshops, job shadowing and summer internships to connect interested students with innovators in medicine. Tykocinski also hopes to inspire regional alumni groups to essentially “adopt” participants when they return home for breaks by offering guidance, mentoring and leadership opportunities near home. PEL’s student-led approach to learning promises to reach broader audiences in the future via potential expansion to other medical school campuses and an online learning platform in development. Shah and three other PEL board members presented a poster on PEL’s impact at the 2015 American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) conference. They will also submit their research on PEL and other medical student leadership programs for publication in a peer-reviewed journal to share the PEL model with other medical schools. “The poster presentation at AAMC was incredibly well received and provocative to other medical schools because they would love to replicate this,” says Charles Pohl, MD ’87, senior associate dean for student affairs. “Jefferson students have built a rich and impactful program in just a few short years. That this is student-driven and student-led is remarkable.” Another way PEL might reach new audi—Charles Pohl, MD ‘87 ences is through an online platform being developed by Kurtzman, Shah, Rosen and Snyder that was a winning entry in Jefferson’s first annual Jefferson Accelerator Zone (JAZ) Tank Start-up Challenge in 2015. Their successful pitch: an online multimedia course platform (working title: “MedX”) to teach other medical students about nonclinical drivers of care delivery that draws upon concepts shared through PEL. After they refine this pilot application, they hope to raise a round of seed funding. “PEL really broadens everyone’s network and horizons. We’ve attracted the most engaged students, and we have become incredibly active in growing the PEL brand at Jefferson and beyond,” Kurtzman says. As faculty mentor, Rosen was asked in early 2016 to help PEL’s leadership identify external support for speakers, internships and job shadow experiences. He arranged a meeting with Jefferson’s development office that he hopes will bear fruit. “They have big dreams and could use some outside funding,” Rosen says. “It all starts with the students’ ideas and their hopes for the future. I can’t think of a better thing to fund than teaching medical students how to be innovators in the future of healthcare delivery.”
“Jefferson students have built a rich and impactful program in just a few short years. That this is student-driven and student-led is remarkable.”
For more information about PEL: www.physicianexecutiveleadership.com S I D N E Y K I M M EL M ED I C A L CO L L EG E AT T H O M A S J EF F ER S O N U N I V ER S I T Y
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ON CAMPUS
DORIA ELECTED ALF DIVISION CHAIR Cataldo Doria, MD, PhD, has been elected president of the American Liver Foundation’s Mid-Atlantic Division. Doria is the inaugural Nicoletti Family Professor of Transplant Surgery and director of the Jefferson Transplant Institute. In June, he, his team and their patients celebrated the Institute's 1,000th liver transplant.
STUDENTS PLACE 2ND IN MED ED INNOVATION CHALLENGE Mark Mallozzi, Ludwig Koeneke, Tim Bober and Lorenzo Albala—all of whom recently finished their second year in SKMC’s College within a College Design Track—placed second in the American Medical Association’s 2016 Medical Education Innovation Challenge. The competition drew nearly 150 submissions from student teams who answered the question: “What does the medical school of the future look like to you?” The SKMC team devised a concept called “Design-thinking, making and innovating: Fresh tools for the physician’s toolbox,” which aims to empower students to solve healthcare problems using design skills. Their proposal involved a pre-clinical curriculum emphasizing computer science, textiles, medical materials and rapid prototyping technologies as well as collaborative workshops and access to an on-campus “makerspace.” Challenge winners were announced in March at the first meeting of the newly expanded AMA Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium, which now includes 32 of the nation’s medical schools.
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BRAWER WINS MANNA NOURISH AWARD Rickie Brawer, PhD, MPH, associate director of the Jefferson Center for Urban Health and assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, received MANNA’s 2016 Nourish Award in recognition of her work in public health over the past two decades. Brawer’s research interests include obesity and its relationship to food access and the built environment; medical-legal partnerships; community-based participatory research; and chronic disease prevention and management. Brawer is responsible for developing and conducting the Community Health Needs Assessment for Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals. MANNA, which delivers meals to those battling life-threatening illnesses, established the Nourish Award in 2010 to honor champions of healthcare and nutrition.
MITCHELL ON BLUE RIBBON PANEL Edith Mitchell, MD, professor of medical oncology and president of the National Medical Association, has been appointed to the Blue Ribbon Panel convened by the National Cancer Institute to advise the vice president’s National Cancer Moonshot Initiative. The panel will help guide this national effort focused on understanding and attacking cancer on all fronts, from early detection and prevention to diagnosis and treatment. Only 15 of the 69 NCI-designated cancer centers have representation in this group. Mitchell is also director of the Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities and associate director for diversity at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson.
WEITZ APPOINTED SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN Howard Weitz, MD ’78, director of the Division of Cardiology and the Bernard L. Segal Professor of Clinical Cardiology, has assumed the new role of senior associate dean of SKMC as well as executive vice chairman and master clinician of the Department of Medicine. As such, Weitz will help to lead SKMC’s efforts to train master clinicians of the future. He will focus his activity on both clinical cardiology and medical care of the surgical patient with cardiac disease—two areas in which he is recognized as a national leader. He will also lead Jefferson’s effort to develop a groundbreaking program in cardio-oncology, a new field aiming to decrease cardiovascular risks of cancer and cancer therapy.
KNUDSEN ELECTED TO AACR COMMITTEE Karen Knudsen, PhD, director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, has been elected to serve on the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Nominating Committee, which generates the state for the AACR Board of Directors as well as the organization’s president. The AACR is the world’s largest cancer research and clinical care organization, with more than 35,000 members across 101 countries. Knudsen is the Hilary Koprowski Professor and Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology and a professor of urology, radiation oncology and medical oncology at Jefferson.
ON CAMPUS
CHEN ONE OF ‘40 UNDER 40’ Antonia Chen, MD, MBA, associate director of research and an orthopaedic surgeon with the Rothman Institute at Jefferson, was recognized among the Philadelphia Business Journal’s “40 under 40” awardees for 2016. This awards program, now in its 22nd year, recognizes young professionals in Greater Philadelphia for outstanding success and contributions to their community. Winners were selected from more than 300 nominations and represent some the region’s most influential up-and-comers.
FORTINA ON ICAREDX ADVISORY BOARD Paolo Fortina, MD, PhD, professor of cancer biology and medical oncology and director of the NCI-designated Cancer Genomics Laboratory at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, has been named an inaugural member of the advisory board for iCareDx, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on blood-based early detection of cancer. The board consists of renowned scientists, clinicians and business leaders in the areas of oncology and diagnostics who will provide insights and guidance as iCareDx seeks to advance its blood-based screening tests for early detection of colorectal cancer as well as for early detection in pan-oncology.
ZIRING AWARDED ARTICLE PRIZE Deborah Ziring, MD, associate dean for academic affairs and undergraduate medical education, and co-authors received this year’s John A. Benson Jr., MD Professionalism Article Prize from the ABIM Foundation, founded by the American Board of Internal Medicine. This prize recognizes exemplary articles about professionalism challenges facing physicians. Published in July 2015 in Academic Medicine, Ziring’s winning article, “How Do Medical Schools Identify and Remediate Professionalism Lapses in Medical Students? A Study of U.S. and Canadian Medical Schools,” sought to better understand remediation best practices to address professionalism lapses among medical students.
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F A C U LT Y P R O F I L E
Lorraine Iacovitti, PhD
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAREN KIRCHHOFF
Conquering a Medical Frontier
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Lorraine Iacovitti, PhD, helped pioneer stem cell research in Parkinson’s disease 15 years ago. Today, she remains in the forefront of discovering how the brain works and how to help it heal. Her groundbreaking research offers the hope of preventing the debilitating deterioration of Parkinson’s patients while also mitigating the devastating effects of stroke. Her discoveries come at an opportune moment in history: With the graying of America, neurological disease and stroke have become the major causes of disability and death in the United States. Iacovitti, a researcher in Jefferson’s Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, became interested in science at her Philadelphia high school and majored in biology in college, eventually earning a doctorate in neurobiology from Cornell University Medical College and undertaking her postdoctoral work at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “I became intrigued by the brain,” she says. “It really is the last frontier. All of us are interested in where thoughts come from, what controls our decision-making, our emotions.” Much of her focus has been on dopamine neurons. By the time Parkinson’s patients exhibit symptoms, more than 70 percent of the dopamine neurons in their brains have died, and nothing can stop the onslaught. Iacovitti believes induced pluripotent stem cells—those derived from bone marrow, skin, blood or the brain instead of embryos—hold the key to treatment. Iacovitti’s lab stands as one of the top labs in the world undertaking the extremely difficult and expensive process of developing pluripotent cells and using a technique that the lab developed to turn the majority of cells into disease-targeting neurons. While her lab focuses on dopamine, the establishment of the Stem Cell Center in December, through the generosity of benefactor Kimberly Strauss, gives researchers studying other neurodegenerative diseases at Jefferson and throughout the region a resource for pluripotent cells.
It really is the last frontier. All of us are interested in where thoughts come from, what controls our decisionmaking, our emotions.
The ability to coax a patient’s own cells into reverting to stem cells and to guide the majority to differentiate into dopamine neurons gave Iacovitti a rich canvas to study individual aspects of a patient’s disease. It also moved her one step closer to developing a cell replacement therapy for Parkinson’s patients. The lab also focuses on “neuroprotective” strategies to prevent damage from Parkinson’s in the first place. Instead of taking the route of other researchers, Iacovitti turned to an unstudied region of the brain unaffected by Parkinson’s and discovered a protein with the capability to protect and even rescue vulnerable dopamine neurons. The lab has begun identifying the cellular mechanisms behind the protective effect in the hope of eventually introducing the protein into the susceptible region to reverse the damage Parkinson’s wreaks. Iacovitti expanded her research to include stroke about eight years ago. She solved one mystery by determining that stem cells live in many pockets in the brain, not just in two as commonly thought, and that these cells proliferate greatly after a stroke. The discovery offered insight into how the brain tries to repair itself. To help the repair process, the lab turned to the potent antioxidant dimethyl fumarate, also known as DMF, and found that it helps stroke-damaged nerve cells heal, resulting in fewer long-term neurological problems in lab rats that had suffered strokes.
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With many stem cell treatments, a critical step involves getting the differentiated cells to the areas needing repair, and a barrier surrounding the brain makes the challenge particularly daunting in neurological cases. Iacovitti’s lab, for the first time anywhere, accomplished this seemingly impossible task recently by coaxing the barrier open wide enough to allow a stem cell to pass and then closing it with no permanent damage. The ramifications for treatment are profound. Those mysteries that drew Iacovitti to the brain as a young researcher? She has earned an international reputation for helping solve them.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO JEFFERSON? In 1998, I followed Elliott Mancall (MD), my chairman at Hahnemann University (now Drexel), and research colleague Jay Schneider (PhD). At the time, Jefferson had wonderful pockets of neuroscience and promised to bring them together. The university established the Farber Institute for Neuroscience two years later. Neuroscience has gotten nothing but better since. We have cutting-edge research. The university has made a lot of investment in neuroscience, increasing our numbers greatly; we’re even recruiting now. Collaboration is encouraged and appreciated. The environment is cozy and nurturing.
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WHEN YOU ENTERED SCIENCE IN THE ’70S, FEW FEMALE RESEARCHERS EXISTED. WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU ENCOUNTER? Do I think people were prejudiced, that they didn’t take me seriously because I was a woman? No. The discrimination had more to do with the amount of time needed to compete. When I started, few women were married, let alone mothers. But I very much wanted a family. I remember painfully being forced to move back to Pennsylvania while nursing a 1-month-old baby so my mother could help while I wrote my first NIH grant. My competitors were men with wives at home looking after the children. I could do good work, publish and get grants, but I didn’t have time to promote myself at every opportunity while raising a family. Women often make that choice.
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL WOMEN WHO WANT TO ENTER SCIENCE TODAY? Much more support exists for women today than when I started. But you still need a passion for research; you really have to love it. It’s harder today for everyone, not just women, because funding is so scarce. With just one two-year postdoc I got hired as an assistant professor at Cornell. Today you might not get your first grant until you’re 40 years old. It isn’t easy, but it is incredibly gratifying. I love the level of variety and creativity. I learn something new every single day. How many people can say that?
HOW SOON DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE YOUR WORK TRANSLATED INTO CLINICAL TREATMENTS? If we received funding, we could conduct clinical trials right now on the ability of DMF to help heal strokedamaged cells. We see great potential to mitigate the devastating neurological effects of stroke, and we can move quickly because the government has approved DMF for other disorders. With the other developments, I don’t want to put a timeline on them. But I do hope that before I leave the lab we will see treatments based on our stemcell research.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST THRILLING MOMENT IN YOUR WORK? I’ve been fortunate to experience many thrilling moments. It was exciting to make a stem cell into a dopamine neuron for the first time and then see an animal get better after injecting the neurons into its brain. I was thrilled to discover that stem cells exist in many areas throughout the brain; it was a really important finding that sheds light on how the brain heals itself after injury such as stroke. The day a lab colleague coaxed open the blood-brain barrier and got a stem cell across was incredible, amazing. If I don’t have an exciting moment in a project, that project usually goes away. You have to have “eureka” moments or you won’t get that next grant. —J. LEE SUTHERLAND
To learn more about Dr. Iacovitti or to support her work, contact Martina Grunwald, Assistant Vice President, Neuroscience, at 215-955-6426 or martina.grunwald@jefferson.edu.
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ALUMNUS PROFILE
Matthew Keller, MD ’05 New Alumni Association President
Matt Keller, MD ’05, makes a point of telling all his residents about something he calls a “second paycheck.” It’s not the kind of check that can be cashed at the bank or used to pay his mortgage or send his kids to college, but it’s the one he believes holds the most value. “When you work in academic medicine, you’re not just taking care of the patient in front of you. By training new doctors, you’re also taking care of all the patients they will go on to care for in the future,” Keller says. “When I give residents confidence, they give better care—and that makes me happy. This ‘second paycheck’ is worth more than any reimbursement.” Keller, associate professor in the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology and associate program director for Jefferson’s dermatology residency, knew he wanted to stay in an academic environment after finishing his medical degree. As a first-year resident at Jefferson, he told his attendings they needed to save an office for him, because he was never leaving. “I love teaching and am always trying to expand dermatological educational opportunities for our young doctors,” he says. A focus on young doctors is also on Keller’s agenda as the new president of the SKMC Alumni Association; he aims to engage more recent graduates in Jefferson activities. “I want new grads to get in the habit of connecting with the institution year after year. It’s important to give, and it doesn’t even have to be monetarily. They can give in service ... by attending reunions … by having prospective students stay with them during interviews. There are many, many ways.” In addition to his teaching and Alumni Association leadership responsibilities, Keller maintains a busy Center City practice with a special expertise in psoriasis. Every Monday, he also runs the dermatology clinic at the
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Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Wilmington, Del., and on Wednesdays he works at Christiana Care Health System’s Wilmington Hospital in an effort to expand academic care to that region. “There is so much psychology that goes into dermatologic illness, because it’s right out in the open—everyone can see it. Dermatologists have to have real empathy for the way a disease affects their patients, physically and mentally. I talk to my patients about much more than their skin.” This commitment to bonding with and counseling patients is something Keller believes sets Jefferson physicians apart from others. To put patients first is something he learned before his course work even started; he recalls that each presenter at his class’ White Coat Ceremony in 2001 emphasized the importance of compassionate, quality care. “There’s something different about Jefferson doctors. When you meet someone who went to Jefferson, you just know it, even before they tell you,” Keller says. Outside of work, Keller enjoys spending time with his wife, Karen, and their two sons. Weekends are spent traveling to the boys’ soccer games, visiting the beach and training for half-marathons. The family tries to get to Walt Disney World at least twice a year. Keller jokes that he wears so many personal and professional hats, he has an entire closet for them. His newest hat, leader of the SKMC Alumni Association, is one he is particularly eager to put on. “People don’t identify themselves as someone who just happened to go to Jefferson. They identify themselves as ‘Jeffersonians.’ I want to harness that and use it to grow the Association.” —KAREN L. BROOKS
PHOTO BY KAREN KIRCHHOFF
There’s something different about Jefferson doctors. When you meet someone who went to Jefferson, you just know it, even before they tell you.
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STUDENT PROFILE
Leanne Duge A Dancer on a Journey to Becoming a Doctor
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PHOTO BY ANGELA STERLING
INSET PHOTO BY KAREN KIRCHHOFF
Most working Americans retire sometime during their 60s. But if you’re a professional ballet dancer, retirement comes much earlier—at an average age of 35, thanks to years of wear and tear ultimately pushing your body to its limit. What happens next? For Leanne Duge, the end of a career in ballet marked the beginning of a path to medical school at SKMC. Duge, who started dancing as a kindergartener in her hometown outside Cleveland, Ohio, pursued more rigorous training as she got older, even spending summers away to attend various intensive programs around the country. Three of those summers were spent in Seattle at the school attached to the Pacific Northwest Ballet—where Duge would eventually join the professional division (“the minor leagues of dancing,” she explains) and later become a full-time company member. Nothing made Duge happier than performing, especially in challenging ballets like Swan Lake, her all-time favorite. “We’re talking about three-plus hours when you’re onstage nearly the entire time. While dancing as swans, there are 24 of us all moving as one, creating beautiful formations and shapes,” she says. “It’s so powerful—there is nothing like being a part of that.” As most longtime dancers do, Duge experienced a series of injuries that became so debilitating she had to seek medical attention—something many dancers avoid whenever possible. “It’s a cultural thing, pushing through pain in fear of a doctor telling you to take time off from dancing, which is your livelihood,” she says. But as she got to know her physicians and physical therapists, she became impressed with their knowledge of the human body and how to optimize its performance. “I was struck by the close relationships healthcare professionals had with their patients and the trust that must be present in order for such delicate information to be exchanged. I also admired how they helped others during difficult times. This was when the medical school seed was planted.” After five years as a professional company member, Duge hung up her pointe shoes and began taking classes at a community college, then transferred into a neurobiology program at the University of Washington. Her next stop: Jefferson.
Dancers know that if they’re hurt, a doctor is going to tell them to stop dancing, which is not what they want to hear. I think I could find common ground between a doctor’s agenda and a dancer’s agenda.
Now beginning her second year at SKMC, Duge has not yet settled on a specialty, although physical medicine and rehabilitation is certainly on the list. She’s considering a career working with dancers, whose aversion to professional care and frequent lack of health insurance make them a medically underserved population. “I would love to help manage their aches and pains without surgery whenever possible and promote a wellness aspect to their care. Dancers know that if they’re hurt, a doctor is going to tell them to stop dancing, which is not what they want to hear. I think I could find common ground between a doctor’s agenda and a dancer’s agenda.” Although she doesn’t practice ballet anymore, Duge keeps moving as a Zumba instructor, teaching a weekly class on campus. She first started teaching Zumba, a dance fitness program, while living in Seattle and last winter approached the leaders of Active Minds, a mental health advocacy group at Jefferson, about offering a free class to students and anyone else who might be interested. “There’s a great freedom to it, choosing my own songs, choreographing my own movements, making things as technical as I want,” she says. “Zumba is a far cry from ballet but integrates the intensity of a cardiovascular workout with the passion of dance. I love sharing that feeling with others.” —KAREN L. BROOKS
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CLASS NOTES
CLASS NOTES ’61 William Franklin Hook is retired from practicing radiology. He recently received his fourth eLit Award, which honors books that are published digitally, for Never Subdued II—the follow-up to his first historical narrative about the Philippine-American War, its 10 Medal of Honor recipients from North Dakota and their struggle with insurgents. This was Hook’s fourth eLit Award. He lives in Hot Springs, S.D.
’62 William V. Harrer lives in Haddonfield, N.J., and reports that he and classmate Joe Sokolowski have begun coordinating semi-annual lunches for fellow Class of 1962 graduates in and near South Jersey. Stephen Vasso and Courtney Malcarney have both attended, and the group is looking for more alumni to join in. If you are interested in reaching out to Harrer to learn more about these informal afternoon events, email alumni@jefferson.edu to request his contact information. Harrer also reports that his son Bill III (’89) is practicing hematology/oncology in Crystal River, Fla., while his son Michael (’93) and son-in-law James Purtill (also ’93) both practice orthopaedic surgery with the Rothman Institute’s Joint Replacement Program.
’87 Joseph Bannon is chairman of the Department of Surgery at Regional Hospital of Scranton, Pa., and a clinical professor of surgery at the Commonwealth Medical College. He is board certified in both general and colon and rectal surgery and serves on the Board of Governors for the American College of Surgeons and the Executive Council of the Keystone Chapter of the American College. Bannon was principal speaker at the commencement ceremony for his undergraduate alma mater, the University of Scranton, in May 2016. He and his wife, Tracy, have five children and live in Clarks Summit, Pa.
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Gregory Zale recently joined Health Quest Medical Practice’s Division of General Surgery in Rhinebeck, N.Y., and performs outpatient and emergency surgeries at the practice’s suite at Northern Dutchess Hospital. Zale’s nearly two decades of practice include 14 years as a Mid-Hudson Valley hospital trauma surgeon, as an emergency physician on the medical staff of Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie and, most recently, as a per-diem surgeon on Northern Dutchess Hospital’s medical staff.
’90 Mohan Suntha has been named president and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical Center, based in Baltimore. Suntha has more than two decades of medical and administrative experience within the University of Maryland Medical System and most recently served as president and CEO of the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Md. He plans to continue to treat patients with complex head, neck and esophageal cancers. Suntha has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania and lives in Baltimore County with his wife and two daughters.
’91 Pamela T. Johnson was recently appointed vice chair of radiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. She also is vice chair of education, residency program director and an associate professor in the Department of Radiology.
’94 Ravi Rajmane has been appointed chief of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at New York University Lutheran Medical Center upon the merger of Lutheran with NYU Langone Medical Center. Rajmane is also associate director of bronchoscopy and an assistant professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. He reports that he spends his spare time “looking for empty tennis courts in New York City.”
’99 Benjamin L. Hoch has been appointed interim director of anatomic pathology and chief of service at the University of Washington Medical Center as well as serving as service leader of bone and soft tissue pathology and director of the bone and soft tissue fellowship. Hoch lives in Snohomish, Wash.
POSTGRADUATE ’76 Tom Annos (ob/gyn) was one of the first three physicians in New Jersey to be certified as a subspecialist in reproductive endocrinology/ infertility. As founder and medical director of the Short Hills, N.J., Fertility Center, he helped more than 12,000 couples conceive. Over decades of private practice, he used advanced ovulation induction techniques and in vitro fertilization while keeping multiple pregnancy rates lower than 8 percent. Annos retired in 2008 and spends time with his family in Palm Beach County, Fla., and Morris County, N.J. They also enjoy traveling throughout New England and abroad. To this day, Annos continues to read the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association weekly.
’88 Brian J. Galinat (orthopaedics) is chair of Christiana Care Health System’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and was appointed to the board of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons at the surgical society’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., in March. Galinat, who is the first Delaware doctor to be on the Academy’s board, earned an MBA at Wharton University of Pennsylvania in 2014. He has been in practice in Delaware since 1989 and specializes in shoulder surgery.
’07 Capt. John York (radiology) was recently selected as the Officer-in-Charge of the Expeditionary Medical Facility at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa. The facility, which supports 4,000 military personnel and sees more than 10,000 patients every year, is strategically positioned in the Horn of Africa, providing care to U.S. and allied troops deployed to East Africa and parts of the Middle East. Currently, York sits on the board of directors for Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, one of the Navy’s three biggest hospitals, where he is head of clinical support services and oversees radiology, pharmacy, laboratory/pathology, occupational therapy and physical therapy services. He has also served as specialty leader for radiology, a position analogous to chair of the Navy’s Department of Radiology. In addition to doing his residency at Jefferson, he completed a fellowship in interventional radiology in 2008.
IN MEMORIAM
IN MEMORIAM ’38 Morris J. Shapiro, 102, of Rochester, N.Y., died Feb. 25, 2016. Shapiro served a surgical residency at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. He and his wife, Miriam, volunteered after Pearl Harbor and served four years in Africa and Italy, participating in the first day of the Italian invasion and receiving African and Italian Campaign Ribbons, four battle stars and the Invasion Arrowhead. Shapiro practiced surgery until 1983 and then taught medical students at the University of Rochester Medical School, where he received the Gold Medal Teaching Award. He was founder and director of the Center for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer at Strong Memorial Hospital, which was first in the country to provide underserved women with free breast examinations, mammography and referrals. He was a member of the board of directors of the United Way and president of the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Home. He chaired annual fundraising efforts for the organizations, including the campaign that raised the money to build the Jewish Home. He continued to teach medical students until his passing. Shapiro is survived by his daughters, Donna and Barbara, and granddaughters, Jessica, Kate and Marissa. He was predeceased by his wife and by three brothers, Joseph, Sol and Bernard.
’43 Harry Armitage, 99, of Kennett Square, Pa., died March 31, 2016. Armitage served as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War II before joining his uncle’s surgical practice in Chester, Pa. He was a former chairman of the board of directors of Pennsylvania Blue Shield and the Pennsylvania Medical Society Council of Medical Services and past president of the Delaware County Medical Society. He was a longtime chief of surgery at Crozer Chester Medical Center and at Sacred Heart Hospital and past president of the medical staff at Crozer. A faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann Medical College, he mentored numerous young surgeons throughout his career. In retirement, he was a volunteer with the Pennsylvania Health Department in Chester and remained director of the Tumor Board at Crozer until age 94. In his free time, he enjoyed being with his family, reading, playing bridge, golfing and fly fishing. Armitage is survived by his wife of 65 years, Betty; three children, Charles, Thomas and Sarah; four grandchildren, Beth, Emily, Cameron and Natalie; and a brother, Oliver. He was predeceased by his sisters, Betsy and Polly.
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Victor A. Bressler, 92, of Linwood, N.J., died May 4, 2016. Bressler completed his internship and residency at the Atlantic City Hospital. During the Korean War, he served in a MASH unit as a member of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He practiced internal medicine and cared for thousands of patients over his more than 60-year career. After returning from Korea, he taught medical residents at the Atlantic City Medical Center. A pioneer in the creation of the first HMO in the United States, he edited the medical journal FINDINGS for the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center (ARMC) and led medical resident retreats annually from 1995 to 2012. He was the first recipient of the Edward R. Knight Award for Outstanding Community Service in 1998 from ARMC. Bressler is survived by his wife, Anne Ronne; four children, Peter, Victoria, Laura and John; five grandchildren, Zachary, Jessica, Katharine, Gavin and Keegan; and two greatgrandchildren, Ayla and Taden.
James John Fitzpatrick, 88, of Ewing, N.J., died April 24, 2016. Fitzpatrick served as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force and worked for many years as director of medical education at St. Francis Hospital in Trenton, N.J. He was vice president for medical affairs at Paul Kimball Medical Center in Lakewood. He is survived by seven children, Mary Liz, Rita, Rose Mary, Anne Louise, Marie, James (’91) and Michael (’92); 16 grandchildren; four greatgrandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, Rita; a son, Thomas; and two brothers, Richard and Jack.
’51 Benjamin R. Paradee, of Medford, N.J., died April 4, 2016. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and longtime resident of Cherry Hill, N.J., “Dr. Ben” practiced family medicine with his partner and friend H. Edward LaVoice (’51) for 30 years. He also served as medical director for Medford Leas from 1981-1991. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Shirley; two sons, Ben and Jim; a daughter, Joan; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a son, Dan. Peter Chodoff, 91, of Cherry Hill, N.J., died March 21, 2016. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, Chodoff had a long career as an anesthesiologist. From 1960-1963 and 1964-1969, he was director of the anesthesia department at Atlantic City Hospital. He then served as an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Yale University School of Medicine for a year before becoming chief of anesthesiology at Baltimore City Hospitals and an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. From 1978-1983, he was chief of critical-care anesthesia at the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services and a professor of anesthesia at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He returned to Jefferson in 1986 to serve as a professor of anesthesia. After his retirement, he continued into 2016 as a member of Jefferson’s admissions committee. Chodoff is survived by his son, Louis; his daughter, Carole; two grandchildren, Alaina (’16) and Tony; and his partner, Joan. He was predeceased by his wife, Lois, and his brother, Paul (’38).
George C. Godfrey, 89, of Somers Point, N.J., died May 4, 2016. A U.S. Army veteran and board-certified trauma and general surgeon, Godfrey was an advocate for health benefits for military veterans and those who were uninsured. During his enlistment, he worked on the Manhattan Project on the development of the atomic bomb. He completed his surgical residency at John Hopkins University. He was on the staff at Somers Point’s Shore Memorial Hospital for more than 50 years and was chief of surgery for more than 35 years. He also was on the staff at the Atlantic City Medical Center, where he helped establish the residency program. He was a founding member of the American College of Surgeons and one of 50 FAA flight surgeons in the United States. He was the house physician for Seaview Country Club and volunteered as the medical doctor for multiple local police and fire departments. He was the on-call surgeon when Richard Nixon visited Atlantic City in 1971, and members of the Rolling Stones were among the thousands of patients that he treated during his 57-year career. Godfrey is survived by his daughter, Cheryl; his son, George III; one grandchild, Cassandra; two step-grandchildren, Gabriella and Drew; and his loyal dog, Tyler. He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Evelyne.
’53 Frank L. Dorman, 87, of Elizabeth, Pa., died Feb. 28, 2016. Dorman served in the Strategic Air Force Air Command as a flight surgeon during the Korean War. He returned home to Elizabeth in 1958 and started a private family practice on the property that was originally part of the family farm where he grew up. In addition to his office hours, he made house calls and provided services to low-income patients. After retiring from private practice, he worked for the Social Security Administration. He supported the Pittsburgh Ballet and Symphony, Juniata College, Jefferson and various local charities. He loved farming,
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TIME CAPSULE
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From the Jefferson Archives SOME HAPPENINGS FROM 50 YEARS AGO, IN SUMMER 1966 • Dean William Sodeman, MD, and three American Medical Association officials tour Saigon during the Vietnam Conflict to appraise and advise on the nation’s medical education and hospital facilities. TOP • Demolition of Horn & Hardart and other buildings on Walnut Street occurs to make way for proposed Scott Library, as Jefferson Alumni Hall construction continues. IMMEDIATE LEFT • Robert L. Brent, MD, PhD, appointed chair of Department of Pediatrics. • Abraham Cantarow, MD ’24, made professor emeritus of biochemistry. FAR LEFT • Nancy S. Groseclose named new executive secretary for the Alumni Association.
Photos courtesy of the Archives and Special Collections, Thomas Jefferson University.
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IN MEMORIAM
tending to the yard, biking, playing tennis and reading (particularly nonfiction). Dorman is survived by his wife of 63 years, Virginia; his son, Frank Jr.; his daughter, Kitty; and two grandchildren, Frank III and Krista. He was predeceased by his sister, Orpha. Irwin S. Jacobs, 92, of Santa Barbara, Calif., died Feb. 9, 2016. Jacobs served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He completed his internship and residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and had a private psychiatry practice for more than 55 years. He was a founder of the Bertha Abess Children’s Center in Miami, a distinguished life fellow and diplomate of the American Psychiatry Association, past president of the South Florida Psychiatric Society, corporate psychiatrist for Eastern Airlines and a 32nd-degree Mason. He enjoyed traveling the world with his wife of 44 years, Anna. In addition to his wife, Jacobs is survived by two children, Moss and Rivka; and four grandchildren, Ian, Miles, Scarlett and Joe, who graduated from the Jefferson College of Pharmacy in 2014.
’54 Peter Glowacki, 89, of Ardmore, Pa., died March 28, 2016. Glowacki completed a psychiatry residency at Norristown State Hospital and practiced in suburban Philadelphia for 40 years. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; three sons, Michael, David and Keith (’99); and two daughters, Lee Anne and Shelley. Alfred P. Spivack, 87, of Palo Alto, Calif., died April 23, 2016. The recipient of the 2014 SKMC Alumni Achievement Award and a supporter of two scholarship funds at Jefferson, throughout his career Spivack had a deep affiliation with Stanford University, where he served as founding director of the Coronary Care Unit, a member of the board of directors and a clinical professor emeritus of medicine at Stanford University Medical Center. He championed more active involvement of nurses in patient care. He was an avid swimmer, inventor and artist, excelling at underwater photography and ceramics. Spivack is survived by his partner, Marjorie; a son, Peter; a daughter, Laura; and six grandchildren, Sarah, Amy, William, Madeleine, Grant and Taylor. He was predeceased by his wife, Anita, in 2000.
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Martin T. Brennan, 85, of Broomall, Pa., died April 2, 2016. After completing his internship at Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital in Darby, Pa., he served in the U.S. Navy as a physician with the Marine Corps in Okinawa, Japan. Upon honorable discharge, he completed his otolaryngology residency at Jefferson and joined the Mercy Catholic Medical Center, where he served at Misericordia and Fitzgerald Mercy for nearly 50 years. He also was chair of otolaryngology at Mercy and Riddle Memorial Hospital for many years. Brennan is survived by his wife of 25 years, Mary Frances; four sons, Terrance, Daniel, Martin and Dennis; three daughters, Elizabeth, Regina and Margaret; 20 grandchildren; two brothers, Francis and Thomas; and a sister, Ellen. He was predeceased by his brother Joseph and sister Regina.
Stephen Mark Druckman, 74, of Bonita Springs, Fla., died Feb. 9, 2016. Druckman completed his internship and internal medicine residency at Einstein Medical Center and a fellowship in gastroenterology at Presbyterian Hospital. He was a retired internist with a subspecialty in gastroenterology. He practiced medicine for 23 years and was a founding partner of Lebanon Internal Medicine Associates as well as the first gastroenterologist in Lebanon, Pa. He enjoyed the theater, music, gardening, ham radio, photography, cooking and traveling. Druckman is survived by his wife, Barbara; three sons, Eric, Stuart and Charles; and four grandchildren.
’58 Jay Marshall Hughes, 82, of Winter Park, Fla., died Aug. 30, 2014. A Philadelphia native, he moved with his family to Winter Park in 1971. He practiced family medicine and was a musician and Rotarian. Hughes is survived by his wife, Lynn, and two sons, David and Richard.
’66 Nicholas J. Ruggiero, 80, of West Pittston, Pa., died March 30, 2016. Ruggiero served six years in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps, rising to the rank of first lieutenant and receiving two Army Achievement Awards. He practiced medicine for more than 30 years and was a pioneer in the field of cardiology. He started the first cardiac catheterization laboratory in the Wyoming Valley and was responsible for the open-heart program at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. Outside of work, he enjoyed sports, golfing and gardening. Ruggiero is survived by his wife of 45 years, Ontalee; a son, Nicholas II (’01), who is director of structural heart disease and non-coronary interventions at Jefferson as well as of the Heart Institute Vascular Lab; a granddaughter, Avelina; a sister, Virginia; a half-brother, Jack; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a brother, Jimmy.
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’79 Jeffrey C. Brandon, 61, of Theodore, Ala., died Nov. 17, 2015. Brandon retired as a radiologist from the University of Southern Alabama Medical School. He is survived by one daughter, Alexis; one stepson, Alexander; two brothers, John and Thomas; and one nephew, Johnathan.
’81 Julius Michael Guarino, 58, of Springfield, Pa., died June 28, 2014. After completing his internship and residency in internal medicine at Wilmington Medical Center in Wilmington, Del., Guarino served a fellowship in gastroenterology at Jefferson. He joined Suburban Gastroenterology Associates in Havertown, Pa., in 1986 and served the Delaware County area until he became ill in March 2014. He is survived by his wife, Rosemary; two children, Angela and Paul; his grandfather, Julius Michael; and two brothers, Michael (’79) and Carl.
To submit a class note or obituary for the Bulletin, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement: BY PHONE BY EMAIL BY MAIL
215-955-7751
alumni@jefferson.edu
125 S. 9th St., Suite 700, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Join us for
the Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Annual Alumni & Faculty
Winter CME Symposium
SAVE DATE THE
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler Whistler, BC
FEB. 5-9, 2017
What Every Doctor Should Know: A General Medical Update SKMC faculty and alumni will meet to update their knowledge and renew collegial ties. This year, SKMC welcomes One Jefferson physicians from Abington Health and Aria Health.
Registration and hotel reservations will open soon. To get full program details and receive notification when registration opens, email jeffersoncme@jefferson.edu.
Visit cme.jefferson.edu for CME program updates!
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Leave a Legacy For Thomas Green, MD ’94, Jefferson is more than just his alma mater; it’s a place that feels like home. And while he now spends most of his time in upstate New York, where he serves as medical director of the Radiology Department at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, his heart— and his philanthropy— remain at Jefferson. 36
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Three generations of Greens have attended TJU. His mother, a nurse, and his father, a physician, met when they were students. So as Green likes to say, “If it weren’t for Jefferson, I might not be here.” Keeping it all in the family, Green’s daughter recently enrolled in the Postbaccalaureate Pre-Professional Program in Jefferson’s College of Biomedical Sciences. A generous supporter of Jefferson, Green has made a contribution every year since his graduation. Recently, he made the ultimate gift by making a bequest to ensure that his generosity has a lasting impact even beyond his passing. “Besides my children, one of my proudest accomplishments is graduating from Jefferson,” Green says. “So, when I thought about what I wanted to leave behind, I knew I wanted to give back to thank Jefferson for what it’s done for me.”
Society
To learn about including Jefferson in your will and other planned giving opportunities, contact: Lisa W. Repko, JD Senior Director, Planned Giving 215-955-0437 lisa.repko@jefferson.edu
BY THE NUMBERS
It’s not just an issue in Flint, Mich. Across the United States, millions of people are exposed to high levels of lead every day, with children being at greatest risk of adverse effects. Exposure can cause damage to the brain and nervous system; delayed growth and development; and problems with learning, behavior, speech and hearing. Gary Emmett, MD, clinical professor of pediatrics, recently participated in an ABC News Tweet Chat about lead poisoning. According to Emmett, the most common sources of lead poisoning today are old, chipping paint and lead-tainted water. Here are other facts.
Lead paintaffected homes in which young children reside
Lead Poisoning American children between ages 1 and 5 with blood lead levels high enough to threaten their health
Homes in the United States that have deteriorated leadbased paint and elevated levels of lead-contaminated indoor dust
IQ points lost for every microgram above 10
Micrograms per deciliter (Âľg/dL) of blood, the reference level at which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends public health actions be initiated
Average amount in medical and special education costs for every seriously lead-poisoned child The year the federal government banned consumer uses of lead-containing paint
*Data courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. S I D N E Y K I M M EL M ED I C A L CO L L EG E AT T H O M A S J EF F ER S O N U N I V ER S I T Y
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ALUMNI WEEKEND 2016 1941 1946 1951 1956 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 2011 1941 1946 1951 1956 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 1996 2001 2006 2011 1941 SAVE THE DATE OCTOBER 14 -15, 2016
Join your fellow classmates and Jefferson alumni to celebrate reunion years ending in ‘1 and ‘6! Come back to campus to reconnect, relive and remember your Jefferson experience. Don’t miss this exciting weekend of events in Philadelphia to reminisce with friends and classmates!
Make it Extra Special – Give a Little Time! Volunteer and help us make your class reunion one to remember. Minimal time and effort can make a big impact in bringing together your classmates. Contact the Office of Alumni Relations for more information.
Office of Alumni Relations • alumni@jefferson.edu • 215-955-7750 • jefferson.edu/alumni