Wayne State University School of Medicine students and faculty now have a quiet, contemplative corner in which to take a breather and admire locally produced artwork.

Tucked into a corner on the third floor of the Mazurek Education Commons (turn to the left as you come off the bridge from Scott Hall) is a new art gallery that features the works of School of Medicine students. The current exhibit, titled “Experiences of Consciousness,” contains paintings, drawings, photos and sculpture by students Mira Mikati, Will Ellis, Whitney Elliot, Jessica Yih, Chris Prestel, Riham Alwan, David Pridmore, Paul Thomas and Alexis Drutchas, who developed the idea for the gallery.

Drutchas, who also credited students Thomas and Yih with helping establish and spread the word about the mini-gallery, said a newly formed committee plans to rotate exhibits monthly. “We have many different ideas for themes that we would like to delve into,” Drutchas said. “In the future we are going to be creating displays centering around the travel experience, youth, the pathological process, the urban aesthetic.”

The newly established three-student, three-administrator committee is considering the possibility of displaying artwork from graduate students and faculty in addition to works created by medical students.

“The exhibit goes along with our goal of making the Mazurek more than a building in which medicine is taught,” said Ron Spalding, chief administrative officer of Academic & Student Programs, and a member of the art committee.

Drutchas, a second-year medical student, said the concept evolved from her undergraduate days at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She often studied in the medical school-pharmacy school library, where student and community art was exhibited.

“I thought that this was an incredible way for students to get to know the talents of their classmates and friends in a way that they wouldn't normally be able to,” she said. “Medical school creates a focused environment that doesn't usually allow us to break out of this on the day to day, so I thought that this would be a great way for us to learn more about each other, to reflect on the different topics that are being displayed and to brighten up our environment a bit.”

Drutchas approached Spalding with the idea, and he secured the space.

“The student art gallery is a way to showcase students talents, thoughts and ideas about how they perceive the world, giving us a chance to get to know our friends and classmates a bit better and a space to take our minds off of school and reflect for a bit as we pass by and stop to take a look,” Drutchas said. “The response so far has been really tremendous, and we are looking forward to new themes and new work to display in the future.”

The nation’s top doctor will serve as the keynote speaker for the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s commencement ceremonies June 8.

School officials recently confirmed that U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., M.B.A., has agreed to speak at this spring’s graduation ceremony. Dr. Benjamin is the nation’s 18th surgeon general.

The founder and former chief executive officer of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Alabama, Dr. Benjamin was the first physician under the age of 40 and the first black woman elected to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees in 1995. She also served as associate dean for Rural Health at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States.

The nation’s third female surgeon general, Dr. Benjamin served as president of the American Medical Association Education and Research Foundation, and chair of the AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. She was elected president of the Medical Association State of Alabama in 2002, making her the first black female president of a state medical society in the U.S.

Dr. Benjamin received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Xavier University in New Orleans, and her medical degree from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She took her master’s degree in business administration from Tulane University. According to the national Web site of her office, Dr. Benjamin established a clinic in a small fishing village in Alabama to help its uninsured residents. She maintained the clinic through Hurricane Georges in 1998, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and a 2006 fire, often using her own funds to cover expenses.

She is a member of the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. She serves on the boards of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, the Catholic Health Association and Morehouse School of Medicine.

In 1998 Dr. Benjamin received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights. She received the 2000 National Caring Award and was awarded a MacArthur Genius Award Fellowship

Christopher Steffes, M.D., of the Wayne State University Physician Group, has been appointed co-chief of Surgical Oncology Service at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center. He shares this role with George Yoo, M.D., F.A.C.S.

A professor of the Department of Surgery for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, Dr. Steffes is also team leader of the Sarcoma Multidisciplinary Team at Karmanos. He is a member of the attending staff at Detroit Receiving Hospital, Harper University Hospital and Hutzel Hospital, along with Karmanos.

In this new role, Dr. Steffes provides leadership and guidance to the medical and nursing staff, as well as Karmanos Cancer Center executive leadership, in the delivery of surgical oncology patient care.

Among his duties, Dr. Steffes is charged with establishing activities that meet the needs of patients within surgical oncology. The position also requires the enhancement of quality and appropriateness of standards and care, and treatment of all surgical oncology patients. Other duties include developing and implementing policies and procedures, as well as monitoring and evaluating professional performance of colleagues.

Kenneth Krabbenhoft, M.D., former chair of the Wayne State University School of Medicine Department of Radiology, died Feb. 1. He was 87.

Dr. Krabbenhoft also served as executive director of the American Board of Radiology.

He is survived by his sons, Kenneth Jr., of High Falls, New York; and Douglas, of Randolph, Mass.; and daughter, Karen Caumartin, of Huntington Woods.

He was predeceased by his wife, Gloria, in 2003.

Memorial services were held Feb. 6 at the Drayton Avenue Presbyterian Church in Ferndale. Donations can be made in Dr. Krabbenhoft’s memory to the Drayton Avenue Church, 2441 Pincrest Drive, Fernadale, MI 48220.

A revolutionary new discovery by a team of physicians and researchers led by a Wayne State University School of Medicine professor has found that genetics plays a significant role in some preterm births and may explain why some women who do everything right still give birth too soon. The finding has been recognized by the March of Dimes with its prestigious award for Best Research in Prematurity.

Research presented Feb. 4 at the 30th annual Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine meeting – “The Pregnancy Meeting” -- in Chicago showed that genes of both the mother and the fetus can make them susceptible to an inflammatory response that increases the risk of a premature birth.

“Inflammation is a major risk factor for preterm birth,” said Roberto Romero, M.D., chief of the Perinatology Research Branch at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development located at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. “One out of every three preterm births is associated with inflammation or infection. However, numerous studies have shown that treating bacterial infections in pregnant women does not prevent preterm labor.” 

Dr. Romero, an SMFM member and one of the world’s leading experts in the study of complications of pregnancy, led the team investigating genes that control maternal and fetal inflammation that could help explain the process that triggers preterm birth. The research found variations in the DNA of the pregnant woman and the fetus involved in fighting infection are associated with an increased the risk of premature birth.

“The central concept is that there are genetic factors that predispose to preterm labor and that are in the maternal and fetal genome,” said Dr. Romero, a professor of Molecular Obstetrics and Genetics with the Wayne State University Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics. “We believe that this is a step forward toward the idea of personalized medicine in the prevention of preterm birth.”

Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant death worldwide, with more than 540,000 such births in the United States. Prematurity is the most important risk factor for long-term disability, including cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease, blindness and deafness. The March of Dimes estimates that preterm births cost the United States $26 billion annually.

Patients in the case-control study – Hispanic mothers who reside in Chile -- had at least one previous preterm birth. The researchers extracted DNA from the cord blood of 822 pregnant women and 807 fetuses, and then genotyped single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes that predispose to preterm birth. An SNP involved in the control of fetal inflammation (IL6R) doubled the risk of preterm birth among the study subjects. DNA variants in maternal genes also increased the risk of preterm birth. Combined, these factors provide new evidence that genetic predisposition to preterm birth can depend on the DNA of both mother and fetus.

The next step in the research, Dr. Romero said, is replication and sequencing of the IL-6 and Il-6 receptor gene. That process should begin soon, he said.

Recognizing the significance of the breakthrough, the March of Dimes gave the study, “Identification of Fetal and Maternal Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Candidate Genes That Predispose to Spontaneous Preterm Labor with Intact Membranes,” its award for Best Research in Prematurity. This is the seventh study by SMFM members to receive the honor.

The March of Dimes is conducting a national Prematurity Campaign aimed at research and awareness to reduce the growing rate of premature birth.

“The March of Dimes is the organization that was determined to find a cure for polio and did so by supporting the development of the vaccine that is used now worldwide. Having accomplished this, the March of Dimes has identified the prevention of premature birth as a major health care problem in the world,” Dr. Romero said. “We are honored for the recognition of the March of Dimes of the work done by the Perinatology Research Branch, Wayne State University, the Detroit Medical Center and its partners.”

“This research gives us even more evidence as to the relationship between genetics and preterm birth and is a step toward personalized medicine,” said Alan R. Fleischman, M.D., medical director of the March of Dimes. “This has the potential to allow us to identify a woman who is at risk for delivering early and provide her specialized, individualized care so that she may carry her baby to term, and help give more babies a healthy start in life.”

Valerie Parisi, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A, interim dean of the WSU School of Medicine and a past president of the SMFM, said, “As someone who has an extensive background in the field of maternal-fetal medicine and who has worked with Dr. Romero for many years, I am very proud of the accomplishments of his team. Recognition of the work done at the Perinatology Research Branch here at Wayne State is well deserved.”

Other institutions collaborating in the research include the University of Miami, Emory University, Vanderbilt University, Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, and Sotero del Rio Hospital and Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Childe, in Santiago, Chile.

Strong collaboration lies at the heart of academic research success in the 21st century, and the next Wayne State University Professional & Academic Development seminar focuses the spotlight on that key.

“Intra- and Inter-Institutional Research Collaborations,” scheduled for Feb. 12, from 1 to 2:30 pm., will explore ways to enhance collaborations ranging from large international consortia to on-campus networking with nanoscientists, bioengineers and colleagues from the Henry Ford Health System.

Derek Wildman, Ph.D., assistant professor of Molecular Medicine and Genetics and Obstetrics and Gynecology for the School of Medicine, will serve as program moderator.

Presenters will include Cynthia Bir, Ph.D., associate professor of Biomedical Engineering; Markus Friedrich, Ph.D., associate professor of Biological Sciences; and Margot LaPointe, Ph.D., vice president for Research for the Henry Ford Health System.

Topics that will be covered include:
How do I find and choose a collaborative group to join?
What is the new bioengineering department doing at the School of Medicine in research?
What is nanotechnology and how does that relate to medical research?
What are some practical ways to learn how to partner with clinician-scientists in the Henry Ford Health System?
What are some insights into the inner workings of large-scale genome projects?
How to gracefully decline collaborative requests.

The program will take place in the Margherio Family Conference Center, located in the Richard J. Mazurek, M.D., Medical Education Commons.

To register, send an e-mail to tyoung@med.wayne.edu.