Michael Joiner, Ph.D., professor of Radiation Oncology for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, will serve as a keynote speaker at the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s fourth Modelling of Tumours Meeting 2012, taking place Aug. 2-4 in Adelaide, Australia.

The program leader of the Radiation Biology Program at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Dr. Joiner is an internationally-recognized radiobiologist who has spent more than 30 years investigating how clinical radiotherapy can be made more effective using both manipulations of the radiation delivery schedule and also by the addition of chemical or physical modifiers of effect.

He is an expert in quantifying radiation effects, the underlying medical physics of radiation delivery, and the application of high-LET radiotherapy. He discovered low-dose hyper-radiosensitivity and the inverse very low dose-rate effect, both of which are major factors in determining the extent of DNA repair following X-ray exposure and can also be used to determine the response of cells to radiotherapy.

"It is a privilege for me to represent Karmanos and the Wayne State University School of Medicine at this important international meeting,” Dr. Joiner said. “It is an exciting time in the field of radiation oncology and the conference will allow me and my colleagues to explore and discuss treatments that promise the best health outcomes for cancer patients.”

In addition to his other responsibilities, Dr. Joiner serves as the graduate officer of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Karmanos and the School of Medicine, and as editor of the textbook, “Basic Clinical Radiobiology.”

The event will include discussion on topics ranging from biologically-guided radiation therapy, the effects of low doses, LET and hypoxia, radiobiological models in treatment planning and targeted radiotherapy and cellular communication.

While at the conference, Dr. Joiner also will lead a plenary talk about how tumor radiobiology helps in the move toward hypofractionation and whether treatment planning with biologically-effective doses can make a difference in patient treatment.

Two counselors for the Wayne State University School of Medicine have been promoted.

Kathleen Connors, LMSW, ACSW, the class counselor of this year’s graduating class, was promoted to University Counselor III.  The Rochester, New York, native and Windsor, Ontario, resident has served in the Office of Student Affairs in undergraduate medical education since 2000.

She has served on the Career Development Committee of the Commission on the Status of Women, facilitated career development and CV writing workshops, and initiated Career Corner, a drop-in medical career advisory service.  She is working with other Student Affairs staff on the launch of the Career Planning Website. She was part-time faculty at the School of Social Work, where she taught a master’s level course in grief and loss, and served as field placement advisor. She is also a therapeutic touch practitioner for families in hospice care and is pursuing further training in mindfulness and yoga.

This year marks her third graduating class, having served the School of Medicine for 12 years.

Leah Robinson, Ed.S., academic skills counselor, was also promoted to University Counselor III. A Detroit native, Robinson returned to WSU in 2006 after working overseas as an academic advisor and instructor. Responsible for all academic support programming in the Office of Academic and Student Programs, she initiated, developed and manages programming for the summer matriculation program, Year 1 transition, Step 1 preparation, tutoring and review sessions, directed study and course remediation.

She also serves as faculty advisor for the Open Source Medicine student organization. In addition, she facilitates the monthly Technology Every Third Thursdays, an interactive workshop for faculty, students and staff interested in mobile learning and mobile technology.

Robinson began her career at WSU in 1993 and served in various divisions, including the University Advising Center, College of Education, Department of Music, Trio Student Services and Academic Success Center in a variety of capacities, including academic advisor, academic services officer and instructor teaching college survival skills, anthropology and computer skills.  She returned to work at WSU after two different international job assignments in the Middle East in 2003 and 2006.

Robinson is pursuing a doctoral degree in the Instructional Technology doctoral program at WSU.

Nobody would dare call medical school easy.

The rigorous educational challenge can substantially put to the test students with all the free time in the world to devote to study.

Compound the pursuit of a medical degree with the demands of being a full-time mother to three children, and the satisfaction of graduation becomes all the sweeter.

Today, ShaMelle Deavonn White, M.D., and her family are celebrating that sweetness.

“This feels like a dream come true,” said White, at the Fox Theater just before the start of the May 22 commencement ceremony for the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Class of 2012. “I can remember when I was little, there were seven of us children, and my Dad told us all what he wanted us to be when we grew up. For me, it was a doctor. My dad, David C. Smith Sr., who passed away during my first year of medical school, was my biggest supporter. It was difficult moving forward without him in my corner and during the hardest of times I’d remember our plan. He was overjoyed when I was accepted to medical school and I know he would be proud now that I am graduating. So now that this is a reality, I can say to my Dad, ‘I told you when we danced at my wedding that I wouldn’t give up! I did it; your baby girl is a doctor!’”

Dr. White, 32, from Saginaw, was joined at commencement by her husband Shawn, a processing engineering manager at Eaton Aerospace, and their three sons, ages 8, 6 and 2. She will soon begin a Pediatrics residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without God; my mother; my honey, Shawn; my sister, and, last but not least, my babies. It has certainly not been easy managing two full-time jobs, that’s for sure,” Dr. White said. “For me, the key was having a plan and sticking to it. Coming to school  early to study just so I could enjoy ‘homework time’ with my babies, then staying up after they go to bed to study some more. Every second of my day seemed to be accounted for with little room for anything else. Those were the moments when prayer and phone calls to my mother came in handy. I have had my share of struggles along the way, but I did it.”

As did the other 288 members of the Class of 2012.

“Be the change you want to see in the world,” Dean Valerie M. Parisi, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., advised the graduates, quoting Gandhi, one of her personal heroes. “That’s the last assignment you’ll get from me, but the most important. Go and change the world.”

Pedro Jose “Joe” Greer Jr., M.D., the first assistant dean of Homeless Education at the University of Miami School of Medicine and director of a number of medical clinics serving the underprivileged in the Miami, Fla., area, gave the keynote address.

“Welcome to the greatest profession in the world,” said Dr. Greer, founder of the Camillus Health Concern, a clinic that offers care to the poor and homeless in Miami-Dade County. “You will become elite members of society, but your job is to save the world and that started the day you entered medical school.

“Be something we are not typically known for, be humble,” Dr. Greer, who has received the MacArthur Genius Fellowship and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, advised the new physicians. “You have to save the world. Why? Well, somebody has to do it. That’s why you became physicians.”

Dr. Greer’s remarks and his personal history of assisting the homeless and indigent registered with Joel Clinton Miller, 29, of Diamond Bar, Calif., who graduated with his medical degree and a master’s degree in Public Health. He performed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, San Diego, and will now enter an Emergency Medicine residency at Tuft’s Baystate Medical Center.

“I decided that I wanted to become a doctor shortly after I graduated from college," Dr. Miller said. “I went on a medical mission to Caraz, Peru, with the Osorio Foundation in July 2005.  I met a woman there who had walked for three days to come see the surgeons and see if she could access the medications that could alleviate her rheumatoid arthritis. Unfortunately, we did not have the medications she needed and had to tell her so. This experience inspired me to work in issues related to access to medicines. I wanted to combine my passion for science with my desire to work in humanitarian relief. I’m very excited to finally be a fully trained, effective advocate for patients.”

Dr. Miller launched a chapter of the Universities Allied for Essential Medicines at WSU and an American Medical Student Association externship to Tanzania. The UAEM is an international group of students seeking to leverage academic research for global health. At WSU, Miller explained, the chapter works with researchers and tech transfer administrators to ensure that health-related technologies developed at WSU can be accessed in developing countries. The AMSA externship to Tanzania takes place at the Tanzanian Training Center for International Health in Ifakara, Tanzania. The externship provides WSU medical students the opportunity to learn about health care delivery in a low-resource setting.

“These are important to me because they provide opportunities to work toward improving access to medicines and health care, both through the education of future physicians and through using available resources to ensure that people are able to access medicines,” Dr. Miller said.

Maya Holtrop’s graduation today continues a family legacy in medicine. Her mother, Teresa Holtrop, M.D., is a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, and her father, Paul Holtrop, M.D., is a neonatologist at William Beaumont Hospitals. Her mother’s parents were both physicians. In fact, her grandfather, a retired obstetrician and gynecologist, celebrated his 94th birthday at commencement.

“Although I never knew my grandmother -- she died when my Mom was young -- the feminist in me gets a little thrill at the thought of being a third-generation female physician,” said Dr. Holtrop, 26. “I like to say that I went to medical school in order to understand my parents’ dinner table conversations. The medical-speak never ended, really, and I also got a very good idea of what the life looked like, and the kind of qualities necessary to be a happy and successful doctor. They are the best possible parents and never tried to influence me either toward medicine in general or pediatrics in particular, but of course they're very happy with my decision!”

The Beverly Hills, Mich., native is headed for a Pediatrics residency at Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals/Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

Why Pediatrics? “Because I like kids and my childhood image of medicine, gleaned from following my mother around Children's here in Detroit and visiting my dad at various NICUs, includes screaming children or very, very tiny ones,” Dr. Holtrop said. “I noticed on my third-year rotations that I was always immediately happier if I heard a kid crying down the hall, and when I got to my Pediatrics rotation it all clicked just right. I'm delighted I will get to deal with kids every day now, instead of only on some rotations, and I'm excited to have my own apartment for the first time and to start a new adventure in a new city.”

For one special evening, more than 120 women of all ages and backgrounds from the metropolitan Detroit community made their health a top priority by gathering at Wayne State University School of Medicine on Thursday for the inaugural “Ladies Night Out Health Crawl.”

The free event, co-hosted by the School of Medicine and the Wayne State University Physician Group, was held as a community service to celebrate National Women’s Health Week.

“Women often serve as caregivers for our families, putting the needs of spouses, partners, children and aging parents before our own. As a result, women’s health and well-being become secondary,” said School of Medicine Dean Valerie M. Parisi, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A. “We wanted to empower women to make their health a top priority and take time for themselves not only for one ladies’ night out, but all year.”

Attendees received a gift bag filled with health-minded goodies such as lip balm and sunscreen, then enjoyed a few nibbles of healthy noshes prepared by WSU chefs before heading to a choice of nine informational health sessions provided by faculty physicians.

Attendees also entered to win an Amazon Kindle Fire. Clinton Township resident Amy Panski won the computer tablet.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was thrilled to pieces. It’s something I don’t have and wouldn’t have purchased for myself,” said Panski, who attended the event to enjoy a night out with a friend.

“I’d never been to Wayne State University before and we thought it was a great opportunity to see the campus, get some updated information about women’s health and learn more on health issues becoming more relevant to us every day,” she said.

Presenting doctors included Jessica Kado, M.D., discussing dermatology and skin care; Shelly Seward, M.D., discussing gynecologic oncology and ovarian cancer; Terri Woodard, M.D., discussing reproductive endocrinology and infertility, and sexual health; Tochukwu Okwuosa, M.D., discussing cardiovascular disease, heart health and preventive measures; Elizabeth Kim, M.D., discussing surgical oncology, breast cancer and breast surgery; Larry Pack, M.D., discussing orthopaedic surgery and bone density; Manvinder Singh, M.D., discussing obstetrics, gynecology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility; Neil Simmerman, M.D., discussing obstetrics, gynecology and menopause; and Joan Trute, R.D., a certified diabetes educator discussing health eating and diet tips.

Wayne State University Executive Chef Guilio Fattore demonstrated two healthy recipes for the packed crowd. A quinoa salad with dried fruit, and polenta crostini with warm wild mushroom salad and arugula, were a hit with the women in attendance.

Fattore stressed simple ingredients as the key to healthy eating, and urged the women to cook with fresh fruits, vegetables, a variety of grains and lean proteins.

The hosts have pledged $1 for every “like” of WSU’s School of Medicine and University Physician Group through May 19, with proceeds benefitting the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries and its affiliated shelters. WSU School of Medicine students provide free medical care to children and families at DRMM’s SAY Detroit Family Health Clinic in Detroit.

For more event photos, click here.

Wayne State University School of Medicine researcher Michele L. Cote, Ph.D., will study markers to identify African-American women at the highest risk for developing breast cancer using an $888,000 grant announced today by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the largest non-profit funder of breast cancer research outside of the U.S. government.

Dr. Cote is an associate professor in the Department of Oncology and a member of the Cancer Biology Graduate Program at the School of Medicine and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. She also is a member of the Population Studies and Disparities Research Program at Karmanos. Her research interests include cancer epidemiology, molecular epidemiology of lung cancer and disparities in endometrial cancer survival.

“I am very excited to embark upon this project, which is an extension of my current work in the molecular epidemiology of lung cancer. This work will describe benign breast disease among African-American women, and will hopefully shed some light on increased risk of breast cancer in this population,” she said.

The research represents a partnership between Dr. Cote’s team and the Department of Pathology at Karmanos and WSU SOM, whose members contributed and reviewed almost 2,000 patient cases to the research project.

“This project represents a wonderful collaboration between the two departments and will help to identify women most at risk for breast cancer. Identifying pathologic factors early on in benign breast biopsies will hopefully result in better understanding the disease process and development of effective methods of preventing/treating this deadly disease. An added highlight of this endeavor is that we have been able to institute collaboration with a team at the Mayo Clinic with similar interests” said Rouba Ali-Fehmi, M.D., WSU professor of Pathology and director of the GYN Oncology Tissue Procurement Program at Wayne State University and the Karmanos Cancer Institute. “We’re very proud to take part in this work being led by Dr. Cote.”

The Komen 2012 research program takes aim at early and late stage breast disease while seeking answers in early detection, cancer prevention and socioeconomic issues that often make breast cancer outcomes worse in minority and medically underserved women.

“A special focus this year is on making sure that all women get the right treatments from the outset,” said Komen President Elizabeth Thompson in a statement. “This might mean no treatment, or very limited interventions, for lesions that might never develop into cancer. At the other end of the spectrum, we want new therapies that promise a full, high-quality life for women with advanced and metastatic disease.”

The 2012 grants cover the full “continuum of cancer care,” Thompson added, including research into prevention, environmental issues, more sensitive screening, personalized treatments and factors that lead to worse breast cancer outcomes in minorities and special populations. The latter includes minority women, women younger than 40, rural women, and low-income, uninsured and low-resource women.

Dr. Cote’s Detroit-based lab focuses on issues surrounding health disparities. “It is critical we focus our research on populations that experience poorer survival from breast cancer to reduce the mortality from this disease. I am especially thrilled to be collaborating with an outstanding group from WSU – pathologists, oncologists, radiologists and statisticians – and to extend a relationship we have been building with a team at the Mayo Clinic with similar interests,” she said.

Dr. Cote has previously said she is convinced that focusing research on underserved, understudied populations is the only way to achieve optimal health for all.

The Komen grant will fund a four-year novel project. From there, Dr. Cote hopes to study women with benign breast disease who are at increased risk of subsequent breast cancers.

The Komen 2012 research program includes $58 million in new research funding for 2012 through 154 grants to researchers in 22 states and seven countries. Komen funds more than 500 active research grants around the world. The organization has invested $685 million in breast cancer research since 1982.

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center is the local presenting sponsor of the 21st annual Susan G. Komen Detroit Race for the Cure, set for May 26 surrounding Comerica Park.

Gov. Rick Snynder has appointed Marie Atkinson, M.D., assistant professor of Neurology for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, to the state’s Advisory Committee on Pain and Symptom Management.

Dr. Atkinson will serve on the committee, which addresses issues relating to pain and symptom management for patients in Michigan, through July 31, 2013.

“I was honored to be selected to serve on this committee in order to serve as an advocate for those who suffer with pain,” Dr. Atkinson said. “Patients who have chronic pain are often misdiagnosed, shunned and improperly treated, so anything that I can do to provide a better quality of life for these patients I am wholeheartedly happy to do.”

Dr. Atkinson also created and coordinates an exchange program with colleagues in Vietnam to ensure best practices in epilepsy surgery and neurocritical care in Ho Chi Minh City.