More than 100 WSU School of Medicine students and faculty members were recognized for their dedication to the field of medical education at the 2004 Honors Convocation Friday.

"Education is the core mission of this medical school," Dean Robert Frank said in introducing the awards. "We are not a research institute, although research is very important to us. We are not a hospital system, although the practice of medicine is very important to us.

"Education is our core business. And, from my point of view, it's important that we act like it is."

Among the honors presented were College Teaching Awards, Lamp and Staff Awards, the Pfizer Humanitarian Award, the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award, the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education 2004 President's Award, School of Medicine Research Excellence Awards and Graduate Student Academic and Research Awards.

In addition to the recognition, Dean Frank reinstated an old School of Medicine tradition of awarding $1,000 stipends to faculty recipients and $500 scholarships to student recipients.

"People should be rewarded with recognition, but cold cash helps also," Dean Frank said.

A full list of all those honored will be printed in the Winter issue of Scribe.

 

Wayne State University 's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology will host a patient forum on endometriosis at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at Lawrence Technological University , in Southfield .

Endometriosis is a hormonal and immune disease affecting women of all ages. About 5 million American women suffer from this chronic disease, which often causes ongoing pain, infertility, immune-system problems and an increased risk for certain autoimmune diseases and cancers. It is sometimes difficult to diagnose and although it can be treated, there is no cure.

The patient forum will feature information on several topics, including endometriosis and infertility; surgical diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis; and the overall effect of endometriosis on the body's functioning.

Presenters will include Michael P. Diamond, M.D., WSU associate chairman of OB/GYN and director of the WSU Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility; Elizabeth E. Puscheck, M.D., WSU assistant professor of reproductive endocrinology and infertility; George H. Shade, Jr., M.D., WSU associate professor of OB/GYN and chief of OB/GYN at Sinai-Grace Hospital; and Mary Lou Ballweg, founder and president of the Endometriosis Association.

A reception and book signing of “Endometriosis: The Complete Reference for Taking Charge of Your Health” will be at 7 p.m.; the one-hour presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer period.

To RSVP for this event, members of the public may call (800) 992-3636.

Twice as many African-American patients infected with the most difficult-to-treat form of chronic hepatitis C successfully cleared the virus when given a weight-based dose of ribavirin rather than a flat dose, in combination with peginterferon alfa-2b, according to investigators at the WSU School of Medicine, which participated in the multicenter study, called WIN-R.

The new findings were recently presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. The results are significant because African-Americans are known to have generally lower rates of response to hepatitis C therapy, and efforts are underway to improve outcomes for these patients.

Milton Mutchnick, M.D., WSU professor of internal medicine, and Firdous Siddiqui, M.D., WSU assistant professor of internal medicine, were lead investigators for the WSU branch of the WIN-R (Weight-Based Dosing of Peg-Intron and Rebetol) study. It is the largest prospective clinical study in hepatitis C undertaken to date, involving approximately 4,900 patients from about 250 centers throughout the United States .

The community-based study is evaluating the safety and efficacy of weight-based Peg-Intron, or peginterferon alfa-2b, in combination with fixed or weight-based Rebetol, or ribavirin, in a diverse patient population, including the largest number of African-American patients (approximately 400) in any study to date.

The study is an investigator-initiated study supported by Schering-Plough and monitored by Schering-Plough Research Institute as part of a post-marketing commitment to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

A new WSU study has found that maternal age and first-trimester drinking by mothers with a history of alcoholism can have substantial effects on their children's IQs. The research has been published in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Numerous studies have documented IQ deficits in children with fetal alcohol syndrome. Little research, however, has found IQ deficits in children with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder, who generally exhibit less severe neurobehavioral deficits than children with FAS. This new work, conducted by Sandra W. Jacobson, Ph.D., a WSU professor of psychiatry & behavioral neuroscience, examines the relationship between selected variables and prenatal alcohol exposure on subsequent IQ. Results indicate that maternal age and first-trimester drinking by mothers with a history of drinking problems can have substantial effects on IQ.

“FAS is characterized by growth retardation, central nervous system impairment, and a distinctive pattern of craniofacial anomalies,” Dr. Jacobson said.. “Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder refers to nonsyndromal individuals with confirmed heavy prenatal alcohol exposure who exhibit measurable, but generally subtler neurobehavioral deficits than those seen with FAS. Whereas FAS is well established and easier to diagnose, it is not generally recognized that a child can be adversely affected by prenatal alcohol exposure without the characteristic facial features and growth deficits. Nonetheless, alcohol-exposed children with attention deficits or poor social judgment who lack the pattern of facial dysmorphic features may suffer from a similar set of problems that interfere with their academic and social performance.”

Researchers administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children-III (WISC-III) to 337 inner-city African American children at 7.5 years of age whose mothers were recruited prenatally. (The WISC-III is the most commonly used standardized test of IQ administered to children, ages 6 to 17 years) Alcohol exposure was assessed using a timeline, follow-back interview that was administered to the mothers at every prenatal clinic visit. Numerous potential confounding variables were examined, including maternal education and IQ, smoking and illicit drug use, quality of parenting, maternal depression and psychopathology and current maternal drinking. Researchers also used the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test to assess severity of psychosocial and physical alcohol-related problems.

This study is the first to demonstrate substantial effects on IQ among children with ARND born to older or MAST-positive mothers, particularly in relation to first trimester drinking, Jacobson said. For children born to women 30 years or older, researchers found an alcohol effect on Full Scale IQ and five of the seven composite IQ scores. Similarly, the study found IQ effects in children born to MAST-positive mothers. For every two additional drinks consumed by the mother per day during pregnancy, researchers found a three-point decrease in Full Scale IQ and a 5.5 decrement on Freedom from Distractibility.

"These findings suggest that there are subgroups of more vulnerable and severely affected children with ARND, whose IQ scores and performance are compromised," Jacobson said.

Dr. Jacobson noted that one very important implication of these findings is that a moderate-to-heavy drinking mother who has given birth to an unaffected child when she was younger needs to be warned that, if she drinks while pregnant, her risk of having an adversely affected child increases as she grows older. This risk is also greater if she has a long-term drinking problem.

“Women in these high-risk groups should be urged to abstain from drinking before becoming pregnant,” she said.

Jacobson said that her group's future research will attempt to identify the underlying neural substrates that mediate the effects of alcohol exposure on behavior.

Full plans to be unveiled at upcoming town hall forum

In his first address to the WSU School of Medicine as interim dean, Dr. Robert Frank called on faculty, staff and students to work for one year to make the institution a better place -- both for themselves and an incoming dean.

Dean Frank used the talk to introduce himself, pay compliments to those who already have made significant accomplishments at the School of Medicine and to announce his theme for his tenure, "A Year to Make a Difference." The theme will be used throughout the year as part of a grassroots campaign to build a stronger institution by reconnecting the School with its community and service mission.

Dean Frank will host a forum within a month to discuss his full plans for the year.

"I think our job this year -- not just my job, but all of our jobs -- is to make this place a great place for a new dean," Dean Frank said. "We are part of a great, large university.

"It isn't just one person, it isn't just one department; it's the future of the medical school."

To view a video of Dean Frank's talk, please visit http://www.med.wayne.edu/medical_education/special_events/Movies/Dean_Interim_Address_a.asx.

 

 

Several WSU School of Medicine departments and affiliates will participate in tomorrow's Health Fair on the university's main campus. The event, which is sponsored by The President's Commission on the Status of Women, will focus on women's health. Participants will include representatives from the Kresge Eye Institute, the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Karmanos Cancer Institute and the WSU Physician Group's diabetes and executive health programs. The free event will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the WSU Recreation & Fitness Center.

Important transitional topics to be focus of discussion

WSU School of Medicine Interim Dean Robert R. Frank will address the faculty, students and staff at 5 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 4, in Scott Hall's Blue Auditorium.

Following the talk, which will focus on important transitional topics, a reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Scott Hall cafeteria. All members of the School of Medicine community are highly encouraged to come.

Five faculty members have been elected to serve on the University's search committee for a dean of the School of Medicine. They are:

• Robert N. Frank, M.D., professor (with tenure) of ophthalmology;
• David Kessel, Ph.D., professor (with tenure) of pharmacology;
• Stephen Migdal, M.D., professor (clinician-educator) of internal medicine;
• Jack Sobel, M.D., professor (with tenure) of internal medicine; and
• Judith Whittum-Hudson, Ph.D., professor (with tenure) of immunology and microbiology.

Ballots, which were distributed to all AAUP-AFT faculty, were collected Monday. Faculty were instructed to vote for five members: two from basic science departments; one clinician-educator from a clinical department; and two research-educators from clinical departments.

Other committee members will include appointees from Wayne State University and the School of Medicine's affiliated partners, including the Detroit Medical Center. Further details about the committee's composition and its work will be posted in Prognosis throughout the search process.