I wish to take today's observance of “National Doctor's Day” as an opportunity to extend my sincere appreciation to the fine faculty of the Wayne State University School of Medicine. I am both proud and delighted to have joined the ranks of what I know to be an exemplary group of dedicated, compassionate and highly skilled physicians.

Faculty physicians are the core of the American medical system. As academics, we have devoted our careers not only to the care and well-being of our patients, but also to the continuing quest for advancing medical application through education and research. Along with these goals, faculty physicians have accepted the challenge of caring for the sickest and poorest members of our society. Meeting this challenge under the pressures of the present economic climate is testament to the exceptional devotion of faculty to our special missions. The excellence with which these services are provided is further testament to the outstanding caliber of the WSU faculty in particular.

I want to extend this expression of appreciation to include our fine faculty within the basic sciences, as well. The extraordinary talent and productivity of the basic research scientists and teachers are essential components in the overall excellence of all of our endeavors.

I am proud to be a member of the Wayne State University School of Medicine faculty. I happily anticipate meeting all of you in the coming weeks, and I look forward to a long, collegial and productive relationship with all of you.

Sincerely,
Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., M.D.

A few hundred Detroit-area children will have a chance to stretch their limits and find out first hand what it's like to be a doctor. Wayne State University School of Medicine's Future Docs event this Saturday offers fun, educational activities designed for kids of all skill levels.

Workshops explore a wide array of topics, such as examining the genetics of the brain tissue of a mouse; understanding and tracking family traits; dissecting cow eyes; finger casting; brain mapping and much more.

Children, aged 6 to 12, will participate in progressive, hands-on experiences related to medicine and the human body. In addition to studying human brains and eyes, children will have a chance to use a robotic therapy seal trained to help sick children feel better; see their hearts beat; listen to lung sounds; and isolate DNA from bananas.

More than 350 participants are expected to attend the event. Unfortunately, due to the extreme popularity of this event, enrollment has already closed. For more information, please visit futuredocs.med.wayne.edu.

 

WSU School of Medicine researchers were part of an international group of investigators examining whether a combined treatment regimen of Plavix and aspirin is more effective in treating heart disease than aspirin alone. The study's results showed that while the therapy may be beneficial to those already diagnosed with heart disease, it may be harmful to those with multiple risk factors, such as high cholesterol or blood pressure.

The findings will be published next month in the New England Journal of Medicine, but were released online at www.nejm.org earlier this month in conjunction with the 55th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology.

Dr. Seemant Chaturvedi, WSU associate professor of neurology and director of the WSU/DMC stroke program, was one of the study's co-investigators.

"Our findings do not support the use of dual antiplatelet therapy across the broad population tested," wrote the study's authors. "There was a potential benefit in symptomatic patients (those with established vascular disease); this finding requires further study. Data on mortality rates suggest that dual antiplatelet therapy should not be used in patients wtihout a history of established vascular disease."

The study, known as CHARISMA (Clopidogrel for High Atherothrombotic Risk and Ischemic Stabilization, Management and Avoidance), randomly assigned 15,603 patients in 32 countries with either diagnosed heart disease or mulitple risk factors for heart disease to receive either Plavix plus low-dose aspirin or a placebo plus low-dose aspirin. Patients were followed for almost two-and-a-half-years.

Among patients who had multiple risk factors, but had not yet been diagnosed with heart disease, there was a 20 percent increase in the rate of heart attacks, stroke or death among the patients who took Plavix, as opposed to those who did not (6.6 percent vs. 5.5 percent). Asymptomatic patients taking Plavix also died of all causes more frequently (5.4 percent vs. 3.8 percent) as well as of cardiovascular causes (3.9 percent vs. 2.2 percent.).

Patients who had heart disease already my have benefited from the Plavix treatments: 6.9 percent of those taking the combined therapy died or suffered heart attacks or strokes, as opposed to 7.9 percent of those taking aspirin alone.

For more information on this study, please visit http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/NEJMoa060989.

 

Wayne State University School of Medicine Dean Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., M.D., recently announced the appointment of Douglas Czajkowski as executive director of the school's Office of Development and Alumni Affairs.

“The School of Medicine is engaged in a five-year capital campaign that is paramount to our future as a premier institution for medical education, research and patient care,” Dean Mentzer said. “I am so pleased that Doug has joined us at this critical juncture. He will work closely with our alumni and friends to ensure that our campaign is a success. This is a team effort and Doug will be a tremendous team leader”

Most recently, Mr. Czajkowski served as senior director of development and alumni affairs for the WSU schools of Law, Nursing and Pharmacy. Before joining WSU in 2005, Mr. Czajkowski was president of the Mount Clemens General Hospital Foundation, where his responsibilities included development, marketing and public affairs.

Mr. Czajkowski, a resident of Orion Township, Mich., holds a master's degree from Indiana University and a bachelor's degree from Saginaw Valley State University .

“The WSU School of Medicine is one of the nation's leading research institutions and is vital to metropolitan Detroit ” Mr. Czajkowski said. “I am eager to share the exciting things taking place at the school with the community. My role is to offer meaningful ways for alumni and friends to become more involved in our life-saving mission. We each have an opportunity to be part of something extraordinarily important for our students and the medical community.

The centerpiece of the School of Medicine 's capital campaign is construction of the Richard J. Mazurek, M.D., Medical Education Commons , a state-of-the-art facility that will include a 13,700-square-foot clinical skills center. The center, which will include high-tech computerized patient simulators, mannequins and teaching aids, will allow students to develop patient-centered skills that will help them become effective, compassionate physicians.

Mr. Czajkowski replaces David Lepper, who recently relocated to Pennsylvania to serve as senior vice president for development for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Thomas Jefferson University .

 

Frank H. Wu, dean of the WSU Law School, will visit the School of Medicine next Wednesday to present a lecture on affirmative action in higher education. The talk, which is sponsored by the WSU School of Medicine Student Senate, will be at 4:30 p.m., in Scott Hall's Green Lecture Hall.

Dean Wu joined WSU as the ninth dean of the Law School in 2004. From 1995 to 2004, he served on the law faculty of Howard University, including two years as clinic director. He has been an adjunct professor at Columbia University, a visiting professor at University of Michigan and a teaching fellow at Stanford University. 

Dean Wu is the author of "Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White" and co-author of "Race, Rights and Reparation: Law and the Japanese American Internment." His has written for several national publications, including the Washington Post, Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Chronicle of Higher Education, Legal Times and Asian Week.

Prior to his academic career, Dean Wu held a clerkship with the late U.S. District Judge Frank J. Battisti in Cleveland. He then joined the law firm of Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco, concentrating on complex litigation and devoting a quarter of his time to the representation of indigent individuals.  He received a B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan.  

For more information on Dean Wu's talk, "Toward a Diverse Democracy: Higher Education and Affirmative Action," please email alie@med.wayne.edu.

 

The 2006 performance of WSU School of Medicine's time-honored tradition, Lampoon, will be at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 25, at the State Theatre. Watch as WSU medical students engage in some good-humored skewering and then present the Lamp and Staff awards for excellence in teaching.

This year's proceeds will benefit the Penrickton Center for Blind Children. Tickets are $10 in advance or $20 at the door. Tickets are on sale this week in the Scott Hall cafeteria. For more information or to inquire about purchasing tickets, please email aespinos@med.wayne.edu.

As cameras roled for a national documentary, 249 graduating medical students of the Wayne State University School of Medicine learned today where they will spend the next several years of residency training.

The annual Match Day ritual was met with whoops, hollers and tears of both joy and sorrow as medical students across the country gathered with their families to learn – individually and simultaneously – where they “matched” for their residencies.

This year at WSU, a film crew will captured the event for “The Heartbeat of Detroit,” a multi-part documentary that will air on the Sundance Channel and French television. The documentary will chronicle the lives of several 25- to 35-year-olds – including residents and nurses at Detroit Receiving Hospital – who are personally invested in the city of Detroit 's future.

"Our match rate continues to be an outstanding one," said Dr. Kertia Black, WSU School of Medicine assistant dean for student affairs, referring to the 95.2 percent of students who matched successfully. "Many of the most high-powered programs in the country demonstrated that our students are exactly what they're looking for."

The WSU/Detroit Medical Center program continued to be the most popular match with 44 students. About 60 percent of the class will stay in Michigan, while others will spend the next phase of their career at institutions scattered across the country, from Yale-New Haven Hospital to Stanford University Programs.

Monika Olchawa, who will be joining the internal medicine program at Loyola University Medical Center, in Illinois, said she was looking forward to the opportunities offered by her match, which featured a diverse patient population.

"I'm really happy I got my first choice," she said.

The Match Day celebration also featured the presentation of several awards, including departmental awards, distinguished service awards and the Penfil Award. Sachin Shah received the Penfil Award, which recognizes the senior who in the opinion of his classmates has developed an understanding of the art of medicine as displayed by the care and understanding of patients during the clinical years of medical school.

"He is the patient's No. 1 advocate," said Loretta Robichaud, this year's fourth-year counselor, as she read comments submitted by Mr. Shah's classmates.

In addition, Dr. Diane Levine, WSU vice chair for education in the Department of Internal Medicine, was named class marshall. She will lead the class procession at commencement, Tuesday, June 6, an honor reserved for a faculty member whom the students believe contributed greatly to their education.

 

 

 

Wayne State University welcomes Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., M.D., who began his term this week as the 14th dean of its School of Medicine and special advisor to the president for medical affairs. Dr. Mentzer is a nationally recognized cardiothoracic surgeon and medical school administrator with vast experience in medical education, research and clinical care. He was appointed by WSU President Irvin D. Reid and the WSU Board of Governors in November 2005 after a comprehensive one-year national search.

Dr. Mentzer joins WSU after serving as the Frank C. Spencer Professor and Chairman of Surgery at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine as well as director of the University of Kentucky Transplant Center. For eight years, Dr. Mentzer served as president and chairman of the college of medicine's faculty practice group, Kentucky Medical Services Foundation. He was also vice president of Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates, the state's organ procurement organization.

Widely acknowledged as a skilled academic health center leader, Dr. Mentzer's qualifications are extensive. During his tenure at the University of Kentucky , the Department of Surgery emerged as a model for innovation, including rigorous interdisciplinary training and translational research initiatives as well as renowned clinical programs.

A national advocate for organ donation, Dr. Mentzer is an accomplished heart transplant surgeon. He has been a reviewer for a wide array of peer-reviewed basic science and clinical journals and has served on numerous study sections and special emphasis panels for the National Institutes of Health. His research has been continuously funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH for 21 years. Dr. Mentzer's honors include the Bigger Lehman Award of the Virginia Surgical Society and the John Horsley Memorial Prize for Surgical Research, and he currently serves as president of the prestigious Halstead Society.

He is married to Monika Mentzer. Robert and Monika have two adult sons, Markus and Stefan, and recently became proud grandparents of their first grandson, Ethan James.

 

WSU School of Medicine Dean Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., M.D., recently announced the appointment of Robert R. Frank, M.D., as executive vice dean.

In his new role, Dr. Frank will continue to be responsible for the school's Academic and Student Programs division and will also serve as Dean Mentzer's primary advisor in select issues of strategic priority. In addition, Dr. Frank will partner with the dean as a senior School of Medicine ambassador as they pursue the goals of the Waye First Capital Campaign and the Kresge Challenge for funding the Richard Mazurek, M.D., Education Commons.

"Bob Frank's notable contributions to this school of medicine are well known by our many key constituencies, including national and community leaders; alumni; university leadership; and our students, faculty and staff," Dr. Mentzer wrote in a letter announcing the appointment. "His reputation as a compassionate physician, a consummate medical educator and a man of undisputed integrity position him uniquely to serve as this school of medicine's first executive vice dean."