Dean Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., has presented a vision for the WSU School of Medicine that culminates in 2011 with a revitalized  a nd expanded faculty,  a new focus on interdisciplinary research, a groundbreaking for a state-of-the-art research building , and successful competition for a  prestigious National Institutes of Health Clinical-Translational Science Award.

"We have have a lot of strengths here," Dean Mentzer said. "Yes, we have challenges, too, but we have to ask, 'Where are the opportunities?'"

At a special forum sponsored by the Faculty Senate last week, Dean Mentzer discussed plans to lead the School of Medicine into a new era as a premier, research-intensive institution for academic medicine.

Just after arriving on campus in March, Dean Mentzer initiated an application for a $180,000 planning grant to help the School of Medicine prepare itself to compete for a National Institutes of Health Clinical Translational Science Award. NIH launched the CTSA program to encourage the development of novel approaches to clinical and translational research to allow new medical treatments to be developed and delivered more quickly and efficiently to patients.

"With or without the planning grant, we're going to be moving ahead," the dean said, adding that he aims to have the school ready to submit a competitive application for a CTSA within three to five years.

Next month, the early stages of planning for a formal strategic plan for the School of Medicine will begin, Dean Mentzer said. The first steps will include meeting with various key constituencies and consulting with other medical schools that have successfully implemented strategic plans. By fall, the dean plans to have consultants in place to launch a full-scale strategic planning process.

Through a combination of attrition and new positions, Dean Mentzer expects to hire 70 new research-intensive faculty positions during the next five years. This initiative, along with plans to revamp faculty development programs and promotion and tenure guidelines, is aimed at reinvigorating the school's faculty.

Dean Mentzer's vision calls for completing fundraising for the Richard J. Mazurek, M.D., Medical Education Commons as well as working toward the construction of a new research building. A request for proposals for the design of a research building went out May 9; although groundbreaking will not occur until around 2011, a design is expected by fall.

"The message here is that the action has started regarding this critically needed research facility on this campus," Dean Mentzer said.

On the clinical front, Dean Mentzer said he would be meeting with faculty physicians to discuss the creation of a single, multispecialty physician group under the auspices of the WSU Physician Group.

He envisions the school developing partnerships with multiple health-care partners in the future and also evaluating the current model for the WSU graduate medical education program. Dean Mentzer also discussed his plans to establish an ambulatory care environment that fosters the best in quality patient care, student education and translational research.

"This also positions us with respect to the CTSA," he said of developing an ambulatory care model. "Not only is it the bench work to the bedside in the hospital, but it's the translation of that work out to the community where it becomes the standard of care.

"That's the spectrum, that's the challenge, that's the gauntlet that the NIH has set forth for those folks who want to be on the players' side."

To view Dean Mentzer's "Vision 2011" in its entirety, please visit click here.

 

Join the Center for Urban & African-American Health for its REACH Lecture Series today, May 25, at 5 p.m., in the University Health Center. Today's topic will be "A Discussion on Neurovascular and Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging" with E. Mark Haacke, director of the MR Research Facility at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Dr. Haacke, a WSU professor of radiology, received a grant for about $2 million to establish a national center of excellence for MRI from the Michigan Technology Tri-Corridor last year.

The memory of Dale H. Sillix, Jr., M.D., a long-time member of the WSU Department of Internal Medicine, will be honored at a service at 4 p.m., Wednesday, June 7, in Scott Hall's Blue Auditorium. Dr. Sillix, who coordinated the Year 2 renal pathophysiology class, died May 4.

The Department of Internal Medicine has established a a fund for education and research in honor of Dr. Sillix. It will be used to recognize the meritorious work of students, residents or fellows in the field of nephrology.

Dr. Sillix had served as an assistant professor in the Division of Nephrology since 1983. She earned her medical degree from the University of Kansas before completing an internship at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, in Allen Park, Mich. After finishing her residency at Detroit General Hospital, where she served as chief resident, she served as a nephrology research fellow with the National Kidney Foundation at the WSU School of Medicine.

Dr. Sillix served as medical director of the WSU renal transplant program at Harper University Hospital. She was a dedicated academic physician and had published numerous papers, books and chapters in addition to maintaining a strong role in teaching and course-curriculum development. In 1997, she won the school's College Teaching Award.

A reception will immediately follow the memorial service on June 7. To make a contribution to the memorial fund, please make checks out to Wayne State University School of Medicine, indicating "IMO Dale Sillix, M.D." on the memo line. Donations should be mailed to WSU School of Medicine, Development and Alumni Affairs, 4201 St. Antoine, 6G, Detroit, MI 48201. Envelopes for this purpose are available in the Division of Neprhology's office, which is on the ninth floor of the Harper Professional Building.

Dr. Charles Boyce, a faculty member in the WSU Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology for 11 years in the 1960s and '70s, died Monday in Naples, Fla. He was 77.

Dr. Boyce joined the WSU School of Medicine in March, 1966, and was a pioneer in the development, standardization and treatment in the field of gynecologic oncology. While at WSU, Dr. Boyce led the Division of Gynecologic Oncology and concentrated his work on peritoneal cytology as well as combined radiation and chemotherapy.

A native of Proctor, Vt., Dr. Boyce graduated from the University of Vermont Medical School in 1953. He served in the Navy during the Korean War, achieving the rank of lieutenant commander by the time of completing his tour of duty in 1964. Dr. Boyce then served on the staff of Henry Ford Hospital, where he completed his board certification in obstetrics and gynecology as well as gynecologic oncology.

After leaving the School of Medicine in 1977, Dr. Boyce went to Portland's Mercy Hospital and eventually retired in 1989 as head of the Department of OB/GYN at Maine Medical Center.

Dr. Boyce is survived by his four children and their families, four in-laws and six nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held tomorrow in Naples.

Please plan to attend a special forum today, May 18, at 4 p.m., in Scott Hall's Blue Auditorium. Dean Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., will present "Vision 2011," outlining his strategic goals for the School of Medicine during the next five years. The forum is sponsored by the WSU School of Medicine Faculty Senate, which will host a reception following Dr. Mentzer's presentation in the Scott Hall cafeteria. The forum is open to faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the School of Medicine.

To learn more about Dean Mentzer, please visit http://www.med.wayne.edu/news_media/2006/mentzer_meet.asp.

In keeping with Dean Robert M. Mentzer's vision for expanding the School of Medicine's research portfolio, the Office of the Dean has initiated a series of special seminars on interdisciplinary and translational research. The program will kick off at this Tuesday, May 23, with a seminar on translational cardiovascular research, "Reperfusion: A Major Fulcrum of Post-ischemic Injury and Salvage."

The talk will be presented by Jakob Vinten-Johansen, Ph.D., director of the Cardiothoracic Research Laboratory at Emory University's Carlyle Fraser Heart Center. Dr. Vinten-Johansen, a professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, has concentrated his research in the mechanisms and treatment of surgical and non-surgical myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

The seminar will be from noon to 1 p.m., Tuesday, May 23, in Karmanos Cancer Institute's 2 Wertz Auditorium. Lunch will be provided.

May is Physical Fitness and Sports Month, so come out to Scott Hall on this Saturday, May 20, to learn more about your health and well-being at a community health fair. Sponsored by the WSU School of Medicine's Health Integrated Professions Program-Health Careers Opportunity Program, the fair will provide screenings and information about blood glucose, blood pressure, body-mass index calculation, cholesterol, dental care, hearing and vision. This event, which will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is open to students, parents and the community. For more information, please contact De'Andrea Wiggins at (313) 577-7825 or dewiggins@med.wayne.edu.

Join WSU-GET Pink! and "bear down on breast cancer." Organizers are hoping to recruit 500 members to the WSU team to participate in the 15th annual Komen Detroit Race for the Cure on Saturday, June 10, at Comerica Park. The walk, which is sponsored locally by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, supports breast-cancer awareness, education, treatment and research. For more information, including registration costs, please visit www.getpink.wayne.edu. To register, the team name is WSU-GET PINK! and the password is warriors (all lower case). The deadline is this Sunday, May 21. Team co-captains are Sherrie Antoszewski, a WSU employee and breast-cancer survivor, and Curt Brahm, also a WSU employee. Contact Sherrie at (313) 577-8938 or aa6940@wayne.edu or Curt at (313) 577-4438 or cbrahm@wayne.edu.

Help Uzoma Azuh find a match tomorrow, May 13  

Uzoma Azuh, a 22-year-old Wayne State University School of Medicine student, is looking for someone to help save his life. Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, Mr. Azuh is undergoing chemotherapy to stave off the disease until a matching bone-marrow donor can be found for a transplant.

“If you look at the mathematical probability, finding a match is like winning the lottery,” Mr. Azuh said. “I would be very grateful if more people came out on Saturday to register so that more people could find a match. Every year, 22,000 people die waiting for a transplant; I don't want to be one of those people.”

Tomorrow, May 13, members of the public can register with the National Marrow Donor Program between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the American Red Cross, 100 Mack Ave., in Detroit. Joining the registry requires a non-invasive cheek swab.

The event is part of the Thanks Mom! Marrow Donor Recruitment Campaign, a recruitment program held in more than 80 cities nationwide during Mother's Day weekend.

"Thousands of patients with life-threatening diseases need transplants and do not find a donor in their family. We are encouraging local residents to come to the drive to learn how they could help save a life," said Barbara Rozier, of the Great Lakes Region National Marrow Donor Program. “We can all say, ‘Thanks, Mom' by joining the National Marrow Donor Program Registry. What better way to honor the gift of life that our mothers gave us.”

The characteristics that determine whether a patient and donor match are inherited, so the most likely match is with a sibling. However, 70 percent of patients will not find a suitable matching donor in their family.

These patients can turn to the volunteer marrow and blood cell adult donors and cord blood units listed on the NMDP Registry – the largest source for all types of blood and marrow cells available for unrelated transplants.

Although it is possible for a patient to match a donor from any racial or ethnic group, the most likely match is someone from a similar background. Mr. Azuh is African American.

“More people from diverse backgrounds are needed on the NMDP Registry, so all patients in need can have a second chance at life,” Ms. Rozier said.

Each year, thousands of patients are diagnosed with life-threatening blood diseases such as leukemia. For a chance to survive, these patients need healthy marrow and blood cells to help their bodies make new, healthy marrow.

The first step to becoming a donor is to join the NMDP Registry. Anyone age between the ages of 18 and 60 who meets the health guidelines can join. Volunteers should be committed to helping any patient in need. To join, volunteers complete a short health questionnaire and sign a form stating that they understand what it means to be listed on the NMDP Registry. Then, a small swab of cheek cells is taken to determine the tissue type to be matched against patients who need a donor. This information is added to the NMDP Registry.

The NMDP facilitates unrelated marrow and blood cell transplants as the hub for a long-standing collaborative network of national and international leading medical facilities in blood and marrow transplantation. The NMDP connects patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives.

For more information about marrow and blood cell donation, contact the Great Lakes Region donor center in Detroit at (313) 833-2647, (313) 833-2624 or the NMDP at 1-800-MARROW-2. Online information is available at www.marrow.org/thanks .

 

Please plan to attend a special forum Thursday, May 18, at 4 p.m., in Scott Hall's Blue Auditorium. Dean Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., will present "Vision 2011," outlining his strategic goals for the School of Medicine during the next five years. The forum is sponsored by the WSU School of Medicine Faculty Senate, which will host a reception following Dr. Mentzer's presentation in the Scott Hall cafeteria. The forum is open to faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the School of Medicine.

To learn more about Dean Mentzer, please visit http://www.med.wayne.edu/news_media/2006/mentzer_meet.asp.

Dale H. Sillix, Jr., M.D., a long-time faculty member in the WSU Department of Internal Medicine, died Tuesday, May 9. Dr. Sillix, who coordinated the Year 2 renal pathophysiology class, had served as an assistant professor in the Division of Nephrology since 1983.

"Dale worked very hard, despite less than optimal health, over the last several years to continue her clinical, teaching and administrative responsibilities within the department as well as the School of Medicine," said Dr. John Flack, professor and interim chair of internal medicine. "Dr. Sillix's death is a blow to us all. She will be sorely missed."

Dr. Sillix earned her medical degree from the University of Kansas before completing an internship at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, in Allen Park, Mich. After finishing her residency at Detroit General Hospital, where she served as chief resident, she served as a nephrology research fellow with the National Kidney Foundation at the WSU School of Medicine.

Dr. Sillix served as medical director of the WSU renal transplant program at Harper University Hospital. She was a dedicated academic physician and had published numerous papers, books and chapters in addition to maintaining a strong role in teaching and course-curriculum development. In 1997, she won the school's College Teaching Award in 1997.

The Department of Internal Medicine is establishing a a fund for education and research in honor of Dr. Sillix and will host a memorial service for her in the coming weeks. Details about the event and fund will be published in a future issue of Prognosis.

Dean Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., will present "Vision 2011," his plan for the WSU School of Medicine, at a special forum sponsored by the school's Faculty Senate at 4 p.m., May 18, in Scott Hall's Blue Auditorium. A reception will follow.

To learn more about Dean Mentzer, please visit http://www.med.wayne.edu/news_media/2006/mentzer_meet.asp.