I write to apprise you of progress on two searches for the Wayne State University School of Medicine department chairpersons, internal medicine and pathology; and announce the search for a director of the cardiovascular research institute, which will be a new multidisciplinary focus of the School.

As important members of School of Medicine’s community, we turn to you for nominations of well-qualified internal and external individuals for these positions.

Chairperson, Department of Internal Medicine

The search committee for the next chairperson of the Department of Internal Medicine was delivered its charge in January, 2007. Executive Vice Dean Robert R. Frank is the chair of this committee. The committee membership may be found on the enclosed website link (http://www.med.wayne.edu/admin/intmed_chairsearch/).

The committee is currently reviewing candidate nominations and applications. It is anticipated that candidates will be invited to visit as early as May.

Chairperson, Department of Pathology

The search process for the next chairperson of the Department of Pathology is currently underway. The committee, which will be chaired by Dr. Suzanne White, the chairperson of the Department of Emergency Medicine, will be comprised of members elected by the departmental faculty, selected by the Dean and our affiliated hospital partners. I hope to have the committee established by the end of March.

As part of its charge, the chair search committees are asked to interview candidates and deliver a "short list" of 3 candidates to the dean for consideration.

Director, Cardiovascular Research Institute

The director will coordinate and foster interdisciplinary and collaborative research in cardiovascular disease that crosses departments, centers, institutes, and as appropriate, schools/colleges. Research will range from bench to bedside and the specific foci of research activities will vary accordingly. Specifically, the role of the director will be to mentor faculty with interest in cardiovascular research; identify needs for the enhancement of cardiovascular research productivity; develop new cores and enhance existing cores to facilitate interactions among basic, clinical and translational cardiovascular researchers to expand the overall extramurally funded research portfolio for the School and WSU.

If you know of any potential candidates for any of the above positions, please forward his/her name, institution and any possible contact information you may have to Ms. Caryn Volpe (cvolpe@med.wayne.edu) who will ensure that the respective Committees receive your nominations.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., MD
Dean, School of Medicine
Senior Advisor to the President for Medical Affairs
Wayne State University

Dean Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., recently announced the appointment of Kenneth Palmer, Ph.D., as interim chairman of the department of pathology.

“I am confident that Dr. Palmer will provide outstanding interim leadership to the department,” Dean Mentzer said.

Dr. Palmer is an associate professor of pathology and the associate dean for graduate programs. He was the first director of the M.D./Ph.D. program at Wayne State University. He joined the faculty in 1980 as assistant professor of pathology and chief of the division of pulmonary pathobiology.

Dr. Palmer was recruited from Boston University School of Medicine and the Mallory Institute of Pathology. A Massachusetts native, Dr. Palmer received his M.S. in developmental biology from Villanova University, in Villanova, Penn., and his Ph.D. in pathology from Boston University. His research interests include pulmonary pathobiology, inhalation toxicology, occupational/environmental lung disease, ultrastructural immunocytochemistry and apoptosis.

For clinical laboratory operations, Dr. Palmer will be supported by Wael Sakr, M.D. Dr. Sakr is a professor of pathology and vice chair of anatomic pathology.

The WSU School of Medicine implemented its LCME Institutional Self-Study in July 2005, under the direction of task force co-chairs Robert Frank, M.D., former interim dean, and Maryjean Schenk, M.D., M.P.H., chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences and interim associate dean of the Division of Academic and Student Programs. Dean Frank appointed Jane Thomas, Ph.D., as self-study coordinator and a 12-member steering committee.

The Steering Committee, which is comprised of School of Medicine academic and administrative leadership and support, established seven subcommittees and appointed chairs with the requisite qualifications to lead each subcommittee's charge. From nominations solicited from SOM academic leadership, the Faculty Senate and the Student Senate, subcommittees were populated by 52 members drawn from department chairs, junior and senior research and clinician educators, medical students, members of the administration and alumni.

Ongoing progress reports for the self-study were presented by the Steering Committee co-chairs and the self-study coordinator to the School of Medicine councils of deans and department chairs, and by other members of the Task Force at various faculty and student forums. Following database preparation, review and analysis, the Task Force reviewed committee reports and prepared the Self-Study Summary Report.

The Self-Study Summary Report will serve as a foundation for the educational component of the SOM's upcoming strategic planning process, which is scheduled to launch the first quarter of 2007.

Fourth-year WSU School of Medicine students steeped in anticipation ripped open envelopes on March 16 to learn where they would spend the next years of their lives for their residencies. Following tradition, students gathered together in Scott Hall's Cafeteria to learn the results of their placement, which is coordinated through the National Residency Match Program.

The free event will begin at 6 p.m., Friday, March 23, at the Detroit Yacht Club with a reception. The talk will be at 7 p.m. Henry W. Lim, M.D., of the Henry Ford Health System; Mark Hannis, M.D., of Oakwood Healthcare System; and Steven E. Minnick, M.D., of St. John Health System will serve on a reactor panel.

For more information or to make a reservation, please email pmitchell@msms.org.

The Detroit Public Library in partnership with the Wayne State University Library System will host a celebration of the achievements of women physicians. Visit Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America's Women Physicians, an exhibit at Main Library, 5201 Woodward Ave., through April 13.

This exhibit celebrates the lives and achievements of women in medicine since they first gained admission to American medical schools 150 years ago. The event will feature several opportunities for discussion, including:

• Letters to My Sisters: Plain Truths and Straightforward Advice from a Gynecologist, presented by Ngozi Osuagwu, M.D., at noon, Wednesday, March 14, in the Skillman Branch Library, 121 Gratiot. This program will be repeated at 6 p.m., in the Hubbard Branch Library, 12929 W. McNichols.
  
  
• A Fireside Chat with Local Women Physicians, moderated by Yvonne Friday, M.D., director of pediatric undergraduate education, WSU School of Medicine, at 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 21, in Main Library.
  
  
• Girl Talk Luncheon: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Medical School and Being a Physician, moderated by Kertia Black, M.D., WSU School of Medicine assistant dean, at 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday, March 24, in Main Library. This talk requires pre-registration by calling (313) 833-4042.
  
  
• All events are free and open to the public. For more information or to schedule a tour, please contact Mary Kordyban at (313) 833-1450 or (313) 833-1420.

The new jointly sponsored Wayne State/Crittenton Family Medicine Residency Program has received a full, three-year accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The ACGME rarely accredits newly formed programs for the full three-year term. This reflects the quality of the education experience in the program, high faculty support and strong leadership. The program successfully integrates the Wayne State University academic and research resources, strong competency-based curricula, modern web-based evaluation system and the supportive hospital environment at Crittenton Hospital Medical Center.

The program will begin training July 1st, with an initial class of 17 resident physicians who plan to practice family medicine. The program will accept another class of eight residents in July 2008. This is the first residency program to be hosted at Crittenton Hospital Medical Center and will be led by eight faculty physicians from Wayne State.

“Crittenton is an ideal setting to train the physicians who will serve the next generation of families in our community as well as providea quality environment for our faculty physicians to practice,” said Maryjean Schenk. M.D., M.P.H., M.S., Chair of the Wayne State University School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences.

“Crittenton offers a wealth of expanded clinical services and superior educational opportunities for the incoming Family Medicine residents. We are excited about this wonderful opportunity and look forward to a long and mutually rewarding experience with the School of Medicine. We believe our new association will be a great benefit to the residents, our physicians and our patients,” said Frank Sottile, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Crittenton Hospital Medical Center.

Added Dr. Schenk, “We believe regional collaboration is a key to a successful health care system in Southeast Michigan. This residency training program is one example of how our school plans to work together with other institutions.”

Family physicians are patient-centered and integrate the biological, clinical, and behavioral sciences to provide continuing and comprehensive health care. The scope of practice encompasses all ages, both sexes, each organ system, every disease entity, and every location of practice including hospital practice.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs to more than 33,000 students through 11 schools and colleges. For more information, visit www.wayne.edu. With more than 1,000 students, Wayne’s School of Medicine is the nation's largest single campus medical school. Together with the Wayne State University Physician Group and 13 hospital partners, the school is a leader in medical education, biomedical research, and patient care. Its programs of excellence include cancer, maternal-child health, neurosciences, and population studies and urban health. For more information, visit www.med.wayne.edu.

Crittenton Hospital Medical Center was built in 1967 and has 290 beds. With a medical staff comprised of 500 physicians in 54 specialties, Crittenton brings world-class healthcare to a wealth of surrounding communities. A not-for-profit, full-service community based hospital, Crittenton has formal affiliations and partnerships with the University of Michigan for heart surgery, and the Karmanos Cancer Institute for cancer care, to offer patients access to the latest therapies, research and clinical trials.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS:

Matt Friedman
For the Wayne State University
School of Medicine
(248) 626-0006
mfriedman@tannerfriedman.com

Leigh Sullivan
For Crittenton Hospital
Medical Center
(248) 652-5421
lsullivan@crittenton.com