Groundbreaking research in obsessive compulsive disorder conducted by a Wayne State University faculty member will be highlighted on national television next week.

ABC News will air its interview with David Rosenberg, M.D., during the Aug. 4 “Primetime” program. The program, which begins at 10 p.m., will concentrate on OCD in children and the therapy they receive.

Dr. Rosenberg is the Miriam L. Hamburger Endowed Chairman of Child Psychiatry and professor of Psychiatry. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Michigan, Children’s Hospital of Michigan and University of Toronto/ Hospital for Sick Kids, he recently discovered that the chemical glutamate plays a key role in children with OCD. The research found that those abnormal glutamate levels in certain brain regions are reversible with effective treatment.

School of Medicine researchers, along with Gregory Hanna, M.D., of the University of Michigan and researchers at the University of Toronto/Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto, Ontario, have a longstanding collaboration and recently published the first OCD study combining brain imaging and genetics studies in the same children with OCD in the March 2009 issue of the journal Brain Imaging and Behavior. All brain images and blood samples were collected at Wayne State with blood samples genetically analyzed in Drs. James Kennedy and Paul Arnold’s laboratory at the University of Toronto and Hospital for Sick Kids.

Based in part on initial findings at the School of Medicine showing glutamate abnormalities in OCD, new treatment approaches using drugs such as riluzole, which is used for treating Lou Gehring’s disease, and others have been used in adults and children with OCD. Initial studies have shown great promise, Dr. Rosenberg said, and studies using riluzole are being conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health in children with OCD. Wayne State University, the University of Michigan and the University of Toronto/Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto have recently submitted a Collaborative R01 grant to NIMH that is being considered for funding. Wayne State University is the lead site and coordinating center on this application.

Collaborators on the project include Frank P. MacMaster, Ph.D., Yousha Mirza, M.D., Phillip Easter, research assistant, and Michelle Rose, research assistant, of Wayne State University and The Children’s Hospital of Michigan; Gregory Hanna, M.D., University of Michigan; Paul Daniel Arnold, M.D., Hospital of Sick Kids and the University of Toronto; and Margaret A. Richter, M.D., Tricia Sicard, research assistant, Eliza Burroughs, research assistant, and James Kennedy, M.D., University of Toronto.

The research published by Dr. Rosenberg’s team, “"Glutamate receptor gene (GRIN2B) associated with reduced anterior cingulate glutamatergic concentration in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder,” has been selected by Faculty of 1000 Medicine as one of the most important articles published in the field of medicine.

Faculty of 1000 Medicine identifies and evaluates what it considers the most important articles published in medicine based on the recommendations of a faculty of  2,400 peer-nominated leading researchers and clinicians. Selection and inclusion of articles provide recognition from peers of its scientific merit and the positive contribution it makes to medical literature.

Steven Miller, M.D., has joined the Wayne State University School of Medicine as assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and as a physician in the Wayne State University Physician Group at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Dr. Miller received his medical degree from the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

His internship in internal medicine at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego was followed by his residency in radiation oncology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 2002. Dr. Miller is board certified in radiation oncology and has been in practice at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va., where he served as a commander in the United States Navy Medical Corps until his retirement from the military at the end of July 2009.

Dr. Miller will begin Aug. 3 at the Gershenson Radiation Oncology Center.

Mary Lieh-Lai, M.D., an associate professor of the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and principal investigator for the WSU Pediatric Pharmacology Research Unit, received $243,183 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development to help fund the unit’s research.

This latest grant comes under the auspices of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the national economic stimulus package signed into law by President Barack Obama.

The PPRU at the School of Medicine has been in existence for 15 years now and is part of a national network of sites. Established in 1994 with funding from the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act adopted by Congress and signed into law by President George Bush, the PPRU network was created to allow the study of drugs in children.

“One of the major issues with drugs and children is that pharmaceutical companies hardly ever conduct trials in children for new drugs because the pediatric population is not a profitable one. Children only go up to 18 years, while adults can keep going to their 90s and even beyond,” Dr. Lieh-Lai explained. “We term children as ‘therapeutic orphans.’ The medications we use in treating them have mostly only been studied in adults, and practitioners who work with children just reduce the adult dose based on the child’s weight. There had been no considerations regarding the immature systems of children, which make them metabolize drugs differently.”

With passage of the BPCA, the government offered drug-manufacturing companies a deal: If they agreed to fund trials in children, their exclusivity on larger money-making drugs would be extended by six months.

The PPRU receives funding in five-year cycles. For every cycle, the WSU PPRU receives $1.5 million to $1.9 million. Most of the money is used to fund the infrastructure to facilitate the conducting of drug trials in children and to carry out animal model research.

Each of the 13 national sites that make up the network is composed of physicians, clinical pharmacologists, biostatisticians, pharmacologists, study coordinators, research technicians and study managers. Most sites have a clinical research center equipped with beds to house patients for overnight drug studies, a laboratory to process samples and secure data, and sample storage facilities.

For the current funding cycle, WSU PPRU researchers are focusing on the use of codeine in mechanically ventilated infants; the pharmacokinetics of intravenous terbutaline in children with asthma; targeted drug delivery using dendrimers in rabbit internal jugular vein clots; biomarker-guided treatment of autism; the pharmacokinetics of morphine in children; azithromycin pharmacokinetics in neonatal infants; the pharmacokinetics of buspirone in children with autism; and bilirubin binding in neonatal infants given intravenous ibuprofen for treatment of patent ductus arteriosus.

“We already have some preliminary results that indicate that children handle these drugs differently than adults,” Dr. Lieh-Lai said. “These studies will help us determine the best way to treat children and avoid adverse drug effects based on knowledge obtained from trials that were actually done in children. Children are often neglected in the medical world that is dominated by adults. The efforts and studies conducted by the NICHD PPRU network will help change that.”

Over the 15-year history of the network, she said, the PPRU has conducted hundreds of drug trials in children, including the use of analgesics, antibiotics, anti-hypertensives and sedatives. Research in the unit has included genetic polymorphisms, age-related differences in drug metabolism, and pathogenesis of autism and its treatment.

“We have been very successful in investigating targeted drug delivery using dendrimers and nanoparticles in animals. The funding has helped us establish several animal models – such as a mouse model of asthma, rat model of pain, rabbit model of jugular vein clot and rabbit maternal chorioamnionitis,” she said. Funding for these pilot animal studies helped the PPRU establish a “close working relationship” with the Wayne State University Departments of Chemical Engineering, Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, the School of Pharmacy and the Perinatology Research Branch.

The work of the PPRU has also assisted junior faculty in Dr. Lieh-Lai’s division secure additional grants to further research.

Wayne State University President Jay Noren announced today that he has appointed Valerie Parisi, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., interim dean of the university’s School of Medicine for a three-year term.

“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of such excellent credentials to lead the School of Medicine,” Noren said. “I have every confidence that Dr. Parisi will maintain our quality programs for training medical students, conducting world-class medical research, and providing the highest quality health care to those we serve in the Detroit metropolitan area and far beyond.

“I have had the privilege of working with Dr. Parisi for more than a year, and I am delighted that she has accepted this position,” the president added. “She has rich and varied experience as an educator, a clinical practitioner and a scientist, and she is a proven leader in medical education and administration. I am confident that Dr. Parisi’s talent and vision will galvanize our medical school community and strengthen the School of Medicine’s outstanding reputation.”

Dr. Parisi, the School of Medicine’s first female dean, has been vice dean of Hospital Relations & Clinical Affairs since July 2007. She replaces former dean Robert M. Mentzer Jr., M.D., who recently resigned his position.

“I’m very proud to be entrusted with this role,” Dr. Parisi said. “The Wayne State University School of Medicine produces some of the world’s finest physicians and researchers. I intend to work very diligently not only to maintain the school’s reputation, but to enhance it.”

As vice dean of Hospital Relations & Clinical Affairs for the School of Medicine, Dr. Parisi was instrumental in establishing the Family Medicine residency program with Crittenton Hospital, where she is a member of the board of trustees. In addition, she worked diligently to cement a partnership with Oakwood Healthcare Inc., home to residency programs in Dermatology, Urology, Orthopedics, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Otolaryngology. Her activities in developing relationships with health partner affiliates, including the Karmanos Cancer Center, will continue to be an asset to the school. She has been intimately involved in the progress of negotiations regarding residency programs and clinical services at the Detroit Medical Center.

At age 16, Dr. Parisi entered the first seven-year medical degree class offered at Brown University, and received her M.D. in 1975. Her broad academic background is enhanced by an M.P.H. in Maternal and Child Health from the University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health, and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler School of Business, where she was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the National Business Honor Society. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island and fellowship training in Maternal and Fetal Medicine at the University of Wisconsin Center for Health Sciences.

She began her academic career by serving 10 years as director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, Texas, where she also was director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program. Her study of eicosanoid regulation of fetal placental circulation was funded by the National Institutes of Health. She was Robert A. Ross Professor as well as chair of the University of North Carolina Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 1997 to 2004, where she took the department from 65th to 13th in NIH research funding. Prior to that, Dr. Parisi was chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at SUNY Stony Brook from 1994 to 1997.

She previously was dean of medicine, chief academic officer and vice president for academic program administration at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. In her tenure there, she also held the Thomas N. and Gleaves James Distinguished Chair, was advisor to the president, and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology. She was the first woman medical school dean in Texas.

Dr. Parisi was elected president of the Society for Perinatal Obstetricians (now the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine) in 1995 after serving six years on its board of directors. She was director of the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 1996 to 2002, and director of the board of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists from 1998 to 2008. She serves on the Liaison Committee for Medical Education, which accredits medical schools, and was recently elected secretary-treasurer of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

As part of her work mentoring women in their medical careers, she has spoken at the Association of American Medical College’s Mid-Career Women Faculty Professional Development seminar for three consecutive years.

She was appointed to the Karmanos Cancer Center’s Board of Directors earlier this year.

Faculty and staff of the Wayne State University School of Medicine now have a dedicated room for quiet relaxation, introspection and meditation in Scott Hall.

The Faculty and Staff Meditative Epicenter provides a place for faculty and staff members to think, relax and read, said Charles Pokriefka, director of Facilities and Support Services. The room, he said, was established in response to numerous requests over the past several years for such a facility.

While the center may also serve as a staff lounge, no food or beverages will be allowed in the room. The room contains a stained glass window donated by the Friends of the Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1998.

Formerly reserved for student use, the center became available when a new meditation room was established in the Richard J. Mazurek, M.D., Medical Education Commons.

The center, which remains locked when not in use, is located in Room 2206 Scott Hall. Users may request the key to the room at the Information Window in the lobby of Scott Hall. The center will be available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nicholas Mischel, a second-year M.D./Ph.D. student at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been awarded a fellowship from the American Heart Association.

To qualify for the fellowship, Mischel had to submit a 35-page application to the American Heart Association last January. The fellowship provides him with a stipend and covers travel costs for scientific meetings for two years, with an option of a competitive application for a third year.

Mischel works and studies under Patrick Mueller, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Physiology. The fellowship is based on work he proposes to conduct in Dr. Mueller’s lab involving alterations in the sympathetic nervous system’s control of blood pressure following physical activity versus sedentary conditions.

Dr. Mueller credited support from Ambika Mathur, Ph.D., assistant dean of Combined Degree Programs & Postdoctoral Affairs for the School of Medicine; fellow students and mentors within the program; and collaborators on Mischel’s project at WSU and Flinders University in Australia with Mischel securing the AHA fellowship.

Mischel, who hails from Redford Township, Mich., completed his undergraduate studies at Wayne State University. He chose to continue his graduate work at Wayne because of the experience he encountered during his studies.

“I had a great experience here. There are excellent research facilities and interesting research programs. I also like the fact that our M.D./Ph.D. program is young and trying to gain recognition. And it’s nice to be near friends and family” he said.

His interest in the study of cardiology stems from Mischel’s own experiences.

“I saw firsthand how devastating cardiovascular disease is to patients, he said. “My grandfather suffered a heart attack early in his retirement and because of it, all he had worked for and planned to do was suddenly, drastically and tragically precluded.”

Mischel plans to obtain a residency in a “research-friendly” environment such as internal medicine and later move to a fellowship in cardiology. Ultimately, he hopes to become a faculty member at an institution with strong research and clinical activities.

The 12th World Congress of the International Photodynamic Association attracted about 300 participants from more than 20 countries and regions last month.

Partly sponsored by the Wayne State University School of Medicine, the Congress was organized by President David Kessel, Ph.D., professor of the Department of Pharmacology, and his committee, consisting of Tayyaba Hasan, Chuck Gomer and Kenneth Wang.

The biennial event, held in Seattle June 11-15, attracted leading clinical and scientific researchers in the fields of photodynamic therapy and photodiagnosis.

“Considering the current shortage of grant funds and problems in the pharmaceutical industry, the turnout was encouraging,” Dr. Kessel said. “The last such conference (in Shanghai) had an attendance of approximately 500, but at least 50 percent were from China.”

The Congress was partially supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Wayne State University, Massachusetts General Hospital, the Department of Defence and five pharmaceutical groups.

The IPA is an academic society consisting of the most prominent international clinicians and scientists involved in performing and researching PDT and PD. The association aims to promote the study of diagnosis and treatment using light and photosensitisers, and to disseminate information to members, the medical community and the general public.

Two Wayne State University researchers are combining the worlds of medicine and physics to speed bedside treatment of bacterial infections and reduce the world’s overuse of broad spectrum antibiotics that could be fueling drug-resistant bacteria.

Sunil Palchaudhuri, D.Sc., Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology in the School of Medicine, and Steven Rehse, Ph.D., an assistant professor of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, are using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy to identify the atomic “fingerprints” of bacteria. Their goal is to develop a computerized reference library of bacterial fingerprints to speed identification of infection and treatment, as well as assist in selection of specified antibiotics rather than an attack with broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, or LIBS, works like this: An intense pulse of laser light, Dr. Rehse explained, vaporizes a small amount of the targeted substance, in this case, bacteria. The vaporization causes a plasma plume in which the bacteria’s base elements are excited and ionized. As the plume cools, the atoms, ions and molecules lose energy by emitting optical wavelength photons. This resulting light, he said, is collected by a spectrometer, and the peaks are analyzed to identify all the elements that were initially present in the targeted substance. The process can be used to identify elements in the target or how much of a substance the target contained.

After a blood sample is taken and the bacteria are separated from the human cells, the bacteria sample is mounted on a glass slide or agar bed. The sample is then exposed to a laser beam produced by an infrared pulsed laser. In effect, the laser burns away all of the atoms in the bacteria, creating a glowing spark called a plasma. The light from the spark is collected by an optical fiber in an Echelle spectrometer and the information is fed into a computer for analysis. The computer then reads the resulting spectrum to produce an atomic fingerprint unique to each bacterial species. That fingerprint can be read against an ongoing library of such files until a match is found, identifying the strain of bacteria.

“The photons given off during spontaneous emission can be collected and spectrally analyzed, which provides a ‘spectral fingerprint’ of all the constituent elements of the target and the plasma,” Dr. Rehse said. “Since each element has a unique spectral fingerprint, relative and absolute elemental concentrations within the target material can be determined.”

Such technology, Dr. Palchaudhuri said, is “desperately needed to identify bacteria in clinical samples and patients at ‘time zero’ – the time when a clinical sample of blood, urine or sputum is obtained – with little or no sample preparation. This ability to identify the bacteria onsite will help doctors initiate treatment of the disease immediately, without waiting for offsite lab results to return.”

Ultimately, Dr. Palchaudhuri and Dr. Rehse said, physicians, nurses and technicians could take a sample from a patient and have an accurate diagnosis of bacterial infection within minutes or an hour instead of days or weeks.

Such technology could play a crucial role in outbreaks of illness such as tuberculosis or meningitis, not only in the treatment of patients, but in tracing the strain to help identify the origin and spread of the disease. The technology could also provide rapid identification of biochemical warfare agents used against the military or civilian targets.

“With LIBS, we hope to provide an immediate diagnosis of multiple pathogens in multiple sectors across our society -- medical, food and environment -- at a relatively low cost,” Dr. Palchaudhuri said.

As an example, he pointed to recent outbreaks of salmonella and E. coli strains in the nation’s food source. Some E. coli strains can be deadly if consumed via contaminated food. The various strains are closely linked, and physicians and lab technicians require days to develop cultures to identify the strain they are treating. A LIBS reference system, however, could quickly identify the trace atomic differences between the strains, helping identify not only the potential source of contamination, but also better inform physicians which antibiotic to prescribe.

Accurate identification could also minimize the use of antibiotics. Delay and uncertainty of identification, Dr. Palchaudhuri said, have led to “ever-increasing rates of food-borne and water-borne outbreaks globally. In consequence, overuse and abuse of broad spectrum antibiotics not only costs billions of dollars, but also helps evolve antibiotic resistant bacteria.”

Dr. Rehse points out that LIBS systems are already in use in a number of applications. The Army has a prototype system that can identify explosive powders on roadside objects from a distance of up to 100 meters. The system is mounted on a Humvee and could be used to detect the presence of roadside improvised explosive devices. Similar systems are in place in European factories, used to sort recyclable materials and for glass quality control analysis. A commercial instrument, the PharmaLIBS, incorporates the same technology to sort and classify pharmaceuticals in real time.

A LIBS system, Dr. Rehse added, is scheduled to go into space as part of the 2012 Mars Science Laboratory to chemically characterize rocks up to five meters from the surface rover, and search for the existence of exobiological signatures – signs of chemical evolution on the planet.

“The technology is mature, field-able, and ready for design and implementation now. This is not a ‘laboratory-only’ technique,” Dr. Rehse said. “But, up until now, Sunil and I are really the only people who are interested in its use to identify bacteria. We are applying for funding from multiple sources, but our proposal to the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency would have us producing (in conjunction with private sector and Army collaborators) a working prototype in three to four years. This would be able to test a human specimen of blood, urine, or some other fluid and identify bacteria in it.”

Researchers at Wayne State University and the WSU School of Medicine have collectively secured $6.53 million in grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the national economic stimulus package signed into law by President Barack Obama.

The National Institutes of Health recently announced another series of approved grants. The most recent grants include:

Robert Akins, Ph.D., associate professor of the Department of Biochemistry, received $207,200 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease for “High Throughput Identification and Quantification of Fungi Using High Resolution Melt Analysis QPCR.”

Terrance Albrecht, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, and the Karmanos Cancer Institute, received $167,200 from the National Cancer Institute for “Improving Clinical System Communication to Increase Trial Offers to Cancer Patients.”

Michael Cher, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Urology, and Rafael Fridman, Ph.D., professor of the Department of Pathology, received $448,236 from the National Cancer Institute for “The Role of MT1-MMP/RANKL/Rank Axis in Prostate Cancer Bone Metastis.”

Dennis Drescher, Ph.D., professor and director of Molecular Research in the Department of Otolaryngology, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, received $161,500 from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders for “Identification of Acoustico-Lateralis Transmitters.”

Alexander Gow, Ph.D., associate professor in the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, the Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, and the Department of Neurology, received $380,000 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke for “Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration.”

Mark Greenwald, Ph.D., director of the Substance Abuse Research Division and chief of the Human Pharmacology Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, received $655,974 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Human Laboratory Model of Cocaine Treatment: Behavioral Economic Analysis.”

Mary Lieh-Lai, M.D., associate professor of the Department of Pediatrics, received $243,183 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development for “Pediatric Pharmacology Research Unit.”

Jeffrey Loeb, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Neurology and associate director of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, received $463,289 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke for “Activity-Dependent Gene Expression in Human Epilepsy.”

Patricia LoRusso, D.O., professor of Internal Medicine and director of the Phase I Clinical Trials Program at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, received $43,342 from the National Cancer Institute for “Early Clinical Trials of New Anti-Cancer Agents.”

Lawrence Lum, Ph.D., D.Sc., professor of the Department of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematolgy/Oncology, and the Karmanos Cancer Institute, received $501,226 from the National Cancer Institute for “Breast Cancer Treatment with Antibody Targeted T Cells.”

Tiffany Matthews, Ph.D., assistant professor of the Department of Chemistry, received $40,000 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for “BDNF, Dopamine and Ethanol.”

Sylvie Naar-King, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the PediatricPrevention Research Center, received $121,345 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for “Multisystemic Therapy to Reduce Health Disparities in Adolescents With Asthma.”

Aleksandar Popadic, Ph.D., associate professor of the Department of Biological Sciences, received $151,195 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Genetics of Leg Size Variation in Insects.”

Duska Separovic, Ph.D., assistant professor of the Department of Occupational Health & Environmental Health Sciences, received $251,852 from the National Cancer Institute for “Sphingolipids in Cell Death After Photodamage.”

Timothy Stemmler, Ph.D., associate professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, received $32,680 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Structural Insights Into the Function of Frataxin.”

Andrei Tkatchenko, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, received $215,000 from the National Eye Institute for “Feasibility of a Mouse Model of Myopia.”

Jinsheng Zhang, Ph.D., associate professor of the Department of Otolaryngology, received $83,245 from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders for “Cortical Electrical Suppression of Noise-Induced Tinnitus.”

Grants under the ARRA announced earlier by the NIH include:

James Granneman, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience and the Center for Integrative Metabolic and Endocrine Research, received $316,416 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Analysis of Lipolytic Trafficking in Adipocytes.”

Peter Littrup, M.D., professor of the Department of Radiology at the School of Medicine and the Karmanos Cancer Institute, received $242,349 from the National Cancer Institute for “Functional Ultrasound Tomography: Testing a Low-Cost Breast Imaging Concept.”

Melody Neuhart Neely, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, received $7,468 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “Analysis of the Virulence Mechanisms of a Lantibiotic Locus.”

Donal O’Leary, Ph.D., professor and director of cardiovascular research in the Department of Physiology, received three grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: $8,853 for “Blood Pressure Control During Exercise in Heart Failure,” $8,552 for “NTS Adenosine Receptors in Cardiovascular Control” and $531,614 for “Integrative Cardiovascular Control During Exercise in Hypertension.”

Avraham Raz, Ph.D., professor in the Departments of Pathology and Radiation Oncology, received $334,006 from the National Cancer Institute for “Characterization of Motility Factor Receptor.”

Melissa Runge-Morris, M.D., associate professor of the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, received $228,000 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for “PCBS: Environmental Modulators of Human Breast Cancer Progression.”

Michael Shaw, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, received $190,000 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “A Novel Splice Variant of Interleukin-13 and its Role in Promoting EAE Responses.”

Paul Stemmer, Ph.D., associate professor of the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, received $500,000 from the National Center for Research Resources for “A Proposal to Expand Analytical Capabilities at Wayne State University With A 400.”

Scientists at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute’s National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers have discovered a probable reason for the unrelenting chest pain experienced in certain patients with asbestos-related diseases and cancers.

The findings, featured in the July 20, 2009, edition of the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, were published in an academic peer-reviewed manuscript by principal author Michael Harbut, M.D., M.P.H., co-director of the NCVAC and chief of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the School of Medicine.

Dr. Harbut reported the findings after studying a patient who was exposed to taconite dust as a child.

Using a new radiography approach developed by Carmen Endress, M.D., F.A.C.R., associate professor of Radiology at the School of Medicine and radiologist at the NCVAC, Dr. Harbut found a documented increase in pleural plaques, causing erosion on the interior wall of the ribs.

"This action of the pleural plaque against the covering of the bone and the bone itself is a biologically plausible and an anatomically logical explanation of the unrelenting pain which some patients experience," said Dr. Harbut.

This new imaging approach involves enhancing images obtained on the 64-slice high resolution CT scan using the Vitrea® imaging software program by Vital Images. Using this imaging approach, Dr. Harbut was able to demonstrate that evidence based on the CT findings, the physical examination, pulmonary function studies, epidemiology and history of the patient’s intractable pleural pain meets the criteria for diagnosis of asbestosis. Combined with the known science of taconite dust, a link between the mine where the patient’s father worked and the patient’s disease was established.

Due to the clarity and definition of this new imaging approach, it is more likely to detect asbestos-related diseases and cancer at an earlier stage.

Earlier detection will allow the possibility for additional treatment options to manage the pain caused by pleural plaque beyond the narcotics often prescribed for patients with advanced stages of asbestos disease. This includes exploring other forms of traditional and nontraditional methods to control pain.

The patient, age 55 and studied since 2004, was exposed as a child to taconite dust unknowingly by her father, a taconite miner from 1962 to 1969, who carried the dust on his work clothes. Taconite is used in the production of steel and road-patching material. It has been mined in Michigan and Minnesota.

The patient has experienced increasing pain on her right side for the past 31 years, a persistent cough and wheezing. As the pain increased so did her medication. Using the new imaging approach, Dr. Harbut showed the progression of the patient’s pleural plaque over a three-year period, from 2005 to 2008. The patient’s pleuritic pain, as well as the findings of her pulmonary function, physical exam and symptoms, are consistent with those diagnosed with asbestosis and pleural plaques, as established by the American Thoracic Society.

The findings also support earlier human and animal reports that dust produced by taconite mining can evoke the same biological responses as other fibers already defined as asbestos or asbestiform materials.

Harbut added, "Patients often require a lifetime of narcotics to allow functioning, but we are hopeful that with this new imaging technology, more selective pain management approaches with fewer side effects can be instituted resulting in a better quality of life."

The report supports the identification of taconite, which has not yet been categorized as asbestos but causes a disease consistent with asbestosis, and recommends a re-evaluation of the definition of asbestos. This is especially important within the context of legislative efforts to prohibit the use of asbestos.

In addition to Dr. Harbut, co-authors of the report include Dr. Endress; John J. Graff, Ph.D., M.S., assistant professor, Wayne State University School of Medicine and chief of Cancer Surveillance Research at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute; Christopher Weis, Ph.D., National Enforcement Investigations Center, United States Environmental Protection Agency; and Harvey Pass, M.D., director, New York University’s Division of Thoracic Surgery.

Richard Lewis, M.D., professor and associate chairman of the Department of Neurology and co-director of the Neuromuscular Program at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, was elected to the board of directors of the Peripheral Nerve Society.

Dr. Lewis, who also serves as the director of the Hiller Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Center at the School of Medicine, was one of four directors elected from 16 nominees.

“It is an honor for me to be elected by my peers from all over the world to the board of an organization that brings great energy and enthusiasm to the understanding of peripheral nerve function and the disorders that affect the peripheral nervous system,” Dr. Lewis said. “I am excited about helping to provide the same excitement to young investigators that I was given 30 years ago.”

Formed in 1993, the Peripheral Nerve Society merged two organizations into a single entity. Dr. Lewis has been a member since 1993, but his first meeting was with one of the parent groups at Wye College in England in 1979.

“That was one of the formative experiences that encouraged me to concentrate on peripheral nerve disorders,” he said.

The organization brings together scientists and clinicians with interest in the peripheral nervous system. The PNS board develops educational programs and has been active in encouraging and promoting young physicians and scientists to develop careers in the field. The society meets every other year but recently sub-sections of the organization have been meeting on the off years. Dr. Lewis is a member of the organizing committee of the Inflammatory Neuropathy Consortium, which met last year in Paris and will meet next year in Australia.

Researchers at Wayne State University and the WSU School of Medicine have collectively secured $2.36 million in grants so far under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the national economic stimulus package signed into law by President Barack Obama.

More grants are expected to be announced soon. Those already announced include:

James Granneman, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience and the Center for Integrative Metabolic and Endocrine Research, will receive $316,416 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for his study, “Analysis of Lipolytic Trafficking in Adipocytes.”

Peter Littrup, M.D., a professor of the Department of Radiology at the School of Medicine and the Karmanos Cancer Institute, will receive $242,349 from the National Cancer Institute for “Functional Ultrasound Tomography: Testing a Low-Cost Breast Imaging Concept.”

Melody Neuhart Neely, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, will receive $7,468 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for her study, “Analysis of the Virulence Mechanisms of a Lantibiotic Locus.”

Donal O’Leary, Ph.D., a professor and director of cardiovascular research in the Department of Physiology, secured three grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: $8,853 for “Blood Pressure Control During Exercise in Heart Failure,” $8,552 for “NTS Adenosine Receptors in Cardiovascular Control” and $531,614 for “Integrative Cardiovascular Control During Exercise in Hypertension.”

Avraham Raz, Ph.D., a professor in the Departments of Pathology and Radiation Oncology, will receive $334,006 from the National Cancer Institute for “Characterization of Motility Factor Receptor.”

Melissa Runge-Morris, M.D., an associate professor of the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, secured $228,000 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for “PCBS: Environmental Modulators of Human Breast Cancer Progression.”

Michael Shaw, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, secured $190,000 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for his study, “A Novel Splice Variant of Interleukin-13 and its Role in Promoting EAE Responses.”

Paul Stemmer, Ph.D., an associate professor of the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, will receive $500,000 from the National Center for Research Resources for his study, “A Proposal to Expand Analytical Capabilities at Wayne State University With A 400.”

Detroit Receiving Hospital and University Health Center are sponsoring a Career Development Fair designed to help those in the Wayne State University medical community advance their careers in health care.

The fair will take place Aug. 5 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the University Health Center lobby.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Olubunmi Daramola by email at odaramol@dmc.org or phone at (313) 993-0081 by July 27.

Raouf Seifeldin, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been elected vice chairman of the American Medical Association International Medical Graduates Section Governing Council.

The goal of the International Medical Graduates Section is to represent and promote the interests of physicians who graduated from medical schools outside of the United States or Canada. The section boasts 35,000 members.

Dr. Seifeldin, one of founders and the current chief of staff of Doctors’ Hospital of Michigan in Pontiac, specializes in Family Medicine. He attended medical school at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt.

He recently served as chairman of the Michigan State Medial Society IMG Section. He received the AMA Foundation Leadership Award in 2006.

A resident of Troy, Dr. Seifeldin is also active in the National Arab American Medical Association.

Robert Lisak, M.D., chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, was elected an honorary member of the American Neurological Association.

“A very small number of members of the American Neurological Association, the oldest academic neurologic society in the world, and a few non-members are elected for honorary membership,” said Dr. Lisak, also a professor of Immunology and Microbiology for the school and neurologist-in-chief for the Detroit Medical Center. “I view my election as a great personal honor, but also one for the Department of Neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine since it recognizes my research, clinical and teaching accomplishments, as well as those of the department as a whole.”

Dr. Lisak has been an ANA member since 1979. The association is the oldest neurologic and neuroscience organization in the United States. Membership is by election and limited to academic neurologists and others in neuroscience who have shown excellence in teaching and research in clinical neurological science. Honorary membership, according to the association, is “reserved for those few individuals who have made unique contributions to neurology and neurological science."

He specializes in multiple sclerosis and related autoimmune diseases, and is an expert in neuromuscular disorders such myasthenia gravis, inflammatory demyelinating neuropathies and inflammatory myopathies. He also specializes in neurologic complications of collagen-vascular diseases (lupus) and vasculitis.

Last year, Dr. Lisak was elected to the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians. Founded in London in 1518, the Royal College of Physicians was the first medical institution in England to receive a Royal Charter. The "Fellow by Distinction" is awarded to no more than 20 people per year. Dr Lisak was among only 13 physicians and only five Americans selected last year.

A new method of testing for fertility in males is being developed by several members of the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the University of Utah School of Medicine. Their results have just been reported in the Journal of Molecular Medicine.

The Wayne State University research team of Claudia Lalancette, Ph.D.; student Graham Johnson; and Adrian Platts of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, headed by Stephen Krawetz, Ph.D., the Charlotte B. Failing professor of Fetal Therapy and Diagnosis, director of Translational Reproductive Systems, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, and the Institute for Scientific Computing, has been studying sperm RNA to understand the male contribution to a healthy child.

After Dr. Krawetz spoke at a symposium in 2006 at the University of Utah, a collaborative project was conceived to develop an objective gene chip test for male fertility. In collaboration with Dr. Douglas Carrell, Ph.D., and Benjamin Emery, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Utah School of Medicine, the work was primed to advance from the bench to the bedside.

“Current methods of testing for male fertility are very subjective, and our goal is to develop a way of testing that is consistently accurate,” said Dr. Lalancette.

Using gene chip technology, the team determined the messenger RNA (decoded genes) that are present in the sperm of 24 donors with proven fertility.

Though the initial results were variable -- like other fertility tests -- the team was able to identify a series of RNA transcripts that were consistently present among all of the donors. They further identified a specific diagnostic set of RNA that had a similar pattern transcription among all fertile individuals.

Graham Johnson, a first-year graduate student working with Dr. Krawetz, simplified the meaning of the findings. “For example, take specimen one and specimen two. Both are samples from fertile males, but they have different levels of substance ‘A’ and substance ‘B.’ However, despite their different levels, they share nearly the same ratio of ‘As’ to ‘Bs,’” he said.

“Our test looks at the genetic quality of a sperm sample, to determine fertility status,” said Dr. Krawetz.

Thanks to the research resulting from this collaboration, new possibilities for determining male fertility are at our doorstep. The closer examination of RNA could also potentially explain problems associated with miscarriage, recurrent pregnancy loss and birth defects.

Gabriel Sosne, M.D., an associate professor in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Anatomy/Cell Biology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Kresge Eye Institute, is working with RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals Inc. and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense to evaluate the effectiveness of an eye drop compound that may prevent or reduce damage caused by chemical weapons, specifically mustard gas.

While mustard gas was first used against troops in World War I, it was most recently deployed as a debilitating weapon by Saddam Hussein’s army during the war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s. As a vesicant, mustard gas and similar compounds have a blistering effect that causes severe eye, skin and mucosal lining irritation and burns. Unprotected soldiers exposed to mustard gas suffered severe corneal damage leading to blindness.

Over the next year, Dr. Sosne will work with military researchers to test how well Thymosin Beta 4, in the form of RGN-259 eye drops, prevents eye damage before exposure to chemical agents, as well as determe their ability to reduce damage to the eye from such chemicals.

“Soldiers may one day carry RGN-259 drops as part of their normal protection kit, along with their gas masks and protective chemical suits,” Dr. Sosne said. “It may also have very practical applications in industry. It could become part of the standard first aid cabinet in factories and industries employing caustic materials.”

Thymosin Beta 4, which is being commercially developed by RegeneRx and is now in Phase II clinical trials, is a synthetic version of a naturally occurring peptide found in nearly all human cells. Ongoing research is investigating the compound’s effectiveness in skin and cardiovascular tissue repair, as well as in tissue regeneration or the prevention of cell death in the eye.

Dr. Sosne said he first encountered Thymosin Beta 4 when he worked at the National Institutes of Health for a year. “Originally, I was studying angiogenesis at the NIH. When we found that Thymosin Beta 4 promoted wound healing in skin, I thought it would work just as well in the cornea,” he said.

His group has been studying the agent’s wound-healing effects and its possible use in previously untreatable eye injuries. He has found that Thymosin Beta 4 promotes corneal wound healing.

Kathleen Connors, a counselor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, recently gave a presentation at the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Professional Development Conference in Savannah, Ga.

Connors’ presentation, “Career Planning Programs: Collaborative and Timely Approaches,” detailed how medical schools can improve their ability to help students plan careers.

In addition to her suggestions, Connors also explained the services that the School of Medicine offers to its students, the results of a career planning survey she created and her plans for a new career services Web site.

The conference focused on addressing common challenges medical schools face, including timely and accessible delivery, increasing student population without increasing staff, and fostering better collaboration between faculty advisors, alumni and peer resources to help with career planning.

In addition to her work with the presentation, Connors has also created a plan to advance the School of Medicine’s ability to assist its students.

“My plan is to collaborate with students, faculty and alumni to develop a Web site with links to several career resources and to create a more cohesive and comprehensive career planning program at our school,” she said.

The Wayne State University School of Medicine’s application for an Orthopaedic Surgery residency program has been approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, good news for a state in dire need of more orthopaedic surgeons to address the demands of an aging population.

The residency program is sponsored by the School of Medicine in a joint relationship with Oakwood Healthcare System, the primary participating institution. The program is also affiliated with St. John Hospital and Medical Center, University of Michigan Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery and the VA Medical Center in Detroit.

A projected start date for the new program is Aug. 1, 2009, when four new residents will begin their training, said Lawrence Morawa, M.D., chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Michigan ranks third on the list of the 10 states with the lowest orthopaedic surgeon density per 100,000 residents, at 4.39. Only West Virginia and Mississippi have fewer orthopedic surgeons. It is crucial that Michigan develop and train more orthopaedic surgeons who remain to practice here as the state’s population ages. As the baby boom generation -- the largest segment of the population -- continues to age, it places greater demands on orthopaedic surgeons.

“It’s a field that will continue to be in high demand,” said Dr. Morawa. “We are living longer and we want to remain active longer. That puts pressure on our aging bodies that will require treatment by skilled orthopaedic surgeons, including knee and hip replacements so that we can continue to take part in the activities we enjoy.”

Dr. Morawa was named chairman of the department in 2007 with a specific mission to rebuild the department and re-establish the residency program after the Detroit Medical Center dropped the program.

The AAOS reports that orthopaedic complaints are the most common reason Americans seek medical treatment. One in seven Americans suffers an orthopaedic impairment, and more than 7 million Americans require hospitalization for orthopaedic conditions. Back and knee injuries are the most prevalent orthopaedic complaints, with 21 million visits to physicians’ offices for back problems and 12 million visits for knee problems in 2006, the latest year for which records are available. Musculoskeletal injuries cost the nation 440 million lost days of work, and $254 billion annually for treatment.

As baby boomers continue to work and play hard – as well as live longer than their parents -- these numbers can only be expected to increase. Exercising and sports activities at ages beyond those at which their parents began to take it easy take a toll on joints, especially knees, elbows and shoulders.

Orthopaedics is an extremely competitive field, with about 650 residency slots available annually in the nation’s 170 accredited programs, according to the AAOS.

“This accreditation of our program has a dual importance,” said Valerie Parisi, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., acting as dean for the School of Medicine. “Students who attend Wayne State University can be assured that we will continue to provide complete training opportunities in the medical specialties, and the people of Michigan can know that we will train new physicians to meet their needs, now and in the future. Wayne State University educates more physicians who remain in Michigan to practice than any of the state’s medical schools. As our state’s residents continue to age, they can remain confident that orthopaedic surgeons trained by our School of Medicine will continue to provide cutting edge care for them. I am very grateful to Dr. Morawa, his outstanding faculty and staff, and our hospital partners for their dedication and support for the creation of this new residency program.”

“For the past three years, Oakwood and Wayne State University have established and maintained a strong partnership for medical education and research while providing excellent health care for the people of southeast Michigan” said Dr. Michael Geheb, division president of Oakwood Healthcare Inc. “Under the leadership of Dr. Morawa, longstanding Oakwood orthopedic surgeon and chair of the WSU Department of Orthopedic Surgery, our relationship has now expanded to include an ACGME accredited orthopedics residency program, which was approved in June. This latest achievement builds on the clinical excellence of Oakwood in orthopedics, and continues the collaboration between Oakwood and WSU.”

The Wayne State University School of Medicine has earned full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs in the United States and Canada.

“Many people worked extremely hard on the effort to secure this distinction,” said Valerie Parisi, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., acting as dean for the school. “The LCME survey team also saw our commitment and investment in the future of medical education when the members toured the new Mazurek Education Commons, and we have so many of our alumni and employees to thank for bringing that facility to fruition.”

Thomas Roe, M.D., associate dean for Undergraduate Medical Education at the School of Medicine, said the school administration has been notified that its next LCME survey will take place during the 2014-2015 academic year. The school has received accreditation for the full LCME accrediting cycle.

“The fact that the Wayne State University School of Medicine has received full reaccreditation speaks to the excellence of the medical education provided to our students and acknowledges the ongoing efforts of the school’s faculty, staff and administration to maintain the outstanding programs of instruction leading to the graduation of well-trained compassionate physicians who will serve the people of Michigan and the country,” Dr. Roe said. “This is an important achievement that our students, faculty, staff and alumni can be very proud of.”

The success of the reaccreditation process was the result of several years of determined effort on the part of numerous committees and individuals under the leadership of Executive Vice Dean Robert R. Frank, M.D., to document the quality of the school’s educational program and its compliance with all of the accreditation standards of the LCME.

LCME accreditation is required for medical schools to receive federal grants for education and to participate in federal loan programs. Most state licensing boards require that medical schools hold LCME accreditation as a condition for licensure of graduates. To be eligible to take the United States Medical Licensing Exam, the school students attend must have LCME accreditation. Graduates of LCME-accredited schools are eligible for residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. According to the LCME, accreditation “assures that medical education takes place in a sufficiently rich environment to foster broad academic purposes.”

Richard J. Genik II, Ph.D., director of the Emergent Technology Research Division and assistant professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, was one of 15 experts selected by the U.S. Army to make recommendations on how the service should invest its neuroscience research funding for the next two decades.

The catalyst for the study, Dr. Genik explained, was Tom Killion, Ph.D., the deputy assistant secretary for Research and Technology and the chief scientist for the U.S. Army. Dr. Killion requested an independent study to determine where the Army should invest neuroscience research dollars for the next 20 years to develop the highest impact. Dr. Killion made the request of the National Research Council, the main research arm of the National Academies of Science. That led to the selection of the nation’s leading neuroscience experts to participate in the study. Five of the 15 committee members chaired subject matter groups. Dr. Genik chaired the technology group for the 20-month study.

Once the report was completed, Dr. Genik was one of four committee members selected to make up a briefing team with the committee chair. They briefed Dr. Killion at the Pentagon, the Board of Army Science and Technology at the National Research Council, and other Army organizations, including the Army Research Lab, Army Research Institute, Medical Research and Material Command, Training and Doctrine Command, and the Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.

“Being recognized as a national leader in neuroscience technology and by inclusion on the committee itself is a high honor for the department, school and the university as whole; however, this second assignment of representing the committee to all external entities is even further recognition based on performance and overall contribution to the report,” said Dr. Genik, who was the only member of the briefing team to present at all three official briefings.

“In general, I hope we are able to improve survivability and decrease the effects of combat on returning soldiers,” Dr. Genik said of the study. “I am also hoping that we can increase training efficiency and provide guidance to those writing Army doctrine for future soldiers.”

A specific example, he noted, would involve the training and evaluation of operational readiness of helicopter pilots. One of the Army’s helicopters has a crash rate that “significantly exceeds” that of other aircraft, even when considering the inherent danger of missions. Reports received by the committee indicated, from a neuroscience point-of-view, that the operational interface for the helicopter pushes the cognitive limits of pilots during training, creating an increased risk of incident should the mission include additional unfamiliar stressors, or the pilot’s cognitive abilities be affected by sleep deprivation or nutritional imbalance.

“The Army does a remarkable job of making sure soldiers have enough time to sleep and are provided more than adequate nutrition, but the soldier could greatly benefit from a feedback system that tells him when he’s at peak performance and only at 80 percent peak or 60 percent,” Dr. Genik explained. “For the bulk of assignments, far lower than peak cognitive status is sufficient, but when tasks are required for a mission that inherently taxes the limits of normal function, we hope to increase survivability by providing both the soldier and commander in the field, as well as the strategic-tactical commander, with additional information on neural status and readiness.”

Some changes are already taking place in the military. The Secretary of the Army, Dr. Genik noted, has asked for a direct report because the changes under way represent a “paradigm shift” in Army research doctrine that could affect hundred of millions of dollars in funding. The various research branches of the Army are being re-tasked to work together on issues involving neuroscience. Within the next year it’s possible that a military version of the Actigraph – a device that measures circadian sleep rhythms, energy expenditure and other factors contributing to stress -- may be tested with a small number of combat troops. The rationale behind this test would be to provide objective feedback to ground troops about their neural state based on physical exertion and sleep deprivation. The field deployment of other related testing technologies is likely at least five years away, he said.

The committee made special emphasis to separate what was considered “mission enabling” technologies from “research enabling” technologies.

“The Army is very adept at recognizing devices intended to be deployed, but so far has been somewhat slow to understand the importance of guiding technologies that lead to changes in the field, but are not deployed themselves,” Dr. Genik said. “For example, all of the published human functional magnetic resonance imaging is done with a subject in a supine or prone position. There are significant perceptual differences between this position and sitting or standing, and whether the research conclusions derived from horizontal orientation directly apply to vertical orientation is an open research question that will require a new piece of technology to answer: a vertical bore MRI machine.”

Military training and doctrine, Dr. Genik said, has a 4,000-year history. In that time, armies and their professional leaders have accumulated and absorbed practical lessons from experience and trial and error. Neuroscience has been around only about 100 years, with only the last decade or so involving significant situational observation of local mental activity.

“We discuss at length the aspects of stress, including post traumatic stress disorder, that may affect performance in the field and suggest research recommendations on personality traits that may have more resilience to specific stressors,” Dr. Genik said. “Additionally, we recommend a thorough evaluation of types of stress soldiers encounter, including physical, environmental, mental, cognitive, nutritional and others. The committee suggests these areas be evaluated for what they may have in common, as well as what may be different. For example, mental stress caused by encountering a perilous situation can be very different in both intensity and duration than physical stress that can usually be alleviated with nutrition and sleep."

An executive summary of the report is available free from the National Academies Press at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12500

George H. Shade Jr., M.D., F.A.C.O.G., F.A.C.P.E., associate professor of the Gynecology Division in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been installed as president of the Wayne County Medical Society of Southeast Michigan.

Dr. Shade, who also serves as specialist-in-chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the Detroit Medical Center, was inaugurated as president of the society May 15. He will serve for one year.

A member of the society since 1978, Dr. Shade said his goal is to have the organization focus on access to health care in the Detroit metropolitan area and disparities in health care in the region. “By addressing these two issues alone, we will be required to look at several very important issues that create the problems we have in these two areas,” he said.

“I feel extremely honored to have been selected to step into this role,” Dr. Shade said. “I am a native Detroiter and have always felt a strong commitment to the city of Detroit. The women in the Detroit metropolitan area have myriad significant health care issues unique in many respects to this region. I believe that as a collective force of dedicated and talented physicians we can make a tremendous difference in the quality of life in southeastern Michigan."

Dr. Shade, who is chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology for Sinai-Grace Hospital, was appointed specialist-in-chief for Obstetrics and Gynecology for the Detroit Medical Center in March. The system-wide position includes overview of services at Hutzel Women's Hospital, Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital and Sinai-Grace Hospital. The chief of each hospital’s department of obstetrics and gynecology reports to Dr. Shade. He said he views his primary role as overseeing quality, physician credentialing and patient safety as it pertains to women's health care.

The position, Dr. Shade explained, includes adherence to best practices to ensure “that every woman coming to the DMC gets the very best health care available in the United States of America.

“Over the past three decades, health care in this nation has become more and more regionalized,” Dr. Shade said. “I see it as incumbent upon me to work closely with the physicians in comparable roles as mine in other health care systems to make sure that we put an end to lack of access to health care as well as the problems of disparities in health care encountered on a daily basis across southeastern Michigan. I believe I can best influence my colleagues by demonstrating that the DMC is truly a campus of breakthroughs and innovation strengthened by its long-term relationship with the Wayne State University School of Medicine and its time-tested commitment to the city of Detroit.”

In addition, Dr. Shade is serving his second term as vice chairman of the Michigan State Board of Medicine. Re-elected in January, he will hold the position through January 2010.

Selection to the board is by gubernatorial appointment. The governor receives recommendations from the Michigan State Medical Society, elected officials, industry, and civic and community organizations.

The board is charged with protecting the public safety as it pertains to the practice of medicine. Members oversee physician licensing, investigate complaints against physicians and are responsible for enacting disciplinary measures up to and including license revocation for infractions and unprofessional conduct.