Board of Governors, 2007-2008
Babak N. Alizadeh, PhD ’94
Babak is a biotech entrepreneur and executive who has been involved with some of the most exciting areas of the biotech industry including microarrays, stem cells, RNA interference and pharmacogenomics. While at Stanford he co-founded several student organizations and helped form major events for the first time including the career track symposia, the cancer biology journal club, and the Bench to Bedside Annual Symposia. As an alumnus he helped form the first symposia and events for non-medical alumni of the School of Medicine, and has volunteered for Stanford in different capacities involving the Social E-Challenge Business Plan Writing Competition, Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), the Stanford Hospitals and alumni affairs. He was recognized through STARS in 2002. He completed his M.S., Ph.D. and post-doctoral training in Cancer Biology and Biological Sciences at Stanford.
Linda Hawes Clever, BS ‘61, MD ‘65
Linda is the president of RENEW, a resource for healthcare professionals to regain and maintain their vitality. She also chairs the department of occupational health at California Pacific Medical Center and is a clinical professor of medicine at UCSF. She serves on the board of the Buck Institute for Research in Aging and has served on the board of KQED and Stanford’s Board of Trustees. Linda's areas of special interest include personal and organizational renewal; managed care and ethics; and the interactions of life, work and health. Her husband is also an internist; their daughter is faculty member in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Greg Engel, MD ’97
Greg practices cardiology, clinical cardiac electrophysiology, and internal medicine in East Palo Alto.
Myron Gananian, BA ‘51, MD ’59
Myron retired from family practice at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation 14 years ago. Medical activities thereafter consisted of work in urgent care at the PAMF, and stints as locums at the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Northern Nevada, and with the Havasupai Tribe in the depths of the Grand Canyon, and a third tour at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Fantasy activities consisted of three winters on Guest Services at Sun Valley (for minimum wage!), and a 4,300 mile bicycle tour from Long Island to Menlo Park. Grandchildren, house, yard, and 50 years of marriage leave little free time.
Rona Greenberg Giffard, PhD ’83, MD ’85
Rona is Professor of Anesthesia and Vice-chair for research at Stanford. Her research is on the interaction of brain cells in stroke with the goal of developing new strategies for treatment and recovery, while her clinical interest is in neuroanesthesia. Within the department she encourages research at all levels — undergraduate, medical students, residents, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty. She has a long standing interest in supporting women in scientific careers and is a mentor in the Association for Women in Science mentoring program at Stanford. Other interests include the history of neuroscience and medical ethics in literature. Her daughter is currently studying the history of science and technology, while her son is in environmental studies.
Mitchel P. Goldman, MD ’82
Mitchel is Founder and Medical Director of La Jolla Spa MD and Dermatology/Cosmetic Laser Associates of La Jolla, Inc. He also is a Volunteer Clinical Professor of Dermatology/Medicine at the University of California, San Diego and is Director of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Fellowship training program as well as Medical Director of a cosmetic research division with five full time research associates. He has published over 300 scientific manuscripts and medical textbook chapters as well as nine medical textbooks on cosmetic and dermatologic surgery, many in 2nd, 3rd or 4th editions. His outside interests are long-distance bicycle racing and SCUBA diving. He is presently single and has two daughters, one a Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for the Journal of Drugs and Dermatology and the other a senior at Washington University in St. Louis.
Newton J. Harband, BS ’64, MD ’66
Newton has worked with the Alumni Association as Class Representative, as a member of the Board of Governors and served as President (2002-2003). He practiced internal medicine and oncology in Burlingame from 1972 through 2001. He moved to Marin County to be nearer his four grandchildren in 2004. His current activities include participating in the Bioethics Committee at Marin General Hospital and serving on the tumor panel for the Regional Cancer Foundation which offers free second opinions for cancer patients, occasionally chairing this panel. His late wife was owned a stationery store in Burlingame for 25 years. One of his sons is a physical therapist, the other a teacher.
Susan Knox, MD ‘85
Susan Knox is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology. Her research focuses on the development of new targeted therapies for cancer and the study of the effects of radiation on the immune system, in order to optimize transplantation preparatory regimes and the use of radiation in tumor vaccine strategies. This research includes basic laboratory research, preclinical studies and clinical trials. She also enjoys working with medical students as an Advising Dean, and is an active participant in Cancer Center activities. Other interests include spending time with her 15 year old twin daughters, music, reading and sports.
Jane Lombard, MD ’83
Jane has been a Cardiologist with the Camino Medical Group in Sunnyvale since 2000. She was previously a Cardiologist with Kaiser Medical Center in Redwood City. She is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a member of the American Heart Association. She is also member at large in El Camino Hospital’s Interdepartmental Peer Review Committee and a lecturer with Stanford University’s Physician Assistant Program.
Fernando Mendoza, MD ‘75
Fernando is Professor and Chief of the Division of General Pediatrics at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. He is also Associate Dean for Minority Advising and Program (1983 to present), and continues to be active with the School's expanding agendas in diversity. His research has been in Latino child health and childhood obesity, and more recently has focus on the health issues of immigrant children and binational health policy. He serves on the board of the Hispanic Serving Health Professions School, Inc. and the Pan America Health and Education Foundation. His wife of thirty years, Alicia, is a psychotherapist, and his children are finishing college and law school.
Nancy Mason, MD ’77
Nancy Mason is in solo practice in Palo Alto in obstetrics and gynecology. She completed her residency at Stanford following a surgical internship at UCLA. Active on the adjunct clinical faculty at the Stanford Medical School, she has a special interest in mentoring preclinical students and teaching residents in the ob/gyn program. She is married with two daughters and is an avid rose gardener, gourmet cook, and fitness enthusiast. At every five year reunion she hosts a get-together at her home for her returning classmates.
William (Bill) Northway, BS ’54, MD ’57
Bill is the Secretary/Treasurer for the Board of Governors. He is professor emeritus (active) for the Stanford University’s medical school in pediatric radiology. He currently works part time at the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. He celebrated 44 years of marriage to Linda in 2007 and has two sons and two grandsons who live nearby. He and his wife enjoy watching Stanford’s athletic events, fly fishing, volunteer work, book collecting, cooking and travel.
Ellen FitzSimmons Porzig, PhD ’77
Ellen Porzig is Professor of Developmental Biology and Associate Dean for Graduate Education in the Stanford School of Medicine. With her colleagues, Ellen teaches courses on development and disease mechanisms, the evolution and development of the human hand, and assisted reproductive technologies. Ellen won Stanford's Gores Award and a School of Medicine Kaiser Award for excellence in teaching. With her husband, Klaus Porzig, MD ’73, she has three children who are currently in medicine, in graduate school and in college. Klaus and Ellen enjoy traveling, hiking and skiing with their family.
William (Bill) Rhine, MD ’84
Bill is the President-Elect for the Board of Governors with his term to begin in the fall of 2009. He is a Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatology) at the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, where he is the medical director of the neonatal ICU. His clinical interests include quality improvement in neonatology, brain injury and imaging as well as the treatment of respiratory failure with ECMO and inhaled nitric oxide. In 2005 he was named president of the California Association of Neonatologists. He is married with six sons.
Tina Seelig, PhD ’85
Tina Seelig is the Executive Director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) where she is responsible for strategic planning, operations, and outreach efforts of the center. In addition, Tina is the Director of the cross-campus Stanford Entrepreneurship Network and is the co-Director of the Mayfield Fellows Program. Tina teaches a course in the Department of Management Science & Engineering on Creativity and Innovation and received the School of Engineering Honor Society teaching award in 2005. She received a PhD in neuroscience at Stanford School of Medicine and has experience as a management consultant at Booz Allen and Hamilton, as a multimedia producer at Compaq, and as an entrepreneur. She has also written over a dozen science books and games.
Brett Staahl, BIOMASS Alumni Relations Liaison
Brett Staahl is a 4th year Developmental Biology graduate student in the Crabtree lab. His thesis work deals with a molecular mechanism underlying the developmental transition of neural stem cells into neurons. The subject of his studies is a chromatin remodeling complex called BAF, that has known functions in transcriptional regulation, and chromatin assembly. Outside of the lab Brett is involved with the BIOMASS student organization as the Alumni Relations Liaison and Graduate Student Handbook Coordinator. He enjoys skiing, mountain climbing, SCUBA, cycling and golf.
Norman J. Tong, BS ’63, ‘MD ‘68
Norman is President of the Board of Governors. He has been active in the SUMCAA for nearly ten years as the representative of the Class of 1968 and member of the Board of Governors. Since arriving at Stanford in 1959, he has received a B.S. in chemistry, M.D., residency in dermatology, and fellowship in dermatopathology. His outside interest relates to building a hillside home near Stanford (90% of the construction, personally accomplished). He commutes to San Jose daily from his home on the 17-mile Drive, where he resides with his spouse, Priscilla.
Laurie J. Weisberg, MD ’79
Laurie is a hematologist/oncologist at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in South San Francisco. She has special interests in bleeding and clotting disorders, as well as breast cancer treatment and research. She is a member of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Regional Breast Cancer Task Force, and participates in clinical research as a member of NSABP (National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Program) and SWOG (Southwest Oncology Group). Laurie is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF, and has been recognized for her teaching of medical students, residents, and fellows with several teaching awards and nominations. She enjoys theater, music, Pilates, hiking and cycling. Her husband is an endocrinologist and they have two sons, a Stanford Law School student and a Pomona College undergrad.
