Hats Off
A round-up of selected awards and honors
Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, MD, CRT ’79, former U.S. assistant surgeon general, was named one of the “Rock Stars of Science” and appeared in the December 2010 editions of GQ and Vanity Fair with rock star Jay Sean. Dr. Blumenthal is the senior policy and medical advisor at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, where she spearheads AIDS research and prevention advocacy initiatives and conferences in Washington, D.C.
Karl Deisseroth, PhD ’98, MD ’00, CRT ’03, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science and assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford, was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
Robert L. Dodd, MD, PhD ’98, CRT ’05, won the 2010 Denise O’Leary Award for Clinical Excellence from the Stanford Hospital & Clinics Board of Directors. Dodd, an assistant professor of neurosurgery and radiology at Stanford, was recognized for contributions to the care of patients with brain tumors and stroke-related cerebrovascular disorders, as well as his long-standing commitment to clinical research, teaching, and community outreach.
Julieta Gabiola, MD, CRT ’85, clinical associate professor of general internal medicine at Stanford, earned the American College of Physicians (ACP) Northern California Chapter’s Faculty Award for Volunteerism. She was honored in part for her leadership of an annual medical mission to the Philippines. Last year, she led a group of 70 volunteers, including physicians, dentists, surgeons, and nurses, from Stanford, Kaiser, Seton, and Mills Peninsula, who saw 4,700 patients in three days.
Scarlett Lin Gomez, PhD ’03, was named the 2010 American Journal of Public Health Author of the Year. A research scientist for the Cancer Prevention Institute of California, Gomez received the honor for a research article on her study of breast cancer in Asian American groups, “Disparities in Breast Cancer Survival Among Asian Women by Ethnicity and Immigrant Status.”.
Lawrence “Rusty” Hofmann, MD, CRT ’00, associate professor and chief of interventional radiology at Stanford, was named inaugural recipient of the Ohio State School of Medicine Early Career Achievement Award. Among the criteria for the award are “demonstrated leadership capability” and “commitment to the service of others.”
Tom Krummel MD, CRT ’85, the Emile Holman Professor of Surgery and Chair, Department of Surgery and the Susan B. Ford Surgeon-in-Chief at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, was elected the President of James IV Association of Surgeons. The James IV Association aims to develop closer ties among surgeons in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
William Kuo, MD, CRT ’06, received the 2011 Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award from the Society of Interventional Radiology. Kuo, an assistant professor of vascular and interventional radiology and CV/interventional fellowship director for Stanford, was honored for authoring the most outstanding clinical science research paper submitted to the Society.
Frank Longo, MD, CRT ’08, George E. and Lucy Becker Professor in Medicine and Chair, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford, was named one of GQ magazine’s “Rock Stars of Science” and appeared in the December 2010 edition of GQ in a pictorial with former Poison frontman/current reality TV star Bret Michaels. The magazine highlights Longo’s research for “showing considerable promise in pre-clinical models of Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, Down syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological disorders.”.
Yvonne “Bonnie” Maldonado, MD ’81, professor in the Department of Pediatrics (Infectious Disease) and Department of Health Research & Policy at Stanford, along with her co-principal investigators, Drs. Michele Barry and David Katzenstein, received a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to improve medical education over the next five years at the University of Zimbabwe.
Ahmad Salehi, MD, PhD, PD ’99, was named the winner of the World Technology Network Award, given annually to leading innovators in different technology sectors. Salehi, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, was recognized for his research on understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders, with an emphasis specifically on Alzheimer’s.
Hannah Valantine, MD, CRT ’06, senior associate dean for diversity and leadership and professor of medicine at Stanford, earned one of six Pathfinder Awards from the NIH. The awards were created to support innovative approaches to increasing diversity in the nation’s scientific workforce. Valentine is receiving $2 million over three years to investigate ways to help female faculty overcome “stereotype threat” that could impact their career development.
Abraham Verghese, MD,professor of medicine and senior associate chair for the theory and practice of medicine program at Stanford, appeared on The Martha Stewart Show when Stewart chose his novel, Cutting for Stone, as her “Books I’m Reading” pick. Verghese’s book has been on the New York Times trade bestseller list for more than a year, and Anonymous Content recently optioned the screen rights for the story.
Scott Waldman, MD ’87,has been recognized with the Award in Excellence in Clinical Pharmacology from the PhRMA Foundation. Waldman, the director of the GI Malignancies Program at the Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia and director of Thomas Jefferson University’s postdoctoral training program in clinical pharmacology, was honored for his promising research related to diagnosing, treating, and possibly preventing colorectal cancer.