 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Latest Newsletter |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUMCAA Newsletter
May 31, 2005
From the Desk of the Associate Dean for Alumni Affairs
Dear Alumni,
At its May 6, 2005 meeting, the Alumni Association Board of Governors approved bylaw changes which grant full membership status to Masters and PhD degree holders, as well as to those who have completed their residencies and fellowships at Stanford Medical Center. To reflect this new inclusiveness, the name of our organization has been changed to the Stanford University Medical Center Alumni Association (SUMCAA). An update to our logo is currently underway.
The Board of Governors recognizes the important roles played by all constituents who have worked, learned, taught and thereby contributed to the Medical Center. These changes not only significantly increase the size of our membership but strengthen our organization as these new colleagues bring with them their energy and expertise. We look forward to working with our new members.
Sincerely,
Ross Bright, MD ’58
Associate Dean for Alumni Affairs
Stanford University Medical Center Alumni Association News
Reunion Weekend
Four hundred alumni and their guests gathered to reunite with friends and reconnect with the School of Medicine. Pictures of the weekend can be found here.
Match Day
One of the highlights of the year for the Alumni Association is Match Day, when the Association hosts a celebratory dinner for students who have just learned where they will spend their residency. Alumni give students School of Medicine diploma frames and stethoscope nametags, and the students present the school the monies they have raised for their class gift. Pictures from the evening can be found here.
Financial Aid Dinner
As the May 2nd Dean’s Newsletter notes, “Stanford is unique in a number of important ways. One perhaps not as well known as others is the remarkably low debt burden that our MD students incur upon graduation…whereas the average national debt burden for students graduating from four years of medical school is approximately $131,000, Stanford students graduate with about $61,000 of debt – the lowest in the nation for private and public medical schools...The low debt burden is the result of a robust financial aid program that is made possible by the remarkable gifts and donations of alumni and members of our community on behalf of medical education.”
One way the school expresses its gratitude to those who have contributed to the financial aid of students is the Financial Aid Dinner where donors are paired with the students they have supported. The Financial Aid Dinner held on April 26th was the most well attended to date. To see pictures from the event, go to: http://med.stanford.edu/alumni/financialdinner.html.
Presidential term of Linda Hawes Clever, MD '65 brings greater inclusion
Dr. Clever’s presidential term is one that will be remembered for its openness to all Stanford Medical Center constituents. Under her leadership, the Alumni Association broadened its membership base to include certificate holders and past residents, interns, and fellows. With her encouragement, the association’s name was changed to “Stanford University Medical Center Alumni Association” to reflect the inclusion of all Medical Center alumni. Furthermore, Dr. Clever supported efforts to allow these new members to serve on the Board of Governors and worked to garner greater participation from the PhD population.
Dr. Clever’s vision as president was not confined solely to the Alumni Association. Under her direction, the Board of Governors began supporting and contributing to the school’s diversity efforts through the newly formed Diversity Committee. Dr. Clever chaired this committee which organized a Diversity Panel at Reunion Weekend where students and alumni from diverse backgrounds spoke about their experiences at Stanford. In addition, the committee is creating a survey on diversity that will be sent to all alumni this summer to help the association better understand the experiences and needs of its members.
Alumni News
William Northway, MD '57 receives J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Northway was presented with the Sterling award on May 6, 2005. This lifetime achievement award honored his pioneering work in the field of pediatric radiology and his commitment to impart his expertise to students, residents, and fellows.
As a revolutionary researcher, Dr. Northway’s discoveries changed the way premature babies with lung disease are treated worldwide. He identified and coined the chronic lung condition bronchopulmonary dysplasia and found that by lowering the oxygen concentration in the ventilators used on premature babies, the less the babies developed this condition. As a result, the prevalence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia has declined and now occurs only in the most severely ill premature infants.
As a teacher, Dr. Northway’s career spans more than 40 years. He began as an Instructor of Radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine in 1964 and served various professorial roles in the departments of Radiology and Pediatrics until his retirement in 1998. Even after his retirement, Dr. Northway continues to teach residents and read X-ray films each week at Stanford.
As an administrator, Dr. Northway served as Acting Director of the Division of Diagnostic Radiology, Chair of the Stanford Medical School Faculty Practice Program, and Director of Pediatric Radiology at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. In addition, he was a founding member of the Pacific Coast Pediatric Radiology Association and has been a member of the Stanford Medical School Alumni Association Board of Governors since 1999.
For pictures of the awards ceremony, visit:
http://med.stanford.edu/alumni/reunion2005/recap.html
Gerald Jampolsky, MD ’50 wins Pride in the Profession Humanitarian Award
In 1975, Dr. Jampolsky recognized that there were virtually no emotional support systems for people affected by catastrophic illness. Death and dying was relegated to hospital rooms where the medical problem was the only focus. The emotional experience was often one of fear and painful isolation. Dr. Jampolsky founded the International Center for Attitudinal Healing in Sausalito to address this need and to create a safe place where children with cancer could gather and talk to each other. Through his work at the Center, Dr. Jampolsky created the first Support Group Model now used extensively worldwide.
The free services at the Center have extended to include adults with catastrophic illnesses, Power to Choose Program for children, Person to Person groups for people with no illnesses but who want to incorporate Attitudinal Healing in their lives, and a program for businesses called Pro-Attitude. There are now 130 independent Centers for Attitudinal Healing serving their communities in 26 countries.
Dr. Jampolsky has written over 14 books, including best sellers “Love is Letting Go of Fear” and “Forgiveness: The Greatest Healer of All.” He has lectured in 54 countries on psychology, psychiatry, mental and physical health, the power of change, attitudinal health, grief and death, and interpersonal relationships.
The Pride in the Profession Awards, presented by the American Medical Association Foundation, recognize the contributions of exemplary physicians who work in underserved areas or sacrifice their time for volunteer or public service efforts.
To learn more about the Center for Attitudinal Learning, visit:
http://www.attitudinalhealing.org
Susan Knox, MD '85 begins term as SUMCAA Board President
Dr Knox will serve as President of the SUMCAA Board of Governors from 2005-07. Dr. Knox received her MD from Stanford in 1985 and completed her residency and fellowship in radiation oncology at Stanford in 1990. She joined the Stanford faculty in 1990 and is now associate professor of radiation oncology. Her work focuses on making radiation therapy more effective and less debilitating for patients with certain kids of lymphoma and other cancers. Dr. Knox has served on the Board of Governors since 2000.
Call for Volunteers
Informal mentors needed for new graduates, nationwide
The Alumni Association has undertaken a new initiative to pair up young graduates, as they arrive in distant cities to begin their post-graduate training, with Stanford Medical alumni who live and practice in those areas. The thought is to have someone not associated with their residency program, whom they might contact regarding any questions or concerns about this new phase of their lives. We would like them to have a person to contact who can act as an informal mentor and friend. If you would like to be a mentor, please contact Ruth Cinquini at ruth.cinquini@stanford.edu or at 650-234-0619.
Alumni physicians needed to assist with Practice of Medicine course, Palo Alto
Dr. Clarence Braddock, who directs the Practice of Medicine course for 1st and 2nd-year medical students, seeks alumni physicians who are willing to have students in their clinic 1 to 2 afternoons a week. Dr. Braddock is also looking for physicians who can work with a small group of students on the Stanford campus and assist them in learning physical examination skills.
The Practice of Medicine course embraces a larger role for the physician in society – not just healer and advisor, but community advocate and effective agent for change. The goal of the course is to provide students with the skills and perspective necessary to begin entry into medical practice. In addition, the course trains medical school graduates to become excellent clinicians and future leaders in medicine.
If you are interested in being involved, please contact the Practice of Medicine course coordinator, Janot Ross, at 650-724-9621 or jannot@stanford.edu
School Of Medicine News
Eighty-three PhD students have accepted admittance to the SOM
This coming fall, 83 students will begin their studies toward PhD degrees in the 12 Home Programs in the biosciences (biochemistry, biological sciences, biophysics, cancer biology, developmental biology, genetics, immunology, microbiology & immunology, molecular & cellular physiology, molecular pharmacology, neurosciences, and structural biology). The accepted students were drawn from more than 1,000 applicants. Each student was interviewed by 5-6 members of the Biosciences faculty. More than half of those students who were accepted to the Stanford Biosciences decided to matriculate here.
This is the smallest class of PhD candidates admitted in many years, and it includes 15 students from underrepresented minority groups. The new class will be joining us from 12 different countries.
Two top stem cell researchers moving west to Stanford
Last November, when California voters approved a measure to fund stem cell research, experts predicted that some of the country's finest scientists would make their way to the Golden State. Now two such researchers have done just that: Stefan Heller, PhD, associate professor of otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School, and Michael Clarke, MD, professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, announced that they are joining the Stanford Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine. More of the article.
Faculty News
Dr. Steven Fortmann receives the Joseph Stokes Award from the American Society of Preventive Cardiology
Dr. Fortmann, Professor of medicine and director of the Stanford Prevention Research Center is the 2005 recipient of the Joseph Stokes Award from the American Society of Preventive Cardiology. This award is given in recognition of excellence in furthering education, research, and the practice of preventive cardiology. The award was presented May 1st in conjunction with the Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease, Epidemiology and Prevention held in Washington, D.C.
Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/dean/faculty/Stephen_Fortmann
