January News

Message from Dean Richardson: A Statement of Principles for Health Care Reform

Greetings and welcome to the School of Medicine's January update.

Earlier this month, several School of Medicine faculty members and our Director of Communications attended a Health Care Reform Summit convened by Oregon Health Forum, Northwest Health Foundation, CodeBlueNow, the American Leadership Forum of Oregon and other interested organizations.

Over 600 people – identifying themselves as legislators, stakeholders, reform advocates, and members of the public – considered the perspectives of a diverse panel, including former Governor John Kitzhaber, MD, representatives from small and large business, hospitals, academia, a union and an insurer.

The large turnout for this event, along with the many reform proposals now before the Oregon Legislature, underscores the growing momentum for change to Oregon's health care system.

Access to health care in Oregon – and the nation – is compromised for many people. One in six Oregonians is uninsured, including about 118,000 children. Countless more are underinsured or experience temporary gaps in their coverage that may limit their access to health care.

The School of Medicine faculty and students are now, and have been for over a century, deeply involved in providing the highest quality health care to patients, including Oregon's neediest, as part of our mission. We do this in a variety of ways.

Many of you volunteer or participate in rotations in the safety net clinics of Central City Concern, Outside/In and the Salvation Army, groups providing health care and other services to homeless people in downtown Portland. The Association of Students for the Underserved is actively engaged in projects to promote increased access to health care. The list of such outreach from the School of Medicine is a long one.

Physicians, residents and students working in OHSU hospitals, the emergency department and in dedicated clinics for low-income people also provide direct health care services to uninsured and underinsured people on a daily basis. In fact, based on our size and in comparison to other hospitals and health care systems in Oregon, OHSU provides a disproportionate share of uncompensated health care to uninsured and Medicaid patients.

In 2005, OHSU hospitals and clinics provided approximately $53 million in uncompensated care to the uninsured and underinsured. In the past, OHSU received state funds to help offset this expenditure but that is no longer the case. In this way we are now equivalent to other hospitals and health systems.

Being a safety net provider is an important part of our identity, historically and today. When considering the level of need and the real costs of uncompensated health care, however, the current safety net delivery model and its financing are not up to the task of providing the highest quality health care to so many uninsured and underinsured people. The safety net is strained beyond capacity, and unless we develop alternative strategies and approaches, the health of many in Oregon may suffer.

Health care reform is very high on the "to do" list of this Legislature, and health committees are expected to end up reviewing more than a half dozen different reform plans.

As Oregon's only medical school, we have a unique role to play in health care reform. Many faculty members were involved in the creation and implementation of the Oregon Health Plan (OHP). Others have studied the public health impact of cuts to the OHP. Faculty members have been appointed to special reform committees and have been instrumental in helping policymakers objectively assess the costs and public health consequences of specific reform options.

To articulate our perspective on and involvement in the unfolding policy process, the School of Medicine will establish a policy task force, coordinated by John Saultz, MD, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine. As part of this, the School of Medicine is proposing a "statement of principles" to consider in the context of health care reform. The School of Medicine:

• Supports universal access to a defined set of health care services for all Oregonians in ways that are not exclusively linked to employment.

• Recognizes the special health care needs of children and supports a unique access plan to ensure these needs are met for every child without exception.

• Supports an aggressive focus on preventive health care and the promotion of healthy lifestyles as part of universal access.

• Believes that quality health care is linked to outcomes transparency.

• Believes that costs can be contained and quality enhanced by innovation in health care delivery models and by leveraging the power of information technology.

• Supports a coordinated and rational approach to safety net health care delivery among providers.

• Recognizes that compromise by everyone may be needed to enact effective health care policies.

Health care reform is a significant policy issue. The decisions made in coming months and years will reverberate for our patients and our institution far into the future.




MEET THE DEANS

Over the coming months, the School of Medicine newsletter will profile members of the Dean's office. Our goal is to provide useful insights about who to contact when you have questions or to otherwise support your interests and concerns. This month: Ella Booth and Don Girard. For an overview of the Dean's office organization, please click here.

Ella Booth

Ella Booth, PhD, Associate Dean for Administration, Planning, and Diversity

Ella Booth's primary responsibilities in the Dean's office are to direct the administrative affairs of the School of Medicine, such as those relating to faculty appointments and personnel issues. She coordinates strategic planning projects and coordinates use of physical space. Dr. Booth is the School of Medicine's principal business officer to the AAMC and is the representative to the AAMC Group on Student Affairs/Minority Affairs. Dr. Booth also evaluates and interviews prospective students.

Dr. Booth is working to improve recruitment techniques in ways that will increase faculty, student and staff diversity. She is available to help departments tailor job descriptions to reflect the institutional commitment to diversity and to cast a wider net to identify diverse candidates.

In addition to her role in the Dean's office, Dr. Booth is an Associate Director in the Center for Ethics in Health Care and her faculty appointment is in the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

Dr. Booth recently completed a doctoral program in business administration. She is a member of the Portland Community College Foundation Board and finance committee, a member of the African American Health Coalition Board and was appointed in January by Governor Ted Kulongoski to the Governor's Medicaid Advisory Committee.

Outside of her work in the Dean's office, Dr Booth enjoys traveling. "Last year my husband and I went to Australia and next year we are planning on a safari in Africa." She also teaches online classes in business ethics and organizational behavior.

Don Girard

Don Girard, MD, Associate Dean for Graduate and Continuing Medical Education

Don Girard's primary responsibility in the Dean's office is to support and guide Graduate and Continuing Medical Education programs.

Dr. Girard helps residency programs prepare for site visits by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or other accrediting bodies/boards specific to respective programs. He is in regular contact with program directors about their residency programs, and involved in creating new or expanded programs. Dr. Girard is a resource for residents who want to discuss their programs or have specific concerns. "I consider it a special opportunity to be involved with young people in medicine."

Dr. Girard's involvement in Continuing Medical Education includes developing programs that draw on the clinical and academic strengths of School of Medicine faculty. Recently, he has been involved in establishing innovative new approaches, such as the "re-entry program" for physicians wishing to rejoin the workforce.

Dr. Girard completed a residency in internal medicine at what was then known as the University of Oregon Medical School and Affiliated VA Hospital, later to become OHSU. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and has balanced his commitment to academic medicine with his own practice in internal medicine. Dr. Girard collects first-edition medical books, is an avid photographer and has recently left long distance running to take up cycling.

SOM research shows on-call physician shortage weakens Oregon trauma system

Nearly half of Oregon's hospitals cannot provide on-call specialist treatment around the clock to emergency patients in at least one specialty, despite paying substantial stipends, and 13 percent of Oregon's hospitals have had their trauma designation downgraded as a result.

K. John McConnell, PhD, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine and a health economist in the OHSU Center for Policy & Research in Emergency Medicine, was the lead study author. He and colleagues recently published these findings in the online version of the Annals of Emergency Medicine ("The On-Call Crisis: A Statewide Assessment of the Costs of Providing On-Call Specialist Coverage").

The study relied on a cross-section, standardized survey of chief executive officers from all hospitals with emergency departments in Oregon. The e-mail based survey asked about payments made to specialists to take call and examined changes in hospitals' trauma designation and ability to provide continuous coverage for certain specialties, as described in the paper's abstract.

The statewide survey, conducted in the summer of 2005, showed coverage shortages in most specialties, with the most acute shortages in orthopedics and neurosurgery. More than half of all hospitals expressed difficulty in maintaining specialists on call for three or more specialties. The eight specialties measured were trauma surgery, general surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, hand surgery, neurology, orthopedics and obstetrics.

Nearly half (43 percent) of all hospitals provided some subsidy to at least one specialty, on average approximately $1,000 per night, in an attempt to attract more consistent specialty coverage. Ninety percent of large, urban hospitals in Oregon are compensating at least one group of specialists through stipends or guaranteed rates of pay.

"This study adds to a mounting body of evidence that the on-call crisis is a serious threat to the integrity of our emergency care system and is the weak link in the chain-of-survival in many communities throughout the United States," said contributing author Loren A. Johnson, MD, FACEP, Chief Medical Officer, Sutter Emergency Medical Associates in Davis, California.

The study represents the first comprehensive survey of the costs of changes in on-call coverage, noted McConnell. Although the study concerns Oregon, study authors noted that the problem may be substantially worse in other states, citing specific data from California where the total annual cost of stipend payments exceeded $600 million in 2005.

The study received significant media coverage in early January, including a front page article in The Oregonian and discussions on Oregon Public Broadcasting radio.

Discovery Spotlight: Maureen Hoatlin, PhD

Unraveling the molecular basis of human cancer susceptibility via Fanconi anemia

An editorial in the journal Nature Genetics called the study of Fanconi anemia a "tough and simultaneously scientifically rewarding problem." Maureen Hoatlin, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, agrees wholeheartedly. "Our lab is in the middle of solving one of the most interesting scientific puzzles I have ever heard of," said Hoatlin.

Fanconi anemia is a rare genetic disease in children causing short stature, skeletal anomalies, increased susceptibility to solid tumors and leukemia, and bone marrow failure.

Although the disease is rare, within a core group of basic scientists worldwide, it is well known because it offers a doorway into unraveling the "caretaker" functions of certain genes over DNA replication and repair. Mutations in these caretaker genes result in the genomic instability and cancer predisposition of Fanconi anemia children.

A major shift in Fanconi anemia research occurred recently with the realization that the Fanconi pathway is enmeshed in the DNA damage response network involving breast cancer susceptibility products BRCA1 and BRCA2.

"Our long-term goal is to obtain a mechanistic explanation for the function of the proteins in the Fanconi anemia pathway. We hope our work will lead to new approaches for targeted drug design in Fanconi anemia, as well as for cancer prevention and treatment in the general population," said Hoatlin.

Hoatlin's lab has contributed – independently and in collaboration with other research labs worldwide – to an accumulation of knowledge over the last decade that may now be reaching a tipping point. Hoatlin's team developed a novel method to study Fanconi anemia that has accelerated the research trajectory.

In human cells, most of the Fanconi proteins are hard to detect, requiring that investigators grow millions of cells over long periods to collect an adequate sample size. Not only is this costly and time-consuming, the process is not ideal because most of these human cells are not rapidly dividing which is the time when Fanconi proteins are usually at their highest expression.

The Hoatlin team devised a method that chemically triggers DNA copying in extracts from frog's eggs (Xenopus laevis) to activate (in isolation) the Fanconi pathway, monitored by the presence of Fanconi associated proteins. With this technique the team was able to show how the Fanconi proteins function to repair DNA, specifically by preventing the accumulation of breaks in DNA strands that arise even during normal replication.

Based on this insight, the next step, now underway, is to identify chemical compounds that can modulate the Fanconi anemia pathway using the cell-free assay. This offers the potential, for instance, of activating (or bypassing) the pathway in children with the disease. Conversely, compounds that inhibit the Fanconi pathway may be used to reduce human susceptibility to cancer or to enhance the efficiency of anticancer drugs by overriding production of drug-resistance cancer cells.

"This is a great opportunity to create a strong cross-departmental research focus on DNA damage and repair at OHSU with the many complementary research programs we have on the campus," Hoatlin said.

One venue for enhancing the interaction among interested faculty, students and postdocs is the monthly DNA R3 Club that Hoatlin has been running since the summer 2005 (for information Google Hoatlin R3).

"With funding becoming a challenge, this is a good time to focus on our combined strengths and interests," Hoatlin said.

*Pictured in the photo above from left to right are: Alex Sobeck (postdoctoral fellow), Maureen Hoatlin, Stacie Stone (graduate student), Alexis LaChapelle (research assistant), Igor Landais (postdoctoral fellow), Katy Van Hook (graduate student on rotation).

(Discovery Spotlight is a continuing series profiling a research project, scientist, discovery or lab in the OHSU School of Medicine.)

RUN FOR RESEARCH

The Fanconi Anemia Research Fund is sponsoring a Valentine Fanconi Anemia 5K Walk/Run Sunday, February 11. Participants should meet under the Morrison Bridge, SW Morrison and Naito Parkway. Registration is 7:00 to 7:45 a.m. The cost is $30 for adults and $15 for children younger than 12 who register before February 9, and $35 for adults and $20 for children younger than 12 the day of the event. A T-shirt is included with entry fee. E-mail Peggy Padden at pegpadpad@hotmail.com for more information.

Review of core research facilities leads to new funding

A review committee has completed an evaluation of the policies surrounding "core" research facilities. The goal of the review was to determine how well the research cores are serving investigators and, based on those findings, to recommend new or revised policies to improve this support.

The committee concluded that the research cores - which vary significantly in size, structure and purpose across the campus - are essential to supporting researchers. However, the committee had several new recommendations for more efficient operation, including establishing a central administration and oversight to ensure that research cores fulfill their support purpose. In addition, the committee recommended that a process be established to evaluate core performance annually and to propose new cores.

Based on these findings, new funds were obtained from the central university budget to establish a permanent central core administration with two staff positions. This includes a half-time Core Administrator and a full-time Financial Analyst, as well as some funding for certain initiatives. The Vice President for Research established a Core Oversight Committee to advise on the long-term implementation of the reports recommendations.

To access the full report from the committee click here.

Service excellence "summit" set for February 21 and 27

Individual department plans for improving service will be shared and discussed at the upcoming service excellence "summit."

Already, general service standards have been established as part of the excellence initiative – such as responding within one day to phone calls and providing timely feedback to referring physicians. However, there is a broad agreement that the service challenges of individual departments are in many instances unique.

For this reason, each department was asked to prepare an improvement plan, including specific measures of success, such as phone statistics and patient wait time. Each department has also been asked to appoint a service excellence champion.

These plans are being compiled into a single document and circulated among clinical department chairs, administrators, practice managers and champions. The upcoming two-hour summit, offered twice to accommodate various schedules, will provide an opportunity to share the plans and their implementation, discuss relevant issues, identify next steps and brainstorm new ways to promote service excellence.

The meetings are set for Wednesday, February 21, noon to 2:00 p.m. and Tuesday, February 27, 7 to 9 a.m. in the Marquam Room (the room located in the back of the Mac Hall Cafeteria) next to the Diversity and Multicultural Affairs Offices. Please e-mail Leslie Goddard at sutherll@ohsu.edu to pre-register for this event.

For specific input on developing a plan, or for answers to questions, please contact Mike Bonazzola, MD, Chief Medical Officer for OHSUMG at bonazzmf@ohsu.edu or Suzanne Sullivan, Associate Hospital Director at sullivsu@ohsu.edu.

Tram opens to the public, rules for patient use clarified

The Portland Aerial Tram opened for routine service on January 30 at 6 a.m. after a grand opening weekend during which an estimated 10,000 people were treated to free introductory "flights" on the city's newest public conveyance. The festive public debut event was covered widely by the media, including an article and photograph in the New York Times.

With the public opening of the tram, physicians and clinical staff with patients using the tram should become familiar with the Standard Operating Procedures governing this use. A few key points follow.

Advisability of Tram Ride by an OHSU Patient. For any OHSU patient who has a clinical condition for which riding on the Tram poses a risk or is otherwise inadvisable (in the best judgment of their OHSU health care provider), the provider will notify the OHSU patient of this concern, and direct the OHSU patient to use ground transportation. Health care providers must note this recommendation in the patient's medical record. The following are examples of circumstances or health care conditions that would make riding the Tram inadvisable for an OHSU patient:

1. OHSU patients' known medical condition and/or side effects of known medications that would put the patient or other Tram riders at risk; and,

2. OHSU patients' known condition creates the potential for his or her having unpleasant or injurious physical or psychological experiences when riding the Tram, such as dizziness, sensitivity to heights, motion sickness and vertigo.

Tram Ride with Direct Admissions from Center for Health & Healing to OHSU Hospitals. The Tram is NOT the recommended form of transportation for patients being admitted to OHSU Hospital for planned or unplanned admissions, under any circumstances even for non-urgent care. Ground medical transportation will always be the recommended form of transportation for such OHSU patients. Clinical staff will inform the OHSU patient of this prior to admission, and thereafter the patient's provider will note in the patient's medical record that the patient has been informed of this recommendation. Patients have the right to decline this recommendation. If the provider knows the patient has declined the recommendation, he/she will note the declination in the medical record.

Also, please remember: the tram is an extension of the university and that the same HIPAA/confidentiality rules apply as if you are in other public places on campus, including elevators and hallways.

For more detailed information, click here.

Cultural Competency Lecture Series

Victor Perry, MD, Director of Pediatric epilepsy surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, will lecture at OHSU on February 9. Dr. Perry was featured in the Discovery Channel Program, "How Surgery Saved My Life," a story of a Native American teenager who received a blend of traditional ritual and Western medicine. Dr. Perry completed a seven-year neurosurgical residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital and is a graduate of Yale Medical School. Dr. Perry's lecture, "Awareness and Understanding of Culture in Medicine: Improving How We Deliver Care," will describe available opportunities to better understand various cultural backgrounds, traditions and beliefs in creating a more effective healing environment.

The lecture is on February 9, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in the OHSU Old Library Auditorium. Prior to his visit, there will be a screening of the Discovery Channel Program on:

January 24: UHS 8B60 at 12:00 p.m.
February 2: Old Library Auditorium at 12:00 p.m. and UHS 8B60 at 3:00 p.m.
February 5 through 8: Mackenzie Hall Room 1115 at 12:00 p.m.

This event is co-sponsored by the School of Medicine, OHSU Cancer Institute and the OHSU Center for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs. Please call (503) 494-5657 for more information.

Applications available for the 2007 Campagna Scholarship in neurological surgery

The Campagna Scholarship was endowed in 2006 by Oregon neurosurgeon Dr. Mario Campagna and his wife, Edith. The scholarship supports a 10-week summer semester of research under the supervision of a neurosurgical mentor at OHSU and residence expenses in Portland, Oregon. Students in the first or second year of study at an accredited U.S. medical school are eligible to apply. One scholar is selected annually.

Campagna scholars receive $5,000 for support of living expenses and travel to Portland. Scholars are eligible for up to $2,500 additional award to support travel to a national neurosurgical meeting to present the results of their research project, under the supervision of their mentor. The OHSU neurosurgical faculty mentor also receives up to $2,500 to cover research expenses. Medical students with a serious interest in neurological surgery are encouraged to apply. Please review application details and complete the application online: click here.

Joseph Bloom, MD, SOM dean emeritus, appointed to guide improvements at Oregon State Hospital

The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) appointed Joseph Bloom, MD, to help guide improvements at Oregon State Hospital, naming him special assistant for mental health in DHS.

Dr. Bloom is Dean Emeritus of the School of Medicine, and former Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry. He was trained in community psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and holds a medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York State.

"As an energetic, proven professional, Dr. Bloom is uniquely qualified to advise the state on how to get the best outcomes from the millions of dollars Oregon is about to invest to replace the state hospital and strengthen the community mental health system," said Bob Nikkel, DHS Assistant Director for additions and mental health services.

"We are extremely pleased that Dr. Bloom will be joining the Oregon State Hospital," said DHS Director Bruce Goldberg, MD. "I had the privilege of working with him at OHSU and greatly appreciate the expertise he will be bringing to the state's mental health system."

Information from DHS, December 20, 2006.

Peter O. Kohler, MD, awarded Mastership in American College of Physicians

Peter O. Kohler, MD, MACP, OHSU President Emeritus, was recently awarded Mastership from The American College of Physicians. Mastership honors select Fellows of the College in recognition of exceedingly stellar career accomplishments and service to the College. These include notable contributions to medicine in teaching, clinical medicine, contributions to preventive medicine, improvements in delivery of health care, or contributions to the medical literature. Dr. Kohler was nominated by several current Oregon Chapter ACP Fellows and Masters.

Jon M. Hanifin, MD, receives Master Dermatologist Award

The American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) will present Jon M. Hanifin, MD, FAAD, Professor Emeritus, Dermatology, with the Academy's Master Dermatologist Award at its 65th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in early February. The Master Dermatologist Award recognizes an Academy member who has made significant contributions to the specialty of dermatology as well as to the leadership and/or educational programs of the Academy throughout his or her career.

James B. Reuler, MD, receives Laureate Award in the Oregon Chapter of American College of Physicians

James B. Reuler, MD, MACP, Professor of Medicine, General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, was recently awarded the Laureate Award from the Oregon Chapter of The American College of Physicians. The Laureate Award honors Fellows and Masters of the College who have demonstrated by their example and conduct an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education, or research and in service to their community, their Chapter, and the American College of Physicians. The award noted that Reuler is a long-standing and loyal supporter of the College, has rendered distinguished service to the Chapter, and has upheld the high ideals and professional standards for which the College is known. Dr. Reuler served as Governor for the Oregon Chapter ACP from 1997 to 2001.

Kathryn J. Zerbe, MD, wins 2006 Edith Sabshin Teaching Award for 2007

Kathryn J. Zerbe, MD, Professor, Psychiatry, was selected by the American Psychoanalytic Association to receive the 2006 Edith Sabshin Teaching Award. The award recognizes outstanding achievements in teaching psychoanalytic concepts to students other than psychoanalytic candidates. The late Edith Sabshin, in whose honor this award is named, was known for her abilities as a "natural" teacher, according to the association. Award certificates were presented on January 19 during the Winter 2007 Meeting of members in New York City.

GMEC names recipients of 2007 Distinguished Service Awards

The Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) is charged with the task of overseeing more than 62 residencies and fellowships to ensure that they offer the best education and are carried out in the most professional and collegial manner. To accomplish those goals requires significant effort on the part of both residents and faculty who serve as members of GMEC.

Some members of the Committee consistently go beyond expectations to ensure that SOM programs are best served. The Distinguished Service Award recognize those who have made particular contributions to graduate medical education through the Committee's work. Congratulations to the following individuals:

RESIDENTS

Christine Kelso, MD, Internal Medicine
Miko Enomoto, MD, Anesthesiology
Raphael El Youseff, MD, Surgery
Tammy Carpenter, MD, Anesthesiology

FACULTY

Alan Hunter, MD, Internal Medicine
Andy Lauer, MD, Ophthalmology
Donald Rosen, MD, Psychiatry
Joseph Gilhooly, MD, Pediatrics
Karen Deveney, MD, Surgery
Leon Assael, DMD, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Mick Scanlan, MD, PhD, Pathology
Patrick Brunett, MD, Emergency Medicine

Steven Gallon, PhD, appointed to OBME Health Professionals Program Supervisory Council

The Oregon Board of Medical Examiners appointed Steven L. Gallon, PhD (Adjunct Associate Professor, Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Director of the Northwest Frontier Addiction Technology Transfer Center) to the Health Professionals Program Supervisory Council. The Health Professionals Program provides a therapeutic intervention for licensees struggling with chemical dependency. Participation in the program can serve as an alternative to disciplinary action. Physicians, podiatrists, physician assistants and acupuncturists and their families and colleagues are eligible for confidential assistance, treatment referrals, recovery monitoring and relapse prevention. The five member Supervisory Council oversees program functioning and provides clinical consultation.

Jonathan R. Lindner, MD, featured on Discovery Channel, Feb 3

Jonathan R. Lindner, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, is featured in the first program installment in a futurist mini-series called "2057" airing on the Discovery Channel. The three-part series examines what the world may look like in 50 years. The first installment is on "The Body." In the program, Dr. Lindner is shown in his lab explaining the potential clinical applications of microbubbles, including revolutionary methods for early detection of disease, targeted delivery of drugs and genes, breaking of blood clots and the noninvasive diagnosis of organ inflammation and the metastatic potential of tumors. "The Body" segment in the "2057" series first aired on Jan. 28 and 29th. It will be shown again on Feb. 3 at 2 p.m.

SOM New Faculty

A warm welcome to the following faculty members who have joined the School of Medicine in December 2007.

Naz Erdeniz, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Molecular & Medical Genetics; Mary Ransom-Schwaeber, MD, Assistant Professor, Neurology; David Windstrom, PsyD, Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology & Peri-Operative Medicine; Carla Bruning, MMS, Instructor, Pediatrics Neonatology; and Kenneth Robertson, MSW, Instructor, Psychiatry.

Frederick Gallun, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery joined the School of Medicine in November 2007.