Recent College of Medicine graduate Vishal Dahya (M.D., '14) has been published again, but this time one of his co-authors is his sister, Zarna Dahya (M.D., '11). During his fourth year Vishal did an externship in Louisville, where Zarna is doing her residency. The paper, "McKittrick-Wheelock syndrome complicated by Enterococcus faecalis endocarditis: a unique combination," was published online by the International Journal of Colorectal Disease. Vishal has just begun his residency at the FSU College of Medicine-Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Internal Medicine Residency Program.

August 2014

Five faculty members and a staff member were honored Aug. 27 at the Faculty Council's annual awards ceremony. The awards went to:

• Joedrecka Brown Speights, M.D., associate professor, Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health (guardian of the mission and service).
• Heather Flynn, Ph.D., vice chair for research, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine (outstanding faculty educator).
• Mohamed Kabbaj, Ph.D., professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences (outstanding faculty investigator).
• Jacquelyn Manduley, academic program specialist, Office of Medical Education (outstanding staff member).
• Curt Stine, M.D., associate chair, Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health (outstanding faculty educator).
• Angelina Sutin, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine (outstanding faculty investigator).

Here are excerpts from their nominations.

JOEDRECKA BROWN SPEIGHTS
Several nominators mentioned that Joedrecka Brown was a role model for students as well as for fellow faculty members. She was named the outstanding mentor at the 2014 Medical Student Education Conference by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. She’s also an advisor for the Student National Medical Association here at the College of Medicine.

She works on the Access to Care Committee through Capital Medical Society, the Leon County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, Physicians Against the Trafficking of Humans, and the Healthy Infant Partnership. Her research is aimed at eliminating health disparities, with special attention to black infant mortality. And apart from all of that, she’s a great doctor who practices medicine that’s congruent with our mission.
 

HEATHER FLYNN
(Taken from a letter of nomination)
“Having been an educator in medical schools since 1978, I can honestly say [Heather Flynn] is one of the best teachers I have known. Here’s the real situation in medical school education: Any experienced physician knows that psychology plays a huge role in a person’s illness. Yet medical students seem almost intrinsically to see psychology as unimportant, a distraction from ‘real medicine,’ and ‘soft.’ Dr. Flynn has an amazing ability to provide teaching to medical students and residents in a way that is not only heavily evidence-based, but interesting!

“She has taught me a great deal about motivational interviewing and depression. I have watched her provide this teaching to medical students in the classroom setting as well as in small groups and one-to-one. She is a very active listener, who uses humor and nonjudgmental approaches to open up learners to new information. I understand she is now helping to incorporate motivational interviewing into our CLC teaching, an idea that I think is fabulous.”

MOHAMED KABBAJ
Mohamed Kabbaj demonstrates a commitment to rigorous science. He has over 150 publications and has published over 20 articles just in 2013 and 2014. His impact on the field is significant, as evidenced by almost 2,700 citations since 1995. He has been published multiple times in leading journals such as Journal of Neuroscience, Nature Neuroscience, Journal of Neuroendrocrinology and Psychopharmacology. And he has been invited as a speaker to numerous national and international meetings.

In addition to his impressive accomplishments in scientific discovery, Mohamed Kabbaj has been funded by NIH continuously since his second year with the College of Medicine. In fact, he’s the only faculty member here with two five-year R01 grants from NIH. He also serves on both NIH and NSF study sections.

His work in the neurobiology underlying individual and sex differences in depression, drug addiction and anxiety, as well as molecular mechanisms underlying social behaviors, will continue to break new ground. In addition, he’s dedicated to creating a lab that is an important learning environment for graduate students. Despite all of these accomplishments, he’s described by colleagues as personable, approachable, humble, supportive and collaborative.

JACQUELYN MANDULEY
Five letters nominated Jacquelyn Manduley for this award, calling her critical to the success and day-to-day operations of the Office of Medical Education. She has diverse technical skills; has developed systems that improve accuracy and efficiency; is committed to meeting the educational needs of our students; maintains a positive attitude even when dealing with difficult or new tasks; takes the initiative on projects; and works collaboratively with course directors/faculty, staff and students.

Excerpts from nominations: “This person takes on the most challenging tasks, navigates the most frustrating terrain, deals with seemingly endless potential barriers and/or problems to deliver products we all are proud of, and never once draws attention to her role in getting the job done. This staff member makes all of us look good and makes us more successful.” And: “Course directors and students rightly credit this individual for making their courses better and their lives easier and more satisfying.”

CURT STINE
Curt Stine has the ability to take the best of what others have to offer and utilize it to the advantage of our learners. He also has the ability to make you think about the underlying reasons for your ideas about teaching, learning and curricular goals. He’s committed to continuous quality improvement, and enthusiastic about curricular changes that enhance student learning.

Excerpt from one of the nomination letters: “During his time at our College of Medicine (for the past 12 years), he has had numerous teaching/educational responsibilities…. In every endeavor, he has worked hard to promote educational innovation, quality improvement and excellence. He’s a vocal proponent of interdisciplinary teaching and strives to bring varied departments, disciplines and course directors together for the optimal teaching of our students. He is an enthusiastic teacher who can give a great lecture to students, and is highly rated as a small group leader, but he does not seek the spotlight, but gives others the chance to shine. He is clearly deserving of this award.”

ANGELINA SUTIN
In just a couple of years at the College of Medicine, Angelina Sutin has had 14 publications, nine of which listed her as first author. Overall, she has over 60 publications in journals such as Psychological Medicine, Journal of Personality, Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Psychology and Aging, and JAMA Psychiatry and has been cited 523 times since 2006, almost 300 of those in the past two years.

She’s an associate editor of a major journal in her field and an ad-hoc reviewer for over 25 other journals. She’s been a lead presenter at major national conferences, including the American Psychological Association, the Gerontological Association of America, and the Association for Research in Personality. She’s currently PI for an FSU planning grant and is funded as a co-PI on an R01 from the National Institute on Aging. Somehow she also finds time to mentor undergraduates, Bridge students and medical students.

Angelina Sutin’s research in the areas of how personality traits are associated with physical and mental health across adulthood and how personality shapes the psychological understanding of personally meaningful experiences will continue to create new knowledge in the field.

 David Snipelisky (M.D., '11) is lead author on the lead article published in this week's issue of JAMA Internal Medicine. Snipelisky graduated from the Mayo Clinic Internal Medicine Residency Program and published the article in affiliation with the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at Mayo Clinic.

Pediatrician Scott Needle, who serves as clerkship coordinator for the College of Medicine's Isabel Collier Read Medical Campus in Immokalee, has been named to the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters. The federal advisory committee includes 15 members who are appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Needle also teaches FSU medical students on rotations in Immokalee and serves as chief medical officer for the Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida. 

The advisory committee is charged with providing advice and consultation to comprehensive planning and policies for meeting heath-care needs of children before, during and after a disaster or other public health emergency. Needle is the only pediatrician named to the committee.

Read more about Dr. Needle

Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine Researcher Xan Nowakowski, Ph.D., M.P.H., recently authored, “Chronic Inflammation and Quality of Life Among Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Biomarkers to Predict Emotional and Relational Outcomes,” based on her dissertation research, which will be published in Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. Nowakowski also collaborated with Assistant Professor Jason Samerau, Ph.D. of the University of Tampa on, “Swell Foundations: Fundamental Social Causes & Chronic Inflammation,” to be published in Sociological Spectrum, also based her dissertation research.

Biomedical Sciences Associate Professor Michelle Arbeitman received a two-year $152,000 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to analyze the interactions and function of the Extracellular Receptor Immunoglobulin Superfamily in fruit flies to understand mechanisms that cause disease.

A paper by Professor Michael Blabler, Ph.D., and graduate students Xia Xue and Liam Longo was selected for inclusion in “Two Decades of Publishing Excellence in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology.” Xue (biomedical sciences) and Longo (molecular biophysics) are students in the Blaber Lab in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. The special issue of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences was created to highlight the journal’s contributions to the clinical success of biotechnology-based drugs, which have been used in the prevention and treatment of human and animal diseases for more than 20 years. 

September 2014

The aging-with-HIV blog for which College of Medicine Professor Jonathan Appelbaum is medical director scored a literary coup this month with a guest piece by one of this country’s top Olympians: Greg Louganis.

When Louganis was diagnosed with HIV in 1988, it was considered an instant death sentence. Now, 26 years later at age 54, he’s thrilled to be alive — but also coming to grips with the financial realities of living much longer than his savings account expected.

"We are honored that Mr. Louganis would share his intimate thoughts, circumstances and challenges with us," said Appelbaum, a member of the HIV-Age.org editorial board and director of internal medicine education at the College of Medicine. "Despite his historic success, he is experiencing many of the same personal struggles that many older HIV patients face."

Louganis and Appelbaum also are scheduled to be interviewed on a national radio call-in show Sept. 29.

Louganis was diagnosed with HIV just six months before he was scheduled to appear in his second Olympic Games. Despite that disconcerting health news, he competed — and brought home two gold medals. Thanks to his daily meds and his positive attitude, he’s thriving. Still, there are challenges.

“I was recently talking with a fellow 50-something friend about the challenges facing our population of long-term HIV/AIDS survivors,” Louganis writes. “We agreed that while remaining so grateful to be living longer, we are also constantly reassessing the financial burden of aging.”

For example, just to support himself, he had to sell his life insurance and use up his savings. Because the mortgage was a burden, and because he didn’t expect to live long, he sold his house. Yet life went on. At a certain point, he said to himself, “Heck, I need to get a job!”

So he did. After an absence of almost 20 years, he began a new venture as a coach for an 8- to 14-year-old developmental team. Then he was recruited to become “athlete mentor” for the nonprofit organization USA Diving.

He calls HIV/AIDS “my constant companion.”

“I take my cocktail of meds in the morning and in the evening, along with supplements and Chinese herbs,” Louganis said. “I go to acupuncture once a week, which helps my immune support, as well as pain management of old sports injuries. I also exercise, staying active with cardio and yoga practices. My exercise program is just as important to me as my morning and evening meds regimen.

“I will also soon be celebrating my first anniversary of being married to my soul mate.”

To see Louganis’ complete essay, visit http://hiv-age.org/category/editorial/.

Louganis and Appelbaum are scheduled to be interviewed from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29, on “Doctor Radio,” SiriusXM Channel 81. HIV-Age.org is an outgrowth of the HIV and Aging Consensus Treatment Strategies, with which Appelbaum was heavily involved back in 2011.

September 2014

Nine first- and second-year College of Medicine students were awarded scholarships totaling $40,000 this month by the Capital Medical Society Foundation.

These are the students, in alphabetical order: Allison Ellis (Class of 2017), Jennica Hagberg (2017), Samuel Muniz (2018), William Nimmons (2017), Nwamaka Onyeozili (2017), Chirag Patel (2017), Thomas Shakar (2017), Drew Williams (2018) and Israel Wootton (2017).

The scholarship recipients were chosen by a committee of Capital Medical Society members, led by Tallahassee pediatrician Frank Walker.

“Attending medical school is a very expensive proposition these days,” Walker said. “My fellow physicians are pleased and proud to help support medical students who have not only a financial need but a desire to stay in Florida and practice medicine in Florida.”

Wootton said the CMS scholarship has been a tremendous financial help to him, his wife and their three young children.

“To switch careers in my late 20s from architecture to medicine was a leap of faith,” he said. “My wife and I understood that this decision would take a financial toll for many years to come. In fact, we couldn’t do it without the support of those around me. I am overwhelmed by the kindness and support I have received. Tallahassee has been my home for the past 16 years. I am truly honored and grateful for the outpouring of support from Capital Medical Society and the Tallahassee community.”

The Capital Medical Society Foundation has been awarding these scholarships since before the medical school was created. Pam Wilson, executive director, looked up the totals: 

• The foundation awarded 14 scholarships to students in FSU's Program in Medical Sciences, the predecessor of the College of Medicine, totaling $20,889.
• So far, it has awarded 114 scholarships to College of Medicine students, totaling $357,000.

"Several of the physicians who were recipients of scholarships over the years," Wilson said, "serve on the Scholarship Committee."

In December, the foundation will host its annual Holiday Auction to raise money for more medical school scholarships.
 

Now it's a total of five College of Medicine students who have had their artwork featured on the cover of Academic Medicine. The latest addition is Rennier Martinez (Class of 2015).

His painting Niño Azul is featured on the October 2014 issue. "I saw a worried immigrant mother, with a sick child, who sought help from the community health clinic doctor because she had nowhere else to turn," Martinez wrote in the accompanying artist's statement. "She was ready to take any advice the doctor had and follow it to the letter. The level of trust this mother had in a doctor who, frankly, she did not know anything about was inspiring."

The College of Medicine students whose art was published on earlier Academic Medicine covers were Jesse O'Shea (also Class of 2015), Monica Chatwal (Class of 2013), Zach Folzenlogen (also Class of 2013) and Jared Rich (Class of 2012).