CONTACT:
Mark Griffis
Vice President, Westcott Lakes
(850) 701-2947
mgriffis@westcottlakes.org

G. Richard Ambrosius
Vice President of Communication, PRAXEIS, LLC
(904) 381-0431
dambrosius@praxeis.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2009

Westcott Lakes at SouthWood is kicking off Older Americans Month with an Informational seminar at The Florida State University College of Medicine entitled Positive Aging…a Stimulus Package for Life. In keeping with the national U.S. Administration on Aging theme, “Living Today for a Better Tomorrow,” a panel of experts will share research studies and their own professional experience on how to get the most from life’s second half. The session will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6th at The Florida State University College of Medicine, Room 1306, followed by a reception in the Atrium.

While Americans are living longer, quality of life does not always follow the increased longevity. The panel will address such topics as brain fitness, preventive and patient-centered medicine, keys to successful aging, what’s really in the genes, the damage of aging stereotypes and much more with plenty of time for questions.

Panelists include Florida State’s own Dr. Kenneth Brummel-Smith, the Charlotte Edwards Maguire Professor and Chair of the Department of Geriatrics for Florida State’s College of Medicine. He is a former president of the American Geriatrics Society and serves on the National Advisory Council on Aging for the National Institute on Aging.

Dr. Brummel-Smith will be joined by G. Richard Ambrosius, Vice President of Communications for PRAXEIS, LLC and a nationally respected expert on future aging trends. For over 30 years, Mr. Ambrosius has been endorsing the benefits of positive aging with presentations to audiences in 49 states. Before joining PRAXEIS, he founded one of the nation’s first marketing companies to specialize in the maturing marketplace.

The panel will be moderated by Westcott Lakes CEO and gerontologist Christopher Mulrooney. Dr. Mulrooney holds a B.S. in gerontology from the Andrus Center at the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. in Psychology and Gerontological Studies from Boston University. He has over 20 years in the field of aging services in direct service roles, executive leadership, consulting, training, education and research.

“There is no secret to successful aging - it simply takes a positive attitude and focus on the Six Keys to Living Wellsm,” says Mulrooney. “Research indicates that people who accept aging as a time of decline and loss are more likely to become victims of a self-fulfilling prophecy that could result in premature frailty and dependence.” The panel will challenge attendees to stop accepting negative stereotypes of aging and will discuss research that documents why those following the positive aging pathway live an average of 7.6 years longer than the general population.

Anyone interested in attending the workshop can R.S.V.P. by calling Renee Prasek at 850-645-7110. To find out more about the many benefits offered by the trend-setting Life Fulfilling Community® of Westcott Lakes at SouthWood sponsored by Florida State University, visit www.westcottlakes.org.

CONTACT: Ron Hartung
(850) 645-9205
ronald.hartung@med.fsu.edu

By Ron Hartung
April 2009

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- In response to a worrisome rise in childhood obesity, Florida school districts have begun to monitor student growth development every year, but there is little research available to determine if the effort is having an effect.

Now, with a $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and with the cooperation of Leon County Schools, a Florida State University College of Medicine researcher will explore the impact of school-based screening on student fitness and parent behavior.

“NIH, the Institute of Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control really want this question answered. There will be a lot of people interested in this,” said Suzanne Johnson, department chair in medical humanities and social sciences at the College of Medicine, who was awarded the four-year grant. “It’s a very big undertaking, involving the cooperation of 12 elementary schools and a massive amount of data collection.”

The stakes are huge. In the past 30 years, according to several studies, childhood obesity has doubled for preschoolers and adolescents and tripled for those ages 6 to 11. High obesity rates are particularly common in ethnic-minority children. An obese child often becomes an obese adult, and obesity opens the door to many health problems.

Among them is type 2 diabetes, previously considered a disease of older overweight adults but now increasingly prevalent among children. At current U.S. rates, a 2003 study indicates, 33 percent of boys and 39 percent of girls born in 2000 are expected to develop it in their lifetime.

“Type 2 diabetes is totally preventable,” Johnson said. “It’s just terrible to have kids with type 2 diabetes. It’s simply unacceptable.”

She and her research team will monitor children at 12 Leon County elementary schools that have a high percentage of ethnic-minority students.

The primary aim is to study the impact of BMI (body mass index) screenings. BMI, calculated from weight and height measurements, is a reliable indicator of whether children are overweight. Each school offers three wellness programs: a free after-school exercise program for children sponsored by Capital Health Plan; expanded health assessments sponsored by the FSU College of Medicine using funds generated by Dance Marathon on the FSU campus; and a wellness Web site that promotes healthy eating and activity. Researchers will track the children to document how much their health changes and how much their parents take advantage of the wellness programs.

Because the study continues over several years, researchers also will get to assess what happens when the children aren’t in school.

“Data suggest overweight children often show improvement in fitness during the school year if they participate in physical education or other types of physical activity programs. However, they often gain the weight back in the summer,” Johnson said. “We’ll be able to track whether this phenomenon really happens.”

Parents are a key part of this project. They play a crucial role in the diet and health habits their children develop.

“If you’re overweight as a child, you’re more likely to be overweight as an adult,” Johnson said. “If you’re an overweight kindergartner and we can get your weight down, you’re far less likely to be obese as an adult.”

Johnson recently was chosen to receive a Distinguished Research Professor Award from Florida State University. It honors outstanding research among full professors who have attained national and international visibility. She previously held that distinction at the University of Florida and is the first from the young FSU College of Medicine research program to be selected for the honor.

“Dr. Johnson is an outstanding scholar in her field,” College of Medicine Dean John P. Fogarty wrote in his nomination letter, “and is one of the first behavioral scientists to apply behavioral and psychological science to serious medical problems in children.”

CONTACT: Doug Carlson
(850) 645-1255 or (850) 694-3735
doug.carlson@med.fsu.edu

By Meredith Fraser
April 2009

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Long known for his commitment to increasing access to health care for residents of rural communities, former Florida State University College of Medicine Dean J. Ocie Harris is being recognized for his efforts.

Harris has been selected to receive the National Rural Health Association’s 2009 Distinguished Educator Award. Harris, who retired as dean of the medical school in August and remains on the faculty as a professor of clinical sciences, will formally accept his award during the association’s Annual Rural Health Conference May 7 in Miami Beach.

The NRHA award committee cited “the scope of his accomplishments in medical education, the significance of his work in rural health, the innovation and originality in scholarly effort, and successful rural health outcomes.”

“It is certainly a great honor to be recognized by a national organization that I’d been involved with for a number of years,” said Harris, who held leadership positions in rural health education programs for more than 20 years.

“The scope of his accomplishments and the significance of his work in rural health have impacted thousands of lives and will continue to impact the future for generations to come,” said Alan Morgan, chief executive officer of the NRHA.

During his tenure as dean, Harris oversaw many significant developments, including the process that garnered the college full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in February 2005. Harris played a major role in the development of the college’s system of regional campuses and its rural health mission -- an undertaking that has produced positive results.

“Rural communities have a lot of challenges in terms of getting access to just basic health care and services, and I think medical schools and health profession education programs certainly have an obligation to consider those issues and to do what they can to help rural communities address them,” Harris said. “So by this college establishing medical education programs in rural communities, we’ve helped these communities enhance their medical care.”

One of the primary goals of the college has been to recruit and educate medical professionals specifically to serve Florida’s rural population, a mission that requires a thorough understanding of rural populations and their medical needs.

“I’ve tried to be a voice to make sure that we followed through and developed rural health programs, that we did them well and that we got good outcomes from it,” Harris said.

Harris’ leadership in organizing those programs proved invaluable. Through his past connections and experience in rural North Florida medical environments, he was able to ensure that the college’s rural health curriculum would eventually benefit Florida’s underserved farming communities.

“You have to work hard and long to get something to happen, but it does happen along the way,” he said. “And it’s very gratifying when it does.”

CONTACT:
Beth Gabrini, TMH, (850) 431-5875; Beth.Gabrini@tmh.org
Doug Carlson, FSU College of Medicine, (850) 645-1255; doug.carlson@med.fsu.edu

By Jill Elish
April 2009

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare have signed an agreement to work as research partners on projects with potential to directly impact health care in the Big Bend and across Florida.

The agreement will allow Tallahassee Memorial Hospital’s more than 500 affiliated physicians, many of whom already serve as members of the FSU College of Medicine clinical faculty, to conduct laboratory research and clinical trials with university researchers from the medical school as well as other colleges and departments.

“This is the beginning of a unique research effort,” said Florida State President T.K. Wetherell. “In community partnerships such as the one we are forging with TMH, we will be able to provide a body of knowledge through which Florida’s citizens will see unprecedented health care benefits.”

Mark O’Bryant, president and chief executive officer of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, said TMH is honored to be in the vanguard of this statewide effort to improve health care through research.

“This partnership presents a golden opportunity to bring great minds together,” O’Bryant said. “We believe the result of their work will be a healthier community for us all.”

Unlike traditional medical schools where research takes place both in labs and in an academic medical center, the FSU College of Medicine has no single teaching hospital. Instead, the college counts more than 60 teaching hospitals, clinics and community health care centers around the state of Florida as partners in educating medical students. Physicians across Florida are part of the college’s clerkship faculty, meaning they agree to teach a required or elective rotation to one or two third- or fourth-year medical students at a time.

The College of Medicine previously had no mechanism in place for physicians who serve as clinical faculty to participate in or lead university research projects. With this agreement with TMH, the College of Medicine now has a model that could be extended to other community hospitals where FSU medical students learn. This would provide a foundation for the clinical research program with the potential to involve more than 1,500 physicians and their 2 million patients.

“Such a network would give the FSU College of Medicine perhaps the most dynamic and all-encompassing medical research program in the state,” said Myra Hurt, senior associate dean for research and graduate programs at the College of Medicine. “Few medical schools anywhere would have access to more patients of varied backgrounds and covering all of the stages of disease processes across the full continuum of human aging.”

The National Institutes of Health is pushing for an emphasis on translating discoveries from the laboratory into improved patient care, according to Dr. John P. Fogarty, dean of the College of Medicine. The agreement between TMH and FSU puts the “bench to bedside to community” philosophy into practice by allowing physicians and researchers to conduct clinical trials and develop new treatments for a multitude of diseases. The partners already are developing initiatives for neurological and genetic associated diseases under this agreement.

Dr. Charles G. “Gerry” Maitland, a professor of clinical sciences and director of the FSU Neurological Research Institute who also is in private practice in Tallahassee, said patients will be the beneficiaries of these initiatives.

“The presence of a translational laboratory coupled with the uniqueness of the College of Medicine’s six campuses, places us on the cutting edge of investigative technologies,” Maitland said. “Consequently, patients treated here at TMH and at the other five campuses will have available to them the most advanced and innovative treatments.”

The FSU-TMH agreement will set the stage for more collaborative efforts, such as the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and College of Medicine/College of Communication Neurolinguistic-Neurocognitive Research Center founded in 2005 and housed at TMH. Maitland and Leonard LaPointe, the FSU Francis Eppes Professor of Communication Disorders, serve as co-directors of the center, which was established to research the effects of cognitive dysfunction and develop new therapies for patients. The center aspires to be recognized as one of the premier clinical research centers in the country for brain-behavior disorders.

Paula Fortunas, president and chief executive officer of the TMH Foundation, said increasing physician and hospital clinical research is a key component of TMH’s strategic plan.

“The FSU-TMH partnership is truly a powerful one, and this research collaboration agreement represents another measure of that strength as it outlines the long-range vision of the two institutions and opens medical, clinical and educational initiatives to serve the greater good,” she said.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Inc. is a not-for-profit, comprehensive system of health care services that include Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, the seventh largest hospital in Florida; a psychiatric hospital; a rehabilitation center; a family residency program; and associated clinics and satellite facilities in five surrounding counties.

CONTACT: Nancy Marcus
(850) 644-3501
nmarcus@fsu.edu

By Jill Elish
April 24, 2009

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Florida State University’s colleges of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Information, Education and Law are among the best graduate and professional programs in the nation, according to new rankings in U.S. News and World Report’s 2010 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” on newsstands April 28.

“These rankings are evidence of the excellence Florida State University has achieved as a graduate research institution that blends teaching and research,” said Dean of The Graduate School Nancy Marcus. “Such recognition also helps to attract outstanding students to our programs who, upon completion of their studies, contribute to an exceptional talent pool that is critical to ensuring a vibrant Florida economy in the 21st century. It is of great importance that we maintain funding for higher education to ensure continued success and the future economic health of Florida.”

The College of Criminology and Criminal Justice ranked seventh, up from its previous 11th place ranking.

“It’s nice to see the U.S. News and World Report reputation ranking catching up with our faculty’s actual research productivity and grant success,” said College of Criminology and Criminal Justice Dean Thomas Blomberg. “Members of our faculty have won national awards for their research, been cited in U.S Supreme Court verdicts, been called to testify before the U.S Legislature as experts in the field, have won teaching awards for their dedication to students and serve as editors of some of the field’s top journals. We are very pleased with this success. The upward trajectory of the College’s ranking is indicative of our future.”

The College of Information was ranked 14th and was cited for its excellence in three specialty areas. School library media and children and youth services each were ranked No. 3 and digital librarianship was ranked 11th.

“These rankings recognize the hard work of our faculty and students,” said College of Information Dean Larry Dennis. “They have built a national reputation through excellent research and strong educational programs.”

The College of Education has made a significant leap in the rankings, claiming the 41st position in the nation, climbing from 45th last year and 53rd the previous year. In addition, the secondary teacher education specialty was ranked 21st.

“We are extremely pleased to be recognized for our commitment to providing exceptional education at the graduate level,” said College of Education Dean Marcy Driscoll. “The outstanding quality of our faculty, programs in research and training, and students has long been known to us and it is gratifying that the fruits of our labors are now evident to the educational community at large.”

The College of Law has moved up to the 52nd best law school in the nation. U.S. News also ranks Florida State Law’s environmental law program 11th best in the nation, tied with Stanford and Tulane. Over the past five years, the law school’s overall ranking in U.S. News has gone up 15 slots.

“We are delighted we continue to move up in U.S. News rankings, but we still think we should be even higher,” said College of Law Dean Don Weidner. “We are the best law school in Florida and one of the best in the region, but the rankings do not fully reflect that. As our programs continue to gain national recognition, including our new program in Law, Business and Economics, we expect our rankings to get even better.”

Sociology, ranked 39th, was singled out for having a specialty area of sex and gender studies that ranked 8th in the nation. FSU’s graduate programs in political science also ranked 39th and psychology was ranked 50th.

The College of Medicine, the youngest fully accredited medical school in the nation, made the list for the first time, ranking 56th in primary care out of 146 allopathic and osteopathic medical schools.

Each year, the magazine conducts surveys of select graduate program areas at 278 schools granting doctoral degrees. Several contributing factors, such as assessment of quality, selectivity of students, faculty resources and research activity, are assessed and analyzed to produce a score for each institution.

April 27, 2009

As the cases of swine flu increase in the United States and around the world, here are observations and suggestions from Dr. Robert Brooks. He’s associate dean for health affairs at the Florida State University College of Medicine, an expert in infectious diseases and former secretary of the Florida Department of Health:

1. Be prudent, but don’t panic. Very few humans will have any innate resistance to this strain of flu, he said, so expect the number of cases to mount for a while. “My sense is this is just the beginning of the epidemic,” Brooks said. “I think we’re going to see more states added to the list” – including Florida, which attracts people from all over the world. “Who knows how many of the people from Mexico visited Disney World or other Florida destinations?” he said. Brooks also wonders whether spring break played a role in spreading swine flu from Mexico to the U.S.
    
2. Realize that the flu shot you got last winter won’t work on this flu. But so far, at least in the United States, the mortality rate is low, and the disease has responded to the anti-viral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza. That’s encouraging, Brooks said, noting that the Centers for Disease Control has started to release its stockpile of those medicines and other supplies to the states.
    
3. Be aware of CDC and World Health Organization travel restrictions. Plus, use common sense. If your immune system is not 100-percent, reconsider that cross-country trip to your class reunion in a city with known or suspected cases.
    
4. Wash your hands a lot, or use hand sanitizer. If someone who has swine flu coughs into his hand just before he touches a doorknob and then you touch it, your chances of getting the disease are pretty good.
    
5. If you develop flu-like systems, get to the doctor soon, just in case. Practice “social isolation”: That is, as much as possible stay away from other people you might infect. (At the College of Medicine, that particularly applies to students and faculty who are seeing patients; you don’t want to infect them.) If you have the flu, prepare to stay at home for at least seven days. To minimize the risk to others in your household, try to quarantine yourself in one room and have your own bathroom and personal supplies.
    
6. Be glad that preparations for a possible flu pandemic have been in the works, mostly as a result of concerns over bird flu. “This new strain of swine flu is going to test our pan-influenza preparedness plan,” Brooks said. But “we’re a lot better prepared than we were a few years ago because of the bird-flu planning.”
    
7. Get good, reliable information. One excellent source Brooks recommends is http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu. Bookmark it.

May 15, 2009

One of the advantages of a medical school that’s spread across multiple campuses, Dean John Fogarty said Thursday, “is that we can give out more awards.” And the awards were nonstop during the afternoon presentation in the Florida State University College of Medicine auditorium. Twenty-nine students were recognized, some more than once. Becky McGilligan took home four honors, including the Outstanding Student Award.

Mikel Hofmann provided the most memorable moment, although she wasn’t even there. When Senior Associate Dean for Regional Campuses Paul McLeod called Hofmann’s name as recipient of the Individual Student Award, classmate Mai Vo stood up for her. She reported that Hofmann was having car troubles but was on her way. In fact, she had Hofmann on the phone – and she handed the phone to McLeod. Without missing a beat, he informed her of her award. She was on speaker phone, so everyone got to hear her delighted reaction.

The student awards are reported below. At the bottom is an alphabetical list of the students and the awards they received.

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AWARDS

• Myra M. Hurt Leadership in Medicine Award (“exemplary leadership in one or more areas of medicine”): Corinne Brann
   
• Student Research Award (“has demonstrated sustained interest in research throughout the four years”): Shawn Agee
   
• Altruism in Medicine Award (“embodies the highest ideals of medicine as a service calling”): Jennifer Maziad and Mai Vo
   
• J. Ocie Harris Outstanding Student Award (“the best all-around promise of becoming a physician of the highest caliber”): Becky Sue McGilligan
   
• Access to Care Award (“has demonstrated a strong interest in providing access to health care for underserved populations and volunteered at clinics or on international medical missions for the underserved,” given in honor of We Care Network coordinator Robin McDougall): Molly McKenna and Tessa McKenna
   
• Individual Student Award: Mikel Hofmann

REGIONAL CAMPUS AWARDS

• Regional Campus Dean’s Award (for “the most outstanding student at each College of Medicine regional campus”):
  Shawn Agee and Mai Vo (Daytona Beach)
  Kimberley Thornton (Fort Pierce)
  Corinne Brann (Orlando)
  Aaron Wagner (Pensacola)
  Luis Hernández III (Sarasota)
  Colleen Killian (Tallahassee)

SPECIALTY AND HONOR SOCIETY AWARDS

• Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society inductees (the only national honor medical society): Shawn Agee, Corinne Brann, Elving Colon, Leslie Davis-Singletary, Eboni Ellis, William Higgins II, Shannon Hill, Mary Ann Johnson, Christina Marquez, Jennifer Maziad, Becky McGilligan, Kristen Morrell, Stephen Viel (Faculty inductee: Michael J. Muszynski, dean of Orlando regional campus)
   
• Merritt Ryals Clements*, M.D., Award for Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology (“best demonstrated dedication to the health of women”): Stephanie Chase (Tallahassee), Catherine Liu (Pensacola), Stephanie Prada (Orlando), Christine Rojas (Sarasota), Kimberley Thornton (Fort Pierce), Jessica Walker (Daytona Beach) (*FYI, Dr. Clements’ granddaughter, Claire, is an OPS employee in the communications office.)
   
• Florida Obstetric and Gynecological Society Award (“to outstanding medical school graduates entering an obstetrics and gynecology residency program”): Colleen Killian and Natalie Muñoz-Sievert
   
• American Medical Women’s Association Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citation (“demonstrates leadership, advocacy and ranks in the top 10% of graduating class”): Becky Sue McGilligan
   
• Outstanding Graduate in Family Medicine Award (presented by the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health and the Florida Academy of Family Physicians for “consistent commitment to the principles and values of family medicine” and the college’s mission): Eboni Ellis
   
• Florida Geriatrics Society Award (“for outstanding performance in geriatrics”): Becky Sue McGilligan
   
• Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award (presented by the society for Academic Emergency Medicine for “excellence in the specialty of emergency medicine”): Stephen Viel
   
• Medical Student Professionalism and Service Award (presented by the American College of Emergency Physicians for “outstanding patient care and involvement in medical organizations and the community”): Richard Joseph Rodriguez
   
• Gold Humanism Honor Society inductees (“excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion, and dedication to service”): Jada Aikman, Elving Colon, Eboni Ellis, Mary Ann Johnson, Molly McKenna, Tessa McKenna, Kimberley Thornton, Mai Vo (Faculty inductee: Dennis Saver)

FACULTY AWARDS PRESENTED BY CLASS OF 2009

• Outstanding Educator Award: Gene Ryerson
   
• Hippocratic Award: Daniel Van Durme
   
• The students also presented appreciation awards to Emeritus Dean Ocie Harris and Dean John Fogarty.

STUDENT SUMMARY

• Shawn Agee: Student Research Award, Regional Campus Dean’s Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
   
• Jada Aikman: Gold Humanism Honor Society
   
• Corinne Brann: Myra M. Hurt Leadership in Medicine Award, Regional Campus Dean’s Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
   
• Stephanie Chase: Merritt Ryals Clements, M.D., Award for Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology
   
• Elving Colon: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, Gold Humanism Honor Society
   
• Leslie Davis-Singletary: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
   
• Eboni Ellis: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, Outstanding Graduate in Family Medicine Award, Gold Humanism Honor Society
   
• Luis Hernández III: Regional Campus Dean’s Award
   
• William Higgins II: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
   
• Shannon Hill: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
   
• Mikel Hofmann: Individual Student Award
   
• Mary Ann Johnson: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, Gold Humanism Honor Society
   
• Colleen Killian: Regional Campus Dean’s Award, Florida Obstetric and Gynecological Society Award
   
• Catherine Liu: Merritt Ryals Clements, M.D., Award for Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology
   
• Christina Marquez: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
   
• Jennifer Maziad: Altruism in Medicine Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
   
• Becky McGilligan: J. Ocie Harris Outstanding Student Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, American Medical Women’s Association Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citation, Florida Geriatrics Society Award
   
• Molly McKenna: Access to Care Award, Gold Humanism Honor Society
   
• Tessa McKenna: Access to Care Award, Gold Humanism Honor Society
   
• Kristen Morrell: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
   
• Natalie Muñoz-Sievert: Florida Obstetric and Gynecological Society Award
   
• Stephanie Prada: Merritt Ryals Clements, M.D., Award for Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology
   
• Richard Joseph Rodriguez: Medical Student Professionalism and Service Award
   
• Christine Rojas: Merritt Ryals Clements, M.D., Award for Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology
   
• Kimberley Thornton: Regional Campus Dean’s Award, Merritt Ryals Clements, M.D., Award for Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gold Humanism Honor Society
   
• Stephen Viel: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award
   
• Mai Vo: Altruism in Medicine Award, Regional Campus Dean’s Award, Gold Humanism Honor Society
   
• Aaron Wagner: Regional Campus Dean’s Award
   
• Jessica Walker: Merritt Ryals Clements, M.D., Award for Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology

May 19, 2009

Graduation day arrived Saturday for the 73 members of the Florida State University College of Medicine’s Class of 2009. Although the event took place in a church, that didn’t stop air horns from blasting, ecstatic families from cheering and graduation caps from sailing toward the rafters.

“I encourage you to care deeply about your patients,” Dr. Daniel Van Durme told the students in his commencement address, “for there is where the true joy and satisfaction of medicine is found. There will be some who will tell you to keep your distance and not get too attached to your patients. They will praise the value of objectivity in part to protect yourself when your patients do not recover and die. However, ‘objectivity’ can be a code word for treating someone like an object and not a living, breathing and feeling person.”

Class President Corinne Brann reminisced about the four years the students had shared: the reams of information they had absorbed, the mistakes they had made (“I’m convinced the faculty is hiding a tape of bloopers somewhere”), the ways they had supported each other, the new talents they had developed (“I gained the skill of falling asleep standing up”). She also thanked the IT department for all of its assistance.

One advantage of having the ceremony at Christian Heritage Church was that people who didn’t have great seats could watch the action on giant video screens on the walls. So they could see Christopher Rees Porta close-up when, after his father had shouted “Way to go, buddy,” the graduate calmly corrected him with a smile: “Dr. Buddy, Dad.”

The family and friends of Kendra Jo Buscetta held up giant cards that spelled out, “NY LOVES KENDRA.” And when Irmanie Eliacin crossed the stage, a woman called out, “Irmanie, I’m so proud of you, baby!”

In his charge to the class, Dr. Charles Ouimet spoke of the College of Medicine’s pride in these graduates.

“We are not proud because you are smart; being smart has always been necessary for good doctoring, but it has never been sufficient,” he said. “We are not exactly proud of what you are. We are proud of who you are, the kind of persons that, through dedication, self-sacrifice and love of mankind, you have become. You forfeited the right to be ordinary.”

By coincidence, both Dr. Ouimet and Dr. Van Durme closed their addresses with the same quote from Albert Schweitzer: “I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."

• Dr. Van Durme address to the graduates
• Dr. Ouimet address to the graduates
• Leslie Davis-Singletary address to the graduates
• Class President Corinne Brann address to the graduates

May 19, 2009

At a recent Saturday-morning fitness fair, many of the volunteers were students from the College of Medicine. So was the organizer.

Second-year student Andrew Cooke developed the event with residents of the Capital Park area, which is behind the fairgrounds on Tram Road, on Tallahassee’s south side. Cooke knows the neighborhood well because he and fellow students have been coaching and tutoring Capital Park baseball players since last year.

The fitness fair had a spirit of competition: Kids from the park’s various baseball teams competed in running, long jump and other events, hoping that their team would be named the fittest one at Capital Park.

“Though our primary goal is to teach baseball to our children, I believe that the secondary goal should be to teach them about living a healthy, physically active lifestyle,” Cooke said in his proposal to the Capital Park board. “Though it is unrealistic to hope that every child we coach will become a professional athlete, I think it is perfectly reasonable to hope that our lessons will help them become healthy adults.”

The fair was modeled after the Presidential Fitness challenge, he said. It had been in the works since summer 2008 when Lewis Thurston, the park president, discussed the idea with him.

Also participating were Sarah Cooke (Class of 2010, Andrew’s sister); Miriam VanderMey (Class of 2011); and Noemi LeFranc, Shahab Virani and Aaron Hilton (Class of 2012).

In addition to the events, there were healthy snacks and opportunities to learn health information.

Cooke estimated 40 to 50 kids showed up. The children in the baseball league are ages 9-12, but younger and older siblings also participated in the fitness fair, as did other neighborhood children.

Which teams were the fittest? The Rays took first place in sit-ups, push-ups and the mile run. The Reds won the long jump. And the Giants won the shuttle run.

May 29, 2009
By Meredith Fraser

Student groups often host events that interest their members, but the Jewish Medical Students’ Association at Florida State University recently held an educational fair that offered an invaluable gift: a free genetic screening.

Most people are not aware that approximately one in five Jewish people carries the gene for a Jewish genetic disease – that is, a disease that occurs far more often within the Ashkenazi Jewish population. Approximately six out of seven Jews in America are classified as Ashkenazi, meaning they have Eastern or Central European ancestry. Jewish people often marry someone within their ethnic group, and there’s a higher likelihood those couples will produce a child prone to developing a Jewish genetic disease.

Understandably, this issue causes great anxiety for prospective parents. So one day this spring, along with the FSU Jewish Student Union, the association had an educational fair to try to lessen those worries. The fair offered information and blood work provided free by the Victor Center, dedicated to the prevention and eventual eradication of these disorders.

Throughout the day, the Victor Center put on three presentations. At each session a center representative explained how genetic diseases work and options for anyone who tests positive as a carrier. After attending a presentation session and speaking with a genetic counselor, any Jewish attendee between ages 18 and 44 was eligible for a genetic screening.

In a process that costs the Victor Center about $2,000 per person, five vials of blood are drawn and sent to the center’s lab at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Analysts then determine whether a gene for any one of 11 Jewish disorders is present.

Second-year student David Snipelisky organized the event with the help of first-year students Michael Silverstein, Brett Howard and Ben Greif.

“Almost every Jewish medical student came to the event and got tested, as well as a few faculty members,” said Snipelisky. “We had more interest and participation than we could have hoped for. We also had an extra 10 to 20 people, whether undergrads or community members, who came to just sit in and learn what Jewish genetic disorders are all about.”

Approximately 50 people got tested, according to Snipelisky. At $2,000 a test, the Victor Center provided more than $100,000 worth of genetic information.

After the analysis is completed, a genetic counselor from the center calls each participant and goes over the results.
Tay-Sachs disease and cystic fibrosis are the most commonly known Jewish genetic diseases, but many other disorders are more common in the Jewish population, such as Crohn’s disease or Bloom’s disease. Since its founding in 2002, the Victor Center has kept a record of the diagnosis rate.

“One statistic the center said during their presentation is that cystic fibrosis cases dropped by about 90 percent just since testing began,” Snipelisky said. “So just by informing the public and telling tested people that, ‘Hey, you may be a carrier and these are your options,’ it does, in the end, drop the overall prevalence of the disorders.”

For more information on the Victor Center or Jewish genetic diseases, please visit

http://www.victorcenters.org