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July 22, 2004
In this issue: |
July 22, 2004 |
Dr. Stephen Klasko named HSC vice president, COM dean |
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USF President Judy Genshaft named Stephen Klasko vice president for Health Sciences and dean for the College of Medicine July 16. Dr. Klasko comes to USF from Drexel University, where he served as dean of the College of Medicine, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and dean of graduate medical education. "I am impressed by his passion for students, research and community partnerships," Genshaft said. "It was very clear that he is a strategic thinker who has tremendous energy and enthusiasm. He is a great fit for where USF is today and plans to be in the future." Dr. Klasko, who will start in September, takes over at a time of dynamic growth for HSC. The construction of a new College of Nursing building is well under way, and the Florida Legislature this year appropriated $25 million for USF to build a state-of-the art outpatient facility for health care and education. |
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Dr. Klasko will oversee the Health Science Center's $119-million research program, and will manage relationships with clinical affiliates across the Tampa Bay area, including major teaching hospitals, community clinics and public and private health agencies. "I am excited about the potential that exists at an already great Health Sciences Center," Dr. Klasko said. "I look forward to working with the deans, chairs, faculty and staff to create a university that is viewed nationally as having an elite Health Sciences Center. I am encouraged by the vision of President Genshaft and the trajectory USF is on, and I look forward to accomplishing the vision set forth by the president and the Board of Trustees. The running start provided by the leadership of Robert Belsole as interim dean will allow us to move the agenda forward quickly." Dr. Klasko was previously professor and associate chair for Pennsylvania State University's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In addition, he served as chair and residency program director for Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania; president of the board of the directors of the Lehigh Valley Physician's Group; and medical director for the Trexlertown Women's Health Mall. Dr. Klasko has a bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology from Lehigh University, a medical degree from Hahnemann University and a master's degree in business administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a fellow in American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a member of several community boards, including Casa Guadalupe, a nationally recognized Latino health care organization. He also is a member of numerous professional organizations. Return to top | |
Community Links |
HSC students give free physicals, teach wellness to local inner-city youth |
Streams of children wound through the halls of the USF College of Nursing earlier this summer to receive free physical examinations in preparation for the USF National Youth Sports Program (NYSP). NYSP is a federally-funded summer day camp held on campus for local underprivileged youth, ages 10 to 16. Medical faculty and students joined with nursing students and faculty on three consecutive Saturdays to provide exams and wellness counseling to nearly 400 inner city children, many of whom could otherwise not afford a checkup. The pre-camp physicals were required for the children to participate in sports activities, including swimming, basketball, football, soccer, dance and track. |
 Medical student Natalia Regales checks the ears of Marquisha Wright, 13. Photo by Jason Marsh. |
| Over the last five years, efforts spearheaded by Patricia Burns, PhD, FAAN, dean of the College of Nursing, have taken the medical exams to a level unmatched by the nearly 200 NYSP programs nationwide. Dr. Burns has built the NYSP health program into the curriculum of the college's baccalaureate nursing students, who, in addition to providing supervised, hands-on care, created health education posters displayed on the days of the exams. The posters helped students chat with waiting children and parents about wellness topics such as smoking cessation, bicycle and water safety, fitness, and dental health. "All camp participants receive a first-class physical exam by first-class staff," said Hildreth Fleming, director of the NYSP program at USF. "The service has led to a significant number of health problems being discovered early and referred for treatment." Vision difficulties, borderline high blood pressure from obesity, and asthma are among the most common ailments detected by students during the faculty-supervised physical examinations. "It's a full head-to-toe physical and any abnormalities we find are followed up regardless of the child's health insurance status," said Pat Albright, ARNP, MPH, clinical nursing instructor. Children whose families are uninsured are referred to the state's Healthy Kids program or local health department clinics for follow-up, said Cheryl Carmichael, medical coordinator for NYSP at USF. | |
 Nursing student Marguerite New checks the pulse of a camper enrolling in USF's National Youth Sports Program. Photo by Jason Marsh. |
Deanna Wathington, MD, assistant professor in the Office of Curriculum and Medical Education, helped supervise medical and nurse practitioner students conducting the physical exams. The NYSP experience gives students an opportunity to work as a team and practice their clinical skills while caring for disadvantaged children, Dr. Wathington said. "I hope they walk away knowing that they've been able to provide a service for the community that would not otherwise have been offered and that their skills count." The program has evolved into collaboration for the Health Sciences Center. For the first time this year, students from its colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health taught health education to boys and girls enrolled in the sports camps. Student volunteers drawn from the HSC Service Corps taught interactive classes on nutrition, personal hygiene, substance abuse prevention and health career opportunities. Among the teachers was public health student Jacqueline Johnston, who used her presentation on nutrition to emphasize the importance of healthy food choices. The best part of the NYSP field experience was interacting with the adolescents, said Johnston, who also taught a class on personal hygiene. |
| "These kids are truly looking for someone to follow," Johnston said. "It was very rewarding to develop a sense of trust with them." Cynthia Selleck, DSN, ARNP, director of the Area Health Education Center (AHEC), which helped coordinate the student volunteers, said students like Johnson serve as important health career role models to kids while also providing important health information. "Adolescents are an energetic, tough audience, so our health professions students had to be well prepared," Dr. Selleck said. "But sharing a sense of hope and encouraging kids to make good choices was equally important as teaching content." USF has worked with the NYSP in various aspects since the program began in 1969. Return to top | |
Physical Therapy welcomes new director: Dr. Sandy Quillen |
| The USF School of Physical Therapy welcomes William S. (Sandy) Quillen, PT, PhD, as its new director. Dr. Quillen, who starts at USF Aug. 1, becomes the school's second director after its founding leader Martha Clendenin, PT, PhD, retires. Dr. Quillen is from Indiana University, where he has chaired the Department of Physical Therapy for six years. Prior to that, he chaired the Physical Therapy Department at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. Dr. Quillen is a retired Commander in the United States Navy. After retiring and prior to moving to Indiana he was on the faculty at the Texas Woman's University in Houston. He served two terms as vice-chairman of the Sports Physical Therapy Section, American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and as associate editor (sports) of the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy. He recently completed a term as associate editor for book and media reviews for the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. |
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| Dr. Clendenin joined USF in 1998 to spearhead the effort to build USF's first School of Physical Therapy. As the school's first director, Dr. Clendenin helped build the program from scratch, recruiting its charter faculty and its charter class. By 2001, the charter class graduated and the school received its initial five-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy. Return to top | |
HSC faculty active in national groups |
| Several members of the HSC administration are taking active roles in national organizations, both professional and academic. Here's a sampling. Mary Evans, RN, PhD, associate dean for CON Research and Doctoral Studies, is a member of the Governing Council of the American Public Health Association. Peter Fabri, MD, associate dean for COM Graduate Medical Education, is a member of the following: Steering Committee, Group on Resident Affairs, AAMC; Governing Council, Section on Medical Schools, AMA; and Task Force on Professionalism, American College of Surgeons. Thomas Freeman, MD, professor of neurosurgery and medical director of the USF Center for Aging and Brain Repair, was the 2003-04 president of the American Society for Neural Transplantation and Repair, and will serve 2004-05 as the group's immediate past president. Betty Gulitz, PhD, associate dean for COPH Academics, is a member of the Associate Deans Group, the Data Committee, the Distance Learning Committee, and the Education Committee of the Association of Schools of Public Health; and a member of the Maternal and Child Health Committee of the American Public Health Association. Michael Hoad, associate vice president for Health Sciences Advancement, is a member of Synergy, the national communications advisory board for the AAMC. Brian T. Smith, executive director of the USF Physicians Group, is on the Group on Faculty Practice Steering Committee for the AAMC. Paul Wallach, MD, associate dean for COM Medical Education is a member of the Board, a member of the Step 2 Committee, and chair of the Anatomy Test Development Committee of the NBME; and is a site visitor for the LCME. Lynn Wecker, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor and chairperson of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, is chair of the Program Committee for the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Return to top |
Dr. Linda Moody appointed to Governor's health information advisory board |
| Linda E. Moody, PhD, FAAN, Distinguished Professor and Hughes Endowed Chair in Nursing Informatics at USF, has been appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to the Governor's Health Information Infrastructure Advisory Board. Dr. Moody was one of 12 health care and information technology professionals, and the only one from Tampa, appointed to the new board. Members will work with the Florida Department of Health to help develop an electronic medical records system for Floridians. Her three-year term began June 7. Return to top |
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Dr. William Gower elected vice president of American Heart Board of Directors |
| William Gower, PhD, professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Department of Surgery, was elected vice president of the American Heart Association (AHA) Board of Directors. Dr. Gower has served on the Board since 1998. Dr. Gower, director of surgical research at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, recently received a 10-year service award from the AHA and is also a past recipient of the AHA Science Integration Award. He chairs the Florida/Puerto Rico Affiliate Research Committee. Return to top |
Dr. Richard Heller earns Fellow Award |
| Richard Heller, PhD, a professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology and co-director of the Center for Molecular Delivery, received the Fellow Award from the Society for In Vitro Biology. The Fellow Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments of in vitro biology and service to the Society. Dr. Heller was recognized for his pioneering contributions in the area of drug and gene delivery. In addition to the SIVB Fellow Award, earlier this year Dr. Heller received the Iwao Yasuda Award from the Society for Physical Regulation in Biology and Medicine and the USF Health Sciences Center 2003 Biotechnology Achievement Award. Return to top |
Dr. Paul Sanberg presented with research award at international meeting |
| Paul Sanberg, PhD, DSc, professor of Neurosurgery and director of the USF Center for Aging and Brain Repair, was presented with the Outstanding Accomplishments in Support of Scientific Research in Behavioral Neuroscience Award by the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society at the group's annual meeting in Key West in June. Dr. Sanberg, who was a keynote speaker at the meeting, was president of the society in 1993. His talk was Novel Cell Therapy Approaches for Brain Repair. Return to top |
Distinguished allergist and founding division chief Dr. Samuel Bukantz retires at 92 |
Samuel C. Bukantz, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Allergy and Immunology, retired June 30 following a distinguished career in academic medicine spanning more than 60 years. The Division has applied for Emeritus Professor status for Dr. Bukantz, 92, maintains an affiliate appointment with USF. Dr. Bukantz joined the USF College of Medicine in 1972 as the first director of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the Department of Internal Medicine at USF and chief of the Section of Allergy at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital. He was among the handful of senior faculty who took night call at the newly opened Haley VA before the internal medicine residency program was filled. Dr. Bukantz started the allergy and immunology clinic at the VA hospital, and his wife Jewell, a nurse, trained some of the earliest USF fellows in the art of preparing extracts for allergy skin testing. |
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| When Dr. Bukantz stepped down from clinical activities in 1983, he was succeeded by his protégé Richard Lockey, MD. "He has been an excellent mentor, great physician and my best friend," said Dr. Lockey, professor and chair of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. "Dr. Bukantz is one of the brightest people I've had the pleasure to know and the best at teaching me how to write concisely for scientific publications. I still consult with him on research issues and he always offers invaluable feedback. I am delighted that he will remain active in the Division – it would not be the same without him." Dr. Bukantz said one of his proudest accomplishments was helping build USF's fledgling allergy division into one of the largest and most well-respected in the country, "Our fellowship program has trained many physicians in the specialty of allergy and immunology who practice in Florida and are leaders in the field," he said. Dr. Bukantz earned a lifetime of awards for his outstanding contributions to research in allergy and immunology, medical education and community service. In 1992, he was named Laureate of the Florida Chapter of the American College of Physicians — the state chapter's highest honor. Other awards include the Distinguished Clinician Award from the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology in 1991, the USF Distinguished Professor of Medicine Award, and the Henry Hyde Salter Award from the International College of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in 1979. Dr. Bukantz has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Allergy and Immunology and as the editor of Hospital Practice. He has edited numerous books with Dr. Lockey, including Fundamentals of Immunology and Allergy, the Primer on Allergic and Immunological Diseases published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, and a recently published third edition of Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy, a text used extensively by allergist training programs across the country. He received his MD degree in 1934 from New York University College of Medicine. Dr. Bukantz continues to study how the immune system maintains a lifelong ability to make antibodies to blood group antigens. Return to top | |
Faculty/Staff campaign passes goal |
| The final tallies showed a banner year for this year's Faculty Staff Charitable Campaign. All three colleges at HSC surpassed their goals. The College of Medicine raised $135,050 with 16 percent of faculty and staff participating. It was one of three USF colleges to raise more than $100,000. The College of Public Health raised $19,464 with 21 percent participation. And the College of Nursing raised $20,521 with 41 percent participation. "This was the most successful year in the campaign's history," said Laura Waddel, assistant director of Annual Giving and Alumni Affairs at HSC. "Thank you to everyone who participated in making this year our best yet." Money raised benefits student scholarships, faculty research, facilities, USF academic and recreational programs, among others. Return to top |
In the News |
| An inducible gene therapy system was mentioned in the Research Notes section of the May 2004 Nature Biotechnology and is the work of M. Ian Phillips, PhD, DSc, USF vice president for research and professor of physiology and biophysics, and colleagues. The team's research into the use of genes to repair heart tissue was also highlighted in a July 2004 Florida Trend editorial touting the wonders of scientific advances. David Morgan, PhD, professor of pharmacology, and Huntington Potter, PhD, professor of biochemistry who holds the Pfeiffer Endowed Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Research, commented on various approaches in the war on Alzheimer's in the June 27 St. Petersburg Times. A study investigating health-related differences between bottled water and tap water from wells was featured in the June 29 Tampa Tribune and on WUSF-FM University Beat the week of July 4. Ricardo Izurieta, MD, of the USF College of Public Health, said 1,000 Hillsborough County households are needed for the new study sponsored by the Evironmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Joel Strom, MD, professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Disease, commented July 19 for WTSP Ch. 10 on new federal guidelines lowering levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, for people at high risk for heart disease. By Anne DeLotto Baier abaier@hsc.usf.edu Return to top |