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September 2, 2004
In this issue: |
HSC research reaches $145 million |
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Researchers at the USF Health Sciences Center continued their success with finding funding for their work, securing $145.4 million in research contracts and grants for 2003/2004, an 18 percent increase over last year. The College of Medicine received $116.6 million (up 25 percent from last year), the College of Public Health $25.19 million and the College of Nursing $2.67 million. USF as a whole brought in $290 million in research, its eighth consecutive record-breaking year. The total is 14 percent more than last year and 40 percent more than the 2002-funding total. It is also $45 million more than the $245 million goal called for in USF's strategic plan. The amount of external contracts and grants is most commonly used as a benchmark for science, medicine and technology fields. "Our faculty's research is poising USF to be in the top 50 of public research universities in five years," said USF President Judy Genshaft. "They had a phenomenal year in aggressively pursuing national-caliber research grants." Much of the research is related to biodefense, in large part due to the federal support of Congressman C.W. "Bill" Young's office. At HSC, Jacqueline Cattani, director of USF's Center for Biological Defense, brought in $5 million from the Department of the Army. Also a top grant earner was the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute with $28.6 million (up 19 percent from the previous year). -- Michelle Carlyon, University Relations Return to top |
Dr. Donna Petersen named dean of COPH |
| By Michael Hoad USF has appointed Donna J. Petersen, MHS, ScD, as the dean of the College of Public Health. Dr. Petersen joins USF from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she is a full professor and former senior associate dean and known as an innovator in public health education and a leader in the fields of health policy and maternal and child health. She will begin October 31. "Donna Petersen understands the need for leadership in building the next generation of public health and health care professionals in America, and that's exactly USF's vision for our College of Public Health," said USF President Judy Genshaft, PhD. "We have found a great leader for a great college." Dr. Petersen was appointed by Genshaft and Robert Belsole, MD, USF's interim vice president for health sciences. |
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| "After a thorough national search, we found a terrific candidate in Donna Petersen," Dr. Belsole said. "We'll benefit from her energy and from her national reputation and I'm delighted to welcome her to USF." The USF Health Sciences Center encompasses the colleges of public health, nursing and medicine. In September, Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, will become the permanent vice president for health sciences. The College of Public Health has quickly increased its research funding, which totaled $25.19 million in grants during the last fiscal year. USF's College of Public Health was the first in Florida, and is the only to offer doctoral degrees. Its faculty run research centers aimed at improving maternal and child health, biodefense, disease tracking and prevention, the environment, global health, as well as workplace and patient safety, domestic violence and others. In May, the college was fully re-accredited for seven years. "It is a major coup to bring Donna Petersen to USF," Dr. Klasko said. "Her expertise spans all three colleges of USF's Health Sciences Center, and she will help us to build a powerful center of excellence for the health of women and children." At UAB, Dr. Petersen served as the senior associate dean for Academic Affairs and Research of the School of Public Health. Her research and teaching have focused on leadership and advocacy for women and children, including all aspects of the health care system. She has current grant funding of almost $2 million in research awards. She earned her doctoral degree in 1989 from Johns Hopkins University, where she also received her master's degree. Her bachelor's degree is from Drew University. By Fall 2005, Dr. Petersen will be joined by her husband, Greg R. Alexander, MPH, ScD, chair of the Department of Maternal and Child Health at UAB, and one of the country's most recognized experts in the field of perinatal epidemiology. He will be a professor in USF's Department of Pediatrics. Return to top | |
Community Links |
Helping after Hurricane Charley |
| Faculty, staff and students are lending a hand to victims of Hurricane Charley. For example, USF medical students are helping raise money for the United Way's Hurricane Charley Recovery Fund. The group is seeking to raise $5,000 that the United Way will distribute to the hardest hit and most needy of hurricane victims. Funds (cash or check) can be given to Kathy Dunaj (MS II) or dropped off at the College of Medicine Student Affairs Office (MDC 1002). Donations can also be given directly to SunTrust Bank (closest branch is at 2208 E. Fowler Ave, 977-8815) with whom United Way has a donation account established. Make checks payable to Hurricane Charley Recovery Fund and write HSC USF in the memo. For more information, contact Lauren Castleberry (MS II) at lcastleb@hsc.usf.edu. In addition, a team of USF physicians went to St. Paul's Catholic Church in Arcadia last weekend to provide free medical care to migrant farm workers in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley. The doctor coordinating the volunteer effort is Richard Hoffmann, MD, associate professor of medicine. Dr. Hoffmann drove from Ruskin to Arcadia using the Catholic Charities medical van that USF routinely uses as a mobile clinic to provide care to migrant workers in Southern Hillsborough County. He was followed by a caravan of USF physician colleagues who staffed the van along with him that afternoon. The USF College of Public Health has dispatched its mobile environmental health laboratory, EnviroVan, to DeSoto County to help local public health officials assess and monitor drinking water for contamination following Hurricane Charley. See story. And a team from the USF SafetyFlorida Consultation Program is offering onsite health and safety training to emergency crews cleaning up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley. See story. Return to top |
Dr. David J. Smith named new director of Plastic Surgery |
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David J. Smith, Jr., MD, recently joined the USF College of Medicine as professor and director of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He also holds the college's Juan Bolivar Endowed Chair in Surgical Oncology, and serves as a visiting professor at the Center for Cutaneous Research, Queen Mary Hospital, University of London. |
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| Dr. Smith's clinical and research interests have included burns and wound healing, hand microsurgery, breast reconstruction, and body contouring following massive weight loss. He received his MD degree from Indiana University School of Medicine. He conducted a residency in general surgery at Emory University in Atlanta, and another in plastic surgery at Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis. His completed a fellowship at the Christine Kleinert Institute for Hand and Microsurgery in Louisville, KY. Dr. Smith has earned national prominence in the field of plastic surgery. A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, he was chair of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and president of the Association of Academic Chairmen of Plastic Surgery and the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation. He served on the ACGME's Residency Review Committee for Plastic Surgery for seven years, including two years as chair of the accrediting body. Return to top | |
Host families needed for Uzbek delegation |
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The USF Health Sciences Center has been selected by the American International Health Alliance (AIHA) to host a delegation of 10 health professionals from Uzbekistan (former Soviet Union) from Oct. 10 to 17. As part of the AIHA's Community Leadership Development Program, these Russian leaders will travel to Tampa and USF to learn about community-based approaches to improve health services and the health status of their citizens. A week of training sessions and site visits is being planned for the visitors. |
In the News |
| USF otolaryngologist Tapan Padhya, MD, and sleep disorders specialist W. McDowell Anderson, MD, shared their expertise on diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea for an Aug. 3 WFLA Newschannel 8 segment on the topic. Robert Campbell, MD, associate professor of family medicine, and Michel Murr, MD, bariatric surgery director at USF and Tampa General Hospital, commented for an Aug. 4 front-page St. Petersburg Times story on the recent decision by Medicare paving the way for the agency to cover obesity treatments. Jay Wolfson, DrPH, JD, professor of public health and medicine, was co-author of an Aug. 7 St. Petersburg Times editorial commenting on Florida's new patient safety legislation – among the most comprehensive of its kind in the nation. Nancy Teten, clinical coordinator of the USF Memory Disorder Clinic, commented on baby boomer's growing concern about age-related dementia in the Aug. 8 Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Jodi Ray of the Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies at the USF College of Public Health, was interviewed for a profile of the Florida Covering Kids & Families program she directs in the Aug. 9 Tampa Tribune. Progress at the USF Health Sciences Center was detailed in an Aug. 9 Tampa Tribune article on new construction, programs and faces at the University. The gender shift to a female-majority total enrollment at the USF College of Medicine was the focus of an Aug. 10 front page story in the St. Petersburg Times. Steven Specter, PhD, associate dean for admissions and student affairs, and medical students Heather Carpenter, Luke Stephenson and Lisa Moody commented on the rise in women medical students. By Anne DeLotto Baier abaier@hsc.usf.edu Return to top |
USF EnviroVan to help DeSoto County health officials monitor drinking water safety following Hurricane Charley |
| By Anne DeLotto Baier The USF College of Public Health has dispatched its mobile environmental health laboratory, EnviroVan, to DeSoto County to help local public health officials assess and monitor drinking water for contamination following Hurricane Charley. The van, operating out of the incident command center at the Sarasota County Department of Health's Division of Environmental Health, was based all last week at the DeSoto County Health Department in Arcadia. Over the next month, the van may rotate to hurricane-affected areas outside DeSoto County, particularly where wells are not functioning due to loss of power. The mobile lab will be staffed by USF public health faculty and graduate students supervised by Heidi Kay, PhD, an assistant professor in the USF Department of Global Health, and Homer Rice, director of environmental health in Sarasota County. "One of the biggest public health concerns following disasters like hurricanes is the lack of safe drinking water, which typically results in a greater rate of diarrheal disease in the affected regions," said Thomas J. Mason, PhD, professor of epidemiology and director of the Global Center for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Action at USF. "This is an opportunity to share our resources with communities in need and for our students to experience the real-world application of environmental health principles. As the state's only college of public health, we are committed to responding wherever we are needed." The EnviroVan, a shuttle bus customized by USF engineering students, is equipped with state-of-the-art instruments for field testing, analysis, research and hands-on training. Its power is supplied by a self-contained diesel generator. This summer the mobile laboratory was brought to eight Tampa Bay area high schools, where science students toured the van and conducted experiments to learn about water quality, toxicology and hazardous materials. EnviroVan is supported by an Innovations in Teaching and Technology Congressional Award. Return to top |
USF SafetyFlorida deploys team to help prevent injuries among workers involved in Hurricane Charley cleanup |
| A team from the USF's SafetyFlorida Consultation Program was deployed to offer onsite health and safety training to emergency crews cleaning up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley. The 14 USF consultants are working rotations around the clock with Occupational Safety and Health Administration coordinators in 15 counties, including the hard-hit Charlotte and DeSoto counties. In addition to well-trained power and construction crews, the disaster cleanup and recovery operation includes day laborers, volunteers and homeowners who may not be as familiar with the basic safety precautions and protective gear needed for such tasks as trimming trees, operating generators, demolishing walls and removing aluminum, glass and concrete. "The city, county and private contract workers involved in this massive cleanup effort are working under very hazardous conditions," said Bob Nesbit, assistant director of training for USF SafetyFlorida. "We don't want to impede their work. Our goal is to ensure the work is done safely to avoid injuries from falls, flooding, electric shock, chain saws and other machinery." "This call to action fits in with the educational outreach and training mission of our program," said Charlene Vespi, associate director and program manager for USF SafetyFlorida. For more information and safety tips, go the OSHA website at www.osha.gov and click on eTools at the right. USF SafetyFlorida, funded by a mix of federal and state monies, provides small businesses across the state with workplace safety consultations and guidance. The program complements the initiatives of the OSHA Training Institute Center, also housed at the USF College of Public Health Return to top |
COM welcomes new faculty |
| Several new faculty members have joined the College of Medicine since the new fiscal year, July 1. They include: • Christine E. Callahan, MD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology specializing in glaucoma. Dr. Callahan joined USF from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, where she recently completed a glaucoma fellowship. She completed residency training at Pennsylvania State University Hershey Medical Center and earned a MD degree from Pennsylvania State. • Maria Louise Cannarozzi, MD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. She specializes in both adult and pediatric medicine and sees patients at the USF Medical Clinic. Dr. Cannarozzi is a 2000 graduate of the USF College of Medicine and conducted her residency training in internal medicine/pediatrics here. She is a former optometrist and registered nurse. • Marisa Couluris, DO, is an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics. She is a member of the USF Pediatric Pulmonary Team and also sees general pediatric patients at 17 Davis. Dr. Couluris completed residency training in pediatrics at USF and earned a MD degree from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine. • Charles M. Edwards, MD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. A hospitalist based at Tampa General Hospital, he joined USF from an 8-member physician group in the Tampa Bay area. Dr. Edwards was a 1998 graduate of the USF College of Medicine and completed residency training in internal medicine here. He also holds a MBA from the University of Tampa. • Scott F. Gallagher, MD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, working with the Bariatric Surgery Program team at Tampa General Hospital. Dr. Gallagher completed an advanced gastrointestinal and bariatric surgery research fellowship at USF in June. He conducted residency training in surgery at USF and earned a MD degree from Ohio State University. • Mark C. Glaum, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Glaum trained in internal medicine at Hahnemann Unviversity Hospital in Philadelphia and completed a fellowship in allergy and clinical immunology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His MD and PhD degrees are from MCP/Hahnemann University. Return to top |
USF co-sponsors first homeland security course for medical executives |
| The USF Colleges of Medicine and Public Health joined the Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute (DMRTI) in sponsoring the first Homeland Security Medical Executive course in June in Austin, TX. More than 140 civilian medical managers and senior medical commissioned officers attended the program, designed to improve medical readiness and responses to terrorist attacks, major disasters or other emergencies in the United States or its territories. USF and DMRTI plan to offer the course several times a year in different regions of the country. Thomas J. Mason, PhD, professor of epidemiology and director of the Global Center for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Action at the USF College of Public Health, was co-director for the inaugural course. Dr. Mason was recently named USF representative to the Homeland Security/Defense Education Consortium, a partnership between the Department of Defense and a wide range of academic institutions focused on research, education and cooperation that supports homeland security. Return to top |
USF advertises in regional Time Magazine |
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USF placed an ad in the Aug. 23 regional issue of Time Magazine. Check it out. |