Archived News and Events - 2011
Match Day Results Are In
Match Day was held Thursday, March 17, and Missy Maples, Student Affairs Coordinator, hosted a Match Day celebration for University of Tennessee Health Science Center medical students who stayed in Knoxville to receive their match results. Opening match results letters together at 1 p.m., Andrew Dake, Adam Lett and Lindsay Luttrell learned they each matched with UT Graduate School of Medicine Residency programs – Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Transitional Year/Radiology respectively. View the Match Day photo album.
See who matched with Graduate School of Medicine programs for residency and fellowship.
May 30, 2011
Doctors Give Medical Care in Isolated Haitian Villages
Wayne Smith, MD, Anesthesiology Resident, hiked for more than an hour to the remote mountain village of Medor, Haiti, to provide medical care following the cholera outbreak in Haiti. Dr. Smith was on a mission trip with Remote Area Medical (RAM), a non-profit, volunteer, airborne relief corps that serves throughout the world providing free health, dental and eye care and more.
Supplies for the medical clinic included fluids, IVs, and medications such as pain relievers. The medical team was prepared to treat cholera but only treated two confirmed cases of the intestinal infection.
However, there were hundreds of people in Medor seeking medical care. One case that made an impact on Dr. Smith involved a boy who had burned his hand. He had been keeping his hand wrapped in a towel for the past year after it was burned during the earthquake.
"Saint Luke, his case was really the most impacting both here and at home," Dr. Smith said. "I scraped the scab and it looked like healthy tissue underneath. Bone infection was not apparent, but we didn't have the means to check for infection. We wondered what else to do.
"We are continuing to try to get Saint Luke to the U.S. We are having passport and visa issues. Neither he nor his mother has a birth certificate. We think we have the doctor and hospital side of things worked out. We have been raising money, and we hope to save his hand."
Ann Curry with Dateline on NBC followed the mission trip to Medor, featuring the medical clinic in "Rescue in the Mountains."
At approximately the same time Dr. Wayne Smith was serving in Medor, Lou Smith, MD, Associate Professor, Surgery, was also doing mission work in a remote area of Haiti. Originally destined for Boucan Carre on a Partners in Health mission trip, Dr. Lou Smith ended up hiking four hours over mountainous terrain to provide medical care with a small team in Bouly.
"Our clinic in Bouly was held in a church. It was actually a roof held up by poles with a couple of chairs," Dr. Lou Smith said. "People sat on logs waiting in line to be seen. We saw two to three hundred people. We would give interviews, check vitals, give out the medications that we had. It's neat what they are doing in Bouly, but there's not a lot they can do and the Partners in Health hospital is four hours away."
One case that stood out for Dr. Lou Smith involved a man who was carried to Bouly by a group of 16 people on a homemade stretcher. The man had severe abdominal pain, his blood pressure was low, and he was dehydrated. Dr. Lou Smith said they gave him some hydration solution and told him he needed to go to Boucan Carre for help.
"We left the following day and saw him in Boucan Carre. It turns out he had cirrhosis. It was amazing to me that his family and friends walked about 50 miles carrying him," she said.
Dr. Lou Smith regularly participates in missions in third-world areas and blogs about her experiences.
May 26, 2011
UTHSC Names Dr. David Stern Executive Dean to COM
Steve J. Schwab, MD, Chancellor for the UT Health Science Center, announced David M. Stern, MD, has been named Executive Dean for the UT College of Medicine. Reporting directly to Chancellor Schwab, Dr. Stern will serve as the chief academic and administrative officer responsible for the leadership and management of the College of Medicine campuses in Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville. Additionally, Dr. Stern will serve as Vice Chancellor of Clinical Affairs at UTHSC to oversee the college's clinical activities and faculty practice plans.
Since 2005, Dr. Stern has been a pivotal part of the University of Cincinnati's academic medicine, research and clinical care community. From 2005-2010, he served as dean of the College of Medicine, vice-president for Health Affairs from 2008-2010, and professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular and Cellular Physiology from 2005 to the present. His achievements included appointing 14 chairs and key leaders, as well as identifying and focusing resources on critical centers of excellence related to cancer, cardiovascular disease, neuroscience and metabolic disorders.
Dr. Stern, a certified diplomat for the American Board of Internal Medicine, has built a career as a grant-supported researcher, inventor and academician who is widely published. He has contributed to more than 230 peer-reviewed articles, has been invited to contribute to more than 110 articles and chapters, and has edited a book on diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He holds 14 patents and maintains memberships and fellowships in a variety of scientific societies, including: the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Cell Biology, the American Association of Pathologists, the Harvey Society, and the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
A graduate of Yale University with a bachelor's degree in chemistry, Dr. Stern earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School.
May 26, 2011
The Scope Features UTGSM's Latest Achievements in Education, Patient Care, Research and Service
From Match Day to Faculty Appreciation, the May 2011 issue of The Scope E-Newsletter features the latest achievements of the students, residents, fellows, faculty and staff at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in support of our mission to provide excellence in education, patient care, research and service.
May 25, 2011
Urology Residents Present at National Meeting
Physicians in the Urology Residency Program at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine presented research at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting in Washington DC May 14-19. Presentations included
Ryan Pickens, MD
"Long-Term Follow-up Data on the MiniArc Mid-Urethral Sling for the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence"
Co-authors: Brent Hardin, MD, John Beddies, MD, Wesley White, MD, W. Bedford Waters, MD, Frederick Klein, MD
Brent Hardin, MD
"Comparative Analysis of Anterior and Posterior Treatment Planes Utilizing the Dornier Delta Electromagnetic Lithotriptor"
Co-authors: Brent Hardin, MD, Adam Stewart, MD, John Beddies, MD, Ryan Pickens, MD, Wesley White, MD, W. Bedford Waters, MD, Frederick Klein, MD
Adam Stewart, MD
"Outcomes Following Secondary Treatment Using Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy"
Co-authors: Wesley White, MD, Frederick Klein, MD
Wesley White, MD, Instructor, and Ragula Doggweiler, MD, Assistant Professor, also made presentations at the meeting.
May 23, 2011
Researchers Provide First Sub-Nanoscale Snapshots of Huntington's Disease Protein
Researchers at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine and the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have for the first time successfully characterized the earliest structural formation of the disease type of the protein that causes Huntington's disease. The incurable, hereditary neurological disorder is always fatal and affects one in 10,000 Americans.
Huntington's disease is caused by a renegade protein "huntingtin" that destroys neurons in areas of the brain concerned with the emotions, intellect and movement. All humans have the normal huntingtin protein, which is known to be essential to human life, although its true biological functions remain unclear.
Christopher Stanley, PhD, a Shull Fellow in the Neutron Scattering Science Division at ORNL, and Valerie Berthelier, a UT Graduate School of Medicine Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Conformational Diseases and Therapeutics Research who studies protein folding and misfolding in Huntington's, have used a small-angle neutron scattering instrument, called Bio-SANS, at ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor to explore the earliest aggregate species of the protein that are believed to be the most toxic.
Dr. Stanley and Dr. Berthelier, in research published May 18 in Biophysical Journal, were able to determine the size and mass of the mutant protein structures―from the earliest small, spherical precursor species composed of two (dimers) and three (trimers) peptides―along the aggregation pathway to the development of the resulting, later-stage fibrils. They were also able to see inside the later-stage fibrils and determine their internal structure, which provides additional insight into how the peptides aggregate.
Now that they know the structures, the hope is to develop drugs that can counteract the toxic properties in the early stages, or dissuade them from taking the path to toxicity.
Read more about the process Dr. Stanley and Dr. Berthelier used to explore the toxic proteins in an article released by Bill Cabage with ORNL.
May 19, 2011
Resident Research Published in Journal of Surgical Research
In recent years, all-terrain vehicle accidents have accounted for an increasing proportion of pediatric trauma victims and longer hospitalizations secondary to worsened injuries. Surgery Resident Khanjan Nagarsheth, MD, with co-authors Sagar Ghandi, MD, Surgery Resident; Eric Heidel, Statistical and Research Design Consultant, Office of Medical Education, Research and Development; Stanley Kurek, DO, Associate Professor, Surgery; and Carlos Angel, MD, Associate Professor, Surgery, created a simple mathematical model that can be used to predict hospital length of stay for pediatric ATV accident victims. The results of Dr. Nagarsheth's research, "A Mathematical Model to Predict Lenght of Stay in Pediatric ATV Accident Victims," were printed online in the Journal of Surgical Research. The print edition is in press.
May 17, 2011
Residents and Fellows Engage in Knoxville's Medical Community
As physicians, residents have the opportunity to join medical associations that allow them to be advocates, network and provide community service. The Knoxville Academy of Medicine is a professional organization for medical doctors and doctors of osteopathic medicine that is the local affiliation of the Tennessee Medical Association and the American Medical Association. The local organization recently welcomed 37 residents and fellows into its membership.
Brian Adams, MD, Transitional Year
Joshua Arnold, MD, Vascular Surgery Fellowship
Tonya Baker, MD, Internal Medicine
Camille Blackledge, MD, Surgery
Joanna Blankner, MD, Transitional Year
Jeremy Clark, DO, Transitional Year
David Dahl, MD, Transitional Year
Mitch Dizon, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Matthew Edwards, DO, Internal Medicine
Emily Edwards, DO, Family Medicine
Prince Esiobu, MD, Surgery
Lynn Ferguson, MD, Pathology
Meredith Fields, DO, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Charles Ford, Jr., MD, Surgery
Katherine Frederick-Dyer, MD, Transitional Year
David Graham, MD, Internal Medicine
Alan Haney, MD, Family Medicine
Melissa House, MD, Transitional Year
Benjamin Huff, MD, Family Medicine
Vaughn Jackson, Jr., MD, Family Medicine
Shane Kelley, MD, Internal Medicine
Eric Kujawski, MD, Sports Medicine Fellowship
Jonathan Laymance, MD, Family Medicine
Solomon Lee, DO, Pathology
Kamran Manzoor, MD, Pulmonary Fellowship
Michael Martin, DO, Family Medicine
Muhammad Mir, MD, Pulmonary Fellowship
Donald Monroe III, MD, Surgery
Adrianne Netterville, MD, Internal Medicine
Cheryl Onwuchuruba, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Ryan Owen, MD, Radiology
Stephen Pacifico, MD, Surgery
Soham Patel, MD, Internal Medicine
Owaisur Rahman, MD, Internal Medicine
Deepti Reddy, MD, Internal Medicine
Lindsay Rumberger, MD, Surgery
Christopher Schrock, MD, Transitional Year
May 10, 2011
UTGSM and Its Programs Earn Maximum Accreditations
The UT Graduate School of Medicine earned national reaccreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for a five-year period, the maximum period awarded by ACGME, extending its accreditation through 2015. ACGME is responsible for the accreditation of post-graduate medical education programs within the United States.
In addition to the institution, several Graduate School of Medicine programs have also been awarded top-level accreditations for five or more years within the last 18 months.
"This kind of success takes a collective effort that depends on the goodwill and cooperation from program directors and coordinators as we move our programs and institution from good to great," said William Metheny, PhD, Assistant Dean, Graduate Medical and Dental Education.
Programs recently accredited for maximum periods include
- Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship – Directed by Dale Wortham, MD, the program is accredited through 2015. This was a first-time accreditation for the program, which was initiated in 2007.
- Pulmonology Fellowship – Directed by Tina Dudney, MD, the program is accredited through 2015. This was a first-time accreditation for the program, which was initiated in 2008.
- Vascular Surgery Fellowship – Directed by Michael Freeman, MD, the program is accredited through 2013.
- Anesthesiology Residency – Directed by Robert Craft, MD, the program is accredited through 2014.
- Dental Residency – Directed by O. Lee Wilson, DMD, the program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) through 2015. A seven-year accreditation is the maximum awarded by CODA.
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency – Directed by Nikki Zite, MD, the program is accredited through 2015.
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency – Directed by Eric Carlson, DMD, MD, the program earned maximum accreditation from CODA through 2015 without recommendations.
- Surgery Residency – Directed by Brian Daley, MD, the program is accredited through 2015.
- Urology Residency – Directed by Frederick Klein, MD, the program is accredited through 2014 with no recommendations or citations and approval for an additional resident every other year.
- Transitional Residency – Directed by Daphne Norwood, MD, the program is accredited through 2015.
James Neutens, PhD, Dean, said, "More than two years ago we set a goal to be the best in medical education. One of our major benchmarks toward reaching that goal is to have all residency and fellowship programs earn maximum accreditation from the accrediting bodies. These strides in education will help us recruit the best medical students to complement the residents currently in our programs."
May 3, 2011
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