Barrow Magazine - Volume 19, Issue 2, 2007 by Barrow Neurological Foundation

A magazine for the friends of Barrow Neurological Institute of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

SLEEPY NO MORE

New Barrow clinic diagnoses teen’s chronic sleepiness EYE-OPENING DISCOVERY

Foundation-supported scientists make international headlines

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Volume 19, Issue 2, 2007

Opening thoughts nce again U.S. News & World Report has named Barrow Neurological Institute one of the top-10 centers for neurosurgery and neurology. This recognition reflects our continued emphasis on advancing neuroscience through innovative research and medical education. We strive to bring effective new treatments to the Valley as quickly as possible, to develop new solutions to medical problems, to offer the very best medical training available and to uncover the roots of disease. As a result, patients come to Barrow from across Arizona, the nation and the world for the highly specialized and sometimes unique care we offer. In this issue of Barrow, you will find many examples of the breakthrough research, medical education and patient care happening every day at Barrow. So much of this is possible because of you and your continued support of Barrow. Consider the headline-making discovery of Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD, and Stephen Macknik, PhD. These two young scientists, working with funds from Barrow Neurological Foundation, have settled a question that has been debated by vision researchers for half a century. Their findings not only answer the question of the purpose of tiny eye movements called microsaccades, but will undoubtedly lead to improved treatments for many eye diseases. New procedures and services now available at Barrow are the topics of several other articles. Randall Porter, MD, has begun performing a new less invasive approach to spine surgery. And the new Barrow/Areté Sleep Center is solving the severe sleep disorders of patients like young Austin Wales, pictured on our cover. Research is indeed the key to improving treatments and finding cures, and the work being done by neurologists and scientists in the Barrow Neuroimmunology Program will undoubtedly improve care for multiple sclerosis and other diseases. I commend these researchers for their aggressive studies into these devastating disorders. I would also like to pay tribute to all the benefactors featured in this issue. From young philanthropists like the Students Supporting Brain Tumor Research to long-time supporters such as William and Judy Schubert, Lou Grubb, and Michelle and Ed Robson, benefactors are helping patients now and will improve care for children and adults in the future. Thank you for all you do for Barrow.

Sincerely,

Robert F. Spetzler, MD Director, Barrow Neurological Institute

On the cover: Austin Wales can finally get a good night’s sleep, thanks to the new Barrow/Areté Sleep Center. His story starts on page 6.

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2: Eye-opening discovery Foundation-supported vision researchers make international headlines. 5: Are you Arizona’s next millionaire? Top prize in Fall 2007 Health & Wealth Raffle is a cool million. 6: A better night’s sleep—finally! New sleep clinic diagnoses teen’s chronic sleepiness. 9: Walking to a new beat Wanda Johnson is free of back pain, thanks to a new approach to spine surgery. 12: Pursuing a traitorous disease MS physicians and scientists seek to reprogram immune systems gone haywire. 15: Clinical professor in biomedical informatics Neuroradiologist teaches classes at U of A and ASU. 17: Celebrity Fight Night Foundation ‘If we can help just one person, it’s worth it.’

Contents

20: From around the globe Patients come to Barrow for world-class care. 22: Spotlight on our benefactors William and Judy Schubert, Lou Grubb, Fore a Friend, Andres family. 24: Planting a philanthropy seed for life SSBTR creates fellowship in Barrow’s Neuro-Oncology Laboratory. 26: ‘Empowhering’ women, changing healthcare With a successful capital campaign behind her, Michelle Robson turns to advocating for women’s health. 28: News 32: It’s lasting: the tribute gift

Catherine Menor Editor/writer Catherine.Menor@chw.edu

Sally Clasen, Melissa Morrison, Sarah Padilla, Kristin Park Contributing writers

Robert F. Spetzler, MD Director Barrow Neurological Institute®

Justin Detwiler Art director/designer

Jeff Noble, Jackie Mercandetti Photography

Mary Jane Crist, CFRE CEO, Barrow Neurological Foundation

Panoramic Press • How to Reach Us • Barrow is published twice a year. We welcome your comments, suggestions and requests to be added to or deleted from our mailing list. Call 602-406-1041 or send mail to Barrow, Office of Philanthropy, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, 350 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, AZ, 85013. Please include your name, address and telephone number in all correspondence. Visit us online at www.StJosephs-Phx.com.

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eye-opening discovery Foundation-supported scientists make international headlines

The groundbreaking research of Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD, and Stephen Macknik, PhD, received funding from Barrow Neurological Institute.

by Catherine Menor

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ontributions to Barrow Neurological Foundation make possible many neuroscience research projects that otherwise might never get off the ground. In August, the importance of such contributions became abundantly clear when Scientific American, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most circulated lay science magazine, hit newsstands across the globe. A huge green eye dominated the magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cover, highlighting an article written by Barrow vision researchers Susana MartinezConde, PhD, and Stephen Macknik, PhD, about their research into tiny involuntary eye movements called microsaccades. Their groundbreaking research was conducted at Barrow and received

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funding from Barrow Neurological Foundation (BNF) and the Health & Wealth Raffle. For scientists like Drs. Martinez-Conde and Macknik, it was like “being on the cover of Rolling Stone”—in other words, it was a very big deal. “We were so thrilled at having a Scientific American article at all,” says Dr. Martinez-Conde. “It never even crossed our minds that we would be on the cover.” The article, “Windows on the Mind,” caps 10 years of research that the duo has conducted on microsaccades and describes a recent discovery that settles a 50-year debate over the importance, or lack thereof, of these involuntary eye movements. “This project probably wouldn’t have happened without BNF support,” says Dr. Macknik. “The support we have received here has been better than what we would have received at Harvard [where the two conducted post-doctorate research from 1997-2001]. Science funding has gone way down, so it’s very difficult to get government grants. The Foundation has been very supportive, making sure we can go at full speed.” Eye researchers have long sought to solve the question of the purpose of microsaccades, but until now, no one had been able to prove whether the tiny movements are vital to vision or are simply useless tics. Drs. Martinez-Conde and Macknik’s research into the question began when they met in the Harvard Medical School laboratory of David Hubel, PhD, who won the Nobel Prize for research on the visual system in 1981. At the end of their studies, they both received job offers from the University College London, UK, and continued their research there.

Ending a 50-year debate

But it was not until after the researchers had relocated to Barrow in 2004 that they experienced a breakthrough in their research into microsaccades. “That was a great day,” says Dr. Macknik. “We were on Thomas Road going west, and Susana thought of the primary experiment as we were just getting on I-17 north, and that’s what we talked about the rest of that afternoon.” Dr. Martinez-Conde also has vivid memories of that day. “We both realized what it meant and that if it worked we would provide a direct demonstration for the first time that microsaccades are necessary for visual perception.” Coming up with the experiment was key, says Dr. Macknik. “In science if there’s any artistry, it’s in the experimental design. That’s our palette.”

The breakthrough ‘Aha!’

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The scientists first researched the literature to ensure that no one else had used their proposed experiment model to assess the function of microsaccades. They developed analysis methods and recruited colleagues and friends to participate in the research, conducted at Barrow. The results were clear and replicable—microsaccades enable vision to continue when the gaze is fixed and probably are at the root of several types of ophthalmic disease. Drs. Martinez-Conde and Macknik published their first article about the findings in a professional journal, Neuron. Soon afterward, Scientific American requested a proposal for an article on the topic. Once the magazine’s editorial board okayed the proposal, the scientists began working on the article for the prestigious science magazine. In July, “we got six magazines a piece in the mail, and that’s when we found out [we were on the cover],” says Dr. Macknik. The article was selected for the cover after a panel of readers chose it as the issue’s most interesting.

A match made in the lab

Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD, and Stephen Macknik, PhD, first met in 1997 in the Harvard Medical School laboratory of David Hubel, MD. She is a native of Spain, while he hails from California. For five years they were collaborators and friends, but nothing more. Both were hesitant to even consider dating. “We were concerned that it might not work out and might hurt our collaboration,” says Dr. Martinez-Conde. Finally, in early 2002, the two decided to give dating a try. Nine months later they were married. Science was the launching pad of their relationship and still serves them well, both say. “Science is great,” says Dr. Macknik. “It’s a lifestyle more than a job. It drives our curiosity. It’s the basis of most of our conversations, not just about our work, but about other science as well. We read lay science books about physics, psychology, evolution and other things, and we discuss them all the time.” The couple have a ten-month-old son, Iago Macknik-Conde.

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Jorge Otero-Millan, programmer; Xoana G. Troncoso, PhD, post-doctorate fellow; and Hector Rieiro, programmer, in the Laboratory of Visual Neuroscience at Barrow.

The couple shared the big news first with their parents and then with Dr. Hubel. “The cool thing about this is that it’s an article our parents will be able to understand,” Dr. Macknik says. “They can buy a Scientific American and open to the page with our names on it and read the article. It’s the first time that’s happened. There just aren’t many venues for us to publish to the public.” Their discovery has certainly increased their visibility in the scientific world, says Dr. Macknik, especially that of Dr. Martinez-Conde. “It thrusts Susana from being a well-known researcher in the field to being a leader of the field.” Already, Dr. Martinez-Conde has been invited to be the keynote lecturer at the upcoming 14th European Conference on Eye Movements in Germany. She was recently interviewed by media in Spain, her homeland, and received an award from Galicia, her home state. The National Science Foundation has granted Dr. Martinez-Conde funds for follow-up research. This discovery is just the beginning, says Dr. Martinez-Conde. “The next step is making it applicable in the clinic. What happens in diseases when eye movements are impaired? How is vision affected? What can we do to ameliorate symptoms?” Thanks to BNF donors, these researchers have been able to make a significant contribution to the science of vision—and to the possibility of improved treatments for eye diseases. ■

Increased visibility

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Get your free copy of Scientific American

Read “Windows on the Mind,” an article written by Barrow researchers Susana MartinezConde, PhD, and Stephen Macknik, PhD, and learn: • Why your eyes never stop moving. • How microsaccades may shed light on subliminal thoughts. • How staring at something causes surrounding stationary images to fade away. For your free copy of the August 2007 edition of Scientific American, email your name and mailing address to Catherine.Menor@chw.edu. Or, call us at 602-406-3041.

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are you arizona’s next millionaire? Top prize in Fall 2007 Health & Wealth Raffle is a cool million; deadline to purchase tickets is Oct. 24 ow would $1 million change your life? Perhaps you would purchase a new home and take a dream vacation to Hawaii, like Yvette Sandoval of Gilbert did after winning Grand Prize #1 in the Spring 2007 Health & Wealth Raffle. Or, maybe you would invest in real estate and decide that from this point forward, you would only fly first class. That’s what Sun City resident Ellen Lawrence did. She won the $1 million Grand Prize in the Fall 2005 Raffle. The Fall 2007 Health & Wealth Raffle is going on now with your chance to be Arizona’s next millionaire. The ninth Health & Wealth Raffle since 2003 is still the nation’s largest raffle with more than 9,000 prizes worth a total of $5.2 million. Proceeds support patient care, medical education and research at St. Joseph’s and Barrow. Where do Raffle dollars go? Here are just a few examples: • The Raffle has supported nearly 100 research projects, including the research of Susana MartinezConde, PhD, and Stephen Macknik, PhD, featured in this issue of Barrow. • The Raffle provided start-up funding for St. Joseph’s Heart & Lung Institute and its Lung Transplant Center, the first in the Valley. • The Raffle funds trauma prevention programs, prenatal services for uninsured low-income women and other outreach activities. “Each time you purchase a Health & Wealth Raffle ticket, you are helping Arizona win with improved healthcare,” says Mary Jane Crist, chief executive officer of St. Joseph’s Foundation and Barrow Neurological Foundation. “The Raffle enables the Foundations to fund many projects and services that we would otherwise be unable to support.” Top prizes in the Fall 2007 Health & Wealth Raffle include: • Grand Prize #1 — $1 million cash • Grand Prize #2 — $500,000 cash • Grand Prize #3 — 2007 Bentley Continental GT Convertible plus $55,000 cash. Or, the winner can take the cash equivalent of $260,000. • Grand Prize #4 — Monaco Grand Prix Experience plus $50,000 cash. The winner will fly to Nice, France, for five days of glamour in Monte Carlo, including

dinner with Prince Albert, VIP seats for the world’s most exotic auto race, and tickets to the Cannes Film Festival. Or, the winner can take the cash equivalent of $100,000. • Porsche Experience in Germany plus $8,000 cash— This lucky winner will drive a Porsche 911 through the Black Forest from Stuttgart to Schlosshotel Buhlerhohe. Prize package value: $34,000. • Royal Scotsman Train and Castle plus $6,000 cash— After a trip aboard the Royal Scotsman Train, the winner will spend five nights in a castle overlooking the Irish Sea. Prize package value: $31,000. • Super Bowl XLII package — The winner gets two tickets on the lower level of the University of Phoenix Stadium for the Feb. 2008 game plus $4,000 cash and two NFL gift baskets. Prize package value: $16,000. Midnight Wednesday, Oct. 24, is the deadline to purchase tickets for the Final Prize Draw on Nov. 1. Tickets cost $100 each and are available online at www.HealthWealthRaffle.org or by calling toll-free 1-866-390-9034. ■

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a better night’s sleep—finally! New sleep clinic diagnoses teen’s chronic sleepiness by Sarah Padilla

Rama Maganti, MD, in front of two of the six patient rooms in the new Barrow/Areté Sleep Center.

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ike most teens, Austin Wales was never a big fan of getting out of bed in the morning. But unlike his friends, who managed to perk up as the day wore on, Wales preferred crawling back under the covers to doing most things. It wasn’t until his senior year of high school, after years of chronic sleepiness, other unusual symptoms and a slew of doctors visits and medical tests, that Wales and his family finally learned that he didn’t just need a little more shut eye—Wales had severe sleep apnea and narcolepsy.

B A R R O W / A R E T É

For Wales and the estimated hundreds of thousands of other Arizonans with sleep disorders, Barrow now offers a new resource for a better night’s sleep. In July, the institute opened the Barrow/Areté Sleep Center, a jointly-operated sleep diagnostic program that treats patients of all ages. While there are other sleep centers in the Valley, the expertise that co-medical directors Rama Maganti, MD, and Maria Martinez, MD, bring to Barrow’s program makes it unique.

Pulmonologist and neurologist combine their sleep expertise

Dr. Maganti is a neurologist and board-certified sleep specialist, a fact that is in itself unique, as most sleep specialists are pulmonologists. And yet, many patients with complex neurological disorders such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease also have sleep problems. Dr. Maganti was hired two years ago to help fill that void, and he’s currently the only Barrow neurologist who practices sleep medicine. Dr. Martinez, on the other hand, is a pediatric pulmonologist and is believed to be the only pediatric board-certified sleep specialist in the state. Dr. Martinez came to St. Joseph’s in 2004 from North Carolina. When she realized that Arizona didn’t have adequate resources to treat children with sleep issues, she began pushing to form a center. The result is a comprehensive program that can treat patients of all ages and with a variety of conditions. “We can treat patients with garden-variety sleep disorders, but we also have an expertise in more complex pediatric and neurological conditions that is hard to find,” says Dr. Maganti.

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discovery of a large mass in his sphenoid sinus cavity, it also led to another discovery. “The neurologist overheard Austin snoring in the waiting room and told us that Austin had the worst sleep apnea that he had ever heard,” says Mrs. Wales. “He told us to get him into a sleep clinic right away.” Wales eventually underwent two surgeries to remove the mass, which was benign but which may have been causing pressure on the blood vessels in his brain. He also started seeing Dr. Maganti and underwent an outpatient sleep study, which showed he experienced more than 50 events an hour. People with normal sleep patterns usually experience less than 15. Dr. Maganti’s diagnosis was narcolepsy and severe sleep apnea. After starting medication and treatment with a CPAP machine (a respiratory ventilation system used to treat sleep apnea), Wales’ fainting spells, which were actually bouts of narcolepsy, disappeared. Wales is one of an estimated 70 million Americans who suffer from a sleep disorder. While there are multiple types of sleep disorders, the most common include insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and narcolepsy. Left untreated, sleep disorders cn lead to an increase in heart disease, stroke and mood disorders, and a loss of productivity. In children, who most often suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, sleep disorders can lead to learning disorders and behavioral problems. However, the diagnosis of a sleep disorder can sometimes be a long process. “Most people with sleep disorders don’t seek help right away,” says Dr. Maganti. “When they do, it’s at the urging of a family member or because it’s affecting their daily functioning.” And like Wales, many patients eventually will undergo an overnight stay at a sleep lab. Barrow’s lab is off campus, located on McDowell Road across from

70 million Americans affected

Wales falls into the more complex category. His long road toward a diagnosis began as a toddler, when he briefly passed out one day after Left untreated, sleep disorders can lead to playing in the warm Arizona sun. His family chalked it up to the heat, but as he grew older, an increased risk of heart disease, stroke it began to happen more frequently. By the time and mood disorders. In children, sleep he reached high school, Wales would somedisorders can lead to learning and times pass out as many as 30 times a day. “As it got worse, we started thinking that behavioral problems. maybe there was something more to this than just the heat,” says his mother, Sue Wales. “We went to cardiologists and endocrinologists, but nobody Good Samaritan Hospital. While Drs. Maganti and could find anything wrong with him.” Martinez provide the medical direction, the lab is Finally, a scan revealed a venous malformation in operated by Areté Sleep Health. Patients as young as Wales’ brain, and his physician sent him to Barrow. three years old can be seen at the lab, making it one While the follow-up appointment eventually led to the of the most comprehensive sites in the state.

Passing out 30 times a day

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“The neurologist overheard Austin snoring in the waiting room, and he told us that Austin had the worst sleep apnea he had ever heard.” Sue Wales

Designed to be quiet and comfortable, the lab houses six private beds. During their stay, patients are hooked up to various wires and monitors, which measure such indicators as oxygen saturation, brain waves and leg jerks. In addition to comprehensive patient care, the Barrow center is also involved in education and research activities. Dr. Maganti has presented to his colleagues at the annual Barrow Symposium. Barrow is in the process of integrating sleep medicine as a part of the neurology residency curriculum, and plans are in the works to establish a sleep medicine fellowship. The center performs both clinical and basic science research. Various clinical research studies look at ways in which sleep varies among different patient populations. Over time, Dr. Maganti believes the center will participate in clinical drug trials. Drs. Maganti and Martinez hope to see the Barrow/Areté Sleep Center become a multidisciplinary and comprehensive sleep program, which would include integrating additional sleep specialists from psychiatry and pulmonology. It would also include incorporating more community awareness and education, something both doctors agree could lead to more effective treatment—and fewer cases like Wales’.

Sleep research and education

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While Wales will never know for sure how much the sphenoid sinus mass affected his condition, he does know that for the first time in his life he actually feels well rested. The timing couldn’t be better since Wales just started his freshman year at Scottsdale Community College. And while he’s sure to pull a few all-nighters over the coming years, at least now he’ll know why he can’t keep his eyes open the next day. ■

Pediatric pulmonologist Maria Martinez, MD, co-directs the Barrow/Areté Sleep Center with Rama Maganti, MD.

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walking to a new beat Wanda Johnson is finally free of back pain, thanks to a safer, more effective approach to spine surgery by Sally J. Clasen

anda Johnson of Goodyear understands the daily and debilitating effects of back pain. She’s also endured the rigors of multiple back surgeries and countless therapies in an attempt to alleviate her problems, with little relief. “I had my first back surgery, a laminectomy, for a bulging disc in 1980,” Wanda says. “It failed within a week, and I had another one a few weeks later.” Over the years, Wanda, age 70, has taken morphine, had spine injections and undergone fusion surgery in which titanium baskets and bone grafts were placed in her back to reduce the pressure. “The fusion just caused more pain,” she says. In 2001, she had a pain pump installed to combat the lingering issues. “It made my life bearable, but it didn’t give me a good quality of life,” adds Wanda, who, for the last decade, has experienced constant shooting pain in her back “with every heart beat.”

“Dr. Porter said he wouldn’t consider the surgery a success for a year, but I’ve considered it a success since day one. It’s a word used way too often, but it’s a miracle.” Wanda Johnson

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“With this procedure, we can use bigger wedges and restore the original disc to optimal spacing, so we get better correction.” Randall Porter, MD When the former teacher and high school administrator retired to Arizona in 2005 from Oregon with her husband, Jim, her life was about to change. Wanda’s internist suggested she make an appointment with neurosurgeon Randall Porter, MD, chief of the Interdisciplinary Skull Base Section and co-director of CyberKnife at Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Porter initially told Wanda that more fusion surgery was not an option. “She wasn’t a good operative candidate because of her age. Her X-rays also showed very degenerative scoliosis and spinal stenosis. A 12- to 14-hour fusion surgery presented a risk for cardiac and lung complications, and the extent of the recovery was not appropriate or safe. The back muscles are destroyed in the process of such a surgery.” Dejected, Wanda thought she would have to live the rest of her life in pain. Soon, though, Dr. Porter contacted Wanda to tell her he had a potential solution. The neurosurgeon had attended a conference in San Diego where he trained on XLIF (eXtreme lateral interbody fusion), a lessinvasive approach to spine surgery that uses instruments and devices manufactured by NuVasive, Inc.

New home, new outlook

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Conferring with several of his colleagues at the conference, Dr. Porter determined Wanda would be an excellent candidate for the alternative surgery. On February 23, 2007, Dr. Porter performed the first XLIF surgery at Barrow on Wanda, who for the first time in 25 years, experienced freedom from back pain the moment the anesthesia wore off. “When I woke up, the horrible, shooting pain was gone,” she says. The benefit of the XLIF technique, according to Dr. Porter, is that 1-inch incisions made on the side (flank) of a patient allow a surgeon to directly access and visualize the most degenerative disc spaces. In traditional fusion surgery, surgeons enter through the posterior, along the side of the spine, which affects major muscles and tissue. During the XLIF procedure, surgeons insert plastic resin wedges through a device into the disc spaces to straighten the spine. The wedges are infused with bone morphogenic protein to promote bone growth. “With this procedure, we can use bigger wedges and restore the original disc to optimal spacing, so we get

The benefits of XLIF

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better correction,” Dr. Porter says. Another advantage, according to Dr. Porter, is that since the XLIF can be performed in two hours, it’s quicker and safer than traditional surgery. “There’s less blood loss and less risk to the nerves. In Wanda’s case, we only lost 30 ccs of blood vs. 2,000 ccs,” he explains. “It’s amazing,” Wanda says of her pain-free existence. “I keep waiting for the bubble to burst.” No longer dependent on a four-wheel walker, she now uses just a cane and attends physical therapy sessions to strengthen her back and legs. She’s also lost 50+ pounds, has significantly reduced her pain medication and feels her goal of walking without help within a year is attainable. “I have a new lease on life,” Wanda says. She adds that being able to shop is one of the biggest pleasures she’s reclaimed since having the procedure. “The surgery has opened up my ability to do things again. Dr. Porter said he wouldn’t consider the surgery a success for a year, but I’ve considered it a success since day one. It’s a word used way too often, but it’s a miracle.” ■

Freedom to live again

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pursuing a traitorous disease MS physicians and scientists at Barrow seek to reprogram immune systems gone haywire by Melissa Frederick Morrison

Denise Campagnolo, MD, director of MS Clinical Research at Barrow, reviews brain images with Taira Kochar, a coordinator in the MS Research Program.

ultiple sclerosis is a traitorous disease. Developing in one out of 1,000 people, usually before age 45, MS causes patients’ immune systems to suddenly turn on their own nerve cells and attack them as foreign invaders. Victims suffer tremors, muscle weakness, paralyzing fatigue, blurred vision, incontinence and unsteady balance, among other devastating symptoms. Perhaps more disheartening, treatments for the most advanced stages of the disease have been limited or nonexistent. But medical research such as that underway at Barrow—-which has one of the largest clinical research protocols in the country—is gaining on MS, thanks in part to a new modus operandi.

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“The traditional approach to treating inflammatory diseases is to suppress the immune system,” says Timothy L. Vollmer, MD, program director for the Neuroimmunology Program at Barrow, which receives funding from Barrow Neurological Foundation. “We’re trying not to suppress the immune system but to reprogram it, so it not only stops the attack that’s causing the disease, but maintains the body’s ability to respond normally.” MS is an affliction of the central nervous system, which comprises the brain, optic nerves and spinal cord. It is the progressive eating-away of the myelin, a fatty white coating that sheaths many crucial nerves and that allows impulses to be transmitted at top speed.

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Susan Rhodes, laboratory coordinator, Neuroimmunology Research, and Timothy L. Vollmer, MD, director of the Neuroimmunology Program at Barrow. Dr. Vollmer’s research receives support from Barrow Neurological Foundation.

Among the most promising research underway is a possible MS vaccine. The vaccine contains the DNA blueprint for a protein that tells the immune system not to attack its own cells. The idea is that, once the vaccine is injected into the patient, the protein is internalized by the body’s cells, where it reeducates them. “The goal is to have the immune system become tolerant and send a message to the brain to shut off an autoimmune attack there,” Dr. Vollmer says. The vaccine would ward off the disease in at-risk patients, such as those who have family members with MS (whose risk of getting the disease is 30 to 50 times greater than the average) and those who have begun to exhibit the early symptoms. The DNA vaccine originated at Stanford University and is in clinical trials at Barrow. “That’s a strength of Barrow in general: We specialize in taking a lab concept and turning it into practical treatment,” Dr. Vollmer says. With 21 active clinical protocols, Barrow is one of the largest clinical MS research centers in the country, if not the largest.

MS vaccine being tested

Developing MS treatments that don’t require injections

Preventing patients from ever getting MS is one front on the battle to vanquish the disease. For patients who

are already suffering from it, other research is underway. In the early stage of the disease, the patient often suffers symptoms, then recovers, then relapses. Typically, patients stave off a relapse by injecting themselves regularly with an MS drug. A treatment in pill form is currently being studied in clinical trials. “I think that what our MS patients are longing for is a way to protect themselves that doesn’t involve injections,” says Denise Campagnolo, MD, director of MS Clinical Research at Barrow. The drug fingolimod reduces the overall numbers of immune cells that have turned on their fellow central-nervous-system cells. The compound is currently in Phase III trial tests. “As long as it’s safe and it works, it will be a benefit to persons living with MS who are unwilling or unable to do self injections,” Dr. Campagnolo says.

Another trial in Barrow’s lab involves using two already-approved drugs, but in a more effective combination. The first drug—a chemotherapy agent called mitoxantrone—kills the immune system cells that are attacking their own. The second—glatiramer acetate, prescribed to reduce MS patients’ relapse rate—keeps the replacement cells manufactured by the bone marrow from also turning against their fellow cells. The one-two punch is so far proving promising. “Clinically, patients who receive this combination therapy enjoy a much longer disease-free period,”

A promising one-two punch

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Fu-Dong Shi, PhD, director of Barrow’s Neuroimmunology Lab.

says Fu-Dong Shi, PhD, director, Neuroimmunology Lab. “This combination is really utilizing a new concept, basically trying to reprogram the immune system. It is of tremendous interest for immunologists.”

New hope for patients with progressive forms of MS

Many MS patients suffer the progressive forms of the disease, in which symptoms steadily increase in intensity. They currently have few effective therapies. “At any given moment, roughly 60 percent of patients have progressive MS,” Dr. Vollmer says. “Right now that 60 percent doesn’t have much in the way of treatment options.” Dr. Campagnolo seconds that. “All currently approved self-injecting medications are modest at best,” she says. But two drugs may change that. They are currently finishing Phase III clinical tests (the last phase before a drug can be approved for use): MBP (myelin basic protein) and rituximab, which is currently approved for treating rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers. If successful, rituximab could be available within the next year for MS patients. MBP is not far behind. “MBP is a very selective therapy that only affects the immune system as it is involved with the brain. Rituximab is an antibody that destroys B lymphocytes, one part of the immune system,” Dr. Vollmer says. “Reported results have exceeded expectations, so this is an exciting time.”

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Barrow’s research into the DNA vaccine and potential new drugs offers concrete hope to MS patients in all phases of the disease. “Treatment of MS will become more complicated because we will have more tools,” Dr. Vollmer says. “But we will have the means to tailor the tools to the particular patient.” ■

MS research at Barrow receives funding from Barrow Neurological Foundation, including money from the Health & Wealth Raffle.

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clinical professor in biomedical informatics Neuroradiologist teaches inaugural class of U of A Phoenix medical campus and post-grad biomedical students at ASU in emerging medical IT field by Sarah Padilla

“My challenge is to remind people that the IT tools are not the driver. Instead, we need to identify our objectives in terms of patient care, and then find the IT tools to meet those objectives most effectively both from a care delivery perspective and cost of deployment.” Shez Partovi, MD

Shez Partovi, MD, medical director of Medical Informatics, receives support from Barrow Neurological Foundation.

hen you think of information technology in healthcare, you might conjure up an image of a help desk servicing a doctor’s computer. In reality, though, the application of IT tools to medicine—a developing field known as medical informatics—goes far beyond providing desktop support. Shez Partovi, MD, medical director of Medical Informatics at St. Joseph’s, has been at the forefront of helping the industry grow from infancy to adolescence over the past 10 years. As a neuroradiologist who also has an extensive background in computer science, he is one of a handful of professionals who speak both languages. Beginning this fall, Dr. Partovi hopes to help bridge the gap between the two industries as one of the first clinical professors within the newly formed Department of Biomedical Informatics (BMI) at Arizona State Uni-

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A wall of video screens in a Barrow surgery suite shows observers watching the live surgery from across campus in the TelePresence conference room. Benefactors funded the TelePresence system at Barrow.

versity (ASU). In September, he will begin teaching a group of post-graduate ASU BMI students as well as the inaugural class of the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix campus, which operates in partnership with ASU. Between the two groups of students, Dr, Partovi is teaching those who will become both the designers and the users of future healthcare information products. “I have the opportunity to educate both the producers and the consumers of health IT, and that’s a great place to be because I’ll have the privilege of bridging the divide between the two. It’s a very exciting time.”

Integrating medical informatics into ASU, U of A programs

As part of the initial task force behind ASU’s BMI program, Dr. Partovi played an integral role in developing its curriculum. The result, he says, is a balanced mix of both bio and medical topics that’s designed to help students go directly from bench to bedside. Similarly, the new medical school places a heavy emphasis on biomedical informatics from day one. While most medical schools introduce the topic briefly, U of A has integrated it throughout the curriculum. For example, all of the educational case studies have a medical informatics component. Dr. Partovi’s lectures will emphasize a patient-centric approach to medical informatics, in which all medical informatics efforts are tied to clinical care and patient outcome—instead of the other way around. “My challenge is to remind people that the IT tools are not the driver,” he says. “Instead, we need to identify our objectives in terms of patient care and then find the IT tools to meet those objectives most effectively both from a care delivery perspective and cost of deployment.” Dr. Partovi notes that other industries have used their own IT tool sets for years, yet similar technologies have not been incorporated into healthcare in a broad and cohesive sense. But with the advancement of medical informatics, all of that is changing.

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Revolutionizing sub-specialty care in rural areas

For example, executives in boardrooms throughout the world have used immersive telepresence technology to communicate for years (“Telepresence” is defined as “the use of communication technology to provide each user with the feeling that users at other sites are physically present.”). This past April, in a healthcare milestone, a patient at a small medical clinic in northern California and her physicians participated in a three-way telepresence with Barrow neurologist John Kerrigan, MD, in Phoenix and another neurologist in Los Angeles using similar technology. While Barrow’s telepresence system, TelePresence, has been used to provide real-time contact with its operating rooms since last year, the April event is believed to be the first time the technology has been used for an immersive multi-center patient consultation. In fact, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attended the event and used it to launch his healthcare reform campaign. “This was a perfect example of identifying a healthcare need and applying an IT tool to meeting that need,” says Dr. Partovi. “Sure, the technology is great for boardrooms, but it could also really revolutionize how sub-specialized care is delivered in rural areas.” He notes that such technology could fill a huge need when it comes to treating patients in national disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina. In the meantime, he will continue to gain support for the need to expand technology into healthcare by educating both his colleagues and his students. In fact, he will even deliver some of his lectures this fall via telepresence. And while he’s excited about the opportunity to reach the new crop of students, he’s even more excited about the medical informatics milestones that are sure to come with them. ■

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celebrity fight night foundation ‘If we can help one person, it’s worth it’

Above, Nancy Walker, Robert Spetzler, MD, Sean Curry and Jimmy Walker; Top, new signage honors CFNF’s contribution to the Pushing Boundaries Capital Campaign. very year, Jimmy and Nancy Walker, Sean Curry and other members of Celebrity Fight Night Foundation rub elbows with some of the biggest names in entertainment and sports—celebrities like Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Celine Dion, Jim Carrey, Steve Nash and, of course, Muhammad Ali. But celebrity is not what this annual star-studded charity fund-raiser for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow is all about. “It’s about a lot more than celebrities,” said Jimmy Walker. “If we can help one person, it’s worth it.” One of the many people helped by Celebrity Fight Night Foundation (CFNF) was on hand to thank Jimmy, Nancy and members of the CFNF staff during a reception at St. Joseph’s on June 26. The reception was held to honor Celebrity Fight Night Foundation for its generous gift to the Pushing Boundaries Capital Campaign, which raised funds for the new Barrow Neuroscience Tower. During the reception, Parkinson’s patient John Yonushonis shared his story. He described the fear he felt after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s and the feeling of being alone and hopeless. But then, Yonushon-

is said, he discovered the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, attended an educational class and regained his hope (his remarks follow). “With the help of the Center and the motivation of my wife, Ann, and family, I found a new direction,” Yonushonis said in thanking the Walkers and CFNF. “I personally feel very humbled by this,” Walker said after hearing Yonushonis’ story. “Nancy and I really do appreciate what the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center (MAPC) is doing.” Linda Hunt, president of St. Joseph’s; Robert Spetzler, MD, director of Barrow; and Mary Jane Crist, CEO of Barrow Neurological Foundation, thanked CFNF for their ongoing support of MAPC. CFNF has contributed more than $12 million to Barrow Neurological Foundation, making it Barrow’s largest donor. “You allow us to do things we would never be able to do because of the dollars it takes to exceed patient expectations,” Hunt said. The Neuro Intensive Care Unit on the sixth floor of the Barrow Neuroscience Tower has been named in honor of Celebrity Fight Night Foundation’s contribution to the Pushing Boundaries Capital Campaign. B A R R O W

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2007 Celebrity Fight Night nets $4.4 million for charity he stars aligned for the 13th Annual Celebrity Fight Night, which netted $4.4 million, including $1.2 million for its primary beneficiary, the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow. More than 1,300 guests joined Muhammad and Lonnie Ali at the sold-out

A closed door opens: one PD patient’s story by John Yonushonis

hen I was in elementary school, I will never forget a story I read, and for the life of me, I hope someday to remember its title. I remember it well because it was the first time I cried and felt emotion in the reading of a book, the first time I connected with the words and they connected with me. It was about a dog and its vision of a room with one door and what it felt like when the door closed and it was alone. It could not open the door, could not see through the door, could not see around the door and, most of all, could not do anything to change its destiny until the door opened again. All the little dog could do was hope. All it could do was work to overcome the fear that no one would ever open the door again. All the little dog could do was wait. My story is very much the same as many others: years of diminished flexibility, not being able to golf or throw the football with my kids, not understanding why. I remember asking myself why I could not keep up walking. Then my handwriting completely disappeared… it was my story but also the story of millions of others. Then came the diagnosis, which amounted to the doctor handing me a three-month supply of Requip and saying, “You have Parkinson’s. See you in three months.” And then it was research on the Internet, and wow, talk about being scared. I have now talked to hundreds of people with Parkinson’s and their story is

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charity event on March 24 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix. “Our guests’ profound generosity touches me deeply year after year, and this event was no exception,” said Jimmy Walker, Founder and Chairman of Celebrity Fight Night Foundation. “Without the the same: We all became the little dog in remarkable support from the room with no way to open the door. our community and celebriWe only had fear to begin with, but with ty guests, we would not be the help of our friends, our fear turned to able to give back to so many hope. worthy causes.” I called the Muhammad Ali ParkinProviding entertainment son Center, and Margaret Ann [Coles] at the event were Billy Crysinvited me to Parkinsons 101. She and tal, Pam Tillis, Reba McEnDarolyn [O’Donnell] taught the class, tire, Michael Bublé, Neil but more than that they taught me that Sadaka, Josh Groban, Diana the room I was in was no longer small. Ross, Lucia Micarelli and The room I was in became a room with Carlos De Antonis. Grama window and then it became a room my Award-winning prowith an open door. ducer David Foster led the And it is people like Jimmy and evening’s musical enterNancy Walker who created that new tainment. room for me and thousands of others to As expected, the night’s look out of and to eventually leave. impressive auction made With the help of the Center and the event history: motivation of my wife, Ann, and family, I found new direction: 1. I would never be embarrassed about having Parkinson’s and I would tell everyone so they could recognize the disease and help others. 2. I would challenge every day that I live, and everything that I do would be to increase my physical and mental capabilities so as not to let this thing overtake my body and soul. 3. I would live my life with John and his wife, Ann, live in no regrets. When my time comes and Peoria. He is the founder of the I am put on the “unable to perform” Foundation for Parkinson’s and list, I will look back with a smile. Neurological Research, which supThis is what the center taught me and ports the Muhammad Ali this is why I thank you along with my Parkinson Center at Barrow. wife for my life no longer is a room with a door closed. The door is wide open.

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• A round of golf and private lunch with Phil Mickelson - $500,000 • Dinner with Muhammad Ali - $400,000 • Dinner with Reba McEntire at her Beverly Hills home - $250,000 • Power lunch with Donald Trump in New York City - $350,000. • One-of-a-kind 2007 Roush “Blackjack” Stage 3 Mustang - $225,000 • Private island retreat in Fiji - $150,000 • Chance to attend the 50th Annual Grammy Awards plus a guitar collection - $150,000. The Muhammad Ali Awards were presented to leaders in the sports, entertainment and business communities who best represent the qualities associated with the Champ and his fight to find a cure. Award recipients were: • Sharon Stone, “Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award” • Donald Trump, “Muhammad Ali Entrepreneur Award” • Steve Nash, “Muhammad Ali Sports Achievement Award” • John Elway, “Muhammad Ali Sports Legend Award.” Each year dozens of celebrity guests attend the event, which has raised more than $44 million dollars in 13 years. Sponsoring this year’s event were Mortgages Ltd., Molina Fine Jewelers, Casino Arizona, American Airlines, Sentient Jet, CA, Compass Bank, Best Life Magazine and POST Magazine. Barrow Neurological Foundation provided volunteers and organizational support. Celebrity Fight Night was started in 1994 to raise money for local charities through a celebrity charity event. For more information, visit www.celebrityfightnight.org ■

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Celebrities at this year’s Celebrity Fight Night included (top) Sharon Stone, Muhammad Ali, Diana Ross, (right) Michael Bublé, and (bottom) Donald Trump.

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Patients come to Barrow for world-class care by Carmelle Malkovich

Siblings undergo brain surgery for brain aneurysms

The luck of the Irish may have landed Jean Mason, 51, of Dublin, Ireland, in the right place at the right time. In February, Jean was unexpectedly diagnosed with a brain aneurysm just hours after her brother, Ger Doherty, 39, underwent surgery for treatment of the same condition at Barrow. Jean had flown to Phoenix to support Ger, who was in town from Portland to undergo neurosurgery by Robert Spetzler, MD, director of Barrow. Within hours of her brother’s surgery, Jean began experiencing excruciating headaches and nausea. She was taken to St. Joseph’s Emergency Department, where an MRI detected an aneurysm in her brain. Two days later, Dr. Spetzler performed surgery to repair Jean’s aneurysm. Five months ago, Jean and Ger lost their sister, Rose, to a ruptured aneurysm. After aneurysms were detected in Ger’s brain, he contacted Dr. Spetzler, who is internationally recognized for his treatment of cerebrovascular aneurysms. Dr. Spetzler performed his 5,000th aneurysm procedure this year—the most any neurosurgeon is believed to have ever performed. “I am very thankful to have been in Phoenix when I began having symptoms and grateful for the high

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level of care I received,” says Jean. “The luck of the Irish brought me to Dr. Spetzler and Barrow for a successful outcome.” Cerebral aneurysms are Jean Mason and Ger Doherty balloon-like dilatations along normal arteries that most often develop at the base of the brain. They begin as weak spots in the wall of a blood vessel in the brain and can gradually grow larger, creating a thin-walled, blood-filled balloon that can burst. Many aneurysms remain undetected and produce no signs or symptoms until they rupture. Only 50 percent of people who have a ruptured aneurysm live. Of those who survive, 50 percent will lead a normal life. Donor-supported research into aneurysms, such as the Marguerite Clark Hobbs Ruptured Aneurysm Trial, has enabled Barrow to improve treatments for these potentially deadly abnormalities.

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Barrow team performs 100th operation for rare brain tumor

Neurosurgeons recently performed Barrow’s 100th hypothalamic hamartoma (HH) surgery. HH is a rare benign brain tumor that, without treatment, can cause increasingly severe seizures and damage to the brain, and can lead to progressive cognitive impairment, extreme rage and/or precocious puberty as children age. The hospital reached this surgical milestone when Harold Rekate, MD, director of the Pediatric Neurosurgery Program at Barrow, operated on Devin O’Day, 18, of Las Vegas. O’Day, who began having seizures soon after birth, was diagnosed with HH in 2005 after she began experiencing rage attacks, cogDevin O’Day nitive decline and approximately four seizures a day. “I’m so happy that treatment options are available for people with HH, and I’m thankful for the Barrow team who treated me,” says O’Day. Because hypothalamic hamartomas lie in a portion of the brain that is hard to reach without causing severe damage to vital areas, removal of the tumors had been considered extremely difficult if not impossible. In 2003, Barrow adopted a surgical approach that has proven successful in reaching and removing the tumors. Further refining the procedure, Barrow physicians and researchers developed a new endoscopic technique that allows the mass to be removed through a very small hole drilled in the skull instead of through a formal open craniotomy. “It’s rewarding to know that Barrow’s HH team has made an impact on so many children and young adults within the last four years,” says Dr. Rekate. “Most of our patients are now seizure-free and are able to think better and control the rages that sometimes accompany this condition.” Barrow opened the first HH center in the United States in 2003 and has treated children from all over the world. It is the only comprehensive center in the nation to provide such services. Support from Barrow Neurological Foundation, including Health & Wealth Raffle funds, has enabled the HH Center to increase Barrow’s understanding of the disease and develop less invasive approaches to removing the tumors.

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Nine-month-old child comes to Barrow for brain surgery

In the summer of 2007, Oesa and Jens Hauch of Bothell, Washington, faced the most difficult decision of their lives: Whether to take their nine-month-old son, Finn, to Barrow for brain surgery to remove what doctors thought was a cerebellar cavernous malformation. Their Seattle doctors recommended a wait-and-see approach because of Finn’s young age and the risks of brain surgery. But the couple were disturbed by motor problems Finn was having—odd eye and head movements, difficulty reaching for things, balance disturbances. Then, while researching on the web, they discovered the Angioma Alliance and its online forum. “When we contacted them, everyone told us to get the opinion of Dr. Spetzler in Phoenix,” says Oesa. After reviewing Finn’s images, Robert Spetzler, MD, had no doubts what they should do. He recommended immediate surgery. “It was the most difficult decision ever, especially since we liked our [Seattle] doctor,” Oesa says, who adds that Dr. Spetzler’s confidence helped them make the decision to operate. “You want someone to be confident when they’re operating on your baby’s brain.” Finn underwent surgery on August 1. Dr. Spetzler and his team found that the malformation was actually an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a snarled tangle of arteries and veins thought to develop before or shortly after birth. When they hemorrhage, AVMs can cause a stroke and even death. Fortunately, an angiogram performed after the surgery showed that the Barrow team had successfully removed the entire AVM. Finn was discharged two days after surgery and two days after that flew home to Seattle. “He’s doing great, especialFinn Hauch ly considering he had a craniotomy three weeks ago,” his mother reported in late August. “He’s able to sit longer and he’s getting stronger. We’re so happy with the care we received at Barrow. Everyone was so kind and supportive.” ■

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benefactor spotlight Judy and William Schubert donate icon to hospital

An icon of Mother Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy, was unveiled on May 23 in the Debi and Jerry Bisgrove Admitting Lobby at St. Joseph’s. Judy and Bill Schubert, long-time supporters of the hospital, donated the icon in memory of Sister Mary Assumpta, the superior of the convent at St. Joseph’s and the chairman of St. Joseph’s Board of Directors in the 1970s. Judy became a close friend of Sr. Mary Assumpta during the nun’s time at St. Joseph’s. Sr. Mary Assumpta died in February 2007. In the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church, an icon is a sacred image or picture of Jesus, Mary or one of the saints. People sit before the icon and pray to the person depicted. The icon at St. Joseph’s was painted by Susan vonMedicus, a Pennsylvania artist who has created four icons of Mother McAuley, including two for Catholic Healthcare West facilities—the one at St. Joseph’s and one at Mercy Gilbert Hospital. After the icon was unveiled in the hospital lobby, a recording of Mother McAuley’s favorite prayer, “Suscipe,” was played, while Dr. Ann Borik signed the prayer. Dr. Borik is a Valley doctor who created an innovative, spiritually-based relaxation and exercise program incorporating sign language, breathing, thought and movement. Friends and relatives of the Schuberts attended the unveiling, along with members of the hospital’s Board of Directors, Administration and St. Joseph’s Foundation. Bill serves on St. Joseph’s Board of Directors, and Judy is a member of the Barrow Women’s Board.

The Schubert family: Susanne, William, Will, Lauren, Judy, Lindsey, Ryan and Gretchen.

Lou Grubb receives first Sr. Mary Placida Conant Award

Lou Grubb is the first recipient of the Sister Mary Placida Conant Award, presented on May 22 during a Barrow Neurological Foundation cocktail reception at the Phoenix Art Museum. The new award was established by board chairman Tom Reahard and his wife, Cathy, to recognize a Barrow Neurological Foundation board member for outstanding service and dedication to the organization. Sister Placida was the administrator of St. Joseph’s when Barrow was founded. Her commitment to excellence, dedication to collaboration, resourcefulness and can-do spirit made Barrow possible and set the stage for its success. Sr. Placida passed away on Aug. 29, 2007. Lou Grubb has supported Barrow for years, ever since Robert Spetzler, MD, saved his life in 1986 after Lou collapsed of a ruptured aneurysm while playing golf. Since 1994, Lou has contributed proceeds from his annual golf tournament— now called Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf—to Barrow. The tournament has contributed more than $3 million to the hospital. Sister Madonna Marie Bolton, Evelyn and Lou Grubb, Tom Reahard and Mary Jane Crist.

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Fore a Friend raises funds in memory of Doug Griffin When Doug Griffin was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2002, a group of his close friends, including Jim Stringham and Kevin Sheehan, organized a golf event to raise money for his family. When Doug passed

away on June 29, 2004, Jim and his friends decided to make the golf tournament an annual event, with the proceeds going to charity. “Barrow and St. Joseph’s had been so wonderful to Doug in treating him, so deciding on the charitable organization was easy,” says Kristen Griffin, Doug’s wife. The golf event is held in April every year, and the group’s goal is to continue this event so that Doug’s fouryear-old son, James, can someday play in the event and learn a little more about who his father was. “Each year some newcomers join the event, in addition to the same group of family, friends and co-workers who knew or have been touched by Doug’s life in some way,” says Kristen. “Jim does an extraordinary job each year in organizing this event, and each year it is a huge success. “

Jim Larkin, Jamie and Kevin Sheehan, and Katie and Jim Stringham at the Fore a Friend golf tournament.

Anders family gives in support of stroke, epilepsy programs

When Donald Anders suffered a severe stroke in 2000, his large and close-knit family knew very little about strokes. But by June 2004 when stroke took another member of the family, Steve Anders and his remaining eight brothers and sisters were no longer in the dark about one of the major killers of Americans. The 10 Anders brothers and sisters had set up the Donald Anders Foundation in honor of their beloved father, who died a few weeks after his stroke. With money raised at an annual golf tournament, they began supporting local efforts to educate people about stroke—causes, symptoms and prevention. “We raise between $5,000 and $10,000 every year, and we do what we can with the money to help everyone out,” says Jim Anders, one of Don Anders' sons. Besides making gifts to organizations like Barrow Neurological Foundation, Anders family members volunteer at stroke screenings and health fairs, and participate in the annual Stroke Walk. And, because strokes can trigger epileptic seizures, the foundation also supports the annual stroke walk and efforts to send children with epilepsy to summer camp. After Kathy Hatton, one of the Anders siblings, died of a ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in

Michael Anders, Lori Zeigler, Kathy Hatton, Steve Anders and Nan Anders with Robert Hopkins of Barrow Neurological Foundation and Lucy Ranus, RN, of Barrow Neurological Institute. 2004, the rest of the family underwent testing to uncover undiagnosed AVMs. One sister was diagnosed with an AVM and underwent successful treatment. Steve says that the family’s foundation and volunteer work have helped them deal with their losses. “It’s helped us to come together as a family and help other people. It’s been a healing experience.” For more information about the Donald Anders Foundation, visit www.DonAndersFoundation.com.

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planting a philanthropy seed for life Local teen group, Students Supporting Brain Tumor Research, creates fellowship in Barrow’s Neuro-Oncology Laboratory by Sally J. Clasen

“When I saw the job opening, I said, ‘That’s me.’” Julia Mackey

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eenagers might seem unlikely candidates for medical philanthropy, but the volunteer members of Students Supporting Brain Tumor Research (SSBTR) have a collective interest in their cause. Other than leukemia, brain tumors are the number-one cancer killer of children up to age 18. To further their support of brain tumor research in the community, the teens in Valley-based SSBTR have established a fellowship

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Walk for brain-tumor research

Join the cause. SSBTR’s 2008 Walkathon will be held Feb. 23, 2008, at Pinnacle High School. For more information, contact SSBTR at ADMIN@ssbtr.org; 1-800770-8287, ext. 123; or

for a post-graduate student interested in the medical field to work in the Neuro-Oncology Laboratory at Barrow. Julia Mackey, a 2007 NAU grad who earned a bachelor of science in chemistry with a minor in biology, is the recipient of the first SSBTR fellowship. The fellowship includes a one-year $24,000 stipend plus benefits to work under the direction of the lab’s director, Adrienne C. Scheck, PhD. “When I saw the job opening, I said, ‘That’s me,’” says Mackey, who started her fellowship in July and plans to pursue an MD/PhD program next year. Mackey is working directly with Dr. Scheck and her staff, mostly investigating therapy-resistant brain tumors. According to Dr. Scheck, Mackey’s experience at Barrow will include presenting at a major scientific conference as well as publishing at least one paper on brain-tumor research. SSBTR was founded in 2002, shortly after three students in the Paradise Valley School District died of brain tumors. The organization was the brainchild of Steve Glassman, the student council advisor at Pinnacle High School. Working with a small group of student volunteers, Glassman organized the group’s first walkathon, which included four schools and 250 walkers, and raised $7,000. Today, the walkathon, SSBTR’s signature fund-raising event, involves participants from elementary schools, high schools and universities across the state. The benefit has raised more than $600,000 for brain-tumor research. Funds raised by SSBTR support Barrow, as well as the Brain Tumor Society, T-Gen and Phoenix Children’s Hospital. “We donate 95 percent of every dollar directly to research organizations,” explains pediatrician Wendy Kaye, MD, the adult sponsor/director of SSBTR.

Walking for science

Dr. Kaye and her husband, pediatrician Martin Kaye, MD, have a professional as well as personal reason for supporting the group. The couple lost their daughter Lauren to a brain tumor at age 17, which ultimately led the physicians to become involved in SSBTR. Dr. Kaye says what makes SSBTR unique is that the students, which include a core group of 10 to 20 volunteers, are expected to do the majority of the fund raising for events, from hiring entertainment and obtaining sponsors to generating publicity. Many of those involved have had family members or friends who have survived brain tumors or passed away. “We’re making progress in brain-tumor research, particularly in labs like Dr. Scheck’s, but less government funding in cancer research is a problem. Through SSBTR, we’re able to help research centers at Barrow and other locations make a difference,” Dr. Kaye says. According to Dr. Scheck, who suggested the fellowship, dedicating money specifically to a lab position is a traceable way for the volunteer members to document funds. “It’s a good way for kids to get involved and see how much of a difference they can make and see the product of their work instead of funds going into a general pool,” says Dr. Scheck, who adds that besides raising money for much-needed research, involvement in SSBTR helps young people build valuable life lessons. “Any time you let kids run things, you’re teaching them about leadership and something about the world— skills that always come in handy.” ■

A teen-run event

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‘empowhering’ women, changing healthcare With a successful Pushing Boundaries Capital Campaign behind her, Michelle Robson turns to advocating for women’s health by Kristin Park

“My mother always said, ‘At the end of the day, it’s you who is going to take care of you.’” Michelle Robson

ichelle Robson never planned to be a women’s health advocate, but after a devastating health experience of her own, she is devoted to empowering women to take charge of their healthcare. Her personal mission has led her to develop an innovative health web site for women, www.empowher.com. “As women, we tend not to advocate for ourselves. We’re great at advocating for our loved ones, but when it comes to our own health needs, we tend to do what we’re told without questioning it. Our intuition is so strong, but we rarely use it for ourselves,” Robson said.

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Julie Wrigley and Michelle Robson co-chaired the Pushing Boundaries Capital Campaign. Robson’s debilitating ordeal began shortly after she underwent a complete hysterectomy at the age of 42. She was transformed from a very active and highly functioning woman to one who struggled to get out of bed in the morning. Her life was reduced to a bedridden blur of severe joint pain, fatigue, night sweats, insomnia, mental fogginess, depression and gastrointestinal issues. Robson suffered through a year filled with countless doctor appointments with a dozen specialists and nine different prescribed medications before a friend recommended a book by Dr. Elizabeth Vliet, Screaming to be Heard. “That book saved my life. After reading the first page, I couldn’t put it down and finished it in two days,” Robson said. “I was so excited to know that I was not alone. There were other women out there who had the same things happening to them. It so validated everything that I’d been feeling.” Through Empowher, Robson will reach out to all women, giving them access to the latest in medical information, news and health events, but most importantly, a safe place to share their stories and support one another. “We have to learn to take care of ourselves and to talk to other women, to stand up and take charge together. My mother always said, ‘At the end of the day, it’s you who is going to take care of you,’” Robson said.

The concept of teamwork between patient and doctor is one that Robson strongly believes in and plans to promote within her site. Experts of all health areas will be invited to participate throughout the Empowher site. Ultimately, Robson’s long-term goal is to reach out to every single woman around the globe and to allow them to have a voice. “It’s one woman at a time. Women are going to change our healthcare, and I want to help lead that change,” Robson said. Robson is no stranger to reaching out within the medical community. She and her husband, Ed, are generous supporters of St. Joseph’s and Barrow. The couple served on the Campaign Cabinet of the Pushing Boundaries Capital Campaign, which raised millions of dollars for the new Barrow Neuroscience Tower and other campus improvements. Robson and Julie Wrigley served as co-chairs of the campaign. “Barrow is a huge asset to our community,” she said when the campaign began in 2003. “We are known throughout the country and in other countries as having one of the top neuroscience centers in the world right here in our own backyard. It’s important we have a stateof-the-art facility.” Thanks to the leadership of Robson and Wrigley and gifts from hundreds of benefactors, Barrow now has that world-class facility. ■ B A R R O W

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what’s happening around barrow New vice president of Research named

Ronald Lukas, PhD, is St. Joseph's new vice president of Research. Dr. Lukas joined St. Joseph's in 1980 as director of the Laboratory of Neurochemistry at Barrow and will continue to serve as a senior staff scientist in the Division of Neurobiology. Barrow Neurological Foundation has long supported his research. In his new position, Dr. Lukas will oversee the hospital's research projects and clinical studies. He will also administer collaborative partnerships, educational training, and the review and approval of research activities. “St. Joseph's houses one of Arizona's key research enterprises,” says Dr. Lukas. “I look forward to facilitating the contributions of our

clinical, translational and basic research faculty to their fields and to participating in the growth of research programs at the hospital. The explosive growth of biomedical research in Arizona is remarkable, and we hope to contribute to it through our own efforts and collaborations with other research institutes and industry partners.” Dr. Lukas is a highly skilled and renowned research expert. His research has focused mainly on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which are critically involved in chemical signaling throughout the brain and body. Dr. Lukas has written numerous reviews and reports on original research findings. He holds appointments on the Committee on Neuroscience at the University ofArizona and as a research professor in the Department of Pharmacology in the

Teens attend science camp

Teenagers became scientists for a week by participating in Biotechnology Medical Institute (BMI) at Barrow this summer. The science camp, sponsored by the Arizona Science Center, allowed teenagers to research a cure for cancer and market their cure to a pseudo pharmaceutical company. Participants also extracted DNA from plant tissue, explored working laboratories and operating rooms, developed oncology treatment methods, and researched the effectiveness of various medications to treat cancerous tumor cells. Mark C. Preul, PhD, director of Neurosurgery Research, and Adrienne C. Scheck, PhD, senior staff scientist, hosted the camp for the third year, helping more than 40 students with their research. “This hands-on camp teaches teenagers that science can be fun,” says Dr. Scheck. “They are given the opportunity to really understand biotechnology and how it is used in their everyday lives.”

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College of Medicine. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Arizona State University. Dr. Lukas received his doctorate degree in biophysics from the State University of New York Health Sciences Center and completed postdoctoral training in chemical biodynamics at the University of California, Berkeley, and in neurobiology at the Stanford Uni- Ronald Lukas, PhD versity School of Medicine.

Student wins competition

Michael Mitchell, a Flinn Scholar who has worked in the laboratory of Adrienne C. Scheck, PhD, since high school through the Scientific Enrichment Program for Students, won a poster competition at the Annual Meeting of theAmerican Association for Cancer Research (AACR). In the past, Mitchell was one of only a few high school Michael Mitchell students who presented their work at the AACR meeting, which usually draws more than 16,000 cancer scientists from around the world. This year, Mitchell presented his research as a college freshman. The AACR poster competition is open to all undergraduates presenting their research at the meeting. This year’s competition included 10 college seniors, 13 juniors, 11 sophomores and Mitchell, the only freshman. The title of Mitchell’s winning poster is “Proteomic Analysis of Therapy Resistance in Primary and Recurrent Human Gliomas.”

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Day on the Lake participants enjoy day of water sports

Donna Wallace, RN, MS, CPNP

Barrow nurse practitioner co-authors book on pediatric neurosurgery

Donna Wallace, RN, MS, CPNP, pediatric nurse practitioner at Barrow, has co-written Nursing Care of the Pediatric Neurosurgery Patient, a reference and parent education book for nurses caring for children with neurosurgical conditions. There is no other reference available on caring for pediatric neurosurgical patients. “We describe in detail—using pictures, diagrams and drawings—how to thoroughly and properly care for a child with neurosurgical conditions,” says Wallace. “It’s an in-depth resource not just for nurses, but for any health care professional caring for a child with such specific conditions.” Wallace and co-writer Cathy Cartwright, RN, pediatric clinical nurse specialist in the Division of Neurosurgery at University of Missouri Health Care’s Children’s Hospital, spent seven years completing the 270-page book. Nearly 30 authors throughout the United States and Canada contributed.

About 100 people with neurological disabilities participated in Barrow’s 11th annual Day on the Lake at Bartlett Lake Marina on June 1-2. Participants enjoyed water skiing, jet skiing, fishing, kayaking and boat rides. Day on the Lake gives people with neurological impairments an opportunity to experience water recreation. With the help of Barrow and a specialized team from California, participants are able to try their hand at water sports in a safe and encouraging environment. “Everyone has the right to play and live life to its fullest,” says Natalie Connolly, certified therapeutic recreation specialist at Barrow. “Day on the Lake provides the neurologically disabled an opportunity to become more active.”

Researcher receives $120,000 grant to study flicker fusion

Stephen Macknik, PhD, director of Laboratory and Behavioral Neurophysiology at Barrow, recently received a Competitive Advantage Award worth $120,000 from the Science Foundation of Arizona. Dr. Macknik is one of 10 biologists in Arizona who was selected to receive the one-year grant. Dr. Macknik will use the grant to study flicker fusion to help develop safe brain products for people with epilepsy and other neurological conditions. Flicker fusion is a process that allows the eyes to perceive flickering data as continuous images. Computer screens, televisions and other forms of artificial lighting are estimated to flicker approximately 60 times per second. Dr. Macknik and his research team have discovered that the brain can follow the flicker of lights but the eyes are unable to see it because of inhibition circuits in the brain. The grant will help Dr. Macknik predict new visual illusions that may exist and investigate a process to make the flickering seem stable to the brain. “Many people with epilepsy are unable to fully function in a normal work environment because of the flicker in artificial lighting,” says Dr. Macknik. “The grant will allow us to research how the flickering occurs and how to make it appear steady.”

Stephen Macknik, PhD

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U.S. News & World Report names Barrow a top-10 neuroscience center

U.S. News & World Report has named St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center one of the 10 best hospitals in the United States for Neurology and Neurosurgery. The magazine’s 18th annual edition of America’s Best Hospitals hit newsstands in mid July. U.S. News & World Report ranks hospitals in 16 specialties. Out of 5,462 hospitals, only 173 scored high enough to make the list. Barrow Neurological Institute, the neurological division at St. Joseph’s, has long been recognized for providing state-of-the-art care for people with brain and spine disease, disorders and injuries. Barrow is known throughout the world for its quality patient care, medical education and innovative research. U.S. News & World Report ranks hospitals based on a variety of criteria, including reputation, mortality rates, patient volumes and key technologies.

Student makes important discovery Veronica Shi, a graduate of Corona del Sol High School who has worked in the laboratory of Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD, at Barrow for the last three years, has made an independent discovery of great importance. She has discovered that the brightness of an object’s surface depends on the size of the surface’s image on the retina of the eye. This discovery, which propelled her into USA Today’s 2007 All-USA High School Academic Team and into the 2007 freshman class at Harvard University, has major implications for how we see Veronica Shi and could be used, in part, as a method to increase visibility in the partially blind.

Business attorney joins BNF Board

Pediatric epileptologist recognized for contributions

Yu-Tze Ng, MD, received “The Wood” this year from John Bodensteiner, the chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurology at St. Joseph’s Children’s Health Center. “The Wood” is given each year in recognition of the individual who makes contributions to the Division of Pediatric Neurology that most exemplify the spirit and goals of the division. Dr. Ng will be the “Keeper of the Wood” until next year when it will be passed on to another deserving individual.

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E. Jeffrey Walsh has been elected to the Board of Trustees of Barrow Neurological Foundation (BNF). Walsh is a shareholder in the international law firm Greenberg Taurig, LLP. He is an AV-rated litigator who has been recognized in Lawyers in America (2005-2006 and 2006-2007) and the Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar” in the Phoenix metro area (2005 and 2006). His practice focuses on business litigation and trials, real-estate litigation and construction law. Walsh received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Notre Dame and his juris doctorate degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He is a prolific writer and frequent speaker on topics pertaining to alternative dispute resolution, negotiation and construction law. In addition to his position on the BNF Board of Trustees, he is a board member of the Greater Southwest Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. Other members of the BNF Board are Tom Reahard, chairman; Dennis Sage, vice chairman, Patricia Boyd Gentry, secretary; Mac Magruder, treasurer, Jean-Pierre Millon, past chairman; Jane Alfano, Greg Anderson, Mary Jane Crist, Wayne Doran, Gee Gee Entz, Armen Ervanian, Cassandra Groh, Lee Hanley, Linda Hunt, Mike Ingram, Guy Inzalaco, Frank Leonesio, Stanley Levine, William Long, Richard Nagler, Herman Orcutt and Anne Robbs.

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Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology Residency Program receives accreditation

The Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology Residency Program at Barrow has received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACME). It is the only endovascular fellowship in the country that is sponsored by neurosurgery. The program is headed by Cameron McDougall, MD. The Endovascular Interventional Fellowship has received initial accreditation, and two neurosurgeons began fellowships in the program in July.

Walk the Fight Walk-A-Thon raises funds for MAPC

“The weather could not have been better,” said Rasheda Ali Walsh, daughter of Muhammad Ali and honorary chairperson of the Annual Walk the Fight Walk-A-Thon held Feb. 18 at Tempe Town Lake. The walk attracted 200 participants and 50 volunteers. Two courses were available—a 5K and a two-block course. Some participants walked on their own, while others used canes, walkers and even mobility scooters. Many families with children and moms pushing strollers joined in. More than $14,000 was raised for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow. Corporate sponsors included Valient Pharmaceuticals, Medtronic, Healthsouth, Jackson White Attorneys At Law and Teva Neuroscience. The Parkinson Network of Arizona, an affiliate of The National Parkinson Foundation, and the Foundation for Parkinson’s and Neurological Research organized the event.

Jazz and Blues Festival to benefit Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center

The first annual Jazz and Blues Festival to benefit the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow will be held Sunday, Nov. 4, in Scottsdale. The Parkinson Network of Arizona, an affiliate chapter of The National Parkinson Foundation, is sponsoring the event. Anyone interested in serving on an organizing committee can call chapter president Jack Goldwater at 480883-2002.

Help discover the causes of breast cancer sister by sister

The Sister Study, a national research study to learn how the environment and genes affect the chances of getting breast cancer, is enrolling women who have never had breast cancer, aged 35-74, but who have a sister who has had breast cancer. To learn more or to order recruitment materials, please call 1-877-4SISTER (1-877- 474-7837, Spanish and English) or visit www.sisterstudy.org or www.estudiodehermanas.org

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it’s lasting: the tribute gift by Mary Jane Crist, CEO, Barrow Neurological Foundation

urs is a generous community. People from all walks of life step forward to help those in need. Most often, their help serves those they do not know. We are touched by stories that allow us to share in the lives of others in times of sadness and in times of celebration. Whether it’s assisting the family of a fallen police officer or helping raise funds to send families to support their children’s little league team in the national finals, we are there. We pay tribute through our time and gifts. The example set by our community is very much reflected in gifts received by Barrow Neurological Foundation. There are a number of ways to show respect, gratitude or affection for someone through a tribute gift. A simple cash gift in memory or honor of a friend or loved one is perhaps the most common. Gifts

of this type may be sent to the Foundation and notification will promptly be sent to the honoree or the family of the person being remembered. Through trusts, bequests and gifts of appreciated assets or personal property, the memory or commitment of an individual to a particular cause can be carried into future years. These types of gifts help to fund the development of new programs, enhance and expand existing programs and services, and create endowments that will support an endeavor in perpetuity. Commitments such as these also may provide for new educational facilities, research laboratories and patient-care areas. As you consider ways to remember and honor those closest to you, consider making a tribute gift… the gift that lasts. ■

If you would like to discuss thoughtful ways of honoring or remembering someone special, please call Barrow Neurological Foundation at 602-406-3041. We’re open Monday Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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Sister Mary Placida Conant, RSM Last of the founders of Barrow Neurological Institute 1910-2007

ister Mary Placida Conant, RSM, was born Maria Josephine in Modesta, CA, the fourth of eight children. She grew up on her family’s farm and vineyard outside Modesta. After graduating from St. Gertrude’s Academy in Rio Vista, CA, she attended St. Mary’s College of Nursing in San Francisco and then entered the Sisters of Mercy in Burlingame in 1931. She professed her vows in 1934. Sr. Placida worked as a staff nurse at St. Mary’s and continued her studies, receiving a bachelor’s in nursing education from the San Francisco College for Women in 1938. She spent the next 16 years in various nursing management roles in San Francisco. In 1954, Sr. Placida became the administrator of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, where she oversaw the completion of the new hospital on Thomas Road, the founding of Barrow Neurological Institute and the opening of the first coronary care unit in Arizona. She was a Fellow of the American College of Hospital Administrators and served as president of the Arizona Hospital Association. Sr. Placida left St. Joseph’s in 1965 and returned to California where she held several hospital administrative positions before retiring in 1982. She worked another eight years as an assistant in the admitting office at St. Mary’s before retiring to the Marian Care Center in Burlingame.

Sister Mary Placida will be remembered for her calm, optimistic, engaged and progressive style of leadership and for her strong and generous community spirit. At St. Joseph’s, she will be remembered for successfully collaborating with Charles Barrow and John Green, MD, on the creation of the Southwest’s first neuroscience center, Barrow Neurological Institute.

Please join us in celebrating the life of Sr. Mary Placida Memorial Service 4 p.m., Wednesday, October 17 The Chapel at St. Joseph’s Hospital Reception to follow Memorial gifts in honor of Sr. Mary Placida Conant may be sent to: Sisters of Mercy Marian Convent Renovation 2300 Adeline Drive Burlingame, California 94010

CHW Arizona Barrow Neurological Foundation 350 W. Thomas Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85013-4496 www.stjosephs-phx.org www.thebarrow.org

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