Class Notes

couraging them to become involved in community projects.

1980s

Arthur Kellermann 80M, former associate dean for health policy in Emory’s medical school, recently started a new position with the RAND Corp. in Washington. He is spearheading its Public Heath Systems and Preparedness Initiative, helping state and federal agencies improve preparedness for public health emergencies. RAND is a not-for-profit that seeks to improve public and private policy.

He joined Emory’s faculty in 1993 as founding director of the Center for Injury Control (CIC), a collaborating center for injury and violence prevention of the World Health Organization.

1960s

Charlie Williams Jr. 62C 66M 74MR of Daphne, Ala., was elected president of the medical staff of the VA Gulf Coast Health Care System.

1970s

Lee Mabee 76M received the 2009 young at Heart Award from the South Dakota State Medical Association for inspiring young physicians as a role model and mentor and en-

Kellermann began studying gun-related violence as a resident at the University of Washington

The death of Motown singer Marvin Gaye provided the initial spark for Kellermann’s research. “I was sitting in the student center when the radio news show reported that Marvin Gaye had been shot by his father,” he said. “I looked at my friend across the table and said, `This is nuts. Surely somebody has looked at a gun in the home as a risk factor or a protection factor for violent death.’ ”

But he could only find one study on the subject. Later, his research showed that homicides occurred in homes with guns much more often than in homes without firearms, and family members were much more likely to be the victims rather than an intruder.

That research garnered him a lot of attention—and some of it unwelcome. A right-wing magazine at the time called Kellermann an “anti-gun fanatic” who was responsible for the antigun hysteria in America. Though he advocated keeping guns out of the home, he never called for an outright ban.

He went on to be the founding chair of the emergency medicine department at the medical school and later, the school’s first associate dean for health policy. He played a leading role in calling attention to health care policy in Georgia and in the United States. A member of the Institute of Medicine, Kellermann co-chaired its Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance and played key roles in its efforts on the future of emergency care and national biosurveillance systems.

William Chey 86M 89MR, a gastroenterologist at the University of Michigan Health System, has been appointed incoming co-editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.