ACCOLADES

the Methodist Breast Center is the first in Houston and the third in Texas to receive a three-year full accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.

The Methodist Breast Center is now the only location in Houston with the NAPBC accreditation and recognition as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology Commission on Quality and Safety, and the Commission on Breast Imaging. Full accreditation is the highest level granted by the NAPBC, and is only given to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance.

The NAPBC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast. n

The Methodist Hospital System® is ranked no. 17 among FOrTUnE magazine’s 2010 “100 Best Companies to Work For,” making the list for the fifth year in a row and remaining the highest ranked health care organization in the country. Only three companies in Texas are in the top 20. Methodist ranked no. 5 in the category of large companies, no. 3 for the hiring of minorities and no. 16 for the hiring of women.

Methodist was selected based primarily on a confidential survey sent to randomly selected employees, who were asked questions on the level of trust, pride and camaraderie within their workplace. Methodist also submitted documentation about its work environment, from benefits to corporate policies to employee demographics. n pharmacy resident Joshua Swan, ph. D., was named recipient of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation’s 2009 Student Research Award.

The award is one of five given annually as part of the ASHp Foundation’s literature Awards program.

The research paper, “Systematic review and Meta-Analysis of Immunosuppressant Therapy Clinical Trials in Membranous lupus nephritis,” was written and researched while Swan was completing his doctorate in pharmacy at the University of Mississippi’s School of pharmacy. He joined The Methodist Hospital’s pharmacy residency program in 2009. n

Frederick Macapagal, a registered nurse and clinical mentor on the Fondren cardiac care unit at The Methodist Hospital, has been named the Brown Foundation Inc. Outstanding Nurse for 2009.

He is the 20th nurse to receive this honor. Macapagal has been a nurse for 29 years; he has worked at Methodist since 1984. Coworkers who nominated him for the annual award described him as “a dedicated leader, who serves as a great resource to new and veteran staff nurses.” n

Cathy Easter has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Methodist International.

She has been a member of the MI executive team since 2007. She was instrumental in opening the Middle East office in Dubai Health Care City and The Dubai Mall Medical Center, which includes a 45-physician clinic; and procedure and comprehensive radiology center. In her new role, Easter will provide oversight of international patient services and expand the Methodist brand by providing high-quality patient services in international markets such as latin America and the Middle East through business development and consulting services. n

Dr. Bin S. Teh, a radiation oncologist at The Methodist Hospital, was named recipient of the Ministry of Health Singapore Health Manpower Development Plan Award.

Teh is a leading expert in pioneering new technology in radiation oncology such as intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMrT), image-guided radiotherapy (IGrT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SrS), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBrT), brachytherapy as well as combined radio-genetherapy. This award honors Teh’s significant contribution and leading role in implementing new technology, radiation oncology, translational and clinical research, and teaching. n

Dr. Gustavo C. román, an internationally recognized expert in vascular dementia, has joined the Methodist Neurological Institute to continue the quest to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

He holds the Jack S. Blanton Distinguished Chair for the Study of neurological Disease and leads the Methodist Alzheimer and Dementia Center. He will develop a multidisciplinary team that will treat patients using cutting-edge therapies and advance a translational research program on memory disorders and the relationship between brain circulation and dementia. román was previously professor of neurology at the University of Texas Health Science Center’s School of Medicine in San Antonio, where he founded the UT Medicine Memory Disorders Clinic. prior to UTHSC, he served as chief of the neuro-epidemiology branch at the national Institutes of Health, where he led a team in producing the currently used diagnostic criteria for research studies in vascular dementia. n

Dr. William Zoghbi, the William Winters Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Imaging at The Methodist Hospital, was named vice president of the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

His term went into effect in March, and he is slated to become president of the ACC in 2012. Founded in 1949, the ACC now boasts 37,000 members in the United States and around the world. It is the guiding force in the cardiology community for education, research, and setting quality and practice standards. Zoghbi is a leader in the field of echocardiography and Doppler ultrasound for heart disease. n