Nov. 20, 2015
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA
Vol. 34, No. 12
New research and development center will fast-track innovations By J. RyNe DANIelsoN Public Relations For doctors, losing a patient is one of the hardest parts of the job. Most deal with their grief privately, striving to maintain some semblance of a clinical detachment or by throwing themselves into caring for their other patients. Every doctor does his or her best to learn from the experience and to better care for patients in the future. All doctors wish they could do more. Not all doctors use their experience to transform health care for the benefit of all patients. But, then, not just any doctor is Sunil Patel, M.D., chairman of MUSC’s Department of Neurosurgery, who founded the Zucker Institute for Applied Neurosciences to do just that. On Nov. 18, MUSC formally dedicated the Zucker Institute for Applied Neurosciences (ZIAN), which grew out of the patient–care experience between Patel and the late Jerry Zucker, a Charleston inventor and businessman. Patel met Zucker, who would soon become his patient, in 2006. Zucker approached Patel looking for help with a family member who had suffered a spinal cord injury in a fall. “By the time I met Jerry, he had already become quite knowledgeable about spinal cord injuries,” Patel said. “I was amazed that someone from the business world had acquired so much medical knowledge so quickly.” Patel took the initiative, organizing a symposium in Atlanta on spinal cord
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injuries. But, both men quickly grew frustrated with the failure of medical research to produce tangible innovations in patient care. This feeling only grew when Zucker himself was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2007. “Thankfully, we already had such a wonderful relationship with Dr. Patel,” said Zucker’s son, Jonathan. Faced with the prospect of knowing he was going to die, yet not being able to try potentially life–saving technologies, Zucker saw the need for a closer link between research and patient care. Patel agreed. “Jerry was very frustrated with health care,” Patel said. “He saw a lot of dollars going into research but very little coming out, at least at a pace that satisfied him. This was a man who spent much of his life taking scientific discoveries and applying them very quickly to improve lives. He wanted results.” “My father wanted not just translational research, but transformational – being able to transform not just patient lives, but to transform institutions like the Medical University,” Jonathan Zucker said. When Zucker died in 2007, his wife Anita met with Patel to talk about ways they could work together to treat neurological diseases like the one that claimed her husband’s life. That discussion led to the family’s decision to fund Patel’s institute in memory of Jerry Zucker. “In Judaism it is said, if you save one
iH NSurANcE cHANgES EAltHliNkS Studentpatients volunteers connect patients MUSC affected and families to community resources. LIKE US
photos by Anne Thompson, Digital Imaging
Lauren Zucker, from left, with her husband Jonathan Zucker, Anita Zucker, Dr. Sunil Patel, and MUSC President David Cole.
President Cole spoke at an event honoring the Zucker family, whose philanthropy has been instrumental in making ZIAN a reality, he said. ZIAN is a research and development institute aimed at fast-tracking the creation of new medical treatments and devices.
See ZIAN on page 11
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FSANE AmiliES rEFlEct ProgrAm Victim advocates, Remembering the prosecutors lives of lovedpreserve ones evidence of sexually assaulted patients.
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2 The CATAlysT, Nov. 20, 2015
3rd QuArtEr dENtAl StAFF AwArdS
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James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine Dean Dr. John Sanders, center, congratulates Jane Heeg (nonclinical), left, and Jeanette Craparotta (clinical) as recipients of the college’s staff recognition awards for the third quarter of 2015. CDM staff honored the recipients Oct. 27 at the college’s staff meeting, where Sanders delivered a speech and lunch was served.
Thanksgiving: Share why you’re thankful This week, MUSC Health CEO Patrick Cawley, M.D., said: “As Thanksgiving Day approaches, this is a great time to reflect on what you are personally thankful for.” What are you thankful for this year?
Editorial of fice MUSC Office of Public Relations 135 Cannon Street, Suite 403C, Charleston, SC 29425. 843-792-4107 Fax: 843-792-6723 Editor: Cindy Abole catalyst@musc.edu Catalyst staff: Mikie Hayes, hayesmi@musc.edu Dawn Brazell, brazell@musc.edu J. Ryne Danielson, daniejer@musc.edu Helen Adams, adamshel@musc.edu Sarah Pack, packsa@musc.edu Jeff Watkins, watkinsj@musc.edu
With so much for which to be grateful, we invite you, the MUSC family, to share your reflections and photos with us at Catalyst@musc. edu by 5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 23, so we can share them in the Nov. 27 issue of the Catalyst. The Catalyst is published once a week. Paid adver tisements, which do not represent an endorsement by MUSC or the State of South Carolina, are handled by Island Publications Inc., Moultrie News, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, S.C., 843-849-1778 or 843-958-7490. E-mail: sales@moultrienews.com.
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Double Your Impact I am writing you to request that you join me in giving back to our community. For more than 40 years, Trident United Way has served as a lifeline to people in the most vulnerable of circumstances: poverty, unemployment, disability or unexpected problems with their finances, health or family situations. Without it, many of these folks would have no way to rebuild their lives or plan a stable future. The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) will launch an employee fundraising campaign to raise money for the Trident United Way, which includes the opportunity to match your contribution dollar for dollar...doubling your impact. At a time when so many people are still struggling to recover from the floods that recently swept through our community, our full support of this initiative has never been more important. Please take this opportunity to make a financial impact on those who need it so desperately. Before making your decision, please consider three important points: q Every penny of your gift will remain here in the Lowcountry, providing relief and support directly to people here in our community. q This year, your gift could qualify for matching funds from MUSC, effectively doubling the impact of your contribution. A limited amount of matching funds is available, so please contact the Development Office at 792–1973 for more information. q Giving is easy. You have many options to make your gift including credit card, check or, easiest of all, payroll deduction. Please join the MUSC family in supporting one of the Lowcountry’s most important and treasured “safety nets,” Trident United Way. If we all just give a little, we will make a difference in more lives and in more ways than any of us could possibly imagine. The 2015 campaign ends on Dec. 15, so don’t miss the opportunity to extend a helping hand through your contribution. Please consider making a gift to TUW today. The process is easy, just visit: https://epledge.tuw.org Username: MUSC Password: MUSC2015 Thanks for all you do on behalf of our community. With best personal regards, David J. Cole, MD, FACS President, Medical University of South Carolina
The CATAlysT, Nov. 20, 2015 3
OCIO leader recognized for building telehealth in SC By MIkIe hAyes Public Relations
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hen Roger Poston II, Ed.D., was presented the inaugural South Carolina Telehealth Champion award as part of the Fourth Annual Telehealth Summit of South Carolina, colleagues were not surprised in the least. It requires a great deal of vision and perseverance to lift new statewide initiatives off the ground — qualities that also make him an innovative leader. Telehealth experts agree that Poston’s work in building new technical infrastructure to support telehealth has positioned South Carolina in the forefront of telehealth initiatives nationally and helped to provide lasting federal regulations ensuring other states benefit from his vision. According to Kathy Schwarting, executive director of Palmetto Care Connections, the Federal Communications Commission continues to use South Carolina as a model for the country in showing the value of how a public and private partnership can improve access for countless numbers of residents. “It is by way of the PSPN backbone that academic medical centers and tertiary care providers can provide quality specialty services to even the most rural and remote hospitals and clinics through the use of telemedicine,” she said. Poston currently serves as the chief operating officer and IT director for academic and research systems in the Office of the CIO at MUSC. Receiving the inaugural Telehealth Champion award, he said, was extremely gratifying. "Working with my colleagues, hospitals and other health care providers across South Carolina to build the broadband capacity needed for telehealth through the Palmetto State Providers Network (PSPN) was a rewarding experience,” said Poston. “Being the recipient of the South Carolina Telehealth Champion Award was truly an honor." In 2009, Poston was instrumental in the development of the PSPN and expansion of services from academic medical centers into rural communities across the state. This network provides broadband networking and internet services throughout the state’s 46 counties, with an emphasis on the rural areas of the state. Because 36 counties (75 percent) fall outside a metropolitan area, and all or some portion of 44 counties are designated as medically underserved, there was a pressing need to connect health care providers and patients across geographic boundaries. “At a time when South Carolina desperately needed an electronic backbone to provide a unified network for both statewide telepsychiatry and community medical outlets, Roger was pivotal in working tirelessly with the federal government to secure approval for authorization and funding”, said Ed Spencer, director of the Department of Mental Health Telepsychiatry Consultation Program. “This network, the first in the
photo provided
Roger Poston and Kathy Schwarting, executive director of Palmetto Care Connections, at the Telehealth Summit of South Carolina Oct. 15-16 in Columbia. nation to provide two-way linkage to defined statewide medical services, proved to be a blessing to establish new and greatly needed mental health services to many rural hospitals. As a direct result of Roger's excellent work, many more citizens were able to receive critical
mental health consultation and care.” The PSPN provides higher security, improved performance and reduced costs for almost every health care entity in the state. More importantly, rural communities have increased access to specialty care through the state’s tertiary medical centers, and non-emergency patients can receive health care in their communities through the network Poston created. There are countless types of applications that run on the PSPN daily, a few include mental health, OB–GYN, stroke and education. After seven years in operation, tens of thousands of patient, researcher, provider and student encounters have taken place securely on the network. “Dr. Poston is a visionary who has long understood the importance of building infrastructure that provides improved access at an affordable cost with the flexibility necessary for the deployment of an evolving array of telehealth applications,” shared Ragan DuBose-Morris, Ph.D., director of the Office for Telehealth Education at South Carolina AHEC. “Health educational efforts have expanded greatly since 2009 because of the new information highway that he created and helped maintain.” Following an initial 36–month pilot project, Poston successfully argued before the program administrators at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the need to create a permanent “Healthcare Connect Fund” to continue supporting existing and new health care delivery access points across the state. “Dr. Poston spent countless hours working with providers, vendors and the FCC in his effort to ensure
See TeleheAlTh on page 12
4 The CATAlysT, Nov. 20, 2015
Managed care changes may affect patients, not employees Customer service assistance available for patients who need new insurance plans By MIkIe hAyes Public Relations Two major insurance announcements are impacting MUSC patients: one concerning Consumer’s Choice and the other related to BlueCross BlueShield Blue Essentials and the BlueChoice Options individual coverage plans offered on Healthcare.gov. The changes do not in any way apply to the MUSC Health Plan, therefore employees and their dependents will not be affected. Employees could be involved, however, in helping MUSC patients understand the changes and guiding them through the process. Karyn Rae, director of Managed Care, is responsible for dealing with both situations. With nearly 13,000 employees, she said there are bound to be questions about the changes. “MUSC employees are our ambassadors in the communities. We all have neighbors, friends, people we go to church with, even relatives who these changes might affect,” she said. “By understanding what’s changing and having the correct information, we will all be in a better position to put our patients first and guide them through.” It was recently announced that Consumer’s Choice will be closing and no longer one of the three companies available to South Carolinians through the Healthcare.gov (Obamacare) marketplace. The other two companies offered are Aetna–Coventry and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and BlueChoice HealthPlan. The Healthcare.gov marketplace was set up to be an easy way for Americans to find information about private health insurance options, purchase health insurance and get help with premiums and out-ofpocket costs if they are eligible. The Affordable Care Act also created a new type of private nonprofit health insurer, called a Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan, or co–op. Co–ops are directed by their customers and designed to offer individuals and small businesses additional affordable health insurance options. Consumer’s Choice was one such co–op, and many MUSC patients had coverage through it. Consumer’s Choice and other co–ops received bad news when the Obama administration announced they would be receiving significantly lower payments from the risk corridors program than originally expected. This program was designed to protect insurers from heavy losses, but large holes were left in the budget when so little money came into the program that it could only pay less than 13 percent of the nearly $3
“By understanding what’s changing and having the correct information, we will all be in a better position to put our patients first and guide them through.” Karyn Rae billion requested. Concerned that without that financial support these risk corridor payments plans would run out of money, the federal government decided to close some co–ops around the country, rather than letting them continue to grow and potentially go bankrupt. Consumers Choice was among them. Consumer’s Choice will continue to cover patients who pay their premiums through Dec. 31 of this year. After that, patients will have to find a new health plan through Healthcare.gov. The deadline to find a new plan so that it will be effective by Jan. 1, 2016, is Dec. 15. If they don’t pick a new plan by then, Rae said, they may not have health insurance. Rae added that MUSC cannot recommend a health insurance plan, but she also offered relevant information. “While we can’t recommend a particular plan, we do, however, participate in the Aetna– Coventry plans. If a patient lives in Charleston, Dorchester or Berkeley counties, they will have level I (highest) benefits at MUSC. If they live in other counties where this plan is offered, they will have level II (lower) benefits at MUSC if they were to select this plan.” On Healthcare.gov, patients looking for information can be directed to click on the “Summary of Benefits” and “Provider Network” links associated with these plans for more information. Patients can also call MUSC Customer Service at (843) 792-2311 or (800) 598-0624 and ask to speak with a certified application counselor (CAC). CACs are specially trained to help them understand how to get insurance through the health care exchanges. They can also email the representatives at Fc-cac@musc.edu. MUSC will not be participating in the BlueCross BlueShield Blue Essentials or BlueChoice Options plans offered on Healthcare.gov. This is a result of contractual commitments BC/BS made to other health care providers, rendering them unable to add MUSC to the network of providers for these plans for 2016. Rae is working toward a resolution for 2017. (MUSC remains a provider for all other BlueCross and BlueShield commercial plans).
Although MUSC is working closely with BlueCross to ensure that patients continue to receive the care they need, if they select one of these plans they may be required to switch doctors. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina will have to grant patients the authorization to continue to see their MUSC doctor and will only do so in special circumstances. If a patient does not have that special authorization, they may be personally responsible for the entire cost of their care. So what should patients look for when they pick a plan? Rae said, “We ask that you pay attention to both the provider network your new plan offers as well as the type of plan, as South Carolina has both exclusive provider network plans (EPO) and point–of–service plans (POS) offered through Healthcare.gov.” EPO plans, Rae explained, have an exclusive provider network and usually will not pay anything if a patient receives care from a health care provider outside the network unless the care was the result of an emergency. POS plans pay for care at different percentages of the total cost of coverage, depending on who the health care provider is. POS plans will pay the most toward the cost of care if patients visit the providers in Tier 1, but they may also provide payment for care received from other providers as well.
The CATAlysT, Nov. 20, 2015 5
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6 The CATAlysT, Nov. 20, 2015
ART’s Hope Unit expands services, improves patient space By J. RyNe DANIelsoN Public Relations
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ov.12 marked the opening of the newly renovated 7th floor of Ashley River Tower. The $12 million project converted administrative office space to clinical space, adding 42 beds and a new infusion suite for the oncology unit, which was previously located on 5 West. The Hope Unit, as it is called, will offer patients spacious rooms outfitted with louvered windows which allow doctors and nurses to check on patients without disturbing them. “The development of this subspecialty unit is a testament to our nursing staff,” said Robert Stuart, M.D., a hematologist–oncologist. “Patients are in the hospital for nursing. They can get medical care in an outpatient setting. This subspecialty unit is a tribute to the specialized nursing that has been created and developed and nourished at this institution. I’m very proud of our providers and the work we do here. “This unit has the best view of any hospital in Charleston or in South Carolina,” Stuart continued. “I hope you get a chance to look at the beautiful Ashely River, the boats in the marina, and downtown Charleston. There’s nothing finer in Carolina than this.” James Brook, oncology service line administrator, said that nurses were integral to the design of the new unit, contributing to small details — such as the louvered windows, a family area, and a laundry room — that greatly improve the comfort of patients. “The nursing team was involved from the time the architects walked through the door,” Brook said. “We wanted to take the parts of 5 West that were really a success for us, bring them up to 7, but then add in all of the little things that will make us even more successful. The input of the nursing team with the design team was very helpful. Hopefully, they’ll connect to this floor in a way that is much more personal.” In addition to creature comforts, the unit adds a state–of–the–art infusion center for chemotherapy and positive pressure rooms which will protect patients with compromised immune systems from airborne pathogens.
Before the unit opened, ART’s fifth floor had only 22 beds for oncology patients. “A lot of our patients have never been on our cancer floor because it’s always full,” Brook said. “This is an opportunity for people to get specialized oncology care all in one place.” Brook said the new unit will require the addition of more than 50 staff members, in addition to doctors and nurses that have been reassigned from other units. “This is a practice run for the Children’s Hospital,” he said. The MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, slated to open in 2019, will be a brand new facility, offering top–level pediatric care to patients from across the state. Nurse manager Katherine Wanstall said her staff was excited to move into the new space, which is much brighter
“This subspecialty unit is a tribute to the specialized nursing that has been created and developed and nourished at this institution.” Robert Stuart, MD
photos by Ryne Danielson, Public Relations
The Medical Center’s Matt Wain, from left, Jill Meetze, Jim Brook and Dr. Robert Stuart cut the ribbon opening the new Hope Unit on the seventh floor of Ashley River Tower. The new clinical space adds 42 beds within the dedicated oncology unit. the values of MUSC and our desire to than the old oncology unit and features deliver excellence in patient care, train fantastic views, which she hopes will lift the next generation of providers, and the spirits of patients and staff alike. create innovative opportunities for the “It’s inspiring to see the excitement discovery of new knowledge. This is a as this floor opens,” said Matt Wain, great way to give back to our community, MUSC chief operating officer. “It allows which stands with us and enables us to us to take better care of our patients grow and prosper.” and our families, and it truly represents A visitor to the Nov. 13 open house captures the sweeping views of Charleston Harbor on her cellphone from one of the 7th floor waiting rooms.
The CATAlysT, Nov. 20, 2015 7
Annual Service of Remembrance strengthens healing hearts
Left photo: Misty McCool and her son Jereson blow bubbles in memory of Jerry Douglas Wallace after St. Luke’s annual Service of Remembrance. Above photo: Dr. Michelle Hudspeth, left, blows bubbles in memory of pediatric bone marrow transplant patient Lachlan Tannery who died this year. photos by Ryne Danielson, Public Relations
By J. RyNe DANIelsoN Public Relations The annual Service of Remembrance was held in St. Luke’s Chapel Nov. 13. The event, which is sponsored by the Children’s Hospital Bereavement Committee, PASSAGES grief support program and MUSC Pastoral Care Services honors children who died during the past year. “This is a very special service,” said Chaplain George Rossi. “It gives us a chance to honor those children that made such a difference in our lives and continue to make a difference in our lives.” John M. Sanders, the administrator for the Children’s Hospital, said that he has had the privilege of having played some part in the service for the past 11 years. “Our faculty and staff want to do something meaningful for parents and families,” he told those who had come to mourn a child. “I’ve never worked with a group as passionate about the care of children than our staff and faculty at MUSC. Most days we see miracles, but there are some days when that’s just not the way it’s supposed to be. “I wish that I could say something to
relieve the pain, but I know I can’t. I can tell you, talking with my mother, who lost my brother when he was 11 years old, that time does help. Time will allow you to get to a point where you can get past the sadness and think about the good times.” Parents were invited to come forward to light a candle in memory of their child. All in all, there were 72 candles burning by the time the service was over. “I’ve been asked to offer words of comfort today,” said MUSC chaplain Lynn Conklin. “I had to think about that for a long time. There are many words and misplaced phrases, such as, ‘Your child is in a better place,’ which seem appropriate to those saying them. But, to you as parents, they’re just as empty as your arms. “So how do you, as grieving parents and grandparents and siblings, find comfort? To find comfort is to remember, to remember your child, to remember their name, and speak their name. To find comfort is to allow your faith, your family, your memories, your tears, and your child’s life to never, ever be forgotten.” To help remember the children who died in 2014 and 2015, Child Life
specialists Morgan Ford and Megan Debolt presented a slide show, set to music, with images of those children during happy moments, dancing in a pink tutu or posing with a puppy. “Rituals and symbols are so important to the grief process,” said Stacy Sergent, who offered the closing prayer and proposed a new ritual, blowing bubbles.
After the service, families filed out of St. Luke’s chapel and formed a circle in the courtyard. “We all blew bubbles as kids,” Sergent said, asking parents to think of the happiest memories of their children and to fill the air with bubbles, symbolizing those memories.
Parents light candles in memory of their child. By the time the service was over, 72 candles flickered in the darkened chapel.
8 The CATAlysT, Nov. 20, 2015
2015 cHildrEN’S HoSPitAl HolidAy cArdS oN SAlE Now A total of nine MUSC Children’s Hospital “artists” created their own holiday artwork to support the annual “Kids Helping Kids” holiday card project. Far left: Mount Pleasant patient Helen Izzo, 14, created “Sand Dollars,” sponosored by The Beach Company. Top: Joe Izzo’s, 12, “Santa Train” sponsored by the Law Office of Donald Howe; and “Crab Hands” was submitted by Summerville patient Abigail Lee, 4, sponsored by Cullum. The cards are packaged in packs of 14 cards for $15 and will be available at the MUSC hospital gift shops and online. All occasion cards are available for purchase as well. For information, visit http://www. musckids.org/holidaycards/index.htm or https://marcomcentral.app.pti.com/ knightpress/musckids_holidaycards/ home.aspx?uigroup_id=13319.
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The CATAlysT, Nov. 20, 2015 9
Contest offers cash to help smokers kick habit By DAwN BRAZell MUSC NewsCenter
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espite a broken ankle, Michael Cummings, Ph.D., maneuvers to fetch a trash can from beneath his desk. “You want to know one of the best treatments for quitting smoking? I have it right here,” he said, waving around the garbage can. “Throw your cigarettes out. Don’t delay. There is an urgency to quit smoking. Every puff on a cigarette — 9,000 chemicals, 60 known carcinogens.” Cummings, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and co–chairman of the tobacco research program at the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, knows in detail the health toll caused by smoking from his decades working for tobacco control. He’s not naïve, though. He knows the way cigarettes have been engineered to be addictive, and it takes an average of 12 attempts before smokers might succeed if they persevere. It’s one reason he’s using a contest that kicks off Nov. 19 in conjunction with the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout. It’s a contest he did with success in Buffalo, N.Y., before coming to MUSC, to get smokers inspired to quit. The incentive: cold, hard cash. The Quit & Win contest, sponsored by MUSC Hollings Cancer Center and other community partners, provides an opportunity for smokers to win a cash prize of $1,000 if they are successful at quitting and remain smokefree for one month between Jan. 15 and Feb. 13, 2016. Two cash prizes of $1,000 each will be provided. The contest is limited to daily smokers who have smoked for at least one year, are 18 years of age or older and are residents of the Tri–county area. Winners will be selected randomly and bio–chemically tested to be eligible for the cash prizes, which have been contributed by the Community Tobacco Control Fund at MUSC. When asked if this isn’t like bribery, Cummings said he’s for whatever works. “Even if you don’t win, and you quit
smoking, you win.” There are excellent medications available now that can help smokers succeed. Cummings encourages smokers to register and make an appointment with their doctor to develop a plan for success as they face the New Year. “Your doctor will be thrilled you’re asking for advice,” he said. “This is a deadly product that kills one out of two longterm users. The best way to avoid all health problems that come along with smoking is to stop immediately and to get help if you need help.” tHE grEAt AmEricAN SmokEout Cummings said it made sense to open registration for the contest on what will be the 40th anniversary of The Great American Smokeout. “The goal of that is to encourage smokers to quit for a day in hopes they will quit for a lifetime.” Whether smokers are participating in the daylong event or the Quit & Win contest, it’s all about taking it one day at a time. “Most people beat themselves up, but addiction to nicotine is not a personality flaw. It’s an addiction.” MUSC will be partnering with various community organizations, including the Post and Courier newspaper, to provide smokers with the resources they need to be successful in quitting. “It’s an inexpensive, novel way to run a large, stop smoking campaign for the whole Tri–county area. January 1, we will have a special section in the newspaper,” he said. “Most smokers wish they could quit but they fail to understand how the product is engineered to make it hard for them to quit.” There still are 42 million people who smoke. Over half attempt to quit each year and most are back smoking again, he said. “The idea is they have to keep at this.” The best news he’s heard in the past five years, though, is the dramatic decline in smoking among adolescents. “It’s really dropping. Kids have figured out that smoking is disgusting. It’s not going to make you happy, successful and rich. It’s going to make you sick, dead and
photos by Sarah Pack, MUSC News Center
MUSC researcher spearheads Quit & Win contest to encourage smokers to quit. Dr. Michael Cummings hopes the contest will be just the incentive smokers need in the new year to break their habit.
poor.” This is particularly important because of what researchers are learning about the effects of addictive substances on developing brains. “If you’re exposed to any drug, the brain is still developing in the teenage years up to about age 25. What we see in exposure to these addictive substances, like nicotine, alcohol, opiates and so on, you’re going to see structural changes in the brain that are not reversible as best we know. That’s very serious. Cigarette companies, of course, exploit this. They need a new generation to be the replacement smokers for the people who quit or die every year.” Teens don’t always make good decisions, which is normal for that stage. “What’s abnormal are corporations that are exploiting teenagers to get them hooked on their product so that when
they are adults, they can’t give it up.” There was about a 20–year lag period in the history of cigarette use before effective public health policies began to address the potential harm and target the reduction of users. Cummings hopes those lessons can be applied to new trends, such as the rise in marijuana use, which many health professionals see as the new threat as tobacco companies have begun to enter that market. mArijuANA, tHE NEw cigArEttE? Some see marijuana as the “new cigarette.” It’s a trend that bears watching given the high potency that’s available today, Cummings said. “I see some of the companies that were involved in genetically bio–engineering tobacco to make it more addictive,
See sMokeouT on page 10
10 The CATAlysT, Nov. 20, 2015
sMokeouT
Continued from Page Nine
they are doing the same bio–engineering of THC in marijuana plants.” The question is, can marijuana be regulated effectively? States at the forefront of legalizing it are bellwethers, but the data are not in, he said. “If you are in the marijuana business, as we now see in Colorado, Washington and other states, you are going to figure out how people can be attracted to use the product – and you want them to use it frequently, every day, day in and day out. Why? Because that makes you more money.” Legalization is a complex issue, but so are the health concerns, he said. “I am concerned because if you expose yourself to a combustible product like a cigarette or a joint day in and day out for over 20 years, you overwhelm your body’s natural ability to do DNA repair to the cells. We are going to see the lung cancer, heart disease and COPD that we’re trying to say goodbye to with cigarettes.” Cummings knows all too well the lessons learned with tobacco. He had a neighbor who recently died from lung cancer, who didn’t get to see his daughter graduate from high school. Most smokers want to quit, but can’t. He wants them to understand why it’s so hard. About one–third of tobacco is man–made. Manufacturers extract the nicotine, recycle the entire
phots by Sarah Pack, MUSC News Center
Cummings uses these stickers of Jeff the diseased lung: #JeffWeCan, to show the new face of Marlboro. tobacco plant, grind it up and spread it across a sheet that is then sprayed so that the nicotine can be delivered in a uniform way, he said. That way, more of the drug gets delivered. That means quitting is hard, but it can be done. Sixty million Americans have quit, and there are options, including new clinical trials, to personalize treatment to make it easier for smokers to quit. This contest adds a little incentive, he said. “Smokers hear the same old ‘you should quit smoking’ advice, so this is a way to make it new and novel. Your next attempt could be the one that works.” Smokers will be able to register for an online contest called South Carolina Quits or by completing a paper registration form. There is no cost to register.
The CATAlysT, Nov. 20, 2015 11
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ZIAN
Continued from Page One
“Each of us has the obligation to make the world a better place.”
Anita Zucker
“In Judaism it is said, if you save one life, it is though you’ve saved the world,” Anita Zucker said. “In our family we have a long–standing tradition called “tikun olam,” which is Hebrew for “repair of the world.” Each of us has the obligation to make the world a better place.” One way that ZIAN is making the world a better place is through new technologies like Sinu–Lok, the first commercially–licensed product developed by the institute and introduced in September 2015. Marketed by Amendia, Inc., Sinu-Lok provides a more stable construct for lumbar surgery and radically reduces operation room time, said ZIAN’s chief operation officer, Ted Bird. Bird said the institute has nine additional products in the pipeline, including a cranial access port for deep brain procedures, a novel bone-cutting instrument and a new concussion detection technology for use on the sideline of an athletic field. Each of these devices holds the power to radically improve care for patients, he said. “When we succeed best is when we’re able to match talent with passion,” said David Cole, M.D., FACS, president of the Medical University. “When those two align, you’d better stand back. Because that’s when remarkable things happen.”
Pastoral Care presents Caring Spirit Award to Environmental Services Staff Report The last week in October was Pastoral Care Week, a time to recognize the contributions of pastoral and spiritual caregivers around the world. Here at MUSC, professional chaplains with extensive education and training are available 24–hours a day to provide spiritual support to patients, families and staff. Our chaplains come from a variety of backgrounds and are skilled in offering care to people of all religions, as well as those who do not claim any religion at all. Each year, there is a different theme for Pastoral Care Week, and 2015’s was very much in line with the mission of MUSC’s chaplains. According to the Pastoral Care Week website: “This year’s theme, ‘Spiritual Care Together’ focuses on holistic care of the individual and the need to work collaboratively across disciplines to meet the biological, psychological, social and spiritual needs of those for whom we provide care. We seek this opportunity to dialogue, educate, support and join together in understanding the spiritual or religious needs that impact the physical and mental well-being of individuals as we join with them in their journey toward healing and wholeness.” An event held on Oct. 27 in the Drug Discovery Building was just such an opportunity to dialogue and learn about the role of chaplains in holistic health care. While attendees enjoyed refreshments, Chaplain Stacy Sergent offered a short reading from her book, “Being Called Chaplain: How I lost my name and (eventually) found my faith.” After the reading, she and Chaplain Terry Wilson, head of MUSC’s Pastoral Care Department, took time to answer questions from those in the audience about everything from crisis intervention strategies to dealing with compassion fatigue and warning signs for burnout. Those in attendance left with a better understanding of how spiritual care can contribute to the well–being of both caregivers and their patients. Every year, MUSC’s chaplains present their Caring Spirit Award to a staff member from another department who works to foster community, is a spiritual caregiving advocate, is very supportive of the mission and staff of the pastoral care department and displays caring attributes that match the year’s theme for Pastoral Care Week. Chaplains can submit nominations for consideration, and from the list of nominees, each chaplain votes for the one he or she feels most exemplifies the criteria. This year for the first time, the winner was not an individual, but a group. It seemed only fitting considering this year’s theme of Spiritual Care Together. Chaplain Lynn Brown-Conklin nominated the Environmental Services Department, in recognition of its volunteering to clean up Mother Emanuel A.M.E.
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Pastoral Care Chaplain Terry Wilson, from left, is joined by Chaplain Lyn Brown-Conklin and Chaplain Mel Williams as they present the 2015 Caring Spirit Award to Angela Starkey, center, and John Lawyer, right, both with MUSC’s Environmental Service Department. The group was recognized for their volunteer cleanup efforts at Mother Emanuel AME Church following the church shooting on June 17. Church after the horrific shooting that took place there on the night of June 17. She wrote in her nomination that “it goes without saying their dedication and commitment to help outside the walls of MUSC is extraordinary.” These individuals used their skills and gifts to help in a way that no one else could. Their efforts enabled the congregation of Mother Emanuel to continue to worship in their building, and lifted a burden that could have hindered them from moving forward in the grief process. This was a unique and beautiful example of offering “Spiritual Care Together.” Angela Starkey was present at the chaplains’ staff meeting to accept the Caring Spirit Award on behalf of the department. It was a great reminder that we here at MUSC have many ways of caring for each other, our patients, and our community, together.
MUSC Dental Faculty Practice Hours Looking for a convenient dentist? MUSC’s Dental Faculty Practice is a private dental practice conveniently located on campus and staffed by faculty of the James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine. Practice hours are Mondays to Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays, 7:30 a.m. to Noon. To schedule an appointment, call 792-3444.
12 The CATAlysT, Nov. 20, 2015
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