Ignite Magazine | Fall 2013

VOL

I g n i t i n g t h e p a s s i o n o f p h y s i c i a n s , p h a r m a c i s t s a n d h e a lt h C a r e r e s e a r c h e r s

15.2

FALL 2013

Pathways to Primary Care

Igniting the journey for a new generation of health care providers

The Pharmacist’s Role in Patient Care When Worlds COllide: A New Era of Interprofessional Education Local Conference Attracts National Attention and Expands Ohio Alliance

n e omed. edu

Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), is a community-based, public medical university with a mission to improve the quality of health care in Northeast Ohio working in collaboration with its educational and clinical partners.

NEOMED is a member of the University System of Ohio, and its partners include teaching hospitals, community sites and boards of health.

Ignite magazine is published twice per year by the Office of Public Relations and Marketing.

NEOMED Board of Trustees Daisy L. Alford-Smith, Ph.D. Paul R. Bishop, J.D. Dianne Bitonte Miladore, M.D. (‘81) Elizabeth A. Carter – Student Trustee L. Austin Fredrickson, Jr. – Student Trustee Joseph R. Halter, Jr. J. David Heller, CPA, Vice Chair Chander M. Kohli, M.D., Chair Robert J. Klonk Anil M. Parikh, M.D., DFAPA Sharlene Ramos Chesnes Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D. President Cristine D. Boyd – Editor Director of Public Relations and Marketing Contributing Writers: Heather Bing, Public Relations and Marketing Manager; Cristine Boyd, Director of Public Relations and Marketing; Laura Pegg Publication Design: Scott J. Rutan, Graphic Designer Photography: Ken Love Photography Office of Public Relations and Marketing 4209 St. Rt. 44, PO Box 95 Rootstown, Ohio 44272-0095 email: publicrelations@neomed.edu No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the editors. Copyright 2013 by Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio 44272

NEOMED President Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D., and members of the Board of Trustees and University leadership team networked with colleagues in research at the Research!America Advocacy Awards held March 13 in Washington, D.C. Pictured are Dr. Gershen, Rep. Marcia Fudge, and Daisy Alford-Smith, Ph.D., NEOMED Board of Trustees member.

PRES I DENT ’ S MESSAGE Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) is kicking off its 40th anniversary with a great level of enthusiasm. Health professions education is truly evolving, and after 40 years, it is exciting to remain on the forefront of this advancement. In everything we do, NEOMED continues to be proactive and transformational in thinking about the future needs of patients, communities and the health care system to ensure that we are preparing tomorrow’s health care workforce to be responsive to those needs.

It is no surprise that the country will need to begin to look at health care delivery in a different light with the impending implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Developing more health care practitioners who are willing to work in primary or community care functions, encouraging them to work in geographic areas of real need, and doing everything we can to encourage individuals of diverse backgrounds to enter the health professions will be critical to the future health of our country.

NEOMED continues to address these challenges by strengthening the core curriculum offered in its medicine and pharmacy programs, and through the development of new programs that reach out to the communities in which we serve. In this edition of Ignite you can learn about the various efforts used to connect and encourage future students to enter health careers, and to educate current students about working as an interprofessional team.

Much of NEOMED’s work is done in partnership with various entities from around the region, and all of it is being accomplished using sound business principles. As we continue construction on campus buildings and examine our business practices, we are exploring more opportunities for public-private partnerships and ways to be more efficient and effective in all of our operations. We plan to continue to shine bright for another 40 years and beyond, and are appreciative of everyone – from the past, present and future – who has helped us achieve our goals.

Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D. President, Northeast Ohio Medical University 02 | IGNITE

C ontents

04

06 A PUBLICATION OF NORTHEAST OHIO Medical UNIVERSITY

The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation Awards NEOMED the Largest Foundation Grant in the University’s History

08

Pathways to Primary Care Igniting the journey for a new generation of health care providers

Local Conference Attracts National Attention and Expands Ohio Alliance

14

When Worlds Collide: A New Era of Interprofessional Education

16

The Pharmacist’s Role in Patient Care

18

Academics and Student Life

21

In Brief

25

Development and Alumni

35

25 Gifts and Support 28 News 30 Profile 31 Class Notes

University Moment

03 | IGNITE

The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation Awards NEOMED the

Largest Foundation Grant in the University’s History The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation announced a $5.5 million grant to the Best Practices in Schizophrenia Treatment (BeST) Center at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) at “The BeST Kind of Hope,” a special event held on NEOMED’s campus on May 30.

Patrick Kennedy II, former U.S. Congressman and a leading advocate for mental health care, was a guest speaker for this historic grant announcement.

04 | IGNITE

Lon Herman, M.A., director of BeST Center; Mark Munetz, M.D., chair, Dept. of Psychiatry; President Jay Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D.; Congressman Patrick Kennedy; Rick Kellar, president Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation; and Elaine Harlin, president, Child Guidance & Family Solutions

“Our grant will enable the BeST Center to continue to work with mental health consumers, family members, policy makers and partner organizations to offer training, consultation, evaluation, education and outreach activities leading to state-of-the-art care for people affected by schizophrenia and their families,” said Rick Kellar, president of The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation.

“This grant to the BeST Center furthers The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation’s mission to improve the lives of people with serious mental illness by investing in innovative projects in Northeast Ohio having national transformational impact.”

“This is a momentous day for NEOMED,” said Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D., president of NEOMED. “This grant reflects The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation’s continuing vision and generosity, and is the largest foundation grant in the University’s history.”

As the featured speaker, Congressman Kennedy discussed his passion for mental health care. He served 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and is predominantly known as the author and lead sponsor of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. This dramatic piece of legislation provides tens of millions of Americans who were previously denied care with access to mental health treatment. Congressman Kennedy

is also the co-founder of One Mind for Research, a national coalition that is seeking treatments and cures for neurologic and psychiatric diseases of the brain that afflict one in every three Americans.

The BeST Center was originally created in NEOMED’s Department of Psychiatry through a $5 million grant from The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation in February 2009. Since 2005, The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation has awarded a cumulative total of $12.9 million to NEOMED’s Department of Psychiatry to support initiatives to advance mental health treatment for individuals with schizophrenia and other mental disorders. The BeST Center works with community partners to give people affected by schizophrenia access to effective treatments.

“With the right treatment, people with schizophrenia can and do improve their lives, and they can work toward the future with a sense of hope,” said Mark R. Munetz, M.D., The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation Endowed Chair of Psychiatry at NEOMED. “At the BeST Center, we call this hope the BeST kind of hope. Because of the Foundation’s continued support, we can bring more of the BeST kind of hope to people affected by schizophrenia.”

05 | IGNITE

Local Conference Attracts National ATTENTION and Expands Ohio Alliance

By Cristine Boyd

Top leadership from around the state and nation joined together on June 3-4 to discuss current best practices in interprofessional education, pipeline initiatives and diversity in health care. The two-day conference, ‘Making a Difference with Pipeline to Practice Initiatives that Promote Diversity,’ was sponsored by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation (Macy Foundation) and hosted by Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) and The Sullivan Alliance to Transform the Health Professions (The Sullivan Alliance).

The conference was designed to showcase and share innovations, funding practices and evaluation strategies from national leaders in efforts to recruit diverse students into health professions, train them for interprofessional health care, and demonstrate how to engage communities and their resources throughout pipeline to practice programs. The resulting ideas are being used to create an action plan for the Ohio Alliance, a group that will lead the way toward enhancing the health care workforce in Ohio. The individuals who assembled at this meeting did not attempt to invent an array of new ideas, but instead discussed ways to build an Ohio Alliance of groups and individuals who would share best practices of items that are already a proven success.

Day one of the conference allowed participants to mix with and learn from national experts who share best practices and participate in round table discussions. The keynote speaker was Mary Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N., administrator at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Wakefield spoke about HRSA, resources and programs available both in Ohio and nationwide, and the nature and extent to which HRSA supports Ohio.

06 | IGNITE

Interprofessional education, pipeline initiatives, diversity

Other prominent speakers included Marc Nivet, Ed.D., chief and test best practices to diversify the health workforce. The diversity officer at the Association of American Medical effort has proved to be an efficient way to build momentum and Colleges; Susan Meyer, Ph.D., associate dean for education gains in moving the diversity agenda forward. These alliances, and professor of pharmacy at the University of Pittsburgh; and the resulting “health professionals pipeline” best practice Barbara Brandt, Ph.D., associate vice president for education models, have the potential of spurring federal action where it is at the University of Minnesota; and Joxel Garcia, M.D., former needed most. president and dean at Ponce School of Medicine, and former assistant secretary of health. Notable Ohio-based speakers “As more people have greater access to health insurance, we included Theodore E. Wymyslo, M.D., director of the Ohio need to increase our health workforce – and the workforce Department of Health; Eric S. needs to reflect the diversity Gordon, M.Ed., chief executive of our communities,” said Dr. officer at the Cleveland Metro“As more people have greater access to Louis W. Sullivan, chairman of politan School District; Byron The Sullivan Alliance and White, Ed.D., vice president health insurance, we need to increase our former secretary of the U.S. for university engagement at Department of Health and health workforce – and the workforce needs Human Services. “I commend Cleveland State University; and Jay Williamson, M.D., Dr. Gershen and the NEOMEDto reflect the diversity of our communities.” CSU partnership for launching chief medical officer, Summa Physicians, Inc. the Ohio Alliance – just a year Dr. Louis W. Sullivan ago – and holding this innovaDay two of the conference was tive Pipeline to Practice conferdedicated to building an action plan to aid in expanding the Ohio ence to learn how to strengthen and grow the Alliance with Alliance. This action plan centered on identifying existing Ohiogreater community involvement.” based resources and prospective partners who have an interest in advancing the health and success of Ohio communities. The For more information on the conference and to access presenOhio Alliance is the sixth state-based alliance of The Sullivan tations from the event, visit www.neomed.edu/pipeline2practice.

Alliance, which seeks to increase the diversity of the health care For more information on the Ohio Alliance, visit www. workforce. These state partners act as “pathfinders” to identify neomed.edu/ohioalliance.

The Ohio Alliance is the sixth state-based alliance of The Sullivan Alliance, which seeks to increase the diversity of the health care workforce. These state partners act as “pathfinders” to identify and test best practices to diversify the health workforce. The effort has proved to be an efficient way to build momentum and gains in moving the diversity agenda forward. These alliances, and the resulting “health professionals pipeline” best practice models, have the potential of spurring federal action where it is needed most.

07 | IGNITE

Pat h way s t o Primary Care: Igniting the journey for a new generation of health care providers

By Laura Pegg

For some time now, Americans have been hearing about an impending shortfall of primary care physicians. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicts that by 2025 there will be a deficit of 65,800 primary care physicians to serve the country’s health care needs. There are many contributing factors to this startling number, which affects approximately 66 million U.S. citizens.

An aging population sets the stage for a growing need for primary care practitioners, including the physicians themselves. According to a 2012 Physicians Foundation survey, nearly half of the 830,000 physicians currently practicing in the U.S. are over the age of 50, putting them closer to retirement. Additionally, and possibly the most discussed facet to the issue, the Affordable Care Act under the President Barack Obama administration will provide health care to millions of people who were formerly without insurance. The majority of the uninsured reside in poor

08 | IGNITE

rural and urban areas, which are already suffering from physician shortages.

The Journal of the American Medical Association has reported that only one in five graduating internal medicine residents plans to specialize in primary care, and the AAMC reports that just five percent of internal medicine residents go on to practice in rural shortage areas. Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) is heeding the call to help prepare future health care professionals and is targeting the areas that are in greatest need through its pathway programs for middle school and high school students.

High School Programs NEOMED has had a longstanding commitment to enriching the lives of area high school students through programs that focus on fostering an interest in health care careers. In addition to Bio-Med Science Academy (see page 13), NEOMED has developed many programs that encourage exploration of health care careers by providing hands-on learning and interaction.

MEDCAMP MEDCAMP is an annual three-day, intensive experience designed to stimulate students’ interests in the basic sciences and medicine and to expose them to career opportunities in those fields. The program, which is held at NEOMED, is designed to provide experiences in biomedical science workshops involving research, clinical problem-solving and an introduction to the field of clinical medicine. MEDCAMP, sponsored by Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), has been in existence for more than 20 years and has recruited more than 1,000 rising ninthgrade students from rural and urban areas across the region.

Students participate in test strategies sessions, take practice ACT exams, and visit hospitals, pharmacies and other health care settings. Throughout the program they interact with NEOMED students, physicians, pharmacists and other health care professionals local to Northeast Ohio.

Under the guidance of AHEC Program Director Patricia Thornborough, M.Ed., and AHEC Program Coordinator Gina Ralston, M.Ed., MEDCAMP is facilitated with the help of eight NEOMED student mentors from the College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy. Area physicians and pharmacists also participate as advisors and lead groups of students in the clinical activities.

“Many of the students do not have many opportunities when it comes to shadowing physicians and volunteering in hospitals,” said Harmony Ramunno, enrollment counselor and HealthSuccess program coordinator. “HealthSuccess provides the opportunity for students to talk with physicians, pharmacists and other health care professionals during our annual hospital visits.

At the Medina Hospital last year, one student reached out to a physician and shadowed him this past summer.”

Health Professions Affinity Communities (HPAC) “I have witnessed MEDCAMP students interact with the physiThe Health Professions Affinity Community (HPAC) is a program cian advisors, and see how well they connect and bond with designed to support and guide high school students in grades them,” said Ralston. “I feel nine through twelve who have that the connections made an interest in extending their with both the student mentors connection to, and preparing “It is more important than ever that we look for, a career in the health and the advisors are the most important aspect of professions. HPAC offers a at the critical role health care providers host of academic and comthe program because those interactions provide the play and the need to ensure that the health munity-based experiences MEDCAMP students with an with the aim of empowering opportunity to be inspired in care workforce is representative of the students to take charge of the world of medicine and that their academic and career they can strive to reach their development and make a difpatients that are served.” goals of becoming a physiference in the health of their Jay Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D. communities. cian one day, too.”

Anna Bodo, a student at Mineral Ridge Middle School, read about MEDCAMP in her local newspaper. “I had high hopes for the experience, and we did things I didn’t expect to do, like interacting with actual parts of the human body in the labs,” said Bodo. “I wasn’t familiar with NEOMED, and now I’m excited to have it in my backyard.”

HealthSuccess HealthSuccess is a highly selective enrichment program held monthly from September to May for ninth through eleventh grade students who are from rural and urban areas that are typically underrepresented in health care. The program was developed for high school students who are specifically interested in health care.

Students gain college-readiness skills and preparation for professional training, such as Doctor of Medicine degree programs, through their participation in various activities and workshops.

The HPAC model is a customizable program. Each HPAC school or community organization partner is guided by a process that helps it to develop a menu of programs from which to develop student plans. The HPAC curriculum is based on the practice of engaging students in problem-based learning and community engagement to promote learning of a wide range of science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEM+M) topics and health career awareness. It rests on the presumption that adolescents have the capacity to improve their community and often simply need to be encouraged and empowered to do so.

“HPAC students have a great opportunity to really make a difference through programs that are specifically tailored to addressing issues that affect them and their communities,” said Gina Weisblat, Ph.D., director for Education for Service, NEOMED.

09 | IGNITE

with the mission of each institution, including NEOMED’s commitment to primary care, medically underserved populations and diversity in health care.

For example, as part of the Education for Service initiative, the NEOMED-CSU Partnership for Urban Health provides an innovative curriculum, community engagement, mentoring and scholarships that make becoming a physician a real possibility.

The goal of the Partnership for Urban Health is to recruit local students, work with them as early as middle school, educate them and encourage them to remain in the Cleveland area as primary care physicians to deliver outstanding health care. The first cohort of students from the Partnership for Urban Health matriculated to the NEOMED Rootstown campus this fall.

Students accepted into the NEOMED-CSU Partnership.

Numerous HPACs are being implemented under NEOMED’s leadership as part of its larger community engagement initiative to support and guide high school students with an interest in pursuing a health professions career, empowering them to develop sustainable programs that make a difference in the health of their communities.

NEOMED Pipeline Partnerships In its current strategic plan, NEOMED has set a goal to develop additional primary care tracks in medicine that are focused on serving underserved rural and urban communities.

According to a recent brief from The Robert Graham Center: Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care, the Health Resources and Services Administration has set a goal of a 2,000-to-1 population-to-physician ratio. In order to achieve that goal, the amount of physicians would need to be increased by 2,670 in rural areas and by 3,970 in urban areas.

NEOMED is working to address the need with an expanding palette of partnerships that include Central State University, Cleveland State University (CSU), Hiram College, Miami University of Ohio and Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education. The focus of these partnerships is strategically aligned

10 | IGNITE

“As a health sciences university, NEOMED is dedicated to increasing the diversity of our students,” said Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D., president of NEOMED. “It is more important than ever that we look at the critical role health care providers play and the need to ensure that the health care workforce is representative of the patients that are served.”

Additionally, the College of Medicine has begun a relationship with the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at the City College of New York. NEOMED hopes the relationship can help to increase the diversity of its student body as well as graduate more physicians who are interested in entering primary care. Like NEOMED, Sophie Davis offers a combined Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Medicine (B.S./M.D.) degree program. But unlike NEOMED’s program, where students attend partner universities for the B.S. portion and then complete M.D. studies at NEOMED, the Sophie Davis program allows students to complete the B.S. degree and the first two years of medical training at its campus and then finish the M.D. degree at partner universities. The selected students will begin their training at NEOMED this fall.

Scholarships The burden of professional school student loan debt faced by many medicine and pharmacy students ranges from $120,000 to $150,000. In addition to high school programs and pipeline initiatives with partner universities, NEOMED has made an effort to work with state and national programs and other generous funders to make scholarships available to its students in an effort to offset the cost of education.

Education for Service Initiative As part of the University strategic plan, a call for program development under the Education for Service initiative was put into place that will provide scholarship funds for incoming College of Medicine students entering primary care residencies and who will practice in the region. Also, by 2015, NEOMED has a goal of reducing overall average indebtedness of students by five percent and to provide at least five incoming students per year with substantial scholarships that provide funding for half or more of tuition and fees.

Robert Parise, third-year medicine student, received the first Education for Service scholarship at NEOMED last year.

AmeriCorps Grants NEOMED was recently awarded state AmeriCorps grant funding from ServeOhio that supports 20 new full-time positions to create a focused group of volunteers devoted to advancing the health and success of rural Ohio communities. The three-year grant through ServeOhio, the state’s governor-appointed commission on service and volunteerism, will total $798,000. A portion of the ServeOhio investment will be matched by NEOMED. Additionally, $330,000 in scholarship money will be made available to AmeriCorps workers to use to pay back educational debt or advance their aspirations in a health-related career – including primary care.

NEOMED-based AmeriCorps members develop and deliver programs that address health care workforce needs in communities, including rural primary care tracks, following the model of NEOMED’s HPAC initiative. The 20 AmeriCorps members implement an HPAC service learning curriculum that helps students identify pressing health concerns in their community through self-directed learning, seek and obtain resources from

within their community, and combine resources and learning to formulate health improvement programs while advancing themselves toward health care careers. The HPAC curriculum will be offered through local high schools and higher education institutions in identified regions throughout Northeast Ohio.

National Health Service Corps (NHSC) The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is committed to improving the health of the nation’s underserved. Communities, health care facilities, health professionals, the Ohio Department of Health Primary Care Office and the NHSC work together to increase access to care in Ohio. NEOMED has two representatives from the AHEC office that help to link students with the chance to receive scholarship dollars in turn for practicing at a clinic located in a health professions shortage area.

More than 40,000 primary care medical, dental, and mental and behavioral health professionals have served in the National Health Service Corps since its inception. Currently, Sara Sara, a fourth-year medicine student, is the recipient of a NHSC scholarship. AHEC staff and Michael Kempe, financial aid counselor, will be implementing informational meetings about the program this academic year, including Corps Community Day in October for students to learn more about openings in Northeast Ohio.

Choose Ohio First Scholarships Choose Ohio First scholarships are offered to medicine students who are committed to a career in primary care. This is a renewable scholarship in which students will receive $30,000 per year in exchange for completing a primary care residency and a three-to-five year commitment to serve Ohio as a primary care physician after graduation.

11 | IGNITE

The first NEOMED recipients are fourth-year College of Medicine students, Brooke Babyak, L. Austin Fredrickson and Jenna Ruggles. In addition, opportunities will be given later this academic year to four more College of Medicine students.

Looking Forward to the Future As NEOMED celebrates 40 years, it is important to look back on the history of the University and its initial mission. In 1973, the state passed Senate bill 72 that created the then Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM). The bill states that the purpose of the College was to “graduate physicians oriented to the practice of medicine at the community level, especially family physicians.” Now that NEOUCOM has transformed into a health professions university, there are many avenues that are being explored in order to address the shortage of primary care physicians.

Jenna Ruggles, Ohio First Scholar

The University is showing its commitment to the future of health care through the development of programs like MEDCAMP and HPAC, the offering of pipeline programs through partner institutions such as Cleveland State University and Hiram College, and provision of financial support to offset education costs. By growing cohorts of future health care professionals within the Northeast Ohio community, NEOMED is taking part in providing much-needed, qualified and committed support to those in need in medically underserved rural and urban areas.

Brooke Babyak and L. Austin Fredrickson, Ohio First Scholars

Former MEDCAMP Student Pursues Career in Medicine at NEOMED

12 | IGNITE

Jeremy King, a third-year College of Medicine student, attended MEDCAMP at NEOMED as a rising ninth grader in 2004. King, who grew up on a farm just outside of nearby Garrettsville, Ohio, is a first-generation college graduate who knew that he wanted to have a career in health care from the time he was in seventh grade. It was MEDCAMP that provided the introduction to the College of Medicine at NEOMED.

about what specialty I pursue as I enter my third-year clinical rotations, but I do know that I want to do a residency in Northeast Ohio and come back to my community to practice.”

“When I attended MEDCAMP, I realized that I wanted to become a physician and that experience gave me the ability to structure my high school curriculum to prepare me for applying to the B.S./M.D. program,” said King, who matriculated through the accelerated partnership with Youngstown State University. “I am still keeping an open mind

“Now that I am a student at NEOMED, I can see how programs like MEDCAMP can really help out someone who didn’t come from a family of doctors,” said King. “I knew that I wanted to spend my time helping others through practicing medicine, and I was given a chance to learn exactly how to go about achieving that goal.”

King is still very involved with the MEDCAMP program. In 2012, he was a mentor and this year he spoke at the closing ceremony. He currently serves on the program’s research committee.

Bio-Med Science Academy Ignites Local Students Just two years ago, Stephanie Lammlein was a biology teacher with a dream. She wanted to start a different type of school – one that would help students to embrace subjects like science.

The Bio-Med Science Academy is starting its second year of instruction and Lammlein is thrilled with the progress it has made.

“It has been exciting to work with teachers who are truly passionate about their work, and with families and students who want to embrace education in a whole new way,” said Lammlein.

The Academy recently earned designation in April as Ohio’s newest STEM school … focusing on science, technology, engineering and math. The Academy has added an additional M to include medicine.

Located on the NEOMED campus, the school is one of the only STEM schools in the country developed in a rural setting, and the only one on an academic medical center campus.

The Academy opened its doors with an initial class of 70 ninthgraders and accepted 119 incoming ninth-graders for fall. A new class of freshman will be added each year. A total of 27 school districts are represented at the year-round school.

Because of its location, the Academy is able to easily utilize medical topics in its teaching. University researchers often speak with or work alongside students to share new ideas. It also cites integrated teaching as one of its core differences from traditional schools. Much student work is project based, and all of it (including traditional tests) involves mastery learning – meaning that students must complete a task until they master it and get an appropriate grade.

Above all, the Academy wants its students to graduate with the ability to identify issues in their communities and work for short and long-term solutions. Unique instruction, such as spending a week at the Portage County Fair or a day at the Cleveland Zoo, aids teachers in developing new and interesting approaches.

Students also take place in local competitions, and recently placed first at the 13th annual Engineering Career Day sponsored

by Goodyear.

“The Academy is unique and we are very proud of our students and their achievements,” said Lammlein. “The University has been supportive, and the community has been supportive … it’s a dream come true.”

For more information on Bio-Med visit biomedscienceacademy.org.

13 | IGNITE

When

WCollide: rlds

Igniting A New Era of Interprofessional Education

By Heather Bing and Cristine Boyd

Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) has set new standards in the interprofessional education and training of its physicians, pharmacists and health science researchers. The University continues to look for new opportunities to improve these experiences inside the classroom, in the field and in new collaborations with its regional partners.

Interprofessional education is the process by which individuals from two or more health professions learn with, from, and about each other across the spectrum of their education to improve collaboration, practice and the quality of health care. Interprofessional education became a true reality on the campus with the launch of the College of Pharmacy in 2005. Janis MacKichan, Pharm.D., FAPhA, vice chair and professor of pharmacy practice, was one of the first pharmacy faculty members hired at NEOMED as founding chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, and recalls the challenge of developing a new curriculum that promoted interprofessional learning in tandem with the existing College of Medicine.

“It was a very exciting prospect … having students from both Colleges learn together,” she remarked. “It was essential that the curriculum was developed in a way that fostered team learning and a mutual respect between the professions.”

Since 2005, students in the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy have shared classes, discussed how to better deliver

14 | IGNITE

care as part of a team approach, and experienced a variety of interprofessional activities.

To help truly define what interprofessional education means to the University, a group of select faculty and students have joined to form the Interprofessional Education Task Force.

Chaired by Susan Bruce, Pharm.D., BCPS, chair and professor of pharmacy practice, the group has been meeting for nearly a year and is comprised of a cross section of individuals from both medicine and pharmacy.

“Fortunately, collaboration is a clear part of the University’s makeup, so interprofessional learning just seems natural,” said Dr. Bruce. “The Interprofessional Education Task Force feels that it is mission critical for the University to develop a clear definition of interprofessional education along with an infrastructure and proper mechanisms to formally organize these efforts across Colleges and within the curriculum.”

Interprofessional Education in Action Interprofessional education isn’t just a catch phrase to describe classroom and clinical training and patient care experiences, and it isn’t just limited to students and the ways in which they learn. It’s also not exclusive to NEOMED. Interprofessional education involves faculty, staff, students, and clinical and community partners, working together to build a team-based, patient-care model designed to address the needs of the evolving health care landscape. It is a reality.

In fall 2012, several pharmacy and medicine faculty from NEOMED joined health professions faculty from The University of Akron to attend the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s Interprofessional Education Collaborative conference in Atlanta, Ga., on “Designing an Interprofessional Curriculum: Planning, Strategies and Successes.” Their takeaways led to the creation of several trainings designed to expose NEOMED and The University of Akron students to interprofessional teams with other professionals and to educate faculty from both institutions with the ultimate goal of integrating interprofessional education into their teaching.

The resulting activities were designed by the faculty and held at the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron (ABIA). The first included nearly 80 students from NEOMED and The University of Akron that were assigned to teams to work on interprofessional competencies via a traumatic brain injury patient case, based on the idea of NEOMED’s Anthony Costa, M.D., and The University of Akron’s Roberta DePompei, Ph.D. The students were from dietetics, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, speech pathology and social work programs. Prior to the events, students were asked to review specific literature and complete assessments on their understanding of interprofessional teams.

During the activity, the student teams received patient case materials from the contributing professions. The teams discussed the case and developed a care plan for the patient. Faculty served as passive observers and facilitated a debriefing following the team-based project. During the debriefing, each team reported on the strengths and challenges of the team approach, with faculty members providing insights as well.

Some of the strengths outlined by the teams included an appreciation for the patient’s needs and placing the patient’s needs before the needs of any caregiver, and a respect for the value each profession brought to the table. Some specific feedback included, “we would have missed so many components and the patient wouldn’t have gotten the best care,” as well as, “maybe next time I will think to come to you for help.”

“The emphasis was less on the case itself and instead on how the students approached the case,” said Patrick J. Gallegos, Pharm.D., BCPS, associate professor of pharmacy practice and associate professor of internal medicine at NEOMED, and pharmacotherapy specialist in internal

medicine at Akron General Medical Center, who is analyzing the results of the sessions for possible publication. “Our focus was to expose the students to interprofessional teams and increase interprofessional awareness regionwide.”

Following the student activity, a faculty development activity was designed. Sponsored by the ABIA, The University of Akron and NEOMED, the continuing education faculty development day focused on “Interprofessional Education: Implementing Successful Action Strategies.” The event was developed for both universities’ faculty as well as local dieticians, nurses, pharmacists, physicians, researchers, social workers, speech pathologists and other health care professions.

In addition to breakout sessions designed to investigate interests for developing interprofessional education plans at the undergraduate, graduate and clinical levels, as well as ways to tie in virtual exercises and simulation, faculty heard from Jane Lindsay Miller, M.A., Ph.D., director of the Academic Health Center Simulation Center and Interprofessional Education and Resource Center at the University of Minnesota; as well as Brenda Zierler, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, co-director of the Center of Health Sciences Interprofessional Education at the University of Washington. Dr. Miller and Dr. Zierler presented on “Interprofessional Education: How We Started and Where We Are Going” and “Using the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice.”

More than 70 faculty attended, and plans are underway for additional interprofessional faculty trainings in the future.

“The goal for interprofessional learning is to prepare all health professions students and practitioners to deliberatively work together to improve patient care and patient outcomes within our community,” said Dr. Gallegos.

And that level of commitment to interprofessionalism is University-wide.

“The University has clearly made many positive and innovative changes to its approach to health care education over the past few years,” said Dr. Bruce. “The Council of Deans is now using the input of the Task Force and developing the next steps in how interprofessional education is operationalized on our campus.”

15 | IGNITE

However, most pharmacists find it challenging to incorporate these valuable services into existing work flow.

Without the time or resources necessary to successfully determine service capacity amid existing work design, pharmacists can also lack the confidence to implement and provide this increasingly advanced level of patient care.

The Pharmacist’s Role in Patient Care:

Public-Private

in the

Partnership Classroom L e a d s

t o

E x p a n d e d

Patient Services

in the

Community

By Heather Bing

The role of the pharmacist as a significant member of the health care team continues to evolve from product to patient focused. This is especially true of community pharmacists who continue to gain recognition for the advanced role they play in the provision of pharmaceutical care.

These advanced patient care services, which include everything from Medication Therapy Management (MTM) to wellness screenings to educational programming, are essential to the preventative health regimens frequently being reinforced by all members of the health care team.

16 | IGNITE

Educating Student Pharmacists to Expand Patient Services

The College of Pharmacy at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) is addressing this need and educating future pharmacists while they are at the student pharmacist level through its Partner for Promotion program. Adopted in part from The Ohio State University, the Partner for Promotion program pairs fourth-year student pharmacists with a community pharmacy to develop, implement and evaluate an innovative patient care service.

The program goals include creating sustainable services for the community pharmacy, enhancing the skills and confidence of students and pharmacists, and increasing the number of community training sites that are offering advanced patient care services.

“All pharmacy students are introduced to advanced patient services in the classroom and through the literature, but our goal is that students participating in this program become familiar with the practical aspects of developing a pharmaceutical care service in a community pharmacy by actually implementing a program they’ve designed,” said Timothy R. Ulbrich, Pharm.D., R.Ph., director of pharmacy resident education and assistant professor of pharmacy practice, who serves as course director for the program.

Before graduating, two pairs of fourth-year pharmacy students worked with Marc’s pharmacies to implement patient care services as part of the Partner for Promotion program.

Brian Dvorak, Pharm.D. (‘13) and Abigail Marshall, Pharm.D. (‘13), developed a U-Turn Diabetes Wellness Program, which is a store-wide diabetes education and awareness service, for a Marc’s pharmacy in Cleveland, Ohio, and Sarah Elliott, Pharm.D. (‘13) and Paula Politis, Pharm.D. (‘13), developed a point-of-dispensing MTM program for Marc’s pharmacy in Ravenna, Ohio.

“Throughout the course of my pharmacy education, I learned the importance of the patient-pharmacist relationship in regard to improved quality of care. I participated in numerous pharmacist-led programs, such as medication takebacks, blood pressure screenings, and medication therapy management sessions, and I saw firsthand the positive impact that pharmacists and student pharmacists had on overall patient outcomes,” said Dr. Politis. “I pursued the Partner for Promotion program to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to advance the pharmaceutical care of patients within the community through designing and implementing a patientcentered program.”

“I was interested in participating in the Partner for Promotion rotation due to my interest in owning or managing a pharmacy and my eagerness in starting new services in a community pharmacy that allow the pharmacist to play a greater role in patient education rather than simply dispensing medications,” said Dr. Dvorak. “This experience was more than what I expected.”

Through these yearlong experiences, the students developed a needs assessment, defined service goals, completed a cost analysis, wrote policies and procedures, and developed a marketing plan.

Students were also challenged to integrate the services into the workflow of the community pharmacy site so it could be sustained long-term. In March 2013, both projects were implemented and very well received by Marc’s pharmacies senior management with expressed interest to continue and expand these services to other stores.

“When we launched our MTM program, after having planned it for months, things almost immediately fell into place,” said Dr. Politis. “Implementation of MTM into workflow was smooth, the staff was

excited to perform the services, and most importantly, the patients were very receptive and appreciative of the services offered. We soon launched our MTM service at another Marc’s location, and then found out our service would eventually be launched chain-wide. All of the work my partner, Sarah Elliott, and I had put into the project was paying off.

It was an amazing feeling.”

Marc’s pharmacy’s support of the initiatives from program inception made a lasting impact on the students.

“The most beneficial part of this program is that as students, we were able to influence change on a large scale with a major corporation,” said Dr. Dvorak.

“Because of our work, Marc’s pharmacy was able to see the value a pharmacist has above and beyond dispensing medications.”

Pharmacist’s Role in Patient Care: The Future of Patient Care

The College of Pharmacy’s Partner for Promotion program is entering its third year and has awarded completion certificates to eight students and four pharmacy sites, including Sand Run Pharmacy in Akron, Ohio, Ritzman Pharmacy in Canton, Ohio, and the two Marc’s stores.

“This program is a perfect blend of educating students in a novel, forward thinking manner while serving as a catalyst to expand services to improve the well-being of patients in our communities,” said Charles Taylor, Pharm.D., dean of the College of Pharmacy. “The students’ coursework evolved to create change within an entire chain of community pharmacies. It’s a wonderful exemplar that we can turn to in trying to replicate these sorts of public-private partnerships throughout the region.”

17 | IGNITE

A C A D E M I C S an d S T U D E N T L I F E

Graduation Milestones: Celebrating the First Interprofessional Commencement

Sarah Kelling, Pharm.D., M.P.H.

Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) honored 184 of Ohio’s newest public health professionals, pharmacists and physicians during its first interprofessional commencement ceremony on May 18 at The University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Center.

This year’s ceremony marked a new milestone in the University’s history, recognizing graduates from all three colleges — the College of Medicine, which graduated its thirty-third class of physicians, the College of Pharmacy, which graduated its third class of pharmacists, and the College of Graduate Studies, which graduated its inaugural class with Sarah Kelling, Pharm.D. (‘12) earning her Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree from NEOMED. Founded in 2009, the College of Graduate Studies, under the leadership of Walter E. Horton Jr., Ph.D., dean of the College of Graduate Studies and vice president for research, has grown to encompass a master’s degree and doctoral degree in integrated pharmaceutical medicine, a master’s degree in healthsystem pharmacy administration and the M.P.H. degree, as well as a certificate program in bioethics.

The NEOMED M.P.H. degree is part of the Consortium of Eastern Ohio Master of Public Health (CEOMPH), which also includes The University of Akron, Cleveland State University, Ohio University and Youngstown State University. Program director Amy Lee, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., professor of family and community medicine at NEOMED, served as gonfalonier and hooder for the College of Graduate Studies during this year’s ceremony.

Dr. Kelling began her master’s degree work while she was completing her Pharm.D. degree at NEOMED. She also completed the NEOMED bioethics certificate during this time.

“I first considered earning a M.P.H. degree through the College of Graduate Studies during an interprofessional course my first year in the College of Pharmacy,” said Dr. Kelling. “It was a basic introduction to population health and that course, combined with my volunteering at the OPEN M clinic in Akron, really grew my interest in community health and pursing the M.P.H. degree.”

Dr. Kelling accepted a position as a clinical assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Michigan and hopes to use all of her training and education to further individualized patient care as well as community care.

“I believe I can use my M.P.H. degree to harness the ability of the community pharmacist to work in collaboration with other health care professionals to address the needs of individual patients as well as the health of the entire community, and I hope the next steps in my career include increasing access to clinical pharmacy services,” said Dr. Kelling.

The Honorable Louis Stokes, former congressman, lawyer and civic leader, received an honorary degree and served as the University’s commencement speaker.

Stokes has served as an active and vocal advocate in helping to establish the NEOMED–CSU Partnership for Urban Health with Cleveland State University. He serves as co-chair of the Advisory Committee and has assisted the University in building awareness of the program in the Cleveland community while opening doors to key leaders in Northeast Ohio.

18 | IGNITE

David C. Hodge, president of Miami University shakes hands with NEOMED President Jay A. Gershen.

New Partnerships Established with Hiram College and Miami University

Class of 2013 Residency Placement College of Pharmacy • Nearly 63 percent of students in the College of Pharmacy were offered and accepted positions in Northeast Ohio following graduation.

• Fifty-two percent are entering community practice, 28 percent are entering residencies while the balance are pursuing health-system pharmacy practices, continuing their education or finalizing their plans.

College of Medicine • Fifty-three percent of the College of Medicine’s graduating class will remain in Ohio for their residencies, 29 percent of which will remain in NEOMED’s hospital partners • Forty-four percent of graduates will continue their training in a primary care field such as family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics or obstetrics/gynecology.

Thomas V. Chema, J.D., president of Hiram College with Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D., NEOMED president

Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) recently joined forces with Hiram College and Miami University to establish the new NEOMED-Hiram College Baccalaureate to M.D. Pathway Program and Miami-NEOMED Baccalaureate to M.D. Pathway Program. The focus of these partnerships is strategically aligned with the mission of each institution, including NEOMED’s commitment to primary care, medically underserved populations and diversity in health care.

NEOMED, Hiram College and Miami University will work to identify and recruit academically qualified students from diverse backgrounds in Ohio who desire an undergraduate education leading to an M.D. degree and are interested in providing primary care or serving medically underserved populations. It is anticipated that both programs will yield up to five students per year beginning in fall of 2014.

19 | IGNITE

A C A D E M I C S an d S T U D E N T L I F E

College of Medicine Launches Curricular Design Initiative The College of Medicine has undertaken an exciting new comprehensive curricular design initiative, called Accelerating Performance and Promoting Learning Excellence (APPLE). The initiative is a collaborative ongoing process of oversight, evaluation and modification of areas that promote and support learning excellence and student performance. The process begins with the identification and admission of students and continues through College of Medicine matriculation, resulting in a physician workforce committed to the care of patients within communities.

Academic Dashboard The College of Medicine academic dashboard supports program planning and assessment by enabling users to create customized reports. In support of ongoing monitoring and continuous quality improvement for admissions and student performance, two APPLE teams have been integrally involved in the design of the computer database.

The dashboard is currently being populated with aggregate reports from the past five years of pre-matriculation information about students, their academic performance at NEOMED and their post-matriculation status. As early as this academic year, the dashboard will provide information that will be used to recommend curriculum adaptation.

The initiative is comprised of the Instructional Design and Oversight Steering Group and five working group teams: Recruitment, Admissions, and Matriculation; Educational Programming; Resources for Academic Success; Assessment and Outcomes; and Student Perspectives. As a result of the work being done by the APPLE teams, the University has benefited from in-depth analysis and scrutiny by diverse faculty, staff and students.

Curricular Mapping Curricular mapping, or a curriculum inventory, provides a systematic approach to academic benchmarking, as well as educational research. Although required for accreditation, the curriculum map will provide the opportunity for NEOMED to specify and review its curriculum, and to compare it to national standards, leading to continuous quality improvement.

Learning Analytics Learning analytics research has focused on understanding the factors that underlie academic performance and offering proactive intervention in order to enhance student success. This research has produced a tool that predicts future academic performance. A team is examining reliability and how to implement the tool within the academic support office.

Faculty Development Faculty development is a vital component of education, and must be provided to improved teaching effectiveness. Opportunities for faculty development are being noted as an integral component of all discussions of curricular change, assessment of student learning and evaluation of the curriculum.

For more information on the initiative, please contact the College of Medicine at 330.325.6122

20 | IGNITE

in brief

Daniel S. Blain

Dr. Penny Smith

Heidi Terry

New NEOMED Personnel Daniel Blain, Vice President for Advancement As vice president for advancement, Blain is responsible for implementing strategies to maximize the University’s fundraising results, serves on the University’s Leadership Team and leads the Division of Advancement.

Prior to NEOMED, he served as senior vice president of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. Blain graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in social work.

He also earned a master’s degree in Jewish communal service from Hebrew Union College and is a graduate of the Jewish Federations of North America’s Mandel Executive Development Program, created in partnership with Harvard’s Cambridge Leadership Associates.

Dr. Penny Smith, Executive Director of Academic Services In this newly developed role, Dr. Smith is responsible for all aspects of the Office of Academic Services and provides leadership, innovation and support to promote the educational mission of the University. She will manage curriculum and course support as well as supervise the curriculum management staff in each College.

Prior to this role, Dr. Smith served as assistant provost for outreach and extended programs for Kentucky State University.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., and Master of Education and Doctor of Education degrees in administrative leadership, both from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

Heidi Terry, Executive Director of Enrollment Services As executive director of enrollment management, Terry will be responsible for overseeing the admissions, financial aid and registrar activities for incoming and current students.

Prior to joining NEOMED, she spent five years at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, Mo. where she served in a progression of roles, most recently serving as vice president for enrollment management and registrar where she was responsible for all strategic development and leadership in the offices of admissions, registrar and financial aid. She also previously served as registrar at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky. and at Radford University in Radford, Va. She

Dr. Sonya Harris-Haywood

Abi Sriharan

earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree in organizational leadership from Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio.

Dr. Sonya Harris-Haywood, Director, NEOMED-CSU Partnership for Urban Health An award-winning family medicine educator, physician and researcher specializing in health disparities and cultural competency, Dr. Harris-Haywood will lead the efforts in refining and advancing NEOMED and CSU’s unique approach to interprofessional education, with physicians learning side-by-side with other health professions, providing increased opportunities to underrepresented groups in medicine in an effort to diversify the workforce and establish a nationally-recognized model in urban health.

Dr. Harris-Haywood most recently worked at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, where she spent the past nine years as an assistant professor of family medicine as well as a medical staff physician and preceptor. With an emphasis on health disparities and cultural competency, she has also conducted research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Harris-Haywood holds a Master of Science degree in clinical investigation from Case Western Reserve University. She earned a Doctor of Medicine degree at New Jersey Medical School and a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Seton Hall University.

Abi Sriharan, Director of Faculty Development At NEOMED, Sriharan will provide leadership in academic skill development for faculty members, residents and graduate students through the delivery and assessment of programs and activities designed to support their success as teachers, scholars and academic leaders. She will also work with curriculum leaders and faculty members to enhance the interprofessional education of health professions students.

Most recently, Sriharan served as the director of the International Continuing Health Education Collaborative at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the global health scholar and deputy director for the Peter A. Silverman Centre for International Health at the University of Toronto/Mount Sinai Hospital. She earned her Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto, a Master of Science degree from the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. She also has completed faculty development, medical education and leadership training from the Harvard University and the University of Toronto.

21 | IGNITE

in brief

Dr. Ken Rosenthal’s Lab Announces Investigational Breast Cancer Vaccine Kenneth S. Rosenthal, Ph.D., professor of microbiology, immunology and biochemistry Kenneth Rosenthal, Ph.D. in the Department of Integrative Medical Sciences, announced the longstanding collaboration of his lab and CEL-SCI Corporation and the production of a new investigational breast cancer vaccine which prevents and treats a HER-2/ neu expressing breast cancer tumor in a mouse model of the disease.

Dr. Rosenthal, Sarah Stone and Robin Edmonds from NEOMED, in collaboration with Dr. Daniel H. Zimmerman, CEL-SCI Corporation’s senior vice president of research, cellular immunology, designed and tested the L.E.A.P.S. (Ligand Epitope Antigen Presentation System) technology vaccine. In animal tests this vaccine has shown reduction of number of tumors, reduction of tumor mass, absence of tumor in lymph nodes or peritoneal membranes and changes in angiogenesis.

Jeanette Killius Elected President of the Microscopy Society of America Jeanette Killius, M.S., Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, was recently elected president of the Microscopy Society of America (MSA). She will serve as Jeanette Killius, M.S. president-elect in 2013, president in 2014 and past-president in 2015. The MSA is a 2,200 member society dedicated to the promotion, advancement and application of microscopy and microanalysis.

Theodore “Ted” E. Wymyslo, M.D., director, Ohio Department of Health (left), presented Dr. Costa (right) with a proclamation signed by Gov. John Kasich recognizing him for his lifetime of contributions to health care.

Jeffrey L. Susman, M.D., dean, College of Medicine, presented Dr. Costa with the Dean’s Award for his exemplary service to the College of Medicine.

Dr. Costa Retires from NEOMED Anthony J. Costa, M.D., professor and chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine, and associate dean for community partnerships in the College of Medicine at NEOMED, was joined by family, friends and colleagues June 21 in the Bitonte Atrium to celebrate his retirement.

Dr. Costa is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University and The Ohio State University College of Medicine. After completing a family medicine residency at the Medical Center of Delaware in Wilmington, Del., he practiced for 11 years in his home town, Ashtabula, Ohio. Dr. Costa was on the faculty of the Barberton Citizens Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program for 15 years, serving as director for 13 years. In 2002, he was honored with the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Service to NEOMED. In 2002, he moved to Florida to become the charter regional dean for the Orlando campus of Florida State University College of Medicine, a position he held for two years.

Following that he served on the faculty of the Family Medicine Residency program and Geriatrics Fellowship at Florida Hospital in Orlando.

Active in a number of medical organizations, Dr. Costa was chair of the planning committee for the 2002 American Academy of Family Physicians’ Annual Scientific Assembly.

He has held several offices in the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians and was honored in 1996 with its Educator of the Year Award.

22 | IGNITE

Dr. Timothy Ulbrich Presents at TEDx Talks University at Buffalo Timothy R. Ulbrich, Pharm.D., R.Ph., assistant professor of pharmacy practice and director of pharmacy resident education in the Timothy Ulbrich, Pharm.D., College of Pharmacy, presented R.Ph. “Medication Therapy Management: Utilizing the Pharmacists to Control Our Health Care Costs,” at the TEDx Talks University at Buffalo in May. Dr. Ulbrich’s talk covered the pharmacist’s role as part of the interprofessional health care team and as the most accessible health care provider in the country. He also emphasized how the role of the pharmacist is constantly evolving as a solution to the nation’s shortage of health care providers and as the health care provider uniquely positioned to ensure individualized, safe, effective and affordable care to patients.

His talk, which had to fit within the 18-minute framework of the TEDx Talks format, reached about 100 ticket holders, mostly students, in person. It has also reached thousands via YouTube.

Dr. John Surso Honored with OAFP 2013 Family Physician of the Year Award

John M. Surso, M.D.

John M. Surso, M.D., assistant professor of family and community medicine, has been chosen by the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) to receive its 2013 Family Physician of the Year Award.

Dr. Surso has been practicing medicine for 33 years.

Currently he is president of Family Medicine Associates of Medina Inc. – Summa Physicians Inc., and a special police officer of the Medina Police Department, where he helps with officer training and wellness.

The OAFP, a statewide professional organization with more than 4,400 members, annually presents the Family Physician of the Year Award to an OAFP member who meets and exceeds the criteria of being an outstanding family physician role model; maintaining high professional standards and service orientations; providing high quality and familycentered, continuing health care; and being active in community, education, or other public affairs.

University Honored for Community Service

NEOMED has been named to the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteerism, service and civic engagement.

In total, more than 400 NEOMED students completed about 5,500 total hours of community service.

NEOMED integrates service learning in its curriculum in order to strengthen leadership skills, connect communitybased work with academic study, and build meaningful relationships between members of NEOMED and the community.

23 | IGNITE

in brief

Board of Trustees Announces Changes At its Sept. 13 meeting, the University Board of Trustees elected new officers:

Chander Kohli, M.D.

- Chander Kohli, M.D., former vice chair, was elected chair. Dr. Kohli operates a private neurosurgical practice in Youngstown, Ohio, and is a clinical professor of neurological surgery at Northeast Ohio Medical University.

- J. David Heller, CPA, was elected vice chair. He is co-founder and principal of the NRP Group in Cleveland, Ohio.

J. David Heller, CPA

Sharlene Ramos-Chesnes

Robert J. Klonk

24 | IGNITE

Two new Board members were recently appointed by Governor John Kasich: - Sharlene Ramos-Chesnes is chief executive ofďŹ cer for the Stow, Ohio, based InterChez family of companies, an industry leader in the domestic and international logistics industry that offers direct and integrated supply chain and logistics solutions for middle market companies and large corporations. Chesnes provides day-to-day leadership for the growing organization.

She is a graduate of Kent State University.

- Robert J. Klonk, is chief executive officer of the Oswald Companies, headquartered in Cleveland Ohio. With more than 30 years of benefits and risk management experience, Mr. Klonk specializes in strategic guidance and development of innovative group health and risk management programs.

Dr. John Chiang Recognized as Distinguished University Professor John Chiang, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular pathology in the Department of Integrative Medical Sciences, is the first faculty member at Northeast John Chiang, Ph.D. Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) to be recognized with the designation of Distinguished University Professor by the NEOMED Board of Trustees. This designation is the highest honor the University can confer on a faculty member for exceptional contributions and extraordinary achievement.

Dr. Chiang’s nomination and award were based on his more than 35 years of service to medical education and research at NEOMED, including his sustained level of teaching excellence, distinguished scholarship, and creative and productive leadership within his field of research.

Dr. William Chilian Receives National Research Awards William Chilian, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Integrative Medical Sciences was awarded the national Eugene M. Landis Research Award by the Microcirculatory Society, Inc. The William Chilian, Ph.D. award annually recognizes an outstanding investigator in the field of microcirculation and was presented in April at Experimental Biology 2013.

Dr. Chilian was also named the national Carl J. Wiggers Award Winner for 2014 by the American Physiological Society (APS). The award is presented annually to a scientist who is a fellow of the Cardiovascular Section of the APS, who has made outstanding contributions to cardiovascular research throughout their career, has been an active and committed member of the section, and who will attract outstanding new members to the Cardiovascular Section from the United States and abroad.

D E V E L O P M E N T an d A L U M N I G ifts an d S upport

It’s Tribe Time at NEOMED With the generous support of W3 Wealth Management, members of the class of 2013 and other alumni and friends enjoyed an evening of baseball at Progressive Field to see the Detroit Tigers battle the Cleveland Indians. Although the Tribe was not victorious, the graduates certainly were. W3 Wealth Management created a scholarship program at NEOMED and the inaugural recipients were guests of the financial management team in celebration of their recent accomplishment – graduating from NEOMED and beginning their careers in medicine.

W3 Wealth Management team, W3 Scholars and NEOMED Deans

Last year, W3 Wealth Management established the W3 Scholars Program at NEOMED, and the first group of students graduated NEOMED on May 18.

“We were excited to meet our scholars and their significant others at the game and to learn about their future plans,” said Andy Moyer, principal at W3 Wealth Management. “We provided some extra funding as part of our scholarship program to be able to do this kind of event and we were so glad we did – these future physicians are impressive.”

The W3 Wealth Management team with Slider

W3 Wealth Management manages more than $300 million in client assets, but on May 22 they managed a whole lot more – knowing they helped four College of Medicine students realize their dream of becoming physicians.

Northeast Ohio Medical University Foundation Board of Directors Announces Changes

Daniel Gartland, Ann Klein, R.Ph. Robert Perry, M.B.A. M.B.A.

Kevin Trice, M.D.

The Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) Foundation Board of Directors recently presented the award of Director Emeritus status to Samuel Roth and James Pazol, J.D., who served on the Board 25 years and 20 years, respectively.

Roth is a business consultant, specializing in business

turnarounds, business planning and merger and acquisitions.

He and his wife, Judy, have been extremely generous to the University, establishing a scholarship endowment at the University and helping to secure major gifts from connections in the Youngstown area.

Pazol currently operates Pazol Mediation Services after a successful 35-year career as a partner in the firm of Anzellotti,

Sperling, Pazol & Small Co., L.P.A in Youngstown, Ohio. He also served as litigation counsel to the Ohio attorney general for Youngstown State University. He and his wife, Roberta, have been very generous to the University, donating a leadership gift for the Education for Service Scholarship Fund and helping to connect the University with many Youngstown-area foundations and corporations.

The Foundation was pleased to announce the addition of four new members; • Daniel Gartland, M.B.A., serves as manager, marketing- mobile industries at the Timken Company in Canton, Ohio.

• Ann Klein, R.Ph., is owner and pharmacy manager at Klein’s Pharmacy in Akron, Ohio. She is also a pharmacy preceptor and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at NEOMED. • Robert Perry, M.B.A., serves as vice president at Welty Business Company in Akron, Ohio.

• Kevin Trice, M.D., M.B.A., is president and chief executive officer of Pulmonary Apps, LLC in Cleveland, Ohio, and associate medical director at Wellpoint, Inc. in Indianapolis, Ind.

25 | IGNITE

D E V E L O P M E N T an d A L U M N I G ifts an d S upport

Wasson Center Gifts Fund Technology Upgrades A medical education is composed of more than advanced anatomy courses, clinical observations and exams … it’s also about learning to deliver excellent, compassionate and safe patient-centered care. Alumni, faculty, staff, donors, students and friends of the William G. Wasson, M.D., Center for Clinical Skills Training, Assessment and Scholarship (Wasson Center) met on April 18 to celebrate recent state-of-the-art technology upgrades to the facility that will help to ensure current and future students graduate with the necessary skills to deliver stellar care to their patients.

Alumni, Rehan Waheed, M.D. (’08) and Alejandro Adorno, Pharm.D. (’11) provide welcome remarks.

The Wasson Center is a dedicated state-of-the-art learning facility for the teaching, assessment and research of clinical and communication skills located on the campus of Northeast Ohio Medical University, and is a critical component of medicine and pharmacy student education. It is also a valued community auxiliary where patient-centered care is taught to allied health professionals and first responders across the state. The Wasson Center has become the “go to” facility for this type of continuing education for Northeast Ohio.

Donations from individuals were combined with those from local foundations to fund $400,000 in technology upgrades which involved the facility’s computer system, monitoring devices, software and video capture.

Ron Edwards, longtime standardized patient, and Dr. Joesph Kastelic, physician rater and clinical faculty member, are joined by Holly Gerzina, M.A., M.A., Wasson Center director and Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D., NEOMED president.

“We are so grateful to the Stark Community Foundation, the Wish, Cope, & Life Foundation, and many others who have supported this initiative,” said Holly Gerzina, M.A., M.A., executive director of Wasson Center. “Thanks to our donors and friends, Wasson Center continues to be a leader in simulated training and offers valuable services to our students and partners that enhance the health and well-being of our community. “ Technology Upgrade Donors • The Wish Cope & Life Foundation c/o the Stark Community Foundation • Dr. Dominic and Mrs. Helen Bitonte • Drs. Richard Kasmer and Lisa Hoisington • Dr. Charles and Mrs. Kathleen Van Tilburg • Dr. Joseph Kastelic • Ms. Mary Anne Reiber • Dr. Robert and Mrs. Vilma Smith • Ms. Mary Scudder • Ms. Mari Jo Young

Physician raters and clinical faculty A. Gary Bitonte, M.D., and Dr. Nadine Bruce, M.D., enjoy the celebration with Holly Gerzina and Jay A. Gershen.

26 | IGNITE

Matthew J. Pallo, Pharm.D., district pharmacy supervisor at Walgreens, presented the check to Charles Taylor, Pharm.D., dean of the NEOMED College of Pharmacy; Sandra Emerick, Ed.D., chief student affairs officer; and, Andre Burton, J.D., director of diversity affairs.

Walgreens Supports College of Pharmacy Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives with $10,000 Grant For more than six years, Walgreens has served as an essential with a demonstrated interest in community pharmacy who partner to the College of Pharmacy at Northeast Ohio Medical promotes and supports the needs, values and respect of underUniversity (NEOMED), not the least of which through its support represented communities. of the College’s demonstrated efforts to promote diversity and The College of Pharmacy “The College of Pharmacy embraces that strives to create an atmosphere inclusion initiatives on campus. that promotes and celebrates mission and strives to create an atmosphere diversity and inclusivity,” said This academic year, the Walgreens Diversity Donation Charles Taylor, Pharm.D., dean that promotes and celebrates diversity and of the College of Pharmacy. program renewed that support with a generous gift of $10,000 “We are very appreciative of inclusivity,” toward the College of PharWalgreens’ ongoing support, macy’s 2012-2013 diversity Charles Taylor, Pharm.D. which allows us to enhance our outreach and inclusion initiapipeline programs, support tives. This gift continues support for the Walgreens Diversity student scholarship, and ultimately educate and train our stuScholarship, awarded annually to students of an underrepredents to effectively serve a multicultural society.” sented minority with an interest in community pharmacy, and enhancements to the College’s pipeline initiatives, such as Walgreens describes its gift strategy as three-fold. First, increase Pathways to Pharmacy, which focus on raising interest in the the availability of education assistance for underrepresented profession of pharmacy and increasing the enrollment of diverse students enrolled in pharmacy programs. Second, support the students within the College. development of pipeline and recruitment programs targeting minority students. Third, support awareness initiatives and It also supports the creation of a new Walgreens Diversity and programs that focus on building a diverse, supportive and inInclusion Excellence Award, which will serve as scholarship clusive culture. funding for a student of an underrepresented minority group Correction: Mrs. Eleanor Watanakunakorn’s gift of $49,579 to the Watanakunakorn Diversity Scholarship Endowment was omitted from the Winter 2013 edition of Ignite. We apologize for this error.

27 | IGNITE

D E V E L O P M E N T an d A L U M N I NEWS

Chadwick D. Miller, M.D. (‘00) and Lisa L. (Stephens) Miller, M.D. (‘00), owners of Barrel Run Crossing Winery and Vineyard, Inc.

True to Their Roots: Alumni Pursue Interests in Medicine and Wine Drs. Chad and Lisa (Stephens) Miller, both graduates of the Class of 2000, have always been accustomed to balancing their many personal and professional pursuits. Since they met the summer after high school as they entered the B.S./M.D. track through Youngstown State University, they have supported one another and acted as a team.

This balancing act carried them successfully through the medicine curriculum at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED); residencies in Columbus, Ohio, (emergency medicine at The Ohio State University Medical Center for him; family practice at Grant Medical Center for her); marriage and relocation to North Carolina, and the birth of their three daughters, Alexandra (6), Olivia (4) and Elizabeth (2).

It has also helped them meet the demands of their practice settings — he is executive vice chair and director of clinical research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, and working clinically in the department — and she is full time in a primary care practice that is

28 | IGNITE

part of a larger multispeciality group of 11 sites and 63 providers called Eagle Physicians where she serves as the site coordinating physician for her office and on the Board of Directors for the organization.

Now they’re turning their attention to another shared interest and finding a new equilibrium that is true to their roots, encompassing family and friends, past and present, and the pursuit of their personal passion — winemaking — with the establishment, growth and success of their family-run boutique winery, Barrel Run Crossing Winery and Vineyard, Inc. in Rootstown, Ohio, which opened in summer 2011.

Family and Farming Foundation Chad and his brother, Nick, grew up with their grandparent’s farm and have always been true stewards of the land. Chad worked on the farm throughout his undergraduate degree as well as while pursuing his Doctor of Medicine degree, and has always had a true passion for farming as well as a medicine.

“I worked on the farm while a student, and sometimes I ended up wearing my boots to class,” said Chad. “My classmates always seemed to think that was pretty funny.”

Chad and his brother bought the farm in 1990 and have run it ever since; farming wheat, soybeans, corn and managing a small beef cattle operation. When he and Lisa moved to North Carolina for their first jobs after residency in July 2003, they continued to stay invested in the farm, despite the distance.

“Even as we’ve moved away — out of state and away from our families as we pursued our careers — we knew maintaining a strong presence in Northeast Ohio would always be the case because our family and farm are still here,” he said. “We knew it would be part of the puzzle, although we didn’t know what part.”

Following their move to North Carolina, they took a couple trips to Sonoma and became interested in grape growing and winemaking.

“We first went to the local hobby shop and bought wine kits and made wine for a year or two from the concentrated juice,” said Lisa. “The next year we bought frozen pressed grapes to take it up a notch. Then, living in a grape growing region, we purchased local North Carolina grapes and made wine at our home.

It turned out pretty well, and we thought, ‘hey, we can do this!’”

After much research on grape growing in Ohio, the couple discovered the family farm was a premier location and climate for wine grapes. The couple started a business plan and planted a one acre test plot of grapes in 2006; then an additional seven acres in 2007; and an additional two in 2008. Each year replacement vines are planted for those that sustain frost or cold temperature damage, and the current 10 acres of vineyard made up of eight varieties chosen specifically for the region and climate are now almost completely sustaining their bottling operations, which went live in 2011. The winery offers a tasting room as well as a covered pavilion for larger groups that looks out over the vineyards.

“Our goal is to be 100 percent sustainable,” said Lisa. “This started with a passion for farming and a desire to keep the existing family farm in agricultural usage for the foreseeable future, so our main goals are to maintain economic viability, produce a regional product, and demonstrate community responsibility.”

Balancing Their Pursuits, Staying True to Their Roots The winery and vineyard now involve eight individuals who run the day-to-day operations and events. Nick Miller serves as the

Bottling the 2012 All Aboard, which is an Ohio vidal blanc crafted in part from grapes grown on-site.

onsite tasting room and vineyard manager while Chad and Lisa are involved via conference calls and on-site when needed.

The remainder of their time is dedicated to their children and their careers. Their daughters are active in gymnastics and soccer, which they love attending. Chad and Lisa are both still in their first jobs out of residency, though rapidly growing their responsibilities and roles.

“We both are thankful every day for the jewel we had in our backyard with Northeast Ohio Medical University,” said Lisa.

“We were well prepared for residency. Chad was able to continue to work on the farm, and we were both able to keep the closeness with our families while completing our degrees. Our parental support has been huge — it was then as we were advancing through undergraduate studies to professional school and is now with the winery. My parents and Chad’s parents deserve quite a bit of recognition for where we are today.”

And where they are today is a perfect balance — from North Carolina to Ohio, and from medicine to winemaking, Drs. Chad and Lisa Miller have remained true to their roots, and are reaping the fruits of their success.

29 | IGNITE

D E V E L O P M E N T an d A L U M N I NEWS

Dr. Brian Williams Named Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient Brian Williams, M.D., M.B.A. (’91), was honored as the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award during the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) Commencement ceremony on May 18 at The University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Center in Akron, Ohio.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor NEOMED bestows upon its graduates. The award recognizes an alumnus/alumna who has met and transcended his or her fundamental role as a health care provider to become a leader in the advancement of research, service and education.

Dr. Williams currently serves as director, acute pain medicine/ regional anesthesia, ambulatory anesthesia and preoperative evaluation at the VA Pittsburgh HealthCare System. He is credited as a thought leader and one of several cofounders of the subspecialty of anesthesiology called “Ambulatory Regional Anesthesia.” This specialty entails the exclusive use of nerve blocks in place of general anesthesia for patients having complex orthopedic same-day surgery.

It has had sweeping public health implications and his work has influenced patient care, patient satisfaction and health care economics.

Dr. Williams is married to classmate Katherine Williams, M.D., M.P.H. (‘91), and they are the parents of four sons.

A lumni P rofile

Local NEOMED Alumnus with a Lifelong Passion for Primary Care Brady Steineck, M.D. (’08), always knew he wanted to practice medicine.

Growing up in Northeast Ohio, it was his pediatrician and family medicine practitioners who made the most impact on him.

“From the time I was a kid through my time at the University, it was those who practiced primary care who served as my mentors,” said Dr. Steineck. “It didn’t take long for me to decide that I wanted to specialize in primary care.”

After earning his Doctor of Medicine degree in 2008 from NEOMED, Dr. Steineck completed his residency in family medicine at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio. He is currently an attending physician at Community Health Care, Inc. in Louisville, Ohio.

Dr. Steineck also provides part-time support to patients at the Aultman Weight Management Program at Aultman Hospital. In this role, Dr. Steineck feels that he is able to slow down compared to his busy days at the practice and talk to patients on a oneto-one basis about how they can incorporate diet and exercise into their lives.

Dr. Steineck lives in Jackson Township, Ohio, with his wife Tiffany, who he met while taking ballroom dancing classes during his time at NEOMED, and their adopted six-year-old twins, Kenya and Kya. “My life is busy between work, spending time with my wife and the girls, and staying active,” said Dr. Steineck. “Every moment is rewarding – especially knowing that I have devoted my career to staying on the forefront of primary care and helping my patients to enjoy the best possible quality of life.”

Northeast Ohio Medical University Alumni Association President Mehool Patel, M.D., M.B.A. (’98), with Brian Williams, M.D., M.B.A. (’91), Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.

30 | IGNITE

While a student at NEOMED, Dr. Steineck was a Silk Scholar. The Fred F. Silk Charitable Foundation of Stark County, Ohio, has established two scholarship endowments for the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy. Up to eight scholarships are awarded each year to students whose elementary and/or secondary education was primarily obtained as a resident of Stark County. The Silk Scholarship endowment represents more than $600,000 in assets held by the NEOMED Foundation.

class notes

80s

90s

Kim L. Stearns, M.D. (‘85), team orthopedic surgeon for the Cleveland Indians, was selected by the Major League Baseball (MLB) to cover the 2013 World Baseball Classic, which is the Olympics of baseball, in Fukuoka, Japan, in March.

She spent two weeks in Japan taking care of MLB players playing for teams from China, Brazil, Japan and Cuba.

Mark Alfonso, M.D. (‘90), president of Riverside Radiology in Columbus, Ohio, was named Healthcare Executive of the Year by Columbus CEO magazine.

Susan Hong, M.D. (‘95), a radiation oncologist who has been based at the Summa Health Center at Lake Medina outpatient facility in Medina County, Ohio, has been appointed medical director of radiation oncology for the health system.

Dawn Hubbard, M.D. (‘95), married David DiPaola on June 28.

Debra S. Boyce, M.D. (‘96), is currently working as a locum tenems hospitalist.

Stephen Noffsinger, M.D. (‘87), was presented with the 2012 Best Teacher in a Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship award by the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law on Oct. 26, 2012, from Renee Binder, M.D., at the organization’s Annual Meeting held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Dr. Noffsinger is associate professor of psychiatry at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and senior lecturer at The University of Akron School of Law.

Todd Lisy, M.D. (‘97), was recently appointed president of Pioneer Physicians Network, a large primary care group in the Akron, Ohio, region. He has also been named as a recipient of the 30 for the Future award by the Akron Chamber of Commerce, which recognizes the top 30 young professionals in their 30s in the Akron area.

00s Andrea Sikon, M.D. (‘97), started the Primary Care Women’s Health program at the Cleveland Clinic and served as its director from 2008 to 2010. She became chair of internal medicine and geriatrics at the Clinic in 2009. She also led a team that established a faculty mentorship program in 2008 and continue to serve as its director to date.

Dr. Sikon is an associate professor of medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. She practices in internal medicine and has a special interest in women’s health, practicing in the Clinic’s Center for Specialized Women’s Health. Dr. Sikon has been voted by peers to be a part of the Best Doctors in America annually since 2007. She is active in the Society of General Internal Medicine and the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

She is married with two beautiful daughters.

Michelle Platz, M.D. (‘00), gave birth to a baby, Milo Eric Platz, on Feb. 5. He joins siblings, Aiden, Emmi and Max. Annie Celigoj, M.D. (‘01), is an interventional cardiologist at West Florida Hospital in Pensacola, Fla. She is serving on the North Florida Division for Hospital Corporation of America’s Physician Steering Committee of the Supply Management Action Team.

She is the physician lead for computerized physician order entry at West Florida Hospital, a member of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and a member of the Women’s Health Committee. She is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and Fellow of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

31 | IGNITE

D E V E L O P M E N T an d A L U M N I class notes

00s Malik Kahook, M.D. (‘01), was named Slater Family Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is the chief of the glaucoma service at the CU Eye Center in Aurora, Colo.

Amol Soin, M.D. (‘02), was appointed by Governor John Kasich to a five-year term on the Ohio State Medical Board. Dr. Soin has also founded the Ohio Pain Clinic, with five locations, including the newest clinic in Hamilton, Ohio, that will allow him to expand from Dayton to cover the Cincinnati market. His company has won the Best Places to Work award in 2008 and 2009, Rookie Business of the Year award in 2008, and he was awarded the Executive of the Year award in 2008. He has also broke ground on a new building at Wright State University for their Neuro Engineering Collaboration building, which is a $37 million project that will house the Amol Soin Research Laboratory and the Amol Soin Office Suite.

32 | IGNITE

Jeanne Lackamp, M.D. (‘03), completed her residency in psychiatry at the University of Iowa in 2007, followed by a psychosomatic medicine fellowship at George Washington University in 2008. She has been a psychiatry attending at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, since 2008. Dr. Lackamp recently was named as one of the Best Doctors in America and was also named as a Best Doctor by Cleveland Magazine.

Erin Rinto, M.D., FACEP (‘03), has recently accepted a job with Emergency Physicians of Northwest Ohio beginning this fall and will be relocating to Monclova, Ohio. In October 2012, she obtained Fellow status with the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Adam Smith, M.D. (‘04), and wife Tina Smith, M.D. (‘04), welcomed their third child, Ruth, in May. They are living in Traverse City, Mich., with their other two children, Paul (5), and John (2). Dr. Adam Smith began his own practice, Borealis Plastic Surgery, and Dr. Tina Smith joined Kids Creek Children’s Clinic.

Theodore Doukides, M.D. (‘05), completed his gastroenterology fellowship from The Ohio State University Medical Center in 2012 in Columbus, Ohio, and is currently finishing an advanced endoscopy fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, N.Y. He will be joining a practice based in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, Fla. John David Scrocco, M.D. (‘05), is a cardiologist at the recently opened Columbiana Cardiology, a part of Humility of Mary Health Partners, in Columbiana, Ohio. He is also an assistant professor of internal medicine at NEOMED. Asha Shah, M.D. (‘05), a urologist, was recently a featured speaker at the Jersey City Medical Center’s “Dinner with the Doctor” event series held in Bayonne, N.J. Marie Awad-Alexander, M.D. (‘07), completed her general surgery residency at UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa., in July 2012. She moved back to her hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, with husband Lou Alexander, a business and real estate attorney. She has joined her father’s general surgery practice as his junior partner and works at St. Elizabeth Health Center.

Kelly Tomasic, M.D. (‘07), a family physician, and her husband Jay welcomed their fourth child, Ava Claire on Dec. 11, 2012. She joins siblings Zachary (4), Logan (3), and Olivia (2).

Collin Conway, M.D. (‘08), will be a general surgeon at Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville, Pa., following his completion of residency at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Ramon Cancino, M.D. (‘09), is an academic medicine fellow in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center. He returned to NEOMED to give a lunchtime presentation on quality improvement in medical education to NEOMED students, faculty and staff on March 21. Dr. Cancino was also a guest lecturer at the 2013 David Magoon Memorial Lecture sponsored by Aultman Hospital that same day.

Tera Williams Conway, M.D. (‘09), will be an obstetriciangynecologist at St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa., following her completion of residency at the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Christina H. McKenzie, M.D. (‘12), has accepted a post-graduate year two residency in emergency medicine with Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University in central New Jersey.

Paula Albrecht Duncan, M.D. (‘09), will be an obstetrician-gynecologist at St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA following her completion of residency at Magee Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Kelly Reese, Pharm.D. (‘12), was promoted to pharmacy team leader (manager) at Giant Eagle in Louisville, Ohio. She has also started her own freelance photography business, Kelly Justine Photography, based in Youngstown, Ohio.

Diana (Anderson) Sustar, M.D. (‘09), is graduating residency in obstetrics/ gynecology at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and joining a private practice in Glens Falls, N.Y. Dr. Sustar had a baby on Nov. 8, 2012, named Gavin.

Megan Sampson, M.D. (‘11), and husband Jordon Sampson welcomed their first child, Connor, on Feb. 9. He is the grandson of John Crow, M.D. (‘85).

Kyle Sobecki, Pharm.D. (‘11), and wife Lindsay Sobecki welcomed daughter Alexis Rose on May 6.

Natalie Kolehmainen, Pharm.D., (‘12), completed her postgraduate year one pharmacy practice residency in June at The University of Toledo. She is pictured (left) with pharmacy practice associate professor Dr. Marianne Churchwell.

Photo by Dr. Johnnie L. Early.

Sarah Khan, M.D. (‘13), married Ali Anwaar Qureshi, M.D., at the Dayton Convention Center in Dayton, Ohio, in May. Ashley Ruozzo, Pharm.D. (‘13), married Donald Christian Dudley Jr. in Youngstown, Ohio, on July 27. She is staff pharmacist for The Medicine Shoppe in Warren, Ohio.

Samantha Woods, Pharm.D. (‘13), and Matthew Reale, Pharm.D. (‘13), spent a week as part of an interprofessional health care team in Honduras under the direction of Daniel Krinsky, M.S., R.Ph.

Nida Degesys, M.D. (‘13) has been elected as national president for the American Medical Student Association (AMSA).

Degesys will delay pursuing a residency in order to chair the AMSA Board of Trustees, the organization’s highest governing body, and oversee the overall direction for the organization.

33 | IGNITE

I n memory

Karla Diaz Davalos, M.D. (‘08) died on July 27, 2013, at the age of 31 after a battle with lymphoma. Dr. Davalos lived in Texas with her husband, Tony, and her son, Pablo, and was completing an internal medicine residency at Texas Tech University in El Paso.

Victor Z. Erzurum, M.D. (‘95), died on Feb. 9, at the age of 41.

Douglas M. Evans, M.D., died on Feb. 4, at the age of 87.

He was a professor emeritus of surgery at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED).

Justin Knapp, died on Aug. 1, 2013, at the age of 25 after sustaining injuries from a motorcycle accident.

Justin attended the College of Medicine for two years.

James R. Rogers, Ph.D., died on Jan. 14, at the age of 62. He was an internationally known suicide expert and an adjunct professor of behavioral and community health sciences at NEOMED. Martha A. Silling, Ph.D., died on June 19, at the age of 59. She was the assistant dean of curriculum in Health Professions Education at NEOMED before retiring from the University in December 2010.

Northeast Ohio medical University is proud to celebrate 40 years of health professions education and research!

Join us as we begin a year-long anniversary and celebration by visiting neomed.edu/40.

U N I V ERS I TY MOMENT

Welcome NEOMED’s Mascot, “Nate,” the Walking Whale Who says you have to have a sports team to have spirit? Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), introduced “Nate,” the Walking Whale, as its first-ever mascot during an all-campus picnic on Wednesday, May 8. For his first appearance, Nate was greeted by more than 300 faculty, staff and students, as well as mascots from neighboring universities including: Flash (Kent State University), Zippy (The University of Akron) and Magnus (Cleveland State University).

35 | IGNITE

Non-Profit Organization

4209 St. Rt. 44, PO Box 95 Rootstown, Ohio 44272

U.S. Postage PAID Rootstown, Ohio 44272 Permit No. 4

Igniting Awareness of ‌ Wellness Rajini Poth, Ph.D., assistant director of health and wellness, joined Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) in 2010.

Q: How can a dedicated focus on health and wellness benefit the NEOMED community?

Dr. Poth: NEOMED cares about its faculty, staff and students and wants to ensure they receive the support they need to succeed at the University, in their careers and in their lives. Our stance on health and wellness is simple; in order to promote healthy living and preventive care, we must first understand and integrate wellness practices into our own lives.

Q: How does the University promote health and wellness among students, faculty and staff?

Dr. Poth: The University continues to allocate resources toward health and wellness initiatives. We encourage healthy and active lifestyles through programming and activities, teach students how to create and maintain personal wellness goals, and anticipate many new opportunities through our Health, Wellness and Medical Education Complex, set to open in 2014.

Q: What do you hope to achieve through focused health and wellness initiatives?

Dr. Poth: By taking a holistic approach to our programming, services and resources, we hope to educate and inform our community on health, wellness and safety practices and reduce any stigma associated with seeking assistance for physical, mental or emotional health concerns. The health and wellness of the NEOMED community is essential to our success.