Rochester Medicine 2021 Volume 1

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER

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SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY

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2021 VOLUME 1

The Future of the Surgeon-Scientist

On the cover Sprung from the belief that research breakthroughs are not complete until we see their benefits in people, Surgery Department Chair David Linehan is passionate about the power of the Surgeon-Scientist team.

“My dream is for this research funding to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with difficult-to-treat surgical problems,” says the surgical oncologist who specializes in pancreatic cancer. See page 8 to learn more about his vision and the team.

Photo by Matt Wittmeyer

POINT OF VIEW Minhaj Rahman takes a Class of 2025 selfie after the Robert L. & Lillian H. Brent White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 13, 2021.

Photo by J. Adam Fenster University of Rochester

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n our special COVID edition last spring, I pledged to resume publication of the magazine later this year, assuming “the end of the COVID pandemic remains clearly in sight.” That hopeful sentiment proves the old adage that prediction is hazardous, especially about the future, since we are in the midst of a major COVID surge as this magazine goes to press. I’m immensely proud of URMC’s faculty, staff, trainees, and students who remain resilient and continue working incredibly hard to care for our patients and the community.

As we acknowledge their efforts and the progress of our Medical Center and school as a whole, the passing of Sy Schwartz last August has caused me to reflect on his legacy and our Department of Surgery. After I recruited David Linehan as chair, Sy would stop by my office almost weekly to tell me how proud he was to see where the department was going under David’s leadership. To some degree, I feel that one of the great gifts we gave Sy at the time of his passing was a firm belief that the Department of Surgery to which he dedicated his career is as good as any in the country.

The department is blazing trails clinically, as well as in research and education, thanks to a diverse and talented leadership team of surgeons and scientists David has assembled (see pages 22-23). Previously ranked in the bottom half among surgery research programs that receive NIH funding, our surgery department is now 16th out of 77 and advancing toward the top 10.

Mark B. Taubman, MD CEO, University of Rochester Medical Center Dean, School of Medicine and Dentistry Senior Vice President for Health Sciences

We also proudly highlight a basic science department, Pharmacology and Physiology, which has a long history of excellence and intersects with many programs across our medical school. We recruited Chair Bob Dirksen after a major national search and have seen the department thrive under his thoughtful, forward-thinking leadership.

Bob has also embraced our Equity and Anti-Racism Action Plan, developing processes to strengthen diversity and inclusion in the recruitment of students and faculty that we believe may serve as a campus-wide model.

These departments and their leaders exemplify just two of the reasons our School of Medicine and Dentistry remains an exceptional training ground for physicians and scientists.

Finally, please take a moment to read our tribute to Paul Griner (beginning on page 38), who has served the University and Medical Center in many capacities. In a league of his own as a physician, leader, mentor, and advisor, his contributions have been numerous and immeasurably valuable. I am proud to be among the beneficiaries of those contributions and also to call Paul a friend.

Thank you for your continued interest and support of our Medical Center. I wish you and your loved ones the best as we look forward to a promising new year of growth and discoveries. Without risking a prediction, I also offer my firmest hope that COVID will soon be less dominant in our lives.

What do you think?

Rochester Medicine welcomes letters from readers.

The editor reserves the right to select letters for publication and to edit for style and space.

Brief letters are encouraged.

RochesterMedicineMagazine@urmc.rochester.edu

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Read more Rochester Medicine RochesterMedicine.urmc.edu Submit Class Notes RochesterMedicineMagazine@urmc.rochester.edu

Write to Us Rochester Medicine magazine University of Rochester Medical Center 601 Elmwood Avenue Box 643 Rochester, New York 14642

CONTENTS

Cover Story

4 Medical Center Rounds

8 The Future of the Surgeon-Scientist: Could a Department’s Bold Vision Make Many Surgeries Obsolete?

26 A Century of Discovery: Pharmacology & Physiology Propels Its People and Their Research

38 Patient and Physician—Changed Forever

42 Faculty News

44 In Memoriam

48 Philanthropy

54 Alumni News

56 Class Notes

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48

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Rochester Medicine is published by:

Editor

Lori Barrette

For questions or comments, contact:

The University of Rochester Medical Center,

Art Direction & Design

Steve Safran

Dept. of Alumni Relations and Advancement

Department of Communications, in conjunction with

Feature Photography

Matt Wittmeyer

the Department of Alumni Relations & Advancement

Contributing Writers

Lori Barrette Margaret Bogumil Emily Boynton Barbara Ficarra Jeff Koslofsky Mark Michaud Matthew Moodie Leslie Orr Kelsie Smith-Hayduk Kristine Thompson

Assistant Vice President and Director of External Communications, URMC

B. Chip Partner

for the School of Medicine and Dentistry

for the School of Medicine and Dentistry 300 East River Road, Rochester, NY 14627 Phone 800.333.4428 585.273.5954 Fax 585.461.2081

Comments on this issue, e-mail: RochesterMedicineMagazine@urmc.rochester.edu

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MEDICAL CENTER ROUNDS Research

Grant Recognizes Leadership in Environmental Health Disparities Research The University of Rochester Environmental Health Sciences Center (EHSC) received a $7.7 million, five-year renewal grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS), marking five decades of federal support for research that has helped expand our understanding of how exposure to environmental agents impacts human health.

Led by B. Paige Lawrence, PhD, Wright Family Research professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Medicine, EHSC has been continuously funded by NIEHS B. Paige Lawrence, since 1975. The PhD Center has attracted more than $100 million in extramural funding since its inception. Rochester is one of only 26 NIEHS-designated core Centers of Excellence on Environmental Health Research in the U.S. EHSC supports a broad portfolio of research programs, ranging from lab-based science that investigates the biological mechanisms by which environmental chemicals contribute to disease, to population-based studies that inform and improve public health. It provides researchers with integrated access to specialized resources and facilities, as well as supports programs that promote career development

and leadership for the next generation of environmental health investigators. EHSC is also home to a Community Engagement Core, which works closely with community organizations, government, educators, and health professionals to address environmental health issues through outreach, advocacy, and allyship.

The central focus of EHSC is the increasingly recognized concept that many human diseases cannot be attributed solely to genetics and that environmental factors—such as air and water quality and access to healthy living conditions—in

conjunction with genetic risk factors are major contributors. Understanding these relationships generates new knowledge that is translated into new ways to reduce, prevent, and treat disease and improve health.

EHSC supports researchers, across multiple departments and disciplines, who are investigating the impacts of air pollution, microplastics, pesticides, metals, endocrine disruptors, and other environmental factors on human development; the immune system; the brain, lung, and heart; and reproductive health.

Health Equity

Legacy of Racism in Housing Policies Continues to Impact Maternal Health Housing policies established more than eight decades ago that effectively trapped people of color in low-income and segregated neighborhoods continue to impact the health of residents to this day, resulting in poor obstetric outcomes such as pre-term birth, according to URMC research published in JAMA Open Network.

were adopted by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs and delineated areas where mortgages could be insured. The term “redlining” comes from the color that was used on HOLC maps to identify neighborhoods comprised predominately of people of color; they were labeled “hazardous.”

“These findings suggest the potential influences of a system of profound structural inequity that ripple forward in time, with impacts that extend beyond measurable socioeconomic inequality,” said study co-author Elaine Hill, PhD, an economist in the Department of Public Health Sciences. “In our study population of a single, midsized U.S. city, historic redlining was associated with worse outcomes in pregnancy and childbirth experienced by Black women in the modern day.”

These redlining policies, which remained in effect until the 1960s, led to decades of community disinvestment and concentrated poverty in inner-city neighborhoods—denying residents the ability to build intergenerational wealth through home ownership. Combined with the knowledge that poverty, physical environment, and stress are linked with inequity in health outcomes, the health impacts of redlining have long been hinted at, but it was not until the recent digitization of the original HOLC maps by the University of Richmond Mapping Inequality project that researchers have been able to more precisely examine these questions.

Beginning in the 1930s and ’40s, the federal government created thousands of area descriptions for cities across the U.S. First created by the federal Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC), these policies 4

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In the current paper, researchers focused on the region surrounding Rochester, New York. Using a New York State database of live births from 2005 to 2018, the team identified pre-term births (less than 37 weeks) by zip code; demographic characteristics of individuals, including race; and community survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau on income, poverty, and educational attainment. Pre-term births are associated with a range of outcomes, including higher risk for developing behavioral and social-emotional problems, learning difficulties, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

“This is further evidence of the influence of a legacy of structural racism on the disproportional burden of adverse pregnancy outcomes for Black women in the U.S.,” said Stefanie Hollenbach, MD (Res ’17, Flw ’20), an assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and co-author of the study. “The fact that racially discriminatory home lending patterns from the 1940s are associated with contemporary pre-term birth rates can inform us that the legacy of government-sanctioned discrimination persists to this day.”

Additional co-authors include Ob/Gyn professors Loralei Thornburg, MD (Res ’02, Flw ’08), and Christopher Glantz, MD.

Of the 199,088 births during the period, pre-term births occurred at a rate of 12.38 percent in HOLC “hazardous” zip codes—compared to 7.55 percent in areas that were labeled “best” or “still desirable.”

Women who resided in “hazardous” areas were also at higher risk for other maternal complications, such as pregnancy-related hypertension, neonatal complications, and neonatal intensive care unit admission.

Infectious Diseases

$18 Million Grant Supports HIV/AIDS Research, Outreach For more than 30 years, URMC’s Infectious Diseases Division has partnered with NIH to study HIV/AIDS. Their efforts have been recognized with a new $18 million grant to continue conducting vaccine and treatment trials and engaging with communities affected by HIV. The award also allows Rochester researchers to study other high-priority infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

In mid-2020, the team pivoted to study coronavirus vaccines and treatments, contributing to the worldwide effort to bring safe and effective vaccines and therapies to market as quickly as possible.

“While creating a preventive HIV vaccine has been complex, our work has established approaches that are used for HIV and also contributed to the unprecedented speed at which coronavirus vaccines are being developed,” said Michael C. Keefer, MD (Flw ’90), professor of Medicine and interim chief of the Infectious Diseases Division.

For example, vaccines using adenoviruses as carriers of HIV proteins have been used in HIV research for years and was one approach used in some COVID-19 vaccine trials. Additionally, anti-HIV monoclonal neutralizing antibodies have been shown to be active in preventing some HIV infections, and anti-coronavirus monoclonal antibodies have become an important strategy in treating patients with early-stage COVID-19.

The division received its first grant and became a part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) HIV/ AIDS Clinical Research Networks in 1987.

Led by Keefer and Stephen Dewhurst, PhD, chair of the department of Microbiology

and Immunology, as well as program director Catherine Bunce, the new grant will run for seven years and will be used to: ■ Coordinate and execute high-quality HIV/AIDS vaccine and treatment trials that enroll participants from diverse populations.

■ Engage with local communities to assess attitudes to clinical research and conduct educational outreach around research participation.

■ Mentor and train the next generation of HIV/AIDS researchers.

■ Advance HIV/AIDS research by providing scientific leadership and supporting NIAID’s AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) and HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN).

■ Provide data and quality management, regulatory support, laboratory, pharmacy, and other resources to effectively support HIV/AIDS clinical trials.

■ Rapidly respond to emerging infectious diseases that require national attention and coordination.

“Being continuously funded to conduct HIV/AIDS treatment and preventive vaccine clinical trials since 1987 and being renewed for another seven years cements Rochester’s legacy of extraordinary commitment to controlling the HIV pandemic,” added Keefer. “Our thanks go out to multiple generations of researchers and, perhaps more importantly, the members of our community who have joined our studies to make this progress possible.”

A recent NIAID-funded study found that many people who participate in preventive HIV vaccine trials experience at least one beneficial social impact, such as feeling good helping others, as a result of taking part.

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MEDICAL CENTER ROUNDS Public Health

COVID Infection, Death Linked to Racial Disparities in Nursing Homes People in nursing homes with higher concentrations of Black and Latino residents were 54 percent more likely to be infected with COVID and twice as likely to die in the first months of the pandemic, compared to those in homes with predominately white populations, according to URMC research.

Published in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the study was led by Public Health Sciences professor Yue Li, PhD. In previous studies, Li and his colleagues have shown that older residents from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds and their caregivers bore the severest brunt from COVID, and they linked the COVID toll in nursing homes to staffing levels and quality scores. The new study examines what unfolded in nursing homes in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The widened across-facility disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality during the early pandemic period are just another manifestation of the structural inequalities in nursing home care that have existed for decades,” said Li. Researchers analyzed cases and death reports for a 10-week period (April 13 to June 19, 2020) in nursing homes in Connecticut, one of the few states to provide weekly counts early in the pandemic. The case and death reports were analyzed for nursing home characteristics, such as number of beds, ownership, percent of Medicare residents, and staffing levels, as well as county COVID case and death data.

The researchers found immediate disparities in nursing home infections and deaths, which increased as the pandemic progressed. By week 10 of the study data, the infection rate was 54 percent higher, and the death rate was 117 percent higher in nursing homes with larger proportions of underrepresented residents compared to those with a whiter population. The disparities persisted even after accounting for differences in the local infection rate and other nursing home characteristics.

The authors acknowledge that the state and federal response to the pandemic helped mitigate the challenges that many nursing homes faced, including PPE shortages, lack of access to testing, and financial burdens.

However, while lowering infection and death rates overall, these measures have not reduced disparities in care and outcomes.

“Our findings indicate that, although broadly targeted policy and public health measures may have been effective in mitigating coronavirus transmission in nursing homes, they have not helped reduce disparities in COVID outcomes due to systemic inequalities in nursing home care,” said Li. “Going forward, it is imperative that future federal, state, and local initiatives are designed to couple efforts to fight the pandemic with those designed to redress enduring disparities in health outcomes, while also avoiding programs that may perpetuate systematic inequalities and discriminations.”

Additional study co-authors include Xueya Cai, PhD; Yunjiao Mao; Zijing Cheng; and Helena Temkin-Greener, PhD (MPH ’81) with URMC. The study was funded with support from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Wellness

Lancet Review Highlights Need for Interventions to Better Protect Physicians’ Mental Wellbeing COVID-19 is raising awareness of the fact that physicians are not immune to mental illness.

The pandemic has produced greater isolation. Hallway conversations that happened previously, Ronald Epstein, MD group lunches, and all the socializing suddenly ended. That’s meant fewer ways for health care providers to process difficult experiences, leading to greater distress. The social support network that was once there suddenly vanished.

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Ronald Epstein, MD (Res ’87, Flw ’90), professor of Family Medicine, and other researchers are unpacking how mental illness affects health care professions and the barriers to getting treatment. Their article, “Mental Illness and Suicide Among Physicians,” recently appeared in The Lancet.

Across all countries, physicians have a much higher suicide rate than the general population and those of similar socio-economic status. The article points out that, according to estimates in the United States, one doctor dies by suicide per day.

“Part of the culture of medicine is a culture of invincibility,” says Epstein. “Physicians are

resilient but reluctant to ask for help. When we’re suffering, we do it alone and in silence.

We need to make more public that physicians, too, suffer from anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress.”

According to Epstein, the way forward consists of intervention at three important levels: the regulatory level, the institutional level, and the individual level. It’s key to ask, for example, what can institutions do to recognize and identify people who might be suffering? How can they change the working conditions so they’re less likely to make matters worse?

“Think about working conditions that promote mental distress,” says Epstein.

“A patient who dies unexpectedly, for example; what do we do after that? We need to think about the kind of debriefing that we need to do to help people process those traumatic events.”

Both Epstein and McDaniel give URMC credit for recognizing the need for this kind of program. However, it’s uncommon.

At the individual level, it comes back to self-care, self-compassion, and skills to address work-related distress. To that end, “Mindful Practice in Medicine” workshops developed by Epstein and Mick Krasner, MD (Res ’91), professor of Clinical Medicine, address both the multiple sources of suffering that clinicians experience and demonstrated improvements in health professionals’ well-being, burnout, job engagement, and stress-related symptoms.

“It’s unusual for medical centers to recognize the need for support for clinicians beyond the usual continuing medical education focused on new procedures, medications, and the evolving science about patient care,” McDaniel says.

“As Dr. Epstein’s paper shows, we have to build an ongoing infrastructure for clinician wellbeing across the decades most spend in the workforce.”

Susan McDaniel, PhD, Dr. Laurie Sands Distinguished Professor of Families & Health in the Department of Psychiatry and vice chair of the Department of Family Medicine, directs the URMC Physician Communication Coaching Program, which helps physicians reconnect to the meaning of their work and remember the reasons they first went into medicine. The program encompasses mindfulness, coaching, psychotherapy, and other support that bolsters resilience in a group of talented people who have enormous responsibility on top of the usual life stressors.

Professor of Psychiatry Michael Privitera, MD (Res ’83), serves as medical director for URMC’s Medical Faculty and Clinician Wellness Program and has focused for the last several years on reducing physician burnout. During the pandemic, his program has advocated for normalizing self-care and creating boundaries between work and home.

Epstein’s full review says organizationallevel interventions like this are an urgent need. The role of training programs, leadership, and the broader health care system “must be given prominence, and evidence-based interventions focused on these areas must be given the greatest priority.”

Neuroscience

More than Words: Using AI to Map How the Brain Understands Sentences New URMC research involving neuroimaging and A.I. describes the complex network within the brain that comprehends the meaning of a spoken sentence.

“It has been unclear whether the integration of this meaning is represented in a particular site in the brain, such as the anterior temporal lobes, or reflects a more network-level operation that engages multiple brain regions,” said Andrew Anderson, PhD, research assistant professor in the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience and lead author of the study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

“The meaning of a sentence is more than the sum of its parts. Take a very simple example—‘the car ran over the cat’ and ‘the cat ran over the car’—each sentence has exactly the same words, but those words have a totally different meaning when reordered.”

The study is an example of how the application of artificial neural networks, or A.I., is enabling researchers to unlock the extremely complex signaling in the brain that underlies functions such as processing language. The researchers gathered brain activity data from study participants who read sentences while undergoing fMRI. These scans showed activity in the brain spanning a network of different regions—anterior and posterior temporal lobes, inferior parietal cortex, and inferior frontal cortex. Using the computational model InferSent—an A.I. model developed by Facebook and trained to produce unified semantic representations of sentences—the

researchers were able to predict patterns of fMRI activity reflecting the encoding of sentence meaning across those brain regions.

“It’s the first time that we’ve applied this model to predict brain activity within these regions, and that provides new evidence that contextualized semantic representations are encoded throughout a distributed language network, rather than at a single site in the brain.”

Anderson and his team believe the findings could be helpful in understanding clinical conditions.

“We’re deploying similar methods to try to understand how language comprehension breaks down in early Alzheimer’s disease. We are also interested in moving the models forward to predict brain activity elicited as language is produced. The current study had people read sentences; in the future we’re interested in moving forward to predict brain activity as people might speak sentences.”

University of Rochester study co-authors were Edmund Lalor, PhD; Rajeev Raizada, PhD; and Scott Grimm, PhD. Others include Douwe Kiela, of Facebook A.I. Research, along with Jeffrey Binder, MD; Leonardo Fernandino, PhD; Colin Humphries, PhD; and Lisa Conant, PhD, from the Medical College of Wisconsin. The research was supported with funding from the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience’s Schmitt Program on Integrative Neuroscience and the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity.

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COVER STORY

The Future of the Surgeon-Scientist Could a Department’s Bold Vision Make Many Surgeries Obsolete?

By Sandra Parker

From left: Roberto Hernandez-Alejandro, MD; Scott Gerber (MS ’01, PhD ’05); Lauren DeCaporale-Ryan, PhD (Flw ’13); David C. Linehan, MD; Calvin L. Cole, PhD (Flw ‘17).

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COVER STORY: THE FUTURE OF THE SURGEON-SCIENTIST

hen he wasn’t disciplining his wives or warring with France, King Henry VIII had time to do a few things around the castle—like set up a department of surgery and staff it with the best barbers in early modern England.

It apparently made sense at the time, since barbers were skilled with the primary surgical tool—a knife. So, with the addition of an innocuous punctuation mark, surgery and grooming became one occupation.

When summoned, the barber-surgeons extracted teeth, removed gallstones, and amputated limbs. Conveniently, they could slice into your arm to do a bloodletting to relieve your fever and then, probably with the same knife, take a little off the top if you were up for it.

Considered beneath the skills of physicians, surgery was a commercial trade learned through apprenticeships. Then in 1559, a jousting-match injury raised the prestige of surgery after King Henry II of France took a lance to the eyeball, and it pierced the royal brain. Prominent barber-surgeon Ambroise Paré tended to the king’s injury and wowed colleagues with his innovative ideas and advanced neurosurgery tools. The patient didn’t survive, but Paré’s reputation soared, and he became known as the father of modern surgery.

This incongruous medical model was exported to the American Colonies. However, by the mid-1700s the barber-surgeons were stripped of their hyphen and relegated to shaving and haircutting. It took another 150 years or so to nail down the details of exactly who in the medical community should do what, but, by the end of the 19th century, surgery finally became the sole purview of formally educated physicians.

As the University of Rochester’s Department of Surgery celebrates 96 years in operation, a hyphen captures the essence of the department’s 21st century surgeon—the Surgeon-Scientist—skilled in performing complex surgeries, exploring novel therapies, and leading major health care institutions while preserving an “unrelenting focus” on the patient, says Department of Surgery Chair David C. Linehan, MD, who assumed leadership in 2014 and who also serves as the Seymour I. Schwartz Professor and chief of clinical operations at Wilmot Cancer Institute.

David C. Linehan, MD

Department of Surgery Chairs

John J. Morton Jr., MD 1925–53

W.J. Merle Scott, MD 1955–60 (pro tempore chair from 1953–1955)

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Charles Rob, MD 1960–77

William R. Drucker, MD 1977–87

In his seven years of leading the department, Linehan has: ■ doubled the surgical faculty ■ garnered five new endowed professorships ■ expanded the expertise in subspecialties ■ advanced the use of minimally invasive procedures ■ attracted millions in research funding ■ established a research center making breakthroughs in immunotherapy to treat pancreatic cancer ■ instituted new procedures to train future surgeons in clinical and communication skills ■ improved patient outcomes ■ improved the department’s fiscal health, allowing for more resources to support research and education ■ established a culture of respect, collaboration and inclusion throughout the department.

It’s all part of what Linehan envisions as a “bold future,” in which the department uses its legacy of clinical excellence, cutting-edge research, and educational innovation to impress on the next generation the crucial nature of the myriad skills that define the Rochester Surgeon-Scientist.

In the most recent annual report outlining the department’s strategic goals for the next five years, Linehan capitalized two words: CHANGE and MELIORA. The connection between change and “ever better” is clearer now than it was 2,500 years ago when Greek philosopher Heraclitus opined that change is more than a part of life; it is the essence of life. Medical advancements such as immunotherapy and robot-assisted surgery require surgical wizardry achieved only by embracing change.

Resting on its laurels, Linehan says, is therefore not an option for the department. One of those laurels has been the 60-year presence of Seymour I. Schwartz, MD (Res ’57), the physician who co-wrote and edited the “surgeon’s Bible.” Schwartz’s Principles of Surgery, voluminous at 2,292 pages, has been translated into multiple languages and is now in its eleventh printing and its fiftieth year as required medical school reading.

Schwartz, who died in 2020 at age 92, had chaired the department for eleven years (1987–98) and was an internationally revered surgeon.

Seymour I. Schwartz, MD 1987–98

Arthur S. Hengerer, MD 1998–1999 (interim)

Standing the test of time as a symbol of surgery, versions of the “Wound Man” have circulated in print, spanning from medieval Europe to the cover of Schwartz’s Principles of Surgery and beyond.

James V. Sitzmann, MD 1999–2001

Arthur S. Hengerer, MD 2001–2004 (interim)

Jeffrey Peters, MD 2004–2014

David C. Linehan, MD 2014–present

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COVER STORY: THE FUTURE OF THE SURGEON-SCIENTIST

“The program punched above its weight, with figures like Charles Rob [MD and former department chair] and Sy Schwartz.

You knew you would learn to operate,” says Craig R. Smith Jr., MD (Res ‘82, Flw ’82), chair of the Department of Surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center.

Smith did indeed learn to operate, and in 2004 performed a quadruple bypass on former President Bill Clinton.

“Dr. Linehan has done a remarkable job keeping the program aligned with Dr. Schwartz’s vision and building on a strong hospital program and faculty,” Craig R. Smith Jr., MD

From left, Center for Tumor Immunology Research Co-Director Scott Gerber, PhD, with Assistant Professor Calvin L. Cole, PhD, whose research in the department focuses on elucidating the mechanisms of pancreatic cancer-related muscle wasting.

Cole holds dual appointments in the Department of Surgery’s Division of Supportive Care in Cancer as well as the Department of Orthopaedics’ Center for Musculoskeletal Research.

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says John Fung, MD, PhD (Res ’88), a renowned transplant surgeon and director of the University of Chicago Medicine Transplantation Institute.

Linehan keeps a copy of Schwartz’s book, the fifth edition (printed in 1989), on the coffee table in his office. The canary-yellow leather cover features a line drawing of two Renaissance-era surgeons standing over a table of crude surgical implements.

As Linehan talks about the department’s direction, he taps on the book and notes that “Eighty percent of what is in this textbook is no longer true. What will it be like in another fifty years?”

John Fung, MD

The Surgeon-Scientist When Linehan discusses the department, the word “edge” comes up often. As medical knowledge, technology, and complexity of surgery progress at an astonishing pace, edge-type thinking is vital.

An edge in Linehan’s line of sight is the one demarcating current knowledge about disease. His plan to reinvigorate the department’s status as a research “powerhouse” is working— research funding has ballooned to $9 million, a 50 percent increase over its 2015 level. The University has climbed to number 15 on the list of top research organizations, as compiled by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. Linehan’s goal is to boost it into the top 10.

“My dream is for this research funding to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with difficult-to-treat surgical problems,” says Linehan, a well-known surgical oncologist who specializes in pancreatic cancer. “I am passionate about clinical trials.

There is hope.”

Five years ago, Linehan established the Center for Tumor Immunology Research to continue searching for new pancreatic cancer treatments by deciphering the complex interactions within the tumor microenvironment. This innovative approach seeks to spark the body’s immune system to eliminate the immune cells that promote cancer progression and to stimulate the cancer-fighting cells into destroying the tumor.

effective in preventing cervical cancer. The other advancement stemmed from studies that investigated chemotherapy-induced nausea from many angles, established anticipatory nausea as a major barrier to completing treatment, and participated in reporting the first evidenced-based recommendations for using anti-nausea and anti-vomiting drugs.

“The research is really important, having funding for research is really important, attracting the best and the brightest investigators into the field is really important, and we’ve had success in doing that,” Linehan says in a URMC video. “That’s when the magic starts to happen.”

Linehan believes that innovative research should proceed to the next step and be “impactful” by translating it into clinical trials and then shepherding it through the lengthy administrative process so that the patient benefits.

“Dr. Linehan says breakthroughs are not complete until we see them in people. It’s a different philosophy,” Gerber says. “Most research scientists are not trained to translate findings into clinical trials, but Dr. Linehan has the expertise. It’s somewhat rare to find that.”

“My dream is for this

“It’s another way of thinking about cancer therapy—attack the cancer cells but also reprogram immune cells to use the patient’s own immune system to fight their cancer,” says Linehan, the Center’s director.

research funding to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with difficult-to-treat surgical problems.”

Key to growing and broadening the department’s research portfolio, Linehan says, is pairing the researcher doing the biological investigation with the clinician aware of the patient’s unmet needs. This fusion can inform the reasons why some treatments work better than others, says Linehan, who likens his role to that of an orchestra conductor uniting the players so that “the sum will be greater than the parts.”

“As a researcher who works predominantly with mice, it’s hard to get the feeling of what the patient is going through,” says Gerber.

“If you want to do good research, talk to the patient. There are people reliant on us, and it really changes your outlook.”

The timeline is urgent because the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer remains in the single digits, though it has increased from 5 percent to a high of 9 percent.

Collaboration is key, says Linehan. “It’s been the secret to the department’s success. Research is a team sport.”

“It’s going in the right direction,” says Center Co-director Scott Gerber (MS ’01, PhD ’05). “Based on what we know about this cancer, we are heading down a very promising path.”

In addition to the immunotherapy research, other current department investigations include innovative research on melanoma, nerve regeneration, minimally invasive cardiac and liver surgery, and percutaneous approaches in treating vascular disease.

The department is currently running 10 trials, several of which are from Linehan’s lab, and he hopes to increase the number of patients enrolled. Nationally, only 5 percent of patients eligible for clinical trials choose to enroll. Linehan would like everyone to join a trial.

A research lodestar is that the University contributed significantly to two of the most important advances in cancer research in the past 50 years, an “astounding” fact, Linehan says. Foundational research

by URMC scientists was instrumental in developing the HPV vaccine—the first cancer vaccine—which has been 90 percent

To train the next generation of Surgeon-Scientists, the program encourages residents to spend one to two years conducting research by working in a lab, earning an advanced degree, or participating in the interdepartmental Surgical Health Outcomes and Research Enterprise (SHORE).

“Research is not just about the papers,” says Yanjie Qi, (MD ’06, Res ’14, Flw ’15), associate program director for Curriculum and Simulation. “You flex your intellectual powers and learn to assess science, which helps you become a better surgeon.”

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COVER STORY: THE FUTURE OF THE SURGEON-SCIENTIST

Growth in the Time of COVID Even before COVID-19 patients filled the hospital, the clinical case volume was increasing; in the past five years it rose more than 20 percent. Last year the department saw 28,000 new patients and performed 14,512 surgeries. Under Linehan, the department faculty has doubled in size to 72, a third of whom are women, and there are now 49 general surgery residents, 13 research fellows, and more than 300 staff.

Diversity has also increased, for which department members credit Linehan; culturally, the faculty represent 15 different countries. Representing the state of technology are five da Vinci robots, key tools in the department’s efforts to expand the use of minimally invasive procedures to hasten recovery time.

Linehan says that the University has been supportive of expanding the department to meet the needs of the community. Although some say that it can be hard to recruit people to the Flower City, Linehan says he hasn’t had that issue.

“People are honored to come and look at a job in Rochester,” he says. “Everybody knows that Schwartz’s department of surgery has a strong legacy of excellence.”

Yanjie Qi, MD

Mark Gestring, MD 14

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Attention to growth was disrupted to some degree by the deluge of COVID patients. The specifics of how the department coped with this historic medical horror are mostly known because its accomplishments, though epic, are also strangely commonplace.

The scramble to find ventilators, PPE, beds, and staff was repeated in institutions around the globe. A special emergency department, staffed with volunteers from all surgical specialties, treated nearly 2,000 patients suffering from the virus.

“It was pretty amazing. People signed up and there was no hesitancy. That speaks volumes,” Qi said.

The pandemic is far from over, and even as the viral waves continue to roll in, ripple effects remain from previous waves. The ripples are major, like ones created by skipping a boulder rather than a stone across the lake. Many elective surgeries were postponed in 2020, and staffing challenges in health care nationally that were exacerbated by the pandemic are having an impact on hospital capacity, patient volumes, and surgical schedules across the region.

As if a global pandemic weren’t enough trouble, the national violent crime rate has spiked, which similarly has caused a spike in the number of trauma patients needing surgery. URMC’s designation as the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and verified burn center, providing tertiary and quaternary services, means that the most urgent and complex cases in 17 counties are funneled here.

In this mid-sized city known for excellence in medicine, music, and technology, the homicide rate is higher per capita than in Chicago, typically one of the nation’s most violent cities. The trauma division reports a 25 percent

increase in severely injured patients, a 30 percent increase in trauma surgeries, and a “stunning” 90 percent increase in gunshot wounds compared to last year, says Acute Care Division Chief Mark Gestring, MD. The division handles the trauma program, emergency general surgery, the Kessler Trauma Center, and Kessler Burn Center.

“The other change has been in the brazenness of this violence—middle of the day, middle of the week, kids around,” says Gestring.

In an effort to help stem the violence that brings trauma patients into the hospital, the division has expanded its efforts to engage with the community, joining with local groups to build stronger connections between the community and the organizations that serve it. It also participates in the national Stop the Bleed initiative to train bystanders in emergency procedures.

And as the region’s sole trauma educator, the division trains teams in smaller hospitals on procedures for stabilizing seriously injured patients in preparation for transfer to the Medical Center. A new “trauma truck” allows the division to offer the course at the individual hospitals so that more people can be trained efficiently.

Despite the challenges posed by the uncertainty of COVID-19’s mutated march around the nation, the department marches to the beat of its own drum: provide excellent surgical solutions, including use of 3D-printed organs and minimally invasive surgery, and improve patient outcomes. The department has the region’s only programs in pediatric cardiac surgery and living-donor liver transplant, its only nationally accredited program in rectal surgery, and the sole simulation program for robotic surgery.

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COVER STORY: THE FUTURE OF THE SURGEON-SCIENTIST

The Abdominal Transplant and Liver Surgery Division offers the only liver transplant center in upstate New York. Division Chief Roberto Hernandez-Alejandro, MD, and his outstanding team have quadrupled the annual number of liver transplants—last year’s total was 103—since he joined the University five years ago. The division is also a national leader in robotic kidney transplant surgery and performs more than 100 kidney transplants and 50 complex hepatobiliary surgeries each year.

Hernandez-Alejandro has built the region’s only center for living-donor liver surgeries, which averages 15 cases per year, second highest in the state. The center is one of only two programs nationally offering liver transplants to select patients with advanced colorectal liver metastasis, a new hope for patients with nonresectable liver disease.

Last year the division performed seven such surgeries. Patients from around the country seek expert advice from the division, which has added two surgeons to its team.

“My dream,” Hernandez-Alejandro says, “is for our name to mean that this is the place to come for simple liver surgery, complex liver surgery, and liver transplants.”

Currently the process for patients with advanced colorectal liver metastasis involves Roberto Hernandez-Alejandro, MD waiting to see how they respond to chemotherapy. Shortening that lengthy process greatly increases the chances for a successful outcome and reduces the suffering caused by the disease and the chemotherapy treatments, Hernandez-Alejandro says. He has started a consortium with the Cleveland Clinic and Toronto General Hospital to identify transplant patients earlier in the process.

“Life is hard if you are in the middle of the waiting list for a liver,” he says. “We are creating hope for patients so they can live many years more with a good quality of life.”

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Of Pioneers and Giants Although French barber-surgeon Paré would have at least scored his own castle had he saved the brain-addled King Henry II, he created a more enduring legacy by dutifully recording his astute observations and bold experiments to train the next generation of surgical pioneers. Before his investigations, the standard treatment for gunshot victims was a dousing of boiling oil on the wound. Paré found more success with a poultice of chopped onions or a liniment of egg yolks, oil of roses, and turpentine.

The Department of Surgery’s history is replete with its own pioneers who pushed past the boundaries of the known surgical world and then shared that knowledge.

“The place was chock-full of surgical giants,” says Bernard T. Ferrari, JD, MBA (’70, MD ’74), a member of the University’s board of trustees and dean emeritus of Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. “They were really superb surgeons at the top of their careers. It influenced me to become a surgeon.”

“The first time I scrubbed with Dr. Carl Andrus and watched him perform a most elegant kidney transplant surgery, I was hooked for life,” says Robert Montgomery (MD ’87), chair of the Department of Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, and an international authority on transplantation.

“The tradition of surgery at the U of R is storied, and many of the great figures were active when I was there; they were somehow so compelling that they convinced me with their bigger-than-life personalities and dedication to patients to become a surgeon, a pathway I had not anticipated. That tradition lives on today,” Montgomery says.

The department offers residents a significant surgical experience, including training in the latest trends in robotic surgery. In addition to rotations at URMC, trainees do rotations at Highland Hospital, at Rochester General Hospital for private practice experience, and at F.F. Thompson for community hospital experience.

A varied experience is one of the department’s strengths, says Fung, the transplant surgeon at the University of Chicago. As a resident here, Fung appreciated the opportunity to do “bread and butter surgery” at the smaller hospitals before transitioning to more complex surgery at Strong Memorial Hospital.

“The operating experience was very rich, so by the time my residency was over I was a pretty good surgeon,” he says, adding that the program influenced him to institute a similar community surgery program when he joined the Cleveland Clinic.

New to the department’s training methods is a unique program that uses a combination of wet lab, dry lab, and simulation. Also new is a video review, similar to the post-game analyses common in professional sports. Trainees’ performances are reviewed, and they are given specific feedback, such as how to remove physical barriers during a patient interaction or how to turn silence into positive communication.

Bernard T. Ferrari, MD

“We have to prepare them beyond the 1,000 cases and 80 hours a week,” Qi says. “That’s the medicine part and then there are the arts.”

There is also an art to selecting the next crop of surgeons who will continue the Rochester legacy. Since all of the applicants have similar academic backgrounds, Linehan looks for more nuanced qualities such as passion and collegiality. He personally conducts a 10-minute interview with the top 100 applicants—selected from a pool of about 700—for the seven available resident spots.

Robert Montgomery, MD

Qi notes that an applicant’s outside interests such as musicianship or athletics are important because they reveal a balanced perspective in life and a deeper understanding of the fortitude needed to overcome setbacks.

Linehan also looks for a willingness to challenge the status quo, which is a key tenet of his plan to embrace change as a pathway to innovation.

Visit rochestermedicine.urmc.edu to meet more of our surgeon-scientists and learn about their work.

“You can’t have an answer,” he says, “if you don’t have a question.”

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COVER STORY: THE FUTURE OF THE SURGEON-SCIENTIST

Not Your Father’s Surgeon The 21st-century surgeon doesn’t necessarily look like your father’s surgeon. Surgeons were historically white men. The few female surgeons were likely to be mistaken for a nurse or an orderly come to collect a lunch tray.

Recent political events have elevated the need for improved diversity, inclusion, and equity to top priorities in the field of medicine and at URMC. In addition to its ongoing diversification efforts, the Department of Surgery formed a committee of surgeons, administrators, nurses, residents, and researchers to address ways in which it can create a more inclusive environment.

“A diverse group brings more to the table, which helps everyone in the department to grow. They bring a different mentality,” says committee Chair Hernandez-Alejandro, who trained in Mexico, Canada, and Japan.

Committee member Qi says she is in favor of moving beyond the standard PowerPoint presentation and adopting a more substantive approach.

“We want to elevate the conversation and thoughtfully introduce it, not just as an afterthought or a box to be checked,” says Qi, who credits Linehan for increasing the diversity of faculty and residents.

The committee is moving its conversation beyond the hospital walls to improve access to medicine for members of the local community. One strategy has been to visit local schools and promote the profession. “We try to motivate and stimulate young people so they understand that there is a good future in medicine for you,” says Hernandez-Alejandro.

The department’s efforts to contribute to the ongoing transformation of the gender and ethnicity of surgeons became dramatically obvious in 2017 when the first all-female class of residents graduated.

The class was perfectly timed for the April 2017 cover of The New Yorker magazine, which featured four female surgeons staring down at a patient. Five of the department’s female residents replicated the cover, contributing to tens of thousands of similar tweets sporting the #ILookLikeASurgeon hashtag.

Female surgeons recognize that, while their numbers and acceptance in the field of surgery are growing, they will still encounter those who cast doubt on their professional abilities based on their gender. Some of the women have recounted stories of patient rounds in which patients ask to speak to the male intern in the group instead of the female resident who performed the life-saving surgery.

“They are outstanding surgeons,” Linehan says of the 2017 class.

“I’d let any of them operate on me.”

The AMA noted that “The #ILookLikeASurgeon movement and the subsequent #NYerORCoverChallenge demonstrate the changing face of surgery and the roles of social media in resisting the social and cultural force of long-standing stereotypes.”

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Although the numbers of women and men are near parity in medical school, the AAMC found in 2018 that the percentage of women in surgery is much lower.

“A few years ago I was at a scrub sink, and one medical student said she liked surgery but wanted to have a family,” says Qi, a trauma surgeon who is married and has two daughters. “We’re still facing these age-old stereotypes. If you have a love of the OR and procedures, there are different paths,” she adds, noting that being able to choose from a variety of specialties provides options suitable to various lifestyles.

As the gender and background of surgeons change, so too does the perception of the specialty, long plagued by a reputation of the surgeon as a macho, egotistical, prima donna who hurls insults and instruments at colleagues, belittles everyone in sight, speaks brusquely to patients, and in general exhibits a toxic superiority complex. Hence the oft-repeated joke: “What’s the difference between God and a surgeon? God doesn’t think He’s a surgeon.”

Past surveys found that stereotypes persist to some degree because portrayals in television and film are embedded in the American psyche and can interfere with actual physician-patient interactions. Surgeons were typically portrayed like maverick Hawkeye Pierce of M*A*S*H, whose penchant for disregarding orders and mouthing off was tolerated not only because Colonel Blake was a wimp, but because Hawkeye had mind-blowing surgical skills and could operate on a patient while barreling down a bumpy road in the back of a Jeep. And, perhaps most of all, surgeon clichés were embodied in one arrogant, abusive, bullying, condescending, curmudgeonly, misanthropic, and brilliant television physician: Dr. Gregory House.

An article in the AMA Journal of Ethics in 2018 noted that although stereotypes are “largely a relic of days gone by,” the lingering effects will dissipate only if efforts are made.

Such perceptions appear to be changing overall. A 2019 study discovered that, in contrast to previous studies finding that patients’ impressions of surgeons were typically formed by stereotypes, surgeons were rated as exhibiting more warmth than do television celebrities, police officers, politicians, and elite athletes. While not the highest praise, it’s important because the researchers noted that “perceptions of surgeon warmth and competence influence treatment expectancies and satisfaction with treatment outcomes.”

The unflattering surgical stereotypes are outdated, says Linehan, who does not tolerate boorish, arrogant, or uncivil behavior. He says that unprofessional behavior not only jeopardizes teamwork but can imperil patient safety if team members are afraid to voice concerns to the surgeon.

“As surgeons we’re dealing with life and death all the time with people who are scared out of their minds. We tend to be exacting and demanding because we care about patient safety, but it’s really important to exhibit the highest level of excellence,” Linehan says.

The Surgeon, the Psychologist, and the Patient The wellness revolution may seem like a bohemian plot to sway everyone toward essential oils and yoga with goats. However, the department embraces wellness because a healthy healer is a successful healer.

“We want to keep residents whole as human beings,” Qi says.

“It’s not just about the operation.”

Although residents are limited to an 80-hour work week with shifts of no more than 24 hours, burnout is still a serious issue and has led to national calls for new methods of mitigation. The problem has been linked to higher rates of medical errors, depression, substance abuse, and even suicide. Some residents abandon the practice of medicine altogether.

Residency is inherently rigorous given the amount of training required, but the department believes that self-care does not impinge on learning. Rotations that are clearly unsuitable are adjusted. Time off to go to doctor appointments is built into the schedule. Problems aren’t handled with a just-toughen-up lecture.

If, for example, a resident is upset about losing a patient, Qi helps them process the event and build the resilience needed to cope with the demands of surgical life. Nurturing and surgical training, she says, are not antithetical.

After two months of settling in, interns attend an orientation session and are encouraged to bring guests in person or via videoconferencing. Clinical psychologist Lauren DeCaporale-Ryan, PhD (Flw ’13), the associate program director of the department’s resident wellness program, says that interns are reassured to hear the faculty say they understand intern worries, such as feeling like an imposter. She then “onboards” families and friends by explaining the intense demands of surgical life to help them understand why their budding surgeon may not call often and how to support them by being attuned to signs of burnout or depression.

“Family relationships remain a protective factor and a resource that trainees turn to in times of stress,” DeCaporale-Ryan says.

Lauren DeCaporale-Ryan, PhD

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COVER STORY: THE FUTURE OF THE SURGEON-SCIENTIST

One aspect of wellness is communication; anxiety can be avoided and problems solved if people talk to and also listen to each other.

It’s a legacy thing for Rochester; graduates have always been sort of the John-Boy Waltons of the surgical set.

institution recognizes that communication is part of the core delivery of care,” DeCaporale-Ryan says. The program’s influence is spreading; former residents have contacted her for help in establishing similar programs.

“I think you can tell a Rochester-trained physician in the way they communicate with patients,” says Ferrari, the dean emeritus at Johns Hopkins. “Other programs have that knack, but Rochester more so.”

“As a department, we want people to perform to their best, to perform competently and with empathy and supportive communication. It’s not just about scientific knowledge,” says DeCaporale-Ryan.

“It’s a kinder environment. It’s something that makes Rochester special,” says Qi, who adds that some trainees express shock at discovering that a surgeon can be nice.

To advance these skills, the department instituted a unique coaching program to emphasize communication as a way to build collegiality and forge a closer surgeon-patient relationship. And it’s not just for residents.

“I take high performers and try to make them higher performers,” Linehan says.

“Instead of coaching only the squeaky wheel, we coach the leaders, who then coach the junior faculty.”

Joseph M. Serletti, MD

The communication training is wide-ranging, encompassing “the basics of hello and goodbye and everything in between,” DeCaporale-Ryan says. Some people are skeptical about being asked to polish social interaction. “It feels evaluative for them; they say they hadn’t been trained,” she says. “With time, residents come to appreciate the benefits of the training as it supports efficiency and patient outcomes, and can aid in the establishment of meaningful dialogue.”

DeCaporale-Ryan says that among the physicians she has worked with, surgeons, who tend to be focused and detail-oriented, are also very willing to accept feedback.

When she tells them to smile more, often they do not question it and seek precise clarification. One surgeon asked her to “just tell me for how long—how many seconds.”

The success of the program was measured in a pilot study by Susan McDaniel, PhD, in which participants rated the program at 3.7 on a scale of 4 and said it exceeded their expectations, didn’t interfere with workflow, and increased workplace satisfaction. Patient response has also been positive: “They appreciate that the

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The program’s legacy of strong communication skills has influenced other institutions around the country. Joseph M. Serletti (MD ’82, Res ’87), former chair of Plastic Surgery at URMC and now chief of Penn Medicine Plastic Surgery, recalls that his medical school interview here was unlike those he had elsewhere because he was “interviewed as an individual.” Impressed with the interview and the collegiality he experienced during his time at the University, Serletti says he created a similar model at other institutions during his career.

Montgomery had a similar experience as a medical school applicant. He recalls being “struck by how humanely the Admissions staff and faculty treated me. They were genuinely supportive of my nontraditional pathway. They seemed interested in me as an individual and the unique experiences that I brought to the school. This turned out to be a theme for my whole U of R experience.”

The emphasis on communication extends to positive mentoring, which continues to be a bedrock principle in the department.

It was one of the reasons that Ferrari, the University trustee who earned JD and MBA degrees along with his MD, decided to pursue surgery. “Many of the surgeons and residents took time to encourage me when I was a lowly student. I always felt they were in our corner.”

In fact, there was a seminal moment in Ferrari’s budding surgical career when he received kind advice from Rob, a former department chair and international pioneer in vascular surgery. In the operating room, Ferrari was wearing soft contact lenses.

As Rob showed him how to insert a chest tube, “Suddenly, my lens popped out and Dr. Rob grabbed it. I thought, ‘Well, this is the end of my career.’ But Dr. Rob just said ‘I recommend spectacles.’”

The Biopsychosocial Model Ultimately, surgery is about the patient. Linehan says that “being patient-centered is baked into the model.” The department follows the biopsychosocial model of training surgeons to understand the complexities of patient needs, pioneered decades ago by University physicians George Engel, MD, and John Romano, MD, and based on the theory that biological, psychological, and social factors are integral parts of human health. The University is well known for this model, and Linehan is further embedding it into the overall zeitgeist of the department.

In clinical practice, the biopsychosocial approach encourages the physician to understand that self-awareness is a diagnostic and therapeutic tool—that patient relationships are key to providing care and that patients’ life circumstances contribute to understanding their health issues. Using that information, the physician can determine which domains are key to promoting the patient’s health.

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Ferrari remembers that Rob began post-surgery discussions with families by addressing their deepest fears. Even though the purpose of the surgery was to address a vascular issue, Rob knew that families typically worried that cancer could be discovered.

When he did not see any cancer malignancies during the operation, Rob made sure to note that fact immediately.

“The first thing he would say is that there was no cancer,” Ferrari recalls. “I will always remember that.”

Smith, of Columbia University, recalls that the department always put “a high premium” on the patient. “It’s an important tradition,” he says. “If you operate on someone, you take care of them and take personal responsibility for what is happening.”

The surgeon is less effective, Qi says, if there is no understanding of the patient’s life situation and the financial and other life issues inhibiting their ability to recover and stay healthy. A patient may not be able to afford medication, so simply advising them to take it isn’t the entirety of the physician’s role.

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“We will never take for granted the privilege of caring for these patients.”

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This holistic approach diverges from the model promoted by medical educational reformer Abraham Flexner, who was focused on biological factors. “Patients were primarily viewed as serving the academic purposes of the professor . . . . Flexner’s corpus was all nerves without the life blood of caring . . . . The revisions in medical education that are now taking place are re-claiming the rightful eminence of the service component of medicine—the centerpiece of the doctor-patient relationship,” argued Dr. Thomas P. Duffy in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine in 2011.

“The Biopsychosocial Model really resonated with me my first year as I was just returning from a Watson fellowship studying African traditional medicine, and it provided a universal paradigm for the healer/patient relationship,” says Montgomery.

Ferrari didn’t buy into the biopsychosocial philosophy at first.

“At the time I viewed it as psychiatric babble-babble, but I soon realized its power,” he says.

Understanding the patient means engaging with the community in outreach efforts such as events explaining the dangers of opioid use and promoting health care as a rewarding career for youth.

“You can’t get the patient better if you just do the operation,” Linehan says. “We practice in that model. The fourth leg on our stool is community engagement.”

The World Health Organization considers community engagement a social justice issue and a critical function of health care organizations in delivering care that is “geographically, financially, and culturally accessible.”

“We will never take for granted the privilege of caring for these patients,” Linehan says. “At the end of the day, that’s why we’re here.”

A department video echoes that message, saying that the research, training, and practice exist for only one reason. Then two words pass soundlessly across the screen—our patients.

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Department of Surgery Divisions and Highlights Abdominal Transplant and Liver Surgery Chief: Roberto HernandezAlejandro, MD

Department Chair Promotes ‘We Can Do This’ Atmosphere

Highlights: Innovative leader in several areas of transplant care; live-donor liver transplant program for colorectal metastases has been caring for patients from across the country who are seeking this specialized life-prolonging option; transplant team is also a leader in the Northeast for robotic kidney transplant surgery.

David C. Linehan, MD

When David C. Linehan, MD, considered joining URMC, he wasn’t deterred by The Flower City’s snowy winters and dearth of sunshine. The Boston native Linehan looked forward to four distinct seasons and that Rochester has many of the advantages of a big city but without disadvantages such as clogged highways, he says, adding that proximity to the Finger Lakes is also a draw because he prefers outdoor activities.

Hiring Linehan was a coup for the University; the surgical oncologist is internationally known for his research into new treatments for pancreatic cancer. “It’s difficult to lose patients, but treating them with curative intent and helping them survive is rewarding,” he says. “There’s still hope.”

As a department leader, Linehan is roundly praised. Researcher Scott Gerber, PhD, says Linehan instills confidence and trust and promotes a “we can do this” atmosphere.

“Dr. Linehan fits in very well with the tone and collegiality of the department,” says trauma surgeon Yanjie Qi, MD, “He has a good sense of humor and has confidence without bravado.”

The department’s strategic plan was generated by faculty members and division chiefs, Linehan says, defining his leadership style as “distributive.”

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Believing that a leader should remain in the trenches, he maintains an active practice caring for cancer patients with complex surgical problems.

Linehan graduated from Dartmouth College, earned his medical degree at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and completed his residency at Deaconess-Harvard Surgical Service.

He was chief resident in Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

After a fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Linehan was the Kristen Ann Carr Fellow in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

He was then recruited to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., where he was the Neidorff Family and Robert C. Packman Professor of Surgery and chief of the Division of Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic, and Gastrointestinal Surgery.

Linehan’s wife, Janice, is a former physician assistant in thoracic surgery and lung transplantation and now serves as the ombudsman at Monroe Community Hospital. They have two sons; Benjamin, 22, is in the Navy and Eric, 20, is a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Acute Care Surgery Chief: Mark L. Gestring, MD Highlights: Region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma; a statewide leader in “Stop the Bleed” education, training, and advocacy; trauma team continues to focus on community outreach and engagement and is the region’s only source of trauma education for medical professionals.

Bariatric and GI Surgery at Highland Hospital Chief: Joseph A. Johnson, MD (Res ’93) Highlights: Holds a leadership role in Highland Hospital’s Obesity Medicine Service; anticipates publishing data for Bariatric Surgery Targeting Opioid Prescriptions (BSTOP), the preliminary data for which is very promising; collaborating with the Department of Orthopaedics to recruit patients for the Surgical Weight Loss to Improve Functional Status Trajectories Following Total Knee Arthroplasty (SWIFT).

COVER STORY: THE FUTURE OF THE SURGEON-SCIENTIST

Cardiac Surgery Chief: Peter Knight, MD (Flw ’87) Highlights: National leader in use of mechanical pumps; leader in minimally invasive techniques for valve surgery and ventricular assist devices; one of 14 cardiac surgery teams in the nation to earn a Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award from the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation.

Colorectal Surgery Chief: Larissa K.F. Temple, MD Highlights: Ongoing programmatic growth with increased volumes; multidisciplinary collaborative efforts and regional expansion; first program in Northeast to receive designation by the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer.

Surgical Oncology Chief: Darren Carpizo, MD Highlights: Expanded programs in breast, endocrine, and skin/soft tissue service lines; regional leader in minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques; highest volumes in region in the areas of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic, endocrine, and melanoma; leads the department in terms of NIH-funded surgeon-scientists who continue to gain both federal and non-federal grants.

Pediatric Surgery Chief: Marjorie J. Arca, MD Highlights: Seeking Level 1 Children’s Surgery Verification from the American College of Surgeons; creating a Comprehensive Digestive Health Center with Golisano Children’s Hospital; ranks in the top quartile among 150 children’s centers in 30-day outcomes for surgical patients.

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Chief: Howard N. Langstein, MD Highlights: Focused on delivering a superior patient and family experience from pre-operative to inpatient post-operative care; established lab for nerve regeneration research; expanded surgical capabilities, including gender affirming and lymphedema surgeries; the destination for pediatric and craniofacial surgery.

Thoracic and Foregut Surgery Chief: Carolyn E. Jones, MD (Res ’03) Highlights: Performs the most minimally invasive surgeries in upstate New York, including minimally invasive esophagectomy, VATS, robotic lobectomy, and benign esophageal and gastric surgery; expanded new technologies such as a “virtual clinic” for patient care; visiting schools to stem national increases in rates of smoking and vaping.

Vascular Surgery Chief: Michael C. Stoner, MD Highlights: Performed 200th TCAR procedure at URMC and is considered one of the highestperforming centers in the country for this surgery; seeking national reputation as a Top 20 training program for vascular surgery; researching percutaneous approaches to replace need for surgery.

Regional General Surgery Theodor I. Kaufman, MD Highlights: Working with affiliate leaders at F.F. Thompson, Noyes, St. James, and Jones hospitals to design, organize, and implement an effective, efficient, and consolidated approach to care access and delivery; steadily increasing the types of surgeries being performed in the region that would have previously been done only at Strong.

Supportive Care in Cancer Michelle C. Janelsins-Benton (MS ’05, PhD ’08, MPH ’13) Highlights: Awarded renewal grant of $35 million for cancer research; collaborating with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center on $2 million research project into whether Black and white cancer patients respond differently to immunotherapy treatment.

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Thank You. During the past year, 600+ alumni, patients, and community members gave more than $2.3 million to support COVID-19 research and care at the University.

Because of you, we helped pioneer the treatments and vaccines that are saving lives today, and every day.

You gave generously and selflessly.

And you made life better for our community.

Together, we made a difference.

Together for Rochester #TogetherForRochester

rochester.edu/together

FEATURE STORY: A CENTURY OF DISCOVERY: PHARMACOLOGY & PHYSIOLOGY PROPELS ITS PEOPLE AND THEIR RESEARCH

A Century of Discovery: Pharmacology & Physiology Propels Its People and Their Research

By Robin L. Flanigan

Innovative.

Interdisciplinary.

Internationally renowned.

The Department of Pharmacology and Physiology may be rooted in basic science, but its mission is complex—to be the leader in advancing research of the mechanisms and treatment of human disease; to educate and train the next generation of scientists, clinicians, and scholars; and to cultivate a culture of inclusion and collaboration.

“The department is certainly a vibrant environment where we can pursue our research programs and not be limited by technology that’s available,” says David I. Yule, PhD, who holds the Louis C. Lasagna Professorship in Experimental Therapeutics.

In spite of the disruptions caused by COVID-19, the department realized a number of notable milestones, awards, and achievements in 2020. Among them was receiving New York State approval for a new MS degree in Medical Pharmacology.

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Research conducted in the department’s laboratories has an impact on dozens of diseases and health-related conditions. In addition to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)—characterized by obsessions and compulsions despite the awareness that these behaviors are unproductive—and other neuropsychiatric disorders, they include, among others, wound healing; osteoarthritis; muscular dystrophy; and opiate addiction, dependence, and reward.

Much of that research focuses on ion channels and drug receptors— proteins present in the membrane of all cells—and signaling.

Ion channels form pores in the membrane, which can open and close, and receptors provide specific signals for cells and tissues; channels and receptors control transmission of nerve impulses, contraction of muscles, and secretion of hormones. Together, receptors and ion channels represent that majority of targets by which most clinically used agents work.

David I. Yule, PhD, and V. Kaye Thomas, PhD. ROCHESTER MEDICINE | 2021– V1

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FEATURE STORY: A CENTURY OF DISCOVERY: PHARMACOLOGY & PHYSIOLOGY PROPELS ITS PEOPLE AND THEIR RESEARCH

Appointed chair in 2015, Robert T. Dirksen (MS ’88, PhD ’91) is proud to be among ranks of those who’ve led the department’s growth and progress, which began with Wallace O. Fenn who chaired the Department of Physiology from 1924 to 1959.

“To me, it’s the most interesting part of biology,” says John Lueck, PhD, assistant professor of Pharmacology and Physiology and of Neurology.

Lueck suggests envisioning a house with windows and doors that allow information to pass from the inside to the outside: “Basically, ion channels [and receptors] are the windows and doors of the cell that allow information to be passed inside and out. It’s a very complicated network of events that researchers in this department are looking at in unity—just one ion channel at a time— and how they work together in a symphony of activity.”

Some of the pioneers of receptor and ion channel research, as well as those who have made some of the most significant impacts in the field, received their training, or continue to work, in the department.

Led by Chair Robert T. Dirksen (MS ’88, PhD ’91), the department, which evolved from an expansion of the original Department of Physiology established in 1924, even boasts educating a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. Physiologist Wolfhard Almers (PhD ’71) developed a reputation around the world for his studies of exocytosis and endocytosis, two processes fundamental to almost every cell.

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Another metric showcasing the department’s prestige: From 2015 through 2020, its faculty published more than 250 research studies, many in top-tier, peer-reviewed journals such as Cell, Science, Nature Communications, Science Signaling, and PNAS.

Collective Expertise Between conducting experiments and writing joint grants and papers, collaborative relationships among researchers are standard within the department—as well as with faculty and students in other departments and centers across campus.

One of the strongest and longest-standing links is with the Department of Biomedical Engineering. In fact, former Department of Pharmacology and Physiology faculty member Richard E. Waugh, PhD, helped establish the Department of Biomedical Engineering, where three Pharmacology and Physiology faculty members hold joint appointments.

Pharmacology/Physiology Alumni through the Decades

1970s Theodore Slotkin (PhD ’70) entered the former Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology when it was ranked fourth in the country, largely because Harold Hodge—one of the founders of the Society of Toxicology—had been chairman for many years.

at Duke University. He carries his department’s largest teaching load—10 times the average—and maintains an active laboratory that recently published its 581st peer-reviewed paper.

His research centers around the effects of drugs and neuroactive chemicals on brain development.

He had a specific project in mind, based on his interest in novel chemical scaffolds for psychoactive drugs.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that our brains work through exchange of information at the level of chemical signals,” he says.

The department, small by today’s standards, accommodated what he calls an “unusual—and as I now see it, somewhat impertinent—request.” It provided him, as a second-year student, the chance to serve in a quasi-faculty instructional role, teaching pharmacokinetics to incoming PhD students, and allowed him to “jam a lot of courses together” so he could defend his dissertation after just three years in the program.

Slotkin has made major contributions to our knowledge about maternal and adolescent nicotine/smoking and brain development, neuroactive pesticides, and effects of drugs used in the management of preterm labor. His work has been cited prominently in the Surgeon General’s various reports on tobacco and health, as well as for major regulatory decisions by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration.

“Two attributes of the program were essential to my training and subsequent success: flexibility and opportunity,” he says.

“Exposure to neuroactive chemicals in our environment is making us increasingly stupid,” he says, “and it’s important for us to figure out what’s making us stupid before we’re too stupid to figure it out.”

For the past 50 years, Slotkin has taught PhD-level pharmacokinetics and biostatistics as a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology

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FEATURE STORY: A CENTURY OF DISCOVERY: PHARMACOLOGY & PHYSIOLOGY PROPELS ITS PEOPLE AND THEIR RESEARCH

1980s By the time Eduardo Rios (PhD ’85)—fresh from graduation in Uruguay—got to the then Department of Physiology, Chair Paul Horowitz, PhD, had assembled what Rios calls “a Dream Team” of researchers.

Horowitz had trained with the renowned Alan Hodgkin, who earned the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for defining our current view of the electrical nervous impulse.

Afterward, Hodgkin and Horowitz went on to work on muscle.

By 1978, Horowitz was continuing his research in Rochester with Martin Schneider, PhD, well-known since his time as a postdoc for a major discovery along the lines of Hodgkin’s research.

“I went to work with Martin, hardly believing the privilege of getting into this illustrious clan,” says Rios. “The department at that time was a hothouse of thinking and doing. I would have stayed there forever.”

Today, as professor and director of Rush University Medical Center’s Section of Cellular Signaling in Chicago, Rios feels “lucky for having made further progress along the Hodgkindelineated path.” With postdoc Gustavo Brum, he identified a molecule that converts the electrical impulse from nerves to a signal that starts muscle contraction—important because muscles generate force and movement, as well as perform other crucial functions. For example, their massive glucose consumption, if disrupted, leads to high blood sugar and diabetes.

“Diabetes and muscle signals are much in my mind now,” says Rios.

While Rios is happy that findings from his lab have implications for patients, he reluctantly admits that his passion stems primarily from a desire to understand how molecules, cells, and tissues work—as well as the joy of tinkering with electricity, 3D printers, and computers in the lab.

“It’s great that our findings are good for medicine,” he says, “but they would not be possible without the curiosity and joie d’experimenter that motivates every basic scientist.”

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Interdisciplinary research also takes place with faculty in the departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, and in the centers for Cardiovascular Research and Musculoskeletal Research. For example, Pharmacology and Physiology faculty have well-honed skills when dealing with drug interactions with biological materials, channels, and receptors. Partnering with neurology/neuroscience faculty who treat patients can help them figure out how their molecular- and cellular-level research can lead to new and effective interventions to combat neurological diseases.

“Not to get too folksy about it, but there’s a Midwestern feel to Rochester that translates into an environment that’s somewhat more easygoing,” says John Foxe, PhD, Kilian J. and Caroline F. Schmitt Chair in the Department of Neuroscience. “Not that people aren’t serious here. But they take a bit of time, and maybe are a bit more invested in their colleagues, and so the pathways to interactions across departments tend to be highly collaborative rather than competitive, [the latter being] something many of us who came from other universities would have experienced.”

In a vacuum, basic science, or discovery science, while critical, can at times be slow and incremental. By bringing together people of different and synergistic strengths, collaborative research can be catalytic and so can propel discovery research in transformative ways.

“The bigger questions—cures for Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia—need to be tackled by teams of scientists working across different domains,” says Foxe.

Assistant Professor Whasil Lee, PhD, has dual appointments—in Pharmacology and Physiology and in Biomedical Engineering. She specializes in mechanobiology, an emerging field of science that combines biology, engineering, and biophysics, which she uses to investigate ways to treat cartilage disease.

One of the department’s recent hires, Lee says she needed a device to detect mechanotransduced cellular signals that would help her better understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of cartilage degeneration—so she built one. The device is a combination of three types of existing microscopes and is called a mechano-microscope.

The system is now up and running, and the Lee laboratory has been using this innovative system to capture intracellular Ca2+ signals and monitor cell death in living tissues. While concentrating on activity levels of mechanotransducers in the cells of the knee and rotator cuff, she assembled a multi-disciplinary team that includes Jennifer Jonason, PhD; Sandeep Mannava, MD, PhD; and Devon Anderson, MD, all from Orthopaedics and its Center for Musculoskeletal Research; and Christoph Proschel, PhD, from Biomedical Genetics. Lee has plans to branch out to research human disease-associated mechanotransduction signals of other mechanosensitive tissues.

“I envision myself constructing a comprehensive Mechanosignaling Table of human tissues during my career at URMC,” Lee says.

Meanwhile, novel investigative approaches in the department were buoyed by a 2019 push to significantly expand advanced imaging capabilities.

Using an NIH grant obtained by Yule and V. Kaye Thomas, PhD, the department purchased the first super-resolution microscope in Western New York. The Abberior Expert Line 3D STED microscope allows images to be taken with a higher spatial resolution than with conventional light microscopy, and is being used by researchers across the institution, as well as by investigators from other universities in the region.

For instance, the STED microscope allows Yule, who studies the role of calcium in salivary gland function, to resolve the intimate localization and interaction of proteins within specific subcellular regions of cells that are needed for normal levels of saliva production.

“So I’m seeing different things than I was before,” Yule says. “The bottom line is that if we can visualize things, we can study them.”

Both the STED microscope and a new fluorescence lifetime imaging system open up for faculty and trainees new research questions that relate to the precise localization of proteins in cells. These studies have great potential to reveal important insight—previously not possible—in to the normal working of cells and alterations of these processes in disease.

‘No Barriers Here’ Lauded by colleagues as a visionary, Dirksen has been witness to an infusion of new faculty, energy, ideas, directions, and approaches since he became chair of the department in July 2015.

“We got to a point where there were a lot of full professors and tenured professors, but no assistant professors and very few associate professors,” he says. “The recruitment of six new faculty members since I’ve been in this role has fundamentally changed our demographics and really helped to elevate the esprit de corps of the department.”

That positive energy feeds an atmosphere of cooperation and camaraderie.

“There are no barriers here,” says Lueck.

From left: Denise Hocking, PhD; Angela Glading, PhD; and (seated) Whasil Lee, PhD. ROCHESTER MEDICINE | 2021– V1

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PhD student Halima Aweis with Suzanne Haber, PhD. 32

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When he was doing postdoctoral research at the University of Iowa, Lueck had to walk to different floors—and sometimes different buildings—to share ideas with colleagues within his department. At URMC, those who work in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology largely share the same floor of the same building.

“Your ideas just become better when you’re in that type of environment,” he continues. “When you have lots of collaborative interactions happening daily, you know you’re eventually going to hit on something that will make a difference in your research.”

Lueck has two lines of research that both revolve around RNA. One involves developing innovative, RNA-based therapies for genetically-inherited diseases resulting from nonsense mutations.

In support of this cutting-edge research, he is one of two Medical Center investigators—the other is Denise C. Hocking, PhD—to be awarded an inaugural Empire Discovery Institute Grant. With this support he aims to evaluate the therapeutic promise of suppressor tRNA technologies, a field he has helped rejuvenate, for treatment of so-called nonsense-associated diseases that affect 10 to 20 percent of individuals with genetic diseases.

In addition, Lueck is investigating the mechanisms behind skeletal muscle weakness in myotonic dystrophy type 1, the most common muscular dystrophy in adults. In collaboration with Charles A. Thornton, MD (Flw ’90, Flw ’92), professor of Neurology and Saunders Family Distinguished Professor in Neuromuscular Research, they are working to understand the mechanistic link between the genetic lesion and altered skeletal muscle function that may lead to a viable therapeutic target.

Hocking, professor of Pharmacology and Physiology, and of Biomedical Engineering, has shown that topical application of small engineered proteins that mimic the extracellular matrix protein, fibronectin, to skin wounds in diabetic mice increases the rate of healing. The Discovery award will advance one of those proteins, known as Chimectin, first in animal models of diabetes and then, potentially, in the clinic, for the healing of diabetic wounds.

Grants like these are important because significant funding is required to do this type of work. The department manages more than $10 million in outside research funds annually—earning $8.4 million from the National Institutes of Health alone in FY19—and has an additional $9.7 million in pending proposals.

Suzanne N. Haber, PhD, who heads the Silvio O. Conte Center for Research in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, secured a highly coveted five-year, $10 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health—twice—to study how neural pathways in the brain can be stimulated to help understand and treat OCD. With joint appointments in the departments of Pharmacology and Physiology, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Brain and Cognitive Science, Haber would like more attention given to this chronic, understudied psychiatric illness.

1990s Henry M. Colecraft (PhD ’96) always held a deep appreciation for the hands-off style of his mentor, Shey-Shing Sheu, PhD, while at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Colecraft fondly remembers being allowed to explore his own ideas in the lab—for better or worse.

“You make a lot of mistakes that way, but it does instill in you a sense of confidence, once you come out on the other side, that you can come up with a project that makes sense and that people would be interested in,” he says. “You learn to be able to think independently.”

In Sheu’s lab, Colecraft developed an approach to figure out why and how, depending upon the conditions set on it, a receptor in a heart cell could signal the heart to beat either faster or slower.

In Colecraft’s own lab today, as the John C. Dalton Professor of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University Medical Center, he studies ion channels important for the behavior of every cell—particularly channels with mutations that can cause cystic fibrosis, cardiac arrhythmias, and neurological problems such as epilepsy.

“I’m interested in how they function, how mutations in them cause disease, and how we can develop methods to try to alleviate that,” he says.

Colecraft, who has received multiple provisional patents for his work, was approached about three years ago by a physician at Columbia, who had a patient born with multiple disabilities.

Since identifying a mutation in one of the patient’s ion channels associated with the nervous system and brain, Colecraft has been contacted by parents whose children have similar disabilities and are looking for therapies to alleviate symptoms.

“There are no treatments currently for them, and the issue becomes progressive,” he says, “so there are human dimensions to some of what we’re doing that help motivate us to do this work.”

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FEATURE STORY: A CENTURY OF DISCOVERY: PHARMACOLOGY & PHYSIOLOGY PROPELS ITS PEOPLE AND THEIR RESEARCH

2000s Why does one person develop Alzheimer’s disease and another person doesn’t?

Kristen O’Connell (PhD ’03) tries to answer that question in her work as an assistant professor and researcher at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. The nonprofit biomedical research institution integrates mouse genetics and human genomics to decipher the genetic and molecular causes of human health and disease.

“We’ve been so successful in getting grant funding because we have a very different perspective on the way the disease process works, and what some of the best approaches to studying the disease actually are,” says O’Connell.

While diseases like Alzheimer’s have a strong genetic component, equally important is the way those genes interact with the environment—and that includes lifestyle and eating habits.

“Diet is a big one because obesity and diabetes are such prevalent conditions, especially in the United States,” O’Connell says, “so it’s really critical that we understand how those situations influence your risk.”

Robert T. Dirksen (MS ’88, PhD ’91), now chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, had just started his lab when he served as O’Connell’s advisor. She was taken with the way he thought about science—about the questions and the problems.

“He established the foundation on which every subsequent experience got filtered through,” she says.

O’Connell says, given that researchers get training in biology, statistics, and analysis but receive little guidance with mentorship and management, she drew inspiration from Dirksen when she was setting up her own lab a decade ago.

Her work continues to be inspired by another person from her past—her grandmother, who helped raise her and passed away from Alzheimer’s four years ago.

“We fundamentally haven’t had any significant breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s research—ever—so I guess it’s almost a sense of obligation,” O’Connell says. “If I can do something to help, then I really feel like I should.”

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Through the Conte Center, Haber’s lab has employed deep brain stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation—currently used as therapeutic approaches—to probe particular dysfunctional circuits in the brain.

Specifically, these studies start with experiments that improve our understanding of the complex connections of association cortex and how functional networks are organized in the normal brain. The networks studied are those that modulate behavioral flexibility—brain regions that work together to evaluate previous experience coupled with a changing environment. The inability to change behavioral responses despite a potential negative outcome is one hallmark of OCD. However, this behavioral inflexibility is not unique to OCD and can be observed in other disorders.

“As these networks are identified, the next step is to develop therapeutic approaches that specifically target the circuits connecting them,” says Haber.

Importantly, these connections are also linked to a wide range of other psychiatric disorders, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction, so the work is expected to have broad implications that reach well beyond OCD. Haber’s grants extend beyond Rochester. As the parent institution for the Conte Center, URMC subcontracts with Harvard University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Puerto Rico, and Brown University.

Diversity in Leadership Gender diversity is one aspect of the department’s culture that has helped cement its reputation as a leader among the top research universities in the world.

The department has a long history of outstanding and successful female faculty members. Currently, half of the full professors and 40 percent of all faculty in the department are women. In addition, three key leadership positions in the department—associate chair, director of graduate studies, and faculty/staff diversity officer— are headed by female faculty members.

Hocking recently was appointed the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology Faculty and Staff Diversity Officer. She chairs a new Diversity and Inclusion Committee—made up of faculty, staff, and students—charged with making the department a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment for teaching, learning, and working. The committee has developed diversity inclusion and anti-racism statements for the department and has formed an internal educational forum for discussing timely topics on diversity and inclusion.

Associate Chair Jean M. Bidlack (MS ’77, PhD ’79), currently working on developing new therapeutic targets and compounds for treating opioid dependence and tolerance, has been in the department since 1987: “We have been able to get our own labs going and fund our own research, where we are assisting younger faculty in developing their own careers. It becomes a pipeline within the department.”

From left; Jean Bidlack, PhD; Robert Dirksen, PhD; and John Lueck, PhD. ROCHESTER MEDICINE | 2021– V1

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FEATURE STORY: A CENTURY OF DISCOVERY: PHARMACOLOGY & PHYSIOLOGY PROPELS ITS PEOPLE AND THEIR RESEARCH

2010s Occasionally while creating content for a digital medical communications company, Jesi Lee Anne To (PhD ’18) will be transported back to the lab of her Department of Pharmacology and Physiology advisor, Alan V. Smrcka, PhD. “Sometimes when I’m writing, I think, ‘I remember doing an experiment like this,’” says To, whose work at INVIVO Communications in Toronto involves educating doctors, and periodically, patients, about diseases and pharmaceutical drugs.

To recalls appreciating Smrcka’s guidance and direction, a perfect blend of assistance and distant observation for a student who wanted a mentor “who was not hands-off, but wasn’t on your back all the time.”

In Smrcka’s lab, To focused on small molecule inhibitors.

Through a collaborative project with an investigator in URMC’s Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, she used those small molecule inhibitors to study whether a drug was beneficial in treating lupus, an autoimmune disorder.

“All of that, from the basic science to the clinical side, was a good foundation for me as a medical writer,” she says.

As director of the Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology Graduate Program, Associate Professor Angela Glading, PhD, emphasizes that the department’s dedication to training graduate students is something else that brings them together.

In her own work, she has been collaborating with Professor James McGrath, PhD, in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, where Glading holds a joint appointment as an associate professor. Together, they are simulating inflammatory responses that compromise the blood-brain barrier—special vessels in the brain that tightly regulate what enters the brain from the bloodstream.

As for the graduate students themselves, they are ambitious and open to all sorts of possibilities.

“As a small department with relatively small labs, our students are really critical to our research mission,” says Glading. “And so we make a concerted effort to make sure they are really well-trained and well-positioned to launch into any career in science when they leave our hallways.”

According to Lueck, they are in the constant company of people incredibly devoted to their craft.

“What we find out isn’t always translated to a therapy,” he says.

“But everything we find out in the cell is important and will give us new information about how something works, which can become very important for translation later, regardless.”

To covers different therapeutic areas—writing copy to accompany animation, videos, augmented reality, and virtual reality—and finds her work meaningful.

“I convey the entire story, from when a drug started out in animal studies to the clinical findings,” she explains.

“It’s interesting to get the whole picture.”

Knowing that whole picture provides opportunities for improvement.

Adds To: “What are the positive effects? What are the negative effects? Where are the loopholes? Knowing the whole story allows you to calculate the answers and think about the future.”

From left: Halima Aweis, PhD student; Julia Lehman, MD; Amanda O’Donnell, lab technician; and Suzanne Haber, PhD. 36

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2020s Emma Norris (PhD ’20) joined the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology specifically to work under the mentorship of Denise C. Hocking, PhD, after spending the summer in her lab as an undergraduate in 2012.

“She recognized that, for me, it was important not only to be doing science, but to be out talking to people about science,” recalls Norris. “That gave me new energy to come into the lab every day.”

A clarinet player since fifth grade and a serious musician in college, Norris is interested in using the physical effects of sound to influence biology.

Working at the intersection of cellular physiology and biomedical acoustics, Norris needed a training environment in which she could access expertise in both areas—and the department’s strong collaborative relationship with the Biomedical Engineering department made that possible.

“We are living in a global society where the contributions of science to improving human livelihood aren’t always fully appreciated and are even actively denied,” Norris says.

“Science communication has an important role to play. And in order to succeed as communicators, scientists have a lot of work to do ourselves to really understand where our audiences are coming from.”

As her PhD research progressively narrowed, Norris began looking for opportunities to educate the public about science communication. She co-organized the local March for Science in 2017, and cofounded a nonprofit organization that hosts community events promoting scientific research—and the important social and ethical conversations that grow out of it.

In addition to her most recent research studying the small intestines both during homeostasis and during interactions with pathogens, Norris is at work on a novel, inspired in part by her own experiences as a scientist-in-training.

“It’s definitely not a conventional path,” she notes of her scientific journey. “But it really reaffirms what I’ve found throughout my training—that our department is a place where trainees pursuing new ideas, and sometimes unconventional career paths, will find support.”

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TRIBUTE: PAUL GRINER

PATIENT AND PHYSICIAN—

changed forever

By Barbara Ficarra

By 1975, when he met Douglas Handler, Paul Griner (MD ’59, Res ’65, Flw ’65) had a long history with Strong Memorial Hospital and the School of Medicine and Dentistry, where he had graduated with honors and where he was at the time a hematologist and professor of Medicine.

Handler recalls his experience more than four decades ago: “When you survive a near-fatal catastrophic illness, it changes you.

It marks you for life.”

The same could be said of Griner, who saved him. As they battled 20-year-old Handler’s illness, both were changed forever.

Douglas Handler

Handler nearly died, but with the help of Griner and his medical team, he fought back like the champion runner he was. Griner brought his medical skills and experience— and tenacity—to one of his toughest cases.

He searched for a cause, grappled for a cure.

He unraveled a mystery and introduced a treatment for adult patients for an ailment that had almost always been fatal.

In 1975, Douglas Handler was an elite college runner in Ottawa, Kansas. The Fairport, New York, native was “… 6 feet, 160 pounds of muscle.”

During his school years, Handler worked summers at Eastman Kodak Company, shoveling industrial waste into the fires at a sweltering steam-boiler plant. Working 21 days on, four off, he still had energy to burn: During breaks, he’d run up and down the stairs just for the workout.

But in the summer of 1975, Handler’s body began failing.

“I was taking naps at lunchtime and sleeping like a dead man,” he remembers. “My heart rate up a flight of stairs was 225. I had petechiae all over my body—small, spontaneous-burst blood vessels.”

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Paul Griner, MD In August, Handler had a check-up at a health clinic in Rochester before heading back to school and was told he had a sinus infection.

“I headed out for the 1100-mile drive to Kansas—or so I thought,” Handler says. He usually drove straight through, but this time fatigue forced him to stop in Missouri. He blacked out by the hotel pool, hitting his head, but the next day went on to Ottawa.

Then came the blurred vision: “I thought, this is what it is! I just need glasses.”

But at the hospital, physicians saw retinal hemorrhaging.

Against advice, Handler drove himself to a medical center in Lawrence, collapsing in the emergency entrance. Doctors there found the problem, but not the cause: Handler was severely anemic, with no white blood cells and no platelets.

“They transfused me with packed red blood cells, and I felt fantastic,” Handler says. The improvement was short-lived. “My parents hauled me back to Rochester and Strong Memorial, where I met Dr. Paul Griner.”

By that time, Griner had cared for thousands of patients. While he was an intern at Massachusetts General in 1960, Boston suffered a serious flu epidemic, not unlike today’s COVID pandemic.

“Over a two-month period, half my patients died,” Griner recalls.

imaging technology—simple X-rays were all that we had.”

Some may think a physician with decades of experience would be stoical about death.

Griner remembers the patients lost and feels it to this day.

No CT, MRI, ultrasound. “You had to rely often on your skills as a listener and observer.”

“I’m ever-grieved over that—watching the suffering. I could burst into tears remembering all these patients I lost 60 years ago. … I feel what providers of today and their patients are going through.”

That perspective may be why Griner remembers Handler’s case so vividly, so many years later. And Griner’s early training at the University of Rochester may be why he was able to save Handler.

“The focus at the School of Medicine and Dentistry was on listening and observing,” Griner says. “Rochester today and back then had a reputation for training young physicians who are really good at the bedside, more so than any medical school in the country. Our instructors understand the importance of learning from the patient.”

About his week’s stay at Strong Memorial in September 1975, Handler says, “They tanked me up with platelets, prednisone, and another steroid in hopes it would spur the bone marrow and kick it back into action. And they sent me home.”

In October, Handler’s body rejected the platelets, which had been collected from multiple donors. November brought a precipitous drop in his white blood cells and a bout of candidiasis. But still no answers.

With no hope of returning to college, Handler had a cousin drive his car back from Kansas and bring back his belongings.

Included was a foot locker. Inside it, in his hospital room, was the answer—undiscovered.

Martin Klemperer, MD, a pediatric hematologist, told Griner about a young patient at Johns Hopkins Hospital who had survived aplastic anemia after treatment with

Griner set a six-week plan to use platelets and red and white cells. If there was no sign of bone-marrow recovery, treatment would be terminated. In November, Handler was given four grams of Cytoxan—a potentially lethal dose.

“And that’s when my appearance, my activity, my constitution wrecked,” Handler says.

“Promise me you will make a decision to live.”

Handler’s weight dropped to 110. He lost his eyebrows and the hair on his head.

A cousin who had served in the army visited. “’Big John’ had seen battlefield wounded who had no chance of living, and they lived,” Handler says. “Others with minor wounds, who should have recovered, died. His perception was that we didn’t fully understand the mental component of medicine—the psychological impact of will power, mental attitude. He said, ‘Promise me you will make a decision to live.

Leave the medicine to the doctors and staff.

You focus on what you can control—what you eat, how much sleep you get, the attitude you bring to this medical floor every day.”

Handler’s discipline as an athlete and his family’s support were assets. His mother, Bette, was “an extraordinary coach, cheerleader, and minister. She bucked up the staff and most of all, me.”

But it wasn’t easy for her to watch. Handler was emaciated—draped in a bathrobe that hung on his gaunt frame. He may have looked like the specter of death, but inside, “I was still that varsity athlete, and I was going to recover, go back to school, and run again.”

Griner looked past his patient’s suffering and saw him that way, too.

Handler taught much to Griner. The case had such an impact on Griner that he documented it in his book, The Power of Patient Stories: Learning Moments in Medicine, a memoir designed as a primer for doctors in training. Griner and his colleagues published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine*.

Listening, and learning, at the bedside A perplexing case like Handler’s tests a physician’s knowledge, skills, patience, and sheer guts. Griner remembers: “We didn’t have

cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), an anti-cancer drug that inhibits the body’s immune system, creating a man-made autoimmune disorder.

Griner told Handler and his parents about this child and suggested the same treatment.

He explained that Douglas could not survive through the continued use of donor cells and platelets—his body’s rejection of them was too profound.

The stakes could not have been higher: The dose needed would likely cause Handler’s death if the bone-marrow cells did not regenerate. But he would die if nothing was done.

“One of the great joys in medicine, even with patients so sick, is getting to know them,” Griner says. “I’d round in the morning and take care of what needed to be done for patients medically. In the afternoon I’d sit by the bedside, and we would talk about anything except why they were in the hospital—their family, my family, the important things.”

But still the unanswered question: Why was Handler dying?

One day, Griner was sitting in the young man’s room and spied the foot locker. He looked through it and found a bottle of pills.

Handler remembers this turning point: “In a rare show of jubilation, Paul said, ‘That’s it!’”

Griner had found the cause of the months-long ordeal: While Handler was on a study program in Mexico in spring 1975, his host family gave him chloramphenicol for a stomach ailment. The drug had been taken off ROCHESTER MEDICINE | 2021– V1

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TRIBUTE: PAUL GRINER the market for human use in the United States in the early 1960s after it was found to cause fatal aplastic anemia in children.

But it was still sold over the counter in Mexico in the 1970s.

“Give us one more week.”

Griner finally knew the “why” of Handler’s aplastic anemia. But the treatment would be a fresh new hell.

Griner replied, “Bette, give us one more week. We agreed on six weeks.”

The medical team used white blood cell transfusions to fight Handler’s recurrent infections, but the infusion of multiple donors’ cells caused his body to rebel.

Handler endured excruciating pain each time the team extracted bone marrow to check for the presence of new cells by driving a large-bore needle into his hip. “I could hear the crunch as they pushed the needle through layers of bone in my hip,” he says. But he also needed new platelets from a single, well-matched donor. Griner found a volunteer.

After five weeks of seeing her son suffer, Bette said to Griner, “You’ve tortured him enough. Let him go. Let God take him.”

The sixth week came a few days before Christmas. Then, another bone marrow aspiration showed the first hopeful sign in months.

“The day before we were to stop, he put out his first batch of white blood cells,” Griner remembers. “The next day, a few more, and then it just exploded—he had a normal number within a week.”

By New Year’s Eve, it was clear Handler would survive.

“I walked out of Strong on January 16th under my own steam,” he says. “And within a month I was swimming laps at the Pittsford YMCA pool.”

“There was a huge team that worked with me to care for him,” Griner said. “Everyone pulled together for this young man, and he told me …, ‘If I live through this I am going to spend the rest of my life being a healthy person, and I’m going to make sure my children do, too.’”

Handler remembers getting those platelets “from the same poor guy. Paul was … dragging this guy in twice, three times a week to sit for two to three hours as they ran a needle in both arms to extract the platelets. To this day I don’t know who he was. But I owe him my life.”

Through all of this, Handler was making history as the first adult patient in the U.S. to receive Cytoxan for aplastic anemia.

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Handler ran the Boston Marathon in 2010—“a lifetime dream for any runner.” He also served on the Blood Services Committee of the American Red Cross to advocate for the organization. Now in his 60s and retired, he’s mostly traded running for bicycling. He and his wife have three children, all of whom are healthy, avid athletes.

Griner looks back on that case, and the rest of his career, with gratitude and pride.

“I have had so many lives at the Medical Center—as a student, resident, fellow, faculty member, hospital CEO, and now as a university trustee. Every one of those lives has been a great privilege for me, and I hope that in each life I’ve lived there, I’ve made the best contribution I could.”

Handler looks back every day on the experience and what he carries from it.

Particularly his memory of Griner.

“He had this military bearing from his Air Force service—42 years old, tall, white lab coat, stethoscope in his pocket. … He had a gravitas, a sobering maturity. He was a terrific role model to me at 21. Tremendous empathy, brilliant listener. ... I still compare all doctors I meet against the standard of Paul Griner.”

World-changing medical discoveries usually happen in laboratories. But they also can happen at the bedside, when a provider listens to and learns from a patient. Griner’s and Handler’s story is a reminder that medicine is as much art, and heart, as it is science.

It brings together caregiver and patient in miraculous ways.

Louis Aledort, MD (’64 Res) and Harvey Alter (UR ’56, MD ’60) were colleagues of Paul Griner as they began their medical training. Known worldwide for their contributions to understanding and treating blood diseases, they share their memories of Griner and SMD training.

In Douglas Handler’s time, aplastic anemia, now proven to be an immune disorder, was always fatal.

Griner’s success in finding a way to treat Handler was a combination of necessity—the patient was going to die otherwise—Griner’s focus on emerging treatments, and his determination to stay with the patient and family through a difficult course of care, Aledort said.

“This guy’s a lucky guy. But more than luck, he was fortunate to have a physician in Paul Griner who was aware of the literature, aware that someone else was doing something unique, and willing to take that option to the family and fully explain the benefit-risk ratio.”

“With Paul having seen an earlier case in Rochester, it was clairvoyant on his part in thinking that this could be an immune-mediated disorder. We’ve made advances in understanding the disease, but it’s still a horrifying diagnosis. We have better ways to treat it, but it’s still a life-threatening illness.”

Throughout his career, Aledort has focused on all facets of treating hemophilia and related bleeding disorders. He received the SMD Humanitarian Award in 2019 for his work in developing programs for treating hemophilia around the world.

What they learn, they carry with them.

When they can, they pass it on to others— forever changed.

He describes Griner’s qualities: “intelligence, intuitiveness, integrity, honesty, fantastic medical abilities, and a true friend.

*“Recovery from Aplastic Anemia after Treatment with Cyclophosphamide.” Baran DT, Griner PF, Klemperer, MR. N Engl J Md, 1976; 295:1522-1523.

“Since we met from day one, the day we started as fellows, we formed a friendship that has lasted. July 1, 1964. We have been close friends since then.”

Alter, Senior Scholar at the NIH Clinical Center’s Department of Transfusion Medicine, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 for his groundbreaking work in transfusion medicine.

Alter noted that the use of Cytoxan for adult aplastic anemia, as in Handler’s case, “was a big breakthrough. There was very little to do for these patients before that. It changed the lives of many of these patients.” The early use of it in Handler’s case was a precursor to better approaches such as stem-cell and bone-marrow transplants.

Alter remembers SMD as “a wonderful place. It primed me, as it did Dr. Griner, for how to approach a patient, how to talk to a patient, examine a patient—it really focused on making good doctors, not good laboratorians.”

“We were in different classes, but I remember Paul being known as the brightest guy in his class.

“Around the country he is considered one of the major academicians—chiefs of medicine, department heads—the kind of people who rise up to lead other physicians.

Very bright and very dedicated; a hard worker. It’s not easy to do what’s he’s done.”

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FACULTY NEWS

Berk Book Provides Roadmap for Recovery Sharing his experience as a physician and a patient, former URMC CEO Bradford C. Berk (MD, PhD ’81) provides a user’s manual in his book, Getting Your Brain and Body Back, for those suffering from the consequences of acute neurological injury.

A professor of Medicine, Cardiology, and Pharmacology and senior vice president for Health Sciences, Berk was serving as CEO when a bicycle accident during Memorial Day weekend in 2009 left him permanently paralyzed. He describes it as a life-transforming episode, as he grappled not only with paralysis and loss of sensation, but also difficulty performing many activities of daily living.

“No one is prepared for the life-changing event of spinal cord injury, stroke, or traumatic brain injury,” said Berk. “In an instant, your world is turned upside down and the future, if you can even picture one, looks terrifying. The reason I wrote this book is to give people all the information I wish I’d known at the time of my accident and beyond.”

The book chronicles Berk’s slow-but-steady improvement in regaining many aspects of his prior life, including participation in sports such as cycling and skiing. Berk details

his path to recovery, which included daily physical therapy and exercise, assistive devices, and a combination of traditional and Chinese medicine. He also discusses coming to terms with the mental and emotional struggles that accompany the “new normal” of people suffering from acute neurological injury.

“The information in this book is meant to educate and inspire people on their rehabilitation and recovery journey,” said Berk. “This isn’t a prescription—it’s intended to empower patients to have more in-depth conversations with their doctor and therapy team.”

Berk stepped down from the CEO position in 2015 to become the founding director of the University of Rochester Neurorestoration Institute. The new initiative builds upon the existing strengths of the Medical Center and University to conduct basic and clinical research in the field, with the goal of becoming a destination for rehabilitation of people with chronic neurologic conditions and a center for excellence in research on restoration of cognitive, motor, and sensory function.

Wilmot Researcher Makes Popular Science List of Game Changers

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Popular Science magazine has named Michael Giacomelli, PhD, assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering and of Optics and a member of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, to its “Brilliant 10” list for 2021.

Wilmot recruited Giacomelli in 2018 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as part of a strategic effort to bring in top talent from top institutions.

He is a member of Wilmot’s Cancer Microenvironment research program.

Giacomelli, who invented a novel imaging device, joins the magazine’s lineup of the most innovative and creative minds of the year. He is studying medical applications for his portable, high-tech imaging machine, which can be rolled on a cart into an operating room so that surgeons can quickly detect whether biopsied tissue is cancerous, and whether cancer cells remain in the margins around the tumor.

His current work focuses on skin cancer.

The magazine compiles its list after reviewing hundreds of candidates from a wide range of disciplines in science and engineering.

Maquat Adds to Prestigious Honors with Alpert, Wolf Awards At a time when RNA biology is making headlines in mainstream media, URMC’s pioneering researcher Lynne E. Maquat, PhD—who has studied RNA since she started her own lab in 1982—continues to gain international notoriety for the science that has driven her remarkable career. Founding director of UR’s Center for RNA Biology and the J. Lowell Orbison Endowed Chair and Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, she was honored this year with both the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize and the 2021 Wolf Prize in Medicine. Maquat shared both awards with Joan Steitz, PhD, Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale School of Medicine.

The Warren Alpert Foundation Prize recognizes work that has improved the understanding, prevention, treatment, or cure of human disease. It is administered

by Harvard Medical School, and 12 of its honorees have gone on to receive Nobel prizes since its inception in 1987.

“The discoveries made by the two award winners are stunning in their elegance and scope,” said Harvard Medical School Dean George Q. Daley.

An internationally acclaimed award, the Wolf Prize in Medicine is given to outstanding scientists from around the world for achievements that benefit mankind. Maquat was selected for “fundamental discoveries in RNA biology that have the potential to better human lives.” Maquat and Steitz shared the Wolf Prize with a third RNA biologist, Adrian Krainer, PhD, of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Maquat has devoted her career to deciphering the many roles that RNA plays in sickness and in health, and is well known for her discovery of nonsensemediated mRNA decay or NMD. One of the major surveillance systems in the body, NMD protects against mistakes in gene expression that lead to disease. Maquat’s lab also revealed that NMD helps our cells adjust to changes in development and in their environment, and to more rapidly respond to certain stimuli.

The Wolf Foundation, which celebrates exceptional achievements in the sciences and the arts, is based in Israel, where Maquat’s quest to unravel the intricacies of NMD began. In 1980 she traveled to Jerusalem to retrieve bone marrow samples from four children suffering from thalassemia major, the most severe form of the inherited blood disorder thalassemia.

Maquat wanted to learn why the children’s marrow contained no beta-globin protein, which is necessary for the oxygencarrying function of red blood cells. Her 1981 breakthrough manuscript, “Unstable beta-globin mRNA in mRNA-deficient beta0 thalassemia,” published in Cell, was the first to reveal the role of NMD in human cells and how it can lead to disease.

“Lynne’s work on nonsense-mediated mRNA decay is the bedrock of an ever-growing body of research on how mRNAs are monitored and regulated,” said SMD Dean Mark B. Taubman, MD. “Her dedication to her science and to the field of RNA biology has opened the door to the development of RNA-based therapeutics for a wide range of disorders that you can’t reach with conventional drugs. We’re thrilled that her contributions are being recognized with these prestigious awards.”

Maquat is the recipient of several other significant honors, including: ■ Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences (2018) ■ Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science (2017) ■ Canada Gairdner International Award (2015) ■ RNA Society’s Lifetime Achievement Awards in Service (2010) and in Science (2017) ■ Election to the National Academy of Medicine (2017), the National Academies of Sciences (2011), and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2006).

RNA secured its place in the public eye in 2020 with the development and approval of multiple mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

Years of research by Maquat, Steitz, and Krainer helped set the stage for the rapid development of these vaccines.

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IN MEMORIAM

Arthroscopic Surgery Pioneer Kenneth DeHaven Dies at 82 A lifelong athlete with a passion for helping fellow sports enthusiasts recover from injury and get back in the game, Kenneth E. DeHaven, MD, died June 20, 2021, in Westminster, Co., at age 82. DeHaven improved treatment options for millions of athletes and non-athletes alike as a pioneer in joint arthroscopic surgery. For more than four decades, he was also a renowned instructor and beloved mentor to generations of young URMC orthopaedic surgeons, many of whom now helm leading sports medicine programs throughout the U.S.

DeHaven was a friend and colleague of Richard Burton, MD (Res ’64), emeritus Marjorie Strong Wehle Professor and chair in Orthopaedics, for 50 years.

“He had the vision to see the potential of joint arthroscopy and the commitment and energy to make it a reality,” Burton said. “He was both a teacher and a learner in this respect; he traveled internationally as a pioneer to exchange ideas with others, and rapidly became the ‘guru’ authority among his peers.”

DeHaven received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1961, where he earned all-East and all-Ivy honors playing for the Dartmouth football team. He graduated cum laude with a BMS from Dartmouth Medical School before earning his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School in 1965. He completed his internship and residency training at Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

The concept of sports medicine was just beginning to take shape while DeHaven was a surgical resident. The then-chair of orthopaedic surgery at Cleveland, C. McCollister “Mac” Evarts (’57, Res ’59, ’Res 64), had recruited H. Royer Collins (MD ’57) to open one of the first sports medicine programs in the country.

DeHaven and Collins began investigating arthroscopy’s potential and traveled to Toronto to learn from Robert Jackson, MD, who was pioneering the use of arthroscopy to repair injuries.

At the time, most orthopaedic surgeons viewed arthroscopy as a passing fad; the technology was mostly used to view and diagnose injury. But by inserting a second device with a probe into the knee, DeHaven began to repair tears while sparing surrounding muscles and tissue. Because of the dearth of blood supply, the assumption was that cartilage couldn’t heal. DeHaven’s research proved the potential for the outer third of the meniscus to regenerate.

Kenneth E. DeHaven, MD “Dr. DeHaven was an incredibly accomplished orthopaedic surgeon who made seminal contributions to our profession, including basic science research and the development of new surgical techniques, and as the president of the largest academic orthopaedic surgery society,” said Paul T. Rubery, MD (Flw ’94), chair and Marjorie Strong Wehle Professor of Orthopaedics. “He did all of this with an energy, a humility, and a commitment that serve as an inspiration to all of us who follow him.”

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“It’s not an overstatement to say his contributions to sports medicine and arthroscopy are immeasurable,” said Michael Maloney, MD (Res ’97, Flw ’98), Dean’s Professor of Orthopaedics and chief of Sports Medicine. “Dr. DeHaven’s discoveries about the meniscus and his efforts to develop and refine arthroscopic surgical techniques have saved many thousands of patients from needing a total knee joint replacement later in life.

“Despite being such a giant in his field, he was such a humble and gracious man. He was always very patient, always willing to spend the extra time explaining things to young athletes and their families,” Maloney said.

When Evarts left Cleveland Clinic to lead Orthopaedics at the University of Rochester, he recruited DeHaven to serve as its first director of Athletic Medicine in 1975. In that era, the emerging specialty of sports medicine was gaining attention for its use by world-class professional athletes. He made sure the highest level of care would be accessible to athletes— and former athletes—at the community level.

“He started working with high school coaches and trainers to develop sports medicine clinics where the kids could come see him and his associates,” Burton said. “This gradually evolved so that most of the high school teams in the Rochester area had a resident assigned to them and often an athletic trainer.” It’s a model the Sports Medicine division employs to this day.

DeHaven was a past president of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the Arthroscopy Association of North America, the International Society of the Knee, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Among many awards, he received the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award from the Cleveland Clinic in 2010 and was frequently listed among the Best Doctors in America for sports medicine, knee surgery, and arthroscopy.

He was a member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife, Jean, and daughter Kathleen. The DeHavens’ son, David, died in 1996.

“Ken DeHaven is a huge part of the tradition and history of Orthopaedics at Rochester, and we are all indebted to both Ken and his wife, Jean, for their tremendous commitment to our community, our department, and the University of Rochester,” Rubery said.

An orthopaedic surgical skills laboratory at URMC bears DeHaven’s name in recognition of his groundbreaking contributions to arthroscopy and his dedication in training future generations of orthopaedic residents.

To provide ongoing support for residents and fellows in the Kenneth DeHaven Arthroscopic Surgical Skills Laboratory, Jean DeHaven established the Kenneth E. DeHaven, MD, Orthopaedic Endowment. To make a gift to the endowment, visit uofr.us/DeHaven or contact Dianne Moll at dianne.moll@rochester.edu.

Irwin Frank, Leading Urologist, Dies at 93 Irwin N. Frank (’50, MD ’54, Res ’59), one of the most influential urologists of the last half-century, died Oct. 18, 2020, at the age of 93.

Through seven decades at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Frank served as chair of Urology, senior director and medical director of Strong Memorial Hospital, and senior associate dean for Clinical Affairs in the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

“Dr. Frank had an impact on many of us throughout the decades,” said Jean Joseph (’92, Res ’94, Res ’98), chair of the Department of Urology. “He contributed immensely to both clinical and administrative aspects of medicine, training countless urologists and administrators who would follow in his footsteps. He remained very involved with our department all the way to the end, serving as an advisor to many of us. His devotion to the field of urology, to our department, and to the Medical Center has been unparalleled. We are grateful for all of his contributions.”

The son of first-generation immigrants, Frank was born on March 24, 1927, at Strong Memorial Hospital. He enlisted in the Navy at age 17, serving during World War II as a radio operator and repairman. He attended the University of Rochester on the GI Bill and completed his internship in surgery and residency in urology at Strong Memorial Hospital.

While he served his entire medical career in Rochester, Frank was a national influence on the field of urology. He held leadership roles that helped advance research and patient care and provided oversight of the U.S. health care system, including as president of the American Urological Association, founding member and president of the New York State Urological Society, and president of the Northeastern Section of the AUA. He was the surgical representative on the executive committee of the Board of Commissioners of JCAHO for more than 10 years.

Frank published his first paper on the cytodiagnosis of prostate cancer in the Journal of Urology in 1952 and went on to author or co-author more than 50 journal publications and numerous textbook chapters on the topics of prostate, kidney, and bladder cancers.

He wrote chapters on urological surgery in Principles of Surgery, which was edited and co-authored by his longtime friend and colleague, the late Seymour Schwartz, MD (Res ’57).

“Dr. Frank was a mentor and role model to generations of medical students and physicians at URMC and beyond, a consummate clinician and educator, and a beloved member of the University community,” said URMC CEO Mark B. Taubman, MD. “He left his mark not only here in Rochester, but on the national stage through his leadership and role in the evolution of the practice of surgery and how we understand and treat urological cancers.”

Frank is survived by sons Gary (Lisa), Steven (Robin), and Larry (Eric); brother Bertram Frank; and granddaughters Casey, Amy, and Rachel Frank. He is predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Marilyn.

The family requests any donations in his honor be sent to the Department of Urology at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

To make a gift, visit uofr.us/urology or contact Diane Quinlisk at diane.quinlisk@rochester.edu.

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urmc.rochester.edu/smd/alumni

Making it possible. “ The journey through medical school was not easy. But it may not have been feasible without the support of generous scholarship donors. Now I’m the first physician in my family, a goal I have been chasing since childhood.”

— KORRY WIRTH (MD ’21) Korry, pictured at right, received the Thomas R. Noonan Scholarship and the Dr. William C. Manchester Memorial Scholarship while attending the School of Medicine and Dentistry. He’s now a surgery resident at Strong Memorial Hospital.

IN MEMORIAM

Word has reached us of the passing of the following alumni and friends.

The School of Medicine and Dentistry expresses its sympathy to their loved ones.

(November 1, 2020, to August 1, 2021) Venkat Aachi (Res ’03)

William M. Hammon (MD ’55)

James M. Burke (MD ’78)

William Shields Hammond (MD ’58)

Norman Oliver Aarestad (MS ’66)

Paul Victor Hoyer (MD ’55)

Robert R. Abbe (MD ’63)

Donald R. Huene (MD ’59, Res ’67)

Marshall E. Atwell (MD ’61, Res ’69)

Kenneth R. Hughes (MD ’61)

Dale Bieber (Res ’80)

Leon Hurwitz (MS ’50, PhD ’53)

Gabriel Bercy-Roberson (’89, MD ’93)

Mary Jane Izzo (’44, MS ’49)

Anthony Bowdler (Flw ’21)

Andrew C. John (MD ’77)

Robert L. Brent (’48, MD ’53, PhD ’55, HNR ’88)

K. Alan Kelts (MD ’71, PhD ’71)

Evan Brodie (MD ’68)

Walter J. Krasavage (MS ’63)

Andrew Ira Brooks (MS ’99, PhD ’00)

Gary Webb Lamphere (MD ’71)

Robert C. Buckingham (MD ’53)

William M. Larson (Res ’65)

Robert E. Canfield (MD ’57)

Stephen Lauterbach (Res ’99)

Raymond L. Chaput (MS ’65)

Jeannine C. Logan (PDC ’97)

Robert L. Chirrona (Res ’79)

Frank Bell Magill (Res ’55)

Lee R. Chutkow (Res ’56)

James A. Manning (Res ’51)

Wesley M. Clapp (MD ’56)

George R. Martin (PhD ’59)

August Curley, Sr. (MS ’80)

Charles Noell Marvin (Res ’88)

Jasper R.L. Daube (MS ’60, MD ’61)

Eleanor (Nicolai) McQuillen (Res ’75)

James C. Daly (MD ’64)

Roger Jess Christine Meyer (Res ’59)

Marlene (Falkenheim) De Lancie (’42, MD ’46)

August Miale (’49, MD ’55)

Frederick W. Dischinger (Res ’63)

John Moran (Res ’71)

Wayne Thomas Dodge (MD ’76)

John Andrew Moreland (Res ’67)

David W. Doner (Res ’69)

Stanley F. Novak (Res ’69)

John R. Doud (MD ’58)

Daniel J. O’Donovan (PhD ’64)

Douglas C. Evans (Res ’55)

John Healy O’Grady (MS ’90)

Michael D. Falkoff (Res ’76)

Marilyn (Guillet) Ott (MS ’52)

Robert J. Fosmoe (MD ’56)

William G. Patrick (Res ’87)

Stanley Owens Foster (MD ’59, Res ’65)

Frederick B. Parker (’58, MD ’62)

Irwin N. Frank (’50, MD ’54, Res ’59)

Laurence Jay Robbins (MD ’75)

John Arthur Frantz (MD ’46)

Fred A. Rogosch (PDC ’87)

Richard Charles Friedman (MD ’66)

Philip K. Russell (MD ’58)

David L. Gandell (Res ’82)

Donald C. Scheck (MD ’55)

Donald H. Gaylor (’45, MD ’49)

David B. Shuttleworth (MD ’65)

John Dean George (MD ’65)

Robert A. Stookey (Res ’69, Res ’74)

Peter G. Gleason (’46, MD ’49)

Thomas Storey (Res ’88)

Robert M. Greendyke (’51, MD ’55, Res ’56)

Howard S. Sturim (MD ’57)

Walter Chapin Griggs (MD ’52)

Jean M. Taylor (MS ’56, PhD ’59)

N. Thorne Griscom (MD ’56)

Kenechi Yamaga (Flw ’71)

Gerard T. Guerinot (Res ’64)

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PHILANTHROPY

On Mentorship: A Conversation with Gina Cuyler When Gina Cuyler (MD ’92, Res ’95) walks into a room, people notice.

“She’s a force,” says one of her mentees, Bianca Duah, a second-year medical student at the School of Medicine and Dentistry (see her story on pages 50-51). “Dr. Cuyler cultivates excellence, stresses accountability, and prepares me for what I might encounter in a certain class or situation—especially as a Black woman in medicine.”

Cuyler is passionate about mentorship and service. In 2015, she co-founded the Black Physicians Network of Greater Rochester, a nonprofit agency that matches role models with underrepresented youth who want to pursue careers in medicine. Then, in 2017, the University honored her with its Presidential Diversity Award, recognizing her contributions at URMC and in the community. In 2018, she published Insider’s Guide to Leading Your Medical Care. In November 2021, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield named Cuyler vice president for health equity and community investments. In this role, she will set the organization’s direction to promote health equity, cultural sensitivity, and community health.

Recently, at the recommendation of SMD’s students and in recognition of Cuyler’s commitment to them, URMC dedicated a multicultural learning space within the school in honor of her. The Dr. Gina Cuyler Wellness Room represents URMC’s revitalized commitment to diversity and inclusion and serves as a place where community, healing, and excellence can coexist.

Gina Cuyler (MD ’92, Res ’95)

Today, Cuyler is co-chair of the University’s Black Alumni Network and has volunteer roles with the University’s Diversity Advisory Council, SMD’s Women in Medicine group, Rochester’s Network Leadership Council, and more. She is also a mentor within the University’s Meliora Collective, an online networking portal for University alumni, students, and friends.

“Few people are as engaged as Dr. Cuyler in the professional development of the next generation of physicians,” says Karen Chance Mercurius, associate vice president of Alumni and Constituent Relations. “She is an authentic, dedicated, and joyful trailblazer who is highly respected by her mentees, colleagues, peers, and the Rochester and medical communities.”

Here, Cuyler offers her insights regarding mentorship, medicine, and more.

What does mentorship mean to you?

Every person has a gift. It’s my responsibility—and my honor—to help people think about what their gift is, what are they good at, and how can they help other people develop their gifts. Mentoring is a bridge to resources—people, places, experiences—that help make each other, and the world, better.

In my experience, mentorship can be formal and informal. I’ve been engaged in The Meliora Collective’s mentoring match program, which has aligned me with stellar Black women pursuing medical careers. Mentoring can also happen anywhere. I encourage people to be open-minded and lead by example. You never know when someone may need guidance.

Who’s your greatest mentor?

First, my mother. She’s a woman of faith and she instilled that faith in me, which has empowered me throughout my life. Then there’s my amazing husband, Lloyd. He always helps put things into perspective for me. There’s also Brenda Lee. She was the dean of students at SMD for many years, including when I was a medical student in the late 1980s. When I was a student, there were problems with subjective grading, exclusivity, and racism. One day, I went to her, weeping, and she said to me, “What are you going to do? Give up?” I’ll never forget that. She was a tough-love kind of person, which is what I needed. It was a time when there weren’t many recourses for unjust actions. No one was

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having diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations back then.

Today, I can draw on those kinds of experiences to help others if they encounter similar situations.

What are the biggest opportunities and challenges at the University and the Medical Center regarding diversity?

Everyone needs to remember the “me” in Meliora. Change starts within each of us. We can’t wait for the next person to do something—we have to take action to make the world better.

It’s about all of us being committed to each other, to our community, and to humanity. We need to build a culture that supports everyone.

Here’s an example of a current project that is doing just that—the Department of Medicine and East High School in Rochester have partnered on a great mentoring program. A variety of our faculty— not just underrepresented faculty, either—are involved, along with our residents and medical students. Working together, they have created a bridge program that is helping many underrepresented youth. They are creating support systems that nurture the gifts these young people have inside them, and they are encouraging them if they are interested in medicine. I mentor some of the residents who lead the group.

Where can people start to make a difference?

I can—and all of us can—help others navigate roadblocks to success. As mentors, we can forewarn them. It’s like, if you are driving down a street for the first time and you didn’t know there

was a pothole around a bend. If I tell you about the pothole, then you know it’s there, and you have some insight regarding how to avoid it. Make sure people know you are out there, that you can help them.

What advice do you have for those interested in a career in medicine? Especially Black women?

Believe. Know that you can do what you’ve set your mind to achieve. If you are in medical school, you’ve proven you have the academic talent needed to succeed. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help either. Even if you don’t know someone but think they can help you, reach out anyway. When things are hard, know that you will grow. When they are wrong or unjust, remember to stand up for change and pass along a positive light.

Read the full interview at uofr.us/Cuyler.

Connect with us Learn more about the University’s Black Alumni Network at uofr.us/BlackAlumniNetwork, and look for the group on The Meliora Collective at thecollective.rochester.edu. Get involved, and help foster a network for personal and professional connection and provide a sense of community and family for alumni of color.

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PHILANTHROPY

Bianca Audrey Duah: Realizing Her Dream to Become a Physician Recipient of the Alice and Stewart Espey Scholarship Fund, the Dr. Robert P. Gulick ’57M (MD) Endowed Scholarship, and the Dr. Robert F. and Isobel P. Murray Scholarship Bianca Audrey Duah’s family came from Ghana, West Africa. She grew up in New York City and was always encouraged to become a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or nurse, as were so many of her friends and neighbors.

“As the children of immigrants, it’s often impressed upon us that these are the specific careers that will provide us social and economic mobility and security,” says Duah, a second-year medical student at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. “And, that’s what our parents want for us—to have a better life than they did.”

Visiting Ghana as a child affirmed her interest in medicine. She noticed that those in her primarily Black, Brown, and African-Caribbean neighborhood were getting the same kinds of illnesses and, subsequently, similar care as those in Ghana. She wanted to know why people in poorer communities suffered in the same ways.

When Duah was a teenager, people recognized her potential. In high school, she applied for and was given a four-year college scholarship from The New York Times. She then attended Brown University, where she was awarded a second scholarship funded by generous donors. She left college debt-free and confident that she’d pursue medicine.

Bianca Audrey Duah (MD ’24)

“Medical school is a distinctive experience—you can’t work, and you have to rely on others,” she says. “I owe so much to my medical school scholarship donors, who are making it possible for people like me to become physicians. Someday, I want to establish a scholarship in my name so that finances won’t be the barrier that prevents someone from realizing their academic and career goals.”

Duah had a lot of first-hand experience with medicine, too. “Both my mother and my younger brother have had chronic medical issues,” she says. As their primary caretaker for many years, she’s gained insight into the health care system and can relate to it from a personal perspective. Duah notes that SMD’s biopsychosocial model resonated with her from the beginning, too—an approach rooted in understanding and treating the whole person.

Bloom Where You Are Planted “I’m from a low-income, underserved community where people stepped up to help others because they struggled, too,” she says. For instance, Duah, who speaks Twi, did a lot of interpreting for her neighbors.

Today, she is applying the same model of service to her medical education—and she’s doing whatever she can to blossom where she is and to help others do the same. For instance, she’s SMD’s chapter president for the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), a group that is comprised of underrepresented medical students. It provides them support, advocacy, and community.

Duah’s also involved in a joint SNMA and Latino Medical School Association medical clinic, called Belton Health Clinic, run twice a month at St. Luke’s Church in downtown Rochester.

“Black, Brown, and Latino students provide acute care, physicals, and counsel to those in the community who don’t have access, time, or other resources,” she says. “It’s all free and all student-led—we are literally meeting people where they are to provide them with needed health care.”

The same students also work with Rochester’s Agape Haven of Abundance, a local organization that strives to reduce poverty by providing food security, health education, and emotional support services to disenfranchised community members. They provide blood pressure screenings, COVID vaccine information, and other support to the community.

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Role Model for Young Girls Duah wants to ensure that women, especially Black and Brown women, feel like they have a place in medicine and in the professional community. To help do this, she’s part of a pipeline project at the Cheryl Speranza Leadership Institute at Our Lady of Mercy, an all-girls private Catholic high school in Rochester.

The project offers a small cohort of underrepresented girls an opportunity to attend the high school free of charge.

“In addition to their core high school curriculum, the girls also get leadership training, connected with various support services, and are plugged into pre-college activities like ones we have at SMD and on the University’s River Campus,” she says. “They get exposed to research and gain experiences they might not have had otherwise. As a mentor in the program, I want them to see that they can be a Black woman and a medical student—that they can be whatever they want to be.”

Looking Ahead Right now, Duah is drawn to a career in orthopaedic surgery, a traditionally white, male-dominated field. That isn’t stopping her though. This past summer, she worked with Rishi Balkissoon, MD, MPH, an orthopaedic surgeon at URMC, through the Nth Dimensions program, which focuses on increasing the number of Black and Brown physicians in orthopedic surgery, radiology, and dermatology. She shadowed Balkissoon in the clinic and in the operating room and conducted research with him.

“Bianca’s level of maturity and perspective makes her a certain shining star as a future physician,” says Balkissoon. “She has a passion for medicine and patient care and an excitement for learning that elevates those around her. I’m hopeful that she maintains her interest in orthopaedic surgery, as I would be pleased to see her as a future colleague.”

In addition, Duah has also shadowed physicians at Wilmot Cancer Institute, where she learned more about the field of oncology as part of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s summer internship program.

When asked where she wants to be in five years, Duah replies, “I hope to be in my second year of residency, learning to be a good doctor, and contributing to the health, happiness, and well-being of my patients.”

Read the full story at uofr.us/BiancaDuah.

Help make it possible.

Consider establishing or supporting a scholarship and help us continue to train exemplary leaders in medicine, regardless of their financial backgrounds. Your gift can change someone’s life.

Contact Melissa Head, executive director of URMC academic programs, at melissa.head@rochester.edu or 585-273-2890 for more information.

New Professorships Advance Research and Care across the Medical Center Endowed professorships play a critical role in recruiting and retaining the highest-quality faculty. They enrich the academic and clinical environment, help attract exceptional students, and serve as tangible symbols that mark the pinnacle of one’s career. For faculty, there are few greater achievements. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the University’s Board of Trustees recently appointed the following faculty members to these newly established named professorships: Lisa A. Beck, MD (Res ’87), appointed as Carol A. and Lowell A. Goldsmith Professor in Dermatology, established with a lead gift from Lowell and Carol Goldsmith Jill Cholette (MD ’99, Res ’03, Flw ’06), appointed as Gordon Family Professor, established by the estate of Shirley P. Gordon David H. Mathews (’94, PhD ’02, MD ’03), appointed as the Lynne E. Maquat Distinguished Professor, established by an anonymous donor Brian Marples, PhD, appointed as the Dr. Sidney H. and Barbara L. Sobel Professor in Radiation Oncology, established by Dr. Sidney H. Sobel and Mrs. Barbara L. Sobel Nimish A. Mohile, MD, appointed as the Ann Aresty Camhi Professor in Neurology, established by the Catherine and Joseph Aresty Foundation and Joseph Aresty Thomas G. O’Connor, PhD (’89), appointed as the Wynne Distinguished Professor, established by an anonymous donor Giovanni Schifitto, MD (Res ’94, Flw ’96), appointed as the Esther Aresty Granite Professor in Neurology, established by the Catherine and Joseph Aresty Foundation and Joseph Aresty ROCHESTER MEDICINE | 2021– V1

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PHILANTHROPY

Pinwheels adorn the River Campus, representing the 1,100+ college students lost to suicide each year

Taking Suicide Out of the Darkness Steven Schonfeld Dedicates His Life to Suicide Prevention In 1968, when Steven Schonfeld (MD ’74) was a 19-year-old college student, his father died by suicide. Thirty years later, his brother also died by suicide.

“My family has been deeply affected by suicide,” says Schonfeld, who retired in 2018 after a 43-year career as an accomplished intensivist/pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist. “We’ve gotten through these tragedies by getting the support we needed.”

But it’s been a difficult road for him, his family, and others affected by suicide.

Steven Schonfeld (MD ’74)

When his father died, Schonfeld was at Brown University, five hours away from his family in Rochester. Nicki, his girlfriend—and now wife of 52 years—was there for him and provided the support he needed.

“Back then, people didn’t know what to do, so they just didn’t talk about it,” he says. “Things are changing, but it’s still an issue that many are hesitant to address. Loss survivors continue to need support well after a suicide death occurs.” Schonfeld adds that suicide is preventable, with the right information, resources, and support systems in place.

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Schonfeld’s personal experience with suicide, his commitment to medicine, and his connection to Rochester led Nicki and him to make the first-ever endowed gift to support the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide (CSPS). The center was founded as the Laboratory for Suicide Studies in 1988 by Eric Caine, MD, now professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry, and Yeates Conwell, MD, professor and vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry, and expanded to become the CSPS in 1998.

“Suicide is still a stigmatized topic that often flies under the radar, and Steve is doing a great deal to change that,” says Conwell.

“Unfortunately, there’s a mismatch between the pressing needs of people and communities affected by suicide and what we can bring to bear to address the problem. But, because of Dr. Schonfeld’s and his wife’s generosity and his willingness to talk about his personal loss, our center can educate more people about suicide risk, assessment, and management, and we can continue to translate our research into practice to help more people.”

The couple’s gift will help support medical student education, bring experts to campus for lectures and meetings, and provide pilot funding to help faculty and trainees pursue novel research in suicide prevention.

Helping others who have been affected by suicide has long been a priority for Schonfeld. For 10 years, he’s been involved in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Over the last three years, he’s been giving “Talk Saves Lives” presentations—including virtual ones during the pandemic—to community and professional groups in the Baltimore area. He often addresses schoolteachers, veterans, older adults, first responders, families and teenagers, and those in the medical and LGBTQ communities.

“Rochester had been in my sights for a while,” says Schonfeld.

“It made sense to set up a program to support the science and study of suicide where I grew up and went to medical school.”

In addition to providing philanthropic support to the CSPS, Schonfeld has also partnered with Conwell and others to provide suicide prevention education to School of Medicine and Dentistry students. He has attended virtual conferences with postdoctoral fellows who are developing careers in suicide prevention research, giving them his distinctive perspective as both a loss survivor and a medical professional.

“It’s vital that we get the word out, move suicide out of the darkness, and help people to see and treat it as the medical condition it is,” he says. “Think about it: With a heart attack, we have to look for warning signs. If we take the same approach to suicide, we can save lives.”

Read the full story about Steven Schonfeld, MD, at uofr.us/Schonfeld.

Facts about suicide ■ Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. ■ In 2019, 47,511 Americans died by suicide ■ In 2019, there were an estimated 1.38M suicide attempts Source: afsp.org/suicide-statistics

Yeates Conwell, professor and vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry

Show your support.

Show your support by making a gift to the Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide at www.urmc.rochester.edu/psychiatry/suicide-prevention, or contact Brenda Geglia, senior director of Advancement for the University of Rochester Medical Center, at brenda.geglia@rochester.edu or 585-465-9450.

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ALUMNI

2021

ALUMNI AWARD WINNERS SELECTED Congratulations to this year’s award winners, who are making an incredible impact at organizations and institutions here in Rochester and around the world. Thank you for your service to the School of Medicine and Dentistry, your patients and trainees, and your communities.

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Alumni Service Award

Alumni Achievement Award

Humanitarian Award

Robert J. Cerfolio (’84, MD ’88)

Cerfolio is executive vice president, vice dean, and COO at NYU Langone Health.

He is chief of the thoracic clinical division and professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the NYU School of Medicine, and director of the NYU Lung Cancer Center. Cerfolio was the first recipient of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association Inspiration Award, in recognition of his contributions and mentorship to medical students, residents, and fellows in cardiothoracic surgery.

Gloria May Culver (MS ’91, PhD ’94) Culver is dean of the University’s School of Arts & Sciences, leading 18 departments and 12 programs, and is a professor in the departments of biology, and biochemistry and biophysics. Her research, which centers on the assembly of ribosomal machinery essential for growth of all cells, has received funding from the NIH for 20 consecutive years, as well as from the American Cancer Society and the National Science Foundation.

Ghinwa K. Dumyati, MD (Res ’89, Flw ’93) Dumyati is professor of medicine in the infectious diseases division at SMD and at the Center for Community Health and Prevention (CCHP). As director of the CCHP’s Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Prevention program, she works with the CDC to study health care-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance. Dumyati received the AMDA’s 2021 Service Award in recognition of her service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ralph F. Stroup (MD ’65)

Stroup is the founder and CEO of Kenyan Health Care Initiatives, a non-profit that has been working in the Central Highlands of Kenya since 2008. Stroup leads efforts to address health care infrastructure, gender equity, and reduction in early childhood marriage and pregnancies. In 2020, Stroup received Yale University’s Robert M. Weiss Teaching Award, given by residents for outstanding teaching and mentorship.

WANT TO NOMINATE AN OUTSTANDING ALUMNUS? The SMD’s Alumni Council recognizes alumni who have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in their professional accomplishments, dedication to underserved populations, and commitment to the ideals of the School. Awards are presented during Meliora Weekend each fall.

To submit a nomination for the 2022 awards, visit uofr.us/SMDawards by March 15, 2022, or contact Katie Mahoney Krenzer at kathleen.m.krenzer@rochester.edu or 585-273-4105.

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New Members Join SMD Alumni Council

Alumni Relations Welcomes New Senior Director

The School of Medicine and Dentistry Alumni Council partners with the Dean and the Office of Alumni Relations to support faculty, administration, students, and alumni. Members serve four-year terms and represent all regions of the United States.

The Council recently welcomed a new president and vice president, as well as five new members at large:

Katie Mahoney Krenzer started as senior director of alumni relations in August 2021.

She comes from Nazareth College and brings more than 15 years of experience in alumni relations, alumni and student engagement, and annual giving. As senior director, Katie will lead alumni and student engagement programs for the School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, and Eastman Institute for Oral Health. She looks forward to connecting with alumni and growing our network of alumni volunteers. Get in touch with Katie at kathleen.m.krenzer@rochester.edu or 585-273-4105.

■ President, Jill Weimer (MD ’97, MS ’04, PhD ’06M), scientist in the Pediatrics and Rare Diseases group at Sanford Research and Chief Scientific Officer at Amicus Therapeutic

Jill Weimer (MD ’97, MS ’04, PhD ’06M), SMD Alumni Council President

■ Vice President, Allison Ramsey (MD ’05, Res ’08M, Flw ’11), allergy and immunology specialist with Rochester Regional Health and clinical assistant professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Members at large:

■ Nanaefua Afoh-Manin (MD ’07), emergency medicine physician for Kaiser Permanente and founder of Shared Harvest Fund

■ Jeannette Perez-Rossello (MD ’95), assistant professor and pediatric radiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital ■ Denia Ramirez-Montealegre (MPH ’01, MS ’04, PhD ’07, Res ’12), pediatric neurologist, University of Tennessee Medical Center

Katie Mahoney Krenzer, Senior Director of Alumni Relations

New Mentorship Program launches Want to make an impact with students, but don’t live in Rochester?

No problem! The Meliora Collective offers many opportunities to get involved virtually, including our new mentorship program.

This year, 24 SMD alumni joined the mentorship program and are working with SMD students to help them prepare for their professional futures. More mentors are needed to meet increased student demand. To sign up or to learn more, visit thecollective.rochester.edu or contact Stephanie Ripley at stephanie.ripley@rochester.edu.

■ Bryan Redmond (MD ’26, PhD ’26), current SMD student ■ Michael Zuscik (MS ’89, PhD ’93), Mark Clayton Professor and vice chair of research orthopaedics, University of Colorado

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CLASS NOTES

MD Alumni If you see any alumni you would like to contact, use the online directory at www.alumniconnections.com/URMC to find address information.

Submit class notes to your class agent or to RochesterMedicineMagazine@urmc. rochester.edu.

Note: MD alumni are listed alphabetically by class. Resident and fellow alumni follow in alphabetical order, and graduate alumni are listed separately in alphabetical order.

1962

Ernest A. Bates, an acclaimed neurosurgeon and life member of the University’s Board of Trustees, received an honorary degree from Johns Hopkins University during their commencement ceremonies in May. In 1954, Bates became the first Black student at Johns Hopkins’ College of Arts and Sciences.

1982

Joseph Serletti, FACS (Res ’88), Henry RoysterWilliam Maul Measey Professor of Surgery and chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Penn Medicine, received the 2021 Clinician of the Year award from the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, in recognition of significant clinical achievement in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery. In addition, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine recognized him with a 2021 Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award, the school’s highest honor bestowed for outstanding professional and personal achievements.

1983

Wayne Sebastianelli (’79, Res ’88) was honored at the Mount Nittany Medical Center’s semi-annual meeting through the creation of a gift fund in his name.

The Dr. Wayne J. Sebastianelli Fund for Leadership Development will expand opportunities for Mount Nittany Health physicians and advanced practice providers to deepen the development of their leadership.

The medical staff made a $10,000 gift to the fund in Sebastianelli’s honor. He has been on faculty at Mount Nittany for 20 years, including 16 years as chief of staff.

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1985

Mark J. Eisenberg, MPH, recently published The Essential MD-PhD Guide. Co-authored

by Andrea L. Cox, MD, professor of Medicine and director of the Medical Scientist Training Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the book provides a complete guide to MD-PhD success, with practical tips and insights from MD-PhD students, recent graduates, and practicing physician-scientists.

Eisenberg currently serves as professor of Medicine and director of the MD-PhD program at McGill University.

1992

Howard Ross has been appointed chair/ surgeon-in-chief of the Hackensack University Medical Center and professor and chair of the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

Board-certified in colon and rectal surgery, Ross specializes in minimally invasive surgical approaches to treating colon and rectal cancer. Most recently, Ross served as vice chair, Department of Surgery; professor and chief, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery; and program director for the general surgery residency at Temple University Health System.

1997

Angelique Levi was recognized by Continental Who’s Who for excellence as a top pathology expert for her work and leadership as the director of Pathology Outreach and an associate professor of Pathology at Yale Medicine. With over 20 years of experience, Levi specializes in general pathology, cytopathology, gynecological pathology, anatomic pathology, and genitourinary pathology, having extensive knowledge of cervical diseases, HPV, and prostate cancer.

Resident & Fellow Alumni Eliana Perrin joined Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of primary care. She previously worked at Duke University as a professor of Pediatrics, division chief for Primary Care Pediatrics, program director for the National Clinician Scholars Program, and founder and director of the Duke Center for Childhood Obesity Research. At Johns Hopkins, Perrin plans to continue her groundbreaking work on early childhood obesity prevention through Greenlight, a primary care intervention program for low-literacy populations that she co-created and has studied.

Megan Gerber (Res ’94) joined Albany Med as division chief of General Internal Medicine and vice chair of the Department of Medicine for Faculty Development. She has also been appointed as an advising dean of the Albany Medical College. She previously served as medical director of women’s health at VA Boston Healthcare System and was associate professor at Boston University School of Medicine.

1998

Lawanza M. Harris (MPH ’05, Res ’07) was appointed vice president of Quality and Regulatory Affairs for the Mount Sinai Health System. In this role, she will provide strategic leadership and oversight for all clinical quality functions across the Health System to achieve organizational goals related to clinical excellence, regulatory compliance, and quality management.

2006

Emmet Whitaker joined Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s Anesthesiology and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Putnam Physicians.

The practice provides general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, obstetric anesthesia, and pain control for procedures conducted at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

2011

Nirav B. Patel attained board certification with the American Board of Plastic Surgery in 2020 and is now a Diplomate of the Board.

He has been a fellow of the American College of Legal Medicine since 2018. He has also opened a private practice in the Atlanta area with a wide range of expertise in plastic, reconstructive, aesthetic (cosmetic), and oculoplastic (eyelid) surgery.

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