The Pulse Newsletter - Spring/Summer 2014

THE PULSE SPRING/SUMMER 2014

AN URSINUS EDUCATION AT WORK: APPLYING THE LIBERAL ARTS TO MEDICINE Alumnus Robert Poole, M.D., 1949, Discusses the Practical Application of Liberal Arts Ideals to Treating the Whole Patient

Robert Poole, M.D., 1949, is grateful to have practiced during what he considers the “Golden Age of Medicine,” the second half of the 20th century.

The now-retired physician owned a family practice in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and was on staff at the Chester County Hospital, acting as Chief of Medical Staff from 1975 to 1977 and serving on their Board of Directors from 1973 to 1997.

During his decades-long career, Dr. Poole watched exciting discoveries be realized and translated into innovative medical practice, leading to longer life expectancies and more predictable outcomes.

But as these new advances continue at breakneck speeds, the art of practice has become more and more specialized, leaving some to wonder about the future of primary care in this country. Dr. Poole believes that the role of a good family doctor remains integral, stating that effective medicine revolves around forging lasting relationships with patients—often spanning multiple generations—and

approaching good health as both quantitative and qualitative.

“Health is not just organic integrity,” says Dr. Poole. “Your stomach, your heart, your lungs, and your brain working correctly—that’s a quantitative dimension to health. But there’s also a qualitative dimension, and that is the happiness and overall well-being of the patient.”

Pre-health education at Ursinus complements this multi-dimensional approach to medicine. By offering students a background in the sciences, supplemented by courses in everything from Philosophy and Ethics to Sociology and even Literature, the curriculum provides a variety of lenses through which to view medical practice.

As Dr. Poole looks back at his own experience as a student at the College, he has fond memories of several courses of study that contributed to his medical approach. Many of the professors whom he most valued and admired were not

Biology teachers—Dr. Charles Mattern in Philosophy, Dr. George Hartzell in German, Dr. Maurice Armstrong in History—and this gave him a unique perspective from which to draw upon for his future career.

Sixty-five years after Dr. Poole graduated from Ursinus, today’s students can traverse the same building hallways and campus walkways feeling confident that the education they are receiving is one that prepares them well for their futures.

With the current health care system in flux, and patient demographics continuing to evolve, a broadly informed liberal arts education has never been more relevant to medical practice in our nation.

Says Dr. Poole, “The need for the well-rounded person working in medicine is acute at this very moment.”

Robert Poole, M.D. is the author of My Uncle Sam Needs a House Call: The Faltering Health of a Great Nation, published in 2011.

BAPS: PREPARING STUDENTS FOR EVERY HEALTH PROFESSION It may come as a bit of a surprise, but Kevin G. Ludwig, V.M.D., 1980, is a practicing veterinarian and a member of BAPS.

student, Dr. Ludwig still found great value in the group as he pursued his interests in animal health.

For years, the Brownback-Anders PreHealth Society was defined as an organization supporting pre-med students exclusively. In fact, the group was actually named the Brownback-Anders Pre-Medical Society. But that is no longer the case.

“It served as an important networking source,” says Dr. Ludwig, who today owns and operates the Animal Clinic of Millville in New Jersey. “As a student, being a member of BAPS allowed me to interact with professionals in allied health fields, both reinforcing my interest in veterinary medicine and opening options for financial aid.”

Today’s BAPS students represent myriad interests, and alumni have pursued a wide variety of professions—physical therapy, nursing, dentistry, pharmaceuticals, and veterinary medicine, like Dr. Ludwig.

While he acknowledges that BAPS was focused on pre-medicine when he was a

Dr. Ludwig is loyal to his Ursinus roots, and is a longtime philanthropic supporter.

He represents the changing face—and interests—of Brownback-Anders at the College.

Dr. Kevin Ludwig, 1980

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PREPARING FOR THE NEXT PANDEMIC

Center for Science and the Common Good Hosts Two-Day Conference on Campus

The bubonic plaque, small pox, polio, HIV, ebola—these are all illnesses that have threatened and/or continue to threaten human civilization. Every day, physicians, researchers, and scientists wage an ongoing battle against diseases that hold the potential to kill thousands or even millions of people. With disease strains constantly mutating, defeating these illnesses is an uphill battle, and we must remain vigilant for the potential next pandemic.

On April 11-12, Ursinus College’s Center for Science and the Common Good, in partnership with the Institute on Science for Global Policy (ISGP) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), held an interactive two-day conference that focused on the topic of pandemic preparedness in our country.

The program was free to registrants who were required to attend both days.

Day One of the conference featured internationally renowned scientists George W. Korch, Senior Science Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Stephen S. Morse, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health; and Kasisomayajula “Vish” Viswanath, Associate Professor, Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health; who debated their respective policy position papers on issues associated with pandemic preparedness and infectious disease. The program was moderated by George H. Atkinson, Executive Director, ISGP, and former Science and Technology Adviser to Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell.

The second day of the conference had participants join small-group caucuses

that were then charged with identifying areas of consensus and actionable next steps to be considered by governmental and societal leaders. Afterwards, these groups came together in a plenary session to synthesize the feedback from the individual caucuses.

Traditionally, ISGP conferences are conducted without attribution and without media engagement, but the ISGP-Ursinus Conference provided students, faculty, and the public with the opportunity to become actively involved with the proceedings. This hands-on learning experience proved truly valuable to those interested in health care and the policies governing its handling. During the weeks ahead, Ursinus students and faculty will work in collaboration with ISGP staff to publish the scientists’ policy position papers in a book that will be available to the public.

ALUMNI, STUDENTS, AND FACULTY ATTEND INAUGURAL CELEBRATION ON CAMPUS On March 19, more than 100 alumni, friends, students, and faculty came together on the Ursinus campus for a special celebration of the Brownback-Anders Pre-Health Society and Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students.

President Bobby Fong opened the evening, as guests had the opportunity to network during a reception and dinner held at the Berman Museum of Art. Dinner remarks from Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion Kelly Sorensen, Ph.D., and student Aubrey Paris, 2015, reflected upon a student-driven global health care model.

The evening concluded with an engaging and informative panel session featuring three alumni: Neil A. Shah, M.D., 2002, Mark B. Woodland, M.D., 1980, and Jane A. Weida, M.D., 1973. The candid conversation centered on topics such as the changing landscape of health care, challenges that health professionals face,

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the role of the liberal arts in medicine, and what today’s students can expect as they pursue their future careers. The session concluded with a Q&A period for attendees.

NEW FACULTY STRENGTHEN SCIENCE PROGRAMS AT URSINUS Meet Our Newest Faculty Members

Ursinus College welcomed several new full- and part-time faculty members to campus last fall, including two who are teaching in the sciences and working with our pre-health students.

Deborah Feairheller, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Health and Exercise Physiology

Jennifer Round, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biology

Dr. Feairheller joined the Health and Exercise Physiology (HEP) Department as a tenure-track assistant professor after having served it previously as an adjunct professor two years ago. She completed her undergraduate degree in Microbiology at Penn State University in 1993 and her Ph.D. in Integrated Physiology at Temple University in 2010. Most recently, she was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Exercise and Metabolic Disease Research Laboratory at UCLA. Her research focuses on how exercise and diet interventions reduce chronic disease risks, in particular obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disease. She teaches Research Methods, Exercise Assessment, and Current Trends in Health.

Dr. Round is a cellular neurobiologist and joined the Biology Department as a tenure-track assistant professor. She is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Rhode Island and earned a Ph.D. at Yale University. She has been an HHMI Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow at Davidson College, where she was also a visiting assistant professor.

Dr. Round’s research focuses on signaling mechanisms that shape neuron morphology during embryonic development using zebra fish as the model organism, and she previously received a National Science Foundation Research in Undergraduate Institutions grant to support her work.

She teaches Cellular Neurobiology, Cell Biology, and Genetics of Health and Disease, as well as other courses at the College.

GAINING HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD

Current Pre-Health Students Utilize Intern- and Extern-ships to Enrich their Academic Studies

As many recent college graduates are aware, more and more employers and graduate schools are turning a keen eye to an applicant’s real-world experience when determining his or her future with the organization.

Ursinus College has worked to develop a robust internship program, helping students to match with semester-long experiential learning opportunities, as well as shorter externships or even single-day shadowing. Some of the organizations with which students have matched include the National Institutes of Health, Pfizer, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

One exciting new partnership of interest to pre-health students is with Einstein Medical Center – Montgomery (EMCM), located in East Norriton, Pennsylvania. Officially launched this spring, the internship is available to two students each spring and fall semester.

Students are identified via an internal application process that requires them to submit a resume, application form, and letter of recommendation from a faculty member. A committee then meets to review applications and make selections, which are forwarded to EMCM. The first students to participate in the EMCM internship were Grant Cooper, 2014, and Dan DeHelian, 2015, who spent the spring semester shadowing health care staff at the hospital.

Of his experience, Cooper says, “This internship has given me the opportunity to take a look at areas of the health care field that have been previously inaccessible to me. It has definitely expanded my perspective.”

DeHelian also found the opportunity meaningful, saying, “I would certainly recommend this opportunity to other pre-health students, especially those with no clinical experience or who haven’t decided on a specialty yet. Because Einstein is such a large network, you get exposed to a number of different branches of medicine.” He continues, “This experience has really solidified my desire to become a doctor.”

YOU CAN BE A MENTOR! Ursinus is always looking for alumni and friends working in the health professions who are willing to allow a student to shadow them for a day or a week, or even longer as part of a more formal internship experience. If you are interested in being a part of this life-changing learning opportunity for students, please reach out to Sharon Hansen, Associate Director for Employer Relations at 610.406.3599 or shansen@ursinus.edu.

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THE PULSE

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! The Pulse is your publication, and so we welcome your feedback and story ideas. Tell us about your own experience as a pre-health student at Ursinus; nominate individuals to be featured in our recurring “Alumni in the Spotlight” column; or maybe you would even like to write an article for the newsletter.

To share your thoughts, email Jacqueline D’Ercole, Director of Advancement Communications and Donor Relations at jdercole@ursinus.edu.

ALUMNI IN THE SPOTLIGHT

James Barrett, M.D., 1964 - Retired Anesthesiologist and Pain Management Specialist

Dr. James Barrett, 1964, is proof that an Ursinus education equips alumni with the skills necessary to build successful and meaningful careers.

Dr. Barrett was an anesthesiologist at The Reading Hospital for 18 years before making an important career transition. In 1994, he received his board certification in Pain Management, and decided to start his own specialty practice. “I was driven, in part, by the desire to connect with patients in a new way during their course of recovery,” says

Dr. Barrett. “I also craved an independence that I was not able to achieve working in anesthesiology in a hospital setting.”

He created the Center for Pain Control, PC, and Wyomissing Surgical Services, an ambulatory surgical center associated with the practice. At the time of Dr. Barrett’s retirement in 2009, the practice had grown to a team of two other physicians and 24 support personnel. He continues to own, in partnership, the medical complex in which his former clinic is located.

MEET A RISING STAR

Class of 2016 Student, Samantha Ha, Participates in Breast Cancer Research

Samantha Ha, 2016, is taking advantage of every moment of her college experience.

A Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, Sam has wasted no time becoming involved in hands-on research with Professor Rebecca Roberts. She has been studying the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) and estrogen on the lysosomal protease, cathepsin, and its corresponding influence on breast cancer.

Sam is a stand-out student, and a Fellow for the Center for Science and the Common

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Good, Bonner Leader, Resident Advisor, and UC Tour Guide. She also participates in Escape Velocity, the student-run dance company. She aspires to become a physician with a focus on public health advocacy.

Sam treasures the relationships she has built with her professors saying, “Every single professor I have had the great pleasure of interacting with has always shown me a genuine passion for their work as well as for their students.”