September 2016 • Vol. 46, No. 8
Mecklenburg Medicine A Publication of the Mecklenburg County Medical Society | www.meckmed.org
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Novant
Together, we can knock out pediatric cancer Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® are bringing world-renowned pediatric care to our region Austin Wilson is more than a cancer survivor, he’s a superhero. And superheroes are always stronger when they join forces. That’s why Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital has joined the St. Jude Affiliate Program to deliver advanced treatments and innovative clinical trials to children in our community battling cancer and blood disorders. The affiliation, known as the St. Jude Affiliate Clinic at Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital, is one of only seven St. Jude affiliate clinics in the nation. We’re proud to bring this level of care closer to home, helping children like Austin focus on bigger things — like saving the world.
Learn more about our affiliation and what it means for the future of pediatric care in our community. NovantHealth.org/Hemby/StJudeClinic
© Novant Health, Inc. 2016 3/16 • GCM-49165
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September 2016 Vol. 46 No. 8
Table of Contents 4 6th Annual Fighting For Women With Fashion Event on October 4 5 President’s Letter: Oh the Noise! Noise! Noise! By Stephen J. Ezzo, MD, President, MCMS
6 NCMS Board Meeting, Mixer and Educational Session 7 MMAE 2016 Holiday House 8 Feature: The Impact of Poverty on Health and Education By Lee McCracken, Contributing Writer
9 MCMS Awards Grants from the Smith Arthritis Fund 10 Member News
OFFICERS President Stephen J. Ezzo, MD Secretary Elizabeth B. Moran, MD Treasurer Scott L. Furney, MD Immediate Past President Simon V. Ward III, MD
BOARD MEMBERS John R. Allbert, MD Maureen L. Beurskens, MD Raymond E. Brown, PA W. Frank Ingram III, MD Stephen R. Keener, MD, MPH Scott S. Lindblom, MD Shivani P. Mehta, MD, MPH Robert L. Mittl, Jr., MD Babak Mokari, DO Cameron B. Simmons, Jr., MD Cheryl L. Walker-McGill, MD, MBA
EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS
10 New Members
Sandi D. Buchanan, Executive Director Mecklenburg County Medical Society
10 Upcoming Meetings & Events 10 Cheryl Walker-McGill, MD, MBA, Elected to Board of Directors of the Federation of State Medical Boards 11 At the Hospitals
Karen Chandler, President Mecklenburg Medical Alliance & Endowment Michelle Conner, DDS, President Charlotte Medical Dental & Pharmaceutical Society Docia E. Hickey, MD NCMS President Darlyne Menscer, MD NCMS Delegate to the AMA
13 Independent Physicians of the Carolinas 13 Charlotte AHEC Course Offerings for September 13 National Health & Wellness Observances for September
Marcus G. Plescia, MD, Health Director Mecklenburg County Health Department Douglas R. Swanson, MD, FACEP, Medical Director Mecklenburg EMS Agency
EXECUTIVE STAFF
13 Advertising Acknowledgements
Executive Director Sandi D. Buchanan
1112 Harding Place, #200, Charlotte, NC 28204 704-376-3688 • FAX 704-376-3173 meckmed@meckmed.org
Finance & Membership Coordinator Stephanie D. Smith Meetings & Special Events Jenny H. Otto
Copyright 2016 Mecklenburg County Medical Society
MECKLENBURG MEDICINE STAFF
Mecklenburg Medicine is published 10 times per year by the Mecklenburg County Medical Society, 1112 Harding Place, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28204. Opinions expressed by authors are their own, and not necessarily those of Mecklenburg Medicine or the Mecklenburg County Medical Society. Mecklenburg Medicine reserves the right to edit all contributions for clarity and length, as well as to reject any material submitted. Mecklenburg Medicine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.
Editor Stephen J. Ezzo, MD
Non-members may subscribe to Mecklenburg Medicine at a cost of $30 per year, or $3.50 per issue, if extra copies are available. Classified Ads: Open to members, nonprofits and non-member individuals only; advance approval of the Managing Editor and advance payment required. Member rate is 0, non-members $20 for the first 30 words; $.75 each additional word. Display Ads: Open to professional entities or commercial businesses. For specifications and rate information, contact Mark Ethridge at mecklenburgmedicine@gmail.com. Acceptance of advertising for this publication in no way constitutes professional approval or endorsement of products or services advertised herein. We welcome your comments and suggestions: Call 704-376-3688 or write Mecklenburg Medicine, c/o Mecklenburg County Medical Society, 1112 Harding Place, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28204.
Managing Editor Sandi D. Buchanan Copy Editors Lee McCracken Stephanie Smith Advertising Mark Ethridge mecklenburgmedicine@gmail.com Editorial Board N. Neil Howell, MD Scott S. Lindblom, MD Jessica Schorr Saxe, MD
Graphic Design — Wade Baker
Mecklenburg Medicine • September 2016 | 3
6th Annual Fighting for Women With Fashion CWA CHARLOTTE WOMEN ATTORNEYS
Fashion Presentation by Dillards and Kendra Scott n Silent Auction and Raffle Tickets on sale now at www.safealliance.org $75 each through October 1 and $85 thereafter
Proceeds benefitting current programs at The Clyde and Ethel Dickson Domestic Violence Shelter
6:30-9:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 4 Design Center Atrium - 1930 Camden Road We would like to wholeheartedly thank our current 2016 Satin Sponsors: Carolinas Healthcare System • Moore & Van Allen • Novant Health • RM Machinery We would like to wholeheartedly thank our current 2016 Linen Sponsors: Arthritis and Osteoporosis Consultants of the Carolinas • Charlotte OB/GYN • Charlotte Radiology • Charlotte Skin and Laser • DHG Wealth Advisors • Eastover OB/GYN • Sodoma Law • Southeast Anesthesia Consultants We would like to wholeheartedly thank our media sponsor WBTV and our in-kind sponsor Therapy Hair Salon & Spa.
Surgical Specialists of Charlotte welcomes Dr. Elizabeth McKeown Dr. Elizabeth McKeown is fellowship-trained in colorectal surgery and board certified by the American Board of Surgery. She has a special interest and expertise in the management of colon and rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases and pelvic issues, along with additional training in minimally invasive approaches to treating and curing these diseases.
Dr. McKeown will see patients at our Mercy and Matthews locations. About Surgical Specialists of Charlotte: From initial consult to follow-up after your patient’s procedure, Surgical Specialists of Charlotte brings a 70-year history of providing leading-edge care. With 26 boardcertified surgeons serving patients across the Carolinas, we are here to meet your surgical needs. Learn more at www.ssclt.com.
Please call 704-364-8100 to refer a patient to any of our area offices. Elizabeth N. McKeown, M.D.
OFFICE LOCATIONS FOR DR. McKEOWN Mercy Medical Plaza Novant Health Matthews Medical Office Building 2001 Vail Avenue, Suite 320 1450 Matthews Township Pkway, Ste. 250 Charlotte, NC 28207 • 704.333.0741 Matthews, NC 28105 • 704.841.1444 AREA LOCATIONS:
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Fort Mill, Huntersville, Matthews, Charlotte, Pineville, Rock Hill, University
President’s Letter
Oh the Noise! Noise! Noise! By Stephen J. Ezzo, MD
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took my car in for service the other day. Okay, so this might not be as gripping a first sentence as, “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen,”1 but I had to start somewhere. In this case, that somewhere led me to yet another interaction with our sensory overloaded world. Apparently, having the TV blaring in the customer lounge was not enough; the company also was playing very loud music throughout the reception area. I’m not talking about classic ’60s/’70s rock. It was the formulaic, soulless tripe that masquerades as “music” today. (No apologies to you Bieber fans out there.) But wait, there’s more! As if this What does it say about left-right combo wasn’t enough of a punch to us that we consider the solar plexus and such distractions a form tympanic membranes, most of the customers of entertainment? Or, who were waiting also more pointedly, that we were talking on their cell phones, of course. desire such things? Have As I sat trying to do we become incapable some administrative work, my usual ability of finding fulfillment in to filter out all the white performing a single-sense noise around me failed. There was just too much activity, such as reading, coming at me, and the early morning hour did writing, or God forbid, not help. So I settled for talking with the person starting the first draft of this letter. (I learned next to us? later that the dealership has quiet cubicles set aside for customers who need to work. I had assumed they were for finalizing car deals.) Still, I did have the opportunity to indulge my passion for writing. What does it say about us that we consider such distractions a form of entertainment? Or, more pointedly, that we desire such things? Have we become incapable of finding fulfillment in performing a single-sense activity, such as reading, writing, or God forbid, talking with the person next to us? Try going to a sporting event — there is no “down” time to discuss what we’ve just witnessed. When the clock is stopped or time is called, on comes the music, scoreboard blasts and strobe lights. Even if you want to chit chat, the ambient noise drowns you out. To paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield, “I went to a music festival the other night and a basketball game broke out.”
Television is no better — and probably worse. Every news/ sports channel has an upper banner, lower banner and side bars with information deemed crucial for our knowledge. Do we really need all this information that we cannot possibly process? I am convinced that only a very small percentage of us can multi-task successfully. Our brains — at least mine — are not wired that way. The paradox is obvious: We are being asked to hyperfocus on so many things that we can’t focus on anything. No wonder the talking heads on these shows are always screaming — they’re trying to get our attention away from all the other stuff running across the screen. For all you X-Files conspiracy theorists out there, perhaps the MilitaryIndustrial-Media-Political Complex does this intentionally to distract us from their agenda. (Do I hear black helicopters above the house?) The list goes on and on — music in stores, restrooms, gas stations. Music is no longer the soundtrack of your life if you can’t choose what to listen to and when to hear it. To me, restaurants are particularly egregious. If I don’t want to talk to anyone while eating, I’ll dine alone. The only exception is the fine Italian restaurant playing Sinatra in the background sotto voce. Pair that with veal saltimbocca and you’re halfway to romance. Perhaps all of this is why we face an ADD crisis in both children and adults. Just watch any children’s cartoon show — the images change every five seconds on average. How can a developing brain learn to focus and concentrate? Even the “quiet” times are not without noise. Think about completing your electronic health records in the solitude of your office (after hours, of course) or at home. Each screen has so many parts with some areas highlighted, others not, that our eyes constantly are being pulled away. While researching various topics for my president’s letters, every Internet page is filled with ads, most disturbingly regarding something I recently viewed. Yes, I understand the ads pay for the website so we don’t have to, and our clicks and purchases are tracked from cradle to grave, but again, the paradox rears its hydra head: Here’s the info you need, but allow us to distract you so you don’t learn what you need to know. But, at least, you bought those distressed jeans. If you’ve not figured this out by now, full disclosure: I am not what you would consider a high-tech dude. I negotiate the digital world with feet shod more in cement galoshes than running shoes. Pretty much anything I write, for work or pleasure, starts scrawled on a legal pad (the better to scribble notes in the margins). So, while I am along the lines of a semi-Luddite, I do recognize not only the inevitability of the digital age, but also the raw power of it. Hold your smartphone in your hand — essentially you have the cumulative knowledge of the world in your palm. That is a powerful and sobering thought.
Mecklenburg Medicine • September 2016 | 5
President’s Letter Where do we find respite in our daily lives? Do we acquiesce under the guise of “progress,” or should we at times rage against the never-dying light and noise? I’m certain you already have found some ways to decrease the extraneous noise: being outdoors, device-free family meals, staring down a 4-footer with more break than you wish. Let me propose another place you might not have considered: the exam room. It is a confined space, usually with no more than three people present. The EHR, or paper chart, is there, but you control your interaction with it. If office policy is followed, cell phones are quieted and rarely disturb. You are literally and figuratively walled off from the questions, labs and preauthorizations, and what noise emerges is a direct result of you and your patient. It is the distillation of medicine in its purest form — you with your patient taking care of his or her needs. Everything else, if only for a while, has melted away. I know all of you find your time with patients the most rewarding aspect of medicine — many of you personally have told me so. I believe it is why many of us chose this profession. For me, when I shut the exam room door, the pleasures and challenges of medicine alone are at the forefront. I’ve always told myself that when I no longer feel that magic, it will be time to step away from clinical care. Many aspects of health care are beyond our control, and there
are so many regulations we are obliged to fulfill. For people who prefer to be in control, this is somewhat of a bitter pill. Whatever we can do that allows us to continue as the helmsman in directing patient care, not only is vital for patients, but for our own health, as well. Shut the door. Pause. Smile. And hear that which is truly important. “We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. We need silence to be able to touch souls.” — Mother Teresa 1. George Orwell, 1984.
Trivia question: In the movie “Godfather II,” there is a scene where the young Fredo Corleone has pneumonia. What ancient therapy do the ladies ministering to him employ in hopes of a cure? Answer on page 10.
NCMS Board Meeting, Mixer and Educational Session
Election of New Officers and Directors for 2017 Ballots for the election of MCMS officers and directors will be sent by email to MCMS members who have an email address on file with the MCMS office. Those who do not have an email address on file will receive a copy by U.S. mail. Return your marked ballot by email to meckmed@ meckmed.org or by U.S. mail to Mecklenburg County Medical Society, 1112 Harding Place, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28204. If returning by U.S. mail, write “BALLOT” on the outside of the envelope. Ballots must be received no later than December 1. Ballots will be counted by an MCMS accountant and teller(s) appointed by the MCMS Board of Directors. Election results will be posted in the January issue of the Mecklenburg Medicine magazine.
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The North Carolina Medical Society Board of Directors met in Charlotte on July 15 at the Ballantyne Resort. The MCMS was well-represented at the Board meeting by several of its Board members and past-presidents. Several pertinent topics, such as Medicaid expansion, were discussed. After the Board meeting, there was a mixer open to MCMS members and guests. The following day, an Opioid Prescribing Educational Session for CME credit was held and was well-attended by MCMS members.
MMAE
Queens Road West Home Selected for MMAE’s
2016 HOLIDAY HOUSE Home for the Holidays Will Open for Public Tours
Mecklenburg Medical Alliance & Endowment (MMAE) has selected the historic Queens Road West home of Robert and Dr. Elizabeth Rostan as its 2016 Holiday House. Some of Charlotte’s finest interior designers, florists, landscape designers and home décor retailers will decorate the home for the holidays, and it will be open for tours November 4-6. The stately Georgian/Colonial home at 1870 Queens Road West was built in 1951 by James Castanas, an immigrant from Greece who founded the Epicurean Restaurant. Before it closed in the 1990s, the Epicurean was known as one of the oldest restaurants in Charlotte, having operated continuously for five decades. One of the elements Castanas had installed in select rooms was ornate Greek key plaster molding. It remains today and is a key feature in the living and dining rooms. In 1956, Castanas sold the house to Bill Berkely, MD, and his family who lived there for 40 years. Dr. Berkely was one of the founders of Charlotte Plastic Surgery. In 2006, Robert and Dr. Elizabeth Rostan purchased the home and oversaw extensive remodeling and expansion. Today, the home is 5,100 square feet and features four bedrooms and five and a half baths. It was recognized with the Myers Park Homeowner’s Association Preservation Award in 2009.
The 2016 Holiday House will open for public tours November 4-5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and November 6 from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets will be available beginning October 1 at all Blacklion locations and online at MMAEonline.com. All Holiday House proceeds directly fund annual community health grants through the MMAE Endowment. In May, MMAE distributed $69,000 to 11 Charlotte-Mecklenburg agencies including Care Ring, Hospitality House, N.C. MedAssist and The Relatives. For a complete list of grant recipients and additional information about the showhouse, visit mmaeonline.com. Find MMAE on Twitter @meckmedalliance, and on Facebook at facebook.com/mmaeonline.
PROPERTY SPOTLIGHT
CAROLINA COMMONS
6237 Carolina Commons Drive | Indian Land, South Carolina
Brackett Flagship Properties, LLC (BFP) is a full-service real estate firm providing comprehensive solutions for our healthcare system and physician clients, including: capital, development, leasing, asset and property management, accounting, marketing, and investment expertise to a diverse, growing, and healthcare-centric portfolio of properties.
Your Healthcare Real Estate Specialists
REED GRIFFITH
Partner, Director of Leasing & Brokerage direct 704-971-8908
TIFFANY SLAYDEN Vice President Leasing & Brokerage direct 704-971-8906
WILL ROBERTSON Associate Leasing & Brokerage direct 704-971-8904
• Medical office available immediately • ± 1,500 - 7,600 SF • Top floor availability • Building and monument signage opportunities • Across the street from CMC-Carolina Lakes Medical Plaza with a significant primary care presence • Adjacent to Sun City Carolina Lakes – an active adult community
Tiffany Slayden
d. 704-971-8906 | tiffany@brackettflagship.com
2701 Coltsgate Road, Suite 300 | Charlotte, North Carolina 28211 | 704-442-0222 | www.brackettflagship.com
Mecklenburg Medicine • September 2016 | 7
Feature
The Impact of Poverty on Health and Education By Lee McCracken, Contributing Writer
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9-month-old child gets his height and weight measured. His doctor talks to the mother about immunizations, nutrition and the trajectory of his physical development. All is well. But what if he were the youngest of three children to a single mother who’s lost her home? Embarrassed to say she’s fallen on hard times and staying with a friend — some nights even sleeping in the car — the mom gives the physician a quiet, strained smile. More than 16 million children in the United States — 22 percent of all children — live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty. The physical, psychological and emotional stress on families and children caught in poverty, and perhaps homelessness, is significant. “The main aim of pediatrics is prevention — Susan Hansell, A Child’s Place … of diseases, injury, emotional problems, developmental and intellectual delays,” says Daniel R. Taylor, DO, an associate professor at the Drexel University College of Medicine and the director of community pediatrics and child advocacy at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. The American Academy of Pediatrics online linked to an op-ed piece by Taylor in the April 25 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. In “A Doctor’s Call for Action on Childhood Poverty,” Taylor charges physicians to add “screening our young patients for health and emotional problems related to poverty” to their prevention toolkit. Susan B. Hansell, executive director of A Child’s Place in Charlotte, agrees. She says that just as physicians are on the front lines of uncovering situations of domestic violence, emergency department docs, pediatricians and other physicians can help look and listen for signs of instability and, perhaps, homelessness. “There’s a physiological reason why some students are very slow in learning to read and why they act out at school,” says Hansell, emphasizing that those with young developing brains adapted for chaotic, unpredictable environments need deliberate and consistent intervention.
“We want to share with physicians and nurses how to listen to and talk with parents who are going through a homeless crisis without embarrassing them.”
Head and Heart
The deficits of poverty on children are numerous and permanent. Articles in JAMA Pediatrics have cited studies proving that the more adversity children encounter, the more likely they are going to grow
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up to be sick adults, often developing hypertension and heart disease. Beyond poor nutrition, the stressors of poverty are unsafe/unstable housing, family turmoil (yelling, swearing and violence) and a lack of parental engagement — even possibly emotional and physical abuse. Sheldon Cohen, PhD, the director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Laboratory for the Study of Stress, Immunity and Disease, says poverty-induced stress can begin shrinking the protective protein caps of chromosomes during early childhood. His 2013 study, published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity, showed a direct association between low socioeconomic status and shortened telomeres. “There are lots of possible pathways that may link low socioeconomic status in childhood to adult disease,” says Cohen. The brain size of children ages birth-3 also is impacted by poverty. Documented scans prove children’s brains can double in size in the first year, and by age 3, most brains have reached 80 percent of their adult size. Not so for poor children. “Poverty is one of the most powerful predictors of poor developmental outcomes for children,” says Joan Luby, MD, the Samuel and Mae S. Ludwig Professor of Child Psychiatry and director of Washington University’s Early Emotional Development Program. Her 2013 study published in JAMA Pediatrics proved poverty is tied directly to structural differences in several areas of the brain — hippocampus and amygdala, as well as smaller volumes of white and cortical gray matter — associated with school readiness skills.
Language, Reading
Experts are beginning to ask that if physicians already are discussing physical development, nutrition and safety in the home with mothers, shouldn’t they also be talking about the trajectory of brain development? “In a perfect world, there would be time during a visit to pediatricians’ offices to learn how the baby spends his or her time and how the mother may need guidance and support,” says Hansell, of A Child’s Place. Comments such as, “Let me tell you why it’s important to talk to your baby in full sentences,” “Do you have books in your home?” and “Do you read to your children?” are just as important as medicine, she advocates. But in poverty and homelessness situations, there often is no family physician and children are taken to the emergency room or move from clinic to clinic. Marion Bish, the executive director of Student Services with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, says her 32 years of working in public education — from elementary school to middle school, and with federally-funded preschool programs — as well as being a grandmother, has proven to her the language deficit among poor child is very real. Bish not only speaks, but also teaches graduate-level classes education/administration at UNC Charlotte, about children’s brains and the achievement gap.
Feature “We have to be intentional about language development,” says Bish. “Most of us can’t imagine a home without books, but 4-year-olds of impoverished families may never have seen how a book is held and opened. They might not know how to flip pages and read from left to right and top to bottom. She adds, “Children bring their home with them to school,” noting paying attention is hard if they are worried about when they’ll get to eat or where they will sleep that night.
Making a Difference in Charlotte
The number of homeless children in Mecklenburg County continues to increase dramatically. Today, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reports a population of more than 4,700 homeless children in its service area. And, the Salvation Army Center of Hope, which hosts Mecklenburg County’s highest concentration of homeless children, reports an average of 200 children sleep there a night, with two-thirds of them being school-age students. According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, these children are sick four times more often than other children, two to three grade levels behind their peers and twice as likely to repeat a grade. But early intervention is making a difference. With federal assistance through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, local agencies have been able to increase their support of homeless children enrolled in public school. A Child’s Place supports families with children in kindergarten through eighth grade by intervening at the point of crisis when a family loses their home. The nonprofit agency identifies and makes referrals around employment, housing, health issues, food,
domestic violence and financial management. During the 20142015 school year, A Child’s Place impacted the lives of 2,132 children. “We hope to engage the medical community in helping us to assess the needs of parents in crisis, so we can connect them with resources,” says Hansell. “Our social workers understand that there are unique challenges in getting information from mothers; they are sensitive to being accused of being ‘bad’ moms.” She continues, “We want to share with physicians and nurses how to listen to and talk with parents who are going through a homeless crisis without embarrassing them.” Working together, the medical community and child development experts can make school a better experience for children in poverty and prepare them for brighter futures.
HOW LOCAL SUPPORT IMPACTS EDUCATION
A Child’s Place reports these stats for the children they served from the 2014-2015 school year, showing that with intervention, children’s attendance can improve: School attendance — The average number of days missed from school were 11, down from 14 in 2013-2014. Chronic absenteeism — Only 19 percent of students were chronically absent, down from 30 percent in 2013-2014. Classroom behavior — Some 79 percent of students did not receive any out-of-school suspensions. — A Child’s Place uses data analyzed by UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute and through United Way of Central Carolinas’ Collective Impact to compile aggregate information about its students.
MCMS AWARDS GRANTS FROM THE SMITH ARTHRITIS FUND By Janice E. Huff, Chair, Smith Arthritis Fund Committee The MCMS Smith Arthritis Fund Committee is pleased to announce three grants totaling $3,000 were awarded in August for programs and studies which benefit, either directly or indirectly, patients who have arthritis. The first grant was awarded to Arthritis Patient Services to provide funding to facilitate four series (32 classes) of the evidence-based nationally recognized program A Matter of Balance: Falls Prevention and assist with upgrades to their website, which will allow for in-house versus contract help in keeping the web pages up to date so arthritis patients and others can have easy access to available program schedules/arthritis selfhelp information. The second grant was awarded to Helen E. Gruber, PhD, Emilio Marrero, PhD, and Edward N. Hanley, Jr., MD, at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center. This grant provides funding for a study entitled “Does Exposure to Proinflammatory Cytokines in 3D Culture Alter Expression of the Chemokine CXCR16 or its Receptor CXCR6 in Human Disc Cells?” The specific aim of the study is to investigate the expression of CXCL16 and its receptor CXCR6 in the human annulus cells under 3D control conditions or during exposure to IL-1β (10-2 pM), or TNF-α (10-3 pM). Chemokines are released in response to stimuli and act as important secondary inflammatory mediators with specialized functions in inflammation. The roles of many of these specialized chemokines and their receptors are as yet poorly understood in the human intervertebral disc. They propose to assess gene
expression for CXCL16 and its receptor CXCR6, in a study of cultured human disc cells under control conditions or when exposed to IL-1β or TNF-α. Findings will help in identification of new potential therapies to battle arthritis and disc degeneration. The third grant was awarded to the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc., North Carolina Chapter. This grant will provide funding to support their 2017 Ask the Experts Educational Series, to continue its efforts in educating individuals living with lupus in Mecklenburg County. Ask the Experts is a series of live education teleconferences and pre-recorded webcasts on a variety of topics designed to provide individuals with important information about living with lupus. Coupled with existing educational and direct support services for individuals living with lupus, this grant will be used to provide lupus educational efforts geared toward increasing knowledge of lupus, its impact, as well as mechanisms that can be utilized to increase the quality of life among individuals with lupus. The Smith Arthritis Fund was established in 1979 when Carolyn Kirkpatrick Smith donated $41,500 for arthritis research. This fund is administered through the Mecklenburg County Medical Society under the guidance of Janice E. Huff, MD, who is the 2015 Chair of the Smith Arthritis Fund Committee, along with H. David Homesley, MD, and Ahmad A. Kashif, MD. The fund is designed to support research projects as they relate to the needs of patients suffering from rheumatologic diseases. Since 1979, more than $79,000 has been awarded.
Mecklenburg Medicine • September 2016 | 9
Member News
NEW MEMBERS Christopher M. Holland, MD Neurological Surgery Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates 110 Lake Concord Road, NE Concord, NC 28025 704-792-2672 Boston University School of Medicine, 2009 Matrika D. Johnson, MD Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Reproductive Endocrinology Associates of Charlotte (REACH) 1524 E. Morehead St. Charlotte, NC 28207 704-343-3400 Wright State University School of Medicine, 2006 Whitney N. Shamp, PA-C Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates 225 Baldwin Ave. Charlotte, NC 28204 704-376-1605 Wake Forest University Physician Assistant Program, 2009 Trivia answer from page 5: Cupping. Hot glasses are placed on the skin to create a suction, which is thought to increase blood flood to the involved area and promote healing.
Upcoming Meetings & Events SEPTEMBER Meetings at MCMS office unless otherwise noted. n
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Monday, Sept. 5 MCMS office closed for Labor Day. Wednesday, Sept. 7, 14, 21, 28 Fighting for Women With Fashion planning meeting. Safe Alliance office. 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13 MedLink meeting. Mecklenburg County Health Department. 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14 MMAE Finance meeting/Board meeting. 9 a.m. / 10 a.m. Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 15-18 NCMS Annual Meeting. M3 Conference: Merging Medicine and Management. Grandover Resort, Greensboro.
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Friday, Sept. 16 Child Health Committee meeting. 7:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 19 MCMS Executive Committee meeting. 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21 Welton Society Fall Luncheon. Charlotte Country Club. 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 22 November/December magazine deadline. Thursday, Sept. 22 CAMGMA meeting. Myers Park Baptist Church Cornwell Center. Noon. Monday, Sept. 26 MCMS Board meeting. 5:15 p.m.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Cheryl Lynn Walker-McGill, MD, MBA, on her election to the Board of Directors of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). The FSMB represents the 70 state and U.S. territory medical boards. Dr. WalkerMcGill is an allergist-immunologist serving the CharlotteMecklenburg area. She serves on the Mecklenburg County Medical Society Board of Directors and is a past president of the Charlotte Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Society and the North Carolina Medical Board. 10 | September 2016 • Mecklenburg Medicine
At the Hospitals Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center Receives Trauma Designation Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center is officially a Level III trauma center. The North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services formally declared this designation at its August meeting in Raleigh. This achievement recognizes that Presbyterian Medical Center meets the state’s criteria to provide around-theclock assessment, resuscitation, stabilization and life-saving intervention to patients experiencing traumatic injury. “Presbyterian Medical Center has a long tradition of providing high-quality care for trauma patients in our community,” says Sidney Fletcher, MD, senior vice president of medical affairs, greater Charlotte market. “This designation validates the exceptional care we provide and allows the 1 million residents of Mecklenburg County and the 2.4 million residents of our surrounding counties to have a choice for their trauma care.” Before 2013, Presbyterian Medical Center had been treating trauma victims transported by Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services n
Elise Herman, MD, Named Behavioral Health Medical Director in Charlotte Dr. Elise Herman was recently named medical director of Novant Health behavioral health services in the greater Charlotte market. Herman’s previous role was inpatient psychiatrist and medical director of behavioral Elise Herman, MD health services at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center. Before joining Novant Health in 2013, Herman completed residency training at Duke University and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif. She received her medical degree from Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, Calif. Herman is board-certified in both psychiatry and addiction medicine. n
New Location in Matthews for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Novant Health Maternal Fetal Medicine has opened a new location in Matthews at 1450 Township Parkway, Suite 410. The clinic provides care for highrisk pregnancies, including ultrasound services, diagnostic procedures and genetic counseling. This location adds to other current clinics operating in Charlotte and Cornelius. The clinic is staffed by David Shaver, MD, John Allbert, MD, Hytham Imseis, MD, and Alyssa Mills, MD. This satellite clinic provides care to patients on Mondays and Wednesdays, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. For more information, call 704-384-5701. n
L-R: Phil Angelo, trauma program manager; Kelly Jarrell, performance improvement coordinator; and Sandra Giller, MD, trauma program medical director.
Agency, but a change in the agency’s transportation protocols required a hospital to have a designation in order to receive trauma patients. By securing this trauma designation, Presbyterian Medical Center once again can provide residents across the region, including existing Novant Health patients, access to trauma care. Presbyterian Medical Center is the first Novant Health facility to receive a trauma designation and is the 14th designated trauma center in the state.
First Class of Physician Residents Arrive at Novant Health Family Medicine Residency Clinic The first class of resident physicians has begun its three-year extensive training in family medicine at the Novant Health Family Medicine Residency Clinic in Cornelius. The class of four female and two male providers will complete the training with rotations in community clinics, as well as at Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center, Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center and Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital. The focus on family practice will help address an anticipated shortfall in primary care physicians. Currently, there are 2,800 family physicians in North Carolina with a projected need of 4,700 by 2020, according to the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians Foundation. “The need for well-trained family physicians is critical to our state and our nation, and the continuity of care that primary care doctors provide to patients is essential,” says Mark Higdon, DO, Novant Health vice president and program director of the residency program. “We are excited to have developed a Family Medicine Residency Program within the culture and walls of Novant Health.” n
Novant Health Rankin OB/GYN Opens New Satellite Clinic in Charlotte Charlotte patients now have increased access to gynecologic and obstetric care with the opening of a new satellite location of Novant Health Rankin OB/GYN. This clinic is at 301 S. College St., Suite 250, and shares space with Novant Health Uptown Primary Care. The clinic is staffed by Victoria Lore, MD, and Simon Ward III, MD, who see patients on Tuesdays, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and Wednesdays, 2 -5 p.m. For more information, call 704-3841620 or visit nhrankinobgyn.org. n
Mecklenburg Medicine • September 2016 | 11
At the Hospitals
Levine Children’s Hospital Named Among Nation’s Best For the seventh consecutive year, Carolinas HealthCare System’s Levine Children’s Hospital is ranked as a “Best Children’s Hospital” by U.S. News & World Report. With more than 200 pediatric hospitals in the country, Levine Children’s Hospital is one of the nation’s top hospitals for children, as well as the only ranked pediatric medical center in Charlotte. The rankings for 2016-2017 include: cardiology and heart surgery, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, and orthopedics. This is the fifth year the hospital is ranked in multiple specialties. Since opening in 2007, Levine Children’s Hospital continues to treat more pediatric patients per day than any other hospital in North Carolina. It is the largest children’s hospital between Atlanta and Washington, D.C., with comprehensive pediatric services in more than 30 pediatric subspecialty areas. Notable milestones in 2016 include: • Paul Kirshbom, MD, one of the preeminent congenital heart surgeons in the country, joined Levine Children’s Hospital and is now leading the congenital heart program. • The Battelle Healthcare Colloquium recognized Levine Children’s Hospital as an Accredited Pediatric Heart Failure Institute. Levine Children’s Hospital is the first pediatric facility in the Carolinas and the 11th in the nation to earn this distinction. • Oncologists successfully led and implemented a clinical trial that speeds up the recovery of patients after a bone marrow transplant procedure. • Neonatologists treated one of the smallest surviving babies in the world. Born at just 10 ounces, baby E’Layah spent five months in intensive care but is now home with her family. • The pediatric gastroenterology division became part of the ImproveCareNow national network, raising the bar for the standard of care in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease while increasing the number of children in remission without new medicines. • The psychosocial oncology team, in
collaboration with clinical nurses, created a new mentorship program which provides emotional support for current and former cancer patients. The program positively impacts the quality of life and coping for adolescents and young adults battling cancer.
n
diagnosed brain metastases, a relevant finding, as over 200,000 patients still receive whole brain radiation in the United States each year, and the majority of patients with brain metastases have a limited number (typically three or fewer) of brain lesions. Drs. Asher and Burri, along with their co-investigators, now recommend patients with one to three brain metastases should no longer receive routine whole brain radiation therapy, and should be treated with focused therapy alone to better preserve cognitive function and quality of life.
Study Finds Effective, Less Toxic Way to Treat Brain Tumors Physicians from Carolinas HealthCare System’s Neurosciences Institute and Levine Cancer Institute are among the authors of a study that was accepted for publication by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The study, released on July 26, shows that patients with the most common brain tumors can be treated in an effective Stuart H. Burri, MD, (left) chairman, department of radiation oncology at Levine Cancer Institute and substantially less and Anthony L. Asher, MD, FACS, medical director at the CHS Neurosciences Institute, helped toxic way by omitting discover a less toxic way to treat brain tumors. a widely used portion of radiation therapy. These results will allow Drs. Asher and Burri now are working on tens of thousands of patients with brain tumors a new method of focused therapy for brain to experience a better quality of life while metastases that combines radiation and surgery. maintaining the same length of life. The technique was pioneered at Levine Cancer Anthony L. Asher, MD, FACS, medical Institute and efforts are under way to expand and director at the Neurosciences Institute and the further validate the approach with the National senior author on the report, as well as Stuart H. Cancer Institute. Burri, MD, chairman, department of radiation oncology at Levine Cancer Institute, began n CHS Receives Highest DOD Honor for their research on this subject more than 10 Support of Military and Veterans years ago in Charlotte. Along with Paul Brown, The U.S. Department of Defense has MD, at Mayo Clinic, they spearheaded an awarded Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) international, multi-institutional, randomized a 2016 Secretary of Defense Employer Support trial that ultimately will improve the care for Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by patients with brain metastases, by reducing the the Department to employers for their support of toxicity of their treatment without reducing employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve. CHS was one of just 15 employers nationally the effectiveness. Typical therapies for these types of brain to be recognized with this top honor. More than tumors include surgery, whole brain radiation 2,400 employers were nominated, and just two therapy and focused radiation, also known as were from North Carolina. stereotactic radiosurgery. In this study, although Nominations must come from a Guard or whole brain radiation decreased the number Reserve member or a family member who of new brain tumors over time, its addition to is employed by the organization they are focused radiation interestingly did not result in nominating. The nomination for CHS was a survival benefit. Furthermore, whole brain submitted by Sylvia Wray, RN, nurse manager at therapy was associated with considerably worse Carolinas HealthCare System Kings Mountain quality of life. and a flight nurse for the North Carolina Air The trial authors concluded that the benefit of National Guard. CHS and the other 2016 award adding whole brain radiation was outweighed recipients were honored at a ceremony at the by its risks in patients with one to three newly Pentagon on August 26. n
12 | September 2016 • Mecklenburg Medicine
Independent Physicians of the Carolinas
Independent Physicians of the Carolinas is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) membership organization whose mission is to create public awareness of medical doctors not employed by a network or hospital system and to provide educational programs and resources to physician members and their administration. Visit us at IndependentPhysicians.org. Oncology Specialists of Charlotte welcomes Dr. Nirav Naik, MD. Along with his wife and son, Naik arrived in the Queen City via Milwaukee, where he practiced at Wheaton Franciscan Cancer Care. After medical school at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies, he completed a residency and fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Haik is boardcertified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine and has clinical interests in breast, Nirav Naik, MD colorectal, lung and head and neck cancers. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “A cancer diagnosis is complex and affects not only the individual, but the entire family. I strive to understand the diverse personal needs and goals of each patient. I strongly believe that a multi-disciplinary team approach, along with involvement of the patient and family, allows me to provide the best care,” says Naik on his commitment to serve patients. Congratulations to Craig White, MD, for making the 2016 Top Doctors in the Charlotte Magazine. White practices family medicine at Davidson Family Medicine. Craig White, MD
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Brackett Flagship Properties.......................................7 Carolinas HealthCare System..................................15 Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates.........14 Charlotte Radiology..................................................14 Charlotte Radiology.............................................Insert LabCorp.....................................................Back Cover Novant Health..............................................................2 Oncology Specialists of Charlotte............................14 Randolph Audiology.................................................10 Surgical Specialists of Charlotte................................4
Charlotte AHEC Course Offerings Charlotte AHEC is part of the N.C. Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program and Carolinas HealthCare System.
SEPTEMBER 2016
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
9/9 2016 Southeastern Pediatric Trauma Conference 9/10 2nd Annual Advanced Clinical Practitioner Symposium 9/10 Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurement Course for Physicians 9/20-21 Measuring Healthcare Improvement 9/22 3rd Annual Carolinas Integrative Health Summit 9/24 2nd Annual Sickle Cell Disease Symposium Online Protecting Your Patients From Air Pollution Online DOT Medical Examiners Course Online Risk Management: Patient Identification Online Social Media: Risks & Benefits for Physicians Online Prevention and Management of Concussion/Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Online Motor Vehicle Crash Victims Online MTAC Trauma Modules Online Get the 4-1-1: Everything Primary Care Providers Should Know About Parent Training in Behavior Therapy While Working with Families with Young Children with ADHD For more information or to register for these courses, call 704-512-6523 or visit www.charlotteahec.org.
NATIONAL HEALTH & WELLNESS OBSERVANCES SEPTEMBER 2016 September 1-7: National Childhood Injury Prevention Week September 5-11: Suicide Prevention Week September 18-24: National Rehabilitation Week September 24: Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk September 24: Family Health and Fitness Day USA September 25-October 1: Active Aging Week September 28: National Women’s Health & Fitness Day Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month n Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month n Baby Safety Awareness Month n BioDiversity Month Blood Cancer Awareness Month n Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Childhood Obesity Awareness Month n Cholesterol Education Awareness Month n Food Safety Education Month n Fruit and Veggies More Matters Month n Healthy Aging Month n Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month n Menopause Awareness Month n Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month n Prostate Health Month n Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month n Sports and Home Eye Safety Month
Mecklenburg Medicine • September 2016 | 13
CTLung3625x 9.25.pdf
Leading-Edge, Compassionate Hematology & Oncology Care OUR CARE PROVIDERS James F. Boyd, MD Justin P. Favaro, MD, PhD Dipika Misra, MD Catherine E. Moore, MD Jason G. Shultz, MD Anne Poutier, FNP-C Since 2000, we have provided care for patients with cancer and blood disorders in both the clinic and hospital setting. To refer a patient to one of our experienced oncologists, call 704-342-1900.
2711 Randolph Rd., Suite 100 | Charlotte, NC 28207 7108 Pineville-Matthews Rd., Ste 102 | Charlotte, NC 28226
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More than 175 providers and 20 care locations across the Carolinas Mecklenburg Medicine • September 2016 | 15
Mecklenburg County Medical Society
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID CHARLOTTE, N.C. PERMIT NO. 1494
1112 Harding Place, #200 Charlotte, NC 28204 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED MCMS Mission: To unite, serve and represent our members as advocates for our patients, for the health of the community and for z the profession of medicine. Founders of: Bioethics Resource Group, Ltd., Hospitality House of Charlotte, Teen Health Connection, N.C. MedAssist, Physicians Reach Out
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16 | September 2016 • Mecklenburg Medicine
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