Produced by the Office of Communications // October 18, 2012

In Memoriam: Dr. S. Ward Casscells

S. Ward Casscells, M.D.

Dr. S. Ward Casscells, the John Edward Tyson Distinguished Professor of Cardiology and vice president for external relations and public policy at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and senior scholar at the Texas Heart Institute, died Oct. 14, 2012.

Casscells was born March 18, 1952, in Wilmington, Del. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale in 1974 and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School in 1979.

He joined the Medical School in 1992, where he later held the Levy Professorship and served as chief of cardiology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. In 1997, Casscells established the President Bush Center for Cardiovascular Health.

In 2001, he was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer and, always a proponent for public health and preventive health, spoke openly about his illness to educate the public. As a cardiologist, he was passionate about informing his patients about the role of inflammation in the body and its destabilizing effects on vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque in the cardiovascular system. He pushed for flu prevention through vaccine campaigns in an effort to reduce heart attack and stroke rates as a result of influenza’s inflammatory process.

In 2006, he sought an “age waiver,” so at age 54 he was commissioned a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. Soon afterward, he was deployed to Iraq where he served as medical liaison to then-Commanding General George Casey.

In 2007, as UTHealth’s vice president for biotechnology, Casscells was appointed by President George W. Bush to the position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.

In recognition of his work at the Pentagon, Casscells received the Department of Defense’s highest civilian award, the Distinguished Public Service Medal, as well as the Army's decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service, the Army's Order of Military Medical Merit, and the General Maxwell Thurman Award. He also received the Memorial Hermann Health System's Hero Award, the 2010 Pike Humanitarian Prize, and the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award in the Life Sciences from the Houston Technology Center.

He is survived by his wife, the former Roxanne Bell; his sons, Samuel Ward IV and Henry; his daughter, Lillian; his brother, Christopher; and his sisters, Anne Casscells and Margaret Casscells-Hamby.

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Diagnostic Imaging leads with Amyvid scans

F-18 Amyvid positive scan, left, and negative scan

The Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, Nuclear Medicine section is proud to be one of the leaders in the nation in imaging the burden of beta-amyloid in the brain with the recently approved F-18 Amyvid scans.

F-18 Amyvid binds to beta-amyloid deposits in the brain, which are frequently found in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Amyvid PET scan is usually indicated in patients with cognitive dysfunction. A negative Amyvid PET scan excludes the diagnosis of AD as the reason for cognitive impairments. A positive Amyvid PET scan indicates moderate to marked amyloid plaque deposits, which occur in AD, other cognitive disorders, and even in normal older people. Thus, a positive Amyvid scan does not establish the diagnosis of AD but is performed as an adjunct to other diagnostic evaluations.

Dr. Isis Gayed, associate professor of radiology and chief of nuclear medicine, and Drs. David Wan and Usha Joseph, assistant professors of radiology, are pleased with the quality of the images and results of the first few patients who have undergone this new exciting imaging modality.

For inquires about this scan, please call the PET Center, 713.704.9046.

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CLI, TIRR Memorial Hermann to enhance early development for infants with disabilities

Dr. Heather Taylor

Starting in September, researchers from the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and TIRR Memorial Hermann started testing the effectiveness of a parenting program on early learning and motor development of infants with spina bifida and infants with tone and strength difficulties, including cerebral palsy.

The four-year research project is funded through a $2.65 million grant awarded to UTHealth from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. The study investigates whether an integrated parent responsiveness and motor support intervention targeting these infants will result in changes in parent behavior that lead to greater improvements in the overall development of such core skills and competencies as attention, cognition, goal-directed play, language, and motor performance. Past research has shown a more responsive parenting style improves children’s development and learning, as do motor support strategies with motor development and learning, but rarely have the two been tested together.

Each year, about 1,400 babies are born with spina bifida in the United States, and about 10,000 will develop cerebral palsy.

“Children with physical disabilities face multiple challenges due to early physical and cognitive difficulties that impact their early learning and later academic performance and independence,” said principal investigator Dr. Heather Taylor, assistant professor at CLI and director for spinal cord injury research at TIRR Memorial Hermann. “Parents have the greatest potential for influencing their child’s development due to the number of opportunities they have to interact with him or her.”

The project will recruit 180 children who are between 12 and 18 months in age, adjusted for prematurity; located in Houston, McAllen, and the surrounding area; and diagnosed with spina bifida or have problems with tone and strength, such as cerebral palsy. As part of their recruitment efforts, researchers are seeking referrals from area physicians as well as collaborating with agencies such as Easter Seals.

Taylor said the study of infants for this project is necessary, since early intervention is critical for a child’s development. “We know from past research that we need to work with children early on,” she said. “It’s an important period when we believe they can best benefit from these strategies and lay a foundation for later learning and motor functioning.”

The research team will place project participants into one of three different intervention groups. One group will be exposed to the Play and Learning Strategies to Enable Children with Disabilities (PALS-Enable) program, while another will work with the Play and Learning Strategies (PALS) program. PALS is a nationally recognized program developed by CLI director Dr. Susan Landry, which promotes early learning through in-home coaching by trained experts who use weekly meetings, materials, and video feedback to improve parent-child interactions and stimulate early language, cognition, and social development.

Using PALS as the foundation, Taylor collaborated with project co-investigators Landry, Dr. Marcia Barnes, and Dr. Cathy Guttentag, and consulted with physical therapists and occupational therapists to develop PALS-Enable. PALS-Enable uses the same strategies as PALS, but also includes motor supportive strategies. These strategies are designed to improve the child’s positioning and movement to ease exploration of the environment.

“The project will be in addition to any therapy these children are currently undergoing,” Taylor said. “We are trying to determine if these strategies have a benefit beyond what they are already receiving.”

Taylor added there will be a third comparison group that, instead of receiving intervention strategies, will receive developmental information with weekly phone calls from coaches. Each group intervention will be delivered once a week for 14 weeks.

To refer a family for this study, email Taylor or call Cathy Caldwell at 713.500.3702.

—Andrew Heger, Children’s Learning Institute

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New TMA award recognizes excellence in academic medicine

The Texas Medical Association (TMA) has created a new award to acknowledge outstanding physician leaders in academic medicine. The TMA Award for Excellence in Academic Medicine recognizes teaching physicians who are clinicians and have a record of TMA leadership, scholarly activity, mentoring, professional development, advocacy, and community service.

“TMA is eager to recognize our physician leaders who are dedicated to caring for patients as well as preparing tomorrow’s physician workforce,” said Dr. David Wright, chair of the TMA Council on Medical Education. “These awards express the value TMA places on the academic segment of the physician community and the role they play in transforming health care through teaching.”

Physicians who have taught medical students, residents, or fellows for at least three years and who were Texas Medical Association members during that time are encouraged to apply for the award. Qualification for Bronze- and Silver-level awards is through self-nomination. Deadline for submission is Dec. 31.

TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing nearly 46,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 120 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.

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President… period.

Dr. Kenneth Shine congratulates Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo on his selection as the new UTHealth president Oct. 12 at The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases Beth Robertson Auditorium.

— Dwight C. Andrews, Office of Communications, Medical School