Etc.

Class Notes

1975

Thomas Gray (M.D., ’75) is a senior partner in CEP America, the largest emergency medicine group in California and has recently expanded to four other states, including Texas. Thomas is currently the chief of staff and assistant medical director of the Emergency Department at Kaweah Delta Health Care District, which is a 400-bed community hospital located in the Central Valley of California. In 2006, when he was the medical director of the emergency department, it was recognized as the emergency department of the year by CEP America.

1978

Christopher Conner (M.D., ’78) reports that he moved back to Texas in March and is in The Woodlands. He can be reached at his new office, 281.364.8864.

Ronald MacCormick (M.D., ’78) writes that he is proud of surviving in emergency medicine for 30 years and was elected as the chief of staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas, Calif., with approximately 600 medical staff. “I take over the helm in January 2009 for two years. I don’t know if it is a sentence or something I should be proud of. I have also been running the Emergency Department as one of the medical directors for years, and I am the program director for the Hospitalist Program, which is without a doubt my biggest accomplishment. It has had such a profound effect on the patient’s and physician’s quality of life. I can’t say enough good things about it. Hang on, it is the wave of the future in all specialties and should be embraced by all,” he writes.

1982

Robert Dowling (M.D., ’82) is the medical director of Urology Associates of North Texas, the largest private single specialty urology practice in the United States, and has spoken and written extensively about the electronic medical record in urology practice and issues related to large group practice. He is a regular contributing author to the journal Urology Times. Robert is a member of the American Urological Association, Texas Medical Association, and Tarrant County Medical Society. He and his wife, Martha, have two sons and reside in Fort Worth.

Jan Patterson (M.D., ’82) has been appointed the director of the Center for Patient Safety and Health Policy, a newly created center in the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Jan will be leading the Health Science Center’s efforts in improving patient safety and clinical effectiveness as endorsed by the UT System. The center aims to increase quality and safety of clinical care; enhance productivity and efficiency of our clinical efforts; integrate quality improvement efforts into health services research, outcomes research, and health policy; and facilitate the training of the next generation of health professionals to incorporate quality improvement practices in their work. The center will support the training of key clinical leaders from the schools of allied health, dentistry, nursing, and medicine in quality improvement methods using project-based learning. She also was appointed to the UT System Patient Safety Steering Committee.

Chris Farmer (M.D., ’82) was promoted to associate dean of internal medicine and medical subspecialties at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education.

1983

Ronald Payne (M.D., ’83) reports that he moved his family to Indianapolis (Riley Children’s Hospital, Indianapolis University School of Medicine) about three years ago from Wake Forest in North Carolina. “I dropped most of my clinical work and now focus primarily on research for children with heart disease,” he says. Prior to Wake Forest, he was at Washington University in St. Louis for many years. He has two daughters (Becky 17 and Liza 19) and a wonderful wife, Helen, a NICU nurse.

1984

Grant Fowler (M.D., ’84), professor and vice chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

1985

Sonja Randle (M.D., ’85), assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Drue Ware (M.D., ’85), associate professor in the Department of Surgery at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

1986

Harold Taylor (M.D., ’86) test drove a SMART car on its USA Tour.

1987

Mark Farnie (M.D., ’87), associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Kevin Finkel (M.D., ’87), director of the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension in the Department of Internal Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Judianne Kellaway (M.D., ’87), clinical associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

1988

E. Antonio Chiocca (M.D., ’88) recently was appointed to The Dardinger Family Endowed Chair in Oncological Neurosurgery. Antonio is chair of Ohio State’s Department of Neurological Surgery and is also co-director of the Esther Dardinger Neuro-Oncology Center and professor of Neurological Surgery. His research focuses on biological therapies and applications to disorders of the central nervous system, functional genomics in brain tumors, and immune response to gene-delivery vehicles. His clinical interests include brain, spine, and nerve tumor therapies; degenerative spinal disorders; peripheral nerve surgery; neurofibromatoses; and schwannomas.

Carin Hagberg (M.D., ’88), Department of Anesthesiology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award. She recently was named chair of the Department of Anesthesiology.

The East Virginia Medical School, Department of Surgery has agreed to return the Surgery Residency Program to the VAH Hampton under the clinical directorship of Kenneth A. Lipshy, (M.D., ’88) chief surgery service Hampton VAMC. This process has been part of the rebuilding program begun when Ken took over the surgery program at the VA in Hampton 2.5 years ago and is one of many successes thus far.

Pedro Mancias (M.D., ’88), associate professor of neurology and pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, is the 2008 recipient of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine award, which is sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. The award honors faculty who are exemplary in their compassion and sensitivity in the delivery of care to patients and their families, who administer scientifically excellent clinical care, and who serve as role models to students. He also received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award at UT-Houston. Pedro is chief of neurology services at Shriners Hospital and associate director of the child neurology fellowship program. His research interests include congenital neuropathies, congenital neuromuscular disorders, and acquired neuropathies.

Judson Somerville (M.D., ’88) of Laredo, Texas, was appointed after the recommendation of Sen. Judith Zafirinni, The Texas Medical Association, and the Texas Pain Society to the Statewide Pain Treatment Review Committee, which will now begin the work of reviewing various pain related statutes and then make recommendations to the next Legislature for changes to consider. He was one of only five members appointed to this board and his position will be that of a physician at a private hospital representing a member of the governing board of the Texas Medical Association. In other news, he was elected president-elect of the Texas Pain Society at its annual meeting in Lubbock, Texas. This is a two-year term, which began immediately and will lead to becoming president at its termination. The Texas Pain Society is one of the prominent pain organizations in the United States and represents over 250 pain management physicians in Texas. He is a member of the Texas Medical Association and actively promotes physician education on health-related topics concerning the diagnosis, treatment, and research of pain management while maintaining the highest standards of professional practice.

1990

Carolyn Gardiner (M.D., ’90), assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

1991

Antonio Santin-Hodges (R, ’91) reports that after his ear, nose and throat residency at UT, he did a plastic surgery residency in Indiana University and a craniofacial fellowship at the Children’s Hospital in Utah. “I then went as a professor to the University of Missouri at Kansas City and then came to Montana where I have the opportunity to serve the entire state with my craniofacial training and my community with my ENT training,” he writes.

1992

Mark Chassay (M.D., ’92) head team physician for UT-Austin Intercollegiate Athletics, traveled to the Olympics in Beijing, China, this summer as a part of the Team USA medical staff – as team physician for the U.S. equestrian team. A former athlete himself, Mark decided to pursue the sports medicine track while in medical school. He got his start in sports medicine at Texas in 1996 as the team physician for women’s athletics. In 2005, he was promoted to head team physician. He also worked with the Austin Wranglers from 2004 to 2006. He served as chief medical officer in May 2005 for the U.S. team at the Visa Paralympic World Cup in Manchester, England, and as a medical officer at the 2007 Pan- American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Mike Hardin (M.D., ’92) writes that he and his family just returned to Waco, Texas, after serving at a mission hospital in Amazon region of Ecuador for four years. His wife, Karol, will start back part time as a professor at Baylor and he plans to return to the faculty at the residency program in Waco.

1993

Mark Hormann (M.D., ’93), associate professor of the Department of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Niraj Mehta (M.D., ’93), associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Bela Patel (M.D., ’93), associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

1995

Cheryl Sacco (M.D., ’95) is in solo practice as a family practitioner in Bay City, Texas. “I have a very rewarding career and enjoy a special relationship with my patients in a small town,”’ she writes.

1996

John Foringer (M.D., ’96), associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

1997

Lowell Ku (M.D., ’97) completed a very competitive fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Louisville. During the 2007-2008 academic year, he was awarded the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society scholarship and the IntegraMed scholarship. Additionally, Lowell’s thesis research was accepted for publication in the Journal of Reproductive Immunology. Upon graduating from fellowship, he was recognized by his faculty and peers for exceptional teaching and research, he was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Fellow Award for the second year in a row, and he was given a special recognition from the residents for his dedication to teaching. He also was honored with the Best Fellow Research Award for 2008 and received the inaugural Flame Award, given to the fellow who ignites the blaze of learning in residents. Lowell has joined Dallas IVF, a private practice in Plano, Texas, specializing in infertility care.

Dennis Wales (M.D., ’97) recently was awarded a diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK.

1998

Alex J. Blanco (M.D., ’98) of Laredo, Texas, was awarded the Presidential Award of Merit from the Texas Academy of Family Physicians at the organization’s 59th Annual Session and Scientific Assembly in Houston July 19. Since 2002, Alex has been in private practice with his wife, Cynthia Cantu (M.D., ’98), at Blanco and Cantu Family Practice in Laredo where they treat patients in inpatient and outpatient settings.

Kenneth Helmer (M.D., ‘98), Department of Surgery at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Nathaniel Strobel (M.D., ’98), assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Leah Guidry-White (M.D., ’98) is self-employed at Total Health Family Medical Group in Pearland, Texas. She has been a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for 15 years and is a Diamond Life member. Additionally, she is a guild member of the Julia C. Hester House. Leah is a devoted mother of two children and reports that in her free time, she enjoys the fine arts and entertaining close friends and family.

1999

Charlie Kilpatrick (M.D., ’99), assistant professor in the Department of Ob/Gyn and Reproductive Sciences at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

2000

Gregory Press (M.D., ’00), assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

2001

Dudley Chitty (R, ’01), assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Keely Smith (M.D., ’01), assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

2002

Bal Reddy (M.D., ’02), assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received a 2007-2008 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

2003

Amy Moore (M.D., ’03) and Michael Cripps (M.D., ’03) were married May 26, 2007, by Dr. Henry Strobel, associate dean for faculty affairs, in Santa Barbara, Calif. Amy finished an internal medicine residency/chief residency in July 2007 and is working at University of California San Francisco in Breast Cancer Research. Michael is still in general surgery residency at UCSF-East Bay.

2004

Jamie Mings (M.D.,’04) reports that she has graduated from a pathology residency at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas, and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where she is a full-time staff pathologist for the Army at Tripler Army Medical Center.

Allison Tobola (M.D., ’04) recently completed a primary care sports medicine fellowship at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas/Greenville Hospital System Program in South Carolina. She is now working in Tyler, Texas, as a primary care sports medicine physician in an orthopedic office with Trinity Clinic.

2007

Amy Sharkey (M.D., ’07) married James Bradley Kipp on September 29, 2007 in Sonoma, Calif. She is completing her anesthesia residency at the University of Virginia.