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Class Notes

1950
Louis Hoffman, MD,
and his wife, Florence, returned from a trip to Anatolia (Asian Turkey) where they visited the Goreme Valley and Cappadocia, a region famous for the thousands of homes and more than 800 churches that were carved into the mountainside by early Christians seeking protection from Roman persecution. The Hoffmans report they especially enjoyed touring the interiors of churches decorated with elaborate architectural features such as pillars and arches, as well as walls and ceilings adorned with paintings.

1959
Earl J. Rudner, MD,
vice chair of dermatology at Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital, is an associate clinical professor of dermatology at the School of Medicine. He and his wife, Bonnie Brenner, a WSU grad who works in the Redford, Mich., school system as a learning disabilities specialist, enjoy unusual and challenging summer “breaks.”  This year, they traveled to Browning, Mont., where they volunteered in a Headstart program and Earl performed physical exams on firefighters battling the area’s unusually fierce wildfires. Last year, they worked at a small medical school in Greece. Three years ago, the couple volunteered in New Guinea, where Earl served as a volunteer dermatologist at the Nazarene Hospital in Papua.

1975
Ervin A. Hire, Jr., MD,
is practicing oncology at Northern Michigan Hospital in Petosky.  He previously served as medical director at the bi-state Christine LaGuardia-Phillips Cancer Center (TN) / Southwest Virginia Regional Cancer Center.

1976
John A. Loiodice, MD,
has been practicing otolaryngology in Pittsfield, Mass., since 1980. He is associated with Berkshire Ear Nose and Throat. An assistant professor of surgery at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, John teaches residents in surgery and medicine at Berkshire Medical Center.

1977
William O’Neill, MD,
was one of the top vote-getters in Hour Detroit’s list of “The Top Docs” in metropolitan Detroit.

1980
Michael Maddens, MD,
was one of the top vote-getters in Hour Detroit’s list of “The Top Docs” in metropolitan Detroit.

1981
Carl Russell, MD,
has relocated from Riverside, Calif., to Bristol, Tenn., where he is practicing internal medicine with Bristol Medical Associates.

1983
Peter J. Cronkright, MD,
is a clinical associate professor of internal medicine at the State University of New York, Upstate Medical University where he has been twice honored for his outstanding teaching. In September, he joined University Health Care Manlius in the upstate New York community. The group is associated with SUNY Upstate and its University Hospital.

Thomas LaLonde, MD, was one of the top vote-getters in Hour Detroit’s list of “The Top Docs” in metropolitan Detroit.

1984
Brian Jorgensen, MD,
has been working for the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Ariz., since March of 1999. He relocated there after 12 years of solo practice in Swarthmore, Pa.

1985
Ronald G. Grifka, MD,
associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor University’s College of Medicine and director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Texas Children’s Hospital, is among the rising stars of pediatric cardiology nationally and internationally. A recent article in the hospital’s news magazine describes the first successful implantation of the Gianturco-Grifka vascular occlusion device as one of six significant medical achievements at Texas Children’s Hospital during the 1990s. The procedure closes abnormal blood vessels and corrects cardiovascular defects previously treatable only with open-heart surgery.

1986
David S. Wilgard, MD,
is associated with Desert Orthopedic Center in the Palm Springs, Calif., area. Board certified in internal medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and electrodiagnostic medicine, his special interests are diagnosis and treatment of neck and back pain, peripheral nerve injury, as well as sports and industrial injuries.

1987
Edward Guindi, MD, ’87,
and Jon F. Sweet, MD, ’89, served their ob/gyn residencies together at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn and are in practice with three other partners in Advanced Women’s Health Specialists’ seven offices in the Orlando, Fla. area.

1991
John S. Bradley, MD,
writes, “Kristin and I welcomed our second daughter, Olivia, into the world on April 30th, promoting Mikaela to Big Sister. In June, we moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., where I work as an emergency physician at Metropolitan Hospital. E-mail me at: jkdocnp@aol.com

1992
Jeffrey Larkin, MD,
reports as follows: “I have finally finished residency/fellowship training in pathology (after switching out of an anesthesia residency in 1994). I am certified in anatomic and clinical pathology and have just passed my subspecialty boards in hematoppathology as well. I am in private practice with a group of 10 pathologists in Minneapolis,/St. Paul, Minn., and am finally enjoying life! The Twin Cities are really a great place to live (even with the long winters). I’d enjoy hearing from classmates. Email me at: pathman92@aol.com. Asha Parekh and Mary Szwapa, where and how are you?

Laura L. Vandenheede, MD, sends news. “I am living in the beautiful Arizona White Mountains since June of 1998, and love it here. I can bike, hike and ski right out of my backyard…and I love orthopaedics.”

1995
Mark A. Burt, MD,
is practicing orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine in High Point, NC. Associated with Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Mark completed graduate medical training at Tulane University Hospital in New Orleans, La., where he served as chief resident. He received the Marmor Surgical Arthritis Foundation Award.

Udi Kapen, MD, lives in Southfield, Mich., with wife Deb and “beautiful 3 year-old Kayln.” Udi joined Southfield Pediatric Physicians in July, 1998 and reports “a good time is being had by all.”

Dianne Plath, MD, has joined the psychiatric staff at Central Michigan Healthcare System in Mount Pleasant. She completed her graduate medical training, including a consultation/liaison psychiatry fellowship, at the Detroit Medical Center.

Don Tynes, MD, has joined Intercare Community Health Network in Benton Harbor, Mich.

1996
Silas Norman, Jr., MD,
was honored by the Wayne State University Organization of Black Alumni at its annual awards banquet. Dr. Norman is vice president of the Affiliated Internists of Wayne State University School of Medicine.

1997
James Whitmyer, MD,
completed the family practice residency program at Bon Secours Cottage Health Services, and has joined Bon Secours Family Physicians in Roseville, Mich.

1998
Howard R. Belkin, MD,
recently gave a grand rounds presentation to the WSU School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. It was titled “Legal Aspects of Psychopathologic Behavior in Obstretrics and Gynecology.” He also presented “Child Abuse Reporting Requirements in Michigan” at the Wayne County Head Start Program’s annual meeting.

Graduate Medical Alumni
Nizar Hussain and Deena El-Khateeb, internal medicine,’00, are in practice at Dominion Medical Center in Colonial Beach, Va.  They have been married since 1992, having met as medical students in Baghdad, Iraq, and have two daughters.

 

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