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Summer 2000

Commencement speaker Peter Karmanos, Jr. challenged the Wayne State University School of Medicine's class of 2000 to be more than just physicians. 

Scribe Summer 2000

This year’s commencement speaker urged medical school graduates to be something more than just physicians. He challenged them to be great doctors.

A drug-screening operation run by Wayne State University and the Karmanos Cancer Institute hopes to add another success story to its already impressive list.

People who use extended-wear soft contact lenses are 37-times more likely to get an eye infection than those who use daily-wear lenses.  Still, customers want the convenience and comfort of lenses that can be worn continuously for up to 30 days.

4. Neuregulins play pivotal role in development and disease

When Jeffrey Loeb, MD, PhD, began studying neuregulins, he was simply interested in synapse formation in the brain.  What he discovered, however, were the multiple roles they play in everything from cardiac growth to spinal cord development, to ovarian and breast cancer, and a variety of neurological disorders, including epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.

5. TIMPs protect against corneal destruction

Corneal ulceration and tissue breakdown have been attributed to the destructive nature of MMPs, a family of proteolytic enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases. One way to stop corneal scarring and perforation, then, is to halt the action of the MMPs. What better way than to put their natural enemies to work?

6. Targeting the enzymes that permit metastasis

When breast cancer spreads, or metastasizes, it recruits enzymes from normal cells to drill into new tissues and open pathways for the tumor cells to invade. Rafael Fridman, PhD, professor of pathology, hopes to learn how tumor cells use these enzymes, which alternatively go by the names of gelatinases, matrix metalloproteinases or MMP2s.

One of the primary dangers of prostate cancer is that it can spread to the bones. Once there, the cancer eats away at the bones, making them more and more prone to fractures.

Charles Whitten, MD, associate dean for special programs and distinguished professor of pediatrics emeritus, was chosen by the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Alumni Association as this year’s distinguished alumnus.

A Wayne State University study has demonstrated how medication can directly impact the size of a child’s brain.

10. Relaxin shows promise in treating scleroderma

Those who suffer from scleroderma, a chronic autoimmunde disease, may have hope in a new drug being tested at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Unable to ignore the opportunity to improve community health conditions in their own backyard, WSU medical students joined forces with the Highland Park Public Schools in 1992 to form the Code Blue Mentoring Outreach Project.

On April 13, representatives from the Community Health Institutes of WSU and the DMC took part in Conversations on Women’s Health, a daylong event devoted to addressing the health care concerns facing Michigan women.

Recognizing that the pressures of medical school can have a negative impact on students’ health and personal lives, the WSU School of Medicine has formed the Medical Student Health and Well Being Committee.

Three ophthalmologists from the Siberian Medical University in Tomsk, Russia, traveled to Detroit this spring to exchange ideas with WSU physicians and researchers at the Kresge Eye Institute.

The annual Graduate Student Research Day presentations and awards will be held Thursday, September 14 at Scott Hall from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.

So when you got your annual winter cold, did you rush out to the store and buy zinc lozenges? What about that zinc mist you’re supposed to spray up your nose?

Meticulous attention to detail; the desire to excel; hours of dedication and hard work … sounds like the type of stuff that would help one succeed in medical school. Throw in a flair for showmanship, a lively sense of humor and a pretty darn good voice, and you have the makings of an Ultrasound.

Joseph Dogariu, PhD, has been named assistant dean for admissions for the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

On June 7, two of the nation’s top diabetes experts visited the School of Medicine to deliver lectures on the treatment and prevention of diabetes as part of the annual Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

First-year medical student, Akua Amponsah, was selected as one of only five 2000 James Comer Minority Research Fellows by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Alum Notes Summer 2000

Alumni, spouses and guests gathered in the Detroit area this May for the annual Medical Alumni Reunion Day.

Astronaut alum talks about life on space station Mir

Space is often imagined as a serene place, but Jerry Linenger’s last mission put him face to face with electrical outages on the space station, failed oxygen generators, insufferable heat, a near collision with a cargo ship, loss of communication, and the most severe fire ever experienced on an orbiting spacecraft.

Dr. Cary Feldman has a unique canvas to show off his artistic talents – a scalp.

Abdhish Bhavsar is a veritable Renaissance man of hobbies – amateur car racer, saxophone player, women’s jewelry designer, painter, and kite flier. Oh, yes – he’s also a retina surgeon at Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis.

Ophthalmologist Robert Beitman, MD, ’76, closed down his traditional optical practice, stopped doing eye examinations and is committing himself solely to laser eye surgery and vision corrective procedures.

Heritage Night draws record crowd

Dr. John Crissman’s first Heritage Night as dean was one to remember. With more than 400 guests, this year’s event broke all previous attendance records.

Longtime Kresge Eye Institute director honored with endowed chair

The distinguished career of former Kresge Eye Institute (KEI) director and noted ophthalmologist, Dr. Robert Jampel, has been recognized by the School of Medicine with the establishment of the Robert S. Jampel, MD, PhD, Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology.

Inaugural lecture honors distinguished neurology alum

On May 17, the School of Medicine and the Department of Neurology hosted the inaugural Maynard M. Cohen, MD, PhD, Endowed Lecture in Neurology. Internationally renowned in his field, Dr. Cohen is the school’s most distinguished neurology alumnus and is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern neurology.

More than 500 alumni and guests attended the Freedom Festival Fireworks Spectacular Event, held June 28.

Nominations will be accepted until September 29, 2000, for next year’s Distinguished Alumni Award and Lawrence M. Weiner Award.

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Alum Notes
Summer 2000

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