Volume 8 Number 1 Winter 2010

Nearly 50 years ago, 71 men and women donned graduation regalia and walked

across a stage at Seton Hall University in South Orange to collect their hard-earned medical degrees

from the Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry. These trailblazers—the Class of 1960—

represented the first group of graduates in the school’s history.

A lot has happened since that defining moment in June of 1960: Seton Hall College of Medicine and

Dentistry underwent a couple of name changes, eventually becoming known as New Jersey Medical

School; we relocated from Jersey City to Newark; our class sizes more than doubled; and advances

in technology have in many ways enhanced how our students learn and how they are taught. In the

face of these changes, one thing remains constant and that is NJMS’ commitment to excellence.

This May, the NJMS community will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the graduation of its

inaugural class; salute its members’ achievements; and recognize their contributions to our beloved

school.

At last year’s White Coat Ceremony, we were honored to have a handful of esteemed members of the

Class of 1960— including Drs. Joseph Boyle; Joel Cannilla; Theodore DaCosta, Sr.; Marjorie Jones;

Maurice Meyers; Angela Salanitro and David Snead—join us in welcoming the Class of 2013. As we

prepare for the 50th anniversary celebration of the Class of 1960, we hope more of you will see fit to

attend the festivities (see page 33 for more information) that are being planned in recognition of this

auspicious occasion.

In health,

Interim DeanUMDNJ–New Jersey Medical SchoolRobert L. Johnson, MD

DirectorUniversity Marketing CommunicationsBarbara Hurley

Executive Director for AdministrationWalter L. Douglas, Jr.

DirectorNJMS Marketing CommunicationsGenene Morris

Senior Editor, NJMS PulseMaryann Brinley

Contributing WritersKaylyn Kendall DinesMary Ann D’UrsoEve JacobsLisa JacobsMary Ann LittellJoni ScanlonJill Spotz

PresidentNJMS Alumni Associationand AlumniFocus EditorJames M. Oleske, MD’71, MPH

AlumniFocus CoordinatorDianne Mink

DesignSherer Graphic Design

Message from the Dean

pulse VOLUME 8 NUMBER 1 WINTER 2010 UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY

Keep In Touch…NJMS Pulse is published twice each year by the UMDNJ– Department of University Advancement andCommunications for New Jersey Medical School (NJMS).We welcome letters to the editor and suggestions for future articles.

Send all correspondence to:Pulse EditorOffice of University Marketing CommunicationsUniversity Heights –P.O. Box 1709, Room 132865 Bergen StreetNewark, NJ 07101–1709or via email to njmspulse@umdnj.edu

JOHN EMERSON

Robert L. Johnson, MD, FAAPThe Sharon and Joseph L. Muscarelle Endowed Dean (Interim)

pulseINSIDE INFORMATION

2 What Were They Thinking? When Students Put On That White Coat…3 A Storm of Stimulus Dollars

NJMS News by the Numbers4 His Lifelong Learning Mission

Oh What a Night5 Cohen Keeps On Going and Going…

Kudos6 F.Y.I. GSBS: On Campus, Have You Met?

Knit-A-Square7 To Find a Cancer Trial for Everyone

A CLOSER LOOK…

8 At Dr. Tailbone10 At Mr. Fix-It11 Inside the MS Puzzle12 Inside Mirror Therapy13 What’s in the STARS

NJMS PEOPLE: DO YOU KNOW?

14 Steven Marcus: From Blue Kids and Botulism to Deadly Snapple and Blowfish15 Minnie Presley: The Woman Behind the Farmers’ Market16 Barbara Fadem: Nurturing Students and…Sheep!17 Personally Speaking: The Kind of Doctor I Want to Be

FEATURES

18 True Grit: Lives We Have ChangedHit by a vehicle, seven months pregnant, near death, in a coma, struggling to regain her health and her life—through it all, Christina Bowden never lost hope.

22 The Brilliance of BeaconsFred Russell Kramer likens his PHRI lab to a “giant kindergarten”— but what goes on there is anything but elementary.

26 With a Stroke of Her ScalpelAsha Bale’s passion for surgery changes lives here at home as well as overseas.

28 Money + Time + Effort = Satisfaction How Frank Ciminello puts medical missions together

29 When Students Go Trekking To Vietnam, Uganda and the Dominican Republic

30 Special DeliveriesVictor Mendez has a job that asks him to save lives as a matter of course. But delivering babies? Well, yes, that too.

ALUMNI FOCUS

32 News of Special Interest to NJMS GradsIn the Alumni Affairs Office

33 At the Scholarship Awards CeremonyGolden Reunion

34 Mini Verter: A Rare Road Through Residency35 NJMS Calendar of Events: Winter/Spring 201036 Eugene Cheslock: Lifeline to the Uninsured37 In Anil Saha’s Memory38 Class Notes39 Talarico’s Treasures39 In Memoriam

FOCUS ON PHILANTHROPY

40 Heavenly Navigation

18

22

COVER PHOTO: JOHN EMERSON

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26

32

ANDREW HANENBERG

Ryan Ramsook

DUMONT, NJ • NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

“As the white coat was placed on my shoul-

ders, overwhelming feelings of excitement

and fulfillment mixed with anxiety. A new

beginning with its years of hard work was

about to start. Family and friends beamed

with pride, future professors handed out

encouraging words, and current students

offered insight. We weren’t alone onthat first day of our journeys tobecome physicians nor will we bealone on this long and arduous path.I could not help but remember the reasons

and circumstances that blessed me with this

opportunity to wear the white coat.”

Jennifer Hirsch

SPRINGFIELD, NJ • UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

“My path to medical school was longer than the aver-

age student. After graduating from college in 2003,

I spent three years working in currency trading,

followed by two years of taking general premedical

requirements. My white coat ceremony repre-sented the culmination of a long journey thatled me to where I finally belong. This ceremony

reinforced what I already knew about NJMS: it is a

community that fosters warmth and camaraderie,

emphasizes humanism in medicine, and provides students with unparalleled clinical training.

I feel very grateful to have been inducted into the NJMS community.”

2 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

I N S I D E I N F O R M AT I O N

N E WA R K , A U G U S T 1 3 , 2 0 0 9

When Students Put On That White Coat

What Were They Thinking?

Ahmed Sesay

BELTSVILLE, MD • UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

“All week long, there had been a sense of

fear brewing as we listened to countless

experiences of those who had come before

us. Then, in the waning hours of that orien-

tation week, this fear was toppled by a sense

of anticipation for the grand finale. For me,

the white coat event was an open acceptance

by people who have contributed to the

advancement of mankind for centuries.

As I approached the podium en route to be

cloaked with the white coat amidst the

cheers of family and friends, I could not

help but notice our first transition as a class.

At the beginning of the day, we were a band

of students scared of what was to befall us

and now, we were student doctorsempowered by the words of manyand the actions of a communitycommitted to producing the bestdoctors.”

A Storm ofStimulus Dollars

L IKE rainfall drenching arid soil, a record$15 million in research dollars is pour-

ing into the hands of NJMS researchers. Thefunding comes from a $5 billion researchallotment to the National Institutes ofHealth (NIH) announced in March by theObama Administration as part of the stimu-lus package. Soon after the announcement,and with little time to spare, determinedadministrators and faculty worked day andnight to compile an astounding 201 fundingapplications ahead of tight deadlines.

Their efforts paid off handsomely. As ofDecember, NJMS has come out a clear win-ner, receiving more grant dollars—one-fifthmore—than any other research institutionin New Jersey. Overall, the educationalresearch community received the bulk of 184NIH recovery grants awarded in the state.Of these, 87 were awarded to UMDNJ-sponsored research projects, including 41programs at NJMS.

“Over the last several years, research fund-ing has been stagnant and paylines havetightened,” says Gwen Mahon, PhD, assis-tant dean for research administration.Faculty and research staff eagerly workedwith Mahon, director of the Office ofResearch and Sponsored Programs (ORSP).Between March—when the stimulusannouncement was made—and the NIH’sSept. 30 fiscal year end, 201 proposals seek-ing $173 million in funding were submitted.“It was a huge effort,” explains Mahon.

The $15 million awarded this year willpay for an abundance of programs, includingprojects on cancer, infectious and cardiovas-cular diseases, and neuroscience disorders.Several unfunded multi-million dollar grantsgot “outstanding” NIH marks and hopefullywill be up for awards this spring.

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L 3

5Newark high school students enrolled in the Public Health Research Institute’s summer high school research internship program, win first-place ribbons during the Seton Hall University poster competition in September 2009.

41NIH awards totaling more than $15 million are received by NJMS faculty.

15Faculty named “Most Influential Doctors” by USA TODAY.

11Boxes of toiletries are delivered to Covenant House in Newark by Students for HealthResources and Education (SHARE) in September. Check out SHARE’s blog atnjmsshare.blogspot.com.

4Grants worth more than $12 million for molecular diagnosticresearch go to David Alland, MD, chief, Division of InfectiousDisease, and assistant dean of clinical research.

$3,336Donated to the Autism Center by Whole Foods Market, West Orange.

138Physicians make Castle Connolly’s 2009 list of “Top Doctors in New Jersey.”

220High school students enroll in the Pre-Medical Honors Program in thefall. Of those, 30 spots are funded through a Centers of Excellencegrant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

$4.4Million in a 10-year contract awarded to the Global TuberculosisInstitute by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tocontinue clinical trials, TB prevention and treatment.

NJMS News by the Numbers

N E W S A B O U T N J M S E V E N T S , F A C U LT Y, G R A N T S , R E S E A R C H A N D M O R E

TOP: ANDREW HANENBERG

His LifelongLearning Mission

JOSEPH Rondinelli, MBA, knows a thingor two about missions.The former U.S. Air Force Reserve cap-

tain spent years as a pilot flying transportmissions throughout the world three to fivedays a month until his retirement in 1991.

These days, Rondinelli is on a new mis-sion: to bring training programs and work-shops to the NJMS administrative staff.

At a time when workers are being asked todo more with less, Rondinelli wants toensure that his fellow administrators have theskills to take on added responsibilities effec-tively so they— and their units—can shine.As Director of Administration and Profes-sional Development, the Philadelphia nativebelieves that learning is a lifelong process.

This is a belief Rondinelli personally putsinto practice. He pursued his MBA atLaSalle University while flying for the AirForce and working as the director of clinicallaboratories at Hahnemann UniversitySchool of Medicine. He has always attendedconferences and workshops honing his skills

and acquiring new ones.Rondinelli was recruited to NJMS in

1994 to become the administrator for theDepartment of Pathology and LaboratoryMedicine. Chair Stanley Cohen, MD, hadbeen his boss at Hahnemann. A few yearslater, Rondinelli’s role had grown.

“When David Roe, our chief financialofficer and associate dean, came to NJMS,there was a real emphasis put on training,”Rondinelli explains. As a result, he volun-teered to shepherd along training programsfor the administrative staff, bringing to thisnew task his infectious energy and enthusi-asm. In 2008, he organized a two-day con-ference at UMDNJ-Robert Wood JohnsonMedical School where more than 100 atten-dees from all UMDNJ campuses receivedcertifications in grant management.

Later that same year, he officially took onthe title of director of administration andprofessional development while maintaininghis old responsibilities in the Department ofPathology and Laboratory Medicine. Thispast year, Rondinelli, and Mia Morse, MBA,in the finance department, arranged prepsessions in Microsoft Excel, Access andPowerPoint and conducted monthly brown

bag luncheons for administrators to meetand talk business.

“Mia and I are a team,” Rondinelli says.His biggest undertaking has been a quest tohave a staff member from each of the 21academic departments become a CertifiedRegistered Administrator (CRA). For certifi-cation, test-takers must pass a 250-questionexam by the Research AdministratorsCertification Council. To do this, Rondinellihas organized test-preparation courses onthe Newark campus with weekly study ses-sions run by Morse. So far, six departmentadministrators have achieved CRA status.

“The staff and faculty are our mostimportant assets,” Roe says. “By helping totrain administrators, Joe is contributing notonly to the school, but also to the develop-ment of these individuals’ careers.”

Rondinelli not only has big plans atwork. His daughter, Amanda Jo, enlisted inthe Air Force as chief public health officerafter receiving her Master’s in Public Healthfrom San Diego State University—makingher the fifth family member to serve in thatbranch. But in true Rondinelli-fashion, hepushes for more. “I expect her to get aPhD,” Rondinelli adds with a grin.

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Joseph Rondinelli, MBA

Oh What a NightEarly November, back in 2009…

FOR the fans of Frankie Valli attending “MusicalMoments for MS” on Nov. 4, this play on the

lyrics of one of his hits will bring back memories ofthe evening’s performance by the famous falsetto.

Organized by benefactors Lee and MurrayKushner, this annual event perennially brings out the starsand guests to raise money for multiple sclerosis (MS) research. Past performers haveincluded Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight and Bette Midler. This year, 2000 atten-dees, a sold-out crowd, raised more than a million dollars to support MS initiativesincluding the Neurological Institute of New Jersey at NJMS.

Valli, a Newark native and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, is the well-known frontman of The Four Seasons whose hits included “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “WalkLike a Man” and, of course, “December 1963 (Oh What a Night).” The band is cur-rently the subject of the Tony®- and Grammy®-award winning Broadway musical,Jersey Boys.

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L 5

STEVE LEVISON, PHD, professor, neuro-

science, and director of the Laboratory for

Regenerative Neurobiology, became editor-in-

chief of the journal Developmental

Neuroscience as well as president of the

American Society for Neurochemistry.

DIANNE PULTE, MD, assistant professor,

medicine, published a study in the November

print issue of CANCER which notes signifi-

cant advances in the treatment of 15- to 24-

year-olds with blood-related cancers.

DAVID L. ROE, MBA, chief financial officer

and associate dean, was elected national

chair of the Association of American Medical

Colleges’ group on business affairs.

VICE DEAN MARIA SOTO-GREENE, MD,received the Minority Access 2009 Role

Model Award at the 10th National Role

Models Conference.

Third-year student SAMUEL CHU’10 was

elected president of the NJMS Student

Council. MARTIN GROSS ’10, is vice presi-

dent; RAVI VERMA ’11, treasurer; and RYANCHADHA ’11, secretary.

NAKUL RAYKAR’10 chairs the UMDNJ

Student Senate. NJMS students in this group

also include: DHANASHRI MISKIN, YURIJADOTTE, LEE FLOWERS, AHMED MELEIS,SAMUEL CHU and RAVIRAJ PATEL.

PETER RODRIGUEZ, assistant director,

operations and finance, comparative medi-

cine resources, won Facility Manager of the

Year Award from the American Association

for Laboratory Animal Science in New Jersey.

LLOYD WEBSTER ’11 won a Herbert W.

Nickens Medical Student Scholarship Award

during the Association of American Medical

Colleges’ conference in November.

KUDOS

Cohen Keeps OnGoing and Going…

STANLEY Cohen, MD, chair of Pathologyand Laboratory Medicine, is at a stage in

his career where most professionals startthinking about slowing down, taking up ahobby, perhaps even retiring. Instead, as hereaches the zenith of his career, Cohen’sschedule is more packed than ever.

This year he became president of theAmerican Society for Investigative Pathology(ASIP), one of the largest and most presti-gious professional societies for academicpathologists. He says that it’s a role that willbring him out of his lab and onto the globalstage to advocate for the nascent field ofbiophysical pathology. This relatively newarea of pathological medicine combinespathology and radiology and is viewed bysome practitioners as the next major advancein diagnostic medicine. Cohen plans tofocus much of his ASIP presidency on mov-ing the field forward, beginning with amajor symposium in April.

Biophysical pathology puts emphasis onan individual’s response to disease ratherthan attempting a “one size fits all” prognosis

and treatment plan. Because the fieldemploys digital imaging from radiology incombination with basic cell biology, hebelieves it can provide more accurate diag-noses for many diseases and determine indi-vidualized treatments. “Right now we cantell what kind of cancer someone has, but wecan’t make long-term projections about theeffects this cancer will have on one person ascompared to another person, or whether weshould offer a different treatment to one per-son as opposed to another. The diagnosticswe have are still very primitive,” he explains.

In his “spare” time, Cohen is under con-tract to write a book on experimental biolo-gy. His packed agenda also includes deliver-ing a major lecture at the University ofCalifornia at Davis; co-chairing the researchcommittee of the Association of PathologyChairs, and serving as treasurer of theFederation of American Societies forExperimental Biology (FASEB). He’s alsojust stepped down from a challenge grantdecision-making committee for the NationalInstitutes of Health.

Fishing trips and leisurely travel will justhave to wait. Says Cohen, “Now that I’mapproaching retirement, I’ve decided to getinvolved in global issues rather than justworking in the lab.”

Stanley Cohen, MD

TOP LEFT: JOHN EMERSON6 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

I N S I D E I N F O R M AT I O N

Knit-A-Square

AN estimated 11.6 million babies areorphaned in sub-Saharan Africa and

1.4 million of them live in South Africa.These numbers inspired Dhanu Miskin,fourth-year NJMS student, to bring Knit-A-Square to UMDNJ. This charity sends knit-ted blankets to abandoned children andAIDS orphans. Miskin invited donors toknit or crochet one or more 8'' x 8'' squares.These small squares soon join others to cre-ate colorful, homemade blankets.

“The entire concept of Knit-A-Squareseemed ideal for medical students. It’s acommunity service project that requires lit-tle time, commitment or money, but makesa big difference in the lives of cold, aban-doned children,” explains Miskin, who firstheard about the charity from her mother.“There were numerous websites promotingvarious charity projects, but once I foundthe www.knit-a-square.com website, I wasdrawn to its simplicity.” Miskin’s promotionhas now been recognized in many mediaoutlets including WMBC-TV, a local newsstation. Miskin says, “My mother taught mehow to knit and instilled in me the incredi-ble value of helping others.”

Miskin’s drop-off box for the squares wasin the Student Affairs office until Dec. 23.Touched by the students’ efforts, AliceOwen, wife of UMDNJ President WilliamF. Owen, Jr. MD, has helped to get moredrop-off boxes distributed across allUMDNJ campuses.

“I received more than 50 squares from ananonymous person in the School of HealthRelated Professions as well as a $268 grantfrom the NJMS Alumni Association towardspostage for shipment,” notes Miskin. “I amextremely grateful.”

F.Y.I. GSBS On Campus, Have You Met…

Walid Aboshahba, Murugabaskar Balan, Manuela Buonanno, Krista D.

Buono, Lisa Canto, Sarah Darmon, Karim Helmy, Justyna Korczeniewksa,

Amanda Lee, Shyam A. Patel, Lauren Rota, Raghavendra Shamanna, Rivka

Stone, Ahmet Tunceroglu, Alok Upadhyay, Jennifer Bain, and Lisong Yang?

Perhaps you should. Featured on the Graduate Schoolof Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) at NJMS website,these young researchers are just a few of the almost500 current GSBS grad students on the Newark cam-pus. Spread throughout the departments and divisionsof the medical school, they take advanced courses andresearch training, and are often the life blood of ourmost productive research labs.

Want to know more about stem cell research? AskKrista Buono who is the president of the Stem CellEducation Society.

Interested in RNA? Talk to Karim Helmy who was aHoward Hughes research scholar and also worked for Genentech, a major biotechnol-ogy company.

Manuela Buonanno’s background might be considered off earthly charts becauseshe won first place in NASA’s 19th Annual Space Radiation Investigators’ Workshopand worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York.

On their way to earning a range of graduate degrees, including PhD, MD/PhD, MS,MBS and MS/MBA, GSBS scholars are on multi-faceted career paths which will leadthem into academics, education, science writing and the pharmaceutical/biotechworld, as well as medical and dental schools. According to Andrew P. Thomas, PhD,Senior Associate Dean of GSBS at NJMS, the campus divisions of GSBS were reor-ganized to facilitate a closer relationship with the medical schools on their respectiveUMDNJ campuses. This led to the formation of GSBS at NJMS in 2008, continuingthe traditions and missions of the school that was founded in Newark in 1969.

Some 200 graduate faculty, mostly drawn from NJMS departments, teach and trainthis “community of biomedical scientists,” says Thomas. GSBS at NJMS offers morethan 150 courses, ranging from cell and molecular biology, stem cells, neuroscience,biomedical engineering and pharmacology, to the business of science. And, studentsalso take advantage of classes at nearby Rutgers-Newark and New Jersey Institute ofTechnology (NJIT). “Biology is, and will continue to be, the dominant science of thiscentury. We are poised not only to understand the complexities that make us what weare, but to use this information in making unprecedented discoveries to treat and curehuman disease,” explains Henry Brezenoff, PhD, former GSBS dean.

Sarah Darmon would certainly agree. Working in Carol Lutz’s lab—program direc-tor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology—Darmon, who ran a drugmetabolism study while an intern at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, says, “The moment youanalyze your data and discover that your experiment worked, it’s exhilarating.” Formore information, email: gsbsnadm@umdnu.edu.

Andrew P. Thomas, PhD

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O LALEKSANDRA NADOLSKI 7

“ALL current cancer treatments arederived from patients who partici-

pate in clinical trials. It is especially criticalthat we have an ethnically balanced repre-sentation on trials because the effect of treat-ments may vary among different popula-tions,” explains Robert Wieder, MD, PhD,NJMS associate professor, medicine.

“Disparities in cancer care can only beovercome if minorities have access to thesame state-of-the-art clinical trials as the restof the population.” Yet, he adds, “a verysmall percentage of cancer patients —roughly 4 percent, according to the NationalCancer Institute (NCI)— participate in

clinical trials. And minorities account forless than half that rate.”

In August 2009, Wieder, a physician, sci-entist, oncologist and director of the CancerCenter’s Clinical Research Office, receivedan NCI grant to improve those rates. The$1.85 million was given to UniversityHospital Cancer Center’s Clinical ResearchOffice whose patient base is more than 60percent minority. The funding also estab-lishes the Cancer Center as an NCI-desig-nated Minority-Based Community ClinicalOncology Program (MB-CCOP), placing itamong an exclusive group of national facili-ties which focus on bringing cancer research

to minority populations. As one of 14 MB-CCOPs in the

nation—and the only one in New Jersey—Wieder’s program emphasizes treatment,prevention and clinical trials. Its primarygoals are to expand clinical research inminority communities; to bring state-of-the-art treatment, prevention and trials tominorities; and to increase the involvementof primary healthcare providers and otherspecialists in cancer prevention and controlstudies.

The NCI grant was the second financialwindfall Wieder received last summer. Healso won $476,000 from the New JerseyCommission on Cancer Research (NJCCR).That grant, in fact, was the only clinicalresearch NJCCR award for combatinghealth disparities.

Many barriers stop minorities from par-ticipation in clinical trials, says Wieder.Social, financial and educational issues aswell as suspicion of the medical system andpast abuses stop them. “Cancer is not thegreatest challenge for many of thesepatients,” adds Wieder. Among the tools hisoffice uses to enroll more minority individu-als are patient navigators. (See “HeavenlyNavigation,” page 40.)

Wieder credits his employees for the program’s success: Karen J. Jackson, regula-tory compliance coordinator; Tracie K.Saunders, manager of the MB-CCOP andthe director of Outpatient OncologyServices; and Yasmeen S. Barber, clinicalresearch coordinator.

“The aim here is to ensure that there is a clinical trial for everyone,” Weider says, “regardless of the type or stage of thecancer.”

Associate Professor Robert Wieder, MD, PhD, pictured with, from left, Karen J. Jackson, regulatory compliance coordinator; Tracie K.Saunders, manager of the MB-CCOP and thedirector of Outpatient Oncology Services; andYasmeen S. Barber, clinical research coordinator.

Section compiled and written by Genene Morris, JoniScanlon, Tiffany L. Smith and Aleksandra Nadolski

To Find a Cancer Trial for Everyone

WHEN asked to identify his niche areaof expertise, Patrick Foye, MD,

doesn’t hesitate: “The tailbone,” he says.Holding an anatomic model, he points tothe bone at the spine’s base. “Even thoughthe tailbone is tiny—smaller than a pinkyfinger—pain in this area can severely com-promise quality of life.”

Foye, as director of the Coccyx PainService at NJMS, is committed to relievingpain and improving function and quality oflife for patients with coccydynia (pain in thecoccyx), which has a variety of causes,including trauma, arthritis and childbirth.“We treat sprains, strains, fractures, disloca-tions, sports injuries and more,” he says.

“It’s an area that most people, includingdoctors, don’t know about. It’s not coveredin depth in medical school.”

An NJMS alum (class of 1992), Foyebecame interested in coccydynia more thana decade ago when a few patients came tohim for help. “I didn’t know much about it,so I started doing research and found a reallack of information,” he says. “There hadn’tbeen much published, particularly on non-surgical therapies. And surgical treatment—removal of the coccyx—has a fairly highrate of complications.”

A consummate learner, he researched thetopic intensively, reading hundreds of articleson the subject. Over time, he became an

authority. “I began lecturing at conferences,publishing articles and educating our ownstudents,” says Foye, who is also an associateprofessor of physical medicine and rehabilita-tion (PM&R). “More and more patients withtailbone pain were coming here, so threeyears ago, our chair, Dr. Joel DeLisa, official-ly classified this as a formal service at NJMS.We’re probably the only academic institutionin the country with a dedicated coccyx painservice.” Foye treats other disorders as well,including low back pain, herniated discs,arthritis, joint pain and nerve injuries.

Foye’s patients come from throughout theU.S. and as far away as Canada, Greece andIndia for treatment they can’t find elsewhere.“Sometimes it takes them awhile to locateus,” he says. “One patient was actuallyannoyed about it. He said, ‘I suffered withthis for years before finding you. Why theheck don’t you get yourself a website?’” Foyetook his advice, and now has two websites:TailboneDoctor.com and DoctorFoye.com.“Google tailbone doctor and you’ll findme,” he says.

Initially Foye’s websites were fairly basic,linking to journal articles and includingsome of his own writing. “Patients neededan authoritative site about tailbone pain, but doctors were interested too,” he says.“Physicians email me from other parts of thecountry and from other countries with ques-tions. What types of MRIs should theyorder for patients? How do they read X-raysof the coccyx? Why is the coccyx at risk dur-ing childbirth? I’ve tried to answer all thesequestions and more in a language that every-one can understand. ”

Over time, he’s added “bells and whistles”to the sites, inspired in part by his 8-year-oldson. “He has his own website, creates videogames and posts them so his cousins inChicago can play them,” says Foye. “Frankly,looking at his website, I was a little envious.My site didn’t have any of that cool stuff. SoI made a few videos and posted them. Theycover diagnosis, treatment, X-rays and MRIs,and other topics, all in lay language. Thevideos are also available on YouTube.”

Foye describes his efforts as “a ‘mom and

ANDREW HANENBERG8 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

A CLOSER LOOKAT DR. TAILBONE

How Patrick Foye became a world’s leading expert in coccydynia and

why his patients, who come from near and far, love him so much both

online and in person. BY MARY ANN LITTELL

Patrick Foye, MD

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L 9

pop’ operation—just me in my basementwith a video camera and some anatomicmodels. If I had the time, I’d make a dozenmore videos. It’s a great way to get a messageacross.”

Coccydynia can be difficult to diagnoseand it’s often missed on X-rays of the area,which are traditionally taken while patientsare standing. “Years ago I came across aFrench study comparing the effectiveness ofsitting vs. standing X-rays,” says Foye.“Sitting X-rays are a much more effectivediagnostic tool, but sitting is not a standardview. When patients ask for sitting X-rays,many technicians say there’s no such thing.That’s not true. So part of my educationalmission is educating radiology technicians totake sitting X-rays for this condition.”

According to Foye, patients with coccydy-nia are often advised by their physicians tolive with the pain because there are no treat-ments other than surgical removal. “Thereare many effective non-surgical treatments,including certain types of injections,” heexplains. “Under fluoroscopic guidance wecan place an anti-inflammatory agent direct-ly at the site that is causing the pain. Or wecan administer a local anesthetic nerve blockusing lidocaine to numb the nerves carryingthe pain signals. In some cases, we do what’scalled ablation, where we essentially kill thenerves that are carrying those pain signals.”

Other therapies include certain types ofwedge cushions to sit on to alleviate pressureto the coccyx. “Sometimes it takes the rightcombination of treatments to relieve thepain,” says Foye.

This year Foye became a member ofUMDNJ’s Stuart D. Cook, MD, MasterEducators’ Guild, “probably the biggestthrill of my professional life,” he says.

In addition to teaching medical studentsand residents, he is director of the PM&Rclerkship (mandatory for fourth-year stu-dents) and co-directs the PM&R Pain/Spinefellowship program, which has three fellows.

He estimates he’s given more than 700lectures to thousands of students and physi-cians over the years. His commitment toeducation goes way beyond the classroom,

with his latest, most dynamicteaching tool being theInternet. “In additionto my websites, I useemail as an educa-tional medium. Imaintain emailgroups, and whenI learn somethingnew that I thinkmay interest oth-ers, I’ll fire it offin an email.”

Foye has receivedother honors, includ-ing the UMDNJFoundation’s Excellence inTeaching Award in 2002. Thisyear the American Academy of PhysicalMedicine and Rehabilitation gave him its“Distinguished Clinician Award,”one of only three PM&R physi-cians across the country to behonored. In addition to his clini-cal and teaching activities, he’sprincipal investigator of anInstitutional Review Board-approved study of hundreds ofpatients with tailbone pain.The study, a retrospectivechart review of patients, ana-lyzes demographics, cause ofinjury, diagnostic tests andeffectiveness of treatments. “It’sexciting, because most of the priorstudies are reports from doctors whohave treated only 10 or 12 patients.”

He compares tailbone pain to otherbody regions and says, “If you had pain inyour thumb and the doctor said, ‘There’snothing we can do. I won’t order anytests, prescribe anything or refer you. Justlearn to live with it—or we can surgicallyremove the thumb,’ you would want otheroptions. That’s what we’re offering for tail-bone pain. Most people who come here findsignificant relief from their symptoms. It’sincredibly gratifying to be able to helpimprove quality of life. I absolutely lovemy job.”

Foye compares tailbone

pain to other body regions and

says, “If you had pain in your thumb

and the doctor said, ‘There’s nothing we

can do… Just learn to live with it— or we

can surgically remove the thumb,’ you

would want other options. That’s

what we are offering for

tailbone pain.”

JOHN EMERSON10 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

A CLOSER LOOKAT MR. FIX-IT

AS director of Planning and Manage-ment Services at NJMS, Bernie Sarrel

oversees the day-to-day operations of mostof the buildings on the Newark campus. Sowhat exactly does he do? Ask him and helaughs good-naturedly. “No two days arealike,” he says. Employees come to him forhelp if their offices are too hot or too cold,if they need room for new equipment, evenif the roof is leaking. They call if they want

to move people or when their departmentsdemand extra space.

And some requests are more unusual, saysSarrel. Recently, an employee complainedabout bedbugs in the workplace. “She spot-ted a bedbug on her colleague and wantedme to do something,” he states. “So webrought in an exterminator.” Another inci-dent involved parking—a “hot button” onthe Newark campus. “Someone sent me a

dozen photographs of holes in the NorfolkStreet parking deck,” he says. “He wasright—they were pretty big. So we’ll getthem fixed. It’s like I said: Every day is dif-ferent.”

Sarrel knows the Newark campus like theback of his hand—as well he should. He’sbeen here 37 years. Originally fromRockaway, Queens, he grew up in GreenPoint, Brooklyn. “Both of those places areon the water,” he says. “That’s why I’m abeach person.” He graduated fromColumbia University and also holds aMaster’s degree in hospital administrationfrom Cornell. Before going to work, heserved in the Peace Corps and spent twoyears in central Africa providing services fortuberculosis. When he returned to NewYork, he worked first in administration atSt. Vincent’s Hospital, and then at the NewYork City Health and HospitalsCorporation. “My boss there was a gentle-man named Stanley Bergen,” he says, refer-ring to the former UMDNJ president. “Hebrought me to New Jersey.”

Sarrel started at UMDNJ [then called theCollege of Medicine and Dentistry of NewJersey (CMDNJ)] in July 1971. “I’d neverbeen to Newark before,” he recalls. “Thefirst event I attended was the groundbreak-ing for the main facilities on the Newarkcampus. There wasn’t much here, just a con-struction site.” He held a variety of adminis-trative positions at the University beforebecoming Director of Planning andFacilities Management at NJMS in 1978.

Since then, Sarrel has seen the Newarkcampus expand in every direction. With thehelp of his team (Noreen Gomez, programassistant, and Judith Baginski, project coor-dinator), he oversees several facilities, includ-ing the Medical Science Building, theInternational Center for Public Health, partsof the Administrative Complex Buildings,the Doctors Office Center, the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School/ UniversityHospital Cancer Center and the AmbulatoryCare Center. “We make sure the buildingsare maintained properly and inspected regu-larly,” he says. “Utilities, ventilation, tele-

Bernie Sarrel is the man on campus who plans, manages, and fixes

anything and everything. BY MARY ANN LITTELL

Bernie Sarrel

A PIECE of the complex puzzle of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been

solved by researchers at NJMS. Led byStuart D. Cook, MD, professor of neurolo-gy, a research team discovered that one MSmedication, Betaseron (interferon beta-1b),is more effective than Copaxone (glatirameracetate), in limiting the formation of chron-ic “black holes,” or lesions, in the braincaused by this elusive disease.

The BECOME trial (Betaseron vs.Copaxone in MS with Triple DoseGadolinium and 3-T MRI Endpoints) is acontinuation of other research whichinvolved these same two FDA-approveddrugs. Cook explains, “We were interestedin utilizing a very sensitive MRI technology.The 3-Tesla MRI could provide clearerimages and along with the use of additionalcontrast material, gadolinium, offer bettervisualization.” The BECOME trial was thefirst and largest trial to rely on this sensitive

MRI technology and compare the twodrugs. Cook’s findings were publishedonline in the Journal of Neurology,Neurosurgery & Psychiatry last August.

Results surprised even the researchers.When patients, who were randomly assignedto the two groups, received Betaseron, 9.8percent of their new lesions converted tochronic black holes —with duration beyonda year. For the Copaxone group, this conver-sion rate was 15.2 percent, meaning thatBetaseron might play a stronger protectiverole in the brain tissue of MS patients. “Thiswas unexpected,” explains Cook. “Data onCopaxone suggested that the medicationhad a protective effect which had not beendemonstrated for Betaseron. But, in ourstudy it was the other way around. We alsolearned that MRI lesions are common.Regardless of which drug the patient wastaking, 80 percent still had active MRIlesions, despite being on protective drugs.”

Because 75 patients were being closelymonitored each month, the study allowedCook and fellow investigators DiegoCadavid, MD, assistant professor, neuro-sciences, and Leo Wolansky, MD, professor,neuroradiology, to learn more about the nat-ural history of lesions and black holes. Inthe progression of active MS, inflammationoccurs and the blood brain barrier breaksdown. Founding chair of the Department ofNeurosciences, Cook served as President ofthe UMDNJ from 1998 through 2004. Hesays, “Although we learned a lot about theeffectiveness of medications and the naturalhistory of MS lesions, we have a tremendousamount of material to cover.”

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L 11

A CLOSER LOOKINSIDE THE MS PUZZLETwo medications were used for multiple sclerosis but which one was better

at limiting the formation of “black holes” in the brain? BY JILL SPOTZ

phone installation and maintenance alsocome under our jurisdiction. I don’t super-vise the people who fix things and keep theplace running, but I work with their super-visors to be sure everything is done.”

Sarrel also manages the space in thesebuildings to accommodate new activitiesand programs. “Probably half of my time isspent supporting the work of ourresearchers, who are very important to us.Because our research has increased, I’m oftencalled in to find ways to improve andexpand their facilities. A new piece of equip-ment may need additional electrical poweror a new water supply. Special lighting, heat-ing or cooling systems might be needed.There are always problems to solve.”

Some of these problems are small, persistent…and furry. Sarrel admits to an“occasional problem with mice in some ofour buildings. It used to be much worse,when we had construction going on. Yes, wesometimes have housekeeping issues, butoverall, our people do a good job, particular-ly in this economy, when everyone is expect-ed to do more with less.”

Sarrel’s family has ties to the University aswell. His son worked at NJMS for severalyears, doing research on pediatric AIDS andTB. His daughter obtained a Doctor ofPhysical Therapy (DPT) degree fromUMDNJ’s School of Health RelatedProfessions and works as a physical therapistin the Maplewood school system. Sarrel lives

in Millburn, but spends as much time as hecan on Long Beach Island, NJ, at his homeon the bay. “I’m still a beach person atheart,” he says. “I’ve been on the beach allmy life, except for the two years I was in thePeace Corps. I have a small sailboat, and I’mon the water all the time. My wife anddaughter play tennis, and we’re big support-ers of the Long Beach Island ArtsFoundation.”

Sarrel says he has no immediate plans toretire, and notes that as much as he’s givento the university, it’s given him back more.“I know a few people who have worked herelonger than I have, but not many,” he says.“I like this place, I like the people, and I likethe work I do.”

TOP: PETE BYRON

P OSITION yourself facing the side edge ofthe tall free-standing mirror in B 403 at

University Hospital (UH) in the PhysicalMedicine and Rehabilitation Department.Stretch one arm out in front of the mirror.Raise your other arm to the same height butto the back of the mirror. Shift your body alittle to one side so that your gaze can focuson the reflection of your outstretched arm inthe mirror. You’ll be angled so that you can’tcompletely see what the other arm aroundthe back is doing.

“Start moving your arms and hands. Justtry it,” suggests Eric Altschuler, MD, PhD.“You’ll be surprised.”

You flex the fingers on both hands…pretend to be a conductor…open and closeyour fists…make small circles with yourhands. Then, something really strange startshappening. For most people, the brain isquickly being tricked into thinking that thelimb you see moving in the mirror is thesame as the one out of sight.

“Weird.” Why do all this? Because tricking the

body and brain using mirror visual feedback(MVF) has become one treatment optionfor some chronic disorders that have longbeen regarded as intractable such as phan-tom pain from an amputated limb, hemi-paresis from a stroke, complex regional pain,paresthesias (unusual or unexplained tin-gling, prickling or burning sensations on theskin), peripheral nerve damage or the loss ofrange of motion after a musculoskeletalinjury or from arthritis. With MVF trainingover time, the “normal” vision of the reflec-tion in the mirror of a healthy hand or limbis apparently able to override the aberrantsensory input in the brain from an injuredhand or even missing arm…to the point

where the person is no longer as disabled ortroubled by symptoms.

Countless generations of medical studentshave been taught that physical and neuro-logical functions are localized, hardwiredand that damage is usually permanent,Altschuler reports. “But a paradigm shift isnow underway in neurology with an increas-ing rejection of the classical dogma.” Studiesshow evidence for strong inter-sensory inter-actions as well as the plasticity of the brain.“Neurological dysfunction, at least in someinstances, may be caused not so much byirreversible destruction but by a functionalshift in equilibrium. If so, perhaps the equi-librium point can be shifted back to its nor-mal state by hitting a ‘reset button’ usingrelatively simple, non-invasive procedures.”Even the paralysis after a stroke which hadbeen thought to result from “irreversible”brain damage may involve some form of“learned paralysis” that can be unlearned.For instance, if the signals being sent toyour brain keep saying that your arm won’tmove, then it learns not to move. But if yousuddenly see it moving again in the mir-ror—even though the action is based onvisual trickery—unlearning, even rewiringthe brain around damaged areas, can begin.According to Altschuler and his fellowresearchers, this is all part of the new view ofbrain function.

Altschuler, an NJMS associate professor

12 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

A CLOSER LOOKINSIDE MIRROR THERAPYFor chronic conditions like phantom pain from an amputated limb,

stroke complications, peripheral nerve damage, or loss of range of motion

from arthritis, try a little mirror visual feedback magic.

BY MARYANN BRINLEY

Eric Altschuler, MD, PhD

of physical medicine and rehabilitation,began exploring this science of visual feed-back when he was working with V.S.Ramachandran, MD, at the Center forBrain and Cognition, University ofCalifornia in San Diego. “Our first patientwas seen in 1993,” Altschuler andRamachandran reported in a review articlepublished just last summer in the journal,Brain. For 11 years, this patient had experi-enced vivid, excruciating pain in a phantomarm and hand that had been amputatedabove his elbow. It took just weeks of prac-tice with the mirror, 10 minutes a day, forthe man to start mentally “moving” hismissing arm, after which the pain and achronic itch began to disappear.“Connections in the adult human brain”appear to be “extraordinarily malleable,”Altschuler observes. “Can this malleabilitybe exploited clinically?”

A host of subsequent studies wereinspired by this team’s early findings —“utilizing visual feedback conveyed throughmirrors, virtual reality, to some extent, eventhrough intense visualization,” the authorsreport. “The procedure is not a miracle cureby any means but could be of enormousvalue.”

On this quest for more information,Altschuler has treated patients at UH withMVF. Take the 39-year-old woman who hadslipped and fallen on the ice on a coldFebruary day, for example. She fractured thelarge bone, the radius, at her left wrist. Afterthe bone was pushed into proper alignment,she was in a cast for seven weeks. But thefracture wouldn’t heal so in early April, sheunderwent a bone graft and the arm wentback into a cast until mid-May. Stiff and inpain from her fingers to her left shoulder,she lost the ability to flex or extend thewrist. Even with physiotherapy sessions, herpassive extension only increased slightly. Soin early June, she started a combination ofmirror therapy and electrical stimulationtwo to three times a week. She also began anat-home mirror training regimen and bymid-August, she reported essentially normalhand and wrist capabilities.

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L

What’s in the STARS

Science in the Cinema—STARS (Students, Teachers and Research Scientists)—isa unique distance learning program for high school students. Participant PollyThomas, MD, associate professor, NJMS Department of Preventive Medicine andCommunity Health, talks about it.

What does STARS offer students?In this interactive film and lecture series, students view a movie, documentary orfilm clip with a scientific or medical theme as a starting point for discussions aboutscience. The clips prompt students to consider ethical and moral issues in scienceand medicine. Then they interact with a researcher or scientist and ask questions.Many get excited about careers in science and healthcare. And of course, they’reintroduced to NJMS, UMDNJ and the value of a healthcare education. So it coversa lot of bases.

Describe your participation. As a public health epidemiologist and pediatrician, I’ve been involved with the program for about a year, featuring a documentary titled “Superbugs.” Other NJMSfaculty who have participated include Drs. Peter Wenger, Lisa Dever and EmanuelGoldman.

How and why does this program use technology?STARS began a few years ago as a live program run by the NIH. Held on weekendsin one location, it was difficult for students to attend. Matthew Conforth, director ofeducational technology at Passaic Valley High School, decided to use videoconfer-encing to enable students and researchers to interact without having to travel any-where, and allow many schools to participate. After the film, we ‘meet’ via video-conferencing. I’m always amazed at the students’ sophistication. Not only do theyask about careers, but also about microbiology, chemistry, and the science behinddrug development.

What topics and movies have been featured?Peter Wenger uses a documentary titled “The Pandemic of 1918,” and talks aboutinfectious diseases. Other topics range from genetics to cellular biology. Studentshave also watched “Jurassic Park,” “Lorenzo’s Oil” and “2001—A Space Odyssey.”

What’s in the future?According to Matt Conforth, the program continues to grow, reaching more studentsin New Jersey and elsewhere. Kids as far away as Pennsylvania, Kentucky andGeorgia are tuning in. —MARY ANN LITTELL

Note: Science in the Cinema, sponsored by the New Jersey Association for BiomedicalResearch, won a prestigious 2009 Magna Award from the American School Board Journal.UMDNJ faculty who are interested in becoming “Science Superstars” may contactMatthew Conforth at pvmconforth@yahoo.com.

13

ANDREW HANENBERG

TELEVISION may have its fictional Dr.House, but NJMS can boast the real

thing. For the past 40 years, Steven Marcus,MD, executive director of the New JerseyPoison Information and Education System(NJPIES) at UMDNJ-NJMS, has been thekind of medical toxicologist who rolls up hissleeves and races to bedsides to solve compli-cated medical cases that would make amaz-ing TV drama. From his diagnosis of the 49blue kids in a Passaic grammar school, tothe cases of the botched botulism injections,the Snapple laced with automotive anti-freeze, the teenagers smoking glowing liquidfrom a highway exit sign, and the dinerspoisoned by Atlantic blowfish, Marcus hasbeen at the center of countless, puzzlingmedical scenarios.

At the end of one long day, Marcus hadtraced the blue skin color and sudden illnessthat struck nearly 50 children in a Catholicelementary school to chicken soup that hadbeen watered down inadvertently with aboiler system anti-corrosive agent by a nun.He remembers it well. “I spent 12 hours onthe case, driving from hospital to hospital.”Even the local media had begun dogginghim for interviews. “One television reporterfilmed me in my red ski parka getting intomy bomb of a car in the parking lot at St.Joe’s Hospital. It was hilarious. I saw myselfon TV later but I just wanted to get homethat night.

“I grew up reading Dick Tracy, Supermanand all the super heroes,” recalls this profes-sor in the Department of PreventiveMedicine and Community Health. Thebook, which later became his virtual bible,was actually on his required reading list atthe Medical College of Virginia back in1963. “Berton Roueche’s Eleven Blue Men,later released as The Medical Detectives, pres-ents the stories of medical sleuths, the realCSIs,” he insists, grabbing it right off theshelf in his office.

“The Latin phrase may be ‘carpe diem’but,” for Marcus to make sense of some ofthe more bizarre and fascinating experiencesin his life, “it should really be ‘carpemomento,’ or seize the moment,” he admits.

14 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

NJMS PEOPLEDO YOU KNOW?

NJMS’s very own Dr. House has solved enough complicated, dramatic

medical cases to write a book. How does he do it? By thinking outside the

box and asking the kind of endless questions that have earned him the

adjective, “obnoxious,” just like his television twin.

BY MARYANN BRINLEY

S T E V E N M A R C U S

From Blue Kids and Botulism toDeadly Snapple and Blowfish

Steven Marcus, MD

TWELVE years after retiring from her jobin New York, Minnie Presley, President

of the University Hospital (UH) Auxiliary,has no plans to stop working. “I love what Ido here and it keeps me going,” affirmsPresley. She is the driving force behind theauxiliary, which is responsible for providingcharitable help to the hospital. “When aplayroom in pediatrics needs renovations orstrollers, the directors of the department canask for our help,” explains Presley, who hasalso been the bridge between the auxiliaryand the surrounding Newark community foralmost three decades.

“A wonderful example is the farmer’smarket on campus this past summer,”explains Nancy Bedell, RN, MBA, Directorof Care Coordination at UH. “The farmer’smarket was initiated because of Ms. Presley’sperseverance and desire to give back to theemployees and the local community.” Thissuccess has been her biggest adventure. “Ittook us almost a year to get going, but itwas so worth it because the community real-ly enjoyed it,” says Presley, “People were ableto see that we are here for them.”

Presley has always been involved in themedical community. She spent 30 yearsworking for the city of New York as a med-ical surgical technician in the Intensive CareUnit (ICU) at Lincoln Hospital. She movedto Newark when she was 19 and has beenenthusiastically involved in communityaffairs. Her efforts were recognized by coun-cilman B.F. Johnson of Newark’s CentralWard, who first recommended her for theBoard of Concerned Citizens (BCC), anadvisory group of community leaders, localresidents, and UMDNJ affiliated individuals.

Organized in 1971, the BCC connectsNewark and UMDNJ. Through her involve-ment with the BCC, Presley learned of theauxiliary. “I am not planning to stop work-ing because this is me,” explains Presley, “Itmakes me feel good every morning.”

“If you miss the moment, you miss thechance of a lifetime, the moment othersmay suffer or even perish.”

So when the American College ofMedical Toxicology (ACMT) selected the2009 recipient of its Matthew J. EllenhornAward for extraordinary contributions to thefield of medical detective work, it was nosurprise that Marcus set a record for thenumber of nominations by his peers allacross the country. When the ACMTnewsletter announced him as the winner lastsummer, one member, William Robertson,MD, wrote, “Dr. Marcus makes his presenceknown to everyone…in a rather forcefulway. He adds a liveliness and sense of won-derment and the result is that everyone real-ly pays attention. Bring on a new challengeand he will be there to join in the fray.”

In September when he accepted the prizein San Antonio, TX, Marcus spoke long,passionately and personally about his craft.

Receiving the Ellenhorn award, in fact, hadactually set him on a “quest to determine ifthere was a teachable moment in ‘how I doit.’” As he looked back on his successes—including the establishment of our regionalpoison control center, a feat that requiredthe passage of legislation—this expertunearthed several golden rules he’s lived andworked by.

In viewing any complicated, unsolvedmedical case, he tries to “think out of thebox,” questioning both himself and every-one at every turn about what is known.“That is how I learn,” he explains. “Peoplesay I’m obnoxious,” he’s been heard toadmit. In the initial contact with a patientor problem, he’s also willing to “go the extramile” and to be as persistent as his hero SamAdams, who once stated, “It does notrequire a majority to prevail, but rather anirate, tireless minority keen to set brushfiresin people’s minds.” His success may also be

rooted in his Jewish heritage because by reli-gious tradition, “we seem to be taught toargue and debate.” His mother, in fact,drove him nuts by responding to his ques-tions with other questions, making him lookthings up, requiring that he make decisionsbased on facts or consideration of facts.

All these talking points or teachablemoments, however, came to mind after hefirst tried to turn down the award. “‘Youhave to be kidding,’ was my first reactionwhen they called to inform me about it,” hesays. “What I’ve done all my life is applyother people’s innovations.” But while ittook the man who is always so outspoken,keeping others on their toes, several weeksto put his thoughts in order before thatSeptember event, he certainly had some-thing to say. “No one in the past has eversaid that Steve Marcus was at a loss forwords. I just really never thought I wouldreceive such an honor.”

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O LDAN KATZ 15

M I N N I E P R E S L E Y

The WomanBehind TheFarmers’ MarketBY ALEXANDRA NADOLSKI

Minnie Presley

AS a scientist, teacher and author,Barbara Fadem, PhD, is about as

firmly rooted in academia as you can be. Inher 29 years at NJMS she’s spent a lifetimenurturing students.

In her spare time, Fadem and her hus-band nurture a different species—Jacobsheep— on their six-acre farm in centralNew Jersey. “These beautiful spotted sheepare wonderful animals,” she enthuses, callingup a photo on her office computer. “Webreed and sell them and also sell their fleece,which is very popular with hand spinners.”

The dual life Fadem leads certainly suitsher. “Being on the farm is idyllic but I lovemy work,” she says. This gifted teacher cameto NJMS fresh out of graduate school. Anative New Yorker, she married young andhad three children before finishing college.She attended Brookdale CommunityCollege from 1971 through 1972 beforetransferring to Kean University (thenNewark State). She received her undergradu-ate degree in 1975, and after a brief stint asa high school science teacher in Roselle,returned to graduate school.

“I wanted to know more about some ofthe things I’d learned in college, so a profes-sor suggested grad school,” she recalls. “Iwent to Rutgers, where I got a master’s and aPhD in zoology. My area of interest was bio-logical rhythms. At Rutgers, I got a teachingassistant position and it paid my tuition. Ilove being around young people and it turnsout I’m pretty good at teaching, too.”

She worked for a short time at RutgersMedical School (now UMDNJ-RobertWood Johnson Medical School) until afriend directed her attention to a New YorkTimes ad for a psychiatry instructor at

NJMS. “At this point I was asingle mom,” she says. “Gettingmy first job here was providence.I’ve had such wonderful oppor-tunities. I can’t imagine workinganywhere else.”

At NJMS, Fadem taught sev-eral psychiatry classes and con-ducted research on sex and thebrain in animals, garnering grantsfrom the National Institutes ofHealth and the National ScienceFoundation. She became tenuredin 1987 and remarried a yearlater, around the same time shewrote her first book. “It’s aninteresting story,” she comments. “A booksalesman tried to sell us a book for the first-year psychiatry course. When I commentedthat it wasn’t very good, he agreed and saidthere were no good books for first-year stu-dents. Half-jokingly I said, ‘Well, maybe I’llwrite one.’” And she did. “BehavioralScience,” published in 1990, was an immedi-ate success and is currently in its fifth edition.She’s gone on to produce six more books onbehavioral science and psychiatry, a few co-authored with Steven Simring, MD, formerlyat NJMS and now at Columbia University.

Fadem’s days are busy. She is co-director(with Allan Siegel, PhD, professor of neuro-sciences and psychiatry) of “Mind, Brainand Behavior,” a course combining neuro-science and psychiatry. She also serves onthe admissions committee, evaluating appli-cants. “Our students are wonderful, the bestand the brightest,” says this professor in theNJMS Department of Psychiatry. This fall,she was inducted into UMDNJ’s MasterEducators’ Guild, “a great thrill and honor.”

In 2006, her oldest child Jennifer passedaway suddenly. “I wanted to do somethinguseful in her memory,” says Fadem, so sheand her family endowed the Jennifer FademKerr Memorial Scholarship through theNJMS Alumni Association. Endowed schol-arships begin with a minimum $25,000 gift.Thus far, four students have received thescholarship. “I’m glad to give back to theUniversity that gave me so much.”

Outside the classroom, the sheep beckon.“Right now we have 10 females,” sheexplains. “We had more, probably 20 a fewmonths back, but sold some of the lambs.The sheep are bred each year and have theirbabies in April. Usually we have twins, butthis year we also had two sets of triplets. Ican’t tell you how much fun this is.”

Approaching her 30-year anniversary atNJMS, Fadem doesn’t give much thought toretirement. “Every day at work I’m spendingtime with the finest people,” she says. “Butdo I plan to be here when I’m 80?Absolutely not! I have sheep to raise.”

RIGHT: ANDREW HANENBERG16 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

NJMS PEOPLEDO YOU KNOW?B A R B A R A FA D E M

Nurturing Studentsand…Sheep!BY MARY ANN LITTELL

Barbara Fadem, PhD

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O LANDREW HANENBERG 17

FROM the time I took my first scienceclass, I knew I wanted to be a doctor

when I grew up. I had always been at thetop of my class and science came easily sobecoming a physician was a logical careerchoice. Studying medicine would provideme with intellectual stimulation, prestige,financial stability and the opportunity tohelp people. I wanted that title of “Dr.” infront of my name. However, right before Iheaded off to college —I was in the classof 2009 at The College of New Jersey—something happened that changed mypursuit of medicine from a logical choiceinto a passion. This life-changing eventgave new meaning to my ambition.

In August 2005, I was diagnosed withfactor V Leiden, a hereditary blood coagu-

lation disorder. Naturally, I was terrified ofwhat effect this diagnosis would have onmy life, and asked the hematologist toexplain exactly what was wrong. Hebrushed aside my concerns, rationalizingthat since I was a young, healthy, activewoman and family members with thisdiagnosis had shown no factor V Leidencomplications, I had nothing to worryabout until I got older and wanted to havechildren. To rush me out of his office, thehematologist told me that the symptomsof complications from the disorder werenot important.

Apparently, he was wrong. I left thedoctor’s office that day feeling curious anduninformed so I promptly began toexplore every available resource for infor-mation concerning my condition. I spenthours scouring factor V Leiden websites,looking for possible complications andtheir symptoms, as well as any establishedor developing treatments. Little did Iknow that I would utilize this research lessthan two weeks later.

On the morning of August 8, 2005, Iwas sitting on my couch typing an e-mailwhen I suddenly started having troublebreathing. Every time I breathed in, I feltpain in the middle of my chest. I sat for alittle while, hoping it would go away.Then, still not getting enough oxygen, Itried to take a deep breath and the painwas so excruciating that I screamed.

At that moment, I knew something wastruly wrong, so I had my grandmotherand aunt drive me to the emergency

room. The ER doctor prematurely con-cluded that I had pulled a muscle andtried to discharge me with a prescriptionfor pain-killers. Something deep inside meknew that this wasn’t the truth, that hewas wrong. I remembered everything Ihad read about factor V Leiden and knewthat what I was experiencing was nopulled muscle.

I insisted that my symptoms wereindicative of a pulmonary embolism andfinally convinced this reluctant ER doctorto order a CT-scan. My self-diagnosisproved to be correct and the scan revealeda large clot in my lower right lung. I wasimmediately admitted to the hospital,where doctors could monitor my responseto oxygen and anticoagulation therapy.Later that night, my hematologist told methat I was lucky to be alive. If the clot hadgone undetected, it could have killed me.

As scary as this experience was, itchanged my appreciation for life as well asmy views on the practice of medicine.That “logical” career choice instantlybecame a personal passion. The fact thatmy own medical knowledge probablysaved my life made me a proponent of thewell-informed patient, which I believe isessential for effective patient-centered care.Furthermore, the hematologist and ERdoctor who both brushed aside my con-cerns and opinions served as prime exam-ples of the type of doctor I do NOT wantto become. Their arrogance and disregardcould have led to my death.

Perhaps the greatest insight I gainedwas from this window into the lives of myfuture patients. I know what it’s like to bethe patient sitting in that hospital bed, onthe receiving end of bad news. This makesme want to enrich as many lives as I possi-bly can and to have the high degree ofempathy every good doctor always needs.

For more information about factor V Leiden,visit http://fvleiden.org.

PERSONALLY SPEAKING

The Kind of Doctor I Want To BeBY AMANDA GANZA

Amanda Ganza ’13

Portraits of Patients: Lives We Have Changed

Christina Bowden with her sonConnor and NJMS trauma surgeonZiad Sifri, MD

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To put yourself in Christina Bowden’s placeis to be inside an Academy-award-winning drama about survival andstrength—the kind that sets you on edge, thinking, “What’s next?”This optimistic, gutsy 35-year-old mother’s life has taken far too manymedical twists and downturns since Dec. 14, 2005.

After two overseas deployments as a U.S. Naval intelligence officerwith VAQ-130 Flight Squadron, and Navy SEAL teams in 2000 and2001, this California girl landed in what seemed like a safer statesidespot to work. Her husband, Jonathon, whom she met in the Navy andmarried in December 2001, is a dentist practicing with his father inFlemington, NJ. Out of the military, the couple imagined their futurein a quieter zone, that place called happily ever after. In August 2003,they moved from Coronado, CA, to Pennington, NJ, and in 2004,Christina started working for the government.

Then, four years ago, when she was eight months pregnant,Christina was struck by a vehicle in Newark. Describing that day now,all she can say, after a pause, is “Errrrrhhhrrr. Let’s see. Where shouldI begin?” The cadence of her voice is slow and steady, with willfuldetermination. Christina works hard to say what she means and to bewhere she is today. Her intelligence and wit are fierce. “I struck myhead, or so they tell me.” Of course, she—the conscious ChristinaBowden—wasn’t there. She was in a coma, struggling to return to life.

“To keep her alive as she slipped into a coma,” the UMDNJ-University Hospital paramedics, who had raced to the scene of the acci-dent, “intubated her immediately, right there in the field,” explainsNJMS trauma surgeon Ziad Sifri, MD. “This means they placed abreathing tube through her vocal cords to breathe for her and preventher from aspirating any fluids down into her lungs,” Sifri explains.“Her level of consciousness was very low when the paramedics got toher. This, in the setting of a closed head injury means she was in badshape.” On the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) which scores injured

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L

TrueGrit

By Maryann BrinleyPortrait by Andrew Hanenberg

19

TOP LEFT: JOHN EMERSON; BOTTOM: ANDREW HANENBERG

patients on a range from 3 to 15—anything less than 8 means thepatient is in a coma—she would be classified a 6, he says.

In the UH emergency room, multi-disciplinary trauma teamsmoved fast. “Her pupils were sluggish but still reactive,” Sifri recalls.“She had obvious facial lacerations and abrasion” but her “pelvis wasstable” with no obvious injury, which was important both for her andher unborn baby. Every minute counted because “the longer someoneremains in shock, the more likely the person will die or suffer majorcomplications. The same goes for the baby. This is one of the chal-lenges of trauma,” Sifri explains, “to be able to work with differentsurgeons and specialists at the same time without interference, com-munication errors, or wasted time, while physically caring for thepatient on many levels.” He led the primary trauma team. “Perfecttiming, so that you can achieve the optimum outcome for the patientwith the least complications, is so important.”

After seeing her X-rays, Sifri rushed her to a CT scanner to checkfor bleeding inside her head. “On the CT of the head, she had anobvious skull fracture and multiple bleeds within different areas of herbrain,” he says. “She also had midline shifts and evidence of hernia-tion, which means the brain had started to swell and was actually

pushing its way out of the skull, which is very dangerous and can belife-threatening.” Sifri consulted with a neurosurgeon.

“At this point, three teams were simultaneously taking care of her,”he recalls. The neurosurgeon focused on her brain swelling and wasputting in an intra-cranial monitor, called an ICP monitor, to meas-ure the pressure around her brain. The obstetrics-gynecology (OB-GYN) team was concentrating on her placenta which had actuallyruptured. “This fetus was viable with a good heart rate that we couldsee on the ultrasound. Given Christina’s critical condition,” Sifri says,there was a serious potential threat to the unborn baby. “Interest-ingly—and this is something we teach our medical students—fetaldistress is one of the earliest signs of shock in a pregnant woman. Thefetus is very sensitive to shock and hemorrhage in the mother.” Theteam didn’t want to wait until the baby’s life was compromised anddecided to deliver him immediately.

When she speaks about this day to her 4-year-old son, Christinamakes Connor an integral part of the story. “We were in that accidenttogether. Today, he is totally healthy and super-smart.” Delivered in anemergency C-section later that day, Dec. 14, 2005, by Guy D.Murphy, MD, an NJMS assistant professor, Connor was four pounds,fifteen ounces, and remained nameless for weeks. His Apgar score waslow, and he was intubated before being taken to the Neonatal IntensiveCare Unit (NICU) where he “was the biggest baby for weeks.”

For days in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), Christina wastreated for her brain injury and respiratory failure, and she remainedon a ventilator. Friends would gather by her door with tears and fearstangible. By Dec. 29, she was stable enough to be moved out of theSICU to a lower level of care but, Sifri says, “her level of conscious-ness was still low and of concern.” Her condition might best bedescribed using “that laymen’s expression. You know, ‘The lights wereon but there was nobody home.’” That would eventually change.

But Christina was there deep inside. She acknowledges, “The brainis so remarkable. Jon tells me that on January 1, after a priest blessedme with spiritual water that a co-worker gave him, the nurses placedConnor on my chest. I started to wake up a little. I sensed that peo-ple were with me in the hospital room. Jon says that family, doctors,and nurses were all in my room crying.”

Christina also explains, “Jon told me that the baby couldn’t be dis-charged from the hospital until we named him—something he had-n’t wanted to do without my input. So, by my bed, he asked me tosqueeze his hand for a sign of ‘yes,’ when he said the name I wanted.”

“Robert William?”No.“Connor William?”“I squeezed yes for Connor William,” she says.Upon her arrival at Kessler East on Jan. 6, 2006, Jonathan Fellus,

MD, Christina’s neurologist, describes her as “barely responsive.” Hisjob was to wake her up and bring her back to conscious living. Hebegan by adjusting certain medications to keep her medically stableand to control her pain level. Fellus also wanted to “set the stage for

20 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

On Christina’sTeam of Healers

(Left) Jonathan Fellus, MD, NJMSneurologist at Kessler Institute forRehabilitation Medicine

(Below) UH nurses in the SurgicalIntensive Care Unit (SICU):Michelle N. Addie, RN, BSN,LaVern Allen, RN, BSN, Luz M.Meneses, RN, BSN, MA, EloisaLaudato-Hufalar, RN, BSN, andMichelle Haynes-Mintz, RN

the neurological stability upon which I could regulate her sleep-wakecycles and give her more energy.” With every traumatic brain injurypatient, Fellus, an assistant clinical professor at NJMS, takes an indi-vidual patient’s personality and behavior patterns into consideration.

“As Christina became more awake and alert, it was like a chessmatch,” Fellus recalls. “Not checkers, where you move one step ahead.But, chess, where you have to think three, four, five moves ahead usingcertain interventions, changing medications, and anticipating eachstage of recovery.” Her Kessler rehabilitation team—including SherryHiggins, CT (Cognitive Therapy), Elizabeth Salameh, PT (PhysicalTherapy), and Artrese Lyles, a nursing assistant, among many oth-ers—used every possible motivator to get her well again. “I had a lotof Ts,” Christina says laughing. “Occupational therapy, physical ther-apy, cognitive therapy, speech therapy…all the Ts. You name the T, Idid the T.” For 46 days— eventually “I was crossing them off on a cal-endar”—Christina was as tough on her therapists as they were on her.

“I challenged myself all of the time. But, it’s crazy and frustratingwaiting for your brain to catch up. Try to imagine starting life back atage 3. It’s easier the first time you have to learn how to eat, to walk,and to talk. The second time isn’t fun. Does that make sense?”

Fellus recalls, “I remember her family bringing Connor, her baby,in to visit.” Back at home, they had hired a nanny to help. “I wantedher to have those reality checks with her baby,” this neurologistexplains. “I could see her degree of reaction and interaction withConnor. It helped us all reinforce what we were doing in therapy.We’d say, ‘You have to be able to take care of that baby.’”

Eventually weaned off the respirator, Christina’s freedom from afeeding tube took the finesse of Artrese Lyles, the nurse’s aide whowould bring her a grilled cheese sandwich and Ensure, a nutritionalsupplement, every day. “That woman was remarkable,” Christinarecalls lovingly.

At Kessler East, “I had to start back at the beginning,” she says. Todescribe her balance challenges, she uses this analogy: “My brain waslike a buoy, constantly bobbing on a wavy sea.

“I went through so many phases and emotions…anger, anxiety,stress, and frustration. I wanted to be normal. I refused to be abnor-mal. I wanted to walk before Connor walked. I wanted to talk beforeConnor talked.” She wanted no part of the wheelchair, the walker, orthe cane, which she referred to as her p.o.s. (piece of s!&t). “I didn’twant to curse. So I would say, ‘Where’s my p.o.s.?’ Thankfully, it’s col-lecting dust in our basement now,” she says proudly.

At the end of February 2006, Christina went home, where shespent the next year recovering. Now, she laughs about how volatile heremotions would run. “Jon didn’t know whether to come home afterwork carrying a baseball mitt and wearing protective gear, or to beready to give me a hug. He is a rock. I love him so much.”

She went back to work part-time on Jan. 9, 2007, using a walker atfirst and later her p.o.s. When we met recently, this remarkable womanwalked into our UMDNJ offices on her own, moving thoughtfully,with muscular tenacity, and very independently. “I’m so determined.

I’m elated by this aspect of myself. I just refuse to give up.”If it weren’t for this positive mental attitude—she calls it her

p.m.a.—the bad medical news she received in late July 2008 mighthave broken her spirit. “I was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer,”she explains. “Mid-July 2008, I had surgery. The oncologist removedmy left ovary, left fallopian tube, appendix and 20 lymph nodes.

“Whoever said lightning doesn’t strike twice lied. After more tests,I was told I had multiple cancerous lesions in my liver, sternum, rightfemur, pelvis and spine. I reacted with a determined spirit.”

Fellus, whom she sees every six months, believes that the accidentand the cancer are connected. There is a “lot of neural endocrine dis-ruption after brain trauma and a body of literature which speaks tothis. It is plausible for there to be an interaction between her braintrauma, what it unleashed on the body and the fact that this was ahormonally-based cancer. The poor little pituitary gland, locked at thebase of her skull, connected by a narrow tube to the brain, stretchedback and forth in that accident.” This master gland, connected to thehypothalamus, controls everything from growth, blood pressure, preg-nancy, delivery, and thyroid function to temperature regulation.

In caring for patients with TBI, Fellus measures hormones routine-ly. As a pregnant TBI victim, Christina presented a very biochemical-ly-complicated case. As trauma surgeon Sifri points out, “Estrogenand other female hormones protect against organ injury. So those hor-mones could also have helped her recover from injuries.”

Ten rounds of chemotherapy over nearly eight months left her feel-ing like a painful piece of “Swiss cheese with so many holes,” sheadmits. Yet, Christina approached the cancer battle thinking positive-ly and from all directions. With her oncologist’s advice, Jon’s recom-mendations, and Fellus’ input, Christina adopted an organic diet. Shestarted taking herbal supplements, scheduled acupuncture and otheralternative healer appointments, and sought support from her family,friends, and co-workers. She also set up a personalized website withhttp://www.caringbridge.org, where she posts her progress andappointments and can receive inspiration from her site’s guest book.“I had to have a positive way to direct my energy.”

Recent CT scans show that the cancer has almost disappeared. “Ihave two liver tumors left: 1.7 cm lesion and a 9 mm lesion.”

Jon keeps saying, “The fight isn’t over until the fat lady sings.”Christina assures him, “She’s not singing yet. But, don’t worry, shewill. She’s humming.”

Ziad Sifri, who races from trauma to trauma nearly every day of hisworking life, doesn’t often get the chance to read the happy ending tothe stories in which he co-stars. In fact, physicians are actually pre-vented by law from inquiring about patients they have treated, unlessthe patient makes direct contact. So he smiled when he learned, fouryears after this disaster, that this particular patient had “regained a full,meaningful life. I am always nervous when I get someone with severebrain injury because we are not always sure who is going to recover.After all our time and effort, and all of Christina’s work and effort, thisis very exhilarating to hear.”

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L 21

IMAGE COURTESY OF SANJAY TYAGI22 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

T H E B R I L L I A N C E O F

By Eve Jacobs

[ Molecular Beacons: molecules that signal the presence of a target by fluorescence ]

It’s about seeing beyond the every day, coming together with a groupand hashing out new ideas. It’s definitely NOT about solitary pursuitsin a stainless steel lab.”

If you think visionary and basic laboratory researcher do not belongin the same sentence, then it’s time to meet these scientists. Kramer isa big guy, born in Queens and raised in the Bronx, a product of thepublic school system, a math, then zoology, major at the University ofMichigan, who returned to New York to earn his PhD at RockefellerUniversity, and then served on the faculty of Columbia University for17 years before joining the Public Health Research Institute (PHRI).He came to New Jersey when PHRI moved to UMDNJ’s Newarkcampus in 2002.

Kramer is a natural storyteller, tells his tales with gusto, describeshis science artfully, knows how to woo his audience, but also knows

when to step back and let the team shine. He radiates pride in his—and their—accomplishments in basic molecular biology and nucleicacid structure, chief among them “molecular beacons” that havebeamed their way around the world and back, lighting up the imagi-nations of researchers, generating numerous discoveries based on thiswork, and yielding practical applications that are golden.

Think rocky New England coastline. Think rough seas on a darkand stormy night. Think threatening waves tossing a big ship like awood chip on the waters. Now think of a thin slice of light crackingthe blackness open, pointing the way to safety. Next, translate thatinto science. That is the molecular beacon—the point of pride of thislab. And that was the image in Kramer’s mind when he named thisinvention—the culmination of years of hard work in the early ’90s.

What has made this research possible is grant money. “Getting

Fred Russell Kramer—and partners Sanjay Tyagi and Salvatore Marras—aremen with a mission. They want you to understand something about sciencethat most people just don’t get. “It’s like art,” Kramer says. “It’s about vision.

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L 23

ANDREW HANENBERG

grants is like theater. You have to do good science, but you also have totell your story so that the people reading it [your grant application] likeyour story. PHRI researchers are good at getting grants.” (Suddenly, theimport of Kramer’s storytelling mastery becomes obvious.)

He points out that attracting big money—in the form of grantsand also royalties—earns scientists greater independence and thechance to try out new things. “Because we have a steady flow of roy-alties into our lab, we can take on more difficult projects,” he says. “Todo something original, you have to take on things that are hard.”

Yet Kramer likens his lab to a “giant kindergarten,” where membersspend their hours “building things out of tinker toys. There is noauthoritarian structure here. We have different talents and skills. Wework as close colleagues—it’s wonderful!”

Obviously the researcher’s “giant kindergarten” is way more than aplayground. Kramer himself has been “hammering away” at nucleicacid structure and its role for more than 40 years. This lab has filedand been awarded a long string of patents; and molecular beaconstechnology has been licensed to 45 different companies and earned$29 million, and is still on a roll.

There are now all kinds of applications of molecular beacon tech-nology: diagnostic kits for HIV-1, the AIDS virus, accounting forabout half the tests done worldwide; most of the polymerase chainreaction (PCR) tests done in North America for MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a dangerous, hard-to-battle bacterialinfection; and detection of Group B Streptococcus, which Kramer says

infected, pregnant mothers can pass to their babies at birth, causingmeningitis. (Two thousand newborns still die of meningitis in theU.S. each year, and many more are left deaf or blind.) Molecular bea-con probes for this bacterium give an accurate, rapid reading prior toa baby’s delivery, enabling the mother to receive protective antibioticsthat pass through the placenta, preventing infection.

Molecular beacon probes—all based upon the technological find-ings of this research group—are used to quickly diagnose a long list ofinfections, both bacterial and viral. But lest you think the scientificwork leading to them was painless, know that Kramer and Tyagi havebeen rowing through those dark stormy waters together for 22 years.And that slim beacon of light was not always on their radar screen.

Kramer’s earlier research at Columbia University led to more recentwork in molecular diagnostic assays. The goal was to find a way for aprobe to “light up” a target gene only when the probe attaches to itsintended target. “Years and years of work failed,” but Kramer and Tyagipounded on. “Molecular beacons were born out of our frustration.”

Kramer’s science has everything to do with his instincts for choos-ing partners. Call it chemistry—the personal kind. Tyagi, he says, isidealistic, brilliant, persevering, and original—in other words, a part-ner he can work with and feel really proud of. “While working on hisMaster’s degree in India, Sanjay came up with a theory on the originof protein synthesis that was published in the journal, Origins of Life,and remains valid today. He didn’t apply; he was invited to the PhDprogram at the University of Maryland,” Kramer says with great pride.

The third co-director, Salvatore Marras, is from the Netherlands andreceived his PhD from Leiden University. About 14 years ago, he cameto New York on his vacation to visit a fellow-scientist friend who wasdoing postdoctoral work in Kramer’s lab, and lo and behold he fell inlove with life here as well as in this lab. He returned home to windthings up, and quickly came back to the U.S. For 13 years, he’s beenpart of their nucleus, and he loves it. “Salvatore worked out the first testthat demonstrated that molecular beacon probes can be designed toreliably distinguish genetic changes as small as a single nucleotide sub-stitution,” says Kramer. “In these assays, the color of the fluorescenceindicates which mutation is present, and the time that it takes for thecolored signal to appear indicates the number of target molecules pres-ent in the original clinical sample. Our lab together is hugely morethan the sum of our parts.”

High on the list of the group’s priorities is the mentoring of stu-dent-scientists, many from faraway countries, who come to learnabout molecular beacons, and about working as part of such a team,and then move on to laboratories around the world, often to play lead-ing roles there. “They keep in touch. It’s like a big extended family—

24 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

L to r: Salvatore Marras, PhD, assistant professor, microbiology and moleculargenetics; Fred Russell Kramer, PhD, professor, microbiology and moleculargenetics and associate director for technology transfer; Sanjay Tyagi, PhD,associate professor, medicine. All are co-directors of PHRI’s Laboratory ofMolecular Genetics.

you know, the founder effect,” says Kramer. But the trio seems bond-ed by a chemistry both solid and fluid.

“How is science really done? Over coffee,” says Kramer, laughing asone of the student-scientists comes into the conference room to poursome coffee. “We have coffee together in the morning. We then doour experiments. Then we come together in the afternoon and talkover more coffee. Our science is people!”

For those, like me, whose familiarity with molecular beacons isminimal, Kramer points to their website, molecular-beacons.org,where those working in this field have shared information since 1998.Marras is in charge of the site, a labor of love. There are many diverseapplications for molecular beacons technology, and the website pro-vides more than 500 downloadable papers authored by scientistsaround the world who are continually describing new applications.

The laboratory, meanwhile, is continuing to work on “the next bestthing.” For Tyagi, research associate Diana Vargas-Gold, and the laboratory’s doctoral students, that means trying to “illuminate” (lit-erally) a living cell’s most basic functions, lighting up primary geneproducts (messenger RNAs) as they are synthesized, and followingtheir movements, processing, and localization. One goal is to observethe molecular changes that take place in living nerve cells as they arestimulated and form synapses with each other, in order to betterunderstand memory and learning.

For Kramer, Marras, and their laboratory colleague Hiyam El Hajj,PhD, that means research on sepsis, or blood poisoning, which kills200,000 people a year in the U.S. alone. When a blood sample is sentto a clinical lab, it usually takes days to identify the organism doingdamage, Kramer explains. “So, the doctor treats the patient with abroad spectrum antibiotic that often turns things around—but notalways. We are looking to identify the dangerous infectious organismwithin one hour.” The trick will be to “read” the unique temperature-dependent fluorescence pattern generated by the simultaneous use ofa small number of differently colored, unusually long “sloppy” molec-ular beacon probes, he explains. It’s a major challenge—to say theleast. However, they are obtaining promising results in collaborationwith David Alland, MD, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseasesat NJMS, and his research associate, Soumitesh Chakravorty, PhD.

“If these efforts succeed, the technique might be applied to othertypes of screening,” Kramer explains, “like colon cancer, for instance.We develop the techniques, and biotech companies can commercial-ize them.” The idea is to be able to simultaneously check for manykinds of cancer-causing mutations with just a single tissue sample.“This is an idea,” Kramer says, “a long-term goal. One of many direc-tions we can take.

“Like artists,” he concludes, returning to his original theme, “everyday we create new things and we try to do it well.” For anyone con-sidering a career in the lab, a cup of coffee and a chat with this groupmight well be in order. Science, we all know, is hard work, but thislaboratory’s brand of science shines with a fluorescence that just mightwoo you to take the plunge.

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O LANDREW HANENBERG 25

IN HIS OWN WORDS

What’s aMolecularBeaconProbe,Anyway?By Fred Russell Kramer

M olecular beacons are single-stranded oligonu-cleotide hybridization probes that form a stem-and-loop structure. The loop contains a probe

sequence that is complementary to a target sequence, andthe stem is formed by the annealing of complementary armsequences that are located on either side of the probesequence. A fluorophore is covalently linked to the end ofone arm and a quencher is covalently linked to the end ofthe other arm. Molecular beacons do not fluoresce whenthey are free in solution. However, when they hybridize to a nucleic acid strand containing a target sequence, theyundergo a conformational change that enables them to fluoresce brightly.

Molecular beacons have three key properties that enablethe design of new and powerful diagnostic assays: 1) theyonly fluoresce when bound to their targets; 2) they can belabeled with a fluorophore of any desired color; and 3) theyare so specific that they easily discriminate single-nucleotidepolymorphisms. Now that a number of new and versatilespectrofluorometric thermal cyclers are available to clinicaldiagnostic and research laboratories, assays that simultane-ously utilize as many as seven differently colored molecularbeacons can be designed. This enables cost-efficient multi-plex assays to be developed that identify which member of apanel of potential infectious agents is present in a clinicalsample. Utilizing molecular beacons, assays can be devel-oped that not only identify a causative infectious agent, theycan simultaneously determine which antibiotics will be effec-tive and which will be ineffective against the particular strainthat is present. A panel of different genetic mutationsresponsible for the same disease can be identified in a singleassay. And a single assay containing molecular beacons canscreen an entire panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) that determine whether a particular drug will beeffective for a particular individual. Thus, molecular beaconsserve as new tools for increasing the effectiveness and lower-ing the cost of clinical diagnostic assays.

Asha Bale, MDAt right: scenes from Ghana

26 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

With AfàÜÉ~xof Her Scalpel

By Mary Ann D’Urso

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O LLEFT: JOHN EMERSON; ABOVE: COURTESY OF ASHA BALE 27

I n surgery, you can have an immediate impact on a patient. That’sthe appeal for Asha Bale, MD, NJMS assistant professor. Shetreasures this ability to help and empower a patient with the stroke

of her scalpel. Sometimes her reward comes from the day to day work in the oper-

ating room at University Hospital (UH). Lately, she’s been findingthat sense of satisfaction as far away as Agona-Swedru, Ghana. “Youcan empower people in so many ways. I feel a passion for that,” saysBale, who is chief of the Division of Minimally Invasive and BariatricSurgery at NJMS. In Africa, for instance, even simple hernia surgerycan make a big difference. She remembers one farmer in particular.“Putting someone back to work, back to being able to support hisfamily and earn a living, how wonderful is that?” asks Bale.

Along with her NJMS colleague Ziad Sifri, MD, Bale has recentlybegun taking these humanitarian trips. She’s helped to establish

International Surgical Health Initiatives (ISHI), a non-profit organi-zation set up to sponsor the overseas, medical, goodwill trips. Theirfirst one took her to Ghana in October 2008 and another NJMS-ledtrip sent a team to Guatemala in October 2009. ISHI members alsoroutinely include a journalist and photographer so the group can drawmedia attention to the people and places in need.

In Africa, the volunteer group of about 15 UMDNJ employeesincluded nurses, surgical residents and anesthesiologists as well as thedoctors who performed 82 surgeries in less than two weeks. Onefarmer was so happy that he brought the team bananas and pineapplesin gratitude for removing damaged tissue from his infected neckwound. Inguinal hernias make up about 90 percent of the operationsin Ghana and some hernias are so large they protrude from the groin,extending almost all the way down to the knee. Procedures that wouldbe routine in the U.S., on a gall bladder, for instance, or for a perfo-

rated ulcer, are anything but in some remote villages around theworld. Treating the Mayans of San Juan Sacatapequez in SouthAmerica on another trip, Bale and her team offered many natives arenewed chance at normal life.

“Some of us are in a position to make a real difference,” she admits,“through our work, our teaching or our humanitarian contributions.”What’s important, she believes, is for each of us is to find out just howwe can make that difference. Bale, who had always wanted to go onthese kinds of medical missions, never had the chance before.

Born in Oklahoma City, OK, to parents who emigrated in the1960s from a village in Karnataka, outside of Bangalore, India’sSilicon Valley, she moved around a lot as a child. But a good many ofher growing-up years were spent in Manhattan and New Jersey. Afterhigh school, she entered Boston University’s seven-year medical pro-gram and wanted tobecome an endocri-nologist— until hervery last rotation.That’s when she dis-covered surgery. “Iwanted to cure dia-betes,” she admits.Her uncle had died ofdiabetes-related com-plications so therewas a personal con-nection. “I had neverthought of becoming a general surgeon, but I really enjoyed that sur-gical rotation. I looked forward to coming into work.”

Drawn to NJMS because of its reputation for being female-friend-ly in the surgical department —50 percent of the surgeons arewomen—Bale did her residency on the Newark campus at UH. Thenshe went south to train in Louisiana for her specialty in minimallyinvasive and bariatric or gastric bypass surgery, which now makes upabout a quarter of her practice. Patients love her. One of the benefitsof gastric bypass surgery for Type II or non-insulin dependent diabet-ics, she explains, is that this dangerous condition disappears immedi-ately after the procedure. The irony is not lost on this expert, whodescribes bariatric surgery as “an enjoyable operation. It’s technologi-cally interesting and demanding.” It also brings her full circle andback to that med school dream of curing diabetes: she does it for hergastric bypass patients.

What she also likes about bariatric surgery is that “you can see theresults.” She follows patients for three years after their operations andremembers one of her very first: a single mother who had been on dis-ability, unable to work. Two years after the surgery, this woman mar-ried, finished school and became a respiratory therapist. Today, “She’sstill maintaining her weight,” living the kind of happy ending thatfeeds Asha Bale’s passion for surgery. “How wonderful is that?”

28 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

Money + Time + Effort =

Satisfaction

S o what does it take to get a medical mission off theground? We asked Frank Ciminello, MD, a plastic sur-geon and Director of Craniofacial Surgery at NJMS,

because of his organizing experiences on yearly expeditionsto Colombia and Brazil. Fellow surgeon and NJMS ProfessorMark Granick, MD, also weighed in on behind-the-scenesdetails because he heads to Mauritius, an island off thecoast of Eastern Africa annually.

“You must have a team of surgeons, anesthesiologists,pediatricians and nurses, who can stop working for twoweeks,” Ciminello explains. These volunteers must be will-ing to give up possible income at home in exchange forbeing “worked to the bone” on the trip. Funding is criticaland costs aren’t always covered by donations. “You pay forsome of it out of your pocket,” he admits. Supplies, donat-ed or purchased, can be expensive. Granick says, “Last year,we brought over $100,000 worth of supplies to Africa, alldonated.” Organizations like Smile Train, which raises fundsyear round, can help. And, Ciminello has set up his ownlocal charity in Colombia, called “With Hope,” run by resi-dents in that country who support the mission.

A competent contingent of local healthcare providers, the“receiving team,” explains Ciminello, is also a key piece ofthis mission puzzle. They do the groundwork before arrival.And, “when you leave, you know there are people who canhandle the postoperative care.” Ciminello keeps in touchwith his cadre of local doctors and returns annually to thesame locations so he can also monitor his patients’ progress.

The end result? Both Ciminello and Granick agree thatthe rewards are well worth their efforts. Says Granick,“Patients, governments and communities are so apprecia-tive. It is very rewarding to be able to help people who haveno other solutions.” —ALEKSANDRA NADOLSKI

“Some of us are in a position

to make a real difference,”

Asha Bale admits,“through our

work, our teaching or our

humanitarian contributions.”

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O LJOHN EMERSON 29

“G ood morning Vietnam” may have been the rallyingcry in the movie starring actor Robin Williams butsecond-year NJMS student Alexandra Ward could

easily have borrowed the expression last summer. She spentweeks working in this Southeast Asian country. Ward and othersincluding Leila Mady and Nelson Chiu were among the manyNJMS students who traveled overseas during their med schoolbreaks on medical missions to three continents. Their experienceswere priceless…learning what it truly means to be resourceful,how to treat patients with conditions they might never encounterin the U.S., and that there really is no place like home when itcomes to healthcare. As Ward says, “After being in Vietnam, andseeing the poverty and lack of medicine, I now look at our ownflawed healthcare system and know it could be much worse.”

Mady, in her third-year as an MD/PhD/MPH student, went tothe Dominican Republic with the UMDNJ-School of PublicHealth’s Outreach Project, a program that was initiated in 2003to offer hands-on, international public health exposure. One ofalmost a dozen UMDNJ students sent to socially and geograph-ically-isolated areas there, Mady will never forget her 28orphans. Her job was to help them find food, medical treatmentand shelter. The trip was not what she expected. “You reallyhad to be flexible and accept the fact that you didn’t alwaysunderstand how things worked,” she explains. “It was hard.”

During Ward’s adventure with the Vietnam MedicalAssistance Program, “We ran nine clinics that saw an averageof 200 people per day, treating people with health issues thatwould have been fixed at birth in this country or when they firstshowed symptoms.” The program, started by two students atJohns Hopkins, pulled med students from New Jersey,Maryland, Georgia and Pennsylvania for the mission.

Second-year student Nelson Chiu traveled to Kampala,Uganda, to take part in a tuberculosis study initiated by NJMSfaculty Edward Jones, MD, MS, and Kevin Fennelly, MD, MPH.“Technically, we were trying to weed out and treat the super-spreaders of TB,” explains Chiu. “These are the people particu-larly at risk who should be treated first in order to control thedisease’s spread.” But, Chiu soon realized that scientificresearch would be a very small part of his African adventure.“Most of my time was spent doing clinical rounds at MulagoHospital,” one of the largest hospitals in East Africa, where hedid everything from caring for patients with HIV/AIDS to deliver-ing babies. “Patients would become agitated that more couldn’tbe done,” he recalls, “but with so few personnel and littleresources, many people do fall through the cracks.” Yet, Africasurprised him. “I did not know that I would see so much hopeand joy. Despite all their challenges, they are the nicest peopleI ever met.” — ALEKSANDRA NADOLSKI

When Students Go Trekking

Leila Mady ’11, Alexandra Ward ’12 and Nelson Chiu ’12

LEFT: JOHN EMERSON

On that day, almost 30years ago, he was invitedto register for an

Emergency Medical Tech-nician (EMT) course at

U M D N J – U n i v e r s i t yHospital (UH). Threemonths later, he had com-

pleted a rigorous trainingcourse and resigned from his mail

courier job. Mendez began working asan EMT, an unpredictable job wherehe rides in ambulances, helps peopleand, on occasion, delivers babies—almost more babies than he can count,in fact. His unofficial total is around100 newborns who have come into theworld through his hands.

According to Mendez, who has beenan Emergency Medical Services (EMS)supervisor for the past 11 years, the dis-patch center annually receives between120,000 and 150,000 emergency callsrelated to motor vehicle, bicycle and skate-board accidents, burns, stabbings andshootings. That’s about 300 calls every day.EMS provides basic life support service andadvanced life support service to the greaterNewark area including the Newark-Elizabethseaport and Newark Liberty InternationalAirport.

When asked about his delivery experi-ences, Mendez says, “When you respond, you

don’t know what you’re going to get into untilyou are there: regular delivery, miscarriage, still-

born, not breathing. You can’t panic. Youhave to be calm.” The majority of his “out-

side deliveries,” the term used by the dispatcher to refer to babies bornoutside the hospital, took place when he was an EMT, a medic driver,and then a rescue specialist. Now as a supervisor, he is less likely to beout on day-to-day calls. His current role is more administrative unlessthere are special deliveries. As his career responsibilities changed, heended the baby tally at about 90, but approximately eight more babieswere born in his care after that. He’s lost count. Approximately 2,000babies are born at UH every year, explains Helene Dujardin, Directorof Business Development at the hospital.

Mendez, a husband and father of three adult children, never dreamedof a career in healthcare. Years ago, he watched the television seriesRescue 911, but didn’t expect to be facing real life issues like the one heencountered during a shift in May 1981. This was just a few monthsafter he started at UMDNJ and when he delivered his first baby.

When his unit responded to the call of a baby-on-the-way, Mendezremembers thinking, “Oh God, I hope she doesn’t deliver right here.Oh God. I hope we can make it to the hospital.” Realizing the birth wasimminent, his thoughts turned to the lessons he learned during train-ing. “When that baby comes out, you have to be so gentle because anymovement could hurt the baby. I was nervous, very nervous. That firsttime, I was so nervous, because you put a lot of pressure on yourselfholding the baby just right. You’re not pulling. You’re just guiding thebaby’s head, turning it a little bit.”

By Kaylyn Kendall Dines

W hen it comes to job responsibilities, Victor Mendez delivers. Once upon a

time, as a messenger for the City of Newark, he visited Newark Emergency

Medical Services to drop off a package. The result of that delivery was life-changing.

P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 030

Victor Mendez

In situations like that, Mendez explains, “You’re not going to put themother in a chair or ask her to walk a couple steps or flights of stairs. Ifcontractions are very close, you stay there and wait because the baby iscoming really soon.”

That holds true, even if the expectant mother is in the back seat of asmall car outside of the ER…which happened. Mendez had just trans-ported a patient tothe hospital and, herecalls, “My partnerwas doing thepaperwork and Iwas doing thestretcher. You know,the guy with thestretcher goes backoutside, cleans the ambulance, and gets the stretcher ready for the nextcall. So, I open the door of the hospital and this guy pulls up in a littleDatsun. You know how small a Datsun used to be? It was a four door,but it was a small car. ‘My wife is having a baby. My wife is having ababy!’ he yells.”

Mendez walked to the backseat of the car where he found the moth-er laying sideways with the baby’s head completely out. “So, I’m hold-ing the baby until somebody can come to help me because I couldn’tmove. There was no room for me to move in that car. Just hold the babythere and make sure the baby’s airway is clear. Tough delivery, very dif-ficult,” he remembers. “By the time help came outside from the hospi-tal, the baby was completely out.”

Then, there are cases when the baby has been born before the EMScrew can arrive to transport the mother-to-be to UH. Keith McCabe, ofUMDNJ’s Information Systems and Technologies, says, “In the last 12months, EMS has responded and transported 488 women when our 9-1-1 call takers coded the assignment as ‘Imminent Delivery.’ We alsohad 26 calls where the caller stated the baby was already born and theyrequired assistance.”

Mendez recalls another hair-raising experience that he’ll never forget.It took place on New Year’s Day about 10 years ago. He arrived at the

house and a man pointed toward a bathroom door and walked awaysaying, “She’s in there.” Mendez entered the bathroom. There was nocrying baby, only a woman on the commode.

“I looked inside the toilet bowl. The only thing I could see there wasblood. There was nothing there, no baby, just blood. She had me scared,because I didn’t see a baby.” Back out in the hallway, as he helped thewoman leave the bathroom, he heard a baby cry.

“Is there another baby in here?” he asked around. There were otherpeople in the house who told him, “No, there isn’t any other baby.” Itwas then Mendez used the radio microphone on his shoulder to call thedispatcher and say, “I have a baby in the toilet bowl.” Going back intothe bathroom, he slid his gloved-hands into the toilet and tried to gen-tly rescue the newborn. When he could see the infant’s face, he clearedthe airway, but the child was lodged in the toilet somehow. “What washolding the baby? Something was holding the baby, I can’t lift it up. It’sgotta be twins, it’s gotta be twins,” Mendez remembers thinking.

When he finally managed to pull the baby out, he saw a large tumorat the base of the skull attached to the head that had been the reason forher getting stuck. Later at the hospital, an ER physician removed thetumor, “sutured her up and that baby girl was sent home about fourdays later.” She was fine, and Mendez surmises, “She must be almost 10years old now.”

Mendez, who is passionate about helping people, says, “Once you seethat little infant come out,” he pauses and gently laughs, “It’s a verygood feeling, a great feeling when you help deliver a baby.”

He also remembers the woman who walked up to him downtownnear the Prudential Building and said, “Do you remember me?”

His response was, “Uh, no.” She said, “You delivered my baby.”“So, I said, ‘How’s the baby?’”There was a mature, adolescent girl standing right next to this

woman. “That’s the baby,” she said, pointing to the young lady. “That’s the baby right there,” Mendez said, a little flabbergasted. “Yes, 16 years old.”“Now, that girl is even a few more years older of course,” says this

special delivery expert. “Oh my, I’ve been doing this a long time.”

On occasion, Mendez, an EMT,

delivers babies —almost more

babies than he can count, in fact.

His unofficial total is around 100.

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L 31

“I love the variety, the mixed-up schedule,the fund-raisers, the events, the thank-younotes from scholarship winners, and devel-oping relationships with so many talented,interesting individuals, both the studentshere now as well as the alumni I’ve gotten toknow over the years,” she explains. In thismulti-faceted position for 10 years thismonth, Mink was recently given the title ofdirector. No two working days or nights areexactly alike, thanks to the students, facultyand alums streaming in and out of heroffice, and the demands of her job.

One of the most rewarding aspects for

her is getting to know students. “We havemusicians, artists, and so many gifted indi-viduals of all ages with such varied back-grounds. Some are older, more experienced.Some are very young. One wonderful youngman in his third year of medical school isonly 21.” When she needs a volunteer ortwo, or even six, they come running. “Iemailed Neil Kaushal, Student Council pro-gramming chair, and the very next day I hadsix students willing to work at the fall schol-arship dinner. They were wonderful.” She’sbeen leaning heavily on Kaushal as well asRay Malapero, fundraising chair. But both

are examples of that old saying, “The moreyou do, the more you can do. They ran ori-entation week last summer just beautifully,for instance.” When this duo presented theirStudent Council update at a board meetingin October, they brought along a box ofNJMS baseball caps. “It was great fun.Everyone got a cap,” Mink recalls.

On Mink’s schedule annually are fourboard meetings, executive committee gather-ings including a Board of Trustees annualmeeting every June. Alumni who attendactually enjoy themselves. “They kiss. Theylaugh. They hug,” she says. “You can see thecongeniality.” They realize that beinginvolved is well worth the effort. They tellher, “We are so glad we came.” She couldn’tdo all this without Association PresidentJames M. Oleske, MD’71, MPH, and thebacking of the Foundation of UMDNJ,which lends fundraising, technical, and digi-tal support. “The internet, in fact, has defi-nitely changed my job over the last decade,”Mink says. She can share information withthe Foundation all the time, which maintainsa database of alumni. And Google makes itpossible to keep track of graduates as well.

From February Career Nights to springreunions, Golden Apple dinners, white coatceremonies, orientation activities, Board ofTrustees meetings, lectures, phonathons, andfall scholarship awards dinners, Mink hasbeen there, done that. Her calendar ispacked. Take the four nights of phonathons,for an example of her frenetic but fun job.Mink invites 20 students, usually four dif-ferent groups, to spend three evening hourscalling alumni to ask for their updated con-tact and professional information as well as adonation to the scholarship fund. She paysthem each $35 but the kicker is the extramoney they can earn by making the mostcalls or getting the largest number ofpledges. “I order pizza, encourage them tobe competitive, post their progress up on aboard, and offer bonuses,” she explainslaughing. “It’s hard to make these kinds ofsolicitation calls but many students get intoit and some have actually made professionalconnections by chatting with the alumni on

ANDREW HANENBERG32 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

A L U M N I F O C U S

In the Alumni Affairs Office

I N truth, Dianne Mink is the glue that helps to cement the legacy of

NJMS to its graduates. A former business educator who once taught

at Montclair High School, she runs the Alumni Association from

a small office on the first floor of the Medical Science Building (B-504)

almost single-handedly—with a little help from volunteers. Quietly,

tenaciously, she keeps on turning that alumni affairs wheel from 8 am on

weekdays and occasionally late nights and weekends.

Dianne Mink

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O LAL SUNDSTROM 33

the phone. Some find mentors in areas ofmedicine they might want to pursue.”

And, of course, the calls are for a goodfinancial cause: scholarships awarded everyfall. This is one of Mink’s favorite events.“We awarded $180,000 in scholarship fundsthis past fall and it was so satisfying” to give scholarships on the basis of academics,financial need and community service.There were 144 applications for aid this past year. Applications go out in April.Recipients are picked by a committee of faculty and alums in August and the dinnerto celebrate the winners and thank thedonors is held in October.

Alumni contributions also support theStudent Council. For everything from tick-ets to a New Jersey Bears baseball game, barbecues, luncheons and receptions to thewater bottles and pen lights for new stu-dents, Mink’s office can make it happen.

To bring graduates back to an NJMSstate of mind, there is always the annualspring reunion. “My challenge with alumniis getting them to come back and see what’sgoing on here.” This year’s event is sched-uled for May 14–16 at the Sheraton

N E W S O F S P E C I A L I N T E R E S T T O N J M S G R A D U A T E S

1 Elizabeth A. Alger, MD’64,

presents one of her scholarships

to Alice Hon’10

2 (Left to right) Dhanashri

Miskin’10, Sree Grandhi, MD’04,

Jennifer (Jacobs) Kertesz, MD’04,

and her husband David Kertesz.

Drs. Grandhi and Kertesz honored

their classmate, the late Valentino

Chiaviello, MD’04.

3 Scholarship recipients flanked

by Robin S. Schroeder, MD’86,

and Joseph V. DiTrolio, MD’79,

(left) and George F. Heinrich,

MD’72 (right)

4 Scholarship recipients with

Drs. DiTrolio and Heinrich

Golden ReunionCome celebrate the 50th reunion of thecharter class of 1960 and the 25threunion of the class of 1985 on May14 – 16, 2010. Start the weekend byattending the 22nd Annual Stuart S.Stevenson Memorial Lecture, the 15thAnnual Benjamin F. Rush, Jr. SurgicalSociety Lecture and the 42nd AnnualHarold J. Jeghers Memorial Lecture oncampus Friday. Speakers, times andlocations will be announced shortly. Awelcome reception is scheduled for thatevening at the Sheraton ParsippanyHotel and a trip to the Newark Museumis being planned for Saturday. A blacktie optional dinner dance will be held onSaturday evening at the Sheraton andfarewell brunch will be served at thehotel on Sunday morning.

1

2

3

4

Parsippany Hotel and will honor both thefirst class of 1960 celebrating a 50th reunionas well as the 25th anniversary for the classof ’85. If you have any doubts at all aboutwhether or not to attend, email DianneMink at minkda@umdnj.edu. She may justconvince you to put those dates on yourmust-do list. Call 973-972-6864.

At the Scholarship Awards Ceremony

“I think it’s all very doable. But you haveto be creative and think outside the

box.” When Mini (Ehrlich) Verter, MD,graduated from NJMS in 1975, she neverimagined her career path would be easy.Inspired by her father’s cousin, a womanpediatrician who served in the French forcesduring World War II, Verter went to NJMSwhen only 10 percent of the students werewomen. “I had to be assertive,” Verterexplains. “I had to be my own advocate.”

Overcoming the gender barrier in medi-cine was just the beginning for Verter, whoobserved the personal struggles of femalemedical students and residents, and becamedetermined to find an alternative. Manywomen were given only three to four weeksfor maternity leave. Others left childrenbehind in their home state or country. Someabandoned medicine for years before return-ing to finish their training, and one becameso depressed she could not function. Verterbecame intent, after her first post-graduateyear of a full-time residency, on finding apart-time situation in pediatrics, family med-icine, or psychiatry in central New Jersey thatwould allow her to answer both the needs ofher family and her Jewish religious obliga-tions. “When I went to medical school, noone spoke about part-time programs or com-bining family with a career in medicine,” sheexplains. “My friends who have daughters inmedical school today could never even con-ceive of doing what I did.”

An advertisement in a medical journal fora residency-sharing program sparked theidea that she could pursue her goal part-time. Verter called local hospitals, trying tostrike a deal. Through diplomacy and nego-tiation, she eventually found one thatworked with her to create a plan that wouldanswer her family needs while fulfilling therequirements of the Accreditation Councilfor Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Verter became the first psychiatry residentat New Jersey’s Monmouth Medical Centeras part of a newly developed joint programwith Hahnemann Medical College andHospital in Pennsylvania. Because of theprogram’s unusual structure, where residents

ANDREW HANENBERG34 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

M I N I V E R T E R , M D ’ 7 5

A Rare Road throughResidencyHer part-time journey took 10 years. By Lisa Jacobs

A L U M N I P R O F I L E S

Mini Verter, MD

were expected to split their time betweenLong Branch, NJ, and Philadelphia, PA, shewas able to choose her own hours, take a sixmonth maternity leave for her second child,and arrange her schedule to stay home andobserve the Jewish Sabbath by not working.In exchange, she did extra Sundays andAmerican holidays. “This was like an unoffi-cial Shomer Shabbos residency programwhich I first heard of years later. I hadworked it out on my own,” Verter explains.

But even with this flexibility, she still hadtrouble. To get to Philadelphia by 7 a.m. viapublic transportation, she had to wake up at3 a.m. Babysitters were unwilling to workthe “crazy hours” demanded by her nightand weekend calls. “At one point, I hadthree babysitters quit within a single month,but I was able to network and get a goodsitter who then launched a childcare busi-ness for working moms,” she explains. Later,Verter moved her start time to 9 a.m. “Noone gave me any problem with this,” sherecalls. “If you are a good worker, qualified,and appreciated, others are willing to bendover backwards to work with you.”

In 1982 while Verter was in the middle ofthe part-time equivalency of her third-yearas a resident, ACGME revoked accreditationfrom the Hahnemann/Monmouth program,forcing her to scour the market for a placeto complete her fourth year in psychiatry.With the help of Herman Belmont, MD, aprofessor and head of child psychiatry atHahnemann Medical College, she secured afull-time fellowship at UMDNJ without anyon-call duties. In 1985, a decade after grad-uation from NJMS, Verter finally completedher training.

She became board certified in adult aswell as child and adolescent psychiatry, andwent to work for Staten Island MentalHealth Society, a children’s community

mental health clinic, where she is stillemployed today. There, Verter was able towork a part-time schedule for several yearswith no night calls. She had her childrenjoin her commute to Staten Island fromNew Jersey, enrolling them in school thereso that she would be accessible to them dur-ing the day.

Today, Verter feels accomplished to haveseen thousands of patients while raising threedaughters, and later becoming a grandmoth-er of six. “Being a parent is intertwined withbeing a doctor and both enrich each othermaking for a more empathic doctor and amore knowledgeable parent,” she says.

Verter believes that the lessons she learnedin obtaining scheduling flexibility throughself-advocacy, diplomacy, and compromiseare applicable to women in medicine today.She also stresses the importance of network-ing, problem-solving, and creativity. Part-time residency programs would provide resi-dents flexibility to accommodate family andeducational pursuits. At Hahnemann, shewas surprised to see other part-time psychia-try residents, some of whom were pursuinglaw degrees simultaneously. Twelve yearsago, Verter approached Stanley Bergen, Jr.,MD, former UMDNJ president, at a lectureto share her thoughts on the issue. “He wasso amazed,” she recalls. “He was just tryingto work out a sharing residency program. Itwas something brand new to him.”

Verter regrets that more shared residenciesare not available today. She views thoseoffered on sharedresidency.org a poor solu-tion because they offer three month alterna-tions of full-time residency and time off.“That is no different than being a full- timeresident, but more impractical. There is noflexibility for caring for young children, achronically ill family member, personalhealth problems, or for pursuing furthereducation. If something happens to onepartner, the other has to take over andbecome full-time.” She advises women to tryto negotiate their own schedules. “All youhave to do is ask nicely. What’s the worstthat can happen? You’ll get a no. But hope-fully, you’ll get a yes.”

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L 35

calendarNJMS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Winter/Spring 2010January 21, 2010Alumni Association Board of TrusteesGeneral MeetingRosemary Gellene Room, MSB B515, 6 p.m.

February 19–20Student National Medical AssociationRegional Conference

February 23 and March 4Career Nights MSB, Grand Foyer, 6:15 p.m.

March 18Match DayMSB, Grand Foyer, Noon

Alumni Association Board of TrusteesExecutive Committee MeetingStudent Affairs Conference Room, MSB C-6546 p.m.

April 25Komen Race for the CureBranch Brook Park, Newark

May 14, 15 and 16Alumni Reunion WeekendHonor the Golden Anniversary of theClass of 1960, and all 5- and 10-yearanniversariesDetails on page 33

May 23GSBS Pre-Commencement Reception

May 24NJMS Convocation

May 26UMDNJ Commencement

June 17Alumni Association Board of TrusteesAnnual MeetingRosemary Gellene Room, MSB B515, 6 p.m.

JuneGSBS Student Association Picnic Date to be announced.

“Being a parent is intertwined

with being a doctor and

both enrich each other.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PARKER FAMILY HEALTH CENTER

NINE years ago on a humid Julyevening, Eugene Cheslock, MD’65,

opened the door to his donated trailerparked in an empty lot in Shrewsbury, NJ,and welcomed three uninsured patients.These three people needed medical care.Unlike millions of Americans without healthcoverage, they were lucky enough to receivefree quality care from a physician who justwanted to make a difference. It was a mod-est beginning and a glimmer of what was tocome for the Parker Family Health Center.

Cheslock was close to retiring from hissuccessful hematology and oncology practicewhen long-time friend James Parker, Jr.,MD, and a small group of concerned com-munity members, walked door-to-door andpolled more than 400 homes on the westside of Red Bank in 1999 asking residentswhether they had health insurance. Theresults were overwhelming: 95 percent of thegrowing Latino population and 40 percent ofresidents overall lacked health coverage.

The team immediately sprang into actionand through assistance from the nationalorganization, Volunteers in Medicine,Cheslock and Parker started the ParkerFamily Health Center. Today, this booming,free health clinic located minutes from itsmeager beginning is housed in a beautifulbuilding thanks to donations from the com-munity, foundations and celebrities like themusician Jon Bon Jovi and his family. Thecenter operates solely on grants and isstaffed by volunteer physicians and clinicalstaff who see approximately 10,000 patientseach year. “There is a need for communitiesto respond without government support toissues such as healthcare that affect all ofus,” explains Cheslock. “Our health center is

not funded by taxpayers and shows what wecan accomplish on our own.”

The Center is also a reflection of the sta-tus of healthcare today. According to 2007data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 47 mil-lion Americans are without health insurance.This number is growing due to many vari-ables including the fact that health coverageis no longer a guarantee even for those who

are employed. Many small business ownerscannot afford to offer health insurance totheir employees due to rising premiumcosts. As a result, the number of free healthclinics is growing. There were only six in theU.S. when the Parker Family Health Centerwas established; now there are 72. AsCheslock explains, “When we first openedour doors nine years ago, 95 percent of our

36 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

A L U M N I P R O F I L E S

E U G E N E F. C H E S L O C K , M D ’ 6 5

Lifeline to theUninsuredBy Jill Spotz

Eugene F. Cheslock, MD

Bonilla, the newest navigator who is fromHonduras, started just last summer inAugust and faced a challenge with her veryfirst patient. “Two months after arrivinghere from the Philippines, she was diag-nosed with breast cancer and kept saying,‘How will I pay?’ I told her, “I’m here tohelp you. Don’t worry. There are decisionsyou’re going to have to make but I’ll guideyou and tell you what you need to do,” saysBonilla. She shepherded this patient througha lumpectomy, radiation, and chemotherapy,as well as her financial considerations, andthen even located a nurse who could speakher Philippine dialect of Tagalog.

“We streamline patients from one depart-ment to another, too,” says Bonilla. “Thereare so many places in the hospital to have anX-ray, for example. I show them where togo. In oncology, patients sometimes forgetto have an EKG or PET scan, which holdsup treatment. I call to remind them.”

“People can get the best care when theygo into clinical trials, so many of ourpatients, who are minorities, now partici-pate,” Barber adds. However, clinical studiescan have rigid parameters that all partici-pants must meet in order to qualify. “Itseems crazy, but studies want healthy cancerpatients. Depending on the trial, uncon-trolled diabetes or cardiovascular disease, forexample, can disqualify a patient,” explainsBarber.

One male patient broke down and criedwhen preliminary testing knocked him outof a head and neck cancer trial. “I huggedand assured him, ‘You’re going to get goodtreatment whether you’re in a trial or not,’”recalls Barber, who guided him throughchemotherapy and radiation. A year laterwhile walking down the boardwalk inAtlantic City, she bumped into him and wasso happy to see that “he looked well.”

What does it take to become a navigator?The most important job requirements arecompassion and a nurturing personality. It’s

also helpful to be bilingual but these naviga-tors just have basic undergraduate collegedegrees. Kopenski, who is from Brazil,speaks Spanish and Portuguese. All threeworked at UH in other capacities beforeapplying for these jobs. The payoff is satis-faction in helping others and the gratitudeof people who may have nowhere else toturn. “When I returned after being out illfor five months, it was so rewarding to hearthat patients missed me and could see thedifference I had made in managing theircare,” says Kopenski.

Of course, there are frustrations. Somepatients have trouble understanding theirdiseases so information may have to berepeated over and over again. Sometimespatients don’t read all the material the navi-gators provide. And not every case has ahappy ending. Last September, a youngwoman suffering with aggressive breast can-cer died under their watch. At the end ofher life, the patient navigators held herhand, read prayers and stayed by herside…like angels.

Focus on PhilanthropyContinued from page 40

patients were undocumented immigrants.Today, 60 percent of our patients areAmerican citizens.”

Cheslock credits his time at NJMS withreinforcing his desire to help those in needbut acknowledges that his philanthropicdrive is connected to his own personalupbringing. “There are altruistic tendenciesin all of us,” he says. “We may all have ‘it’and these tendencies may be tested, tried andhopefully not broken, especially during thearduousness of residency. But the greatestsatisfaction that we can gain is helping oth-ers.” Cheslock graduated when the medicalschool was in the process of becoming partof the state university. As a result, medicalstudents traveled in teams to various teach-ing hospitals in New Jersey and New York

for their clinical training. He says this experi-ence taught him what it means to be a teammember and to depend on others for success.

Following medical school, Cheslocktrained at the Cleveland Clinic and AlbanyMedical Center where he completed a fel-lowship in hematology. He practiced hema-tology and oncology for 25 years inMonmouth County before retirement. Atthe Parker Family Health Center, he’s nowthe president but that work doesn’t stop atthe Red Bank city line. He is in the processof assisting a group in Florida setting uptheir own volunteer health center. “It hasbeen a marvelous ride for all of us,” he says.“This is what medicine is all about—beingable to share expertise, talent and abilitiesand helping those in need. You can feel thepulse in our center.”

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L 37

In Anil Saha’s Memory

THOUGH Anil Saha, PhD, may have

retired from the Department of

Microbiology and Molecular Genetics almost

20 years ago on Dec. 31, 1990, this long-

time professor of microbiology will continue

to have a presence at NJMS through a

$70,000 gift made recently from his estate.

“The bequest is very nice and was unexpect-

ed,” explains Carol S. Newlon, PhD, profes-

sor and chair of the department. Saha died

in 1995 and “in the years following his

retirement, he made several gifts to support

our seminar program,” Newlon says. In cre-

ating this endowment, his intentions were to

continue the distinguished lecture series on

an annual or biannual basis and to fund

activities beneficial for students who are

training in the department. For instance, the

Saha Fund will support graduate students

who want to travel to professional confer-

ences or to other educational activities.

“This is what medicine is all

about—being able to share

expertise, talent and abilities and

helping those in need. You can

feel the pulse in our center.”

1960’SDaniel D. Cowell, MD’60, retired inJune 2009 and spent the summer withhis wife, Diana, on the beach and theirnew boat in South Bethany, DE. Mrs.Cowell was a medical social worker forhospice and Dr. Cowell was seniorassociate dean for graduate medicaleducation and a professor of psychiatry,Marshall University, Joan C. EdwardsSchool of Medicine in West Virginia.He has joined the local volunteer firedepartment in Bethany Beach andplans on doing locum tenens work.Friends and family are welcome tovisit.

James DeGerome, MD’68, has a newbook, The Cure for the AmericanHealthcare Malady. DeGerome is theVice President of the Digestive DiseaseNational Coalition in Washington, DC.

James F. Donohue, MD’65, wasnamed Outstanding Clinician 2009 bythe American Thoracic Society, NorthCarolina branch.

John J. Killion, MD’62, reports thathe is still practicing and, sadly, that hiswife Anita passed away six years ago.Killion has 7 children and 14 grand-children.

Richard E. Pelosi, MD’61, is workingfor the Palm Beach Medical SocietyMedical Reserve Corps, the AmericanRed Cross, and enjoying retirement.

James (Jay) Phelan, MD’68, featuredin the last issue of Pulse, is still work-ing part-time as a flight surgeon forNASA and spent a month in Star City,Russia, last fall.

Steven J. Stanzione, MD ’66, is stillbusy working part-time with his hema-tology/oncology group at OverlookHospital Cancer Center in Summit, NJ.

1970’SThomas Dayspring, MD ’72, becamea fellow of the National LipidAssociation in May 2009.

Jose F. Colon, MD’78, would love tohear from NJMS classmates/friendsand lives in NYC.

Mercedes Lindsey, MD’78, is chief,hematology/oncology at the HamptonVA Medical Center.

Thomas J. Mancuso, MD’79, is anassistant professor of anesthesia,Harvard Medical School, Children’sHospital of Boston, who has collabo-rated with Drs. Robert S. Holzmanand David Polaner to co-author A Practical Approach to PediatricAnesthesia.

Lawrence Marum, MD’73, is countrydirector for Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention based inLusaka, Zambia. With an adult HIVprevalence of 1 percent, Zambia has anexpanding program for HIV preven-tion, care and treatment.

John R. Middleton, MD’70, is amember of the medical staff of IDCare, specializing in infectious dis-eases, and has earned recognition asMaster of the American College ofPhysicians. Middleton is one of only648 Masters in a membership of morethan 119,000 physicians.

Daniel Tartaglia, MD’71, has beenclinical medical director of ProvencalHospital on the North Island,Rotorua, New Zealand, for the past sixyears, as well as consultant physicianand geriatrician.

1980’SLauren Alter, MD’83, practices inter-nal medicine and has recently movedto Rockingham, NC. Alter, who is car-ing for her patients using a preventiveapproach, has joined FirstHealthRichmond Medical Group–InternalMedicine.

Anthony D. Ciardella, MD’80, is anassociate clinical professor at theUniversity of Connecticut School ofMedicine and associate chief of medi-cine at the Hospital of CentralConnecticut.

Linda Jean Griffith, MD’81, has hadher first book chapter published, ondeath and bereavement in More ThanMedication, which is about incorporat-ing psychotherapy into communitypsychiatry appointments.

Evelyn Montalvo Stanton, MD’85, ispediatric pulmonology director andfounder of the Children’s RESPIRAbilingual education program at NJMS,which is designed to educate familiesabout children’s asthma.

Linda Rimkunos, MD’81, is currently employed as a locum tenens(temporary appointment) emergencyphysician. After enjoying assignmentsin emergency in Vermont,Pennsylvania, New York, Arizona andWashington State, she served as thephysician for Mountain MedicalServices at the Mt. Snow Ski Area.Rimkunos is also very involved inscouting and was awarded the 2008Outstanding Scout Award by the CT

38 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

C L A S S N O T E S

Your News from Old FriendsHow are you? What are you doing with your life? Send us an update, a photo, a story idea or just your latest address. Pulse magazine is your way to stay intouch. Mail this form to: Alumni Association of New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, MSB-B504, Newark, NJ 07101–1709. Photos arewelcome. You can also send your news via e-mail to: njmsalum@umdnj.edu orfax us at (973)972-2251.

Name Graduation Year

Home Phone Office Fax

E-Mail Address

Mailing Address

What I Have Been Doing (enclose photos)

I would like to be a representative for my class.

Please join the Alumni Association of New Jersey Medical School.General Dues $65.00Resident in Training $15.00Lifetime Membership $1,000.00

Visit http://njms.umdnj.edu/, click on Alumni and Alumni Association and thenOnline Dues Payment to pay your dues online.

The Lifetime Membership is being offered to our alumni as a means to perpetu-ate the goals of the Alumni Association and enable its members to sustain theirsupport in a more meaningful way. All categories of membership will afford youthe opportunity to keep connected with us. You will continue to receive all mem-bership benefits, including NJMS Pulse magazine, information about upcomingevents and reunions, and library privileges.

Marinos A. Petratos, MD’60, (left) ofAthens, Greece, and New York City,delivered a lecture on skin rejuvenationemploying cosmeceuticals and chemicalpeels at the 4th Congress of theMacedonian DermatovenereologicSociety held in Ohrid, a city ofByzantine churches and cobblestonestreets adjoining Lake Ohrid, a naturaltectonic lake shared with neighboringAlbania. He shared the program withRobert A. Schwartz, MD, MPH,(right) now in his 27th year as an NJMS

Professor and head of dermatology. Together, they explored sites around theMacedonian capital, Skopje, including the historic St. Spas Church.

N E W J E R S E Y M E D I C A L S C H O O L 39

Hockanum River District. She is look-ing forward to serving on the nationalmedical staff of the 100th anniversaryBoy Scout Jamboree in 2010.

1990’SDebra Eisenberger Matityahu,MD’92, recently shared her recollec-tion of the late Eric Lazaro, MD, whodied last year: “He was amazing andreally touched us all and taught us somuch. I especially loved his jokeswhen he helped teach us in anatomylab. He will be missed!”

Debbie Salas-Lopez, MD’96, has beennamed chair of Lehigh Valley HealthNetwork’s Department of Medicine.

Sean M. Studer, MD’93, MSC, wasappointed Chief of the Division ofPulmonary and Critical Care atNewark Beth Israel Medical Center, inJanuary 2009.

2000’SDavid Adinaro, MD’00, has beennamed Chief of the Adult EmergencyDepartment at St. Joseph’s RegionalMedical Center in Paterson, NJ.

Benjamin Bly, MD’09, a member ofthe Summit, NJ Volunteer First AidSquad, is doing his residency in neu-rology at the University of Michigan.

Tanya Chadha, MD’08, marriedShailesh Sachdeva in February 2009.

Octaviano Espinosa, MD’08, is inHawaii as the General Medical Officer,1st Battalion/12th Marines and willcontinue his residency after two years.He is heading off to a combat zonethis year.

Adam Fechner, MD’05, is doing hisresidency at UMDNJ-UniversityHospital in Ob/Gyn. He received theChairman’s Award, the ResidentResearch Award, the Society ofLaparoendoscopic Surgeons ResidentAchievement Award and theMorristown Memorial HospitalOb/Gyn Resident of the Year Award.

Christian Geanette, MD’08, finisheda transitional year at the University ofHawaii and has begun a radiology resi-dency at NY Presbyterian/Cornell.

Marissa Kellogg, MD’09, who servedas a member of the Summit, NJVolunteer First Aid Squad, is doing herresidency in neurosurgery at Brighamand Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA.

Adam Ligas, MD’06, and ChristinaPisani, MD’06, who are both inPittsburgh, send news that he willenter a forensics fellowship in psychia-try in July 2010 and she matched in a maternal fetal medicine, Ob/Gyn fellowship.

Demetri Merianos, MD’04, is in yearsix of a seven-year general surgery resi-dency in Philadelphia, PA.

David J. Ospital, MD’05, is a special-ist in general ophthalmology and hasjoined the Peninsula Eye Center prac-tice in Salisbury, MD.

Joshua H. Pozner, MD’06, wasaccepted for a fellowship in theDepartment of Pain Management atCornell that begins in July 2010.

Pascal Scemama, MD’09, a volunteerfor the Summit, NJ First Aid Squadalong with his classmates, Drs. Kelloggand Bly, will start his residency inanesthesiology at MassachusettsGeneral Hospital after his internship atMorristown Memorial Hospital.

If you would like to make contact with your classmates, please email Dianne Mink atminkda@umdnj.edu, to reconnect.

The Alumni Association and the NJMS community extend deepest sympathiesto the families and friends of:

Neil S. Cherniak, MD, clinical professor, medicine. Cherniak earned hismedical degree from State University of New York, Brooklyn and served asdean of the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. As acaptain in the U.S. Air Force from 1958 to 1960, he worked at theAcceleration Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, where he waspart of a project that selected the first seven Mercury astronauts, includingJohn Glenn. Funeral services were held Oct. 25 in the Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel in Livingston.

Gerard F. Hansen, MD’62, on November 29, 2009. Hansen practicedobstetrics and gynecology in Hackensack, NJ, and was a faculty member inthe NJMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and on the NJMSadmissions committee for many years. He is survived by his wife Margaret(Peggy) Hansen, four children, seven grandchildren and his sister.

Phyllis Bagdi Hollingsworth, MD’60, on Aug. 23, 2009 in Kirkland,WA. Bagdi practiced anesthesiology and retired after more than 30 years atProvidence Hospital in Seattle. She is survived by her husband, a sister anda niece.

Katherine Kulak, MD’88, a specialist in internal medicine, on December1, 2007. Kulak practiced at the Dean Medical Center in Madison, VA.

Eric J. Lazaro, MD, July 2009. Lazaro was a respected faculty member atNJMS, and a cardiothoracic surgeon who was recruited to the Seton HallCollege of Medicine in 1960. The winner of 18 Golden Apple teachingawards, Lazaro was also devoted to his patients and respectful of everyoneon his healthcare team, including the hospital housekeepers. In his memory,the Alumni Association is establishing a scholarship, The Eric J. Lazaro,MD, Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will be awarded to a third orfourth year student with interest in surgery, a high academic standing,financial need and community service experience. Contact the AlumniOffice for more information: njmsalum@umdnj.edu.

Carroll B. Leevy, MD, associate professor, medicine. A 1983 graduate ofJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Leevy was a hepatologistwidely known for his compassion and dedication to his patients. A funeralservice was held on October 15 at Saint Stephens Chapel in Millburn. Hewas predeceased by his father, one of NJMS’ founders, the late Carroll M.Leevy, MD.

Sunil Pandey, MD, clinical assistant professor, medicine, on April 25. Afuneral service was held at the Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman SuburbanFuneral Chapel in Livingston.

Richard Starita, MD’77, of Dallas, TX, on September 6, 2009. Starita wasan ophthalmologist with Glaucoma Associates of Texas for 23 years and issurvived by his wife, Paulette, and his father, Michael Starita.

Philip J. Urso, USAF, Col. (Ret.), MD’63, on October 5, 2009. Urso residedin Ft. Washington, MD; leaves his wife Annette; children Christine, Anthony,Jeanine and Philip, Jr.; his mother, Ann Urso, and five grandchildren.

i n m e m o r i a m

What’s in your attic? Rudolph Talarico,MD’60, sent us a veritable treasure-trove of well-preserved memorabilia.Among the items inside his carefullypacked box:

A 1960-vintage alphabetical listing of home and office numbers for eachclass member

The 1960 yearbook

The original invitation to the FirstCommencement Exercises on June4th, 1960 at Seton Hall College ofMedicine and Dentistry

Talarico’s Treasures

PATIENTS call them “angels.” You wouldtoo if you were diagnosed with cancer

and found Larissa Madelin Bonilla, HeleineKopenski, or Yasmeen Barber at your bed-side ready to lead you though the maze ofdecisions, tests, treatments and finances.Known as patient navigators, the three spe-cialists work at the NJMS-UniversityHospital (UH) Cancer Center bringing helpand hope to individuals caught in the tur-moil of cancer.

“I was the first navigator here,” saysBarber, who started the UH program in2005. “We see a very diverse racial and eth-nic population that faces enormous barriersto care. They’re uninsured or underinsured;fear and distrust the medical system; andoften can’t take time off from a job for med-ical appointments.” Barber’s new category ofhospital expertise reflects a national effort tocorrect the disparities in access to medicalcare and in health outcomes across the U.S.Statistics indicate that the poor and disad-vantaged are being diagnosed with late stagedisease at a far greater rate than average.

The first patient navigator program in theU.S. was launched in New York in 1990 andothers have appeared across the country eversince. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure ofNorth Jersey funds Bonilla and Kopenski.Barber’s position is underwritten by aminority-based New Jersey Commission onCancer Research (NJCCR) grant and theMinority-Based Clinical Oncology Program(MBCCOP) under the direction of RobertWieder, MD, PhD, an NJMS associate pro-fessor and director of the Cancer Center’s

Clinical Research Office. Because a headand neck cancer pilot project ended, thenavigators are focusing on breast cancer nowbut eventually they hope to have an “angel”available for every cancer diagnosis.

The UH-Cancer Center program isunique because it also identifies cancerpatients who may be eligible for clinical tri-als. “Because we develop relationships withpatients, we’re able to educate them aboutthe benefits of trials,” says Barber, a clinicalresearch coordinator and supervisor of thenavigator program. Minorities have beenunder-represented in clinical trials. “It isespecially critical that we have an ethnicallybalanced representation on clinical trialsbecause the effect of treatments may varyamong different populations,” Weider says.

What exactly does a navigator do? She orhe offers support, advice, and undividedattention to patients and along the way, thenavigator also teaches patients about their

diagnosis, schedules appointments, andaccompanies them to treatments and tests.The relationship can be intense. Forinstance, if the results of a mammogram orbiopsy are bad, the navigator is there to holdthat person’s hand and offer hope. Barbermeets weekly with Bonilla and Kopenski toidentify barriers patients are facing andensure they don’t hold up treatment.

“Some people are in denial after a diagno-sis. We make sure they don’t have a biopsyand then disappear,” says Kopenski, a breastcancer navigator who was once uninsuredherself. Take for example the woman sheremembers who was diagnosed with nonag-gressive breast cancer. “She insisted she wasdying and didn’t want surgery. After Icalmed her down and explained why surgerywas critical, she changed her mind. She saysI saved her life,” adds Kopenski.

JOHN EMERSON40 P U L S E W I N T E R 2 0 1 0

FOCUS ON PHILANTHROPY

HeavenlyNavigationWhat every cancer patient needs in

this confusing, confounding modern

healthcare maze

BY FLORENCE ISAACS

Continued on page 37

Yasmeen Barber, Heleine Kopenski, and Larissa Madelin Bonilla

Wouldn’t it begreatto:

• Make a significant contribution to a cause in which you believe; and

• Receive lifetime income for yourself or a loved one?

If you establish a Charitable Gift Annuity of $10,000 or more through the Foundation ofUMDNJ, you can accomplish both. And, a Charitable Gift Annuity allows you to designate yourgift to the New Jersey Medical School department or program that means the most to you.

The rates are determined by your age at the time you establish your annuity.They are settwice a year by the American Council on Gift Annuities and are generally significantly higherthan current CD or bank rates (see box below). So, if you open a Gift Annuity and you are 73 years old, you receive 6%…for the rest of your life.*

To learn more about how you can leave a legacy at New Jersey Medical School and secure your financial future, or the future of a loved one, contact Elizabeth Ketterlinus, vice president for development, at (973) 679-4684 or eketterlinus@njhf.org.

* Subject to rate changes.

Newark. New Brunswick. Stratford.

www.umdnj.edu/foundation

Sample RatesBeginning February 1, 2009.Call Elizabeth Ketterlinus for updates.

Age Rate65 5.3%70 5.7%73 6.0%76 6.4%80 7.1%85 8.1%88 8.9%

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New JerseyNew Jersey Medical School185 South Orange AvenueP.O. Box 1709Newark, New Jersey 07101–1709

http://njms.umdnj.edu

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