Awards and Honors
Awards and Honors for Faculty and Students
Adrienne Boire, a second year medical student who completed a doctoral degree in biochemistry from Tufts University prior to matriculating at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, saw part of her doctoral research published earlier this spring in Cell, a premier scientific journal. The article, titled "PAR1 is a Matrix Metalloprotease-1 Receptor that Promotes Invasion and Tumorigenesis of Breast Cancer Cells" appeared as the cover article for the February 11th edition of Cell, and the work has also been featured in "news" sections of The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Reviews Cancer, and Cancer Cell. Adrienne will work with Dr. Steven Meredith in the NIH-sponsored Summer Research Program to characterize the electrostatic interactions between beta amyloid and lipids. Amyloid fibrils are associated with Alzheimer’s disease, and Adrienne's research seeks to understand the molecular interactions between beta amyloid and lipids in order to determine if these interactions promote the formation of amyloid fibrils.
Gene Calloway, an Audio-Visual Technician in the Biological Sciences Learning Center was nominated in June for the 2004-05 Marlene F. Richman Award. In being nominated for this award by the students themselves, Gene has been recognized as a University of Chicago staff member who demonstrates the highest level of dedication, care, and compassion in the service of students.
Karoline Dmochowska, a third year medical student, will travel to Washington DC in September to present her first-authored abstract at the National Academy of Emergency Physicians Research Forum. Her work describes "Participant Experience in a Quality Improvement Collaborative: Observations from the Illinois Emergency Department Asthma Collaborative."
Oscar Estrada, a third year student and Jonathan Kohler, MD, Class of 2005, serve as two of the coauthors of an intriguing new article that will be published in an upcoming issue of Science . The article is titled "Recognition of Host Immune Activation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Role of Interferon-Gamma." This work emanated from the students’ participation in the investigations conducted in Dr. John Alverdy’s laboratory in the Department of Surgery. Jonathan’s work in the laboratory also resulted in a first-authored publication which appeared in the December, 2004 issue of the American Journal of Physiology titled "Components of Intestinal Epithelial Hypoxia Activate the Virulence Circuitry of Pseudomonas."
Holly Humphrey, MD, Dean for Medical Education at the Pritzker School of Medicine, received several honors this spring. A Past President of the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine, Dr. Humphrey currently chairs that organization’s Advisory Board and is the 2005 recipient of the Dema C. Daley Founders Award, a lifetime achievement award bestowed by this organization. Dr. Arthur Rubenstein, formerly the Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago, and now the Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, was on hand to present the award to Dr. Humphrey. In addition, on April 19th, Dr. Humphrey gave the 16th annual Lowell T. Coggeshall Memorial Lecture, sponsored by the Department of Medicine and the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. Dr. Humphrey spoke on "Crossing the Quality Chasm: The Compelling Role for Medical Education."
Two third year students, InYoung Kim and Quan Lan Jasmine Lew, have been selected as 2005-06 Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows. Schweitzer Fellows design and implement community service projects, targeting underserved communities in the Chicago area. InYoung will focus on breast and cervical cancer awareness in the Asian community by working as a peer health educator.Jasmine will be collaborating with the YWCA to develop awareness among teenagers about sexual assault.
Patrick Lang, a third year medical student, serves as first author along with faculty co-authors Dr. Margaret Schwarze of the Section of Vascular Surgery and Dr. Caleb Alexander of the Section of General Internal Medicine on an article published in the June 2005 edition of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons . Entitled "New Technologies Meeting Old Professional Boundaries: The Emergence of Carotid Artery Stenting," the thought provoking article addresses issues related to ethics, policy, and clinical practice and is based on Patrick’s work last summer as part of the NIH-sponsored Summer Research Program.
Jeff Lewis, a third year medical student working with Dr. David Rubin in the Department of Gastroenterology, was first author for a poster on "Genetic Testing for IBD: Focus Group Analysis of Patients and Family Members," presented at the Digestive Disease Week Conference held in Chicago, May 14-19, 2005. This work began last summer during Jeff ’s participation in the NIH-sponsored Summer Research Program.
William McDade, MD, PhD, Associate Dean for Multicultural Affairs received the Faculty Community Service Award from the University of Chicago Community Service Center on May 24, 2005. This award is given to faculty to honor their extraordinary contributions to the larger Chicago community. Dr. McDade was recognized for his work as Asso-ciate Dean for Multicultural Affairs in which he gives a voice to medical students of color. Dr. McDade also advises and teaches a course in the Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP), an institute designed to encourage minority high school students to seek careers in health professions. In receiving this award, along with Amy Reifert in the Department of Phy-sical Education and Dr. Paul Sereno of the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, Dr. McDade was described as "using his expertise to support community efforts and challenging peers and students to reach new heights."
Talya Salant, an MSTP student who will return to her medical training in 2006 after completing her doctoral studies in the Committee on History of Culture, was recognized at the American College of Preventive Medicine conference in Washington D.C. in February 2005 for writing the "Best Paper in Preventive Medicine by a Medical Student." Talya won a $1,000 cash prize and her paper on "Breast Cancer Risk Perceptions and Prevention Choices at a County Hospital High-Risk Clinic," was published in the June edition of the American Journal for Preventive Medicine . Talya is working with Diane Lauderdale, PhD, from the Department of Health Studies on "Qualitative dimensions of breast cancer risk assessment and prevention decision-making: Views from the ‘other’ side," exploring the specific ethnic and cultural contexts in which decision-making about breast cancer risk assessment occurs.
Michael Simon, MD, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, has won the American Orthopaedic Association -- Smith & Nephew Endoscopy Distinguished Clinician Educator Award. This prestigious, national award recognizes individuals who have been highly influential as clinician educators, and is intended to highlight the importance of both teaching and clinical excellence to modern academic medical centers. The American Orthopadedic Association states that "those who receive this award are the best and the brightest and are role models for others to emulate. These recipients truly set the standard for professional excellence."
