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The first Ward J. MacNeal Distinguished Dissertation Award
for best dissertation by a student in the Department of Microbiology
and Immunology was made to Melody Neely (Ph.D. 1998)
at a ceremony in March, 2000, for her dissertation entitled
"Functional and Genetic Analysis of the Lambdoid Bacteriophage
H-198, A Natural Vector for the Shiga-like Toxin Genes."
Neely's work focusing on the causes of infectious diseases mirrors
that of Ward MacNeal (A.B. 1901, Ph.D. 1904, M.D. 1905, Hon.
Sc.D. 1939), an eminent pathologist who was a leading authority
on bacteriophage and who served as professor of bacteriology
and director of bacteriological services at New York Post-Graduate
Medical School from 1912 to 1946.
Currently a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Neely was chosen for the MacNeal Award based on overall scholarly credentials, degree of innovation and insight, and the scope and importance of her work. The Ward MacNeal Distinguished Dissertation Award is made possible by a gift from the estate of Charlotte Etzold MacNeal, the wife of Ward MacNeal's son, Perry S. MacNeal (M.D. 1936, Residency 1940).
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 Josef Miller |
Josef Miller, Ph.D., was appointed as a foreign adjunct
professor at Sweden's prestigious Nobel Prize-granting Karolinska
Institute in Stockholm in recognition of his long-standing research
with the Institute and the new research and training programs
he developed there during his recent sabbatical. He is one of
only 10 Americans to hold the title. Among his duties, he will
nominate and vote on candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physiology
or Medicine.
Miller is the Ruth and Lynn Townsend Professor of Otolaryngology
and an adjunct professor in psychology at the U-M. He is a member
of the Neuroscience Program faculty and of the Center for Biomedical
Engineering. From 1984 to 1999, he was director of the Kresge
Hearing Research Institute; he is currently director of the
Center for Communication Disorders.
In addition to his doctorate in physiology, Miller has received
two honorary medical degrees from the Universities of Goteborg
in Sweden and Turku in Finland. In 1997, he received the Presidential
Citation of the American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head
and Neck Surgery. He served as chair of the U-M Research Priority
Committee and received the Regents Distinguished Service Award
for his work in establishing the National Institute of Deafness
and Other Communication Disorders, the 13th Institute of the
NIH.
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George J. Brewer, M.D., professor of human genetics
and a specialist in the treatment of Wilson's disease, was installed
as the first Morton S. and Henrietta K. Sellner Professor of
Human Genetics at a ceremony held at the Gerald R. Ford Library
on April 24, 2000.
A member of the Medical School faculty since 1965, Brewer has
been director of an interdepartmental graduate training program
in genetics since the program's inception 22 years ago. His
research, which he describes as "opportunistic pursuit
of interesting projects, particularly those with an opportunity
for new disease treatments," has largely focused on copper
metabolism. Experimenting with zinc as a therapy for sickle
cell anemia, Brewer discovered that zinc caused copper deficiency.
This led to a new treatment for Wilson's disease, an inherited
condition of copper accumulation and toxicity. The FDA in January,
1997, approved zinc as therapy for Wilson's disease based almost
entirely on the work of Brewer and his research team.
The Sellners, whose son, Ascher, was diagnosed with Wilson's
disease in 1971, established the professorship to recognize
and encourage Brewer's work and to honor his care of their son.
Ascher Sellner, M.D., now 58, is a gynecologist in private practice
in Brookfield, Connecticut. The Sellner's gift of $1 million
in the form of a charitable remainder trust will be matched
with $750,000 from the Medical School; an endowed research fund
will accompany the professorship, encouraging research and treatment
efforts in genetic diseases.
 Jack E. Dixon |
Jack E. Dixon, Ph.D., the Minor J. Coon Professor of
Biological Chemistry and chair of the Department of Biological
Chemistry, was recently elected to the prestigious National
Academy of Sciences. Academy members are elected in recognition
of distinguished and continuing achievements in original scientific
research.
"For a scientist, election to the National Academy of Sciences
is the highest recognition short of the Nobel Prize," said
Gil Omenn, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president for medical
affairs. "Jack Dixon is one of the nation's pre-eminent
biochemists, and we are very proud to have him on the Medical
School faculty." Dixon studies the structure and function
of the protein tyrosine phosphatases, or PTPases, and their
important role in cellular signaling.
Dixon is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
a member of the Institute of Medicine, and past president of
the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
He also serves on the National Scientific Review Board of the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dixon was named Michigan Scientist
of the Year in 1994. In 1997, he received the U-M Distinguished
Faculty Lectureship Award in Biomedical Research. In 1999, he
was chosen as the Henry Russel Lecturer, the highest honor the
University gives to a senior faculty member. Dixon also chaired
the faculty advisory committee for the U-M's new Life Sciences
Initiative.
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Copyright 2001 University of Michigan Medical School
Charles
M. Boyd, M.D. (Residency 1998), clinical assistant
professor of otolaryngology and dermatology, has been
selected to participate in the American Medical Association
Glaxo Wellcome Emerging Leaders Development Program. The
Program's goal is to offer tools to help physicians better
meet the challenges facing them individually and collectively
in the legislative/regulatory, organized medicine, and
managed care arenas. Only 50 physicians from across the
U.S. were selected to participate, chosen for their demonstrated
leadership potential, commitment to leadership development,
participation in organized medicine, and the diversity
of their leadership experience. 
George
J. Brewer, M.D., Morton and Henrietta Sellner Professor
of Human Genetics and professor of internal medicine,
was presented with the American College of Nutrition's
Master's Award at the College's 1999 meeting. Only the
seventh Master's Award in the College's 40-year history,
it recognizes a lifetime of excellence in research in
the area of nutrition. Brewer was selected on the basis
of his long-term work on zinc and copper, and, more recently,
on molybdenum compounds. In 1998, Brewer received the
Raulin Award of the International Society for Trace Element
Research in Humans. The Raulin Award is the Society's
highest honor and recognizes lifetime achievement in research
on trace elements.
Theodore
M. Cole, M.D., professor emeritus and retired chair
of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,
was honored with the 1999 Distinguished Member Award from
the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
The award honors members who have provided invaluable
service to the specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation
primarily through participation in related organizations.
The Academy is the national medical specialty society
of more than 6,000 physical medicine and rehabilitation
physicians.
Arnold
G. Coran, M.D., professor of surgery and head of the
Section of Pediatric Surgery, recently completed a term
as chair of the Executive Committee of the Surgical Section
of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Under Coran's direction,
several innovations were made to the annual meeting program,
including State of the Art lectures delivered by professor
Jose Boix-Ochoa from Barcelona, Spain, and Agostino Pierro,
from London, England. 
Jeffrey
A. Fessler, Ph.D., associate professor of internal
medicine, of electrical engineering and computer science,
and of biomedical engineering, recently received the Univer-sity's
Henry Russel Award. The annual award, established in 1925
with a bequest from Henry Russel of Detroit, is given
to young faculty members for scholarly achievement and
promise. "His research in tomographic medical imaging,iterative
estimation and statistical inverse problems is absolutely
first rate and has given him exceptional visibility in
academia and industry at a relatively early stage of his
career," the selection committee noted. Fessler joined
the U-M in 1993.
Sid
Gilman, M.D., William J. Herdman Professor of Neurology,
chair of the Department of Neurology, and director of
the Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, has
been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine,
effective February 1, 2000. The Royal Society, based in
London, publishes research books and journals, sponsors
lectures and conferences, and maintains the leading medical
library in Europe.
Theodore
S. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D., Isadore Lampe Professor
of Radiation Oncology, chair of the Department of Radiation
Oncology, and co-chair of the Experimental Therapeutics
Program at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been
named to the Board of the American Society of Clinical
Oncology. Lawrence will serve a three-year term which
began May, 2000. ASCO is the world's leading professional
society representing physicians from 95 countries who
treat people with cancer.
Qingxue
Li, Ph.D., research investigator in the Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, received the 1999 Herpes
Foundation Gertrude Elion Award for distinguished contributions
in herpesvirus research. This is the top national award
given annually to two early-career investigators in honor
of the Nobel Laureate, Gertrude Elion. It includes a $10,000
award ($5,000 to the department and $5,000 to the investigator)
and is presented to outstanding female scholars in herpesvirus
research. 
Dean
S. Louis, M.D., professor of surgery in the Section
of Orthopedics, delivered the inaugural address at the
First International Hand Surgery Instructional Course
in Cairo, Egypt, in November, 1999. The course was sponsored
by the Egyptian Orthopedic and Plastic Surgery Societies
and by Physicians for Peace, a group devoted to education
and patient care in underdeveloped areas of the world.
In 1997, Louis was president of the American Society for
Surgery of the Hand, the oldest organization in the nation
devoted to education regarding afflictions of the hand.
Michael
A. Marletta, Ph.D., John G. Searle Professor of Medicinal
Chemistry and professor of biological chemistry, was recently
named Michigan Scientist of the Year for 2000 by the Impression
5 Science Center in Lansing. He was selected for his numerous
contributions to the field of nitric oxide biochemistry.
Impression 5 Science Center created the Tribute to Science
and Technology Award program in 1981 to honor individuals
who have made significant contributions to science and
technology in Michigan. Emphasis is given to individuals
who also serve as models for post secondary students.
Juanita
Merchant, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of internal
medicine and physiology, has been selected to serve as
a member of the General Medicine "A" Study Section
in the Center for Scientific Review for the National Institutes
of Health. Members of NIH study sections are selected
on the basis of demonstrated competence and achievement
in scientific disciplines as evidenced by the quality
of research accomplishments, publications in scientific
journals, and other significant scientific activities,
achievements and honors. Merchant will serve from July
1, 2000 through June 30, 2004.
Satoshi
Minoshima, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of internal
medicine in the Division of Nuclear Medicine, has been
chosen to receive the sixth Henry Wagner Jr. Clinical
PET Award from the Institute for Advanced Medical Technology.
Minoshima was chosen for his scientific contributions,
including the development of stereotactic image analysis
of brain PET/SPECT and applications to PET activation
studies, discovery of posterior cingulate gyrus hypometabolism
in Alzheimer's disease, and the proposal and development
of "diagnostic" statistical mapping techniques
for functional brain images. His methods are currently
used at 40 institutions in 11 countries.
Mark
B. Orringer, M.D., John Alexander Distinguished Professor
and head of the Section of General Thoracic Surgery, was
elected vice president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons
at the Society's 36th annual meeting in January, 2000.
Orringer will assume the presidency of the Society in
2001. The Society's primary objective is to improve the
quality and practice of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.
It is the largest professional society of cardiothoracic
surgeons in the world and has a combined national and
international membership of approximately 4,000 surgeons.
Jean
Robillard, M.D., professor and chair of the Department
of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, has been elected
a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement
of Science. He was recognized during a ceremony at the
Association's Annual Meeting on February 19, 2000, for
"important contributions to understanding renal development
and maturation of kidney function and for leadership in
the discipline of pediatrics." AAAS is the world's
largest federation of scientists, as well as publisher
of the journal Science.
Thomas
L. Schwenk, M.D., professor and chair of the Department
of Family Medicine, has been elected to the board of directors
of the American Board of Family Practice.
Gregory
Wolf, M.D., has been invited by the Department of Surgery,
University of Hong Kong, to be an External Examiner of the
Dental Examination (BDS Third Examination). In conjunction
with this honor, Wolf will also be guest lecturer at the
Hong Kong Surgical Forum, a postgraduate course sponsored
by the University of Hong Kong's Departments of Surgery
and Medicine. Following the Surgical Forum, Wolf will travel
to Xian, China, as an invited speaker at a Joint Surgical
Convention held in conjunction with the Fourth Military
Medical University. 
