James O. Woolliscroft Named First Roll Professor of Medicine

It was during the long illness of Lyle C. Roll, for a quarter-century the head of the Kellogg Company, that his wife, Marguerite S. Roll, came to know the University of Michigan Health System and to appreciate the care of its physicians, especially James O. Woolliscroft, M.D. (Residency 1980), who served as physician to both Lyle Roll, who died in 1984, and to Marguerite, who died in 1996.

A generous gift from the estate of Mrs. Roll, in memory of her husband, established in the U-M Medical School the Lyle C. Roll Program for Humane Medical Practice in support of numerous medical research and educational efforts, as well as a professorship for the director of the Program. On March 29 at the Michigan League, the Lyle C. Roll Professorship was inaugurated, and James O. Woolliscroft was installed as the first Roll Professor of Medicine.

Marguerite Roll was especially interested in advancing medical teaching and research that focuses on the importance of the doctor-patient relationship, especially the humaneness and compassion that incorporate an understanding of the whole patient. It is to these non-biomedical aspects of medicine that the Lyle C. Roll Program for the Humane Practice of Medicine is dedicated.

Woolliscroft, after completing internship and residency training in internal medicine at U-M, joined the Medical School faculty in 1980, achieved the rank of professor in 1993, and was selected as the first Josiah Macy Jr. Professor of Medical Education, an endowed professorship awarded by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation of New York City in 1996.

Throughout his academic career, Woolliscroft has been an institutional leader in the application of educational theory to physician education. He has served as associate chair of Undergraduate Education in the Department of Internal Medicine, chief of clinical affairs of the University of Michigan Hospitals, and as assistant dean for clinical affairs in the Medical School. In 1998 he was appointed associate dean and director of Graduate Medical Education and, in 1999, was named executive associate dean of the Medical School.

John O.L. DeLancey (M.D. 1977, Residency 1981), Norman F. Miller Professor of Gynecology, received the first Uro-Gynecologist of the Year Award from the National Association for Continence. The not-for-profit organization’s goal is to be the leading source of education, advocacy and support to the public and to the health professional about incontinence and its causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatments and management alternatives.

Douglas Gelb, M.D., Ph.D., clinical associate professor of neurology, was presented the Distinguished Neurology Teacher Award by the American Neurological Association at its annual meeting in Boston recently. Gelb directs the neurology clerkship, in which all medical students take part, and is active in resident education in the Department; he has received student teaching awards for both roles. He also has developed and tested an interactive computer tutorial for teaching the principles of neuroanatomical localization and was named one of the first U-M Medical Education Scholars.

Sid Gilman, M.D., William J. Herdman Professor of Neurology, chair of the Department of Neurology, and the director of the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, delivered in March the 2001 Henry Russel Lectureship, the highest honor the University bestows upon a senior member of its faculty. While the primary criterion for the award is excellent scholarship, those chosen also are outstanding citizens of the University who have amassed exemplary records of teaching, mentoring and service.

Jeffrey B. Halter, M.D., professor of internal medicine and director of the U-M Geriatrics Center, received the prestigious Donald P. Kent Award from the Gerontological Society of America. This annual award is given to a GSA member who best exemplifies the highest standards for professional leadership in gerontology through teaching, service and interpretation of gerontology to the larger society.

Terence A. Joiner, M.D. (Residency 1985), clinical assistant professor II in pediatrics and communicable diseases, was one of 46 physicians selected nationwide by medical students for the 2000 Association of American Medical Colleges’ Humanism in Medicine Award. Joiner runs the Marshall H. Becker Memorial Clinic in Ypsilanti for lower socioeconomic children. Joiner was selected for providing compassionate care for children and serving as a model for activism in the community.

Richard D. Judge, M.D. (Residency 1957), clinical professor of internal medicine, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Laureate Medal from the Smithsonian Institute for his development of interactive, computerized educational tutorials. The programs, called CARDIAX, have been part of the Internal Medicine curriculum for seven years and are now distributed internationally.

Josef Miller, Ph.D., Lynn and Ruth Townsend Professor of Otolaryngology and an adjunct professor in psychology at U-M, was presented with the Gold Medal Honor Award at a meeting in March of the Prosper Meniere Society in Aspen. Miller’s award cites his contributions to the basic science of inner ear disorders, including neutrophic factors, auditory hair cell protection and delivery of gene therapy to the inner ear. Miller directs the Cochlear Signals and Tissue Engineering Laboratory at the Kresge Hearing Research Institute, where he was director from 1984 to 1999, serves as director of the Center for Communication Disorders, and also holds a professorship at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden

Carlos L. Moreno, M.D., anesthesiology house officer III, is chair-elect of the Resident Component Section of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. His responsibilities in the two-year post will include leading the annual ASA Resident Component House of Delegates meeting; chairing two annual meetings of the Resident Governing Council; organizing communication between the Resident Governing Council, the ASA Board of Directors and residency programs nationwide; representing the ASA at national conferences; and establishing projects that promote the specialty of anesthesiology to medical students.

Karin Muraszko, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases and of surgery, and chief of pediatric neurosurgery, recently received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Council for Disability Concerns. Muraszko was recognized for her outstanding humanitarian activities, including heading a neurosurgical team for medical missions to Guatemala. She also has received the Presidential Award from the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and was appointed to the National Advisory Board of the March of Dimes. At the U-M Medical School, she has served on a committee evaluating admission criteria for students with disabilities.

Kenneth J. Pituch (M.D. 1981, Residency 1985), clinical associate professor II in pediatrics and communicable diseases, was presented with the 2000 Professional Education Project Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics in Chicago recently. The award is given for a teaching technique called the brief structured observation, a way for physicians to give focused feedback to medical students or residents in busy clinic or ward settings. Developed and tested by Pituch and his former Indiana University colleagues Steven Bodgwick and Mitchell Harris, the technique has been taught to IU and U-M faculty and at national and regional workshops.

Theodora S. Ross, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in hematology/oncology in the Department of Internal Medicine, will receive a Damon Runyon Scholar Award from the Cancer Research Fund of the Damon Runyon/Walter Winchill Foundation. The $100,000 award, one of only six given this year, will support Ross’s research in the biological roles of the HIP1/PDGRBetaR gene in tumor formation.

Terry M. Silver, M.D. (Residency 1974), professor of radiology, received the American Board of Radiology Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his many years of devoted, unselfish service and dedication to the Board of Radiology. It was presented with deep appreciation for all the time, expertise and energy he donated toward the American Board of Radiology certification process.