Robert M. Anderson, Ed.D., professor and senior research scientist in the Department of Medical Education, received the Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award from the American Diabetes Association on June 10, 2000, at their annual Scientific Sessions meeting in San Antonio. The award is presented each year to the distinguished health professional who has made exceptional educational efforts in diabetes. The honor recognized Anderson’s work in defining the essence of diabetes education as encouraging informed decision-making and personal responsibility, and in positioning the health care system to better respond to the ongoing needs of people with diabetes.

Diane Baker, M.S., clinical associate professor of human genetics and director of the Genetic Counseling Program, has been selected as a 2001 AAAS Congressional Fellow. Approximately 80 fellows per year take part in this program, which allows accomplished, socially aware scientists/health care professionals to participate in and contribute to federal policy-making processes. The program is supported by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Human Genetics, and the fellow’s home department.

Steven R. Buchman, M.D., associate professor of surgery in the Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and director of the Craniofacial Anomalies Program, has been selected as the Robert H. Ivy Society Award Winner at the 2000 national meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The award is given annually for the paper showing the greatest degree of excellence in preparation, presentation and illustration of scientific material as well as the greatest degree of excellence in scientific merit, originality and impact.

Alphonse Burdi (Ph.D. 1962), professor of cell and developmental biology and research scientist in the Center for Human Growth and Development, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree at the University of Athens commencement exercise on May 26, 2000. This high honor, recommended by medical and dental faculty at the University, recognizes Burdi’s more than 200 scientific and clinical contributions to the world literature on developmental craniofacial biology and the causes of leading birth defects and syndromes such as clefts of the lip and palate.

Horace Davenport, Ph.D., D.Sc., the William Beaumont Professor Emeritus of Physiology and former chair of the Department of Physiology, has been listed as one of the 50 most influential gastrointestinal professionals of the past century by the vGastroenterology.com Web site. In consultation with leading professionals, vGastroenterology.com identified 50 scientists, clinicians and inventors who have had the biggest influence in the field of gastroenterology over the past 100 years. A brief description of Davenport’s contribution to the field of gastroenterology and some biographical information are posted on the site.

Kim Eagle, M.D., Albion Walter Hewlett Professor of Internal Medicine and chief of clinical cardiology, has been appointed editor of Current Journal Review by the American College of Cardiology. The College is a professional society of over 25,000 cardiovascular physicians and scientists from around the world who support the mission of fostering optimal cardiovascular care and disease prevention through professional education, promotion of research, leadership in the development of standards and guidelines, and the formulation of health care policy.

Eva Feldman, M.D., professor of neurology and director of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Center for Complications of Diabetes, was honored by the American Diabetes Association for her commitment and dedication to diabetes research. Feldman has been continuously funded by the American Diabetes Association since 1995, and her work was highlighted in their 2000 Progress Report. Feldman also received the 2000 Jane L. Cobb Promise Award for excellence in scientific research from the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

John Greden, M.D., Rachel Upjohn Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, chair of psychiatry, senior research scientist in the Mental Health Research Institute and director of the new Michigan Depression Initiative, has been appointed chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Research. The American Psychiatric Association is a medical specialty society recognized worldwide, with a membership of 40,500 U.S. and international physicians specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

Michael J. Imperiale, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and immunology, was selected to receive a University of Michigan 2000 Faculty Recognition Award. He was recognized for groundbreaking research in cancer biology and gene therapy, outstanding teaching, and exemplary leadership and administrative service.

Mohamed K. Khan, M.D., Ph.D., lecturer in the Department of Radiation Oncology, has been elected to the American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs (CSA). There are 11 members who sit on the Council; each is elected by the AMA’s House of Delegates. CSA is an advisory council within the AMA regarding scientific medical issues. It also drafts reports that serve as a national source of information on science and research-based issues that affect the practice of medicine and the quality of patient care. The Council prepares policy positions and makes policy recommendations, most of which have been approved by the AMA House of Delegates and are now the official policy of the AMA.

The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation recently honored James A Leonard Jr., M.D., clinical professor and chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, with a Distinguished Clinician Award. The Academy honors physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians who have achieved distinction on the basis of their scholarly level of teaching and their outstanding performance in physiatric patient care activities. Leonard has devoted most of his clinical career to the care and treatment of patients needing orthotic and prosthetic services. He is a renowned teacher and clinician, has authored numerous publications and has presented more than 130 lectures to medical and professional organizations on topics in the field of medical rehabilitation.

The Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology has named its annual lectureship the Myron Levine Lectureship to honor Professor Emeritus Myron Levine, Ph.D., founding director of the Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, now in its 27th year. The inaugural lecture, "Signal Transduction Mechanisms that Control Nervous System Development and Function," was presented on September 5, 2000, by Michael Greenberg, Ph.D., professor of neurology and neurobiology at Harvard University, at the Annual Symposium and Poster Session of the Cellular and Molecular Biology Program.

Simon Levine, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Rehabilitation Engineering Program in the Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Biomedical Engineering, was awarded the esteemed Mentor Award by the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America. The award is given for leadership in counseling and nurturing of others in the rehabilitation and assistive technology field. Levine was also elected as a fellow of the Society for his national and international contributions to rehabilitation technology.

Manuel O. Lopez-Figueroa, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Stanley Watson’s lab at the Mental Health Research Institute, was recently presented with the 2000 Young Investigator Award for Superior Research Achievement in the Field of Nitric Oxide Biology/Chemistry. The award was presented by the three Nobel Laureates in Medicine and Physiology for 1998 at the First International Conference of the Biology, Chemistry and Therapeutic Applications of Nitric Oxide.

Lopez-Figueroa was also one of four recipients of the Brain Research Interactive Young Investigator Award from the Society for Neuroscience in 2000. He was selected for outstanding research demonstrated by articles published on the Brain Research Interactive Web site and in Brain Research during the past year.

Barbara Luke, Sc.D., M.P.H., professor of obstetrics and gynecology, won the American Society of Journalists and Authors Outstanding Book of the Year (Service Category) for her book, When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads: A Complete Resource. Founded in 1948, the American Society of Journalists and Authors is the nation’s leading organization of independent nonfiction writers.

Ralph Lydic, Bert LaDu Professor of Anesthesiology, director for research in the Department of Anesthesiology, and professor of physiology, has been named president of the Sleep Research Society. The Sleep Research Society exists to promote understanding of the processes of sleep and its disorders through research, the training of practitioners of research and the dissemination of the fruits of their efforts to the scientific and medical communities as well as to the general public.

John Moran, Ph.D., assistant professor of human genetics and internal medicine and one of the Medical School’s first Biological Sciences Scholars, has received one of five 2000 Keck Distinguished Young Scholars awards. The Keck award carries a grant of up to $1,000,000 over the next five years and was instituted by the W.M. Keck Foundation to support the nation’s most promising young scientists involved in biomedical research addressing the fundamental mechanisms of human disease.

James J. Mulé, Ph.D., Maude T. Lane Professor of Surgery, was named by the director of the National Cancer Institute to serve on its Board of Scientific Counselors, beginning July 1, 2000. Mulé is responsible for the review of the Institute’s entire intramural clinical research program and will serve as an adviser to the director. Mulé also serves as the chairman of the Institute’s Experimental Therapeutics study section. He is the director of the U-M’s Graduate Program in Immunology and the Cancer Center’s Tumor Immunology Program.

Elizabeth Petty, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine and of human genetics, received the 2000 University of Michigan Regents’ Award for Distinguished Public Service. The Regents’ Award, presented annually since 1991, recognizes public service activities that relate closely to teaching and reflect professional and academic expertise. Petty was chosen for her contributions to the public’s and medical profession’s understanding of genetics; her service to the Medical School, University and the state of Michigan; and the example she provides for students and young physicians.

Julia Richards, Ph.D., associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, has been selected to receive the Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award from the Board of Trustees of the Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) health organization, a world leader in support of eye research.

Richards was appointed last year to the Scientific Advisory Board of the Glaucoma Foundation in New York. In September of 2000, she was the co-chair of the Seventh Annual Optic Nerve Rescue and Regeneration Think Tank entitled "Immune Modulation and Gene Expression in Glaucoma: Toward a Unified Field Theory of Glaucoma." Richards is engaged in the search for genes which cause glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness in the U.S.

Jean Robillard, M.D., professor and chair of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, has been elected to a six-year term on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Pediatrics. Throughout his career, Robillard has been a member of numerous boards and committees. For the American Board of Pediatrics, he has served on the Certifying Examination Planning Committee, the Task Force on Transplantation Medicine, and the Examination Committee for the Sub-Board of Pediatric Nephrology. He also has served as the chairman of the Sub-Board of Pediatric Nephrology.

The American Board of Pediatrics is one of 24 certifying boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties. Board certification represents dedication to the highest level of professionalism in patient care. The Board of Directors consists of distinguished pediatricians in education, research and clinical practice, as well as one or more non-physicians who have a professional interest in the health and welfare of children and adolescents.

Sanjay Saint, M.D., M.P.H., has won a 2000 Excellence in Research Award for Physicians from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, for his work examining the effectiveness of a clinical practice guideline for the management of uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women. For the work, published in the American Journal of Medicine, Saint, assistant professor in the General Medicine Division of the Department of Internal Medicine, receives $10,000 in funding for future research on clinical protocol and pathway evaluation.

Jochen Schacht, Ph.D., professor of biological chemistry and professor of otolaryngology, is part of a small group of scientists and teachers working, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, to develop curriculum materials, including experiments and computer-based exercises, for middle school students to help them learn about the ear as a sound processor. The initial results of their work, which began last summer, will be posted on the Web for field-testing by students in selected schools in 2001. The project is supported by the Office of Science Education at NIH.

Thomas L. Schwenk (M.D. 1975), professor and chair of Family Medicine, has been elected to the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association (DMDA) Board of Directors. The National DMDA is the largest patient-run, illness-specific organization in the nation.

Schwenk was also elected to the Board of Directors of the American Board of Family Practice. The American Board of Family Practice is the second largest medical specialty board in the U.S. Schwenk was elected for a five-year term.

Audrey F. Seasholtz (Ph.D. 1983), associate professor of biological chemistry and senior associate research scientist in the Mental Health Research Institute, received the University of Michigan’s 2000 Research Scientist Recognition Award. The award recognizes exceptional scholarly promise in primary research faculty.

Kent J. Sheets, Ph.D., associate professor of family medicine, received the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine "Innovative Program Award" at the Annual Spring Conference in Orlando in May. Sheets was honored for his work in developing and directing the Preceptor Education Project. These highly successful materials were designed to help busy community family physicians become more effective teachers of medical students in their private practice settings. The materials teach basic skills in several core teaching areas — organization and planning, observation, assessment, teaching, feedback, evaluation, tips on handling problems, and collaborative teaching and learning.

Dara Spearman, a graduate student in the Program in Biomedical Sciences, is serving a three-year term on the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institutes Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board. The Board, comprised of 12 physicians, scientists, and representatives of patient advocacy groups and 11 National Institutes of Health representatives, advises the director of the NIH on research activities of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. Spearman’s role on the Board will be to review research proposals and advise in long-range planning for sleep disorders research. Spearman is also pursuing an M.D. degree as a member of the Class of 2004.

Two Medical School faculty members have been selected to serve as members of the 2000-2001 Class of fellows in the Hedwig Van Amerigen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program for Women.

Denise G. Tate, Ph.D., associate professor and director of research in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Hope Haefner, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, join only 42 faculty nationally who were selected to participate. Over the year-long fellowship, fellows work together with eminent faculty and national leaders to find innovative ways of implementing the positive changes in leadership that are necessary to recast and reconfigure academic health centers, and, ultimately, health care for the 21st century.

Jeremiah G. Turcotte (M.D. 1957, Residency 1963), professor of surgery, is serving as the elected vice-president of the United Network for Organ Sharing. He is also a member of the Network’s Board of Directors and was recently nominated for the position of president. The Board, composed of medical and other transplant professionals, transplant recipients and donor families, advises the Department of Health and Human Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration on policies for allocation of transplant donor organs throughout the U.S. The United Network for Organ Sharing also administers the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network which maintains a computerized waiting list for all patients awaiting a cadaveric organ transplant and coordinates the distribution of donor organs within the U.S.

John Voorhees (M.D. 1963, Residency 1969), Duncan and Ella Poth Distinguished Professor and chair of Dermatology, was inducted into the Royal College of Physicians. Approximately 15 non-United Kingdom physicians are selected annually from all specialties for induction into the College. Electees are chosen based on accomplishments within their field, and Voorhees, who was cited for his research in psoriasis and skin aging and for his overall impact on modern dermatology, is believed to be the first American dermatologist given the honor.

Voorhees has also been awarded honorary membership in the Netherlands Society of Dermatology and Venereology. He was honored for his outstanding merits and leadership in research during the past three decades in the field of pathogenesis of psoriasis and the aging process.

Brian Zink, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine and assistant dean of medical student career development, has been elected president of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine for 2000-2001. The Society is a 5,000-member organization whose mission is to improve patient care by advancing research and education in emergency medicine.

Jorge Iñiguez-Lluhí, Ph.D., and Ursula Jakob, Ph.D., have become the seventh and eighth Biological Sciences Scholars at the University of Michigan.

Iñiguez-Lluhí, of the Department of Pharmacology, is a native of Mexico City and earned his doctorate at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas before doing postdoctoral work at the University of California at San Francisco. His research focuses primarily on cellular signal recognition, transduction and response.

Jakob, who earned her Ph.D. in biophysics and physical biochemistry from the University of Regensburg in Germany, completed postdoctoral work at the U-M where she has continued as a research scientist focusing on the structural and functional characterization of recently identified heat shock proteins. Jakob’s Biological Sciences Scholar appointment, in the Department of Biology in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, begins September 2001.

The U-M Biological Sciences Scholars program recruits top faculty to the emerging Life Sciences Initiative through appointments within the Medical School and in other life sciences-related departments throughout the University.

Jason Wening, a graduate student in biomedical engineering in the lab of Steve Goldstein, won the gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle at the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, Australia, in October. Wening is a bilateral below-the-knee amputee who was also born with a partially formed left arm and hand.

Wening is the defending gold medalist from the 1996 and 1992 Paralympics. He set a new world record during his gold medal swim at 4 minutes, 42.97 seconds, improving his previous world record by almost three seconds. He had set that record earlier the same day in a qualifying swim.

Breaking the record twice in one day was an accident, Wening said, because he’d only targeted it for the final. "I thought breaking the record in the morning might have sapped too much energy but I guess it worked out," he said. "I knew it would take a world record to win it because every time I’ve won at the Paralympics, the silver medalist has gone under the old record as well."

Wening, who is the co-captain of the U.S. swim team, has not been beaten in his 400-meter freestyle class since 1991.

Huda Akil, Ph.D., Gardner C. Quarton Professor of Neurosciences, professor of psychiatry and co-director and senior research scientist of the U-M Mental Health Research Institute. She was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the neurobiology of depression and stress, and for leadership in creating a modern scientific basis for psychiatry.

George J. Brewer, M.D., professor of genetics and internal medicine. He was elected for his clinical research on copper metabolism and Wilson’s disease, and the development of zinc and tetrathiomolybdate treatments that have transformed care of patients with the disease.

Jack E. Dixon, Ph.D., Minor J. Coon Professor of Biological Chemistry and chair of the Department of Biological Chemistry. His nomination cited his pioneering discoveries of peptide hormones, structure and catalytic mechanism of phosphotyrosine phosphatases, and the lipid second-messenger target of the tumor suppressor PTEN.

Stanley J. Watson, M.D., Ph.D., Raphael Collegiate Professor of Neurosciences in the Department of Psychiatry and co-director and research scientist at the U-M Mental Health Research Institute. He was elected in recognition of his distinguished contributions to understanding the neurobiology of stress and depression.

Max S. Wicha, M.D., professor of internal medicine and director of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. He was elected for his contributions to the understanding of apoptosis in the biology and treatment of breast cancer, and for national leadership in the fight against cancer.

The other two U-M faculty elected AAAS fellows were Vincent Pecoraro, Ph.D., professor of chemistry in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, and Nancy Reame, M.S.N., Ph.D., professor, School of Nursing, and a research scientist in the Reproductive Sciences Program.