M.R. Abell Professor of Surgical Pathology Henry D. Appelman (M.D. 1961, Residency 1966) and A. James French Professor of Diagnostic Pathology Jeffrey L. Myers, M.D., were recently recognized by the United States and Canadian Association of Pathologists. Appelman was named the 52nd Maude Abbott Lecturer, and Myers, who also serves as director of the Division of Anatomic Pathology, received the President’s Award in recognition of outstanding service to the field.

Laurence Baker, D.O., professor of internal medicine, Maha Hussain, M.D., professor of internal medicine and of urology, and Theodore S. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D., Isadore Lampe Professor of Radiation Oncology and chair of that department, each were recognized for 20 years of volunteer service, dedication and commitment to the American Society of Clinical Oncology with the society’s Statesman Award.

Assistant Professors of Orthopaedic Surgery Asheesh Bedi (M.D. 2002, Residency 2007) and Bruce Miller, M.D., and Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery Jon Sekiya, M.D. (Residency 2001) — all surgeons with the U-M MedSport program — were recently honored with awards from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. Bedi received the Cabaud Memorial Award for his research examining the kinematics of the knee after injury. Miller received the O’Donoghue Sports Injury Research Award for his study exploring ultrasound examinations after arthroscopic repairs in large shoulder rotator cuff tears. Sekiya received the Excellence in Research Award for his work on the effect of acetabular labrum tears on hip stability. Additionally, Bedi was honored by the American Shoulder and Elbow Society with the 2010 Neer Award for his study investigating the effect of diabetes on tendon-to-bone healing after rotator cuff repair surgery.

Ernesto Bernal-Mizrachi, M.D., Mariana Kaplan, M.D. (Fellowship 1998), and Gary D. Luker, M.D., on April 23 were elected members of the American Society for Clinical Investigation in honor of their outstanding records of scholarly achievement in biomedical research. Bernal-Mizrachi is the Larry D. Soderquist Professor and associate professor of internal medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes; Kaplan is associate professor of internal medicine in the Division of Rheumatology; and Luker is assistant professor of microbiology and immunology, and of radiology. The ASCI, established in 1908, comprises more than 2,800 physician-scientists from all medical specialties and publishes the Journal of Clinical Investigation. To date, 66 U-M faculty have been elected to the ASCI.

Claire Duvernoy (M.D. 1990) is Michigan’s governor-elect to the American College of Cardiology. She will serve a three-year term beginning in March 2011. Concurrently, Duvernoy also will serve as president-elect and president of the Michigan Chapter of the American College of Cardiology. She is assistant professor of internal medicine and director of the Women’s Heart Program at the U-M, and is chief of cardiology at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

Stevo Julius, M.D., Sc.D., former chief of the Division of Hypertension and professor emeritus in the U-M Cardiovascular Center, is the first U.S. scientist to be honored by the European Society of Hypertension. In June he received the Alberto Zanchetti Life Achievement Award for high quality scientific research in hypertension at the organization’s 20th Scientific Sessions in Oslo, Norway.

Jorge Marrero, M.D., Keith Henley Professor of Gastroenterology, associate professor of internal medicine and director of the Multidisciplinary Liver Tumor Clinic, received the Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association’s second annual Blue Faery Award for Excellence in Liver Cancer Research. The award recognizes Marrero’s work on the treatment and prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma, otherwise known as HCC or primary liver cancer.

Stephanie K. Patterson (M.D. 1990, Residency 1994) was inducted as a fellow in the American College of Radiology at the organization’s 87th annual meeting in May. Patterson is a clinical associate professor of radiology who specializes in breast imaging. ACR fellows are recognized for a history of service to the college, organized radiology, teaching or research.

Phillip E. Rodgers, M.D. (Residency 1998), assistant professor of family medicine, is the first U-M faculty member to be named a fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, in recognition of his commitment to and scholarship in the field. Rodgers also is an expert in migrant farm worker issues, post-operative transgender individuals, and people living in poor conditions in the developing world.

Samuel Silver, M.D., Ph.D., was elected vice chairman of the board of directors for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a consortium of 21 leading cancer institutes dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Silver is assistant dean for research and a professor of internal medicine who specializes in treating patients with blood cancers. The U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center is a founding member of NCCN, and the only Michigan program in the network.

Peter Todd, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of neurology, received the American Academy of Neurology’s S. Weir Mitchell Alliance Award in April. The award recognizes early investigator physician-scientists for basic research on neurologic disease. Todd’s research focuses on the molecular underpinnings of Fragile X-associated tremor ataxia syndrome, a common inherited neurodegenerative disorder.

John J. Voorhees (M.D. 1963, Residency 1969) received the Master Dermatologist Award from the American Academy of Dermatology on March 5 in recognition of his contributions to the specialty and the academy itself. Voorhees, a pioneer in psoriasis and skin aging research, is the Duncan and Ella Poth Distinguished Professor of Dermatology and chair of the Department of Dermatology. — MF

The Zeal of John Zeller

John Zeller has been a successful orthopedic surgeon, an editor for the Journal of the American Medical Association, and a workers’ compensation medical examiner in both his native California and Texas. Now he’s an advocate for anatomy, which he sees as both an essential component of a good doctor’s tool kit and a discipline in danger of being overshadowed by contemporary advances in fields like molecular biology, protein chemistry and genetic engineering.

As a faculty member within the Division of Anatomical Sciences, he’s become renowned for communicating to his students the content of his field and his passion for it.

“Though we have these great technological advances, a fundamental grasp of human anatomy is still essential for the making of good physicians,” he says. “There’s been this great misconception that only surgeons need to know anatomy, but the best cardiologists and the most insightful internal medicine docs I’ve known have been great diagnosticians based on their grasp of human anatomy.”

Zeller refers to his approach as “en bloc synthesis/recall.” He conveys information in context, rather than isolation, which not only facilitates memorization but also demonstrates the breadth of its applicability.

“Students today have to deal with a plethora of information, and I wanted to streamline the process for them,” he says. “This ‘en bloc’ technique tries to group things together — as they relate to regional anatomy, as they affect clinical application — so it’s easier. The wonderful thing about the students at Michigan is they have a tremendous capacity to learn. When you give them this perception and make it applicable to what they’re learning, they can’t get enough of it.”

Although his only formal teaching experience before coming to the U-M was two years as a lecturer at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, he devoted a lot of time as a practitioner to educating his patients.

“It was always easier for me to give out that information so that people were comfortable with medical decisions,” he says. “It’s on a much more profound level, but I teach students the same way I taught my patients. To put it in this academic setting was a pretty easy adaptation for me.”

His methods have won enthusiastic student evaluations and strong administrative support. In addition to the basic first-year course he was originally hired to teach, he now offers applied clinical anatomy classes for fourth-year students in emergency medical procedures and the musculoskeletal system, and will launch another elective next spring in the physical examination of the older patient.

“What’s so exciting is we’re really on the forefront in trying to teach anatomy within this modern context during the full four years,” he says. “That’s a unique concept.

“I commute between Chicago and Michigan, and I do it gladly because this has become home for me,” Zeller says. “Sometimes you say things like that and people think you’re blowing smoke, but Michigan is unique in terms of colleagues who are willing to help out, people who embrace new ideas.

“I’m happy to be a part of the University of Michigan. I feel blessed to be here.” — JEFF MORTIMER