Growth and development

“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership”

– Harvey Firestone

June 14, 2013

 

Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Momentous Occasions… Sending More Physicians into the World… Great Ambassadors

Perhaps because there is no single ceremony heralding it, the annual graduation of our residents never quite gets the attention of student graduation. So let’s make our own moment by pausing to acknowledge and really celebrate this important rite of passage as well as the huge contribution made by our medical school and health system to graduate medical education and to training the next generation of physicians. This month, 137 residents are completing our residency or fellowship training programs. They will be fanning out across our state and nation into private practices, academic health centers and hospitalist positions, with many going to other academic centers for additional subspecialty medical or surgical training or as faculty members, according to Dr. Walter Moore.  Wow. This really is a huge contribution to medicine and health care made possible by an endless number of individuals every day.  And, even as this group heads out, we welcome 149 new residents to our 42 training programs. Awesome again! To take a peek at some of the actual celebrations visit www.facebook.com/grumcg.

 

More Momentum… A Unique, Compelling Scientific Approach

While we highlighted last week the unfortunate reality of a shrinking National institutes of Health budget, this week we are delighted to celebrate the success of Dr. Jin-Xiong She on the renewal of his grant during this murky financial climate and the increasingly complex world of science. Dr. She is Principal Investigator for Georgia and Florida of a monumental, international undertaking to figure out how genetics and environment work together to cause type 1 diabetes in our children. With the invaluable contributions of high-risk families, Dr. She and his team are making incredible strides with a scientific approach that is comprehensive and enviable. The researchers are following kids who are at risk because of their genetics for 15 years to see who gets the disease and find the telltale differences between those who do and don’t. He just got official notice of the $10 million in NIH funding that will enable his work for five more years.  Again, a lot of great work by a lot of great individuals – including children and families – and a lot of great leadership by Dr. She.  Congratulations. Read more athttp://news.gru.edu/archives/9055/ and http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2013-06-10/gru-study-gets-10-million-continue-diabetes-study.

 

Another Milestone…500th Bone Marrow Transplant…

The GRU Cancer Center has now performed 500 bone marrow transplants. What a phenomenal team effort! Like so many things we do in health care, the job is tough but the rewards are also incredible. The best rewards – happy patients, family members, and friends – joined in the recent celebration. To read more go here– http://bit.ly/14Wqjqb

 

National Impact… National Leaders

More congratulations are in order, this time to Vice Dean Paul M. Wallach for being elected to a second, two-year term as an at-large member of the National Board of Medical Examiners Board of Directors. What a great honor – and responsibility – and we thank Dr. Wallach for his significant contributions to medical education at home and across the country. He’s played a significant role with the independent, not-for-profit organization that provides high-quality assessments for the health professions, since 1995. He also continues to serve as a site visitor for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which accredits medical schools.  Many thanks to Dr. Wallach for his leadership in these sentinel medical education fronts.

 

Public Health Proponent… Serving our State… Stellar Leadership

Congratulations and thanks as well go to Dr. Kathryn Martin who is the new President of the Georgia Public Health Association. The MCG Community is proud of her and grateful for her ongoing efforts to improve the health of our state including, of course, her service to its only public medical school!  She’ll serve a one-year term as head of the 1,400 member organization. To read more about the Georgia Public Health Association, check out this link– http://www.gapha.org/

 

A Lifetime of Work… Battling Hypertension… a Lifetime Honor

Still more congratulations are in order for Dr. Clinton Webb on being selected for the 2013 Irvine Page-Alva Bradley Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Heart Association’s Council on High Blood Pressure Research!! The honor is given for a lifetime of outstanding achievement in the field of hypertension, including serving as a role model through service, research and teaching. Truly that sums up Dr. Webb who will lecture at the upcoming Scientific Sessions in New Orleans. Well done Dr. Webb. Thank you for your contributions to a top health concern for our state and nation. This is truly an honor for Dr. Webb and for our medical school! To read more about it click here— http://bit.ly/11YTIno.

 

Lovely Event… Garden Party…

The President’s Club Garden Party, hosted by President and Mrs. Ricardo Azziz as a way to say thank you to around 200 key donors to the university, was a truly lovely and fun event. The rain did come pouring down, but the party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Osborne remained dry and lively.  There were many great individuals and groups to thank and that absolutely includes the Osbornes who were incredible hosts. A highlight was the Knox Foundation receiving the annual President’s Award for its ongoing support of higher education and this university. The foundation’s generous philanthropic giving has established the Knox School of Accountancy in the James M. Hull College of Business, the Peter S. Knox III Distinguished Chair of Accounting and the Knox Scholarship Fund. Thanks to all who helped put this event together and thank you again to our donors.

 

Another Uplifting Event… 2013 Research Awards… Honoring our Research Leaders

A very nice awards dinner was held last week to honor some of our top researchers. The MCG Community is proud of their accomplishments and their commitment to serving our institution. Awardees at the GR Research Institute event were: Dr. Brian Miller- Emerging Scientist Award, Dr. David Munn- Mahesh Distinguished Research Award, Dr. Catherine Davis- Distinguished Research Award, and Dr. Dennis Ownby- Lifetime Achievement Research Award. Congratulations to you all and thank you for your outstanding service!

 

Upcoming Events…

 

June 20 – Vocalists from the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Mark Diamond and Lauren Snouffer, will perform opera and musical theater selections in “Cancer Sings a Song,” a concert benefitting music therapy programs at the GRU Cancer Center, The event is 7:30 p.m. at the Maxwell Theatre on the Summerville Campus. General admission is $5 for the public and free for GRU students with an ID. VIP tickets are $10 and include access to a backstage reception with the performers. Tickets can be purchased at the GRU Cancer Center, the Maxwell Theatre box office or online at http://www.gru.edu/maxwelltheatre/

 

June 28 – Join your colleagues for a TRANSFORMATIONAL Milestone Celebration Dessert Drop-in, hosted by David Hefner and Mark Hamrick from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in the Terrace Dining (Magnolia Room) on the Health Sciences Campus.

 

Check out our MCG Facebook page at www.facebook.com/grumcg and Twitter page as well #Follow.

 

Enjoy the weekend!