Skip to Navigation
University of Pittsburgh
Print This Page Print this pages

October 25, 2001

PEOPLE OF THE TIMES

David Roodman, an internationally renowned researcher in multiple myeloma and bone marrow culture techniques, has joined the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) as director of the Multiple Myeloma Center.

Roodman also has been appointed professor of medicine at the Pitt medical school's division of hematology/oncology and director of UPMC Health System's Center for Bone Biology.

At UPCI, Roodman will investigate multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells that play a vital role in the body's immune defenses. Most patients with multiple myeloma die within three to five years of diagnosis.

In addition to its low survival rates, multiple myeloma has a devastating impact on patients' quality of life because it causes the bones to weaken and erode, which in turn causes pain and/or fractures that can affect patients' ability to move.

Roodman's research also will focus on Paget's disease, the second most common bone disease diagnosed in the United States. Surpassed only by osteoporosis, it affects approximately 2 million Americans. In Paget's disease, bone tissue is formed abnormally, resulting in weakened and deformed bones. While Paget's disease is not a cancer and is rarely fatal, it shares symptoms with multiple myeloma, including pain, deformity and disability.

Current treatments for both multiple myeloma and Paget's disease address only symptoms. To find an effective cure, Roodman's research focuses on identifying underlying factors that cause both diseases.

Roodman comes to UPCI from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, where he was associate chair for research in the department of medicine. He has authored and co-authored more than 150 publications and is a member of the American Society of Hematology, International Society for Experimental Hematology and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, among other organizations. He is on the editorial board of several journals including the Journal of Clinical Investigation and Experimental Hematology.

————————————————————————

Jonas T. Johnson, professor of otolaryngology at Pitt's School of Medicine, has been elected president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) and its foundation. Johnson's one-year term will begin next September at the academy's annual meeting.

The AAO-HNS is a medical association representing more than 11,000 specialists in the treatment and diagnosis of disorders of the ears, nose, throat and related areas of the head and neck, making it the world's largest society representing these professionals.

For the next year, Johnson will be the academy's president-elect. In that capacity, he will continue to serve on the organization's board of directors, chair the academy's Health Policy Commission and select members for the numerous clinical and socioeconomic committees.

In addition to his faculty position, Johnson is vice chair of otolaryngology in the School of Medicine.

————————————————————————

Linda Jen-Jacobson and Lewis Jacobson, both of the Department of Biological Sciences, have been elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Jen-Jacobson, a Pitt faculty member since 1981, was cited for her "distinguished research on the thermodynamics and kinetics of molecular recognition in protein-DNA interactions."

Jacobson, a Pitt faculty member since 1967, was cited for "developing model systems for studying the biochemistry and physiology of proteolysis and for outstanding research mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students in five decades."

————————————————————————

Paul M. King, executive director of the Institute of Professional Environmental Practice, this fall has joined the administrative ranks of the School of Law in the newly created position of associate director of the certificate program in environmental law, science and policy.

King earned his J.D. at Pitt and has been a School of Law adjunct faculty member for 17 years.

King will help to recruit students for the certificate program, place program graduates, foster outreach and awareness, and support the academic activities of the program. In addition to performing administrative duties at the School of Law, King will teach Science for Environmental Practitioners, International Environmental Law, and Hazardous Waste Law.

King held environmental management and environmental law positions with PPG Industries, Inc. He is a past president of the Air and Waste Management Association and past chairman of the Chemical Manufacturers Association's Environmental Management Committee.

He has a B.S. in business administration from Duquesne University.

King has been an adjunct professor of environmental management at Duquesne University's Environmental Science and Management Program, where he also is program chairman. In addition, he serves as chairman of the board of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Enterprising Environmental Solutions, Inc.

————————————————————————

Herb Kitson, professor of English and French at the Titusville campus, has received the International Merit Award in Poetry from the Atlanta Review. The annual award recognizes 50 poets world-wide.

Kitson's award-winning poem, "Needing a Bit of Heaven," appears in the October edition of the Atlanta Review. All merit award winners will compete for the Pushcart Poetry Prize.

————————————————————————

Charles (Chip) Burke III, assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at the School of Medicine, has been appointed by the United States Olympic Committee as the team physician for the 2002 U.S. Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Team.

As an Olympic team physician, Burke will oversee all medical care for the athletes while they are competing at the Olympics. This summer, Burke spent two weeks at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., providing sports medicine for athletes in training for various winter Olympic sports. In addition, he has served as a sports medicine consultant to the Salt Lake Olympic organizing committee during preparations for the 2002 Winter Games.

Burke, who is also the team physician for the Pittsburgh Penguins, was the team physician for the U.S. hockey team in the 1991 Canada Cup.

As president of the National Hockey League (NHL) Team Physicians Society, Burke recently co-chaired a major international sports medicine conference on hockey injuries in Toronto, sponsored by the NHL and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. He developed and directs the NHL Concussion Program, which studies head injuries in hockey. He serves on the NHL's Injury Analysis Panel, which studies playing conditions with regard to injury occurrence and injury prevention. The panel makes recommendations to the league involving conditions of the ice and rink facilities, players' protective equipment and game rules.

Burke's involvement in hockey includes not only the professional and elite levels, but also youth leagues. He is a coach for the North Hills Amateur Hockey Association. As a member of the national USA Hockey's Safety and Protective Equipment Committee, he has been instrumental in the development of numerous educational programs.

Burke was a cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where he earned a varsity letter in hockey. He earned his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, then completed a two-year general surgery residency at the University of Massachusetts. In 1986, he completed his training in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.

————————————————————————

Anil Gungor, assistant professor of otolaryngology in the School of Medicine, was selected to the Allergy & Immunology Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-HNS, Inc., October 2001 through September 2004; the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Medicine & Surgery for 2001, and the Allergy and Immunology Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-HNS from 2001 through 2004.

————————————————————————

Jessica Reynolds, assistant director of Admissions at the Titusville campus, has been named the 2001 James McKeever Promising Professional by the Pennsylvania Association of Collegiate Admissions Counselors. The award recognizes outstanding professional contributions to the field of collegiate admissions counseling. It is presented annually to a collegiate admissions professional with fewer than three years of experience who demonstrates significant promise in the field.

Reynolds, a graduate of Westminster College, joined the Titusville staff in 1998.

————————————————————————

Bernard Goldstein, dean of the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), was among four Pennsylvania health experts named to the Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Advisory Committee for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

In June, former Gov. Tom Ridge signed the historic tobacco-settlement legislation — the largest investment ever to improve the health of Pennsylvanians. The Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Advisory Committee was created as part of this settlement to counsel the Pennsylvania Department of Health in developing priorities for the prevention and cessation program.

Before becoming GSPH dean in January, Goldstein was director of the Environmental and Occupational Health Services Institute of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J. He also has served as assistant administrator for research and development at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and as chair of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on the Role of the Physician in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Twelve percent of the tobacco settlement, or more than $41 million this fiscal year, is earmarked for prevention and cessation activities designed to decrease smoking by teens and adults. This is a dramatic increase from the $2.2 million now spent in Pennsylvania, and places the commonwealth among the top four states nationally in funding for tobacco prevention and cessation.

Seventy percent of funds ($29 million) will be used at the local level to address local tobacco-control needs. The remaining 30 percent ($12 million) of the funds will be directed by the Department of Health to statewide projects.

————————————————————————

Donald M. Yealy, professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Medicine at the School of Medicine, has been given the Award for Outstanding Contribution in Education from the American College of Emergency Physicians. This award recognizes a member who has made a significant contribution to the educational aspects of the emergency medicine specialty.

Yealy is considered by his colleagues as more of a "mentor" than an "educator," but he has made a lasting impression as both. "Dr. Yealy excels in every aspect of academic emergency medicine," said Marco Coppola, who nominated him for the award. "Because of his continued participation in our program, upon graduation a colleague and I created an award with him in mind: the Mentor Award."

Yealy has received the medical school's Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award three times. He serves on the board of directors of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

In addition to academic activities, Yealy has received more than $7.5 million in research grants for studies. He also has served on the editorial boards of five peer review journals, including Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Yealy earned his M.D. from the Medical College of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed a research fellowship in 1989 also at Pitt.

Yealy received his award during the General Session at Scientific Assembly this month.

————————————————————————

In conjunction with its ninth annual leadership dinner, UPCI will be honoring four physicians, researchers and staff members for their outstanding achievements in research, patient care and technical support during a special luncheon the day before the annual dinner. UPCI awardees include John Lazo, David Friedland, Mary Baptiste and Dorothy Mann.

Lazo, a program leader in the Molecular Therapeutics and Drug Discovery Program, will be awarded the Scientific Leadership Award for significantly advancing the understanding and treatment of cancer through research.

He has been at the forefront of national initiatives to design novel therapeutics for cancer treatment and to identify drugs that interact with molecular and biochemical targets to control the growth of cancer.

His seminal research contributions include identifying a promising link between the biological processes of Alzheimer's disease and drug-resistance in cancer patients He has received numerous honors for his accomplishments from the American Cancer Society, the American Society for Pharmacology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, to name a few.

Friedland, a UPCI physician and investigator with the Oncology Hematology Association, will be receiving the Leo Criep Excellence in Patient Care Award for cultivating and maintaining compassionate and sincere caring relationships with his patients.

He serves as a reviewer for both The Journal of Clinical Oncology and Advances in Oncology.

Baptiste will be honored with the UPCI Excellence in Patient Care Award for extraordinary sensitivity that has given cancer patients under her care the strength and hope to battle their disease.

She is a clinical nurse at UPMC Shadyside, a member of the Professional Advisory Board of Shadyside and the Strength Committee for Caring.

Mann will be receiving the UPCI Excellence in Administrative and Technical Support Award for her contribution to the overall quality and success of the institute by going beyond the call of normal duty.

She has been an administrator with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center since 1983 and with UPCI since 1986. She supervises and provides support for over 80 faculty and staff in the division of hematology/oncology with dedication and skill.

————————————————————————

E.J. Josey, emeritus professor of library and information science in the School of Information Sciences, will receive an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Clarion University Dec. 15.

Josey joined the University of Pittsburgh in 1986 and taught the initial course in Libraries in Society for the Department of Library and Information Science. He retired from Pitt in 1995.


Leave a Reply