Immortality Medicine

The inaugural issue of EVMS Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences (JMHS) is now available. This student-run journal is a compilation of distinguished papers, projects and articles written by student authors with faculty mentorship. All submitted works were reviewed by an editorial team, and future issues of this bi-annual publication will implement a formalized student-run peer review process.

Copies of JMHS are available in Lewis Hall, Hofheimer Hall and outside the Brickell Library. For more information or to view the journal online, visit www.evms.edu/jmhs.

Congratulations to the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center for the August 9 front-page Virginian-Pilot article and the August 4 report on WVEC-TV regarding its research examining the link between belly fat and diabetes/heart disease.

The news stories feature Jerry Nadler, MD, chair of internal medicine and director of the Strelitz Diabetes Center; Anca Dobrian, PhD, assistant professor of physiological sciences and lead author of the study; and Stephen Wohlgemuth, MD, assistant professor of clinical surgery at EVMS and medical director at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital’s Metabolic & Weight-Loss Surgery Center.

Additional coverage:

WAVY-TV 10 report
Daily Press article

Elizabeth Carr Comeau, the first person born in the U.S. through in-vitro fertilization, gave birth yesterday to a healthy baby boy.

The birth of Mrs. Comeau nearly 30 years ago was made possible through Eastern Virginia Medical School doctors Howard and Georgeanna Jones who performed the country’s first successful in vitro fertilization procedure at their clinic, The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, the first IVF center in the country.

Read the Virginia Pilot story.

Read Elizabeth Carr Comeau’s personal account in the Boston Globe.

Since the Civil War, the stethoscope has been a standard tool of the trade for physicians. Soon, the average doctor may be toting another valuable diagnostic tool: a pocket-size ultrasound machine.

Alexander B. Levitov, MD, a professor of internal medicine, believes that day is close. “I think in three to five years they will become commonplace,” he predicts.

Dr. Levitov, a critical care physician and expert in the use of ultrasound, is prepared for that eventuality. He is author of a new book that guides physicians in use of the ultrasound machine. Bedside Ultrasound in Clinical Medicine was published in partnership with the American College of Physicians.

Congratulations to the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center for the August 4 report on WVEC-TV regarding its research examining the link between belly fat and diabetes/heart disease.

The report quotes Jerry Nadler, MD, chair of internal medicine and director of the Strelitz Diabetes Center, and Anca Dobrian, PhD, assistant professor of physiological sciences, one of the scientists involved in the study.

Two Eastern Virginia Medical School diabetes specialists are representing the school at a giant free clinic July 23-25 at the Wise County, Virginia, Fairgrounds.

This is the second year a team is representing the school and the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center at the Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic, which draws thousands of people from across Appalachia for free medical and dental care.

In its the August 2010 issue, Hampton Roads Magazine highlighted some of the region’s best doctors. Of the 58 doctors recommended by other physicians in an annual survey, 48 have some affiliation with Eastern Virginia Medical School, serving as either full-time or volunteer community faculty.

The magazine compiled the list based on the recommendations of more than 1,000 local doctors who responded to the survey. Each physician was asked to to recommend one of two doctors in more than 30 specialties, including pediatrics. The physicians who received the most votes were selected for inclusion in the list.

Major renovations to the first floor of Lewis Hall will begin this August. The newly-renovated space will include upgrades to the Brickell Library, a new student lounge area, a new bookstore with café, and renovated administrative offices.

The following Offices will move to Smith-Rogers Hall, located at 358 Mowbray Arch, on July 9, 2010:

• Medical Admissions, Minority Affairs: first floor
• Education, Student Affairs, Faculty Development: second floor
• Registrar, Financial Aid, Student Performance and Evaluation: fourth floor

All phone numbers and email addresses of personnel who are relocating will remain the same.

Eastern Virginia Medical School honored 11 police officers and 26 public safety officers during an official badge pinning ceremony for the new EVMS Police and Public Safety Department July 8 in Lewis Hall’s McCombs auditorium. The ceremony marked the official move from a security office to a police and public safety department. EVMS president, Harry T. Lester thanked the officers for their service and the honorable Peter G. Decker Junior, a member of the EVMS health services board, administered the oath of affirmation.

Doctors at Eastern Virginia Medical School’s Strelitz Diabetes Center have been studying weight-loss surgery patients to determine if certain types of fat are more likely to result in the development of negative health factors such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Their findings were presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting in Orlando, Fla., June 27.

The study is being conducted in conjunction with Stephen G. Wohlgemuth, MD, medical director of bariatric surgery at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital’s Metabolic & Weight Loss Surgery Center and assistant professor of clinical surgery at EVMS.

“The primary goal of the study is to identify important new factors in visceral fat that might explain the link between obesity, diabetes and heart disease,” explains Jerry Nadler, MD, director of the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center and chair of internal medicine.

Jean E. Shelton, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, on Thursday received the institution’s highest faculty honor, the Dean’s Outstanding Faculty Award.

The Dean’s Faculty Achievement Awards are the top accolade given to EVMS researchers, educators and patient-care providers. Recipients are nominated by their peers and chosen for the award by a committee comprised of past winners.

Hundreds of food lovers and EVMS supporters sampled award-winning barbecue at the 16th annual Cookout for the Cure on Thursday, June 17, at Fleet Recreation Park in Norfolk. Eleven grill teams from organizations throughout Hampton Roads mastered the flame for their chance at grilling glory. Cookout for the Cure has raised more than $700,000 for the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center in its 16-year history.

The winners are . . .

Students at James Monroe Elementary School sprung into action following the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12. From saved lunch money to cracked piggybanks, the students, with the help of their families and the PTA, began collecting donations for Haiti relief.

After learning that their EVMS student mentors from the EVMS Mentoring Society were donating money to Maison Fortune Orphanage in Haiti, the James Monroe students decided to follow suit. Students from James Monroe presented a $500 check to Art Mowbray, executive director for Maison Fortune Orphanage Foundation, on Tuesday, June 8.

View photos from the event. Learn more about Maison Fortune.

The 16th annual Cookout for the Cure fires up at Norfolk’s Fleet Recreation Park at Hampton Boulevard and 90th Street Thursday, June 17 from 4 – 8 p.m. Come out and sample some of the best barbecue in Hampton Roads. Proceeds from the grilling competition, hosted by the International Longshoremen’s Association and the Hampton Roads Shipping Association, benefit the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center. Advance tickets are only $20 and discounts are available for students, military, seniors and children.

Purchase tickets for the cookout.

Hundreds of EVMS staff, faculty, students and friends became part of EVMS history today when one of the final steel girders, covered in their signatures and well wishes, was hoisted to the top of the new medical education and research building.

An evergreen tree was lifted up with the beam, part of an Celtic tradition that was an offering to the gods upon completion of building a home.

See photos from the hoisting ceremony.

Each member of the EVMS community is invited to make his or her mark on the newest addition to the EVMS campus. One of the final steel girders for the new medical education and research building’s framework has been set out behind Lewis Hall and is available for all to sign. It’s a way for each person to leave a permanent sign of their part in creating the school’s future.

The beam is near the back entrance to Lewis Hall, beside the police dispatch office. Signing will continue until 11 a.m. Friday, June 11, and at 11:30, a ceremony will be held to mark the beam’s hoisting to its place at the top of the structure.

For more information, call 446-6070

A lack of sleep may be behind a surge in traffic accidents among teens in Virginia Beach.

Robert Vorona, MD, associate professor of internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, looked at 2008 Department of Motor Vehicles data for the adjacent cities of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. The study found a 41 percent higher rate of motor vehicle accidents among teen drivers in Virginia Beach than in demographically similar Chesapeake.

The study suggests, but does not prove, that sleep may be the culprit. Teen drivers in Virginia Beach may not get enough sleep in part because Virginia Beach schools open more than an hour earlier than those in Chesapeake.

Dr. Vorona presented his research findings June 9 at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in San Antonio. The meeting draws sleep researchers from all over the world.

For more about the study, read The Virginian-Pilot account.

the L.D. Britt, MD, Scholarship Fund at Eastern Virginia Medical School has become a permanent source of support for promising minority medical students thanks to contributions from the community and a recent donation from the EVMS Foundation.

The EVMS Foundation’s contribution, combined with $682,000 raised from supporters throughout Hampton Roads by the L.D. Britt, MD, Scholarship Committee, brings the fund’s total to $900,000 and enables it to operate as a self-sustaining, endowed scholarship. One minority EVMS student in each year of the four-year medical program will receive a L.D. Britt, MD, Scholarship. The amount of  support will be based on the fund’s principal balance. At this point, each scholarship is expected to be $10,000.

Conquering a course that weaved through the Eastern Virginia Medical Center, more than 300 men, women and children participated in the second annual EVMS Trauma: Run For Your Life 5K Run/Walk sponsored by SunTrust on Saturday, May 22.

Organized by Scott F. Reed, MD, associate professor of surgery and EVMS Health Services surgeon, the race raised awareness about the risks of traumatic injury. The event included a children’s fun run sponsored by Tidewater Parent and a community education exposition.

View photos from the event. See the results.

The annual Master of Physician Assistant Awards & White Coat Ceremony, held May 12, celebrated the achievements both of the graduating health professionals and the program itself, which marked its 10th year.

Instead of a traditional keynote speaker, the event featured remarks from Rita Fickenscher, MPA, a graduate of the 2001 inaugural class, and 2010 graduate Jenny Doll. Ms. Fickenscher spoke about the program’s roots, and Ms. Doll commented on how far it has come and future goals for the PA program.

Click here for photos from the 2010 ceremony.

EVMS commencement keynote speaker Darrell G. Kirch, MD, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges, urged the 2010 EVMS graduates to take an active role in creating a just health-care system.

“Think about the legacy you are inheriting, including social justice, and remember that is what makes the white coat real,” he said.

The 2010 commencement ceremony took place on Saturday, May 15. Held at the Scope Arena, 254 graduates celebrated their achievements with friends and family.

According to research from James F. Paulson, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School, fathers in substantial numbers experience prenatal and postpartum depression.

His analysis shows that about 10 percent of fathers experience prenatal or postpartum depression. The first 3 months postpartum show the lowest rates of depression (7.7 percent), while the 3- to 6-month postpartum period shows the highest rate (25.6 percent).

The annual Master of Physician Assistant Awards & White Coat Ceremony, held May 12, celebrated the achievements both of the graduating health professionals and the program itself, which marked its 10th year.

Instead of a traditional keynote speaker, the event featured remarks from Rita Fickenscher, MPA, a graduate of the 2001 inaugural class, and 2010 graduate Jenny Doll. Ms. Fickenscher spoke about the program’s roots, and Ms. Doll commented on how far it has come and future goals for the PA program.

Click here for photos from the 2010 ceremony.

The EVMS Class of 2010 held its baccalaureate at the Chrysler Museum of Art’s Kaufman Theatre on May 14.

The graduates made a covenant with their friends, families, teachers and patients to maintain the honor and noble traditions of medicine and teach them to future medical professionals.

“Keep your medical passions. Above all, ask and live the tough questions,” said keynote speaker John G. Kenerson, MD, a noted cardiologist and founder of Cardiovascular Associates Ltd.

See photos from the event.

Six Eastern Virginia Medical School medical graduates entering the armed forces were sworn in as officers Thursday in a special ceremony aboard the battleship U.S.S. Wisconsin.

The guest speaker for the Military Commissioning Ceremony was Col. Eric B Stone, MD, commander of the 63D Medical Group at Langley Air Force Base. He told the graduates that “the most valuable and precious asset our nation has is our people in service.” He called it an honor and an immense responsibility to care for the individuals who serve in the military and protect the nation.

See photos from the deck of the Wisconsin.

Watch the ceremony.