Neonatologist Sam Hawgood, MB, BS, has been appointed as dean of the UCSF School of Medicine and vice chancellor for medical affairs at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Hawgood served the school as professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics, associate director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute, and president of the UCSF Medical Group. He also served as interim dean. Dr. Hawgood's areas of scientific interest are lung development in infants, lung biology and pulmonary diseases.
A graduate of the University of Queensland School of Medicine in Australia, Dr. Hawgood completed his medical training in pediatrics at the Royal Children Hospital in Brisbane in 1981. After his neonatal fellowship at the Queen Victoria Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and at UCSF, he began working with UCSF Professor John Clements, MD, on his laboratory research career. He joined the UCSF pediatric faculty in 1984 and led the Division of Neonatology from 1994 to 2006.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center President Resigns
John Baldwin, MD, stepped down from his position as president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (HSC) this September, a position he held for more than two years. Although he will no longer serve as the president of the HSC, Dr. Baldwin will remain on staff as an adviser to Chancellor Kent Hance and will continue teaching as a tenured professor in the School of Medicine. HSC Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, Elmo Cavin, will serve as interim president until a replacement for Dr. Baldwin is identified.
Wake Forest University School of Medicine Appoints Director of Translational Science Institute
Charles "Cash" McCall, MD, has been appointed Director of the Wake Forest University (WFU) Translational Science Institute (TSI). The Institute, founded in 2007, is focused on translating scientific discovery into treatments with improved outcomes. Dr. McCall has received consistent NIH funding for over 35 years and has mentored numerous trainees in translational research. He has served at WFU as professor of internal medicine in molecular medicine, professor of microbiology and immunology, and associate in internal medicine (pulmonary). He relinquishes his title of deputy associate dean for research with his new appointment. Dr. McCall is a graduate of WFU, where he earned his bachelo's and MD degrees.
In addition to Dr. McCall's appointment, the school announced Stephen Kritchevsky, PhD, as deputy director of the TSI. Dr. Kritchevsky is a professor of Internal Medicine in Gerontology & Geriatrics, an associate in Public Health Sciences (epidemiology & prevention), and an associate in the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He will continue his faculty duties in his new role.
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Appoints Genetics Department Head
Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) in St. Louis, MO, appointed Jeffery D. Milbrandt, MD, PhD, as head of the Department of Genetics and James S. McDonnell Professor. He succeeds interim head Susan Dutcher, PhD, who has held the position since June 2006. Dr. Milbrandt has served on the faculty of the WUSM School of Medicine since 1983. He has a prominent background in basic and translational science.
Dr. Milbrandt's collaborative research with Eugene Johnson Jr., PhD, professor of neurology, has yielded discovery of a family of growth factors that promote neuronal survival, including neurturin, which is being evaluated in phase II clinical trials in patients with Parkinson's disease. His work focused on the function of axons in neurodegenerative diseases has implications for the treatment of those diseases, such as Alzheimer's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as well as Parkinson's.
A graduate of the WUSM School of Medicine, Dr. Milbrandt also earned a doctorate in biochemistry and completed a residency in pathology in 1983 from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He returned to Washington University as an assistant professor of pathology and medicine and became a full professor in 1994. In 2005, he was named the first David Clayson Professor of Neurology.
Walter Curran Named Executive Director of the Emory Winship Cancer Institute
Walter Curran Jr., MD, has been named executive director of the Emory University Winship Cancer Institute. He succeeds Brian Leyland-Jones, MD, PhD, who stepped down to pursue research interests. Dr. Leyland-Jones served as Winship director since 2007 and during his tenure, the institute earned National Cancer Institute Cancer Center designation.
Dr. Curran joined Emory University in 2008 as the Lawrence W. Davis Professor and chair of Radiation Oncology in the medical school and chief medical officer in the Winship Cancer Institute. He was previously professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA, where he also served as clinical director for the school's Kimmel Cancer Center.
Since 1997, Dr. Curran has served as the group chair and principal investigator of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) in the American College of Radiology (ACR) Center for Clinical Research in Philadelphia, PA. He earned his baccalaureate degree from Dartmouth College and MD from the Medical College of Georgia. He completed residency in the Department of Radiation Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and internship in internal medicine at Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia. A Board Certified Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Curran is a fellow in the American College of Radiology. He is an honorary member of the European Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology.
Kelly A. Frazer Named Founding Chief of New Genomics Division at UC San Diego
Kelly A. Frazer, PhD, was named as the founding chief of the new Division of Genome Information Sciences for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. The work of the new division will focus on the genetic factors involved in diseases such as childhood cancer, congenital heart disease, and asthma that span the age spectrum. The division will collaborate with physicians in the Department of Pediatrics, the UCSD Moores Cancer Center and Rady Children's Hospital and scientists in the Health Sciences. Researchers will analyze patient data from Rady Children's Hospital and UCSD Moores Cancer Center to learn more about genetic predisposition to such diseases and response to treatment factors.
Dr. Frazer attended UC Santa Cruz, where she earned undergraduate degrees in chemistry and biology. She earned her PhD in genetics from UC San Francisco in 1993 and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in the Life Sciences Division, where she subsequently served as a staff scientist in the Genome Sciences Department. While at the Berkeley Lab, Dr. Frazer directed the implementation of VISTA, an online comparative genome analysis tool.
She served as vice president of genomics at Perlegen Sciences in Mountain View, CA, where she collaborated with other scientists to develop content for the human haplotype map. She then served as a professor of molecular and experimental medicine at the Scripps Research Institute and director of genomic biology at the Scripps Genomics Medicine Program at Scripps Health.
Dr. Frazer is a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Genome Research Resources Committee. She serves as a reviewer on NIH-review panels and is on the Expert Scientific Panel for the National Human Genome Research Institute's genome-wide association program.
University of Utah Names Chairman of the Department of Genetics
The University of Utah has named Lynn B. Jorde, PhD as the chairman of the Department of Human Genetics in the School of Medicine. Dr. Jorde holds the H.A. and Edna Benning Presidential Endowed Chair in Human Genetics. He succeeds two other internationally known geneticists, co-chairs Mark F. Leppert, PhD, distinguished professor of human genetics, and Mario R. Capecchi, PhD, distinguished professor of human genetics and biology and 2007 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine. Drs. Leppert and Cappechi will continue their research and teaching in the Department of Human Genetics.
Dr. Jorde joined the University of Utah School of Medicine faculty in 1979. During his tenure, he has been honored with 12 University teaching awards, including the Outstanding Pre-Clinical Professor Award, given by graduating medical students, and the University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award. Along with Louisa Stark, PhD, director of the Genetic Science Learning Center, and medical geneticist John C. Carey, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics - also University of Utah educators - he received the American Society of Human Genetics 2008 Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Education. Dr. Jorde is lead author of the textbook "Medical Genetics," which is in its fourth edition.
Mount Sinai Medical Center Names Chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology
The Mount Sinai Medical Center named William K. Oh, MD, as Chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology in the Department of Medicine. His appointment was effective September 1. Dr. Oh is internationally recognized as an expert in the management of genitourinary (GU) malignancies. In his new position, he will lead the development of a clinical database for prostate cancer with the goal of creating a larger specimen and clinical database for the Tisch Cancer Institute to include multiples types of cancers. He will also serve as Co-Director of the Prostate Cancer Program, Associate Director for Clinical Research for The Tisch Cancer Institute, and as the Ezra M. Greenspan, MD Professor in Clinical Cancer Therapeutics, and Professor of Medicine and Urology.
Dr. Oh served as an attending physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and Brigham and Women's Hospital for 12 years. He is a leader in developing clinical trials and, while at Dana Farber, he was Clinical Director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology and Director of the Gelb Center for Translational Research as well as the founding Chair of the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee for Phase I/II Trials at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.
Dr. Oh earned his MD at New York University School of Medicine. He completed residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and a fellowship in medical oncology at the DFCI. He has authored, reviewed, and edited numerous manuscripts and texts and serves on the editorial boards of Clinical Genitourinary Cancer and American Journal of Hematology and Oncology. He served on the Cancer Education Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and is a core member of the Genitourinary Committee of Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB).
Office of Research Integrity Director Retires After 32 Years of Federal Service
Chris Pascal announced his retirement as Director of the Office of Research Integrity, a position he has held since 1996. He began his career with the Federal Government in 1977 as a staff attorney in the Department of Health and Human Services Office of General Counsel. He served as Legal Advisor for the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration (ADAMHA) for a decade.
Chaudhary Joins University of Southern California
Preet Chaudhary, MD, PhD, has been named chief of the Jane Anne Nohl Division of Hematology and Center for the Study of Blood Diseases at the University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital. His appointment will begin January 1, 2010. He will serve as professor of medicine at the USC Keck School and as associate director for translational research at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Chaudhary will join USC from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, where he served as Larry Ellis Endowed Chair in Hematology-Oncology, professor of medicine, director for translational research and co-leader of the hematological malignancies program.
Dr. Chaudhary is an alumnus of the Maulana Azad Medical College in India. He earned his PhD at the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed residency training in internal medicine at Northwestern University. He completed fellowship training in hematology and oncology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington in Seattle. His research interests include a cancer drug resistance, programmed cell death, cellular signaling, and AIDS-associated cancers as well as molecularly targeted and biological therapies for leukemia, lymphomas, multiple myeloma and solid tumors. He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and has received continuous National Institutes of Health funding since 2000.