The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that Eddie Reed, MD has been named as the clinical director for the NIMHD Intramural Research Program. Dr. Reed joins the NIMHD from the University of South Alabama, where he was professor of oncologic sciences and Abraham Mitchell Distinguished Investigator at the University’s Mitchell Cancer Institute in Mobile.
Dr. Reed’s clinical research has focused on the molecular pharmacology of DNA-damaging anticancer agents. He has earned two United States Public Health Service Commendation Medals for his work on the clinical development of paclitaxel (Taxol®), a chemotherapy drug given to treat ovarian, breast and non-small cell lung cancer. He has provided leadership for efforts aimed at reducing health disparities and has contributed to the development of several cancer screening and control programs. He has previously served as a tenured scientist, chief of the Clinical Pharmacology Branch, and chief of the Ovarian Cancer and Metastatic Prostate Cancer Clinic in the Division of Clinical Sciences at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a part of the NIH; director of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center at West Virginia University, Morgantown, and director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Reed earned his MD from Yale University School of Medicine. He completed internship and residency at Stanford University and a fellowship at the NCI. He served on the Institute of Medicine’s National Cancer Policy Forum from 2005–2008 and has also served on the National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
GWU Names Dean of School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Jeffrey S. Akman, MD, has been appointed as vice president for health affairs, dean of the George Washington University (GWU) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), and the Walter A. Bloedorn Chair of Administrative Medicine.
Dr. Akman became interim vice president for health affairs and dean in 2010 and is credited with providing pivotal leadership in the restructuring of the GW Medical Center and reorganization of administrative leadership at SMHS. Prior to his interim appointment, Dr. Akman was the Leon M. Yochelson Professor and chair of the GW Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He also previously served as assistant dean for student educational policies in SMHS and associate dean for student and faculty development and policies.
An alumnus of GWU, Dr. Akman earned his MD in 1981. He completed residency in psychiatry at the GW and served as chief resident. He is known for his expertise on topics related to the neuropsychiatric and psychological aspects of HIV/AIDS. He is a past president of the National Lesbian and Gay Health Association and currently serves on the District of Columbia Mayor’s Commission on HIV/AIDS. He is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, an elected member of the American College of Psychiatrists, and a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Dr. Akman has been recognized as a recipient of the GW Distinguished Alumni Service Award.
University of Nevada School of Medicine Names Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research
Robert Langer, MD, MPH, a leading researcher in the prevention of chronic diseases of aging, women’s health and health in minority populations, has been named to the newly created post of associate dean for clinical and translational research at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. He is based at the School of Medicine’s Las Vegas campus, where he has also been appointed as a professor of Allied Health Sciences.
Dr. Langer earned his MD at the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed a residency in family medicine at Overlook Hospital, an affiliate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and, after several years in practice, completed a residency in preventive medicine at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). He earned his MPH in epidemiology at UCSD and subsequently joined the faculty of the UCSD Department of Family and Preventive Medicine where he served for nearly two decades. Dr. Langer is a diplomat of the American Board of Preventive Medicine and a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Heart Association Scientific Councils.
CHOP Physician-in-Chief & Chair of the Department of Pediatrics Named at Penn
Joseph W. St. Geme, III, MD, has been appointed physician-in-chief of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). He succeeds Dr. Alan Cohen as CHOP’s chair of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief. His appointment is effective July 1. Dr. St. Geme joins Penn from Duke University, where he has served since 2005 as the chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and Chief Medical Officer of Duke’s Children’s Hospital.
Dr. St. Geme’s research on host-pathogen interactions has been focused on the molecular and cellular determinants of disease due to Haemophilus influenzae. He has also initiated studies of the emerging pathogen Kingella kingae. Dr. St. Geme earned his MD from Harvard Medical School. He completed residency in pediatrics at CHOP, where he was chief resident. He completed fellowships in microbiology and immunology (1988–1992) and pediatric infectious diseases (1991–1992) at Stanford University.
In 1992, he became a faculty member of the Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine, where he subsequently served as Director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Co-Leader of the Pediatrics Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation Research Unit. He has earned numerous awards for his work, including the American Heart Association Established Investigator Award.
Deputy Dean for Diversity and Inclusion Appointed at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson
Francisco A. Moreno, MD, has been appointed deputy dean for diversity and inclusion at the University of Arizona (UA) College of Medicine – Tucson, where he serves as professor of psychiatry. In this newly created post, Dr. Moreno will provide leadership to promote diversity and inclusion as part of the school’s strategic effort to address the needs of the diverse populations it serves. He will oversee the UA College of Medicine Office of Inclusive Excellence & Community Engagement and the Arizona Hispanic Center of Excellence. He will work with faculty, staff and students to engender a culture of inclusion and collaboration and to recruit a diverse student body and workforce.
Dr. Moreno is a native of Mexico. He earned his MD from the University of Baja California and completed psychiatry residency and research fellowship training in neuropsychopharmacology at the UA. His research has focused on the biology and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. He joined the UA faculty in 1997. During his tenure, Dr. Moreno has served in a number of leadership roles at the UA, including executive vice chair, interim department head and director for inpatient, outpatient, residency and research programs in the Department of Psychiatry. He is a former chairman of the Faculty Diversity Advisory Committee at the UA College of Medicine. He has also served as institutional representative to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Diversity and Inclusion (GDI) since 2009 and, in 2010, was elected Western Region Representative of the AAMC GDI. Dr. Moreno served on the first elected GDI National Steering Committee (2010–2012).
Interim Chair of Department of Neurology Named at University of Maryland School of Medicine
Barney J. Stern, MD, has been appointed as the interim chairman of the Department of Neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He succeeds professor and chairman, William Weiner, MD, who served as department chair since 2001. Dr. Weiner passed away in December 2012. The University announced that national search for a new, permanent chairman of neurology will be conducted in the near future.
Dr. Stern has served as vice-chair of the Department of Neurology since July 2012, and as a professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine since 2004. He has also held a secondary appointment as a professor of emergency medicine since 2009 and is director of the neurology residency program, the Comprehensive Stroke Center and inpatient neurology services at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Dr. Stern is an expert in stroke and neurosarcoidosis. He serves as the Principal Investigator of the Maryland Consortium of the National Institutes of Health-funded Neurological Emergency Treatment Trials Network. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, for which he serves on several committees and task forces, and is Chair of its A. B. Baker Section of Neurologic Educators. He serves the state of Maryland as a member of the Governor’s Council on Heart Disease and Stroke and chairs the Stroke Subcommittee. Additionally, he is a member of the Maryland Institute of Emergency Medical Systems Services’ Stroke Quality Improvement Committee and serves on the Maryland Health Quality and Cost Council’s Telemedicine Task Force’s Clinical Advisory Group and Technology Solutions and Standards Advisory Group.
Dr. Stern earned his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He completed internal medicine training at the Boston City Hospital and a neurology residency at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester before joining The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as a clinical instructor. He has also previously served at Emory University as a professor of neurology.
CEO of Morgridge Institute for Research Appointed
The Morgridge Institute for Research, a private, nonprofit biomedical research institute affiliated with the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison, announced the appointment of Bradford S. Schwartz, MD, as chief executive officer. Dr. Schwartz is a professor at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and serves as director of research education and career development with UW-Madison’s Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.
A hematologist, Dr. Schwartz’s research has focused on regulation of the initiating steps of protease cascades and he is known for his expertise in blood clotting and bleeding disorders. He earned his MD at Rush University in 1977 and completed postdoctoral work from 1979 to 1981 at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA. He served on the faculty of UW-Madison’s Department of Medicine in the 1980s and 1990s before serving as dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign for 12 years. He returned to UW-Madison in 2011.
CWRU Names Inaugural John and Josephine Wootton Professor of Research
Bingcheng Wang, PhD, has been named as the inaugural holder of the John and Josephine Wootton Professorship in Research at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine. The professorship was established by the bequest of John and Josephine Wootton to support research in the field of stroke and prostate cancer.
Dr. Wang joined the CWRU School of Medicine in 1997 and is a professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. He also serves as an adjunct Professor of Chemistry at Cleveland State University and a Professor and Trainer in the Molecular Medicine Program at the Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM). His research focuses on roles of Eph receptor tyrosine kinases. Focused on these molecules in the areas of invasive growth and distal metastasis of cancer cells, his translational efforts have yielded discovery of agents capable of suppressing tumor metastasis.
Dr. Wang earned his PhD in Toxicology and Oncology from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1991. He completed postdoctoral training focused on integrin signaling and cancer drug discovery at the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation (now known as The Sanford-Burnham Institute).