Vital Signs

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22 replies found.

  1. George P. Garmany, Jr., MD ’74, received the 2009 Harold E. Williamson Award from the COPIC Medical Foundation on March 11, 2010. This award is presented each year to recognize a physician for volunteer medical services and contributions to the community that extend beyond day-to-day activities. This honor includes a $10,000 grant from the COPIC Medical Foundation to the 501(c) (3) organization of the recipient’s choice, which Dr. Garmany directed to the Colorado Chapter of the National MS Society.

    Dr. Garmany is a board certified neurologist who maintains a private practice with Associated Neurologists in Boulder, a community he has served more than 30 years. He has held a lifelong interest in multiple sclerosis (MS) and has provided pro bono medical services to uninsured and underinsured persons diagnosed with MS in the Boulder community throughout his career.

    He received his medical degree from the University of Virginia and is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Academy of Neurology, the Colorado Medical Society, and the American Epilepsy Society. As an involved community member he is also active with the Boy Scouts and the Boulder Rotary Club.

    “Dr. Garmany is an exceptional physician whose patience, compassion, and communication skills help people who are dealing with the emotional reality of an MS diagnosis,” said Carrie Nolan, president, Colorado Chapter, National MS Society. “We are honored that he chose to direct his award to the Colorado Chapter, as the funds will allow us to continue to address the challenges of individuals and families affected by this very unpredictable disease,” she added.

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  2. Bob Silverman, MD, ’77 is the Dermatology Foundation’s 2012 Clark W. Finnerud Award recipient.

    Each year, the Dermatology Foundation pays tribute to the specialty’s leaders and role models through its honorary awards. The Finnerud Award is established to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of dermatology through clinical practice and part-time teaching. Dr. Silverman has done that; he has a very busy clinical practice in Fairfax, Va., but still manages to find time to contribute in numerous ways. Dr. Silverman is also a faculty member at both Georgetown University and the University of Virginia where he has made academic contributions by mentoring students and residents. He has provided continuing medical education for his colleagues through participation at regional and national forums and through contributions to the medical literature. In additional to his other activities, he serves as a reviewer for several important journals including the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the British Journal of Dermatology and has been a member of the editorial board of Pediatric Dermatology.

    Dr. Silverman’s leadership is evidenced by his prior service as Head of the Section on Dermatology of the American Academy of Pediatrics and President of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology and current service as a Director of the American Board of Dermatology. Moreover, he has advocated on behalf of our specialty and children in need of our services, through his role as a consultant at the National Institute of Health and presentations to the FDA on issues relating to dermatology.

    Dr. Silverman was presented with the Finnerud Award at the Dermatology Foundation’s Annual Meeting held on March 2, 2013, in Miami Beach, Fla.

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  3. Frederick L. Greene, MD (Coll’66 Med’70) has been elected president of the Southeastern Surgical Congress for 2013-14. Dr. Greene also serves as secretary of the UVA Medical School Foundation.

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  4. I have recently published a book of poetry, Sweet Spot,there are some medical poems, some directly about UVA, but most concern life and the living of it. I am happy to send a free copy to any med alumni who send their address to me krlee@partners.org.

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  5. Dr. Elizabeth “Bette” Kaufman McNamara and Dr. Robert Stanley McNamara joyfully announce the birth of their daughter Elizabeth “Belle” Brynn McNamara. Belle was born May 25, 2012 in Roanoke, VA.

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  6. Dr. Ravi Rao recently published the book, “Emotional Business: Inspiring Human Connectedness to Grow Earnings and the Economy.” He has spent most of 2012 working for clients in Switzerland, and is looking forward to returning to the US as part of a national book signing tour.

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  7. Donald Briscoe, MD, of Houston, Texas, was awarded the Exemplary Teaching Award by the Texas Academy of Family Physicians during TAFP’s 63rd Annual Session and Scientific Assembly in Austin on July 14. This award honors individuals with outstanding teaching skills, and those who have developed and implemented innovative teaching models.

    Dr. Briscoe is the program director of the Methodist Hospital Family Medicine Residency, chair of their Department of Family Medicine, and medical director of Houston Community Health Center, Inc. Denver Harbor Clinic. He also serves as a clinical assistant professor of family medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Previously he served as associate residency director and full-time residency faculty for the Christus St. Joseph Family Medicine Residency, which became Methodist. Before entering academia, Dr. Briscoe practiced full-time private practice with Physicians of Family Medicine in Midlothian, Virginia.

    He currently serves as a member of the Texas Association of Community Health Centers Medical Education Committee, member of the Methodist Hospital Academic Council, and member of the Graduate Medical Education Committee at the Methodist Hospital. In addition, he was recently appointed to be an ombudsman for the GME system.

    Dr. Briscoe has been recognized with numerous teaching awards including twice with the Methodist Hospital Graduate Medical Education Teaching Faculty Award, four times as Faculty of the Year, and as Preceptor of the Year. He was also named one of the Best Doctors in America in 2011. He is known as an excellent leader and mentor, working hard to create a robust learning environment for the residents and motivating them to pursue lifelong learning with his own enthusiasm for the specialty.

    “Dr. Briscoe has a natural aptitude as an educator,” wrote a colleague in a nomination letter. “He has the ability to gently determine the limits of a student’s knowledge and will use that to form a bridge toward new knowledge for the learner. Dr. Briscoe’s capacity as a self-learner informs his colleagues of the standards family physicians need to meet.”

    “On a personal level, Dr. Briscoe is pragmatic, inquisitive, collaborative, insightful, and humorous,” she continued. “He manifests the best qualities of family medicine and is a source of personal inspiration.”

    Dr. Briscoe was awarded his medical degree by the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Virginia, and completed a family medicine residency with Shadyside Hospital Family Practice Residency in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

    Family physicians like Dr. Briscoe are qualified to work in all major medical areas and trained to treat more than 90 percent of all cases they encounter. Family physicians care for patients of all ages.

    The Texas Academy of Family Physicians is the premier membership organization dedicated to uniting the family doctors of Texas through advocacy, education and member services, and empowering them to provide a medical home for patients of all ages. It has 33 local chapters and is a chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Visit http://www.tafp.org for more information.

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  8. On June 6th, Dr. Steven Christopher Smith (MS ’06, PhD ’08, MD ’09), now resident in Pathology at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, was awarded the John Horsley Memorial Prize by the UVA Department of Surgery for his manuscript, “A 20-Gene Model for Molecular Nodal Staging of Bladder Cancer: Development and Prospective Assessment,” published in Lancet Oncology in February 2011. The prize, established in February 1925 by Dr. J. Shelton Horsley of Richmond, VA, is awarded to a medical alumnus of the past fifteen years based on the merit of a manuscript tendered for competition. Dr. Smith’s work, performed during his postdoctoral fellowship at UVA, was in close collaboration with UVA MD/PhD student and subsequent alumnus, Dr. Alexander Baras (PhD ’09, MD ’11) now of the Johns Hopkins University Department of Pathology.

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  9. I was honored in early May to be selected by Governor Bob McDonnell for the 2012 Governor’s Volunteerism and Community Service Award recipient as the outstanding Senior Volunteer in Virginia. This was mainly recognizing my work with Tri-Cities Habitat for Humanity and the Petersburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority in addition to service at St Pauls Episcopal Church.

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  11. Frederick L. Greene, MD, FACS, chair of surgery at Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC, and a member of the Commission on Cancer (CoC) since 2000, received the Jeffrey L. Ponsky Master Educator in Endoscopy Award at the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons’ (SAGES) sixth education and research foundation awards luncheon during SAGES’ recent annual meeting in San Diego, CA.

    The luncheon honors leaders in minimally invasive surgical procedures. Proceeds benefit the SAGES Foundation and its mission to advance endoscopic laparoscopic and emerging minimal access surgical methods and patient care.

    Dr. Greene served as chair of both the CoC and the American Joint Committee on Cancer and continues to work as a surveyor for the CoC accreditation program. He currently serves on the American College of Surgeons Patient Education Committee. Dr. Greene earned a medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, and completed his internship and residency at Yale-New Haven (CT) Hospital.

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  12. Dr. Pearman received the John J. Krueger Memorial Lectureship Physician of the Year Award from the medical staff of Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital in recognition for 27 years of outstanding community service to Tidewater Virginia. Dr. Pearman has served as the Medical Director of the Beach Health Clinic providing free medical care to the medically indigent for the past 22 years. He is currently employed as a fulltime family physician by Sentara Medical Group, a multispecialty regional medical group operated by Sentara Health Care. Dr. Pearman serves as one of two Clinical Chiefs for Primary Care for the group.

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  13. I attended internship and residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia from 1981-1984. I then practiced general Internal Medicine for 23 years before leaving practice to write a book addressing the extraordinary challenges facing practitioners of primary care in an era of declining resources, aging Baby Boomers, and increased regulatory control over the practice of medicine. The title of the book is Out of Practice: Fighting for Primary Care Medicine in America, to be published by Cornell University Press in March, 2011.

    To learn more, please visit my website: http://www.frederickbarkenmd.com.

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  15. Dr. William E. Gross, otolaryngologist, ENT, has become one of the first physicians in the nation to perform a TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS) procedure for the treatment of sleep apnea using the da Vinci robot. Sleep apnea is characterized by abnormally shallow breathing or unusually long pauses in breathing during sleep.

    Initial reports from Europe indicate an 80 to 90 percent success rate in treating sleep apnea, versus the traditional procedures 40 to 50 percent success rate.

    “Two of my patients had previously tried surgery, but the results were unsuccessful,” says Dr. Gross, who has practiced in Murfreesboro since 2003. The technology of the robot allows the surgeon to visualize and operate in spaces that otherwise would not be accessible.

    The procedure involves removing overgrown tissue on the back of the tongue and takes about 45 minutes. Following surgery, patients reported mild to moderate pain, no difficulty swallowing and were able to sleep without a breathing device the first night after the procedure.

    CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is the standard treatment for sleep apnea, but many patients are unable to tolerate CPAP and many others desire a chance for a normal nights sleep without wearing a device. This could be achieved with successful surgery, says Dr. Gross.

    Dr. Gross received his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology in Head and Neck Surgery. The first application of the da Vinci robot for ENT surgeons was in the treatment of throat cancer. MTMC also uses the robot for bariatric, gynecologic and urologic surgical procedures.

    Written by Bart Walker, November 2010

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  16. Alumnus receives Russian surgical award

    GREENVILLE, N.C. (10/25/11)–Dr. W. Randolph Chitwood Jr. is one of five recipients this year of a prestigious international surgical award.

    Chitwood, director of the East Carolina Heart Institute, professor of cardiovascular sciences and senior associate vice chancellor for health sciences at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., received the Bakoulev Premium Medal from the Bakoulev Scientific Center for Cardiovascular Surgery and the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. He accepted the award Oct. 12 in Moscow.

    A cardiovascular surgeon, Chitwood is a native of Wytheville, Va. He is a 1968 graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and a 1974 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He completed his surgical residency in 1984 at Duke University Medical Center.

    Chitwood was recognized “for his outstanding contributions to the development of cardiac surgery (and) for new methods of minimally invasive procedures, including the use of robotics,” according to the center. Other recipients were Naina Yeltsin, the widow of the first president of Russia, as well as Professors Alain Carpentier of France for pioneering cardiac valve surgery, Vincent Dor of Monaco for developing methods to remodel destroyed heart muscle, and Adib Jatene of Brazil for first correcting congenitally switched major heart vessels in babies.

    The award was presented by Professor Leo Bokeria, director of the Bakoulev Center and fellow member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Before the award ceremony, Chitwood planted a tree at the center to commemorate the occasion and his scientific contributions to Russia and the world.

    The Bakoulev Award was established in 1998, and Chitwood is the second American recipient, following Dr. Denton Cooley of the Texas Heart Institute in 2010.

    Chitwood is the Jo Allison and Eddie Smith Distinguished Chair at the ECHI. He is a past president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the largest professional cardiac surgery society in the world. In 2001, he gave the Bourokovsky Lecture at the Bakoulev Center.

    Chitwood is a pioneer in developing new technology for minimally invasive heart surgery. The ECU Robotic Surgical Center has trained hundreds of surgeons from around the world in the robotic surgical techniques. Chitwood also pioneered robotic valve repairs using the da Vinci system and, in 2000, used it to perform the first complete mitral valve repair in North America. He was the lead investigator of the FDA robotic mitral valve trials. Chitwood has special expertise in complex valve surgery including mitral repair as well as aortic valve and cardiac rhythm surgery.

    The Bakoulev Center was founded in 1956 by Soviet surgeon Aleksandr Bakoulev as the Thoracic Surgery Institute of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR. In 1961, the facility was renamed to the Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery and renamed for Bakoulev in 1967 following his death.

    From: East Carolina University News Services, Doug Boyd

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  17. Dr. Alexander recently became the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) President. He was appointed in November in Las Vegas, NV, at the organization’s annual meeting. President Clinton gave the keynote address. ASCP has nationally >120000 members including UVA’s Walter Olivera, the UVA Laboratory manager.

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  18. Dr. Berry, Chair in Pediatric Anesthesia, received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Pediatric Anesthesia from the Society of Pediatric Anesthesia and American Academy of Pediatrics and the Award for Distinguished Service from Pediatric Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

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  19. Dr. Wilson was given the highest honor the British Association of Urologic Surgeons bestows — the St Paul’s Medal. It is given annually to that urologist who has notable contributions to UK or world urology who is not from UK. He was also made an “ad eundum” member of the Royal College of Surgeons (translation: without examination).

    Dr. Wilson continues to travel and teach prosthetic urology two weeks per month. He has a boutique practice in Palm Springs, CA.

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  20. In October 2010, Dr. Cubbage was awarded the degree of “Fellow” by the American Academy of Family Practice (AAFP) at the Annual Scientific Assembly in Denver, Colorado.

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  21. Dr. Juan “Doc” Montero (Fellow ’71) was be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2010 Celebrate the Nations Gala. President Bill Clinton was also recognized with the Charles E. Horton Humanitarian Award for his work toward global health initiative.

    Dr. Juan Montero has been leading medical missions to the Philippines since 1981 with different groups of Filipino expatriates. As a volunteer team leader Doc has also continuously recruited US-based Filipino doctors to do volunteer work in the Philippines. Under the leadership of Dr. Montero, Physicians for Peace, Philippines established a Walking Free program, conducted surgical and medical missions, helped advance health care in communities, developed a donation program of equipment and eyeglasses, and opened an eye bank for the Seeing Clearly program.

    Physicians for Peace is an international non-profit whose volunteer medical professionals provide training and education in developing countries to promote sustainable healthcare programs and partnerships. The organization has long been an integral thread in the fabric of Hampton Roads.

    Doc is proud to have received the first-ever Physicians for Peace Lifetime Achievement Award.

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  22. Dr. Robert Schwab recently published his first novel, Holy Water, a medical coming of age story of how the French Quarter helps a young surgical resident chart his medical career.

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