Holiday
Party
Mark
your calendars for the School of Medicine faculty holiday
reception.
Thursday,
Dec. 8
5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Mutual of Omaha Ballroom,
V.J. and Angela Skutt Student Center
Message
From The Dean
Focus
on Faculty
By
Cam E. Enarson,
M.D., M.B.A.,
Dean, Creighton School of Medicine
Vice President for Health Sciences
 Nurturing
academic excellence is a strategic priority at Creighton University.
Attracting and retaining the best and brightest is a goal
that affects all aspects of the School’s – and
the University’s – success. A university’s
reputation and culture is built on the quality of its faculty
and the accomplishments of its students. Faculty are the heart
of the Creighton community of scholars, and it is their work
that sets the intellectual tone for the institution. It is
my goal to nurture the diversity of our faculty through mentorship
and development programs.
Our medical student curriculum is designed to provide maximum
overlap between basic and clinical sciences… and address
the art – as well as the science – of medicine.
Our labs have been built and redesigned to encourage interdisciplinary
learning and sharing of information between and among faculty
and students. As each faculty member succeeds, so do our students,
which in turn attracts the best and brightest among them to
attend and support Creighton University’s School of
Medicine.
The continued and generous support of our alumni is vital
to the success of the School of Medicine and to Creighton
University. The visionary leadership of Creighton University's
Board of Directors and President John P. Schlegel, S.J., has
led to unprecedented philanthropic support for the university's
future direction. To secure its place as one of the finest
Catholic universities in the U.S., Creighton will launch "Willing
to Lead," the Campaign for Creighton University, at the
inaugural event on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005 at the Qwest Center.
Faculty
Affairs
Taking
Care of Our Own
By Roberta
Sonnino, M.D., FACS, FAAP
Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs
 In
today’s higher education environment, faculty members
are expected to do it all. Faculty development is an important
component of any university, and here at Creighton we are
committed to helping our faculty excel in their careers.
I am very pleased with the progress we have made in the Office
of Faculty Affairs over the past year. We have implemented
numerous programs geared toward increasing the success of
our faculty and the academic profile of the School of Medicine.
We have also started to define and clarify old and new policies
and guidelines that will make our faculty’s work less
cumbersome, cutting down as much red tape as possible. We
have also developed detailed guidelines for promotion that
will give our faculty achievable goals for advancement at
each step in their careers.
Our faculty is a group of extraordinary, caring, compassionate,
and internationally recognized professionals. The caring,
professional environment at Creighton is one of the things
that attracted me here, and I hope to be able to show my colleagues
that achieving excellence in science and medicine can go hand
in hand with the humanistic and ethical qualities that Creighton
values so highly.
My personal goal is to help the faculty reach their true potential
as teachers, academicians, physicians and scientists, and
to show them that it can be done with professionalism and
without sacrificing family and outside life.
I am very gratified when a faculty member I have worked with
excels in his/her field, reaches his/her career goals and
is so well prepared for career advancement that the promotion
and tenure process becomes a routine, stress-free activity.
I want this to be true for our entire faculty. Above all,
my goal is to be surrounded by successful individuals who
are happy with their lives and their careers. Then I will
consider my own career a success as well.
Two important initiatives are our Faculty
Development Seminars and our Women
in Medicine and Science (WIMS) Program
Preparing and developing faculty members as teachers is the
mission of Katie Huggett, Ph.D., director
of Medical Education, Development and Assessment.
“The art of teaching medicine is constantly changing,
and our goal is to help our faculty stay on top of innovations
in technology and learning philosophies,” said Huggett.
“We work closely with the Association of American Medical
Colleges (AAMC) and the International Association of Medical
Science Educators (IAMSE) to provide our faculty with the
best practices in teaching and learning available.”
For more information, visit:
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to Contents
Research
Core
Facilities Encourage Researcher Collaboration
“A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a
prepared mind.”
-Albert von Szent-Gyorgy
 According
to Barbara McLaughlin, Ph.D., right, Associate Dean
for Research, Creighton University’s core research facilities
are designed to allow free flow of information and collaborative
work environments so that more “accidents” of
discovery can occur. Funded by grants from the Health Futures
Foundation, the Nebraska Tobacco Settlement Biomedical Research
Development Grant (LB 692), and the National Science Foundation’s
(NSF) Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
(EPSCoR), Creighton’s core facilities provide biomedical
researchers opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration,
interaction and development of team research projects. Core
facilities are located in the Criss Buildings.
Faculty, graduate and undergraduate investigators from Creighton
and other institutions are encouraged to take advantage of
the state-of-the-art technology available in the cores.
 •
Confocal Microscopy -- The facility contains a multi-photon
confocal microscope that allows high resolution imaging of
labeled cell components in three dimensional space. The confocal
microscope is available to investigators throughout Nebraska
and funded through the NSF EPSCoR Nebraska Center for Cell
Biology. A novel application of telecommunications technology
is being currently implemented that will make real-time operation
of the confocal microscope available to researchers from remote
locations. Located in Criss II Room 405. Key contact: Richard
Hallworth, Ph.D., Director, hallw@creighton.edu.
 •
Flow Cytometry -- The facility provides equipment
and services to identify, quantify, analyze, and isolate cells
in complex mixtures (like blood, for example). The facility
is equipped with two state-of-the-art flow cytometers: a BD
FACSCalibur for 4-color analysis and a recently acquired BD
FACSAria for high-speed sorting and multicolor analysis using
three different lasers (350 nm [UV], 488 nm, and 633 nm) which
allows for rapid purification of specific cell populations.
Located in Criss II Room 525. Key contacts: Patrick C. Swanson,
Ph.D., Facility Director, pswanson@creighton.edu;
Greg Perry, Ph.D., Technical Director, cytometry@creighton.edu.
• Genomics -- The facility provides
assistance and shared instrumentation for investigators using
gene-based research tools to study cellular structure and
function. The core provides DNA sequencing analysis, oligonucleotide
synthesis, gene microarray analysis, DNA fragment analysis
and laser photocapture for obtaining microscopic dissection
of tissue specimens for genetic analysis. Shared instruments
are available by reservation and include ultra and high speed
centrifugation; real time PCR – ABI 7000 Sequence Detection
System for gene sequencing; Shimadsu UV-1601 and Pharmacia
Gene Quant II for DNA/RNA concentrations; DHPLC-Transgenomics
WAVE instrument for high throughput mutation searching; Nanogene
CHIP for DNA microarray analysis; and a gel documentation
system. Located in Criss III Room 382. Key contact: Joseph
A. Knezetic, Ph.D., Director, joek@creighton.edu.
• Morphology -- The facility provides
instrumentation and expert assistance to all Creighton faculty
and outside users for research programs needing transmission
or scanning electron microscopic analysis for high resolution
imaging and identification of tissue structures. A new state
of the art JEOL-1011 transmission electron microscope is available
along with a JEOL 240A scanning electron microscope and supporting
equipment. Located in Criss Complex Room 281. Key contact:
William Hunter, III, M.D., Director, hunter@creighton.edu.
• Proteomics -- The newly established
Proteomics core will provide researchers with the capability
to analyze and identify proteins that play a role in certain
biological functions and that may have potential significance
to disease processes. The core has recently purchased an ABI
MALDI-TOF/TOF 4800 mass spectrometer and an electrospray-triple
quadrupole mass spectrometer for use in protein identification.
An LC Packings nano-flow HPLC and Probot fraction collector
will also be available for sample preparation. The core will
be available for service by the Spring of 2006. Located in
Criss II, Room 326. Key contact: Robert B. Mackin, Ph.D.,
Director, rmackin@creighton.edu.
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Dr.
Patrick Swanson works with Creighton's new BD FACSAria
instrument in the Flow Cytometry Core Facility. |
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New
Cell Sorting Technology Arrives At Creighton
Creighton
University researchers have just purchased state-of-the-art
technology that can speed the pace of biomedical research.
The study of how cells develop and function can be difficult
because of the many different types of cells present in the
blood, organs and other tissues. In order to study and compare
the individual cell types, they must be identified and sorted.
Current available technology can sort 2,000 to 3,000 cells
per second. With the recent installation of the BD FACSAria
instrument in Creighton’s Flow Cytometry Core Facility,
cells can be sorted ten times faster - at a rate of 30,000
per second.
According to the manufacturer, BD Biosciences, Creighton’s
new cell sorter is among the first of its kind in the world,
using recent improvements in technology that were integrated
into the machine based on Creighton’s specifications.
Creighton is one of only three institutions to have this type
of technology.
The director of the Core Facility, Patrick Swanson, Ph.D.,
associate professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology
at Creighton University School of Medicine, says the instrument
is designed to provide diversity and flexibility in its analysis
and sorting capability, making it highly suited for use in
a shared core research facility.
The cell sorter takes cells that have been stained with the
colored antibodies and forces them through tiny tubes, arranging
them in “single file” formation. Lasers then read
and provide information on each cell as it passes through
the sorter. Current technology only allows analysis of four
colors. The new cytometer can simultaneously analyze 12 colors,
making the process of identifying cell types extremely accurate
and precise.
Back
to Contents
In
the News
Peter
Silberstein Joined Lance Armstrong in Tour of Hope
 Peter
Silberstein, M.D., assistant professor of medicine and chief
oncologist at Creighton University Medical Center, is among
a team of 24 cancer survivors, advocates, caregivers, physicians
and researchers who rode from San Diego to Washington, D.C.
in September as members of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of
Hope™. This was the third year for the cross-country
journey to promote the promise of clinical trials.
Driven by their ties to cancer, this team of avid cyclists
covered 3,300 miles of American landscape to share their experiences
and inspire those they met along the way to learn more about
cancer research. Six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong
led the National Team at the kick-off in San Diego and for
the finish in Washington, D.C.
Dean
Enarson Elected to National Positions at AMA and NBME
Cam E.
Enarson, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for Health Sciences
and dean of the School of Medicine at Creighton University,
was elected as chair-elect of the Governing Council of the
American Medical Association (AMA) Section on Medical Schools.
The AMA Section on Medical Schools helps develop AMA policy
of concern to medical schools on such issues as education,
patient care, and clinical research. The Governing Council
serves as the direct communication link between the AMA and
the Section representatives.
Enarson also was elected to a four-year term as Member-at-Large
of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), a not-for-profit
organization that provides high-quality examinations for the
health professions. Enarson has also served the NBME as a
member of the Medical School Programs Advisory Committee.
Mohiuddin
Named First Holder of Booth Professorship in Cardiology
 The
Richard W. Booth, M.D. Endowed Professorship in Cardiology
was conferred upon Syed Mohiuddin, M.D. on September 13, 2005.
The Booth Professorship will support Dr. Mohiuddin’s
efforts to conduct research and education related to cardiovascular
health.
The Professorship honors Dr. Mohiuddin for his many years
of contributions to the Cardiac Center and to Creighton University.
As chief of the Division of Cardiology, professor of medicine
and pharmacy, director of the Cardiac Center and associate
chair for academic affairs of the Department of Medicine,
Dr. Mohiuddin takes time to teach students, residents and
fellows.
He is a dedicated community leader and is a founding member
and past president of the India Association of Omaha. He is
active in the American College of Cardiology and the American
Heart Association. In 2001 he received the Distinguished Professor
Award from Creighton University’s School of Medicine
and in 1999 the School of Medicine awarded him its Master
Clinician Award.
Dr. Richard W. Booth, M.D., joined Creighton University and
Saint Joseph Hospital in 1961 and served the Creighton community
for 35 years. He opened the first coronary care unit in Omaha
at Saint Joseph Hospital which today is known as the Creighton
Cardiac Center.
The professorship honors Dr. Booth’s unflagging efforts
to see the dream of a Cardiac Center come true. Today it is
one of Creighton University’s premier programs and sets
a strong example for the compassionate care of patients, education
of students, residents and fellows, and for clinical research.
Haddad Named Director of Center
for Health Policy and Ethics
 Amy
M. Haddad, Ph.D., R.N., has been named director of the Center
for Health Policy and Ethics at Creighton University. Haddad
has served as interim director of the Center since July of
2004. Haddad was also named the holder of the Dr. C.C. and
Mabel L. Criss Endowed Chair in Health Sciences.
The Center for Health Policy and Ethics is a multidisciplinary
group of scholars dedicated to excellence in the study and
teaching of the dimensions of ethical care and health policy.
The Center provides education in the ethics of health care
practice and policy to Creighton University's health professions
students, faculty and clinicians.
Haddad teaches health policy and ethics in the Schools of
Pharmacy, Medicine and Nursing, and has been teaching ethics
in the health sciences at Creighton University since 1984.
Sam
Caughron and Lara System Featured in National Pathology Magazine
 Sam
Caughron, M.D., a Creighton University School of Medicine
graduate and fourth year resident in the Department of Pathology
at Creighton University Medical Center, was featured in the
October 2005 issue of “CAP Today,” the official
publication of the College of American Pathologists. Dr. Caughron
introduced the LARA system (Live Anywhere Record Access) to
allow physicians to obtain current lab results and vital signs
for each patient using their PDAs or any hand-held device.
Back
to Contents
Briefly
Noted Creighton’s
Center For Health Policy & Ethics Receives Rockefeller
Grant
Creighton
University’s Center for Health Policy and Ethics has
received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to host a
conference at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center in
Bellagio, Italy. Creighton faculty will attend and host an
international conference to discuss “Ethical Issues
in Public Health Policy in Post-Soviet Countries: Changing
Attitudes and Practices Toward Respect and Autonomy.”
Amy Haddad, Ph.D., director of Creighton’s Center for
Health Policy and Ethics, is the principal organizer of the
conference. She is joined by Dr. Dilara Valikhanova, a former
Creighton visiting scholar from Azerbaijan and Dr. Givi Javashvili
from Tbilisi, Georgia, who will collaborate on conference
organization.
The purpose of the conference is to convene a multi-disciplinary
group of experts in health policy, ethics, health education
and public health delivery from two post-Soviet countries,
Azerbaijan and Georgia, joined by colleagues in the United
States. Participants will examine the political, socio-cultural,
religious, ethical, legal and human rights elements that influence
understandings of patient autonomy and informed consent practices.
Creighton
Receives Health Center Honors
Peter M. Townley, M.D., right, assistant clinical
professor of medicine, and the Creighton University School
of Dentistry are two recipients of the OneWorld Community
Health Centers’ Milagro Award. They were recognized
at the annual awards dinner on November 10. Terry Wilwerding,
D.D.S., M.S., associate professor of prosthodontics, accepted
the award for Creighton’s School of Dentistry.
Each year, OneWorld Community Health Centers, a south Omaha
clinic that provides affordable health care to immigrant and
low-income patients, honors a person or persons with the Milagro
award. Milagro is the Spanish word for miracle. According
to OneWorld, the recipients are “miracle workers,”
and are being honored for the time they devote to uninsured
patients.
To celebrate the clinic's 35th anniversary, OneWorld also
honored those who were instrumental in the clinic’s
past, including founding board member, Jim Phalen, M.D., associate
professor of radiology and medicine at Creighton University
Medical Center, and executive directors, Sr. Mary Kay Meagher,
APRN, MSN, who provides pediatric and obstetrical services
at Creighton’s South Omaha clinic and Mary Lee Fitzsimmons,
Ph.D., a member of Creighton’s School of Nursing alumni
board.
Dr.
Fernandez and Dr. Sanchez are Honored with Special Service
Awards
  Heartland
Latino Leadership presented Cristina Fernandez, M.D., assistant
professor of Pediatrics, with the 2005 Health and Human Services
Award and Mario Sanchez, M.D., Family Practice, with the 2005
Education Award. These awards were presented at the Annual
Latino Leadership Conference on Nov. 4 at the Qwest Center.
Sonnino
Elected President of Society for Executive Leadership in Academic
Medicine
Roberta E. Sonnino, M.D., FACS, FAAP, associate dean for Academic
and Faculty Affairs, has been elected president of SELAM International
(Society for Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine).
In this capacity, she will guide the organization’s
activities that include continuing education, development,
and assisting academic health centers in establishing regional
leadership programs.
Sonnino has served as an officer and committee member for
more than 15 professional societies, including president of
the Academy of Surgical Research.
Her research career has been focused on ischemic injuries
to the intestine, bowel transplants and graft preservation.
Her accomplishments also include 74 peer-reviewed published
articles and 95 national or international presentations.
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From
left, Drs. Steven Feldhaus, Marcus Balters and Richard
Feldhaus. |
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Feldhauses
and Balters Join Creighton
Richard J. Feldhaus, M.D., Steven J. Feldhaus, M.D. and Marcus
W. Balters, M.D., have joined Creighton University’s
Department of Surgery. Each of these professionals brings
extensive experience in heart, lung and vascular surgery to
their clinic.
Dr. Richard Feldhaus is associate professor of surgery at
Creighton University. He received his bachelor’s and
master’s degrees from Creighton University, and his
doctor of medicine degree from Creighton University’s
School of Medicine.
Dr. Steven Feldhaus is assistant professor of surgery at Creighton
University. He received his bachelor’s degree from Creighton
University and his doctor of medicine degree from Creighton
University’s School of Medicine.
Dr. Balters is instructor of surgery at Creighton University.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian
University and his doctor of medicine degree from the University
of Nebraska Medical Center.
Gold
Humanism Honor Society Induction
 Creighton's
chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society inducted its second
class of honorees on October 4, 2005. The GHHS recognizes
student and faculty exemplars of excellence in clinical care,
leadership, compassion and dedication to service. David C.
Leach, MD, Executive Director of the Accreditation Council
for Graduate Medical Education was on hand to help bestow
the awards. Dr. Leach also delivered the 2005 Gold Foundation
Lecture entitled "The Formation of Physicians: Competence
and Character.” The 2005 student honorees include: Katharine
Armstrong, Anela Bonic, Mary Bussey, Mack Eleid, Jamie (Eder)
Frey, Jessica Jones, Kris Kazlauskas, Paul Mathew, Kelli Shannon,
Eri Shimizu, George Tripp, Benjamin Young and Steven Zahn.
New Faculty members inducted included PaulaJo Malin, MD, Cam
Enarson, MD, Jimmy Khandalavala, MD, and Daniel Egan, MD.
 Historic
Notes on Display
Letters
and notes from Dr. Bernard Brandner, right, Creighton
University School of Medicine Class of 1933, are on display
in the Criss II Fourth Floor Interactive Area. Dr. Brandner
died earlier this year, and his family donated several commemorative
items to the School of Medicine.
Back
to Contents
Faculty
News New
Faculty
- Syed
Bin-Sagheer, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine
- Narendra
Nathoo, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Surgery
- Kristi
NewMyer, M.D., instructor of OB/GYN
- Sriram
Ramaswamy, M.D., instructor of Psychiatry
- Rebecca
Reindel, M.D., instructor of Pediatrics
- Christopher
Sweeney, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine
- Saiprakash
Venkateshiah, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine
Departures
- Patricio
Reyes, M.D., Neurology
- Bhakta
Dey, M.D., Surgery
- Nicoline
Lee, M.D., Medicine
- Krishnasamy
Soundarajan, M.D., Surgery
- Ademola
Abiose, M.D., Medicine
- Mark
Johnson, Ph.D., Medicine
- Hemant
Satpathy, M.D., Family Medicine
- Suganthi
Soundarajan, M.B.B.S., Pathology
- Hong-Wen
Deng, Ph.D., Medicine
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