We just finished a busy time with Commencement and related activities. I want to personally thank everyone who worked hard to make these events a success. I especially want to thank the staff in the Office of Student Affairs for their efforts toward Commencement and the Senior Banquet. These were very nice events and I’m certain our students appreciated them.

The Basic Science Department Realignment is moving ahead as scheduled. Summer Morgan has been sending out information regarding the progress of the realignment process. Please pay attention to these important emails, as they give all the necessary instructions for accessing the section of the college website with information and updates on the process. I am excited about the work the Task Forces are doing, and I look forward to receiving their reports August 1.

Leibowitz Appointed Interim Head for Pathology Department

Julian Leibowitz, M.D./Ph.D. has been appointed the Interim Head for the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department by Dr. Christopher C. Colenda, effective June 1, 2005. Dr. Leibowitz will be replacing Dr. George E. Davis, who served the in the role since 2003 and is stepping down.

Dr. Leibowitz came to Texas A&M University and the College of Medicine in 1995. He has a bachelor’s degree from Alfred University (1968) and an M.D./Ph.D. from Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1975).

Dr. Leibowitz is currently a professor in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, as well as the director of the college’s M.D./Ph.D. program. He also serves on the Center for Microencapsulation and Drug Delivery faculty and is a professor in the Veterinary Pathobiology Department at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine.

“I am grateful to Dr. Davis for his leadership over the past two years, and have come to appreciate his many talents,” Dr. Colenda said. “I have the utmost faith in Dr. Liebowitz’s ability to lead the Pathology Department and I look forward to his guidance, especially during the college’s basic science realignment process.”

AAMC Reporter Features COM, Prairie View’s Undergraduate Medical Academy

The May issue of the AAMC Reporter magazine features the College of Medicine and Prairie View A&M University’s collaboration on the Undergraduate Medical Academy in the “Diversity in Action” section. The article, entitled “Texas Program Builds Pipeline to Medicine,” highlights the unique program and gives quotes from Dr. Dennis Daniels, the academy director, and the college’s own Dr. Kelly Hester. This is exciting publicity for the college and gives recognition in a national publication for our efforts to increase diversity in the health care profession. Click here to see the article.

Magnolia Tea Exhibits Southern Charm

The Office of Institutional Advancement at the College of Medicine hosted a Magnolia Tea at the Astin Mansion in Bryan Wednesday, May 11 at 2 p.m., featuring guest speaker Dr. Farida Sohrabji. The purpose of the tea was to educate ladies in the local community about hormone replacement therapy issues, as well as raise funds for Dr. Sohrabji’s research. Other special guests at the tea included Brenda Sims, KBTX anchorwoman, HSC President Dr. Nancy Dickey and College of Medicine dean, Dr. Christopher Colenda.

The tea brought in $1,100 in corporate sponsorships from the A&M Women’s Center, A&M Travel and Scott & White and more than $300 in in-kind gifts for door prizes and speaker gifts, while individual ticket sales garnered $1,740. Reporters from the BCS Eagle and KBTX News were also on hand.

Forty-eight members of the community and eight employees from the HSC attended the event, which featured tea, mint juleps, tea sandwiches and various sweets, and was catered by Black Boots Catering. The first Magnolia Tea was a hit, and organizers are already planning for next year’s event.

First Annual Dean’s Golf Tournament Scored a “Hole-in-One”

The First Annual Dean’s Golf Tournament, “Shootout in the Brazos Valley,” took place Saturday, May 14 at the Texas A&M University golf course. Seventeen faculty members and 14 students played in the event, which kicked off at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start. The tournament format was a multi-flight scramble, with teams made up of students and faculty members.

The first place teams for the first and second flight were:

First Flight (with a score of 58, 13 under par): Dr. Alan Parrish, Dr. Kelly Hester, Jared Lund and Neil Shah

Second Flight (with a score of 64, 7 under par): Dr. Don Kasperik, Dr. Vic Malabonga, Chris Kneip and Eric Lenehan

The event was followed by lunch and an awards ceremony. The top three teams in each flight won prizes, as well as the last place team in the tournament, who received “Dead A** Last” trophies. In addition, awards were given for longest drive, longest putt and closest to the pin. Chris Hudak won the longest drive award, while Jonathan Henderson received recognition for the longest putt. Mary Elizabeth Herring picked up the award for closest to the pin.

The tournament was sponsored in part by Kolache Rolf’s, Edward Jones and Monograms & More.

The “Shootout in the Brazos Valley” was a great event, and gave the faculty and students a chance to get to know each other better in a fun atmosphere. Thanks to all who participated and we hope to have even more players next year!

Partnership for Primary Care Program Admits 21

Twenty-one students were admitted to the Partnership for Primary Care program for the upcoming academic year. This innovative program provides an opportunity for qualified, dedicated students to enter the field of medicine, and eventually contribute to improving health care in rural and underserved areas of Texas.

The students coming into the program are diverse and highly talented, with an average score of 1257 on the SAT and 27 on the ACT. They come from all over the state, with hometowns ranging from El Paso to Laredo and San Marcos to Carrollton. Most of the incoming PPC students will be attending Texas A&M University, but some plan to enter other universities involved in the program, such as Texas A&M International University in Laredo and Tarleton State University in Stephenville.

Dr. Preston Goforth Passes Away

Dr. Preston Goforth, Chief of the Division of Podiatry at Scott & White passed away at his home on Sunday, May 15th. Services were held at Western Hills Church of Christ in Temple, Texas on Wednesday, May 18th at 11 a.m. He is survived by his wife, Judy, and three children.

Doctor Goforth was a faculty member in the Department of Surgery for the college. Memorials can be given to the Douglas Hoppock Podiatry Fund at Scott & White.

Watson Serves as NAACP Award Banquet Keynote Speaker

The college’s own Wanda Watson, Director of Recruitment and Special Programs in the Office of Admissions, served as the keynote speaker at the Temple Branch of the NAACP’s 29th Annual Senior Achievement Awards Banquet Saturday, May 21. The event recognized seniors from Temple High School.

Watson is the college’s minority affairs officer to the AAMC, medical school coordinator for the Joint Admissions Medical Program (JAMP), and the 2002-2005 president of the Texas A&M University African-American Professional Organization.

COM Departures and Arrivals

The college is saying goodbye to some faculty and staff, and welcoming newcomers this month.

The Office of Academic Affairs said farewell to Kim Manry in May, who took a position as Senior Administrative Coordinator in the Office of the Vice President for Communication and Program Development at the Health Science Center. Research Assistant Professor Dr. Susan Maier is also leaving the college to work with both the HSC and Texas A&M University as a research development officer. In the Office of Student Affairs, Jennifer Morgan will be leaving the college in June to move to Dallas, while Dee Ward will be departing to work for Bruce Boyd State Farm here in Bryan/College Station.

A new addition to the Office of Admissions is Nicholas Roznovsky, the Admissions Supervisor.

Good luck to those leaving and welcome to our new employee!

Amy Keally, Mandy Novosad Named COM Employees of the Month for May, June

Amy Keally, Lead Office Assistant in the Office of Academic Affairs, has been named the Employee of the Month for May. Amy is a valuable member of the Academic Affairs team and has demonstrated an excellent level of independence and responsibility in all her duties. She is very organized and well received by both students and faculty. Amy handles the first year curriculum and students extraordinarily well, while making it seem effortless. Numerous course coordinators have noted how valuable she is in helping them run their respective courses more efficiently and effectively.

Amy is also a very friendly and pleasant person. Consequently, she has added to the reputation and spirit of this office in being a friendly and receptive place for students, faculty and other staff who stop in periodically. These qualities, combined with her excellent skills, patience and efficiency, make her someone very easy to work and interact with. Importantly, Amy has also adeptly and effectively assumed additional job responsibilities recently.

Amanda (Mandy) Novosad, Office Associate in the Department of Humanities in Medicine since May 2004, has been named the Employee of the Month for June. In addition to being the support staff for the Leadership in Medicine Program, she is the friendly face to greet all faculty, students and visitors to the department and helps support other projects for faculty in the office.

According to her colleagues, Mandy has a very caring and helpful attitude and is a great asset, as she projects a positive image for the department. She consistently goes above and beyond her duties to help make the department run smoothly.

Winners of the Employee of the Month honor receive a congratulatory letter, a reserved parking space for the month and a free portrait package from HSC Communications.

CENTRAL TEXAS VETERANS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Kasperik Joins CTVHCS

Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS) is please to announce that Donald J. Kasperik, M.D., has joined our staff as Associate Chief of Staff for Geriatrics and Extended Care Service. Dr. Kasperik will oversee all administrative and nursing home care issues at CTVHCS.

While this is Dr. Kasperik’s first assignment with the Veterans Affairs, he has a long history of government service, having retired from the U.S. Army after 26 years. Some of Dr. Kasperik’s military assignments include Commander of the U.S. Army MEDDAC, Darnall Army Community Hospital, Fort Hood, TX; at Winn Army Community Hospital, Fort Stewart, GA; and at Munson Army Community Hospital, Fort Leavenworth, KA. He also served as Command Surgeon of United States Central Command, MacDill, Air Force Base, FL; and Chief, Department of Family Practice, Primary Care at DeWitt Army Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, VA.

Dr. Kasperik’s medical specialty is Family Practice and did his medical residency training at Silas B. Hayes Army Community Hospital, Fort Ord, CA, and at Washington Hospital, Washington, PA. He attended Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, NC. Dr. Kasperik is a certified Diplomat for the American Board of Family Practice and also for the National Board of Medical Examiners.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Human Anatomy and Medical Neurobiology

Menger, GJ, Lu, K, Thomas, T, Cassone, VM and Earnest, DJ. (2005) Circadian profiling of the transcriptome in immortalized rat SCN cells. Physiol. Genomics 21: 370-381.

Medical Pharmacology and Toxicology

Han, SH, Murchison, D, and Griffith, WH. (2005) Low voltage-activated clacium and fast tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium currents define subtypes of cholinergic and noncholinergic neurons in rat basal forebrain. Molecular Brain Research, 134:226-238.

Nahm, SS, Jung, KY, Enger, MK, Griffith, WH, and Abbott, LC. (2005) Differential expression of T-type calcium channels in P/Q-type calcium channel mutant mice with ataxia and absence epilepsy. Journal of Neurobiology. 62:352-360.


Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H.
Dean, College of Medicine
The Texas A&M University Health Science Center
147 Joe H. Reynolds Medical Building College Station, TX 77843-1114
Phone:979-845-3431
Fax:979-847-8663
Email: Colenda@medicine.tamhsc.edu