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WVUhealthROBERT C. BYRD HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER • WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
FALL 2011
TRANSITIONSCHANGING WEST VIRGINIACHANGING THE WORLD
CHANCELLOR’S MESSAGE
The future of West Virginia’s health is in
our hands. And when I say “our hands,”
I’m not talking just about those of us at
WVU – but all who work to educate health
professionals, school children, and adults;
to provide health services; to advance
research; and to shape public health
policy.
I’m confident that, working together, we
can change what other generations
simply accepted: the disparities that have
meant poorer health, shorter lives, and
higher healthcare costs for hundreds of
thousands of West Virginians.
My confidence comes from several
sources. Our students and graduates
– several of whom you will meet in this
issue – are energetic, smart, and capable,
and they are bringing new skills and
new ideas into the effort to change the
history of our state’s health. (See page 8
for a report on our students’ healthcare
reform forum this spring that brought
together policymakers, healthcare experts,
and community leaders.) The faculty
on each of our campuses are devoted
to the development of these students
and engaged with the needs of our
communities and their professions.
There’s a larger source of confidence: the
people of West Virginia. In the past two
years, I’ve seen growing evidence of a
consensus that we must all work together
to achieve our mutual goals. There’s
been a real awakening in West Virginia
communities to the idea that local action
can make a difference, with walking
programs, workplace wellness efforts,
and other community-directed programs
springing up in large cities and small
towns. And, when WVU proposed the
establishment of a School of Public Health,
support was widespread across the state,
our elected officials gave us a mandate to
move forward, and private donors stepped
up to speed the process of organizing the
School.
Our role as the state’s flagship academic
health center is to develop the talents
of the next generation of health leaders;
discover new knowledge that can make
everyone’s efforts more effective; deliver
high quality care; and partner with others
who share our goals and values.
Change is coming. It’s needed. We
welcome it.
—Christopher C. Colenda, MD, MPH
CHANGE AND TRANSITION
A publication of the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences CenterWest Virginia UniversityMorgantown, West Virginia www.hsc.wvu.edu
Administration
James P. Clements, PhD President, West Virginia University
Christopher C. Colenda, MD, MPH Chancellor for Health Sciences
Arthur Ross, MD Dean, School of Medicine
Georgia L. Narsavage, PhD Dean, School of Nursing
Patricia A. Chase, PhD Dean, School of Pharmacy
David A. Felton, DDS, MS Dean, School of Dentistry
Alan Ducatman, MD Interim Dean, School of Public Health In development
Judie Charlton, MD Chief Medical Officer WVU Healthcare
Bruce McClymonds President and CEO, WVU Hospitals
J. Thomas Jones President and CEO, WV United Health System
Editorial Board
Bill Case, Editor Heidi Specht, Creative Director Stephanie Bock Jay Coughlin Norman Ferrari, MD Amy Johns Misti Michael Gary Murdock Amy Newton Lynda B. Nine Tricia Petty Julia W. Phalunas Shelia Price, DDS Stacy Wise
Contributors Bob Beverly Aira Burkhart Jeff Driggs Autumn Hill Angela Jones Walt Koskii Rick Lee Leigh Limerick Mary Rivasio Minard Michelle Moore Lori Savitch
WVUhealthFall 2011Vol. 2, Issue 2
© 2011 West Virginia University
West Virginia University is governed by the West Virginia University Board of Governors and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.
2 | WVUhealth2 | WVUhealth
Chancellor’s Message | CHANGE AND TRANSITION
MAKING THE TRANSITION
FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE
ADVOCATING FOR THE PROFESSION
WHAT MATTERS MOST
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT FOCUSES ON ORAL HEALTH
INVISIBLE ART
WVU HEALTHCARE STRATEGIC PLAN
MEDICAL MYSTERY LEADS TO RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP
BRIEFS
UNITING A COMMUNITY’S HOSPITALS
1
3
8
9
10
14
16
19
20
22
25
CONTENTS
MAKING THE TRANSITIONThe move from school to careerBy Angela Jones, Leigh Limerick, Amy Newton, and Stacy Wise
Each year, hundreds of WVU Health Sciences
graduates make the transition from student to health professional.
Here are four of their stories.
FALL 2011 | 3
3
10
8
t’s the middle of Audrey Royce’s day: 2 a.m. Her
world is mostly dark and quiet.
The 2010 WVU School of Nursing graduate navigates the
west wing of WVU Ruby Memorial Hospital’s tenth floor, doing
all she can to ensure cardiac step-down patients are as
comfortable as possible.
“Sometimes when things are nuts, you think, ‘This profession
is crazy,’ but I’m glad I’m a nurse,” said Royce. “Working in a
hospital, you gain so much experience. I just really like being
the happy, positive person I am. If my patients want to laugh
at me because I’m goofy, then that’s great. I like to make them
laugh while I’m doing my job.”
Royce has learned to love the night shift, thanks to
the relaxed feel and cooperative spirit. Like her, most
people working late nights are relatively recent staff
additions. “The teamwork is amazing,” she said. “It’s a
continuous learning environment.”
Long, physically and emotionally demanding shifts are
just part of the job. Royce insists attitude is everything.
“There are books about how the transition out of school
and into a career is like postpartum depression,” said
Royce. “People can have a really hard time with it.”
Her move from student to nurse was eased by a one-on-one
mentoring program WVU Healthcare offers to every first-year
nurse. Transition coordinator Kathleen Schnell follows them
all. It’s a service Royce believes gives fledgling nurses a great
advantage.
“Kathy pops in about once every week or so to see if
everything’s okay, you can go to her with any questions or
concerns. She’s always there with a smile.”
Royce, who grew up in Morgantown, always knew she wanted
to pursue a career in healthcare, and the wide range of
opportunities in nursing held great appeal. Royce feels she’s
found her niche working with cardiac patients and their families.
And, now, with the arrival of the next group of first-year nurses,
Royce has moved from student to teacher. She will mentor a
new nurse, work with students, and educate patients about
making needed lifestyle changes.
“Nursing really teaches you to be thankful for your own life,”
said Royce. “It makes you want to be healthy and teach other
people how to deal with illness.”
throughout the day. It is fast paced, and I
really enjoy that,” Christopher said.
But what really gets the new Dr. Banks
going is the chance to perform an
extraction. “I feel more pressure on myself
when I do an extraction over anything
else because I know if I break a root tip,
it’s my job to get it out. I don’t have the
oral surgeons at the School to bail me out
anymore.”
At the end of the day, he hopes to make
a difference in the lives of West Virginians.
He and his father are doing that, not
only through their day-to-day work, but
FALL 2011 | 54 | WVUhealth
“We all chose healthcare to make a difference in people’s lives and to help others.”also through an American Academy of
Cosmetic Dentistry project called Give
Back a Smile, which is designed to
help women who have been affected by
domestic violence.
Dr. Banks and his dad aren’t the only
family members tending to smiles in the
Eastern Panhandle. Sarah Banks, RDH,
Christopher’s sister and a 2006 WVU
dental hygiene graduate, also works at
the family clinic.
“We all chose healthcare to make a
difference in people’s lives and to
help others. Part of being a dentist,
especially in small towns of West
Virginia, is to become integrated with
the local community through volunteer
organizations and such,” Christopher
said. “And, if I am going to be learning
from someone, I want it to be my dad.”
SCHOOL OF DENTISTRYSCHOOL OF NURSING
IBE HEALTHY AND TEACH
F or Christopher Banks, DDS, a
2011 graduate of the School of Dentistry,
tending to the oral health of West
Virginians is a family affair.
Two weeks after graduation, Dr. Banks
joined Smile Designs of the Shenandoah
Valley, the Inwood dental practice
operated by his father, Kenneth. The
elder Dr. Banks earned his DDS at WVU
in 1984.
The quick transition from school to the
real world didn’t leave much time for
anxiety, though going into the family
practice did help take off some of the
pressure. But Chris has found that
working as a dentist is different than life
as a dental student.
“At the dental school, we saw one patient
in the morning and one in the afternoon,
and some days you were only completing
one filling on each of those patients. Now,
I see a patient every hour, do multiple
procedures, plus any emergencies, and
hygiene checks for our three hygienists
A
6 | WVUhealth FALL 2011 | 7
hen Kristina Clyburn was 12 years
old, growing up in the Mercer County town
of Kellysville, she thought she wanted to be
a veterinarian. Then her younger brother was
diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
“I saw how vital my brother’s medications were
to his life and daily routine,” she said. “It was
soon after that I decided I wanted to pursue a
career in some sort of health science. Pharmacy
seemed the perfect fit to balance my love of
helping others, chemistry, biology, and research.”
Following that dream brought her to West
Virginia University, where she completed an
undergraduate degree and earned a PharmD.
“West Virginia University should be proud to
house one of the best pharmacy schools in the
country,” she said. “The faculty and staff at the
WVU School of Pharmacy are second to none,
and I couldn’t think of a better place to have
attended college and pharmacy school. They
have given a first-generation college kid from
southern West Virginia opportunities that she
couldn’t have imagined experiencing as a child.”
sk New Jersey native James Bardes, MD, why he chose West Virginia University for medical school and he will give you an honest answer: “It was either WVU or Albany and I don’t like the snow in Albany.”
Dr. Bardes quickly learned, however, that less snowfall isn’t the only great thing about WVU. The hands-on faculty of the School of Medicine not only helped to guide Bardes through four years of medical education but also influenced his decision to continue his medical training at WVU as a resident in the Department of Surgery.
“We have a great group of both faculty and residents, and the way they interact with each other was something I hadn’t seen elsewhere,” he said.
After earning his Doctor of Medicine degree in May, Bardes began residency training on the night shift in WVU Hospitals’ emergency department. Despite a few initial adjustments—including blackout curtains for daytime sleeping—Bardes’ transition from medical student to resident is going smoothly.
“WVU definitely prepared me well when I was a med student as far as getting to do a lot,” Bardes said. “At other places, it’s more watching and learning. Here it’s more learning by doing. The faculty want you to make you own decisions before they would tell you the answer. Being forced to think that way certainly helped.”
The long hours spent studying in medical school, he said, also helped prepare him for the volume of work as a resident.
“When I come in on night-float, I get four different teams that check out their patients to me. I get 40 to 50 patients that I get a quick rundown on. I’m also the trauma intern overnight, so I go down for all trauma patients that come to the ED. And then
LEARNING BY DOING
the rest of the night I just help put out fires. There’s a bit of a rush to it. I like it. I’m pretty good at staying calm in the chaos and being able to handle situations,” he said.
In addition to caring for patients, Bardes’ medical education and training at WVU have also allowed him to explore another area he is passionate about—research.
“When I was a medical student, I ran into one of the residents, Thomas Caranasos. I told him I was interested in surgery, and he told me about some of the research projects he was working on. We’ve since gotten a couple of things published together. We did a case report for the West Virginia Medical Journal and we did a presentation at a cardiothoracic conference last year.”
For Bardes, the decision to pursue a career in medicine was an easy one. “Medicine is a really challenging field and I feel like it will be something that will always be worthwhile,” he said.
As for his post-residency plans, Bardes might one day be mentoring future medical students and residents. “I want to stay at an academic facility. I want to be on faculty somewhere someday.”
“I help put out fires”
Last spring, she achieved that goal, earning
a PharmD degree at WVU. But her education
is continuing with a pharmacy residency at
Cabell Huntington Hospital.
“A residency gives you such an opportunity
to challenge yourself as a young professional
while under the watchful eyes of experienced
clinicians,” Dr. Clyburn said. “You not only gain
the skill of making informed clinical decisions, but
a sense of competence that comes only after many
years of practicing on your own.”
Pharmacists in the first year of residency work with a
wide range of patients and conditions. Clyburn is taking the
opportunity to work with the Cabell Huntington pharmacy staff
to decide if she’ll further specialize in a second-year residency or
fellowship.
She’s working with people she already knows and trusts—she
completed two rotations at Cabell Huntington in her final year of
pharmacy school. “All the pharmacists there were so helpful and nice
and did their best to ensure that I had a great educational experience.
I knew the residency program would do just the same,” she said.
Even though she’s spending a year in Huntington, she’s still proudly
wearing WVU’s Gold and Blue. “I wear my WVU alumni gear proudly.”
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
W
W
8 | WVUhealth FALL 2011 | 9
hat does the healthcare reform legislation mean
for West Virginia? A group of 140 West Virginia University
health sciences students joined faculty members,
healthcare professionals, and state legislators earlier this
year for a candid discussion about the Affordable Care
Act’s impact on West Virginia’s healthcare providers and
citizens.
Students from nine university programs participated in
the discussion: dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, medicine,
dental hygiene, exercise physiology, public administration,
biology, and public health. Thirty-one facilitators,
including legislators, healthcare professionals, and WVU
faculty members, joined the conversation by leading
14 small-group discussions on topics ranging from
preventive care to education and research.
Students were optimistic about the legislation, particularly
the emphasis on prevention. “The hope is that people
who otherwise could not afford care will now seek
preventive care since they have insurance,” a public
administration student said.
The Affordable Care Act encourages a multidisciplinary
approach to healthcare in the community, and the
majority of students said they want to get started
while they’re in school. “The future is going to require
communication across all fields of healthcare, and we
need to start now,” a dental student said.
Students stressed the need for education about how
healthcare is structured and funded in West Virginia and
the United States. ““I think it would be wonderful to have
that in the curriculum,” said Sarah Peplowski, a dental
hygiene student. “It would help us understand what we’re
going to be getting into in the future.”
The students generated questions and ideas that will help
guide the WVU Health Sciences Center administration
and faculty as they adapt WVU’s curriculum to the
changing medical landscape. “You are the people who
will be taking care of us,” Dr. Colenda told students. “We
want you to be very well-informed, and we want to know
what you need.”
THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE
ADVOCATING FOR THE PROFESSION by Amy Newton
Kristin Showen, a third-year
student in the WVU School of
Pharmacy, knew back in high
school that she wanted to work
in healthcare. But it wasn’t until
she met Betsy Elswick that
she realized she could serve
patients as both healthcare
practitioner and policy advocate.
When she joined the WVU
chapter of the Academy of Student Pharmacists
in 2009, the group was involved in a letter-writing
campaign to educate state legislators about covering
pharmacists under West Virginia’s professional
liability laws. Showen traveled to the state capitol for
Pharmacy Day at the Legislature.
One of the people she
worked with was Betsy
Elswick, PharmD, associate
professor in the school’s
Department of Clinical
Pharmacy, and instructor of
the school’s leadership and
advocacy elective.
“Dr. Elswick invited a few other students and me to
a debate the class was having,” Showen said. “I
became interested in what the class offered and also
thought since I was the Student Political Advocacy
Network liaison for ASP, this would be a good way to
learn more about policy and advocacy.”
Elswick is well-known at WVU for her ability to get
busy pharmacy students – and working pharmacists
around the state – to take the time to join policy
discussions that can help them provide better care for
patients.
Earlier this year, the American Pharmacists Association
recognized her with their Good Government
Pharmacist-of-the-Year award. The award honors a
pharmacist who is actively involved in professional
advocacy and leadership efforts.
“My favorite things about Dr. Elswick as a professor
and leader in pharmacy are her enthusiasm and
passion,” Showen said. “She encourages students to
find something that they are passionate about and act
on it. Through her classes and encouragement, I have
found passion in policy. She has shown me that even
one person can make a difference.”
Our students represent the future for healthcare in West Virginia. It’s especially important that they understand how healthcare reform will affect their careers, their patients, and their communities.”
—Christopher Colenda, MD, MPH, chancellor for health sciences at WVU
Health Sciences students gather to discuss the Affordable Care Act
by Stacy Wise Art by Kofi Opoku
12 | WVUhealth
While Alison and her husband, Tom, were
willing to uproot the family and travel to
Johns Hopkins in Baltimore or Memorial
Sloan Kettering in New York City, after
consulting with cancer experts there, she
ultimately decided to work with WVU
Healthcare’s Jame Abraham, MD, medical
director of the Cancer Center and founder
of the Comprehensive Breast Cancer
Program.
“I pursued those options only to find out
that not only did they not have anything
different or better than what I was going to
be receiving at WVU, but also I didn’t have
the relationship with any of those doctors
that I immediately had with Dr. Abraham,
Dr. (Hannah) Hazard, and the whole team
here.”
Alison says she has great respect and
great affection for Dr. Abraham. “I
absolutely adore him, because in addition
to trusting him with my life and having that
professional respect for him, I think he’s
a wonderful person, unbelievably caring,
kind, and charismatic. He’s never treated
me like I was sick or dying. He’s always
had this extreme optimism.”
WHAT MATTERS MOST
A
by Amy Johns
FALL 2011 | 11The Cancer Project by SkySight Photography
www.TheCancerProject.yolasite.com
Heidi Specht
WVU breast cancer patient learns and shares life lessons
lison Conroy thought she
had it all. A life that included outdoor
adventures and world travels with a loving
husband, two beautiful children, a nice
home in Preston County, and a great job.
At 29, she was living the dream.
Then in April of 2010, she felt a hard
knot in her breast and knew something
was wrong. A few days later, at WVU
Healthcare’s Mary Babb Randolph Cancer
Center, she was diagnosed with breast
cancer. Doctors told her it was stage IV, an
advanced, invasive cancer that had spread
to some lymph nodes in her neck. But
instead of letting the diagnosis devastate
her, Alison immediately set up a plan of
attack.
“I actually process things better head on.
Having too much time to think about it
or get nervous about it would have just
weakened my constitution,” Alison said. “I
realized the severity of the situation and I
didn’t take a moment to pause.”
Imaging Centers of Excellence Award and breast ultrasound imaging accreditation by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
The Breast Care Program was 100% compliant with NAPBC standards in leadership, clinical management, research, and all other quality measures, and, in some cases, exceeded them. The ACR recognizes breast imaging centers that have earned accreditation in mammography, stereotactic breast
biopsy, and breast ultrasound (including ultrasound-guided breast biopsy).
WVU’s comprehensive approach to breast care and breast cancer includes a wide range of services from screening mammograms to survivorship care and points in between such as minimally invasive biopsy techniques, breast conserving surgery, genetic evaluation, and high-risk management.
Two WVU Healthcare programs have been recognized by national organizations for excellence in breast care.
The Comprehensive Breast Care Program at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center has earned three-year, full accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). In addition, the Betty Puskar Breast Care Center has been awarded the Breast
12 | WVUhealth FALL 2011 | 13
Alison was a full partner in her treatment from the very beginning,
learning as much as she could about breast cancer. Along the
way, she also learned a lot about herself. Some of those lessons
came from her children, Ethan, 3 1/2, and Logan, 2.
“Small children live entirely in the present moment. They are so
young that they don’t understand mommy’s sick and mommy’s
at risk of something terrible happening,” Alison said. “That’s
been a real blessing because it’s helped me take my life one day
at a time.”
She’s planning to return to work in retail management soon, but
vows that life will be different.
“I am devoted to going forward and making sure that I have a
better balance. I’ve always been inclined to choose work over
family. Balance is something I didn’t appreciate nor did I really
strive for hard enough,” she said. “I want to have it all now. I
want to still have the career, but I want to be a more active
participant in my own family.”
‘ ’‘ ’My husband and I will raise our two boys with each other at our sides. My family will talk with me not about me at our family reunions. My friends and I will still have long conversations. I will be a survivor.
Alison is sharing the story of her journey through breast cancer
in hopes of helping others. She wrote a poignant essay (excerpts
facing page) for The Cancer Project website (thecancerproject.
yolasite.com), a collection of photographs and stories of cancer
patients meant to inspire and empower patients. She said
posing for the family photo was a great experience.
“It was this beautiful moment where I was mostly bald, and I had
my two young boys and my husband there. It’s the best family
picture we’ve ever gotten! And then writing the story was also
a helpful part of my own therapy—just trying to put into words
some of my emotional responses to the ordeal. If anything that
I’ve gone through can inspire or assist or motivate or just put a
smile on someone’s face, then I feel like I’ve done something.”
Alison’s arsenal in her battle against breast cancer since April
of 2010 has included chemotherapy, radiation, and multiple
surgeries. She recently completed a five-month course of
prophylactic chemo—an extra measure to help ensure the
cancer won’t return. And she’s looking forward to an active and
healthy future.
“I went from stage IV to cancer free in a year. You know you
couldn’t possibly ask for anything more than that.”
WVU HEALTHCARE BREAST CANCER PROGRAMS RECOGNIZED
Excerpts from Alison’s story
I’ve given a lot of thought to the idea of mortality. Before cancer. Before children. Perhaps always. I have thought about the contradiction and marriage of our human fragility and triumphant perseverance. No one has made it this far without knowing, intimately, that life is random and cannot always be controlled. We know this as strongly as we know that life is beautiful beyond our comprehension, and that love can move us to depths that we have forgotten existed.
So I think about how lucky I am that at my young age I should be presented with such an opportunity to really fight for my life. To know that I am in danger, that for me the odds are not in my favor, yet realize what I am up against and know in my soul that I can beat it.
It is a cliché thing to talk about the awakening that comes with life-threatening experiences, but it’s a cliché because it is a common human experience. I feel it too. I feel a revitalized appreciation for the little things, and a deep, deep gratitude for the big ones.
For me, the only decision was to agree to the most aggressive anti-cancer plan Dr. Abraham could design. Chemo, yeah, give me as much as you can, as fast as you can, with the least amount of time in-between. Surgery, yeah, cut out everything that you can, don’t leave a scrap or cell behind. Radiation, yeah, give me the strongest, most expansive coverage, for as long as you can ... because I will bear it.
What I have learned from my cancer is what I always knew but had stopped paying attention to. It is that life is precious and brief. It is that the challenges that we face and overcome define who we become. It is that how long we live is not as important as how we live. The people in our lives are what matter the most. To all of you whom I have loved and known love from, you all have made my journey through cancer one filled with more joy than fear, gratitude not anger, and faith instead of despair.
Heidi Specht
The Cancer Project by SkySight Photography
Professional, but laid back and
personable; well-to-do, but thrifty;
inventor and jeweler; avid golfer and
friend to many; WVU alum, dentist
Nathan Baker, DDS, passed away in
2006.
Dr. Baker was, according to his family,
a very extroverted person who rarely
spoke about himself and always asked
others what they did or thought. He
was not known for spending money—
he drove a used car, made practical
things in his workshop, and tended
to tip in the 5% range. “We’d remind him he could afford a new car, and
explain the usual tipping custom,” says nephew Jim Bartlett, “but he was
always frugal with money.”
He lived in Charleston, WV, his entire life. He used his Ham Radio skills to
help others during natural disasters, but he rarely gave to charity. All that
changed when Dr. Baker left $2.7 million to establish the Norman H. and
Nathan P. Baker Dental Scholarship for African-American students at the
WVU School of Dentistry. He told friends, “When you read my will, you’ll
be surprised!” His family is sure he’d be pleased with the impact his gift
will have.
Dr. Baker’s bequest is the largest single gift in the history of the WVU
School of Dentistry.
Fall 2010 | 1314 | WVUhealth FALL 2011 | 15
“ s a child, I always loved
going to the dentist,” fourth-year dental
student Stephanie Henderson recalls.
When she talks about dentistry, her eyes
shine and her teeth gleam. She knows
that’s not true for everyone.
Her WVU undergraduate thesis in
psychology focused on dental fears among
children in Summersville, WV. “Because
parents often wait until their children have
cavities, many people have unpleasant first
experiences. Instead, children should see a
dentist when the first tooth erupts.”
Henderson, from Cross Lanes, is the first
member of her family to graduate from
college. She hopes to someday develop
in-school programs to educate children
and parents about the importance of oral
health. Her path toward dentistry has been
smoothed by the generous contributions of
Health Sciences donors.
Beginning in ninth grade, Stephanie joined
the Health Sciences and Technology
Academy (HSTA), which targets talented
students from rural and minority
communities who want to explore careers
in technology and healthcare. By her senior
year, Stephanie focused her HSTA efforts
on dentistry through the ASPIRE program
run by WVU’s Dr. Shelia Price. She won a
PROMISE Scholarship to WVU.
Henderson is among the first winners of
the Norman H. and Nathan P. Baker Dental
Scholarship, allowing her to pursue her
dreams free of debt—and to participate
in additional educational and service
activities. “Because of these scholarships, I
was able to travel to Guatemala to perform
dental work for rural people. Many of them
had never seen a dentist. For 10 days,
we extracted teeth on front lawns and in
abandoned houses. It was an amazing
experience, and I hope to return with WVU
when I am a dentist.”
After dental school, Stephanie will pursue a
Master of Public Health—a goal that might
have been postponed indefinitely, she
believes, had she not been supported by
scholarships. Through her hard work and
the generosity of many, Stephanie will soon
begin her professional life spreading the
“smiles [she] loves to see.”
UNEXPECTED PHILANTHROPIST
ANathan Baker, DDS
Baker and “Chappy,” undated photo
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT FOCUSES ON
ORAL HEALTH
Unexpected Philanthropist
Heidi Specht
by Aira Burkhart
FALL 2011 | 1718 | WVUhealth
INVISIBLE
ART
having to depend on someone else,” she said. “Especially not being able to read.”
To remove the tumor this time, the surgeons would have to remove some of the bones in her face. Rosen was able to call on WVU’s ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery team, who specialize in operations around the eye.
‘There are no egos’
Multidisciplinary collaboration is crucial to success in patients with tumors in the complex regions around the face and eyes. “We work with several different specialties, including neurosurgery, plastic surgery and otolaryngology,” said Jennifer Sivak, MD, director of the oculoplastics fellowship program. “It’s hard to have a successful program like ours if you don’t have the right team members in place. We are fortunate to have that here.
“Our patients really get good care because we each come at their cases from different aspects. When you combine all those specialties, you get the best possible care,” Sivak said. “We have a cohesive team that works well together, and we’ve done so for over a decade. All of the team members are tremendously competent and good at what they do.”
Heidi Specht
Heidi SpechtY
By Angela Jones
ou can’t tell by looking at her. But nine years after her first cancer diagnosis, Vicki Flink of Moundsville has a custom-made titanium mesh implant that takes the place of missing bones on one side of her face. But that’s not what’s important to her.
Flink is most concerned with her quality of life and her ability to function. And she doesn’t have the luxury of taking those things for granted.
In 2002, Flink was diagnosed with a chordoma, a bone cancer that strikes 300 people in the United States each year.
That’s when she met Charles Rosen, MD, the WVU neurosurgeon she calls “fantastic.” Her mother, she added,
“thinks he can walk on water.”
In a two-stage operation, Dr. Rosen and his colleagues removed the tumor. After radiation treatment, Flink was able to return to work at Tridelphia Middle School in Ohio County and maintain the life she so greatly desired.
But chordomas are notorious for recurring. If one or two cells are left behind, it’s almost guaranteed that another tumor will grow.
That’s what happened to Flink. She developed double vision and was unable to read, drive, or even watch television. “It’s difficult
WVU Healthcare, the hospital and clinic operations in and around
Morgantown associated with West Virginia University, was formed in 2010 by
WVU Hospitals, University Health Associates, and the School of Medicine.
WVU Healthcare’s mission is to improve the health of West Virginians and all
we serve through excellence in patient care, research and education.
Over the summer, WVU Healthcare adopted a new strategic plan to guide its
growth in the next five years. The plan calls for a patient-centered system of
care that includes:
The plan will require a sharp increase in the number of faculty physicians
and other healthcare providers, and a multimillion-dollar investment in new
hospital and outpatient facilities.
• An expanded regional healthcare delivery system.
• Consistent, integrated patient care recognized for delivering the right
care in the right place at the right time at all sites.
• Development of new approaches to improve healthcare, including
team-based models of care; expanding WVU clinical and translational
research.
• Educational programs throughout the network recognized for training
uniquely qualified healthcare team members and leaders.
• A culture of performance and excellence throughout the network.
For more details on the WVU Healthcare Strategic Plan, and other plans being
developed around the Health Sciences Center, please visit http://www.hsc.wvu.
edu/HSC2020/.
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Rosen, who performs the neurosurgical portion of the procedures, said all the team members are good surgeons and nice people. “There are no egos,” he said.
“I look forward to working on these cases together. It’s very rewarding.”
In 2010, WVU’s Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship Program became one of the first five programs in the country to earn approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
‘There was nothing I could do to change it’
For Flink, the team planned to reconstruct the bones that would be taken out of her face by shaping a flat sheet of titanium.
“We made cuts and bends in the operating room until we were satisfied that her reconstruction would be as symmetric and anatomic as possible,” Sivak said.
“We essentially made a sculpture of the area that needed to be reconstructed out of this mesh.”
Rosen said the process is sort of an art form. “The art is getting the patient to
look like he or she never had surgery. It’s related to patient healing. If you exactly recreate the original contours of the resected tissue, atrophy and scar tissue will make some areas look bad. You need to guess a little at how the patient will heal and how the reconstruction will look,” he said. “We hide scars behind hairlines and account for healing. It’s one of the many tricks we use.”
Flink remained confident. “I realized there was nothing I could do to change it. I had a lot of support from my family and the people I worked with at the time,” she said. “And I was very fortunate to have an excellent team at WVU taking care of me.”
Today, Flink is recurrence free. “She’s doing wonderfully,” Rosen said. “She has a very full life.”
“I can see, I can function and I can read,” she said. “I’m very thankful.”
She’s retired from the school, but her former coworkers have been incredibly supportive in addition to her family members. “I’m very fortunate to have my friends and family,” she said.
From the nurses in the various units to all the doctors who have treated her along the way, Flink just can’t say enough about the care she received at WVU.
“I think the world of them.”
A Clear Mission
arly in the 1990s, Walter Mwanda, MD, a
cancer specialist in Nairobi, Kenya, began seeing
patients with unusual symptoms. Several adults
came to his clinic with Burkitt’s lymphoma, a
disease previously seen only in children. Others
arrived with cancerous skin lesions, enlarged
lymph nodes, or cancers around their eyes. He
soon realized that the three groups of patients
had a common factor – all tested positive for HIV
and AIDS.
Dr. Mwanda turned to his doctoral mentor, Scot
Remick, MD, for assistance. Dr. Remick helped
him determine how best to treat his patients –
and they began a research collaboration that has
the potential to improve the lives of thousands of
Africans.
AIDS and related illnesses are the most pressing
health issues in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently
22.4 million people in the region are infected—
two-thirds of the world’s AIDS burden.
Kenyatta National Hospital has 2,400 beds and
sees more than 9,000 patients a day. Like many
institutions in Africa, Remick says, it’s “resource
challenged.” Over the past decade Remick has
seen considerable change for the better. But,
he says, “they still face issues of scarcity and
shortage on an ongoing basis.”
AN INTERNATIONAL EFFORT
Remick, the director of WVU’s Mary Babb
Randolph Cancer Center, is convinced that it’s
crucial for African doctors and hospitals to take
the lead in clinical research to find effective
treatment for AIDS-related cancer. For the past
E
MEDICAL MYSTERY LEADS TO RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP
by Bill Case
20 | WVUhealth
Heidi Specht
four years, he has chaired the National
Cancer Institute-sponsored AIDS-
Malignancy Consortium International
Resource Committee, involving African
and U.S. experts.
He heads a research partnership among
three Kenyan institutions and three
American universities. They’re working
together on research and training
programs that will:
• Strengthen the ability of Kenyan
pathologists to diagnose patients with
AIDS-related tumors and to study
viruses that cause cancer. They will train
at WVU under the direction of cancer
researcher Laura Gibson, PhD
• Improve Kenya’s tumor registry to help
guide public health planning.
• Support rural research projects.
Mwanda will lead the Kenyan participants
in the project. Other participants include
researchers at the Kenya Medical
Research Institute in Nairobi and in
Kisumu. The new project will engage a
number of faculty and staff at WVU, along
with Leona Ayers, MD, at Ohio State
University and Rosemary Rochford, PhD,
at SUNY Upstate Medical University.
CAMPUS-TO-CAMPUS VIDEO LINK
Tumor boards are a key part of cancer
care. Teams from all the specialists
involved in a patient’s care gather to
examine lab results, medical images,
and other diagnostic information and
contribute toward building a treatment
plan. The Kenyans will organize electronic
tumor boards —linked by computer and
video with WVU specialists—to help more
precisely diagnose and treat their patients
and identify patients who might benefit
from clinical trial research.
Fall 2010 | 19 FALL 2011 | 21
The benefits of the partnership won’t
all flow in one direction, Remick says.
“WVU’s leadership – from President
Clements on down – has recognized
that WVU needs to build and maintain
international partnerships to be a strong
research university. The National Cancer
Institute project in Kenya is part of a
broader University effort to contribute to
the international community of scholars
and develop new opportunities for WVU
faculty and students.
“We see this project as a springboard to
a long-term relationship with Kenyatta
National Hospital and more formal
research collaborations in the future,” he
said. “At the end of the three-year project,
there should be a strong group of well-
trained clinical researchers in Kenya who
can carry on additional projects and make
a difference in the health of the entire
continent.”
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WVU a “Best Place” for ScientistsWVU’s research enterprise clocked in at number 20 on the Best Places to Work in
Academia list compiled by The Scientist – a respected news magazine that focuses
primarily on biology and life science. The magazine highlighted the cooperative
research climate at WVU and how it benefited cancer researcher Elena Pugacheva,
PhD. Dr. Pugacheva and her colleagues at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center
needed a new, specialized ultrasound machine for research on cell proliferation.
Colleagues across town in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences’ Physics Department
rode to the rescue and helped build a new ultrasound machine from scratch.
High HonorYon Rojanasakul, PhD, has dedicated
his career to cancer research. “Cancer
is a disease that affects so many lives,”
he said. “Almost everyone has someone
close to them affected by the disease.”
Through his research on how cancer cells
gain competitive growth advantages
over normal cells and how they become
resistant to death, Dr. Rojanasakul , a
professor in the West Virginia University
School of Pharmacy Department of Basic
Pharmaceutical Sciences, hopes to lay
the groundwork for researchers working
to identify the causes of cancer and
develop more effective treatments.
Each year, the WVU Research Corporation
selects researchers for its highest
honor: the Robert C. Byrd Professorship.
Rojanasakul was one of only two selected
this year.
“Cancer is difficult to treat because of the
lack of basic understanding of the disease
process.” he said. “Basic research helps
to identify causes and develop strategies
for prevention, diagnosis, and treatments.”
Rojanasakul has been awarded numerous
grants over the past decade to fund his
research. His most recent award, a $1.4
million grant from the National Institutes
of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute, will fund research in identifying
whether or not exposure to carbon
nanotubes — one of the most commonly
used nanomaterials in commercial and
biomedical applications — causes
scarring and inflammation of the lungs
that may lead to cancer.
Building a SchoolMore than 50 faculty members from
across the Health Sciences Center met in
June to start the process of forming the
first new school since WVU established a
health campus in 1960.
The planned School of Public Health
will be based in Morgantown and is
expected to have a statewide presence.
Representatives of all four existing
schools and the Charleston and Eastern
Divisions are participating in the planning
process. West Virginia is one of a handful
of states that lack an accredited school of
public health.
The West Virginia Legislature included $1
million in the University’s 2011-12 budget
to support the effort. That commitment
has attracted private support for the
school as well, including a $1 million gift
in May – expected to be matched by the
state’s “Bucks for Brains” fund – that
established the Stuart M. and Joyce N.
Robbins Distinguished Professorship in
Epidemiology. The West Virginia Higher
Education Policy Commission and The
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
are providing financial support for
planning the school.
Alan Ducatman, MD, chair of the
Department of Community Medicine in
the WVU School of Medicine, has been
named interim dean and is leading the
planning process. He has appointed five
interim department chairs. “During this
transformational planning, the faculty
continue to publish new research and to
support an expanding teaching mission,”
Dr. Ducatman said.
The departments and their interim chairs
are:
• Biostatistics: Matthew Gurka, PhD
• Environmental Health: Michael
McCawley, PhD
• Epidemiology: Anoop Shankar, MD, PhD
• Health Services Administration and
Policy: Michael Hendryx, PhD
• Social and Behavioral Health: Keith
Zullig, PhD
Protea Biosciences, a developer of bioanalytical technology, is working with
Laura Gibson, PhD, of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center to help
understand why some leukemia cancer cells become resistant to treatment and
unresponsive to chemotherapy. The collaboration will be a first use of Protea’s
laser ablation electrospray ionization technology, which allows a researcher to
rapidly identify immense numbers of different chemicals within cells. The device
uses a special laser to burn a tiny hole in an individual cell, releasing a plume of
cellular particles. The plume is intersected by a jet of ionizing gases and analyzed
in a mass spectrometer – providing researchers with a wealth of data on the
composition of the cells.
At 90, Still Serving
This summer, West Virginia University neurosurgeon Robert Nugent, MD, beloved
to past and present staff, students, and colleagues, celebrated his 50th year
at WVU. A crowd gathered at Morgantown’s Waterfront Place Hotel July 16 to
surprise and honor the longtime faculty member.
Neurosurgery chair until 65, Dr. Nugent planned to keep teaching and practicing
medicine until he turned 75, a milestone he again passed without leaving his
career, patients, or students. At 90, Nugent still performs a couple of procedures
a month.
“I have difficulty giving up,” he explained.
New Technology Will Probe Leukemia CellsBRIEFS
For more than a century, Parkersburg, West Virginia, had two hospitals less than a mile apart: Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital near the center of the city and St Joseph’s Hospital. Late in 2010, leaders of both organizations announced a plan to consolidate into a single medical center, and to join the West Virginia United Health System, the regional health group that also includes WVU Hospitals and United Hospital Center in Clarksburg.
Mike King, chief executive officer of the combined Camden Clark Medical Center, says the change was made with widespread community support.
By early 2011, all the regulatory hurdles had been cleared, the boards approved the plan, and the agreement was completed. It’s now the third largest hospital system in the state with
598 beds, 75,000 annual emergency visits, 320,000 outpatient visits, 2,000 employees, and 225 physicians on the medical staff.
At the March 1 consolidation ceremony, King talked with a large crowd of hospital employees, civic leaders, and area residents about the benefits the hospital hopes to bring to Parkersburg: efficiency of operations, expanding services, better access to technology, physician training opportunities, and, most of all, better healthcare for the community.
For WVU Health Sciences Chancellor Christopher C. Colenda, MD, MPH, the move supports WVU’s commitment to serving all of West Virginia. “Our hospital partners in West Virginia United Health System share our values and our commitment to transforming lives and eliminating health disparities across the state,” he said.
Now, the people who depend on the hospital are looking for results. “It is rare for me to be out in the community without being asked, ‘How are things
going these days?’” King said. “My response is always ‘exceptionally well.’ Every process like this has glitches, but overall I think it has gone remarkably well.”
Hospital management worked immediately to identify areas where people from the two former competitors can work together, consolidating laboratory, infusion, mammography, PET scanning, and aeromedical support services, and creating a single quality and safety structure spanning both campuses. “We saved millions of dollars hung up in resources and services duplicated between the two hospitals,” King said.
“I’ve been impressed with the support we’ve received from the community,” he said. “Working together, in a very supportive community, with a great workforce and excellent physicians, we can do what we promised: build a stronger and healthier regional medical center and provide improved quality and safer health care now and far into the future, right here at home.”
UNITING A COMMUNITY’S HOSPITALS
24 | WVUhealth
Seven-Figure Supporters
Several $1 million-plus gifts to the WVU Foundation earlier
this year are advancing teaching, healthcare, and research
at the Health Sciences Center.
The Cline Family Foundation, led by Christopher Cline, a
southern West Virginia native and successful coal operator,
has provided $2 million to create an endowed chair in
orthopaedic surgery. The gift will qualify for matching
funds from the state “Bucks for Brains” initiative, making
the total benefit to WVU $4 million. Joseph Prudhomme,
MD, is the first to hold the chair.
WVU efforts to combat pediatric diabetes received a
$1 million donation from former state legislator Mike
Ross. WVU Children’s Hospital and the WVU Department
of Pediatrics will use the gift to support treatment and
education for children with diabetes and their families
and to establish the Mike Ross Family Pediatric Diabetes
Research Fund. The research portion of the gift is
expected to qualify for the state match.
The future School of Public Health attracted support for a
faculty position before even beginning its organizational
work. The Stuart M. and Joyce N. Robbins Distinguished
Professorship in Epidemiology was established with a $1
million gift in May – also expected to be matched by the
state.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute received $1 million
from The Bernard Osher Foundation to enrich the
educational programs it offers to people age 50 and older.
About 40 active and retired WVU faculty members teach
classes at the Institute, along with state and local experts
in public programs, business professionals, and artists.
Felton to Lead School of Dentistry
David A. Felton, DDS, MS, is
the new dean of the WVU School
of Dentistry.
“Dr. Felton has an international
reputation as a clinician, an
educator, and a researcher
and is eager to work with our
excellent faculty to advance the
oral health of West Virginians,”
said Christopher C. Colenda,
MD, MPH, chancellor for health
sciences. “He is a hands-on
leader with exemplary academic
credentials. We’re confident that he can help build upon the success
of the WVU School of Dentistry and bring it to national prominence.”
Felton is a graduate of the University of North Carolina dental school
and served on its faculty from 1990 until his appointment at WVU. He
is a past president of the American College of Prosthodontics and has
served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Prosthodontics since 2003.
Gift Supports Nursing Research
The West Virginia United Health System (WVUHS) has provided
$42,500 to support research in the West Virginia University School
of Nursing, creating the Evidence-Based Nursing Practice Research
Endowment. This gift qualifies for a dollar for dollar match from the
West Virginia Research Trust Fund.
The gift will support faculty and students in advanced nursing
research, promoting high quality patient care, according to System
CEO Tom Jones. WVUHS is the largest healthcare system based in
West Virginia, with member hospitals in north central West Virginia,
the Parkersburg area and the Eastern Panhandle.
PO Box 9083Morgantown, WV 26506 www.hsc.wvu.edu
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