Academic prowess and research scholarship are the hallmarks of the Health
Sciences Center. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to highlight some
of the achievements and awards of the faculty and staff of the Health
Sciences Center. I am particularly pleased this month to inform you about
the distinctions earned by several people here at the HSC, which again
prove what a truly outstanding group of people we have here.
Dr. Cristina Leske, Chair of Preventive Medicine, has been elected to the
Institute of Medicine, becoming the first person from Stony Brook and only
the fourth from a SUNY institution to receive this great honor. An
internationally recognized expert in ophthalmic epidemiology, Dr. Leske's
research has been in the forefront of methods for epidemiological research
and investigating risk factors for eye diseases and breast cancer. Her
15-year pioneering study measuring the incidence and prevalence of blinding
diseases in people of African descent is the largest of its kind.
In addition, Dr. Jack Stern, Chair of the Department of Anatomical
Sciences, has been awarded the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor by
SUNY. Both Dr. William Lennarz, Chair of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and
Dr. Christina Leske, Chair of Preventive Medicine were appointed to the
rank of Distinguished Professor.
Wayne Waltzer, Chair of the Department of Urology, received the 2001
National Medical Award by the Urology Kidney Foundation of New York/New
Jersey. Dr. Peter Viccellio from the Department of Emergency Medicine,
received the Physician of the Year Award from the New York Chapter of the
American College of Emergency Physicians.
Dr. Lorne M. Golub, Professor of Oral Biology and Pathology from the School
of Dental Medicine, was awarded the American Dental Association's 2001
Norton M. Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research the award for his
contributions to the understanding of periodontal disease and to the
development of new therapies. Dr. Golub is recognized as an international
expert on periodontal disease, which affects 67 million adults in the U.S.
His work has included the development of Periostat, the leading drug used
in treating periodontitis and the first FDA-approved collagenase inhibitory
drug for the treatment of any disease. He currently is working on research
involving a new drug to treat a variety of diseases.
Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals (New York, NY) completed negotiations for an
exclusive, worldwide license to novel cancer therapeutics developed in the
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology by Drs. Paul Bingham and Zuzana
Zachar. Their studies have suggested that new agents are highly
selective for modified enzymatic pathways in cancer that are unlikely to be
found in normal tissues. Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals has designed future
studies to test these specific agents as the core of a novel
chemotherapeutic strategy. By combining the drug with its unique tumor
targeting nanoparticle technology platform, the tumor targeted
nanoparticles are capable of concentrating drugs in tumors more than
anywhere else in the body, resulting in a higher probability that normal
cells and tissues will be spared in cancer treatment.
Dr. Jack Fuhrer, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, received the
Distinguished Alumni Award from the University at the Alumni Awards Dinner
last month for his outstanding professional accomplishments and exemplary
community service. Dr. Jerome Z. Liang, Professor of Radiology and
Computer Science was recently honored as Guest Professor of Peking
University in Beijing, the Beijing General Hospital and the Fourth VA
Hospital in Xi'An, China. And -- Dr. Gerdi Weidner from the Department of
Preventive Medicine is the recipient of an Alexander von Humboldt research
award.
Congratulations to all! You bring recognition not only to yourselves, but
to the entire institution.
Q & A
Good communication is two way. Therefore, if you would like to comment or
respond to any topics, please do so at HSC_VP@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.
Suggestions for future topics are always welcome, as well.
IN OTHER HSC NEWS:
• Dr. Christopher Porter has been appointed Assistant Professor in the
Department of Urology. Dr. Porter is currently involved in research on the
detection and prediction of localized prostate cancer using spectral
analysis and trans-rectal ultrasound.
• The students from the School of Health, Technology and Management
float took first prize in the Banner Contest at Homecoming and third prize
in the float contest. Also as part of the Homecoming activities, a
interdisciplinary seminar, "Confronting Family Violence," attracted nearly
100 students, staff, and alumni.
• Dr. Maria Emanuel Ryan and her colleagues at the School of Dental
Medicine, have received a $300,000 grant from the National Institute of
Dental and Craniofacial Research for a two-year study on the treatment of
periodontal disease in type-1, insulin dependent diabetics.
Save the Date
On Monday, November 12, 2001 - Veteran's Day- Harlem Globetrotters, the
Magicians of Basketball will be here to take on our Stony Brook Seawolves!
The tip-off is at 3 pm in the Stony Brook University Indoor Sports Complex.
Tickets Only $10 Call 631-632-WOLF or log onto www.goseawolves.org
On Tuesday, November 13, Dr. David Ho will be the guest lecturer to kick
off the Sir Run Run Shaw Lecture Series. Dr. Ho is Scientific Director and
CEO of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Rockefeller University.
The lecture takes place at 4:15 PM in Room P-137 in Harriman Hall.
On Wednesday, November 14, horticulturist and garden writer, Tovah Martin,
will be the first guest speaker at "Under Glass," a new seminar series to
raise awareness for the Life Sciences Greenhouse. The event is at Noon in
the SAC Auditorium. Tickets are $25 and include lunch. For information,
call 2-1163.
On November 14, Drs. Peter Vicciello and Lester Kallus, Department of
Emergency Medicine, as part of the Emergency Preparedness Task Force, will
present Bioterrorism Facts, Fiction, and Future. The session will begin at
12:40 pm in the Javits Center Room 100.
On November 26, the Prelec Lecture & Panel Discussion will consist of two
parts. In the HSC Lecture Hall 1 from 2-4 pm Donald Lundberg, Director of
the National Library of Medicine, will speak. Then in the SAC Auditorium
at 4:30 pm he will be joined by Kenneth Richieri & Siva Vadhyanattian of
the NY Times for a lively panel discussion.
On November 28, Peter Angelo PhD, Department of Athletics will be the
speaker at a presentation on Injury and Wound Care. The session will begin
at 12:40 pm in the SAC Auditorium.
