Community Health Charities of Georgia recently presented Emory ophthalmology chair Thomas Aaberg with its Health Advancement Research Award for his contributions to vision research. Samuel Aguayo, pulmonary and critical care medicine, is now director of health services-related research at the Atlanta Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Lee Alderman has been appointed director of the Environmental Health and Safety Office.

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Cardiologist Wayne Alexander is the new chair of the department of medicine, following a national search led by pathology chair James Madara. Alexander joined Emory as the R. Bruce Logue Professor of Medicine in 1988. He is highly regarded for his clinical expertise, administrative leadership, and research into the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of heart disease. Under his direction, the division of cardiology has ranked consistently as one of the top 10 cardiology programs in the country. Through his research studies, Alexander helped discover the gene for angiotensin II and also codeveloped "v-protectant" technology, which may one day inhibit heart disease, even reverse it. He currently leads major National Institutes of Health studies on vascular hypertrophy and research training in cardiology. As chair of medicine, Alexander fills the position previously held by nephrologist Juha Kokko, now associate dean for clinical research.

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Neurosurgeon Roy Bakay is president-elect of the American Society of Neural Transplantation. Greg Berns received the Smith Kline Beecham Young Faculty Development Award from the American Psychiatric Association. Grant Carlson is the new chief of surgical services at Crawford Long Hospital. The Radiological Society of North America named Harry Cloft as its Scholar for 1999 to further his research into bioactive vascular stents and coils in the management of neurovascular lesions. Giselle Corbie-Smith, medicine, has been awarded a five-year Mentored Scientist Career Development Award from the NIH to study the barriers to African-American participation in clinical research. Christi Deaton, nursing, moderated a special session on women and heart disease at the American Heart Association's annual conference. Sandra Dunbar, nursing, received the American Heart Association's 1999 Katherine Lembright Award for her contributions and achievements in cardiovascular nursing research. Rizk El-Galley received a 1999 Pfizer Scholars in Urology grant to advance the science of urology and improve patient care. Bill Foege was appointed senior adviser to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Tom Gordon, long-time associate director of scientific programs and chief of psychobiology at Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center, has been named interim director. Former director Tom Insel will lead the new Center for Behavioral Neurosciences. Pulmonologist David Guidot is president-elect of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. Katherine Heilpern is one of 10 physicians nationwide to receive the National Teaching Award from the American College of Emergency Physicians. John Hunter is now president of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons. Cardiologist Willis Hurst and neurologist Marc Chimowitz co-authored, with Louis Caplan of Harvard, Clinical Neurocardiology (Marcel Dekker, 1999). Hurst also received the Dwight Harken Award of the Mended Hearts for his commitment to cardiovascular medicine. Nadine Kaslow was recognized by the American Psychological Association for her contributions in family psychology. She also chairs the board of directors of the Association of Psychology Predoctoral and Internship Centers. Arthur Kellermann, who chairs the department of emergency medicine in the School of Medicine and directs the Center for Injury Control in the Rollins School of Public Health, was one of 55 new members recently elected to the Institute of Medicine, an independent organization that studies medical research issues. Fadi Lakkis, medicine, received the Novartis Young Investigator Basic Science Award from the American Society of Transplantation. Laura Porter Kimble, nursing, presented her research on monitoring the progression of heart disease in elderly women, based on their ability to perform housework, at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association. In addition, she was inducted as a fellow of the AMA's Council of Cardiovascular Nursing. James Madara, chair of pathology, has received the annual Torch of Leadership Award from the Atlanta Regional Chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. Donald McCormick, biochemistry, received the 1999 Bristol-Myers Squibb/Mead Johnson Award for Distinguished Achievement in Nutrition Research. Recognized as the world's leading expert on water-soluble vitamins and other co-factors, McCormick discovered how vitamins such as riboflavin, B6, and biotin are absorbed, converted to usable forms, and then broken down and excreted by the human body.

Rev. Roy McTier Sr., one of the oldest living Methodist ministers in Georgia and a resident since 1997 at Budd Terrace at Wesley Woods, died at Emory Hospital in January at the age of 100. His ties to Emory date back to 1930 when he entered the Candler School of Theology and are continued to this day by his family who have been strong supporters of Emory and the Woodruff Health Sciences Center. His son, Charles "Pete" McTier, is president of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. Dominique Musselman, psychiatry, received the Klerman Young Investigators Award from the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association. Sampathy Parthasarathy has been named the McCord/Cross Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Charles Nemeroff, chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, recently received the Fleur Strand Research Award and presented the keynote lecture at the summer neuropeptide meeting. Alan Plummer, medicine, received a distinguished service award from the Medical Association of Atlanta. Hugh Randall, gyn/ob, has begun a two-year term as chair of the state Council on Maternal and Infant Health. Jesse Roman is secretary treasurer of the Georgia Thoracic Society. Mark Rosenberg, known for his seminal role in developing the field of injury prevention, is the new science director of the Collaborative Center for Child Well-Being. The former director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control will oversee this new public health initiative as part of the Task Force for Child Survival. Mar Sanchez, psychiatry, recently received the Sally Klingenstein Foundation Young Faculty Development Award for Research in Childhood Depression. Jeff Sands, medicine, chairs the renal section of the American Physiological Society.

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New Name, New Director, New Building for Cancer Program After an intensive search, Emory's Winship Cancer Institute has a new director. He is Jonathan Simons, a highly regarded cancer clinician and the first researcher to successfully use human gene therapy to elicit a measurable immune response against metastatic prostate cancer. An oncologist and urologist, Simons comes from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he was director of the molecular pharmacology program and cancer gene therapy laboratory. He is best known for his work in developing patient-specific vaccines for prostate, kidney, and breast cancer, adding immune response-enhancing genes to surgically removed tumor cells and injecting them back into the patient. Simons comes to Emory just as the university is planning a major expansion of its 62-year-old cancer program. The Winship Cancer Center became the Winship Cancer Institute last year to better reflect the diversity of Emory's work in cancer. A component of the School of Medicine, the institute encompasses extensive cancer care, laboratory, and clinical cancer research programs across Emory. Simons' leadership is expected to take the institute to National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center status within the next five years. His arrival in February will also help Emory move full-speed ahead on a $56 million, 226,000-square-foot comprehensive cancer center building which has been on hold to assure that final plans meet a new director's strategic vision. About 60% of the facility will be devoted to outpatient clinical care and 40% to research.

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From the Director  /  Letters The Grady Crunch The Healing Fields Getting into the Act Moving Forward  /  Noteworthy Grady's Crisis is America's Dig It!

John Skandalakis received the Leonidion Award, presented by the Pan-Laconian Federation of the United States and Canada, for his contributions to the field of medicine, for the perpetuation of his Laconian and Hellenic heritage, and for his distinguished service to the Greek-American community. Perry Sprawls, radiology, received the 1999 Achievement Award from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine for lifetime career contributions. Joyce Tenover, geriatrics, is president-elect of the American Society of Andrology. Stephen Warren received the William Allen Award of the American Society of Human Genetics, the highest research award in the field. He is editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Human Genetics. Thomas Ziegler, medicine, received the 1999 Physician-Nutrition Specialist Award from the American Society for Clinical Nutrition for his leadership in developing and sustaining education programs for medical students, interns, and practicing physicians in the clinical nutrition field.