An unfinished agenda: keeping people healthy

At Commencement, a former surgeon general urges access to health care and sex education.

Growing up in a small town in Arkansas, M. Joycelyn Elders, M.D., never saw a physician until she went to college. But in 1993 she became the nation’s top doctor, and as surgeon general her outspoken support of sex education provoked controversy. Access to knowledge about sexual health issues was a theme she echoed in her Commencement address at the School of Medicine in May, and the crowd loved it.

Elders told the 96 graduating students—who offered standing ovations at the beginning and end of her address—that an increase in HIV infections, rising rates of sexually transmitted diseases and the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the industrialized world prove that there’s an important place for sexual-health education in schools. “You can’t keep people healthy if you don’t educate them,” said Elders, professor emeritus of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. “And you can’t educate them if they’re not healthy.”

Although she has long advocated abstinence, she also feels that young people need to know about safe sex. “The vows of abstinence,” she told the cheering crowd, “break far more easily than a latex condom.”

She also cautioned the graduates that, despite having the best medical education, the best training, the best hospitals and the best colleagues in the world, they have a huge unfinished agenda. “We need to make sure we have improved access to care for all of our people,” she said, noting that more than 40 million people in the United States lack health insurance. Elders ended on a note of optimism, asking the graduates to use their power, prestige and position in their communities to effect change.

At the Commencement on Harkness Lawn, the Class of 2005 honored Robert D. Auerbach, M.D., HS ’87, lecturer in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, with the Francis Gilman Blake Award for outstanding teaching. Jennifer M. Gaudiani, M.D., a resident in internal medicine, received the Betsy Winters House Staff Award, given to the resident who has made the most significant contribution to the education of medical students. This year’s class gift was the largest ever: $2,000 was given to the Society for Distinguished Teachers, and $2,000 was pledged to the medical school’s endowment for scholarships, an amount that will be matched by the university.

The Bohmfalk Prize for teaching basic sciences was awarded to a husband-and-wife team for the first time: Marie L. Landry, M.D., HS ’77, FW ’81, professor of laboratory medicine, and Peter S. Aronson, M.D., FW ’75, the C.N.H. Long Professor of Medicine and professor of cellular and molecular physiology. The Bohmfalk Prize for teaching clinical science went to Michael K. O’Brien, M.D., Ph.D., assistant clinical professor of surgery (gastroenterology). Sharon K. Inouye, M.D., M.P.H. ’89, professor of medicine, received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, while Catherine Chiles, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry, won the Leah M. Lowenstein Prize, which recognizes faculty who promote humane and egalitarian medical education. The first annual Alvin R. Feinstein Award for outstanding clinical skills was awarded to Ronald R. Salem, M.D., associate professor and chief of surgery (oncology).

—Jill Max

An “old-fashioned” idea: nothing is more important than the public health

Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser peered at the 107 public health students gathered for Commencement in Battell Chapel on May 23 and called them “strange.” In a culture that insists that “everything is better when it’s for profit,” he said, these new graduates of the School of Public Health believe in “incredibly old-fashioned” ideas: the public good, the public interest and public service.

“There is nothing more important than the public health,” said Schlosser, a journalist whose bestselling book describes how the fast food industry has transformed America’s diet and its economy. “We have lost sight of this basic truth, and the greed and the selfishness of the past two decades have obscured it.” Even the wealthiest will not be safe from what Schlosser calls “the great levelers of mankind: the viruses and microbes that don’t really care where you went to school.”

Good public health saves money in the long run, said Schlosser. Just as disease mapping helped pioneering epidemiologist John Snow, M.D., discover the water pump responsible for much of a London cholera outbreak in 1854, modern maps would locate the American public health crisis in the poorest neighborhoods. “It is an illusion—a dangerous illusion—to think that the poor health of the poor can be ignored. We will all pay for it one way or another,” said Schlosser, noting that microbes from a sick busboy can find their way into the finest of gourmet meals.

In closing, Schlosser told the graduates, “We need more strange people like you. I have enormous respect for the path you have chosen.”

Also speaking was graduate Reshma Trasi, who told her classmates to persist despite barriers and to listen. “The next time you want to say something, try stopping yourself and letting the other person talk. … It will open your mind.”

The students chose Elizabeth H. Bradley, M.B.A., Ph.D. ’96, associate professor of public health, for the Award for Excellence in Teaching, her third in her nine-year career at Yale.

Other awardees included Lisa M. DiFedele, Farnoosh Hashemian, Asa Margolis and Bonnie E. Gould Rothberg, M.D. ’94, HS ’96, each of whom received a Dean’s Prize for outstanding master’s thesis.

The Wilbur G. Downs International Health Prize went to Anna Beitin; the Henry J. (Sam) Chauncey Jr. Inspiration Award to Elinor Schwimmer; and the Cortlandt Van Rensselaer Creed Award to Edward Magee and Anika Hines.

—Cathy Shufro

Match Day sees more bound for New Haven residencies and training as generalists

While many people celebrated March 17 as St. Patrick’s Day, medical students from the Class of 2005 had another reason to celebrate. There were shouts, cheers and tears of joy at Harkness Ballroom on Match Day, the half-century-old ritual that will likely determine the course of their careers. Nationwide, almost 94 percent of medical school seniors matched to residencies this year.

Students applied to programs around the country, but a larger number than ever before—27 out of 94—are staying in Connecticut, mostly at Yale-New Haven Hospital. “People worry about New Haven—is it keeping good students? Well, it’s keeping really good students,” said Nancy R. Angoff, M.P.H. ’81, M.D. ’90, HS ’93, associate dean for student affairs. Another trend at Yale is that more students this year are going into internal medicine, primary care and pediatrics than in past years, which saw higher numbers of graduating seniors entering surgical subspecialties.

For the most part, students were calm and poised as they approached the tables stacked with the envelopes that held news of their futures for the next four years. But Michael Shapiro was unable to contain himself as he sprinted ahead of the crowd, ripped open his envelope, let out a yell and then burst into tears. He was accepted to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s plastic surgery program, his goal after volunteering for Operation Smile two years ago, when he went to Morocco to assist with reconstructive surgery. “It sounds schmaltzy,” he said, “but it’s been my dream.”

Many students whipped out cell phones to share the good news with family and friends, but Brad Raphael was able to share it in person with his father, Irving G. Raphael, M.D. ’71, who was on hand. “It’s excitement, nervousness and relief all combined into one,” the younger Raphael said before opening his envelope. Upon learning the good news—that he was going to the Hospital for Special Surgery at Cornell University Weill Medical College to pursue orthopaedic surgery—he hugged his father, also an orthopaedist, and said, “It’s exactly where I want to be. I’m feeling euphoria right now.”

—Jill Max

2005 residency placements for Yale medical students

The Office of Student Affairs has provided the following list, which outlines the results of the National Resident Matching Program for Yale’s medical graduates. Some names appear twice because the graduate is entering a one-year program before beginning a specialty residency. The transitional designation is a one-year program with three-month rotations in different specialties.

CALIFORNIA
Harbor–UCLA Medical Center, Torrance
Leo Kim, medicine-preliminary

Stanford University Programs
Jeffrey Chi, internal medicine
Douglas Jacobson, medicine-preliminary
Inna Landres, obstetrics and gynecology
Christoph Lee, diagnostic radiology
Nir Modiano, internal medicine

UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
Edidiong Ikpe, emergency medicine/internal medicine

University of California, San Francisco
Neelendu Dey, internal medicine
Jessica Yager, internal medicine

University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Leo Kim, ophthalmology

COLORADO
HealthONE Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center, Denver
Mariah Ruth, transitional

University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver
Heidi Cook, obstetrics and gynecology
Mariah Ruth, dermatology

CONNECTICUT
Hospital of Saint Raphael’s, New Haven
Annika Dronge, transitional
David Ornan, transitional

Middlesex Hospital Program, Middletown
Kohar Jones, family practice

Yale-New Haven Hospital
David Aversa, psychiatry
Anamika Chaudhuri, internal medicine
Stephanie Colegio-Eisenbarth, laboratory medicine
Gina Constantine, internal medicine/primary
Vicente Diaz, ophthalmology
Annika Dronge, ophthalmology
Thomas Fernandez, psychiatry-adult/child
John Forrest, internal medicine
Adam Gafni-Kane, obstetrics and gynecology
Barton Kenney, pathology-anatomic and clinical
Brett King, dermatology
Eleanor Knopp, dermatology
Christopher Kwong, internal medicine/primary
Catherine Loerke, surgery-preliminary
Javier Lopez, obstetrics and gynecology
Coeurlida Louis, internal medicine/primary
Ernest Mandel, internal medicine
Deanne Nakamoto, medicine-primary-preliminary, ophthalmology
Sarah Nikiforow, internal medicine
Damani Piggott, medicine/pediatrics
David Ross, psychiatry
Isaac Sasson, obstetrics and gynecology
Grace Smith, medicine-preliminary
Curtis Weiss, internal medicine
Carlos Wesley, emergency medicine

FLORIDA
Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami
Matthew Whitley, otolaryngology

GEORGIA
Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta
Michele Flagge, emergency medicine
Andre Matthews, emergency medicine

HAWAII
University of Hawaii Program, Honolulu
Christoph Lee, transitional

INDIANA
Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
Nicholas Countryman, dermatology

IOWA
University of Iowa (Des Moines) Program
Andrew Chen, medicine-preliminary

MARYLAND
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
Yuri Agrawal, surgery-preliminary, otolaryngology
Amy Duffield, pathology
Naudia Lauder, internal medicine
Martine Solages, pediatrics

MASSACHUSETTS
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston
Jillian Catalanotti, internal medicine
Dagan Coppock, internal medicine
Eric Golding, internal medicine
Joshua Klein, medicine-preliminary

Boston University Medical Center
Katherine Gergen Barnett, family practice

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
Cristina Baseggio, internal medicine/primary
Michael Herce, internal medicine
Eleanor Knopp, medicine-preliminary
Janelle Luk, obstetrics and gynecology

Harvard Combined Program, Boston
Susan Rushing, pediatric neurology

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Suzanne Baron, internal medicine
Brett King, medicine-preliminary
Mandy Krauthamer, internal medicine/primary
Erin Mahony, pediatrics
Brian Nahed, surgery-preliminary, neurosurgery

Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
Joshua Klein, neurology

Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Combined)
Ariel Frey, medicine/pediatrics

MICHIGAN
University of Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor
Raymond Lynch, general surgery

MISSISSIPPI
Keesler Medical Center Program, Keesler AFB
Kwabena Blankson, pediatrics

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon
Daniel Gibson, surgery-preliminary, neurosurgery

NEW YORK
Albert Einstein College/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx
Margo Simon, family practice

Flushing Hospital Medical Center
Daniel Khaimov, transitional

Hospital for Special Surgery/Cornell Medical Center
Bradley Raphael, orthopaedic surgery

Mount Sinai Hospital
Jocelyn Soffer, psychiatry

New York-Presbyterian Hospital–Columbia
Rohit Chandwani, general surgery
Daniel Khaimov, anesthesiology
Aimee Lee, internal medicine

New York-Presbyterian Hospital–Cornell
Jennifer Davids, general surgery
Matthew Davids, internal medicine
Elena Gimenez-Hubbard, surgery-preliminary, urology
Edison Machado, internal medicine/primary

New York University School of Medicine
Helena Hansen, psychiatry
David Ornan, diagnostic radiology

NYU Downtown Hospital
Vicente Diaz, medicine-preliminary

Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester, New Rochelle
Neil Lester, medicine-preliminary

Staten Island University Hospital
Neil Lester, diagnostic radiology

University of Rochester/Strong Memorial Hospital
Lorky Libaridian, medicine/pediatrics

NORTH CAROLINA
Duke University Medical Center, Durham
Hardean Achneck, general surgery
Richard Chung, medicine/pediatrics
Sean Lee, general surgery

University of North Carolina Hospitals Program, Chapel Hill
Jesse James, internal medicine
Trevor Phillips, emergency medicine

PENNSYLVANIA
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Frances Balamuth, pediatrics
Christina Lynch, pediatrics-preliminary, pediatric neurology

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Niya Jones, internal medicine
June Spector, internal medicine/primary

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Michael Shapiro, plastic surgery

WASHINGTON
University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, Seattle
Chloe Atreya, internal medicine
Andrew Chen, ophthalmology
Jing Feng, dermatology
Sharon Gill, internal medicine/primary
Lianne Hirano, internal medicine
Douglas Jacobson, ophthalmology

WISCONSIN
Medical College of Wisconsin Program, Milwaukee
Matthew Streckert, emergency medicine

St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, Milwaukee
Jing Feng, transitional

Three students are pursuing career opportunities other than residency. Julie Cantor will be an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson, a law firm in Los Angeles. Eric Poolman has a public health postdoctoral fellowship at the School of Medicine. Louis Moreno has a position as research manager at Gerson Lehrman Group, a firm in Manhattan that specializes in customized research for business.

Boffo reviews for Golden Probe!! Raves for Alpern!! Überstein rocks Harkness!!

The excitement was palpable at the First Annual Golden Probe Awards, the Class of 2007’s entry in the ever-popular parade of shows put on annually by second-year medical students at Yale. Fans gathered behind a rope line at the entrance to Harkness Auditorium to greet the nominees and wonder who among them would win the statues of gilded hands with erect index fingers honoring the best in the business. Fans cheered and snapped photos at the sight of celebrity docs on the other side of the rope.

Inside, it was all about entertainment, not to mention the minutiae of being a medical student. The nod for Best Situation Comedy went to Seinfelder XXY, a spoof melding the television show Seinfeld with Klinefelter XXY syndrome, a common chromosomal abnormality. Erotic Admissions took the award for Best Pornographic Film (heavens!), with a cast starring admissions dean Thomas L. Lentz, M.D. ’64, and adult-film actress Jenna Jameson, portrayed by Danielle Guez, as an applicant willing to get into med school “at any cost.” (Line from script: “The MCAT is so long and hard!”) There was even an award for Best Physiology Textbook, pitting Costanzo’s Physiology, a top-rated text for med students, against Medical Physiology by local heroes Boron and Boulpaep. It ended in a tie.

Dean Robert J. Alpern, M.D., made his Yale singing debut with the theme song from Dean Alpern’s Neighborhood, the winner of Best Children’s Show, which evoked the late Fred Rogers, complete with nerdy sweater and blue tennis shoes. The rock band Überstein raised the roof with their original composition, “New Haven Blues,” and the musicians—Michael Martinez and Eric Huebner on guitars, Brian Yablon on keyboards, Dario Englot on bass and public health student Jared Novak on drums—played the four nominations for Best Oldies Song. The titles? “This Glans is Made for You and Me,” by Woody Urethrie; “Doc Around the Clock,” by Bill Frist and the Congress; “Here Comes the Shunt,” by the Needles; and “Don’t Know Much” by Cram Booke.

When it came to the cluelessness that defines at least a part of second year, the last entry said it all:

Don’t know much biochemistry
Don’t know much physiology
Don’t know much about a histo book
Don’t know much about those pills you took …

Of course that will all change in two years, when the singers and dancers of ’07 will have traded their status as resident comedians for the real drama of residency. Stay tuned!

—Cathy Shufro

Balancing the bedside and the bench, and having fun along the way

As he delivered the 18th annual Farr Lecture at Student Research Day in May, Arthur L. Horwich, M.D., HS ’78, FW ’83, described his own path to a career in research. He trained as a pediatrician, but the lure of the laboratory ultimately proved too strong to resist. Still, he found a balance, he said. “Research and the bedside,” he said, “are inextricably linked.” Horwich, a geneticist whose work has shown how proteins fold, still consults on clinical cases.

“You cannot predict exactly what you will be doing in some balance of research and clinical medicine,” said Horwich, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Genetics and professor of pediatrics, as he offered some advice. “Make sure it is a balance that really causes you to have fun.”

Among the 75 students who presented this year was second-year medical student Mary Dombrowski, who examined whether transplants of olfactory ensheathing cells can regenerate myelin. She chose the topic because her father has multiple sclerosis. In her experiments with rats she found that the cells did encourage myelin growth. “It has stimulated my interest in neurology as a career choice,” she said.

Fourth-year student Hardean E. Achneck found the bright side to a devastating disease. Ascending aortic aneurysms are associated with a decrease in systemic atherosclerosis, and there may be a genetic mechanism involved, he said. “If we find out what the genes are, we may find the mechanism of this and, eventually, treat atherosclerosis,” he said.

Research topics ranged from a mix of basic science and clinical findings to at least one offbeat subject. David A. Ross, a student in the M.D./Ph.D. program, studied the phenomenon of absolute pitch. “The vast majority of great composers,” he said, “have had perfect pitch.” Alison H. Norris, also an M.D./Ph.D. student, studied the HIV risk for workers on a sugar plantation in Tanzania. Helena Hansen, who completed the M.D./Ph.D. program in May, studied faith-based substance abuse treatment in a Pentecostal community in Puerto Rico.

Five students were chosen to make oral presentations: Margo D. Simon, Eric Poolman, Suzanne J. Baron, Raymond Lynch and Joshua Klein.

—John Curtis


			Originally published in Yale Medicine, Summer 2005. Copyright © 2005 Yale University School of Medicine. All rights reserved.