Honors

Edelle C. Field-Fote, Ph.D., associate professor of physical therapy, will serve as chairperson of the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Sciences Study Section’s center for scientific review for the National Institutes of Health. She will participate in the NIH peer review process through the middle of 2008.

Jose N. Moreno, M.D., professor of clinical medicine and faculty member in the Division of Infectious Diseases, was selected as one of America’s Top Physicians 2006 by the Consumers’ Research Council of America. The council, based in Washington, D.C., is a research organization that provides consumer information guides for professional services throughout America.

Richard Preston, M.D., professor of clinical medicine, passed the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology exam with the highest score among those sitting for the exam. He now is one of only 250 doctors in the United States who have earned this certification.

 

Deborah M. Thevenin, Ph.D., clinical director, University of Miami Medical Group’s Physician-Patient Advocacy Program, and Steven E. Stark, J.D., executive director, Office of Risk Prevention and Patient Protection, received the People’s Choice Poster Award from the National Patient Safety Foundation at the NPSF 8th Annual Patient Safety Congress in San Francisco. The winning poster presented the work of the UMMG Physician-Patient Advocacy Program.

 
  Presentations

David Lee Gordon, M.D., professor of neurology and medicine, director of neurology training programs, and assistant director of the Center for Research in Medical Education, gave a presentation on stroke to Tampa Bay area volunteers of the American Heart Association Florida/Puerto Rico Affiliate.

Paolo Romanelli, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, was an invited speaker at the XV Jornadas de Actualizaciones Terapeuticas Dermatologicas y Esteticas in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Romanelli discussed “New Syndromes in Dermatology—Importance and Treatment.”


Publications

Marc E. Agronin, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and director of mental health services at the Miami Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged, recently co-edited the textbook Principles and Practice of Geriatric Psychiatry, published by Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, along with Gabe Maletta, Ph.D., from the University of Minnesota. He also co-authored a chapter in the textbook on sexuality in late life with the noted TV and radio personality Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Erin N. Marcus, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine, published a perspective article in the July 27 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine titled “The Silent Epidemic - The Health Effects of Illiteracy.”

Leopoldo Raij, M.D., professor of medicine, and Ivonne Hernandez Schulman, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, published an in-depth topic review in the American Journal of Nephrology. The review article was on “Salt Sensitivity and Hypertension after Menopause: Role of Nitric Oxide and Angiotensin II.” They also published a study, along with colleagues in Italy and Spain, in the June edition of Hypertension, a journal of the American Heart Association. The study was titled “Surgical Menopause Increases Salt Sensitivity of Blood Pressure.”

Peter Takacs, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, and Carlos Medina, M.D., associate professor, both in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, have published a study on laparoscopic management of benign adnexal mass in obese women in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology.

UM Medical Group: Making a Difference

arbara Wolpe called a Physician Referral Office (PRO) supervisor and began to cry. Her doctor was part of the University of Miami Medical Group (UMMG), the clinical practice of the Miller School of Medicine. Wolpe told the supervisor that she was calling regarding one of the employees in PRO who had scheduled her appointment. The supervisor asked the Miami woman if there had been any problems with the scheduling.

“Oh, no,” said Wolpe. “I’m not calling to complain. I’m calling to thank you and tell you what a wonderful employee you have. People like Fausto Arias deserve recognition. I cried because he was so kind to me.”

Wolpe had been feeling isolated and depressed about her condition. “Fausto spoke to me with such respect. He was very efficient and got me an appointment right away, but what mattered most was his treating me with such kindness. I have suffered so much and felt so alone. Today, I found someone who cared.”

Fausto is one of the UMMG’s many employees who are dedicated to providing the best in patient care. The Medical Group includes Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and UM/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, more than 850 physicians, allied health professionals, and clinical and administrative staff. UMMG physicians see patients at the medical and Coral Gables campuses, as well as several other locations in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Collier Counties. The services offered range from primary care through the most complex specialty care. No matter where patients are seen or for what level of care, the goal of the UMMG is to make a positive difference in their lives.

If you have other UMMG service stories to share, please e-mail them to Helen Scarr, director of service excellence, at hscarr@med.miami.edu.