Newsmakers: June 2017
Research Associate Dean Galindo elected to ASCI
Dr. Rene Galindo, Associate Dean for Medical Student Research and Associate Professor of Pathology, Molecular Biology, and Pediatrics has been elected to membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).
The Galindo laboratory works to uncover the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying childhood cancer. His particular focus is on rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common and deadly childhood soft tissue malignancy. Children with RMS have poor survival rates and often suffer disfigurement from surgery and chemotherapy.
The ASCI, an honor society for early career physician-scientists (M.D./Ph.D.s), includes nearly 3,000 members representing all medical specialties. The ASCI inducted new members of its Class of 2017 in mid-April.
Dr. Galindo earned both his medical and doctoral degrees from UT Southwestern in 2000 before joining the faculty.
Surgeon Jaquiss holding Pogue Distinguished Chair
Dr. Robert “Jake” Jaquiss, Professor of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, and of Pediatrics, has been selected to hold the Pogue Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Research.
Dr. Jaquiss is a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon who specializes in neonatal (newborn) heart surgery and surgery for children with heart failure. As head of the Division of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery at UT Southwestern and Co-Director of the Heart Center at Children’s Health, Dr. Jaquiss leads one of the largest and most experienced children’s heart programs in the country.
Dr. Jaquiss earned his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1986 before completing his cardiovascular and thoracic surgery residency and a research fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine before thoracic surgery and pediatric cardiac surgery fellowships, both at Washington University/Barnes Jewish Hospital.
Lemack serving as Trustee of American Board of Urology
Dr. Gary Lemack, Professor of Urology and of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, has begun a six-year term as an elected Trustee of The American Board of Urology (ABU). Dr. Lemack was nominated to the ABU by the American Urological Association.
Dr. Lemack, a UT Southwestern faculty member since 1999, leads the Urology Residency Program. He is also the Program Director for the Fellowship in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery.
After graduating from Cornell University Medical College, he completed his urologic residency at The New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center, followed by a two-year fellowship female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at UT Southwestern. His clinical practice focuses on care for women with incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and other refractory bladder disorders. His research has focused on improving incontinence care for adults with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. Much of his work has involved collaborations with the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases-sponsored Urinary Incontinence Treatment Network.
He has written or co-authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications and over 20 book chapters. Dr. Lemack serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Urology and is an expert reviewer for several other journals. He is currently the President for the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction; an Oral Examiner for the American Board of Urology; and a Board Member of the South Central Section of the American Urological Association.
Founded in 1935, the American Board of Urology acts for the benefit of the public to ensure high quality, safe, efficient and ethical practice of urology by establishing and maintaining standards of certification for urologists. Six urologic societies nominate to the ABU and sponsor its activities.
Indian institute recognizes Manna for chemistry research
Dr. Madhu Sudan Manna, a postdoctoral researcher at UT Southwestern, has received a 2016 Eli Lilly and Company Asia Outstanding Thesis Award for his work at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. A member of the laboratory of Dr. Uttam Tambar, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Dr. Manna was honored for his work on catalytic enantioselective reactions, which are challenging to achieve and of great importance in the development of pharmaceuticals.
Eight awards were made, recognizing researchers for outstanding doctoral work in medicinal chemistry, organic synthesis, computational chemistry, structural biology, or analytical chemistry. Dr. Tambar, a W.W. Caruth, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research, said Dr. Manna’s intellectual approach to chemical research and his scientific creativity sets him apart.
Minassian holding Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Neurology
Dr. Berge Minassian, Professor of Pediatrics and in the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern, has been selected to hold the Jimmy Elizabeth Westcott Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Neurology.
The physician-scientist has special expertise in caring for patients with epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases, and neurogenetic conditions. Dr. Minassian has spent much of his 20 years of research seeking the underlying genetic causes of epilepsy.
Board certified and fellowship trained, Dr. Minassian serves as Chief of Neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and leads the Neurosciences Center at Children’s Health in Dallas.
Dr. Minassian has been active in neurogenetics research for his entire career. Two of his primary interests have been Lafora disease, for which his laboratory discovered the genes, and adult polyglucosan body disease. He has published more than 120 scholarly articles and authored or contributed to 10 books.
Certified in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Dr. Minassian joined the faculty in 2016. He previously served as a Professor of Neurology at the University of Toronto, a pediatric neurologist at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, and a senior scientist in genetics and genome biology at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute.
Dr. Minassian earned his medical degree at McGill University Faculty of Medicine and completed a residency in adult neurology at the Veterans Administration West Los Angeles Medical Center. He then served a clinical fellowship in pediatric neurology and epileptology, as well as postdoctoral research fellowships in both molecular genetics and molecular neurogenetics at the University of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.
Pancreatic specialist Minter leading national association
Dr. Rebecca Minter, Professor of Surgery, has been named 2017-2018 President of the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA).
Dr. Minter, who holds the Alvin Baldwin, Jr. Chair in Surgery at UT Southwestern, serves as Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology’s section of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, as well as Vice Chair of Clinical Operations and Finance for the Department of Surgery.
A faculty member since 2015, Dr. Minter specializes in the surgical treatment of pancreatic disease, including cancers, pancreatic cysts, and pancreatitis. She also has expertise in surgically managing malignant and benign diseases of the bile duct, gallbladder, stomach, and duodenum. Her research interests include assessment of clinical competence and the development of therapeutics and multidisciplinary care pathways for the management of pancreatic neoplasms.
Dr. Minter earned her medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School in 1996, and completed a molecular biology fellowship and her surgery residency at the University of Florida College of Medicine (2000 and 2003, respectively). She is certified by the American Board of Surgery.
Dr. Minter previously was Chief of the University of Michigan’s Division of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Advanced Gastrointestinal Surgery, and Associate Chair of Education for the Department of Surgery. She also served on the faculty of the Department of Learning Health Sciences.
The AHPBA was created in 1994 with a vision of devoting itself to relieving the human suffering caused by HPB disorders throughout the world, by improving education, training, innovation, research and patient care. The AHPBA, which has more than 1,000 members, serves as the American Chapter of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.
Orthopaedic surgeons, immunologists shine at international meeting
Faculty members Drs. Amy McIntosh, Ward Wakeland, Prithvi Raj, and Lawson Copley, along with other colleagues from UT Southwestern and from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, received two “best paper” awards recently at the first joint meeting of the North American and European Pediatric Orthopaedic Societies.
The May meeting, held in Barcelona, Spain, was the largest gathering of pediatric orthopedists ever, with more than 2,000 attendees.
In all, there were over 1,400 submissions for 200 podium presentations, with the UTSW/TSRH teams receiving 20 spots. Thirty submissions were selected as “best paper” candidates in three chosen categories, with five of the Dallas group’s work advancing and eventually judged as “best” in two categories.
Winning the EPOSNA’s Best Quality, Safety, Value Initiative (QSVI) paper award, titled “Significant Reductions in Surgical Site Infection (SSI) In Spinal Fusion Patients Using a Bundled Intervention Approach” were Dr. McIntosh, Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Kerry Wilder from TSRH.
The Best Basic Science paper award winner, titled “Genome and Virulence Determinants of Staphylococcus aureus Causing Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis” was submitted by Dr. Wakeland, Professor of Immunology and holder of the Edwin L. Cox Distinguished Chair in Immunology and Genetics, Dr. Copley, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and of Pediatrics, and Dr. Raj, Instructor of Immunology, along with Dr. Angela Collins, Naureen Tareen, Jiwoong Kim, Min Soo Kim, and Kyle Mercandante. Both Dr. Collins and Mr. Mercandante were affiliated with UT Southwestern when the work was being conducted. Dr. Collins completed her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at UT Southwestern in 2016 and Mr. Mercandante was an undergraduate student worked as a summer student intern/lab assistant in Dr. Wakeland’s laboratory.
“These awards are testament to the strength of multidisciplinary and multi-institutional collaborations,” said Dr. Dane Wukich, Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery at UT Southwestern and holder of the Dr. Charles F. Gregory Distinguished Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery. “Scottish Rite is one of the crown jewels of our residency program and we are very proud to have such an internationally recognized pediatric orthopaedic program as a part of UT Southwestern Orthopaedic Surgery.”
