Rochester Academy of Medicine
|
Rochester Academy of Medicine
|
|
|
Text of citations for the Rochester
Academy of Medicine
Arthur Moss, M.D., 2008 Albert David Kaiser Medal recipient Citation presented by Robert Joynt, M.D. I was most pleased to be asked by Art Moss to prepare and read this citation for him on this occasion. He is one of the premier physicians, gifted teachers, and accomplished clinical researchers in our medical school. Art attended Yale as an undergraduate and then Harvard Medical School, he interned and started his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and finished at Rochester, where he also did a fellowship in cardiology. His training was interrupted by service in the naval medical corps for two years. His life long practice and research is in heart disease with particular emphasis on cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, hospital and post-hospital care, defibrillators, and the long Q-T syndrome. Since his first publication in 1960 on the effect of hypoxia on cardiac ejection force, he has published over 500 scientific papers, books, chapters, and editorials. Since 1991 he has been Director of the Heart Research Follow-up Program, which has both small and large collaborative studies on various outcome and therapies in heart disease. His particular interest has been in an all-inclusive study of the long Q-T syndrome, of which he is the acknowledged world expert on the subject. The various programs headed by him have had numerous grants from various sources, including the NIH. The accumulated grant money exceeds the GDP of a moderately sized country. He has been awarded continuous funding for 24 years, as far as I know, a record. For these efforts he has received various awards, and now the prized Kaiser medal. He has also been on various editorial board, and is editor-in-chief of the Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiography. His editorial comments have been featured in may medical journals, recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. As part of his belief that the physician should also be an active part of the community, he was the driving force behind the popular medical program on NPR, "Second Opinion." His lectures and teaching rounds are highly praise by students, residents, and trainees This was capped by his selection by the students as the Alpha Omega Alpha lecture in 2007. Art and Joy have three grown and successful children. They also have nine grandchildren. In reading Art’s curriculum vitae, I was impressed by his great accomplishment, but I was most impressed by the parenthetical note he put after the section on grandchildren, it said simply (the greatest). The Academy of Medicine is please to award its highest honor, the Kaiser Medal, to you. Congratulations. ***** Richard Ellsworth Fullerton, M.D., Award of Merit Citation presented by Henry Theide, M.D. Dr. Richard Ellsworth Fullerton was reared in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was a prominent general practitioner in that city. Dick was a freshman at the U. of Cincinnati for 6 months when he entered the US Navy in the medical corps. He was trained as an x-ray tech and then sent to the Pacific theater where he was transferred to the Fleet Marines as a medical corpsman and never did any more x-rays. Four years latter he was discharged and re-entered college as a pre-med after which he was accepted into U. of Cincinnati Medical School in September 1947. Following graduation he did a rotating internship at the Cincinnati General Hospital. He choose Obs/Gyn as his field and was steered to the University of Rochester where a position in combined Obs and Gyn department was available under the leadership of Karl Wilson, and his soon to be successor, Curtis Lund. That was in 1952. It was a pyramid program then, with for Residents at the first year level and then one Resident at each of the remaining three years. Dick was chosen to remain in the program and his Chief Residents were Mo Barney, Mike Morrison and George Trombetta respectively. Dick then entered practice in 1956, sharing an office with Dr. Howard Spindler. Three years later, he became a full partner with Spindler for the duration of his practice. Dick also had a close relationship with Dr. Lund and they worked together in collaboration with Drs. Watson, Tristan and Benjamin in Urology in developing cinefluorography of the bladder as a tool for diagnosing and evaluating treatment of female urinary incontinence. Dick was in practice forty years, retiring in 1996. During that time he rose in the URMC faculty ranks to Clinical Associate Professor in 1978 and to full Clinical Professor in 1989. He had a very significant positive influence on the attitude of the Obs/Gyn clinical faculty. His mature leadership and loyalty were pivotal in their continued support of the University and SMH. ***** Hobart Lerner, M.D., Award of Merit Citation presented by Alvin Ureles, M.D. With this award to "Hobie" Lerner, we celebrate his 60 years of devoted service to his patients and colleagues, the man still working enthusiastically at his profession still learning, still giving. It is almost enough to judge his merit by the love and affection all of us, and those he has so ably served, extend to him. But, there is so much more. Hobart Learner, Magna Cum Laude graduate of Harvard in 1940, received his M.D. degree from Columbia Physicians and Surgeons, Interned at Michael Reese Hospital and served in World War II as a Lt. (jg) in USNR MC. Following this he assumed the inspiration of his remarkable ophthalmologist father, Dr. Macy Lerner and completed his specialty training at NYU and Strong Memorial Hospital, where he has served, to date, as Attending and Clinical Professor, and for decades as Chief of Ophthalmology at the Genesee Hospital. The complete scholar and physician, he has contributed to the scientific literature, taught students and residents, and served in numerous positions on the State and National Ophthalmological Societies as a contributing member, Key M.D., Chairman and President of the N.Y. State Ophthalmological Society, and Board of Counselors of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. NO stranger to awards, he has been recognized in ’71 with the Cerebral Palsy Anniversary Award, the ’96 David Jewitt Award, The NYS Ophthalmological Society "Hobie" award, and his most recent 2007 Recognition Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, all testimony of his outstanding contributions. SA great sense of humor, a great sense of duty and caring, a determination to still be counted at the wonderful age of 88, we all salute Hobart A. Lerner M.D. --Alvin L. Ureles M.D. ***** Ronald Rabinowitz, M.D., Award of Merit Citation given by Robert A. Mevorach, M.D. Ron Rabinowitz was born on February 24, 1943, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the middle of three sons of an immigrant butcher and a homemaker. Ron grew up a mile from the steel mills along the Monongahela River At age 17, as a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh, Ron met the love of his life, Sally. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and a minor in History. Between his junior and senior years at Pitt Medical School, he and Sally were married. He arranged for his surgical training in Pittsburgh to be heavily weighted to pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital. He returned to Pittsburgh in 1972 for his urology residency that included an entire year at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, followed by a pediatric urology fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. Ron and Sally moved to Rochester in 1976. He was the lone pediatric urologist, until joined by Bill Hulbert. In his 32 years here,he has helped to train more than 70 residents, many of whom now have leadership positions in academic urology, including pediatric urology. Locally, he is Professor of Urology and Pediatrics, Associate Chair of the Department of Urology, and Chief of Pediatric Urology at both Strong Memorial and Rochester General Hospitals. Likewise, he has been active in the Rochester Academy of Medicine, having participated in various committees for more than 20 years and is a past secretary and past president. He was secretary and president of the Northeastern Section of the American Urological Association and Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology. He has raised more than $400,000 for the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology. He has authored or co-authored more than 170 publications and continues his activities in both teaching and research. If asked to name his greatest accomplishment, he will tell you that it was marrying Sally. He is most proud of her and their 3 children, Marni, Tara, and Aaron, all teachers. He says that Sally and the children are teaching him all the time, and now they have 3 grandchildren who continue his education. Ron: Bill Hulbert and I thank you for your decades of teaching us both, and for your quiet leadership skills. The Rochester Academy of Medicine thanks you for your decades of service. The pediatricians and family practitioners in this community and the entire region thank you for your professionalism, and the care that you have provided for their patients. Lastly, on behalf of those thousands upon thousands of parents and children to whom you have given so much, so selflessly, I am honored to say ‘thank you’. ***** Joel Seligman, Award of Merit Citation presented by G. Robert Witmer, Jr. Within the span of three years, Joel Seligman, the tenth President of the University of Rochester, has become recognized uniformly as a visionary leader and extraordinary communicator on behalf of both the University and our community. A legal scholar of the first rank, he has been a professor of law at the Universities of Northeastern, George Washington and Michigan, Dean of the law schools at the University of Arizona and Washington University, the author or co-author of twenty books, the continuing editor of the 11-volume leading treatise in the field of securities regulation, and a member of the Board of Governors of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. His leadership of the University has generated a sense of purpose and excitement which is palpable. In addition to the personal involvement in community activities and organizations of both him and his capable and charming wife, Dr. Friederike Seligman, he has highlighted the University’s commitment to Rochester by announcing the renovation of the Eastman Theatre, a subsidy program for purchases by employees of homes near the Campus, and a full four-year tuition forgiveness program for up to 40 graduates a year from the Rochester City School District who qualify for admission to the University. Since he had no prior experience with an academic health center, one of Joel’s highest priorities upon arriving was to get to know our Medical Center. Personally, I think that he overdid it by developing Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Fortunately, we can now joke about this since after treatment at the Medical Center, he has been found to be cancer free. As the members of this Academy know, the true character of a person will often be revealed by the diagnosis of a potentially serious illness. Within hours after receiving a preliminary diagnosis last August, Joel informed his family and then me as Chairman of his Board of Trustees, and within days thereafter he announced the diagnosis and course of treatment at a press conference. His courage and commitment to transparency, in the face of the inevitable desire for privacy in matters such as this, serve as an example for anyone with responsibilities to the public. The impact on medicine of his leadership can already be observed. Within months after taking office, President Seligman assumed a key role in working to persuade the state of New York to commit $600 Million for stem cell research, and at the University we have already seen the completion of the Wilmot Cancer Center, the funding for the Clinical and Translational Science Building and the exciting proposal for the Pediatric Replacement and Imaging Sciences Modernization project at the Medical Center. I have had the honor of joining Joel at many functions ranging from celebrations such as installations of faculty in named chairs and groundbreakings, to memorial services for students whose lives have been tragically cut short. I can tell you that this is a man who values and cares deeply for each individual. It has been my privilege to work with several extraordinary leaders over the years, but none more thoughtful, able, principled and caring than Joel Seligman whose receipt of this Award of Merit honors both him and the Academy. ***** Webster H. Pilcher, M.D., Ph.D., Award of Merit Citation presented by Paul Maurer, M.D. Webster H. Pilcher, M.D., Ph.D. is the Frank P. Smith Professor and Chairman of Neurosurgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. Dr. Pilcher pursued his undergraduate studies at Colgate University and received his MD/PhD (Neuroscience/Anatomy) at the University of Rochester where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Following Neurosurgical training at the University of Rochester, he was awarded the Charles A. Ellsberg fellowship to study epilepsy and brain tumor surgery with George Ojemann, MD, at the University of Washington in Seattle. In the fall of 1990, Dr. Pilcher returned to the University of Rochester on the faculty of Neurosurgery where he developed a nationally recognized epilepsy monitoring and surgery program, performing operations in Rochester and Cyprus and publishing extensively on the topic. In 2002, Dr. Pilcher was appointed Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center and began the transformation of a small clinical service Department into a nationally recognized academic and clinical enterprise. He promoted Neurosurgery leadership in therapeutic discovery for brain and spinal diseases and his recruitment of scientific and clinical faculty has vaulted URMC Neurosurgery to a top 5 ranking nationally in funding with over $7.9 million in total funding annually. He developed a community–wide Neurosurgery initiative (Rochester Neurosurgery Partners) which emphasizes collaboration rather than competition among Rochester physicians, health systems and payers; and which is focused upon improving quality, outcomes and cost of care for Rochester patients with stroke, brain tumors, neurodegenerative diseases, spinal disorders and other Neuromedicine afflictions. As leaders of the Rochester Neurosurgery community joined Dr. Pilcher in this effort and, as talented young surgeon – scientists were recruited from the finest institutions in the country, the Department has grown to national stature with subspecialty programs in every sector of Neurosurgery now available to patients in Rochester and the surrounding region. Dr. Pilcher has grown the Department from 5 to 12 Neurosurgeons which now provides leadership of Neurosurgery at all four Rochester hospitals and staffs 11 regional outreach clinics. As a result of his focus on quality indicators and cost effective care, he has secured funding from major partners in the area (hospitals and insurance companies) to develop and implement a database which will capture and analyze the cost and quality of the care provided to Rochester patients with Neuromedicine diseases. In recognition of his vision of an integrated Neuromedicine-centered home, in 2007, Dr. Pilcher was appointed the head of the URMC Neuromedicine integrated disease program and has continued to create, with his Neuromedicine faculty, patient focused, cost effective programs to care for the growing population of patients with Neurological diseases and disabilities. Dr. Pilcher cites his personal accomplishments as his family: Allyson to whom he has been married for 37 years, sons Webster and Brad, daughter Elisabeth and son-in-law Richard and grand-daughter Yasmine. He currently resides in Honeoye Falls, New York with Allyson and his 3 golden retrievers. |