Health Sciences Report (2006)

HEALTH SCIENCES REPORT University of Utah Vol. 30, No. 1 Published by the Office of Public Affairs and Marketing, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, 420 Chipeta Way, Suite 1900, Salt Lake City, UT 84108. Telephone ( 801) 581- 7387. Articles may be reprinted with permission. University of Utah Health Sciences School of Medicine College of Pharmacy College of Nursing College of Health University Health Care University Hospital & Clinics Huntsman Cancer Hospital John A. Moran Eye Center University of Utah Medical Group University Neuropsychiatric Institute University Orthopaedic Center Eccles Institute of Human Genetics Huntsman Cancer Institute Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library Editor: Susan Sample Contributing Writers: John Edwards, Phil Sahm, Chantelle Turner Photographers: Sean Graff; Tim Kelly; Steve Leitch and Jerrald Roberts, Medical Graphics and Photography Visit the University of Utah Health Sciences Center Web site at: www. uuhsc. utah. edu. UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HEALTH SCIENCES R E P O R T FEATURES Learning to Really Listen 10 Hearing aids and cochlear implants amplify sounds; aural rehabilitation helps patients make sense of them. The Power of the Big Picture 14 As one of six Vanguard sites in the National Children's Study, the U of U is poised to lead the way in this phenomenal project. This Pediatrician Is a Coach 16 Recruiting a winning research team is only one of Dr. Edward Clark's talents. Health Care for the Other Half 22 The new Center of Excellence in Women's Health is the state's first clinic to provide integrated, multidisciplinary care for half of the population. A Sense of Place: Photo Essay 26 Images of the health sciences center reflect our unique identity: an increasingly urban center nestled against the rugged Wasatch Mountains. DEPARTMENTS Headlines 2 Research Headlines 6 People 8 In Memoriam 9 Reflections 24 University Hospital volunteer Herb Russell has logged miles of memories in his 50 years of service. Frontiers in Research 29 Gift of Health 31 The University of Utah Health SciencesUNIVERSITY OF UTAH HEALTH SCIENCES REPORT h o w i f i s N a t i o n a l C r. " Problem child" piqued my interest. Eighty-two-year-old George Veasy, M.D., had stopped by my office to visit last October, close to the medical school's 100th anniversary, and shared a story mined from his long career as a pediatric cardiologist. " Peds always was," he said, his voice dropping to nearly a whisper, " a problem child." Lack of a department chair, funding problems, personal disagreements: the 1940s and ' 50s had been like a dysfunctional child-hood. Yet the department has emerged as one of the medical school's largest- and one that brings in more research dollars than most realize. Last November, the U Department of Pediatrics was awarded Si6 million as one of seven Vanguard centers for the National Children's Study, an ambitious 20- year project detailed in this issue's cover story. Toward the end of my first interview with Edward Clark, M. D., I asked about the colorful history of the department he now chairs. Pediatrics was a " love child," he told me, the product of personalities and emotions that tangled in years past. It's survived and matured, not only because of overriding wisdom on the part of administrators and faculty, but passion. I didn't expect that when I began interviewing for a story about a clinical research project. Even for the National Children's Study, which aspires to be the biggest and longest in history; that has the potential to change history by generating more biological samples and data than most of us can fathom, and more hypotheses than we can ever imagine. Scientific studies may be initiated with intellectual curiosity that takes the form of grant proposals written, and rigorously rewritten, with scrupulous objectivity. But if we get to know the investigators themselves- the individuals behind the microscope- we discover women and men who are far from dispassionate. When they begin talking of " doing science," of " my science," their voices rush with enthusiasm; their faces light up with excitement. They're speaking from that rare confluence where professional and personal interests merge. They love what they're doing. That's what fueled pediatrics, enabling it to become a successful department. That's also what will keep the National Children's Study alive at the University of Utah, no matter what happens with funding battles and Beltway politics in Washington, D. C. Too many clinicians and researchers from across our campus are passionate about the health of all children. B SUSAN SAMPLE Cover photo: Children from the University's Club U Camp take a break from their " summerscool" activities. They are, clockwise from bottom left: Ian Siegismund, McKenzie Nelson, Emerson Pratt, John Schwarz, Alex Nofi, and Kaylee Nofi. ( Photo by Sean Graff) Opposite page: The George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Institute of Human Genetics is just one of the many " faces" in this issue's photo essay. ( Photo by Sean Graff) H E A D L I N E S in Utah and the Intermountain West Crabtree Named Interim Hospital CEO Gordon L. Crabtree G ordon L. Crabtree, chief financial officer for University Hospitals & Clinics, was named interim chief executive officer last February. He replaced the late Richard A. Fullmer ( see pg. 9). Crabtree, who joined University Hospital in summer 2002, will continue as chief financial officer, overseeing all hospital finances, includ-ing: accounting, patient financial services, budget office, business development, insurance contracting, and patient admitting. Previously Crabtree, a certified public accountant, was managing director of finance for the Salt Lake Olympic Committee and director of finance for the State of Utah from 1985- 95. He is a graduate of Weber State University and received an M. B. A. from the U of U. Albertine Named Assistant Dean of Medical Faculty Administration K urt H. Albertine, Ph. D., became assistant dean of faculty administration at the School of Medicine last February. Albertine, professor of pediatrics and adjunct professor of internal medicine and neurobiology and anatomy, also directs the Research Microscopy Facility and is course director of gross anatomy at the medical school. In his new position, Albertine leads programs designed to familiarize faculty and department administrators with medical school policies and pro-cedures regarding faculty appointment, retention, promotion, and tenure ( A& RPT). For nine years, he was on the A& RPT committee and served as chair. A U faculty member since 1993, Albertine earned a bachelor's degree from Lawrence University in Wisconsin and a doctoral degree from Loyola University in Chicago, and did postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco ( UCSF). He held teaching and research positions at UCSF, the University of South Florida, University of Pennsylvania, and Jefferson Medical College. These images- at left is a three- dimensional volume- rendered nage of the left and right sides of the heart- were obtained using CT coronary angiog-raphy, offered to high- risk patients in a new joint program of the Division of Cardiology and Department of Radiology in the U School of Medicine. CT ( computed tomography) scanning uses a computer to reconstruct X- rays taken from many different perspectives into an image that looks like a " slice," as seen in the image on the right. Recent technical advances have made it possible to scan fast enough and with thin enough slices to visualize all of a patient's major coronary arteries. Within 10 seconds, the non- invasive test can detect significant blockages in arteries. Kurt H. Albertine, Ph. D. Volume- rendered image Left anterior coronary artery 8 f^ b mm mu > • if J \ 1 1 ' LV / * n i University Hospital's $ 120 million expansion project is scheduled to be completed in 2009. A groundbreaking ceremony July 17th marked the beginning of construction of the new five- story Patient Care Pavilion, a two- story addition to the Critical Care Pavilion that opened in 2003, and a four- story addition to the helipad parking terrace. The hospital also will increase the number of private rooms and welcome patients and visitors in a new lobby. The University Hospital Foundation is raising $ 20 million in community support to build the patient pavilion. Norman L. Foster, M. D. Top Neurologist Joins U, Opens Alzheimer's Clinic Norman L. Foster, M. D., a leading neurologist in Alzheimer's disease imaging and treatment, opened the Intermountain West's first academic Alzheimer's clinic in the University's Research Park last January. Foster joined the U medical school faculty as professor of neurology in August 2005. An expert in PET ( positron emission tomography) imaging, he also is an investigator with the University's Brain Institute. A $ 2.7 million start- up gift from an anonymous donor is funding the new Center for Alzheimer's Care, Research, and Imaging, which will be fully func-tional within two years. It will offer a clinic to treat Alzheimer's patients, conduct brain imaging research, and serve as a teaching facility for physicians and other health- care professionals. The Intermountain West and Utah are projected to have the nation's largest increase in dementia in the next 20 years, according to Foster. Previously he directed the Alzheimer's Disease Program at the University of Michigan and was principal investigator for that school's participation in the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study, a national trial to evaluate dementia drugs. Grainger Named Inaugural Holder of Eccles Chair in College of Pharmacy David W. Grainger, Ph. D., has been appointed chair of the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the College of Pharmacy, where he also is the first holder of the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Presidential Endowed Chair in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Grainger, who also holds a joint appointment in the U Department of Bioengineering, replaced Jindrich " Henry" Kopecek, Ph. D., D. Sc., distin-guished professor, who is devoting his time to research. A leader in biomaterials and drug delivery research, Grainger previously was on the chemistry faculty at Colorado State Univer-sity. He won several teach-ing awards, including the 2005 PhRMA Foundation Excellence in Pharmaceutics Award. He is a Fellow in the David W. Grainger, Ph. D. American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and served on study sections of the National Institutes of Health, as well as editorial boards and scientific advisory boards. Grainger received a bachelor's degree in engineering and chem-istry from Dartmouth College, and a doctorate in pharmaceutical chemistry from the U of U in 1987. Health Sciences Report Summer 2006 mBHH C. Matthew Peterson, M. D. Peterson Heads Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology C. Matthew Peterson, M. D., was appointed chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the School of Medicine effective last March. Previously chief of the depart-ment's Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Peterson helped establish the Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine in the University's Research Park, as well as guided development of the reproductive endocrine fellowship. Peterson, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, is a graduate of the U medical school, where he also served an intern-ship. He completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz., and a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology at the University of Miami ( Fla.). He joined the U faculty in 1989. College of Health Researchers Target School Lunch Offerings Students choosing cartons of flavored milk may earn an A+ for increasing their calcium, but not for added sugars and high fat content. That is one of the preliminary findings of the School Health Inquiry Group, a committee formed at the College of Health last fall to assess and improve nutrition in Utah schools. Last July, the group received a five-year, $ 635,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, to improve the food environment in the state's schools. Susie Nanney, Ph. D., M. P. H., R. D., assistant professor of health promotion and education, is principal investigator on the grant. She established the research group, which surveyed the con-tents of vending machines and a la carte cafeteria offerings at 29 junior and senior high schools in the Jordan School District last winter. Nanney will present an analysis of the findings, along with initial recommendations, to the district this fall. The School Health Inquiry Group also is working with Utah's Action for Healthy Kids, part of a federal program focused on improving students' health and school environments. This past year, the U group helped five school districts that have school wellness policies win $ 5,000 in federal grants to implement and evaluate the policies. Five U students are members of the School Health Inquiry Group: two from the Department of Health Promotion and Educa-tion, and two from the Division of Foods and Nutrition in the College of Health, and one from the Public Health Program in the medical school's Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. Parks, Recreation Expert Joins College of Health Daniel L. Dustin, Ph. D., nationally recognized for his contributions to the literature of outdoor recreation planning and policy, joined the College of Health in July as professor and chair of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism. He replaced Gary D. Ellis, Ph. D., who stepped down to return to teaching and research. Dustin, a past president of the Society of Park and Recreation Educators ( SPRE), received the National Recreation and Park Association's Literary Award and the 2001 SPRE Distinguished Colleague Award for lifetime achievements. He is the author and editor of numerous books, including Wilderness in America: Personal Perspectives and For the Good of the Order: Administering Academic Programs in Higher Education. He joined the U from Florida International University, where he was the Frost Professor and chaired the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. He also served as department chair at San Diego State University and held fac-ulty positions at the University of Minnesota and University of Michigan. Dustin received a bachelor's degree in geography and a master's degree in resource planning and conservation from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate in education with an emphasis in recreation and park administration from the University of Minnesota. New Diabetes Education Suite Designed for All Ages When you have to limit your sweets, this one will be especially helpful. The Utah Diabetes Center's new Education Suite features classrooms, patient- consultation rooms, and a children's library, where younger patients can learn more about the disease that affects some 120,000 Utahns. Diabetes specialists James J. Chamberlain, M. D., and Mary A. Murray, M. D., chief pediatric endocrinologist, were featured speakers at a May 24 open house. Located in the University's Research Park, the diabetes center is a collaboration between University Health Care and Primary Children's Medical Center. In the Education Suite, patients may schedule individual consultations on menu planning, weight management, glucose monitoring, insulin pump train-ing, and insulin management. Patients also have access to a resource library, in addition to the special children's section. The only facility of its kind in the Intermountain West, the Utah Diabetes Center provides clinical care, education, and research each year to more than 9,000 patients, ranging from newborns to the elderly. Brewer Named Assistant VP for Public Affairs, Marketing Dee Brewer recently was named assistant vice president for public affairs and marketing for health sciences. Brewer joined the U health sciences in November 2005 to unite and direct the previously separate offices of Public Affairs and Market-ing. He also has been charged with advancing the new University Health Care brand for all clinical care services. Kim Wirthlin, U vice presi-dent for government relations and health sciences associate vice president, said that Brewer's appointment " supports the continuing strategic alignment of our communications and underscores our commitment to a unified brand." Brewer has worked in health care communications since 1987. He earned a bachelor of university studies degree ( marketing and communications) from the U of U in 1986. Dee Brewer ^ University Health Care will inaugurate a new clinic offering " quick, smart, and convenient" patient care in the Dan's Foods located in Olympus Hills, 3981 S. Wasatch Blvd., in Salt Lake City. No appointments will be needed. Physician assistants will treat conditions, including: sore throats, ear infections, seasonal allergies, sinus infections, rashes, insect stings, minor injuries, and upset stomachs. Health Sciences Report Summer 2006 H E A D L I N E S in the Nation Teaching Young Doctors How to Care for the Elderly B y 2026, Utah will have the nation's fastest growing population of those 65 years and older. The U of U School of Medicine will be ready, thanks to a $ 2 million grant, " Comprehensive Program to Strengthen Physicians' Training in Geriatrics," received last June. Mark A. Supiano, M. D., professor and chief of geriatrics, and executive director of the U of U Center on Aging, is principal investiga-tor for the grant from the Las Vegas- based D. W. Reynolds Foundation. Supiano also directs the Veterans Affairs ( VA) Salt Lake City Geriatric, Research, and Education Center. He and 45 U of U faculty and staff members will use the grant to develop a curriculum in geriatric medicine, currently not required at most U. S. medical schools. Every U medical student will learn clinical skills to evaluate older patients' functional status as well as screen for geriatric conditions often missed in routine care. Students' progress will be tracked and assessed by a Web- based computer program to document their competency. The U is one of 10 academic medical centers awarded a Reynolds Foundation grant, which provides $ 500,000 annually for the next four years. The new curriculum will extend to primary care providers at University Health Care's community clinics, the VA health- care system, and Intermountain Healthcare, who will receive training to improve care for their elderly patients. Utah " Epicenter" to Reduce Infections D eveloping and testing innovative approaches to reduce infections in health- care settings is the goal of INTERCEPT, a new collab-oration between the University of Utah and three integrated health- care delivery systems, which is part of a program sponsored by the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC). One of five national sites funded by the CDC program, INTERCEPT ( Intermountain Center of Excellence for Infection Prevention Strategies) includes University Health Care, Intermountain Healthcare, and the Veterans Affairs ( VA) Salt Lake City health- care system. INTERCEPT will receive $ 2 million over the next five years to improve methods used to detect health care- associated infections and to implement strategies to prevent them. Health care- associated infections cause an estimated 2 million infections and 90,000 deaths annually in the United States. INTERCEPT researchers will use computerized medical records and alerting systems already in place at the three health- care systems to: evaluate how to reduce the transmission of antibiotic- resistant bacteria; find ways to decrease the prolonged use of urinary catheters that can lead to infections; and devise computer- based surveillance to track problems associated with electronic medical devices. Matthew H. Samore, M. D., U of U professor of internal medicine and chief of clinical epidemiology at the U School of Medicine and the Salt Lake City VA, is principal investigator. Got a late- night question about searching the library catalog or accessing a journal? The University's Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library offers instant messaging ( IM) service daily from 6 a. m.- midnight. To add the library to your IM contact list, go to: http:// library. med. utah. edu/ or/ asklibrarian. From another new Web site- Utah Health Information Direct- http:// utahealthnet. org/- the library will deliver documents from its collection directly to the computer desktops of Utah residents who have a current membership to their local public library. Utahealthnet is a statewide consumer health information portal project, funded by a grant from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Burn Center Earns High Marks Good work does get noticed. The Burn Trauma Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital received verification from the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons last January. During the voluntary verifica-tion review, all services, quality management, and interdisciplin-ary aspects of burn care were scrutinized and reviewed, accord-ing to Jeffrey R. Saffle, M. D., professor of surgery and director of the burn unit. The U facility, the only one in the Intermountain West, has maintained the top- level achievement since the process began 11 years ago. About 44 of the 130 burn centers nationally qualify for verification. The 13- bed unit at University Hospital cares for burn patients of all ages, including infants. Annually, the unit admits more than 300 burn patients and receives more than 5,300 clinic visits. One- third of those patients are referred from outside of Utah. The unit's 164 employees include physicians, nurses, psychologists, nutritionists, social workers, and