Wake Forest Baptist May Awards and Recognitions

May 23, 2012

Epilepsy Expert Receives Honorary Degree from Queens University of Charlotte

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – May 23, 2012 – Internationally recognized epilepsy expert Patricia A. Gibson, M.S., associate professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has been awarded an honorary degree by Queens University of Charlotte.

Gibson is director of the Epilepsy Information Service, president of the Epilepsy Foundation of North Carolina and chair of the International Commission on Community Care in Epilepsy. She has written and co-written hundreds of scholarly articles about epilepsy and regularly speaks and conducts workshops on the subject.

In awarding the honorary degree, Queens cited Gibson for working “tirelessly to remove the stigma that has long been associated with epilepsy” and “improving the lives of millions of people.”

The degree was presented May 5 during the university’s commencement ceremonies.

Area YWCA Honors Wake Forest Baptist Neuroscientist

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – May 23, 2012 – The YWCA of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County has named Mary Lou Voytko, Ph.D., director of the Women's Health Center of Excellence for Research, Leadership and Education at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the recipient of its inaugural Shirley Shouse Career Award.

Voytko, a professor of neurobiology and anatomy who joined the Wake Forest Baptist faculty in 1993, has done extensive research in areas related to aging, cognition and women’s health.

The award was presented May 17 at the YWCA’s 31st annual “Women of Vision” luncheon.

Wake Forest Baptist Faculty Members Receive Grant from the National Cancer Institute

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – May 23, 2012 –Sam Deadwyler, Ph.D., professor of physiology and pharmacology, and Mike Robbins, Ph.D., professor of radiation oncology, of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, have been awarded a Research Project Grant by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

This four-year, $1.9 million grant will support a multidisciplinary research group including the co-primary investigators, as well as co-investigators from the departments of biomedical engineering (Bob Kraft, Ph.D.), pathology(Mark Cline, Ph.D.), physiology and pharmacology (Jim Daunais, Ph.D.) and radiation oncology (Dan Bourland, Ph.D., and Ann Peiffer, Ph.D.).

The research being funded focuses on studying the onset and progression of radiation-induced decreases in cognitive function and determining if administering a drug commonly used to treat hypertension will prevent radiation-induced cognitive impairment.

Four Wake Forest Medical Students Named Schweitzer Fellows

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – May 23, 2012 –Wake Forest School of Medicine students Henry Gerard Colmer, Bryan Neth, Lauren Hartman and Martin Piazza have been named 2012-13 Schweitzer Fellows by the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship.

The four will join 239 graduate students from across the country in partnering with community-based organizations to develop and implement yearlong mentored service projects that meet the health needs of underserved populations.

Colmer and Neth will conduct a cognitive and behavioral program for patients with Alzheimer’s disease in conjunction with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the Western Carolina chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Hartman and Piazza will provide a music-enrichment program for children with autism, Down syndrome and other conditions in conjunction with the Centers for Exceptional Children in Winston-Salem.

The Boston-based Albert Schweitzer Fellowship is dedicated to developing individuals who are committed to and skilled in meeting the health needs of underserved communities.

Researcher’s Team Reaches Finals of National Alzheimer’s Competition

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – May 23, 2012 – A team of researchers that includes Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center neuroscientist Dwayne W. Godwin, Ph.D., has reached the finals of the Alzheimer’s Challenge 2012, a nationwide competition seeking the development of simple, cost-effective tools that could help improve the diagnosis and monitoring of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Godwin’s team, BrainBaseline, based in Iowa City, Iowa, is developing a mobile application for Apple’s iPad tablet computer to detect early cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s. The app aggregates data over time to give patients, physicians and other caregivers customized information about an individual’s cognitive function.

Each of the five teams to reach the finals has been awarded $25,000 to advance its project. The winning team, which will be announced in June following presentations at an event in Washington, D.C., will receive $175,000.

The Alzheimer’s Challenge 2012 is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Immunotherapy Program of Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy and Pfizer Inc. in conjunction with the Geoffrey Beene Gives Back Alzheimer’s Initiative.

Wake Forest Baptist is Recognized for Lung Cancer Screening

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – May 23, 2012 –Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has been recognized by the Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) for introducing lung screenings for those at risk as part of its approach to treating lung cancer.

Wake Forest Baptist was one of 75 hospitals nationwide and one of two in North Carolina to be cited by the LCA, a nonprofit advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

According to the LCA, recent clinical studies have validated the effectiveness of low-dose CT scans in detecting early lung cancer and numerous cost-benefit analyses have shown that the costs of these scans are comparable to or lower than the costs of other cancer screenings.

Wake Forest Baptist to Host Pediatric Neurology Open House

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – May 23, 2012 –Brenner Children’s Hospital, part of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, will showcase its new pediatric neurology suite at an open house on Thursday, May 31.

The event will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. in the new facility, located on the ninth floor of the medical center’s Janeway Tower. Light refreshments will be served.

The suite boasts 15 examination rooms, a physicians' workroom, a patient-education area, a waiting room, offices and other spaces. Like other Brenner facilities, it features child-size equipment and child-friendly decor.

Brenner’s pediatric neurology team is the largest in western North Carolina, with five physicians, two nurse practitioners, a psychologist and a dietitian devoted to caring for children with epilepsy and other challenging conditions.

Detailed information about the pediatric neurology services at Brenner Children's Hospital is available online at www.brennerchildrens.org/pediatric-neurology/.

Northwest Area Health Education Center to Receive Award from National Organization

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – May 23, 2012 –The Northwest Area Health Education Center (AHEC) at Wake Forest School of Medicine has been named the recipient of a 2012 Center of Excellence Award in the category of continuing education by the National AHEC Organization (NAO).

The local AHEC was recognized for implementing a multifaceted program to educate health care workers who treat children in emergency settings about the use of endotracheal tubes, which inserted into the trachea, the large airway between the mouth and lungs, to ensure the free passage of air. The program was developed by Adele K.Evans, M.D., a pediatric otolaryngologist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

The award will be presented Aug. 1 at the NAO’s annual conference in San Antonio.

The Northwest AHEC is an educational outreach and training program designed to enhance the health of the public in 17 counties of northwest North Carolina by improving the supply, distribution and quality of health and human service personnel, especially in primary care, through diverse community-academic partnerships.

Wake Forest Baptist Faculty Member Selected as Chapter President-Elect

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – May 23, 2012 –Allan F. deGuzman, Ph.D., associate professor of radiation oncology and chief physicist in the Radiation Oncology Department at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has been elected president-elect of the Southeast Chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (SEAAPM).

DeGuzman was elected at the chapter’s annual meeting, held in April. He will become president of the chapter at next year’s annual meeting.

The SEAAPM, a chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, focuses on promoting the application of physics to medicine, as well as encouraging interest and training in medical physics and related fields.

Wake Forest Baptist Faculty Member Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – May 23, 2012 –J. Daniel Bourland, Ph.D., professor of radiation oncology, physics and biomedical engineering at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has received the Jimmy O. Fenn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southeast Chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (SEAAPM).

The Fenn Award is presented for outstanding career achievements and leadership in the medical physics profession and contributions to the SEAAPM, a chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Bourland was presented the award April 21 at the chapter’s annual meeting.

Media Relations

Megan Lee: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587

Mac Ingraham: mingraha@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-3487