Satcher completed a fellowship in musculoskeletal oncology in 2001 under Dr. Mark Scarborough, professor and division chief of orthopaedic oncology at the College of Medicine. It is the second time a physician with ties to the University of Florida has flown onboard the Space Shuttle. Dr. William Fisher, a 1975 COM graduate, was a mission specialist for the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1985.

Satcher invited former mentors and colleagues to the Space Coast for a reception held the night before the launch and to watch the lift-off from VIP seating. Scarborough; his wife Dr. Kayser Enneking, chair of the department of anesthesiology; his father-in-law Dr. Bill Enneking, distinguished service professor and founding chairman of orthopaedic surgery at UF; his mother-in-law Margaret Enneking and his son Andrew Scarborough, were there to see the spectacular launch.

“It was awe-inspiring,” Kayser Enneking said.

Satcher, originally from South Carolina, received a bachelor’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1986; a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from MIT in 1993 and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1994. He completed an internship and residency in orthopaedic surgery at University of California, San Francisco in 2000; and postdoctoral research fellowships at MIT in 1994 and University of California, Berkeley in 1998 before coming to UF for a year to train in orthopaedic oncology.

Photos below are courtesy of NASA.

Dr. Desmond Schatz, associate chairman of pediatrics at the UF College of Medicine and medical director of the UF Diabetes Center of Excellence

The University of Florida is one of 14 nationally recognized diabetes clinical centers selected to participate in the TrialNet research network aimed at preventing or delaying the onset of type 1 diabetes.

The $3 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health provides funding for TrialNet studies at UF and represents a continuation of resources that have supported type 1 diabetes research at UF for more than 20 years.

The TrialNet consortium of 14 centers in the United States and five international centers is funded jointly by the NIH and private diabetes foundations. Through the research network, scientists hope to improve the understanding of the natural history of type 1 diabetes, screen and identify persons at risk and conduct clinical trials to evaluate promising new therapies that prevent, slow or reverse the progression of the disease.

“Involvement in TrialNet is critical because these kinds of studies require participation from hundreds of patients if we are to really understand what treatments are effective,” said Dr. Desmond Schatz, associate chairman of pediatrics at the UF College of Medicine and medical director of the UF Diabetes Center of Excellence. “One center cannot recruit enough patients to reach these numbers, so we are successful only if we work together.”

Abigail Neal was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 4. At the time, she was the youngest patient to receive an insulin pump at Shands at UF.

Type 1 diabetes, previously known as juvenile diabetes, is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. It is an autoimmune disease in which the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the immune system, requiring daily insulin replacement and frequent blood sugar checks by patients. Type 1 diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases diagnosed in children in the United States.

UF’s TrialNet investigators include Schatz, Dr. Michael Clare-Salzler, chairman of the department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine; Mark Atkinson, professor of pathology and the American Diabetes Association eminent scholar chair; and Dr. Michael Haller, assistant professor of pediatric endocrinology.

As one of the original institutions participating in TrialNet, UF has been a top performing center in the network. TrialNet studies at UF include a vaccination study that aims to preserve insulin production in patients with newly onset diabetes, a study to determine the risk of diabetes for family members of children with type 1 and research into the prevention or delay of diabetes through the administration of insulin.

Kevin E. Behrns, M.D.

Dr. Kevin E. Behrns has been named chairman of the department of surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

For the past year, Behrns, the Edward R. Woodward professor of surgery, has led the department as interim chair.

Michael L. Good, M.D., interim dean, said Behrns has demonstrated exceptional leadership.

“It is clear that Dr. Behrns understands the strategically important role the department of surgery plays in an integrated academic health science center,” Good said. “I am confident he will take the department of surgery to new levels of accomplishment in all mission areas and in doing so, further elevate the achievements of the UF&Shands Health Science Center regionally and nationally.”

Behrns is an accomplished NIH-funded scientist and a skilled clinician who focuses his surgical practice on complex pancreatic surgery. He is also a well-respected educator, and until recently served as the residency program director for the department of surgery.

Behrns joined the UF College of Medicine in 2005 as chief of the division of general surgery, which includes gastrointestinal surgeons, surgical oncologists, and trauma and burn surgeons. A gastrointestinal surgeon with interests in benign and malignant diseases, Behrns focuses on biliary and pancreatic diseases. He heads the Surgical Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Pathobiology, a National Institutes of Health-funded research lab that is studying the role of chronic inflammation in the regulation of liver cell growth control. He is also the principal investigator of the department of surgery’s National Cancer Institute-funded surgical oncology training grant.

Below, Dr. Michael Good, interim dean of the College of Medicine, describes the COM’s commitment to the university-wide Clinical Translational and Science Institute, which will coordinate the grant and provide the infrastructure to support multidisciplinary research and clinical trials. Stephen P. Sugrue, Ph.D., senior associate dean for research affairs for the College of Medicine, explains how the CTSA will impact medical research at UF, and Dr. Tetsuo Ashizawa, chairman of the department of neurology, provides perspective from a researcher and offers an example of how the new grant will help propel neurological discoveries.

Michael Good, M.D.

The $26 million CTSA grant is a natural extension of the explosive growth of clinical and translational research under way at the College of Medicine. Dr. Peter Stacpoole, principal investigator, and the leadership team at the CTSI did an extraordinary job in the application process and deserve congratulations for this great accomplishment.

Michael L. Good, M.D., Interim Dean, College of Medicine

Although the College of Medicine has a strong history of productive collaborations among several UF colleges, centers, institutes and our partnering hospitals, the CTSI infrastructure will make it much easier for faculty to carry out clinical and translational trials and to transfer discoveries made in the lab into the clinical environment, so that findings will benefit patients sooner. What is most exciting is that the CTSA grant will help us attract and retain talented faculty members and improve our ability to collaborate with fewer barriers and headaches.

The College of Medicine is committed to providing resources to this effort. In fact, the College will invest approximately $70 million over the next five to seven years to advance clinical and translational research. A large portion of those funds will support the implementation of the Epic electronic medical record system for the College’s Faculty Group Practice. The College also plans to pursue new programs in biomedical informatics as part of the CTSA. The intent is to grow this new division (and later department) that will focus on the education and training of health-care professionals needed in the future. The academic unit will train master’s and Ph.D. students and attract faculty to conduct research in informatics.

Stephen P. Sugrue, Ph.D.

Stephen P. Sugrue, Ph.D., Senior Associate Dean for Research Affairs, College of Medicine

Receipt of the CTSA isn’t just about the dollar amount of the award. It is about specific funding mechanisms that now are available to our College of Medicine researchers.

Receiving this award is a declaration by the NIH that we have organizational focus in place and a standard of care for translational and clinical research, including clinical trials. It also means that the people who will conduct the clinical-based research will be trained in a context where the research will be maximized. In turn, we are promising the community that we will monitor and train at a very high standard. Clinical and translational science validates the bench-to-bedside process and enables the research to go to the next level: to launch programmatic research that is focused on human diseases.

Tetsuo Ashizawa, M.D.

I was involved with CTSA preparations at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. I congratulate Dr. Stacpoole for his work that led us to this announcement.

Tetsuo Ashizawa, M.D., Chair, Department of Neurology, College of Medicine

This CTSA funding will be useful for significantly alleviating a hindrance known as the “valley of death,” a pre-clinical drug development process in which 80 to 90 percent of drugs fail. Often times, when basic science comes out with a product, it “dies” due to the complications involved with optimizing the lead product and passing the product through regulatory agencies for approval before making it to the clinical setting. This award will improve the completion of this process – from discovery to implementation.

In terms of neurological discoveries, this award opens up the ability to collaborate with other disciplines at UF, which will lead to better treatment and potential cures for diseases. For example, adult stem cell research, molecular therapy and plasticity-based neuro-rehabilitation will be important for restorative neurology. Until now, treatments have never been available for many neurological disorders – similar to that of cancer years ago. Restorative neurology will be possible through this collaboration and will become the next decade’s major progress in treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s and stroke.

Laura Fraser, center, with Amy Roberson, left, and Nancy Hendricks from the Office of Medical Education.

Laura Fraser, a dedicated and respected member of the College of Medicine family since 2005, passed away Saturday after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was only 35 and leaves behind an 8-year-old daughter, Addie, and her husband, Todd, who works at the College of Public Health and Health Professions.

Laura first joined the College of Medicine in the Office of Medical Education. In 2008 she transferred to the Office of Admissions and was a valued member of the College of Medicine’s administrative team, said Dr. Michael Good, interim dean. Her warm personality and beautiful smile will be missed.

Visitation is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, from 6 p.m. to 8p.m., and the funeral service will be Wednesday, June 17 at 10 a.m. at the Gateway-Forest Lawn Funeral Home, 3596 South U.S. Highway 441 in Lake City. Interment will follow at the Gateway-Forest Lawn Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Laura to Haven Hospice. Mail to Haven Hospice, 4200 N.W. 90th Blvd., Gainesville, FL, 32606.

It was very special to me to have been selected as the Hugh Walters, M.D., Humanism in Medicine Distinguished Speaker. I feel honored to have known Hugh as his teacher, adviser, colleague and friend, to foster his career and to see how he helped others.  Hugh was one of the first Florida A&M students accepted into the UF College of Medicine’s junior honors program, and he set the standard.  I was pleased to help Hugh receive a year at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a very competitive appointment.

All who love to teach have an inner fondness for those we help learn.  On occasion one of those learners is special, someone we come to love as one of our own children. Having the opportunity to positively influence someone like Hugh Walters is more valuable than any marketplace reward. It validates fulfillment of meaning and purpose in life. It was a tragedy to have lost such a promising physician and good friend so early in his life. I hope by honoring him, as we do today, we keep alive his commitment to compassionate care.

As guest lecturer, I was asked to offer my perspective on humanism, which I believe is one of the most important aspects of taking care of patients and their families. This importance is not limited to individual caregivers, but to the institutions, environments and culture in which we work.

What is humanism? I think humanism is making life better for everyone, and leaving the world a better place for those who come after. Humanism offers a basis for moral values, an inspiring set of ideals, a rationale for living life joyously and an overall sense of purpose and meaning. In medicine it means compassionately caring for patients, families and all health-care providers.

I actually found it encouraging that I was asked to speak on humanism, rather than on professionalism. What worries me is that I think many believe that professionalism and humanism are the same. I think they are different, although intertwined. Professionalism is a set of behaviors; humanism a set of beliefs. One can learn to act professionally, if only on the surface. Jean Giraudoux said, “The most important thing for a politician to remember is to act sincere; if he can fake that, he has it made.”

But good, superficial, behaviors are too often not sustainable in our chaotic world of health-care delivery. Professional behaviors are necessary, but not sufficient for the humane practice of medicine. Patients want to be treated by physicians who are not only masters of their craft, but also deeply care for them as people.

But is professionalism all there is to being a physician? Is it enough to go through the motions without the virtues that should form their foundation?

To me this is vitally important. Doing the appropriate acts that define a professional might be easy during a routine day, but less so when under stress.  The daily chaos of medical practice provides many opportunities to forget to act professionally. Being reminded to do the appropriate things might be easy when in the presence of patients, but just as easily forgotten when not in their presence, whether in the hallway, elevator, cafeteria or when the patient is asleep in the OR. Doing the appropriate things directed towards a medical student or resident might be easy, but easily forgotten when dealing with a less-than-helpful ward clerk, even when a medical student might be watching. How we react at these times underscores our fundamental values, and we need to be aware of this and model appropriate reactions as well as we can. We need to draw on our humanistic values to sustain us during times of stress.

Our greatest impact is in the informal and hidden curricula. The informal curriculum is learning that arises out of sporadic, happenstance, and idiosyncratic interactions between students and teachers. It can happen anywhere and at anytime. The hidden curriculum is the difference between what an organization says is its mission and what happens in the trenches. Medical education is experiential, and students learn by experience. We are the role models. The value of humanistic care is largely conveyed to students and residents when observing faculty during their daily activities.

When we teach the formal curriculum in learning environments that are not always conducive to our message, we help create non-receptive, cynical, and even hostile reactions. Hearing a formal curriculum, and regurgitating it on tests, is not the same as learning.  Teaching the formal curriculum is not the sum total, or even the most important aspect, of a medical education.

Some say that being in the presence of bad role models is good, that it helps the student learn how they don’t want to act.  What students really learn is that they exist in a culture that tolerates bad behavior. It is the difference between what we say and what we do that leads to cynicism, and begins the transition of many of our students from being a caring member of the broader community to a professional member of the guild. We want them to remain a caring member of the larger community while becoming a member of our profession. At the least, those students who were admitted who are both smart and humanistic can only be reinforced by a culture that stresses the importance of altruism, integrity, respect for others, and compassion. We must tap into the emotional dimension of caring for patients, because only then can we validate what it means to be a humanistic professional, not just how to act like one. Without true empathy and respect for the human condition, a commitment to professionalism becomes largely an intellectual exercise.

I think being a good physician is possible by being a good professional, but being a great physician requires both behaving and believing.

In many ways the ancient philosophers were right when saying that true humanism is reflected in a consistent set of values that we all should have; values of wisdom, justice, courage and moderation. As physicians we have the incredible honor of being able to make a positive difference in the lives of others, to live values of wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation; to provide hope to those around us. No matter what the environment, no matter how onerous might be the marketplace, no matter how oppressive the bureaucracy, we can’t let these dim our days, darken our zeal, or diminish our profession.

Dr. Hugh Walters had wisdom, justice, courage and moderation. He lived the values that reflect true humanism. He is the role model for all of us.

Picture this: It’s a Wednesday night in March, towards the end of the spring semester. A group of 20 students has just enjoyed

Class of 2009 orientation

making homemade spring rolls. Everyone contributed a little something – ingredients for the rolls, drinks or dessert. In this process you learn that one of the best runners in your class also makes a delicious banana pudding, and some of the guys make great homemade pizza. Now you are relaxing as you take turns playing “Rock Band.” While some performers are more adept at the guitar, drums and vocals than others, everyone is cheered on. At one point, one of the top students in the class belts out Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer,” while one of the quietest students impresses everyone with his ability to play the advanced guitar part.

This is how some of our 4th-year medical students relax. Others choose to go to the movies, head downtown, hit the trails for a run or spend quality time with their significant others. Regardless of the choice, this time has been well-earned, as this group is only a few weeks shy of graduation.

Equal Access Clinic

The College of Medicine Class of 2009 officially met as a group on Aug. 16, 2005. We congregated outside C1-15, a room that would quickly become a second home during that first year. I doubt anyone could have accurately predicted on that day the success this class would achieve, or the significant memories that would be created over the next four years. Some of these well-known memories include cheering on both our Gators football and basketball teams as they went on to win two national championships, watching the first season of “Grey’s Anatomy,” or watching the conclusion of the series “ER” with our classmates. These events are memorable and were enjoyed by others outside of our class, but during our four years we have experienced many significant moments that are unique to our group.

From day one, this graduating class brought an appreciation for and an understanding of the benefits of diversity. When we entered the College of Medicine, we ranged in age from 20 to 33 and were the first group to have more women than men. While 58 students in the class were already Gators, those of us from other schools quickly developed an appreciation for UF and became proud members of the Gator Nation.

Breast Cancer Awareness Day 2006

Since that first day in August 2005, this group of students has expressed an interest in engaging in international health opportunities. We have since visited 10 countries and helped treat well over 10,000 patients in those locations. During our second year, we raised more than $6,000 for Doctors Without Borders. Many of us continue to pursue opportunities to serve abroad and hope that our residencies will allow for such endeavors.

We also have sought to work with our community and learn from those around us. Members of the class of 2009 have spent countless hours treating patients at the Equal Access Clinic, and some of us continue to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Our class developed and organized the first mission trip to New Orleans over spring break where we helped those most impacted by the effects of Hurricane Katrina. We coordinated the inaugural Trot for Tots 5K, an event in support of the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation that raised more than $20,000, leading the way for the classes that follow us to passionately pursue and promote patient safety awareness within the College of Medicine curriculum and the Gainesville community.

Fourth-year medical students in New Orleans in 2006

Along with the successes already mentioned, the class of 2009 also established a new dynamic for a balanced life. This group developed and staged the first ever Grad Cup, where students from various professional colleges participated in athletic events to raise money for our medical mission trips. Numerous students participated in marathons, half-marathons and triathlons, and many continue to have a focus on maintaining an active lifestyle. We danced, sang and acted in our college’s yearly Talent Shows and again demonstrated an entertaining range of talent at the Annual Skit Night last week.

Each class from the College of Medicine brings its own tone and culture. I think and hope the class of 2009 will best be remembered for its commitment to serving others, its appreciation for diversity and its willingness and ability to adapt to change; and for its humor (just ask Dr. Robert Averbuch, our class adviser, about his turtleneck!)

2005

Our graduation on May 16, marks the beginning of the next chapter in our lives.

Just like that first day in August 2005, no one can predict the success we will have or the challenges we will encounter. But if history serves as a basis for predicting the future, you know that the UF College of Medicine Class of 2009 will persevere and great things are inevitable.

The Davises gave $20 million to the College of Medicine to create the Jerry W. and Judith S. Davis Cancer Endowment. The gift is the largest single donation made to the College of Medicine, and it will be used to support teaching, research and programs in cancer, with special emphasis on research in lymphoma, breast cancer, bone marrow and gastrointestinal cancer.

Shands HealthCare also received $1 million for its Raising Hope Campaign to support construction of the $388 million Shands at UF Cancer Hospital.

“Anyone who has been touched by cancer knows that when it strikes, it affects not just the individual, but everyone around that person,” said Jerry Davis, who has survived several bouts with cancer and whose wife, Judy, is a breast cancer survivor. “We are blessed to have some of the best physicians in academic medicine today at the University of Florida, and we want to retain those outstanding physicians and attract more.”

In 1998, the Davises donated $5 million to the College of Medicine’s cancer research programs. The gift was matched by the state, and the $10 million endowment was used to recruit world-class scientists and expand the research programs at the college. The outpatient care component of the UFSCC was named the Jerry W. and Judith S. Davis Cancer Pavilion in recognition of their support.

The couple’s recent gift is expected to speed the clinical translation of novel research findings into developing new therapies and diagnostic tools.

“Jerry and Judy Davis understand that gifts that support university research can really improve people’s lives,” said UF President Bernie Machen. “They both suffered from cancer, and they both benefited from advances in cancer treatment. Their gift has a real potential to lead to new treatments or cures for other cancer patients who today have limited options.”

Jerry Davis, a private investor and 1968 graduate of UF’s College of Journalism and Communications, has served on the Shands HealthCare board of directors since 2001. He and his wife serve as co-chairs of the Shands cancer hospital fundraising effort.

“Jerry and Judy Davis have been supportive throughout the process to realize our vision for the Shands at UF Cancer Hospital,” said Shands HealthCare CEO Timothy Goldfarb. “Jerry has been a dedicated Shands board member and health-care advocate. His leadership as Raising Hope Capital Campaign chair has supported this endeavor on behalf of our patients and communities.”

The 500,000-square-foot Shands at UF Cancer Hospital will house 192 private inpatient beds for a variety of patients and will also include a critical care center for emergency- and trauma-related services.

Dr. Joseph V. Simone, director of the UFSCC, said the “enormous” gift from the Davises will help ensure that the cancer center has the resources necessary for discovering better tools for treating cancer.

“All future patients will owe them a heartfelt debt of gratitude,” Simone said.

One out of every seven adults hospitalized at Shands at UF each year is treated for cancer or cancer-related ailments. According to the American Cancer Society, Florida is second only to California in cancer occurrence.

“It may not be in my lifetime, but I think in my children’s or grandchildren’s lifetime cancer will not be the disease it is today,” Jerry Davis said. “In 10 years it should be much more controllable.

“I think the University of Florida will have a role in making that happen.”

Mr. Jerry Davis

Mrs. Judy Davis

Shands AGH

Citing budget cuts and the nation’s ongoing economic crisis, Shands HealthCare officials announced Wednesday, Oct. 22 they can no longer sustain financial losses at Shands AGH and will relocate its programs and services in one year.

Operations now housed at Shands AGH will move to Shands at the University of Florida and its cancer hospital, which is scheduled to open next fall.

Dr. Michael Good, interim dean for the College of Medicine, told college faculty and staff through an email on Wednesday that this initiative helps position UF and Shands for continued future growth on the Southwest Archer Road clinical campus.

“We are committed to the health of this community and providing needed clinical services to all its citizens, such as that provided in our UF Shands Eastside Community Practice and Southwest Fourth Avenue clinics, and at Shands at UF,” Good said.

In 2007, Shands AGH lost more than $12 million as federal and state funding was slashed, reimbursements from government programs and private insurance companies dropped and patient volumes declined.

“We’ve struggled over how to offer the best care to our patients and community given our health system’s existing resources,” said Timothy Goldfarb, Shands HealthCare CEO. “A poor financial outlook ahead and growing healthcare-industry challenges have forced us to make this very difficult decision.”

Goldfarb added that the city’s first hospital has historical and sentimental value to many people who live in Gainesville but that Shands AGH is no longer financially viable.

For years, physicians moved their practices to the west side of Gainesville and, in many cases, their patients moved with them. Efforts to bring in new patients and expand high-demand services have failed.

Timothy Goldfarb, CEO of Shands HealthCare

Shands HealthCare has invested more than $86 million in renovations, repairs and equipment at Shands AGH. Over the next five years, Shands would need to invest another $50 million just to maintain its upkeep. Continuing to invest in the facility is not the best use of limited resources.

At the same time, the demand for charity care rose dramatically. Just last year, Shands HealthCare as a system spent more than $115 million providing charity care to area patients. This sum doubled in the last four years. Given the economic climate, that number is likely to increase further.

The changes are part of an effort to cut $65 million from the Shands HealthCare system budget over the next three years to offset major anticipated shortfalls.

Regardless of the economic forecast, Shands HealthCare and UF remain committed to the greater Gainesville area. Goldfarb said Shands will now examine ways to enhance healthcare services in east Gainesville. UF intends to seek a partner to develop a life science and technology incubator on the Shands AGH site to commercialize UF research. This facility would anchor Southwest Second Avenue and help it become a vibrant corridor between downtown Gainesville and the university.

“With one of the nation’s most successful research and technology transfer programs, we believe UF is uniquely positioned to bring more research to the market,” said Bernie Machen, UF president and Shands HealthCare board of directors chairman. “This facility will help our researchers launch businesses using their discoveries. As a result, we will generate economic development in the growing Second Avenue corridor and bring new jobs to the state.”

For the future, Shands HealthCare officials envision building a new academic medical campus on the south side of Archer Road across from the existing Shands at UF campus. Construction of the new patient-care tower that will house both the Shands at UF Cancer Hospital and a new Critical Care Center is the first step in fulfilling this vision.

“For 50 years, Shands HealthCare has grown and adapted to meet the changing healthcare needs of the communities we serve,” Goldfarb said. “By focusing on how best to reinvest the delivery of healthcare services in our system and using the talents of our employees, volunteers and physicians, we will position Shands HealthCare to continue this tradition.”

Dr. Louis W. Sullivan

The Fall Diversity Dialogue will feature the Hon. Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., who will lead Medical Grand Rounds at 11 a.m. Oct. 23 in the HPNP Auditorium. Sullivan, the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and founding dean, director and president emeritus of the Morehouse School of Medicine, will deliver a talk titled “The Goal and Glory of Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Health Professions.” A question-and-answer period will follow.