Synapse - Life Sciences News Digest of the Medical center of the americas

The new Office of Diversity Affairs at TTUHSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine has recently been established to implement initiatives related to cultural competence and health equity as it applies to all constituents on the campus. Jessica Calderón-Mora has been hired as senior director for the new office.

The Office of Diversity Affairs will be assisting with the Cultural Competence Seminar to be held June 8 with topic presentations on patient care for the military population, managing of generational differences in the workplace, and challenges faced by... [more]

Edna Alvarado, an associate in University Medical Center’s Food and Nutritional Care Services Department, has been promoted to chief dietician. She will oversee the clinical nutrition services provided to patients at UMC, El Paso Children’s Hospital and the El Paso Psychiatric Center, all facilities located on the booming Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) campus.  Edna has 10 years’ experience in nutrition support and is a certified pediatric specialist.  She is a member of the American Dietetic Association and a past president of the... [more]

     Dr. Marc Orlandi, board certified anesthesiologist, is the Chief Pediatric Anesthesiologist for El Paso Children’s Hospital. Hired in March, Dr. Orlandi came to El Paso Children’s Hospital from Providence Memorial Hospital in El Paso.  He conducted his residency at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio and his specialty training in Pediatric Anesthesia at Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md. He brings more than 13 years of experience as a pediatric anesthesiologist and has worked at Akron Children’s Hospital,... [more]

Jill S. Vogel, former partner at Kemp Smith, LLP of El Paso, has joined the El Paso Children's Hospital as their first General Counsel. Jill Vogel has extensive background in the healthcare industry and law. She is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas and the District Court of New Mexico. She is also a registered nurse in the State of Texas.

Vogel served in the Army Nurse Corps, United States Army and Army Reserves where she retired in... [more]

The El Paso Inc. published a Q&A with William Beaumont Army Medical Center’s new chief of staff Col. Michael Amaral. The article, in part, read, “So far, the Army has spent close to $200 million overhauling health care at Fort Bliss. But more than $1 billion is still to come. Col. Michael Amaral will oversee much of that spending in his job as William Beaumont Army Medical Center’s new chief of staff. Amaral uses the word “challenge” frequently. The greatest of them all, he... [more]

Patricia Teller, PhD, has been appointed as the first director of research computing at the University of Texas at El Paso. The newly created position comes as the university begins to install hardware for its High Performance Computing Virtual Research Laboratory – for which Teller is the coordinator.  UTEP also continues to take advantage of the University of Texas Research Cyberinfrastructure initiative – providing opportunities for high-performance computing, networking, data storage, education and training within the UT System.

High Performance Computing Virtual Research Lab    

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The El Paso Inc. published a Q&A featuring Dr. Bradley Fuhrman, physician-in-chief at the El Paso Children’s Hospital, which opened to patients Tuesday. Here is an excerpt: 

“Fuhrman is board certified in three pediatric subspecialties - cardiology, perinatal medicine and critical care. He holds or shares patents on 11 medical devices and has patents pending on two others. 

And he wrote "the" book on pediatric critical care, titled, appropriately, "Pediatric Critical Care."  Now in its fourth revision, the 1,740-page text sells for close to $300 and is considered the bible in that... [more]

The El Paso County Medical Society inducted Bruce J. Applebaum, MD, as its 2012 president, replacing Jose Aun, MD.  Patricio A. Pazmiño, MD, is president-elect; Juan M. Escobar, MD, is secretary; Syed A. Yusoof, MD, is treasurer; and David J. Mansfield, MD, is assistant treasurer.  The induction ceremony took place Jan. 18 and featured keynote speakers Bruce Malone, MD, president of the Texas Medical Association and Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega, founder of FEMAP and CNN Hero Award Medial Marvel.

(pictured:  Bruce Malone, MD, swearing in... [more]

The Southern Group on Educational Affairs (SGEA) has posted its 2011-2012 list of Steering Committee Members. Included on the list is Janet Piskurich, PhD, associate professor at the
TTUHSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso. The SGEA is part of the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) network, which is a community of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).  The SGEA fosters excellence along the continuum of medical education—undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, and continuing medical education—by providing a forum for discussing the concerns... [more]

In response to an increasing volume of cancer patients, Memorial Medical Center-University of New Mexico center in Las Cruces is looking to hire a third full-time physician in its medical oncology unit.  The new physician will emphasize drug-based care, chemotherapy. The increase in cancer patients is related to last year’s closure of the Southern New Mexico Cancer Center, a privately owned center that was staffed by two physicians. After the closure, Memorial Medical Center (MMC) saw a 20-30 percent increase in new patients. Additionally, Albuquerque reports an increase in cancer... [more]

     Vladik Kreinovich, PhD, professor of computer science at the University of Texas at El Paso has been elected to the Board of Governors of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society (SMCS) as a member-at-large, for a three-year term beginning January 2012. The IEEE Systems Board of Governors serves as the senate of SMCS by overseeing the organization's operations. The SMCS is the world's largest organization dedicated to advance technology to improve human lives by increasing the role of robotics in the fields of medicine and engineering. 

     Kreinovich has... [more]

An article in the Dec. 11 El Paso Inc. reported, “A long-time effort to increase salaries in El Paso by growing a healthcare industry here and attracting companies with skilled jobs is paying off, and the El Paso economy is transforming…. But the local workforce hasn't kept up with the needs…. That has created a glut of jobs that workers here aren't qualified for.  All of the staffing agencies interviewed for this article agreed the positions that are hardest to fill in El Paso are those related to the... [more]

Junius Gonzales, MD, provost and vice president for academic affairs at The University of Texas at El Paso, has been invited by the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Nora Volkow, MD, to serve on a National Advisory Council Work Group on the Adoption of Treatments in Real World Settings. The group will explore barriers for moving research findings to adoption as standard practice, and to consider how NIDA can best be structured to meet evolving scientific goals. The group will produce a report and recommendations that... [more]

Michael S. Cardwell, M.D., FACOG, has been appointed associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the TTUHSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. A specialist in maternal-fetal medicine, his medical degree is from Indiana University School of Medicine.  He completed his OB/GYN residency at the University of Illinois-Peoria and his maternal-fetal medicine fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Cardwell has a master of public health, a master of business administration and a law degree. He was in private practice for 25 years and was also... [more]

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Richard T. Schoephoerster, Ph.D., dean of the University of Texas at El Paso College of Engineering, to the Advisory Committee of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund. He joins 12 other board members who are responsible for reviewing commercialization and matching grant proposals to make recommendations to the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the Texas House of representatives for funding.  Board members are industry leaders in Texas and/or nationally recognized researchers from Texas higher education institutions. Members will serve one- or two-year terms determined by... [more]

Memorial Medical Center is pleased to announce that Lynn Arnold, R.N., started as the new Cancer Center Director at the beginning of October. Arnold comes to MMC from Lovelace in Albuquerque where she was the chief nursing officer. MMC Cancer Center provides comprehensive cancer care that includes both medical oncology and radiation oncology. Through a partnership with University of New Mexico Cancer Center, MMC is able to offer treatment through national clinical trials. 

“Our goal is to grow into a regional cancer center, and my role in... [more]

Des Peres Hospital has appointed John Grah as its chief executive officer (CEO), effective Oct. 24. As CEO, Grah will oversee strategic, operational and clinical activities for the 143-bed acute care hospital located in St. Louis, Mo. Grah previously served as chief operating officer (COO) of Providence Memorial Hospital and The Children's Hospital at Providence in El Paso. Prior to serving as COO at Providence, Grah served as managing principal with Chip Caldwell and Associates. He served as system vice president at Scripps Health and as CEO of Scripps Chula... [more]

The United States-México Border Health Commission (BHC) is pleased to announce that Julia Goldberg will serve as the Acting General Manager for the U.S. Section of the BHC. She joined the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Global Affairs, on Sept. 26, 2011. She will be stationed in El Paso until a permanent general manager is hired. 

Until recently, Goldberg had been conducting research in México City, México, as a Fulbright-García-Robles grantee, on an infectious disease epidemiologic surveillance project entitled, “Early... [more]

 The Office of the Vice President for Research at NMSU has announced Luis A. Vazquez, Regents professor, as the associate vice president for Research Integrity. During his 16 years at NMSU, Vazquez has served as associate dean of the Graduate School, chair of the Institutional Review Board, department head of the Counseling and Educational Psychology Department, and several other administrative appointments. Vazquez's new role will be to oversee the Office of Compliance. Vazquez said his greatest interest... [more]

Effective Jan. 1, 2012, New Mexico State University Carlsbad President Russell Hardy will become director of the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center. In his new position, Hardy will lead the NMSU partnership with Los Alamos National Labs, Sandia National Laboratory and Washington TRU Solutions. Plans also are under way to begin a search for a chief scientist to direct the research side of the CERMC operations.

Release 

Director of Nursing Administration 

Deborah "Debbie" Chasco, CCRN, DNP, CNS, joins El Paso Children's Hospital as the new director of nursing administration. She brings experience in quality management, program implementation, grant writing, research and patient care processes.  Her background is in neonatal intensive care nursing.  She is also an advanced nurse practitioner in the state of Texas as a clinical nurse specialist in maternal child health. She also has a Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Nursing Administration from Texas Christian University. 

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at El... [more]

SAN JOSE - The new manager of the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center started work Monday (July 25). Irene Chavez, a 29-year industry veteran, replaces Terry Austen as Senior Vice President and Area Manager of the center. She was most recently the CEO of El Paso Specialty Hospital, an orthopedic specialty hospital in Texas. Previously, she was CEO at Providence Memorial Hospital, where she also held the roles of chief operating officer and chief development officer. Chavez has a... [more]

Hector Flores, M.D., a fellowship-trained cardiovascular surgeon, has joined El Paso Southwestern Cardiovascular Associates.  Headed by Dr. Joseph Kidd, the group practice includes Drs. Kenneth Eisenberg, Robert Santoscoy and Ian Lyn. They are the team of cardiothoracic surgeons with which University Medical Center of El Paso contracts for its cardiovascular cases. Originally from El Paso, Flores is a Cathedral High School graduate, earned his bachelor of science degree in molecular biology from St. Mary’s University, attended medical school at UT’s Health Sciences Center where... [more]

Sixty-eight Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) resident physicians will graduate from residency training Thursday (June 9) at the Ysleta Independent School District Cultural Arts Center. Thirteen of these residents have decided to practice in El Paso or to continue in TTUHSC fellowship programs. TTUHSC orthopaedic residents from William Beaumont Army Medical Center will take military assignments around the world and still others will practice in Texas, other parts of the Southwest or in other states.

News story

Nelda C. Martinez will join the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College as the first dean for the College of Nursing. Martinez will assume her new position on Wednesday, June 1. She visited UTB-TSC in early May and met with campus leaders and staff from area medical facilities. Last November, the University of Texas System Board of Regents approved the creation of a College of Nursing for UTB. Prior to joining UTB/TSC, she was an associate professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Texas... [more]

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas has appointed five new members to the Bank’s Eleventh District Advisory Council, including Henry Hernandez, CEO of Las Palmas Medical Center, Las Palmas LifeCare Center and the Las Palmas Rehabilitation Hospital in El Paso.  The Advisory Council meets to discuss economic activity and business conditions in the Eleventh Federal Reserve District—Texas, northern Louisiana and southern New Mexico—and provide insight to Dallas Fed officials.

Hernandez was a founding member of the National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives and has been a member of the... [more]

The Paso del Norte Health Foundation is pleased to announce the election of Susana Navarro, Ph.D., as the new 2011-2012 board chair. Dr. Navarro has served on the board since 2006 and is the executive director for El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence at UTEP. Sandra Sánchez Almanzán was appointed as vice-chair and chair-elect. She has served on the board since 2007 and is the director of community development for Fannie Mae. The Foundation also elected Jose Prieto, M.D., as a new member to the board. Dr. Prieto is a... [more]

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) President Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., has appointed Jose Manuel de la Rosa, M.D., vice president of health affairs at the El Paso campus.

De la Rosa will keep the title of founding dean for the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine and the regional dean for the El Paso campus; however, as vice president of health affairs, de la Rosa will provide leadership for both the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine and the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing. He will also... [more]

On May 18, Col. Dennis D. Doyle will ceremoniously take over command of William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Fort Bliss. Notably, Col. Doyle is slated for promotion from colonel to a 1-star brigadier general.

Background:  After eight months of taking command of William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss officials announced that Maj. Gen. Ted Wong is being reassigned. Starting this summer, Wong will return to Fort Sam Houston, near San Antonio, to serve as commanding general at the Brooke Army Medical Center.

Article (March 27,... [more]

Colonel Bruce Adams, the chief of medical staff at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, recently joined the board of directors of the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation. This marks the first time the MCA Foundation benefits from Beaumont representation on its board.  The MCA Foundation works to improve access to quality healthcare by building a better healthcare infrastructure, providing superior healthcare educational opportunities and attracting researchers and healthcare providers to the Paso del Norte region. The vision is to position the region as the premier center of health... [more]

Veronica Mallett, M.D., joins the Texas Tech/UMC team as chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  Mallett comes from the University of Tennessee in Memphis where she served as professor and medical director of Healthcare Excellence in the Department of OB/GYN.  She is board certified in surgical obstetrics/gynecology and sub-boarded in urological gynecology. Mallett received her bachelor’s degree from Barnard College and her doctor of medicine from Michigan State University.  She is published in national journals related to obstetrics and gynecology and has been the principal investigator on numerous... [more]

El Paso's public medical facilities cannot offer doctors the top dollar or expensive perks that some private hospitals use to lure prized recruits. But even when medical specialists are in short supply nationwide, people who recruit for the Texas Tech University Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, University Medical Center and El Paso Children's Hospital say they are finding highly qualified individuals who want to work in El Paso.

Story      

Sierra Medical Center has announced the appointment of Dr. David Dobrin as chief of staff for Sierra Medical Center for 2011. Dobrin has worked with Sierra Providence Health Network in various hospital appointments and committees since 1987. He has 24 years practicing Cardiology and Internal Medicine in El Paso.

The ABA Journal recently posted a story highlighting El Paso as a growing “desert metropolis” for attorneys who specialize in legal services for health care professionals. The ABA credits the region's growing life sciences community - Texas Tech’s Paul Foster School of Medicine, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), El Paso’s expanding nursing schools, University Medical Center, the El Paso Children's Hospital, and the MCA Foundation - for its decision to rank El Paso among its top 10.

It said, “The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El... [more]

The El Paso County Medical Society installed Dr. Jose Aun as its new president. President-elect for 2012 is Dr. Bruce Applebaum. Secretary is Dr. Patricio Pazmino, treasurer is Dr. Juan Escobar, and assistant treasurer is Dr. Syed Yusoof.  Immediate past president  is Dr. Andres Enriquez.

Wrennah Gabbert, RN, Ph.D., CPNP, FNP-BC, has been appointed Associate Academic Dean for TTUHSC School of Nursing in El Paso as well as the future Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing in El Paso.

The El Paso Children’s Hospital announces the addition of three more staff members to its ranks:

• Curtis Solis, physician relations and recruitment manager
• Andrew Ten Eick, pharmacy director
• Mary Lacaze, M.D., pediatric hematology/oncology specialist

The hiring of Dr. Lacaze brings the Children’s Hospital’s number of pediatric specialists to 18. Approximately 10 more specialists are needed.  The hospital’s recruitment committee meets once a month on the second Thursday of the month. The recruitment plan is in phase two out of three.

Donna L. Wagner, Ph.D., took the reins Jan. 1 as the new associate dean of academic affairs at the New Mexico State University College of Health and Social Services. In addition to administrative duties, a portion of her time will be spent conducting research and teaching. Mark Kittleson has been named professor and head of the Department of Health Science, effective Jan. 1. Kittleson is noted for his research and service in the use of technology within the profession of health education/health promotion and public health.

Wagner

Kittleson

Diabetes and obesity are significant public health problems in Hispanic populations. The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine is currently conducting a national search for a director for its Center of Excellence.

   El Paso Children’s Hospital has hired its first Chief Nursing Officer.  Beginning Dec. 13, Paul Ocón, R.N., FACHE, will oversee all nursing functions in El Paso’s first-ever separately licensed children’s hospital.  Ocón comes from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, one of the top ranked Children’s Hospitals in the country according to U.S. News and World Report and Parents magazines.  More than half a million patients are treated annually at the three hospitals it operates in metro Atlanta.   

Ocón has 24 years of experience in pediatric... [more]

A budding biomedical technology company located in Southern California is considering moving to El Paso. The company, which produces diagnostic and therapeutic devices for critical care, is keeping its identity confidential. The El Paso Regional Economic Development Corporation (REDCo) and Innovate El Paso have been working to recruit the company to El Paso for more than a year. It is one of 18 technology companies being considered as potential clients for El Paso’s first tech incubator.

El Paso Inc. 

German Hernandez, M.D., a nephrologist, has been elected to serve the next two years as chief of staff at University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC).  He is an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center-Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. He is also the principle investigator in a unique area of study on kidney disease with a focus on the Hispanic population.  Dr. Hernandez replaces former UMC chief of staff Carmela Morales, M.D.  

Bio

Former longtime New Mexico State University Professor Peter Lammers has accepted a research faculty position to advance algal biofuel research and related development projects at NMSU.  He already has acted as the principal investigator on a $45 million proposal to USDA in sustainable bioenergy. He also is assisting with NMSU's plans to deploy an AGS-4000L bioreactor from Solix at the NMSU algae testbed.

Nam-Soo Kim, Ph.D., joins the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at The University of Texas at El Paso as associate professor.  Dr. Kim was formerly director of the KEN research center at Seokyeong University in Seoul, Korea, and assistant professor in the Department of Biochemical Engineering.  He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Korea University, Seoul and his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, S.D.  His research interests include direct writing and printing technology in nano-technology and recycling.

... [more]

Four members of the El Paso County Medical Society have been appointed to serve in various capacities with the Texas Medical Association. Dr. Robert H. Emmick, an emergency medicine physician, was elected to a three-year term on the association's Council on Health Service Organizations. Dr. Jesus Alberto Gomez, a hematologist and oncologist practicing for 18 years, was appointed to the Committee on Cancer. Dr. Gilberto A. Handal, an infectious disease specialist practicing for 40 years, was reappointed to the Committee on Child and Adolescent Health.  Dr. Angel M. Rios, an... [more]

Kevin Cowens, M.D., a private practitioner from Minnesota, has been named neurohospitalist for Sierra Medical Center and Providence Memorial Hospital. He will meet the immediate needs for neurology consults, allowing other neurologists on staff to spend more time with patients in their offices. He will also be the admitting physician for acute strokes, TIA and neuromedicine patients.

El Paso Times

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine has appointed Michael J. Romano M.D., M.B.A., as its associate dean for Clinical Affairs. Dr. Romano is also an Associate Professor in Pediatrics. He attended the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston.  His internship and residency in pediatrics were at the Naval Regional Medical Center, San Diego. He completed a fellowship in pediatric critical care at Baylor College of Medicine. 

El Paso Children’s Hospital, now under the helm of CEO Larry Duncan, has recruited 17 primary and sub-specialty physicians. The list includes:

three pediatric surgeons Don Meier, M.D.; Thomas Rothenbach, M.D.; William Spurbeck, M.D.

four pediatric intensivists Jorge Saenz, M.D.; Clint Woosley, M.D.; Bert Johannson, M.D.; Angelica Chavez, M.D

pediatric anesthesiologist William McIlvaine, M.D.

pediatric orthopedist Amr Abdelgawad, M.D.

infectious disease specialist David Isaac, M.D.

perinatologist Carla Martinez, M.D.

urologist Guillermo Latiff, M.D.

adolescent OB/GYN Melissa Mendez, M.D.

child development specialist Pilarita Cortez, M.D.

emergency medicine specialist Alfredo Maldonado, M.D.; and

hematology/oncology specialist Arlynn Mulne, M.D.

University Medical Center introduced Lawrence G. Duncan of Milwaukee as the El Paso Children's Hospital first chief executive officer.  Duncan was hired after a four-month national search that attracted 16 applicants.  He was vice president of regional services at Children's Hospital and Health System in Milwaukee.

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