March College News Headlines

March 31, 2022

College & Faculty

In her newly appointed role, Julie Phillips, MD, is the first woman chair of the Department of Family Medicine after previously serving as assistant dean for Student Career and Professional Development. Watch her welcome video.
Cara Anne Poland, MD, assistant professor, shares a personal essay about loss and self care in JAMA.
Lisa Lowery, MD, was named one of West Michigan's most influential women by Grand Rapids Business Journal.
Spartan Alumni Magazine recently published two features about the College of Human Medicine. The story Hope, Health and Healing explores the expanding footprint of the Grand Rapids Innovation Park and other research collaborations. The story Health Care Partnerships in Our Cities highlights our statewide partnerships and programs.
Larry Charleston IV, MD, professor in the Department of Neurology & Opthamology, joined Neurology Minute to discuss medication overuse in headaches. See related: African American and Have Headaches? It May be Migraine.
Leonard M. Fleck, PhD, and Irving E. Vega, PhD, presented at the March 24 Bioethics for Breakfast session, offering perspectives and insight on the topic “Aducanumab, Alzheimer’s: Having That Conversation.”
Helga Toriello, PhD, director of Intersessions, been selected as the 2021 National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners Item Writer of the Year, COMLEX-USA Level 3. Dr. Toriello's work was acknowledged as a model for the type and format needed to produce a valid, high-quality examination that assesses competencies for osteopathic medicine and related health professions.
Ping Wang, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Precision Health Program, was inducted into the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research Council Early Career Investigators in Imaging (CECI2) Class of 2022.
Kipling Bohnert, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, discussed the statewide availability of cannabis dispensaries in Hour Detroit.

Research & Innovation

A study by MSU, Spectrum Health and six other organizations indicates COVID-19 patients fall into two main groups benefiting from two types of therapies.
Spectrum Health and MSU will work together to collect and analyze genomic data to address emerging infectious disease threats and enhance the state of Michigan’s ability to respond to them.
On WZZM TV 13, George Abela, MD, discusses his research of cholesterol crystals and the link to bacterial infections in the heart. Related: Study Finds Link Between Cholesterol Crystals and Heart Infections
Allison Close, MD, MS, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and medical director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, was part of the hospital team that recently established the first comprehensive oncofertility program in the state. The program offers ovarian tissue cryopreservation to young girls and women and testicular tissue cryopreservation to boys. It offers hope to patients and families encountering gonadotoxic therapies that would otherwise render them infertile. The program is one of approximately 15 centers in the country who have an open IRB for testicular tissue cryopreservation.
Smithsonian Magazine recently wrote about the historic women behind the whooping cough vaccine, including a photo of their sculpture on display at the Grand Rapids Research Center.
"Rural Healthcare Providers’ Perceptions of Patient Financial Well-Being and Integrating Financial Capability Services" written by Carol Janney, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, and collaborators, was named "Best Paper in Personal Finance and Consumer Economics" by Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal.

Students

Rhea Wyse and Matt Tiacharoen, both third-year medical students, have organized a book drive to serve Ukrainian families seeking refuge in the Netherlands. Read their student view "Knowledge is Power."
Third-year medical student Neej Patel partnered with the Flint Institute of Art to host “The Art of Observation,” a workshop to help healthcare professionals work through the ability of gleaning nuances when talking to patients by practicing their observational skills while looking at specific art pieces.
On the morning of Match Day, WOOD TV interviewed Chi Chi Mbanugo about this milestone event and what it means to her career in medicine.