Research spotlight: Going full term
Boonshoft researcher Thomas L. Brown is making strides in preeclampsia research.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been more than a year since I became dean of the Boonshoft School of Medicine. Now that I’ve had time to settle in and get to know everyone, I’m even more amazed by the dedication, innovation, and commitment to excellence I’ve seen here.
I have found the Boonshoft School of Medicine to be a jewel, often hidden, and less well known than it should be. In my meetings with our alumni, I have come to understand just how proud of their medical school they are. We have the proudest graduates I have ever met, and with good reason.
The Boonshoft School of Medicine has kept its eye on its mission, in spite of health care environments that would push it otherwise. I have learned that we are a great value-added school. We admit enthusiastic students with a great sense of passion, and we help them become even greater along the way. We take enthusiasm and permanently ingrain mission.
As dean, it has been my distinct pleasure to meet the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the medical school and to learn their incredible stories.
In this issue of Vital Signs, you’ll meet some of those individuals. Our faculty are leading the way with cutting-edge research. We’re pleased to report on Dr. Julian Cambronero’s discovery of a mechanism to slow tumor growth and metastasis in breast cancer, and Dr. Thomas Brown’s research into preeclampsia, a life-threatening condition for both mothers and babies.
Our alumni are making a difference in their communities nationwide. You’ll meet Dr. Nathan Schlicher, a graduate of our emergency medicine residency program who became the youngest state senator in Washington State, 1989 grad Dr. Ronald Golovan who serves as team physician for the Cleveland Indians, and 2008 grad Dr. Bryan Jewell who helped deliver a baby orangutan at Zoo Atlanta.
And our students are gaining recognition at both the state and national levels. You’ll meet recent graduate Dr. Casey McCluskey, who as a medical student overcame breast cancer and went on to receive a national public health award, fourth-year student John Corker who received an AMA Physician of Tomorrow Award, and third-year Topaz Sampson who serves as the 2013-14 president elect of the national Student National Medical Association.
These are just a few of the remarkable stories featured in this issue. I look forward to introducing you to more members of the Boonshoft School of Medicine family in upcoming issues.
Marjorie A. Bowman, M.D., M.P.A.
Dean
