Snapshots

Internationally acclaimed clinician, researcher and scholar Robert J. Gorlin, of the School of Dentistry, died in August at age 83. Known as a giant in the field of oral and maxillofacial pathology, Gorlin also pushed forward knowledge in the fields of genetics, dermatology, otolaryngology, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and laboratory medicine during his 50 years at the University. He authored Syndromes of the Head and Neck, which is considered the authoritative work in this field. Gorlin is noted for identifying and describing more than 100 syndromes, of which six bear his name. In 2002, Gorlin received the University’s highest honor, an honorary Doctor of Science Award; in 2003, he received the American Dental Association’s Gold Medal Award; and the following year he was the invited presenter at the Nobel Foundation conference in Stockholm on genetic signaling in development and disease. In addition to the countless academic accolades for Gorlin, the AHC community will remember him as a brilliant but humble mentor whose kindness, thoughtfulness and heartwarming humor was extended to patients, students and colleagues.

A team of Percheron horses stole the show in August at the groundbreaking for the University's new Equine Center. This center, to be built on the northeast corner of the St. Paul campus, will provide the College of Veterinary Medicine a cutting-edge facility to treat and study horses. The $14-million  center will have special facilities to cover every aspect of equine health. It will include an indoor riding area to study the walking patterns of horses, areas for MRI and ultrasound, and even a surgical suite. “This new center will dramatically change the way we'll be able to care for horses in the state of Minnesota,” says Stephanie Valberg, director of the Equine Center.

The AHC Academy for Excellence in Health Research honored its four 2006 inductees during a September ceremony by the academy’s Wall of Honor. The honorees, all considered superb researchers by peers at this University, nationally and internationally, are: Aaron R. Folsom (School of Public Health), the principal investigator of the Iowa Women’s Health Study and a guiding light in cardiovascular epidemiology; Stephen S. Hecht (Medical School), a foremost expert on how carcinogens are activated and detoxified in humans; Harry T. Orr (Medical School), internationally known for his research on the role of genes in normal neuronal function and neurodegeneration; and James G. White (Medical School), a master of the electron microscope responsible for major breakthroughs in how platelets malfunction in blood disorders. The final selection of the awardees was made by an external committee comprised of members of the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences and those holding endowed university chairs. The portraits of the 2006 inductees are displayed with previous honorees on the second floor of Moos tower.

University surgeons, in the 1960s, helped transform what was considered the “stuff of science fiction” into routine surgery throughout the world. Since the first transplant at the University in 1963, surgeons and researchers have produced one transplant breakthrough after another. This year, the program marks three significant milestones. On June 28, Abhinav Humar (Medical School) performed the University’s 10,000th transplant surgery when he transplanted a liver into a young groom-to-be, who, after surgery, celebrated his wedding in the hospital. In November, the University celebrated the lung transplant program’s 20th anniversary. And, this December, David E. R. Sutherland, head of the Division of Transplantation, will host transplant surgeons from around the globe as they mark the 40th anniversary of the world’s first pancreatic transplant done at the University of Minnesota in 1966 by William D. Kelly and Richard C. Lillehei.

President Robert Bruininks presided over the dedication of the Wall of Discovery and the Scholars Walk on Friday, Sept. 29, sending the message that the University is dedicated to honoring and nurturing curiosity—the human quality that leads to great discoveries and the betterment of all. On a brisk fall day, President Bruininks noted that the images of rough notes, sketches and equations chosen for the wall’s artistic collage “give us a glimpse of the very human beginnings—the early thoughts that lead to great discoveries.” The Wall of Discovery is a section on the 2,200-foot Scholars Walk that honors the contributions of prominent University scholars and runs from the McNamara Alumni Center west to Appleby Hall. To underscore the message and the meaning behind the Wall of Discovery, the University also rolled out its dynamic Driven to Discover campaign to spread the University spirit of excellence and its mission of discovery. At right, transplant surgeon John S. Najarian views the portion of the wall dedicated to his discoveries. Former U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz is at his side.

The University’s Board of Regents recently gave the go-ahead to the School of Nursing to offer two new advanced degrees geared to clinical care—a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) and a Master of Nursing (M.N.) degree. School of Nursing Dean Connie Delaney says the new degrees will propel the practice of nursing to higher levels of excellence and help meet the need to provide clinical care at an increasingly complex level. The new doctorate will prepare advanced practice nurses and clinical health-care experts. The new entry-level master’s degree will offer a way for people who already have a bachelor of arts, master’s or doctoral degree in other fields to enter nursing as a second career. Students who enter this program will enrich an already holistic profession with their knowledge gained in previous educational programs, while helping address the nursing shortage.