Class Notes

Welcome to Class Notes. What are your fellow MAA members up to these days? Find out and search notes from your fellow alumni. Remember to check back regularly for new notes. Be sure to submit your own note. Keep the connection alive!

Latest Notes from Classes of 2000 - present

Heather Conrad, M.D.’02

September 4, 2008 - Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) announced today that UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine alum Heather Conrad, MD, has been named CHA’s Director of Pediatric Emergency Services.

Dr. Conrad, a board-certified emergency medicine physician, will oversee the care of children at CHA’s three emergency department locations ? the Cambridge hospital campus, Somerville hospital campus, and Whidden hospital campus in Everett . CHA’s three hospital campuses provide expert, 24-hour care for people of all ages. Last year, patients made more than 90,000 emergency room visits to CHA.

As part of her responsibilities, Dr. Conrad will help oversee pediatric residents from Massachusetts General Hospital who work at CHA’s Cambridge campus. Dr. Conrad graduated from the University of California-Berkeley and the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. She completed her emergency medicine residency at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center as well as a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston.

Cambridge Health Alliance is an innovative, award-winning health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge , Somerville , and Boston ’s metro-north communities. It includes three hospital campuses, more than 20 primary care and specialty practices, the Cambridge Public Health Dept., and the Network Health plan. CHA is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine. Visit us online at www.challiance.org .

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Latest Notes from Classes of 1990 - 1999

Madhu Chopra Agarwal ’95, M.D. ’99

Hi, Bruins! I hope you all are well. I can't believe it's been 10 years! Seems like yesterday! Well, I married Jay M.D. '00 and have two kids, Neal, age 5, and Sonia, age 3. We live in the "IE" aka the Inland Empire since I am doing neuro-ophthalmology and oculoplastics for Loma Linda University for the last 5 years. No lack of wild cases here! Jay is a nephrologist in private practice here. We are busy, but having fun. Hope to reunite soon! Glad to read about such successful alum! Cheers!

Darrell L. Cass, M.D., ’91 (originally Class of ’90)

Hey guys. I was asked to provide an update as to what I’m up to. Presently, I am an Associate Professor in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery and the Departments of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. I am a pediatric surgeon and work mostly at Texas Children’s Hospital, the largest free standing children’s hospital in the U.S., and one of the "top 5" by the various ranking systems. Most interestingly, I serve as Co-Director of the Texas Children’s Fetal Center. We are one of only 3 centers in the world to have performed successful open fetal surgery for life-threatening fetal anomalies (such as lung tumors or sacrococcygeal teratoma). We have received some national notoriety for these efforts, and our patient successes have been featured on Dateline NBC, the Today Show, and there is a planned program for the Discovery Channel to be shown in January ’09. I hope all of you are well! I look forward to hearing from you, and perhaps to seeing you again sometime soon.

Sincerely,
Darrell

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Latest Notes from Classes of 1980 - 1989

Herbert Kim Lyerly, M.D. ’83

President George W. Bush appointed H. Kim Lyerly, MD, director of the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center , to the National Cancer Advisory Board in June 2008.

Lyerly, the George Barth Geller Professor of Research in Cancer, is one of eight appointees named to the board. He will serve a six year term. The National Cancer Advisory Board is an advisory committee of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The role of the board is to advise the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and the director of the NCI on issues that relate to the activities of the Institute, including reviewing and recommending support grants and cooperative agreements. The board consists of 18 members appointed by the president and selected from the leading representatives of the health and scientific disciplines. ?I am honored to be chosen by President Bush to serve on this important cancer advisory board,? says Lyerly, a breast cancer surgeon. ?I view this as a wonderful opportunity as well as a huge responsibility. In this role, I want to be a voice for cancer patients, cancer researchers and physicians as we strive to shape policies that will positively affect each of these groups and bring increased attention to their needs.?

Lyerly is currently the principal investigator of the Cancer Center Core Grant, the Duke Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE) grant in breast cancer, and a program project grant directed toward developing antigen specific immunity in patients with cancer. An internationally recognized expert in cancer therapy and cancer immunotherapy, Lyerly has published over 150 scientific articles and has edited 10 textbooks on surgery, cancer immunotherapy, and novel cancer therapies. He serves on the editorial board of 12 scientific journals.

Rebecca Brittain Bittner M.D. ’84

Can't believe we're about to have our 25th reunion... I'm starting my 3rd year as assistant professor of radiology at George Washington University School of Medicine, in Washington DC. Loving teaching, after 17 years of private practice! Teaching Body Imaging, Neuroradiology, and Breast Imaging. Let me know if any of you are in DC!

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Latest Notes from Classes of 1970 - 1979

Verna Li Liss M.D. '79

Sorry a bit late: I am unable to attend the reunion . However, life is great for me.

I am working in Thousand Oaks, CA - family medicine with Lakeside Community Healthcare Medical Group. I have the standard office practice and take care of nursing home patients in my free time.

I have four children - the oldest is married and lives in Amsterdam. Others in New Yoork and San Diego. I have one left at home. My husband is a great guy and runs a successful family-started company called Challenge Plumbing.

Hope my life continues well and all yours too.s

John S. Kerns, Jr. M.D. ’71 (deceased)

I am the sister of John, Helen Kerns Egy, and would like to chat with people who knew John. Please contact me at my e-mail Famegy2006@Yahoo.com. I live in Silicon Valley, CA. Thank you, Helen Egy

Patricia A. Ganz, MD ’73

October 23, 2007 - Patricia A. Ganz, professor of health services at the School of Public Health; professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine; and director of cancer prevention and control research at the Jonsson Cancer Center, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine. This month, she will also receive the American Cancer Society’s Distinguished Service Award for her outstanding contributions to the field of cancer.

Roberto San Martin M.D. ’74, M.S., FACS

Roberto San Martin, M.D. class of 1974 is the 2009 president of the Bexar County Medical Society. BCMS is the 8th largest medical society in the country and consists of over 4,000 members. Bexar county surrounds San Antonio, Texas. Dr. San Martin practices Comprehensive Ophthalmology since 1980.

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Latest Notes from Classes of 1960 - 1969

Matthew L. Howard ’60, M.D. ’64

I have been selected as the 2008 recipient of the Eileen Sweeney Distinguished Service Award, presented by the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) NOSSCR is the leading continuing education and claimant advocacy group for attorneys and others specializing in assistance to Social Security Disability and SSI claimants. The award to given to a person “whose outstanding service has resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of advocacy for Social Security claimants, a significant increase in the availability of advocacy for Social Security claimants, or a significant improvement in the Social Security adjudicatory process.”

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Latest Notes from Classes of 1955 - 1959

Paul H.Goodley, MD ’59

"Man plans; G-d laughs." Much of the time my practice has been a white water experience. As some of my classmates know, every year in med school I was positive what I’d specialize in - and change the next year. As a senior I committed to Orthopedic Surgery. I interned at Harbor General Hospital in Torrance shortly before it became an official part of the UCLA structure. I was the only intern who applied for it and I’d finished all the Orthopaedic Prosthetic courses even before I graduated, but I didn’t get it. Looking back over decades - and getting into my website: www.drgoodley.com explains some of it. I entered general practice in Wilmington, California for 12 years. Wilmington, the port of L.A. is a small town, and I had an extraordinarily busy practice from which my prediliction to Orthopaedic Medicine developed. I took a residency in PM&R first at USC then UC Davis. My CV on my website and the histories therein describe some of the challenges.

In 2003 I came to Israel where I started a whole new life - with a wondrous new wife, a gratifying practice, a new stabilization.

G-d willing, I’ll be at the 50th reunion in 2009. Enough for now.

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