VCU news

John M. Pellock, M.D., Children’s Hospital of Richmond
Pellock, chair of the Division of Child Neurology and professor of neurology, pediatrics and pharmacy and pharmaceutics, Children’s Hospital of Richmond, was named president of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) during the organization’s 64^th annual meeting at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio. The 3,000 member society is the world’s largest organization of professionals dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of epilepsy.

Pellock is an internationally recognized expert in epilepsy drug therapy and a frequent lecturer and presenter at professional symposia around the world. He served earlier this year as leader of The Infantile Spasms Working Group which produced the U.S. Consensus Report on Infantile Spasms for the guidance of pediatricians in treating this rare but serious condition. 

He received his medical degree from St. Louis University, St. Louis. He completed a fellowship in pediatric neurology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, and residency in pediatrics at the VCU School of Medicine. He holds board certifications in pediatrics and in psychiatry and neurology with special competence in child neurology.

Robert Cohen, Ph.D., School of Medicine, VCU Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development

Cohen, professor and vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry, as well as director of VCU’s Virginia Treatment Center for Children, has co-edited a book called “Beyond Suppression: Global Perspectives on Youth Violence.” Cohen’s co-editors are Joan Serra Hoffman, Ph.D., and Lyndee Knox.

The text provides a comprehensive overview of youth violence – violence committed by or against individuals aged 10 to 29 years old – on a global scale and includes insights from international experts, as well as real-life examples of how nations and communities around the world have successfully dealt with the issue.

Further, the book includes background information that defines the problem internationally, a conceptual framework for understanding approaches to youth violence, examinations of multiple case studies and examples of prevention programs. The final section presents conclusions and suggested strategies for dealing with interpersonal violence and recommendations for future policy. It was published by Praeger Publishers.

Diane Reynolds, director, Business Services
The National Association of College Auxiliary Services honored Reynolds with its Regional Mentor Award, which recognizes members who have shown initiative in welcoming newcomers and promoting involvement of members at the regional and national levels.

Established in 1969, the NACAS is a nonprofit higher education association serving auxiliary services and student support services professionals at more than 900 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.

Jay Albanese, Ph.D., criminologist and professor, L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs
Albanese has been named editor in chief of the five-volume “Encyclopedia of Criminology & Criminal Justice” to be published by Wiley-Blackwell. This two-year project will include more than 600 entries, totaling 1.7 million words, and will be the most comprehensive source of criminology and criminal justice information of its kind.

Albanese, a criminal justice professor in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, has a variety of research interests, including organized crime, human trafficking, corruption, ethics and criminal justice, white collar crime, gambling and crime and emerging crimes.

Wiley-Blackwell is one of the world’s largest academic and professional publishers.  

Nadir Ahmad, M.D., Department of Otolaryngology
Ahmad, assistant professor, School of Medicine’s Department of Otolaryngology, recently became a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons during convocation ceremonies at the college’s 96th annual clinical congress in Washington D.C. The ACS is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient.

Richard Wenzel, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine

Wenzel has been named a recipient of the 2011 Elaine Larson Lectureship Award by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control for his pioneering contributions that have advanced the field of infection control and epidemiology, as well as for leadership and teaching in the field.

The award honors the individual best able to present a lecture on the state of the science of infection prevention and control and/or healthcare epidemiology in the area for which he or she has been a major contributor over a lifetime of pursuit.

Wenzel, an internationally known expert on infectious disease and former chair of internal medicine in the VCU School of Medicine, has contributed significantly to clinical practice and research and has helped train future leaders. As a leader in the field of infectious diseases — he is a national expert on antibiotic resistance and its impact — Wenzel has helped shape guidelines on prevention and control of hospital-acquired infections that have had positive impact on public health, according to the association.

Wenzel is the first editor-at-large of the New England Journal of Medicine and was among the leading commentators on swine flu and the SARS outbreak. He was at the forefront of the national debate on smallpox vaccination. Wenzel is past-president of the International Society for Infectious Diseases.

He is the author of “Stalking Microbes: A Relentless Pursuit of Infection Control,” and a recently published novel called “Labyrinth of Terror,” a medical thriller focusing on bioterror.

His research focuses on the epidemiology of hospital-acquired infections and clinical trials of antisepsis scrub agents to treat or prevent infections caused by antibiotic resistant pathogens.

Elaine Larson Lectureship Award candidates must be recognized experts who have created, delivered or promoted an infection control and epidemiology service that has influenced public perception, attitudes and awareness. Candidates must also show evidence of outstanding and significant contribution and demonstrate excellence toward the science of infection control and epidemiology research, education, administration or clinical practice.