VCU news

Jennifer Salluzzo, M.D., Division of Bariatrics and Gastrointestinal Surgery

VCU Health welcomes Salluzzo to the Division of Bariatrics and Gastrointestinal Surgery. Salluzzo is a general surgeon with advanced training in bariatric and minimally invasive surgery. Her clinic interests include minimally invasive approaches to bariatric and foregut surgery, as well as laparoscopic hernia surgery and complex abdominal wall reconstruction.  

“Bariatric surgery is part of a complete lifestyle change. It requires intense dedication and motivation not only from patients, but from the entire multidisciplinary team that goes through the journey with them,” Salluzzo said. “I believe in the bariatric team at VCU, and feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to contribute to this amazing program.”

Salluzzo completed her Minimally Invasive Surgery/Bariatric Fellowship at Yale-New Haven Hospital. She completed her medical degree at Tufts University School of Medicine, and her general surgery residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital. During her career, Salluzzo has studied enhanced recovery protocols for postoperative management of bariatric patients, as well as bariatric surgery and protocols for the prevention and management of dehydration after bariatric surgery.

John Leonard, Ph.D., Executive Associate Dean, School of Engineering

Leonard joined the VCU School of Engineering as executive associate dean for finance and administration Aug. 1.

Leonard, a professor in the Department of Computer Science, will oversee a business unit serving more than 1,800 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students, 10 departments and centers and multiple collaborative projects involving stakeholders from government and industry. His primary responsibility will be to align the resources of the school to meet the teaching, research and administrative needs of the faculty, staff and students. To help keep things on track, he will work with faculty, staff, students, alumni and sponsors to define and measure key performance indicators based on the school’s strategic plan.

“Like instruments on the dashboard of a car, these measures and indicators will help everyone understand where we are and how far we have to go” Leonard said.

Improving traffic operations through data collection and model building has been a hallmark of Leonard’s career. He holds a doctorate in engineering from the University of California, Irvine. His academic research focuses on traffic operations analysis and design and he is widely published in the field. He is also a nationally recognized expert in Intelligent Transportation Systems, the field that gathers traffic data and presents it to drivers to make better informed, safer and smarter travel decisions.

Previously, Leonard was with the Georgia Institute of Technology where, for the past 10 years, he served as associate dean for finance and administration in the College of Engineering.

“I was attracted to the VCU School of Engineering because I believe that VCU is poised to make significant leaps forward in both national and international recognition,” Leonard said. “If the next three years are anything like the last three, it’s going to be dramatic. I’m here because I want to contribute to this success.”

 

Erdem Topsakal, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering

A research team led by Topsakal received funding to develop a device that will improve comfort, safety and quality of life for the nearly one out of every seven adults in Virginia who has diabetes.

The Commonwealth Health Research Board awarded the two-year, $266,000 grant for the development of an implantable biosensor for long-term continuous glucose monitoring. The CHRB supports research efforts that have the potential to maximize human health benefits for the citizens of the commonwealth.

The researchers are prototyping a subcutaneous, ultra-sensitive biosensor that will remain fully functional in the body for up to a year. This innovation will represent a significant improvement over biosensors currently on the market, which typically last less than two weeks and are bulky and uncomfortable.

“The striking fact is that diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.,” Topsakal said. “And poor glycemic control leads to complications that include lower-limb amputations and increased risk of heart attack or stroke.”

Topsakal’s team is developing a technology based on patterned surfaces and nanostructures that enhance biosensor sensitivity. Their design also allows for miniaturization, thus eliminating the discomfort associated with available sensor technologies. The device is constructed using nanoscale materials, which are a fraction of the width of a human hair. For this reason, it is versatile enough to take on various nanostructural forms including nanobelts, nanotubes and nanowires.

“What we are trying to develop is essentially a lab on an implantable chip,” Topsakal said. “We hope that this technology will be used to detect not only glucose but many other blood constituents and disease markers in the future.”

Topsakal, the principal investigator, is joined in this initiative by Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty members Hadis Morkoc, Ph.D.; Umit Ozgur, Ph.D.; and Vitaly Avrutin, Ph.D.; Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Engineering and Gary Francis, M.D, Ph.D., of the VCU Department of Pediatrics, are also investigators on this project.

 

Michael Dowdy, Chief Development Officer, School of Engineering Foundation

Dowdy has joined the School of Engineering Foundation as its chief development officer. Most recently, he served as vice president and chief development officer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and as vice chancellor for university advancement for East Carolina University.

From 1993–2006, Dowdy led the MCV Foundation, playing a leadership role during the development and operation of the $330 million Campaign for VCU, and established a comprehensive medical campus planned giving program that attracted more than $100 million in future support.

“I was fortunate to be at VCU during the founding of the School of Engineering,” Dowdy said. “When I was hired to lead the MCV Foundation, Bill Goodwin was chair and offered me the job. I witnessed his passion for establishing the school and am pleased to be part of continuing its evolution as it celebrates its 20th anniversary and prepares for its 25th.”

Dowdy plans to build alumni giving participation to develop a robust pipeline of future major donors and would like to see the school optimize naming opportunities as a way to recognize its top benefactors. Dowdy also plans to capitalize the synergies between his new role at VCU Engineering and his years with the MCV Foundation.

“The School of Engineering has always had strong alliances with the medical college,” he said. “I think my comfort level with MCV can help with our strategic goals, especially as we build new programs with the School of Pharmacy.”

As Dowdy embraces his new role, he welcomes this return to what he calls “frontline fundraising” and is eager to talk with donors about the tangible difference that their support can make.

“Philanthropy is not necessarily the biggest piece of the budget, but it is often the piece that can make the difference between good and excellent,” Dowdy said. “There is a strong impact factor here — for every dollar given, we are able to show a strong impact.”

 

 J. Randy Koch, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Psychology, College of Humanities and Sciences

Koch has been selected as a 2016 National Institute on Drug Abuse International Program Awards of Excellence winner.

Koch, who serves as the coordinator of the VCU Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship Program, received NIDA’s Excellence in Mentoring award, which recognizes grantees who have served as mentors for NIDA-supported research training programs and who have continued their mentoring beyond the fellowship period. Recipients of the award demonstrate exceptional guidance to help NIDA fellows achieve research independence and are leaders in the institute’s efforts to develop an international community of scientists who exchange information and collaborate on drug abuse research nationally, regionally and globally.

The Humphrey fellowship program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is a U.S. government international exchange program that brings accomplished professionals from selected developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Europe and Eurasia to the United States at a midpoint in their careers for a year of study and related practical professional experiences. At VCU, the fellows focus on a broad range of health problems with an emphasis on understanding the behavioral, psychological, social and cultural factors that affect people’s health, and the use of behavior change interventions to promote positive health outcomes.

As coordinator of the Humphrey program, Koch ensures that the NIDA-supported Humphrey Fellows receive academic, technical and leadership training.

In addition to his work with the Humphrey fellows, Koch studies tobacco use prevention and program performance and outcome measurement for community-based substance abuse services. Also, in recent years he has been working with the South African Medical Research Council to implement and test a system of performance measures for South Africa’s treatment services.

 

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