September faculty and staff features

School of Medicine Endowed Professorships and Chairs
The following School of Medicine faculty members were appointed to endowed professorships or chairs:
Kate Lapane, M.D., was appointed to the Charles W. and Evelyn F. Thomas Professorship in Epidemiology; Lenore Buckley, M.D., was appointed to the Elam C. Toone, Jr. Distinguished Professorship in internal medicine; John Reavey-Cantwell, M.D., was appointed to the Reynolds Chair in neurosurgery; William Benson, M.D., received his first appointment to the Ragnnit and Walter J. Geeraets Chair in ophthalmology; Thomas Smith, M.D., received his first appointment to the Massey Endowed Chair in Palliative Care Research at the Massey Cancer Center; and William Walker, M.D., received his first appointment to the Ernst and Helga Prosser Professorship in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Spiegel was selected by the faculty of Goethe University to receive the Ernst and Gerta Scharrer Medal for 2008, which is given to a distinguished scientist. Gerta Scharrer was a German scientist who was one of the founders of the field of neuroendocrinology and studied the nervous system of cockroaches.

Spiegel — one of Virginia’s Outstanding Scientists for 2008 — is program co-leader of the Cancer Cell Biology Program at the VCU Massey Cancer Center and the Mann T. and Sara D. Lowry Professor of Oncology.

Paul Dent, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Biochemistry
Dent has been appointed to the editorial board of Anti-Cancer Drugs for a three-year period, starting Jan. 1. Anti-Cancer Drugs is an internationally refereed journal that reports both clinical and experimental results related to anti-cancer drugs.

Arun Sanyal, M.D., professor of medicine and associate chair for research, Department of Internal Medicine
The Czech Society of Hepatology gave Sanyal honorary membership to the society for his contributions to education in liver diseases in the Czech Republic. A member of such organizations as the American Association for Study of Liver Diseases and the American College of Gastroenterology, Sanyal is the author of more than 80 articles.

Thomas Smith, M.D., associate professor and chairman, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine
Smith has been appointed as chair of the American Association of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Research Committee to coordinate palliative care research among the National Institutes of Health, the American Chemical Society and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. In addition, Smith received the American Society of Clinical Oncology "Statesman" Award at the 2008 Annual ASCO meeting for his work in negotiating national clinical practice guidelines for US practice.

Bruce Hillner, M.D., professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Hillner received the American Society of Clinical Oncology "Stateman" Award at the ASCO meeting June 2 for his service in creating the bisphosphonate guidelines. Hillner is also a member scientist with the VCU Massey Cancer Center.

I. Kelman Cohen, M.D., professor emeritus, Department of Surgery
Cohen, president and CEO of Tissue Technologies and chief medical officer at Greystone Pharmaceuticals, recently received the World Union of Wound Healing Societies’ lifetime achievement award in June. This marks Cohen’s third lifetime achievement award from major industry groups including the Wound Healing Society and the Society for Advancement of Wound Care.

Widely known as the “father of wound care,” Cohen established the country’s first clinical wound healing center at Virginia Commonwealth University in the late 1970s.

Celeste N. Powers, M.D., Ph.D., professor, Department of Pathology
Powers, chair of the Division of Anatomic Pathology and director of Anatomic Pathology Services and Cytopathology, is recipient of the 2008 American Society of Cytopathology’s Papanicolaou Award. Named for George Papanicolaou, the originator of the Pap test that is now one of the most effective screening tests for cervical cancer, the Papanicolaou Award is the society’s highest honor.