Dr. Srinivasan Vijayakumar, professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, was at University of California-Davis when he was approached about joining the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

He was impressed to find that what had taken four years for him to implement at UC-Davis was already in place at the UMMC Cancer Institute at the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center. The best of technology and equipment was there, but a full staff to support the department wasn抰.

That wasn抰 a detriment; it was a challenge, said 揇r. Vijay,?as he抯 more commonly known.

The School of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center has been selected by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to participate in a number of pilot programs.

According to Dr. Steven T. Case, professor of biochemistry and associate dean for medical school admissions, the number is unprecedented in the school抯 history.

揟his marks a new level of recognition and involvement for the School of Medicine in AAMC Group on Student Affairs programs,?Case said.

The programs include Criminal Background Checks (CBC), an Electronic Letters program, a Biometric Identity Verification Program, and an MCAT Survey.

暊牋牋牋牋牋牋?The school is one of 10 medical schools selected nationwide to participate in

The Barksdale family will continue to fund full-ticket scholarships to medical students at the University of Mississippi Medical Center indefinitely.

The Bryan Barksdale, MD, Scholarship, the Fred McDonnell, MD, Scholarship and the Don Mitchell, MD, Scholarship will be extended to attract more students to the Medical Center, according to David Barksdale, director of the Barksdale Foundation.

揗r. (James) Barksdale has again made a commitment to funding scholarships that will change the lives of individuals, strengthen our School of Medicine by allowing us to recruit the brightest and by allowing us to continue to improve our diversity, and change the lives of many Mississippians when these health professionals complete their training and begin their practices in Mississippi communities,?said Dr. Dan Jones, vice chancellor for health affairs.

Holmes County Hospital and Clinics (HCHC) received two awards and the University of Mississippi Medical Center also received recognition from Information and Quality Healthcare (IQH) at the organization抯 quality awards ceremony in Jackson April 9.

HCHC received a Quality Validation Award for 揺xceptional validation scores over the past year?and 揹edication to the submission of accurate and valid quality measurement data?and a Hospital Quality Award Certificate for 揺fforts in the Rural Organization Safety Culture Change Project (ROSC).?/p>

The ROSC initiative focuses on transformational change in rural and critical access hospitals by working with senior leadership at each participating hospital to assess their safety climate using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality抯 (AHRQ) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.

As a pediatric dentist, Jason Coleman builds confidence in children by making their teeth sparkle. As an expert in construction, he can make the dreams of others come true with a new home. This combination has helped him construct a career he can smile about.

A native of Columbus, Coleman began working during the summers in construction at the age of 13.

揝ome of my family and friends owned construction companies and I would just help them during the summer,敔 he said. 揑 worked all the way through dental school. It helped me get through school and I really enjoyed it. I love the outdoors and I really like working with my hands.?/p>

Student participants in the University of Mississippi Medical Center抯 Student Oriented Academic Research (SOAR) Program received a record number of awards at this year抯 regional and state science fairs.

SOAR participants received a total of 17 awards at the Region II science fair on March 28,and six of them went on to win awards at the state fair in Oxford April 4. Students winning awards at the state science fair included Brandon Hodges (Yale Science Award and third place in the Biochemistry category), Jeremy Dixson (NOAA Taking the Pulse of the Planet Award and fourth place in the Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences category), Ashley Arrington, and Jeremy Holmes. Hodges, Demarco Pendarvis and Kelvin Reed will compete at the International Science Fair in Atlanta in May.

Dr. Helen Barnes remembers crying alongside one of the first patients she treated when she began practicing medicine in Greenwood in 1960.

But physician and patient were emotional for very different reasons.

When the Caucasian female initially arrived at the health care facility where Barnes worked, Barnes said she let it be known that 搒he didn抰 want to be treated by a black doctor.?The patient quickly was informed that Barnes was the only physician available.

揥e treated anybody who showed up from the community,?Barnes said. 揝he was really sick, so she finally agreed to be treated. Both of us were crying: I was mad, and she didn抰 want me to treat her.

A first-year dental student at the University of Mississippi Medical Center is calling upon her experiences as a pageant contestant to help inspire children in Mississippi to fight obesity.

This spring, Catherine Carter, along with the Mississippi Community Education Center and 4Tell Films, launched the childhood obesity prevention program 揧ou抳e Gotta Move.?/p>

Designed for use in classrooms from kindergarten through second grade, the 揧ou抳e Gotta Move?DVD helps children achieve the goal of daily exercise. The program integrates songs and choreography to help children get their hearts pumping and expend excess energy while having fun and learning the importance of establishing a daily exercise routine.

University of Mississippi Health Care (UMHC) recently earned national recognition for performance achievement in the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association抯 揋et with the Guidelines?(GWTG) quality improvement program.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center, a participant in the American Heart Association抯 Get With The Guidelines, is the recipient of Associations?Silver Performance Achievement Award, for Coronary Heart Disease.?The University of Mississippi Medical Center, is also the first hospital in the state to receive Bronze Performance Achievement Award for both Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease. Patients suffering from heart disease, when treated at the Medical Center, receive optimum care as subscribed by the Heart Association抯 evidence based medical guidelines.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center is upgrading its Blackboard (Bb) Curriculum Management System this month.

揟he current Bb basic system will not be able to meet the needs of our growing student body,?said Dr. Bill Lushbaugh, professor of microbiology and chair of the Medical Center抯 e-Learning Committee. 揟he system has been slow and it doesn抰 have all the features that faculty and students are looking for.?/p>

The Bb Curriculum Management System will be upgraded to the new Enterprise version 8 system, according to Lushbaugh.

Dr. Jeanette Pullen, former chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, was honored for her instrumental role in the fight against pediatric cancer at a Children抯 Miracle Network (CMN) meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Hundreds of on-air personalities from TV and radio stations in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom joined with celebrities from stage, screen and gridiron at Walt Disney World Resort to honor Pullen and three others with the Children抯 Miracle Achievement Award.

The award is given annually to four caregivers from CMN hospitals throughout North America for their lifetime of service to children.

Dr. Owen B. Evans, chairman of pediatrics, and Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young presented the award to Pullen as hospital representatives, journalists and entertainers looked on.

Dr. V. Gregory Chinchar, professor of microbiology, is principal investigator of a recent award from the National Science Foundation.

The study, 揤irus-host Immune Interaction in a Ranavirus-amphibian Model,?goes beyond frogs and the viruses that infect them, and impacts larger issues that involve emerging infectious disease and the mechanisms that viruses use to circumvent host immunity.

In reference to the first, there is growing agreement among the scientific community that amphibian species are declining globally at an alarming rate. While there are multiple reasons for this decline, a contributing factor is the emergence of new pathogens, such as chytrid fungi and ranaviruses.

?/p>

Fred Kean woke up one morning and noticed what he thought was a canker sore on his tongue.

揑 didn抰 really think anything about it,?he said. 揃ut three or four days later, it was still there.?/p>

Kean, who was living in Arizona at the time, went to his local ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor, who gave him liquid medication to clear it up.

The sore didn抰 go away.

A biopsy later confirmed Kean抯 worst nightmare: he had oral squamous cell carcinoma (tongue cancer).

Kean is not alone.

Dr. Marcy Petrini, associate professor of medicine, will be chair-elect of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), putting her in line to become chair of the national group抯 Board of Directors.

AAMI was started by a group of physicians and engineers 40 years ago to work on patient safety issues, and it now provides essential information on the development and use of medical instrumentation and technology.

Petrini抯 two-year term will start at the close of the organization抯 national meeting in June. After that, she will serve as chair for two years.

揂s chair-elect and chair, I will also serve on the executive committee, which in the coming year will have a tough job,?she said. 揙ur chief executive officer (a staff position which in AAMI is called the president) will be retiring after 40 years in that

Dr. Jeffrey D. Crout, associate professor of pediatrics, may well be on his way to the hall of fame.

For the second consecutive year, Crout received the Clinical Science Professor of the Year Award at the Carl G. Evers, MD, Society Awards Banquet. Should he continue to gain recognition by his medical students for outstanding instruction, he may draw consideration for the society抯 ultimate honor.

揥hile walking through the halls of Batson Hospital at 9:30 in the morning, if you see a huddled group of residents stretching as if getting ready for a marathon, they are just preparing to spend time with this professor,?said Russ Johnson, M3. 揌e let it be known from the beginning that he expected much from us.

A quality, efficient national health care system, accessible to everyone, that doesn抰 bankrupt individuals, families or businesses is a realistic goal, according to one of the nation抯 foremost leaders in health care.

But it won抰 happen without major reform.

Cass Wheeler, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, Inc.(AHA), said a 搖niquely American?solution is needed to resolve the nation抯 floundering health care system. Otherwise, 搃f we don抰 have a health care system that works for all of us, we will soon have a system that works for none of us.?/p>

Wheeler抯 presentation, 揟he Wreckonomics of Health Care,?was the keynote address of the Wallace Conerly Health Policy Symposium, Health Care Ethics Symposium and Presidential Debate Health Care Issues Series on campus April 4. The daylong

For the second consecutive year, the University of Mississippi Medical Center was awarded the Cochlear Implant Fellowship Award from the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell).

The Medical Center was one of only 12 centers across the country to receive the $15,000 fellowship to train professionals in the field of cochlear implants and auditory rehabilitation.

The fellowships, made possible by grants from Advanced Bionics Corporation and Cochlear Americas, will fund mentoring and educational development for professionals in the fields of clinical and research audiology, speech-language pathology, auditory rehabilitation and the education of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Many 揋et Fit UMC?Weight Loss Challenge participants will mark the completion of their calorie-reducing journey with a 5K run this weekend, but both participants and organizers hope this will be just the beginning of a new healthier lifestyle.

The Center of Excellence in Women抯 Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center will host its annual 揜un for Your Life?5K walk/run and one-mile fun run directed by the Mississippi Track Club at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 19, at the Norman C. Nelson Student Union.

揗any teams with the Get Fit UMC program have been walking as a group,?said Lydia West, health educator and Get Fit UMC organizer. 揟hese team members are encouraged to join the 慠un for Your Life?race as a team to help them continue healthy lifestyle habits.?p/>

The success of the kidney transplant program is making waves in national circles.

Sylvia Odom, director of transplant services at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, recently attended a national conference in Phoenix where Dr. Alan Hawxby, assistant professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Transplantation, talked about the rise in kidney transplants. He showed a chart that displayed the jump from 10 transplants in 2006 to 118 a year later.

揟here was just an audible gasp in the audience and everyone started clapping,?she said.

Barbara Robinson, manager of the kidney transplant program and a 19-year employee, said Mississippians have benefited from the renewed focus on kidney transplants.

Marcus Fields went to bed early as usual the night of Feb. 25. Several months of dialysis had taken a toll on the 32-year-old Pearl resident.

燗 midnight phone call shook him from his sleep. A voice on the other end asked if he was still interested in a kidney transplant. He said yes.

He was told a match had been found and was instructed to come to the University of Mississippi Medical Center at 6 a.m. Fields wrote down everything he was told and went back to sleep.

Then he woke up again, wondering if it was all a dream.

"It took a few minutes for me to realize what had happened,?Fields said. 揈verything was moving really fast for me. I was really blessed.?/p>

After 28 years of teaching and research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Dr. Lyle Zardiackas hangs up his white coat, but not far from reach.

This spring, he will be back on campus a few days each month to continue teaching and research.

Zardiackas had no interest in coming to Mississippi when faculty at the new School of Dentistry first contacted him about the Medical Center in 1979.

Two things compelled him to visit the Jackson campus, however.

揑 wanted to attend an IADR conference in New Orleans, and told the powers that be that if they would fund the trip, I would stop by and interview while in the area,?Zardiackas said.

Michael Adam Adcock, Pediatrics, University Hospital

Seema Ahuja, Medicine-Pediatrics, University Hospital

牋牋牋牋牋?Mark Timothy Barron, Orthopedic Surgery, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington

牋牋牋牋牋?William Bacon Bell, Orthopedic Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio

牋牋牋牋牋?Olivia Faye Berry, Internal Medicine, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans

牋牋牋牋牋?Thomas Joel Berry, Anesthesiology, University of Missouri, Kansas City

牋牋牋牋牋?Jason Lee Black, Medicine-Preliminary, University Hospital

牋牋牋牋牋?William Harrington Black, Dermatology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa

牋牋牋牋牋?Benjamin Thomas Boatright, Internal Medicine, University Hospital

On a crisp morning of a vernal equinox that marked the arrival of spring, another annual rite of passage played out in the School of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Senior medical students found out where they would go for specialty training by opening letters with their matches and sharing the results with family, friends and faculty during a Match Day 2008 ceremony at the Norman C. Nelson Student Union March 20.

According to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), the organization that conducts the match, senior medical students nationwide enjoyed the most successful match in 30 years.?/p>

Who are we?

Sometimes people get confused about what to call me. When I was in elementary school, I was known as Danny (I hope I don抰 regret sharing that). Somewhere along the way, I decided I would rather be Dan. Then, when I began my professional life, I was often referred to as Daniel. By some, I抦 also called Dr. Jones, Doc, Vice Chancellor, Dean,.and some names best not to put in print.

We sometimes have name confusion here at the University of Mississippi Medical Center as well. For years, many have used UMC as our nickname. Sometimes, we use UMMC. And our new U logo reflects our strong heritage. In our early days, we were often referred to as 揟he U.?And recently, our clinical programs have taken on a brand new name, University of Mississippi Health Care (UMHC).

揕earn what you can, have fun and know that someone always knows more than you do.?/p>

These are words of advice Angela Gupta has for upcoming medical students.

After receiving her degree in May, Gupta will do a residency in urology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md.

揑 am very excited,?Gupta said. 揑 lived there for a month and it is such a fun city, it抯 alternative and it抯 a different culture.?/p>

A native of Jackson, Gupta went to high school at St. Andrews Episcopal School and earned her bachelor抯 degree in art history and math at Emory College.

Bethany Porter抯 mother still has the toy doctor抯 kit her daughter played with as a child.

Even then, Porter knew that medicine was her calling, and on Match Day, her dreams were fulfilled when she learned that she would be training in emergency medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. ?her first choice.

揑抦 very thrilled,?she said, smiling. 揑抦 going to have to buy some warmer clothes.?/p>

With all her success, many people wouldn抰 know that Porter has worn hearing aids since birth. She was born with no ear canals or ear drums, but she never let that stop her from doing what she wanted.

Reed Hogan III has wanted to follow in his dad抯 footsteps since he was in elementary school and took frequent trips to his father抯 office.

His father, Reed Hogan Jr., a local GI in Jackson, remembers his son telling him he would one day take over his office. Now that day is just around the corner.

After graduation in May, Hogan will do his residency training in internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.牋牋?/p>

Hogan, who also is president of his class, said he chose the field because of his father.

揑 saw that he was able to have a job that he loves and not compromise family, and I wanted a job like that,?Hogan said.

Tyler Marks took a different path to the road of medicine following his graduation from the University of Mississippi.?/p>

He was a research tech in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior for two years and then worked as a tech in the Department of Emergency Medicine. A career in medicine was what Marks wanted, but he questioned his decision for a period of time.

揂fter some soul searching and working up here, I realized this was my calling,?Marks said.

A lifelong Jackson resident, Marks will begin residency training in orthopedic surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He was elated and relieved on Match Day to learn he would complete his journey at home. He and his wife, Heather, wanted to remain in Mississippi to raise 6-month-old daughter Eloise.

To coincide with this year抯 historic presidential race, the University of Mississippi will host the first of three presidential debates following the nominating conventions. An annual symposium at the University of Mississippi Medical Center will serve as the first in a series of pre-debate events focusing on health care issues.

The Wallace Conerly Health Policy Symposium will take place jointly with the Health Care Ethics Symposium on Friday, April 4, in the second-floor conference center of the Norman C. Nelson Student Union.

"The annual Conerly Health Care Policy Symposium this year provides the setting for the first in a series of University of Mississippi 2008 presidential debate activities focusing on health care,?said Dr. Dan Jones, vice chancellor for health affairs. 揙ur annual symposium on medical ethics is also integrated.敔

The faculty and programs in the Department of Preventive Medicine are lending their expertise to the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine temporarily.

Dr. Omar Abdul-Rahman, assistant professor of preventive, Dr. Hans-Georg Bock, professor of preventive medicine, Dr. Christopher Friedrich, associate professor of preventive medicine, and Dr. Cheng Yu, professor of preventive medicine, have joined the department of pediatrics. Dr. Anthony Mawson, professor of preventive medicine, has also joined pediatrics because of his responsibilities with the National Children抯 Study. Dr. Warren May, professor of preventive medicine, has joined the Division of Internal Medicine.

Southern Remedy, the weekly call-in radio show on Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB), will make its television debut following two Public Broadcasting (PBS) documentaries at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, and Wednesday, April 16.牋

The first 30-minute show will follow a 90-minute PBS documentary on 揅aring for Your Parents,?which can be seen in the Jackson area on channel 29.牋

Southern Remedy, on the air since September 2005, features Dr. Rick deShazo, chairman of the Department of Medicine at the Medical Center, answering health and medical questions from listeners. deShazo shares hosting duties with veteran broadcast journalist Gene Edwards, the winner of two Emmy Awards for excellence in broadcasting. Since 2005, the show has also featured 63 members of the Medical Center faculty as guest experts.?/p>