2004-2005 Events

May 7 - Final Meeting of the Academic Year

The final meeting of the 2004-05 Academic Year was held at 2005 at the home of Dr. Gabe Virella and Dr. Maria Lopes.  Wayne Kelley, President, thanked our hosts for their hospitality and the B-B-Q they provided. . The day was sunny but the water cool. Some brave souls dipped in, while others preferred crabbing.

The business part of the meeting dealt with the election of officers for 2005-06. The candidates were Hunter Burch, Suzann Pershing, Lynn Poole and Julie Ross.  He explained that the format for election would be for each candidate to speak to the group and present their respective qualifications.   He explained that after electing the President, those left would be considered for Vice president and from the two remaining a Secretary would be chosen.  Each Candidate individually came forward and presented her qualifications and why she wanted to be elected as an officer of AOA.  Ms. Burch was not present but had submitted a statement that was read by Wayne Kelley.  Ballots were distributed for President and then tallied. The results of the election were as follows:

Dr. Virella reminded the group that a number of years ago, AOA gave the Pitts Award to the top-ranking student at the end of the first year.  In the past few years there have been multiple students tied for ranking first in the class so the award has not been given.  Members present suggested asking to select amongst those tied for highest ranking freshman based on their CV's and recommendation letters from course directors.  After receipt of the rank list, Dr. Virella and Ms. Lipscomb will draft a letter to be sent to those in consideration.  The Executive Committee will then review the information and choose an awardee. The award will be presented at the College of Medicine’s award ceremony in September.

Dr. Virella informed the group about a request from the Department of Pediatrics for financial support for a faculty development workshop currently in the planning stages. Dr. Glassman commented that if AOA does fund this event there should be some representative from AOA to have input on the choice of speakers and other details of the program. etc.  Dr. Virella said that at this time, he just wanted to inform the group of the request.  A decision will be reached after a budget and a program are received.

Wayne Kelley reminded the group that the election of a new councilor would take place at the end of the next academic year.  Dr. Brown has expressed an interest in the position.  Dr. Virella mentioned that anyone who is to be considered should have had an ongoing active part in the organization over the years.

With no further business the meeting adjourned.

The annual AOA medical Jeopardy match between the Alpha Chapter of MUSC and the Beta Chapter of USC was expanded this year to include the Alpha Chapter of the Medical College of Georgia (MCG).  This was MCG’s first year in the competition, and the students participating were enthusiastic about hosting the next edition at MCG.  This year the event was hosted by USC and the home team had enthusiastic support from a large audience.  This motivated their team to take an early lead and never look back.  Team MUSC was made up of Will Holt, Anne Morrison, Tiffany Stoddard, and Wayne Kelley.   Dr. Virella was also present and welcomed the participating teams. 

The plaque recording the winners of this friendly competition will be transferred from MUSC to USC, in according to the tradition that the last winners will hold the plaque until another team wins the contest. Also according to tradition a group of participants from the three schools and Dr. Virella gathered together for lunch at a popular Columbia eatery. This was most enjoyable opportunity for everyone to meet in an informal and relaxed athmosphere.

Many thanks to USC AOA president Stephanie Matthews and MUSC secretary Mike Bernard for their organization of this event. 

Our annual AOA banquet was held at the Embassy Suites downtown Charleston.  The annual banquet honors the newly elected students, housestaff, faculty, and alumni elected as newe members of Alpha Omega Alpha.  The new members were presented their certificate and key.  Our distinguished speaker was Dr. Michael V. Drake, President, AOA (see below).   Dr. Drake gave a touching talk about life experiences as a physician. 

Dr. Drake obtained his MD degree at the University of California, San Francisco. He specialized in Ophtalmology at UCSF and Harvard. Dr. Drake was faculty member in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine.  He had an active surgical practice specializing in advanced glaucoma. His research focused on pharmacologic, laser, and surgical treatment of glaucoma, and on computer assisted examination of the visual field. In March 2000 Drake was appointed University of California system-wide Vice President for Health Affairs. He retained his position as the Stephen P. Shearing Professor of Ophthalmology, and maintains a small clinical practice, including medical student and resident teaching and an active but limited role in clinical and health services research.  He is the author or co-author of over 100 articles, abstracts, and chapters. His fifth textbook is slated for publication in the fall of 2005.

As system-wide vice president, he oversees education and research activities at UC’s 15 health sciences schools  (medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, public health, optometry, veterinary medicine) located on seven campuses.  The university is the largest single producer of trained physicians in the United States. In addition to its training activities the Office of Health Affairs has oversight responsibility for the UC Special Research Programs (Tobacco-Related Disease Research, Breast Cancer Research, and HIV/AIDS Research) and The California/Mexico Health Initiative.   Prior to his appointment, Dr. Drake was the Senior Associate Dean for Admissions and Extramural Academic Programs at the UC San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine.  In this role, he was responsible for the School of Medicine admissions process and educational outreach programs including oversight of the university’s extensive training program in the Central Valley.

Dr Drake has been the recipient of several awards for public service, mentoring, and research. From UCSF these include the Clinical Teaching Award, (1995), the (faculty) Gold Headed Cane (2003), the Alumnus of the Year Award, (2000), the Chancellor’s Award for Public Service, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Award.  He was selected by three recent graduating classes (1993, 1999, and 2001) as commencement speaker.  Other recent acknowledgements include the 2004 Herbert Nickens Award from the American Association of Medical Colleges for promoting “social justice in medical education.” In addition to University service, Dr. Drake is active in several scholarly societies and associations. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine (NAS), a trustee of the Association of Academic medical Centers, and President of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

This months meeting was indeed a special one.  We had an oyster roast at Dr. Paul Underwood’s picturesque Bar-T-Ranch on John’s Island.  Despite the light showers, the day was perfect.  The entranceway to the home was an idyllic lowcountry scene, lined with large oak trees and Spanish moss.  The view from the yard was breathtaking as we watched the sunset over the marsh.  This was a great chance for students, faculty, and alumni to gather for fun and fellowship. 

During this meeting we had the important job of electing housestaff, faculty, and alumni into AOA.  After carefully reviewing the CV’s and discussing each candidate individually, we elected the following:  Housestaff:  Dr. Cameron Guild, Dr. Jesse Roach, and Dr. Nick Fogelson; Faculty:  Dr. Doug Norcross, and Dr. Tom Keane; Alumni:  Dr.  Fred Tecklenburg.  We also voted on our Volunteer Clinical Faculty award:  This award was given to Dr. Phillip McGaha for his continued mentoring of medical students at his busy practice “Plantation Pediatrics”, as well as at MUSC and abroad on medical mission trips.  We also voted on the Hiram B. Curry award, which is given to a 4th year medical student who embodies the principles of service in medicine.  This award was given to Wayne Kelley.  We would like to thank all the members for their time and discussions and also all the people who nominated someone for one of these honors and awards. 

Congratulations to Tiffany Stoddard, Ryan Butts, Dr. Chris Robinson and Dr. Robert Mallin for winning the MUSC AOA Jeopardy competition.  After it looked like Will Holt, Damon Simpson, Dr. Roger Newman and Dr. Ed Norcross were going to run away with the match, we had a valiant comeback by Michelle Crosby, Dr Gary Gilkeson, Spencer Gainey and Dr. Gabe Virella to take a $100 lead over the other teams at the end of double jeopardy.  However, in final jeopardy only Stoddard et al were able to come up with the correct answer of Fanconi’s syndrome.  Ryan and Tiffany received $25 gift certificates to Matthews Bookstore and Drs. Mallin and Robinson received $25 gift certificates to their choice of Blossom, Magnolia or Cypress restaurants.  It was a great match and we thank everybody who signed up to play.  Next up is the annual showdown with USC College of Medicine in Columbia on April 27th.

February 15, 2005 - Meeting at Dr. Soper’s

The view was straight off a Jim Booth painting, looking at the house lights reflecting off the ION pond.  What a spectacular view from Dr. Soper’s front porch.  We had a great meeting.  Michael Bernard updated us about Jeopardy.  We talked about our community project with EORO.  We also discussed the upcoming elections for councilor.  Dr. Virella’s term ends this year and we are in the process of searching for a new councilor so that Dr. Virella can retire his position.  We voted to extend the elections until next year, to better search for a new councilor. Dr. Sewell Kahn, a retired nephrologist and member of AOA, talked to our group about physician interpersonal relationships and management skills.  It was a hit and sparked many questions.  We are looking forward to our next meeting, an oyster roast, on March 5th at 4pm.  Please come to this meeting because we will be holding elections for alumni, faculty, and house staff, as well as the Volunteer Clinical Faculty Award, and Hiram B. Curry award.

Roller skating was the highlight of February’s EORO outing. That’s right, disco ball and loud music put us back to our elementary school days.  They say it’s like riding a bike, just put the skates on and hit the floor.  Well, that’s literally what happened when Tiffany Stoddard and Wayne Kelley took to the roller rink with 15 kids.  Despite the many bruises on our bodies we had a great time and the kids enjoyed laughing at our expense.

Today AOA members presented our talk on “Common Medical Problems Encountered in the Classroom” to a packed audience at Stiles Point Elementary PTA meeting.  Three 4th year students (Tiffany Stoddard, Reid Breckenridge, and Wayne Kelley) gave the presentation and answered questions at the end.  The presentation focused on Physician-Teacher partnership and the role schools have in serving as primary care advocates.  We fielded many questions about ADHD and its treatment.  We plan to present this talk throughout the year to different elementary schools.  Please download our presentation or view a photo from our most recent talk.

Once again, Dr. Schabel treated our AOA chapter with his ever popular scotch tasting night.  After a nice dinner served with several choices of scotch, Dr. Schabel gave the group a brief tutorial on his favorite topic.  We learned about the origins of scotch, how scotch is made and what the difference between the various types of Dr. Schabel’s favorite drink.  The tasting glasses were passed around and we all got to sample some of Dr. Schabel’s choice picks.  As much as it pained him to see the enthusiasm with which his bottles were emptied, we’re sure Dr. Schabel was heartened that he passed on some of his lore to the uninitiated.  Our business discussions included our upcoming EORO presentations as well as the annual Spring Banquet and AOA Jeopardy competitions.  Many thanks again to the Schabels for a wonderful evening and for maintaining this signature event of our chapter.

Our December meeting certainly got everybody in the Christmas spirit, with a beautiful celebration held at the house of Dr. and Mrs. Reves. This has become an annual tradition for our chapter and again it was enjoyed by everybody. We thank the Reves for hosting this event and making it such an enjoyable night.  The event was a great chance to interact with some of Charleston’s most prominent and respected physicians.  Dr. McHaffey, professor emeritus in the department of anesthesia, chairman from 1959-1992 was present. Many thanks go to the members who donated toward our community project EORO, we collected a total of $1190. We are fortunate to have active members in the South Carolina Alpha Chapter of AOA.

Today we had our third EORO service event of the year, as we participated at EORO’s annual holiday party. Approximately 20 children, ranging in age from tots to teens, were present at the event, held at Johnson & Wales school. Our AOA volunteers enjoyed playing pool, air hockey, and basketball with the kids for an hour, after which the kids were bused to enjoy the James Island Festival of Lights. We helped EORO officers and staff prepare for their return - to dinner and cookie decorating provided by Johnson & Wales students, and a specially-selected gift presented to each child by Santa. The event was a great success, with much holiday fun had by all. Our next EORO service event will be in February.

The November EORO service project took place at the West Ashley Lanes bowling alley.  AOA members Spencer Gainey, Michelle and Christopher Crosby, Hunter Burch, Suzann Pershing and Michael Bernard assisted volunteers from the Each One Reach One organization.  Each AOA member headed up a bowling lane and they helped the children try to roll strikes and spares.  Also, the children were treated to popcorn and lemonade while they bowled.  During the event, the children were asked to put together a Christmas wish list.  Everybody had a good time and a few kids bowled over 100!  At the next EORO event in December, the children will be decorating cookies with the help of Johnson and Wales students.  They will also be opening their wish list gifts!

The November AOA meeting was held at the home of Dr. Bayne Selby from the Department of Radiology at Sullivan’s Island.  Our speaker was none other than Dr. Selby’s father, who served as a medic in the Korean War.  In addition to hearing about his experiences in the Korean War, we were treated to a slide show which chronicled Dr. Selby’s tour of duty.  Afterwards, we had a brief discussion about battlefield medicine and how it has impacted the development of dialysis, emergency medicine, paramedic protocols and trauma surgery.  No new or old business was brought up with the exception of reminding everyone about our next service event for EORO in December.  We would like to thank the Selby’s for their hospitality, great food and sharing their beautiful home with us.

The 12th Edition of the AIDS Symposium opened with the AOA-sponsored Opening Lecture. This year's invited speaker was Jon Cohen, distinguished author and reporter for Science. In his capacity as Science correspondent he has traveled extensively through the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Mexico and has become one of the world's leading HIV/AIDS reporters. His 1997 Science article about the rise and fall of an AIDS research program in the former Zaire won the international health reporting award from the Pan American Health Organization. Cohen in 2001 published Shots in the Dark: The Wayward Search for an AIDS Vaccine, that won the Science and Society journalism award from the National Association of Science Writers. In 2003, Cohen received a mini-fellowship from the Kaiser Family Foundation to research a series for Science magazine about HIV/AIDS in Asia. His presentation at MUSC was an extensive travelogue punctuated by his views on the obstacles that face the effective containment and prevention of HIV infection in the global scale. His lecture was the top rated event by those attending the Symposium.

Professor Luc Montagnier began his career as a researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. In 1972, he joined the Pasteur Institute and formed the Division of Viral Oncology. In 1983, he discovered the HIV virus and showed its etiologic role in AIDS. In 1985, his research team isolated the second human AIDS virus (HIV-2) from West African patients. In 1998, Professor Montagnier expanded his research efforts to the United States by accepting an endowed professorship at Queens College, New York. He is in charge of the Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology, where research efforts are focused on HIV therapeutics and vaccines. Professor Montagnier also continues his research efforts in Paris at both the Pasteur Institute and his World Foundation AIDS Research and Prevention. Among the numerous honors and prizes received by Professor Montagnier are the Rosen Price (1971), The Gallien Prize (1985), the Lasker Prize (1986), the Gairdner Price (1987), the Japan Prize (1988), and the Amsterdam Prize (1994). He is also a Comandeur de l’Ordre National merite and is a Director of the French National Center of Scientific Research.

Dr. Montagnier' delivered an excellent lecture entitled"From AIDS to Chronic Diseases" to a standing-room-only audience in the Basic Sciences Auditorium.

The annual picnic for new members was held at the home of Drs Lyndon and Janice Key along the banks of the Stono River.  It was a perfect fall day for a picnic with cool temperatures and blue skies.  This meeting was the first chance for new members and their significant others to get acquainted after the elections.  In addition to the beautiful weather, we were treated to catering by Sticky Fingers.  The excellent setting and excellent barbeque made for great afternoon at one of the more scenic areas of Charleston.  Since the weather cooperated, Dr. Key agreed to take the boat out for trips down the Stono.  This was an excellent way to kick off the new academic year for AOA. 

We talked about our committees and plan for the year.  This will be our second year in a row working with the Each One Reach One group.  We plan to have monthly activities.  We also talked about our service project and are currently trying to schedule talks with local schools.  We anticipate and look forward to a great and productive year.  We would like to thank the Keys for their gracious hospitality and making our first event of the year such a success!

Our first monthly project with Each One Reach One kicked off today.  EORO is a group that sponsors children who have lost someone special in their life (i.e. death of a parent, primary care giver).  It fosters a bond with other children that are experiencing the same misfortune.  We serve as mentors for these children and try to provide them the affection that they so desperately need.   Jon Kulbersh, Will Brabham, Anne Morrison, Wayne Kelley, Erin Cannington, Julie Ross,and  Lynn Poole spent over 2 hours decorating flower pots, planting flowers, playing basketball, double dutch, and just having a good time.  There were well over twenty kids at this event.  Our next event is scheduled for November when we plan to take them bowling.

The American Heart Association held its annual heart walk this weekend October 2, 2004 at the South Carolina Aquarium.    This was a fund raising event for their organization.  Several AOA members volunteered to help with the heart walk.  They had a one mile walk for the kids and a three mile walk/run for the adults.  AOA members meet heart surgery survivors and their supporters as they crossed the finished line and handed out coupons.  This was our 2nd year in a row volunteering for this event.  We hope to continue this effort in the future.

Dr. and Mrs. Perry Halushka graciously hosted the September meeting. After a brief time of socializing, AOA faculty members and students elected as juniors began the process of electing new medical student members. With the chapter's new election formula, the process of electing new members went smoothly. There were many great applicants, which made the decision difficult. However, six junior medical students and sixteen senior medical students were elected to make an excellent class of inductees. AOA officers will meet with the new inductees on Wednesday, September 29 at noon to discuss the upcoming year.

With compliments of your local branch of AOA, an informal and often amusing perspective on what to expect of Year 3.

For your convenience we have prepared a CV template to be used for application to AOA membership as well as other applications in general.