People & Places

As originally published in The Physiologist
Volume 45, Number 6, December 2002, page 524-525

Robillard Appointed as New Dean
M. Ian Phillips Receives Frank Annunzio Award
APS Congratulates 2002 Lasker Award Winner Willem J. Kolff

Robillard Appointed as New Dean

    Jean Robillard, professor and chair at the University of Michigan Medical School Department of Pediatrics, has been appointed to be the new dean of the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. Robillard also serves as physician-in-chief at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. He will begin his tenure at Iowa on February 1. 
According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, “It was the strength of the university and the strength of the College of Medicine,” Robillard said of his choice to apply at the UI. “They have an international reputation, and the people of Iowa are so nice. I’ve been there before so I know that. And the faculty is fun to collaborate with.”
    Robillard received bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Montreal. He did an internship at the Hotel Dieu Hospital and a residency in pediatrics at Ste. Justine Hospital in Montreal. He was a fellow in pediatric nephrology at the University of California Medical Center in Los Angeles before coming to the UI in 1974.
    “We’ve got a wonderful dean,” said Francois Abboud, chairman of the search committee. We worked very hard to get that list of candidates from around the country. The other candidates were very good. It was a very difficult choice.”
Robillard said he plans to focus on two areas when he joins the faculty at the UI. “It’s so important to make sure to recruit excellence in the chairs of the departments, Robillard said. “It’s an important responsibility in developing the strength of the place.” 

M. Ian Phillips Receives Frank Annunzio Award

    The Christopher Columbus Fellow-ship Foundation announced that APS Member M. Ian Phillips, PhD, of the University of Florida College of Medicine, is the recipient of a $50,000 Frank Annunzio Award in the Science/Technology field for his three decades of research on cardiovascular disease. 
    Philips has developed new ways of treating hypertension with gene therapy. Phillips’ team also developed a gene “switch” that “turns on” protective genes when a heart attack begins in response to oxygen deprivation. This “vigilant vector” provides cardioprotective genes to reduce heart damage from repeated attacks. Phillips believes this technique could be applied to a host of other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, stroke and lung disease. 
    “Innovative research in gene therapy has the potential to provide great benefits to society,” said Rosalyn Queen Alonso, Chair of the Foundation. “Dr. Phillips’ work reflects the level of discovery we look for in all of the Foundation’s Columbus Scholars.” 
    Born in the United Kingdom, Phillips received his Bachelor of Science in Zoology/Psychology from the University of Exeter, his doctorate in Neuropharmacology and his DSc in Physiology/Pharmacology from the University of Birmingham. He came to the United States as a postdoctoral fellow to conduct brain research at the University of Michigan and the California Institute of Technology. 
    The awards ceremony took place in Washington, DC, following the 90th annual celebration in honor of Christopher Columbus. Phillips is one of four Frank Annunzio Award recipients this year. The Foundation’s Board of Trustees has selected Annunzio Award recipients annually since 1998. 
    The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation is an independent Federal government agency established by the US Congress in 1992 to “encourage and support research, study and labor designed to produce new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind.” Governed by a Presidential appointed Board of Trustees, the Foundation has established Frontiers of Discovery-Work in Progress and Discover the Future programs that recognize “cutting edge” innovation, innovative ideas of America’s youth and honor teachers. These programs include the $200,000 Frank Annunzio Awards, Christopher Columbus Awards, National Gallery for America’s Young Inventors and the $10,000 Freida J. Riley Teacher Award. 

APS Congratulates 2002 Lasker Award Winner Willem J. Kolff

    APS member Willem J. Kolff was named the co-recipient the 2002 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research. He was honored for developing the first useful artificial kidney (hemodialyzer). Kolff shares his award with Belding H. Scribner.
    Kolff’s initial goal was to create a device that would filter his patient’s blood through bouts of acute kidney failure. The hemodialyzer would send the blood through a cleansing solution that would remove metabolic byproducts, thereby performing the job of a normal functioning kidney. Kolff developed the artificial kidney in the Netherlands through Nazi occupation and the outbreak of World War II in Europe. He achieved his first success in 1945 when he effectively filtered the blood of a 67 year-old woman. The woman’s kidney began to produce urine again and she went on to live for seven more years. Though others have further developed and reproduced this technology many times over, Kolff’s pioneering work is responsible for the dramatic drop in mortality from acute, reversible kidney failure and prolonging and improving the lives of countless individuals. 
    Kolff is a professor emeritus of surgery and medicine, at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Aside from his work with the hemodialyzer, he has participated in the development of numerous other artificial organs including the artificial heart. He has been an APS member of since 1956. As a recipient of the award often called the “American Nobel,” he joins the ranks of some of the world’s most renown scientists. The APS extends its sincere congratulations to Dr. Kolff for both his latest achievement and his lifetime of groundbreaking research. 

Gregory C. Amberg has affiliated with the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, as a Senior Fellow. Prior to his new assignment, Amberg was associated with the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV. 

Lee E. Brown moved to California State University as Associate Professor, Division of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, Fullerton, CA. Brown had been with the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Sport Sciences, Arkansas State University, Province, AR. 

Inyeong Choi has accepted a position with the Department of Physiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA. Prior to his new affiliation, Choi was affiliated with the Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.

James Allen Coles has joined Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, as a Senior Scientist. Prior to his new affiliation, Coles was with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. 

Hesam Dehghani has associated with the Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran. Dehghani formerly was with the Department of Biochemistry, University of Guelph, Canada. 

Sudhansu K. Dey is currently affiliated with the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN. Prior to his new assignment, Dey was with the Department of Physiology, Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. 

Ilan A. Kerman recently affiliated with the Mental Health Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Prior to his new position, Kerman was with the Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pitts-burgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

Steven R. Kleeberger recently joined the National Institute of Environmental Health Science as Laboratory Chief, Research Triangle Park, NC. Kleeberger moved from the Department of Environmental Health Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. 

Dietmar Kültz is currently Assistant Professor Physiological Genomics, Animal Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA. Kültz had been with the Whitney Lab, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL. 

Michael A. Kurz has accepted the position of Director, Cardiovascular Medical Affairs, Centocar, Inc., Malvern, PA. Kurz was previously the Senior Clinical Scientist for Centocar, Inc., Avon, IN. 

Julian Estrella Mesina is now Director, MLAS Biomedical Graduate Studies, Drexel University, Philadel-phia, PA. Mesina was formerly affiliated with the Department of Physiology, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA. 

Benjamin F. Miller recently joined the Sports Medicine Research Group, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. Miller had previously been associated with the Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA. 

Ryan Joseph Monti has affiliated with the School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA. Monti was formerly associated with the Department of Organismic Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Bedford, MA. 

Paul M. O’Byrne recently joined the Department of Medicine, McMaster University Health Sciences Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Prior to his current position, O’Byrne was affiliated with the Firestone Chest & Allergy Unit, St. Joseph Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Yves Ouellette has accepted a position with the Pediatric Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Prior to his new appointment, Ouellette was with the Department of Pediatrics and Physiology, Children’s Hospital Western Ontario, Canada. 

Darby Stewart Petitt has joined the Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, Human Cardio-vascular Research Laboratory, Univer-sity of Colorado, Boulder, CO. Prior to her new position, Petitt was a student of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Philip Posner has moved to the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL. Posner previously was affiliated with the Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, Auburn Univer-sity, Auburn, AL. 

Solomon Silas Senok affiliated with the Department of Physiology, Arabian Gulf University College of Medicine, Manama, Bahrain. Prior to his new assignment, Senok was with the Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK.

Scott E. Sinclair accepted a position with the Department of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Med-icine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN. Sinclair was previously associated with the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

Scott Alan Spier joined the Department of Health & Kinesiology, University of Texas at Tyler, TX. Spier was formerly a Research Assistant with Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. 

Douglas H. Sweet has joined the Medical University of South Carolina as Assistant Professor, Charleston, SC. Sweet had been a Project Scientist, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA.

Glenn Jeffery Tattersall has moved to the Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Prior to his new assignment, Tattersall was affiliated with the Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.

Paloma Valverde joined the Nutrition and Vision Department, USDA-HNRCA at Tufts University, Boston, MA. Valverde was formerly with the Department of Oral Biology, The Forsyth Institute, Boston, MA. 

Ping Wang has affiliated with the Department of Surgery as Chief, Division of Surgical Research, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Manhasset, NY. Wang had previously been associated with the Department of Surgery, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL. 

Brian J. Whipp is currently a member of the Respiratory & Critical Care Physiology and Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA. Before his new affiliation, Whipp was with the Center for Exercise Science and Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK. 

Johannes F. Zanzinger accepted a position with the Department of Research and Development Coordination, Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharma KG, Biberach, Germany. Zanzinger had recently been Principal Scientist, Pfizer Ltd., Sandwich, England. 

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