People & Places

As originally published in The Physiologist
Volume 45, Number 5, October 2002, page 472

Siegman Named Chair of Jefferson?s Department of Physiology
Freeman Receives Outstanding Woman Veterinarian of the Year Award 

Siegman Named Chair of Jefferson?s Department of Physiology
    APS member Marion J. Siegman, professor of physiology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, has been named the chair of Jefferson?s Department of Physiology. Siegman, who had previously been acting chair of the department, is the first woman to be named chair of a medical college department at Jefferson. She succeeds former chair Alan Lefer, emeritus professor of physiology at Jefferson Medical College, who retired in 2001. 
    Siegman, a specialist in smooth muscle physiology, came to Jefferson in 1967 as an instructor in physiology and was quickly promoted to assistant professor the next year. She became an associate professor in 1971 and subsequently, professor in 1977?the first woman to achieve that rank at Jefferson. She was named acting chair of the Department of Physiology in July 2001. 
    ?We?re very excited to have Marion Siegman as our new chair of physiology,? says Thomas Nasca, Dean of Jefferson Medical College. ?Her long and distinguished research and teaching career at Jefferson makes her an excellent choice to lead the department into its next stage of development.? 
    One of Siegman?s goals, she says, is to continue to foster collaborations with colleagues in other Jefferson departments. ?It?s been exciting to spend a career at Jefferson,? she says. While she continues to pursue her research interests, she also gets ?particular pleasure from teaching, which has been an unexpected reward from being here.? 
    Siegman?s research focuses on the biophysics of smooth muscle. She has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, including editing the monograph, ?Regulation and Contraction of Smooth Muscle.? Of her research career, she says: ?It?s been especially exciting because each step in the investigational process leads to another more interesting one.? 

Freeman Receives Outstanding Woman Veterinarian of the Year Award 
    APS Member Lisa C. Freeman, a faculty member of the Kansas State University (KSU) College of Veterinary Medicine, received the Association for Women Veterinarians? Outstanding Woman Veterinarian of the Year Award at the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association July 13 in Nashville, TN.
Freeman, an associate professor of pharmacology, was recognized for special effort and achievement by a woman veterinarian in any area of veterinary medicine. She was nominated for the award by Frank Blecha, head of the department of anatomy and physiology and a university distinguished professor at KSU.
    Freeman serves KSU, the veterinary profession and her community by being a teacher and mentor, researcher and scientist, administrator and leader, Blecha said.
?Aspiring veterinarians and researchers could not choose a better role model than Dr. Lisa Freeman,? said Ralph Richardson, dean of the KSU College of Veterinary Medicine. ?She is one of very few women veterinarians in the country with private practice experience, graduate and postdoctoral training and an active, peer-reviewed research program that embraces both basic and applied research.?
    Throughout her distinguished career, Freeman has instructed trainees ranging from undergraduates to postdoctoral fellows. She currently contributes to a course in pharmacology for second year students in the professional veterinary curriculum and has acted as an adviser to many veterinary students. She has also served as a research mentor and role model for countless postdoctoral students, clinical residents and young faculty members, many of whom have gone on to work in premier positions within the veterinary and medical professions.
    In 2001, Freeman became director of mentored training, which includes administering the Veterinary Research Scholars Program at KSU. Her efforts were instrumental in attaining funding for the program through the National Institutes of Health and Merck-Merial Foundation, bringing KSU to the forefront of comparative biomedical research. The intense program is dedicated to training 10 veterinary students each summer in a research laboratory.
    Since joining the KSU faculty in 1994, Freeman has established a nationally recognized, extramurally-funded research laboratory in the department of anatomy and physiology. Her primary interests include the structure and function of ion channels, particularly potassium channels, in the heart and ovary. Freeman is the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and abstracts. She has been an invited guest presenter at national and international research venues around the world.
    Freeman earned a bachelor?s degree in 1981 and a master?s degree and doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1986 from Cornell University. She went on to earn a PhD in pharmacology from The Ohio State University in 1989 while working as a part-time staff veterinarian at an animal clinic. 

Naji N. Abumrad is currently with the Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, TN. Abumrad was formerly with the Department of Surgery, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY. 

Jamie L. Barger has accepted a position with the Wisconsin Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Formerly, Barger was associated with the Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK.

Irwin Gary Brodsky has taken a position with the Department of Medicine, Center for Endocrinology and Diabetes, Maine Medical Center, Scarborough, ME. Brodsky was formerly with the Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrine and Metabolism, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL. 

Mark Burnley has accepted the position of Lecturer, at the University of Wales Aberystwyth, UK. Burnley had been associated with the Chelsea School, University of Brighton, Eastbourne, UK. 

Catherine Anne Christian recently affiliated with the Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Virginia, Warrenton, VA. Christian had previously been associated with the Neuroscience Program, Smith College, Northampton, MA. 

Susan DeMesquita joined the Department of Physiology, Ross University School of Medicine, Roseau, West Indies. Mesquita had been with the Department of Physiology, Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, WV.

David M. Devilbiss recently joined the Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Devilbiss had previously been associated with the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, MCP-Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA.

Susan Laura Edwards has affiliated with the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia. Prior to her new assignment, Edwards was associated with the Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA.

Brian Joseph Harvey recently joined the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Prior to his new position, Harvey was with the Department of Physiology, University College, Cork, Republic of Ireland. 

Stephen R. Ikeda is now the Senior Investigator with the Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD. Prior to his new appointment, Ikeda was with the Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Guthrie Research Institute, Sayre, PA. 

Bradley B. Keller moved to the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, Pittsburgh Children?s Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA. Keller was formerly associated with the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.

Sook Jeong Lee has affiliated with the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD. Lee previously was associated with the Department of Physiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. 

Moshe Levi recently assumed the position of Co-Head, Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO. Formerly, Levi was associated with the Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, VA North Texas Health Care System, Dallas, TX. 

You Shuei Lin has accepted a position with the Department of Physiology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. Previously, Lin was with the Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. 

Michael Pagliassotti joined the Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Science Center, Denver, CO. Pagliassotti had formerly been associated with the Department of Exercise Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

Christopher M. Quick moved to the Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Prior to his new position, Quick had been affiliated with the Department of Anesthesia, University of California, San Francisco, CA.

Katherine Janet Rennie accepted a position with the Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado Health Science Center, Denver, CO. Prior to her new assignment, Rennie was associated with the Department of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX.

Steven Edward Riechman has affiliated with the School of Exercise, Leisure, and Sport, Kent State University, Kent, OH. Prior to his new position, Riechman was with the Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

Scott E. Sinclair has associated with the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Sinclair was formerly affiliated with the Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN.

Peter Thoren accepted a position with the Department of Integrative Pharmacology, AstraZeneca, Molndal, Sweden. Thoren had been associated with the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. 

Serge P. von Duvillard is currently Professor and Chairman, Department of Kinesiology & Health Promotion, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA. Previously, von Duvillard had been affiliated with the Human Performance Lab, Physical Education and Exercise Science, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND. 

Thad Elliott Wilson is currently a member of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, MO. Prior to his new assignment, Wilson was associated with the Institute for Exercise and Environ-mental Medicine, Presbyterian Hospital, University of Texas South-western Medical Center, Dallas, TX. 

Di Wu is now affiliated with the Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Wu previously was associated with the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA. 

Jin Xue has moved to the Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY. Prior to her new position Xue was affiliated with the Department of Pediatrics and Section Respiratory Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.

Dion H. Zappe has accepted a position as Regional Scientific Director with Scientific Operations, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Medway, MA. Zappe had previously been associated with Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, Medway, MA. 

E. Paul Zehr has accepted a position with the School of Physical Education, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC Canada. Zehr had previously been associated with the Neurophysiology Laboratory, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. 

Yingting Zhu joined the Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. Zhu previously was associated with the Department of Medicine, Buffalo VA Medical Center, Buffalo, NY. 

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