STROKE EXPERT JOINS UH 
Anthony J. Furlan, MD, an international authority on stroke, has been named Chairman of the Department of Neurology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU).
He joins UH from the Cleveland Clinic, where he was the Associate Director of the Cerebrovascular Center, Associate Director of the Bakken Heart-Brain Institute, and Director of the Primary Stroke Center.
“Dr. Furlan is a proven leader and a towering figure in the field of stroke care and treatment,” said Fred C. Rothstein, MD, Executive Vice President, University Hospitals; President, University Hospitals Case Medical Center. Dr. Furlan helped develop interventional stroke therapy, in which patients with acute strokes are treated with clot-dissolving drugs that can help restore circulation to the brain.
He is currently the lead investigator in a worldwide study of a clot-busting agent derived from vampire bat saliva, desmoteplase. it could expand the safe therapeutic time window for treating acute stroke from three to nine hours.
Pamela B. Davis, MD, PhD, Dean of the CWRU School of Medicine, said, “Dr. Furlan is going to add so much that our combined expertise and reputation in stroke care and treatment promises to grow rapidly.” Dr. Furlan sits on the editorial board of the journal “Stroke.” television programs such as “Nightline” and “Good Morning America” frequently call him for his expertise.
PATON HEADS UH MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Nancy E. Paton has joined University Hospitals as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications.
She most recently served as Chief Marketing and Corporate Communications officer of Oakwood Healthcare, Inc., one of the Detroit area’s largest integrated health systems. Prior to her seven-year tenure there, she served in marketing and communications leadership positions of increasing responsibility at Mercy Health Partners in Toledo.
At UH, she leads marketing and communications efforts for the health system, including overall strategic direction of marketing and communications, continued implementation of brand and brand positioning activities, enhancement of internal communications, expansion of national, regional and local media relations and increased strategic marketing support for service lines and business entities. She is also responsible for community relations and innovating the UH web site.
A national speaker and author, Ms. Paton is sought as a speaker on the topic of healthcare marketing and communications strategies. She is active in a variety of community organizations and has served as the national President of the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development of the American Hospital Association.
“Nancy Paton brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise as a leader in healthcare marketing and communications and will contribute greatly to furthering the goals of Vision 2010,” said Achilles A. Demetriou, MD, PhD, President of University Hospitals. “We are fortunate to have her join us.”
AWARD WON BY THE UH WEB SITE
Less than one year after the relaunch of the University Hospitals web site, it has won the 2007 WebAward for outstanding achievement in web site development. The award, from the Web Marketing Association, cited UH for healthcare Standard of excellence. It noted that UH exceeded the web industry average in each of the seven judged categories of design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copywriting and ease of use.
“Congratulations to the web site team for its relentless commitment to quality,” said Achilles A. Demetriou, MD, PhD, President, University Hospitals.
PSORIASIS: $6.37 MILLION GRANT GIVES HOPE
Psoriasis, an autoimmune skin disease, takes a physical, social and emotional toll on its patients, and effective treatment can be elusive. Now there is new hope.
University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have received a $6.37 million award to establish a Center of Research Translation (Cort) for the skin disease.
The award came from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a research center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The five-year grant will allow the Psoriasis Cort to bring together various physicians, scientists, nurses, community clinicians and laity to create new therapies to provide relief to patients.
“Our goal is to bring safer and more effective ways to restrain this skin disease to patients,” said Kevin D. Cooper, MD, Department Chair of Dermatology at UHCMC and Professor of Dermatology at the CWRU School of Medicine. “Psoriasis has significant impact on patient health, with psychosocial effects and risk for longterm cardiovascular complications and cancers,” he said.
The Cort grant complements a $5 million gift to UHCMC from the Murdough Foundation for the research and treatment of psoriasis. that gift, received in December 2006, established the Murdough Family Center for Psoriasis, creating a critical base for the Cort research projects.
PEDIATRIC CANCER EXPERT RECRUITED
Kenneth R. Cooke, MD, a specialist in pediatric hematology/oncology, has joined UHCMC in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology of Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and the Ireland Cancer Center.
He also will serve on the faculty of CWRU School of Medicine.
Dr. Cooke was recruited as the Ohio Eminent Scholar for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine because of his expertise in stem cells and graft-versus-host disease, which affects many stem cell transplant recipients.
He will have direct oversight of the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. he is also the Director of the Ireland Cancer Center’s multidisciplinary initiative on graftversus- host disease.
“Dr. Cooke brings a remarkable synergism to the centers,” said John Letterio, MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Rainbow. “we are now positioned to make major advances in graft-versus-host disease. this disease has held back the entire field of stem cell therapies.”
MARCUS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL BOARD
Randall E. Marcus, MD, The Charles H. Herndon Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics at UHCMC, has been elected the 54th president of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS). Dr. Marcus has served as president-elect of the ABOS for the past year and will serve a one-year term as president.
The ABOS exists to serve the public and the medical profession by establishing standards for orthopaedic residents and surgeons and evaluating their initial and continuing qualifications and competence.
RONIS IS NAMED CHAIR OF DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY
Robert J. Ronis, MD, MPH, has been named Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at University Hospitals and CWRU School of Medicine.
He served as the interim chairman for two years prior to accepting this appointment.
“Dr. Ronis is an exceptional leader who supports the department’s extraordinary research initiatives and its mission to provide the very best mental health care to our patients,” said Fred C. Rothstein, MD, executive vice President, University Hospitals; President, University Hospitals Case Medical Center.
As chairman, Dr. Ronis will continue to direct the public and community psychiatry programs for the UH Department of Psychiatry, including collaborations with the Ohio Department of Mental Health, Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, and the Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Board.
He will direct clinical psychiatry services, lead department research projects and educational programs, and oversee governmentally funded research programs and clinical trials.
Dr. Ronis is the founder of the award-winning Public Academic Liaison (PAL), a joint program of the UH Department of Psychiatry and the Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Board. he also directs the Mental Health Executive Leadership Program in collaboration with the Weatherhead School of Management and the Ohio Department of Mental Health.