Message Archive

August 7, 2009

Faculty Accomplishments

One of the best aspects of working in an academic medical center is being in an environment of learning and investigation. We can constantly learn from the successes and ongoing projects of our colleagues and peers.

In the last month alone, several department chairs have notified me of noteworthy achievements by our faculty. I’d like to take a few moments to share some of these impressive accomplishments with you.

• Faryal Mirza, M.D., an osteoporosis expert with the New England Musculoskeletal Institute, is the winner of the 2009 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Award for Most Outstanding Research in the Pathophysiology of Osteoporosis. This was based on her paper entitled, “Serum Sclerostin Levels Negatively Correlate with Parathyroid Hormone Levels and Free Estrogen Index in Postmenopausal Women.” Dr. Mirza, who joined the faculty in 2006 after completing fellowships at the UConn School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School, expressed her gratitude to her mentors Lawrence Raisz, M.D., Joseph Lorenzo, M.D., who were also co-investigators with her in the study, and the entire team within the UConn Center for Osteoporosis.
• Philip P. Smith, M.D., whose clinical practice focuses on urinary incontinence and voiding dysfunctions in men and women, is among the recipients of this year’s prestigious Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Scholars Award. Through this award, which is administered by the American Geriatrics Society and funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Atlantic Philanthropies, Dr. Smith will continue to collaborate with the UConn Center on Aging on his research into urinary tract function in older adults.
  
  Dr. Smith joined the Division of Urology in 2007 from Baylor College of Medicine where he completed fellowship-training in the urologic subspecialties of urogynecology, voiding dysfunction and female urology.
• Lori Wilson, M.D., surgical director of the breast health program at the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, was elected to the American Cancer Society’s New England Division Board of Directors. This is a tremendous honor and positions Dr. Wilson as a regional leader in the fight against cancer.
  
  Dr. Wilson joined the Health Center in 2005 from the John Wayne Cancer Institute. At the Health Center, she also serves as the associate director of surgery for the Melanoma Program and the Connecticut Breast Health Initiative Professor for Breast Cancer Translational Research.

Again, these are just a few of the many accomplishments our School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine faculty have recently achieved. Please join me in congratulating them and encouraging their future success.

Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President for Health Affairs
Dean, School of Medicine