http://www.llu.edu The latest news from Loma Linda University and Affiliates. en-us Copyright 2006, Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center PHP RSS Feed Generator Three Loma Linda University Schools will hold commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 25, on the University Mall.

Beginning the day-long commencement services will be ceremonies for School of Medicine graduates. Speaking at the medicine graduation will be James M. Slater, MD, FACS, vice chair, department of radiation medicine, School of Medicine, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Following at 1:30 p.m. will be commencement services for the School of Pharmacy. Speaking for this ceremony will be Kenneth H. Schell, PharmD, RPh, director, pharmacy benefits/administration, SharpHealth Community Care Division, San Diego, California.

Concluding the events on Sunday will be ceremonies for the School of Dentistry with guest speaker William J. Emmerson, DDS, member, California State Assembly.

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, James M. Slater was awarded a degree in physics from the University of Utah and later earned his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 1963. 

Dr. Slater’s choice of a career in radiation medicine grew out of his strong desire to improve the treatment planning for patients undergoing radiotherapy and to reduce or eliminate the devastating side effects these patients suffer when normal tissue was exposed to untargeted radiation.

In 1970, he joined the faculty of Loma Linda University School of Medicine, where he began developing a radiation oncology program, including a residency, and continued pioneering computer-assisted radiotherapy planning. He introduced the first such planning system at Loma Linda University Medical Center in 1971, initially using ultrasound data and later using computed tomography.

When Dr. Slater began investigating heavy-charged-particle radiation therapy in 1970, his studies indicated that existing technology could not support a hospital-based treatment system. However, he continued his work and, by 1984, imaging and computing technology had advanced to the point that such support was possible. He began recruiting scientists to work actively on establishing the world’s first safe, dependable, variable-energy, hospital-based proton-delivery system.

While lecturing worldwide and explaining the science of proton therapy, Dr. Slater also led in the design, development, and construction of the Loma Linda University Proton Treatment Center. The center opened in 1990 and, in 2007, was renamed the James M. Slater, MD, Proton Treatment and Research Center.

For more than four decades Dr. Slater has dedicated his knowledge and skills not only to the science of medicine but also to the culture of caring for the whole patient. Patients from around the world have benefited from his commitment to always seek God’s wisdom first and to accomplish through Him wonderful things for the patients he serves.

Dr. Schell, as director of pharmacy benefits/administration for SharpHealth, manages medical group formularies and coordinates patients’ pharmacy benefits for the Sharp Community and Rees Stealy Medical groups.

Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Schell served in pharmacy staff and management positions for Kaiser Permanente in San Diego and Oakland; Owen Healthcare, Inc., in La Jolla, Encinatas, and San Diego; and Children’s Hospital and Health Center and University of California at San Diego.

Not content to serve only in administration, Dr. Schell is also an assistant clinical professor at University of California at San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, at Western University School of Pharmacy in Pomona, and at University of California at San Francisco School of Pharmacy. His academic credentials are further reflected by his numerous publications, both as lead and as sole author in periodicals such as Journal of Pharmacy Technology and American Journal of Hospital Pharmacists.

Dr. Schell earned the BA degree in biology (1978) from the University of California at San Diego. He completed the PharmD degree in 1984 and subsequently a one-year residency in pharmacy at the University of California at San Diego School of Pharmacy.

In 2006, Dr. Schell was re-elected as a California delegate to the American Society of Health-system Pharmacists House of Delegates, a position in which he has served repeatedly over his career. He has also served on the California State Board of Pharmacy (2003) and on the Medi-CAL Drug Utilization Review Board (2001).

William Emmerson earned the bachelor of arts degree in history and political science from La Sierra College in 1967. Postgraduate studies in public administration at American University in Washington, D.C., afforded him the opportunity to serve on the staff of then-U.S. Congressman Jerry L. Pettis. After returning to California, Dr. Emmerson served for six years as a legislative assistant to then-state Republican Assembly floor leader, W. Craig Biddle, while continuing postgraduate studies at California State University at Sacramento.

Dr. Emmerson’s decision to pursue a career in dentistry led to his enrollment in the School of Dentistry at Loma Linda University. He was awarded the DDS degree in 1980. His research, conducted in conjunction with studies toward the master of science degree in orthodontics earned from Loma Linda University two years later, was recognized by the Foundation for Orthodontic Research. In 1982, he established an orthodontics practice in Hemet, California, which he maintained for 22 years.

Dr. Emmerson was elected to the California Assembly in 2004 as representative for the 63rd District, comprising the communities of Fontana, Grand Terrace, Highland, Loma Linda, Moreno Valley, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Riverside, San Bernardino, Upland, and Yucaipa. 

He has sponsored health care-related legislation—notably AB17 (2007), a bill that would have helped provide financial support for the California Dental Loan Repayment Program—designed to alleviate dentist shortages and provide dental care for underserved populations in exchange for forgiveness of qualifying educational debt.

In addition to his professional contributions, Dr. Emmerson’s long record of community service and involvement includes leadership in the establishment of a dental hygiene program at Riverside Community College, assistance with rehabilitation of Redlands Fire Station I, and membership in the Alumni Association of Loma Linda University. He has also been an active member of the Redlands Kiwanis Club and has served as a volunteer with the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

By Richard Weismeyer http://www.llu.edunewsstory.html?id=1487 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT Interwoven, Inc. (NASDAQ: IWOV), a global leader in content management solutions, announced the winners of the 2008 Interwoven excellence awards early last month.

This year’s winners—Ashurst, Education Management Corpora­tion, Ehrhardt Keefe Steiner & Hottman PC, Fulbright & Jaworski, Kao Corporation, KPMG Australia, Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC), and Lowenstein Sandler—are examples of how customers are using Interwoven to help their businesses succeed amidst a shifting business landscape.

The awards were formally presented at GearUp 2008, the company’s user conference that took place in San Francisco, California.

“While this year’s winners represent a cross-section of different industries, and span a variety of organizations, they have one point in common—they are all leveraging content in ways that transform their business,” says Joe Cowan, CEO at Interwoven. 

“By putting Interwoven and content at the core of their business, these companies have risen above their peers by finding new ways to maximize online business performance and increase collaboration and agility within their organizations.”

Loma Linda University Medical Center operates some of the largest clinical programs in the United States in areas such as neonatal care and outpatient surgery, and is recognized as the international leader in infant heart transplantation and proton treatments for cancer. LLUMC partnered with Interwoven and Earthbound Media Group (EMG) to launch a website designed to help patients explore the services and care offered by the Medical Center.

Success with the website is driving a fundamental change in its business: LLUMC is completely re-imagining its web presence to ensure it plays a central role in driving service excellence and patient access, global health care leadership, and outreach. 

By leveraging a combination of search engine optimization, web analytics, targeting, and content management capabilities, the organization has achieved dramatic results.  For instance, LLUMC has seen a 1,400 percent increase in daily visitors and 1,700 percent increase in traffic sources. Its search engine ranking also went from 150 to No. 1 on many keywords.

LLUMC subsequently rolled out a 2,000-page main website and saw a 470 percent increase in physician referrals per month within four months of the site launch.

Interwoven is a global leader in content management solutions.  Interwoven’s software and services enable organizations to maximize online business performance and organize, find, and govern business content. Interwoven solutions unlock the value of content by delivering the right content to the right person in the right context at the right time. Approximately 4,300 of the world’s leading companies, services firms, and governments have chosen Interwoven.

Contributed report http://www.llu.edu/llumc/newsstory.html?id=1488 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT David P.T. Fang, MD, FACS, FASCRS, former chief of colorectal surgery at LLUMC and associate professor of surgery at LLU, was honored by Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center (LLUAHSC) with the Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the highest honors bestowed by LLUAHSC.

Presenting the award to Dr. Fang was Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, president, Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center.

In addition to serving the Medical Center and University, Dr. Fang was a key figure in the planning, development, and as the first president of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, which will grow to 1,200 beds within the next year and has become a key health facility and teaching hospital in the People’s Republic of China.

In presenting the award, Dr. Hart thanked Dr. Fang for his exemplary service as Loma Linda’s representative at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital in Hangzhou.

“I am honored to receive this distinguished Lifetime Achieve­ment Award,” Dr. Fang says. “Thank you for this great honor. From the bottom of my heart, I wish to express my gratitude to the Seventh-day Adventist Church for changing my life in 1951 and to the Loma Linda University School of Medicine for giving me the opportunity to study and become the physician I am today.”

Dr. Fang founded the Chinese Adventist Physicians Association (CAPA), an organization responsible for a physician and nurse exchange program that has seen more than 200 Chinese nurses and physicians receive training at LLUMC.

“On behalf of the Chinese Adventist Physicians Association, we are pleased to be a part of this event honoring our founder, Dr. David Fang,” says Basil Vassan­tachart, MD, president of CAPA and coordinator of the event.

Emceeing the event at the San Gabriel Hilton was Lisa Ling, host of the award-winning documentary series National Geographic Explorer, and her sister, Laura Ling, vice president of Current TV’s Vanguard Journalism unit.

By Larry Kidder, MA http://www.llu.edu/news/newsstory.html?id=1489 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT Charles J. Goodacre, DDS, MSD, dean, School of Dentistry, is the recipient of a 2008 American Dental Education Association Gies Award. The award, presented during the ADEAGies Foundation Awards ceremony in Dallas, Texas, is one of eight inaugural William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation, and Achievement, and recognizes outstanding innovation by a dental educator.

“This recognition,” says Dr. Goodacre, “highlights a process begun at the School in 2000, bringing together the development of computer-based learning materials with the ability to distribute them to dental students and faculty throughout the U.S. and beyond. This has been achieved through the collective work of talented faculty and staff within the School. Educational DVDs developed at LLU are now in use by thousands of dental students and faculty members, provided to them at no charge through the generous support of corporations.”

The Gies award is named after William J. Gies, a Columbia University biochemistry professor who, in the mid-1920s, published a landmark report establishing the importance of dentistry as a healing science and an essential component of higher education in the health professions. Selected by a distinguished panel of judges consisting of ADEAGies Foundation Board of Trustee members, honorees are chosen for vision, achievement, and innovation as an academic dental institution, dental educator, or public/private partner.

Individuals and institutions who also received inaugural 2008 Gies Awards were Michael Alfano, PhD, executive vice president, New York University; Marcia A. Boyd, PhD, University of British Columbia; David Satcher, PhD, National Center for Primary Care; Schools of Dentistry at Harvard University, Louisiana State University, University of Iowa, and University of Maryland, Baltimore College; and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Contributed report http://www.llu.edu/llu/dentistry/newsstory.html?id=1491 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT In celebration of its alumni, the School of Nursing hosted its annual alumni weekend April 4 and April 5.

The weekend celebration, titled “Nursing: Mission Service Far and Near,” began with a vespers on Friday evening. The vespers featured “Nursing Near and Far.”

Zelne Zamora, MSN, RN, assistant professor of nursing, presented a slideshow featuring the highlights of each of the honored years.

On Sabbath, the golden anniversary class of 1958-A hosted first service at University Church, with the class of 1983 hosting Sabbath school and the golden anniversary class of 1958-B hosting second service. This was followed by a lunch­eon at the campus cafeteria.

Saturday evening was the Alumni Banquet held at Wong Kerlee International Conference Center.

Several awards were presented during the banquet, including two Alumna of the Year Awards to Hilda Bloomquist, MPH, MS, RN, class of 1958A, and Marilyn Bennett Justesen, MPH, MS, RN, class of 1983.

Hilda Bloomquist was born and raised in Missoula, Montana. Her work in health care started at a young age when she went to work at St. Patrick’s Hospital as a secretary and switchboard operator following her high school graduation. Later, Ms. Bloomquist earned a degree in business administration from the University of Montana. Following that she taught and was registrar at Adelphian Academy. Eventually, it was back to health care for Hilda.

She applied and was accepted at Loma Linda University School of Nursing. She was thought of as a “mature” student when she came to Loma Linda for a second career, compared with other students who were beginning nursing with no previous career track. Ms. Bloomquist graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Loma Linda Uni­versity School of Nursing in 1958.

During her years as a nurse, Ms. Bloomquist worked as a charge nurse, director of nursing, and also a health educator in various states, including California, Maine, and New York. She also worked for a short time as a nurse at Hultafors Adventist Hospital in Sweden.

At Columbia University, Ms. Bloomquist received a master of science in nursing education. During her time in Brunswick, Maine, in addition to teaching community classes for four years, she conducted a daily radio program titled “Focus on Health.” While in Loma Linda, she took courses in public health.

Upon retirement, Ms. Bloom­quist began a career as a writer for local newspapers. She has also worked as coordinator for the Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP). In 2006, Ms. Bloomquist began what she refers to as her “second retirement career” as a health lecturer on cruise ships. She has also been a health lecturer for her local church.

Ms. Bloomquist describes herself as blessed with a life that has afforded her opportunities to honor the Lord in many arenas of service.

Marilyn Bennett Justesen was born in Orlando, Florida, in 1944. Before she was 1 year old, she moved with her parents and older brother to Africa. She grew up there in various mission locations, where she learned to speak five different languages. When she was 14, the family returned to the United States.

Ms. Justesen attended Takoma Academy, and later finished her secondary education and the beginning of college at Southwestern Ad­ventist Junior College in Texas. She received her bachelor of science in nursing at Loma Linda in 1967.

Then, in 1968, Ms. Justesen was called to Saigon Adventist Hospital in Vietnam for the purpose of starting a school of nursing. Such a task would be a challenge in the best of circumstances, but this was war time. She is the only American to have started a school of nursing during the war. Ms. Justesen has described her experiences in a book titled Help! What Do I Do Now: The Adventures of a Young Missionary in War-torn Vietnam. After her sojourn in Vietnam, Ms. Justesen was not quite ready to return to America.

Ms. Justesen continued her travels through several Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African countries. While visiting Nepal, she helped in the Adventist hospital there. The missionaries there paid her for her services by hiring a Sherpa guide and a team to accompany her on a trek to the foot of Mt. Everest. She was the first Caucasian woman to have her own expedition to this famous mountain.

When Ms. Justesen returned to the United States, she taught briefly at what is now Southern Adventist University in Tennessee. She received her master’s in public health in 1975 from LLU, where she also taught during that time in the School of Nursing.

Ms. Justesen’s next assignment took her to Tanzania, serving as nurse advisor in the development of an infrastructure for the maternal child health department for Tan­zania. While there she climbed the legendary 19,000-foot Mt. Kili­manjaro. In 1983 Ms. Justesen completed her master of nursing degree at Loma Linda. Following that she returned Africa. She was assistant director of the Maluti Mission Hospital School of Nursing in Lesotho. Later she worked as a nurse consultant on two foreign aid health related projects in Sudan and Madagascar.

Not long after returning to the United States, Ms. Justesen met her husband, Jerry Justesen, a widower pastor with two teenage boys. She and Jerry were married in 1984.

Since then she has held several nursing positions in New York and North Carolina. She has also done significant fundraising work for various church projects. She also returned to teaching for state-sponsored universities in North Carolina. She was the only Adventist on a large campus, where she received several awards for excellence in teaching.

Ms. Justesen now lives in Florida, where she continues her active role as a teacher of the children in her church. She even manages to include a little health teaching there along with her role as a certified parish nurse.

Receiving the distinguished leadership award posthumously was Marilyn Christian Gearing Smith, EdD, MSN, FAAN, former dean of the School of Nursing.

Marilyn Christian was born in 1933 into a family dedicated to health care. Her father was a minister/ health educator, and her mother was a public health nurse. Inspired by the opportunities that nursing afforded, she enrolled in the nursing program at Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland, where she received her baccalaureate degree in nursing in 1954. Dr. Gearing decided to continue her education in the Washington, D.C., area at Catholic University of America and earned her MSN degree in nursing administration and community health in 1957.

In July of 1963, Dr. Gearing started her career at Loma Linda University as assistant professor and acting chair of community health nursing in the School of Nursing. In 1968 she was selected as dean-elect and continued as professor of community health nursing until her appointment as dean and professor of LLUSN in 1969. During her 12-year tenure as dean, Dr. Gearing served in a variety of professional organizations and national taskforces on federal health legislation. She was elected national president of the American Association of Seventh-day Adventist Nurses from 1972 to 1975. Her international experiences included working with the maternal health care needs in Tanzania and serving as speaker at a nursing workshop at Beijing Medical University in China.

In between her very busy schedule of administration as well as national and international efforts, she obtained an EdD degree in higher education from the Uni­versity of Southern California in 1974. She was also named a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 1979—one of the highest distinctions a nursing professional can be awarded.

Though greatly committed to her profession, Dr. Gearing did find time for family life. On Valentine’s day, 1980, she married Maurice Eugene Smith. Together they enjoyed many years of traveling and sharing God’s love through various church ministries. In 1990 she returned to teaching and was active in many community organizations. Dr. Gearing worked very closely with the Loma Linda University Church to create a parish nursing program as part of the community health experience for senior nursing students. This program continues to be offered through ACTS (Adventist Community Team Services).

During her six-year illness with lymphoma, she remained cheerful, optimistic, and thankful to God for each day that she could be a blessing to others. On February 12, 2008, she passed away. She leaves a legacy of excellence in nursing education and practice. Nursing students, faculty, administrators, researchers, and their patients continue to reap the benefits of her life-long devotion to the nursing profession and health for all peoples.

For many years, the alumni association has had as one of its goals to recognize excellence in students and alumni through awards. An Alumna of the Year Award has been presented to deserving alumni since 1967. But the alumni board was concerned that the organization’s goal was not being fully met, since students achieving excellence were not being recognized. A committee was formed and the description, criteria, eligibility, nature of the award, and procedure for application were created in 1995. The first Merit Scholarships were given in 1996. The Merit Scholarship is conferred annually to a minimum of one undergraduate student, one graduate student, and one doctoral student who best demonstrate excellence in their respective programs. The award criteria are based on the purposes of Sigma Theta Tau International, the Honor Society of Nursing.

Undergraduate nominees for the award must have completed 45 units, and graduate and doctoral nominees must have completed 20 units in residence of their respective programs; have achieved a GPA of 3.7 or higher; be committed to completing their respective programs; and be able to meet the award criteria. These criteria are intended to identify students who demonstrate excellence in their academic professional preparation.

Receiving Merit Scholarships for 2008 are Ned Cabaluna, Michelle Meert, Ji Kwan (Jake) Park, Rebecca Estanque, RN, and Joyce Volsch, MS, RN.

A missions report was also presented during the banquet, highlighting the mission work that was supported by the alumni during 2007 and 2008.

This year the mission committee decided to make Adventist nursing schools in Third World countries the recipients of most of the $6,500 in available funds. Examples include: tuition assistance for a future nursing student in Guyana, audio-visual supplies for the Adventist nursing school in Mexico, nursing journals for the Adventist nursing school in the Caribbean, and financial assistance for the Adventist nursing school in Maluti, Africa. The committee will also be providing financial assistance to LLU nursing students for short-term mission service this summer.

Following the missions report was the House of Thrift report. During the past fiscal year, the alumni association received $20,000 from the House of Thrift profits. These funds were used for alumni association projects. In addition, clothes, bedding, food, and other items exceeding $900,000 were donated to several organizations including: ADRA; Banning Community Services; House of Mercy, Mexico; Loma Linda Romanian Church; and the Banning School District.

By Dustin Jones, MA http://www.llu.edu/llu/nursing/news/newsstory.html?id=1492 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT A Loma Linda University alumnus was recently named Faculty Scholar of the Year at Cedarville University.

John Whitmore, PhD, who graduated in 2003 from LLU School of Science and Technology with his doctoral degree in biology with an emphasis in paleontology, is currently associate professor of geology at the university, located in Cedarville, Ohio. He has served on the faculty there since 1991.

The prestigious Faculty Scholar of the Year award is presented by the deans of the various academic divisions.

“John, as a paleontology student at LLU, was very capable and a fast learner,” remembers Leonard Brand, PhD, professor of earth and biological sciences, LLU School of Science and Technology, and one of Dr. Whitmore’s professors. “He was also especially responsible and able to get work done in spite of many other pressures on his time.”

Dr. Brand adds, “I am not surprised that he received this award.”

Cedarville University is a Christ-centered, Baptist university of arts, sciences, professional, and graduate programs with approximately 3,000 students and is located in southwestern Ohio. http://www.llu.edu/llu/sst/newsstory.html?id=1493 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT It isn’t known whether pop diva Cyndi Lauper had the Big Hearts for Little Hearts Guild’s spring fundraiser in mind when she wrote the chart-topping hit “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” but the song would have made an ideal theme song for Cook’s Night Out, nonetheless.

Fun was the operative word not only for the 300 ladies and handful of men who attended Cook’s Night Out in the Wong Kerlee International Conference Center on Monday, April 14, 2008, but also for the guild officers as they counted the proceeds.

“We were delighted with the way the evening turned out,” says Eloise Habekost, president of the guild. “We grossed $42,000 and everybody seemed to be having the time of their life. The food was terrific, the entertainment excellent, and the waiters were wonderful.”

Following a welcome by Ms. Habekost, the opening prayer was offered by Abbey Umali, an 8-year-old Redlands girl who serves as national spokesperson for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Next on the program was guild board member Dixie Watkins, who introduced artist Tom Medlicott who unveiled the stained glass window the guild commissioned him to produce for the pediatrics waiting room for unit 3800 on the third floor of LLU Children’s Hospital. The mother-daughter team of Cathy and Hannah Grinnan was next on the program. Cathy shared her experiences as the mother of a heart-transplant recipient. Hannah is enjoying the 10th anniversary of the surgery that saved her life this year; she charmed the crowd with her sweet smile as her mother spoke.

Local celebrity chef, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and television personality Martha Green entertained the audience with a retelling of the highlights of her multi-faceted career. She showed humorous slides to illustrate her presentation.

Then she broke out the mixing bowl and showed the crowd how to make homemade marshmallows dipped in fine European chocolate. Fortunately for the attendees, they got to sample the delightful concoction as the evening came to an end. 

 The waiters—uniformed officers from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Loma Linda Police Department, and Loma Linda Fire Department, as well as employees of Trader Joe’s grocery stores—not only served food and drinks to the guests, they also served up smiles as guests stuffed dollar bills into the waiters’ belts.

There was great competition to see which table would tally up the most tips. All tips were donated to the guild for its work on behalf of the patients of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. When the dust settled, waiter Ross Wilson of the Loma Linda Fire Department topped the list with more than $600 to win the tipping contest.

The final event of the evening was the opportunity drawing. Guild board member Denise Hertel assisted guests in purchasing tickets at $5 apiece and placing them inside a large rolling cage for the drawing. When the wheel was spun and names were chosen at the end of the evening, the following winners were announced: Dorothy Stearns, dinner for 12 at Martha Green’s famed Eating Room in Redlands; Kelly Batres, a set of Cutco knives; Caroline Le, a $500 gift certificate to Nordstrom’s; and Beth Saleson, a $500 gift certificate to Pottery Barn.

But as Ms. Habekost confided to the Guild’s Board of Directors at its monthly meeting a few days later, the real reason everyone had such a good time was the simple fact that for the very first time, the program allowed ample time for all the guests to talk. “You get that many women together in one room and let them talk,” Ms. Habekost surmised, “and they’re going to have a grand time!”

Individuals interested in joining the Children’s Hospital Guild or learning more about its activities are invited to contact Ms. Habe­kost at <e_habekost@msn.com>.  

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/lluch/newsstory.html?id=1495 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT Loma Linda University Medical Center announced plans to purchase a new medical facility located in close proximity to its main campus.

Final terms of the sale are expected to be complete within the next few weeks.

The 66,000-square-foot facility currently known as the California Heart and Surgical Hospital began original construction in 2005. Completion of current construction is anticipated later this spring, at which time LLUMC will be the sole owner and operator. The complete range of medical services to be offered by the facility is still being finalized.

“After considering all the factors, the purchase of this facility just makes sense. It allows us to provide seamless care and greater access for our patients sooner than we had hoped,” says Ruthita Fike, chief executive officer for Loma Linda Univer­sity Medical Center.

Ms. Fike says that the timing of this purchase is advantageous on a number of levels. Plans are currently underway to begin seismic-retrofitting in the Medical Center’s existing operating room suites, which would create logistical challenges for patients and physicians. “The fact that we can have this new facility available now will make the impact of the seismic retrofitting much less distracting,” says Ms. Fike.

The new hospital will offer patients 28 new beds, six state-of-the-art surgical suites, two cardiac catheterization labs, two procedure rooms for endoscopic procedures and pain management, and 24 post-anesthesia care units.

LLUMC plans to use the facility to expand its services in the way that will best meet the needs of the community.

According to Ms. Fike, “Our earlier concerns about this facility are no longer relevant because as owners, we will now be able to make the services offered available to all patients—not just a few. Our worries about this facility from the start have been that only a small, exclusive group of patients would have access, and that’s contrary to our mission of making care available to all— regardless of their ability to pay.”

The new medical center will open for patient care sometime later this year. LLUMC is currently determining which medical services will be housed in the facility and is planning for a name change that will accurately reflect its ownership of the new hospital.

“We’re excited about what this will mean for our community,” says Ms. Fike. “It gives us a chance to meet our needs for growth and expansion as we strive to fulfill our faith-based mission, ‘to make man whole’ by promoting healthful living and increasing quality of life.”

Contributed report http://www.llu.edu/llumc/newsstory.html?id=1497 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT A two-day conference, “Strength­ening Families in the 21st Century,” attracted more than 130 participants on May 12 and 29 in the Wong Kerlee International Con­ference Center.

The culmination of an initiative arising in 2004 at the Center for Spiritual Life and Wholeness, the conference received a sendoff from the center’s director, Carla Gober, PhD, who introduced an impressive array of conference presenters with presentations ranging from a focus on neurobiology and attachment to the role of specific religious communities that are addressing family issues.

Describing her own commitment to establishing this inaugural conference, Loma Linda Univer­sity Adventist Health Sciences Center immediate past president B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, shared a poignant childhood memory of the time her sense of family security was threatened by the news that her father would not be returning home after combat in World War II.

In his keynote address, Allan Schore, PhD, UCLA School of Medicine professor, reported implications of his extensive neurobiological research findings on emotional development. Noting that his discipline is in a paradigm shift, moving from a focus on cognitive to social and moral development, he underlined the importance of attachment occurring during infancy.

The emotional availability of the caregiver seems to be the most central growth- promoting feature of the early rearing experience. Because emotions are tied to the way a person processes vital information, modulates stress, and achieves self-regulation, Dr. Schore emphasized the crucial nature of the first 18 months of life, before language acquisition busies the left side of the brain, as a ripe and crucial time for developing emotional health, demonstrated to be the province of the right brain.

When she asks why adolescents in the world’s richest country are plagued with unprecedented depression, addiction, and aberrant behaviors, another conference featured speaker, Kathleen Kline, MD, of the University of Colorado’s Health Sciences Center in the Department of Psychiatry, points to their lack of connectedness.

The special developmental needs of adolescents, her studies indicate, are best served in authoritative institutions (groups that live out positive types of connectedness) such as families, schools, and churches, to guide their transition to adulthood.

Emphasizing the importance of nurturing, Dr. Kline cited studies of foster parenting initiated with mother rats and rhesus monkeys. Some were identified as nurturing; others had genetically altered non-nurturing tendencies.

Dr. Kline reported the findings: When nurturing foster mothers raised foster young “destined” to be non-nurturing, the brain patterns in the young changed; in adulthood, they became nurturing mothers—and the nurturing behavior, creating specific pathways in the brain, prevailed in second and third generation offspring. 

Culminating the first morning’s presentations, the participants heard a call to recreate the tradition of community support, strengthening intergenerational ties between children and adults. W. Bradford Wilcox, PhD, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, noted the work of families, religious institutions, and communities and hailed the tide turning in the intellectual world with increasing acknowledgement that children are in need of authoritative communities to gain a sense of meaning, purpose, and belonging.

More than a dozen other presenters at the conference continued the theme of seeking ways to establish positive connections in family units.  Kiti Freier Randall, PhD, professor of psychology, pediatrics, and public health at Loma Linda University, said the highest risk for families lies in substance abuse. “It destroys relationships and is a major predictor of producing at-risk children,” she said, citing research identifying connectedness as the major determinant of a child’s developing resilience. The behavior of at-risk youth is everyone’s business, she noted. And the only interventions that work, Dr. Randall pointed out, depend on the relationships that are developed in interventions, both structured and informal.

A team of researchers from Walla Walla University, College Place, Washington, presented preliminary findings from a study based on the responses of participants in forgiveness seminars designed to ameliorate pain and anger arising from perceived past wrongs.

Significantly positive changes in anger, pain, and affect-behavior aligned with positive effects on the family and other relationships.

In her research, Linda Crumley, PhD, professor of communication at Southern Adventist University, examined male residents’ experience in an Advent Home Treat­ment facility in interviews conducted after the residents left the home, uncovering both positive and negative responses to specific elements (and people) of the treatment facility.

Another research study reported by Renee Drumm, PhD, professor and chair of social work and family studies at Southern Adventist University, asked the question: Is intimate partner violence a current problem for Adventist and other faith communities? Among the conclusions:  Yes it is, and churches and spiritual leaders should be safe places for victims of abuse. As Dr. Drumm observed, “We spend a lot of money on evangelism, but right here in our congregations we have people who are at risk in their spiritual walk because of abuse.”

A reminder came from Allese Moore-Orbin, DMin, director of training and consulting for the Faith Trust Institute in Seattle, Wash­ington, that addressing family issues with parishioners can be damaging to the safety of spousal abuse victims who hear without interpretation the dictums “wives obey your husbands,” “God hates divorce,” and “you must bear the cross of abuse—while praying for your spouse.”

Participants from across the United States included Ron and Karen Flowers, major contributors to family life insights in their roles as director and associate director of the Family Ministries Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. They became the first recipients of a life achievement award presented by the Center for Spiritual Life and Wholeness.

Acknowledgments went to the Tom and Violet Zapara Foundation for its contribution of funds in support of the conference.

Expressing special appreciation for insights gained on brain development, Mae Harris-Ogelsby from San Bernardino County’s Department of Children’s Services, said that insights she gained from “Hard-wired to Connect” concepts will affect the way she approaches her work in children’s services.

“A powerful and intensive two days,” said marriage and family therapist Pam Libby of Anchorage, Alaska, who joined at least half the participants in achieving continuing education credits at the conference for professional pursuits.

By Edna Mae Loveless, PhD http://www.llu.edunewsstory.html?id=1503 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT A devotional book commemorating Loma Linda University School of Medicine’s centennial celebration is being planned, according to H. Roger Hadley, MD, dean, School of Medicine.

To commemorate the School of Medicine’s 100th year anniversary, the School is compiling “stories” that collectively will become a daily devotional book titled Morning Rounds.

“As a medical student, alumnus, resident, attending physician, teacher of medical stu­- dents, staff member in the School of Med­icine, or someone who is affiliated with the operations of the School of Medicine, you may have experienced times when an incident occurred, a situation evolved, or something noteworthy happened that gave pause to think of its Christian implications,” Dr. Hadley says.

“Maybe it inspired you, or provided you insight about life’s lessons, or was just a good learning experience.

“Whatever the source, it probably made a lasting spiritual impression, and we invite you to share this event with your colleagues in the health care field.”

Individuals interested in participating in the project should submit their stories promptly (with a selected date during the 2009 year for the story to appear, if there is a date preference).

“Maybe you have a birthday, anniversary, or some other day that is important to you,” Dr. Hadley notes. “Please make a note of why you selected that date, as this will be included in the publication.”

Dates will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis.

The devotional should be approximately 400 to 500 words and may be submitted by e-mail to <somcentennial@llu.edu>, faxed to (909) 558-0292, or mailed to Morning Rounds, c/o Alice Wongworawat, 11175 Campus Street, Coleman Pavilion A1116, Loma Linda, California 92350.

Submissions also may be submitted on the Loma Linda website at <www.llu.edu/llu/medicine/somcentennial> by June 15. An editorial board will review all submissions.

“Our goal is to have this very special devotional printed by November 2008, so that it will be available for distribution prior to January 1, 2009,” Dr. Hadley says.

By Richard Weismeyer http://www.llu.edu/llu/medicine/newsstory.html?id=1501 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT  Beginning in summer quarter 2008, the School of Public Health will offer a new degree that is the first of its kind in the country—a master’s of public health in lifestyle medicine.

This MPH degree is designed for applicants who have a clinical, professional degree; this would include medical doctors, dietitians, dentists, nurses, clinical psychologists, pharmacists, and others. It equips them with the missing link to go beyond fighting established disease to actually promoting health.

“We designed this degree for professionals who have an interest in deepening the scope of their practices through applying principles of lifestyle medicine,” says Serena Tonstad, MD, PhD, MPH, a professor in the department of health promotion and education and designer of the new degree.

Practitioners of lifestyle medicine help their clients improve lifestyle through factors such as nutrition, physical activity, and addiction recovery. They encourage patients to change attitudes and behaviors that may result—or have already resulted—in chronic disease.

Their work is undergirded by an understanding of population determinants of wellness, health, and disease. They conduct client inter­­ventions based on scientific data and established behavioral and learning theories.

“A full two-thirds of avoidable disease and premature death in our country are related to personal lifestyle choices,” says David Dyjack, DrPH, CIH, dean of the School of Public Health. “The lifestyle medicine MPH may over time come to represent the singularly most important degree the School of Public Health offers.”

In addition to skills in lifestyle medicine, the degree gives its students a firm foundation in the core areas of public health, including environmental health, global health, health administration, nutrition, and epidemiology.

The MPH coursework takes four to five academic quarters to complete. Students must also finish a 200-hour field practicum.

By Heather Reifsnyder http://www.llu.edu/llu/sph/newsstory.html?id=1504 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT He’s only been in office a few weeks, but the newly appointed President and CEO of Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center (LLUAHSC) is already outlining plans for a decade of growth, expansion, and outreach for the organization.

In a private interview conducted in his office at Magan Hall, Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, talks about his aspirations for the future of the unique mélange of medical, educational, and spiritual ventures he now directs and seeks to unify.

Dr. Hart—who acceded to the office from his previous position as chancellor and CEO of Loma Linda University—outlines his four top priorities for the institution in four segments that spotlight the multi-faceted diversity of Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center:

1.    To solidify the mission-focused direction of this campus;

2.    To facilitate planned expansion of the health ministries of LLU Children’s Hospital, the Beaumont Healthcare Center, and Physicians Hospital of Murrieta in Temecula;

3.    To continue the expanding globalization of LLUAHSC; and

4.    To recruit the quality of faculty and staff needed to effectively manage this enterprise.

In discussing his four priorities, Dr. Hart articulates a handful of questions he believes are central to an understanding of the challenges the organization must address now in order to advance successfully into the future.

In addressing his first priority, Dr. Hart notes that solidifying the mission focus will require the campus to overcome a major obstacle that confronts expanding organizations regardless of their mission.

“The question,” he observes, “is how do we grow and still retain our distinctiveness? That is a huge challenge!”

He did not raise any issues relative to his second priority—perhaps because those questions had already been raised and addressed before he took office—nor was he asked to comment on the progress of those projects. He did, however, ask a far-reaching question related to the third priority: “How do we develop expertise in supporting academics and hospitals in the context of the Church worldwide?”

In response to the fourth priority, Dr. Hart comments that the challenge of recruiting the quality of faculty and staff needed to effectively manage the enterprise is “a huge issue.” He points out that “the current expectation we have is to increase by 50 percent in the next decade,” and asks, “How do we find these people?”

 When asked, perhaps prematurely, what he sees as the biggest accomplishment of his administration so far, Dr. Hart leans back in the chair and laughs. “Survival!” he asserts. Then he draws a deep breath and says, “There are a number of issues here. We must strategically look at how to keep our entire complex moving in sync together. How do we keep the collaboration and complementary nature of this organization functioning? The immediate need is for a smooth transition of leadership. I am trying not to make any momentous changes, but to let the organization experience a smooth transition.”

While acknowledging that there may be differences in leadership styles between himself and his predecessor, B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, Dr. Hart is quick to assert that he has difficult shoes to fill. Dr. Behrens’ remarkable accomplishments are semi-legendary throughout every level of LLUAHSC, and Dr. Hart does not see his role as creating drastic changes to the smoothly functioning mechanisms she established. “My goal,” he emphasizes, “is to maintain the momentum of the initiatives she has launched and to recognize that the environment is always changing. We’ll need to find new solutions for tomorrow’s problems.”

In the current national climate of economic instability, Dr. Hart anticipates that the organization may have to adapt to changing economic realities, especially at the medical entities within LLUAHSC. “It is clear that this will be a challenging year,” he asserts, “as the federal government seeks to cut both Medicare and Medicaid.” However, he underscores the positive when he adds that, “Steps are underway to rectify some of the budget shortfalls of the first three months of this year. I am cautiously hopeful that they will be sufficient to get us back on budget.” But since recent forecasts suggest stormy economic weather, he adds a reassuring note of caution. “We are a family,” he says, “and there are times when parts of this family tighten their belts to assist the others.”

Dr. Hart delineates his philosophy of leadership by sharing that he functions best “in a context of collaborative colleagues who are able and willing to challenge ideas and move forward together. Most decisions can be made in a collaborative fashion together, although there are times when difficult calls must be made.”

He expands the idea of collaboration with the observation that, “We have close relationships within the executive leadership council. We are exploring ways to help the entire complex feel like a working unit.”

What does he perceive to be the biggest contribution LLUAHSC will make to the world in the coming decade? “I probably want to divide that question in two,” he responds. “First, we need to move effectively to respond to the needs of the Inland Empire and truly provide readily accessible health care and educational opportunities for our local communities.” The need for locally based health care is very dear to Dr. Hart’s heart: During his tenure as dean of the School of Public Health and chancellor and CEO of LLU, Dr. Hart—who is a long-term resident of the region—was instrumental in establishing a number of community outreach health ministries such as the SACHS Norton Clinic in San Bernardino. 

But if anything, he is even more passionate about the need for health care and medical education throughout the developing countries of the world. As an inveterate world traveler and man on a perpetual global mission, Dr. Hart is constantly ready to talk about world needs. “We carry a global responsibility,” he asserts. “With the completion of the Centennial Complex, we can push out classes and consultation to Adventist colleges and universities around the world. We already provide support to 24 Adventist hospitals through Adventist Health International; we need to develop similar relationships with other Adventist colleges and universities.”

At this point in the interview, Dr. Hart yawns and confesses that he is tired. It’s approximately 4:30 in the afternoon and he notes that he got into Ontario Airport at 11:30 the previous night. He had been representing LLUAHSC at the annual spring meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Ad­ventists. That observation naturally segues into a discussion of the emerging relationship between LLUAHSC and the Adventist Church. It is a subject he seems eager to address.

“I believe Loma Linda has developed an international reputation and credibility that needs to be used for the benefit of the Church,” he declares. “That should lead to expanded enthusiasm for the continuing education programs the Church offers for professionals, and consumer education for the public at large.” He goes on to clarify that he is speaking of “healthful living and all the issues the world looks to Loma Linda to provide expertise in.” He adds that recent conversations he has held with representatives of the Church’s rank and file membership have supported his conviction that the members are very glad to see the renewed emphasis on the spiritual mission of the health care arm of the Church. “They’re saying that Loma Linda is back,” he offers. “We’ve gotten back to our focus on global mission, and they see that as a very positive development.”

When probed for his thoughts on the current state of health care delivery, Dr. Hart responds with a vigorous affirmation of what he considers to be an intrinsic right. “I’m an old public health doctor,” he says. “I believe strongly in the right of access to health care for everyone. There are 46 million uninsured Americans. There are 6.6 billion people on earth, most of whom do not have access to health care. We have a unique responsibility as stewards of the resources we are given to try and reach out to the underserved groups.”

Many of the underserved groups he describes live in Muslim countries. Dr. Hart feels the Adventist health ministry is strategically positioned to reach out to the Islamic world. After mentioning that he and Dr. Behrens would leave the following weekend for Mauritania, Senegal, and Liberia, he outlined the reasons LLUAHSC is eager to extend a hand.

“There are incredible opportunities for the Adventist Church to speak to the Muslim world right now as well as to other faith communities of the world,” he states. “We are in a unique position because of our conservative lifestyle, faith commitment, and health care expertise. We’ve spent the last decade or two trying to define ourselves as Christians, but we should be defining ourselves as Adventists. We need to be bold and brave in stating our uniqueness and understanding. Islam associates Christians too much with fast food, pop culture, and immoral entertainment; they like our practice better.”

At the conclusion of the interview, Dr. Hart addressed a couple of personal questions. Not surprisingly, they bear a strong relationship to his views on the future of LLUAHSC. He starts out by describing his philosophy of life.

“I’m basically an optimist,” he shares. “I believe it’s important to be clear about what you want to do and then work hard to achieve it.” He transitions effortlessly from his personal beliefs into an expression of how those values relate to the challenges facing Loma Linda. “I have great confidence that God’s hand is in this place. My challenge is to figure out what He wants, rather than just going forward with what I want to do. Loma Linda is amazingly blessed with a community of committed lives. Few places have that to this degree.”

And although he does not draw a straight line between what he likes to do in his spare time and its application to his roles at LLUAHSC, the connection can easily be made by inference.

“I’m a farmer by nature,” he replies. “I enjoy being outdoors. We live on seven acres in Oak Glen with Christmas trees, 50 different varieties of fruit trees, a garden, some llamas, and dogs. I’m always about three months behind in my ranch work. I think best when I’m in the garden, hiking, or sitting on an airplane at 35,000 feet.”

It takes no stretch of the imagination to conclude that the favorite subject of his thinking and contemplation is the remarkable mix of challenges and opportunities Loma Linda faces at this crucial juncture—nor to imagine a certain farmer plowing, planting, nurturing, and bringing to harvest a rich crop of the finest bounty LLUAHSC has ever offered for the benefit of the world.

The sun is still shining; Dr. Hart is ardently cultivating his field.

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/news/newsstory.html?id=1505 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT “A Salute to Red, White & You,” the 15th annual Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Foundation Gala—which was held on Sunday, March 9 in the Events Center of the National Orange Show in San Bernardino—exceeded expectations, according to Melissa King, coordinator of the event.

“We are extremely pleased by the results,” notes Ms. King. “All together, the event raised $790,650 to benefit intensive care services at Children’s Hospital. We want to thank all our sponsors and supporters, especially the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, for making this possible.”

The evening included the presentation of the Pettis Award by the Honorable Shirley N. Pettis-Roberson herself. Ms. Pettis-Roberson, who served the 37th Congressional District of California in the 94th and 95th Congresses of the United States, presented the award to members of the family of Ralph and Goldy Lewis, pioneer Southern California homebuilders. The award is given annually by the Children’s Hospital Foundation to recognize outstanding dedication and distinguished service to children. Mary Parks, NBC4’s Inland Empire bureau chief and reporter, emceed the program.

The evening’s musical entertainment highlighted Daniel Rodriguez, and the Combat Center Band of Twentynine Palms. Mr. Rodriguez, also known as the “Singing Policeman,” thrilled the Gala audience with a passionate performance of “God Bless America. ” He sang a duet with soprano Marla Kavanaugh, which similarly awed the crowd. The Combat Center Band of Twentynine Palms wowed the audience with their flawless precision and snappy musical stylings.

The evening also featured both a silent auction and a live auction, which offered a variety of high-end products and services for sale to benefit Children’s Hospital, but Ms. King says it was the community sponsors of the Inland Empire who kicked the fundraising goal of the Gala into overdrive this year.   

In addition to the presenting sponsor, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the Pettis Award was sponsored by Robertson’s Ready Mix, and the Lifetime Award was sponsored by David and Marina Bader and Cumming Corporation. Platinum sponsors included the Big Hearts for Little Hearts Desert Guild, the Big Hearts for Little Hearts Loma Linda Guild, Bank of America, Leona Aranoff Charitable Foundation, and Loma Linda University department of pediatrics. Gold sponsors included Arrowhead Credit Union, Prime Healthcare, and Mitsubishi Cement Corporation.

The following organizations supported the Gala at the

silver sponsor level: AGFA, Earthbound Media Group, Fullmer Construction and Fullmer Concrete Construction, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Innovative Construction Services, Pyro Spectaculars, Inc, Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital division of neonatology, Loma Linda University Medical Center hospital pharmacy, McKesson Provider Technologies, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Security Bank of California, Stater Bros. Markets, Stronghold Engineering, The Mission Inn, and the San Bernardino Sun.

Hundreds of other corporate and individual sponsors from throughout the Inland Empire and surrounding community—literally too many to list here—also came together in a spirit of generosity and charity to lift the 2008 Gala well beyond last year’s high-water mark.

“I am overwhelmed by the wonderful support of our community members on behalf of our precious patients here at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital,” says Zareh Sarrafian, MBA, Children’s Hospital administrator. “The gifts that will go to support the life-saving work on the children’s intensive care units are a true reflection of the level of commitment our community members have to the Inland Empire’s children.”

Ms. King concurs. “Without our wonderful sponsors, this would never have gotten off the ground,” she asserts. “On behalf of the children of the Inland Empire, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/lluch/newsstory.html?id=1460 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT According to the ResearchChannel, two programs offered by the Center for Christian Bioethics at Loma Linda University are in the top 100 programs downloaded at iTunesU. iTunesU is a division of Apple’s iTunes that allows educational entities to post podcasts of classes and other educational material.

Love, Belief, and Neurobiology of Attachment, by Paul J. Zak, is currently rated number 14 in the iTunesU top 100 downloads. Physician-Assisted Suicide: An Analysis of U.S. Supreme Court Precedent by Stewart Albertson is currently number 25.

The Center for Christian Bioethics joined the ResearchChannel to help widen the base of viewers for their programs. These programs include the Provonsha Lecture Series, the Health and Faith Forums, and other special presentations. Since ResearchChannel programming has been available on YouTube and iTunesU, the Center is receiving plenty of attention and feedback.

In the first week of availability, ResearchChannel programming had more than 27,000 downloads. http://www.llu.edu/llu/newsstory.html?id=1461 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT The tents are gone; the visitors, lecturers, vendors, and media have all returned home; but the classrooms, dining rooms, lecture halls, and churches of Loma Linda University are still reverberating with the buzz of the biggest event to hit town so far this year—the 76th Annual Postgraduate Convention of the LLU School of Medicine Alumni Association.

From the moment the event opened with the 20th Annual Cardiology Symposium at high noon on Wednesday, February 27, 2008, until the final candle flickered out at the APC banquet sometime after 9:30 p.m. on Monday, March 3, the convention offered a bonanza of educational, spiritual, and social opportunities second-to-none.

There was always something going on somewhere throughout the six days of the convention as worship services called attention to the centrality of mission to the School of Medicine, lectures by world-renowned medical authorities highlighted medicine’s current hot topics, and roundtable luncheons featured the latest tactics against disease. If anything, there was too much to see and not enough time for all the class reunions, scientific poster sessions, self-guided art tours, and a plethora of technical exhibits at “the plaza,” a temporary tent structure between the Medical Center and Coleman Pavilion. 

According to Ath Tuot, records manager for the School of Medicine Alumni Association, an estimated total of more than 2,000 people attended the convention, including individuals who participated in continuing medical education classes—there were approximately 200 opportunities to earn credits throughout the convention—as well as people who perused the exhibitions and attended worship services, class reunions, and other informal meetings.

The spiritual emphasis of the APC was evident throughout the event. Beginning with the Friday evening vespers and continuing through the Saturday night program at the Loma Linda University Church, religious services for the weekend featured passionate musical performances from the California Baptist University Male Chorus, The King’s Brass, and Diane King Susek, as well as talented performers from the School of Medicine and its Alumni Association. The theological content of the services focused on the need for contemporary Christians to respond to the mission call of Christ to take the Gospel to all the world. Some of the most inspiring moments of the APC came as students who have served a stint in mission service overseas joined LLU chancellor—and, at the time, as-yet-to-be-inaugurated president—Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, in sharing their stories of encountering the enormous needs of people living in medically underserved cultures of the world.

The oft-restated emphasis on mission served as the central unifying insight of the convention. It was underscored in numerous programs throughout the weekend and left a large and very positive imprint on everyone who attended.

“I think that over the last few years there has been an increasing sense that Loma Linda is back,” Dr. Hart articulated after the convention. “Our emphasis on mission and service is central to what we do, and the alumni enjoy coming back and seeing that. In general, there is a renewed sense that Loma Linda has refocused on mission and that is very gratifying to them.”

The Alumni Association of the School of Medicine called attention to six individuals noted for their commitment to medical excellence and Christian service as its 2008 honored alumni. They are, in alphabetical order, Jeffrey D. Cao, ’71; Elvin C. Gaines, ’61; Peggy Fritsche, ’66; Herald A. Habenicht, ’58; Stewart W. Shankel, ’58; and Roger Van Arsdell, ’60. Dr. Fritsche was revealed as the “Alumnus of the Year 2008” during the APC banquet on Monday night at the DoubleTree Hotel in Ontario. She is a diagnostic radiologist who served at LLU Medical Center and Riverside MRI Center for many years. In speaking of her contributions, Dr. Hart noted that “Peggy has been very active in the academic world, and in publishing, and has carried leadership in a number of professional organizations in her discipline.”

The absence of the late Thomas J. Zirkle, MD—who was serving as chair of the APC governing board at the time of his death on January 11, 2008—added a tinge of melancholy to the convention. Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Zirkle cast a very long shadow over not just Loma Linda University and the Inland Empire, but also the world through his involvements in medical education, community fire safety, and global Christian broadcasting on LLBN. A special notice in the APC bulletin stated: “The alumni association is grateful to the late Thomas J. Zirkle, ’62, for his tireless efforts over the years in shepherding the annual APC scientific program through the scientific accreditation process.” Dr. Zirkle was succeeded as chair by Robert E. Soderblom, MD.

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/llu/newsstory.html?id=1462 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT Eyad Abu finished his master’s in physical therapy degree at Loma Linda University in the summer of 2007.

His wife and five children live in Rafah city, normally about a 20-minute drive from Gaza city in the area of Palestine known as the Gaza Strip.

Since August 18, 2007, he has been trying to go home, but the Israeli government has refused to grant him a permit. He is currently stranded in Amman, Jordan, hoping for some progress.

Eyad graduated in 1993 as a physical therapy assistant from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) education center, located in Gaza. In 2000, he finished his bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the same center.

“I worked full time at Alaqsa University as a physical therapist,” Eyad explains, “and part time with the Palestine Red Crescent Society in their rehabilitation department.”

He also volunteered with a local society that provided care for mothers and children in the local community.

In April of 2004, Eyad applied for a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) scholarship and received word in July that he had been nominated.

However, he needed to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam in order to formally apply for the scholarship.

During that time, Eyad would work at his two jobs during the day, arriving home around 9:00 p.m. to spend some time with his wife and kids.

Then, at around 2:00 a.m., he would awaken to study for the TOEFL exam.

“The night was scary,” he recounts. “All kinds of war sounds were around me. I needed to lie down on my stomach to study because it was dangerous to sit or stand because of gunfire.”

He typically studied until about 6:00 a.m.

When it came time to take his exam, he decided to head to Gaza city and the testing center a day early, since the exam was only offered four times a year and he didn’t want to miss it.

“Because of the siege around the city and the many check points,” Eyad points out, “the 20-minute drive could become 20 hours or even days.”

As he took the exam the next day, he worried about the safety of his family the entire time. “The news said the Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] would be attacking the area where my family lives.”

Eyad had to decide whether he would stay to take the exam or return to be with his family.

“I decided to stay,” he remembers, “but it was a very hard decision.” Eyad’s fears were fully justifiable.

For the next seven days, his family was under fire and without electricity, food, or water.

“More than 60 people were killed,” he details, “and more than 20 homes were demolished. I blamed myself for [not being there], but at the same time trusted that God would take care of them.”

Eyad received the scholarship but needed a visa from the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv. He was refused passage by the Israeli government until forces finally withdrew.

To expedite the process, he traveled to Cairo, Egypt, where he waited for three months for his visa to be processed. The visa was denied and he returned to Gaza city.

A year and a half later, Eyad was called by the Palestinian government and told that he must resign his position at the university to be granted a visa.

Not a problem! Soon he was on his way to Loma Linda University.

“Loma Linda is my second home,” Eyad smiles. “I really enjoyed staying in the dorm. It was safe, clean, and quiet, which gave me an opportunity to study.”

Eyad spent his free time with many friends in the community and enjoying Drayson Center, Loma Linda University’s recreation and fitness center.

Of his many friends, he says, “We are like family. They are very friendly and I have never felt like a stranger in this community.”

Today, Eyad is living in Amman, waiting to return to his family. Rather than sitting idly by, he volunteers at a local physical therapy clinic that treats elderly patients, including many who have suffered strokes.

“I like to work with these people,” he comments. “They remind me of my parents.”

Eyad calls his family at least twice a week. His children keep asking him, “Dad, when will you come back? We miss you.” It’s hard for Eyad to know that his family needs him and not be able to reach them.

“The situation in Gaza is very critical and dangerous,” he adds. “I follow the news every moment for updates.”

Many are being killed every day from the fighting, and others are losing their lives due to the lack of food and medicine.

“There is a complete closure and siege around Gaza Strip, and nothing can go in or out, ” he worries.

“All the time I think about my family and faith in God is the only help for me,” Eyad attests. “I pray He will protect and take care of them.”

By Larry Kidder, MA http://www.llu.edu/llu/newsstory.html?id=1463 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT Churches and other faith organizations can play a significant role in ensuring that their congregations and communities are prepared for a disaster—such as an outbreak of pandemic influenza.

That’s why LLU’s Center for Public Health Preparedness offered a pandemic influenza preparedness workshop for the Yucaipa Valley Ministerial Association and other interested individuals in the Yucaipa region.

Approximately 50 people came for the event, held March 12 at Yucaipa Seventh-day Adventist Church. During the workshop, educators from the Center for Public Health Preparedness trained the attendees on a full spectrum of pan flu facts and prepared them to respond to a pandemic.

“This is new information to a lot of faith-based organizations,” explains Walleska Bliss, MPH, project coordinator at LLU’s Center for Public Health Preparedness.

The summit began with basic facts on pandemic influenza. Participants learned about the worldwide status of avian influenza—the virus that experts fear could mutate into a form easily transmitted from human to human, causing a pandemic. The workshop also laid out non-pharmaceutical interventions that individuals can do to protect themselves during a flu pandemic. These measures include proper hand-washing and social distancing. 

Participants also learned about having strong connections within a church so that everyone can work together effectively in times of stress and crisis. Furthermore, the workshop offered a clinical perspective on mental health during emergency and disaster situations.

After learning this new information, the participants were divided into groups and asked to discuss and respond to various pandemic influenza scenarios. This allowed them to network with each other and practice planning ahead.

“We’ve been receiving positive feedback since the workshop, as well as requests for additional training,” Ms. Bliss reports.

The day’s participants included church ministers and administrators, church emergency preparedness coordinators, Yucaipa mayor Dick Riddell, and representatives from local law enforcement.

Kirsten Thorstad, pastoral coordinator at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Catholic Church in Yucaipa, was one of the
participants.

“We’ve begun an emergency preparedness team at our church, and we knew this event would offer useful information as we set our goals and pull the team together,” she says.

The workshop impressed upon her the importance of having a strong system and well-trained team in place to educate parishioners. She also learned about the need to be stocked with supplies that the community might need during an emergency.

The knowledge imparted at the workshop is of great importance to St. Frances as it moves ahead with construction on Yucaipa’s largest church.

The Rev. Larry Steele, deacon at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Yucaipa, was inspired by the workshop to make a list of tasks his congregation needs to accomplish in order to be prepared for a pandemic influenza outbreak.

Both Ms. Thorstad and Mr. Steele learned about the event through the Yucaipa Valley Ministerial Association, which co-sponsored the event. The Rev. Richard Wagner, vicar at St. Alban’s, and Hein Strydom, senior pastor at Yucaipa Adventist Church, had attended a similar workshop that the LLU Center for Public Health Preparedness hosted last fall at CrossWalk Church in Redlands. They reported on it enthusiastically to the ministerial association.

“We found it interesting and important, and decided to bring the LLU team here to share the presentations with us,” says Elijah Grekov, president of the Yucaipa Valley Ministerial Association.

The Loma Linda University Center for Public Health Preparedness is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and operates under the School of Public Health. The center partners with health departments, community organizations, and faith-based organizations to ensure preparedness for all public health hazards. Altogether, there are 27 CDC-designated Centers for Public Health Preparedness in the United States. The center at Loma Linda University is the only one in the country working with faith-based organizations.

By Heather Reifsnyder http://www.llu.edu/llu/sph/newsstory.html?id=1464 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT Baby Jason doesn’t look like a medical milestone. In fact, with his big, bright eyes and bountiful crop of dark hair, he looks like an ordinary 5-week-old boy. But Baby Jason is truly one-of-a-kind thanks to a revolution in surgical procedures that recently found its way to Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, thanks to Edward Tagge, MD.

Baby Jason Daniel Alvarado was born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, or CDH. In lay terms, his entire abdominal contents—including stomach, intestines and spleen—had forced their way into his chest cavity and crowded the space his left lung should have occupied. Not only was the left lung substantially underdeveloped, but his aggressive intestines were also crowding into the right side of his chest and preventing that lung from properly developing as well.

Needless to say, when doctors informed Bill and Shelly Alvarado that approximately 50 percent of infants born with CDH do not survive, they became very concerned about their son. “They didn’t tell us that he was going to have the surgery until almost a week after we found out about the disease,” Shelly recalls.  

When Bill and Shelly learned that a pioneering microsurgical procedure, which had never before been performed at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, was available for Baby Jason, they were hopeful, yet skeptical.

But as Edward Tagge, MD, pediatric surgeon at Children’s Hospital and professor of surgery and pediatrics in the LLU School of Medicine, explained the advantages of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) over conventional operations, the couple warmed to the idea. “We felt really good once we found out the surgery was available,” Bill shares.

The new procedure—thoracoscopic repair of CDH—uses a series of diminutive tools and drastically reduces the size of the cuts made to the infant’s body. MIS also reduces the post-surgical trauma the patient must endure during the healing and recovery period, and decreases the likelihood of skeletal disorders developing later in life.

Dr. Tagge explains the operation in these terms. “Basically,” he says, “we pushed his intestines and spleen out of his chest, down through the hole in his diaphragm, and back into his abdominal cavity where they belong.  We then closed the diaphragmatic hole to seal his chest from recurrent encroachment by his intestines. Then we sewed him up with miniature needles and sutures.”

The diaphragmatic hole he mentions is the hernia itself. It’s the same opening between the abdominal region and chest cavity through which the intestines migrated during fetal development. But thanks to the successful surgery, Dr. Tagge is confident that Jason’s underdeveloped lung “will slowly enlarge over a period of months and years.” 

If Edward Tagge’s name isn’t exactly a household name in this part of the world, that might be because he’s only been at Loma Linda since September of last year. Prior to that time, he was actively honing his command of MIS procedures at Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston, where he served as professor of surgery and pediatrics for the last 17 years.

That doesn’t mean he’s a newcomer to Southern California, however. As one of eight children in his family of origin, Dr. Tagge felt it was important for his kids to deepen their relationships with his siblings and their children who live in the area; hence, the decision to accept the offer at LLUCH. His passion for innovative medicine is likewise a family matter. His father was Garth F. Tagge, MD, a prominent internist and cardiologist in Orange County for nearly 50 years, who served as chief of medical staff at both St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton and Anaheim Memorial Hospital, as well as serving as a clinical professor at the University of California at Irvine.

Even though Dr. Edward Tagge has only been in town for five months, he is recognized as something of a heavy hitter in the national medical community. He has been repeatedly included in both the Woodward/White, Inc. list of “The Best Doctors in America” and the Consumer Research Council of America’s “Guide to America’s Top Surgeons.” But he’s too excited about evangelizing his colleagues at Children’s Hospital on the advantages of MIS to let the accolades go to his head.

“Looking at the big picture,” he says, “MIS was pioneered in adults and then tried in adolescents. We are starting to take those techniques and apply them for diseases in newborn babies, as a large percentage of operations can now be performed on a very small scale.” He goes on to report that newborn MIS procedures are currently offered at a variety of select, high-level children’s hospitals around the country, which now includes Loma Linda.

A look inside his instrument case confirms the assertion about the scale of the equipment Dr. Tagge uses. Compared with standard-sized scalpels and surgical tools, these instruments are precise, yet elfin-scaled miniatures.

“An important tool is the TROCAR,” he explains, holding up a small black tube less than half the width of his pinky finger. Once the initial cut has been made, the TROCAR is partially placed into the appropriate body cavity. It allows very small surgical tools to enter the patient’s body through the interior of the TROCAR tube. Like the interchangeable drill bits of a carpenter’s bag, a large variety of miniaturized surgical instruments can be sent through the tube to perform a variety of specialized tasks—including dissecting, cutting, cauterizing, grasping, and sewing—inside the tiny patient.

The TROCAR also performs another crucial role in the surgical process: It introduces gas into the body cavity. “This allows the surgeon—who is performing the surgery by viewing the procedure on a video screen—to see what he’s doing,” Dr. Tagge explains. The harmless gas fills the spaces inside the body and allows the surgeon to maneuver the sharp surgical tools with a high degree of precision.

Ironically, Dr. Tagge reports that in the beginning, MIS caught on slowly with many of the established senior practitioners of the surgical community, while their younger counterparts embraced the new technology at a much faster pace. Interestingly, the reason for this generational disparity centers around the toys each group enjoyed as children.

“A lot of senior surgeons who did not grow up playing with Nintendo or PlayStation, had difficulty turning the two-dimensional TV screen into a three-dimensional model of what’s going on inside the patient,” Dr. Tagge explains. “The idea of watching a procedure performed onscreen, instead of in situ, required significant retraining for some senior surgical staff members.”

Nevertheless, Dr. Tagge is confident that minimally invasive surgery for newborns will find a welcome at Children’s Hospital once word gets out about the two significant advantages it offers over conventional methods: First, MIS leaves a very small footprint on the patient’s body. In Baby Jason’s case, he will grow up with three tiny cut marks instead of a large, unsightly abdominal scar.

“Cosmetically, there is no question that MIS is better for the patient,” Dr. Tagge asserts. The second advantage is equally compelling. “A certain percentage of children who have traditional open surgery develop problems related to their large incisions,” Dr. Tagge observes. “For instance, it is well-known that large chest incisions in infants can cause skeletal disorders, such as scoliosis, later on. But with MIS, this morbidity disappears.”

Overall, Dr. Tagge is very pleased at the way Baby Jason’s operation turned out. “I saw this first neonatal procedure at Loma Linda as a way to get the conversation on MIS going,” he says. Dr. Tagge is convinced MIS will soon become standard operating procedure (pun intended) at LLUCH for a large variety of newborn surgical conditions. An important contributing factor to his optimism is that LLUCH already has the requisite team of highly trained staff necessary to the success of MIS procedures.

“In addition to the highly specialized surgical instruments, high-tech cameras and imaging systems, neonatal MIS cannot be successfully performed without concomitant expert anesthesia, neonatology, and operating room professionals,” he notes. “Fortunately, all those individuals are readily available at Children’s Hospital.”

For his part, Baby Jason didn’t have much to say about the high-tech operation that corrected his medical condition and prolonged his life. He did manage to open one eye just long enough for the photographer to snap his picture, but half a moment later he was back to the serious business of grabbing some Zs.

He can always thank Dr. Tagge when he’s old enough to know what happened.

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/llumc/newsstory.html?id=1465 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT The office of academic affairs in the School of Dentistry extends congratulations to students who achieved dean’s list status for winter quarter.

The eligibility requirements for achieving dean’s list status are: achieve a term grade point average of at least 3.5 with no grade lower than a B-; receive no incomplete grades for the quarter; and complete at least 12 units of coursework during the quarter.

The academic review committee reviewed the performance of all students for the autumn quarter and voted to include the following students on the dean’s list:

Dentistry class of 2011
Scott Arceneaux, Adam Burr, Chris Chang, Larina Chu, Andrew Corbett, Patrick Hachee, Michael Hiersche, Eric Hull, Jonathan Jackson, Unyoung Kim, Michael Knutson, Jeffrey Lam, Alexis LaRose, Jessicah McGraw, Joanne Oh, Christy Pogue, Yamel Ramirez, Devin Rentz, Carrie Roosenberg, Justin Schmidt, and Mohammed Tabel.

Dentistry class of 2010
Iris Choi, Bradley Field, Lisa Gortari, Lauren Gutenberg, Emily Herndon, Bryan Horgan, Ryan Kim, Soh Yeun Kim, Janelle Peterson, James Rho, Erin Stephens, and Timothy Wieg.

International dentist program
Dragana Angelova, Toral Ard­eshna, Keyvan Arghavanifard, Hikshu Desai, Alwyn Devaraj, Rowena Gbenoba, Georgina Jamison, Racha Khireiwish, Laura McCormack, Luminita Narita, Lourdes Reysantos, Sejal Sheth, Mayada Shmara, Yiping Song, Madhuri Takale, Silvia Vargas, Prashant Verma, Mohammadreza Yakhshitafti, and Eun Jun Youn.

Dental hygiene class of 2008
Erin Abston, Crystal Arroyo, Lee-Anne Bautista, Janak Gordhan, Tiffany Haack, Laura Houghton, Lisa Jones, Lindsey Lasswell, Mido Lee, Kimberly Nelson, Rachel Rasco, Victoria Shelton, Megan Snider, and Jennifer Williams.

Dental hygiene class of 2009
Melissa Beesley, Kerri Booker, Kelli Boyd, Rebecca Burke, Dana DeGuzman, Ashley Fujikawa, Tiffany Harris, Jayme Jesse, Roksana Kouroshnia, Lori Lujan, Chelsey Martin, Melissa McEwen, Merinne Mesku, Leslie Ross, Amy Russell, and Juliana Spiridon.

By Nancy Yuen http://www.llu.edu/llu/dentistry/newsstory.html?id=1466 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT Loma Linda University Medical Center has been chosen as a test site for the clinical study of a promising new surgical procedure to help people with chronic lower back and leg pain. According to Wayne Cheng, MD, the orthopaedic surgeon who serves as head of the spine service at LLUMC and the study’s primary investigator, the clinical trial will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Total Facet Arthroplasty System, or TFAS—a promising new alternative to conventional spinal fusion surgery. TFAS was developed by Archus Orthopedics of Redmond, Washington.

TFAS offers patients a number of important advantages. “The potential benefits to our patients include immediate relief of pressure on the spinal nerves, maintenance or improvement in motion between the treated vertebrae, and perhaps, more immediate relief of symptoms compared to the alternate treatments available,” Dr. Cheng notes. It also eliminates the need for doctors to perform an additional surgical procedure in which they harvest bone from the patient’s hip for the bone graft required by spinal fusion.

Dr. Cheng points out that the TFAS device treats lower back and leg pain caused by moderate to severe spinal stenosis and/or grade one spondylolisthesis. Spinal stenosis, the degenerative narrowing of the spaces in the spine, can lead to spinal cord or nerve root compression while spondylolisthesis is vertebral slippage due to age-related deterioration.

The new TFAS implant has the potential to stabilize the affected vertebrae without rigidly fusing the joint or removing the inter-vertebral disc. TFAS is designed to allow patients to maintain a quality of motion similar to what they enjoyed before the onset of debilitating back and leg pain.

Dr. Cheng is confident the new TFAS procedure will result not only in a loss of back pain, and the radiating leg pain that often accompanies it, but also in increased freedom of movement following surgery. He notes that physical therapy and other non-invasive therapies—including traction, body casts, braces, medications, or just doing nothing to see if the problem clears up on its own—are often the first line of defense against chronic lower back and leg pain. However, since those methods don’t always resolve the pain, doctors frequently resort to spinal fusion—a practice that involves removing the offending discs and fusing the remaining vertebrae together.

Although spinal fusion often does relieve pain, it frequently impairs the patient’s ability to move. Fortunately, the new TFAS procedure not only eliminates pain, it also allows the patient to move freely without restriction.

“The process of implanting TFAS into the patient’s spine is very straightforward,” says Dr. Cheng. “The surgical approach is similar to spinal fusion, but the outcome is usually dramatically different. With its ability to perform a more complete decompression of the impinged nerve roots, and to implant a device that has potential to restore natural motion, I expect my patients to be back on their feet shortly after the surgery.” 

Over the next year, selected surgical sites throughout the United States, including Loma Linda University Medical Center, will implant the TFAS device as part of a large clinical study. Dr. Cheng is one of a select group of prominent American spine surgeons who have been chosen to participate in the investigation.

The clinical study is an important step toward establishing TFAS as a new treatment option for patients in the United States. It has been successfully used in Europe since 2005, but due to the strict guidelines of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the procedure must first be evaluated in an FDA-approved study, such as the one underway at Loma Linda.

Dr. Mark Reiley, the orthopaedic surgeon who founded Archus Orthopedics, Inc., commented on the potential of joint replacement in the spine by noting that “40 years ago, we used to fuse hips. Patients and surgeons universally recognize that spine fusion is an archaic therapy, but unfortunately, it’s been the only option available. Just like hips and knees, joint replacement is where we are going in spine care.”

The TFAS study is not the only one Dr. Cheng and his colleagues are pursuing. They have currently applied for permission to participate in five additional clinical trials, all aimed at improving spinal therapy options for patients. Previous studies Dr. Cheng has participated in include research into Kineflex single-level total artificial disc replacement, degenerative disc disease, spinal stabilization, spinal fusion, and other topics related to improving spine health and function.

“I take pride,” he notes, “in solving difficult spinal disorders. I enjoy helping my patients through surgical and non-surgical treatments. I know I speak for all the members of our team when I say we are excited about the promise TFAS offers for patients who suffer from chronic lower back and leg pain.”

The clinical investigation at Loma Linda got underway when doctors first performed the TFAS procedure on a patient here on April 3, 2007. Dr. Cheng estimates that he and his team will wrap up the TFAS study by mid-2009.

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/llumc/newsstory.html?id=1467 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT The whole story of public health, preventive medicine, and medical evangelism at Loma Linda University comes alive in a recently published book, now on sale to the public.

Health to the People chronicles the years from 1905 to 2005, featuring important events and the people who drove them, as well as many photographs.

Author P. William (Bill) Dysinger, MD, MPH, spent several years working in a labor of love to research and write the book. Dr. Dysinger is an alumnus of the LLU School of Medicine class of 1955, and earned his master’s in pubic health from Harvard University. He is an associate dean emeritus in the LLU School of Public Health, and a professor emeritus in the School of Medicine. He devoted many years of his career to service at Loma Linda University.

“His personal understanding and commitment to the original goals of this place are unquestioned. He has carefully dug through long-buried archives and board minutes, talked with numerous individuals, and created the most complete story, ever told of this aspect of the University,” writes Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, president and CEO of Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center, in the book’s forward.

In addition to the book, Dr. Dysinger has also produced a highly detailed reference work, available in a searchable PDF-formatted CD. The book and CD are each available for $20 (or $35 for both), plus $5 for shipping and handling. See sidebar for information on where to purchase.

In his preface, Dr. Dysinger says, “I am much impressed by my review of history that God is alive and has worked marvelously through His human servants at Loma Linda during the past 100 years.”

The book details many interesting stories of those 100 years. For example:

• From its beginning, Loma Linda University placed an emphasis on good nutrition, but it suffered for 20 years the ignominy of the American Dietetic Association’s refusal to approve Loma Linda’s vegetarian diet. The irony of this is that 20 years later, the 50,000-member Association voted Dr. Kathleen Zolber, an LLU vegetarian professor, as president of that organization and gave her its highest award.

• The concept of integrated community development and primary health care had its beginnings in China in the 1930s, but it culminated in the World Conference on Primary Health Care in Alma Ata in 1978. Loma Linda University, however, launched its community health work in 1957 at Heri Hospital in Tanganyika (now Tanzania). In 1974, the program joined with a new seminary and soon after lost its health evangelism emphasis. At the same time, however, a new program of establishing 18 training schools and advising the national maternal and child health program for the Tanzanian Ministry of Health was launched via a contract from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This program was funded by more than $2 million during seven years, and it was evaluated 20 years later as the most successful program USAID ever funded, with all 18 maternal and child health schools still functioning and having national influence. It was this program that launched the academic public health career of Dr. Hart.

• One of the successes in taking health to the people was the launching of the off-campus teaching which began in Tanganyika in 1962, in Canada in 1973, and in Central America and the Caribbean in 1978. LLU’s was the first international off-campus teaching to be evaluated by the Council on Education for Public Health and to receive its full approval. Off-campus education continues as a major effort by the School of Public Health and now includes online education. LLU also pioneered the combined MD/MPH and DDS/MPH programs in the 1970s.

• Immediately following World War II, Loma Linda University began a School of Tropical and Preventive Medicine, which continued under various names until the early 1980s, when “tropical” was finally removed from the name of the department of environmental health. It was within the context of tropical medicine that externally funded research began at Loma Linda University.

• The decision to launch a School of Public Health at Loma Linda University was made in 1964, and it achieved accreditation in 1967. The previous accreditation of a school of public health in Hawaii was a great encouragement to Loma Linda University to launch its own successful effort well ahead of the founding dean’s tentative schedule.

• Early in its history, Loma Linda University conducted a pilot experiment in following Ellen White’s counsel regarding “new methods to work the cities.” The success of this pilot effort in San Bernardino launched the career of John H. N. Tindall as the premier health evangelist for the Seventh-day Adventist Church—the trainer of hundreds of other health evangelists.

• People at Loma Linda University were ahead of many others in fighting tobacco. In 1912, a medical student was having considerable influence in Southern California lecturing against tobacco. He listed many effects of smoking that were not formally accepted until 1964 when the United State’s surgeon general released a report on smoking and health. In the 1950s, Dr. J. Wayne McFarland, an LLU medical graduate, joined with Pastor Elman Folkenberg to launch the first well-established stop-smoking program, the Five Day Plan. Additionally, others connected with LLU have also done important work in the fight against tobacco, both in the United States and abroad.

Contributed Report http://www.llu.edu/llu/newsstory.html?id=1468 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT A new breed of premium implant lenses is bringing better vision to the cataract patients of Loma Linda University healthcare ophthalmology without the need for glasses, and a Redlands lady says she’s living proof.

“Patients who use these new lenses are experiencing excellent quality of vision for both reading and distance vision without glasses,” says Michael Rauser, an ophthalmologist with the group.

Dr. Rauser insists that the new technology implants—known as Restor and Toric Intraocular lenses—enhance the quality of life for patients by reducing their need for eyeglasses after cataract surgery.

“This is the most effective treatment for cataracts,” Dr. Rauser contends, “and one of the safest and most common surgical procedures. The use of premium lens implants continues to grow at Loma Linda ophthalmology, driven by the high level of satisfaction reported by our patients who use them.”

One of those patients, Dixie Watkins, agreed to share her story in hopes that readers might enjoy hearing from a patient who had them implanted. Ms. Watkins says she’s seeing much better now than before doctors implanted the Restor lenses in her eyes in January 2008. “I had them done three weeks apart from each other,” she notes.

Did the new lenses make a difference in her vision? “I’ll put it this way—the world now looks like the day after a rain when the sun comes out. Before the operation, I couldn’t drive into the sun and now I can.”

While Ms. Watkins admits she doesn’t know what her eyesight was before she got the new lenses, she remembers that “the world was just cloudy, and glare was a huge problem. But now, I have 20/20 vision in one eye and 20/15 in the other.”

The new lenses enable Ms. Watkins to enjoy golf again. “I had to have help finding my ball on the golf course,” she recalls, “but now I can find it myself.” They also allow her to drive to Palm Springs in harsh morning light without any concerns about excessive glare.

Dr. Rauser says the new intraocular lenses represent a breakthrough in visual technology. “The majority of patients who undergo cataract surgery receive monofocal lenses. The problem is that monofocals require patients to use reading glasses or bifocals following surgery. But with the new intraocular lenses, they can read just fine without glasses.” 

Ms. Watkins says she felt “absolutely no pain” at any time during or after the 15-minute surgery. “Ten minutes after it was over, I walked out and went home. Of course, they want you to wear those big, funky sunglasses to protect your eyes after the operation, but I went out and bought some nice-looking glasses instead.”

Ms. Watkins, a mother of four and grandmother of five, is a long-time supporter of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. In 1999 she became the founding president of the Big Hearts for Little Hearts Guild, an organization that hosts a large variety of special programs designed to enhance the quality of life for hospitalized children. Two of her sons, Greg and Barry, are doctors at LLU Medical Center. Greg is an interventional radiologist, and Barry is a hand surgeon. A daughter-in-law, Ai-Mae Watkins, is a gynecologist at the Medical Center as well.

Are there any drawbacks to the new lenses? Dixie says she can read without glasses, but it takes a bit of adjustment. “The doctor says it will be a few more months before my eyes learn to work together for reading,” she notes. “Right now, I can read, but I have to find the focal point.”

Ms. Watkins also says she sees halos around lights at night. “I did ask around before I had the procedure,” Ms. Watkins discloses, “and some of the people I talked to said the same thing. But it’s no big deal.”

Readers who would like to contact Dixie Watkins about how the new implant lenses have improved her vision and life are invited to e-mail her at dixiegram@excite.com. Readers who want to discuss the new procedure with a doctor are invited to call Loma Linda University healthcare ophthalmology at (909) 558-2000.

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/llumc/newsstory.html?id=1469 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT Jan M. Nick, PhD, RNC, CNE, associate professor at the School of Nursing, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar lecture/research fellowship to Paraguay, South America, during 2008. The award begins in July 2008 and ends in November of the same year. Dr. Nick will travel to National University of Asuncion in Paraguay where she will teach courses in obstetrical nursing, clinical research, and conduct faculty development seminars for the nursing faculty in both the School of Nursing and the School of Midwifery. In addition to her teaching duties, she will be conducting research on the effect of acupressure point stimulation on uterine contractility in laboring women.

The Fulbright Scholar program is sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and administered through the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES).

Both public and private agencies in the United States assist in the administration of the Fulbright program. The presidentially appointed J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board is responsible for the final selection of all Fulbright grantees and the supervision of the Fulbright program worldwide.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright program has sponsored approximately 273,500 American and foreign scholars. Recipients are selected based on academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. For more information see www.cies.org.

By Dustin R. Jones, MA http://www.llu.edu/llu/nursing/news/newsstory.html?id=1470 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT The Big Hearts for Little Hearts Desert Guild was founded by a group of compassionate Coachella Valley women in 2002. 

The mission of the Guild is to serve their community and its children through action and leadership emphasizing children’s health care needs. The Guild is committed to supporting the children at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital by developing projects that address the critical need of hospitalized children and their families. Since its inception, the Guild has donated funds totaling $305,000 to purchase equipment, fund renovations, and sponsor activities within the Hospital.

Each year they host events to raise hospital awareness, increase the number of supporters, and raise funds to benefit the children. Their “Cooking Demonstration Series” has drawn much support and collaboration with many community restaurants. Area restaurants graciously host a cooking demonstration where the local chef demonstrates how to make the delicious meal that is then served to each attendee. The meals have been fabulous, the chefs a delight, and support for the Guild outstanding.

Another annual event is the boutique sale and luncheon. At this fabulous event, vendors set up booths and sell their merchandise, from jackets to jewelry to children’s clothing. The attendees enjoy shopping and at the end of the day the vendors donate 20 percent of their proceeds to the Hospital. After shopping, the attendees enjoy a fine luncheon and get the chance to hear from a medical professional from the Hospital. This year’s speaker was Victor Bannis, respiratory therapist on the pediatric intensive care transport team.  Mr. Bannis shared a few stories of children who have been treated at Loma Linda and their successes.  He also showed pictures of the equipment and renovation projects the Guild has funded for the pediatric intensive care unit, and shared how this equipment and the renovations have helped so many children. 

The Desert Guild is a group of ladies who share their big hearts with the little hearts of the patients at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. 

“The Hospital is grateful for the work of the Desert Guild, which raises awareness about the impact that our Hospital is making in their community, the Coachella Valley. They have increased their number of friends and supporters and continue to be an outstanding champion for the children who are treated here at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital each and every day,” according to Zareh Sarrafian, MBA, Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital administrator.

By Mindy Morell http://www.llu.edu/lluch/newsstory.html?id=1472 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT Again this year, as they have in the past, the patients of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital made Valentine’s cards for someone special in their lives at a special Teddy Bear Tea hosted on Valentine’s Day by members of the Loma Linda chapter of the Little Hearts for Big Hearts Guild.

According to Eloise Habekost, president of the Loma Linda chapter of the Guild, the tea has been part of the Valentine’s Day calendar at Children’s Hospital since the Guild’s first year. “We served apple juice and had sugar cookies for the kids to decorate,” she says, recalling that first tea eight years ago.

This year, the Foundation Room on the first floor of Children’s Hospital served as headquarters for the tea itself, as Guild members set colorful tables with ample servings of juice and cookies to entertain the children. The children were then invited to join Guild volunteers at crafts tables in the foyer where they were able to make  Valentine’s cards for special people in their lives.

“It may be for a parent or sibling or their favorite doctor or nurse,” Ms. Habekost notes. “It gives them the opportunity to forget they are sick by doing something for someone else.”

In preparation for the Teddy Bear Tea, Guild members donated countless hours of volunteer labor assembling refreshments and supplies, and cutting paper hearts for the kids to use in creating their Valentine’s cards.

“The Guild cuts about a thousand paper hearts of different sizes,” Ms. Habekost reports. The Guild is very eager to ensure that none of the children are left out. Since not all patients are well enough to come downstairs to enjoy the tea, Guild members walk the hallways and patient care areas bringing card-making supplies, a special Valentine’s book, and a teddy bear to children who can’t get out.

Zareh Sarrafian, MBA, administrator of Children’s Hospital, appreciates the work that Guild members do to bring joy to the patients. “The Big Hearts for Little Hearts Loma Linda Guild has historically been an extremely strong supporter and friend of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital,” Mr. Sarrafian notes.

“As administrator of the hospital, I am most thankful for their wonderful contributions, both in financial help, and for their hands-on work that helps generate tremendous amounts of smiles and hope for our children and their families.”

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/lluch/newsstory.html?id=1473 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT A crowd of 250 enthusiastic spectators gathered on the lawn in front of Loma Linda University Medical Center as speaker after speaker extolled the value of having a comprehensive cancer center in the Inland Empire. The remarks were made during dedication ceremonies for the new Loma Linda University Cancer Center on Friday, February 15.

“We are standing on the transformational verge of cancer care in the Inland Empire,” according to Mark E. Reeves, MD, PhD, who—in addition to serving as director of the Loma Linda University Cancer Center—is also a surgical oncologist at Loma Linda University. Dr. Reeves reminded the audience that the LLU Cancer Center is the only place west of the Rockies where two of the world’s most precise cancer treatments, proton therapy and robotic surgery, are available at the same location.

Dr. Reeves predicted that “the people of the Inland Empire will be able to get care that’s on par with the finest in the nation” at the new Cancer Center. “It will be close to home, where they can form relationships with doctors and get follow-up care for life. The people of this region deserve the best, and we’re committed to providing it.”

Dr. Reeves also noted that patients of the Cancer Center will be operated on by a team of surgeons who treat only cancer patients. That degree of dedicated medical specialization—coupled with the synthesis of knowledge that will accrue from having the finest medical, surgical, radiation oncology, and research physicians on-site—will result in an environment where breakthroughs can move quickly from the laboratory to the treatment area so patients can benefit from the latest innovations in cancer therapy.

Other speakers added their own insights to the discussion. B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, who is retiring as president and CEO of Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center later this month, said that the Cancer Center “gives us the opportunity to recommit to whole person care.” She also noted that “we celebrate the care of individuals who face this disease.” H. Roger Hadley, MD, dean of the LLU School of Medicine, noted that in spite of all the technological advantages the new Center affords, the basic care paradigm still “comes down to the eye-to-eye contact of a physician with a patient.”

The need for a comprehensive approach to cancer cannot be understated. Currently, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. More than one million Americans get the disease each year. Officials estimate that one out of every two

American men and one out of every three women will receive a diagnosis of cancer at some point in their lives. In all those cases, time is of the essence: The sooner a diagnosis is determined, the sooner lifesaving treatment modalities can be applied.

Several factors come together that will make the LLU Cancer Center not only the most comprehensive cancer center in the Inland Empire, but also one of the finest in the nation.

These resources include: the nation’s first and largest hospital-based proton treatment program; the only surgical robotics program in the Inland Empire; the first breast MRI in the Inland Empire; a multidisciplinary team that brings experts from all applicable medical endeavors together under one roof; the resources of an academic medical center with its own world-renowned school of medicine; a biospecimen lab to promote translational research and targeted treatments; a state-of-the-art perfusion center that incorporates hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion capabilities for the treatment of abdominal cavity cancer; dedicated cancer surgeons providing both complex and minimally invasive cancer surgery; patient cancer navigators to address the psycho-social needs of patients and their families; and a home-like environment.

While Dr. Reeves wrapped-up his remarks, the other speakers on the platform went over to a corner of the Schuman Pavilion. At the appropriate time, they tugged on a large rope and unveiled a temporary sign marking the new Cancer Center. The permanent sign is still under construction. As soon as the rope was pulled, an air cannon shot a huge array of colorful confetti into the wind. Confetti swirled downward from the sky and covered the crowd—which had begun migrating toward the elevators for the ribbon-cutting ceremony inside the new Cancer Center—as well as the sidewalks, entrance circle, and gardens.

Inside the Cancer Center, visitors were treated to a delicious buffet lunch and tours of the luxurious new entry room, with its giant saltwater aquarium, treatment rooms, patient care areas and outdoor gardens. The design and décor of the Cancer Center was coordinated by the firm of Aesthetics, Inc., and features an in intriguing mixture of contemporary architectural elements and the soothing colors of nature expressed in paintings and photographs of wilderness areas, as well as natural motifs inlaid into the tile and carpet on the floor.

As impressive as it is, the new 11,000-square-foot Cancer Center is only a fraction of the size of the anticipated 75,000 square feet it will occupy when all four planned stages of improvements are completed. “Plans now underway,” notes Dr. Reeves, “will take us to the next level of excellence in treating cancer.”

If this first step is any indication, that level should exceed all expectations by a long shot.

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/llumc/newsstory.html?id=1432 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT Jun R. Chiong, MD, a cardiologist at Loma Linda University Medical Center who serves as associate professor of medicine and director of the cardiomyopathy program in the division of cardiology, recently walked away with the American Medical Association’s coveted Foundation Leadership Award.

The Award, which is offered in association with the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative, presents doctors in four separate categories—medical students, resi­­dents and fellows, early career physicians, and established physicians—an exciting opportunity to advance their leadership skills and gain recognition for the excellent quality of service they are providing to their patients, communities, and profession.

They will also participate in the AMA’s 2008 National Advo­cacy Conference in Washington, D.C. on April 1 and 2 where they will hear nationally recognized speakers discuss the role of the doctor in advocating for patients’ health on a national level.

In 2008, 15 Awards were presented in each of the four categories to doctors who demonstrate strong non-clinical leadership skills in advocacy, community service, public health and/or education.

Dr. Chiong decided to apply for the Award after discovering an announcement about it while searching the AMA website for information on research grants. He didn’t commit to the idea of entering the contest until his mentor, Steven A. Geraci, MD, encouraged him to give it a go. Dr. Geraci, who chairs the American College of Chest Physicians Cardiovascular and Surgery Network, trained Dr. Chiong when he was a fellow at the University of Florida. “He has been instrumental in encouraging me to pursue a career in academics,” Dr. Chiong states.

When Dr. Chiong learned, on January 15, 2008, that his entry had been chosen as one of 15 winners in the category of early career physicians, he felt gratified to see his work recognized at such a high level. As a graduate of the Cebu Institute of Medicine in Cebu City, Philippines, he felt a sense of gratification that someone like himself, who came from another country, could come to America to practice medicine and compete against physicians who received their medical education here.

Not only did the competition provide Dr. Chiong a clear sense of where he stands—at the head of the class!—it also gave his wife Carol and daughters, Cloie and Cassidy reason to rejoice. Most of all, it provided a fresh new insight into the essential nature of the American dream.

“After winning this award,” he recalls, “I would have to say that it’s a fact that America is a land of opportunities. It’s all up to us to decide how far up we want to go. With passion, motivation and dedication, anything can happen!”

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/llumc/newsstory.html?id=1433 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center (LLUAHSC) announced that the Board of Trustees has approved a new institutional logo which will be launched Monday, August 11, 2008.

The logo includes a simpler, more dramatic interpretation of the icon used in the previous logo and also incorporates updated type treatments. It is part of an overall graphic standards package that will provide an updated visual identity for the organization.

LLUAHSC’s executive leadership chose this icon after extensive testing of several options among patients, students, alumni, employees, physicians and consumer groups. This group includes president and chief executive officer B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS; incoming LLUAHSC president and CEO and University chancellor Richard Hart, MD, DrPH; Ruthita Fike, MA, executive vice president, hospital affairs; H. Roger Hadley, MD, executive vice president, medical affairs; and Kevin Lang, MBA, executive vice president, finance and administration and chief financial officer.

The project began with an analysis phase in which the developing agency, CMBell Company, gathered feedback from users on the existing logo and graphic standards. This feedback, combined with an analysis of what similar organizations are doing, formed the basis for the decision to update the logo and the graphic standards.

“We learned several things during that initial information-gathering phase,” says DeLona Lang Bell, CMBell Company president. “The users wanted a logo that was easier to read and simpler to use in a broad range of applications. They believed it was time to update the logo since the current one had been in use since 1990, and most felt there were too many logos, which diminished the strength of the brand. They also wanted graphic standards with more flexibility. All of these concerns have been carefully considered in this new identity package.”

Numerous designs were