With six colleges at two campuses, and now 20 degree programs, Midwestern University provides a fertile environment for scientific and medical research. Every time we conduct marketing audits of our current students, they tell us that the best thing about MWU is our faculty. They are excellent teachers, who are committed to training their future professional colleagues, and they are also accomplished researchers. The winter edition of the Midwestern University Magazine focuses on 2 alumni, 10 faculty, and 1 student researcher. Here's a snapshot:
Susan E. Crawford, D.O., CCOM Class of 1986, is the Director of Perinatal Pathology, Director of Murine Phenotyping Core Facility, and Associate Professor of Pathology, at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. She investigates the causes of infant deaths at the hospital with Chicago's highest birth rate. Her efforts contribute to understanding and preventing stillbirths.
James N. Weinstein, D.O., CCOM Class of 1997, is Chair and Professor of the Department of Orthopedics at Dartmouth Medical School. As the founder and medical director of the Center for Shared Decision-Making, he is an advocate for patients making informed choices in their health care decisions. He is currently working on a $14.5 million NIH grant for a spine study on common conditions of the lower back.
Shridhar V. Andurkar, Ph.D., is Chair and Associate Professor at the Chicago College of Pharmacy. He is an expert in anticonvulsants, used in treatment for epilepsy, and one of his drugs is undergoing clinical trials.
Jon Austin, M.A.Ed., CP, is Director of Instructor of MWU's Cardiovascular Science Program on the Glendale Campus. Mr. Austin was present when the first artificial heart was implanted in a patient in Arizona in 1985. Today, he has built a sophisticated patient simulation system for perfusion used to train MWU's students.
Kimberly A. Bryze, Ph.D., Director and Associate Professor of MWU's Occupational Therapy Program, has teamed with Donna J. Cech, PT, M.S., PCS, Director and Associate Professor of MWU's Physical Therapy Program. Together, they are working on a project to improve access to PT and OT services for underserved and geriatric patients. Their interdisciplinary collaboration is improving the educational opportunities for MWU students while enhancing care for patients.
Mitchell Emerson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the College of Pharmacy-Glendale. He has been investigating the underlying causes of multiple sclerosis since 1999 and is working to develop new drug therapies for the disease.
William J. Ennis, D.O., M.B.S., is the Medical Director of the Wound Care Center at St. James Hospital and a Clinical Professor of Surgery at CCOM. A noted expert in wound treatment, he became interested in the field while a surgical resident at CCOM. He has authored a sentinel paper on the MIST Therapy System and is now conducting a study looking at gene expression leading to protein formation.
Frank LoVecchio, D.O., M.P.H., FACEP, is a Clinical Associate Professor at AZCOM and Resident Research Director at Maricopa Medical Center's Emergency Medicine Program. A popular teacher and mentor, he has collaborated with AZCOM students on projects involving abdominal pain imaging, snake envenomations, heatstroke, drug overdoses, wellness, and medication affordability.
Michael Quinlan, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physiology at AZCOM and his postdoctoral fellow, Alexander Kaiser, Ph.D., are known on campus as the "bug guys." Their current project is measuring the breathing patterns of Southwestern beetles, which will lead to a greater understanding of our ecological system.
Kyle H. Ramsey, Ph.D., is the Chair and Professor of Microbiology/Immunology at CCOM. He has received multiple NIH grants to study the bacterium Chlamydia, both C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae. His studies are leading to new treatments for one of the most common infectious agents and a major national health problem.
Finally, there is John Distelhorst, third-year medical student at CCOM. Inspired by a campus visit from the AOA president, Mr. Distelhorst founded the CCOM Research Club. The club helps inform students about research opportunities at CCOM, provides instruction in grant-writing, hosts workshop on research efforts, and offers a scientific journal forum for literature reviews and critique. The club's mission: "To develop physician-researchers at CCOM and change the world."
It's no small dream, but a goal that is modeled at MWU by our alumni, faculty, and students every day.
