Appointments and Awards

Dipen Parekh, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Urology and director of robotic surgery, was named a 2008 Outstanding Reviewer by the American Urological Association (AUA) in the field of prostate cancer. The award was presented at the AUA’s annual meeting this past spring in Chicago. Dr. Parekh was one of seven outstanding faculty physicians from across the country honored for his exceptional contributions in reviewing the AUA’s official journal The Journal of Urology. Dr. Parekh was selected out of a total of approximately 3,000 reviewers who review for the journal.

He is a member of the AUA, which is the pre-eminent professional organization for urologists, with more than 16,000 members worldwide. Dr. Parekh also holds the Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Distinguished University Chair in Urology at the Health Science Center.

Steven R. Bailey, M.D., chief of the Janey and Dolph Briscoe Division of Cardiology, is the new president of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI). A fellow of the SCAI, Dr. Bailey was installed as president at the society’s 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions in Las Vegas. The SCAI is the primary professional organization for more than 4,300 invasive and interventional cardiologists, who perform procedures including the placement of coronary artery stents, cardiac catheterization and diagnostic angiography. Dr. Bailey, professor of medicine and radiology in the Long School of Medicine, directs the Janey Briscoe Center of Excellence in Cardiovascular Research and sees patients of the school’s UT Health San Antonio, the largest multispecialty medical practice in South Texas. He teaches students, residents and fellows, and conducts research on many topics, including development of new generations of stents. Dr. Bailey also occupies the Janey Briscoe Distinguished University Chair in Cardiovascular Research.

Loverde

Philip LoVerde, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and pathology, is a member of an international team of investigators that has sequenced the genome of Schistosoma mansoni, a parasite that infects 200 million in 76 countries through freshwater snails.

The research, said to be the largest genome sequencing of a parasite to date, is the cover article in the July 16 issue of the journal Nature. Dr. LoVerde also co-authored the paper. He has studied the parasite, and its close relatives, for more than three decades and said that knowing the organism’s genetic codes will help researchers develop better medication for infections, a diagnostic field test and even a vaccine.