April 2, 2009April 4, 2016 by contributor

Appointments and Awards

Bowden

Charles L. Bowden, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry, pharmacology and radiology, received the NARSAD Falcone Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Mood Disorders Research. Dr. Bowden, the Nancy Ullman Karren Chair in Psychiatry, has led 80 research studies of bipolar disorders and mood-stabilizing medications.

DeFronzo

Ralph A. DeFronzo, M.D., professor and chief of the Division of Diabetes, received the American Diabetes Association’s most prestigious honor: the Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement Award. Dr. DeFronzo’s innovative thinking has made a major impact on international diabetes research and care during the last 38 years. He was the first to prove that individuals with type 2 diabetes are insulin resistant. He continues to lead the development of frontline diabetes therapies.

Francis Giles, M.D., deputy director of the CTRC at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio and director of the CTRC’s Institute for Drug Development, was awarded the 2008 Chairman’s Citation for Excellence in Community Service by the South Texas Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The chapter recognized Dr. Giles’ leadership and contributions toward the cure of leukemia and allied blood disorders and his recent involvement in the second Annual Texas Forum on Blood Cancers.

Randal A. Otto, M.D., has been named physician in chief of the CTRC at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio. Dr. Otto is professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology, and the Thomas W. Folbre, M.D., Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology. “My job is to make sure that the patients’ needs come first and that we live up to the high standards of being a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center,” Dr. Otto said.

Mickey Parsons, Ph.D., RN, and Joseph O. Schmelz, Ph.D., RN, have been named fellows of the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Parsons coordinates the Administration in Community and Health Care Systems in Nursing graduate major and leads the administrative graduate teaching team. Dr. Schmelz directs the Institutional Review Board, a group of health professionals and community representatives that oversees human research. Both are associate professors in the Department of Acute Nursing Care.

Arlan G. Richardson, Ph.D., received the highest honor from the British Society for Research on Aging: the Lord Cohen Medal for Services to Gerontology. The medal has been given to only seven other pioneers in gerontology since 1982, including only one born in America. Dr. Richardson is professor in the Department of Cellular and Structural Biology and occupies the Methodist Hospital Foundation Chair in Aging Studies and Research. He is director of the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies and is a senior research career scientist with the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.

Norma Martínez Rogers, Ph.D., RN, associate clinical professor in the Department of Family Nursing Care, was named president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses. The 1,200-member organization strives to improve the quality of health care to Hispanic communities while promoting the professional needs and goals of Hispanic nurses. Dr. Martínez Rogers is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and serves on a number of local, state and national boards and steering committees related to health care and minority and underserved populations.

Kathleen R. Stevens, Ed.D., RN, professor in the Department of Acute Nursing Care and director of the Academic Center for Evidence-Based Practice, was inducted as a fellow of the National League for Nursing’s Academy of Nursing Education. She is a trailblazer in evidence-based practice, a systematic method of identifying and evaluating health care innovations so that successful practices can be incorporated more quickly to improve the quality of patient care. Dr. Stevens developed the ACE Star Model of Knowledge Transformation used to identify, evaluate and implement effective health care practices, policies and procedures.

Thompson

Ian M. Thompson Jr., M.D., received the Huggins Medal, the highest award bestowed by the Society of Urologic Oncology. The award is given annually to recognize outstanding contributions in furthering the science of urological oncology and in furthering patient care for individuals with genitourinary cancer. Dr. Thompson is professor and chairman of the Department of Urology and the Henry B. and Edna Smith Dielmann Memorial Chair in Urologic Science. He also holds the Glenda and Gary Woods Distinguished Chair in Genitourinary Oncology at CTRC and leads the Urologic Cancer program of the Southwest Oncology Group, the nation’s largest cancer clinical trials organization.