Appointments and Awards

Ahuja

Sunil K. Ahuja, M.D., professor of medicine, immunology and biochemistry, and director of the Veterans Administration HIV/AIDS Center, was featured as one of the “35 People Who Will Shape Our Future” in the February issue of Texas Monthly.

Lyda Arévalo, R.N., Ph.D., assistant clinical professor of acute nursing care, was awarded a Claire M. Fagin Fellowship. The two-year, $120,000 fellowship from the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Program supports advanced research training and mentorship of nurses with doctoral degrees who are committed to academic careers in the field of nursing.

David L. Cochran, D.D.S., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Periodontics, was named to an ex-officio seat on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation. Dr. Cochran is also president-elect of the American Academy of Periodontology.

Francis J. Giles, M.D., deputy director and AT&T Chair at the CTRC at the UT Health Science Center and director of the Institute for Drug Development, was honored as the recipient of the Medtronic Award at the National University of Ireland Galway Alumni Awards Gala.

Hillis

David Hillis, M.D., is chair of the Department of Medicine and the Dan F. Parman Distinguished Chair in Medicine. Dr. Hillis, a nationally recognized cardiologist, arrived from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Carlos Roberto Jaén, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Dr. John M. Smith Jr. Endowed Professor, is a new member-at-large of the Board of Directors of the Association of Departments of Family Medicine.

Martinez-Rogers

Norma Martinez-Rogers, R.N., Ph.D., associate clinical professor of family nursing care, was recently appointed to the American Hospital Association’s Commission to End Health Care Disparities. Dr. Martinez-Rogers was one of only three nurses selected after a competitive national search.

Thomas F. Patterson, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the San Antonio Center for Medical Mycology, has been elected as a member of the Subspecialty Board on Infectious Disease of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Basil A. Pruitt Jr., M.D., professor of surgery, was honored in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the co-winner of the 2008 King Faisal International Prize for Medicine. Dr. Pruitt has been an innovator in trauma management, including burns, for nearly 50 years.

Rajam Ramamurthy, M.D., was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates Board. Dr. Ramamurthy is the medical director of the Premature Infant Development (PREMIEre) Program and holds the William and Rita Head, in honor of their children, Brice and Gretchen, Distinguished Chair in Developmental and Environmental Neonatology.

Ramirez

Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H., and Cynthia D. Mulrow, M.D., M.Sc., were elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Membership is one of the highest honors in American medicine. Dr. Ramirez is professor of epidemiology and biostatistics and founding director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research, the Dielmann Chair in Health Disparities and Community Outreach, and the Max and Minnie Voelcker Endowed Chair. Dr. Mulrow is a clinical professor of medicine.

Qitao Ran, Ph.D., associate professor of cellular and structural biology, received the 2007 Nathan Shock New Investigator Award from the Gerontological Society of America.

Richardson

Arlan G. Richardson, Ph.D., is the 2008 recipient of the Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction. The award is the highest honor presented by the American Federation for Aging. Dr. Richardson is a professor in the Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, occupies the Methodist Hospital Foundation Chair in Aging Studies and Research, and directs the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies.

Ian M. Thompson Jr., M.D., professor and chair of urology and director of the CTRC Genitourinary Clinic, was selected to serve as a co-chair for the National Cancer Institute Genitourinary Steering Committee.

W. Kenneth Washburn, M.D., associate professor of surgery, received a two-year appointment as vice chair of the Liver and Intestinal Organ Transplantation Committee of the United Network of Organ Sharing.