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Blackout Conditions
Divers Study Sunken Gunboat, p. 7
ECU Faculty and Staff Newspaper
A ʻShining Starʼ
Bernardʼs Devotion
at Christenbury Gym, p. 6
End of Life Care
Focus of Perkin Book, p. 5
www.news.ecu.edu/poe/poehome.htm
July 15, 2005
ECU-Sponsored Camps Let Kids Be Kids
By Jeannine M. Hutson
ARAPAHOE—For the 77 children who attended Camp Rainbow
and Hope in June, itʼs a much anticipated week at Camp Don-Lee. They
look forward to sailing, swimming
and just being kids on the banks of
the Neuse River. Their common bond
is cancer, hemophilia or sickle cell
disease and a longing to have some
fun.
One evening around a campfire, a counselor asked campers why
they come to camp. “One child said,
ʻI come because everybody plays
with me and nobody calls me names
here,ʼ” said Jacque Sauls, director
of Rainbow Services at the Brody
School of Medicine. “The children
get to play and have fun like any
other child at summer camp.”
For 21 years, Camp Rainbow
has hosted children aged 5 to 18 diagnosed with cancer, hemophilia and
other blood disorders.
Camp Hope is for children with
sickle cell disease, an inherited disorder affecting the ability of red blood
cells to carry oxygen, causing these
children to have painful events, tire
more easily and be susceptible to
infection. That camp started in 1991.
In previous years, the two
camps have had separate weeks at
Camp Don-Lee, but funding shortages have forced Sauls to combine
the two camps into one week.
“We used to have 100 kids for
two weeks; this year, it was one week
with a total of 77 children,” Sauls
said. “Itʼs a huge cut in what weʼve
been able to do. We would love to go
back to two camps and more campers.
Itʼs sad when you have to tell chronically ill children they canʼt attend
camp because you are full.”
Donations cover camp costs for
patients of the division of hemology
and oncology at the Brody School
of Medicine; camp scholarships cost
$550 per patient for the week.
Both camps have a pharmacy
and nursing station. At least one pediatric oncologist-hemologist is always
present, along with a nurse to administer chemotherapy, draw blood
samples and provide daily medical
care. ECU medical students and residents volunteer as camp counselors.
Arts, Sciences
Dean Named
Alan White, dean of the College of
Science and Mathematics at North Dakota
State University, has been named dean of
the Harriot College of Arts and Sciences
at East Carolina University, effective at
the beginning of the fall semester.
White, a botanist who holds two
degrees from the
University of North
Carolina at Chapel
Hill, is an experienced academic
administrator and a
prolific researcher.
He joined NDSU
as a member of the
faculty in 1988,
served as chair of
White
the Department of
Botany from 1997-2000 and has been
dean since 2000.
At ECU, the College of Arts and
continued on page 3
Novick Directs
MPH Program
Jacque Sauls, right, a therapeutic recreation specialist with the Department of
Pediatricsʼ hematology/oncology section, chats with camper Quentin Hines of
Plymouth. As director of Rainbow Services for the Brody School of Medicine,
Sauls organizes camps for children with sickle-cell disease, cancer, hemophilia
and other blood diseases. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)
Each morning, Jennifer Medlin,
an ECU nurse specialist in pediatric hematology/oncology, organized
campersʼ medications in Ziploc sandwich bags for daily dispensing.
“Itʼs a good time down here,”
Medlin said. “We are able to build a
fun relationship and that helps you
when youʼre back in clinic.”
During camp, all sickle cell,
hemophilia and cancer patients
received their routine medications
along with three oncology patients
who received chemotherapy. One
camper had to leave camp early
because she was running a high fever.
Sauls said that incident shows
why itʼs important to have a physician and nurses at camp. “We have to
East Carolina University
continued on page 12
Dr. Lloyd Novick, a nationally
known public health expert, has joined
the Brody School of Medicine at East
Carolina University to lead the Division
of Community Health and Preventive
Medicine and the masterʼs program in
public health.
Novick was formerly professor of
medicine and director of the preventive
medicine program at the State University
of New York Upstate Medical Center
and commissioner of health in Onondaga
County in New York. He has served as
a leader of statewide health agencies in
New York, Vermont and Arizona, and
he is the author or editor of five books,
including a widely used textbook in public health administration.
Dr. Michael Lewis, vice chancellor for health sciences at ECU, said,
“Dr. Novick is a nationally known and
respected figure in public health, and we
are delighted that he will be joining ECU.
I am convinced that under his leadership,
our program will make a real difference
in the lives of eastern North Carolina
residents.”
continued on page 12
Pieces of Eight
Page 2
July 15, 2005
Grant Supports Medical
Education, Resource Clinic
By Doug Boyd
The Brody School of Medicine at
ECU has received a two-year, $194,665
grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust to support a clinic that will
provide care for indigent patients and be
a major training site for health care students and professionals.
The Medical Education and
Resource Clinic
at ECU will coordinate care of
indigent patients
by assembling a
team of professionals, including social
workers, nutritionists, nurses,
Staton
pharmacists and
family therapists, and their respective
trainees, under the auspices of a team
coordinator.
Dr. Lisa Staton, assistant professor of medicine, and Dr. Sangnya Patel,
clinical associate professor of medicine,
will serve as co-medical directors of the
clinic, scheduled to open this fall in the
Hardy Building, Physicians Quadrangle.
“The MERCE Clinic is unique in
several regards,” Staton said. “We plan
to target patients for whom there are
generous resources but for whom little
reimbursement is provided. For that reason we chose to depend on supervised
trainees in several disciplines for costeffective support.”
The clinic will be part of the division of general internal medicine inside
the department of internal medicine.
The division provides primary care for
approximately 5,500 indigent and uninsured patients each year. These patients
come from around eastern North Carolina; they have an average household
income of $8,700, 65 percent are women
and 75 percent are over 40.
The clinic will encourage patients
to take charge of their own health, Staton said. “We plan to emphasize self-help
and self-discipline rather than rely solely
on medicines,” she said. “We plan to
utilize free or low-cost community programs and health department resources,
again stretching available dollars to provide comprehensive care. All of this will
be transferable to a proposed community
health center once that is developed.”
The trust will fund $126,180 this
year and $68,485 in 2006 to support the
clinic.
Others who worked on the grant
proposal were Dr. Bruce Johnson, professor of general internal medicine; Dr.
Mark Darrow, medical director of ECU
Physicians; and Regina Coyle, a physician extender with
ECU CARE, a program that offers
qualifying patients
financial assistance for services
provided by ECU
Physicians.
The Kate B.
Reynolds Charitable Trust was
Patel
created by the will
of Mrs. William
Neal Reynolds of Winston-Salem. Part of
the trustʼs grants support health-related
programs across North Carolina.
The family of Tom Martoccia attended the dedication of the library in the psychology
department, named in the late professorʼs honor. A photo of Professor Martoccia
rests on a shelf in the background as Carol Martoccia Bickle (center) stands with
sons Randall Martoccia (right) and Doug Martoccia. (Contributed photo)
Martoccia Library Dedicated
By Nancy McGillicuddy
East Carolina Universityʼs Department of Psychology recently dedicated
a library in honor of the late Charles
“Tom” Martoccia, who taught at the university for 39 years.
Located in the Rawl Building, the
Martoccia Library comprises a collection
of journals and articles from Martocciaʼs
private collection. The former classroom
now holds bookshelves with Martocciaʼs
historical psychology books and worktables designed to create a comfortable
working space.
A memento shelf includes Martocciaʼs vintage Underwood typewriter, his
black and white portrait and longhand letters written to him from noted American
anthropologist Margaret Mead and Har-
vard psychologist Edward G. Boring.
“The library is a perfect space to be
named in his honor,” said Larry Bolen,
acting chair of the psychology department
who worked with Martoccia for 30 years.
“He was the type of person that devoured
anything in print.”
Bolen recalled how his former colleagueʼs office reflected that passion.
Journals and books stacked up to his
waist as Martoccia kept up with the latest
psychology publications for himself, his
students and his colleagues.
The late professorʼs enthusiasm
transferred to his students and his sons.
One of his sons, Randall, is a lecturer in
ECUʼs Department of English.
“His children — even as young
continued on page 10
ECU Seed Grants to Further Faculty Research Projects
By Erica Plouffe Lazure
ECUʼs Division of Research and
Graduate Studies awarded $555,000 in
seed grants to 23 professors last month.
The grants will enable researchers to develop preliminary data for a
major research grant application to an
external sponsor, said Glen Gilbert, then
interim vice chancellor for Research and
Graduate Studies.
“The research grant program was
deemed an important investment in the
future of the institution. There is a great
need to increase external funding and this
program has great potential to move us in
a positive direction,” he said.
This year, the program received 89
proposals from faculty representing all 11
colleges and schools. To respond to the
number and quality of the grant proposals, the division was able to obtain more
than double its original plan of sponsoring 10 projects with $270,000.
Grant recipients for 2005 are:
• Shaw Akula (Microbiology
and Immunology), Analyzing Kaposiʼs
Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Entry
($26,416)
• Christine Avenarius (Anthropo-
logy), Understanding Changing Concepts
of Fairness and Justice in China
($19,986)
• Fred Bertrand (Microbiology &
Immunology), Regulation of the PTEN
Tumor Suppressor Gene by the Notch-1
Signaling Pathway ($30,000)
• Colin S. Burns (Chemistry), Metal
Cofactors in Natively Unfolded Proteins:
What Binding Motifs are used by these
Species and what Functions do they fulfill? ($28,885)
• David Chalcraft (Biology), The
effects of biodiversity on pond communities: incorporating natural patterns of
diversity loss ($28,621)
• I. Randolph Daniel, Jr. (Anthropology), Tar River Geoarchaeology
($25,000)
• Melanie Elliott-Wilson
(Psychology), Taking a closer look at
mother-infant interactions across time and
across contexts ($24,798)
• Robert Hickner (Exercise and
Sport Science), Suppression of lipolysis by nitric oxide in overweight children
($23,376)
• Tibor Hortobagyi (Exercise and
Sport Science), Transcranial Magnetic
Brain Stimulation to Assess Brain
Function in Health and Disease ($30,240)
• Terry Jones (Physical Therapy),
Transcriptional regulation of muscleʼs
glucose transporter protein in response to
exercise and a high-fat diet ($29,150)
• Jamie Brown Kruse (Economics),
Spatial, Environmental and Behavioral
Determinants of Valuation of Coastal
Erosion Risk ($30,000)
• Yong-qing Li (Physics), New
Approaches to Cancer Detection and
Diagnosis Using Tweezers Spectroscopy
($24,000)
• Kwang Hun Lim (Chemistry),
Structural Studies of Intermediate States
involved in the Amyloid Formations of
the Beta-Amyloid Peptide associated with
Alzheimerʼs Diseases ($19,937)
• Haiyong Liu (Economics),
Participation in Food Assistance, Maternal Employment, and Child Obesity
($14,483)
• David Loy (Recreation and
Leisure Studies), Examining the effects
of aromatherapy on the biological and
behavioral markers of individuals with
Alzheimerʼs disease ($20,919)
• Joseph J. Luczkovich (ICMR/
Biology), Evaluating the Impact of
Benthic Weather on Fish Behavior:
Development and Application of a
Remote Estuarine Observing Station in
East Carolina University
Pamlico Sound ($28,423)
• Alexander Murashov (Physiology),
Treatment of Experimental Spinal Cord
Injury with Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
($30,000)
• Megan A. Perry (Anthropology),
2005 Petra North Ridge Project/Wadi
Ramm Cemetery Survey: In search of
Nabataean cemeteries in Jordan ($15,525)
• Art A. Rodriguez (Chemistry),
Investigations into the Development of
Quantum Dot-Antibody Biosensors as
Diagnostic Probes using Fluorescence
Techniques ($29,497)
• Kyle Summers (Biology), The
evolution and ecology of reproductive
strategies in Amazonian poison frogs
(Dendrobates imitator and Dendrobates
variabilis) in northern Peru ($30,220)
• Rebecca Maria Torres (Geography), Rural Transformation and Latino
Transnational Migration and Settlement in
the U.S. South ($19,317)
• Michael Van Scott (Physiology),
Effects of Ambient Particulate Matter on
Ischemic Injury ($17,517)
• Karin L Zipf (History), ʻBuked and
Scorned: Gender, Race and the Welfare
State in North Carolinaʼ- a prospective
application for a National Endowment of
the Humanities grant ($5,093)
Pieces of Eight
July 15, 2005
Page 3
Faculty Convocation to
Open Academic Year
News in Brief
ECU Joins Ecosystems Pact
ECU has joined a regional consortium designed to foster ties between universities
and federal resource management programs. ECUʼs inclusion into the Piedmont-South
Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit will expand research opportunities for faculty and students and establish relationships with federal agencies, including
the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Lauriston R. King, director of the Ph.D. Program in Coastal Resources Management, will represent ECU. As a
member institution, ECU will collaborate with six other universities in the Southeast to
address problems that concern resource management. The other universities are: Auburn
University, Clemson University, North Carolina State University, Florida Agricultural
and Mechanical University and the University of Central Florida. The universities work
together to provide research and technical assistance to federal organizations such as
the Agricultural Research Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service,
Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources
Division, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Audubon societies of Florida, South
Carolina and North Carolina are also members. Information is available at http://www.
cesu.org/currentcesus/piedmont/index.html.
Biology Department Establishes Advancement Council
The ECU Department of Biology established its first advancement council with
an inaugural meeting on April 9. Sixteen individuals were selected to serve on the council, for the purpose of advancing the academic and research programs in the department.
The council provides advocacy, consultation, and support; and promotes good relations
for the department. Councilors will advise departmental administrators and serve as liaisons with other institutions and businesses to acquaint students with educational and
employment opportunities.The council is slated to meet again this fall on the Friday preceding the ECU homecoming weekend. The council includes friends and alumni with
a variety of backgrounds and experiences, including academia, business, law, financial
management, government, medicine, pharmaceuticals and environmental science.
Staff Senate Executive Committee Officers Named
The executive committee of the ECU Staff Senate has selected officers for the
2005-06 academic year. Those officers are: chair, Kim Wilson (Academic Affairs); chair
elect, Alise Rowan (Health Sciences); secretary, Pat Tutino (Student Life); and treasurer,
Darlene Garland (Health Sciences). Elected by a majority vote of staff senators, executive committee members develop the agenda for faculty senate meetings and support the
mission of the staff senate, to promote communication between ECU staff and administration, faculty, and/or students. The staff senate reports directly to the chancellor.
Program Kicks Off for AIG Certification
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction in ECUʼs College of Education has
initiated a new certification program for teachers who would like to acquire a license
to teach the academically or intellectually gifted. The program includes two weeks of
online instruction, and two weeks of face-to-face interaction. The first face-to-face week
was held at Elmhurst Elementary School June 6 – 10. The second face-to-face week will
be held next summer, at which time students will plan and implement instructional programs in the classroom with gifted children. Elmhurst teacher Suzanne Hachmeister is
the lead teacher for the program.The AIG Licensure Program is a partnership between
the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Pitt County Schools. The program
will fill a void expected when the Department of Public Instruction, which offers AIG
licensure across the state, completes its AIG licensure programming in June 2006.
Contact Patricia Anderson at 328-4123, or e-mail [email protected].
Exhibit Shows Personal Side of Life after Stroke
A black-and-white photography exhibit in the Regional Rehabilitation Center at
Pitt County Memorial Hospital uses art to increase understanding of life after stroke.
Opened May 19, “Travels in Stroke Country” documents the journey of several stroke
survivors including project organizer Dr. Heidi Kelly, who suffered a massive stroke at
age 41. Now 47, Kelly has progressively improved but still lives with expressive aphasia. Also organizing the event were Kellyʼs husband, Dr. Ken Betsalel, and ECU Allied
Health Sciences professor, Dr. Don Ensley. Ensleyʼs wife, Ramona, is also a stroke survivor. The exhibit focuses on survivors who live in the “stroke belt,” which includes all
of North Carolina, particularly the eastern part of the state. The exhibit is sponsored by
the ECU School of Allied Health Sciences and the Regional Rehabilitation Center, with
support from the N.C. Humanities Council. The exhibit will remain at the rehabilitation
center through the summer and will be moved this fall to the School of Allied Health
Sciencesʼ Belk Building.
The 2005-06 academic year will
officially get under way with the annual
faculty convocation at 9 a.m. Monday,
Aug. 22, in Wright Auditorium.
The event, open to all ECU faculty
members, is traditionally the largest faculty gathering of the year.
Catherine Rigsby (Geology), chair
of the faculty, will preside, and speakers will include Chancellor Steve Ballard,
Provost and Vice Chancellor James
LeRoy Smith, Vice Chancellor for Health
Sciences Michael J. Lewis and Vice
Chancellor for Research and Graduate
Studies Deirdre Mageean.
Mageean began her duties last
month, coming to ECU from the
University of Maine.
The faculty also will consider
approval of revisions to Appendix A
of the Faculty Manual. The revisions,
available online at www.ecu.edu/fsonline/
FacultyManual2/RevisedA_Constitution.
htm, deal with topics including the organization of code units and the election of
Faculty Senate members.
Faculty meetings of various colleges, schools and departments are
scheduled for Aug. 22 and 23, and fall
semester classes begin on Wednesday,
Aug. 24.
Residence halls begin opening for
students on Aug. 18, and the first home
football game of the season is against
Duke at 1 p.m., Sept. 3 in Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium.
Romer Selected as Chair
Frank Romer, a professor of classics at the University of Arizona, has been
named chair of the ECU Department of
Foreign Languages and Literature, effective Aug. 1.
“We try to recruit leading scholars from the major research universities
and Dr. Frank Romer is the latest example of how this practice works for us,”
said Keats Sparrow, dean of the Thomas
Harriot College of Arts and Sciences.
“His professional experience at
Arizona will enable him to bring a
valuable vision for the future to our
Department of Foreign Languages and
Literatures.”
Romerʼs professional experiences range from teaching, academic
administration and academic writing to archaeological excavations. He
holds degrees in classics from New York
University and Stanford University and
has taught at several institutions, including Johns Hopkins University.
His academic awards include a
National Endowment of the Humanities
Summer Seminar at the American
Academy in Rome, a travel grant from
the American Council of Learned
Societies and membership in the School
of Historical Studies at Princeton
Universityʼs Institute for Advanced Study.
He will succeed Sylvie Debevec
Henning, who has been named director of the Masters of Arts degree in
International Studies program at ECU.
Arts, Sciences Dean Named
continued from page 1
Sciences is the largest academic unit,
encompassing 15 departments and about
400 faculty members.
Provost James LeRoy Smith,
announcing the appointment, praised
Whiteʼs collaborative style, leadership ability and success in research.
“He brings the skills and experience
that we need,” Smith said. “He made a
tremendous impression on faculty, administrators and students during two visits
to Greenville. He has been where ECU
needs to go as an institution in the next
five years, and I am looking forward to
working with him.”
White said, “East Carolina is an
institution that is actively growing in a
thoughtful way. It is an exciting and fun
place to be, and it is the size and type of
institution that will be a good fit for me.”
White, a native of North Carolina,
received a B.S. degree in biology in 1977
and a Ph.D. in botany in 1981, both from
UNC-Chapel Hill. Before joining NDSU,
he was a faculty member at Marshall
University in West Virginia.
He is the author of 37 refereed publications in books and scientific journals
over the last 25 years, and his research
grants have totaled more than $9 million.
He will succeed Keats Sparrow, who is
stepping down after 15 years as dean.
Pieces of Eight
www.news.ecu.edu/poe/poehome.htm
Volume 27, Number 9
Pieces of Eight, a newspaper for East Carolina University faculty and
staff, is issued monthly during the academic year by the ECU News
Bureau (News & Communication Services).
Items may be sent to the Editor via campus mail addressed to
Howard House, East Campus; delivered in person to Howard
House, corner of East Fifth Street and Rotary Avenue; or e-mailed
to [email protected]. Phone inquiries to 328-1162.
Editor: Joy Manning Holster
(5,000 copies of this issue were printed at an approximate pre-tax cost of $595 or 12 cents per copy.)
East Carolina University
Pieces of Eight
Page 4
July 15, 2005
Zipf Book Examines Forced
Apprenticeship of Children
By Erica Plouffe Lazure
Apprentice labor laws in North
Carolina existed as a means to control the
composition and character of families,
to provide sources of cheap labor and to
ensure a white patriarchal social order, an
ECU historian contends.
In her new book, “Labor of
Innocents: Forced Apprenticeship in
North Carolina, 1715-1919,” (Louisiana
State University Press) Karin L. Zipf
examines the era of state-sanctioned
apprenticeship programs and their effects
on families.
“My interest focuses on the apprentice law, its evolution and its effects on
families,” Zipf said. “The courts didnʼt
really consider the rights of the child or
the parent, but more often that of the local
landowner needing labor.”
North Carolinaʼs apprenticeship
laws enabled any local magistrate to
claim guardianship of children whom they
believed lived in “unfit” families. They
would contract children into the care of
farmers, artisans, blacksmiths or members
Karin Zipf
of the upper class who needed domestic servants, Zipf said. The law defined
“unfit” heads of household to include
black men and women, or any widowed or
unmarried white woman. Women did not
have full rights to their children during
this era. Drawing from more than 1,000
court and Freedmenʼs Bureau records
from Brunswick, Dublin, Robeson,
Guilford, Wake, Mecklenburg and Wilkes
counties, Zipf reconstructs the state
apprenticeship process and family circumstances that led to the placement.
Among the estimated 100,000 children affected by the law was Andrew
Johnson, who, as a teenager, fled a tailoring apprenticeship with his brother to be
reunited in Tennessee with their estranged
mother. While he went on to become president of the United States, some children
never saw their parents again.
After the Civil War, former slaves
who lived like husband and wife and had
children, found their families under threat
by the apprenticeship law. “We are dealing with a whole population of people
who are not officially married, all their
children are considered illegitimate,” Zipf
said. “There are difficult and confounding
legal contradictions that the state faced.”
Eventually, attitudes about laws
governing families shifted in courtrooms
and in the legislature. The apprenticeship law was replaced in 1919 by the
Child Welfare Act. “The change happened
because of shifting perceptions about
what was best for children and who has
rights to a child. Judicial interpretations of
the laws also played key roles in making
the change, which then enabled legislators
to eventually abolish the apprentice law in
favor of the Child Welfare Act,” Zipf said.
Zipf, a Durham native who grew up
in Rocky Mount, is now working on the
next leg of her project: North Carolinaʼs
Child Welfare Act from 1919 to 1996. She
received an ECU Research Development
Grant award for $5,093 for her project,
“Buked and Scorned: Gender, Race and
the Welfare State in North Carolina.”
ECU environmental health professor Alice Anderson (right) poses with Maj. Gen.
Zhu Chenghu, who spoke on Chinaʼs defense policy in the context of global
security, at the Workshop on Chinaʼs Perspective on Global Security. Anderson
enjoyed visits to sites such as the Great Wall of China and Tiananmen Square.
(Contributed photo)
Bioterrorism Focus of Travel
By Erica Plouffe Lazure
An East Carolina University environmental health professor visited China
in June to gain an international perspective on the burgeoning threat of
bioterrorism. Alice Anderson, who
teaches in ECUʼs College of Health and
Human Performance, said she learned
about the complex issues facing global
security during her weeklong visit.
“Energy security, maritime issues
and radiation security in arms control are
all parts of the agenda at this conference,
taught by Chinese scholars and government experts,” Anderson said.
“These topics all involve an environmental health component, and I
learned how another country with such
a huge population looks at ways to protect their citizens from threats to human
health via bioterrorist acts.”
Anderson attended the Workshop
on Chinaʼs Perspective on Global
Security at China Foreign Affairs
University with the help of ECUʼs Center
for Security Studies. The conference
examined emerging security issues, disease control, transnational crime and
international policy issues.
Anderson, who is a member of a
Centers for Disease Control Taskforce for
leadership in all hazards-response, plans
to take what she learns in both China
and a CDC conference held in July in
Louisville, Ky., to enhance the multidisciplinary continuing education curriculum
now in the works.
“I was extremely excited to be representing the ECU Security Studies and
Research Center on this mission to learn
non-traditional ways of managing threats
to human health and well-being,” she
said.
During her visit to China, Anderson
created a web log. Her dispatches and
additional photographs are available at
www.ecu.edu/news/releases/2005/06/
aliceandersonchina.cfm.
ECU Physician First to Use Device to Open Airway
By Doug Boyd
A 55-year-old New Bern woman
with cancer was the first U.S. patient to
receive a new device designed to help
keep her airway open during a procedure
last Thursday in Greenville.
Dr. Gordon Downie, a pulmonologist and associate professor of medicine
at the Brody School of Medicine at East
Carolina University, inserted a new
type of tracheobronchial stent in the
patient, who has a cancerous tumor in
her bronchial tube. That tumor blocked
approximately 40 percent of her airway,
Downie said. After the stent placement,
only about 10 percent of her airway
remained blocked, he added.
Downie said the procedure helps
patients breathe more easily even though
it doesnʼt directly treat the cancer.
“This is a palliative procedure
(for) patients who are beyond a cure and
youʼre looking to make the symptoms
better,” Downie said. “I think this procedure can definitely improve quality of
life.”
A stent is a tubular device made of
an alloy metal such as nickel or titanium.
It is compressed onto a delivery device
and delivered to the area of the trachea,
bronchial main
stem or branch
stem where the
narrowing is.
The physician
then releases
the stent, and
it springs open,
propping open
the airway so
the patient can
breathe more
Downie
easily. Stents
can also be coated with a film that prevents tumor growth into the airway.
Placing the stent takes approximately
15 minutes, Downie said, and does not
require general anesthesia.
This improved stent, made by
Charlotte-based Alveolus and called the
Aero Tracheobronchial Stent, has a collagen coating that reduces the formation of
scar tissue around it that could renarrow
the airway, Downie said. The Aero stent
has been used successfully in Europe and
is undergoing trials in the United States,
according to Alveolus. Downieʼs use of it
Thursday was the first in those trials.
“Probably about half of lung cancer patients could benefit from this at
some point,” Downie said. He already
uses stents in 80 to 100 patients yearly,
he added. The new stent should reduce
the number of patients whose airways
re-narrow due to scar tissue formation.
East Carolina University
“In some cases there will be a dramatic
improvement in symptoms,” he said. “In
other cases, the effect is that there is not a
dramatic decline.”
The devices are similar to stents
used to open blood vessels, but are much
larger. The trachea is approximately 2
centimeters in diameter, Downie said,
while the right and left main stems are
14-16 millimeters and the branches from
those are 8-10 millimeters. The stent he
used Thursday was 14 millimeters in
diameter and 4 centimeters long.
The New Bern patient has cervical cancer that has spread to her lungs.
The tumor the stent was applied to is in
her left main bronchial stem. The procedure was done at Pitt County Memorial
Hospital, the teaching hospital of the
Brody School of Medicine at ECU.
Downie also sees patients at the Leo W.
Jenkins Cancer Center.
July 15, 2005
Pieces of Eight
Hughes To Join ACE Fellows
Dr. Karla Hughes, dean of
ECUʼs College of Human Ecology,
has been selected to participate in
the American Council on Education
Fellows Program for 2005-2006.
The ACE Fellows Program,
established
in 1965, is
one of the
longestrunning
leadershipdevelopment
efforts in
the United
States and
focuses on
identifying
and preHughes
paring senior
leaders for the nationʼs colleges and
universities.
Hughes was nominated for the
program by ECU Chancellor Steve
Ballard and chosen among a class
of 40 fellows nationwide who will
spend time working with a college or
university president and other senior
officers at a host institution, attending
decision-making meetings and focusing on issues of concern.
Hughes will spend the fall
semester working with the chief
executive of another university. She
is interviewing now to determine
where she will work. In the spring,
she will return to ECU and participate in projects with Ballard and
Provost James LeRoy Smith.
“This is a wonderful professional opportunity,” Hughes said.
“When I return to the deanship, the
experience will be invaluable in taking this new college to the next
level.”
Dr. Margie Lee Gallagher, associate dean of the college for research
and graduate studies, will serve as
acting dean for the 2005-06 academic
year.
Rotondo to Lead Surgery
Dr. Michael F. Rotondo was named
chairman of the Department of Surgery
at the Brody School of Medicine at East
Carolina University.
Rotondo, a professor of surgery,
had served as interim chairman for more
than a year.
“Dr. Rotondo assumed the responsibility as interim chairman of the
Department of Surgery in December of
2003, and has done an exceptional job in
this undertaking,” Dr. Cynda Johnson,
dean of the medical school, said in an
official e-mail announcing his appointment. “Dr. Rotondo is an accomplished
surgeon, leader, mentor, innovator and
kind and caring physician and colleague.”
Rotondo came to ECU in 1999 to
serve as chief of the section of trauma and
surgical critical care in the Department of
Surgery. Rotondo will continue to serve
as director of the Center of Excellence
for Trauma and Surgical Critical Care
of University Health Systems of Eastern
Carolina and its flagship, Pitt County
Memorial
Hospital in
Greenville.
Rotondo
succeeds former chairman
Dr. W. Randolph
Chitwood, who
recruited him
to Greenville.
Chitwood was
named direcRotondo
tor of the Eastern
Carolina Cardiovascular Institute, ECU
senior associate vice chancellor for health
continued on page 12
Russoniello to Study ʻFunʼ
By Erica Plouffe Lazure
An East Carolina University professor took his study of the healing
benefits of fun to the National Institutes
of Health this summer.
Carmen Russoniello is spending two months as a guest researcher at
the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research
Center in Bethesda, Md., to further the
findings of his doctoral dissertation,
which uncovered links between recreational activity and improvements in
participantsʼ physical and psychological
symptoms. By examining shifts in participantsʼ brain chemistry, hormone levels
and mood, Russoniello hopes to expand
the study and track how recreational
activity can affect symptoms caused by
depression, stress and pain.
“Itʼs hard to be worried when your
mind is occupied with doing something,
especially when it is something you
enjoy. While we intuitively know that it is
impossible to have fun and be depressed
at the same time, we had never looked at
what biochemical changes occur when
people engage in activities they enjoy,”
Russoniello said.
Establishing a link between recreational activity and feeling better could
someday provide a “prescription” for fun,
Russoniello said, where a person could
reliably engage in certain kinds of activity
in order to boost desirable chemical and
hormone levels.
Biochemical changes, such as levels
of cortisol, serotonin and dopamine, will
be measured and compared to how participants report how they feel before and
after the recreational activities.
“By doing so we hope to further
understand the processes that underlie
enjoyment and how they affect dysfunctional conditions such as depression,” he
continued on page 10
Page 5
Palliative Care Focus of Book
By Doug Boyd
Health care professionals treating terminally ill children now have a
resource they can turn to for guidance.
Dr. Ronald M. Perkin, chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at
the Brody School of Medicine at East
Carolina University, along with Dr. James
D. Swift of the University of Nevada
and Julia Raper of Childrenʼs Hospital
of University Health Systems of Eastern
Carolina, have written a book titled,
“Primer on Pediatric Palliative Care.” The
book was published in March by ECUʼs
University Printing and Graphics.
“Nobody expects their child to die,
but unfortunately we have children who
die,” Perkin said. “This book is to help
health care professionals deal with children who will not survive to be adults.”
The 255-page book has six sections with titles such as “Ethical and
Legal Issues in Pediatric Palliative Care,”
“Intensive Symptom Management” and
“Bereavement.”
End-of-life care for adults has
received growing attention in recent
years, but end-of-life care for children
has remained relatively undiscussed. One
reason is, as Perkin mentioned above, that
children arenʼt expected to be terminally
ill or mortally injured. Another reason is
that children are not old enough to have
legally binding advance directives, wills
or other items available to adults.
Perkin said children facing death
often understand whatʼs happening and
should be able to refuse treatment if they
desire.
Dr. Ronald Perkin
“A lot of the children that have
chronic illnesses and arenʼt going to survive mature at a faster rate,” Perkin said.
“Age shouldnʼt make a difference.”
Perkin said sometimes children are
more accepting of their coming death
than parents. He told of a terminally ill
child who denied he was in pain because
his mother thought pain meant he was
getting worse. The child eventually died.
The book is a valuable reference
for health care professionals as well as
continued on page 11
ECU Labs On Solid Ground
By Doug Boyd and
Erica Plouffe Lazure
Despite budget pressures, laboratory education at East Carolina University
is largely alive and well thanks in part to
new facilities and lower-cost approaches
to lab teaching.
Dr. Paul Gemperline, a chemist and
associate vice chancellor for research
and graduate studies, couldnʼt be happier with the facilities in ECUʼs Science
and Technology Building. The $55.1
million, 270,000-square-foot facility
was built with funds from the $3.1 billion Higher Education Bond Referendum
voters passed in 2000. The five-story
building holds industrial design laboratory equipment, computer laboratories
and two floors of chemistry laboratories
and classroom space. It opened in 2003
and replaced the 1930s-era Flanagan
Building, which has been renovated
and offers lab and storage space for the
anthropology department.
“Weʼve been able to attract new,
young faculty with exciting research
agendas and see a lot more undergraduate
students become interested in research,”
Gemperline said.
“Having students apply known processes into new situations -- thatʼs the
kind of learning we want to have happen,
East Carolina University
and that can happen in a lab,” Gemperline
said.
Dr. Paul Strausbauch, a professor of
pathology and laboratory medicine at the
Brody School of Medicine, agreed that
labs help students learn and understand
concepts taught in lectures.
“People emphasize teaching, but I
think what is important to emphasize is
learning,” Strausbauch said. “How do students learn?”
Lab courses also foster collaboration, he added.
“One of the most important aspects
of medical care is the concept of team
care,” he said. “A patient is cared for by
an M.D., nurses, a physical therapist,
nutritionist, and social worker. The modern M.D. must learn to be a team player.”
Approximately 72 second-year
medical students spend 60 one-hour sessions in lab as part of their pathology
course. Students rate the laboratory portion highly, Strausbauch said. Even so,
labs face challenges.
One area putting labs at risk is
their expense. According to Strausbauch,
simply equipping a pathology lab with
microscopes can cost $350,000 plus
$50,000 for upkeep in subsequent years.
Add in the cost of 300 specimen slides at
continued on page 11
Pieces of Eight
Page 6
July 15, 2005
Bernard is ʻShining Starʼ at ECUʼs Christenbury Gym
In coordination with the Recognition and
Rewards Committee of the ECU Staff
Senate, the Pieces of Eight series honoring exceptional ECU staff members
recognizes Arthur Bernard.
By Judy Currin
The folks who work in Christenbury
Memorial Gym are fortunate to know
Arthur Bernard. A member of the ECU
Housekeeping Staff for 16 years and the
sole caretaker of Christenbury for the
past six years, he shows up for work early
every morning with a smile on his face
and a good joke to share.
“I take life for what it really is,”
Bernard said. “Itʼs about the beauty of
just living, enjoying the things you have,
and really looking and taking in your surroundings.”
Most days, heʼs up at 4 a.m. administering medication to his wife, Teresa,
who suffered kidney failure and partial
brain damage eight years ago. He helps
her get dressed before the aide arrives to
transport her to her thrice-weekly dialysis treatment. Bernardʼs position at
Christenbury allows him to be home with
her in the evenings.
“I enjoy my work and when Iʼm
here I think I do a pretty good job,”
Bernard said.
“People donʼt believe me when I
tell them Iʼm having fun.”
Maintaining the hardwood court in
the old gym is one of Bernardʼs most satisfying tasks.
“When I see the old floor after it
has gotten dirty and I clean it and I know
itʼs as clean as I can get it, well thatʼs just
a great feeling,” he said. “I love to see it
shine.”
Jason Denius, director of ECUʼs
Volunteer and Service-Learning Center,
Arthur Bernard sits on the steps of ECUʼs Christenbury Memorial Gymnasium,
where he shares infectious smiles with everyone he encounters while completing
his duties as the buildingʼs housekeeper. (Photo by Joy Holster)
located on the lower level of the building,
sees Bernard regularly.
“Every time I see him he is either
smiling or moving or both. He has the
most positive attitude, and more energy
than my 3-year-old son.”
Denius said during last yearʼs
hurricane season, Christenbury would
flood after every hard rain. Bernard had
the difficult task of cleaning up the water
as well as removing mold that subsequently grew on the walls. “Because of
his hard work and dedication, everyone in
Christenbury enjoys the cleanest and safest working environment, and for that Iʼm
thankful,” Denius said.
Bernard is more humble about his
contributions.
“I just do what needs to be done,”
he said. “My Dad taught me to do that.
His line of work was similar to mine.”
Bernard grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y.
His father, Arthur Bernard Sr., was an
area supervisor for the cityʼs housing
authority for 20 years. In 1975 an injury
on the job brought Bernard Sr. and the
family back to their native Greenville.
Nineteen-year-old Bernard followed
his family to N.C., then promptly enlisted
in the Army. He served his country from
1977 to 1979.
“The Army certainly trains you how
to keep everything clean,” he said.
After returning to Greenville,
Bernard took a housekeeping job with
the Hilton, further honing his cleaning
skills. Before his wifeʼs illness, he was on
the night housekeeping staff at the Brody
School of Medicine.
While Bernard acknowledges that
cleaning is “his thing,” heʼs also trained
as an auto mechanic, a body man and a
mason.“The only problems with those
lines of work was that I couldnʼt stand to
get dirty,” Bernard said. “My boss said
ʻI canʼt keep paying you if youʼre going
to spend so much time in the bathroom
cleaning your hands.ʼ”
He is also a musician. “I play guitar and drums, write music and sing,”
Bernard said. In 2003 he recorded a
Christian CD called “Iʼm Ready.”
Bernard leads a full life. He attributes his positive attitude to his strong
belief in God and family. His 79-year old
mother, Doreatha, a minister for 60 years,
serves food to the homeless every month
and cares for 78-year old Bernard Sr.,
who suffers from diabetes.
Bernard Jr. is proud of his sonʼs
accomplishments. Their eldest, Alvin
Moore, is the regional manager for
Ruby Tuesdayʼs restaurant chain. Their
youngest son, Tuwond, is a 2005 graduate of Virginia Tech. He enlisted in the
Navy last month and aspires to become a
nuclear submarine officer.
“Theyʼve learned that if you want to
do things in life, you can do it,” Bernard
said. “No matter what the obstacles.”
Campaign Raises Money, Awareness for AIDS Orphans
Students under the supervision of
Kelli Munn, instructor in ECUʼs School
of Communication, are combining efforts
with the Alliance for Youth Achievement
to raise both money and awareness for
Africaʼs escalating AIDS epidemic.
Public relations strategies students
in two
spring sections joined
forces with
students
enrolled
in the first
summer session senior seminar to organize the HOPE Campaign (Helping
Orphans Prosper through Education).
Together they raised $2,500 to support the Good Hope Primary School in
Kampala, Uganda.
Roughly a third of Good Hopeʼs
450 students are orphans, many of whom
lost their parents in Africaʼs escalating
AIDS epidemic. The epidemic has left
more than 12 million children without
parents.
The funds will purchase a poultry
business for the school. Once the business is up and running, revenue from the
sale of eggs and chickens can support the
orphans on an ongoing basis, Munn said.
Coming in $500 above their original goal, the students developed several
fund raising events, including a volleyball tournament, an auction, a car wash, a
benefit, and a “Change for Change” drive
held on ECUʼs Wright Plaza. Downtown
restaurant Café Caribe donated 30 percent
of one dayʼs profits toward the project.
While fund raising was an important goal, the campaign also focused on
raising awareness of the AIDS/HIV
epidemic spreading throughout the continent of Africa. “As students went out into
the community to raise money, they were
also charged with spreading the word
about the AIDS pandemic in Africa,”
Munn said.
The idea for the project came from
a conversation between Munn and School
of Communication alumna Ginger Dail.
After hearing about Good Hope, Munn
realized the project was appropriate for
service learning, while satisfying the
learning outcomes of her public relations
strategies courses. In that course, students
are assigned group work in which they
complete a proposal for a mock public
relations campaign. This time the campaign would be real.
Munn asked her students to conduct
continued on page 10
Amanda Miller, a junior communications major from Winston-Salem, collects
change in a HOPE campaign fund raiser on campus. Among other activities,
students spent hours in the hot sun collecting change and selling t-shirts to benefit
African children orphaned by AIDS. (Photo by Erica Plouffe Lazure)
East Carolina University
Pieces of Eight
July 15, 2005
Page 7
Divers Study Sunken Gunboat in Blackout Conditions
By Nancy McGillicuddy
ON THE ROANOKE RIVER, N.C.
— With visibility of three to four inches on good day and near-darkness when
clouds block the sun, maritime studies
students at East Carolina University
recently practiced one of the strengths
that the universityʼs program is known for
— conducting research in total blackout
conditions.
The experience, which entailed
researching a Civil War vessel on the
Roanoke River, was a part of ECUʼs summer field school, work that could help
“Our students get jobs
because they can
handle these different
environments.”
– Larry Babits
students land prized jobs in a tough field.
“Itʼs exhausting work,” said Larry
Babits, director of ECUʼs maritime studies program. “But you canʼt learn how to
do this type of research without actually
doing it. These conditions are some of the
most challenging ones, but our students
get jobs because they can handle these
different environments.”
This year, as part of a summer
field school, students honed their blackout research skills while exploring the
last known Union gunboat of its kind,
the USS Otsego. The 974-ton doubleended gunboat sank in December 1865
after striking Confederate mines on the
Roanoke River at the end of the Civil
War. No men were lost in the explosion
that sank the boat, but two solders died
on the USS Brazley, a smaller vessel, that
hit mines when assisting in the rescue of
the Otsegoʼs crew. Both ships remain in
graves at the bottom of the river, north of
Plymouth, N.C.
“The USS Otsego is part of a class
of vessels that has already disappeared,”
Babits said. “Itʼs the sole survivor of its
class. And even if itʼs broken up, itʼs still
important.”
The Otsegoʼs sand-filled cavities
and rusted crevices hold a vast research
site where East Carolina University students and researchers get a first-hand
opportunity to explore Civil War history. As a sassacus class vessel, the Otsego
was constructed to maneuver narrow,
shallow and twisted waterways. As one
of 22 vessels constructed, the ship is considered a national archeological resource,
said Brian Diveley, a graduate student
who is writing his thesis on the Otsego.
“All the other vessels of this class
were either scrapped after the war or lost
in the records,” Diveley said. “This is the
only one that we have been able to uncov-
er any information about in our search.”
Twelve students and seven faculty
and staff members participated in the field
school. Divers worked most of June exploring the wreckage of the 230-foot ship
in order to map the Otsego site.
While a permit from the U.S. Navy
allows the researchers to bring artifacts
to the surface, divers left the vessel and
its appendages below the silt-screened
waters, partly due to the cost of conservation. Babits estimated that it would take
$300,000 to raise the ship properly to
avoid the deterioration surface exposure
inevitably invokes.
“Itʼs not really an option,” he said.
“To bring it up would be criminal if you
didnʼt have a way to preserve it.”
While the vessel sank 140 years
ago, the ECU field school participants are
not the first humans to interact with the
ship since its demise. In the 1930s, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dragged
the ship from its original wreck site and
deposited it into a 60-foot hole about a
half-mile south of Plymouth. The dredging cleared up the river for navigation, but
made the first archeological visit to the
site a bit more of a challenge, said Nathan
Richards, a professor in maritime studies who described the L-shaped site as “an
unarticulated mess.”
Despite the messy wreckage and the
fact that union solders salvaged the ship
after its fall, ECUʼs researchers did not
surface empty-handed. Students emerged
from the brown waters with plastic slates
and mechanical pencils, which allowed
them to draw parts of the ship underwater.
On the slates the students noted portholes, Tiffany Pecoraro, an ECU graduate student in Maritime History, is assisted by
paddles, hatches, shot rails and reinforced ECU diver safety officer Steve Sellers, in preparation for underwater research.
iron bars — all identified and documented Pecoraro participated in a field dive team that was studying the USS Otsego, a
during one of their 90-minute dives.
union gunboat that sank 140 years ago in the Roanoke River. The field school
The field school was an archeologi- took place in June 2005. (Photos by Nancy McGillicuddy)
cal dive debut for Jennifer Cobb, a Ph.D.
student in Coastal Resources Managetouching a piece of history that has not
ment, who said the experience helped
“Itʼs fun; I want to be out there in
been touched since the 1930s.”
solidify her choice of academic specialty. the field,” she said. “We are out there
Babb Honored with Distinguished Service Award
By Crystal Baity
Dr. Joseph D. Babb of
ECUʼs Brody School of Medicine
has received the Distinguished
Service Award from the Society for
Cardiovascular Angiography and
Interventions. The award is the highest honor given by the 3,300-member
society.
Babb is a cardiologist and
professor of medicine and past director of the cardiology fellowship
training program at Brody School
of Medicine, director of the cardiac catherization laboratories at
Pitt County Memorial Hospital
and immediate past president for
the North Carolina Chapter of the
American College of Cardiology. He
is a fellow of the SCAI.
“I was deeply honored to
receive this award,” Babb said.
“Teaching medical students and residents creates an opportunity to have
a lasting impact on our profession,
as does volunteering in professional
associations. I feel enormously privileged to be a physician and believe
itʼs appropriate to give back to my
profession in thanks for all it has
given me.”
The award is presented annually to a SCAI fellow who has
worked tirelessly and effectively on
behalf of the cardiovascular profession and on the societyʼs mission of
advancing the field of invasive/interventional cardiovascular care for
patients. Babb received the award
in May at the 28th Annual Scientific
Session of the Melvin P. Judkins
Imaging Symposium, held in Ponte
Vedra Beach, Fla.
East Carolina University
Babb served as society president in 2001-2002. Previously,
he headed the groupʼs Continuing
Medical Education Committee,
spearheading its effort to earn accreditation status for the Accreditation
Council for Continuing Medical
Education and developing guidelines
for SCAI educational programs.
As president, he oversaw a
successful effort to expand the societyʼs membership. He also brought
together representatives of all the
international medical societies
focused on interventional cardiology,
launching a “cardiology roundtable” to address the common concerns
of cardiologists and their patients.
The effort led to the development of
a new organization, the Coalition of
Cardiovascular Organizations, which
Babb chaired in 2004.
Pieces of Eight
Page 8
July 15, 2005
ECU Dialysis Technology Earns Top Spot in Competition
By Doug Boyd
A business plan for a kidney dialysis technology devised at
ECU was one of two winners at the
12th annual $10K Business Plan
Competition managed by the Entrepreneurship Education Initiative at
the North Carolina State University
College of Management.
The technology, designed to
help reduce the number of hours
people with end-stage renal disease
spend in dialysis, was developed by
a team led by Dr. Paul Bolin, associate professor of internal medicine
and chief of the nephrology division
at the Brody School of Medicine.
Working with Bolin on the
technology was Dr. Craig J. McCotter, now chief cardiology fellow at
the University of Virginia and a former ECU medical student, and Dr.
Cindy Christiano, a clinical assistant
professor of medicine at ECU.
NCSU students Matt Hallam,
David Hodl, Eric Hulsey and Nocha
van Thielen developed the business
plan for Pulse Filtration Technologies, a company that would bring
the technology to market. They
assessed a variety of ideas before
settling on the ECU dialysis concept, made available to the students
through the ECU Office of Technology Transfer. All four medical
schools in the state submitted biotechnology product ideas for the
competition, according to Bolin.
Their plan netted them a
$6,000 prize. Hodl said team members havenʼt decided what theyʼll do
with the money or whatʼs next for
the proposed firm. “The company is
in its infancy,” Hodl said.
Bolinʼs group built prototypes based on the operation
of a heart-lung machine, which
delivers oxygen to the brain in a
pulsing manner similar to the natural heartbeat. They then tested their
Drs. Cindy Christiano (left) and Paul
Bolin helped develop technology
used in a winning business plan.
(Photo by Cliff Hollis)
prototype and found it was up to 35
percent more efficient than a normal
dialysis pump. The benefit works
two ways: dialysis patients who typically reach their target level of urea
and salt removal during dialysis
could reach that target in one-third
less time, and patients who have a
hard time reaching their target at
all could come one-third closer to
reaching it.
Bolin said pursuing a National
Institutes of Health grant to further
study the idea and detail its benefits
would be a good next step. Christiano, also a former medical student
and resident at ECU, received a
national resident research award for
her work already on this technology.
The business plan competition
drew nearly 150 participants with a
total of 50 business plans submitted.
Awards were presented at the Capital City Club in Raleigh, May 4.
In the Spotlight
Appointments/Elections
Ralph Scott (Joyner Library)
was appointed editor of North Carolina
Libraries by the North Carolina Library
Association Executive Board.
Jeff Johnson (Sociology) was
selected to serve as a member of the
Organizational Modeling Committee of
the National Academies of Science.
Michael Bassman (University
Honors) was re-appointed by Gov. Easley
to a two-year term on the North Carolina
Council on the Holocaust.
Jason Denius (Volunteer and
Service-Learning) was elected vice president of communications for the N.C.
Association of Volunteer Administration.
Mary Kirkpatrick (Nursing) was
appointed to the national honor society, Sigma Theta Tau International, 2006
Education Planning Committee.
Lloyd Novick (Medicine) was
elected president of the Association of
Teachers of Preventive Medicine. He will
serve as president-elect until his term
begins in spring 2006.
David Long (History) was named
editor of Lincoln Lore, a quarterly bulletin published by the Lincoln Museum of
Fort Wayne, Ind.
NewsMakers
Hunt McKinnon (Human Ecology)
and his students on Public Radio East,
regarding their design for an art studio
and gallery in downtown Tarboro, May
23, 24 and 27.
Mulatu Wubneh (Planning) in the
Washington Daily News, (N.C.) on his
research on the U.S. Census, May 26.
Sue Martin (Career Center) in the
National Association of Colleges and
Employersʼ newsletter, Spotlight Online,
on the new HIRED (Helping Individuals
Reach Employment Destinations) practice interview program, May 26.
A book by Charles Calhoun (History), Benjamin Harrison, was reviewed
by the Washington Times, May 28.
H. A. Barakat (Medicine) in the
Raleigh News & Observer on research
about fat and tissue damage, June 1.
Jim McAtee (Career Center) on
WFXI-TV discussing career readiness
preparation for students and how to land
the best internships and jobs, June 4.
Nicholas Benson (Medicine) on
WITN-TV, on staying hydrated while
working in heat, June 6.
Timothy Reeder (Medicine) on
WCTI-TV, on heat stroke, June 14.
Brian McMillen (Health Sciences),
in the Daily Reflector, WITN-TV, WCTITV, and the Associated Press on a study
of freshman drinking, June 16.
Service, Honors and
Professional Activities
Jack Schmidt (Education) received
a 2005 Distinguished Career Award from
the UNC – Greensboro School of Education, where he completed his doctorate in
counseling in 1979.
The Section on Personnel Administration and Labor Relations of the
American Society for Public Administration presented Bonnie Mani (Political
Science) with the Best Article, Review
of Public Personnel Administration
(ROPPA) for “The Employerʼs Advantage
in Sexual Harassment Cases: How the
Courts have Discouraged the Victims of
Sexual Harassment.” The article was published in ROPPA Vol. 24, No. 1.
Seodial F. Deena (English), Debbie Deena (Medicine), Tope Bello
(Business), and Terry Congleton of
PCMH organized a second semester
of CLASS—Center for Learning and
Advanced Scientific Studies – through
which 38 students participated in a Saturday Academy taught by ECU professors
and Pitt county residents. Also participating from ECU were Sunday Ajose
(Math and Science Education), Ted Jones
(ITCS), Gera Miles (English), Anthony
Hayford (Chemistry), Lisa Staton (Medicine), Ben Irons (former ECU Attorney),
Wendy Peterson (Medicine), Jennifer
Harris (Medicine) and doctoral student
in microbiology, Hedi Dumreple.
Second quarter Facilities Services
Awards for Excellence winners are James
Clemons (Building Services, Facilities
Services Center) for safety and heroism;
and Johnny Chapman (Grounds Services), Neal Thorne (Utilities Services),
Bruce Rose (Health Sciences Campus)
for devotion to duty.
Campus Operations Awards for
Excellence 2005 were presented to John
Williams (Environmental Health and
Safety), Johnnie Eastwood (Parking and
Transportation), and Gina Shoemaker
(Facilities Engineering) for devotion to
duty; and to Kim Walters (Facilities
Engineering, Campus Operations) for
human relations.
Facilities Services Supervisors
Awards for Excellence, for devotion to
duty, went to Ed Traynor (Building Services, Facilities Service Center), Johnnie
Turner (Grounds Services), Robert
Newell (Utilities Services), Ray Baldree
(Medicine), and Valeria Bradley (Housekeeping).
Marilyn Sheerer (Education) was
among three finalists for the 2005 Jay
Robinson Leadership Award honoring
innovative, creative, effective leadership
for public education in North Carolina.
A team from the Small Business
Institute, an outreach program of the ECU
East Carolina University
College of Business, won second place
in a national case competition sponsored
by the Small Business Institute Directorsʼ Association. The Small Business
Institute works with small businesses in
eastern North Carolina to offer comprehensive business assistance. The winning
team worked more than 400 hours on a
consulting project for Toys 4 Trucks in
Pitt County. Team members include ECU
seniors John Dickens, Jonathan Lowe,
Melissa Poag, and Jeffrey Reece.
Kathryn Yandell (University
Development) received the Oakwood
Guardian Award from Oakwood School
of Greenville, in recognition of her volunteer efforts. She has served as the schoolʼs
Capital Campaign co-chair, president of
the Board of Trustees and Development
Committee chair.
Jason Denius, Shawn Moore,
Jessica Gagne and Rita Gonsalves (Volunteer and Service-Learning) attended the
N.C. Association of Volunteer Administration Conference in Wilmington. Moore
and Gagne also attended the N.C. Campus Compact Community Service and
Service Learning Directors Conference in
Black Mountain.
Sharon Bland (Academic Affairs)
completed the requirements for the graduate certificate in academic advising from
Kansas State University in Manhattan,
Ks. Bland completed an intensive online
program on academic advising theory and
skills, and concepts such as career development, multicultural advising, student
development and learning principles.
The Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center
was nominated during the meeting of the
American Society of Clinical Oncologists
in Orlando, Fla., to receive the societyʼs
Clinical Trials Awards for conducting
cancer trials for underserved areas. Howard Homesley (Medicine), who presented
at the event, accepted the award.
July 15, 2005
Pieces of Eight
Page 9
Named to Conference on Aging
By Crystal Baity
Dr. Anne Dickerson, professor and
chair of the occupational therapy department in ECUʼs School of Allied Health
Sciences, was appointed as a delegate
to the national White House Conference
on Aging. Dr. Leonard Trujillo, assistant
professor in occupational therapy, was
chosen as an alternate delegate.
The conference will be
held Oct. 23-26 in
Washington, D.C.
Dickerson
and Trujilloʼs
research with
older drivers was
instrumental in
their appointments by Sen.
Dickerson
Richard Burr and
Gov. Mike Easley, Dickerson said. The
research project, ROADI (Research for
the Older Adult Driver Initiative), is
defining protocol for driver screening,
evaluation and rehabilitation to address
vision, cognition and function.
The White House Conference on
Aging occurs once a decade to make
aging policy recommendations to the
President and Congress and to assist the
public and private sectors in promoting dignity, health, independence and
economic security of current and future
generations of older persons.
The 2005 Conference, the first
of the 21st century, occurs as the first
wave of the baby boom generation prepares for retirement. Past White House
conferences have contributed to the establishment of programs such as Medicare
and Medicaid, the Older Americans Act,
Social Security reforms and a national
nutrition program for older adults.
The North Carolina Governorʼs
Advisory Council on Aging held a preWhite House conference forum in
Raleigh on May
18.
Groups and
individuals met to
discuss issues and
policy recommendations identified
as vital to the
future of older
adults and baby
boomers in North
Trujillo
Carolina.
Council Completes Review
The ECU Coastal-Maritime
Council (CMC) has completed a review
of coastal-maritime academic and
research research activities on campus.
Under the auspices of the ECU academic council of vice chancellors, the
CMC conducted the review through
an expert panel of scientists. In review
sessions held on campus May 4 – 5, campus scientists presented their data and
perspectives to the panel. The panel presented a preliminary oral report to the
academic council of vice chancellors. A
formal written report will be presented in
July.
Comprised of 15 members from
across ECUʼs academic and research
units, the CMC works to organize, plan
and coordinate research programs that
bring social, economic and natural scientists together. These scientists address
complex scientific questions concerning
citizen cultural, development, and public
use impacts on the ecosytems of the
stateʼs coastal environment. Scientists
also collaborate in the writing of large
multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional
grant proposals, and in the conduct of
externally funded research in an integrated and interdisciplinary manner.
The external review is part of ongoing activities sponsored by the CMC to
Volunteers Needed
Communities in Schools of Pitt
County seeks volunteer tutors for at
least one hour a week for Pitt County
students.
For information, call 757-9349
or e-mail [email protected].
promote interdisciplinary research and to
encourage collaboration. Other activities
include workshops, seminars, retreats,
and communication with affiliated faculty on funding activities. These activities
draw graduate students from the Coastal
Management Resources doctoral program
and from the masterʼs programs of the
participating academic departments.
More than 40 ECU research faculty
from 10 academic units are affiliated with
the coastal-maritime program.
Members of the CMC are Lisa
Clough (Biology), Reide Corbett
(Geology), Steve Culver (Geology),
Rick Ericson (Economics), Joe Fridgen
(Recreation and Leisure Studies), Jim
Gibson (Pharmacology and Toxicology),
Jeffrey Johnson (Sociology), Lorry King
(Coastal Resources Management), Jamie
Kruse (Economics), Ron Mitchelson
(Geography), Chairman Ron Newton
(Biology), Bill Queen (Institute of
Coastal Marine Resources), Stan Riggs
(Geology), Tim Runyan (Maritime Studies), and Hans Vogelsong (Recreation and
Leisure Studies).
The expert review was coordinated
by Bill Queen, director of ECUʼs Institute
for Coastal and Marine Resources and a
member of the CMC. The panel included
Dr. B. J. Copeland (chair), former director
of the UNC Sea Grant Program; Dr. Paul
Sandifer, senior scientist for the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administrationʼs National Centers for Coastal
Ocean Science, S.C.; Dr. John Gatewood,
professor of anthropology and sociology at Lehigh University; Dr. Al Hine,
associate dean of the College of Marine
Science, University of South Florida;
and Dr. William Cogar, vice president of
Mystic Seaport, Conn., and former professor at the US Naval Academy.
ECU researchers (from left) Dr. Robert Lust, Surovi Hazarika and Dr. Michael Van
Scott, discovered links between the inflammation associated with asthma and the
cardiovascular system. (Contributed photo)
Heart, Asthma Link Found
By Doug Boyd
ECU researchers have found a link
between asthma-related inflammation and
heart and blood vessel illness.
The illnesses, such as congestive
heart failure, angina and vasculitis, or inflammation of blood vessels, previously
had been attributed to medications used
to treat asthma.
Researchers with the Department
of Physiology at the Brody School of
Medicine discovered that inflammation
associated with asthma affects the heartʼs
recovery from a heart attack, confirming
growing evidence that indicates asthma
may affect the cardiovascular system.
“The findings are clinically important because they provide the first
evidence of a direct contribution of
asthmatic conditions to cardiovascular complications, independent of
any asthma drug therapy,” said Surovi
Hazarika, a physiology graduate student and lead author of the study. “If the
findings are confirmed in human trials,
asthma could be identified as a potential
risk factor for post-operative complications and recurrent events following such
cardiology interventions as angioplasty.”
Hazarika presented the research at
the 35th Congress of the International
Union of Physiological Sciences in San
Diego this spring.
Dr. Michael Van Scott, professor
of physiology; and Dr. Robert Lust,
professor and chair of the physiology department, also participated in the research.
The research is part of a collaborative
project between Lust, who studies acute
coronary syndromes, associated with a
prolonged deficit in blood flow to the
heart; and Van Scott, who studies lung
diseases.
“The goal was to investigate the
inflammatory mechanisms underlying the
asthma-associated increase in cardiac
injury following a heart attack,” Hazarika
said. These findings could lead to better
treatments for people with asthma and
heart or blood vessel disease.
“And in the longer term, identification of the precise cause of cardiac
changes induced by asthma and the appropriate therapeutic targets should provide
better, specific alternatives for patients
symptomatic for both asthma and cardiovascular disease,” she said
Previous studies have shown blood
levels of certain markers of inflammation are related to increased risk of heart
and vessel problems. Inflammation also
underlies asthma, which is characterized
by higher numbers of inflammatory cells
in airways and other parts of the respiratory system. Earlier studies from the Van
Scott-Lust laboratory showed the amount
of damaged heart tissue increases after an
acute heart attack in laboratory animals
with asthma symptoms.
Publications
Article by Art Rodriguez (Chemistry) with coauthor, “Comparison of and investigation into
the size effects on the rotational dynamics of
two spherical molecules: CCl4 and C60,” in the
Journal of Physical Chemistry.
Nutrition Care Manual, a subscription online
evidence-based manual. Kolasa wrote sections
on Dietary Guidelines, Food Guide Pyramid and
Ordering Nutrition Prescriptions. The manual is
available at www.nutritioncaremanual.org.
Book by Sitawa R. Kimuna (Sociology) with
co-editors S. Boko and M. Baliamoune-Lutz,
Women in African Development: The Challenge
of Globalization and Liberalization in the 21st
Century. Kimuna also authored a chapter in
the book, entitled “Elderly Women, Economic
Growth and Development in sub-Saharan Africa:
Zimbabwe Case Study.”
Article by Psychology faculty Karl Wuensch and
Lori Foster with grad student Carrie Blair, “Electronic Helping Behavior: The Virtual Presence of
Others Makes a Difference,” in Basic and Applied
Social Psychology. (http://www.leaonline.com/
doi/abs/10.1207/s15324834basp2702_8).
Kathy Kolasa (Family Medicine) is one of multiple authors of the American Dietetic Association
East Carolina University
Work by Tandy Oliver Dunn (ECU Police): a
review and update of the First Responder block of
instruction, used by all North Carolina Basic Law
Enforcement Training schools in the state.
Pieces of Eight
Page 10
July 15, 2005
Presentations
Poster sessions at the Annual Conference of the
Medical Library Association in San Antonio,
Texas: by Kathy Cable and Jason Cottle (Laupus
Library), “Abdominal Abscess to Zygote: The
Spectrum of Foci for a Health Sciences Librarian Liaison” and by Susan Nash Simpson, Jeff
Coghill and Elizabeth Ketterman (Laupus Library), “Cómo Sese Llamas? Whatʼs in a Library
Name and Logo?”
Presentation by Mary Kirkpatrick (Nursing) on
“Mind-Body-Spirit” at the 4th World Conference
on Breast Cancer: Community, Culture, Connection in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Kirkpatrick
also presented on “Reflections,” at the Multidisciplinary Learning Conference – Enlightened
Holistic Care in Reykjavik, Iceland, sponsored
by the Icelandic Nursesʼ Association and Cancer
Society. She presented “Nursing Excellence:
Nursing Education Innovation Project – Infusing
Palliative Care into the Nursing Curriculum,” at
UNC – Pembroke and at Duke University. Also
by Kirkpatrick, “Kaleidoscopic Education: What
Color is Your Teaching,” at the Chicago Institute
for Nusring Education in the 21st Century: Beyond
the Textbooks, held at Saint Xavier University.
Presentation by Jim McKernan (Education) as
the keynote speaker for the 30th Anniversary
Meeting of the Educational Studies Association
of Ireland, held at the National University of
Ireland, Cork. McKernan spoke on “Educational
Research in Ireland 1975 – 2005 Past and Future
Prospect.” He also delivered a paper, “Evolving Forms of Action Research: Towards Situational Understanding through Critical Realism.”
McKernan was a founding member of the Irish
Educational Studies Association in 1975.
Presentations by David Long (History), as keynote speaker at the annual Lincoln Forum Symposium, held in Gettysburg on the anniversary of
the Gettysburg Address. Long presented “Lincoln
and Liberty: The 1860 Presidential Election.”
Long also keynoted the Normal, Ill. meeting of
the David Davis Association. He presented at
Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan;
conducted radio interviews; and spoke at several
dinners and luncheons.
Presentation in absentia, at the International
Conference on the Modernization of Pedagogical
Education in the Context of the Bologna Process
in Balashov, Russia, by Leon Gipson (ITCS),
“Open Source Course Management Systems:
A Virtual Learning Environment on a Shoe
String.” He co-presented with Olga Chistova,
chief information officer at Balashov finial of
Saratov State University. The invited presentation
and opening speech was presented in real time
over the Internet.
Presentation by Brad Simons (Career Center),
“Utilizing Technology to Improve Career Services”, at the Cooperative Education and Internship Association conference, Anaheim, Calif.
Presentation by Georgia Childs (Student Health
Services), “Recruiting and Retaining Peer Educators: Keeping the Excitement Alive and Well,”
at the annual meeting of the American College
Health Association in San Diego, Calif.
Presentations by David G. Weismiller (Medicine)
at the American Academy of Family Physicians
2005 Annual Board Review Courses in Seattle,
Kansas City and Greensboro: “Prenatal Screening.” “Medical Complications of Pregnancy,”
“Management of the Extremes of Gestation”
and “Obstetric Emergencies.” Weismiller also
conducted a workshop on Prenatal Care.
Presentation by Howard D. Homesley (Medicine), “Advances in the Treatment of Endometrial Cancer” at the annual meeting of the North
Carolina Obstetrical and Gynecological Society
in Asheville. Also, a poster, “Phase II Trial of
Liposomal Doxorubicin at 40 MG/M2 Every
Four Weeks in Endometrial Carcinoma: A Gyncecologic Group Study” at the annual meeting of
the American Society of Clinical Oncologists in
Orlando, Fla. The Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center
was nominated by the fellow cancer investigators
to receive the societyʼs Clinical Trials Award for
conducting cancer trials for underserved areas.
Physical Therapy Opens Clinic
By Crystal Baity
ECU Physical Therapy, a new
outpatient orthopedic clinic, has
opened at ECU Physicians Firetower
Medical Office on Firetower Road.
Kevin Youngs works with patient
Megan Davis in the orthopedic clinic
at ECU Physicians Firetower Medical
Office. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)
PRACTICE INTERVIEWS: Latayvia Manning, left, a D.H. Conley student, hones
her skills during a mock interview held July 7 in Mendenhall Student Center.
Ty Davis, right, university union director, and Larry Donley, associate director
of career services, conducted the interviews with students in the Allied Health
Careers Opportunity Program. Twenty-two students from 10 northeastern North
Carolina high schools participated in the 2005 summer session, which ends
July 15. This is the final year of the three-year, $942,675 project funded by the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)
HOPE Funds Support Orphans
continued from page 6
a public relations campaign that would
raise awareness about the AIDS and
orphan crises in Africa, while motivating
people to participate in a solution through
donations.
Incorporating the service learning
project into her classes “was a challenge
at times,” Munn said, because she gave
up class time to talk logistics and manage
the fund raisers. But what they missed in
class lectures, she said, was more than
compensated for by what they learned
while implementing their projects and
Martoccia Library Dedicated
continued from page 6
The physical therapy clinic,
owned by ECUʼs Department of
Physical Therapy in the School of
Allied Health Sciences, provides rehabilitation and treatment of sports and
orthopedic injuries.
“We strive to return patients
to their previous functional levels,
emphasizing quality of care,” said
physical therapist Kevin Youngs, who
serves as the clinic director.
In addition to Youngs, there are
three staff members: Dr. Denis Brunt,
administrator and chairman of the
physical therapy department; and Drs.
Walt Jenkins and Blaise Williams,
physical therapists and consultants.
Jenkins, associate professor in the
department, is nationally recognized
for his expertise in rehabilitation of
sports related injuries.
He serves as the physical therapy consultant for ECUʼs Athletic
Department and is vice president for
the sports physical therapy section
of the American Physical Therapy
Association. Williams is an assistant
professor and nationally recognized
for his expertise on running mechanics
and injuries.
interacting with their target audiences in
the community.
Their public relations work
included survey and focus group research,
designing the campaign name and logo,
writing newspaper stories and press
releases, appearing on television and
radio programs, planning and implementing fund raising events, and producing
public service announcements.
“Employers will be seeing a lot of
HOPE Campaign materials in student
portfolios,” Munn said.
For more information, visit www.
allforyouth.org.
children — would sit in Tomʼs study and
just read and read and read some more,”
Bolen said. “How he got them to do that I
just donʼt know.”
Martoccia began his academic
career at Davidson College in 1960 before
joining the faculty at ECU in 1961. He
was a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he was initiated into Phi Beta
Kappa. He received his masterʼs degree
and his Ph.D., both in psychology, from
the University of Florida. He also served
as a corpsman in the U.S. Navyʼs Naval
Cadet Program.
Martoccia died Dec. 12, 2000 after
he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrigs Disease. An initial $25,000 donation from
the Martoccia family started the library
and the ECU Board of Trustees approved
the naming of the space last fall.
Russoniello Researches ʻFunʼ
continued from page 5
said. While the recreation for this study
will be limited to sedentary activities
such as making crafts, playing cards or
chess, Russoniello hopes to expand the
inquiry to include recreational activity
requiring moderate physical activity, such
as ping pong, billiards or walking. An
important aspect in the study is that the
participant enjoys the activity.
The study could last as long as two
years and could help further establish the
effects of recreational therapy intervention. Ninety participants will be randomly
assigned to three groups. One group will
watch a set of videos about stress management, another group will engage in a
East Carolina University
recreational activity with a therapist and
a third group will be asked to do recreational activity alone. Russoniello will
note how a therapistʼs presence affects
improvements in reported symptoms.
“This lets us compare recreational
activity with non-recreational activity and
with participation alone or with a therapist. We want to measure how these
interventions work, whether they are
effective in reducing physical and psychological symptoms,” he said.
Russoniello, who teaches in the recreation and leisure studies department,
will conduct his study with Lynn Gerber,
chief of the NIH rehabilitation medicine
department, and George D. Patrick, chief
of recreation therapy at NIH.
Pieces of Eight
July 15, 2005
Campus
Calendar
Staying FITT
JULY
FRIDAY
15
Salsa Dance: lesson, 7:30 p.m.; dance, 8
– 11 p.m., Willis Building.
TUESDAY
19
ECU/Loessin Summer Theatre, The
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, McGinnis Theatre. Through Saturday, July 23.
Performances nightly at 8 p.m., with an
added 2 p.m. performance on Saturday.
THURSDAY
28
Second summer session and 11-week
summer session classes end.
FRIDAY
29
Final Exams
Paralympian Ron Curll of
Greenville underwent a
physical evaluation recently
at the ECUʼs Walker Center.
Housed in the College
of Health and Human
Performanceʼs FITT Center,
the Walker Center provides
assessments to athletes. Curll,
a swimmer who was diagnosed
with multiple sclerosis in 1979,
was the first wheelchair-bound
athlete to undergo assessment
at the Walker Center. Jenn
McCartney, an exercise and
sport science researcher and
instructor, directed Curllʼs
assessment, along with
student research assistants.
(Photo by Erica Plouffe
Lazure)
Perkin Text Focuses on Palliative Care
continued from page 5
AUGUST
FRIDAY
19
Salsa Dance: lesson, 7:30 p.m.; dance,
8 – 11 p.m., Willis Building.
MONDAY
22
Faculty meetings
Faculty convocation, Wright Auditorium,
9 a.m.
WEDNESDAY
Page 11
24
First day of classes for fall semester
2005.
Exhibitions
Travels in Stroke Country , Regional
Rehabilitation Center, Pitt County Memorial Hospital (through summer).
those who donʼt care for patients but have
an interest in the subject, according to
Dr. George Ho, an ECU rheumatologist,
professor of medicine and advocate of
palliative care.
“Itʼs a wonderful resource, itʼs
a wonderful primer,” said Ho, whoʼs
pledged $63,000 to establish an endowed
professorship at ECU aimed at helping medical students and other health
professionals better meet the needs of
terminally ill patients. “The emotional
reaction to a dying child is much different
than our reaction to someone whoʼs dying
after a long, productive life. Because they
are different, they require different skills
for people to cope with them.”
The book stresses the importance
of thoughtful, careful and ethical communication with parents. Some parents are
more accepting of their childʼs impending
death than others, Perkin said. Physicians
and other care-givers need to know how
to explain that withholding care or administering a medication to ease pain might
also hasten death, but it doesnʼt mean
they are taking the patientʼs life.
“God doesnʼt need a ventilator to
create a miracle,” Perkin said.
While hospice is available for
adults, it requires proof that patients will
almost certainly die within six months.
Perkin said predicting when terminally
ill children will die is harder. He said
doctors at Childrenʼs Hospital strive to
discharge dying pediatric patients to their
homes when possible. But for patients
who need hospital care right up to the
end, Childrenʼs Hospital leaders are
working on a “butterfly room,” actually
a suite where families, friends and even
pets can visit during a childʼs last days
or hours. That project is supported by a
$75,000 pledge from Garner homebuilder
Ashley Turner.
“This area allows you to break
all the rules” of a normal inpatient unit,
Perkin said.
The book also addresses the importance of sibling support. Perkin said a
dying child and his or her parents often
get the bulk of the attention from caregivers and others while brothers and
sisters are sometimes forgotten.
Regarding care-givers, Perkin
said studies have shown health care
professionals who care for dying children
sometimes suffer from post-traumatic
stress syndrome in addition to burnout
and compassion fatigue, all of which
can lead to absenteeism, poor job
performance, hostility toward coworkers, turnover and other problems.
At Childrenʼs Hospital, staff members
and physicians have cared for enough
terminally ill children that they are aware
not all can be saved, Perkin said.
Publishing costs for 700 books were
paid for with a $12,000 grant from the
Childrenʼs Miracle Network. The book is
free, and copies are available by contacting Perkin at 744-2540 or perkinr@mail.
ecu.edu.
Laboratory Education at ECU on Solid Ground
continued from page 5
$6 each, and the bills add up. Thatʼs one
reason his labs have left microscopes and
gone to computer images and photomicrographs, or photographs taken through
a microscope.
Strausbauch said his pathology lab
course now costs approximately $200,000
to operate each year, which is approximately half of his annual budget.
Most of the expense is faculty pay,
plus the fact the faculty member is not
performing patient-related work that
could be billed.
If Strausbauch had to make a significant budget cut, the lab could be an
obvious target, he said, but they are safe
for the foreseeable future.
Computers are also used in labs in
the Science and Technology Building.
They help students and researchers record
measurements and analyze data. They
can also simulate certain kinds of experi-
ments, but Gemperline said itʼs important
for hands-on lab work to occur.
“My view, as a chemist, is that you
canʼt learn to ride a bike without getting
on one; likewise, you have to do hands-on
chemistry,” Gemperline said. “I think students enjoy doing hands-on work.”
But while the higher education bond benefited some teaching and
research labs, not all got a boost. In many
departments, laboratories continue to
serve students and faculty without new
funding or equipment.
In the biology department, for
example, the laboratory budget has
remained relatively stagnant. Dr. Bob
Christian, a microbiologist and professor of biology who supervises a shared
faculty research lab, said it is difficult to
replace or upgrade older equipment, particularly equipment in the $20,000 to
$100,000 range.
“There is an ever-increasing
demand on resources because people
want to introduce new labs. Itʼs something the social science and humanities
departments donʼt realize, is how expensive it is to have a lab course,” he said.
Upgrades occur either through
grants or by the specific needs of new
faculty, who are provided with money to
equip their lab space.
“You need a significant lab component in biology, and often you have to
find external funding. There could be recognition, internally, that more support is
needed, too,” he said. “Itʼs not a problem
unique to this campus, or to this department.”
In the past few years, biology
researchers have received grants to
purchase a DNA sequencer and an electron microscope, two expensive pieces,
Christian said.
The Howell Science Complex,
which houses most biology labs, is slated
for minor renovations next year.
They will primarily involve
East Carolina University
upgrades to the buildingʼs heating and
air-conditioning system, said Mark Myer,
one of the university architects in charge
of the project.
As far as student laboratories,
Christian believes student lab experiences arenʼt as rich as they used to be, in
part because of the lack of more modern
facilities and because some sections of
biology courses do not require a laboratory component.
“Itʼs safe to say the educational
experience, especially in a formal lab, is
worse now that was five or 10 years ago,”
he said. Christian said programs that do
receive additional funding often have
links with an outside need or interest.
For example, he said, the surge in nursing enrollment required more funding for
the departmentʼs anatomy and physiology
courses.
“Those areas were upgraded,” he
said. “In time, they may need an upgrade
for microbiology as well.”
Page 12
Pieces of Eight
On Campus
July 15, 2005
Novick Directs MPH Program
continued from page 1
ECUʼs masterʼs program in public health began in 2003 and now enrolls
more than 50 students. It and the division that Novick will lead are housed in
the Department of Family Medicine at the
Brody School of Medicine.
Novick said he was attracted to
ECU by the “opportunity to work with
a new, developing program and to teach
public health. It is a very interesting community to work in with lots of health
problems and lots of interest in public
health.”
He holds a medical degree from
New York University, a masterʼs degree
in public health from Yale University
and a B.A. from Colgate University. He
has been in his current positions since
1996 and previously served as first deputy commissioner of the New York State
Department of Health; director of the
State of Arizona Department of Health
Services; secretary of the Agency of
Human Services for the State of Vermont;
commissioner of health for the Vermont
State Department of Health; and deputy commissioner of the New York City
Department of Health.
He has held academic appointments
at the University at Albany (SUNY),
University of Arizona, University of
Vermont and Columbia University.
He is the editor of the Journal of
Public Health Management and Practice
and has written more than 70 articles in
scholarly journals.
His wife, Carole Novick, also will
join the university, as executive director
of the Medical Foundation of ECU.
In Memoriam
Sandra Lou Joyner (retired,
Registrarʼs Office) and mother of
Kim Moore (Economics) died
May 25.
Emma Flye Lanier, mother of James
Lanier (University Advancement)
died May 8.
Rotondo to Lead Surgery
Camper Kelina Hardesty of New Bern, who lost a leg to bone cancer, enjoys jumping
from the rope swing into the Camp Rainbow pool. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)
Camp Lets Kids Be Kids
continued from page 1
monitor the children closely because they
might not complain since they probably donʼt want to go home or miss out on
activities,” she said.
In addition, both camps provide
support sessions to talk about cancer,
sickle cell disease and hemophilia as well
as strategies for staying healthy.
This year, campers came from 20
eastern North Carolina counties.
Jordan Evans of Grifton and Jeremy
Newsome of Pikeville have been coming to Camp Rainbow for eight and seven
years, respectively.
“Itʼs fun and everybody is the same
as you, the same situation,” said Jordan,
17, who was diagnosed with leukemia
at 9 and again at 11. “And itʼs fun to see
the nurses and doctors not in the hospital or clinic. Dr. (Charles) Daeschner is
not in his doctorʼs coat. It has helped a lot
through the years to see them as a person,
not just their job.”
Jordan and Jeremy, 18, met while
receiving treatments for leukemia, developing an instant bond, they said. Now, the
two see themselves becoming counselors
instead of campers.
As they talked, children were
laughing as they jumped off the high dive
into the chlorinated pond that serves as
the campʼs pool.
One of the campers, Kelina Hardesty of New Bern, made several jumps off
the rope swing into the water. “She is one
of the most amazing children I know,”
Sauls said of Kelina, a 10-year-old who
had her left leg amputated below the knee
because of bone cancer two years ago and
is a former CMN poster child. “She just
jumps in the pool or hops into a canoe.
Iʼve never heard her complain. She just
takes her leg off when sheʼs in the water.”
While at camp, Medlin and Kelina
even had to “operate” on her prosthetic leg to clean out some sand that
had worked its way in. After a thorough
cleaning, Kelina was back with her fellow
campers.
“Seeing their faces and hearing
them laughing and having fun makes it all
worthwhile,” Sauls said.
The camps are sponsored by the
Department of Pediatrics at the Brody
School of Medicine and supported by
funds from the Childrenʼs Miracle Network, the ECU Medical Foundation and
others. To donate toward next yearʼs
camps through Rainbow Services, a
non-profit program of the ECU Medical
Foundation, contact Sauls at 744-4102.
continued from page 5
sciences and chief of cardiothoracic and
vascular surgery at the Brody School of
Medicine in 2003.
A native of Rochester, N.Y.,
Rotondo came to Greenville from the
University of Pennsylvania, where he
was associate professor of surgery and
trauma program director. Rotondo has a
bachelorʼs degree in chemistry, a masterʼs degree in cardiovascular physiology
and a medical degree from Georgetown
University in Washington, D.C.
He completed a surgery residency
at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
in Philadelphia and a fellowship in traumatology and surgical critical care at the
University of Pennsylvania.
Rotondo has published more
than 130 manuscripts, abstracts, book
chapters, monographs and educational materials and delivered over 125
regional and national presentations. He
is credited with the development of the
concept of “damage control,” an innovative approach to critically injured
patients that aims first to control bleeding and prevent wound contamination
and further injury, then repair damage as
the patient recovers and is able to withstand further surgeries.
Thirty Pirate Winners Named
The Department of Human
Resources has announced 30 new
winners of ECUʼs Treasured Pirate
Award, an “on the spot” award
designed to recognize unique contributions of employees to their unit
or to the university. Winners receive
gifts including an award certificate
and a selection from the Treasured
Pirate Reward Gift Catalog. Employees can be awarded in the categories
of leadership, cost effectiveness,
morale, service, and creativity or
initiative.
The winners are: from the
Chancellorʼs Division – Claudia
Peaden, Alton Daniels and Gwen-
East Carolina University
dolyn Best; from Administration
and Finance – Laura Foltz, Kimberley Walters, Johnnie Turner, and
Valeria Bradley; from Student Life
– Marianne Cox and Diane Majewski; from the Office of the Provost
– Karla Hughes, Gloria Harrell,
Patricia Green, Gerald Clayton,
Joan Shappley, Karen Mathis, Matthew Powell, and Ginny Sconiers;
and from Health Sciences – Edin
Medrano, Linda Schadler, Sherry
Moore, Kay Cyrus, Sharon Letchworth, Tami Harrell, Mamie Bullock,
Cheryl Dixon, Diane Mathis, Deborah Johnston, Joyce Karr, Kathleen
Roberson, and Christy Daniels.