Grand Rounds May


TMA Installs Officers, Honors Physicians

At the 172nd Annual Meeting of the Tennessee Medical Association, which was held in Nashville late last month, the organization installed J. Mack Worthington, MD, a family physician from Chattanooga, as the 2007 president. Founder of the Department of Family Medicine and the Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine – Chattanooga; Worthington currently serves as Family Medicine chair and program director. As the association's 153rd president, Worthington will also serve on he TMA Board of Trustees, which is responsible for the implementation and direction of Association activities between sessions of the House of Delegates (HOD), the Association's governing body. The membership has also selected family medicine/occupational medicine specialist Robert D. Kirkpatrick, MD, of Memphis, to serve as president-elect and subsequently as president of the association in 2008.

At the same meeting, TMA recognized Allen S. Edmonson, MD, of Memphis, and David K. Garriott, MD, of Kingsport, with the 2007 Outstanding Physician Award. This prestigious honor is given annually by the TMA House of Delegates to member physicians who have made their own personal mark both on the profession of medicine in Tennessee and on those with whom they have worked.

A retired orthopedic surgeon from the Campbell Clinic, Dr. Allen Edmonson was nominated for his leadership and dedication to organized medicine. "Dr. Edmonson has been the face of medicine for Memphis and Tennessee for the past four decades," said Memphis Medical Society President Robert A. Kerlan, MD. In 1965, Edmonson began his service to the Memphis & Shelby County Medical Society as a member of its House of Delegates, serving as president in 1979. For the next 40 years, he made multiple contributions at the local and state levels, as well as at the national level through his service as a delegate to the American Medical Association. Edmonson also served as TMA president in 1981. He was a founding member of the board of State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company, serving as its chair from 1975–1981 and is a current member of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners, a Paul Harris Fellow, and editor of Campbell Clinic's Operative Orthopedics.

Dr. David Garriott, a retired neurologist, was recognized for his commitment to patient care and the profession. "He has tirelessly worked with physicians at both the local and state level to improve patient care access, including

Medical Liability Reform," stated Sullivan County Medical Society (SCMS) President Landon Combs, MD.

As Neurophysiology Lab Medical Director at Wellmont Holston Valley Hospital & Medical Center, he chaired the Credentials Committee and served on the Medical Records Committee; as chairman of the Stroke Committee, he petitioned the hospital to permit administration of t-PA, a groundbreaking thrombolytic therapy agent, and helped developed protocols for other interventions. At Indian Path Medical Center, he served as chairman of the Department of Medicine and a member of the Medical Records Committee.

Garriott is a past-president of TMA and SCMS. At TMA, he served in many other capacities including vice-chairman and member of the Board of Trustees, chairman of the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, and a member of the Governmental Medical Services and Third Party Payors and Legislative committees. He was president of the Tennessee Academy of Neurology and a member of its executive committee. Dr. Garriott is also a former chairman of IMPACT (Independent Medicine's Political Action Committee – Tennessee).

In addition to his active work on behalf of medical liability reform, he has also been involved in other issues including healthcare quality improvement, tobacco control and fireworks injuries. In retirement, he has been an active volunteer for Friends in Need, a local clinic for the working uninsured.

Also during the annual meeting, Joseph B. Cofer, MD, a general surgeon from Chattanooga, was recognized with the Distinguished Service Award. Presented annually since 1963, the award is given to exemplary TMA members for their notable achievements during the last calendar year.

Dr. Cofer was nominated by The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society (CHCMS) for his vision and leadership in creating and directing the Hamilton County Project Access Community Health Partnership to provide health care for the working poor. "Dr. Cofer was the unanimous choice of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society for this prestigious award," stated CHCMS President Mark Brzezienski, MD. "To the working poor … he is a quiet hero who cared enough to mobilize a community to meet critical needs of people whose healthcare needs were too often unmet."

As CHCMS president in 2002, Cofer began the work to bring physician and hospital leadership together and make Project Access a reality. To date, physicians and hospitals have contributed nearly $13 million in healthcare services, caring for 300-400 patients a month. More than an organizer, he is also one of the most active volunteer physicians.

TMA also announced three recipients of the annual Community Service Award. State Rep. Joe Armstrong (D-Knoxville) was selected for his support of health-related issues, as well as being a friend to physicians while serving as chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee. Lewis R. Donelson, III, Esq., a senior partner with the Memphis law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz, was chosen because of his significant contributions to healthcare and the medical community in Shelby County, including crucial input into the operations of two the region's most important healthcare facilities. The third award was given to Judge W. Neil Thomas, III, a Tennessee Circuit Court Judge honored for his groundbreaking work on a medical-legal initiative that seeks to ensure expert witnesses in a malpractice case are qualified to offer opinions about the medical questions at issue.



Dr. J. Edward Hill Speaks at Roary Club Meeting

Dr. J. Edward Hill, past president of the American Medical Association (AMA), spoke to Memphis Rotary Club members at the Memphis Cook Convention Center on March 27 about the healthcare system in America, followed by a Q&A session. During his recent term as AMA president, Hill, a board-certified family physician from Tupelo and former director of the Family Practice Residency Program at North Mississippi Medical Center, called national attention to the plight of America's 47 million uninsured and AMA's plan to get coverage for them. He spotlighted cost — both human and economic — of the nation's poor health habits and promoted comprehensive school health education as a promising solution.



The Church Health Center Honors The Memphis Medical Society

The Church Health Center (CHC) recently presented The Memphis Medical Society (MMS) with an award for Volunteer Organization of the Year. The award was presented at the Church Health Center's annual Celebration of Doctors event held on Doctor's Day, Friday, March 30. The event was hosted by Commercial Bank & Trust, Co. at their South Mendenhall location.



Memphis Heart Clinic Welcomes Arsalan Shirwany, MD

Memphis Heart Clinic is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Arsalan Shirwany, MD, FACC, to its cardiovascular practice. Board certified in Cardiology, Echocardiography and Internal Medicine, Dr. Shirwany completed his post graduate training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at University of Tennessee, Health Science Center, Memphis. Additionally, he served as Chief Fellow during his Cardiology Fellowship at University of Tennessee, Health Science Center, Memphis.

Dr. Shirwany specializes is clinical cardiology, notably the management of cardiac disease processes such as coronary artery disease and diastolic heart failure.



UTHSC Hamilton Eye Institute Selected as Macular Degeneration Trial Site

Following a nationwide competition, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Hamilton Eye Institute has been selected as one of the sites for conducting the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2). This first-ever trial of age-related macular degeneration to be held on the UTHSC campus has two goals: The first is to assess the effects of oral supplementation of two carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin) that accumulate in the macula and the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids on the progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD). As a secondary objective, AREDS2 will also study the effect of these supplements on the development of cataracts. AREDS2 is a multi-center, five-year, randomized trial sponsored by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

Researchers plan to enroll about 100 Mid-South subjects in this study, and follow them on a yearly basis for at least five years.

The team of researchers is led by Alessandro Iannaccone, MD, MS, AREDS2 principal investigator at the UTHSC site. "Our selection as a study site is a great success for the entire community. The ability to use the latest technology at the Hamilton Eye Institute surely contributed to our competitiveness in the selection process," stated Dr. Iannaccone.

Dr. Iannaccone is joined in this effort by co-investigators Edward Chaum, MD, PhD, Hamilton Eye Institute (HEI); Karen C. Johnson, MD, MPH, UTHSC Department of Preventive Medicine; Barbara Jennings, OD, and April Cantrell, BS, COA, also of HEI.



World's First Hospital-based Center Of Excellence In Faith And Health Debuts In Memphis

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) has launched a center to advance health by bringing faith and health together for the improved wellbeing of thousands of patients. The Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Center of Excellence in Faith and Health was announced recently at a news conference at the health system's flagship hospital, Methodist University Hospital, where the center will be housed.

The center is an interfaith, collaborative center of research, innovation and training. Working with partners both locally and all over the world, the center has a multi-tiered approach including: identifying and linking local community faith resources; providing support and resources to clergy; enhancing the patient experience within the walls of the hospital; and collaborative research with international experts on faith and health — all with the goal of improving the wellbeing of the patient before, during and after the hospital experience.

The physical Center of Excellence in Faith and Health will be housed in 20,000 square feet of renovated space at the hospital's front entrance

In addition, the center will serve as the hub for Methodist's many faith and health initiatives outside its walls.



UT Medical Group Welcomes Child Neurologist

Dr. Robin L. Morgan has joined the pediatric neurology division at UT Medical Group Inc., the area's largest multispecialty physician practice. She has also been named assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine.

Board-certified in neurology with special qualifications in child neurology, Morgan earned her medical degree from West Virginia University School of Medicine. She completed her neurology residency and fellowship training at the Medical College of Virginia, followed by a pediatric residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Most recently, she was assistant clinical professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Colorado .

Morgan has a special interest in pediatric neurology, tic disorders/Tourette Syndrome, pediatric headache, and autism spectrum disorders.



Board Of Trustees Announce New President & Ceo For West Tennessee Healthcare

JACKSON — The Board of Trustees of West Tennessee Healthcare voted to bring Richard H. Parks to West Tennessee Healthcare as the new President and CEO. Parks is currently at Cape Fear Valley Health System in Fayetteville, N.C., where he has been the CEO since May, 2000.

Parks received a Bachelor of Science Marketing degree from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, as well as Master of Health Administration and Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University in Atlanta



Stanton Named Administrator of Methodist Transplant Institute

Daniel Stanton has been named administrator of Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute.

Previously, Stanton served as director of Operations for UT Bowld Hospital and in 2004 transitioned into his role as director of Operations of the Transplant Institute. In addition, in 2006 he assumed the director of Operations role for the Methodist University and Methodist Germantown Radiation Oncology Centers.

Stanton received his bachelor's degree in Healthcare and Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and his masters' degrees in Business Administration and Healthcare Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.



Senator Howard Baker Named 2007 Tigrett Award Winner

The West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation is pleased to announce that Senator Howard Baker is the recipient of the 2007 Tigrett Award and he will be honored at the annual charity gala on November 10th at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson.

The Tigrett Award was established by the WTHF in 2006 to honor one of the greatest entrepreneurs the world has ever known, John Burton Tigrett, of Jackson Tennessee. A $100,000 endowment at the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation was established by his friend, Fred Smith of FedEx in association with this award.


May 2007