http://www.llu.edu The latest news from Loma Linda University and Affiliates. en-us Copyright 2006, Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center PHP RSS Feed Generator Commencement services for five Loma Linda University schools will be held in Drayson Center on Sunday, June 15.

Beginning the day-long commencement services will be ceremonies for the School of Science and Technology and the School of Religion. Speaking at the 8:00 a.m. graduation will be David R. Williams, PhD, professor of African and African American studies, School of Public Health, Harvard Uni­versity, Boston.

Following at 10:30 a.m. will be commencement services for the School of Nursing. Speaking to the graduates will be Cecily L. Betz, PhD, director of nursing training, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Speaking to graduates of the School of Allied Health Pro­fessions will be John E. Lewis, PhD, professor of pathology and  human anatomy, Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Commence­ment services for allied health physical therapy graduates will be held at 1:00 p.m., followed by services for the remaining departments at 3:30 p.m.

Ending the day will be commencement services for the School of Public Health. The guest speaker will be Poki Stewart Namkung, MD, chief medical officer for the Santa Cruz [California] County Health Service Agency.

Dr. Williams is a product of Christian education. His elementary and high school education was completed on the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia. Subsequent undergraduate and graduate degrees were earned at Caribbean Union College; Andrews Uni­versity, Berrien Springs, Michigan; Loma Linda University; and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Prior to accepting his current academic appointments at Harvard University—Norman professor of public health and professor of African and African American studies and sociology—he served for six years on the faculty of Yale University and for 14 years on the faculty of the University of Michigan.

Dr. Williams is an internationally recognized authority on the social influences of health. In addition to more than 150 scientific papers published in professional sociology, psychology, medicine, public health, and epidemiology journals, he has made presentations at key scientific conferences in Europe, Africa, Australia, South America, and across the United States.

In 2006, he was rated second most-cited black author in the social sciences by the journal Black Issues in Higher Education.

Dr. Williams is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He was the recipient of an inaugural Decade of Behavior Research Award, was conferred an honorary doctorate by Andrews University, and was honored as Alumnus of the Year by the LLU School of Public Health.

For nearly two decades, Dr. Williams has been involved in the development of health policy at the national level. In 1992, he was appointed by the Bush administration to a four-year term on the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics. In 1993, he served in an advisory capacity to President Clinton’s Task Force on Health Care Reform. He has provided Congressional testimony on health issues and has served on six panels for the Institute of Medicine.

Dr. Williams has appeared on national television, including ABC’s Evening News, CNN, PBS, C-SPAN, and the Discovery Channel. His research has been featured or he has been quoted in the national print media The New York Times, TIME magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Jet, and USA Today.

Dr. Betz is director of nursing training and director of research at the University of Southern California Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and acting associate professor of clinical pediatrics at University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.

In addition to more than 150 publications to her credit in nursing and specialized topics pertaining to the care of children and adolescents with special health care needs, Dr. Betz has authored and edited 10 nursing textbooks that have undergone five international translations. She is the founding editor and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Pediatric Nursing: Nursing Care of Children and Families, which is the official journal of two major pediatric nursing associations––the Society of Pediatric Nurses and the Pediatric Endo­crinology Nursing Society.

Dr. Betz has served on numerous professional, state, and national advisory boards that address the needs of children and youth. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and was recently honored by the Society of Pediatric Nurses as the recipient of the 2008 Margaret S. Miles Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Lewis––who was born and reared in Kenya of British parents––immigrated to the United States at the age of 20. He earned  master’s and doctoral degrees from the Graduate School (now Faculty of Graduate Studies) of Loma Linda University.

In 1964, Dr. Lewis began his college teaching career at San Bernardino Valley College, where he remained professor and chair of the biology and microbiology departments until 1988. He was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship in 1973 by the University of California at Irvine, where he engaged in the isolation and identification of hormones of the immune system. After completing his postdoctoral studies, he joined the department of pathology and laboratory medicine (School of Allied Health Professions at Loma Linda University) in 1974 as an instructor in the medical technology program and as supervisor of the microbiology section of the clinical laboratory.

From 1988 to 2000, Dr. Lewis chaired the department of clinical laboratory science in the School of Allied Health Professions.

Dr. Lewis’s academic and research interests have been in the area of immunology and microbiology. He was internationally recognized for his development of radioimmunoassays for the monitoring of antibiotics. His original contributions to science include eight book chapters, 28 papers, and more than 40 abstracts. In addition, he is a locally, nationally, and internationally recognized expert in the field of HIV/AIDS. He has lectured not only throughout the United States, China, Russia, Japan, Australia, and extensively in Africa, but also to diverse professional and community groups and in a variety of settings—including prisons, junior and senior high schools, colleges, and community service organizations.

Dr. Lewis’s professional and personal contributions have been acknowledged on numerous occasions: the School of Medicine’s Zapara Excellence in Teaching Award, American Association of Clinical Chemistry’s Outstanding Speaker Award, Loma Linda University School of Medicine’s Outstanding Faculty Award, and Walter E. Macpherson Society’s Basic Science Teacher of the Year Award. In 1999 he was named LLU Alumnus of the Year.

Dr. Namkung is a first-generation immigrant who, prior to earning the bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, was a political activist for many years. After completing the doctor of medicine degree at the University of California at Davis and a one-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology, she chose to give priority to family and childrearing.

During a hiatus from her profession, she involved herself in the life of the community through service on many boards and commissions—including chairing the parent-teacher association and the parks and recreation commission for the city of Berkeley. Her volunteer activities reflect her long-standing and abiding interest in the health of her community, with a particular interest in the well-being of women and children.

In 1993, she returned to her professional career—first completing a master’s of public health degree in epidemiology and subsequently a preventive medicine residency from the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Public Health. She is board certified in preventive medicine and public health administration.

Dr. Namkung became health officer of Santa Cruz County in June 2005, and she was elected president of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in July 2006. She is the bioterrorism sentinel monitor for California and has served on many NACCHO committees and work groups, including Mobilizing for Action Through Planning and Participation, the Work­force and Leadership Develop­ment Advisory Committee, and the Operational Definition Task Force.

Prior to accepting the position of health officer for Santa Cruz County, Dr. Namkung was health officer and director of public health for the Berkeley public health department. In 2003, the California Public Health Asso­ciation–North honored Dr. Nam­kung with its Public Health Leadership Award.

By Richard Weismeyer http://www.llu.edu/llu/newsstory.html?id=1549 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT Kids came in droves for the 23rd annual Children’s Day at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. In fact, according to Dorothy Clark Brooks, child life specialist at LLUCH and coordinator of the event, a total of 1,856 people attended the event, which was held on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, on the lawn between Prince Hall, Coleman Pavilion, and the Uni­versity Church. Farmer Boys restaurants sponsored the event.

As guests walked around the event, they were treated to gifts of free food and drink—courtesy of Farmer Boys restaurants and Jamba Juice, respectively—and a host of fun educational displays. One display, however, took the lesson directly to the kids. It proudly featured the interactive and unforgettable dance of Soap and Germ. Whenever Soap (a man dressed in white to symbolize a sudsy bar of the cleaning solution) drew near to Germ (a woman in a green costume who represented a dangerous bacteria) she always ran away. The inescapable conclusion was that soap chases germs away.

Ms. Brooks noted that the purpose of Children’s Day is to give kids an opportunity to learn about a variety of health topics as well as to experience what it’s like to be a patient in a medical setting. On display at the event—which was free of charge thanks to the generosity of Farmer Boys—were a teddy bear clinic where kids administered bandages and immunizations to their dolls and stuffed animals, a cast booth with pretend finger casts for kids with imaginary owies, and the snake education program presented by Sean Bush, MD, replete with several species of live rattlesnakes and other local serpents. For some reason, kids are always more fascinated with snakes than their parents would like them to be. Another popular attraction was the safety and fire prevention trailer featuring a house on fire.

“Our goal was to make health a fun topic for kids,” says Ms. Brooks. “We designed the program to make things interesting for kids ages 3 to 12. It combined an interactive educational approach with the fun of exploration to help children become comfortable with taking better care of their health.”

A number of colorful displays spotlighted various aspects of kids’ health. The displays included: Germs and Me, Taking Care of My Heart, Eating the Right Foods, Taking Care of My Lungs, and Taking Care of My Teeth. The Inland Empire SAFE KIDS Coalition offered practical tips on car seat safety, bike helmet safety, and trauma prevention.

Farmer Boys’ official mascot, Farmer Boy Roy, put in a special appearance to encourage kids to take charge of their health. He also made sure there were plenty of snacks for everyone at the event. The child life department of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital offered information about services it provides to hospitalized children. The Loma Linda Fire Department brought a hook and ladder truck to the event and set up balloons on a rope for the kids to try to knock over with a blast of water from a  hose.

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/lluch/newsstory.html?id=1550 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT Seriously ill and injured children will benefit from a generous $100,000 gift to Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital from Ken and Kathleen Venturi of Rancho Mirage. The money—which will be used to establish a children’s pharmacy at LLUCH —was presented at a meeting of the Big Hearts for Little Hearts Desert Guild of LLU Chil­dren’s Hospital on Wednesday, May 7, 2008.

The Venturis made the gift after Ken, a professional PGA golfer from the 1950s and 1960s and CBS color commentator from 1967 to 2002, was awarded the second annual Byron Nelson Prize by the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, Texas. Since Kathleen serves the guild as director of compassion and caring, the couple selected the Hospital. The Byron Nelson Prize, which is sponsored by T. Boone Pickens, is awarded to a professional golfer each year. Mr. Venturi is the second winner of the award; golfer Tom Lehman won the prize in 2007.

The Salesmanship Club, a service organization of more than 600 Dallas-area business leaders, invites golf professionals and journalists to nominate individuals who exemplify Byron Nelson’s spirit of giving back to the community. In speaking of Mr. Venturi, Salesmanship Club president Randy Engstrom said, “He is one of the most honorable men in golf. Ken is certainly a man of whom Byron was proud and who is clearly deserving of receiving the second annual Byron Nelson Award.”

The Byron Nelson Award is given in honor of American golfing legend John Byron Nelson Jr., the PGA Tour sensation of the 1930s and 1940s who won 11 consecutive tournaments and a total of 18 tournaments in 1945.

After retiring from the game in 1946, Mr. Nelson became a golf commentator and lent his name to the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. 

In 1952, Byron Nelson took Ken Venturi under his wing to teach the promising newcomer not only the fine points of the sport of golf, but also a number of larger life lessons, which Mr. Venturi would never forget. “When I asked Byron Nelson how I could ever repay him for what he did,” Mr. Venturi remembers, “he said, ‘Be good to the game, and give back.’”   

Dale Rotner, immediate past president of the Desert Guild, notes that Mr. Venturi apparently learned the lesson well. “I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the donation and thrilled to know it’s going towards the children’s pharmacy,” Ms. Rotner said.

The Desert Guild is currently raising funds for a new pharmacy at LLU Children’s Hospital. For information on joining the Desert Guild or supporting the pharmacy project, please call Mindy Morrell at (909) 558-3560.

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/lluch/newsstory.html?id=1551 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT The School of Public Health at Loma Linda University is once again making strides in international nutrition and public health. Joan Sabaté, MD, DrPH, chair of the department of nutrition at the School, has been appointed to the Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) committee to provide oversight to the PREDIMED Study (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea Study), a clinical trial currently being conducted in Spain. 

The other three members of this committee are Frank Hu, MD, PhD, MPH, from Harvard University; Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD, MPH, from Columbia University; and Carlos Gonzalez, MD, from the Catalan Institute of Cardiology. The committee’s first meeting was held in April in Barcelona, Spain.

The PREDIMED Study is a large, multi-center, randomized controlled, five-year clinical trial that aims to assess the effects of the Mediterranean diet on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. See <www.predimed.org>.

An estimated 6,000 high-risk participants have been recruited and assigned to three interventions: Mediterranean diet with virgin olive oil, Mediterranean diet with mixed tree nuts, or a low-fat diet. Although having the same general food pattern, the two treatment arms of the study differ in the intake of two foods (extra virgin olive oil and nuts) and two nutrients (phenolics and omega-3 fats respectively) that are felt to be important in cardiovascular prevention and may have differential beneficial effects.

Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in industrialized countries, but incidence rates have marked geographic differences. The low incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in Mediterranean countries has been partly ascribed to dietary habits. The main purpose of the PREDIMED study is to measure the number of cardiovascular disease events (nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke and cardiovascular disease death). 

The trial has been registered in Current Controlled Trials (London). The study is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Health-Instituo de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Spain’s equivalent to the National Institutes of Health in the United States. 

The DSMB of a clinical trial provides oversight by reviewing participant adherence, quality control, and clinical outcome data from each of the centers. The board members offer guidance for refining the purpose of the study and recommending adjustments to the protocol.

Contributed Report http://www.llu.edu/llu/sph/newsstory.html?id=1552 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT David Dyjack, DrPH, CIH, dean of the School of Public Health, gave the keynote address for the 2008 annual staff meeting of the Riverside County Department of Public Health. Riverside County has the fourth-largest population in the state of California.

The meeting was held in two county locations—in Rancho Mirage on May 13 and Riverside on May 14. Between the two meetings combined, Dr. Dyjack addressed 1,000 public health employees.

During his presentation, Dr. Dyjack stressed the relevance of public health to contemporary society, hitting upon public health issues both global and closer to home, including HIV/AIDS, binge drinking, and gang violence.

He reminded the audience about practical matters including the 10 essential public health services that county and state health departments should provide. 

Dr. Dyjack also gave the public health employees advice on career advancement, strong working relationships, and leadership.

“I would like to recognize that working in public health commits you to lifelong learning,” he said.

The theme of the annual meeting was “the magic of public health.” Dr. Dyjack noted that this magic is not a grant, a policy, or an innovation—it is the members of the public health workforce.

By Heather Reifsnyder http://www.llu.edu/llu/sph/newsstory.html?id=1553 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT An executive from the large pharmaceutical company Pfizer appeared on the School of Public Health’s educational television show to talk about public health leadership in the 21st century.

Barbara DeBuono, MD, MPH, spoke for the May 13 live episode of “Designs for Health.” She is executive director for public health and government at Pfizer, Inc.

Public health leadership is needed now more than ever, according to Dr. DeBuono’s presentation, due to a combination of disasters, the threat of bioterrorism, the necessity for violence prevention, and media misconceptions.

“Leadership is needed to articulate not only the problem, but to articulate the solution and the vision, and then the steps to get there,” said Dr. DeBuono.

“Designs for Health” is a one-hour program airing live on Loma Linda Broadcasting Network to a potential television audience of more than two million viewers.

Filmed in front of a studio audience, the program is also telecast live to public health students on the Loma Linda Uni­versity campus.

In conjunction with Dr. DeBuono’s appearance on “Designs for Health,” the School and Pfizer offered to give a free copy of Pfizer’s recent book on public health leadership to the first 100 viewers to request it. The book is called Moments in Leadership: Case Studies in Public Health Policy and Practice.

To see Dr. DeBuono’s presentation, look for the May 13 episode at <www.designsfor health.org>. With the theme of understanding corporate commitment to public health, the episode also features Bill Davenhall, MA, global manager for health and human services at ESRI in Redlands, and Seth Wiafe, MPH, academic director of Loma Linda University’s health geoinformatics (GIS) programs.

Mr. Wiafe has been working with The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD) for the past three years to improve donations of medical products worldwide, using GIS technology. Pfizer is one of the leading corporate members of PQMD.

By Heather Reifsnyder http://www.llu.edu/llu/sph/newsstory.html?id=1554 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT Numerous awards were presented to students in the School of Dentistry during year-end celebrations. 

The awards recognize clinical and academic excellence, leadership, and exemplary clinical care. Following are the awards:

Departmental awards
American Dental Society of Anesthesiology; Matthew Wall, John Will
American Association of Endodontics; Philip Horsley
Southern California Academy of Endodontics; Jason Niemeyer
Graduate Implant Dentistry;
   Christopher Hanson
American Academy of Implant Dentistry; Nathan Latimer
ICOI-Sullivan-Schein Dental Predoctoral Acheivement; James Willis
Academy of Osseointegration Implant Dentistry; Philip Horsley
American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology; Greg Williams
American Academy of Oral Medicine; Tera Johnson
American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology; Shayna Sanchez
Southern California Academy of Oral  Pathology; Jeffrey Hwang
American Academy of Orofacial Pain;   Kristi Chiang
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons; Nathan   Latimer
California Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons; Patricia Ramos
American Association of Orthodontics;  Jeffrey Hwang
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; Bryan Fletcher & Tera Johnson
Southern California Society of Dentistry for Children; Noha Abdel-Salam
American Academy of Periodontology; Jennifer Clark
Western Society of Periodontology; Nathan Latimer
G. Hartzell & Son Clinician Award; Kari McKenzie
Academy of Operative Dentistry; Bryan Fletcher
American College of Prosthodontics; Andrey Ustinenkov
Ben W. Oesterling Award;
  Jeff Firestone
Fixed Prosthodontics Department;
  Elisa Song
PCSP/JPD Award of Excellence in Prosthodontics; Michelle Hoag-Wall
Ken E. Wical Award; Jeff Firestone
LLU Basic Science Award;
  Soh Young Kim
American Association of Oral Biologist’s Award; Neal Johnson
Denstply Student Clinican;
  Vincent Drouin

General awards
Academy of General Dentistry;
  Jessica Horricks
Alpha Omega Award;
  Nathan Latimer
Alumni Association Student of the Year;   Karl Northrup
American Student Dental Association; Tate Montgomery
California Dental Association; Nathan Latimer
Delta Dental Leadership Award; Jared Lee
Service Learning: Tri Duong, Tara   Ericson, Paul Yoo, Mindy Goltiao
International College of Dentists Award;
 Kari McKenzie
National Association of Seventh-day Adventist Dentists; Adriana Alexandru
Omicron Kappa Upsilon: Jennifer Clark; Bryan Fletcher; Jessica Horricks; Philip Horsley; Jeffrey Hwang; Neal Johnson; Tera Johnson; Nathan Latimer; Brian Liu; David Self; Elisa Song
Pierre Fauchard Academy D3 (Scholar-   ship); Sue Jean Park
Pierre Fauchard Academy Senior Award; Philip Horsley
Chancellor’s Award; Neal Johnson
Prince Award; Jared Lee
Wilfred A. Nation; Joel Mickelwait
Wil Alexander Award for Christ-like Service in Dentistry; Jennifer Clark
David Lee Anderson Recognition Award; John Will
David Lee Anderson Tuition Scholarship Award; Kati Schmalz
American College of Dentists, Southern California Section;
  Andrey Ustinenkov
Dental Foundation of California    Seniors; Matt Cilderman, Jared Lee, Neal Johnson
Boyko Award for Christ-like Service in Dentistry; Joel Mickelwait
Academy of Dentistry International; Vincent Drouin
American Dental Association/ Dentsply Student Clinician Awards;   Vincent Drouin
William S. Kramer Award;
  Vincent Drouin
Pacific Dental Services; Scott Krause,   Ivan Rees
Tri-County Dental Society; Lora Ota
Dental Hygiene Dean’s Award:
  Erin Abston
  http://www.llu.edu/llu/dentistry/newsstory.html?id=1555 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT As we celebrate the season of graduation, Community-Academic Partners in Service (CAPS) staff is also celebrating our progress this year. New to LLU, CAPS has connected more than 200 people to opportunities to serve and engage the local community in a meaningful way. Here are a few highlights, as well as what’s to come in 2008!

Adopt-A-Kid Christmas Party 2007: Ninety LLU students helped create a Christmas party that 80 Head Start preschoolers will never forget. Amidst squeals of delight, the students and children experienced games and crafts. Nikki Grey, a School of Public Health student, reported shortly after the event that “I’ve already found the perfect gift for my kid next year!”

CAPS website: Up and running and full of useful resources for anyone interested in engaging the community! <www.llu.edu/caps>.

Community Kids Connection Saturday program: CAPS adopted this Students for International Mission Service (SIMS) program last fall. Public health student Cynthia Ortega has grown the program from three kids weekly to more than 25. She recruits student groups and churches from the LLU community to come and lead out in a program, similar to Vacation Bible School, with San Bernardino youth.

Community Mothers Connec­tion: CAPS is amazed at the connections being made with the local CKC families by a former School of Public Health program.

CKC soccer superstars:  Boaz Papendick, a School of Public Health intern, is leading a class that will use soccer as a motivation for the kids to exercise. This program will involve skill learning and game time to support the kids in becoming soccer superstars.

We need volunteers that can come out Tuesdays and/or Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (June and July) to help coach, cheer, and even play. For further information, contact <bpapendick@llu.edu>.

Exodus to college: CAPS is partnering with Bethel Com­munity Outreach in the creation of a Health Professions Summer Internship this July. The objective of this internship is to expose local San Bernardino County African-American high school students to the health professions at Loma Linda University. Approximately 30 students will be visiting LLU July 20 to 26 and participating in an interactive internship modeled after Loma Linda Uni­versity’s Si Se Puede program.  Each day the youth will be on campus from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., attending interactive, age-appropriate one to three hour sessions hosted by faculty, staff, and students. If you are interested in supporting and/or participating in this program, please contact CAPS.

By Julie Schaepper http://www.llu.edu/llu/newsstory.html?id=1560 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT Beginning this summer, all Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center entities will be represented by a new graphic identity system, including a new logo.

The launch date for the new logo and graphic identity guide has been moved up to Monday, July 14, from its earlier date in August. The guide will govern the organization’s corporate look as applied to a variety of media, including business communications (letterhead, business cards, en­velopes, and note cards), advertising, publications, websites, vehicles, and premium and promotional items.

The graphic identity guide offers guidelines and tools for creating a consistent corporate look for a wide variety of applications; several approved font options, including fonts which are widely available on most computers; a recommended color palette that provides a variety of color choices, while still providing a consistent family look; and design specifications for commonly developed materials.

The graphic identity guide and the new logos will be available through public affairs at the University and marketing at the Medical Center. They are expected to be available online for users by this fall, according to Tammy Veach, executive director for marketing at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

To promote a more unified brand image, the new logo will replace all existing logos and school seals. While the new logo is not to appear prior to the launch date, users who are printing materials for use in the summer and who need access to the new logos prior to July 14 can obtain a logo by contacting the office of public affairs. At this time, all other logos and school seals should no longer be used.

The new logo and visual identity will not be in use before the July 14 date; however, due to budget constraints, not everything will change at that date. High visibility items and budgeted items will be issued at that time. Other materials will be reproduced as budgets allow and as inventories are depleted and reprints are necessitated. In general, materials with the old logo (other than forms) should be discontinued within a year of the launch date, so plan your inventories accordingly.

Those who plan to start using the new business package in July can begin placing orders through Printing Services this month, even though the material will not be released prior to July 15. By ordering early, however, users can ensure that their materials will be available by that date. Orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

“The new visual identity is a significant step toward building a more consistent brand for the institution,” says Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, president and chief executive officer of LLUAHSC.

“Implementing this new logo and the graphic standards will require us all to work together more closely to support a unified image, which will benefit the organization as a whole, as well as its individual entities.”

Contributed report http://www.llu.edu/news/newsstory.html?id=1561 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT Patients at Catalina Island Medical Center (CIMC) received diabetes education through a partnership with Loma Linda Uni­versity and its telehealth initi­ative. “It is rewarding to use our telehealth network to educate patients. This has been a primary objective of our public health approach to telehealth,” explains Billy Hughes, PhD, dean, School of Pharmacy and principal investigator of the telehealth initiative.

Diabetes affects the diverse California population unevenly. For example, African Americans are 60 percent more likely to have the condition than Caucasians, and Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans are twice as likely to have the condition as Caucasians. The California Rural Indian Health Board considers diabetes “the single most important threat to the health of Native Americans.”

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders reports that nearly one-third of those afflicted with diabetes do not know they have the condition.

The patients in attendance all enjoyed the class, and they each stated they learned a lot from Nathan Painter, PharmD, certified diabetic educator and assistant professor in the department of pharmacotherapy and outcomes science at the School of Pharmacy, notes Dawn Sampson, director of grants and social services for the CIMC.

“They are planning on attending the future classes. Our nurse practitioner was also impressed with the material presented and the participant interaction via teleconferencing. Having learned from this first bilingual class in Spanish and English, we are expanding our patient invitation. We are also taking time to explain to patients the benefits of bringing a support person to class.”

CIMC thanked Dr.  Painter for identifying and providing excellent instruction for this class series, and they look forward to future classes.

This project was made possible by a grant from UniHealth Foundation, which helped Loma Linda University partner with Catalina Island Medical Center to implement a diabetes screening and care management project through the use of telemedicine. UniHealth Foundation is a Los Angeles-based non-profit philanthropic organization whose mission is to support and facilitate activities that significantly improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities within its service area.

“When we approached the UniHealth Foundation in 2006, we indicated their funds would be utilized to provide retinal screening for patients at risk for diabetes at the only hospital on Catalina Island, and to deliver diabetes education to patients in their native languages,” explained Paul B. Simms, MPH, director of the telehealth initiative and assistant professor in the School of Public Health. “By reaching communities in their own languages, we reflect cultural competency that will stimulate more persistent behavior change—thereby ensuring patient success.”

Contributed report http://www.llu.edu/llu/newsstory.html?id=1562 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT The Honorable Pan Guaqiong, the Communist Party secretary for Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital (SRRSH) in Hangzhou, China, recently visited Loma Linda University Medical Center with a handful of his non-English speaking, yet high-performing department heads. According to Jan Zumwalt, MS, MBA, RN, director of the office of international affairs, the purpose of the visit was for the Hon. Mr. Pan to make a presentation—through his interpreter—to B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, at her farewell ceremony and provide the visiting delegation an opportunity to visit and experience LLUMC firsthand.

“Loma Linda University Medical Center and Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital have been in partnership with each other since the hospital was in the planning stages in the late 1980s,” Ms. Zumwalt reports. “SRRSH has become an off-site educational hub for LLU, providing healthcare training and cultural exchange not only to LLU students and staff, but also to healthcare professionals from other LLU-associated international hospitals.”

She goes on to cite the fact that SRRSH recently trained a general surgeon from Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital (WAKH) in Kabul, Afghanistan, in laparoscopic surgery techniques. LLU has managed WAKH under a USAID grant for the past three years. “Now, more than ever,” Ms. Zumwalt asserts, “Loma Linda University Medical Center students, residents, and staff are interested in international experiences. Our long-term collaborative relationship with SRRSH makes it a valuable training site.”

Ms. Zumwalt notes that the visiting dignitaries have enjoyed meeting their Loma Linda counterparts and learning about new concepts in their respective fields, as well as taking advantage of the opportunity to explore Southern California’s unique cultural and entertainment venues, including shopping malls. “Fortunately,” she observes, “they are enjoying very favorable exchange rates.”

Ms. Zumwalt noted that the visit ended on a very positive note. “Many of them have mentioned,” she says, “how helpful and friendly they have found the LLUMC staff to be.”

Perhaps the human touch still makes a difference even in the complex world of contemporary geopolitics. As Walt Disney was known to say, “It’s a small world after all!”

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/llumc/newsstory.html?id=1563 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT Let’s start with the herd of elk. It’s about 6:30 on an extremely cold February morning. We’ve just entered the east entrance to Grand Canyon National Park when these majestic animals bring us to a halt. We roll down the window, but the herd leaps into the woods like an icy apparition before anyone can snap the shutter.

We—a group of intrepid explorers from China, Mongolia, and Loma Linda—seem to enjoy the encounter far more than the animals. To see those gorgeous creatures standing knee deep in snow, breath vaporizing into fog, is a mystical experience for us, but only a scary moment for them.

Allow me to introduce us all. Mary, Grace, and Anthony are doctors from the People’s Republic of China. Undrahk is a physician from Mongolia, and Zola is a chemical engineer—also from Mongolia—currently living in San Francisco. Aaron and I are Loma Linda boys. We’re also drivers for the trip, which is intended as a goodwill gesture to introduce visiting health-care leaders from Asia to the medicine and culture, land, and people of the United States.

The Chinese doctors work at Zhejiang University School of Medicine where Mary is known as Wang Huiying; she’s an attending physician in respiratory medicine. Grace’s given name is Wang Huiping and she teaches physiology. Anthony is a cardiologist known as Pan Xiaohong.

Undrakh-Erdene Erdenebold just goes by Undrakh; he’s a radiologist at State Central Clinical Hospital in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Munkhzul Byambaa studies English in San Francisco and plans to get her MBA soon. She tells us to call her Zola. She and Undrakh have been pals since childhood.

As for Aaron Marson and myself, he works at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Foundation as a development associate, and I’m an editor and writer in the Medical Center public and media relations office. We’re excited to escort our new friends to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.

Until this morning’s elk sighting, the highlight of the trip had been a run out to Wupatki National Monument. Wupatki is amazing! Its 54 square miles contain 2,700 prehistoric Native American cultural sites including the ruins of several large pueblos. We arrived too late yesterday to see the visitor’s center and opted to explore the 800-year-old Wukoki Pueblo with its towering great house of red sandstone instead.

Ancient ruins are more common in the Orient than in America. Our visitors from the Far East—who trace their personal ancestry back several thousand years—enjoyed Wupatki, but weren’t quite so impressed as Aaron and I. This was his first visit and my 11th or 12th. I love this place and recommend it with gusto. If you haven’t seen it, you really should go. We hiked around the ruins, climbing through ancient stone doorways and taking pictures until the sun went down behind the frozen San Francisco Peaks.

Speaking of frozen, we’re just pulling into the parking lot at Desert View and it’s an icebox. The cold doesn’t bother a flock of black ravens foraging in the snow, but we’re glad we’ve got mittens, coats, and hats. With ice on the ground two inches deep and very hard-packed, upward stability is a challenge. As Jerry Lee Lewis might say, “There’s a whole lotta slidin’ goin’ on!”

As we arrive at the overlook, everyone begins “oohing and awing” in three languages. An angry storm howls across the vast expanses at surprising speed. A hundred miles to the north, the Vermillion Cliffs and Painted Desert assert their colorful presence through a break in the clouds, and far beneath our feet, a serpentine maze of twisted stone gleams in dark and frigid glory.

We grab our cameras. Some of the photos depict the magnificent landscapes stretching off to the edges of infinity. Still others reveal Asian health-care professionals and two Loma Linda employees throwing snowballs.

An hour later, we’re stopping at Lipan Point. To our amazement, the scenery looks even more remarkable here than it did at Desert View! Is it because the sun is higher in the sky and the rocks are basking in its glow, or because the landscape is even more three-dimensional here than there? Who can say?

The Grand Canyon always makes humans feel heroically insignificant. See that silvery squiggle over there? That’s the Colorado River slithering through the gorge a mile away. See that limestone rim over there on the other side?

It’s five miles away. And that cloud front? It stretches across Arizona to Hawaii and beyond. Still feeling big and powerful, grasshopper? By the time everyone finishes taking pictures of colleagues pretending to fall off the edge, it’s time for breakfast. We pile into the van and head to Grand Canyon Village to grab some grub. Zola torments Aaron with tales of eating fresh horsemeat in Mongolia. She stops short of saying it tastes like chicken, but Aaron looks a little green around the gills, nonetheless.

Horseflesh isn’t on the menu when we finally arrive at the café and Aaron, quite frankly, seems relieved. He does, however, eat enough to feed a horse! We enjoy the view of giant pines under a three-foot blanket of snow out the restaurant window. After breakfast, there are gift shops to explore. My granddaughter—who, I must humbly inform you, is the cutest 2-year-old on the planet—will positively adore the plush raccoon doll I buy for her.

After a couple more hours exploring the South Rim, it’s time to hit the road. Aaron suggests we take in the IMAX Theater’s presentation on the hidden Grand Canyon before we go. Sounds good to all of us, so we buy tickets, climb to the 10th row, and find our seats. We’re not sure what to expect.

Turns out, the show is pretty intense. It parks us right smack in the cockpit of a helicopter darting through the Canyon and playing chicken with rock forms the size of Redlands at breakneck speed. The scenery is breathtaking, the music loud and dramatic, and the film’s dramatic re-telling of prehistoric life is raw and in-your-face!

An hour later, we stumble back into the rude light of the postmodern era, board the van, and bid the Grand Canyon goodbye. Hold your hat—Aaron’s driving. Good thing the van won’t do more than 140 miles an hour! Aaron seems in a hurry to get to Las Vegas.

As we race along, Aaron discloses that it isn’t Sin City, but Chloride, Arizona, he’s so eager to see. Turns out his grandfather, Norman Severance, lives in Chloride, and Aaron wonders if we’d mind making a brief stop to see him. He explains that Mr. Severance recently lost his wife. Aaron just wants to make sure he’s OK. After we give the idea thumbs up, Aaron phones ahead and learns that Norman would love to have us stop by the house for a while.

When we arrive at Norman’s home, he greets us like old friends and introduces us to Aaron’s Aunt Jean. They regale us with tales of life in the desert, including Norman’s encounters with local foxes and rattlesnakes.

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/news/newsstory.html?id=1564 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT Three Loma Linda University Schools will hold commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 25, on the University Mall.

Beginning the day-long commencement services will be ceremonies for School of Medicine graduates. Speaking at the medicine graduation will be James M. Slater, MD, FACS, vice chair, department of radiation medicine, School of Medicine, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Following at 1:30 p.m. will be commencement services for the School of Pharmacy. Speaking for this ceremony will be Kenneth H. Schell, PharmD, RPh, director, pharmacy benefits/administration, SharpHealth Community Care Division, San Diego, California.

Concluding the events on Sunday will be ceremonies for the School of Dentistry with guest speaker William J. Emmerson, DDS, member, California State Assembly.

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, James M. Slater was awarded a degree in physics from the University of Utah and later earned his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 1963. 

Dr. Slater’s choice of a career in radiation medicine grew out of his strong desire to improve the treatment planning for patients undergoing radiotherapy and to reduce or eliminate the devastating side effects these patients suffer when normal tissue was exposed to untargeted radiation.

In 1970, he joined the faculty of Loma Linda University School of Medicine, where he began developing a radiation oncology program, including a residency, and continued pioneering computer-assisted radiotherapy planning. He introduced the first such planning system at Loma Linda University Medical Center in 1971, initially using ultrasound data and later using computed tomography.

When Dr. Slater began investigating heavy-charged-particle radiation therapy in 1970, his studies indicated that existing technology could not support a hospital-based treatment system. However, he continued his work and, by 1984, imaging and computing technology had advanced to the point that such support was possible. He began recruiting scientists to work actively on establishing the world’s first safe, dependable, variable-energy, hospital-based proton-delivery system.

While lecturing worldwide and explaining the science of proton therapy, Dr. Slater also led in the design, development, and construction of the Loma Linda University Proton Treatment Center. The center opened in 1990 and, in 2007, was renamed the James M. Slater, MD, Proton Treatment and Research Center.

For more than four decades Dr. Slater has dedicated his knowledge and skills not only to the science of medicine but also to the culture of caring for the whole patient. Patients from around the world have benefited from his commitment to always seek God’s wisdom first and to accomplish through Him wonderful things for the patients he serves.

Dr. Schell, as director of pharmacy benefits/administration for SharpHealth, manages medical group formularies and coordinates patients’ pharmacy benefits for the Sharp Community and Rees Stealy Medical groups.

Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Schell served in pharmacy staff and management positions for Kaiser Permanente in San Diego and Oakland; Owen Healthcare, Inc., in La Jolla, Encinatas, and San Diego; and Children’s Hospital and Health Center and University of California at San Diego.

Not content to serve only in administration, Dr. Schell is also an assistant clinical professor at University of California at San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, at Western University School of Pharmacy in Pomona, and at University of California at San Francisco School of Pharmacy. His academic credentials are further reflected by his numerous publications, both as lead and as sole author in periodicals such as Journal of Pharmacy Technology and American Journal of Hospital Pharmacists.

Dr. Schell earned the BA degree in biology (1978) from the University of California at San Diego. He completed the PharmD degree in 1984 and subsequently a one-year residency in pharmacy at the University of California at San Diego School of Pharmacy.

In 2006, Dr. Schell was re-elected as a California delegate to the American Society of Health-system Pharmacists House of Delegates, a position in which he has served repeatedly over his career. He has also served on the California State Board of Pharmacy (2003) and on the Medi-CAL Drug Utilization Review Board (2001).

William Emmerson earned the bachelor of arts degree in history and political science from La Sierra College in 1967. Postgraduate studies in public administration at American University in Washington, D.C., afforded him the opportunity to serve on the staff of then-U.S. Congressman Jerry L. Pettis. After returning to California, Dr. Emmerson served for six years as a legislative assistant to then-state Republican Assembly floor leader, W. Craig Biddle, while continuing postgraduate studies at California State University at Sacramento.

Dr. Emmerson’s decision to pursue a career in dentistry led to his enrollment in the School of Dentistry at Loma Linda University. He was awarded the DDS degree in 1980. His research, conducted in conjunction with studies toward the master of science degree in orthodontics earned from Loma Linda University two years later, was recognized by the Foundation for Orthodontic Research. In 1982, he established an orthodontics practice in Hemet, California, which he maintained for 22 years.

Dr. Emmerson was elected to the California Assembly in 2004 as representative for the 63rd District, comprising the communities of Fontana, Grand Terrace, Highland, Loma Linda, Moreno Valley, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Riverside, San Bernardino, Upland, and Yucaipa. 

He has sponsored health care-related legislation—notably AB17 (2007), a bill that would have helped provide financial support for the California Dental Loan Repayment Program—designed to alleviate dentist shortages and provide dental care for underserved populations in exchange for forgiveness of qualifying educational debt.

In addition to his professional contributions, Dr. Emmerson’s long record of community service and involvement includes leadership in the establishment of a dental hygiene program at Riverside Community College, assistance with rehabilitation of Redlands Fire Station I, and membership in the Alumni Association of Loma Linda University. He has also been an active member of the Redlands Kiwanis Club and has served as a volunteer with the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

By Richard Weismeyer http://www.llu.edunewsstory.html?id=1487 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT Interwoven, Inc. (NASDAQ: IWOV), a global leader in content management solutions, announced the winners of the 2008 Interwoven excellence awards early last month.

This year’s winners—Ashurst, Education Management Corpora­tion, Ehrhardt Keefe Steiner & Hottman PC, Fulbright & Jaworski, Kao Corporation, KPMG Australia, Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC), and Lowenstein Sandler—are examples of how customers are using Interwoven to help their businesses succeed amidst a shifting business landscape.

The awards were formally presented at GearUp 2008, the company’s user conference that took place in San Francisco, California.

“While this year’s winners represent a cross-section of different industries, and span a variety of organizations, they have one point in common—they are all leveraging content in ways that transform their business,” says Joe Cowan, CEO at Interwoven. 

“By putting Interwoven and content at the core of their business, these companies have risen above their peers by finding new ways to maximize online business performance and increase collaboration and agility within their organizations.”

Loma Linda University Medical Center operates some of the largest clinical programs in the United States in areas such as neonatal care and outpatient surgery, and is recognized as the international leader in infant heart transplantation and proton treatments for cancer. LLUMC partnered with Interwoven and Earthbound Media Group (EMG) to launch a website designed to help patients explore the services and care offered by the Medical Center.

Success with the website is driving a fundamental change in its business: LLUMC is completely re-imagining its web presence to ensure it plays a central role in driving service excellence and patient access, global health care leadership, and outreach. 

By leveraging a combination of search engine optimization, web analytics, targeting, and content management capabilities, the organization has achieved dramatic results.  For instance, LLUMC has seen a 1,400 percent increase in daily visitors and 1,700 percent increase in traffic sources. Its search engine ranking also went from 150 to No. 1 on many keywords.

LLUMC subsequently rolled out a 2,000-page main website and saw a 470 percent increase in physician referrals per month within four months of the site launch.

Interwoven is a global leader in content management solutions.  Interwoven’s software and services enable organizations to maximize online business performance and organize, find, and govern business content. Interwoven solutions unlock the value of content by delivering the right content to the right person in the right context at the right time. Approximately 4,300 of the world’s leading companies, services firms, and governments have chosen Interwoven.

Contributed report http://www.llu.edu/llumc/newsstory.html?id=1488 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT David P.T. Fang, MD, FACS, FASCRS, former chief of colorectal surgery at LLUMC and associate professor of surgery at LLU, was honored by Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center (LLUAHSC) with the Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the highest honors bestowed by LLUAHSC.

Presenting the award to Dr. Fang was Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, president, Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center.

In addition to serving the Medical Center and University, Dr. Fang was a key figure in the planning, development, and as the first president of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, which will grow to 1,200 beds within the next year and has become a key health facility and teaching hospital in the People’s Republic of China.

In presenting the award, Dr. Hart thanked Dr. Fang for his exemplary service as Loma Linda’s representative at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital in Hangzhou.

“I am honored to receive this distinguished Lifetime Achieve­ment Award,” Dr. Fang says. “Thank you for this great honor. From the bottom of my heart, I wish to express my gratitude to the Seventh-day Adventist Church for changing my life in 1951 and to the Loma Linda University School of Medicine for giving me the opportunity to study and become the physician I am today.”

Dr. Fang founded the Chinese Adventist Physicians Association (CAPA), an organization responsible for a physician and nurse exchange program that has seen more than 200 Chinese nurses and physicians receive training at LLUMC.

“On behalf of the Chinese Adventist Physicians Association, we are pleased to be a part of this event honoring our founder, Dr. David Fang,” says Basil Vassan­tachart, MD, president of CAPA and coordinator of the event.

Emceeing the event at the San Gabriel Hilton was Lisa Ling, host of the award-winning documentary series National Geographic Explorer, and her sister, Laura Ling, vice president of Current TV’s Vanguard Journalism unit.

By Larry Kidder, MA http://www.llu.edu/news/newsstory.html?id=1489 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT Charles J. Goodacre, DDS, MSD, dean, School of Dentistry, is the recipient of a 2008 American Dental Education Association Gies Award. The award, presented during the ADEAGies Foundation Awards ceremony in Dallas, Texas, is one of eight inaugural William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation, and Achievement, and recognizes outstanding innovation by a dental educator.

“This recognition,” says Dr. Goodacre, “highlights a process begun at the School in 2000, bringing together the development of computer-based learning materials with the ability to distribute them to dental students and faculty throughout the U.S. and beyond. This has been achieved through the collective work of talented faculty and staff within the School. Educational DVDs developed at LLU are now in use by thousands of dental students and faculty members, provided to them at no charge through the generous support of corporations.”

The Gies award is named after William J. Gies, a Columbia University biochemistry professor who, in the mid-1920s, published a landmark report establishing the importance of dentistry as a healing science and an essential component of higher education in the health professions. Selected by a distinguished panel of judges consisting of ADEAGies Foundation Board of Trustee members, honorees are chosen for vision, achievement, and innovation as an academic dental institution, dental educator, or public/private partner.

Individuals and institutions who also received inaugural 2008 Gies Awards were Michael Alfano, PhD, executive vice president, New York University; Marcia A. Boyd, PhD, University of British Columbia; David Satcher, PhD, National Center for Primary Care; Schools of Dentistry at Harvard University, Louisiana State University, University of Iowa, and University of Maryland, Baltimore College; and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Contributed report http://www.llu.edu/llu/dentistry/newsstory.html?id=1491 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT In celebration of its alumni, the School of Nursing hosted its annual alumni weekend April 4 and April 5.

The weekend celebration, titled “Nursing: Mission Service Far and Near,” began with a vespers on Friday evening. The vespers featured “Nursing Near and Far.”

Zelne Zamora, MSN, RN, assistant professor of nursing, presented a slideshow featuring the highlights of each of the honored years.

On Sabbath, the golden anniversary class of 1958-A hosted first service at University Church, with the class of 1983 hosting Sabbath school and the golden anniversary class of 1958-B hosting second service. This was followed by a lunch­eon at the campus cafeteria.

Saturday evening was the Alumni Banquet held at Wong Kerlee International Conference Center.

Several awards were presented during the banquet, including two Alumna of the Year Awards to Hilda Bloomquist, MPH, MS, RN, class of 1958A, and Marilyn Bennett Justesen, MPH, MS, RN, class of 1983.

Hilda Bloomquist was born and raised in Missoula, Montana. Her work in health care started at a young age when she went to work at St. Patrick’s Hospital as a secretary and switchboard operator following her high school graduation. Later, Ms. Bloomquist earned a degree in business administration from the University of Montana. Following that she taught and was registrar at Adelphian Academy. Eventually, it was back to health care for Hilda.

She applied and was accepted at Loma Linda University School of Nursing. She was thought of as a “mature” student when she came to Loma Linda for a second career, compared with other students who were beginning nursing with no previous career track. Ms. Bloomquist graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Loma Linda Uni­versity School of Nursing in 1958.

During her years as a nurse, Ms. Bloomquist worked as a charge nurse, director of nursing, and also a health educator in various states, including California, Maine, and New York. She also worked for a short time as a nurse at Hultafors Adventist Hospital in Sweden.

At Columbia University, Ms. Bloomquist received a master of science in nursing education. During her time in Brunswick, Maine, in addition to teaching community classes for four years, she conducted a daily radio program titled “Focus on Health.” While in Loma Linda, she took courses in public health.

Upon retirement, Ms. Bloom­quist began a career as a writer for local newspapers. She has also worked as coordinator for the Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP). In 2006, Ms. Bloomquist began what she refers to as her “second retirement career” as a health lecturer on cruise ships. She has also been a health lecturer for her local church.

Ms. Bloomquist describes herself as blessed with a life that has afforded her opportunities to honor the Lord in many arenas of service.

Marilyn Bennett Justesen was born in Orlando, Florida, in 1944. Before she was 1 year old, she moved with her parents and older brother to Africa. She grew up there in various mission locations, where she learned to speak five different languages. When she was 14, the family returned to the United States.

Ms. Justesen attended Takoma Academy, and later finished her secondary education and the beginning of college at Southwestern Ad­ventist Junior College in Texas. She received her bachelor of science in nursing at Loma Linda in 1967.

Then, in 1968, Ms. Justesen was called to Saigon Adventist Hospital in Vietnam for the purpose of starting a school of nursing. Such a task would be a challenge in the best of circumstances, but this was war time. She is the only American to have started a school of nursing during the war. Ms. Justesen has described her experiences in a book titled Help! What Do I Do Now: The Adventures of a Young Missionary in War-torn Vietnam. After her sojourn in Vietnam, Ms. Justesen was not quite ready to return to America.

Ms. Justesen continued her travels through several Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African countries. While visiting Nepal, she helped in the Adventist hospital there. The missionaries there paid her for her services by hiring a Sherpa guide and a team to accompany her on a trek to the foot of Mt. Everest. She was the first Caucasian woman to have her own expedition to this famous mountain.

When Ms. Justesen returned to the United States, she taught briefly at what is now Southern Adventist University in Tennessee. She received her master’s in public health in 1975 from LLU, where she also taught during that time in the School of Nursing.

Ms. Justesen’s next assignment took her to Tanzania, serving as nurse advisor in the development of an infrastructure for the maternal child health department for Tan­zania. While there she climbed the legendary 19,000-foot Mt. Kili­manjaro. In 1983 Ms. Justesen completed her master of nursing degree at Loma Linda. Following that she returned Africa. She was assistant director of the Maluti Mission Hospital School of Nursing in Lesotho. Later she worked as a nurse consultant on two foreign aid health related projects in Sudan and Madagascar.

Not long after returning to the United States, Ms. Justesen met her husband, Jerry Justesen, a widower pastor with two teenage boys. She and Jerry were married in 1984.

Since then she has held several nursing positions in New York and North Carolina. She has also done significant fundraising work for various church projects. She also returned to teaching for state-sponsored universities in North Carolina. She was the only Adventist on a large campus, where she received several awards for excellence in teaching.

Ms. Justesen now lives in Florida, where she continues her active role as a teacher of the children in her church. She even manages to include a little health teaching there along with her role as a certified parish nurse.

Receiving the distinguished leadership award posthumously was Marilyn Christian Gearing Smith, EdD, MSN, FAAN, former dean of the School of Nursing.

Marilyn Christian was born in 1933 into a family dedicated to health care. Her father was a minister/ health educator, and her mother was a public health nurse. Inspired by the opportunities that nursing afforded, she enrolled in the nursing program at Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland, where she received her baccalaureate degree in nursing in 1954. Dr. Gearing decided to continue her education in the Washington, D.C., area at Catholic University of America and earned her MSN degree in nursing administration and community health in 1957.

In July of 1963, Dr. Gearing started her career at Loma Linda University as assistant professor and acting chair of community health nursing in the School of Nursing. In 1968 she was selected as dean-elect and continued as professor of community health nursing until her appointment as dean and professor of LLUSN in 1969. During her 12-year tenure as dean, Dr. Gearing served in a variety of professional organizations and national taskforces on federal health legislation. She was elected national president of the American Association of Seventh-day Adventist Nurses from 1972 to 1975. Her international experiences included working with the maternal health care needs in Tanzania and serving as speaker at a nursing workshop at Beijing Medical University in China.

In between her very busy schedule of administration as well as national and international efforts, she obtained an EdD degree in higher education from the Uni­versity of Southern California in 1974. She was also named a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 1979—one of the highest distinctions a nursing professional can be awarded.

Though greatly committed to her profession, Dr. Gearing did find time for family life. On Valentine’s day, 1980, she married Maurice Eugene Smith. Together they enjoyed many years of traveling and sharing God’s love through various church ministries. In 1990 she returned to teaching and was active in many community organizations. Dr. Gearing worked very closely with the Loma Linda University Church to create a parish nursing program as part of the community health experience for senior nursing students. This program continues to be offered through ACTS (Adventist Community Team Services).

During her six-year illness with lymphoma, she remained cheerful, optimistic, and thankful to God for each day that she could be a blessing to others. On February 12, 2008, she passed away. She leaves a legacy of excellence in nursing education and practice. Nursing students, faculty, administrators, researchers, and their patients continue to reap the benefits of her life-long devotion to the nursing profession and health for all peoples.

For many years, the alumni association has had as one of its goals to recognize excellence in students and alumni through awards. An Alumna of the Year Award has been presented to deserving alumni since 1967. But the alumni board was concerned that the organization’s goal was not being fully met, since students achieving excellence were not being recognized. A committee was formed and the description, criteria, eligibility, nature of the award, and procedure for application were created in 1995. The first Merit Scholarships were given in 1996. The Merit Scholarship is conferred annually to a minimum of one undergraduate student, one graduate student, and one doctoral student who best demonstrate excellence in their respective programs. The award criteria are based on the purposes of Sigma Theta Tau International, the Honor Society of Nursing.

Undergraduate nominees for the award must have completed 45 units, and graduate and doctoral nominees must have completed 20 units in residence of their respective programs; have achieved a GPA of 3.7 or higher; be committed to completing their respective programs; and be able to meet the award criteria. These criteria are intended to identify students who demonstrate excellence in their academic professional preparation.

Receiving Merit Scholarships for 2008 are Ned Cabaluna, Michelle Meert, Ji Kwan (Jake) Park, Rebecca Estanque, RN, and Joyce Volsch, MS, RN.

A missions report was also presented during the banquet, highlighting the mission work that was supported by the alumni during 2007 and 2008.

This year the mission committee decided to make Adventist nursing schools in Third World countries the recipients of most of the $6,500 in available funds. Examples include: tuition assistance for a future nursing student in Guyana, audio-visual supplies for the Adventist nursing school in Mexico, nursing journals for the Adventist nursing school in the Caribbean, and financial assistance for the Adventist nursing school in Maluti, Africa. The committee will also be providing financial assistance to LLU nursing students for short-term mission service this summer.

Following the missions report was the House of Thrift report. During the past fiscal year, the alumni association received $20,000 from the House of Thrift profits. These funds were used for alumni association projects. In addition, clothes, bedding, food, and other items exceeding $900,000 were donated to several organizations including: ADRA; Banning Community Services; House of Mercy, Mexico; Loma Linda Romanian Church; and the Banning School District.

By Dustin Jones, MA http://www.llu.edu/llu/nursing/news/newsstory.html?id=1492 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT A Loma Linda University alumnus was recently named Faculty Scholar of the Year at Cedarville University.

John Whitmore, PhD, who graduated in 2003 from LLU School of Science and Technology with his doctoral degree in biology with an emphasis in paleontology, is currently associate professor of geology at the university, located in Cedarville, Ohio. He has served on the faculty there since 1991.

The prestigious Faculty Scholar of the Year award is presented by the deans of the various academic divisions.

“John, as a paleontology student at LLU, was very capable and a fast learner,” remembers Leonard Brand, PhD, professor of earth and biological sciences, LLU School of Science and Technology, and one of Dr. Whitmore’s professors. “He was also especially responsible and able to get work done in spite of many other pressures on his time.”

Dr. Brand adds, “I am not surprised that he received this award.”

Cedarville University is a Christ-centered, Baptist university of arts, sciences, professional, and graduate programs with approximately 3,000 students and is located in southwestern Ohio. http://www.llu.edu/llu/sst/newsstory.html?id=1493 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT It isn’t known whether pop diva Cyndi Lauper had the Big Hearts for Little Hearts Guild’s spring fundraiser in mind when she wrote the chart-topping hit “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” but the song would have made an ideal theme song for Cook’s Night Out, nonetheless.

Fun was the operative word not only for the 300 ladies and handful of men who attended Cook’s Night Out in the Wong Kerlee International Conference Center on Monday, April 14, 2008, but also for the guild officers as they counted the proceeds.

“We were delighted with the way the evening turned out,” says Eloise Habekost, president of the guild. “We grossed $42,000 and everybody seemed to be having the time of their life. The food was terrific, the entertainment excellent, and the waiters were wonderful.”

Following a welcome by Ms. Habekost, the opening prayer was offered by Abbey Umali, an 8-year-old Redlands girl who serves as national spokesperson for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Next on the program was guild board member Dixie Watkins, who introduced artist Tom Medlicott who unveiled the stained glass window the guild commissioned him to produce for the pediatrics waiting room for unit 3800 on the third floor of LLU Children’s Hospital. The mother-daughter team of Cathy and Hannah Grinnan was next on the program. Cathy shared her experiences as the mother of a heart-transplant recipient. Hannah is enjoying the 10th anniversary of the surgery that saved her life this year; she charmed the crowd with her sweet smile as her mother spoke.

Local celebrity chef, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and television personality Martha Green entertained the audience with a retelling of the highlights of her multi-faceted career. She showed humorous slides to illustrate her presentation.

Then she broke out the mixing bowl and showed the crowd how to make homemade marshmallows dipped in fine European chocolate. Fortunately for the attendees, they got to sample the delightful concoction as the evening came to an end. 

 The waiters—uniformed officers from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Loma Linda Police Department, and Loma Linda Fire Department, as well as employees of Trader Joe’s grocery stores—not only served food and drinks to the guests, they also served up smiles as guests stuffed dollar bills into the waiters’ belts.

There was great competition to see which table would tally up the most tips. All tips were donated to the guild for its work on behalf of the patients of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. When the dust settled, waiter Ross Wilson of the Loma Linda Fire Department topped the list with more than $600 to win the tipping contest.

The final event of the evening was the opportunity drawing. Guild board member Denise Hertel assisted guests in purchasing tickets at $5 apiece and placing them inside a large rolling cage for the drawing. When the wheel was spun and names were chosen at the end of the evening, the following winners were announced: Dorothy Stearns, dinner for 12 at Martha Green’s famed Eating Room in Redlands; Kelly Batres, a set of Cutco knives; Caroline Le, a $500 gift certificate to Nordstrom’s; and Beth Saleson, a $500 gift certificate to Pottery Barn.

But as Ms. Habekost confided to the Guild’s Board of Directors at its monthly meeting a few days later, the real reason everyone had such a good time was the simple fact that for the very first time, the program allowed ample time for all the guests to talk. “You get that many women together in one room and let them talk,” Ms. Habekost surmised, “and they’re going to have a grand time!”

Individuals interested in joining the Children’s Hospital Guild or learning more about its activities are invited to contact Ms. Habe­kost at <e_habekost@msn.com>.  

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/lluch/newsstory.html?id=1495 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT Loma Linda University Medical Center announced plans to purchase a new medical facility located in close proximity to its main campus.

Final terms of the sale are expected to be complete within the next few weeks.

The 66,000-square-foot facility currently known as the California Heart and Surgical Hospital began original construction in 2005. Completion of current construction is anticipated later this spring, at which time LLUMC will be the sole owner and operator. The complete range of medical services to be offered by the facility is still being finalized.

“After considering all the factors, the purchase of this facility just makes sense. It allows us to provide seamless care and greater access for our patients sooner than we had hoped,” says Ruthita Fike, chief executive officer for Loma Linda Univer­sity Medical Center.

Ms. Fike says that the timing of this purchase is advantageous on a number of levels. Plans are currently underway to begin seismic-retrofitting in the Medical Center’s existing operating room suites, which would create logistical challenges for patients and physicians. “The fact that we can have this new facility available now will make the impact of the seismic retrofitting much less distracting,” says Ms. Fike.

The new hospital will offer patients 28 new beds, six state-of-the-art surgical suites, two cardiac catheterization labs, two procedure rooms for endoscopic procedures and pain management, and 24 post-anesthesia care units.

LLUMC plans to use the facility to expand its services in the way that will best meet the needs of the community.

According to Ms. Fike, “Our earlier concerns about this facility are no longer relevant because as owners, we will now be able to make the services offered available to all patients—not just a few. Our worries about this facility from the start have been that only a small, exclusive group of patients would have access, and that’s contrary to our mission of making care available to all— regardless of their ability to pay.”

The new medical center will open for patient care sometime later this year. LLUMC is currently determining which medical services will be housed in the facility and is planning for a name change that will accurately reflect its ownership of the new hospital.

“We’re excited about what this will mean for our community,” says Ms. Fike. “It gives us a chance to meet our needs for growth and expansion as we strive to fulfill our faith-based mission, ‘to make man whole’ by promoting healthful living and increasing quality of life.”

Contributed report http://www.llu.edu/llumc/newsstory.html?id=1497 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT A two-day conference, “Strength­ening Families in the 21st Century,” attracted more than 130 participants on May 12 and 29 in the Wong Kerlee International Con­ference Center.

The culmination of an initiative arising in 2004 at the Center for Spiritual Life and Wholeness, the conference received a sendoff from the center’s director, Carla Gober, PhD, who introduced an impressive array of conference presenters with presentations ranging from a focus on neurobiology and attachment to the role of specific religious communities that are addressing family issues.

Describing her own commitment to establishing this inaugural conference, Loma Linda Univer­sity Adventist Health Sciences Center immediate past president B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, shared a poignant childhood memory of the time her sense of family security was threatened by the news that her father would not be returning home after combat in World War II.

In his keynote address, Allan Schore, PhD, UCLA School of Medicine professor, reported implications of his extensive neurobiological research findings on emotional development. Noting that his discipline is in a paradigm shift, moving from a focus on cognitive to social and moral development, he underlined the importance of attachment occurring during infancy.

The emotional availability of the caregiver seems to be the most central growth- promoting feature of the early rearing experience. Because emotions are tied to the way a person processes vital information, modulates stress, and achieves self-regulation, Dr. Schore emphasized the crucial nature of the first 18 months of life, before language acquisition busies the left side of the brain, as a ripe and crucial time for developing emotional health, demonstrated to be the province of the right brain.

When she asks why adolescents in the world’s richest country are plagued with unprecedented depression, addiction, and aberrant behaviors, another conference featured speaker, Kathleen Kline, MD, of the University of Colorado’s Health Sciences Center in the Department of Psychiatry, points to their lack of connectedness.

The special developmental needs of adolescents, her studies indicate, are best served in authoritative institutions (groups that live out positive types of connectedness) such as families, schools, and churches, to guide their transition to adulthood.

Emphasizing the importance of nurturing, Dr. Kline cited studies of foster parenting initiated with mother rats and rhesus monkeys. Some were identified as nurturing; others had genetically altered non-nurturing tendencies.

Dr. Kline reported the findings: When nurturing foster mothers raised foster young “destined” to be non-nurturing, the brain patterns in the young changed; in adulthood, they became nurturing mothers—and the nurturing behavior, creating specific pathways in the brain, prevailed in second and third generation offspring. 

Culminating the first morning’s presentations, the participants heard a call to recreate the tradition of community support, strengthening intergenerational ties between children and adults. W. Bradford Wilcox, PhD, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, noted the work of families, religious institutions, and communities and hailed the tide turning in the intellectual world with increasing acknowledgement that children are in need of authoritative communities to gain a sense of meaning, purpose, and belonging.

More than a dozen other presenters at the conference continued the theme of seeking ways to establish positive connections in family units.  Kiti Freier Randall, PhD, professor of psychology, pediatrics, and public health at Loma Linda University, said the highest risk for families lies in substance abuse. “It destroys relationships and is a major predictor of producing at-risk children,” she said, citing research identifying connectedness as the major determinant of a child’s developing resilience. The behavior of at-risk youth is everyone’s business, she noted. And the only interventions that work, Dr. Randall pointed out, depend on the relationships that are developed in interventions, both structured and informal.

A team of researchers from Walla Walla University, College Place, Washington, presented preliminary findings from a study based on the responses of participants in forgiveness seminars designed to ameliorate pain and anger arising from perceived past wrongs.

Significantly positive changes in anger, pain, and affect-behavior aligned with positive effects on the family and other relationships.

In her research, Linda Crumley, PhD, professor of communication at Southern Adventist University, examined male residents’ experience in an Advent Home Treat­ment facility in interviews conducted after the residents left the home, uncovering both positive and negative responses to specific elements (and people) of the treatment facility.

Another research study reported by Renee Drumm, PhD, professor and chair of social work and family studies at Southern Adventist University, asked the question: Is intimate partner violence a current problem for Adventist and other faith communities? Among the conclusions:  Yes it is, and churches and spiritual leaders should be safe places for victims of abuse. As Dr. Drumm observed, “We spend a lot of money on evangelism, but right here in our congregations we have people who are at risk in their spiritual walk because of abuse.”

A reminder came from Allese Moore-Orbin, DMin, director of training and consulting for the Faith Trust Institute in Seattle, Wash­ington, that addressing family issues with parishioners can be damaging to the safety of spousal abuse victims who hear without interpretation the dictums “wives obey your husbands,” “God hates divorce,” and “you must bear the cross of abuse—while praying for your spouse.”

Participants from across the United States included Ron and Karen Flowers, major contributors to family life insights in their roles as director and associate director of the Family Ministries Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. They became the first recipients of a life achievement award presented by the Center for Spiritual Life and Wholeness.

Acknowledgments went to the Tom and Violet Zapara Foundation for its contribution of funds in support of the conference.

Expressing special appreciation for insights gained on brain development, Mae Harris-Ogelsby from San Bernardino County’s Department of Children’s Services, said that insights she gained from “Hard-wired to Connect” concepts will affect the way she approaches her work in children’s services.

“A powerful and intensive two days,” said marriage and family therapist Pam Libby of Anchorage, Alaska, who joined at least half the participants in achieving continuing education credits at the conference for professional pursuits.

By Edna Mae Loveless, PhD http://www.llu.edunewsstory.html?id=1503 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT A devotional book commemorating Loma Linda University School of Medicine’s centennial celebration is being planned, according to H. Roger Hadley, MD, dean, School of Medicine.

To commemorate the School of Medicine’s 100th year anniversary, the School is compiling “stories” that collectively will become a daily devotional book titled Morning Rounds.

“As a medical student, alumnus, resident, attending physician, teacher of medical stu­- dents, staff member in the School of Med­icine, or someone who is affiliated with the operations of the School of Medicine, you may have experienced times when an incident occurred, a situation evolved, or something noteworthy happened that gave pause to think of its Christian implications,” Dr. Hadley says.

“Maybe it inspired you, or provided you insight about life’s lessons, or was just a good learning experience.

“Whatever the source, it probably made a lasting spiritual impression, and we invite you to share this event with your colleagues in the health care field.”

Individuals interested in participating in the project should submit their stories promptly (with a selected date during the 2009 year for the story to appear, if there is a date preference).

“Maybe you have a birthday, anniversary, or some other day that is important to you,” Dr. Hadley notes. “Please make a note of why you selected that date, as this will be included in the publication.”

Dates will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis.

The devotional should be approximately 400 to 500 words and may be submitted by e-mail to <somcentennial@llu.edu>, faxed to (909) 558-0292, or mailed to Morning Rounds, c/o Alice Wongworawat, 11175 Campus Street, Coleman Pavilion A1116, Loma Linda, California 92350.

Submissions also may be submitted on the Loma Linda website at <www.llu.edu/llu/medicine/somcentennial> by June 15. An editorial board will review all submissions.

“Our goal is to have this very special devotional printed by November 2008, so that it will be available for distribution prior to January 1, 2009,” Dr. Hadley says.

By Richard Weismeyer http://www.llu.edu/llu/medicine/newsstory.html?id=1501 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT  Beginning in summer quarter 2008, the School of Public Health will offer a new degree that is the first of its kind in the country—a master’s of public health in lifestyle medicine.

This MPH degree is designed for applicants who have a clinical, professional degree; this would include medical doctors, dietitians, dentists, nurses, clinical psychologists, pharmacists, and others. It equips them with the missing link to go beyond fighting established disease to actually promoting health.

“We designed this degree for professionals who have an interest in deepening the scope of their practices through applying principles of lifestyle medicine,” says Serena Tonstad, MD, PhD, MPH, a professor in the department of health promotion and education and designer of the new degree.

Practitioners of lifestyle medicine help their clients improve lifestyle through factors such as nutrition, physical activity, and addiction recovery. They encourage patients to change attitudes and behaviors that may result—or have already resulted—in chronic disease.

Their work is undergirded by an understanding of population determinants of wellness, health, and disease. They conduct client inter­­ventions based on scientific data and established behavioral and learning theories.

“A full two-thirds of avoidable disease and premature death in our country are related to personal lifestyle choices,” says David Dyjack, DrPH, CIH, dean of the School of Public Health. “The lifestyle medicine MPH may over time come to represent the singularly most important degree the School of Public Health offers.”

In addition to skills in lifestyle medicine, the degree gives its students a firm foundation in the core areas of public health, including environmental health, global health, health administration, nutrition, and epidemiology.

The MPH coursework takes four to five academic quarters to complete. Students must also finish a 200-hour field practicum.

By Heather Reifsnyder http://www.llu.edu/llu/sph/newsstory.html?id=1504 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT He’s only been in office a few weeks, but the newly appointed President and CEO of Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center (LLUAHSC) is already outlining plans for a decade of growth, expansion, and outreach for the organization.

In a private interview conducted in his office at Magan Hall, Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, talks about his aspirations for the future of the unique mélange of medical, educational, and spiritual ventures he now directs and seeks to unify.

Dr. Hart—who acceded to the office from his previous position as chancellor and CEO of Loma Linda University—outlines his four top priorities for the institution in four segments that spotlight the multi-faceted diversity of Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center:

1.    To solidify the mission-focused direction of this campus;

2.    To facilitate planned expansion of the health ministries of LLU Children’s Hospital, the Beaumont Healthcare Center, and Physicians Hospital of Murrieta in Temecula;

3.    To continue the expanding globalization of LLUAHSC; and

4.    To recruit the quality of faculty and staff needed to effectively manage this enterprise.

In discussing his four priorities, Dr. Hart articulates a handful of questions he believes are central to an understanding of the challenges the organization must address now in order to advance successfully into the future.

In addressing his first priority, Dr. Hart notes that solidifying the mission focus will require the campus to overcome a major obstacle that confronts expanding organizations regardless of their mission.

“The question,” he observes, “is how do we grow and still retain our distinctiveness? That is a huge challenge!”

He did not raise any issues relative to his second priority—perhaps because those questions had already been raised and addressed before he took office—nor was he asked to comment on the progress of those projects. He did, however, ask a far-reaching question related to the third priority: “How do we develop expertise in supporting academics and hospitals in the context of the Church worldwide?”

In response to the fourth priority, Dr. Hart comments that the challenge of recruiting the quality of faculty and staff needed to effectively manage the enterprise is “a huge issue.” He points out that “the current expectation we have is to increase by 50 percent in the next decade,” and asks, “How do we find these people?”

 When asked, perhaps prematurely, what he sees as the biggest accomplishment of his administration so far, Dr. Hart leans back in the chair and laughs. “Survival!” he asserts. Then he draws a deep breath and says, “There are a number of issues here. We must strategically look at how to keep our entire complex moving in sync together. How do we keep the collaboration and complementary nature of this organization functioning? The immediate need is for a smooth transition of leadership. I am trying not to make any momentous changes, but to let the organization experience a smooth transition.”

While acknowledging that there may be differences in leadership styles between himself and his predecessor, B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, Dr. Hart is quick to assert that he has difficult shoes to fill. Dr. Behrens’ remarkable accomplishments are semi-legendary throughout every level of LLUAHSC, and Dr. Hart does not see his role as creating drastic changes to the smoothly functioning mechanisms she established. “My goal,” he emphasizes, “is to maintain the momentum of the initiatives she has launched and to recognize that the environment is always changing. We’ll need to find new solutions for tomorrow’s problems.”

In the current national climate of economic instability, Dr. Hart anticipates that the organization may have to adapt to changing economic realities, especially at the medical entities within LLUAHSC. “It is clear that this will be a challenging year,” he asserts, “as the federal government seeks to cut both Medicare and Medicaid.” However, he underscores the positive when he adds that, “Steps are underway to rectify some of the budget shortfalls of the first three months of this year. I am cautiously hopeful that they will be sufficient to get us back on budget.” But since recent forecasts suggest stormy economic weather, he adds a reassuring note of caution. “We are a family,” he says, “and there are times when parts of this family tighten their belts to assist the others.”

Dr. Hart delineates his philosophy of leadership by sharing that he functions best “in a context of collaborative colleagues who are able and willing to challenge ideas and move forward together. Most decisions can be made in a collaborative fashion together, although there are times when difficult calls must be made.”

He expands the idea of collaboration with the observation that, “We have close relationships within the executive leadership council. We are exploring ways to help the entire complex feel like a working unit.”

What does he perceive to be the biggest contribution LLUAHSC will make to the world in the coming decade? “I probably want to divide that question in two,” he responds. “First, we need to move effectively to respond to the needs of the Inland Empire and truly provide readily accessible health care and educational opportunities for our local communities.” The need for locally based health care is very dear to Dr. Hart’s heart: During his tenure as dean of the School of Public Health and chancellor and CEO of LLU, Dr. Hart—who is a long-term resident of the region—was instrumental in establishing a number of community outreach health ministries such as the SACHS Norton Clinic in San Bernardino. 

But if anything, he is even more passionate about the need for health care and medical education throughout the developing countries of the world. As an inveterate world traveler and man on a perpetual global mission, Dr. Hart is constantly ready to talk about world needs. “We carry a global responsibility,” he asserts. “With the completion of the Centennial Complex, we can push out classes and consultation to Adventist colleges and universities around the world. We already provide support to 24 Adventist hospitals through Adventist Health International; we need to develop similar relationships with other Adventist colleges and universities.”

At this point in the interview, Dr. Hart yawns and confesses that he is tired. It’s approximately 4:30 in the afternoon and he notes that he got into Ontario Airport at 11:30 the previous night. He had been representing LLUAHSC at the annual spring meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Ad­ventists. That observation naturally segues into a discussion of the emerging relationship between LLUAHSC and the Adventist Church. It is a subject he seems eager to address.

“I believe Loma Linda has developed an international reputation and credibility that needs to be used for the benefit of the Church,” he declares. “That should lead to expanded enthusiasm for the continuing education programs the Church offers for professionals, and consumer education for the public at large.” He goes on to clarify that he is speaking of “healthful living and all the issues the world looks to Loma Linda to provide expertise in.” He adds that recent conversations he has held with representatives of the Church’s rank and file membership have supported his conviction that the members are very glad to see the renewed emphasis on the spiritual mission of the health care arm of the Church. “They’re saying that Loma Linda is back,” he offers. “We’ve gotten back to our focus on global mission, and they see that as a very positive development.”

When probed for his thoughts on the current state of health care delivery, Dr. Hart responds with a vigorous affirmation of what he considers to be an intrinsic right. “I’m an old public health doctor,” he says. “I believe strongly in the right of access to health care for everyone. There are 46 million uninsured Americans. There are 6.6 billion people on earth, most of whom do not have access to health care. We have a unique responsibility as stewards of the resources we are given to try and reach out to the underserved groups.”

Many of the underserved groups he describes live in Muslim countries. Dr. Hart feels the Adventist health ministry is strategically positioned to reach out to the Islamic world. After mentioning that he and Dr. Behrens would leave the following weekend for Mauritania, Senegal, and Liberia, he outlined the reasons LLUAHSC is eager to extend a hand.

“There are incredible opportunities for the Adventist Church to speak to the Muslim world right now as well as to other faith communities of the world,” he states. “We are in a unique position because of our conservative lifestyle, faith commitment, and health care expertise. We’ve spent the last decade or two trying to define ourselves as Christians, but we should be defining ourselves as Adventists. We need to be bold and brave in stating our uniqueness and understanding. Islam associates Christians too much with fast food, pop culture, and immoral entertainment; they like our practice better.”

At the conclusion of the interview, Dr. Hart addressed a couple of personal questions. Not surprisingly, they bear a strong relationship to his views on the future of LLUAHSC. He starts out by describing his philosophy of life.

“I’m basically an optimist,” he shares. “I believe it’s important to be clear about what you want to do and then work hard to achieve it.” He transitions effortlessly from his personal beliefs into an expression of how those values relate to the challenges facing Loma Linda. “I have great confidence that God’s hand is in this place. My challenge is to figure out what He wants, rather than just going forward with what I want to do. Loma Linda is amazingly blessed with a community of committed lives. Few places have that to this degree.”

And although he does not draw a straight line between what he likes to do in his spare time and its application to his roles at LLUAHSC, the connection can easily be made by inference.

“I’m a farmer by nature,” he replies. “I enjoy being outdoors. We live on seven acres in Oak Glen with Christmas trees, 50 different varieties of fruit trees, a garden, some llamas, and dogs. I’m always about three months behind in my ranch work. I think best when I’m in the garden, hiking, or sitting on an airplane at 35,000 feet.”

It takes no stretch of the imagination to conclude that the favorite subject of his thinking and contemplation is the remarkable mix of challenges and opportunities Loma Linda faces at this crucial juncture—nor to imagine a certain farmer plowing, planting, nurturing, and bringing to harvest a rich crop of the finest bounty LLUAHSC has ever offered for the benefit of the world.

The sun is still shining; Dr. Hart is ardently cultivating his field.

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/news/newsstory.html?id=1505 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT Loma Linda University School of Nursing celebrated the final session of its successful Thailand cohort of the international master’s program with a recognition ceremony, held February 4.

The recognition ceremony was held in the campus church at Mission College, Thailand, which has also served as the host for the LLUSN master’s degree program. This served as the final program for the 22 nurses from 12 different countries.

Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, chancellor of Loma Linda University, gave the address and shook the hand of each nurse that was recognized. Also present was Marilyn Herrmann, PhD, RN, dean of the School of Nursing, who congratulated each nurse upon recognition.

The off-campus master’s degree program is one of two that the School of Nursing has running concurrently—one in Thailand and one in South Africa. Both programs have been a project of the School of Nursing for a number of years.

Six years ago, Helen King, PhD, RN, former dean of the School of Nursing; Lois Van Cleve, PhD, RN, FAAN, former associate dean of the graduate program, School of Nursing; and Patricia Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN, director of the office of international nursing, School of Nursing, developed a program that the School could take out across the world.

“For a number of years, we have had single individuals who want to come to Loma Linda and get their master’s degree in nursing, and we have occasionally been able to sponsor some,” says Elizabeth Bossert, DNS, RN, associate dean of the graduate program, LLU School of Nursing. “However, the requests were becoming more and more frequent, and it was becoming evident that around the world there were nurses who needed an option for a master’s degree that didn’t include holding classes on Sabbath.

“Many of these individuals are being asked by their governments to upgrade to a master’s degree in nursing and they simply didn’t have a way to do it where they were located.”

The program was designed to occur over four years with four sessions of at least a month each at a distant location. Faculty taught two week sessions at a time to instruct the students.

“We came up with a creative way to bring the program to them,” says Dr. Bossert.

 Over the following months, the students could complete their coursework and send it via e-mail to the course instructors.

“Holding this program at Mission College was a key piece to our success,” says Dr. Jones. “They had the facilities, contacts, and central location that made this program possible.”

In addition to working at Loma Linda University, Dr. Jones is also associate director of the department of health ministries for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, with responsibility for nursing around the world.

 She has spent most of her career in Asia developing nursing schools and feels very connected to the issue of preparing nurses beyond a bachelor’s degree.

“The need for this program has existed for a long time,” Dr. Jones says.

“The impact of this program is so great, but perhaps the greatest satisfaction of all is seeing positive changes in the students. Education is empowerment. Seeing all of these graduates empowered for the future—there’s hardly any greater reward.”

According to Dr. Jones, one of the biggest hurdles that the program had in getting off of the ground was finances.

“The need for qualified faculty at many of our international institutions has always been present,” says Dr. Jones. “Finances are always an issue, but Loma Linda was presented with this need and it’s a need that we are uniquely qualified to fill.”

The Chan Shun Foundation, the Hilde family, Help International, the Nelson–Keller International Scholarship Fund, and other friends of the School of Nursing soon made it clear that they would support the program financially.

“The opportunity to be a part of this program over the last four years was very unique,” says Dr. Bossert. “To meet these students and be able to give them a chance to get a master’s in nursing from Loma Linda made everything that we did worthwhile.

“It will make such a difference for each of the students, and for their countries.”

Many of the nurses were from Adventist institutions overseas; however, a few nurses were chosen as representatives from their country’s government.

Lynn Lynn Thet, a nurse from Myanmar, took a competitive exam along with other nurses in her country. Based on her results, she was selected for the opportunity to attend the program.

“When I first arrived,” says Ms. Thet, “I found it scary. I didn’t know anyone, and everyone seemed so much bigger than me. But everyone here is so kind.”

During the recognition ceremony, it was obvious that the students felt a very deep connection to Loma Linda University. In fact, the class formed the first international chapter of the LLUSN alumni association.

“It means a lot to me to be a graduate of Loma Linda University School of Nursing because God made it possible for me to be a student here,” says Jyothi Christian, a nurse from India, who also served as the class president. “He didn’t bring me to Loma Linda, but He brought Loma Linda to me.”

During the recognition ceremony, the class presented Dr. Hart with a framed photo of each of them to add to the LLUSN alumni wall at West Hall.

“I’m very proud of being a graduate student of LLU,” says YuQin Pan, a nurse from China, “but I think that tomorrow, LLU will be very proud of us for being their students. We are going to do a lot to contribute to society, the patient, and to the people around us.”

Dr. Jones hopes that what was taught to each of these nurses is something that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

“Nursing is all about making a difference in another human being—in their health, their well-being, their empowerment,” says Dr. Jones. “The privilege of being in that position is awesome, whether it be as a nurse with a patient, or as a teacher making a difference in a student’s life—not just for that day, but for the future.”

By Dustin R. Jones, MA http://www.llu.edu/llu/nursing/news/newsstory.html?id=1506 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT Loma Linda University School of Allied Health Professions will host its 12th annual Alumni Homecoming and Continuing Education Convention, beginning Thursday, April 17, 2008.

The continuing education portion will take place on Thursday and Friday, April 17 and 18, at LLU Drayson Center. The days’ schedules and details may be found at www.llu.edu/llu/sahp/alumni/homecoming.

On Friday, April 18, all-day admission is free to the LLU Drayson Center (until 4:30 p.m.) for SAHP Homecoming/CE registrants. To enter, present your SAHP Homecoming name tag given to you at registration. However, no children under the age of 14 may enter the facility.

 At 12:00 noon, a free lunch will be provided for all paying registrants of the CE courses as a gift from SAHP dean, Craig Jackson, JD.

 Those who register at LLU Drayson Center will be served lunch at that location, while those who register at Wong Kerlee International Conference Center or in front of Evans Hall will be served lunch on the lawn in front of the Loma Linda University Campus Chapel.

 At 7:00 p.m. on Friday evening, the SAHP worship and praise vespers will take place, featuring music by the RE:Live praise team and a message by David Taylor, PhD, LLU School of Religion.

A special presentation by physical therapy graduates Calvin and Cheryl Hartman, who are currently working in China with Adventist Frontier Missions, will follow.

 On Saturday, April 19, at 8:30 and 11:15 a.m. Loma Linda University Church services and 10:00 a.m. Sabbath School, the School of Allied Health Professions will be featured. The Sabbath School program will honor the 100th anniversary of nutrition and dietetics at Loma Linda University.

At 1:00 p.m., the annual Potluck on the Hill will be held. Join the School for food and fellowship following church on the lawn outside of the historical cottages by Nichol Hall.

 At 3:00 p.m., take a tour of the Centennial Complex with the SAHP office of philanthropy and Dr. Jackson.

At 7:00 p.m., the 12th annual Alumni Recognition Banquet will take place at Wong Kerlee International Conference Center. The evening will highlight the best of the School for the past, present, and future while honoring distinguished alumni and current student leaders.

For more information regarding the SAHP Homecoming events, call Jaclyn Pruehs at (909) 558-7840, or go online at www.llu.edu/llu/sahp/alumni/homecoming.

By Larry Kidder, MA http://www.llu.edu/llu/sahp/newsstory.html?id=1507 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT “If you’re going to get old,” wrote British comedic philosopher P.G. Wodehouse, “you might as well get as old as you can get!”

That’s an excellent philosophy so far as it goes, but Loma Linda University has an octogenarian philosopher who thinks it doesn’t go nearly far enough.

“I don’t consider age an excuse for not doing anything you really want to do.”

Those words—coming from an 80-year old world traveler and adventurer of the highest order—exemplify a philosophy of aging not frequently heard in a culture that all too often relegates its elders to bingo parlors and nursing homes.

What we’re trying to say here is that P. William “Bill” Dysinger, MD, MPH, is a man of action. What we’re really trying to say—and you will please forgive us for not just cutting to the chase and blurting this out much sooner—is simply this:

Dr. Dysinger fell out of the sky the other day!

Don’t send flowers; Dr. Dysinger is just fine. And he didn’t fall by accident; he jumped out of a moving airplane—on his own volition, no less!

Here’s how the story shakes down: Following a very active career in both medicine and public health, Dr. Dysinger decided to retire in June of 1992 from his position as senior health advisor for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). It wasn’t that he was tired of traveling the globe; he just wanted to spend more quality time with his grandkids in Tennessee.

But a guy like Dr. Dysinger can’t just sit on his laurels, so he undertook a new slate of responsibilities and challenges related to his positions as associate dean emeritus for the LLU School of Public Health and professor emeritus for the School of Medicine.   

Now don’t be fooled by that word “emeritus.” The title is often bestowed upon a formerly active professional when he retires to a life of “I Love Lucy” reruns and visits to the gerontology clinic. Dr. Dysinger would have none of that.

What he will have is a heaping helping of doing the things he’s always wanted to do.

That list includes lecturing all over the world on a variety of public health topics, chronicling the history of the Seventh-day Adventist health care ministry, leading a bi-coastal existence that jets him back and forth between the office at Loma Linda and the house in Tennessee, planning an upcoming cruise to Alaska with his wife Yvonne, and giving his 14 grandkids and one great-grandson a run for their money.

But there’s more. “I want to go skydiving again,” he confides. “I also want to write a couple more books, and maybe buy a motorcycle.” The next thing he says might come under the heading of that’s pretty obvious: “I believe life is an adventure!”

So how does a guy like Dr. Dysinger relax? By giving his inner teenager free reign to do something wild and daring. On December 30, 2007, a full seven months after his 80th birthday, Dr. Dysinger joined his son-in-law, Craig Edwards, for a walk in the clouds.

“Craig wanted to go skydiving,” Dr. Dysinger says, “and I decided to do it with him. So we did our first jump on the same day from the same airplane.”

Was skydiving something he’d wanted to do for a long time? “Oh, yes, yes,” he insists. “I started thinking about jumping out of a plane when I was young. I started flight training when I was 18. I was 19 when I got my pilot’s license.”

Besides being peripatetic—a word that can mean, among other things, a person who doesn’t like to sit still very long—Dr. Dysinger can also be very persuasive. Witness, for example, the eloquent oratorical method he employed at the age of 18 to persuade a set of reluctant parents to pay for flying lessons.

“I said I wanted them to either buy me a motorcycle,” he remembers, “or pay the bill for me to learn to fly.” His parents—who apparently realized that planes don’t fall out of the sky so often as motorcycles crash to the ground—sent their son packing to flight school.

They wouldn’t let him pack a chute, however. Which might explain why now, at the age of 80, Dr. Dysinger felt he still had some unfinished business to do that involved jumping into thin air.

Dr. Dysinger preaches what he practices. “Life was meant to be an adventure!” he declares. “I tell people my age to get out there and live it up! I don’t consider age an excuse for not doing anything you really want to do.”

To say that Dr. Dysinger has already accomplished a lot in his first 80 years might be putting it mildly. After graduating from the LLU School of Medicine in 1955, the young doctor went to Harvard and collected a master of public health degree in 1962.

Following that, he embarked on a globe-spanning career that included stints as the country director for ADRA in Yemen—where he secured several million dollars worth of public health grants to help women in that impoverished nation improve their lives, and to prevent childhood deaths—and a host of other special projects for ADRA and Loma Linda University in places like Mongolia, Nepal, Cambodia, and some 60 other countries of the world.

Perhaps it’s safe to say that when he’s not jumping out of airplanes, Dr. Dysinger is probably touching down on the tarmac at some airport or another somewhere in the world as an international man on a perpetual mission.

Just what that mission is—other than “go everywhere, do everything”—becomes a little bit clearer when you read his published materials. In a flier designed to promote Health to the People, a book Dr. Dysinger wrote with the help of Dorothy Minchin-Comm, he extols the virtues of exercise, drinking water, and eating the staples of a healthy vegetarian diet—nuts, fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. But is the Adventist health message the sole motivation that drives this dynamo of a man to push himself to excel?

To find out, we asked a couple people who ought to know: Dr. Dysinger’s son, Wayne Dysinger, MD, and daughter, Janelle Edwards. Wayne works as chair of the department of preventive medicine at the LLU School of Medicine and as a physician at the University’s Center for Health Promotion. Janelle, on the other hand, basically never stops working as the mother of “Mom’s six little bears,” as she calls her six children. One of them is Savannah Edwards, the remarkable 11-year old who has now raised more than $4,000 to benefit childhood cancer victims at LLU Children’s Hospital.

Both Wayne and Janelle underscored the extraordinary passion their father has for serving others. Wayne relates that drive to Dr. Dysinger’s interest in skydiving. “I think the way it fits in with skydiving,” Wayne conjectures, “is that he’s always been interested in exploring and finding creative ways to get through life.” 

Wayne concedes, however, that the sources of Dr. Dysinger’s inner drive are somewhat of a mystery. “I don’t really know what motivates him. He’s driven to solve the root problems, and he’s not afraid to do whatever it takes to get to those core issues.”

Janelle says that her father shuns attention. “He’s lived his life in service for others.

He’s not the type of person who likes to get a lot of recognition, but absolutely wherever I go with him, everybody knows him. Even overseas. He thinks it’s no big deal, but I say, ‘Dad, it is a big deal!’ He has no idea of the impact he has on others.”

Janelle concludes with the observation that “I really look up to my dad more than anyone else. He’s a great role model for my kids. Helping people is what’s in his heart.”

All of which leaves us with one final question for Dr. Dysinger. “If you had your life to live over, what would you do differently?”

“Well, I have thought about that and there are very few changes I would make,” he shares. “However, instead of majoring in science or my undergraduate degree, I’d major in something like history or one of the social sciences. I would still become a physician, but I think a history major would prepare me as well as my chemistry major for a medical career. I would just like to understand people in their cultures around the world better. I find it fascinating to become aware of the histories of different people and their culture groups. I’ve been a history buff from day one.”

In reviewing the history of the skydiving incident in last December, we learn that the dive was a combination birthday and Christmas present from daughter Janelle, son-in-law Craig and all six little bears. The first obstacle the Edwards’ family faced was in getting Yvonne to agree to it. She wasn’t too keen on letting her man fall out of the sky, “but once his cardiologist told Mom that it was O.K. for Dad to do this, she finally said yes,” Janelle remembers.

What Dr. Dysinger recalls is that he wasn’t sure quite what to expect. But after half an hour of ground school, and signing scores of liability waivers, he was ready to go. So he strapped on his tandem chute—“actually, it was a parasail,” he corrects—climbed aboard the plane and flew, with jumping instructor Jeff Mullens firmly attached at all times, to the dizzying height of 14,000 feet. After that, he literally leaped from the plane.

Was it a rush? “Actually,” he says, “it was a very calm descent to the ground. At no point did I ever experience the sensation of falling. But it was cold up there with the wind blowing in your face at 120 miles per hour. I was bareheaded. If I were to do it again, I’d wear something on my head.”

The photographs of his dive depict a free-falling Dr. Dysinger, skin rippling from the force of the wind, floating to earth beneath his instructor. “They make you take seven flights before you’re allowed to go by yourself,” he observes. “I think one more flight will be enough for me.”

He goes on to explain that he incurred repeated corrections from his instructor. “To maintain your equilibrium, you’re supposed to arch your back to hold your feet and head up and your arms out. But I kept looking down, so the instructor kept pulling my head up.

“We free-fell for 57 seconds before my instructor pulled the ripcord,” he continues. “I didn’t feel a strong jerk when he pulled it. All the parachutes today are parasails with wings. The photographer took a picture of me as the sails opened. It was all very gentle from then on.”

Once back on Terra Firma, Dr. Dysinger hugged Yvonne, shook hands all around, then headed down the road to play with his grandkids.

When you’re 80 years young and see life as a glorious adventure, not even the sky’s any kind of a limit.

By James Ponder http://www.llu.edu/llu/newsstory.html?id=1508 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT