Abuhamad receives top
faculty award
June 5, 2008
NORFOLK, VA — EVMS celebrated the
achievements of four outstanding faculty at the 20th annual Dean’s
Faculty Achievement Awards ceremony June 4 at the Town Point Club in
Norfolk.
Alfred Abuhamad, M.D., chairman of
obstetrics and gynecology and associate dean for clinical affairs,
received the top award, the Dean's Outstanding Faculty Award. Also
honored were Gregory Briscoe, M.D., professor of psychiatry and
behavioral sciences and a staff psychiatrist at the Hampton Veteran's
Affairs Medical Center (Achievement by Community Faculty); Ann Campbell,
Ph.D., professor and vice chair of microbiology and molecular cell
biology (Achievement in Institutional Service); and Craig Goodmurphy,
Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology and anatomy (Achievement in
Teaching the Basic Sciences).
The Dean's Faculty Awards Committee is
composed of past recipients of the Dean's Faculty Awards. Each year's
recipients are selected from nominees put forward by fellow faculty. The
awards represent the highest level of recognition for EVMS faculty.
Dean Gerald Pepe, Ph.D., welcomed the
crowd of faculty, family and staff who turned out for the presentation
of the awards.
"The achievements of the winners
tonight reflect the achievements of Eastern Virginia Medical School and
all of its faculty and staff," said Dean Pepe, who thanked faculty for
their loyal support of the awards ceremony.
Frank Castora, Ph.D., associate
professor of physiological sciences and chair of the awards committee,
echoed those sentiments. "This is one of the best days of the year for
EVMS," Castora said. "It is a time to applaud the achievements of a
select few of the many excellent faculty here at EVMS, and it is a time
that the many can draw inspiration from the few to extend their own
level of exemplary achievement."
Outstanding Faculty Award
Alfred Z. Abuhamad, M.D.
Roles:
- Associate Dean, Clinical Affairs
- Mason C. Andrews Professor of
Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Chairman, Dept. of Obstetrics &
Gynecology
- Professor, Dept. of Radiology
- Director, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
- Director, Ultrasonography
Education:
- M.D., American University of Beirut
Medical School
- Intern, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Miami
School of Medicine
- Resident, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of
Miami School of Medicine
- Fellowship, Maternal-Fetal Medicine,
University of Miami School of Medicine
- Fellowship, Ultrasound and
Prenatal Diagnosis, Yale University School of Medicine
Others Say:
“In academic medicine it is difficult
to find an individual who excels in all three areas of teaching,
research and patient care; however, Dr. Abuhamad has accomplished this
with amazing commitment and vigor.”
The word “remarkable” is a common
refrain when peers of Alfred Z. Abuhamad, M.D., describe his career.
Since joining EVMS in 1992, he has
prepared countless classroom lectures; delivered more than 450
presentations to national and international societies; published 60
peer-reviewed research articles; authored or co-authored 21 book
chapters, including two entire texts; served as a reviewer for more
than a dozen scholarly journals; taken leadership roles at several medical
societies; and patented groundbreaking software to automate the process
of locating fetal heart defects. And in the midst of all that, Abuhamad
has infused one of EVMS’ most renowned departments with renewed vitality
and direction since being named department chairman and Mason C. Andrews
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2004.
His colleagues say that despite
Abuhamad’s busy schedule, he is committed to being a valuable mentor and
skilled teacher to his students, a strong administrator to his
department and a compassionate physician to his patients.
“When one looks at all of his
accomplishments and current commitments, it is natural to stop and ask:
‘Just how has he done all of this in such a short time and always with a
smile?” said one colleague. “What a remarkable man.” Another colleague
called him a "superstar academician."
In awarding him the school’s highest
faculty honor, Dean Gerald Pepe, Ph.D., said Abuhamad “carries the name
of EVMS locally, nationally and to the far corners of the world. He is
dedicated to the promotion of EVMS and enhancing the image of the
school. He epitomizes the spirit of this award.”
Achievement in Teaching in the
Basic Sciences
 Craig
Goodmurphy, Ph.D.
Roles:
- Assistant Professor, Pathology &
Anatomy
- Course Director, Gross Anatomy
- Director, Anatomy Lab
Education:
- M.Sc., Neuromuscular Anatomy,
University of British Columbia
- Ph.D., Clinical Anatomy & Education, St.
George’s University
Others Say:
“Aside from being a talented anatomist
and scholar — a feat in and of itself noteworthy — Dr. Goodmurphy has
proven himself to be both a superbly skilled educator and a voracious
advocate for improving the quality of education delivered to the
students of EVMS.”
It didn’t take long for Craig
Goodmurphy, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and anatomy, to make
a big impact on the medical school.
In just two years, he has
“revolutionized” the gross anatomy course that forms much of the
fundamental knowledge required of health-care practitioners. He led the
modernization of the anatomy lab to deepen its usefulness to the
incoming digital generation, and his teaching methods have proven
popular with students, including more than 100 who endorsed his award
nomination.
One of his EVMS peers said Goodmurphy
has been “the absolute essence of leadership in virtually all of the
subdivisions of the anatomical disciplines” and his enthusiasm draws in
even reticent students. A colleague at the school where Goodmurphy
taught before joining EVMS described him as “truly superhuman.”
“He is the kind of faculty a department
chair hopes to attract. He is brimming with ideas and the capacity to
implement them,” wrote Nancy Fishback, M.D., professor and chair of
pathology and anatomy.
Goodmurphy attributed his success to
the collaborative, supportive atmosphere fostered at EVMS and the eager
students who come here.
“I have the blessing of having a job
that I love at a place that I love with people that I love, and I can’t
ask for anything more than that,” he said.
Achievement in Institutional
Service
 Ann
E. Campbell, Ph.D.
Roles:
- Professor and Vice Chair, Microbiology
& Molecular Cell Biology
- Section Leader (M2), Virology
- Course Director (M2), Medical Microbiology and Immunology
- Course Director (graduate students), Animal Virology
Education:
- Ph.D., Microbiology, Virginia
Commonwealth University Medical College
- Fellowship, Microbiology,
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Others say:
“The part of Ann’s service that has
impacted me the most does not show up on any CV. It is her commitment to
mentorship of younger faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate
students.”
Ann Campbell, Ph.D., has carved out a
niche as a noted virologist, publishing dozens of articles and giving
numerous presentations on her research, but on top of that, her
colleagues see an unflagging commitment to the growth and well-being of
EVMS over the last 25 years.
Campbell, professor and vice chair of
microbiology and molecular cell biology, has served on 43 committees
that have guided the school through its adolescence and others in her
department rely on her as a mentor to new faculty and as a steady hand
in rocky times. After the passing last fall of Tim Bos, Ph.D., Campbell
took over all his lectures in medical microbiology, and she filled in as
interim department chair before the arrival of Edward M. Johnson, Ph.D.
Such contributions have not gone unnoticed during her tenure here.
Campbell has kept busy in the lab, too.
She has participated — often as lead investigator — in numerous externally
funded research projects, mostly into the common but sometimes
devastating cytomegalovirus, and she sits on the National Institutes of
Health’s virology study section. She previously earned Dean's Faculty
Awards in 1989 and 2001.
“I am honored to receive this award,
and consider it a privilege to have served this institution,” said
Campbell in a written statement. Campbell was attending an NIH study
section meeting and could not attend the EVMS ceremony. Neel Krishna,
Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and molecular cell biology,
accepted the award on her behalf.
“After 25 years, I have finally figured out that institutional service
is not about being on committees. It is all about being in a position
to promote the talents of others, and facilitate their rise to a level
where they can make a difference.”
Dean Gerald Pepe, Ph.D., said Campbell
shows “an extraordinary level of commitment to the institution” and
credited her leadership as an integral part of ensuring the continued
strength of the department.
Achievement by Community Faculty
 Gregory
Briscoe, M.D.
Roles:
- Professor, Clinical Psychiatry &
Behavioral Medicine
- Staff Psychiatrist, Hampton Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center
- Clerkship Director (M3), Dept. of Psychiatry
- Psychiatry Resident Supervisor
Education:
- M.D.,
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
- Residency, Psychiatry,
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
- Fellowship, Pathology,
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Others say:
“Dr. Briscoe provides a wonderful
example by his work in research, teaching and publications and is well
respected among his colleagues, residents and patients and is a most
worthy candidate.”
Department colleagues credit Gregory
Briscoe, M.D., professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral medicine,
with playing a crucial role in the evolution and success of the program
over the last 15 years.
A staff psychiatrist at the Hampton V.A.
Medical Center, Briscoe oversees the psychiatry clerkship there, and he
supervises the psychiatry residents training at the center. Others in
the department say “thoughtful guidance” and constructive criticism are
invaluable to the residents’ development and he has fostered a culture
of teaching at the V.A. Medical Center, emphasizing the necessity of
operation as a place of care and of learning. In 2004, the American
Psychiatric Association honored him for his contributions as an
educator.
Briscoe also has been an active
researcher and presenter. He has delved into topics such as the use of
educational technology and evaluation of psychiatry training, and for
clinical application he collaborated on the development of a nursing
withdrawal scale for alcohol detoxification.
“Greg is well respected and well
thought of by all his colleagues, and he can always be counted on when
any clinical need arises,” said one colleague.
Students and residents consistently
rated their experience with him as “excellent,” and Briscoe sits on
several EVMS committees, including the Student Progress, Joint
Curriculum and Psychiatry Resident Training committees.
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