Student Updates

Two Faculty Recognized with Spencer N. Frankl Award for Excellence in Teaching

Drs. Monica Ann Pessina from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Hesham M. Nouh from the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) received the Spencer N. Frankl Award for Excellence in Teaching.  They were honored at 2018 GSDM Commencement Convocation on Friday, May 18.

Dr. Pessina received her Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Boston University’s Sargent College in 1990.  Her clinical work as an occupational therapist at Massachusetts General Hospital and as the Director of Rehabilitation at Shriners Hospital for Children resulted a deep interest in the anatomical sciences.  In addition, these teaching hospitals inspired her to pursue teaching and academic research.

After completing a Master’s Degree in Education from Northeastern University, Dr. Pessina earned a PhD in Anatomy & Neurobiology from BUSM in 2005 and soon joined the faculty of the BUSM Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology.  Dr. Pessina holds the rank of Assistant Professor and teaches numerous courses for medical and graduate students where she consistently receives excellent feedback for her teaching skills and compassion for her students.  She also serves as a mentor in the department’s Vesalius program which trains students to be educators in the Anatomical Sciences.  Dr. Pessina participates in ongoing research investigating the recovery of motor function after cortical injury and has numerous research articles to her credit.  As a continuation of her clinical work, Dr. Pessina has travelled to China and Taiwan to advocate for burn survivors and educate health care professionals in the best practices in burn rehabilitation.

Dr. Pessina began teaching at GSDM in 2005 and truly enjoys her collaborations with the GSDM faculty, staff and students.  At GSDM, Dr. Pessina teaches Histology in the Anatomical Sciences I course and serves as the Course Director for Anatomical Sciences II, Gross Anatomy, both DMD I courses.  In recognition of her excellence in teaching, in 2015, Dr. Pessina received the GSDM Proctor and Gamble Outstanding Faculty Award for Basic Sciences. In addition, she has presented with colleagues at the Annual Session of the American Dental Education Association and she serves on several committees at BUSM and GSDM including Chair, BUSM Department of Anatomy Vesalius Mentored Practicum Committee; GSDM Promotions Committee; GSDM Committee of Directors of the Biomedical Sciences; and GSDM Advisory Search Committee for a Chair, Department of General Dentistry.  She is also a member of the American Association of Anatomists and the American Dental Education Association.

Dr. Pessina is known to her students for her engaging style, organization and genuine excitement about the topics she teaches. She reinforces the clinical relevance of the Anatomical Sciences by incorporating current events and unique cases from dental and anatomical literature into her lectures.  In order to appeal to a variety of learning styles, she also uses hands-on activities like making clay models in class or having students transform their classroom into a larger than life replica of the region they are studying. Every day, she is grateful to the mentors that have guided her, her teaching team that brings out her best, and the students who continue to inspire and educate her.

Dr. Hesham M. Nouh received his dental education at the October 6 University, Egypt, earning a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) in 2006. From 2006-2007, he was a General Dentistry Resident at October 6 University Hospital where upon completion, he practiced General Dentistry at the El Nada Clinics, Giza Egypt and served as a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Restorative Dentistry at MSA University, Egypt.  In 2009, Dr. Nouh settled in the United States where he completed a Doctor of Science (DSc) in Oral Biology at GDSM, completing his degree in 2012. Dr. Nouh finished his education at GSDM in 2015, when he earned his Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Prosthodontics and a Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD) in Biomaterials.

Upon completing his CAGS and MSD, Dr. Nouh was appointed Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry at the School in 2015. In this position he served as Director for multiple predoctoral courses taught to DMD and DMD AS students, such as Occlusion, Fixed Prosthodontics and as Supervisor for Restorative Faculty in the Department of General Dentistry.  He also continues to teach Prosthodontic/Restorative Dentistry to DMD III and DMD IV students in the Predoctoral Patient Treatment Center.

In 2016, Dr. Nouh was appointed Director of Predoctoral Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry at GSDM. In this role, he serves as the Course Director for three different courses, as well as the supervisor for restorative faculty in the Department of General Dentistry. In conjunction with Dr. Neal Fleisher, Dr. Nouh  developed and Co-directs the pre-clinical digital implantology course now required of all DMD II and DMD AS I students; the first of its kind in the country. Throughout his time at GSDM, Dr. Nouh has demonstrated a true dedication to shaping the future of dentistry by challenging conventional wisdom in the dental field using new techniques and technologies; and providing an environment where greatness can happen for both students and faculty.

Dr. Nouh is deeply invested in the future of GSDM, which is evident in his commitments outside of the classroom. He is a member of the DMD III / DMD AS I Student Promotions Committee; the Digital Dentistry Committee; the Applied Strategic Planning Committee; and the Clinical Working Group, Design and Development Committee for the GSDM Addition & Renovation Construction project. He is also the Co-Chair of the Quality Committee, the Materials Committee, and the Implant Committee; and the Chair of Quality Control. Dr. Nouh is also an Alternate GSDM member on the BU Faculty Council, and a member of the Curriculum Management Task Force, Instrument Committee and Student Government Committee, as well as the Faculty Advisor for both the Muslim Student Association and the Student National Dental Association.

Throughout his career, Dr. Nouh has received many recognitions including induction into the International College of Dentists in October 2017. He has also been honored within GSDM; as Clinical Instructor of the Year in 2016 and 2017 by the DMD Classes of 2016 and 2017 and as Clinical Instructor of the Year in 2016 by the DMD AS Class of 2016; and for the Best Faculty Abstract at the 2016 BUMC Dr. John McCahan Education Day.

Dr. Nouh is an active member of the larger dental community, serving as Secretary of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Board of Prosthodontics. He also holds membership in the International College of Dentists, the American Dental Association, the Massachusetts Dental Society, the American College of Prosthodontists, and the American Dental Education Association.  He also serves as a Reviewer for the American College of Prosthodontists Journal of Prosthodontics.

BUMC Volunteers at Global Days of Service

For the past nine years, staff, faculty, students and alumni have participated in Boston University’s annual Global Days of Service, a month long event sponsored by the BU Alumni association and the BU Community Service Center.

This year, BU students, alumni and employees of the Office of Financial and Grants Administration and the Office of Proposal Development volunteered at:

• Pine Street Inn, the largest resource for homeless men and women in New England
• A Room to Grow, a resource that serves families from just before their child’s birth through age three with individualized parenting education and support, high-quality material items, and specialized referrals to vital community resources to ensure a healthy and secure start in life.

BUMC Honors Tom Moore, MD

On Monday, April 23, faculty, staff, students, family and friends gathered to honor Tom Moore, MD, for his 17 years of service to Boston University.

Dr. Moore will be stepping down from his roles as BUMC Associate Provost and Executive Director of the Office of Human Research on July 1, but will continue to work on important projects, including serving as chair of the Task Force for LCME reaccreditation

The two-part recognition event held in Hiebert Lounge began with a presentation, “A DASH Diet Revival (and Other Implications of the New Blood Pressure Guidelines)” with Aram Chobanian, MD, BU President Emeritus, BUMC Provost Emeritus, and BUSM Dean Emeritus, and Larry Appel, MD, MPH, Appel, Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Appel was a collaborator with Dr. Moore in the development of the DASH diet. In his lecture, he highlighted the importance of the eating patterns that have been shown to lower blood pressure.

Following the discussion, friends, family and colleagues shared stories, highlighting humorous and memorable moments involving Dr. Moore.

BUMC Provost and BUSM Dean Karen Antman, MD, thanked Dr. Moore for his work. “We appreciate your candor, your level-headed leadership, and your very real statesman-like skills for negotiating differences.”

Gordon Williams, MD, a professor of Medicine and Endocrinology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, shared fond memories of time spent at the Brigham together.

Dr. Chobanian recalled, “He never said ‘no.’ He was always willing to work for the total good of the institution.”

Dr. Moore’s children also shared remarks. Son Ryan Moore said, “I have to come to seek his advice so regularly that it has become second nature to me, whether it be advice on mortgages or grilling steak … I probably should have said asparagus or something!” Daughter Meghan Murphy, who helped create an online program (with other BU colleagues) to teach the DASH diet, explained how she developed an entirely new relationship with her father as a social peer. “I’m very lucky to love my job while working with someone I love.”

Dr. Moore humbly wrapped up the ceremony. “There wouldn’t be nearly enough time to thank all the people I want to. I am blessed and grateful for the wonderful career I’ve had at BU.”

View photos from the event on Facebook.

SPH Hosts Climate Change Symposium

Policymakers, journalists discuss cities, the media, and climate solutions

The signs are grim, and grimly familiar: 2016 was the hottest year on record since 1880, future warming is inevitable, and by the end of the century, Boston may see entire summers with daytime temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Extreme rainfall is forcing migration worldwide. West Nile virus is increasing in Los Angeles county. And 2017 saw the worst wildfires in California history.

Despite this dire litany, when former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy addressed the students, academics, communicators, and policymakers gathered at the School of Public Health last Friday, she delivered a forceful and unexpected message: “Stop looking so mopey! Nobody follows a mope,” she said. “This is a time of change, and every time of change means there are massive opportunities. I am grabbing them and you can too.”

McCarthy was the keynote speaker at a daylong SPH symposium called Changing the Climate: How Public Health, Cities, and the Media Can Advance Climate Solutions. The school convened the symposium, which was cohosted with the Pulitzer Center, to bring together thought leaders from public health, government, and journalism to share solutions to the global climate challenge, and to discuss ways to bring greater attention to the issue. Other collaborators were the BU Initiative on Cities, Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health Innovate@BU, and Sustainability@BU.

McCarthy’s surprisingly optimistic message noted that changes needed to address climate change will create jobs, add stability to the world, and reduce “traditional” air pollution. “This is not a struggle or a trade-off, this is how you save the planet and our kids,” she said. “We can make the world healthier and more prosperous as we move away from fossil fuels.”

And, she added, “We can use climate change as momentum to get the investment in public health that we’ve been bitching and moaning about since day one.”

Other speakers also voiced optimism, some of them focusing on the critical role of states and cities in the absence of federal or global leadership. Several speakers noted that cities have moved to the forefront on climate change action, for several reasons: most of the world is now urban, cities are responsible for a disproportionate share of carbon emissions, city dwellers are vulnerable to climate extremes, and city governments tend to be less politicized than their federal counterparts.

“Mayors by nature are practical because we’re responsible for real things that affect people’s everyday lives,” said David Miller, former mayor of Toronto. “I’m an optimist on climate. Not only do we know where the emissions are, we know what to do about them.”

“This is not a struggle or a trade-off, this is how you save the planet and our kids,” she said. “We can make the world healthier and more prosperous as we move away from fossil fuels.”—Gina McCarthy

 

Miller said that most cities’ emissions come from four sources: the electric grid, the heating and cooling of buildings, transportation, and waste management. “If we can control these things, we can mitigate climate change and also make cities better places to live,” he said, noting that heating and cooling aging buildings accounts for 70 percent of Boston’s emissions, and 60 percent of Toronto’s. “How we heat and cool old buildings is going to decide whether most cities are able to meet their carbon reduction goals.”

Austin Blackmon, Boston’s chief of environment, energy, and open space, focused on the city’s plans to cope with rising sea levels. “Four hundred years ago, 30 percent of Boston was under water,” said Blackmon. “Over the past 100 years, we have already seen about 10 inches of sea level rise.”

He described how Imagine Boston 2030, Boston’s first citywide plan in more than 50 years, took environmental justice into account. For instance, adding greenspace to East Boston that doubles as floodplain would increase the neighborhood’s resilience against sea level rise, while also adding outdoor space that would contribute to community health.

Speakers and panelists also discussed the best ways to communicate information about climate change to the public, arguing that public health—caring for children, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups—may offer common ground and shared values. Speakers also noted the importance of reaching the public by focusing on people, stories, local issues, and solutions. “People who accept the science and want to act feel kind of paralyzed,” said Miller.

Hannah Fairfield, New York Times climate editor, described a recent Times series about cities and climate change, which was written by the paper’s chief architecture critic. Fairfield was surprised by readers’ response to the series, which heavily favored a story about Rotterdam, a city that she described as “half underwater” and looking for solutions. “Now the city is making money by exporting their solutions,” she said, and readers responded to the positive message.

Fairfield added that it’s important to talk about what individuals can do. “So many of the solutions we see are big solutions. They are policy solutions,” she said, noting that purchasing better consumer electronics—more energy-efficient air conditioners, for instance—is one way that individual people can make a difference. “Not many of us are lucky enough to be policymakers,” she said. “But we are all consumers.”

This BU Today article was written by Barbara Moran.

BUMC Hosts Annual Health Equity Symposium

In Baltimore’s Upton/Druid Heights neighborhood, half of the families have single parents, a third of the boys have a criminal record by age 17, and the median household income in 2010 was $17,000. The life expectancy is 63.

In Baltimore’s Roland Park neighborhood, 93 percent of the families have two parents, juvenile arrests are rare, and the median household income is $90,000. The life expectancy is 83.

Michael Marmot, a University College London professor of epidemiology and director of its Institute of Health Equity, offered these stark statistics at the BU Medical Campus Annual Health Equity Symposium, held April 10. In his keynote address, Marmot, a world expert on health equity, described driving through the Upton/Druid Heights neighborhood and seeing red slashes marking houses for demolition. “Can you imagine what it’s like to live in a neighborhood where every second house is condemned?” he asked. “Why treat people and then send them back to the conditions that made them sick?”

Health disparities—any difference in health outcomes between populations­—are a tough nut to crack. They involve myriad factors that lie outside the traditional health-care system, such as housing, employment, racism, gun violence, immigration status, availability of food, and access to public transportation.

Hospitals, medical schools, and health-care providers are starting to tackle these disparities, from many different angles. The half-day symposium was part of that effort, said event co-organizer Jenny Siegel, MD, a BUSM assistant professor of medicine. The symposium gathered researchers from across the Medical Campus to network, find future collaborators, and learn about health equity efforts at BU and throughout the area.

“It’s a new time in health care,” said Thea James, a BUSM associate professor and Boston Medical Center associate chief medical officer and vice president of mission, speaking at the symposium. Health-care providers need to go beyond treating emergencies over and over, said James—“those are just downstream consequences of what happened upstream.” They need to help dismantle the barriers that keep patients from thriving and shift focus “from charity to equity.”

Speakers, panel discussions, and a poster session captured both the breadth of the issue and the many programs attempting to address it. Researchers presented posters on topics that included improving hospital experiences for patients with autism, how doctors can address immigrants’ legal needs, and disparities in prenatal screening. Third-year medical student Anita Knopov (BUSM’19) presented data on racial residential segregation and firearm homicides. Her study noted that black people make up 59 percent of firearm homicide victims, but only 14 percent of the US population, and her work correlated these homicide rates to areas with high racial segregation. She said she decided to research the topic after seeing a preponderance of patients with gunshot wounds or scars. “The term ‘health disparities’ is a huge umbrella,” she said, “but the first right to health should be a right to live.”

The health effects of violence also came up during a patient perspective panel, where BMC patient Sarah Zene related leaving a violent husband decades ago. “I never knew there was help for battered women until I went to my doctor and she told me about it,” said Zene. “I think if I didn’t ask for the help, I would be dead by now.”

Zene’s story offered some prescriptions for overcoming health disparities with a holistic array of treatments. After a doctor helped her escape a bad relationship, a violent neighborhood, and a drug addiction, she said, her health-care team at BMC turned to treating her diabetes and high blood pressure. The hospital staff tackled her health conditions not only with medication, but also with acupuncture and Zumba, and by providing her with fresh food and teaching her how to cook with fewer carbs. “My diabetes was out of control, and now it’s under control,” she said. “It’s what you eat!”

In his keynote address, Marmot said he was heartened by his visit to BU, and he noted a growing interest in the social determinants in health throughout the world. He said colleagues often complain that Americans aren’t interested in solving these problems, but he disagrees. “There is a great deal of activity in the United States, it’s just not at the federal and state government level. Seeing places like this is hugely encouraging.”

This BU Today story was written by Barbara Moran.