Wake Forest Baptist July Awards and Recognitions

July 28, 2016

Wake Forest Baptist Names First V.P. for Research Administration and Operations

 Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has appointed Christopher O’Byrne, M.S., vice president and associate dean for research administration and operations of Wake Forest School of Medicine.

In this newly created position, O’Byrne will be responsible for oversight of all research infrastructure programs and the Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Institute. O’Byrne will also serve as the primary point of contact on all center, departmental and service line research activities.

A faculty member since 2010, O’Byrne most recently served as assistant dean for biomedical research services. 

Wake Forest Baptist Professor Honored for Research

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2016 –Paul J. Laurienti, M.D., Ph.D., professor of radiology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has been awarded the 2016 Academy of Radiology Research Distinguished Investigator Award by the Academy of Radiology Research (ARR).

This national award honors researchers ranked within the top 10% of academic radiology departments. The award also recognizes researchers with sustained productivity and at least 25 peer-reviewed scientific research publications in which they are first author or senior author.

The ARR works to increase resources and opportunities for imaging research and promotion of the translation of that research to increase human health.

Three Wake Forest Baptist Faculty Members Receive Brooks Scholarships

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2016 – Three faculty members at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have been awarded 2017 Brooks Scholarships in Academic Medicine. 

Matthew C. Miles, M.D., M.Ed., assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine, is a third-year recipient; Joshua F. Nitsche, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of maternal-fetal medicine, is a second-year recipient; and Joseph A. Cristiano, M.D., assistant professor of general internal medicine, is a first-year recipient.

The scholarship program is designed to recognize early-career faculty members who demonstrate exceptional promise in teaching and to encourage the development of their scholarly talents. It was endowed by the late Jean Bailey Brooks, M.D., a Wake Forest School of Medicine alumna, and her late husband, James Taylor Brooks, M.D.

Wake Forest Baptist Physician Assistant Named President-Elect of Academy

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2016 – L.Gail Curtis, PA-C, associate professor and vice chair of physician assistant (PA) studies at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has been named president-elect of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA).

Curtis previously served as vice president and speaker of the organization’s House of Delegates.

AAPA is the national professional society for PAs. It advocates on behalf of the profession and patients that PAs serve.

Two Wake Forest Baptist Medical Students Named Schweitzer Fellows

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2016 – Vaidehi Mujumdar and Rachel Shenker, second-year medical students at Wake Forest School of Medicine,have been named 2016-17 Schweitzer Fellows by the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. 

Mujumdar and Shenker will join other graduate students from across the country in partnering with community-based organizations to develop and implement year-long mentored service projects that meet the health needs of underserved populations. Locally, Mujumdar and Shenker will lead a cancer prevention program for adolescents with an emphasis on initiating the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine series.

The Boston-based Albert Schweitzer Fellowship is dedicated to developing individuals who are committed to and skilled in meeting the health needs of underserved communities.

Media Relations

Eryn Johnson: eryjohns@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-8228

Joe McCloskey: jmcclosk@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-1273