Freischlag Named Chair-Elect of the Association of American Medical Colleges Board of Directors
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2023 – Julie Freischlag, M.D., chief academic officer and executive vice president of Advocate Health, chief executive officer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, and executive vice president for health affairs of Wake Forest University, was recently named chair-elect of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Board of Directors. Her one-year term as chair begins in November 2024. Freischlag will also serve on the 2023-2024 AAMC Board of Directors.
Freischlag is a past president of the American College of Surgeons, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2015 and was inducted into the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in 2021. She is also a practicing vascular surgeon specializing in the treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome.
The AAMC is a nonprofit association dedicated to improving the health of people everywhere through medical education, health care, medical research and community collaborations. Its members are all 157 U.S. medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education; 13 accredited Canadian medical schools; approximately 400 teaching hospitals and health systems, including Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and more than 70 academic societies.
Associate Professor Named Chair-Elect of Association of American Medical Colleges’ Steering Committee
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2023 – Roy Strowd, M.D., associate professor of neurology and interim vice dean for undergraduate medical education at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, was recently named chair-elect of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Southern Group on Educational Affairs (SGEA) steering committee.
Strowd will serve as chair-elect of the SGEA from 2023 until 2025 and will then serve as chair the following two years. The SGEA fosters excellence along the continuum of medical education – undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education and continuing medical education – by providing a forum for discussing the concerns of the medical education profession.
The AAMC is a nonprofit association dedicated to improving health through medical education, health care, medical research and community collaborations. Its members are all 157 U.S. medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and approximately 400 teaching hospitals and health systems.
Associate Professor Receives NIH HEAL Initiative Director’s Trailblazer Award
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2023 – Meredith Adams, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, was recently awarded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Helping to End Addition Long-term (HEAL) Director’s Trailblazer Award.
This award recognizes HEAL-funded researchers in the early to middle stages of their careers who are applying an innovative approach or creativity in their research or are expanding research into addressing the pain and opioid crisis in new directions.
The NIH is the nation's medical research agency and includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.
Professor Honored by American Academy of Dermatology
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2023 – William Huang, M.D., professor of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, was recently awarded the American Academy of Dermatology’s (AAD) Professionalism Award.
This award recognizes a medical professional or organization that has exemplified the highest standards of professionalism and medical ethics over their career. Huang was selected for his ongoing dedication to modeling and teaching professionalism to medical students, residents and professional colleagues.
The AAD was founded in 1938 and is the largest, and most representative, of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 20,500 physicians worldwide, the AAD is committed to advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical, and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails.
Associate Professor Recognized by European Association of Urology
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2023 – Alejandro Rodriguez, M.D., associate professor of urology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and director of minimally invasive surgery and program director of the urology residency program for the Department of Urology, recently received the Honorary Membership Award at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress held in Milan, Italy.
Honorary membership is awarded to urologists and other individuals who have had an important influence on European urology.
The EAU represents the leading authority within Europe on urological practice, research and education. Over 18,000 medical professionals have joined its ranks and contributed to its mission to raise the level of urological care throughout Europe and beyond.
Associate Professor Received Award from American Federation for Aging Research and Hevolution Foundation
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2023 – Miranda Orr, Ph.D., associate professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine was recently awarded the inaugural Hevolution/American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) New Investigator Awards in Aging Biology and Geroscience Research by AFAR and Hevolution Foundation (HF).
Orr, who was one of 18 researchers to receive these awards, will receive a three-year award of $375,000 to support her research projects in basic biology of aging or geroscience. Orr's project specifically focuses on understanding how the brain changes throughout life using state-of-the-art technologies that will generate information at an unprecedented level of detail. The goal of her work is to identify new therapeutic targets for healthy brain aging and determine at what age(s) in the lifespan therapies should be given to provide the greatest benefit for optimal brain health. She predicts that optimal brain health may require age-specific therapies that change as one grows older. This inaugural award supports talented early career investigators at research institutions around the world.
Recipients of the New Investigator Awards were selected through a rigorous, peer-review process. Applications were reviewed by established aging researchers who volunteer their time and expertise to select scientists and research projects that have the greatest likelihood of making significant contributions to help us stay healthier longer as we grow older.
AFAR is a national nonprofit organization that supports and advances pioneering biomedical research that is revolutionizing how we live healthier and longer. For more than four decades, AFAR has served as the field’s talent incubator, providing more than $193 million to nearly 4,350 investigators at premier research institutions to date.
HF’s mission is to drive efforts to extend healthy human lifespan and understand the processes of aging, with a focus on aging as a treatable process. HF aims to increase the number of aging-related treatments on the market, compress the timeline of drug development and increase accessibility to therapeutics that extend healthy lifespan.
Professor Recognized on Exceptional Women in Neurosurgery List
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2023 – Stacey Wolfe, M.D., professor of neurosurgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine was recently named to Becker’s Spine Review list of Exceptional Women in Neurosurgery.
Nominations for this recognition were from physicians’ peers and then each nominated physician was assessed on criteria such as qualifications, education, leadership appointments, outcomes data and more.
Becker’s Spine Review is a leading resource offering news and analysis on business and legal issues relating to spine practices.
President of Lexington Medical Center Receives Citizen of the Year Award from Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2023 – Bill James, MHA, president of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Lexington Medical Center, was recently awarded the 2022 Citizen of the Year Award at the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce (NC) Annual Meeting.
This award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to improving lives in the Lexington area community.
James was selected for his commitment to improving health care in the Lexington community. He was recognized for expanding and modernizing the hospital and its programs and for helping the medical center achieve national honors from the Leapfrog Group, including seven consecutive “A grades” for quality and safety, and being named a Top Teaching Hospital. He was also recognized for his leadership and community service, including the Davidson Medical Ministries Clinic and the North Carolina Healthcare Association.
James accepted the award on behalf of all the teammates at Lexington Medical Center who have worked diligently to keep their patients and community safe.
Professor Elected President of Association of Indian Neurologists in America
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2023 – Aarti Sarwal, M.D., professor of neurology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, was recently named president of the Association of Indian Neurologists in America (AINA).
Sarwal has been involved with the organization for over a decade and is only the second woman to be elected president.
AINA was set up to bring together neurologists of Indian origin for a common goal of promoting patient care, teaching and research. The organization, founded in 1995, also collaborates with the Indian Academy of Neurology to work on education and research initiatives focused on global health issues.
Professor Emeritus Received Award from Argo Biopharma
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 28, 2023 – Carlos Ferrario, M.D., professor emeritus of general surgery and founder of the Hypertension and Vascular Research Center at Wake Forest University School of Medicine was recently awarded a grant from Argo Biopharmaceuticals to perform research and study novel therapy for treating primary essential hypertension.
Ferrario will receive nearly $107,000 in funding to support his research as he will test the efficacy of silencing the expression of a gene that is the source for the synthesis of angiotensin II, a hormone that contributes to developing high blood pressure by constricting the blood vessels and stimulating the kidneys to retain salt. Ferrario’s project will generate the preclinical research to advance therapeutic documentation needed to market this approach for the treatment of cardiovascular and renal diseases.
Argo Biopharma is a developer of drugs using RNAi technology.
Media contact: Jenna Kurzyna, jkurzyna@wakehealth.edu