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Meet the 2009 MCV Alumni Association award recipients

MCVAA Outstanding Alumnus Award: Dr. Harry D. Bear (M.D.’75; Ph.D.’78). Bear has served since 1993 as chair of the Division of Surgical Oncology in the School of Medicine. He has been on faculty since 1984 and has been a productive scientist and program leader at the VCU Massey Cancer Center. Recently, Bear was selected to serve on the National Commission on Cancer of American College of Surgeons.

Hodges-Kay Service Award: Dr. George W. Burke III (M.D.’70). Burke is the immediate past president of the MCV Alumni Association and is a former president of the Richmond Academy of Medicine. Burke, who is in private practice with Pulmonary Associates of Richmond, Inc., served as chair of the School of Medicine’s Annual Fund and served on the search committees that hired Dean Jerome Strauss as well as Dr. Michael Rao, the new university president.

School of Allied Health Professions - Health Administration Outstanding Alumnus Award: Mr. Jeffrey A. Dorsey (M.H.A.'73). Dorsey is a past Chair for the Department of Health Administration's Alumni Executive Committee. He has referred countless applicants to the HAD programs from the Midwest, was chosen by the students as Preceptor of the Year and continues to represent and advocate for the Health Administration department in many ways. He continues to be a true friend to the department and exemplifies an ideal alumnus. Dorsey is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer for HCA Continental Division, HCA-HealthONE, LLC.

School of Dentistry Dr. Harry Lyons Outstanding Dental Alumnus Award: Dr. John Philips's (D.D.S. ‘69) vision and generosity were instrumental in the establishment of the centerpiece of the VCU School of Dentistry's research efforts, the Philips Institute, where faculty and students are involved in knowledge generation related to oral health and education. As the institute has developed and grown, Philips has continued sharing his leadership by serving on the Dean's Board of Advisors and is a founding member of the Medallion Society. His generosity to the school continued with the renovations of the Lyons Building Lobby, which houses donor boards where alumni support is prominently displayed.

School of Dentistry James H. Revere Outstanding Service Award: Dr. Carol Brooks (B.S.’75, D.D.S. ‘94) has had an exemplary career as both a dental hygienist and dental educator. Since joining the School of Dentistry's faculty in 1995, she has received numerous awards in recognition of her dedication to teaching and her demand for excellence. Brooks has been extremely integral in the development of the Virginia Dental Associations Mission of Mercy project. The Virginia program has provided a template for additional MOM programs throughout the nation. In addition, she is an active member in the regional, state and national dental societies.

School of Medicine Caravati Service Award: Dr. Michele A. Romano (M.D. ’84, H.S. ’87) began her career as an ICU nurse before attending medical school and completing her residency training at the Department of Family Medicine’s Fairfax location. She is currently vice rector of the VCU Board of Visitors and has also been called upon to serve on the VCU Health System Board of Directors. In addition, she has served on the Medical School Advisory Council, the School of Medicine’s National Campaign Council and on the Alumni Board of Directors for the MCVAA’s Medical Division. An assistant clinical professor in the medical school's Department of Family Practice since 1991, Romano is in private practice in family medicine in Northern Virginia. At Inova Fair Oaks Hospital in Fairfax, she served as chair of the Department of Family Practice for three years and on the Medical Executive Committee for six.

School of Medicine Outstanding Alumnus Award: Dr. James H. Meador-Woodruff (M.D. ’84) is the Heman E. Drummond professor and chair at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, having been named chair of UAB’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology in 2005. Before that, he was professor and vice chair of psychiatry at the University of Michigan and a research professor at the institution’s noted Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute. He is a national authority on schizophrenia. His investigations into the neurochemical circuitry and gene expression of schizophrenia have produced findings that are chronicled in more than 145 papers in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, he serves as a reviewer for numerous scientific journals and is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Neural Transmission, BMC Psychiatry and Schizophrenia Research. Last year, Meador-Woodruff was named the editor-in-chief of Neuropsychopharmacology.

School of Medicine Basic Health Science Outstanding Alumnus Award: Dr. Eugene Medlock (Ph.D.'81) has enjoyed an extremely successful career first as a basic scientist, involved in antibody development and clinical trials in the corporate setting, and then in a role in investment management. Medlock was instrumental in establishing more than a dozen similar antibody programs at Amgen, which have progressed to the investigational new drug stage of development. Upon his retirement from Amgen in 2002, Medlock used his biological innovation and creativity to influence the corporate world, serving as president and founder of Medlock Investments Management Inc., where he provides consulting services to the biotechnology arena, while also helping to found two unique business enterprises focusing on entertainment networks and golf equipment technology.

School of Nursing Outstanding Alumnus Award: In 1992, Dr. Cindy Munro completed her Ph.D. at the VCU School of Nursing then earning a post-master’s adult nurse practitioner certificate. Currently, Munro is a professor in the VCU School of Nursing Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems. An active researcher, Munro is currently studying the impact of oral care on the prevention of ventilator-acquired pneumonia in critically ill patients. She recently received a $1.78 million continuation grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research to further her work.

School of Nursing Outstanding Service Award: Mrs. Vivian H. Bagby (St. Philip Diploma ’60, B.S.N. ’82, MS (Gerontology) AHP ‘90) spent more than 10 years of her nursing career at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond. An active member of her community, she is the pastoral leader of the Health Ministry of the Metropolitan African American Baptist Church in Richmond. In addition, she’s an active member of the Greater Richmond Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, serving as chair of the African American Outreach Committee and a member of the Education and Public Information Committee.

School of Nursing Outstanding Nurse Practice Award: Ms. Christi H. Adams (B.S.N. ’88, M.S.N. ‘06) has worked for the VCU Medical Center for more than 20 years, currently working in the STICU as a nurse clinician. Committed to improving patient care, Adams led the STICU in drastically reducing nosocomial infections and piloted a study related to a ventilated-acquired pneumonia protocol.

School of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumnus Award: Dr. Jennifer H. Edwards (Pharm.D. ’99) is a clinical pharmacist for CJW Medical Center and a staff pharmacist for Walgreens in Richmond. Since graduating, she has worked to promote pharmacy and patient care on the local, state and national level. Having developed diabetes and immunization programs at Walgreens, she was named district diabetes representative. By governor’s appointment, she serves on the Virginia Board of Pharmacy and the board of the Virginia Department of Health Professions. She was the only appointed pharmacy member on the advisory board of the Prescription Monitoring Program in its infancy and is on the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy’s Committee on Law Enforcement/Legislation. In 2002, Virginia Pharmacists Association named Edwards the Pharmacists Mutual Distinguished Young Pharmacist of the Year.

School of Pharmacy Alumni Service Award: Mrs. Bronwyn McDaniels Burnham (B.S. ’89), a regional support pharmacist for CVS/pharmacy in Kilmarnock, is committed to representing the School of Pharmacy as well as the pharmacy profession. She is president of Virginia Pharmacists Association and vice-president of the Pharmacy Division of MCV Alumni Association. Community engagement has included organizing health fairs for the American Heart Association Heart Walk, doing diabetes community outreach for the Jewish Community Center and participating in flu clinics organized by CVS/pharmacy. Burnham also has served as president of the Richmond Pharmacists Association and as deputy director for Virginia Pharmacists Association’s Region F. She was project consultant for the VPhA Research and Education Foundation 2005 NCSPAE/Merck Grant Program to help pharmacy professionals prepare for and evaluate career opportunities.

Virginia Commonwealth University| Office of Alumni Relations
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Phone: (804) 828-3900 | E-mail: mcv-alum@vcu.edu

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