Contents Summer 2014 D E P A R T M E N T S 1 4 5 44 46 47 48 62 62 64 F E A T U R E S Choices: Expanding Options for Pain Management in the Operating Room and Beyond The Department of Anesthesiology has been working to dramatically improve pain management and the patient experience, in and out of the operating room, and regional anesthesia techniques are playing a large role in those efforts. By Beth-Ann Kerber 6 Letter from the Dean Leadership Profiles: Vicente H. Gracias, MD Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH News Research News Letter from the Alumni Association President Alumni News Letters Class Notes Last Page State of the Arts: A Self-Guided Tour of Public Art at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Public art captures the eye and imagination. Glimpsed in passing or studied carefully, these artworks enhance both campuses, providing focal points and adding interest, color, and even humor in a variety of settings. By Kate O’Neill 12 World-Class Neurosurgery and Neurointerventional Surgery Team Offers Advanced Treatment of Brain Aneurysms The advent of new techniques is revolutionizing the way neurosurgeons treat brain aneurysms— and they're part of the patient-centric care at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. By Beth-Ann Kerber 22 Medicine That Brings the World Closer 27 MEDICINE A Publication for Alumni and Friends of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School S u m m e r 2 0 1 4 • V o l u m e 14 , N u m b e r 2 Interim Dean Vicente H. Gracias, MD Executive Editor Patricia M. Hansen, MA Director, Communications and Public Affairs Editor Roberta Ribner Writers Beth-Ann Kerber Kate O’Neill Lynda Rudolph Copy Editor Richard Slovak Art Director Barbara Walsh Alumni Association Officers: President Andrew Stefaniwsky, MD ’77 Vice President/ President-Elect Sonia Garcia Laumbach, MD ’99 Treasurer Hank Lubin, MD ’83 Secretary Thomas McPartland, MD ’01 Chair, Membership Committee Geza Kiss, MD ’95 RobertWoodJohnson Professors and students practice clinical skills and embark on research around the world and; in the process, they learn about medicine and themselves. By Lynda Rudolph Jeffrey Brenner, MD ’95, Receives MacArthur “Genius Award” Dr. Brenner’s “Genius Award” recognizes his leadership in founding, shaping, and directing the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, and it supports the coalition as a new model of health care delivery. By Kate O’Neill 36 Exploring the Far Reaches of the Brain from the Bench to the Bedside Parkinson’s disease research has a champion in Dr. M. Maral Mouradian, who is leading a research effort focused around the protein alpha-synuclein. By Lynda Rudolph 41 Alumni Profiles: A CD from a Notable MD Can a world-class surgeon become a world-famous musician? F. Charles Brunicardi, MD ’80, is on his way with a new CD of songs. By Lynda Rudolph 50 Christina T. Mora Mangano, MD '79: Blazing Trails, Fostering a Passion for Research Fellowship-trained cardiovascular anesthesiologist Dr. Mora Mangano takes her role of ultimate patient advocate seriously, with clinical efforts and research focused on long-term patient outcomes. By Beth-Ann Kerber 52 Cover Art Composite Digital Illustration by Barbara Walsh; Featuring One in the “Suite of Six Lithographs (after Untitled 1975),” series by Jasper Johns; Lithograph Photo by John Emerson Editorial and Advertising Office Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Roberta Ribner, Editor, Robert Wood Johnson Medicine 335 George Street • Suite 2300 • New Brunswick, NJ 08903 Tel: 732-235-6310 • Fax: 732-235-9570 Email: ribnerrs@rwjms.rutgers.edu Class of 1974 Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary Five members of the medical school’s first four-year class describe their careers and reminisce about the medical school’s early years: close faculty-student relationships, strong mentorship, and the collegiality of classmates. By Kate O’Neill 54 Janice Mehnert, MD ’01 This Rutgers and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School alumna has dedicated her practice to patients with soft-tissue and skin cancers. By Lynda Rudolph 60 Robert Wood Johnson I MEDICINE 3