Inspired - Summer 2012 - University of Chicago Medicine

The University of Chicago Medicine

A PUBLICATION FOR PHYSICIANSVOLUME 2 SUMMER 2012

Inspired approach totreating stage 4 head and neck

cancer without surgery

Kidney-pancreas transplantsexpand options for

patients with diabetes

Pediatric Focus Neuroblastoma team

o�ers world-classexpertise, latest therapies

A futurewithout seizures

New hope for children and adults

with severe, uncontrolled

epilepsy

INSPIRED_COVER_VOL2_FINAL_toCP.pdf 1 7/24/12 9:44 AM

This is an exciting time for the University of Chicago Medicine as we expand the horizons of health care and our own facilities.

In June, we opened the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Ill. The new outpatient diagnostic and treatment center brings University of Chicago Medicine cancer specialists and their advanced and investigational therapies into a community hospital setting. We will follow that expansion with another on our Hyde Park medical campus, where our new hospital opens in February. The 10-story, state-of-the-art facility combines the latest technologies with innovative architecture, an inspiring setting for our physicians as they provide complex care expertly and compassionately.

Throughout this edition of Inspired, the strength of that care is made clear, as are our advances in the treatment of hypertension, epilepsy, head and neck cancer, pediatric neuroblastoma, and other complex and specialty cases. We are truly proud of the expansion taking place in our programs and facilities, and we’re equally excited about our expanding relationships with physicians in our community as well as research colleagues worldwide. We look forward to building on those now and in the future.

DEAR COLLEAGUES,

The University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences has been at the forefront of medical care, research and teaching for more than 90 years. Located in historic Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago, the University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences includes:

Patient Care

Bernard A. Mitchell Hospital (adult)

Comer Children’s Hospital

Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine

Numerous outpatient locations throughout the Chicago area

Teaching Programs

Pritzker School of Medicine

Master’s and doctoral degree programs

Postdoctoral programs

Research

Medical and basic science units

Among our many honors and acknowledgements: 12 Nobel laureates; ranked 10th of all U.S. medical schools; one of only 41 National Cancer Institute- designated comprehensive cancer centers; ranked second in nation for National Institutes of Health grant support per researcher.

University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences Executive Leadership

Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD, Dean of the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Medicine, and executive vice president for Medical Affairs for the University of Chicago

Sharon O’Keefe, president of the University of Chicago Medical Center

Richard Baron, MD, dean for clinical practice and chair of the University of Chicago Medicine Department of Radiology

T. Conrad Gilliam, PhD, dean for research and graduate education, Biological Sciences Division

Holly J. Humphrey, MD, dean for medical education, Pritzker School of Medicine

Inspired is published quarterly by the University of Chicago Medicine.

Editors:Anna MadrzykGinny Lee-Herrmann Email us at: [email protected]

Design: Group Chicago

Contributing writers: Jamie Bartosch, Tanya Cochran, Megan Doherty, Elizabeth Gardner, Darcy Lewis, Gretchen Rubin, Anita Slomski and Matt Wood

Contributing photographers: David Christopher, Dianna Douglas, Dan Dry, Jean Lachat and Bruce Powell

Address:

The University of Chicago Medicine5841 S. Maryland Ave.Chicago, IL 60637

The University of Chicago MedicineComer Children’s Hospital5721 S. Maryland Ave.Chicago, IL 60637

Physician Referral Line: 1-800-824-2282

Appointments: 1-888-824-0200

Follow the University of Chicago Medicine on Twitter at twitter.com/UChicagoMed or visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/UChicagoMed. You can read more about our news and research at uchospitals.edu/news and at sciencelife.uchospitals.edu.

This publication does not provide medical advice or treatment suggestions. If you have medical problems or concerns, contact a physician who will determine your treatment. Do not delay seeking medical advice because of something you read here. For urgent needs, call 911 right away.

Read Inspired online at uchospitals.edu/inspired.

INSPIRED SUMMER 2012 The University of Chicago Medicine UCM Physician Connect: 1-800-824-2282 uchospitals.edu uchicagokidshospital.org INSPIRED 3

The University of Chicago Medicine aortic diseases program provides multispecialty, state-of-the-art care for patients with complex aortic problems.

“We feel we offer something very unique in the whole Midwest,” said vascular surgeon Ross Milner, MD, who co-directs the program with cardiac surgeon Mark Russo, MD, MSc.

�e team includes experts from several specialties — vascular and cardiac surgery, general and interventional radiology, anesthesia, imaging and nursing — working collaboratively to treat patients with aortic disease.

�e team offers leading-edge care, including minimally invasive and hybrid surgery, for aneurysms, dissections, congenital aortic diseases such as Marfan syndrome and other conditions.

In February, the University of Chicago Medicine was the first hospital in Chicago to perform a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) outside of a clinical trial setting. “�is nonsurgical treatment clearly has been shown to

provide improved survival and better quality of life for patients who are poor candidates for surgery and for whom no options previously existed,” Russo said.uchospitals.edu/specialties/aortic

Collaborative care for complex aortic disease The American Society of

Hypertension (ASH), the nation’s largest organization of hypertension specialists, has designated the University of Chicago Medicine as a Comprehen-sive Hypertension Center, the �rst in the country. This designation is the highest level of formal recognition for academic medical centers that demonstrate expertise in treating patients with complex hypertension and its comorbidities.

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Hypertension Center is directed by George Bakris, MD, a nephrologist and board-certi�ed ASH hypertension specialist. “The Comprehensive Hypertension Center designation distinguishes the University as a center of excellence for hypertensive diseases,” said Bakris, who also is the immediate past president of ASH.

The center o�ers individualized care through inpatient and outpatient consultation to patients who have hypertension in addition to other health conditions, including early kidney disease, diabetes and high risk for heart attack or stroke.

The center also is a national leader in hypertension research. Bakris is the national co-principal investigator of the Symplicity HTN-3 trial on refractory hypertension and principal investigator of the AMETHYST trial dealing with potassium management in people with kidney disease and hypertension. He is also on the steering committee of two other international kidney outcome trials.uchospitals.edu/specialties/endocrinology/hypertension.html

Hypertension center earns ‘comprehensive’ designation

The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital introduces a new, updated logo, strengthening its connection to the University and re-emphasizing its place as the center for children’s specialized health care in Chicago.

A Brand for the 'Forefront of Kids' Medicine'

Committed to care and compassion

Medical student Laura Blinkhorn pulls weeds outside a senior housing complex during the University of Chicago Medicine’s 10th annual Day of Service and Reflection in May. Blinkhorn, a fourth-year student at the Pritzker School of Medicine, was among more than 200 volunteers during the Urban Health Initiative event, which fosters ties between the medical center and its South Side neighbors. “As a medical student, it’s important to know the community, where our patients come from,” Blinkhorn said.

Sign up for a CME program at our new hospital. — Back cover

George Bakris, MD

Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD

Dean, Biological Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Medicine Executive vice president for Medical Affairs for the University of Chicago

2 young physicians chosen for prestigious Bucksbaum Institute fellowships on enhancing

the doctor-patient relationship

Cordero Rice, 1, hears for the first time. The toddler,

deaf since birth, was the recipient of the

University of Chicago Medicine’s 100th pediatric

cochlear implant surgery, performed by surgeon Dana L. Suskind, MD, left, and her team.

Monica Peek, MD, MPH, internal medicine

specialist and a fellow of the new Bucksbaum

Institute for Clinical Excellence, is studying

whether removing racial and cultural

obstacles in doctor-patient

interactions will reduce health

disparities among African Americans

with diabetes and other

chronic diseases.1,100 Average number of clinical trials

conducted at the University of Chicago Medicine each year

100th pediatric cochlear implant

surgery performed in spring 2012

By the Numbers

INSPIRED_VOL2_2_3.pdf 1 7/23/12 4:17 PM


In June, we opened the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Ill. The new outpatient diagnostic and treatment center brings University of Chicago Medicine cancer specialists and their advanced and investigational therapies into a community hospital setting. We will follow that expansion with another on our Hyde Park medical campus, where our new hospital opens in January. Like our cancer center, the 10-story, state-of-the-art facility combines the latest technologies with innovative architecture, an inspiring setting for our physicians as they provide complex care expertly and compassionately.


DEAR COLLEAGUES,


Patient Care





Teaching Programs




Research














Address:


























George Bakris, MD





















By the Numbers



In June, we opened the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Ill. The new outpatient diagnostic and treatment center brings University of Chicago Medicine cancer specialists and their advanced and investigational therapies into a community hospital setting. We will follow that expansion with another on our Hyde Park medical campus, where our new hospital opens in February. The 10-story, state-of-the-art facility combines the latest technologies with innovative architecture, an inspiring setting for our physicians as they provide complex care expertly and compassionately.


DEAR COLLEAGUES,


Patient Care





Teaching Programs




Research














Address:


























George Bakris, MD





















By the Numbers



In June, we opened the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Ill. The new outpatient diagnostic and treatment center brings University of Chicago Medicine cancer specialists and their advanced and investigational therapies into a community hospital setting. We will follow that expansion with another on our Hyde Park medical campus, where our new hospital opens in January. Like our cancer center, the 10-story, state-of-the-art facility combines the latest technologies with innovative architecture, an inspiring setting for our physicians as they provide complex care expertly and compassionately.


DEAR COLLEAGUES,


Patient Care





Teaching Programs




Research














Address:


























George Bakris, MD





















By the Numbers


The buzz on beehive extract An over-the-counter natural remedy derived from beehives arrests the growth of prostate cancer cells and tumors in mice, according to a new study. The active ingredient in honeybee hive propolis shuts down tumor cells’ system for detecting sources of nutrition, University of Chicago Medicine researchers found. “So it doesn’t kill the cancer, but it basically will

inde�nitely stop prostate cancer proliferation,” said genomics researcher Richard Baker Jones, PhD,

senior author of the study in Cancer Prevention Research. The innovative protein-onomics technique the team developed may be used to study the mechanisms of other promising natural remedies that previously would have been too expensive to test.

‘Top-down’ treatment for Crohn’sA large-scale study of medical claims data shows that introducing sophisticated biologic therapies early improves Crohn’s disease outcomes. Traditional treatment focuses on a “step-up” strategy, starting with such simpler and cheaper medications as 5-ASAs and corticosteroids and ramping up to targeted biologic therapies. But patients treated with a “top-down” approach that reverses that order were less likely to need steroids, lose response to their biologic therapy and require surgery. “We’re essentially reversing the management strategy in Crohn’s disease,” said David T. Rubin, MD, co-director of the University of Chicago Medicine’s In�ammatory Bowel Disease Center.

New target for cancer therapyManipulation of two biochemical signals that regulate the numbers of mitochondria in cells could shrink human lung cancers transplanted into mice, researchers from two Chicago medical centers reported in FASEB. “We found that human lung cancer cell lines have an imbalance of signals that tilts them toward mitochondrial �ssion. Lung tumors from patients here at the University of Chicago displayed these same mitochondrial

abnormalities (excess DRP-1, de�cient mitofusin-2), an important sign that this observation may be clinically relevant,” said Stephen L. Archer, MD, lead author from the University of Chicago Medicine. Boosting the fusion signal or blocking the �ssion signal through various methods, including gene therapy, caused tumors to shrink drastically. “We believe this provides a promising new approach to cancer treatment,” Archer said.

Take 115 tablets…Providing tablet computers to medical residents increases their e�ciency, reduces delays in patient care and enhances continuity of care, according to a report from the University of Chicago Medicine in the Archives of Internal Medicine. In November 2010, the medical center was the �rst in the country to provide residents with tablet computers on a large scale, supplying iPads to all 115 internal medicine residents. Surveyed in 2011, more than three out of four residents said the portable computers freed them up to spend more time on direct patient care. The study also showed residents using tablets submitted 5 percent more orders before 7 a.m. rounds, and 8 percent more orders before hand-o�s.

More food, fewer pillsAn unusual clinical trial at the University of Chicago Medicine is studying whether a drug for advanced prostate cancer might be just as safe and e�ective, but more convenient and less expensive, if taken at a much lower dose with food. GI absorption of Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) is more a�ected by food than any other marketed drug labeled to be taken on an empty stomach. Five times as much of the drug is taken up with a low-fat meal; up to 10 times as much with a high-fat meal. “Taking one pill with a meal, rather than four pills on an empty stomach, is much more convenient for patients, so it may improve compliance,” said Russell Szmulewitz, MD, director of the study. The results could a�ect future dosage recommen-dations, potentially saving patients thousands of dollars a month.Read more at uchospitals.edu/news.

Orthopedic surgeon specializes in minimally invasive surgery for sports injuries

RESEARCH NEWS

uchospitals.edu uchicagokidshospital.org INSPIRED 5

The University of Chicago Medicine Physician Relations Program

Please contact us by phone or email with any request. We are here to serve you.

Physician Relations Program 1-773-234-2036

Carol Marshall, [email protected]

Carrie Sota, Assistant DirectorServing Northwest [email protected]

Anthony Turner, AssociateServing the South and Southwest [email protected]

Demetria Avant, AssociateServing the Western [email protected]

Dionne Meekins-Michaud, AssociateServing all regions for [email protected]

INSPIRED SUMMER 2012 The University of Chicago Medicine UCM Physician Connect: 1-800-824-2282

More than 350 cancer clinical trials

210 University of Chicago laboratory and clinical scientists studying cancer

92 presentations by University of Chicago Medicine physicians at the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference

1of 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive CancerCenters

One floor of the 1.2-million- square-foot new hospital opening in early 2013 devoted tocancer care

1of 11 National Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) in the United States

at the forefrontof cancer care and discovery

Mitchell C. Posner, MD, is chief of general surgery and surgical oncology and medical director of clinical cancer programs at the

University of Chicago Medicine. He is an internationally recognized expert on upper

gastrointestinal cancers, including pancreatic, esophageal, stomach and liver cancer.

Posner is chairman of the Gastrointestinal Committee of the American College of

Surgeons Oncology Group, the only national, surgically focused cooperative dedicated to

oncology clinical trials.

What are your goals as director of clinical cancer programs at the University of

Chicago Medicine?Providing easy access to what is rated as the

No. 1 cancer center in Chicago and one of the leading cancer centers in the country, communicating

with referring physicians in a more standardized fashion and o�ering an ideal patient experience.

How quickly will a new patient of the GI cancer program be seen?

We strive to see patients within a week of their initial call, and I think we’re very good at that. Our new

goal is to schedule a visit within three days. We have a dedicated intake team that coordinates appropriate

appointments with medical oncology, surgical oncology, gastroenterology and radiation oncology.

They are experienced, knowledgeable and able to navigate patients in a very seamless way through

a complex process.

Are there any promising treatments for pancreatic cancer?

Clearly we’ve moved the needle. The ability to deliver chemotherapy regimens that have more

activity than regimens we used even a couple of years ago is signi�cant. Most importantly, it’s well known that surgeons and hospitals with high volumes have

better outcomes. From a surgical perspective, since surgery is still the only curative treatment, our ability to do these procedures with lower morbidity

and very low mortality is compelling for both patients and care providers.

What inspires you about the University of Chicago Medicine?

Great people in a great setting that has the perfect balance of research, clinical excellence and the

training of the next generation of both academic and clinical leaders. That’s our mission. That’s what

inspires me.

The new University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital brings University of Chicago cancer specialists and their advanced treatment programs to a convenient community setting.

The $21.6 million, 20,000-square-foot outpatient cancer treatment center — a joint venture between the University of Chicago Medicine and Silver Cross — opened June 25 in New Lenox, Ill.

The cancer center o�ers state-of-the-art chemotherapy and radiation therapy and access to innovative clinical trials. Technology includes the TrueBeamTM next-generation linear accelerator, which delivers targeted radiation therapy to provide the safest and most precise treatments.

Other services include cancer screenings, patient support groups and a resource center. University of Chicago Medicine physicians will provide gynecologic oncology services at Silver Cross Hospital in conjunction with the center.

ucmcancer-sch.org

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital offers leading-edge treatments not typically available in a community hospital setting.

Controversies in the Management of Complex GI Cancer PatientsAll day, September 7Ritz-Carlton Chicago160 E. Pearson St., Chicago

University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital Inaugural Symposium7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., September 151850 Silver Cross Blvd., New Lenox, Ill.

Chicago Breast Reconstruction SymposiumAll day, September 28Ritz-Carlton Chicago160 E. Pearson St., Chicago

Mark your calendar

Advances in Treating Oral CancersChicago, fall 2012

Advances in Kids’ MedicineChicago, fall 2012 and spring 2013

University of Chicago Medicine physicians are available to present in-o�ce CME courses in greater Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.

For information, please contact Carrie Sota, [email protected].

< Meet Our Faculty >Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross opens

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Register for CME events at cme.uchicago.edu.

Educational Opportunities C M E +

regulate the numbers of mitochondria in cells could shrink human lung cancers transplanted into mice, researchers from two Chicago medical centers reported in FASEB. “We found that human lung cancer cell lines have an imbalance of signals that tilts them

with food. GI absorption of Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) is more a�ected by food than any other marketed drug labeled to be taken on an empty stomach. Five times as much of the drug is taken up with a low-fat meal; up to 10 times as much with a high-fat meal. “Taking one pill with a meal, rather than four pills on an empty stomach, is much more convenient for patients, so it may improve compliance,” said Russell Szmulewitz, MD, director of the study. The results could a�ect future dosage recommen

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inde�nitely stop prostate cancer proliferation,” said genomics researcher Richard Baker Jones, PhD, senior author

of the study in Cancer Prevention Research. The innovative protein-onomics technique the team developed may be used to study the mechanisms of other promising natural remedies that previously would have been too expensive to test.







RESEARCH NEWS

































a complex process.









inspires me.





ucmcancer-sch.org





Mark your calendar






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inde�nitely stop prostate cancer proliferation,” said genomics researcher Richard Baker Jones, PhD,

senior author of the study in Cancer Prevention Research. The innovative protein-onomics technique the team developed may be used to study the mechanisms of other promising natural remedies that previously would have been too expensive to test.







RESEARCH NEWS

































a complex process.









inspires me.





ucmcancer-sch.org





Mark your calendar






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regulate the numbers of mitochondria in cells could shrink human lung cancers transplanted into mice, researchers from two Chicago medical centers reported in FASEB. “We found that human lung cancer cell lines have an imbalance of signals that tilts them

with food. GI absorption of Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) is more a�ected by food than any other marketed drug labeled to be taken on an empty stomach. Five times as much of the drug is taken up with a low-fat meal; up to 10 times as much with a high-fat meal. “Taking one pill with a meal, rather than four pills on an empty stomach, is much more convenient for patients, so it may improve compliance,” said Russell Szmulewitz, MD, director of the study. The results could a�ect future dosage recommen

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inde�nitely stop prostate cancer proliferation,” said genomics researcher Richard Baker Jones, PhD, senior author

of the study in Cancer Prevention Research. The innovative protein-onomics technique the team developed may be used to study the mechanisms of other promising natural remedies that previously would have been too expensive to test.







RESEARCH NEWS

































a complex process.









inspires me.





ucmcancer-sch.org





Mark your calendar






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uchospitals.edu uchicagokidshospital.org INSPIRED 7 INSPIRED SUMMER 2012 The University of Chicago Medicine UCM Physician Connect: 1-800-824-2282

patients with a definitive diagnosis and uses sophisticated evaluation techniques to optimize both surgery and drug treatments.

Adult and pediatric epilepsy care is offered on the main University of Chicago Medicine campus in Hyde Park. In addition, pediatric epilepsy experts see patients at offices in Elmhurst, Ill., Hinsdale, Ill., Naperville, Ill., Palos Heights, Ill., and Merrillville, Ind.

While Nathan’s response to VNS is atypically good, Kohrman says the University of Chicago Medicine has better than average success rates with this procedure and others because of its expertise in identifying patients likely to benefit from a given treatment strategy. �e vast majority of the program’s surgical patients see their seizure activity drop at least 60 to 75 percent, said David M. Frim, MD, PhD, chief of neurosurgery.

Frim, who treats children and adults, says the University of Chicago Medicine epilepsy program’s strengths include:

Teamwork. “We are a truly integrated program, between adult and pediatric epileptologists, neurosurgeons, neuroradi-ologists, neurophysiologists, and nurse specialists. �e best part of the program is the interdisciplinary conference where we are all there to think about the best way to treat each individual patient,” Frim said. �e team keeps in close communi-cation with referring physicians.

Experience. “We see so many epilepsy patients that our system is continuously running, and we don’t have big breaks.” �is provides the opportunity for these experts to learn from the outcomes of a larger group of patients.

Resources. Dedicated inpatient units, including an adult neuro-ICU, a special-ized adult neuro unit with six beds wired for advanced monitoring, a distinct area of the pediatric ICU specifically equipped for epilepsy monitoring and eight beds in the pediatric epilepsy center’s long-term monitoring unit staffed by specially trained nurses. uchicagokidshospital.org/specialties/epilepsy

uchospitals.edu/specialties/epilepsy

Michael Kohrman, MD, and Nathan Kalina

The quest for a cureSusan Axelrod co-founded Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) in 1998 out of frustration after not being able to �nd successful therapy for her daughter Lauren’s seizures.

The Axelrods (Susan's husband, David, is an advisor to President Barack Obama) tried countless drugs, special diets and surgery, with no e�ect. Lauren, now in her 30s, su�ered brain damage. But she has been seizure free since 2000, thanks to a single drug that proved e�ective for her.

Since its inception, CURE has raised more than $18 million for epilepsy research and awareness.

University of Chicago Medical Center President Sharon O’Keefe was named to the national organization’s board in May. “I have seen how epilepsy can disrupt the lives and plans of patients and their families,” said O’Keefe, the mother of a child with epilepsy. “I also have seen remarkable progress toward understanding this disease through innovative research. I look forward to this new role in helping speed up the pace of progress in understanding, treating and, we hope, curing this disorder.”

Sharon O’Keefe, left, and Susan Axelrodive-year-old Nathan Kalina is a “miracle child,” says his mother, Megan. Diagnosed with myoclonic-astatic epilepsy (Doose syndrome) at age 3, Nathan suffered dozens of seizures a day, of four different varieties. A multiple-drug regimen kept his seizures only partially controlled while burdening the preschooler with side effects, including insomnia and attention deficits.

At a friend’s suggestion, the Naperville, Ill., family contacted Michael Kohrman, MD, director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Center at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital.

Kohrman recommended implantation of a vagus nerve stimulator and had Nathan evaluated for surgery. Pediatric neurosurgeon Leila Khorasani, MD, implanted the VNS at the beginning of April 2011, and by the end of the month Nathan was seizure free.

�e VNS delivers tiny electrical impulses to the brain via the vagus nerve every 5 minutes. In addition, the Kalinas also have a special magnet to induce extra electrical impulses to stop a seizure. Nathan still takes antiseizure drugs, but the Kalinas are cautiously starting to wean him off some of them.

“He’s completely recovered and suffered no long-term damage,” Megan says. “His milestones have caught up, he’s growing like a weed, and we can breathe again.”

Kohrman has been able to help many children who have tried two or more drugs and haven’t achieved seizure control. He estimates that 5,000 children in the Chicago area could benefit from surgical treatment for their seizures, but only about 100 per year receive such treatment.

“Ultimately our goal is no seizures and no side effects,” Kohrman said.

�e University of Chicago Medicine offers advanced, seamless epilepsy care for patients of all ages. �e pediatric and adult epilepsy programs are accredited as Level 4 epilepsy centers — the highest rating available — from the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. Our multispecialty team excels at providing

Mapping the brainEEG monitoring, MRI scans and even PET scans can prove inadequate for identifying the exact location of an epileptic focus. But the University of Chicago Medicine is a leader in the nation in its ability to analyze data from multiple imaging scans and other testing to produce a highly detailed, three-dimensional image of the brain and its electrical activity.

These images help the multispecialty epilepsy team determine whether the patient is a candidate for potentially curative epilepsy surgery. The images also can precisely guide surgeons to the abnormal area of the brain that is causing the seizures or allow more targeted investigations that improve the accuracy of the seizure surgery, allowing it to be less invasive.

“We can concentrate on �nding the safest and least traumatic way to remove the seizure-causing area,” said David M. Frim, MD, PhD, chief of neurosurgery, “because we’re so sure that we are operating on the correct tissue.”

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Epilepsy program provides

definitive diagnoses,

multidisciplinary care for

children and adults

Stopping Nathan’s seizures
















For more information, visit cureepilepsy.org.












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For more information, visit cureepilepsy.org.












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Glenn Bovard


treatment. It is also critical to recognize when the therapy is too toxic or not effective so that alternative treatment strategies can be initiated.”

Cohn, director of clinical sciences in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Chicago Medicine, is recognized as one of the nation’s top authorities on neuroblastoma. She is among a handful of physicians in the country conducting Phase 1 clinical trials of promising new drug therapies for children with aggressive, difficult-to-treat forms of the disease.

Cohn works with a multidisciplinary team that includes surgeons, radiation therapists, pathologists, radiologists and

clinical and basic science researchers.Luke and Breanna Leander made the

trip from Cambridge, Ill., near the Iowa border to seek Cohn’s expertise to treat their daughter Maggie.

�eir baby, who had been diagnosed when she was only 10 days old, had a low-risk form of the disease. But the cantaloupe-size tumor in the baby’s belly was causing her breathing to become labored and rapid. Maggie spent four weeks in the hospital getting inpatient chemotherapy. Today she is a healthy 2-year-old.

Cohn’s research focuses on tumor genetics and the development of targeted therapies.

“�e goal now is to better understand the biologic factors that induce aggressive tumor growth and develop treatments that will block these growth-promoting molecules,” she said.

University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital physicians have leadership roles in the Children’s Oncol-ogy Group (COG), the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma �erapy (NANT) consortium and the Advances in Neuro-blastoma Research Association. Cohn also is co-chair of the International Neuroblas-

toma Risk Group (INRG) Task Force, which since 2005 has compiled data on neuroblas-toma patients from around the world. �ese data have led to new informa-tion about

prognostic factors and tumor behavior. A recent COG clinical trial has

demonstrated that survival for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma can be improved by 20 percent with the addition of immunotherapy.

“However, less than 40 percent of high-risk patients are cured with current treatment approaches,” Cohn said. “We must continue to conduct research to ensure that we find a cure for all children with neuroblastoma.” uchicagokidshospital.org/specialties/cancer/neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer in infants, but it’s still so rare that even many pediatric oncologists see few cases. Approximately 700 children are diagnosed with the disease in the United States each year.

�e neuroblastoma program at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital draws families from across the country and offers a full range of treatment options, including new therapies not widely available elsewhere. “Sometimes standard treatment approaches don’t work,” said pediatric oncologist Susan L. Cohn, MD. “An experienced medical team is needed to ensure that each child receives the proper

iping the sweat off his face after a 10-mile run in 2009, Craig Martin discovered the lump under his left jaw. An

ENT issued a grim diagnosis: the 46-year-old arborist from Libertyville, Ill., had stage 4 tonsil cancer.

After extensive research, Martin chose the University of Chicago Medicine for its vast experience treating advanced head and neck cancers and excellent survival rates. “�ere are many subtleties in treating the various types of head and neck cancers,” said Daniel J. Haraf, MD, medical director of radiation oncology.

�e head and neck cancer team — medical and radiation oncologists, and head and neck surgeons — focuses exclusively on these difficult malignancies.

�e multidis-ciplinary team

pioneered integrated chemoradiotherapy that effectively treats 80 percent of stage 4 head and neck cancers without ablative surgery. “Our highly coordinated multispecialty care focuses on organ preservation. Surgery is used for salvage in the uncommon scenario of treatment failure,” said Everett E. Vokes, MD, physician-in-chief at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Martin’s treatment consisted of weekly chemotherapy for 15 weeks and 50 treatments of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Haraf was one of the first physicians in Chicago to offer IMRT, which shapes the radiation field to

the contour of tumors. “With IMRT, we can better target tumors with higher doses of radiation while sparing critical structures and normal tissue in the area, such as salivary glands or the spinal cord,” he said.

For oral cavity tumors or small, early-stage lesions, surgery is often preferable to radiation. “For the newly diagnosed patient, we have every tool to remove the cancer while preserving the function of their organs. Endoscopic laser surgery, new reconstructive techniques and robotic surgery allow us to remove tumors through the mouth instead of opening up the neck,” said Kerstin Stenson, MD, who directs the medical center’s head and neck surgery program.

�e surgical team also treats patients whose recurrent cancers may have been deemed unresectable by other surgeons and those with complex wounds resulting from chemoradiation, such as osteoradio-necrosis. “Patients who typically haven’t been given much hope are referred here,” Stenson said. “Our team is able to give hope for cancer control, pain and wound management and restoration of function.”

One of those options is a second round of full-dose radiation therapy — a treatment few cancer centers offer. Haraf is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on reirradiation.

Martin, whose cancer went into remission last fall, is back to serious running and biking. “I have no limitations, and I feel great today,” Martin said. “But even when I was at my sickest, the team at the University of Chicago made me feel strong mentally because of their confidence that my treatment would work.”uchospitals.edu/specialties/cancer/head-neck

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Innovative treatment for advanced head and neck cancer

Multispecialty team successfully treats stage 4 cancer without radical surgery

Craig Martin of Libertyville, Ill.,is back to serious running after

treatment for advanced tonsil cancerat the University of Chicago Medicine.

Kerstin Stenson, MD, and Daniel J. Haraf, MD

Susan L. Cohn, MD

Neuroblastoma specialists offer expertise, access to new therapies

World-class care for a rare childhood cancer

Maggie Leander



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Susan L. Cohn, MD



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Kidney and kidney-pancreas program delivers leading-edge, personalized care

At the forefront of transplant care


Inspired…to discover, to teach and to give back

News from the University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences

Grateful patients donate to support research to help solve the challenge of age-related vision loss

Patients with severe kidney failure eventually find themselves with limited options: peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, or kidney or kidney-pancreas transplant.

Of these transplant options, kidney-only transplant may be what comes to mind first, especially for patients with type 2 diabetes or who may obtain a living kidney donor match.

But Yolanda T. Becker, MD, director of the University of Chicago Medicine kidney and pancreas transplant program, encourages colleagues to cast a wide net when considering the patients, typically younger and with type 1 diabetes, who might benefit from a kidney-pancreas transplant. “Our kidney-pancreas program is growing, as referring physi-cians realize its enormous benefits,” she said. “It’s true that patients will still need medication after transplant, though they

will be able to discontinue insulin. Transplant also helps slow complications of diabetes, including neuropathy and retinopathy.”

�e University of Chicago Medicine was one of the first medical centers to offer kidney-pancreas transplants, which typically are covered by Medicare and major insurance providers.

“�e kidney-pancreas transplant program is one of the centerpieces of our multi-organ transplant program, where the University of Chicago Medicine is and remains a leader,” said J. Michael Millis, MD, chief of transplant surgery. “�at’s important because patients — especially those with diabetes — may need to consider many options, including kidney-pancreas and even heart-liver-kidney.”

Given the potential wait for donor

organs, Becker encourages early referral for transplant evaluation. “Most patients who come to us are already on dialysis but can and should get listed (in the national organ recipient database) before starting, if possible,” she said. “Once their creatinine clearance is less than 20, they can start gathering time on the list. We now know there is a clear survival benefit to pre-emptive transplant.”

Interdisciplinary, team-based care is the hallmark of the transplant program at the

University of Chicago Medicine. Each patient is assigned to a personal transplant coordinator throughout the initial evaluation and the typical years-long wait for a donor organ. “We create a personal-ized schedule for updating each patient’s testing and visits so when the organ becomes available, we can move immedi-ately,” said Katrina Harmon, RN, MSN, CCTC, pre-transplant nurse coordinator.

�is individualized approach continues after transplant. “We tailor the patients’ care to their needs and preferences,” Harmon said.

MaryLou Krippner of Lisle, Ill., received a kidney transplant in August 2011 after a five-year wait. “�e post-transplant team has been very accommo-dating about working with me to get my labs done locally in the suburbs as soon as possible,” she said.

Once the initial recovery period is over, many patients experience a profound improvement in quality of life. Tim Kramer, a kidney-pancreas transplant recipient from Lakewood, Ohio, had been waiting for donor organs for three years and was on dialysis for five months. �e 38-year-old social worker has type 1 diabetes.

Since receiving his transplant, Kramer has run a 10K and a half-marathon. “Running again has been the best gift of all,” he said.uchospitals.edu/specialties/transplant/kidney.html

MaryLou Krippner and Yolanda T. Becker, MD

“It was vital to be at an institution on the leading edge where they develop the next innovations in transplants.”MaryLou Krippner of Lisle, Ill., who received a kidney transplant at the University of Chicago Medicine in August 2011

Richard L. Schilsky, MD, professor of medicine and hematology/oncology section chief, was named a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for his volunteer service, dedication and efforts on behalf of the specialty of oncology and patients.

Peter Angelos, MD, PhD, the Linda Kohler Anderson Professor of Surgery, chief of endocrine surgery and associate director of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, holds the nation’s first endowed chair in surgical ethics.

Jeffrey B. Matthews, MD, the Dallas B. Phemister Professor of Surgery and chair of surgery, has been elected president of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT).

Anne R. McCall, MD, has been named medical director for radiation oncology at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital. McCall, assistant professor of radiation and cellular oncology, has a background in both academic and community hospital settings.

David T. Rubin, MD, professor of medicine and co-director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, received the Rosenthal Award for Patient Support and Care, a national leadership award from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America.

Michael Maitland, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, received the Leon I. Goldberg Young Investigator Award from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Maitland is assistant director for clinical education in the Center for Personalized Therapeutics.

Donations from Jim and Karen Frank and others will endow the Janet Davison Rowley, MD, Professor-ship in Cancer Research at the University of Chicago Medicine, a named professorship honoring one of the University’s most distinguished scientists and alumni. Jim Frank is a University of Chicago Medical Center trustee.

Jill C. Glick, MD, professor of pediatrics and medical director of Child Protective Services, and Mark Myren, PA-C for the cardiac surgery service, are 2012 recipients of Social Work Humanitarian Awards honoring non-social workers who best reflect the values and ethics of the profession and the University of Chicago Medicine.

Michelle M. Le Beau, PhD, director of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, was elected to the board of directors for the American Association for Cancer Research. Le Beau is the Arthur and Marian Edelstein Professor of Medicine.

Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, MD, the Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics and director of the Cancer Risk Clinic, was appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Cancer Advisory Board.

Seenu M. Hariprasad, MD

After two failed eye surgeries, Richard Hill of South Bend, Ind., was getting desperate as the vision in his right eye continued to deteriorate from retinal detachment. �at changed the moment he met Seenu M. Hariprasad, MD, a vitreoretinal specialist and director of clinical research in ophthalmology and

visual science at the University of Chicago Medicine.

“He touched my arm, looked at me and said, ‘I can fix this,’” Hill recalled.

Hariprasad, named one of the top ophthalmologists in the country by Becker’s Healthcare, is known for his innovative approaches to surgery,

including a sutureless microincisional vitrectomy technique that reduces both operative time and postoperative pain.

“It’s no secret we deal with patients who have complex issues,” says Hari- prasad, who specializes in diabetic eye diseases, intraocular infections and age-related macular degeneration.

Hariprasad also is director of a highly specialized fellowship program in diseases and surgery of the retina, macula and vitreous. To date, grateful patients have donated $56,000 to help train future retina specialists.

“By the year 2020, the number of patients who go blind each year will double due to age-related diseases; there are not enough vitreoretinal specialists to treat them,” he says. “People who donate to us are really training the future of this field.”

Hill, an attorney with a passion for boating, is once again able to function without limitations.

“I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Dr. Hariprasad, not only for his surgical proficiency and skill in training fellows, but also for the caring approach he extends to his patients,” Hill said. “I’m looking forward to a great sailing season on Lake Michigan. I really missed that last year.”

For more information or to support the research of Seenu M. Hariprasad, MD, please contact Alicia Kearns at [email protected].

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Celebrate the opening of our new hospital and learn about the technological breakthroughs being used to diagnose

and treat cancer, GI disorders, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders, and risk assessment and

personalized treatment based on the genetics of disease.

Tour the new state-of-the-art hospital and learn how it will advance University of Chicago Medicine programs.

Find out more about the new Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence, a unique initiative focused on

improving doctor-patient interaction.

8 a.m. to 4 p.m. November 10Our new hospital at the University of Chicago Medicine

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For more information and to register online, visit cme.uchospitals.edu.

Symposium: Connecting to the New University of Chicago Medicine

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Inspired - Summer 2012 - University of Chicago Medicine