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USF Health Division of Infectious Disease & International Medicine Newsletter
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Creative Educational Models |
Recently, the University of South Florida Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine engaged in a series of discussions regarding Antimicrobe.org, an extensive online database focused on antimicrobial therapy. Antimicrobe.org, an effort of Dr. Victor Yu and the University of Pittsburgh, serves as a global online resource for infectious diseases. Dr. Yu has worked closely with the Chinese government through Antimicrobe.org, which has substantially influenced the understanding of infectious diseases in China and much of southeast Asia. The Division followed up their preliminary meetings with Dr. Yu and Dr. Yusen Eason Lin during a visit to China in July.  Dr. John Sinnott (back) and Dr. Lynette Menezes (second from right) met with Dr. Yusen Eason Lin (right) from National Kaohsiung Normal University and Dr. Victor Yu (third from left). INTERNATIONAL MEDICINE SCHOLARLY CONCENTRATION This year we mentored 41 medical students in various topics such as:
- International Clinical Skills
- Coordinated Global Disaster Response - Helping in Haiti
- Global Epidemiology and Clinical Aspects of Tuberculosis
- Travel Medicine
- Primary Health Care in Cuba
We're excited about the growth of the scholarly concentration, as it reflects an increased interest in international medicine among our student body. This year, 35 of the students completed international field experiences. The program's success would not be possible without the generosity of all our mentors and lecturers. Drs. Robert Brooks, Jose Montero, Ana Paula Velez, Carlos Callegari, Linda Whiteford, Jane Mai, Lynette Menezes, and John Sinnott were among the faculty lecturers. Congratulations to six of our ID fellows who graduated in May and presented senior projects:
- Dr. Asa Oxner - HIV Resource Allocation: Lessons in South Africa
- Dr. Andrew Myers - The Ethics of Dialysis in the USA and Rural South Africa
- Dr. Soha Patel - The BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic: A Perspective on Immigration and Medicine
- Dr. Salina Mostajabian - Health Care in Egypt
- Dr. Danish Ahmad - A Trip to Ahmedabad: The Ahmad Experience
- Dr. John Kanaan - Medical Ethics in Egypt
STEPHEN KLASKO OBSERVERSHIP PROGRAM - Universidad Latina, Panama
- Max Fasano (OB/GYN)
- Carlos Castillo (Neurology)
- Yuengnam University, South Korea (Note: All students rotated through Neurology, General Surgery, Infectious Disease, Pediatrics, and Cardiology)
- Naeun Jeon
- Jeong Seongyong
- Jihoon Ahn
- Byeongju Hwang
- Jaedo Hwang
- Younghyun Kim
- Jinyeol Kwon
- Taejin Lee
- Hyunjung Park
- Kyusik Shin
- Songuk Yoon
- Hyukjun Byun
- Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand
- Alissa Wongchaikunakorn (Pediatrics)
- Cherrywin Kongma (Infectious Disease, Family Medicine)
- Napamon Chantarapital (Pediatrics)
- Pavinee Ahuja (Pediatrics)
- Sujima Tangjintanakan (Infectious Disease)
- Thanyalak Boonprasit (General Surgery)
- Parkkapus Shoowit (Cardiology)
- Yanisa Thammarucha (Pediatrics, OB/GYN)
- Yuttiwat Vorakunthada (Pediatrics, OB/GYN)
From March 16-April 8, USF Medicine International hosted five medical students from Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) in Thailand. Napamon 'Na' Chantarapital and Pavinee Ahuja rounded in Pediatrics; Sujima Tangjintanakan rounded in Infectious Disease, Thanyalak Boonprasit rounded in Surgery; and Parkkapus Shoowit rounded in Cardiology. |
| International Prominence |
THAILAND In July, Dr. John Sinnott and Dr. Lynette Menezes traveled to Thailand and China with the intent to solicit participation in the Division's online parasitology image library and investigate joint research projects. While in Bangkok, Thailand, Dr. Sinnott met with the Bangkok Hospital Director and other key administrators. He also met with Dr. Wuttichai, the new Dean of SWU. They had several discussions regarding medical student exchanges and faculty visiting professorships. Dr. Wuttichai invited Dr. Sinnott and USF Dean Klasko to be visiting professors November 10-11 at their international summit. 
Dr. Sinnott (left) and Dr. Wuttichai (right) signed an agreement over dinner.
Dr. Liu Zhengyin, Professor at Peking Union Medical College, shows the thanks received from a grateful patient at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. CHINA In Tianjin, China, Dr. Sinnott and Dr. Menezes visited Tianjin Huanhu Hospital and the Tianjin Infectious Disease Hospital. Dr. Ji Yong of Tianjin Huanhu Hospital was a wonderful host and an agreement was reached for a faculty training program that will bring their junior faculty to USF for mentoring beginning in November. They also met with the Vice Mayor of Tianjin, the Vice Chairman of Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Tian Hui Guang, as well as the Deputy Director General of the Tianjin Bureau of Public Health, Dr. Ge Le. A follow up visit to Tianjin University is being planned.  Dr. John Sinnott signs an agreement with Liang Zong Yu, Director of Tianjin Medical Exchanges. Back row, left to right: Drs. Ji Yong, Jinhuan Wang, Gao Hui, Tian Hui Guang, Lynette Menezes, Shen Chang Hong, Lu Wei, and Ge Le.
 Liang Zong Yu (left) welcomes Drs. John Sinnott and Lynette Menezes to the Tianjin Health Department.
Dr. John Sinnott prepares to give a lecture at the Tianjin Health Department.  Drs. John Sinnott and Lynette Menezes visited the Tianjin Infectious Disease Hospital.
From March 30th-April 2nd six delegates from the Tianjin province in China visited USF to tour facilities and discuss their plans to collaborate with USF Health. During their visit the delegation met with faculty from the College of Medicine's Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine and the Department of Neurology, the College of Public Health, and the College of Pharmacy. They also toured the USF Health Simulation Center at Tampa General Hospital, the Hillsborough County Health Department, Moffitt Cancer Center, the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories, the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare, as well as the laboratories at the Byrd Alzheimer's Institute.  Dr. John Sinnott (left) and Dr. Morgan (right) present a gift on behalf of USF Health to Dr. Shen of the Tianjin Public Health Bureau. The delegates included Changhong Shen MD, PhD - Associate Director of the Tianjin Municipal Public Health Bureau; Jinhuan Wang MD, PhD - President of the Tianjin Huanhu Hospital (Neurological and Neurosurgical Disease center); Wei Lu MD, PhD - President of the Tianjin Infectious Disease Hospital; Le Ge MD, PhD - Division Chief of the Hospital Management Department at Tianjin Municipal Public Health Bureau; Hui Gao MD, PhD - Division Chief of Science and Education Department at the Tianjin Municipal Public Health Bureau; and Yong Ji MD, PhD - Chair of the Department of Neurology atTianjin Huanhu Hospital. 
Chinese delegates from Tianjin Public Health Bureau at the signing ceremony at the USF Byrd Alzheimer's Institute with Drs. Maria Crummett, Lynette Menezes, and John Sinnott. In Beijing, China, Dr. Sinnott and Dr. Menezes traveled to Peking Union Medical College, the oldest medical school in China and one of the state's leading institutions. Here they met with representatives including Dr. Wang Huanling. They discussed an international trial on the management of syphilis and HIV co-infected patients with single dose therapy and agreed to be part of a global trial. They also toured the wards and discussed the possibility of a future affiliation that would involve exchange students. MIAMI In May, Dr. John Sinnott traveled with John Ekarius to Miami for a meeting with Dr. Mario Stevenson to discuss joint research projects and efforts to provide the best HIV care in Florida. Dr. Mario Stevenson is an internationally known HIV researcher and the Division Chief for Infectious Diseases at the University of Miami. 
Dr. Mario Stevenson (left), Division Chief
for Infectious Diseases at the University
of Miami with Dr. John Sinnott (right), Director
of Infectious Disease and International
Medicine with USF Health.
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| Entrepreneurial Models | |
The Division has presented plans to the office of Dr. Stephen Klasko, Senior Vice President for USF Health and Dean of the College of Medicine, for the creation of a travel clinic located in The Villages. The proposed clinic would provide travel information to patients that will face travel-related medical risks. The proposal is currently in review with Dr. Elliott Sussman, professor of medicine at USF.
The Division is also re-investigating the possibility of using USF for home health referrals in an effort to provide patients with the best medications and care possible.
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| Research |
The Division's Faculty are actively engaged in HIV research through the HIV Clinical Research Unit, operated by the Division and Hillsborough County Health Department. Three studies are currently enrolling. A comprehensive list of current research among our ID Faculty can be viewed here.
On February 25, three USF medical students in the International Medicine Scholarly Concentration presented posters at the 21st Annual USF Health Research Day, and one student won an award.
Roshni Ranjit, MS2, won an award for her poster titled Pattern of Neonatal Conjunctivitis in Neonates Receiving Health Care in Blantyre, Malawi. Roshni's poster shared the findings from her international research project completed in the summer of 2010 with Dr. Gerald Msukwa and Dr. Batumba-Nkume, professors and physicians in the Ophthalmology department at the University of Malawi College of Medicine. Ren Chen MD MPH (HSC Office of Research), Mitchell Drucker MD (Department of Ophthalmology), and Lynette Menezes PhD (Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine) assisted Roshni with her project.
Nikki Viyas, MS2, presented on Histopathological and Polymerase Chain Reaction Findings in Early Human Papillomavirus Lesions in Men. This research project was conducted with the USF College of Medicine and Moffitt Cancer Center Departments of Cutaneous Oncology and Risk Assessment, Detection, and Intervention.
Hershel Patel, MS1, worked with Drs. Gretta Fridman and David Richards from the USF Department of Ophthalmology. Hershel's poster was titled A Comparison of Focal and Noise-corrected Global Change of Automated Visual Fields. |
| Faculty News |
USF Infectious Disease and International Medicine Professor Dr. Robert Brooks was recently elected to be a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America. Congratulations to Dr. Somboonwit and Dr. Casanas for their promotions to Associate Professor. This advancement in rank reflects their success in academic practice. They're both know as eager teachers that give compassionate patient care. Program Director Dr. Todd Wills was recognized by the Infectious Disease and International Medicine fellows for his outstanding performance. 
From left to right: Drs. Elvis Castillo, Rachel Franck, Todd Wills, Moise Carrington, and Ulyee Choe. Our graduating fellows include: - Moise Carrington MD (Private practice in Atlanta, GA)
- Elvis Castillo MD (Private practice in Tampa, FL)
- Ulyee Choe DO (Assistant Professor of Medicine, USF ID Division)
- Rachel Franck MD (Private practice in Tampa, FL)
Congratulations to graduating fellow Dr. Rachel Franck, who received the Outstanding Fellow Award from the James A. Haley Veterans Administration Hospital. 
Dr. Sandra Gompf (left) of the James A. Haley Veterans Administration Hospital presented Dr. Rachel Franck (right) with an autographed copy of Gompf's ID Pearls 2.0 book. Our incoming fellows include: - Christine Ayarza MD (University of South Florida Medical School Graduate)
- Pamela Damisse MD (University of Miami Medical School Graduate)
- Patrick Kenney DO (Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine Graduate)
- Phuong Nguyen MD (University of South Florida Medical School Graduate)
 Our 2011-2012 fellows are pictured above. Back row, left to right: Elias Maroun (2nd yr), Georgina Nasr (2nd yr), Tienchai Narach (2nd yr), Patrick Kenney (1st yr), and Luis Rosas (2nd yr). Front row, left to right: Kevin Smith (2nd yr Chief fellow), Phuong Nguyen (1st yr), Pamela Demisse (1st yr), Christine Ayarza (1st yr), and Joseph Katta (2nd yr). |
| Announcements |
USF Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine: Dr. Richard Oehler, ID Podcasts co-founder and webmaster, has been invited by SSR, Inc. to appear at the Mobile Healthcare Technology Summit at USF's Marshall Student Center on October 12, 2011. He will participate in a panel discussion about the future of mobile technology in medicine. USF ID Podcasts: Now on Facebook and Twitter! Follow USF ID Podcasts on Facebook and Twitter for updates on the internet's leading infectious diseases podcast site! In May, USF Health and the Florida/Caribbean AIDS Education and Training Center sponsored the 20th Annual HIV Conference in Orlando, FL. Participating faculty included Dr. Jeffrey Beal, Dr. Beata Casanas, Dr. Todd Wills, Dr. Charurut Somboonwit, and Dr. John Toney. 
View Resistance Testing Fundamentals presentation by Dr. Todd Wills. View STD Treatment Guidelines Update presentation by Dr. John Toney. View HIV and Cardiovascular Disease presentation by Dr. Charurut Somboonwit. Dr. Richard Oehler was interviewed by HealthLeaders Media in an article entitled "Healthcare Mobile Apps Made Easy". The article highlights the increasing importance and utilization of medical apps for smartphones, such as our Division's ID Podcasts Mobile Viewer App.
USF Medicine International:
This year, USF Medicine International developed partnership opportunities for hospital management and sub-specialty trainings with nearly a dozen universities/teaching hospitals in Gansu and Tianjin, China.
Four international collaborative agreements were signed with Jiangsu University (China), La Universidad CES (Medellín, Colombia), Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador), and the University of Groningen (Netherlands).
In India, USF Medicine International conducted research ethics trainings for policy makers and assisted in the development of ethics-based policies for the Medical College of Baroda and the Government Medical College in Surat (GMCS).
A partnership was created with U Latina (Panama) to provide faculty, fellow, and student exchanges and with La Universidad CES (Colombia) to providee pediatric and infectious disease grand rounds.
USF Medicine International recently launched the International Academy of Medicine; a network of faculty, scientists, and practitioners from USF and throughout the world committed to improving medical care through the exchange of clinical skills, research knowledge, and services.
The USF Medicine International website is better serving the international community through its availability in English, Spanish, and Chinese.
USF Hepatitis C Evaluation and Treatment Assistance Center:
The USF Hepatitis C Evaluation and Treatment Assistance Center (ETAC)
website was successfully launched.
April 2011 ETAC Newsletter.
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Upcoming Events
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September is Sepsis Awareness Month! Sepsis is a life-threatening, toxic response to infection and injury. USF received a generous Endowment for Sepsis Awareness and Education from Dr. Carl Flatley, who lost his daughter Erin to sepsis in 2002. Click here to read his story. Click here to learn more about sepsis and how you can help.
ID Conferences (for students & professionals interested in ID). Please kindly RSVP to Tammy Grice at tsgrice@gmail.com.
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Warmly,
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Our mission is to be an internationally outstanding
academic center. We conduct research, analyze policy, deliver clinical
care and provide training to healthcare providers locally,
nationally & internationally. Our goal is to be a resource for
infectious disease identification, prevention & treatment issues.
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