NEWSLETTER - University of Pittsburgh Department of Infectious ...

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• Publié par: paul.vallen
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• Langue: English
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NEWSLETTER December 2010 Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Graduate School of Public Health University of Pittsburgh PIONEERING GSPH GRADUATE HONORED WITH DEAN’S AWARD By C. Rinaldo On the wall outside of the Department of IDM’s main office hangs a set of plaques listing the names of all graduates of the department’s microbiology programs. The names are in chronological order beginning with the first graduate, Lourdes Espiritu Campos, MD, MPH, in 1951. Lourdes Campos with IDM chairman Charles Rinaldo  Cover Story p. 1-3 th IDM 13 Annual Meeting p. 5  Report from the Chairman p. 9  Alumni News p. 10  Baby News p 13  Spotlight News p. 14  Conference Photos p. 16  And the Award Goes to p. 21  Recent IDM Graduates p. 22  Big News p. 25  Newly Appointed p. 26  National & International Oral & Poster Presentations p. 27  Recently Published Articles from IDM p. 30 PIONEERING GSPH GRADUATE continued Over 10 years ago when I honored our graduates by creating this display, I was interested in knowing more about this first graduate with the non-Anglo name. The power of the internet led me to discover that Dr. Campos was a Philippine native with a long and illustrious professional career. Dr. Campos received her MD degree from the University of the Philippines in 1945. In my visit with her in May, she related the difficulties and hardships of studying in Japanese-occupied Manila during World War II. Some of the worst times were during the liberation by American armed forces and withdrawal of the Japanese. She recalled how a fellow student was mistakenly killed by American soldiers when crossing the bombed-out campus. A positive outcome of the war was that Dr. Campos was able to be trained in bacteriology by the US Army, setting the stage for her life-long career in this field. In 1948 she was appointed an Instructor in the Institute of Public Health, University of the Philippines. Seeking more training in her new specialty, she was awarded an international fellowship in public health and in 1949 was accepted into the Department of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the newly established University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Dr. Campos was one of 29 students admitted to the MPH program in 1950. Dr. Campos was the first Pitt graduate student of Dr. W. M. Hammon, a renowned microbiologist and the first chairman of the department. She has many wonderful photographs of her time in Pittsburgh, including one of the first graduating class in 1951. One of the most vivid memories of her time in Pittsburgh was spending the Christmas holidays in her rooming house, with the cold, snowy winter blustering outside her windows. This was quite a shocking difference from her tropical Philippines. Dr. Campos then returned to the Philippines to wed Dr. Paulo C. Campos. He later became well noted for his pioneering work on nuclear medicine. He is credited with establishing the first and best known Radioisotope Laboratory in the Philippines, the first Research Laboratory in the Department of Medicine, University of the Philippines and the Thyroid Clinic of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital Medical Center. From the early 1950s through the 1960s, Dr. Lourdes Campos rose through the professional ranks, leading to becoming the Chair of the Department of Medical Microbiology in the Institute of Public Health, University of the Philippines, in 1969. In 1979, after many years of planning and deliberations, the Emilio Aguinaldo College of Medicine with founded with campuses in Manila and Cavite, and Dr. Lourdes Campos as Dean. Since her retirement, she has served on the Board of Trustees of the college. Her family maintains a strong leadership role in the college. Her sons Jose Paulo E. Campos, Paulo E. Campos and Enrique E. Campos are currently president, treasurer and trustee of the college, respectively (the whole family is pictured on the right). Earlier this year, Dr. Campos was honored with the GSPH Dean’s Lifetime Achievement Award. During a visit the Philippines for a scientific meeting on AIDS, I met with Dr. Campos and members of her family. She hosted me and Drs. Beej Macatangay and Peter Veldkamp from the Pitt School of Medicine in her home for a very pleasant and sumptuous lunch. Dr. Campos discussed her medical education in occupied Manila during World War II, and her experiences at GSPH in 1950 and ’51. She showed us with great pride her album of wonderful pictures and news clippings of the first GSPH graduating class, with Dean Parran, Dr. Hammon and other luminaries. Before leaving her home we presented Dr. Campos with the GSPH award shown in the picture. In another accompanying picture you can see Peter, Beej and I wearing our new gifts from Dr. Campos, with the beautiful Taal volcano and lake in the background. Dr. Lourdes was the first leader to emerge from our graduate microbiology program. We are very fortunate that she had the foresight and tenacity to venture forth years ago and lead the way in our 60 year history of achievement. REFLECTIONS ON MY YEAR AS A STUDENT IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH By Lourdes Espiritu Campos, MD, MPH In 1950 I was awarded a scholarship by the United States Public Health Service to study in a newly opened School of Public Health in the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. I was one of 29 students admitted to the Master of Public Health Program. Before I left for Pittsburgh, I was an instructor in microbiology teaching mainly virology to graduate and undergraduate students in the School of Public Health, University of the Philippines. The first batch of students in the new school consisted mostly of M.D.’s from Mexico, Peru, Sweden, Germany, Norway, U.S.A., and two from the Philippines. Our classes were held in the Municipal Hospital building which was near the University of Pittsburgh football stadium. Soon after classes opened, we were taken by some staff members of the school on a sightseeing tour of the city. I noticed that many buildings looked blackened with soot. At night we saw slag discarded from steel mills glaring in the dark. When the football season began we were brought to watch the game of which I knew nothing about. We were provided with blankets but I nearly froze sitting on the bench, watching the game going on. It was quite an experience for one coming from the tropics. The Dean of the school was Dr. Thomas Parran. Since I was an instructor in microbiology teaching mainly virology, my major area of concentration was in the Department of Microbiology and Epidemiology under Dr. William McDowell Hammon, chair of the department. Miss Gladys Sather was my teacher mostly in laboratory procedures. Dr. Francis Cheever was also one of our principal lecturers. The staff in the department was very friendly and helpful. I learned a lot from them. I remember the first snowfall that I had ever seen. Dr. Hammon was lecturing and I believe he noticed that I was looking out of the window most of the time instead of paying attention to what he was saying. It is hard to forget my first fall on the icy pavement which was quite embarrassing. So I learned to wear galoshes to prevent a repetition of such an experience. There was a big snowstorm that swept thru the Eastern seaboard that year. It occurred during the Thanksgiving holiday when I was visiting my uncle and his family in Franklinville, New York. There was a big, delicious roast turkey to celebrate the day. When I returned to Pittsburgh the snow was up to my knees - fortunately I had boots on and was well bundled. I had to walk from the train station lugging my suitcase over the snow. When I reached the Alpha Omega sorority house in North Bellefield Street where I was living, it was empty of residents. Fortunately I had a key to the house and some food given by my uncle. It was so cold and dark in the house and my feet were numb. The doorbell rang several times but I was afraid to open the door. After two days my housemates and our house mother finally returned and classes resumed. Christmas was a difficult time to be away from home but my uncle invited me again to spend the holidays with them. It was a happy reunion with his family and I was less homesick. The school year went so fast. On June 13, 1951, twelve of us students graduated with a Master in Public Health Degree. I am so proud to be among its first graduates. I was sad to leave the school. By that time I had many friends and it was difficult to say goodbye. The walls of the Cathedral of Learning and the Catholic Cathedral as well as other buildings were much cleaner than when I first saw them. My professors and the staff in the department gave me a little send-off party with a beautiful farewell card which I keep to this day. After I returned to Manila I went back to the Department of Microbiology, Institute of Public Health, University of the Philippines. The added knowledge I acquired during my study in GSPH served me well. Our virus laboratory became more active and functional in spite of limited funds. Many requests for diagnostic tests for suspected viral diseases from The Philippine General Hospital, the biggest government hospital in the Philippines, and other hospitals from Manila and the provinces were brought to our laboratory. Many of our government antigens and antisera were imported from the USA but we were able to produce a number of our needed antisera as our funds because available and our facilities improved. During my time the diagnostic procedures consisted mainly of trying to isolate the causative agent using a living medium such as laboratory animals, embry