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Local Docs in National News John R. Haaga, MD, was awarded the Gold Medal — the highest honor for distinguished service to radiology by the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) — at the ARRS annual meeting in Washington, DC. The ARRS is the oldest radiology society in the United States. Dr. Haaga is a tenured professor and Emeritus Chairman of the Department of R a d iolog y at John r. haaga, mD C a s e We s t e r n Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center. He received the award for his many contributions in leadership, teaching and research in radiology, which continue to this day. Dr. Haaga has 25 U.S. patents. His publications include 183 reports and a textbook in its sixth edition, CT and MRI of the Whole Body. The book is reportedly the largest selling radiology textbook in the world and has been translated into several languages. His major innovations include CT-guided interventions for biopsies, abscesses and nerve blocks. Artifacts from his early work are archived at the Smithsonian Institute. Dr. Haaga's most recent groundbreaking research is a new theory on the nature and growth of blood vessels for cancer. Preliminary experiments are very favorable and suggest a new, more effective method for interrupting cancerous vessels, which should translate into better cure rates. Andrew E. Sloan, MD, Director, Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, has received the Mahaley Award for Clinical Research in NeuroOncology by the National Brain Tumor Foundation. The award was presented at the 81st annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He won for research targeting glioma stem cells to prevent the reoccurrence of glioblastoma, a malignant type of brain tumor. His presentation was titled, "Targeting Glioma Stem Cells in GBM: A Phase O/II study of Hedgehog Pathway inhibitor GDC-0449." Dr. Sloan holds the Peter D. Cristal Chair of Neurosurgical Oncology and is Vice-Chair, Department of Neurological Surgery, at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Sameer Mahesh, MD, of Summa Physicians Inc. – Hematology/Oncology, was the subject of a Q&A article in the April 2013 issue of Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology, a peer-reviewed journal. The article, titled "The BRAF mutation in MLH1-deficient colorectal cancer," discussed Dr. Mahesh's study of 128 colorectal cancer patients at Summa Akron City Hospital. His study investigated the contribution of the BRAF V600E mutation in MLH1-deficient colorectal cancer in any specific genotype/ phenotype relationship. Marc Penn, MD, PhD, of Summa Physicians Inc. – Cardiology and Chief of Cardiovascular Research at Summa, was quoted in a May 2013 article in the Los Angeles Times. The article titled "Antidepressants: A help or hindrance to those facing surgery?" explored two studies linking antidepressants to surgical outcomes. Chirag Shah, MD, of Summa Physicians Inc. – Radiation Oncology, co-authored an article titled "The American Brachytherapy Society consensus statement for accelerated partial breast irradiation." His article was published in the April 2013 issue of Brachytherapy. Edward M. Ferris, MD, Thomas Mendise, MD, Stephen Andrews, MD, Vivian E. von Gruenigen, MD, et al., presented research focused on ensuring quality and patient safety at Summa Akron City Hospital's women's health services department at the 61st Annual Clinical Meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in May 2013. Their research, titled "Physician Scorecards to Improve Care and Promote Adherence to ACOG Guidelines" and "Effects of a Robotic Specific Operating Room Checklist to Reduce Hospital Reutilization," were selected for poster presentations at this meeting. ■ 6 | Cleveland/Akron/Canton MD News ■ MDNEWS.COM ■ JULY-AUGUST 2013