Medical students in the Class of 2011 at the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine learned where they will spend their residency training after graduation as part of the nationwide “Match Day” on—as luck would have it, St. Patrick’s Day—Thursday, March 17 in Temple at the Cultural Activities Center.

Envelopes containing residency letters were distributed to the 98 medical students individually and randomly, and more than 200 family members and guests attended the ceremony.

“For the first time, the College of Medicine’s Match Day ceremony includes students who received their clinical training at the Round Rock campus, as well as students who completed their entire four-year curriculum in Temple,” said TAMHSC College of Medicine Dean Sam Shomaker, M.D., J.D. “In all our communities, from Bryan-College Station to Round Rock and Temple, we are so proud of you and the profession upon which you are about to embark.”

This year, 57 percent of the class matched in primary care residencies (including family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, medicine-pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology).

The most popular residency was internal medicine with 22 students. Family medicine with 16 students and pediatrics with 13 students were the next most popular specialties.

Fifty percent of the class matched to residencies in Texas, and in all, College of Medicine students matched to residencies in 24 states and Washington, D.C.

Overall, this trend indicates that the TAMHSC College of Medicine continues to produce exceptional primary care and specialty physicians, and a majority of those physicians stay in the state of Texas to practice medicine.

Class of 2011 Embarks on Residencies at Annual Match Day

Mission Critical: New Mission, Vision and Values Focus on Health of Texans

In April 2011, the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine announced its revised mission statement … and then some. Since December 2010, a team

of leaders within the college including representatives from academic affairs, student affairs, research and the basic sciences examined mission statements from about 30 institutions and businesses, created a draft, distributed throughout the college, solicited feedback and revised a proposed mission statement.

“Instead of just revising our previous, lengthy mission statement, we made the new mission much more succinct, created a clear vision statement and published a list of values that guide decision-making at the College of Medicine,” said Dean Sam Shomaker, M.D., J.D. “Overall, we focused each piece of our mission, vision and values toward improving the health care of Texans, and as a result this is the shortest and yet most comprehensive mission statement the College has ever had.”

Just how short is easy to see. The previous mission statement weighed in at a whopping 231 words and included a preamble and four bullet points. The new TAMHSC College of Medicine mission statement is a mere 23 words, one-tenth the length of its predecessor, and reads:

Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of the people of Texas through excellence in education, research and health care delivery.

continued on page 5

MedicineMedicineAggieAggieNews from the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine for alumni and local doctors Spring 2011

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Matt Brown

IN MEMoRIAM Craig Warren Clanton, M.D. ’82Craig Warren Clanton, M.D., ’82 of Temple died May 3, 2011 at the age of 53.

Dr. Clanton was born February 28, 1958 in Houston. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1980 and from the Texas A&M University (now Texas A&M Health Science Center) College of Medicine in 1982. He was a family physician in Belton for 25 years, spending 11 years with the College of Medicine and many years with the Scott & White Health Plan.

Survivors include wife Carol Rae Clanton, parents, four children, three siblings, and two grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Craig Clanton ’82 Scholarship Fund c/o Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine, 110 Reynolds Medical Building, College Station, TX 77843-1114. Please make checks payable to “Texas A&M HSC Foundation,” or call 979-862-3992 for credit card donations.

Brown Appointed Vice Dean

T. Sam Shomaker, M.D., J.D., Dean of the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine, announces the appointment of Matt Brown, as the College of Medicine’s Vice Dean for Finance

and Administration. Brown began his new role on December 1, 2010, and brings with him financial administration experience from several positions throughout the Texas A&M System.

Brown earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M University in 1986 and an M.B.A. from Texas A&M in 1991.

Since 2008, Brown served the Texas A&M Health Science Center as the Assistant Vice President for Budgets and Planning where he oversaw budget preparation, long-term financial planning, management reporting and analysis.

As Vice Dean for Finance and Administration, Brown will oversee all aspects of financial administration for the college. He is based out of the College of Medicine’s Bryan campus.

CoM Top 10 in US for Family MedicineThe American Academy of Family Medicine (AAFP) recently honored the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine with a Top Ten Award for the institution’s continued contributions toward addressing the nation’s family medicine physician shortage.

The TAMHSC-College of Medicine was the only medical school in Texas to receive the award.

“Family medicine doctors are the foundation of our primary care infrastructure here in Texas. They play a critical role in maintaining a healthy population in communities across our state. As the state’s population continues to grow and age, we remain committed to answering the call for additional family medicine physicians in Texas,” said Sam Shomaker, M.D., J.D., the Jean and Thomas McMullin Dean of the TAMHSC-College of Medicine. “National recognition from AAFP acknowledges the importance of continuing to direct available resources toward educating the next generation of Texas primary care physicians.”

The award recognizes medical schools that have significantly contributed to the pipeline of family physicians by graduating the greatest percentage of students from 2008-2010 who choose to enter family medicine residency programs. Nationally, family medicine is experiencing a dire work force shortage, with the AAFP currently reporting 8.4 percent of U.S. medical school graduates opting to focus their residencies in this area. Of the TAMHSC-College of Medicine’s 229 graduates during the designated three-year period, 15.3 percent accepted family medicine residency positions.

“Texas is facing a serious physician shortage and as a result, many Texans, particularly those living in rural or border areas of the state, do not have adequate access to primary care services. Regular access to a primary care doctor has been shown to be the most effective means of keeping people healthy,” Dr. Shomaker said. “In response to the shortage of primary care doctors facing Texas the College plans to grow a statewide consortium of family medicine residency programs aimed at retaining more of our medical school graduates in Texas.”

This is the eighth year since the awards’ inception in 1995 that the TAMHSC-College of Medicine has been honored as an AAFP Top Ten Award school, due in part to the college’s multiple initiatives aimed at supporting students who are interested in family medicine. Those initiatives include student outreach in the form of pipeline programs, admissions policies targeting students from rural and underserved areas, specialized clinical rotations emphasizing hands-on experiences in family medicine and targeted family medicine interest groups.

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Annual Tea Highlights Stroke in Young WomenOn March 10, 2011, the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine and the Texas A&M System Chancellor’s wife, Mrs. Lou Ann McKinney, hosted the college’s seventh Magnolia Tea luncheon benefiting women’s health research at the college.

More than 100 guests gathered at the chancellor’s home, the Reed House in College Station, to celebrate healthy lifestyles and health related research at the TAMHSC-College of Medicine. Guests sported brightly colored hats, a Magnolia Tea tradition.

Hostess Lou Ann McKinney welcomed everyone and noted that this was her husband’s, Chancellor Mike McKinney’s, first Magnolia Tea. Sam Shomaker, M.D., J.D., Dean of the College of Medicine, then took the stage and donned his own hat—a green and white, Hawaiian-print bucket hat—perfect for the occasion.

“Our medical school is a community asset,” said Dr. Shomaker. “We exist to serve the patients here, whether it be at the bedside or through our research.”

Carmen Ramirez, M.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Texas A&M Physician, then spoke about the warning signs of stroke in women under the age of 55.

“Women aren’t as immune to stroke as we once thought,” Dr. Ramirez said. “Women of all ages, even in their 20s and 30s, need to be aware of the symptoms of stroke: slurred speech, a drooping face, sudden numbness, lapse in time without memory, loss of vision and sudden confusion.”

For the third year, Mrs. McKinney, Chancellor’s Circle members and friends raised money for a Magnolia Tea scholarship awarded to an outstanding female student in the TAMHSC-College of Medicine. This year’s recipient was Giulia Ippolito, an M2 from Dallas.

Reunion 2011 Celebration, Milestone for Charter ClassThe College of Medicine hosted its 2011 Reunion on April 29-May 1 in College Station, marking 30 years since the charter class’s graduation in 1981. Festivities included a reception at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Paul Ogden, a CME class at the Texas A&M Health Science Center’s new Bryan campus, and the first meeting and launch of the College of Medicine Alumni Association.

For more information on alumni activities and opportunities, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at medicine.tamhsc.edu/alumni or (979) 862-3992.

top: The College of Medicine’s charter Class of 1981

bottom left: Dr. ogden adds cowbell stylings to a performance by current medical students

bottom right: M4 Ifreke Ukpong leads a group of alumni and spouses in a tour of the Simulation Center oR.

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Kory Gill, D.O., is an assistant professor of family & community medicine and a Texas A&M Physician specializing in sports medicine with the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine. He was there for the 2011 NCAA Women’s Final Four championship game on April 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana, where the Texas A&M Aggies defeated Notre Dame 76-70 to win the national title for the first time.

He shared his thoughts with us on April 8 after having returned to Texas—just in time to teach first- and second-year medical students at a clinical skills workshop.

College of Medicine: How did you get the opportunity to go with the women’s basketball team to the championship game?

Dr. Kory Gill: There is a group of doctors that rotate between all Texas A&M University athletic events, and I just lucked out! I also was able to travel with the women’s basketball team to their regional games in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Dallas.

COM: How would you describe your job on the sidelines in a nutshell?

KG: As doctors, we’re there to make sure that each and every student athlete is fit to play. It’s purely a safety issue. If there’s been an injury, and the coach wants to know if a player can go back onto the court or the field, we serve to make that assessment.

COM: What’s next?

KG: Finish baseball, softball, track and tennis seasons. Keep seeing patients and teaching the medical students. Pretty soon it’s time for football

season, and that’ll keep me busy until the women’s basket ball team goes back to the national championship in 2012!

From the Sidelines

Dr. Kory Gill at the 2011 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship

TexVet and Partner Distribute Gifts to Disabled Vets The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine’s TexVet: Partners Across Texas program teamed up with The Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes (CSAH) to distribute $75,000 in December 2010 to disabled veterans and their families in Texas.

Through a newly formed partnership with CSAH, TexVet identified 150 disabled veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom in need. CSAH then mailed $500 checks to each veteran through- out Texas from Brownsville to Denton and El Paso to Houston. Checks began hitting mailboxes the week of Christmas, much to the surprise of many veterans.

TexVet Manager Tim Stroud cited partners such as Bring Everyone in the Zone, a program that provides peer-to-peer veteran support, and Heroes Night Out, an organization that gives gift cards to wounded veterans and their families, which helped TexVet locate the veterans for this program.

“One wounded soldier, who is currently unemployed, said he had just lost his house and his car,” Stroud reported. “When he got the news that he would receive $500 from CSAH, the soldier started crying and said that his family would now be able to celebrate Christmas.”

In 2010, thanks to support from the Texas Department of State Health Services, TexVet has become the hub for federal, state and local organizations that assist veterans and their families. For more information on TexVet and its partners, visit www.texvet.org.

Bryan Students Immerse in Mini-Med SchoolOn November 16, more than 160 high school students from Bryan ISD participated in the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine’s first Mini-Medical School for students at the TAMHSC Bryan campus.

The students, who attend half-days at Bryan ISD’s Hammond-Oliver High School for the Human Sciences, rotated through several stations at the Bryan campus, including arranging the bones of a skeleton, learning how to get into medical school and touring the Simulation Center. In the Simulation Center, students observed two computerized training manikins, one with a simulated burn and one experiencing cardiac arrest.

The November 16 program was modeled after the TAMHSC-College of Medicine’s Mini-Medical School lecture series for community members, the college’s signature community outreach program now in its seventh season. Each Thursday for six weeks, Mini-Medical School provides lectures by health experts, faculty members and thought leaders to educate the public about health related research and technology, disease prevention and health care policy.

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To support the new mission, the workgroup and Dr. Shomaker also developed the following vision and decision-making values.

Our vision is to develop the innovators and leaders in medicine and biomedical research who will transform American medicine in the 21st century.

Our actions and decisions are guided by these values:

Accountability, Achievement, Creativity, Diversity, Integrity, Respect, Service and Transparency

“By creating a more focused mission statement and supporting it with a vision and values, we have aligned our purpose more surely with the health care needs of Texas,” Dr. Shomaker concluded. “Every-thing that we do in education, research and health care delivery will now be guided by these principles as we improve health care in our region.”

Mission Critical from page 1

As part of the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA) “First Tuesday at the Capitol” events, 29 first-, second- and third-year students from the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine visited the state capitol in Austin on April 5 to attend a 2011 Texas legislative session.

Since 2003, First Tuesdays has provided an opportunity for physicians, residents and medical students to speak with their senators and representatives regarding health and health education related issues. The April 5 event focused especially on medical students and residents, funding for medical schools and graduate medical education.

Transportation from Bryan-College Station and Temple to Austin was provided by the TMA. Students started the day with an issues briefing at 7 a.m., followed by visits with legislators, committee hearings and the House of Representatives and Senate sessions for the remainder of the day.

“The physician involvement and activism was truly impressive,” said Abby Rodriguez, first-year medical student. “Each physician I encountered seemed to participate in First Tuesdays on a regular basis and was well-versed in the details of proposed bills that would potentially impact the state health care system. Even though all of those physicians are incredibly busy, they still dedicate their time to ensure that our state protects physicians’ rights and patients’ rights now and in the future.”

Students Visit Capitol for “First Tuesday” Adams Receives First Barnett Award for EMRs In conjunction with Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine Reunion Weekend, on April 30, 2011, Rae Adams, M.D., ’08, Chief Resident at the TAMHSC College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency in Bryan, was awarded the first Max Don Barnett Senior Resident IT Award to attend an electronic medical records conference.

The Barnett Award was funded by the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. James L. Holly in honor of Max Don Barnett.

With the aid of this award, Dr. Adams will learn how electronic medical records and electronic patient management enable tracking of quality metrics on individual patients; auditing of provider performance on populations of patients; and analyzing data to improve care.

“Electronic patient management is more than just medical records,” said Dr. Holly. “It includes a complete record of patient encounters that streamlines the workflow in health care settings and increases safety through evidence-based decision making, quality management and outcomes reporting.”

The award will be given annually to a third-year resident in the TAMHSC College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency.

Dr. James L. Holly, left, and Dr. Rae Adams ‘08 at the College of Medicine 2011 Reunion on April 30, 2011.

First-year students (l to r) Danny Peters, Srijna Nandivada and Riddhi Patel at the rotunda.

Twenty-nine medical students gather on the east steps of the Capitol on April 5

office of Institutional Advancement 110 Joe H. Reynolds Medical Building College Station, TX 77843-1114

FoRMER STUDENTS, ALUMNI, FRIENDS:

WE’d LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Please update your information by visiting medicine.tamhsc.edu/update-info. Alumni, register for

your lifetime email address by going to giving.tamhsc.edu/alumni and clicking on “Email for Life.” If you have questions, contact the

Office of Institutional Advancement at (866) 645-8492 (toll-free) or (979) 862-3992.

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To see more Reunion photos, visit medicine.tamhsc.edu/alumni