Awards
Bruce Barnett, a physicist at the Johns Hopkins University, will receive the Maryland Association of Higher Education's 2007 Outstanding Faculty Award. The award recognizes his innovative approach to teaching introductory physics to undergraduates and his pioneering work in introducing physics and astronomy to the general public.
Barnett, a professor in the Henry A. Rowland Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, was the department's first instructor to use a feedback system to promote student involvement in large lecture classes, the university said. He started and continues to coordinate the QuarkNet outreach group that provides summer enrichment for high school teachers and spearheaded creation of the university's annual Physics Fair.
Dr. Christopher V. Plowe, a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a researcher at its Center for Vaccine Development, has received the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to support malaria research in Mali, West Africa.
The $1.5 million award will enable Plowe to combine molecular studies in the Center for Vaccine Development with clinical trials in Mali to understand how malaria parasites evolve to evade attack from the human immune system.
Plowe is one of seven mid-career physician-scientists from the United States to receive this year's award. Each recipient will receive $1.5 million to support the translation of the latest scientific advances into clinical applications that will improve human health.
The Doris Duke Award will also support research training for medical students and young physicians to work with Plowe and his team at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and in Africa.
Appointments
St. Joseph Medical Center has announced two appointments to its board of directors:
Sister Esther Anderson of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia is a consultant and facilitator for religious congregations and president of the Catholic Health Care Federation. She also serves as chairwoman of the board of directors for Catholic Health Initiatives. She lives in Aston, Penn.
David F. Gonano is managing director of RSM McGladrey, a consulting and financial services firm. Gonano, a certified public account specializing in financial planning, trust and estates, is a former chairman of the St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation board of directors. He lives in Baldwin.
Dr. Judah Ronch, vice president of Resident Life, Mental Health and Wellness in the Erickson Health System, has been named a professor of practice at the Erickson School of Aging Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Ronch will also continue to serve as a consultant to Erickson, which operates retirement communities and nursing facilities nationwide.
Before coming to Erickson, Ronch was the founder and executive director of Lifespan Developmental Systems, which provided mental health consulting services for the elderly.
Howard County General Hospital has announced the appointment of the following professional staff officers for 2007:
Dr. Michael E. Sliverman, president, is an internist and cardiologist. He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed his internship, residency and chief residency at Temple University Hospital.
Dr. Edward J. Lee, vice president, has been on the professional staff at Howard County General for six years. The internist and hematologist earned his undergraduate degree at Columbia College and his medical degree from the State University of New York - Downstate.
Dr. Marc Applestein, treasurer, joined the HCGH professional staff in 1988. A urologist, Applestein graduated from Duke University, earned his medial degree from the University of Maryland and a master's degree in business administration from the Johns Hopkins University.