Milestones
Dr. Atherton elected exec VP
Dr.
Sally S. Atherton, chair of the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy,
has been elected executive vice president of the Association for Research in
Vision and Ophthalmology.
The Rockville, Md.-based organization of more than 11,500 eye and vision researchers from over 70 countries fosters training, publication and dissemination of knowledge in vision and ophthalmology.
Dr. Atherton will serve a five-year term beginning in May 2007. She has been a member of the association for over 20 years and has served as president-elect, president, trustee of the Immunology and Microbiology Section, a member of the Finance Committee and chair of the Immunology and Microbiology Program Committee.
She has been funded by the National Eye Institute since 1985 for research on the virologic and immunologic mechanisms of ocular and central nervous system infections caused by the herpes virus family. She has been a member of numerous government and private review panels, including Fight for Sight, and is a member of National Center for Research Resources’ Research Centers in Minority Institutions review group. She serves on the editorial boards of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Experimental Eye Research and Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology.
Ms. Bass named director of Advancement Technology
Ilona
H. Bass, a former development officer, has been named director of
advancement technology for the Division of University Advancement.
In her new position, Ms. Bass will facilitate the use of information technology and computer systems that support the university’s alumni activities and fund-raising efforts. She also will identify and develop automation to transform organization business processes and manage the division’s donor recognition program.
As former co-owner and vice president of CSRA Internet Services, Ms. Bass managed human resources, administrative and marketing functions. She was the director of development/annual giving at MCG from 1990-97.
Ms. Bass has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in business management from Augusta State University.
Dr.
Kountakis elected to posts
Dr. Stilianos E. Kountakis, vice chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and director of the Division of Rhinology, has been elected second vice president of the American Rhinologic Society.
Dr. Kountakis, who directs MCG’s Georgia Sinus Center and the Otolaryngology Department’s residency program, also has been elected secretary of the Georgia Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Dr. Kountakis is associate editor of The American Journal of Rhinology, a member of the review board for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, an editorial board member of Ear, Nose & Throat Journal and a reviewer for The Laryngoscope, The American Journal of Rhinology and Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology. He has served as a guest examiner for the American Board of Otolaryngology’s oral examination three times.
His research interests include new approaches to sinus surgery as well as the physiological and immune parameters of chronic sinusitis and innovative treatments for this condition.
Dr. Ownby named to study
Dr.
Dennis R. Ownby, chief of the Section of Allergy and Immunology, has been
appointed to the Infectious Diseases, Reproductive Health, Asthma and
Pulmonary Conditions Study Section of the National Institutes of Health.
Study sections review NIH grant applications, make funding recommendations to the appropriate NIH national advisory council or board and survey the status of research in a particular scientific field. Members are selected based on demonstrated scientific achievement.
Dr. Ownby has served as an ad hoc reviewer for the study section since November 2005. He is a member of the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Immunology and Infectious Diseases Data and Safety Monitoring Board for Asthma and Allergic Diseases. He also has served as an ad hoc reviewer for the NIH Respiratory Integrative Biology and Translational Research Study Section since June 2005.
His research interests include the relationship between the environment and allergy development, including a landmark study published in 2002 in the Journal of the American Medical Association that showed children who grow up with dogs and cats in the home have a significantly reduced risk of developing common allergies.
Dr.
Postma elected secretary
Dr. Gregory N. Postma, professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and director of the Center for Voice and Swallowing Disorders, has been elected secretary of the American Broncho-Esophagological Association, where he is also a member of the association’s council and chairs the Pharyngo-Esophageal Committee.
He has been a member of the invitation-only association of specialists in evaluation and management of upper aerodigestive tract disorders since 1997. The association advocates and supports endoscopic and other approaches to treating tracheal and esophageal disease in residency and fellowship programs.
Dr. Postma is a councilor for the Dysphagia Research Society and has served as a legislative representative on the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He is a reviewer for several journals including Laryngoscope, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology and the American Journal of Otolaryngology.
His clinical interests include voice disorders, professional and singing voice care, dysphagia and associated swallowing disorders, airway surgery and reconstruction, spasmodic dysphonia, extraesophageal and gastroesophageal reflux and chronic cough. Research interests include extraesophageal reflux, surgical and non-surgical management of swallowing disorders and in-office surgery.
Neuroscience student to attend Merck Summer Institute
Elsie Wong, a second-year neuroscience graduate student, has received a scholarship to attend the John Merck Fund Summer Institute at Princeton University.
The institute, a weeklong lecture series on the biology of developmental disabilities begins June 25.
Ms. Wong, who studies brain plasticity, is one of 30 students selected nationwide to attend. She expects to learn about current topics of research and meet neuroscience experts. “I’m hoping to get a broad knowledge base and exposure to the field,” she said.
Originally from Singapore, Ms. Wong came to the United States to attend Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Ga. She earned a bachelor of science in pre-professional studies in 2003.
Obituaries
Ronnie L. Bridges, 57, husband of Linda R. Bridges, a health service administrator with Georgia Correctional Health Center in Calhoun, Ga, died May 16.
Doris Yudick, 69, a retired regional clinical coordinator with Georgia Correctional Health Center, died May 29.