Allied Health Sciences

Charles T. “Chuck” Adams (nuclear medicine technology, ’83), Atlanta, has been appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue to the Health Strategies Council. Mr. Adams, who earned a master’s degree in business administration from Brenau University, is chief executive officer of Ty Cobb Healthcare System serving Franklin, Hart, Madison and Barrow counties.

Pamela S. Bush (dental hygiene, ’86), Augusta, has been named a dental hygienist representative to the Georgia Board of Dentistry by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue. Ms. Bush, a hygienist in two private practices, is a member of the Georgia Dental Hygienists Association, the American Dental Hygienists Association and the Central Savannah River Area Dental Hygiene Society.

Heather Nicole Reece (health information administration, ‘02), Gillsville, Ga., recently received her Imaging Customer Certification in Health Information Management from McKesson’s Enterprise Imaging Group. Certification reflects a passing score on a 200-question exam offered to customers who have been using the McKesson system for at least a year. Fewer than 40 individuals worldwide have this designation.

Brianna Michelle Whitworth (radiological sciences, 2002), an ultrasound technician at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, Ga., married Joseph Godfrey Hay Jr. Feb. 4 in Lawrenceville, Ga.

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Dentistry

Dr. Bruce Ashendorf  (’81) served as general chair of the Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting March 23-25 in Atlanta. The meeting, one of the country’s largest and most prestigious continuing education programs for the dental profession, annually attracts more than 23,000 dental professionals nationwide to participate in the lectures, seminars and exhibits. Dr. Ashendorf supervised and managed all aspects of planning for the meeting. He has been a practicing dentist in Georgia for more than 25 years and currently practices general and restorative dentistry in Tucker, Ga.

Dr. Judson Connell (’91) practices adult cosmetic, reconstructive and neuromuscular dentistry in Suwanee, Ga.

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Medicine

Dr. W.G. “Curly” Watson (’43) celebrated his 96th birthday Feb. 25 and was feted the previous day with a celebration on the front lawn of Augusta’s University Hospital. Present and former patients, friends and co-workers gathered to wish him well and express appreciation for a 60-plus year career that has included ushering more than 15,000 babies into the world, including two of his physician partners. University Hospital’s Watson Women’s Center is named in his honor.

Dr. Irving Victor (’45), Savannah, Ga., received a proclamation from the Chatham County Commission Jan. 27 for helping establish the Chatham County Emergency Medical Service 35 years ago. Dr. Victor, assistant to the president of St. Joseph’s/Candler General Hospital, is a urologist and former chief of staff for St. Joseph’s. He has chaired the Coastal Area Planning and Development Commission and served on the Board of Directors of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Union Mission and Memorial Medical Center. He is an active member of the Savannah Waterfront Association.

Dr. J. Daniel Hanks (’69), Rome, Ga., has been appointed to the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce as a non-primary care physician representative by Gov. Sonny Perdue. Dr. Hanks, a radiologist at the Rome Radiology Group, is a past president of the Georgia Radiological Society, a past member of the Medical Association of Georgia Board of Directors, a past chair of the MCG Foundation and a member of the Rome Area History Museum Board of Directors.

Dr. Gilbert S. Klemann (’69), Albany, Ga., has been appointed to the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce as a primary care physician representative by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue. Dr. Klemann, senior and managing partner of Albany Obstetrics and Gynecology, is a former member of the American Medical Association, the American Medical Society of Vienna and the American Fertility Society.

Dr. Richard Kauffman (’76), Vinings, Ga., has received the Rotary Centennial Award for Professional Excellence. Dr. Kauffman treats over 15,000 patients in his Family Health Care Center. The center doesn’t require appointments, and Dr. Kauffman often makes house calls. He spent the summer of 2004 volunteering treatment to HIV/AIDS patients in Cambodia.

Dr. Farrell H. Braziel (’79), Roswell, Ga., has been named the 2005 Psychiatrist of the Year by the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association. He is the managing partner of the Cumberland Psychiatric Group with offices in Roswell, Duluth, Smyrna and Decatur, Ga., offering a full range of psychiatric and addictive services with strong focus on family involvement and a support system for patients.

Dr. John T. Perry (’79), White, Ga., has been appointed to the State Board of Medical Examiners by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue. Dr. Perry is president and senior associate at Cartersville Surgical Associates. He also is director of Century Bank and chair of the governmental committee for the Bartow Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Perry is a member of the Medical Association of Georgia, the Georgia Surgical Society and the Atlanta Vascular Society. He and wife Carlene have three children.

Dr. Christopher Cates (’82) reported on the effectiveness of using a virtual patient simulator to practice risky catheter procedures in the May 2, 2006 edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Cates is on the faculty of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Dr. Linda McKibben (’82), a former medical officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has joined The Lewin Group, a leading health care and human services consulting firm, as a vice president, in Falls Church, Va. At the CDC’s National Center for Infectious Diseases, Dr. McKibben was coordinator of patient safety activities and medical officer in the Prevention and Evaluation Branch of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. 

Dr. F. Stuart Sanders (’82) chaired the International Heart and Lung Games Committee of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. The association sponsored its second international Olympic-style event in May in Chicago. The event, designed to motivate and inspire cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation patients, draws athletes worldwide. “This event is something our patients train for and look forward to for years and is an excellent way to promote cardiac and pulmonary health,” Dr. Sanders said. 

Dr. E. Chandler McDavid (’83), Sandersville, Ga., has been named a primary care physician representative to the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue. Dr. McDavid, managing physician at Sandersville Family Practice Center, is a member of the American Academy of Family Practice. 

Dr. H. Stacy Nicholson (’85) chairs pediatrics in the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine and is physician-in-chief at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. He earned his master’s degree in biostatistics from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. He trained in pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and in cancer epidemiology at the National Cancer Institute. He has held leadership positions in the American Society for Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology and the Children’s Oncology Group.

Dr. J.P. (Yusuf) Saleeby (’91), Hinesville, Ga., published his first book in paperback in April. The book, Wonder Herbs: A Guide to Three Adaptogens, is for the lay public as well as the medical practitioner. Visit www.xlibris.com/wonderherbs for more information.

Dr. John T. Cope (’94), an MCG assistant professor of internal medicine who teaches senior medical students at his private practice, Habersham Primary Care, in Demorest, Ga., recently received the Community Based Teaching Award from the Georgia chapter of the American College of Physicians. 

Dr. T. Robert Dyar Jr. (’95), Marietta, Ga., has been appointed to Georgia’s Health Strategies Council by Gov. Sonny Perdue. Dr. Dyar chairs the Kennestone Hospital Department of Obstetrics/ Gynecology and is an obstetrician/gynecologist at North Cobb Women’s Health. He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a member of the Medical Association of Georgia. Ha and wife Susan have two children. 

Dr. Jennifer Erdin (’99) specializes in pediatric medicine at NorthEast Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. She completed a pediatrics residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. Her husband, Dr. Robert Erdin (’99), specializes in orthopedic surgery at NorthEast. He completed an orthopedic surgery residency and a fellowship in foot and ankle surgery at the University of Tennessee’s Campbell Clinic in Memphis. 

Dr. Chad Marley (’00) is serving just north of Baghdad as a brigade surgeon. He oversees seven doctors and eight physician assistants to provide medical care and supplies for the 5,500 soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team. He also works with Iraqi health care providers to improve the medical system. Dr. Marley, a three-time state champion wrestler at Shiloh High School in Gwinnett County, Ga., recently was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.  He and his wife have a year-old son, Max.  

Obituaries

Dr. Robert Hoyt Anderson Jr. (’56), Gainesville, Ga., died Jan. 24 at age 78. He practiced general surgery in Gainesville for 32 years, retiring in 1993. His career included serving as chief of staff at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. He enjoyed every minute of his retirement pursuing hobbies including golf, hunting, gardening, oil painting and traveling. He also enjoyed his grandchildren’s sports and activities, attending as many as three games in a single day.

Dr. William Palmer McNair Sr. (’56) died Sept. 22 at age 77 in Soperton, Ga. He opened a general and surgical practice in Soperton in 1957 and was still an active general practitioner at the time of his death. He had served as medical director of the Skilled Care Nursing Home in Soperton and medical examiner for Treutlen County. He was a member of  he American Medical Association, Southeast Medical Society, Medical Association of Georgia and Southern Medical Association. Survivors include three sons, a daughter-in-law and seven grandchildren. 

Dr. George Patterson Williams (’62) died Feb. 25. He practiced obstetrics and gynecology in Augusta for 31 years. He was a fellow in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a past president of the Augusta  Ob-Gyn Society. Survivors include wife Bunny Simon Williams, three daughters, four sons, 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. 

Loris Belle (Lou) Rissman Levy, wife of Dr. Maurice Levy, former associate dean for faculty development and professor of pediatrics, died Nov. 25 at Hilton Head Island following a battle with lung cancer. She taught for over 30 years, most of that time in the Richmond County public schools. In addition to her husband, survivors include daughters Dr. Arden L. Levy (School of Medicine class of ’89) and Dr. Andrea H. Levy (School of Medicine class of ’91), son James M. Levy and a sister. Memorial donations in her honor may be made to the MCG Foundation, Inc., FI-1000, Augusta, Ga.,  30912-7730, or the Palmetto Health Hospice, 27 Dr. Mellichamp Drive, Bluffton, S.C., 29910. 

Norma Manning Payne, wife of Dr. Peter M. Payne, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and president of the Alumni Association of the School of Medicine, died April 1. She was a University Hospital School of Nursing alumna and very active in her church and community. 

Dr. Charles Brinson Shiver Jr. (’49) died Feb. 15. Dr. Shiver practiced internal medicine in Augusta for 48 years. He was on the staff at St. Joseph and University Hospitals and was a founding member of Augusta’s Doctors Hospital. Survivors include wife Toni Shiver, four children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. 

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Nursing

Connie Tomlison Crenshaw (B.S.N., ’76 and M.S.N., ’81) was honored at the 2006 Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Drive for a Cure at Augusta’s Taylor BMW.

Susanne Kelley Hanada (B.S.N., ’04) works at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and married Michael Allen Corbin June 3.

Lindsay Erin McClellan (B.S.N., ’05) married James Dustin Keeble July 16. They live in New York. 

Obituaries

Ruby Annette Sanders (’77), Warner Robins, Ga., died March 22. She worked for 15 years at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in nursing and management, retiring in 1995. Survivors include her husband, Ned M. Sanders, a son, a daughter and two grandchildren.

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Welcome Home!

Approximately 800 alumni visited campus April 27-30 for Homecoming 2006.  Events included receptions for all five schools, Distinguished Alumni Award presentations, a cookout a the President's home, class reunions, a dance and many other activities.

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For the Record

We'd like to hear from you! To help us keep you up to date on what's happening at the Medical College of Georgia, please keep us up to date on what's happening with you. Please complete the form at www.mcg.edu/vitals or send your information to:

Scott Henson
Director of Alumni Affairs
FI-1000, Medical College of Georgia
Augusta GA 30912
706-721-3430 (phone)
706-721-6397 (fax)
(e-mail)

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