Kellaway chosen for Humanism in Medicine Award

For Judianne Kellaway, M.Ed., M.D., her path to medical school started because of a desire to help people. “My life has branched into all of these different areas, but my patients are where it all started,” she said. “I still love walking into a room and visiting with my patients – it’s a very nice exchange. I have a mission to help them, but they don’t realize how much they do for me as well.”

Kellaway, associate professor of ophthalmology and visual science and first holder of the endowed Stephen A. Lasher III Professorship in Ophthalmology, is the 2007 recipient of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, which is presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

The award honors faculty who are exemplary in their compassion and sensitivity in the delivery of care to patients and their families, who administer scientifically excellent clinical care, and who serve as role models to students.

“This is the greatest honor I can imagine,” Kellaway said, when asked how it feels to receive an award that honors her as an excellent caregiver to patients and mentor to students. “If I do anything right, it’s because somebody has shown me a better way to do things. I’ve had so many good role models, including my teachers, students, and patients. The honor needs to be shared with them because they have played a major role in the kind of doctor I am becoming.”

Kellaway relates well to her students because she knows what it’s like to be one. She graduated with the Medical School class of 1987 and joined the faculty in 1992.

She teaches ophthalmology lessons at all levels – from elementary to high school and from college to graduate school. Her courses at the Medical School include histology of the eye in the first year; physical examination of the eye in the second year; and various electives to third- and fourth-year students.

Teaching has played a major role in Kellaway’s life. Before attending medical school, she taught kindergarten for 10 years.

She said she is able to maintain a good balance in her roles as physician and educator by being open to new ideas. “I’m always aware that students have something important to teach me,” she said.

Kellaway is also assistant dean for admissions, and in this role, she said she enjoys helping people reach their goals. “I think I have the best job in the whole world. I get to talk to young people with dreams, and I’m helping them reach their goals – what could be better.”

Previous winners of the award are W. Keith Hoots, M.D., 2006; Larry C. Gilstrap III, M.D., 2005; Virginia A. Moyer, M.D., M.P.H., 2004; Cheves M. Smythe, M.D., 2003; Oscar Rosales, M.D., 2002; Philip C. Johnson, M.D., 2001; Philip R. Orlander, M.D., 2000; and John R. Stroehlein, M.D., 1999.

-C. Webb

Admissions office praises top 12 faculty interviewers

Finding just the right person to fit the picture of the ideal physician takes plenty of faculty experts. Recognizing the huge contribution UT Medical School faculty devote to the interview process, the Office of Admissions wants to pay special tribute to the following top 12 members for interviewing the most candidates from 2006-2007:

1. Marylee Kott, M.D. – 61 interviews
2. Wallace Gleason, M.D. – 52 interviews
3. William Seifert, Ph.D. – 46 interviews
4. Mark Farnie, M.D. – 45 interviews
5. Sheela Lahoti, M.D. – 41 interviews
6. Leonard Cleary, Ph.D. – 41 interviews
7. Raymond Grill, Ph.D. – 40 interviews
8. Stephen Patrick, M.D. – 40 interviews
9. Robin Jacquet Williams, M.D. – 39 interviews
10. John Ribble, M.D. – 37 interviews
11. Max Hutchins, Ph.D. – 36 interviews
12. Nurun Shah, M.D. – 36 interviews

From August to January, 50 applicants came to the Medical School once or twice a week to meet with faculty. Dr. Judianne Kellaway, assistant dean for admissions, explained that the interview process consists of much more than just asking questions.

“Interviewers devote an extraordinary amount of time in the process,” Kellaway said. “They visit with the person, ask questions, and write a report on the candidates. It’s absolutely crucial to have these face-to-face meetings with the applicants because we are looking for more than just extraordinary minds – we want extraordinary people.

“Interviewing consists of exploring the candidates for medical school but also convincing these young people that they cannot find a better medical education anywhere other than UT-Houston,” she continued.

Kellaway said that the interview itself is vital because it allows faculty to get to know the person – beyond what’s listed on paper.

“Our faculty members are experts at finding people who are a good fit for this school,” she said. “The interviewers look beyond the superb credentials in the paper documents to look for the human qualities, which we all think make the ideal physician: motivation, energy, and compassion, for example.”

Faculty members receive no compensation for interviewing candidates; they are volunteers.

“They do this because they believe in the missions of our school, and it is hard work which takes them away from their research, clinical, and other school activities,” Kellaway said. “They are not paid for these time-consuming activities. They do it with a happy heart because it is so rewarding to find young people devoted to becoming doctors and watch them in their journey through medical school.”

The Office of Admissions staff says it is indebted to not only the 12 interviewers noted in this article but to all 180 members of the faculty who volunteered time away from their clinical, research, and teaching responsibilities to preview applicants for the school.

-C. Webb

Morano wins McGovern Award from GSBS

For his important role in training graduate students to become the next generation of researchers, Dr. Kevin Morano was selected to win the 2007 John P. McGovern Outstanding Teacher Award at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS).

Morano, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the Medical School, was chosen by students to receive the award. Winners are noted for stimulating curiosity, promoting professional development, and contributing to students’ abilities to think creatively. The award is made possible by an endowment from the McGovern Foundation. Dr. John McGovern is founder of the McGovern Allergy Clinic and holds faculty appointments at the health science center.

“It feels terrific,” Morano said, when asked how it feels to be chosen by students to receive the McGovern Award. “I think it’s validation that my approach works, and my time and effort are appreciated.”

Morano’s approach is to be very involved when training and mentoring his students.

“I like to meet with them, get to know them, and try and tailor my mentoring to their needs,” he said, adding that he’s learned how to read students and to adapt his style appropriately to each one.

Morano primarily teaches courses at the GSBS, including microbiology and molecular genetics; current methods in molecular research; topics in biochemistry and molecular biology; and microbial sensing and signal transduction, of which he is the course director. Additionally, he teaches medical microbiology at the Medical School and the Dental Branch and three lectures in the new Postdoctoral Certificate Training Program.

It’s interesting to note that teaching through the GSBS is on a volunteer basis and that Morano logs a substantial number of hours at the school.

Already, two graduate students have received their doctoral degrees under his guidance, and he’s currently training four more students.

“I think teaching is an important component of my job as a professor,” Morano said. “I get the chance to really affect someone’s life – the chance to help them reach their goal or ambition.”

It seems not long ago that Morano was a graduate student himself. He earned his doctorate in microbiology in 1996 from the University of California, Davis. He then completed postdoctoral training in biological chemistry in 2000 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, before joining the Medical School’s Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the fall of the same year. He researches protein chaperone function in cells using baker’s yeast as a model system.

-C. Webb