Nobel Laureate George Palade, M.D., considered the father of modern cell biology, died at home on October 7 at age 95 after a long illness. Palade, Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and founding Dean for Scientific Affairs at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, was a resident of Del Mar, California, with his wife Marilyn Farquhar, Ph.D., Chair of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at UC San Diego.

Palade was internationally recognized for his pioneering use of electron microscopy and cell fractionation. He was best known for his work in establishing the pathway for synthesis and transport of proteins along the secretory pathway, illuminating how cells build and transport their protein building blocks. He was also an extraordinary teacher and mentor to some of the leading scientists in the field today. An important mission throughout his life was to train new generations of scientists based on his belief that scientific discovery is "an enterprise that continues generation after generation."

To read the full article, go to http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2008/10-10-obituary-palade.htm

Two new Assistant Vice Chancellors have been appointed as part of UC San Diego's ongoing commitment to advancing the many initiatives we have underway and improving our overall effectiveness.

Ron Espiritu, Associate Dean for Business and Fiscal Affairs, has assumed the role of Assistant Vice Chancellor for Business and Fiscal Affairs; and Shawn T. Sheffield has been appointed to the new position of Assistant Vice Chancellor for Resource Strategy and Planning.

These organizational changes will consolidate key services, help streamline reporting, and enhance collaboration among key administrative units. The new positions will report to Associate Vice Chancellor Tom Jackiewicz.

With more than twenty years of service at the University of California and 12 years with UC San Diego Health Sciences, Espiritu has a long record of success in managing many important functions and implementing new initiatives that improve operations and overall performance in critical areas.

In his new role, Espiritu will also serve as a liaison between campus offices and SOM departments and programs, and act as a key advisor to the SOM Deans and the Vice Chancellor to assist in advancing the mission and goals of the SOM and Health Sciences.

Sheffield has served as Administrative Vice Chair in the Department of Pediatrics at UC San Diego for two years, a unique position that has included extensive interaction with Rady Children's Hospital and Children's Specialists of San Diego. Before coming to UC San Diego, Shawn was Director of Administration for the Medical Services Department at UC San Francisco's San Francisco General Hospital.

Sheffield will oversee the development and execution of business, capital and venture planning for the Health Sciences. She will also manage affiliation relationships, including our partnerships with Rady Children's Hospital, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and others.

Gerard Manecke, M.D., has been selected Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology after an extensive national search. Manecke has been a member of the department since 2000, and interim chair since 2004. A superb clinician and respected researcher, he has helped the department become a global leader in basic and clinical research, education and training, and patient care.

"UC San Diego is fortunate to have a physician who sets the bar of excellence higher every year. Under Dr. Manecke's leadership, UC San Diego Medical Center offers patients more options than any other hospital in the region for anesthesia and pain management. The department's research enterprise is one of the best funded in the country while boasting one of the most coveted anesthesiology residencies in the United States," said David Brenner, M.D., Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences.

Manecke earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at Stony Brook University, New York with fellowship training in cardiac and pediatric anesthesia. He served as Clinical Director of Anesthesiology at Stony Brook from 1993-2000. He is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, California Society of Anesthesiologists, International Anesthesia Research Society, and the American Medical Association.

Robert Katzman, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Neurosciences, former chair of the Department of Neurosciences and founding director of the Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) at the UC San Diego School of Medicine died on September 16 at his home in La Jolla after a long illness. He was 82 years old.

An internationally known leader in Alzheimer's research, Katzman was instrumental in establishing the ADRC at UC San Diego in 1984, one of the original five Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers of its kind in the country funded by the National Institute on Aging. He held the Florence Riford Chair for Research in Alzheimer's Disease at UC San Diego from 1984 until his retirement in 1995. Katzman was also a founder of the national Alzheimer's Association, an achievement he once remarked was the one of which he was most proud.

To read the full article, go to http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2008/9-18-obituary-katzman.htm

Terrence O'Grady, M.D., Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine, died on September 17 after brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 60 years old.

Dr. O'Grady was a faculty member with the UC San Diego School of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, for 14 years, and had served as Director of the Residency Program since 2004. Prior to joining UCSD, he served as flight Surgeon on the USS Midway and as a dermatologist and dermatopathologist at the San Diego Naval Hospital. Captain O'Grady retired after serving 24 years in the United States Navy. His skills improved the lives of countless patients and his inspired teaching launched many careers. He was also an avid surfer and a long-time season ticket holder for the Padres and San Diego Opera.

Dr. O'Grady is survived by his wife Johanna, daughters Allison, 31, and Megan, 25, his mother Mary and brother, Michael, both of Whittier, California. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations go to honor Dr. O'Grady's legacy though the Dr. Terry O'Grady Dermatology Lectureship.

Chief of the Division of Dermatology, Richard Gallo, M.D., Ph.D., shares that "Losing Terry leaves a tremendous void for his colleagues and students who would have benefited from his continued teaching and wisdom. By establishing this endowed lectureship, we not only honor Terry, but enable excellence in teaching to go forward in his name. This annual lectureship will bring internationally recognized teachers of Dermatopathology to UC San Diego Dermatology for seminars and teaching activities of benefit to our students and members of the region's dermatology community."

For information about the fund, please contact Tony Todarello at 858-822-1071 or atodarello@ucsd.edu

Former UCSD School of Medicine faculty leader and rheumatology expert J. William Hollingsworth, M.D., 82, passed away on July 30 in Charlestown on the Caribbean island of Nevis. Born on January 14, 1926, in Mount Airy, North Carolina, he was laid to rest in Nevis on Saturday, August 2, 2008.

Hollingsworth joined the UCSD School of Medicine faculty in 1978. He served as a professor of medicine and vice-chairman of that department, and as chief of medicine at the VA San Diego Medical Center until his retirement in 1991. He was Acting Dean of the School of Medicine from 1980 to 1981, and was president of the Association of Veterans Affairs Chiefs of Medicine from 1985 to 1987.

"Bill had a special wisdom in recruiting and retaining colleagues. He always looked for those with the art as well as the science of medicine," said Gordon Gill, M.D., Dean for Scientific Affairs for UCSD Health Sciences. "He valued humanistic qualities in faculty physicians, not just their intellect. Bill had a sense of the role of mentors in medicine. He worked with both Gene Stead and Paul Beeson, two of the leaders of American medicine in the 20th century. He helped to preserve their conversations about teaching medicine and to distill their insights for the next generation of faculty."

To read the full article, go to http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2008/9-4-obituary-hollingsworth.htm.