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News from the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth

Health Science Center President Named to National Board of Medical Examiners

Ronald Blanck, D.O., president of the University of North Texas Health Science Center, has been elected to the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Dr. Blanck will serve a four-year term as a member at large for the non-profit organization, which coordinates the voluntary, nationwide examination that medical licensing authorities in all 50 states accept as the standard by which to judge candidates for medical licensure.

Dr. Blanck, 59, most recently served as the Surgeon General of the United States Army and commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command – with more than 46,000 military personnel and 26,000 civilian employees throughout the world. After a 32-year military career, he retired from the Army as a lieutenant general in 2000.

Benavides Award Goes to Top Medical Student

Jeff Erdner, D.O., a recent graduate of the University of North Texas Health Science Center, was named the 2001 recipient of the Leo Benavides Memorial Award of the Tarrant County Medical Society. The award was presented to Dr. Erdner at the May 18 meeting of the Fort Worth Rotary Club.

Established in 1997, the award is given annually to a graduating senior of the UNT Health Science Center's Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. The award recognizes Dr. Erdner's service to the community and role model as a medical student.

His community service at TCOM includes serving as an ambassador of the medical school, which allowed him to recruit potential medical students. Prior to medical school, Dr. Erdner, graduated cum laude from Texas A&M University with a bachelor of science in biomedical science.

"Dr. Erdner is the personification of what Leo Benavides was all about: concern, compassion, commitment, conscience and community," said Gene Deutscher, a member of the awards selection committee. "As we listened to Jeff's responses during his interview, we felt Leo's spirit alive in Jeff."

Dr. Erdner will reside in El Paso, Texas, with his wife and daughter and will complete an emergency medicine internship at Thomason Hospital.

The award is named in memory of the Tarrant County Medical Society's late executive director, Leo Benavides, who was killed in an auto accident in 1993. The award, given annually, includes a prize of $2,000 and an individual plaque to each year's recipient. A sustaining plaque naming the recipients will be prominently displayed in the hall of honor at the health science center.

Texas Medical Association Honors TCOM Student

A medical student at the University of North Texas Health Science Center was recently named the 2001 Student of the Year by the Texas Medical Association-Medical Student Section (TMA-MSS).

Jonathan Matthews, a member of the class of 2003 of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, received the award during TexMed 2001, the association’s annual conference in Houston, May 3-5. Matthews, president of TCOM’s medical student chapter, was recognized for his successful efforts to expand and activate the medical student chapter at his school.

Starting with $36 in the chapter account, Matthews made significant strides in recruiting new members. Under his leadership, chapter members also became actively involved in several projects, including outreach to enroll uninsured children in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and participation in legislative activities.

Matthews also was an active member of the Tarrant County Medical Society and according to TMA-MSS President Peter Lamble, "basically led his chapter into being a serious contender for the Chapter of the Year award."

Lamble noted that Matthews’ efforts and leadership benefited not only the TCOM students, but also medical students around the state.

"At our recent CHIP outreach in Austin in February, ‘Taking Care of Kids Day’, TCOM brought the largest contingent of medical student volunteers, which helped make this day such a success," said Lamble. "And he shared his successful recruiting experience with newly elected officers from every medical school in Texas at our Leadership Training Forum in February."

Matthews, a third-year osteopathic medical student at TCOM, plans to specialize in internal medicine after graduating.

Matthews is the first osteopathic medical student to win the award. Established in 1998, the annual award recognizes the TMA-MSS student member who serves the section and excels in furthering TMA-MSS goals and policies for a better Texas. Nominations for the award are accepted by the TMA-MSS executive council throughout the year. Any medical student, except members of the executive council, is eligible to receive the award.

Texas Medical Association is a professional organization of more than 37,000 physicians and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 118 component county medical societies around the state. The Association represents 85 percent of the doctors of medicine licensed and residing in Texas. TMA’s key objective is to improve the health of all Texans.

Alzheimer’s Alliance Focuses on Patient Care and Research

Providing the best care for Alzheimer’s patients and finding a cure to the debilitating disease are the focus of a new alliance between two local institutions.

The James L. West Alzheimer Center has joined the Consortium on Alzheimer’s Research and Education (CARE) Program at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. As part of the statewide consortium, the West Alzheimer Center will work with the health science Center on research, education, and training efforts devoted to evaluation, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

One of the first research projects involves a pilot program studying the feasibility of using telemedicine to evaluate and treat people with Alzheimer’s disease. An interactive computer system has been installed between the two facilities that allows residents, staff and physicians to talk and see one another in real time. This technology can provide the resident greater access to a wide range of specialists and may prove to enhance the quality of care, provide more timely care, and reduce the cost of care.

“This is a win-win partnership,” said Thomas Fairchild, Ph. D., director of Special Projects on Aging at the health science center. “We’ve been studying Alzheimer’s disease for years, and the West Alzheimer Center is well known for its innovative approach to caring for patients who suffer from the disease.”

“Our affiliation with the CARE Program demonstrates the West Center’s commitment to research,” said Moira Reinhardt, the center’s executive director. “Our residents’ families are thrilled that they and their loved ones can be part of this special program that has so much potential to help other people affected by Alzheimer’s disease.”

The James L. West Alzheimer’s Center opened in 1993 as one of the nation’s first free-standing facilities exclusively for the care of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Today, the center provides full-time residential care, respite care, and a day program for more than 120 people with Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia.

The UNT Health Science Center has a long-standing commitment to improving the care provided to the growing population of those over age 65. It was among the first in the country to offer specialized medical training in geriatric care and conduct research into aging issues. The health science center was the first medical school in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to establish a geriatric fellowship program that offers physicians and dentists advanced training in caring for elderly patients.

The CARE Program links UNT Health Science Center researchers and faculty physicians with providers at select Texas facilities that provide quality care to people with dementia. The program is working on expanding the number of facilities and its geographic scope.

Smart Institute Adds Spine Services

Searching for the right treatment for back and neck problems can literally and figuratively be a pain for patients and their physicians alike.

People who suffer from acute or chronic back or neck pain can now find solutions to their problem, whatever its cause, through a new comprehensive resource for treatment. The Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation of Texas (SMART) Institute has expanded its rehabilitation medicine services to include a cross-specialty Spine Institute.

The Spine Institute of Fort Worth boasts the area's largest group of physicians and rehabilitation specialists dedicated to the treatment of spine injuries.

Composed of orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine specialists, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, osteopathic manipulative specialists, and physical and occupational therapists, the Spine Institute is set to become the area's leading provider of comprehensive medical care for chronic back pain, injury and disc disease.

Other specialty services include electrodiagnostics, biofeedback, pool therapy, impairment ratings, osteopathic manipulative treatment, physical and occupational therapy and orthopedic spine surgery. Services also include hospital and outpatient care.

Trey Fulp, D.O., is medical director of the Spine Institute.

"Because low back pain causes 60 to 80 percent of Americans pain at some point in their lives, there is a great need for a facility dedicated to the treatment of back or neck pain," said Dr. Fulp. "The Spine Institute is the premier facility in the Fort Worth area for such treatment."

For information or to make an appointment, call the Spine Institute at 817-377-3422.

© 2002 Texas Osteopathic Medical Association
Last updated 01/14/2004