Groundbreaking at Sears Crosstown Signals Official Start of Construction
On February 21, work officially began on the site of the old Sears building at 420 North Cleveland, exactly 88 years from the date when Sears, Roebuck & Co. executives broke ground on a new retail and distribution center in 1927. Although the February event signaled the official start of construction, crews have been working at the site since early January.
The founding partners of the new facility at the site hope to be able to move either a portion of all of their offices into the building in 2017. The founding partners include, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, the Church Health Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Southern College of Optometry.
More than $200 million has been raised for the project from more than 20 sources including, public, private, and philanthropic.
UTHSC’s Edward Chaum Receives Grant for Ocular Trauma Research
Edward Chaum, MD, PhD, and Plough Professor of Retinal Diseases at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant totaling $999,488 from the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity to study the effects of ocular trauma.
Significant eye injuries are common in military personnel who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The award will be used to support a project titled, “Nutlin Analogues for the Prevention and Treatment of Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy in Ocular Trauma,” and will be distributed over three years. The project explores the use of a new class of drugs for the treatment of ocular injuries, in particular those that prevent the scarring caused by traumatic injury, which often leads to blindness.
The candidate drug molecules being tested are variants of a known drug currently in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer.
In partnership with Focal Point Pharmaceuticals, a Memphis startup company, the goal of Dr. Chaum and his research team is to prove the effectiveness of these drugs in ocular trauma and other eye diseases, and to develop them commercially for military and civilian clinical use.
Kenneth Batts Joins HealthChoice
Kenneth Batts has joined HealthChoice as a Complex Care Manager. Batts, who is certified in case management, will be responsible for the overall assessment and coordination of services and care needed by patients with complex conditions to help them achieve an optimal level of health and productivity.
Prior to joining HealthChoice, Batts was employed at Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital, where he worked for seven years as a RN case manager.
Batts is a member of HealthChoice’s newly-formed Population Health team, which works collaboratively with patients and their physicians to improve their health status. This initiative, which is offered to patients whose employers have engaged HealthChoice, aims to educate and empower the patient, help them in navigating the complex healthcare system, and ensure appropriate provider care.
St. Jude President, CEO Honored
James R. Downing, MD, president and chief executive officer of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, has received the Distinguished Service Award for his studies on the genetic basis of cancer and for improving the treatment of children with cancer. The award, which was presented at the 2015 Miami Winter Symposium in February, honors exceptional contributions to science that have helped biological research and its practice to advance on a broad front.
Downing presented the Distinguished Service Awardee Lecture at the meeting. Downing is internationally recognized for his seminal contributions to understanding the genetic missteps driving childhood cancer. Downing was instrumental in launching the St. Jude-Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, the world’s largest project devoted to understanding childhood cancer. He has been published in prestigious journals and holds membership in numerous academic and professional societies. In 2013, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine.
Methodist Le Bonheur Names Cashman MLH Affiliated CEO
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has named Eugene K. Cashman III its MLH Affiliated CEO.
Cashman comes to Methodist with more than ten years of healthcare experience, having served as CEO at Select Medical Corporation’s 186-bed long-term care facility in Columbus, Ohio before becoming CEO of Crittenden Regional Hospital in 2012. Prior to his tenure with Select, he served in a variety of leadership positions with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, most recently as director of Perioperative Administrative Operations.
A native Memphian, Gene holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Auburn University and a Master of Health Administration degree from the University of Memphis.
MOGA and WPG Merge Practices; Combined Staff Offers 22 Physicians
Memphis Obstetrics and Gynecological Association PC (MOGA), the largest private provider of women’s healthcare in the region is growing has announced today the merger of practices with Women’s Physician Group (WPG).
WPG has become a division of MOGA. The fusion of the two independent groups will create a unified practice totaling 33 licensed medical providers, including 22 physicians, five nurse practitioners from MOGA and five physicians and one nurse practitioner from WPG.
Officials said the merger allowed both practices to remain independent rather than owned by a larger system. Although daily operations and current locations will remain intact, combining these two practices also permits MOGA and WPG to share resources, expertise, and services -- all considered major benefits as healthcare continues to change.
MOGA’s four locations are in East Memphis, Germantown, Wolfchase and Desoto County. The merger with WPG now allows patients to be seen in Midtown Memphis as well.
Bluff City Medical Society Installs New Officers
Lanetta Anderson, MD, who has been practicing at the Women’s Physicians Group since 1996, has been has been installed as president of the Bluff City Medical Society.
Dr. Anderson earned her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, graduating in the top 20 percent of her class. Her internship and residency were completed at Northwestern University. Dr. Anderson is board-certified by the American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Other newly elected officers of the Bluff City Medical Society include, Perisco Wofford, MD, President-Elect; Brenda M Hardy, MD, Vice President; Danielle H Hassel, MD, Treasurer; LaTonya Washington, MD, Secretary; Henry Stamps, MD, Chaplain; Janice P. Cooper, Executive Assistant. Walter Rayford, PhD, MD. MBA, is the Immediate Past President.
The Bluff City Medical Society was founded in 1885 by a group of African-American physicians with the purpose of promoting wellness education and decreasing healthcare disparities between African-Americans and non-African Americans. The organization has grown to more than 200 members.
Three Organizations Set Linking Hands Event for April
In celebration of April as National Donate Life Month, the Mid-South Transplant Foundation, Lifeblood, the Mid-South Regional Blood Center and Be the Match National Marrow Donor Program will hold the ninth annual Linking Hands for Life on Sunday, April 19.
The public is invited to run or walk the certified 5K and 10K course through midtown Memphis at noon and then enjoy a free live Music Fest at the Overton Square Tower Courtyard at 2 p.m.
To register for the 5K or 10K online visit www.racesonline.com or for more information visit www.midsouthtransplant.org or call 901-328-4438.
UT Initials Added to Name of Methodist University Hospital
The initials of the University of Tennessee are now appearing on a Memphis hospital for the first time since 2004, when the UT Bowld Hospital closed its doors.
The bright orange UT icon has been added to the exterior signage at Methodist University Hospital, and the hospital will be referred to as Methodist UT Hospital in recognition of the growing partnership between the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) and the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system.
The new signage was unveiled last month.
Eric H. Benink Named CMO at Regional One Health
Eric H. Benink, MD, MBA, FAAEM, has joined Regional One Health as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Prior to joining Regional One Health he was the CMO at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Illinois and also previously held the CMO position at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois. Specializing in emergency medicine,
Dr. Benink also served in the United States Air Force during the Gulf War. He was a clinical instructor and assistant professor for the emergency medicine residency program at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and held faculty positions at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria and Rockford campuses. During his career in trauma, emergency and medical flight care, he held several leadership positions at OSF Healthcare.
Dr. Benink graduated from Rush Medical College in Chicago, Illinois. He completed his residency and served as Chief Resident at Christ Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois. He also earned a Master’s in Business Administration from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.
