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Faculty Convocation slated for Aug. 22 MUSC could very well be described as a beacon for international goodwill and medical education outreach. Because of its willingness to share with others in distant lands, MUSC’s commitment to cross-cultural and ethnic outreach has earned a distinction that places it above most other domestic institutions.   Currently, MUSC faculty represents more than 50 countries. Many faculty members also are involved in humanitarian projects worldwide and in places far from any city, airport or highway systems. MUSC also collaborates with some of the world’s leading medical centers through exchange programs.   Examples of what MUSC and its faculty members and students are doing will be presented in poster demonstrations and a recognition ceremony 4:30 p.m. Aug. 22. The ceremony, “It’s an International Affair,” will be held in the Harper Student Center Gymnasium.   In honoring 10 of these faculty members, and MUSC’s international program that involves dozens more, Raymond Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., will discuss the international work of the Medical University. He will cite examples of MUSC’s current global outreach efforts while suggesting some opportunities for future initiatives.    “From my perspective, the Medical University is well positioned to contribute on a scale that goes well beyond our state, and even our national boundaries,” Greenberg said. Outstanding Clinician Adrian Reuben, M.D. As chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology’s Liver Service, Adrian Reuben is charged with the overall care of some of the most acutely ill patients within the MUSC medical system. A full time member of the MUSC faculty since 1993, he has been an inspiration to students, residents, other health care providers, fellow faculty members and, perhaps most importantly, patients and their families. A native of Great Britain, Reuben has been honored on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean and is widely recognized as one of the best physicians in America in the field of Hepatology. He completed his preclinical studies in pharmacology at the University of London; received his medical degree from University College Hospital in London, and became a member of the Royal College of Physicians in 1972.  His professional career has included professorships at Yale’s Liver Study Unit, and teaching at numerous teaching hospitals in London. Outstanding Clinician James A. Rivers, DMD, MHS James A. Rivers, a tenured professor and chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry, has been associated with MUSC for more than 35 years as a student, resident and faculty member. From a staff dentist in the Crown and Bridge Dentistry department, he rose through the ranks to the position he currently holds. Rivers’ patients represent a wide spectrum of challenges, from trauma victims to youths with congenital dental problems to the elderly with oral conditions brought on by the ravages of time. A graduate of Charleston Southern University, Rivers received his medical technology certification, doctor of dentistry, prosthodontics certification and Health Sciences degree, all from MUSC. Rivers currently serves as the chairman of MUSC’s Department of Restorative Dentistry. Developing Scholar Ann Frances Ramsdell, Ph.D. The mysteries surrounding the etiology of the human heart—especially when its development goes awry—may one day be revealed in the laboratory of Ann Ramsdell, an assistant professor in MUSC’s Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy. Ramsdell gained national recognition for her research into the embryonic formation of the heart. Specifically, she has demonstrated how embryonic cardiac progenitor cells with a left-sided or right-sided “address” interacted over time to develop a fully defined four-chamber heart. Her discovery has important relevance to birth defects and to adult cardiovascular diseases. Ramsdell also has the distinction of holding faculty positions at two universities, being an assistant professor in the University of South Carolina’s  Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and Anatomy. A graduate of the College of Charleston, she earned her Ph.D., from MUSC, and was postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital/Hard Medical School, Cardiovascular Center; and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Utah, Huntsman Cancer Institute. Developing Scholar Douglas H. Sweet, Ph.D. A molecular biologist by education, Douglas H. Sweet developed a commanding knowledge of cellular and physiological aspects of epithelial organic ion transporters during his post-doctoral training. Nationally recognized as a leading authority on the molecular structure of organic ion transporters, Sweet joined MUSC’s faculty in 2002. His work has helped provide scientists a deeper understanding of the properties of transporters in the excretion of foreign substances from the body, and could pave the way for new pharmaceuticals involved in this process. Sweet also takes a very active role in the training of Pharm.D. and Ph.D. students, as well as participating in summer programs for pre-college-age students. Sweet received his undergraduate and master’s degrees, and Ph.D. in biology from the University of Michigan. He currently serves as assistant professor for MUSC’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Distinguished Faculty Service Elizabeth B. Ricciardone, MHS As associate professor and assistant dean of Development and Alumni Affairs, Elizabeth B. Ricciardone, has left her mark at MUSC. Her efforts are visible on the eastern edge of campus where the 84-year- old façade embraces the modern College of Health Professions complex. Ricciardone has been credited as being a driving force behind the complex reincarnation. She has served the College of Health Professions, MUSC and the community in numerous roles. In the midst of leading a five-year, $5-million capital campaign for the college, she has helped attain 60 percent of the goal in two years. She received the college’s first award for teaching excellence, and on two occasions she has been the recipient of the college’s Excellence in Service Award. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Ricciardone earned her master of health sciences from MUSC and her doctor of education from the University of South Carolina. Distinguished Faculty Service J. Philip Saul, M.D. Under the direction of J. Philip Saul, the Children’s Heart Program of South Carolina has set a standard to which similar operations across the nation aspire.   Joining the MUSC faculty in 1997, Saul currently is a professor of Pediatrics and Cell Biology and Anatomy, chief of Pediatric Cardiology, medical director of the MUSC Children’s Hospital and vice president of the medical staff under the Medical University Hospital Authority. Educated at Duke University and trained at the Children’s Hospital in Boston, Mass., Saul completely revitalized MUSC’s Division of Pediatric Cardiology and made the fellowship training program one of the most competitive in the nation. Added prestige has come with Saul’s group being one of only seven in North America authorized to participate in the Pediatric Heart Network, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The program he helped  combine the skills of cardiologists across South Carolina, allowing children to receive local outpatient care.  Distinguished Faculty Service K. Jackson Thomas, PT, Ed.D. K. Jackson Thomas, a professor in the College of Health Professions, has been a member of MUSC’s faculty since 1988, during which he has been lauded by numerous colleagues for his contributions that manifest themselves through education, service, the fine arts and philanthropy. Thomas makes the extra effort to embrace and support every student in his classes.  Thomas has been honored for his teaching, including the Governor’s Distinguished Professor Award. He served on and chaired committees at all levels of the university, including the Cultural Projects Council,  and events for students, among others. He established the Kenneth and Cozie Thomas Scholarship—honoring his parents—which is given annually to a second-year Rehabilitation Sciences student. Editor's Note: Teaching excellence honorees were featured in the May 19 issue of The Catalyst.     Friday, Aug. 18, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.