Congratulations to Dr. Farsh Guilak for being selected by a distinguished faculty committee as the recipient of the 2015 Research Mentoring Award for translational research.

The Research Mentoring Awards were created in 2009 to honor the outstanding research mentors in the Schools of Medicine and Nursing.  Winners of this award demonstrate excellence in numerous aspects of mentoring, including accomplishments of individual mentees, programs implemented by the mentor, or by exceptional creativity in mentoring.

This award will be presented by Dean Nancy Andrews at the annual Spring Faculty Meeting, which will be held in the Great Hall of the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center for Health Education on Tuesday, May 5, 4:45pm.

Congratulations to Dr. Guilak on this wonderful achievement!

Article submitted by Ray Malaguti:

I am very proud to announce that Robin Stone a radiology technologist at Page Road was awarded the Strength Hope Caring Award yesterday afternoon.  She received her award from Paul Newman, Executive Director of the PDC.  In addition to the award presented 8-April, Robin will be included in a larger display of other Strength, Hope Caring award recipients that are posted throughout the Medical Center.  Robin, along with other recipients will be honored at a Gala in May.

Please join me in congratulating Robin on her award and for providing tremendous customer service.

Robin, thank you for your dedication to our patients and Duke Orthopaedics.

Robin’s nominator wrote “About a month ago, Robin struck up a conversation with one of her patients during an x-ray exam. The patient had a 4:00pm appointment, and traveled by bus from several hours away to get here. Due to the bus schedule, she had to get up at 4:30am to make it on time. Her return bus wouldn’t pick her up until after 8:00pm, and she wouldn’t get home until after 11:00pm. Robin lived about an hour away from the patient’s home. She didn’t want the patient to spend the rest of her day waiting, so she offered to give her a ride home. The patient gladly accepted, and Robin had her home well before her expected arrival. It was an incredibly selfless act, and I think she should be commended for it. It was well beyond the call of duty, and made an enormous positive impact on that patient’s day. I was really proud to be her teammate that day.”

Left to right: Paul Newman, Robin Stone, and Ray Malaguti

Congratulations to Dr. Erica Taylor who was appointed as the Mentoring Committee Chair of the J. Robert Gladden Society, an organization made up of AAOS fellows whose mission is to increase diversity in the orthopaedic profession, improve musculoskeletal patient care by improving culturally competent care and eliminate musculoskeletal health care disparities in underserved groups. At the AAOS meeting, Dr. Taylor ran a medical student symposium for 50 under-represented minority and/or female medical students interested in pursuing orthopaedic surgery careers and establishing mentors.

Dr. Taylor’s passion for running the mentoring workshops at the AAOS meetings is making an impact on young medical students and their decision to become orthopaedic surgeons. She is a true inspiration in the lives of these students as a life long mentor.

The Third Annual George S. E. Aitken Lectureship was held Wednesday, March 11, 2015 during the Grand Rounds Conference. This event honors the life of Dr. Aitken and the compassion he had for his patients as well as his passion for learning.

This year’s lecture included Gregory A. Mencio, M.D. Dr. Mencio joined the faculty in the Department of Orthoapedics at Vanderbilt University Medical center in 1991 and currently holds the position of Professor and Vice Chair of Orthopaedics and Chief of Pediatric Orthopaedics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. He is also Hospital Director and Co-Chairman of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Medical Economic Opportunity Committee (MEOC). He continues to be the Director of the Pediactric Fellowship at Vanderbilt.

Pictured left to right: Dr. Jim Urbaniak, Madelyn Mencio, Dr. Greg Mencio, Martha Aitken, Billy Andrews, Dr. Ben Alman, and Dr. David Attarian