Milestones

APPOINTMENTS

Gov. Gary Locke named David Moore-Reeploeg, 22, a senior majoring in political science and history, as the UW student regent for 2002-03. Among his UW activities, Moore-Reeploeg served as the secretary of the ASUW Student Senate, president of the Black Student Union and goalie for the UW ice hockey club. A native of Richland, he spent much of his time at the UW working with high school and middle school students of color and with low-income students, including nearly three years as a Student Outreach Ambassador in the Office of Minority Affairs/Office of Admissions.

University of Michigan Associate Dean Martha J. Somerman was named dean of the UW School of Dentistry by President Richard L. McCormick April 29. Somerman, 55, is an expert in cell behavior and in molecular approaches to restoring tissue. She has served as president of the American Association for Dental Research and was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2001. Somerman received her D.D.S. from New York University in 1975, and her Ph.D. from the University of Rochester, New York, in 1980. She succeeds Dentistry Professor Emeritus Paul B. Robertson, who retired last year.

Nursing Professor Heather Young is the new director of the de Tornyay Center on Healthy Aging in the UW School of Nursing. One of the first nurses to earn a gerontological nurse practitioner degree at the UW, Young's research has been instrumental in shaping state and local policies that affect older adults. The center focuses on research and education for the healthy aging of older adults and their families. Young was named "Nurse of the Year" by the King County Nurses Association in 1999.

HONORS

UW Genome Sciences Professors Phillip P. Green, Maynard Olson and Robert Waterston were among the eight genetics pioneers honored with the 2002 Gairdner International Award, the Gairdner Foundation announced April 23. The award "recognizes outstanding contributions by medical scientists whose work will significantly improve the quality of life," and this year focused on genetics and the Human Genome Project. Established in 1957 by Toronto businessman James Gairdner, the awards have grown to be one of the most prestigious in medical research. Of the past 255 International Awardees, 56 have gone on to win a Nobel Prize.

The University of Washington won the 2002 Digital Government Award in the higher education division June 25 for its university-wide effort to improve teaching through the use of technology, the "Catalyst Initiative." Organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Accenture, the awards recognize top practices in digital government and higher education. The Catalyst Initiative is a suite of 10 Web-based tools that are accessed easily by the UW community; a primary Web site that serves as an information clearinghouse; a workshop series that provides technology training for instructors; and personalized individual consulting for faculty.

RANKINGS

A little more than half of Western Washington physicians listed in the latest edition of The Best Doctors in America are faculty physicians who practice at institutions managed by, or affiliated with, the UW School of Medicine, the school reported July 2. Many of the physicians see patients at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the "host" for oncology patient-care services delivered by Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the UW. To compile the database, more than 30,000 doctors throughout the United States were asked to rate the clinical abilities of other doctors in their areas of specialization. Only physicians who earned the consensus support of their peers were included.

The UW Medical Center ranked 11th among the nation's best hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2002 annual guide to America's Best Hospitals, released July 15. There were 1,958 major medical centers considered in this year's survey. UWMC tied with New York Presbyterian Hospital and is the only hospital west of Rochester, Minn., and north of San Francisco to achieve an "honor roll" ranking. The medical center has been consistently ranked among the top hospitals nationally by U.S. News since 1993.

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