Pulse at Mizzou

Lenard Politte starts as president

Lenard Politte, MD '62, of Columbia, Mo., is the new president of the University of Missouri Medical Alumni Organization. Politte began his two-year term as president at the organization's Board of Governors meeting on April 3.

Politte has received MU's Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor presented to an MU alumnus. He was Columbia's first cardiologist in private practice and was an early leader in cardiac catheterization and pacemaker implementation in mid-Missouri. He retired from practice in 1999 and now supervises cardiology fellows as a clinical professor of medicine at MU.

Politte

Politte graduated first in his class from the MU School of Medicine. After residencies in pathology, internal medicine and cardiology, Politte joined the School of Medicine staff and later entered the military to serve in Vietnam. During his military service he received a distinguished service award from the Vietnamese military and the Army Commendation Medal.

Politte returned to private practice in 1969 and became a founding member of Boone Clinic, the first multispecialty clinic in Columbia. He also was chief of staff at Boone Hospital Center and a founding member of the Missouri Cardiovascular Group, the Missouri Heart Institute and Columbia Regional Hospital. In the community, Politte has served as a trustee of Stephens College and a board member of First National Bank, Boone Hospital Foundation and Missouri Heart Institute Foundation.

Politte has served MU as a national steering committee member of the For All We Call Mizzou campaign, a member of the Mizzou Flagship Council, and chair of the Chancellor's Residence Preservation Committee. He also is past president of the Medical School Foundation. A distinguished fellow of the Jefferson Club, Politte also is a member of the McAlester Society, life member of the Mizzou Alumni Association and recipient of a Faculty-Alumni Award in 1999. Politte was also awarded the first Distinguished Service Award from Mineral Area College.

Politte and his wife, Mary Lu, have four children: Keith, Caryl, Kevin and Craig, BS, BA '93; and four grandchildren.

Politte succeeds Michael Bukstein, MD '70, of Hannibal, Mo., who completed his two-year term as president on April 3. Bukstein continues to serve on the Board of Governors Executive Committee as past president.

Eight Physicians Receive 52nd Annual Alumni Awards

The University of Missouri School of Medicine presented its most prestigious awards on April 2, 2009, in Kansas City. The award recipients were honored during a reception and dinner at the Kansas City Club in conjunction with the Missouri State Medical Association's annual conference.

The School of Medicine's highest honor – the Citation of Merit – was awarded to Leslie W. Miller, MD, Class of 1974, whose groundbreaking research has resulted in new treatment innovations in the field of heart failure and transplantation. He is professor and chief of the integrated cardiology programs at Washington Hospital Center and Georgetown University Hospital and School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He also serves as the Walters Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and Proctor Harvey Distinguished Teacher at Georgetown University.

The Outstanding Young Physician Award is presented to distinguished alumni age 45 or younger. This year's recipients were Antoinette L. Laskey, MD, Class of 1998, a forensic pediatrics specialist and an assistant professor of child health services at the Indiana School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, and Jordan D. Metzl, MD, Class of 1993, co-founder of The Sports Medicine Institute for Young Athletes at The Hospital for Special Surgery and an associate professor of pediatrics at Cornell Medical College in New York City.

Alumni who have distinguished themselves through community service are recognized with the Distinguished Service Award. This year's recipients were David A. Fleming, MD, Class of 1976; Timothy T. Kuberski, MD, Class of 1969; and John A. Mihalevich, MD, Class of 1970. Fleming is founding director of the MU Center for Health Ethics and a professor of health services management and internal medicine at MU. Kuberski is credited with pioneering the field of infectious diseases in Phoenix. Mihalevich is an active educator with the Cox Family Practice Residency Program in Springfield, Mo., and an organized medicine leader.

Awarded to non-alumni, the Honorary Medical Alumni Award is given to supporters who have made special contributions to MU's School of Medicine. This year two outstanding MU faculty members were recognized. Randall C. Floyd, MD, is director of maternal-fetal medicine and an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology. Harold A. Williamson, MD, is the new vice chancellor for University of Missouri Health System. He also is the Jack M. and Winifred S. Colwill Endowed Chair in Family and Community Medicine and led the Curtis W. and Ann H. Long Department of Family and Community Medicine for 10 years.

Alumni are encouraged to contact the MU School of Medicine to make nominations for the 53rd annual medical alumni awards to be presented in 2010. Click here for nomination information and forms.

Physicians Alumni Weekend attracts renowned speakers

A variety of distinguished alumni and faculty members will deliver lectures during the 2009 Physicians Alumni Weekend Scientific Program. The program will be held Friday, Oct. 23, and activities will continue through Saturday, Oct. 24, as part of MU's homecoming.

The keynote address of the Scientific Program, the Milton D. Overholser Memorial Lecture, will be delivered by Stephen Achuff, MD '69, a cardiologist and David J. Carver Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He served as director of Adult Cardiology Clinical Programs for 20 years at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Other Scientific Program speakers will include:

William Banks, MD '79, is a professor at Saint Louis University School of Medicine with the division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, as well as the Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences. He is editor-in-chief of Current Pharmaceutical Design and serves on editorial boards for nine other journals.

Irl Hirsch, MD '84, was diagnosed with diabetes at age 6 and is now a leader in improving treatment for patients with the disease. He is a professor of medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. He also has served as the school's Diabetes Treatment and Teaching Endowed Professor and medical director of the university's Diabetes Care Center.

John Lauriello, MD, will join MU's School of Medicine in June as professor and Chancellor's Chair of Excellence in Psychiatry. Before leading MU's Department of Psychiatry, Lauriello served as professor and vice chair of psychiatry at the University of New Mexico. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of psychotic disorders, most notably schizophrenia.

Donlin Long, MD '59, PhD, is Distinguished Service Professor of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 1973, he became founding director of John Hopkins' Department of Neurosurgery. He remained neurosurgeon-in-chief at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and director of the Department of Neurosurgery until 2000.

Leslie Miller, MD '74, is professor and chief of the integrated cardiology programs at Washington Hospital Center and Georgetown University Hospital and School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He also serves as the Walters Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and Proctor Harvey Distinguished Teacher at Georgetown University.

Barbara Yawn, MD '73, is director of research for Olmsted Medical Center and an adjunct professor of family and community health at the University of Minnesota. In addition to her membership on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Yawn has served on study sections and committees for the NIH, AMA, CDC, WHO and other leading health organizations.

The evening of Oct. 23, the annual alumni banquet will be held at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center in Columbia. On Saturday, Oct. 24, an alumni tailgate will be held before the MU vs. Texas football game. Also on Oct. 24, the classes of 1954, 1957, 1959, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2004 will hold individual class reunion events. The time of these class reunions will depend on game time. All physician alumni are encouraged to attend homecoming activities. For more information, please contact MU's medical alumni office at 573-882-5021.

Physicians Alumni Weekend attracts renowned speakers

Bentlage

Charles Bentlage, MD, BS Med '59, was named Citizen of the Year by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce. Bentlage, 74, was born and raised in rural western Missouri. He served in the Air Force from 1958 to 1968. He then returned to Joplin and established a practice in general surgery in 1970. Bentlage served as president of the medical staffs for Freeman Health System and St. John's Regional Medical Center. He was a founding member of the Joplin Community Clinic, where he still volunteers, and is medical director for Access Family Medical Care. He has also served on the board of the United Way, and he led medical missions to Mexico and the Philippines.

Othniel "Otti" Seiden, MD '64, of Denver has written more than 30 published books over the past 25 years (See www.boomerbookseries.com). He recently retired and now writes full time and is a writing coach for anyone wanting to get published. He is also founder of Doctors To The World, a 501(C)(3) charitable organization.

Luetje

Charles Luetje, MD '67, retired from active medical practice in May 2009. He practiced otolaryngology in Kansas City since 1976, when he completed a fellowship in otology and neurotology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He is founder emeritus of the Midwest Ear Institute, a not-for-profit organization that restores hearing in totally deaf adults and children. He also was instrumental in developing subspecialty board certification in neurotology by the American Board of Otolaryngology. He has been active in numerous professional and community organizations. He also served in the U.S. Air Force from 1966 to 1975, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Smith

Terry Smith, MD '75, has joined the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center and Department of Internal Medicine. He also holds the Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professorship in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Smith is an endocrinologist who broken new ground in his research on thyroid eye disease. He has advanced the understanding of Graves' eye disease, specifically the process by which it causes inflammation of tissue surrounding the eye. Among Smith's seminal discoveries are the identities of antibodies that circulate and interact with specific receptors located in the orbital tissue of patients with Graves' eye disease. This immunologic aberration also generates molecules that activate white blood cells and cells within the eye tissues in ways that perpetuate the disease, causing inflammation, increased fat accumulation, and scarring. Building on these findings, Smith and colleagues will investigate novel diagnostic methods and unique therapies to assess and interrupt the disease process, with the expectation of launching clinical trials in the near future. Smith came to the Kellogg Eye Center from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he served as professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Molecular Medicine at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He is the author of more than 150 book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals, and has been awarded five patents for his research discoveries. He has been elected to the Orbit Society, is chief scientific officer for the National Graves' Foundation, and serves as reviewer for numerous scientific journals. He has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and Veterans Administration since 1983.

Enzenauer

Robert Enzenauer, MD '79, has accepted the position of chief of ophthalmology at The Children's Hospital in Denver. He also is a professor of ophthalmology at Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute, University of Colorado. He previously served as a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis.

Kim Colter, MD, Res '81, received an honorary professional degree from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in May 2009. A physician in Washington, Mo., Colter earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Missouri S&T in 1973. He received a post-graduate scholarship for research at University of California-Berkeley. He earned a master's degree in 1974 and graduated from medical school at Washington University in 1978. In 1981, Colter completed a family medicine residency at MU, where he served as chief resident. Colter was one of the founders of Family Health Care in Washington, which is now a division of Patients First Health Care.

Wright

Kelly Wright, MD '05, a pediatrician, has been selected for a Partners Spirit Award by CoxHealth in Springfield, Mo. Wright completed her residency at MU after participating in MU's AHEC rural track training program as a medical student.

In Memoriam

Charles A. Worley, MD, BS Med '50

Charles A. Worley, a rural Missouri family physician of 53 years, died May 27, 2009, in Gladstone, Mo. He was 85.

Worley was born July 18, 1923, to Charles Henry and Genevieve Bear Worley in Marshall, Mo. He attended Sweet Springs public schools from 1930–41 before going to college at the University of Missouri in Columbia from 1941–43. Service to country interrupted college. While in the U.S. Army during World War II from 1944–46, Worley was assigned to the island of Luzon in Manila Bay. There, the 174th Field Station Hospital served men who survived the Bataan Death March in the old Bilibid Prison and Japanese prisoners in the new Bilibid Prison outside the Manila suburb of Muntinlupa City.

Worley returned home in 1946 determined to become a doctor. He married Maxine Jeanette Frerking on Sept. 30, 1946. He completed a bachelor of science in medicine (BS Med) at the University of Missouri in 1950 and continued training at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland from which he received his medical degree (MD) in 1952. Expecting their first child, the couple returned to Missouri where Worley completed postgraduate work at Kansas City General Hospital No. 1 from 1952–53. The Missouri State Medical Board to Practice Medicine and Surgery licensed him in 1952.

Worley

He and Dr. Paul Roberts began a family medical practice in 1953 in Sweet Springs, Mo., above Whitsitt's Drug Store in Sweet Springs. Following vaccinations, youngsters got a "prescription" for a free ice cream cone at the drug store soda fountain. The medical partnership continued until 1974. Dr. Worley made house calls and served for many years as chief of staff at Sweet Springs Community Hospital, which he helped established in 1960. He delivered an estimated 1,500 babies. In 1966, the practice moved into a new facility at 204 Ruby St. in Sweet Springs. In 1989, he and Maxine moved to the Lake of the Ozarks, where he practiced at Gunn Clinic from 1989–92. Dr. Worley helped found Westlake Medical Center in Laurie, Mo., in October 1992. His greatest joy was caring for his patients in Sweet Springs and at the Lake of the Ozarks. He retired in July 2006, one week before his 83rd birthday.

Among Worley's professional affiliations and accomplishments are:

• Member of the University of Missouri Medical Alumni Association, including Board of Governors member from 1969-76.
• Preceptor for the University of Missouri in Community Health and Medical Practice (General Practice) beginning in 1955.
• Member of the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians, 1953 to present. Worley served as president of the organization in 1976.
• Certified in 1971 and recertified in 1978 and 1983 by the American Board of Family Practice.
• Member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, 1966 to present. For AAFP, he served as vice president from 1985–86 and as treasurer from 1987–90, as well as on numerous task forces and committees.
• Member of the Missouri State Medical Association, 1953 to present.
• Member of the American Medical Association, 1953 to present.
• Member of the Pettis County Medical Society, beginning in 1954.
• Outside of medicine, Worley was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church and past chairman of the congregation, and past president of the Lions Club and Sweet Springs Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the Elks Lodge in Laurie, Mo., and the University Club in Kansas City, Mo. He also was a member of the board of directors of Chemical Bank (now First Community Bank). Other interests included automobiles, jazz music, hunting, boating and fishing.
• A life member of the Mizzou Alumni Association and lifelong Missouri Tiger fan, Dr. Worley was a football season ticket holder for 34 years and Tiger Scholarship Fund supporter for 25 years. Before home games, he and wife Maxine tailgated with family and friends in Lot L north of Faurot Field. The group enjoyed detailing the Tigers' recent successes or failures over food and drink.

Survivors include his wife, Maxine, of the home in Gladstone, Mo. The marriage was blessed with three children: Charles Robert "Bob" and spouse Karen Sue Flandermeyer Worley of Columbia, Virginia Ann Poehlman of Columbia, and Nancy Jane and spouse Randall Dean Thompson of Gladstone, Mo. The six Worley grandchildren are: Charles Christopher "Chris" and John Robert Worley; Nell Michelle and Elizabeth Jeanette "Betsy" Poehlman; and Charles Loren "Chas" and Randall Jacob "Jake" Thompson.

Arrangements are under the direction of Campbell Lewis Funeral Home. A memorial service will be conducted at 1:30 p.m. Monday, June 1, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sweet Springs. Family and friends are invited to food and fellowship at the church following burial with full military honors in Fairview Cemetery.

Memorial contributions are suggested to Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sweet Springs or the University of Missouri School of Medicine.


Robert W. Clothier, MD '65

Robert W. Clothier, 68, of Independence, Mo., died Jan. 11, 2009.

Clothier was born Jan. 12, 1940, in Dow City, Iowa, the second son of Wesley Iven and Leila Mae Clothier. When he was an infant, his family moved to a farm in eastern Independence, where he was raised. He graduated from Fort Osage High School in 1957, and attended Graceland College and the University of Missouri, where he earned a B.S. in Chemistry in 1961. A month later, he married Sharon Marie Hetrick. To this union were born three children: Russell William, Raymond Scott, and Julie Marie.

After graduating from Medical School at the University of Missouri, Clothier interned at Harbor General Hospital in Torrance, Calif. He spent two years as a captain in the Air Force, serving as a general medical officer at Duluth Air Base in Duluth, Minn. He finished his residency at UCLA before moving back to Independence with his family.

"Dr. Bob" spent the next 38 years practicing pediatrics, caring for a generation of Independence children. He was at various times chair of pediatrics at the Medical Center of Independence, and chief of pediatrics at St. Mary's Hospital of Blue Springs.

Clothier

Clothier was active in community affairs, serving on the boards of the Child Abuse Prevention Association, Sunshine Center School, the Crossroads Homeless Shelter and Youth Court. The American Business Women's Association recognized him as Boss of the Year for 1986. From 1988 to 1992, he represented the Third District as a member of the Independence City Council. He was a strong supporter of education. He spent 12 years as a Trustee of Graceland University. He helped lead school bond initiatives for the Independence School District in 1996 and 1998, and was currently serving his second year as a member of the School Board. The Independence Council of PTA's named him Citizen of the Year in 1997.

He was an active member of the East Alton congregation of the Community of Christ, serving several terms as pastor. He spearheaded construction of a playground at the church, which is called "Dr. Bob's Playground." He held the offices of High Priest and Evangelist, and served on numerous committees for the world church.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon, of Independence; brother Richard Iven Clothier and wife Louita, of Lamoni, Iowa; son Russell and wife Ann, of Kansas City; son Raymond and wife Darby Ray, of Jackson, Miss; daughter Julie Bover and husband Mike, of Independence; five grandchildren: Layne Stone Kapp, Chandler and Elena Clothier, and Kaitlyn and Hannah Bover; and a host of friends, colleagues and patients.

The family requests contributions to the Independence School District Foundation to benefit the Dr. Robert Clothier Scholarship Fund.