Classnotes - 1980s
Robert Herman, MD '83 writes,
"After Med School I did a residency in psychiatry at NYU (Bellevue) then psychoanalytic training at Columbia.
I now have a busy outpatient practice near Annapolis Maryland, treating folks with bipolar disoder, depression, ptsd, and other psychiatric disorders.
I am the chair of the Maryland Psychiatric Political Action Committee, and recently testified before the Maryland Legislature in favor of a bill limiting pharmacy benefit managers.
I am the bass section leader of the Baltimore Bach Choir; in April we are performing Bach's St John Passion.
I have a lovely wife, three grown daughers and eleven grandchildren.
Life is grand!"
Mark Billinson, MD ’84, writes: After too many decades of New York winters, I relocated to Nevada last year. Vegas, baby! Now enjoying 300+ sunny days a year, and the thriving music scene here. I get to play out a couple times a month with people from the Las Vegas Blues Society.
Shout out to all the people from this years 40th (seriously?) Reunion.
Life is good.
John Avanzato, MD ’85, writes: I have been practicing gastroenterology in the Finger Lakes region since 1991. Several years ago I started writing medical thrillers, which have been well received by the public. My fourth novel, “Claim Denied,” has just been released through KCM publishing. I have been invited by the Clarence Barnes and Noble to participate in a book signing Sunday, October 16, from 1-4pm. I invite the medical school faculty and student body to attend. Here is the Amazon link to my author page.
From left: Sabino Torre, Michael Lahood, Raymond Meeks, John Leddy, Victor Marino and Donald Tingley.
Sabino Torre, MD ’85, hosted a Class of 1985 mini-reunion at Yankee Stadium on June 1, 2019—Yankees vs. Red Sox. Gathering for dinner and the game were Sabino Torre, Michael Lahood, Raymond Meeks, John Leddy, Victor Marino and Donald Tingley.
Andrew Friedman, MD ’85, writes: "I remain remain on active duty with the Army. I was transferred to Yongsan, Korea, as the surgeon for the 8th Army. Kay and I are enjoying our tour here with children Marina and Alona. Our older kids are still in the US."
Camile Hemlock, MD ’86, senior medical counsultant at Timaru Public Hospital in Timaru, New Zealand, writes: "I have been living and working on the South Island of New Zealand for over five years now. I have even managed to become a Fellow in The Royal Australasian College of Physicians. I welcome any classmates visiting New Zealand." Address: 4635 Ocean Blvd, Sarasota, Florida 34242. Favorite memory: The Follies.
Helen Cappuccino, MD '88 and Andy Cappuccino, MD '88, write: "Raised 6 kids, have our first grandchild. Andy is the second longest serving NFL physician, with a prolific career of caring for spine patients, including scores of professional athletes from across the country and different professional sports; he developed several spine implants, including two of the first artificial discs. Helen was in private practice in Lockport for several years, but went to work at Roswell in 1999, and has enjoyed caring for breast cancer patients there, while also pursuing meaningful work on several non-profit boards and volunteer work at the medical school. suffering through it all, surrounded by the best friends and classmates imaginable. We especially remember long nights in the anatomy lab, the Bridge Abutments Football team, the Dermatones, The Med School Follies..."
Carlos Roberto Jaén, PhD ’88, MD ’89, has been named a member of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which is made up of 16 volunteer members who are nationally recognized experts in prevention, evidence-based medicine, and primary care.
Jaén is professor and the Dr. and Mrs. James L. Holly distinguished chair in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
He was co-director of the American Academy of Family Physicians Center for Research in Family Medicine and Primary Care. For more than 15 years, the center studied almost 500 community-based primary care practices and completed the evaluation of the American Academy of Family Physician’s national demonstration project of the patient-centered medical home.
In 2013, Jaén was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He is the immediate past chair of the Board of Regents of the National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine and former chair of the American Board of Family Medicine.
Jaén earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Niagara University and his PhD (’88) and MD (’89) in epidemiology and community health from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo. He completed a residency in family medicine and a fellowship in primary care research at Case Western Reserve University.
Karen D. Schupak, MD ’84, passed away surrounded by her family on Jan. 16, 2019, after eight years of living fully in defiance of lung cancer.
Born in the Bronx on September 24, 1958, Schupak grew up in Jericho, Long Island, NY, with her parents Sybil and Lawrence Schupak, and sisters Dina (Leyden) and Leslie (Hymowitz).
A 1980 graduate of Cornell University and 1984 graduate of Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, she completed her medical training at New York University and Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK), where she joined the radiation oncology faculty in 1990.
In 1996, Schupak was part of the first group of doctors to establish the MSK Regional Network, within which she held several leadership positions. She ardently believed that the science of medicine should be coupled with humanity and recognition of the profound ministerial role in the physician-patient relationship.
Schupak was a role model for numerous young physicians and inspired them to practice with both intellect and empathy. She was a beloved colleague at MSK and in central N.J., where she practiced at the MSK Regional Network sites for over 20 years. She was recognized as “Mentor of the Year” at MSK in 2012 and honored by the American Cancer Society of Central N.J. at its gala in 2017 for her contributions.
Shupak is survived three children, Allison, Samuel, and William; her parents, Sybil and Lawrence Schupak; two sisters, Dina (Leyden) and Leslie (Hymowitz); and her husband of four months, Jesse Pleet. She was also married to Christopher Horan for 24 years.
A fund has been established at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to honor Dr. Shupak’s memory. Those who are interested in contributing to Karen’s legacy can contact Jennifer Seth-Cimini, Senior Director of Advancement, at (716) 829-3732 or jns2@buffalo.edu.
James “Jim” Joseph Shaughnessy, MD ’86
James “Jim” Joseph Shaughnessy, MD ’86, passed away unexpectedly from natural causes on December 30, 2016 at his residence in Los Angeles, Calif.
A native of Jamestown, NY, Shaughnessy earned his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, at Colgate University. Following medical school, he completed a psychiatry residency at Tufts University, a fellowship in child psychiatry at Brown University, and a master’s in public health at Harvard University.
Shaughnessy’s professional career included positions in both adult and child psychiatry in Boston, Mass.; San Francisco and Los Angeles, Calif., as well as a year working and traveling in Australia and New Zealand.
Shaughnessy is survived by siblings Mary Prunty of Huntsville, Ala.; Rev. William Shaughnessy of San Antonio, Texas; Patrick Shaughnessy, MD ’87, of Greenville, Penn.; and Annie M. Shaughnessy of Northborough, Mass.