Class notes

1939

Morris A. Wessel, A&S '39, continues his efforts to make New Haven, Connecticut, a better place to live through the Morris & Irmgard Wessel Fund. The fund was established by friends of Wessel, a retired pediatrician, and his late wife. The fund's 2014 prize recipients include Dan Kinsman, music instructor at Fair Haven School; Raymond Wallace, founder of the Guns Down, Books Up organization; and Music Haven, which brings music to the community's youth.

1953

James V. Aquavella, A&S '53, has been recognized as the University of Rochester's Catherine E. Aquavella Distinguished Professor in Ophthalmology, an honorary position Aquavella established in memory of his late wife.

1959

Bernard F. Armstrong Jr., A&S '59, has retired after more than 50 years in information technology and investing. He currently serves on the board of the Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound and on the Greenwich Harbor Management Commission. He and his wife, Mitzi, live in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Vero Beach, Florida.

1965

Carl D. Rosenblum, A&S '65, is a proud grandfather of six. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.

1966

Mary E. Murphy, A&S '66 (MAT), received a 2014 Sherrerd Prize for Distinguished Teaching at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she is a senior lecturer in mathematics and statistics.

1969

Judith G. Hall, Med '69 (PGF), HS '71, Med '72 (PGF), a pediatrician, geneticist, and professor emerita at the University of British Columbia, was selected as a 2015 inductee of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

A. Everette James Jr., Med '69 (PGF), SPH '71, HS '75, was named the M. Allen Pond Chair in Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in September 2014. He directs the University of Pittsburgh Health Policy Institute and also serves as associate vice chancellor for health policy and planning at the university's Schools of the Health Sciences.

1970

David H. Levien, A&S '70, retired as chairman of surgery at Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore. Now living in the San Francisco Bay Area, the MBA graduate serves as president and CEO of the American College of Healthcare Trustees and as a financial adviser for Prudential.

1971

Barbara J. Becker, A&S '71 (MLA), '94 (PhD), has been awarded the 2015 Donald E. Osterbrock Book Prize by the Historical Astronomy Division of the American Astronomical Society for Unravelling Starlight: William and Margaret Huggins and the Rise of the New Astronomy. She taught the history of science at the University of California, Irvine, before retiring to North Carolina.

1974

Ann M. Roberts, A&S '74, a professor of the history of art at Lake Forest College in Illinois, assumed the position of associate dean of the faculty and director of the first-year studies program in 2014.

1977

Michael B. Dick, A&S '77 (PhD), has retired as a professor of religious studies at Siena College in Albany, New York. He plans to continue researching and writing and looks forward to traveling with his wife, Donna Bedard.

Elayne Kornblatt Phillips, SPH '77, '82 (PhD), was initiated as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in October 2014. She is an associate clinical professor at the University of Virginia School of Nursing.

1979

Elliot L. Chaikof, A&S '79, Med '82, surgeon-in-chief and chair of the Robert and Stephen R. Weiner Department of Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Johnson & Johnson Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

Les W. Field, A&S '79, is a professor and chair of the Anthropology Department at the University of New Mexico.

1980

Leonard L. Lucchi, A&S '80, a registered lobbyist, is serving as president of the Maryland Government Relations Association, which provides networking and educational opportunities to government relations professionals.

1981

Paul C. Avgerinos, Peab '81, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for his latest CD, Bhakti, which is an exploration of yoga and Christian themes.

1982

Selwyn M. Vickers, A&S '82, Med '86, was named senior vice president for medicine and dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine in 2013. A surgeon, cancer researcher, and pioneer in health disparities research, Vickers is the first African-American dean of the university's medical school.

1983

Wesley Stites, A&S '83 (BA/MA), Med '91 (PGF), a professor and researcher studying the structure of proteins, is now chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Arkansas.

1985

David S. Biderman, A&S '85, is proud to report that his daughter, Rachel, is a first-year student at Johns Hopkins.

1986

Stacy F. Jones, Engr '86 (MS), '91 (MS), began serving as chancellor of Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina on October 1, 2014. Since 2011, Jones has been a senior consultant on executive management, technology partnerships, and corporate development.

Thomas D. Kirsch, SPH '86, HS '87, an associate professor and the director of the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response in the Bloomberg School of Public Health, was among a dozen Ebola experts who joined President Barack Obama at a news conference on October 29, 2014.

1987

R. Craig Postlewaite, SPH '87, received the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Honor Alumnus award from the Colorado State University Alumni Association on October 16, 2014. He is chief of the Public Health Division in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, where he provides direction for all aspects of military public health. 1988 Oneeka Williams, A&S '88, a practicing surgeon, is also working to inspire children—especially girls and underrepresented minorities—to engage in science. Combining her love of medicine and writing, Williams has published a series of children's books, for which she was honored by the Science Club for Girls with a 2014 Catalyst Award.

1989

Gary J. Elson, Engr '89 (MS), retired from Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Colorado, where he lives with his wife, Laura. He plans to spend time with his children and grandchild and to travel.

David H. Peters, SPH '89, '93 (PhD), HS '91, a Bloomberg School of Public Health faculty member, was among a dozen Ebola experts who joined President Barack Obama at a news conference on October 29, 2014.

1991

Nels A. Dumin, Engr '91, a software engineer and data scientist, has been named a senior member of the technical staff at Texas Instruments for his contributions to the company's Analog Technology Development group. He also placed second in the District 50 Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest, held in Shreveport, Louisiana, in November 2014.

Allison Charney Epstein, Peab '91 (MM), '94 (AD), an opera singer, began her fifth season of PREformances with Allison Charney in October 2014 at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. The New York venue offers composers the opportunity to hear their works performed in anticipation of big premieres.

Paul Jan Zdunek, Peab '91, was hired in December 2014 as chief capital development officer for Singpoli Capital Corporation, a commercial real estate investment company.

1993

Andrew B. Ackerman, A&S '93, became managing director of DreamIt Ventures' New York technology startup accelerator in 2014.

1994

Lisa A. Cooper, Med '94 (PGF), director of the Johns Hopkins Center to Eliminate Cardiovascular Health Disparities, was awarded a 2014 Herbert W. Nickens Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges for promoting justice in U.S. medical education and health care.

John J.B. Peller, A&S '94, was named president and CEO of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago in September 2014.

1996

Ilise Feitshans, SPH '96, received her doctorate from the Geneva School of Diplomacy at the University of Lausanne and won the university's social and preventive medicine foundation prize in 2014.

Matt Gross, A&S '96, '98 (MA), was named editor of Boston.com in September 2014. The former editor of BonAppetit.com, Gross relocated to Boston from Brooklyn with his wife, Jean, and two young children.

Frederick P. Halperin, Engr '96, and Sarah Herr Halperin celebrated the birth of their son, William Leor, on August 30, 2014.

Luis F. Ruiz, A&S '96, and Meagan A. Wisner welcomed their son, Charles Alexander Gray Ruiz, on March 27, 2014. The family resides in Richmond, Virginia.

1997

Michele Bradford, A&S '97, owner of Bionic Bodies Pilates, reports that she launched a pilates studio in Afghanistan while leading a U.S. government-funded contract there last year.

Shireen D. Donaldson-Ramos, A&S '97, received the 2014 Dr. Melville G. Magida Award, presented annually by the Fairfield County Medical Association and the Rosenthal Family Foundation to a young physician who has shown a notable capacity for patient care. Donaldson-Ramos works in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Bridgeport Hospital in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

1998

Elizabeth M. Chow, A&S '98, is medical director of Forbes Hospice and program director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship in Pittsburgh's Allegheny Health Network.

James Zabora, SPH '98 (ScD), director of research and professional development at Inova Life with Cancer, was appointed a fellow and president-elect by the American Psychosocial Oncology Society in July 2014. He previously had a 20-year career at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

1999

Jorge A. Ferrer, Bus '99 (Cert), HS '00, Bus '02 (MBA), has been appointed adjunct assistant professor at the University of Texas Health School of Biomedical Informatics. His focus is documentation, user experience, terminologies, and health data dictionary requirements for electronic health records.

2000

Dan K. Ahdoot, A&S '00, is a comedian, actor, writer, and producer who has written a feature film based on the Janoskians, Australian YouTube pranksters. He has also sold a TV series based on his standup comedy called Dan Derailed.

Cyndie Chang, A&S '00, andPhilip Cheng, Engr '98, welcomed their second child, Landon James Cheng, on August 5, 2014. Chang, the managing partner of the Los Angeles law office of Duane Morris, was recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the Top 100 Women Lawyers in California and was a 2014 Super Lawyer.

Isabella Pei-Ying Lee, A&S '00, has joined Mohawk Industries as assistant general counsel. She resides in Atlanta.

2001

Nettie Owens, Engr '01, a professional organizer, produc-tivity coach, and president of Sappari Solutions, has earned her Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization designation from the Institute for Challenging Disorganization.

Daniel L. Petrilli, A&S '01, has joined the new Insurance Industry Group of Timoney Knox law firm, based in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.

Ian M. Wasser, A&S '01 (MA), '05 (PhD), joined Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn in September 2014 as an attorney in the law firm's intellectual property department, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

2004

Martin J. "Marty" Rochlin, Ed '04 (Cert), assumed directorship in September 2014 of Camp Airy, a Jewish overnight camp for boys in Thurmont, Maryland. He is a former assistant director and programming director for the camp and returns after spending 10 years as assistant principal of middle and high schools in Frederick and Baltimore counties.

2005

David Byeff, A&S '05, married Jill Larson on August 9, 2014, in Minneapolis, where they celebrated with former Johns Hopkins classmates.

Andres Zapata, Bus '05 (MBA), was named one of the 4 Under 40 Marketing Emerging Leaders by the American Marketing Association's Marketing Insights Council. He serves as a partner and executive vice president of strategy at idfive, an advertising, Web design, and brand consulting agency in Baltimore.

2007

James P. Barker, Engr '07, joined the Seattle office of Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton as an associate on the firm's Medical & Mechanical Devices Team. He was previously a researcher at the Cattolico Laboratory at the University of Washington.

Drake Dodson, Bus '07 (MBA), has been appointed vice president of information technology for the combined technology functions of the First Service Networks and FM Facility Maintenance companies.

2008

Adam J. Milam, A&S '08, SPH '09, '12 (PhD), a medical student at Wayne State University School of Medicine, was awarded a 2014 Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarship from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

2009

Kwame Kuadey, Bus '09 (MBA), founder and CEO of GiftCardRescue.com, a business that lets people sell gift cards online, was named one of last year's 40 Under 40 by Baltimore Business Journal.

2010

Evan M. Lazerowitz, A&S '10, has joined the New Jersey office of Day Pitney as an associate attorney specializing in complex commercial litigation. He previously clerked at the Superior Court of New Jersey.

Luke P. Plotica, A&S '10 (PhD), joined the Virginia Tech faculty as an assistant professor of political science in the fall of 2014.

2011

Ami Kumordzie, Engr '11, a medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine, was awarded a 2014 Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarship from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

2012

Olga Maltseva Brillman, Bus '12 (MBA), executive director of the Warnock Foundation, which supports social innovations in Baltimore with investments, was named one of last year's 40 Under 40 by Baltimore Business Journal.

Alexander A. Kopicki, Bus '12 (MS), is the CEO of Kinglet, a real estate startup providing on-demand office rentals, as well as a principal at Solstice Partners, a real estate development company. In December 2014, he was named one of 40 Under 40 by Baltimore Business Journal.

Danielle Lohan, A&S '12, educates and trains groups on the issue of human trafficking for the Maryland Rescue and Restore Coalition and the Samaritan Women, a national Christian organization that works to end domestic human trafficking and offers restorative care to survivors.

2013

Jean Fan, Engr '13, has launched cusSTEMized, a nonprofit initiative aimed at increasing young girls' interest in science, technology, engineering, and math by providing them with personalized books. The co-writer and illustrator of ______'s Little Book of Big Dreams, Fan is also pursuing a doctorate in bioinformatics and integrative genomics at Harvard.

Peter C. Li, Engr '13 (BS/MSE), is a co-founder and CEO of Atlas Wearables, a startup that produces the Atlas fitness-tracking device. In November 2014, the company raised another $1 million after previously raising more than $1 million from crowdfunding sites and angel investors.

2014

André J. "AJ" Bahou, Engr '14 (MS), was elected to serve as president of the Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association in 2013. A registered patent attorney who practices in the area of intellectual property law, he has been a leader in the statewide professional organization for several years.

Jennifer Nicole Campbell, Peab '14, pianist and composer, won first place in the 2014 Newark Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition on November 9, 2014. The prize includes a cash award and a performance with the Newark Symphony Orchestra to be held this spring.

Sarah Lynn Horton, A&S '14, was named a fellow of Princeton in Latin America, a nonprofit that partners with other nonprofits throughout Latin America to match them with young professionals seeking fellowships in development work. Since June 2014, Horton has been working with Instiglio, which aims to improve the impact of social programs in developing countries.

Benjamin Russell Panico, A&S '14, was appointed a Victory Congressional Fellow for the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus in August 2014. Panico is the only openly transgender person working in the U.S. House of Representatives and is the first openly transgender person to serve as a Victory Congressional Fellow. In his role, he will support the caucus's executive director and learn about the legislative process and careers in policymaking.

Catherine Rinaldo, A&S '14, has joined Himmelrich PR in Baltimore as an account associate. In her role, she supports media relations, promotions, and marketing activities for client accounts. She is also pursuing her master's degree in communications from Johns Hopkins.