MUSC Catalyst

January 11, 2013 MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA Vol. 31, No. 20

By Ashley BArker

Public Relations

Like many couples around the world,Allie and Seth Butler watched

the ball drop in New York City andcelebrated with a kiss when the calendarswitched from 2012 to 2013.

They felt far from other normalcouples, though. The MUSC doctor ofpharmacy candidate (Class of 2015) andher husband, an Air Force captain andC-17 pilot, were standing on a stage inthe middle of Times Square at midnightwith cameras rolling and the title“America’s Greatest Love Story” flashingon screens across the country.

By the time the couple are reunited intwo more years, the pair would have onlyspent five months under the same roofof their then six-year marriage.

The Butlers got some extra timetogether when they won NIVEA’s Kiss ofthe Year competition after she submittedtheir story and Facebook fan votes weretallied to favor the military couple.

A story of sacrifice and commitmentto serve their country, all whilemaintaining their relationship, startedoff at the the Ohio State University’s AirForce ROTC program.

A Pittsburgh native, Allie was studyingmeteorology and ended up joining theROTC program a quarter before Seth,who was on the way to a mechanical

engineering degree. Theymet and worked togetheroff and on for two yearsbefore any sparks beganflying.

“I came back from mytraining and he had sentme some random Facebookmessage,” Allie said. “I justthought he was sending acongratulatory message toall my classmen that hadreturned. I found out later,when we started dating,that it was just to me.” Ittook a ski trip with thepair’s unit in January 2006for the two to officiallybecome a couple. Sevenmonths later, Seth left fora training exercise. The distance didn’tstop them from getting married in July2008.

“We make a lot of phone calls, moreso texts,” Allie said. “If he’s stateside,it’s a lot easier for us to communicate.When he deploys, it’s more like metexting him random things that needtaking care of or stories that havehappened.”

As a C-17 pilot, supply trips,training and deployments are almost“continuously happening.” Whenbased in Charleston, his unit typicallytransports supplies to Germany and

southwest Asia during two-to-three-weektrips as frequently as once a month,leaving very little time at home. Oncea year, Seth also has a four-monthdeployment away from Charleston.

“He’s not on the front line oranything, but it’s a dangerous job,” Alliesaid. “He is flying over some not-so-greatlocations. Anything can happen. It’s arather large object in the sky and hard tomiss.”

In Charleston, the Butlers don’t havequite as conflicting schedules as theydid when Allie also was in the Air Force.After four years as a weather officer,she left the military as a captain and

is now honoring her four-year inactivecommitment while pursuing a PharmDdegree at MUSC.

“Our career fields just didn’t mesh,”she said. “I couldn’t go to the same baseas him unless there was some sort ofspecial assignment. We were always goingto be struggling to line our career fieldsup, so I started looking at what else Icould do.”

Allie plans to work for the governmentbecause she expects to be movingfrequently while following Seth. Butmoving with him to his next base will

‘America’s Greatest Love Story’Pharmacy student wins New Year’s Evetrip to New York City with pilot husband

See Kiss on page 8

MUSC PharmD candidate Allie Butler and her husband of four years, Air Force Capt.Seth Butler, celebrated the beginning of 2013 with a kiss on stage in Times Square.

Photo credit: NIVEA

64 EnvironmEntal ContaminantsGrant ProGram

Researchers lead revolution into howchemicals disrupt endocrine cycles.

2

5

4The Giving Back Program manages giftspresented to the hospital by patients and families.

Around Campus

S.C.–Israeli Collaboration

Meet Karen

READ THE CATALYST ONLINE — http://www.musc.edu/catalyst

2 The CATAlysT, January 11, 2013

The Catalyst is published once a week.Paid adver tisements, which do notrepresent an endorsement by MUSCor the State of South Carolina, arehandled by Island Publications Inc. ,Moultrie News, 134 Columbus St. ,Charleston, S.C., 843-849-1778 or843-958-7490. E-mail: [email protected].

Editorial of ficeMUSC Office of Public Relations135 Cannon Street, Suite 403C,Charleston, SC 29425.843-792-4107Fax: 843-792-6723

Editor: Kim [email protected]

Catalyst staff:Cindy Abole, [email protected] Barker, [email protected]

Around CampusevenTsPeoPle

Hoops for HopeHoops for Hope, a 3-on-3 basketballtournament and free-throwcompetition, will be held March 2at the College of Charleston’s TDArena, 66 George St. The tournament,sponsored by the MUSC Departmentof Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences,will support the treatment and researchfor mental health disorders in children,adults and families. The event alsowill include a silent auction, children’sactivities and more. Visit http://www.muschoopsforhope.org or call 792-6470.

Water Missions InternationalThe Water Missions InternationalWalk for Water will begin at 9 a.m.,March 23 at Cannon Park, downtownCharleston. Visit www.watermissions.org/walk.

Teddy Bear ClinicThe next Teddy Bear Clinic will beheld from 9 a.m. to noon, Feb. 23 atMUSC Children’s Hospital’s PediatricEmergency Department, 96 JonathanLucas St. Parents are invited to bringtheir child, along with his or herfavorite stuffed animal, in for a tourof the Emergency Department. Thestuffed animals will receive a check-upand the children can become familiarwith the staff and the emergency roomenvironment.

Kester FreemanKester Freeman, the executive directorof the Institute of Medicine and Public

Health in SouthCarolina andthe former chiefexecutive officer ofPalmetto Healthin Columbia, willserve as the interimexecutive directorof the MedicalUniversity Hospital

Authority. Freeman will remain until thenew executive director arrives.

Cassandra SalgadoCassandra Salgado, M.D., was appointedto the role of vice chair for quality

improvement inthe Department ofMedicine. Salgadoassumed the rolein the departmenteffective Nov. 1,2012. Since joiningMUSC in 2004,Salgado has servedas the university

hospital epidemiologist and medicaldirector of Infection Control. She hasbeen on many hospital, departmental,and university committees, task forces,and workgroups focused on patientsafety and quality. Salgado also servesas the fellowship program director

Ashley River Tower Pharmacist Dr. Gus Katsanevakis, right, administersthe flu vaccine to pharmacy tech Justin Caldwell. MUSC employees, staff,students, patients and their families can still be vaccinated against the fluand shingles (Zostavax) at MUSC Pharmacies. Call any of the pharmaciesfor information: Rutledge Tower, 876-0259; Ashley River Tower, 876-5585;and Hollings Cancer Center, 792-6440.for Infectious Diseases and is theDepartment of Medicine mentoringchampion for the Infectious DiseaseDivision.

Vincent PellegriniVincent Pellegrini Jr., M.D., wasappointed chair of the Department ofOrthopaedic Surgery. He will be servingas the Medical University HospitalAuthority musculoskeletal service lineleader. He will be assuming this role

effective April 1.Pellegrini currentlyhas researchsupport fromthe Departmentof Defense andthe Agency forHealthcare Researchand Quality, and

has a strong record of research fundingfrom federal, foundation, and industrysponsors.

The American Red Cross SouthCarolina Blood Services Region hasnew hours of operation for its MUSCdonation center, 171 Ashley Ave. Theschedule will be from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.on Mondays and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. onFridays.

According to Barbie Kolar, donorrecruitment representative, the newschedule will better match donors’preferred times for making whole blooddonations and help accommodatethose MUSC employees who may workalternative shifts.

“We are truly grateful for your timeand willingness to save lives. It is onlythrough the dedication of donors likeyou that we are able to provide lifesavingblood to our hospital patients,” Kolarsaid.

For information on the bloodtypes most needed at MUSC,visit http://www.facebook.com/MuscRedCrossDonorRoom.

The American Red Cross blood donorroom is located in Room 279 of theuniversity hospital and can be reached at792-1015 or 323-7457.

MUSC’s donation center for Red Cross has new hours

The CATAlysT, January 11, 2013 3

I n September, MUSC Health became one of 28partners to successfully connect to the nationwide

eHealth Exchange.The project, formerly known as the National Health

Information Network (NHIN), is a group of federalagencies and non-federal organizations that cometogether for a common mission — to improve patientcare, streamline disability benefit claims, and improvepublic health reporting through an interoperable healthinformation exchange.

Participating organizations mutually agree to supporta common set of standards that enable a secure, trusted,and interoperable connection among all participatingexchange organizations for the standardized flow ofpatient information, by:q Sending health patient information to otherparticipating organizationsq Finding and requesting copies of health careinformation from other participating organizations,where permitted by law and policyq Matching patients to their data without a nationalpatient identifierq Subscribing to receive updates to health information

Currently, 28 partners, including MUSC Health,share health information across eHealth Exchange. Thepartners are a mix of private and public organizationsthat include Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

Services (CMS), Department of Defense, SocialSecurity Administration, and Veteran Affairs as well asindustry heavyweights Kaiser Permanente, MarshfieldClinic, and several regional health exchanges such asMedVirginia.

The on-boarding effort, which required meeting verystrict testing requirements defined by the CMS’ Officeof the National Coordinator, was led by Mark Daniels,director of OCIO’s Enterprise IT Architecture team.

“The testing effort for on-boarding to the Exchangewas an all-inclusive process and followed strictguidelines sent by the ONC [Office of the NationalCoordinator, Health Information Technology]. Notonly did we have to address traditional IT integrationtesting, but we also had to ensure that all information,security and privacy safeguards were in place andworking correctly,” said Daniels.

MUSC Health is using its connection to the exchangeto electronically share patient information with theRalph H. Johnson VA hospital and clinic as part of anational pilot program known as the Virtual LifetimeElectronic Record (VLER). MUSC Health caregivers seethousands of VA patients each year, and the automatedprocess significantly improves the time and efficiency ofcare.

MUSC Health will use the exchange to automate theSSA’s disability request process in which MUSC Healthhas thousands of transactions per year. The automatedprocess will reduce time required and reduce the needfor manual intervention by MUSC personnel.

“As more and more health care providers and payerorganizations connect, the exchange will become thehealth care Internet – a secure, reliable, and convenientway to exchange patient information and achieveinteroperability among caregivers,” said Frank C. Clark,Ph.D., vice president for information technology andchief information officer at MUSC.

“We are also in discussion with CeHA, theCharleston-based health information exchange,about transitioning the MUSC Health exchangeconnection to CeHA, which would provide exchangeaccess to CeHA members, Roper St. Francis,Trident in Summerville and East Cooper health careorganizations.”

MUSC connects to health information exchange“As more and more health careproviders and payer organizationsconnect, the Exchange will becomethe health care Internet.”

Dr. Frank Clark


Patients improve care by giving back

MUSC hospital units and clinical areas now have achance to improve patient care through a new grantprogram.

On Dec. 6, the medical center awarded 15 grants tohospital employees for their proposed projects and ideasthat would positively impact care and meet MUSC’smission of education, patient care and research throughthe new Giving Back Program. The program wasestablished in 2010 to manage gifts presented to thehospital by more than 800 patients and their families,according to Terry Wilson, Pastoral Care manager andchair of the Giving Back Program review committee.The amount of funding awarded each year is based onthe amount raised for the fund from the previous year.

The committee, which consisted of Wilson andhospital leaders, reviewed each application and rankedthe top projects based on grant criteria and guidelines,funding, mission, timeline, impact/visibility andmeasurability.

A total of 43 applications competed for funding. Inthe end, 15 grant awards, totaling more than $24,000,were approved by the committee.

“This program exists because the grateful hearts ofpatients and their families inspired them to make giftsto the hospital. It’s wonderful to see the creative waysthat a program such as this can directly improve patient

By Cindy ABole

Public RelationsGiving Back Grant Program Committee

Terry Wilson, chair, Pastoral Care and InterpreterServices; Glenn Richmond, Clinical Effectiveness;Becky Cherrington, R.N., Nurse Alliance chair;Nicole Bernier, Ambulatory Care; Hailey James,MUHA Administration; Jean Smith, Therapeuticand Professional Support Services; Kesha Graham,Medical Director’s Office; Jennifer Fox, R.N.,Clinical Effectiveness & Patient Safety; and DaveSoutter, Heart & Vascular Center Development

care,” said Wilson.Project ideas ranged from staff training to new

equipment.For example, clinical nurse manager Cynthia

Dollason, R.N., who works at the MUSC Children’sAfter Hours & Specialty Care clinic in NorthCharleston, requested funds to purchase a portablehand-held pulse oximeter unit for the clinic. Accordingto Dollason, the addition of a portable unit canprovide fast and accurate pulse rate measurements andfeedback for a toddler or newborn. With the adventof flu season, the device is valuable. It can providemore accurate respiratory readings and provide a morecalming experience for the child. “This device will helpmake the difference,” she said.

According to Wilson, the next call for Giving Backapplications will occur later this spring, when the fundwill award another $25,000 in grant projects.

MUSC’s Dr. Coty Fishburne, from left, Dr. Ray Turner, Dr. Sunil Patel,Robert Donato and Dr. Joe Helpern visit Hadassah Medical Center inJerusalem as well as other Israeli hospitals and research institutionsduring the December 2012 tour.

Researchers move forward with Israeli collaborationMUSC personnel representing

research faculty and businessdevelopment were part of a statewidedelegation that traveled to Israel as partof a South Carolina-Israel programto promote the state and encouragecollaboration. Participants includedresearchers, economic developers andtechnology experts who show an interestin advancing collaborative efforts.

Joining the contingent from MUSCwere Sunil Patel, M.D., Ray Turner,M.D., and Stephanie Willingham, allfrom the Department of Neurosciences;Joseph Helpern, Ph.D., Center forBiomedical Imaging and the Departmentof Radiology & Radiological Science;and Robert Donato and Coty P.Fishburne Jr., DDS, from the MUSCFoundation for Research Development.

Fishburne, who also serves on theMUSC board of trustees, was impressedwith Israel’s collaborative spirit andprogress in research and development.

The group toured hospitals,

universities and the country’s majortechnology business centers. Participantsspoke to scientists, Israeli businessleaders and government officials aboutpotential business and commercializationactivities.

“Israel is known as a leader in research,especially in biomedicine. I feel SouthCarolina and Israel have a lot to offerin joint-collaborative projects,” saidFishburne.

According to the South Carolina-Israel Collaboration, exports fromSouth Carolina to Israel in 2011 totaledalmost $70 million and imports fromIsrael account for $44 million. Israelicompany NeuroQuest, a Tel Aviv firmthat focuses on developing blood-basedimmune biomarkers for the diagnosisof Alzheimer’s disease, had beencollaborating with MUSC’s JacoboMintzer, M.D., geriatric psychiatrist andAlzheimer’s disease researcher in theDepartment of Psychiatry & BehavioralSciences. The group announced in

December its interests in establishing aU.S. headquarters in South Carolina.

The collaboration’s goal is to driveIsraeli companies to investors, partnersand customers in South Carolina andto offer incentives in much the same

way that BMW, Boeing and othercorporations have established operationsin the state. S.C.’s research universitiesand centers of economic excellence are

See Researchers on page 9


Meet Karen

Karen HilbertDepartmentOB/GYN East Cooper Women’s CenterHow long at MUSCI started Jan. 2.How are you changing what’spossible at MUSCBy the thoroughness of care that I provideto my patientsLast book read“The Best of Me” by Nicholas SparksDream vacationA trip to TuscanyGreatest moments in your lifeGetting married and having my fraternaltwins, Seth and Megan.Favorite restaurantJoe’s Crab Shack in Myrtle BeachMeal you love to cookLasagnaA must-have in the pantryChocolateNickname in high schoolFrecklesUnique talentI am very crafty.Favorite quoteLive, laugh, love


takinG thElonG viEw

Researchers leadrevolution into howchemicals impactenvironmental health

On the surface, crocodiles in the renowned KrugerNational Park and the oil spill along America’s

Gulf Coast may not seem to have much in common —unless you’re MUSC researcher Louis J. Guillette Jr.,Ph.D.

The reproductive endocrinologist and adevelopmental geneticist is involved in studies in bothregions to figure how chemicals and contaminantsinteract with the environment in ways that impacthuman health. His research is confirming just howdramatic and far reaching these impacts can be.

That’s a subject Guillette, director of the MarineBiomedicine & Environmental Sciences Center,explores in a reflective piece published in Sciencemagazine titled “Life in a Contaminated World.”(http://www.sciencemag.org/content/337/6102/1614.summary)

The article commemorates the 50th anniversary ofRachel Carson’s book ,“Silent Spring,” that challengedthinking that up until the early 1960s saw pesticide useas simply a benefit to agriculture and public health withfew detrimental consequences. Guillette observes inthe article that the book was the start of a debate thatcontinues to this day on the relative benefits and risksof not just pesticides but of all synthetic chemicals.

His goal: To get researchers, doctors and the publicasking the right questions.

“It’s time. A revolution is taking place. The new

realization is that your health is a combination ofwhat you inherited from mom and dad, but also theenvironment you saw from the day you were conceived.It’s no longer diseasecentric in that you have a mutationand it’s a predisposition for disease,” he said, addingthat a person’s diet and lifestyle, level of stress andexposure to chemicals that act as endocrine disruptorsall could be factors leading to such conditions asdiabetes, obesity, cancer or infertility.

“It’s not just your genes. The idea is there is far moreyou in your health than just what is inherited frommom and dad. Your daily actions actually have a muchgreater impact, not only on your health but the healthof your children and even your grandchildren. Thispotentially has a multi-generational effect.”

The reason Guillette is so passionate and givesdozens of public health talks every year is that hesees the impact of how chemicals and environmental

contaminants can mimic hormones and act asendocrine disrupters.

Endocrine disruptors can create issues from infertilityto obesity by mimicking the actions of naturally-occurring hormones in the body or preventing thehormones produced. An example is how the liverhandles excretion. Researchers are studying compoundsthat act as obesogens that encourage the body to storefat and re-program cells to become fat cells or the liverto become insulin resistant.

In his wildlife biology research for the past 20 years,Guillette has found infertility and reproductive issues inalligator populations from Florida to South Carolina.Mammals use hormones that are identical to whatreptiles use, which is why alligators and crocodiles serveas typical research subjects for Guillette as sentinelspecies to study environmental impacts on humanhealth.

inTo The Wild

Guillette was asked to go to South Africa to KrugerNational Park to examine why almost half of thecrocodile population there has died off in the past twoand a half years. He went in September for a coupleof weeks to catch and test crocodiles, getting chased byhippopotamuses and driving through maternity herdsof elephants.

“You would come around a bend and there would bea lion. It’s like being in Africa 100 years ago,” he said.

It was, except that this area is a low-lying drainage

By dAWn BrAzell

Public Relations

Dr. Louis J. Guillette in South Africa. Watch avideo at http://bit.ly/Dr_Louis_Guillette_Jr. See heAlTh on page 7

The Catalyst, January 11, 2013 7

basin and the crocodiles are in trouble, aswell as catfish. “I do know crocodilians,and there are some things that don’tmeasure up. Something is going on. Thepark is an environmental wonderland, aplace that people come from all over theworld to visit. It resembles New Orleansas far as environmental problems inthat it’s a low-lying area susceptible tocontaminants that are transported inrivers from all over the country.”

Guillette said the initial four year studyin South Africa will be an interestingcollaboration, as will be the three-yearBP trust fund-sponsored Gulf of Mexicoresearch grant. Guillette and colleaguesDemetri D. Spyropoulos, Ph.D., SatomiKohno, Ph.D., and John E. Baatz,Ph.D., landed a $1.2 million grant fromthe Gulf of Mexico Research Initiativeto study the effects of the DeepwaterHorizon oil spill on the gulf.

The study, “Using Embryonic StemCell Fate to Determine PotentialAdverse Effects of Petroleum/DispersantExposure,” involves the latest ininnovative testing methods that takesadvantage of where the researchers haveset up shop. Although the HollingsMarine Labarotory is a National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration(NOAA)-administered facility, it isa fully cooperative enterprise withactivities governed by the five partnerorganizations that include MUSC andthe National Institute of Standards andTechnology (NIST).

“It’s not just great science we’reproposing, but it is also the setting thatprovides us a step up compared to lots ofplaces. We have this unique communitythat we have built and continue to build.It validates the marine biomedicinemodel we have of having a medicalschool partnering with NOAA and NISTand world-class analytical chemists andbiologists.”

inTo The lAB

Guillette and colleagues have workedextensively for years trying to find outhow environmental contaminantsand native hormones influence geneexpression via steroid receptors – actingas mimics of estrogen, progesterone andtestosterone. The question was howto screen chemicals, in this case the

petroleum and dispersant chemicals, in away to avoid testing a wide array of wildanimals.

Fortunately, together withSpyropoulos, Kohno and Baatz, they hadinsights based on their research programsthat could contribute a new approach totesting environmental chemicals.

They’ve developed a technique thatcan take the estrogen or progesteronereceptors from the more than 40 marineanimals that have been cloned and putit into a cell with a reporter construct sothat when researchers add a chemical, itbinds to the receptor, said Guillette.

“That is translated to the reporter,binds to the reporter and turns on agene and the cell glows, and it does it ina dose-dependent fashion. Now you cansay this chemical can be an estrogen or aprogesterone or whatever, and determinethe dose. It lets us know we now have anactive compound to study.”

Spyropoulos and Baatz also havebeen able to harvest lung cells from

pygmy sperm whales and makeinducible pluripotent stem cells wherethey took lung cells and “drove thembackwards developmentally.” Guillettesaid they’ll be able to take aged oil orwhatever substance they’re studyingand test it on cells to see if it changesthe developmental process, so insteadof stimulating muscle cell growth,the treated cell becomes a fat cell, forexample.

“There’s a whole world out there werealize of compounds called obesogens.These are chemicals that in thedeveloping embryo instead of stimulatingthe production of muscle or fiberblastcells, it actually stimulates more fat cells.The chemicals and contaminants in thediet during embryonic development maybe programming that body to store morefat.”

The Gulf of Mexico research initiativereceived 629 applications and MUSCwas one of 19 chosen. The initiativeis helping to build a portfolio of topscientists who are working together.

“The hope is that although theprojects are solicited as individualinvestigator-driven projects, by sharingthis information, we are building acommunity that is interested in findingout what’s going on. We can start toget some idea about whether we shouldbe concerned and where we need to domore work.”

There are several chemicals that arecommon, such as BPA found in plasticsand tri-butal-tin found near harborsaround the world, that have beensuggested to have obesogenic activity.Guillette said their BP study can’t answereverything, but they know how to beselective in their focus to find those

chemicals that do disrupt endocrinecycles.

“We know that obesogens are a criticalcomponent and that things like estrogensand androgens are critical for long-termand short-term fertility. We know thatglucocorticoids or stress hormonesare associated with inflammationand immune function. We can takehuman glucocorticoid receptors, whaleand alligator and fish glucocorticoid,and line them up in different cellsand test the chemicals all at the sametime. Then we can see if the chemicalpotentially interacts with the receptorthat is associated with stress and immunefunction, and we can also test if it goesacross species.”

The CArson ConneCTion

Their work builds on what RachelCarson believed decades ago, evenwithout the scientific testing methodsthat researchers have today. If Carsonwere alive today, he’d like to tell herthank you and that she was right. He’sproud to be following in her footsteps.

“If I told you that in a week you’regoing to get 2,000 chemicals in yourbody that your grandparents never hadin their body, and we have no idea whatthe health consequences are, and not justin you – it’s in your kids too. Would youthink that was good?”

The revolution happening is thatscientists from critical disciplines arejoining forces to change the way thisgame is played, he said.

“We’re coming together to say asbiologists, as health professionals, aschemists, we need to start workingtogether. Chemists need to start takingtoxicology and health classes, andbiologists need to start working withchemists.”

It’s an immense undertaking andone still surrounded in controversy, butGuillette sees the science winning out.

“We’re supposed to be brightpeople. We’re supposed to be leadersin the world in innovation. Let’s startinnovating. And you know what? There’smoney in that. There’s real money inthat because a proprietary chemical isalways going to make you more moneythan something that’s 50 years old. Ifthat’s your vested interest, that’s fine. Forme, I just want healthy kids.”

Dr. Guillette,who traveledwith armedguides whiledoing researchin KrugerNational Park,took time tophotograph thewonders of theregion. Below,he shows off his‘Rachel Carsonwas right’button.

heAlTh Continued from Page Six


not be an option until she finishes hereducation.

In April, Seth will head to SanAntonio for more training. Then he’ll goto his new base in Mississippi in August,where he’ll be instructing future pilots.

As a part of the winning NIVEApackage, the Butlers were flown to NewYork City twice — once to appear on“The Wendy Williams Show” with theother two couples who were finalistsand again to have their first kiss of 2013in front of the world — and were givenexclusive VIP tickets to the New Year’sEve party at the Hard Rock Café inTimes Square.

During their second trip, twovideographers followed the couplearound filming their Big Apple visit andinteraction with the 11,875-pound TimesSquare Ball.

“They were documenting everythingfor the two days and I told Seth, ‘I betpaparazzi are going to get confused.’ Loand behold, paparazzi started takingpictures of us too because they didn’tknow who we were,” Allie said.

The Butlers also met “Saved ByThe Bell” actor Mario Lopez and hiswife, Courtney Mazza, who were kissambassadors and hosts of NIVEA’stelevised celebration.

“The dimples are really big in person,extremely big,” Allie said about meetingLopez. “I just couldn’t get A.C. Slater(his “Saved By The Bell” character) outof my head when I saw him. I feel badbecause I’m sure he gets stereotypedwith that all the time. But that’s mygeneration. That’s what we watchedevery day after school.”

Being together was better than all ofthe celebrity-like treatment, though.“He’s the highlight of pretty mucheverything,” Allie said. “We’re still in thehoneymoon phase after four and a halfyears of marriage.”

While they watched the thousandsof people crowd into Times Square andmusical performances by bands likeTrain, the Butlers had a huge fan clubof their own. Family and friends were allwatching different broadcasts hoping toget a glimpse of their big moment.

“People were recording the TV withtheir phones and texting us all night,”she said. “My mom usually goes to bed atlike 8, so this was a struggle. I’m sure shewas taking down some coffee that night.”

When the calendar changes to 2014,Allie hopes she and Seth are together stillbut in a much more low-key location.

“It was so much fun, but it’s off thebucket list now. Check. Done,” she said.“I won’t ever do New York on New Year’sEve again. How can you top that?”

kiss Continued from Page One

C-17 Air Force pilot Seth Butler and his wife, Allie, an MUSC student,met at the Ohio State University and were married in July 2008.

Photo provided by Allie Butler


reseArChers Continued from Page Four

A call for nominations is under wayto all MUSC faculty and students. Thepurpose of these awards is to recognizemembers of MUSC who have madecontributions to the university throughteaching.

Awards may be given from thefollowing categories:q Clinical/Professional (Educator-Mentor): For teaching excellence in non-traditional roles with individuals or smallgroups, specifically those who teach,mentor, or serve as role models in theirclinical and professional development.q Scholarship/Academic (Educator-Mentor): For teaching excellence in non-traditional roles with individuals or smallgroups, specifically those who teach,mentor, or serve as role models in theirscholarly or academic development.q Educator-Lecturer: For teachingexcellence in traditional, didactic orclassroom teaching.q Developing Teacher: For teachingexcellence demonstrated by a juniorfaculty member in either of the abovecategories.

Any regular, full-time facultymember who holds an academic rankof instructor or higher in a college ordepartment of MUSC, who has not

been the recipient of this award withinthe previous three years is eligible fornomination. Faculty who are nominatedin the Clinical/Professional (Educator-Mentor), Scholarship/Academic(Educator-Mentor), or Educator-Lecturercategories must have taught at MUSCfor three or more years.

Those nominated for the DevelopingTeacher category must have taught fora minimum of two years at MUSC andfor no more than four years total at aninstitute of higher education.

Presented for the first time in 1995,these awards were proposed as part ofMUSC’s Educational Strategic Plan. Inaddition to a commemorative medallion,each recipient will receive a cash awardfrom the MUSC Foundation.

Nomination deadline is Jan. 28.Nominees will be invited to submitsupporting materials, and a committeeof faculty and students representingMUSC’s six colleges, Library Sciencesand Informatics, and the StudentGovernment Association will select therecipients for this year’s awards.

Forms may be obtained andsubmitted at http://www.carc.musc.edu/nomination/. For information, callMarcia Higaki at 792-2228.

Nominations being accepted forTeaching Excellence Awards

attractive for potential business partners,and Israel can serve as a bridge to theEuropean market for South Carolinacompanies. Additionally, both countriesoffer grant support to encourage jointventure research and developmentthrough U.S.-Israel binationalfoundation grants.

The collaboration is built on sixidentified clusters of strength in S.C.and Israel where there is potentialfor synergy and relevance biomedical,advanced materials, sustainable systems,transportation, defense and security.

A program of work was developed forthis visit to showcase companies andinstitutions on both sides and encourageintroduction that may lead to meaningfulinteraction and collaboration.

Helpern, who is director of theCenter for Biomedical Imaging andthe SmartState endowed chair in Brain

Imaging, felt the visit was everything he’dhoped it would be.

“We visited universities and research-based hospitals around the country,and every host took the time toearnestly thank us for coming, whichshowed us Israel’s sincerity for SouthCarolina’s presence in this venture,”said Helpern, who’d like to see a post-doctoral exchange program betweenboth countries. “Israel is a vibrant,progressive country with so much to givein regards to technology collaborations,biomedicine and academia. Whowouldn’t want to move forward in thisopportunity?”

The delegation visit was organizedby the American Israel Chamber ofCommerce Southeast Region andsupported through a grant from TheInterTech Group, a holding investmentcompany based in Charleston.

MUSC’s Office of Student Diversityis accepting nominations for the EarlB. Higgins Award. Established to honora former director of minority affairs,the award acknowledges dedicationto positive contributions to diversityenhancement on the campus, in thecolleges, the university or MUHA.

Nominations are being acceptedfor two separate awards: The EarlB. Higgins 2013 Achievement inDiversity Award and The Earl B.Higgins 2013 Student Leadership in

Diversity Award. Nominations mustinclude the nomination form (http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/diversity/earlbhiggins.html/) and twoletters of endorsements.

Packets may be submitted via fax andmail; however electronic submissionsare recommended. Send submissions [email protected]. For information,call Willette S. Burnham, M.Ed.,executive director for student programsin the Office of Student Diversity, at792-2146.

Earl B. Higgins awards to honor former director


Healthat workSusan Johnson

I t’s that time again — New Year’sresolutions. How often do we decide

that this year will be different, that thiswill be the year we stickto our goals and loseweight, get in shape,and be a better person?

With the right tools,resources, a supportiveenvironment andmotivation to succeed,this might be the year.MUSC EmployeeWellness has puttogether a month ofprograms and resourcesthat focus getting fitand healthy, not only for this monthbut for a lifetime. In addition to theprograms listed below, watch broadcastmessages for daily wellness tips.q Lose weight: Join the LunchtimeLosers Group, a weight loss programdesigned for employees that meets weeklyfor 10 weeks at noon every Thursday atthe Institute of Psychiatry. Email JoshBrown, Ph.D., at [email protected] Get fit: Never tried Zumba? Giveit a try from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m., Jan.16. at the wellness center (email [email protected]). Then make it ahabit on Wednesday nights at 5 p.m. inRoom 302, Harborview Office Tower(email [email protected]) or join theMUSC Wellness Center. Visit www.musc.edu/hcc for information.q Eat right: Try the “Green Plate”specials in the cafeteria for healthyoptions. Check out the electronic menusystem that calculates nutrients at

http://www.muschealth.com/nutrition/dining/retail/menusretail.htm. For aquick snack, look for green or yellowchoices in the vending machines or optfor all healthy options in the healthyvending machines in Colbert Libraryand the Wellness Center.

Employee Wellness Eventsq Weight Management Month Lunchand Learn: “Carbs, Fats and Protein –oh my.” Join registered dietitian DebbiePetitpain as she discusses how each ofthese macronutrients work in harmonyin the body, which foods provide themand why diets ‘free’ of anyone of themare inherently unbalanced. The sessionwill be held from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.,Jan. 16, Room 103, Colbert Education& Library Center. Bring your lunchand join us in person or online viaAdobe Connect Meeting. (email [email protected] to register). Checkbroadcast messages for daily “Commit tobe Fit/Healthy Lifestyle” tips this monthas well.q Worksite screening: The nextworksite screening will be held from 7 to11a.m., Jan. 22, Room 125, Gazes (StromThurmond) building. This screening,valued at about $350, is available toemployees with the State Health Planfor only $15 (covered spouses can alsoparticipate for $15). Employees andspouses without this insurance canparticipate for $42. To register, go towww.musc.edu/employeewellness andclick Worksite Screening Appointment.

Email [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.

eMployee Wellness

Essay contest accepting submissionsThe MUSC Multicultural Student Advisory Board and Office of Student

Diversity are accepting sutdent submissions for theAnnual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Essay Contest

Requirements:Essays must be 1,200 words or less

Written double-spaced using a 12 point fontSubmitted electronically by 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 11 to [email protected]

The winning essay and the MUSC Gospel Choir will be featuredduring the annual MLK Day Program

at noon, Friday, Jan. 18, Room 302, Basic Science BuildingFor information, call 792-2147

Cash awards for 1st place $250, 2nd place $150 and 3rd place $100Visit www.musc.eduy/diversity for details on essay theme and requirements.


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Full-Size Whirlpool CabrioW/D. Top of the line, in greatshape. $750/OBO. Jackie (2-3071) for info.

Items for Sale Misc. Services

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CALL 849-1778

Rooms For Rent

MUSC Catalyst

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