Illinois Medicine

and parathyroid surgery. Ziffra com- pleted his residency in otolaryngology– head and neck surgery at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary and moved to At- lanta to practice with Scott Karlin, MD, from 1991 to 2001. He and his wife, Dahlia, have two sons, ages 20 and 16. Ziffra enjoys golf, skiing, platform tennis and travel. '87 Francis E. Ihejirika, MD '87, founded the Physician As- sisted Student Success Program a decade ago to help medical students pass the U.S. medical licensure exam. He says the impetus for the program, which has a 93 percent success rate, came from tutoring medical students at the University of Illinois. This summer, he anticipates approximately 100–120 students at the PASS Program's new location in Champaign-Urbana, which includes living quarters for students. Last April, the program opened a loca- tion in St. Augustine, Fla., known as the PASS Program South. Ihejirika was in general and family practice in Peoria until 1996, when he suffered a stroke; with the help of physical therapy, he regained full functionality. '90 Sheridan Lam, MD, Res '90, has co- owned DuPage Oph- thalmology in Lombard, Ill., since 2006. Lam spent a year (1985–86) doing research in ophthalmic pathology at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary before complet- ing his residency at the University of South Florida. He returned to Illinois to do a fellowship with Howard Tessler, MD, and to serve as chief resident, where he first met Dr. Tapas Das Gupta. Lam also has completed a corneal fellowship at the University of Iowa and served on the faculty of the IEEI. Lam married his wife, Lisa, in 1987, and they have one daughter in college. He enjoys working out, cruis- ing and reading, especially on topics of philosophy and economics. '95 '96 John Scala, MD '95, Res '99, was recently appointed to the board of directors at Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers, which serves patients in more than 18 communi- ties. He is a self-employed pediatri- cian and internist with a solo medical practice in Coal City, Ill. Scala joined the medical staff at Morris Hospital in 2004 and recently completed a term as chief of the internal medicine department. He lives in Coal City with his wife and twin daughters, age 4. Kannan Manickam '92, MD '96, Res '02, has joined Chesapeake Urology Associates, the largest urology practice in Maryland and the mid-Atlantic region. A practicing urologist since 2003, Manickam's specialties include the diagnosis and management of female inconti- nence and pelvic prolapse, as well as laparoscopic and robotic renal surgery. He has been an investigator for research studies in transobturator sling techniques and renal imaging, People You Know In our last issue we asked you if you recognized anyone from this archive photo. Ronald Koch '70, PhD '76, wrote back letting us know that Conrad Blomquist '40, MS '47, PhD '52 is the gentleman on the far left. Blomquist served as the assistant dean of student affairs and admissions in the College of Pharmacy. authored numerous articles in urology journals and presented at national meetings on topics like stress in- continence and overactive bladders, female pelvic disorders and chronic prostates. '97 Tell us what you're up to! Your classmates are curious about what you are doing. Fill them in by sending your latest news and accomplishments to medcomm@uic.edu, and we'll be sure to include it in the next issue of Illinois Medicine. Norman H. Kumins, MD, Res '97, prac- tices at the DuPage Medical Group and holds a teaching ap- pointment at the College of Medicine, Chicago campus. Kumins is board- certified in both general and vascular surgery, and he has special expertise in endovascular abdominal aortic an- eurysm repair, serving as director of a national training program that taught surgeons from around the country how to perform this new procedure. Formerly, Kumins was chief of vascu- lar surgery at the San Diego VA Medi- cal Center and assistant professor of surgery at the University of California, San Diego. Kumins is a member of the American Medical Association, American College of Surgeons and International Society of Endovascular Specialists. '01 Michael McCracken, MD, Res '01, a board- certified ophthalmolo- gist in Denver, recently announced the opening of a second office in Lafayette, Colo. The new office, the first in Lafayette to specialize in oculoplastic surgery, will focus on both functional and cos- metic surgery needs of the eyes and face. McCracken is a member of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, a highly selective society of specially trained surgeons who focus on the eyes and surrounding areas. Mark Schwachter, MD, Res '01, recently joined the medical educa- tion division of Simbionix USA Corp., which makes medical education and simulation training products for medical professionals, as physician community manager. He will develop training pro- grams, educational content and ser- vices supporting the company's virtual reality simulators and case-based phy- sician training. Previously, Schwach- ter worked with University Hospitals' department of surgery in Cleveland to I L L INOI S MEDICINE | 35

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