K. Ceajer Chan ’79 was appointed secretary for financial services and the treasury by Chief Executive Donald Tsang for the Hong Kong Ministry. Previously, he had been dean and Professor of Finance for the Business School at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. An economics major at Wesleyan, he earned his doctorate from the University of Chicago.
David M. Ackman ’84, M.D., commissioner of health for Nassau County, N.Y., is president of the New York State Association of County Health Officers, which represents the state’s 58 local health departments on such issues as bioterrorism preparedness, public health funding, HIV prevention strategies and vaccination programs. “Ever since 9/11, health departments have been asked to take on a greater role in emergency preparedness without reducing attention to basic public health problems,” Ackman observes. “The result is that health directors are juggling more balls than ever, with fewer resources.”
Peter C. Adamson ’80, MD, a pediatric oncologist and scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, has been selected to lead the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) in its efforts to find cures for children with cancer. An internationally recognized leader in pediatric cancer drug development, he was elected by principal investigators of more than 200 Children’s Oncology Group sites. “Scientific discovery today is occurring at an unprecedented pace, but the clinical trial system that historically worked so well is showing a diminishing rate of return in our ability to cure children,” said Adamson in a hospital press release. “This system was not designed to rapidly bring findings from the bench to the bedside, and a transformation of the system’s approach is needed to propel translational efforts on an international scale.” A chemistry major at Wesleyan, he earned his MD from Cornell University School of Medicine.
Lisa Alter ’78 and her daughter, Jordana Alter Confino, the co-founders of Girls Learn International, are National Organization for Women’s 2007 Susan B. Anthony honorees. This award is given to a grassroots activist “who has advanced the cause of women’s rights or improved the lives of women.” A government major while at Wesleyan, Alter received her JD from New York University and, with her daughter, founded GLI in 2004 as a nonprofit service-learning initiative involving American students in the international effort for girls’ education. Chapters in U.S. middle and high schools are paired with partner classrooms in communities in which girls have traditionally been discouraged from pursuing education, and they undertake a variety of educational, communication, advocacy, and outreach projects. (See girlslearninternational.org.)
Michelle V. Anderson-Lyn ’84, M.D., was one of 10 Houston-area women cited by Texas Executive Women for her success in business and community service. An attending physician at Texas Children’s Hospital, assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, and medical director of the pediatric emergency center at Ben Taub General Hospital, she also serves as medical adviser for the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Program at Texas Children’s. A biology/psychology major at Wesleyan, she earned her medical degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her husband is Kurt Lyn ’87.
Amy Andrus ’93, MD, a 2008 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, received the annual William D. Kaplan, MD, award, recognizing the graduate who best combines humanism with the study of clinical medicine. She was also inducted into the national Gold Humanism Honor Society for her “demonstrated excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion and dedication to service.” She plans to pursue an obstetrics and gynecology residency after a year of research.
Brendan Armm ’98 was named the 2004 Student of the Year by the American Association of Oriental Medicine, the premier acupuncture organization in America, for his involvement in professional organizations, activities, academic performance, and community service. Armm completed his master’s this summer and plans to open a private practice as an acupuncturist in L.A. while continuing his studies at the doctoral level. At Wesleyan, he majored in music.
Eric Asimov ’79, a columnist on food and wine for the Dining In, Dining Out section of the New York Times, has been named chief wine critic. “Eric is an authority in the worlds of wining and dining who has earned the trust of readers and colleagues alike,” said Sam Sifton, dining editor for the newspaper. “He has a rare and wonderful palate, and a big brain filled with memories of wines tasted, spat out, and savored. He has a populist’s touch to explain it.” Asimov is co-author of The New York Times Guide to Restaurants 2004. His previous book, $25 and Under: A Guide to the Best Inexpensive Restaurants in New York, was published annually by HarperCollins from 1995 to 1998.
The Reinvestment Fund (TRF) has named John Summers ’80, P’12, as the new chair of its board of directors, on which he has served for more than a dozen years. Summers is a shareholder in the litigation department at Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller. His practice includes complex commercial litigation including health care, intellectual property, and construction. In addition to his involvement with TRF, Summers is involved in professional organizations including the American Law Institute, and he also serves on the board of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. Summers graduated in 1984 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as an editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and was awarded the Mark E. Lefever Prize for Law and Economics. An economics major at Wesleyan, he earned his degree with high honors. He has served the university as a trustee.
Michael K. Banbury ’85, MD, has been named the W. Samuel Carpenter III Distinguished Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery at Christiana Care’s Center for Heart and Vascular Health. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Connecticut, Banbury completed his cardiothoracic surgery training as both a clinician and a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Currently, he is chief of cardiac surgery for Christiana Care Health Systems in Delaware.
