Checkup

Mayo Welcomes New Staff ...

... and New Cancer Research Scientists

Anesthesiology
Steven R. Clendenen, M.D.
Dr. Steve Clendenen joined Anesthesiology from Southern Colorado Anesthesia Associates in Colorado Springs, Colo. Clendenen earned a medical degree from Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio, and completed an internship at Kettering Medical Center there. He completed his residency at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minn. Clendenen is board certified in anesthesiology.

Neurology
Jerry J. Shih, M.D.
Dr. Jerry Shih joined Neurology from the University of New Mexico's Health Science Center in Albuquerque, N.M. Shih earned his medical degree from the University of California's School of Medicine in Los Angeles (UCLA) and completed an internship in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. His neurology residency and a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology and critical care neurology were completed at UCLA Medical Center. He is board certified in clinical neurophysiology and psychiatry and neurology.

Neurosurgery
Kent C. New, M.D.
Dr. Kent New joined Neurosurgery. He earned a medical degree and doctorate in microbiology and immunology from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. New completed a surgical internship and neurosurgery residency at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

Psychiatry & Psychology
Yonas E. Geda, M.D.
Dr. Yonas Geda joined Psychiatry & Psychology from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he completed his psychiatry residency and fellowships in psychiatry and neurology. Geda earned a medical degree from Haile Selassie University's School of Medicine in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He is board certified in psychiatry and neurology.

Chrhistopher D. Sletten, Ph.D.
Dr. Christopher Sletten joined Psychiatry & Psychology from the Mayo Comprehensive Pain Rehabilitation Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Sletten earned medical and doctorate degrees from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and completed a fellowship in medical psychology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Cancer Research
Derek C. Radisky, Ph.D.
Evette S. Radisky, Ph.D.
Peter Storz, Ph.D.

After a national search and a review of some 300 applicants, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Jacksonville recently welcomed three new research scientists to the C.V. and Elsie R. Griffin Cancer Center.

The three new arrivals — Derek Radisky, Ph.D.; Evette Radisky, Ph.D., and Peter Storz, Ph.D  --  study different aspects of breast cancer. Derek Radisky is examining tissue for its role in the development of cancer cells. Evette Radisky is looking at a type of enzyme, serine proteases, that have been shown to promote the spread of cancer. Peter Storz is studying the regulation of oxygen radicals within cells and tissues and their influence on the development and spread of breast cancer.

Graduates of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City where they earned their Ph.D.s, Derek and Evette Radisky came to Mayo from the University of California at Berkeley. Peter Storz earned his doctorate from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, and he was a postdoctoral fellow and instructor at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Each researcher has expertise that will make them tremendous assets for the entire spectrum of cancer research in Jacksonville, says Alan Fields, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Cancer Biology and director of Cancer Basic Science Research. Because each of the new scientists has done work relevant to advanced-stage cancer, their expertise fits well with the existing programs in the Griffin Building, which focus on colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and cancer spread.