VCU news

By Loreal Bond
University News Services

Fifty-four full-time Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center physicians were listed among the 2006 Best Doctors in America by Best Doctors Inc.

Doctors were chosen through a continuous peer-to-peer survey, completed by more than 35,000 doctors across the country. Doctors were asked to provide an assessment of the clinical abilities of their peers within each of the more than 40 specialties of medicine.

As many as 1 million peer evaluations go into detailed profiles on the doctors in the Best Doctors database of 35,000 doctors, with as many as 200 individual evaluations on a single doctor. According to Best Doctors Inc., only 3 percent of board-certified doctors in the United States made the list.

The following full-time faculty members are listed as the best doctors in their specialty:

Addiction Medicine: Elinore McCance-Katz, M.D.

Allergy and Immunology: Lawrence B. Schwartz, M.D.

Anesthesiology: Bruce D. Spiess, M.D.

Cardiovascular Disease: Michael J. Cowley, M.D., Kenneth A. Ellenbogen, M.D., Michael L. Hess, M.D., Robert L. Jesse, M.D., George W. Vetrovec, M.D.

Dermatology: Algin B. Garrett, M.D.

Endocrinology and Metabolism: Diane M. Biskobing, M.D., John Clore, M.D.,
Robert W. Downs, M.D., David F. Gardner, M.D., John Nestler, M.D.

Family Medicine: Anton J. Kuzel, M.D., Michelle Y. Whitehurst-Cook, M.D.

Gastroenterology: Mitchell L. Shiffman, M.D., Alvin M. Zfass, M.D.

Geriatric Medicine: Peter A. Boling, M.D.

Infectious Disease: Gordon L. Archer, M.D.

Internal Medicine (General): Peter A. Boling, M.D.

Neurological Surgery: John D. Ward, M.D.

Neurology (Child): John M. Pellock, M.D.

Nuclear Medicine: Melvin J. Fratkin, M.D., Paul R. Jolles, M.D.

Obstetrics and Gynecology: Joseph F. Borzelleca, Jr., M.D., Ellen L. Brock, M.D.,
Amanda M. Bullock, M.D., Stephen A. Cohen, M.D., Edward John Gill, M.D.,
Catherine Matthews Nichols, M.D., Thomas C. Peng, M.D., John Seeds, M.D.

Orthopaedic Surgery: Robert S. Adelaar, M.D.

Otolaryngology: Laurence DiNardo, M.D.

Pediatric Specialist: Richard R. Brookman, M.D., Lenore Buckley, M.D.,
Joseph H. Laver, M.D., Edward Clifton Russell, M.D.

Pediatrics (General): Linda Meloy, M.D.

Psychiatry: Susan Kornstein, M.D., James L. Levenson, M.D.,
Anand K. Pandurangi, M.D., Aradhana A. (Bela) Sood, M.D.

Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine: Alpha A. Fowler III, M.D.,
R. Paul Fairman, M.D.

Radiation Oncology: Douglas Arthur, M.D.

Radiology: Robert Halvorsen, M.D., Curtis W. Hayes, M.D., Anthony V. Proto, M.D.

Rheumatology: Lenore Buckley, M.D., George Moxley, M.D., W. Neal Roberts, M.D.,
Christopher M. Wise, M.D.

Surgical Oncology: Harry D. Bear, M.D.

Best Doctors Inc. serves hundreds of insurers, employers and health plans, covering more than 10 million people in 30 countries. The company has been conducting independent surveys of the medical profession for more than 10 years to identify the doctors that other doctors consider the best in their specialties.

For more information, visit http://www.bestdoctors.com.