VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

James Michael "Jim" Messmer, M.D., is retiring from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine as senior associate dean for medical education, effective June 30. Messmer came to VCU in 1981 as a full-time radiologist in the abdominal imaging area. He has been the school's senior associate dean for the past 16 years. His successor, Dr. Isaac K. "Ike" Wood, takes over July 1.

Known by students and colleagues alike for his humor and ability to lighten situations, Messmer loved – and was loved by – his students, noted Dr. Sheldon M. Retchin, CEO of the VCU Health System and vice president for VCU Health Sciences.

Messmer's students agreed.

"Dr. Messmer has always been so visible and approachable. He cares so much about students and whether you are going up to him to discuss academic issues or just getting advice on where to eat lunch, he loves the interactions with students," said Branden M. Engorn, a fourth-year medical student and Medical Student Government president. "He is a mentor, an advocate and always a friend.

"Whether he is giving a lecture to 200 medical students, you are meeting him in his office for advice, or you are meeting him for the first time, he has a way of relating to people and making them feel as if they are the only person in the world he is talking to," Engorn said.

During his time at VCU, Messmer worked on the Virginia Generalist Initiative and the development of the Foundation of Clinical Medicine course, which he said more than any other medical school course has prepared students for the delivery of quality medicine. He also helped develop the School of Medicine learning objectives and provided leadership for two schoolwide retreats on medical education.

Messmer was a part of the earliest development meetings for the VCU School of Medicine's Inova campus.

"A tremendous amount of work on many people's parts went into — and continues to go into — this project," he recalled. "We worked for seven years beginning in 1998 before matriculating our first class of M3 students in 2005."

Messmer received his bachelor's degree in 1968 from Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Mo., and his medical degree from the St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1972. In 1995, he received a Masters in Adult Education from VCU.

Messmer was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army from 1972 to 1981, earning the National Defense Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal and the Army Achievement Medal. He served in the Army Reserves Individual Ready Reserve from 1986 to 1997 and returned to active duty at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

He was a visiting lecturer for a number of years at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology radiology course. For 27 years he has been the radiology consultant for the Chief Medical Examiner's office and has contributed to literature in forensic radiology.

He is a member of numerous scientific, honorary and professional societies, including the American College of Radiology, the Association of University Radiologists, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the Richmond Academy of Medicine.

Messmer is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships including the VCU School of Medicine Distinguished Mentor Award, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Fraternity, the Dean's Award for Education Leadership, the Visiting Scientist Armed Forces of Institute of Pathology and almost a dozen Outstanding Teacher Awards.

After his retirement as associate dean, Messmer will still have ties to VCU. He plans to continue to work in the Department of Radiology a few days a week. He and his wife, Cynthia Heldberg Messmer, Ph.D., who works in the Department of Family Medicine and is the former Associate Dean for Admissions, plan to take advantage of the university's opportunity for retired faculty to audit courses at VCU.

However, he said, he will miss working with all of the enthusiastic individuals at the school.

"We have outstanding students, a dedicated faculty, and a team of administrators second to none," he said. "Interacting with the students will take on a different role than it's been in the past. I'll still be teaching students in the radiology department and will be counseling those interested in radiology. [But] I won't see the students much until their fourth year, unlike now when I get to work with them as soon as they arrive."

Of his accomplishments as a radiologist, Messmer says he is most proud of "my work with the American College of Radiology teaching file, which for many years was one of the most used resources by radiology residents across the country."

As an associate dean, there are many things I'm proud to have had the opportunity to work on and develop. Of course, all the work is a team effort and there is little that one can claim individual credit for," he said.