CREATIVE THOUGHT Prevention in paradise A


fter years on the inside, I had to get out in the field,” says Shane Diekman ’93.


“That’s where my passion is, where I can have a direct impact on people’s health.” He’s talking about his journey from desk to field for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. Today Diekman works in a paradise—Barbados—on the front lines of HIV prevention. After Skidmore, he earned a master’s in public health at Emory and then did a three-year fellowship at the CDC, followed by a PhD in health behavior and health education from the University of North Carolina. He then spent eight years designing and evaluating health interven-


tions for the CDC’s Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention. One alarming trend that Diekman and his CDC team tracked was the explosive rise in accidental prescription-drug overdoses; CDC sta- tistics show that overdose death rates have more than tripled since 1990. Diekman explains the CDC model for


assessing and addressing health issues: “First we conduct epidemiology surveillance to deter- mine what the problem is and assess the risk factors. Then we design interventions to address the risk factors, and find out which interventions work. Once we’ve found winning strategies, we try to get widespread adoption.” In his current location, Diekman is never


lonely. "I think I've had something like 25 dif- ferent visitors—friends and relatives—come down over the last two years. I've become something of a tour guide." He's also joined a local running club that explores different terrain each week, so he's getting to know his island home.


Is there trouble in paradise? Diekman talks


about the HIV epidemic in the Caribbean with hope. “I’m studying transmission and treat- ments, meeting with those who are infected and those at risk. The most exciting new treat- ment paradigm in HIV is termed ‘treatment as prevention,’ where anti-retroviral drugs can keep the disease in check so that the rates of transmission drop by as much as 96%. It’s pos- sible that we could create an AIDS-free gener- ation.” —Jon Wurtmann ’78


with my kids, and working with elderly parents. Just when I think life can’t get busier, it does! VICTORIA G. KING 155 SAGAMORE ROAD MILLBURN, NJ 07041-2147 VKING1@COMCAST.NET


lives in East Hamp- ton, N.Y., where she works for Guild Hall, a center for the visual and performing arts. She is also a licensed realtor


’89 Stacy Meyrowitz N MAY 29–JUNE 2


with Douglas Elliman: stacy.mey- rowitz@elliman.com. Kimberly Davis Knoeller welcomes hearing from classmates traveling to the Seattle, Wash., area. “I can take you out for a cup of coffee and point out many great places to see during your stay.” You can contact her at kimdavis007@gmail.com. Jenifer Ross Schumacher was named one of Westchester County’s Most Accom- plished Businesswomen in 2013 by 914INC magazine, a regional business quarterly. Jenifer is founder and CEO of W@tercooler, a Tarrytown, N.Y., firm that offers fully equipped collaborative workspace for entrepreneurs and remote workers. BAYARD HEUSSLER KARCH 3361 BUCKBOARD DRIVE PARK CITY, UT 84098 BAYARDKARCH@YAHOO.COM


Melisa Wallack captured an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay for her work as co-writer of Dallas Buyers Club, a film (also nominated for best picture) about AIDS activist Ron Woodroof, starring Matthew McConaughey. She was the only female nominee in that category. Melisa, who co- founded data discovery company NightOwl in Minneapolis, Minn., with sis- ter Andrea in 1991, moved to Los Angeles in 1995 to lead the firm’s West Coast oper- ations. She started networking with writers and decided to collaborate with Craig Borten, whose interviews of Woodroof inspired her to write her first major screenplay. She has also authored scripts for Mirror, Mirror and Meet Bill and recently completed writing for a film version of the children’s book Emily the Strange. Will Pollock turned an annual pizza party into Pizza for Good, an interactive e-book that serves up recipes, stories, and DIY tips for community fundraisers. The


’90 42 SCOPE SPRING 2014


book documents Pollock’s 2006 founding of ARTvision Atlanta, an artists’ collabo- rative that benefits Positive Impact, an Atlanta charity that serves people living with HIV through mental health servic- es, substance abuse treatment, and test- ing. Since its launch in 2006, ARTvision has raised more than $50,000. DANA METES 142 BEST ROAD WINDSOR, VT 05089-9564 DANAMETES@YAHOO.COM


’91 ’92


HEATHER SANTMIRE DENKMIRE 71 READ STREET, APT. 4 PORTLAND, ME 04103-3481 HEATHER@GRANTWINNERS.NET


JANET MACAULAY REARDON 2829 EAGLE STREET SAN DIEGO, CA 92103-5421 JANETREARDON@HOTMAIL.COM


New York Yankees that opened on Broadway in February. For details, visit www.bronxbombersplay.com. Thomas Caruso recently directed the national tour of the Broadway musical Ghost, and is associate director of the new hit Broadway musical Matilda. He also directed the critically acclaimed new musical Southern Comfort this past year at the Barrington Stage in Massachusetts. Tom will be glad to know that Jennifer Kniffin Jones enjoyed seeing Matilda with her 8-year-old daughter, Penelope. Jennifer says the play reminded her of being introduced to “the Trunchbull” in a Skidmore children’s literature class! She is proud of son Tyler, a sophomore and writ- ing tutor at Lafayette College. Joshua Raymond was elected to the Borough Council in North Caldwell, N.J., where he and wife Alisa Feinstein Raymond live with children Max, 7, and Hailey, 5. Jenny Przybylinski Peluso was named assistant provost for student success at Florida Atlantic University. She has been a psychology faculty member there since 2003. Husband Paul is chair of the depart- ment of counselor education at FAU. Jenny says that she and Paul are happily managing to balance their careers with busy lives as parents of Helen, 11, and Lucy, 7.


’93 Jonathan Burkan was promoted to sen-


Fran Kirmser is the producer of Bronx Bombers, a play about the


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