EUEC Newsletter

After four deeply rewarding years, it is time for me to retire from my role as Director of the Emory University Emeritus College. It has been an honor to serve this vibrant and intellectually rich community.

When I began my appointment, we were still navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and holding virtual meetings. Since then, we’ve not only resumed our regular programs but also introduced new initiatives. A major milestone came on January 17, 2023, when—thanks to generous support from the Vice Provost’s office—we installed equipment to offer our Lunch Colloquiums in a hybrid format, making them accessible both in-person and by Zoom on the day of presentation, as well as archived recordings on our website.

We’ve continued our pre-retirement seminars, refreshed our website, resumed volunteering at Medstar, and launched monthly Saturday luncheons at Athens Pizza. One of the most transformative changes this spring was the transition to a new database management system made possible by a generous donation from Jagdish Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing. This software upgrade streamlines our operations by integrating with the university system, significantly reducing the need for our Program Coordinator Dianne Becht to enter data in multiple places.

I am delighted to announce that Kristy Martyn, PhD, RN, CRNP-PC, FAAN, Professor and Independence Chair at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, will assume the role of Director on July 1st. Having worked closely with Kristy for the past 12 years, I am confident that the Emeritus College will flourish under her leadership.

One of the greatest joys of my tenure has been attending our Lunch Colloquiums. These free presentations by leading experts have been both enlightening and inspiring. Most recently, Vince Marconi, PhD, Professor of Medicine, shared insights on how biomedical, behavioral, and environmental factors influence healthy aging and demonstrating how research on long COVID, HIV, has contributed to our knowledge about the aging process.

Looking ahead, on Monday, June 30th, Drew Williamson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, will present “Chatting about Medical AI,” exploring the design and development of PathChat, a generative AI model tailored for pathology.

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our dedicated proofreaders and editors (Ann Hartle and Marilynne McKay), our Zoom team (John Boli, Gray Crouse, Ron Gould, and Vernon Robbins), and Don O’Shea, who edits our videos. I’m also grateful to the many members who serve on Emeritus College and University Senate Committees: Donna Brogan, Gray Crouse, Joyce Flueckiger, John Ford, Ron Gould, Glenn Kellum, Mike Kuttner, James Keller, Jeffrey Lichtman, Rosemary Magee, Marilynne McKay, Helen O’Shea, Ruth Parker, Vernon Robbins, Peter Seibel, Weiwong Shang, and Jagdish Sheth.

Finally, I am deeply appreciative of Dianne Becht’s guidance and assistance during the past four years.

Thank you all for your support, your wisdom, and your friendship. It has been a privilege to serve you.

--Ann

PLEASE NOTE

University Senate Policy Committee Election

Last month, the University Senate asked that the Emeritus College select a representative to their newly formed Policy Review Committee. Several members volunteered and Juliette Apkarian PhD, Associate Professor, Russian Studies, who is retiring this summer, was elected as our representative.

New Director for the Emeritus College

Kristy K. Martyn, Professor in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, has been named the new Director of the Emory University Emeritus College.

Her appointment begins July 1, 2025.

Kristy succeeds Ann E. Rogers, a fellow nursing Professor who is retiring this summer after serving as Emeritus College Director since 2021.

Kristy plans to explore ideas to enable the Emeritus College to become an even more active and more visible part of the Emory community.

To read a recent article from the Emory News Center please click here.

Lunch Colloquium -- Drew Williamson -- Monday -- June 30, 2025

Drew Williamson

Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

MONDAY, June 30, 2025

The Luce Center

825 Houston Mill Road -- Room 130

11:30am-1:00pm

“Chatting About Medical AI”

Generative models such as ChatGPT have catapulted AI further into the mainstream than ever before, while interested parties in healthcare have begun to test these models in medical settings. However, these models are rarely purpose-built for medical applications and the majority of those that do exist are targeted at a broader segment of healthcare than any individual provider practices. I’ll discuss the design, training, and evaluation of PathChat, our multimodal generative model created specifically for pathology. I’ll also discuss possible future directions in this line of inquiry.

About Drew Williamson:

Drew Williamson is an Assistant Professor in the department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at Emory University. He completed a BA in Mathematics at Oberlin College, an MD at Case Western Reserve University, residency in Anatomic Pathology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and fellowships in Molecular Genetic Pathology and Clinical Informatics at Mass General Brigham. This training was followed by postdoctoral research in the lab of Faisal Mahmood, PhD at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. A board-certified Pathologist, Drew's research focuses on the applications of deep learning-based methods to pathology data, from histology images to genomics to, most recently, natural language.

PLEASE NOTE:

THIS IS A NOTIFICATION OF UPCOMING WORK THAT WILL REQUIRE A SINGLE LANE ROAD CLOSURE ON HOUSTON MILL ROAD, MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2025 – THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2025.

This is to inform you of an upcoming construction project at the Houston Mill pedestrian bridge. This repair project involves the replacement of several structural supports and repairs to the bridge decking.

To complete this work, a single-lane closure on Houston Mill Road will be required. Dedicated flagging personnel and appropriate signage will be in place throughout the duration of the lane closure to ensure safe and orderly passage for all roadway users.

Work is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 30, 2025, and is expected to be completed on July 3, 2025. In the event of inclement weather, work will resume the week of July 7.

Lunch Colloquium -- HobbyFest -- July 14

HobbyFest

MONDAY, July 14, 2025

The Luce Center

825 Houston Mill Road -- Room 130

11:30am-1:00pm

Do you garden? Are you a gourmet cook? Do you collect stamps? Are you an avid photographer?

No matter what your hobby might be, it is that others among the Emeritus College may have the same interest, or maybe your hobby will spark something new for someone else!

We plan to share our passions in a session similar to BookFest, but instead of books, we will talk about and share our favorite hobbies. Please volunteer to speak/share your interests. Time limits will be set based on the number of people who respond. We'd like to have you participate in-person, but if that is not possible, presentations can also be via Zoom.

If interested, please contact Ron Gould at rg@emory.edu.

Upcoming MedShare Volunteer Opportunity

If you’d like to join this group, we are doing this the second Thursday afternoon of each month. Upcoming sessions: July 10, August 14 and September 11. Registration on the MedShare web site is required.

To register:

Visit the MedShare event registration page at: https://www.cervistech.com/acts/console.php?console_id=0319&console_type=event&ht=1&res_code=EmoryEmeritus

Click the "Sign Up" button for your event and enter your email and first name. If you don't have a MedShare volunteer account, you'll be prompted to create one.

Select the listed event and click “Register."

For registration issues, questions or information about carpooling, please contact Marianne Skeen, marskeen@comcast.net.

Upcoming Events at Emory

Sunday Public Tours at the Michael C. Carlos Museum

Sunday, June 29, 2025, 2-3pm EDT

Sunday, July 6, 2025, 2-3pm EDT

Explore the Carlos Museum with a drop-in docent-led tour! Sunday Public Tours are free with museum admission and no prior registration is required. Public Tours do have a limited capacity, and are first come, first served.

To join, simply meet your docent in the Rotunda on Level One at 2 p.m.

Caregiver Conversations

Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 12-1pm EDT

Virtual

Are you caring for an older adult or disabled loved one? Join a virtual caregiver meet-up to discuss caregiving strategies, stressors involved with caring for loved ones. This will also be an opportunity to learn about resources within Emory/local community and beyond. Meetings take place the second Tuesday of every month from 12pm-1pm.

Email mary.ellen.eady@emory.edu to receive calendar invitation. If you have questions about this group please contact Mary Ellen Eady, 404-727-4177.

Healthy Emory Campus Tour

Tuesday, July 8, 2025 12-1pm EDT

Woodruff Circle

Discover how Emory promotes well-being through an engaging and interactive experience. Whether you're new to Emory or a long-time employee, these guided walks highlight Emory's beautiful and historic campus, showcase well-being resources, and provide an opportunity to connect with colleagues. Learn how to make well-being an integral part of your daily routine while enjoying the sights and stories of our campus.

Designed for all fitness levels, the tours last approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

Details and other information, as well as additional campus events, can be found on the Emory Events Calendar.

If you'd like to share an event/program of interest before the next newsletter

please contact Dianne Becht Dianne.becht@emory.edu

Walking the Campus with Dianne

If you were able to read the name on the headstone from our last walk, you may have been able to figure out it can be found in the Hardman Cemetery, located on Emory’s Clairmont Campus just behind one of the residential dorms and near the Starvine Parking Deck and shuttle hub.

The cemetery is old and rather unkempt, but contains a lot of history. I find it interesting that a few lucky/unlucky? students have this old cemetery for a view from their dorm windows (see lower left photo below). You can access the cemetery by parking at Starvine and walking a short distance to a small field along Starvine Way.

For more information on the cemetery please click here and here.

The weather has been too hot for outdoor exploration so let's visit a nice, temperature-controlled indoor spot.

This place definitely feels cooler but is not usually as quiet as the photo below may appear. Hint: This hallway is traveled by not just Emory faculty and students, but the entire Emory community (and then some).

Where will you find this on the Emory campus?

Emory University Emeritus College

The Luce Center

825 Houston Mill Road NE Room 206

Atlanta, GA 30329

http://www.emory.edu/emeritus

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