Karen Davis

The following is a list of achievements by businesses and individuals in the Ann Arbor area:

• Karen Davis was named the new president and CEO of the Michigan chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, headquartered in Brighton. She has served as acting executive director for the past nine months after the departure of Susan Fenters Lerch. Davis, who resides in Okemos, has been with the Michigan chapter for more than 18 years. The chapter also recently announced the appointment of six new board members and board officer appointments. New board members are Valerie Castle, professor and chair of pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Susie Ellwood, CEO, Detroit Media Partnership, Farmington Hills; Janette Ferrantino, president, Detroit Salt Co., Ann Arbor; Deborah Gray, associate professor of marketing, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant; David Morlock, senior associate director and chief financial officer, University of Michigan Health System, Jackson; and Meg Miller Willit, community volunteer, Grand Rapids. Board officers elected for 2010-2011 are Chairman James Fahner, with Physician for Philanthropy and Community Relations for Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, Grand Rapids; Vice-Chairman Michael Pettibone, retired from Commercial Contracting Group, Birmingham; Secretary Jim Berline, of Berline, Bloomfield Hills; and Treasurer Walter F. “Chip” Perschbacher with Greenridge Realty Inc.,Grand Rapids.

• Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor has named Kim Kelly executive director. Previously, Kelly served as chief development officer for the organization. The Ronald McDonald House has 29 bedrooms at the Ann Arbor House, and this year will add another 12 rooms with the November 2011 opening of the new “House Within the Hospital” at University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital.

• Ann Arbor-based Cerenis Therapeutices, an EDF Ventures-backed biopharmaceutical company developing novel high-density lipoprotein therapies to treat cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, has initiated a Phase 2 study of CER-001 in patients with acute coronary syndrome. It is hoped that CER-001 will further reduce cardiovascular events in high-risk patients by promoting removal of cholesterol from the vessel wall.

• The American Public Works Association Michigan chapter has recognized the University of Michigan/Ann Arbor Transportation Authority Central Campus Transit Center with the association's "Project of the Year" award in the category of intergovernmental cooperation less than $5 million. The U-M Architectural, Engineering and Construction department managed the project in collaboration with the engineering firm of Hubbel, Roth & Clark Inc. The award will be officially presented May 26 at the Michigan Chapter Awards Banquet in Bellaire, Mich.

• lia sophia recently announced top honors for its Excellent Beginnings Program Achievers for their outstanding sales accomplishments and professionalism. Having just joined the fashion jewelry business, two local advisors have earned this accomplishment in their first 15 weeks by attaining certain sales levels and by sharing lia sophia with other new. Those from Washtenaw County who earned this honor were Kelly Errer of Ann Arbor and Amy Holzer of Dexter.

• University of Michigan professor Timothy McKay has been awarded a grant from the Next Generation Learning Challenge, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates and William and Flora Hewlett Foundations. The grants were awarded to institutions for projects that improve learning and graduation rates through the use of technology. McKay, an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Physics, will use new software to provide individualized expert coaching for thousands of students in large introductory physics courses. The ECoach system will provide thousands of undergraduate physics students with the advice and training. The one-year pilot program will be launched during the winter 2012 semester. The grant was for $249,000. In related news from U-M, Stefan Stoll of the University of Michigan received a one-year, $50,000 discovery grant from the National Psoriasis Foundation for pilot research that focuses on the foundation's four research pathways of genetics, cell biology, immunology and health outcomes research. Stoll will examine a variant of a gene called TRAF3IP2 in people with psoriasis that may change how skin cells respond to psoriasis-promoting immune signals, possibly leading to new and more specific treatments for psoriasis.

• University of Michigan researchers have received a four-year $8 million grant to help develop, test and refine pediatric health care measures for children in the United States. Dr. Gary L. Freed, director of the Division of General Pediatrics and Director of the Children's Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit, will be the principal investigator leading a team of at least 10 researchers and at least 8 partners and research centers and organizations, including the State of Michigan Medicaid Program.

• Jessica M. Stubbs has been hired as assistant vice president and compliance officer Chelsea State Bank.

• A former Saline resident has been named to the faculty of Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, located in Nashville, Tenn. Philip Dikeman, son of George and Agnes Dikeman of Saline, will join the Blair faculty in the fall as associate professor of flute.

• Ann Arbor-based book manufacturer Edwards Brothers has added Barb Dawson to the company's staff in the newly created position of chief information officer. Dawson was most recently the CIO at Two Men and a Truck International.

• For the fifth consecutive year, the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers has been given the Environmental Leadership Circle Award, Practice Greenhealth's most prestigious honor. Practice Greenhealth, a national membership organization of health care facilities committed to environmentally responsible operations, presented the award in Phoenix in early April.

• Ross Johnson, CEO of Ann Arbor's 3.7Designs, has landed a deal to write a book on webpage design for Manning Communications, a publisher of books on business topics.

• Theresa Whiting, a resident of Ann Arbor and a flight instructor at the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, was recognized on Saturday, April 9 as one of the top seven flight instructors in the United States for 2011. Whiting was one of the seven regional finalists for the title of National Flight Instructor of the Year, conferred by the General Aviation Awards Program, a partnership between more than a dozen general aviation industry sponsors and the Federal Aviation Administration. Although the national award went to another instructor, Whiting holds the title of “Flight Instructor of the Year” for the FAA Great Lakes Region, which includes eight states from Ohio to South Dakota.

• Ann Arbor-based MedHub Inc, signed an agreement April 12 with the Royal College of Surgeons - Faculty of Radiology, Dublin, Ireland to deploy its MedHub enterprise residency management system. The MedHub system is an integrated web-based suite of modules developed to improve communication, information workflow and reporting for physician training and residency program accreditation and institutional billing and Medicare reimbursement.

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