pathfinder, n: a person who or thing which opens up new ways; esp. a person who seeks out or disseminates new ideas or ways; a trailblazer, a trendsetter

-- Oxford English Dictionary

The Wayne State University School of Medicine will honor six people who have worked to make a difference in the health -care field at its annual Pathfinders in Medicine Awards, Saturday, October 8, at 6 p.m. at Ford Field.

Established in 2000, the black-tie dinner honors outstanding vision and leadership in medicine, progressive scientific research and the availability quality health care within the community. Amyre Makupson, a longtime Detroit anchor on UPN-50 and CBS-62, is mistress of ceremonies.

This year's honorees include:

• Larry Fleischmann, M.D. , is past president of Children's Hospital of Michigan and a WSU professor of pediatrics and a pediatric nephrologist. Dr. Fleischmann founded Children's Hospital's Renal Dialysis and Transplant Program and was director of the Nephrology Service. A native of Saginaw who currently resides in St. Clair Shores , Dr. Fleischmann has received the March of Dimes Humanitarian of the Year Award and the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan Champion of Hope Award.
• Henry McKinnell, Ph.D., is chairman and CEO of Pfizer Inc., the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company. He was appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS by President George Bush and is the recipient of the United Nations Association of the United States of America 's Global Leadership Award and the Woodrow Wilson Institute for International Scholars Corporate Service Award.
• Tina Kelley, M.D. , (posthumously), a WSU School of Medicine resident dedicated to serving children who was killed in a car accident Feb. 4, excelled both academically and spiritually. She received her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and her medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine. Dr. Kelley shared her many gifts with others through her volunteer endeavors. She was a youth interpreter for I Zandla, Hartford Memorial Baptist Church 's deaf ministry. This dedicated young woman was also a member of the Michigan State University Gospel Choir and the Just for Christ campus ministry, through which Dr. Kelley traveled on a mission to Jamaica .
• Roberto Romero, M.D. , leads the National Institutes of Health's Perinatology Research Branch at the WSU School of Medicine, which conducts studies into maternal and infant health and disease. A world renowned lecturer, Dr. Romero is one of the most prominent intellectual leaders in modern obstetrics. During the past 20 years, his work has focused on the prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies and the study of the mechanisms responsible for the onset of premature labor. Dr. Romero lives in Grosse Pointe.
• Ebony Rucker , a fourth-year student at the WSU School of Medicine, was born and raised in Detroit . She attended Detroit public schools until she received a scholarship to Cranbrook Kingswood in Bloomfield Hills which motivated her to attend college on the East Coast. Awaiting the arrival of twin siblings in the labor and delivery suite ignited her interest in a medical career. After receiving her bachelor's degree from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie , N.Y. , Ms. Rucker spent three years studying genetics at Harvard Medical School before applying to medical school. Since returning home, Ms. Rucker has been involved with numerous community endeavors including serving as a co-coordinator at the Cass Clinic and being involved with the Black Medical Association.
• Sophie Womack, M.D. , a Detroit resident, is the division chief of neonatology for Sinai-Grace Hospital , an assistant professor in the WSU Department of Pediatrics and a member of the Detroit Medical Center 's board of trustees. This physician and humanitarian tirelessly promotes children's health and safety through her volunteer efforts, including The Coalition Inc. - Circle of Hope, which she formed with her husband, Rev. Dr. Jimmy Womack. Dr. Womack has been honored with the "Caring for Children Angel Award" from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan and the "Image Award in Medicine" from the Women's Justice Center .

Proceeds from the event support the Pathfinders in Medicine Scholarship Fund, the Black Medical Association of Wayne State University Endowed Grant Fund and the Charles F. Whitten, M.D., Post-Baccalaureate Fund.

Previous Pathfinders in Medicine Award recipients include Barbara Anderson, M.D.; Thomas Batchelor, M.D.; Waldo Cain, M.D.; Julius Combs, M.D.; Ethelene Jones Crockett, M.D.; Walter Douglas; Mary Fisher; Cynthia Ford; Robert N. Frank, M.D.; Adnan Hammad, M.D.; Peter Karmanos, Jr.; Mark Kelley, M.D.; Kamran Moghissi, M.D.; Marjorie Peebles-Meyers, M.D.; Arthur Porter, M.D.; Altha Stewart, M.D.; Joan Stryker, M.D.; Natalia Tanner, M.D.; Vainutis Vaitkevicius, M.D.; Charles Vincent, M.D.; John Waller, Jr., Dr.P.H.; Charles Whitten, M.D.; and Charles Wright, M.D.

Tickets are $200 per person, of which $80 is tax deductible. For more information or to make a reservation, please contact Sue Helderop at (313) 993-4179 or sheldero@med.wayne.edu .