Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

Get Additional Free Content Online
As an added bonus to this fully revised third edition of the 
Webster’s New World
™
Medical Dictionary,
you can visit the companion website at www.medterms.com/wnw. 
You’ll find a free PDF Healthcare Guide to help you get the most out of your personal medical care.
You can also listen to podcasts from Dr. William Shiel and Dr. Melissa Stöppler, the co-editors of the
Webster’s New World Medical Dictionary,
in which they discuss strategies to help you better com-
municate with your doctors and caregivers.
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About the Authors
William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR, Co-Editor-in-Chief
William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR, received a bache-
lor of science degree with honors from the University of
Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radi-
ation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship.
After graduating from St. Louis University School of
Medicine, he completed his internal medicine resi-
dency and rheumatology fellowship at University of
California, Irvine. He is board certified in internal med-
icine and rheumatology and is a fellow of the American
Colleges of Physicians and Rheumatology. Dr. Shiel is in
active practice in the field of rheumatology at the
Arthritis Center of Southern Orange County, California.
He is currently an active associate clinical professor of
medicine at University of California, Irvine. He has
served as chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center
in Mission Viejo, California. Dr. Shiel has authored numerous articles on subjects related to arthri-
tis for prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals, as well as many expert medical-legal reviews. He
has lectured in person and on television both for physicians and the community. He is a contribu-
tor for questions for the American Board of Internal Medicine and has reviewed board questions on
behalf of the American Board of Rheumatology Subspecialty. He served on the Medical and Scientific
Committee of the Arthritis Foundation, and he is currently on the Medical Advisory Board of Lupus
International. Dr. Shiel is proud to have served as chief editor for MedicineNet.com since its found-
ing in 1996. He was co-editor-in-chief of the first and second editions of 
Webster’s New World
Medical Dictionary.
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Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a US board-certified
anatomic pathologist with subspecialty training in the
fields of experimental and molecular pathology. Dr.
Stöppler’s educational background includes a BA with
Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and
an MD from the University of North Carolina. She com-
pleted residency training in anatomic pathology at
Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellow-
ship training in molecular diagnostics and experimen-
tal pathology. Dr. Stöppler served as a faculty member
of the Georgetown University School of Medicine and
has also served on the medical faculty at the University
of Marburg, Germany. Her research in the area of virus-
induced cancers has been funded by the National
Institutes of Health as well as by private foundations. She has a broad list of medical publications,
abstracts, and conference presentations and has taught medical students and residents both in the
United States and Germany. Dr. Stöppler was named a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Society
in Germany and was a recipient of a Physician Scientist Award from the US National Cancer Institute.
Dr. Stöppler currently serves on the Medical Editorial Board of MedicineNet.com, and is the Chief
Medical Editor of eMedicineHealth.com, both WebMD Inc. companies. Her experience also includes
translation and editing of medical texts in German and English. Dr. Stöppler’s special interests in
medicine include family health and fitness, patient education/empowerment, and molecular diag-
nostic pathology. She currently resides in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband and their
three children.
Dennis Lee, MD, Assistant Editor
Dennis Lee, MD, was born in Shanghai, China, and received his college and medical training in the
United States. He is fluent in English and three Chinese dialects. He graduated with chemistry depart-
mental honors from Harvey Mudd College. He was appointed president of AOA society at UCLA
School of Medicine. He underwent internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship
training at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology,
Dr. Lee is currently a member of Mission Internal Medical Group, a multispecialty medical group
serving southern Orange County, California. Dr. Lee has maintained an interest in technology and
medical education. He is a regular guest lecturer at Saddleback College in Orange County, California.
Dr. Lee serves as chair of MedicineNet.com.
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Jay W. Marks, MD, Assistant Editor
Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale
University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at
UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. For 20 years he was associate director of the
Division of Gastroenterology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and an associate professor of medicine,
in residence, at UCLA. At Cedars-Sinai he co-directed the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Unit, taught
physicians during their graduate and postgraduate training, and performed specialized, nonendo-
scopic gastrointestinal testing. He carried out Public Health Service–sponsored (National Institutes
of Health) clinical and basic research into mechanisms of the formation of gallstones and methods
for the nonsurgical treatment of gallstones. He is the author of 36 original research manuscripts and
24 book chapters. Dr. Marks presently directs an independent gastrointestinal diagnostic unit where
he continues to perform specialized tests for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases. Dr. Marks
serves as medical and pharmacy editor of MedicineNet.com.
Ruchi Mathur, MD, FRCP(C), Assistant Editor
Dr. Mathur received her medical degree in Canada and did her medical residency at the University
of Manitoba in Internal Medicine. Dr. Mathur is a certified fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
of Canada and is US board certified in internal medicine and endocrinology, diabetes and metabo-
lism. She has been the recipient of numerous research grants which have included the American
Diabetes Association grant for research in the field of diabetes and gastric dysmotility and the
Endocrine Fellows Foundation Grant for Clinical Research. She has an extensive list of medical pub-
lications, abstracts, and posters and has given numerous lectures on diabetes. Most recently she has
co-authored the textbook 
Davidson’s Diabetes Mellitus: Diagnosis and Treatment,
published by
Elsevier. Dr. Mathur has also served as Research Fellow at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a clini-
cal instructor at UCLA in endocrinology and metabolism. Currently Dr. Mathur is Co-Director of the
Diabetes Management Clinic at the Roybal Comprehensive Health Center and Assistant Professor of
Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.