Victor Ambros, Ph.D., a professor of genetics, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences for "distinguished and continuing achievements in original research." He was also recently elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. In 1993, Ambros's lab reported the first small regulatory RNA and since then has documented an array of genes for diverse microRNAs.

John Wennberg, M.D., director of the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences, was once again named one of the 50 most powerful physician executives by Modern Healthcare.

Mark Israel, M.D., director of Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center, was elected to the Association of American Physicians, which each year taps 55 individuals who have attained excellence in the pursuit of medical knowledge.

Madeline Dalton, Ph.D., an associate professor of pediatrics, received an honorary doctor of science degree and was the commencement speaker at Alfred University, her alma mater.

Lori Alvord, M.D., an assistant professor of surgery and associate dean of student and multicultural affairs, gave the commencement address at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

Robert McLellan, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of medicine, was recently named president of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Judy Stern, Ph.D., an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, was elected president of the New England Fertility Society. She begins her term in 2008.

Gregory Tsongalis, Ph.D., an associate professor of pathology, has joined the American Association for Cancer Research Cancer and Leukemia Group B Pathology Committee.

Constance Brinckerhoff, Ph.D., a professor of medicine, was selected to serve on the Arthritis, Connective Tissue, and Skin Study Section of the National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review.

Richard Comi, M.D., an associate professor of medicine, was recognized by Men's Health magazine as one of the country's top endocrinologists.

David Alexrod, M.D., an assistant professor of surgery, received a 2007 American College of Surgeons Health Policy Scholarship.

Timothy Lukovits, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine; Connie Thompson, R.N.; and the DHMC Stroke Program recently received an Initial Performance Achievement Award from the American Stroke Association.

Stephen Spielberg, M.D., Ph.D., DMS's dean, was reappointed to a second four-year term by Dartmouth College President James Wright. "Steve has brought to his position a great deal of enthusiasm and energy, the ability to work well with others across the institution, and a great deal of personal integrity," Wright wrote in an announcement to the Dartmouth community. A pediatrician and a pharmacologist, Spielberg came to DMS in 2003 from leadership positions in academic medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.

Paul Kispert, M.D., an assistant professor of surgery and of anesthesiology, and two residents—S. Theresa Lau, M.D., ob-gyn, and Kane Anderson, M.D., orthopaedics—are the recipients of DHMC's 2006-07 Alma Hass Milham Award, for those who "best exemplify human and ethical values in the practice of medicine."

William Boyle, M.D., a professor of pediatrics, was honored by the Town of Hanover, N.H., which named its new $5-million water filtration plant after him. He has been Hanover's health officer since 1986.

Debraj Mukherjee, a 2007 DMS graduate, was named a Sommer Scholar and selected for the De-Rosa Leadership Program at Johns Hopkins, where he will enter the M.P.H. program. He was also awarded a Schweitzer Fellowship at Hopkins to develop a smoking-cessation program for adolescents.

Abigail Rao, a DMS Year 3, and Andrea Russo, a DMS Year 4, were named Howard Hughes Medical Institute-National Institutes of Health Research Scholars.

Patricia Roberts, medical staff coordinator in the Office of Clinical Affairs, was named president of the New Hampshire Association of Medical Staff Services.

Laura Stephenson Carter, associate editor of Dartmouth Medicine magazine, was chosen as a fellow by the New York Times Company Foundation's Institute for Journalists, to attend a conference titled "Cells and Souls: The Science, Politics, and Ethics of Embryonic Stem Cell Research." See this issue's "Editor's Note" for details.

The DMS-DHMC Office of Development Communications received two awards in the Association of American Medical Colleges' Awards for Excellence competition. The Transforming Medicine Campaign materials received the highest award in the Premier Performance category, and an interactive campaign CD earned highest honors in the Electronic Communications category. See "Honors for Development Communications" for details.

Dartmouth Medical School was once again ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the nation's top medical schools. Dartmouth was 32nd on a scale emphasizing research, and 18th on a scale emphasizing primary care.

DMS's Family Medicine Interest Group received the American Academy of Family Physicians 2006-07 Program of Excellence Award.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center was selected for inclusion in Hospitals for a Healthy Environment's new Environmental Leadership Circle, for its continuous and sustainable efforts in environmental health. See the feature "Ever Green" for more on this subject.