Media Mentions : DMS & DHMC in the News
Among the people and programs coming in for prominent media coverage during recent months was DMS researcher Michael Sporn. The Yahoo! News Web site reported on the use of "a form of vitamin A [to] help prevent or treat cancer by reactivating a tumor-suppressing gene." However, the story added, "according to Dr. Michael Sporn of Dartmouth Medical School . . . the drug used in the study to switch the gene back on is too toxic to use in people."
Dr. Joseph O'Donnell, a professor of medicine and
senior advising dean for the Medical School, was
the subject of a recent feature in
Hope magazine. The story explored
his efforts to "employ unusual
methods to nurture a new
generation of kinder, gentler
doctors. . . . O'Donnell believes
that doctors can learn much
from literature, that it is a bridge
between the technical science of medicine and
the elusive realm of morality. The work of a doctor
is to listen to stories; literature, he says, teaches
how to listen for stories."
Numerous publications from coast to coast carried
the news that "Chemotherapy may cloud
memory," as a headline in USA Today put it. USA
Today went on to explain that "cancer patients
who get ordinary doses of
chemotherapy often experience
lingering memory problems, says
a study by Dartmouth Medical
School. Psychologist Tim Ahles says
that many years after treatment,
some cancer survivors still have
trouble remembering and concentrating."
Ahles studied 128 survivors of breast
cancer and lymphoma; 71 of them had had
chemotherapy and 57 had had only surgery or radiation
therapy. "Doctors say the findings suggest
that aggressive treatment with chemotherapy may
be unwise . . . unless the drugs can substantially
improve the patients' chances of survival."
Working Mother magazine had some suggestions on how to "help your teen stop smoking— now. . . . Above all, 'Don't bother reciting longterm health risks,' advises James Sargent, an associate professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School. 'A teen can't see that far ahead, and most can't believe they could be addicted.'"
An Associated Press story looked at a "tricky
question"—whether there should be an upper age
limit for routine cancer screenings.
"It's such a murky issue,"
the story said, "that most cancer
guidelines don't even mention
it. 'It hasn't gotten that much attention,'
says Dr. William Black of
Dartmouth Medical School,
who analyzed federal health statistics
to conclude the life-saving benefits of cancer
screening fall to a startling low around age 75
and continue dropping with each birthday. . . .
Giving up mammograms or the fecal occult blood
test for colon cancer will cost the average 75-yearold
only nine days of life, Black reported."
"A drug that showed promise against the common
cold and viral meningitis in early tests has
produced disappointing results
in the latest study," according to
a recent report in USA Today.
However, the article went on,
"John Modlin of Dartmouth Medical
School, who heads the American
Academy of Pediatrics committee
on viral illnesses in children,
notes that even the latest work shows some
benefits against meningitis."
"Exploring the enigma of prostate therapies"
was the title of a New York Times story that cited
a Dartmouth authority. "What
makes [patients'] decisions about
treatment so difficult is that doctors
do not know which one is
most effective," noted the article.
"Dr. John Wasson, an expert on
health-care delivery at Dartmouth,
said there was no proof
from scientifically controlled trials 'that any treatment
is better than watchful waiting' and then, if
cancer spreads, prescribing drugs to block the
male hormones. . . . Rigorously controlled trials
for prostate cancer have been difficult to do 'because
everyone felt they knew the answer,' said
Dr. Wasson."
Another New York Times story looked at the
benefits and drawbacks of testing for prostate cancer,
in connection with New York Mayor Rudolph
Giuliani's disclosure that he had been diagnosed
with the disease. Some of the physicians quoted in
the article felt that men should
get regular screenings for
prostate cancer. But "some skeptics,
like Dr. Harold Sox, chairman
of the department of medicine
at Dartmouth, remain unconvinced.
. . . Dr. Sox was chairman
of the United States Preventive
Services Task Force when it recommended
against routine prostate cancer screening several
years ago. 'There isn't any evidence that
screening has any benefits,' Dr. Sox said. 'But
there's quite a bit of evidence that the consequences
of screening for some patients, namely
radical prostatectomy, have some harms. Unproven
benefits and proven harms—that's why we
recommend against it as a routine practice.'"
A silver lining to the cloud of a stroke for California
artist Katherine Sherwood proved to be
newfound artistic success, despite the fact that
she's still paralyzed on her right side. The Wall
Street Journal related her saga
and interviewed a Dartmouth
expert who agreed that "the
stroke, by injuring part of Ms.
Sherwood's brain, [might] have
enhanced her powers of creativity.
. . . Paul Corballis, a neuroscientist
at Dartmouth, offers a startling
hypothesis, yet one grounded in the latest
research on the human mind: that Ms. Sherwood's
stroke, by damaging or disconnecting the part of
her brain responsible for logical reasoning, may
have freed up the rest of her mind to think more
creatively, unencumbered by normal neurological
constraints. 'The thinking now is that all our great
human intelligence comes with a hidden cost in
other arenas,' says Dr. Corballis."
The Associated Press reported recently on a "rough draft of the genetic makeup of rice" that was recently completed by researchers at Monsanto. "Mary Lou Guerinot, a professor of biological sciences at Dartmouth, said the work represents 'a very significant development' and will help speed efforts to sequence the entire rice genome. 'Rice is such an important crop,' she said. 'Over half the world's people eat rice every day.'"
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's "Health Briefs"
column cited a study which showed that "lefthanded
women appear to have
a higher risk of breast cancer
than right-handed women. Researchers
suggest that hormone
exposure during fetal life may
make a woman left-handed—
and, more important, may increase
her breast-cancer risk. Dr.
Linda Titus-Ernstoff of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical
Center and colleagues examined whether exposure
to steroid hormones before birth increases the
risk of breast cancer."
"Vets still conflicted over Korea" was the headline
on a recent Los Angeles Times feature that
delved into the angst suffered by "those who
served in America's forgotten
war. . . . Paula Schnurr, a professor of
psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical
School and an official at the
Veterans Administration's National
Center for Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder, says the postcombat
emotional problems of
Korean veterans were neglected by the government
and by research scientists alike. 'It's unfortunate
that a number of Korean veterans have suffered,'
she says. 'If they haven't talked about it and
they have the sad memories, the nightmares after
all this time, they may think they're going crazy.
If they're sitting there in a chair and start weeping,
they need to know it's normal.'"
John Baldwin, M.D., the dean of
Dartmouth Medical School, was
recently elected
vice chairman
of the executive
committee
of the
Harvard University
Board
of Overseers.
He has served as a member of
the board since 1995.
John Wasson, M.D., the H.O. West Professor of Geriatrics, was a member of the PSA Best Practice Policy Task Force of the American Urological Association. The panel recently released a report on PSA (prostate specific antigen) testing.
Glenn Johnson, M.D., an associate
professor of surgery, was a recent
recipient of the
Honor Award
of the American
Academy
of Otolaryngology-
Head
and Neck Surgery,
in recognition
of his volunteer efforts in
behalf of the academy and its associated
foundation.
Diane Harper, M.D., an assistant
professor of obstetrics and gynecology,
headed a research team
that was honored
with the
"Best Research
of the Year
Award" at the
annual meeting of the
American Society
for Colposcopy and Cervical
Pathology. The work looked
at screening for human papilloma
virus as an augmentation of
or replacement for Pap smears.
Robert Harbaugh, M.D., a professor of surgery, has been appointed to the board of directors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
James AuBuchon, M.D., a professor
of pathology and of medicine,
has been elected
a member of
the Royal College
of Physicians.
Established
in 1661,
the Edinburghbased
organization
is the oldest college of
physicians in the world.
Peter Klementowicz, M.D., an adjunct assistant professor of medicine, was a recipient of this year's "Gold Heart Award" of the American Heart Association. He is vice chair of the state Advisory Panel on Cancer and Chronic Diseases.
Mary Brunette, M.D., an assistant
professor of psychiatry, recently
received a Young Investigator
Award from
the National
Alliance for
Research on
Schizophrenia
and Depression
for her
work on parenting
rehabilitation for women
with severe mental illness.
Thomas McAllister, M.D., an associate professor of psychiatry, has been elected a fellow of the American Neuropsychiatric Association.
Joseph O'Donnell, M.D., a professor of medicine and senior advising dean for DMS, was recently appointed a member of the Healthy New Hampshire 2010 Leadership Council.
Robert Keene, D.M.D., an adjunct assistant professor of surgery emeritus, is vice president of the American Academy of Gold Foil Operators.
Sarah Freemantle, Ph.D., a research associate in pharmacology and toxicology, received a Lance Armstrong Foundation Award.
Emma Gutierrez-Cirlos, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in biochemistry, was presented with the Young Investigator Award of the Biophysical Society.
Eugenia Hamilton, vice president of strategic planning for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Alliance, has been appointed to the New Hampshire Workforce Opportunity Council.
Richard McClintock, director of security at DHMC, was named to chair the Healthcare Security Committee of the American Society for Industrial Security.
Kathleen Golden McAndrew, M.S.N., director of occupational medicine, was elected to the national board of directors for the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses.
Ronald Sliwinski, vice president for surgical, diagnostic, and cardiology services at DHMC, serves on the board of trustees of the New England Organ Bank.
Jil Shangraw, M.S., R.D., a dietician at DHMC, is presidentelect of the New Hampshire Dietetic Association.
Evelyn Fleming and Pamela Kunz, third-year medical students, were awarded first prize for the best oral presentation by a student or resident at the joint annual meeting of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics and the Council for Residency Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Eric Grasser, a fourth-year medical student, won first prize in the research poster category at this year's meeting of the International Health Medical Education Consortium.
Jennifer Vines, a second-year medical student, received a Certificate of Merit in the Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Humanism in Medicine Essay Contest.
Matthew Brady, a second-year medical student, has been selected to participate in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Scholars Program in 2000-01.
Two recent features in Dartmouth
Medicine magazine won
the Will Solimene Award of Excellence
from the New England
Chapter of the American Medical
Writers Association: "Warp
and Weft" in
the Spring
1999 issue and
"The Making
of a Medical
Skeptic" in
Summer 1999.
"Warp and
Weft" was excerpted from the recently
published autobiography
of Lori Arviso Alvord, M.D. (pictured
above); she is associate dean of
student and minority affairs at
DMS and the nation's first Navajo
woman surgeon. "The Making
of a Medical Skeptic," written by
Catherine Tudish, former associate editor
of Dartmouth Medicine,
explored the work of Dartmouth
physicians Elliott Fisher, M.D.,
M.P.H., and Gilbert Welch,
M.D., M.P.H., codirectors of the
outcomes group at the VA Medical
Center in White River Junction,
Vt.
The DMS-student-run Upper Valley Wilderness Response Team was presented with the "Hero's Award," given annually by the Manchester Union Leader. (See page 19 for more about the organization.)
Dartmouth Medical School was
ranked 36th among all 125 U.S.
medical schools and 26th among
schools that send a high percentage
of their graduates into
primary-care specialties in the
annual U.S. News & World Report
ranking of medical schools.
The rankings
are based on
reputation (as
measured by
surveys of
deans, faculty,
and residency
program directors);
the total dollar amount of
National Institutes of Health research
grants; admissions selectivity;
and student-faculty ratio.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center was named one of the "100 Most Wired Hospitals" in the country in a recent survey by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.
Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital was presented with the Governor's Safety Award by the Safety and Health Council of New Hampshire. MHMH was recognized in the category of "other businesses" with over 500 employees.
Correction: Jack Singer, M.D., listed in the Spring issue's "Worthy of note" column as an assistant professor of surgery, is actually an associate professor.
If you would like to offer any feedback about this article, we would welcome getting your comments at DartMed@Dartmouth.edu.