Dartmouth Medicine Spring 2000
Dear Reporter, Editor, or News Director:
Inside the Spring 2000 issue of Dartmouth Medicine, (to request a printed copy, call 603-653-0772 or e-mail dartmed@Dartmouth.edu), read about:
How a cancer-causing protein might help to prevent cancer: Dartmouth pharmacologist Ruth Craig has patented a protein that causes cancer but whose novel action might one day help to prevent cancer, as well as to make possible the earlier diagnosis of some kinds of cancer. See page 6.
The effort to do an ever-better job of selecting future doctors: Dartmouth Medical School's dean maintains that the Admissions Committee is one of the most important committees at any medical school--and he describes two initiatives to provide additional feedback to the process. See page 64.
A researcher who's spent years chasing cholera: Ever since he was a postdoctoral fellow, microbiologist Ron Taylor has been hot on the trail of the bacterium that causes cholera. Recently, he identified a compound that inhibits its excretion of toxin--short-circuiting its deadly effects. See page 11.
The world's first 3D video streaming presentation: Video streaming presentations over the Internet are old hat, but a new twist on the technology--the ability to make the images appear in three dimensions--promises to offer significant medical applications. See page 13.
Prognostications about the state of medicine in the year 2100: DMS faculty members share their ideas about the medical advances of the next 100 years. Their predictions range from technological wizardry such as virtual reality and genetic therapy, to thought-provoking reflections on the importance of a global view and the need to confront new ethical dilemmas. See page 36.
The Ironman cometh: A Dartmouth medical student who had never done a triathlon entered a lottery to compete in the Hawaii Ironman--the world championship in the event. He not only finished the grueling course, but is ready to go back again. See page 3.
Dartmouth's contribution to bringing down the c-section rate in New Hampshire and Vermont: Barry Smith, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Dartmouth, has been a major player in the effort to reduce the rate of cesarean sections among women in both New Hampshire and Vermont. And his dedication to mothers and their babies doesn't end there. See page 62.
Caring for Kosovars: Dartmouth is helping to rebuild Kosovo's only medical school, which was devastated during the years of ethnic conflict. See page 7.
A medical student's reflections on Albert Schweitzer: Was the legendary doctor a true missionary or just one more colonialist? A Dartmouth medical student who spent three months at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Africa reflects on his time there and on the legacy of le grand docteur. See page 22.
The fascinating world of microbes: Marvel at these excerpts from a new book coauthored by the former chair of Dartmouth Medical School's biochemistry department. Intimate Strangers explores the mysterious and fascinating world of "unseen life on earth." See page 44.
If you'd like to pursue any of these stories, contact:
- Hali Wickner, communications coordinator for Dartmouth Medical School, at (603) 650-1520.
- The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Office of Public Affairs, at (603) 650-7041.
Or feel free to give me a call; my direct line is (603) 650-4058.
Dana Cook Grossman,
Editor