Plant Immunity: Mustard Shows Backbone in Its Own Defense Injury Control: Child Firearm Deaths Tied to Gun Availability Cardiology: Healthy Heart Keeps Polyrhythmic Beat Medical Education: Academy Inaugural Called 'Historic' Moment Women's Health: Research Brought to Bear on Women's Health Mechanism Described that Links Migraine Aura and Pain Gene Therapy Technique Restores Function to Heart Cells Method Advanced for High-Throughput Protein Purification New Appointments to Full and Named Professorships Nominations Sought for Invitational Awards Commonwealth Fund Minority Health Policy Leadership Forum Dean's Community Service Award Call for Nominations In Memoriam: John Snyder Robert Krane Somehow, Providing Care Across Cultures Front Page

BULLETIN New Appointments to Full and Named Professorships These faculty members were appointed to a full professorship in January. Stephen Buratowski Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Harvard Medical School The goal of Buratowski's research is to understand the mechanisms of eukaryotic gene expression. His lab's recent work has focused on transcription by RNA polymerase II and associated factors as well as mechanisms by which transcription is coupled to other processes such as chromatin modification, mRNA processing events, and DNA repair. Steven Gortmaker Professor of Health and Social Behavior Harvard School of Public Health Gortmaker's research focuses on the health of children and adolescents, particularly households living in poverty and minority populations. The major goal has been to identify modifiable risks for morbidity and mortality in the young, and to initiate and evaluate interventions to improve these outcomes. He has focused on a broad variety of risks, ranging from sociological concepts such as income poverty, social stress, and social networks to behaviors such as smoking, inactivity (exemplified by TV viewing), and diet. Michael Wessels Professor of Pediatrics (Microbiology and Molecular Genetics) Children's Hospital Wessels is chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital and an investigator at the Channing Laboratory of Brigham and Women's Hospital. His major research interest is the molecular pathogenesis of streptococcal infections, particularly the role of streptococcal capsular polysaccharides in virulence and immunity. This HMS professor was appointed to a named professorship in January. William Abbott Harold and Ellen Danser Professor of Surgery Massachusetts General Hospital After 23 years, Abbott recently stepped down as chief of vascular surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. He will continue his longstanding research into the biology of vascular prostheses and pursue more recent interests in hospital resource utilization and academic surgeon development.   Former U.S. congressman Louis Stokes (left) was the featured speaker at the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy leadership forum on Feb. 12. In his talk, "Minority Leadership: Where We Have Been, Where We Are, and Where We Need to Go," Stokes, a congressman for 30 years and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, spoke about championing the rights of the poor and underserved and overseeing the passage of the Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement Act of 1989. He noted that it had been 30 years since he first came to Harvard as an organizer of a conference addressing health treatment disparities adversely affecting minorities. Above with Stokes is Joan Reede, HMS dean for diversity and community partnership, whose office directs the program. Photo by Steve Gilbert   Nominations Sought for Invitational Awards The HMS Faculty Fellowship Committee is accepting nominations for postdoctoral and faculty fellowships and grants offered by more than 50 private foundations. HMS has been invited to select a limited number of individuals for each award to represent Harvard in the national competitions. A summary of these awards (the Red Book) can be reviewed in the offices of departments, full professors, research administration, and women's careers; the Center of Excellence in Women's Health; the office of the dean for diversity and community partnership; and the office of the dean for faculty affairs. The Red Book can also be viewed online. The deadline for nominations is April 8, and all postdoctoral fellows and faculty members are uged to review the information as soon as possible. Potential applicants should discuss the relevant awards with their faculty sponsors or mentors who, with the consent of their department or division heads, make the nominations to the Faculty Fellowship Committee. Direct inquiries to Roslyn Orkin at 432-3579 or Roslyn_Orkin@hms.harvard.edu, or to Patricia Stinson at 432-3191 or Patricia_Stinson@ hms.harvard.edu.   Dean's Community Service Award Call for Nominations Dean Joseph Martin is requesting nominations for the fourth annual HMS/HSDM Dean's Community Service Award. Emphasizing community service as an integral part of the HMS/HSDM academic mission, the award recognizes and encourages participation in community service activities and programs. The deadline to nominate a faculty member, resident, student, or staff member is March 22. Self-nominations are accepted. Each awardee's community service program will receive $1,000. For more information and a nomination form, visit www.mfdp.med.harvard.edu/outreach or contact Jamie Lee at 432-6131 or e-mail cop@hms.harvard.edu.   In Memoriam John Snyder, former HSPH dean and a professor emeritus of population and public health, died Feb. 19 at the age of 91. During his tenure as HSPH dean from 1954 to 1971, Snyder led the School through a period of enormous growth. He oversaw the construction of Buildings One, Two, and Three and secured housing for foreign students by making the Shattuck International House part of HSPH. Under his leadership, the faculty doubled, the number of tenured faculty tripled, and endowed professorships increased from one to 12. Snyder established what are now known as the Department of Health and Social Behavior, the Department of Population and International Health, and the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. After graduating from HMS in 1935, he joined the International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation and assisted renowned bacteriologist Hans Zinsser in his research on typhus. During World War II he helped to contain the spread of typhus to U.S. soldiers and to curb the typhus epidemic during the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. Snyder came to HSPH in 1946 to direct the Department of Public Health Bacteriology and pursue research in typhus, international health, and population control. He is survived by his wife, Virginia.   Robert Krane, HMS professor of surgery (urology) at Massachusetts General Hospital, died Nov. 17 at the age of 58. A graduate of Columbia University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Krane served as a Navy medical officer during the Vietnam War. He spent most of his career at Boston University and Boston Medical Center, where he received his surgical training and was chair of the Department of Urology before coming to HMS and MGH in 1999. A noted researcher on urologic disease and male impotence and a prolific author of professional papers and textbooks, he belonged to more than 20 national and international medical societies and was a frequent speaker. He is survived by his wife, Diane; two sons, Jonathan of New York and Justin of West Newton; two daughters, Jennifer Tarleton of New York and Jessica of West Newton; and a granddaughter.