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BULLETIN
HMS and HSPH Faculty Elected To the Institute of MedicineFour faculty members from HMS and HSPH are among the 65 new members recently elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer on committees engaged in a broad range of health policy issues. The new members from the Medical and Public Health Schools are: Stanley Korsmeyer, the Sidney Farber professor of pathology and professor of medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who studies the regulation of mammalian programmed cell death. Genetic models that look at gain or loss of function indicate that the competing interests among genes that promote or inhibit cell death determine susceptibility to it. Disordered cell death is a critical component of multiple human diseases, including cancer; Stephen Lagakos, the Henry Pickering Walcott professor and chair of the Department of Biostatistics and director of the Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research at HSPH, whose statistical research involves a variety of methodological problems arising in clinical trials and other longitudinal studies, with particular emphasis on statistical methods and analyses relating to HIV and other infectious diseases. These include methods for estimating the distribution of and risk factors for vertical transmission of HIV, the design and analysis of viral eradication studies, models of the natural history of human papillomavirus and its sequelae, and surrogate markers. His applied research involves clinical trials of therapies for the prevention and treatment of people infected with HIV; Deborah Prothrow-Stith, associate dean for faculty development, professor of public health practice, and director of the Division of Public Health Practice at HSPH, whose current areas of research include the recent increase in violent behavior by girls and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health. She developed and wrote the first violence prevention curriculum for schools and communities, entitled Violence Curriculum for Adolescents, and cowrote Deadly Consequences, the first book to present to a mass audience the public health perspective on violence; and Nancy Tarbell, HMS professor of radiation oncology, director of pediatric radiation oncology, and director of the office of women's careers at Massachusetts General Hospital, who has pioneered the use of novel radiation therapy delivery systems for pediatric cancers and has charted new territory at MGH for the advancement of women faculty in academic medicine.
HMS Publications Issues Guide to Men's HealthIn the latest Harvard Medical School book to be published by Simon and Schuster, Harvey Simon, HMS associate professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, writes that despite accounting for more scientists, doctors, and publications, men are less healthy than women. He points out that each of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. is considerably more common in men than women. "Since doctors are already doing the best they can for men," Simon writes, "the impetus for change will have to come from men themselves." This new book aims to help men make that change. In The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health, Simon, the founding editor of the Harvard Men's Health Watch newsletter, addresses issues of particular concern to men's health, including erectile dysfunction, prostate cancer, heart disease, and kidney and bladder problems. The book draws on knowledge learned from the long-running Harvard Alumni Study, the Physicians' Health Study, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, among others.
Science Seminars Extend Reach into Community Now in its third year, Science in the News, a seminar series in which HMS graduate students teach the public about the basic biology behind some of the hot science topics circulating in the media, has become so popular that it is now being presented on Saturday afternoons at the Boston Museum of Science in an abridged 30-minute format. Above, MD-PhD student Sahar Nissim talks about stem cells with an audience at the museum. In September, Liz Hick, who started the series, received a Dean's Community Service Award for this achievement. "Thanks to the hard work of my fellow grad students and the support we've received from HMS, we have been able to reach a larger audience every year. It has been extremely rewarding to see the program take off like this," Hick said. "The effort is worth it when we realize that over the years, we've taught hundreds of people some fun science that's relevant to the decisions they make in their everyday lives." For more information, visit the Science in the News website. (Photo by Carol Lynn Alpert, Museum of Science)
Method for Choosing Statistical Models ShownThis year the Department of Biostatistics at HSPH conferred the Myrto Lefkopoulou Distinguished Lecturer Award on Danyu Lin, the Dennis Gillings distinguished professor in the Department of Biostatistics at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. He presented the named lecture, "Selection and Assessment of Regression Models," on Sept. 19 in Snyder Auditorium. In the talk, Lin described objective strategies for selecting statistical models based on the cumulative sums of residuals over certain coordinates such as covariates or fitted values or related aggregates of residuals like moving averages or kernel smoothers. He showed how the distributions of these stochastic processes under the assumed model can be approximated by the distributions of certain zero-mean Gaussian processes whose realizations can be generated by computer simulation. Each observed residual pattern can then be compared, both graphically and numerically, with realizations from the null distribution, enabling the researcher to assess objectively whether individual aspects of the model are correctly specified. These comparisons also provide helpful hints on how to obtain an appropriate model. Finally, Lin applied this approach to a variety of statistical models and data structures, providing illustrations with several clinical and epidemiologic studies. The lecture was followed by a presentation of a plaque and a reception in Lin's honor. This annual award was initiated in 1993 in memory of Myrto Lefkopoulou, a beloved faculty member and student in the Department of Biostatistics. Lefkopoulou died of cancer in 1992 at the age of 34.
World AIDS Day Concert to be Presented at HarvardThe HMS Division of AIDS is sponsoring a World AIDS Day concert, "Give Us Hope." The event will bring together Sinikithemba, a choir from Durban, South Africa, whose members are all HIV-positive; Tim Janis, a composer and musician with New England roots, whose album An American Composer in Concert was recently ranked first on Billboard's Top Classical Crossover chart; and the Boston Community Choir (also known as the Boston Pops Community Gospel Choir), an all-volunteer group composed of singers from church, temple, community, and university choirs in the Greater Boston area. Sinikithemba and Janis, who have developed a CD together, are touring the country to raise awareness of and resources for the AIDS crisis in Africa. The concert will be on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Church in Harvard Yard. Suggested donation is $20 per person, to be made at the door. All proceeds benefit AIDS Projects in Africa. For more information, please contact Yasmine Mendelsohn at 617-432-4932, e-mail the Division of AIDS, or visit its website.
Woodruff Named HSPH Resource Development DeanOn Sept. 3, David Woodruff became the dean for resource development at HSPH. A veteran fundraiser, Woodruff previously directed the Office of Campaign Giving at MIT, where he led the institute's major gift fundraising staff. He played a significant role in the "Campaign for MIT," the largest capital fundraising drive in its history. In his new role, he plans to adopt a business-style approach to resource development. He sees the HSPH name as a brand and would like to increase the School's impressive profile even more. HSPH is undergoing a comprehensive strategic planning process, and one of Woodruff's priorities is to align the Office for Resource Development with the plan's goals. He said that in addition to addressing the fundamental financial needs of the School and bringing in new donors, the office will be involved in helping to shape fresh initiatives. To that end, Woodruff would like to establish an online presence for the Office for Resource Development, formerly the Development Office, which recently relocated to Landmark Center. He can be reached at dwoodruf@hsph.harvard.edu.
Zoll Portrait Unveiled Mitchell Rabkin, HMS professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Paul Levy, president and CEO of BID, hosted a ceremony on Oct. 23, unveiling a portrait of the late Paul Zoll, cardiologist, HMS alumnus, and clinical professor emeritus of medicine. Best known for his pioneering efforts in cardiac resuscitation research, Zoll's work led to the development of the cardiac pacemaker, closed-chest defibrillator, and cardiac monitors. After a lecture in the Gordon Hall faculty room, the portrait was unveiled at the Countway Library on lower level 2. HMS/HSDM Faculty Survey Is ComingThis month all full-time faculty at HMS and HSDM will receive a survey whose purpose is to evaluate career advancement and satisfaction and to identify strategies for successful management of career and personal life. The administration of the survey will maintain anonymity for all respondents, and the results will be used to inform policies to enhance career development. For more information, call 617-509-9979.
Conference Explores The University's Digital IdentityThe fourth Harvard Conference on Internet and Society will be held on Nov. 15 and 16. The topic of the conference will be Harvard's identity in the digital world. Some issues addressed will include what it means to be a member of the Harvard community when digital technology makes it possible to transcend traditional barriers, how Harvard is responding to the explosive controversies surrounding the ownership of digital content, and the opportunities--and responsibilities--Harvard has as a member of the global community and the ways this might translate to action in the digital arena. The conference is free and open to all Harvard faculty, administrators, students, staff, and alumni, and will feature presenters and panelists including provost Steven Hyman, president emeritus Derek Bok, and dean Kim Clark of Harvard Business School. For more information or to register, visit the conference website. Questions may be directed to Robyn Mintz.
Honors and AdvancesDeborah Bennett, HSPH assistant professor in the Departments of Environmental Health and Health Policy and Management, has received the first American Chemistry Council/ International Society of Exposure Analysis Early Career Award to support research in human exposure analysis of chemicals. The $100,000 award will fund Bennett's research on assessing human exposure to hazardous air pollutants. Brigham and Women's Hospital named Charles Vacanti as its new chairman of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine. Vacanti was previously chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. The Myositis Association of America has awarded Steven A. Greenberg, HMS instructor in neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, $100,000 over two years for a multicenter study of gene expression in myositis. Anna Flattau, HMS '03, has been named as one of the four 2002 Pisacano Scholars. The scholarships, worth up to $28,000, are awarded to outstanding fourth-year medical students who have made a commitment to enter the specialty of family practice. Focus has been recognized with an Award of Distinction in the Association of American Medical Colleges/ Group on Institutional Advancement Awards for Excellence competition. The award was given in the Internal Audience Publications category. Michael Charness, HMS associate professor of neurology and chief of neurology at the VA Boston Healthcare System, has been selected to receive a MERIT Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This prestigious award will extend his NIAAA funding for an additional five years and bring his total 10-year award to $4 million. His research focuses on the development of antagonists that block the interactions of alcohol and the L1 cell adhesion molecule. Charness was also recently appointed chairman of the medical advisory council for the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation. The Clinical Orthopedic Society awarded the 2002 Elmer and Rosemary Nix Ethics Award to Augustus White, the Ellen and Melvin Gordon professor of medical education and master of the Holmes Society. The award honors an orthopedic surgeon for a "life's work in teaching by precept the ethical practice of orthopedics." The award was presented at the society's annual meeting, at which White presented the keynote lecture. The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation has selected four Harvard researchers as recipients of its research awards program. Among those receiving the foundation's Senior Research Award are Laurie Glimcher, the Irene Heinz Given professor of immunology at HSPH; Benedikt Kessler, HMS instructor in pathology; and Yu-Tzu Tai, HMS instructor in medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Each will receive a one-year, $100,000 grant for their research. Nicholas Mitsiades, HMS instructor in medicine at Dana-Farber, who received a Senior Research Award last year, was chosen for a renewal award for a second year of funding. The Ellison Medical Foundation named five Harvard faculty among its 2002 award recipients. Rudolph Tanzi, HMS professor of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, was selected for a Senior Scholar Award in Aging. Laurie Glimcher, the Irene Heinz Given professor of immunology at HSPH, and Roberto Kolter, professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at HMS, were chosen to receive Senior Scholar Awards in Global Infectious Diseases. A New Scholar Award in Aging went to Steven Lyle, HMS assistant professor of pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. And Marc Lipsitch, HSPH assistant professor of epidemiology, received a New Scholar Award in Global Infectious Diseases.
News BriefsRobert Reischauer, president of the Urban Institute, has been named as a member of the Harvard Corporation, the seven-member executive governing board formally known as the President and Fellows of Harvard College. On Oct. 6, he was officially elected as a fellow of Harvard College. He formerly served on Harvard's Board of Overseers. The Medical Informatics Training Program offered through the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology has received a five-year award worth $10.45 million from the National Library of Medicine. Robert Greenes, HMS professor of radiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, oversees the program, which provides fellowships with a range of opportunities for education, research, and interaction at seven primary training sites. |
