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BULLETIN
Excellence in Mentoring Awards PresentedThe eighth annual HMS Excellence in Mentoring Awards were presented on June 18 with a keynote address by Harvard University provost and HMS professor of neurobiology Steven Hyman. Discussing constructive and destructive influences, Hyman said the worst kind of mentoring occurs when the mentor seeks to create a personal clone out of the mentee. Rather, what is needed is "giving advice in the context of the life that the person is interested in having."The faculty honored at the event for their mentoring success were John Potts, the Jackson distinguished professor of clinical medicine, and Ernesto Gonzalez, associate professor of dermatology, both at Massachusetts General Hospital; David Bor, the Charles S. Davidson associate professor of medicine at Cambridge Hospital; Michael Cahalane, assistant professor of surgery, and the late Douglas Richardson, associate professor of pediatrics, both at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Marsha Moses, associate professor of surgery at Children's Hospital; and Richard Platt, professor of ambulatory care and prevention at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, who recently was named chair of that department. The awards included five for excellence, one for special recognition given posthumously to Richardson, and a Silen lifetime achievement award given to Potts. On accepting his excellence award, Bor said, "If there were ever an award that I would aspire to have, this is it."
Collier Wins Bristol-Myers Squibb Award in Infectious DiseaseIn July, John Collier, the Maude and Lillian Presley professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at HMS, was named the winner of the 13th annual Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Infectious Disease Research. The honor recognizes his major contributions to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which bacteria cause disease. Collier, along with Bruce Spiegelman who was announced earlier to have received the award for metabolic research (see Focus, July 11, 2003), will receive a $50,000 cash prize and medal at an October ceremony.Collier's historic discoveries have influenced the design of vaccines and toxin-based anticancer agents and have recently led to novel therapeutic strategies against anthrax in the war against bioterrorism. Through his initial work with diphtheria toxin, he was the first to demonstrate that a toxin could enter human cells and inactivate an intracellular target molecule. He went on to further elucidate the fundamental structures of toxins and how they function inside a cell. As a result of these discoveries, similar studies were undertaken with other toxins. For the first time in the field of toxinology, Collier's team elucidated the three-dimensional structures of toxins, eventually pioneering the use of crystallographic structural analysis in the design of bacterial vaccines. He has since gone on to provide scientists insights into different mechanisms by which pores are formed in cellular membranes, allowing for the translocation of bacterial toxins into cellular compartments. This pioneering research has contributed to the development of vaccines, including for pertussis, because his identification of active sites on toxins has allowed them to be detoxified and then used as vaccines. In addition, the design of immunotoxins to specifically destroy certain cancer cells is a direct result of Collier's work. Most recently, as a result of work begun years ago by his laboratory to investigate the toxin of the anthrax bacterium, new therapeutic strategies to defeat anthrax are now being developed.
Kirschner Wins Cell Biology's Top HonorMarc Kirschner, the Carl W. Walter professor of cell biology at HMS, will be presented with the E.B. Wilson Medal by the American Society for Cell Biology when it holds its annual meeting in December. The medal is the society's highest scientific honor and is awarded by scientific peers to those who have made significant and far-reaching contributions to cell biology.Kirschner, the founding chair of the HMS Department of Cell Biology, is credited by his peers with transforming at least three major fields in cell biology: the controls that regulate the cell cycle; the identification and characterization of genes that contribute to establishing the basic body plan of the vertebrate embryo; and the role of microtubules and actin filaments in cell morphogenesis. In the past few years he has received Canada's Gairdner Award, Israel's Shacknai Prize, and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology's Rose Award. He has also been an important advocate for federal biomedical research funding. Kirschner served as president of the American Society for Cell Biology from 1990 to 1991 and helped to establish it as a national leader in science advocacy. He also helped to create and served as the first chair of the Joint Steering Committee for Public Policy, a coalition of scientific societies aimed at educating Congress on biomedical research and the importance of funding it. New Dean for Resource Development NamedIn July, HMS dean Joseph Martin announced that Jeffrey Newton was named as the new dean for resource development. He assumed his new role on August 18.Before coming to the Medical School, Newton was assistant vice president for medical development and alumni affairs at the University of Miami School of Medicine. He has spent the last 15 years in professional development and executive management. He served as associate director for corporate and foundation relations at Johns Hopkins University and Medical Institutions before becoming the executive director of corporate and foundation relations at the University of Miami, where he later was named assistant vice president for development and alumni relations. (Photo by Steve Gilbert)
On June 6, a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine celebrated the future site of the Research and Education Building, a $30-million, 60,000-square-foot facility designed by Rothman Partners that will house four laboratories. Luminaries on hand for the event included (from right) Harvard University president Lawrence Summers, HSDM dean R. Bruce Donoff, dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine Marjorie Jeffcoat, Boston Celtic Eric Williams, Boston city councilor Michael Ross, and chair of the HSDM board of fellows Gerard Moufflet.
New Roles Mark Changes in HMS Dean's OfficeHMS dean Joseph Martin recently announced several changes in the Dean's Office administration, effective Sept. 1.Dennis Kasper will step down as HMS executive dean for academic programs and concentrate on leadership of the Channing Laboratory and the new HMS initiative to develop therapeutics and vaccines against biological weapons. As a result, Raphael Dolin will become HMS dean for academic and clinical programs and assume several of Kasper's responsibilities, including oversight of Faculty Affairs. Dolin will continue to be responsible for hospital relations, clinical programs, clinical research issues, and graduate medical education. He will be assisted by Jules Dienstag, who will become the HMS associate dean for academic and clinical programs. Nancy Andrews will assume the new position of HMS associate dean for basic sciences and graduate studies. She will oversee the graduate programs and the Division of Medical Sciences and will chair a new basic science faculty advisory committee intended to provide more opportunity for involvement of the junior faculty in the activities of the School. The Office of Technology Licensing will now report to Andrews's office. She will chair a search committee to identify her successor as director of the MD-PhD program.
HMS Launches New Research Building, Milestone Symposia, Register OnlineTo celebrate the opening of the New Research Building at HMS, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held Sept. 24 at 4:00 p.m. outside the building on Avenue Louis Pasteur. At 4:30 p.m. in the building's auditorium, Harvard University president Lawrence Summers will discuss the future of life sciences at Harvard and Nobel Prize winner Sidney Brenner will present "Data or Knowledge? The Choice for Biology."On Sept. 25, the first of a series of symposia in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Longwood Quadrangle groundbreaking will be held in the New Research Building from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The panel discussion, "Molecular Architecture and Cellular Function," will feature Roderick Mackinnon, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and the John D. Rockefeller professor at Rockefeller University; Stephen Harrison, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and HMS professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology; Pam Bjorkman, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and professor of biology at the California Institute of Technology; Jon Clardy, HMS professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology; Tom Walz, HMS assistant professor of cell biology; and moderator Joseph Martin, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at HMS. All events in the series require a Web-based RSVP. To register or for more information about this and upcoming symposia in the Milestone series, visit www.hms.harvard.edu/milestone.
New Research Institute Opens at the University of Natal The Doris Duke Medical Research Institute opened on July 29 at the University of Natal's Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine in Durban, South Africa. A joint project involving the HMS Division of AIDS and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the new state-of-the-art facility spans 54,000 square feet and has 10 specialized labs. One of the research endeavors based at the institute is the bilateral HIV Pathogenesis Program between the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine and HMS. Among those at the opening of the institute were (above, l to r) Umesh Lalloo, head of the Department of Medicine, University of Natal; Bruce Walker, director of the HMS Division of AIDS; and Barry Kistnasamy, dean of the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine. (Photo courtesy of the University of Natal)
Center for Biopreparedness Launched at Children'sThis summer, Children's Hospital launched a Center for Biopreparedness, after being identified as a national resource for public health preparedness by several federal agencies.Supported by a $700,000 contract from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the new center will oversee projects aimed at controlling biological, chemical, and radiation events affecting children and their caregivers. The projects will include establishing response guidelines, training protocols, and surveillance and reporting tools.
Biostatistics Distinguished LectureMarie Davidian, professor of statistics at North Carolina State University, will present the 2003 Myrto Lefkopoulou Distinguished Lecture. Davidian's talk, "What's in Between Dose and Response? Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Statistics," will be held Sept. 18 at 4:00 p.m. in Snyder Auditorium at HSPH. The annual lecture is sponsored by the HSPH Department of Biostatistics.
Harvard Teaching Hospitals Among Best, According to U.S. NewsHMS-affiliated teaching hospitals continued to rank high in this year's listing by U.S. News and World Report of the nation's best hospitals. The annual rankings, published in the magazine's July 28 issue, include an "honor roll" ranking hospitals that demonstrate "unusual breadth of excellence," and again Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital made the list, placing fourth and twelfth, respectively.Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center came in at number 23 in cardiology, 9 in endocrinology, 15 in gastroenterology, 19 in geriatrics, 43 in gynecology, 30 in nephrology, 35 in neurology, 50 in otolaryngology, and 38 in rheumatology. Brigham and Women's ranked number 3 in cardiology, 7 in endocrinology, 10 in gastroenterology, 26 in geriatrics, 3 in gynecology, 2 in nephrology, 16 in neurology, 14 in orthopedics, 15 in pulmonary disease, 8 in rheumatology, and 29 in urology. Children's Hospital ranked number 2 in pediatrics. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute came in at 4 in oncology. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary ranked number 2 in otolaryngology and 4 in ophthalmology. MGH came in at 26 in oncology, 5 in cardiology, 2 in endocrinology, 4 in gastroenterology, 4 in geriatrics, 6 in gynecology, 1 in nephrology, 2 in neurology, 3 in orthopedics, 16 in pediatrics, 1 in psychiatry, 5 in pulmonary disease, 7 in rheumatology, and 6 in urology. McLean Hospital ranked number 4 in psychiatry. Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital ranked 9 in rehabilitation.
In Memoriam
Felix Brown, HMS instructor in pathology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, died on May 27. He was 36. Brown received his bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma and his MD from Yale. He was a clinical fellow in pathology at Brigham and Women's from 1994 to 2000 and joined the HMS faculty as a member of the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women's in 1999, where he was the first African-American faculty member. Chairman of the department Michael Gimbrone described Brown as "the human glue that held the department together." The Department of Pathology has established an annual award in Brown's honor to be given to the pathologist-in-training whose "qualities of humanity, generosity, and dedication complement their exceptional talent as a physician." He leaves his partner, Thomas Landy; his parents, Eunice and Estella of Vicksburg, Mississippi; a brother, Charles of Vicksburg, Mississippi; and a sister, Verna Brown Covington of Naperville, Ill. (Self-portrait courtesy of Brigham and Women's Hospital)
William Beck, HMS professor emeritus of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and a founding faculty member of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, died May 27. He was 79. Beck received his BS and MD from the University of Michigan. He served in the Army from 1943 to 1946. He was chief of the hematology, then medical, section of the Atomic Energy Project from 1951 to 1957, when he joined the HMS faculty as an assistant professor of medicine. Beck served as chief of the hematology section of the Department of Medicine at MGH from 1957 to 1972. In 1971, he became one of the founding faculty members of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, and served as the first director of the HST hematology course, continuing to lecture in it until last year. Beck was particularly well known for his scientific contributions in the area of biochemistry of blood formation, specifically on the functional role of vitamin B-12. He was chair of the HST MD admissions committee from 1977 to 1988, a long-term member of the HST joint faculty committee, and he served at various times on the MD thesis committee, the MD-Masters Degree committee, and the MD curriculum committee. He also served as a tutor in biomedical sciences at Harvard College from 1957 until just a few weeks before his death. Beck was the author of more than 200 publications, including scientific articles, essays, short stories, and textbooks of general biology and hematology. The latter, Hematology, arose out of the course he developed for the HST MD curriculum and has been used since 1972. He was a member of the American Academy of Science, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Association of Cancer Research. He is survived by his wife, Hanne; four sons, Thomas of Concord, Peter of New York, and John and Paul of Long Beach, Calif.; and two grandsons, Christopher of Acton and Michael of Brooklyn, N.Y.
News BriefsMcLean Hospital has received a $2.5 million grant to open the Klarman Eating Disorders Center, the only fully comprehensive program in New England dedicated to treating the complex emotional, nutritional, medical, and educational needs of adolescent girls and young women with eating disorders, all in one clinical setting. The program offers inpatient, residential, and partial hospitalization, with a referral network for outpatient care. The money to open the center is from a gift by the Klarman family of Brookline.Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard School of Dental Medicine recently announced an official affiliation. The Cambridge Health Alliance is the only community health care system to be affiliated with HSDM. The affiliation will enhance HSDM's capacity to educate students in public health care, while enhancing Cambridge Health Alliance's ability to integrate oral health into the total health care of its patients. |
