


	Hematology Adding Sugar to Blood Platelets Enables Longer, Safer Storage Molecular Biology As New Players in Ubiquitin Pathway, BTB Proteins Deliver Otology Findings Break Silence on Stem Cells in Inner Ear Organization 1 HMS Launches Department for Systems Biology Organization 2 HSPH Establishes Two New Departments New Programs $15-million Federal Award Creates Translational Research Center on Smallpox Virus



	Culprit Protein May Point Way to Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer



	HMS Appointments to Full Professorships Center to Hold Fourth Annual Women’s Health Research Conference Search Begun for New Admissions Dean HMS, McGraw–Hill Seal Agreement to Publish Consumer Health Books Milestone Series to Probe Cell Cycle, Cancer BioSecurity 2003 Countway to Begin ‘Drop-by’ Clinics News Brief Honors and Advances



	A Patient Is Not a Thing



	Doctor Sees Culture of Overweight Among Navajo

	Front Page

HMS Appointments to Full Professorships

These faculty members were appointed to a full professorship in July.

David Bates

Professor of Medicine

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Bates is chief of the Division of General Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and medical director of Clinical and Quality Analysis for Partners HealthCare. His primary interest has been the use of computer systems to improve patient care. In particular, he has focused on improving the systems by which drugs are given. He recently received the first John Eisenberg Award from the National Quality Forum for research in patient safety.

Mark Creager

Professor of Medicine

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Creager is director of the Vascular Center and the Simon C. Fireman Scholar in Cardiovascular Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His research focuses on the role of the endothelium in the regulation of blood flow in patients with atherosclerosis and its risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. He is a founding member and past president of the Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology and the editor of Vascular Medicine.

Douglas Hanto

Professor of Surgery

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Hanto is head of the Division of Transplantation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His research focuses on the development of posttransplant malignancies and the role of oncogenic viruses and immunosuppression in their pathogenesis. He is also interested in protocols to overcome antibody-mediated allograft rejection and in transcriptional profiling and genomic approaches
to understanding the mechanisms
of allograft rejection that can be manipulated to induce permanent allograft tolerance.††

Amin Kassis

Professor of Radiology

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Kassis is interested in the implications of densely ionizing radiations (Auger electrons and alpha particles) emitted by diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclides. His work focuses on establishing the biophysical relationships between the intracellular localization of these radionuclides and the biologic consequences of the resulting microdistribution of energy. He also pursues the development of radionuclide carrier systems suitable for the precise delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic radioactive moieties to cancerous cells.

Warren Manning

Professor of Medicine and
Professor of Radiology

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Manning is the section chief of Non-invasive Cardiac Imaging at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and cofounder of the BID Cardiac MR Center. His research interests include the use of echocardiography to assess atrial function and to guide cardioversion in patients with atrial fibrillation, and cardiovascular applications of magnetic resonance imaging, especially coronary artery imaging and the use of MR for assessment of subclinical atherosclerotic disease.

The HMS Center of Excellence in Women’s Health will hold the Fourth Annual Women’s Health Research Conference on Wednesday, Oct. 15, from 12:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the Longwood Hall of the Galleria Conference Center at the Inn at Longwood Medical. The program, titled “Women and Cancer Research Update 2003: Novel Therapies and Enduring Disparities,” will include James Dirk Iglehart, the Anne E. Dyson professor in women’s cancers at HMS and Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Glenn Dranoff, HMS associate professor of medicine at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute and BWH; Karen Emmons, HSPH professor of society, human development, and health at DFCI; and Elizabeth Garner, HMS clinical fellow in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at BWH. Maureen Connelly, HMS instructor in ambulatory care and prevention at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, will present the results of her survey of the entire full-time faculty at HMS, evaluating influences on career advancement and satisfaction. Following the presentation will be a panel discussion on the findings with noted women faculty. A complete agenda is available at www.hmcnet.harvard.edu/coe. For further information, contact Bridget Ahearn, bridget_ahearn@hms.harvard.edu.

Search Begun for New Admissions Dean

A search committee, chaired by Malcolm Cox, HMS dean for medical education, is being formed to identify a new faculty associate dean for admissions at HMS, succeeding Jules Dienstag, who has stepped down from that post to become associate dean for clinical and academic affairs. Admissions dean is a critical position requiring a mid- or senior level faculty member who has an MD, proven managerial skills, knowledge of HMS, and dedication to the School’s leadership in medical education. Letters of interest and nominations should be sent electronically to Renee_Eriyo@ hms.harvard.edu by the extended deadline of Oct. 7. Correspondence should be addressed to Malcolm Cox; Chair, Search Committee for the Faculty Associate Dean for Admissions; Dean for Medical Education, HMS; Gordon Hall, Room 103; 25 Shattuck Street; Boston, MA 02115.

HMS, McGraw–Hill Seal Agreement to Publish Consumer Health Books

HMS has signed an agreement with McGraw–Hill making the company the exclusive publisher of HMS consumer health books. The joint program is set to begin in 2004 and will produce about 10 books a year, all authored by HMS faculty physicians. Expected topics are women’s health, best practices for specific disorders, mental health, and the science behind the effect that lifestyle has on health.

“Working to create a more informed public is an integral part of Harvard Medical School’s educational mission,” said HMS dean Joseph Martin. “This relationship with McGraw–Hill will help us reach a broad segment of the public with the latest health care information from our respected faculty.”

“An informed patient can improve the quality of patient care even by the best doctors,” said Anthony Komaroff, HMS professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and editor in chief of Harvard Health Publications. “An educated public is just as important to the health of the nation as a well-trained physician work force.”

Milestone Series to Probe Cell Cycle, Cancer

On Oct. 23, the second 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, “The Cell Cycle and Cancer,” will feature Timothy Hunt, Imperial Cancer Research Fund; Andrew Murray, professor of biology, Harvard University; Stephen Elledge, the Gregor Mendel professor of genetics and professor of medicine, HMS, and HHMI investigator; Joan Ruderman, the Marion V. Nelson professor of cell biology, HMS;†and Danesh Moazed, assistant professor of cell biology, HMS. The discussion will be moderated by Marc Kirschner, chair of systems biology and the Carl W. Walter professor of cell biology, HMS.

All events in the series require a Web-based RSVP. To register or to get more information about this and upcoming symposia in the Milestone series, visit www.hms.harvard.edu/milestone.

The second biosecurity conference, BioSecurity 2003, organized by Harvard Medical International, HSPH, and HMS, will be held from Oct. 20 to 22 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. An international scientific and educational event, the conference is dedicated to exploring ways of protecting communities from the threat of biological and chemical terrorism. Meetings will feature interactive learning, dialogue with experts, research abstracts, and computer demonstrations while providing a forum for leaders in government, defense, science and technology, public health, academia, medicine, and public policy. For more information and to register, visit www.biosecuritysummit.com.

Countway to Begin ‘Drop-by’ Clinics

In October, Countway Library will begin holding “drop-by” clinics at several locations on campus to provide users with more personalized reference services. The new clinics, staffed by Countway librarians, are designed for those who have specific questions about library services and resources, literature research, or database-searching techniques.

Clinic locations and times:

Peabody Society, TMEC, 1:30–2:30, Tuesdays, Oct. 7–Nov. 25

Holmes Society, TMEC, 12:30–1:30, Thursdays, Oct. 9–Nov. 20

MicroLab, Kresge, L2, HSPH, 12: 30–1:30, Wednesdays,
Oct. 8–Nov. 26

No advance registration is required. For more information, contact Patricia Riley, Outreach Librarian, 617-432-2213 or patricia_riley@ hms.harvard.edu.

News Brief

The Center for Child Health Care Studies, a new research center in the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, has received a three-year grant totaling more than $1 million from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to fund the Parents, Asthma, and Communication Experiences (PACE) study. This project aims to improve the use of preventive asthma medications, particularly among African-American and Latino children. The Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention is a teaching and research collaboration between Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and HMS.

Honors and Advances

Mark Gebhardt, the Frederick W. and Jane M. Ilfield professor of orthopedic surgery at HMS and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, has been named chief of the department of orthopedic surgery and orthopedic surgeon-in-chief at BID. Gebhardt came to the medical center from Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was codirector of the Connective Tissue Oncology Center.

Massachusetts General Hospital has selected Joseph Vacanti as its new chief of pediatric surgery at MGH and surgeon-in-chief for MassGeneral Hospital for Children. The appointments are effective Oct. 1.

David Hackney has joined the department of radiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as the new chief of neuroradiology. He also has been named HMS professor of radiology and assistant dean for faculty development at HMS.

Barbara McNeil, chair of the HMS Department of Health Care Policy, has been named vice chair of the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee. This 100-member group advises the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on which costs for new health care technology Medicare should support, thereby speeding access to proven technology for beneficiaries.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology presented its Public Health Award to Lowell Schnipper, the Theodore W. and Evelyn G. Berenson professor of medicine at HMS. Schnipper, chief of hematology and oncology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, received the award for his staunch support of clinical research in his many years of ASCO membership, during which time he has served as chair of the public issues and ethics committees and the task force on clinical research.

Daniel Haber, HMS professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, has been selected as the new director of the MGH Cancer Center. He replaces Kurt Isselbacher, who is retiring. Haber will continue to serve as chair of the Cancer Genetics Program for the Dana– Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and as director of the MGH Center for Cancer Risk Analysis.

The 2003 Inventor of the Year Award was presented to Warren Zapol and Claes Frostell by the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Zapol, the Reginald Jenney professor of anesthesia at HMS and chief of anesthesia and critical care at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Frostell of the Karolinska Institute were honored for their invention of a system to safely deliver inhaled nitric oxide gas to treat dangerous lung conditions.

The American Society of Transplant Surgeons has awarded Nicholas Tilney, the Francis D. Moore professor of surgery at HMS and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Roche Pioneer Award in Transplantation for his achievements in organ transplantation and research in transplant biology.

Regina Corry, associate director for administration at Countway Library, received the 2003 Dean’s Award for the Support and Advancement of Women Staff. The award recognizes individuals in the HMS community who consistently demonstrate excellence in supporting the career development, professional advancement, mentoring, and career–life balance of women staff.

Pamela Silver, HMS professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, has received a MERIT Award from the NIH, allowing her to receive uninterrupted funding for a decade. Fewer than five percent of NIH grantees receive this honor, given to “selected investigators who have demonstrated superior competence and outstanding productivity during their previous research endeavors.” Silver’s research is on how proteins and RNA move in and out of the cell’s nucleus.

HMS research fellow in psychiatry Miles Cunningham, who directs the clerkship in neuropsychiatry and the Laboratory for Neural Reconstruction at McLean Hospital, has received the 2003 Alfred Pope Award, the hospital’s highest research honor. The annual award recognizing psychiatric research by young investigators was given to Cunningham for his work on adolescent brain development and its potential link to psychiatric illness.

Jeffrey Flier, chief academic officer of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the George C. Reisman professor of medicine at HMS, received the 2003 Edwin B. Astwood Lecture Award from the Endocrine Society at its annual meeting. Given annually for outstanding endocrinology research, the award recognizes Flier’s 30 years of research in diabetes and obesity that has led to a greater understanding of insulin and leptin resistance and to obesity’s role in causing metabolic syndrome.

Eli Lilly and Company honored Stuart Brink, HMS clinical instructor in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital, with a Lilly Partnership in Diabetes Award, the only American among the five honorees chosen for the international awards program. Brink is also a senior endocrinologist at the New England Diabetes and Endocrinology Center and educational chair for the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes.

Jay Fishman, HMS associate professor of medicine and director of the Transplant Infectious Diseases and Compromised Host Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, was chosen as president-elect for 2003–2004 of the American Society of Transplantation. He will be the first infectious disease specialist to lead the society of 1,900 transplant professionals.

Center to Hold Fourth Annual Women’s Health Research Conference