Update on Search for Next HMS Dean

Since Harvard University interim president Derek Bok e-mailed a letter to the HMS community inviting feedback on the search for a successor to Dean Joseph Martin, the University has received many responses with nominations and insightful comments.

To guide the search process, the advisory search committee will begin meeting monthly on Dec. 15. A recent addition to the committee is Mark Zeidel, the Herrman Ludwig Blumgart professor of medicine at HMS and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The full committee includes:

Joan Brugge (HMS)
Michael Gimbrone (HMS, Brigham and Women’s Hospital)
Sue Goldie (HSPH)
Paula Johnson (HMS, BWH)
Jim Kim (HMS, BWH, HSPH)
Robert Kingston (HMS, Massachusetts General Hospital)
Hannah Kinney (HMS, Children’s Hospital Boston)
Marc Kirschner (HMS)
Roberto Kolter (HMS)
Barbara McNeil (HMS)
Bjorn Olsen (HSDM, HMS)
Jerome Ritz (HMS, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute)
James Thrall (HMS, MGH)
Christopher A. Walsh (HMS, BID, Children’s)
Mark Zeidel (HMS, BID)

Over the course of the committee’s deliberations, it will consider all the nominations that have come in to date, as well as any names that may surface from further outreach to the HMS community. The committee will work toward recommending a short list of candidates for the next Harvard president to consider.

President Bok continues to encourage all members of the HMS community to share their views on the challenges facing the Medical School, the qualities Harvard should seek in a new dean, and specific individuals who should be considered. Please send e-mails to hmsdeansearch@harvard.edu.

Appointments to Full and Named Professorships

Below are faculty appointed to professorships in July.

R. Morton Bolman, Professor of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Bolman is chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery at BWH. His clinical research interests are in heart failure and open and endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms. In addition to directing the training of cardiac surgery residents at BWH, Bolman serves on the Residency Review Committee for Thoracic Surgery, which oversees thoracic surgery education at the national level. His laboratory interests are in stem cell repair of the injured or failing heart.

Myles Brown, Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Brown’s research is focused on the factors controlling the hormonal responsiveness of human cancers, primarily the role of the estrogen receptor and its coregulators in breast cancer and the androgen receptor and its coregulators in prostate cancer. His lab is currently defining the complete gene expression programs controlled by steroid hormones and their receptors in relevant cell types using a combination of approaches, including gene expression profiling and “ChIP-on-chip.”

Jim Yong Kim, Professor of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Kim has 20 years of experience improving health in developing countries. He is a founder of Partners In Health, a nonprofit organization that supports a range of health programs in poor countries. He is an expert in tuberculosis and has conducted extensive research into effective and affordable strategies for treating the drug-resistant disease. He is also a leading authority on scaling up HIV/AIDS treatment in the developing world and served as director of HIV/AIDS for the World Health Organization. His current work focuses on developing new approaches to maximizing the effective delivery of global health services.

Frederick Wang, Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
In his research, Wang studies the molecular biology and pathogenesis of Epstein–Barr virus infection and associated malignancies. His laboratory investigates the viral mechanisms important for establishing persistent EBV infection, and he has developed animal models for studying EBV infection in primate hosts at the New England Primate Research Center. At the Dana–Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center, he is initiating a collaborative, translational program using EBV-specific T cells as immunotherapy for patients with EBV-associated malignancies.

Joseph Wolfsdorf, Professor of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Boston
Wolfsdorf’s research interests have been in congenital and acquired disorders of glucose metabolism in children, and especially in the glycogen storage diseases and type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Below are faculty appointed to professorships in October.

Michael McKenna, Professor of Otology and Laryngology,
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
McKenna’s research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of otosclerosis, a bone disease of the human otic capsule that is one of the most common causes of acquired hearing loss. His group is engaged in molecular genetic studies identifying and defining the role of genes involved in the development of otosclerosis in humans and abnormal otic capsule remodeling in mice. They are also investigating the molecular factors responsible for the unique development and physiologic characteristics of the otic capsule that may predispose it to otosclerosis.

Barret Rollins, Professor of Medicine, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute
Rollins investigates the role that leukocyte migration plays in health and disease. By genetically manipulating components of the chemokine system in mice, he has shown that these leukocyte attractants are individually essential for proper host defense and for the development of inflammatory disorders. Current research examines the contributions made by chemokines to chronic inflammatory conditions associated with cancer.

Kay Professorship Funds Medical Oncology

Photo by Jeff Thiebauth

In their remarks at the Nov. 9 ceremony announcing the Stephen B. Kay Family Professorship in Medicine, both HMS dean Joseph Martin and Dana–Farber president Edward Benz called attention to the longtime support the donors have given to Harvard and its medical community. Martin cited the Kay family’s contributions to the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Business School, and the University in addition to the Medical School. Benz explained that backing of DFCI by the Kays has gone beyond service on the board. Turning to the donors, he said, “Thank you for your involvement with our mission for so many years.” Benz also introduced the first incumbent, Robert Mayer (above left), as “the leading gastrointestinal oncologist,” who, among other leadership roles, directs the Dana–Farber/Partners CancerCare Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program. Benz said it is “the best hematology–oncology program in the country.” In accepting the endowed chair, Mayer called it “an incredible honor” and referred to Stephen Kay (above right) as “a class act.” Culminating the speaking program, Stephen Kay concluded, “You can’t fix the world, but you can get a lot of leverage helping Dana–Farber and Harvard Medical School.”

Jordan Chair Advances Research on Stem Cells

Photo by John Batista, MGH Photo Dept.

The Nov. 6 program announcing the Gerald and Darlene Jordan Professorship in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and HMS was a celebration not only of the donors (right and center) and the first incumbent, David Scadden (left), but also of the field of investigation the chair supports, stem cell biology. In his opening remarks, HMS dean Joseph Martin commented that private donations are especially important in this area. MGH president Peter Slavin said that Scadden and the Jordans have brought MGH and HMS closer together in establishing this professorship and have helped position Harvard as a leader in stem cell research. Slavin pointed out that the collaborative Harvard Stem Cell Institute, which Scadden co-directs, is a good example of the “need to break down silos” across the Harvard community. In expressing his deep appreciation for the professorship, Scadden called attention to the promise and challenge of stem cell research. “This cause is really one of opportunity,” he said. “This is truly a beginning science.”

Tumor Measurement Service Offered

The Dana–Farber/Harvard Cancer Center has launched a radiology core service to provide tumor measurements for oncology clinical trials. Researchers can send radiology exams electronically to the Tumor Imaging Metrics Core (TIMC), where the images will be measured and reviewed by HMS radiology faculty. Longitudinal results are stored on a secure website, where authorized staff can view and download the data. The TIMC also offers relevant trial design consultation. More information is available on the core’s website at www.tumormetrics.org (best viewed at a 1024x768 screen resolution using Internet Explorer 5.0+. and Windows Media Player 9+).

Animal Imaging Facility Available

The Longwood Small Animal Imaging Facility (SAIF) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is available to all HMS researchers in the Longwood Medical Area. Services include multimodality imaging, advanced data analysis, and image fusion resources. The Longwood SAIF recently received a high-end instrumentation grant from the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health, which will be used to purchase a multimodality preclinical imaging platform. For more information, visit www.longwoodsaif.org.

Training in Informatics Research Funded

The Biomedical Informatics Research Training Program (BIRT), part of the HMS–MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, was recently awarded one of 18 National Library of Medicine competitive renewal grants totaling $75 million over five years. The BIRT grant will support 24 graduate students and postdocs in the program, which includes three PhD tracks and a postdoc MS track and includes informatics groups from Tufts University, Boston University, and local affiliated hospitals, along with HMS and MIT. The renewal grant will bring an increased focus on a core curriculum and collaboration among institutions. Award amounts for each program have not yet been determined, but the previous award to BIRT was $11.5 million over five years.

AGE Project Expands Geriatrics Education

HMS and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are expanding geriatrics training to help prepare future physicians for the aging population. The Advancement of Geriatrics Education (AGE) Project will integrate geriatrics into all four years of the HMS curriculum and will include the use of simulators and experience with real patients in a variety of settings. In addition, residents will be able to participate in seminars, rounds, and conferences regarding the care of the elderly; and the HMS Department of Continuing Medical Education will include geriatrics in some of its classroom and web offerings. The project is funded by a four-year, $2 million grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation as part of the Aging and Quality of Life Program, which helps academic medical centers improve geriatric training.

News Brief

The Harvard Center for Society and Health at HSPH, along with the City of Boston and Children’s Hospital Boston, awarded the 2006 Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Children’s Health to the Allston–Brighton Family Network. The honor recognizes community programs that work to improve the health and well-being of local youth and includes a $10,000 award.

Honors and Advances

• Brigham and Women’s Hospital has named Leonard Kaban chief of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, with responsibility for overseeing the clinical aspects of oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, and dentistry. Kaban is also head of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at HMS and Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Walter C. Guralnick professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at HMS. In his new position, Kaban plans to extend opportunities for collaboration among BWH, MGH, and HMS.

• Elizabeth Rider, HMS professor of pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital, was recently appointed co-chair of the medicine academy of the National Academies of Practice (NAP). The NAP is an honorific and advisory organization made up of 10 academies representing medicine and other health care professions.

• Daniel Shapiro, HMS assistant professor of psychiatry in the Department of Psychology at McLean Hospital, was recently awarded the Southern California Mediation Association’s Cloke–Millen award, given each year to an outstanding professional working in mediation, negotiation, or dispute resolution. Shapiro delivered the keynote speech at the association’s annual meeting in November.

• Stelios Smirnakis, HMS instructor in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, was recently honored with the Physician-scientist Early Career Award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The award provides $150,000 over three years to physician-scientists in tenure-track positions at medical schools. Smirnakis is one of 13 scientists to receive the award.

In Memoriam

Janet McArthur, HMS professor emerita of obstetrics and gynecology at Massachusetts General Hospital, died Oct. 6. She was 92. 

McArthur received her AB degree magna cum laude in 1935 and MS degree in 1937, both from the University of Washington. She went on to obtain her MD from Northwestern University Medical School in 1942. After an internship and residency at Cincinnati General Hospital, she joined the HMS community in 1943 as a research fellow in medicine at MGH, where she remained for the next four decades.  

McArthur was appointed an instructor in pediatrics in 1950. She was promoted to assistant clinical professor in 1960, associate clinical professor in 1967, and as professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology in 1972. She was the first MGH woman physician to become a full professor at HMS. McArthur retired as professor emerita of obstetrics and gynecology in 1984.

McArthur was widely respected in the field of reproductive endocrinology. She was the originator of the midcycle LH peak concept, which is now standard teaching as one of the events of the estrous cycle. She made an important contribution to endocrine research with a landmark study completed in the 1970s with Rose Frisch, professor emerita at HSPH. The study found that a critical level of body weight loss could disrupt a woman’s menstrual cycle and even prevent onset, an idea that was considered revolutionary at the time.

McArthur was the only child of Hyland D. and Alice M. (Frost) McArthur. There are no immediate survivors.

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