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BULLETINProceedings of the HMS Faculty CouncilAt the Jan. 9 Faculty Council meeting, Joseph Martin, HMS dean, told the council that a steering committee, cochaired by Martin and Lois Silverman, a trustee of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and led by the board of trustees, had unanimously chosen Paul Levy, HMS executive dean for administration, as the new CEO and president of the hospital. Biomedical InformaticsJohn Halamka, HMS associate dean of educational technology, and Robert Greenes, director of the Decision Systems Group at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an HST faculty member, provided information on the status of biomedical informatics in the Harvard medical community. Nationally, Harvard has the largest National Library of Medicine training program, the largest number of biomedical informatics faculty, more than $15 million a year in grant funding, and the largest number of graduates now in positions of leadership, both nationally and internationally. Halamka said the bioinformatics community extends across institutional lines and that the individuals involved have developed national and international reputations. However, there was general agreement that a more formal infrastructure is needed for a true biomedical informatics community to exist under a Harvard umbrella, one that would encourage faculty recruiting from nonmedical backgrounds.Center for NeurofibromatosisA proposal to establish an HMS Center for Neurofibromatosis and Allied Disorders was approved by the council. James Gusella, head of the Molecular Neurogenetics Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, said the mission of the proposed center would not only be to better define the pathogenic mechanisms of neurofibromatosis and to test rational treatments for these disorders, but also to facilitate interdisciplinary approaches to neurofibromatosis research and promote clinical studies between HMS-affiliated institutions. Most importantly, a center would bridge the gap between clinical and basic scientists to foster communication and cooperation between researchers and clinicians, to better coordinate data from human studies with data from model systems, and to facilitate training and new initiatives. Gusella noted that the proposed center already has pledges of nearly $1 million and that cross-disciplinary collaborative grant applications to the NIH and to the Army neurofibromatosis program were in the range of $20 million.IRBsIssues confronting institutional review boards (IRBs) were presented to the council by Gary Thompson, HMS associate dean for research compliance; Julie Buring, chair of HMS's IRB; Pearl O'Rourke, director of human research affairs for Partners HealthCare Systems; and Alan Lisbon and Thomas Mancuso, IRB members at BID and Children's, respectively. Major issues facing IRBs include increasing strains on the system that could undermine independent review, difficulties in interpreting the language of informed consent, questions of perceived coercion of patients (such as worries that refusal to participate might affect quality of care), and failure to define and report adverse events. All speakers emphasized the large number of protocols facing IRBs for review, which result in a significant time commitment on the part of IRB members. There is no compensation and little recognition for IRB work.Mancuso highlighted those issues specific to studies involving children. These include moral and ethical justifications for parents to enroll their child as a subject in research; physicians' assistance to help parents make a decision that will be best for the child; and risk/benefit conditions that must be fulfilled for a protocol involving children to be ethical. He also touched on the difficult case of research involving adolescents in which waiver of parental permission may be involved. It was emphasized that IRBs exist not only to ensure subject protection but also to educate and assist researchers so that research complies with federal regulations. In closing, Martin said that concerns raised about issues of privacy and confidentiality in the waiting area at the Medical Area Health Service office should be resolved now that renovations are complete. Finally, he noted the death of Kenneth Ryan, former longtime chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Two New Hospital Presidents NamedDuring the month of January, new hospital presidents were announced at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Gary Gottlieb At the end of January, Brigham and Women's named Gary Gottlieb, HMS professor of psychiatry and chairman of the Partners Psychiatry and Mental Health System, to serve as the hospital president. He will replace Jeffrey Otten, who announced in November his intention to step down after nine years at the hospital. Gottlieb's appointment begins March 1. From 2000 to 2001 he served as president of North Shore Medical Center, and before coming to Massachusetts, he was director and CEO of Friends Hospital in Philadelphia. "Dr. Gottlieb's strengths as an administrator, researcher, teacher, and advocate will serve the community well," said Partners HealthCare president and CEO Samuel Thier. "Harvard Medical School faculty based at the Brigham are an integral part of the teaching and research missions of the School, and I am enthusiastic about the appointment of Gary Gottlieb because I know he supports our combined missions," said HMS dean Joseph Martin.
Paul Levy Earlier in the month, Paul Levy, HMS executive dean for administration, was unanimously selected by the board of trustees at Beth Israel Deaconess as its new president and CEO. In his position at HMS, he was responsible for administrative, budgetary, and facility management as well as government and community relations. He was also involved in coordinating collaborative ventures between HMS and its affiliates.
Prestigious Public Health Award Presented to HSDM ProfessorThe American Public Health Association presented its oldest and highest award to Myron Allukian, HSDM associate clinical professor of oral health policy and epidemiology, at its annual meeting in October 2001. Allukian, who is also director of oral health for the Boston Public Health Commission, is the first dentist to receive the prestigious Sedgwick Memorial Medal for Distinguished Service in Public Health. He was singled out for improving oral health and championing the rights of underserved populations and for his record of leadership of the association. In 1968, a report by Allukian showing that Massachusetts teenagers had six times the amount of tooth decay as their Vietnamese counterparts played a key role in getting the state to change its law to allow local boards of health to order fluoridated water. In 1970, as director of the Bureau of Community Dental Programs at the Boston Department of Health and Hospitals, he helped to establish a network of health center dental programs in underserved communities in Boston. In 1985, he created one of the first dental programs in the nation to serve the homeless. In the '80s, when some dental centers were refusing treatment to those infected with HIV, Allukian brought national attention to the issue. As president of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry, he oversaw the association's national policy recommendations about infectious diseases and dental care. This, in turn, prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue infection control guidelines for dentists, making the dental profession more responsive to the AIDS epidemic. More recently, he was involved with the release of the Surgeon General's "Healthy People 2010" report, contributing to sections on oral health and tobacco. In 1990, he became the first Vietnam veteran and only the second dentist to serve as president of the American Public Health Association.
Microbiology Awards Amos Fellowships
The Harold Amos Graduate Student Fellowship has been established to provide stipend and tuition support to one or more second-year students in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. The fellowship is named in honor of Amos (right), the HMS professor emeritus of microbiology and molecular genetics who served as head of the department twice as well as chair of the Division of Medical Sciences for more than 15 years, from which he himself graduated. His many honors include the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, the Harvard University Centennial Medal (given to distinguished alumni by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences), and an honorary DSc from Harvard in 1996. On Jan. 17, a ceremony was held to celebrate the new fellowship and to recognize the first awardees: Damon Huber, from the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program and the lab of Jonathan Beckwith; Kimberly Myers, from the Virology Program and the lab of Max Nibert; Zarine Balsara, from the Immunology Program and the lab of Michael Starnbach; and Gregory Melroe, from the Virology Program and the lab of David Knipe. Photo by Liza Green, HMS Media Services
CDC Director Kicks Off Harvard Health Caucus SeriesThe Harvard Health Caucus policy roundtable series will host Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Jeffrey Koplan as its keynote speaker to launch this year's series, "Managing Globalization to Improve Health." Koplan's talk, "The Globalization of Health," will be held Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m. in the Carl Walter Amphitheater of the Tosteson Medical Education Center. To RSVP, send an e-mail to globalhealthspring2002@yahoo.com. For upcoming panel discussions in the series, visit the Caucus website.
Flier Named Chief Academic Officer at BIDPaul Levy, the new president and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, announced that Jeffrey Flier, the George C. Reisman professor of medicine, has been named to the newly created position of chief academic officer and Harvard faculty dean at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In this new position, Flier, an endocrinologist, will be the senior institutional official responsible for research and academic programs and will report directly to Levy.
New HMS Report on Foot CareFoot Care Basics: Preventing and Treating Common Foot Conditions is the latest in a series of Harvard Health Publications special reports aimed at the lay public. Edited by James Ioli, chief of podiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Christopher Chiodo, an orthopedic surgeon at the hospital, both HMS instructors in orthopedic surgery, the publication covers foot structure and fitness; pain in heels, arches, and toes; skin and toenail problems; as well as the importance of buying good shoes. This or other reports may be ordered online.
Honors and AdvancesJohn Gergely, HMS associate professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at the Boston Biomedical Research Institute, has been elected an honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Arthur Kleinman, the Maude and Lillian Presley professor of medical anthropology at HMS and professor of anthropology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, received the prestigious Franz Boas Award for Exemplary Service to Anthropology at the 100th annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association on Dec. 1. The award recognizes members of the association who have made exceptional contributions to anthropology through an increase and dissemination of humanistic and scientific knowledge and service to the profession. The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation recently awarded two grants of $100,000, one of which went to Raphael Bueno, a thoracic surgeon and HMS assistant professor of surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Bueno's research focus is molecular diagnosis and mechanisms of carcinogenesis in mesothelioma, the cancer caused by asbestos. In September, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality awarded more than $50 million in new grants, contracts, and other activities to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety, and more than $17 million went to HMS faculty. Among those receiving grants were David Bates, associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, who will receive $5.5 million for improving medication safety across clinical settings through the establishment of the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at BWH; Charles Czeisler, $1.5 million for studying the effects of extended work hours on intensive care unit patient safety; Richard Platt, professor and acting head of Ambulatory Care and Prevention at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, $8.4 million for the prescribing safety program of the Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics; Stephen Soumerai, professor of ambulatory care and prevention at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, $568,000 for a randomized controlled trial to reduce prescribing errors in hypertension; and Joel Weissman, assistant professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, $1.1 million for studying the relation between hospital workload and patient safety. At its annual meeting Oct. 15 to 16, the Institute of Medicine awarded Julius Richmond, HMS professor emeritus of health policy, the Walsh McDermott Medal. The medal recognizes a member of the institute for distinguished service over an extended period of time. Ronald Tompkins, the John Francis Burke professor of surgery and chief of trauma and burn services at Massachusetts General Hospital, has been chosen by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to lead a multifaceted team of scientists in a $6.7 million grant project. The team led by Tompkins will research the immune system's response to traumatic injury and aims to develop standard operating procedures for burn and trauma patients. Joseph Coyle, the Ellen S. Draper professor of psychiatry at McLean Hospital, received the first Distinguished Service Award from the Society for Neuroscience at its annual meeting in San Diego. In December, he assumed the presidency of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and, in January, he became editor in chief of the Archives of General Psychiatry. Baskent University and the Turkish Transplantation Society have awarded Anthony Monaco, the Peter Medawar professor of surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the first Felix T. Rapaport Prize for his pioneering work in experimental and clinical organ transplantation. The Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies awarded the first F.N. David Award to Nan Laird, HSPH professor of biostatistics, at its annual meeting in Atlanta. The award was established to recognize a female statistician who serves as a role model to other women by her contributions to the profession through excellence in research, leadership of multidisciplinary collaborative groups, statistics education, or service to the professional societies. At the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, the Education Award of the Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs was given to Edward Kravitz, the George Packer Berry professor of neurobiology, and Edwin Furshpan and David Potter, both HMS research professors of neurobiology. This is the first time the award has been given to a group. "We have never honored a team of colleagues before, but your combined and individual contributions to neuroscience really are unique, especially your pioneering involvement in outreach programs to underrepresented minorities, and your devotion and singular success in teaching neuroscience and mentoring student trainees." Kravitz was also recently elected president-elect of the International Society for Neuroethology. Frederick Bieber, HMS associate professor of pathology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, has been appointed to the World Trade Center kinship and data analysis planning board convened by the U.S. Department of Justice and the New York state medical examiner's office. The objectives of the panel include the prompt and accurate identification of all victims of the World Trade Center attack. A recognized expert in forensic medicine, he is one of several experts brought together for the development of victim identification strategies. Bieber was also recently appointed to serve a three-year term on the board of directors of the American Board of Medical Genetics. The board oversees the postgraduate medical training and certification of individuals providing medical genetics services to patients and their families. |
