HOHMANN TO LEAD PARTNERS IRB PROGRAM
Elizabeth Hohmann, MD, an MGH infectious disease specialist, has been named chair and director of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Partners HealthCare System. She will direct the IRBs at BWH, MGH and affiliated sites, supervising the physician and administrative staffs, operations and policies of the Partners IRBs.
In recent years, the Partners-wide IRB process has been integrated in order to establish standard procedures and improve turnaround time. Currently, there are two IRBs based at the BWH and two based at MGH, each of which may review studies based at either hospital. A separate IRB reviews cancer research studies conducted through Dana-Farber Partners Cancer Care. Hohmann has previously chaired IRB panels at both BWH and MGH.
In addition to Hohmann’s clinical infectious disease practice, she conducts research into the development of live attenuated bacterial vaccines and vaccine vectors. Hohmann is a member of a NIH study section and has served as a consultant on vaccine development for many organizations. She has been involved in clinical research in the MGH General Clinical Research Center and was among the first recipients of the Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards for women in academic medicine.
FRANKEL TO HEAD PARTNERS’ PATIENT SAFETY EFFORT
Partners has operationalized its commitment to system-wide patient safety by establishing a patient safety position and naming Allan Frankel, MD as its director. Frankel has been a member of the anesthesiology staff at NWH since 1991, and will continue to practice there. At Newton Wellesley Hospital (NWH), he also served as chief medical safety officer and was chair of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.
In his new role, Frankel will work closely with the patient safety activities at all of the Partners institutions. The position was created to enhance the effectiveness of these programs through educational initiatives, sharing of best practices, and development
of pilot programs in different institutions.
BWH WELCOMES NEW ADMINISTRATORS
Barbara Honthumb, and Lysa Arthur have joined BWH as admini-strators for the Cardiac Surgery and Urology divisions in the Department of Surgery. Honthumb joins BWH as the Cardiac Surgery administrator after serving over five years at Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio as both the director of Managed Care and Business Development and director of the Orthopedics Service Line. Honthumb reports to Lawrence Cohn, MD and she can be reached at ext. 8637. Prior to joining BWH as the Urology Division administrator, Arthur was the practice manager for Surgical Specialties at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates. Arthur reports to Jerome Richie, MD, and she can be reached at ext. 6598.
BWH Rheumatologist JEFFREY N. KATZ, MD, MS, has been named the recipient of the Henry Kunkel Young Investigator Award from the American College of Rheumatology. The award is given to the member under 45 years of age who has made the most significant contributions to rheumatology research. Dr. Katz has been at BWH since 1987. His research focuses on evaluation and outcomes of musculoskeletal disorders including carpal tunnel syndrome and low back pain, as well as the outcomes and quality of total joint arthroplasty for advanced arthritis.
FRANK SPEIZER, MD, co-director of BWH’s Channing Laboratory, received the American Thoracic Society’s first-ever World Lung Health Award on September 2 at the World Congress on Lung Health in Florence, Italy. The award was created by the European Respiratory Society and was presented to Dr. Speizer for his worldwide commitment to promote lung health. Dr. Speizer was selected from more than 70 other nominees across the nation.
EDITOR’S NOTE: PSU incorrectly reported that Edward Peters, DMD, ScD had succeeded Stephen Sonis, DMD, DMSc as the chief of the Division of Oral Medicine, Oral Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry
at BWH. Correction: Joseph Costa Jr., DMD assumed Sonis’ role as chief of the Division of Oral Medicine, Oral Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry at BWH.