Names and Faces
Hersey Professorship Celebrates 225th Anniversary
Past and present professors of the Hersey Professorship of the Theory and Practice of Physic (Medicine) celebrated its 225th anniversary last month with a standing-room-only crowd in Bornstein Amphitheater.
“This professorship is a major piece of the heart and soul of this institution, a multi-generational reflection of the important role of the partnership between the hospital and Harvard Medical School,” said Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA, BWH president.
Twelve physicians have held the longest continuously filled professorship in HMS history, including current Hersey Professor Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Medicine and physician-in-chief; and formerly Victor Dzau, MD, now chancellor for Health Affairs at Duke University and president and CEO of the Duke University Health System; and Eugene Braunwald, MD, distinguished Hersey Professor and senior physician at BWH.
Ezekiel Hersey was a revered physician and surgeon who died in 1770, leaving 1,000 pounds for professorship of anatomy and physic at Harvard. Braunwald, Loscalzo and Scott Podolsky, MD, director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the Countway Library of Medicine at HMS, presented a history of the professorship and its incumbents during the celebration.
The serving professor also holds the BWH post of physician-in-chief and chair of the department of Medicine, beginning with Henry Asbury Christian in 1908 at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.
From left, HMS Dean Jeffrey Flier, current Hersey Professor Joseph Loscalzo and former Hersey professors Victor Dzau and Eugene Braunwald celebrated the professorship in January.
Shadick to Develop Social Support Program for RA Patients
Nancy Shadick, MD, MPH, of BWH’s Department of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, was awarded a $1.1 million grant over four years from AMGEN to create a social support program for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Through this program, patients of BWH’s Arthritis Center will have access to peer-to-peer counseling and mentoring and be able to participate in and contribute to a library of online videos.
“We know patients with chronic illness universally require social support and empathy to achieve the best physical and emotional outcomes,” Shadick said. “With this program, we will offer our patients the opportunity to share their stories, voice their concerns and communicate their experiences through discussion—both individual and group—with other RA patients and video montages to be distributed to physicians and other patients.”
Project leaders will gain input from the Patient Advisory Committee (PAC) for the BWH Arthritis Center. Rheumatologists and nurses will collaborate with PAC members to develop a buddy system for RA patients and mentors. They will work together to develop a mentoring curriculum that can be replicated elsewhere. As individual mentoring grows, Shadick expects to institute monthly group sessions at the Arthritis Center around particular topics and coping skills.
From there, project leaders will document the discussions and experiences shared through a series of video montages depicting patient experiences and concerns to raise awareness of RA and to offer greater insight to those living with RA. These patients will receive disposable video cameras to record their view on having rheumatoid arthritis and its impact on their lives.
“This is a powerful way to communicate, and we’ll make the videos available to other patients and physicians through an online database,” Shadick said.
Albert Receives Population Science Award
During the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in November, Michelle Albert, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Medicine in the divisions of Cardiovascular Medicine and Preventive Medicine, received the best science Population Science Award for her poster “Cardiovascular Risk Indicators and Perceived Race/Ethnic Discrimination in the Dallas Heart Study.”
Ringer Featured Speaker at March of Dimes Gala
Steven Ringer, MD, PhD, director of Newborn Medicine, was the featured speaker on Dec. 15 at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Humanitarian Award Gala for the March of Dimes. Ringer discussed the many advances in the care of premature newborns in the past 35 years. He also spoke about the evolution in newborn care and its effectiveness in increasing survival, as well as the many challenges that have yet to be overcome.
Corn Elected to APSF Committee
Stephen B. Corn, MD, director of Clinical Innovation at BWH and Children’s Hospital and associate professor at HMS, was elected to serve as a member of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) Committee on Technology (COT). The APSF’s mission is to improve continually the safety of patients during anesthesia care by encouraging and conducting safety research and education, patient safety programs and campaigns, and national and international exchange of information and ideas.
Gimbrone Named First Incumbent of Professorship
Michael A. Gimbrone, Jr., MD, in December was named the first incumbent of the Ramzi S. Cotran Professorship in Pathology at Harvard Medical School. Gimbrone trained under Cotran at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. Cotran, the former chair of Pathology at BWH, was known for being a role model for young physicians with his intensity, commitment to excellence and brilliant, probing mind.
BWH, DFCI, SSH Bring Cancer Care to Southeastern Mass.
From left, BWH President Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA, South Shore President Richard Aubut and DFCI President Edward Benz, Jr., MD, review an artist’s rendering of the outpatient cancer center scheduled to open at South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth in 2009. The four-story, 85,000 square-foot facility will include medical oncology offices, diagnostic imaging, linear accelerators, laboratory, pharmacy, chemotherapy infusion areas, breast health program, family resource center, a boutique and healing gardens.
Walls Recognized as “Hero of Emergency Medicine”
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) recognized Ron M. Walls, MD, FACEP, chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine, as a “Hero of Emergency Medicine.” The campaign, which is part of ACEP’s 40th anniversary, recognizes emergency physicians who have made significant contributions to emergency medicine, their communities and their patients. ACEP is a national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine with more than 25,000 members.
Shapiro Named President-Elect of Society of University Otolaryngologists
Jo Shapiro, MD, chief of the Division of Otolaryngology in the Department of Surgery, is president-elect of the Society of University Otolaryngologists for the 2008-2009 academic year. She will serve as society president the following year. The society is the national organization in the specialty, which is dedicated to the academic mission of otolaryngology. Its members include chairs, division chiefs, program directors, research directors and faculty.
DF/BWCC Opens at Milford Regional Medical Center
The Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center is teaming up with Milford Regional Medical Center to provide medical oncology and radiation oncology services in the Milford area for the first time, making it more convenient for residents in the region to receive comprehensive cancer care.
“Thank you to everyone involved for their commitment and dedication to the residents of this community, who are depending on us to bring them the very best cancer care in the world,” said BWH President Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA, who joined Milford Regional CEO Francis Saba, DFCI President Ed Benz, Jr., MD, and other hospital leadership at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in January.
“The vision for our partnership is to deliver the right care in the right place, and this opportunity in Milford further solidifies our focus on combining resources to offer the best care to patients,” said Gottlieb.
The 54,000-square foot, two-story center at Milford Regional houses diagnostic imaging, radiation therapy, medical oncology and phlebotomy services. Milford cancer patients will receive their care in this state of the art facility and have access to more specialized care. It is also expected that existing DF/BWCC patients may choose to go there for treatment. Patients and families from both facilities were included in the planning process to make sure the new clinic is patient-friendly.
Prior to this partnership, Milford’s oncology program was limited to medical oncology and surgical oncology. Patients requiring radiation had to drive approximately 30 miles for treatment. The cancer center opening makes radiation therapy services available right at Milford Regional under the direction of Jay Harris, MD, chairman, Department of Radiation Oncology at DF/BWCC, and Tania Lingos, MD, chief of Radiation Oncology at Milford.
BWH, DFCI and Milford hospital leadership, patients and others gathered to cut the ribbon to officially open the new cancer center in January.
Black Elected President-Elect of WFNS
Peter Black, MD, PhD, of the Department of Neurosurgery, was elected president-elect of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS). He will serve two years as president-elect, four years as president and two years as past president, leading WFNS’s efforts to advance all aspects of neurological surgery.
Black worked with Ferenc Jolesz, MD, to develop the world’s first interoperative MRI and uses this device to improve brain tumor treatment. With the help of Steven Haley, founder of the Brain Science Foundation, he created the Meningioma Center of Excellence at BWH.
The WFNS is composed of five continental associations, 89 national neurosurgical societies and six affiliate societies representing approximately 25,000 neurosurgeons worldwide.
Bromfield Wins Excellence in Epilepsy Care Award
Edward B. Bromfield, MD, chief of the Division of EEG, Epilepsy and Sleep Neurology, received the 2007 J. Kiffin Penry Excellence in Epilepsy Care Award. He is recognized for his work to improve the quality of life for those with epilepsy and to provide quality patient care. The award was formed to commemorate Penry’s lifelong focus on and genuine concern for the patient with epilepsy.
Bromfield has published nearly 100 articles and chapters about epilepsy, emphasizing medical and surgical treatment, advanced neuroimaging, intracranial EEG, quality of life, genetics, brain tumors, pregnancy, sleep and status epilepticus. Bromfield is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and a member of the American Neurological Association. He is also past president of the Epilepsy Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island and currently serves on the Professional Advisory Board of the national Epilepsy Foundation.
Spine Center Brings Services Together
Providers from a range of specialties are working collaboratively as part of the BWH Comprehensive Spine Care Center to offer a more patient-centric approach to back and spinal injuries. Zacharia Isaac, MD, is medical director of the CSCC.
Services at the center come together from the Pain Management Center, Rheumatology, Physiatry, Radiology, Rehabilitation Services, Orthopedic Surgery and Neurosurgery.
“The key is to offer an exact diagnosis collaboratively,” said Isaac. “We have several dedicated spine specialists with a wide expertise.”
“Using the Teleservices, patients may request a specific physician or specialty, or if they are unsure of the appropriate specialty, they are connected with a spine specialist to explore non-operative options first,” said Isaac. “Specialists dedicated to the spine offer expertise in minimally invasive and cutting edge techniques.” If surgery is necessary, patients are then referred to the appropriate surgical consultant. The medical and surgical spine specialists work together to optimize patient care.
CSCC services and procedures are offered at the main BWH campus, Faulkner and the clinic at 850 Boylston St.
Khoury Awarded Kuwait Prize for Sciences
Samia J. Khoury, professor of Neurology at HMS and co-director of the Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, has been awarded the prestigious 2007 Kuwait Prize for Sciences by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences. The prize for basic sciences was given this year in immunology and Khoury was the winner. The award ceremony will take place in December 2008 in Kuwait.