Proceedings of the HMS Faculty Council
To begin the April 15 Faculty Council meeting, Patricia Donahoe, the Marshall K. Bartlett professor of surgery at HMS and Massachusetts General Hospital, introduced members of a panel on open-access publishing: Jeffrey Drazen, the Parker B. Francis Distinguished Professor of Medicine at HMS and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and editor-in-chief of The New England Journal of Medicine; Joseph Loscalzo, the Hersey professor of the theory and practice of physic at HMS and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and editor-in-chief of Circulation; Emilie Marcus, executive editor at Cell Press; and Andrew Warshaw, the W. Gerald Austen professor of surgery at MGH and editor-in-chief of Surgery.
Drazen described the impact of open-access publishing (OAP) on NEJM, saying that in January 2001 the journal decided to provide public access to its articles six months after initial publication. Drazen noted the importance of balance between developing a good business model and keeping information widely available. He also noted that people often use NEJM content for commercial purposes, so there is still a need to control copyright. The six-month rule helps the journal police use of its articles.
Loscalzo defined OAP and its constraints within U.S. copyright law and gave a brief history. He described the intensification of the OAP movement, noting that the mandatory deposit of articles after a defined length of time is becoming the norm, and he elucidated the arguments against the open-access mandate. Loscalzo speculated that there will be an increase in the number of new open-access journals and that they will gain credibility within the research community.
Marcus described Cell Press, saying it is subscription-based and that articles published on its website are freely available 12 months after publication. She noted that there are also sponsored article options within 12 months of publication and that patients can get access to individual articles from their home computers at a nominal fee.
Warshaw described Surgery as smaller than the other journals represented by the panel. He said it is highly dependent on subscriptions, noting that if it did not receive income from subscriptions it would have to get it from advertising, which currently is minimal. He said that Surgery is an Elsevier journal, like the Cell Press publications, and has the same OAP policy. Warshaw warned that OAP could negatively effect Surgery.
At the meeting, HMS dean Jeffrey Flier asked Alexa McCray, co-director of the HMS Center for Bioinformatics, to respond to the publishers. McCray said that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences first established the open-access policy, which was then adopted by the Law School and the Kennedy School of Government. She noted that as part of the policy, authors at the time of copyright transfer will add an addendum of agreement giving Harvard University the right to the final peer-reviewed article. She said that HMS is a bit different since a high percentage of the work published by the School’s researchers is funded by NIH grants, and she is proposing a streamlined approach in which the Countway would facilitate delivery to open-access depositories.
Flier then introduced Edward Benz, the Richard and Susan Smith professor of medicine at BWH, professor of pathology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Boston, who presented on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Benz said the NIH budget is anticipated to go up a third in the next two years and then go down a third. He also noted that $37.5 billion is to go toward supporting healthcare infrastructure and improved population-wide health and that there may be additional opportunities to access non–healthcare-related funds for hospital and cancer center activities.
Benz named four main categories of grant allocations: RO1’s approved but not funded; supplements; challenge grants; and grand opportunity (GO) grants.
He also noted that $1.1 billion has been allocated for comparative effectiveness research (CER). He said that Harvard has been receiving calls from the NIH about CER, which presents a broad opportunity. Benz suggested setting up a Harvard-based infrastructure in order to be competitive for CER money.
Cancer Researcher Appointed Academic Dean at HSPH
HSPH has announced that David Hunter, the Vincent L. Gregory professor of cancer prevention and a professor of epidemiology and nutrition, will become the School’s next dean for academic affairs. He succeeds James Ware, the Frederick Mosteller professor of biostatistics, who is stepping down after 19 years in that role.
In his 20 years at HSPH, Hunter has principally studied the etiology of cancer, particularly breast and prostate cancer. He has analyzed inherited susceptibility to cancer and other chronic diseases and established the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Core Laboratory for High-Throughput Genotyping at the School. He is co-chair of the National Cancer Institute’s Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium and a co-director of the NCI Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility special initiative. In recent years he has led teams that codiscovered the most common genetic variant associated with breast cancer risk and that have made discoveries of novel genetic variants for a variety of nutritional exposures and physical traits. Earlier in his career he helped HSPH develop collaborations with colleagues in Tanzania, studying interventions to reduce HIV incidence and disease progression.
Hunter was director of the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention from 1997 to 2003 and is now director of the Program in Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology at HSPH. He has held leadership positions in several professional organizations and is an affiliate member of the Broad Institute.
With Professorship, Steele Family Strengthens Balance Between Mind and Body
HMS dean Jeffrey Flier led the program announcing the Professorship in Psychiatry in the Field of Psychosomatic Medicine/Consultation at HMS and Massachusetts General Hospital, recognizing the many grateful patients who contributed to the chair. He said it honors Ned Cassem, an HMS professor of psychiatry, a consultation psychiatrist at MGH, and a Jesuit priest. Flier also commended Theodore Stern, the chair’s first incumbent. David Torchiana, chairman and CEO of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, pointed to the professorship as the first at Harvard in psychosomatic medicine, a discipline focusing on psychophysiologic disorders originating with the mental patterns of the patient. He credited the philanthropic Steele family, with Lisa Steele, her mother, the late Jane Cook, and aunt Jessie Cox, for helping to make it possible.
Jerrold Rosenbaum, the Stanley Cobb professor of psychiatry at HMS and psychiatrist-in-chief at MGH, described the first incumbent as a committed, go-to colleague whether he is on the wards or off. “He’s a compulsive teacher,” Rosenbaum said. “And he’s devoted to service.”
Stern sidestepped the plaudits, asserting “this is not my day, it’s the department’s day.” And he described the important work the department does, exploring problems at the interface of psychiatry and medicine, including cardiac disease, obesity, and dementia.
It was this kind of care that Jane Cook had received from Ned Cassem. His extraordinary compassion inspired Lisa Steele to honor him by working to establish this chair in psychosomatic medicine, which will ultimately take his name. “He embodies patient-centered care,” said Steele.
Cassem himself was the final speaker. After saluting Stern and his consummate skill, Cassem said that in healthcare, the most important people are, of course, the patients. “This is a celebration for Jane Cook,” he said.
Chair Honors Hearts and Minds in Cardiovascular Medicine
“It gives me great pleasure,” said Jeffrey Flier, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, “to preside over the celebration of the Commonwealth Professorship in the Field of Cardiovascular Medicine, which will eventually be renamed for Jane Newburger, whom we are honoring today as the first incumbent.” Based at HMS and Children’s Hospital Boston, the chair was made possible by many grateful patients, colleagues, and friends who have recognized the importance Newburger plays in the care of young patients. The chair can take Newburger’s name only after she retires, a rule that Children’s CEO James Mandell referred to in his remarks at the May 27 event: “We do not expect the name change for at least 20 more years,” he said.
At the lectern, James Lock, the Alexander S. Nadas professor of pediatrics at HMS and Children’s and head of the hospital’s Department of Cardiology, described Newburger as having a “virtually inexhaustible well of empathy and sympathy.” He also said that she is “nothing short of brilliant.”
Newburger turned the spotlight back to the Cardiology Department in her remarks, insisting that the members set an extraordinarily high standard for research and patient care. “This is one of the greatest thrills of my life,” she said.
Guthart Chair a Beacon for Neuroendocrinology
At the opening of the May 29 celebration for the Laurie Carrol Guthart Professorship, HMS dean Jeffrey Flier said that the gathering pays “tribute to the memory of Laurie Carrol Guthart, a woman known for her incredible devotion to her family and doing good for others.” He said that it also honors the achievements of Anne Klibanski, the first Laurie Carrol Guthart professor in medicine in the field of neuroendocrinology at HMS and Massachusetts General Hospital. MGH president Peter Slavin said the professorship would not have been possible without Leo Guthart and his daughters Becky and Peggy. In thanking them, he also praised the first incumbent as an outstanding “role model and mentor.”
Dennis Ausiello, the Jackson professor of clinical medicine at HMS and MGH, extended the tribute to Klibanski, calling her a leader in translational research, which focuses on understanding and curing human disease. “Today we are honoring someone who has lived that pathway and has set the standards for that pathway,” he said. In his introduction to Klibanski, Flier echoed Ausiello, saying he has been “incredibly impressed with Anne’s work in Harvard Catalyst,” the Harvard clinical and translational science center.
Klibanski expressed her gratitude at being named to the chair and her hope that its recognition of neuroendocrinology would help the field develop and educate clinician-scientists. Her thanks to the Guthart family rang with the expectation that their support would strengthen the teams in the field brought together for patient care. Closing the ceremony was Leo Guthart, who recounted his deep indebtedness to Klibanski for care of his daughter and his gradual awareness of the importance of an endowed chair for leadership in neuroendocrinology.
Ojemann Professorship Supports Pioneering Neurosurgery
In opening the celebration for the Robert G. and A. Jean Ojemann Professorship in Surgery in the field of neurosurgery at HMS and Massachusetts General Hospital, HMS dean Jeffrey Flier thanked all those who had made the professorship possible, past and present grateful patients, colleagues and friends. “In particular,” Flier said, “I would like to thank our Board of Fellows members John and Ginny Kaneb for their support of this chair and alumnus Griff Harsh for his wonderful contributions.”
Gerald Austen, the Edward D. Churchill professor of surgery, lauded chair honoree Robert Ojemann, whom Austen met when they were both in training. “My admiration for Bob started in 1957 and has never changed,” Austen said, adding that he and his colleagues are also extraordinarily proud of first incumbent Christopher Ogilvy. Commenting on Ogilvy, Robert Martuza, the Higgins professor of neurosurgery at HMS and chief of the Neurosurgery Service at MGH, said he “has been a pioneer in the field of neurovascular surgery and called him a “perfect match for the first incumbent of this professorship.”
In expressing his deep appreciation, Ogilvy said that being named to the chair was the high point of his professional career. He praised the Ojemanns, saying, “Bob and Jean had a profound influence on the institution.” There was also a bonus, he said: Bob “was a heck of a lot of fun to work with.”
Robert Ojemann closed the speaking program applauding all those who had made the chair possible and describing his relationship with Ogilvy as something he has treasured from the very beginning.
Medical School Salutes Mentors
The Carl Walter Amphitheater in the TMEC was standing-room only for the 2008–2009 Excellence in Mentoring Awards, which took place June 11. The awards recognize the efforts of extraordinary mentors and stress the importance of mentorship in faculty development. Joan Reede, HMS dean for diversity and community partnership, the department that established the awards, noted that this year, a record-breaking 599 nominations were submitted.
In their remarks, many of the recipients said that mentorship was just as valuable on the giving end as it is on the receiving end. Martha Shenton, who received the William Silen Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring award, said it was the “most important award I can ever imagine having.” Shenton is pictured above (right) with nominator Zora Kikinis, who introduced Shenton and presented her with the award.
A complete list of winners is below.
William Silen Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award
S. Jean Emans, professor of pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Boston
Tayyaba Hasan, professor of dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital
Norman Letvin, professor of medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Martha Shenton, professor in psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and professor of radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award
Maurizio Fava, professor of psychiatry, MGH
Carlos Fernández-del Castillo, associate professor of surgery, MGH
Eric Lander, professor of systems biology
Edward Marcantonio, associate professor of medicine, BID
Ellis Neufeld, associate professor of pediatrics, CHB
Holly Prigerson, associate professor of psychiatry, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute
Tom Rapoport, professor of cell biology
Dennis Ross-Degnan, associate professor of ambulatory care and prevention, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Eric Winer, professor of medicine at DFCI
Steffie Woolhandler, associate professor of medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance
Young Mentor Award
Christian Arbelaez, assistant professor of medicine, BWH
Laura Benjamin, associate professor of medicine, BID
Li-Li Hsiao, instructor in medicine, BWH
Andrew Karson, instructor in medicine, MGH
Koenraad Mortele, associate professor of radiology, BWH
Joia Mukherjee, assistant professor of medicine, BWH
Richard White, instructor in medicine, DFCI
Hollywood Supports Research Stars in Cancer Fight
Two HMS affiliates will be home bases for multi-institution grants aimed at developing new treatments for cancer. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital will each host a cancer “Dream Team,” supported by the charitable initiative Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C), which was created by the Entertainment Industry Foundation and is administered through the American Association for Cancer Research. SU2C was created one year ago with the goal of getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated time frame. In all, five teams received funding, which totals $73.6 million.
The BID team will be led by Lewis Cantley, the William Bosworth Castle professor of medicine at BID and an HMS professor of systems biology. This project is titled “Targeting the PI3K Pathway in Women’s Cancers.” Cantley, together with co-leaders Charles Sawyers of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Gordon Mills of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, will work with a group of more than 20 scientists from the country’s leading cancer research institutions to investigate the role that PI3K mutations play in women’s cancers, specifically breast cancer, ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer. A key component of their work will focus on developing new approaches to more accurately predict which patients will respond positively to PI3K pathway inhibitors, a group of targeted cancer therapies currently being tested in clinical trials around the country.
Daniel Haber, the Kurt J. Isselbacher/Peter D. Schwartz professor of medicine, will lead the MGH team, whose project is titled “Bioengineering and Clinical Applications of Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Chip.” The grant will help accelerate research being done on the CTC chip, a microchip-based device for detecting and analyzing circulating tumor cells carried in the bloodstream. The CTC chip can capture extraordinarily rare cancer cells—one tumor cell in a billion blood cells—from a small blood sample using advanced microfluidic technology. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way oncologists detect, monitor and treat cancers in the future. Haber’s team also includes Mehmet Toner, HMS professor of surgery at MGH and the inventor of the CTC chip; Bruce Johnson, HMS professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Sangeeta Bhatia of MIT; Mark Kris of Memorial Sloan-Kettering; and Roy Herbst of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Each HMS-based Dream Team will receive $15 million over three years.
Harvard Researchers Join Time 100
Nicholas Christaskis (left), HMS professor of medical sociology in the Department of Health Care Policy, and Douglas Melton, codirector of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, cochair of the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and a Howard Hughes investigator, have both been named to the 2009 Time 100, the magazine’s annual list of the world’s most influential people.
Christakis was recognized for his study of health and social networks and his finding that happiness, like a virus, appears to be contagious. When people who are close to a certain person, both in terms of social ties (friends or relatives) and physical proximity, become happier, that person becomes happier too. The effect has also been found to transcend direct links and reach a third degree of separation, i.e., a friend of a friend. Christakis’s research has found that obesity and smoking (or quitting smoking) also appear to spread through social networks.
Melton was recognized for his work in stem cells, specifically, his research leading to the creation of stem cell lines from adult skin cells. Melton targets the malfunctioning pancreatic cells that result in diabetes, work that was inspired by his own children’s diabetes diagnoses. His work has paved the way for the creation of additional stem cell lines using adult cells, including those being developed that could replace the dopamine-producing brain cells in Parkinson’s patients.
Armenise Writing Fellows Win Italian Journalism Prize
Two participants in the Armenise–Harvard Italian Science Writer Fellowship have each won a journalism award in Italy. Luca Sciortino, who was a 2006 fellow, and Guido Romeo, a 2004 fellow, each received the Prize Voltolino for Scientific Dissemination, which honors journalists for excellence in science writing and for contributions to the development of scientific culture in Italy.
Each year, the Giovanni Armenise–Harvard Foundation brings early- or mid-career Italian journalists to the HMS campus, where they meet with faculty, develop story ideas, make contacts and immerse themselves in scientific learning.
Associate Master Named for Holmes
Sara Beth Fazio, HMS associate professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, has been appointed associate master of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Society.
Fazio had already demonstrated her commitment to medical education. After completing a fellowship as a Rabkin Fellow in Medical Education, she focused her professional efforts on training, advising and mentoring students in internal medicine at BID. She has also played key leadership roles in the development of medical education and curriculum on the local, regional and national levels. Fazio serves as the director of the Core Clerkship in Medicine for HMS.
She will join Anthony D’Amico, master of the Holmes Society, on Sept. 1.
Faculty Recognized for Clinical Research
The Association of American Physicians (AAP) and the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI) inducted 16 members of the HMS faculty into their organizations at their joint annual meeting in Chicago in April. David Altshuler, professor of genetics and of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital; John Ayanian, professor of healthcare policy and professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Paul Farmer, the Maude and Lillian Presley professor of social medicine; Janet Hall, professor of medicine at MGH; Jean-Pierre Kinet, professor of pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Robert Sackstein, associate professor of dermatology at BWH; and Ramesh Shivdasani, associate professor of medicine at BWH, are all new members of the AAP, an organization whose goals include the pursuit of medical knowledge and advancement though experimentation, discovery and clinical application.
Dan Barouch, associate professor of medicine at BID; Levi Garraway, assistant professor of medicine at BWH; David Lee, assistant professor of medicine at BWH; Anthony Letai, assistant professor of medicine at Dana–Farber Cancer Institute; Xian Chang Li, associate professor of medicine at BID; Vamsi Mootha, associate professor of systems biology and professor of medicine at MGH; Mary-Elizabeth Patti, assistant professor of medicine at Joslin Diabetes Center; Stephanie Seminara, associate professor of medicine at MGH; Sapna Syngal, associate professor of medicine at BWH; and Hensin Tsao, associate professor of dermatology at MGH, are newly elected to the ASCI, which is dedicated to the advancement of research that extends the understanding and improves the treatment of human diseases. Induction into the ASCI recognizes early-career excellence; members must be 45 years old or younger at the time of their election.
BID Appoints New Multicultural Affairs Director
Rafael Campo, HMS associate professor of medicine, has been appointed director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
The office is based in the BID Center for Education, where Campo’s initial efforts will include coordination of undergraduate and graduate programs to enhance minority recruitment and retention at HMS and BID. He will also seek to collaborate with colleagues in faculty development and academic careers in order to increase support for minority faculty at the hospital.
Campo is an HMS graduate and a poet, who has an honorary doctorate in literature from Amherst College. He recently received the 2009 Nicholas E. Davies Memorial Scholar Award for humanism in medicine, given by the American College of Physicians. His medical practice has focused on individuals from underserved and minority populations, and both his medical and artistic careers have been directed to furthering understanding of the human condition and empathic care.
The International Academy of Law and Mental Health (IALMH) has created a biannual award in the name of Thomas Gutheil, HMS professor of psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Gutheil has previously served as president of the academy, and he is on the board of editors for the IALMH’s publication, the International Journal of Law and Psychiatry. The Thomas Gutheil Award will be given to a distinguished member of the Francophonie of the Academy for accomplishments in the field of “humanistic forensic practice.” The first such award was presented at the academy’s annual meeting earlier this month.
Two students from HMS, Gretchen Domek and Theodore Nyame, have been named 2009 Massachusetts Medical Society Scholars. The scholars awards are presented annually to fourth-year medical students who demonstrate excellent academic performance, community involvement and financial need. Each honoree receives a $10,000 scholarship. Domek has volunteered and conducted research in South Africa at an AIDS orphanage, highlighting the struggles of children afflicted with AIDS. The research resulted in several awards, including a Lancet perspectives piece and an article in The Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, and inspired her decision to pursue pediatrics. While in medical school, Nyame returned to his native Ghana, which he left as a young boy, to work at a government hospital. There, he observed the devastating effects of limited healthcare resources. That trip reaffirmed his commitment to help serve the people of Ghana and those in underserved communities in the United States. He hopes to become a surgeon.
A return-on-investment calculator developed by HMS researchers received the Best Prevention Idea of the Week award from Partnership for Prevention, a policy and advocacy organization. The calculator was developed to measure the value of healthcare prevention services and was tested by the Family Van, an HMS-based mobile healthcare resource for underserved neighborhoods in Boston. The van, which was cofounded by HMS dean for students Nancy Oriol, provides screening, testing and education in areas such as nutrition, weight management, diabetes, heart disease and pregnancy. The calculator found that for every dollar invested, the Family Van saves the community $36 in healthcare costs.
The Cancer Research Institute has presented Frederick Alt, the Charles A. Janeway professor of pediatrics and professor of genetics, and Klaus Rajewsky, the Fred S. Rosen professor of pediatrics and professor of pathology, both at Children’s Hospital Boston and the Immune Disease Institute, with the 2009 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology. They were recognized for their fundamental contributions to the understanding of B cell development and function and the mechanisms underlying B cell lymphomagenesis.
Several members of the HMS community were recently elected to leadership positions on the Massachusetts Hospital Association’s board of trustees. Dennis Keefe, CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance, will serve as chair-elect (equivalent to vice chairman) and Peter Slavin, president of Massachusetts General Hospital, will serve as secretary. In addition, Paul Levy, president and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, was elected chair of the Clinical Issues Advisory Council and David Storto, president of Partners Continuing Care, was made a trustee-at-large.
The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) has announced that six physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are among the first to earn the new Fellow in Hospital Medicine designation. Among those recognized during a recent convention are Alex Carbo, assistant professor of medicine; David Feinbloom, assistant professor of medicine; Joseph Li, assistant professor of medicine; Melissa Mattison, instructor in medicine; Anjala Tess, assistant professor of medicine; and Nancy Torres-Finnerty, instructor in medicine. The BID faculty are among a group of 500 chosen by the society from nearly 30,000 hospitalists in the country. The designation was created to recognize hospitalists who have achieved unique accomplishments in the field of hospital medicine. To be designated a fellow, an applicant must be a hospitalist for five years and a member of SHM for three years. Successful candidates must demonstrate dedication to quality and process improvement and commitment to organizational teamwork and leadership.
The American Psychiatric Association has presented Margarita Alegría, HMS professor of psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance, with the Simon Bolivar Award, which honors a prominent Hispanic statesman or spokesperson and raises awareness of the problems and goals of Hispanics. Alegría is director of the Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research at Cambridge Health Alliance and researches disparities in mental health and substance abuse services.
Robyn Birdwell, HMS associate professor of radiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has been inducted as a fellow by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The induction took place at a formal convocation ceremony during the recent 86th ACR Annual Meeting and Chapter Leadership conference in Washington, D.C. Birdwell is also a section head in the Division of Breast Imaging at BWH.
Michael Chernew is a recipient of the National Institute for Healthcare Management Foundation’s Health Care Research Award, which recognizes outstanding work that furthers innovation in healthcare financing, delivery and organization or the implementation of healthcare policy. Chernew, an HMS professor of healthcare policy, received the award for a Health Affairs paper titled “Impact of Decreasing Copayments on Medication Adherence Within a Disease Management Environment.” He shares the honor with his coauthors on the paper.
The Massachusetts Medical Society has named Joseph Dorsey, HMS clinical professor of medicine, the 2009 recipient of the Henry Ingersoll Bowditch Award for Excellence in Public Health. The award is given to a Massachusetts physician who demonstrates creativity, initiative, innovation and leadership in the public health and advocacy fields. Dorsey was honored for his advocacy and public service, which includes volunteering in Walpole’s Medical Reserve Corps.
Jesse Ehrenfeld, HMS instructor in anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital, has been elected vice speaker of the house of delegates of the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS). The House of Delegates is the legislative and policy-making body of MMS, a professional association for physicians, residents and medical students throughout the Commonwealth.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital has appointed Paul Farmer, the Maude and Lillian Presley professor of social medicine, as chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at the hospital. He succeeds Jim Yong Kim, who left to become president of Dartmouth College. Among many accomplishments in the field of global health, Farmer founded the country’s first residency in medicine and global health equity at BWH.
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists installed Jeffrey Garber, HMS associate professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and chief of endocrinology at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, as president of the association at the annual meeting last month. As president, Garber will preside at all meetings of the board of directors and executive committee and at all meetings of the membership and ensure that all actions and resolutions are carried out, as well as serve as the association’s principal spokesperson.
Alfred Goldberg, HMS professor of cell biology, received an honorary degree from the Watson Graduate School at Cold Spring Harbor in recognition of his scientific contributions and for his contributions to the undergraduate research participation program. His laboratory is studying the regulation and mechanisms of protein breakdown in animal and bacterial cells.
Todd Golub, HMS associate professor of pediatrics at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, was awarded the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Memorial Award from the American Association for Cancer Research. The Rosenthal award recognizes early-career investigators who have made or show promise to make a notable contribution to improved clinical care in the field of cancer. Golub’s research has contributed to development of diagnostic tests, and his current research in genomics has led to potential new treatments for acute myeloid leukemia, prostate cancer and Ewing sarcoma.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has named Michael Greenberg, the Nathan Marsh Pusey professor of neurobiology at HMS and head of that department, the recipient of the Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize. The Perl Prize recognizes a seminal achievement in neuroscience and was awarded to Greenberg for his discovery of signaling pathways underlying activity-regulated gene transcription in neurons.
Dennis Keefe, CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance, has been named the 2009 Massachusetts Healthcare Executive of the Year by the American College of Healthcare Executives. Recipients are selected based on qualities such as leadership ability, innovative and creative management, executive capability in developing their own organization and promoting its growth and stature in the community and contributions to the development of others in the healthcare profession.
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) has honored Joseph Kvedar, founder and director of the Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare, with the Individual Leadership Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the advancement of connected health and telemedicine. Kvedar, an HMS associate professor of dermatology at HMS, was also inducted into the ATA College of Fellows at the association’s annual meeting in April.
The American Diabetes Association presented the Kelly West Award for Outstanding Achievement in Epidemiology to James Meigs, HMS associate professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, at the association’s annual meeting in June. Meigs was honored for his research on the biochemical and genetic causes of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and for his focus on translating clinical research findings into innovations to improve type 2 diabetes prevention and care.
Alexander Meissner, an assistant professor in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University, was named a Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Awards are given to early-career scientists who display outstanding promise in research relevant to the advancement of human health. As a Pew Scholar, Meissner will receive $240,000 over four years to support his research, which is focused on understanding how pluripotent stem cells are dynamically programmed through epigenetic changes.
Samara Reck-Peterson, HMS assistant professor of cell biology, was named a Milton E. Cassel Scholar by the Rita Allen Foundation. The Rita Allen Foundation supports scientists who are in the early stages of their research careers and who study cancer, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, neuroscience or the development of euphorics and analgesics for the terminally ill. Reck-Peterson’s laboratory is focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying intracellular transport and cell division, in particular the roles played by microtubules and microtubule-based molecular motors.
Brett Simon has joined Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine. He comes from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, where he has spent the past 17 years. In the clinic, Simon works with patients undergoing major abdominal, vascular, transplant and thoracic surgery, and in the lab he focuses on functional lung imaging, lung mechanics and acute lung injury.
Matthew Vander Heiden, HMS instructor in medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is a recipient of the 2009 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award for Medical Scientists. The Career Award for Medical Scientists is a five-year, $700,000 bridge grant that supports the last years of a mentored position and the beginning years of an independent position. Vander Heiden received the award for his project “Metabolic control of cancer cell proliferation by pyruvate kinase M2.”
HST graduate student Geoffrey von Maltzahn has been named winner of the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, which honors an MIT senior or graduate student who has demonstrated innovation and invention in his or her field. Von Maltzahn is working to combine nanotechnology, medicine and engineering to improve tumor detection and revolutionize chemotherapy treatment, such as through use of gold nanorods, very small particles that are designed to absorb infrared radiation, to detect and destroy tumor cells. His adviser is MIT professor Sangeeta Bhatia.
Bruce Yankner, HMS professor of pathology and professor of neurology at Children’s Hospital Boston, received the Nathan W. Shock award from the National Institute on Aging. This award recognizes a scientist who has made significant contributions to the understanding of basic mechanisms of aging. As part of the award, Yankner will also give the Nathan W. Shock Memorial Lecture.
Anne Cataldo, HMS associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Laboratories for Molecular Neuropathology at McLean Hospital, died on April 13. She was 57.
Cataldo received her BA from Emmanuel College in 1974, her MAT from Harvard University in 1975 and her PhD from the University of Maryland in 1986. She joined the HMS community in 1985 as a research associate in neuropathology. She became an instructor in psychiatry (neuropathology) in 1990 and was promoted to assistant professor of psychiatry in 1995 and associate professor of psychiatry in 1999. She was appointed director of the Laboratories for Molecular Neuropathology in 1999.
Cataldo’s research focused on advancing the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease through research on the cellular mechanisms associated with the pathogenesis of sporadic and familial forms of the disease. She was well known for her ability to collaborate with her colleagues at McLean and across institutions. Cataldo published more than 50 original reports and numerous book chapters and review articles. She also played a principal role in the development of several patents.
Cataldo was widely respected as a laboratory preceptor, who supervised and mentored medical, graduate and postgraduate students as well as postdoctoral research fellows. She participated and lectured in courses on the pathobiology of Alzheimer’s and served as an adviser to graduate students at Harvard University and Nathan Kline Institute/New York University.
Cataldo is survived by her husband, Peter Paskevich, HMS research associate in psychiatry and senior vice president for research administration at McLean; two step-children, Andrew and Laurie Paskevich; her mother, Virginia Cataldo; her brother, Henry Cataldo; her sister, Donna Taft; and nieces and nephews.
Don Fawcett, the Hersey and James Stillman professor emeritus of comparative anatomy, died on May 7. He was 92.
Fawcett received his AB from Harvard College in 1938 and his MD from HMS in 1942. In 1943 he was commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps and served as a battalion surgeon in the European theater in World War II. His medical education was interrupted for two years when he was stationed in Panama in the Army Medical Corps. He rejoined the HMS community in 1946 and became a research fellow in anatomy at HMS under the leadership of George Wislocki.
He rose to the rank of assistant professor of anatomy before assuming the position of chair of the Department of Anatomy at Cornell Medical School in 1955. He returned to HMS four years later to succeed Wislocki as chair of the Department of Anatomy and the Hersey and James Stillman professorship of comparative anatomy. He also served HMS as senior associate dean for preclinical sciences from 1975 to 1977.
Fawcett was a pioneer in the use of electron microscopy in the early 1950s and brought cellular structure and function to the world’s attention. He published more than 200 papers on cell biology, describing in particular the structure and function of components of the male reproductive system, liver, and cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues. He provided the first descriptions of many cell organelles and discovered new ones. He was the author of several editions of a classic histology textbook (Fawcett and Bloom) as well as The Cell, an atlas of fine structure.
Fawcett was a cofounder and first president of the American Society for Cell Biology and served on the editorial boards of nine journals. He was the recipient of numerous honors, including nine honorary degrees and election to the National Academy of Sciences. His photographic images of African and North American wildlife and wildflowers have been widely exhibited and published. His artistry is also highlighted in multiple drawings that illustrate his texts.
After retiring from HMS in 1981, he was a senior research scientist and director of electron microscopy at the International Laboratory for Research in Animal Diseases in Nairobi, Kenya. He moved to Montana in 1988.
Fawcett is survived by his wife of 68 years, Dorothy Seacrest Fawcett of Montana; his sons, Bob Fawcett of New Hampshire and Joe Fawcett of Montana; two daughters, Mary Papish of Hawaii and Dona Boggs of Montana; a nephew, Ken Fawcett of Iowa; 13 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions to the American Society for Cell Biology (8120 Woodmont Ave., Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20817) for its half-century fund to create a Don Fawcett memorial travel award to support students’ attendance at ASCB meetings.
D. Mark Hegsted, who was instrumental in the development of the federal “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” died on June 16 at the age of 95. Hegsted was a founding member of the Department of Nutrition at HSPH, among the first such departments in a medical or public health school in the world.
Hegsted’s research demonstrated the effects of specific dietary fats and cholesterol on serum cholesterol levels. His studies of calcium, iron and protein broadened the understanding of dietary requirements to promote good health.
Hegsted made major contributions to the seminal “Dietary Goals for Americans,” the predecessor to “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” published by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and of Agriculture and serve as the foundation of federal food and nutrition education programs.
“We have lost a luminary in the field of human nutrition who worked assiduously to elucidate the links between diet and health,” said Julio Frenk, dean of HSPH.
Hegsted graduated from the University of Idaho in 1936. He earned a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin in 1940 and worked as a research chemist at the Abbott Laboratories in Chicago for one year before joining the newly established HSPH Department of Nutrition. In 1962, he became a professor of nutrition. In 1978, he was named administrator of human nutrition in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. From 1982 to 1984, he served as the associate director for research at the New England Primate Research Center at HMS.
In 2007, Hegsted received the School of Public Health’s Professor Emeritus Award of Merit. An annual lecture at the School—the Stare-Hegsted Lecture—is named after him and Fredrick Stare, the founding chair of the HSPH Department of Nutrition.
Hegsted is survived by his son, Eric Hegsted, Eric’s wife, Anne Macaire, and grandsons Charles and William Hegsted, all of Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; granddaughter, Camilla Franck, and great-granddaughter, Sarah Hespe, both of New York City; and sisters, Beth Parkinson and Helen Pratt. He was predeceased by his wife, Maxine Scow Hegsted.
Phyllis Jen, HMS associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, died in a tragic motor vehicle accident on Tuesday, April 21. She was 60.
Jen received her BS from Brown University in 1969 and her MD from SUNY Downstate Medical Center in 1975. Following an internship at Stanford University, she joined the HMS community as a resident in medicine at BWH. She would remain at BWH throughout her career, serving as an internist and as the medical director of Brigham Internal Medicine Associates for 27 years.
Jen served HMS as an assistant professor of medicine from 1991 to 2001 and was promoted to associate professor of medicine in 2001. She was known as a master clinician, widely recognized as one of the top-rated physicians in internal medicine. She made major contributions to clinical training, continuing medical education and the supervision and mentoring of residents and trainees. Jen served as editor-in-chief for the online version of the Harvard Family Health Guide and was also recognized for her community service, especially for her work to help the poor and uninsured receive medical care.
Jen is survived by her husband, Robert Schlauch; sons, Michael and Daniel; daughter, Amy; and sisters, May Koo of Mountain View, Calif., Linda Jacobson of Pittsburg, Penn., and Erica Jen of Brookline. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Phyllis Jen Memorial Fund, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA 02114.
Lorna Johnson, lecturer on obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at the New England Primate Research Center, died on Feb. 21. She was 88.
Johnson received her BA from Barnard College in 1941 and her MD from New York University School of Medicine in 1944. She met her husband, Robert Johnson, at the Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City, where they participated in the rescue of victims from the B-25 plane crash into the Empire State Building. They moved to Framingham, Mass., in 1953.
Johnson joined the HMS community in 1955 as an assistant in pathology. She ran the cervical cancer clinic at the Boston Lying-in Hospital, where she became an expert in cervical cancer. She went on to serve on the staff at NEPRC for more than 30 years, first as principal associate and then as lecturer on obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology.
She joined Arthur Hertig in 1966 in what was then the Division of Pathobiology at NEPRC. She studied the pathologic anatomy of the nonhuman primate reproductive tract and made major contributions to NEPRC’s programs in herpesvirus oncogenicity, ulcerative colitis and carcinoma of the colon.
Johnson believed in giving to her community. She coordinated fundraising for the medical library at the Framingham Union Hospital, now the Metro West Medical Center; the Framingham Union Nursing School, now the Cancer Center; and the first Historic District in Framingham. She was also instrumental in improving the Framingham school system while serving on the school committee, first as a member and then as chair.
Johnson was predeceased by her husband, Robert; her daughter, Laurel “Muffin” Lyons of Woodsville, N.H.; and son, James Samuel “Sam” Johnson. She is survived by her daughter, Amy Johnson, of Rochester, Mass.; her son, Robert Johnson Jr. of Framingham; and three grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the James Samuel Johnson Scholarship Fund for Young Artists, c/o Stephen W. Price, Treasurer/Tax Collector, 150 Concord Street, Framingham, MA 01702.
John Mislow, a fifth-year resident and clinical fellow in neurosurgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, died June 11. He was 39.
Mislow and Andrew Swanson, a medical school friend and orthopedic surgeon in Minneapolis, died while climbing Mount McKinley in Alaska’s Denali National Park. In 2000, they received the Denali Pro Award for safety, self-sufficiency and assisting fellow climbers.
A graduate of Princeton with a BS in geophysical sciences, Mislow earned his MD and PhD in Pathology from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. It was there that he met his wife, Linda Wang, HMS instructor of dermatology at BWH. Both had entered medical school after other careers, Wang as a lawyer and Mislow as a researcher in geophysics and environmental conservation. They married in 2000, and, upon graduating from medical school in 2004, he came to BWH to complete his residency in neurosurgery.
Leigh Hochberg, HMS instructor in neurology at MGH and neuroengineer at Brown University, said, “John’s neurosurgery expertise and scientific insights contributed enormously to the design of a system to help people with paralysis and other neurologic disorders.”
In addition to his wife; two children, Max, 3, and Jack, almost 2; and parents, Mislow is survived by one brother, Christopher Mislow, of Charlottesville, Va.
Two funds have been established in Mislow’s memory. One will support an annual neurosciences lectureship program that will alternate between Brown University and BWH. Checks can be made out to Brown University, with a note that they are to go to the John Mislow Memorial Fund, and sent to Brown University, Gift Cashier, Box 1877, Providence, RI 02912.
The second is the John Mislow and Andrew Swanson Denali Pro Award Memorial Fund, to recognize mountaineers who reflect the highest standards in the sport for safety, self-sufficiency, assisting other mountaineers and “leave-no-trace” environmental practices. Checks may be made out to the Denali National Park and Preserve, with a note that the funds are directed to the Mislow & Swanson fund, and sent to John Mislow & Andrew Swanson Denali Pro Award Memorial Fund, Talkeetna Ranger Station, PO Box 588, Talkeetna, AK 99676.
John Nemiah, HMS professor emeritus of psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, died on May 11. He was 90 years old.
Nemiah received his BA from Yale University in 1940 and his MD from HMS in 1943. His medical training was interrupted for two years when he was stationed in Panama in the Army Medical Corps. He rejoined the HMS community in 1948 and completed his training in psychiatry at Boston City Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.
He remained at MGH through 1967. While there, he held various hospital positions, from psychiatrist and psychoanalyst to acting head of the Department of Psychiatry from 1965 to 1967. He was promoted through the ranks at HMS and became professor of psychiatry in 1968. Nemiah moved to what was then Beth Israel Hospital as psychiatrist in chief in 1967. He retired as professor emeritus of psychiatry in 1985.
Nemiah wrote Foundations of Psychopathology, a widely used textbook that was published in 1961 and authored many scientific papers. He also served as editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry from 1978 to 1993. Under his 15-year tenure, several changes were introduced. He required that each manuscript receive at least two peer reviews and instituted a system to track the reviews by computer. He also implemented a statistical review of all manuscripts and brought the journal into the age of computer desktop publishing so that all copyediting was done in-house to ensure continuity.
After his retirement from BID, he moved back to New Hampshire, where he continued to serve as the American Journal of Psychiatry editor in addition to teaching at Dartmouth Medical School.
Nemiah was predeceased by his wife of 30 years, Muriel (Harris) Nemiah Geist, with whom he raised his three children, and by his wife of 32 years, Margarete Nemiah. He is survived by a daughter Ann Conway of Hollis, N.H.; two sons, James of Bedford, Mass. and David of Fairfield, Conn.; a stepdaughter, Elaine Cohen of Oxford, England; and eight grandchildren.
Memorial donations can be made to the Employee Scholarship Fund c/o The Huntington at Nashua, 55 Kent Lane, Nashua, N.H. 03062.
