Dr. David Satcher to Address Northwestern Medical Graduates Fomer U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, PhD, will speak to this year’s graduates of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine during graduation convocation May 24 at Navy Pier. One hundred sixty-nine graduates will receive MD degrees; five of them also will receive PhD degrees, three others MBA degrees, and 11 others MPH degrees. Dr. Satcher graduated from Morehouse College and Meharry Medical School, where he once served as president. Prior to his appointment as the 16th U.S. Surgeon General by former president Bill Clinton in 1998, Dr. Satcher had been director…
Author: medweb
May 15, 2002Tau Protein Required for Development of Alzheimer’s Disease CHICAGO— Researchers have argued for years over whether neurofibrillary tau tangles or beta-amyloid plaques are the primary cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Autopsies show that these hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease are often found in the same brain regions—preferentially in areas responsible for learning and memory—but investigators previously have been unable to identify a mechanism linking the two types of lesions. Now, a group of Northwestern University neuroscientists have reported the first evidence showing that tau must be present to enable beta-amyloid to induce the degeneration of brain cells that occurs in…
May 15, 2002Contact: Megan Fellman at (847) 491-3115 or atfellman@northwestern.eduTeen Sleep Deprivation May Affect Behavior, AcademicsEVANSTON, ILL.— Research has clarified what most parents already know about the sleep patterns of adolescents—they seem to have an unlimited capacity to sleep late on weekends. In a study presented April 18 at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Northwestern University researchers propose that teenagers need more sleep than they may be getting, and that sleeping late on weekends may be a result of relative sleep deprivation during the week. “Previous research has indicated that sleep-wake habits of teenagers vary from…
Children’s Memorial Dedicates Middle School Health CenterThanks to Children’s Memorial Hospital, Arai Middle School in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood has become the first Chicago public middle school to house a school-based health center. Recently dedicated, the center provides a range of services, including mental health screening, counseling, and dental care. Cynthia J. Mears, DO, assistant professor of pediatrics, heads the center with help from a nurse, community advocate, health educator, medical assistant, and office manager. In addition to benefiting middle school students, the center provides residents a valuable training environment in adolescent health.
April 12, 2002Built-in ‘Failsafe’ Blocks Abnormal Growth of New Blood VesselsCHICAGO— Some inhibitors of angiogenesis prevent new blood vessel growth by triggering a built-in “failsafe” device in vessel-forming endothelial cells that marks them for apoptosis, or programmed cell death, according to a study from The Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. By identifying the molecular mechanisms that control this failsafe device, it may be possible to design new anti-angiogenic drugs or to improve already existing drugs to prevent abnormal blood vessel growth, says Olga Volpert, assistant professor of…
A list of honors, awards, and faculty appointments from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Students and McGaw Medical Center Meet Their MatchesAt Match Day festivities on March 21, fourth-year medical students celebrated their future plans at a pub near campus with family and friends. Of the 165 graduating students, 54 matched in internal medicine. The next largest groups matched in pediatrics (20), surgery (19), and emergency medicine (15). Thirteen students chose transitional programs, 12 orthopaedic surgery, 8 obstetrics and gynecology, and 7 family medicine. Other specialties represented include anesthesiology (2), pathology (3), physical medicine and rehabilitation (3), psychiatry (2), and dermatology, neurological surgery, and neurology (1 each). At the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern…
NMH Honored for Patient CareNorthwestern Memorial Hospital recently garnered accolades for excellence in patient care. Consumers’ Checkbook, a Washington, D.C.âbased nonprofit consumer education organization, named NMH fifth on the list of “America’s Top Hospitals” in a 2002 national survey. The hospital’s Best Patient Experience (BPE) pilot project received the annual Patient Service Excellence Award from Sodexho Health Care Services and Modern Healthcare for its responsiveness to patients’ needs, preferences, and expectations. This national award goes to only one health care organization in the country each year. In the Consumers’ Checkbook survey, more than 1,300 acute care facilities were rated by…
Reunion Weekend a Big SuccessAlumni Weekend attracted more than 435 alumni and their guests to the medical school April 19â20. Keen interest in Northwestern’s progress made a state-of-the-school address, presented by Senior Executive Associate Dean and Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey C. Miller, a major attraction. Strongly attended, the update generated “lively discussion,” reported Assistant Dean for Alumni Relations Ginny Darakjian. A new campus demonstration in the minimally invasive surgery skills laboratory gave attendees an opportunity to experience a virtual reality trainer. The ever-popular tours of Chicago attractions such as the Adler Planetarium and Museum of Science and Industry had many…
Students Recognized with FellowshipsFour first-year medical students have been selected to participate in the 2002â03 Chicago Schweitzer Fellowship Program. They are Sara B. Busarow of Racine, Wisconsin; Benjamin Levi of Highland Park, Illinois; Carla A. Morgan, of Valparaiso, Indiana: and Anna E. Ringwelski, of Budd Lake, New Jersey. They and 23 colleagues from other Chicago schools will engage in year-long projects to provide health care to underserved populations in Chicago. Third-year student Shad Thaxton of Las Animas, Colorado, is the recipient of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute student research fellowship. Working with Chad A. Mirkin, PhD, George B. Rathmann Professor…