Recent News

June 12, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Feinberg School Awarded $4 Million to Train Vascular Medicine Specialists CHICAGO—Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine has been awarded $4 million from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to train vascular medicine specialists. Northwestern is one of seven institutions around the country[…]

Legal Landscape Affects Practice of Medicine Feinberg School faculty member Katie Watson, JD, discusses recent U.S. Supreme Court cases of special interest to physicians. Katherine (Katie) L. Watson, JD, lecturer in the Medical Humanities & Bioethics Program at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, says the legal landscape affecting the practice of medicine is changing[…]

Former Medical School Dean Harvey Colten Dies Harvey R. Colten, MD, who served as medical school dean and vice president for medical affairs at Northwestern University from 1997–99, died May 24 at New York Presbyterian Hospital of complications from colon cancer. He was 68. A native of Houston, Dr. Colten received his undergraduate degree from[…]

May 8, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Researcher Explores Estrogen’s Effect on Seizures CHICAGO—In more than a third of women with epilepsy, seizures fluctuate across the menstrual cycle, due in part to continually fluctuating effects of estrogen on the neural circuitry in the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in[…]

Graduates Reminded to Listen for Patients’ Stories The official Feinberg School of Medicine graduation convocation program listed 162 members of the Class of 2007 who received their MD degrees during ceremonies held May 18 at Navy Pier. Dean Lewis Landsberg, MD, who welcomed the 1,500 or so family and friends in attendance and congratulated the[…]

Medical Examiner Seeks Justice for Crime Victims Dr. Yvonne Milewski, chief medical examiner for Suffolk County, New York, has traveled to places such as Croatia and Kosovo as a volunteer for Physicians for Human Rights. Forensic pathology is oftentimes about life as much is it is about death. As a medical examiner, Yvonne I. Milewski,[…]

May 22, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Genetic Marker Linked to Aggressive Prostate Cancer CHICAGO—Northwestern University researchers have discovered that a recently identified genetic marker for prostate cancer is linked to a highly aggressive form of the disease. These findings ultimately will aid the development of a simple blood test to[…]

Student to Help Incarcerated Women Relieve Stress through Yoga Practicing yoga has brought medical student Adrienne R. Hampton so much physical and spiritual joy that she figures others—particularly the medically underserved—could benefit from a little “downward-facing dog” in their lives. One of 30 health profession students recently selected for the 2007–08 Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows[…]

May 8, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Scientists Work to Reverse Cancer CellsCHICAGO—In earlier work, Northwestern University scientist Mary J.C. Hendrix, PhD, and colleagues discovered that aggressive melanoma cells (but not normal skin cells nor less aggressive melanoma cells) contain specific proteins similar to those found in embryonic stem cells. This[…]

May 22, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Study Finds Drug-Coated Stents Safe for Coronary Artery Blockages CHICAGO—A Northwestern University study reports reassuring news for millions of patients with drug-coated stents to treat coronary artery blockages. The medicated stents are generally safe and effective whether they are used for blockages approved by[…]

Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Linda Teplin Tracks Health of Youth Who Fall Between the Cracks CHICAGO—During polite chitchat at cocktail parties, someone will ask Linda A. Teplin, PhD, what she does for a living. Dr. Teplin then rivets guests with stories about her research on youth in the juvenile justice system—their[…]

Terra Incognita Premieres at Northwestern When college student Carrie Kaufman suffered a debilitating spinal cord injury after diving off a pier into a Wisconsin lake, friends quickly pulled her from the water. Although unable to move her arms and legs, Carrie had the presence of mind to offer advice to her frantic companions, according to[…]

April 12, 2007 Two Researchers Work to Unravel Mysteries of the Aging BrainAmericans are living longer thanks to advances in treating major diseases, but the new longevity exposes them to a greater threat to the aging brain’s vulnerability to degenerative disorders. Two Northwestern University researchers working to unravel the mysteries of neurodegenerative disorders and their[…]

April 30, 2007 Helen Binns Tackles Lead Poisoning in Children Pediatrician Dr. Helen Binns (left) and attorney Anita Weinberg have served together on the Illinois Lead-Safe Housing Task Force for a decade. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Illinois leads the nation in the number of lead-poisoned children, a fact that[…]

April 24, 2007 Depression May Cause Diabetes in Older Adults Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu CHICAGO—Chronic depression or depression that worsens over time may cause diabetes in older adults, according to new Northwestern University research. This is the first national study to suggest that depression alone—and not lifestyle factors sich as being[…]

April 2, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Disabled People Hit Huge Roadblocks in Routine Health Care CHICAGO—Rachel steered her wheelchair into a Chicago-area medical center for a series of upper gastrointestinal tract tests. But when Rachel, who has cerebral palsy, entered the radiology lab, the technician told her she had to[…]

Silent Auction Proceeds Benefit Student Groups Among the 100 medical students helping to make the 2007 Silent Auction Fundraiser a success are (from left) Martin Pham, Arjun Venkatesh, Meghan O’Halloran, and Nafis Ahmed. On April 12 approximately 300 members of the Feinberg School community enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, live classical music, and elegant Indian Garba dancing[…]

Trying to Bring Evidence-Based Practice to Behavioral Medicine How do behavioral scientists and practitioners incorporate the latest evidence-based interventions in their field into clinical practice and share them with other disciplines? Not easily, according to Bonnie J. Spring, PhD, professor of preventive medicine. Unlike the infrastructure that has evolved in evidence-based medicine to promote the[…]