Recent News

Garbes Honored as Employee of the Year Eleni Garbes, Employee of the Year for the Chicago campus (right), and finalist Andrena Logan. The University recently recognized a Feinberg School employee in its selection of outstanding staff members from both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Honored on May 3 at Northwestern’s annual staff recognition luncheon held[…]

Contact: Megan Fellman at (847) 491-3115 or atfellman@northwestern.edu Researchers Link Brain Region to Fly Slumber EVANSTON, Ill.—Researchers at Northwestern University have pinpointed a brain area in flies that is crucial to sleep, raising interesting speculation over the purpose of sleep and its possible link with learning and memory. In a paper published June 8 by[…]

Laimins Named Microbiology–Immunology Chair Laimonis A. “Lou” Laimins, PhD, professor of microbiology—immunology and a faculty member at Northwestern University’s medical school since 1994, has been appointed department chair, effective June 1. He had served as interim chair since January 2004. Born in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, Dr. Laimins earned his BS degree in physics from Case Western[…]

June 2, 2006 Northwestern Researchers Work on Regeneration of Limbs Over six to eight weeks the newt can regenerate a limb after injury, as shown here in a sequence where the lighter color represents the newly formed forelimb. CHICAGO—Partial or complete loss of digits or limbs and deforming disabilities resulting from serious illness profoundly affect[…]

Tattoos and Piercings Go Mainstream, but Risks Continue CHICAGO—Almost a fourth of men and women between ages 18 and 50 currently sport a tattoo, and almost 15 percent have at least one body piercing, according to a survey from Northwestern University. Survey results were published in the June issue of the Journal of the American[…]

May 2, 2006 Contact: Megan Fellman at (847) 491-3115 or atfellman@northwestern.edu Discoveries Should Aid Research into Cause of ALS EVANSTON, Ill.—Two teams of researchers at Northwestern University have found a novel pathological hallmark of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the molecular level. The neurologists and biochemists show how and why the mutated[…]

May 18, 2006 Program Launched to Treat Skin Problems from Anticancer Drugs CHICAGO—Northwestern University has launched the nation’s first program to treat skin conditions resulting from anticancer drugs. The Cancer Skin Care (Cancer Study of Chemotherapy-Induced Cutaneous Adverse Reactions) Program was established to develop research and clinical management strategies for skin conditions in cancer patients[…]

Children’s Memorial Hospital to Move to StreetervilleAfter reviewing various sites in the city of Chicago, Children’s Memorial Hospital’s (CMH) board of directors voted unanimously on April 4 to begin planning for a $800 million replacement hospital in the Streeterville area. This would place the Feinberg School of Medicine and its primary pediatric teaching hospital (affiliated[…]

Graduates Sent Off to Next Phase of Medical Careers On a cool spring day, with vistas of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan around them, 143 members of the Class of 2006 at the Feinberg School of Medicine received their MD degrees during graduation ceremonies held May 19 at Navy Pier. Eight other graduates did[…]

Health Care Fraud Growing, Says Lisa Madigan As attorney general of Illinois, Lisa Madigan serves as the “people’s lawyer,” protecting consumers from fraudulent practices, recovering restitution on their behalf, and educating them about emerging scams. So why was she the keynote speaker at the Buehler Center on Aging’s long-term care conference held May 22 at[…]

May 9, 2006 Genetic Risk Factor for Prostate Cancer DiscoveredCHICAGO—Scientists from The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University participated in the discovery of a common genetic variant that predisposes men to prostate cancer. The gene discovery is described in a study in the online issue of Nature Genetics and will appear in[…]

May 2, 2006 University Receives $3.5 Million in Stem Cell Grants EVANSTON—Northwestern University has received almost $3.5 million in grants from the State of Illinois that will fund three stem cell research projects. The awards came from the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute (IMRI), which issues grants to medical research facilities for the development of treatments[…]

In Memoriam (Howard Lieberman) Howard L. Lieberman, MD, GME ’49, professor of clinical ophthalmology, died of respiratory failure March 17 in Chicago; he was 83. Born and raised on Chicago’s North Side, Dr. Lieberman received his MD degree from the University of Illinois in 1946. There he met his future wife, Natalie. They were married[…]

March 28, 2006 Contact: Megan Fellman at (847) 491-3115 or atfellman@northwestern.edu New ‘Litmus Test’ Could Aid Discovery of Anti-Cancer Drugs EVANSTON, Ill.—Using the unusual color properties of gold at the nanoscale, scientists at Northwestern University have developed a “litmus test” for DNA and small molecule binding that eventually could be used by pharmaceutical companies to[…]

Accepted Students Take a Second Look Accepted students and their hosts are treated to Chicago-style deep-dish pizza on Friday. Nearly 250 guests arrived at the Feinberg School of Medicine for Second Look Weekend April 6–8. This number included nearly 150 newly accepted students plus friends, spouses, and other family members. Sponsored by the Office of[…]

April 18, 2006 Markers Inherited, Raise Heart Disease, Diabetes Risk CHICAGO—Menstrual irregularity and unhealthy metabolic traits associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are inherited and persist with age, putting women with PCOS at a high risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. That finding is reported in a new study published April 17 in[…]

March 28, 2006 Magnesium-Rich Diet May Reduce Metabolic Syndrome Risk CHICAGO—A magnesium rich-diet may help reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and, perhaps, a heart attack or diabetes, Northwestern University researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk factors, including excess waist[…]

April 4, 2006 Early Diagnosis Important in Muscle Disorder CHICAGO—Dermatomyositis, a rare, debilitating inflammatory disease, should be diagnosed and treated promptly in children, Northwestern University researchers recommend. Dermatomyositis is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks muscle and skin, often causing an extensive rash, as well as progressive, severe muscle weakness, pain,[…]

Michael Ravitch Lecture Series Takes Off When long-time Northwestern medical educator Michael M. Ravitch, PhD, suffered a stroke in 1997, he was catapulted into the world of the disabled. Upon his death in 2004, his family and friends established a lecture series in his memory to recognize three things: His many contributions to medical education—he[…]