Recent News

December 16, 2003 Early Fitness Protects Middle Age Hearts CHICAGO— Fitness in early adulthood greatly reduces the likelihood of developing high blood pressure and diabetes—both major risk factors for heart disease and stroke—in middle age, a new study has found. Reporting in the December 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association ,[…]

Ceremony Honors New Lurie Research Center Weathering the brisk morning air on December 18, Feinberg School students and faculty and staff members joined Northwestern dignitaries and donors to participate in the “topping out” of the new Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center of Northwestern University. In one of the construction industry’s oldest traditions, a ceremonial[…]

December 10, 2003 Edible Urban Plants Found to Contain Lead EVANSTON, Ill. — Chicago has one of the highest rates of lead poisoning in the United States, an extremely persistent health problem that particularly plagues urban areas. Now a new study by Northwestern University researchers shows that edible plants grown in urban gardens could contain[…]

December 16, 2003 Contact: Megan Fellman at (847) 491-3115 or atfellman@northwestern.edu A Little Stress May Be Good EVANSTON, ILL.— We’ve often heard that red wine and dark chocolate in moderation can be good for you. Now it appears that a little stress may be beneficial too. Northwestern University scientists have shown that elevated levels of[…]

In Memoriam (Louis Boshes) Louis D. Boshes, MD ’36, GME ’49, former professor of neurology and psychiatry, died November 9 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital; he was 95. Dr. Boshes earned his undergraduate degree at Northwestern in 1931, followed by his MD degree in 1936. He completed internship and residency at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical[…]

November 11, 2003 Coping Behaviors Linked to Female Chromosome CHICAGO— Coping behaviors appear to be linked to at least three genes on the X, or female, chromosome, Feinberg School of Medicine researchers report. Therefore, males, who are XY, inherit coping behaviors from their mothers, while females, who are XX, can inherit coping behaviors from each[…]

November 4, 2003 Broadcast Media: Tamara Kerrill Field at (847) 491-4888 or attlk@northwestern.edu Among Elderly, Depression More Prevalent in Hispanics and Blacks CHICAGO— Elderly Hispanics and African Americans have higher rates of depression than their white counterparts, due largely to greater health burdens and lack of health insurance, a Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine[…]

November 11, 2003 Estrogen Shrinks Some Breast Tumors CHICAGO— Striking, paradoxical discoveries by Feinberg School of Medicine researchers suggest that low levels of estrogen—the same hormone that promotes breast cancer in its early stages—can shrink breast tumors that have developed resistance to the drugs tamoxifen and raloxifene. The findings are described in two studies by[…]

Greenland Named Editor of Archives of Internal Medicine Philip Greenland, MD, Dingman Professor of Cardiology and chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Feinberg School, has been named chief editor of the Archives of Internal Medicine effective January 1, 2004. Founded in 1908, the semimonthly journal has a circulation of more than 100,000.[…]

Health SmartLibrary Brings New Information Management Tools The Galter Health Sciences Library celebrated the launching of its new Web Site, the Health SmartLibrary (HSL), on Thursday, November 20, with hands-on demonstrations, discussions, and more from 10 a.m.– 2 p.m. in the Method Atrium of the Feinberg School of Medicine. Says library director James Shedlock, AMLS,[…]

November 7, 2003 Impatient, Hostile Young Adults at Risk for High Blood Pressure CHICAGO— Young adults who are impatient and hostile are at risk for developing high blood pressure, and consequently, cardiovascular disease, as they get older, a Northwestern University study found. The study, results of which were published in the October 22 issue of[…]

For Healthy Holidays, Take it from the Pros Nutritionists are human too. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, they face winter holiday treats and food traditions just like the rest of us. So how do they balance heart-healthy eating and exercise against the high-fat, high-calorie temptations of the season? Registered dieticians from the Feinberg School of[…]

November 4, 2003 Imagining Movement Aids Stroke Rehab CHICAGO— Imagining movement of arms and legs that have been weakened from stroke may facilitate functional recovery of affected limbs, a Feinberg School of Medicine study has found. The effects of stroke vary based on the type of stroke and its severity and location in the brain.[…]

November 11, 2003 Psychiatric Illness, Drug Abuse Common in Jailed Youth CHICAGO— A study by Feinberg School of Medicine researchers shows that about half of teens in juvenile detention have two or more psychiatric and substance abuse disorders. The study, conducted by Karen M. Abram, PhD; Linda A. Teplin, PhD; and co-researchers from the Psycho-Legal[…]

NU Named Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Research With a $5.5 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Northwestern has become the first Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease Research in the Midwest. Directed by D. James Surmeier, PhD, Nathan Smith Davis Professor and chair of physiology at the[…]

Poster Session Highlights Medical Student Research From signal transduction and malignant transformation of cells to functional magnetic resonance imaging of the heart and patient-physician communication in the hospice setting, Northwestern medical students made the most of research opportunities available through the Medical Student Summer Research Program. On October 30, 42 Feinberg School students presented their[…]

Medical Student Research Day Slated Last summer 44 medical students participated in research projects that took them into laboratories, operating rooms, and clinics with Feinberg School of Medicine faculty preceptors. On October 30, 42 students will display the results of their work at a poster session in the Method Atrium. From 4–6 p.m., the student[…]

Residents Practice Life-Saving Skills on “Cosmo” “Code Blue!” Most people have heard the term countless times on television dramas about hospitals and doctors, usually indicating a patient has gone into cardiac arrest. Because internal medicine residents are the first to respond to cardiac arrests at Northwestern-affiliated hospitals, Diane B. Wayne, MD, assistant professor of medicine[…]

In Memoriam (Lucita “Lucy” Rita) Lucida “Lucy” Rita, MD, GME ’64, associate professor emeritus of anesthesiology, died September 30 of subdural hematoma; she was 79. Born in Manilla, she completed her medical education at the University of the Philippines and obstetrics and gynecology residencies at St. Francis Hospital in Honolulu and Franklin Square Hospital in[…]