Recent News

Medical Students Meet Their Matches On March 18, “Match Day,” fourth-year Feinberg School of Medicine students learned where they will be going for the next phase of their medical careers. The day marked the culmination of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) in which graduating medical students are matched with residency positions in the specialties[…]

In Memoriam (Michael Ravitch) Michael M. Ravitch, PhD, associate professor and former director of the Office of Medical Education at the Feinberg School of Medicine, died February 27 in his Evanston, Illinois, home; he was 61. A native of Baltimore, Dr. Ravitch began undergraduate studies at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, wanting to[…]

Longtime Leader of Student Affairs Office to Step Down Compassionate. Understanding. Leader. Friend. Advocate. Words like these pepper conversations about Jack F. Snarr, PhD ’67, associate dean for student programs, who will be stepping down July 1 after 28 years in the position. What students and graduates see as special in Dr. Snarr is simply[…]

Former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher to Speak on February 25 Members of the Northwestern community are invited to attend presentations by former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, PhD, on February 25, at 1 p.m., in Pritzker Auditorium of Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH), 251 East Huron Street, Chicago, and 7 p.m. in the Coon[…]

Faculty Group Practice’s Cardiology Division Earns Kudos The Division of Cardiology at the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation (NMFF) was highlighted in the February 2004 issue of Good Housekeeping as the top cardiology program in Illinois. NMFF, the primary full-time faculty group practice of the Feinberg School of Medicine, comprises more than 500 physicians practicing in[…]

Few Disabled Kids Get Mental Health Care A study by a Northwestern University researcher has found that less than half of disabled children with psychosocial problems receive mental health care services. Moreover, the study found differences by age, race/ethnicity, and insurance coverage that suggest inequalities nationwide in access to treatment, underidentification of need, and substantial[…]

NUgene Enrolls 1,000th Participant Traditional banks depend on new deposits to grow and expand—a principle that applies to gene banks too. On January 29 Northwestern’s NUgene project celebrated the enrollment of its 1,000th participant and the recent completion of its pilot year. “Since our project launch in October 2002, NUgene has made significant progress,” says[…]

Amy Paller Named Dermatology Chair Amy S. Paller, MD, a Northwestern faculty member since 1988, has been named chair of the Department of Dermatology at the Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH), effective February 10. In a joint announcement, Lewis Landsberg, MD, Feinberg School dean and vice president for medical affairs, and[…]

February 3, 2004 Soybean Chemical May Treat Prostate Cancer CHICAGO— Genistein is a chemical found in soybeans that blocks development of prostate cancer in laboratory models of the disease. Now, a Feinberg School of Medicine study will determine whether genistein is effective in the treatment of prostate cancer in humans. The principal investigator for the[…]

More Study Needed on Protein-Cancer Link A preliminary study suggests that persistent inflammation, as indicated by increased levels of C-reactive protein in the blood, is a risk factor for the development of colon cancer. However, according to an editorial by Feinberg School of Medicine researcher Boris C. Pasche, MD, the link between chronic inflammation and[…]

All-Campus Research Day Slated for March 4 Approximately 150 poster presentations, plus break-out sessions and seminars, will be featured during the Feinberg School’s All-Campus Research Day on March 4. The event is sponsored by the Northwestern Medical Women Faculty Organization (WFO). Male and female faculty members and students from all disciplines are invited to attend.[…]

Northwestern Remembers Lou Boshes Dollie’s Corner, the leisure reading room of the medical library at the Feinberg School of Medicine, seemed an especially appropriate setting on January 20 for the Northwestern community to remember loyal alumnus and renowned neurologist Louis D. Boshes, MD. Holder of two degrees from Northwestern (BS 1931, MD 1936), Dr. Boshes[…]

January 6, 2004 Tips to Reduce Risk of ‘Cruise Ship Virus’ CHICAGO— Before you leave for that winter cruise, experts from the Travel Medicine and Immunization Center at the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation would like to have a few words with you: Viral gastroenteritis. Norwalk virus. “Cruise ship virus.” Viral gastroenteritis is an infection that[…]

In Memoriam (Oscar Davis) Oscar F. Davis, MD, associate professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine, died January 20 of cardiac arrest in his car in the parking lot of Northwestern Memorial Hospital after making rounds; he was 75. Dr. Davis held a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry[…]

Ultrasound, Liposomes Are New Diagnostic Tool One of the newest tools in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease and stroke combines a 40-year-old imaging technique and liposomes, little globules of soluble fats and water that circulate naturally throughout the bloodstream. The technique, developed by Feinberg School researcher David D. McPherson, MD, and colleagues with[…]

“Charlie and the Doctor Factory” Plays January 30 and 31 This year’s In Vivo production, “Charlie and the Doctor Factory,” will be presented Friday, January 30, and Saturday, January 31, on the Thorne Auditorium stage, located at 375 East Chicago Avenue, on Northwestern University’s Chicago campus. Showtime is 7 p.m. both nights. Tickets are $8[…]

Scientists Grow Neurons Using Nanostructures Scientists at Northwestern University have designed synthetic molecules that promote neuron growth, a promising development that could lead to the reversal of paralysis due to spinal cord injury. “We have created new materials that because of their chemical structure interact with cells of the central nervous system in ways that[…]

New PhD/MPH Program Offered A new program leading to both PhD and MPH degrees has been created by the Integrated Graduate Program in the Life Sciences (IGP) and the MPH Program of the Department of Preventive Medicine. This distinctive field of study will train students in both laboratory research and interdisciplinary public health fields. Graduates[…]

In Memoriam (George Pollock) George H. Pollock, MD, PhD, professor emeritus of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine, died of heart disease December 12 in a Houston hospital. He was 80. A native Chicagoan, Dr. Pollack graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago medical school in 1945. His experience treating[…]