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Expanding Public Reporting of Surgical Outcomes
The newly created Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center received a grant for a project that uses performance data to assist patients in selecting high-quality hospitals for surgical procedures and encourages hospitals to improve their quality of care.
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Gottfried Verifies Model of Human Decision Making
Jay Gottfried, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, recently published research in Neuron that sheds light on researchers’ understanding of how the brain accumulates sensory information for efficient decision-making.
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Baker Honored for Contributions to Clinical Epidemiology
David Baker, MD, MPH, chief of general internal medicine and geriatrics, has been awarded the 2013 American College of Physicians’ Alvan R. Feinstein Award.
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A Mission to Bring Epidurals to China
At a recent anesthesiology meeting, Ling Qun Hu, MD, presented his findings from part of his 10-year “No Pain Labor N’ Delivery China Initiative.” His goal is to teach Chinese doctors in at least ten medical centers how to give epidurals to decrease high cesarean delivery rates.
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Research Shows Keeping Cardiovascular Risk Factors Low Adds Up to 14 Years to Life
If you have optimal heart health in middle age, you may live up to 14 years longer, free of cardiovascular disease, than your peers who have two or more cardiovascular disease risk factors, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.
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Investigating the Loss of Language
Tapping into resources only available at Northwestern, researchers at Feinberg have crafted a multidisciplinary study to investigate all aspects of primary progressive aphasia, a form of dementia.
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Studying the Properties, Mechanisms of Proteins
PhD candidates Samuel Light and Joshua Waitzman study how the smallest levels of biological processes work, with the hope that their discoveries will lead to new or better drug therapies. Both scientists recently received the inaugural Driskill Award for Outstanding Student Achievement, which recognizes research that has clinical and translational significance.
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Study Finds Women, Even Regular Exercisers, too Sedentary
Emerging research shows that prolonged sitting has significant health consequences, including an increased likelihood of developing a chronic condition such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.
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Exploring Bone Formation May Offer Insight into Birth Defects
Jacek Topczewski, PhD, research associate professor of pediatrics, is investigating how congenital malformations occur by focusing his lab on a specific family of proteins and their impact on cartilage formation.
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Montgomery Receives ASBH Lifetime Achievement Award
Kathryn Montgomery, PhD, Julia and David Uihlein Professor of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, is being honored with the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Assessing the Health of Chicago Communities
As part of the new curriculum, first-year medical students compiled information regarding health resources in 21 Chicago communities. Over the next few years, this project aims to have health data from all 77 Chicago communities, which they will make available to Northwestern physicians, who can use it to better understand their patients.
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PCOS Research Points to Gene Defect
With a five-year renewal of the Northwestern University Specialized Center for Research on Sex Differences, one of 11 National Institutes of Health-supported centers, Andrea Dunaif, MD, professor in medicine, is continuing her push to elevate the world’s understanding of polycystic ovary syndrome.
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Medical Simulation Brings New Training Tool to Urology
Simulators in use since June are helping residents and physicians in the Department of Urology learn and perfect their surgical skills. The state of the art technology is being tested as a means to improve real time skills by training doctors to perform minimally-invasive laser prostate procedures.
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Parkinson’s Breakthrough Could Slow Neurodegenerative Disease’s Progression
Parkinson’s, the second most common neurodegenerative disease, is caused by the death of dopamine neurons, resulting in tremors, rigidity, and difficulty moving. Current treatments target the symptoms, but do not slow the progression of the disease. A new compound developed by Northwestern University scientists shows potential to halt its advancement.
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New Genetic Clues for Type 2 Diabetes Identified
In a new, large-scale gene-association study, an international team of scientists identified 38 new genetic regions that are associated with glucose and insulin levels in the blood. Many of these regions also have an impact on the risk of type 2 diabetes.
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Faculty Receive Fellowships for Educational Innovation
Augusta Webster Faculty Grants were awarded last week to four faculty members to fund projects related to medical education research. Past fellows have produced new courses, new teaching strategies, and a number of advances in educational assessment.
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Chicago Informatics Week to Highlight Feinberg, Biomedical Community
Co-chaired by Justin Starren, MD, PhD, division chief of preventive medicine-health and biomedical informatics, Chicago Informatics Week highlights the rapidly growing importance of healthcare informatics to the region. It coincides with the premier scientific meeting for this field, the AMIA 2012 Annual Symposium, being held here for the first time since 2007.
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Deputy Surgeon General Shares His Experience in the U.S. Public Health Service
Rear Admiral Boris Lushniak, MD’83, MPH, deputy surgeon general of the United States, discussed public health and its challenges at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine on Friday, October 19. He spoke about his own path, shared advice, and encouraged students to pursue careers that help the underserved.
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Celebration Showcases Potential of Institute for Public Health and Medicine
More than 200 Feinberg community members joined in celebrating the launch of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine on Thursday, October 18. The event provided those in attendance with an opportunity to learn more about IPHAM’s nine founding centers, network with faculty, and hear from senior leadership about its vision.
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Scientists Push for Changes to Federal Reproductive Health Research
On October 18, a team of Northwestern University scientists met with the Environmental Protection Agency to advocate for including women in reproductive health research. Much of the current research is done on men only, but the sexes often react differently to environmental toxins.
