Recent News

In Memoriam (Fred Gonzales) Frederico “Fred” Gonzales, PhD, associate professor emeritus of cell and molecular biology, died February 8 in Evanston, Illinois. He was 85. A native of San Antonio, Texas, he was an Army bomber pilot and survived being shot down during World War II. He then returned to college and earned a PhD[…]

Surgeon Makes Mark as Glass Artist Dr. Steve Immerman’s kilnformed glass pieces include Solar Meridian (top) and Eleuthra. When it comes to artistry in glass, few names are as well recognized as that of Dale Chihuly, whose colorful, fluid pieces have graced venues from the White House to the waterways of Venice. So when surgeon[…]

Rain Forest Clinic Provides Much Needed Care Daniels Hamant and Humberto Parra may have lived a world apart, but they inspired in their children a common cause—providing medical care to rural Bolivian villagers who would otherwise do without. Centro Medico Humberto Parra, a clinic located in south central Bolivia, bears the name of the father[…]

February 12, 2007 Contact: Wendy Leopold at 847/491-4890 or atw-leopold@northwestern.edu Children Who Sleep Less More Likely to Weigh More EVANSTON, Ill.—Research indicates that getting inadequate sleep has negative effects on children’s social and emotional well-being and school performance. Now a Northwestern University study finds it also increases their risk of being overweight. The study—conducted in[…]

In Memoriam (Aquiles Sobrero) Aquiles J. Sobrero, MD, professor emeritus of obstetrics and gynecology, died January 23 in Chicago, at age 85. Dr. Sobrero completed his MD degree at Universidad del Nacional del Litoral in Rosario, Argentina, followed by postgraduate training in that city. He had served as director of the Margaret Sanger Research Bureau[…]

February 12, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Broadcast Media: Tamara Kerrill Field at (847) 491-4888 or attlk@northwestern.edu Vasectomy May Put Men at Risk for Type of Dementia CHICAGO—Northwestern University researchers have discovered men with an unusual form of dementia have a higher rate of vasectomy than men the same age who[…]

December 20, 2006 Contact: Pat Vaughan Tremmel at 847/491-4892 or atp-tremmel@northwestern.edu Paying Attention Sets Off Symphony of Cell Synchronization EVANSTON, Ill.—You know the sensation. When something has your full attention you see it vividly. And when you don’t pay attention, you’re liable to miss something important. Now a new Northwestern University study sheds light on[…]

In Memoriam (William Brand)William N. Brand, MD ’62, former director of radiation oncology and a medical school faculty member for 35 years, died December 14 in Durango, Colorado, of complications from emphysema exacerbated by acute pneumonia. He was 72. The native Chicagoan served as a physician assistant in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War,[…]

Using Feedback Effectively With communication, feedback comes in many forms, from written and verbal to modifying behavior. In the case of Monica van de Ridder, a graduate student from the Netherlands, her “positive” feedback to a talk given by William C. McGaghie, PhD, professor of medical education and faculty development, resulted in a plane ticket[…]

Psychoanalysis—Couch and All—Still Going Strong As president-elect of the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA), Prudence Leib Gourguechon, MD, GME ’83, wants people to know that the field of psychoanalysis is alive and well and helping many people who don’t respond to quicker therapies. “My patients have usually been in psychotherapy or on medication for 10–20 years,”[…]

January 3, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Broadcast Media: Tamara Kerrill Field at (847) 491-4888 or attlk@northwestern.edu Older People Needlessly Suffer Sleepless Nights CHICAGO—The sleep problems of older people are often not addressed by their primary care physicians, even though treatment of those sleep disorders could improve their physical and mental[…]

In Memoriam (Cecile Kramer) Cecile E. Kramer, director of the Northwestern medical school library from 1975–91, died January 25 in Boca Raton, Florida, at age 80. She had been in declining health for the last year. Ms. Kramer came to Northwestern from Columbia University’s health sciences library. A native of New York City, she began[…]

Emergency Medicine Experience Serves Faculty Member Well in Iraq Whenever Martin J. Lucenti, MD, PhD, would retire to his hut near the helicopter pad to sleep, he knew that the sound of whirling blades could soon awaken him and have him back in the marbled hallways of the hospital Saddam Hussein built. Director of clinical[…]

January 15, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Surprising Drug Blocks Malaria CHICAGO—Northwestern University researchers have discovered how malaria parasites persuade red blood cells to engulf them—and how to block the invading parasites. The malaria marauders hack into the red cell’s signaling system and steal the molecular equivalent of its password to[…]

In Memoriam (Joseph Pasternak) Joseph F. Pasternak, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and of neurology at the Feinberg School, died December 5, 2006, after a five-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Dr. Pasternak received a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics from the University of Iowa in[…]

January 15, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Researchers Discover Genetic Cause of Word-Finding Disease CHICAGO—Northwestern University researchers have discovered a genetic cause of a mysterious neurological disease in which people have trouble recalling and using words. The illness, primary progressive aphasia (PPA), differs from Alzheimer’s disease, in which a person’s memory[…]

January 22, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Performing Exam for Skin Cancer with Partner Could Save Your Life CHICAGO—If you learn to examine yourself for skin cancer with a partner, you are more likely to follow up with self-exams that could detect early melanoma and save your life. Northwestern University researchers[…]

December 27, 2006 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu How Your Brain Helps You Become a Wine Expert CHICAGO—You don’t need to sign up for pricey wine appreciation classes to parse the subtle difference between the black cherry bouquet of a pinot noir and the black currant scent of a cabernet sauvignon. Just[…]

November 28, 2006 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Broadcast Media: Tamara Kerrill Field at (847) 491-4888 or attlk@northwestern.edu Researcher to Freeze Women’s Ovaries in Effort to Preserve Fertility after Cancer Treatment CHICAGO—The Center for Reproductive Research at Northwestern University is launching an experimental research program for young women with cancer who may[…]