Recent News

November 21,2005 Viagra® Improves Urinary Tract SymptomsCHICAGO—Viagra® (sildenafil citrate), known for improving erectile dysfunction (ED), also effectively treats the prostate and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with prostate enlargement that often occur with ED, a Northwestern University study has found. Kevin T. McVary, MD, professor of urology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine,[…]

October 25, 2005 Biodefense Partners Charged with Fighting Disease as Weapon CHICAGO—Northwestern University has been named a collaborating institution for a Regional Center of Excellence (RCE) for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Robert L. Murphy, MD, John Philip Phair Professor of Infectious Diseases and professor of[…]

Blood Drive Brings Impressive Turnout The organizers of a blood drive on October 3 to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina report that the Feinberg School event was a huge success. Forty-three pints of blood were collected from 60 donors, far above the goal of 34 units from 44 donors. “The number of people attempting to[…]

October 4, 2005 Faulty Biological Clocks May Influence AddictionBy Megan Fellman A gene that regulates the body’s circadian rhythms, including sleep and wakefulness, body temperature, hormone levels, blood pressure and heart activity, may also play a central role in drug addiction, according to a study published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of[…]

October 11, 2005 Scientists Uncover Target for Colorectal Cancer CHICAGO—A common, inherited gene that predisposes one in eight people to development of certain forms of cancer is found in 50 percent of metastatic liver tumors from colorectal cancer, a Northwestern University study has found. The majority of liver metastases that carry the gene, TGFBR1*6A, acquire[…]

October 25, 2005 Depression Raises Disability RiskCHICAGO—Depressed middle-aged adults are at four times greater risk for being unable to perform everyday tasks than their non-depressed peers, a Northwestern University study found. “Among pre-retirement adults, limitations in life activities are strong determinants of job loss and the ability to find employment and jeopardize an individual’s ability[…]

Recent Grants The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute awarded $125,743 to Hossein Ardehali, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, to investigate functional characterization of mABC1 protein. The National Institute of Child Health and Disease and National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDKD) awarded $207,500 to Michael Caplan, MD, professor of pediatrics, to[…]

October 4, 2005 Health Literacy Linked to Poor Health CHICAGO—Elderly individuals with poor health literacy have more physical and mental health problems than those with adequate health literacy, according to a study published in the September 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. The study, led by Michael S. Wolf, PhD, MPH, of Northwestern University’s[…]

October 18, 2005 Few Mentally Ill Juvenile Detainees Get Treatment CHICAGO—More than 130,000 juveniles are held in juvenile facilities on a given day. More than one in six of them have a major mental disorder. Most do not receive treatment, a Northwestern University study has found. The study of nearly 2,000 juvenile detainees aged 10[…]

McKinlock Campus Poster Now Hangs in Galter Library When Al Cubbage, vice president for University Relations at Northwestern University, noticed the colorful poster in a downtown Chicago gallery, he knew right away that it should hang somewhere on the University’s Chicago campus. Cubbage made arrangements to acquire the poster, and James Shedlock, director of the[…]

Russell Robertson Appointed Family Medicine Chair Russell G. Robertson, MD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, effective October 10. He had been associate professor of family and community medicine and associate dean for faculty affairs at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. A[…]

October 11, 2005 Northwestern Is Center for Stem Cell Research CHICAGO—Northwestern University has been awarded a $3.6 million grant and named a Center of Excellence in Translational Human Stem Cell Research by the National Institutes of Health. Northwestern University was one of two institutions to receive the prestigious NIH Center of Excellence grant. The two[…]

Northwestern Medical Student Studies French Health Care SystemGlobe trotting for second-year medical student Adam L. Trotta means seeing the world not just for traveling’s sake but also for sharing and learning. This former Peace Corps volunteer spent six weeks in a French hospital this summer, where he studied immigrant health care in the greater Paris[…]

Blood Drive Slated for October 3 In cooperation with the American Red Cross, medical students at the Feinberg School of Medicine are organizing a blood drive on Monday, October 3, to aid those in need in the Gulf Coast region affected by Hurricane Katrina. The blood drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 4[…]

September 20, 2005 Institute for Healthcare Studies Formed The Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies and the Center for Healthcare Studies have merged to form the Institute for Healthcare Studies. Kevin B. Weiss, MD, professor of medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, was named director of the new institute. The institute’s mission[…]

Contact: Charles R. Loebbaka at 847/491-4887 or atc-loebbaka@northwestern.edu September 20, 2005 Northwestern Offers Graduate Degree in Medical Informatics CHICAGO—The Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies will offer a new master of science in medical informatics (MMI) degree program in partnership with the University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. The deadline for submitting applications to enroll in[…]

In Memoriam (David Smith) David W.E. Smith, MD, professor emeritus of pathology at the Feinberg School, died September 12 of complications from multiple sclerosis (MS). He was 71. A native of Fargo, North Dakota, Dr. Smith joined the medical school faculty in 1969 as professor of pathology. He earned his MD degree from Yale University[…]

August 2, 2005 Mentally Ill More Likely to Be Victims of Violence CHICAGO—More than one-fourth of individuals with severe mental illness were victims of violent crime in the past year, almost 12 times general population rates, according to a study in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. Depending on the type of violent[…]

Summer Program Helps Aspiring Physicians by Symone Young Young (pictured below) spent the summer as an intern in the Dean’s Office at the Feinberg School of Medicine. If you’ve ever wondered what life is like being a medical student or physician—or going into medicine has always been your primary interest—then the Summer Medical Education Program[…]