News Makers 2016
- archived News Makers --
04 - 29 - 16
Clive McFarlane: Medical careers made accessible for young people
A story about the 20th anniversary of the Worcester Pipeline Collaborative includes comments from Deborah Harmon Hines, PhD, vice provost and professor of cell & developmental biology and Robert Layne, director of outreach programs and the pipeline coordinator. First-year medical student Marian Younge, SOM ’19, and second-year medical student Jonathan Quang, SOM ’18, both former pipeline students, were also quoted in the story.
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04 - 29 - 16
Don’t Treat Young Adults as Teenagers
An op-ed by Thomas Grisso, PhD, emeritus professor of psychiatry and former director of the Law and Psychiatry Program, about raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction from 18 to 21 cautions that research into the maturity of young adults is still at an early stage and it is not clear that the brains of 20-year-olds are so immature that they should be treated as if they are teenagers.
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04 - 29 - 16
Increasing number of sickest liver transplant candidates delisted from wait list, study finds
Natasha Dolgin, PhD, MD/PhD student, and Adel Bozorgzadeh, MD, FACS, professor of surgery, talk about a new study that found transplant centers are increasingly removing the sickest individuals from liver transplant waiting lists, considering them "too sick to transplant."
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04 - 29 - 16
Step Up for Vitiligo: more to know about vitiligo
John E. Harris, MD, PhD, assistant profess or medicine, is referenced as a member of the the Vitiligo Working Group in a story about vitiligo.
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04 - 28 - 16
Gene Therapy Might be the Best, and Perhaps Only, Chance at Curing Brain Diseases
Guangping Gao, PhD, the Penelope Booth Rockwell Chair in Biomedical Research and professor of microbiology & physiological systems, and Dominic Gessler, research fellow, talk about the promise gene therapy holds for treating Canavan and other neurodegenerative diseases.
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04 - 28 - 16
Stroke Treatment Uses Blood Flow to Trigger tPA Release
Matthew Gounis, PhD, associate professor of radiology, talks about a new technique being developed to quickly dissolve stroke-causing blood clots in the brain.
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04 - 26 - 16
Elderly Acute MI Patients Still Waiting Too Long to Seek Medical Care
A new study by Robert J. Goldberg, PhD, professor of quantitative health sciences, found that elderly patients wait more than 3.5 hours before seeking medical care for acute myocardial infarction, a delay that hasn’t changed much in the last 10 years and is a serious clinical and public health concern.
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04 - 26 - 16
High rate of diabetes seen in TB patients from South India
A study by Hardy Kornfeld, MD, professor of medicine, suggests that becoming sick with TB can push people from pre-diabetes into a diabetic range of high blood sugar.
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04 - 26 - 16
Vitamin B12 accelerates worm development: University of Massachusetts Study
Marian Walhout, PhD, co-director of the program in systems biology and professor of molecular medicine, discusses how they have developed a novel interspecies model system that shows how bacterially supplied vitamin B12 changes gene expression, development and fertility in C. elegans.
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04 - 25 - 16
5 Central Mass. women to receive Erskine Awards at YWCA luncheon
Susan V. George, clinical associate professor of medicine, will receive the Katharine F. Erskine Award during the Tribute to Women luncheon on May 3 at Mechanics Hall.
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04 - 25 - 16
Caring for a pet could improve type 1 diabetes management in children
Louise Maranda, PhD, assistant professor of quantitative health sciences, is mentioned in an article about research that found patients with diabetes can benefit from pet ownership.
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04 - 25 - 16
Fitchburg hearing targets flavored tobacco sales
Tina Grosowsky, project coordinator for the Central Mass. Tobacco Free Community Partnership, is quoted in an article about the city of Fitchburg considering a measure that would limit where consumers can buy flavored tobacco products such as candy-flavored vapes, cigars and chewing tobacco.
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04 - 25 - 16
Genetic Approach May Lead to New Treatments for Digestive Diseases
Ronghua ZhuGe, PhD, associate professor of microbiology & physiological systems, has identified a new molecular pathway critical for maintaining the smooth muscle tone that allows the passage of materials through the digestive system.
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04 - 25 - 16
Juvenile Justice Reformers Driven by Memories of Mistakes in Their Less-informed Past
Gina Vincent, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, is quoted in an article about reducing recidivism rates and the number of youth in detention facilities.
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04 - 21 - 16
CRISPRainbow Uses Gene-Editing Technology to Track DNA in Live Cells
Thoru Pederson, PhD, the Vitold Arnett Professor of Cell Biology and professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology, and Hanhui Ma, PhD, research specialist, have developed a new technology capable of tagging and tracking genomic loci in live cells.
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04 - 21 - 16
Florida biotech AGTC plans growth of Cambridge offices this year
A story about AGTC, a gene therapy company based in Gainesville, FL, opening an office in Cambridge references the MassBiologics South Coast facility as a primary reason for the move.
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04 - 21 - 16
Photos: Seen@ The UMass Medical School's Earth Day celebration
Suzanne Wood, sustainability and energy efficiency manager, explains how UMMS encourages sustainability among staff, faculty and students during the medical school’s Earth Day celebration.
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04 - 21 - 16
UMass Medical School celebrates Earth Day
Suzanne Wood, sustainability and energy efficiency manager, explains how UMMS encourages sustainability among staff, faculty and students during the medical school’s Earth Day celebration.
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04 - 20 - 16
8 Steps to Exodus from Your Bondage
Machelle M. Seibel, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, offers eight tips for a healthy Passover.
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04 - 20 - 16
Participants in Massachusetts drug courts are overwhelmingly white
Ira K. Packer, PhD, clinical professor of psychiatry, is working with the Massachusetts trial courts to try to ascertain why participants in drug courts are predominantly white.
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04 - 20 - 16
Searching for reasons African-American men face increased risk of prostate cancer
Mitchell Sokoloff, MD, chair and professor of urology, explains that African-American and African men are more likely to develop life-threatening prostate cancer and thus, should be tested regularly.
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04 - 18 - 16
Boston Marathon Runners Share Stories From the Finish Line
Chris Benyo and his wife, Denise DiMarzo, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, competed in this year’s Boston Marathon to raise money for the UMass ALS Cellucci Fund, which supports ALS research at UMass Medical School. Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, the Leo P. and Theresa M. LaChance Chair in Medical Research and chair and professor of neurology, is referenced in the story.
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04 - 15 - 16
Massive Monarch migrations. How do they know which way to go?
Steven Reppert, MD, the Higgins Family Professor of Neuroscience and distinguished professor of neurobiology, discusses his new study, which sheds light on how monarch butterflies integrate various environmental clues in their brains in order to migrate thousands of miles to their overwintering grounds in Mexico.
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04 - 15 - 16
More and more doctors want to make marijuana legal
An article about a group of physicians organizing nationally with the intent of legalizing and regulating the use of marijuana in the interest of public health includes comments from Peter Friedmann, MD, associate dean of research at University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate Health.
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04 - 15 - 16
Myth vs. Fact: Understanding what autism diagnosis means
An op-ed by Jeffrey L. Geller, MD, MPH, professor of psychiatry, explains what an autism diagnosis means for a family.
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04 - 14 - 16
Dr. Peter J. Jannetta, Pioneering Neurosurgeon on Facial Pain, Dies at 84
Mark L. Shelton, associate vice chancellor of communications and author of Working in a Very Small Place: The Making of a Neurosurgeon, a 1989 book about neurosurgeon Peter J. Jannetta, MD, comments on Dr. Jannetta’s death and the innovative procedure he developed to relieve a devastating type of facial pain.
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04 - 13 - 16
One Thing that Could Stop the Rise of Gene Editing: Insurance Companies
Brian O’Sullivan, MD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health, is quoted in a story about the potential high cost of personalized medicine and the debate of about whether insurance companies should pay for these treatments.
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04 - 11 - 16
Bobbi Gibb has always run life her own way
Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, the Leo P. and Theresa M. LaChance Chair in Medical Research and chair and professor of neurology, is reference in a feature story about marathon runner, neuroscientist and colleague Bobbi Gibb.
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04 - 11 - 16
Cannabis could be used to treat male infertility
Thoru Pederson, PhD, the Vitold Arnett Professor of Cell Biology and professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology, comments on the potential use of a cannabinoid receptor, called CB2, to help regulate the creation of sperm.
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04 - 11 - 16
Friday Feedback: Does Latest Trial Provide New HOPE for Statin Therapy?
Ronald Adler, MD, FAAFP, associate professor of family medicine & community health, comments on a recent trial which showed that giving statins to people with some risk factors, but no evidence of cardiovascular disease, reduced major cardiovascular events including premature death.
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04 - 11 - 16
Prana Recovery aids UMass opioid curriculum
Prana Recovery Centers is supporting UMMS as it becomes the first medical school in the state to implement an opioid conscious curriculum for medical and advanced practice nursing students. PRC will invite people in recovery, who are willing, to share their stories with future physicians and nurse practitioners who are learning about the effects of opiate addiction.
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04 - 10 - 16
The Next Page: Putting his life in the "best hands"
An article about using cytoreduction combined with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy, or HIPEC for short, to treat cancer tumors found in the abdominal cavity includes comments from Laura A. Lambert, MD, associate professor of surgery.
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04 - 07 - 16
A Rocky Start for Biosimilar Inflectra?
Jonathan Kay, MD, professor of medicine, is quoted in a story about the biosimilar infliximab. Used to treat inflammatory disease, it is only the second biosimilar to be granted approval in the United States.
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04 - 07 - 16
Bundled payments for joint replacement target a key quality measure: patient satisfaction
In a letter to the editor, David Ayers, MD, the Arthur M. Pappas, MD, Chair in Orthopedics and chair and professor of orthopedics & physical rehabilitation, and Patricia D. Franklin, MD, MBA, MPH, professor of orthopedics & physical rehabilitation and family medicine & community health, explain that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched one of its most significant experiments to cut costs, improve quality of care and improve value in health care when it introduced its first mandatory bundled-payment initiative on April 1, focusing on total hip and knee joint replacement.
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04 - 07 - 16
Cocaine, alcohol combo linked to suicide risk
A study by Edwin D. Boudreaux, PhD, professor of emergency medicine, suggests that concurrent use of cocaine and alcohol may increase the risk of suicide.
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04 - 07 - 16
Conversations: A Guide to Packing Your DNA
A conversation with Job Dekker, PhD, professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology, co-director of the Program in Systems Biology, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, explores how the shape of our DNA helps to determine gene expression and influences health.
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04 - 07 - 16
Emergency Dept. screening can identify more patients considering suicide
A study by Edwin D. Boudreaux, PhD, professor of emergency medicine, suggests that universal suicide risk screening of patients in emergency departments can nearly double the number of patients identified as having considered or attempted to take their own lives.
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04 - 07 - 16
How patients track their health matters for treatment
A story about incorporating “patient-reported outcomes” into clinical care includes comments from Patricia D. Franklin, MD, MBA, MPH, professor of orthopedics & physical rehabilitation and family medicine & community health, about the Function and Outcomes Research for Comparative Effectiveness in Total Joint Replacement (FORCE-TJR) registry and how it’s used to collect patient information to measure the success of joint replacement surgery.
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04 - 07 - 16
How Technology Will Change The Lives Of People With Disabilities
An article about how biomedical research and new technologies will improve the lives of people with Down syndrome includes a reference to the work of Jeanne B. Lawrence, PhD, interim chair and professor of cell & developmental biology, to silence the extra chromosome that causes the disorder.
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04 - 07 - 16
New study shows Boston has reduced youth access to flavored cigars
A 2011 Boston regulation that set minimum pricing and packaging requirements for cigars has successfully reduced their availability, according to a new study led by UMass Medical School statistical scientist Wenjun Li, PhD, associate professor of medicine and director of the Health Statistics and Geography Lab in the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine.
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04 - 06 - 16
Early CT screening of smokers can detect disease when it's still curable
Geoffrey M. Graeber, MD, professor of surgery and chief of thoracic surgery; Max P. Rosen, MD, MPH, chair and professor of radiology; Ellen Carlucci, vice president for development, marketing and communication at Marlboro Hospital; and Rodrick A. Williams, MD, chair of radiology at HealthAlliance Hospital, are quoted in a story about how some health providers are now using low-dose CT-scanning to screen people with a smoking history to detect early-stage lung cancer.
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04 - 05 - 16
Patients’ Assessment Of Their Health Is Gaining Importance In Treatment
A story about incorporating “patient-reported outcomes” into clinical care includes comments from Patricia D. Franklin, MD, MBA, MPH, professor of orthopedics & physical rehabilitation and family medicine & community health, about the Function and Outcomes Research for Comparative Effectiveness in Total Joint Replacement (FORCE-TJR) registry and how it’s used to collect patient information to measure the success of joint replacement surgery.
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04 - 04 - 16
UMass Medical School's latest project to benefit direct-care workers, not just patients
Linda Cragin, director of the MassAHEC Network, explains that UMass Medical School is part of a collaboration to create a uniform curriculum for state colleges that will not only codify the core elements for personal care attendants, but create pathways for students to advance to other health professions.
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04 - 03 - 16
Aiming for 'a better picture of people with autism,' UMass researchers weigh concerns over database
Alexandra Bonardi, MHA , clinical assistant professor of family medicine & community health, and Amy Weinstock, director of the Autism Insurance Resource Center and an instructor in psychiatry, discuss how building an integrated database identifying people on the autism spectrum from infancy to adulthood will help the state deliver better services to these patients and their families.
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04 - 03 - 16
Institute names Lenz to New England council
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review has appointed Kimberly Lenz, PharmD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health, and clinical pharmacy manager, an ex-officio member of its New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council.
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04 - 01 - 16
City library branch opens at Burncoat Street Prep
Worcester Public Library opened a new library branch at Burncoat Street Preparatory School. Funding for the branch was provided, in part, by UMass Medical School through the One City, One Library project.
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04 - 01 - 16
Conquering Lyme: A New Approach
Mark Klempner, MD, executive vice chancellor for MassBiologics at UMass Medical School and professor of medicine, explains how scientists at MassBiologics are developing a pre-exposure prophylaxis that prevents tick-transmitted infection of Lyme disease, a breakthrough that could lead to seasonal prevention against the most common tick-borne infection in North America.
