Medical Students Show Off Their Summer Research
After a few snow storms delays, BUSM's second year medical students finally...
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“When Patients Heal You” BUMC Concert Nov. 21
The BU Arts Outreach Initiative, BUSM Office of Multicultural Affairs and Diversity, and the BMC Neurology Department announce the third annual “When Patients Heal You” concert on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in Keefer Auditorium. A creative collaboration between neurology patients and BU/BUMC musicians, the concert features musical performances by patients of the BMC Neurology Department accompanied by the BU Jazz Combo and BUMC Band.
Discover the talents of this group of patients and enjoy jazz, French, Creole and Latin music performed at its best. “When Patients Heal You” is an opportunity for these musicians to celebrate and thank their care givers.
Admission is free and a reception follows the performance.
BUSM First-Year Medical Students Receive Stethoscopes Compliments of Alumni
The stethoscope is considered the symbol of medical professionals. On Tuesday, Oct. 28, each member of the BU School of Medicine’s MD Class of 2018 received one as a gift from a BUSM alum.
“This is a special day for first-year medical students as they receive their medical equipment that will serve as their clinical tools for years,” says Nanette Harvey, MD, BUSM course director for the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course and coordinator for the medical equipment distribution to first-year students. “When we announced to the class that they would all be receiving their stethoscopes compliments of the School’s graduates, they broke into applause. They are so appreciative of alumni generosity.”
More than 160 alumni participated in the Stethoscopes for Students program, now in its seventh year and coordinated by the BUSM Alumni Association. Along with the stethoscope, the distribution of medical equipment included a blood pressure cuff, ophthalmoscope, otoscope, reflex hammer, tuning fork and a CD of heart sounds. Harvey notes that by the School organizing the distribution of medical equipment for the students, the difficulty and worry about purchasing the tools has been alleviated for them.
Students wrote thank-you notes to the alumni who purchased their stethoscopes.
“What makes this gift so meaningful is that it is something we will carry with us for our entire medical careers,” said first-year student Gareth Marshall. Tovah Koswosky noting the milestone of receiving her stethoscope also was especially gratified, “that she received this from alumni who were in my exact shoes at one time. This makes them present.”
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- Students try out their stethoscopes for the first time.
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- Dr. Nanette Harvey (center in white coat) with first-year medical students displaying their new equipment.
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- A student writes a thank you note to his alumni donor.
BU Scientists Get a Lesson in Telling Their Stories
Alan Alda, famous for his roles in M*A*S*H* and PBS’s Scientific American Frontiers, made a guest appearance on the Medical Campus – via video recording, that is. On Oct. 21, the School of Medicine welcomed faculty from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science for a one-day workshop to help BU scientists communicate their work more effectively to the public, policymakers, funders, policymakers and colleagues.
Dean Antman and Jay Mizgerd during the workshop.
Forty-one scientists from the Medical and Charles River campuses learned how to communicate their work, connect with their audience, and speak clearly and conversationally about why their work matters by attending two three-hour workshops on improvisation and message delivery.
Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Suzanne Sarfaty, MD, previously had attended a workshop at the Alda Center at Stony Brook University in New York and was eager to bring the workshop to the Medical Campus. “I was so impressed with the thinking behind and the power of the program,” she said. “I knew it would be a valuable experience for our scientists and would enrich the BU community.”
During the “Distilling Your Message” workshop, participants had to explain their research as though they were pitching their story to a TV show producer, a non-scientist. The scientists practiced finding common ground with an audience, speaking at different levels of complexity for different audiences, and answering questions about their work. Later, the “Improvisation for Scientists” workshop used improv theater techniques to help participants speak more spontaneously and responsively with their audience.
Researcher Carmela Abraham during the improvisation workshop.
The improvisation exercises were particularly helpful for Isabel Dominguez, PhD, assistant professor of hematology and medical oncology, who says she was excited to share the ideas and techniques with her lab colleagues and trainees. “This was a very valuable workshop that I feel will make me better at explaining my work and better able to train others in my lab to be more effective in telling their ‘stories’ as well,” she said.
The exercises challenged BU scientists, through both discussion and practice, to pay close attention to others and be aware of the two-way nature of communication.
Resilience and Mindfulness, Nov. 4
Boston University Health Promotion Series
When: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014; 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Who: Karen Brouhard, BU Faculty and Staff Assistance Office
Where: BUSM Instructional (L) Building; Room L201 (72 East Concord St., Second Floor)
Description: Life is full of challenges. While we often have no choice over which challenges we encounter, we do have some control over how we respond. This presentation will focus on cultivating resilience — the ability to cope effectively with crises and bounce back quickly from setbacks. Many factors contribute to resilience, some of which can be learned and developed. Mindfulness practices help us observe rather than react to upsetting events and negative feelings, facilitating our responding with greater wisdom and effectiveness.
What You Will Learn:
- How to explore the sources of your own resilience
- About the use of mindfulness in cultivating resilience
- How to practice several mindfulness approaches
This presentation is open to all Boston University employees. Lunch will be served.
If you have any questions, please contact Yuliya Labkovskaia at BU Occupational Health Center at 617-353-6630 or labkovsk@bu.edu.
Please register online.
Joining Forces: TBI/PTSD Conference to be Held Nov. 4
In 2011 the White House established the Joining Forces initiative to promote the education, research and clinical care for military members with TBI and PTSD. The Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC) was one of the original participants in the program. This year the Medical Campus will host the Third Annual Joining Forces Conference on Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 8 a.m.-noon in Hiebert Lounge. Faculty, students and staff are invited to attend guest lectures and participate in the poster session.
Speakers at the event include internationally renowned faculty researchers at BU School of Medicine and the VA Boston Healthcare System. BU is among the leaders in research and collaborative care for concussions and PTSD. VA Boston is a national leader in clinical care and research for veterans with post-deployment disorders, including TBI, PTSD, other anxiety disorders, affective disorders and comorbid substance abuse. VA Boston also has one of the most comprehensive mental health treatment systems in the country for veterans and is the nation’s largest recipient of VA research dollars supporting more than 150 research projects on PTSD, traumatic brain injury and other post-deployment disorders. VA Boston also is the home of the Behavioral Sciences and Women’s Health Sciences divisions of the National Center for PTSD.
Mark your calendar to learn about the cutting edge research being performed at our institutions in these fields. Hear how advances in research may be used to identify individuals at risk for prevention, intervention and treatment. After the formal lectures a poster session will highlight additional areas of research.
BUMC and VA Boston Joining Forces TBI/PTSD Conference
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 8 a.m.-Noon
BUSM Instructional Building, Hiebert Lounge, 14th Floor
- 8 – 8:30 a.m. Registration and Breakfast
- 8:30 – 8:50 Introductions and Welcome (Drs. Anna Hohler and Gary Kaplan)
- 8:50 – 9:35 “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Female OEF/OIF/OND Veterans: Overview of Recent Research Findings” by Dawne Vogt, PhD, acting deputy director, Women’s Health Sciences Division, National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System and associate professor of Psychiatry, BUSM
- 9:35 – 9:45 Break
- 9:45 – 10:30 “Current Concepts in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy” by Ann McKee, MD, Chief of Neuropathology, VA Boston Healthcare System, professor of Neurology and Pathology, BUSM
- 11:15 – noon Poster Viewing
BUSM’s Ortega Honored at Annual Leaders in Diversity Awards
Dr. Rafael Ortega (second from the right) and his students.
Rafael Ortega, MD, the associate dean of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, has been selected by the Boston Business Journal as an honoree for the Annual Leaders in Diversity Awards. This award honors companies and individuals for their leadership in successfully promoting inclusiveness and opportunity. This year, the Leaders in Diversity program will feature nine winners in four categories and Ortega will be awarded the Corporate Leadership award for his exceptional work at the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs. Ortega also serves as professor of anesthesiology at the School and attending physician in anesthesiology at BMC.
As associate dean of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at BUSM, Ortega is responsible for fostering diversity and cultural competence among students, faculty and staff. He works with four Assistant Deans and together they strive to make the campus as heterogeneous and inclusive as possible. He is committed to unquestionable openness and inclusion, promoting relations among all groups, and inspiring students and faculty to learn from each other while appreciating their differences. He envisions an environment that demonstrates BUSM’s belief that diversity is essential to the development of future leaders in healthcare and research to serve the community, nation and world.
Oct. 16-17 Evans Research Days Feature Lectures and Presentations
This year marks the 26th Evans annual research celebration, which was established in 1985 to acknowledge and foster the research activities of the Evans Department of Medicine. This two-day event features distinguished clinical and basic science lectures (Ingelfinger Visiting Professor and Wilkins Visiting Professor respectively), and poster and oral presentations of ongoing research. Faculty, students and staff are invited to attend these events.
Thursday, Oct. 16
Research Poster Session, 9 a.m.- noon, Hiebert Lounge
Wilkins Visiting Professor Lecture, 3:30 p.m., Keefer Auditorium
“Genetic Determinants of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis”
David A. Schwartz, MD
Professor of Medicine and Immunology, Robert W. Schrier Chair of Medicine
University of Colorado
Friday, Oct. 17
Ingelfinger Visiting Professor – Grand Rounds, noon, Keefer Auditorium
“Joy in Practice: Innovations in Ambulatory Care”
Christine Sinsky, MD, FACP
Internist
Medical Associates Clinic and Health Plans
BUSM Alumnus Receives Prestigious Vision Award
Boston University School of Medicine Class of 1988 alumnus Lloyd Paul Aiello, MD, PhD, received the prestigious Antonio Champalimaud Vision Award as part of a group that developed anti-angiogenic therapy for retinal disease.
The award celebrates both the success of the scientific process and the outcome—an effective therapy for the treatment of two of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness in the world: age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
Aiello, as well as other investigators who share this prize, demonstrated the important role VEGF (or vascular endothelial growth factor) plays in ocular retinal disease and how anti-VEGF agents could block its effect.
Aiello, who received BUSM’s Distinguished Alumnus Award this year, is a professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and vice president of ophthalmology, head of the Section on Eye Research and director of the Beetham Eye Institute at Joslin Diabetes Center. A third generation ophthalmologist, Aiello is committed to eliminating vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy and associated conditions. He has served on national and international committees and received at least 45 awards for his research. He also has been part of numerous editorial and review boards and authored more than 240 publications.
BUSM Researcher Receives Inaugural Yoga Research Grant
Jennifer Johnston
The Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living (IEL) of the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Mass., selected Jennifer Johnston, PhD, clinical psychologist and Kripalu Yoga instructor, as the first recipient of the Samuel B. Hanser Visionary Award for her research on the effects of yoga on people with epilepsy, a stress-aggravated disease. Dr. Johnston will be conducting her research under the guidance of Chris Streeter, MD, associate professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at BUSM.
The Hanser Award is the first endowed annual research award, bestowed by IEL. It is designed to foster yoga research and further the goal of making yoga a more accessible and accepted modality for health and well-being across all facets of society. An inaugural award of $10,000 was presented in September at the Symposium on Yoga Research, the leading academic conference on yoga.
“I feel honored to have been conferred the Hanser Award, and am very excited about the work we will be doing in Samuel Hanser’s name,” said Johnston. “It is my wish that our research will not only demonstrate the potential yoga has to provide people with epilepsy an inexpensive, easily accessible treatment with few side effects for seizure control, it will also help clarify the mechanisms through which yoga can influence brain function, and inform future research, treatment, and self-care strategies.”
The Hanser Award is a mentored research award that aims to advance innovations in yoga research by fostering collaborations between creative scientist-practitioners in the early stages of their careers and experienced research mentors. Applicants are required to partner with seasoned professionals who have the resources, expertise and experience to guide and support the research process.
The award honors the spirit and vision of the late Samuel B. Hanser, a healer who believed that every person holds the wisdom and power to lead a happy and healthy life. After Sam’s death at the age of 28, his family established a memorial trust in his name and, in collaboration with the IEL, seeks to support like-minded visionaries enabling the understanding and dissemination of yoga.
Boston University Receives ‘BEST’ Grant By NIH To Promote BioMedical Careers Beyond Academic Research
Boston University (BU) is one of seven institutions to receive the prestigious Broadening Experience in Scientific Training (BEST) award by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The five-year, $1.8 million award will provide biomedical research trainees from across the University with enhanced training to help PhD students and postdoctoral trainees prepare for careers beyond conventional academic research.
“NIH recognizes that there are many ways in which biomedical PhD graduates can meaningfully contribute to the biomedical research enterprise,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD. “The future of biomedical research depends upon a sustainable and robust workforce, in which talented, well-trained scientists are best prepared to make significant contributions in academia, industry, government, business, and other venues.”
Approximately $3.7 million was set aside by the NIH’s Common Fund to invest in these programs to enhance training opportunities for graduate and postdoctoral trainees and prepare them for a host of scientific careers.
BU’s BEST program will involve trainees throughout the university’s schools and colleges engaged in biomedical research, including the School of Medicine (BUSM), the School of Public Health and the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. BUSM’s Division of Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS) is home to more than 850 students and approximately 400 post-doctoral trainees that will benefit from the BEST program.
“In order to maintain the nation’s scientific competitiveness, it is critical to attract, prepare and engage a well-trained workforce. Our goal is to re-engineer the training pipeline,” explained Linda Hyman, PhD, associate provost for the Division of GMS at BUSM and one of the principal investigators of BU’s BEST program. “Using analysis of the job market as the driver of professional development programming, BU’s BEST will enable trainees to fulfill the needs, not only of the current market, but also the future biomedical workforce,” she added.
According to Barbara Schreiber, PhD, director of Graduate Studies in the department of biochemistry at BUSM and BEST co-investigator, BU’s BEST will utilize innovative tools and resources to analyze workforce data with input from key stakeholders to guide and evolve curriculum design. “State-of-the-art software will identify biomedical workforce jobs, job trends and skills required for various career pathways. With strong advising/mentoring, trainees will be exposed to a curriculum of foundational/professional skills and career options via coursework, workshops, career panels as well as hybrid online modules.”
Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers will be able to enhance their interests through a wealth of options via existing and planned coursework, and participation in shadowing experiences with a network of faculty, administrators, alumni and industry partners. Finally, trainees will have opportunities to further develop their interests by participation in internships, teaching and/or formal academic training (certificate or MA/MS degrees). “BU’s BEST program looks forward to developing a novel paradigm for expanded and targeted training in the biomedical sciences which will ultimately be fully transferable to other institutions,” added William Cruikshank, PhD, director of the Molecular and Translational Medicine Graduate Program at BUSM and a BEST co-investigator.
