DoM Highlights of AY23

As we begin the 2023-24 academic year, we continue to celebrate the school’s 175th anniversary with a variety of activities this calendar year. The following are notable highlights of the 2022-23 school year:

Faculty Honors

Emelia Benjamin, MD, ScM, received the American Heart Association’s 2022 Distinguished Scientist award. She also received the 2023 Wenger Award for Excellence in Medical Research from WomenHeart, the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, for her commitment to improving the lives of women living with or at risk for heart disease as well as her countless peer-reviewed articles on cardiovascular disease that have contributed greatly to women’s heart health, particularly to the knowledge of atrial fibrillation.

David L. Coleman, MD, emeritus professor of Medicine, was elected chair of the ABIM Foundation. The Board oversees the Foundation’s efforts to advance medical professionalism, and members are national health care leaders, several of whom currently serve or have served on ABIM’s Board of Directors. Additionally, Coleman received the 2023 Larry Zaroff Man of Good Conscience Award, which is presented annually to a man who has been a champion and supporter of women in medicine.

Karsten Lunze, MD, MPH, DrPH, assistant professor of medicine, received an honorary professorship from David Tvildiani Medical University (DTMU) in Tbilisi, Georgia. 

Joseph P. Mizgerd, ScD, the Jerome S. Brody, MD, professor of pulmonary medicine and director of the Pulmonary Center, received the annual American Thoracic Society’s Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishments. The honor recognizes outstanding scientific research contributions in basic or clinical arenas to enhance the understanding, prevention and treatment of respiratory disease, critical illness, or sleep disorders, while acknowledging exemplary professionalism, collegiality and citizenship through mentorship and scientific involvement in the ATS community.

Titilayo Omolara Ilori, MD, MSc, assistant professor of medicine, was one of 50 recipients of the young investigators award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation. The award recognizes physician-scientists who are early in their first faculty appointment and have made notable achievements in their research.

Elizabeth N. Pearce, MD, MSc, professor of medicine, received the 2023 American Association of Clinical Endocrinology’s Hossein Gharib Educational Lectureship.

Katya Ravid, DSc, Barbara E. Corkey Professor of Medicine, was elected Fellow of the American Heart Association.

Carl G. Streed, MD, MPH, FACP, FAHA, an assistant professor of medicine, received the 2023 Excellence in LGBTQ Health Award (Physician) from the American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation Board of Directors. This annual award honors physicians who represent the highest values of altruism, compassion and dedication to patient care.

Research Publications

Our faculty continue to receive significant mainstream media coverage for their exceptional published research.

• Dr. Shanshan Sheehy’s research on higher levels of perceived racism linked to increased risk of heart disease in Black women was presented at the 2023 AHA Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Session.
• Dr. Nicholas Bosch’s study in JAMA Internal Medicine found patients with septic shock benefit from a combination of hydrocortisone-fludrocortisone therapy.
• Dr. Stefano Monti’s study in eBiomedicine found centenarians possess unique immunity that helps them achieve exceptional longevity.

New Research Grants:  Here are our Academic Year 2023’s largest new grants:

Foundation awards of note:

• The Howard Hughes Medical Institute awarded $13,649,882 for research to advance RNA-based antiviral therapies to Drs. Elke Mühlberger, Daniel Cifuentes, Anthony Griffiths, and Gustavo Mostaslavsky.
• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded $3,004,907 for infectious diseases research to Elke Mühlberger, PhD
• The American Cancer Society renewed its institutional research grant of $480,000 for pilot grants for 12 early-career cancer researchers to Julie Palmer, ScD, Co-director of the BU-BMC Cancer Center.
• The Rheumatology Research Foundation awarded Assistant Professor of Medicine Reza Jafarzadeh, DVM, MPVM, PhD, $400,000, for research to advance the identification of people with osteoarthritis.
• The American Heart Association awarded $344,000 to Katya Ravid, DSc, Barbara E. Corkey Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, to study chronic stress and heart disease in a diverse group of breast and prostate cancer survivors.

DoM Researchers Discover Novel Approach for Rebuilding, Regenerating Lung Cells

The Department of Medicine Researchers discover novel approach for rebuilding, regenerating lung cells. Researchers from the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM), a joint venture between Boston University and Boston Medical Center, have discovered a novel approach for engrafting engineered cells into injured lung tissue. Read more on the Medical Xpress Website.

Congratulations to Our August STARs!

Join us in congratulating the August STARs!

Get to Know Anthony Hollenberg, MD, Chair of Medicine

Since joining BMC in 2022, Dr. Anthony “Tony” Hollenberg, MD, has made it his goal to improve health care and empower our patients and communities. “That’s what we’re all about here at BMC, making our care more accessible,” Hollenberg says.

Watch the short video where the Canadian-native reflects on BMC’s deep commitment to equity, access, and clinical and operational excellence, and why he joined the organization to lead the Department of Medicine last year.

Mark Your Calendars: Evans Days 2023!!

Congratulations to Dr. Frederick Ruberg – Promotion to Professor

Join us in congratulating Frederick Ruberg, MD on his promotion to Professor of Medicine! Learn more about his work here.

PGY2 Quality Improvement Projects – Congratulations!

Congratulations to all of the residents who completed their PGY2 Quality Improvement projects!  Their curriculum consisted of three educational sessions during their second year along with developing a project aim and charter.  The teams presented their projects in May and June showing off their process maps and PDSAs.  If you want more information on any of the projects listed below, please reach out to Lisa Caruso or Deborah Whalen to get in touch with the resident team.

Manish Sagar, MD Named the Associate Director of Basic and Preclinical Science

The Office of the Chief Scientific Officer along with Research Operations leadership are pleased to announce that Manish Sagar, MD has been named the Associate Director of Basic and Preclinical Science. As Associate Director, Dr. Sagar will lead efforts to support and catalyze the foundational science conducted by our basic and preclinical scientists across BMC, in service of addressing our patients’ most pressing health needs. 

Dr. Sagar is a Professor of Medicine, Virology, Immunology & Microbiology at Boston Medical Center/ Boston University Chobanian & Avedesian School of Medicine. His research focuses on HIV and SARS-CoV-2 transmission and pathogenesis, and it spans the translational spectrum from basic sciences to clinical trials. His work has been continuously funded through the National Institutes of Health, private foundations, and pharmaceutical companies since 2000. He also cares for patients with infectious diseases, such as HIV, and he is an active investigator in numerous inpatient and outpatient clinical trials. In his research and clinical practice, he actively mentors postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, and medical trainees. He also co-directs the program for early research career development aimed at producing the next generation of academic researchers. 

We used the principles and practices outlined in the Review Based Guidelines for the Equitable Appointment of Leadership Roles (RBG) for this open call and interview process, including using standardized interview questions and specific evaluation criteria, and are deeply appreciative of the many truly outstanding faculty members that stepped up to apply for this important leadership role.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Sagar in his new role!

DoM’s Dr. Carl Streed Is Recognized by the American Medical Association for Outstanding LGBTQ+ Healthcare

With lawmakers across the country narrowing LGBTQIA+ rights, research aiming to improve the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and gender nonconforming individuals comes with a renewed sense of urgency and importance. Already this year, more than 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country—more than twice the number from last year—with most targeting sex and gender education in schools and transgender healthcare for adults and youth. In June, the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign for the first time declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States.

Amidst the chaos, there are doctors, healthcare professionals, and researchers who show up to their jobs every day to serve the LGBTQIA+ community. Carl Streed, the research lead for the GenderCare Center at Boston Medical Center (BMC), Boston University’s primary teaching hospital, is one of them. Carl Streed, the research lead for BMC’s GenderCare Center, won the AMA’s 2023 Excellence in LGBTQ Health Award. Photo by Doug Birkenheuer

Streed, a Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine assistant professor of medicine, has earned the 2023 Excellence in LGBTQ Health Award from the American Medical Association (AMA). The award recognizes physicians who are dedicated to patient care for underserved communities and who show compassion and altruism through their work.

“It’s truly an honor to receive this award from my colleagues and the AMA Foundation,” says Streed, who will donate the award money to an organization that supports LGBTQIA+ students. “As an alum of the Point Foundation, the [nation’s] largest LGBTQ scholarship-granting nonprofit, I’ve benefited from their mentorship and support and wanted to ensure future scholars have the same opportunity.”

BMC’s GenderCare Center provides gender-affirming care—medically necessary, evidence-based care—to help patients transition from the gender designated at birth to the gender they align with. It also works to advance education, research, and advocacy efforts across the state.

“I joined BMC in 2018,” says Streed. “I chose to join the GenderCare Center because providing gender-affirming care brings joy to my patients’ lives, and that nourishes my soul.”

But similar to abortion care, access to gender-affirming care depends entirely on where you live. This year 19 states have passed laws restricting gender-affirming care, complicating the legal landscape significantly across the country and putting many transgender youths and adults at greater risk for poor mental and physical health. And political attacks on healthcare don’t only impact physicians, patients, and medical research in red states. Doctors have been experiencing a rise in threats for doing their jobs even in places without bans on gender-affirming care—including at Boston Children’s Hospital, where there have been several bomb threats reported.

“Political and economic barriers remain some of the greatest obstacles to transgender folks accessing competent and compassionate care,” Streed says. “Research to understand the needs of transgender persons and communities is limited by the direct attacks on access to gender-affirming care.”

Streed’s work as a physician and researcher aims to improve healthcare and well-being for LGBTQ+ individuals, especially transgender patients. His research priorities range from LGBTQIA+ medical education to the effects of hormone therapy on cardiovascular health to access to cancer screenings for trans people. There are currently no large, longitudinal studies—like BU’s Framingham Heart Study, for example—tracking the effects of testosterone or estrogen therapies on overall health, like blood pressure, insulin resistance, and cholesterol, so Streed hopes to eventually change that.

“Gender-affirming care is primary care,” he says. “It’s been overwhelmingly shown that hormone therapy improves psychological well-being for transgender individuals.”

By Jessica Colarossi