News

BU CTSI Supports Transition from Early Career toward Independent Investigator Career Stage

August 22nd, 2012

Since 2008, the BU Clinical and Translational Science Institute (BU CTSI) has been supporting BU investigators with their translational research through a variety of services, resources and funding opportunities. To support an internal mechanism for pilot awards, the BU CTSI partners with the department of Medicine, BMC Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, Center... More

New Chair/Chief of Family Medicine Appointed at BUSM and BMC

August 22nd, 2012

Brian W. Jack, MD, has been appointed Chief of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM). Jack was hired in 1997 as physician and Vice Chair in Family Medicine at BMC and associate professor at BUSM. In 2011, he was... More

APEX Presentations Reflect High Quality Research at GSDM

August 21st, 2012

On August 10, students and faculty filled a classroom to standing room only to listen to nine DMD 15 students and one DMD 14 student as they presented research conducted during their Applied Professional Experience (APEX) rotations. The APEX first-year research rotation is based on a five-day week. Students may either dedicate two days for research... More

BMC Physician Named Chief and Chair of Thoracic Surgery

August 20th, 2012

Hiran Fernando, MBBS, FRCS, FACS has been named the new chief and chair of thoracic surgery at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM). A cardiothoracic surgeon at BMC and associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery at BUSM, Fernando has a rich history of clinical research including being the principal investigator for national... More

BUSM Faculty Members Named to National PTSD Consortium

August 17th, 2012

Two Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) faculty members have been named to a consortium that will investigate better ways to treat and diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ann Rasmusson, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at BUSM and psychiatrist and neuroendocrinologist at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System and National Center for PTSD Jennifer Vasterling, PhD, More

GSDM Students Take the Oath of the Classes at Professional Ceremony

August 14th, 2012

New pre-doctoral students marked the end of orientation on Friday, August 3,  at the Professional Ceremony held at 670 Albany Street, where students recited the Oath of the Classes. This was the largest group of family and friends ever to attend GSDM’s Professional Ceremony. The event was joyous, with people cheering when their family members and... More

TranSComm Kicks-off Neighborhood Walks Aug. 23, Registration Required

August 13th, 2012

TranSComm is sponsoring guided walking programs at the BU Medical Campus. Along with walking to improve health, these walks tap into the rich history of our neighborhood. Teaming with WalkBoston, TranSComm is offering five lunchtime walks: one in August, three in September and one in early October. The following will... More

BUSM Professors Receive American Health Assistance Foundation Grants

August 13th, 2012

Boston University School of Medicine’s (BUSM) Benjamin Wolozin, PhD, professor of pharmacology and neurology, and Matthew Nugent, PhD, professor of biochemistry, ophthalmology and biomedical engineering, have been awarded grants from the American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF) to study age-related degenerative diseases. This marks the first time in more than a decade that BUSM has received... More

BUSM/VA Researchers Uncover Gender Differences in the Effects of Long-Term Alcoholism

August 9th, 2012

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System have demonstrated that the effects on white matter brain volume from long-term alcohol abuse are different for men and women. The study, which is published online in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, also suggests that with abstinence, women recover their... More

A Sacred Privilege: Caring for Patients

August 8th, 2012in Featured

In two lines they marched, the 164th entering class of BUSM, greeted by the smiles and clicking cameras of family and friends. With a white coat draped over their arm, they entered the tent raised for the White Coat Ceremony held Monday, August 6. The white coats signify the students’ entry into the profession of medicine. More

GSDM Represented at 2012 Multicultural Oral Health Summit

August 8th, 2012

The National Dental Association (NDA) hosted its 2012 Annual National Convention at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, in Boca Raton, Florida July 20-24, 2012. For the first time, this year’s annual convention was held in conjunction with the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA) and the Society of Indian American Dentists (SAID). The convention focused on... More

NEIDL Website Puts Research on Display: Facility seeks to expand community engagement

August 7th, 2012

Watch the video in which James Galagan, NEIDL’s associate director of systems biology, describes his tuberculosis research and the importance of transparency in NEIDL’s work. Video by Donaldson Productions. Long a source of apprehension for some neighbors and community activists, the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) on the Boston University Medical Campus is working hard... More

BUSM/VA Boston Healthcare System Investigators Identify New Gene Linked to PTSD

August 7th, 2012

Investigators at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System have identified a new gene linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings, published online in Molecular Psychiatry, indicate that a gene known to play a role in protecting brain cells from the damaging effects of stress may also be... More

SURP Interns Present at GMS Symposium

August 2nd, 2012

SURP research interns, participants in a summer program sponsored by the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS) in collaboration with basic science departments, presented the results of their research at a symposium August 2. Undergraduates accepted into the program are academically talented, traditionally underrepresented in the biomedical sciences, and are motivated toward pursuing... More

GSDM Tradition Continues at Second Annual White Coat Ceremony

August 2nd, 2012in Featured

GSDM hosted the second annual Family Weekend, which culminated with the White Coat Ceremony on Saturday, July 7, for the DMD Class of 2014 and the AS Class of 2013. Students and their families enjoyed guided tours of the School during the day on Saturday and then gathered at the George Sherman Union at 775 Commonwealth Avenue for the Ceremony in the late afternoon. Nearly 700 people attended. More

BUSM Professor Finds New Coping Method for Veterans with PTSD

August 2nd, 2012

A recent study by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) found that symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in military veterans decreased and mindfulness skills increased after brief mindfulness telehealth intervention. Mindfulness is a meditative practice that encourages both awareness of the present moment and nonjudgmental acceptance of the ongoing flow of thoughts, More

BUSM Urologist Elected President of Massachusetts Association of Practicing Urologists

August 1st, 2012

Richard Babayan, MD, professor and chair of urology at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and chief of the department of urology at Boston Medical Center (BMC) was elected president of the Massachusetts Association of Practicing Urologists (MAPU) at the American Urological Association annual meeting in May. Having served as a director of the MAPU Executive... More

New Orthopaedic Surgeon Joins BMC and BUSM Faculty

August 1st, 2012

Robert J. Nicoletta, MD has joined Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) as an orthopaedic surgeon and assistant professor and co-director of sports medicine in the department of orthopaedic surgery. Nicoletta will see patients at both the Shapiro Ambulatory Care Center at BMC and the Ryan Center for Sports Medicine... More

BUSM Researchers Find Link Between Childhood Abuse and Age at Menarche

July 27th, 2012

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found an association between childhood physical and sexual abuse and age at menarche. The findings are published online in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Researchers led by corresponding author, Renée Boynton-Jarrett, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at BUSM, found a 49 percent increase in risk for early... More

BUSM Researchers Identify Genetic Markers for Testosterone, Estrogen Level Regulation

July 20th, 2012

A research study led by Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, in collaboration with a global consortium, has identified genetic markers that influence a protein involved in regulating estrogen and testosterone levels in the bloodstream. The results, published online in PLoS Genetics, also reveal that some... More

Geriatric Re-Admission Rates Can be Minimized, Finds BUMC Study

July 16th, 2012

Despite their greater frailty, patients cared for in an interdisciplinary geriatrics practice at Boston Medical Center (BMC) were no more likely to be re-hospitalized than adults receiving “usual care” according to researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston University School of Public Health. The findings, which appeared in the American Journal of... More

BUSM Researchers Identify Role of FOXO1 Gene in Parkinson’s Disease

July 3rd, 2012

A recent study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) revealed that the FOXO1 gene may play an important role in the pathological mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease. These findings are published online in PLoS Genetics, a peer-reviewed open-access journal published by the Public Library of Science. The study was led by Alexandra Dumitriu, More