News
BUSM/VA Researchers Uncover Gender Differences in the Effects of Long-Term Alcoholism
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
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
New Book Details DASH Diet: Blood pressure plan effective in weight loss, too
Can the movie version be far behind? The DASH diet, developed in the 1990s and lauded last year as the best overall weight-reduction plan by U.S. News & World Report, is now in book form. Just published, The DASH Diet for Weight Loss (Free Press, 2012) could add to the arsenal of books aimed at the... More
GSDM Represented at 2012 Multicultural Oral Health Summit
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
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
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
BUSM Professor and Vice Chair Awarded 2012 Harold Hildreth Award for Distinguished Public Service
Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) Professor and Vice-Chair of Psychiatry Terence M. Keane, PhD, was honored with the 2012 Harold Hildreth Award for Distinguished Public Service by the American Psychological Association (APA). The award was presented at the annual APA meetings in Orlando, Fla. Named after Harold M. Hildreth, a pioneer in psychology and a... More
SURP Interns Present at GMS Symposium
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
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
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
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
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
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 Study Identifies Adenosine Receptor’s Role in Regulating High Fat Diet-Induced Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
A recent study led by Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) demonstrates that the A2b-type adenosine receptor, A2bAR, plays a significant role in the regulation of high fat, high cholesterol diet-induced symptoms of type 2 diabetes. The findings, which are published online in PLoS ONE, also identify A2bAR as a potential target for the treatment... More
BUSM Researchers Identify Genetic Markers for Testosterone, Estrogen Level Regulation
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
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
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
BUSM and VA Researchers Discover Dissociative Subtype of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
A recent study by Erika J. Wolf, PhD, and Principal Investigator Mark W. Miller, PhD, both from the National Center for PTSD at the VA Boston Healthcare System and Department of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), found an association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociation. The findings, published in the Archives... More
BUSM In Vitro Study Identifies Potential Combination Therapy for Breast Cancer
A study conducted at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) demonstrates an effective combination therapy for breast cancer cells in vitro. The findings, published in the July 2012 issue of Anticancer Research, raise the possibility of using this type of combination therapy for different forms of breast cancer, including those that develop resistance to chemotherapy... More
Researchers Find Abuse During Childhood and Adolescence may Contribute to Obesity in Adulthood
Investigators from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center report research findings that may shed light on influences on obesity during adulthood. Appearing in the journal Pediatrics, the study found an association of severity of sexual and physical abuse during childhood and adolescence with obesity during adulthood. The findings were based... More
BUSM Study Finds Genes Associated with Hippocampal Atrophy
In a genome-wide association (GWA) study, researchers from Boston University Schools of Medicine (BUSM) and Public Health (BUSPH) have identified several genes which influence degeneration of the hippocampus, the part of the brain most associated with Alzheimer disease (AD). The study, which currently appears online as a Rapid Communication in the Annals of Neurology, demonstrates... More
BUSM Study Finds Gout and Hyperuricemia on the Rise in the U.S.
Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers have found that the incidence of gout and hyperuricemia (high uric acid levels) in the U.S. has risen significantly over the last 20 years and is associated with major medical disorders like hypertension and chronic kidney disease. The study, which is published in the American Journal of Medicine, More
BUSM Study Shows Role of Cellular Protein in Regulation of Binge Eating
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have demonstrated in experimental models that blocking the Sigma-1 receptor, a cellular protein, reduced binge eating and caused binge eaters to eat more slowly. The research, which is published online in Neuropsychopharmacology, was led by Pietro Cottone, PhD, and Valentina Sabino, PhD, both assistant professors in the... More
Bradford Towne Joins GSDM
On May 21, Dr. Bradford M. Towne joined the full time faculty of the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC). His responsibilities will include pre-doctoral and post-doctoral education at GSDM and outpatient clinical care in the Yawkey-5 clinic at... More
BUMC Toastmasters News, New Members Welcome
This month the Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC) Toastmasters chapter achieved “distinguished” status. Toastmasters International has a list of ten benchmarks that it uses to assess clubs and those clubs that attain five of the benchmarks are considered distinguished. Some of the benchmarks achieved by this club include several members achieving “Competent Leadership” status, club... More