Student Updates

BUSM Lecture Honors Alumni, Victim of 9/11 Tragedy

Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) will present the 11^th annual Sue Kim Hanson Lecture in Immunology at noon, Friday, Nov.16, in the School of Medicine’s Keefer Auditorium. The annual lecture honors Sue Kim Hanson, MA, and PhD ’02, a former researcher in BUSM’s Pulmonary Center. Hanson, her husband and their daughter were passengers on one of the airplanes that struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

This year’s lecturer is Ruslan Medzhitov, MD, investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and David W. Wallace Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine.

The lecture, “Host Defense Strategies” will focus on Microbial infections, which pose a significant threat to our health and survival. Many encounters with pathogens go unnoticed because they are quickly eliminated by efficient immune defenses. But, some of these infections make us more vulnerable to unrelated secondary infections, such as the Influenza virus, which can lead to disease and even death. This presentation will detail lethal co-infections and the different ways the host organism protects itself from microbial challenges.

Medzhitov has dedicated his career to analyzing the innate immune system, inflammatory response, innate control of the adaptive immunity and host-pathogen interactions. He is nationally recognized for his work with Toll-like receptors, a component of the innate system that provide the adaptive system with the necessary information to create custom-made B and T cells that target specific bacterial or viral invaders. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2010 and was a co-recipient of the prestigious Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine in 2011.

Sue Kim Hanson moved to Boston and earned a master’s degree in medical sciences from BUSM in 1992. After graduation she joined the school’s Pulmonary Center and then entered BUSM’s doctoral program in the Immunology Training Program through the department of pathology and laboratory medicine.

Her dissertation project was an investigation of the role of interleukin-16 in immunity and targeted deletion of the interleukin-16 gene in mice. Her degree was awarded posthumously by unanimous vote by the dissertation committee.

“Sue was on her way to a promising career in molecular biology,” said David Center, MD, Gordon and Ruth Snider professor of pulmonary medicine and associate provost for translational research. “While her life was taken at an early age, her legacy lives on through this annual lecture. We are proud to remember and honor her and her family each year.”

Nov. 15 Fall 2012 Thematic Seminar Series Lecture: The Cytoskeleton in Health and Disease

The Fall 2012 Thematic Seminar Series, which focuses on The Cytoskeleton in Health and Disease, continues on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 3 p.m. with a presentation "Using Human Stem Cells to Understand Neurodegenerative Disease." This lecture is being given by Lawrence Goldstein, PhD, Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Distinguished Professor, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Department of Neurosciences Director, UC San Diego Stem Cell Program UCSD School of Medicine.

The Thematic Seminar Series is jointly sponsored by The Evans Center, the CTSI and the BUSM Department of Biochemistry. All interested staff, faculty and students are invited to the lecture. For additional information please contact Melissa Howard.

Using Human Stem Cells to Understand Neurodegenerative Disease

Date: Thursday, Nov. 15
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Keefer Auditorium, E111

Graduate students and postdocs are invited to a special lunch meeting at noon in W502, 700 Albany St.

A 4 p.m. post-lecture reception will be held in the Wilkins Board Room, E120.

BUSPH Research Day Nov. 14

On Nov. 14, the BU School of Public Health will hold its Inaugural Research Day, featuring examples of the first-rate research and scholarship being conducted at the school by its students, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty.

Research and scholarship are central to the mission of the School of Public Health and occur in multiple areas, including risk assessment and tracking, health behavior change, environmental protection, and health policy.

The program includes Kirsten Davison, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. She will be speaking on Parent-centered Community-based Participatory Research and its Application to Childhood Obesity Prevention.

BUSPH Research Day

Nov 14, 2012
Noon to 4 p.m.
Hiebert Lounge

More information on BUSPH Research Day can be found here

When Patients Heal You: BUMC Arts Outreach Initiative

A unique collaboration among the department of Neurology, the BU School of Medicine Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs and the BU Medical Campus Arts Outreach Initiative resulted in an extraordinary concert on the Medical Campus in early November. The concert, When Patients Heal You, featured a group of six talented performers, all patients successfully treated by the department of Neurology at Boston Medical Center.

This group of talented patients embodies the diversity and cultural richness of the medical campus and hospital. They performed selections ranging from classical to rock, and from jazz to Caribbean music. Each performer has faced and overcome some type of neurological challenge. Images are available on Facebook.

The Medical Campus Arts Initiative is led by Moises Fernandez Via, Project Curator and Researcher for the Arts Outreach Initiative, a professional concert pianist with a strong commitment to bringing arts to health-care settings. “Something fantastic happened during the concert. The audience witnessed how art allowed patients to transcend their condition as patients and transform into musicians,” said Fernandez Via.

More information on the Medical Campus Arts Initiative is available here.

BUMC on Forefront of Student Training of Military Veteran Medical Issues

In January 2012, BUSM was invited to the Joining Forces Initiative, a partnership with the White House, the Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) and more than 100 medical schools. The collaboration provides veterans and their families with healthcare opportunities and support. It strengthens medical education on issues affecting military personnel such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

As part of this initiative BUSM, which has a rich history of neurological and psychiatric scholarship, has held a number of lectures and training opportunities.

BUSM hosted Special Forces Major Gerald DePold, Physician Assistant, who spoke about the Special Forces Medic system for evaluating and managing head injuries. A lecture on TBI and neurorehabilitation was given by nationally renowned neurologist Douglas Katz, MD. In 2013, Ann McKee, MD will speak on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and the impact of blast injuries by neuropathology. These lectures enhance students’ understanding of the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment of these military injuries. Additional lectures were presented on PTSD, depression and substance abuse.

Collaboration between BUSM and VA Boston Healthcare System (VABHS) has resulted in the development of a specialized curriculum focused on post-deployment mental health and neurological issues. This elective will address the unique needs of our military personnel. The program is designed to provide medical education about post-deployment mental health and neurological issues to medical and graduate students ensuring that they are skilled in recognizing and treating both the physical and psychological effects of war.

The School has forged ahead with VABHS on another research and education activity. On June 28, the Inaugural BUSM and VABHS PTSD and TBI conference took place. This event, which was held in conjunction with Naval week, featured poster presentations on cutting-edge PTSD and CTE research conducted at area medical institutions. Rear Admiral Wagner and James Kelly MD presented “The Naval Response to PTSD and TBI.” There were more than one hundred participants and more than 35 posters. This collaborative experience served to foster the Joining Forces educational initiatives and to bring together researchers, educational leaders, and students.

BUSM also assists with the dissemination of clinical knowledge through online lecture postings to the Joining Forces iCollaborative site . A TBI slide set by Douglas Katz, MD was the first offering. Additional programming is in development including the military response to TBI and CTE.

There are a number of other veteran-related programs and research on the Medical Campus that include the School of Public Health and the Goldman School of Dental Medicine, see http://www.bu.edu/dental/2011/10/11/ussda-students-stand-up-for-veterans-at-operation-stand-down/ and http://sph.bu.edu/index.php?option=com_insidernews&categoryid=94&sectionid=15&articleid=4500&task=view&id=623&deptid=0&Itemid=617365.

Hemant Roy, MD Named Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology Jan. 1

The Department of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center announced that Hemant Roy, MD has been appointed Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology effective Jan. 1. Dr. Roy is currently Duckworth Professor of Cancer Research, Director of Research and Vice Chair of Northshore University Health System and Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

Dr. Roy received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University (Summa Cum Laude) and his medical degree with distinction from Northwestern University. He completed his medical training at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston and a three year fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of Chicago.

Nov. 8 Fall 2012 Thematic Seminar Series Lecture: The Cytoskeleton in Health and Disease

The Fall 2012 Thematic Seminar Series, which focuses on The Cytoskeleton in Health and Disease, kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. with a presentation on Molecular Motors in Brain Developmental Disease. This lecture is being given by Richard Vallee, PhD, Professor, Department of Pathology and Cell Biology; Director, Division of Cell and Molecular Biology; Member, Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University Medical Center New York.

The Thematic Seminar Series is jointly sponsored by The Evans Center, the CTSI and the BUSM Department of Biochemistry. All interested staff, faculty and students are invited to the lecture.

Molecular Motors in Brain Developmental Disease

Date: Thursday, Nov. 8
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Keefer Auditorium, E111

Graduate students and postdocs are invited to a special lunch meeting at noon in W502.
A 4 p.m. post-lecture reception will be held in the Wilkins Board Room, E120.

GSDM Students Explore Culture and Clinic on Guatemala Externship

GSDM students Jennifer Rubin DMD 13 and Elizabeth Ponder DMD 13 volunteered for two weeks in Comitancillo, Guatemala (Comi), with Dentistry for All (DFA) and its founder, GSDM alum Brad Krusky DMD 93. The experience was educational in not only a clinical, but also a cultural sense.

Rubin and Ponder immersed themselves in the traditional Mayan culture of “Comi.” They learned the town’s unique handshake. In keeping with conservative customs (which apply to both women and men) they covered their knees and toes and sometimes wore the floor-length traditional skirts local women wear. They had dinner with the mayor, his wife, and his children, and treated them in the clinic later that week.

DFA is unique in that it charges patients a small amount for treatment (equal to about 70 cents). The money goes to a charity to benefit Comi, so the money goes back to the town. In Comi and surrounding villages, many residents are in need of decent clothes and shoes that do not have holes. DFA brought new and gently used shoes and clothes it had collected in the U.S. Patients with the greatest need were offered the chance to choose what they needed from this collection.

DFA returns to the area every six months, so residents are likely to have follow-up appointments with dentists. Rubin and Ponder worked from around 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and treated seven or eight patients daily. The DFA team treated about 500 people in their two weeks in Comi.

Although the volunteers focused on restoring teeth rather than having them extracted, many of the teeth had to be extracted. “We are pros at extractions now,” Rubin said. “We both want to study pediatric dentistry too and we learned so much from our DFA mentors, who are pediatric dentists.”

Rubin noted that the experience proved to them and their mentors how superior the DMD education is at GSDM.

In addition to extractions and restorations, Rubin and Ponder made stainless steel crowns for adults and even made veneers for an 11-year-old girl with a malformation that caused staining across many of her teeth.

DFA is a relatively new externship to GSDM. This is only the third time GSDM students have joined DFA in Guatemala. Previously, Stephanie Trajan and Katy Bednar went in 2011 and 2012, respectively. All students, including now Rubin and Ponder, expressed interest in returning as soon as possible.

“International elective externships such as this not only provide unparalleled experiences for our students but also much needed access to care for the patients they treat,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter.

Photos are available on Flickr and Facebook.

BU CTSI Supports Early-Career-Stage Investigator Collaboration that Leads to National Multi-Site Study

There is a common catch-22 in research, particularly when examining new, novel pathways and nascent discoveries. Data are needed to support exploratory research hypotheses when submitting proposals for external funding, but funding is typically needed to collect data for testing preliminary hypotheses. Pilot grants funded by the BU Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) offer a solution to this dilemma by providing support for new exploratory projects where there are few or no earlier studies to which to refer and the focus is on gaining insights and familiarity for later investigation.

Early-career stage investigators Allan Walkey, MD, MSc, assistant professor of Medicine (Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care) and director of Pulmonary and Critical Care Education, and Suresh Agarwal, MD, former associate professor of Surgery (Trauma Surgery) at BUSM received a pilot grant from the BU CTSI in 2010 to explore a new type of treatment for acute lung injuries and acute respiratory distress syndrome. These problems affect more than 200,000 people in the U.S. annually and lead to death in close to 40 percent of the cases. Those who survive are prone to a number of long-term effects including decreased quality of life, decreased levels of functioning, and permanent complications.

Their research focused on an alternative method of mechanical ventilation called Airway Pressure Release Ventilation (APRV). “APRV has theoretical properties that may either reduce or increase additional injury to the lungs that is caused by the ventilator,” Dr. Walkey explains. “Ventilator-induced lung injury is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in patients with the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Many physicians currently use APRV routinely in caring for patients with the ARDS; however there is little data about other benefits in attenuating ventilator-induced lung injury. This study addresses the large knowledge gaps surrounding the commonly utilized technology APRV.” In addition to researching treatment for ARDS, their research goals include examining ways to prevent ARDS which could save both lives and money.

Barriers to participation in the study, including patients lacking a legally authorized representative (LAR) or consent denied by a LAR, or patients meeting clinical exclusion criteria, resulted in a small sample size—three out of 21 eligible participants were recruited into the study. Despite the number of participants recruited, the research supported by the pilot grant provided preliminary data on experimental treatment, creation of a database, and identification of barriers for participation. The pilot grant also legitimized the study to other research institutions and potential funders. Upon completion of the study, the investigators found the mortality rate of ARDS to be closer to 30 percent rather than 40 percent.

With their preliminary data and experience, the investigators secured a one-year, $1.5M grant from the National Trauma Institute for a multi-center trial with seven other institutions to continue this research. In a follow-up interview, the researchers expressed the importance and timing of CTSI pilot funding in catalyzing their research. For Dr. Walkey, a 2009 graduate of the Clinical Research Training Program (CREST K30) supported by the CTSI and an early-career stage investigator, the pilot funding provided a means for advancing his research career toward externally funded independent investigations. Strengthening the pipeline of investigators is a major focus of the CTSI’s mission.

For more information about Dr. Walkey, including publications, visit his researcher profile. Visit BU CTSI to learn more.

BU Rated Seventh in US for “Employability”, 17th Worldwide

Boston University is 17th in the chart of universities around the world that were ranked based on the “employability” of their graduates according to a recent Boston Globe story. The chart, entitled "What the job market wants," was published by the New York Times, which said an online survey was compiled by Emerging, a human resources consultancy based in Paris, and Trendence, an institute that researches employer branding, personal marketing, and recruitment.

Harvard topped the chart and MIT ranked seventh. Other U.S. schools that ranked highly were Yale (2), Stanford (5), Columbia (7), and Princeton (8). BU is the next U.S. institution on the list, ranking it seventh in the nation above schools such as Brown (22) and Duke (26).

The chart states that more than 2,500 recruiters and about 2,200 international chief executives and business managers were asked between May 18 and June 7, 2012 to select their top universities. The countries represented were Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.

Farther down the worldwide list were Boston College (83) and Brandeis (118). The two are 22 and 34 in the U.S., respectively.

The Boston Globe story was written by Laura E. Franzini, Globe Correspondent.