News Archive for 2007

Dr. Sam Finlayson Cancers Diagnosed Earlier in Rural Patients, Say Medical School Researchers
Rural patients are often assumed to be the top truants in American medicine, not seeking medical attention until a condition is more advanced and less treatable. However, new Dartmouth Medical School research suggests that urban, not rural, patients are more likely to slip through the cracks—at least when it comes to colorectal and lung cancer.
November 20, 2007
Dr. Gerald O'Connor Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Honors DMS Experts
Two Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) researchers who have advanced outcomes research and clinical practice have received national awards from the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation. The honors were announced at the 2007 North American CF Conference, a meeting of more than 3,500 national and international researchers and clinicians in cystic fibrosis.
November 16, 2007
Dr. Joshua Hamilton Dartmouth Researchers Show Effects of Low Dose Arsenic on Development
A team of Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) researchers has determined that low doses of arsenic disrupt the activity of a hormone critical in development. The finding is further evidence that arsenic at low doses (at levels found in US drinking water in some areas) can be harmful. The study appeared in the Oct. 26 online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), and it will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal.
November 14, 2007
Dr. John E. Wennberg Outcomes Pioneer Wennberg Receives Two Prestigious Awards
Dr. John E. (Jack) Wennberg, founding editor of the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care at Dartmouth Medical School, has recently received two major awards for his contributions to medicine and health policy.
November 8, 2007
Dr. Michael Simons Super Heart Mice Reveal Blood Vessel Growth Controls Organ Size
Dartmouth Medical School researchers have created mice with super hearts—enlarged organs that are powerful blood pumps—demonstrating a new dynamic for regulating heart size and function. The work, reported in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, offers novel approaches for heart disease therapies. Moreover, it opens a window on what drives organ enlargement and how to control organ size in adults.
November 1, 2007
Dr. Fran Norris Dartmouth to Lead New National Center for Disaster Mental Health Research
Dartmouth Medical School has been awarded a 5-year, $3.89 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in collaboration with several organizations, to launch a National Center for Disaster Mental Health Research (NCDMHR). The new center will conduct long-term studies that address important questions concerning post-disaster resilience and wellness.
October 29, 2007
Timothy P. Lahey, MD HIV Researcher Receives National Young Investigator Award
Dr. Timothy Lahey, an HIV specialist at Dartmouth Medical School, received a national award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America for his promising research on protecting immune cells from death during HIV infection.
October 10, 2007
Dr. Steven Woloshin Inside the Box: Consumers Can Decipher Drug Information Table
Just the facts, please, on how a drug helps or harms, presented in a clear table and the consumer can understand them, report Dartmouth Medical School/VA physicians. The findings help overturn the notion that numeric data is too difficult for the general public and lend support to including tables to communicate balanced drug information.
October 4, 2007
Susan and Peter Williamson Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Receive $20 Million Gift, Largest Gift to Date
Peter and Susan Williamson of Lyme, NH, have made a $20 million gift commitment to Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). Their gift, the largest gift to the Medical School and the Medical Center, will help support their highest priorities.
September 28, 2007
Dr. Charles Cole Flexibility Helps Cells Build Nuclear Passageways
Like an athlete, a cell at work requires agility—at least for tunneling to the nucleus with its mother lode of genetic information, DMS biochemists report. Their research sheds light on the dynamics of building nuclear pores—the gateways for traffic to and from the nucleus, sometimes called the brain of the cell.
September 27, 2007
Dr. H. Gilbert Welch Biopsy, not Screening, Detects Prostate Cancer, Dartmouth/VA Researchers Report
While PSA (prostate-specific antigen) tests have become widely used to screen for prostate cancer, a biopsy is what actually determines the presence of prostate cancer, according to Dartmouth/VA researchers. Nonetheless, it remains unclear whether or not PSA screening reduces prostate cancer deaths.
September 17, 2007
DMS Logo Dartmouth Life Science Symposium on Immunology Set for October 2
"Truth or Consequences: The Immunology of Human Disease" is the focus of the 14th annual Dartmouth Symposium for the Life Sciences, featuring leading experts on the role of the immune system in different illnesses.
September 13, 2007
Unique Role for Blood Formation Gene Identified
DMS research reveals new pathway for stem cell turnover

All blood cell production in adults depends on the steady work of a vital gene that if lost results in early bone marrow failure, Dartmouth Medical School cancer geneticists have found. Their research reveals an unexpected role for the gene in sustaining the adult blood-forming system, and opens novel strategies for targeting the gene, which is often involved in a type of childhood leukemia.
September 12, 2007
Drug to Boost Red Blood Cells May Benefit Critically Ill Trauma Patients
Treatment with a blood stimulator significantly reduced death, particularly in trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit, according to results of a Dartmouth-led national trial.
September 7, 2007
Research Shows New Risks from Seeing Movie Smoking
Exposure to smoking in movies is not only likely to influence adolescents to start smoking, but it also appears to be closely associated with adolescents' risk of becoming established smokers, according to a new study by researchers at Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
September 4, 2007
DMS Logo Robert Sapolsky Discusses Stress and Illness at the 24th Schumann Lecture
Dr. Robert Sapolsky delivers the 24th Annual Helmut Schumann Lecture, "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: Insights on Stress and Illness," on September 26 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, 7:30 p.m. in Auditoriums E-F.
August 30, 2007
Faculty and Resident Role Models Honored
Dartmouth Medical School honored faculty and residents who received the Alma Hass Milham Awards for humane and ethical values.
August 21, 2007
Dr. William Wickner Tipping Point for Cell Membrane Fusion: DMS Research Shows Delicate Balance for Coupling versus Breakup
The merger of membrane "walls" separating components inside the cell is essential for sorting and moving proteins to their correct locations. Now DMS biochemists have determined a tipping point for that fusion, a key process for cell development and function. Their research, published this week (August 13-17) in the online Early Edition of PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), offers further understanding of what guides the interactions among biological membranes.
August 14, 2007
Dr. Henry (Hank) Bernstein Newborn Hospital Discharges - When is the 'Right Time'?
A landmark nationwide study, published today in the August issue of Pediatrics, is the first ever to prospectively examine the decision-making process of over 4,000 mothers and their physicians around the readiness of mothers and their infants to leave the hospital after childbirth.
August 6, 2007
Dr. John E. Wennberg, MD, MPH John Wennberg Leaves Leadership Position at Dartmouth's Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences; James Weinstein Named Successor
Dr. John E. Wennberg, known for his pioneering work in evaluating medical practice, has stepped down as director of the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences (CECS) at Dartmouth, which he founded in 1988. Dr. James N. Weinstein, professor and chair of Orthopaedics at Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and professor of community and family medicine, has been named his successor.
June 29, 2007
DMS Logo Hughes Grant to DMS Will Promote Science Education Excellence in New Hampshire High Schools
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) today announced the award of a five-year, $750,000 grant to Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) to enhance high school health and science education in New Hampshire communities.
June 21, 2007
Dr. Charles Barlowe DMS Professors Win Prestigious Research Awards
Two Dartmouth Medical School researchers have been selected for MERIT awards from the National Institutes of Health, a recognition reserved for accomplished and successful scientists.
June 19, 2007
Keith D. Paulsen Folic Acid Supplements Don't Seem to Reduce Polyp Risk
In an unexpected about face, folic acid supplementation does not decrease the risk of benign colorectal tumors, and may possibly increase risk for some types of these lesions, also called polyps, Dartmouth Medical School and Norris Cotton Cancer Center researchers have found.
June 5, 2007
Keith D. Paulsen Dartmouth's Alternative Breast Imaging Techniques Sort Abnormal from Normal Tissue
New methods of electromagnetic imaging offer a high contrast and the ability to distinguish between healthy breast tissue and abnormal tissue, according to Dartmouth physicians and engineers. They reported results from a five-year project testing three new imaging techniques to examine breast abnormalities, including cancer, in the May issue of Radiology, the journal of the Radiological Society of North America.
June 5, 2007
Dr. James Weinstein Second SPORT Study Results: Clear Advantage of Surgery for Spinal Stenosis and a Slipped Vertebra
In one of the three most common back conditions for which patients seek treatment, surgery proved to have substantially better results than non-surgical remedies, according to Dartmouth-led research published in the May 31 New England Journal of Medicine.
May 30, 2007
Jay Dunlap Jet Lag: Light, Chemicals, Action
Research Reveals Biology of Circadian Clock

It's in the timing—and the circadian clock that cues the ebb and flow of our daily rhythms. Frequent fliers who go through several time zones know the jet lag that can occur when timing is disrupted.
May 24, 2007
Med Students Funded to Devote Year to Research
Two Dartmouth medical students have been named 2007 Research Scholars in a joint program of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)-National Institutes of Health (NIH) designed to help nurture future physician-scientists.
May 10, 2007
Schweitzer Fellows Lead Volunteers for Common Good
More than 50 Dartmouth medical and engineering students volunteered in the community for Common Good Day on May 1, a joint venture to serve local social service agencies that was organized by the Dartmouth Medical School and Thayer School of Engineering 2006-07 Schweitzer Fellows.
May 7, 2007
Dr. Charles Brenner Vitamin Extends Life in Yeast, Dartmouth Medical School Researchers Find
Imagine taking a vitamin for longevity! Not yet, but a Dartmouth discovery that a cousin of niacin prolongs lifespan in yeast brings the tantalizing possibility a step closer.
May 3, 2007
Victor Ambros, PhD National Academy of Sciences Taps Dartmouth Geneticist Victor Ambros
A Dartmouth Medical School geneticist recognized for his groundbreaking studies of gene regulation was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, considered one of the country's highest honors for scientists.
May 1, 2007
Dr. Charles Brenner Scientists Find Missing Link to Understand How Plants Make Vitamin C
Vitamin C is possibly the most important small molecule whose biosynthetic pathway remained a mystery. That is until now.
Apr 27, 2007
Gustav Lienhard Key Protein Link in Insulin Signaling Found
Dartmouth Medical School biochemists, working with colleagues at Weill Cornell Medical College, have identified a protein called Rab10 as an important player in the insulin-mediated uptake of glucose by cells, opening the way to potential new drug targets to treat type 2 diabetes.
Apr 20, 2007
Narath Carlile Med student honored as emerging leader in medicine
A second year Dartmouth medical student received an American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation 2007 Leadership Award. Narath Carlile was among those honored for outstanding leadership skills in advocacy, community service and/or education.
Apr 17, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School Medical School Dean to Serve Second Term
Dartmouth Medical School Dean Stephen P. Spielberg, MD, PhD, has been reappointed for a second four-year term, effective July 1, by Dartmouth President James Wright.
Apr 13, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School New Aspirin Study Results Questioned
Sorting through the evidence about aspirin's benefits for women can be confounding, according to a Dartmouth Medical School physician.
Mar 26, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School Infectious Disease Pediatrician Urges Readiness for Virus Threat
Reinforcing the need to be better prepared against global epidemics, a Dartmouth Medical School virologist calls for adding a distant relative of polioviruses that is responsible for widespread disease outbreaks in Asia and elsewhere to the list of threatening emerging infections.
Mar 21, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School Dartmouth Medical Seniors Meet Their "Match"
Graduating Dartmouth Medical School students celebrated Match Day, a national rite of passage that reveals where newly minted physicians train as residents in US teaching hospitals. They joined a record number of medical school seniors vying for the highest ever number of available residency positions through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
Mar 15, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School Effective Therapy for War Trauma in Military Women Demonstrated
A form of cognitive behavioral therapy benefits female veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a five-year nationwide Veterans Affairs study led by Dartmouth Medical School psychiatry researchers.
Feb 27, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School Heart Disease Test Utility Questioned
Researchers with Dartmouth Medical School and the Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group at the White River Junction (Vt.) VA Medical Center question the usefulness of the C-Reactive Protein (CRP) test for guiding decisions about cholesterol-lowering medication, saying the test identifies too many at low risk.
Feb 26, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School Simple Education Booklet Helps People Understand Health Risk Information
A primer developed by Dartmouth Medical School/VA physicians helped people better understand information about health risks and interventions meant to reduce those risks. In a study published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, the researchers report results of testing the primer, which they wrote.
Feb 19, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School Age Effect: Controlling Iron Levels Early in Life May Cut Future Heart Risk
Lowering the body's excess iron stores--in this case, by drawing blood--may improve outcomes for people with symptomatic but stable peripheral arterial disease (PAD), but only if iron reduction begins at a relatively young age. Those are the findings of a six-year Veterans Affairs clinical trial reported in the Feb. 14 Journal of the American Medical Association.
Feb 13, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School Pedestrian-Friendly Communities Make for More Active Older Adults
Build it, and they will walk. That's the message from a new study that suggests communities that make it easy for senior citizens to walk will end up with more active residents.
Feb 9, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School Urban Scholars Extend DMS Opportunities
Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) has been awarded $25,000 to help support a new Urban Health Scholars program that enlarges its reach to underserved metropolitan populations.
Feb 1, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School Dartmouth Physician Joins US Health Panel
Jan 31, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School New Report Stresses Need to Improve Humanitarian Health Responses
Jan 18, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School - Logo Calcium Supplements Extend Protection against Polyps
Jan 17, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School - Logo Selective Marker for an Aggressive Breast Cancer Found
Jan 16, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School - Logo Skin Cancer Prevention Targets Teens
Jan 15, 2007
Dartmouth Medical School - Logo Dartmouth Researchers Find that Arsenic Triggers Unique Mechanism in Rare Leukemia
Jan 8, 2007

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