News Archive for 2008

December 16, 2008
Dr. Anna N.A. Tosteson Spine Fusion Cost-effectiveness Questioned in Dartmouth-led Study
New research led by Dartmouth Medical School suggests that for patients with spinal stenosis with associated slipped vertebrae, the benefits of the fusion procedure are not enough to offset the costs. The work was published in the December 16 Annals of Internal Medicine.
November 20, 2008
Dr. Kathleen A. Marting Critical Determinant for Whether or Not Pregnant Uterus Contracts Found
Timing is crucial when a woman is about to give birth, and now Dartmouth Medical School researchers have discovered a key player that prepares the pregnant uterus for labor. The findings, published online Nov. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, help resolve the paradoxical presence of a muscle relaxant just when the uterus needs to begin forceful contractions.
DMS Logo Medical journalists need improved conflict-of-interest standards, say Dartmouth researchers
Two Dartmouth Medical School researchers call for greater scrutiny of the relationship between medical journalists and the health care industries they cover. Their study was published online today, Nov. 19, in the British Medical Journal, or BMJ.
November 10, 2008
Dr. Henry Bernstein No Smoking Room Website Launched to Empower Girls to Live a Smoke-Free Life
An innovative website to emphasize smoking prevention for young girls has been launched through Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD) and Dartmouth Medical School. The safe, online patient education site was created by a Dartmouth pediatrician to prevent smoking in young girls (8-11 yrs. old).
DMS Logo New Department, professorships approved
Dartmouth College Trustees approved a new Department of Neurology and two named professorships at Dartmouth Medical School. The actions were taken at the their fall-term meeting in Hanover, Nov. 7-8, where the Board discussed the institution's financial strategy in the economically challenging environment.
November 4, 2008
Dr. Henry Bernstein New Flu Vaccine Guidelines Call for Protecting All Children
All children, starting at six months of age, should get an influenza vaccine each and every year, say new pediatric guidelines, and a Dartmouth pediatrician who helped develop the guidelines stresses that it is both beneficial and safe.
October 28, 2008
DMS Logo Common Good Day Serves Local Agencies
Dartmouth medical students fanned out to Upper Valley agencies for the fourth annual Common Good Day Oct. 21. Under the aegis of Dartmouth Medical School's Community Service Committee and the DMS 2008-09 Schweitzer Fellows, over 100 medical students -- primarily first and second- years -- volunteered their time and energy for area organizations and activities.
October 21, 2008
Dr. Kathryn Zug Allergy Patch Tests: Children and Adults Have Differences and Similarities
Adults and children who are referred for patch testing for allergies appear equally likely to have allergic contact dermatitis, although they tend to react to different allergy-causing substances (allergens), reports a team headed by a Dartmouth dermatologist. The multi-center study, published in the October Archives of Dermatology, helps provide a useful guide to an allergen "hit list" for children, say the investigators.
October 16, 2008
Dr. Fran Norris Hurricane Ike triggers Dartmouth's work for the National Center for Disaster Mental Health Research
Dartmouth researchers with the National Center for Disaster Mental Health Research are preparing to visit the Galveston, Texas area on their first field mission in early November to study the impact of Hurricane Ike, which hit in late September.
October 15, 2008
Dr. David W. Nierenberg Dartmouth Medical School Educator David Nierenberg Wins National Teaching Award
Dartmouth Medical School's education dean has been honored with one of the country's highest medical student teaching accolades, the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award, to be presented at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) annual meeting Nov. 1 in San Antonio, Texas.
October 14, 2008
Dr. John Baron Risks of Recalled Pain Killer Drug Confirmed
Long term follow-up confirms that use of the former pain killer rofecoxib (Vioxx) substantially increased the risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack. The results were published early online and in an upcoming edition of the Lancet by Dr. John A Baron, professor of medicine and of at Dartmouth Medical School and colleagues. They highlight the need to balance potential and perils when considering such drugs, called COX-2 inhibitors, which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Dr. Bruce Stanton Dartmouth-led Lung Disease Collaboration Renewed
New Hampshire scientists have been awarded $10.5 million from the National Institutes of Health to extend a Dartmouth-led collaboration for research and training to prevent and cure cystic fibrosis, lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses.
October 13, 2008
Dr. John Wennberg Dartmouth's John E. Wennberg Wins Prestigious Lienhard Award
Dr. John E. Wennberg, a Dartmouth Medical School outcomes pioneer, today received the 2008 Gustav O. Lienhard Award from the Institute of Medicine for "reshaping the US health care system" to focus on objective evidence and outcomes rather than physician preference as the basis for treatment decisions, and for his efforts to empower patients with greater input on decisions about their own care.
September 26, 2008
Dr. Jay Buckey Via the Virtual Space Station: Self-guided, Computer-based Depression Treatment
Self-guided treatment for depression could soon be only a mouse click away. A Dartmouth Medical School physician and former astronaut is part of a National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) team developing an interactive, multi-media program to manage depression and other psychosocial problems in space and it could be brought down to earth, especially where access to health care is limited.
September 18, 2008
Dr. Elliot Fisher It Takes a Neighborhood:
Creating the Structure for the Medical Home

The medical home has great potential to improve the delivery of coordinated health care to patients. But significant obstacles still exist in making the transition from model to reality, says Dartmouth physician Dr. Elliott S. Fisher in the September 18 New England Journal of Medicine.
September 10, 2008
Dr. John Baron Colon Cancer Prevention Trial, Led by Dartmouth, Receives More Funding
Dartmouth Medical School has been awarded $19 million to continue leadership of a national trial that is exploring a safe and cost-effective way help prevent colorectal cancer, one of the most common cancers in the US.
September 9, 2008
Dr. David Goodman National Health Workforce Planning Needed, Says DMS Doctor
Successful health care reform requires better public policy planning for the medical professionals the country needs, asserts a Dartmouth Medical School physician. He calls for the establishment of a national health workforce commission.
August 15, 2008
Dr. James Bernat DMS Expert Urges New Guidelines for Taking Donor Organs
Questioning the definitions of death in transplanting infant hearts, a Dartmouth Medical School neurologist called for setting new standards for organ donations after cardiac rather than brain death in a perspective for the August 14 New England Journal of Medicine.
August 8, 2008
Dr. Leslie Henderson New DMS Academic Affairs Dean Appointed
Dartmouth neuroscientist Dr. Leslie Henderson has been named senior associate dean for academic affairs. Her appointment, effective September 1, was announced by Dartmouth Medical School Dean Dr. William R. Green.
August 4, 2008
Dr. James Sargent Dartmouth Researchers Say Too Many Children See Extreme Violence in Movies
Alarming numbers of young adolescents are exposed to graphic violence in movies rated R for violence, calling into question the effectiveness of the current movie rating system, report Dartmouth Medical School researchers. Their results of a nationwide survey that documents widespread exposure of 10-14 -year-olds to violent movies are published in the August issue of Pediatrics.
July 16, 2008
Dr. Michael Whitfield Dartmouth Researchers Discover Gene Signatures to Classify Scleroderma
Distinct genetic profiles can discern different groups of patients with scleroderma, a vexing autoimmune disease in which the body turns against itself, Dartmouth Medical School researchers report. Their discovery of distinguishing molecular subtypes within the disease offers new insight into the complexity of a poorly understood and hard to treat illness and opens a window for better diagnosis and targeted therapies.
July 9, 2008
Dr. Joyce A. DeLeo Pain Scientist Joyce DeLeo Named to Lead Pharmacology and Toxicology
Dartmouth Medical School pain researcher Dr. Joyce A. DeLeo has been appointed chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, effective July 1. She succeeds Dr. Ethan Dmitrovsky, who is stepping aside after a decade as head of the department, to devote his full-time faculty effort at DMS to his research, particularly lung cancer biology and treatment, and including his work as an American Cancer Society Professor, an honor previously announced.
Dr. Charles Barlowe Molecular Biologist Charles Barlowe Named New Biochemistry Chair
Cell biologist Dr. Charles Barlowe has assumed a new leadership role as chair of Dartmouth Medical School's Department of Biochemistry. His appointment was effective July 1, coinciding with the end of his term as dean of graduate studies for Dartmouth College. He succeeds T.Y. Chang, Ph.D. who elected to step down after heading the department since 2000 and who will return to devoting his time to his research on cholesterol.
July 7, 2008
Paula Schnurr Award Honors DMS Researcher for Path-breaking PTSD Study
A Dartmouth Medical School researcher has won a Ladies' Home Journal Health Breakthrough Award for landmark work that benefits women and families. Paula Schnurr, a DMS research professor of psychiatry and the deputy executive director of the National Center for PTSD for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in White River Junction, Vermont, was honored for her studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in female veterans.
June 24, 2008
Dr. David J. Malenka Drug-Releasing Stents May Help Avoid Repeat Procedures to Unclog Heart Arteries
The widespread use of drug-releasing coronary artery stents in routine practice is associated with a decrease in the need for repeat procedures to unblock heart arteries, and also does not appear to increase the risk of death, compared to bare-metal stents, report Dartmouth Medical School researchers in the June 25 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
June 17, 2008
Dr. Welch What Are the Chances?
New Dartmouth Charts Document Relative Risks of Death

If you're a 55 year-old male who has never smoked, how likely is it you will die from heart disease over the next 10 years? From prostate cancer; pneumonia? Dartmouth Medical School researchers at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI) have created charts to provide patients with information -- based on actual records -- of their risk of death.
June 11, 2008
Matthew Reilley Med Student Named Research Scholar
A Dartmouth medical student has been selected for a national Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) initiative that enables aspiring physician-scientists to participate in hands-on biomedical research.
June 9, 2008
DMS Logo Class Day Honors DMS '08 Graduates
Dartmouth Medical School celebrated the accomplishments of 168 budding physicians, biomedical scientists and public health specialists in Class Day ceremonies, June 7.
June 5, 2008
Dr. Peter D. Williamson Peter Williamson, Epilepsy Pioneer, Dies
Dr. Peter D. Williamson, a world-renowned neurologist and epilepsy expert, distinguished for his pioneering work in evaluating patients for epilepsy surgery, died Wednesday, June 4, at his home in Lyme, NH, from cancer. He was 71.
May 29, 2008
Dr. Catherine F. Pipas Chief for DHMC Family Medicine Section Named
Dr. Catherine F. Pipas, a Dartmouth Medical School physician recognized as a regional and national leader among teachers of family medicine, has been named section chief for family medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC).
May 27, 2008
Dr. Stephen Atwood UNICEF Advisor to Speak at Dartmouth Medical School Class Day
International public health expert Dr. Stephen Atwood will deliver the keynote address at the Dartmouth Medical School Class Day on June 7.
May 9, 2008
DMS Logo Brain Injury Screening Collaborative Launched
Dartmouth Medical School and the Maine Army National Guard have joined to launch a two-tiered Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) Program involving both state-of-the-art screening and a system of integrated care to meet the needs of returning soldiers through cooperation between private and public community-based providers.
April 25, 2008
Dr. John Modlin Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs Named for DMS
Dartmouth pediatrician Dr. John Modlin, a prominent children's infectious disease expert, has been appointed senior associate dean for clinical affairs at Dartmouth Medical School, effective immediately. In this position, he will serve in an advisory role to DMS Dean Dr. William R. Green for all aspects relating to the school's academic mission involving the clinical faculty and programs at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
April 18, 2008
Dr. Ethan Dmitrovsky DMS Professor Honored by American Cancer Society
Dr. Ethan Dmitrovsky, the Andrew Wallace Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology and professor of medicine at Dartmouth Medical School, has been named a Clinical Research Professor by the American Cancer Society.
April 16, 2008
Dr. Elliott S. Fisher Claims of Physician Workforce Crisis Ignore Real Problems in Health Care
Increasing the size of the physician workforce has not led overall to better care, greater availability of care or patient satisfaction with medical care. So why do some continue to argue that adding more doctors is critical to addressing the US health care crisis? That's the question posed by Dartmouth Medical School physicians David C. Goodman and Elliott S. Fisher in the April 17 New England Journal of Medicine.
April 8, 2008
Dr. Barbara Conradt Killer Gene Switches that Regulate Cell Fate Found
Dartmouth Medical School geneticists have pinpointed the terminator controls in a pathway for cells destined to live or die, switching on a killer gene when needed to assure the development of a healthy animal.
April 7, 2008
Dr. John Wennberg Chronically Ill Patients Get More Care, Less Quality, Says Latest Dartmouth Atlas
Medicare pays many hospitals and their doctors more than the most efficient and effective health care institutions to treat chronically ill people, yet gets worse results, according to a new report from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice by Dartmouth Medical School professors.
March 21, 2008
It's a Match for Dartmouth Medical Seniors It's a Match for Dartmouth Medical Seniors
Joining their counterparts across the country, graduating Dartmouth Medical School students celebrated Match Day, a rite of passage when they learn where they will begin their training as newly minted physicians.
March 13, 2008
Dr. George O'Toole New Cystic Fibrosis Model Sheds Light on Harmful, Drug Resistant Lung Infections
Using a promising model they devised to study the stubborn lung infections that plague cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, Dartmouth Medical School researchers have discovered strikingly strong resistance to conventional antibiotics, and suggest that the intense therapy needed to combat infection may contribute to its persistence.
February 28, 2008
Dr. Murray Korc Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research at Dartmouth Named
Dr. Murray Korc, professor and chairman of medicine, will serve as the associate dean for clinical and translational research at Dartmouth Medical School and principal investigator coordinating Dartmouth's application for a National Institutes of Health (NIH) award, which will lead the establishment of a Center for Clinical and Translational Science at Dartmouth.
February 25, 2008
Dr. Duane Compton Cancer Cells May Tolerate Odd Chromosome Shuffles, DMS Researchers Find
Many cancer cells have the wrong number of chromosomes—too many or too few—but they seem to have adapted a quirk that allows them to keep growing in spite of the deviations, Dartmouth Medical School biochemists report.
February 20, 2008
Dr. James Weinstein Surgery Best for Patients with Spinal Stenosis, Third SPORT Study Shows
Individuals suffering from a common back condition known as spinal stenosis improve more with surgery than with non-surgical treatment, according to a multi-center, multi-state trial led by Dartmouth clinician-researchers. However, the study also reveals that patients who choose not to have surgery are likely to improve over time.
Dr. Randolph (Randy) Noelle Immunologist Appointed Acting Chair of Microbiology and Immunology
Dr. Randolph (Randy) Noelle has been named acting chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, announced Dr. William R. Green, dean of Dartmouth Medical School. "I am pleased that Dr. Noelle has agreed to serve while I fulfill my term as dean," said Green, professor and chair of microbiology and immunology, who assumed the deanship last month.
February 1, 2008
Dr. Giuseppe "Bepi" Raviola Dartmouth Resident Receives Prestigious Psychiatry Fellowship
Dr. Giuseppe "Bepi" Raviola, a resident in child and adolescent psychiatry at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) is one of only 10 residents nationally awarded a 2008 Laughlin Fellowship from the American College of Psychiatrists (ACP), given each year to residents deemed most likely to make a significant future contribution to psychiatry.
January 22, 2008
Dr. David Goodman Fixing Health Care: More Doctors Are Not the Solution
Society's dissatisfaction with the United States health care system will not be helped by increasing the physician workforce, nor will more doctors lead to overall better health for Americans, writes Dartmouth Medical School Professor Dr. David Goodman in the January 23 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
January 17, 2008
Dr. Yashi Ahmed New Function for Colon Cancer Gene Found
Dartmouth Medical School geneticists have discovered a striking turnabout role for a gatekeeper known to put on the brakes for colon cancer. Flaws in a gene called adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), which normally prevents excessive cell growth, are thought to trigger development of most colorectal cancers.
January 14, 2008
DMS Logo Exposure to Smoking in Movies Influences Kids Lighting Up
New research from Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) strengthens the case that children's exposure to smoking in movies influences their decision to start smoking. It further suggests that smoking in movies seen in early childhood has an equally significant impact on that decision as movie smoking exposure closer to adolescence. The study, published in the January issue of Pediatrics, was the first of its kind to focus on elementary school children, and the first to update the children's exposure to movie smoking over time.
January 11, 2008
Dr. William Green William Green Named Dean of Dartmouth Medical School
Dr. William Green, chair and professor of microbiology and immunology, has been named dean of Dartmouth Medical School (DMS). Green takes over for Dr. Stephen Spielberg, who stepped down in early January to devote more time to his research and international health initiatives. He will serve as dean for a non-renewable term. Green's service will extend through an organizational review of DMS and through the search and appointment of the subsequent dean.
January 10, 2008
Scott Shipman, MD, MPH Affirmative Action by Medical Schools is Needed to Address Disparities in Health Care Access
Race and ethnicity should be explicitly considered in admitting applicants to US medical schools if we are to increase the numbers of minority physicians and improve access to care for underserved Americans, according to a study published in the January/February Health Affairs.
California Medical Center, a new DMS teaching affiliate Dartmouth Medical School Begins Bi-coastal Teaching Partnership With San Francisco's California Pacific Medical Center
Beginning this month, Dartmouth Medical School has entered a new educational affiliation with California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC), one of San Francisco's foremost teaching hospitals, to enrich the breadth of patient care experience for medical students.
January 8, 2008
Dr. David Axelrod Rural Patients Less Likely to Receive Organ Transplants
Patients in small towns and isolated rural areas have lower organ transplant rates than patients in urban areas, according to a Dartmouth-led study in the in the January 9/16 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
January 7, 2008
Dr. Alan Rozycki New Award Honors Retiring Dartmouth Pediatrician
A Dartmouth pediatrician is the inaugural recipient of the Alan A. Rozycki Commitment to Excellence Award for his contributions to care of children at DHMC and in the community. Dr. Todd M. Poret received the 2007 award, named in honor of long-time Dartmouth pediatrician Dr. Alan Rozycki, who is retiring after 35 years of service at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
January 4, 2008
Dr. Murray Korc Molecule that Facilitates Cancer Spread in Both Cells and Their Surroundings Found by Dartmouth Medical Team
The discovery that a molecule drives local tumor growth, as well as its ability to flourish and spread, opens a new window for understanding and treating cancer by taking aim at both cancer cells and their surrounding environment.
January 3, 2008
DMS Logo Dartmouth Study Questions Cost Effectiveness of Digital Mammography Screening
Digital mammography does not improve health enough to warrant its higher cost unless its use is limited to women under age 50 or women with dense breasts, according to a cost-effectiveness study comparing digital mammography and conventional film mammography for breast cancer screening.

Return to News Archive