Read article – An obituary for former Geisel faculty member Bernard Lown, who died on February 16. Lown was a pioneering cardiologist and a co-founder of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. The organization he helped establish was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985.

Read article – Cites comments by John Wasson, emeritus professor of community and family medicine, in an article providing recommendations on how to make the most out of visits to the doctor’s office during the pandemic. Wasson helped create the “What Matters Index,” a brief, confidential questionnaire meant to help people identify potential issues to discuss with their doctors.

Read article – Quotes Brian Pogue, the MacLean Professor of Engineering, in a blog post about the Norris Cotton Cancer Center’s installation of BeamSite Cherenkov imaging cameras in its radiotherapy treatment rooms. The camera system, invented by the company DoseOptics, LLC, captures imaging and real-time video of the beam directly on the patient, allowing the radiation oncology team to visualize treatment delivery. “Cherenkov cameras mounted inside the radiotherapy treatment rooms give us the ability to simply see the treatment and provide an intuitive guide to therapists that we otherwise wouldn’t have had,” says Pogue. “This is a terrific tool for tracking what happens each day and in each treatment, and for improving the quality of radiotherapy delivery.”

Read more – Quotes Rebecca Emeny, a research scientist at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, about a new study she led which found that “substantial regional variation exists in fracture-associated drug prescriptions for long-term care facility residents.”

Listen now – As a guest on The Exchange, Jose Mercado, assistant professor of medicine, discusses the COVID-19 virus variants, how they are developing, and U.S. efforts to track the variants as compared to other countries.

Read article – Quotes Steven Woloshin, professor of medicine, community and family medicine, and of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, in an article about the need for better warning labels on drugs. Woloshin and the late Geisel professor Lisa Schwartz developed a “drug-facts box”—a one-page sheet that doctors would give to patients or that would be accessed via a website or app. Woloshin envisioned it as a nutrition label, but for prescription drugs. “If they can do that for Cocoa Krispies, why can’t you do it for Lipitor?” Woloshin said.

Read article – Quotes Anne Sosin, program director for the Center for Global Health Equity at Dartmouth, in an article about the reaction of state health and education officials to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest guidance on opening schools for in-person instruction. Sosin noted that New Hampshire is already behind the curve for school reopening when compared to Vermont. “Vermont has recognized it’s about keeping community transmission low,” said Sosin.

Read article – An opinion piece by Anne Sosin, program director for the Center for Global Health Equity at Dartmouth, in which she discusses Vermont’s vaccination strategy and the state’s decision not to prioritize the vaccination of essential workers such as grocery clerks, teachers, transport drivers, and factory workers. “Equity, as Vermont has taught the country, requires prioritizing resources for those not only at greatest risk of severe illness or death from Covid-19 but also for those at highest risk of infection. Vermont’s data clearly highlights that essential workers are at higher risk for infection, as is the case across the U.S.,” says Sosin.

Read article – A news brief announcing that Alan Hartford, associate professor of medicine, was recently chosen for the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2021 given by the International Association of Top Professionals.

Read article – Quotes Brian Pogue, the MacLean Professor of Engineering, who along with colleagues from Dartmouth and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center developed a method to convert a standard clinical linear accelerator (linac) used for radiation therapy to deliver a FLASH-capable, ultrahigh-dose rate (UHDR) radiotherapy beam. “We believe this is the first reversible UHDR beam on a clinically used linac where the beam can be used in the conventional geometry where patients are on the treatment couch,” says Pogue.