Read article – Quotes Daniel Albert, professor of medicine, pediatrics, and of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, about tele-rheumatology, a phenomenon that is increasing as technology penetrates deeper into everyday life, but still faces a number of challenges. “The hardware is the easy part,” says Albert. “I use the camera on my laptop and a video conferencing software package called Vidyo; the patient room has a cart with a small camera and a second close-up camera. The hard part is all the administrative infrastructure including scheduling, billing, credentialing, and licensure.”

Read article – Cites comments by Lisa Marsch, the Andrew G. Wallace Professor and professor of psychiatry and of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, about how she and fellow researchers at Dartmouth have completed a months-long study of Manchester’s Safe Station program—a two-and-a-half year effort by the city’s fire department to open their doors to those struggling with addiction. Their data shows Safe Station’s success relates to its low price tag, its convenience, and the immediacy of the service firefighters are able to offer.

Read article – Highlights David Gazzaniga, MD, MED ’94, as one of the top orthopedic surgeons to know in the U.S.

Read article – Continued coverage of comments by James Dinulos, clinical associate professor of surgery, in an article about how even though the number of dermatologists per capita in the U.S. has surged more than 20 percent since the mid-90s, a new study suggests that access to care may have improved more in cities than in rural areas.

Read article – Briefly cites the Dartmouth Atlas Project in an article about how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently authorized Medicare Advantage Plans to use step therapy protocols for Part B drugs.

Read article – Quotes James Dinulos, clinical associate professor of surgery, in an article about how even though the number of  dermatologists per capita in the U.S. has surged more than 20 percent since the mid-90s, a new study suggests that access to care may have improved more in cities than in rural areas. “These other practitioners are being asked to tackle the same skin issues a seasoned dermatologist would, but with very little if any formal dermatology training,” says  Dinulos, who wasn’t involved in the study. “This can result in delayed or misdiagnoses, ineffective treatments or unnecessary visits – particularly for skin cancer and eczema.” (Picked up by 100.7 Mix FM and Physician’s Weekly.)

Read article – Quotes Paula Schnurr, professor of psychiatry, about how the Department of Veterans Affairs is studying whether it is better to treat post-traumatic stress by consciously processing traumatic events or by prolonged exposure to memory of the trauma in hopes of fine-tuning the therapy delivery system. “Treatment for PTSD works. PTSD does not have to be a chronic disorder,” says Schnur. “We’re at a state right now where we have a number of treatments that are effective, but what we don’t know very much about is how the treatments compare with each other.”

Read article – A review of the book A Doctor’s Dozen: Twelve Strategies for Personal Health and a Culture of Wellness by Catherine Pipas, professor of community and family medicine. (Picked up by Key of Thought.)

Read article – Recommends the posthumously published book The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist by Stanford University neuroscientist Ben Barres, MED ’79, as one of the best books read this fall. “His candor and love for science transform the ensuing story into a portrait of a singular personality that was shaped by his status as an outsider,” says the reviewer.

Read article – Quotes David Bzik, professor of microbiology and immunology, and Barbara Fox, research associate of microbiology and immunology, about how they are researching how to turn the parasite T. gondii’s immunological power against cancer tumors, with the goal of making a cancer vaccine. “We know biologically this parasite has figured out how to stimulate the exact immune responses you want to fight cancer,” says Bzik.