BIDMC News and Notes
2/9/2010 (11:15:24am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen writes about the generosity of BIDMC employees in today's Metro section.
He writes: Last year, when the staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center agreed to give up raises and benefits so the hospital would not have to lay off its lowest-paid workers, the story went viral.
In the face of unremitting bad economic news and rising unemployment, the idea that highly educated professionals at a big city hospital would take a hit for janitors and housekeepers and people who push patients around in wheelchairs was wildly counterintuitive. It was a refreshing tonic, a scene right out of a Frank Capra movie.
To read the full column in today's Globe, click here.
2/5/2010 (12:59:04pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Douglas Brooks, executive director of the JRI Health/Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center has been named to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). Brooks is also the Vice President for Health Services, Justice Resource Institute, the Boston-based organization that is part of BIDMC's Community Care Alliance.
A licensed clinical social worker, Brooks' work involves partnering with local, state, and federal government and non-government sectors
The council of HIV/AIDS experts is composed of a diverse group of researchers, service providers, and community leaders from around the country, including people living with HIV. It also includes people who are from community-based organizations that cater to the medical, legal, or mental health needs of people living with HIV and AIDS.
To read the Department of Health and Human Services press release, click here.
2/3/2010 (2:55:30pm)Tags: birth Today ShowComments: (0)
Brody Rock Johnson came into the world, and into homes across America, at 8:08 Tuesday morning as NBC's The Today Show "Goes Inside the O.R." filmed the live birth at BIDMC.
Today Show Medical Editor Nancy Snyderman, MD. did the play-by-play as Brody Rock, who weighed in at 10 pounds and measured 20 and ¾-inches from head to toes, was delivered through a scheduled Caesarean section to parents Kerrie and Josh Johnson of Norwood.
The parents chatted with anesthesiologist Phil Hess, MD, prior to the appointed time.
Click here to watch the segment on The Today Show's Web site.
1/28/2010 (1:12:25pm)Tags: Haiti earthquakeComments: (0)
BIDMC emergency physicians Dave Callaway and Sean Kelly and orthopedic surgeon Joe DeAngelo are back in Boston after spearheading the medical center's initial response to the Haiti earthquake.
A new team is currently on the ground, including nurses Jane DuFresne and Claire Reilly and doctors Rich Wolfe, chief of BIDMC's Department of Emergency Medicine, Leon Sanchez, Mike Cocchi and John Jesus. They are also joined by BIDMC emergency management director Meg Femino.
About 100 doctors, nurses and other clinic staff have volunteered to date and wil be part of future deployments in the weeks ahead.
1/28/2010 (1:08:39pm)Tags: Haiti Grateful NationComments: (0)
BIDMC Grateful Nation staffers, Phil Massano and Kelly Wallace, delivering a check for $33,616 yesterday to Merra Sarathy of Partners in Health.
This money was raised via Grateful Nation from employees and friends of the BIDMC to support the work of Partners in Health in relief of the victims of the Haitian earthquake.
We're continuing to raise funds - and to support our own physicians, nurses and support staff on the ground in Haiti and the Dominican Republic working on providing care for those affected - but we wanted to get the balance of funds raised to date to PIH as soon as possible.
1/25/2010 (2:23:21pm)Tags: Arun Ramappa orthopedics Channel 5Comments: (0)
BIDMC has been following orthpedic surgeon Arun Ramappa's day as part of WCVB-TV's "A Day in the Life" project.
Chief of Sports Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Ramappa has had a busy day planned, with four surgeries scheduled, repairing two torn ACLs and two injured shoulders.
Check out his the early part of his day has gone in this series of photos.
1/25/2010 (1:37:57pm)Tags: autism neuroscienceComments: (0)
Much is known about autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the neurological conditions that include autism and Asperger's syndrome. Scientists know they tend to be characterized by unique repetitive behaviors, communication problems and social isolation. It's also known ASD affects one in every 150 births in the U.S. and are four times more likelely to affect boys than girls. And they are typically diagnosed in children around the age of three.
And while it is also known that genes and environmental factors are risk factors, it is unknown exactly how they lead to the brain dysfunction responsible for the disorders' unique symptoms.
BIDMC neuroscientist Lindsay Oberman, PhD, is examining the mechanisms of brain plasticity to learn if and how the brain's neurocircuitry differs in ASD patients. The work is part of a grant from the Harvard Catalyst K12 Medical Investigator Research Training (MeRIT) program,
To learn more about Oberman's research, click here. To hear her discuss the work, click here.
1/22/2010 (2:59:08pm)Tags: Haiti earthquakeComments: (0)
A number of BIDMC doctors are recording their experiences working disaster relief in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Drs. Dave Callaway, Sean Kelly and Joe DeAngelis are among a contingent of Boston-based clinicians working together under the flag of Operational Medicine Institute.
You can follow them -- through words, still images and videos -- on the Operational Medicine Blog.
1/22/2010 (2:31:55pm)Tags: oncology journalComments: (0)
Stephen A. Cannistra, MD, Director of Gynecological Medical Oncology at BIDMC, will become Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) effective May 2011.
Having served JCO in various capacities, including reviewer, associate editor, consultant editor and Editorial Board Member since 1989, he will replace Daniel G. Haller, MD, who will complete his second term as Editor-in-Chief of JCO in May 2011.
"I am honored to be named to this position and hope to build on the superb leadership of Dr. Haller," says Cannistra. "I look forward to seeking out ways to maximize our ability to attract the best practice-changing and population-based oncology research and play a greater educational role in the process of clinical investigation."
In addition to his professorship at Harvard Medical School, Cannistra serves as the Co-Leader of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center disease program in Gynecologic Oncology.
He has had a longstanding commitment to basic science, clinical investigation and translational research in ovarian cancer, and also plays a major role in medical school and residency education. He has held several leadership positions in ASCO including serving on the Scientific Program Committee as chair of the Gynecologic Cancer subcommittee as well as serving as an ASCO expert on tumor biology.
"We are delighted with the choice of Dr. Cannistra as the next Editor-in-Chief of JCO," says Douglas W. Blayney, MD, President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). "His clinical, research and editorial experience give him insights into the needs of ASCO members and JCO readers that will guide his editorial decisions and allow him to build on the excellence for which the journal is known."
1/12/2010 (12:44:33pm)Tags: podiatry runningComments: (0)
The New Year brings with it resolutions to exercise more as well as an increasingly intense training schedule for runners signed up for springtime marathons. But if you don't train correctly, you could be setting yourself up for injury.
The Division of Podiatry at BIDMC will be sponsoring a series of free runners' lectures in January and February to educate every athlete - from a veteran runner to those about to embark on their first race. Topics to be discussed include common foot conditions, preventing and treating injuries, athletic knee injuries and proper shoe selection.
BIDMC speakers include: podiatrists Dr. John Giurini, Thanh Dinh and Emily Cook and Dr. Arun Ramappa, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery. They will be joined by other area physicians, physical therapists and a running shoe specialist.
"These lectures will be geared for individuals starting a running program or training for an elite race or marathon," said Giurini. "The goal will be to provide information on how to avoid common injuries, what to do if you develop an injury and keeping your training on track to avoid down time."
The dates, times and locations of the lectures are:
- Wednesday, Jan. 20 from 6-8 p.m. at BIDMC, 1 Autumn Street, Auditorium A;
- Saturday, Jan. 23 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Ave., Enders Auditorium, first floor;
- Wednesday, Feb. 3 from 7-9 p.m. at BID HealthCare Lexington, 482 Bedford St., Lexington
To register, call (63)2-7086 or click here.
