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Volume 2 - Number 3 - Fall 2003
We hope that you'll enjoy these quick highlights from
Campus. Please
forward
this newsletter to friends who might like to learn more
about the
School of Medicine! In this
issue...
Incoming Class Arrives on Campus
The 184 students who make up
the Class of 2007 have joined the medical school's
ranks. Drawn from 3,911 applicants and 629 interviews,
this year's incoming students represent 24 states and 74
undergraduate schools, with an average GPA of 3.5 and
average MCATs of 28.3. Orientation activities included
the annual White Coat Ceremony, during which students
received their first white coats. See photos,
read about the White
Coat Ceremony or review
a list of the first-year students and their
undergraduate schools.
Researcher Discusses Medical Marijuana on
NPR's Science Friday
With a number of states moving to ease
restrictions on patients getting and using marijuana for
symptom relief, National Public Radio's Science Friday
recently tackled the subject of medical marijuana.
Joining the discussion was Billy R. Martin, Ph.D., the
Louis & Ruth Harris Professor and Chairman of the
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, whose
research has contributed greatly to science's
understanding of marijuana's effects. Listen
to the discussion.
Toxic Mix of Loss, Humiliation
Could Spark Depression
In addition to serious loss, humiliating events
in a person's life -- particularly involving romantic
breakups -- appear to be strongly linked to risk for
major depression, according to a study of more than
7,300 twins. The study, published in the Archives of
General Psychiatry, was led by Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D.,
the Rachel Brown Banks Distinguished Professor of
Psychiatry, who discussed the findings on National
Public Radio's Morning Edition. Learn
more about the study or listen
to the radio interview.
Serious Liver Damage Still
Possible in Patients with "Normal" Liver Function
Tests
Patients
with normal results from a laboratory test commonly used
to detect liver abnormalities still could suffer from
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to a study
published in the June issue of Hepatology. "The absence
of obvious symptoms and a low normal ALT value do not
guarantee freedom from advanced stage chronic liver
disease," says Arun J. Sanyal, M.D., chair of the
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.
Read
more about the findings.
Report to CDC Points to VCUHS as "Good
Example" of Smallpox Preparedness
In a report to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the Institute of Medicine
singles out the VCU Health System as "a good example" of
an organization that has attained a high level of
preparedness without vaccinating its healthcare workers
before a smallpox attack. Learn
more about the report.
Massey Cancer Center Chosen as
Palliative Care Leadership Center
The Center to Advance Palliative Care,
a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, has awarded a three-year, $750,000 grant to
the Massey Cancer Center's palliative care program to
help increase the availability of palliative care in the
U.S. Of the six institutions with exemplary palliative
care programs chosen to be leadership centers, Massey is
the only one located on the East Coast and the only
cancer center. "We now have the opportunity to teach our
methods to more than 100 teams from other cancer centers
over the next three years," said Thomas Smith, M.D.,
medical director of Massey's Thomas Palliative Care
Unit. Read more about the
grant.
MCV Hospitals Named to Top 100 Hospitals in
Nation
MCV
Hospitals has been named one of the Solucient 100 Top
Hospitals in the U.S. for 2002. Solucient Corporation –
which maintains the country's largest healthcare data
base – announced the awards when it released its latest
survey: "100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for
Success Class of 2002." MCV Hospitals is one of only 16
major teaching hospitals in the U.S. selected for the
honor. Read more about the
survey.
Help in Solving Bizarre Death to be Featured
on National TV Show
Alphonse Poklis, Ph.D., a forensic toxicologist
in the Department of Pathology, recently sat down with a
producer from Court TV's Forensic Files to share his
story of assisting Oklahoma police in solving a
mysterious death. "I enjoyed sifting through the
evidence. This is how forensic toxicology started out --
as a way to help law enforcement solve cases. I do it
because it's our highest calling." Read more about the
case.
Dr. Harvey J. Sugerman Retires After 30-Year
Career
This past
summer, Harvey J. Sugerman, M.D., retired from his post
as vice chair for the Department of Surgery. With more
than 210 articles, 59 book chapters in medical textbooks
and 20 books to his credit, Dr. Sugerman has gained an
international reputation for treating obesity with
gastric bypass surgery. Next year, look for Dr. Sugerman
and several of his patients to be profiled as part of a
yearlong National Geographic project on obesity. Read
more about Dr.
Sugerman's career.
Back by Popular Demand - The Second Annual
Alumni Update Course
Because of the positive response to last year's
inaugural course, the day-long CME marathon will return
this fall, on Friday, Nov. 21, at the Lewis Ginter
Botanical Garden Education Complex. Plan to join the
Medical School Advisory Council, fellow alumni and
School of Medicine faculty for a full-day program
covering the latest issues across a broad range of
fields. Review the Annual
Update Course's agenda, faculty and other details.
Register early; deadline is Nov. 11. (Viewing brochure
requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Randolph-Minor Hall Razed to
Make Room for Cancer Center Expansion
Most alumni will remember
Randolph Minor Hall, the brick building on College
Street that sat across from the Egyptian Building and,
at various times, served as a dormitory, faculty offices
and patient clinics. Recently, the seven-story building
was raze to make way for a new $29.7 million
state-of-the-art research addition for the Massey Cancer
Center. See
photos of the demolition and learn more about the
new 60,000 square-foot five-story addition that is
expected to be completed in March 2005.
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