|
||||||||
|
BULLETIN
Forum Explores Race Disparities in AIDS PreventionHelene Gayle, director of the National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, spoke at a Leadership Forum on Feb. 8, as part of the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy. She emphasized the racial disparities in the AIDS epidemic and leadership challenges in promoting prevention of HIV infection.
Helene Gayle (right) talks with Joan Reede, HMS associate dean for faculty development and diversity, after her lecture, "HIV Leadership Challenges in the New Millennium," on February 8. Gayle, who is director of the National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, emphasized the racial disparities in the AIDS epidemic and leadership challenges in promoting prevention of HIV infection. Her talk was part of the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy. (Photo by Steve Gilbert) Gayle used CDC data to illustrate the racial disparities that exist in nearly all aspects of health in this country. AIDS is increasingly becoming an epidemic of color: half of all new HIV cases in the U.S. are among African Americans, and more men living with AIDS are black than white. Gayle said that the public often does not realize how severely AIDS affects minorities or women, because the AIDS advocacy movement was initially associated with gay white men. Now that AIDS has crossed these demographic boundaries, minority groups do not always have the level of resources necessary to mount a collective preventive effort. "People think prevention is pamphlets," Gayle said. Supported by only one percent of the federal health budget, prevention programs also must include research, community education, HIV testing and counseling, and advocating new policies. "We know how HIV is spread; we know how we can make a difference," she said. Prevention becomes even more crucial when new treatments, though promising, do not provide a cure, have a significant failure rate, and are not accessible to all populations. "HIV is a paradigm for public health," Gayle said. Beyond its health risks, HIV touches a nerve in society because of how it intersects with individuals' moral beliefs and public policy—particularly regarding sex, illegal drugs, and homosexuality. "How do you try to make a difference in a disease whose root causes are deeper than the disease itself?" she asked. Gayle cited the fact that many African-American and Hispanic men who had contracted HIV from having sex with other men still identified themselves as heterosexual. Nearly a third of new HIV cases are among women, many of whom are unaware of the risk factors of their partners. Cultural biases and assumptions about AIDS and the issues that surround it keep people from seeing themselves at risk and collectively focusing on prevention. —Courtney Humphries Bloom Names New Deans At HSPHHSPH dean Barry Bloom announced the appointment of two new deans. John Lichten, formerly the associate dean, is now dean for administration and finance. He replaces Richard Cannon, who stepped down in December after 11 years in the position. Lichten, who as associate dean was responsible for the financial administration of the school, will now also be responsible for human resources administration. In his new role, he will lead HSPH's long-range planning and manage research administration. Lichten will also oversee administrative computing applications in several areas of the school. Paul Riccardi, the new dean for administration and operations, was in charge of facilities planning and management, construction management, and administrative services in his previous position as associate dean. As dean, his responsibilities will be expanded to include overseeing the information technology and instructional computing areas and serving as HSPH's liaison to the Fenway Alliance. He will also represent HSPH on the operating service committee of MASCO. Honors and AdvancesThe American Physiological Society has named Jeffrey Hausdorff, HMS assistant professor of medicine in the Gerontology Division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, as the recipient of the Arthur C. Guyton Award for Excellence in Integrative Physiology. The award will be presented at Experimental Biology 2000 in April. Next month, Judah Folkman, the Julia Dyckman Andrus professor of pediatric surgery at Children's Hospital, will be in the United Kingdom to receive the Dale Medal from the Society for Endocrinology, the society's highest honor. Folkman will also deliver the Dale Medal Lecture to the joint meeting of the British Endocrine Societies and the European Federation of Endocrine Societies. Later next month, Folkman will receive the 2000 Walker Prize from the Museum of Science in Boston. The $7,500 award will be given in honor of his work as the originator of the field of angiogenesis. In Memoriam
Janice Pfeffer, HMS associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, where she served on the medical staff for nearly 25 years, died January 23 at the age of 56. Pfeffer was born in Rockford, Ill., and graduated from Rockford College. She received her PhD in cardiovascular physiology from the University of Oklahoma. In 1976, she joined the staff of Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. Her studies on improving heart function following heart attack attracted international attention and led directly to a new pharmacological approach that has prolonged patient survival after heart attack. Pfeffer, a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, authored more than 100 publications and served on the editorial boards of several journals. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Rockford College. A devoted mother, Pfeffer leaves her husband, Marc, HMS professor of medicine at BWH; a daughter, Kathryn; a son, Michael; her mother, Mary Sikorski; three brothers, William, David, and Dennis; and a sister, Loretta Barile. A scholarship fund has been established in her name at Rockford College. For more information, contact the Dr. Janice Sikorski Pfeffer Scholarship Fund, c/o Rockford College, Development Office, 5050 East State Street, Rockford, IL 61108 or call (815) 226-3370.
George Starkey, HMS alumnus and associate clinical professor of surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, died on February 5. He was 81. Born in New Britain, Conn., he graduated from Trinity College and received his MD from HMS in 1943. After a surgical internship at Children's Hospital, he served in the army during World War II. Starkey continued his training, specializing in thoracic surgery, at hospitals in New York. He was awarded a Harvard Traveling Moseley Fellowship for advanced training at Guy's Hospital in London. A longtime member of the medical staff at Deaconess Hospital, Starkey began his career there in 1952. He also served on the active staffs of Faulkner, Children's, and New England Baptist Hospitals, as well as on the consulting staffs of Boston City, Cambridge City, Norwood, and Lemuel Shattuck Hospitals. Starkey was a member of the executive committee of the medical staff at BID. At Faulkner Hospital, he served as vice president and president of the medical staff, later joining the hospital's board of trustees. He also served as vice president of the Boston Surgical Society and chairman of the board of trustees at Trinity College. For 10 years, Starkey codirected the core surgery clerkship, required for HMS third-year students. In 1995, BID's Department of Surgery established the George Starkey Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching Medical Students. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Bisi (Lois), two daughters, a son, and five grandchildren. |
