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BULLETINProceedings of the HMS Faculty CouncilAt the Oct. 31 Faculty Council meeting Joseph Martin, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, announced that Carol Nadelson, clinical professor of psychiatry and director of the Partners Office of Women's Careers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, had been re-elected vice chair of the council and chair of the docket committee for the third consecutive year. Childcare ConcernsIsaac Schiff, head of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital and chair of the council's childcare committee, stressed the positive effects that the MGH backup childcare center has brought to the entire MGH community.A report from consultant Linda Mills of Mills and Pardee, Inc. on the potential of bringing backup childcare to the Longwood Medical Area (LMA), noted many tangible benefits to a backup childcare center, including cost savings in reduced absenteeism, positive effects on recruitment and retention, increased professional advancement of women faculty and staff, and increased productivity. Children's, Brigham and Women's, and Dana-Farber all have expressed varying degrees of interest in participating in an LMA joint backup daycare center. A survey of existing childcare sites and slots in the LMA was presented by Eleanor Shore, dean for faculty affairs, on behalf of Barbara Wolf, manager of the Harvard Medical Center Office of Work and Family. Wolf's figures indicate that a total of 95 slots in the LMA Childcare Center are distributed among HMS, four affiliates, MASCO/Simmons, plus 10 community slots. All of the slots are currently filled. At Bright Horizons in Landmark Center, which is also completely filled, there are 140 slots distributed among HMS and three affiliates, in addition to three private, Bright Horizons slots. Rosemary Duda, associate professor of surgery and director of the Center for Faculty Development at Beth Israel Deaconess, and William Behrendt, vice president for human resources and communications at BID, provided a status report on childcare at the hospital. Subsidized daycare has been discontinued at the hospital because of the institution's financial crisis. Present projections anticipate that the Autumn Street Day Care Center will remain open until July 30, 2002, and the Libby Building Day Care Center will remain open until at least September 2002, though subsidized care will not be provided beyond February 2002. Area Health ServicesRobert Fletcher, professor of ambulatory care and prevention and chair of the Medical Area Health Services (MAHS) advisory committee, reported on the current status of MAHS. Evening hours have been extended, the waiting time to see a primary care physician averages less than one day, and mental health services have improved. Travel to Cambridge remains an obstacle for some. The committee thought that the advantages of outsourcing did not outweigh the disadvantages and that MAHS is poised to deal with many of the special needs of students. A major concern remains the lack of privacy in the waiting and check-in areas. Renovations have been scheduled to begin on Nov. 16 to correct the problem.Treating BioterrorismAsked about the School's response to the bioterrorism threat, Martin said he was discussing preparedness with hospital colleagues. He distributed a list prepared by Marie Scurti, executive assistant to the executive dean for academic programs, and Don Gibbons, associate dean for public affairs, that identified as many HMS faculty as possible with experience in issues of bioterrorism, cyberterrorism, civil liberties, and refugees. JudyAnn Bigby, associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's, added that the Council of Boston Teaching Hospitals met to discuss coordinating efforts with state public health officials in the face of a large-scale emergency.In closing, Martin acknowledged the passing of Tom Durant, who served the community for 40 years as a physician at MGH. He said Durant epitomized the role physicians should take in the world. Durant worked tirelessly with refugees in trouble spots worldwide and was an extraordinary individual with boundless energy, Martin said.
Celebration Applauds New Policy Leaders. When it comes to the decision-makers who shape public health policy, "people of color ... are needed in the senior ranks," said Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, at a Nov. 9 reception for Harvard programs that prepare minority members to become policy leaders. One of the central issues is cultural competency; "it really improves health outcomes," said Robert Ross, president and CEO of the California Endowment. Two of the Harvard training programs are the new California Endowment Scholars in Health Policy at Harvard University and the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy. Also at the lectern was Roderick King, division director at the Boston Field Office of the Health Resources and Services Administration, whose Oral Health Program shares activities with the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard fellowship, of which King is an alumnus. HMS dean Joseph Martin and HSDM dean R. Bruce Donoff gave remarks during the event, and Joan Reede, associate dean for faculty development and diversity, served as master of ceremonies. Pictured above (l to r) are Joseph Martin, Joan Reede, Karen Davis, and Roderick King. Photo by Steve Gilbert
HMS Academy Invites Membership ApplicationsThe Academy at Harvard Medical School has announced a request for membership applications. A letter from George Thibault, director of the Academy, and Daniel Lowenstein, dean for medical education, containing the request and other relevant material was e-mailed to all faculty on Nov. 8. Copies of the request and application materials can also be found on the Academy website; in the Academy offices in Gordon Hall, Room 320; or by calling 432-5401. Applications are due on Dec. 17.The Academy will also host three open houses for faculty who would like to meet the Academy director and staff. These will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Nov. 30, Dec. 7, and Dec. 14 on the third floor of Gordon Hall at HMS. Send an e-mail to academy@hms.harvard.edu if you need parking and indicate which date you will be attending.
Seifter Named Cannon Society Associate MasterGordon Strewler, master of the Walter Bradford Cannon Society, announced the appointment of Julian Seifter as associate master. Seifter is an associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he directs the training programs in nephrology. He is also director of the Human Systems course for HMS second-year students and was codirector of the first-year course Integrated Human Physiology from 1996 to 2000. Among his honors for teaching are the George W. Thorn Award from the Brigham and Women's house staff and two Class Day awards for best preclinical teacher.
Capturing Living Images. The new Nikon Imaging Center at HMS opened Nov. 1. The center provides researchers with advanced imaging equipment, software, staff, and expertise. The facility offers imaging workstations featuring state-of-the-art biomedical research microscopes, confocal instruments, digital imaging equipment, stereo microscopes, and micromanipulation tools. Currently available to faculty and staff of the Department of Cell Biology, it will soon be open to guest researchers. Above is the center's new director, Jennifer Waters Shuler, an authority on bioimaging. The center was endowed by Nikon Instruments Inc. and its Boston distributor MicroVideo Instruments Inc., as well as other equipment and software vendors. Photo by Steve Gilbert
Achieving Heights in Science. The Harvard MD-PhD program held its 19th annual retreat from Oct. 12 to 14 in Waterville Valley, N.H. Tyler Jacks, MIT professor of biology and director of the Center for Cancer Research, presented his talk "Modeling Cancer in the Mouse" as the Eva Neer Memorial Lecture. Other activities included presentations by several MD-PhD students, a student and faculty poster session, a career panel, and a mountain hike (above). The annual retreat is one of the most important events of the year for MD-PhD students, providing a unique opportunity for the exchange of ideas between students and faculty. Photo by Moshe Jakubowski
Honors and AdvancesAnn-Marie Thomas, director of inpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation services and assistant medical director of inpatient addictions services at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, has been honored with the Compassionate Caregiver Award by the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center. The annual award honors caregivers in Massachusetts who display extraordinary compassion in caring for patients. Thomas is an HMS instructor in physical medicine and rehabilitation. The American Public Health Association has awarded Henry Wechsler the 2001 College-based Leadership Award. Wechsler, director of the College Alcohol Studies Program at HSPH and a lecturer on social psychology in the Department of Health and Social Behavior, received the award in recognition of his efforts to reduce alcohol use among college students. |
