Center for Innovative Medicine

Behavior: The Elephant in the Room

Medically speaking, behavior is the things we do, or don’t do; it’s what and how much we eat (or don’t eat) and drink. It’s the countless little choices we make over the years: Such as, “Another beer? Sure!” or “I’m going to go for a walk around the block,” or even, “Oops! I forgot to take my blood pressure medicine again.” Behavior is how you live your life. And actually, says Michael Smith, Ph.D., director of the new Johns Hopkins Center for Behavior and Health, behavior includes a lot more – and has a much greater impact on our health – than most of us realize.

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View the Summer 2012 Issue of Breakthrough

Ask the Patient

This is a story about tailoring treatment to patients’ individual needs. But for a minute, let’s think about shopping instead. Wouldn’t it be nice if you walked into, say, Macy’s, and your personal shopper came up to you and said, “I saw some suits that look like the cut and material you like, and I’ve put the ones in your size in the dressing room along with some accessories that would also work well with the rest of your wardrobe.” This salesperson has a finely honed idea of who you are, and isn’t just shopping for someone weight, age, and build – but for you alone. Read More

Celebrating Clinical Excellence

There are two important milestones of our academic year: The Miller-Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence Symposium and The Miller Lecture. And this year, both of those events occurred in one special combined program. It was a great day - a celebration of the very best things about academic medicine, marked by the induction of four new members into the Academy. Additionally, this year the Miller-Coulson family and the Academy have created a new annual award for young doctors who have shown clinical excellence, The Frank L. Coulson, Jr. Award for Clinical Excellence. Read More