May 2003 A periodic round-up of news from Johns Hopkins Medicine designed to give busy executives easy-to-read reports and useful information from one of the region's largest private employers.
Turning research into concrete benefits for patients is part of our mission. Below you can read about a promising advance in colon-cancer detection getting closer to the market. There are also articles on Hopkins' effort to lower its malpractice insurance premiums, an update on our local cancer screening program, and the establishment of a multidisciplinary center on sudden cardiac death. Scroll down and view interesting reports about basic research, Bill Brody's commentary on HMOs and an interview with retiring Wilmer Eye Institute chief Mort Goldberg. Please let us know if you have questions or comments about any of these topics. We welcome your suggestions. Comments and questions may be sent to: jhmedicine@jhmi.edu -- Edward D. Miller, M.D., Dean/CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine
-- Ronald R. Peterson, President, Johns Hopkins Health System, The Johns Hopkins Hospital
UNIVERSITY SIGNS DEAL FOR COLON-CANCER DETECTION TECHNOLOGY
Dr. Bert Vogelstein's groundbreaking work on coloretal cancer screening has led to an exclusive licensing agreement between The Johns Hopkins University and Exact Sciences Corp., an applied genomics company.RELATED NEWS: RESEARCHERS FIND GENE MUTATIONS THAT COULD LEAD TO COLON CANCER TREATMENTS
Investigators complete what is believed to be the first systematic analysis of a disease-related gene family, uncovering mutations linked to over 30 percent of colon cancers. This could open the door to individualized treatments. POCKET PC DEVICES GIVE DOCTORS AND NURSES ACCESS TO SECURE PATIENT DATA
Hopkins physicians, technicians and nurses now have secure access to critical patient data, which they can update on pocket-PCs equipped with firewall software. GETTING A HANDLE ON RISING MALPRACTICE INSURANCE
With medical malpractice premiums for Hopkins Medicine approaching $40 million a year, a three-pronged approach – which includes patient-safety initiatives -- has been launched to lower insurance costs. $24 MILLION FOUNDATION GIFT CREATES CENTER FOR SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH
A four-year, $24 million gift from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation has led to the creation of a multidisciplinary center at Hopkins focused exclusively on reducing the rate of sudden cardiac death. HOPKINS FARES BETTER THAN FEARED IN MARYLAND LEGISLATIVE SESSION
So far, Hopkins Medicine has come through a difficult state budget year in fairly good shape, based on results from the recent General Assembly session. CANCER RESEARCH FUND SHOWS GOOD RETURN ON STATE'S INVESTMENT
Maryland is a national model for using its Cigarette Restitution Fund (CRF) to make measurable advances in prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer, Kimmel Cancer Center Director Martin Abeloff reports. COMMUNITY PARTNERS HELP HOPKINS FILL GAPS IN CANCER SCREENING FOR THE POOR
Hopkins' affiliations with seven community groups has had an impact on bringing cancer screening and early detection services to minority and underserved populations in Baltimore. NEW TRAINING CENTER ASSISTS NOVICES AND SKILLED SURGEONS
Thanks to a $3.2 million grant from U.S. Surgical Corp., a training center offers valuable learning experiences to young surgeons and tutorials in cutting-edge technology for skilled surgeons. ALUMNUS ENDOWS PROFESSORSHIP, ONLINE MEETINGS IN VASCULAR SURGERY
Julius H. Jacobson II, the first to employ a microscope in general surgery, has endowed a professorship in vascular surgery at Johns Hopkins and is underwriting monthly audio-visual Internet conferences for vascular surgeons. HOSPITALIST UNIT DEBUTS AT HOPKINS
Starting this month, four board-certified internists will provide total care, without house staff coverage, on a general medicine unit. For the nurses on Jefferson 2, this will mean more participation in decision making. TURNING TO NURSE PRACTITIONERS
With residents mandated to work fewer hours and a shortage of RNs, hospitals such as Hopkins are relying on a new type of advanced practice nurse to fill the void. DECONTAMINATION EQUIPMENT NOW ON SITE
Lightweight decontamination shelters for the initial response to a chemical or radiation catastrophe have arrived at Hopkins Hospital and Howard County General Hospital.
COGNITIVE DECLINE AFTER BYPASS SURGERY MOSTLY TEMPORARY AND REVERSIBLE
Researchers have discovered that most coronary bypass patients who experience problems after surgery with writing, drawing, thinking and remembering return to normal in three months or less. MULTIPLE LIFESTYLE CHANGES CAN LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE
The combination of weight loss, exercise, reduced salt intake and a healthy diet can dramatically reduce blood pressure, according to a national study conducted at Johns Hopkins and three other institutions. RESEARCHERS DEVISE FIRST PEER-REVIEWED STANDARDS FOR DISASTER DRILLS
Researchers at Johns Hopkins and Loma Linda universities have published what is believed to be the first peer-reviewed set of standards for planning and evaluating disaster drills anywhere in the world. IMAGING MAY HELP CONFIRM AND MONITOR TREATMENT OF MALIGNANT BRAIN TUMORS
Johns Hopkins researchers find that using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure sodium concentrations in the cells of malignant brain tumors may improve both diagnosis and treatment monitoring. GLOBAL FIGHT AGAINST AIDS REQUIRES MORE THAN DRUG COCKTAILS
In response to the president's emergency plan for AIDS relief, Hopkins experts say it will take a combination of affordable anti-HIV drugs; an infrastructure focused on prevention, and access to effective clinical care.
HMO-HOPPING HURTS HEALTH OF AMERICANS
University President Bill Brody laments the tendency of Americans to change health plans so frequently that HMOs see little marketplace value in focusing on disease prevention.
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MORT
An interview with retiring Wilmer Eye Institute chief Morton Goldberg on the impressive growth of the Institute during his 14 years as ophthalmology chairman.
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