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Winter 2019

 

Letters

From the Editor

A Common Theme

An interesting symmetry emerged in two of our feature stories this issue, and as much as I’d like to say this was part of my “master plan,” the truth is that I didn’t notice this tandem theme until we were well into production.

Low vision and hearing loss are two health issues that strike our rapidly growing aging population quite acutely—and they too often go unaddressed, as you’ll learn in “High Sights for Low Vision” and “Loud and Clear.” But that’s not the only similarity. Ophthalmology professor Bonnielin Swenor and otolaryngologist Carrie Nieman, and their respective colleagues, have shown that both sensory problems are not just annoying inconveniences, but instead have been linked to serious issues like depression, falls, cognitive decline and dementia.

Moreover, while effective solutions exist for both hearing loss and low vision—in the form of hearing aids and vision-enhancing technologies—access has been a major barrier. One big reason has been that health insurance typically doesn’t cover these proven treatments, which can be quite expensive to pay out of pocket.

Fortunately, both young scientists are leading efforts to overcome those barriers through their advocacy and continued research, and their work has already born fruit. Read on to find out how.

Considering how quickly our population is graying (those over age 65 are projected to outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history by 2035) their work couldn’t be more important—or more timely.

No Smoking!

In 1964, medical students smoked cigarettes in the main lecture hall of the medical school during lectures, a practice both unhealthy and annoying. Having dealt with rules and bureaucracy in the Navy, I decided to take action using the rule, “If it ain’t forbidden, do it.” I put up official-looking no smoking signs on each side of the proscenium arch of the auditorium. The next morning, the awesome Dr. Mountcastle was speaking when a student in the front row lit up. Without a word, Dr. Mountcastle tapped his long wooden pointer on the student’s arm desk and then pointed at the sign. That forever ended smoking during lectures.

James R. Merikangas, M.D. ’69

Bethesda, Maryland

Cherished Memories

Thank you very much for the special issue celebrating 125 years of the school of medicine [Winter 2018] and the wonderful articles about Dr. Anne B. McKusick and Dr. Victor A. McKusick, whom we truly miss.

I cherish the years being a fellow, when I had the privilege to know and learn from Dr. Victor McKusick, a gentle person, a pioneer and a giant in medical genetics. His catalog, Mendelian Inheritance in Man, later the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, is a superb task that has been continued by outstanding people in this field.

I retired after 40 years of founding our Unit of Medical Genetics [the Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado, in Venezuela]. I am grateful and honored that it now bears my name.

Many thanks for keeping me in touch with Johns Hopkins, and congratulations for your very good work. Looking forward to the next issues of the magazine.

Frank G. Hammond, M.D., M.H.S. ’77

Fellow in Medical Genetics 1975–77; Barquisimeto, Venezuela

He Sold His Blood

I was a student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and graduated in 1970. Although every year I received a full-tuition scholarship and a loan from the university, and lived frugally, in my first year, I extrapolated my bank balance, and by March, it was at zero.

I had been selling my blood every eight weeks for $25 per unit but needed extra funds until I began a summer research job in late May in Kingston, Ontario.

Although I had an A.B. magna cum laude from Princeton University, I could not find a single bank manager in Baltimore who would lend me $300 based on my own signature. I eventually found a junior faculty member who kindly countersigned my promissory note—a somewhat humiliating experience.

I originally intended to remain in the United States, but because of the trauma of the Martin Luther King Jr. riots in April 1968 and the fact that I married a Canadian woman, I returned to my country of birth.

I sincerely applaud Michael Bloomberg for a generous donation [“Bloomberg donates ‘unprecedented’ $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins”/AP] that will hopefully prevent future indigent Hopkins students from repeating my personal experience.

While Michael Bloomberg’s gift is focused on undergraduates and financial aid as a key for access, raising funds to support graduate students remains a top priority for Johns Hopkins. In the recently concluded Rising to the Challenge campaign, some $377 million was raised for graduate scholarships and fellowships. —Editor

Charles S. Shaver, M.D.

Ottawa, Ontario

Short Versus Long

I am neither a medical professional nor a subscriber, but I occasionally run across an issue of Hopkins Medicine. I am actually a lawyer with a long-standing interest in medicine in general, and medical genetics in particular, and I once served for a time on the board of directors of one of Houston’s finest hospitals.

On my way to reading the CRISPR article in the Spring/Summer 2018 issue [“Mighty Mouse”], I chuckled when I read the “In Focus” piece about short coats. While local practices and knowledge levels vary from institution to institution, I suspect that most patients don’t have a clue. At my hospital, a long white coat was as likely to be worn by a chaplain or administrator as a clinician, and I suspect the issue of pejorative perceptions is one that exists more within the profession than outside it.

As for the CRISPR article itself, I found it interesting and enlightening. Keep up the good work.

M.C. “Rick” Walton

From the Editor

Staying Power

This issue is hitting the press just as alumni from all over the country—and around the world—are arriving on the East Baltimore campus to celebrate Reunion and Alumni Weekend. This year marks a move to an annual celebration (from a biannual event) and, judging by the enthusiastic response, the change is a welcome one.

Of course, not all of our alumni are scattered to the wind. A good number never left and we are all the richer for those who have put down deep roots here at Johns Hopkins after completing medical school and/or residency training. By way of example, look no farther than our story on p. 16, about a team of Johns Hopkins’ greatest minds that is on the brink of a major breakthrough in the early detection of pancreatic cancer.

“Fun fact,” author Catherine Gara pointed out to me after completing the article. “Five of those leading The Felix Project are Johns Hopkins ‘lifers’—Bert Vogelstein, Ken Kinzler, Elliot Fishman, Karen Horton and Ralph Hruban. Collectively, they bring 150-plus years of Johns Hopkins experience to the table!” Fun fact, indeed. With that collection of institutional expertise concentrated on vanquishing one of cancer’s most pernicious foes, it should be no surprise to any of us that the team expects to have marketable results within two years.

The Felix Project is but one example of the immense power of our homegrown talent here at Johns Hopkins—talent that is an additional cause for celebration this Reunion and Alumni Weekend.

No Smoking!

In 1964, medical students smoked cigarettes in the main lecture hall of the medical school during lectures, a practice both unhealthy and annoying. Having dealt with rules and bureaucracy in the Navy, I decided to take action using the rule, “If it ain’t forbidden, do it.” I put up official-looking no smoking signs on each side of the proscenium arch of the auditorium. The next morning, the awesome Dr. Mountcastle was speaking when a student in the front row lit up. Without a word, Dr. Mountcastle tapped his long wooden pointer on the student’s arm desk and then pointed at the sign. That forever ended smoking during lectures.

James R. Merikangas, M.D. ’69

Bethesda, Maryland

Cherished Memories

Thank you very much for the special issue celebrating 125 years of the school of medicine [Winter 2018] and the wonderful articles about Dr. Anne B. McKusick and Dr. Victor A. McKusick, whom we truly miss.

I cherish the years being a fellow, when I had the privilege to know and learn from Dr. Victor McKusick, a gentle person, a pioneer and a giant in medical genetics. His catalog, Mendelian Inheritance in Man, later the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, is a superb task that has been continued by outstanding people in this field.

I retired after 40 years of founding our Unit of Medical Genetics [the Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado, in Venezuela]. I am grateful and honored that it now bears my name.

Many thanks for keeping me in touch with Johns Hopkins, and congratulations for your very good work. Looking forward to the next issues of the magazine.

Frank G. Hammond, M.D., M.H.S. ’77

Fellow in Medical Genetics 1975–77; Barquisimeto, Venezuela

He Sold His Blood

I was a student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and graduated in 1970. Although every year I received a full-tuition scholarship and a loan from the university, and lived frugally, in my first year, I extrapolated my bank balance, and by March, it was at zero.

I had been selling my blood every eight weeks for $25 per unit but needed extra funds until I began a summer research job in late May in Kingston, Ontario.

Although I had an A.B. magna cum laude from Princeton University, I could not find a single bank manager in Baltimore who would lend me $300 based on my own signature. I eventually found a junior faculty member who kindly countersigned my promissory note—a somewhat humiliating experience.

I originally intended to remain in the United States, but because of the trauma of the Martin Luther King Jr. riots in April 1968 and the fact that I married a Canadian woman, I returned to my country of birth.

I sincerely applaud Michael Bloomberg for a generous donation [“Bloomberg donates ‘unprecedented’ $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins”/AP] that will hopefully prevent future indigent Hopkins students from repeating my personal experience.

While Michael Bloomberg’s gift is focused on undergraduates and financial aid as a key for access, raising funds to support graduate students remains a top priority for Johns Hopkins. In the recently concluded Rising to the Challenge campaign, some $377 million was raised for graduate scholarships and fellowships. —Editor

Charles S. Shaver, M.D.

Ottawa, Ontario

Short Versus Long

I am neither a medical professional nor a subscriber, but I occasionally run across an issue of Hopkins Medicine. I am actually a lawyer with a long-standing interest in medicine in general, and medical genetics in particular, and I once served for a time on the board of directors of one of Houston’s finest hospitals.

On my way to reading the CRISPR article in the Spring/Summer 2018 issue [“Mighty Mouse”], I chuckled when I read the “In Focus” piece about short coats. While local practices and knowledge levels vary from institution to institution, I suspect that most patients don’t have a clue. At my hospital, a long white coat was as likely to be worn by a chaplain or administrator as a clinician, and I suspect the issue of pejorative perceptions is one that exists more within the profession than outside it.

As for the CRISPR article itself, I found it interesting and enlightening. Keep up the good work.

M.C. “Rick” Walton