DMS in the News
April 2004

National/International Media

The New York Times, April 18, 2004
Now can we talk about health care?
A lot of the money Americans spend is wasted on care that doesn't improve health. A recent study by Dartmouth researchers argues that close to a third of the $1.6 trillion we now spend on health care goes to care that is duplicative, fails to improve patient health or may even make it worse.

The Ottawa Citizen, April 15, 2004
Cancer tests only 'help a very few': Benefits of screening for disease are rare, difficult to measure, specialist argues in controversial book
Dr. Welch, author of the controversial new book, Should I Be Tested for Cancer? says, on the surface, the answer would appear to be a "no-brainer." . . .But Dr. Welch says our unbridled, uncritical enthusiasm for cancer screening is not supported by science. (This article also appeared in the Calgary Herald, the Edmonton Journal, and the Times Colonist.)

The National Post (Canada), April 15, 2004
Screening's downside-Oncology: Detecting some cancers early does not prolong life and may, in fact, make people sicker
Dr. Gilbert Welch knows his ideas border on blasphemy. . .But Dr. Welch says our unbridled, uncritical enthusiasm for cancer screening is not supported by science.

The Washington Post, April 10, 2004
A tonic for teens/ Study finds that young people who are religious are better off in many ways than their secular peers
Late last year, a commission convened by Dartmouth Medical School, among others, studied years of research on kids, including brain-imaging studies, and concluded that young people who are religious are better off in significant ways than their secular peers.

The Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2004
Memory Loss in Chemotherapy Patients Becomes New Area of Focus for Doctors
Still, as many as 20% to 25% of patients may develop lasting problems, says Tim A. Ahles, program director of the center of psycho-oncology research at Dartmouth Medical School, which has led much of the research on the subject.

A.P. Newswire, April 2, 2004
N.H. study links heavier kids with lower test scores
"We haven't seen that nutritional education for kids helps. Obviously it hasn't helped, because kids are getting fatter," said Marcia Herrin, an adjunct assistant professor of nutrition at the Dartmouth Medical School. "Parents have to step up. The solutions are in the families."

The New York Times, April 2, 2004
Bioethics Panel Recommends Limits on Assisted Fertility
Those divergent views were quickly made apparent when Michael S. Gazzaniga, a professor of neuroscience at Dartmouth College who is on the council, argued that "a rich source for stem cells to be used in research" was jeopardized by a failure to agree on whether federal money could be used to study leftover embryos.

Other Media

WCAX news [Burlington, VT], April 28, 2004
Health Watch
We've all seen ads for prescription drugs in magazines -- a page of nice pictures and slogans, and a page of all the fine print on research and side effects required by the FDA. Doctors at the V-A Hospital in White River want to make drug ads easier to understand. [Story includes mention of Dr. Gil Welch].

News-Medical, April 28, 2004
New standard may minimize the risks and exaggerated benefits of medications
Pharmaceutical ads marketed directly to the consumer may minimize the risks and exaggerate the benefits of medications. . .but Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) researchers have found a remedy. The solution, they say, lies in a "prescription drug benefits box". . .

U-Wire, April 27, 2004
Dartmouth College: Heat may affect SIDS, Dartmouth med school study finds
Overheating can significantly increase the chance of a newborn succumbing to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, researchers at Dartmouth Medical School determined in a study presented to the American Physiological Society on April 18.

Roll Call, April 26, 2004
Diagnosis: Too Much Medicine, Not Enough Information on Care
A recent study looking at regional variations in per capita Medicare spending by Elliott Fisher and colleagues at the Dartmouth Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences provides a snapshot of the problem. They found that Medicare spending per enrollee varies by as much as 60 percent across different regions.

The Palm Beach Herald, April 24, 2004
We are the champions! (and we'll keep on biting till the end)
Dr. Brian Lacey, a gastroenterologist at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, speculated to The New York Times that competitive eaters have taught themselves to ignore the signals their stomachs send their brains to tell them they're full. Or perhaps, he said, they're eating so quickly that the signals don't register.

The Indianapolis Star, April 24, 2004
Hard-wired for Faith
Late last year, a commission convened by Dartmouth Medical School, among others, studied years of research on kids, including brain-imaging studies, and concluded that young people who are religious are better off in significant ways than their secular peers.

The Post-Standard, April 22, 2004
Smoking on screen to ignite stompers: Teens in Reality Check sponsor movie to denounce tobacco placement in films.
A report from the Dartmouth Medical School Department of Pediatrics found that teens whose favorite stars smoke on-screen are three times more likely to start smoking than those who do not see smoking in movies. Doubling exposure to smoking in movies doubles the chance of teens starting smoking.

The Desert Morning News, [Utah]April 22, 2004
Chemotherapy can alter brain, research shows: Depression or anxiety often blamed before
Studies of breast-cancer patients show that nearly two-thirds of women treated with chemo develop some level of cognitive problems. . . Still, as many as 20 percent to 25 percent of patients may develop lasting problems, says Tim A. Ahles, program director of the center of psycho-oncology research at Dartmouth Medical School, which has led much of the research on the subject.

The Republican-American, [Waterbury, CT]April 20, 2004
Lung cancer 'epidemic' phases too few
A study from Dartmouth Medical School found that children who watch movies in which actors do lots of smoking are three times more likely to take up the habit themselves. In response, the attorneys general of 24 states, including Connecticut, sent a letter to Motion Picture Association of America President Jack Valenti, suggesting that film directors curb their enthusiasm for the fatal addiction.

Healthcare Review, April 20, 2004
New Hampshire residents support US leadership in medical research.
"How fortunate we are to be in a state in which there is such strong support for medical and health research," said Steven Spielberg, MD, PhD, who is the vice president for Health Affairs at Dartmouth College and dean at Dartmouth Medical School.

VPR Switchboard, April 20, 2004
Polio Vaccine
Writers Debbie Bookchin and Jim Schumacher have just published their research into how millions of doses of the polio vaccine were contaminated in 1950s and '60s - and how that contamination may have exposed people to a cancer-causing virus. Dr. John Modlin spoke for part of the program on SV40 contamination in vaccines.

U.S. Newswire, April 19, 2004
NCQA Convenes Expert Panel to Discuss Consumer and Purchaser Needs in an Evolving Health Care Market
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has convened a new Strategic Work Group to consider how changes to the U.S. health care system are prompting demands for new and different types of information about health plan and provider performance and value. [Elliot Fisher listed as member of strategic work group.]

The Concord Monitor, April 19, 2004
Letter: Gregg stepped up for medical program
Based on his long association with Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Gregg knew that the Match works. His amendment passed with broad bipartisan support.

The State Journal-Register, [Illinois] April 19, 2004
Pope's speech stirs health groups
Thousands of people, but probably fewer than 10,000, are in persistent vegetative states in the United States, said Dr. James Bernat, a neurologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. Most require feeding tubes.

CanWest News Service, April 15, 2004
Doctor says tests may not help
Given the medical dogma that all cancer testing is good, Dr. Gilbert Welch knows his ideas border on blasphemy.

The Lexington Herald Leader, April 10, 2004
Religious teens are better off, study finds
Late last year, a commission convened by Dartmouth Medical School, among others, studied years of research, including brain-imaging studies, on children and concluded that young people who are religious are better off in significant ways than their secular peers.

Charlotte Observer (NC), April 10, 2004
New medical plan is low-cost, not no-cost; Disagreement between hospital systems forces program to add fees
"It sometimes takes a while for everybody to come into alignment," said Dr. Paul Uhlig, a heart surgeon and leader of the Project Access effort in Wichita, Kan. "People had to kind of give up something to get something.

The Valley News, April 7, 2004
Recovering his balance: A young man comes face to face with life-altering illness
David Coffey, a movement disorder specialist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, said it's believed that by the time a patient starts to notice symptoms of Parkinson's disease, as much as 80 percent of cells in the substantia nigra are gone. (Also appeared in the Concord Monitor, April 11, 2004)

The Republican [Westfield, MA], April 6, 2004
Who is monitoring the media?
James D. Sargent, a professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, N.H., said parents need to get involved by limiting the number of movies they allow their children to watch and "decoding" movies of their content.

The San Francisco Chronicle, April 6, 2004
Doctors study memory loss in chemotherapy patients
Studies of breast-cancer patients show that nearly two-thirds of women treated with chemo develop some level of cognitive problems. . .Still, as many as 20 percent to 25 percent of patients may develop lasting problems, says Tim A. Ahles, program director of the center of psycho-oncology research at Dartmouth Medical School.

Worcester Telegram & Gazette, April 5, 2004
Method of sedation debated by specialists
"What we are tending toward are medications that are well- matched to the procedure," said Dr. George T. Blike, associate professor of anesthesia at Dartmouth.

The Valley News, April 4, 2004
Families Fear Medicaid Changes
The law essentially says that without the assistance, the child would need so much care that it would "overwhelm (the family's) coping capacity" and mean the child could otherwise be put in one of three general types of institutions, said Dr. Bryan King, a Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center psychiatrist who reviews applications for the program.

The Valley News, April 4, 2004
People in the News
Charles Mannix of Hanover has been appointed associate dean and chief operating officer of Dartmouth Medical School.

The Portsmouth Herald, April 3, 2004
NH study links heavier kids, lower test scores
"We haven't seen that nutritional education for kids helps. Obviously it hasn't helped, because kids are getting fatter," said Marcia Herrin, an adjunct assistant professor of nutrition at the Dartmouth Medical School. "Parents have to step up. The solutions are in the families."

The Valley News, April 2, 2004
Countering Substance Abuse
A new program called Substance Education for Teens (SET) is for young people arrested on charges related to drug and alcohol possession and use, according to Katrina Mitchell, a second-year Dartmouth Medical School student who developed it for the Hanover Juvenile Diversion Committee.

The Union Leader, April 2, 2004
Study links heavier kids with lower testing scores
"We haven't seen that nutritional education for kids helps. Obviously it hasn't helped, because kids are getting fatter," said Marcia Herrin, an adjunct assistant professor of nutrition at the Dartmouth Medical School. "Parents have to step up. The solutions are in the families."

The San Francisco Chronicle, April 2, 2004
UCSF study ignites drive to stop smoking in kids' movies
Heightening their concern is a similar study completed last June by Dartmouth Medical School, which showed a correlation between tobacco use in movies and a rise in teen smoking. In that study, kids who saw movies that depicted smoking were three times as likely to start smoking as their peers.

The Daily Record [Baltimore, MD], April 1, 2004
Commentary: Health Care - Seniors benefit from vascular screening.
Last year the American Vascular Association, led by vascular surgeon Professor William Flinn of the University of Maryland and Dartmouth Medical School professor and vascular surgeon Dr. Robert Zwolak, sponsored a large-scale screening program for seniors which focused on the identification of vascular disease.

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