Dartmouth Medical School Digest
February 2008

News for our community

In this issue

New medical school dean
Microbiology and Immunology Chair Dr. William Green, recognized for his leadership in immunology initiatives and research on the interplay between the immune system and retroviruses, has been named dean of Dartmouth Medical School. He succeeds Dr. Stephen Spielberg, who stepped down to devote time to his work in pediatric medicines and international health. Green will serve for a non-renewable term that will extend through an organizational review of DMS.

New function for colon cancer gene
A striking turnabout role for a gatekeeper known to put on the brakes for colon cancer offers intriguing possibilities for understanding and treating the common cancer. Flaws in a tumor suppressor gene that normally prevents excessive cell growth are thought to trigger most colorectal cancers, but DMS geneticists discovered the gene also acts as a gas pedal that accelerates signaling between cells. The team led by Dr. Yashi Ahmed, reported this duality January 18 in Science.

Bi-coastal teaching partnership
Dartmouth Medical School has joined in a new educational affiliation with California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) to enrich the breadth of patient care experience for medical students. The alliance with one of San Francisco's foremost teaching hospitals broadens the opportunities for third year DMS medical students to take some of their required clinical clerkship rotations in the medical disciplines at a large urban academic medical center.

Targeting cancer spread
The discovery that a molecule drives local tumor growth as well as its ability to flourish and spread opens a window for understanding and treating cancer by aiming at both cancer cells and their surroundings. DMS researchers led by Dr. Murray Korc found that a common molecular family member plays a role in the progress of a particularly resilient and aggressive pancreatic cancer, and its influence is not restricted to that cancer. They published their study in the January Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Organ transplants for rural patients
Rural residents are another group that may face barriers for transplant services, despite federal regulation and national efforts to ensure equal access to the limited pool of donated organs, says a DMS-led team. Patients in small towns and isolated rural areas have lower organ transplant rates and are less likely to be wait-listed than patients in urban areas, reported Dr. David Axelrod and colleagues in the January 9/16 JAMA issue.

Breast cancer screening
Digital mammography does not improve health enough to warrant its higher cost unless use is limited to women under age 50 or women with dense breasts, according to DMS researchers. Their cost-effectiveness study comparing digital mammography and conventional film mammography for breast cancer screening was published in the January 1 Annals of Internal Medicine by Dr. Anna N.A. Tosteson and colleagues.

Fixing health care
More doctors are not the solution to dissatisfaction with the US health care system, writes a Dartmouth Medical School physician. Increasing the physician workforce will not necessarily lead to overall better health for Americans without taking into account disparities in health care access, quality, outcomes and efficiencies, contends Dr. David Goodman who co-authored a commentary in the January 23 JAMA.

Early smoking influence
Children's exposure to smoking in movies influences their decision to light up even when smoking scenes are viewed in early childhood, according to DMS research. The new study, published in the January Pediatrics by Dr. Linda Titus-Ernstoff and colleagues, was the first of its kind to focus on elementary school children, and the first to update the children's exposure to movie smoking over time.

Affirmative action for health access
Race and ethnicity should be considered in admitting applicants to US medical schools to address disparities in health care access, says a DMS physician. More minority physicians can help improve access to care for underserved Americans, but substituting socioeconomic status to increase diversity is not sufficient to improve medical school opportunities for minorities, argues Dr. Scott A. Shipman, co-author of a study in the January/February Health Affairs.

New pediatric award
The inaugural Alan A. Rozycki Commitment to Excellence Award went to Dr. Todd M. Poret for his contributions to care of children at DHMC and in the community. Named in honor of long-time Dartmouth pediatrician Dr. Alan Rozycki, who retires after 35 years of service at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the award was established to recognize an individual who exemplifies the service ethic of Rozycki, deemed the "face of primary care pediatrics."


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