Dartmouth Medical School Digest
June 2009

News for our community

In this issue

• Arsenic and flu
• Genetics out of Africa
• Keeping time
• Jobs and mental illness
• Budget reconciliation plan
• Leading the charge
• Bold ideas
• Broadening global reach
• Research scholar
• Hidden tumors
• Medical press releases
• In the media

Arsenic and flu
Exposure to low levels of arsenic, common worldwide from drinking contaminated well water, may increase influenza A susceptibility and severity, DMS scientists report. They found that mice exposed to arsenic could not mount an effective immune response to fight off H1N1(swine flu) infection. The link, reported online in Environmental Health Perspectives by lead author Courtney Kozul and a team from Dartmouth's toxic metals research program, has implications for understanding outbreaks of respiratory infections.

Genetics out of Africa
A large-scale population genetics study that traces the origins of Africans and African Americans finds startling diversity and shared ancestry among geographical groups. The research, published April 30 in Science Express by an international team that included Dr. Jason Moore, provides a wealth of new information about the continent, considered the source of modern humans. Africans originated from 14 ancestral populations and there is more genetic diversity in Africa than anywhere else on earth, the team reported.

Keeping time
Two Dartmouth Medical School studies add clarity to the molecular circuitry of circadian clocks the drive life's daily ebb and flow. One, reported in Cell, offers insight into a longstanding puzzle of how the finely tuned cellular timepieces keep maintain the cycle across a range of temperatures; the other in Molecular Cell, tracks a clock protein across a day. Both, published May 15, were led by Drs. Jay Dunlap and Jennifer Loros.

Jobs and mental illness
A national program to help mentally ill people on Social Security disability programs find work could save the federal government $368 million annually according to a Dartmouth Medical School study. Supported employment that couples job counseling with mental health services has been shown to improve participants' financial security and independence and could help reduce disability rates. The study, by Dr. Robert Drake and colleagues, appears in the May-June Health Affairs.

Budget reconciliation plan
DMS announced a budget reconciliation plan to help close a $25 million gap over the next two years in the portion of operating budget that central funding sources pay. Outlining the plan in a letter to the community May 27, DMS dean William Green stressed the focus on preserving core educational and research endeavors. The strategic reductions include eliminating some staff positions and trimming the hours of others.

Leading the charge
Physicians can lead health care reform by working to change payment and delivery systems, says a DMS physician. Doctors should help champion achieving a guaranteed 1.5 percent annual savings in costs to cover all Americans, writes Dr. Elliott Fisher. His perspective was published May 20 online in the New England Journal of Medicine with colleagues from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the Commonwealth Fund.

Bold ideas
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has made awards to Dartmouth Medical School scientists for creative approaches that could change the face of health for developing countries. Grants of $100,000 from the Foundation's Grand Challenges Explorations initiative for global health went to Drs. John Fahey and Charles Wira for a project to prevent HIV infection and to Dr. George O'Toole to develop systems to limit drug resistance.

Broadening global reach
Dartmouth's Global Health Initiative (GHI) will expand its programs through a National Institutes of Health "Framework Programs for Global Health" award. The two-year, $250,000 award will help enhance international health opportunities. Funds will be used to develop an interdisciplinary certificate in global health at Dartmouth, under the leadership of Dr. Lisa Adams, and to provide additional healthcare-based exchanges between Dartmouth and its Tanzania partnership.

Research scholar
A Dartmouth medical student has been selected for a national Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) initiative that allows aspiring physician-scientists to immerse themselves in research. Elissa M. Furutani was among the 42 talented students who were named 2009 HHMI-National Institutes of Health Research Scholars. The program encourages medical, dental and veterinary students to combine research and medicine to help develop professionals who can build bridges between the laboratory and the patient.

Hidden tumors
Almost one-fifth of women recently diagnosed with breast cancer had more unsuspected tumors that magnetic resonance imaging detected, DMS physicians reported. Their study, involving almost 200 women, found tumors that could potentially go undiagnosed until they are larger, affecting patient health and survival. It was led by Dr. Petra Lewis and published in the May American Journal of Roentgenology.

Medical press releases
Fewer, but better chosen media stories issued by medical schools and centers could help prevent misunderstanding of medical research, a DMS team said. In a review of 200 press releases from 20 schools and their academic affiliates, they found that many stories were preliminary or lacked relevant details and cautions. The study, in the May 5 Annals of Medicine, was led by Drs. Steven Woloshin and Lisa Schwartz.

In the media
Highlights of May news coverage about Dartmouth Medical School

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