Dartmouth Medical School Digest
July 2009

News for our community

In this issue

Fast track for fertility
Fertility treatment can shorten time to pregnancy, save nearly $10,000 and lower the risk of multiple births, according to a new trial. The study, led by Dr. Richard Reindollar, offers a quicker path to in-vitro fertilization for couples beginning infertility treatments by omitting fertility injections with insemination. The results were recently published online, are in press for Fertility and Sterility.

Back to normal
Surgery offers relief for people with the spine disease degenerative spondylolisthesis, according to a new DMS study. Patients who chose surgical treatment had less pain and better function over time compared to those who didn't have surgery, the researchers reported in the June Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. The study, led by Dr. James Weinstein, was part of the multi-center Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) and was the largest ever conducted of spondylolisthesis patients.

Preventing esophagus cancer
Non-surgical treatment for a pre-cancerous condition of the esophagus is effective and reduces the risk for developing cancer, according to a team that included two DMS physicians. Drs. Richard Rothstein and Stuart Gordon helped determine that radiofrequency ablation can eliminate Barrett's esophagus, the abnormal growth of cells in the esophageal lining that can progress to cancer. The multi-center study was featured in the May 28 New England Journal of Medicine.

Antidepressant and Autism Spectrum Disorders
Though commonly prescribed for youngsters with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the antidepressant citalopram does not appear to reduce the repetitive behaviors in children and teens, according to a new report . The study, by a research network that included Dr. Craig Donnolley of DMS, was published in the June Archives of General Psychiatry. The findings do not support citalopram to treat repetitive behaviors in for ASD and indicate greater frequency of side effects, the authors found.

New integrated system
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, an integrated health system, will be developed to coordinate resources, expand access to specialized services and clinical research and enhance care to benefit communities throughout the region. The trustees of Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic approved formation of the new system, which was announced June 22. Dr. Thomas Colacchio will lead Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, initially to be comprised of Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic.

Class Day
Dartmouth Medical School celebrated newly-minted physicians, biomedical scientists and public health specialists in Class Day ceremonies, June 13. The 157 graduates received hoods and kudos for completing their studies in medicine, the life sciences, public health and health policy.

Forensic nurses award
A DMS physician received the 2009 Patron Award of the International Association of Forensic Nurses. Dr. Joseph Henderson was honored for his groundbreaking program, Sexual Assault: Forensic and Clinical Management, a Virtual Practicum Program based on the National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations. He created the program, released in 2008, with a team from the Interactive Media Laboratory to instruct health care professionals who may care for sexual assault patients - and may be called to testify.

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


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