o ur 4 1 ST ye ar
men at wo r k
S OCIET Y OF S CH OL AR S
Covering Homewood, East Baltimore, Peabody,
Longtime collaboration topped
Fifteen to be inducted in
SAIS, APL and other campuses throughout the
off with a Student Employee of
recognition of achievement in
Baltimore-Washington area and abroad, since 1971.
the Year Award, page 3
their respective fields, page 4
April 9, 2012
The newspaper of The Johns Hopkins University
S Y M P O S I U M
Volume 41 No. 29
E V E N T
Young Investigators honored
Mystery: Why health outcomes can vary greatly By Greg Rienzi
The Gazette
Continued on page 11
2
will kirk / homewoodphoto.jhu.edu
T
he price of gas or a gallon of milk can vary from one town to the next, but that’s hardly the end of the comparison. How about neighboring ZIP codes where residents of one live 20 years on average Faculty will longer? Not an anomaly, this convene to divergence repeats in areas across the United States. share Faculty at Johns Hopkins want to insights, uncover the root causes of why, for solutions example, a boy born in the Union Square neighborhood of Baltimore can face such a sharply different array of health outcomes than someone born six miles away in a more affluent area. Next month, university leadership and a panel of distinguished faculty from across the university will gather for a two-day symposium to examine the social determinants of health and discuss new insights and possible recommendations for reducing such health inequities. The event, hosted and organized by the Office of the Provost, seeks to raise awareness about the impact of social determinants of health and the role of policy in shaping these issues. Provost Lloyd B. Minor said that he hopes the symposium will serve as a catalyst for future internal collaborations. “Many see health as a medical issue, and yet social factors are a greater determinant of health than medical care itself,” Minor said. “From education and sociology to health policy and economics, Johns Hopkins has so much expertise to bring to bear on this vitally important topic.” The range of topics to be discussed at the inaugural Provost’s Symposium on the Social Determinants of Health include
Elizabeth Gerber, a Paul Ehrlich Award winner, with her mentor, Hal Dietz.
School of Medicine’s 35th celebration to be held on Friday By Vanessa McMains
Johns Hopkins Medicine
T
his year marks the 35th annual Young Investigators’ Award program, when School of Medicine trainee researchers are recognized for their stellar accomplishments in the lab. The event will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, April 13, in Mountcastle Auditorium in the Preclinical Teaching Building on the East Baltimore campus.
P U B L I C
Researchers will celebrate and share their findings, and 13 students and three fellows will receive awards. Each award includes a cash prize and is named for a former member of the Johns Hopkins community. Each spring students and fellows look Continued on page 9
H E A L T H
Evidence of banned antibiotics found in poultry By Chris Stevens
Bloomberg School of Public Health
I
n a joint study, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Arizona State University found evidence suggesting that a class of antibiotics previously banned by the government for poultry production is still in use. Results of the study were published March 21 in Environmental Science & Technology. The study, conducted by the Bloomberg School’s Center for a Livable Future and
In Brief
Burma’s health minister; 25 years of HopkinsNanjing; a night to remember the Titanic
16
Arizona State’s Biodesign Institute, looked for drugs and other residues in feather meal, a common additive to chicken, swine, cattle and fish feed. The most important drugs found in the study were fluoroquinolones, a broad spectrum of antibiotics used to treat serious bacterial infections in people, particularly those that have become resistant to older antibiotic classes. The banned drugs were found in eight of 12 samples of feather meal in a multistate study. The findings were a surprise to scientists because fluoroquinolone use in U.S. poultry production was banned by the Food and Drug Administration in 2005.
This is the first time investigators have examined feather meal, a byproduct of poultry production made from poultry feathers, to determine what drugs poultry may have received prior to their slaughter and sale. The annual per capita human consumption of poultry products is approximately 100 pounds, greater than that of any other animal- or vegetable-derived protein source in the United States. To satisfy this demand, each year the U.S. poultry industry raises nearly 9 billion broiler Continued on page 11
14 Job Opportunities Faces of Africa; environmentalist Josh Fox; 14 Notices 15 Classifieds Stephen Moore of ‘Wall Street Journal’ C A L E N D AR
2 9, 15, 2012 2 THE THE GAZETTE GAZETTE •• April August 2011 I N B R I E F
Burma’s minister of health to speak at Public Health today
T
he minister of health of Burma will give a special lecture at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, April 9, in Sommer Hall, Room E2014, of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Pe Thet Khin, who is visiting Johns Hopkins at the invitation of President Ronald J. Daniels, plans to discuss current health issues facing Burma and how they are being tackled with cooperation from U.N. agencies, and international and local NGOs. The lecture is part of a weeklong visit focused on how Johns Hopkins can assist Burma in addressing its development goals, particularly in relation to the health of its citizens. A webcast of the talk can be viewed at www.jhsph.edu/khin.
SAIS celebrates 25 years of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center
H
ong Yinxing, professor of economics and chancellor of Nanjing University, will give the keynote address at an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies at 4 p.m. today, April 9, at SAIS, which administers the center’s activities on behalf of Johns Hopkins. Hong will discuss “An Analysis of the Chinese Macroeconomy.” He will give his remarks in Mandarin with simultaneous translation provided. Author of numerous books and articles, he was selected by The Chinese Market magazine in 2001 as one of the 25 economists who has substantial influence on China’s market economy. Established in 1986, the center, located in Nanjing, China, is a postgraduate educational joint venture between Johns Hopkins and Nanjing universities. A live webcast of the event will be available at www.sais-jhu.edu/pressroom/live.html. The event will be held in the Nitze Building’s Kenney Auditorium. Non-SAIS affiliates should RSVP to ctownsley@jhu.edu.
Edward Miller honored by Md. Senate, House of Delegates
O
n March 27, the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates passed resolutions offering congratulations to Edward Miller in recognition of 15 years of extraordinary vision, significant accomplishments and exemplary leadership at Johns Hopkins Medicine. In recognizing Miller, dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. said, “People in the world don’t know about Annapolis, they don’t know about Baltimore, but they know about
Editor Lois Perschetz Writer Greg Rienzi Production Lynna Bright Copy Editor Ann Stiller Photography Homewood Photography A d v e rt i s i n g The Gazelle Group Business Dianne MacLeod C i r c u l at i o n Lynette Floyd W e bm a s t e r Lauren Custer
Johns Hopkins.” Senate President pro tem Nathaniel McFadden said, “East Baltimore is being revived not only in and around the hospital but in many, many other areas. [Dr. Miller] is a key player when it comes to developing, as the former mayor would say, ‘around our strengths.’ ” House Speaker Michael E. Busch said, “[Dr. Miller] and his staff and the members of Johns Hopkins have done a wonderful job. We want to take this opportunity, Dr. Miller, to thank you, for everything you’ve done for the citizens of the state of Maryland.” Miller addressed the House of Delegates, and offered thanks for the Legislature’s support of Johns Hopkins, particularly regarding the construction of the new clinical building.
Gilman’s ‘ancient’ cuneiform tablet is topic of museum chat
T
he art (or crime) of copying ancient artifacts is an old one. At a Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum Chat on Tuesday, April 10, in 150 Gilman, experts will talk about the ‘ancient’ cuneiform tablet written for Daniel Coit Gilman, the first president of The Johns Hopkins University, and other objects from the past, and the relatively modern works they inspired. From 12:15 to 12:30 p.m., Paul Delnero, assistant professor in Near Eastern Studies, will decipher texts from ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets and also decode the cuneiform tablet written in the late 19th century for Gilman. From 12:30 to 12:45 p/m., Sanchita Balachandran, curator/conservator of the museum, will discuss a group of terracotta figurines that in 2010 were pieced back together from hundreds of fragments and are now on display in the museum. These so-called Tanagra figurines, supposed to date from the last quarter of the 4th century BCE, might actually have been made in the 19th century. The ancient (and not-soancient) objects discussed will be available for visitors to examine up close.
Special event commemorates the Titanic’s 100th anniversary
P
ermission has been granted for members of the Johns Hopkins community to come aboard a journey into the history of the R.M.S. Titanic. Katherine Newman, dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, will lead the odyssey, which begins at 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, in 50 Gilman Hall. The evening’s adventure includes an introduction by Ron Walters, chair of the History Department; a presentation by trustee and Titanic expert Chris Lee; and a screening of James Cameron’s Titanic. Those who plan to attend should RSVP to zknowle1@jhu.edu.
Contributing Writers Applied Physics Laboratory Michael Buckley, Paulette Campbell Bloomberg School of Public Health Tim Parsons, Natalie Wood-Wright Carey Business School Andrew Blumberg, Patrick Ercolano Homewood Lisa De Nike, Amy Lunday, Dennis O’Shea, Tracey A. Reeves, Phil Sneiderman Johns Hopkins Medicine Christen Brownlee, Stephanie Desmon, Neil A. Grauer, Audrey Huang, John Lazarou, David March, Vanessa McMains, Ekaterina Pesheva, Vanessa Wasta, Maryalice Yakutchik Peabody Institute Richard Selden SAIS Felisa Neuringer Klubes School of Education James Campbell, Theresa Norton School of Nursing Kelly Brooks-Staub University Libraries and Museums Brian Shields, Heather Egan Stalfort
The Gazette is published weekly September through May and biweekly June through August for the Johns Hopkins University community by the Office of Communications, Suite 540, 901 S. Bond St., Baltimore, MD 21231, in cooperation with all university divisions. Subscriptions are $26 per year. Deadline for calendar items, notices and classifieds (free to JHU faculty, staff and students) is noon Monday, one week prior to publication date. Phone: 443-287-9900 Fax: 443-287-9920 General e-mail: gazette@jhu.edu Classifieds e-mail: gazads@jhu.edu On the Web: gazette.jhu.edu Paid advertising, which does not represent any endorsement by the university, is handled by the Gazelle Group at 443275-2687 or gazellegrp@comcast.net.
April 9, 2012 • THE GAZETTE
3
Longtime family association ends in award-winning moment By Greg Rienzi
The Gazette
will kirk / homewoodphoto.jhu.edu
P
aul Jacobus and the Gottlich family go way back—to 1999, to be precise. Jacobus, a property manager at Homewood campus, supervised JHU undergraduate Andrea Gottlich and later, her brothers Jeremy and Paul. Jacobus first glimpsed Paul, then age 9, in a photo Andrea showed him at work one day. “Here was this red-headed kid with hair all over the place lying on a couch,” Jacobus recalled. That 9-year-old kid will graduate from Johns Hopkins next month, ending a 12-year run that a Gottlich family member has worked under Jacobus. “It’s the end of an era,” he said. The era ends on a high note. On Wednesday, Gottlich was named JHU Student Employee of the Year at a ceremony held in the Glass Pavilion on the Homewood campus. Forty students were nominated for the award, now in its 20th year. A panel of judges reads and ranks each nomination. The ceremony was part of National Student Employee Appreciation Week, which aims to enhance awareness of student employment and the important role it plays in higher education. Gottlich, a senior majoring in international studies, spent all four of his years at Johns Hopkins working in the Department of Building Operations and Maintenance as
Student Employee of the Year Paul Gottlich and supervisor Paul Jacobus.
a building manager for Mason, Garland and Shriver halls. In his nomination form, Jacobus wrote, “No one possesses more motivation, determination or desire than Paul; he will be a great asset in the future to whoever is lucky enough to work with him.” Gottlich received $750 from Student Employment Services, a JHU pen-and-pencil set from the President’s Office and a certificate of recognition signed by President Ron Daniels. He is now in the running
for the Tri-State (Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C.) Student Employee of the Year competition, the winner of which will be announced later this week. Kerry Best, a senior biology major, was co-winner of second place, receiving nominations from faculty and staff in both the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Biophysics. Best holds a student job in each department. Tied with him was graduate
student Nicole Errett, a research assistant in Health Policy and Management at the School of Public Health. The event also recognizes a Student Supervisor of the Year, an award that went this year to Jessica Swadow, an administrative coordinator in the Whiting School of Engineering’s Academic Affairs Office. Swadow received dinner for two at Gertrude’s and a signed certificate of recognition from President Daniels. The second-place prize went to Jacobus, his eighth nomination for the award. Gottlich, who nominated Jacobus, said that he couldn’t imagine a greater work environment and supervisor. “Paul’s been a great boss and mentor, and a great friend,” Gottlich said. “He gets the best out of everyone and cares so much about his student employees. Everyone who works for him works extremely hard, and that’s all due to Paul.” Gottlich attended the ceremony with his family, including his mother, Hillary, a student accounts coordinator for Homewood Student Affairs. “It’s kind of a family tradition, working at Johns Hopkins, and a family tradition of working hard,” he said. “I love what I do, which makes it really easy to do and invest my time in.” Students at all Johns Hopkins campuses are eligible to be nominated. Currently, some 4,100 Homewood students are employed throughout the Johns Hopkins enterprise.
James E. Rogers to give Carey School’s Ginder Lecture B y A n d r e w B l u mb e r g
Carey Business School
J
ames E. Rogers, founder and owner of Intermountain West Communications Co., is the featured speaker for the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School Ginder Lecture on Thursday, April 12. The event will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Legg Mason Tower in Harbor East. The title of his remarks is “Insights From an American Trailblazer.” Founded in 1979, Intermountain owns and operates 11 NBC and FOX affiliate television stations in five western states. Rogers, a member of the state bar associations of Nevada, Arizona and California, was in active law practice in Las Vegas from 1964
through 1988, when he began to devote his time to the development of Intermountain’s television and radio stations as well as to various area banks. Rogers became a member of the board of directors of Nevada National Bank in 1981 and was chairman of its board from 1985 to 1987. He then served on the board of Security Pacific Bank. He was a 1995 founder and served on the board of Community Bank of Nevada, leaving that bank to form Nevada First Bank in 1998. Nevada First Bank merged with the Bank of Nevada, where Rogers served on the board of directors. He has also served on the board of Meadows Bank in Nevada. In May 2004, Rogers was appointed by the board of regents to serve as the Nevada System of Higher Education’s ninth chancellor, holding the post until July 1, 2009.
Rogers has served on the board of trustees of the New York University School of Law, the board of councilors of the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, the board of councilors of the University of New Mexico School of Law, the Deans’ Finance Committee of the University of Idaho School of Law, the Executive Committee of the board of councilors of the University of Southern California School of Law, the board of the USC College of Business, the dean’s council of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Law, the Dean’s Finance Committee of the University of Arizona College of Law and the Gonzaga Law School board of trustees. He was one of the first nine individuals elected to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Business Hall of Fame. Active supporters of education, Rogers and his wife, Beverly, have made substantial financial contributions to various colleges and universities. Their gift of $137 million to the University of Arizona College of Law is the largest gift to the University of Arizona and
the largest gift to any American law school. In 1998, the Arizona board of regents renamed that college The James E. Rogers College of Law. In 1999, Rogers was listed as one of the top 11 philanthropists in the nation by Time magazine, having given or pledged more than $275 million to various colleges and universities throughout the country. Rogers received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a bachelor of law degree from the University of Arizona, and a master of law from the University of Southern California. He served as a teaching fellow at the University of Illinois, College of Law from 1963 to 1964. He is currently an executive in residence at the Carey Business School, having first served in that capacity in 2009. The William M. and Katherine B. Ginder Lecture Fund brings prominent speakers to the Carey Business School to discuss timely and stimulating issues relevant to the business community. To RSVP to the event, which is free, or for more information, email carey.events@jhu.edu or call 410-234-9356.
will kirk / homewoodphoto.jhu.edu
Dates announced for 2012 Staff Recognition milestone events
More than 75 Friends of the Libraries gathered on April 4 at the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the group’s founding. Henry Barton Jacobs (played by actor Mark Squirek), who served on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and was the inaugural president of the Friends, was “on hand” to welcome guests to his home. The event included displays of materials from the past 80 years, including rare books from early collections given to Johns Hopkins Libraries. Among them is an 1876 edition of Walt Whitman’s ‘Leaves of Grass’ inscribed by the author, published the year of the university’s founding. Former presidents of the Friends, dating back to the 1980s, joined in the celebration, as did local authors and members of Baltimore’s literary community. Above, Henry Barton Jacobs greets Jean McGarry, professor and co-chair of The Writing Seminars. —Brian Shields
T
he Office of Work, Life and Engagement has announced the dates of the 2012 Staff Recognition events for those celebrating anniversaries of five, 10, 15, 20 and more years of service with the university, in increments of five years, and whose anniversaries fall between July 11, 2011, and July 10, 2012. The series of events starts with the Staff Recognition and Retiree Dinner at 6 p.m. on June 6 in Homewood’s Ralph S. O’Connor Recreation Center for staff celebrating anniversaries of 20 or more years of service in five-year increments, and for those retiring after more than 10 years on the job. Staff members retiring before July 10, 2012, must notify Amanda Sciukas of their retirement by April 20 to receive an invitation to the dinner. Individual school receptions for staff marking five, 10 and 15 years of service are as follows:
• SAIS, June 6, 3:30 p.m., Herter Room, Nitze Building. • School of Nursing, June 11, 3 to 5 p.m., courtyard (if inclement weather, Carpenter Room). • Homewood Recognition Reception (Academic and Cultural Centers, Carey Business School, Homewood Student Affairs, Jhpiego, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Peabody Institute, Professional Schools Administration, School of Education, Sheridan Libraries/JHU Museums, Johns Hopkins Club, JHU Press, University Administration and Whiting School of Engineering), June 14, 3 to 4:30 p.m., Glass Pavilion, Levering Hall. • School of Medicine, June 21, 3 to 4:30 p.m., Turner Concourse. • Bloomberg School of Public Health, June 28, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Feinstone Hall. For more information about the program and events, contact Amanda Sciukas at asciuka1@jhu.edu or 443-997-0345.
4 9, 15, 2012 4 THE THE GAZETTE GAZETTE •• April August 2011
Society of Scholars inducts new members
T
he Society of Scholars was created on the recommendation of then President Milton S. Eisenhower and approved by the university board of trustees on May 1, 1967. The society—the first of its kind in the nation—inducts former postdoctoral fellows, postdoctoral degree recipients, house staff and junior or visiting faculty who have served at least a year at Johns Hopkins and thereafter gained marked distinction elsewhere in their fields of physical, biological, medical, social or engineering sciences or in the humanities and for whom at least five years have elapsed since their last Johns Hopkins affiliation. The Committee of the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars, whose members are distributed among the academic divisions, elects a limited number of scholars
from the candidates nominated by the academic divisions with postdoctoral programs. The scholars elected in 2012 will be invested at a ceremony hosted by Provost Lloyd B. Minor at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10, in the Peabody Institute’s Griswold Hall, where each will be presented with a certificate and a medallion on a black-and-gold ribbon. The induction, which brings to 579 the total number of members in the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars, will be followed by a dinner in the George Peabody Library. The following listing of the Society of Scholars members elected in 2012 is accompanied by a short description of their accomplishments at the time of their election to the society, along with the name and affiliation of their nominators.
Timothy G. Buchman Atlanta Timothy G. Buchman is widely recognized as a leading authority in critical care, with research spanning the bench-to-bedside continuum and including studies of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, genetics of sepsis and end-of-life care. He has recently expanded his research to apply systems biology to critical care and clinical medicine. A professor of surgery and anesthesiology at the Emory University School of Medicine, he is the founding director of the Emory Center for Critical Care, the first of its kind in the nation. Buchman is president of the Shock Society and past president of the Society for Complexity in Acute Illness and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Before joining Emory, he served as professor of surgery and director of acute and critical care surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Prior to his time at Washington University, Buchman directed the surgical intensive care unit and the trauma center at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was an intern and assistant resident from 1980 to 1983 and chief resident in the Department of Surgery from 1984 to 1985. Buchman was nominated by Julie A. Freischlag, the William Stewart Halstead Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, and surgeon in chief, The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
James Hildreth
Timothy Buchman
Daniel Garber
Alan Karr
Christoph Lengauer
Teri Manolio
graduate student affairs. In 2005, Hildreth joined the faculty at Meharry Medical College, where he founded the Center for HIV and AIDS Health Disparities Research. In 2011, he was selected as dean of the College of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Davis, with appointments in the college’s departments of Molecular and Cell Biology and of Internal Medicine. He has been widely recognized for his contributions to serving the health care needs of underserved and underrepresented populations, including being elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine and being named the recipient of a 2011 NIH Pioneer Award. Hildreth was nominated by Philip A. Cole, professor and director, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, School of Medicine.
Mathematical Statistics for groundbreaking work in stochastic processes. In 1997, he was named a fellow of the American Statistical Association in recognition of his achievements and for outstanding service to the statistics profession. At Johns Hopkins, he joined the Whiting School of Engineering’s Department of Mathematical Sciences in 1973 and achieved the rank of full professor in 1983. He chaired the department from 1985 to 1986 and then served as an associate dean in the school until 1992. Karr was nominated by Daniel Q. Naiman, professor and department chair, and John C. Wierman, professor, both in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Whiting School of Engineering.
Sanofi recruited Lengauer to be the global head of oncology discovery, supervising the work of more than 350 scientists. Lengauer currently serves as chief scientific officer of Blueprint Medicines, a developer of stateof-the-art personalized cancer therapies. In addition to serving as consultant and adviser to international groups, Lengauer has been responsible for the development of several new chemotherapeutic agents now in clinical trials. Lengauer was nominated by Bert Vogelstein, professor of oncology and pathology, School of Medicine.
Alan F. Karr Research Triangle Park, N.C.
C
Daniel Garber Princeton, N.J.
D
aniel Garber is one of the foremost scholars of early modern philosophy and science. His significant contributions have helped create a thriving community of early modern philosophy academics on both sides of the Atlantic. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he is the Stuart Professor of Philosophy and chair of the Department of Philosophy at Princeton University. Garber was a visiting assistant professor at Johns Hopkins from 1980 to 1981, after which he published a series of groundbreaking articles and books on the physics of Descartes and Leibniz. His academic research combines historical precision with philosophical rigor in a manner that is second to none, and he is currently working on a variety of topics, including the scientific revolution and 17thcentury Aristotelianism in France. Garber is the founder and co-editor of the leading journal Oxford Studies in Early Modern Philosophy and the editor-in-chief of a new edition of the works of the seminal 17thcentury thinker Jacobus Fontialis. Garber was nominated by Yitzhak Melamed, associate professor, Department of Philosophy, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
James E.K. Hildreth Davis, Calif.
J
ames E.K. Hildreth is a pre-eminent AIDS researcher, academic and mentor whose groundbreaking work has led to new therapeutic/preventive directions, including candidate microbiocides for clinical development. A Rhodes Scholar, he completed postdoctoral work in the Johns Hopkins Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics in 1984 and then became a member of the faculty, achieving the rank of professor in 2002. While at Johns Hopkins, he was also the School of Medicine’s inaugural associate dean for
A
lan F. Karr is an innovative and cross-disciplinary thinker, engaging in research that links the field of statistics to materials science, software engineering and transportation. He helped found the National Institute of Statistical Sciences in 1992 and has been its director since 2000. In this role, he manages one of the world’s most important statistics research organizations. Karr is an intellectual leader in the area of inference for point processes, notably for his work generalizing Cox regression, and he co-authored the first paper that demonstrated how to determine whether two neurons were being stimulated by a common source. In 1984, Karr was elected a fellow of the Institute of
Christoph Lengauer Cambridge, Mass. hristoph Lengauer has risen to the top of his profession—cancer drug discovery—at a meteoric pace. He was a postdoctoral fellow in oncology at Johns Hopkins from 1994 to 1996 and then joined the faculty, subsequently becoming an associate professor of oncology; he also directed the Cell Imaging Core Facility at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 2005, Lengauer became a unit head at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. Over the next three years, he was promoted to executive director of drug discovery at Novartis and then was named head of the company’s global Oncology Target Identification and Validation group. He received the Novartis Oncology President’s Award in 2007 as the top innovator in the company. Recognizing his unique talents,
Vincent C. Manganiello Bethesda, Md.
V
incent C. Manganiello is internationally recognized for his studies of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases, a multigene family that regulates many fundamental biological processes by controlling intracellular cAMP and cGMP concentrations. He received his medical degree and a doctoral degree in physiological chemistry from Johns Hopkins and served as an intern in the Harriet Lane Pediatric Service from 1967 to 1968. In 1968, Manganiello joined the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, where he is chief of the Laboratory of Biochemical Physiology in the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch. He has focused his research primarily on the PDE3 gene family because of its relevance to the understanding and treatment of diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular disease and female infertility. Continued on page 5
April 9, 2012 • THE GAZETTE
5
ioral impairment in children due to toxic occupational exposures, and pediatric and adult lead poisoning control and prevention. Nuwayhid has led many efforts in policy development for environmental health and has inspired students and junior colleagues through his teaching and research achievements. Nuwayhid was nominated by Haroutune Armenian, professor emeritus, Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Paolo Pasquini Rome
P Vincent Manganiello
Stephen McPhee
Iman Nuwayhid
Paolo Pasquini
John Phillips
Robert Schleimer
aolo Pasquini has had an illustrious career, with significant contributions to areas as diverse as infectious diseases, dermatology and psychiatry. After receiving his master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 1977, he became medical officer for the Regional Health Department in Rome. He then joined the clinical epidemiology unit at the Istituto Superiore de Sanita, Italy’s national health institute. After a brief stint at the World Health Organization, he became director of research at the ISS, and subsequently assumed his current role as scientific director and director of clinical research and psychology at the Istituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata, an institution devoted to clinical care and research in dermatology. At the IDI, Pasquini’s experience in psychiatry and cognitive psychotherapy allowed him to study the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders and their relation to skin conditions. Pasquini’s productivity as a researcher is reflected in his numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals. His achievements in the field of dermatology and its interface with psychiatry have included seminal studies of depression, psychological distress and borderline personality disorder. Pasquini was nominated by Moyses Szklo, professor of epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and of medicine, School of Medicine.
John A. Phillips III Nashville, Tenn.
J Achim Schneider
Scholars Continued from page 4 Manganiello was nominated by Paul A. Watkins, professor of neurology and research scientist, School of Medicine and Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Teri A. Manolio Bethesda, Md.
T
eri A. Manolio is an accomplished cardiovascular epidemiologist with prominence as a scientist and leader at the National Institutes of Health. Among her many accomplishments, she initiated and expanded major national studies, including the Cardiovascular Health Study, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, Jackson Heart Study and Framingham Study Third Generation, to incorporate state-ofthe-art sciences, such as imaging of subclinical atherosclerotic disease, health disparities and genomewide linkage analyses. In 2005, Manolio moved to the National Human Genome Research Institute to integrate genomic technologies into population studies on a broader scale. She established critically needed, collaborative genomewide association studies across unrelated diseases and created guidelines for sharing genomic data widely with protections for participant
Arjun Srinivasan
Steven Wesselingh
confidentiality. Manolio is director of the Office of Population Genomics at NHGRI and senior adviser to the director of NHGRI for population genomics. She was a fellow in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins from 1984 to 1987. Manolio was nominated by Diane M. Becker, professor of medicine, director of the Center for Health Promotion and director of the GeneSTAR Research Program, School of Medicine.
of the American Medical Association. McPhee has served as editor for several medical textbooks and references, written more than 40 books and published more than 175 scientific articles in peer-reviewed medical literature. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins in 1976 and was an intern, assistant resident and fellow in the Department of Medicine from 1976 to 1980. McPhee was nominated by Albert W. Wu, professor, Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Medicine, School of Medicine.
Stephen J. McPhee San Francisco, Calif.
S
tephen J. McPhee is a master physician, prolific researcher, leading editor of core clinical textbooks and honored mentor of researchers and medical students. A practicing physician and emeritus professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, he is recognized as one of the top internists on the West Coast. He has been the principal investigator on nearly 70 grants and contracts, with a primary focus on cancer prevention; health promotion and disease prevention among Vietnamese and other Asian populations; and palliative, end-of-life and geriatric care. McPhee has worked with more than 125 hospitals to establish palliative care consultation services. From 2000 to 2008, he and his colleagues at UCSF coordinated a bimonthly series titled “Perspectives on Care at the Close of Life” that appeared in the Journal
Iman Nuwayhid Beirut
I
man Nuwayhid, professor and dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut, is a leader in research, education and effective policy development in public health in Lebanon and the Middle East. After receiving a master’s degree in occupational medicine and epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 1985, he returned to Lebanon, where he has become an important change agent in public health and health services. During his career, Nuwayhid has made outstanding advances in the field of occupational health research in developing countries, specifically regarding accident and injury prevention, drinking water safety and waterborne illness prevention, prevention of neurobehav-
ohn A. Phillips III is widely recognized for his contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms that can cause genetic developmental disabilities. For 27 years, he has led the Division of Pediatric Genetics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he is the David T. Karzon Professor of Pediatrics, with joint appointments in Biochemistry, Medicine and Pathology. Among his achievements in the use of molecular methods to discover the molecular bases of Mendelian disorders, Phillips found that familial growth hormone deficiency can result from GH1 gene deletions, a discovery that explains why affected individuals often develop anti-GH antibodies and resistance to growth hormone replacement therapy. Subsequently, he found that Isolated GHD Type II is caused by dominant negative effects of exon-skipping mutations, and that germline transmission of small interfering RNA cured a murine model of IGHD II. In familial idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, his research uncovered mutations in the surfactant and telomerase genes. Phillips was a research fellow in the Pediatrics Genetics Unit at Johns Hopkins from 1975 to 1977, and a member of the university’s faculty from 1977 to 1984. Phillips was nominated by Haig H. Kazazian Jr., professor of human genetics, School of Medicine.
Robert P. Schleimer Chicago
R
obert P. Schleimer is acknowledged as an outstanding scientist by the clinical, academic and pharmaceutical communities. He is chief of the Division of Allergy-Immunology in the Department of Medicine, the Roy and Elaine Patterson Professor of Medicine and professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the Northwestern University Feinberg School Continued on page 6
6 9, 15, 2012 6 THE THE GAZETTE GAZETTE •• April August 2011 K U D O S
Two JHU engineers win Navy’s 2012 Young Investigators award B y A m y L u n d ay
Homewood
T
wo engineers at The Johns Hopkins University are among 26 scholars nationwide selected to share in more than $13 million in research funding through the Office of Naval Research’s Young Investigator Program. Mounya Elhilali and Mark Foster, both assistant professors in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Whiting School of Engineering, were chosen from a record number of applicants for the award, one of the oldest and most selective scientific research advancement programs in the country. Its purpose is to fund early-career academic researchers whose scientific pursuits show exceptional promise for supporting the Navy and Marine Corps while also promoting the scholars’ professional development. “The Department of the Navy’s support of these outstanding research scientists is one of the ways we will maintain our technological advantage for the Navy and Marine Corps and our nation,” Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said in a statement. “The Young Investigator Program rewards these emerging leaders in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] fields.” Elhilali and Foster were selected last month from more than 350 candidates for the monetary award, $170,000 a year for three years, for research efforts that hold promise in advancing naval technology. The winners represent 19 academic institutions across the country in disciplines ranging from nanomaterials, robotics and marine meteorology to undersea medicine, learning behaviors and psychology. The award will fund Elhilali’s project called “Active Listening: Closing the Loop Between Sensation, Perception and Behav-
ior,” research poised to tackle one of the major unsolved problems in neuroscience: how our brains are able to effortlessly recognize sounds. Elhilali says that her field currently suffers a scarcity of theories that integrate the sensory circuitry in the auditory pathway with the promising capabilities of the brain, most importantly its ability to adapt to the demands of an ever-changing acoustic environment. She aims to fill that void by developing large-scale architectures for auditory object recognition that integrate sensory processing in the brain with cognitive information reflected in our prior knowledge and expectations in changing listening environments. The results could be directly applied to developing medical devices, communication aids and brain-machine systems as well as military, surveillance and security systems. Elhilali earned her bachelor’s degree in software engineering from Al Akhawayn University in Morocco in 1998 and her doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Maryland in 2004. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland from 2005 to 2007. She joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Whiting School at Johns Hopkins in 2008, and in 2009, she received a National Science Foundation CAREER award. Foster’s research focuses on developing practical photonic techniques for the manipulation of signals on the fastest of time scales from hundreds of picoseconds to a few femtoseconds. The Young Investigator award will fund research in his laboratory into transmission of high-speed analog signals over optical fibers. While fiber optics dominate high-speed digital information transfer, in numerous cases it is necessary to transmit analog signals over significant distances. Decades of device-level advance-
Looking for someplace... ...more custom fit for you?
Southern’s Apartment Locator Service can find that place for you.
And, it’s FREE! Because we own and manage 25,000 apartment homes in 70 communites in the Baltimore/Washington area, Southern Management can find you a great apartment at a fair price.
888.687.4519
southernmanagement.com
ments have brought analog photonic links close to widespread applicability. Their performance, however, is not yet sufficient to supplant traditional cable signal transmission in many applications. With this funding, Foster’s research group will investigate a fundamentally new approach to improving the performance of analog photonic links. Rather than focusing on device-level improvements, Foster’s group will exploit nonlinear optical effects in the fiber optic cable, typically considered to be detrimental distortions, to improve the quality of analog signal transmission. Foster received his bachelor’s degree and doctorate in applied and engineering physics from Cornell University. After working as a postdoctoral fellow in the Quantum and Nonlinear Photonics Group at Cornell,
he joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in Johns Hopkins’ Whiting School in 2010. Office of Naval Research Young Investigators are college and university faculty who have attained tenure-track positions within the past five years. They are selected on the merit of their research and their potential contributions for game-changing advances for the Navy and Marine Corps. Many winners continue to engage in naval research beyond their award periods, and their research careers often help them earn opportunities and prominence in their respective fields. The program began in 1985, when 10 winners were awarded $50,000 per year for three years. Since then, the program has grown steadily to include a total of 579 recipients representing 120 institutions of higher education.
Scholars
Arjun Srinivasan Atlanta
Continued from page 5 of Medicine. From 1979 to 1981, Schleimer was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins in the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. He joined the faculty in 1981 and achieved the rank of professor of medicine before moving to Northwestern University in 2004. His long-standing research focus is on the immunopharmacology of allergic inflammation, cell adhesion, migration and, more recently, innate and acquired immune responses of the upper airways in humans. Schleimer has received NIH funding for more than 25 years, and he recently received an NIH Merit Award from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. He has been a member of the scientific advisory boards of more than a dozen pharmaceutical companies and has published more than 260 papers and edited numerous books and journal supplements. He has trained more than 35 postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, with the majority becoming established investigators in academia and industry. Schleimer was nominated by Bruce S. Bochner, the Cosner Scholar in Translational Medicine, professor of medicine and director of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center.
Achim Schneider Berlin
A
chim Schneider is among the pioneers who developed, perfected and evaluated laparoscopic techniques to assist in the treatment of gynecological cancers. He is a professor of gynecology and gynecologic oncology and chairman of the Department of Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology and Breast Center at the Charite-University Medicine Berlin. He came to Johns Hopkins in 1985 to study human papillomaviruses and cervical cancer. During his research, he realized the importance of epidemiologic concepts in clinical investigations, and he returned to Johns Hopkins to gain expertise in epidemiology, receiving a master’s degree in public health in 1989. Schneider has achieved high distinction and international recognition for his subsequent research in HPV and cervical cancer and for the development and value of laparoscopic surgery in gynecologic oncology. Dr. Schneider has published more than 113 papers and has been a visiting professor at the University of Arizona and the Barbara Jordan More Visiting Professor in Gynecologic Oncology at Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center. Currently, he is a member of the World Health Organization working group that produced the report Comprehensive Cervical Cancer Control: A Guide to Essential Practice. Schneider was nominated by Keerti V. Shah, professor of molecular microbiology and immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and of oncology, School of Medicine.
A
rjun Srinivasan is leading the antibiotic stewardship efforts and the public campaign to improve antibiotic use with the ultimate goal of decreasing the health care burden of multidrug-resistant organisms. A captain in the U.S. Public Health Service, Srinivasan is associate director for Healthcare Associated Infection Prevention Programs in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He was an intern, resident and fellow in the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins from 1996 to 2001. He then served as an assistant professor of medicine in the Infectious Diseases Division, where he was the founding director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and the associate hospital epidemiologist. Since joining the CDC, Srinivasan has led more than 35 investigations of outbreaks. As a result of these investigations, changes in national policy and guidelines have been implemented to prevent health care–associated infections. He provides CDC oversight and coordination of the efforts of all state health department activities related to health care–associated infections, and is the medical director for the Get Smart for Healthcare initiative, a CDC program designed to improve the use of antimicrobials in inpatient health care facilities. Srinivasan has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals on his research in health care epidemiology, infection control, and antimicrobial use and resistance. Srinivasan was nominated by Trish M. Perl, professor of infectious diseases, departments of Medicine, Pathology and Epidemiology, School of Medicine.
Steven L. Wesselingh Adelaide, South Australia
S
teven L. Wesselingh is internationally recognized as an expert in viruses that affect the human brain, and he has played a key role in demonstrating the importance of inflammatory mediators in HIV-associated dementia. He was a postdoctoral fellow and assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins from 1991 to 1994. Upon returning to Australia in 1994, Wesselingh established the Neurovirology Research Unit at Flinders and quickly became a leader in Australian academic medicine. In 1998, he was president of the Australian Society for Medical Research. In 1999, he was appointed director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Alfred Hospital and Monash University and subsequently became director of the Burnet Institute, Australia’s largest biomedical research group specializing in infectious diseases, immunology and public health. In 2007, he became dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University, and in 2011, he was appointed to his current position as executive director of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. Wesselingh was nominated by Justin C. McArthur, professor and director, Neurology, School of Medicine. G
April 9, 2012 • THE GAZETTE
7
8 9, 15, 2012 8 THE THE GAZETTE GAZETTE •• April August 2011
Looking for a new place? Please join us as we Kick Off our 3rd Annual JHMI Housing Fair Come seek information from various representatives from local apartment complexes and organizations around Baltimore.
Friday, April 13th 11:30am-6:00pm Reed Hall, 1st Floor Lobby
Johns Hopkins representatives will also be available from Corporate Security, Parking, International Society, and Student Outreach Resource Center (SOURCE). Faculty, Staff and Students are welcome to attend. For more information, please contact jhmihousingoffice@jhmi.edu
April 9, 2012 • THE GAZETTE
forward to the Young Investigators program as a way to acknowledge their years of dedication to the lab. “Students and postdoctoral fellows are the major work force of biomedical research at Johns Hopkins, yet we don’t have the luxury of fast, immediate gratification because most experiments are trial and error,” says Lishi Li. “The Young Investigators’ Day is a good recognition of our efforts,” she adds, “and great encouragement for us to continue with the hard work.” Li currently is finishing up her doctorate in David Ginty’s lab in Neuroscience. She was awarded the David I. Macht Award for her research on neurons in the skin that sense gentle touch. In December, she plans to finish her dissertation and transition into a postdoc position. “I think it is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the extremely talented group of students and fellows here at Hopkins,” says Junjie Guo, the Mette Strand awardee, of Young Investigators’ Day. “It also reminds us of how lucky we are to be in this unique intellectual environment, and we should all find ways to benefit from it by collaborating, or even just discussing, with your colleagues as much as possible.” In December, Guo completed his dissertation, in Hongjun Song’s lab at the Institute for Cell Engineering, showing that chemical modifications to DNA in brain stem cells change as the cells mature into neurons. He is currently in search of a postdoc position. Maame Sampah says that as an African-American woman, she hopes that her Michael A. Shanoff Award will serve as inspiration for minorities in medical research. A student in Robert Siliciano’s lab in the Department of Medicine, Sampah analyzes drug treatment regimens for HIV patients. She tests different combinations of HIV treatment drugs on white blood cells, determining the most effective and least toxic combinations. She says that after finishing her PhD research in the summer, she looks forward to working this fall on her medical degree and delivering patient care in the clinic. From the time when they were junior members of the lab, some students aspired to become awardees. “I have been aware of Young Investigators’ Day since 1996, when I was first exposed to biology research in Gary Pasternack’s lab as a high school student,” says Raymond Cheong, who recently defended his dissertation. “Speaking from a long personal experience, I think Young Investigators’ Day plays an important role to inspire and encourage students and fellows to do excellent science, and provides an important forum for young researchers to be recognized and honored.” In Andre Levchenko’s lab in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cheong studied how cells process information from their environments, work for which he received a Michael A. Shanoff Award. He is currently on leave to help launch a startup company based on the technology he developed during his dissertation research, but he will return to Johns Hopkins in the fall semester to finish medical school. A few of the trainees say they feel a personal connection with their award’s namesake. Daniel Lee says he is honored to receive an award in the name of Paul Ehrlich, a researcher who made advancements in hematology, immunology and chemotherapy. Lee says, “I had the unfortunate situation to have to need chemotherapy during graduate school, and that medicine saved my life. It is the hard work of Ehrlich and many other scientists who work in this area of research that allowed me to receive this award.” Lee explored the function of adult stem cells in the hypothalamus of the brain and discovered that the cells play a role in regulating metabolism, weight and energy balance. Recently, he completed this work in Seth Blackshaw’s lab in the Department of Neuroscience and the Institute for Cell Engineering. Lee plans to go to the Cali-
will kirk / homewoodphoto.jhu.edu
Continued from page 1
we essentially crammed one year’s worth of work into five weeks,” Bonaguidi says. “It was the culmination of our collective training, expertise and fortitude as well as an insane month. But it was worth it.” Bonaguidi received the Daniel Nathans Award for his studies following the “family tree” of adult brain stem cells as they matured into neurons. He will continue his work at Johns Hopkins for the next two years, and then he plans to enter the faculty job market. For her work identifying the DNA changes leading to stiff skin syndrome and engineering a mouse model to study the condition, Elizabeth Gerber received a Paul Ehrlich Award. She says that her most memorable experience at Johns Hopkins was meeting one particular stiff skin syndrome patient and hearing about his personal experiences with this disease. “We shared excitement over the
Mentors Hongjun Song and Guo-li Ming with Daniel Nathans Award winner Michael Bonaguidi and Mette Strand awardee Junjie Guo.
will kirk / homewoodphoto.jhu.edu
Investigators
fornia Institute of Technology for a postdoc position. Neurosurgery resident Chetan Bettegowda says he is honored to receive this year’s Helen B. Taussig Award. “Receiving the Taussig Award is even more special because of [Taussig’s] incredible and long-lasting contributions to the field of pediatric cardiology,” Bettegowda says. “As a physicianscientist, my undying professional goal is to make a contribution to patients that will improve their care the way Dr. Taussig did for children with congenital heart defects.” Bettegowda identified two genetic causes of oligodendrogliomas—the second most common brain tumor—in the lab of Bert Vogelstein and Ken Kinzler at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. After spending almost 14 years at Johns Hopkins, he will complete his residency in June, and will look for surgeon-scientist
Michael A. Shanoff Award winner Maame Sampah, center, with mentors Janet Siliciano and Robert Siliciano.
positions in academic medical centers so that he can continue to see patients and start a research lab. Describing this award as the cherry on top on her PhD career, Vedangi Sample says that this award means a lot to her personally. “One of my friends who I look to for advice was also the recipient of the Bae Byo Jung Award, so it felt good to receive the same award that he did in 2010,” Sample says. “I was in awe of the research conducted by the recipients of these awards, and that was always a source of inspiration for me in my research.” Sample studies a new role for chemical messengers in the cell’s nucleus, in Jin Zhang’s lab in the Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences Department. Later this month she will begin a postdoc in the Department of Genetics at Harvard University. Other trainees say they feel that Young Investigator awards add to their remarkable experiences at Johns Hopkins. Postdoc Michael Bonaguidi, from Hongjun Song’s lab in the Institute for Cell Engineering, says that one of his most memorable experiences was the review process to get the lab’s work published. “Dr. Song remarked that
generation of our mouse model, and hope that it might someday enable us to provide therapeutic options for him,” she adds. As a member of the School of Medicine’s MD/PhD program, Gerber is completing her dissertation research with Hal Dietz of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, and will return to medical school next spring. Some students attribute the success of their research to inspiration from their mentors. “The most important factor to my project’s success is my mentor Andy Feinberg, whose passion for science has inspired me from the day I joined the lab,” says Akiko Doi, a graduate student in the Center for Epigenetics, part of the Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences. “My mentor taught me how to think outside the box.” Doi, the Hans J. Prochaska awardee, studies how samples of body cells, such as skin or blood, are reprogrammed in the lab into stem cells. Specifically, he observes how chemical modifications to the DNA change as body cells convert into stem cells. He found that stem cells retain a chemical modification fingerprint that is specific to their body cell’s origin, while at the same time sharing some
9
DNA modifications found in cancer cells. After he completes his research this fall, Doi wants to take a postdoc position. In addition to great mentors, the atmosphere at Johns Hopkins contributed to other trainees’ success. “The environment at Hopkins, specifically in the Pharmacology Department, fosters great collaboration, provides exclusive research and pushes all of us,” says Mary Katherine Tarrant, who did her dissertation research in Philip Cole’s lab. “Phil was a wonderful mentor, and the work would not have been a success without his support, willingness to try new things and helpful perspective.” Tarrant, the Alicia Showalter Reynolds awardee, concentrated her research on chemical modifications that regulate a cell survival and stress response protein. Although she defended her dissertation back in October, she stayed in the lab to finish up a few more experiments. This month, she leaves to start a postdoc position at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Former graduate student Chris Shoemaker received the Martin and Carol Macht Award for his research uncovering details of the mechanism that simultaneously breaks down protein blueprints, mRNAs, as they’re converted into proteins. “This work benefited tremendously from the academic freedom granted to me during my tenure at Hopkins, which afforded me copious opportunities to pursue and fulfill my many academic curiosities,” he says. Shoemaker completed his PhD in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics with Rachel Green as his mentor. He now holds a postdoc position at Harvard University. Sarah Richardson, a graduate of the Human Genetics program and the Nupur Dinesh Thekdi awardee, says, “I always felt well treated as a student at Hopkins, and I was honored to be surrounded by such hardworking and brilliant people at all levels of the organization, from the janitorial staff all the way up to the deans.” Richardson says that her advisers were very patient when she spent time away from her research to take math and computer classes so she could improve her computational science skills. This training was necessary, she says, for creating algorithms to support the design and construction of the first synthetic yeast chromosome, which was completed while she was in Joel Bader’s lab in Biomedical Engineering. Next, she will take a postdoc position at the Joint Genome Institute at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. For work investigating how fission yeast turns on genes in low oxygen conditions, Chih-Yung Sean Lee received a Paul Ehrlich Award. Although Lee finished his dissertation late last year, he decided to stay with the Johns Hopkins community as a postdoc by joining Geraldine Seydoux’s lab in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. “I think the contributing factors to my project’s success were my wonderful lab mates, who made this lab a great place to work, and my mentor, Dr. Peter Espenshade, who is very supportive and always encouraging,” Lee says. W. Barry Wood Jr. Award winner Ju Young Kim says that “as a working mom, the love and support from my family, especially my two lovable sons, made my research achievement possible.” Kim completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Guo-li Ming’s lab in the Institute for Cell Engineering. She identified a precise genetic cause for schizophrenia, focusing on the function of DISC1, a schizophrenia risk protein, in brain development. Recently, she moved to San Diego with her family. “This is a great time to study genetics and bioinformatics because of the large quantity of genomic data that is readily available,” says medical student and researcher Molong Li. “I am grateful for all the researchers who have contributed to this fund of knowledge and made my project possible.” Working in Aravinda Chakravarti’s lab in the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Li analyzes regions in the genome in between genes. Many of these spaces have no known functions and many are linked to certain diseases. Li received a Paul Ehrlich Award. G
10 9, 15, 2012 10 THE THE GAZETTE GAZETTE •• April August 2011
Whole genome sequencing not informative at all, study finds B y V a n e s s a W a s ta
Johns Hopkins Medicine
W
ith sharp declines in the cost of whole genome sequencing, the day of accurately deciphering disease risk based on an individual’s genome may seem at hand. But a study involving data of thousands of identical twins by Johns Hopkins investigators finds that genomic fortune-telling fails to provide informative guidance to most people about their risk for most common diseases, and warns against complacency born of negative genome test results. Findings from the Johns Hopkins researchers’ evaluation of the predictive value of whole genome sequencing were published online April 2 in Science Translational Medicine. Whole genomic sequencing catalogs all the genes that a person inherits from each parent. On average, any two individuals’ genomes differ in 4.5 million positions scat-
Need extra copies of ‘The Gazette’? A limited number of extra copies of ‘The Gazette’ are available each week in the Office of Communications, Suite 540, 901 S. Bond St., in Fells Point. Those who know they will need a large number of newspapers are asked to order them at least a week in advance of publication by calling 443287-9900.
tered throughout their genomes. Whole genome sequencing identifies those differences and links them to known or suspected contributions to an individual’s risk of certain diseases. The Johns Hopkins research casts doubt on whether whole genome sequencing can reliably predict the majority of future medical problems that will be encountered by most people who take such tests. “We believe that genomic tests will not be substitutes for current disease prevention strategies,” said Bert Vogelstein, the Clayton Professor of Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, co-director of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. “Prudent screening, early diagnosis and prevention strategies, such as not smoking and removing early cancers, will be the keys to cutting disease death rates.” To investigate the predictive potential of whole genome sequencing, the Johns Hopkins team used data recorded on thousands of identical twins entered into registries in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and the National Academy of Sciences’ National Research World War II Veterans Twins Registry. “Identical twins share the same genome, and if the genome were the determining factor for common diseases, then the prevalence of a specific disease in an individual whose twin has that disease can be used to determine how well whole genome sequencing could predict an individual’s disease risk,” Vogelstein said. The Johns Hopkins team collected information on the incidence of 24 diseases among the twin-pair groups, including cancer, as well as autoimmune, cardiovascular, genitourinary, neurological and obesityassociated diseases. To predict disease risk,
Tennis Camps - June 13 - August 17, Ages 3-17 Soccer Camps - July 30 and August 6, Ages 5-16
Full Day, Half Day, Extended Day, Daily transportation from St. Paul’s School for Girls & Gilman School. Discounts for multiple weeks.
“World class teacher, mentor, and humorist extraordinaire! Your children will love Steve, his program and love tennis forever.” Granny, Shug, Cat Girl, Tooth Boy and Hat Trick, aka The Wittelsberger Family, alum since 1989!
they used mathematical models designed by Nicholas Roberts, a Johns Hopkins graduate student, and Joshua Vogelstein, an assistant research scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering and Bert Vogelstein’s son, in collaboration with Giovanni Parmigiani, a professor of biostatistics and computational biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The models were used to calculate the capacity of whole genome sequencing to predict the risk of each disease based on typical thresholds used by doctors to initiate preventive or therapeutic measures. Their analysis shows that whole genome sequencing could alert most individuals to an increased risk of at least one disease, signaled by a positive test result, but most people would get negative test results for the majority of diseases studied, failing to forewarn them of the diseases they may ultimately develop. Kenneth Kinzler, co-director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins and a professor of oncology, provides an example of what their analysis showed: “As many as 2 percent of women undergoing whole genome sequencing could receive a positive test result for ovarian cancer, alerting them that they have at least a one-in-10 chance of developing that cancer over their lifetime. The other 98 percent of women who receive a negative test for ovarian cancer will not be guaranteed a lifetime free of ovarian cancer because their risk of developing it is very similar to that of the general population. So, a negative test is not a ‘free pass’ to discount the chance of acquiring any particular disease.” The investigators say that their analysis specifically shows that whole genome–based tests are not highly informative for predict-
ing cancer in most individuals without a strong family history of the disease. On the other hand, genetic tests could identify, theoretically, more than three-quarters of patients who may develop any of the four diseases studied: coronary heart disease in men, thyroid autoimmunity, type 1 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. “In families with strong histories of cancer, whole genome sequencing can still be very informative for identifying inherited genes that increase cancer risk,” said Victor Velculescu, a professor of oncology, who with Vogelstein and Kinzler provided some of the first evidence that inherited pancreatic cancer genes can be identified in families through whole genome sequencing. “But hereditary cancers are rare. Most cancers arise from mutations acquired through environmental exposures, lifestyle choices and random mistakes in genes that occur when cells divide.” Funding for the study was provided by the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research, the National Institutes of Health, an AACR Stand Up to Cancer–Dream Team Translational Cancer Research Grant, the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation and the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme. Vogelstein, Kinzler and Velculescu are co-founders and scientific advisory board members of Inostics and Personal Genome Diagnostics. They own Inostics and Personal Genome Diagnostics stock, which is subject to certain restrictions under Johns Hopkins University policy. The terms of these arrangements are being managed by The Johns Hopkins University in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policies.
Summer Programs for Kids
Go online: www.krulevitztennis.com or call Steve: 410-560-0066
Kids Kaleidoscope Summertime at Roland Park Country School For girls and boys ages 3 through 18
June 18 – August 24
o ã
Red Hot Summer Day Camp Arts and Drama Camps Sports Camps Driver’s Education Babysitting Class Circus Camp Language Camps Fairy Camp Cooking Camps Red Hot Mini Camp Video Game Creation for 3 and 4 year olds …and much, much more!
Make this summer a memorable one at RPCS! For information, please call 410-323-5500, ext. 3091 or visit us online at www.rpcs.org Roland Park Country School • 5204 Roland Avenue • Baltimore, Maryland
April 9, 2012 • THE GAZETTE
Symposium Continued from page 1 economic growth, poverty, discrimination, violence, class and social gradients, education and the influence of social determinants in early life. Participants will look at these issues broadly in the national and international contexts. Amartya Sen, a Nobel laureate for his contributions to welfare economics, will serve as keynote speaker for the event, to be held on May 8 and 9 in Homewood’s Shriver Hall Auditorium. Sen, the Lamont University Professor and professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University, served as a member of the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Born in Santiniketan, India, Sen studied at Presidency College in Calcutta, India, and later at Trinity College, Cambridge. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages, and he has
Poultry Continued from page 1 chickens and 80 million turkeys, according to the Department of Agriculture. A large percentage of the fresh weight of these animals is inedible—an estimated 33 percent for chickens, for example—and is recycled for other uses, including feather meal. The rendering industry, which converts animal byproducts into a wide range of materials, processes poultry feathers into feather meal, which is often added as a supplement to poultry, pig, ruminant and fish feeds or sold as an “organic” fertilizer. In a companion study, researchers found inorganic arsenic in feather meal used in retail fertilizers. “The discovery of certain antibiotics in feather meal strongly suggests the continued use of these drugs despite the ban put in place in 2005 by the FDA,” said David Love, lead author of the report and an assistant scientist at the Center for a Livable Future. “The public health community has long been frustrated with the unwillingness of FDA to effectively address what antibiotics are fed to food animals.” A primary reason for the 2005 ban on the use of fluoroquinolones in poultry production was an alarming increase in the rate of the fluoroquinolone resistance among Campylobacter bacteria. “In recent years, we’ve seen the rate of fluoroquinolone resistance slow but not drop,” noted study co-author Keeve Nachman, Farming for the Future program director at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. “With such a ban, you would expect a decline in resistance to these drugs. The continued use of fluoroquinolones and unintended antibiotic contamination of poultry feed may help explain why high rates of fluoroquinoloneresistant Campylobacter continue to be found PS-2012 JHU Gazette 3-21
3/21/12
11
received numerous awards and honors for his research, including the Nobel Prize for economics in 1998 and the Bharat Ratna, the highest honor awarded by the president of India, in 1999. The symposium’s other featured speakers are Minor; Martha Hill, dean of the School of Nursing; David Andrews, dean of the School of Education; Katherine Newman, dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences; and Michael Klag, dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Faculty experts from fields such as engineering, economics, pediatrics and social science will participate in the eight panel discussions. Among them are Jacquelyn Campbell, of the School of Nursing; David Bishai, Robert Blum, Jean Ford, Marsha Schachtel and Daniel Webster, all of the Bloomberg School; Katrina Bell-McDonald, Andrew Cherlin and Robert Moffitt, all of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences; and Tina Cheng and Sarah Lindstrom-Johnson, both of the School of Medicine. Gerard Anderson, professor of health policy and management and director of the
Johns Hopkins Center for Hospital Finance and Management at the Bloomberg School, said that the symposium is intended to bring university divisions together to confront a major challenge that has many components. “When you start to look at why we have such inequalities in health, it’s not just one issue; it’s violence, it’s early childhood development, it’s education and economics,” he said. “And you can’t address these problems with just one school or discipline; we need
an array of experts to be engaged.” Anderson, who coordinated the panel participants, said that the symposium will hopefully be the start of a larger initiative. “One goal here is to get the faculty to know each other better and see where common areas exist,” he said. “Following the symposium, we plan to have more meetings to consider what next steps to take.” G For more information and to register, go to www.jhu.edu/provost/sdh.
he Johns Hopkins School of Education is hosting a screening of The Finland Phenomenon, a documentary on Finland’s educational system, at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 16, in the Great Hall of the Education Building. In this 60-minute presentation, filmmaker Bob Compton and Harvard researcher Tony Wagner take an inside look at what makes Finnish schools among the best in the world. Finland, where teaching is held in as high regard as law
and medicine, is one of the top-performing countries in international student testing. Wagner, author of the Global Achievement Gap, has worked more than 35 years on school improvement issues and has served as co-director of the Harvard School of Education’s Change Leadership Group since its inception in 2000. Because seating is limited, a refundable $5 deposit is required. For more information, go to education.jhu.edu/finland.
on commercial poultry meat products over half a decade after the ban.” In the United States, antibiotics are introduced into the feed and water of industrially raised poultry primarily to make them grow faster, rather than to treat disease. An estimated 13.2 million kilograms of antibiotics were sold in 2009 to the U.S. poultry and livestock industries, an amount that represented nearly 80 percent of all antibiotic sales for use in humans and animals in the country that year. In conducting the study, the researchers analyzed commercially available feather meal samples acquired from six U.S. states and China for a suite of 59 pharmaceuticals and personal care products. All 12 samples tested had between two and 10 antibiotic residues.
In addition to antimicrobials, seven other personal care products, including the pain reliever acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol), the antihistamine diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl) and the antidepressant fluoxetine (the active ingredient in Prozac), were detected. Researchers also found caffeine in 10 of 12 feather meal samples. “This study reveals yet another pathway of unwanted human exposure to a surprisingly broad spectrum of prescription and overthe-counter drugs,” noted study co-author Rolf Halden, co-director of the Center for Health Information and Research and associate director of the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at Arizona State. When researchers exposed several strains
of E. coli bacteria to the concentrations of antibiotics found in the feather meal samples, they also discovered that the drug residues could select for resistant bacteria. “A high enough concentration was found in one of the samples to select for bacteria that are resistant to drugs important to treat infections in humans,” Nachman noted. “We strongly believe that the FDA should monitor what drugs are going into animal feed,” Nachman said. “Based on what we’ve learned, I’m concerned that the new FDA guidance documents, which call for voluntary action from industry, will be ineffectual. By looking into feather meal, and uncovering a drug banned nearly six years ago, we have very little confidence that the food animal production industry can be left to regulate itself.” G
SoE hosts documentary on Finland’s educational system
T
Shriver Hall Concert Series announces 2012–13 season
S
hriver Hall Concert Series will open its 2012–13 eight-concert subscription series on Oct. 14 with the return of the internationally praised American Brentano String Quartet, marking its 20th anniversary with a sumptuous program of celebrated quartets by Haydn, Busoni and Brahms. On Nov. 4, the series presents Europa Galante, formed by virtuoso Italian violinist Fabio Biondi to draw greater attention to the baroque and classical eras. The ensemble makes its series debut in a thought-provoking program of Corelli, Couperin, C.P.E. Bach and Vivaldi titled Apotheosis & Follia. Regarded as one of the outstanding musicians of his generation, Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski makes his highly anticipated series debut on Dec. 2. Anderszewski, a Grammy nominee and the subject of two documentary films, performs a program that includes Bach and Schumann. Jan. 27 marks the series debut of Canadian pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin. A musi-
9:15 AM
Page 1
cian of broad musical interests and curiosity, he brings his fresh perspective on Bach, Busoni, Debussy and Rachmaninoff. Two of the world’s foremost performers—Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena and the eminent pianist and series audience favorite Yefim Bronfman—take the Shriver stage on Feb. 17. Electrifying performances and fearless interpretations mark violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg as one of the leading violinists of our time. She’ll be joined on March 3 by pianist Anne-Marie McDermott for works by Beethoven and Bach and, following intermission, by the Parker Quartet for Chausson’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet. April 7 brings the subscription series debut of the Pavel Haas Quartet, named for the Czech composer. The quartet will perform Haas’ third string quartet and works by Schubert and Tchaikovsky. May 5 marks the return of German cellist Alban Gerhardt, known for his unmistakable sound, intense
emotionality and riveting stage presence. He is joined by Philippine pianist Cecile Licad in Bach’s glorious first cello suite and sonatas by Brahms and Debussy. Subscriptions for all eight concerts are $229, $119 for students; individual concert tickets are $39, $19 for students. All subscription concerts take place at 5:30 p.m. in Shriver Hall Auditorium on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus. In collaboration with the Baltimore Museum of Art, Shriver Hall Concert Series@The BMA Discovery Series will present three “rising star” performers in free concerts, all at 3 p.m. on Saturdays. The 2012 Yale Gordon Competition winner, cellist Dmitry Volkov, performs on Nov. 17, violinist Alina Ibragimova and pianist Cedric Tiberghien on March 16 and cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan and pianist Noreen Polera on April 13. One hour before each concert, BMA docents lead concert-related tours emphasizing the intersection of musical and visual arts.
Camp Open House • Sunday, April 15 at Park School • 11am – 1pm
ParkCamps June 18 – August 17 for ages 3 to 18 (410) 339-4120 • www.parkcamps.com 1/ 2
The Park School 2425 Old Court Road Baltimore, MD 21208
• Explorer and Pioneer Camps for Young Children • Arts and Science Camps • Young Filmmakers’ Workshop • Sports Camp • Beyond Park Day Trips • Leadership Camp • Project Boost
g, Plus swimmin ing, sports, canoe g, rock climbin and more.
12 9, 15, 2012 12 THE THE GAZETTE GAZETTE •• April August 2011
Unconscious racial bias in docs linked to poor communication Physician attitudes and stereotypes may contribute to racial disparities By Stephanie Desmon
Johns Hopkins Medicine
P
rimary care physicians who hold unconscious racial biases tend to dominate conversations with African-American patients during routine visits, pay less attention to patients’ social and emotional needs, and make these patients feel less involved in decision making related to their health, Johns Hopkins researchers report. Patients in the study also reported reduced trust in their doctors, less respectful treatment and a lower likelihood of recommending the biased doctor to a friend. In a report published in the American Journal of Public Health, the researchers say the findings provide new evidence that even when racial bias is not overt, it can have a negative impact on the way care is delivered and the quality of the doctor-patient relationship. It reinforces the idea that there may be a link between racial biases and stereotypes playing out in the doctor-patient relationship and the racial disparities found across health care settings in the United States. “If patients have good patient-centered interactions with their doctors, we know they’re more likely to follow through with care, make follow-up appointments and better control diseases such as diabetes and depression,” said study leader Lisa A. Cooper, a professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “This study suggests that unconscious racial attitudes may be standing in the way of positive interactions to the detriment of patient health.” Acknowledging that the problem exists is half the battle, Cooper says. “It’s hard to change subconscious attitudes, but we can change how we behave once we are made aware of them. Researchers, educators and health professionals need to work together on ways to reduce the negative influences of these attitudes on behaviors in health care,” she said.
Cooper says it is important to note that there are some negative consequences of racial bias for white patients as well. In the new study, Cooper and her team investigated the association between physicians’ racial attitudes and stereotypes they have about whether patients of different races are compliant with medical advice and how doctors and patients communicated during medical visits. They examined audio recordings of interactions between 40 primary care doctors and 269 patients in community-based medical practices in Baltimore, collected as part of their earlier studies investigating routine care of patients who had hypertension or depression, often along with other chronic conditions. The patients were primarily middle-aged women, and 80 percent were African-American. Forty-eight percent of the physicians were white, 30 percent Asian and 22 percent African-American. Roughly two-thirds of the doctors were women. The researchers also assessed the physicians’ unconscious racial attitudes using the Implicit Association Test, or IAT, a widely used tool that measures reaction times to words and pictures to uncover biases and preferences. For example, a photo of a white or black individual is presented along with words that have good and bad connotations. The test measures how quickly the participant associates good or bad words with people from each race, rating the extent to which these concepts are linked in the brain. If a participant is quicker at associating the good words with a particular race, then that person is thought to have a subconscious preference toward that race. The doctors in the study completed two versions of the IAT. The first related to general race bias, while the second was specific to the medical context by assessing whether doctors held racial stereotypes with regard to whether they believed patients of different races are compliant with medical advice. The researchers found that the physicians held varying attitudes in regard to general race bias (as do most members of the general public) and that this was also true for a racial stereotype of the compliant patient. White and Asian physicians overall held more prowhite attitudes on both measures than did African-American physicians, whose scores were largely neutral.
Based on detailed analysis of visit recordings using the Roter Interaction Analysis System, a highly detailed, reliable and internationally validated system of communication coding, the researchers found several relationships between racial attitudes, medical visit communication and patients’ report of their experience with their physicians. Racial bias favoring whites was associated with greater clinician domination of the medical dialogue for both AfricanAmerican and white patients, and a less positive patient emotional tone in the visits of African-American patients. In addition, African-American patients expressed less confidence in their clinicians, perceived less respect from their doctors, liked their doctors less and were less inclined to recommend the doctor to their friends. The impact of bias was generally, but not entirely, positive for white patients; they reported feeling respected and liked by their physician but also felt their physician was less likely to involve them in medical decisions about their care. The impact of racial stereotyping on communication was somewhat different from the impact of general racial bias. For African-American patients, it included longer visits (by about 20 percent) characterized by slower speech speed, physician-dominated dialogue, lower levels of patient-centeredness (time spent addressing the emotional, social and psychological aspects of the patient’s illness and treatment challenges) and lower levels of positive emotional tone in contrast to visits with white patients. The researchers suggest that although longer visits with slower-paced dialogue might be seen as positive, the AfricanAmerican patients responded to these visits negatively, reporting lower levels of trust and confidence in the physician and lower perceptions of being involved in treatment decisions. Thus, the researchers suggest that patients may interpret this pattern of communication as conveying an authoritarian and critical tone that creates an overall negative impression, regardless of longer visit duration. White patients also rated negatively doctors who had this stereotype; they reported being less involved in treatment decisions, and were less likely to recommend these doctors to others.
Cooper, director of the Johns Hopkins Center to Eliminate Cardiovascular Health Disparities, says that she and her team found no overt racial bias among the physicians. “Over time, in our society, people have become more open to different races and ethnicities, and for the most part, it’s not considered socially acceptable to be negative against other racial or ethnic groups,” she said. “But we have subconscious bias that we develop from our earliest experiences and are less subject to social pressures.” Although Cooper’s study delved into established primary care relationships, the communication problems her team identified have implications for many other medical settings—such as emergency rooms or intensive care units—where the situations are more urgent and the consequences more directly life-threatening. Research is needed into whether implicit bias plays a negative role in those situations as well, she says. Notably, Cooper says, the study group consisted of patients and physicians who knew each other well, had agreed to participate in studies to improve care for AfricanAmericans and were willing to have their visits recorded. And yet researchers still found that biases had a negative impact. “If we are more aware of how our attitudes are affecting our behaviors,” she said, “only then can we change what we do and ensure that all of our patients get the best care.” The research was supported in part by grants from the Fetzer Foundation Relationship-Centered Care Research Network; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; and the Implicit and Unconscious Cognition Research Fund at University of Washington. Other Johns Hopkins researchers involved in the study were Debra L. Roter, Kathryn A. Carson and Mary Catherine Beach.
Related websites Lisa Cooper:
www.hopkinsmedicine.org/gim/ faculty/cooper.html www.jhsph.edu/welchcenter/news/ News_2007/9-25-07.html
Study: Public disclosure of hospital infection rates vary by state Patients ‘walking in blind’ with little access to quality and outcomes data By Stephanie Desmon
Johns Hopkins Medicine
O
nly 21 states require public reporting of hospital data on surgical site infections, and even when disclosure is mandated, the information is often not easily accessed by patients who could use it to make decisions about their medical care, according to new Johns Hopkins research. The findings suggest that a haphazard, state-by-state system for reporting these critical measures of health care quality isn’t working, and that only national guidelines governing disclosure can paint a clear picture of how well hospitals are doing at preventing patient harm, the researchers say. Reporting accurate data on measures such as rates of surgical site infections can be an inexpensive way to actually reduce them, the authors note in their study published online in the Journal for Healthcare Quality. When patients have access to this information and use it to take their business to hospitals with lower infection rates for select operations, the researchers say, hospitals
with higher infection rates will have financial and reputational incentives to quickly find ways to do better. “A lot of information is not available to the public and, if it were, hospitals would be motivated to improve,” said study leader Martin Makary, an associate professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Right now, a hospital can have high complication rates, high readmission rates and high infection rates, but because patients can’t look up this information, they’re essentially walking in blind.” One example of the impact of such transparency occurred in New York State two decades ago, Makary says. Rates of mortality from coronary artery bypass surgery varied widely among hospitals before the state began requiring public reporting of death rates from the procedure; four years into mandatory reporting requirements, average hospital death rates from the operation fell by 41 percent. Makary says that he thinks one reason for the precipitous drop is that “poorly performing hospitals had an incentive to look better to consumers making health care decisions.” Researchers estimate that surgical site infections occur in up to 25 percent of patients after major surgical procedures, and cause more than 8,000 deaths a year. The occurrence of a surgical site infection is increasingly recognized to be largely pre-
ventable, and, as a result, rates are being used as a surrogate measure of broader health care quality. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced that hospitals must soon report surgical site infection rates for select procedures. Failing to meet benchmarks will result in financial penalties. But Makary says that the new requirement covers only a small number of procedures, and wider reporting of complications will initially be voluntary. Medicare, he says, needs to quickly expand the program and speed up the transition to uniform public reporting for all hospitals. In the new study, Makary and his colleagues found that as of September 2010, 29 states had no laws regarding the monitoring and reporting of surgical site infections. Of the 21 that did have such laws, only eight made the data publicly available in an easyto-access format. Even then, he says, the data shared are limited, covering between two and seven procedures. Seven of the eight states reported surgical site infection rates following coronary artery bypass graft procedures, six did so for knee or hip replacement surgeries, and two reported rates after colon surgery, which nationally has the highest rates of surgical site infections. Only one state, Ohio, reported rates after gallbladder surgery, among the most common surgical procedures in the United States. The aver-
age time lag between collection and publication of data was six months, with a range of two to 11 months. Makary also says that states don’t always specify how data are to be collected, resulting in lack of uniform reporting that can make comparisons impossible. The lack of national standards, he says, may also disadvantage hospitals that are better at collecting information because their rates may appear higher than those at hospitals that don’t look as rigorously for infection cases. “It is important to use a common method or, at a minimum, ensure common parameters, inputs and definitions are used,” he said. “Without that, it is difficult for consumers, payers or regulators to compare infections within or across states. Unless we are comparing apples to apples, public disclosure has the potential to mislead patients instead of help them.” Other Johns Hopkins researchers involved in the study are Monica S. Aswani, Andrew M. Ibrahim, Elizabeth C. Wick and Peter J. Pronovost.
Related website Martin Makary:
www.hopkinsmedicine.org/surgery/ faculty/Makary
April 9, 2012 • THE GAZETTE A P R I L
9
–
1 6
Calendar forms. $15 general admission, $10 for senior citizens, $5 for students with ID. East Hall. Peabody Fri.,
April
13,
7:30
p.m.
Charles Mingus 90th Birthday Celebration Concert by the Peabody Jazz Orchestra. $15 general admission, $10 for senior citizens, $5 for students with ID. East Hall. Peabody
Peabody Camerata performs Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, and music by Luciano Berio, Hale Smith and Michael Kibbe. Griswold Hall.
Sat., April 14, 7:30 p.m.
Peabody Sun., April 15, 4 p.m. Organist John Walker performs. $15 general admission, $10 for senior citizens, $5 for students with ID. Griswold Hall. Peabody
The Shriver Hall Concert Series presents the Takacs Quartet. $38 general admission, $19 for non-JHU students; free for JHU students. Shriver Auditorium. HW
Sun., April 15, 5:30 p.m.
O P E N H OU S E S Tues., April 10, 8 to 10 a.m., and Thurs., April 12, 4 to 6 p.m. Attend an open house
at the Weinberg Y Preschool to tour the facility, learn about child care assistance and add your child to the waiting list. Sponsored by Work, Life and Engagement. Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Y Preschool Center, E. 33rd St.
S EM I N AR S
“Parental Depression as a Determinant of Children’s Health Care Expenditures: Exploring the Dimensions of Parental Gender and Timing of Depressive Symptoms,” a Health Policy and Management thesis defense seminar with Isadora Gil. 339 Hampton House. EB
Mon., April 9, 9 a.m.
Mon.,
April
9,
12:10
p.m.
“The Risk of Violence Among Individuals With Severe Mental Illness: Implications for Public Policy,” a Graduate Seminar in Injury Research and Policy with Jeffrey Swanson, Duke University School of Medicine. Co-sponsored by the Center for Injury Research and Policy, the Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence and the Center for Gun Policy and Research. 250 Hampton House. EB Mon.,
April
9,
12:15
“Mitochondria and NAD Metabolism in Acute Neurodegenerative Disease,” a Molecular Microbiology and Immunology seminar with Tibor Kristian, University of Maryland School of Medicine. Suite 2-200, 1830 Bldg. EB
Mon., April 9, 4 p.m.
Continued from page 16
p.m.
“Incriminating Thoughts,” a Berman Institute of Bioethics seminar with Nita Farahany, Vanderbilt Law School. W3008 SPH. EB Mon., April 9, 3 p.m. “Establish-
ment, Reactivation and Immunological Elimination of the Viral Latent Reservoir for HIV-1,” a Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences thesis defense seminar with Liang Shan. 590 Rangos Bldg. EB
“Multiple Zeta Values: Old Conjectures and New Results,” a Topology seminar with Michael Hoffman, U.S. Naval Academy. 308 Krieger. HW
Mon., April 9, 4:30 p.m.
Tues., April 10, 10:30 a.m.
“Living and Reproducing in a Complex Environment: Assessing the Impact of Environmental Exposures on Health Using C. elegans,” a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology seminar with Patrick Allard, Harvard Medical School. W1020 SPH. EB Tues., April 10, 10:45 a.m.
“Understanding the Impact of Genetic Variation on Molecular Mechanisms of Transcriptional Regulation,” a Computer Science seminar with Roger Pique-Regi, University of Chicago. B17 Hackerman. HW Tues., April 10, noon. “AcylCoA Synthetase-1 Knockout Mice: Why Fuel Switching Matters,” a Biological Chemistry seminar with Rosalind Coleman, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 612 Physiology. EB Tues.,
April
10,
1:30
HW
“On the Classification of Smooth Weak Fano 3-Folds of Picard Number 2,” an Algebraic Geometry/Number Theory seminar with Nicholas Marshburn and Maxim Arap, both of KSAS. Sponsored by Mathematics. 300 Krieger. HW Tues., April 10, 4:30 p.m.
Wed., April 11, 12:15 p.m.
“Socioeconomic Status and Overweight: Relationships Across Time and Place,” an International Health special seminar with Jessica Jones-Smith, University of California, Berkeley. W2015 SPH. EB Wed., April 11, 12:15 p.m.
Mental Health Noon Seminar— “Improving Access to Treatment for Depressive and Anxiety Disorders in Low-Resource Settings: Lessons From Goa, India” with Rebecca Hock, SPH; and “Substance Abuse Services Received by Adolescents: A Latent Class Analysis” with Megan Schuler, SPH. B14B Hampton House. EB Wed.,
April
11,
1:30
Yang, NIDDK/NIH and SoM. 701 WBSB. EB “Diverse Functions of Microsomal P450 Enzymes,” a Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences seminar with Xinxin Ding, New York State Department of Health. West Lecture Hall (ground floor), WBSB.
Wed., April 11, 4 p.m.
EB
“Biological Roles for Copper in Cellular Signaling and at the HostPathogen Interface,” a Cell Biology seminar with Dennis Thiele, Duke University Medical School. Suite 2-200, 1830 Bldg. EB
Thurs., April 12, noon.
The Bromery Seminar—“Lithospheric Structure in the Western United States” with Vedran Lekic, University of Maryland. Sponsored by Earth and Planetary Sciences. Olin Auditorium. HW
Thurs., April 12, noon.
Thurs., April 12, noon. “Engineered Systems for Regulated Gene Expression in Malarial Parasites,” a Molecular Microbiology and Immunology/Infectious Diseases seminar with Jacquin Niles, MIT. W1020 SPH. EB
“Inhibitory Cues Pattern Synaptic Connections in C. elegans,” a Neuroscience research seminar with Kang Shen, Stanford University. West Lecture Hall (ground floor), WBSB. EB
Thurs., April 12, 1 p.m.
p.m.
“Combining Cohorts in Longitudinal Surveys, With Application to the Survey of Doctorate Recipients,” an Applied Mathematics and Statistics seminar with Alan Karr, National Institute of Statistical Sciences. 304 Whitehead.
p.m.
“Watching DNA Synthesis in Real Time at Atomic Resolution,” a Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry seminar with Wei
13
Thurs., April 12, 2 p.m. “Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Women on Aromatase Inhibitors for Adjuvant Breast Cancer Treatment,” an Epidemiology thesis defense seminar with Temitope Olufade. W2015 SPH. EB
“Class, Culture and Activity Choice: Divergent Pathways to Achievement Among Children of Immigrant and U.S.-Born Parents,” a JHU Social Policy seminar with Sandra Hofferth, University of Maryland, College Park, School of Public Health. Sponsored by the Institute for Policy Studies, Economics, and Health Policy and Management. 526 Wyman Park Bldg. HW
Thurs., April 12, 4 p.m.
Thurs., April 12, 4 p.m. “Modern 3-D Electron Microscopy for Mapping Neuronal Circuit Connectivity,” a Biology seminar with Kevin Briggman, NIH/NINDS. 100 Mudd. HW Fri., April 13, 11 a.m. “Exploring Liquid Atomization With Supercomputers,” a CEAFM seminar with Olivier Desjardins, Cornell University. 50 Gilman. HW April 13, noon. “Text Geolocation and Dating: LightWeight Language Grounding,” a Center for Language and Speech Processing seminar with Jason Baldridge, University of Texas. B17 Hackerman. HW Fri.,
“Predictors of Prognosis and Therapy
Fri., April 13, 2:30 p.m.
in Early Hepatocellular Carcinoma,” a Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation thesis defense seminar with Hari Nathan. W4007 SPH. EB “Geometric Properties of Protein Folds,” a Biophysics seminar with Andrew Hausrath, University of Arizona. 111 Mergenthaler. HW
Mon., April 16, noon.
Mon., April 16, 12:10 p.m.
“A Positive Youth Development Approach to Youth Violence Prevention,” a Graduate Seminar in Injury Research and Policy with Sarah Lindstrom-Johnson, SoM. Co-sponsored by the Center for Injury Research and Policy, the Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence and the Center for Gun Policy and Research. 250 Hampton House. EB
Josh Fox, environmental activist and director and narrator of the documentary Gasland. Cosponsored by the Environmental Stewardship Committee, the Green Student Group, the Social and Behavioral Interventions Program and Health, Behavior and Society. E2014 SPH. EB Mon., April 16, 5:30 p.m. “J.J. Sedelmaier Productions: Hiding in Plain Sight,” an illustrated lecture by the noted animator, including screenings of his work. (See photo, p. 16.) Sponsored by Homewood Art Workshops and Homewood Arts Programs. 101 Ross Jones Bldg., Mattin Center. HW
S P OR T S Wed.,
Mon., April 16, 12:15 p.m.
“RNA-Mediated Epigenetic Inheritance in Oxytricha,” a Carnegie Institution Embryology seminar with Laura Landweber, Princeton University. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW Mon., April 16, 4 p.m. The David
Bodian Seminar—“Attention as a Value-Based Cognitive Selection” with Jacqueline Gottlieb, Columbia University. Sponsored by the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute. 338 Krieger. HW Mon., April 16, 4 p.m. “Hermitian Analogues of Hilbert’s 17th Problem and CR Geometry,” an Analysis/PDE seminar with John D’Angelo, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Sponsored by Mathematics. 302 Krieger. HW
SPECIAL EVENTS
Faces of Africa 2012 , a Bloomberg School of Public Health weeklong symposium, co-sponsored by the Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, the African Public Health Network, the Center for Global Health and the JHSPH Student Assembly. EB
•
Tues., April 10, 4:30 p.m.
•
Wed., April 11, 4 p.m.
•
Thurs., April 12, noon.
•
Fri.,
Fri., April 13, 4 to 6 p.m. School
Special event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, with Katherine Newman, dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. Highlights include an introduction by Ron Walters, a presentation by trustee and Titanic expert Chris Lee and a screening of James Cameron’s Titanic. (See In Brief, p. 2.) RSVP to zknowle1@jhu.edu. 50 Gilman.
Sat., April 14, 10 p.m.
HW Mon., April 16, noon.
A talk by
p.m.
S YM P O S I A
Thurs., April 12, 8 p.m.
of Medicine Young Investigators’ Day, honoring young researchers. (See story, p. 1.) Mountcastle Auditorium, PCTB. EB
5:30
Men’s Lacrosse, vs. University of Maryland. Homewood Field. HW
Mon., April 9, 4 p.m. Reception celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, with an address by Hong Yinxing, chancellor of Nanjing University in China. (See In Brief, p. 2.) For information or to RSVP, email ctownsley@jhu.edu. Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Bldg. SAIS
The 2012 Foreign Affairs Symposium—The Paradox of Progress: Chasing Advancement Amidst Global Crisis—presents Stephen Moore, senior economics writer, the Wall Street Journal. Glass Pavilion, Levering. HW
11,
Sat., April 14, 6 p.m.
Mon., April 16, 4:30 p.m. “Field Theories, Infinite Loop Spaces and Khovanov Homology,” a Topology seminar with Igor Kriz, University of Michigan. Sponsored by Mathematics. 308 Krieger. HW
April
Women’s Lacrosse, vs. Virginia. Homewood Field. HW
“Perspectives of Progress: Contextualized Interventions and Sustainable Strategies for Public and Population Health Across Africa,” keynote address by Pape Amadou Gaye, president and CEO, Intrahealth International, Chapel Hill, N.C. W1214 SPH. “ReACH (Raising Awareness for the Crisis in the Horn of Africa),” panel discussion with Steve Hansch, Georgetown University; Sirad Shirdon, Save Somali Women and Children; Alexander Vu, Center for Public Health and Human Rights; and Robert Lawrence (moderator), Center for a Livable Future. Discussion followed by a “Food Disparity” reception. E2030 SPH. “Future of Public Health: Transition to Noncommunicable Diseases in Africa,” a lecture by Bill Brieger, SPH and Jhpiego. Reception to follow. W1214 SPH. April
13,
4
p.m.
Fashion Show with DJ donX, models and designers; followed by a food event and a dance party. E2014 SPH.
WORK S H O P S Thurs., April 12, and Fri., April 13, 9 a.m. “Introduction to Gal-
axy: Next Generation Sequencing Data Analysis and Visualization,” a Biological Chemistry and Institute of Genetic Medicine workshop. Registration required; go to http://wiki.g2.bx.psu.edu/ events/johnshopkins2012. 612 Physiology. EB
14 9, 15, 2012 14 THE THE GAZETTE GAZETTE •• April August 2011 H U M A N
B U L L E T I N
R E S O U R C E S
Notices
Hot Jobs
Spring Toiletries Drive — SOURCE
B O A R D
jhsph.edu/source/programs_events/Drives. Save a Life, Give Blood — The spring months are an important time to rebuild a stable, sufficient blood supply after the winter slowdown. The next Homewood Campus Blood Drive is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, in the Glass Pavilion, Levering Hall. The Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Region of the American Red Cross provides blood to patients in more than 50 area hospitals. All blood types are needed. One donation can save up to three lives. Appointments to donate are helpful but not necessary. To schedule a time, go to hopkinsworklife.org/community/blood_ drive.html, or call 443-997-0338. To learn more about donating and to check eligibility criteria and find tips on preparing for a blood donation, call 866-236-3276.
Office of Human Resources Wyman Park Building, Suite W600 410-516-7196
is sponsoring a two-week spring toiletries drive to help people in need. A variety of items will be collected, including new and unopened shampoo, soap, deodorant, shaving cream, razors, Q-tips, feminine hygiene products, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash and products for babies. The four drop-box locations, available between Monday, April 16, and Friday, April 27, are the SoN lobby, SoM Armstrong Building lobby, E1002 SPH and SOURCE, 2017 E. Monument St. The drive is co-sponsored by the InterAction Council, the SPH Anna Baetjer Society and the SoN National Student Nursing Association. For more information, go to
As part of a community redevelopment effort in East Baltimore, a seven-acre education campus is being designed and will include a new 28,000-square-foot early childhood center serving approximately 180 children. The center is scheduled to be completed by August 2013, and it will share the campus with the East Baltimore Community School and a family resource center, gym, library and auditorium. The EBCS will serve approximately 540 K-8 students in a new 90,000-square-foot facility. We seek a regular, full-time director of the East Baltimore Early Childhood Center, whose responsibilities include working with project stakeholders to finalize the business and operational plans for the center and leading the center when it opens in 2013. For more information and to apply, go to jobs.jhu.edu.
Guatemalan murals are subject of 2012 ‘Ancient Americas’ lecture
51890
B y A m y L u n d ay
Listed below are some of the university’s newest openings for in-demand jobs that we most urgently need to fill. In addition to considering these opportunities, candidates are invited to search a complete listing of openings and apply for positions online at jobs.jhu.edu.
Homewood
East Baltimore Early Childhood Center Director
Homewood
T
School of Medicine Office of Human Resources 98 N. Broadway, Suite 300 410-955-2990 The Department of Emergency Medicine is seeking experienced applicants for the position of Programmer Analyst, who serves as the data and project analyst and supports the Information Systems and Technology Administrator. This position provides data analysis support for the entire department and project support to the administrative team engaged in information systems/IT–related projects, and serves the data and project needs of five hospitals’ emergency departments. A bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, finance or a related field, and a minimum of one year related experience, is required. For a detailed job description and to apply, go to jobs.jhu.edu. 51786
Programmer Analyst
Schools of Public Health and Nursing Office of Human Resources 2021 E. Monument St. 410-955-3006 The Bloomberg School of Public Health is offering several opportunities for individuals who possess strong analytical, organizational and communication skills. For detailed job descriptions and to apply, go to jobs.jhu.edu. 50321 50994 51222 51847 51855
Peabody at Homewood concert series kicks off April 10 with jazz
Senior Research Subjects Specialist Senior Research Program Coordinator Senior Research Assistant Communications Specialist Research Data Analyst
Johns Hopkins University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria.
Woodcliffe Manor Apartments
S PA C I O U S
G A R D E N A PA RT M E N T L I V I N G I N
R O L A N D PA R K
• Large airy rooms • Hardwood Floors • Private balcony or terrace • Beautiful garden setting • Private parking available • University Parkway at West 39th St. 2 & 3 bedroom apartments located in a private park setting. Adjacent to Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus and minutes from downtown Baltimore.
410-243-1216
he Murals of San Bartolo and the Mythic Origins of Ancient Maya Gods and Kings” will be the subject of the 2012 Distinguished Lecture in Art of the Ancient Americas to be given this week by Karl Taube, a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Riverside. Presented by the Department of the History of Art at Johns Hopkins under the direction of Lisa DeLeonardis, the AustenStokes Professor in Art of the Ancient Americas, the annual lecture series was created to bring scholarly attention to the rich pre-Hispanic visual culture of Mesoamerica and the Andes. Now in its ninth year, the series fosters collaboration between Johns Hopkins and its partners in the museum and arts communities. The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 12, in 50 Gilman Hall, on the Homewood campus. As part of his visit, Taube will also give a talk for Johns Hopkins students earlier that day, at 10:30 a.m. in 400 Gilman. The subject
of that lecture is “On the Road of Flowers: The Symbolism of Life, Music and Paradise in Mesoamerica and the Greater Southwest.” The murals of San Bartolo, Guatemala— the subject of the evening lecture—are considered one of the richest visual sources of information about ancient Maya creation mythology. Recognized for their exceptional beauty, the paintings are also among the earliest known, dating to the first century B.C. Discovered in 2001 within a buried chamber, the murals predate the Classic Maya sites of Tikal, Copan and Palenque by hundreds of years, and form an important link between the religious beliefs and practices of the still earlier Olmec and the later Classic Maya. Taube currently serves as project iconographer for the San Bartolo Project. He has conducted extensive archaeological and linguistic fieldwork in Yucatan and has participated on archaeological projects in Chiapas, Mexico; coastal Ecuador; highland Peru; Copan, Honduras; and in the Motagua Valley of Guatemala. His current research centers on the writing and religious systems of Mesoamerica. For more information about the lecture, contact the Department of the History of Art at 410-516-7117.
105 West 39th St. • Baltimore, MD 21210 Managed by The Broadview at Roland Park BroadviewApartments.com
B y H e at h e r E g a n S ta l f o rt
Johns Hopkins University Museums
J
ohns Hopkins’ Homewood Museum announces the 12th edition of its Peabody at Homewood spring concert series, which showcases some of the top young talents from the university’s Peabody Institute. The performances are presented amid the splendid Federal-era architecture and furnishings of Homewood. This season, the concerts will be held at 5 p.m. on five consecutive Tuesdays: April 10, 17 and 24 and May 1 and 8. Guests are invited to meet the musicians at receptions following the performances. The first two concerts feature students in Peabody’s Bachelor of Music Program in Jazz Performance. Guitarists Kevin B. Clark and Michael Benjamin will open the series on April 10. On April 17, Clark returns, with Hannah Elson on vocals and Jon Guo on bass. The Janos Quartet performs on April 24. The ensemble—violinists Colin Sorgi and Michelle Skinner, violist Jaclyn Dorr and cellist Mia Barcia-Colombo—formed under the guidance of cellist and chamber musician Michael Kannen and has been named the Conservatory’s graduate honors string quartet. Its program includes Beethoven’s String Quartet in B flat, Op. 18, no. 6 and Bartok’s String Quartet No. 4.
The May 1 concert features Croatian-born classical guitarist and composer Branimir Krstic. Krstic, unaffiliated with Peabody, graduated from the Cologne University of Music in Germany, where he worked with Ansgar Krause and Johannes Fritsch. His compositions have been performed across the United States and Europe by the Ensemble Hebrides, James Clarke, Andrew Haveron and other distinguished musicians. His crossover program includes music by Senleches, Schumann, Bach and Lennon-McCartney. The final concert, on May 8, is by the Kubrick Quartet, composed of Peabody violinists Orin Laursen and Songeun Jeong, violist Dian Zhang and cellist Javier Martin Iglesias. Formed only in 2011 under the guidance of Kannen, the ensemble has already displayed a high level of performance, earning the 2011–12 Peabody Conservatory Honors Ensemble award. The quartet performs Bartok’s String Quartet No. 2 and Mozart’s String Quartet in C major, K. 465, Dissonance. The concerts will be held in the reception hall of the museum. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10 for the general public and $5 for students. Given the intimacy of the space, seats are limited to 40, and advance reservations are strongly recommended; call 410-516-5589 or go to museums.jhu.edu.
April 9, 2012 • THE GAZETTE
Classifieds APARTMENTS/HOUSES FOR RENT Albemarle Square/Little Italy, 2BR, 2.5BA TH, newer construction, stainless steel appls, hdwd flrs, garage, no pets. $1,900/mo. albemarlestreet@hotmail.com. Butchers Hill, 3-story house w/backyd, 2BR suites, 2.5BAs, kitchen, W/D, dw, sec sys, walk to school. $1,595/mo. Sharon, 443-695-9073. Charles Village, 3BR, 2BA apt, 1,500 sq ft, completely refurbished, laundry, prkng. 410383-2876 or atoll4u@gmail.com. Deep Creek Lake/Wisp, cozy 2BR cabin w/full kitchen; call for wkly/wknd rentals. 410-6389417 or jzpics@yahoo.com (for pics). Fells Point, 1BR, 1BA apt w/outdoor roofdeck, hdwd flrs, ceramic tile BA, AC, appls, 1 mi to JHH, pref nonsmoker. $1,000/mo + utils. 410-375-4862. Homewood, fully furn’d 1BR apt avail for sublet, June-Aug, AC, TV, dw, queen bed, sofa bed, W/D in house, suitable for 1 or 2. tirolerlukas@gmail.com or http://tinyurl.com/ d598mrm. Lutherville/Mays Chapel, 4BR TH w/3 full BAs and 1 half-BA, gourmet kitchen, hdwd flrs in living rm and dining rm, fp, deck, patio, great school district, nr lt rail, conv to JHMI/ downtown, avail April 20. $1,950/mo. 410790-6288 or michelle41212@yahoo.com. Lutherville/Timonium, 3BR, 2.5BA TH, new paint/crpt, laminate flrs, dw, refrigerator, bsmt, deck, yd, conv access to 695/83, no pets. 410828-4583 or moqiu@comcast.net. Mt Vernon (St Paul at Chase/Biddle), fully renov’d 1BR, 1.5BA apt, CAC, W/D, granite countertops. gnixon7@gmail.com. Mt Vernon (1101 St Paul St), 1BR, 1BA apt, grand living w/20th flr view, 24-hr front desk. Susan, 443-604-7310. Ocean City, MD (137th St), ocean block, 3BR, 2BA condo, lg in-ground pool, steps from beach, off-street prkng (2 spaces), short walk to restaurants/entertainment. 410-5442814. Original Northwood, lovely 3BR, 1.5BA RH in quiet, safe and friendly neighborhood, hdwd flrs, ceiling fans in all rms, window units avail, garage, NWF-certified bird- and butterflyfriendly gardens front and back, conv to HICKORY HEIGHTS universities, Apets 410lovelynegotiable. hilltop setting $1,200/mo. on Hickory Avenue 435-5095. in Hampden! 2 BD units from $760 with Balcony - $790 Shown by appointment
410.764.7776 HICKORY HEIGHTS A lovely hilltop setting on Hickory Avenue www.brooksmanagementcompany.com in Hampden!
2 BD units from $760 with Balcony - $790
Shown by appointment
410.764.7776
www.brooksmanagementcompany.com
Luxury Elevator Building in Charles Village! Spacious 2BD, 2BA, full size W/D. Free off street pkg. All new appliances! $1300 - $1425.00!
Shown by appointment
410.764.7776
Luxury Elevator Building www.brooksmanagementcompany.com in Charles Village!
Spacious 2BD, 2BA, full size W/D. Free off street pkg. All new appliances! $1300 - $1425.00!
Shown by appointment
410.764.7776
www.brooksmanagementcompany.com
15
M A R K E T P L A C E
Rehoboth Beach, 3BR TH, 15-min walk to beach, dog-friendly, weekly rentals, JHU discounts for summer 2012. galeeena@yahoo .com. Tuscany-Canterbury, 3BR, 2BA condo nr JHU, charming and spacious. $2,100/mo + utils. 443-838-3341 or theincredibleindia@ att.net.
cond, clean title, passed MD inspection, 80K mi, autocheck score: 94. $7,500. graciechen924@ gmail.com. ’00 Toyota Sienna XLE, fully loaded w/leather, power seats/windows, tires almost new, no problems, car kept and used w/care, in great cond, 127K mi. 301-814-4892. ’04 Acura TL w/navigation, silver, 1 owner, garage-kept, all records incl’d, 105K mi. $12,000. edrotman@yahoo.com. ’98 Honda Accord LX coupe, 2-dr, dk green w/ tan cloth interior, power locks/windows, runs extremely well, 138.5K mi. $4,500/best offer. 443-942-0857 or 240-753-4954.
1BR apt nr Homewood, can be furn’d. $600/ mo + utils. 443-956-2616. Spacious, renov’d 4BR, 3.5BA house, custom remodeled kitchen, CAC, working fps, easy access to public transportation/metro. $2,600/ mo. marycox@cavtel.net.
HOUSES FOR SALE Fells Point, 3-story RH in historic district, lg private yd, 4 blks to JHH. Dorothy, 443-7507750. Gardenville, 3BR, 1.25BA RH in a quiet neighborhood, 15 mins to JHH, new kitchen and BA, CAC, hdwd flrs, fenced, maintenancefree yd w/carport, club bsmt w/cedar closet. $120,000. 443-610-0236 or tziporachai@ juno.com.
ITEMS FOR SALE Bicycles: 18" Trek 7-spd and 20" Raleigh 10- or 12-spd, both insp’d July 2011. $100/ea. Charles, 410-967-5388. Solid cherry rolltop computer desk, 56" x 30" x 47", lg work surface, keyboard tray, drawers, file drawer, space for computer tower/printer/ modem, openings for cords, in good cond. $200. cadeswhit@gmail.com. Pro-Form 785-E treadmill, 3 yrs old, lightly used, excel cond, excel price. modeltlps@ hotmail.com. Padlocks/keys, Krups coffee pot, new, foam mattress cushions, Revlon paraffin bath, microwave oven, snow/garden shovels. itemsforsale7@ yahoo.com. Acoustic guitar, Jasmine from Takamine, barely used. leech.biomed@gmail.com.
Middle River, 3BR, 2BA waterfront custom brick home, 2,658+ sq ft, fp, AC, 2-car garage, deep pier and boat lifts. $644,000. 443-9559449.
Kimball upright piano w/matching padded bench, in good cond, buyer responsible for moving. $500/best offer. jiangniaid@yahoo .com.
Parkville, spacious 3BR, 1.5BA TH, move-in ready, breakfast bar, separate dining rm, new roof, HWH, fin’d bsmt w/wet bar, deck, shed, 6 mi to JHH. $164,900. 410-296-2523 or jclsu99@hotmail.com.
Epson Stylus 760 color printer, portable canvas patio chair, digital piano, 100W amp, keyboard case, sand beach chairs (2), oil-filled heaters (3), ergonomic kneeling posture chair. 410-455-5858 or iricse.its@verizon.net.
Two people wanted for 3BR RH in Federal Hill, each BR has own BA, spacious living rm, stainless steel appls, 2-car garage w/additional prkng spots, beautiful tree-lined street, quiet, family-oriented, nr park and harbor. $750/mo or $900/mo. kan.leslie@gmail.com. Fully furn’d, bright and spacious (700 sq ft) BR in 3BR house in Cedonia owned by young F prof’l, modern kitchen w/convection oven, vaulted ceilings, built-in shelving, walk-in closet, landscaped yd, lg deck, free prkng, public transportation to JHU, wireless Internet incl’d, short-term OK. $550/mo + utils. 410493-2435 or aprede1@yahoo.com. Share 3BR home 10 mins from E Baltimore campus, W/D. $550/mo incl utils, wireless Internet. 443-226-6497 or expoblk@yahoo .com. Sublet beautiful 1BR in classic Mt Vernon house, on shuttle route, fully furn’d, cable and heat incl’d, avail Sept 2012 to May 2013. ronald.joseph@mac.com. Sublet spacious rm in University West Apts, across from Rec Center, avail mid-May to midAugust. Melissa, 305-409-3870. Share furn’d rm in 3BR, 1.5BA Ednor Gardens RH w/nursing student, W/D, CAC, free prkng/ WiFi, on shuttle route. $525/mo + 1/3 utils. gmwang@gmail.com. Shared office space at the Castle on Keswick in Hampden, furn’d cubicles, priv kitchen, BA, free prkng. Mike, 410-215-6717 or mpararas@ earthlink.net. F wanted for lg, furn’d BR w/priv BA and high-spd Internet, nr JHH, SoN and SPH, very good view. $650/mo + utils. myhome.2011@ yahoo.com.
CARS FOR SALE ’02 Toyota Celica, silver, automatic, in great
Resident assistants wanted July 13-20 to supervise 60 high school students for one-week camp at Homewood campus. Shanna, 410735-4382. Patient, responsible, compassionate and experienced babysitter w/bachelor’s degree available, nonsmoker, comfortable w/pets. angelina930@gmail.com. Guilford multi-family yard sale, 8am-2pm, Sat, April 21, at 3406 St Paul (between University Pkwy and 34th St), next to Hopkins Inn; rain date: Sun, April 22.
Greenway, Manhattan-style efficiency condo in owner-occupied, secure bldg, steps from Homewood campus. $86,500. 443-414-6282.
ROOMMATES WANTED
Nanny w/over 3 yrs experience caring for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, responsible, loving, patient, active, good swimmer, loves sports, speaks both English (basic) and Mandarin (fluent). 443-838-0918 or wjfj@hotmail .com.
Sm dining rm set, vintage water skis, exterior French doors, full-length Dior silver fox coat, music cassette tapes, fitness chair, 21" TV, 35mm cameras, office supplies, masonry/wood sprayer, garden mesh, kitchen- and dishware, silk flowers/vase, man’s travel bag, pillows, ice buckets, Fossil watch boxes, Playboys, ceramic insulators. 443-824-2198 or saleschick2011@ hotmail.com. Solid oak full-size futon w/full regular mattress, must be picked up by April 10. $55/best offer. katie.elder45@gmail.com. Alps Mountaineering Zephyr 2 lightweight backpacking tent, like new, used only once. $95. 216-367-2374 or eriki@chello.at. Oriental wool rugs, 8x10, navy blue w/Asian pattern and ivory w/rose-colored florals, $25/ ea or best offer; Bombay Butler walnut coffee table, in good cond, $20; antique wood cradle, $35. 410-377-7354. Apex 24" TV, in good condition. $20. janejw_99@yahoo.com.
Weekend sapling and shrub planting in Reisterstown; I can provide transportation. $10/hr. 443-471-6121 or jchris1@umbc.edu. Half of each purchase made on the Flower Power fundraising site goes to the Maas Family and Friends Greater Chapter Maryland Alzheimer’s Association. www.flowerpowerfundraising .com/i/t/252460/8RkvtE6Lvc6P. Attention moms! Come try a results-driven bootcamp for free. www.bodybackbaltimorecity .com. Masterpiece Landscaping provides knowledgable on-site consultation, transplanting, bed prep, installation, sm tree/shrub shaping, licensed. Terry, 410-652-3446. Tai chi beginners classes starting April 16 in Charles Village and April 17 nr Towson. 410296-4944 or www.baltimoretaichi.com. Hauling/junk removal, next-day pick up, free phone estimate ($40 and up), 15% discount all Hopkins. 410-419-3902. Two experienced movers w/30-ft enclosed box truck available, local/long distance, flat rate. John, 443-858-7264. Certified personal and career coach committed to helping young professionals achieve their potential. 410-375-4042 or www .successful-thinking.net. Affordable and professional landscaper/certified horticulturist available to maintain existing gardens, also designing, planting or masonry; free consultations. David, 410-683-7373 or grogan.family@hotmail.com. Tutor available: all subjects/levels; remedial, gifted; help w/college counseling, speech and essay writing, editing, proofreading, more. 410-337-9877 (after 8pm) or i1__@hotmail .com. Editing of biomedical journal articles offered by PhD biomedical scientist and certified editor in the life sciences. 443-600-2264 or michellejones@jonesbiomediting.com. Piano lessons w/experienced teacher, Peabody doctorate, patient instruction. 410662-7951.
SERVICES/ITEMS OFFERED OR WANTED
Licensed landscaper avail for spring/summer lawn maintenance, mulching, yard cleanup, other services incl’d trash hauling. Taylor Landscaping LLC. 410-812-6090 or romilacapers@comcast.net.
Experienced, full- or part-time nanny available immediately, has own car, will do lt housework, excel refs. Ann, 410-902-1687.
Friday Night Swing Dance Club, open to public, great bands, no partners necessary. 410-663-0010 or www.fridaynightswing.com.
PLACING ADS Classified listings are a free service for current, full-time Hopkins faculty, staff and students only. Ads should adhere to these general guidelines: • One ad per person per week. A new request must be submitted for each issue. • Ads are limited to 20 words, including phone, fax and e-mail.
• We cannot use Johns Hopkins business phone numbers or e-mail addresses. • Submissions will be condensed at the editor’s discretion. • Deadline is at noon Monday, one week prior to the edition in which the ad is to be run. • Real estate listings may be offered only by a Hopkins-affiliated seller not by Realtors or Agents.
(Boxed ads in this section are paid advertisements.) Classified ads may be faxed to 443-287-9920; e-mailed in the body of a message (no attachments) to gazads@jhu.edu; or mailed to Gazette Classifieds, Suite 540, 901 S. Bond St., Baltimore, MD 21231. To purchase a boxed display ad, contact the Gazelle Group at 443-275-2687.
16 THE GAZETTE • April 9, 2012 A P R I L
9
–
1 6
Calendar
Thurs., April 12, 5 p.m.
“How the Chinese View the Euro Crisis,” a SAIS European Studies Program discussion with Lanxin Xiang, Fudan University, Shanghai. For information or to RSVP, phone 202-663-5796 or email ntobin@ jhu.edu. 812 Rome Bldg. SAIS
Thurs., April 12, 4 p.m. “Grappling With the Future: The Need to Demilitarize Our Minds,” a Humanities Center lecture by Lucy Nusseibeh, Al-Quds University, East Jerusalem. Co-sponsored by the Center for Advanced Media Studies. 208 Gilman. HW
“The Evolution and Diffusion of Transnational Human Rights Norms,” a SAIS International Development Program discussion with Amitav Acharya, American University. Co-sponsored by the SAIS Southeast Asian Studies Program. For more information or to RSVP, email developmentroundtable@ jhu.edu. 200 Rome Bldg. SAIS
Thurs., April 12, 5 p.m. The James W. Poultney Memorial Lecture—“The Lost Library of the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum: Its History, Nature and Prospects” by Richard Janko, University of Michigan. Sponsored by Classics. 110 Hodson. HW
Fri., April 13, 12:30 p.m.
F I L M / V I D EO Mon., April 9, 5 p.m. Screening of the award-winning film Black Gold by Nick and Marc Francis, a story of Ethiopian coffee farmers and the issue of fair trade. W2030 SPH. EB
Screening of Lust, Caution, directed by Ang Lee. Sponsored by East Asian Studies. 113 Greenhouse. HW Thurs., April 12, 7 p.m.
L E C T URE S
Animator J.J. Sedelmaier to visit Homewood
N
oted animator J.J. Sedelmaier will talk about his work in an illustrated lecture, “J.J. Sedelmaier Productions: Hiding in Plain Sight,” on Monday, April 16, on the Homewood campus. In addition to more than 500 TV commercials and animation and design pieces, Sedelmaier is responsible for SNL’s Saturday TV Funhouse series with Robert Smigel (“The Ambiguously Gay Duo” and “The X-Presidents”), the launch season of MTV’s Beavis and Butt-Head, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim’s Harvey Birdman—Attorney at Law and the Tek Jansen/Alpha Squad Seven series for The Colbert Report. His creative development and production studio, J.J. Sedelmaier Productions Inc., which he directs with his wife, Patrice, also contributes to corporate branding for Nickelodeon, The Chicago Tribune, Cartoon Network, Converse/USA and others. Sedelmaier’s visit is co-sponsored by Homewood Art Workshops and Homewood Arts Programs. See Special Events.
COLLOQUIA Tues., April 10, 4 p.m. “The Role of Arabic in Islamic Indonesia: A Linguistic Technology of the Self,” an Anthropology colloquium with Joel Kuipers, George Washington University. 404 Macaulay. HW
“Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force,” an Applied Physics Laboratory colloquium with Mark Maybury, USAF. Parsons Auditorium. APL
DISCUSSION/ TALKS
A talk on current health issues in Burma by Pe Thet Khin, the country’s minister of health, who is visiting Johns Hopkins at the invitation of President Ronald J. Daniels. (See In Brief, p. 2.) E2014 SPH. EB Mon., April 9, 5 p.m.
Wed., April 11, 2 p.m.
Wed., April 11, 3:30 p.m. “Slow
Roll Dark Energy,” an STScI colloquium with Richard Gott, Princeton University. Bahcall Auditorium, Muller Bldg. HW
Thurs.,
April
12,
3
p.m.
“The Trials of an Extraordinary Empiric: The Career of Jean Thibault, Astrologer Physician, 1529–1545,” a History of Science, Medicine and Technology colloquium with Justin Rivest, SoM. Seminar Room, 3rd floor, Welch Medical Library. EB “Literature and Natural Philosophy in Montfaucon de Villars’ The Comte de Gabalis,” a History of Science, Medicine and Technology colloquium with Didier Kahn, Universite de Paris IV-Sorbonne/CNRS. Co-sponsored by the Singleton Center for Premodern Europe. 388 Gilman. HW
Mon., April 16, 4 p.m.
Tues., April 10, 12:15 p.m.
“Mobile Phone Technology for Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV: The Role of Formative Research in Nyanza Province, Kenya,” a Social and Behavioral Interventions/Global Disease Epidemiology and Control faculty candidate talk with Larissa Jennings, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and SPH. Sponsored by International Health. W2030 SPH. EB Tues., April 10, 12:15 p.m.
“Cuneiform Tablet Written for President Daniel Coit Gilman,” a Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum talk with Paul Delnero and Sanchita Balachandran, both of KSAS. (See In Brief, p. 2.) Delnero will decipher texts from ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets, and a cuneiform tablet written in the 19th century for Daniel Coit Gilman. Balachandran will discuss terracotta Tanagra figurines on display in the museum collection. Visitors will be able to examine objects up close. 150 Gilman. HW
“European Crisis and European Solidarity,” a SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations discussion with Erik Jones, SAIS Bologna Center. Co-sponsored by the SAIS European Studies Program, the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation, the University Association for Contemporary European Studies and the Journal of Common Market Studies. For more information or to RSVP, go to www.eventbrite .com/event/2975749547/mcivte. Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Bldg.
Tues., April 10, 5 p.m.
SAIS
“The Narrow Passage of Our Nerves,” a Program in Latin American Studies roundtable discussion with Sara Castro-Klaren, KSAS; Thomas Ward, Loyola University; James Maffie, University of Maryland; and Matthew Bush, Lehigh University. Co-sponsored by the Center for Advanced Media and German and Romance Languages and Literatures. 130D Gilman. HW
Wed., April 11, 5:30 p.m.
Thurs.,
April
12,
10
April 10, noon. The 12th Annual Dodge Lecture— “Food Sovereignty, Biopiracy and the Future” by Native American author, orator and activist Winona LaDuke, founder and co-director of Honor the Earth. Sponsored by the Center for a Livable Future. W1214 SPH. EB
Tues.,
a.m.
“Improving Food Supply: Empowering Women and Girls,” a SAIS Office of Development and Alumni Relations discussion with Catherine Bertini, Syracuse University, former executive director of the UN World Food Program. A “Year of Agriculture” event. For information or to RSVP, email saisag@ jhu.edu. Rome Auditorium. SAIS
Tues., April 10, 5:30 p.m. “A Copy as Memorial: Why Monastic Scribes Signed the Books They Made,” a German and Romance Languages and Literatures lecture by Johan Oosterman, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen. 479 Gilman. HW Tues., April 10, 6:15 p.m. “ ‘All Eye’: Some Thoughts on the Representation of Christ in the Early Medieval Apse,” a History of Art lecture by Erik Thuno, Rutgers University. 50 Gilman. HW Wed.,
April
11,
1:30
p.m.
Thurs., April 12, 5:30 p.m.
The Ginder Lecture—“Insights From an American Trailblazer” by James Rogers, founder and owner of Intermountain West Communications Co. Reception begins at 5:30 p.m., lecture at 6:15 p.m. (See story, p. 3.) Sponsored by the Carey Business School. 4th floor (Legg Mason Conference Center), 100 International Drive. Thurs., April 12, 7 p.m. The Distinguished Lecture in Art of the Ancient Americas—“The Murals of San Bartolo and the Mythic Origins of Ancient Maya Gods and Kings” by Karl Taube, University of California, Riverside. (See story, p. 14.) Sponsored by History of Art. 50 Gilman. HW Mon., April 16, 12:15 p.m.
“Tobacco Use and Risk of Rectal and Colorectal Cancers: Opportunities for Prevention and Intervention,” an Institute for Global Tobacco Control lecture by Corinne Joshu, SPH. W1030 SPH. EB MU S I C Tues., April 10, 5 p.m. Peabody at Homewood presents guitar jazz duo Kevin Clark and Michael Benjamin. (See story p. 14.) Admission is free but $10 is the suggested donation; $5 for students. Advance reservations are recommended; call 410-516-5589 or email homewoodmuseum@jhu .edu. A reception with the musicians follows. Reception Hall, Homewood Museum. HW
The Richard J. Carroll Memorial Lecture—“Abnormal Loads and Progressive Collapse: Assessment of Building Vulnerability and Mitigation of Risk” by Bruce Ellingwood, Georgia Institute of Technology. Sponsored by Civil Engineering. 3rd floor Boardroom, Hodson. HW
Tues., April 10, 8 p.m. The Peabody Trio performs music by Brahms. $15 general admission, $10 for senior citizens, $5 for students with ID. Friedberg Hall.
Thurs., April 12, 10:30 a.m. “On the Road of Flowers: The Symbolism of Life, Music and Paradise in Mesoamerica and the Greater Southwest,” a History of Art student lecture by Karl Taube, University of California, Riverside. 400 Gilman. HW
Continued on page 13
by Gerard Ben Arous, New York University. Sponsored by Applied Mathematics and Statistics. HW
The Duncan Lectures
•
•
Thurs., April 12, 1:30 p.m.
“Counting Critical Points of Random Functions of Many Variables.” 205 Krieger. Fri.,
April
13,
9
a.m.
“RMT^2: Random Morse Theory Meets Random Matrix Theory.” 50 Gilman.
Peabody Thurs., April 12, 7:30 p.m.
Peabody Latin Jazz Ensemble per-
(Events are free and Calendar open to the public Key except where indicated.) APL BRB CRB EB HW JHOC
Applied Physics Laboratory Broadway Research Building Cancer Research Building East Baltimore Homewood Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center KSAS Krieger School of Arts and Sciences NEB New Engineering Building PCTB Preclinical Teaching Building SAIS School of Advanced International Studies SoM School of Medicine SoN School of Nursing SPH School of Public Health WBSB Wood Basic Science Building WSE Whiting School of Engineering