The Gazette -- December 14, 2010

o ur 3 9 th ye ar

N A N OTE C H TOO L

F L AG DAY

Covering Homewood, East Baltimore, Peabody,

With new chip, lab-grown heart

Design competition tests skills

SAIS, APL and other campuses throughout the

tissue more closely resembles

of Mechanical Engineering

Baltimore-Washington area and abroad, since 1971.

the real thing, page 9

freshmen, page 8

December 14, 2009

The newspaper of The Johns Hopkins University

Volume 39 No. 15

E V E N T

O U T R E A C H

Three, two, one ... lights on!

A town hall on No Child Left Behind

By Greg Rienzi

The Gazette

Continued on page 8

2

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

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he No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, one of the seminal measures of the Bush administration, ballyhooed a lofty goal of having 100 percent of U.S. students achieving at grade level by the year 2014.

In recent years, the legislation has School of become something Ed launches of a punching bag, with no shortage of critics who take series on shots at the bill that advances standardsnational based education reform and emphaissues sizes improvement in reading and writing.

While proponents of the bill, which reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, say that there has been measurable improvement in student achievement in reading and math and an increased accountability of schools, detractors argue that NCLB has caused states to lower achievement goals and motivates teachers to “teach to the test,” putting far less attention to subjects—like art, music and social studies—not represented in the standardized exam.

Such sentiments were expressed Monday evening at a town hall discussion on the next reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, set for 2010. The event, sponsored by the Johns Hopkins School of Education and held in Shriver Hall on the Homewood campus, drew a distinguished panel of education leaders and researchers to discuss the future of No Child Left Behind.

The program, the culminating event in the school’s 100th anniversary celebration, was the first in a discussion series titled Shaping the Future that will address the most challenging issues in education. The school is committed to hosting at least two major discussions a year, held in the fall and spring. Future talks could focus on issues and topics

Winston Tabb and Lloyd Minor join President Ron Daniels, center, as he throws the switch that signals the annual Lighting of the Quads on the Homewood campus.

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Annual tradition rings in the holiday season on the Homewood campus

undreds of students and several senior administrators crowded near the steps of the Homewood campus’s Eisenhower Library on Monday evening to flip the switch on the holiday season with the annual Lighting of the Quads ceremony.

On the chilly December night, the 500plus revelers huddled for warmth on the

By Greg Rienzi

The Gazette

Keyser Quadrangle and sipped hot cider or hot chocolate as they waited for the ceremonial switch authorizing Facilities Management to illuminate light-wrapped lampposts around the campus.

The fifth-annual event featured musical performances of holiday songs by Continued on page 16

R E S E A R C H

‘Mini’-transplant may reverse severe sickle cell B y V a n e s s a W a s ta

Johns Hopkins Medicine

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esults of a preliminary study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins show that “mini” stem cell transplantation may safely reverse severe sickle cell disease in adults.

The phase I/II study to establish safety of the procedure, published Dec. 10 in the New England Journal of Medicine, describes 10 patients with severe sickle cell disease

In Brief

Remembering Mr. Hopkins; H1N1 vaccine update; Digital Media Center equipment sale

16

who received intravenous transplants of blood-forming stem cells. The transplanted stem cells came from the peripheral blood of healthy related donors matched to the patients’ tissue types.

Following this procedure, nine of 10 patients treated have normal red blood cells and reversal of organ damage caused by the disease.

Jonathan Powell, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, says that the intravenous transplant approach for sickle cell disease, which is caused by a single

C A L E N D AR

Blood Drive; Leaders & Legends; Peabody Improvisation and Multimedia Ensemble

mutation in the hemoglobin gene, does not replace the defective gene but transplants blood stem cells that carry the normal gene.

Sickle cell disease, named for the “deflated” sickle-shaped appearance of red blood cells in those with the disease, hinders the cells’ ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. In severe cases, it causes stroke, severe pain and damage to multiple organs, including the lungs, kidneys and liver.

Continued on page 8

14 Job Opportunities 14 Notices 15 Classifieds

2 THE GAZETTE • December 14, 2009 I N B R I E F

A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

vaccinations now Digital Media Center selling James McGill, head of finance H1N1 available to all JHU employees no-longer-needed equipment and administration, to retire A T

J

ames T. McGill, senior vice president for finance and administration, will retire June 30 after more than 12 years of managing the financial, physical and human infrastructure of The Johns Hopkins University.

“Jim’s imprint on Johns Hopkins can be seen in practically every facet of the university’s operations, and each and every project he has overseen or led has been squarely aimed at supporting and enhancing our core academic mission,” President Ronald J. Daniels said. “His retirement will leave huge shoes for us to fill.”

McGill’s responsibilities as one of Johns Hopkins’ senior leaders encompass an expansive portfolio that includes the university’s business, accounting, investment and money management offices; its real estate and audit functions; facilities management; purchasing; human resources; and Homewood safety and security.

“Jim is the kind of financial leader who takes the time to understand the academic mission and provide thoughtful solutions to help advance this institution and its people,” Daniels said. “His leadership in this area is reflected in the talented team of excellent administrative people he has built that is squarely focused on supporting the superb faculty and students at Johns Hopkins. With them, Jim has worked to ensure that infrastructure and operations to support the mission are as aligned, effective and cost-efficient as possible.

“On a personal note,” he continued, “Jim’s sage counsel and advice have been of enormous value to me during my first year as president. I, along with all of Johns Hopkins, am in his debt.”

Working with two presidents, five provosts and the senior leaders of the university’s divisions and its other units, McGill has reshaped the administration to reflect changing economic, fiscal and regulatory circumstances and to enable Johns Hopkins to operate more effectively and efficiently, Daniels said.

During McGill’s tenure, the university budget has grown from $1.7 billion to more than $3.8 billion and the endowment from $1.5 billion to as much as $3 billion. He created the university investment office and hired the first chief investment officer. He also collaborated with colleagues from the university and the Johns Hopkins Health System to create institutionswide offices to handle real estate, audits and govern-

ment affairs, in some cases merging multiple offices to eliminate duplicative or even conflicting efforts. In addition, he spearheaded with the leadership team at the health system a massive effort to update Johns Hopkins’ outmoded, inadequate and costly business and management information systems.

Keenly interested in community relations, McGill has championed improved communication with neighbors and encouraged a university-community-private business collaboration to revitalize the Charles Village neighborhood near the Homewood campus. He also has been instrumental in the university’s involvement in East Baltimore redevelopment and in projects that have transformed all the university’s campuses, from Baltimore to Montgomery County, Md., to Nanjing, China. Since his arrival, the university has added more than 5 million gross square feet of building space to its campuses, putting it among the top-10 largest university physical plants in the United States.

He also has emphasized the important relationship between the university’s management team and members of the board of trustees, designing ways to draw upon trustees’ skills, experience and interests to help improve delivery of university financial and administrative services.

“I have appreciated deeply the opportunity to serve the faculty, staff and fellow administrators at this marvelous institution,” McGill said. “The brilliance and dedication of Hopkins people to the university’s mission is unparalleled in my experience.

To have had a role here has been personally rewarding.”

McGill came to Johns Hopkins in January 1998 from the University of Missouri, where he had been executive vice president in charge of finance, budgeting, facilities, endowment investment, human resources and other administrative functions for the four-campus system.

Previously, he served as vice president of Oregon Health Services University and as associate vice chancellor of the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago. He has served on a number of boards of university business officer groups and of nonprofit institutions.

A 1965 graduate of Oregon State University, McGill earned a PhD in operations research from Stanford University in 1969.

Plans for a search for McGill’s successor are expected to be announced in January.

APL licenses patents for innovative solar power source

By Michael Buckley

Applied Physics Laboratory

T

he Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory has licensed two patents to Genesis Electronics Group, covering a compact power source that produces electricity from solar energy.

Designed to be thin and extremely flexible, the self-contained power source can fit a variety of applications, even taking the shape of the device it powers. Florida-based Genesis plans to integrate the technology into solar-powered chargers for cell phones and related hand-held electronic devices.

The company is now finalizing development of a solar-powered charger called SunBlazerTM, which it expects to release within the next several months.

“The invention enables batteries in small electronic appliances to be charged and deliver power more effectively,” said

APL’s Joe Suter, who invented the device with co-workers Binh Le and Ark Lew. “You can even shrink the size of the battery.”

Combining creativity with technical prowess, APL engineers and scientists address some of the nation’s toughest technological challenges, and APL’s technology transfer programs connect these innovations, often developed for government use, with commercial firms that bring them to market and broaden their impact. “This invention meets a demand for more accessible, efficient and clean energy sources, and it’ll be applied to devices we use every day,” said Teresa Colella, a technology manager in APL’s Office of Technology Transfer. “This will provide real benefits to the public.”

The agreement gives Genesis limited exclusive worldwide rights to the U.S. patents, with the potential for APL to provide research and development assistance.

ny full-time university faculty or staff member and any part-time university employee for whom Johns Hopkins is the primary employer is now eligible to be vaccinated against H1N1 flu, regardless of age or chronic medical conditions. The vaccine is free to all those showing an employee ID. Vaccinations are available at the Homewood campus office of Occupational Health Services, in Room W-601 of the Wyman Park Building, from 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. on business days. The vaccine is also available on the East Baltimore campus in the Broadway Corridor of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at least through Friday, Dec. 18.

A vaccination clinic has been scheduled at Homewood on Monday, Dec. 14. It will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. and from 2 to 4 p.m. in Levering’s Glass Pavilion.

Washington, D.C., employees can receive vaccinations at a clinic scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 15. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Herter Room at SAIS. Additional times and locations will be posted online at www.hopkinsmedicine.org/ hse/occupational_health/flu_campaign.html.

Spouses and same-sex domestic partners of eligible university employees can be vaccinated at the Homewood OHS office or at the Glass Pavilion and SAIS clinics. They cannot yet receive the vaccine at the East Baltimore site; an announcement will be made when they can be accommodated.

Graveside remembrance of Mr. Hopkins to be held Dec. 24

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ll members of the Johns Hopkins community are invited to the annual graveside observance honoring the institutions’ founder.

The brief, informal ceremony will take place at Johns Hopkins’ grave in Green Mount Cemetery at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 24, the 136th anniversary of his death.

Mr. Hopkins left $7 million in his will, at that time the largest philanthropic bequest in U.S. history, to establish a university and hospital in Baltimore that have evolved into the worldwide Johns Hopkins Institutions we know today.

The ceremony is arranged by university Vice President and Secretary Emeritus Ross Jones. This year’s speaker, Professor Emeritus Matthew Crenson of the Department of Political Science, will offer observations on the Baltimore of Mr. Hopkins’ time.

To reach the gravesite, enter the cemetery at the main gate along Greenmount Avenue, about five blocks south of North Avenue; drive straight up the hill and park near the crest.

To read Mr. Hopkins’ obituary from the Dec. 25, 1873, edition of The Baltimore Sun, go to www.jhu.edu/125th/links/obit.html.

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 Webmaster Tim Windsor

he Digital Media Center on the Homewood campus is hosting a “yard sale” of miscellaneous electronics, digital media hardware and software, and audio, video and photographic equipment.

Items from the inventory, which are redundant, outdated for the center’s needs or have fallen into disrepair, will be sold via silent auction, with bidding taking place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15, in room 160 of the Mattin Center, or via “buy it now” pricing. For more information, go to digitalmedia.jhu.edu or call 410-516-3817.

Former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan to speak at SAIS

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almay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations, will speak at SAIS at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15. His talk is titled “What Is at Stake for the United States in Afghanistan?” Khalilzad is currently counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and president and CEO of Khalilzad Associates. The event will be held in the Nitze Building’s Kenney Auditorium.

Non-SAIS affiliates should RSVP to saiscaciforums@jhu.edu or 202-663-7723.

DOD awards more than $3.5 mill to Hopkins researchers

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he Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program has awarded more than $3.5 million in grants to Johns Hopkins radiologists, pathologists, pharmacologists, geneticists and students to pursue their studies into autism and cancers of the breast, prostate and ovaries.

Recipients of the grants, ranging in size from $97,200 to $692,832, include Michael Carducci, professor of oncology and urology; Andrew Feinberg, professor of medicine, molecular biology and genetics, and oncology; Christopher Heaphy, research fellow in pathology; Richard Jones, professor of oncology; Robert Kurman, professor of gynecology and obstetrics, oncology and pathology; Yan Li, research fellow in pathology; Michael Manning, a PhD candidate in pharmacology and molecular sciences; Morassa Mohseni, a PhD candidate in human genetics; Ronnie Mease, associate professor of radiology; Hassan Rivaz, a PhD candidate in computer science; Brian Simons, research fellow in pathology; and Zslot Szabo, professor of radiology.

This issue of ‘Gazette’ is last for semester; next will be Jan. 4

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his is the last issue of The Gazette for the semester; the next issue will be published on Jan. 4. The deadline for calendar and classified submissions for that issue is noon on Thursday, Dec. 24.

Contributing Writers Applied Physics Laboratory Michael Buckley, Paulette Campbell Bloomberg School of Public Health Tim Parsons, Natalie Wood-Wright Carey Business School Andrew Blumberg Homewood Lisa De Nike, Amy Lunday, Dennis O’Shea, Tracey A. Reeves, Phil Sneiderman Johns Hopkins Medicine Christen Brownlee, Stephanie Desmon, Audrey Huang, John Lazarou, David March, Katerina 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 Government, Community and Public Affairs, 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 410343-3362 or gazellegrp@comcast.net.

December 14, 2009 • THE GAZETTE

3

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4 THE GAZETTE • December 14, 2009

December 14, 2009 • THE GAZETTE

5

K U D O S

KSAS alum to study at Oxford as 2010 Marshall Scholar B y A m y L u n d ay

Homewood

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abiha Syed, who earned her bachelor’s degree in international relations and anthropology from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences in 2007, has been named a 2010 Marshall Scholar, an honor awarded to just 40 American students each year. Funded by the British government, the scholarship offers the opportunity to study at any British university for two to three years, covering university fees and living expenses as well as travel fare to and from the United States.

As a Marshall Scholar, Syed, 24, will continue in her advocacy for women’s rights and freedom of the press in repressive regimes such as her native Pakistan by pursuing a master’s degree in legal research through the Program in Comparative Media Law and Policy at Oxford University, where she spent a semester abroad as an undergraduate.

She describes her plans to write and conduct research among some of the world’s foremost media scholars as “breathtakingly exciting.”

“I’ll be looking at how communities access and exercise freedom of information laws across different contexts—a perfect synthesis

Nabiha Syed

of my Hopkins-fueled love of international relations and anthropology and my recent interests in the law,” she said. “I hope to advocate for international press freedom and accountability in general, probably initially through litigation but ultimately through policy work.”

As an undergraduate, Syed was an active and energetic student leader, well-known for

her social justice work as the co-founder of the student group Vision XChange, which raises money and awareness for various causes through fun programs such as Hopkins Idol and Top Model competitions.

Since earning her degree from Johns Hopkins, Syed has been at Yale Law School, where she expects to earn her degree in spring 2010. While at Yale, she wrote Replicating Dreams: Examining the Grameen Bank and Kashf Foundation (Oxford University Press, May 2009); worked in an anti-corruption unit at the World Bank; became active in the Balancing Civil Liberties and National Security After 9/11 Clinic, examining and pursuing accountability for abuses rendered in the pursuit of national security; and started the Media Freedom and Information Access Practicum, with the support of the Information Society Project at Yale Law and the Knight Foundation, that works through litigation to ensure that the press continues to effectively contribute to a well-informed public sphere.

Although she’s currently at Yale, Syed worked with John Bader, associate dean for undergraduate affairs in the Krieger School and national scholarships adviser, and his staff to apply and prepare for the Marshall Scholarship.

“Nabiha is an amazing woman and the kind of alumna we celebrate,” Bader said.

“I have known her for many years, and I am especially proud that she won the Marshall.

She has been a leader for social justice, women’s rights and freedom of the press in Pakistan, and she has built on her Hopkins education to enjoy great success at Yale Law School.”

It’s not unusual for Bader to assist alumni—even those studying at other institutions in other cities—in pursuit of scholarships. “[Nabiha] could have applied through Yale, but she wanted to play for the Blue Jays,” Bader said. “She also shows that alumni can successfully apply for national grants, and my office is happy to support those who do. That she was not in Baltimore was no barrier; we talked by phone, exchanged e-mails, and I critiqued her essays she sent electronically. There are some scholarships, like the Fulbright, Luce and Mitchell, that are especially well-suited to those who have some professional or other experiences, so I hope we get more applicants like Nabiha in the future.”

Johns Hopkins has a strong track record in the Marshall Scholarship program, with students and alumni winning seven scholarships in the last eight years, including two last year.

Current students and alumni interested in working with John Bader can reach him at jbader@jhu.edu or 410-516-8212.

Bloomberg School establishes International Vaccine Access Center

By Tim Parsons

School of Public Health

T

he Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has established the International Vaccine Access Center to increase availability of lifesaving vaccines by overcoming many of the obstacles that often delay their usage and distribution.

IVAC will also serve as a source of vaccine policy information and analysis and will develop and use evidence to advocate for improved global health policies and their implementation. Projects undertaken

by IVAC are supported by grants from the GAVI Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“For too long, access to lifesaving vaccines

has been delayed by the lack of evidencebased policies to support their use and delivery. The cost of these delays is measurable in lives lost, particularly in developing countries,” said Orin Levine, director of IVAC and associate professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health. “IVAC will aim to turn that situation around by using policy-focused evidence to assure equitable vaccine access globally.”

IVAC researchers have credited a lack of evidence for decision making and a failure to turn evidence into policies for contributing to the lag in vaccine access. In many cases, it takes nearly 20 years from the time a vaccine is developed until it reaches the masses, and most developing countries struggle with limited financial resources and policy guidance.

Bringing together faculty from the

Bloomberg School, IVAC will advance vaccine access through research, training and public health practice. Its work will include documenting the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases and the safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of vaccines and programs that improve health and save lives.

“The International Vaccine Access Center is the first of its kind and was created in response to the urgent need for evidence to drive global access for vaccines,” said Michael J. Klag, dean of the school.

“The research and work conducted at the Bloomberg School has documented the burden of disease and demonstrated the safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of vaccine interventions. This effort epitomizes the mission of our school by improving health and saving countless lives.”

“Preventing disease by increased access to childhood vaccines is one of the greatest success stories in public health,” said Tachi Yamada, president of the Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “But more must be done for the millions of children who do not receive the necessary immunizations. Better evidencebased policies will help make sure that all children, everywhere, have access to the lifesaving vaccines they need and deserve.”

IVAC will build upon the Hib Initiative and PneumoADIP programs, which were supported by the GAVI Alliance and have helped accelerate uptake of Hib and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. Researchers estimate that increased uptake of these vaccines could prevent more than 7 million deaths in young children by 2030.

Scientists find potential new ‘twist’ in breast cancer detection Mouse studies reveal better picture of stem cells that may fuel some cancers

By Maryalice Yakutchik

Johns Hopkins Medicine

W

orking with mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins have shown that a protein made by a gene called “Twist” may be the proverbial red flag that can accurately distinguish stem cells that drive aggressive, metastatic breast cancer from other breast cancer cells.

Building on recent work suggesting that it is a relatively rare subgroup of stem cells in breast tumors that drives breast cancer, scientists have surmised that this subgroup must have some distinctive qualities and characteristics.

In experiments designed to identify those special qualities, the Johns Hopkins team focused on Twist—named for its winding shape—because of its known role as the producer of a so-called transcription factor,

or protein that switches on or off other genes. Twist (also known as TWIST1) is an oncogene, one of many genes we are born with that have the potential to turn normal cells into malignant ones.

“Our experiments show that Twist is a driving force among a lot of other players in causing some forms of breast cancer,” said Venu Raman, an associate professor of radiology and oncology in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “The protein it makes is one of a growing collection of markers that, when present, flag a tumor cell as a breast cancer stem cell.”

Previous stem cell research identified a Twist-promoted process known as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, or EMT, as an important marker denoting the special subgroup of breast cancer stem cells. EMT essentially gets cells to detach from a primary tumor and metastasize. The new Johns Hopkins research shows that the presence of Twist, along with changes in two other biomarkers, CD 24 and CD44, even without EMT announces the presence of this critical subgroup of stem cells.

“The conventional thinking is that the EMT is crucial for recognizing the breast

cancer cell as stem cells, and the potential for metastasis, but our studies show that when Twist shows up in excess or even at all, it can work independently of EMT,” said Farhad Vesuna, an instructor of radiology in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

“EMT is not mandatory for identifying a breast cancer stem cell.”

Working with human breast cancer cells transplanted into mice, all of which had the oncogene Twist, the scientists tagged cell surface markers CD24 and CD44 with fluorescent chemicals. Following isolation of the subpopulation containing high CD44 and low CD24 by flow cytometry, they counted 20 of these putative breast cancer stem cells. They then injected these cells into the breast tissue of 12 mice. All developed cancerous tumors.

“Normally, it takes approximately a million cells to grow a xenograft, or transplanted tumor,” Vesuna said, “and here we’re talking just 20 cells. There is something about these cells—something different compared to the whole bulk of the tumor cell—that makes them potent.

That’s the acid test: If you can take a very small number of purified “stem cells” and

grow a cancerous tumor, this means you have a pure population.”

Previously, the team showed that 65 percent of aggressive breast cancers have more Twist compared to lower-grade breast cancers and that Twist-expressing cells are more resistant to radiation.

Twist is what scientists refer to as an oncogene, one that if expressed when and where it’s not supposed to be expressed causes oncogenesis or cancer because the molecules and pathways that once regulated it and kept it in check are gone.

This finding—that Twist is integral to the breast cancer stem cell phenotype—has fundamental implications for early detection, treatment and prevention, Raman said.

Some cancer treatments may kill ordinary tumor cells while sparing the rare cancer stem cell population, sabotaging treatment efforts. More effective cancer therapies likely require drugs that kill this important stem cell population.

This study was supported by the Maryland Stem Cell Research Foundation.

In addition to Vesuna and Raman, authors of the paper include Ala Lisok and Brian Kimble, also of Johns Hopkins.

6 THE GAZETTE • December 14, 2009

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December 14, 2009 • THE GAZETTE

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7

No Child Continued from page 1

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

such as “the achievement gap,” special education and elementary school administration.

Dean Ralph Fessler said that the school wanted to kick off its second century by fostering a dialogue on national education issues.

“And to begin this series, we could think of no better topic,” he told the more than 300 people in attendance. “There is a great deal of discussion occurring in Washington and across the nation on the reauthorization of ESEA and No Child Left Behind. We thought this topic would help us focus on what we have been emphasizing throughout our history, which are the challenges that face public education.”

The panel members were Martha Kanter, U.S. undersecretary of education; Nancy Grasmick, Maryland state superintendent of schools; Andres Alonso, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools; Robert Slavin, director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins; James McPartland, director of the Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins; and Mariale Hardiman, former Baltimore City public school principal and chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the School of Education.

The school invited all area principals and their teachers, community leaders and parents, as well as its students and alumni, to attend the event.

No Child Left Behind is largely based on the belief that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals can improve individual outcomes in education. The act

requires states to develop assessment tests in basic skills to be given to all students in certain grades if those states are to receive federal funding for schools. The act does not set a national achievement standard but rather leaves standards to each state.

Kanter, who began the discussion, said that the U.S. Department of Education has set out to discover what about NCLB has worked and what hasn’t. To this end, Secretary Arne Duncan launched a nationwide Listening and Learning tour in May to solicit feedback on No Child Left Behind and to help shape the Obama administration’s education agenda.

“We are asking ourselves, What can we learn from research and NCLB to make changes that will allow us to do a far better job of closing the achievement gap and continue school improvements?” Kanter said.

“What we do know is that there is a lot of room for improvement.”

Kanter said that the administration will seek, among other things, to elevate the status of teachers, decrease high school dropout rates (currently 1.2 million students per year), promote early learning (birth to age 3) initiatives and drive reform to push for higher school standards.

“When students get to college, they are too often surprised that they are not prepared,” she said. “They have been passed along in the system.”

Each panel member had seven minutes to state his or her case, although few, if any, stuck to that limit.

Some common threads in the discussion were that accountability is important but that labeling schools as failures without sufficient support is counterproductive, and that the reauthorization needs to focus on education research, specifically in relation to recent neuroscience advances, teach-

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

8 THE GAZETTE • December 14, 2009

Panelists Martha Kanter, Nancy Grasmick and Andres Alonso discuss the next reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, set for 2010.

ing excellence, early childhood education, common core high standards, expansion of subject areas to be evaluated and the development of strong school leaders.

“In the current No Child Left Behind, there is very little reference to the role of principals and the importance of that role to school success and academic success,” Grasmick said. “I have visited hundreds and hundreds of schools, and I have never visited an outstanding school that didn’t have an outstanding principal.”

Alonso said that while the goals of NCLB were bold, the means to get there were modest. Too little attention, he said, was placed on pedagogy and methodology. The act did, however, serve to focus needed attention on achievement that has led to some favorable results. He pointed out that Baltimore City has witnessed a huge increase the past four years in the number of students with disabilities who were able to pass the Maryland High School Assessments.

“Four years ago, it either didn’t matter that these kids were not exposed to a standards-based curriculum, or the kids were not able to pass,” he said.

Looking forward, Alonso said he hopes that there is “fundamental change” in education nationwide.

“We are left with the challenge of turning around schools and neighborhoods,” he said. “All the levers we can have to bring about that turnaround, I welcome. I am very interested in what happens next year with the reauthorization.”

Many of the panelists criticized the standardized tests and said that government agencies need to improve how testing is used. They said that curricula have been dangerously trimmed because schools are teaching to narrow tests.

McPartland argued that the current tests create “bubble students,” those who fall just below the standard and are given an inordinate amount of attention to the detriment of others.

“Those doing well get little attention, and others are allowed to fail because they would hurt the average,” he said.

Slavin said that too many compromises were made in implementing No Child Left Behind and that the standardized tests create a climate of “terror” among school administrators.

“Accountability is fine, but when you have only one tool, reading and math tests, and you are trying to reform 100,000 schools using this one tool, then you are going to run into a lot of problems,” Slavin said.

“You heard about many of these problems tonight, such as narrowing the curriculum and shutting out arts, music, science and social studies and, like Jim [McPartland] said, the creation of bubble students and a ‘gaming’ of the system. Nobody intended this to happen, but now we have the experience to know that is what we are getting.”

Slavin said that any reauthorization needs to promote and reward innovation in education.

Christina Godack, assistant dean for external affairs at the School of Education, said that the new series, which includes question-and-answer sessions with the experts after each presentation, is part of the school’s community outreach effort.

“Not only do we want to reach out to teachers, academics and legislators to discuss these issues,” she said, “we also want to reach out to parents, families and local organizations that are invested.”

Godack said the next Shaping the Future topic will likely be announced in January. G

Mechanical Engineering freshmen Kristin Spera and Renata Smith release Firebolt, a car designed and built by them and teammate Matt Leighty.

Mousetraps and rubber bands Sickle cell

S

ome were short and stocky, others broad and brawny. Some were stripped down to their essentials, others gussied up with glittery decoration. But all the studentbuilt balsa wood and foam-core cars had one thing in common: The directive to be powered by no more than two mousetraps and six rubber bands. Their goal: to deliver a small, free-standing “flag” (actually a one-and-a-half-inch plastic ball, weighted internally with silicone so that its threeinch plastic flagpole always pointed upward) to a specific point on a three-dimensional course. The cars’ drivers were teams of students in a Whiting School of Engineering course called Freshman Experiences in Mechanical Engineering.

At stake for the winners in the five-round, single-elimination tournament called Plant Your Flag was “the adoration and greeneyed envy of their peers for their remaining three years,” said course instructor Lester Su, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “For the rest, so will begin the Sisyphean struggle to extricate oneself from a morass of ignominy. Fun times.”

The design competition was held on Dec. 7 in the first-floor hallway of Homewood’s Latrobe Hall.

Taking the top spot was Team Erdbeere, whose members were Ted Grunberg, Youngjae Hue and Yejin Kim. The winning car, Su said, was a seemingly complicated yet well-executed design that drove into place, positioned the flag over the target on the end of a swinging arm, then released the flag gently. “It wasn’t the fastest car but nevertheless defeated its opponents by its sheer precision and reliability in placing the flag exactly on the target each time,” he said.

All freshman mechanical engineering students—this year, there are 60—are required to take the course. The design project varies each year but always includes the use of rubber bands and mousetraps as energy sources.

“The students get to be clever in conceiving their designs,” Su said, “but more than that, they learn the basic engineering value of designs that can be built to perform reliably, the importance of testing and the benefit of pooling the talents of a team.”

Continued from page 1 All patients in the study, ranging in age from 16 to 45, were treated at the NIH with what researchers call a non-myeloablative or “mini”-transplant, along with an immunesuppressing drug called rapamycin.

Conventional transplant methods use high doses of chemotherapy to wipe out the immune system before the transplanted cells are injected, a process that has many side effects, including serious bacterial and fungal infections, which may kill some patients.

In mini-transplants, lower doses of medication and radiation are used to make room for the donor’s cells, the new source for healthy red blood cells in the patient.

According to Powell, side effects, including low white blood cell counts, were few and very mild compared to conventional bone marrow transplantation. In nine of the 10 subjects, donor cells coexist with the patients’ own cells; one patient was not able to maintain the transplanted cells long term.

Mini-transplants for sickle cell disease were tested in patients almost a decade ago

but were unsuccessful because the patients’ immune systems rejected the transplanted cells, according to Powell. By employing the drug rapamycin, he says, this new approach promotes the coexistence of the host and donor cells.

Powell’s earlier research in mice showed that rapamycin inhibits an enzymatic pathway that suppresses the immune system and makes the host and donor cells tolerant of each other.

The NIH/Johns Hopkins team is conducting further studies on immune cells gathered from patients in their study, and is looking at a combination of rapamycin with a well-known cancer drug called cyclophosphamide.

Other teams at Johns Hopkins are studying the use of half-matched donors for transplants in sickle cell patients, helping to widen the pool of potential donors for stem cell transplantation.

Funding for the study was provided by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Study authors at the NIH include principal investigator John Tisdale, Matthew Hsieh, Elizabeth Kang, Courtney Fitzhugh, M. Beth Link, Roger Kurlander, Richard Childs and Griffin Rodgers. G

December 14, 2009 • THE GAZETTE

9

R E S E A R C H

On new lab chip, heart cells display a behavior-guiding ‘nanosense’

By Mary Spiro

Institute for NanoBioTechnology

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

J

Leslie Tung, left, and Andre Levchenko, right, both of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, with Deok-Ho Kim, a doctoral student in Levchenko’s lab, who holds a nanopatterned chip able to cue heart cells to behave like natural heart tissue.

elongated and linear fashion. The cells orient with the direction of the fibers in the matrix, which suggests that ECM fibers give structural or functional instructions to the myocardium, a general term for the heart muscle.” These instructions, Levchenko said, are delivered on the nanoscale—activity at the scale of one-billionth of a meter and a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Levchenko and his Korean colleagues, working with Deok-Ho Kim, a biomedical engineering doctoral student in Levchenko’s lab and the lead author of the PNAS article, developed a two-dimensional hydrogel surface simulating the rigidity, size and shape of the fibers found throughout a natural ECM network. This biofriendly surface made of nontoxic polyethylene glycol displays an array of long ridges resembling the folded pattern of corrugated cardboard. The ridged hydrogel sits upon a glass slide about the size of a U.S. dollar coin. The team made a variety of chips with ridge widths spanning from 150 to 800

United Way, Neighborhood Fund deadlines are this week B y J e f f P r at t

Faculty, Staff and Retiree Programs

T

he 2009 Johns Hopkins campaign for United Way of Central Maryland and the Johns Hopkins Neighborhood Fund closes out on Friday, Dec. 18, but contributions are accepted through the end of the year. To date, approximately 90 percent of the combined Johns Hopkins Institutions goal of $2,060,000 has been pledged.

This goal translates to providing survival resources such as safe and affordable housing for families; child care subsidies for beforeand after- school activities so that parents can afford to work knowing their children are safe and learning; and refuge through shelters, legal protection and other core services for victims of domestic violence and abuse.

“With the economic upheaval of the past year, the need for assistance has never been greater,” said Michael Klag, dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health and 2009 JHU campaign chair. “United Way understands that people in Central Maryland are facing tough times and, because of that, they are committed to investing time and money into programs and people that help stabilize families. Today, more than ever, United Way needs your help to continue its vital health and human service programs.

Every gift counts toward making an enor-

mous difference in people’s lives. Remember, whatever you can give, gives hope.”

In addition to being the closeout of the campaign, Dec. 18 is the deadline for submitting Johns Hopkins Neighborhood Fund grant applications.

The Neighborhood Fund, now in its third year, supports nonprofit organizations serving communities in close proximity to Johns Hopkins campuses that are also associated with Johns Hopkins through an affiliate (faculty, staff, retiree or student). Johns Hopkins affiliates who are involved with local nonprofit organizations that provide services near Johns Hopkins campuses have until 5 p.m. on Dec. 18 to apply for funding from the Neighborhood Fund.

A committee representing a cross section of Johns Hopkins employees will review grant proposals submitted by the deadline and will award funds to nonprofits for projects and programs in the areas of community revitalization, education, employment, health and public safety. Thanks to generous donations during the 2008 campaign, more than $200,000 was designated to the Neighborhood Fund to be given out through this application process.

To donate online or for more information about the 2009 Campaign for United Way of Central Maryland and the Johns Hopkins Neighborhood Fund, go to www.jhu.edu/ unitedway or contact Jeff Pratt at unitedway @jhu.edu or 443-997-6060.

nanometers, groove widths ranging from 50 to 800 nanometers and ridge heights varying from 200 to 500 nanometers. This allowed researchers to control the surface texture over more than five orders of magnitude of length.

“We were pleased to find that within just two days the cells became longer and grew along the ridges on the surface of the slide,” Kim said. Furthermore, the researchers found improved coupling between adjacent cells, an arrangement that more closely resembled the architecture found in natural layers of heart muscle tissue. Cells grown on smooth, unpatterned hydrogels, however, remained smaller and less organized, with poorer cell-to-cell coupling between layers.

“It was very exciting to observe engineered heart cells behave on a tiny chip in two dimensions like they would in the native heart in three dimensions,” Kim said.

Collaborating with Leslie Tung, a professor of biomedical engineering in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the researchers found that after a few more days of growth, cells on the nanopatterned surface began to conduct electric waves and contract strongly in a specific direction, as intact heart muscle would. “Perhaps most surprisingly, these tissue functions and the structure of the engineered heart tissue could be controlled by simply altering the nanoscale properties of

Related Web sites Andre Levchenko’s Lab:

https://jshare.johnshopkins.edu/ alevche1/web

Leslie Tung’s Lab:

http://ww2.jhu.edu/CBSL/CBS_ Lab

Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology:

http://inbt.jhu.edu

Johns Hopkins Department of Biomedical Engineering:

www.bme.jhu.edu

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

ohns Hopkins biomedical engineers, working with colleagues in Korea, have produced a laboratory chip with nanoscopic grooves and ridges capable of growing cardiac tissue that more closely resembles natural heart muscle.

Surprisingly, heart cells cultured in this way used a “nanosense” to collect instructions for growth and function solely from the physical patterns on the nanotextured chip and did not require any special chemical cues to steer the tissue development in distinct ways. The scientists say this tool could be used to design new therapies or diagnostic tests for cardiac disease.

The device and experiments using it are described in this week’s online Early Edition issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The work, a collaboration with Seoul National University, represents an important advance for researchers who grow cells in the lab to learn more about cardiac disorders and possible remedies.

“Heart muscle cells grown on the smooth surface of a Petri dish would possess some, but never all, of the same physiological characteristics of an actual heart in a living organism,” said Andre Levchenko, an associate professor of biomedical engineering in Johns Hopkins’ Whiting School of Engineering.

“That’s because heart muscle cells—cardiomyocytes—take cues from the highly structured extracellular matrix, or ECM, which is a scaffold made of fibers that supports all tissue growth in mammals. These cues from the ECM influence tissue structure and function, but when you grow cells on a smooth surface in the lab, the physical signals can be missing. To address this, we developed a chip whose surface and softness mimic the ECM. The result was lab-grown heart tissue that more closely resembles the real thing.”

Levchenko said that when he and his colleagues examined the natural heart tissue taken from a living animal, they “immediately noticed that the cell layer closest to the extracellular matrix grew in a highly

the scaffold. That shows us that heart cells have an acute ‘nanosense,’” Levchenko said.

“This nanoscale sensitivity was due to the ability of cells to deform in sticking to the crevices in the nanotextured surface and probably not because of the presence of any molecular cue,” Levchenko said. “These results show that the ECM serves as a powerful cue for cell growth, as well as a supporting structure, and that it can control heart cell function on the nanoscale separately in different parts of this vital organ. By mimicking this ECM property, we could start designing better-engineered heart tissue.”

Looking ahead, Levchenko said that he anticipates that engineering surfaces with similar nanoscale features in three dimensions, instead of just two, could provide an even more potent way to control the structure and function of cultured cardiac tissue.

In addition to Kim, Levchenko and Tung, authors on this paper are postdoctoral fellow Elizabeth A. Lipke and doctoral students Raymond Cheong and Susan Edmonds Thompson, all from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Department of Biomedical Engineering; Michael Delannoy, assistant director of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Microscope Facility Center; and Pilnam Kim and Kahp-Yang Suh, both of Seoul National University.

Tung and Levchenko are affiliated faculty members of the Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology. Thompson is a member of INBT’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship in nanobiotechnology. Funding for this research was provided by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.

SHAQUETTA TOLLIVER was one of 13 students to receive a certificate at the second annual graduation ceremony for Save the Future, a program in which Johns Hopkins undergraduates teach financial literacy to Baltimore teens. Lucas Kelly-Clyne, currently a senior in the School of Arts and Sciences, founded the program last year with the goal, he says, of introducing money management “as an important concept that teens should be considering and continually learning about as they approach adulthood.” Kelly-Clyne, about 20 other JHU undergrads and two Carey Business School professors have served as tutors in the program since its inception.

Phillip Phan, a vice dean and professor at the Carey School, spoke at the ceremony, which took place Dec. 4 at the Baltimore branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. “If there is anything you should remember,” Phan told the students, “it is that money is only a means to an end. The end should be the betterment of your circumstances, your families and your communities.”

—Pat Ercolano

10 THE GAZETTE • December 14, 2009

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December 14, 2009 • THE GAZETTE

11

Global environmental change, sustainability major created

By Lisa De Nike

Homewood

I

n an effort to provide tomorrow’s leaders with the tools needed to address both the science and policy issues confronting a world facing global climate change, Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School of Arts and Sciences has created an interdisciplinary major and minor in global environmental change and sustainability.

Offered through the Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the new course of study is part of the Global Change Science Initiative, founded in 2007 with a gift from trustee Lee Meyerhoff Hendler to

advance teaching and research in areas of earth science that are pertinent to global environmental change.

“The goal of this new major is to bring together courses in those subjects which have a global environmental focus, both from a scientific and a policy point of view,” said Darryn Waugh, chair of Earth and Planetary Sciences. “Students have told us they want to be able to study both the ‘pure science’ around global environmental change issues and also policy and sustainability issues.”

Though the program, which began with the fall 2009 semester, is based in Earth and Planetary Sciences, it incorporates classes offered through other Krieger School departments, the Whiting School of Engineering and the Bloomberg School of Pub-

lic Health. Subjects include anthropology, biology, chemistry, economics, engineering, history, political science, psychology, physics and sociology, and students can choose one of two concentrations: natural science or social science.

The majority of the courses in the program already existed within the Krieger, Whiting and Bloomberg schools but had not been assembled into a coherent curriculum. However, some new courses have been introduced (including the popular Introduction to Sustainability course) to meet the specific needs of this major, and it is expected that others will be added in the next few years.

Along with 12 required core courses, students take a combination of natural and social science courses; the relative number

in the two fields differs depending upon the student’s chosen concentration.

“In the last year of the program, students will work on what we call a capstone project that will provide them with an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired to a GECS-related project,” said the new major’s director, Cindy L. Parker of the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Parker and other faculty will work with students to identify an appropriate project and provide mentorship throughout the capstone project, which could take the form of research, an internship or perhaps an in-depth independent study on a topic of interest, culminating in a paper and presentation.

Niacin offers no additional benefits to statin therapy in seniors B y D av i d M a r c h

Johns Hopkins Medicine

T

he routine prescription of extended-release niacin (1,500 milligrams daily), a B vitamin, in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study from Johns Hopkins experts shows.

In tests on 145 Baltimore-area men and women with existing atherosclerosis, all over age 65, researchers found that after 18 months of drug therapy, reductions in arterial wall thickness were measurably no different between the half who took dual niacinstatin therapy and the half who remained on statin therapy alone. The results were the same whether they took any one of the three leading statin medications: atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvistatin (Zocor) or rosuvastatin (Crestor).

Seniors on dual drug therapy had an average 5.4 cubic millimeter per month scale back in plaque buildup in the main neck artery, while those taking just a cholesterollowering statin medication came down by 4 cubic millimeters per month, a difference that researchers say is not statistically significant.

The team presented its findings Nov. 18 at the American Heart Association’s annual Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla. According to senior study investigator and Johns Hopkins cardiologist Joao Lima, the lack of any discernible advantage occurred despite promising gains in bad (LDL) and good (HDL) blood cholesterol levels in those taking vitamin B niacin.

Results showed that in the group taking

both niacin and a statin, blood levels of LDL cholesterol fell 5 percent more than in the group taking only statin medications. And levels of HDL jumped 14 percent more than in the statin-only group.

“Our findings tell us that improved cholesterol levels from taking combination vitamin B niacin and statin therapy do not necessarily translate into observable benefits in reversing and stalling carotid artery disease,” said Lima, a professor of medicine and radiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and its Heart and Vascular Institute.

“This does not mean that niacin therapy may not have other cardiovascular benefits, but any such benefits are independent of reducing the amount of plaque buildup, and patients should be aware of that.

“Our recommendation to physicians is that current national treatment guidelines, which recommend mainly statin therapy tailored to the severity of atherosclerosis for preventing arteries from re-clogging and narrowing, appear to be sufficient and accurate for physicians and patients to follow,” Lima said.

However, Lima cautions that an ongoing national study of the long-term vascular benefits of dual therapy and of whether extended-release niacin, also known as nicotinic acid, lowers death rates from heart disease should provide more definitive data. Johns Hopkins is participating in that research as well. Lima also notes that extended-release niacin used in this study is a prescription medication and is not sold over the counter, like many other vitamin B products.

Christopher Sibley, lead study investigator, said, “The real value in initially studying this particular group of people is that these seniors are the ones who I am most likely to see in the hospital, the group most vulner-

able to coronary artery disease and most at risk of suffering an arterial blockage, heart attack or stroke.”

Nearly 17 million American adults are estimated to have some form of coronary artery disease, resulting in more than 400,000 deaths each year.

“Practically speaking, carotid MRI scans are an option to assess the risk of patients based on the amount of plaque in their arteries, to better determine who needs aggressive statin therapy and to monitor how well they respond to treatment,” said Sibley, an adjunct assistant professor at Johns Hopkins and a staff clinician at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.

All study participants had one or more pre-existing cardiovascular health issues, such as a previous heart attack, stroke, coronary artery bypass grafting to resupply blood to the heart, severe chest pain or angioplasty with the placement of wire stents to keep arteries open.

At the start of the study and every six months thereafter participants received an MRI scan of their carotid artery. The four

Central Europe is focus of new initiative created at SAIS Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation supports research, related activities

By Felissa Neuringer Klubes

SAIS O B I T U A R Y

Paul Ts’o, 80, longtime faculty member at Public Health

P

aul Ts’o, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, died on Dec. 2 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was 80.

Ts’o joined the faculty in 1962 and headed the Biophysics Division from 1967 to 1989, when it became a part of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

In 2002, he became a senior associate with the faculty. His research involved the study of nucleic acids, including research in antisense technology; studies on targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs and molecules to cells in a tissue-specific manner; and the study of three-dimensional spatial relation-

ships of genes and chromosomes in the nucleus of human cells. Retired from active teaching, Ts’o headed several companies involved in developing better drug delivery systems and diagnostic tests for cancer.

In a letter to the Bloomberg School community, Dean Michael Klag said, “Colleagues remember Dr. Ts’o as an energetic and creative scientist who was keenly aware of the need to translate bench research into useful medical tools.”

Ts’o is survived by his wife, Muriel, three children and four grandchildren. His brother Mark Tso is a professor of ophthalmology and pathology at the Wilmer Eye Institute.

sets of images provided what Sibley said is “an important window” into what is going on in the body’s network of veins and arteries, noting that the neck artery is important not just because it serves as the main blood supply to the brain but also because narrowing in the carotid artery reflects the risk of future heart attack.

Sibley said that the team has begun to analyze blood samples collected as part of the study, searching for chemicals that might also signal a change in arterial plaque buildup and progressive arterial narrowing.

Funding support for the study, conducted solely at Johns Hopkins, was provided by the National Institute on Aging, a member of the National Institutes of Health. The nicotinic acid (Niaspan) used in the study was provided by its manufacturer, Abbott Laboratories.

Other Johns Hopkins researchers involved in this study were Ilan Gottlieb, Christopher Cox, Gustavo Gudoy, Amy Spooner and David Bluemke, who is now at the National Institutes of Health.

J

ohns Hopkins’ Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies and the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation of Vienna, Austria, last week announced a new initiative to support research and related activities focused on Central Europe. Daniel Hamilton, SAIS professor and founding director of the SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations, will be appointed the first Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Professor to head the initiative.

Beginning in 2010, two outstanding scholars will be selected in an open, competitive process to conduct research at SAIS on important issues related to Central Europe.

The Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Fellows will be appointed for a nine-month period, from October to June, each academic year. The call for applications for the 2010–2011 academic year is available at http://transatlantic.sais-jhu.edu.

“This grant honors the tremendous legacy of the Marshall Plan and the deep ties that have evolved between the United States,

Austria and the people of Central Europe,” said Ferdinand Lacina, president of the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation, upon announcing the award. “We are also proud to deepen our association with Johns Hopkins University SAIS, which has a distinguished tradition of scholarship and made many contributions to greater transatlantic understanding.”

SAIS Dean Jessica Einhorn said, “We at SAIS are delighted that the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation has decided to underwrite Dr. Hamilton’s pioneering leadership in the arena of transatlantic relations. Austria has long had a special relationship with our school, especially through our Bologna Center in Italy. We have enjoyed a standing tradition of collaboration that will enter a new phase with the generous support of a prestigious foundation, whose very name reflects the deep connections between the people of Austria and the United States,” she said.

The Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan endowment established under Austrian law with funds from the original U.S. Marshall Plan to Austria following World War II. The foundation supports cooperation among Austrian and American universities and scholars. The foundation has provided core funding for the new program and will work with SAIS to secure further funding for the initiative.

12 THE GAZETTE • December 14, 2009 F O R

Cheers Cheers is a monthly listing of honors and awards received by faculty, staff and students plus recent appointments and promotions. Contributions must be submitted in writing and be accompanied by a phone number.

ACADEMIC CENTERS AND AFFILIATES Sandee Newman , professor in the Insti-

tute for Policy Studies, was elected vice president of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, the main professional association for the public policy field with a broad membership from academia, think tanks, government agencies, foundations and others.

Marsha Schachtel , senior fellow in the Institute for Policy Studies, was elected chair of the Financing the Demand for Green Jobs Committee of the Baltimore City Green Jobs Coalition.

The Johns Hopkins University Press, in cooperation with the Maryland Historical Society, published a book by IPS journalist in residence Joseph Sterne titled Combat Correspondents: ‘The Baltimore Sun’ in World War II.

BAYVIEW MEDICAL CENTER Constantine Lyketsos , professor and

director of Psychiatry, has been invited

by Alzheimer’s Australia, that nation’s top Alzheimer’s organization, to make a lecture tour of the country and deliver a nationally televised address titled “Dementia: Facing the Epidemic.”

Physicians, managers and supervisors at Bayview who demonstrated outstanding performance in their work this year have received 2009 Leadership Awards. The honorees are Edward Bessman , assistant professor and director of Emergency Medicine; Rafael Llinas , associate professor and director of Clinical Services and Neu-

T H E

rology (Physician Recognition); Michael Cole , administrator, Cardiology Services (Senior Director/Administrator of the Year); John Preto , director of Nursing, Medicine (Clinical Director of the Year); Jimmy Johnson , director of Materials Management (Nonclinical Director of the Year); Connie Ross , Patient Care manager, 6 surgery and A4W (Clinical Manager of the Year); and Suzette Ungvarsky , manager, Ambulatory Services (Nonclinical Manager of the Year).

BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH Thomas Burke , associate dean for Public

Health Practice and Training, has been named the Jacob I and Irene B. Fabrikant Professor in Health, Risk and Society.

Irene Fabrikant, a distinguished teacher and researcher in the pathogenesis and prevention of infectious disease, established the professorship in 2000 in memory of her husband, Jacob, who was a pioneer in environmental radiology and a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins schools of Public Health and Medicine. Burke is also a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management and directs the Johns Hopkins Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute. Before coming to Johns Hopkins, he served as deputy commissioner of health for New Jersey and director of science and research for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. He received his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and his MPH degree from the University of Texas.

KRIEGER SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Jonathan Bagger , vice provost for gradu-

ate and postdoctoral programs and a KriegerEisenhower Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been elected to the board of directors of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute.

Luigi Burzio has been appointed pro-

R E C O R D U N I V E R S I T Y

A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

Laguerre-Brown appointed associate vice provost for institutional equity

L

loyd Minor, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, has announced that Ray Gillian , vice provost for institutional equity, plans to retire in June 2010 and that he will be succeeded in that post by Carolyn Laguerre-Brown , who joined Johns Hopkins four years ago as director for Equity Compliance and Education in the Office of Institutional Equity.

Laguerre-Brown has been appointed associate vice provost for institutional equity and will work with Gillian on

fessor emeritus in the Department of Cognitive Science, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

R i c h a r d A . G o l d t h w a i t e , professor emeritus of history, has been awarded the Renaissance Society of America’s 2009 Paul Oskar Kristeller Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jane Guyer has been appointed to the George Armstrong Kelly Professorship in the Department of Anthropology, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

S t e p h e n G . N i c h o l s has been appointed James M. Beall Professor Emeritus in the Department of German and Romance Languages and Literatures, effective July 1, 2010.

PEABODY INSTITUTE Jazz drummer Nasar Abadey , a member

of the Conservatory faculty, and his group SUPERNOVA have been chosen as citizen diplomats by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln

managing the transition until his retirement, when she will assume the title of vice provost. Since arriving at Johns Hopkins, Minor said, Laguerre-Brown has increased Equity Compliance and Education’s activity, visibility and relevance across the university through training initiatives and enhanced complaint processing. In addition, he said, she has worked collaboratively with human resources executives, deans and the Office of the General Counsel on equal opportunity and diversity-related subject matter.

Center. SUPERNOVA was selected as one of 10 ensembles, out of 35 invited to audition, that will travel to more than 40 countries in 2010 as part of The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad tours.

Rebecca Henr y , who holds the Scott Bendann Chair in Classical Music, gave a master class for string pedagogy students at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music during a November trip to Chicago by students in the Preparatory’s Pre-Conservatory Violin Program.

A 41-movement work for French horn and cello by faculty member Michael Hersch had its premiere performance on Oct. 17 at St. Mark’s Church in Philadelphia. The performance was reviewed in The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Hersch was interviewed on Philadelphia public radio station WRTI. Violinist Per vinca Rista , a graduate performance diploma candidate studying with Victor Danchenko, was named winContinued on next page

Gene therapy, stem cells save limb damaged by low blood flow

By Audrey Huang

Johns Hopkins Medicine

B

lood vessel blockage, a common condition in old age or diabetes, leads to low blood flow and results in low oxygen, which can kill cells and tissues. Such blockages can require amputation of limbs.

Now, using mice as their model, researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed therapies that increase blood flow, improve movement and decrease tissue death and the need for amputation. The findings, published online this month in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, hold promise for developing clinical therapies.

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ia—low oxygen levels—triggers the body to make factors that help coordinate the growth of new blood vessels, but this process doesn’t work as well as we age,” said Gregg Semenza, professor of pediatrics and genetic medicine and director of the Vascular Biology Program at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering. “Now, with the help of gene therapy and stem cells, we can help re-activate the body’s response to hypoxia and save limbs.”

Previously, Semenza’s team generated a virus that carries the gene encoding an active form of the HIF-1 protein, which turns on genes necessary for building new blood vessels. When injected into the hind legs of otherwise healthy mice and rabbits that had been treated to reduce blood flow, the HIF-110:26 virus treatment restored 8/28/08 AM Pagepartially 1 blood flow.

People with diabetes have a 40 times higher risk of losing a limb to amputation, Semenza said. To find out if HIF-1 gene therapy could improve blood flow in a diabetic animal, the team tested the same virus in diabetic and nondiabetic mice that had blood flow cut off to one hind leg. Twentyone days after treatment, the HIF-1 virus– treated mice had 85 percent recovery of blood flow compared with 24 percent in the mock-treated mice. And treated diabetic mice had much less tissue damage compared to the untreated diabetic mice. These results were reported in the Nov. 3 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In the current study, the team asked if the same gene therapy treatment could improve reduced blood flow associated with advanced age. Comparing 13-month-old mice to 3-month-old mice, blocking the femoral artery in the hind leg causes all older mice to lose their legs, while only about a third of younger mice have to lose their legs. The researchers treated young

and old mice with the HIF-1 virus and examined blood flow and tissue health. They found that while treatment improved young mice, it did not make a noticeable difference in the older mice.

But it was known that when HIF-1 normally activates signals in the body to build new vessels, one of the many types of cells recruited to the site of new vessel growth is a population of stem cells from the bone marrow, which are called bone marrow–derived angiogenic cells. So the team isolated these cells from mice and grew them under special conditions that would turn on HIF-1 in these cells.

When the researchers treated the mice with both the HIF-1 virus and simultaneously injected bone marrow–derived angiogenic cells, treated older mice were less likely to lose their legs compared to their untreated counterparts.

Further study of these mice showed that activating HIF-1 in the cells appeared to turn on a number of genes that help these cells not only home to the ischemic limb but stay there once they arrive. To figure out how the cells stay where they’re needed, the research team built a tiny microfluidic chamber and tested the cells’ ability to stay stuck with fluid flowing around them at rates mimicking the flow of blood through vessels in the body. The scientists found that cells under low oxygen conditions were better able to stay stuck only if those same cells had HIF-1 turned on.

“Our results are promising because they show that a combination of gene and cell therapy can improve the outcome in the case of critical limb ischemia associated with aging or diabetes,” Semenza said. “And that’s critical for bringing such treatment to the clinic.”

The diabetes study was funded by the American Diabetes Association and the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineer-

ing. Authors on the paper are Kakali Sarkar, Karen Fox-Talbot, Charles Steenbergen, Marta Bosch-Marce and Semenza, all of Johns Hopkins.

The aging study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Gene Therapy Resource Program of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the Chilean Ministry of Planning and the Department of Nephrology of the School of Medicine at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile.

Authors on the paper are Sergio Rey, KangAe Lee, Joanne Wang, Kshitiz Gupta, Shaoping Chen, Alexandra McMillan, Nupura Bhise, Andre Levchenko and Semenza, all of Johns Hopkins.

Related Web sites Gregg Semenza:

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/ geneticmedicine/People/Faculty/ semenza.html

Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering:

www.hopkins-ice.org

https://jshare.johnshopkins.edu/ alevche1/web

https://jshare.johnshopkins.edu/ alevche1/web/research-tech .html#Design

www.pnas.org

Andre Levchenko:

Microfluidic device design at Johns Hopkins:

‘The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’:

December 14, 2009 • THE GAZETTE

Cheers Continued from preceding page ner of the 2009 Performing Arts Award in Instrumental Performance. The award was given by the Golden Key International Honors Society, a college organization that admits only the top 10 percent of students from universities across the country.

Sophomores Rowan McGirr and Elizabeth Yang , violin; Santiago Osorio , viola; Emily Smith , violoncello; and Sheri Zweier , clarinet, performed at a reception honoring Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s appointment to the Supreme Court. At the event, which was held on Oct. 15 at the National Education Association in Washington, D.C., the students played the Mozart and Brahms clarinet quintets and string quartets by Haydn, Mozart and Dvorak.

SAIS Michael G. Plummer , Eni Professor of

International Economics, will in January become head of the Development Division in the Trade and Agriculture Directorate of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris. He will be leading a team of researchers focusing on trade and development issues, mostly for nonmember countries. He will continue to teach his Asian Economic Development course, on a biweekly basis, at the Bologna Center.

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Michael Bender has been appointed pro-

fessor emeritus in special education in the Department of Special Education, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

M a r g a r i t a E . C a l d e r o n has been appointed professor emerita of education and educational research, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Kathleen C. Barnes has been promoted

to professor of medicine.

Peter Burger , professor of pathology, neurological surgery and oncology, received an Award for Meritorious Contributions to

Milestones The following staff members recently retired or celebrated an anniversary with the university in December 2009. The information is compiled by the Office of Faculty, Staff and Retiree Programs, 443-997-6060.

ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL CENTERS

10 years of service B a i l e y , Maryanne, Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute W a l t e r , Robert, Sr., CTY 5 years of service O l m o s , Dinorah, CTY BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Neuropathology from the American Association of Neuropathologists during the organization’s annual meeting, held in June in San Antonio.

Elliot Fishman , professor of radiology and oncology and director of Diagnostic Imaging and Body CT, has received the 2009 Outstanding Educator Award from the Radiological Society of North America. Over the past two decades, Fishman has coordinated more than 100 continuing medical education courses for Johns Hopkins, reaching thousands of radiologists, and he developed one of the largest Web sites in medical imaging and the largest in CT, known as www.CTisus.com. Each month, nearly 50,000 medical professionals from more than 100 countries use the site.

Susan L. Furth has been promoted to professor of pediatrics.

Samuel Galvagno Jr. , assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, has received the Teacher of the Year Award for the fellowship in multidisciplinary critical care. The honor, administered by the fellowship directors in the departments of Surgery and Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, recognized Galvagno’s contribution to medical student and resident education while serving as a fellow in the surgical critical care units from 2008 until this year.

G r o v e r H u t c h i n s , professor and interim director of the Division of Cardiovascular Pathology, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the College of American Pathology in recognition of his years of distinguished service to the college’s Autopsy Committee and Forensic Pathology Committee.

Vassilis E. Koliatsos has been promoted to professor of pathology and neurology.

Christoph Lehmann , associate professor of pediatrics and health sciences informatics and director of Clinical Information Technology, has been elected secretary of the board of trustees of the American Medical Informatics Association. The 4,000member organization also gave Lehmann its 2009 Leadership Award for his work on behalf of its mentorship program.

Anthony Kalloo , professor of medicine

KRIEGER SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

20 years of service F l i e g e l , Constance, Physics and Astronomy 10 years of service G h a r a v i , Kirsty, Advanced Academic Programs 5 years of service H w a n g , Una, Physics and Astronomy N e w c o m e r , Joseph, Advanced Academic Programs PEABODY INSTITUTE

15 years of service M u l l e n , Allen, Plant Operations 10 years of service K u h n , Susan, Human Resources K o s a c h e v i c h , Yuriy, Concert Operation M a d o r s k y , Victor, Concert Operation

25 years of service M e r r i t t , Alice, Center for Communication Programs

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

15 years of service D u n n e , Helen M., Human Resources W a l l e r , Shirlene, Graduate Education and Research

30 years of service G a r n e r , Ivy, Welch Medical Library M e r r e l l , Martha, Oncology

10 years of service R u b i n , Jay, Epidemiology 5 years of service K a r k l i n s , Sabrina, Population, Family and Reproductive Health K i z i t o , Christopher, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology P a r k e r , Karen, Custodial Services Tu c k e r , Margaret, Population, Family and Reproductive Health

35 years of service D i P a u l a , Anthony, Jr., Cardiology

25 years of service P i n d e l l , Sheila, Billing 20 years of service C r a i g , Maureen, Dermatology G l a b , Cheryll, Fund for Johns Hopkins

Medicine J o n e s , Gloria, Infectious Diseases P u y e a r , B.J., Ophthalmology S u m m e r v i l l e , Joseph, Facilities Maintenance and Operations Z e l l e r , Wesla, Infectious Diseases

and director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, has received the Excellence in Medicine Award from the Institute of Caribbean Studies. Kalloo, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, received the honor at the institute’s 16th annual Caribbean American Heritage Awards ceremony.

Lloyd B. Minor , university provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, has been appointed University Distinguished Service Professor of Otolarygology–Head and Neck Surgery, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

Roger Reeves , professor of physiology, has received a $450,000 research grant from the Down Syndrome Research and Treatment Foundation that will enable establishment of a Down Syndrome “Virtual” Center for Basic and Translational Studies and initiation of a Down Syndrome Cognition Project and Network. Since 2007, Reeves has received more than $860,000 in funding from the foundation for his work in studying two novel potential therapies to improve the cognitive function of Down syndrome patients.

Akira Sawa has been promoted to professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences with a secondary promotion in the Department of Neuroscience.

The sixth annual Stanley L. Blumenthal, M.D., Cardiology Research Awards for the top American Heart Association–accepted abstracts by postdoctoral fellows went to Dou “Alvin” Zhang , for basic science; Chiadi Ndumele , for clinical science; and Valeriani Bead , for translational science.

Roger Blumenthal, professor of medicine, and his mother, Anita, created the awards to honor his late father’s contributions to Johns Hopkins.

SCHOOL OF NURSING Martha N. Hill , dean, was recognized as

a Pillar of Cardiovascular Nursing Science at the 2009 American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular Nursing Dinner, held Nov. 17 in Orlando, Fla. Selection criteria for this honor were based on scientific or clinical advancement in cardiovascular nursing and the impact of that advancement on clinical practice, patient outcomes and/ or costs of care. Hill’s research has focused

15 years of service H i l l , Pamela, Medicine, Rheumatology K o , Chiew, Pathology W a i n w r i g h t , Lisa, Biomedical Engineering W i l s o n , Margaret, Pediatrics 10 years of service A n d e r s o n , Lois, Pathology B i t t l e , Mark, Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center C o o k , Nicole, Ophthalmology E n g l e s , James, Radiology G r e e n , Rodney, JHOC M e y e r , Lois, Pulmonary N o o n a n , Kimberly, Oncology R a d a , Mary, Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology Va l e n t i , Laurel, Institute for Clinical Translational Research Va u g h n , Kimberly, Geriatrics W i l l a r d , Nancy, Pediatrics 5 years of service A i k i n s - A f f u l , Eunice, Neurology C a l v i , Carla, Pulmonary C a r d a m o n e , Holly, Genetic Resources Core Facility C o n n o r , Lamont, Infectious Diseases D u l l n i g , Margaret, Registrar G e n g , Yixun, Neurology G r a h a m , Michael, Ophthalmology H e s s , Sally, Psychiatry H e y l , Danielle, Pathology K a l m a r , Akos, Anesthesiology L a w s , Katrinia, Dermatology L e v i n e , Jordana, Infectious Diseases N e l s o n , Enjoli, Geriatric Medicine P l i t t , Mary, Research Animal Resources P o l s a n i , Aditya, Biomedical Engineering R e y n o l d s - S t o k e s , Judith, Infectious Diseases

13

on minority populations, particularly black South Africans and African-Americans, who are at high risk for developing cardiovascular problems. Hill partnered with other health care professionals to develop risk factor prevention and management for hypertension.

Today, her community-based intervention and prevention treatment of hypertension is recognized around the world.

Julie Stanik-Hutt , associate professor in Acute and Chronic Care, has been appointed director of the Master of Science in Nursing program.

N i c o l e Wa r r e n , assistant professor in the Department of Community Public Health, earned the Maryland Higher Education Commission’s New Nursing Faculty Fellowship of $20,000 over three years. Warren, a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali from 1994 to 1996, joined Johns Hopkins this semester after two years at Chicago’s Loyola University School of Nursing. Her research interests include maternal mortality in Mali and the work environment of front-line health workers such as matrones, auxiliary midwives who provide most of the country’s reproductive health services. She also is interested in exploring the reproductive health needs of African immigrant women who have been affected by female genital cutting and now receive care in the West. She said she will use the fellowship to work on a pilot study in Baltimore to explore the childbearing experiences of Somalia-born couples.

WHITING SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Konstantinos Konstantopoulos,

professor and chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been elected a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. As a fellow, he joins the top 2 percent of the medical and biological engineering community. He was selected by his peers for this honor in recognition of “his seminal bioengineering research contributions involving a mechanistic understanding of the fluid shear effects on cancer metastasis and discovery of novel selectin ligands.”

Denis Wirtz of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has been appointed to the Theophilus Halley Smoot Professorship in Engineering.

Rogers,

Harvey, Facilities Support Services S h a f f e r , Joseph, IT W a l l s , Katherine, Geriatric Medicine W a r d , Trina, Otolaryngology W a t k i n s , Sonia, Cardiology Ya n g , Wanjun, Biomedical Engineering Yo c u m , Jennifer, Anesthesiology Z e g l i n , Debra, Emergency Medicine Clinical Programs SHERIDAN LIBRARIES/ JHU MUSEUMS

15 years of service H i n t o n , Annette, Homewood Museum UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION

30 years of service M c G i l l , Donald, Campus and Community Patrol 15 years of service Shirley, Financial Research Compliance Stewart,

10 years of service C a i o l a , Nancy, Jhpiego C a r d w e l l , Laura, Financial Research Compliance G e l d m a c h e r , Robert, Telecommunications S a t t e r f i e l d , David, Accounts Receivable Shared Services S c h r e i b e r , Theresa, IT 5 years of service B i s h o p , Deidra, Community Affairs C o l e , Frank, Custodial Services M c N a i r , Craig, Central Receiving M i t c h e l l , Robert, Homewood Support

Services Tu r n i n g , Melissa, Annual Giving

14 THE GAZETTE • December 14, 2009

Former RAND Corp. chair to give Leaders & Legends talk

By Andrew Blumberg

shortages, skill gaps and older workers. The Workforce Quality Commission, the first Carey Business School blue-ribbon commission to address workforce

competitiveness issues in a global economy, ormer chair of the RAND Corp. board was established under her direction. of trustees and past U.S. Secretary of She previously served as undersecretary Labor Ann McLaughlin Korologos will of the Department of the Interior, providing speak on the topic of business practices and the day-to-day management of that 71,000ethics at this month’s installment of the person department, and as an assistant secJohns Hopkins Carey Business retary of Treasury, where she School’s Leaders & Legends lecearned the department’s highture series. The event will be est honor, the Alexander Hamheld from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on ilton Award for distinguished Tuesday, Dec. 15, at the Legg leadership.

Mason Tower in Harbor East.

Korologos currently serves on Korologos, whose remarks are the boards of AMR Corp. (and titled “Business, Heal Thyself: its subsidiary, American AirThe Role of Corporate Goverlines), Harman International nance in 21st-Century OrgaIndustries, Kellogg, Host Hotels nizations,” served from 2004 & Resorts, Vulcan Materials to 2009 on the board of the Co., the Dana Foundation and nonprofit institution that helps Ann Korologos the Ronald Reagan Presidenimprove policy and decision tial Foundation. making through research and analysis. Pre A graduate of Marymount College, viously, she was chairman of the Aspen Korologos also studied at the University of Institute, an international nonprofit educaLondon and the Wharton School of the tional institution, and is currently a member University of Pennsylvania. of its board.

The Leaders & Legends monthly break From 1990 until 1995, Korologos served fast series, which features today’s most influas president of the Federal City Council in ential business and public policy leaders, is Washington, D.C., a nonprofit, nonpartisan designed to engage business and community group of 150 business and civic leaders dediprofessionals in an examination of the most cated to improving the nation’s capital. compelling issues and challenges facing soci Korologos served from 1987 to 1989 as the ety today. nation’s 19th secretary of labor, focusing on Admission to the lecture, which identifying, publicizing and addressing emergincludes breakfast, is $35. To register, and ing demographic changes and resulting laborfor more information, go to carey.jhu.edu/ related issues, such as dependent care, worker leadersandlegends.

F

Hyder is SPH lead on $125 mill Global Road Safety Program

By Tim Parsons

School of Public Health

T

he Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s International Injury Research Unit and Center for Injury Research and Policy announced recently that Adnan A. Hyder, associate professor in the school’s Department of International Health and director of the IIRU, will lead the school’s effort on Michael Bloomberg’s $125 million Global Road Safety Program. The IIRU will join forces with five partner organizations, including the World Health Organization, to implement and coordinate activities with local governmental and nongovernmental organizations in 10 countries to avert injuries and fatalities caused by road traffic crashes.

“This is an excellent opportunity and a superb group of partners to develop and implement strategies for reducing the extraordinary number of preventable traffic-related injuries and fatalities worldwide,” Hyder said.

The new gift is the largest single donation for international road safety to date. All the resources for the five-year program are dedicated outside the United States and will be focused on 10 low- and middle-income countries that have a high burden of road traffic injuries and fatalities, representing almost half (48 percent) of traffic deaths globally.

Robert E. Black, professor and chair of International Health, said he welcomes the opportunity for his department to advance the research on such a burgeoning public

health problem. “Dr. Hyder and his team have already made great contributions to this field with very limited resources,” Black said.

“The Bloomberg Global Road Safety Program is exactly what’s needed to energize the public health community about a problem that unduly affects developing countries.”

Michael J. Klag, dean of the school, said he appreciated the significance of Bloomberg’s investment. “The Bloomberg Global Road Safety Program highlights the toll of over a million preventable global deaths from road traffic injuries, and signifies outstanding leadership in global health philanthropy that has maximum impact,” he said.

Andrea Gielen, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy, where Hyder is also a core faculty member, added, “We are delighted at this significant investment in global road safety and believe that the entire field of injury prevention and control will benefit from this program.”

Hyder will lead a team from IIRU that will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the activities of the Bloomberg Global Road Safety Program, focusing on health, economic and social measures in the 10 priority countries. The team will also develop and conduct a training program in road traffic injury prevention for public health professionals in these countries.

The other partner organizations in the effort, in addition to WHO, are EMBARQ (World Resources Institute), the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility, the Global Road Safety Partnership and the Association for Safe International Road Travel.

Snow day?

The fastest and most accurate source for Johns Hopkins snow closings and other weather emergency information at the university is the weather emergency phone line. Call 410-516-7781 or, from areas where Baltimore is a longdistance call, 800-548-9004. The same information is also posted online at:

webapps.jhu.edu/emergencynotices

B U L L E T I N

Notices English as a Second Language — Registration is now open for the Krieger School’s English as a Second Language spring program.

Evening classes in Oral Communication at the intermediate and advanced levels and in Academic and Professional Writing at the intermediate level will run from Jan. 25 to April 30 at the Homewood campus. Classes are open to students and professionals within Johns Hopkins and the Baltimore community.

For Hopkins employees, tuition remission may apply. For course descriptions and placement information, go to www.ltc.jhu.edu, e-mail esl@jhu.edu or call 410-516-5431.

Intersession Courses — Registration has begun for the Intersession 2010 Personal

B O A R D

Enrichment courses, which are open to faculty and staff and their families as well as students. Register online or in the Student Life Office, 102 Levering Hall, through Dec. 18. For specific registration information and course descriptions, go to www.jhu .edu/intersession or call 410-516-8209.

Peabody Spring Semester Classes —

Peabody Preparatory Adult and Continuing Education is offering several classes for the spring semester, Jan. 25 through May 22.

Courses, which vary in length from eight to 16 weeks, include Ballroom Dancing (levels 1 and 2), Computer Music: ProTools 101, Tai-Chi Chuan, World Music Survey, and Beginner Cello and Cello Ensemble for Adults.

For more information, e-mail prep@ peabody.jhu.edu or go to www.peabody.jhu .edu/3430.

P O S T I N G S

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41384 41564 41584 41630 41663 41749 41790 41836 42035 42037 41238 41260 41340

41343

Assistant Program Manager, CTY Sr. Systems Engineer Executive Assistant Instructional Designer IT Project Manager Law Clerk Development Data Assistant Development Coordinator Information Technology Auditor Internal Auditor LAN Administrator Campus Police Sergeant Campus Police Lieutenant, Investigative Services IT Manager

Schools of Public H e a l t h a n d N u r s i n g Office of Human Resources: 2021 East Monument St., 410-955-3006 JOB#

POSITION

41848 41562 41151 42060 41989 41473 41388 40586

40189 40889 41398 41841 42043 42028 40927 41380 41197

Sr. Administrative Coordinator IT Service Coordinator Research Assistant Budget Analyst Budget Specialist Program Specialist Program Officer Project Director, Research 2 Prevention Laboratory Assistant Program Coordinator Research Data Analyst Research Assistant Research Program Assistant Sr. Academic Program Coordinator E-Learning Coordinator, PEPFAR Strategic Project Coordinator Sr. Program Officer II/Team Lead

School of Medicine

Office of Human Resources: 98 N. Broadway, 3rd floor, 410-955-2990 JOB#

POSITION

38035 35677 30501 22150 38064 37442 37260

Assistant Administrator Sr. Financial Analyst Nurse Midwife Physician Assistant Administrative Specialist Sr. Administrative Coordinator Sr. Administrative Coordinator

41467 41521 41676 41695 42088 41161 41453 41503 41585 41782 41881 41965 41980 42019 42072 42129 41856 41900 41921 42021 42103

Instrument Shop Supervisor Research Technologist Campus Police Officer Sr. Laboratory Coordinator Development Officer Sr. Technical Support Analyst Academic Adviser Director, Multicultural Affairs Financial Manager Recreational Facilities Supervisor Academic Program Manager Accounting Specialist Sr. Research Assistant Associate Director, Financial Aid Testing and Evaluation Coordinator Financial Aid Administrator Electrical Shop Supervisor Research Technologist Fulfillment Operations Manager Locksmith Sr. Energy Services Engineer

42011 40912 41561 39308 41265 39306 39296 41414 41785 41724 40770 40758 41692 38840 41877 41945 41652 38886 41387

41463

40769 39063 41451

Program Specialist Clinic Assistant Sr. Sponsored Project Analyst Software Engineer Fogarty Program Coordinator Programmer Analyst Data Assistant Research Technologist Sr. Program Officer Program Coordinator Sharepoint Developer Physician Assistant Research Program Assistant Communications Specialist Health Educator Budget Specialist Development Coordinator Research Assistant Deputy Project Director, Advance Family Planning Research and Evaluation Officer Software Engineer Research Assistant Multimedia Systems Specialist

38008 36886 37890 37901

Sponsored Project Specialist Program Administrator Sr. Research Program Coordinator Casting Technician

This is a partial listing of jobs currently available. A complete list with descriptions can be found on the Web at jobs.jhu.edu.

December 14, 2009 • THE GAZETTE

Classifieds APARTMENTS/HOUSES FOR RENT

Bayview, 3BR, 2BA house, W/D, CAC, fin’d bsmt, sec dep and refs req’d. 410-905-5511.

Bayview, 2BR apt, 1st flr and bsmt, no pets; rent + utils + sec dep. Valek, 443-570-1156.

Brewers Hill/Canton, rehabbed 3BR, 2.5BA house, avail Jan 1, call for info/pics. $1,800/ mo. 443-921-6238.

Butchers Hill, 2BR, 2.5BA TH, hdwd flrs, W/D, CAC, rear yd, off-street prkng, steps to medical campus, avail Jan 1. $1,200/mo + utils. 443-838-5575.

Charles Village, 2BR, 2BA corner condo w/ balcony, 24-hr front desk, clean, 1,200 sq ft, CAC/heat, nr JHMI shuttle, all utils incl’d.

410-466-1698.

Charles Village (University One), bright, spacious 1BR, 1BA condo, CAC/heat, also avail for purchase. $1,200/mo + sec dep.

540-785-8231 or tom333@comcast.net.

Cross Keys Village, 1BR w/hdwd flrs, CAC/ heat, free prkng, 24-hr security, swimming pool. $900/mo + utils (water incl’d). 646284-2279 or tamrirev@yahoo.com.

Fells Point, fully furn’d apt w/lots of windows, double sink, center island, W/D, dw, tons of storage space, sm BR w/new crpt and laundry rm, full BA. $1,000/mo incl utils + sec dep. 410-802-9918.

Fells Point (Aliceanna and Broadway), 2BR, 2BA apt w/top-of-the-line appliances, granite countertops, 2 blks to water, bike to Hopkins. $1,595/mo. 805-338-2277.

Fells Point (Fleet and Wolfe), restored 3BR, 2.5BA RH, W/D. $1,800/mo + utils + sec dep. 443-629-2264 or aynur.unalp@gmail .com.

Gunpowder Falls Bike Trail, apts in registered historic carriage house, pref faculty/ grad students. $1,300/mo (3BR, 2BA) or $1,200/mo (2BR, 1.5BA). 410-472-4241.

Hampden (41st St), 3BR apt w/new BA, new paint, living rm, dining rm, kitchen, pantry, dw, W/D, garage. $1,275/mo incl utils. 410-338-4455.

Hampden, 3BR, 2BA TH, dw, W/D, fenced yd, nr light rail. $1,100/mo + utils. 410378-2393.

Homewood (295 W 31st St), 2BR TH, W/D, gas heat, deck, fenced, no smoking/no dogs, avail Jan 1. $1,000/mo. Val Alexander, 888-386-3233 (toll free) or yankybrit@ hotmail.com.

Homewood (33rd and Guilford), sublet/ rent charming 1BR in beautiful 2BR apt nr Homewood campus, fully furn’d, 1BA, full kitchen, living rm, W/D, avail Jan 1, pref students, refs req’d. $525/mo + utils. 617512-6665.

919 S. Potomac St. $215,000 - Walk to Canton Sq.!

Extra-wide brick THS w/open floor plan, wood floors, exposed brick, recessed & track lighting. LG., updated kitchen w/SS appl. 2nd BD/den is walk-thru to MBR w/loft area. Rear, fenced patio.

Long & Foster - Alex Smith 410-847-3883, EHO

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS FOR JHH EMPLOYEES!

QUEST DENTAL KATHERINE GRANT COLLIER, DDS A full-service practice for all your dental health needs.

We provide the best quality dental care with a comprehensive range of services, including: COSMETIC • RESTORATIVE • PREVENTIVE • SURGICAL ROOT CANALS • CROWNS • BRIDGES DENTURES • INVISALIGN To schedule an appointment, call us at

(410)502-8565 or (410)502-8566 or stop in to see us at 1000 East Eager Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

15

M A R K E T P L A C E

Homewood/Guilford, 1BR high-rise condo nr JHU/, rent incl doorman/security, pool and prkng. anthony8066@gmail.com.

Mt Washington, sublet clean 2BR apt in gated community, w/2 adorable cats, W/D, fitness center, nr Mt Washington campus/JHMI shuttle/light rail, avail Jan-Feb 2010. $750/mo + utils (reduced for cat care). 410-764-3494.

Mt Washington, 2BR, 2BA apt + lg loft, W/D, dw, fp, hdwd flrs, balcony, garage, elevator, serene area. $1,400/mo. 301-525-4505.

Mt Washington, 3BR, 2.5BA duplex, 2,700 sq ft, hdwd flrs, stainless steel appls, fp, jacuzzi, W/D, dw, CAC, deck, garage. $1,950/mo incl utils. 410-367-4441.

Park City, Utah, 1BR studio at Marriott Mountainside, ski-in/ski-out, Jan 31-Feb 7. $500. Ginny, 410-458-2878 or g_deise@ yahoo.com.

Rodgers Forge, 3BR, 2BA TH, W/D, CAC, fin’d bsmt, family-friendly neighborhood, great Baltimore County schools. $1,600/mo. dickgeorge@comcast.net.

Office space, 800 sq ft, 2 interior offices, lg central space, storage, bath, kitchenette; extra storage, Web cams, wireless avail; nr Hunt Valley, Owings Mills and 795. $700/ mo. 443-471-6161.

Roommate needed for huge 2BR, 3-level house, walk to Federal Hill/UMAB/shuttle to JHU, nice, fenced yd w/patio. $650/mo.

410-499-9179 (after 5pm).

Share 2BR Fells Point apt, no pets/no smokers. $500/mo incl all utils, Internet and W/D. kellyblueyoga@gmail.com.

F JHU prof’l wanted for 1BR in 2BR, 2BA apt in Mt Washington (6318 Greenspring Ave). $432/mo + 1/2 utils. 410-419-1691 or hopkinscgs@gmail.com.

Share Bonnie Ridge apt w/JHU grad students, own BR/BA, furn’d common rms, W/D, CAC, w/w crpt, balcony. $485/mo + 1/3 utils. 443-854-2303.

CARS FOR SALE

’98 Volvo S70, sunroof, leather interior, power everything, new tires, recent tuneup, excel cond, 80K mi. $6,000/best offer.

410-366-8507. ’99 Honda Civic CX, 2-dr hatchback, silver, 1 owner, 117K mi. $4,000. cnmuhoro@ hotmail.com. ’00 Alero GLS coupe w/sunroof, rear spoiler, in good cond, 93.5K mi; contact for pics. $4,490. xxniz8xx@hotmail.com. ’97 Olds Cutlass Supreme, V6, new tint job, CD player, power seats/windows, new brakes and tires, excel cond, 100K mi. $2,250. Pat, 410-598-0308.

6136 Parkway Drive, 1BR, 1BA apt w/living rm, updated kitchen (new refrigerator, gas stove, microwave, garbage disposal), extra storage, W/D. $750/mo + utils + sec dep.

Joe, 410-746-1126.

ITEMS FOR SALE

Furn’d rm, short walk to any JHMI bldg, W/D in unit, free assigned prkng and Internet, shuttle to other campuses. happyhut4u@ yahoo.com.

Computer desk w/glass top, $50; living rm table set w/glass top, cherry wood, $400; sofa set (couch and loveseat), cloth, $400; all in good cond, best offers accepted. 845591-0939 or parsha76@gmail.com.

HOUSES FOR SALE

Bayview (Bonsal St), 2BR, 1.5BA house, hdwd flrs, new kitchen, great location opposite shuttle, off-street prkng. $155,000. 410982-3476 or fishieman@hotmail.com.

Vintage Scan entertainment cabinet, 62" x 69", drawers, lower doors, drop-down desk, TV hole 29"W x22.25"H, heavy, in good cond. $75/best offer. 410-444-1273.

Apple iMac, 17", 2.0 GHz, 4MB cache, 160GB, Intel Core Duo, 667 MHz, Snow Leopard, Microsoft Office 2004, Drive Genius, some games, excel cond. $600 (cash). tiger3411@gmail.com.

Mt Vernon, huge 3BR beaux arts apt, very elegant, light, quiet, opposite JHU shuttle stop, overlooks square. $549,000. 410-234-2641.

Kitchen cart, white, 23" x 27.5" x 36", butcher block top, 2 doors and drawer, unassembled; e-mail for photo. $200/best offer. zakk4d@gmail.com.

Patterson Park, renov’d 3BR, 2BA facing park, 1 mi to JHMI. $279,000 (new price). Saundra, 410-675-4817 or skj2428@yahoo.com.

Baby boy clothes, 6-9 mos, shirts, pants, onesies ($3.50/ea) and jackets ($4/ea). 410866-2348.

McClaren infant rocker w/canopy, navy blue, barely used. $20. 410-377-7354.

ROOMMATES WANTED

Share 2BR, 2BA apt at 222 E Saratoga St w/F grad student and dog, W/D, prkng, garage, 4 blks to JHH shuttle. $750/mo + 1/2 utils. kamcdowe@gmail.com.

F wanted for furn’d, 700 sq ft BR in 3BR Gardenville house, built-in shelves, modern kitchen, granite counters, deck, landscaped yd, sign 1-yr contract, get 1 month free. $550/mo + utils. aprede1@yahoo.com.

F nonsmoker wanted to share furn’d 2BR apt nr campus, all new appls, W/D, CAC, sec sys, 15-min walk to JHU, cat-friendly, Japanese is spoken. $650/mo + utils (incl Internet). 410-435-4747.

Red wok w/plug and rack, $5; toddler skateboard, very good cond, $5; Cybex lat pulldown, commercial, 250lb weight stack, you haul. $500. 410-877-3270 or beansavonmom @hotmail.com.

Inkjet printer, brand new, unopened box, $50/best offer; Canon-PIXMA MP490 allin-one multifunction (print, flat bed scan, etc). 410-235-6863.

Red Cross pins from Europe, 20 different. $39. 443-517-9029 or rgpinman@aol.com.

Pair of exterior French doors, new, white, 8 ft x 3 ft, made of Auralast wood, 15 double E-glass panels, double locks. $750/both.

443-768-4751.

Share new, refurbished TH (924 N Broadway) w/other medical students, 4BRs, 2 full BAs, CAC, W/D, dw, w/w crpt, 1-min walk to JHMI. gretrieval@aol.com.

Share Mt Washington condo, separate BR and BA, must like sm pets. $600/mo incl utils. 443-801-4543 or 410-484-3711.

Johns Hopkins / Hampden WYMAN COURT APTS. (BEECH AVE.) Effic from $570, 1 BD Apt. from $675, 2 BD from $775 HICKORY HEIGHTS APTS. (HICKORY AVE.) 2 BD units from $750 Shown by Appointment 410-764-7776

www.brooksmanagementcompany.com

Christian Dior Norwegian blue fox fur coat, medium size, full-length, great holiday gift. $1,200. 443-824-2198.

Conn alto saxophone, mint condition. $650/best offer. 410-488-1886.

Dressing table w/shelves, printer, computer, chair, microwave, 3-step ladder, reciprocating saw, tripods, digital piano. 410-4555858 or iricse.its@verizon.net.

SERVICES/ITEMS OFFERED OR WANTED

Child care needed for funny, imaginative 5-yr-old, pick up from kindergarten, 3-6pm, must own car, have license, auto insurance, flawless driving rec, high levels of responsibility and integrity, experience req’d, pref candidate to continue into the summer. nriess@hotmail.com.

Studio or 1BR apt wanted for January 2010, furn’d or unfurn’d, must be safe area, nr Carey-JHU DC campus, Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, Columbia Hts. 561-627-0550.

Visiting professor seeking a 1BR, small-dogfriendly sublet for month of January (until start of spring semester), greater Charles Village area. jeremy@emanonequities.com.

Karaoke avail for special events, birthdays, children’s parties a specialty; reasonable rates. Angie, 410-440-3488.

Interested in piano lessons? Experienced instructor w/master’s in piano performance at Peabody. $30/35 mins or $40 for 55 mins.

425-890-1327 (for free lesson).

Experienced tutor avail, math, reading, writing, public speaking, SAT/ACT/GRE, languages; also babysitting in the Mt Vernon area, experience w/kids ages 5 mos to 17 yrs, refs upon request. 314-402-5672 or elizabethcmerrill@gmail.com.

Wanted to rent: warehouse/office space for sm, family-owned business, approx 600 sq ft. Jack, 443-691-1663 or jacknmollie@ comcast.net.

Power washing, no job too small; free estimate. Donnie, 443-683-7049.

Licensed landscaper available for leaf and snow removal, trash hauling, Taylor Landscaping LLC. 410-812-6090 or romilacapers @comcast.net.

Friday Night Swing Dance Club, open to public, no partners necessary. 410-583-7337 or www.fridaynightswing.com.

I can help with your JHU retirement plan investments portfolio! Free, confidential consultations. 410-435-5939 or treilly1@ aol.com.

Affordable landscaper/certified horticulturist avail to maintain existing gardens, also planting, designing, masonry; free consultations. 410-683-7373 or grogan.family@ hotmail.com.

LCSW-C providing psychotherapy, JHUaffiliated, experience w/treating depression, anxiety, sexual orientation and gender identity concerns, couples. 410-235-9200 (voicemail #6) or shane.grant.lcswc@gmail .com.

Interior/exterior painting, home/deck power washing, leaf removal, bush trimming, Xmas lights installed, general maintenance, licensed, insured, free estimates, affordable.

410-335-1284 or randy6506vfw@yahoo.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 410-343-3362.

16 THE GAZETTE • December 14, 2009 D E C .

1 4

–

J A N .

Calendar B L OO D D R I V E

L E C TURE S

Tues., Dec. 29, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. JHU Blood Drive on the

Tues., Dec. 15, 7:30 a.m. Leaders & Legends Lecture—“Business, Heal Thyself: The Role of Corporate Governance in 21st-Century Organizations” by Ann McLaughlin Korologos, former chair of the RAND Corp. board. (See story, p.

14.) 4th floor, Legg Mason Tower, Harbor East.

East Baltimore campus. Schedule an appointment at http://hr.jhu .edu/fsrp/outreach/blooddrive, by e-mail to johnshopkinsblooddrive @jhmi.edu or call 410-735-4963.

Turner Concourse. EB D I S C U S S I O N S / TA L K S Mon.,

Dec.

14,

9:30

a.m.

“Energy Information Agency’s (EIA) Updated Energy Forecast to 2035,” a SAIS Global Energy and Environment Initiative discussion with Richard Newell, EIA administrator, U.S. Department of Energy. Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Building. SAIS “What Is at Stake for the U.S. in Afghanistan?” a SAIS Central Asia-Caucasus Institute discussion with Zalmay Khalilzad, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

(See “In Brief,” p. 2.) Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Building. SAIS Tues., Dec. 15, 5 p.m.

G RA N D ROU N D S

“From the Front: Adventures in Health Care Information TechnologyEnhanced Clinical Errors,” Health Sciences Informatics grand rounds with Ross Koppel, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Co-sponsored by SoM and SPH. W1214 SPH (Sheldon Hall). EB

Fri., Dec. 18, 12:15 p.m.

4

with Xingde Li, SoM. 709 Traylor.

EB (Videoteleconferenced to 110 Clark. HW) “A Longitudinal Study to Assess the Presence of Manganese in Blood and Exhaled Breath Condensate Following Acute Inhalation Exposure to Welding Fumes,” an Environmental Health Sciences thesis defense seminar with Julie Richman. W2015 SPH. EB

Mon., Dec. 14, 2 p.m.

MUSIC

Tues.,

The Peabody Improvisation and Multimedia Ensemble. $15 general admission, $10 for senior citizens and $5 for students with ID. East Hall. Peabody

“Genomewide Translational Profiling by Ribosome Footprinting,” a Carnegie Institution Embryology seminar with Nicholas Ingolia, University of California, San Francisco. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW

Tues., Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m.

S E M I N AR S Mon., Dec. 14, noon. “Discovery and Development of Checkpoint Kinase Inhibitors,” a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology seminar with Sonya Zabludoff, AstraZeneca R&D Boston.

W1020 SPH. EB Mon.,

Dec.

14,

12:15

p.m.

“Identifying the Neural Substratus of a Developmentally Critical Behavior in Drosophila,” a Carnegie Institution Embryology seminar with Benjamin White, NIMH. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW Mon.,

Dec.

14,

1:30

p.m.

“Toward Real-Time Visualization of Histology in situ Using Noninvasive Optical Biopsy,” a Biomedical Engineering seminar

.

Dec.

15,

12:15

p.m.

Wed., Dec. 16, noon. “Mental Health and HIV: A Global Perspective,” a Mental Health seminar with Pamela Collins, NIMH. B14B Hampton House. EB Wed., Dec. 16, 4 p.m. “Isoprenoids: Biosynthesis and Biomedical Applications,” a Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences seminar with Pinghua Liu, Boston University.

West Lecture Hall, WBSB. EB

“NLR: A New Innate Immune Gene Family,” a Molecular Microbiology and Immunology/Infectious Diseases seminar with Jenny Ting, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. W1020 SPH. EB

Thurs., Dec. 17, noon.

“Translational Studies of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Antagonists for the Treatment of Pain,” a Neu-

Thurs., Dec. 17, 1 p.m.

roscience research seminar with Robert Gereau, Washington University School of Medicine. West Lecture Hall, WBSB. EB

egie Institution Embryology seminar with Florian Engert, Harvard University. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW

Thurs., Dec. 17, 4 p.m. “Temperature-Gated TRPV Ion Channels Broaden Their Repertoire,” a Biology seminar with Michael Caterina, SoM. 100 Mudd. HW

Tues., Dec. 22, 1 p.m.

Fri., Dec. 18, noon. “In vitro Methods for Characterizing Interactions Between Selected Nanomaterials and Cells,” an Environmental Health Sciences thesis defense seminar with Katherine Clark. W4019 SPH. EB

“Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure, Sex Steroid Hormone, Gene Variantes and Prostate Cancer,” an Epidemiology thesis defense seminar with Carol Christensen. W3030 SPH. Fri., Dec. 18, noon.

EB

“Epigenetic Reprogramming During Plant Reproduction,” a Carnegie Institution Embryology seminar with Mary Gehring, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW

Fri., Dec. 18, 12:15 p.m.

Fri., Dec. 18, 2:30 p.m. “Insights Into Mammalian Sperm-Egg Adhesion and Fusion From Studies of Knockout Mouse Models of Male Infertility,” a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology thesis defense seminar with Matthew Marcello.

W1214 SPH (Sheldon Hall). EB

“Change Over Time in the Number of Cigarettes Smoked per Day in the U.S. and Its Relation to Individual Characteristics and Tobacco Control Measures,” an Epidemiology thesis defense seminar with Raydel Valdes Salgado. W1214 SPH (Sheldon Hall). EB Mon., Dec. 21, 11 a.m.

Mon.,

Dec.

21,

12:15

p.m.

“Neural Circuits Controlling Visually Guided Behaviors,” a Carn-

“Chronic Immune Activation, Oxidation and Antioxidant/Cytoprotective Responses in the Natural and Treated Course of HIV Infection and Structural Markers of Arteriopathy,” an Epidemiology thesis defense seminar with Juliana Cuervo Rojas. W2030 SPH. EB

SPECIAL EVENTS Mon., Dec. 14, noon to 1:30 p.m. “Alternative Sources of

Funding for Graduate Study and Research,” an SPH Student Assembly town hall meeting, for students only. Co-sponsored by the Deans for Students Network.

E2030 SPH (Feinstone Hall). EB

Tues., Dec. 15, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Digital Media Center “Yard

Sale,” a silent auction of miscellaneous electronics, digital media hardware and software, and audio, video and photographic equipment. Items are DMC overstock, outdated or in need of repair; bidding takes place throughout the day, or purchase via “buy it now” pricing. (See “In Brief,” p. 2.) 160 Mattin Center. HW

Calendar

Key

(Events are free and open to the public except where indicated.)

APL BRB EB HW KSAS

Applied Physics Laboratory Broadway Research Building East Baltimore Homewood Krieger School of Arts and

Sciences 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

Med students regularly stuck by needles, fail to report injuries

By Stephanie Desmon

Johns Hopkins Medicine

M

edical students are commonly stuck by needles—putting them at risk of contracting potentially dangerous blood-borne diseases—and many of them fail to report the injuries to hospital authorities, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in the December issue of the journal Academic Medicine.

Researchers surveyed surgery residents at 17 medical centers, and of 699 respondents, 415 (59 percent) said that they had sustained a needlestick injury as a medical student. Many said they were stuck more than once. Of the surgeons in training whose most recent needlestick occurred in medical school, nearly half of them did not report their injury to an employee health office, thereby avoiding an evaluation as to whether they needed treatment to prevent HIV or hepatitis C. It is estimated that 600,000 to 800,000 needlesticks and other similar injuries are reported annually among U.S. health care workers, and there is evidence of vast underreporting, said Martin A. Makary, an associate professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and lead researcher for the study.

“Medical schools are not doing enough to protect their students, and hospitals are not doing enough to make medical school safe,” he said. “We, as a medical community, are putting our least skilled people on the front

lines in the most high-risk situations. Most trainees are still forced to learn to sew and stitch on patients, which puts both providers and patients at risk.”

Makary said that medical schools should take advantage of advances in simulation technology and do less training on actual human beings until the students are more skilled.

The authors of the study said they believe that needlesticks go unreported due to cumbersome reporting procedures, fears about poor clinical evaluations by their superiors or embarrassment. The most commonly given reason in the study was the amount of time involved in making a report.

The survey did find, however, that medical students were very likely (92 percent) to report the needlestick if the patient was at high risk for having a virus like HIV or hepatitis, compared with 47 percent of injuries involving low-risk patients. Still, prompt reporting of all needlestick injuries is critical to ensuring proper medical prophylaxis, counseling and legal precautions, Makary said. Very few people who follow proper protocol and seek treatment after a needlestick get sick, he said.

“Hospitals are not creating a culture of speaking up,” said Makary, who is also the Mark Ravitch Chair of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Johns Hopkins and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Surgical Outcomes Research. “If people are not speaking up regarding their own safety concerns, it’s probably a surrogate marker of people not speaking up about patient

safety concerns.”

Most of the needlesticks among medical students were self-inflicted and occurred in the operating room when the student felt rushed.

Makary said that needlestick injuries in surgery can infect patients since the provider’s blood can enter the patient’s wound.

He argues that hospitals need to create a culture of reporting errors and stop placing their newest trainees at the greatest risk for infection. He also said that since medical students are at significant risk of personal injury during clinical training, more needs to be done to educate them about the importance of reporting any needlesticks,

on the value of post-exposure treatment and on how to prevent future injuries.

At The Johns Hopkins Hospital, for example, a hotline has been instituted for all occupational blood exposures. After a report is received, a rapid response team is activated to deliver appropriate care while preserving confidentiality.

The study was supported by the Mr. and Mrs. Chad Richison Foundation and the Lotus Global Health Foundation. Other researchers on the study are Marta M. Gilson and Hari Nathan, both of Johns Hopkins; and Giriraj K. Sharma, a student at George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences.

Lights

spirit, I don’t know what will,” Daniels joked. “You are very hard-hearted if you are not moved by that.”

Daniels then asked Provost Lloyd Minor and Winston Tabb, Sheridan Dean of University Libraries and Museums, to join him at the podium and start the countdown. On cue, the lights turned on and the festivities continued into the night with more songs, hot drinks, doughnuts and cookies.

The event, held this year on the last day of classes, had been rescheduled from Dec. 2 due to weather. It is sponsored by the Student Government Association and the offices of the deans of Arts and Sciences and Engineering.

More photos are posted online at gazette .jhu.edu. G

Continued from page 1 the JHU Pep Band and three a cappella groups—the AllNighters, Octopodes and Sirens. It also marked one of the first public appearances by President Ron Daniels since his surgery in October.

Daniels, who earlier mingled with the crowd, stepped up to the switch a little after 9 p.m. to greet everyone and ramp up the noise level. After a boisterous “hello,” he asked the Pep Band to play the university fight song to stir up the crowd even further.

“Now if that doesn’t get you in the holiday