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April 18, 2011

The newspaper of The Johns Hopkins University

Volume 40 No. 31

E V E N T

New grants for KSAS undergrads

A taste of Spring Fair jay vanrensselaer/ homewoodphoto.jhu.edu

R E S E A R C H

By Greg Rienzi

The Gazette

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lready permeated with a culture of exploration, Johns Hopkins has just added to its portfolio of research opportunities for undergraduates.

The Krieger School of Arts and Sciences recently announced Program a new grant program for its students to support will fund either their senior thesis research or their work as up to 25 a research assistant for a faculty member.

The Dean’s Undergrad­ students uate Research Awards annually program, which will launch in the fall, will allow students to compete for grants in the range of $500 to $3,000. The program will fund up to 25 students annually for at least the next two years.

Steven David, vice dean for undergraduate education, will oversee the program, which was made possible through a generous gift from two university alumni.

The new offering builds upon the tradition created by the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Awards and Woodrow Wilson Fellowships, which are open to all Johns Hopkins undergraduates. Each program annually supports dozens of students conducting original research.

In announcing the program, Katherine Newman, the James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School, said that independent research could be the first step on the long road to a career as a professional scholar, or simply a natural extension of the curiosity that brings students to a demanding university like Johns Hopkins.

“With this program, we want to encourage students to pursue original research and advance knowledge for the world,” she said. “We also hope this experience helps a student develop a close and mature bond with a faculty member as he or she develops their own research or assists a faculty-led project Continued on page 7

2

Jerry Schydman and Phil Tang

Alison Wampler and Julie Morgan

Sean Gao and Mark Bennett

Al fresco meal plan Sayeed Choudhury

By Greg Rienzi

The Gazette

T

hey came. They saw. They ate.

Lunchtime patrons devoured funnel cakes, pulled pork sandwiches,

Flintstone-size turkey legs, fried Oreos and all manner of foodstuff at the 40th annual Johns Hopkins University Spring Fair. The inimitable carnival corn dog? Alive and well in all its cornmeal-battered goodness. The festivities began at noon on Friday, when Spring Fair’s arts and crafts vendors and extensive food

court opened for business. What followed was three days of fun, food, games and shopping. More than 50 musicians were invited to play throughout the fair in four locations across the Homewood campus.

Ah, the sweet sounds and smells of spring.

R E P O R T

Targeting city’s top 911 callers can trim costs and improve patient care, pilot program finds B y E k at e r i n a P e s h e va

Johns Hopkins Medicine

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epeated unnecessary 911 calls are a common drain on the manpower and finances of emergency medical services, but a pilot program that identified Baltimore City’s top 911 callers and coupled them with a case worker has succeeded in drastically cutting the number of such calls while helping callers get proper care.

In Brief

‘Stress and the Brain’ national summit; STEM activities for out-of-school kids; call for posters

16

The program, called Operation Care, was conceived and implemented by the nonprofit agency Baltimore HealthCare Access and ran as a three-month pilot in 2008.

Now, a newly published report of its results appearing in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine can help illuminate strategies for other emergency medical services departments around the country that may be plagued by the same problem, said the report’s lead author.

“The original idea was to help these fre-

C a l e nd a r

E2SHI kickoff event; ‘The Future of Teaching’; Google apps; blood drive

quent callers get better access to medical and other care, and in doing so, Baltimore City ended up saving money and resources, a welcome side effect,” said lead author Michael Rinke, a pediatrician and quality and safety expert at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

As fire departments around the country continue to get their budgets slashed, finding ways to trim costs while maintaining Continued on page 5

14 Job Opportunities 14 Notices 15 Classifieds

2 THE GAZETTE • April 18, 2011 I N B R I E F

JHU to host national summit on ‘Stress and the Brain’

‘STEM Over Spring Break’ planned for young science buffs

ohns Hopkins will host a two-day national summit next week on the topic of “Stress and the Brain: Implications for Health, Development and Learning.” Leading researchers and practitioners will discuss the latest research on how stress impacts brain growth and development in children and adolescents.

Sir Michael Rutter, a leading researcher and author in child psychiatry, will begin the summit with a talk on Thursday, April 28, in Hodson Hall on the Homewood campus.

On Friday, April 29, three panels of experts will convene in Turner Hall on the East Baltimore campus to discuss the implications of stress research for interventions at three stages: parent and infants, early childhood and adolescence.

The summit is co-sponsored by the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Urban Health Institute, the School of Education’s Neuro-Education Initiative, the School of Medicine’s Brain Science Institute, the JHU Council for PK-12 Education and the Ludwig Family Fund.

“This will be an important summit for educators, public health professionals and other practitioners interested in seeing the important links between neuroscience, behavioral research, intervention strategies and public policy,” said Robert Blum, of the Urban Health Institute.

The conference is free, but registration is required. For more information or to register, go to tinyurl.com/4hlp984. For questions, call 410-516-0375 or email ccombs@jhu .edu.

he Center for Educational Outreach, affiliated with the university’s Whiting School of Engineering, will conduct its first “STEM Over Spring Break” event today, April 18, through Thursday, April 21. The center will offer activities for kindergarten through 12th-grade students on topics related to science, technology, engineering and math.

More than 30 students have signed up for the activities, which will be offered free of charge from 1:30 to 3:30 each day at Homewood’s Charles Commons.

J

Posters wanted for symposium on cancer nanotechnology

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ancer nanotechnology forms the focus of the fifth annual symposium of the Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology, set for Friday, May 13, in Shriver Hall on the Homewood campus.

Talks begin at 9 a.m. in the auditorium, and a poster session will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Clipper Room. Poster titles may be submitted online until Thursday, May 5, and research topics from engineering, science and medicine are welcomed. Prizes will be awarded to top poster presenters.

This year’s keynote speaker is Stephen B. Baylin, the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor of Oncology and Medicine in the School of Medicine and deputy director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. He is also chief of the Cancer Biology Division and the center’s associate director for research.

To see the full agenda of speakers, to register or to submit a poster, go to inbt.jhu.edu/ outreach/symposium/twentyeleven.

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 Lauren Custer

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SAIS to hold conference on demographic trends and BRICs

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s part of its Year of Demography, SAIS this week will hold a daylong conference called “Demographic Trends and the BRICs.” With dynamic economies, a quarter of the world’s land and 40 percent of the human population, the BRICs—Brazil, Russia, India and China—have the potential to dominate the global economy by the middle of this century. Each BRIC faces a different population dynamic. Taken together, their demographics are instrumental to the growth of the international economy.

The conference, to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, will bring together regional policy experts, demographers and leading market analysts. Nick Eberstadt, the Henry Wendt Scholar in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute, will give the conference’s luncheon keynote address at 12:30 p.m. For a complete agenda, go to www.sais-jhu.edu/ demography/conference.

The event will be held in the Nitze Building’s Kenney Auditorium. Non-SAIS affiliates should RSVP to saisevents@jhu.edu.

A live webcast will be available at www .sais-jhu.edu. The speakers begin at 9 a.m.

Investigative journalist to speak on MMR vaccine and autism

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rian Deer, a respected investigative journalist who recently wrote a series in the British Medical Journal exposing the fraud in the link between MMR vaccine and autism, will speak this week at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Deer’s talk, scheduled for noon to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, in Sommer Hall, is part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Department of International Health.

His lecture is titled “An Elaborate Fraud: Vaccines and Autism.”

Contributing Writers Applied Physics Laboratory Michael Buckley, Paulette Campbell Bloomberg School of Public Health Tim Parsons, Natalie Wood-Wright Carey Business School Andrew Blumberg, Patrick Ercolano Homewood Lisa De Nike, Amy Lunday, Dennis O’Shea, Tracey A. Reeves, Phil Sneiderman Johns Hopkins Medicine Christen Brownlee, Stephanie Desmon, Neil A. Grauer, Audrey Huang, John Lazarou, David March, Vanessa McMains, Ekaterina Pesheva, Vanessa Wasta, Maryalice Yakutchik Peabody Institute Richard Selden SAIS Felisa Neuringer Klubes School of Education James Campbell, Theresa Norton School of Nursing Kelly Brooks-Staub University Libraries and Museums Brian Shields, Heather Egan Stalfort

The Gazette is published weekly September through May and biweekly June through August for the Johns Hopkins University community by the Office of 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.

April 18, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

3

G I F T

Foundation commits $2.2 mill for efforts at Hopkins-Nanjing

By Felissa Neuringer Klubes

SAIS

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he Hassenfeld Family Foundation has committed $2.2 million to the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies to establish a social enterprise competition and fellowships at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies in China.

The Hassenfeld Social Enterprise Fund will enable Chinese, American and other international graduate students to work together to develop real-world outcomes through innovative projects, while the Hassenfeld Fellowships will ensure that the center attracts the best candidates for its two-year master’s degree program awarded jointly by SAIS and Nanjing University.

“We are not only pleased but so proud of

our partners at SAIS for having the vision to collaborate on this new innovative program,” said Alan Hassenfeld. “Hopefully through this initiative we will bring more hands-on understanding of the global world we now inhabit.”

University President Ronald J. Daniels said, “We are grateful for the steadfast and visionary support of the Hassenfeld family, a vital partner in Johns Hopkins’ pioneering joint venture in China.”

SAIS Dean Jessica P. Einhorn added, “This thoughtful gift engages our student community in putting their learning to practice, while also providing much-needed support for our core requirement for financial aid.”

The Hassenfeld Social Enterprise Fund will support an annual competition at the center to identify a project valued for its social impact and innovation, its potential to make a lasting contribution to social out-

comes and its promise for nurturing a sense of community between Chinese and international members of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. A committee will select a team comprising Chinese and international students who propose an innovative and sustainable project with concrete deliverables to address a social need or challenge in China that helps foster community entrepreneurship.

As part of the project, the center plans to invite leading social entrepreneurs and social enterprise experts to conduct seminars for students.

The other portion of the gift will support the existing Stephen D. Hassenfeld Fellowship program, providing significant scholarship awards to about 40 master’s degree students over the next five years. After this time period, an endowment will continue to support three to five Hassenfeld Fellows each year, in perpetuity.

Established in 1986, the Hopkins-Nan-

jing Center, located in Nanjing, China, is a graduate-level educational joint venture between Johns Hopkins and Nanjing universities, providing more than 180 students from the United States and other countries and China with the unique opportunity to live and study together. American and international students take the majority of their courses in Mandarin, while Chinese students study mostly in English. More than 2,000 center graduates work throughout the world, contributing to the multilateral relations between the United States and China.

SAIS administers the center’s activities on behalf of Johns Hopkins.

The Hassenfeld Family Foundation is focused on reducing the dire needs of children the world over, empowering women globally in order to break the cycle of violence and serving as a catalyst for young social entrepreneurs to improve the world through their involvement.

Computerized ordering systems reduce psychiatric drug errors

By Stephanie Desmon

Johns Hopkins Medicine

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oupling an electronic prescription drug–ordering system with a computerized method for reporting adverse events can dramatically reduce the number of medication errors in a hospital’s psychiatric unit, suggests new Johns Hopkins research.

“Medication errors are a leading cause of adverse events in hospitals,” said study leader Geetha Jayaram, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “With the use of electronic ordering, training of personnel and standardized information technology systems, it is possible to eliminate dangerous medication errors.”

The findings, published in the March issue of The Journal of Psychiatric Practice, outline how the 88-bed psychiatric unit at The Johns Hopkins Hospital went from a medication error rate of 27.89 per 1,000 patient days in 2003 to 3.43 per 1,000 patient days in 2007, a highly significant rate reduction.

Jayaram noted that during the study period, there were no medication errors that caused death or serious, permanent harm.

Medication errors, which can be lethal, are known to be caused by illegible handwriting, misinterpretation of orders, fatigue on the part of medical personnel, pharmacy dispensing errors and administration mistakes.

A pharmacy may misread what a physician has written or give the wrong medication or the wrong drug dose to a patient.

“Having something typed eliminates bad writing—and most errors—immediately,” she said. “It’s a good reason for going electronic.”

The computer program used in the psychiatric unit, and hospitalwide at Johns Hopkins, also includes integrated decision support for drug dosage selection, drug allergy alerts, drug interactions, patient identifiers and monitoring—things that can be lost with a manual system that relies on layers of human beings to ensure the correct decisions are made, Jayaram said. The more steps involved in the process, the greater the likelihood of mistakes.

At the same time that the drug-ordering system was put in place, Johns Hopkins instituted the use of the Patient Safety Net error reporting system. The hospitalwide PSN is an online, Web-based reporting tool that is accessible to all caregivers, regardless of discipline. Whenever a mistake is made, big or small, it is to be reported on the PSN. This system allows for follow-up, corrective action and the ability to learn from common mistakes. It also categorizes unsafe conditions and near-miss events, and this can aid in future improvements. Near misses are more likely to be readily reported by frontline staff.

Another key to the success of both programs, Jayaram said, is the creation of a “culture of safety” throughout the psychiatry department. This is done through annual safety training, reporting of all adverse events as they occur and feedback that focuses not on blaming or shaming but on how to use education and corrective actions to prevent an error from happening again.

In a psychiatric department, she said, medication mistakes involving psychotropic drugs are rarely deadly. But psychiatric patients also take other kinds of medication—insulin, blood thinners and others—that can be lethal if given in the wrong doses or in the wrong combination. In a psychiatric depart-

ment, some nonpsychotropic medications are considered high-risk and, as a precaution, two nurses must check them off before they are administered, Jayaram said.

Jayaram said that even with computerized backstops, complacency is the enemy of safe care. Errors can still slip through in ways

no one has thought of yet, she said, so the system is constantly evolving.

“You have to be vigilant for new problems that might come up,” she said.

In addition to Jayaram, Johns Hopkins researchers involved in the study are Donald Steinwachs and Jack Samuels.

Environment-focused institute gets Earth Week kickoff

By Phil Sneiderman

Homewood

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op university administrators and two prominent guest speakers will participate in an inauguration event on Wednesday, April 20, to celebrate the establishment of The Johns Hopkins University’s Environment, Energy, Sustainability and Health Institute.

The event will take place in Mason Hall on the Homewood campus from 2:15 to 4 p.m., followed by a reception.

The institute’s purpose is to coordinate and encourage innovative research and teaching that address health, technology and sustainability challenges posed by the changing global environment. These projects are intended to involve Johns Hopkins faculty with a wide array of expertise, cutting across disciplines and divisions.

The institute, called E2SHI for short (and pronounced eh-shee), began taking shape late last year, when the Provost’s Office

contributed startup funds. Then the deans at the Whiting School of Engineering, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and Bloomberg School of Public Health approved E2SHI’s charter and agreed to provide financial support.

The official kickoff celebration was scheduled this week to coincide with Earth Week.

At Wednesday’s event, brief remarks will be delivered by Ronald J. Daniels, president of the university; Nick Jones, the Benjamin T. Rome Dean of the Whiting School; Michael Klag, dean of the Bloomberg School; and Katherine S. Newman, the James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School.

Guest speaker Kathleen Hogan, deputy assistant secretary for energy efficiency at the U.S. Department of Energy, will talk about nationwide efforts aimed at improving energy efficiency. A second speaker, Van R. Reiner, president and CEO of the Maryland Science Center, will discuss key environmental issues affecting the state of Maryland.

The kickoff event is open to the entire university community.

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Hopkins team discovers how DNA changes Process has implications for understanding cancers, other diseases and disorders

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sing human kidney cells and brain tissue from adult mice, Johns Hopkins scientists have uncovered the sequence of steps that makes normally stable DNA undergo the crucial chemical changes implicated in cancers, psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The process may also be involved in learning and memory, the researchers say.

A report on their study appeared online April 14 in Cell.

While DNA is the stable building block of all of an individual’s genetic code, or genome, the presence or absence of a methyl group at specific locations chemically alters DNA and changes the expression of the genes. In a series of experiments, the Johns Hopkins team identified a step-by-step process involving a previously unknown step and two molecules for DNA to change from a methylated to demethylated state. Both

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methylation and demethylation have long been linked to genetic alterations and a wide range of diseases.

“Anything we can learn from these studies about how to manipulate the process of changing DNA methylation status is going to have implications for human development and disease, including cancer and degenerative disorders,” said Hongjun Song, professor of neurology and neuroscience and director of the Stem Cell Program in the Institute for Cell Engineering in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

First, using human kidney cells in a dish, the Johns Hopkins team focused its investigation on a tiny region of DNA in the cells’ nuclei, specifically watching the actions of one particular chemical base known as cytosine (C). The team added different chemicals to force methylation changes and, after watching the fate of methylated cytosine (mC) for two days and noting that nothing had changed, it then added a protein called TET1 to the cell. As a result, some of the mC became hydroxymethylated (hmC) and some reverted to plain C, indicating loss of the methyl group from C in the DNA. “What this told us was TET1 promotes this process of DNA changing status from methylated to demethylated,” Song said.

While only about 5 percent of human cells progress from hmC to C under natural conditions, the researchers found that they could enhance the demethylation process by adding another protein called Apobec1.

“That suggested another clear step in DNA demethylation,” Song said. “Cells go from mC to hmC by TET1, and then from hmC to C involving Apobec1.”

Next, the researchers followed up on their previously published work showing that electrical stimulation like that used in electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, resulted in increased brain cell growth in mice, which likely was an effect of changes in

DNA methylation status. They used a genetic tool and PCR-based approach to amplify a tiny region of the genome in dozens of mice, some exposed to ECT-like electrical stimulation and some not, to compare the status of cytosine at similar stretches of DNA in brain tissue. By using genetic sequencing technology to analyze the various states of methylation—simple C, methylated C or hydroxymethylated Cs—in the specific regions of DNA from brain cells of ECT-exposed mice versus other animals, they found evidence that ECT indeed induces DNA demethylation and identified TET1 as a critical factor for this to happen.

“By identifying two molecules and tying together two pathways needed for DNA methylation status to change, we believe we have shown a unified mechanism that regulates DNA as it goes from a methylated state to a demethylated state,” Song said.

“This new knowledge gives us an entry point to someday manipulating this fundamentally important process for treating patients with diseases associated with epigenetic abnormality.”

Support for this research came from the National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, and Adelson Medical Research Foundation Authors of the paper, in addition to Song, are Junjie U. Guo, Yijing Su, Chun Zhong and Guo-li Ming, all of Johns Hopkins.

Related websites Hongjun Song lab:

neuroscience.jhu.edu/ HongjunSong.php

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New diabetes education yields improved blood sugar control ‘Problem-solving’ approach sustains benefits to patient after program’s end

By Stephanie Desmon

Johns Hopkins Medicine

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n intensive program that taught lowincome poorly educated diabetics to better manage their disease resulted in significantly improved long-term blood sugar control, according to Johns Hopkins researchers who designed and implemented the program.

The findings, published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, offer clinicians a proven new tool to help those with poorly controlled diabetes make lifestyle changes to improve their health, the researchers say. They note that many educational programs for people with diabetes typically have little impact, and the benefits wear off after the programs end.

“We know that people need information to manage their disease, but having knowledge of the facts is not enough for behavioral change,” said Felicia Hill-Briggs, an associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the study’s lead author. “With this novel approach, we have found a way to give people the skills to solve problems in all areas of their lives so that they can take diabetes off the back burner and start caring for their health.”

In the small study, 56 participants were randomized into one of two groups. One got the intensive, nine-session, problem-solving course that covered not only standard diabetes self-management and care but taught

911 callers Continued from page 1 the same level of service will be increasingly important, the researchers said.

In three months, the program generated savings of more than $14,300, more than $6,300 of which was for the city fire department. The real savings are probably greater, as this number did not factor in any money saved from unnecessary trips to the emergency room and freeing up ambulances for other callers.

The Baltimore City Fire Department, which responds to nearly 150,000 emergency calls each year, has continued to fund the program, providing a nurse and a case manager for repeat 911 callers.

In 2007, two Baltimore City residents were responsible for more than 60 emergency calls, another resident made 110 calls to 911, and yet another made 147 such calls, the investigators said. Each 911 call requires EMS to dispatch an ambulance to the caller.

Repeat 911 callers, the researchers reasoned, may face problems such as lack of health insurance and access to routine medical care, or an inability to navigate the labyrinth of health care services. The findings of the study suggest they were mostly right.

Examining a year’s worth of 911 call logs, the researchers identified Baltimore City’s 25 most frequent 911 callers, 10 of whom enrolled in the three-month program for weekly sessions with a case worker who assessed their medical needs, taught them how to navigate the health care system, put them in touch with primary care physicians and specialists, referred them to various support programs and educated them on ways to limit 911 calls to true emergencies.

problem solving as a skill to help manage the financial, social, resource and interpersonal issues that often stand in the way of managing their diabetes. The other group got a condensed, two-session, version of the program.

Three months after the end of the program, participants in the intensive group saw their hemoglobin A1C levels—a long-term measure of blood sugar—fall by an average of .7 as compared with their levels before the start of the program. (Levels below 5.7 are considered normal, while the target for people with diabetes is below 7.0.) One participant stopped needing insulin after the completion of the program, Hill-Briggs says.

The participants in the condensed program saw no improvement in their A1C levels.

Many who took part in the intensive program saw high cholesterol and high blood pressure drop as well. What struck Hill-Briggs most about her research was that A1C levels improved three months after the program was over. This is in contrast to many diabetes interventions, particularly with lower socioeconomic groups. “When the program stops and support is taken away, the behavior stops and the benefits stop,” she said.

Hill-Briggs says she thinks that one of the reasons for the sustained improvement in her study is that if problem solving has been taught successfully, people see that skill improve as they use it more.

More than 25 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, and the number of diagnoses has been steadily rising, with 1.9 million new cases diagnosed in 2010. Like many chronic illnesses, diabetes disproportionately affects older people, and its prevalence is higher among racial and ethnic minorities.

The annual economic burden of diabetes is an estimated $132 billion and increasing,

Collectively, the 10 callers made 520 calls to 911 in the year preceding their enrollment. Based on their call pattern from the previous year, the researchers estimated that these 10 people would make 100 calls to 911 during the three months of the program.

Somewhat to the researchers’ surprise, there were only 57 calls, nearly half as many as they had predicted.

Nine of the 10 patients had insurance, mostly through Medicare. All 10 patients had two or more chronic conditions, including hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.

Seven had a mental health or substance abuse problem or both. The average age was 60 years, ranging from 39 to 89 years. The case manager referred patients to insurance assistance programs, medical specialists, adult-care services, food services like Meals on Wheels, psychiatric evaluation and support groups for substance abuse. Nearly 70 percent of the referrals were to nonmedical services.

“This program highlights the importance of simple interventions that can yield powerful results,” said co-investigator Kathleen Westcoat, of Baltimore HealthCare Access.

“For example, making sure that a diabetic patient doesn’t run out of strips for the glucose monitor can prevent a frantic 911 call for a nonemergency.”

None of the patients reported that they hesitated to call 911 in true emergencies, and said that they experienced no adverse health effects as a result of the program.

The investigators caution that though these findings are insightful, their relevance is difficult to gauge because they are based on a small number of patients.

Co-investigators on the report are Elisabeth Dietrich, of the Baltimore City Health Department, now at the University of California, San Francisco; and Traci Kodeck, of Baltimore HealthCare Access. G

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mostly attributable to costly complications of the disease.

Hill-Briggs says that the intensive program, like many other diabetes education programs, first focused on how to better manage the disease and prevent further dangerous complications such as kidney disease, poor circulation that requires amputations and blindness. Facilitators explained the importance of a healthy diet, exercise, adherence to medication and self-monitoring. They did so using materials designed for a fifth-grade reading level to better reach this group, in which one in three participants had very low literacy skills.

But the program didn’t stop there. It went on to ask why participants were having difficulty making lifestyle changes and adhering to care. Some said they didn’t have access to healthy foods near their homes. Others said that healthful eating was too expensive.

Some said that they didn’t take their medications because they couldn’t afford them.

Many had family challenges, caretaking demands and even neighborhood violence that affected their ability to manage their diabetes.

In response, the program taught problem solving as a way to manage these challenges.

Participants applied their problem-solving skills in individual ways to address their unique life situations. Some, for example, began to see their budgets in terms of musthaves and wants. Often, Hill-Briggs says, participants saw rent and electricity as musthaves but not diabetes medication, because their chronic disease didn’t bother them enough to be considered an urgent need.

With an understanding of the role of their medicines, participants described moving them to the must-have list and taking off something else that was a want.

For those who thought medication did not work, possible solutions they came up with included taking it consistently as prescribed for a week, then testing blood sugar

to see what had happened. When results were good, subjects were encouraged, and the results reinforced the need for consistent self-care.

Participants also were taught about making the best choices when foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables were not available.

Often, only canned products are available in neighborhoods with little access to large grocery stores. Two participants, on their own, convinced their small local grocers to stock the low-sodium varieties of vegetables, enabling them to make healthier choices.

“We helped people integrate diabetes care into everything else that was going on in their lives and in the context of how those things affected their health,” Hill-Briggs said.

“The struggle is [that] these other things seem more immediate; if today they’re having a crisis, that is the focus. The diabetes is always there. We helped them understand that their diabetes can be a priority, and problem solving lets us meet them where they are. We help them improve their diabetes self-care by using a reliable skill to tackle the problems that come up every day that used to throw them off their game plan.”

This study was funded by grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; American Diabetes Association; National Center for Research Resources; and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

The other authors of the study, all of Johns Hopkins, are Mariana Lazo, Mark Peyrot, Angela Doswell, Yi-Ting Chang, Martha N. Hill, David Levine, Nae-Yuh Wang and Frederick L. Brancati.

Related website Felicia Hill-Briggs:

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/gim/ faculty/hill_briggs.html

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6 THE GAZETTE • April 18, 2011

School of Public Health student Hannah Tappius, Dikembe Mutombo and Dean Goodermote at the award ceremony held Wednesday.

SPH awards Goodermote Award to Dikembe Mutombo B y N ata l i e W o o d - W r i g h t

Bloomberg School of Public Health

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he Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has presented the Goodermote Humanitarian Award to NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo for his efforts to reduce polio globally, and for his work improving the health of neglected and underserved populations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mutombo received the award at a ceremony held at the school on April 13. “Mr. Mutombo is a winner in many ways—on the court and as a humanitarian.

His work has improved the health of the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center is a model for the region,� said Michael J. Klag, dean of the Bloomberg School. “Likewise, Mr. Mutombo has been instrumental in the fight against polio by bolstering vaccination efforts and bringing treatment to victims of the disease.�

A former all-star and the NBA’s first Global Ambassador, Mutombo began his career in 1991 as a center for the Denver Nuggets. He went on to play for teams in Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York before retiring in 2009 as a Houston Rocket.

A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mutombo came to the United States on an academic scholarship to attend

Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and during his second year was invited to try out for the basketball team. After becoming a player, he redirected his premed ambitions and graduated with degrees in linguistics and diplomacy.

Mutombo has long been dedicated to improving the health, education and quality of life for the people of Congo and globally. The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation was created in 1997 to eradicate childhood diseases that have virtually disappeared in developed countries, as well as to improve health outcomes in Congo.

The Goodermote Humanitarian Award was established in 2008 by Dean Goodermote and the Goodermote family to support the Bloomberg School’s training and education mission and to honor the commitment of the school’s alumni to advancing public health worldwide. Dean Goodermote chairs the advisory committee for the school’s Center for Refugee and Disaster Response.

The first recipient of the Goodermote Award was CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien, who was honored for her coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Asian tsunami.

In addition to creating the award, the Goodermote family has established a scholarship for students studying international health who are committed to addressing the needs of displaced people and to furthering the mission of the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response.

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April 18, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

Nuclear Regulatory Commission head to speak at Leaders + Legends

By Andrew Blumberg

Carey Business School

G

regory B. Jaczko, chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is the featured speaker at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School’s Leaders + Legends lecture series on April 21. The event will take place at 7:30 a.m. in the Legg Mason Tower in Harbor East. The title of his remarks is “The Past, Present and Future of Nuclear Power: A Regulator’s Perspective.”

Jaczko was first sworn in as a commissioner of the NRC on Jan. 21, 2005, and he was designated Gregory chairman by President Barack Obama on May 13, 2009. His current term runs through June 2013.

In his position, Jaczko has focused on the NRC being a strong and decisive safety regulator possessing the confidence of the public, and has worked to have the agency clearly communicate with the public and its licensees. He is committed to the safety of existing nuclear reactors and radioactive materials sites, an effective and efficient safety review

process for license applications, thorough environmental reviews, and strong enforcement and accountability.

Jaczko previously served as science policy adviser and appropriations director for U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and as a congressional science fellow in the office of Rep. Edward Markey. He also has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, teaching in the areas of science and public policy.

Jaczko holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and philosophy from Cornell University and a doctorate in physics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The Leaders + Legends Jaczko monthly breakfast series, which features today’s most influential business and public policy leaders addressing topics of global interest and importance, is designed to engage business and community professionals in an examination of the most compelling issues and challenges facing society today.

Admission to the lecture, which includes breakfast, is $35. To register and for more information, go to carey.jhu.edu/leadersandlegends.

JHM International inks agreement with health care leader in Bogota

J

ohns Hopkins Medicine International has signed an agreement with Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota, one of Colombia’s leading health care institutions, to collaborate on knowledge transfer projects, training and education, and clinical services.

In a letter sent last week to colleagues, Edward D. Miller, the Frances Watt Baker, M.D., and Lenox D. Baker Jr., M.D., Dean of the Medical Faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, said, “For more than a century, Hopkins has been recognized as a national and global leader in patient care, research and education, and we’re excited to add this opportunity to our existing portfolio of affiliations and strategic collaborations in Latin America—Hospital Punta Pacifica in Panama City, Panama (2001), Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico (2005), and Clinica Las Condes in Santiago, Chile (2007). We firmly believe that this project will bolster our historic and vital mission of helping to raise the standard of health care around the world.”

Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota, founded in 1972, is a private not-for-profit organization.

It owns the 205-bed University Hospital, the first Joint Commission International–

accredited hospital in Bogota and second in the country, provides undergraduate and graduate medical training, and conducts research projects and public health programs in cooperation with the Universidad de Los Andes.

Under the agreement, Miller said, Johns Hopkins faculty and Johns Hopkins International experts will have the option of advising FSFB on the development of certain clinical programs related to a planned facilities expansion. The Johns Hopkins team also will assess opportunities to advance nursing services and provide assistance in the planning and implementation process.

In addition, JHI will guide FSFB during planning and architectural design phases for a new hospital project in northern Colombia.

Other planned activities include customized training, observerships and joint symposia— similar to one held last year in the field of neurosciences—as well as opportunities for case review and patient referrals.

“This initial two-year collaboration agreement is intended to create the basis for a long-term strategic affiliation, and promises to bring a range of opportunities to Johns Hopkins departments, faculty and other experts here in Baltimore,” Miller said.

KSAS

David said that the program could become a popular choice for seniors, as virtually every department requires some version of a senior thesis or capstone project for honors recipients. In a recent sampling of projects, students studied the counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, urban planning in modern-day Shanghai and soil cropping in agro-ecological zones.

Students receiving grant money will use it for travel, equipment, data collection and other purposes, David said.

He said that students will be judged on the feasibility of their project and its creativity and worthwhileness in advancing knowledge.

A program website will be launched sometime this summer, and applications will be due in early fall. David said that for the program’s second year, he anticipates spring and fall deadline periods.

For more information on the program, contact David at sdavid@jhu.edu. G

Continued from page 1 from beginning to end. We feel this faculty adviser role is integral to the program.”

Newman said that she hopes to help usher in the day when all Krieger School undergraduates can stake a claim to original ideas brought to fruition.

“The experience of presenting original ideas to an audience—in forms ranging from essays, to films, to academic articles or poster sessions—builds skills that matter for virtually all professional endeavors,” Newman said.

While the program will be generally known as the Dean’s Undergraduate Re­­ search Awards, Newman said the hope is that departments will name their awards after retired colleagues or prominent scholars.

Experimental treatment for COPD is in development

R

esearchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a nonsteroid-based strategy for improving the lung’s innate immune defense and decreasing inflammation that can be a problem for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, known as COPD. In a study published in the April 13 edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine, the researchers targeted the Nrf2 pathway using sulforaphane, an ingredient that is present in broccoli in a precursor form, to enhance the Nrf2 pathway in the lung that mediates the uptake of bacteria. Exacerbation of symptoms due to bacterial lung infection is a common problem for many COPD patients.

The current study used inflammatory cells from lungs of COPD patients and mice.

The experimental therapy is also being studied in a clinical trial.

COPD is a major public health problem for both the developed and developing worlds. Characterized by chronic bronchitis and emphysema, COPD affects 24 million Americans and 210 million worldwide, and is the third-leading cause of death in the United States. Current treatments are largely symptomatic and supportive, and do not reverse the underlying biological defect in the lung.

For the study, the researchers examined macrophages—white blood cells that kill bacteria—isolated from lungs of COPD patients. The researchers also examined mice exposed to cigarette smoke, which mimicked the immunocompromised conditions in the lungs of COPD patients.

The study showed that sulforaphane could increase expression of receptors that improve macrophage phagocytic func-

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tion. However, further study is needed to determine if a sulforaphane-rich diet could be an effective treatment.

“Our findings suggest that macrophages from the lungs of patients with COPD have a defect in a process called phagocytosis involved in the uptake of bacteria.

We discovered that activation of the Nrf2 pathway induced by sulforaphane restored the ability of lung macrophages to bind and take up bacteria,” said Shyam Biswal, a professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences and senior author of the study.

“The study provides proof of concept that activating the Nrf2 pathway can restore the ability of macrophage to phagocytose, or bind with bacteria, and clear it from the lungs of patients with COPD.” Robert Wise, co-author of the study and a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said, “This research may help explain the longestablished link between diet and lung disease, and raises the potential for new approaches to treatment of this oftendevastating disease.”

Authors of the study are Christopher J. Harvey, Rajesh K. Thimmulappa, Xianoni Kong and Robert Brown, all of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Sanjay Sethi, of the University of Buffalo; and Lonny Yarmus and David Feller-Kopman, both of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The research was funded by a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research grant, the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute and the Dorney-Koppel Family Foundation.

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April 18, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

9

Young athlete’s sudden death may warrant checkups for entire family B y E k at e r i n a P e s h e va

Johns Hopkins Medicine

T

he recent flurry of highly publicized cases of young athletes dying suddenly on the playing field has prompted Johns Hopkins Children’s Center cardiologists to discuss the medical significance of a child’s sudden death for the rest of the family.

Because most cases of sudden cardiac death in young athletes stem from an underlying heart condition, a child’s sudden death or resuscitation from cardiac arrest should always prompt medical evaluation for the whole family, starting with parents and siblings and possibly extending to other family members.

“Because several types of inherited, and often lethal, heart conditions can manifest themselves in sudden death or fainting during exercise, the story doesn’t end with the child being successfully brought back to life or with the postmortem results,” said Anne Murphy, a pediatric cardiologist at Johns Hopkins.

Once the initial shock is over, the family should talk with its physician about further evaluation to rule out inherited forms of heart disease, she advises.

Who should be tested and when?

Pediatricians should refer to a pediatric cardiologist any child with chest pain and/ or fainting that occurs during exercise.

Tests may include an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram. An ECG captures the electrical activity of the heart and can reveal some abnormalities that can cause fatal arrhythmias; most people with such conditions have normal heart structure.

The echocardiogram, on the other hand, uses ultrasound to check for abnormalities of the heart’s structure, including any

thickening of the heart muscle, called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the top killer in young athletes who die from heart disease.

Any child with a family history of sudden cardiac death not caused by common types of coronary heart disease that occurred in a parent or sibling should see a pediatric cardiologist. Referral is a good idea even if an autopsy was never performed, or if the postmortem exam didn’t find a clear cause of death, Johns Hopkins experts say. Most people who die of Cardio docs heart-rhythm disorders have structurally advise who normal hearts, and the autopsy is often should be unrevealing, Murphy explains. Any tested and children with family members who develop when coronary heart disease before age 50 should have a cholesterol check at a minimum.

If the test shows unusually high levels, the child should undergo further evaluation for inherited cholesterol disorders, Murphy adds.

Genetic testing: To do or not to do?

Genetic testing can identify the genetic mutations behind some types of inherited heart disease. People with symptoms suggestive of such conditions are good candidates for genetic testing, as are their symptomfree family members. Testing the rest of the family can help cardiologists determine who needs therapy, lifestyle changes and close clinical monitoring to ward off sudden cardiac events in the future, Murphy says.

A negative test can be reassuring, and a positive test can lead to lifesaving treatment with medication or an implantable defibrillator.

Experts warn, however, that genetic testing has its own pitfalls and should be done

only in the context of a full clinical evaluation along with thorough genetic counseling.

“Genetic tests should never be the first step in evaluating a patient,” Murphy said.

“They should come last to confirm a suspected diagnosis, and only once the cardiologist has specific genetic test targets in mind.”

There are two important caveats, cardiologists warn. Because multiple genes are tested, there’s always a chance of detecting a variation, but a variation doesn’t always mean disease, nor will it necessarily explain

certain symptoms. In such cases, Murphy says, clinical evaluation and family history become even more important. On the flip side, genetic tests may not detect any mutation in some people with clear signs of heart disease, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a disorder.

“All it means is we have not found the genetic mutation responsible for their symptoms,” Murphy said. This is why a session with a genetic counselor before the test is critical. “We must prepare patients for the possible outcomes of the test,” she said.

New from JHU Press Setting the Table for Julia Child: Gourmet Dining in America, 1934–1961

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10 THE GAZETTE • April 18, 2011 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.

BAYVIEW MEDICAL CENTER Ilene Browner , an instructor of geriatric oncology; Michael Crocetti , an assistant professor of pediatrics; and Judy Huang ,

an associate professor of neurosurgery, were inducted into the Miller-Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence during the Excellence in Patient Care Symposium held April 26.

John Burton , the Mason F. Lord Professor of Geriatric Medicine in the Department of Medicine, and Allan Gelber , associate professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology, were recently inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.

HOMEWOOD STUDENT AFFAIRS Benedict Dorsey , associate director of

Financial Aid, recently wrote and directed his first feature film, The Human Web, which was nominated as one of the “Big 8” films at the San Diego Black Film Festival. It also was accepted into the North Carolina Film Festival.

KRIEGER SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Erin Chung , the Charles D. Miller Assis-

tant Professor of East Asian Studies in the Department of Political Science, was awarded the William Holland Prize for the best article published in 2010 at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies. Her article, which appeared in the December issue of Pacific Affairs, is called “Workers or Residents? Diverging Patterns of Immigrant Incorporation in Korea and Japan.”

PEABODY INSTITUTE Judah Adashi , a faculty member and

DMA candidate, has received grants from Meet the Composer and the American Composers Forum in support of upcoming performances of his Songs and Dances of Macondo by the Quintet of the Americas. The woodwind quintet will perform the work May 11 at Symphony Space in New York.

Guitarist P e t r i t C e k u , a Graduate Performance Diploma candidate, won the Schadt String Competition in Allentown, Pa., on March 7 and performed later that week with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra.

Artist Diploma candidate Ilyich Rivas , the second Baltimore Symphony Orchestra– Peabody Conducting Fellow, was one of the conductors of this year’s YouTube Symphony Grand Finale concert, held March 20 at the Sydney Opera House.

Master of Music candidate R o n a l d o Rolim , a student of Benjamin Pasternack,

T H E

won the Bosendorfer US-ASU International Piano Competition at Arizona State University in January.

Ten Peabody students were first-place winners in the Baltimore Music Club’s 2011 competition. The categories and performers are as follows. Professional age: Kyungwha Chu , piano; Eunice Lee , viola; and Elena Yakovleva , flute. One age: Shuang Liu , harp. Senior age: Hanol Lee , flute; Tian Lu , piano; and Dimitr y Volkov , cello.

Student age: Jennifer N. Campbell , piano; Alexandra Razskazoff , soprano; and Robert Sirois , bassoon.

Three students of Phyllis Bryn-Julson won prizes in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Mid-Atlantic Regional Vocal Competition, held April 1 and 2 at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va. First-place for college senior went to

R E C O R D

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Edward Bernacki , associate professor of

medicine, director of the Division of Occupational Medicine and executive director of Health, Safety and Environment, has received the Robert A. Kehoe Award of Merit from the American Occupational Health Conference. At Johns Hopkins since 1991, Bernacki has more than 30 years’ experience in managing occupational health and safety programs and has written many peer-reviewed articles for scientific publications.

James C. Harris , a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, pediatrics and mental health, has received the Leon Eisenberg Award from the Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities Program at Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School in recognition of outstand-

K U D O S

Two JHU doctoral candidates win Biophysical Society awards

By Lisa De Nike

Homewood

W

. Austin Elam and Preston Moon, Johns Hopkins doctoral students in the Krieger School’s T.C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics and in the universitywide Program in Molecular Biophysics, were among 20 students nationwide selected to receive the Biophysical Society’s 2011 Student Research Achievement Awards.

Elam won in the category of “Intrinsically Disordered Proteins” and Moon in the category of “Membrane Structure and Assembly” at the annual meeting of the 9,500-member Biophysical Society, held last month in Baltimore. Judges from the society selected the winners from among 390 entrants.

Elam works in the laboratory of Vincent Hilser, a professor in Biology, focusing on the characterization of universal features of locally unfolded and disor-

Marie Marquis , also a student of William Sharp. Sarah Hayashi and Francesca Di Domenico placed second and third,

respectively, in the college sophomore category.

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Christina Harnett , an assistant professor

in the Department of Public Safety Leadership and a licensed clinical psychologist, has been awarded the State of Maryland Meritorious Service Medal, the second-highest military medal issued in Maryland. Harnett received this honor for her “exceptional service to the warriors of the Maryland National Guard as they resume their civilian lives following deployment.” Harnett has been providing the National Guard with behavioral health services for more than four years as a member of the Maryland Defense Force and a faculty member of the Maryland National Guard Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, which helps transition soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. She heads a team that developed the program’s resilience curriculum and provides ongoing reintegration training and support.

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dered proteins. His work takes biophysical measurements to the scale of the human proteome, the entire set of human proteins. His work has implications for the understanding of protein function and may help shed light on diseases associated with protein misfolding, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Moon works in the laboratory of Karen G. Fleming, an associate professor in Biophysics, focusing on oily membranes and the specialized proteins embedded in them that provide each cell with communication, defense and a way to trade molecules with other cells. Moon and Fleming’s goal is to measure just how oily these membranes are, with an eye to the better design of new membrane proteins for medical use.

“Austin and Preston are doing paradigm-changing research,” said Bertrand Garcia-Moreno, chair of Biophysics.

“These awards are very well-deserved and a strong endorsement of both the students and their mentors.”

ing leadership and stewardship in the field.

Eisenberg, a professor emeritus at Harvard when he died in 2009, was the former director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins. Harris received the award April 12 at Harvard and gave the inaugural Ludwik Szymanski lecture April 13 at departmental grand rounds at Children’s Hospital Boston.

Mouen Khashab , assistant professor and director of therapeutic endoscopy, has been named one of the top reviewers of 2010 for the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy’s monthly peer-reviewed journal, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, which is the leading international publication on the specialty. The most successful reviewers of articles receive the most assignments, and prior to his award, Khashab reviewed 19 articles over 14 months.

Jeffrey Rothstein , professor of neurology and director of the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research, has been appointed director of the Brain Science Institute. He succeeds John “Jack” Griffin, founder of the four-year-old BSi, who will remain part of the institute’s leadership team. Richard Huganir, professor and director of the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, will remain as BSi’s co-director.

Lillie Shockney , associate professor and administrative director of the Avon Foundation Breast Center, has received the 2010 National Award from the Amoena Corp. for outstanding contributions to the breast center industry. Shockney also has been named editor in chief of the new Journal of Oncology Navigation and Survivorship and is serving on the Leadership Council of the Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators.

Barbara Slusher , an associate professor of neurology and chief scientific officer for the Brain Science Institute NeuroTranslational Program, has been named the recipient of the 2011 Rev. Charles K. Riepe Alumni Award, given each year to a graduate of The John Carroll School in Bel Air, Md. It is the school’s highest honor. A 1982 graduate, Slusher is being recognized for her professional and personal achievement, which includes work as a community leader. She will receive the award at the school’s June 5 commencement, where she will be the keynote speaker.

Cornelia Trimble , an associate professor of gynecology/obstetrics, oncology and pathology, and director of the Cervical Dysplasia Center, will serve a four-year term on the Cancer Immunopathology and Immunotherapy Study Section of the National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review. Trimble will review and make recommendations on grant applications submitted to the NIH and will survey the state of immunology research. Her term begins July 1.

SHERIDAN LIBRARIES/JHU MUSEUMS J e n n i f e r D a r r a g h , librarian for data

services and government information, has been elected to the Regional Committee of the International Association for Social Sciences Information Services and Technology.

Darragh is one of three members representing the United States, joining two from Europe and one from Canada. IASSIST is the primary organization for data librarians, data archivists and other data services professionals in the social sciences.

Ellen Keith , reference services coordinator and librarian for sociology, has been named the 2011 recipient of the Rachel S. Core Award, which was instituted by the Graduate Representative Organization to honor those who provide an outstanding contribution to the Homewood graduate student community.

UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION Stephanie Reel , vice provost for infor-

mation technology and chief information officer, has been named one of InformationWeek Healthcare’s top 25 leaders of the health care IT revolution.

WHITING SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Marc Donohue , a professor in Chemical

and Biomolecular Engineering and vice dean for research, has been elected vice chair of the Council for Chemical Research’s board of directors; in that position, he will be responsible for organizing CCR’s annual meeting. In 2013, he will assume the position of board chair.

Joelle Frechette , an assistant professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, is one of only 21 recipients of the 2011 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, which recognizes outstanding scientists and engineers who, early in their academic careers, demonstrate exceptional promise for doing creative research.

Frechette’s award is given for her proposal “Understanding the Role of Hydrodynamic Forces on Wet Adhesion.”

Kalina Hristova , associate professor in Materials Science and Engineering, has been named the inaugural Marlin U. Zimmerman Jr. Faculty Scholar. Faculty Scholar status, which is awarded for a three-year term, provides a senior assistant professor or associate professor who has exhibited exceptional achievement in their area of expertise with flexible financial support to promote their innovative research, teaching activities and entrepreneurial thinking. For Hristova, the award recognizes her research in the structure and assembly of biological membranes, including the structural principles that underlie membrane protein folding and signal transduction across biological membranes, and her contributions to teaching and mentoring. The award was established by the estate of Marlin U. Zimmerman, an alumnus who received his degree in chemical engineering in 1944 and went on to a distinguished career at Standard Oil of Ohio.

April 18, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

Milestones The following staff members are retiring or celebrating an anniversary with the university in April 2011. The information is compiled by the Office of Work, Life and Engagement, 443-997-7000.

ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL CENTERS

20 years of service M i c k e n b e r g , Karen, Center for Talented Youth 15 years of service D e a r , Amy, Jhpiego S p e l l , Cynthia, Bioethics Institute 10 years of service B i r c h , Kristi, Center for Talented Youth V o g t , Kristin, Jhpiego 5 years of service Kathleen, Johns Hopkins University Press

Obbagy,

BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

30 years of service B o u r g e o i s , John, Finance 25 years of service C h a n , Edward, International Health 20 years of service L a m b e r t , Debra, Environmental Health Sciences W e s c o t t , Brenda, Student Affairs 15 years of service Julia, Health, Behavior and Society F a l l s , Tanya, International Health P a r e d e s , Romeo, International Health S c o t t , Patricia, Mental Health Bouie,

10 years of service B r o w n , Christine, Residency Training D e n g , Xin, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology H a d j i , Akila, Epidemiology L i , Xiuhong, Epidemiology M o o r e , Charles, Health, Behavior and Society M o o r e , Ebony, Epidemiology P r i d g e n , Donell, Facilities

5 years of service Barbara, Environmental Health Sciences B e c k e r m a n , Ashley, Epidemiology D u t t o n - O ’ H a r a , Renee, Distance Education H u l l e y F r i e d m a n , Marta, Population, Family and Reproductive Health Va n c h i s w a r a n , Rohini, Distance Education W i l l i a m s , Nadia, Mental Health Yo u n g , Cherrille, Support Services Bates-Hopkins,

CAREY BUSINESS SCHOOL

15 years of service D i x o n , Darlene, Admissions HOMEWOOD STUDENT AFFAIRS

15 years of service P h e l a n , Dale, Undergraduate Admissions 5 years of service Mark, Career Center

Presnell,

KRIEGER SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

20 years of service F l i n t , Barbara, Academic Advising Yo u n g , Carol, Center for Language Education 15 years of service E n d e r s , Lisa, History 10 years of service Satyajit, Physics and Astronomy D e v r i e s , Jenny, Advanced Academic Programs Behari,

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

30 years of service C o s s e r , Karen, Anesthesiology and Critical Care M c N a l l y , Peggy, Psychiatry W i l c o x , Patricia, Research Animal Resources 25 years of service Donna, Pediatrics Tu r n e r , Janice, Ophthalmology Rosenthal,

20 years of service C o l l i n s , Andrea, Anesthesiology and Critical Care E d m o n d s , Vera, Ophthalmology F e e l e y , Nancy, Nephrology G r a n l u n d , Carl, Radiation Safety H a y d e n , Susan, Cardiology K e r n , Linda, Bayview S e i d l , Jacqueline, Biological Chemistry

15 years of service A l s t o n , Beverly, Clinical Practice Association A n d r y s z a k , Margie, Neuroscience B r a s s , Lois, Infectious Diseases H a l l , Tannya, Pediatrics H a r r i s o n , Andrew, Medical Archives K e a r s o n , Tonya, Infectious Diseases S i m m o n s , Christine, Radiology S t e p h e n s o n , Gary, Marketing and Communications Tr a c e y , Patricia, Ophthalmology Vidensky , Svetlana, Neurology 10 years of service B a l d w i n , Bruce, Research Animal Resources B h a l l a , Vimal, Ophthalmology B r a z i l , Debra, Pathology B r i d g e s , Tanya, Otolaryngology B r y a n t , Mae Linda, Gastroenterology C a r r , Peggy, Clinical Practice Association C h e s t e r , Raymond, Facilities C o o n e y , Christina, Pathology E v a n s , Sara, Cardiology G a o , Qian, Biomedical Engineering G l a s s M a c e n k a , Deanna, Neurosurgery G r a u l , Janis, Ophthalmology G r i d e r , Harold, Facilities H a l l , Daniel, Ophthalmology H o g a n , Mary, Bayview H o l d e n , Rhonda, Bayview J o h n s o n , Benzella, Billing K o l m e r , Patricia, Urology M i r a n d a , Brenda, Oncology M i t c h e l l , Lois, HEBCAC N e l s o n , Phyllis, Oncology and Molecular Radiation Science P e a r c e , Donna, Pediatrics R e y n o l d s , Jeffrey, General Internal Medicine S h a t s , Irina, Neurology S m i t h , Bernadine, Pathology S t o n e , Anita, Health Safety and Environment Tr u s t y , Dante, Pathology W i l s o n , Stacey, Infectious Diseases X u , Hai, Oncology Ya n g , Liancheng, Ophthalmology 5 years of service Christopher, Facilities B a r a s a , Durrant, Pulmonary B r e n n a n , Nancyellen, Endocrinology B r u b a k e r , Jenny, Research Animal Resources Bailone,

11

Carter,

Christopher, Oncology Charlene, General Internal Medicine E v e r s , Kristine, Cardiology F o r d , Saytia, Infectious Diseases G o e s c h e l , Christine, Anesthesiology and Critical Care M o l l e n , Kate, Research Administration M o o r e , Kandice, Bayview P e r r y , Marlene, Infectious Diseases R i c h a r d s o n , Melissa, Pulmonary S h a r m a , Rajni, Pathology S h e l d o n , Katherine, Oncology Davis,

SHERIDAN LIBRARIES/ JHU MUSEUMS

10 years of service H a r l e y - M a s o n , Zena, Sheridan Libraries P r i n c e , Matthew, Sheridan Libraries 5 years of service C a s e , Christopher, Sheridan Libraries N o r r i s , Colin, Sheridan Libraries UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION

Retiree J o n e s , Carol, 32 years of service, Enterprise Technology Services 15 years of service Donald, Jr., Enterprise Applications D a w s o n , Jennifer, Design and Construction M a k o w y , Kimberley, Enterprise Applications P a l m e r , Janet, Office of the Vice Provost for Research S t e w a r t , Dennis, Facilities Management Cornely,

10 years of service Margaret, Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Yo u n g , Jeanne, Enterprise Applications Schwartz,

5 years of service Michele, Security Services F i r o o z m a n d , Karie, Investment Management W i l l i a m s , Samuel, Security Services Barley,

WHITING SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

5 years of service B o u r n e , Samuel, III, Biomedical Engineering

Experimental Alzheimer’s drugs might help with nerve injuries B y C h r i s t e n B r o wn

lee

Johns Hopkins Medicine

D

rugs already in development to treat Alzheimer’s disease may eventually be tapped for a different purpose altogether: regrowing the ends of injured nerves to relieve pain and paralysis. According to a new Johns Hopkins study, experimental compounds originally designed to combat a protein that builds up in Alzheimer’s-addled brains appear to make crushed or cut nerve endings grow back significantly faster, a potential boon for those who suffer from neuropathies or traumatic injuries.

The new drugs target a protein known as beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1, or BACE1, which plays a key role in generating the amyloid protein plaques that are thought to gum up normal nerve signaling in the brain. Previous laboratory research showed that BACE1 also is involved in creating the insulation material known as myelin, which coats the projections that nerve cells extend to connect with each other, as well as generating a molecular cascade that causes these projections to degenerate when they’re injured.

Given these earlier findings, Mohamed Farah, an assistant professor of neurology, and John Griffin, a professor of neurology, and their colleagues tried blocking the action of BACE1 to analyze the effect on injured axon projections. The researchers started their experiments with mice whose ability to make BACE1 had been genetically knocked out. After these animals’ sciatic nerves were cut or crushed, the scientists closely watched what happened as the axons regenerated.

Compared to normal mice that make BACE1, the animals lacking this protein cleaned up the debris around the injury site significantly faster. Since this debris can inhibit regeneration, Farah and his colleagues expected that the axons would regrow faster. Sure enough, the cut ends of the animals’ nerve cells generated more new sprouts, which grew into extensions that reached their targets—muscles or other nerve cells—days faster than those of the mice that made BACE1.

Hopeful that compounds able to block BACE1 activity would have a similar effect, Farah and Griffin’s team worked with two experimental drugs already developed to target Alzheimer’s disease: BACE1 inhibi-

tor IV, produced by Calbiochem, and WAY 258131, a Wyeth compound that was synthesized by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute for this study. Mice given either of the two drugs systemically after nerve injuries had a similar increase in regrowth, though less pronounced. This was expected, Farah said, since the drugs dampen the effect of BACE1 without removing it entirely as in the genetic knockout mice.

The Johns Hopkins researchers said that their proof-of-principle work, published in the Journal of Neuroscience on April 13, was reason to celebrate. “Anything that speeds nerve regrowth could be enormously helpful to people with nerve injuries caused by a range of injuries and diseases, from diabetic neuropathy to motorcycle accidents,” Farah said.

“After an injury, the environment around nerves and their target tissue sometimes degenerates before the nerves can heal, which kills the chances that the nerves will regrow,” he said. “If we can help nerves regrow faster, we increase the chances that they can reach their target and become healthy again after injury.”

As a next step, the researchers plan to test the experimental compounds in other

animal models of nerve injury, including neuropathies and spinal cord injuries.

“BACE1 inhibitors are a major drug target for many drug companies for Alzheimer’s,” Griffin said. “Our work may suggest that these drugs could have great utility in a very large clinical population with tremendous unmet need. Validation of our early research in other animal models of nerve injury will set the stage for further clinical investigation.”

Other Johns Hopkins researchers who participated in this study are Bao Han Pan, Paul N. Hoffman, Dana Ferraris, Takashi Tsukamoto, Thien Nguyen, Philip C. Wong, Donald L. Price and Barbara S. Slusher.

Related websites John Griffin:

neuroscience.jhu.edu/JohnGriffin .php Neurology and Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins:

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/ neurology_neurosurgery

12 THE GAZETTE • April 18, 2011

April 18, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

13

Study solidifies role of DISC1 in risk for mental illnesses

By Stephanie Desmon

Johns Hopkins Medicine

J

ohns Hopkins researchers report the discovery of a molecular switch that regulates the behavior of a protein that, when altered, is already known to increase human susceptibility to schizophrenia and mood disorders. The findings, published online in the journal Nature, expand the possibility of creating biomarkers that can better diagnose those with mental illnesses and track their treatment.

Building on previous studies at Johns Hopkins, the new research further offers clues to why the Disrupted In Schizophrenia gene, known as DISC1, and its protein product play so many distinct roles in the development and functioning of the brain.

The scientific team was led by Akira Sawa, a professor of psychiatry and behav-

ioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The researchers found one specific protein modification that governs DISC1’s two most important functions: regulation of new neuron production in the cerebral cortex, or thinking part of the brain, and the programmed migration of these neurons, essential in the formation of the brain’s architecture. If the switch malfunctions—if it allows too many new neurons, or there’s not enough migration, for example—the brain may not develop properly, leaving it ripe to develop mental illness.

Sawa said that the switch appears to change the function of DISC1 from its role in building new neurons to its role in neuron migration. This change occurs, he said, when the protein is modified through a biochemical process called phosphorylation, or attachment of a phosphate to the protein.

“It seems that just one specific protein modification is a key determinant that

A P R I L

Calendar Continued from page 16 den will discuss and sign copies of his new book, The Compass of Pleasure. Barnes & Noble Johns Hopkins. HW

S E M I N AR S

Mon., April 18, noon. “The Origin Recognition Complex in DNA Replication and Chromosome Segregation,” a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology seminar with Bruce Stillman, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. W1020 SPH. EB Mon., April 18, noon. “Miracles and Literary Representation in Sono Ayako’s Kiseki,” an East Asian Studies seminar with Kevin Doak, Georgetown University.

366 Mergenthaler. HW Mon., April 18, 12:10 p.m.

“Safe Kids Worldwide: A Vaccine for Childhood Injury,” a Graduate Seminar in Injury Research and Policy with Martin Eichelberger, founder, Safe Kids Worldwide. Sponsored by Health Policy and Management and the Center for Injury Research and Policy. W4013 SPH. EB Mon., April 18, 12:15 p.m.

“On the Tribulations of NOT Performing Randomized Trials: Helping Smart Doctors Stop Prescribing Dumb Treatments,” a Center for Clinical Trials seminar with David Sackett, the first CCT Visiting Scholar. (Dr. Sackett will be at the School of Public Health through Wed., April 20, taking part in prepared activities and seminars by SPH students and faculty members.) E2014 SPH. EB Mon.,

April

18,

1:30

April

18,

3:30

p.m.

“Prediction and Causation in Functional Neuroimaging,” a Biostatistics seminar with Martin Lindquist, Columbia University.

W2030 SPH. EB “Probing Plant Cell Wall Structure With Wall Loosening Enzymes,” a Biophysics seminar with Daniel Cosgrove, Pennsylvania State University. 50 Gilman. HW

Mon., April 18, 4 p.m.

Mon., April 18, 12:15 p.m.

HW

Mon., April 18, 12:15 p.m.

–

Tues., April 19, 10 a.m.

Tues., April 19, noon. “Mechanisms of Lymphocyte Signaling in Immunity and Cancer,” a Biological Chemistry seminar with Joel Pomerantz, SoM. 612 Physiology. EB Tues., April 19, 4 p.m. “A Chemical Turn: Thinking Pharmaceutical Politics Anew,” an Anthropology seminar with Cori

probe the brains of fetal mice at embryonic day 14, when neurons are being generated.

Results showed that unmodified DISC1 was the predominant form of the protein. At day 18, when the mouse brain neurons typically are migrating, the team found mostly modified DISC1. This led the researchers to conclude that the modification acts as a switch to determine whether DISC1 is involved in neurogenesis or cell migration.

Sawa said that these findings are likely to be similar in humans because mouse models of schizophrenia closely mimic some key biological processes of human schizophrenia.

Sawa’s team has already developed a version of the antibody that can be used to look at human brain tissue to test for the presence of the protein there.

Other Johns Hopkins researchers involved in the study are Koko Ishizuka, Atsushi Kamiya, Mariela Zeledon and Saurav Seshadri.

Nicholas Katsanis, formerly of Johns Hopkins and now at Duke University, also contributed.

2 5

Hayden, University of California, Berkeley. 400 Macaulay. HW Tues., April 19, 4:30 p.m. “Inte-

grating History-Length Interpolation and Classes in Language Modeling,” a Center for Language and Speech Processing seminar with Hinrich Schuetze, University of Stuttgart. B17 Hackerman.

The Futures Seminar—Department of Economics, with panelists Markus Brunnermeier, Princeton University; Glenn Ellison, MIT; Jonathan Levin, Stanford University; and Ken Wolpin, University of Pennsylvania. Mason Hall Auditorium (Thursday) and Charles Commons (Friday). HW

CEO, Maryland Science Center.

Reception follows. Mason Hall.

Thurs., April 21, 4 p.m. “Linking G Protein Signaling, EGF Receptor Trafficking and Cancer Metastasis,” a Biology seminar with Marilyn Farquhar, University of California, San Diego. 100 Mudd. HW

Sat., April 23, 10 p.m. “Pajammy Jam: House Party Style,” a fundraising event sponsored by the Sigma Sigma chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, in collaboration with the JHU Black Student Union. $10 admission; wear PJs. Glass Pavilion, Levering. HW

a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

HW Wed., April 20, 12:15 p.m.

Wednesday Noon Seminar— “Autoimmunity and Immunity Among Individuals Diagnosed With Schizophrenia: Clinical Correlations and Co-Morbidity

by Markers for Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity” with Patricia Gregory, SPH. Sponsored by Mental Health. B14B Hampton House. EB “Lamin B3: Connecting the Spindle Matrix and Spindle Assembly,” a Carnegie Institution Embryology thesis defense seminar with Ben Goodman. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW

Wed., April 20, 2 p.m.

The Bromery Seminar—“Radwaste: Transportation and Other Issues” with Ruth Weiner, Sandia National Laboratories. Sponsored

by Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Olin Auditorium. HW

Thurs., April 21, noon.

Mon.,

“Nanophotonic Structures for Efficient Characterization of Single InAs Quantum Dots,” an Electrical and Computer Engineering seminar with Marcelo Davanco, University of Maryland. 320 Hackerman.

EB

1 8

p.m.

“Neonatal EEG—From Signal Generation to Seizure Treatment,” a Biomedical Engineering seminar with Tammy Tsuchida, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington D.C. 709 Traylor. EB (Videoconferenced to 110 Clark. HW )

“Tissue Stem Cells in Aging and Cancer,” a Carnegie Institution Embryology seminar with Amy Wagers, Harvard University. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW “Computational Toxicology: New Approaches to Hazard, Exposure and Risk Assessment,” an Environmental Health Sciences seminar with Richard Judson, the Environmental Protection Agency. Co-sponsored by the JHU Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing. W3008 SPH.

accounts for the two most important functions of this molecule,” Sawa said.

The discovery is important, Sawa said, because having a means of identifying and tracking this molecular switch may strengthen diagnostic efforts, which currently rely mostly on patient behavior.

To find the switch, Sawa’s team used mass spectrometry to look at tissue samples. Using an antibody they generated, Sawa’s team realized that some of the protein had been modified and some had not. It then determined that the unmodified DISC1 and not the modified version was needed to regulate new neurons. The reverse was true for neural cell migration: The modified version of DISC1 bound to other proteins involved in facilitating cell movement but not the unmodified one.

The researchers validated their findings by using their antibody, which can specifically detect this protein modification in mouse models. They used the antibody to

“Biological Espionage: Bacterial Use of Host Biochemistry for Pathogenic Purposes,” a Molecular Microbiology and Immunology/ Infectious Diseases seminar with Erec Stebbins, Rockefeller University. W1020 SPH. EB

Thurs., April 21, noon.

Thurs., April 21, 1 p.m. “Genet-

ic Modulation of Mosquito HostSeeking Behavior,” a Neuroscience research seminar with Leslie Vosshall, Rockefeller University.

West Lecture Hall (ground floor), WBSB. EB

“Neurally Inspired Computational Methods: From Algorithms to Neuromimetic Systems,” an Electrical and Computer Engineering seminar with Alexander Russell, WSE. 316 Hodson. HW Thurs., April 21, 3 p.m.

Thurs., April 21, 3:30 to 6 p.m., and Fri., April 22, 9

Fri., April 22, 11 a.m. “Large Eddy Simulations of Mixed Layer Instabilities and Sampling Strategies,” a CEAFM seminar with Tamay Ozgokmen, University of Miami. 50 Gilman. HW Mon.,

April

25,

12:10

p.m.

“Road Safety in Latin America,” a Graduate Seminar in Injury Research and Policy with Eugenia Rodriguez, Pan American Health Organization. Sponsored

by Health Policy and Management and the Center for Injury Research and Policy. W4013 SPH. EB Mon.,

April

25,

12:15

p.m.

“Making the Mouse Blastocyst— Cell Lineages to Stem Cells,” a Carnegie Institution Embryology seminar with Janet Rossant, University of Toronto. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW Mon., April 25, 4 p.m. “Pharmaceutical Politics and Regulatory Reform in Post-War America,” a History seminar with Dominque Tobbell, University of Minnesota.

308 Gilman. HW

SPECIAL EVENTS

Wed., April 20, 2:15 to 4 p.m.

Inauguration of E2SHI (the Envi-

ronment, Energy, Sustainability and Health Institute), featuring presentations by JHU President Ronald J. Daniels; Kathleen Hogan, U.S. Department of Energy; Nicholas Jones, WSE dean; Michael Klag, SPH dean; Katherine Newman, KSAS dean; and Van Reiner, president and

HW Sat., April 23, 10 a.m. to noon. Johns Hopkins Interna-

tional Society Easter Egg Hunt, with the Easter Bunny, games, prizes and fun for all. Decker Garden. HW

SYMPOSIA

Thurs., April 21. A Graduate Students of the Humanities Center symposium with Sarah Beckwith, Duke University. 10 a.m.

A discussion of precirculated texts

by Shakespeare, Arendt and Austin. 4 p.m. Lecture titled “Shakespeare, Tragedy and the Names of Action.” 208 Gilman. HW Fri., April 22, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Humanities Center sympo-

sium celebrating the publication of Little Did I Know: Excerpts From Memory, and its author, Stanley Cavell, with Cavell, Sarah Beckwith, James Conant, Veena Das, Byron Davies, Michael Fried, Sandra Laugier, Paolo Marrati, Yi-Ping Ong, Hent de Vries and Michael Williams. 50 Gilman. HW

W OR K S HO P S

“Introduction to Google Applications,” a Bits & Bytes workshop. To register, go to www.cer.jhu.edu/events .html. The training is open to Homewood faculty, lecturers and TAs; staff are also welcome to attend. Sponsored by the Center for Educational Resources. Garrett Room, MSE Library. HW

Thurs., April 21, 1 p.m.

Thurs., April 21, 4:30 p.m. “Ref-

works,” an MSE Library workshop on the secrets of organized citations and quick, easy bibliographies. To register, go to www.library .jhu.edu/researchhelp/workshops .html. Electronic Resource Center, M-Level, MSE Library. HW

14 THE GAZETTE • April 18, 2011 P O S T I N G S

B U L L E T I N

Job Opportunities The Johns Hopkins University does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristic in any student program or activity administered by the university or with regard to admission or employment.

Homewood

Office of Human Resources: Suite W600, Wyman Bldg., 410-516-8048 JOB#

POSITION

46386 47333 47350 47391 47404 47421 47449 47458 47469 47490 47495 47506 47515 47529 47534 47568 47609

Sponsored Project Accountant Assistant General Counsel Systems Administrator Sr. Writer Sr. Administrative Coordinator Director, FASAP Sr. Instructional Facilitator Sr Benefits Specialist Curatorial Assistant LAN Administrator Research Program Assistant II Executive Director Sr. HR Coordinator Research Technologist Laboratory Coordinator HR Specialist Writer

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

44976 44290 44672 41388 44067 44737 44939 44555

Food Service Worker LAN Administrator III Administrative Secretary Program Officer Research Program Assistant II Sr. Administrative Coordinator Student Affairs Officer Instructional Technologist

School of Medicine

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

POSITION

39157 41735 42411 45275 45401 45465 45691 45791 45811 46084 46280 46320 46412 46509

Compliance Specialist Trainer Research Technologist Financial Analyst Laboratory Technician Compliance Specialist Trainer Compliance Specialist Trainer Immunohistotechnologist Flow Cytometry Lab Manager Sr. Medical Office Coordinator Case Manager Ophthalmic Technician Receptionist Research Service Analyst Programmer Analyst

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

47644 47514 47558 47636 47712 47272 47324 47407 47416 47417 47436 47500

47519 47685 47693 47697 47699 47755 47479 47507 47628

Registration Manager Customer Support Coordinator Web Developer Budget Analyst Administrative Manager Budget Specialist Assistant Director, Admissions Lifeguard/Swim Instructor Career Services Counselor Art Smarts Assistant Campus Services Coordinator Director, CTY Family Academic Programs Accounting Assistant Sr. International Services Adviser Campus Operations Manager Associate Director of Admissions Assistant Director Graduate Recruiter Asst .Director, Regional Programs Business Analyst Sr. Associate Director, Affinity Engagement

44848 44648 44488 43425 43361 44554 44684 42973 43847 45106 45024 42939 42669 44802 44242

Sr. Financial Analyst Assay Technician Research Technologist Research Nurse Research Scientist Administrative Specialist Biostatistician Clinical Outcomes Coordinator Sr. Programmer Analyst Employment Assistant/Receptionist Payroll and HR Services Coordinator Research Data Coordinator Data Assistant Budget Specialist Academic Program Administrator

46527

ICTR Communications Coordinator Laboratory Manager CME Assistant Coordinator Financial Manager Medical Transcriptionist Sr. Payroll/Financial Project Service Analyst Sr. Research Service Analyst Veterinary Technician Sr. Research Program Manager Academic Program Coordinator Disclosure Specialist Neuro Access Manager Clinical Skills Coordinator Research Assistant Medical Simulation Training Technician Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant

46536 46614 46615 46783 46839 46852 46942 47032 47037 47057 47061 47287 47331 47383 47442

Woodcliffe Manor Apartments

S PA C I O U S

G A R D E N A PA RT M E N T L I V I N G I N

R O L A N D PA R K

• Large airy rooms • Hardwood Floors • Private balcony or terrace • Beautiful garden setting • Private parking available • University Parkway at West 39th St. 2 & 3 bedroom apartments located in a private park setting. Adjacent to Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus and minutes from downtown Baltimore.

410-243-1216

105 West 39th St. • Baltimore, MD 21210 Managed by The Broadview at Roland Park BroadviewApartments.com

Notices Spring Toiletry Drive — Through April 22, SOURCE and the JHU Women’s Network are collecting new and unopened toiletries to benefit local community-based organizations. Suggested contributions are shampoo, soap, deodorant, shaving cream, razors, Q-tips, lotions, sanitary products, toothpaste, mouthwash and baby products

B O A R D

such as diapers, powder and wipes. Dropbox locations are the School of Nursing’s lobby, the School of Medicine’s Armstrong Building lobby, the Bloomberg School’s student lounge and room E1002, and the SOURCE office at 2017 E. Monument St. For more information, contact SOURCE at 410-9553880 or source@jhsph.edu.

Co-sponsored by the SoM Student National Medical Association, the SoM InterAction Council and the JHSPH Anna Baetjer Society.

‘Active surveillance’ successful with low-risk prostate cancer B y D av i d M a r c h

Johns Hopkins Medicine

A

Johns Hopkins study of 769 men from across the United States recently diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer shows that forgoing immediate radiation or surgery to remove the tumor poses no added risk of death. Delaying treatment is fine, the results show, so long as the cancer’s progression and tumor growth are closely monitored through “active surveillance,” and there is no dramatic worsening of the disease over time.

None of the men, mostly 65 and older, have so far died from prostate cancer since the study began in 1995. However, onethird of study participants, monitored for as long as 15 years, eventually underwent treatment, primarily because annual biopsy results showed more cancer.

The study, to be published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and posted online ahead of print, is believed to be the largest and longest study of men initially diagnosed with a slow-growing, very nonaggressive form of prostate cancer. This means they stand very little chance of dying from the disease, which was classified as very low risk, in its earliest stage, called T1c.

“This study offers the most conclusive evidence to date that active surveillance may be the preferred option for the vast majority of older men diagnosed with a very low-grade or small-volume form of prostate cancer,” said urologist H. Ballentine Carter, the study’s senior investigator. “These are men with a favorable risk disease profile to begin with.”

Carter, director of Adult Urology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Brady Urological Institute, acknowledged that “for some of these men, the prospect of living with prostate cancer is unbearable, and the tumor has to go.” But, he added, “the vast majority of these men are ideal candidates for active surveillance because they are older and are able to avoid the risks and complications associated with surgery and radiation.” The best candidates for surveillance programs, he said, are those who can be relied on to keep their medical appointments.

Some 217,000 men in the United States are diagnosed each year with prostate cancer, the majority of them older than 65 and with a low risk of dying from the disease if treatment is deferred, Carter said. Yet, more than 90 percent of these men with low-risk disease, including some 80 percent of those over 75, are likely to choose some form of treatment instead of surveillance.

“Our findings really underscore the need to address excessive treatment of this milder stage of the disease in older men, especially seniors,” Carter said.

Possible complications from surgery or radiation to treat tumors, he said, primarily include incontinence and other bowel, urinary or sexual problems.

Just as significantly, Carter and his team noted, the study highlights the importance of carefully selecting patients who are least likely to benefit from treatment.

The study showed that men who strictly

met all study criteria for very low-risk disease were 30 percent less likely to be reclassified to a high-risk category during surveillance and to need subsequent surgery or radiation than men who did not meet one or more study criteria.

All study participants, 90 percent white and 6 percent black, met the key criteria of having a prostate cancer Gleason score of 6 or less. The score is used to rate the severity of the disease. Higher scores, typically from 7 through 10, suggest a more-aggressive form of the disease that in most cases would require treatment.

Eighty percent of men involved in the latest analysis met at least one or more other study criteria for small-volume tumors.

These included the amount of cancer found on biopsy of the prostate gland plus a ratio of blood levels of a protein linked to the cancer, called prostate-specific antigen, to gland size, or PSA density. Fewer than three biopsy cores could have cancer, with the disease present in no more than half of any core. Most study participants had a PSA density of less than 15 percent.

Men were enrolled in the study from 1995 through 2010 and are being monitored through semiannual checkups and yearly biopsies.

Carter’s team plans to expand the surveillance study program to other medical centers, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, to further refine the selection criteria.

Current guidelines endorsed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, he said, could be broadened as a result of the study and already list active surveillance as a preferred course of action for many older men, especially seniors.

The Johns Hopkins team and the Prostate Cancer Foundation, which helped fund the latest study, have plans to develop a Web-based educational program to directly promote active surveillance to men newly diagnosed with the disease. Another of the team’s goals, he said, is to develop better screening tests for identifying men bestsuited to a surveillance program.

Additional funding support for the study was provided by the Patrick C. Walsh Prostate Cancer Research Fund.

Johns Hopkins investigators involved in this study, in addition to Carter, were lead investigator Jeffrey Tosoian, Bruce Trock, Patricia Landis, Zhaoyong Feng, Jonathan Epstein, Alan Partin and Patrick Walsh.

Related websites H. Ballentine Carter:

urology.jhu.edu/about/faculty .php?id=53

Johns Hopkins Active Surveillance Program:

urology.jhu.edu/prostate/advice1 .php

‘Journal of Clinical Oncology’ early release articles:

jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/ recent

April 18, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

Classifieds APARTMENTS/HOUSES FOR RENT

Bayview, efficiency apt, mins walking to Bayview campus. $450/mo + utils. 443-3868471 or fanauh2o@yahoo.com.

Bayview, 2BR, 1BA house, CAC, front/ back porches, yd, shed, quiet neighborhood, walking distance to Bayview. $1,100/mo + utils. 410-633-2064.

Bolton Hill (Park Ave), beautiful 2BR, 1BA apt, 8 rms, 1,300 sq ft, separate office + dining rm, gorgeous shared yd. $1,595/mo. gbaranoski@covad.net.

Bolton Hill, 3BR Victorian brownstone, 3 full BAs, 1 half-BA, 2 kitchens, upgraded appls, W/D, top flr deck off master BR, hdwd flrs, backyd, prkng in rear, on quiet, cobbled street, email to request pics and arrange viewing. $1,910/mo. tymbuk2@gmail.com.

Charles Village, spacious, bright 3BR apt in secure bldg, nr Homewood campus. $1,350/ mo. 443-253-2113 or pulimood@aol.com.

Charles Village, luxury 2BR, 1BA apt, hdwd flrs, modern updated kitchen, CAC, offstreet prkng, deck, avail June 1. $1,200/mo + utils. Christopher, 410-292-6656.

Deep Creek Lake/Wisp, cozy 2BR cabin w/full kitchen, call for wkly/wknd rentals, pics avail at jzpics@yahoo.com. 410-6389417.

Ednor Gardens, clean, peaceful 3BR, 2BA house, W/D, dw, pets OK, close to JHU/ JHMI, avail August 1. $1,400/mo. mLj260@ nyu.edu.

Federal Hill brownstone, 1BR, 1BA, dw, W/D, CAC/heat, hdwd flrs, pets OK, 1-car garage. $1,550/mo. cb_nd03@yahoo.com.

Hampden, 3BR, 2BA TH, dw, W/D, nr lt rail. $1,100/mo + utils. 410-378-2393.

Homeland, 2BR, 2BA condo in gated community, 15 mins to JHMI, renov’d kitchen and BAs, balcony, CAC, W/D, storage in bsmt, pool, exercise rm, prkng, avail May 15 (flexible). $1,300/mo incl heat. joanfreedman@gmail.com.

Lake Lure, NC, 2BR mountain cabin, avail June 24-July 1, pools, golf, spa, tennis, more amenities. $800. 301-865-0610 or http:// rumblingbald.com.

Mt Washington, stunning, short-term rental w/parquet flrs, patios, baby grand piano, 15 mins to JHU. $2,400/mo. 915-718-3180 or barbarakarni@gmail.com.

Ocean City, 2BR, 2BA condo on 120th St, sleeps 6, immaculate, new appls, flrs, living rm furniture, enclos’d courtyd, 2 blks to beach, indoor/outdoor pools, tennis, racketball. 410-992-7867.

Ocean City, Md, 3BR, 2BA condo on 137th St, ocean block, steps from beach, off-street prkng (2 spaces), lg pool, walk to restaurants/entertainment. 410-544-2814.

Riverside/Federal Hill, updated 2BR, 1.75BA RH, 2 half-BAs, hdwd flrs, stain-

5 Minutes from JHH Renovated 3br/2.5ba townhouse, roof deck, whirlpool tub, granite & stainless kitchen, AC, private backyard, & more!

Big rooms, lots of closets. $325,000. Call 410-467-8950.

Come one come all-Free Parking

Sat., APRIL 30, 2011- eat in/carry out!

5 pm – 8 pm $10/Dinner Children $6

Pastitsio & Greek Salad

Drinks & Dessert Al-La-Cart Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation Corner of Maryland & Preston Streets

15

M A R K E T P L A C E

less steel appls, dw, microwave, W/D, closet space, partly fin’d bsmt, covered front porch, prkng pad, 1-yr lease req’d w/1-mo sec dep, avail end of July. $1,600/mo. June or Rishi, 267-250-1434 or juneandrishi@gmail.com.

Rodgers Forge, 3BR TH w/new kitchen, AC, W/D, deck, no pets/no smoking, avail July 1. $1,650/mo. mtrblsd@gmail.com.

Stoneleigh, 3BR, 2.5BA house, 12-month lease starting July or August, rent deal contingent on caring for 4 cats (possibly 1 dog), only lg furniture will remain, nr great public school system, 5 mins north of Homewood. $1,000/mo. Nicole Warren, 443-509-0552.

Towson/Rodgers Forge, 3BR, 1.5BA TH, renov’d kitchen, W/D, CAC, deck, prkng pad, no smoking/no pets, avail May 15. $1,600/mo. wwang1268@yahoo.com.

Towson-Stoneleigh school district, 3BR single-family house, avail May. shashaye@ hotmail.com.

Wyman Park, sunny 2BR apt, AC, laundry in bldg, easy walk to Homewood campus/ JHMI shuttle, avail May 15. $1,150/mo.

443-615-5190.

4BR, 3.5BA house on quiet cul-de-sac, 3,400 sq ft of living space, plenty of storage, stainless kitchen w/granite and tile, laundry rm, 2 lg decks, 2-car attached garage, parklike setting nr Homewood campus, pets OK, avail July. $2,600/mo + utils. Archna, 443466-6487 or archnatuli@yahoo.com.

Beautiful 3BR, 2BA condo w/garage, spacious, great location, walk to Homewood campus. $1,800/mo. 443-848-6392 or sue .rzep2@verizon.net.

ROOMMATES WANTED

Unfurn’d BR and priv BA avail in 2BR, 2.5BA home, 2nd flr, share w/F prof’l and friendly dog, hdwd flrs, expos’d brick, fin’d bsmt, lots of extra storage space, sm patio in back, sec sys, street prkng. $600/mo + share of utils + sec dep. leannewolff@gmail.com.

Summer sublet: Rms in DeSoto Apts (across the street from Homewood campus on Greenway), 2 other roommates will be gone, you or group can have 3 available rms, cheap, spacious, good area. 321-501-0178.

Single F wants to share 2BR house w/same.

410-913-5801.

Big furn’d BR in new TH, walking distance to JHMI, pref nonsmoker/no pets. $550/mo.

301-717-4217 or jiez@jayzhang.com.

1BR and common areas of furn’d 3BR, 2BA house in Original Northwood, new BA, full kitchen, backyd + patio, ample street prkng, direct bus to JHMI/JHU. $600/mo + utils. cjouny@gmail.com.

Furn’d 1BR in 3BR, 2BA apt in Fells Point, W/D, free Internet access, quiet street, best neighborhood, close to everything, free shuttle to SoM. $350/mo to $400/mo + utils. xzhan45@gmail.com.

Canton, beautifully renov’d 2BR, 2.5BA RH, huge master suite, open floor plan, rooftop deck, nr JHH/Bayview. 443-527-1643.

Edgemere, 5BR waterfront house on .8 acre. $750,000. 410-830-1785.

Gardens of Guilford, lg, newly renov’d 2BR, 2BA condo in elegant setting, easy walk to Homewood campus. 410-366-1066.

Free vintage Steinway upright piano, built 1890, mahogany veneer, original ivories, beautiful exterior, playable but needs work; piano is heavy, must be moved by professionals. 202-251-3972, rsbclark@comcast .net or http://bit.ly/i2Gs6D (for pics).

Bodywork massage studios for prof’l massage services; gift certificates available. 443-9837987.

Affordable and professional landscaper/certified horticulturist available to maintain existing gardens, also designing, planting or masonry; free consultations. David, 410683-7373 or grogan.family@hotmail.com.

Need a photographer or videographer for headshots, weddings or other events?

Edward S Davis photography and videography. 443-695-9988 or esdavisimaging@ gmail.com.

Clarinet and piano lessons by Peabody clarinet master’s student, have been teaching for 7 yrs, am available now and throughout the summer. hughsonjennifer@gmail.com.

Entrepreneurial volunteer wanted for ambitious ecology project involving social networks. Mark, 410-464-9274.

’05 Subaru Forester X, automatic, silver, in excel cond, Carfax Md inspection, orig owner, 100K mi. $10,200. 410-833-5781.

Licensed landscaper avail for spring/summer lawn maintenance, yd cleanup, other services incl’d fall/winter leaf and snow removal, trash hauling. Taylor Landscaping LLC. 410-812-6090 or romilacapers@ comcast.net.

ITEMS FOR SALE

Need help with your JHU retirement plan investments portfolio? Free consultation.

410-435-5939 or treilly1@aol.com.

CARS FOR SALE

Bedroom dresser, antique oak, some inlay, 3-drawer, in excel cond, nr JHU Homewood. $75. Judy, 410-889-1213 or judybyen@ hotmail.com.

Guitar, Yamaha 12-string in excel cond. $200. wreisig4@comcast.net.

HOUSES FOR SALE

Graduate student offering house- or petsitting services. holly.michelle.wood@gmail .com.

Taylor commercial soft ice cream twist machine. $2,500/best offer. bawlmerhon@ yahoo.com.

Bassinet, Carter’s Soothe ’n’ Sleep, like new, w/2 sheets, only used a few times. $80. dmhart752003@yahoo.com.

Fisher-Price open top Take Along swing, for babies 3 mos and older, $15; folding guest bed, $30; Ikea “Jules” swivel chair, $20. 410889-2830 or kkraj21@hotmail.com.

Tutor for all subjects/levels; remedial and gifted; also help w/college counseling, speech and essay writing, editing, proofreading, database design and programming. 410-3379877 (after 8pm) or i1__@hotmail.com.

Resident assistants needed, July 22-29, to supervise 120 high school students for 1-wk camp at Homewood campus. Shanna, skh9701@gmail.com.

Mama, do you want your body back? Eightweek weight loss and fitness program, proven results. beata@strollerstrides.net.

Mobile detailing and power wash service.

Jason, 443-421-3659.

Peabody grad student offering private French horn/trumpet lessons, affordable rates. shonagleopold@gmail.com.

Gardenville, 3BR, 1.5BA RH in quiet neighborhood, new kitchen and BA, CAC, hdwd flrs, club bsmt w/cedar closet, maintenancefree yd, carport, 15 mins to JHH. $139,500.

443-610-0236 or tziporachai@juno.com.

Dinette set, octagonal table w/4 chairs, blond/black, you haul. $120. 443-983-2362.

Springdale, 4BR, 2.5BA house, nr Dulaney High, walk to Loch Raven Reservoir. $370,000. 410-560-3556.

Several pieces of nicely kept, high-quality furniture. www.apt5Efurnituresale.blogspot .com (for pics/details).

Waverly, 4BR, 2BA TH, EOG unit, fin’d bsmt, wooden deck, fenced yd, great neighbors. $125,000. Randy, 410-456-3775 or randy@homeownershipworks.com.

2005 Honda 450 dirt bike, in great cond. $2,500. 240-755-4954 or 443-423-3410.

Luxury 1BR condo in high-rise, secure bldg w/ doorman, W/D, CAC/heat, swimming pool, exercise rm, nr Guilford/JHU. $179,000.

757-773-7830 or norva04@gmail.com.

SERVICES/ITEMS OFFERED OR WANTED

Do you speak Chinese/Arabic/Russian?

Earn $20/hr for participating in my survey, will pay for interview to be used for research purposes, simple questions, can complete by e-mail, phone or in person. 443-471-6121 or jchris1@umbc.edu.

College student available to house-sit for summer, long- or short-term, in Roland Park or Charles Village area. 443-848-3983.

Seamstress available for sewing and alterations. 410-404-3548 or lexisweetheart@ yahoo.com.

3402 Mt Pleasant Ave, stunning, completed rehabbed house, nr everything in the city. $165,900. Pitina, 410-900-7436.

3612 Greenmount Ave, charming, renov’d 4BR house, over 1,900 sq ft, CAC, hdwd flrs, perfect home for entertaining, garage. $180,000. 410-812-9070.

Conn alto sax, best offer; exercise rowing machine, $50; excel cond. 410-488-1886.

Studios - $595 - $630 1 BD Apts. - $710-740 2 BD from $795

Hickory Avenue in Hampden!

2 BD units from $750 w/Balcony - $785!

Shown by appointment - 410-764-7776 www.BrooksManagementCompany.com

Affordable, professional mobile auto detailing, we come to you. Erik, 443-934-3750.

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:

HICKORY HEIGHTS WYMAN COURT • One ad per person per week. A Just Renovated! A lovely hilltop setting on

Beech Ave. adj. to JHU!

Masterpiece Landscaping: knowledgeable, experienced individual, on-site consultation, transplanting, bed preparation, installation, sm tree and shrub shaping; licensed.

Terry, 410-652-3446.

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 • April 18, 2011 A P R I L

1 8

–

2 5

Calendar

B L OO D D R I V E S

Mon., April 25 (through April 27), 7:30 a.m. to 5 p . m . JHU/American Red

Cross blood drive. For eligibility requirements, go to www .hopkinsworklife.org/community/ blood_drive_locations.html. To schedule a donation, call 410550-0289. Francis X. Knott Conference Center. Bayview

“The Future of Teaching: New Common Core Standards, New Assessments and New Evaluations—What Does It All Mean for Students and Teachers?” a School of Education panel discussion with Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers; Michael Cohen, president, Achieve Inc.; Richard Lemons, Education Trust; and Sonja Santelises, Baltimore City Public Schools. Q&A session will follow. Part of the Shaping the Future series. To RSVP, go to www .education.jhu.edu/shaping_ future/index.html. Shriver Hall Auditorium. HW

Mon., April 25, 6:30 p.m.

Power: A Regulator’s Perspective”

by Gregory Jaczko, chairman, Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

(See story, p. 7.) Legg Mason Tower, Harbor East.

Thurs., April 21, 1:30 p.m. The 2010/2011 John C. and Susan S.G. Wierman Lecture—“Human Health Effects of Air Pollution: Statistics and Public Policy” by C. Arden Pope III, Brigham Young University. Sponsored by Applied Mathematics and Statistics. 304 Whitehead. HW

by Fedor Bogomolov, Courant Institute. Sponsored by Mathematics.

The George Kempf Lectures

HW

FORU M S

•

“A Conversation With Ambassador Ron Kirk,” a dialogue with the U.S. trade representative for the Obama administration and SAIS professorial lecturer Matthias Metthijs. Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Bldg. SAIS

Wed., April 20, 1:30 p.m.

COLLOQUIA

“PanSTARRS,” an STSci colloquium with John Tonry, University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy.

Bahcall Auditorium, Muller Bldg.

Wed., April 20, 3:30 p.m.

HW

“Individual Differences in Attentional Control Over Primary and Secondary Memory,” a Psychological and Brain Sciences colloquium with Edward Vogel, University of Oregon. 234 Ames. HW

Wed., April 20, 4 p.m.

Thurs., April 21, 3 p.m. “Elementary Particles of Superconductivity,” a Physics and Astronomy colloquium with Assa Auerbach, Technion. Schafler Auditorium, Bloomberg Center. HW

“Bridging the Divide: Enlightenment Science, Scientific Voyaging and the Straits of Magellan in Bourbon Spain,” a History of Science, Medicine and Technology colloquium with Matthew Franco, KSAS. 300 Gilman. HW

Thurs., April 21, 3 p.m.

“Poetry on the Page: Visual Strategy and the Mind’s Ear,” an ELH colloquium with J. Paul Hunter, University of Virginia. Sponsored by English. 130D Gilman. HW

Thurs., April 21, 4 p.m.

Fri., April 22, 2 p.m. “The Agility Imperative,” an Applied Physics Laboratory colloquium with David Alberts, OSD-CIO. Parsons Auditorium. APL

C O N FERE N C E S

Tues., April 19, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. “Demographic Trends and

the BRICs,” a SAIS Office of Development and Alumni Relations conference with various speakers including Nicholas Eberstadt, American Enterprise Institute. A Year of Demography event.

(See In Brief, p. 2.) A live webcast will be accessible at www.sais-jhu .edu. For more information, go to www.sais-jhu.edu/demography/ conference. To RSVP, email saisevents@jhu.edu or call 202663-5636. Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Bldg. SAIS

DISCUSSIONS/ TA L K S

“Public Diplomacy of the United States and China: A Compara-

Mon., April 18, noon.

G RA N D ROU N D S

Wed.,

School of Medicine Professor David Linden’s new book, ‘The Compass of Pleasure,’ explores how the brain makes fatty foods, exercise, marijuana, vodka and gambling feel so good. See Readings/Book Talks.

tive Study,” a SAIS China Studies Program discussion with Chaobing Qiu, SAIS visiting scholar.

For information email zji@jhu.edu or call 202-663-5816. 806 Rome Bldg. SAIS Tues., April 19, 5 p.m. “The Wellspring: Economic Power and Weakness in Europe and the United States,” a SAIS European Studies Program discussion with Erik Jones, Bologna Center. Cosponsored by the SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations. For information, email atobin1@jhu.edu or call 202-663-5796. 806 Rome Bldg. SAIS Wed.,

April

20,

12:45

p.m.

“Challenges Facing Hedge Fund Investors in Latin America: The Restructuring of Mexican Glassmaker Vitro,” a SAIS Latin American Studies Program discussion with Paul Fratamico, Resurgence Asset Management. (Event is open to the SAIS community only.) For information or to RSVP, email jzurek1@jhu.edu or call 202-6635734. 517 Nitze Bldg. SAIS Wed., April 20, 4:30 p.m. “Is COIN a Passing Fad?” a SAIS Alexander Hamilton Society panel discussion with Charles Dunlap Jr., Duke University; Michael O’Hanlon, Brookings Institution; and Thomas Mahnken (moderator), visiting scholar at SAIS. To RSVP, email hamilton.society .sais@gmail.com. Rome Auditorium. SAIS Thurs., April 21, 12:30 p.m.

“Strong State, Feeble Population: China’s Health Care Governance Crisis,” a SAIS Grassroots China Initiative discussion with Yanzhong Huang, Seton Hall University. (Event is open to SAIS community only.) To RSVP, email zji@jhu.edu or call 202-663-5816.

806 Rome Bldg. SAIS

Thurs., April 21, 4:30 p.m.

“Commercial Imperialism? U.S. Influences and International Trade During the Cold War,” a SAIS International Economics Program discussion with Nathan Nunn, Harvard University.

(Event is open to the SAIS community only.) For information or to RSVP, email srusso1@jhu. edu or call 202-663-7787. 714 Bernstein-Offit Bldg. SAIS “Tale of the PHirst Dynasty: Debunking Myths About Black Greek Letter Organizations,” a Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Sigma Sigma chapter, roundtable discussion.

Multipurpose Room, Charles Commons. HW

Fri., April 22, 7 p.m.

Mon., April 25, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. “Plausibility of Malaria

Eradication Given Our Current Tools and the Possible Development of Eradication Tools,” a Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute panel discussion and poster session in recognition of World Malaria Day. Registration required; go to http:// malaria.jhsph.edu/events/2010/ world%20malaria%20day%20 2011/worldmalariadayspeaker .index. E2030 SPH. EB Mon., April 25, 12:30 p.m.

A discussion of SAIS Professor Francis Fukuyama’s new book The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution with Fukuyama; Adam Garfinkle, editor, The American Interest; Michael Woolcock, World Bank; and Cinnamon Dornsife (moderator), SAIS. A live webcast will be accessible at www.sais-jhu .edu. For more information or to RSVP, email saispubaffairs@ jhu.edu or call 202-663-5648.

Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Bldg.

SAIS

April

20,

3:45

p.m.

“Wearable Computing in Epidemiology: Predicting Activity Type From Accelerometer Data,” a Biostatistics and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging joint grand rounds with Thomas Glass, Ciprian Crainiceanu, Karen BandeenRoche, and Judy Kasper, all of SPH. W2030 SPH. EB

L E C TURE S

“An Elaborate Fraud: Vaccines and Autism,” an International Health lecture by investigative journalist Brian Deer.

(See In Brief, p. 2.) Part of the celebration of the Department of International Health’s 50th anniversary. Reception follows. E2014 SPH. EB

Tues., April 19, noon.

Tues., April 19, 12:15 p.m.

The Annual Lectureship in Social Epidemiology—“Causal Models in Epidemiology: The Need for Some New Thinking” by Leonard Syme, University of California, Berkeley (emeritus). Sponsored by Epidemiology. W1214 SPH. EB Tues., April 19, 3 p.m. The Earnest and Agnes Gloyna Distinguished Lecture in Environmental Engineering—“The Past, Present and Future of Potable Water Reuse”

by David Sedlak, University of California, Berkeley. Sponsored

by Geography and Environmental Engineering. 234 Ames. HW Tues.,

April

19,

6:15

p.m.

“Donatello and Sculptural Askesis,” a History of Art lecture by Adrian Randolph, Dartmouth College. Part of the Graduate Student Lecture Series. 110 Maryland. HW “From One’s and Another’s Point of View: Intentionality and Perspectivism,” a Humanities Center lecture by Jocelyn Benoist, Universite de Paris-I, Pantheon-Sorbonne and University of Chicago. 208 Gilman. HW

Wed., April 20, 4 p.m.

Thurs., April 21, 7:30 to 9 a.m.

Leaders & Legends Lecture—“The Past, Present and Future of Nuclear

Thurs., April 21, 4:30 p.m. “Kummer Theorem

and Projective Geometry.”

Part 1. 300 Krieger.

•

Thurs., April 22, 4:30 p.m.

“Kummer Theorem and Projective Geometry.” Part 2.

304 Krieger.

“ ‘Ich trete umgeben auf’: Figur and Grund in Goethe’s Weimarer Dramen,” a German and Romance Languages and Literatures lecture

by Juliane Vogel, University of Konstanz. 479 Gilman. HW

Thurs., April 21, 5:15 p.m.

Thurs., April 21, 5:15 p.m.

“Anna Maria Ortese (1914–98): Reality and Fiction,” a German and Romance Languages and Literatures lecture by Andrea Baldi, Rutgers University. 288 Gilman.

HW Thurs., April 21, 6 p.m. “Global Med Tech: Clinical Pull and CoCreation,” a Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design lecture by Kristian Olson, CIMIT. 210 Hodson. HW

“Go Green and Boost Productivity With a Paperless Office,” a Johns Hopkins Medicine Green Team lecture and “Earth Day” presentation

by George Dimopoulos, SPH. Hurd Hall. EB

Fri., April 22, noon.

Mon.,

April

25,

4:30

p.m.

The Provost’s Lecture Series— “The Epigenetic Basis of Common Human Disease” by Andrew Feinberg, SoM. Q&A session and reception to follow. RSVP to provostrsvp@jhu.edu. 50 Gilman. HW REA D I N G S / B OO K TA L K S Thurs., April 21, 7 p.m. School of Medicine Professor David Lin-

Continued on page 13

Calendar

Key

APL BRB CRB EB HW KSAS

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

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

and Sciences NEB New Engineering Building PCTB Preclinical Teaching Building SAIS School of Advanced

International Studies SoM School of Medicine SoN School of Nursing SPH School of Public Health WBSB Wood Basic Science Building WSE Whiting School of

Engineering