The Gazette -- February 22, 2010 by The Johns Hopkins University

o ur 3 9 th ye ar

ARRA RE S EAR C H

AP P OINTM ENT

Covering Homewood, East Baltimore, Peabody,

$3.7 million NIH grant funds

Michela Gallagher to serve as

SAIS, APL and other campuses throughout the

study on stem cells derived from

interim dean of Krieger School

Baltimore-Washington area and abroad, since 1971.

ALS patients, page 5

of Arts and Sciences, page 3

February 22, 2010

The newspaper of The Johns Hopkins University

Volume 39 No. 22

W E A T H E R

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

Whiteout: JHU vs. the snow of 2010

Q&A with SAIS Dean Jessica P. Einhorn Self-described ‘enabler’ talks about mission of training global leaders

By Greg Rienzi

This is the second in a yearlong series of talks with the leaders of Johns Hopkins’ nine academic divisions and the Applied Physics Laboratory.

The Gazette

Continued on page 9

By Greg Rienzi

The Gazette

essica P. Einhorn made history the moment she assumed leadership of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in 2002. Einhorn, who earned a master’s degree in international affairs from SAIS in 1970, became the first graduate to return as dean. Upon her appointment, Einhorn said she viewed the role as that of an “enabler,” someone to help the faculty fulfill its potential in both research and teaching, and the students to receive the education that best prepares them for the careers of their choice. SAIS’s ongoing mission is to train the next generation of leaders in the global arena. Founded in 1943, the school combined with Johns Hopkins in 1950; today, its campuses in Washington, D.C., Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China, draw Continued on page 6

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

ark Selivan, grounds manager for the Homewood campus, clearly recalls his Snowmageddon “cry uncle” moment. It came late on Feb. 10, the day a second storm unkindly dumped another 20 inches of snow on an area still reeling Epic blizzard from 30-plus inches left from the previshuts down ous weekend. Selivan stood on university— the horseshoe steps leading down to the Wyman Quadbut not all rangle as the wind whipped around its staff him at nearly 50 mph. Shovel in hand, he desperately tried to clear the steps as the fast-driving snow covered up his boot tracks with each lumbering step he took. “I remember staring down into the quad and just thinking, I’ve had enough,” he said. “I think I was barely holding on at that point.” Selivan called that wintry Wednesday evening his Battle of the Little Bighorn. Unlike Custer, he and his comrades in arms lived to fight—or shovel, in this case—another day. In the face of an epic blizzard, hundreds of university staff—librarians, IT professionals, food and housing employees, medical workers, maintenance crews and others—braved the weather conditions and worked day and night to keep the university campuses accessible to essential personnel, and basic functions up and running. The snow caused the university to officially close its doors from Monday, Feb. 8, to Friday Feb. 12, a nearly unprecedented loss of days during the academic calendar. The last recent significant string of snow closures occurred in 1996 and 2003, but neither episode caused the university to close five consecutive days. No wonder: The official Homewood campus tally of accumulation from the two storms clocked in at a whopping

The first SAIS graduate to serve the school as dean, Jessica Einhorn says that today’s students are cosmopolitan in ways that weren’t possible 40 years ago.

R E S E A R C H

Personalized blood tests for cancer developed Johns Hopkins scientists’ genome-based tests could help docs tailor treatment B y V a n e s s a W a s ta

Johns Hopkins Medicine

cientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have used data from the whole genome sequencing of cancer patients to develop individualized blood tests they believe can help physicians tailor

In Brief

Hank Paulson book on global financial crisis; SoN e-support for nurses in Haiti; Radiothon

patients’ treatments. The genome-based blood tests, believed to be the first of their kind, may be used to monitor tumor levels after therapy and determine cancer recurrence. “We believe this is the first application of newer generations of whole-genome sequencing that could be clinically useful for cancer patients,” said Victor Velculescu, associate professor of oncology and co-director of the Cancer Biology Program at Johns Hopkins. “Using this approach, we can develop biomarkers for potentially any cancer patient.” In a report on the work, published in the Feb. 24 issue of Science Translational Medicine, the scientists scanned patients’ genomes for

Calendar

Medical Student Research Day; career fair; ‘Follies’ concert version

alterations that, they say, most researchers have not been looking for: rearrangements of large chunks of DNA rather than changes in a single DNA letter among billions of others. They call their new approach Personalized Analysis of Rearranged Ends, or PARE. “In sequencing individuals’ genomes in the past, we focused on single-letter changes, but in this study, we looked for the swapping of entire sections of the tumor genome,” said Bert Vogelstein, Clayton Professor of Oncology, co-director of the Ludwig Institute at Johns Hopkins and investigator Continued on page 11

14 Job Opportunities 14 Notices 15 Classifieds

2 THE GAZETTE • February 22, 2010 I N B R I E F

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Hank Paulson discusses new book on global financial crisis

ank Paulson, former U.S. Treasury secretary and a distinguished visiting scholar at SAIS, discussed his new book, On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System, at an invitation-only event on Feb. 16 at SAIS. Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, moderated the Q&A session. A video of the event is posted on the SAIS Web site at www.sais-jhu.edu/newsand-events/index.htm#paulson. On the Brink, published this month by Business Plus, is Paulson’s much-awaited account of how he tackled the most serious financial crisis confronting the United States—and the world—since the Great Depression. In the book, Paulson puts the reader in the room as he and other notable players address urgent market conditions, weigh critical decisions and debate policy and economic considerations. Proceeds from the book will be donated to the nonprofit Homeownership Preservation Fund, which helps families avoid foreclosure.

Hopkins trains Md. nursing faculty in simulation teaching

he Johns Hopkins School of Nursing has received a $618,000 three-year grant from the Maryland Higher Education Commission to establish an annual Faculty Academy of Simulation Teaching among a consortium of Maryland nursing schools. The objective is to enhance simulation teaching statewide and ensure student nurses make a smooth transition from the classroom to a patient care setting. The program kicked off in January with a weeklong workshop for 15 nursing faculty from six participating nursing schools. Leading the workshop was Pamela R. Jeffries, associate dean for academic affairs at the Johns Hopkins SoN and a nationally recognized expert in simulation in nursing education and a lead author of a textbook on that topic.

MIX 106.5 Radiothon turns 21, hosts kickoff event Thursday

he annual MIX 106.5 Radiothon benefiting Johns Hopkins Children’s Center will mark its 21st birthday with a four-day on-air celebration starting at 7 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25. The marathon broadcast will continue until 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28. Faculty and staff are invited to attend a kickoff event at 10 a.m. Thursday with Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee, the MIX 106.5 Morning Show team and patients and their families. Since 1989, Radiothon has raised more than $12.3 million for Hopkins Children’s

Editor Lois Perschetz Writer Greg Rienzi Production Lynna Bright Copy Editor Ann Stiller Photography Homewood Photography A d v e rt i s i n g The Gazelle Group Business Dianne MacLeod C i r c u l at i o n Lynette Floyd Webmaster Tim Windsor

and this year it launches a “Caring for Kids” multimedia campaign to benefit patients and their families. “Radiothon is the foundation of our annual fundraising, and MIX 106.5 has been a steadfast partner,” said Hopkins Children’s Director George Dover. “This year we are excited to include our Caring for Kids effort, which significantly expands our ability to reach new partners and supporters.” One new supporter is Boost Mobile, which will make a donation on behalf of McGahee at the kickoff. Last summer, the company pledged $500 for every regular season touchdown McGahee scored. In a new twist this year, TV talent from WMAR ABC-2 will join forces with their radio colleagues on Friday, broadcasting from the hospital and airing an hourlong documentary on Hopkins Children’s at 8 p.m.

Libby Larsen, James Levine to receive George Peabody Medal

he Peabody Institute has announced that the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America will be presented to two individuals in 2010: Libby Larsen and James Levine. Larsen, a composer and founding member of the American Composers Forum (originally the Minnesota Composers Forum), will receive the medal and speak at the Conservatory’s graduation ceremony on May 27. Levine, music director of the Metropolitan Opera since 1976 and of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 2004, will receive the medal on May 3 at a special presentation in New York.

Nursing center offers e-support to nurses, midwives in Haiti

n the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing’s PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center has been assisting Haitian nurses and midwives from afar, gathering nursing education materials, translating them into French and Creole, and making them available electronically. As co-director of the Collaborating Center, Patricia Abbott, an associate professor in the Department of Health Systems and Outcomes, manages the Global Alliance for Nursing and Midwifery, an electronic community of practice specifically designed to deliver information for nurses and midwives in low-resource settings. Materials for the Haiti effort have come from nations across the globe, including Japan, Afghanistan, Brazil, Pakistan, Nepal and Somalia. While some of the information can be used for emergency aid—documents on infection control and working with open wounds in the absence of medical supplies, for example—Abbott said that much of it is designed as a resource for medical training in Haiti in the months and years ahead.

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

The Gazette is published weekly September through May and biweekly June through August for the Johns Hopkins University community by the Office of Government, Community and Public Affairs, Suite 540, 901 S. Bond St., Baltimore, MD 21231, in cooperation with all university divisions. Subscriptions are $26 per year. Deadline for calendar items, notices and classifieds (free to JHU faculty, staff and students) is noon Monday, one week prior to publication date. Phone: 443-287-9900 Fax: 443-287-9920 General e-mail: gazette@jhu.edu Classifieds e-mail: gazads@jhu.edu On the Web: gazette.jhu.edu Paid advertising, which does not represent any endorsement by the university, is handled by the Gazelle Group at 410343-3362 or gazellegrp@comcast.net.

February 22, 2010 • THE GAZETTE

O B I T U A R Y

Carl Taylor, 93, founded academic discipline of international health By Tim Parsons

School of Public Health

Carl Taylor, who was born and raised in the Indian Himalayas, traveled the world in his efforts to improve the well-being of marginalized people.

nutrition and infection, today a principle at the foundation of public health. In 1952, he founded the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Christian Medical College Ludhiana, the first such department in the developing world. The founding chair of the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins, Taylor was instrumental in designing the global agenda for primary health care in the 1960s and 1970s. Before the concept was widely embraced, he was part of research and movements that connected women’s empowerment and holistic communitybased change. Throughout his life, Taylor had a particular interest in health care reform, especially the integration of services. His research achieve-

Celebrate: It’s birthday time for The Johns Hopkins University By Greg Rienzi

The Gazette

ohns Hopkins turns 134 years old today. Funny, it doesn’t look a day over 90. To honor the founding of the university on Feb. 22, 1876, a Commemoration Day celebration will be held from noon to 2 p.m. in Homewood’s Levering Hall, which will be decked out in gold-and-sable bunting. The Commemoration Day tradition was brought back four years ago to give people an appreciation for the university’s history and foster a sense of pride in how much it has grown in size and stature since its inception. University administrators will be on hand in the Glass Pavilion to pass out birthday cake and refreshments, and all who attend are encouraged to wear Johns Hopkins paraphernalia. To offer a glimpse into the university’s past, historical images from the photograph

collection of the Ferdinand Hamburger Archives will be on display in both the Great Hall and the Glass Pavilion. The images will document various aspects of the university’s history, including portraits of the founder, the original downtown campus, the early Homewood campus and student activities from the 1800s and early 1900s. The event will also feature a lecture titled “Johns Hopkins, the Man and the Legacy,” presented by Katrina McDonald, associate dean for multicultural affairs and a professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins. McDonald’s talk will be held at 1 p.m. in the Great Hall. To add a touch of nostalgia, the Glass Pavilion speakers will blare out decades-old recordings of Johns Hopkins Glee Club songs. Long-sleeved black T-shirts bearing an image of the Gilman Hall tower on the front pocket, the university name on the sleeve and the date on the back will be distributed to the first 600 students with valid ID.

Medical team deploys to USNS Comfort mission in Haiti

group of Johns Hopkins physicians and nurses left Baltimore on Feb. 14 to assist Haiti earthquake victims undergoing treatment onboard the USNS Comfort, stationed off the Haitian coast. Under an agreement with the U.S. Navy, Johns Hopkins Medicine is planning to deploy six more medical groups to the Comfort during the next 12 weeks to continue care for victims of the island nation’s massive earthquake in January. “We believe that by bringing together top logistics and other experts from the Navy with top medical experts from Johns Hopkins, we’ll provide the very best America

has to offer our Caribbean neighbor,” said James Scheulen, executive director of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response, known as CEPAR, which established the partnership. The Hopkins groups are being deployed as part of the Johns Hopkins Go Team, a multidisciplinary group trained to respond to disasters and funded through a federal grant. The medical team that departed Feb. 14 is being led by Christina Catlett, an emergency physician and director of the Go Team. Catlett and her team will provide patient care for a two-week tour of duty and then will be replaced by a fresh Hopkins Go Team.

ments were wide-ranging. The Narangwal Rural Health Research Project in northern India, which he led from 1960 to 1975, provided breakthrough understandings in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood pneumonia, neonatal tetanus, getting medical care to villages, synergism of malnutrition and child mortality, understanding childhood diarrheal treatment, and community empowerment for just and lasting health solutions. In addition to his 48 years at Johns Hopkins, Taylor was China representative for UNICEF from 1984 to 1987. From 1992 until his death, he was senior adviser to Future Generations and, more recently, Future Generations Graduate School, where a professorship is endowed in his name. From 2004 to 2006, he was Future Generations’ country director for Afghanistan, where he led field-based action groups using more than 400 mosques as educational sites for women. He returned to Afghanistan in 2008, at age 92, to test hypotheses about how “women can, in action groups, solve the majority of their family health problems.”

Michela Gallagher to serve as interim dean of Krieger School

ichela Gallagher, Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Brain and Psychological Sciences and vice provost for academic affairs, has been named interim dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. She will assume the position on April 1, when Adam Falk, the current James B. Knapp Dean of the school, leaves Johns Hopkins to assume the presidency of Williams College. In a broadcast e-mail sent last week to faculty, staff and students, President Ronald J. Daniels and Provost Lloyd B. Minor said that the search for Falk’s successor is proceeding well, and that while the committee has been reviewing nominations and interviewing candidates for the dean’s post, they did not want to rush the process. They therefore had asked Gallagher to serve in the interim, and were grateful for her agreement. A Johns Hopkins faculty member since 1997, Gallagher is a former chair of her department and current co-chair of the dean search committee with Provost Minor. She also directs the university’s Neurogenetics and Behavior Center. Much of her cross-disciplinary research is focused on the aging brain and the changes that can lead to memory loss, cognitive impairment and, eventually,

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

arl E. Taylor, founder of the academic discipline of international health and a man of spiritual conviction who dedicated his life to the well-being of the world’s marginalized people, died Feb. 4 in Baltimore from prostate cancer. He was 93. The reach of his life was extraordinary, as he worked in more than 70 countries and had students from more than 100 nations. He was sharing this near century-long perspective with his students up until a week before his death. Taylor, who came to Johns Hopkins in 1961, was born in 1916 in the Indian Himalayas to medical missionaries and began his career as a 7-year-old pharmacist assistant in his parents’ oxcart-based clinic in the jungles where he spent his childhood. Following medical school at Harvard—his application opened with “My study of anatomy began [with] dissecting a tiger to see where the food went”—he worked in Panama, where he married the former Mary Daniels, his wife of 58 years, who was professor emeritus of education at Towson University before her death in 2001. Taylor returned to India in 1947 as director of Fategarh Presbyterian Hospital, where he led a medical team through the deadly riots of 1947 during the separation of India and Pakistan. In 1949, he conducted the first health survey of Nepal, then the most closed country in Asia. Returning to Harvard, he completed his MPH and DrPH degrees. His doctoral dissertation provided the seminal research that defined the synergism between

Taylor was the primary World Health Organization consultant in preparing documents in 1978 for the Alma Ata World Conference on Primary Health Care. From 1957 through 1983, he advised WHO on a wide range of international health matters. In 1972, Taylor became the founding chair of the National Council for International Health, now known as the Global Health Council. He was also the founding chair of the International Health Section of the American Public Health Association. Taylor published more than 190 peer-reviewed journal articles, books, chapters and policy monographs. In addition to his earned degrees, Taylor received honorary degrees from Muskingum College, Towson State University, China’s Tongji University, Peking Union Medical College and The Johns Hopkins University. In 1993, President Bill Clinton recognized him for “sustained work to protect children around the world in especially difficult circumstances and a life-time commitment to community-based primary care.” Taylor is survived by his two brothers, John and Gordon; two sisters, Gladys and Margaret; three children, Daniel, Betsy and Henry; and nine grandchildren. With an eight-decade-long career in international health, he was beloved by thousands of students and colleagues around the world. His stories of adventure and service enabled them to believe that they, too, could create just and lasting change. In the last year of his life, he was sitting with women in a bamboo hut in northeast India asking them how they would shape their futures, and they responded, “It is harra, the empowerment of ourselves.” A memorial service was held on Feb. 20 at Brown Memorial Church–Park Avenue. Gifts in Taylor’s honor may be sent to the Mary & Carl Taylor Fund, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD, 21205 (www .jhsph.edu); the Mary & Carl Taylor Fund for Global Mission, Brown Memorial Church, (www.browndowntown.org); or Carl Taylor Scholarships, Future Generations Graduate School, Road Less Traveled, Franklin, WV 26807 (www.future.org).

Michela Gallagher

Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. She is often sought out for advisory assignments at the National Institutes of Health, journal editorial positions and leadership roles in professional societies. A graduate of Colgate University, Gallagher earned her doctorate at the University of Vermont, which has recognized her with its Distinguished Alumni Award. Before coming to Johns Hopkins, she served on the faculties at Vermont, North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke.

4 THE GAZETTE â&#x20AC;˘ February 22, 2010

Study: Small amounts of lead may damage childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kidneys B y K at e r i n a P e s h e va

Johns Hopkins Medicine

mall amounts of lead in the bodies of healthy children and teensâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;amounts well below the levels defined as â&#x20AC;&#x153;concerningâ&#x20AC;? by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;may worsen kidney function, according to a Johns Hopkins Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center study published in the Jan. 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. In 1991, the CDC reduced the lead level

â&#x20AC;&#x153;of concernâ&#x20AC;? for children from 30 micrograms to 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood, but the Johns Hopkins findings suggest that even levels below 10 present a health risk, providing the first evidence that lead levels that low may impair kidney function. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that very low levels of lead may impact kidney function in healthy children, which underscores the need to minimize sources of lead exposure,â&#x20AC;? said Jeffrey Fadrowski, lead investigator and a pediatric nephrologist at Hopkins Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

President Daniels announces senior VP search committee

resident Ronald J. Daniels has announced the formation of a search committee to assist him in identifying a successor to James T. McGill, who will retire on June 30 from his position as senior vice president for finance and administration. Michael J. Klag, dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, will chair the committee. Serving as members will be Lois Chiang, senior adviser to the president; Rich Grossi, vice president and chief financial officer of Johns Hopkins Medicine; Chris Hoehn-Saric, Johns Hopkins University trustee; and Jerome D. Schnydman, secretary of the board of trustees. Ken Kring at the executive search firm Korn/Ferry International will support the committeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to reach out broadly for a suitable successor. In a letter sent Feb. 15 to faculty, staff and students, President Daniels said he had asked the committee to undertake a â&#x20AC;&#x153;broad

and vigorousâ&#x20AC;? international search to identify candidates. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The senior vice president is a critical senior leader at Johns Hopkins who must understand our highest aspirations for research, teaching and service, and who must find innovative ways of supporting our mission,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am seeking a senior vice president who has an excellent record of strategic, management and fiscal accomplishment; who draws upon a strong understanding and appreciation of researchintensive universities; and who can lead and manage this broad portfolio in a decentralized setting. This person will be a critical contributor to the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senior leadership team.â&#x20AC;? Daniels said he encourages members of the Johns Hopkins community to submit thoughts or nominations to the committee, or to Kringâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention at johnshopkinsSVP@ kornferry.com. To ensure full consideration, nominations should be received by April 1.

The Johns Hopkins team cautions that its findings present only a snapshot of kidney status and lead levels and do not offer definitive proof of cause and effect between the two. But the scientists say that their findings are worrisome and emphasize the urgent need for studies that track lead levels and kidney function over time to better understand the interplay between the two. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our findings were particularly striking because we saw slightly decreased kidney function in healthy children without conditions that could account for it, and this could spell more kidney trouble down the road as these children get older or if they acquire additional risk factors for kidney disease, such as high blood pressure and diabetes,â&#x20AC;? said Susan Furth, senior investigator on the study and a pediatric nephrologist at Hopkins Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Of the 769 healthy children and teens in the study, ages 12 to 20, more than 99 percent had lead levels below 10, with an average level of 1.5 micrograms per deciliter. Those with lead levels in the upper quarter of the normal range appeared to have worse kidney function than those with lower lead levels. Kidney function is defined by the speed with which the kidneys filter the blood. Those with lead levels above 2.9 had a kidney filtration rate of 6.6 units (milliliters of blood filtered per minute and adjusted for body size) lower than children whose lead levels were below 1 microgram per deciliter. Researchers also found that for each twofold increase in the amount of lead in the blood, the kidneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s filtration capacity dropped by 2.3 units in males and by 3.3 in females. The link between higher lead levels and worse kidney function persisted even after investigators eliminated high blood pressureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;less than 5 percent of those in the study had itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as a possible factor affecting kidney status. In the current study, the investigators

measured kidney function by estimating the kidneysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; filtering capacity, called glomerular filtration rate, or GFR, using two tests: a standard creatinine test, which measures the speed with which the kidneys filter out creatinine from the blood, and a newer test that measures how fast the kidneys filter out the protein cystatin C. Cystatin C is believed to be a more accurate gauge because its levels are more stable than those of creatinine, which can fluctuate depending on muscle mass and other factors. Indeed, the differences in kidney function were far more pronounced when the researchers looked at cystatin C and not as significant when they applied the standard creatinine test. The investigators said this could mean that past studies that have used creatinine tests may have underestimated the true effect of lead on kidney function. Lead exposure is a well-established risk factor for neurological damage and developmental delays in children, while chronic exposure to high lead levels is a wellknown cause of chronic kidney disease in adults. Despite the elimination of lead from gasoline and paint, most Americans still have detectable lead levels in the blood. The mean blood lead levels in the 12-to-19 -year-olds were 1.5 micrograms per deciliter from 1991 to 1994 and 1.1 micrograms per deciliter from 1999 to 2000, researchers say. Current exposure sources include lead paint, folk remedies, glazed pottery, soil and drinking water in some urban areas with older housing. Chronic kidney disease affects 26 million people in the United States. Co-investigators are Ana Navas-Acien, Maria Tellez-Plaza, Eliseo Guallar and Virginia Weaver, all of Johns Hopkins. The research was funded by the National Kidney Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

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February 22, 2010 • THE GAZETTE A R R A

R E S E A R C H

NIH grant funds study on stem cells from ALS patients B y A m y L u n d ay a n d C h r i s t e n B r ow n l e e Homewood and Johns Hopkins Medicine This is part of an occasional series on Johns Hopkins research funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. If you have a study you would like to be considered for inclusion, contact Lisa De Nike at lde@jhu.edu.

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

two-year $3.7 million stimulus grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow Johns Hopkins neurologist and lead researcher Jeffrey Rothstein to expand on his long-standing research into the nerve- and muscle-wasting disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Using stem cells developed in a laboratory from skin cell samples taken from 20 ALS patients and five control subjects, Rothstein and his colleagues will study the biology and chemistry involved in the development and progression of the disease and will test drugs to intervene in the process. When the twoyear program is completed, the cells generated will be available nationwide to other researchers. “We believe that the ability to work with the two types of cells most relevant for ALS, developed directly from ALS patients, will give us a tremendous boost toward understanding more about this disease,” said Rothstein, a professor of neurology and neuroscience and director of the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins. “Importantly, this will serve as a scientifically rich national resource for human ALS cell lines.” ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is characterized by a gradual loss of muscle strength and coordination. The disease is fatal, with only about 20 percent of patients living more than five years beyond diagnosis. The funding for the Johns Hopkins work

Lead researcher Jeffrey Rothstein, right, and Nicholas Maragakis will provide the cells generated in their program to other researchers nationwide.

comes from an NIH Grand Opportunities grant, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. According to the NIH, the grants in this program “provide investigators and institutions with the opportunity to engage in new avenues of research with a high likelihood of significant impact on growth and investment in biomedical or behavioral research and development, public health and health care delivery.” “This program will provide the first national tissue resource of real human ALS cells that could be used in projects ranging from understanding the disease to the discovery of new effective therapies,” Roth-

Former Kellogg dean to give Carey Business School lecture the boards of of Hartmarx Corp., Deere & Co. and Northern Trust Corp. Carey Business School Jain has published more than 50 articles on topics as diverse as marketing of high tech products and cross-cultural issues in ipak C. Jain, former dean of the global product diffusion. In 1991, he received Kellogg School of Management at the John D.C. Little Best Paper Award Northwestern University, will speak from Marketing Science for his work on the in the Carey Business School’s Dean’s Lectiming decisions of household ture Series on Thursday, Feb. 25. purchases. He has held a variety His talk will be held from 5 to of editorial positions with top 6:30 p.m. in Mason Hall on the journals, culminating in his role Homewood campus. as associate editor, from 1990 to Jain is currently the Sandy 1995, of the renowned academic and Morton Goldman Professor business publication Managein Entrepreneurial Studies and ment Science. a professor of marketing at the Jain earned a bachelor’s degree Kellogg School, where he joined in mathematics and statistics, the marketing faculty in 1986. with honors, and master’s degrees In 1992, he received the Sidney in mathematical statistics and Levy Award for Excellence in management science from Teaching, and four years later Dipak C. Jain India’s Guwahati University. He was appointed associate dean received a doctorate in operations research for academic affairs, helping set the agenda from the University of Texas, Dallas. for the school’s global MBA strategy, cur The Dean’s Lecture Series is intended to riculum, faculty and research activities. enrich the intellectual and academic life of Appointed as a foreign affairs adviser for the Carey Business School and to engage the prime minister of Thailand, he oversaw the larger Johns Hopkins community in a branding study designed to bolster that a discussion of the latest thinking about country’s economic profile through tourism, business school education, the opportuniand in 2007, he was asked by Henry Paulson, ties and challenges business schools face then secretary of the Department of the and how they will need to respond to the Treasury, to develop a strategy on the global future needs of society. Respected academexpansion of U.S. universities. ics from business schools around the world A former director at United Airlines and are featured. Peoples Energy, Jain has acted as a consul To register for the lecture, go to carey.jhu tant for top global companies, including .edu/deanslectures. For more information, American Express, Microsoft, Hyatt Intere-mail carey.lectureseries@jhu.edu. national and Motorola. He now serves on By Andrew Blumberg

stein said. “By having a centralized, highly characterized tissue resource, we can help catalyze research on this disease nationally, and advance therapeutics.” The award will be shared with three other laboratories, one at Harvard University and two at Columbia University. The project will create at least three new jobs in the labs at Johns Hopkins, as well as multiple jobs at the collaborating sites, Rothstein said. The Johns Hopkins team will collaborate with San Francisco–based biopharmaceutical company iPierian, which specializes in working with the novel stem cells to be used in this project. The stem cells, known as induced pluripotent stem, or iPS cells, can develop into cells that populate many organs but are derived from non-stem cells. The scientists plan to grow iPS cells from ALS patients’ skin, then steer them to develop into motor neurons and astrocytes, the two

types of nerve cells that are affected in ALS. Previous studies of ALS have been hindered by the fact that researchers can’t use patients’ actual neurons in studies. By generating iPS cells, Rothstein and his colleagues hope to open up new avenues for research and discovery. Rothstein will be working with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine colleagues Nicholas Maragakis, an associate professor of neurology, and Dwight Bergles, an associate professor of neuroscience, who will be analyzing the iPS cells for functional properties so the team will know when they have succeeded in making an astrocyte before providing the cells as a national resource. Rothstein’s investigation is among the more than 340 stimulus-funded research grants and supplements totaling more than $160.3 million that Johns Hopkins has garnered since Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (informally known by the acronym ARRA), bestowing the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation with $12.4 billion in extra money to underwrite research grants by September 2010. The stimulus package—which provided $550 billion in new spending, including the above grants—is part of the federal government’s attempt to bring back a stumbling economy by distributing dollars for transportation projects, infrastructure building, the development of new energy sources and job creation, and financing research that will benefit humankind. Johns Hopkins scientists have submitted about 1,300 proposals for stimulus-funded investigations, ranging from strategies to help recovering addicts stay sober and the role that certain proteins play in the development of muscular dystrophy to mouse studies seeking to understand how men and women differ in their response to the influenza virus. To date, 112 jobs have been created at Johns Hopkins through ARRA funding.

Students encouraged to apply for temporary census jobs B y A m y L u n d ay

Homewood

he U.S. Census Bureau is hiring more than a million temporary employees to help conduct the 2010 census this spring, and college students 18 and older are being encouraged to apply. The part-time positions are considered resume builders for students, who will be able to note that they’ve worked for a widely recognized federal government agency in a position demonstrating their initiative, independence, responsibility, reliability and ability to work as a member of a team. Census workers locate households and explain to residents the purpose of the census, conduct brief personal interviews and help neighbors complete their forms. Enumerators, as they are called, must be U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents or noncitizens with an appropriate work visa, among other requirements. A valid driver’s license is needed for most positions. The jobs offer competitive wages, paid training and reimbursement for work-related expenses such as mileage. Census workers generally work in the

communities in which they live. Bilingual speakers are especially encouraged to apply. The Census Bureau conducts its count every 10 years as a way to gauge how many people are living in the United States, along with who they are and where they live. The data collected determines such things as local and state government representation, as well as how much federal funding communities receive for roads, housing, education, health care, public safety and other services. “These census jobs may be ideal for our students who are looking for a way to make extra money, and we encourage them to apply if they are interested,” said Susan Boswell, dean of student life on the Homewood campus. University leaders said they consider the census count extremely important and are urging students to take it seriously and fill out their forms when they arrive in coming weeks. To apply, call 443-927-1200 to schedule a short employment test. Applicants can also call the toll-free jobs line at 866-861-2010. TTY users should call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. For more information, go to http://2010 .census.gov/2010censusjobs.

Snow day? Accurate information on Johns Hopkins weather-related closings is online at

http://webapps.jhu.edu/emergencynotices

6 THE GAZETTE • February 22, 2010

Einhorn Continued from page 1 950 students from around the world who want a degree program based on individual academic and professional interests. For Einhorn, the financial realm has always been her chief interest. She worked for 19 years at the World Bank, where she was vice president and treasurer and, later, managing director, serving directly under the bank’s president. She is known internationally for her influence on modern global capital markets, including holding key roles in the first currency swap operation, development of the global bond and risk management of derivatives. Einhorn spent her last year at the World Bank as a visiting fellow at the International Monetary Fund, studying issues involving the international financial system, including the nature of financial crises. Just prior to becoming dean, Einhorn was a consultant in the Washington office of Clark & Weinstock. Earlier in her career, she worked at the U.S. Treasury and State departments and in the International Development Cooperation Agency of the United States. Einhorn, who earned her doctorate in politics from Princeton University, recently sat down with The Gazette to discuss SAIS’s global mission and the opportunities for its graduates. We learned, among other things, that you can take the girl out of finance but not finance out of the girl. Q: What about SAIS has changed since your days as a student, and what continues to attract people here? A: Well, I can tell you a lot has changed

since I was a student here. This is an absolutely extraordinary place, and we have the most amazing student body. In addition to being so able academically and intellectually curious, they are adventuresome and idealistic. I like to joke that our students help cure AIDS in Africa in July and trade commodities in Singapore in August. They are really cosmopolitan in ways that just were not quite possible when I was young. When I came to SAIS, I was 21 years old, and I had just graduated from [Barnard]. In my college years, I had spent a year at the London School of Economics, and right after college I had gone on a Fulbright to Caracas, Venezuela. So, I thought I was pretty international. But our students today use every break to hop on an airplane and travel to places like India and Thailand and Vietnam. The generation of students who come to SAIS now are part of a network that is really global. They are embedded in activities around the world, from business to government to international organizations and nonprofit work. They are part of the global culture. To get back to your question, there are many, many things that have changed at SAIS. Part of what has changed is that “international” is no longer just going off and living and learning in that place. That, of course, is an important part of it, which is why we celebrate regional studies, learning a particular culture in depth. But now it’s about people who are living lives of international engagement. Our students venture into all walks of life.

Q: You just mentioned you were 21 when you came to SAIS. What is the average age and background of SAIS students today? A: The average age of the incoming master’s

student is 26, which is another big change. They come from more than 65 countries, and they have had an amazing set of experiences, both in their home countries and outside those countries. They all gather together at SAIS, along with the midcareer students and the military fellows who are here. I found from the first day I came to SAIS that our faculty loves being engaged with our students. We have a very small full-time faculty, and something like 130 part-time faculty drawn from around the city, with great expertise in different disciplines of interna-

tional affairs. As a dean, and I only know this anecdotally, everyone I have spoken to really loves teaching our students [because] they manage to combine respectfulness for their professors and at the same time be able to engage with them in almost a peerlike way through experience and understanding. The dynamic seems to be very special. Q: How much of a challenge is recruitment? A: It’s been a little too easy, and we don’t

take it for granted. One of our highest priorities is to not allow ourselves to become just supply oriented in admissions. We want to build up and fine-tune demand. A number of years ago, we wanted more students from a business background. For a couple of years, we wanted to find more students with an engineering background. Now, we have a very able admissions director, who comes to us from the Columbia Business School, who is taking the lead in reviewing and revamping our entire admissions operation to make it the tremendously important engine of entry that a professional school needs.

Q: Tell me about the Roll Back the Future initiative you launched last year and its progress. A: It is an idea of looking forward 10

years to examine what students you want to attract and which institutions are your competitors. In doing so, we wanted to learn what we needed to do the next one to three, or three to five, years to make sure we’re on a path, not a rigid road, that would head us in the right direction. This was a nonacademic exercise. We came up with a set of priorities. Of course, financial aid was singled out, as that is our biggest competitive disadvantage. We don’t offer as much as we would like. We also wanted to focus on admissions and career services. Those two functions have to be absolutely top of class among professional schools. I can tell you that a lot of work has been done in information and technology, and we have made great progress with that. We also have an idea of what we want SAIS to be outside the classroom. It’s an all-encompassing notion that every SAIS student who comes here—from the first day of economics preterm until the day that they march in commencement—should know that she or he is a SAIS student. We want to be involved in the thinking of their summer plans, in their internships and career development, and the trips that they take during short school breaks. For example, Elliot Cohen was a model for us with his Staff Rides [and Field Trips], where students in Strategic Studies spend the better part of a year preparing for a week studying a major battle. This year they will be studying the German invasion of France in World War II and visit sites. In the past, they studied the Spanish Civil War, the Allied invasion of Italy and the battle of Waterloo. We also have a special grant that allows us to support students outside of Asian Studies to go to Asia. For example, students in African Studies have gone on a trip to China. It’s so important if you’re doing African Studies to understand modern China and the role it plays. Currently, we are in an experimental phase of having these short courses on special subjects. [Foreign Policy Institute author in residence] James Mann gave a course on history and biography in international affairs. It’s just a one-week course, but we think it will be an important addition to what we offer.

Q: I heard you mention before that it’s important that SAIS not be solely identified with D.C. A: It’s very important to understanding SAIS

to know about our other campuses, Bologna and Nanjing. But they are not equivalent. Nanjing is very important in that it anchors us in such an important area of Asia, but it has its own degree program. Bologna is absolutely integral; as many as half our graduating class spend their first year there. Ken Keller—a JHU PhD in Engineering—is a tremendous leader of the Bologna Center. He is leading an effort, with his colleagues, to create a Bologna that will have

both an independent identity in Europe and yet be fully integrated and a partner with SAIS in Washington. Those two concepts are very important, and he is particularly skilled in being able to walk down both those paths at the same time. Q: Do you envision SAIS expanding beyond these two affiliates? A: I would say, not on my watch [laughs].

Two is enough of a challenge.

Q: Can I go back to what you said about infrastructure and technology? What has been implemented already? A: What happened for many years here was

that technology was just about hardware and servicing that hardware. We made sure we had wireless connections and all of that. But we see technology as more central than that. A basic principle for SAIS is that we do not embrace technology just to save money on education. Our mantra is that we use technology to enhance the educational experience for the students. We created the position of CIO, George Petasos, who together with our senior associate dean, is undertaking transformational change in both Washington and Bologna to bring us into the 21st century and then some.

Q: It sounds like you are progressing methodically and cautiously on this technological front? A: I would say we are progressing con-

strained by poverty, and not just cautiously. Financial constraints are critical here. It’s all about financial priorities.

Q: Speaking of which, capital projects. Where do they stand? A: We are doing as much as we can afford

with tremendous support from [Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration] Jim McGill and his team. We had done a master plan to get where we wanted to be for SAIS, and it was more than we could afford. What we are doing now is more modest changes to the Rome Building and the Nitze Building. We are also doing some changes in the Bernstein-Offit Building. To give you an idea of our constraints, we desperately need a new heating system here, and we had to put that off. We all view our fiduciary duty first and foremost to our students. Our calling is to give every single student at SAIS the best possible education we can give them, and to prepare them for a life of productive and professional engagement in international affairs. That is really what we care about, and we never take our eye off that ball. Obviously, scholarship is very important to us, and having great professors who are both scholars and teachers is entirely essential to fulfill that mission. Looking at infrastructure and our priorities, we said our No. 1 priority has to be health and legal compliance, and No. 2 is everything that improves the student experience. We have made improvements to public spaces, classrooms and the library. A distant last is office space. The furniture you see here, I inherited from the last dean. You cannot get lower on the priority list than the dean’s furniture.

Q: What are the students studying? Popular fields? A: International Development and Energy,

Resources and Environment are our two largest programs. I think this trend goes back to that fact we have a whole generation here who feel engaged with the world. Strategic Studies, Conflict Management and Western Hemispheres Studies are also large programs. International development is a discipline that trains you to think about different social and human development issues. It gives you framework for thinking about these different cultures and how they can build the institutions to empower them to serve their own populations well. There is a great appeal there for many of our students.

Q: Where do students go when they leave SAIS, and has that changed much?

A: It’s quite a big pie: the private sector, public sector, international organizations— like my career in the World Bank—and the nonprofit sector. When students come in for orientation on their first day, I say to them, Think of the three broad sectors: public, including international organizations; the private; and nonprofit. Most of you will have careers in two of them, and many of you will be engaged in the third. All I encourage you to do is think about where your first job will be and focus on that. Q: It’s the Year of Religion here. You’ve been doing these themed years for five years now. Why is it important to you? A: Well, I can joke about it, and I recently

said this to [Johns Hopkins] President Daniels. I told him we were doing an annual magazine and needed a theme for that. And the annual holiday card, we needed a theme for that. We also do a special named lecture each year, and we needed a theme for that. So, I thought to myself, Why am I doing this to myself three or four times a year? Why don’t I just pick one? So that’s the humorous side of it. But the serious side is that it started with the Year of Energy, and we did that because I wanted to brand the school in that field because I thought it was a natural for our students in the private and public sectors. Energy and natural resources are a natural for us because they’re always so linked to a particular place, location, culture, geography or form of government. Our students are so adept at being able to understand all those relationships and politics. I used to say that you could teach international relations with a course on oil pipeline politics because those issues are so interesting—where the pipeline starts and its transit path. Energy was such a nice hit that we decided to continue with these themed years. We next picked China because we were celebrating the Hopkins-Nanjing Center’s 20th anniversary. And it just picked up steam from there. The themed years have really sparked a community interest that is multidisciplinary.

Q: What country fascinates you? A: Well, I can do a country if you want, but

what fascinates me right now is financial reform. I’m really a finance sort of gal. I think that the huge recession, and the fact that we had a breakdown of the financial systems, has led us to this point of how we should build resilience into our systems. I think that is fascinating. I manage to follow major power stuff quite a lot but tend to read articles more based on function. So I’ll read a story about energy in Central Asia, or political unrest in Latin America or anything and everything that is going on with financial reform. I’ll see a story on Chinese stock exchange governance, and I’ll read that, if that tells you anything [laughs]. I think I’m pretty cosmopolitan in my geographical interest. Q: So, you’re not picking favorites, are you? A: I’m really more interested in what

America can do to fulfill its potential than I am about the others.

Q: Obama ran on a policy of change, and there will be some, no matter which way we turn. How do you see the next few years going in terms of foreign affairs? A: I think the first year of this administra-

tion is about a change in the nature of its engagement. I think it will be four years before we see whether or not that stance in the service of policy is more successful in furthering our interests and furthering truly effective leadership in international affairs. I will say it’s been a smoother transition than others in terms of picking up where we left off. In terms of change, what we have so far is a change in stance for international engagement and a deliberate approach to policy. I think the United States interests Continued on next page

February 22, 2010 • THE GAZETTE

School of Nursing celebrates diversity Feb. 22 to 24

he Johns Hopkins School of Nursing kicks off a three-day celebration of diversity today. The annual celebration, honoring Diversity Week, is co-sponsored by the JHU SoN Cultural Competency and Diversity Committee, the school’s Returned Peace Corps Fellows, the Johns Hopkins Nursing Alumni Association and JHU Nursing Students United for Advocacy and Action. The special events and exhibits scheduled for the week focus on ethnic, cultural and spiritual diversity.

Einhorn

Monday, Feb. 22

8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Carpenter Room. Gallery of Cultures and Countries features displays depicting international experiences, hosted by Returning Peace Corps Fellows, students and faculty. 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., café area. Kumari will sell Indian and Nepalese food; Me Latte, Mexican edibles; and Hot Mustard, Korean food. 12:30 p.m., Carpenter Room. Opening remarks by Dean Martha Hill, followed at

might have three alums in Vice President Biden’s office, or someone else at the World Bank. Or our own faculty have been involved in government and with groups all over the world. The personal network is quite great.

Continued from preceding page in the world don’t change from president to president. What changes is how you pursue those objectives. Q: The level of guest speakers that SAIS attracts is extraordinary. Having heads of state come here is a common occurrence. Can you talk about your philosophy concerning speakers? A: No. 1, we never pay for any. Well, rarely,

but even that at a great discount. The major factor for us is Washington. It is sure different to ask someone to take a 12-minute cab ride—or, if they are in a motorcade, even shorter—to come to SAIS than to ask them to go to a city or part of the country they wouldn’t otherwise be. The second thing is that the school has standing. We are really part of the fabric of the city. Our alumni are all over the world. So when you are reaching out to people, they often have connections to SAIS. We

Q: And what an engaged audience you have at these events. A: Our students are an unbelievable audi-

ence. Nobody is as blessed as I am. At the height of the debates, I could have President Bush one day and Ted Kennedy the other day, and I didn’t have to worry for a second about decorum or respectfulness in the question-and-answer period. They are just a class act. The school itself is a big tent. It stretches from people who want their whole careers in finance and military to those who want to do the most grassroots work in poor countries. And they just all get along. They respect one another and one’s views, predilections and ambitions. It’s been eight years, and I have never had a SAIS student who didn’t make me proud in these public events.

Q: How engaged are your alumni, and would you like them to be more engaged?

12:45 p.m. by a musical performance by a group from the Peabody Conservatory. 4:30 to 7 p.m., rooms 9 and 10. Dinner and panel presentation: “Working in International Settings: Helpful Facts.” (Dinner is served at 4:30; panel begins at 5.)

dinner featuring dishes from the countries where they’ve served. Wednesday, Feb. 24

8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Carpenter Room. Gallery of Cultures and Countries (see Monday). 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., room 9. Panel presentation: “Diversity in the Workplace: How to Make It Work.” Amy Hoffman and JHU SoN National Student Nurses Association members will discuss entering today’s nursing workforce. Lunch will be served.

Tuesday, Feb. 23

8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Carpenter Room. Gallery of Cultures and Countries (see Monday). 5 p.m., room 9. Returned Peace Corps Fellows will show a movie and serve a potluck

A: One of the most gratifying initiatives to me in the past three years has been that we have finally found our footing and are building a really great alumni outreach effort, which, of course, is an investment in the future. We are doing it geographically, looking at major cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London and others. We look at where there are alums and try to help them to get to know one another. And then bring SAIS faculty to them and engage them with our students. They can mentor students, help them find jobs or internships. This goes for Bologna as well. We are very much enjoying the huge potential that comes with engaging with this amazing group of people.

Q: Is it possible to get “too” much of D.C.? A: You can definitely overdose on D.C.

The way to get out of it is not to do international affairs in another capital. You instead go to a museum, the opera, the theater, see family, visit friends. I think it’s more about getting your head out of it than getting on a plane. Not to mention that on the plane are people you know from D.C. [laughs], and when you get there, there are people who are interested in the same subjects you are.

Q: What are you reading now? A: It’s almost too perfect. I’m reading a

book called The Hawk and the Dove about [SAIS founder] Paul Nitze and George Kennan. It’s written by Paul Nitze’s grandson, Nicholas Thompson. It’s a wonderful book, very well-received. The other book, [which] I sent Ron Daniels for a holiday gift, was a great book, Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed. It’s a compelling story about the cause of the Great Depression told as a biography of the four central bank governors. It doesn’t sound exciting, but it’s wonderful.

Q: Where are you traveling to next? A: Personally, I hope I get to a ski slope

this year. I’ll be going to Bologna toward the end of April. I’ll be in New York soon to see some alums. I have done a lot of international traveling, especially in my earlier career, but as dean I feel you have to be here during the academic portion of the year.

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8 THE GAZETTE • February 22, 2010

February 22, 2010 • THE GAZETTE

Blizzard 51.7 inches—the worst two-day blizzard in the Baltimore area since 1922. The storms crippled roadways and caused life-threatening conditions. Baltimore’s mayor ordered Phase III of the city’s snow emergency plan, which banned travel on streets except for emergency vehicles until 5 a.m. on Thursday. Baltimore had not been in a Phase III emergency since the snowstorm of 1996. Hundreds of trees fell on streets, cars and homes. Streets were blocked with snow and abandoned cars. Although the university remained closed, life continued on its campuses for some modicum of work and play, and a great deal of cleanup. At Homewood, an army of groundskeepers and custodial, housing and maintenance shop staff tirelessly battled the snow with an arsenal of shovels, snow blowers, compact tractors and tons of snow-melting material. At the height of the second storm, 50 staff were on hand. A large crew came in on Tuesday night and remained until the weekend. They slept in cots or on available couches, but only in three-hour stretches. Otherwise, they were outside clearing snow, often in bitter cold, blowing, snowy, dark conditions, and at considerable risk to themselves due to falling trees and limbs. “We used lots of elbow grease,” said David Ashwood, director of plant operations for the Homewood campus and one of those who helped dig the campus out. “We had people out there around the clock. Once the snow gets compacted, it’s pretty difficult to remove, so we did our best to stay on top of it. But quite frankly, it was a ridiculous amount of snow. We had blinding conditions, the wind was blowing, and wet and heavy snow was piling up two to three feet. This was a once-every-100 years event.” Ashwood said that the goal was to keep the main arteries into campus open and building entrances accessible. Crews also made sure that students had access to the O’Connor Recreation Center and the Milton S. Eisenhower Library. Much of the original snow was piled into mounds. After the second storm, huge piles from Homewood were loaded into haulers and dropped onto the parking lot at Johns Hopkins at Eastern. The Homewood campus suffered no loss of power, Ashwood said, but there were some roof leaks that were quickly fixed. Several trees fell during the storm. On the East Baltimore campus, Facilities Management staff worked with Baltimore City crews to clear the roads and sidewalks around The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the medical campus buildings. Howie Gwon, incident commander in the Office of Emergency Management for the School of Medicine and the hospital, said that staff were called in before the storms hit to ensure that the hospital was running 24-7. Nearly 1,400 staff stayed overnight at the hospital, including doctors, nurses, clinicians, custodial staff, IT personnel and security guards. During one 24-hour period, more than 1,200 hospital staff were on hand, and they slept on cots, air mattresses, chairs and available beds. Gwon’s team made sure supplies and food could be delivered. He also supervised a team of 80 drivers who were sent out to pick up essential staff from their homes. “At the height of the storm, we stopped sending out drivers since the conditions were so bad,” said Gwon, nicknamed “the master of disaster.” “This was the worst storm I’ve seen in the 20 years I’ve been here. But it’s my job to stay calm and collected, and be there to help in anyway I can. I will say that people here really stepped up to the plate. It was a great show of teamwork.” Stephanie Reel, the university’s vice provost for information technologies and vice president for information services for Johns Hopkins Medicine, said that Johns Hopkins was both prepared and somewhat fortunate

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

Continued from page 1

Homewood campus co-eds enjoy the wintry outdoors during their five-day break from classes.

to keep computer networks and telecommunications lines running smoothly during the storms. “Some of our technologies allowed many of our employees to work from home. We used collaboration tools like Confluence and Sharepoint, instant messenger, e-mail and teleconferencing technologies to ensure that we were still able to answer Help Desk calls, respond to problems and deploy solutions,” Reel said. In addition to the remote work, Reel said that roughly 40 IT employees braved the elements and drove or walked into their offices during the snowed-in week. Some Johns Hopkins Hospital IT staff stayed over-

See our online gallery of snow photos at gazette.jhu.edu. night for two or three consecutive days, and another nine employees stayed overnight at the Mount Washington campus to provide coverage for the primary Help Desk, phone center and data center. “It was a special week, and lots of folks enjoyed the opportunity to serve our patients, students, faculty and staff during the double dump of snow,” Reel said. “We have a truly amazingly wonderful group of dedicated, committed and caring individuals.” The Bloomberg School of Public Health’s main building remained opened for essential personnel and research. Prior to the blizzard, the school’s facilities team rented a frontend loader, which was used to remove snow from parking areas behind office areas. Many top-level university officials were on their campuses and showed support to the staff who were working and away from family for days. On one of his stops, President Ronald J. Daniels brought coffee and doughnuts to the staff at Homewood Communications Center, which serves as the hub for campus security. For students stuck on the Homewood campus, Residential Life staff, both professional and RAs, hosted a broad range of activities, such as movie and game nights, according to Susan Boswell, dean of student life. The Digital Media Center stayed open and offered a broad range of video game activities. The O’Connor Recreation Center was packed most days as students took advantage of the opportunity to get some

exercise in during what would normally be class time. Fresh Food Cafe remained well stocked and busy. Boswell said that staff interacted with students electronically and by phone to address difficulties that arose. Bill Harrington, director of the O’Connor Recreation Center, said that the center “did not miss a single hour” of its usual schedule. Professional and student staff stayed overnight to keep the facility up and running. “While grounds and plant operations did a great job of making the rounds on the steps and walks, our staff also kept things going during the height of the storm by shoveling and salting continuously,” Harrington said. “Additionally, we were plowing Homewood Field almost continuously in order to stay ahead of the accumulation. The [sports] teams have been able to practice outside every day except Wednesday.” Harrington said that when the center opened in January 2002, he and his staff made a conscious decision to make every effort to serve the students to the best of their abilities. “We have only closed for weather reasons one time, and that was a hurricane. Attendance during the storm was about as high as normal for February. The facility was actually more crowded during the day, when students would normally be in class,” he said. The MSE Library’s Q and M levels remained opened, thanks to security staff. Librarians were available remotely just about every day, providing online reference support from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Ellen Keith, a reference services coordinator for the MSE Library who worked from her Mount Washington apartment, said that she and her colleagues answered student e-mails, updated the library’s Web site and monitored the library’s Twitter account. Students asking questions about fines for books and DVDs that were due were told that any fines accrued during the period would be waved. “We also had students contacting us about reference materials for research projects,” she said. “We did our best to answer all their questions in a timely fashion.” The William H. Welch Medical Library was officially closed, but librarians were available remotely. Library staff also made house calls, of sorts. Victoria Goode, a clinical information specialist at Welch Library, met a team of researchers at the Barnes & Noble Johns Hopkins bookstore in Charles

Village to assist in organizing a systematic literature review. The WelchWeb site had 19,194 total visits during the snow week. When not in a gym or library, students had fun and got creative in the snow. Homewood students built snowmen, waged massive snowball fights and carved out a lounge area, snow chairs and all, on The Beach. They also sledded down Homewood hills and staircases on cardboard boxes, plastic-bin tops and cafeteria trays provided by Housing and Dining Services. Peabody students, including one Alaska native, built an impressive igloo on the school’s courtyard on the Thursday after the second wave of snow. To make up for lost days, some of the university’s schools have decided to alter their academic calendar. Officials in the Krieger and Whiting schools, in consultation with faculty and student leaders, decided to extend the semester and compress some activities. The last day of classes was originally scheduled for April 30, with the final day for examinations May 13. The revised schedule, in an effort to recapture the lost week of classes, will have May 7 as the last day of classes and May 16 as the last day of finals. The university looked into canceling spring break and scheduling makeup classes in the evenings and on weekends but decided that both options would be too disruptive. SAIS will extend its semester four days, using May 3 through May 6 as makeup days. Friday classes that were missed will be made up with other arrangements. If any additional days are lost due to snow, weekends would be used to make up those days. The Carey Business School will add a week to its spring term. No major changes to the academic calendar are planned at this time for Peabody and the schools of Education, Medicine, Nursing and Public Health. As of press time, facilities crews were still busily crunching up and removing snow from Baltimore campuses. Speaking with The Gazette last week, Selivan said he was still exhausted from the many sleepless nights of snow removal. A self-described weather junkie, Selivan added that he was tracking another “snow event,” due to hit the area early this week. To that, he could only smile and let out a small laugh. “We’ll be ready for it,” he said. G

10 THE GAZETTE • February 22, 2010 F E B .

2 2

–

M A R C H

Calendar Continued from page 16 During Neuronal Differentiation of Spinal Cord,” a Carnegie Institution Embryology seminar with Naihe Jing, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences/Chinese Academy of Sciences. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW Tues., Feb. 23, 4 p.m. “Inositol Pyrophosphate in Signaling Phosphate-Starvation in Yeast,” a Biology special seminar with Young-Sam Lee, Harvard University. 100 Mudd. HW

“Generic Galois Extensions for Extensions of Symmetric Groups,” a Number Theory/Algebraic Geometry seminar with Shuvra Gupta, University of Pennsylvania. 308 Krieger. HW

Tues., Feb. 23, 4:30 p.m.

“Voice Applications for Low Literate Users,” a Center for Language and Speech Processing seminar with Roni Rosenfeld, Carnegie Mellon University. B17 CSEB. HW

Tues., Feb. 23, 4:30 p.m.

Tues., Feb. 23, Wed., Feb. 24, and Mon., March 1, 5:15 p.m.

“Aristotle’s Poetics and Early Modern Thinking About Poetry and Poetic Genres,” a four-part German and Romance Languages and Literatures seminar series with Daniel Javitch, NYU. (The final seminar is scheduled for Fri., March 5.) Co-sponsored by the Centre Louis Marin and the Charles S. Singleton Center for Premodern Studies. 202A Dell House (Feb. 23 seminar) and 101A Dell House (Feb. 24, March 1 and March 5 seminars). HW “Copper Ions in Cell Signaling, Growth and Disease,” a Physiology seminar with Dennis Thiele, Duke University Medical Center. 203 Physiology (Research Conference Room). EB Wed., Feb. 24, noon.

“Asteroidal Bodies From the NEOs to

Wed., Feb. 24, noon.

the Trojans,” an Earth and Planetary Sciences seminar with Andy Rivkin, APL. 304 Olin. HW

Wed.,

Feb.

24,

12:15

p.m.

“Driving as a Mental Health Issue in an Aging Population,” a Mental Health seminar with George Rebok, SPH. B14B Hampton House. EB “The Role of Structured Semiconductor Surfaces on Assembly of Nanostructure and Defects,” a Materials Science and Engineering seminar with Joanna Mirecki Millunchick, University of Michigan. 110 Maryland. HW Wed., Feb. 24, 3 p.m.

“GeneCentered Regulatory Networks,” a Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences seminar with A.J. Marian Walhout, University of Massachusetts. West Lecture Hall (ground floor), WBSB. EB

Wed., Feb. 24, 4 p.m.

“Wiring the C. elegans Motor Circuit: Turning Off the Wrong Genes to Make the Right Connections,” a Cell Biology seminar with David Miller, Vanderbilt University. Suite 2-200, 1830 Bldg. EB

Thurs., Feb. 25, noon.

“Traveling Back: A Political Theory for a Globalized Life,” a Political Science seminar with Susan McWilliams, Pomona College. 366 Mergenthaler. HW Thurs., Feb. 25, noon.

“Hantavirus and Arenavirus Host-Pathogen Interactions,” a Molecular Microbiology and Immunology/ Infectious Diseases seminar with Jason Botten, University of Vermont College of Medicine. W1020 SPH. EB

Thurs., Feb. 25, noon.

Thurs., Feb. 25, noon. “The AG’s MSA and the FMBs and AEDs,” a Health, Behavior and Society seminar with Marlene Trestman, special assistant to the attorney general of Maryland. B14B Hampton House. EB

Thurs., Feb. 25, 12:15 p.m.

“Actions, Reactions and Interactions Between the Environments and Childhood Obesity: Empirical Analyses Based on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten and Agent-Based Simulation” with Hsin-jen (SPH), and “The Influence of Genetics, Calcium Intake and Their Interaction on Child Growth and Health During Puberty: A Twin Study in China” with Ji Li (SPH), a Human Nutrition seminar. W2008 SPH. EB

“Epigenetic Mechanisms in Memory Formation,” a Neuroscience research seminar with David Sweatt, University of Alabama, Birmingham. West Lecture Hall (ground floor), WBSB. EB Thurs., Feb. 25, 1 p.m.

“Building Heterochromatin From the Ground Up,” a Biology special seminar with Aaron Johnson, Harvard Medical School. Mudd Hall Auditorium. HW

Thurs., Feb. 25, 4 p.m.

“Novel Photonic Device Platform Based on Nanotechnology Plasmonics and Advanced Materials,” an Electrical and Computer Engineering seminar with Anna Pyayt, Stanford University. 100 Shaffer. HW

Thurs., Feb. 25, 4 p.m.

“Hydrodynamic Flow Control by Whales and Dolphins for Biomimetic Applications,” a CEAFM seminar with Frank Fish, West Chester University. 110 Maryland. HW Fri., Feb. 26, 11 a.m.

“The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Microscopy Facility: 21 Years of Serving the Hopkins Community,” a Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology seminar with Michael Delannoy, SoM. West Lecture Room, BRB. EB

Fri., Feb. 26, 1 p.m.

“Sexual Behavior, Cervical Cancer Screening and Vaccine Uptake Mon., March 1, 10 a.m.

in HIV-Infected Adolescents and Young Adults,” an Epidemiology thesis defense seminar with Rosanna Setse. W2033 SPH. EB Mon.,

March

2:30

p.m.

“Learning About the Cell by Breaking It,” a Center for Computational Genomics seminar with Chad Myers, University of Minnesota. 517 PCTB. EB “Weighted Estimates for Multilinear Calderon-Zygmund Operators,” an Analysis/PDE seminar with Qingying Xue, Beijing Normal University. Sponsored by Mathematics. 302 Krieger. HW

Mon., March 1, 4 p.m.

The David Bodian Seminar—“The Neural Basis of Timing and the Processing of Time-Varying Stimuli” with Dean Buonomano, UCLA. Sponsored by the Krieger Mind/ Brain Institute. 338 Krieger. HW

Mon., March 1, 4 p.m.

S P E C I AL E V E N T S Mon., Feb. 22, through Wed., Feb. 24. The School of Nursing

presents a three-day celebration of diversity, featuring food vendors, exhibits, performances, panel discussions, movies. (See story, p. 7, for schedule.) Co-sponsored by the SoN Cultural Competency and Diversity Committee, SoN’s Returned Peace Corps Fellows, the Johns Hopkins Nursing Alumni Association and the JHU Nursing Students United for Advocacy and Action. Anne M. Pinkard Bldg. EB

Mon., Feb. 22, noon to 2 p.m.

Commemoration Day, celebration of Johns Hopkins University’s founding. (See story, p. 3.) Glass Pavilion, Levering. HW Fri., Feb. 26, 11 a.m. Medical Student Research Day, a research showcase with keynote speaker William Nelson, SoM. Armstrong Medical Education Building. EB Mon., March 1, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Biomedical Career Fair,

sponsored by the JHMI Professional Development Office. Turner Concourse. EB

SYMPOSIA Mon., Feb. 22, 3:30 p.m. “Visual Search Goes Scenic” with Jeremy

Wolfe, Harvard University, and “On the Relationship Between Consciousness and Attention” with Christof Koch; a mini-symposium on selective attention sponsored by the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute. 110 Maryland. HW Tues., Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m. The 2010 Foreign Affairs Symposium on “Re-Engaging the World: The New Global Community” with statesman Zbigniew Brzezinski. Shriver Hall Auditorium. HW Thurs., Feb. 25, 8 p.m. The 2010 Foreign Affairs Symposium presents a lively panel discussion on “Obama’s First Year,” with various speakers. 110 Maryland. HW

THEATER Fri., Feb. 26, and Sat., Feb. 27, 8 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 28, 2 p.m.

Theatre Hopkins presents the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies: The Concert Version. Final performances. $20 general admission, $5 student rush tickets. Swirnow Theater, Mattin Center. HW W OR K S HO P S Tues.,

Feb.

23,

10:30

a.m.

“RefWorks,” a Research Services workshop. Registration is required; go to www.library .jhu.edu/researchhelp/workshops .html. Electronic Resource Center, M-Level, MSE Library. HW Thurs., Feb. 25, 12:15 p.m.

“How to Operate a Career Fair,” sponsored by Career Services. W2015 SPH. EB Thurs., Feb. 25, 1 p.m. “Universal Design: How Accommodating Disabilities Improves Learning,” a Bits & Bytes workshop, designed for faculty and TAs (staff are also welcome to attend). Sponsored by the Center for Educational Resources. To register, go to www .cer.jhu.edu. Garrett Room, MSE Library. HW Mon., March 1, 6 p.m. “Building Safe Schools,” an evening of discussion and interactive workshops on practical skills for building safe and healthy environments in public schools. To register, go to http://education.jhu .edu/events/buildingsafeschools. Education Building. HW

Seniors stymied unnecessarily in wait for kidney transplants By Stephanie Desmon

Johns Hopkins Medicine

ne-third of people over the age of 65 wait longer than necessary for lifesaving new kidneys because their doctors fail to put them in a queue for organs unsuitable to transplant in younger patients but well-suited to seniors, research from Johns Hopkins suggests. Results of a study reported online in the American Journal of Transplantation show that older patients could be receiving kidneys from older donors (called extendedcriteria donors, or ECDs) but instead are unnecessarily waiting longer for kidneys from younger donors. “Every adult over 65 should be listed by their physicians for ECDs because the sooner they can get a kidney, the better the chance for survival,” said transplant surgeon Dorry L. Segev, associate professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the study’s leader. “A 65-year-old does not need a 20-year-old kidney; they just need a kidney that will last as long as they will. While

young people might have time to wait for the perfect kidney, older people don’t.” While older kidneys once were discarded in the belief that they conferred too little benefit, studies over the past decade, including the current one by Johns Hopkins researchers, show that they have been widely and successfully transplanted. By accepting one of these kidneys, an older person’s chances for survival increase significantly, Segev said. Older kidneys are not expected to last as long as younger kidneys, but older kidney recipients generally have shorter life spans than younger ones and don’t need the organs to last as long, Segev said. Researchers reviewed 142,907 first-time deceased-donor kidney registrants reported to the United Network of Organ Sharing, the national organization in charge of organ allocation, between 2003 and 2008. They looked at those who were willing to be listed for ECD kidneys and compared survival rates from time of registration for those willing to receive ECD kidneys and those who were not. When placed on the waiting list, patients of all ages are given the option of being

listed for only a standard-criteria donor kidney—basically, one from a donor under 60—or consenting to accept an ECD kidney if one becomes available first. Those willing to take the older kidneys were more likely to be transplanted and more likely to be transplanted sooner than those willing to accept only younger kidneys, the study found. Older adults represent half of dialysis patients in the United States and a growing proportion of the national waiting list. Fiveyear survival on dialysis for people over 65 is 27 percent. One in 10 patients on waiting lists will die each year before they are transplanted. Segev said he was struck by the variation in listing practices among transplant centers. Some centers list no older patients for older kidneys, while some list everyone for those organs. “They’re all over the map,” Segev said. Failing to list older patients for ECD kidneys “disenfranchises” them, he said, calling for patients to be better educated about their options. Segev said he suspects that “regulatory pressure for good patient outcomes” contrib-

utes to the problem. “There is a tendency for some institutions and some surgeons to be too picky so that those patients who get transplants are guaranteed to do well,” he said. “The regulations cover only those patients who receive transplants. But the harmful effect is you neglect those on the waiting list who instead of being transplanted will die waiting.” At The Johns Hopkins Hospital, all patients over 65 are listed for ECD kidneys. Segev has grants from the National Institute on Aging and the American Geriatric Society to look at the issues of older adults considering kidney transplantation. Other Johns Hopkins researchers on the study are Morgan E. Grams, Karl L. Womer, Richard M. Ugarte, Niraj M. Desai and Robert A. Montgomery.

Related Web site Dorry Segev:

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/ transplant/About/Segev.html

February 22, 2010 • THE GAZETTE

Obesity—mild or severe—raises kidney stone risk, study finds B y C h r i s t e n B r o wn

lee

Johns Hopkins Medicine

besity nearly doubles the risk of developing kidney stones, but the degree of obesity doesn’t appear to increase or decrease the risk one way or the other, a new study from Johns Hopkins shows. “The common thinking was that as weight rises, kidney stone risk rises as well, but our study refutes that,” said study leader Brian R. Matlaga, assistant professor of urology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and director of Stone Diseases and Ambulatory Care at Johns Hopkins’ James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute. “Whether someone is mildly obese or morbidly obese, the risk for getting kidney stones is the same.” The findings are published in the February Journal of Urology. Over the last decade, several epidemiological studies have shown a strong connection between obesity and kidney stone disease. However, as obesity continues to rise worldwide, Matlaga and his colleagues wondered whether different subcategories of obesity, ranging from mildly to morbidly obese, presented different risks. To answer the question, the researchers used a national insurance claims database to identify 95,598 people who had completed a “health risk assessment” form with information about their body mass index, a measure of body fat calculated by dividing weight by height, and a general indicator of underweight, healthy weight or overweight. The database, which spanned a five-year period from 2002 to 2006, also had encoded infor-

Cancer Continued from page 1 in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. “These alterations, like the reordering of chapters of a book, are easier to identify and detect in the blood than single-letter changes.” Such DNA rearrangements are widely known to occur exclusively in cancer cells, not normal ones, making them ideal biomarkers for cancer. Using six sets of cancerous and normal tissue samples taken from four colorectal and two breast cancer patients, the Johns Hopkins team used next-generation sequencing methods to catalog the genome sequence data of each patient. To find DNA rearrangements, the team first identified regions where the number of DNA copies was more or less than anticipated and where sections of different chromosomes fused together. These regions were further analyzed to identify DNA sequences displaying incorrect ordering, orientation or spacing. A range of four to 15 rearrangements was found in each of the six samples. After investigators identified DNA rearrangements in patients’ tumor samples, they looked for the same changes in DNA shed from tumors into the patients’ blood. Using blood samples from two of the colorectal cancer patients, they amplified DNA found in the blood and determined that these tests were sensitive enough to detect rearranged tumor DNA in these samples. Results from such blood tests, they say, could help clinicians detect cancer or its recurrence and inform them on how a patient is responding to cancer therapies. In one colon cancer patient’s example, the scientists found a section of chromosome four fused to a section of chromosome eight. “We developed a biomarker that could span this rearrangement and used a blood test to evaluate biomarker levels as the patient received a variety of cancer therapies,” said Rebecca Leary, a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. After an initial surgery, the patient’s biomarker levels dropped due to the removal of the majority of the tumor. Then, the

mation indicating whether these individuals had been diagnosed with kidney stone disease. Using a definition of obesity as having a BMI greater than 30 kg/m2 (which, in English measurements, corresponds to a 5-foottall person who weighs 153 pounds, or a 6-foot-tall person who weighs 221 pounds), the researchers calculated the incidence of kidney stones in people who were nonobese and in those who were obese. Among the non-obese individuals, 2.6 percent were diagnosed during the study period with kidney stones, compared to 4.9 percent of

the obese individuals. When the investigators arranged those in the obese group by their BMIs, ranging from above 30 kg/m2 to more than 50 kg/m2, they found that the increased risk remained constant, regardless of how heavy the individuals were. Matlaga said that he and his colleagues aren’t sure why obese people are more at risk for kidney stones, though metabolic or endocrine factors unique to obesity are likely reasons, along with dietary factors such as a high-salt diet. The researchers plan to evaluate these potential risk factors in subsequent studies.

Other researchers who participated in this study are Michelle J. Semins, Andrew D. Shore, Martin A. Makary, Thomas Magnuson and Roger Johns, all of Johns Hopkins.

Related Web sites Johns Hopkins information on kidney stones:

http://urology.jhu.edu/kidney/ stones.php

Hopkins Symphony Orchestra plays with fire and water By Edie Stern

Hopkins Symphony Orchestra

he theme of “fire and water” ties together three Hopkins Symphony Orchestra events—two of them free—taking place from Thursday, Feb. 25, through Sunday, Feb. 28, on the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus. At noon on Thursday, pianist, improviser and composer Lee Pui Ming offers Soundings, an informal free workshop on improvisation, with audience involvement. The hour of spontaneous music-making, some fire-y and some watery, is co-sponsored by Homewood Arts Programs and takes place in the SDS Room of the Mattin Center. At 1 p.m. on Saturday, music director Jed

biomarker levels rose again, indicating that additional cancer remained in the patient’s body. After chemotherapy and a second surgery, levels of the biomarker dropped substantially but still showed a small but measurable level of the biomarker. This was consistent with a small metastatic lesion that remained in the patient’s liver. The investigators envision that PAREbased biomarkers could also be used to determine whether cancer cells are present in surgical margins or lymph node tissue

Related Web site Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center:

www.hopkinskimmelcancercenter .org

removed during surgery, and possibly for diagnosing early disease. “Eventually, we believe this type of approach could be used to detect recurrent cancers before they are found by conventional imaging methods, like CT scans,” said Luis Diaz, assistant professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins. Velculescu predicts that the technology used to examine the patients’ genomes

Gaylin and the HSO present the orchestra’s 18th annual Concert for Children and Families. The program includes Stravinsky’s Fireworks and the famous first movement of Beethoven’s explosive Symphony No. 5, during which the audience will hear “ta-ta-ta-TAAAA” as Beethoven intended it. They’ll also hear it with P.D.Q. Bach’s play-by-play sports commentary, narrated by WBJC-FM classical music program director Jonathan Palevsky and WYPR-FM sports commentator Milton Kent. After the performance, the audience will be invited onstage to meet the musicians and see their instruments up close. This free concert takes place in Shriver Hall Auditorium. No tickets or reservations are needed. On Sunday, Feb. 28, Lee Pui Ming gives a 2 p.m. pre-concert talk about her work. At 3

p.m., she joins Gaylin and the orchestra for the world première of her partly improvised, partly composed concerto she comes to shore: a journey for piano and orchestra. The program also includes Stravinsky’s Fireworks and the complete Beethoven Symphony No. 5. The concert takes place in Shriver Hall Auditorium. Admission is free for Johns Hopkins students; $8 for other students, seniors (60+) and Johns Hopkins affiliates; $10 general admission. Toronto-based Lee Pui Ming maintains a busy international composing, performing and recording career. She has appeared as an improvising pianist at jazz festivals from Vancouver to Berlin and written a commission for the Yoko Ono Project. For information about HSO programs, call 410-516-6542, e-mail hso@jhu.edu or go to www.jhu.edu/jhso.

will become inexpensive. He says that the genome scan cost the researchers about $5,000 per patient but that sequencing costs continue to drop. CT scans currently cost $1,500 per scan and are limited in their ability to detect microscopic cancers. “If current trends in genome sequencing continue, PARE will be more cost-effective than CT scans and could prove to be more informative,” said Kenneth W. Kinzler, professor of oncology and co-director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins. The Johns Hopkins team plans on testing more patient samples and refining its techniques to produce a commercially viable genome-based blood test. The researchers have filed for patents on the technology. Under a licensing agreement between The Johns Hopkins University and Genzyme, Velculescu, Vogelstein and Kinzler are entitled to a share of royalties received by the university on sales of products related to one of the technologies used in this paper. The terms of these arrangements are managed by The Johns Hopkins University in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policies. Funding for the research was provided by the National Institutes of Health, the Lustgarten Foundation, the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance and a UNCF-

Merck Fellowship. Other participants in the research are Isaac Kinde, Frank Diehl and Kerstin Schmidt, all of Johns Hopkins; and Chris Clouser, Cisilya Duncan, Alena Antipova, Clarence Lee, Kevin McKernan and Francisco De La Vega, all of Life Technologies. G

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12 THE GAZETTE • February 22, 2010 F O R

Cheers

Cheers is a monthly listing of honors and awards received by faculty, staff and students plus recent appointments and promotions. Contributions must be submitted in writing and be accompanied by a phone number. ACADEMIC CENTERS AND AFFILIATES Michael Pena has joined the Johns Hop-

kins Berman Institute of Bioethics as its communications specialist and media relations representative. He comes to Johns Hopkins from Stanford University News Service and previously worked as a reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle and other newspapers in the Northern California Bay Area. APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY Wi l l i a m A . L a P l a n t e , head of the

Global Engagement Department, has been named to the Defense Science Board, the prestigious federal panel that advises top Defense Department leaders on scientific, technical, research and other critical matters. The board was established in 1956 to advise Pentagon leaders on potential new weapons systems and has evolved to shape and strengthen the Defense Department’s research and development strategies. LaPlante was one of 39 new members named to the board, which includes leaders in science, technology, industry and fields that relate to the military. John Sommerer has been appointed head of the Space Department. Sommerer, who had been acting head since August 2008, assumes leadership of one of APL’s largest departments, with nearly 700 technical experts tackling some of NASA’s and the military’s toughest space science and systems engineering challenges. An internationally recognized expert in nonlinear dynamics and complex systems, Sommerer has served on several national academies and is currently chair of the Naval Research Advisory Committee, the Navy’s senior science advisory body. He holds a doctorate and master’s degree in physics from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins, respectively, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in systems science and mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis. BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH Robert Black , the Edgar Berman Profes-

sor and chair of the Department of International Health, is the recipient of the 2010 Programme for Global Pediatric Research Award for Outstanding Contributions to Global Child Health. He will be presented with the award at the PGPR symposium at the Pediatric Academic Societies’ Annual Meeting in May. David Holtgrave , professor and chair of the Department of Health, Behavior and Society, was appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius made the announcement on Feb. 1. The council provides advice, information and recommendations on domestic and global HIV/AIDS policy issues to the president through the secretary of health and human services. The council also will serve to further the policy goals of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy and will provide input for the national HIV/AIDS strategy. Holtgrave was one of 24 members named to the panel, which is drawn from a diverse group of researchers, service providers and community leaders from around the country, including people living with HIV, and from community-based organizations that cater to the medical, legal or mental health needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. JOHNS HOPKINS HEALTH SYSTEM Patricia Brown , president of Johns Hop-

kins HealthCare and senior counsel for the Johns Hopkins Health System, is serving as 2010 leader in residence at the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies. As president of Johns Hopkins HealthCare, Brown oversees all

T H E

R E C O R D

managed-care products for 200,000 individuals enrolled in self-funded employer, Medicaid and Department of Defense health plans served by Johns Hopkins. She also is responsible for integrating and coordinating managed care contracting and payer and market strategy for all JHM entities. In addition, as counsel, she provides legal advice for managed care and regulatory compliance.

and baroque guitarist Kevin Shannon ; and the Brass Roots Quintet —John Ehrenburg , Scott Nadelson , Joseph H u g h e s , G a b r i e l C o l b y and H a i m Mazar —will perform in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater on March 2 as part of the center’s Conservatory Project, a series of free concerts showcasing student performers from the nation’s top conservatories.

JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE INTERNATIONAL Arthur Burnett II , professor of urology

SAIS

and director of the Basic Science Laboratory in Neurourology and the Male Consultation Clinic; and Edward Schaeffer , assistant professor of urology and director of International Urology, spoke to more than 100 physicians at Arab Health, the Middle East’s largest health care conference. The two-day gathering in Abu Dubai, United Arab Emirates, attracted more than 55,000 professionals from 145 countries. Alan Har vey , former president of the Massachusetts Medical Society/New England Journal of Medicine, has been named chief medical officer of the Johns Hopkins– managed Tawam Hospital in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Harvey, also formerly director of Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement and Patient Safety in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, was instrumental in development of Massachusetts’ universal health care bill, which has become a template for national health insurance. Gregor y Schaffer , former president and CEO of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, has been appointed chief executive officer of Tawam Hospital. Schaffer, who headed Bayview from 1999 to 2009, has more than 30 years of health care leadership experience and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. KRIEGER SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Daniel Deudney , associate professor of

political science, was honored by the International Studies Association for his book Bounding Power: Republican Security Theory From the Polis to the Global Village (Princeton University Press, 2007), which was named one of the three joint winners of its award for Outstanding Book of the Decade in International Studies. The honor was announced Feb. 18 during the organization’s annual meeting, held in New Orleans. Kenneth B. Moss , the Felix Posen Assistant Professor of Modern Jewish History, is a winner of the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for his book Jewish Renaissance in the Russian Revolution (Harvard University Press). Moss will split the first-place $125,000 prize, to be awarded March 31 in Jerusalem, with Sarah Abrevaya Stein for her book Plumes: Ostrich Feathers, Jews and a Lost World of Global Commerce (Yale University Press). In an unprecedented move, the judges this year decided to give the first prize to two authors and eliminate the runner-up category. PEABODY INSTITUTE

A new CD, Music of the 20th Century, from faculty artist Victor Danchenko , violin, features works by Janácek, Messiaen, Stravinsky and Shostakovich. Following a Jan. 31 recital, 2009 Yale Gordon Competition winner Hans Goldstein , a senior studying cello with Amit Peled , advanced to the third round of the Unisa International String Competition in Johannesburg, South Africa. Joel Puckett , a Music Theory faculty member, has been named composer in residence of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras for three years starting this spring. Puckett will write several pieces to be premiered by the ensembles, work with CYSO’s young composers and engage with CYSO’s youngest students during music theory classes. Pianist Hee Youn Choue ; an early music ensemble including soprano Eliza b e t h H u n g e r f o r d , lutenist K e v i n Dixon-Payne , archlutenist Brian Kay ,

Jakub Gr ygiel , the George H.W. Bush Associate Professor of International Relations, has joined the Center for European Policy Analysis as a senior fellow working on issues in Central European geopolitics. He and The Economist’s Edward Lucas, an expert on Russia and Central and Eastern Europe, will work to raise U.S. policy-maker awareness of the need for greater engagement with Central European allies amid ongoing developments in the regional landscape and new challenges in relations with Russia. SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Stephen Baylin , professor of oncology

and medicine and deputy director of the Kimmel Cancer Center, has received the 14th annual Alfred G. Knudson Award in Cancer Genetics from the National Cancer Institute. The award, named for the researcher who revolutionized the understanding of the genetic basis for cancer, recognizes outstanding contributions in cancer genetics. Baylin and his laboratory have led the way in the emerging field of epigenetics, which determines how cellular information within DNA is controlled. Lisa Cooper , professor of general internal medicine, has been named one of msnbc .com’s 100 Black History Makers in the Making. Praised for her pioneering work to close “the racial gap in health care,” Cooper joins such other African-American notables on the list as Oprah Winfrey, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, pop music star Beyonce Knowles and fellow Marylanders Freeman Hrabowski III, president of UMBC, and new Baltimore Mayor Stephanie RawlingsBlake. Julie Freischlag , professor and director of the Department of Surgery, has been named one of Working Mother magazine’s 10 “most powerful moms in health care.” Freischlag is one of only three women chief surgeons in the nation and, the magazine notes, “is devoted to courting more women into surgery departments.” Julie Gottlieb has been named associate dean for policy coordination. In this post, she will further expand conflict-ofinterest and compliance initiatives across the institution and maximize its national profile. Gottlieb has been an assistant dean and director of the Office of Policy Coordination since 2003. Edward Miller , dean of the school and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, has been named one of the Baltimore Business Journal’s Baltimore Power 20 for the past year. The designation ranks Miller among the top 20 leaders in the community. Peter Pronovost , professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine and director of the Center of Innovation in Quality Patient Care, has received the National Committee for Quality Assurance health quality award for conducting research that improves the health care system; improving the management or delivery of health care to make the system more effective, efficient and compassionate; and advancing health care quality. Other NCQA honorees this year include Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell and Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund. Zeshaan Rasheed , medical oncology fellow at the Kimmel Cancer Center, has been awarded the first Pancreatic Cancer Action Network–AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant. The grant, totaling $600,000 over five years, will support Rasheed’s efforts to examine the relevance of cancer stem cells in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Gar y L. Rosner has been appointed professor of oncology and director of the

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins’ Quantitative Sciences Program and Biostatistics/Bioinformatics Division. Rosner previously held faculty appointments at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, where he was the inaugural director of the Program in Biomathematics and Biostatistics. Prior to that, he was a member of the faculty in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Yale University School of Medicine. A graduate of the State University of New York, Buffalo, he received his MAMSc from Rice University and his doctorate from Harvard. His postgraduate training was in applied mathematical sciences at Rice and in biostatistics at Harvard. SCHOOL OF NURSING Martha N. Hill , dean of Nursing and a

professor in the schools of Nursing, Medicine and Public Health, has been named an honorary member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. Hill is the first nurse to receive this honor from the 107-year-old society, which confers honorary membership on physicians and scientists in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to medicine. The honor recognizes Hill’s work in integrating scholarship with patient, provider and system-level interventions to improve care and outcomes for vulnerable and underserved populations, particularly young, urban African-American men.

SHERIDAN LIBRARIES/ JHU MUSEUMS Mark Cyzyk , scholarly communications

architect in the Library Digital Programs Group, has been appointed to the editorial board of Information Technology and Libraries, the flagship publication of the American Library Association’s Library and Information Technology Association. His two-year term begins July 1.

WHITING SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING German Drazer , assistant professor in

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Naru Nakata , assistant professor in Civil Engineering, are recipients of National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards, given in recognition of young scientists’ commitment to research and education. Drazer’s award was given for “Deterministic and Stochastic Transport of Suspended Particles in Periodic Systems: Fundamentals and Applications in Separation Science.” The grant will support his investigations into the transport phenomena that arise in the motion of suspended particles in spatially periodic systems, and the translation of these phenomena into new principles for the manipulation of suspended particles in fluidic devices. Nakata’s award for “Advanced Acceleration Control Methods and Substructure Techniques for Shaking Table Tests” will support the development of methodologies that enhance accuracy and capabilities of shake table testing of structures. This work will have a direct impact on earthquake engineering by providing accurate experimental means for seismic performance assessment of structures under dynamic loadings and boundary conditions. Jin Kang , professor and chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been elected a fellow of the Optical Society of America, which brings together optics and photonics scientists, engineers, educators and industry leaders to promote research and share knowledge of optical problems. The OSA is recognizing Kang for his contributions to spatial soliton nonlinear optics and for the development of novel fiber lasers and fiber-optic subsystems for broadband RF signal processing and communications. Feilim Mac Gabhann , assistant professor in Biomedical Engineering and a core faculty member in the Institute for Computational Medicine, has been awarded the Microcirculatory Society’s 2010 August Krogh Young Investigator Award. The award is given annually to a young investigator in the early stages of his or her research career.

February 22, 2010 • THE GAZETTE

Milestones The following staff members recently retired or celebrated an anniversary with the university in February 2010. The information is compiled by the Office of Faculty, Staff and Retiree Programs, 443-997-6060. ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL CENTERS

15 years of service M a c k e n z i e , Susan, Business Development 10 years of service Ian, Center for Talented Youth

Reynolds,

20 years of service H e s s , Ronald, Center for Communication Programs

KRIEGER SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

10 years of service N e l s o n , Kathy, Center for Social Organization of Schools 5 years of service B u t t a , Monica, Development F a r l e y , Eleanor, Center for Social Organization of Schools L a i , Zhicheng, Mind/Brain Institute M e l v i l l e , Michele, Center for Social Organization of Schools PEABODY

SAIS

15 years of service Gregory, Student Financial Services

Winkler,

10 years of service B a i l e y , Marisa, Epidmiology B a r t o n , Normalie, Health Policy

Management

35 years of service B i s h o p , Harriett, Homewood Student Accounts

10 years of service O ’ N e a l l , Patrick, Development

BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

B e n a l l y , Brenda, International C o b b , Elizabeth, Center for

HOMEWOOD STUDENT AFFAIRS

5 years of service K a h n , Lisa, Student Affairs SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

40 years of service R y a n , Linda, Psychiatry 30 years of service

and

Health

D i b a r t o l o m e o , Wanda, Neurology S t e w a r t , Constance, Oncology

H a w k i n s , Charles, Custodial Services H o w a r d , Carol, Environmental Health

25 years of service F u l l e r , Dorothea, Psychiatry J a m e s , Susan, Psychiatry P i t t , Judith, Oncology S w i e c , Elly, Surgery W a g n e r , Deborah, Orthopedic Surgery Yo u n g , Cecilia, Neurology

5 years of service B r o w n , Gloria, Custodial Services P h a m - L i n h o f f , Christina, Development W i l l i a m s , Susan, Dean’s Office

20 years of service C a s t e l o , Lina, Clinical Practice Associates G a r n e r , Vevelyn, Anesthesiology M a n n i n g , Tonya, Medicine S e a m a n , Phillip, Pediatrics T y l e r , Vivian, Pathology

Communication Programs

Sciences J o h n s o n , Andre, Custodial Services M a r s h , Margaret, International Health

CAREY BUSINESS SCHOOL

Retiree F a l l o n , Margaret, 15 years of service, Student and Alumni Affairs

15 years of service A n d e r s o n , Joan, Otolaryngology A n d e r s o n , Marlisa, Facilities B u k o w s k , Kathleen, Medicine

D e m a r e s t , Chad, Urology L o g a n , Gary, Pediatrics M c M u l l e n , Patrice, Oncology M y e r s , Shirley, Pathology O l i v e r , Jann, Clinical Practice Associates S c h n e i d e r , Ronald, Medicine

10 years of service B a i l e y , Lana, Pediatrics D a m r o n , Dorothy, Oncology E l k i n s , Wendy, Radiology G i b s o n - D a v i s , Althea, Otolaryngology G i e t k a , Heather, Neurology J o n e s , Alton, Facilities Management K i l l m o n d , Thomas, Pediatric Oncology M c C a b e , Ann, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation M c C u l l o u g h , Joanne, Institute of Basic Biomedical Sciences M o n t g o m e r y , Clara, Facilities P i l l i n g , Arlene, Cardiology S c h u l t z , Kathleen, Oncology S i n e s , Anita, Clinical Practice Associates W o l f e , Candace, Lab Animal Medicine 5 years of service B a r n w e l l , Nicole, Anesthesiology B r o w n , Renee, Medicine C o b b i n s - B o y d , Antwanette, Pathology C o n d o u r i s , Stephen, Radiology D a s k o - V i n c e n t , Lillian, Oncology D o t t e r , Dianne, Oncology F u , Jie, Oncology F u j i w a r a , Kyoko, Ophthalmology G r e e n , Gilbert, Radiology H a r p e r , Sylvia, Psychiatry H e m b y , Donyell, Medicine H e n n i n g e r , Alana, Psychiatry H i n d l e , Jennifer, Medicine H o w a r d , Na, Clinical Practice Associates H y s o n , Miriam, Surgery K u l i k o w i c z , Ewa, Biomedical Engineering L a n d a u , Mindy, Oncology L e D o u x , Kerry, Neurology L o p i n , Avi, Business Office L o v e l e s s , Kristen, Access Services M o r a n , Nehama, Anesthesiology M u n k , Elizabeth, Medicine S t i n n e t t e , Antonio, Lab Animal Medicine Ve d u l a , Pratap, Institute of Genetic Medicine W e a v e r , Jacqueline, Neurology

SCHOOL OF NURSING

15 years of service H u f f m a n , Randy, Community/Public Health Nursing O ’ S h e a , Elizabeth, Development UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION

Retiree Magladry,

Judy, 19 years of service, Administrative and Financial Services 20 years of service

J a c k s o n , Sharon, Custodial Services J o h n s o n , Arnetta, Data Center Services

15 years of service D a v e n p o r t , Hallet, Security Services D e c k e r , Leslie, Desktop/LAN Services M e a d o w c r o f t , Kimberly, Office of

Vice President of Human Resources

10 years of service A d d i s o n , Cynthia, HR Shared Services Center B e a r m a n , Philip, Enterprise Directory Services L a c e y , Darren, Office of the Chief Information Officer/Vice Provost for Information Technology M a s o n - W i l l i a m s , Heather, Organization Development and Diversity M c G i l l , Linda, Gift Planning Va n c e , Esther, Custodial Services 5 years of service C o n w a y , Heidi, Benefits Administration

and Shared Services K r i m m e l , Robert, Housing Operations and Maintenance M c S h a r r y , Joseph, Financial and Information Technology Training Program Ve e r a m o o t o o , Andiappen, Custodial Services WHITING SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

15 years of service R i t c h i e , Keith, Geography and Environmental Engineering 10 years of service Lynda, Business Office

Barker,

Interest grows in medical checklists, but they’re not magic wands By Stephanie Desmon

Johns Hopkins Medicine

n the wake of Johns Hopkins’ success in virtually eliminating intensive-care unit bloodstream infections via a simple five-step checklist, the safety scientist who developed and popularized the tool warns medical colleagues that it is no panacea. “Checklists are useful, but they’re not Harry Potter’s wand,” said Peter Pronovost, a professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a patient safety expert. “The science needed to best develop focused, unambiguous and succinct checklists for medicine’s thousands of diagnoses and procedures is in its infancy, and there can be unintended consequences of reliance on simple tools.” In a review by Pronovost and other Johns Hopkins researchers recently published in the journal Critical Care, the authors say it’s clear that use of aviation-like safety checklists based on scientific evidence can work, and that more hospitals should use them to help prevent errors and reduce costs associated with medical mistakes. But, says Pronovost—whose eponymous checklist is credited with preventing thousands of central-line infections at Johns Hopkins, throughout the state of Michigan and elsewhere—they need to be accompanied by a “change in the culture of arrogance still widespread in medical care.” Culture change, Pronovost says, “insists,” for example, that nurses are empowered to question doctors who don’t follow the steps

properly, and that every single member of the health care team tosses out long-held beliefs that infections are an inevitable cost of being in the hospital. “Just having a checklist on a piece of paper isn’t going to be enough,” he said. In the Critical Care review, Pronovost and his colleagues took a step back and applied a rigorous scientific analysis of checklists, looking especially for which ones have the potential to work best in varying situations. For example, some checklists are like grocery lists: a basic catalog of what needs to be accomplished by just one person in order for a process or procedure to be completed properly. In an operating room, for example, the anesthesiologist has a checklist that assists him or her in making sure that every step is followed to ensure the anesthesia machine is working properly before a patient is put under. “But that sort of checklist doesn’t work in all cases,” Pronovost said. “Central-line infection checklists work best, for example, when there is what we call ‘a challenge and response’ in which one person reads a series of items and a second person verifies that each item had been completed. With the check and balance of another person, the list is more likely to be completed properly.” Pronovost also warns of checklist overload. “Creating too many checklists—especially those that are not proven to improve patient safety—or using checklists where they are not truly needed can be distracting and timeconsuming, and overreliance on them can lead to a false sense of safety,” he said. “Each step in the diagnosis, treatment and

monitoring process poses risks for error that we need to defend against,” the Johns Hopkins researcher said. “We do not know how many checklists are too many, when they are most useful, when we have overloaded the checklist users or how strictly the benefits are being measured.” In fact, the Johns Hopkins team says, the underuse of checklists that do work is a problem caused in part by the paucity of scholarly research on how best to use them, how to build and implement them, how to measure their effectiveness in improving patient outcomes and how they can best be sustained in a culture that is slow to change. Pronovost’s central-line safety checklist was created after reviewing the literature and guidelines on how best to prevent bloodstream infections in ICUs and selecting the five steps with which evidence showed they were most likely to accomplish that goal. The checklist was piloted in a small setting (one ICU at The Johns Hopkins Hospital) before undergoing a test on a larger scale (the state of Michigan’s ICUs). After the work was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Pronovost got calls not only from doctors asking him to design checklists for them but also from CEOs, financial-industry executives and even a man who wanted a checklist for sailing a boat. While standardization is at the heart of any checklist, Pronovost says that checklists need to be continually assessed to be sure they are still accomplishing their goals; in this case, keeping bloodstream infection rates near zero. It is important, he says, not only to be able to tell patients that the checklist is

being used but to be able to answer the bigger question: Am I safe in the hospital? “There’s a lot more research to do, and a lot of work to be done,” Pronovost said. Other Johns Hopkins researchers on the paper are Bradford D. Winters, Ayse P. Gurses, Harold Lehmann and J. Bryan Sexton.

Related Web sites Quality & Safety Research Group at Johns Hopkins:

www.safetyresearch.jhu.edu/QSR/ index.asp

Peter Pronovost:

www.safetyresearch.jhu.edu/QSR/ Who/Team_Members/ team_pronovost.asp

SAIS hosts Black History event with Peace Corps director

aron S. Williams, director of the Peace Corps, will be the featured speaker at a Black History Month celebration hosted by SAIS at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Williams’ talk is titled “The Future of the Peace Corps and Public Service Abroad.” The event, sponsored by the SAIS African Diaspora Association student group, will be held in the Nitze Building’s Kenney Auditorium. Non-SAIS affilitiates should RSVP to ada.hopkins@gmail.com.

14 THE GAZETTE • February 22, 2010 B U L L E T I N

P O S T I N G S

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

41384 41564 41584 41630 41663 41749 41790 41836 42035 42037 41238 41260 41340 41343

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

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

POSITION

42663 41562 41151 42594 42453 41473 41388 42206 42765 42479 41398 42720 42560 42299 40927 42715 42220

Sr. Administrative Coordinator IT Service Coordinator Research Assistant Budget Specialist HR Administrator, Leave and Records Program Specialist Program Officer Sr. Financial/Contracts Analyst Food Service Worker Sr. Research Nurse Research Data Analyst Financial Aid Coordinator Research Program Assistant Retention Specialist E-Learning Coordinator, PEPFAR Occupational Therapist Programmer Analyst

School of Medicine

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

POSITION

38035 35677 30501 22150 38064

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

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

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

42011 42434 42400 42540 42392 42539 42512 42247 41785 42711 40770 42099 42351 38840 41877 41995 41652 38886 42347 41463 40769 39063 42682

Program Specialist Audio Production Editor Clinic Assistant Program Administrator Administrative Coordinator Data Assistant Sr. Research Assistant Research and Community Outreach Coordinator Sr. Program Officer Research Data Coordinator Software Engineer Administrative Coordinator Research Community Outreach Coordinator Communications Specialist Health Educator Sr. Medical Record Abstractor Development Coordinator Research Assistant Research Program Coordinator Research and Evaluation Officer Software Engineer Research Assistant Financial Analyst

37442 37260 38008 36886 37890

Sr. Administrative Coordinator Sr. Administrative Coordinator Sponsored Project Specialist Program Administrator Sr. Research Program Coordinator

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

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 2010 Provost’s Undergraduate Research Awards — All Johns Hop-

kins freshmen, sophomores and juniors are invited to apply for the 2010 Provost’s Undergraduate Research Awards. The PURA program, now entering its 18th year, affords undergraduates opportunities to conduct original research under the guidance of faculty sponsors at Johns Hopkins. PURA recipients can receive academic credit or awards of up to $2,500, which can be used to defray costs associated with research projects. Research is conducted in either the summer or fall. Please note: Seniors are not eligible. Students from all disciplines are encouraged to submit research proposals. Sponsors must be full-time faculty but can be from any division of the university. Summer proposals are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 5. Fall proposals are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 26, and should be submitted online. For applications and more information, go to www.jhu.edu/pura or e-mail pura@jhu.edu. The Johns Hopkins Interdisciplinary Training Program in Biobehavioral Pain Research — Applications are being

accepted for the Johns Hopkins Interdisciplinary Training Program in Biobehavioral Pain Research, which is funded through an NIH Roadmap for Medical Research grant. The program aims to prepare fellows to work within an interdisciplinary research team to address the complex challenge of pain. Through course work, mentored research experiences, a research project and preparation of grant applications and of papers, fellows will receive training in two or more

B O A R D

areas of expertise—behavioral/social science, neuroscience or clinical research. The application deadline is Feb. 28. To apply, go to www.hopkinspainfellowship.org. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply; the NIH salary structure is followed. Announcing New Travel Award — The

Hon. Ruth D. Vogel Fund for Professional Development will give up to four awards per year, of $500 each, to JHMI students, residents or postdoctoral fellows, for travel or related expenses to attend a scientific workshop, conference or similar scholarly meeting. The candidate must be the presenting author of a talk or poster. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of faculty and senior staff. The application deadline is March 15. Awards will be announced on April 1. To obtain the application form, e-mail jhmipdo@jhmi.edu.

Public Health Career Fair 2010 — The

26th Annual Public Health Career Fair will be held from from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Friday, March 5, in the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Feinstone Hall and Gallery. Sponsored by the Career Services Office, the fair is open to all undergraduate and graduate students and no registration is required. The event provides a convenient location for students to meet with representatives from around the country to discuss employment opportunities, consultancies, internships, and to obtain career information in the corporate, government and nonprofit sectors. Among the employers scheduled to attend are Booz Allen Hamilton, Centers for Disease Control, USAID, MD Dept. of Mental Health and Hygiene, American Red Cross, Management Sciences for Health, and Family Health International. For more information, go to www.jhsph .edu/careers or call 410-955-3034.

Applicants sought for annual undergraduate arts prizes B y H e at h e r E g a n S ta l f o rt

JHU Museums

tudents are invited to apply for the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts and the President’s Commendation for Achievement in the Arts in recognition of outstanding accomplishment in the arts for the 2009–2010 academic year. Students who are in good standing and on track to receive a degree in May 2010 may apply simultaneously for both of the university’s annual undergraduate arts awards by submitting separate applications. Applicants will be considered only for the award(s) for which they specifically apply. Ten copies of a complete application must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 12. Full guidelines, application forms and submission details may be found at http:// getintothearts.jhu.edu/sudlerprize. The Louis Sudler Prize for outstanding artistic talent and achievement in the composition or performance of music, drama, dance or the visual arts is made to a graduating senior from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Whiting School of Engineering, School of Nursing or Peabody Institute, or a fourth-year student in the School of Medicine. The prize is given to a student whose submission is not related to his or her major field of study. The winner

Read The Gazette online http://gazette.jhu.edu

receives a $1,500 cash award, and his or her name appears in the commencement program. The President’s Commendation for Achievement in the Arts is a service award honoring a graduating senior who has contributed extensively to the arts in the Homewood and/or Baltimore communities. Graduating seniors in the Krieger and Whiting schools may apply for the commendation, and all art forms are eligible for consideration. The winner receives a certificate, and his or her name appears in the commencement program. A committee of faculty and administrators from the Homewood campus, the schools of Nursing and Medicine, and the Peabody Institute will review nominees for the arts awards and their supporting materials and make recommendations to President Ronald J. Daniels, who will make the final selections. Applicants will be notified on or about March 31. The Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts has been honoring undergraduate students with artistic talent since 1983. It is made possible through the generosity of Louis Sudler, a Chicago businessman and philanthropist who died in 1992. Other academic institutions at which the award is given include Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Purdue, Duke, Rice, Stanford, Emory, Michigan State, Dartmouth, Oberlin and MIT. The President’s Commendation for Achievement in the Arts was established in 1989 by Steven Muller, Johns Hopkins president from 1972 to 1990. Any questions concerning the 2010 Sudler Prize and President’s Commendation should be directed to Winston Tabb, Sheridan Dean of University Libraries and Museums, and vice provost for the arts, at wtabb@jhu.edu.

February 22, 2010 • THE GAZETTE

Classifieds

M A R K E T P L A C E

APARTMENTS/HOUSES FOR RENT

dogs. $1,000/mo. Val Alexander, 888-3863233 (toll free) or yankybrit@hotmail.com.

Bayview area, 2BR house w/fin’d bsmt, W/D, backyd prkng pad, no pets; sec dep and credit check req’d. Elaine, 410-633-4750.

Mt Washington, 5BR, 3.5BA house w/2-car garage. $2,200/mo + utils. 443-939-6027 or qzzhao@gmail.com.

Bayview area, $800/mo (2-3BR apt, 1st flr) and $600/mo (1BR apt, 2nd flr). 443-2559692.

Ocean City, 3BR, 2BA condo on ocean block, 137th St, lg pool, 2 prkng spaces, close to beach/restaurants, prime times available. 410-544-2814.

Belvedere Square, 2BR, 1.5BA upstairs apt, living rm, dining area, kitchen, balcony, powder rm, W/D in bsmt, fp, hdwd flrs, walk to Belvedere Square Market, 15 mins to JHMI/ Homewood campus. $900/mo. ankumar1120 @yahoo.com. Butchers Hill, 2BR, 2.5BA TH, hdwd flrs, W/D, CAC, rear yd, steps to medical campus, off-street prkng incl’d. $1,000/mo + utils. 443-838-5575. Butchers Hill, 1BR, 1BA condo in historic mansion in quiet, safe neighborhood nr JHMI shuttle, W/D. $800/mo + utils. 443370-6869 or ianosaur@hotmail.com. Charles Village, 1BR unit in immaculate prof’l bldg, no pets/no smoking, across from Homewood campus/BMA, conv to JHU shuttle/MARC train, 1-yr lease minimum, application requirement, tenant history/ income refs req’d. 410-366-5232. Charles Village (University One), bright, spacious 1BR, 1BA condo, CAC/heat. $1,145/mo incl all utils. 410-466-1698 or marionmalcolm@comcast.net. Charles Village (University Pkwy), fully furn’d studio w/BA, lg eat-in kitchen, CAC/ heat. $710/mo incl water. bmoremoving2010 @gmail.com. Cockeysville (Briarcliff Apts), 2BR + den, 2BA apt in TH, W/D, CAC/heat, walk to Dulaney High, lg living and dining areas, kitchen. $1,050/mo ($500 cash back). 410336-0762 or johnjxw@yahoo.com. Columbia, 3BR, 2.5BA TH, hdwd flrs in living rm/dining rm, updated eat-in kitchen, comfortable family rm in walkout lower level, fresh paint throughout, backs to Columbia trail, open space, nr Columbia Mall. $1,700/mo. 301-332-9829. East Baltimore, 3BR, 1BA TH, partly furn’d, 2 mi to Johns Hopkins, refs req’d. $950/mo + utils + sec dep. Anita, 410-675-5951 or amt2813@gmail.com. Federal Hill, recently renov’d 2BR, 1.5BA house, hdwd flrs, stainless steel appls, dw, AC, yd, pets OK, avail March 5, long- or short-term lease. $1,195/mo + utils. Jan, 410456-2565 or janetmargaret@comcast.net. Fells Point (Fleet and Wolfe), restored 3BR, 2.5BA RH, W/D. $1,600/mo + utils + sec dep. 443-629-2264 or aynur.unalp@gmail.com. Gunpowder Falls Bike Trail, 3BR, 1.5BA in registered historic carriage house, faculty or grad students only. $1,200/mo. 410-4724241. Hampden (41st St), 3BR apt w/new BA, new paint, living rm, dining rm, kitchen, pantry, dw, W/D, garage, $1,350/mo incl utils; also remodeled bsmt efficiency, $700/ mo incl utils. 443-474-1492. Hampden, 3BR, 2BA TH, dw, W/D, fenced yd, nr light rail. $1,100/mo + utils. 410-3782393. Homewood (295 W 31st St), 2BR TH, W/D, gas heat, deck, fenced yd, no smokers/no Johns Hopkins / Hampden WYMAN COURT APTS. (BEECH AVE.) Effic from $570, 1 BD Apt. from $675, 2 BD from $775 HICKORY HEIGHTS APTS. (HICKORY AVE.) 2 BD units from $750 Shown by Appointment 410-764-7776

www.brooksmanagementcompany.com

Patterson Park, bsmt apt. $500/mo incl utils + sec dep ($200). Maria, 443-921-5669. Patterson Park, 2BR, 1.5BA house, hdwd flrs/crpt upstairs, stainless steel appliances, nr JHMI, rent-to-own option available. $1,000/ mo. 443-286-4883.

200s. Sue, 443-848-6392 or sue.rzep2@verizon .net.

SERVICES/ITEMS OFFERED OR WANTED

ROOMMATES WANTED

Needs loving home: sweet, sm stray cat found 2 mos ago, approx 1-3 yrs old, has all shots, spayed. mafffam@comcast.net.

F wanted for bright, spacious furn’d BR in Cedonia, house owned by F prof’l, vaulted ceiling, built-in shelves, track lighting, modern kitchen, fenced yd, 5 mi to JHU/Bayview/Homewood, perf for visiting students/ professors. 410-493-2435.

Stay-at-home mom looking to babysit one or two children, FT/PT. Saadia, 410-881-0572.

F wanted to share 2BR, 2BA Mt Washington apt, W/D in apt, free prkng/fitness center, 15-20 mins to Homewood/JHMI, nr 695/83, light rail and metro stations, nr shuttle to/from JHMI. $750/mo incl all utils. dcastiL7@gmail.com.

Piano tuning and repair by PTG craftsman serving Peabody, Center Stage, College of Notre Dame, homes in Baltimore and surrounding counties. 410-382-8363 or steve@ conradpiano.com.

Sunny upstairs apt in historic Lauraville, private entrance, private BA, shared kitchen, nr JHH/JHU. $625/mo. 443-844-4094.

Pikesville, 3BR, 3.5BA end unit TH, fp, updated appliances, new replacement windows. $1,500/mo + utils. 443-629-6795 or 212-991-8173.

Share 2BR, 2BA apt in the Carlyle w/F JHU grad, air conditioners in BRs and living rm, hdwd flrs, W/D in unit, dw, gym, pool, restaurant, cafe, lounge/study rm in bldg, nr Homewood/JHMI shuttle. $725/mo + elec. 469-951-7479 or shambryk@yahoo.com.

Rodgers Forge, 3BR, 2BA TH, perfect location w/great county schools, CAC, W/D, fin’d bsmt, new windows, ceiling fans, green and grassy park behind house, free prkng. $1,600/mo. dickgeorge@comcast.net.

Share Charles Village house, living rm, dining rm, kitchen, hot tub, elliptical, Internet, deck and porch, fully furn’d rm, lg, bright windows, Eastern exposure. $450/mo + utils. 410-963-8741.

Big 2BR, 2BA condo w/balcony, 10th flr, new bamboo flrs, new appliances, pool, sauna, gym, indoor prkng, half-mile to campus/ shuttle, start date negotiable, option to buy available. $1,850/mo incl all utils. janstrat@ verizon.net. 10 S Wolfe St, 1BR, 1BA apt w/new appls, 11-ft ceilings, hdwd flrs, W/D, prkng spot available, 2-blk walk to JHH. $1,245/mo. 443-569-7400, Ladyj617@aim.com or go to www.indebleu.com. 706 Park Ave sublet, 1BR bsmt apt, hdwd flrs, lg living rm w/fp, full kitchen and BA, freshly painted, walk to transportation, refs req’d (2) or credit report, cable paid up front ($52.50) and $530 sec dep (refunded at end of lease); utils average $100/mo. 443-3105181 or andrew1860@aol.com.

Two wanted for beautiful 3BR, 2.5BA EOG TH, furn’d living rm, lots of natural light, huge kitchen w/granite counters, dw, Viking stove, microwave, CAC, laundry rm w/new appls (2nd flr), unfin’d bsmt w/lots of storage, patio w/grill. $675/mo. 717-476-1062.

Charles Village (Carrollton Condos), charming 2BR, 2BA w/garage, next to JHMI shuttle. $150,000. emmakcontact@yahoo.com. Gardenville, 3BR, 1.5BA RH, new kitchen and BA, CAC, hdwd flrs, club bsmt w/cedar closet, fenced, maintenance-free yd w/carport, quiet neighborhood, 15 mins to JHH. $139,999. 443-610-0236 or tziporachai@juno .com. Oakenshawe, 5BR, 2.5BA RH, new BAs, hdwd flrs, semi-fin’d bsmt, garage, walk to JHU, Farmer’s Market. $330,000. 443-8572217. Original Northwood, 3BR, 2BA house w/ updated kitchen, bsmt and BAs, AC, new W/D, garage, easy commute to JHU/JHMI. $274,000. http://graphicrafts.net/RachelHome/ home_for_sale (pics).

MHIC licensed contractor specializing in carpentry work, hdwd flrs, trim, custom stairs, decks, roofs. Rick, 443-621-6537. Need help with your JHU retirement plan investments portfolio? Free, confidential consultations. 410-435-5939 or treilly1@ aol.com. Friday Night Swing Dance Club, open to public, no partners necessary. 410-583-7337 or www.fridaynightswing.com. Interior/exterior painting, home/deck power washing, general maintenance; licensed, insured, free estimates, affordable. 410-3351284 or randy6506vfw@yahoo.com.

CARS FOR SALE

’06 Mazda 3i, 4-dr sedan, 5-spd, clean, nonsmoking, excel cond, 29K mi; photos avail. $10,000. lisamwolf@comcast.net.

Free ballroom dancing and lessons (waltz, rumba, tango, more), every Friday, 8pm in ROTC Bldg.

’04 Toyota Camry LE, automatic, new tires, in great cond, 60K mi. $10,500. 410-4191731 or mallychin@yahoo.com.

Horse boarding, 20 mins from JHU, beautiful trails from farm. $500/mo (stall board) or $250/mo (field board). 410-812-6716 or argye.hillis@gmail.com.

’97 Toyota Camry LE, green, automatic, all power, new tires, very good cond, 116K mi. $3,699/best offer. 410-337-5124 or nonu444 @gmail.com.

ITEMS FOR SALE

Saga mink jacket, black, size small, fun contemporary styling, in beautiful cond. $500. Lauren, 410-243-5719. Oak finish rolltop computer desk w/adjustable keyboard and mouse tray, accommodates desktop computer monitor and printer. $350/best offer. wsokoL52@yahoo.com. Microwave, table w/shelves, computer, chair, printer, 3-step ladder, reciprocating saw, tripods, digital piano. 410-455-5858 or iricse .its@verizon.net. Bowflex PowerPro and leg extension, 5 yrs old, in excel cond. $500. Bev, bstiver@ comcast.net. Bedroom furniture: 3 chests, 2 w/mirrors, double bed headboard, $400; chifforobe w/ mirrored doors, $50; recliner, $50. 410-6657030.

Licensed landscaper available for leaf and snow removal, trash hauling, lawn maintenance spring/summer, Taylor Landscaping LLC. 410-812-6090 or romilacapers@ comcast.net. LCSW-C providing psychotherapy, JHUaffiliated, experience w/treating depression, anxiety, sexual orientation and gender identity concerns, couples. 410-235-9200 (voicemail #6) or shane.grant.lcswc@gmail.com. Seeking someone to teach me Word 2007, must know program well and have good communication skills. $25/hr (for up to 10 hrs). Barbara, 718-915-3180. Horse boarding/lessons in Bel Air, bring your horse or ride one of our show-quality school horses. $325 (full care) or $250 (partial care). 410-458-1517 or www.baymeadowfarm.net. Piano lessons taught by master’s student at Peabody. 425-890-1327 (for free placement interview). Piano lessons w/experienced teacher, Peabody doctorate, all levels/ages welcome. 410-662-7951.

PLACING ADS

Patterson Park (145 N Lakewood), 3BR, 1BA house w/appls, hdwd flrs, w/w crpt, gas, yd, 1 blk to park, nr JHU/JHH, owner financing. $149,900 (or rent option at $840/mo). 410-375-4862.

Classified listings are a free service for current, full-time Hopkins faculty, staff and students only. Ads should adhere to these general guidelines:

Vistana Resorts in Orlando, timeshares avail, two 2BR villas and one 1BR villa, 25% of listing price. silviaarana1701@hotmail.com.

• One ad per person per week. A new request must be submitted for each issue. • Ads are limited to 20 words, including phone, fax and e-mail.

Charming 3BR, 2BA condo w/separate garage, walking distance to university, great buy, low

Need dynamic headshot photo for job interview/audition? Edward S Davis photography/ videography. 443-695-9988, eddaviswrite@ comcast.net or www.edwardsdavis.com.

Landscaper/horticulturist avail to maintain existing gardens, can also do planting, designing and masonry; affordable, free consultations. 410-683-7373 or grogan.family@ hotmail.com.

HOUSES FOR SALE

Charles Village, completely renov’d house w/3 lg BRs, 1.5BAs, new kitchen, BAs, custom windows, furnace, roof, decks, walk to Homewood, 3 blks to Homewood/Peabody/ JHMI shuttle. $294,000. 410-261-5557.

Mature, experienced nanny looking to babysit, FT/PT, great references available. rasoaflo@yahoo.com.

• 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 • February 22, 2010 F E B .

2 2

–

M A R C H

Calendar

C OLLO Q U I A

“Fishes for Marduk—Life for the King: The System of Divine Justice in the ‘Weidner Chronicle’ ” by Hanspeter Schaudig, University of Heidelberg. Part of the Lecture Series in Archaeology and Assyriology sponsored by Near Eastern Studies. 202A Dell House. HW Fri., Feb. 26, 5:30 p.m.

Mon.,

“Natural and Synthetic Biosynthetic Pathways,” a Chemistry colloquium with Brian Bachmann, Vanderbilt University. 233 Remsen.

Tues., Feb. 23, 4:15 p.m.

March

4:30

p.m.

“Investigator’s Reflections and Teacher of the Year Lectureships,” a Graduate Students Association lecture by Jeremy Nathans, SoM. WBSB Auditorium. EB

Mon.,

“Chemistry and Its Role in National Security and the STEM Challenge,” an Applied Physics Laboratory Black History Month colloquium with Joseph Francisco, American Chemical Society. Parsons Auditorium. APL

Thurs., Feb. 25, 2 p.m.

March

5:30

p.m.

“Nomads, Peasants, Water Managers and Kings: Irrigation and LongTerm Histories in Ancient Southern Arabia” by Michael Harrower, UCLA. Part of the 2010 Lecture Series in Archaeology and Assyriology sponsored by Near Eastern Studies. 202A Dell House. HW

Thurs., Feb. 25, 3 p.m. “LIVE! Cells on TV: Biological Life, Electronic Liveness and the Short Life of the 1950s Television-Microscope,” a History of Science and Technology colloquium with Nancy Anderson, University at Buffalo, SUNY. Room 102, 3505 N. Charles Street. HW

MUSIC

D I S C U S S I O N / TAL K S Mon.,

Thurs., Feb. 25, noon.

22,

12:30

p.m.

“Current Trends in International Development Law,” a SAIS International Law and Organizations Program discussion with Rumu Sarkar, Georgetown University Law Center. 806 Rome Bldg. SAIS Mon.,

Feb.

22,

12:45

p.m.

“Costa Rica: Challenges for the New Government Elected in 2010,” a SAIS Latin American Studies Program debriefing session. 517 Nitze Bldg. SAIS “The Future of the Peace Corps and Public Service Abroad,” a SAIS African Diaspora Association talk with Aaron Williams, director, Peace Corps. Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Bldg. SAIS Tues., Feb. 23, 5 p.m.

“Latin America Today,” a Program in Latin American Studies general discussion with Franklin Knight. 003 Greenhouse. HW

Wed., Feb. 24, noon.

Wed., Feb. 24, 4 p.m. “Mad for Foucault: Rethinking the Foundations of Queer Theory,” a Women, Gender and Sexuality book-length discussion with Lynne Huffer, Emory University. 113 Greenhouse. HW

‘HeLa’ book author to share story of immortal cancer cells

he line of cancer cells that biomedical researchers refer to as “HeLa” is so named because it was derived from the cervical cancer of a woman whose first and last names began with those letters. And although Henrietta Lacks died of her disease nearly 60 years ago, the memory of this impoverished African-American woman lives on in the form of her undying cells, which have been used in experiments worldwide to advance understanding of many diseases, and to develop drugs and vaccines. The story of Henrietta Lacks, what her life was like, the era she lived in, the struggles of her surviving children and the scientific legacy she unknowingly left behind have been painstakingly researched by science writer Rebecca Skloot in a new book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, released earlier this month by Crown. Skloot will read from and discuss her book at an event hosted by the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute and Berman Institute of Bioethics at 6 p.m. today, Feb. 22, at the St. Francis Academy Community Center, 501 E. Chase St. The discussion will focus on the segregationist era in which Lacks lived and her cancer treatment at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and will include participation by members of the Lacks family. Those wishing to attend must RSVP at www.jhsph.edu/urbanhealth/ events/skloot_form.html. This is the second of two visits to Johns Hopkins by Skloots, who was earlier sponsored by the Writing Program of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences’ Advanced Academic Programs. —Mary Spiro

Fri., Feb. 26, 12:15 p.m.

Sponsored by the Whiting School of Engineering. Mason Hall Auditorium. HW

LE C TURE S

The 2010 Dr. Leroy E. Burney Lecture— “Is Victory Ours? Fighting the Tobacco War” by Gerard Dubois, Amiens School of Medicine, University of Picardy, France. W1214 SPH (Sheldon Hall). EB

G RA N D ROU N D S

“Enterprise Medical Imaging: From Digital Silos to the Cloud,” Health Sciences Informatics grand rounds with James Philbin, SoM. W1214 SPH (Sheldon Hall). EB

Dean’s Lecture II—“Integrating Proteomics: Tackling the Unknowns in Heart Disease” by Jennifer Van Eyk, SoM. Hurd Hall. EB

Mon., Feb. 22, 4 p.m.

The Third Annual Billig-Croft Lecture—“Personalized Energy for 1 × 6 Billion” by Daniel Nocera, MIT.

Tues., Feb. 23, 4 p.m.

Wed., Feb. 24, 4 p.m.

“Jetty/ jetée,” a History of Art lecture by critic and independent curator Jeffrey Weiss. Part of the Graduate Student Lecture Series. Salon B, Charles Commons. HW

Wed., Feb. 24, 6:15 p.m.

The Hinkley Memorial Lecture— “University: Getting In, Getting

Thurs., Feb. 25, 4:30 p.m.

Out” by Jonathan Dollimore, University of Sussex. Sponsored by English. Salon B, Charles Commons. HW Thurs., Feb. 25, 5 p.m. “The Hebrew Culture of Wars: 1939– 1956,” a Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Jewish Studies Program lecture by Uri Cohen, Columbia University. Co-sponsored by Philosophy. Smokler Center for Jewish Life (Hillel). HW Thurs.,

Feb.

25,

5:15

p.m.

“Clever Commanders and the Uncertainty of Ethics in Cervantes,” a German and Romance Languages and Literatures lecture by Luis Aviles, University of California, Irvine. 101A Dell House. HW

“Soundings,” an experiential workshop with pianist improviser and composer Lee Pui Ming. Sponsored by the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra. SDS Room, Mattin Center. HW

Fri., Feb. 26, 8 p.m. Peabody/ Homewood Music Center concert, with pianists Shirley Yoo and Stephen Buck and Peabody percussionists. SDS Room, Mattin Center. HW

The Hopkins Symphony Orchestra presents its annual concert for children and families, featuring works by Stravinsky, Beethoven and P.D.Q. Bach. (See story, p. 11.) Shriver Hall Auditorium. HW

Sat., Feb. 27, 1 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 27, 8 p.m. The Peabody Symphony Orchestra performs works by Mozart and Bartok. $15 general admission, $10 for senior citizens and $5 for students with ID. Friedberg Hall. Peabody

A Hopkins Symphony Orchestra concert with guest artist Lee Pui Ming, performing works by Stravinsky and Beethoven and the world premiere of a work by Ming. (See story, p. 11.) 2 p.m. Pre-concert talk with Lee Pui Ming. $8 general admission, $6 for senior citizens, JHU affiliates and non-JHU students; free for JHU students. Shriver Hall Auditorium. HW Sun., Feb. 28, 3 p.m.

READ I N G S / B OO K TAL K S

S E M I N AR S Mon., Feb. 22, noon. “Editing of Ubiquitin Chains at the Proteasome,” a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology seminar with Daniel Finley, Harvard Medical School. W1020 SPH. EB Mon.,

Feb.

22,

1:30

p.m.

“Quantitative Cardiac Human Physiology,” a Biomedical Engineering seminar with Igor Efimov, Washington University in St. Louis. 709 Traylor. EB (Videoteleconferenced to 110 Clark. HW ) Mon., Feb. 22, 4 p.m. “Constant Mean Curvature Foliations in Asymptotically Flat Manifolds,” an Analysis/PDE seminar with Lan-Hsuan Huang, Columbia University. 302 Krieger. HW

“Impact of Cognitive Function, Backloading and Neighborhood Risk on HCV Prevalence Among Injection Drug Users in Baltimore, Maryland,” a Mental Health thesis defense seminar with Camelia Macfarlane Graham. 845 Hampton House. EB

Tues., Feb. 23, 8 a.m.

Tu e s . , F e b . 2 3 , 8 p . m . The Peabody Voice Department presents a concert of chamber music, featuring the works of Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Saint-Saens, Purcell, Gubaidulina and Cipullo. $15 general admission, $10 for senior citizens and $5 for students with ID. Friedberg Hall. Peabody

Feb.

evening of no-holds-barred poetic mayhem. Barnes & Noble Johns Hopkins. HW

Author Rebecca Skloot will read from and sign copies of her book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, with participation by members of the Lacks family. (See story, this page.) Co-sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute and the Berman Institute of Bioethics. St. Francis Academy Community Center, 501 E. Chase St.

Mon., Feb. 22, 6 p.m.

Thurs., Feb. 25, 7 p.m. Town and Gown Poetry Smackdown, an

“Disparities in Primary Care Visit Content Among Vulnerable Populations in the U.S. and the Role of Primary Care Setting in Mitigating Disparities,” a Health Policy and Management thesis defense seminar with Virginia Huang. 688 Hampton House. EB

Tues., Feb. 23, 9 a.m.

Tues., Feb. 23, noon. “Genome-

wide Translational Profiling by Ribosome Footprinting,” a Biological Chemistry seminar with Nicholas Ingolia, University of California, San Francisco. 612 Physiology. EB

Tues., Feb. 23, noon. “Advanced

Methods for Evaluation of Existing Bridges,” a Civil Engineering seminar with Y. Edward Zhou, URS Corp. B17 CSEB. HW

Tues.,

Feb.

23,

12:10

p.m.

“Gender Symmetry or Asymmetry in Intimate Partner Violence: The Importance of Operational Definitions,” a Graduate Seminar in Injury Research and Policy with Donna Ansara, SPH. Sponsored by the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence. 250 Hampton House. EB Tues.,

Feb.

23,

12:15

p.m.

“A Novel Crosstalk Mechanism Between BMP and Wnt Pathways Continued on page 10

Calendar

Key

APL BRB CRB CSEB

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

Applied Physics Laboratory Broadway Research Building Cancer Research Building Computational Science and Engineering Building EB East Baltimore HW Homewood KSAS Krieger School of Arts and Sciences PCTB Preclinical Teaching Building SAIS School of Advanced International Studies SoM School of Medicine SoN School of Nursing SPH School of Public Health WBSB Wood Basic Science Building WSE Whiting School of Engineering