The Gazette

o ur 4 0 th ye ar

P LAYI N G A N D LEAR N I N G

S OCIETY OF S CHOL AR S

Covering Homewood, East Baltimore, Peabody,

Baltimore pre-kindergartners

Thirteen to be inducted in

SAIS, APL and other campuses throughout the

take classes at JHU with faculty

recognition of achievement

Baltimore-Washington area and abroad, since 1971.

from three schools, page 13

in their fields, page 4

May 23, 2011

The newspaper of The Johns Hopkins University

C O M M E N C E M E N T

Volume 40 No. 36

R E C O G N I T I O N

Class acts

Pomp and ceremonies close year

By Greg Rienzi

The Gazette

Continued on page 6

2

will kirk / homewoodphoto.jhu.edu

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he 2010–2011 academic year culminates this week with a big “green” bash and a flurry of ceremonies to celebrate JHU’s new pack of alumni.

In an effort to promote a more unified Johns Hopkins family, the univerDegrees to sity last year fused be confirmed the universitywide commencement at university- ceremony with the Homewood undergraduate diploma wide event ceremony for one grand graduation on Thursday observance. The result was a single ceremony for graduates from all divisions and campuses.

The event this year will take place rain or shine from 8:40 a.m. to noon on Thursday, May 26, on Homewood Field.

The stadium holds 9,000 people—no tickets necessary.

Fareed Zakaria, host of his own international affairs program on CNN and one of the most influential political commentators of his day, will be the commencement speaker.

The majority of students will receive their diplomas following the event; others will receive them at separate diploma ceremonies at their respective schools.

The morning ceremony will feature remarks from President Ronald J. Daniels and a speech by Zakaria, the conferring of all degrees, recognition of new members of the Society of Scholars (see story, page 4) and the bestowing of honorary degrees.

Honorary degrees will be awarded to Zakaria; C. Michael Armstrong, who will conclude his six-year tenure as chairman of Johns Hopkins Medicine at the end of June; John Barth, professor emeritus in the Krieger School’s Writing Seminars; Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; David M. Serwadda, a physician and pioneering researcher of AIDS and its transmission; and David

THE WHITING SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING’s Lester Su credits his success in the classroom to meticulous preparation and organization—and a loud voice. Students praise his talents as a lecturer, command of the material and unique affability.

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hat makes a great teacher, you ask? Is it one who entertains while imparting knowledge, or one who gives it to you straight? One who holds your hand while you’re learning,

or one who let’s you figure it out on your own?

It all depends—on you, the subject and, of course, the teacher.

What the winners of this year’s Johns Hopkins Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award have in common is that

they all excel in the art of teaching, though their styles are as varied as the subjects they teach.

The award, which has been given annually since 1992, allows each acaContinued on page 9

R E S E A R C H

Gene variation linked to infertility in women Altered gene involved in both cholesterol regulation and hormone production

By Stephanie Desmon

Johns Hopkins Medicine

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variation in a gene involved in regulating cholesterol in the bloodstream also appears to affect progesterone production in women, making it a likely culprit in a substantial number of

In Brief

Microbiology society conference; regal chairs of early America; ‘Gazette’ summer schedule

20

cases of their infertility, a new study from Johns Hopkins researchers suggests.

The Johns Hopkins group has also developed a simple blood test for this variation of the scavenger receptor class B type 1 gene, or SCARB1, but emphasized that there is no approved therapy yet to address the problem in infertile women.

Following up studies in female mice that first linked a deficiency in these receptors for HDL—the so-called “good” or “healthy” cholesterol—and infertility, researchers report finding the same link in studies of women with a history of infertility. If the new study’s findings hold up on further

C a l e nd a r

Conductor Marin Alsop, choreographer Liz Lerman join a panel of academics

investigation, the Johns Hopkins team says that they not only will offer clues into a genetic cause of some infertility but could also lead to a treatment already shown to work in mice.

“Infertility is fairly common, and a lot of the reasons for it are still unknown,” said endocrinologist Annabelle Rodriguez, an associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and leader of the study published online in the journal Human Reproduction. “Right now, the benefit of this research is in knowContinued on page 13

18 Job Opportunities 18 Notices 19 Classifieds

2 THE GAZETTE • May 23, 2011 I N B R I E F

‘The Gazette’ begins biweekly summer schedule today

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ith this issue, The Gazette begins its biweekly summer schedule; the paper will be published on June 6, June 20, July 5, July 18, Aug. 1 and Aug. 15. The weekly schedule will resume on Aug. 29, the first week of the academic year. Calendar items and classifieds should be submitted by noon on Monday one week before publication to gazette.jhu.edu or faxed to 443-287-9920.

Coverage of the May 26 universitywide commencement will be posted online at gazette.jhu.edu on May 27.

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he Johns Hopkins Center for Biotechnology Education and the Krieger School’s Department of Biology will host the American Society for Microbiology’s Conference for Undergraduate Educators from June 2 to 5 on the Homewood campus.

ASMCUE, now in its 18th year, is a professional development conference for approximately 300 educators. The annual program offers attendees access to premier scientists in diverse specialties and to educators leading biology education reform efforts.

The plenary lecture will be given by ASM President Bonnie L. Bassler, the Squibb Professor and director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. Bassler, the recipient of a 2002 MacArthur “genius” grant, has been called “the bacteria whisperer” because her lab discovered and focuses on the molecular mechanisms that bacteria use to communicate with each other.

Conference participants will hear scientific updates and learn effective teaching strategies, share best practices in the biological sciences and education research, and engage in discussions focused on improving teaching and learning in the biological sciences.

Johns Hopkins faculty members giving talks are Bert Vogelstein, Stephen Dumler, Jonathan Pevsner, Beverly Wendland and Mariale Hardiman. Bob Lessick of the Center for Biotechnology Education will participate in the online education panel.

Regal chairs of early America on display at Evergreen Museum

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hough 18th-century Americans rebelled against the idea of a monarchy for the new country, they often borrowed from royal design vocabularies to create chairs for local, regional and national leaders.

The American Throne: Royal Seating for a Democratic Venue, an exhibit opening this week at Evergreen Museum & Library, explores the ongoing redefinition of monarchical forms for democratic and everyday

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 B u s i n e ss Dianne MacLeod C i r c u l at i o n Lynette Floyd Webmaster Lauren Custer

seating, and how democratic ideals have transformed chairs devised for the common man into thrones of power.

Included are examples of pre–Civil War chairs, ancient Rome–inspired chairs designed for the U.S. Capitol by architect Thomas U. Walter and one of President John F. Kennedy’s White House rocking chairs, now an icon of American leadership.

The American Throne opened on Sunday with an afternoon reception. During its run through Sept. 25, the exhibition is free with museum admission or $3 for the exhibition only.

JH-U-Turn sale returns to Homewood campus in June

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he Homewood campus’s Ralph S. O’Connor Recreation Center was packed last year when JH-U-Turn debuted as a one-stop shopping destination for no-longer-needed household and personal items. The sale returns in June to benefit the Johns Hopkins Neighborhood Fund and the United Way campaign.

JH-U-Turn is designed to help reduce waste and support a good cause by asking students to donate their end-of-school-year items, including clothing, furniture, books, electronics and household items, and offer these items a second chance by selling them to benefit someone else.

The Johns Hopkins Neighborhood Fund was created in 2007 from the vision of then President William R. Brody to support nonprofit organizations that both serve the communities in close proximity to our campuses and are associated with Johns Hopkins through employee and/or institutional involvement.

This year’s JH-U-Turn takes place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, in the O’Connor Recreation Center.

To schedule a donation drop-off, contact Carrie Bennett, campus liaison, at liaison@ jhu.edu.

For more information on JH-U-Turn, go to web.jhu.edu/liaison/UTurn.html.

Historic Homewood ArtWalk set for Sundays through June

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he Historic Homewood ArtWalk, which covers more than 200 years of history in less than a quarter mile, has returned for the 2011 season.

The fun, informative and free 45-minute guided walking tour covers historic and artistic sites between the two significant collections of American historic interiors and decorative arts at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Through June 26, the tour will depart twice each Sunday, at 1 p.m. from Homewood Museum and 2 p.m. from the BMA. Reservations are requested by calling 410516-5589 or emailing homewoodmuseum@ jhu.edu.

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

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

May 23, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

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

Glenn Bieler named VP for communications and public affairs

By Dennis O’Shea

Homewood

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lenn M. Bieler, now associate vice president for university marketing and communications at Case Western Reserve University, has been appointed vice president for communications and public affairs at The Johns Hopkins University.

Bieler, who has focused his career on innovative, strategic communications that bring organizations closer to the audiences most important to their success, will join Johns Hopkins in July. He will lead the Communications and Public Affairs unit in the university’s central administration and encourage collaboration with communications teams located throughout the university, said President Ronald J. Daniels, who recommended Bieler’s appointment to the board of trustees.

Bieler assumes a new position created “in recognition of the critical importance of communications in strengthening the university’s relationships with alumni, prospective students, parents, the local community and a broad array of other external and internal audiences,” Daniels said. Previously, the university’s central communica-

Glenn Bieler

tions group reported to a vice president who also had responsibility for government and community relations.

“We want to tell the Johns Hopkins story—the story of a university of comprehensive excellence, a university that enables scholars to reach their full potential and a university that solves problems and contrib-

utes ideas to its community and the world,” Daniels said. “Glenn is an experienced communicator and talented leader with a variety of experience that will serve him well as he takes on the mission to tell that story.”

Bieler will report jointly to Daniels and to Michael C. Eicher, senior vice president for external affairs and development. Eicher said that Bieler’s effectiveness in marketing and communications in both university and academic medical center settings gives him a head start in working within Johns Hopkins.

“Glenn has a track record as an accomplished leader of and contributor to communications successes,” Eicher said. “His varied experience will allow him to work effectively in our diverse and decentralized environment and to partner with departments across the institution to build on the excellence of our Communications and Public Affairs team.”

“I am excited about joining one of the world’s great universities and about the challenges ahead,” Bieler said. “I know there are first-rate communications teams in place at Johns Hopkins, both in the central administration and in the schools, divisions and other units. I look forward to working with all of them, building on what they have

already achieved in communicating what the Johns Hopkins brand is all about.”

Bieler joined Case Western Reserve in 2008 and is responsible there for media relations, marketing, advertising, market research, internal communications, alumni and development communications, and electronic media. He led a well-received university branding initiative, drove a redesign of the university’s main website, worked to improve brand-related collaboration between the university’s medical school and its affiliate hospitals, and implemented strategic research projects that informed the university’s promotional campaigns in local and national markets.

Previously, Bieler spent more than eight years with the Cleveland Clinic, one of the nation’s top hospitals and academic medical centers, the last two years as director of marketing and communications. A former practicing attorney, he began a transition into marketing and communications as international business development manager at Jones Day, one of the world’s largest law firms.

Bieler is a 1989 graduate of New York Law School and earned his bachelor of arts degree in 1983 at the University at Albany of the State University of New York.

Bacteria strain found to kill the mosquito that spreads malaria

By Tim Parsons

Bloomberg School of Public Health

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olbachia are bacteria that infect many insects, including mosquitoes, but they do not naturally infect Anopheles mosquitoes, which are the type that spreads malaria to humans. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have now found that artificial infection with different Wolbachia strains can significantly reduce levels of the human malaria

parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, in the mosquito Anopheles gambiae.

The investigators also determined that one of the Wolbachia strains rapidly killed the mosquito after it fed on blood. According to the researchers, Wolbachia could potentially be used as part of a strategy to control malaria if stable infections can be established in Anopheles. Their study is published in the May 19 edition of PLoS Pathogens.

“This is the first time anyone has shown that Wolbachia infections can reduce levels of the human malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) in Anopheles mosquitoes,” said

Timothy Heckman named first Dr. A. Hermann Pfund Professor B y I a n M at h i a s

Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

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imothy Heckman, director of the Center for Astrophysical Sciences in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been appointed the Dr. A. Hermann Pfund Professor, named in honor of one of Johns Hopkins’ legendary physicists. An event held May 10 at the Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy celebrated the occasion and marked the formal announcement of the Pfund family’s contribution and Heckman’s appointment.

“Tim is undoubtedly a leading figure in astronomy today,” Dan Reich, chair of the department, told the guests gathered for the event. “He has played a major role in our understanding of black holes and star formation, and has had a major impact as a teacher and mentor as well. He represents the best of Johns Hopkins University.” In addition to his research projects, Heckman oversees a staff of more than 110 faculty members, researchers and graduate students and roughly $14 million in annual grants and contracts.

The dedication served as another milestone for Pfund, who made his scholarly home at Johns Hopkins, beginning as a graduate student in 1903 and going on to become professor and chair of the department until 1947, just before his death in

1949. His research, which focused mainly on measuring and interpreting different forms of light and heat radiation, helped set the foundation for modern astronomy. As JHU President Ronald J. Daniels summarized, “Dr. Pfund was a giant in his field.”

“This is a great honor,” Heckman said in his address. “Dr. Pfund was a pioneer in the development of the tools astronomers use to study the remote universe. Thanks to this work, in my lifetime we may be able to answer some of the questions that have haunted the human mind: Are we alone?

How did we get here?”

The Pfund Professorship also represents a history of generosity at JHU. Pfund arrived at Johns Hopkins in the early 20th century as many graduate students still do today: cash-strapped and in significant need of financial support. The university identified his talent and waived his annual tuition, a whopping $150. The irony was not lost on those in attendance that this path of generosity had come full circle, as his descendants now support the work of the next generation of leading astrophysicists.

The professorship was established by Hermann Pfund’s nephew, Ledyard Pfund, and his wife, Lydia. Their son, Bruce, spoke on behalf of the family during the dedication.

“This event re-establishes a strong connection between Dr. Pfund, my family and Johns Hopkins,” he said. “I hope that Tim continues Hermann’s legacy of both scholarship and generosity.”

Jason Rasgon, senior author of the study and an associate professor with the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute and the Bloomberg School’s W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.

For the study, Rasgon and his colleagues infected Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes with two different Wolbachia strains (wMelPop and wAlbB). After infection, Wolbachia disseminated widely in the mosquitoes and infected diverse tissues and organs. Wolbachia also seemed to actively manipulate the mosquito’s immune system to facilitate its own replication. Both Wolbachia strains were able to significantly inhibit malaria parasite levels in the mosquito gut. Although not virulent in sugar-fed mosquitoes, the wMelPop strain killed most mosquitoes within a day after the mosquito was blood-fed.

“These experiments show that Wolbachia could be used in multiple ways to control malaria, perhaps by blocking transmission or by killing infected mosquitoes,” Rasgon said.

Worldwide, malaria afflicts more than 225 million people. Each year, the disease kills nearly 800,000, many of whom are children living in Africa.

In addition to Rasgon, the authors of the study are Grant Hughes and Ping Xue, both of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute; and Ryuichi Koga and Takema Fukatsu, both of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tsukuba, Japan.

Funding was provided by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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

Yash Gupta to step down as dean of Carey Business School

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ash P. Gupta, founding dean of the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, will step down from his post at the end of the academic year.

In a broadcast message announcing Gupta’s decision to the Johns Hopkins community, President Ronald J. Daniels said, “The establishment of the Carey Business School in 2007 marked a landmark moment in the proud history of business and management education at Johns Hopkins. Since then, the new school has accomplished so much, with the recruitment of a core group of fulltime research faculty, new headquarters in Baltimore’s burgeoning Harbor East business district and the establishment of the university’s first MBA program designed for full-time students,” he said.

“The Carey Business School has quickly become a vital component of The Johns Hopkins University.”

Daniels said that he gives all due credit for the school’s significant progress to Gupta, “who has been a tireless evange-

list for the school and brought us to this important moment.”

Among Gupta’s other accomplishments, Daniels noted his launching the school’s Global MBA program, recruiting exceptional scholars and business practitioners, developing policies and procedures, and inaugurating the successful Leaders + Legends speaker series.

Gupta also established an academic board, recruited business leaders to serve on the school’s corporate advisory board and board of overseers, and worked actively to promote the Carey School and to develop it as a brand.

Daniels said that he and Provost Lloyd B. Minor will soon initiate a national search for a new dean “with the passion and vision to advance the important work that Yash Gupta has done as the inaugural dean.”

Philip Phan, executive vice dean of the Carey Business School, will serve as interim dean, effective July 1.

Gupta will be joining SDP Telecom as its chief executive officer.

4 THE GAZETTE • May 23, 2011

Society of Scholars inducts new members

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he Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars was created on the recommendation of then President Milton S. Eisenhower and approved by the university board of trustees on May 1, 1967. The society—the first of its kind in the nation—inducts former postdoctoral fellows, postdoctoral degree recipients, house staff and junior or visiting faculty who have served at least a year at Johns Hopkins and thereafter gained marked distinction elsewhere in their fields of physical, biological, medical, social or engineering sciences or in the humanities and for whom at least five years have elapsed since their last Johns Hopkins affiliation. The Committee of the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars, whose members are equally distributed among the academic divisions, elects a limited number of scholars from the candidates nominated by the academic divisions with postdoctoral programs.

The scholars elected in 2011 will be invested at a ceremony hosted by Provost Lloyd B.

Minor at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, in Homewood’s Mason Hall, where each will be presented with a certificate and a medallion on a black and gold ribbon to be worn with their academic robe. Also participating in this year’s ceremony will be 2009 inductee James Piscatori, professor and head of the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University in the United Kingdom. At the time of his nomination, Piscatori was an associate professor at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.

The induction, which brings to 564 the total number of members in the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars, will be followed by a dinner hosted by President Ronald J. Daniels. The new members will be recognized at Commencement on May 26.

The following listing of the Society of Scholars members elected in 2011 is accompanied by a short description of their accomplishments at the time of their election to the society.

Eric Brill San Jose, Calif.

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ric Brill is an influential scholar who has changed the fabric of modern electronic commerce and human interaction with machines. His research has greatly affected our experiences on the Internet, from the search engine results we receive and the online ads we see to the conduct of electronic commerce. As a director at Microsoft Research and currently as the vice president directing eBay Research Labs, Brill has revolutionized several major fields in natural language processing, human-computer interaction and machine learning. His research in how machines understand human language, behavior and preferences has enabled wideranging improvements in personalizing the online experience. The algorithms and systems he creates are often better able than human analysts to predict, and adapt to, online user behavior.

Brill, who was an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins from 1994 to 1999 in the Whiting School’s Department of Computer Science, was nominated by David Yarowsky, a professor in Computer Science.

Eric Brill

Anna May Diehl

Stephen W. Hargarten

Kathleen Ruth Cho

Norman Fost

Gordan Lauc

that will impact research in the fields of obesity, cancer metastasis and liver disease.

Her research offers key insights into how the immune system regulates liver injury and regeneration, and what role fetal morphogens, such as members of the hedgehog transduction pathway, play in regulating fibrotic responses to liver damage. Additionally, Diehl has advanced her field by mentoring a generation of gastroenterologists especially interested in liver disease.

Diehl was nominated by Susan M. MacDonald, a professor in the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the School of Medicine.

about the use of performance-enhancing drugs by elite athletes; his critiques are now widespread, commonly held views. Fost was a fellow and a resident in the Department of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine from 1964 to 1971 and is now a professor of pediatrics, medical history and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Fost was nominated by N. Franklin Adkinson Jr., a professor of medicine and program director of the Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation in the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the School of Medicine.

known for translating research findings into meaningful policy at the local, state and federal levels. Hargarten, who completed his Master of Public Health studies at Johns Hopkins in 1984, has shown how a clinician and academic administrator can successfully engage in research and policymaking for the primary prevention of illness and injuries on a global basis.

Hargarten was nominated by Stephen Teret, a professor in the Department iof Health Policy and Management and associate dean for faculty and education at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Norman Fost Madison, Wisc.

Stephen W. Hargarten Milwaukee

orman Fost is often the first to propose a new way of thinking about timely bioethical issues. He led the writing of the first guidelines for research involving human embryonic stem cells and was later a key member of the Institute of Medicine committee whose stem cell guidelines have become the national standard.

He co-wrote the first paper providing the rationale for the use of hospital ethics committees to resolve disputes about end-of-life care. He challenged the belief that the root cause of a patient’s short stature was morally relevant in deciding whether to provide human growth hormone treatments, leading to a universal change in practice. And he was the first to challenge conventional views

tephen W. Hargarten has had a highly distinguished career as a scholar, teacher and practitioner in the fields of injury prevention, gun violence, emergency medicine and travel medicine. He is founding director of the Injury Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has served as national president of the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research and the National Association of Injury Control Research Centers.

His research has ranged from the primary prevention of injuries to the administration of acute care in emergency departments.

He also pioneered new data collection systems for violence. He is internationally

Kathleen Ruth Cho Ann Arbor, Mich.

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atheen Ruth Cho is widely recognized as a leading authority in both basic and clinical studies of gynecologic malignancies. Her work has provided critical insights into the molecular pathogenesis of cervical and ovarian cancer. Recently, her group engineered powerful mouse models to study the biology of ovarian cancer and test new therapeutic approaches to treatment. Cho serves as associate editor for Clinical Cancer Research and Laboratory Investigation and is a senior editor of Cancer Research. From 1984 to 1991, she completed her internship, residency and fellowship in the Department of Pathology and the Oncology Center at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is now the Peter A. Ward Professor of Pathology at the University of Michigan Medical School. Her expertise is recognized by her participation in many grant application study sections, review committees and advisory panels at the national level.

Cho was nominated by Sara Sukumar, the Barbara B. Rubenstein Professor of Oncology in the School of Medicine.

Anna Mae Diehl Durham, N.C.

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nna Mae Diehl is a nationally recognized expert in chronic liver disease. During her more than 30 years as a physician and researcher, she has helped transform our understanding of gastroenterology and hepatology. By translating her pioneering findings about liver injury and repair to clinical applications, she is paving the way for advanced treatments for a wide range of liver diseases. From 1978 to 1984, she completed her internal medicine and gastroenterology training at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Currently, she is chief of the Gastroenterology Division and director of the Liver Center at Duke University School of Medicine. Diehl’s research, which has been supported by the NIH for more than 20 years, has broad relevance

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S

Gordan Lauc Zagreb, Croatia

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ordan Lauc studies the biological role of certain types of sugar molecules known as glycans. Contrary to proteins, which are encoded by a single gene, glycans result from the interplay of hundreds of different genes and are apparently responsible for many aspects of human variability.

He led the first comprehensive study of the human plasma glycome, cataloging all of the different types of sugars found in our blood and plasma. His research uncovered many variations from person to person in the types of sugar molecules present in our bodies but determined that each individual’s collection of sugars is stable and doesn’t seem to change much with time. His approach of analyzContinued on page 5

May 23, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

Michael Levine

Linda M. Reilly

Jonathan W. Simons

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basic science discoveries out of the lab and into clinical applications. He was principal investigator for some of the earliest gene therapy trials, using modified cancer cell vaccines to treat kidney and prostate cancers. He also conducted important studies that helped explain the bone pain, weight loss, malaise and poor immune responsiveness associated with prostate cancer. His distinguished career began in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he earned his medical degree and later was a fellow in the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics of Bert Vogelstein in the school’s Oncology Center. In 1999, he became founding director of Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute and served as co-director at the National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at Emory and Georgia Tech. Since 2007, he has been chief executive officer and president of the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Simons was nominated by William G. Nelson, a professor and director of the Oncology Center in the School of Medicine.

Roger E. Stevenson Greenwood, S.C.

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Kenneth J. Pienta

Flaura Koplin Winston

Scholars Continued from page 4 ing both genome and glycome in the same individuals resulted in the identification of an important regulatory mechanism in protein glycosylation and new biomarkers for a number of diseases, including pancreatitis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a single-gene subtype of diabetes.

Now at the University of Zagreb, where he is the youngest full professor and the youngest vice dean of a medical school in the history of Croatia, Lauc was a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins from 1997 to 1998 in the Krieger School’s Department of Biology. He was nominated by Y.C. Lee, a professor in that department.

Michael A. Levine Philadelphia

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ichael A. Levine, considered by his peers to be the consummate physician-scientist, is a pediatric endocrinologist world-renowned for groundbreaking studies of human genetic disorders relating to bone and mineral metabolism.

His primary clinical interests include osteoporosis, hypoparathyroidism, primary hyperparathyroidism, rickets and genetic bone diseases. Levine was the first to identify the

Madeline A. Shea

Roger E. Stevenson

molecular basis of several inherited disorders of mineral metabolism, including Albright hereditary osteodystrophy and McCune-Albright syndrome, disorders that affect bone metabolism and calcium homeostasis. From 1976 to 1982, Levine completed his pediatric endocrinology training as an intern, resident and fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Today, he is director of the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he holds the Lester Baker Endowed Chair in Pediatric Diabetes, and also is professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Levine was nominated by Claude J. Migeon, professor of pediatrics in the School of Medicine.

including numerous chiefs of vascular surgery across the country. A leader in her field, she is also known for her research into the development of new endoscopic surgical methods for placing aortic grafts. Reilly was a resident from 1976 to 1982 in the Department of Surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Today, she is professor in residence in the Department of Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, and has been the General Surgery Program director there since 1998. Reilly presents her work on aortic reconstruction across the country and the world, and has published 102 manuscripts, six abstracts and 29 book chapters.

Reilly was nominated by Julie Ann Freischlag, the William Stewart Halsted Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery in the School of Medicine.

Kenneth J. Pienta Ann Arbor, Mich.

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enneth J. Pienta is a classic “triple threat” physician-scientist, recognized equally for his work in clinical and basic research, patient care and mentoring. He has profoundly influenced the entire field of prostate cancer internationally, especially by his ability to translate research findings into applications that help patients now. A clinical fellow in the Department of Urology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine from 1988 to 1991, Pienta is now a professor of internal medicine and urology and associate dean for clinical and translational research at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He has been the principal investigator on numerous local and national clinical trials, and is a two-time American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor Award recipient. Pienta has mentored more than 40 students, residents and fellows to successful careers in medicine.

Pienta was nominated by Robert H. Getzenberg, a professor of urology in the School of Medicine.

Linda M. Reilly San Francisco

L

inda M. Reilly is one of the country’s top surgeons specializing in complex aortic procedures and is considered the go-to specialist for extremely complicated cases in her region and far beyond. Generous about sharing that expertise with others, she has trained 36 vascular fellows since 1985,

Madeline A. Shea Iowa City, Iowa

M

adeline A. Shea is internationally recognized for devising statistical thermodynamic models of complex biological systems. Her modeling of cellular life processes has set a new standard for 21st-century biology. Her early research as a postdoctoral fellow from 1984 to 1986 in the Krieger School’s Department of Biology at Johns Hopkins unveiled the workings of the classic genetic switch bacteriophage lambda.

Cited hundreds of times, this study stands as a landmark demonstration quantifying essential aspects of a cell’s life cycle. Shea has revolutionized biological understandings of calmodulin, an essential human protein critical in the nervous, heart and reproductive systems. Her investigations explore the very essence of living systems, and her outcomes continue to transform prevailing views of how networks of biological molecules maintain and regulate cellular life. Shea is a professor of biochemistry at the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine.

She was nominated by Karen G. Fleming, an associate professor in the Department of Biophysics in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

Jonathan W. Simons Santa Monica, Calif.

J

onathan W. Simons is one of the world’s leading translational cancer researchers, a physician-scientist who moves

oger E. Stevenson has made enormous contributions to patients and families with genetic disorders and to the field of genetic medicine. He has focused largely on unraveling the causes of birth defects and developmental impairments. He has published more than 180 papers describing more than 20 mental retardation syndromes, written two editions of the textbook The Fetus and Newly Born Infant: Influences of the Prenatal Environment and co-authored the definitive text on X-linked mental retardation. Between 1967 and 1972, he received training at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine as a pediatrics resident and a fellow in the divisions of Metabolism and Genetics. In 1974, Stevenson co-founded the Greenwood Genetics Center and helped build it into an internationally respected nonprofit organization that advances medical genetics research and cares for families affected by genetic disease and birth defects.

He recently stepped down as director but will continue to pursue his important clinical and research work at the center.

Stevenson was nominated by David Valle, a professor in the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine in the School of Medicine.

Flaura Koplin Winston Philadelphia

F

laura Koplin Winston has focused her career on creating evidence-based methods of preventing children from being injured in car crashes. She is the founder and scientific director of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s groundbreaking Center for Injury Research and Prevention, which is a leading resource for child automotive safety. Trained in biomechanics and pediatrics, Winston was the first to recognize airbag injuries to children and determine their mechanism, leading to changes in airbag design and regulation. In addition, after discovering that only a quarter of children ages 3 to 7 who are involved in crashes had been properly restrained, Winston led efforts nationally to upgrade child restraint laws.

A postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from 1994 to 1995, Winston is now a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Winston was nominated by Susan P. Baker, a professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Health Policy and Management. G

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6 THE GAZETTE • May 23, 2011

Continued from page 1 Simon, author and writer/producer of NBC’s Homicide: Life on the Streets and HBO’s The Wire and Treme.

All undergraduate and doctoral students in attendance will have their names announced as they file on stage to have their degrees recognized. The ceremony will also feature a presentation of the Homewood Schools’ senior class gift, an address from the class president and some pomp and circumstance, including music and the procession of graduates onto the field.

Prior to the ceremony, the undergraduates from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering will gather on the Keyser Quadrangle and take a ceremonial “final walk” through campus, passing through the Freshman Quad, where their academic journey started. All other graduates will enter from the Athletic Center.

Following the ceremony, the newly minted alumni and their families will be invited to a reception on the Keyser Quadrangle.

The university is also demonstrating its commitment to sustainability by hosting a “green” commencement. The effort includes opting for caps and gowns made from 100 percent recyclable materials, and reusable stage decorations; offering guests water in biodegradable rather than plastic bottles, while also encouraging them to bring their own reusable water bottles; and minimizing printed materials and choosing paper for the commencement program that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Local caterers specializing in green practices were chosen for the president’s postcommencement reception on the Keyser Quadrangle, where the food will be served on compostable dinnerware. Composting bins will be provided for the biodegradable water bottles and dinnerware.

Joanna Calabrese, sustainability outreach coordinator in the university’s Office of Sustainability, said that this year’s commencement will be the largest green event in Johns Hopkins history. Calabrese said that this is a collaborative effort that brings together departments, offices and students, who will volunteer at the event to encourage attendees to properly dispose of their waste.

“This effort demonstrates that the university’s commitment to sustainability extends to all aspects of university operations, including campus events,” she said.

“Large-scale university events such as commencement offer an exciting opportunity to introduce new ideas and practices to a broad and diverse audience of people. It is our office’s hope that the green features of this year’s commencement will inspire individuals in attendance to make environmentally responsible decisions in the future.”

Zakaria, invited to be speaker by the senior class, hosts CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS and also serves as editor at large for Time magazine and as a columnist for The Washington Post. The Indian-American journalist was described in 1999 by Esquire magazine as “the most influential foreign policy adviser of his generation.” In 2010, Foreign Policy magazine named him one of the top 100 global thinkers.

Zakaria has conducted in-depth interviews with prominent world figures including the Dalai Lama, Barack Obama, King Abdullah II, Dmitry Medvedev and Moammar Gadhafi, as well as countless intellectuals, business leaders, politicians and journalists. In its first year, GPS garnered an Emmy nomination for an interview with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Zakaria became Time editor at large in October 2010 after spending 10 years overseeing all of Newsweek’s editions abroad. He has received numerous honors for his writing, including a 2010 National Magazine Award for his post-9/11 Newsweek cover story, “Why They Hate Us,” published Oct. 15, 2001.

Zakaria has written several books, includ-

nications systems, marine systems, space systems, oceanic and naval systems, government systems and logistics services. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering science and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins.

At its diploma award ceremony, the School of Medicine will hear from Johns Hopkins’ own Henry Brem, the Harvey Cushing Professor of Neurosurgery and professor of biomedical engineering and of oncology, with a joint appointment in oph-

HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

Pomp

ing most recently The New York Times bestseller and critically acclaimed The PostAmerican World. He’s a regular commentator on many news programs and a frequent and popular guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Born in India in 1964, Zakaria received a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale and a doctorate in political science from Harvard. He currently serves as a trustee of Yale.

The Bloomberg School of Public Health’s speaker will be Joshua Sharfstein, secretary

Thanks, volunteers, for making it happen

By Greg Rienzi

The Gazette

T

wo years ago, Tasmim Anwar strode up the aisle on Homewood Field to receive a bachelor’s degree in applied math and statistics. She described the day as “momentous.”

In fact, she enjoyed the experience so much she came back for more. The following May, Anwar returned to Homewood Field on commencement day, this time to help show others the way.

Anwar, an assistant director in the Whiting School’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations, volunteered as a guide for the event, which combines the universitywide and Homewood undergraduate ceremonies. In her role, she pointed students to robing rooms and families and guests to the field, and, in general, made sure people knew where to go. During the ceremony, held on a hot Baltimore day, she also handed out water bottles to those in need of heat relief.

Each commencement, hundreds of volunteers like Anwar are needed to make the day a success, according to Jill Williams, who is associate director of university events at Johns Hopkins and is responsible for the commencement ceremony.

of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Prior to taking his current post in January, Sharfstein served as the Food and Drug Administration’s principal deputy commissioner, the agency’s secondhighest-ranking position, appointed by President Obama. From December 2005 through March 2009, he was commissioner of health for the city of Baltimore. The ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, in Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

James F. Pitts, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, will speak at the Whiting School of Engineering’s graduate ceremony, to be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, on Homewood Field. Pitts oversees business operations in defense electronics, airspace management systems, navigation systems, radar and self-protection systems, commu-

“It takes approximately 200 Johns Hopkins volunteers to pull off such a tremendous and enormous event as commencement,” Williams said. “So much support and assistance are needed to keep things running smoothly, both on the field and behind the scenes.”

The volunteer roles include greeters, ushers, campus guides, golf cart drivers, parking attendants, luncheon reception staff and greeters at the remote-webcast sites (Bloomberg and Shriver halls).

There’s even an “anything” category, which is as the name implies. The volunteers work in tandem with Campus Security, Plant Operations and the University Events Office.

Volunteers typically arrive at 6:30 a.m. and leave at 2:30 p.m. To make sure that visitors can spot them, they even get a uniform, which this year will be a white polo shirt and a blue cap.

Looking back at her first commencement as a volunteer, Anwar said that she took her role very seriously, and had fun at the same time.

“It’s such an important day,” she said.

“I really liked what I did, asking people if they needed any help or assistance.”

This year, Anwar has a different job: She’ll be greeting guests choosing to watch the ceremony via webcast in Shriver Hall.

thalmology. Brem focuses his clinical practice on the surgical treatment of pituitary tumors, meningiomas, gliomas, acoustic neuromas, skull base tumors and other solid brain tumors. He has developed new clinical treatments for brain tumors, including the delivery of chemotherapy directly to the brain through the Gliadel wafer, antiangiogenesis therapies, computer navigation systems used during surgery and brain tumor vaccines.

The ceremony will be at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 24, in Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Kathleen A. Dracup, dean of the University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing, will be the speaker for the School of Nursing ceremony, to be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, in the Hippodrome Theatre. Dracup holds a doctorate in nurs-

ing, and her professional career includes 35 years of experience in cardiovascular nursing and university professorships. She is internationally recognized for her investigation into the care of patients with heart disease and its effects on family members.

Robert S. Langer, the David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT, will be the speaker at the Carey Business School graduate diploma award ceremony, to be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24, in Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Langer is widely known for his breakthrough work on controlled-release formulas in drugs, which allow medication to be released on a sustained, periodic basis so that patients can take drugs less frequently while receiving extended benefits.

At MIT, being named an Institute Professor is the highest honor that can be awarded to a faculty member.

The diploma ceremony speaker for SAIS will be Josette Sheeran, executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme.

The event will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Sheeran oversees the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, feeding more than 90 million people on average each year in more than 70 countries. She previously served as undersecretary for economic, energy and agricultural affairs at the Department of State.

Gary Knell, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind the long-running innovative, educational children’s television show Sesame Street, will speak at the School of Education undergraduate and graduate diploma award ceremony. It will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, on Homewood Field.

Knell has been instrumental in bringing about the show’s groundbreaking co-productions in South Africa, India, Northern Ireland and Egypt.

The Peabody Conservatory diploma award ceremony speaker will be soprano Marni Nixon, who will receive the 2011 George Peabody Medal at the ceremony. Inaugurated in 1981, the Peabody Institute’s highest award honors individuals who have made exceptional contributions to music in America.

Nixon has been a renowned playback singer for actresses in several well-known movie musicals, including Natalie Wood’s performance in West Side Story, earning her the nickname “The Voice of Hollywood.”

Her career has spanned genres from opera to popular music, and she has been awarded 26 Emmys and four personal Emmys for best actress for her children’s television show, Boomerang, which was in reruns for 25 years.

Nixon notably sang for Deborah Kerr in The King and I (1956) and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (1964). Time magazine called her “the Ghostess with the Mostess.”

The ceremony will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, in Peabody’s Friedberg Hall.

The Krieger School of Arts and Sciences’ master’s diploma award ceremony will feature Thomas Lovejoy, the biodiversity chair at the Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, based in Washington, D.C. Lovejoy’s lifelong appreciation of wildlife led him to a career devoted to studying biodiversity and raising awareness for environmental preservation, from the creation of the concept of debt-for-nature swaps and to the founding of the PBS show Nature. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 27, on Homewood Field.

Also being celebrated this week is the commissioning of 10 new second lieutenants in the U.S. Army. The Blue Jay Battalion of ROTC will hold its 2011 Commissioning Ceremony at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, in Homewood’s Shriver Hall. Seven of the men and women will be graduating from Johns Hopkins; the others are students at UMBC, one of five area schools that participate in the 95-year-old program operated by the Department of Military Science at Johns Hopkins.

For more information, updates and announcements concerning Commencement 2011, go to www.jhu.edu/commencement.

The site will be updated regularly.

Gazette coverage of the universitywide commencement ceremony will be posted online at gazette.jhu.edu on May 27. G

May 23, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

7

The big question: Should you shake hands at graduation?

B y N ata l i e W o o d - W r i g h t

Bloomberg School of Public Health

J

ust how many germs are you spreading with a handshake?

Graduations are a celebration of achievement and growth, but could all the pomp and circumstance increase your risk of exposure to harmful bacteria? A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health examined the risk of acquiring pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, through shaking hands at graduation ceremonies across Maryland.

A handshake, a short ritual in which two people grasp one of each other’s hands, dates back as far as the fifth century BCE. This gesture has become ingrained in modern society as a standard greeting and part of the traditional graduation ceremony.

Researchers swabbed participants’ hands before and immediately following graduation to identify any pathogenic bacteria and found that 93 percent of samples contained nonpathogenic bacteria. Their results are featured in the June issue of the Journal of School Nursing.

“A single handshake offers only a small risk of acquiring harmful bacteria,” said David Bishai, a professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health. “Our study indicates when shaking hands, the rate of hand contamination among graduating students to be 100 times lower than the 17 percent rate observed among health workers caring for patients known to be colonized with MRSA. Reasons for the lower rate of contamination at graduations include the much briefer and less-extensive contact in a handshake and what we presume is a lower prevalence of MRSA in graduating students compared to hospital patients. Another reason may be that subsequent handshakes could remove pathogens acquired in an earlier handshake.”

Researchers conducted a repeated measures observational study among select elementary, secondary and postsecondary school graduations in May 2008. They measured bacteriological culture from each hand of school officials immediately after the application of commercial hand sanitizer and immediately before a graduation ceremony. In addition, researchers measured bacteriological culture of each hand immediately after the ceremony. Pre-graduation and post-graduation samples were collected from the right hand (the one used for shaking) and left hand of each participant.

One of 25 pre-graduation bacterial isolates was identified as a pathogen, specifically methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, and was cultured from a right-hand specimen. Of the post-graduation specimens, 96 percent grew bacterial isolates from the enrichment broth. All samples from left hands and 93 percent of samples from right hands showed bacteria after graduation.

Bishai got the idea for the project after years of attending the Bloomberg School’s

graduations and wondering what would be growing on the dean’s hand at the end of the day. His interest was piqued when he learned that some officials at Johns Hopkins graduations were sneaking squirts of hand sanitizer behind the podium. When he raised the issue in a class full of undergrads in his Health Economics class, six volunteered as research assistants to help collect samples that spring.

Bishai goes on to say, “Based on the evidence from this study, the probability of acquiring bacterial pathogens during handshaking could be lower than is commonly perceived by the general public.

Individuals who already engage in hand hygiene after handshaking should not be dissuaded from this practice. With a lower bound estimate of one bacterial pathogen acquired in 5,209 handshakes, the study offers the politicians, preachers, principals, deans and even amateur hand shakers some reassurance that shaking hands with strangers is not as defiling as some might think.”

Johns Hopkins team identifies genetic link to attempted suicide

By Stephanie Desmon

Johns Hopkins Medicine

A

study of thousands of people with bipolar disorder suggests that genetic risk factors may influence the decision to attempt suicide.

Johns Hopkins scientists, reporting in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, have identified a small region on chromosome 2 that is associated with increased risk for attempted suicide. This small region contains four genes, including the ACP1 gene, and the researchers found more-than-normal levels of the ACP1 protein in the brains of people who had committed suicide. This protein is thought to influence the same biological pathway as lithium, a medication known to reduce the rate of suicidal behavior.

The researchers say that the findings could lead to better suicide prevention efforts by

providing new directions for research and drug development.

“We have long believed that genes play a role in what makes the difference between thinking about suicide and actually doing it,” said study leader Virginia L. Willour, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Willour and her colleagues studied DNA samples from nearly 2,700 adults with bipolar disorder, 1,201 of them with a history of suicide attempts and 1,497 without. They found that those with one copy of a genetic variant in the region of chromosome 2 where ACP1 is located were 1.4 times more likely to have attempted suicide, and those with two copies were almost three times as likely.

Willour and her colleagues were able to replicate their findings in another group of samples, one comprising DNA from more than 3,000 people with bipolar disorder.

The researchers say that by using only DNA from people with bipolar disorder, they were able to control for mental illness and narrow in on what may cause one group to attempt suicide and another to control those urges.

Suicide is estimated to kill 1.4 percent of the U.S. population, and roughly 4.6 percent of the population has attempted suicide at least once, Willour says. Among people with bipolar disorder, 47 percent think about killing themselves, while 25 percent actually try to do it, she says.

Willour says that the next steps are to replicate these findings and to determine the exact biological mechanisms through which these genetic risk factors increase the risk for suicidal behavior.

“What’s promising are the implications of this work for learning more about the biology of suicide and the medications used to treat patients who may be at risk,” Willour said. “Not everyone with bipolar disorder

can take lithium because of its side effects.

If we could give them another option, that would be fantastic.”

The study was funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Other Johns Hopkins researchers who participated in the study are Fayaz Seifuddin, Pamela B. Mahon, Dubravka Jancic, Mehdi Pirooznia, Barbara Schweizer, Fernando S. Goes, Francis Mondimore, Dean F. MacKinnon, J. Raymond DePaulo Jr., Peter P. Zandi and James B. Potash.

Related website Virginia Willour:

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/ psychiatry/specialty_areas/moods/ expert_team/willour.html

As time goes by, it gets much tougher to ‘just remember this’

By Lisa De Nike

Homewood

I

t’s something we just accept: the fact that the older we get, the more difficulty we seem to have remembering things. We can leave our cars in the same parking lot each morning, but unless we park in the same space each and every day, it’s a challenge eight hours later to recall whether we left the SUV in the second or fifth row. Or, we can be introduced to new colleagues at a meeting and will have forgotten their names before the handshake is over. We shrug and nervously reassure ourselves that our brains’ “hard drives” are just too full to handle the barrage of new information that comes in daily.

According to a Johns Hopkins neuroscientist, however, the real trouble is that our aging brains are unable to process this information as “new” because the brain pathways leading to the hippocampus—the area of the brain that stores memories—become degraded over time. As a result, our brains cannot accurately “file” new information (like where we left the car that particular morning), and confusion results.

“Our research uses brain imaging techniques that investigate both the brain’s functional and structural integrity to demonstrate that age is associated with a reduction in the hippocampus’s ability to do its job, and this is related to the reduced input

it is getting from the rest of the brain,” said Michael Yassa, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. “As we get older, we are much more susceptible to ‘interference’ from older memories than we are when we are younger.”

In other words, when faced with an experience similar to what it has encountered before, such as parking the car, our brain tends to recall old information it already has stored instead of filing new information and being able to retrieve that. The result?

You can’t find your car immediately and find yourself wandering the parking lot.

“Maybe this is also why we tend to reminisce so much more as we get older: because it is easier to recall old memories than make new ones,” Yassa speculated.

The study appears in the May 9 Early On­­ line edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and is available at www .pnas.org/content/early/2011/05/05/ 1101567108.

Yassa and his team used MRI scans to observe the brains of 40 healthy young college students and older adults, ages 60 to 80, while these participants viewed pictures of everyday objects such as pineapples, test tubes and tractors and classified each—by pressing a button—as either “indoor” or “outdoor.” (The team used three kinds of MRI scans in the study: structural MRI scans, which detect structural abnormalities; functional MRI scans, which document how

hard various regions of the brain work during tasks; and diffusion MRIs, which monitor how well different regions of the brain communicate by tracking the movement of water molecules along pathways.)

Some of the pictures were similar but not identical, and others were markedly different. The team used functional MRI to watch the hippocampus when participants saw items that were exactly the same or slightly different to ascertain how this region of the brain classified that item: as familiar or not.

“Pictures had to be very distinct from each other for an older person’s hippocampus to correctly classify them as new. The more similar the pictures were, the more the older person’s hippocampus struggled to do this. A young person’s hippocampus, on the other hand, treated all of these similar pictures as new,” Yassa explained.

Later, the participants viewed a series of completely new pictures (all different) and again were asked to classify them as either “indoor” or “outdoor.” A few minutes later, the researchers presented the participants with the new set of pictures and asked whether each item was “old,” “new” or “similar.”

“The ‘similar’ response was the critical response for us, because it let us know that participants could distinguish between similar items and knew that they’re not identical to the ones they’d seen before,” Yassa said. “We found that older adults tended to have fewer ‘similar’ responses and more ‘old’ responses instead, indicat-

ing that they could not distinguish between similar items.”

Yassa said that this inability among older adults to recognize information as “similar” to something they had seen recently is linked to what is known as the “perforant pathway,” which directs input from the rest of the brain into the hippocampus. The more degraded the pathway, the less likely the hippocampus is to store similar memories as distinct from old memories. “We are now closer to understanding some of the mechanisms that underlie memory loss with increasing age,” Yassa said. “These results have possible practical ramifications in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, because the hippocampus is one of the places that deteriorate very early in the course of that disease.”

The team’s next step would be to conduct clinical trials in early Alzheimer’s disease patients using the mechanisms that they have isolated as a way to measure the efficacy of therapeutic medications.

“Basically, we will now be able to investigate the effect of a drug on hippocampal function and pathway integrity,” he said. “If the drug slows down pathway degradation and hippocampal dysfunction, it’s possible that it could delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by five to 10 years, which may be enough for a large proportion of older adults to not get the disease at all. This would be a huge breakthrough in the field.”

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging.

8 THE GAZETTE • May 23, 2011

Johns Hopkins scientists reveal nerve cells’ navigation system Work in flies and mice has implications for regeneration therapies

By Maryalice Yakutchik

Johns Hopkins Medicine

J

ohns Hopkins scientists have discovered how two closely related proteins guide projections from nerve cells with exquisite accuracy, alternately attracting and repelling these axons as they navigate the most minuscule and frenetic niches of the nervous system to make remarkably precise connections.

The discovery, reported April 28 in the journal Neuron, reveals that proteins belonging to the “semaphorin” family of guidance cues are crucial for getting neuronal projections exactly where they need to be not only across long distances but also in the short-range wiring of tiny areas fraught with complex circuitry, such as the central nervous system of the fruit fly.

Because signaling that affects the growth and steering of neuronal processes is critical for repairing and regenerating damaged or diseased nerve cells, this research suggests that a more refined understanding of how semaphorin proteins work could contribute to treatment strategies, said Alex Kolodkin, a professor in the Solomon H. Snyder

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Department of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

Using embryonic flies, some native (normal) and others genetically altered to lack a member of the semaphorin gene family or the receptor that binds to the semaphorin and signals within the responding neuron, the team labeled particular classes of neurons and then observed them at high resolution using various microscopy strategies to compare their axon projections.

In the native developing flies, the team saw how certain related semaphorins, proteins that nerve cells secrete into the intracellular space, work through binding their plexin receptor. First, a semaphorin-plexin pair attracts a certain class of extending neurons in the embryonic fly central nervous system to assemble a specific set of target projections. Then, a related semaphorin that binds to that same plexin receptor repels these same neurons so as to position them correctly within the central nervous system. Finally, the attractive semaphorin/ plexin interaction assures the establishment of precise connections between these central nervous system axons and sensory neurons that convey messages about the external environment by extending their axons into the CNS from the periphery and contacting the assembled CNS pathways. Flies lacking this semaphorin/plexin signaling showed defects in these connections, which the researchers were able to reverse when these cues and receptors were re-introduced into flies lacking them.

To investigate whether the absence of semaphorin in flies had behavioral consequences, the team collaborated with investigators at Janelia Farm laboratories of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and used specialized computer software to follow the movements of hundreds of fly larvae crawling on a small dish. The plate was perched on a large speaker that vibrated with pulses of sound, letting the team compare the movements of normal larvae to mutants missing semaphorin.

The “tracking” software measures differences in normal foraging behavior (mostly crawling straight and occasionally making turns) when a sound is activated.

The larvae with intact semaphorin/plexin responded to sound stimulation by stopping, contracting and turning their heads from side to side. The semaphorin mutants failed to respond to the same stimuli. The researchers repeated the experiment using mutant larvae missing the protein to which semaphorin binds—its plexin receptor— and these larvae also showed no reaction to sound vibration.

“The fly larvae sensory neurons, located on the larval body wall, send axon projections that do not make contact with their appropriate targets in the central nervous system when semaphorin/plexin signaling is absent,” Kolodkin said. “This tells us that semaphorin cues guide not only neuronal processes assembly in the central nervous system but also incoming projections from sensory neurons to the CNS targets.”

The Kolodkin lab’s experiments in the invertebrate fruit fly central nervous system mirror related findings in the mouse that were reported Feb. 10 in Nature. Then, they showed that a different semaphorin cue is important for certain neurons to make precise connections within the developing inner plexiform layer of the retina, an elaborately laminated club-sandwichlike structure that must be precisely wired for accurate visual perception in mammals.

To demonstrate that semaphorins are necessary for neuronal projections from distinct classes of neurons to make their way to correct layers in this retinal “sandwich,” the scientists examined the retinas of 3-, 7- and 10-day-old mice that were genetically modified to lack either a member of the semaphorin gene family or its appropriate plexin receptor. These mutants showed severe connectivity defects in one specific inner plexiform layer, revealing faulty neuronal targeting.

“In two distinct neural systems in flies and mammals, the same family of molecu-

lar guidance cues—semaphorins and their receptors—mediate targeting events that require exquisite short-range precision to generate complex neuronal connectivity,” said Kolodkin who, as a postdoctoral fellow in the mid-1990s, first discovered the large family of semaphorin guidance cues working with the grasshopper nervous system.

“This work begins to tell us how, in a very small but highly ordered region of the nervous system, select target innervation and specific synaptic contacts between different classes of neurons can be established in the context of evolving circuit complexity,” Kolodkin said.

The fly research appearing in Neuron was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Authors, in addition to Kolodkin, are Zhuhao Wu, Joseph C. Ayoob, Kayam Chak and Benjamin J. Andreone, all of Johns Hopkins; Lora B. Sweeney and Liqun Luo, both of Stanford University; and Rex Kerr and Marta Zlatic, both of Janelia Farm Research Campus.

The mouse retina research appearing in Nature was also supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Authors, in addition to Kolodkin, are Ryota L. Matsuoka and Tudor C. Badea, both of Johns Hopkins; and Kim T. Nguyen-Ba-Charvet, Aijaz Parray and Alain Che’dotal, all of the Institut de la Vision, Paris.

Related websites Alex Kolodkin:

neuroscience.jhu.edu/ AlexKolodkin.php

‘Neuron’:

www.cell.com/neuron

‘Nature’:

www.nature.com/nature/index .html

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May 23, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

Teaching

graduate education. They have insights as to whether all these economic models and assumptions really work in the real world.”

Continued from page 1

What would you like students to take away from the course? “I really hope that students

Bloomberg School of Public Health Kevin Frick, professor, Health Policy and Management Courses being recognized: Obesity Economics (Internet-based class) and CostEffective Methodological Exercises (small class)

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n an unusual Golden Apple (as the award is known in the Bloomberg School) outcome, health economics expert Kevin Frick was a double winner for two classes—Obesity Economics and Cost-Effective Methodological Exercises—both of which were offered in an Internet-based format for the first time. Students gave Frick, who has 10 years of experience in teaching online, top votes in the categories of Internet-based class and small class, with 70 and 30 students, respectively.

In nominating him, one student wrote, “Kevin Frick is a gifted teacher who has the ability to make complicated topics relevant, easily accessible and understandable. He is passionate about his work, inspiring and has been a true mentor.”

Of his teaching style, Frick says, “I’ve taken some time to think about what it is I’m doing, and how does it match what we know about what people learn, whether you’re thinking about answers to thoughtprovoking questions or doing nitty-gritty exercises. The notion of repeated exposure to topics—going a little more deeply on a smaller set rather than broad brushstrokes across a wide variety of things—is something that I’m hoping to implement more across the things that I teach.”

Obesity Economics (Internet class)

How do you connect with students in a large Internet-based course? “At the start

of the course, I ask the students to introduce themselves on the bulletin board [an electronic forum for teacher/student exchanges].

Later in the course I’ll post a policy on the board and ask them to use the economic logic that they’ve learned so far to talk about the policy. In my responses, to the degree that I can, I try to tap into the students’ personal experience that they provide in the introduction. One policy might be a soda or snack tax. All students would have a chance to respond, and if one student was a dietitian, I could ask not only how a tax might affect [his] behavior, but what insight [he] would have about how other people and organizations would respond.”

What impresses you most about your students? “One of the things that always

amazes me is the incredible experiences that our students as a group bring to the table before they get to this point in their

take away the notion that incentives affect health behaviors. While I would hesitate to say that obesity is a completely personal responsibility, there are a lot of choices that people make, given the resources and opportunities they have, that fundamentally shape health outcomes, including obesity. I have a colleague who likes to think about making healthy foods more available in certain parts of the city. You can make them available all you want, but if people can’t afford them, or if people think they take longer to cook than a frozen dinner, you still may not change people’s behavior much.”

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

demic division of the university to publicly recognize the critical importance of teaching. The nomination and selection processes differ by school, but students must be involved in the selection. Some schools give multiple awards in different classifications, such as the School of Public Health, which calls its awards Golden Apples.

This year, the winners share their perspectives on their skills in their own words, tipping their hats to both those teachers who inspired them and the students from whom they continue to learn.

Not included here is the winner from SAIS, which gives its Excellence in Teaching Award to a faculty member at the Bologna Center and announces it at the center’s commencement.

The interviews were conducted by Lisa De Nike and Amy Lunday (Arts and Sciences), Andrew Blumberg (Business), James Campbell (Education), Phil Sneiderman (Engineering), John Lazarou (Medicine), Jon Eichberger (Nursing), Richard Selden (Peabody) and Jackie Frank, Christine Grillo and Natalie Wood-Wright (Public Health).

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of the course for students? “I think

it’s grasping the notion that people’s weight and other health [issues] really respond to individual incentives they face and that sometimes there is not much for the government to do. An example that was discussed is the notion that people need to work to earn money. Earning more money makes eating out more affordable. Earning more money also takes more time and leaves less time for food preparation. If a person then likes to earn more money to afford more of anything, it may also affect his food choices and weight. The goal is to get them to talk about the economic logic. Most people, when thinking about economics, think about graphs and equation problems.

This course has a little of that, but it’s mostly writing and verbalizing the logic.”

Cost-Effective Methodological Exercises (small class) What is your teaching philosophy for this course? “[Cost-effective analysis] is some-

thing that most of the students have rarely done before. But it’s the kind of subject where if you do each step methodically, it isn’t that hard, but they need some handholding—not in a pejorative sense—to really understand how to connect the dots.

You might be an Excel whiz but never had to make connections in this particular way before. My older son’s teacher once described doing long division as a laborious process, but if you do the same steps over and over again, you get it right. I try to emphasize that some of these steps are laborious processes, but if you follow the steps correctly for the seven exercises, you’ll get the right interpretations. One thing I point out to them is that there have been some studies published where pieces of the study are excellent but ended up with the wrong interpretation because somewhere along the line they didn’t follow the steps that I’m showing the students.”

Can you give an example of the type of economic analysis that the course addresses? “We’re trying to assess whether

we are getting value for money. But we have to try different prices and check whether we draw the same conclusion at each price in the ‘what if’ analyses. For example, we have an idea of what the price of a pharmaceutical product will be. However, the price may be higher or lower depending on who the payer is and what they have negotiated. You can run a ‘what if’ analysis with a range of prices and ask ‘what if’ at each level. The policy conclusion about whether something is cost-effective may change at different prices.”

How do you structure the course in a way that clearly defines each step of a costeffective analysis to prepare students for the second half of the course, which is to combine the steps in one complete analysis? “It’s really this notion of starting with

a simple example and building up a little bit as you move through four steps for each exercise. With each type of exercise there’s a lecture, then a practice exercise that a subset of students are required to do, then a second practice exercise that all students have the option of doing. Then there’s the final step, which is a full exercise that all the students

9

CAREY BUSINESS SCHOOL: James Calvin and David Sislen

are required to do and on which their performance is evaluated. They get a lot of chances to practice and receive feedback prior to the evaluation.”

Joanne Katz, professor and associate chair of the Department of International Health and director of the Program in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control Course being recognized: Design and Conduct of Community Trials (medium class)

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escribed by her students as a “gifted professor” who is easily able to explain advanced concepts and convey complex ideas, Joanne Katz wastes no time setting the stage for the challenges that lie ahead for her students who one day hope to change the landscape of public health. When first walking into her classroom, they are greeted by a video strategically cued to a busy and potentially overwhelming scene in Bangladesh. The road is bumpy, and buses, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles are flying off the screen while horns honk incessantly. To some, this could signal sensory overload, but to Katz’s students this is one of many exciting environments they may face as public health practitioners.

What prompted your interest in public health? “I came to public health in a seren-

dipitous way. I had no idea what it was, but JHSPH [now dean emeritus and professor] Al Sommer gave me my first job. The first assignment seemed par for the course, and I was given a data set to analyze. What I did not expect was to find something so surprising it would lead to one of public health’s biggest discoveries. The data set showed that vitamin A deficiency resulted in an increased mortality for young children in Indonesia. Follow-up trials showed that supplementing children with vitamin A twice a year improved their survival. After this discovery, I was sold—how could one not love having a role in saving lives, millions at a time?”

Why did you decide to teach? “I love conducting research, and the Bloomberg School is a very research-oriented school of public health, but I really believe that teaching the next group of researchers and practitioners has enormous value. Our students are our future, and teaching multiplies your impact by having your ideas sent out into the world with many different people who then go teach them to others.”

What makes Design and Conduct of Community Trials unique among public health courses? “Field trials in low-income coun-

tries are needed to provide an evidence base to assess potentially useful new interventions and to develop more-effective disease control strategies. This course uses the principles of randomized clinical trials to discuss the design and methods for conducting community trials in resource-poor environments. [It] is a hands-on course with much of the learning done in teams working to write a randomized community trial proposal.

The trials are presented to the class, fostering discussion and encouraging questions from fellow classmates. The course is highlighted by a constant interaction between me, [Associate Professor] Luke Mullany, [Assistant Professor] Alain Labrique and the students. Our support and interaction allow the students to see a level of collaboration, commitment and camaraderie that embodies the spirit of teamwork that is critical to the success of large field trials. In addition, our teaching assistant, Naoko Kozuki, shares her experience interning at our field site in Nepal, providing an additional resource for students.”

What have you learned from your students? “Their energy and commitment are

infectious. With each interaction, I take with me their idealism and interest in making the world better for the most disenfranchised communities. Working with students is a true partnership whereby I help them acquire the skills to turn this idealism into something useful.”

Alan Scott, professor, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Course being recognized: Principles of Immunology (large class)

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lways available to answer questions, Alan Scott is known as a teacher who takes a personal interest in how well his students learn the course’s subject matter.

“But more than that, he seemed to really care,” said one of his students. Another student admitted, “While I wasn’t terribly interested in the course at the beginning, he was engaging enough to make me glad I took it.”

How are you able to reach so many students in such a large class? “I think that

part of the appeal of the course for many students is that they gain a relatively sophisticated degree of understanding of the molecular and cellular basis for the pathogenesis of diseases that afflict their friends or family members.”

How do you make Principles of Immunology interesting to students who might find it dry? “Whenever possible, I frame the

cellular and molecular mechanisms of the immune response in the practical context of infectious, environmental, cancer or immunological challenges.”

What are the most salient lessons of Principles of Immunology? “I hope that the

students take away an appreciation that the vertebrate immune response is a wonderfully complex and adaptable biological system that is absolutely necessary to exist in relative harmony in a microbe-filled world. In addition, I hope that they grasp how immunological principles can be applied with great benefit to a wide spectrum of medical and public health endeavors.”

Is there anything that you want to tell your students now that the class is over?

Continued on page 10

10 THE GAZETTE • May 23, 2011

Teaching

your students now that the class is over?

“Thank you for the onion rings.”

Carey Business School

“It’s never over. Immunology is a rapidly evolving and expanding area of study that requires constant monitoring to identify new facts and principles and to see how the new facts support or challenge the established paradigms. If you are an aspiring immunologist, you should concede that you are going to be a perpetual student.”

Stephen Teret, professor, Health Policy and Management Course being recognized: Making Change Through Policy (large class)

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ailed as a guide for students embarking on a new and great adventure in public health, Stephen Teret has earned a reputation as an inspirational teacher and a superb adviser. As one student put it, “He is able to communicate so very well the opportunity we have in public health to make a difference.”

What can you say to people who think that health policy is less than thrilling? “What I

say to the students at the beginning of the course is, Just sit back, and listen to this. The course is composed of case studies of people making change through policy. The lecturers tell incredible stories, such as ‘How polio was eliminated in the United States,’ or ‘How we got Thailand to reduce the prevalence of HIV through policies promoting condom use.’ Even if a student does not plan to work in the area of policy, it’s hard not to appreciate the role of policy in protecting the public’s health after hearing stories such as these.”

Have you learned anything from your students? “Every year, I learn as much from my

students as they learn from me. This is one of the great joys of teaching in this school. The added benefit is that after they have earned their degree here, the students stay in touch and continue to teach me, and charge me no tuition!”

What are the most salient lessons of Making Change Through Policy? “My initial

hurdle with the Making Change course is to explain that it is not a quantitative course designed to teach the students that there are five nickels to a quarter. My ultimate hope for the course is that it will inspire our students that they can actually accomplish amazing tasks that will positively affect the well-being of entire populations.”

Your class is Making Change through Policy. How do you make change through teaching? “You make change, if you are

lucky, by inspiring your students to do their very best. At the Bloomberg School, that is not hard to do, given the quality and character of our students.”

Is there anything that you want to tell

James Calvin, associate professor in the practice track

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he lure of what brought James Calvin to Johns Hopkins continues to hold true. “It was the opportunity to work with colleagues who were very much interested in the development of future leaders, and people going through our graduate programs who wanted to make a difference not only in their lives but in the lives of people in their organizations and communities,” says Calvin, whose areas of expertise include leadership and community economic development, and the continuing evolution of the nonprofit sector in American business and society, and the NGO sector internationally.

Calvin, who earned his PhD (with distinction) in communication, culture and phenomenology from New York University, came to Johns Hopkins from the Institute for Educational Leadership, a Washington, D.C., think tank, where he had worked withh former CEOs William S. Woodside of Primerica and James J. Renier of Honewell and other business leaders from around the country in the corporate, nonprofit and government sectors on leadership development and public policy issues. Arriving at Johns Hopkins, he was eager to translate many of the findings and theories from his work at the institute to the classroom. The Leadership Development Program for Minority Managers, a trailblazing course of study begun in 1990 and now in its third decade, was a natural fit in particular. Sixteen years—and a like number of graduated cohorts—later, Calvin (who also teaches global, executive and conventional part-time MBA students) enjoys collaborating with the young professionals in his class as much as ever.

Any standout moments? “When students

have raised their game and participation, it enables me to get beyond mere learning and basic instruction. It’s not always about agreement. It’s about dialogue, discussion and getting to the depth of the issues. Honesty’s not just encouraged, it’s expected.

We have a diverse group of learners from different parts of the world, so not everyone sees issues the same way, in business, in government, even in what leadership and management are.”

Teaching inspirations? “When I was a doctoral student at NYU, I had a history professor, Paul Mattingly, who was very inspirational. He connected our studies to world events, business trends, the crosscultural aspects of what we were discussing in the classroom. I really loved his delivery.

I’ve tried to carry that idea forward in my approach to teaching; I like to engage my students in the same Socratic manner.”

How would you describe your teaching style? “I work to seek out both questions

and answers. [My style] is guided by a desire

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Continued from page 9

KRIEGER SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES: Sunil Vaswani, Emily Fisher and Imtiaz Billah

to contribute to the livelihood, welfare and development of others as well as myself.”

What are your goals as a teacher? “My immediate goal would be for my students and me, when we’ve completed a course, to be further along in our understanding than when we started, not just of the subjects at hand but of each other.”

What is your take-away from your students? “I’ve developed over the years a

number of relationships with former students, some of whom have risen to the level of the C-suite in major corporations, government and nonprofits. I’m appreciative we’ve maintained contact and they can share what they’re doing in their lives and how that’s impacting others. I see it as a community in which I’m a member and have ownership in. The learning and growth are continuous.”

Students say: “[Dr. Calvin] is a remarkable

teacher with the ability to instill in his students the desire to think beyond borders. His teaching style encourages learning by doing and being fully engaged and prepared.”

“Dr. Calvin is such a dynamic individual who takes great pride and enthusiasm in his role as an educator. His passion for developing leadership in others is electrifying and really inspires his students to push themselves above and beyond all expectations.”

David Sislen, practitioner faculty in real estate

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ave Sislen always knew he wanted to teach, and after earning his MBA in finance and accounting from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, the seeds were firmly planted. President of Bristol Capital Corp., a Bethesda, Md., commercial real estate and investment advisory firm he founded in 1986, Sislen started his journey to Johns Hopkins in 2005, when a friend mentioned that a

part-time teaching position was available in the school’s Edward St. John Real Estate Program. Shortly thereafter, Sislen began teaching as a practitioner faculty member and has never looked back.

For most of his teaching career, Sislen has taught in the part-time Master of Science in Real Estate program at the university’s Washington, D.C., Center, although he recently instructed some students enrolled in the full-time degree option as well. He specializes in a course called Real Estate Finance that has undergone slight name changes over time but remains a bedrock core offering for aspiring investors, dealmakers and developers in the industry.

Sislen has a deep appreciation, in particular, for the grit and determination shown by his part-time charges. “I have unending respect for them because they’re making a commitment to education at a time in their lives, by definition, when they have so many responsibilities,” he says.

Did you have any teaching inspirations?

“When I was in graduate business school, I had a whole series of great teachers, but particularly outstanding was a guy by the name of George Stigler, who won the Nobel Prize in economics. He was not only the smartest man I ever met but the funniest man as well, and used both qualities to great effect in his teaching. It was a privilege to sit in his class.”

How do you describe your teaching style?

“I think my students would describe it as ‘always prepared,’ and ‘a relatively informal style,’ much more of a discussion than a lecture. I really want to go wherever the conversation goes, but I’ll still get back to cover everything in my outline. For example, I find it impossible to teach from PowerPoint. You have to go from slide A to slide B to slide C. What if the conversation goes to slide Z when you’re on slide B? Do you kill [the conversaContinued on page 11

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May 23, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

Continued from page 10 tion] right there? You would lose the thread of thought, the enthusiasm for the moment, the intellectual integrity of what’s happening.”

What are your goals as a teacher? “Person-

ally, it is to continue enjoying the privilege of teaching. In terms of my students, there are two goals that are almost polar opposites. No. 1, I want them to get comfortable with the theory and the mathematics of finance so that they can apply it as the world changes. No. 2, I want them to have a sufficient level of comfort with those precepts so they can exercise critical thinking skills and question—even challenge, when warranted—things that are presented to them, either in the business world or in the policy world of economics and finance.”

What is your take-away from your students? “If there are 25 students in my class

with 10 years of experience apiece, that’s 250 years of experience. I tell them that it’s their obligation to share that experience with their classmates and with me. I certainly have a unique forum for getting a cross-sectional study of what’s going on at any time in the real estate business.”

Students say: “He is clearly passionate about real estate and brings his personal experience to bear in the classroom, as well as openness and a culture of sharing. He’s always available to his students, whether for a follow-up issue or developing one’s career track. He encourages his students to bring their experience, and he leads by example.”

“It’s rare to find someone in the real estate business willing to give back so much. He has an open door policy, no ego, a sense of humor. He brings current topics to the classroom and uses this strategy as a platform to teach. As a new student, you’re told: ‘You’ve got to take Sislen’s class.’”

Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Emily Fisher, lecturer, Biology

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Describe your teaching style. “I like to talk

about biology in a conversational way, and I don’t believe in using unnecessarily complicated jargon. The concepts are tough enough without learning an entirely new language to describe them. I like to talk about biology in the same way I would talk about movies, current events or celebrity gossip. I don’t like to be too formal about it.”

Any teaching aspirations? “My former aspi-

ration was to start a microbiology course, and I accomplished that with Dr. Jocelyne DiRuggiero last semester, when we started The Microbial World for advanced undergraduates. I love microbiology and genetics, and it was fun to discuss those topics with students in the informal setting that a small class of 20 students allows. With that goal attained, I think it would be fun to create a companion lab course that would be a discovery-based project lab, but that is probably many years down the road.”

BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Kevin Frick, Alan Scott and Stephen Teret. Joanne Katz is out of the country.

the consortium of microbes that live inside and on us throughout our lives. It was a great discussion with lots of student participation, and it was clear that the students had read the articles I had assigned and also that they were very interested in the topic. They asked great questions, some of which would have warranted another entire class period if we had time. When the class period ended, I didn’t want to stop the discussion, and I think the students felt the same way. That’s what I love about discussing science—there is always much more to discuss and many more questions to be investigated.”

Who is your personal teaching role model?

“My high school English teacher, Tim Ferrell. I took AP English and Shakespeare from him. He had probably read hundreds of [student] essays about Romeo and Juliet, but he treated each one with respect and always offered thoughtful critiques that made us better writers. He was also incredibly smart and had a lot to teach us about the history associated with literature classics.”

Who is your favorite TV or movie teacher?

“Sue Sylvester from Glee. She is basically my polar opposite—I hope—and I find her hilarious. But no, I do not want to be like her.”

What have you learned from your students? “My students have made me under-

stand why someone would want to go to medical school and become a physician. I was always fascinated by basic science and the thrill of discovery, but I never had any desire to apply that to medicine. However, many of my students are on their way to med school, and in my conversations with them, it is interesting to see them connect the basic biology of my classes to their sincere interests in medicine. I am now as interested in the application of scientific concepts as I am in the basic understanding of biological mechanisms.”

If you had to guess, why would you say you were selected for this honor? “One of

the great things about being able to teach parts of both biochemistry and cell biology is that many of my students take both in the same academic year, so I get to spend that entire year with them. These are tough, large classes, and I get to teach small discussion sections every day. By the end of the academic year, I have gotten to know a lot of students personally. Throughout the year we start small, with amino acids forming peptides, and zoom out from there, eventually discussing how cells in multicellular organisms communicate with one another and with their environment. It is fun for me to put these pieces together, and I think the students enjoy it, too. And for those who find these classes especially challenging, I think they appreciate that I’m in it with them. If they find me useful or approachable during the fall, I can be that resource for them in spring, too.”

How about sharing a “most memorable” in-class moment? “My memorable class

moments are all silly. One time, I was talking and gesturing with my hands and popped the microphone off of my shirt. I grabbed the cord and found the microphone but couldn’t find the clip. I was looking around the podium and thought I had lost it when a student yelled, ‘It’s on your shirt.’ One of my best friends says I remind him of Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, and that was definitely a Liz Lemon moment.”

Describe the best class you ever taught.

What happened? “The best class I ever

Students say: “Dr. Fisher is an outstanding

taught was last fall in The Microbial World.

We were discussing the human microbiome,

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

he daughter of two biologists who also were feminists, Emily Fisher grew up in Northern California believing she could be whatever she wanted to be. In childhood, a book about Sally Ride convinced her that she wanted to soar into outer space as an astronaut, and her love of verbal sparring in high school led her to think a career in law might be in her future. But in college, she gravitated to molecular biology and graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. (Her parents didn’t pressure her, honest!) After earning her PhD at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Fisher moved to Baltimore to be with her now husband, who was attending dental school at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The move forced her to choose—at

least temporarily—between research, which requires several years of postdoctoral work, and teaching. “I found a wonderful postdoc opportunity at University of Maryland, but when I interviewed at Johns Hopkins, I thought [teaching] seemed more fun and suited me better,” she said. “And it has.”

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

Teaching

11

SCHOOL OF NURSING: Sharon Olsen and Nicole Warren

teacher. She is kind, and she is admirable.

She motivates her students to tackle difficult concepts and goes to great strides to ensure that all her students excel.”

“Not only is Dr. Fisher a great professor, but she also cares that her students learn and are able to apply the knowledge we acquire in class. Dr. Fisher is well-organized, dedicated and enthusiastic about teaching us. Not only does she lecture (entertain) us, but she also leads recitation sections outside of class time for review and clarification. And she writes the most fantastic notes! She is everything a great professor should be, and even more than that, she is approachable and very friendly, so it’s always easy to get extra help or a quick explanation of a difficult topic. She’s what I want to be when I grow up!”

Imtiaz Billah, PhD candidate, Chemistry

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rowing up in Edison, N.J., Imtiaz Billah spent many happy hours with his family watching Friday night basketball games, discussing the news and just hanging out with his mom (a pharmacy technician), dad (a biochemist), sister and grandparents. But the same family that was the source of comfort

and entertainment provided something else as well: great role models that exemplified the value of education and hard work. Growing up in the Internet and technology boom of the late 1990s, Billah saw himself pursuing a career in finance or as a venture capitalist.

After graduating from high school in 2000, he headed to Brandeis University intending to major in business or a technological field.

While there, however, he read an article positing that those with undergraduate degrees in engineering and MBAs were best-positioned to take advantage of the intersection of business and technology. Because Brandeis did not offer engineering, Billah instead enrolled in a chemistry class and was surprised to find he “had a knack for it.” He decided to major in chemistry and has never looked back.

Describe your teaching style. “Well, first,

I don’t like to call on anybody because I disliked that growing up. I like to lecture first, give out problem sets for my students to work on, walk around the room to see how everyone is doing and then go over the problem set. I try to explain concepts and rules in simple terms but go into some detail so students can thoroughly understand what is going on. I am very big on knowing the formal name of reactions, rules and postulates.

My fascination with the history of science spills also over into the classroom in that I like to tell my students about famous chemists and the reactions and theorems they have developed. My style can be summarized as formal lecturing coupled with some hands-on interaction with the students.”

Any teaching aspirations? “My main goal is

to be a high-level graduate student. In other words, I want to be an effective experimentalist, problem solver and teacher with a strong knowledge of chemistry.”

Who is your role model? “I take what I liked from teachers I had in the past and combine the parts to make my own style.

For instance, when teaching me something for the first time, my mother would show me examples, so I try to do the same thing with my students. And whenever my father taught me something and asked me a question, he would say, ‘Are you sure?’ when I gave him my answer. He wanted to ascertain whether I really understood. So I do that, too, often posing the question, ‘Are you sure this happens?’ to my students to determine how well they understand something.”

What do you learn from your students?

“The students at Johns Hopkins are of a very high caliber. Their thought-provoking questions help me think more about chemistry and devise better ways of explaining and understanding concepts.”

How about a “most memorable” in-class moment? “My ‘most memorable’ in-class

moment was in the fall of 2010 for Professor Townsend. In the beginning of most classes, a short 15-minute quiz is administered, but this particular week, I thought the students Continued on page 12

12 THE GAZETTE • May 23, 2011 wonderful students, a cordial and effective learning environment was created.”

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

A student says: “Imtiaz is always incredibly clear, concise, efficient and professional. He is always eager to help yet expects students to pull their half. Whether doing PowerPoints peppered with out-of-the-blue funny comments and clever ways to remember the many details of organic chemistry, or while answering problem set questions, Imtiaz’s enthusiasm and dedication make understanding chemistry a feasible task.”

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION: Mavis Sanders

Teaching Continued from page 11 needed more practice. So I decided that I was going to make up a challenging problem set but give it to the students as a fake quiz.

Actual quizzes for this class are normally two or three questions that take, at most, 15 minutes. My “quiz” was 15 questions. I handed the fake quiz out and informed the class that it had 45 minutes to complete it without the help of their notes and textbooks. Needless to say, the students were rattled by the daunting quiz. I didn’t let them suffer for long: 30 seconds into the insidious prank, I said, ‘Relax, guys. This is not a quiz. This is way too long and way too hard.’ I had some confused looks and a lot of laughter. I feel this helped me build some rapport with the students and teach them hard concepts in a less stressful environment.”

Who is your favorite TV or movie teacher?

“I liked Howard ‘Bunny’ Colvin from The Wire. He was a retired cop who ended up working with troubled inner-city high school students. He wanted to help out those kids. He knew exactly how to treat and handle them. Also, The Wire is one my favorite shows of all time.”

If you had to guess, why would you say you were selected for this honor? “Because

of the terrific people around me. The JHU Chemistry faculty—including my supervisor, Ken Karlin; Thomas Lectka; Craig Townsend; and Laurence Principe—are great mentors and influences. My family, friends, current supervisor and fellow lab mates, fellow JHU Chemistry graduate students, JHU Chemistry faculty and past supervisors have made chemistry fun and exciting for me.

I wanted to pass the excitement on to my students so they can learn the subject at a high level. Of course, the students I had this past year were really amazing. Because of my

A faculty member says: “I think Imtiaz is an

exemplary choice for this award. He made my job as course instructor easier and vastly more successful. Finally, no higher compliment can be paid than to state that Imtiaz has ‘turned on’ many JHU undergraduates to the exciting study of organic chemistry.”

Sunil Vaswani, PhD candidate, Political Science

S

unil Vaswani was drawn to teaching because it runs in the family. His mother was a high school teacher, and his grandfather was the principal of a training college in Mumbai, India. He enjoys research and teaching, which made the PhD a natural choice, he says. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia and came to Johns Hopkins for a master’s degree in international relations from SAIS. While working toward his doctorate in political science at Homewood, he has taught his own courses, such as War and Politics and Issues in International Security, and served as a teaching assistant for courses such as Republicanism and Global Security Politics.

Now in front of the classroom, it’s Vaswani’s turn to influence the next generation of students, who say he is “the best TA” and “a great professor and researcher” who is “willing to go the extra mile for anyone who shows the initiative.”

What’s your teaching style? “I have taught

seminar classes consisting of 15 to 20 stu-

dents in my time at Hopkins. In these classes I usually follow a mix of lecture and discussion. The amount of lecture versus discussion varies each week and really depends on the topics being discussed and the key points I want the students to take away. When I lead discussion sections as a teaching assistant, they are almost entirely interactive.

Sometimes I start with a brief lecture to get the class warmed up, particularly at 9 o’clock on Friday mornings. But then the students start to talk, as they should.”

We know your family was your first teaching inspiration. How about here at Johns Hopkins and beyond? “I have learned a

great deal about quality teaching at Hopkins by taking seminars with Professors Daniel Deudney, Steven David and Adam Shein­ gate, among others. They have different styles and approaches, but all of them are effective teachers. I also tend to closely watch speeches and town hall performances of some of the best political leaders in the world. As a student of politics, I am interested in what they have to say; as a teacher of politics, I am interested in their communication and presentation styles.”

Do your students teach you anything?

“Absolutely. In political science, there is rarely one right answer to a question. There are multiple approaches, perspectives and theories, and there is vigorous debate among and between them. Thus, students have an opportunity to join in and contribute to the discussion. Each student brings his or her own background, knowledge and life experiences to the classroom, which makes for a great learning experience for me and everyone else.”

Favorite TV teacher? “The last TV program

I watched was The Wire. There wasn’t much teaching going on there, although I did gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing Baltimore high school teachers after watching Season 4.”

Continued on page 16

May 23, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

Pre-K students come to play—and learn—at JHU

13

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Infertility Continued from page 1 ing that there might be a genetic reason for why some women have difficulty getting pregnant. In the future, we hope this knowledge can be translated into a cure for this type of infertility.”

Between November 2007 and March 2010, Rodriguez and her colleagues analyzed ovarian cells and fluid collected from 274 women unable to become pregnant for various reasons and undergoing in vitro fertilization. Some 207 of them went on to have their eggs collected, fertilized in a test tube and implanted in their wombs.

The scientists then measured whether there was evidence of a gestational sac or a fetal heartbeat 42 days after embryo transfer. None of the nine women in the group found to have the mutated SCARB1 had such evidence, meaning none were pregnant.

Rodriguez says she believes that the genetic variation could be present in 8 to 13 percent of the population.

The researchers also showed that the nine women with the altered gene had low levels of progesterone, a hormone critical to sustaining pregnancy in its earliest stages, despite being supplemented with progesterone as part of the IVF process.

Rodriguez, who is also director of the Johns Hopkins Diabetes and Cholesterol Metabolism Center, based her work on research with mice genetically engineered without the receptor for good cholesterol.

Without the receptor, the mice had abnormally high levels of HDL in the blood since their bodies were unable to uptake the cholesterol. They were also at increased risk for heart disease, and the female mice were infertile.

S

pacious apartment living set in a prestigious hi-rise building. Adjacent to Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus and minutes from downtown Baltimore. Amenities include an on-site restaurant, salon and convenience store.

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

he Johns Hopkins University School of Education, Whiting School of Engineering and Peabody Institute joined together on Thursday to host more than 40 students from Samuel Morse Elementary School in West Baltimore as Baltimore City Public Schools launched its new citywide initiative called Pre-K at Play.

The program’s goal is for pre-K students to get out of the classroom and into the community, where they can take part in new learning experiences.

“We are so excited that Johns Hopkins opened its doors along with 50 of Baltimore’s most notable institutions to welcome our students for our first-ever Pre-K at Play day,” said Charlene Iannone-Campbell, director of Early Learning for city schools. “The involvement of the three Johns Hopkins schools was a memorable event that made a lasting impression on our young learners,” she said.

To help students connect learning experiences to the world around them, representatives of the three Johns Hopkins schools conducted a variety of interactive sessions for the 4-year-olds, including musical activities, computer learning projects and “slime”making games.

In one classroom, Yolanda Abel, an assistant professor in the School of Education, taught students about using a computer keyboard. Abel, who specializes in early childhood instruction, noted that activities such as those at the Pre-K at Play event help create a foundation of knowledge that can facilitate future learning.

In a class led by Lee Dix, an instructor in early childhood music at the Peabody Preparatory, smiling students were singing and dancing. “The process of learning music at a young age can be a catalyst for better comprehension of mathematics, logic and formal music instruction,” Dix said.

“Our informal approach is to expose the

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Moving to the music in a class led by Lee Dix of the Peabody Preparatory.

children to a wide variety of rhythms and tones that facilitate not only musical awareness but an appreciation of music that will serve the children well in later years.”

Christine Newman and Orla Wilson of the Whiting School of Engineering discussed with the 4-year-olds various states of matter such as liquids, which flow and take the shape of any container they are put into, and solids, which you can hold in your hand.

“We showed the students there are materials like polymers that have the properties of both, and that is what we made with the students. They loved the ‘slime ball’ experiment,’’ Newman said.

Bernadette Samaco, a pre-K teacher at Samuel Morse, praised the programs. She noted that the budget for field trips was cut this year and that Pre-K at Play day was the first experience that the students had had outside the school. “The Johns Hopkins faculty and staff made us feel welcomed,” she said, “and it was a wonderful opportunity for

The MIT researchers who had studied the genetically engineered mice also found a treatment for their infertility in a cholesterol medication developed decades ago. Called probucol, it lowered levels of cholesterol circulating in the blood and restored the rodents’ fertility. The drug is no longer approved for use in the United States, partly because of concerns that it unsafely lowers HDL, but that very “side effect” seemed a good fit for mice with missing HDL receptors. It is available in Japan for use in some conditions.

“I’m an optimist that this drug or one like it could also restore fertility in women,” Rodriguez said. “Everything else that was found in mice so far has borne out in humans.”

In the near future, Rodriguez hopes to conduct a clinical trial to see if probucol can help infertile women with the gene variation get pregnant. She is also planning to collect data on HDL levels in infertile women with the genetic variation to see if that would prove to be an early clue to a genetic cause of their infertility.

This study was supported by a Burroughs Wellcome Clinical Scientist Award in Translational Research.

Other researchers involved in the study, all of Johns Hopkins, are Melissa Yates, Antonia Kolmakova and Yulian Zhao. G

our students to experience a trio of unique learning activities: music, science and technology.”

Baltimore Schools CEO Andres Alonso has expanded pre-kindergarten programs by 50 percent in the past three years. Test scores show that students who attend pre-K programs do better on reading and math tests than those who do not attend.

When asked how to close the nation’s achievement gap, Johns Hopkins School of Education Dean David Andrews said simply, “Start early.”

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14 THE GAZETTE • May 23, 2011

May 23, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

15

O U T R E A C H

What one grad taught—and learned from—some Baltimore boys

By Lisa De Nike

Homewood

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

K

aren Hong came to the William Donald Schaefer House for Boys in Baltimore’s Reservoir Hill neighborhood as a freshman four years ago, believing she had something to teach the 14- to 18-year-olds receiving residential drug and alcohol treatment at the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services facility.

But it didn’t take her long to discover that she was the one who was learning the most.

“I felt they were teaching me more than I was teaching them,” said Hong, 22, a senior public health studies major from Santa Rosa, Calif. “Mostly, they’ve taught me a lot about life. After all, these young men are not that much younger than me, and many of them have witnessed much more in life than I have. Their honesty about the challenges they have faced, and still face, really humbles me.”

Hong came to Schaefer House as part of her volunteer work with a group called CRASH: Creating Responsibility in Adolescent Sexual Health. Organized a decade ago by Johns Hopkins medical students, CRASH brings together student volunteers from across university divisions around the goal of educating adolescents on aspects of sexual education and health, including sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, pregnancy, and sexual health and hygiene.

Hong was attracted to that mission for a simple reason: The topics of human sexuality and sexual health were practically verboten in her household, headed by traditional parents who were immigrants from the People’s Republic of China.

Dissatisfied by the vague way her family and middle school teachers addressed sexual and reproductive health, Hong set out to learn about the topic on her own.

She became fascinated with the biological, cultural, psychological and chemical aspects of human sexuality.

When she arrived at Johns Hopkins, that

Karen Hong

interest quickly led her to CRASH and the young men at Schaefer House.

Hong graduates this week after not only becoming CRASH’s youngest-ever president (in 2008) but also having revamped the organization’s curriculum to make it more relevant and “user friendly” to young men like those who live in Schaefer House.

“Some of these youth had witnessed domestic violence, teen pregnancy and even rape, and many were fathers already when I met them,” she said. “They told me about their lives, and their stories were why I wanted to create a curriculum that encouraged positive dialogue about sexual health. Instead of lecturing them about seminiferous tubules and their role in the male reproductive system, I wanted to talk to them—and not down to them—about testing for sexually transmitted diseases, handling relationships and common misconceptions about pregnancy and contraception, stuff they could and, I hoped, would use in the real world.”

To create the new curriculum, Hong turned to the array of experts available to her within Johns Hopkins. Students at the School of Medicine checked the scientific

accuracy of the lessons she wrote, and a student from the School of Nursing helped create a unit on domestic violence that Hong maintains is the first of its kind among similar programs.

The resulting curriculum is interactive, with discussions, hands-on activities and even games. The Condom Game, for example, illustrates how rapidly sexually transmitted diseases and infections can spread when condoms are not used. In the game, each student grabs a brightly colored condom from a box and then “high fives” five of his classmates. Participants are then told that the possessor of the sole yellow condom represents someone with an STD/STI who did not use a condom, meaning he had five “high risk” encounters. The five students who had contact with the owner of the yellow condom are asked to stand, and then anyone who had contact with any of them has to stand and so on. The game is very effective, Hong says, in communicating the importance of using condoms.

Of special assistance to Hong was Laurie Schwab Zabin, professor and founding director of The Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Zabin guided Hong through the latest research on reproductive-health education.

“Karen is one of those rare students who can carry thinking into doing,” Zabin said.

“She not only raises interesting questions, but she also puts her interests to work. Her creation of the CRASH curriculum for teens didn’t end with its design; she actually managed a volunteer group to test its effectiveness.”

And it did turn out to be effective.

According to data collected by Hong and other CRASH volunteers, 95 percent of the participants remembered and practiced the information they learned through CRASH, such as using condoms or getting tested regularly for sexually transmitted diseases.

Ninety-eight percent of the students claimed that the new CRASH program was more

effective and “user friendly” than what they learned in middle and high school health courses. Hong was particularly pleased when 80 percent of the youth reported that CRASH volunteers treated them like peers, rather than “talking down” to them.

CRASH volunteer membership is now five times its original size and growing, and the current 30 student volunteers are working to take the program to more sites and people throughout Baltimore City, including to the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Hong’s dedication to improving sexual health education has impressed Kelly Gebo, director of the undergraduate Public Health Studies program at the university’s Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

“I am responsible for more than 450 undergraduates in our program, and I can assure you that Karen is a star,” Gebo said. “[Karen] has worked closely with the men at the Schaefer House—not an environment that many young women would approach, much less embrace the way she has. This work has not been without its challenges, but Karen has overcome them with her usual enthusiasm.

She fully recognizes challenges as learning opportunities and appreciates those lessons.”

In fact, Hong considers the time she has spent on CRASH and with the residents of Schaefer House to be among her most meaningful at Johns Hopkins because it afforded her the opportunity to make a difference and also the chance to get to know some of the young men as people, with dreams and hopes of their own.

“Elijah, one of the older boys, wrote beautiful poems and showed me photos of his newborn son, but he could not go to college and fulfill his dream to be a teacher anytime soon because he had to go to work right after leaving the transition home to support his new family. Those are the kinds of stories that inspired me to want to do what I could to help,” said Hong, who plans to someday become an OB-GYN. “I aspire to make others realize that sexual and reproductive health is an important issue that needs a voice in every community around the world.”

Search committee formed for successor to Edward D. Miller

A

search committee has been formed to identify a successor to Edward D. Miller, dean of the medical faculty of the School of Medicine, CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine and vice president for medicine at The Johns Hopkins University, who has announced that he will retire on June 30, 2012. Francis B. “Frank” Burch, the incoming chair of the Johns Hopkins Medicine board of trustees and chair of DLA Piper, an international law firm with more than 4,000 lawyers in 30 countries, and Lloyd B. Minor, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, will co-chair the search.

“This transition occurs at a pivotal time in the history of Johns Hopkins Medicine,” said university President Ronald J. Daniels in announcing the committee. “There are many successes, which establish a firm foundation for the future. Likewise, there are challenges faced by Johns Hopkins Medicine and, indeed, by all academic medical centers, that merit close and continued examination. The search process provides a critically important mechanism for evaluating these challenges and opportunities.”

Daniels said that the next dean of the School of Medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine will work collaboratively and in partnership with him and the provost, the president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, the boards of Johns Hopkins Medicine and The Johns Hopkins University and other academic deans and senior administrative officers “to advance our shared priorities and pursuit of excellence.” She or he, he said, “will lead Johns Hopkins Medicine to ensure its continued

pre-eminence in education, discovery and patient care.”

An “exhaustive” international search will be conducted, Daniels said. Members of the committee, in addition to Burch and Minor, are as follows: • Jeffrey H. Aronson, co-founder and managing principal of Centerbridge Partners L.P., a private investment firm based in New York City. He is a member of the JHU board of trustees, serving on the Executive Committee and chairing the Development Committee, and chairs the advisory council of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and serves on the advisory council of its Center for Financial Economics. He will join the JHM board of trustees on July 1.

• Janie Elizabeth “Liza” Bailey, who has served since 2005 on the JHM board, where she is a member of the Executive Committee and chairs the Audits, Compliance and Insurance Committee. She is also a member of the JHU and Johns Hopkins Health System boards of trustees. A third-great-niece of Mr. Johns Hopkins, she is a retired managing director of Credit Suisse First Boston.

• Patricia M.C. Brown, president of Johns Hopkins HealthCare and Johns Hopkins Employer Health Plans.

• George L. Bunting Jr., president and chief executive officer of Bunting Management Group in Hunt Valley, Md., and former chairman of the board and CEO of the Noxell Corp. He was instrumental in the creation of JHM and has served on its board since its establishment in 1996, chairing the board from 1994 to 1998. He has been a JHU trustee since 1985 and served as vice chair of the board from 1996 to 1998. He

also is a long-standing member of the boards of trustees of the health system and hospital and chaired both boards from 1994 to 1998.

• Jacquelyn C. Campbell, the Anna D. Wolf Professor in the Department of Community–Public Health Nursing in the School of Nursing, with a joint appointment in the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

• Benjamin Carson, professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics and director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery in the School of Medicine.

He is also co-director of the Craniofacial Center.

• N. Anthony “Tony” Coles, president, chief executive officer and member of the board of directors of Onyx Pharmaceuticals in California. He serves as a trustee and a member of the Executive Committee of the JHU board of trustees and chaired the Governance Initiative Steering Committee.

He is a former chair of the Krieger School’s Advisory Council and joined the JHM board in 2010.

• Lisa A. Cooper, professor of medicine in the School of Medicine with joint appointments in the schools of Public Health and Nursing.

• J. Raymond DePaulo Jr., the Henry Phipps Professor and director of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the School of Medicine.

• Carol Greider, the Daniel Nathans Professor and director of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics in the Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences at the School of Medicine and a Nobel laureate.

• Dianne E. Griffin, the Alfred and Jill Sommer Professor and chair of the Depart-

ment of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology in the Bloomberg School of Public Health with a joint appointment in the School of Medicine. She was the founding director of the Malaria Research Institute.

• Michael D. Hankin, president and CEO of Brown Advisory Holdings Inc. and a trustee of JHM who sits on the Executive Committee, chairs the Finance Committee and serves on the Subcommittee on Debt Capacity and Debt Financing. He also chairs the Carey Business School corporate advisory board and serves on the Jhpiego advisory council. He will become a member of the JHU board of trustees on July 1.

• David C. Hodgson, a managing director of General Atlantic LLC in New York, who is a member of the JHM board of trustees, where he serves on the Development Committee; the board of advisers of JHM; and the JHU board of trustees, where he serves on the Development, Finance and Investment committees.

• Michael I. Miller, the Herschel and Ruth Seder Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the Whiting School of Engineering. He is also director of the Center for Imaging Science.

• Erin M. Parry, a fifth-year MD/PhD student in the School of Medicine graduate program in human genetics.

• Myron “Mike” Weisfeldt, the William Osler Professor and director of the Department of Medicine in the School of Medicine, and past president of the American Heart Association.

• Beverly Wendland, professor and chair of the Department of Biology in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

16 THE GAZETTE • May 23, 2011

Continued from page 12 Students say: “Sunil is a gift to the Hopkins

community. Every student should take his courses, or have him as a TA, before they graduate.”

“For Sunil, teaching is much more than just the presentation of facts and theories; he sincerely wants each and every one of his students to engage with the material and learn.”

“Sunil was always eager, even after he was no longer specifically a teaching assistant for any of my classes, to help me find resources and suggest directions I could pursue while I was writing research papers of my own for other classes.”

Peabody Institute Patricia Sayre Graham, coordinator of Keyboard Studies, Peabody Conservatory

U

nless they are piano majors or jazz students, all incoming undergraduates at the Peabody Conservatory—whether singers, instrumentalists or composers—play the piano for Patricia Graham, who expertly assigns them to Keyboard Studies sections at the start of the academic year. Graham came to Peabody in 1967 to earn her Master of Music degree in piano performance and, upon graduation, was asked to set up one of the first piano labs at a conservatory. The lab now has 12 Clavinovas (digital pianos made by Yahama) plus the instructor’s station, and most of the 15 sections—seven of them taught by Graham herself—scheduled this past year for freshmen and second-year students were full.

The classes meet twice a week, and students also have a weekly one-on-one coaching session. In class, the instructor demonstrates a piece, then circulates as the students practice it wearing their headphones and plugs in a second headphone to hear how a particular student is doing. Over the years Graham has mastered the art of diagnosing and responding to the different problems that students encounter. “I want everyone to succeed,” she says. “They can make progress from wherever they are.”

You have said that about 50 percent of Keyboard Studies is learning to play the piano. What is the other 50 percent? “The

Keyboard Studies curriculum places a strong emphasis on developing a solid foundation in music theory and musicianship.

Skills such as chord progressions, melody harmonization and improvisation reinforce knowledge presented in classroom theory.

The purpose is to develop greater fluency in the musical language, much as one would develop fluency in German or any other language.”

Students complete their final project in front of the whole class. What makes it so effective? “The final project in second

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

Teaching

year provides an experience of what it is like to be the accompanist, to reverse the usual performance roles. Every student selects repertoire and invites another classmate to be the soloist. We often hear unusual arrangements of works, such as a Schubert Lied with violin soloist rather than voice. For most students this performance results in their best piano playing. They practice to learn their part well enough that they can listen to the soloist, to play with similar dynamic shape and a sense of the direction and flow of the music.”

Do you have a favorite instrument other than the piano? “In my next life, I would

love to be a cellist so that I could play those beautiful parts in Brahms.”

A student says: “She made sure that we

were all exposed to real piano music, so the class felt that we were playing more than just exercises. My keyboard skills improved a great deal last year because of her patience and clear explanations.”

A colleague says: “From the day I began working here, Pat has taught literally every one of my students to think using the keyboard, and I am convinced that the knowledge and, even more important, the things she values both as a musician and as a human being show up in students of hers I am highly fortunate to ‘inherit.’”

School of Education Mavis Sanders, professor, Teacher Development and Leadership

I

f anyone understands the stresses public school teachers face day in and day out, it would be Mavis Sanders. After all, Sanders, a professor in the School of Education’s Department of Teacher Development and Leadership, comes from a family of teachers, including her mother and three of her four sisters. After completing her doctorate in 1995 at Stanford University, she began her career at Johns Hopkins as an associate research scientist at the Center for Social Organization of Schools.

She has been teaching the School of Education’s School, Family and Community Collaboration for School Improvement course for the past six years, and is passionate about the research she has done over the years demonstrating the importance of family and community involvement for the success of all students, but especially poor students and students of color. “Student achievement improves significantly when students feel supported by their school, family and community,” she says. Among her many writings, Sanders is co-author of School, Family and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, which provides tools and information to assist schools, districts and state departments of education to plan and implement programs of partnership.

What challenges do you face teaching your course? “Having worked closely with public

school teachers for nearly two decades, I

PEABODY INSTITUTE: Patricia Sayre Graham

know the accountability and curriculum demands placed on them. I also know that what I teach in the course about reaching out to parents and community will help their students do better in school. In class, I try to build teachers’ capacity to work collaboratively with students, families and communities by first confronting many of their assumptions. Teachers always think it’s harder than it is to involve parents and community, and they are usually pleasantly surprised at the results of their efforts.”

change because that’s how we get better with time. I’ve seen them grow in their professional knowledge and skills, and I hope that they have seen that same growth in me.”

Students say: “I personally appreciated her

Who was your favorite teacher? “I have always loved school and have benefited from the professional dedication of a number of outstanding teachers from preschool through graduate school. But, at the risk of sounding cliched, I would have to honestly say that my parents have been my favorite, most constant and most committed teachers.”

facilitating our field-based projects by traveling to our work sites and getting to know the physical environment and context of the work we do and how it impacts our perspectives and final assignments. As an academic adviser, Dr. Sanders lives and teaches by example, providing accurate and insightful perspective into our classes, career aspirations and personal and professional development.”

“Dr. Sanders fosters collaboration in the classroom by encouraging us to express ourselves through our own thoughts and opinions. Her personality allows her to open up the lines of communication and put her students at ease through classroom discussions.”

What was your most memorable classroom moment? “As part of a field-based proj-

School of Medicine

ect, [the student] developed an interactive homework assignment that promoted parent and student communication about positive character traits. The interactive homework assignment had a home-to-school communication component for family feedback. The [student] teacher teared up when describing the comments she had received from [her] students’ families. She was so moved by how appreciative the parents were for the work that she was doing with the students and the progress they had made—it moved the entire class.”

How would you describe your teaching style? “If I had to choose a label, I would

describe [it] as guided constructivism. I try to make it as student-centered and interactive as possible. I also try to design assignments that give students an opportunity to apply what they are reading and discussing in class in their professional settings.”

Danelle Cayea, assistant professor and director of the Medical Student Elective in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology

T

o say that only one person inspired geriatrician Danelle Cayea in becoming an educator would be entirely untrue. “There were really a lot of people involved in my development,” Cayea says, “but I was very inspired by my primary mentors in fellowship. They really helped me see that a great teacher comes from skill practice and not just an engaging personality.”

Cayea acknowledges that her mother, a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher, also played a role because she got to witness firsthand the life of a teacher. Her mom never “pushed her” to become a teacher, she says, but both parents were ardent supporters of her interest in the field of education. “They even bought me a chalkboard when I was a kid!”

What have you learned from your students? “To be more open to learning and

Continued on page 17

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May 23, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

Continued from page 16 Recently, Cayea’s grandmother reminded her about her dreams at a very young age of becoming a doctor. “This was odd because there are no other doctors in my family,” Cayea says. “My grandmother also told me my family thought I would forget about it at some point.” On the contrary, Cayea never wavered in her dreams of becoming a doctor, or her passion for teaching.

Her first exposure to caring for the elderly was during her high school years, working as a dietary aide at a nursing home. “There are so many people and things that influenced me in becoming a geriatrician, but perhaps the most formative experience I had was when I worked at the nursing home. There I became really interested in the variability of the aging experience,” Cayea says.

In medical school, not many of her colleagues considered following a career in treating older patients. Cayea realized, though, that caring for the elderly and their myriad complex, multifaceted health problems was precisely what she wanted to do. “There are so many things I love about working with older adults. They frequently have a unique perspective on the world that I love learning about. Many older people are very robust, but many are also frailer and sicker,” she says. “I love the challenge of dealing with the complexity and the unique skill set involved with what these patients bring. At the same time, I also feel a sense of advocacy for older adults who may be more vulnerable due to their physical, cognitive or social problems, and feel compelled to help them.”

Today, Cayea spends most of her time devoted to education, primarily at the medical student level. She does examine older adults in a geriatrics outpatient clinic and spends some time as an inpatient attending physician, but most of her time involves course administration, teaching and educational research.

Cayea was pleasantly surprised to learn that she had won this year’s teaching award. ”I wasn’t really expecting it,” she says. “I share this honor with my primary mentors in fellowship, who were very influential in how I teach. They really helped me see that a great teacher comes from skill practice and not just an engaging personality.”

What’s your teaching style? “My hope is

that I create a teaching environment in which there is both the right amount of educational tension that produces learning and enough safety and support that learners feel comfortable trying new skills and bringing their full selves to the encounter. Most of my teaching focuses on development of clinical skills, so when possible I try to be learner-centered and develop relationships with the students, as that can optimize that type of learning.”

Do your students teach you anything?

“All the time. Working with committed, intelligent people inspires me to re-examine my own clinical and teaching practice constantly. They also teach me humility, as they frequently think about problems in ways that force me to reconsider what I think I know.”

Best class you ever taught? “I teach and run

a variety of courses at the medical school, all focused on acquisition of clinical skills. They all present a unique set of challenges and rewards, but anytime I get to see students do things that directly help patients that they had not done before is really meaningful.”

Students say: “Dr. Cayea’s teaching style

was very effective. She asks challenging questions without being intimidating. She made great use of bedside teaching and really encouraged us to learn directly from our patients. She gave extremely helpful feedback, with many specific suggestions for improvement where needed.”

“I view Dr. Cayea as a model of patient care and professionalism. She was always extremely compassionate, patient and respectful of her patients and their families.

She always seemed to have the ‘big picture’

in mind for her patients, synthesizing medical issues with family, social and financial concerns.”

School of Nursing Sharon Olsen, assistant professor, Acute and Chronic Care Recognized for: Excellence in graduate teaching

S

haron Olsen never had any doubt that she wanted to be a nurse. Her aunt was a nurse, and when Olsen saw the compassion and care her aunt had for her patients, she knew she wanted to devote her life to providing that same compassion and care. Becoming a registered nurse wasn’t enough for Olsen: She wanted to expand her knowledge and devoted her studies and efforts to oncology, and specifically breast cancer, which affected more than 200,000 women in 2007 (the most recent data available). Her years of study and research earned her a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison; a postmaster’s nurse practitioner certificate from Johns Hopkins; and a doctorate from The Catholic University of America. She holds a joint appointment in Oncology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Her clinical and research interests focus specifically on cancer prevention and screening and cancer genomics. Olsen has said it is important for tomorrow’s nurses to understand the interaction between genes and behavior in order to “provide personalized, equitable, effective and high-quality nursing care.”

What does it mean to be a nurse? “Nurs-

ing today is hard work. The best nurses are able to connect with their patients, inspire their colleagues and maximize the provision of safe high-quality care in an environment that is driven by the bottom line and an ever-expanding litany of technology and treatment innovation.”

What have you learned from your students? “My students teach me so much

about what is meaningful to them. Together, we work to translate theoretical academic knowledge, which is critical for today’s advanced practice nurses to master, to make it relevant for practice.”

Who was your favorite teacher? “Nancy Diekelmann was my adviser for my master’s thesis and taught me that good teachers facilitate learning, which she modeled by setting up collaborative and accountable learning in the classroom. She also taught me to look for and appreciate the serendipity in learning.”

What is your most memorable classroom experience? “In the spring 2011 semester,

WILL KIRK / HOMEWOODPHOTO.JHU.EDU

Teaching

17

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Danelle Cayea

ing women, and nursing was the way to do it. She pursued a master’s in public health at Johns Hopkins and another master’s and a doctorate at the University of Illinois, Chicago. As a certified nurse-midwife, she has cared for refugee and immigrant women in the United States and is a founding member of the Midwest Network on Female Genital Cutting, an organization that aims to improve reproductive health care in countries of resettlement for women who have been affected by the practice. Her doctoral research, which explored the experiences of rural midwives in Mali, led her to create Mali Midwives, a not-for-profit organization that supports continuing education for rural midwives in that country.

What does it mean to be a nurse? “Being

a nurse is all about making connections, facilitating and leading. We connect clients to care, providers to clients’ perspectives, community to hospital, research to practice, plans to actions and problems to solutions.

You name it, we bring it together. At its best, nursing pulls health care’s critical pieces together, makes it coherent and ensures it can function. Nurses need to be inventors, mechanics and guardians.”

What have you learned from your students? “Wow, where to begin? I’ve learned

you have to know your stuff and follow through on your commitments. It’s important to be comfortable learning together.

The most important thing I learned is it’s not enough to help students recognize a need for change in practice; you have to help them develop tools to make that change happen, which is the challenging part.”

it was the last day of class, and the students were discussing issues around conflict and negotiation. At one point, I found myself sitting with them in the middle of the classroom listening as they took the tenets they had read in their homework assignment and used them to help their colleagues work through several difficult communication encounters in their practices. The experience was the embodiment of a community of teaching and learning.”

Who was your favorite teacher? “It’s a

Students say: “Her passion to ‘grow’ students is humbling and inspiring, and it makes us feel like we are her only priority.”

“She saw my worth both as a person and a professional. [Olsen] has motivated me to greater achievement.”

student approached me after a lecture. She was a member of a cultural group that I had focused on during the class, and I was very aware of her presence. The student told me she was dreading the lecture, certain that it would be more of the same offensive commentary she had heard before. But instead, she thanked me, saying she felt relieved that I had brought out another side of the issue and presented it more fairly than the student had previously heard. For me, that was a huge honor.”

Nicole Warren, assistant professor, Community-Public Health Recognized for: Excellence in undergraduate teaching

H

ealth care, much less nursing, never occurred to Nicole Warren as a professional career choice until she joined the Peace Corps. After being sworn in as a volunteer and three months of crash courses in local language and maternal and child health, she was unceremoniously deposited in a village about 8 miles off a paved road in Mali, West Africa. Not long after, Warren realized she wanted to work with childbear-

tie between Frank Henderson and Gifford Doxee, who were both professors of political science at Ohio University. One screamed in class, the other practically whispered, but they shared a passion for their areas of interest. I still care about the issues they introduced me to because my professors convinced me they mattered.”

What was your most memorable classroom experience? “[It] occurred when a

Students say: “Nicole’s enthusiasm about all things related to pregnancy, childbirth and women’s health is contagious to her students. She brings a candor to her teaching that is refreshingly honest, informative and at times hilarious.” “[Warren is] a passionate and energetic professor and committed to the professional development of her students.”

Whiting School of Engineering Lester Su, associate research professor, Mechanical Engineering

L

ester Su took his first plane trip at age 6 and immediately decided he wanted to be a pilot. “Soon thereafter,” he recalls, “I read that pilots had to have 20/20 vision, and I already had Coke-bottle glasses, so I decided I’d be OK designing airplanes instead.” That put him on course to become an aeronautical engineer. “My book reports, class projects, etc., pretty much all had something to do with airplanes,” he says.

At the University of Chicago, he majored in physics and during his second year became a teaching assistant for an introductory calculus class. “That turned my world completely upside down,” he says. “For a narcissist, teaching is like nectar—you talk, the students listen. You talk more, they still have to listen. You can ramble, be boring, be unfunny, digress, it doesn’t matter. I was totally hooked. After that I still wanted to be an engineer, but now I wanted to be a professor, too.”

He attended graduate school at Michigan, was a postdoctoral fellow at Texas and Stanford, spent a year on Capitol Hill as a fellow with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, was a professor for a year at Wisconsin and then in 2002 came to Johns Hopkins, where his wife, Allison Okamura, was a Mechanical Engineering faculty member. Since then, he has taught introductory classes in fluids, mechanical engineering and mechanics, and a graduate course in his research area called Mixing and Combustion.

Describe your teaching style. “My style is ‘Me, me, me.’ I start with the assumption that I can explain anything verbally and go from there. So my lectures are just that—lectures. The paradox is, I never was particularly adept at learning from lectures myself. I really needed to look over my notes and texts later to absorb material. So, nowadays, I take pains to help students take good notes by being as clear as I can on the board, and I try to be as accessible outside of class as possible for those students who need reinforcement.”

Who is your role model? “At Chicago, I took the required Classical Mechanics course from Jim Cronin, who had won the Nobel Prize in 1980. He was still a busy and productive researcher with a big group and major field experiments, but he was also an incredibly committed teacher. He graded labs, exams, even some homework himself, and he showed up to our lab sessions and helped us with the apparatus. We were all, naturally, in awe of him when the course started, but that awe gradually changed to awestruck gratitude for his dedication. I vowed then never to get too big to devote time to teaching well. Luckily, I have been engaged in a sufficiently slow rise to the middle of my field that this problem hasn’t come up.”

Continued on page 20

18 THE GAZETTE • May 23, 2011 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

46386 47755 47861 47867

Sponsored Project Accountant Graduate Recruiter Assistant Program Manager, CTY Tutorial Assistant Distance Education Online and Mobile Marketing, Communications Strategist/Developer Distance Education Instructor (Computer), CTY Sr. Research Program Coordinator Research Program Assistant II Sr. HR Specialist Administrative Coordinator Executive Housekeeper Administrative Coordinator

47881 48167 47887 47896 47898 47917 47963 47993

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

POSITION

44976 44290 44672 41388 44067 44737 44939 44555 44848

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

School of Medicine

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

POSITION

43268 45554 45707

Clinical Social Worker Licensed Maintenance Mechanic Polysomnogram Technologist, Registered Behavioral Specialist Clinical Scheduling Coordinator Research Nurse Website Coordinator Research Navigator Nurse Patient Service Coordinator Ophthalmic Technician

46063 46428 46601 46786 47206 47384 47566

48059 48211 47845 47874 47922 47925 48118 47893 47911 48006 48016 48096 48104 48150 48209 48307 48311

Field Manager Sr. HR Specialist Sr. Systems Administrator Sustainability Analyst Web and Electronic Media Specialist Sr. Programmer Analyst Online Production Coordinator Sr. Accountant Billing and Accounts Receivable Student Assistant Director Regional and International Programs Procurement Assistant Administrative Coordinator Sr. Systems Engineer Accounting Specialist Office of Finance Student Assistant Sr. Development Director for Asia Associate Dean, Development and Alumni Relations

44648 44488 43425 43361 44554 44684 42973 43847 45106 45024 42939 42669 44802 44242 44661 45002

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

47578

Nurse Practitioner/ Physician Assistant Sr. Research Nurse Nurse Practitioner Sr. Clinical Technician Animal Facility Assistant Clinical Nurse Medical Assistant Sr. Research Program Coordinator Research Technologist Laboratory Manager Laboratory Technologist Research Specialist Research Technologist Administrative Coordinator Credentialing and Residency Coordinator

47601 47617 47633 47634 47674 47684 47794 47824 47886 47901 47915 47979 47996 48122

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

B U L L E T I N

Notices

B O A R D

No notices were submitted for publication this week.

Blood pressure drug losartan shows some muscle JHU researchers discover losartan guards against loss of old or damaged muscle

By Maryalice Yakutchik

Johns Hopkins Medicine

U

sing geriatric mice, a Johns Hopkins research team has shown that losartan, a commonly used blood pressure drug, not only improves regeneration of injured muscle but also protects against its wasting away from inactivity.

A report on the old drug’s new role, which is prompting preparations for a clinical trial of losartan in older adults, appears online May 11 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

“The goal of the investigation was to find a way to prevent a bad situation from getting worse in the case of old muscle that’s injured or not used,” said Ronald Cohn, an assistant professor of pediatrics and neurology in the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “As pleased as we were to see that losartan therapy in mice had a positive effect on muscle regeneration, we were most surprised and excited by its striking prevention of disuse atrophy.”

Previous studies by other groups have shown that aging in humans causes the activity of a protein secreted by cells called transforming growth factor beta to increase, and that more TGF-b translates into less muscle repair. In addition, studies in mouse models of Marfan syndrome and muscular dystrophy, both of which involve disorders of muscle and connective tissue, revealed that losartan promotes muscle regeneration by blocking a particular protein receptor (angiotensin II type 1) and ultimately tamping down the activity of TGF-b.

To investigate losartan’s role in muscle injury regeneration in the context of aging, the Johns Hopkins team worked with 40 mice that, at 21 months old, were considered geriatric. After treating half of those animals for a week to water laced with losartan, they injected a chemical toxin into the animals’ shin muscles. The researchers examined the stained muscle tissue under a microscope at four days and again at 19 days, looking for signs of regeneration: small fibers with larger-than-usual nuclei. After four days, they saw no difference in the number of regenerating fibers between the losartan-treated mice and those not treated.

However, after 19 days, the losartan-treated mice had about 10 percent to 15 percent of scar tissue formation compared with 30 percent to 40 percent of scar tissue formation in those not treated.

Next, the researchers conducted disuse experiments to find out if losartan, in addition to improving muscle regeneration, might have even broader clinical applications in the protection against immobilization atrophy.

Again using 21-month-old mice, half treated with losartan and half not, the team this time clipped the hind right foot of the mice to their knees, immobilizing just the shin muscles; otherwise, the mice were normally active.

After 21 days, the animals’ shin muscles were weighed and compared under a microscope. The animals not treated with losartan lost 20 percent of the mass of their immobilized shin muscles; the losartan-treated animals, however, lost virtually no mass, according to Tyesha Burks, a graduate student in the Human Genetics program in the School of Medicine.

“When we saw that the loss of muscle fibers was completely prevented by losartan therapy, it was quite mind-blowing,” Cohn said.

The muscles of nonhibernating species such as mice and humans invariably shrink from inactivity, whether from injury, illness or a sedentary lifestyle. The response to immobilization is particularly exaggerated with age, said Cohn, whose ongoing investigations probe the molecular mechanisms of muscle maintenance and regeneration in humans, mice and hibernating ground squirrels.

Muscle loss and weakness during aging—a condition known as sarcopenia—hasn’t been aggressively addressed by researchers and clinicians the way that

Related websites Cohn lab:

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

‘Science Translational Medicine’:

stm.sciencemag.org

‘Hopkins Medicine’ story about Cohn:

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/hmn/ w10/feature1.cfm

bone loss has. There are tests and drugs for osteoporosis, but muscle deterioration is difficult to measure, and its effects can be subtle, said Jeremy D. Walston, the Raymond and Anna Lublin Professor of Geriatric Medicine in the School of Medicine.

While thinned bones fracture, muscles shrivel and then contribute to weakness and fatigue, which in turn may contribute to falls, injuries and the development of disability and frailty.

“Sarcopenia is an important issue in geriatric medicine and getting more critical as increasing numbers of people age into their 70s, 80s and beyond, Walston said. “These findings support the need for further investigation of losartan in sarcopenia and other muscle-related conditions in older adults. In fact, translational studies are under development within the Johns Hopkins Older Americans Independence Center.

Support for this research came from the Johns Hopkins Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, the National Institute on Aging and the National Institutes of Health.

Authors of the paper, in addition to Cohn, are Burks, Eva Andres-Mateos, Ruth Marx, Rebeca Mejias, Christel Van Erp, Jessica L. Simmers and Walston, all of Johns Hopkins; and Christopher W. Ward, of the University of Maryland.

Read The Gazette online gazette.jhu.edu

May 23, 2011 • THE GAZETTE

Classifieds APARTMENTS/HOUSES FOR RENT

Bayview, 3BR, 2BA house, W/D, CAC, fin’d bsmt, sec dep and refs req’d, must see.

410-633-2064 or 443-600-8037.

Bayview, efficiency apt mins to JH Bayview campus. $400/mo + utils (or best offer).

443-386-9146 or lcmbfan@yahoo.com.

Belvedere, beautifully renov’d 3BR, 2BA TH w/fin’d bsmt, avail July 1, email for pics. $1,650/mo (furn’d) or $1,500/mo (unfurn’d).

410-929-6008 or belvedererental@gmail .com (for pics).

Bolton Hill (Lanvale and Park), 2BR, 2BA apt avail end of June. $1,090/mo. jamila.r.siddiqui@gmail.com (for pics).

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

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

Charles Village, sublet spacious studio apt, avail to October 3, walk to Homewood campus/JHMI shuttle/shops/restaurants/grocery. $800/mo + utils. 775-313-6958.

Charles Village (Charles and University), sunny 1BR studio apt next to JHMI shuttle, AC, storage, laundry, avail August 1. $650/ mo. 443-540-1540 or charlesvillage1br@ gmail.com.

Deep Creek Lake/Wisp, cozy 2BR cabin w/ full kitchen, call for wkly/wknd rentals, pics avail at jzpics@yahoo.com. 410-638-9417.

Ellicott City, furn’d 3BR EOG TH in safe, kid-friendly neighborhood, 2 full BAs, 1 half-BA, upgraded kitchen, CAC, dw, hdwd flrs, cable-ready, no pets, 1-yr lease (we pref long-term). $2,200/mo + sec dep ($2,000).

443-416-7254 or ychai8@gmail.com.

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

Hampden, renov’d 3BR, 2BA duplex, eat-in kitchen, dw, master suite has own kitchen, W/D, clawfoot tub, storage bsmt, covered front/back porches, fenced backyd, ample street prkng, nr light rail, 1-yr lease. $1,500/ mo + sec dep. Mina, 410-592-2670.

Hampden, 2BR, 1BA TH, CAC, modern kitchen, W/D, 5 mins to JHU Homewood campus, avail May 31. $1,200/mo + utils.

410-366-4635.

Mt Vernon (Park and Madison), lg studio apt, 6-month to 1-yr lease, prkng avail. $650/mo. Christian, 414-403-2166.

Mt Vernon, 2BR, 1.5BA TH in gated community, W/D, dw, CAC, hdwd flrs, front patio, prkng space in rear, 7- to 10-min drive to JHH/SPH, 5-min walk to Hopkins shuttle. $1,800/mo. dradri23@gmail.com.

Mt Washington, 2BR, 2BA condo on top flr, 1,400 sq ft, avail July. $1,370/mo incl utils, trash pickup. 310-386-4879.

Mt Washington (Baltimore County), 4BR, 3.5BA TH nr Summit Park Elementary, avail July 1 (or earlier), credit check,

Townhouse Rental in Homeland

Gated community, 3BD, 2.2BA, den, large LR, DR + Kitchen. 1 car gar., AC, W/D, comm. pool, no pets, Avail.

July 1st. $1,895+util., 410-531-1460, jsmarhall2@verizon.net

M A R K E T P L A C E

sec dep and 1st month req’d. $1,800/mo.

Deanna, 443-722-0541.

Ocean City (120th St), 2BR, 2BA condo, sleeps 6, immaculate, new appls/living rm furniture, enclos’d courtyd, 2 blks to beach, indoor/outdoor pools, tennis, racketball. 410992-7867 or joel.alan.weiner@gmail.com.

Patterson Park, newly rehabbed 3BR, 2BA RH, 2 blks to park, hdwd flrs, granite counters, stainless steel appls, street prkng or priv prkng pad avail; will allow for roommate sharing. 410-340-0561.

Orlando, 1BR, 1BA timeshare,sleeps 4, fully equipped. $400/wk. 646-441-1534 (afternoon).

Remington (2717 Atkinson), 3BR house, updated BA, tankless H2O, remodeled kitchen, garden, 10-min walk to Homewood campus. 443-928-7374.

Towson, newly renov’d 3BR, 2BA EOG TH, CAC, fenced yd. $1,260/mo. 410-3218889.

Tuscany/Canterbury, spacious, safe 2BR, 1BA apt close to JHU/Union Memorial Hospital/Loyola, full kitchen, living rm, dining rm, sunrm, hdwd flrs, no smoking/no pets, W/D on premises, prkng avail. $1,750/ mo. 213-550-6689.

33rd St, RH nr university, furn’d/unfurn’d, nr YMCA and Giant, summer/temp/monthly. 917-553-6461.

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

HOUSES FOR SALE

Ellicott City, 5BR, 3.5BA single-family house, 42" kitchen cabinets, Corian countertops, full backsplash, fin’d bsmt, nr #1 Centennial Schools. 443-257-5136 or pakshree@hotmail.com.

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

Gardenville, 3BR, 1.5BA RH in quiet neighborhood, new kitchen and BA, CAC, hdwd flrs, club bsmt w/cedar closet, fenced maintenance-free yd and carport, 15 mins to JHH. $139,500. 443-610-0236 or tziporachai@juno.com.

Guilford, charming, renov’d 4BR house, over 1,900 sq ft, CAC, inlaid hdwd flrs, garage, entertainer’s dream home. $175,000.

410-812-9070.

Mt Washington, sunny 2BR, 2.5BA house, CAC, sunrm, fin’d bsmt, yd, nr blue-ribbon Mt Washington Elementary, perfect for young couple. $250,000. 410-979-3833 or aLb457@gmail.com.

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

Complete rehab, gorgeous, close to all Johns Hopkins, must see, prefer prof’l. $165,900.

Pitina, 410-900-7436.

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

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

ROOMMATES WANTED

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

Sublet 1BR and 1BA in 2BR Park Charles apt (Mt Vernon), share w/F JHU grad student, June 18 to August 18, 5 mins to shuttle stop. $750/mo. 203-479-2349.

Queen- and king-size mattresses, clean, in very good cond, $150-$200; TVs (2), $50-$75; will deliver if buyer has no car.

John, 410-419-3902.

JHU grad student wanted to sublet 1BR in fully furn’d 2BR apt, own BA/shower, sep kitchen, balcony, laundry rm, in safe neighborhood (W 39th St), avail June 16-August 18 (flexible), share w/quiet F nonsmoker. $605/mo + utils (negot). 845-240-5182.

Four tickets to Wicked at Kennedy Center, 7:30pm, July 21, tier 2, row B, 205-208, no scalp. $330 (firm). wreisig4@comcast.net.

F nonsmoker wanted for furn’d BR (700 sq ft) in 3BR Cedonia house owned by young F prof’l, mod kitchen, vaulted ceilings, landscaped yd, deck, 5 mi to Bayview/YMCA, prkng, nr public transportation. $550/mo + utils. 410-493-2435 or aprede1@yahoo.com.

Share 2BR apt in Mt Vernon, you get your own flr, share W/D and kitchen, 1 blk to Subway and Superfresh, free WiFi. $495/mo + utils. dswanke1@gmail.com.

F nonsmoker wanted for 2BR, 1BA apt, 3rd flr, W/D, dw, hdwd flrs. $675/mo + 1/2 utils and cable/Internet. joyt1775@gmail.com.

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

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

Hickory Avenue in Hampden!

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

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

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

Moving sale: queen-size bed, $150; office/ computer table, $30; bookshelves, $15-$30; many more items. 443-275-1082 or sonia97@ live.in.

SERVICES/ITEMS OFFERED OR WANTED

Free to good home: 7-yr-old M Yorkie, up to date w/shots, mostly housebroken, loves attention. Wanda, 443-831-2029.

PT babysitting by mother of 2, clean, safe, loving environment, reasonable rates. 410881-0572 or shaylean@gmail.com.

Experienced, responsible college student avail for summer house- or pet-sitting for short or extended periods, refs avail. 410218-8140 or jc111@gwmail.gwu.edu.

Efficiency/studio w/priv entrance across from JHMI, kitchen, BA, W/D in unit, fully fenced yd, share w/JHU grad students.

410-680-6971 or happyhut4u@yahoo.com.

M resident assistants needed to supervise 100 high school students for 1-wk camp at Homewood campus, July 22-29. skh9701@ gmail.com.

Nonsmoker wanted for furn’d rm in 3BR single-family house in Hamilton neighborhood, avail June-August, house has W/D, dw, off-street prkng, mins to Homewood/ JHMI by car, conv to bus routes #44 and #19. amoon@mica.edu.

Summer youth guitar workshop in Homewood/Hampden area needs guitar donations. 410-366-4488 or stamusicministry@ gmail.com.

924 N Broadway, refurbished 4BR TH, share w/med students, 2 full BAs, CAC, W/D, dw, w/w crpt, walk to JHMI. gretrieval@aol.com.

Would you like to play indoor tennis this summer on a Johns Hopkins team? Tuesday evenings, June through August, men’s, women’s, mixed doubles, approx 3.0-4.0 level. Peter Barker, pbbark@gmail.com.

F nonsmoker wanted to share lg, sunny EOG RH in Canton/Patterson Park w/ dental student, BR w/deck and priv BA and jacuzzi tub. $750/mo incl utils, Internet, sec sys. kdipa001@gmail.com.

F wanted for furn’d rm and priv BA in 2BR, 2BA condo in Guilford, walk to Homewood campus/shuttle, gym, sauna, swimming pool, front desk, 24-hr security desk, fantastic view. $1,000/mo incl all utils. 443-831-3374 or monanoureldin@hotmail.com.

1 or 2BRs in 3BR Owings Mills, W/D, dw, Internet, quiet neighborhood, 10 mins to metro. $500-$750/mo + 1/2 utils. 443-8412098 or gjhoward@gmail.com.

CARS FOR SALE

’03 Acura TL, leather, ABS, power everything, dual/side airbags, moonroof, Bose sound system, multidisc CD, in good cond, 76K mi. $9,500. 410-484-4843. ’08 Honda Civic LX sedan, manual 5-spd, silver, orig owner, excel cond, 29K mi. $13,999/ best offer. 443-632-6767 or cfang77@ gmail.com.

ITEMS FOR SALE

IBM electric typewriter, in beautiful cond. $50/best offer. 410-377-7354.

Mobile detailing and power wash service.

Jason, 443-421-3659.

Let a seasoned pro take fantastic photos for interviews/auditions, special events or lasting family memories. Edward S Davis photography and videography. 443-695-9988 or esdavisimaging@gmail.com.

Piano lessons by experienced teacher w/ Peabody doctorate, all levels/ages welcome.

410-662-7951.

Mama, do you want your body back? Eightweek weight loss and fitness program, proven results. blorinc@gmail.com.

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

Freelance programmer for Microsoft Access database needed for local nonprofit organization, later stipend possible. 410-908-2546.

Seamstress available for alterations; reasonable prices. 410-404-3548.

Horse boarding 25 mins from JHU in Glyndon/Worthington Valley, beautiful trails from farm. $500/mo (stall board). 410-8126716 or argye.hillis@gmail.com.

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

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

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19

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20 THE GAZETTE • May 23, 2011 M A Y

2 3

–

J U N E

6

Calendar

B L OO D D R I V E S

Wed., May 25, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. JHU/American Red Cross

Blood Drive. For more information, email johnshopkinsblooddrive@ jhmi.edu or call 410-614-0913.

Hopkins@Eastern.

COLLOQUIA

Tues., May 24, 2 p.m. “Compressive Sensing for Computer Vision,” an Applied Physics Laboratory colloquium with Rama Chellappa, University of Maryland, College Park. Parsons Auditorium. APL Wed.,

May

25,

3:30

p.m.

“Time-Domain Challenges in the Synoptic Survey Era,” an STSci colloquium with Josh Bloom, University of California, Berkeley. Bahcall Auditorium, Muller Bldg. HW “The Role of NOAA After the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill—One Year Later,” an Applied Physics colloquium with Larry Robinson, NOAA. Parsons Auditorium.

Fri., June 3, 2 p.m.

APL

DISCUSSIONS/ TA L K S

Discussion of the book Sideways on a Scooter: Life and Love in India with author Miranda Kennedy. Cosponsored by the International Reporting Project at SAIS, the SAIS South Asia Studies Program and the Asia Society. To RSVP, email irp@jhu.edu or call 202773-7726. Rome Auditorium.

Tues., May 24, 12:30 p.m.

SAIS

“No Freedom Without Media Freedom,” a SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations panel discussion with Karel Schwarzenberg, first deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the Czech Republic; Husain Haqqani, Pakistani ambassador to the United States; Walter Isaacson, president,

Thurs., June 2, 4:30 p.m.

the Aspen Institute and chair, Broadcasting Board of Governors; Carl Gershman, president, National Endowment for Democracy; and David Kramer, executive director, Freedom House. Co-sponsored by the Embassy of the Czech Republic and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. To RSVP, go to http:// rfe-cz60.eventbrite.com. Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Bldg. SAIS E X H I B I T I O N S Mon., May 23, 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Reception for the 2011 Medical and Biological Illustration Graduate Student Exhibition, on view through May 26. For more information, go to www.hopkinsmedicine .org/medart or call 410-955-3409.

Turner Concourse. EB

S E M I N AR S

Mon.,

May

23,

12:15

p.m.

“Novel Localizations and Functions of Heterotrimeric G Proteins: Gβγ Regulates Trans Golgi Network to Plasma Membrane Transport,” a Carnegie Institution Embryology seminar with Philip Wedegaertner, Thomas Jefferson University. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW Mon., May 23, 4 p.m. The David Bodian Seminar—“Speech Emerges and Evolves Through Coupled Oscillations” with Asif Ghazanfar, Princeton University. Sponsored by the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute. 338 Krieger. HW Tues., May 24, noon. “A Systems Biology Approach to DNA Damage and Signaling: Insights From Pathways to Patients,” a Biological Chemistry seminar with Michael Yaffe, MIT. 612 Physiology. EB Wed.,

May

25,

1:30

p.m.

“Ancient Mysteries of the RIO Kinases,” a Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry seminar with Nicole LaRonde-LeBlanc, University of Maryland, College Park.

701 WBSB. EB Wed., May 25, 4 p.m.

Teaching Continued from page 17 What have you learned from your students? “We have some amazing students

here. I’ve certainly learned new approaches to problems from students in my classes and new ways to think about research from my research advisees. I want all of my students and advisees to do more than I have, which isn’t a particularly high bar, but still the number of my students who have gone on to great graduate schools or jobs is really gratifying.”

Describe for me the best class you ever taught. “The best single class I taught was

the first time I realized that I was amazing at describing boundary layer growth.

I explain that stuff extremely clearly and draw an unbelievably clear figure to sup-

“Inflam-

mation and Hormonelike Signaling by Proteinases: An Insulin Receptor Legacy,” a Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences seminar with Morley Hollenberg, University of Calgary. West Lecture Hall (ground floor), WBSB.

Mon., June 6, 4 p.m. The David Bodian Seminar—“Giving Sight to the Blind: The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System” with Arup Roy, Second Sight Medical Products Inc. Sponsored by the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute. 338 Krieger.

HW

SPECIAL EVENTS

University commencement, convocation and graduation ceremonies. (See story, p. 1.)

•

EB Fri., May 27, 10 a.m. “Cadmium Exposure and Cardiovascular Disease in U.S. Populations: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Strong Heart Study,” an Epidemiology thesis defense seminar with Maria Tellez-Plaza. W2030 SPH. EB Fri., May 27, noon. “Regulation

of Gene Positioning and Expression by the Nuclear Lamina,” a Cell Biology seminar with Yosef Gruenbaum, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Suite 2-200, 1830 Bldg. EB

Tues., May 31, 10 a.m. “Leydig Cell Stem/Progenitor Cells in Neonatal, Adult and Aged Testes,” a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology thesis defense seminar with Erin Stanley. W1020 SPH.

“Function of FIT Proteins in Triglyceride Storage,” a Biological Chemistry seminar with David Silver, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. 612 Physiology. EB

Tues., May 31, noon.

Fri., June 3, 10:30 a.m. “Devel-

oping Dose-Response Assessment Methods to Inform Environmental Policy: An Application of Bayesian Hierarchical Models Using Trihalomethanes,” a Health Policy and Management thesis defense seminar with Juleen Lam. W2030 SPH. EB Fri., June 3, 1:30 p.m. “Satellite Remote Sensing and Spatial Epidemiologic Methods for Improving Risk Characterization of Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus,” an Environmental Health Sciences thesis defense seminar with Beth Feingold.

W2030 SPH. EB

port the explanations. Mind you, this is just what the voice in my head tells me.”

If you had to guess, why would you say you were selected for this honor? “Accept-

ing that it is impossible to answer this question without sounding smug, let’s just say that I have unwavering command of the superficial teaching arts. I speak loudly, I am painstaking with my chalkboard presentation, I am particular about the formatting of my assignments and exams, I maintain meticulous course websites, and I make a point to grade as transparently as possible.

The material that issues from my mouth may not always make a great deal of sense, but at least my courses are organized.”

Anything else you think I should know to get as complete a picture of you as possible? “I like to get to know my students

outside of class. On midterms I’ve always included a set of trivia questions on some theme like history, sports, music, geography,

Tues., May 24, 10:30 a.m.

School of Medicine Convocation; Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

•

Carey Business School Graduation Ceremony; Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

•

Wed.,

•

Wed., May 25, 7 p.m. Whit-

Tues., May 24, 6 p.m.

May

25,

4

p.m.

Bloomberg School of Public Health Convocation Ceremony; Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. ing School of Engineering Graduate Ceremony; Homewood Field. HW

•

Thurs., May 26, 8:40 a.m.

•

Thurs., May 26, 3 p.m.

•

Thurs., May 26, 3 p.m.

•

Thurs., May 26, 7:30 p.m.

EB

Universitywide Commencement; Homewood Field. HW SAIS Graduation; DAR Constitution Hall, Washington.

School of Nursing Diploma and Award Ceremony; Hippodrome Theatre.

Peabody Conservatory of Music Graduation Ceremony.

Soprano Marni Nixon will receive the George Peabody Medal. Friedberg Hall. Peabody

•

Thurs., May 26, 7:30 p.m.

School of Education Diploma Ceremony; Homewood Field.

HW

•

Mon., June 6, 4 p.m. Inaugural Hopkins Medicine Distinguished Speaker Series presents a Mac­ Arthur Fellows dialogue on the topic “Communication: How Creative Minds Engage the Public” with Marin Alsop, conductor, BSO; Lisa Cooper, Peter Pronovost and Adam Riess, JHU; Ruth DeFries, University of Maryland, Columbia; Janine Jagger, University of Virginia; and choreographer Liz Lerman. Strauch Auditorium East, Armstrong Medical Education Bldg. EB

Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Master's Degree Ceremony; Homewood Field. HW

Fri., May 27, 10 a.m.

Wed., May 25, 1 p.m. Commissioning Ceremony for the U.S. Army’s newest second lieutenants.

Attire is business for civilians and Army service uniform for military.

Sponsored by JHU and ROTC. Shriver Hall. (Individual ceremonies begin at 8 a.m. in the Board Room, Shriver Hall.) HW

etc., and I take the top scorers each time to lunch. Only one student has gotten a free lunch every time he was eligible. Otherwise, I get a nice diverse group each time.

“As instructors, we naturally get to wondering exactly how our students ended up choosing to come here. That curiosity led me to the undergrad Admissions Office, where I’ve been helping to read applications for the past couple of years. Admissions is a fascinating and rich world, and I’m intrigued to continue to learn more about it.”

Students say: “Lester Su was one of the

reasons I chose Hopkins. I first met Lester during an admitted students day in the late spring of my senior year of high school. During my freshman year, I had the pleasure of being in not one but two classes with Lester.

Not only is he an excellent lecturer and teacher, he has a unique affability that serves him well as an exemplary professor.”

“Lester gave great lectures, was always organized and truly cared about whether his

SYMPOSIA

Mon., May 23, noon to p.m. Leading the Nation

4

in Women Veterans’ Health: The Important Role of Research, a Johns Hopkins Women’s Health Research Group symposium with Laura Herrera, acting deputy chief officer, Veterans Health Administration. RSVP to www .jhsph.edu/urbanhealth/whrg/ symposium_2011.html. E2030 SPH. EB

W OR K S HO P S

“Writing for Publication,” a JHMI Professional Development Office workshop designed to demystify the process of publishing research, with Donna Vogel, SoM. Topics covered include the purpose of a publication, choosing a journal, authorship issues and understanding peer review. To register, complete the form on the righthand side of the home page at www.hopkinsmedicine.org/pdo.

Mountcastle Auditorium, PCTB.

Mon., May 23, 9 a.m.

EB

Calendar

Key

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

APL BRB CRB CSEB

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

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

Engineering

students learned the subject that he taught.

He also wore black on test days, which was awesome. He was always happy to help students outside of class as well, with letters of recommendation, etc. He also made a standing offer the first day of class, inviting any student who wanted to go to lunch with him on Fridays.”

“Lester almost always has his door open when he is in his office. If he is not in his office, he will have a note outside on his blackboard saying where he is and when he will be back. This just emphasizes that Lester is the most approachable professor and adviser that I have had. Lester’s ability to lecture is second to none. He is so clear when he talks about the material. This is largely due to the fact that he has prepared for the course so well and is incredibly knowledgeable about what he is teaching. He makes his courses incredibly fair and at the same time makes sure that students come away from the course with as much understanding of the material as possible.” G