Researchers at the Robert Wood Johnson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School will participate in a new study testing estrogen as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). The program is one of only seven nationwide participating in what is the first large-scale clinical trial of a female sex hormone for the treatment of MS, an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system.
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Dr. Atul Gawande, a distinguished surgeon, author, and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, will be the keynote speaker at UMDNJ's May 22 commencement ceremony, where he will also receive an honorary degree. Dr. Gawande is a general surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Through research, practice, and writing, Dr. Gawande has unflinchingly examined modern medical education and surgical practice with the goal of improving care for individuals and populations. To all his work he brings the critical eye of his medical training, deep insight into issues of ethics and performance, and a compassionate understanding of human fallibility. His impact and promise have been recognized by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which named him a 2006 Fellow.
A well respected staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, Dr. Gawande is also a frequent contributor to The New England Journal of Medicine. He is the author of the award-winning book, Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science.
Dr. Gawande earned his bachelor’s degree in 1987 from Stanford University. He continued his studies as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, from which he received a master’s degree in ethics and philosophy in 1989. He was awarded an MD degree from Harvard Medical School in 1995 and added a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard School of Public Health in 1999.
Four individuals from UMDNJ have been included among this year's recipients of the prestigious Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Awards. Since 1939, these awards have been presented to exemplary physicians and leaders whose dedication to education, research, and public service has had a significant impact on the delivery of healthcare in New Jersey.
Dr. Robert L. Trelstad, a professor of pathology, and Dr. Patricia Whitley-Williams, a professor of pediatrics and chief of the Division of Pediatric Immunology, Allergy and Infectious Diseases at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, received outstanding medical educator awards. An Outstanding Medical Executive Award was presented to Dr. Audrey R. Gotsch, professor and dean of UMDNJ-School of Public Health. Betty Gallo, director of Public Outreach and Government Relations at the Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, won the Peter W. Rodino, Jr., Citizen's Award.
Explorations into the causes of Alzheimer's disease, the impact of strokes, and the connection between spirituality and depression in older patients with chronic pain are among the seven research studies by faculty and students at the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM) that are the first at the medical school to receive funding from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Endowment for Primary Care Research.
The Columbus, Ohio, foundation funds projects designed to improve health and quality of life through education, research, and service consistent with its osteopathic heritage. Two years ago, in recognition of the excellent programs offered at SOM, the Foundation awarded $2 million to establish an endowed chair in Primary Care Research at the school.
