In the News

George Blackburn, M.D., Ph.D., general surgery, advised about obesity issues, surgery and weight loss programs on ABC News’ “World News Tonight,” WCVB-TV Channel 5 and NECN’s “News Night,” and in the Washington Post, The Boston Globe and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Bradford Lowell, M.D., Ph.D., and Joel Elmquist, Ph.D ., D.V.M., both of endocrinology, discussed recent findings related to fat hormones and curbing obesity and diabetes in Science Daily, Red Nova and HealthDay.com.

David Cohen, M.D. , cardiology, was quoted by Reuters regarding a recent study he co-authored on pacemakers being cost-effective for sinus node dysfunction. “When one then considers the quality of life benefits of avoiding atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure, the additional cost of dual-chamber pacemakers is well-justified compared with most other accepted medical interventions.”

Charles Day, M.D. , orthopaedic surgery, commented in the Detroit News on the common ailment “mommy thumb,” which is a tendonitis that develops by picking up a child the wrong way.

James Carter, Ph.D. , medicine and psychiatry, discussed a NASA project he is involved with in Red Nova. Carter is helping to devise a “teamwork training program that can be delivered entirely through a laptop computer.”

Max Rosen, M.D. , radiology, talked to the New York Times about Be Well Body Scan in Chestnut Hill, saying that the scans have “saved lives, finding a lung cancer at a state when it could be removed, and a heart problem that led to a bypass operation.”

Gregory Ciottone, M.D. , emergency medicine, spoke to the Boston Herald during January’s large snowstorm about the type of ailments he was seeing that day. “The vast majority of them are coming in by ambulance -- some from nursing homes – and we’re seeing serious things like cardiac arrest and stroke.”

Zaldy Tan, M.D. , gerontology, discussed a link between low bone mineral density (BMD) and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in Yahoo! News. Tan and other researchers at BIDMC found that women with “low BMD may benefit from estrogen replacement therapy, despite the well-known increased risk of other complications.”

Timothy Vartanian, M.D. , neurology, discussed a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on ABC NEWS NOW. The study found that exposure to a younger sibling’s infections during the first six years of life helps the elder child’s immune system develop and cuts the risk of multiple sclerosis later in life.

Alice Domar, Ph.D. , obstetrics and gynecology, was interviewed by Medical News Today about a study on women and mammography. “I think it’s an old wives take that mammograms hurt,” said Domar. “Our results showed that women find mammograms to be a very benign experience.”

Vassilios Raptopoulos, M.D. , radiology, spoke to The Boston Globe about a new computed tomography (CT) scanner at BIDMC, saying that it “has brought us into new frontiers of body and cardiac imaging.”

Murray Mittleman, M.D. , cardiology, advised The Boston Globe on how shoveling snow can cause heart attacks. “Constriction, plus the increases in heart rate and blood pressure, can cause vulnerable plaques to rupture, allowing clots to block the flow of blood to the heart,” said Mittleman.

Jerome Groopman, M.D. , chief of experimental medicine, spoke to the Wall Street Journal about how important it is for patients to receive a second opinion. “Even though you have to visit four different departments and ask six different secretaries and sign eight different forms, it’s absolutely critical that you obtain a second opinion.”

Theodore Steinman, M.D. , nephrology, discussed polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and a new teal-colored bracelet campaign that hopes to raise money and awareness for the epidemic with WBZ-TV CBS 4. PKD is a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of numerous cysts in the kidneys. PKD cysts can slowly replace much of the mass of the kidneys, reducing kidney function and leading to kidney failure.

Ralph de la Torre, M.D. , cardiology, and Amy Ship, M.D., general medicine, were highlighted in Boston Magazine’s February health care issue. De la Torre was featured for his work in minimally invasive cardiology and Ship for her work as a primary care physician.

John Giurini, D.P.M. , podiatry, discussed a new therapy being touted as a treatment for peripheral neuropathy in an interview with WCVB-TV Channel 5. The manufacturer claims infrared photo energy can be used to treat this condition, which is often experienced as either sharp pain or total numbness in the feet. Giurini noted that while the concept is interesting, there has not been enough clinical research to suggest if this will become a valuable therapy.

Terry Maratos-Flier, M.D. , endocrinology, answered questions surrounding Splenda, the artificial sweetener, in an interview with ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Maratos-Flier addressed suggestions by sugar processors and the makers of artificial sweeteners that Splenda is misrepresented as a natural product because the foundation of the sweetener is sugar that is then processed by chemicals.

Janet Mullington, Ph.D. , neurology, appeared on WHDH-TV Channel 7 discussing the harmful effects of alarm clock snooze buttons, and how their usage can lead to other sleeping issues.

Raghu Kalluri, Ph.D. , matrix biology, spoke with Indolink.com regarding a study he conducted on natural cancer-fighting protein molecules found in the American Indian population.

John Halamka, M.D., chief medical information officer, was interviewed by InformationWeek, Investor’s Business Daily, Modern Healthcare, Health Forum Inc., Health Data Management, Computerworld and C-Span on health care technology-related issues.

Henry Koon, M.D. , hematology/oncology, discussed a new treatment for Kaposi’s sarcoma with HealthScout.com and HealthDay.com. Kaposi’s sarcoma is a disease that affects people with the AIDS virus.

Victor Gurewich, M.D. , vascular research, was quoted by Reuters on studies recently conducted on blood-thinning drugs like ximelagatran, emphasizing that more clinical trials are unlikely to resolve the question of the drug’s adverse effects.

Igor Koralnik, M.D. , neurology, discussed the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri and how it was pulled off the market, in The Boston Globe and Forbes Magazine.

Tom Delbanco, M.D. , general medicine, advised WebMD.com on “patient-centered care” and the notion of seeing through the patient’s eyes, rather than through a health care professional’s.

Hester Hill Schnipper, LICSW , hematology/oncology, talked to The Boston Globe and Metrowest Daily News about a Web site designed to help cancer patients’ friends, family and loved ones who wish to volunteer organize rides, meals and other household activities.

Joseph Carrozza, M.D. , chief of interventional cardiology, discussed a study on debris-collecting devices in The Boston Globe and on HealthDay.com. Carrozza disagreed with the study’s results, saying it “doesn’t establish that the policy of embolic protection is not effective.”

Ciaran Kelly, M.D. , gastroenterology, spoke to The Boston Globe about lactose intolerance and how the lactase gene can break down over time.

Lewis Lipsitz, M.D. , chief of gerontology, was interviewed by The Boston Globe for his opinion on the effects Parkinson’s disease had on the health of Pope John Paul II prior to the Pope’s death.

Frank Sellke, M.D. , chief of cardiothoracic surgery, discussed circumstances that require follow-up surgery for patients, such as former President Bill Clinton, after coronary bypass surgery, in an interview with Emily Rooney on “Greater Boston,” WGBH-TV Channel 2. Sellke was also quoted on the same topic in The Boston Globe.

Joseph Kannam. M.D. , chief of cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, discussed a new study that looks at the effectiveness of low-dose aspirin therapy in women in an interview with WCVB-TV Channel 5. Kannam said the study suggests that while “baby” aspirin may be effective for women over the age of 65 there is seemingly little value for women between ages 50 and 65.

Augustus White, Ph.D., M.D. , orthopaedics, was profiled in The Boston Globe’s Health/Science section. The article reviewed the role of White, BIDMC’s former orthopaedic surgeon-in-chief, in pushing back medicine’s color line. He was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at BIDMC’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration and YMCA Recognition Awards Gala.

Lissa Kapust, L.I.C.S.W., behavioral neurology, spoke to the Boston Herald about BIDMC’s DriveWise program. DriveWise offers a comprehensive evaluation of the driving performance of individuals who may have compromised driving skills due to impairments in motor, cognitive, perceptual and/or sensory skills.

Samir Melki, M.D., ophthalmology, was interviewed by WCVB-TV Channel 5 on the new implantable contact lens procedure, which he was the first in Boston to perform. “By the next day, the patient can go about their daily life,” said Melki.

Jane Fogg, M.D., internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, answered questions in the Needham Times about how walking can help your health. “A regular walking regime is associated with reduced mortality rates for both older and younger adults.”

Barbara Stewart, M.D., internal medicine, discussed obesity in women, and how it can lead to a higher risk of disease, in an interview with the Boston Herald.

Roger Shapiro, M.D., infectious disease, was featured by Reuters for a recent study he conducted on AIDS vaccines in unborn children.

Joseph Li, M.D., director of hospital medicine, talked about staff physicians and their “increasing role in the training of residents, the newly minted doctors who perform rotations at hospitals to learn different specialties,” in an interview with The Boston Globe.

John Frangioni, M.D., hematology/oncology, was interviewed by ScienCentralNews on quantum dot testing and how it relates to cancer detection. “Unless better formulations are developed and unless toxicology studies are done properly, it’s unlikely you’re going to find clinical utility.”

Jennifer Potter, M.D, general medicine, spoke to American Medical News regarding the role a primary care physician plays for women who suffer from breast cancer. “Women who survive breast cancer see their primary care practitioners often,” said Potter, “but many primary care clinicians are often uncomfortable with the management, and they’re scared about liability and good patient care, and oh my gosh, what if I miss something?”

Allen Hamdan, M.D., vascular surgery, discussed abdominal aortic aneurysms with The Boston Globe. “You can die from an aneurysm in five minutes,” said Hamdan.

Jonathan Edlow, M.D., emergency department, talked to The Boston Globe about blood clots and hemorrhagic strokes, with regard to New England Patriots’ linebacker Tedy Bruschi.

David Avigan, M.D., hematology/oncology, was interviewed by USA Today regarding cancer treatments and how “persuading the immune system to attack cancer cells is challenging.”

Elisabeth Bassler, M.D., general medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, answered questions in the Needham Times on child obesity. “Most recent studies show that many Americans are overweight. Developing good habits in children early can make the difference, not just in childhood, but later in life as well.”

Mark Chalek, chief of business ventures, talked to the Boston Business Journal about commercializing hospital and medical research in the hopes of generating revenue, as well as the CBR Institute for Biomedical Research and “their decision to seek more corporate partnerships in licensing.”

J. Anthony Parker, M.D., radiology, spoke to HMI World regarding positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) scans and the combination of both for diagnosing cancer. “Having both of these types of information in the same place is better than the sum of the parts,” said Parker.

Lou Caplan, M.D. , neurology, discussed how holes in the heart can lead to a stroke in certain individuals in an interview with WCVB-TV Channel 5. News reports suggest that New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi was treated for a hole in his heart, which, if true, could have led to the stroke he sustained.

Russell Vasile, M.D. , psychiatry, talked about the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in an interview with New England Cable News (NECN). Vasile described the illness, which people can suffer from during the months of October through March, when daylight is limited.

Lisa M. Wong, M.D. , neonatology, president of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra and a violinist, discussed her role and that of the orchestra in an interview on “Greater Boston” with Emily Rooney, on WGBH-TV, Channel 2. The LSO is composed primarily of health care professionals and medical students from Boston’s major hospitals and medical schools. Other BIDMC staff who play with the LSO include: Michael Cho, M.D., chief resident, medicine – viola; Mark Gebhardt, M.D., chief of orthopedic surgery – principal clarinet; Randall Glidden, M.D., anesthesia – bassoonist (on leave); William Kates, M.D., psychiatry – principal oboe; Anna Legedza, Sc.D., biostatistics – violin; Christina Parker, R.N., antepartum/postpartum unit – violin; Amy Slansky, M.D., medical intern – viola; and Nicholas Tawa, M.D., general surgery – viola.

Loren Borud, M.D. , surgery, was interviewed as part of a Dateline NBC investigation into offshore plastic surgery and the problems he sees in patients who come to him after complications from being “lipo-tourists” in the Dominican Republic. Borud also appeared on WHDH-TV Channel 7 discussing breast augmentation, and the difference between silicon and saline implants.

DeWayne Pursley, M.D. , chief of neonatology, discussed the history of the March of Dimes and its current prematurity campaign, in a segment of Chronicle on WCVB-TV Channel 5. Pursley is a member of the organization’s board of directors.

Lachlan Forrow, M.D. , general medicine, and Stephen O'Neill, L.I.C.S.W., Health Care Associates, discussed end-of-life issues in an interview with WBUR, 90.9 FM. Forrow and O'Neill, leaders of the BIDMC ethics services, talked about what patients and families should understand regarding the medical issues surrounding the end of life as WBUR's Here and Now looked at the Terry Schiavo case. O’Neill also spoke to The Boston Globe and New England Cable News, and Forrow was quoted in the New York Times.

Lewis Lipsitz, M.D. , chief of geriatrics, spoke to the Brookline Tab about a recent trip he made to the Ukraine, that was sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council’s Kehillah Project. While in the Ukraine, Lipsitz “started a new program to treat hip-fracture patients.”

Charles Dow, M.D. , cardiology, talked to the Boston Herald about heart patients returning to physical activity, as related to Tedy Bruschi, the New England Patriots’ linebacker who recently suffered a stroke.

Marc Garnick, M.D. , hematology/oncology, discussed the use of magnet therapy for people in pain in an interview with the Baltimore Sun.

Patrick Autissier, Ph.D. , research, spoke to the Boston Herald about a bike ride fundraiser he is participating in to raise $2 million in hopes of finding an AIDS vaccine. The “Race Across America” is a 3,000 mile non-stop bike race from San Diego to Atlantic City.

Benjamin Sachs, M.B.B.S., D.P.H., chairman of obstetrics and gynecology, was featured in a piece in Brookline Magazine for his work in the Ukraine, improving the health care for women and pregnant women.

Gregg Jacobs, Ph.D., neurology, spoke to the Wall Street Journal about cognitive behavioral therapy and how it relates to and can help cure insomnia.

Patricia Greenstein, M.D., neurology, discussed olivo-ponto cerebellar atrophy with The Saginaw (MI) News. The disease is a “progressive neurological degeneration in the brain, slowly causing spasms, muscle weakness, numbness, the inability to walk and usually death.”

David Simon, M.D., Ph.D., neurology, discussed the effects of Parkinson’s disease with WLVI-TV, WB-56. Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive neurological disease that affects a small area of the brain. Symptoms can include muscle tremors, slow movement, walking and posture, changes in speech, writing and loss of balance.