SUMC in the News (11/01/06)

Press releases

Poor people in well-to-do neighborhoods face higher death rates, Stanford study finds
Researchers have found that poor people increase their risk of death by living in a well-to-do neighborhood.

Nap a day makes the doctor OK, Stanford study finds
Doctors and nurses who were allowed a short nap while working the night shift in an emergency room showed improved mood, a higher alertness level and the ability to complete a simulated I.V. insertion more quickly, according to a new study.

Print media coverage

San Francisco Chronicle, 11/01/06
Puzzling peril for poor people living among well-to-do
Marilyn Winkleby, associate professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, is quoted in this article on the neighborhood study. Winkleby is quoted in a San Jose Mercury News piece, which also appears in the Contra Costa Times; Scientific American,and United Press International.

Deavere Smith seeks truth in the human body
Well-known actor and playwright Anna Deavere Smith performed "Let Me Down Easy," a new, one-woman show that pays homage to the human body, at Stanford last week. Her Oct. 25 performance was co-sponsored by the School of Medicine's Office of Diversity and Leadership.

San Jose Mercury News, 11/01/06
Study finds anatomical link for SIDS
This article discusses a new study on sudden infant death syndrome that revealed an abnormality in the brain stem that impairs a baby's ability to regulate breathing. Ronald Ariagno, professor of pediatrics, provides comment in this story, which also appears in the Contra Costa Times.

Stanford Daily, 11/01/06
Hooked on the Internet
In a first-of-its-kind, telephone-based study, Stanford researchers found that more than one out of eight Americans exhibited at least one possible sign of problematic Internet use. Lead author Elias Aboujaoude, clinical assistant professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of Stanford's Impulse Control Disorders Clinic, is quoted in this article.

New York Times, 10/31/06
Merck buys maker of gene-silencing drugs
Merck & Co. will pay $1.1 billion to buy Sirna Therapeutics Inc., a tiny biotechnology firm developing drugs based on new technology at the heart of last month's Nobel Prize for Medicine Andrew Fire, professor of pathology and of genetics and 2006 Nobel laureate in medicine, is mentioned here.

Washington Post, 10/31/06
Bodies of evidence
This article discusses "Student Bodies," an Internet-based program designed to help prevent eating disorders. Craig Barr Taylor, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and one of the developers on the program, is quoted here.

Scientific American, 10/31/06
Poor people living in well-to-do neighborhoods die sooner
Marilyn Winkleby, associate professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, is quoted in this article on the neighborhood study. Winkleby is quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle, United Press International and in a San Jose Mercury News piece, which also appears in the Contra Costa Times.

United Press International, 10/31/06
Study: ER doctors do better with naps
This article discusses the recent Stanford study on naps. Steven Howard, associate professor of anesthesia at the VA-Palo Alto, is quoted here.

Daily Mail (U.K.), 10/31/06
Can blood injections cure tennis elbow?
This article discusses a simple therapy involving blood platelets that could offer a new cure for chronic cases of elbow tendonitis - or "tennis elbow". The study was led by Allan Mishra, a member of the adjunct clinical faculty, who is quoted here.

Sacramento Bee, 10/31/06
State sued on medical delays
This article discusses a patient's lawsuit against Medi-Cal, the state's health coverage for the needy and disabled. Stanford Hospital & Clinics is mentioned here.

Broadcast media coverage

KGO-AM, 10/31/06
Andrew Shelton, assistant professor of surgery, was interviewed during this segment on colon cancer.

KUTV-TV (Salt Lake City), 10/31/06
This segment discussed a study by Lucile Packard Children's Hospital that found more than 3.5 million children ages 14 and under suffer medically treated sports injuries each year.