SUMC in the News (10/30/06)

Print media coverage

San Jose Mercury News, 10/30/06
How requiring notification can inhibit good medicine
This column discusses Proposition 85, a state ballot initiative that would require parents to be notified if a girl younger than 18 seeks an abortion. Seth Ammerman, clinical associate professor of pediatrics and director of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital's Teen Health Van - a mobile clinic that provides free, comprehensive primary health care services to uninsured adolescents - is quoted in this article.

Oakland Tribune, 10/30/06
Mother's passion for health care helps son during crisis
This article tells the story of a mother who helped create a South Bay trauma center last year after her son was in an accident. Stanford is mentioned in this story, which also appears in the Alameda Times-Star, Fremont Argus and Tri-Valley Herald.

Southland Times (New Zealand), 10/30/06
NZ cancer patients miss out (No online version available)
Due to a lack of top-notch scanning equipment there, high-quality diagnoses are not reaching cancer patients in New Zealand. Andrew Quon, assistant professor of radiology, talked about this during a meeting of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

Oakland Tribune, 10/29/06
Drug giants miss mark (No online version available)
Randall Stafford, associate professor of medicine with the Stanford Prevention Research Center, is quoted in this article on the prescribing of drugs for off-label purposes.

San Francisco Chronicle, 10/29/06
Forget the mashed peas - you've come a long way, baby
Julie Matel, a registered dietitian at Packard, provides comment in this article on the rising popularity of organic baby food.

iVillage.com, 10/29/06
Patient's own blood cells treat tennis elbow
A simple therapy involving blood platelets could offer a new cure for chronic cases of elbow tendinitis - or "tennis elbow" - according to new research. Lead author Allan Mishra, a member of the adjunct clinical faculty, is quoted in this HealthDay article.

Houston Chronicle, 10/29/06
Just how much time spent online makes someone an addict?
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 Newsday article.

Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.), 10/29/06
Regular exercise is the key to more activity in old age (No online version available)
Walter Bortz, a member of the adjunct clinical faculty, is quoted in this article on the health benefits of regular exercise for successful aging.

San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio, Texas), 10/29/06
Get fit with the features editor
This piece on health and fitness references a Stanford study that found a link between weight loss and sleep.

Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio), 10/29/06
Your health is boss' business
This Seattle Times article mentions a Stanford study that found obese workers are paid less when they have employer-sponsored health insurance. The story also appears in the Rutland Herald (Rutland, Vt.).

Bryan-College Station Eagle (Bryan, Texas), 10/28/06
Shopping by the sexes
This brief item mentions a Stanford study that found nearly as many men as women experience compulsive buying disorder, a condition marked by binge buying and subsequent financial hardship. Lead author Lorrin Koran, emeritus professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and Elias Aboujaoude are mentioned here.

Boston Globe, 10/27/06
Her stent studies intrigue doctors
Studies show that drug-coated stents may carry a risk of blood clots. Peter Fitzgerald, associate professor of medicine, provides comment here.

Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.), 10/27/06
Casting wide net for peers' review
Some academic journals are replacing the secret-evaluation part of the review process with online critiques for research authors. A study from Peter P. Lee, associate professor of medicine, is referenced in this article, which originally appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Palo Alto Online, 10/27/06
De Anza college receives $1 million gift
De Anza College in Cupertino has received a $1.08 million gift from a donor to the Community Foundation Silicon Valley. The giftt will enable the college to train 66 additional nurses over the next five years. Stanford Hospital & Clinics is referenced in this article.