SUMC in the News (10/31/06)

Print media coverage

New York Times, 10/31/06
What pilots can teach hospitals about patient safety
This article discusses how several major hospitals have hired professional pilots to train their critical-care staff members on how to apply aviation safety principles to their work. David Gaba, professor of anesthesia and associate dean for immersive and simulation-based learning, provides comment here.

USA Today, 10/31/06
Merck to buy biotech firm for $1.1 billion
Merck & Co. announced yesterday it agreed to 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 award. Andrew Fire, professor of pathology and of genetics and 2006 Nobel laureate in Medicine, is mentioned in this Associated Press article, which also appears on ABCNews.com, Bloomberg.com, BusinessWeek.com, Forbes.com, FOXNews.com, MSNBC.com and in several newspapers across the country including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribune, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Houston Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Monterey County Herald, New York Post, New York Times, Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Times and the Washington Post.

Tri-Valley Herald, 10/31/06
Stem cells key in Garamendis campaign pitch
John Garamendi, a candidate for state lieutenant governor, is warning that a vote for opponent Tom McClintock is a vote against stem cell research. The lieutenant governor appoints five members to the institute's oversight panel, and some research advocates worry that McClintock - if elected - would appoint people who could stall the institute's progress. Although Stanford isn't referenced, this article may be of interest to readers.

Clarkson Integrator (Clarkson, N.Y.), 10/30/06
Internet addiction found to be growing problem
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, which originally appeared in the San Jose Mercury News. The study was also mentioned in Greater Milwaukee Today.

Modern Physician, 10/30/06
Ethics elaborated
Dean Philip Pizzo is quoted in this article on conflict-of-interest at research facilities and academic medical centers.

Washington Post, 10/30/06
NIH's new ethics rules lead some to ponder jumping ship
Nearly 40 percent of scientists conducting hands-on research at the NIH say they are considering leaving the agency to escape new ethics rules that have curtailed their opportunity to earn outside income. Although Stanford isn't referenced, this Associated Press article may be of interest to readers.

Newark Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.), 10/30/06
Agency fails to measure drug risks
The FDA's system of tracking serious side effects of new medicines is badly outdated, according to experts inside and outside the agency. Although Stanford isn't referenced, this article may be of interest to readers.

Wired.com, 10/27/06
A better way to build a face
A group of Stanford surgeons hopes to eliminate the need for full-face transplant by learning to regenerate the skin on the face. Geoffrey Gurtner, associate professor of surgery, is quoted here

Westborough News (Westborough, Mass.), 10/27/06
A president with passion
This article profiles Jack Wilson, president of the University of Massachusetts. Andrew Fire is referenced here.

Broadcast media coverage

WWJ-AM (Detroit), 10/30/06
This segment mentioned 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.

MWFLA-TV (Tampa, Fla.), 10/30/06
This segment discussed 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.

KGO-TV, 10/27/06
Stanford researchers are studying whether running can cause heart damage. Suzanne Miller, with the Division of Emergency Medicine, was interviewed during this segment.