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our 39th year

Covering Homewood, East Baltimore, Peabody,

SAIS, APL and other campuses throughout the

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January 19, 2010 the newspaper of the Johns hopkins university Volume 39 No. 18

Job Opportunities

Notices

Classifieds

FaMILy traVeL

Dozens of memorable vacation

trips begin with a Johns

Hopkins connection, page 3

arra reSearCh

Michela Gallagher embarks

on a study of meds for treating

early memory problems, page 7

I N B r I e F

Men in Nursing event; Theatre Hopkins sets

2010 productions; the next American Idol?

C a L e N D a r

‘Extremist Jihadi Social Networks’; prime

minister of Montenegro; travel previews2 12

Q&A with the deans and directors A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

Michael Klag, dean of the Bloomberg School since 2005, sees four public health issues that people should be talking about more: global warming, availability of water, emerging diseases and population growth.

Spine immobilization may do harm to both gunshot, stabbing victims

O U T R E A C H

Continued on page 10

Patients are twice as likelyto die if not taken to thehospital immediately

B y S t e p h a n i e D e S m o n

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Immobilizing the spines of shooting and stabbing victims before they are taken to the hospital—standard procedure in

Maryland and some other parts of the coun-

try—appears to double the risk of death compared to transporting patients to a trau-ma center without this time-consuming on-scene medical intervention, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers. The findings, published in the January issue of The Journal of Trauma, suggest that pre-hospital spine immobilization for these kinds of patients provides little benefit and may lethally delay proven treatments for what are often life-threatening injuries. Wounds from guns and knives are often far

Continued on page 4

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Up first: Michael Klagof the BloombergSchool of Public HealthAt the start of a new decade, The Gazette launches a yearlong series of talks with the leaders of Johns Hopkins’ nine academic divi-sions and the Applied Physics Laboratory.

B y G r e G r i e n z i

The Gazette

Michael J. Klag, a physi-cian and internation-ally known expert on the epidemiology and prevention of heart and

kidney disease, took the helm of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2005. Klag had big shoes to fill. He replaced the charismatic Al Sommer, who had been dean since 1990 and had led a 12-year construction and renovation project that modernized and nearly doubled the size of the school’s pres-ence on the university’s East Baltimore campus. A School of Public Health graduate who had served on the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine faculty since 1987—and a very bright-minded optimist—Klag is an enthusiastic champion of the

F r o m S t a F F r e p o r t S

The Johns Hopkins University

As soon as news broke last week of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Johns Hopkins faculty and staff

switched into emergency mode, tracking the whereabouts there of any university affiliates and offering expertise where needed. Four master’s degree students in the Bloomberg School of Public Health were working on a UNICEF project in the villages of Anse Rouge and Pont Sonde, both distant

Devastating Haitian earthquake puts Johns Hopkins in emergency mode

from Port-au-Prince, and were unharmed by the earthquake. As of press time on Friday, the students were in Port-au-Prince working with AMURT (Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team) and were awaiting evacuation. They were originally scheduled to return to Baltimore this week. Five locally hired staff members of the Center for Communication Programs in the School of Public Health are also safe. Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins affiliate that helps create infrastructure for child and

Continued on page 12

R E S E A R C H

2 THE GAZETTE • January 19, 2010

I N B R I E F

e D i t o r Lois Perschetz

W r i t e r Greg Rienzi

pr o D u c t i o n Lynna Bright

co p y eD i t o r Ann Stiller

ph o t o G r a p h y Homewood Photography

aD v e rt i S i n G The Gazelle Group

Bu S i n e S S Dianne MacLeod

ci r c u l at i o n Lynette Floyd

We B m a S t e r Tim Windsor

Applied Physics Laboratory Michael Buckley, Paulette CampbellBloomberg School of Public Health Tim Parsons, Natalie Wood-WrightCarey Business School Andrew BlumbergHomewoodLisa De Nike, Amy Lunday, Dennis O’Shea,Tracey A. Reeves, Phil SneidermanJohns Hopkins MedicineChristen Brownlee, Stephanie Desmon, Audrey Huang, John Lazarou, David March, Katerina Pesheva, Vanessa Wasta,Maryalice YakutchikPeabody Institute Richard SeldenSAIS Felisa Neuringer KlubesSchool of Education James Campbell, Theresa NortonSchool of Nursing Kelly Brooks-StaubUniversity Libraries and Museums Brian Shields, Heather Egan Stalfort

c o n t r i B u t i n G W r i t e r S

The Gazette is published weekly Sept-ember through May and biweekly June through August for the Johns Hopkins University community by the Office of Government, Community and Public Affairs, Suite 540, 901 S. Bond St., Baltimore, MD 21231, in cooperation with all university divisions. Subscrip-tions are $26 per year. Deadline for calendar items, notices and classifieds (free to JHU faculty, staff and students) is noon Monday, one week prior to publication date.

Phone: 443-287-9900Fax: 443-287-9920General e-mail: gazette@jhu.eduClassifieds e-mail: gazads@jhu.eduOn the Web: gazette.jhu.edu

Paid advertising, which does not repre-sent any endorsement by the university, is handled by the Gazelle Group at 410-343-3362 or gazellegrp@comcast.net.

Prime minister of Montenegro Djukanovic to speak at SAIS

Milo Djukanovic, prime minister of Montenegro, will speak at SAIS at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21.

His talk is titled “Montenegro’s Path to Euro-Atlantic Institutions.” Simultaneous English translation of the prime minister’s remarks will be provided. Michael Haltzel, a senior fellow at the SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations, will moderate the session. The event will be held in the Nitze Building’s Kenney Auditorium. Non-SAIS affiliates should RSVP to CTR at http://transatlantic.sais-jhu.edu/events/2010/ djukanovic.htm. SAIS also plans to provide a stream-ing live webcast of this event. Go to www .sais-jhu.edu for further details.

Homewood freshman hears ‘you’re going to Hollywood!’

The next American Idol could be 18-year-old Homewood freshman Noel Turner.

According to a report at FloridaToday .com, Turner, of Satellite Beach, Fla., will make his debut during the episode set to air at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20, when the TV show will focus on the Orlando audi-tions. Turner, the Web site reported, made it through to the Hollywood round and is now in California taping that segment. Freshmen in the Krieger School don’t declare majors, but his family says Turner intends to pursue a degree in neuroscience.

Theatre Hopkins announces productions for 2010 season

Theatre Hopkins, celebrating its 88th season, has announced that it will present two musicals in 2010 at the

Swirnow Theater on the Homewood cam-pus. Opening in February will be Follies: Concert Version and in June, the Maryland premiere of The Glorious Ones. The concert version of Follies, featuring Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award–winning score, with book by James Goldman, will open Friday, Feb. 12, running weekends through Sunday, Feb. 28. Directed and cho-reographed by Todd Pearthree, the company portrays a host of players who have assem-bled to bid adieu to the ruin of a vaudeville theater. The cast includes Jeff Burch, Patty Col-man, and Nancy Asendorf and Amy Pier-son, who, as mother and daughter, led the cast of last season’s The Light in the Piazza.

Opening Friday, June 11, will be the area premiere of a new high-spirited musical, The Glorious Ones, created by the Tony Award–winning team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, whose book and music were hon-ored for Ragtime. Adapted from a novel by Francine Prose, the story is based on a real-life actor, played by Edward J. Peters, whose small commedia dell’arte troupe tours the village squares of Europe during Italy’s Renaissance. Also in the cast are Tom Burns, Lauren Spencer-Harris and Shannon Wollman; the director/choreographer is Todd Pearthree. The Glorious Ones will run four weekends through Sunday, July 4. For ticket information, go to www.jhu .edu/~theatre.

Men in Nursing to host talk on future of the profession

Michael Bleich, dean of the Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing, will give a pre-

sentation next week about the future of nursing. The event will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, in room 140 of the School of Nursing, with a reception to follow in the Carpenter Room. Bleich, who was invited by the school’s Men in Nursing group, will specifically address the important role that men will play in the future of nursing. “It is a great honor to have Dr. Bleich speak to us,” said student Lucas Fussell, who is co-chair of Men in Nursing. “Although he’ll be addressing the importance of men in the nursing profession, his message is very timely to all nurses, regardless of gen-der.” Bleich has published more than 50 articles and book chapters on leadership, academic service partnerships and workforce issues. He has received many teaching awards and is a member of numerous organizations and boards, including the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organiza-tions Nursing Advisory Council, the Ameri-can Organization of Nurse Executives, the American Nurses’ Association, Sigma Theta Tau and the Plexus Institute. The Men in Nursing group was estab-lished to recruit more men into nursing and to highlight and promote the role of men in the nursing profession to prospective students and to the community. The group also serves to provide students a supportive environment to present issues and concerns unique to men in the field of nursing. The group offers mentoring services, profes-sional resources, advocacy and social net-working.

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B y D e B i r a G e r

Homewood

A new master of science degree in infor-mation assurance is now available through Johns Hopkins’ Engineering

for Professionals, the part-time graduate pro-gram of the Whiting School of Engineering. Information assurance refers to the pro-tection of information systems against unau-thorized access or modification of data while it is being stored, processed or transmitted. The term also applies to protection against system attacks, such as those that result in a denial of service to authorized users. Engineering for Professionals’ new 10-course degree program was created to

meet a surge in the demand for engineers and scientists with technical expertise in information assurance, also known as IA. “Information is one of our most highly val-ued assets as a nation,” said Tom Longstaff, vice chair of the IA program and a senior IA scientist at Johns Hopkins’ Applied Physics Laboratory. “The skills to analyze and assess the risk of threats to our information infra-structure in all aspects of our society and the ability to protect against those threats are of critical importance.” The information assurance degree, one of the very few part-time master’s programs of its kind, is designed for those with under-graduate degrees in technical areas such as electrical engineering, computer science or mathematics. For students transitioning from

Engineering for Professionals offers new degree in info assuranceother fields, the program offers undergraduate prerequisite courses to be taken as needed. The EP program joins a full-time master of science degree in security informatics offered by the Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute, along with IA concentrations in four other Whiting School programs. EP’s information assurance program offers concentrations in both networks and sys-tems. The networks area focuses on pro-tecting information assets from network-based intrusions and remote exploitation of systems, and the systems area on protect-ing assets from within system boundaries, emphasizing platform, operating systems and secure software development. There are three required courses: Foundations of Algo-rithms, Principles of Information Assurance

and Cryptology. The remaining courses can be drawn from a range of state-of-the-art topics, including computer forensics, intru-sion detection, information assurance archi-tectures, reverse engineering and World Wide Web security. “The technical nature of the program gives students hands-on and deep funda-mental knowledge of information assur-ance,” Longstaff said. So far, student interest in the program has exceeded estimates. Taking advantage of EP’s rolling admissions policy, students may begin the program in the fall, spring or summer semesters. A number of courses are also offered online.For more information, go to http://ep.jhu.edu/graduate-degree-programs/information-assurance.

After postponing, at the request of President Daniels, the planned retirement that he had announced in September 2008, Dean Ralph Fessler of

the School of Education will leave his post this month. In a letter sent last week to faculty, staff and students, Daniels said he had asked Fessler to remain as dean in order to com-plete strategic planning for the school’s future direction and to work with the com-mittee that would appoint his successor, and now that those projects were completed or well under way, Fessler had decided it was time for his retirement to take effect. Although Fessler intends to devote his time to professional and personal projects he had put on hold, he will remain available to the school and his successor, when named, Dan-iels said. Mariale Hardiman will serve as interim dean, beginning Feb. 1, during the remain-der of the search for a permanent dean. Hardiman joined the school in 2006 as assistant dean for urban school part-nerships and chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education. She previously had served the Baltimore City Public Schools for more than 30 years, most recently as principal of Roland Park Elemen-tary/Middle School. She is a nationally known presenter on

school leadership issues and has published books and articles on employing neurosci-ence research to improve teaching and on the role of arts in education. Hardiman is a Johns Hopkins alumna, having earned her doctorate in education from the university in 2004. To read about Fessler’s career at Johns Hopkins, go to www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2008/22sep08/22fessler.html, the Gazette story announcing his retirement.

Education Dean Fessler to retire; Hardiman named to interim post

Mariale hardiman will serve as interim dean of the School of education until a successor to ralph Fessler is named.

A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

B y G r e G r i e n z i

The Gazette

Last May, P. Kyle McCarter led a 16-day tour across Turkey. The 15-person group started in Istan-bul and then traveled the coun-try’s Aegean and Mediterranean

coasts. They hiked, bused and spent about half the trip cruising on gulet yachts. McCarter, the William Foxwell Albright Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins, fondly recalls the days anchored in quiet coves off the nation’s famed Turquoise Coast. His group would take a few hours to sightsee, learn about the area’s ancient past and then head back onboard for a sunset dinner of local delica-cies prepared by the boat’s chef. McCarter’s co-travelers were not col-leagues, friends, students or family: They were Johns Hopkins alumni looking for a foreign adventure infused with the spirit of lifelong learning. The Turkey trip was part of the 2009 Johns Hopkins University Alumni Journeys travel program, unique vacation opportunities that

included a lodge-based adventure in Alaska, a dude ranch experience in Wyoming, a cruise to Antarctica, a hike up the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, a family safari in Tanzania and nearly 20 other experiences. Alumni Journeys, which began in the 1970s, has steadily grown in popularity and this year features 28 one- to two-week trips to such locales as the French countryside, the Italian Riviera, Morocco, the Amazon River and the Galapagos Islands. Several of the trips will be hosted by Johns Hopkins faculty, including McCarter, an expert on the east-ern Mediterranean world of antiquity, who this year will lead trips to the Greek Isles and Sicily. The program—which is open to staff, faculty and friends of the university, as well as alumni—attracts hundreds each year, including many repeat travelers. To promote the 2010 program, the largest to date, the Johns Hopkins Alumni Asso-ciation will host a travel preview and wine and cheese reception at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 24, in Mason Hall, located on the Homewood campus. The event will feature a talk on modern Latin America by Franklin Knight, the Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Professor of History and an Alumni Journeys

Setting a course for adventure

veteran, who this year will lead a 10-day trip to Argentina and Chile, and a two-week tour of Spain and Portugal. Participants can meet representatives from the five travel companies that partner with Johns Hopkins to offer the tours, some of which are co-hosted with other univer-sities. One partner is Alumni Holidays, known as the premier operator of deluxe travel programs sponsored by U.S. college and university alumni associations. Marguerite Ingalls-Jones, senior director of alumni services and the JHU travel pro-gram director, said that Alumni Journeys is intended to engage alumni, keep people connected to Johns Hopkins and each other, and provide structured travel experiences with an educational bent. “We do hundreds of alumni events in a year, and typically when you see a fellow alum, you get to talk to him or her for an evening. On these trips, you’ll spend a whole week or more with alumni from across the divisions,” Ingalls-Jones said. “You really get to know the people and build a relation-ship with them. And with the faculty mem-ber, there is that tie back to the academic side of Johns Hopkins.” The program offers a mix of structured travel opportunities to all points of the globe, including luxury cruises, traditional programs with deluxe lodging, all-inclusive trips, classic rail journeys, adventure trav-els and family-friendly vacations. The trips include a welcome reception, ample sight-seeing to area highlights and off-the-beaten-path destinations, lectures and more. A common thread among all the trips is the educational lectures. In addition to Johns Hopkins faculty–led trips, the pro-gram has vacations that feature faculty from other universities, local field guides or area experts. Last year’s trip to China featured a stop in Shanghai that included a reception with Johns Hopkins alumni based in the area and scholars from the Johns Hopkins University–Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies. In the trip to Turkey, the group visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the ancient ruins of Troy, the WWI battlefield of Gallipoli and traditional fishing villages. McCarter

said that for that trip, his first with Alumni Journeys, he was able to impart his knowl-edge of ancient medicine, which traces its roots to Greece and western Turkey. In fact, McCarter’s group sailed past the island of Cos, the birthplace of Hippocrates, the Greek physician known as the founder of modern medicine. McCarter said that he had an engaged audience, as several mem-bers of the group were Johns Hopkins physi-cians. “The whole trip went well. The group was very congenial, and, although nobody knew each other beforehand, they hit it off really well,” he said. “I have to say that I enjoyed the experience very much, too. I travel a lot, but I normally go to the Middle East. I was able to visit places that I normally don’t go to, or haven’t spent as much time in as I’d like.” The travel groups vary in size. JHU-only trips tend to draw 10 to 40 individuals, while the cruises feature 100 to 200 alumni from several institutions. The packages range in price from $2,000 to $6,000 per person, which includes high-end accommodations and most food, but not airfare. Most trips feature several stops, although sometimes the groups will stay for a week or longer to immerse themselves in the local culture. Ingalls-Jones said that the destinations historically attract retirement-age alumni, but recently an increasing number of younger JHU affiliates and families have registered. Lisa Auchincloss, travel program coor-dinator in the Office of Alumni Relations, said that all participants should expect to receive a lot of personal attention in a very collegial atmosphere. “You’ll find many like-minded folks. I hear back that many people get to be friends on these trips and want to meet afterward, or travel again with each other. Or they will enjoy the host or professor so much, they want to go again with them,” she said. “Most of all, they love that it’s all put together for you. No work, just come and soak in an-often-exotic location.” To register for Sunday’s travel preview, which costs $10, and for a full list of the 2010 Alumni Journeys and more details, go to alumni.jhu .edu/travel.

Johns hopkins travelers on the october 2009 ‘Classic China and the yangtze’ trip stop for a group photo at the temple of heaven in Beijing.

4 THE GAZETTE • January 19, 2010

field of public health who wants to further extend the Bloomberg School’s reach. Established in 1916, the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health was the first of its kind and remains a leading international resource for global health. It’s consistently ranked as No. 1 in its field by U.S. News & World Report. The school’s faculty and students conduct research in the United States and in more than 90 other countries. The largest school of its kind in the world, it currently operates more than 50 centers and institutes, has 2,056 students from 78 nations and receives 20 percent of all federal research funds awarded to the 43 accredited U.S. schools of public health. Dean Klag recently sat down with The Gazette to discuss both local and global public health issues, the past and future of the school, the popularity of public health studies and other topics. We learned not only that Klag has an infectious optimism but—as evidenced by the spectacular travel photos of his that line his office walls—a keen eye for detail and beauty, even in the harshest of locales.

Q: Certainly a public health issue that has been on everyone’s mind this past year is the swine flu [h1N1] pandemic. how would you grade our response?

A: One of the very good things that Presi-dent Bush did was to cause the development of a national flu plan. It was in reaction to concerns over H5N1, the avian flu, which leads to very high mortality and presented a very worrisome scenario. Because of this concern, Bush mobilized the CDC, NIH and other arms of the government to develop a flu plan. So, we were planning ahead. We had an infrastructure in place and had mon-ies available. I think we were very fortunate that we did not have an H5NI pandemic. Rather, it was an H1N1 pandemic. We knew we were going to have a pandemic of some sort. We have one about every 30 years and we were overdue, but if it had been H5N1, it would have meant many millions of deaths. Overall, I’d give government a B+. I think we handled it well. There were issues with the vaccines, availability issues, but it was developed very rapidly. When you look historically at how fast this vaccine was developed and manufactured, it’s remark-able.

Q: What about Jhu’s response?

A: I think we did a pretty good job. We had CEPAR [Johns Hopkins’ Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response], which was originally focused on the clinical side. Again, when we became concerned about a pandemic, CEPAR broadened its mission and turned to issues related to the university and students, not just the clinical setting. Jonathan Links [deputy director of CEPAR and professor and deputy chair of Environ-mental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health] worked with CEPAR director Gabe Kelen. They had a very good plan, and it was instituted well. A lot of work went into our response, and we were very fortu-nate that it was not a high-case mortality influenza.

Q: What public health issues should people be talking about more?

Continued from page 1

Klag A: If you look at big issues facing the world, clearly global warming and its effects on health. We are transforming our world. We are seeing changes in the biology of invertebrates, other animals and ecosystems. How that affects health is something we need to study and make plans for. Availability of water is another major issue. There are a billion people in the world without access to safe water, and when you look at the United States and other developed countries, there are emerg-ing contaminants in water—new organic chemicals that our regulations don’t deal with at all. We have incredibly safe water in the United States, but we need to look at new and emerging contaminants and assess their presence and their health risks. I think that emerging diseases—diseases that pass from animals to humans, such as avian flu and swine flu—is something else to look at closely. These are infections that can jump species and cause new diseases. Underlying a lot of these issues is a fun-damental problem that nobody is talking about, population growth. If you look at global warming, emerging diseases, avail-ability of water, death from disasters, food security and other issues, population growth is behind many. That really did fall off the agenda.

Q: Why?

A: Several reasons. In some cases, ideo-logical decisions were made by the federal government to not fund solutions to popu-lation growth, such as family planning. There has been unbridled growth of popu-lation in many countries, which has led to many health issues such as poor health of children. Population growth is something we need to examine and refocus on.

Q: Public health has been a top major at Johns hopkins, and at other schools, for a number of years now. What is fueling this interest in public health studies?

A: I think one reason is that the world is a smaller place, and people now are exposed to conditions outside the United States, through the media and travel, in ways that they simply weren’t before. They are aware of the great disparities that exist in this world between countries like ours and countries that are underdeveloped. They recognize the problems, and they want to do something about it. And I think there is an encouraging spirit of altruism in the young population. I interact with our students, and when I do, I feel good about the future of the human race. There is also a sense of entrepreneurism that is out there. There was a time when people would be confronted with very big problems and be overwhelmed by them. I think that is less so now. We know we can make change. We have philanthropists like Mike Bloomberg and Bill Gates who provide role models at very high levels, and who are passionate about saving lives around the world.

Q: how has this growth of interest directly impacted the Bloomberg School?

A: The history of public health in the United States, and in the world, has been that it’s been a graduate degree. People got an undergraduate degree or a professional degree, such as an MD or nursing, and then later would get public health training. So undergraduate education in public health is a new paradigm. We have an incredible need for people to work in public health agencies and NGOs [nongovernmental organizations]. So the need is nowhere near being fulfilled. But just as there has been an explosion on the undergraduate level of interest and training, there has also been an explosion on the graduate level. Now there are some 43 schools of public health in the country, a number that will only increase.

Q: When President Daniels made his first public visit to the School

of Public health, he trumpeted the divisional collaborations and multidisciplinary initiatives being led by the school. Can you com-ment on some of the current such work going on here?

A: For one, our faculty teach undergradu-ate public health at the Homewood cam-pus, and then those students, when they complete their core courses, come here and take more courses. Overall, there are many students in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences who come here to take courses in their later undergraduate years. We have a combined MPH/MBA degree with the Carey Business School. We have two combined master’s degrees with SAIS. A big collaboration with the School of Medicine is the Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation. Many trainees in the School of Medicine come to our school to learn about epidemiology, biostatistics and health services research. They take those techniques and apply them to clinical problems. If you think in terms of research, we are partnering with folks up at the School of Engineering in the Institute for NanoBio-Technology. Our faculty play a big role in that, especially in terms of toxicology of nanoparticles. There’s also JHU’s Global Water Program, which partners our Center for Water and Health, DoGEE at the School of Engineering and SAIS. We will also offer courses as part of the new major in [global environmental change and] sustainability offered through [Arts and Sciences’ Department of] Earth and Plan-etary Sciences. Our faculty are involved in lots of collabo-rations with other divisions. Public health by its nature attacks big problems, and you can only do that through collaborations. It’s the nature of how we work.

Q: We are entering a new decade. how much has changed in the field in the past 10 years? Were we even talking much about things like studies in bioterrorism back in 2000?

A: Certainly not much. D.A. Henderson, a dean emeritus here, was a voice in the wilderness talking about bacterial warfare. It really was 9/11 that catapulted such thoughts into our world. I would say emergency response wasn’t a field that received much academic study. It was a field that was incredibly under-funded that has now been greatly expanded due to interest from the federal govern-ment. I think health informatics has also exploded.

Q: What about changes in terms of how the school educates its stu-dents?

A: I would say there has been a great expansion in our distance learning. Now we have more than twice as many online MPH students as face-to-face traditional MPH students. And they come from all over the world. If you want predictions, I think that increasingly we will be using the tech-nologies and techniques that we’ve learned through distance education and use them to support classroom learning. Students now are much more oriented to using the Web to get information. We are thinking of how to use these technologies to increase our efficiency of teaching in the classroom and make it a richer experience.

Q: Can you talk about the school’s international expansion and pro-grams?

A: One of the things that was a legacy of 9/11 is that it became much harder for students from some countries to come to learn in our country. We had this golden age of American universities after WWII, when there were more universities here than anywhere else in the world. What we are seeing now is an expansion of universi-ties outside the United States, which is a good thing. [Students] have opportunities to learn in their own country and, as their

home country economies have improved, they have jobs. But now it costs them more to come here. There are barriers. I think we need to bring our education to people, using a combination of Internet techniques and repeated faculty face-to-face time. When I became dean, I thought we needed to expand our educational footprint around the world, not just in Baltimore. For example, in Barcelona, with our part-ners there, we have a fall symposium. We recently hosted a summer institute in Asia where we taught courses. We are in the United Arab Emirates to help train lead-ers in public health management, the next generation of health leaders to address the health problems over there.

Q: What about the past year in terms of accomplishments?

A: It might sound a bit crass, and I don’t want us to come off sounding rich, because we are not, but last year we raised $163 mil-lion in our development campaign. That is a phenomenal achievement, especially in this economy. Much of that was due to the hard work of our faculty in obtaining foundation grants and support. It was also the generosity of donors who recognized the power of pub-lic health and the ability of interventions that are applied across populations that can save millions of lives at a time. Importantly, we also returned our school to financial health. We are in the black and can move close to controlling our own des-tiny. That was a huge management accom-plishment. If you look at science, our faculty have had an incredible impact. Take the cir-cumcision study. This is the trial in Africa that showed that you could reduce the risk of getting HIV as a man by getting cir-cumcised. If we had a vaccine like that, or any other intervention, we would be doing handstands. That is something I’m very proud of. The trouble is, when you list one thing, you run the risk of offending 500 faculty [laughs]. We’ve had discoveries and break-throughs related to injury prevention and control. We are working on improving the health of adolescents in Baltimore. Our fac-ulty are engaged in so many areas.

Q: What about the school’s physi-cal growth in Baltimore?

A: I think we went through an unbeliev-able period of expansion during Al Som-mer’s leadership, but we really had to pull in our horns over the last several years because there were severe financial challenges for the school. We have met those challenges and have overcome them. And now I think in the next 10 years we will need to build. We need to upgrade Hampton House, and it needs more space. The School of Nurs-ing has just completed negotiations with the Johns Hopkins Hospital endowment to purchase land behind the school. We are going to share that lot with them, and we’re developing plans to build there. But that is going to be expensive. We need to raise money. But it’s clear we need to continue to grow. We are also in the process of obtaining a significant multimillion dollar capital proj-ect grant from NIH. One of the things that people from outside our school don’t always realize is that a third of our school is basic science research: biochemistry, immunol-ogy, molecular biology. We do research that goes from nucleotides to cells, to organs, to people, to communities, to global. So one of the things that this grant will do is to help give our scientists first-class lab facilities and expand the footprint of basic sciences at the school.

Q: anything else you want to add?

A: Yes, we continue to attract great stu-dents. One challenge is financial aid; it’s our greatest need. So before I think about building, I want to address financial aid.

Q: totally off topic: What are you reading right now?

A: I’m reading Dan Brown’s Digital For-tress. It’s a real potboiler.

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The Gazelle Group410-343-3362 or

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January 19, 2010 • THE GAZETTE 5

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B y h e a t h e r e G a n S t a l F o r t

JHU Museums

Homewood Museum at The Johns Hopkins University has been award-ed a Save America’s Treasures grant

to support the conservation and preserva-tion of its south portico. The $186,880 grant was awarded by the National Park Service, which administers the prestigious program in collaboration with the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “This grant support will make it possible for Homewood to undertake an extensive conservation project to repair and stabilize the identity-defining south portico, from its elaborate and delicate composition and carved wood ornament to the marble steps and tiled porch deck—even the wrought-iron railings, which are believed to be origi-nal,” said Catherine Rogers Arthur, director and curator of Homewood Museum. “It is a complex and comprehensive project that is not only cosmetic but structural in scope. We would not be able to tackle such a proj-ect without this important support from the Save America’s Treasures grant program.” “We are very pleased to have received this award,” said Winston Tabb, Sheridan Dean of University Libraries and Museums. “Homewood is an American treasure here in the midst of our urban landscape, and our staff and JHU students are proud to continue to share it with the public and to interpret the important story of the Carroll family who lived here.” Homewood Museum was one of 41 grant recipients nationally from a pool of 402 appli-cations. The awards totaled $9.5 million. Homewood is a rare surviving example of the suburban villa building type, which

emerged in Baltimore at the beginning of the 19th century for residential summer retreats. It was built beginning in 1801 on a 130-acre farm located two miles from the city center of Baltimore. The house and property were a wedding present in 1800 from Charles Carroll of Carrollton, one of four Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence, to his only son, Charles

Homewood Museum awarded Save America’s Treasures grantabout the grants. “These awards empower communities all over the country to res-cue and restore this priceless heritage, and ensure that future generations continue to learn from the voices, ideas, events and people represented by these projects.” In recognition of its historical significance and rare state of conservation, Homewood Museum has been the recipient of significant grants and bequests in past years from noted supporters, including the France-Merrick Foundation, the Maryland Historical Trust, the Charles Carroll of Carrollton Foundation and the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrim-age, as well as from generous private donors. As a teaching museum of Johns Hopkins, Homewood Museum provides curricular support to faculty and offers credit-bearing courses and internships to help meet the

university’s academic mission. The museum also welcomes members of the public to experience its collections and special exhi-bitions, as well as to enjoy its tours, lectures and other programs. Acceptance of the Save America’s Trea-sures grant requires that Homewood Museum raise a dollar-for-dollar nonfederal matching share. For more information on the project and how interested parties can help, call 410-516-6710 or e-mail Rosalie Parker, develop-ment coordinator for the Johns Hopkins University Museums, at rosaliep@jhu.edu. Additional information on the Save America’s Treasures program can be found on the Presi-dent’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities Web site at www.pcah.gov and on the National Park Service Web site at www.nps.gov/history/hps/treasures.

Funded by a grant from the National Park Service, an extensive conservation project will repair and stabilize home-wood Museum’s identity-defining south portico.

Carroll Jr., and his daughter-in-law, Harriet Chew Carroll. “Save America’s Treasures invests in our nation’s irreplaceable legacy of buildings, documents, collections and artistic works,” said first lady Michelle Obama, honorary chairman of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, in a statement

B y r o B i n F e r r i e r

Montgomery County Campus

Gary Brooker is no stranger to new technology. He’s been invent-ing microscopes to assist him and

other scientists throughout the world in the discovery process for decades. His latest challenge: developing two new widefield nonscanning imaging technologies for fluo-rescence 3D microscopy so that scientists can see more detail inside live cells to help unravel the mysteries of how cells function in health and disease. “This new technology will help research-ers map the distribution of proteins and other components inside cells more simply and at a higher speed and resolution than before,” said Brooker, director of the Johns Hopkins University Microscopy Center on the Mont-

gomery County Campus and a member of the Whiting School of Engineering’s faculty. Working with researchers at the Uni-versity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Brooker and his colleagues plan to com-bine the two widefield nonscanning imaging technologies they develop into a powerful single microscope that has the advantages inherent in each technology. “This work will achieve whole cell map-ping of fluorescent organelle proteins and other substances at higher resolutions while also enabling the capture of fluorescent confo-cal images on a CCD camera,” Brooker said. Brooker’s research is funded by a three-year $1.5 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology Mea-surement Science and Engineering Research Grants Program, made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The grant was announced Jan. 8.

Getting a better look at life

6 THE GAZETTE • January 19, 2010

January 19, 2010 • THE GAZETTE 7

A R R A R E S E A R C H

B y l i S a D e n i k e

Homewood

Michela Gallagher has spent more than two decades try-ing to solve the mysteries of the aging brain. What happens to our gray matter

as we get older? How—and why—do those changes occur? And, perhaps most impor-tantly, what strategies and approaches might help treat—or, eventually, even prevent—memory loss in age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other dementias? Now, using a $1.3 million National Insti-tutes of Health grant underwritten by the federal stimulus act, Gallagher and her team are about to embark on one of their most important studies yet: determining whether a medication commonly used to treat sei-zures can help improve memory and brain function in adults suffering from mild cogni-tive impairment, or MCI, a common precur-sor to full-blown Alzheimer’s disease. In a groundbreaking previous study, Gal-lagher’s team showed that the drug, leveti-racetam, markedly improved the ability of memory-impaired laboratory rats because it apparently had an impact on “excess brain activity” in the rats’ key memory systems. The research team knew that excess brain activity is also seen in the same memory system in MCI patients, leading them to hypothesize that levetiracetam could work for humans, too. “The results of this study could, potentially, help people very significantly and directly,” said Gallagher, a Krieger-Eisenhower Profes-sor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. “If the drug works as well in humans as it did in our animal studies, we potentially have a widely used medication with few side effects that

could treat elderly people with early memory problems.” In addition, the study results will illumi-nate how the drug works and shed light on

how human memory function fails in the aging brain, accord-ing to Gallagher, who is working on the project with fel-low professor Craig Stark, now at the University of Cali-fornia, Irvine, and

their student Arnold Bakker, at Johns Hop-kins. Greg Krauss, a neurologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine who has stud-ied levetiracetam in research on epilepsy, is overseeing the clinical trial. The stimulus

money allowed Gallagher to make two addi-tional hires: one full-time research assistant and a full-time research coordinator, who will be with the team for the entire two-year project. Gallagher’s study will test healthy adults (as controls) and participants with memory difficulties greater than would be expected for their age. Each person, between 50 and 85 years old, will participate in a sequence of two treatment phases, each lasting two weeks, during which they may receive drug or placebo. After two weeks of the treatment, Johns Hopkins researchers will evaluate the subjects’ cognition using memory tests and conduct functional magnetic resonance imaging sessions to map brain activity. Gallagher explained that this design allows comparisons to be made of each

person’s status both on and off the drug. Participants in the study will come from the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and other referral sources. “The ARRA program supporting this study has the apt acronym ‘GO grant’ stand-ing for ‘grand opportunity,” said Gallagher, “which it truly is for our work, allowing us to see whether the science in an animal model of aging bridges successfully to humans.” Gallagher’s team’s investigations are among the more than 340 stimulus-funded research grants and supplements totaling more than $160.3 million that Johns Hop-kins has garnered since Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (informally known by the acronym ARRA), bestowing the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foun-dation with $12.4 billion in extra money to underwrite research grants by Septem-ber 2010. The stimulus package—which provided $550 billion in new spending, including the above grants—is part of the federal government’s attempt to bring back a stumbling economy by distributing dollars for transportation projects, infrastructure building, the development of new energy sources and job creation, and financing research that will benefit humankind. Johns Hopkins scientists have submitted about 1,300 proposals for stimulus-funded investigations, ranging from strategies to help recovering addicts stay sober and the role that certain proteins play in the development of muscular dystrophy to mouse studies seeking to understand how men and women differ in their response to the influenza virus.

This is part of an occasional series on Johns Hop-kins research funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. If you have a study you would like to be considered for inclu-sion, contact Lisa De Nike at lde@jhu.edu.

A step closer to treating memory loss in age-related diseases

Michela Gallagher, right, and arnold Bakker will test in humans an existing drug that has been shown to improve the ability of memory-impaired rats.

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Homewood

A microbe commonly found in the Chesapeake Bay and other water-ways emits a poison not just to

protect itself but to stun and immobilize the prey it plans to eat, a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins and three other uni-versities has discovered. The findings about algae linked to massive fish kills could lead to new ways to slow the growth of these tiny but toxic marine creatures. The researchers studied the behavior of the algal cell Karlodinium veneficum, known as a dinoflagellate and found in estuaries world-wide. Each year millions of dollars are spent on measures to control dinoflagellates around the globe. This particular species is known to release a substance called karlotoxin, which is extremely damaging to the gills of fish. K. veneficum has been known to form large algal blooms in the Chesapeake and elsewhere, triggering an immediate harmful impact on aquatic life, including fish kills. “This new research opens the door to reducing bloom frequency and intensity by reducing the availability of its prey,” said Allen Place of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology at the Univer-sity of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. “As we reduce the nutrient load feeding Karlodinium’s prey and bring back the bay’s most prolific filter feeder, the Eastern oyster, we could essentially limit Karlodinium’s ability to bloom.” Place, in whose laboratory karlotoxin was discovered and characterized, was a co-author of the new study, published last week in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “This is a major environmental problem,

but we didn’t know why these microbes were producing the toxins in the first place,” said Joseph Katz, the William F. Ward Sr. Profes-sor in the Whiting School’s Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins and a co-author of the paper. “Some people thought they were just using the toxins to scare away other predators and protect themselves. But with this new research, we’ve provided clear evidence that this spe-cies of K. veneficum is using the toxin to stun and capture its prey.” Historically, scientists have found it dif-ficult to study the behavior of these tiny animals because the single-cell creatures can quickly swim out of a microscope’s shal-low field of focus. But in recent years this problem has been solved through the use of digital holographic microscopy, which can capture three-dimensional images of the troublesome microbes. The technique was pioneered by Katz. In a study published in 2007, Katz, Place and Jian Sheng, who was then Katz’s doctoral student, were part of a team that reported the use of digital holographic microscopy to view the swimming behavior of K. vene-ficum and Pfiesteria piscicida. At the time, it appeared that K. veneficum slowed down into a “stealth mode” in order to ambush its prey while P. piscicida sped up to capture prey. For the new paper, in which Sheng is lead author, the researchers used the same technique to more closely study the rela-tionship between K. veneficum and its prey, a common, single-celled algal cell called a cryptophyte. They found that K. veneficum microbes release toxins to stun and immobi-lize their prey prior to ingestion, probably to increase the success rate of their hunt and to promote their growth. This significantly shifts the understanding

Discovery could curb Chesapeake fish killsabout what permits harmful algal blooms to form and grow, the researchers said. Instead of being a self-defense mechanism, the microbes’ production of poison appears to be more closely related to growth through the ingestion of a “pre-packaged” food source, the cryptophyte cell, they concluded. “In the paper, we have answered why these complicated [toxic] molecules are made in nature in the first place and identify a pos-sible alternative mechanism causing massive

bloom,” said Sheng, who is now a faculty member in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. Other co-authors of the PNAS paper are Edwin Malkiel, an adjunct associate research scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins; and Jason E. Adolf, an assistant professor in the University of Hawaii’s Department of Marine Science. Funding for the research was provided by the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-istration’s Coastal Oceans Program.

B y k r i S t i m a r r e n

Applied Physics Laboratory

Working with government and industry, Applied Physics Labora-tory researchers have helped to

develop a school bus–sized apparatus used by special operations forces to store, deploy and retrieve equipment from a submerged guided missile submarine. Mike Lotito, of APL’s Global Engagement Department, served as the government’s technical lead for this effort through an interagency agreement with Strategic Sys-tems Programs. Leveraging its experience in guided mis-sile submarine (SSGN) programs and the Navy’s Submarine Launched Ballistic Mis-sile systems, APL played a vital role in the Wet Stowage Module program. Lab personnel served as the Navy’s leads to develop hardware, technical documentation and shipboard procedures. The Lab also

provided technical assistance for lighting detectability assessments. APL staff members supported the module’s testing at Stennis Space Center in New Orleans, and at sea. The initial prototype test-ing was conducted late last year aboard USS Georgia with a dockside checkout test and both unmanned and manned at-sea tests. “The capability evolved from discussions of concepts through deployment in less than one year,” Lotito says. This effort, he says, was made possible by close collaboration and cooperation among several organizations including Strategic Systems Programs, Naval Special Warfare, Naval Sea Systems Com-mand, Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, Kings Bay and Puget Naval facilities staff, SSGN crews and industry. The APL team is now supporting post-deployment processing of the initial unit fielded aboard an SSGN, as well as efforts for subsequent deployments.

This article appeared previously in The APL News.

APL delivers on new underwater device for special ops forces

8 THE GAZETTE • January 19, 2010

JohNS hoPKINS MeDICINeBarbara Cook , medical director of Johns Hopkins’ TAP (The Access Partnership) program, which improves access to specialty care for uninsured East Baltimore patients; Desiree De La torre, TAP’s project man-ager; Matt emerson, TAP’s senior analyst; and anne Langley, director of TAP, won the Service Quality Award from Permanente Journal for their poster presentation on TAP at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s national forum last December. The Johns Hopkins program bested 11 other finalists, chosen out of 400 applicants for the award. Dome has received the Association of American Medical Colleges’ top award for excellence as an internal audience periodi-cal, and Hopkins Medicine has received the award for excellence for external audi-ence publications. The AAMC’s Group of Institutional Advancement praised both publications for their writing and illustra-tions. Dome is edited and largely written by Mary ellen Miller and Judith Mink-ove of the Editorial Services Division of the Office of Marketing and Communica-tions. amy Goodwin is its managing editor, and Maxwell Boam , head of the office’s design group, oversees its layout. Keith Weller is the photographer for both publications. Hopkins Medicine is edited by Sue DePasquale . ramsey Flynn , its associate editor, also received a citation for his winter 2009 feature article “Think-ing Large,” about the effort of akhilesh Pandey , associate professor of genetics, to pin down the entire human proteome. Two other OMC publications, Change and On Guard, received honorable mention cita-tions in the AAMC’s internal audience cat-egory. Both are edited by Jamie Manfuso and designed by David Dilworth , with feature stories written by Manfuso, Linell Smith and Stephanie Shapiro .

PeaBoDy INStItuteMarkand thakar , of the orchestral con-ducting faculty and music director of Balti-more Chamber Orchestra, traveled to China with the BCO at the end of December to perform five concerts in Suzhou. The con-certs, featuring a light Viennese repertoire, were organized by Christopher Chen , a doctoral candidate in conducting who is a student of Thakar and Gustav Meier . Chen is artistic director of the Suzhou Sci-ence and Cultural Arts Center, a new venue in the city, which has a population of nearly 6 million. The Lyric Brass Quintet, which includes French hornist Larry Williams , a Con-servatory and Preparatory faculty member, and trombonist Brandon rivera , a Pre-

paratory faculty member, released a third CD, Ancient Noels, in December. Junior ta-Wei tsai , a student of Mar-ian hahn , was awarded first prize in Pea-body’s Harrison L. Winter Piano Competi-tion. Tsai will play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra or Peabody Concert Orchestra next season. Second prize went to eunkyung yoon , a graduate professional diploma candidate studying with yong hi Moon . The Dahlia Flute Duo, consisting of mas-ter of music candidates Mary Matthews , a student of emily Skal ; and Melissa Wertheimer , a student of Laurie Sokoloff , has received a CMS-Yamaha In-Residence Fellowship. The grant, spon-sored by the College Music Society, will fund a series of free lecture-recitals, each with informational booklets for audience mem-bers, at the Florence Bain Senior Center in Columbia, Md. The lectures will take place at 1 p.m. on Jan. 15, March 5 and May 7. The duo will also give the first lecture, “The Operatic Flute,” on Feb. 20 at the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair in Reston, Va.

SaISS. Frederick Starr, research professor and chair of the Central Asia–Caucasus Insti-tute, was recognized by New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks with a Sidney Award for one of the best magazine essays of the year. Brooks said that Starr’s article “Rediscovering Central Asia,” which was published in The Wilson Quarterly, is “an eye-opening look at what once was.”

SChooL oF MeDICINePeter Burger , professor of pathology, neu-rological surgery and oncology, has received the American Association of Neuropatholo-gists’ Award for Meritorious Contributions to Neuropathology. Recognized as “a leader among leaders” in his field, Burger is interna-tionally known for his work on adult and pedi-atric brain tumors. Renowned as a clinician, scholar and teacher, he has written more than 400 papers, book chapters and monographs, as well as eight books. Between his 17 years at Hopkins and the previous 20 years at Duke, he has taught at least 40 neuropathology fel-lows and hundreds of pathology residents. allen everett , associate professor of pediatric cardiology, has won more than $460,000 in federal stimulus grants to iden-tify the biomarkers of idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, a progressive and highly lethal condition in children and adults character-ized by persistently elevated pressure in the artery that carries blood from the heart to the lungs. Biomarkers are biological substances that can be measured in bodily fluids or tis-sues and serve as “byproducts” or “footprints” of a disease’s presence and activity. Uncover-ing the biomarkers for IPH would enable physicians to better monitor the disease’s progression and response to treatment. Michelle Petri , professor of medicine and co-director of the Lupus Pregnancy Center at Johns Hopkins, has received grants from the Lupus Foundation of Amer-

CheersCheers is a monthly listing of honors and awards received by faculty, staff and students plus recent appoint-ments and promotions. Contributions must be submitted in writing and be accompanied by a phone number.

F O R T H E R E C O R D

ica’s National Research Program to validate the American College of Rheumatology’s diagnostic criteria for lupus and help identify promising biomarkers that may facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Lupus is an acute, chronic autoimmune disease that disrupts the immune system, causing inflammation and tissue damage that can lead to heart attacks, strokes, sei-zures, miscarriages and organ failure. Ninety percent of lupus sufferers are women. Lil l ie Shockney , University Distin-guished Service Associate Professor of Breast Cancer and administrative director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center, will be inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame in March.

SChooL oF NurSINGDeborah a. Gross , the Leonard and Helen Stulman Professor in Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing in the Depart-ment of Acute and Chronic Care, has been appointed to the new Institute of Medicine Committee on Pediatric Health and Health Care Quality Measures. The committee is charged with reviewing the quality of health care for children of all ages including pre-ventive and corrective treatments for physi-cal, mental and developmental conditions. Doctor of nursing practice students erin turner and andrea Parson Schram have been chosen to participate in the Executive Mentorship Program, which offers excep-tional DNP students financial support aimed at building a yearlong relationship with an executive mentor. Turner, a nurse manager at

the Clinical Research Unit of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Johns Hopkins, will be mentored by Gail McGov-ern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. Schram, a family nurse practitioner in primary care and a clinical instructor at the University of Texas at Arlington, will be mentored by Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association.

SherIDaN LIBrarIeS/Jhu MuSeuMSSayeed Choudhury , Hodson Director of the Digital Research and Curation Center and associate dean of university libraries, has been elected to the council of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. An international association of about 700 academic institutions and research organiza-tions, ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation and methods of analy-sis for the social science research community. Choudhury was also elected to the board of directors of DuraSpace, a nonprofit organiza-tion promoting leadership and innovation in open source and cloud-based technologies for libraries, universities, research centers and cultural heritage organizations.

WhItING SChooL oF eNGINeerINGGreg Chirikj ian , a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been elected a fellow of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, one of the organization’s most prestigious honors. His elevation to IEEE fellow on Jan. 1 was made in recognition of his contributions to hyper-redundant manipulators.

William P. Minicozzi II, a Krieg-er-Eisenhower Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences,

received the 2010 American Mathemati-cal Society’s Oswald Veblen Prize in Geometry on Jan. 14 at the Joint Math-ematics Meetings in San Francisco. Minicozzi was honored with co-author Tobias H. Colding of MIT for a series of papers in the Annals of Mathematics in which they developed a new structure theory for embedded minimal surfaces. According to a statement by the Ameri-can Mathematical Society, the team’s research “led to the resolution of long-standing conjectures and initiated a wave of new results.” Also sharing the Veblen Prize, for work separate from that of Colding and Mini-cozzi, was Paul Seidel of MIT. The Veblen Prize was established in 1961 in honor of Oswald Veblen, who taught mathematics at Princeton Uni-versity from 1905 to 1932. Veblen made important contributions in projective and differential geometries, including

results considered important in modern physics. The $5,000 prize is awarded every three years in recognition of notable research in geometry or topology that has been published within the preceding six years. —Lisa De Nike

JHU mathematicianshares Veblen Prize

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B y n a t a l i a B o l t i n a

Johns Hopkins Medicine

The Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins Medicine announced last week that it will collaborate in

research, education and patient care with the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “We at the Wilmer Institute have long been interested in the study and cure of blinding eye diseases around the world, and the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital is certainly one of the most impressive eye hospitals outside of the United States,” said Peter J. McDonnell, the William Holland Wilmer Professor of Ophthalmology and

director of the Wilmer Institute. “Working in close collaboration with the excellent experts at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, and combining the expertise of our two institutions, will allow for more rapid evaluation of potential new therapies than would be possible with either hospital working alone.” A major focus of the affiliation will be the training of the next generation of leaders in ophthalmology—the scientists who will be developing new procedures and new treat-ments for eye diseases that currently are not curable—in both countries and beyond. The Wilmer Eye Institute already has trained more than 100 ophthalmology department chairs in dozens of countries. Abdul Elah Al-Towerki, executive direc-

Wilmer Eye Institute to collaborate with Saudi Arabian hospitaltor of the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hos-pital, said, “We are delighted to enter into this affiliation with the Wilmer Institute. We chose the Wilmer Institute because of its commitment to excellence and track record of advancing the field of ophthalmology. Both of our institutions have great strengths, and working closely together in this affilia-tion will allow us to accomplish more, in a shorter period of time, than we could work-ing alone. This affiliation is supported at the highest levels within the government of Saudi Arabia.” Several Wilmer faculty members will work at the hospital for extended periods, treating patients, teaching and conducting research. With financial support from the Saudi government, joint research activi-

ties will focus on developing treatments for blinding eye diseases, such as diabetic eye disease, that afflict patients living in both countries and around the world. In addition, a new endowed professorship at Johns Hop-kins will be established to support the work of Hopkins faculty. The Wilmer Institute is one of the largest medical institutes devoted to treatment and cure of eye diseases in the United States, with more than 130 full-time faculty mem-bers, and is recognized as one of the premier research, training and patient-care facilities in the world. The King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital is the largest eye hospital in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and is one of the top-ranked medical facilities in the Middle East.

January 19, 2010 • THE GAZETTE 9

aCaDeMIC aND CuLturaL CeNterS25 years of serviceB o n e y , Treva, Facilities, CTY

20 years of serviceI n o u y e , Irene, West Coast Office, CTY

BLooMBerG SChooL oF PuBLIC heaLthRetireeN a p o l i t a n o , Geraldine, 12 years, Rakai Project

25 years of serviceK r e n n , Susan, Center for Communication Programs

15 years of serviceG o u e l - ta n n o u s , Therese, International HealthG r a y , Roberta, Epidemiology

10 years of serviceC a r l i n i , Anthony, Health Policy and ManagementD u n n i n g , Richard, Center for Global HealthF i n i , Gayle, American Journal of Epidemiologyr e e s e , Diane, International Healthr i v e r a , Sergio, MaintenanceS t e e l e , Stephanie, BiochemistryZ e r b e , Lauren, Urban Health Institute

5 years of serviceC h a n g , Kathryn, EpidemiologyC r u n k l e t o n , Tammy, Epidemiologyh a m m a n n , Lynne, EpidemiologyS c h r o e d e r , Chris, Development and Alumni AffairsS t e l l a , Andrew, Center for Teaching and Learningyo u n g , Thayer, Environmental Health Sciences

Carey BuSINeSS SChooL10 years of serviceC a m p o n e s c h i , Charlene, PayrollK e n n e d y , Caroline, Professional Programs

hoMeWooD StuDeNt aFFaIrS25 years of serviceo ’ N e i l , D. Lynn, Student Employment and Payroll Services

10 years of serviceD y e r , Lisa, Housing Operations

5 years of servicet h a m m a v o n g , Kelly, Office of the Registrar

JohNS hoPKINS uNIVerSIty PreSS20 years of serviceB u r r i s , Glen, Design and Production

PeaBoDy15 years of servicea c k l e y , Gayle, Finance Administration

SChooL oF eDuCatIoN15 years of serviceM a s o n , Twana, AdmissionsM a z z i o t t , Karen, Financial Operations

10 years of serviceK e r w i n , Jean, Teacher Preparationyo u n g , Pamela, Columbia Campus Center

5 years of serviceh a n l o n , Janice, Teacher Preparation

KrIeGer SChooL oF artS aND SCIeNCeS20 years of serviceF i s h e r , Barbara, Cognitive Science

15 years of serviceWo o d w a r d , Ann, Visual Resource Collection

10 years of serviceC o s t l e y , Clarissa, AnthropologyS h e l d o n , Steven, Center for Social Organization of Schools

SaIS15 years of servicee l a h i , Mohammad, Information Technology Services

5 years of serviceK o p p e l , Anna, The Protection Project

SChooL oF MeDICINeRetireeK e l l y , Denise, 13 years, Clinical Immunology

30 years of service B e n a c , Susan L., CardiovascularG r a p , Nancy C., Cardiovascularh i l l , Deborah, JHTT Material Transfero ’ N e i l l , Patricia Ann, Cell Biology

25 years of serviceB a l c e r - W h a l e y , Susan L., Clinical ImmunologyK a r a s , Frances, CardiovascularP r a t z e r , Kimberly A., OphthalmologyP u r v i s , Shirley Hope, Pediatricsyi n g l i n g , John, Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, Bayview

20 years of serviceB u t l e r , Jean, Clinical ImmunologyD e v a n z o , Jeffrey, Radiation SafetyD o b b s , Barbara Y., Surgery G a m b r i l l , Pamela, Billing h a n d , Tracey A., Neurologyh o o p e r , Sharon, Surgery Billing J a m e s , Kim, Oncology J o h n s o n , Beverly A., NeurologyJ o u r d a n , Annette, Production Unit BillingL i n c o l n , Kevin L., Clinical Practice M i l l e r , Jerry S., MaintenanceM o r s b e r g e r , Laura A., Pathologyr o b i n s o n , Sherry D., Genetic CoreS h i p l e y , Janet C., Ophthalmology

15 years of serviceB o n a c c i , Mary Lamdin, PediatricsB o y d , Angela, Radiology Billing B r e n n a n , Roberta L., Psychiatry Billing B r o w n - S o l e s e , Donna, Physicians Billing B u r b u l , Mary C., Surgery Billing B u r k s , Shawn, Psychiatry Billing C o u r t n e y , Nancy L., Pathology Billing D u n n , Carolyn H., Ophthalmology G a i n e s , Barbara, Radiology BillingG r e e n , Pearl M., GYN-OB Billing h a c k m a n , Judith, Infectious Diseasesh a l e , Vera J., Oncology Billing J a c k s o n , Sandra, Anesthesiology Billing L l o y d , Deborah A., Green Spring StationM a n n i n g , Ida R., Oncology Billing M c G i n n i s , Marcheta, Neurology BillingM o r r e l l , James Charles, Biological ChemistryP a r h a m , Patrice E., Pediatricsr a p p o l d , Shirley C., Pathology Billing r e a t h e r , Ellen G., Pulmonaryr e d d , Zandra L., Psychiatry Billing S p a r k s , Paula B., Green Spring StationS t e w a r t , Andrea E., Oncology Billing t h o m a s , Gillyan G., Surgery Billing

10 years of servicea r m s t e a d , Deborah, Pathology

B r i n k l e y , Janice L., OtolaryngologyB u r l y , Shirly R., CardiologyC a r t e r , Tracilla, General MedicineC o o l e y , Michael D., General SurgeryD a v i s , Stephanie, Sidney Kimmel Cancer CenterF a u l k n e r , Lawrence, FacilitiesG e r s t e n f e l d , Elaine, Art as Applied to Medicineh e n r y , Patrice, Infectious DiseasesJ o h n s o n , Chenelle, PathologyJ o n e s , Carolyn V., General MedicineM i l l e r , Laura B., Plastic SurgeryM n a t s a k a n y a n , Aleksandr, OncologyM u n k a c s y , Pamela, Biomedical Engineeringo r e , Shirley, Custodial ServicesS c o t t , Dena, PediatricsS c h o e n , Richard, Eye Servicesti a n , Yanli, Cardiovascularyo u n g , Dawn, Oncology

5 years of servicea n t o n i k , Laurie, Anesthesia OutreachB e h r e n s , Kimberly, Cardiac SurgeryB o e s h o r e , Samantha, RheumatologyB o n a d i o , Janis, General SurgeryB r e a u d , Autumn, Clinical ChemistryC a r t e r , Terri, General AdministrationC h a r l e s , Melissa, Urology ResearchC i e k o t , Jesse, Infectious DiseasesC l a r k , Donna, Vascular LabC o n o v e r - Wa l k e r , Mary, Medical Genetics ClinicC o p p s , Patricia, Third Party ReimbursementsC u r r e r i , Kimberly, General Internal MedicineD o w e y , Sarah, Obstetrics-GynecologyD u h o n , Mario, Radiation Oncology Dosimetrye l b i r e e r , Ali, HIV Clinical and Researche u s t a c e , Daniel, Neurological SurgeryF l y n n , Ramsey, Marketing General AdministrationG i u n t o l i , Heidi, Marketing General AdministrationG i u r i c e o , Raymond, Biomedical EngineeringG u o , Wei, Cardiologyh a w e s , Cynthia, NeuropathologyK a r p e r , Jami, Retrovirus Biology LaboratoryK h a n , Rehan, Physical Medicine and RehabilitationK o v a c s , Kristie, Clinical Investigation Human SubjectsL a n c a s t e r , Charles, Facilities Maintenance and OperationsL o p e z , Kathryn, Cytogenetics LabM e r r i l l , Jennifer, Nuclear MedicineM o r t o n , Jacqueline, JHOC Practice OperationsN i c o t e r a , Bobbi, Clinical Immunologyo l a g b e m i r o , Yetunde, Nuclear Medicineo s i m o k u n , Oluyomi, Center for Inherited Disease ResearchP a c h e c o , Alberto, Urologic Oncologyr a d e b a u g h , Christine, Clinical Pharmacologyr i c h a r d s o n , Hazel, Surgeryr o n g i o n e , Michael, Molecular Mediciner u s h , Zoe, Infectious DiseasesS e i d e l , Christina, Outpatient UrologyS m i t h , Katherine, Market DevelopmentS t o l k o v i c h , Joseph, Core Facilities, GRCFS u m m e r v i l l e , Latonya, General Administration, Chairman’s OfficeS w a i n , Robert, Welch Communication LiaisonS z a j n a , Kelly, Brain Cancerta y l o r , Meaghan, Surgery, Bayviewt h o m p s o n , Nicole, GI Cancerto r t o l a n i , Edmund, Vascular Surgery, Howard County

Vi r t s , James, General Administration, Chairman’s OfficeWe i n f l a s h , Catherine, Patient NeuropathologyWi l l e t t , Matthew, PulmonaryWi n s t o n , Sally, Facilities Support ServicesX i n g , Yi, HIV Clinical and Researchye a t e r , David, Urology Research

SChooL oF NurSING30 years of serviceh u r d , Ruth, Research Administration

25 years of serviceWi l s o n - F o w l e r , Kelly, Master’s Program

SherIDaN LIBrarIeS/Jhu MuSeuMS30 years of serviceB o w e r s , Lillian, MSE Library

15 years of serviceWi t t s t a d t , Bonnie, MSE Library

uNIVerSIty aDMINIStratIoNRetireeta y l o r , David, 34 years, Building Operations and Maintenance

25 years of serviceL o w e r y , Rebecca, Administrationr o b e r t s , Richard, Building Operations and Maintenance

20 years of serviceS o l l a n e k , Karen, Finance and Administration

15 years of serviceL e w i s o n , Dana, Technical Leadership and Innovation Officer e n w i c k , Ben, Evergreen Museum & LibraryS t e w a r t , Maryann, Printing Services

10 years of servicea l s t o n - r o d g e r s , Katrina, FinanceL i , Pamela, Alumni Magazine ConsortiumK l i n e , Michele, Financeo t o l o r i n , E., Technical Leadership and Innovation Officeyo o , Young-Soo, Housing Operations

5 years of servicea g a r w a l , Koki, ACCESSB a k e r , David, Central StoresB o d a m i , Daniel, Enterprise Web ServicesF l o y d , Lynette, Finance and AdministrationG r e e n w o o d , Matthew, Finance and Administrationh i g d o n , Sheila, State RelationsJ u s t i s , Edward, Office of the VP and General Counsel K a u f m a n , M., Federal RelationsM a t t h e w s , Darrin, Regional and International ProgramN a r a n g o , Laura, Development Researchr o b e r t s , Philip, Office of the VP and General Counsel S c h m i t t , Charles, Enterprise Integration ServicesS h i e l d s , Brian, Development CommunicationsX i m e n e z , Catherina, Finance and Administration

WhItING SChooL oF eNGINeerINGRetireeo ’ N e i l , Joseph, 21 years, Geography and Environmental Engineering

10 years of serviceM u r p h y , Laurel, Mechanical Engineering

Milestonesthe following staff members recently retired or celebrated an anniversary with the university in January 2010. the information is compiled by the office of Faculty, Staff and retiree Programs, 443-997-6060.

10 THE GAZETTE • January 19, 2010

This is a partial listing of jobscurrently available. A complete list

with descriptions can be found on the Web at jobs.jhu.edu.

Job OpportunitiesThe Johns Hopkins University does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristic in any student program or activity administered by the university or with regard to admission or employment.

S c h o o l s o f P u b l i c h e a l t h a n d N u r s i n g

h o m e w o o d 41467 Instrument Shop Supervisor41521 Research Technologist41676 Campus Police Officer 41695 Sr. Laboratory Coordinator42088 Development Officer41161 Sr. Technical Support Analyst41453 Academic Adviser41503 Director, Multicultural Affairs41585 Financial Manager41782 Recreational Facilities Supervisor41881 Academic Program Manager41965 Accounting Specialist41980 Sr. Research Assistant42019 Associate Director, Financial Aid42072 Testing and Evaluation Coordinator42129 Financial Aid Administrator41856 Electrical Shop Supervisor41900 Research Technologist41921 Fulfillment Operations Manager42021 Locksmith42103 Sr. Energy Services Engineer

Office of Human Resources: Suite W600, Wyman Bldg., 410-516-8048JoB# PoSItIoN

41384 Assistant Program Manager, CTY41564 Sr. Systems Engineer41584 Executive Assistant41630 Instructional Designer41663 IT Project Manager41749 Law Clerk41790 Development Data Assistant41836 Development Coordinator42035 Information Technology Auditor42037 Internal Auditor41238 LAN Administrator41260 Campus Police Sergeant41340 Campus Police Lieutenant, Investigative Services41343 IT Manager

Office of Human Resources:2021 East Monument St., 410-955-3006JoB# PoSItIoN

41848 Sr. Administrative Coordinator41562 IT Service Coordinator41151 Research Assistant42060 Budget Analyst42453 HR Administrator, Leave and Records41473 Program Specialist41388 Program Officer42206 Sr. Financial/Contracts Analyst40189 Laboratory Assistant42369 Teaching Assistant41398 Research Data Analyst42309 Payroll Coordinator42043 Research Program Assistant42299 Retention Specialist 40927 E-Learning Coordinator, PEPFAR42428 Research Program Assistant II42220 Programmer Analyst

42011 Program Specialist40912 Clinic Assistant42400 Clinic Assistant39308 Software Engineer 42392 Administrative Coordinator39306 Programmer Analyst42377 Nurse Practitioner 42247 Research and Community Outreach Coordinator41785 Sr. Program Officer41724 Program Coordinator40770 Sharepoint Developer42099 Administrative Coordinator42351 Research Community Outreach Coordinator 38840 Communications Specialist41877 Health Educator41995 Sr. Medical Record Abstractor41652 Development Coordinator38886 Research Assistant42347 Research Program Coordinator41463 Research and Evaluation Officer40769 Software Engineer39063 Research Assistant41451 Multimedia Systems Specialist

P O S T I N G S

S c h o o l o f M e d i c i n e

Office of Human Resources: 98 N. Broadway, 3rd floor, 410-955-2990JoB# PoSItIoN

38035 Assistant Administrator35677 Sr. Financial Analyst30501 Nurse Midwife

22150 Physician Assistant38064 Administrative Specialist37442 Sr. Administrative Coordinator37260 Sr. Administrative Coordinator

Notices B U L L E T I N B O A R D

the 2010 youthWorks Summer Jobs Program — Teens interested in working in the YouthWorks Summer Jobs Program 2010 can participate in a paid summer internship designed to provide exposure to careers, mentoring and education while developing responsibility and experience. This year 250 high school and college stu-dents will have the opportunity to gain work experience and exposure to Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health Sys-tem through the paid internship. Interns will work from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, from June 21 through July 30. They will also participate in mandatory educational sessions. The dead-line for applications is March 5. Applications and more information are available online at www.hopkinsmedicine .org/jhhr/community/youthprograms.html.

For more information, contact HR REACH/Community Education Programs at 410-502-3090 or 410-955-1488 or e-mail johnshopkinssummerjobsprogram@ymail .com.

‘Crabbing for Cash’ Fund raiser — Johns Hopkins Children’s Center is back with its second annual Crabbing for Cash online fund-raising campaign. Cash Crab volunteers are needed to support both Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and the annual Mix 106.5 Radiothon, scheduled for Feb. 25–28. Cash Crabs ask family, friends, co-workers, classmates, local corporations and community organizations to make donations and/or become volunteer Cash Crabs them-selves. The goal is to raise $50,000. Totals will be announced at the end of the Mix 106.5 Radiothon. For details or to register, go to www .hopkinschildrens.org/crabbing-for-cash .aspx. For more information, contact Marisa Jaffe at mjaffe5@jhmi.edu.

Continued from page 1

Immobilization

from the spine, yet patients are routinely put in a cervical collar and secured to a board, the investigators say. “If you’re twice as likely to die, that seems like a bad thing to do,” said Elliott R. Haut, an assistant professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the study leader. “We like to use interventions that preserve life.” Haut says he hopes that, as a result of his study, Maryland will consider changing its protocol, which encourages spine immobi-lization for nearly all shooting and stabbing victims. The researchers caution that spine immo-bilization has been shown to be well worth the time and quite effective in saving lives and reducing disability from injuries sus-tained in car crashes and similar events. One finding that Haut said startled his team: Some of the least-injured gunshot or stab wound victims appear to be at greater risk of death if time is spent on pre-hospital immobilization. “The patients who are very, very severely injured from their penetrating trauma are going to die no matter what you do,” said Haut, a trauma surgeon at The Johns Hop-kins Hospital. “But if someone is stabbed in the lung or shot in the liver, what we do for them and how fast we do it make a huge dif-ference. That time difference in getting them to the hospital for treatment may make the difference between life and death.” EMTs and others who immobilize gunshot

and stab wound patients don’t intend to do harm, Haut emphasized, but a cervical collar may, for example, conceal an injury to the trachea or make inserting a needed breath-ing tube more difficult. The merits of other pre-hospital protocols, such as the need for universal intravenous fluid administration, have also been called into question in recent studies. Haut and his colleagues looked at records from more than 45,000 patients with pen-etrating trauma included in the National Trauma Data Bank from 2001 to 2004. They calculated that the chance of benefiting from spine immobilization in those cases was one in 1,000, while 15 additional people potentially died for every 1,000 shooting or stabbing victims immobilized before being taken to the hospital. “The idea of putting a board and collar on everybody is probably not the way to go,” Haut said. While standard protocol in Maryland requires spine immobilization for nearly all patients with bullet and knife wounds, there is more flexibility in other jurisdictions, Haut said. In the national data used by his group, only 4.3 percent of shooting and stab-bing victims were immobilized before being taken to the emergency department. Other Johns Hopkins authors on the study are David T. Efron, Adil H. Haider, Kent A. Stevens and David C. Chang.

Related Web siteelliott haut: www.hopkinsmedicine.org/ surgery/faculty/Haut

G

B y k a t e r i n a p e S h e v a

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Lessons learned from the first 13 children at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center to become criti-

cally ill from the H1N1 virus show that serious complications developed quickly, unpredictably, with great variations from patient to patient and with serious need for vigilant monitoring and quick treat-ment adjustments. These and other findings were pub-lished online Dec. 31 in the journal Pediatric Critical Care Medicine in what is believed to be the first published analysis of critical H1N1 illness in children. The Johns Hopkins analysis shows that 12 out of the 13 very ill children, all of whom were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit and survived, had underlying medical conditions that made them more vulnerable, including sickle cell disease, asthma and HIV. Complica-tions varied from temporary kidney fail-ure to acute respiratory distress syndrome and dangerously low oxygen levels and blood pressure. An important finding was that rapid screening tests were initially negative in eight of the 13 children, underscoring the need for more-sensitive tests. Therefore, the researchers say, all criti-cally ill children with flulike symptoms should be treated preemptively with anti-viral medications, regardless of test results. Past research has shown that antiviral medications are most effective in healthy people with the flu if taken within 12 to 48 hours after symptoms begin. Johns Hopkins currently treats all hospitalized patients with unexplained fever and flu-like symptoms regardless of test results. “Our most surprising, and perhaps most important, finding is that the H1N1 virus behaves unpredictably and variably from one patient to the other, and even within

the same patient from day to day, so we must be on our toes and react fast by adjusting therapy,” said lead investigator Justin Lockman, a pediatric critical care specialist at Johns Hopkins Children’s. Investigators caution that more and larger studies are needed to guide future practice and recommendations for H1N1 treatment in children. Senior investigator David Nichols, pro-fessor of anesthesiology/critical care medi-cine and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said, “Our analysis did reveal some interesting patterns and trends, but it also showed us how much more we have to learn about the behavior of this new and intriguing virus.” In total, the Johns Hopkins team ana-lyzed data from 140 pediatric patients diagnosed with H1N1 between June 2009 and August 2009. The novel flu strain, originally called swine flu, emerged for the first time in April 2009. Other findings reported in the article include: • Asthma was the most common underlying chronic condition (11 of the 13 critically care children had it), fol-lowed by neuromuscular diseases like cerebral palsy. • Nearly half the children became so sick they needed a ventilator to help them breathe. However, no children died or required ECMO (extra-corporeal mem-brane oxygenation), a last-resort critical-care device that takes over the patient’s lungs and heart to oxygenate and circu-late the blood when the patient’s organs can no longer do so. • More often than previously believed, one-fourth of the children developed dangerous secondary bacterial infections, which points to the need for watchful monitoring for such infections in children with H1N1. Co-investigators were William Fischer, Trish Perl and Alexandra Valsamakis, all of Johns Hopkins.

H1N1 lessons: Critical illness in kids unpredictable, survivable

January 19, 2010 • THE GAZETTE 11

ClassifiedsaPartMeNtS/houSeS For reNt

Bayview area, 2BR house w/fin’d bsmt, W/D, backyd prkng pad, no pets; sec dep and credit check req’d. Elaine, 410-633-4750.

Belvedere Ave, 2BR, 1.5BA apt, powder rm, lg living and dining areas, kitchen, fp, W/D in bsmt, balcony, 5-min walk to Belvedere Square, avail February. $900/mo + utils. 410-435-6417 or ankumar1120@yahoo.com.

Bolton Hill, fully furn’d 1BR apt, avail Janu-ary to August, quiet house, access to trans-portation. $1,075/mo + utils. maryhartney @gmail.com.

Bolton Hill, elegant 2BR apt, 1,500 sq ft, W/D, marble BA w/whirlpool, living rm, kitchen, skylight, 10.5-ft ceilings, balcony, nr light rail/subway. $1,175/mo incl water, gas. 410-905-3564.

Bolton Hill, two nice, clean 1BR, 1BA apts, one has deck, one has fp, walk to JH shuttle/subway. gbaranoski@covad.net.

Butchers Hill, 1BR, 1BA condo in historic mansion, W/D, quiet, safe neighborhood nr JHMI shuttle, nr Hopkins. $800/mo + utils. 443-370-6869 or ianosaur@hotmail.com.

Butchers Hill, 2BR, 2.5A TH, steps to medical campus, hdwd flrs, W/D, CAC, rear yd, off-street prkng incl’d. $1,200/mo + utils. 443-838-5575.

Charles Village, 2BR, 2BA corner condo w/balcony, 24-hr front desk, clean, 1,200 sq ft, nr JHMI shuttle, CAC/heat, all utils incl’d. 410-466-1698.

Charles Village/University One, bright, spa-cious 1BR, 1BA condo, CAC/heat; also avail to buy. $1,200/mo + sec dep. 540-785-8231 or tom333@comcast.net.

Charles Village (2907 St Paul St), 1BR apt, 1st flr, in safe, quiet neighborhood, off-street prkng avail for additional fee, avail Feb 1. $850/mo incl heat, water. murilo_silvia@hotmail.com.

East Baltimore, 3BR, 1BA TH, partly furn’d. $950/mo + utils + sec dep. Anita, 410-675-5951, Nancy, 410-679-0347 or amt2813@gmail.com.

Fells Point (Fleet and Wolfe), restored 3BR, 2.5BA RH, W/D. $1,800/mo + utils + sec dep. 443-629-2264 or aynur.unalp@gmail .com.

Fells Point (Wolfe at Gough), newly renov’d 3BR RH, 1,800 sq ft, master suite, back patio, garden. $1,900/mo. 410-245-1343 or jmwinicki@gmail.com.

Hampden, 3BR, 2BA TH, dw, W/D, fenced yd, nr light rail. $1,100/mo + utils. 410-378-2393.

Hampden, 3BR, 1BA TH, dw, W/D, AC, hdwd flrs, fenced yd, nr shuttle to JHH, walking distance to JHU, pets OK. $1,395/mo. 443-604-4207.

Homewood/Guilford, 1BR high-rise condo nr JHU/Homewood, W/D, doorman/security, pool, prkng. 757-773-7830 or anthony8066@ gmail.com.

M A R K E T P L A C E

Homewood (295 W 31st St), 2BR TH, W/D, gas heat, deck, fenced yd, no smokers/no dogs. $1,000/mo. Val Alexander, 888-386-3233 (toll free) or yankybrit@hotmail.com.

Mt Washington, 5BR, 3.5BA house, 2-car garage. $2,200/mo + utils. 443-939-6027 or qzzhao@gmail.com.

Patterson Park, 2BR, 1.5BA house, hdwd flrs, crpt upstairs, stainless steel appls, skylight, expos’d brick, 1.25 mi to JHMI. $1,100/mo. 443-286-4883.

Patterson Park (145 N Lakewood), 3BR, 1BA house, appls, hdwd flrs, w/w crpt, gas heat, yd, 1 blk to park, nr water/square. $1,100/mo + utils. okomgmt@hotmail.com.

Pikesville, 3BR, 3.5BA EOG TH w/updated appliances, replacement windows, fp. $1,500/mo + utils. 443-629-6795 or 212-991-8173.

Roland Park, 2BR + den condo, all new inside, gorgeous view, 4 mi to the Home-wood campus. 410-747-5037, nhh@comcast .net or go to http://sites.google.com/site/ devonhillrental.

Timonium, updated, spacious 4BR, 3BA house, walk to Dulaney High, school bus to middle and elementary schools, 2 mi to I-83/light rail station, rent-to-own option. $1,500/mo + utils. fengwu62@yahoo.com.

Village of Cross Keys, 1BR, 1BA garden apt, privacy fence, patio/garden. $900/mo + utils. 410-433-4365.

Village of Cross Keys, 1BR condo w/hdwd flrs, CAC/heat, 24-hr security, swimming pool, free prkng. $900/mo + utils (water incl’d). 646-284-2279 or tamrirev@yahoo.com.

Spacious, renov’d 3BR, 2BA apt, W/D in unit, CAC, dw, microwave, new w/w crpts, 2 balconies, 2 prkng spts, lots of storage/closets. 443-500-5074 or dani.amzel@gmail.com.

Lg 2BR, 2BA condo w/balcony, 10th flr, new bamboo flrs, new appls, pool, sauna, gym, indoor prkng, half-mile to campus/shuttle, start date negotiable. $1,850/mo incl all utils. janstrat@verizon.net.

6136 Parkway Drive, 1BR, 1BA apt in tree-lined neighborhood, updated kitchen (new refrigerator, gas stove, microwave, garbage disposal), living rm, W/D, storage. $750/mo + utils + sec dep ($750). Joe, 410-746-1126.

houSeS For SaLe

Bolton Hill, beautiful house w/2 big BRs, 2.5BAs, immaculate, hdwd flrs, new roof, new windows, recent appliances. $313,000. 410-383-7055.

Charles Village, beautiful 5BR, 3BA RH, hdwd flrs, front and back porches, enclosed garage, 8-min walk to Homewood, nr BMA, shuttle, shops on St Paul. 410-366-7383.

Harborview, 2BR, 1BA single-family bun-galow overlooking the city, nr all amenities and campuses. $169,900. 443-604-2797 or lexisweetheart@yahoo.com.

Mt Vernon, 1BR condo, high ceilings, chan-deliers, hdwd parquet flrs, intercom, 2 orna-

Classified listings are a free ser-vice for current, full-time Hop-kins faculty, staff and students only. Ads should adhere to these general guidelines:

• Oneadperpersonperweek.A new request must be submitted for each issue. • Adsarelimitedto20words, including phone, fax and e-mail.

• WecannotuseJohnsHopkins business phone numbers or e-mail addresses.• Submissionswillbecondensedat the editor’s discretion. • DeadlineisatnoonMonday, one week prior to the edition in which the ad is to be run.• Realestatelistingsmaybeoffered only by a Hopkins-affiliated seller not by Realtors or Agents.

(Boxed ads in this section are paid advertisements.)Classified ads may be faxed to 443-287-9920; e-mailed in the body of a message (no attach-ments) to gazads@jhu.edu; or mailed to Gazette Classifieds, Suite 540, 901 S. Bond St., Bal-timore, MD 21231. To purchase a boxed display ad, contact the Gazelle Group at 410-343-3362.

PLaCING aDS

Fantastic 1BD, 1BA Apt Orleans & Rose St .5 mile from JHMI, 1BD, 1BA updated charming apt, new paint/carpet, clean

& bright, BONUS: $200 Target gift card & 1 mo. free rent, $650/mo + utilities,

410-521-7050 or jolene@cbrownproperties.com

Verizon cell phone contract for transfer, free Samsung Sway phone incl’d, 8 mos remain-ing, JHU discount of 19% on any plan. jayaichbee@gmail.com.

Conn alto saxophone, mint condition. $650/best offer. 410-488-1886.

Pair of exterior French doors, new, white, 8 ft x 3 ft, made of Auralast wood, 15 double E-glass panels, double locks. $750/both. 443-768-4751.

Christian Dior Norwegian blue fox fur coat, medium size, full-length, great winter gift. $1,000. 443-824-2198.

Dressing table w/shelves, printer, computer, chair, microwave, 3-step ladder, reciprocat-ing saw, tripods, digital piano. 410-455-5858 or iricse.its@verizon.net.

Hoover Wind Tunnel 2 vacuum cleaner, rated #1 by Consumer Reports. 410-467-5636 or chazmeyers47@hotmail.com.

Ladies coats (2), size 5X, excel cond: black leather, 1 season old, $150; gray cordu-roy, warm, worn twice, $80. bawlmerhon@yahoo.com.

SerVICeS/IteMS oFFereD or WaNteD

Parents of 15-mo-old girl need sitter for wknds, 2-3 hrs, provide semi-structured play/learning/reading, ideal candidate is student in early education, refs req’d. jrbowman@hotmail.com.

Need a nanny? Experienced babysitter look-ing for family to sit for, PT, references on request. Lfraser134@gmail.com.

Looking for furn’d BR w/BA, on temporary basis, 1-4 wks (flexible) in March/April, nr 501 St Paul St. 415-931-1338.

Affordable, guaranteed home/office clean-ing service. Gerlyn, 410-246-0206.

Experienced tutor avail for GRE verbal; schedule a lesson. 310-409-7692 or andrea .hobby@gmail.com.

Tai chi beginner’s classes start Wed, Jan 27, in Charles Village, 6:30-7:30pm or Thurs, Jan 28, in Towson, 6:45-7:45pm. 410-296-4944 or www.baltimoretaichi.com.

Learn Arabic, MSA and colloquial, all lev-els, lessons tailored to needs of individual or group, native, experienced teacher. thaerra @hotmail.com.

Master plumber, licensed/insured, 20+ years’ experience, references avail. 443-790-6059.

Sing your heart out! Karaoke available for special events, parties, birthdays, children’s parties a specialty; reasonable rates. Angie, 410-440-3488.

Interior/exterior painting, home/deck power washing, general maintenance; licensed, insured, free estimates, affordable. 410-335-1284 or randy6505vfw@yahoo.com.

Horse boarding, 20 mins from JHU, beauti-ful trails from farm. $500/mo (stall board) or $250/mo (field board). 410-812-6716 or argye.hillis@gmail.com.

Licensed landscaper available for leaf and snow removal, trash hauling, lawn mainte-nance, Taylor Landscaping LLC. 410-812-6090 or romilacapers@comcast.net.

Need help with your JHU retirement plan investments portfolio? Free consultations. 410-435-5939 or treilly1@aol.com.

www.brooksmanagementcompany.com

Johns Hopkins / Hampden

WYMAN COURT APTS. (BEECH AVE.) Effic from $570, 1 BD Apt. from $675, 2 BD from $775

HICKORY HEIGHTS APTS. (HICKORY AVE.) 2 BD units from $750

Shown by Appointment 410-764-7776

SETTLE IN LUXURY, STUDY IN PEACE Share elegant, furn., pet-friendly, 1st-fl. condo w/gourmet

kitchen, storage, parking, wireless., in Tuscany-Canterbury’s prestigious Berkeley House, 1BLK from Homewood,

shuttles, shops & eateries, museums. References & credit chk., $850/per mo. Mature grad student/faculty preferred.

443.708.0707 or marie.payzant@gmail.com

414 N.Chapel St., Updated, all brick, 3BD, 2.5BA, w/backyard, active HOA, 2 blocks to JHMI $1400/mo. & January FREE.

Call Ben 410-935-5470 rxpbcg@verizon.net

mental fps w/marble mantels, dw, disposal, low condo fees. $146,900. jchris1@umbc .edu.

Roland Park, 2BR co-op apt next to Home-wood campus, overlooks Wyman Park, short walk to JHMI shuttle. $134,900. 443-615-5190.

rooMMateS WaNteD

Nonsmoker wanted for furn’d, spacious rm in West Baltimore, 1-wk sec dep and refs req’d. $495/mo + utils. 410-945-5951.

F wanted for furn’d, spacious (700 sq ft) BR in 3BR Gardenville house, vaulted ceilings, built-in shelving, mod kitchen w/convec-tion oven, granite counters, landscaped yd, deck, sign 1-yr contract and get one month free. $550/mo + utils. aprede1@yahoo.com.

Share sunny EOG house in Patterson Park/Canton area w/dental student, priv BA w/jacuzzi tub, rooftop deck, easy prkng, tree-lined street, steps to park, no smokers/no pets, furn’d if needed. $800/mo incl utils. 410-979-4902 or ked_hd@hotmail.com.

Share spacious 2BR apt nr Homewood campus w/3 grad students, apt has well-equipped kitchen. $375/mo. 410-340-9604 or krithika25594@gmail.com.

Rm w/lake view avail in beautiful Homeland neighborhood, furn’d, walk-in closet, mod-ern kitchen, prkng pad, perf for F prof’ls. $600/mo incl utils, local phone, high-speed wireless. tLwang21212@yahoo.com.

Share newly renov’d Washington Hill house, elevated deck, safe neighborhood nr JHMI. $700/mo + utils. jonchanghouse@gmail.com.

Prof’l/grad student wanted for rms in 2BR, 2BA Canton house, pref M, late 20s-early 30s. Jim, 443-745-3591.

CarS For SaLe

’98 BMW 740iL, 99K mi. $6,500/best offer. 410-530-6892.

’05 Toyota Camry LE, new tires, bluetooth, insp’d, in good cond, 80K mi. $9,950. 410-428-5947 or gayle.erdman@gmail.com.

’99 Nissan Sentra GXE, 4-dr sedan, auto-matic, clean Carfax, CD player, AM/FM, 98K mi. $3,000 (negotiable). 410-814-8683.

IteMS For SaLe

Moving sale: Coffee tables, mirrors, micro-wave, toaster, TV and remote, beds, tables, lamps, dressers, fan, dishes, pots, plates, decorative items; Mt Vernon area. 443-527-8963 or gitanjali.das@gmail.com.

Ikea “Leksvik” dining table w/4 matching chairs, coffee table and corner TV bench. $400/best offer. 410-274-0325.

Beautiful white upright piano, excel cond. $2,000/best offer. classypianist@gmail.com.

Genuine mink jacket by Saga, size small, color black, contemporary styling, in beau-tiful cond. $595. Lauren, 410-243-5719.

Ikea bed base for twin bed, wood, used but like new, cash only, all sales final. $20. 410-292-4137 (to arrange pick-up).

12 THE GAZETTE • January 19, 2010

Calendar C o L L o Q u I a

Fri., Jan. 22, 1 p.m. The A.I. Mahan Colloquium—“Extremist Jihadi Social Networks,” with Jeffrey Bardin, ITSolu-tions. Sponsored by the Applied Physics Laboratory. Parsons Auditorium. aPL

D I S C u S S I o N / t a L K S

Wed., Jan. 20, 5:30 p.m. “Israel, Tur-key and Azerbaijan: Strategic Shifts,” a Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at SAIS panel discussion with author Alexan-der Murinson; Khazar Ibrahim, deputy chief of mission, Embassy of Azerbaijan; Berkan Pazarci, counselor, Embassy of Turkey; and a representative from the Embassy of Israel. Rome Building Audi-torium. SaIS

thurs., Jan. 21, 10 a.m. “Montenegro’s Path to Euro-Atlantic Institutions,” a SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations discussion with Milo Djukanovic, prime minister of Montenegro. Part of the Transatlantic Leaders Forum series. (See “In Brief,” p. 2.) Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Building. SaIS

Mon., Jan. 25, 11:30 a.m. “The Major International Security Challenges in 2010: Italy’s Role and Vision,” a SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations discus-sion with Franco Frattini, Italy’s minis-tor of foreign affairs, and Kurt Volker (moderator), managing director, CTR. Part of the Transatlantic Leaders Forum series. Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Build-ing. SaIS

L e C t u r e S

Mon., Jan. 25, 4 p.m. Dean’s Lecture I—“Capitalizing on Tumor Genotyping: Toward the Design of Mutation-Specific Drugs” by L. Mario Amzel, SoM. Spon-sored by the Dean’s Office, School of Medicine. Hurd Hall. eB

S e M I N a r S

tues., Jan. 19, noon. “Regenera-tion Polarity in Planarians,” a Biologi-cal Chemistry seminar with Christian Petersen, Whitehead Institute, MIT. 612 Physiology. eB

tues., Jan. 19, 4:15 p.m. “The Sterile Inflammatory Response,” an Immunolo-gy Council seminar with Kenneth Rock, University of Massachusetts Medical School. Tilghman Auditorium, Turner Concourse. eB

Wed., Jan. 20, 4 p.m. “Antibiotic Persistence, Tolerance and Resistance,” a Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences seminar with Karl Drlica, New Jersey Research Institute. West Lecture Hall (ground floor), WBSB. eB

Wed., Jan. 20, 4 p.m. “Optimization in Some High-Dimensional Statistical Problems,” a Biostatistics seminar with faculty candidate Hua Zhou, UCLA. W4030 SPH. eB

thurs., Jan. 21, 10 a.m. “Determinants of Access to Primary Health Care Servic-es in Rural Afghanistan: The Influences of Geographic and Financial Factors,” an International Health thesis defense seminar with Laura Steinhardt. W2030 SPH. eB

J A N . 1 9 – 2 5 .

Continued from page 1

Haiti

maternal health in developing nations, has six program staff in Haiti, including physi-cians and nurses. All have been located. The most recent cadre of School of Nurs-ing students working in Haiti left the coun-try on Dec. 18; the next group was not scheduled to go there until Feb. 1. SAIS is not aware of any students there on “official” SAIS trips or projects and has no current students who list Haiti as their permanent address or location of their emer-gency contacts. A Web site has been created to bring together all information about Johns Hop-kins and Haiti and will be updated as more news becomes available; it is located at http://webapps.jhu.edu/jhuniverse/featured/Haiti and can also be accessed from the uni-versity home page, www.jhu.edu. In addition to details on Johns Hopkins’ efforts, the site includes links to organizations that are on the ground providing emergency medical care and other humanitarian services, and which are in need of donations. In an e-mail to friends of Johns Hopkins on Thursday, President Ronald J. Daniels said, “The people of Haiti have suffered a heart-wrenching catastrophe of enor-mous proportions. At Johns Hopkins, our thoughts, of course, are with all Haitians and particularly with members of our own community who have lost family and friends there. “Johns Hopkins people are men and women not only of thought, but also of

action,” he continued. “Many of us already have made generous donations to Haitian relief efforts and I encourage you to do every-thing you can to support the many charitable organizations already on the ground in Port-au-Prince or mobilizing to get there.” Some Johns Hopkins doctors have been called up and are being deployed as part of U.S. Disaster Medical Assistance teams. A Jhpiego team will be deployed to Haiti to support its ongoing efforts there. Other units or individuals from Johns Hopkins Medicine and from the Bloomberg School of Public Health are standing by. The Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response is actively assessing how best to respond, both imme-diately and in the long term. CEPAR is working with agencies that are responsible for a coordinated response. At this point, medical experts with experience and train-ing in disasters and international health are most needed, and CEPAR’s disaster-response team, called the Go Team, has been alerted for potential response to an official request. Should resources other than those available on the team be needed, specific requests will be made across Johns Hopkins. Those interested in volunteering on the ground in Haiti should watch for a CEPAR update in the coming days. “On behalf of the entire Johns Hopkins community, I thank everyone who is part of one of these relief teams,” Daniels said. “If you are called into action,” he said, “you will go with our thoughts and support.” At this time, because of safety, logistical and other concerns, CEPAR is discouraging any Johns Hopkins faculty, staff or students from individually going to Haiti to assist with earthquake rescue and recovery.

(Events are free and open to the public except where indicated.)

aPL Applied Physics LaboratoryeB East BaltimorehW HomewoodKSaS Krieger School of Arts and SciencesSaIS School of Advanced International StudiesSoM School of MedicineSoN School of NursingSPh School of Public HealthWBSB Wood Basic Science Building

CalendarKey

thurs., Jan. 21, noon. “SARS-Coro-navirus Pathogenesis: Death by Virus or Death by Host?” a Molecular Microbiol-ogy and Immunology/Infectious Diseases seminar with Matthew Frieman, Uni-versity of Maryland School of Medicine. W1020 SPH. eB

thurs., Jan. 21, noon. “Matrix Elastic-ity Directs Stem Cell Lineage,” a Cell Biology seminar with Dennis Discher, University of Pennsylvania. Suite 2-200, 1830 Bldg. eB

thurs., Jan. 21, 1 p.m. “Synaptic Specificity in the Visual System,” a Neu-roscience research seminar with Joshua Sanes, Harvard University. West Lecture Hall (ground floor), WBSB. eB

thurs., Jan. 21, 4 p.m. “Regeneration Polarity in Planarians,” a Biology semi-nar with Christian Petersen, Whitehead Institute, MIT. 100 Mudd. hW

Mon., Jan. 25, noon. “A Model of How Mammalian Spermatogenic Cells Regulate the Environment in Which They Develop,” a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology seminar with Wil-liam Wright, SPH. W1020 SPH. eB

Mon., Jan. 25, 12:15 p.m. “Under-standing the Other Big Bang: How Trans-posable Elements Amplify Through-out Genomes,” a Carnegie Institution Embryology seminar with Susan Wessler, University of Georgia. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. hW

Mon., Jan. 25, 1:30 p.m. “Tiem Vary-ing Graphical Models: Reverse Engi-neerin and Analyzing Genetic and Social Networks,” a Biomedical Engineering seminar with Eric Xing, Carnegie Mellon University. 110 Clark. hW

Mon., Jan. 25, 4 p.m. “Solar Energy Conversion by Photosystem II,” a Bio-physics seminar with Gary Brudvig, Yale University. 111 Mergenthaler. hW

S P e C I a L e V e N t S

thurs., Jan. 21, 2:30 p.m. Memorial service for James Lilley, former U.S. ambas-sador to China and South Korea. Speakers are Lynn Pascoe, UN; Stephen Young, for-mer ambassador; Robert Daly, University of Maryland; and Don Oberdorfer, chair, U.S.–Korea Institute at SAIS. To attend, e-mail jlilley@iri.org. Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Building. SaIS

Sun., Jan. 24, 3 to 5 p.m. Alumni Journeys Travel Preview Party 2010—in-formation presented by travel company representatives on 28 trips offered to JHU alumni in 2010; and a lecture, “Latin America Today,” by Franklin Knight, KSAS. (See story, p. 3.) $10 per person. To make reservations go to http://alumni .jhu.edu/calendar or call 410-516-0363. Sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association. Mason Hall. hW

G

Analyzing physicians’ practice pat-terns may hold valuable clues about how to curb the nation’s rising

health care costs, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. According to their study, published in the January edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the practice pat-terns of physicians participating in a workers’ compensation system had a profound impact on the ultimate cost of claims. After analyzing five years of claim data from the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corp., or LWCC, from 1998 to 2002, the researchers found that a small group of phy-sicians, only 3.7 percent, accounted for more than 72 percent of the workers’ compensa-tion costs. These were termed cost-intensive providers, or CIPs. “Across the board, we’ve found that most physicians practice prudently,” said Edward J. Bernacki, director of the School of Medi-cine’s Division of Occupational Medicine and principal investigator of the study. “But there are physicians who engage in cost-in-tensive practices. As we continue to debate the nation’s health care system, it makes sense to analyze how practice patterns drive costs, before instituting sweeping reform.” In 2003, Johns Hopkins researchers began working with the LWCC, a private non-profit mutual insurance company, to provide quality and cost control. For this study, researchers analyzed indi-vidual LWCC claims and a database of health care providers—doctors, physicians, clinical practices and facilities—during the same period. This research is the culmina-tion of several years of investigation into workers’ compensation costs that have yielded similar results. Other research team members include Xuguang “Grant” Tao, assistant professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins, and Larry Yuspeh, LWCC’s direc-tor of research and development and strat-egy management. “We have demonstrated that it is possible to objectively identify a group of physicians who are associated with high-cost claims

and quantify their effect on a system of health care,” Tao said. “Our major finding was that the workers’ comp costs of claims associated with this group of physicians are much higher than those claims associated with other physicians.” While some of the differences between physician groups were related to injury severity, the analysis controlled for Interna-tional Classification of Disease group, claim duration and other potential surrogates for severity. The analysis concluded that CIP status had a significant cost impact that is independent of severity. When the claim is closed, LWCC assumes the medical issue is resolved. When the claim remains open, a physician has determined that medical issues still need to be addressed. Previous research by the Johns Hopkins team reinforces the findings of the current study. • A 2005 study found for the first time that a small network of physicians could have significant impact on overall costs. In this study, a statewide group of 2,000 medical providers, called the OMNET Gold Network, showed significant cost savings by treating patients effectively and closing claims quickly. • A 2007 study found that certain claim attributes—specifically, the involvement of an attorney and the duration of the claims—greatly impacted overall claim cost. After analyzing 36,329 claims over five years, the study found that 2 percent of these claims accounted for 32 percent of the claim costs. • A 2008 study found that attorney involvement was associated with consistently higher medical, indemnity and claim han-dling costs. Of nearly 7,000 claims studied, 738 claims involved attorneys. By the study closure, 97.7 percent of claims without attor-neys had been resolved. Of those with attor-ney involvement, only 57.5 percent had been closed. The study found attorney presence on a claim correlated with duration, and the duration correlated with higher cost. The 2009 study was supported in part by a grant from the Andrew Family Founda-tion. —Gary Stephenson

Workers’ comp research gives insight into curbing health costs