University of Michigan Health System

UMHS Newsroom

• 2007 and earlier releases and archive
• Advanced Press Release Search
• Advanced News Clip Search
• Media Report

2003 News Releases

2003 News Releases December November October September August July June May April March February January

Past UMHS Releases 2006 News Releases 2005 News Releases 2004 News Releases 2002 News Releases 2001 News Releases Current News Releases Recent News Releases

December 2003

• Holiday respiratory etiquette: Cover your coughs and sneezes to prevent the spread of flu (12/22/03)
  Since the flu is one gift you can't send back this holiday season, experts at the University of Michigan Health System are offering some guidance on holiday respiratory etiquette to help you prevent the spread of germs that cause the flu. And for those unlucky enough to have contract the flu this holiday season, they offer tips on treatment.

 

• Top children's author helps U-M Cancer Center (12/22/03)
  Children battling cancer at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center will get a little holiday cheer next week from a very special source: a best-selling children's author who was also treated for cancer at the U-M, and the cancer team that treated him.

 

• Doctors more likely to prescribe pricey new blood pressure drugs despite standards, U-M study finds (12/19/03)
  U-M Study: Even though research has shown inexpensive treatments for high blood pressure are just as effective as pricey new drugs, doctors perceive the new drugs as more effective and think they carry fewer side effects.

 

• Study: Men do not cause yeast infections in women (12/18/03)
  Women may blame their husbands or boyfriends for headaches, tears and stress. But a new U-M study shows they can’t be blamed for those nasty recurrent yeast infections, contrary to popular belief. What might be responsible? Certain sexual activities, and a woman's own immune system.

 

• U-M Hospitals and Health Centers chief Larry Warren to be reappointed, with new title (12/18/03)
  The leader who has successfully guided the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers unit through the last seven years of health care turmoil will continue at the helm through early 2008. Larry Warren, M.A., will also receive a new title, Director and Chief Executive Officer of UMHHC, while retaining his post as Associate Vice President of the U-M Health System.

 

• UMHS to build new outpatient surgery, medical procedures center (12/18/03)
  To best serve ambulatory surgical patients and meet increasing demand for surgical services, the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers and the U-M Medical School are asking the U-M Board of Regents today to approve a plan for a new off-site ambulatory surgery and medical procedures center.

 

• Drug company payments to FDA haven’t sped approvals any more than federal funding increases did, study finds (12/17/03)
  Approval of new medicines by the FDA has sped up in recent years, but a new study shows that the drug industry's fee-based program for drug reviews hasn't accelerated things much more than federal funding was already doing.

 

• Have a healthy holiday season with these helpful tips from the University of Michigan Health System (12/16/03)
  No matter which holiday you're celebrating this season, you want it to be a happy and healthy one for you and your loved ones. Here are some tips to help get you through the

 

• Scientists discover how anthrax creates its deadly spores (12/16/03)
  In the age-old battle between man and microbe, it pays to know your enemy. This is especially true for Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax. Scientists have now identified all the genes and proteins involved in anthrax spore formation.

 

• Vaccine concerns on the rise, study says (12/16/03)
  The doctors who treat America's children are hearing more and more concerns from their patients' parents about alleged side effects from vaccines, and occasionally encountering parents who refuse some or all recommended vaccines for their children, a new U-M study finds.

 

• Screen young black men for prostate risk (12/13/03)
  A new study led by U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers concludes that black men should begin annual screening for prostate cancer at a younger age than white men, because of differences in their susceptibility to the disease.

 

• Online bladder cancer information often outdated (12/11/03)
  A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan Health System found 32 percent of Web sites about bladder cancer contained inaccurate or outdated information. And of a list of 41 factors related to bladder cancer, 32 percent of sites covered fewer than half the issues.

 

• U-M professor wins prestigious international award (12/11/03)
  A U-M professor and psychoanalyst whose research uses scientific methods to probe the intersection between neuroscience and Freud has won one of his field's highest honors.

 

• Two U-M Michigan Visiting Nurses receive Home Health Aide Award (12/09/03)
  Edna Reese and Debrha Tyler, both health aides with the U-M Michigan Visiting Nurses, were named recipients of the Frances Dillard Home Health Aide Service Award for 2003 for their valued dedication and commitment to patients and families for more than 20 years.

 

• National study seeks cause of baffling, fatal disorder (12/08/03)
  A better understanding of a baffling, frequently misdiagnosed disease called multiple system atrophy, or MSA, will be sought by researchers at 12 sites in the United States, including the University of Michigan Health System, as part of a five-year, $7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

 

• New I M Well Center integrates conventional, alternative medicines (12/08/03)
  A new center at the U-M Health System called I M Well is working to bridge that gap between conventional and alternative medicines by providing patients with guidance in selecting an alternative and conventional treatment plan that is best for them.

 

• Second opinion from major cancer center leads to more breast cancer detection, treatment changes (12/04/03)
  Women with breast cancer who seek a second opinion on their mammograms from experienced specialists at a major cancer center frequently get a new plan for their care, a new U-M study shows. Some even learn that they have cancer in more locations than they think.

 

• Freezing technique kills majority of small malignant breast cancers, U-M Cancer Center team reports (12/03/03)
  A technique already in use to freeze and kill benign breast masses also appears to kill small malignant breast tumors, new U-M research shows. And while the number of patients studied to date is small, the vast majority had no residual cancer after their invasive tumors were frozen in a minimally invasive ultrasound-guided procedure called cryoablation.

 

• Bionic eyes? Implanted telescope offers hope for those with macular degeneration (12/01/03)
    While there is no cure for macular degeneration, doctors are studying a new procedure that may bring improved sight – and quality of life – to patients suffering from this debilitating eye condition.

 

• Computers help read breast scans (12/01/03)
  Several new computer systems being developed at UMHS are showing promise in helping doctors improve their accuracy in finding and characterizng breast cancer on mammograms and other scans.

 

• CT scans accurately find cancers & other problems in urinary systems of high-risk patients, U-M team says (12/01/03)
  A 15-minute scan in a high-tech medical imaging machine may be all it takes to detect urinary system cancers and other problems in high-risk patients, according to new research from UMHS radiologists.

 

• Don’t let holiday reveling take a wrong turn with alcohol misuse (12/01/03)
    In general, alcohol-related crashes result in more severe injuries. Two of the main reasons for this are that alcohol-related crashes usually occur at higher rates of speed, and victims of these crashes are often not wearing seatbelts. However, University of Michigan researchers have identified another reason that these more severe injuries occur.

 

• New shoe insole design decreases the risk of serious foot infection for diabetics (12/01/03)
    Most people hear the word diabetes and immediately jump to the topic of blood sugar. But did you know that a serious danger surrounding diabetes is foot infection? Now orthotists at the University of Michigan Health System Orthotics and Prosthetics Center are helping diabetics fight calluses, ulcers and even amputation, with a newly designed shoe insole.

 

• Remarkable surgery removes huge tumor from behind youth’s face (12/01/03)
    Surgeons at UMHS are using a technique to remove tumors at the base of the skull without lifting the brain – thereby limiting the risk of brain damage, but also preventing any noticeable scars or damage to the patient’s sense of smell. With this technique, called cranial base surgery, doctors make an incision across the top of the head, peel the face down and cut through the bones of the forehead, cheek and jaw to access the tumor without touching the brain.

 

• Surviving childhood leukemia (12/01/03)
    Recent advances in childhood leukemia treatment have given more children a greater chance of life after cancer. Only 20 years ago, children diagnosed with leukemia had a 50 percent survival rate. Today, due mostly to clinical trials, the cure rate is 85 percent and still improving.

 

• U-M Health System fitness program gets patients moving toward a healthier lifestyle (12/01/03)
  Fit-Script, MFit's medically based exercise program, is specially designed for patients of various physical levels who need assistance and personal attention to learn how to practice a safe and effective exercise program that can improve their quality of life.

 

back to top

November 2003

• Inconsistent guidelines lead to wide variation in chaperone use during Pap smears, U-M study finds (11/25/03)
  A study by doctors at the University of Michigan Health System found three-quarters of family physicians surveyed said they routinely use a nurse or medical assistant as chaperone during Pap smears. But a woman living in the South is more likely to have a chaperone in the exam room than is a woman living in the Midwest. And male doctors are more likely to use chaperones than female doctors.

 

• U-M’s Kellogg Eye Center ranked among top 5 ophthalmology programs in the nation (11/25/03)
  The University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center has been rated No. 5 for "Best Overall Program" in a yearly survey that ranks ophthalmology programs across the country.

 

• President Bush's bioethics advisor to speak (11/21/03)
  The bioethicist who chairs President Bush's bioethics council, Leon Kass, M.D., Ph.D., will give the 8th annual Waggoner Lecture on Ethics and Values in Medicine on Thursday, Dec. 3 at UMHS.

 

• Trauma Burn teams with Century Council to combat underage drinking (11/21/03)
  U-M Trauma Burn Center, The Century Council come together on Nov. 24 to announce partnership that targets at-risk teens

 

• Light up for Life: Event benefits Food Gatherers, U-M C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital (11/18/03)
  On Friday, Nov. 21, the Main Street Area Association will light up the Main Street in Ann Arbor to benefit the Food Gatherers and U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. A Mott patient family will throw the official "switch" for the lighting ceremony at 7 p.m.

 

• U-M class takes focus off fad diets to curb obesity epidemic (11/18/03)
  To take that focus off food and address the root of the problem with over-eating, the University of Michigan Health System Preventive Cardiology Services, part of the U-M Cardiovascular Center, are offering real hope for lifelong weight management in the form of a 12-week workshop.

 

• U-M scientists find new evidence linking inflammation to venous disease (11/18/03)
  Scientists from the University of Michigan Medical School have discovered intriguing new evidence to support the idea that the development of blood clots in veins - just like blocked arteries in atherosclerosis - is an inflammatory process.

 

• How can health care teams help kids prepare for heart surgery? (11/17/03)
  A new scientific statement by the American Heart Association, intended to help health providers get kids of all ages ready for heart surgery and procedures, was written by a team led by a U-M nurse practitioner.

 

• U-M receives federal grant to create disaster simulation center (11/13/03)
  University of Michigan researchers at its Medical School and Media Union's 3-D Lab will create a clinical simulation center to train first responders and medical personnel for unique disaster situations. The center - funded by a one-year, $421,589 federal grant monitored by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - is intended to prepare emergency responders to handle unique disaster occurrences, such as those involving weapons of mass destruction or a terrorist attack.

 

• High heart disease risk for lupus patients may be linked to rapid death of blood vessel lining cells (11/11/03)
  Mass suicide by protective cells that line every blood vessel in the body may be to blame for the increased risk of heart and vascular disease faced by patients with the autoimmune disease known as lupus, new research suggests.

 

• Multi-hospital angioplasty improvement effort reduces deaths and complications, yields valuable risk data (11/11/03)
  A multi-hospital effort to improve angioplasty care in Michigan has increased use of helpful drugs, cut deaths and complications, and yielded important data that can aid angioplasty care everywhere. [The study is led by U-M Cardiovascular Center researchers and funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.]

 

• Procedure cures atrial fibrillation (11/11/03)
  An innovative procedure completely cures the overwhelming majority of patients with the most common form of irregular heartbeat, by stopping haywire electrical signals in areas of heart muscle and some of the veins that connect to it. U-M Cardiovascular Center researchers report their success in several studies released today.

 

• Diabetes management improves when patients, doctors agree on treatment goals, UMHS study finds (11/10/03)
  People with diabetes who agree with their physician’s treatment goals and strategies were more likely to be successful at managing their condition, but few patients agree with their doctor’s top three goals and strategies, researchers at the University of Michigan Health System report.

 

• One hour of one-on-one patient education reduces heart failure re-hospitalization by one third (11/10/03)
  A single hour of individualized education before heart failure patients leave the hospital appears to make a major difference in how well they take care of themselves once they get home. It also cuts by one-third their risk of returning to the hospital or dying in the next six months [according to a new study from the U-M Cardiovascular Center]

 

• U-M geneticist receives basic research prize from American Heart Association (11/10/03)
  The American Heart Association has awarded one of its highest accolades, the Basic Research Prize, to U-M geneticist David Ginsburg, M.D., for his discovery of molecular genetic defects causing major bleeding disorders.

 

• Women & men differ in heart disease traits and treatment (11/10/03)
  A new [U-M Cardiovascular Center] study shows just how different men and women really are — when it comes to their hearts, that is. It also helps solve several mysteries about women and heart problems, and highlights the need for better treatment of the No. 1 killer of women.

 

• The truth about vaccines (11/04/03)
  For parents and health care professionals who have seen recent media coverage on vaccine safety issues, the U-M Health System offers this page of trustworthy information and advice.

 

• Exposing the hidden syndrome: Irritable Bowel (11/03/03)
    Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is among the most common gastrointestinal problems in the United States. Between 7 percent and 20 percent of Americans experience symptoms suggestive of IBS, such as abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea, but many shy away from discussing the problem and end up missing out on effective treatment for the syndrome. Physicians are building IBS awareness in hopes that those suffering will seek medical help.

 

• Planning for the gray cloud of dementia (11/03/03)
    Many Americans have not adequately planned for living with costly illnesses such as Alzheimers. Families can reduce stress by planning early for personal care of the patient as well as the financial obligations of the illness.

 

• Preventing falls one step at a time (11/03/03)
    Approximately 30 percent to 40 percent of senior citizens fall each year, which places falls as the leading cause of accidental death among older adults in the United States. Although it is impossible to prevent all falls, geriatric specialists suggest both improving balance through exercise to avoid falls and employ “fall-proofing” behaviors in and around the home to reduce risks.

 

• Quit smoking, and your whole body will thank you (11/03/03)
    Though most smokers might assume only their lungs suffer from their tobacco habit, that is not the case. From a smoker’s head to his or her toes, puffing away on cigarettes or cigars does damage throughout the body. That’s what makes it so risky – and what makes quitting so important.

 

• Study: Childhood obesity and behavior problems linked (11/03/03)
  A newly published UMHS/Boston University study finds a connection between childhood obesity and behavior problems, both in children who are now overweight and in those who may become overweight.

 

back to top

October 2003

• Three U-M Medical School faculty elected to Institute of Medicine (10/30/03)
  William Barsan, M.D., Robert Bartlett, M.D., and Timothy R.B. Johnson are among the 65 newest members of the Institute of Medicine. The new members for 2003 were announced on Monday, Oct. 27.

 

• U-M Health System sponsors Michigan families to attend Family Burn Camp (10/29/03)
  This weekend, the U-M Trauma Burn Center will host the Family Burn Camp at Camp Copneconic in Fenton, Mich. The camp is designed to bring U-M burn-injured patients and their families face-to-face with other families with similar experiences to share their emotions and stories in a nurturing and fun environment.

 

• University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center announces national advisory board (10/29/03)
  The U-M Cardiovascular Center has announced its national advisory board, whose 34 members will help the center promote the understanding of how cardiovascular diseases develop, and how they can be diagnosed, prevented and treated

 

• Link Between Depression and Pain in Fibromyalgia Still Not Clear (10/28/03)
  There appears to be no association between depression, sensitivity to pain stimulus and how pain is processed in the brain in fibromyalgia patients with and without clinical depression, according to research presented recently by UMHS pain specialists.

 

• Michigan investigators receive $11.9 million from NIH to develop tomorrow’s proteomics technology (10/28/03)
  Whether they work for a university or a corporate laboratory, scientists doing research in the life sciences now have one more reason to come to Michigan.

 

• Study uncovers mechanism of premature heart disease in Lupus (10/28/03)
  The premature death of cells that line the blood vessels of women with lupus may be responsible for their increased risk of heart disease, according to new research by UMHS lupus and cardiovascular specialists.

 

• M-CARE HMO retains “Benchmark” status (10/24/03)
  The General Motors Company has once again designated M-CARE a "Benchmark" HMO, signifying that M-CARE meets GM's highest standards in quality, service, and cost for HMOs offered to its salaried employees. M-CARE is one of only 14 Benchmark health plans among the 71 health plans open to GM salaried employees.

 

• M-CARE receives Excellent Accreditation from the NCQA for fourth consecutive year (10/24/03)
  M-CARE, the not-for-profit health plan owned by the University of Michigan, has received an Excellent Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its Commercial and Medicaid HMOs. It's the fourth straight year that M-CARE has received the highest rating possible for service and clinical quality.

 

• Medical malpractice reform: Expert panel will examine options on Nov. 14 at U-M (10/23/03)
  Across the country, doctors are giving up their practices, reducing the services they provide or even picketing in the streets, all because of a dramatic rise in malpractice insurance costs and the legal climate in certain states. On Nov. 14 at U-M, an expert panel will explore the issue and the options for resolving it.

 

• Which is better for arthritic hands: surgery or drugs? (10/23/03)
  U-M researchers have received a $1.25M grant that will allow them to launch an international study to settle one of the biggest controversies in rheumatoid arthritis: which patients will benefit from hand surgery, and which from medications?

 

• Re-engineered blood vessels show promise for bypass surgery, grafts, UMHS researchers find (10/22/03)
  Surgeons at the University of Michigan Health System report that they have been able to strip tiny blood vessels from rats and re-engineer them to be more effective when implanted in a new animal. The findings could benefit people who have already had vascular bypass surgery and need new blood vessels for subsequent procedures

 

• U-M scientists find genetic "fountain of youth" (10/22/03)
  Scientists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a gene that controls the amazing ability of adult stem cells to self-renew, or make new copies of themselves, throughout life.

 

• UMHS researchers find clues to growing new jawbones in cancer patients after radiation therapy (10/22/03)
  Surgeons have had mixed success in growing new human jawbones after radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Researchers at the University of Michigan are studying rats to determine how and why distraction osteogenesis works and have found clues to the uneven clinical results.

 

• James Carpenter named new U-M Medical School department chair (10/17/03)
  James Carpenter, M.D., who has been a member of the UMMS orthopaedic surgery faculty since 1990, has been approved by the U-M Regents to become chair of the Orthopaedic Surgery Department, effective October. 17.

 

• Teens struggle to find accurate, useful health information online (10/17/03)
  In a study of how teen-agers search the Internet for answers to health questions, University of Michigan researchers found that misspelled words, ambiguous search terms and an imprecise approach to scanning a Web site often prevented students from finding the information they sought

 

• Practice makes perfect: Death risk from tricky aortic aneurysm repair far lower if vascular surgeon does the job, study shows (10/16/03)
  If the largest blood vessel in your body threatens to burst, a new U-M study finds that your best bet is to have it repaired by a surgeon who has operated on many other patients with the same condition. If you do, your risk of dying before you leave the hospital will be far lower than it would be with a less-experienced surgeon.

 

• U-M C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital looks to add operating room and MRI to meet surging patient needs (10/16/03)
  In an ongoing effort to meet surging patient care needs, U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital is today asking the U-M Board of Regent to approve a project that would add an additional operating room and MRI unit, and increase the size of the post-operation area.

 

• Fighting the biggest travesty in stroke care: U-M-led study shows community-wide education (10/14/03)
  Only a tiny percentage of stroke victims who could be saved from death or lifelong disability by emergency therapy actually get the right treatment in time. But a new U-M-led study shows there might be a way to fight this travesty in the treatment of the nation's third biggest killer.

 

• NIH funds 8 centers for population health disparities (10/14/03)
  University of Michigan Health System researchers received one of eight grants from the National Institutes of Health to create a Center for Population Health and Health Disparities, designed to support cutting-edge research to understand and reduce differences in health outcomes, access and care.

 

• Real colonoscopy still beats virtual colonoscopy (10/14/03)
  Issued on 10/13/03 by the Public Relations staff of the American College of Gastroenterology: A new study by UMHS researchers and their Iowa colleagues finds that 'virtual' colonoscopy, which uses imaging technology rather than a colonoscopy to screen for polyps and other lesions, missed 27 percent of colorectal lesions, including pre-cancerous colon polyps and colon cancers.

 

• Study: For those who take painkillers regularly, a heartburn pill a day may keep ulcers away (10/14/03)
  For those who take certain painkiller drugs regularly to help ease arthritis pain or other chronic aches, the relief comes with a tradeoff: a quadrupled chance of developing painful ulcers over the long term. But a new study may offer a promising way to prevent this unwelcome effect.

 

• U-M Health System implements Straight Talk at Hurley Medical Center in national crusade to prevent burn injuries (10/14/03)
  On Friday, Oct. 17, Hurley Medical Center will officially join the U-M Trauma Burn Center's national crusade to prevent burn injuries for children and teens at a 10 a.m. press conference. Developed by U-M, Straight Talk is an educational program aimed at children exhibiting high-risk behavior associated with fire play, fire setting and juvenile arson.

 

• CAREGIVERS FAIR: "CARING FOR THE CAREGIVERS" (10/13/03)
  More than one-quarter of the adult population has provided care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during the past year. In honor of National Caregivers Month in November, the Turner Geriatric Clinic at UMHS will hold a caregivers fair on Nov. 15.

 

• Doubt Cast on Adult Stem-Cell Plasticity Studies (10/13/03)
  In a study that calls into question the plasticity of adult stem cells, scientists have demonstrated that adult bone marrow cells can fuse with brain, heart and liver cells in the body.

 

• U-M scientists find mutated gene causes similar neurological disorders in mouse and man (10/13/03)
  In a discovery that reinforces the importance of the mouse to human genetics, U-M scientists have discovered two gene mutations that appear to be responsible for neurological disorders in mice and men.

 

• Jefferson U. and Univ. of Michigan scientists identify gene defect behind muscle-wasting disease (10/10/03)
  Working together to unravel the mystery of a curious muscle-wasting disease in mice, a team of researchers from the University of Michigan and the Thomas Jefferson University have found a gene that may lead to better understanding of similar diseases in humans.

 

• Seminar: Low-cost ergonomic solutions for the workplace (10/07/03)
  On Tuesday, Oct. 21, MWorks experts at the U-M Health System will be working to help area businesses find low-cost solutions to preventing employee ergonomic-related injuries at a free breakfast briefing seminar. It will cover common ergonomic-related workplace injuries, their causes, current treatment approaches, ergonomic risk factors and prevention strategies.

 

• U-M Congenital Heart Center Hosts 11th annual Save A Heart Celebration (10/07/03)
  On Nov. 7, the U-M Congenital Heart Center will host the 11th annual Save A Heart Celebration of Wine & Food. Funds raised by the event will provide financial support for the families of young patients, many of whom face life-threatening heart defects, at the Center.

 

• Born too soon: To prevent premature birth and its lifelong effects, U-M expert says future mothers should act now (10/01/03)
    For one out of every eight babies born in the United States, birth comes too soon. From their lungs and hearts to their brains and eyes, premature babies start life with a range of health problems that may never get better. Fortunately, women can do a lot to keep their babies from being born too early.

 

• Enabling people with arthritis in everyday life (10/01/03)
    Seventy million Americans have some form of arthritis. While medication relieves symptoms of pain and stiffness in the joints, it is occupational therapy that is helping people regain mobility and independence

 

• Knowing your risk: Genetic counseling for breast cancer (10/01/03)
    Until recent years, the only course of action for these women was to stay vigilant and undergo regular mammograms. Now genetic testing for the two major genes known to account for a significant number of breast cancers is becoming more and more available.

 

• Study: Racial, ethnic disparities found in all types of pain (10/01/03)
  No matter what its cause, pain of any kind can place a serious burden on a person's ability to work, play and live life. But this burden of pain is heavier for some than for others – and a new research paper finds that members of racial and ethnic minorities often bear the worst of it.

 

back to top

September 2003

• Delays in heart attack care erode the difference between two emergency therapies, U-M study suggests (09/30/03)
  For someone having a heart attack, time is of the essence, a new U-M study confirms. Depending on how long it might take for someone to get to a hospital that can do an angioplasty, clot-busting drugs might be a better bet for swift, life-saving treatment.

 

• U-M Depression Center wins $4 million federal grant (09/29/03)
  Depression research at the U-M will have a new, state-of-the-art home thanks in part to a new $4 million grant that will help fund an entire floor of research space in the Depression Center building.

 

• U-M Health System nurse-midwives celebrate 20th anniversary with day of events (09/29/03)
  On Oct. 9, the Nurse-Midwifery Service will celebrate 20 years at the U-M Health System with a day of events for patients and the U-M community. The day will begin at 8 a.m. with the OB/GYN Grand Rounds and conclude with a birthday party at 5 p.m.

 

• U-M Medical School installs one of nation’s first named professorships in integrative medicine (09/29/03)
  Only a handful of medical schools have endowed professorships devoted to sorting out whether complementary and alternative treatments, substances and healing approaches are safe and effective. The U-M Michigan Medical School has named Steven F. Bolling, M.D., as the first Gayle Halperin Kahn Professor of Integrative Medicine, thanks to a generous $2 million endowment gift from Mark Kahn in memory of his wife, Gayle.

 

• U-M Health System hosts depression screening event on Oct. 9 (09/26/03)
  On Sunday, Oct. 9, the U-M Depression Center, along with M-CARE and the Michigan Center for Diagnosis and Referral, will offer free, confidential mental health screenings to the community as part of National Depression Screening Day. The event will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at 2101 Commonwealth Ave, Suite C, located off Plymouth Rd. in Ann Arbor.

 

• Gene for rare inherited spinal cord disorder found; discovery may aid studies of other paralyzing diseases (09/25/03)
  The discovery of a gene defect that causes a rare form of inherited paralysis may also help researchers unravel the mysteries of much more common paralyzing conditions, from spinal cord injury to Lou Gehrig's disease.

 

• Seeking a better, early treatment of epilepsy: Goal of NIH-sponsored study (09/25/03)
  The University of Michigan Health System is part of a landmark clinical research study, titled the Early Randomized Surgical Epilepsy Trial (ERSET), which will evaluate two standard therapies provided by epilepsy specialists – treatment with medications and treatment with surgery – to compare the ability of each to eliminate seizures and side effects as soon as possible, and to improve quality of life.

 

• U-M Health System continues effort to recruit top-notch nurses (09/24/03)
  On Oct. 5, the University of Michigan Health System will host a nursing career fair in its ongoing effort to recruit top-notch nurses. The fair will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Towsley Center at U-M Hospital.

 

• Built for the future of sports medicine: New U-M facility gives patients bigger, better options (09/23/03)
  On Thursday, Sept. 25, MedSport, the UMHS comprehensive Sports Medicine Program, will be hosting an open house for its new facility at Domino's Farms. The event will be held from 4 to 7 p.m., at 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Dr., in Lobby A.

 

• Study: Aorta problems pose extra risk to uninsured (09/23/03)
  Add one more item to the list of extra risks that the uninsured face: The risk of death from problems with the aorta, the body's largest blood vessel. Not only are the uninsured more likely to escape diagnosis until their aortas burst, a new U-M study finds, but they also do worse even if they get early treatment.

 

• New U-M Health System head Robert P. Kelch, M.D. takes office and hits the ground running (09/18/03)
  Robert P. Kelch, M.D. has had a full first week as the new U-M executive vice president for medical affairs and head of the U-M Health System. In addition to meeting with key leaders and staff, he presented several major initiatives to the U-M Regents today for their approval.

 

• U-M Health System to pursue creation of PPO health plan (09/18/03)
  Pending approval by the U-M Regents and the state of Michigan, UMHS hopes to offer new health insurance plan called the M-CARE Preferred Provider Organization.

 

• Larry Kramer, author and AIDS activist, to speak in Ann Arbor (09/17/03)
  Larry Kramer, internationally renowned author, playwright and AIDS activist, will deliver the third annual Horace W. Davenport Lecture in the Medical Humanities. His talk, which is sponsored by the U-M Center for the History of Medicine, will take place Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. in Rackham Auditorium.

 

• U-M Health System wins International Media award for burn-injury prevention video (09/16/03)
  The U-M Trauma Burn Center video, "In an Instant...", has recently been selected to receive the 2003 FREDDIE award in the category of Safety & First Aid by The International Health & Medical Media Awards. The FREDDIE is known as the "Oscars of Medicine."

 

• Local tree climbing event gives families a new perspective on ability of disabled kids (09/15/03)
  On Saturday, Sept. 20, a special program is giving a group of Mott patients, along with their families, the chance to spend a day among the trees at the U-M Rec Sports complex!

 

• Walking into the light: (09/15/03)
  On Sept. 20, the U-M Depression Center and the Ann Arbor AFSP will host the second annual "Into the Light" walk. The purpose of the walk is to encourage members of the community to raise awareness about the prevalence of depression, its link to suicide, and the treatment that is available.

 

• Actor John Ritter’s death may raise awareness of aortic dissection, a rare and often fatal heart condition (09/12/03)
  A heart condition known as an aortic dissection has taken the life of award-winning actor John Ritter, putting a national spotlight on the deadly toll that it takes every year. Experts at the U-M Cardiovascular Center hope that the attention surrounding Ritter's death will raise awareness of aortic dissection and allow others to be properly diagnosed and treated.

 

• Medicare will cover treatment with Bexxar, (09/12/03)
  Bexxar, a cancer therapy originally invented at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, will now be covered by Medicare. The announcement marks the final leg in Bexxar's journey from the concept and laboratory stage to widespread clinical use as a targeted weapon against deadly non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

 

• U-M Health System Employee Wellness Program honored with Governor’s Silver Award (09/12/03)
  The Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports recently presented the U-M Health System's MFit Employee Wellness Program with its distinguished Silver Healthy Workplace Award for its outstanding employee educational fitness and nutritional programs.

 

• Add vision testing to your child’s back-to-school checklist, U-M eye experts advise (09/11/03)
  As parents help their children adjust to the new school year, they should add one more item to their lists, says a U-M Kellogg Eye Center expert: scheduling a back-to-school vision test.

 

• A different kind of benefit walk: (09/10/03)
  On Sept. 25, a different kind of benefit walk will spotlight the U-M's efforts to prevent and treat premature births. The public and members of the U-M community are welcome to take part and support the March of Dimes.

 

• Drug developed for rare disease may help millions more as treatment for cancer, autoimmune diseases (09/10/03)
  An anti-angiogenesis drug developed at the University of Michigan is showing promise in studies of three different disease families, including multiple forms of cancer. The drug, tetrathiomolybdate or TM, essentially wages war against copper, which serves to choke off tumor growth, fibrosis and inflammation.

 

• Forum focuses on living successfully with arthritis (09/10/03)
  To help individuals understand their options and address their concerns regarding medications, the Arthritis Foundation (Michigan Chapter) will host the event "More Life, Less Limits: Medications and Arthritis" with U-M rheumatologist David Fox, M.D., on Sept. 30.

 

• Highlighting medical research: Oct. 4 walk/run will stress importance of basic U-M research on neurological diseases (09/10/03)
  From Alzheimer's disease to stroke, a range of diseases are rooted in the inner workings of cells called neurons. An Oct. 4 walk/run and information fair will help raise awareness of the research needed to fight these diseases.

 

• University of Michigan offers meningitis vaccinations this week (09/10/03)
  This week, the University of Michigan's Michigan Visiting Nurses and University Health Service will again offer its students vaccinations against meningococcal meningitis in a series of on-campus clinics.

 

• Already linked to prostate cancer, a telltale protein now appears crucial to breast cancer, too (09/08/03)
  Like a killer charged with more than one murder, a tiny protein linked to deadly prostate cancer is now being implicated in lethal breast cancer. And it may soon help doctors tell cancer patients just how dangerous their tumors are.

 

• U-M part of NIH-funded center for research on infectious diseases (09/08/03)
  The U-M is one of 14 institutions selected by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to participate in the Midwestern Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research.

 

• One use every seven years makes automated external defibrillators a good buy, study finds (09/05/03)
  Automated external defibrillators can save the lives of heart attack victims. A new University of Iowa/University of Michigan study looks at what kinds of public places should install them.

 

• Heart, lung, liver and intestine transplant recipients face serious kidney-failure risk, U-M study finds (09/03/03)
  As if the ordeal of waiting for, receiving and living with an organ transplant weren't enough, a new study finds that people who get a second chance at life from new hearts, lungs, livers or intestines are very likely to have their lives cut short by failing kidneys.

 

• U-M program challenges community to get fit to benefit their health and local charities (09/03/03)
  If getting fit isn't enough to motivate you to increase your daily physical activity, the MFit Charity Challenge may be able to provide you with some additional incentive. The six-week program is set to begin on Oct. 1.

 

• Advancing Medical Research: Clinical Trials (09/02/03)
    The world of medicine is changing faster today than ever and a large part of that change is due to the increasing numbers of clinical trials. These trials test everything from drugs to medical devices, to innovative treatment protocols, all on volunteer patients.

 

• Contraception Choices: (09/02/03)
    New innovations in contraception, from hormone-based medications to internal devices, are giving women more birth control alternatives that fit better in today’s lifestyles — providing women with nearly effortless methods and safer choices.

 

• Cutting out the pain (09/02/03)
    In the United States, adolescent self injury, frequently known as cutting, has become alarmingly common. Physicians estimate that almost 3 million people, most of them adolescents, exhibit this dangerous behavior.

 

• Help your overweight child have a healthy future through simple food and exercise tips, U-M expert says (09/02/03)
    America’s children and teenagers are too fat, they don’t get enough exercise, and they’re doomed to a lifetime of health problems if they don’t lose weight. But what’s an ordinary parent supposed to do if a child or teenager is overweight?

 

• High cost of vaccine keeps some doctors from giving it, study finds (09/02/03)
  Prevnar protects children against bacterial meningitis and ear infections, but many doctors are finding its high cost affects the way they choose to administer it, a new U-M study finds.

 

• Internationally known palliative care physician to address end of life choices at Sept. 18 event (09/02/03)
  On Sept. 18, the University of Michigan Health System, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and Hospice of Michigan, together will present internationally renowned palliative care physician David Kuhl, M.D., who will talk about end of life care choices and offer advice for patients and families living with a terminal illness.

 

• U-M Health System to break ground for the next era in cardiovascular care (09/02/03)
  On Friday, Sept. 5, the next era in the U-M Health System's battle against Michigan's and the nation's leading killer - cardiovascular disease - will begin when it breaks ground for the new, state-of-the-art U-M Cardiovascular Center.

 

• Uncovering the truth about life and sex after prostate cancer (09/02/03)
    Even with lifesaving medical care available, men still worry about how the possible side-effects of their prostate cancer treatment will affect their overall quality of life and the intimate relationship they have with their partner.

 

back to top

August 2003

• Stereotypes prevail in media coverage of depression (08/25/03)
  The media's coverage of depression has changed dramatically in the age of Prozac, a new U-M study finds. Articles are now far more likely to depict women's mental issues in relation to gender-stereotyped roles, such as marriage and motherhood, rather than in medical terms. But descriptions of depression in men have not shifted in the same way.

 

• Local fair promotes healthy living, educates public (08/18/03)
  This Saturday (Aug. 23), there will be a health fair open to the community from noon to 5 p.m. at Parkridge Community Center & Parkridge Park. The event will include a wide variety of free health screenings and activities for kids in an effort to promote healthy living in the community!

 

• U-M class takes focus off fad diets to curb obesity epidemic (08/18/03)
  Americans spend millions of dollars each year in search of the perfect weight-loss solution from diets like low carbohydrate, low fat and Atkins to The Zone, The South Beach Diet and Weight Watchers, just to name a few.

 

• Important information for patients, staff and media on UMHS power outage response (08/14/03)
  During the 29-hour blackout that hit Michigan and other states on August 14 and 15, 2003, the U-M Health System issued several statements to the press and public, which are collected here.

 

• Stem cell defects are key to Hirschsprung’s disease, say U-M scientists (08/14/03)
  Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have identified defective stem cells as the key to a serious, sometimes life-threatening, intestinal disorder called Hirschsprung's disease, which affects one in 5,000 newborn infants.

 

• U-M Medical School appoints Valerie Castle as department chair (08/14/03)
  University of Michigan Medical School physician Valerie Castle, M.D. has been appointed chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, pending approval by the U-M Board of Regents. As chair, she also will be named as the first David Murray Cowie Professor of Pediatrics.

 

• U-M scientists find gene that controls severity (08/14/03)
  University of Michigan scientists have discovered a gene that turns a chronic inherited neurological disorder - which produces tremor and muscle weakness in laboratory mice - into a lethal disease that paralyzes and kills them within a few weeks of birth.

 

• U-M Trauma Burn Center sends burn injured children to camp (08/12/03)
  This weekend, U-M Trauma Burn will be sending pediatric burn injured patients that it's treated to Burn Camp. This special camp allows patients to hike, swim, and play with other burn injured children to build personal growth and self-confidence.

 

• Douglas W. Blayney, M.D. named Medical Director, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center (08/11/03)
  Max S. Wicha, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Oncology and Director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center announces the appointment of Douglas W. Blayney, M.D. to the newly-designated post of Medical Director of the Cancer Center.

 

• U-M academic general internist inducted into the RWJF Generalist Faculty Scholars Program (08/11/03)
  A University of Michigan doctor has won a prestigious national award to help further her research on improving health care for patients in their final days of life. The Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Scholars Award will help Maria Silveira study pain management and other end-of-life issues for the next four years.

 

• U-M doctor named state's Family Physician of the Year (08/06/03)
  University of Michigan Health System physician Michael Szymanski, M.D., was selected as the Family Physician of the Year by the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP). The announcement was made during the Annual Congress of Delegates meeting held July 28 on Mackinac Island.

 

• Heading back to campus? Watch for depression triggered by college stresses, U-M expert advises (08/04/03)
    There’s a common college experience that one in seven students may face: depression. Brought on by a combination of students’ vulnerable age and the stress and demands of college life, depression and related conditions can strike for the first time in college, or come back to haunt those who had first battled it in high school.

 

• Lift the fog of age-related cataracts (08/04/03)
    Cataracts affect about 50 percent of all Americans by the age of 65, and approximately three-quarters of all 75-year-olds. About half of the men and women suffering from cataracts will have significant enough changes in their vision to warrant treatment.

 

• Schools and parents create “peanut-free” zones to keep kids safe (08/04/03)
    As children head back to school, the daily grind of packing lunches begins as well. But this fall, children may be eating fewer peanut butter and jelly sandwiches around school.

 

• U-M experts give hope to people with pseudoseizures (08/04/03)
    Pseudoseizures resemble epileptic seizures. When seizures are prolonged or unusual in character, that should raise concern about whether patients have pseudoseizures, rather than epileptic seizures.

 

• U-M scientists identify gene mutation for eye disease that mimics macular degeneration (08/04/03)
  By studying two families with an inherited eye disease that mimics age-related macular degeneration, U-M eye scientists hope to find new clues to an eye disease that affects 1.65 million Americans.

 

back to top

July 2003

• Scientists find genes for lethal kidney disease (07/31/03)
  Scientists at the U-M Medical School have found a new gene that, when mutated, causes one type of nephronophthisis or NPHP - a rare disease that causes kidney failure in infants and children. The same gene also may be involved in polycystic kidney disease, which affects 500,000 people, mostly adults, in the United States.

 

• Challenge Air pilots give young U-M patients the ride of a lifetime (07/30/03)
  On Saturday, Aug. 9 pilot Jack Lewis and several young co-pilots from the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital will take flight from the Ann Arbor airport through the Challenge Air program

 

• U-M Trauma Burn Center receives Level 1 verification (07/28/03)
  The University of Michigan Trauma Burn Center, part of the U-M Health System, has been verified as a Level 1 trauma and Verified burn center by the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Burn Association (ABA). These achievements recognize the trauma and burn center's dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients.

 

• College-bound students: Don’t leave home without a meningitis shot! (07/25/03)
  In an effort to protect college-bound students against meningitis, the University of Michigan Health System's Michigan Visiting Nurses (MVN) is teaming up with Kroger to offer meningitis vaccination clinics for students. MVN is also offering meningitis vaccination clinics Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its Ann Arbor office.

 

• Study: Rheumatoid arthritis patients caught in the middle of doctors’ disagreement over hand surgery (07/25/03)
  More than two million Americans with rheumatoid arthritis are caught in the middle of a debate among physicians over which treatment – medications or hand surgery – will help their ravaged fingers and wrists most. A new study looks at the divide between doctors, and ways to overcome it.

 

• Most women can skip Pap smears after hysterectomy (07/22/03)
  Most women who have undergone hysterectomy for non-cancerous diseases can forgo annual Pap smear exams, according to new research by University of Michigan Health System physicians. The study found that even in the best conditions, women add only three weeks to their lives by having regular screenings. It's the first study to look at the value of Pap smear screenings for women who have had a hysterectomy.

 

• Second Chance at Life walk-a-thon aims to raise organ donation awareness (07/22/03)
  When Carol Mancini found out she needed a lung transplant, her daughter, Shelly Morell, knew she could not just sit back and wait for a miracle. Morell began brainstorming and came up with the Second Chance at Life walk-a-thon, an event that for the past two years has helped to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation.

 

• U-M Health System one of nation's 10 best hospitals, says U.S. News & World Report (07/17/03)
  The U-M Health System has again been named one of the 10 top hospitals in the country, according to the annual U.S. News & World Report magazine rankings released today. UMHS is the only hospital in Michigan to make the honor roll of the 17 "Best Hospitals."

 

• U-M Health System reports continued financial success in fiscal ’03, looks forward to balanced growth (07/17/03)
  At a time when many health care institutions are facing financial difficulty, the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers today announced a preliminary positive margin of $22.5 million, on operating revenues of $1.07 billion, for fiscal year 2003. And, U-M received approval to proceed with several projects that will help the U-M Health System grow.

 

• U-M Health System to build nation’s first multidisciplinary Depression Center and an ambulatory psychiatry facility (07/17/03)
  The U-M Regents approved a $38 million building project that will lead to construction of the nation's first Comprehensive Depression Center. The new facility will also incorporate Ambulatory Psychiatry and Substance Abuse programs as well.

 

• Young wife’s memory lives on through $2 million U-M Medical School endowment gift (07/17/03)
  A new $2 million gift in memory of Gayle Halperin Kahn will help her legacy live on -- and help the U-M Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Center study alternative therapies in a scientific way.

 

• U-M Pathologist first to receive American Thoracic Society’s highest honor (07/16/03)
  The American Thoracic Society has chosen Peter A. Ward, M.D., chairman and professor of pathology at the University of Michigan Medical School, as its the 2003 Amberson Lecturer. Ward was presented with the prestigious Amberson Award at the ATS meeting in Seattle in May in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments in the study of fundamental mechanisms of inflammation and injury in the lungs during the past 35 years of his career.

 

• U-M study: Katie Couric’s colonoscopy caused cross-country climb in colon cancer checks (07/14/03)
  When Katie Couric had a colonoscopy live on national TV, she did more than raise public awareness of the colon-cancer screening test — she also raised by 20 percent the rate at which Americans signed up to get their own colons checked.

 

• BBQ benefits U-M transplant camp (07/09/03)
  No summer is complete without a cookout or a barbecue. But on July 26, a benefit cookout will help make this summer special for kids who have gotten a second chance at life through an organ transplant.

 

• New technique for sorting sperm could improve fertility treatment (07/08/03)
  A new technique to find the viable sperm in the semen of men with low sperm motility could lead to a new approach for infertility treatment, according to University of Michigan Health System researchers.

 

• As troops come home from Iraq, U-M experts advise vigilance for symptoms of "Gulf War syndrome II" (07/07/03)
    Now that service members are starting to return home, the strain they faced under fire may start to catch up with them in more ways than they ever could have imagined. From aches and pains to rashes and memory gaps, the lingering effects of the intense stress of war may be taking a toll on their bodies and brains.

 

• Children with Down syndrome walk earlier with help from parents and Olympic-style technology (07/07/03)
    A baby's first steps is one of the most critical milestones of childhood. Researchers at the University of Michigan's Division of Kinesiology developed a unique mobility study that is helping children with Down syndrome walk with more stability at an earlier age.

 

• Overcoming stress incontinence (07/07/03)
    Physicians estimate that up to three-quarters of all women experience some kind of urinary incontinence during their lifetime. Now experts at the University of Michigan Health System are offering a new solution – tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) to correct the problem.

 

• Sleep disorders may be linked to faulty brain chemistry, University of Michigan researchers report (07/07/03)
  The first tantalizing clues that chemical imbalances in the brain may be partly to blame for certain life-disrupting sleep disorders are being reported in two new studies by UMHS researchers. Metatags: sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, REM behavior disorder, REM sleep behavior disorder, dopamine, multiple system atrophy, Shy-Drager syndrom, sleep disorder

 

• U-M doctors implant new "bionic ear" (07/07/03)
    A rare condition, known as neurofibromatosis type II is a hereditary disorder caused by non-cancerous tumors that grow on the hearing and balance nerves. Surgeries to remove these "acoustic neuromas" can leave a person completely deaf. A complex surgical procedure available at the University of Michigan Health System can give a person a chance for a new kind hearing with a "bionic ear."

 

• Double bone marrow drive July 8 at U-M Hospital (07/03/03)
  Although her son, Michael, needs a bone marrow transplant to treat his leukemia, Candice Catanzarite has found friends and family hit a dead end when trying to get tested. So she's organized a bone marrow drive at University Hospital on July 8 to benefit Michael and another young man who needs new bone marrow to help him survive.

 

• Event hopes to raise awareness for organ donation initiatives (07/02/03)
  The Cabela’s Second Chance at Life event, which hopes to raise awareness for organ donation programs at the U-M transplant center, will include a 5K run/walk, a one mile family hike and a kids fun run at the Cabela’s store located in Dundee, Michigan.

 

• U-M researchers seek answers for prostate cancer in blacks (07/01/03)
  A new study by UMHS researchers found that the gene macrophage scavenger receptor 1, or MSR1, plays a role in prostate cancer in African-American men. The study came from a larger project called the Flint Men’s Health Study, a rare effort to recruit large numbers of African-Americans in a population-based research study.

 

back to top

June 2003

• FDA approves BEXXAR (06/30/03)
  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today their approval of the cancer treatment Bexxar (tositumomab and iodine I 131 tositumomab), developed and tested at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

 

• Two U-M nurses receive top honors (06/27/03)
  The Washtenaw-Livingston-Monroe Nurses Association recently presented two University of Michigan nurses with its most prestigious honors, including

 

• Michigan Eye Bank provides the gift of sight (06/26/03)
  The Michigan Eye Bank at the University of Michigan is one of the 10 most active corneal donation centers in the country, according to a data analysis by Transplant News, an independent bi-monthly newsletter.

 

• $10 million grant to fund center on shaping healthy behavior (06/25/03)
  A Cancer Center physician received a $10 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to form the new University of Michigan Center for Health Communications Research. The center will study how information technology can tailor behavior advice to the specific needs of the user.

 

• Adults not getting recommended care (06/25/03)
  In the largest and most comprehensive examination ever conducted of health care quality in the United States, researchers at RAND Health and the University of Michigan found that adults fail to receive recommended health care nearly half the time.

 

• U-M Transplant Center Ranked Among Best in Nation (06/25/03)
  The University of Michigan Health System is one of the 10 most active organ transplant centers in the country, according to a data analysis by Transplant News, an independent bi-monthly newsletter.

 

• U-M Multidisciplinary Pain Center in top 35 of nation (06/24/03)
  The University of Michigan Health System's Multidisciplinary Pain Center is one of the 35 top hospital-based pain management centers in the country, according to a recent article in Good Housekeeping, a magazine read by nearly 25 million people.

 

• Update on pregnant trauma patient (06/23/03)
  Information on the condition of Jessie Wickham, a pregnant Michigan woman who is being treated at the U-M Trauma Burn Center for injuries suffered on June 11.

 

• Residency programs - past, present and future - are under the microscope at Chicago symposium (06/20/03)
  Medical residency programs are in a state of flux, and even health care professionals wonder how this essential part of a physician's professional development will shape up in the new century. What are the opportunities and challenges for these programs in the United States - today and in the future? How will the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education's new duty hour standards affect residents and residency programs?

 

• Berkley man fights cancer by competing in Ironman race (06/19/03)
  In the past, George Ostrander, a veteran triathlon competitor, would have focused his training on qualifying for a spot in the top Ironman competition in Hawaii. Now his concentration lies solely on raising money to continue the fight against sarcoma, the deadly cancer that took the life of his wife, Missy, after nine years.

 

• Information on the U-M Liver Transplant Program for viewers of 'Good Morning America' (06/19/03)
  University of Michigan liver transplant patient Michael Hagan appeared on Good Morning America Thursday, June 19, 2003, to talk about the liver transplant he received at University Hospital. He was also recently featured in the Detroit Free Press.

 

• Tigers team up to benefit patients at U-M Children's Hospital (06/19/03)
  On July 9, the Detroit Tigers will bring the ballpark a little closer to the young patients at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital who may be unable to visit Comerica Park this summer.

 

• Scientists find protein that controls prostate cancer’s spread (06/17/03)
  Cancer specialists know that it’s not usually prostate cancer itself that kills – it’s the spread of the cancer from the prostate to the rest of the body. But relatively little is known about exactly what makes some men’s cancers spread, or metastasize, while other tumors stay put.

 

• U-M physician appointed co-editor of OEM Report (06/12/03)
  Victor Roth, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.O.E.M., a physician at the University of Michigan Health System's MWorks Occupational Health Clinic in the Department of Emergency Medicine and a School of Public Health faculty member, has been named co-editor of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) Report, effective July 1.

 

• Dr. Bartlet wins national surgery award (06/11/03)
  Robert H. Bartlett, MD, FACS, is the recipient of the Jacobson Innovation Award of the American College of Surgeons for the year 2003. Dr. Bartlett received the award in honor of his work in the development and establishment of the first extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program.

 

• Program promotes healthy food for a healthy life (06/11/03)
  Do you take a multivitamin with folic acid every day? Or maybe you regularly eat foods rich in folic acid like oranges, dark green leafy vegetables or fortified bread?

 

• Physicians think savings benefit insurance companies (06/10/03)
  At a time when health care costs are rising, a new study led by a University of Michigan Health System doctor finds that many physicians think their efforts at saving money don't directly impact patients.

 

• Patient transfers hurt hospital rankings, study finds (06/09/03)
  In an era when hospital rankings, report cards and quality surveys steer the nation's health care decisions, a new study finds that major medical centers may be getting penalized on those measures for doing what they do best: taking care of the patients that no other hospital can or will treat.

 

• Transcendental Meditation study (06/09/03)
  Today, the sponsors of a U-M Health System study on transcendental meditation in schoolchildren are holding a press conference to discuss their overall project, and preliminary results from the UMHS pilot study.

 

• Information on U-M meditation study (06/06/03)
  A U-M Health System study designed to scientifically evaluate the potential effect of transcendental meditation in schoolchildren is in its early stages, but is already receiving widespread attention.

 

• Robert P. Kelch, M.D., recommended as UM EVPMA (06/06/03)
  University of Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman has named noted physician, researcher and health care leader Robert P. Kelch, M.D., to serve as the University's executive vice president for medical affairs and lead the U-M Health System, pending the approval of the Board of Regents.

 

• Health care how should it be (06/03/03)
  As health care costs continue to soar, a program for providing care, developed at the University of Michigan Health System, may become the model of the future for patients with chronic conditions as well as for businesses who foot the bill for medical insurance.

 

• U-M scientists zero in on pancreatic cancer genes (06/03/03)
  Being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is like receiving a death sentence - one that, for many patients, is carried out within weeks or months of their cancer's discovery. Less than 20 percent of patients are diagnosed in time to qualify for the only known cure - an arduous operation - and only 3 percent of all patients live even five years.

 

• Gene therapy triggers growth of new auditory hair cells in mammals (06/02/03)
  University of Michigan scientists have used gene therapy to grow new auditory hair cells in adult guinea pigs - a discovery that could lead to new treatments for human deafness and age-related hearing loss.

 

• Healthy campers are happy campers: (06/02/03)
    In a few short weeks, more than ten million American kids will start heading off to summer camp, and begin making memories and friends that may last a lifetime. Whether it's day camp or sleep-away, sports or computers, miles away or around the corner, camp gives kids a fun outlet to learn and grow.

 

• Keeping on guard against West Nile Virus (06/02/03)
    Summer is here and, once again, the threat of West Nile Virus is with us. This virus, which surfaced in the U.S. only a few years ago, is commonly transmitted back and forth between infected birds and mosquitoes. However, humans can become the unintended hosts of the disease when they are bitten by an infected mosquito.

 

• Lawn mower safety could save life and limb this summer (06/02/03)
    A lawn mower is much more than just a simple, everyday power tool sitting in your garage - just ask the 75,000 American adults and children who are injured in lawn mower accidents each year.

 

• Overcoming language loss after stroke or other traumatic brain injuries (06/02/03)
    Like most people, Debbie Bowland didn't think twice about her ability to have everyday conversations with family and friends. But after a paralyzing stroke more than a year ago, the 59-year-old suddenly found she could no longer speak or read.

 

• Spinal cord injuries increase with warm weather (06/02/03)
    On a sunny summer day eight years ago, Randall Veilleux let down his guard for a split second and changed the course of his life forever

 

• U-M celebration gives cancer survivors another reason to smile (06/02/03)
  Laughter can sometimes be the best medicine - especially for patients and families who know what it's like to live with the physical and emotional stress associated with cancer.

 

back to top

May 2003

• Kids' backpacks may not cause back pain (05/21/03)
  Backpacks have gotten a bad rap. For years, specialists have urged school children to lighten their loads, wear their backpacks on both shoulders and avoid lugging around those heavy school bags whenever possible.

 

• U-M, Beaumont team up for birth center study (05/21/03)
  The U-M Health System and Beaumont Hospital are among 16 centers across the nation taking part in a new study that uses a teamwork system borrowed from the military to enhance birth-center care.

 

• Many pregnant women may have depression (05/20/03)
  One in five pregnant women may be experiencing symptoms of depression, but few are getting help for it, a new University of Michigan study finds.

 

• U-M expert: Steer clear of leaving kids in cars alone (05/19/03)
  To help parents and guardians best understand the risks involved with leaving young children and infants alone in cars, a U-M expert provides both safety and health information for them to take into consideration throughout the year.

 

• Michigan Center for Diagnosis and Referral now accredited (05/15/03)
  The M-CDR has just been awarded full, three-year accreditation - the highest level for a Managed Behavioral Healthcare Organization - from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. This is the first accreditation survey M-CDR has undertaken.

 

• U-M Regents approve new CVC building plans (05/15/03)
  In a unified effort to combat the nation's and Michigan's leading killer, cardiovascular disease, the University of Michigan Health System is building a unique clinical heart and vascular care facility that will bring together operating rooms, patients rooms, clinics, classrooms and laboratories.

 

• New blood pressure guide co-written by U-M doctor (05/14/03)
  National health officials have just unveiled a new "road map" for treating high blood pressure. A U-M family physician served on the elite committee that wrote the guide in an effort to cut the massive, deadly toll that hypertension takes each year on America's health.

 

• U-M scientists grow new hair in mice (05/14/03)
  U-M scientists discover that a signaling protein can trigger changes in hair follicles and grow new hair in adult mice.

 

• A new wrinkle for Botox: Headache relief (05/13/03)
  Headache sufferers are finding relief from migraines from an unexpected source: Botox, the drug best known for reducing wrinkles.

 

• Survival Flight: Celebrating 20 years of excellence in patient care (05/09/03)
  For 20 years, Survival Flight has provided air and ground emergency triage and care to critically ill or injured patients. On May 17, Survival Flight, will celebrate its 20th anniversary with its patients and the community .

 

• Another reason to get a colonoscopy (05/07/03)
  A new study gives Americans over 50 one more reason not to put off having a colonoscopy to check for colon cancer and its forerunners. Not only is the screening technique already known to be very good at finding problems, but new data now show it's far more cost-effective for most people than promising cancer-preventing drugs will probably be.

 

• Young Iraqi burn patient arrives at U-M Trauma Burn (05/07/03)
    In a massive collaborative effort lead by U-M Trauma Burn Center, an Iraqi teenager recently arrived at the U-M to receive specialized treatment for her injuries. She is believed to be the first Iraqi child injured during the war to receive care at a U.S. hospital.

 

• Asthma drug prescriptions keep kids out of ER, study finds (05/06/03)
  Kids who have prescriptions for asthma drugs visits the ER less than those without medicines, a study finds, but many kids still lack medications, and asthmatic African-American and urban children rush to the ER more frequently than others.

 

• SARS Information from the UMHS (05/06/03)
  As the world responds to the ongoing epidemic of the new disease Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the University of Michigan Health System offers the following resources to our patients and their families, our community, our employees, and the news media.

 

• National study spotlights disparities in kids' vision care (05/05/03)
  Kids who wear eyeglasses may get teased for having “four eyes”, but seeing clearly can make a big difference in school. Now, a new study by University of Michigan pediatricians suggests that not all children are getting the same level of eye care — and that poor, uninsured, black and Hispanic children are getting the least.

 

• Low income kids' height doesn't measure up by age 1 (05/03/03)
  A new study reveals that children from low-income families have lower birth weights and are measurably shorter by age one than children from higher-income families.

 

• Stroke prevention is the best medicine (05/03/03)
    Like a bolt of lightning, a stroke is sudden and devastating. More than 730,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year, making it the leading cause of disability and the third leading cause of death. But, like staying off the golf course during a storm to avoid lightning, there are ways to greatly reduce your risk of suffering from a stroke.

 

• Locally invented CHAT game wins national award (05/02/03)
  A national group this week honored a team that uses a game to help people better understand health insurance and become more involved in its design.

 

• UMHS celebrates National Nurses' Week (05/02/03)
  Beginning on Tuesday, May 6, nurses across the country, including nurses at the University of Michigan Health System, will begin a week-long celebration of the nurturing and professional spirit of their career, despite looming nurse shortages.

 

• Can daily aspirin therapy save your life? (05/01/03)
    There seems to be a lot of new attention focused on good ole’ fashioned aspirin, so much so that it’s recently been touted as a ‘wonder drug.’ Evidence is rapidly growing that supports aspirin’s use in lowering the rates of heart attack, stroke, colon cancer and even Alzheimer’s disease. Given its widespread benefits and extremely low cost, the question is raised, “is daily aspirin therapy for everyone?”

 

• U-M doctors head back to the classroom for business training (05/01/03)
    William Barsan wears many hats. He’s an emergency physician who treats patients in the University of Michigan Health System. He is also the department’s chairperson. As such, he is responsible for the department’s research projects, for educational activities involving medical students, interns, residents and fellows, as well as for financial and clinical operations.

 

back to top

April 2003

• Medical School scientist elected to National Academy of Sciences (04/30/03)
  Martha Ludwig, Ph.D., U-M professor of biological chemistry and a research scientist in the U-M Biophysics Research Division, is one of 72 new members and 15 foreign associates elected April 29 to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. She joins three other U-M faculty members affiliated with the Medical School’s Department of Biological Chemistry who are current members of NAS.

 

• Women athletes more likely to injure a knee ligament than are men (04/30/03)
  Women who participate in jumping and pivoting sports, such as basketball, volleyball, and soccer, are up to eight times more likely to rupture the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee than are same-size men participating in these same sports, according to a study in the May 2003 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

 

• U-M patient inspires Michigan Bone Marrow Transplant Day (04/24/03)
  April 24 has officially been declared the first-ever Michigan Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplant Awareness Day, through the efforts of a U-M patient and his cancer team.

 

• Free Screening for Peripheral Vascular Disease (04/22/03)
  The University of Michigan Health System will be conducting a free screening for people at risk for vascular diseases, serious non-cardiac conditions of the blood vessels that affect nearly eight million Americans.

 

• New U-M web site explains genes and how they work (04/22/03)
  A new University of Michigan Health System web site called "Genetics: The Symphony of Life," provides basic information about genetics and medicine for the general public, students, teachers or anyone who is interested in genetics, but needs a plain-English explanation of the science.

 

• Study: Mexican prison doctors report torture persists (04/22/03)
  Mexico's government has pledged to improve human rights for prisoners and detainees, but torture still persists in Mexican detention centers, a new study finds.

 

• High-speed images capture cell's immune response (04/16/03)
  New high-speed imaging techniques are allowing scientists to show how a single cell mobilizes its resources to activate its immune response, a news research study shows.

 

• Event helps reduce employee turnover, injury (04/15/03)
  When Lynne Peirce joined the University of Michigan Health System's Medical Information Services (MIS) department in 1999 as manager of Organizational Development, morale was at rock bottom - turnover was high, as were employee grievances and work-related injuries.

 

• Alcohol worsens car crash injuries, study finds (04/14/03)
  Vehicle crash victims who have alcohol in their systems at the time of the crash suffer worse injuries, and are more likely to sustain a severe injury, than those who haven’t been drinking, a new University of Michigan study finds.

 

• Changes in your voice means trouble (04/14/03)
  Most of us don’t think much about our voices from day to day, taking for granted our ability to talk, shout, murmur, laugh and groan. Many people — teachers, lawyers, clergy and salespeople, as well as actors, singers and radio hosts — rely on their voices to do their jobs.

 

• Study looks at treatment of children's rashes (04/11/03)
  Eczema, an itchy rash that affects large numbers of infants and children, should be treated in a new way, according to a new paper outlining best treatments for the disease.

 

• A hip alternative for active patients (04/08/03)
  For six year, the effects of osteoarthritis slowly wore away at the cartilage in Ernest Houghton's hip - forcing the once active 57-year-old jogger, tennis player and skier to give up many of the activities he loved. His life was ruled by intense pain and limited mobility, despite physical therapy and pain medications.

 

• "Early warning" procedure helps more melanoma patients beat cancer (04/07/03)
    An "early warning" procedure, called sentinel lymph node mapping, has been used for years by the U-M melanoma team, one of the most experienced in the country, on faces, throats, scalps, ears and necks of melanoma patients.

 

• Are migraine headaches in your coffee cup? (04/07/03)
    If you are one of the millions of migraine-sensitive Americans who need caffeine to rev you up for work in the A.M. or pick you up off your desktop in the P.M., you may actually be triggering a debilitating headache that will keep you out of the office altogether. Researchers at the U-M Health System are now studying the relationship between migraine headaches and your daily caffeine habit.

 

• Polio a thing of the past? (04/07/03)
    Most Americans think of polio as a thing of the past. Although the disease has largely been eradicated, about one million Americans are polio survivors. For these men and women who contracted the disease through epidemics of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, many are experiencing the late effects of their struggle with polio. The University of Michigan's Post-Polio Clinic is studying the way age and gender are effecting this population.

 

• Small gland, big problems: Diagnosing thyroid disease (04/07/03)
    Even though the thyroid is just a small gland in the neck, located below the Adam's Apple, it has some big responsibilities in your body, including making a hormone that regulates the body's metabolism and organ functions.

 

• North Oakland Medical Centers joins M-CARE network (04/04/03)
  M-CARE, the managed care organization developed by the University of Michigan, announced that North Oakland Medical Centers and its independent physician organization, North Oakland Physician Hospital Organization (NOPHO), have joined its network.

 

• U-M Medical School ranked 8th best in nation (04/04/03)
  The University of Michigan Medical School is one of the 10 best research-oriented medical schools in the country, according to the annual

 

• New department chair for Medical School (04/03/03)
  The U-M Board of Regents has approved the appointment of William L. Smith, Ph.D., as chair of the Medical School's Department of Biological Chemistry and the Minor J. Coon Professor of Biological Chemistry.

 

• Statement on alleged criminal sexual incident at U-M Health System (04/02/03)
  Our patients' safety and well-being is our utmost concern and we expect our staff and patients to uphold all state and federal laws while they are in our medical center.

 

• Brain injury patients turning to alternative medicine (04/01/03)
  More patients than ever before with traumatic brain injuries are turning to complementary and alternative medicine therapies to supplement conventional medical care for their injuries. But the majority of these patients are not discussing their use with their physicians, a new study finds.

 

• Studies try to bypass blocked leg arteries (04/01/03)
  A gene-transfer study aimed at easing the pain and disability caused by blocked leg blood vessels -- via the injection of a gene to encourage the growth of new capillaries - does not improve symptoms more than placebo, new results show.

 

• Study improves heart attack care (04/01/03)
  Doctors today know more than ever about what drugs, treatments and lifestyle changes can help heart attack patients live longer and healthier lives after they leave the hospital. But amazingly enough, as many as half of such patients may not get the prescriptions, tests and counseling they need.

 

back to top

March 2003

• Drug shown to cut heart failure deaths (03/31/03)
  A drug that blocks a heart-harming hormone can significantly reduce the risk of death and hospitalization in heart attack patients who have heart failure, with minimal side effects, a new international study released today shows.

 

• Fetal heart diagnosis doesn't always predict survival (03/31/03)
  In the past decade, an increase in prenatal, or in utero, diagnoses of fetal heart conditions has allowed for early diagnosis, planning and counseling for families with infants that require surgical correction shortly after birth, in hopes of improving survival for this high-risk group.

 

• U-M Transplant Center holds campus-wide donation awareness event (03/28/03)
  The University of Michigan Transplant Center is pleased to announce a campus-wide organ and tissue donation event scheduled for Thursday, April 10 through Sunday, April 13. The U-M Organ and Tissue Donation Drive is being coordinated by the Interfraternity Council of the U-M.

 

• U-M regents approve appointment of Gruppen as department chair in Medical School (03/24/03)
  The University of Michigan Board of Regents has approved the appointment of Larry Gruppen, Ph.D., as Chair of the Department of Medical Education and the Josiah Macy Jr. Professor of Medical Education. He will assume his new role on April 1. The Medical School's Department of Medical Education is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and is one of only seven academic departments of medical education in the country.

 

• Medical students observe Match Day together (03/21/03)
  Students in the University of Michigan Medical School's Class of 2003 were among nearly 24,000 applicants in the National Resident Matching Program who learned yesterday which residency program they will enter for training upon graduation.

 

• U-M Life Sciences Orchestra concludes third season April 13 (03/21/03)
  The nation's only Life Sciences Orchestra, made up of members of the University of Michigan's medical and science community, will conclude its third season on Sunday, April 13, 2003 with a concert at 2 p.m. at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor.

 

• Racial differences in pain treatment found (03/20/03)
  African Americans may be disproportionately missing out on effective treatment for their chronic pain - from arthritis to backaches - and as a result suffering outsize effects on their ability to work, play and enjoy life, a new study finds.

 

• Study shows public support for doctors who deceive insurers (03/19/03)
  One out of four people preparing to hear the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth have no objection to a doctor lying to an insurance company, according to a study in the March 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

 

• U-M Hospital Security honored by U.S. National Guard (03/18/03)
  Sergeant Andrew Huxley, a member of the United States Army National Guard Military Police, was only six weeks into his new job as a security officer for the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers Security Services when was he was called into active duty.

 

• Don't spring into home improvement projects without a tetanus shot! (03/17/03)
  Even though there's still snow and ice covering most of Michigan, homeowners, landscapers and builders alike are preparing to plant flowers and gardens, or to construct wood decks and new homes, at the first sign of spring.

 

• Statement on Survival Flight incident (03/16/03)
  On the evening of Sunday, March 16 at approximately 8:15 p.m., the tail of a U-M Survival Flight helicopter hit a small mile-marker road sign on highway M-59, resulting in damage to the aircraft's tail rotor. The aircraft was only a few feet off the ground and contained only the pilot at the time of the incident; there were no injuries.

 

• University of Michigan statement on Chicago Tribune article (03/16/03)
  The March 16, 2003 issue of the Chicago Tribune included an article titled, "Profit motive feared in patenting of breast cancer cells." This article focused on the University of Michigan's decision to seek patent protection for its discovery of tumor-inducing stem cells in breast cancer.

 

• Drinking green beer or whiskey this St. Patrick’s Day? (03/14/03)
  Whether you’ll be hoisting a pint of green beer or tipping back a wee bit of whiskey this St. Patrick’s Day weekend, it’s sure and begorrah that you’ll be taking part in one of the nation’s most alcohol-soaked holidays

 

• Drug developed for rare disease may help millions more as treatment for cancer, autoimmune diseases (03/10/03)
  An anti-angiogenesis drug developed at the University of Michigan is being studied in three different disease families, including multiple forms of cancer. The drug, tetrathiomolybdate or TM, essentially wages war against copper, which serves to choke off tumor growth, fibrosis and inflammation.

 

• Finding new ways to help kids with disabilities make friends (03/10/03)
  It's not always easy for young children to make new friends. And for children with physical disabilities or chronic illnesses, the challenge of developing friendships can be even greater - especially if their disability prevents them from participating in certain social activities or their peers lack knowledge and understanding about their condition.

 

• Can managed care survive today's challenges? (03/07/03)
  On March 21, a panel of experts from the University of Michigan and the public and private sectors will attempt to tackle these thorny issues in a lecture and discussion session presented by the U-M Forum on Health Policy. The Forum is part of the U-M Medical School's Program on Society and Medicine.

 

• Want to finish Med School in six week? (03/07/03)
  If you've missed your calling to become a doctor but would still like a glimpse of medical school, it's not too late. The U-M Medical School is now enrolling students in its third annual Mini-Med School to be held from 7 to 9 p.m., every Tuesday from April 8 to May 13, on the Medical School campus. The tuition is $75 per person; complimentary parking will be provided.

 

• Medical school innovation: program teaches students to walk in patients' shoes (03/05/03)
    Beginning this fall, first year medical students at the University of Michigan Medical School will visit patients in their homes to get an understanding of how family, environment, culture, and lifestyle all play a part in an individual's health. The Family Centered Experience is one of the new programs being instituted as part of curriculum changes at the University of Michigan Medical School.

 

• New medications help patients cope with rheumatoid arthritis (03/05/03)
    Nancy Brown can still remember her family talking about her great-grandmother - a woman who spent 10 years in bed suffering from what they called "rheumatism", which Brown suspects, after being diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder herself, was really rheumatoid arthritis.

 

• Tattoos and piercings: body art health tips (03/05/03)
    Many kids covet them, and most parents dread them. But like it or not, tattoos and body piercings are all the rage. So as the impulsive days of spring break near, physicians at the University of Michigan Health System recommend keeping a level head when considering body art.

 

• The A-B-C's of organic foods (03/05/03)
    For a growing number of Americans, the choice seems clear: buy organic. But for many others, the higher price tag or questionable value of organic foods keep them out of the family's grocery cart. What are the health and nutritional differences between organic foods and their traditionally grown counterparts? Are organic foods worth the higher price?

 

• U-M Medical School re-orients approach to teaching medicine (03/05/03)
    Information in the medical sciences is growing faster and faster. Health care systems are under increasing pressure to deliver high quality care in a cost-effective manner. Patients are concerned that health care providers no longer have the time to listen to and understand their personal issues. Because of these changes, educators at the U-M Medical School - one of the country's top medical education programs - are in the midst of a significant curriculum revision.

 

• Doctors face-off on ice to benefit heart transplant fund (03/04/03)
  On Saturday, March 22, surgeons, cardiologists, nurses, anesthesiologists, pulmonologists, perfusionists and physician assistants at the University of Michigan Health System will be trading in their scrubs and white coats for ice skates and hockey jerseys.

 

• Anxious America: dealing with terrorism anxiety (03/03/03)
    When the U.S. Department of Homeland Security raises the threat level on the advisory system up a notch, the nation's anxiety level follows suit. These days, many Americans are struggling with some tough questions: What does this mean for my family and me? How safe are we? What should we be doing to prepare?

 

• Anxious America: Dealing with war anxiety (03/03/03)
    It's everywhere you turn - talk of the war with Iraq, images of American troops in battle. A University of Michigan Health System expert offers suggestions for dealing with the tremendous anxiety war creates - even for those of us watching from afar.

 

• Anxious America: Talking with Kids about War and Terrorism (03/03/03)
    Elizabeth Fellows still has vivid and disturbing memories from her youth of graphic television coverage of the Vietnam War.

 

• Golf outing to benefit families with autistic kids (03/03/03)
  Autism, a developmental disorder that makes it difficult for children to communicate with others or relate to the outside world, affects one in every 250 children – and the numbers continue to grow, making it one of the most common disorders affecting children today.

 

back to top

February 2003

• Majority of older women don't get mammograms (02/28/03)
  More than half of women over the age of 65 who should be getting regular mammograms aren't, a new study finds. But a companion study shows that a simple mailing -- reminding these women of their Medicare coverage for the exam, and of the high risk of breast cancer they face due to their age -- is enough to prompt a meaningful increase in mammogram use.

 

• U-M Depression Center national advisory board (02/28/03)
  Twenty prominent individuals with an interest in depression and bipolar disorder, and a dedication to addressing the societal consequences of these conditions, will serve on the newly formed national advisory board of the University of Michigan Depression Center.

 

• The common cold coughs up a $40 billion annual price tag (02/24/03)
  Chances are you or someone you know is battling with a nasty cold right now. The cold bug is definitely biting its way into work places and schools all across the country, forcing millions of people to stay home.

 

• U-M scientists find 'stem cells' in human breast cancer (02/24/03)
  Of all the neoplastic cells in human breast cancers, only a small minority - perhaps as few as one in 100 - appear to be capable of forming new malignant tumors, according to just-published research by scientists in the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The discovery could help researchers zero in on the most dangerous cancer cells to develop new, more effective treatments.

 

• Don't ask, don't tell: medical students' shifting attitudes about permission to examine (02/21/03)
  Medical students commonly perform pelvic examinations in the operating room when the patient is under anesthesia. This educational practice poses no physical harm to the patient, and research shows that most women are willing to allow medical students to perform the examinations, but with the proviso that permission is asked for - and granted.

 

• U-M launches ambitious exploration of inner space (02/20/03)
  A path-breaking collaborative effort of U-M researchers will attempt to capture never-before-seen views of the chemical activity inside living cells in real time and 3-D

 

• U-M to study epilepsy and sleep problems (02/19/03)
  A U-M Health System study will seek to understand the sleep disorders that can come with epilepsy, to study the brain activity patterns that occur when a sleeping person has a seizure, and to see if treating the sleep disturbances can also help reduce the frequency of seizures.

 

• Ecological effects of climate change include human epidemics (02/18/03)
  The link between climate and cholera, a serious health problem in many parts of the world, has become stronger in recent decades, says a U-M scientist who takes an ecological approach to understanding disease patterns.

 

• Hormones and genes alter brain's pain system (02/18/03)
  After several years of using sophisticated brain-imaging techniques that showed the chemical activity in the brain while pain is occurring, U-M researchers have found that sex, hormones and genetics affect brain's pain control system, shaping a person's pain perception.

 

• Pain and the brain (02/18/03)
  We all know people who can take pain or stress much better than we can, and others who cry out at the merest pinprick. We’ve heard stories of people who did heroic deeds despite horrible injuries, and stereotypes about women’s supposedly sensitivity to pain that don’t mesh with their ability to withstand childbirth’s pain.

 

• Networked labs to tackle intestinal bacterium (02/17/03)
  Traditional rivals on the football field, three Michigan universities are working together to perform the most complete functional analysis of an organism done in a single project.

 

• U-M Health System works to recruit more nurses at Feb. 23 career fair (02/17/03)
  After nearly six years working as a technician in the operating rooms and in other areas within the University of Michigan Health System, Kim Blackwell was looking to expand her career. So, having always wanted to become a nurse, Blackwell went back to school to earn her degree in nursing. And once she graduated, Blackwell knew exactly where she wanted to begin her new career as a nurse – at the U-M Health System.

 

• First U.S. child receives implanted miniature heart pump at UMHS (02/14/03)
  Surgeons at the University of Michigan Health System successfully implanted a miniature heart pump in the first American child and the youngest patient in the world, ever to receive the device.

 

• Six U-M Health System sites honored with 2002 Governor's Award of Excellence (02/14/03)
  For the first time, six University of Michigan Health System sites - Brighton Health Center, Briarwood Medical Group, Briarwood Family Practice, Chelsea Family Practice, Canton Health Center and Turner Geriatrics Center - were each honored with the prestigious 2002 Governor's Award of Excellence for Improving Preventive Care in the Ambulatory Care Setting.

 

• Study looks at Hispanics' stroke risk. (02/14/03)
  A new study finds significant medical and demographic differences between Mexican American and non-Hispanic white stroke patients - differences that should be taken into account by those trying to prevent stroke in Hispanic populations, the researchers suggest.

 

• U-M Medical School named training site for RWJ Clinical Scholars (02/14/03)
  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced that the University of Michigan Medical School will be one of four institutions to train participants in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, beginning in 2005. The other training sites are: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; and Yale University School of Medicine. The U-M Medical School has been a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars site since its first cohort arrived in 1995.

 

• Event highlights school-based health and wellness centers (02/13/03)
  February is School-Based Health Center month. In recognition, the Regional Alliance for Healthy Schools (RAHS) and Ann Arbor's Health Place 101 will host a Community Open House on Friday, Feb. 21, from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., at Scarlett Middle School, 3550 Pittsview in Ann Arbor.

 

• Low libido? New patch may help bring relief to women (02/10/03)
  It's not a subject that most women feel comfortable discussing amongst themselves or sometimes even with their partners. However, low sexual libido, a previously understudied condition, is starting to gain more attention from women and medical researchers alike.

 

• Overcoming the bottleneck in translational research (02/10/03)
  Academic medical centers are challenged to overcome the bottleneck that is widely recognized in translating advances in medical research into improvements in patient care. Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D., will report on innovative ways the U-M Health System works to reduce this bottleneck at the annual meeting of the AAAS.

 

• First conference on depression in college students to be held at University of Michigan (02/07/03)
  The University of Michigan will host the nation's first major conference focused on depression in college students, on March 6 and 7 at the Michigan League in Ann Arbor, MI.

 

• Grant aids in search for genes associated with age-related macular degeneration (02/06/03)
  The Elmer and Sylvia Sramek Charitable Foundation has awarded Kellogg researchers a four-year grant to design and create six interactive and integrated databases that will help them extract meaningful data from two major lines of research currently underway at Kellogg.

 

• Study improves treatment for cocaine's heart effects (02/05/03)
  The largest-ever study of cocaine users who suffered heart-related effects from taking the drug finds that a specially designed plan of emergency-room care for such patients can save both lives and money.

 

• Vaccine shortage exposes nation's "patchwork" system (02/05/03)
  An ongoing national shortage of a vaccine that prevents meningitis and pneumonia in children has left doctors scrambling to provide even the minimum number of shots, and has exposed gaps in the nation's "patchwork" vaccine system, the first-ever in-depth study of the problem finds.

 

• How can you mend a broken heart? (02/03/03)
    A new treatment being tested by doctors and researchers at the U-M and other institutions may help mend patients'

 

• Living with lupus: when the body turns on itself (02/03/03)
    Diagnosing lupus and awareness about the disease has greatly improved in the past 30 years, which has allowed patients to learn how to best manage their disease to lead relatively normal lives.

 

• U-M study works to take the heat off menopause (02/03/03)
    Breast cancer oncologists at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center have been searching for alternative to treating hot flashes with estrogen - by studying a popular drug type used for the treatment of depression.

 

• Yo-yo dieting linked to poor post-menopause heart health (02/03/03)
    Women who gain and/or lose at least 10 pounds in a yearlong period at least five times over a lifetime may be setting themselves up for heart problems after menopause, a new study finds.

 

back to top

January 2003

• U-M psoriasis drug approved by FDA (01/31/03)
  Alefacept, a specially designed molecule that blocks a specific immune-system reaction involved in psoriasis, was approved for marketing today under the name Amevive. This psoriasis treatment was first developed in a U-M Medical School laboratory.

 

• Consider your child's health when choosing a camp (01/21/03)
  No matter what kind of camp a child might attend, parents should ask camp organizers the same basic questions about how they keep kids safe, handle medical emergencies, and deal with routine health needs.

 

• Good news for melanoma of head and neck (01/20/03)
  A new study found that patients who develop melanoma on their face, head or neck can have the same early-diagnosis surgical procedure to see if their cancer might spread as patients whose cancer is on less delicate areas of the body.

 

• Grant helps studies of detached retina (01/17/03)
  Dr. Zacks, a retina specialist at Kellogg Eye Center, will receive $200,000 over four years to study the process by which certain retinal cells die during retinal detachment.

 

• U-M Leadership Institute off and running (01/16/03)
  The hospital, medical school and health maintenance organization executives are using the 10-month 'business of health care' program to advance their skills in health care management and leadership.

 

• Fellowship programs boost clinical outcomes (01/14/03)
  The examination of 31 academic health centers reveals link between improved clinical outcomes and fellowship programs according to an article in the January issue of The Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

 

• Study: 15 percent of pregnant women drink alcohol (01/14/03)
  Despite widespread warnings about the potential risk of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, 15 percent of pregnant women in a newly published study said they had drunk alcohol at least once during their pregnancies.

 

• U-M Health System, M-CARE partner to run Kids Care (01/14/03)
  The University of Michigan Health System and M-CARE, the University of Michigan's non-profit managed care organization, have teamed up as the sole owner and administrator, respectively, of Kids Care, a state- and federally-funded managed care plan that coordinates health care for chronically ill children and adults throughout Michigan.

 

• MVN offers walk-in meningitis clinic (01/10/03)
  To protect travelers who are making the Haj soon and to help them meet entry requirements in Saudi Arabia, MVN is offering vaccinations against bacterial meningitis on a walk-in basis Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

 

• U-M alumnus lives on through endowment gift (01/08/03)
  The memory of U-M alumnus Todd Ouida will continue to live on at U-M thanks to his parents. To honor the memory of their son, the Ouida family gave the U-M Depression Center a $250,000 gift to support childhood anxiety treatment and research through a scholars award and an annual lecture.

 

• Mott ranks fifth in the nation, best in Michigan (01/07/03)
  Mott ranks fifth in the list of top 10 children's hospitals released today by Child magazine. It is the only children's hospital in Michigan to make the top 10 list. In addition, the quality of pediatric heart care at Mott earned a national rank of fifth in the specialty of cardiology, the best in the entire Midwest.

 

• Taking a closer look at polio's lifelong effects (01/06/03)
  A new U-M Health System study will be the first to explore gender differences and the impact menopause may have on the overall quality of polio survivors' lives.

 

• Childhood discipline: the good, the bad and the ugly (01/03/03)
    U-M pediatric behavior specialists provides parents with tips on how to effectively discipline children while nurturing their development.

 

• Outlook much brighter today for kids with cleft lip and palate (01/03/03)
    Through surgery, therapy and counseling, children with cleft lip and palate have been given a chance to have a normal face, and the normal physical, mental and social development that go along with it.

 

• Watching your kids for the signs of eye disease (01/03/03)
    When detected early, strabismus and amblyopia can be successfully treated to prevent childhood vision loss.

 

• Women not getting enough Zzzzz's (01/03/03)
    Ask any woman if she gets enough sleep and most likely she'll say "in my dreams!" For most women it is poor sleep hygiene, but for some women it can be the result of some very serious sleep disorders.

 

• In new year, smokers and ex-smokers can help science battle lung cancer (01/02/03)
  Lung-scanning study can also help smokers kick the habit.

 

• Researchers report cocaine harms brain's "pleasure center" (01/01/03)
  Drug attacks the very cells that allow users to feel its effects. Finding may aid understanding of addiction, depression, normal aging.

 

back to top

 

• U-M Medical School
• Hospitals & Health Centers
• U-M School of Nursing
• U-M
• TEXT-ONLY

University of Michigan Health System
1500 E. Medical Center Drive  Ann Arbor, MI 48109   734-936-4000
© copyright 2008 Regents of the University of Michigan
Template developed by Public Relations & Marketing Communications.
Contact UMHS

The University of Michigan Health System Web site does not provide specific medical advice and does not endorse any medical or professional service obtained through information provided on this site or any links to this site.

Complete disclaimer and Privacy Statement