2013 Press Releases
June 18, 2013
Fat cells in breast may connect social stress to triple-negative breast cancer
Local chemical signals released by fat cells in the mammary gland appear to provide a crucial link between exposure to unrelenting social stressors early in life, and the subsequent development of breast cancer, researchers from the University of Chicago report in the July 2013 issue of the journal Cancer Prevention Research
June 18, 2013
Graeme Bell gets Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement Award
Graeme Ian Bell, PhD, the Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics and an investigator in the University of Chicago Medicine Kovler Diabetes Center, has been awarded the 2013 Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement Award from the American Diabetes Association for his pioneering work in understanding the role of genetics in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.
June 13, 2013
Age-related smelling loss significantly worse in African-Americans
The ability to distinguish between odors declines steadily with age, but a new study shows that African-Americans have a much greater decrease in their sense of smell than Caucasians. This can have serious consequences.
June 11, 2013
Comer Children's Hospital gains ground on annual best hospitals list
The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital has ranked among the best in four of 10 pediatric specialties, including in cancer, according to U.S. News & World Report's latest list of the nation's best children's hospitals.
June 4, 2013
Research teams find genetic variant that could improve warfarin dosing in African-Americans
In the first genome-wide association study to focus on warfarin dose requirement in African-Americans, a multi-institutional team of researchers has identified a common genetic variation that can help physicians estimate the correct dose of the widely used blood-thinning drug warfarin.
June 3, 2013
Inherited mutations in susceptibility genes are common in younger African American women with breast cancer
A high percentage of African-American women with breast cancer who were evaluated at a university cancer-risk clinic were found to carry inherited genetic mutations that increase their risk for breast cancer.
May 28, 2013
When doctors and patients share in decisions, hospital costs go up
Since the 1980s, doctors and patients have been encouraged to share decision making. Proponents argue that this approach promotes doctor-patient communication, enhances patient satisfaction, improves health outcomes, and even may lower cost.
May 24, 2013
Multiple research teams unable to confirm high-profile Alzheimer's study
Teams of highly respected Alzheimer's researchers failed to replicate what appeared to be breakthrough results for the treatment of this brain disease when they were published last year in the journal Science.
May 22, 2013
Joseph Ceithaml, PhD, 1916-2013
Joseph J. Ceithaml, PhD, dean of students emeritus for the Pritzker School of Medicine and the Biological Sciences Division and professor emeritus of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Chicago, died on Saturday afternoon, May 11. He was 96.
May 22, 2013
Dr. Jeffrey Matthews named President-Elect of Chicago Surgical Society
Jeffrey B. Matthews, MD, Dallas B. Phemister Professor of Surgery and chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine, has been named president-elect of the Chicago Surgical Society.
May 22, 2013
Clinical trial aims to prevent type 2 diabetes through medication
A clinical trial at the University of Chicago Medicine aims to find new ways of preventing type 2 diabetes or slow its progression by treating participants with medications normally used for people who have had full-blown diabetes for at least one year.
May 15, 2013
University of Chicago launches cloud to analyze cancer data
The University of Chicago is launching the first secure cloud-based computing system that will enable researchers to access and analyze human genomic cancer information without the costly and cumbersome infrastructure normally needed to download and store massive amounts of data.
May 15, 2013
Pritzker's 67th Annual Senior Scientific Session to be held Thursday
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is hosting its 67th Annual Senior Scientific Session from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 16, in the Biological Sciences Learning Center (BSLC 115).
May 9, 2013
University of Chicago Medicine’s ‘A’ safety score reaffirmed
The University of Chicago Medicine maintained its “A” grade in hospital safety, according to the latest survey of more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals.
May 9, 2013
Comprehensive Cancer Center status renewed
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has renewed the University of Chicago Medicine's designation as a comprehensive cancer center, a prestigious distinction that the federal agency grants to recognize an institution's excellence in research.
May 8, 2013
Rethinking treatment goals improves results for those with persistent anorexia
A new, multinational randomized clinical trial has found that patients with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa will not only stick with treatments but also make significant improvements with just a slight modification of the standard goals and methods of treatment.
May 3, 2013
Program on medicine and religion names new faculty scholars
The University of Chicago Medicine's Program on Medicine and Religion has selected its second round of faculty scholars whose focus will be on the relationship between a physician's spirituality and their ability to deal with the pressures of practicing medicine.
April 25, 2013
Bucksbaum Institute’s Second Annual Symposium Friday
Jerome Lowenstein, MD, founder and director of the Program for Humanistic Aspects of Medical Education at New York University, will be the keynote speaker at the Bucksbaum Institute of Clinical Excellence’s second annual symposium on Friday, April 26.
April 23, 2013
Classification of Gambling as Addiction: Will Insurance Cover the Disorder?
In one of the most anticipated events in the mental health field, the American Psychiatric Association will release the latest version of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) next month, involving changes to a number of categories and diagnoses.
April 17, 2013
Gene study helps understand pulmonary fibrosis
A new study looking at the genomes of more than 1,500 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a rare and devastating lung disease, found multiple genetic associations with the disease, including one gene variant that was linked to an increase in the risk of death.
April 15, 2013
Cancer treatment pioneers share prestigious medical prize
Janet Davison Rowley, MD, the Blum-Riese Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology and Human Genetics at the University of Chicago, is one of three physician-scientists who will receive the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research for 2013.
April 13, 2013
Gifts to boost University of Chicago as hub for biomedical 'big data'
Two major gifts will build momentum behind the University of Chicago's leadership in biomedical computation by assembling experts in the field and furnishing them with the tools to use "big data" to understand disease and solve today's health-related challenges.
April 11, 2013
Miller Tapped to Serve on PCORI Advisory Panel
Doriane Miller, MD, has been appointed to serve a one-year term on the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Advisory Panel on Addressing Disparities.
April 10, 2013
Ci3's Game Changer Chicago earns MacArthur Foundation funding
The Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry & Innovation in Sexual & Reproductive Health (Ci3) at the University of Chicago has received a $500,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to advance its work identifying novel solutions to complex problems affecting health and well-being in vulnerable communities.
April 10, 2013
Sharon O'Keefe named one of Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Women in Healthcare
University of Chicago Medical Center President Sharon O'Keefe was named one of Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Women in Healthcare in the magazine's prestigious biennial awards.
April 9, 2013
Bucksbaum Institute taps cancer expert Michael Bishop, MD, as master clinician
The Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence has named stem cell transplant specialist Michael Bishop, MD, as its second master clinician.
March 27, 2013
Childhood asthma tied to combination of genes and wheezing illness
About 90 percent of children with two copies of a common genetic variation and who wheezed when they caught a cold early in life went on to develop asthma by age 6, according to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine.
March 25, 2013
American Association for Cancer Research honors two UChicago physician-scientists
Cancer specialists Janet D. Rowley, MD, and Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, MD, of the University of Chicago have been named to the first class of Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy.
March 22, 2013
Neurobiologist receives early career fellowship from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Wei Wei, PhD, assistant professor of neurobiology at the University of Chicago, has been named a 2013 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow.
March 21, 2013
All Graduating Pritzker Students Find Their Match
It was a perfect match for the 82 fourth-year students from the Pritzker School of Medicine who participated in Match Day 2013 on March 15.
March 20, 2013
Faculty members recognized for outstanding research
T. Conrad Gilliam has been named a Distinguished Service Professor and four other members of biological sciences faculty -- Issam A. Awad, James K. Liao, Elizabeth McNally and Christopher R. Shea -- have received named professorships.
March 12, 2013
Pritzker Moves Up to No. 8 in Survey of Top Medical Schools
The University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine jumped two spots to No. 8 in the 2014 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Graduate Schools” ranking guide.
March 8, 2013
More than 130 UChicago Medicine physicians listed among America's best
A total of 133 University of Chicago Medicine physicians have been named Best Doctors in America in the latest poll compiled by Boston-based Best Doctors Inc. The respected list of more than 45,000 U.S. physicians represents the top 5 percent of doctors nationwide.
March 6, 2013
Brian Crawford Named Executive Director of Strategic Communications
Brian Crawford, an accomplished health care public relations leader, has been named the University of Chicago Medicine’s executive director of strategic communications, effective Monday, March 4.
March 6, 2013
One region, two functions: Brain cells’ multitasking may be a key to understanding overall brain function
A region of the brain known to play a key role in visual and spatial processing has a parallel function: sorting visual information into categories, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Chicago.
March 5, 2013
Focal therapy offers middle ground for some prostate cancer patients
Men with low-risk prostate cancer who previously had to choose between aggressive treatment, with the potential for significant side effects, and active surveillance, with the risk of disease progression, may have a new option.
March 4, 2013
Donald Rowley, MD, 1923-2013
Donald Rowley, MD, a pioneer in discovering how the immune system functions and the inventor of the gel electrode, a crucial tool that monitors cardiac activity, died at his home early Sunday, Feb. 24, after a long battle with congestive heart failure. He was 90 years old.
February 27, 2013
Study: Doctor shortage to hit Chicago’s poorer neighborhoods harder
Some of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods are expected to see the greatest demand for additional primary care doctors in 2014, as the Affordable Care Act boosts the number of newly insured patients seeking medical services, a new study has found.
February 26, 2013
Center for Care and Discovery officially opens to 145 patients
It was exactly 7 a.m. when Karen Perlmuter offered a warm smile and gentle nod to her transport team as she started the well-orchestrated trip to her new room at the Center for Care and Discovery.
February 25, 2013
University of Chicago named Center of Excellence in Gambling Research
The University of Chicago has been named a Center of Excellence in Gambling Research following the award of a three-year $402,500 grant to Jon Grant, MD, JD, MPH, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience, by the National Center for Responsible Gaming.
February 18, 2013
'Big Day Is Finally In Sight': Moving Patients Requires Precise Execution
After about five years of planning and construction, the single biggest expansion project in University of Chicago Medicine history is headed into the homestretch, as employees prepare to move approximately 200 patients into the new Center for Care and Discovery on Saturday, Feb. 23.
February 18, 2013
Road Closures, Parking Restrictions for Patient Move Day on Feb. 23
Road closures and no-parking zones will be in effect Saturday, Feb. 23, as the University of Chicago Medicine opens the new Center for Care and Discovery and carries out the delicate task of transporting roughly 200 patients being treated for complex conditions from Mitchell Hospital to the new Center for Care and Discovery.
February 14, 2013
Humans and chimps share genetic strategy in battle against pathogens
A genome-wide analysis searching for evidence of long-lived balancing selection -- where the evolutionary process acts not to select the single best adaptation but to maintain genetic variation in a population -- has uncovered at least six regions of the genome where humans and chimpanzees share the same combination of genetic variants.
February 14, 2013
Sharon O'Keefe joins board of American Red Cross of Greater Chicago
University of Chicago Medical Center President Sharon O'Keefe has been named to the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, effective immediately.
January 25, 2013
Comer Children's Hospital, White Sox Team Up to Target Childhood Obesity
The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital and the Chicago White Sox have joined forces to combat childhood obesity through a partnership aimed at educating youth and families on ways to be active and make healthy eating choices.
January 23, 2013
Aasim Padela Wins 2012 Islamic Medical Ethics Award
Aasim Padela, MD, was awarded the 2012 Ibn Sina Award from the Compassionate Care Network of Chicago for his outstanding work and contributions in the field of Islamic medical ethics.
January 14, 2013
Gov. Quinn, other officials mark completion of Center for Care and Discovery
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn joined other state and local officials to help dedicate the University of Chicago Medicine's new state-of the-art, 1.2 million-square-foot Center for Care and Discovery on Monday.
January 11, 2013
State and city officials among dignitaries to attend new hospital dedication
Center for Care and Discovery economic-impact dedication ceremony and media tours
January 11, 2013
New center aims to advance sexual and reproductive health worldwide
The University of Chicago has launched the Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry & Innovation in Sexual & Reproductive Health (Ci3), one of its most collaborative and far-reaching initiatives to address adolescent and women's health.
January 8, 2013
New book connects the human community to its cosmic roots
The 1969 "Woodstock" song by Joni Mitchell, it turns out, was onto something: "We are stardust / billion-year-old carbon." University of Chicago evolutionary biologist, Neil Shubin, PhD, makes that connection between astronomical events and the human species in his new book, "The Universe Within: Discovering the Common History of Rocks, Planets, and People," a follow up to his 2008 best-seller, "Your Inner Fish."
January 4, 2013
Study identifies strategies to help minority students in med school
While minority populations are rising throughout the country, enrollment by minority students in the nation's medical schools has stagnated. Further, some data show that non-white students face a greater likelihood of academic withdrawal or dismissal, or graduate without passing key exams on their first try.
January 2, 2013
Douglas Dirschl to lead orthopaedics at the University of Chicago Medicine
Douglas R. Dirschl, MD, a nationally recognized orthopaedic surgeon, administrator, teacher and researcher, will chair the newly created Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Chicago Medicine starting Jan. 1, 2013.
