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University of Washington School of Medicine
Online News
Vol. 11, No. 7
February 16, 2007
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To view an archived version of Online News on the UW Medicine Web site, visit:
http://www.uwmedicine.org/Global/NewsAndEvents/somnews/index.htm
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This week’s news:
* UW students, residents, and faculty present work and receive awards at Western Regional Meetings in Carmel, Calif.
* New digital divide is separating parents and kids, UW child health researcher Dimitri Christakis argues in editorial in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
* Northwest Lipid Research Clinic recruiting participants for new diet study
* James LoGerfo steps down as head of UW Health Promotion Research Center; Jeffrey R. Harris becomes new director
* Medical school enrollment expected to rise 17 percent by 2012, but increased capacity may not meet demand for physicians, AAMC report finds
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UW STUDENTS AND FACULTY PARTICIPATE IN WESTERN REGIONAL MEETINGS IN CARMEL
Many UW medical students and faculty members participated in, and were honored at, the Western Regional Meetings, a joint conference of several medical education and research groups in the western United States. The meetings were held from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, in Carmel, Calif.
The Western Regional Meetings include gatherings of the Western Student Medical Research Forum, the Western Association of Physicians, the Western Society for Clinical Investigation, the Western Section of the American Federation for Medical Research, and the Western Society for Pediatric Research.
There were 70 students from the UW School of Medicine participating in and presenting their work at the Western Student Medical Research Forum. Darren Bowe, a Wyoming student, received the WAFMR/WSCI Sub-specialty Award. George Ford received the Gale Hansen Starich Oral Presentation Award. Cameron Phillips also received an Honorable Mention for his oral presentation.
Many UW faculty members also participated in the Carmel meetings and were honored for their work. Some of the faculty who won awards or were otherwise recognized include Michael Schwartz, professor of medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, who received the Robert H. Williams-Rachmiel Levine Award from the Western Metabolism Club, in recognition of outstanding scientific achievement and mentoring of fellows and students. Lawrence Corey, professor of medicine in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, held a Western Association of Physicians Distinguished Lectureship.
Stephanie Page, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, assumed the position of chair for the Western Section of the American Federation for Medical Research. Kevin D. O'Brien, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology, was named president of the Western Society for Clinical Investigation.
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DIGITAL DIVIDE SEPARATES PARENTS AND KIDS, UW RESEARCHER ARGUES
The digital divide is a term that has been used before to describe the separation between rich and poor when it comes to Internet access and availability. The new digital divide facing society in the coming decades will be the separation between parents and their children, according to Dimitri Christakis, associate professor of pediatrics at the UW and Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center.
Christakis, director of the UW's Child Health Institute, discusses this new Internet divide in the February issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals published by the American Medical Association. He argues that the accelerating pace of technology has dramatically changed the experience of childhood in the United States.
Christakis' editorial accompanies a study by Michele Ybarra of Internet Solutions for Kids, Inc., who found that teens who talk with strangers online are more likely to become victims of online harassment than those who share their personal information on the Internet.
Christakis observes that the digital divide can foster paranoia and anxiety or benign neglect on the parents' behalf. The finding that the most influential risk factors for online interpersonal victimization are talking about sex with someone known only online and being rude or nasty oneself shows that we need to develop and test practical strategies for teaching children Internet hygiene, Christakis writes.
Christakis is co-author with Fred Zimmerman of a new book titled The Elephant in the Living Room: Make Television Work for Your Kids. He may be reached at dachris@u.washington.edu
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NORTHWEST LIPID RESEARCH CLINIC CONDUCTING NEW DIET STUDY
The UW's Northwest Lipid Research Clinic at Harborview Medical Center is recruiting participants for a new diet study on low HDL cholesterol and high triglyceride levels. The study will test two different diets for a month to see how each affects cholesterol, blood flow, and inflammation.
Participants in the study will be provided food for two months, and given instructions for following each diet. They will also receive a physical exam and EKG test; special tests of body fat, insulin levels, and blood flow; a travel stipend; and expert nutrition advice. For more information, contact Karin Johnson at kwjohn@u.washington.edu or 206-744-9204.
The NW Lipid Research Clinic was established more than 30 years ago as one of 12 lipid research centers around the country. The center includes researchers in endocrinology and diabetes, and provides specialty care to patients. It is directed by Robert H. Knopp, professor of medicine and chief of Harborview's Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition.
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LOGERFO STEPS DOWN AS DIRECTOR OF UW HEALTH PROMOTION RESEARCH CENTER
James LoGerfo, professor of medicine and of health services, has stepped down as director of the UW Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC). Jeffrey R. Harris, professor of health services, is the new director of the center.
The HPRC is one of 33 such centers around the country funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers from the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, the School of Medicine, and other health sciences schools are affiliated with the UW HPRC. The center focuses on keeping people free from disease and complications, by identifying health-care solutions for vulnerable populations and forming partnerships in health care, academia, and communities to implement those solutions.
LoGerfo has served as director for seven years. He will continue to work on local research projects through the HPRC and the Health Aging Research Network, a national consortium studying the determinants of healthy aging in older adults. LoGerfo may be reached at logerfo@u.washington.edu
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MEDICAL SCHOOL ENROLLMENT TO RISE 17 PERCENT BY 2012, AAMC FINDS
Enrollment at medical schools around the country is expected to increase by 17 percent in the next several years, according to the results of an annual survey by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). First-year enrollment is projected to rise from about 16,000 students in 2002-3 to more than 19,000 students in 2012, the association found.
If the Washington state legislature funds the proposed expansion of the WWAMI medical education program in Spokane, the number of Washington residents in the UW medical school class will increase by about 17 percent.
The national projections are the result of the AAMC's annual survey of medical school expansion plans. The association had recommended last year a 30 percent expansion in enrollment over the next several years, and the survey indicates that medical schools are making progress toward that goal.
In a statement released with the report, AAMC President Darrell G. Kirch argued that academic medicine must find additional ways to stimulate growth in medical school capacity to meet the growing demand for doctors.
The survey is conducted by the AAMC Center for Workforce Studies, and attempts to track and analyze the supply and demand for physicians. This issue, along with strategies and goals for retaining doctors in the workforce and more effectively utilizing practicing physicians, will be discussed at the AAMC Physician Workforce Research Conference, which will be held May 2-4 in Washington, D.C.
A copy of the report on medical school expansion plans is available from the AAMC Web site at:
http://www.aamc.org/workforce/2006medschoolexpansion.pdf
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Online News is published by Health Sciences/UW Medicine News and Community Relations.
Justin Reedy, editor:
206-685-0382, jreedy@u.washington.edu
Online News is copyright 2007. All rights, including electronic
redistribution, are reserved.
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