Current Releases
Jay S. Jenoff, M.D., Joins the Department of Surgery at Jefferson
(Published 8-21-2008) Jay S. Jenoff, M.D., recently joined the Department of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital,
and was also named an assistant professor of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. He specializes
in trauma surgery, general surgery, and surgical critical care.
Kristin Brill, M.D., Joins the Department of Surgery at Jefferson
(Published 8-21-2008) Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S., recently joined the Department of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital, and was also named an instructor of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Brill
specializes in the surgical treatment of benign and malignant breast conditions.
Molecule Found To “Turn On” Genes That Lead To Heart Failure, Jefferson Scientists Show
(Published 8-19-2008) Researchers at the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University have found a second
signaling molecule they believe plays an important role in heart failure, and this one works in a way not seen before.
In the August 18, 2008 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the scientists describe
how, in experimental mice, an enzyme known as GRK5 normally present in cardiac cell membranes, enters the cell’s nucleus.
There it turns on genes that push a stressed heart to grow larger, leading to failure of the organ to adequately pump blood.
Benny Weksler, M.D., Joins the Department of Surgery at Jefferson
(Published 8-13-2008) Benny Weksler, M.D., an accomplished thoracic surgeon, recently joined the Department of Surgery at
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and was also named an assistant professor at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson
University. Dr. Weksler specializes in thoracic surgical oncology, especially procedures for lung and esophageal cancer,
as well as several different types of minimally invasive chest procedures.
Howard H. Weitz, M.D., Named New Director of Cardiology at Jefferson Medical College
(Published 8-5-2008) Cardiologist Howard H. Weitz, M.D., has been named the new director, Division of Cardiology in the Department
of Medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. He was also named the director of the Jefferson Heart
Institute. Dr. Weitz replaces Bernard L. Segal, M.D., who after 10 years as the director of the division, will become director
emeritus of the Division of Cardiology, while continuing his active practice in cardiovascular medicine.
Four Jefferson Students Awarded Albert Schweitzer Fellowships
(Published 8-4-2008) Four Thomas Jefferson University students have recently been awarded Albert Schweitzer Fellowships, allowing
each of them to dedicate more than 200 hours of community service to enhance access to adequate health services for low-income
communities where the need is greatest.
Jefferson Professor Receives Award for Lifetime of Innovative Research in Nuclear Medicine
(Published 7-23-2008) Mathew Thakur, Ph.D., professor of radiology and radiation
oncology/nuclear medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, has been awarded the 2008 Cassen Prize
in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the science and practice of Nuclear Medicine. The award, given by the
Society of Nuclear Medicine’s Education and Research Foundation, was recently presented to Dr. Thakur at the Society’s annual
meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he presented the Cassen Lecture to a ballroom full of his colleagues on “Genomic
Biomarkers for Molecular Imaging: Predicting the Future.” At Jefferson, Dr. Thakur is also the director of laboratories
of Radiopharmaceutical Research Molecular Imaging, Nuclear Medicine Research, and is a member of the Kimmel Cancer Center.
Jefferson’s Chair of Emergency Medicine Elected 147th President of the Philadelphia County Medical Society
(Published 7-22-2008) Theodore A. Christopher, M.D., F.A.C.E.P., Professor and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine
at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, has been elected President of the Philadelphia County Medical
Society. He has served the society in many different capacities since 2002, including on the Board of Directors, membership
on the Caucus Resolution and Membership Committees, and liaison to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
Dr. Christopher will serve a one-year term.
Jefferson Names First Endowed Chair in Radiology Department’s History
(Published 7-21-2008) Vijay M. Rao, M.D., F.A.C.R., professor and chair of the Department of Radiology at Jefferson Medical
College of Thomas Jefferson University, has been named to the first endowed chair in the department’s history. This endowment
honors the former chair of the department, David C. Levin, M.D., who led the department for 16 years. New York businessman,
Arthur S. Penn, bestowed a generous gift to Jefferson to create the chair honoring Dr. Levin.
Jefferson Study Evaluates “Triple Rule-Out” CT Scan for Acute Coronary Syndrome
(Published 7-18-2008) Chest pain is the second most common complaint when patients go to the emergency room, accounting for
six million visits annually. Determining the cause of patients’ symptoms whether it be a heart attack or some other life-threatening
entity like a blood clot in the lungs is challenging since the symptoms often overlap. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
is at the forefront of institutions evaluating a “triple rule-out” protocol with coronary computed tomographic angiography
(CCTA) for low-to-moderate risk patients presenting with symptoms suspicious for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The “triple
rule-out” CCTA provides a non-invasive, rapid and accurate approach for the proper diagnosis or exclusion of ACS.
Jefferson the First Hospital in Philadelphia to Use Next Generation Drug Eluting Stent since FDA Approval
(Published 7-15-2008) Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the first hospital in Philadelphia to offer the next generation
of drug eluting stents for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). Recently approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration,
the XIENCE V Everolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent System, has proven to be more effective in reducing adverse cardiac events
in recent clinical trials of patients with previous cases of CAD.
Jefferson Neurosurgery Department Passes Major Milestone
(Published 7-15-2008) The Neurosurgery team of the Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience has passed a major milestone in the
treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Since 1994, Robert H. Rosenwasser, M.D., professor and chair, Department of Neurological
Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and his associates including Erol Veznedaroglu, M.D.,
associate professor and director, Division of Neurovascular Surgery and Endovascular Surgery; and Kenneth Liebman, M.D., assistant
professor, Department of Neurological Surgery, have treated more than 4,100 of this type of aneurysm.
Jefferson Researchers Show Antibody to Breast Cancer-Secreted Protein Blocks Metastasis
(Published 7-8-2008) Scientists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have made a key
discovery about the mechanism of breast cancer metastasis, the process by which cancer spreads. Focusing on a gene dubbed
"Dachshund," or DACH1, they are beginning to pinpoint new therapeutic targets to halt the spread of cancer.
RED ALERT: Study Finds Chinese Food Good for Your Heart
(Published 6-9-2008) A clinical study on patients who have suffered a heart attack found that a partially purified extract
of Chinese red yeast rice, Xuezhikang (XZK), reduced the risk of repeat heart attacks by 45%, revascularization (bypass surgery/angioplasty),
cardiovascular mortality and total mortality by one-third and cancer mortality by two-thirds. The multicenter, randomized,
double-blind study, was conducted on almost 5,000 patients, ranging in age from 18-70 over a five-year period at over 60 hospitals
in the People's Republic of China. Corresponding author David M. Capuzzi, M.D., Ph.D, director of the Cardiovascular Disease
Prevention Program at Jefferson's Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine and Zonliang Lu, M.D., Ph.D, from the Fuwai Hospital
at the Chinese Academy of Medical Science report their findings in the June 15th edition of the American Journal of Cardiology.
