Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
 
NEWS & MEDIA

Jefferson Expert Advises New York Times
(Published: 06-20-2009, New York Times) Dr. Adam Dicker, Professor and Interim Chair of Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals advised the New York Times on their graphics used in the article entitled Failed Prostate Procedures at the Philadelphia V.A.

Media Coverage:
New York Times


Watch Jefferson featured in the media (April 2009):

Fast care might have saved Natasha Richardson
Local Philadelphia media called on Dr. Robert Rosenwasser, chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery , to provide expert commentary on how such a minor fall can lead to a life-ending injury. CBS3 News Clip.

No Structural Damage In Hamels' Elbow
Team doctor Michael Ciccotti of the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital reported no structural damage to the joint after looking at the left-hander's pitching elbow Tuesday morning in Philadelphia. Fox 29 News Clip.

Deep Vein Thrombosis Awareness Month
Dr. Geno Merli of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and member of The Coalition to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) talks about the signs and symptoms of DVT and its risk factors. TodayShow News Clip.



Your Voice is as unique as your fingerprint
(Published 04-16-2009, CBS 3) Your voice is as unique as your fingerprint.  Whether explaining or complaining, joking or serious, the human voice is unmistakably genuine.  It helps define your personality, mood, and health.  Yet in the United States alone there are approximately 7.5 million people who have trouble using their voices.  That’s why, when World Voice Day comes around, doctors like to remind patients how important it is to maintain their voice.

Dr. Joseph Spiegel , director, Jefferson Center for Voice and Swallowing in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, was featured, along with a Jefferson patient, in a health story that aired on CBS 3 and is posted on the stations Web site.  The story is about Connie Bosna, a singer and choir leader of the Sweet Adeline's. She's been belting out tunes for more than 30 years, but in 2008, her voice was almost silenced when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  Connie shares how Dr. Spiegel and the Jefferson Center for Voice and Swallowing helped her find her singing voice again.  Dr. Spiegel commented on how the center’s rehabilitative programs can help people like Connie, and talks about how important it is not to ignore any changes in your voice that persist for more than two weeks.

Media Coverage
CBS 3 & CBS3.com


More than 186,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009
(Published 03-16-2009, New York Daily News) According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), more than 186,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009. One of those recently diagnosed with the disease is radio legend Don Imus. Doctors told the 68 year old that he has stage 2 prostate cancer, which is the second most common type of cancer among men – behind only to skin cancer – in the U.S., per the NCI.

Dr. Leonard Gomella, chair of the Department of Urology , and associate director of Clinical Affairs at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, provided expert insight into the treatment options available for Imus in a New York Daily News article, and locally on the 6 ABC Web site.

Media Coverage
New York Daily News
6ABC.com


Fast care might have saved Natasha Richardson
(Published 03-2009, philly.com) Award-winning actress Natasha Richardson’s seemingly minor fall on a beginner’s trail of a ski slope ultimately took her life. The 45 year old suffered an epidural hematoma, a traumatic accumulation of blood between the inner table of the skull and the stripped-off dural membrane.

Local Philadelphia media called on Dr. Robert Rosenwasser, chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery , to provide expert commentary on how such a minor fall can lead to a life-ending injury. This phenomenon, in which the victim is lucid for a while before the blood builds up enough to exert fatal pressure on the brain, is sometimes referred to in medical slang by the chilling term "talk and die."

"It's a real tragedy," said Dr. Rosenwasser. "If it's caught early and treated, patients can make a full recovery, particularly a young person who's 45."

Media Coverage
Philadelphia Inquirer & Philly.com
CBS 3


Sexting
(Published 02-04-2009, philly.com) Sexting, or the practice of sending nude self portraits electronically by cell phone, is very much a contemporary issue.  Recently, teenagers in different regions of the country have been arrested and charged with child pornography for sending and/or receiving such images.  But many questions have been raised as to whether or not charging teenagers as such is the best way to handle this growing phenomenon.

Dr. Terri Randall, a Jefferson child and adolescent specialist in the Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior was interviewed for an Associated Press article about this issue.  Dr. Randall said she is seeing more issues related to sexting especially since cell phones with cameras have become the standard.  The article was picked up by several major media outlets across the nation.

Media Coverage
Philadelphia Inquirer & Philly.com
MSNBC.com
CBSNews.com
FOXNews.com
Dallas Morning News & Dallas.com
USATODAY
The Sydney Morning Herald
ChicagoTribune.com
YahooFinance.com


Life Saver
(Published 11-13-2008 southphillyreview.com) Dr. Cataldo Doria’s successful career as a transplant surgeon comes with rewards, including a recent one from the American Liver Foundation.

Medical volumes line the walls of Dr. Cataldo Doria’s large office at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, leaving just enough space for his myriad diplomas and blow-up doll of George W. Bush in the corner. His affable demeanor and deliberate speech invites ease and trust, something that stems from his years of dealing with patients at a critical point in their care. This can be a good thing for a transplant surgeon and Doria, who specializes in liver surgeries, has performed more than 450.
Department of Surgery

Media Coverage
Southphillyreview.com


Study Suggests Colon Cancer Vaccine Possible
(Published 6-24-2008, Reuters) A protein found only in the intestines may help lead the way to a vaccine that can treat colon cancers and perhaps other tumors too, researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson report.

Mice immunized with the protein and then infected with colon tumors had fewer tumors spread to the lung and liver than usual, they reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The work, led by postdoctoral fellow Adam Snook, Ph.D., and Scott Waldman, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Jefferson Medical College, found that unvaccinated animals had an average of 30 new tumors in the lungs and liver. Vaccinated animals had three.
Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

Media Coverage
Reuters
HealthDay
Forbes
U.S. News & World Report
WashingtonPost
Fox News
ABC News
New York Times
CBS News


Preventive Surgery for Breast Cancer
(Published 5-2-08, WebMD) Many women who undergo a mastectomy for cancer in one breast and choose to have their other, healthy breast removed as a preventive measure are extremely satisfied with the results, researchers report.

"The majority of women felt it gave them a sense of control," says researcher Anne Rosenberg, MD, a breast surgeon at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia. "They had low anxiety and depression scores. And they were particularly proactive about instituting healthy lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking," she tells WebMD.

The procedure is called a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. The findings were presented here at the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBS) Ninth Annual Meeting.

Rosenberg says that better breast reconstructive techniques are a major reason why more women are opting for the procedure. "They can choose contralateral mastectomy and have both breasts reconstructed at the same time."
Department of Surgery

Media Coverage
WebMD


Philadelphia Magazine Top Doctors 2008
(Published 04-25-2008, Phillymag.com) Philadelphia Magazine’s Top Doctors issue features a guide to health care in the Philadelphia area. The comprehensive list features top local doctors and a list of Centers of Excellence, featuring hospitals to go to for the finest care in different specialties, a new addition this year.

46 Jefferson doctors were featured, as well as hospital appearances in 24 categories in the Centers of Excellence list, selected for the very highest level of expertise. Dr. Paul DiMuzio, of endovascular surgery, is featured on the magazine’s cover.

The magazine is available at Philadelphia-area newsstands for the month of May as well in an online full-list version, complete with a searchable database, at PhillyMag.com.

Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Magazine


New Drug Duo Helps Cut Colon Cancer Risk
(Published 4-14-08, Washingtonpost.com) A new drug duo might help prevent colorectal cancer, and the powerful new cancer drug Sutent may slow the progression of liver cancer. So conclude two studies presented Monday at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in San Diego.

In a third report, researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia found that blood pressure-lowering drugs called angiotensin receptor blockers appear to retard pancreatic cancer cell growth and cause malignant cells to die.

This type of drug is able to inhibit the function of the hormone angiotensin II in the pancreas. The same receptor is found in pancreatic cancer cells. In laboratory experiments, the researchers found that the drug was able to block the production of a growth factor called VEGF, which helps spur the growth of tumor blood vessels.

"This is really exciting because the role of this receptor has never been known," lead researcher Dr. Hwyda Arafat said. "The exciting thing is that this receptor already has so many available pharmaceutical blockers on the market." Ultimately, the group hopes to be able to test these agents in human trials, she said.
Department of Surgery

Media Coverage
Washingtonpost.com
Austin American-Statesman
HealthDay News


Your Guide to Cancer Treatment
(Published 4-11-08, Philadelphia Daily News) "It's different when it's you," said breast-cancer patient Dorothy Hall, of South Philadelphia. Since 1991, Hall has been standing strong alongside her mother, Dorothy Sworob, as she toughed out four bouts of metastatic breast cancer. Originally given just two months, 83-year-old Sworob has now outlived her grim prognosis by more than 16 years.

Today, Hall is toughing out her own case of breast cancer: a lump that had already spread to one lymph node by the time she discovered it while lifting some pots in her garden. She has had a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation, which is scheduled to end today.

Despite an overall survival rate that has climbed to 66 percent, cancer is still the disease that scares people most, said Dr. Richard Wender, chairman of family and community medicine at Thomas Jefferson University and immediate past president of the American Cancer Society.

If you or someone you love is grappling with the disease - the American Cancer Society estimates that 70,110 Pennsylvanians will be diagnosed this year - Wender said it's important to know that times have changed. "We've turned the tide. Death rates are coming down. They peaked in 1991, and they've been coming down since."

Heroes who are fighting colorectal cancer
DR. EDITH MITCHELL: Crusading physician
In her medical practice at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Mitchell specializes in colorectal and other digestive cancers, plus breast cancer. Nationally, she's a leader in the crusade to figure out why black patients' survival rates are lower than white patients' -- and to fix that.

Heroes who are fighting prostate cancer
DR. MICHAEL LISANTI: Lab leader
Lisanti, a researcher at Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center, has won global acclaim for some breakthrough discoveries about how prostate-cancer cells operate. He's also making strides in breast- cancer research.
Family and Community Medicine
Medical Oncology
Cancer Biology
Urology

Media Coverage
Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News