"Families Advocate for Alzheimer's to be Priority."
(Published 7-26-06, PBS TV's ' Newshour with Jim Lehrer) Samuel Gandy, III, M.D., Ph.D, director of the Farber Institute of
Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University, was interviewed about Alzheimer's disease research on PBS-TV's "Newshour with
Jim Lehrer" as part of a two-part series on Alzheimer's.
Farber Institute for Neurosciences
Department of Neurology
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Media Coverage:
PBS TV's ' Newshour with Jim Lehrer
Small heart risk traced in cancer drug
(Published 7-24-06, Philadelphia Inquirer) Doctors at Thomas Jefferson University have discovered from a recent study why
the drug Gleevec, heralded for turning off cancer cells, may cause congestive heart failure in a small number of patients.
Thomas L. Force, M.D., James C. Wilson Professor of Medicine at Jefferson Medical College and clinical director of the Center
for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University who led the Jefferson team discovered that the second part of the
BCR-ABL gene that Gleevec targets, the ABL part, also helps maintain cells that contract the heart's left ventricle. When
Gleevec destroys ABL, heart cells begin to die.
The study followed up on 10 patients who developed severe heart failure after taking Gleevec. More research is needed to determine
why Gleevec causes the side effect in some patients and not others.
"This finding is a big surprise," said Dr. Force. "The last thing we want to do is cause a Gleevec scare. Patients need to
be on this drug, so the question is how to keep them on it without it having an effect on the heart."
Department of Medicine
Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Inquirer
Associated Press
Reuters
The Wall Street Journal
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WHYY
Washington Post
USA Today
Alzheimer's patients may get skin patch
(Published 07-19-06, Associated Press) Alzheimer's patients may soon be able to experience the first skin patch to treat the
creeping brain degeneration. Applied once a day, the new skin patch will send the drug Exelon straight into the bloodstream,
bypassing the gastrointestinal tract with hopes of fewer side effects and maintaining a consistent daylong dose.
The patch will clearly improve the quality of life for patients with Alzheimer's, said Sam Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., Director of
the Farber Institute for Neurosciences of Thomas Jefferson University and an Alzheimer's Association spokesman.
"It's an important alternative in this era where we still have these symptomatic medications," Dr. Gandy said.
Farber Institute for Neurosciences
Department of Neurology
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience
Media Coverage:
Associated Press
Seattle Times
Boston Globe
Philly.com
Forbes.com
Washington Post
Los Angeles Times
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MSNBC
CNN.com
Study: Cancer Risk Not Higher For Women With Breast Implants
(Published 7-19-06, NBC10) More women are getting breast implants for cosmetic reasons and many women are worried about breast
cancer.
Statistics show there has been a 460 percent increase in breast augmentation in the last nine years. But new research out
of a local university hospital found that women with implants do not need to worry that their implants will increase their
risk of getting cancer.
Many women with breast augmentation or implants worry about breast cancer, but a new study from Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital had several reassuring findings.
Study co-author Kristin Brill, a Jefferson breast surgeon, says women with implants who get breast cancer no longer need to
assume they'll need a mastectomy.
"Now women who've had implants who develop a breast cancer may be candidates for lumpectomy with radiation and do very well
with that procedure."
Department of Surgery
CancerCARE at Jefferson
Media Coverage:
NBC10
CBS3
Local man has a great heart
(Published 7-13-06, Northeast Times) Three weeks ago, John McAroy, a 33-year-old heart transplant patient at Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital, received a heart through the Gift of Life Donor Program.
“His prognosis is excellent,” says Paul Mather, M.D., Director of the Advanced Heart Failure Center at Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital. “Young men aren’t supposed to get heart disease. Without modern technology, he wouldn’t have been alive. He was
able to get one great gift of life that a donor and his family gave.”
“For eight and a half months, the only people I saw the most were the nurses,” McAroy said. “They held my hand and said it
was going to be all right. I never doubted when I rolled into the operating room that I would open my eyes again. If you need
to be sick, this hospital is the place to be,” he said of Jefferson.
Division of Cardiology
HeartCARE at Jefferson
Media Coverage:
Northeast Times
HIV Treatment(Published 7-10-06, CBS 3) Kathleen Squires, M.D., Director of Infectious Diseases and Envionmental Medicine at Thomas Jefferson
University, discussed a new pill for HIV patients that is awaiting FDA approval. Dr. Squires says the new pill, which will
be taken once a day, will make treatment less complicated and will combine three different drugs that many HIV patients are
already taking.
“That makes it more possible to be adherent or compliant with your regimen and to really fit it into your lifestyle and not
let the drugs control you, but you control the drugs and your infection,” said Dr. Squires.
Department of Medicine
Division of Infectious Disease and Envionmental Medicine
Media Coverage:
CBS 3
Long walks made him ideal transplant recipient(Published 7-07-06, Gloucester County Times) John McAroy a heart transplant patient at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
walked the halls of the fifth floor at Jefferson for eight and a half months waiting for a new heart. What seemed like little,
IV-attached steps, resulted in 115 pounds of weight loss and produced a body healthy enough for a heart transplant.
Paul Mather, M.D., Director of the Advanced Heart Failure Center at the Jefferson Heart Institute, said "John is the one and
only patient I have seen in 14 years, to make that kind of commitment to getting into the best shape possible for surgery."
Dr. Mather saw a great transformation by McAroy, describing him as "nearly dead" when he came in, but now one of the most
motivated people he has ever met.
"Everyone from the nurses to the cooking and cleaning staff were so wonderful to me," McAroy said. "When they said I was going
to get through something, I believed them. They took great care of me."
Division of Cardiology
HeartCARE at Jefferson
Media Coverage:
Gloucester County Times
Top Docs 2006(Published 7-05-06) Among the 2006 "Top Docs" profiled in Philadelphia Magazine are Barry Rovner, M.D., geriatric psychiatrist
and director of the Alzheimer’s Center at the Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson University, and neurologist
Rodney Bell, M.D., director of the Acute Stroke Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
Farber Institute for NeurosciencesDepartment of NeurologyJefferson Hospital for NeuroscienceDepartment of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Magazine
Physician-patient communication(Published 7-4-06, Physician's News Digest) As the health care delivery system continues to undergo escalating quality and
safety improvement expectations – by patients, payors and purchasers – physicians are becoming increasingly accountable to
another aspect of their profession: the manner in which they communicate with their patients.
A growing body of evidence links effective physician-patient communication to desirable outcomes such as lower patient stress
levels and improved adherence to treatment, higher physician satisfaction, and fewer medical malpractice lawsuits.
Empathy is the backbone of positive physician-patient relationships, according to Mohammadreza Hojat, Ph.D., Research Professor
of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, and Director of Jefferson Longitudinal Study, Center for Research in Medical Education and
Health Care, Jefferson Medical College.
Until relatively recently, medical training neglected the importance of empathy and rapport-building skills, focusing on curing
the patient with the right diagnosis and the right medicine, but not healing the patient by addressing the context and meaning
of their illness, according to Lindsey Lane, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Undergraduate Medical
Education at Jefferson Medical College.
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Department of Pediatrics
Media Coverage:
Physician's News Digest
Monitoring dose crucial for anticoagulants(Published 7-3-06, American Medical News) Patients who were surveyed by a Washington, D.C., based advocacy group, the National
Consumers League, revealed that they need more help from their physicians or other health care professionals in managing their
warfarin therapy successfully. Physicians who were also surveyed indicated that monitoring patients on anticoagulants often
was a challenging undertaking.
John Spandorfer, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Jefferson Medical College said that primary care physicians can
set up their own office-based anticoagulation clinics. The clinic head, whether a nurse or other staff member, would ensure
that patients return for periodic blood test.
“This is very helpful for primary care physicians,” Dr. Spandorfer said. Having a point-of-care monitor in offices would mean
that test results would be available immediately and that medication could be adjusted as needed.
Department of Medicine
Media Coverage:
American Medical News
