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Emory Hospital ranks high |
 f you need treatment for a heart condition, Emory Hospital is one of the best places to be in America, according to U.S. News & World Report in its 1998 "America's Best Hospitals" issue. More than 2,000 hospitals were assessed in the annual survey, and Emory ranked 7th among the nation's heart hospitals. Emory has been among the top ten for heart since the magazine first began ranking hospitals in 1990 - except for last year when Emory wasn't considered because one American Hospital Association survey from which data were taken had not been filled out.
But Emory came back strong this year with 12 high-ranked specialties: heart, 7; opthalmology and orthopaedics, 14; neurology and neurosurgery, 16; urology, 22; geriatrics, 23; gynecology, 26; rheumatology, 30; gastroenterology and otolaryngology, 33; endocrinology, 37; and cancer, 40. "These rankings reinforce the high caliber of our health care teams, which include physicians, nursing staff, therapists, technicians, educators, and dietitians," says Emory Hospital CEO John Henry. "While we're continually known for cardiology services, this survey helps us publicly acknowledge our strength in other areas." Michael Johns, director of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, believes many of our other specialties will also rank high when Emory's reputation catches up with the data. Most of the 16 specialties ranked by the magazine were judged on such things as mortality ratios, volume of procedures, number of nurses for each patient, available medical technology, and random reputational surveys. |
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 hildren with cancer now can receive inpatient and outpatient care from Emory physicians in one place, thanks to the first major collaboration between Emory Healthcare and Emory Children's Center with ESR Children's Health Care System. ESR was created by the merger of the parent organizations of Egleston Children's Health Care System and Scottish Rite Children's Medical Center.
Under the 10-year agreement, Emory oncologists and nurse practitioners will care for both inpatients and outpatients in Egleston's AFLAC Cancer Center. Currently, outpatient services are housed by Emory in the Ronald McDonald Clinic on Ridgewood Road. The new center was donated by AFLAC, Inc., a worldwide supplemental insurance company, headquartered in Columbus, Georgia. AFLAC specializes in insurance products related to cancer risk and treatment. "Providing cancer care in one place is better for both children and families," says Devn Cornish, director of the Emory Children's Center. "The AFLAC Cancer Center makes movement between the inpatient and outpatient areas less emotionally traumatic and allows children to be cared for by those familiar to them - the same social workers, physical therapists, and nurses - in both settings. It will make lab testing and infusion therapy much easier as well." The agreement also bodes well for a good working relationship between Emory and ESR for many decades to come. |
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magine a time when transplant recipients don't need immunosuppression medications. Or when there are enough suitable donor organs for African Americans who need transplants.
Recent gifts from the Carlos and Marguerite Mason Trust will help bring those goals more within reach. The trust recently gave $2 million to create the Carlos and Marguerite Mason Chair in Transplantation Biology and to partner with Emory in establishing the Emory Transplantation Center. Emory will match that contribution. Since 1995 the Mason Trust has funded the basic and clinical research of transplant surgeons Christian Larsen and Thomas Pearson, who are developing a clinical strategy that would lead to greater tolerance of organ transplants without long-term immunosuppression. Another Mason Trust grant will be used to increase the number of African-American organ donors in Georgia. More than half of the 800 Georgians on the waiting list for an organ transplant are African-American, but fewer than 12% of all organ donations come from African Americans, reducing the chance that an appropriate match can be found for these patients. With the grant, the Georgia Leadership Commission on Organ and Tissue Donation among African Americans has been formed to provide a forum for addressing a broad range of issues that influence participation in donation programs. "Far too many African Americans refuse to sign donor cards because of concern about how organs are allocated, religious beliefs, and lack of trust in the medical research establishment," says Stephen Thomas, study co-investigator at the Rollins School of Public Health and director of its Institute for Minority Health Research, which will collaborate with the Transplant Center. "The behavior of physicians must also be examined to determine the extent to which African Americans are offered transplants that can prolong and improve the quality of life." |
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 ew buildings aren't the only way we're finding more space for research. Cages for research mice at Emory will be replaced over the next two years with new "low-profile" cages that house mice more efficiently and hygienically, with considerably less maintenance than the old cages. The new cages will increase the number of experimental mice available for researchers by at least 40% in existing space. |
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 mory researchers and patients will have more opportunities to participate in the development of innovative therapies and technologies now that Emory is a preferred research site of Quintiles Transnational Corp., the market leader for providing full-service contract research. Quintiles links top pharmaceutical and biotechnical firms across the world with high-performing investigator networks to conduct clinical trials and participate in drug development. Emory is the only academic medical center in the Southeast and the third in the nation to sign on with Quintiles as a preferred site.
The Quintiles relationship will augment existing clinical research relationships between faculty and research sponsors by providing access to new drugs and technologies earlier in the development process. Emory's interface with Quintiles will be through the Clinical Pharmaceutical Research Program (CPRP), a well-established central clinical research program which offers local administrative expertise and supports clinical studies conducted at Emory and Crawford Long hospitals. Clinical faculty interested in participating in industry-sponsored clinical trials should contact CPRP at 404-778-3945. |
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 ith the creation of the nation's first Huntington's Disease Society of America Center of Excellence, Emory will expand treatment and research into this genetic disorder that affects more than 250,000 Americans. Huntington's patients lose brain cells in the basal ganglia and other regions of the brain, resulting in symptoms such as choreic (dance-like) movements, loss of coordination, slurred speech, and progressive dementia.
"After the diagnosis is made and an appropriate medication treatment plan has been designed, patients do not require a physician as much as they do experts in physical, occupational, and speech therapy who have been trained to counter many of the symptoms of Huntington's disease," says center codirector Timothy Greenamyre. "Creation of the center lets us purchase many of these essential services for patients and ease some of the financial burden felt by even the most well-insured patients." The center offers ongoing social support, counseling during genetic testing, and psychiatric evaluations for persons in the later stages of the disease. Research efforts are stepping up too, providing patients more access to the latest treatments through clinical trials as scientists continue basic research into the genetics of the disease and future treatments. The center will also serve as a model for future HDSA centers. The new center's clinical services are based primarily at Wesley Woods Health Center. Research will be conducted by the Department of Neurology in Emory's School of Medicine. |
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"After the diagnosis is made and an appropriate medication treatment plan has been designed, patients do not require a physician as much as they do experts in physical, occupational, and speech therapy who have been trained to counter many of the symptoms of Huntington's disease," says center codirector Timothy Greenamyre. "Creation of the center lets us purchase many of these essential services for patients and ease some of the financial burden felt by even the most well-insured patients." The center offers ongoing social support, counseling during genetic testing, and psychiatric evaluations for persons in the later stages of the disease. Research efforts are stepping up too, providing patients more access to the latest treatments through clinical trials as scientists continue basic research into the genetics of the disease and future treatments. The center will also serve as a model for future HDSA centers. The new center's clinical services are based primarily at Wesley Woods Health Center. Research will be conducted by the Department of Neurology in Emory's School of Medicine. |
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 mid the congratulations of 20,000 students, parents, and friends, 639 graduates of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center donned caps and gowns in this year's commencement ceremonies:
Many faculty stars were also recognized:
At the School of Public Health, Dean James Curran congratulates one of the school's 287 graduates.Editor's note: For more news from the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, see Health Sciences Communications or Momentum Update. |
Commencement was a family affair for medical school graduate Esan Simon, whose father, Rev. Irving Simon, gave the benediction after the diploma ceremony.
Robert Vautier earned an MSN in patient care administration, continuing a family nursing tradition - his mother, Alice Vautier, is chief nursing officer for Emory Hospitals. |
Copyright © Emory University, 1998. All Rights Reserved.
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Web version by Jaime Henriquez.