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The Dean's Letter
periodically highlights departments that have expanded or undergone
many changes in recent years. The Department of Human Genetics has clarified
its vision under Dr. Steve Warren, who was named Chairman
in January 2001. "Our team's goal is to become one of the top 10 departments
in human and mammalian genetics in the country," he says. During the
past two years, the department has:
- Expanded its faculty from 5 in 2001 to 23 in 2003, including 9
new tenure-track faculty.
- Increased federal research funding nearly 170%, from $2.2 million
in FY00 to $6 million in FY03.
- Published two papers in the journal Cell identifying the
specific genes in the brain affected by the lack of the protein FMRP,
which is absent in individuals with fragile X syndrome. This breakthrough,
achieved by using DNA microarray technology, should provide new targets
for drug therapy.
- Opened new laboratory and administrative space in the Whitehead
Biomedical Research Building in November 2001. Also opened a new Center
for Medical Genomics with advanced robotics for high-throughput DNA
extraction and genotyping.
- Helped form a strategic alliance in 2002 with deCODE genetics,
an Icelandic genomics company that uses unique genealogy data to identify
the role genes play in common diseases.
- Moved the Division of Medical Genetics (formerly part of Pediatrics)
into the department in 2002. The division provides adult and pediatric
consultation and management of genetic disease throughout metro Atlanta
and much of the state. It operates three state-of-the-art diagnostic
laboratories dealing with cytogenetics, metabolic diseases, and molecular
diagnostics. The department is fully accredited for specialty training
in clinical genetics and all American Board of Medical Genetics subspecialties.
- Recruited Dr. David Ledbetter, Chairman of the
Department of Human Genetics at The University of Chicago, as the
Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Human Genetics and Chief of the Division
of Medical Genetics.
- Established the Emory Down Syndrome Clinic to provide clinical
services to patients with Down syndrome and to augment the NIH-funded
National Down Syndrome Project, directed by Dr. Stephanie
Sherman, Professor of Human Genetics.
- Received approval from the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development to establish the joint Emory/Baylor National Fragile
X Center, one of three inaugural centers in the country.
Thirty-one students, faculty,
and alumni were inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
in March. Here are this year's M4 student honorees: John Abbott,
Meena Agarwal, Whitney Brown, John Davies, Mariya Fishman, Susan Goldberg,
Keith Hall, Ben Jessie, Todd Lancaster, Oren Levy, Jennifer Nash, Jaime
Noonan, Kristina Price, Jason Reingold, Marla Sammer, Lindsey Sharp,
Ron Shiloh, Danny Sims, Ian Stine, and Renee Young.
From the M3 class were Lee Burnett, Jennifer Campbell, Stacey
Freedman, Jon McConathy, and Paul Pruett.
House staff honorees were Drs. Alberto Fernandez and
Dr. Vinod Thourani. Drs. Thomas Aaberg Sr.
(Ophthalmology) and Grace Rozycki (Surgery) were faculty
honorees, and Drs. Joseph Miller Jr. and Robert
Campbell were alumni honorees. Dr. William Foege, Distinguished
Presidential Professor in the Rollins School of Public Health, gave
the keynote address. Formerly the Director of the CDC, Dr. Foege now
lives in Seattle, where he has served as Senior Advisor to the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation.
On March 20, there was no
happier place to be than the WHSCAB Plaza, where our M4 students learned
where they will complete their residency training. This year, 107 of
our 111 graduates participated in the National Residency Match Program.
Additionally, two students received military appointments, and two students
will complete a research year. The Emory Affiliated Hospital Training
Programs snagged 44 students (compared to 26 in 2002). Forty-eight students
selected primary care specialties. Of those, 24 chose internal medicine,
and 12 chose pediatrics. The most popular medical specialties were radiology/diagnostic
(7), anesthesiology (6), surgery (6), neurology (5), orthopaedic surgery
(5), and psychiatry (5). The M4s matched with outstanding residencies
in 28 states plus the District of Columbia, with 46 students remaining
in Georgia. Congratulations to our students as they take on exciting
new challenges during the next phase of their medical careers!
Commencement is set for May 12.
The main ceremony begins at 8 am on the Quadrangle. Irish Nobel Laureate
Seamus Heaney will address the graduates, and Dr.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Disease, will receive an honorary degree. The SOM Diploma
Ceremony follows at 9:45 am in Glenn Memorial Auditorium. Our keynote
speaker is Dr. Haile Debas, Vice Chancellor for Medical
Affairs at the University of California-San Francisco. On May 11, the
Dean's Reception for graduates and their families is from 3 to 5 pm
on the WHSCAB Plaza. Please join us!
In addition to
their immense workloads, many of our colleagues edit national and international
journals right here at Emory. "It's time we recognize them for their
dedication," says Dr. Claudia Adkison, Executive Associate
Dean for Administration and Faculty Affairs. Here's a list of these
colleagues along with their titles, journal names, editorial office
locations, circulations (if available), audiences, and a few comments
about their journals:
- Dr. Arthur English (Cell Biology); Editor-in-Chief;
Cell, Tissues and Organs-in vivo, in vitro; Emory office,
but published in Switzerland; biologists, physicians, and other scientists.
"The journal was first published in 1945 under the name Acta Anatomica.
We changed the name in 1999 to reflect a great emphasis on emerging
fields such as tissue engineering, artificial organs, in vitro systems,
transplantation biology, and computational neuroscience."
- Dr. Michael Johns (Health Sciences); Editor-in-Chief;
The Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery; published
by the American Medical Association in Chicago; 12,200 subscribers;
otolaryngologists. "It is the leading otolaryngology journal, with
information for physicians and scientists concerned with diseases
of the head and neck."
- Dr. Steven Levy (Psychiatry); Editor-Elect (10-year
term begins January 2004); Journal of the American Psychoanalytic
Association; Emory office; 5,200 subscribers; psychotherapists
and other mental health professionals. "The journal has the largest
readership and is the most prestigious among psycholanalytic journals."
- Dr. Charles Nemeroff (Psychiatry); Editor in Chief;
Neuropsychopharmacology; office in Nashville; American College
of Neuropsychopharmacology members, psychiatrists, and neuroscientists.
"It is the sixth highest-ranked journal out of 81 psychiatry journals."
- Drs. John Nickerson, Jeffrey Boatright, and Robert
Church, Senior Editors, and Dr. Stephen Cristol,
Editor (Ophthalmology); Molecular Vision (web-based); "virtual"
office. "We believe our journal is the first online bioscience journal,"
says Dr. Nickerson. "Mol Vis has an impact factor higher
than any other vision research journal. Our purpose is to publish
primary scientific articles and the occasional review article quickly
and at no expense to the author or the reader."
- Dr. Robert Rich (Research and Strategic Initiatives);
Editor-in-Chief; The Journal of Immunology; office in Bethesda,
Maryland; 7,700 subscribers; American Association of Immunology members
and other immunologists worldwide. "Dr. Jeremy Boss
(Microbiology/Immunology) is one of my nine national deputy editors.
It is the largest immunology journal and the 13th most cited biomedical
journal of the 5,700 biomedical journals in the world."
- Dr. Richard Rothenberg (Family and Preventive
Medicine); Editor-in-Chief; Annals of Epidemiology; office
at the Grady campus; 800 to 900 subscribers; American College of Epidemiology
members, epidemiologists, health workers, and methodologists. "The
Annals is the official publication of the American College
of Epidemiology. It is in its 13th year of publication."
- Dr. Jeff Sands (Medicine); Editor-in-Chief; The
American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology; Emory office;
circulation 2,250; renal physiologists and nephrologists. "The
American Journal of Physiology is more than 100 years old. The
journal split into subspecialties in the 1970s."
- Barney Stern (Neurology); Editor; The Neurologist;
Emory office, circulation 4,500; neurologists. "The journal's major
focus is to publish high-quality, comprehensive reviews of interest
to neurologists. I am the founding editor and was instrumental in
developing the concept for the journal, which is published by Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins."
- Dr. Doyle Stulting (Ophthalmology); Editor-in-Chief;
Cornea; office at Emory Vision Correction Center; circulation
1,850; cornea specialists, ophthalmologists, and other health professionals.
"It is the only peer-reviewed specialty journal for publication of
articles related to corneal disease, external ocular disease, and
corneal surgery. It includes articles related to refractive surgery,
contact lenses, ocular surface diseases, and corneal transplantation."
- Dr. George Waring III (Ophthalmology); Editor-in-Chief;
Journal of Refractive Surgery; circulation 2,200; International
Society of Refractive Surgery members, vision scientists, and other
health professionals. "It is the only peer-reviewed journal devoted
to refractive surgery."
- Dr. Stephen Warren (Human Genetics); Editor-in-Chief;
The American Journal of Human Genetics, Emory office; 8,000
subscribers; American Society of Human Genetics members, professional
human and medical geneticists with both MDs and PhDs, genetic counselors,
and nurses. "The journal is the oldest and most highly respected human/medical
genetics journal in the world. We were the first with online access
in the field, and virtually all human and medical geneticists subscribe."
Thomas J. Lawley, MD
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