MUSCMedical LinksCharleston LinksArchivesMedical EducatorSpeakers BureauSeminars and EventsResearch StudiesResearch GrantsCatalyst PDF FileCommunity HappeningsCampus News

Return to Main Menu

A Year in Review

CLINCIAL
MUSC Children's Hospital 11th best in nation MUSC Children’s Hospital has been named the 11th best  children's hospital  in the  nation by Child magazine in its second survey of children’s hospitals. Jan. 10

HIPAA to establish privacy, security standards Congress  passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996. Under HIPAA, Congress agreed to establish standards for the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information. Jan. 10

Customized laser eye surgery available in S.C. South Carolina residents who were formerly not candidates for laser vision surgery now have access to the latest development in Lasik technology. Magill Laser Center is one of two centers in the Southeast using the first-of-its-kind, wavefront-guided LADARVision® system. Feb. 7

Collaborative aims to ease nursing shortage MUSC was successful in raising $4 million earmarked to increase the number of baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral prepared nurses in South Carolina. March 14

Main OR lands nurse magazine's ‘Best Teams’ award It won the (Advance for Nurse's) award for Best Teams. Congratulations to the main operating room. March 28

Blood scrubbing removes cholesterol Patients with extremely elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol, in the blood can be helped through a procedure called LDL-apheresis, which absorbs the LDL from the blood. June 13

MUSC DDC, Psychiatry cited by U.S. News The MUSC Medical Center was named one of the country’s best hospitals in the treatment of digestive disorders and psychiatric disorders by U.S. News and World Report. July 25

Duty hour limits affect residency education, patient care Resident physician training programs at MUSC and more than 1,500 hospitals across the country faced new “duty hours” standards designed to relieve resident fatigue, improve patient care and ensure patient safety. At issue was the recognition and acceptance of new standards established  by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education regarding the time residents spend in patient care duties and other activities related to their program. Aug. 22

New test aids in breast cancer prevention A new procedure offered at MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center combined with existing tests gave physicians important information needed to determine which at-risk women should receive therapy to prevent breast cancer. Sept. 26

NCVC selected for national network to treat child trauma The National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at MUSC has been selected as one of 54 organizations throughout the United States to improve the care of traumatized children.Oct. 24

MUSC nurses reach for ‘gold standard’ in hospital care MUSC Medical Center sent a letter of intent to the American Nurses Credentialing Center announcing the pursuit of Magnet Hospital status via the Magnet Professional Recognition Program. Nov. 21

TECHNOLOGY
Printers produce 3-dimensional living tissue MUSC  and Clemson scientists use desktop printers to produce 3-dimensional living tissue. The work is a tiny first step towards printing complex tissues or even entire organs. Jan. 31

3-D Echo views in-depth images of heart MUSC’s Pediatric Echo (echocardiogram) laboratory in the Children’s Hospital acquired a cardiac ultrasound system providing true, real-time, three-dimensional images of the heart. April 11

Cytopathology consortium among nation's best The American Society of Cytopathology honored MUSC by awarding its center of excellence status to the university's cytopathology consortium. Consisting of the College of Health Professions' Center for Quality Improvement in Cytopathology, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Coastal Laboratories Inc., the consortium was named one of only four centers of excellence in the U.S. Nov. 28

CAMPUS
Budget, hospital plans top agenda Budget improvements and the latest plans for MUSC's new hospital topped the agenda of MUSC President Ray Greenberg’s first town hall faculty meeting for 2003 held on Feb. 5. Feb. 14

Raymond assumes VP for academic affairs, provost position John R. Raymond, M.D., was named to the position of vice president for academic affairs and provost at MUSC after serving as  interim in this position since July 2002. Feb. 28

MUSC programs cited in U.S. News guide America’s Best Graduate Schools 2004, published by U.S. News and World Report, included Medical University of South Carolina academic programs. May 2

Study notes MUSC's major economic impact A new economic impact study measured the increase in Tri-county economic activity attributable to MUSC's presence in the Lowcountry. June 13

MUSC receives Certificate of Achievement The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to MUSC by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its comprehensive annual financial report. July 4

MUSC breaks ground for new CHP complex More than 300 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony for MUSC’s new College of Health Professions complex. University officials say that the 102,500-square-foot facility will be one of the larger allied-health education centers in the Southeast when it is completed in 2005. Oct. 24

FACULTY
Kindy to encourage collaboration in research Neuroscience research at MUSC is a rapidly growing enterprise. The Center on Aging and the departments of Physiology, Psychiatry, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Pathology, Pediatrics, Ophthalmology, among others all have active research programs in the area of neuroscience. As the newly appointed interim director of the Neuroscience Institute, Mark S. Kindy, Ph.D., hopes to apply his collaborative spirit to support the further development of the institute. June 13

ADA honors Buse Maria Buse, M.D., professor of medicine and biochemistry, was presented the American Diabetes Association Albert Renold Award at the annual meeting and scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association. June 27 

Program wins Excellence in Education Award MUSC’s physician assistant program received this year's Excellence in Education Award during the S.C. Rural Health Association and S.C. Area Health Education Consortium’s annual conference. June 20

World-class cardiologist Wharton joins heart/vascular team Treating heart-rhythm disorders and understanding the details of the heart's electrical pathways have improved for South Carolinians and others thanks to the recruitment of  cardiac electrophysiologist Marcus Wharton, M.D. Wharton is the latest specialist to join MUSC’s Heart and Vascular Center team, which is committed to providing a full-service, cardiac care center. July 4

New CIO steers info technology Staying abreast of the technology curve in an academic medical setting is as daring as watching cars jockeying for position at a NASCAR race. And the challenge will be equally as daunting to MUSC’s new chief
 information officer, Frank Clark, Ph.D. July 11

Schlosser receives award from National Medical Society Rodney J. Schlosser, M.D., Rhinology and Sinus Surgery director, received the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Honor Award. Oct. 31

RESEARCH
$10.9M grant to support center for lipid biology Fatty molecules practically bulge with information that could lead to new  therapies in the fight against cancer and against inflammatory and neuro-degenerative diseases. It’s a cache of coded information principal investigator Lina Obeid, M.D., and co-investigator Yusuf Hannun, M.D., want to crack. Their $10.9 million grant for an MUSC Center in Lipidomics and Pathobiology will let them do exactly that. Jan. 17

Cholesterol-lowering drug shows promise for MS treatment Results of the first human clinical trial of simvastatin, a common cholesterol-lowering drug, for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) showed promising indications of the drug’s effectiveness in the treatment of this variant of MS. April 4 

COM shines in NIH funding comparison New evidence of MUSC’s continuing climb in rankings among the nation’s top academic medical centers was released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in its funding comparisons of the nation’s 125 medical schools. Several of MUSC’s departments ranked in the top 20 in the agency’s report which examines NIH funding support to medical colleges for FY2002. May 16

Study to test cocaine addiction relapse medication A derivative of a common amino acid was found to be effective in preventing relapse of cocaine use in experimental animals. The findings by MUSC researchers will be published in the July issue of Nature Neuroscience. Another team of MUSC investigators has begun testing the compound in humans.  “Addiction to drugs of abuse causes permanent changes in the brain that can cause addicts to crave the drugs for years after last using them,” said Peter Kalivas, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Physiology and Neurosciences at MUSC and an author of the study. June 27

MUSC nets $13.5M to fund four new research centers The South Carolina Lottery Center of Economic Excellence Oversight Committee  awarded $13.5 million in matching money to four new research centers at MUSC. The funded proposals were in the areas of marine genomics (jointly with the College of Charleston), proteomics, brain imaging (jointly with the University of South Carolina) and neuroscience. July 4

Stroke risk: Could it start in the womb? Malnourished pregnant women generations ago may account for today’s increased stroke risk in certain parts of Great Britain and the United States, according to a study in an issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.  In both countries, there are geographic variations in stroke death that are not explained by adult lifestyle, say authors Dan Lackland, Dr.PH, an MUSC epidemiologist, and David Barker, Medical Research Council Environmental Epidemiology Unit of the University of Southampton, England. July 11

Research focus sharper as CRI takes shape As the Children’s Research Institute takes shape, the concept of a center dedicated to the research of childhood disease becomes a reality. July 18

Joint nutritional research will promote health South Carolina's three research universities and the S.C. Research Authority announced their plans to jointly tackle the state's health problems caused by poor nutrition. The collaboration links resources and research faculty of MUSC,  Clemson University, and the University of South Carolina to create the  S.C. Nutrition Research Consortium, which will conduct research on nutrition and how it affects the health of South Carolinians. Aug. 29 

Lottery to fund regenerative medicine center MUSC, USC and Clemson University have been awarded $6 million in 2004 lottery proceeds to set up a Center for Regenerative Medicine. Sept. 5 

NCQA accredits human protection program The National  Committee for Quality Assurance granted full accreditation to the human research protection program of the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and its affiliated Institutional Review Board at MUSC. Oct. 31

Collaborative unit working to promote research excellence The Department of Biometry and Epidemiology’s Collaborative Unit continues to carve a functional niche within MUSC’s research arena by helping to advance cooperative research efforts with on-campus investigators and staffs at practically any stage of the process. Nov. 21

Obituaries
MUSC colleagues remember astronaut David Brown His was a brief, one-year stop at MUSC, a stay long enough for Capt. David Brown to serve part of his residency at the Family Practice Center on his way to heights of achievement only a select few reach. But for those he touched 20 years ago, faded memories suddenly burst  full color as NASA's Columbia shuttle ripped apart on re-entry following an otherwise successful 16-day mission. Feb. 7

Memorial service for Mary Platt to be held Mary Frances Haring Platt, a retired radiology supervisor at MUSC, died March 21, of breast cancer. April 4

Faculty member Dr. Betty Roof dies May 14 Dr. Betty Roof Fudenberg, professor of endocrinology, diabetes, and medical genetics passed away May 14. May 23

MUSC, VA remember Thurmond Most people never dream of accomplishing the many things Sen. Strom Thurmond did in his lifetime, much less living to be 100 years old. With the death of a special friend, the Medical University remembers that the senator always shared the university’s commitment to the health of South Carolinians. July 4

Trauma nurse dies in auto accident Renee Branca Jett, R.N., 39, who was employed in the MUSC Medical Center’s Trauma Unit, died Sept. 28 in an automobile accident. Oct. 17
 
 

Editor's note: All stories can be read in their entirety by accessing the Catalyst Online at http://www.musc.edu/catalyst/archive/2003/arch2003.htm
 
 

Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.