Holly Humphrey, M.D., Professor in the Department of Medicine, Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Associate Dean of Students in the Pritzker School of Medicine, was named the new Dean of Medical Education, replacing Lawrence Wood, M.D., Ph.D., who announced his plans to step down from the position for personal reasons. Dr. Humphrey, who has served as the Residency Program Director in the Department of Medicine, plans to integrate undergraduate and graduate medical education into one office, a first among American Medical Schools. Michael Simon, M.D., Professor of Surgery, has been appointed the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, and James Woodfruff, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, will replace Dr. Humphrey as the Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Nancy Schwartz, Ph.D., Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, has received the first-ever "NIH/NICHD Mentor Award for Excellence in Research Training." This award recognizes the continued success of the long-standing M.D./Ph.D. "Growth and Development Training Program,” which is directed by Dr. Schwartz. Criteria for this award were an outstanding score on the latest competing continuation application, a history of providing a successful training environment, and superior attention to its trainees' and/or the community's needs. The Growth and Development Training Program, begun in 1964, is the oldest M.D./Ph.D. program in the United States; it is also the only non-MSTP M.D./Ph.D. training grant currently funded by NIH in the United States. In its last two renewal cycles, in fact, the training grant has received the best priority score among all training grants reviewed by the National Institute of Child and Human Development.

The Program has an outstanding track record of producing top graduates. Three of this year’s 8 “Rising Stars Symposium” speakers – Drs. Ruth Benca, Val Sheffield, and Jeffrey Leiden – are products of the Program. Dr. Schwartz has served as Director since 1982.

Bernard Roizman, Sc.D., the Joseph Regenstein Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, received a Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Roizman, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, taught 12 first-year undergraduates in a Spring Quarter course entitled “Viruses as Probes for Cellular Functions.” The starting point for the course was a DNA microarray analysis (Taddeo et al. 2002) of the transcriptional response of cells infected with herpes simplex virus 1 that identified 120 genes upregulated by the wild type virus. Each of the12 students were assigned two of the genes and instructed to pursue an individual research project focused on understanding the biological relevance of cellular response to infection. According to Dr. José Quintans, the Collegiate Master, the course was not only a great learning experience but will likely also produce a peer-reviewed publication with the 12 students as co-authors.

Winter Quarter 2003 witnessed the inauguration of an annual series of public lectures entitled the Charles B. Huggins Lectureship. Funded by a gift from Drs. Janet and Donald Rowley, the prestigious lectures are intended for a general audience and are intended to convey the excitement of biological discovery. Kendall Nettles, a graduate student in the Committee on Cancer Biology, delivered the lectures during January through March on the topic “Cancer and Hormones.” Nettles, who works in Dr. Geoffrey Greene’s laboratory in the Ben May Institute for Cancer Research, is studying how hormones interact with cancer cells using molecular biochemical and structural biological approaches.

Aims Updates
Removal of Public Distinction of Title, Modest Expansion of the Research Faculty, Academic Affairs, Cost Reduction...

EDUCATION
Holly Humphrey, M.D., Professor in the Department of Medicine, Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Associate Dean of Students in the Pritzker School of Medicine, was named the new Dean of Medical Education...

FOREFRONT
Emile Bacha, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery and Director of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, has performed two remarkable surgical firsts in the last 6 months...

DEVELOPMENT
The BSD and the Hospitals are major partners in The Chicago Initiative, the University's current campaign to raise $2 billion. Within the Initiative, $550 million is set as the target for Spark Discovery, Illuminate Life, the combined BSD/UCH effort...

ACCOLADES
Recent Awards and Grants Information for Biological Sciences Division Faculty

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Recent Recruitemnts and Appointments of Biological Sciences Division Faculty

Dollars & Sense
BSD met its financial targets for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003. Preliminary results indicate...

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Biological Sciences Division
The University of Chicago 5741 S. Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637
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