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Applications
hit an online snag
Every alum knows about the
Yale System of Medical Education and its emphasis on independent scholarship
over class rankings, grades and exams. This summer, applicants to the
medical school became familiar with a different kind of Yale system, created
after the failure of a Web-based application process introduced by the
American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Technical glitches
made it difficult for many applicants to file online, and the system for
transmitting application data to medical schools has been crippled by
software problems. Unfortunately, the old AMCAS paper-based system had
already been dismantled, and medical schools found themselves scrambling
to devise new procedures.
The transition system developed
by the Admissions Office and the school’s information technology
staff has worked so well that it has been adapted for use by other medical
schools. Despite the problems with AMCAS and a downward trend in medical
school applications nationally, applications to Yale have remained steady,
according to Director of Admissions Richard A. Silverman. Meanwhile, AMCAS
has developed an interim system of its own, sending printed copies of
its applications to medical schools via overnight mail. AMCAS has also
announced changes in leadership and is devoting substantial resources
to evaluating this year’s problems while working on a solution for
next year.
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Contributions
reach new high
For the second year in a row,
gifts to the medical school have soared. At the close of fiscal year 2001,
philanthropy from all sources totaled nearly $77 million, compared to
$63.5 million for the previous year and $40 million in fiscal 1999. Gifts
from individuals more than doubled over the past year, from $15.5 million
to $33 million. Of particular note was record-breaking giving by reunion
classes that celebrated last June. Donations from professional foundations
totaled $21 million; private agencies gave just under $16 million and
corporations gave $6 million. “These totals are not only a reflection
of the generosity of the many friends of the School of Medicine,”
said Dean David A. Kessler, M.D., “but also a continuing commitment
and support for faculty research and clinical excellence.”
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Targeting
macular degeneration
Macular degeneration, caused
by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina called the macula,
affects an estimated one-third of the over-65 population. Now, with a
$1 million gift from Foresight Inc. and $1 million in matching funds raised
by Yale, the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science is on its
way to establishing a center to address problems in retinal functioning.
The funding will be put toward the $5 million cost of establishing a center
to study the cellular and molecular biology and physiology of the development
of the retina.
Foresight Inc. is a Connecticut-based
charitable foundation. It was founded in 1968 by patients treated by Yale
ophthalmologists.
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Sleep
apnea and stroke
People who snore, sleep restlessly
and feel tired during the day are at higher risk of suffering a stroke,
according to a study by a Yale researcher published in the June issue
of the journal Stroke. “Sleep-related breathing disorders
are strongly associated with increased risk of stroke independent of known
risk factors,” said Vahid Mohsenin, M.D., director of the Yale Center
for Sleep Disorders and principal investigator of the study. “Since
sleep-related breathing disorders are treatable, patients with stroke
and transient ischemic attacks should be investigated for these conditions.”
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Lessons
in geriatric medicine
The care of elderly patients
is far more complex than treatment of younger people, yet clinicians too
often ignore this difference. The medical school has received a $2 million
grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation to teach medical students
how to care for the aging population. “With the elderly, any problem
has many causes and consequences that need to be understood,” said
Margaret A. Drickamer, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine
and geriatrics at Yale, and lead investigator on the project. “It
means asking more questions and asking different questions.” Drickamer
hopes to integrate geriatric medicine into existing curricula. “We
don’t want to take away from existing programs,” she said. “We
just want to make sure the concepts are taught.”
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New
genes for hypertension
A team of Yale scientists
has identified mutations in two genes that cause a rare form of hypertension.
The finding has also uncovered a previously unknown metabolic pathway
governing blood pressure that could offer new targets for medications.
The finding, reported in the
August 10 issue of Science, identifies genes on chromosomes 12
and 17. In their mutated form they can cause increased reabsorption of
salt by the kidneys and impaired secretion of potassium and hydrogen ions.
This leads to a rare form of hypertension called pseudohypoaldosteronism
type II.
The principal investigator
on the study was Richard P. Lifton, M.D., Ph.D., professor of genetics,
medicine, and molecular biophysics and biochemistry and an investigator
for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
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An
herbal clue to inflammation
An herb commonly used to treat
migraines inhibits a protein that causes inflammation, Yale pharmacologists
have found. In an article published in the August issue of Chemistry
& Biology, a team led by Craig Crews, Ph.D., associate professor
of chemistry, pharmacology, and molecular, cellular and developmental
biology, showed that a component of the herb feverfew targets a protein
called IkappaB Kinase, which is responsible for inflammation. “Now
that we have identified an inhibitor of this protein,” said Crews,
“that information can be used to develop additional inhibitors.”
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Case
of hide and seek?
Treated early, Lyme disease
is usually cured with antibiotics, but the prolonged form of the disease
can be more troublesome. Yale scientists have observed that while the
Lyme spirochete is easily digested by immune cells in vitro, rare
bacteria within the body can withstand the onslaught of the immune system,
perhaps explaining the spirochete’s ability to survive long-term.
Ruth R. Montgomery, Ph.D., set out with colleague Stephen Malawista, M.D.,
to determine whether the spirochete somehow weakened the immune system.
Results of a study of mice published last June in the Journal of Infectious
Diseases strongly suggested that this was not the case. With defects
in leukocyte function all but ruled out, the team will look next at the
other side of the equation: how the spirochete may be masking itself from
immune surveillance.
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