At the Forefront of Medical
Care
The University of Virginia Health Sciences Center has emerged as
one of the foremost regional hospitals in the nation, known for the
quality of its patient care and the excellence of its medical
education. In a recent U.S. News & World Report survey, the
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, which treats diabetes and
other hormone disorders, ranked seventh out of 6,400 hospitals
surveyed, while neurology/neurosurgery advanced to fifteenth. Other
highly regarded specialties include otolaryngology, urology,
gastroenterology, gynecology, pulmonary disease, cancer, and
rheumatology. The hospital was also featured in a recent Ladies Home
Journal magazine, which hosted a women's health conference at the
University. The authors acclaimed the Health Sciences Center as "one
of the country's finest hometown
hospitals."
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Neuroscience Research
Actor Christopher Reeve was the
catalyst for the first international neuroscience research
conference held at the University of Virginia in May. The
meeting brought together advocates for spinal cord injured
patients and neuroscience researchers from around the world
to review their latest findings with Reeve. Studies are
under way to find new ways to repair damaged nerve cells
with the goal of implanting them one day into the damaged
spinal cord to restore mobility and sensory losses.
Christopher Reeve is shown above with Dr. John Jane, chair
of neurosurgery, and Dr. Michael Thorner, chair of internal
medicine.
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The Medical Center uses advanced technology to help heal patients.
In some cases, these innovations offer hope to patients who were
previously untreatable. In January 1998, the University became the
first hospital in Virginia to perform a double-lung transplant from
living donors. The Health Sciences Center added an adult bone marrow
transplant unit for patients with leukemia, Hodgkin's and
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast cancer, and other conditions. The
Medical Center has pioneered new ways to perform non-invasive medical
imaging of diseased lungs and is conducting exciting work in the
Medical Automation Research Center on the use of robotics and
automation in health care.
New technology also makes existing procedures safer and less
traumatic. Dr. David Kahler, an associate professor of orthopedic
surgery, has devised a computer-guided surgical technique for pelvic
and hip-socket fractures that is more accurate and less invasive than
traditional surgery.
Health Sciences Center faculty are involved in the kinds of
research that can lead to important breakthroughs in patient care.
This year, Dr. Barry Marshall, an adjunct professor of internal
medicine, received the prestigious Paul Erlich Prize in Germany for
his pioneering work on Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium implicated in
stomach ulcers and other diseases. Dr. Johannes Veldhuis, professor
of internal medicine, was the recipient of this year's Award for
Excellence in Clinical Research, given by the National Center for
Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health.
The quality of the faculty's work has been recognized by private
foundations and government agencies, which have singled them out to
lead national efforts to study specific diseases. Examples of this
work include:
Dr. Shu Man
Fu, chief of rheumatology and immunology, is leading a four-year
study on the genetic causes of lupus, a chronic, autoimmune disease.
His group received a $4.65 million grant from the National Institutes
of Health to support this work.
Faculty at
the Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center and six other sites around
the nation are developing a growth chart of children with cerebral
palsy to help physicians diagnose the disease. Dr. Richard Stevenson,
associate professor of pediatrics, is the lead investigator of the
five-year project, supported by more than half a million dollars from
the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Upinder
Singh, an infectious disease researcher, received $500,000 from the
Burroughs Wellcome Fund to study the complex life cycle of a parasite
that causes an estimated 50 million cases of dysentery and liver
abscesses worldwide and results in 70,000 deaths annually.
The
National Institute on Aging funded a $4.5 million study into the
origins of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Dr. James Bennett
Jr., professor of neurology and psychiatric medicine, is director of
the project.
The
National Institutes of Health awarded $5 million to the Center for
Research on Reproduction to fund a five-year study on polycystic
ovary disease to test the most promising theories. Dr. John Marshall,
professor of internal medicine, will lead the effort.
Ann Gill
Taylor, professor of nursing and director of the Center for the Study
of Alternative and Complementary Therapies, received a $500,000 grant
from a Canadian foundation to investigate the effectiveness of
biomagnetic therapy in reducing pain.
With a $4
million grant from the National Institutes of Health, University
researchers led by Dr. Ariel Gomez, chief of pediatric nephrology,
will attempt to uncover the fundamental principles leading to
childhood kidney failure.
